Well color me surprised here!  Someone from within the Bush White House is speaking out of both sides of their mouth.  What a shocker!

New White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten says he and Bushie want a more open and relationship with the media and the public at large, as they try to get their "mojo" back.

So just how does Bolten plan to get Idiot Son Bushie get his groove back?

For starters, he says he it may be worth considering whether they should put an end to the daily White House press briefings.  But that's a decision he will leave up to incoming Press Secretary Tony Snow.

I'm sure you're scratching your head, wondering how putting an end to daily press briefings would translate into more openess between the Bush Crime Team and the media.

Well, if you had any hopes at all that logic and common sense would prevail in the Bush White House- give up on that idea.  I sure have.

 Bolten: White House Must Regain Its 'Mojo' 

Well, if you were wondering what the culture-of-life, Christian conservative right folks over at Free Republic were thinking of Stephen Colbert's performance last night, wonder no more!

One person over at Free Republic comments that: "All I can honestly say after a night like this is.....the only good democrat is a dead one! And any Republican that does not support our president is just as bad if not worse. I love President Bush! Anyone that claims to be a Christian and votes democrat is a liar!"

Christian values at work!  Wishing for dead Democrats!  Gotta love our conservative friends at Free Republic!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1623881/posts?q=1&&page=1251

At last night's annual White House Correspondent's Dinner, Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert spoke truth to power, leaving poor Bushie and permanent-glassy-eyes Laura feeling a little uncomfortable.  The truth hurts, doesn't it Bushie?

Here are some of Colbert's best quotes from last night.

My favorite one, because it speaks to how Bush is so wedded to his own ideas, even when the facts tell him he is wrong: "When the president decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday - no matter what happened Tuesday."

Another favorite of mine was when Colbert addressed the press corps, taking them to task for failing to challenge the incumbent Administration: "Let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The president makes decisions, he’s the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know--fiction."

On the current situation in Iraq, Colbert said: "I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."

But I think the best part of this year's Correspondent's Dinner, is the fact that Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife Valerie Plame were there (they were the invited guests of ABC News).  We shouldn't even know who Valerie Plame is. She was a covert CIA operative with non-official cover, working on issues regarding weapons of mass destruction. But thanks to her outing by the Bush Crime Team, she had to give up her position at the CIA.  I hope Bushie had a chance to meditate on that last night.

   Kudos to Stephen Colbert.  Thank you for speaking truth to power.  YOU ROCK!

Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner-- President Does Not Seem Amused

A new report by the U.S. State Department concludes that Iraq may very well become a safe haven for terrorists.

The report says: "Iraq is not currently a terrorist safe haven, but terrorists including Sunni groups like al-Qaida in Iraq, Ansar al-Islam and Ansar al-Sunna, as well as Shia extremists and other groups, view Iraq as a potential safe haven and are attempting to make it a reality."

So let me see if I've got this straight.  We needlessly invaded a previously sovereign country that was not a threat to us, and was NOT a haven for terrorists.

Now, three years after said invasion, our own government is admitting that Iraq may become a safe haven for terrorists.

Maybe that's because we went into Iraq without a plan to win the peace. Our government baselessly asserted that we would be greeted as liberators, and they never had a plan to win the peace.

The State Department's report also contradicts Bushie's assertion that we are winning the war on terror.  It says that the number of terrorist attacks have INCREASED. There have been more than 11,000 terrorist attacks worldwide.

But I thought we were fighting the terrorists over there, so that we won't have to fight them here?

If we're actually fighting them, then the evidence is clear from this report: we are sadly losing.

George Bush, you're doing a heck of a job!!

US admits Iraq could become haven for terror

Report: Extremists push for terror haven in Iraq

Jason Leopold of Truthout.org is reporting that CIA Leak Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is preparing to seek an indictment against Bush's Brain, Karl Rove.

According to Leopold's report, Fitzgerald has already written up charges against Rove, and next week the grand jury in the case is expected to vote on whether to indict him.

Rove's lawyer supposedly has been informed via a target letter that Patrick Fitzgerald is prepared to charge Rove with perjury and lying to investigators during his appearances before the grand jury, and during interviews with investigators.

Merry Fitzmas everyone!!

Soon it will be Fitzmas day!

Fitzgerald to Seek Indictment of Rove

Breaking News on my local Channel 9 news: Rush Limbaugh arrested in Palm Beach County, FL on prescription drug charges.

More to come on this.

EDITING TO INCLUDE MORE INFORMATION AND LINK:

So dear ol' Rush reached a deal with prosecutors in his "doctor shopping" case.  He turned himself in today, and was charged with fraudulently hiding or concealing information in order to obtain prescription drugs.

However, prosecutors will drop the charge in 18 months if Limbaugh continues treatment for his drug addiction.

What's interesting here is that Rush will avoid jail time for his illegal activity.  Yet, he has strongly advocted jail time for other drug users, saying on his television show in October 1995:"Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. ... And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up."

He also made fun of President Clinton for saying he didn't inhale.

And just one word for our conservative friends here who drink from the cup of Rush Limbaugh's kool-aid every day: You may want to re-think your strategy if the talking head you're listening to daily, needs a special device to hear his callers, because he's had so much OxyContin it's affected his hearing. 

With all the OxyContin, there's a chance your guy just might be talking out of his rear-end.

Rehab, $30,000 to keep Limbaugh out of court

Limbaugh surrenders on drug charge

Conservative talk-show host reportedly reaches deal to settle Rx rap

Ok, this reminds me of some backwater Arkansas stuff, when some people in Arkansas were more concerned about Hillary Clinton's name than they were her husband's policies as Governor.

CNN actually has a poll on whether people like Hillary Clinton or Hillary Rodham Clinton better.

Why on earth would CNN commission a poll on what name combination (Hillary Clinton vs. Hillary Rodham Clinton) people prefer her to use?

Is this what our media has been reduced to?

Here's a novel idea, CNN?  Why not try a poll that asks how the American public feels about Sen. Clinton's policies?  I know that's a shocking idea to you, but it's worth a try! 

To be or not to be Hillary Clinton

Poll: Use of maiden name changes way public feels about senator

Forget Monica Lewinsky.  Seems like the Republicans purchased their own blue dress.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that federal prosecutors are investigating whether two contractors who were implicated in the Duke Cunningham bribery case, may have supplied the former Republican Congressman with prostitutes, free limousine use, and hotel suites to boot!

Say it ain't so! An upstanding, righteous Republican being supplied with prostitutes?  The end is truly near!

Prosecutors May Widen
Congressional-Bribe Case

BushCo. was ripped a new one today for its response (or lack thereof) to Hurricane Katrina.

A Senate inquiry concluded that Bush and the White House seemed indifferent to the devastation caused by Katrina for two days after the storm hit.

Well of course Bushie and crew were indifferent.  He was too busy giving a speech where he compared himself to Franklin Roosevelt, and partying it up at John McCain's birthday celebration.

He was so indifferent, that White House Communications Director Dan Barlett realized he needed to make Bushie a DVD of newcasts from NOLA, in order for him to see the reality of what was happening on the ground.

And well over a thousand people paid for Bushie's indifference with their lives.  And many people are still paying for Bushie's indifference today as they try to rebuild their lives and find new jobs and new schools to send their children.

Katrina Report Rips the White House Anew

"I think Katrina has worn its welcome.  I think the American people are tired of it."

- Republican Bay Buchanan, speaking on CNN

Well Bay, why don't you try telling that to the survivors of Katrina who are still trying to rebuild their lives? The same ones who are either attempting to return to New Orleans or make new lives for themselves in other cities? The same ones who were left by their government to drown and die.

And Bay, lest we forget, they are STILL finding dead bodies in New Orleans from the hurricane. I'd like you to to walk up to someone who has just found the body of their loved one, and tell them you're sick of Hurricane Katrina talk.

What's more, Bay, that could have been any one of us affected by Katrina.  One day, it just might be you or me, experiencing one of the worst natural disasters on American soil. 

Compassionate Conservative

Is this what a country looks like when freedom is on the march?

Seems as though some Iraqis are faking their IDs in order to hide their religious affiliation, for fear that they might be killed.

From a Knight Ridder article:

"In a country defined by religious and ethnic tensions, especially after the Feb. 22 bombing of the revered Shiite Askariya mosque in the mostly Sunni city of Samarra, al-Dulaimi has joined a growing number of Iraqis who think that changing their names is about survival.

For many, it's a big step. In Iraq, people define themselves by their tribes and their families, and one's name often includes reference to them all: a first name, followed by one's father's name, followed by one's grandfather's name, followed by a tribal name. Some who've taken the step describe a sense of shame at shunning their names or tribes, even on fraudulent papers.

But with stacks of bodies turning up daily in what U.S. and Iraqi officials agree are religious and ethnic killings, many think they have little choice except to disguise their religious roots, especially when those roots are hinted at through a name on a citizenship card, the main form of ID that Iraqis carry."

I hear you saying, 'but I thought we went into Iraq to liberate the people and install democracy?'

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it turns out that we have helped install an Islamic theocracy in a previously secular country. And now said country is involved in a civil war. (Though some will try to dress it up with a 'nicer' sounding name like "sectarian violence").

Such is life in George W. Bush's post-invasion Iraq. 

Iraqis faking their IDs to hide religious affiliations

Once again, some members of Congress (Republican and Democratic alike) fail to "get" it, regarding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

A bipartisan Senate panel is calling for the abolishment of FEMA, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) saying it is in "shambles and beyond repair."  The panel recommends the creation of another agency, the "National Preparedness and Response Authority," that would oversee relief missions during domestic disasters.

As I was reading the article on CNN, it reminded me of the debate that took place over the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DH).  As some people will recall, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security was originally propopsed by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut).

George Bush was against the creation of DHS.  And surprisingly, this was an area that I agreed with him on. I thought, why another government bureaucracy?  Just make the existing agencies with intelligence oversight talk to one another and share information!  (Imagine that, right?!)

Now I say, why abolish FEMA and create another bureaucracy?

FEMA does not need to be abolished!  Rather, the Director of FEMA needs to be restored to the cabinet-level position it was under President Clinton.  By making it a cabinet-level position and appointing James Lee Witt (largely credited with revitalizing the agency), President Clinton helped restore confidence in FEMA.

The organization should be removed from it's parent, the Department of Homeland Security, and be made a stand-alone organization in which its head reports directly to the President of the United States.

Equally important, the President of the United States must be truly engaged when the Director of FEMA needs their ear.  When people are literally drowning and dying in a major American city, the President should not be partying it up at a United State Senator's birthday celebration.  And their Communications Director should not have to make them a DVD of newcasts to help them understand the magnitude of what's happening on the ground.

Senate panel calls for abolishing FEMA

Bipartisan investigation finds disaster agency beyond repair

For all those who still don't believe that global warming is real, several top experts have concluded that the monster 2005 Atlantic hurricane season can be attributed to global warming:

Experts: Global warming behind 2005 hurricanes

Seems like Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has taken a page from the Bushies.

On Tuesday, the conservative Canadian government barred media outlets from covering the flag-drapped coffins of four Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

They have also ceased the practice of lowering flags to half-staff outside Canadian Parliment each time a soldier is killed.

Just remember folks, in the minds of people like George Bush and Stephen Harper, if you didn't see it, then obviously it didn't happen.

Canada Bans Coverage of Returning War Dead

The folks over at Think Progress have compiled a list of Snow's quotes about Bushie:

Tony Snow On President Bush: ‘An Embarrassment,’ ‘Impotent,’ ‘Doesn’t Seem To Mean What He Says’

The breaking news of the evening is that Fox News commentator Tony Snow has officially accepted the job of White House Press Secretary, replacing Scott McClellan.

As the Washington Post notes, Snow will be the first inside-the-beltway talking head to take over the helm at the White House press lectern.

The Post picked up on a quote from Snow this past March, when he said of Bushie: "President Bush hates responding to the press, hates responding to political enemies -- he thinks it's beneath him.  He's got a stubborn streak." Snow went on to add that he thought Idiot Son Bush needed "a series of vigorous defenses" of his policies.

Fox News's Snow on Verge of Being White House Press Secretary

Does Idiot Son George Bush even know what it feels like to tell the truth?  Is he even capable of it?

Speaking in Irvine, California, Bushie said that he tried to avoid war with Iraq "diplomatically to the max."

Bushie, let's talk for a minute.  Just you and me.  I know you have a hard time grasping and understanding certain ideas.  But there's a name for what you are doing.  And it's called revisionist history.  We've been down this road before, you and I.

Lest you forget, you were talking about war with Iraq when you were simply candidate Governor George W. Bush.  You lamented to your ghostwriter that one of the keys to being seen as a successful leader, is to be seen as a commander-in-chief. And that if you had a chance to invade Iraq, you wouldn't waste your political capital, like Poppy did.

Your former White House Counter-terrorism Official Richard Clarke says that you clearly left an impression with him, that you wanted him to come back with a report that said Iraq was responsible for 9/11.

Then, there's the matter of the Downing Street Memo, which says that the facts were being fixed around the policy, in the lead-up to war with Iraq.

And let's not forget that you were so concerned about the lack of evidence against Sadaam, that you contemplated flying U2 reconnaissance planes over Iraq, and painting them in the United Nations colors. And if Sadaam fired on them, he would be in violation of U.N. resolutions.

This is the record, Bushie. Your record. A record which indicates diplomacy never entered the picture. All-out war was your only desire. To the max, baby!

Bush Says He Tried to Avoid War 'To The Max,' Explains How God Shapes His Foreign Policy

Poor Bushie.  He's falling and he can't get up.

According to a new CNN poll (carried out by the Opinion Research Corporation), Bushie's approval rating is at an anemic 32%. 

Fewer Americans describe him as "honest and trusthworthy," and the percentage of Americans viewing him as a "strong and decisive leader" has dropped as well.  (My only question is, why aren't these numbers at 0%, with his track record?)

Forget Tom Cruise.  It looks like Josh Bolten is the newest cast member of Mission Impossible, with the task of revitalizing this dying presidency.

Bush's approval ratings slide to new low

"We have to do two things. One, disqualify the Republicans, and two, provide an alternative. The first part, they've done for us, and the second part, we need to do."

Bobby Kahn, Chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party, quoted in a Washington Post article.

Mr. Kahn has it exactly right when he says that the Democrats need to provide an alternative.

If you take a look at George Bush's approval ratings, I think that clearly, the majority of Americans "get it."  They know and they understand that George Bush and the Republican Party have failed our country.  They have put their own interests above that of the country.

But it won't be enough for the Democrats to run on George Bush's failed record.  Many voters will want to know 'what do you offer me instead?'

The Democrats must lay out their own vision for where they would take the country, if control of either one or both houses of Congress were returned to them, after this year's mid-term elections.

"I believed then, just as I believe now, that it is profoundly wrong to think that fighting for your country overseas and fighting for your country's ideals at home are contradictory or even separate duties," he said. "They are, in fact, two sides of the very same patriotic coin."

- Sen. John Kerry, speaking on dissent being a part of patriotism in a speech at Boston's Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Sen. Kerry has it exactly right.  Dissent and patriotism are not mutually exclusive.  In fact, if you truly care about your country, then you not only have the right, but the obligation, to speak out when you see it veering off course.

In the aftermath of 9/11, too many Americans (be it politicians, members of the media, or just ordinary citizens), got caught up in George Bush's "either you're with us or against us" rhetoric, and thought that critizing a commander-in-chief after we had been attacked, would be unpatriotic.

However, I believed then, as I do now, that speaking out against the policies of this current Administration was and is still the greatest rebuke to Osama bin Laden and the Islamic extremists who attacked us.

Seems as though Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald presented evidence against Karl Rove (in the Valerie Plame case) to the grand jury.

According to an article by Jason Leopold, Fitzgerald told the grandy jury "that Rove lied to FBI investigators and the grand jury when he was questioned about how he found out that Valerie Plame Wilson worked for the CIA and whether he shared that information with the media, attorneys close to the case said.

Fitzgerald told the grand jury that Rove lied to investigators and the prosecutor eight out of the nine times he was questioned about the leak and also tried to cover-up his role in disseminating Plame Wilson's CIA status to at least two reporters."

Moreover, this was the first time this year that Patrick Fitzgerald informed "the jurors that he would soon present them with a list of criminal charges he intends to file against Rove in hopes of having the grand jury return a multi-count indictment against Rove."

From the White House to the Big House possibly?  What's Bushie going to do without his Brain?

Grand Jury Hears Evidence Against Rove

With the Bush Crime Team, you have your good leaks and your bad leaks.

In the Bushies' world, leaking the name of a covert CIA operative for purely political purposes, in retaliation against said operative's husband, is very, very good.

But leaking information about secret U.S. prisons, is very, very bad.

A CIA officer has been fired today for leaking information about secret U.S. prisons in Eastern Europe to the Washington Post's Dana Priest. 

Using information obtained from Mary McCarthy, who worked in the CIA's Inspector General's office, Dana Priest wrote about the CIA prisons back in November.  Coincidentally, Priest won a Pulitzer Prize on Monday of this week for her reporting on the story.

The Bushies have failed to take any action whatsoever against those responsible for disclosing Valerie Plame's name,  therefore putting her life at risk, as well as the lives of her family members, co-workers and those she had established professional contacts with in her work.  Moreover, the "front" company that the CIA had set up for her, Brewster Jennings, was forced to fold after her identity was revealed.

Yet, they promptly took action against a CIA officer who leaked potentially politically damaging information about secret U.S. prisons being run overseas.

NBC: CIA officer fired after admitting leak

Officer allegedly failed polygraph, admitted giving reporter information

More evidence that the Bush Crime Team was fixing the facts around the policy, and ignoring the intelligence.

A former CIA senior official says that the CIA had evidence that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, six months prior to the invasion. But the CIA was ignored by the Bush White House, who was determined to go to war.

In an interview to air on 60 Minutes this Sunday, Tyler Drumheller said that an Iraqi source "told us that there were no active weapons of mass destruction programs." 

Drumheller further commented: "The (White House) group that was dealing with preparation for the Iraq war came back and said they were no longer interested....We said: 'Well, what about the intel?' And they said: 'Well, this isn't about intel anymore. This is about regime change'."

Futhermore: "The policy was set. The war in Iraq was coming and they were looking for intelligence to fit into the policy."

So now we have both the Downing Street Minutes and this ex-CIA official telling us that the facts were being fixed around the policy.

What more does the United States Congress need to know?  George W. Bush has committed high crimes and misdemeanors.  He is deserving of impeachment and removal from office.

Ex-CIA agent says WMD intelligence ignored

Let's examine some of the evidence:

1.  When BushCo. said that Sadaam Hussein tried to acquire yellowcake uranium from Africa, they were relying on forged documents:  Fake Iraq documents 'embarrassing' for U.S.

2.  They fixed the facts around the policy: Fixing the Facts and Intelligence Around the Policy - How?

3.  Bush was so concerned about the lack of evidence against Sadaam, that during a meeting with Tony Blair in January 2003, he contemplated entrapping Sadaam by flying U2 reconnaissance plane over Iraq, and painting it in the colors of the United Nations to make it look like a U.N. plane.  And if Sadaam fired on it, he would be in violation of U.N. resolutions.  Blair 'made secret US Iraq pact'

Bush and his fellow neo-cons were clearly determined to go to war with Iraq.

1.  Former White House counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke says that on the very day after September 11, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumseld was calling for a retaliatory attack against Iraq, despite the lack of evidence that Iraq caused 9/11.  Rummy said he wanted Iraq, because Afghanistan didn't have enough good targets.  Clarke said: "Rumsfeld was saying that we needed to bomb Iraq. And we all said ... no, no. Al-Qaeda is in Afghanistan. We need to bomb Afghanistan. And Rumsfeld said there aren't any good targets in Afghanistan. And there are lots of good targets in Iraq. I said, 'Well, there are lots of good targets in lots of places, but Iraq had nothing to do with it.

"Initially, I thought when he said, 'There aren't enough targets in-- in Afghanistan,' I thought he was joking."    Clarke's Take On Terror

2. In 1999, two years before the 9/11 attacks, the candidate George W. Bush told his ghostwriter he wanted to invade Iraq, saying: "One of the keys to being seen as a great leader is to be seen as a commander-in-chief.  My father had all this political capital built up when he drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait and he wasted it. If I have a chance to invade, if I had that much capital, I'm not going to waste it. I'm going to get everything passed that I want to get passed and I'm going to have a successful presidency."  Two Years Before 9/11, Candidate Bush was Already Talking Privately About Attacking Iraq, According to His Former Ghost Writer

Do you ever wonder what happened to the GOP's rent-a-rioters from the 2000 Florida debacle?

When Miami election officials gathered and were trying to recount the ballots, a group of allegedly outraged Floridians stormed the facility and stopped the vote counting.

In turned out that they were outraged Floridians at all.  Rather, they were GOP operatives from Washington, DC.

And now, one of them has a new job.

Joel Kaplan has been rewarded for his exceptional rioting skills, by being appointed as Karl Rove's replacement.

As you will recall from yesterday, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan resigned.  And it was announced that Karl Rove would relinquish some of his responsibilities in the White House.  He will give up his role as White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy.  His successor is none other than Joel Kaplan.

So go forth, Joel, and riot no more.

New WH Policy Chief Was "Brooks Brothers" Rioter

You know things are bad for Idiot Son George W. Bush when the latest Fox News poll (yes ladies and gentlemen, FOX NEWS) has his approval rating at a pitiful 33%.

According to the poll, Idiot Son's approval rating among his fellow Republicans is below 70% "for the first time of Bush's presidency."

Boys and girls, we have a name for that.  It's called "buyer's regret."  You see, sometimes buyer's regret settles in when you go to the polls, and vote against your own best interests. So the morale of the story is to educate yourself before you go into the voting booth.  Or else you just might end up like some of our Republican friends who now realize they've been duped by their Idiot-in-Chief.

04/20/06 FOX Poll: Gloomy Economic Views; Bush Approval at New Low

This headline says it all, about the pitiful state of the Bush Crime Team:

White House Shifts Into Survival Mode

Word has it that Fox News Anchor Tony Snow is under consideration to replace Scott McClellan as White House Press Secretary.

If you think about it, this makes perfect sense!  It would be a simply, easy inter-agency transfer, since the Bush White House and the "fair and balanced" Fox News are all one in the same, anyway.

And he would need very little, if any, on the job training by the outgoing McClellan.  Snow has perfected the art of lying, just like the Bush White House.

Seems like a perfect fit.

FOX News' Tony Snow Among Possible White House Spokesman Candidates

Fox News host tipped for White House job

And Media Matters for America has done an excellent job (as usual) of compiling a list of the many lies of Tony Snow:

The many falsehoods of Tony Snow

Of course today marks a very solemn day in American history- the anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

I'm not sure if it is because as the years pass, and healing begins to take place, people tend to forget. But I was surprised to hear very little in the media and press today, about the 11th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

I haven't seen one image on the news today, of any commemorative events.

As I reflect back on the Oklahoma City Bombing, I think we can learn a very valuable lesson from it still, even 11 years later.

We must work to combat all forms of terrorism.  Everyone knows that Wahabbist extremism must be confronted.

But we must never forget to combat domestic, homegrown terrorism as well.  In the aftermath of 9/11, there were calls from many to profile Muslims who look like those who attacked us on 9/11.

But after April 19, 1995, there was never any call to start profiling men who looked like Timothy McVeigh.

The Convenant With Black America has officially made history!

The Convenant will occupy the Number 1 slot on the New York Times Bestseller List on April 23.

It is the first non-fictional work published by an African-American company, to reach and top the NY Times Bestseller List.

And as Tavis Smiley (who edited the book)commented on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, this isn't just a victory for one person.

This is a victory for Black America as a whole.  With the success of The Covenant, we have brought issues of concern in the African-American community, right into the forefront of America, when past practice has been that our issues were the last to be addressed, if they were addressed at all.

So congratulations to Tavis Smiley and all who contributed to The Covenant. But most importantly, congratulations to all of Black America.  There is a movement happening.  We are more determined that ever to make Black America better.  And when we do that, we make all of America better.

‘The Covenant’ Tops Bestseller List -- the First for a Black-Owned Publisher

http://covenantwithblackamerica.com/

"I'm the decider, and I decide what's best.  And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."

- George Bush, speaking today on Rummy's job security.

First off, what's striking about this comment is Bush's utter arrogance.

But ok Bushie, arrogance aside, let's talk about you being the "decider."

You decided to take us into a war based on lies, against a country who's never attacked us.  You decided to fix the facts around the policy, when the policy should have been fixed around the facts.

You decided that you care absolutely nothing about fiscal responsibility, and have run deficits as far as the eye can see. 

You decided to ignore all the warnings in advance of Hurricane Katrina.  And you decided to go to a birthday party for John McCain while people were literally drowning and dying in New Orleans due to abject, willfull neglect.

You decided to break the law by conducting domestic wiretapping without receiving a warrant first through the FISA Court.

I could go on and on, but well, I'm sure you get the picture Bushie.

Sounds like a pretty crummy record in decision-making, if you ask me.  Just remember Bushie, you can be decisive.  But you can also be decisively wrong.

Republican Senator Tom Coburn says he believes that at least 7 more lawmakers will go to the Big House due to their involvement in the Jack Abramoff and other corruption scandals.

Coburn believes 6 members of the House of Representatives, and one Senator, will face jail time.

He commented "if you've been keeping up with things, you've got a pretty good idea" of the lawmakers he's referring to.

Funny thing about Coburn.  He'll talk about other people facing jail time for possible crimes.  But he won't talk about crimes he may have committed.  Such as the time when a 20-year old woman filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against him.  The woman alledged that Coburn removed her fallopian tubes without her permission, thus leaving her sterilized.

Senator expects seven lawmakers to go to jail

Okla. Senate Candidate Is Accused of Fraud

According to a new post at the website Truthout.org, the State Department concluded 11 days BEFORE Bush's 2003 State of the Union speech, that the intelligence regarding Iraq trying to acquire yellowcake uranium from Africa, was based on forgeries.

On January 12, 2003, 11 days before Bushie's SOTU Speech, the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) sent word to the CIA that they believed the documents surrounding an alledged attempt by Iraq to obtain yellowcake uranium from Niger, were in fact forgeries.

Consequently, the Secretary of State Colin Powell refused to use the uranium claims in February 2003 during his presentation on Iraq before the United Nations.

Read the entire article at Truthout: State Department Memo: '16 Words' Were False

Because we went to war based on lies, and our government clearly knew they were lies, we have lost all credibility in the international community. There may come a time when we need to take valid pre-emptive action against a country that honestly poses a threat to us. And we will be alone.

Seems as though the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is in fact leaving some children behind; mainly, minority students.

An analysis by the Associated Press has found that some states (with the blessing of the federal government), deliberately fail to report the test scores of almost 2 million students when they report progress by racial groups.

Some states have failed to report these minority test scores, in hopes of evading a NCLB requirement that students of all racial backgrounds must show annual progress in their academic studies.  If a lack of progress is shown, penalties under the NCLB Act include an extended school year, changes to the curriculumn, or firing of teachers or other school administrators.

George W. Bush (who clearly was left behind as a child) has made the NCLB Act a hallmark of his Administration, often citing the law when he goes before a Black audience.  And then he'll throw in a few lines about the "soft bigotry of low expectations."

So obviously one of the questions needing to be asked, is why his Administration has been complicit in allowing the states to skirt this provision of the NCLB Act.

AP: States Omit Minorities' School Scores

Happy, blessed Easter to all.

The blog will be updated tomorrow.

Seems as though Bush's lapdog, Tony Blair, might finally have the kool-aid all out of his system now. (One can only hope).

Blair has informed Bushie that Britian will not offer any military support in any action against Iran, even if a strike against Iran wins the backing of the international community.

One source in the Foreign Office said: "We will support the diplomatic moves, at best.  But we cannot commit our own resources to a military strike."

Come on Tony!  What's wrong with you?  You've been Bush's lapdog for quite some time now.  You know your role.  And you know that "either you're with us or against us!"

Blair refuses to back Iran strike

Is the United States government finally admitting failure in Iraq? It sure took them long enough.

It seems as though we didn't get the whole "liberation" thing right the first time.  (Maybe that's because George Bush's intentions in Iraq were never to liberate them in the first place).

Now, the U.S. military is planning what is described as a "second liberation of Baghdad," to commence when a new government is installed.  But I hear you saying, hold up.  When a new government is installed, shouldn't that be the point when we leave?  Not planning further military action?

This new "liberation" will include Iraqi forces backed up by American air power, special ops, etc.  As well, it will include helicopters suitable for urban warfare.

Hmmm...I guess "major combat operations" aren't exactly over with, as Idiot Son previously declared.

US plots ‘new liberation of Baghdad’

As I mentioned here on the blog yesterday, George Bush likes to say that he listens to the commanders on the ground when it comes to making decisions about Iraq.

I guess he should revise his previous remarks to say he only listens to them when their thinking mirrors his own, or when it suits his own interests.

Today, Bush issued a strong statement of support for Defense Secretary Donanld Rumsfeld, amid continuing calls from a growning number of retired military commanders for Rummy's resignation.

Bush said: "Earlier today, I spoke with Don Rumsfeld about ongoing military operations in the global war on terror."  (Read: Nowhere in our conversation did the name Osama bin Laden come up.  Because who cares about him?  I did talk to Rummy, however, about the coming war in Iran). 

He then went on to say: "I reiterated my strong support for his leadership during this historic and challenging time for our nation."

A senior member of the Bush Crime Team said that the Idiot Son felt a statement on Rummy was warrented, due to the "types of voices" that have been speaking out lately.

"Types of voices?"  Just for the record, Bushie, those voices you hear are from retired military commanders who have led our troops in combat.  You know, the same military commanders that you claim to respect and listen to.

But I guess when you don't like what they have to say, they're just reduced to those "types of voices." 

Rumsfeld Stays, Says Commander-in-Chief

I guess George Bush was truly on to something when he said "Oceans no longer protect us."  But he forgot to add a sentence on to that.  Maybe something along the lines of "And neither does FEMA."

The Department of Homeland Security's very own internal watchdog has released a report taking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to task for its response to Katrina, and offers 38 recommendations for assisting in storm response. 

In part, the report says the agency has focused too much on responding to terrorism, at the expense of preparing for natural disasters.

The report by Inspector General Richard L. Skinner acknowledges that FEMA has "received widespread criticism for a slow and ineffective response to Hurricane Katrina," and concludes that "Much of the criticism is warranted."  (Talk about your DUH! moment).

One of the more interesting parts of the report, is that it concludes it took FEMA officials about 3 days after Katrina's landfall, to truly comprehend the magnitude of the destruction, because the communications infrastructure was destroyed.

How could anyone in FEMA not have understood the magnitude of what had occurred, 3 days after Katrina's landfall?  We, the general American public, "got it." We understood the devistation that had befallen New Orleans, mainly due to the many live newcasts from the city.  Television station after television station was broadcasting from the Convention Center, the Superdome, and also carried some live video of people being rescued from the rooftops of their homes.

And FEMA did not grasp this?

So the next time George Bush tells you that oceans no longer protect us, just remember that the levees and FEMA no longer protect us either.

Report: Criticism of FEMA's Katrina response deserved

Inspector general: 'Much of the criticism is warranted'

Watchdog: Katrina response criticism deserved

Homeland Security IG offers 38 recommendations for aiding storm response

The man who led our 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq, is telling us how he really feels about Donald Rumsfeld!

Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack is the latest General to say that Rummy needs to go. He told CNN today: "I really believe that we need a new secretary of defense because Secretary Rumsfeld carries way too much baggage with him."

He went on to further say: "Specifically, I feel he has micromanaged the generals who are leading our forces there. And I believe he has culpability associated with the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and, so, rather than admitting these mistakes, he continually justifies them to the press ... and that really disallows him from moving our strategy forward."

Maj. Gen. Swannack's comments got me to thinking.....Idiot Son George Bush always likes to say that he listens to the commanders on the ground in Iraq.  Will he listen to this commander?  Sadly, I don't think so.

Another general joins ranks opposing Rumsfeld

Defense secretary 'carries too much baggage,' Swannack says

Too tired to update the blog tonight and re-create the posts I accidentally deleted.

More updates tomorrow.

I learned a very valuable lesson this evening!  Never again will I come home, dead-beat tired, and go straight to updating the blog!

I accidentally deleted the posts I made yesterday, regarding Bush and Rummy's denials that they are planning a war on Iran.

I will try to recreate the posts this evening.

Well, well.....talk about your friends in high places.

It seems as though some key players in a 2002 New Hampshire phone jamming scheme, designed to keep Democrats away from the polls, had regular contact with the Bush White House and the Republican Party as the plan was coming together.

A Bush campaign operative who was recenlty convicted in the phone-jamming scheme, was burning up the White House phone lines shortly before Election Day, 2002.  James Tobin made 2 dozen calls to the Bush Crime Team within a 3-day period before the mid-term elections, just as the phone-jamming scheme was finalized.

Read on...

Records show phone jammer-White House link

Phone data show people in election scheme had Republican Party contacts

I wanted to follow-up on a post I made yesterday.  See here:

http://progressiveminds.bloghi.com/2006/04/08/with-the-gop-it-s-always-someone-else-s-fault.html

Yesterday, I talked about how, during his weekly radio address, Bush blamed Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid for derailing the "deal" on the immigration bill.  (Reid used a procedural tactic to stop certain amendments on the bill from being considered).

And I mentioned that before the Republicans criticize Reid for stopping amendments from being considered, they need to take a look at their own record in this area.  For example, when a Katrina relief bill was before the House, House Republicans stopped a Democratic amendment from being considered; an amendment which would have included more relief measures.

Well lo and behold, MSNBC is carrying a story that talks about this very issue:

"After having vowed to eliminate the "closed rules" Democrats used to quash GOP ideas, Republicans used the same tactics to stifle debate. During the past Congress -- the 108th -- only 22 percent of legislation was considered with an open rule allowing the minority to offer amendments from the floor, compared with 30 percent under the Democrats' 103rd Congress. When Democrats offered 29 amendments to a medical malpractice bill last Congress, GOP leaders blocked all of them from coming to a vote."

GOP sees disturbing reflection in the mirror

Democrats were accused of similar abuses of power before ouster in ’94

I hesitated some about posting this story, because in no way, shape or form do I want to be perceived as supporting any terrorist, which obviously Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is.

But sadly, I think this story speaks more about our military, than Zarqawi.

It seems as though the U.S. military has been conducting a propaganda campaign (what a shocker!) that has overemphasized Zarqawi's role in Iraq.

According to a Washington Post article, internal military documents show that the propaganda campaign against Zarqawi has raised his profile in such a way, that has overstated the importance of his role in the Iraq debacle, and also allowed the Bush Crime Team to tie the war in Iraq to the September 11 attacks.

The propaganda campaign included broadcasts on radio and television outlets, leaflets, word wide web postings, and a leak to an American journalist (where have we heard that one before?).

Army Col. James A. Treadwell says that the military policy is to NOT aim pyschological operations at Americans.  However, U.S. psychological operations soldiers produced a video disk that was circulated within Iraq, but was also shown on the "fair and balanced" Fox News here in America.

Hmmm...I have an idea here. Instead of overemphasizing things or embellishing information, why not try the truth here?  The truth usually works, and people respect you for it.

U.S. military plays up role of Zarqawi

Jordanian painted as foreign threat to Iraq’s stability

Absolutely required reading today, courtesy of The Washington Post.

According to the Post, CIA Leak Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has described a "concerted action" among "multiple people in the White House" to seek revenge against Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who critized BushCo's so-called case for war with Iraq.

Moreover, Dick Cheney directed Scooter Libby to disclose to reporters the contents of a National Intelligence Estimate and a March 2002 summation of Wilson's trip to Niger.

But here's the real kicker---the "evidence" that Cheney and Libby chose to disclose to reporters, had already been DISPROVED (in other words, debunked) months before!

In their rush to trash Joseph Wilson for simply telling the truth about what he did not find in Africa- Cheney and Libby passed on bogus, disproved information.

Read on....

A 'Concerted Effort' to Discredit Bush Critic

Prosecutor Describes Cheney, Libby as Key Voices Pitching Iraq-Niger Story

Republicans never seem to want to take any responsibility whatsoever, for anything.  It's always someone else's fault.

Just this morning, during his weekly radio address, the Idiot Son tried to place all the blame for the stalled immigration bill in the Senate, on Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.

Idiot Son said: "I call on the Senate Minority Leader to end his blocking tactics and allow the Senate to do its work and pass a fair, effective immigration reform bill."

A note to Idiot Son: Harry Reid is not the first, nor will he be the last, Senator to use procedural maneuvers to block amendments to certain bills from being voted on.

In fact, Bushie, you need to look no further than your own Party, to see that Senators routinely use procedural tactics to block amendments from being voted on.

And it's done in the House of Representatives as well. Why, when a Katrina relief bill was being voted on in the House, Republicans blocked Democrats from offering amendments to the bill, because Democrats wanted to amend the relief bill to include more relief measures.

So if you're going to take a Democratic Senator to task for blocking a vote on an amendment, just make sure your own House is in order in that area.

Bush: Democrats' leader sunk immigration bill

Republicans block efforts to amend relief bill, hold vote without providing copy of bill

If the Department of Homeland SECURITY, for crying out loud, hires an alledged child pornographer, what does that say about their ability to protect us from terrorists?

Of course, last week DHS Spokesman Brian Doyle was arrested on charges of soliciting a minor online.

Now comes word that Doyle was desciplined by his previous employer, Time magazine, for viewing adult pornographic images over their company computers.

Rep. Peter King, Republican of New York, has expressed concern that Doyle had access to sensitive information, and could have left himself open to blackmail.

This all raises questions about the quality of the background clearances that DHS conducts.  If someone with Boyle's background can slip through the background clearance cracks, what does that say about our national security?

Radio commentator Randi Rhodes had an interesting take on this today; a possibility that I think is worth exploring.

She commented that perhaps DHS willfully hired Boyle, knowing full well about his trouble at Time magazine.

Why? So that they could blackmail him if he bucked on them.  In other words, if Boyle somehow went against the grain and disagreed with the higher-ups at DHS on any particular issue, they could say "well, we've got this dirt on you."

Co-workers: DHS official had previous pornography incident

During an interview with David Frost that aired on television in May 1977, former President Richard Nixon said "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal." 

In order words, Nixon believed that a President of the United States is not bound by any law; he is above reproach.

George Bush seems to be carrying on that Nixonian legacy.

Today, the Bush White House did not dispute Scotter Libby's allegation that Idiot Son Bush authorized him to leak selected (read: cherry-picked) portions of a National Intelligence Estimate.

Today, White House Spinmeister Scott McClellan (who is about to be kicked to the curve, if recent reports are accurate), provided this defense for the Bush Crime Team: "There is a difference between providing declassified information to the public when it’s in the public interest and leaking classified information that involved sensitive national intelligence regarding our security."

Well, Scotty Boy, let me break it down to you like this: The NIE wasn't leaked because it was in the public's interest to do so.  It was leaked as a way to retaliate and strike back against Joseph Wilson (and thus by extension, his wife), who dared to tell the truth about Iraq's supposed designs on enriched uranium.

It's not OK for any President to leak classified material simply for partisan, political purposes.  Just because the President does it, does not make it right.

White House won’t challenge leak story

If you're wondering where that drip, drip, drip sound is coming from, fear not!  It's not your water faucet. Nor is it your roof.

Rather, that drip, drip, drip sound you hear is coming from 1600 Pennyslvania Avenue, right from the office of the Leaker-in-Chief.

I. Lewis "Scotter" Libby, former Chief of Staff to Dick Cheney, has told prosecutors in the CIA Leak Investigation that the Top Dog himself, Idiot Son George Bush, authorized the leakage of certain pre-war intelligence relative to Iraq.

Libby, of course, was indicted last year in the CIA Leak Case, and just before his indictment, he told the Grand Jury that Dick Cheney told him to pass on certain information, and that Bush himself authorized the disclosure.

That led to a July 8 conversation between Libby and Judith Miller, the New York Time's mouthpiece for the Bush Crime Team, who helped beat the war drums.

Libby apparently said in his testimony that he was authorized by the Administration to tell Judith Miller, that Iraq was trying to acquire enriched uranium.

What's more, Libby said that it was the very first time, in all of his government experience, that he could recall disclosing to any reporter, a document that was essentially declassified because the President authorized it to be disclosed.

The fact that the President and Vice President of the United States authorized the leaking of portions of a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), simply for political purposes, should not be lost on ANYONE!

This Administration was determined to punish Ambassador Joseph Wilson for having the audacity to return from Niger and tell the truth about what he DID NOT FIND there! ( What I Didn't Find in Africa)

They were determined to discredit Joseph Wilson in any way they could, in order to make their failed case for war.

In other words, they committed treason, short and simple.

Papers: Cheney Aide Says Bush OK'd Leak

Libby: Bush himself authorized leak on Iraq

I've never met Harry Taylor in my life, but wow, do I love him!

Who is Harry Taylor, I'm sure your asking?

He's an ordinary American citizen to had the courage to literally speak truth to power today.

It's not even hurricane season yet, but I bet when Idiot Son George Bush landed in Charlotte, North Carolina, he never planned on an encounter with Hurricane Harry.

At a forum in Charlotte today, Hurricane Harry confronted the Criminal-in-Chief about his illegal domestic spy program.

He told Bush:

"I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration.  And I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and grace to be ashamed of yourself."

So tonight, kudos to Harry Taylor!  You rock!!!

Bush defends domestic spying program

Man tells president he should be ashamed of policies

Just what is John McCain smoking lately?  Must be some powerful stuff!

While giving a speech to union leaders on Tuesday, things came to a head when the subject of immigration came up, with McCain offering to cut his speech short when he was booed by members of the audience.

But the real kicker came when McCain made a job offer.  He said immigrants are willing to do the jobs that Americans won't do.  And if that wasn't bad enough, he offered anyone in the audience $50 an hour to come pick lettuce in Arizona!

Some in the audience accepted the job offer, with one person shouting "I'll take it!"

Despite this, McCain baselessly asserted that no one would want to do such menial labor for very long.

Well, I beg to differ with him.

There are plenty of people out there today who would love to make $50 an hour picking lettuce, because it's an honest day's work, and they have families to feed.

Who is John McCain to say what work people will and will not do?

McCain spars with booing union chiefs

Once again, the MSM is a day late and a dollar short.  A couple of days ago, I posted some of my thoughts on John McCain----mainly, that I believe he is no maverick. (See my blog entry: http://progressiveminds.bloghi.com/2006/04/02/a-day-late-and-a-dollar-short.html)

For all of his "Straight Talk Express" rhetoric, he's an opportunist, and he knows that in order to win the Republican nomination for President in '08, he needs to make friends with the extremists on the right like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, James Dobson, etc.

Well, seems like the MSM has finally picked up on this as well, hence today's Associated Press article entitled McCain's Straight-Talking Image Questioned.

The Bush Crime Team has always been praised by the whores in the mainstream media as being "disciplined" and always "on message."  In other words, the conventional wisdom from the MSM, is that everyone in BushCo. speaks from the same page.

Here's a shocker-- it looks like the cracks are starting to appear, that debunk the "always on message" theory.

Remember when Bush's wife-I mean Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, said recently that the United States had made "thousands" of tactical errors in Iraq?  (She then flip-flopped and said not to take her comments literally). 

Well, it seems like Donald "We know where the weapons are" Rumseld takes issue with Condi's original comments.

During a radio interview in North Dakota, Rummy was asked if he agreed with Rice's comments.  He responded "I don't know what she was talking about, to be perfectly honest."  He went on to say "If you had a static situation and you made a mistake in how you addressed the static situation, that would be one thing. What you have here is not a static situation, you have a dynamic situation with an enemy that thinks, uses their brain, constantly adjusts, and therefore our commanders have to constantly make tactical adjustments."

Be careful Rummy- you know what usually happens in these type of situations, when you have disagreements with the boss' wife!

What happened to that hymnal that you all were supposedly singing from, anyway?

Rumsfeld Challenges Rice on 'Tactical Errors' in Iraq

Today marks the 38th anniversary of the brutal assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

So if he were alive, what would Rev. King have to say, for such a time as this?

I suspect he would talk a