When will the military begin leveling with the American people?  And more importantly, when will they begin leveling with the families of our fallen soldiers?

Today, an Army Ranger told the House Reform and Government Oversight Committee that they were ordered to keep quiet about what really happened to Pat Tillman when he was killed in Afghanistan.  Army Spc. Bryan O'Neal said he was also ordered not to tell Tillman's brother what happened.

Jessica Lynch also testifed before the Committee, and help set the record straight about what happened to her in Iraq when her convoy was ambushed.  The military, with the media's help, embelleshed the story of Lynch's ambush, and today, Lynch said "The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals of heroes and they don't need to be told elaborate lies."

Ranger alleges cover-up in Tillman case

Setting the Record Straight

Jessica Lynch tells Congress what really happened to her in Iraq.

John McCain's latest attempt at comedy has bombed, so to speak.

During a campaign appearance this week, McCain (who of course is running for President) joked about bombing Iran. 

From the Associated Press:

Republican presidential contender John McCain, known for having a quirky sense of humor, joked about bombing Iran at a campaign appearance this week.

In response to an audience question about military action against Iran, the Arizona senator briefly sang the chorus of the surf-rocker classic “Barbara Ann.”

“That old, eh, that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran,” he said in jest Wednesday, chuckling with the crowd. Then, he softly sang to the melody: “Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, anyway, ah ...” The audience responded with more laughter.

I guess McCain (who of course was a POW during the Vietnam War) now finds it downright funny that we might commit American's sons and daughters who wear the uniform, to a military action in Iran, putting their lives at risk. 

McCain's joke about bombing Iran, reminded me of Bush' "comedy" routine at the Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner in 2004, when he joked about not being able to find the weapons of mass distruction in Iraq, and the White House produced a video of Bush supposedly looking for Iraq's missing WMDs in the White House.  Never mind that people have lost their lives as the result of the Iraq war.

McCain jokes about bombing Iran

’08 GOP hopeful spoofs Beach Boys song in off-hand remark

Suffice it to say that today was NOT a very good day for Alberto Gonzales.

When you're the Republican Attorney General of the United States, and Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma (who's among the rightest of the right wing) tells you that you need to pack your bags, you know you're on borrowed time.

Of course the big news of today is Alberto Gonzales' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, regarding the firings of 8 U.S. prosecutors.

And if he was looking to members of his own party for relief, he didn't find it.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) told Gonzales it was time for him to go.  He said "The best way to put this behind us is your resignation."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) queried Gonzales "You said something that struck me — that sometimes it just came down to these were not the right people at the right time. If I applied that standard to you, what would you say?" 

Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-PA) warned Gonzales that his answers "did not stick together." 

Gonzales' faulty (read: SELECTIVE) memory was of concern to Sen. Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama, who told Gonzales "I'm concerned about your recollection."

Iowan Republican Sen. Charles Grassley wanted to know about Gonzales'  inconsistent statements about his role in the firing of the prosecutors.  He asked Gonzales "Why is your story changing?"  (Point of privilege, if I may Senator.  That usually happens when someone is LYING.  Just thought I'd clarify that for you.)

I'm guessing that after today's hearings and Gonzales' performance, some Republican Senators are going to take that long walk to the White House and tell George W. Bush 'Game over.  Time for your Attorney General to go.'  And while they're at it, they might as well tell Bushie it's time for HIM to go as well.

Gonzales struggles to sway skeptics

The Bush White House is seeking a "war czar" to oversee the war in Iraq, as well as the forgotten war in Afghanistan.

So a few things stand out for me about this:

1.  As Commander-in-Chief, isn't George W. Bush supposed to be the "war czar?"  That's HIS job.  But in asking for a war czar, he's admitting that he's a miserable failure who has lost two wars, and that he needs someone to do his job for him.

2.  CBS News reports that currently, there are no takers for the war czar position.  According to a CBS report, the Washington Post says that at least three retired four-star generals were approached by the White House about the job, and they all declined to be considered for the position. 

No Takers For Bush "War Czar"

The Skinny: Top Generals Not Interested In Becoming Overseer Of U.S. War Efforts

1.  Read how a U.S. panel is altering the finds of experts who concluded there is very little voter fraud in the United States.  From the New York Times:

A federal panel responsible for conducting election research played down the findings of experts who concluded last year that there was little voter fraud around the nation, according to a review of the original report obtained by The New York Times.

Instead, the panel, the Election Assistance Commission, issued a report that said the pervasiveness of fraud was open to debate.

The revised version echoes complaints made by Republican politicians, who have long suggested that voter fraud is widespread and justifies the voter identification laws that have been passed in at least two dozen states.

Democrats say the threat is overstated and have opposed voter identification laws, which they say disenfranchise the poor, members of minority groups and the elderly, who are less likely to have photo IDs and are more likely to be Democrats.

Though the original report said that among experts “there is widespread but not unanimous agreement that there is little polling place fraud,” the final version of the report released to the public concluded in its executive summary that “there is a great deal of debate on the pervasiveness of fraud.”

Panel Said to Alter Finding on Voter Fraud

Some interesting reads in the news today. 

While Congress is out of town on recess, George W. Bush used a recess appointment to name Republican fundraiser Sam Fox as U.S. ambassador to Belgium.  The interesting thing about Fox is that he donated money to the so-called Swift-Boat Veterans for Truth (more accurately called the Swift Boat Veterans for Lies and More Lies).  You will recall, of course, that the Swift Boaters were a 527 group who lied about John Kerry's service in Vietnam in order to derail his presidencial candicacy in 2004.  The Swift Boaters did George W. Bush's bidding, while allowing Bush to try to remain above the fray as if he had no affiliation with them.  A volunteer aide to Bush, Ken Cordier, had to quit George W. Bush's "re-election" campaign in 2004 after it was learned that he appeared in one of the Swift Boat ads.

Swift Boat donor's appointment sidesteps Congress

Meanwhile, Senator and Presidential aspirant John McCain has hired Richard Nixon's "Jew Counter" to help him with his campaign.

In a press release, the McCain campaign announced that it has hired Fred Malek to serve as its national finance co-chair.   Malek has a very interesting history indeed.  He served as a "Jew Counter" for Richard Nixon.  Nixon complained about a so-called "Jewish cabal" within the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Paranoid Nixon believed that the "Jewish cabal" in the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was skewering data to make his Administration look bad.  So he asked Fred Malek (yes, the very same Fred Malek that McCain has just hired) to go back and count the number of Jews in the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Malek reported back the number of Jews to the Nixon White House.

John McCain and the Jew-Counter