From Holden: Yowsa! Continue reading AP Ties Bush to DeLay’s Buddy Abramoff

From Holden: There’s really no doubt anymore is there? Almost twice as many Iraqi children are suffering from malnutrition since the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein, a U.N. monitor said Monday. Four percent of Iraqis under age 5 went hungry in the months after Saddam’s ouster in April 2003, and the rate nearly doubled to 7.7 percent last year, said Jean Ziegler, the U.N. Human Rights Commission’s special expert on the right to food. The situation is “a result of the war led by coalition forces,” he said. Overall, more than a quarter of Iraqi children don’t get enough to … Continue reading Better Off Under Saddam

From Holden: One of the troops I don’t support is U.S. Army Capt. Rogelio “Roger” Maynulet currently on trial in Germany. A U.S. Army tank company commander told a military court Wednesday that he shot a gravely wounded but unarmed Iraqi man “to put him out of his misery” and said the killing was “honorable.” Taking the stand for the first time, Capt. Rogelio “Roger” Maynulet, 30, described the events that led him to fire twice upon the Iraqi, maintaining that the man was too badly injured to survive. “He was in a state that I didn’t think was justified … Continue reading Culture of Life

From Holden: FAA records confirm a Canadian man’s claims that he was a victim of the Bush assministration’s practice of outsourcing torutre. Maher Arar, a 35-year-old Canadian engineer, is suing the United States, saying American officials grabbed him in 2002 as he changed planes in New York and transported him to Syria where, he says, he was held for 10 months in a dank, tiny cell and brutally beaten with a metal cable. Now federal aviation records examined by The New York Times appear to corroborate Mr. Arar’s account of his flight, during which, he says, he sat chained on … Continue reading A Most Extraordinary Rendition

From Holden: Lawa: “Poppies!! NOT poppy-seed bread, dammit! Continue reading Morning Caption Contest

From Holden: Former senator and UN ambassador John Danforth laments the loss of his party. The problem is not with people or churches that are politically active. It is with a party that has gone so far in adopting a sectarian agenda that it has become the political extension of a religious movement. When government becomes the means of carrying out a religious program, it raises obvious questions under the First Amendment. But even in the absence of constitutional issues, a political party should resist identification with a religious movement. While religions are free to advocate for their own sectarian … Continue reading Paying The Piper

From Holden: As the number of Iraqis by U.S. Forces doubles the torture and abuse authorized by Gen. Ricardo Sanchez continues. According to figures from the Pentagon, the U-S is holding more than ten-thousand prisoners in Iraq. That’s more than double the number held in October. And, there are more allegations of prisoner abuse in detention facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. A report issued Friday described soldiers stripping prisoners naked and making them walk home, detainees beaten and kicked and forced exercise to the point of exhaustion. Today, the group Human Rights First is releasing its own report that warns … Continue reading The Legacy of Dirty Sanchez

From Holden: The ACLU forced the Pentagon to reveal yet another smoking gun. The top U.S. commander in Iraq authorized prisoner interrogation tactics more harsh than accepted Army practice, including using guard dogs to exploit “Arab fear of dogs,” a memo made public on Tuesday showed. BOO-YAH! The Sept. 14, 2003, memo by Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, then the senior commander in Iraq, was released by the American Civil Liberties Union, which obtained it from the government under court order through the Freedom of Information Act. “The memo clearly establishes that Gen. Sanchez authorized unlawful interrogation techniques for use … Continue reading Memo Ties Gen. Sanchez To Torture

From Holden: The Bush assministration continued its losing streak in federal court yesterday as U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. asserts control over GITMO detainees. A federal judge yesterday barred the Bush administration from transferring a group of detainees from the U.S. military prison in Cuba to the custody of foreign governments without first giving the prisoners a chance to challenge the move in court. U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. said he was preventing transfers without advance notice to bar the government from “unilaterally and silently taking actions” to move detainees outside the reach of U.S. courts. … Continue reading A Big Loss for the Bush Assministration

Kos is rerunning a post from this past weekend because, as he said, he thinks it is very important. I do too, so I’m posting it, too. Schiavo, Roe and Federalism by Armando The Decembrist asks this question: [T]his post from the American Constitution Society blog seemed worth noting: If Roe Falls, Would the “Culture of Life” Trump Federalism Yet Again? by Sarah C. von der Lippe Republicans acknowledged that the intervention was a departure from their usual support for states’ rights. But they said their views about the sanctity life trumped their views about federalism. (“Congress Steps In on … Continue reading Federalism? We Don’t Need No Steenking Federalism

From Holden: From today’s gaggle I bring you… The Jeff Gannon Memorial Question of the Day Q Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has made some extremely strong anti-American statements. Is there a concern that he could turn into the Saddam Hussein of Latin America and be a haven for al Qaeda in the months or years to come? Hmmm. Is there a whore in the house? How is that question whorish? Let me count the ways. 1) Saddam Hussein was a totalitarian leader helped to power by the CIA. Hugo Chavez is the popularly-elected democratic leader of Venezuela. 2) Hugo Chavez, … Continue reading Obsession Extra: Two Questions That Deserve A Separate Post

From Holden: Yes, after a weeks absence, the gaggle is back, Les is back (after three months absence), and – thank god – Helen is back. Q Would the President still have gone into war if he’d known what will be in this report, that there were no weapons of mass destruction? MR. McCLELLAN: I think he’s already addressed that issue, and his position remains the same. And I think that what he said earlier today was important to note, as well. We are seeing that the Iraqi people are serving as an example — Q That was not the … Continue reading Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle

From Holden: After undergoing heart bypass surgery in January, Les Kinsolving is Back! MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon. I want to welcome all those who are back from the great state of Texas, and welcome back to Les, too. Glad to see that you’re doing well. It’s good to have you back and you’ve been in our thoughts and prayers. MR. KINSOLVING: Thank you very much. I appreciate it very much. [Note: this is the first time I recall the official the White House gaggle transcript identifying a reporter by name.] And Les hit the ground running with – A CHALLENGING … Continue reading Today on a Very Special Edition of Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle

From Holden: John has all the details over at AMERICAblog, just go read it. Continue reading The Slap-Fight over ”Jeff Gannon”

From Holden: John has all the details over at AMERICAblog, just go read it. Continue reading The Slap-Fight over “Jeff Gannon”

From Holden: I’ve often said that Paul Krugman’s columns are bloggy gold. His writings can be counted on for their piercing intelligence and accuracy, which is why his op-eds in the New York Times serve as the basis for so many posts. Wingnut scrawler Michelle Maglalang is bloggy gold as well, because she’s the anti-Krugman – her columns and blog posts can be counted on to leap to the most ignorant of conclusions based on her own prejudices. Today Little Lulu was smacking her lips over the eminent release of the Volker Report on the UN’s Iraqi Oil for Food … Continue reading Wipe That Drool Off of Your Chin, Michelle

From Holden: Consumer confidence fell in March for the second consecutive month, a private research group said Tuesday. The consumer confidence index dropped 2.0 points to 102.4, down from a revised 104.4 in February, according to The Conference Board. Analysts had expected a reading of 103. The index had fallen by a revised 0.7 point in February. Link. Continue reading Consumers Losing Confidence in My Bush Boom

From Holden: The Post’s Dana Milbank interviews some of the fundies who traveled to Washington yesterday and heard more calls for violence… “I’m wanting the government officials in D.C. to come in, even if there’s force involved,” [Mary] Porta said. … the imposition of martial law… Fellow demonstrator Bob Hunt heard Porta’s idea and seconded it. “The government should declare martial law for the whole county, arrest the judge, arrest the sheriff,” said Hunt, who identified himself as a government subcontractor. … extrajudicial action from the Department of Justice… Michael McMonagle, another speaker, proposed that the Justice Department take Schiavo … Continue reading The True Face of the Religious Right, Part III

Today’s Action Today’s action comes from the National Organization of Women.� Go to their website at http://www.nowpacs.org �and sign their petition telling Democratic leaders NOT to move to the right.� The Democrats need to understand that Republican-lite won’t win elections; in fact, it will lose them. Thanks for taking today’s action. Continue reading Action Alert – Tuesday, March 29

From Holden: Treasury Secretary John Snow lives in his own little world. U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow said Congress this year will back President George W. Bush’s plan to overhaul the Social Security system by adding private accounts, even as opinion polls show declining support for the proposal. “I remain confident we will see legislation this year,” Snow told reporters after delivering a speech today in Portland, Oregon. “I think private accounts [Oops!] are going to be an integral part of any solution. There’s only one ultimate poll and that’s what the Congress does.” Snow actually reminds me of Stephen … Continue reading Atop Gumdrop Mountain Among the Cotton Candy Clouds

From Holden: It takes more than a purple finger to create a functioning democracy. Nearly two months after Iraq’s historic Jan. 30 elections, negotiations to form a new government have stalled over Cabinet posts and how to include the fragile nation’s Sunni minority — dominant under former dictator Saddam Hussein and believed to make up the core of the ongoing insurgency. The bickering exposed tensions in the newly formed parliament, with [Interim PM/Summary Executioner Ayad] Allawi storming out of the session, followed by interim President Ghazi al-Yawer, a Sunni Arab who turned down the speaker’s job. “What are we going … Continue reading Freedom Stumbles

From Holden: Am I George Will yet? Continue reading Bobo Asks the Age Old Question

From Holden: Iraqi Suni leader Sheik Harith al-Dari sez the insurgency is an appropriate response to American invasion and occupation and will continue until the U.S. submits a timetable for withdrawl. Continue reading Support Our Troops – Bring Them Home!

From Holden: Don’t get me wrong, I agree that U.S. intelligence on Iraq’s mythical WMDs was horrendous. The CIA under George Tenet was particularly at fault in its asesment of Hussein’s capabilities. But who was it that George Bush rewarded with a Presidential Medal of Freedom in December of last year? Why, none other than George Tenet. It looks like the final report of the presidential commission studying American intelligence failures regarding Iraq’s WMDs will follow the path blazed by the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Iraq Survey Group under David Kay and Charles Duelfer and heap blame on our … Continue reading More Blame for the Intelligence Agencies

From Holden: Tanned, rested and ready, Paul Krugman’s column on the American Talliban, where he describes the United States as a country “where dangerous extremists belong to the majority religion and the majority ethnic group, and wield great political influence”, is a keeper. So is yesterday’s op-ed by Bob Herbert on the Bush assministration’s policy (and practice) of torture. Continue reading Best of the Op-Eds

Via Romenesko: Racism? Classism? Random act of journalistic stupidity and shallowness retconned by press critics trying to justify the unjustfiable? Nah. It’s just all about the visuals, man. Because Columbine is a Denver suburb, news cameras reached the school while kids were still running to safety. The dramatic video is still being shown six years later. Red Lake is five hours north of the Twin Cities. By the time news crews reached the reservation, the shootings had ended. Then tribal authorities severely limited access to the reservation by journalists. Among Minnesota reporters, Red Lake is not known for welcoming media … Continue reading Another Choice Item from Le Buffet de Stupide

Steve Gilliard pulled this out of his comments and posted it. . Driftglass posted this in comments and it’s too damn funny to stay there. IMHO it’s as simple as: “Never jump into bed with someone who’s crazier than you are.” For the Suburban Gated, the non-deranged gunnies and the Tax Cuts Uber Alles Republicans, it’s all jolly good fun having a romp with the Fundies…as long as they keep delivering the 20% margin the GOP must have to win anything and as long as they stay the fuck away from my house and family, its all just good kinky … Continue reading Read it Read it Read it – it’s very funny and very true

From Holden: Does the attention span of the religious right have enough bandwidth to demand both the life of a dead woman and the death of a live man? The Colorado Supreme Court threw out the death sentence Monday of a man convicted of raping and killing a cocktail waitress because jurors consulted the Bible during deliberations. The court said Bible passages, including the verse that commands “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” could lead jurors to vote for death. [snip] Harlan’s attorneys challenged the sentence after discovering five jurors had looked up Bible verses, copied … Continue reading The Culture of Life Demands Your Death

From Holden: I was just over at Yahoo looking for more images of fundies protesting over the Schiavo case in Florida when I came across this image. I was intrigued by the red poster, where it says “DAHL.COM” at the bottom. What the hell is DAHL.COM? Turns out that DAHL.COM belongs to Chicago radio personality Steve Dahl, who credits himself with single-handedly destroying disco in 1979. Here’s Steve Dahl here. Steve thought it was a good idea to send an inflatible version of himself to stand guard outside Ms. Schiavo’s hospice, seen here as it was displayed on Fox News … Continue reading Radio Days

From Holden: The State Department renewed its criticism of the human rights records of Pakistan and China on Monday in a report that followed U.S. decisions to arm Pakistan with jet fighters and to avoid a showdown with China on the way it treats its people. The report, which focused on U.S. efforts to improve human rights in 98 nations, was issued by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who praised the Bush administration as being “on the right side of freedom’s divide.” Link. Continue reading Count the Condtradictions