From Holden: I’m sure this can be easily explained. Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist has been ferried on corporate aircraft more than most other politicians in Washington over the past five years, according to a study released this week. [snip] Frist’s most frequent corporate hosts were pharmaceutical companies, including Abbott Laboratories, Pfizer Corp. and Schering-Plough. He reimbursed the three $22,656 for use of their aircraft, the report states. Continue reading Bill Frist, Jetsetter

From Holden: I for one am proud to know we’ve established secret government executions in Iraq. Iraq hanged 13 insurgents Thursday, marking the first time militants have been executed in the country since the U.S.-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein nearly three years ago, the government said. The Cabinet announcement listed the name of only one of those hanged, Shukair Farid, a former policeman in the northern city of Mosul, who allegedly confessed that he had worked with Syrian foreign fighters to enlist fellow Iraqis to carry out assassinations against police and civilians. Continue reading More Progress in Iraq

From Holden: The Electronic Privacy Information Center, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Security Archive are doing great work here. A former top national security lawyer at the Justice Department questions the Bush administration’s legal rationale for its warrantless eavesdropping program, newly released documents show. David Kris, now the chief ethics and compliance officer at Time Warner Inc., said in a Jan. 19 e-mail that administration legal arguments put forth a month after the program was publicly disclosed had ”a slightly after-the-fact quality or feeling to them.” Kris wrote the e-mail to an aide to Attorney General Alberto … Continue reading Former Bush Assministration DOJ Big Shot: “Doood, weak.”

From Holden: The hits just keep coming. The US trade deficit widened to a record $68.5bn in January, with exporters unable to match the blistering pace of import growth. The deficit was up $3.4bn on the previous month. The politically sensitive bilateral deficit with China accounted for much of the deterioration, with the shortfall increasing from $16.3bn to $17.9bn. Overall, exports grew by $2.8bn to $114.4bn but imports far outpaced this rising $6.2bn to $182.9bn. Continue reading Yet Another Record Trade Deficit

From Scout: There will be more and more of this… Earlier Tuesday, workers for the Housing Authority of New Orleans were removing refrigerators from flooded public housing when they found a body on the kitchen floor at 2913 Higgins Blvd. shortly after 9:30 a.m. The residence is a half dozen blocks west of the old Desire public housing complex in the 9th Ward. The identity, gender and cause of death in each case were not known Tuesday. Autopsies will be performed. Gagliano said the discoveries bring to 10 the number of possible Katrina victims found in New Orleans since the … Continue reading More Bodies Found in NOLA

From Holden: Yesterday in Mississippi. Asshole. THE PRESIDENT: You do? That’s good. The other thing that’s interesting is that we’ve got the Allens here from the Allen Brothers Construction Company, he’s a local — GOVERNOR BARBOUR: The Martins. THE PRESIDENT: The Martins. As I said, the Martins. You probably thought I said, the Allens. I said, the Martins. Continue reading Your President Speaks!

From Holden: What’s this? The Department of Justice’s Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility reports that the FBI has been illegally eavesdropping on American citizens even when they did bother to get a warrant to do so. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found apparent violations of its own wiretapping and other intelligence-gathering procedures more than 100 times in the last two years, and problems appear to have grown more frequent in some crucial respects, a Justice Department report released Wednesday said. While some of these instances were considered technical glitches, the report, from the department’s inspector general, characterized others … Continue reading Reason Number 1006 Why We Should Not Trust These Guys

From Holden: Mo-om! That mean prosecutor is doing his job again! Waaaaaaahhhhhh!!! The lawyer for U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay is accusing Travis County prosecutors of abusing their power to subpoena records while the criminal case against the Sugar Land Republican is on hold. Over the past three months, prosecutors have issued more than 30 subpoenas, mostly trying to tie DeLay closer to disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. They came after the trial court temporarily suspended its jurisdiction while it waits for a ruling on a pre-trial appeal. Houston lawyer Dick DeGuerin on Tuesday asked the state 3rd Court of Appeals … Continue reading Tom DeLay, WATB* Du Jour

Out. Now. A. Continue reading Happy Democrat Photo: JIMMY! Edition

Here: I have a question for the innocent life crowd: how come none of the proposed laws anywhere, as far as I can tell, believe that a woman should be tried for the murder of her child if she gets an abortion? I’ll do him one better. Many men on the Conservatarian Right like to talk big about men’s procreational autonomy and blither righteously about “their children, too,” and shouldn’t they have a say in whether or not their wives can have abortions. After all, they pay child support to the money-grubbing gold-digging bitches who can’t keep their legs crossed. … Continue reading Digby’s Good Question

Ah, it’s the “if we legalize the illegal thing the president did, then it’s not illegal anymore” defense. A big favorite of mine. Look, not for nothing, but anybody with half a brain saw this coming about ten miles back. I’d ask where the conservatarians are, the “keep the government out of my life” people, all the good guys I grew up with who voted Republican because they didn’t want government all up in their business. I’d ask why they don’t have a problem with this, these people who despised Clinton because, they said, he broke the law and disrespected … Continue reading Told You So

From Holden: America sez Chimpy has a pre-9/11 mindset. The Administration’s effort to build support for the Dubai Ports World transaction has had no measurable impact in the court of public opinion. Just 19% of Americans now believe Dubai Ports World should be allowed to purchase operating rights to several U.S. ports. Two weeks ago, that figure was 17%. From a political perspective, the President’s national security credentials have not rebounded. Forty-one percent (41%) of Americans now trust Democrats in Congress more than the President on national security issues. Forty percent (40%) have more trust in the President. From a … Continue reading Rasmussened!

From Holden: The word of the day is conversations. Q What is the White House doing with the House Republicans to prevent a vote coming up on the Dubai Ports deal next week? There are talks of them attaching it to the Iraq and Katrina supplemental funding. MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we’re continuing to work closely with Congress. We recognize that some members have concerns. The lines of communication are open. There are a lot of conversations going on between the company and Congress and the administration, and those continue. The company reached an agreement with some congressional leaders, and asked … Continue reading Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle

From Holden: Ummm, and Bush wants to give them control of our ports? The State Department called the human rights records of key Arab allies poor or problematic on Wednesday, citing flawed elections and torture of prisoners in Egypt, beatings, arbitrary arrest and lack of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia, and floggings as punishment for adultery or drug abuse in the United Arab Emirates. [snip] The study, which has been published each year since 1977, offers a comprehensive analysis of all countries in the world. It calls records in Saudi Arabia and Egypt poor, and the UAE record problematic. Continue reading State Department Slams UAE

From Holden: Your president explains how he reached the decision to allow Dubai Ports World to control our most important facilities in his Saturday morning radio address. Via The Onion. Continue reading Christ-cracking Funny

From Holden: But for what it’s worth, Kofi Annan says the US is violating international law in Iraq. U.S.-led coalition forces and Iraqi authorities may be violating international law by their “arbitrary detention” of thousands of people, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report published Tuesday. [snip] Annan’s criticism of the multinational force and Iraqi authorities was among the strongest he has made, although many of his assertions were not new. He said the detainment of thousands of Iraqis “constitutes de facto arbitrary detention.” “The extent of such practices is not consistent with provisions of international law governing internment … Continue reading Yeah, I Know – – This Will Be Completely Ignored

From Scout: Bush just spoke in front of a broken levee by the 9th Ward. He did hit the 2 issues top on the minds of NOLA residents….levees and the buyout plan. But restoring or slightly improving the levees will not cut it. People want better safer Cat 5 levees. And he did tell Congress they need to pass his $4.2 billion buyout plan for ruined NOLA residents. At present the House Appropriations Committee is eviserating his plan. It’s a story all over the Times Picayune. But in a draft already put together by the committee’s chairman, Rep. Jerry Lewis, … Continue reading A lame duck in NOLA?

From Holden: More monkey business with GOP voter registration. The California Republican Party suspended its practice of paying people who sign up GOP voters while prosecutors investigate whether some registrations are improper. [snip] The state party paid workers $3 for each voter they registered as Republican — a practice also followed by Democrats. However, election officials in San Bernadino County found that thousands of GOP registration forms may have been filled out by the signature gatherers rather than the voter. Additionally, some non-citizens may have been registered, and some Democrats may have registered as Republicans. Similar problems were discovered in … Continue reading Ooops!

From Holden:

Regarding Dear Leader, who said the following:

“He’s a socialist in so many respects, a Christian socialist.”

Answer here and in under Read More.

Continue reading “Who Said It?”

From Holden: It looks like DINO Henry Cuellar has defeated Ciro Rodriguez with 52% of the vote in US House District 28, but the race has yet to be called. As in 2004, there’s been some monkey business in Cuellar’s home county. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar held a narrow lead late Tuesday over former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez in a Democratic primary election marred by voting irregularities that mirrored problems when the two met two years ago. [snip] It was dj vu for Rodriguez, who sent volunteers and lawyers to Laredo to monitor the vote count after officials there reported a … Continue reading Still Sorting Things Out In South Texas

From Holden: In today’s gaggle Little Scottie was forced to defend Dick Cheney’s threat to shoot Iran in the face. Q When the Vice President says Iran could face meaningful consequences, what does that mean? MR. McCLELLAN: Well, those will be discussions that take place with other members of the Security Council. As I indicated, the matter has been referred to the Security Council. After the review — Q He’s not talking about a military response? MR. McCLELLAN: We’re pursuing a diplomatic solution. It’s going to a new phase of diplomacy now when it heads to the Security Council. After … Continue reading Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle

From Holden: Productivity in the US declined by half a percentage point in the fourth quarter of 2005, the first such decline in five years. U.S. nonfarm business productivity fell at a 0.5 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter, a smaller drop than first thought but still the first decline in nearly five years, a government report showed on Tuesday. Wall Street had expected productivity to be revised to a 0.1 percent decrease from the originally reported 0.6 percent drop after an upward revision to fourth-quarter gross domestic product growth. [snip] For 2005 as a whole, productivity grew 2.9 … Continue reading My Bush Boom’s “Oh Shit” Moment

From Holden: Productivity in the US declined by half a percentage point in the fourth quarter of 2005, the first such decline in five years. U.S. nonfarm business productivity fell at a 0.5 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter, a smaller drop than first thought but still the first decline in nearly five years, a government report showed on Tuesday. Wall Street had expected productivity to be revised to a 0.1 percent decrease from the originally reported 0.6 percent drop after an upward revision to fourth-quarter gross domestic product growth. [snip] For 2005 as a whole, productivity grew 2.9 … Continue reading My Bush Boom’s ”Oh Shit” Moment

From Holden: Chimpy gave a little reception in honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day today. You can tell that the audience is laughing at him — not with him — when he says stupid shit like the following. I am blessed to have a strong wife. (Applause.) And we are raising two young women to become independent, capable risk-takers — (laughter) — so that they can realize their dreams. Continue reading Now They Are Laughing At Him

From Holden: Look, if I had all the answers for the Israeli/Palestinian problem I’d run for god. But threats like this just can’t be helpful. Israel’s defense minister advised the incoming Palestinian prime minister Tuesday to fear for his life if Hamas militants start attacking Israel again. [snip] Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz’s warning to Hamas, recently elected to rule the Palestinian Authority, was the first to identify Hamas’ prime minister-designate, Ismail Haniyeh, as a potential target for an Israeli pinpoint attack. ”No one is immune,” Mofaz told Army Radio, a day after an Israeli airstrike on an ice cream truck … Continue reading This Is Not Good

GAAAAAH. Read the whole thing. It’s too good for me to pick out just one bit. Just as an aside, though, I like this: And they continue to this day, when being pro-civil rights, far from being controversial, is practically mandatory. which seems to convey the feeling that if it wasn’t “mandatory” to be pro-civil-rights, Ass Missile and the Ass Master Jr. would just as soon put those minorities back in their places where they belong. Blog of the year. Hat tip to reader Chris. A. Continue reading Ass Missile Aloft!

From Holden: Eight Thousand soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have deserted since the Deserter in Chief attacked Iraq. At least 8,000 members of the all-volunteer U.S. military have deserted since the Iraq war began, Pentagon records show, although the overall desertion rate has plunged since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. Since fall 2003, 4,387 Army soldiers, 3,454 Navy sailors and 82 Air Force personnel have deserted. The Marine Corps does not track the number of desertions each year but listed 1,455 Marines in desertion status last September, the end of fiscal 2005, says Capt. Jay Delarosa, a Marine Corps … Continue reading Eight Thousand Bushes

From Holden: Today’s lead editorial in the New York Times concludes that we would all be better off if Chimpy had spent last week in Crawford. The spectacularly misconceived trip may have inflicted serious damage to American goals in two vital areas, namely, mobilizing international diplomacy against the spread of nuclear weapons and encouraging Pakistan to take more effective action against the Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters operating from its territory. The nuclear deal that Mr. Bush concluded with India threatens to blast a bomb-size loophole through the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. It would have been bad enough on its own, … Continue reading Ducked Fup

From Holden: And so did the Pentagon, Homeland Security and the Coast Guard, but they were overruled by proven traitor Karl Rove. At least three security agencies raised objections to a takeover by a United Arab Emirates state-owned company of the operations of six major U.S. ports. Congressional sources said the Defense Department, Homeland Security Department and Coast Guard expressed objections during the review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States of the state-owned Dubai Ports World, which bought the British-owned Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. P&O has managed port operations in New York, New Jersey, … Continue reading I Object