But ya have to laugh ok…From the Times Picayune… Corrections and clarifications Tuesday, November 21, 2006 Headline referred to trailers, not residents: In some Thursday editions, a headline on a story about illegal travel trailers said “Kenner targeting ‘trailer trash’.” The phrase “trailer trash” was not used by anyone quoted in the story and was not intended in the headline to refer to Kenner residents living in FEMA trailers. The headline referred to the trailers themselves. (h/t to reader Rob) Continue reading Sometimes it just doesn’t come out right

There was a big jump in new jobless claims last week. In the week ending Nov. 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 357,000, an increase of 34,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 323,000. The 4-week moving average was 325,000, an increase of 7,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 317,750. Continue reading Holy Crap!

Classy. Local taxpayers will pay $3,500 for Vice President Dick Cheney’s Nov. 2 visit to this northern Idaho city to campaign for Republican candidates, despite GOP promises taxpayers wouldn’t get the bill. Officials with the city, as well as Kootenai County, say they will not ask the Republican Party of Idaho to reimburse them for expenses generated by the event, which was not open to the public. [snip] State GOP Executive Director Jayson Ronk said the vice president’s visit wouldn’t cost Idaho taxpayers a penny. Now Ronk is declining to comment and instead referred questions about the costs to the … Continue reading Dick Stiffs Idaho

I’m going to be ill: Being held hostage in Iraq can catapult a gal from a pedestrian UMass pedigree to the hallowed halls of Harvard. But it also apparently makes one rather full of oneself! The story goes on to recount Jill Carroll rebuffing an interview request while she’s out with friends, apparently in a manner the requester found curt. Bob Bateman responds: That is as low as I have ever seen anyone sink in print. I hope, somehow, you have some way to police your own ranks of the likes of these women, and whatever editor was stupid enough … Continue reading Hostage Crisis

What we call it: “A civil war,” said Matt Lauer on the Today show on Nov. 27. NBC brass had discussed it, he told viewers, and had come to the bold and publicity-generating—if not exactly jaw-dropping—conclusion that democracy is maybe not flourishing quite the way we planned. The other two broadcast networks, equally boldly, have not followed suit. “It was their decision to make and their process,” said Jon Banner, the executive producer of ABC’s World News. “We constantly discuss editorial matters here—all the time, every day. How that decis ion got made there I have no idea, nor do … Continue reading Named

If there are cries of “activists judges” all I say is thank God someone is acting. Two recent cases… The Bush administration unconstitutionally denied aid to tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and must resume payments immediately, a federal judge ordered yesterday. “It is unfortunate, if not incredible, that FEMA and its counsel could not devise a sufficient notice system to spare these beleaguered evacuees the added burden of federal litigation to vindicate their constitutional rights,” Leon, a D.C. federal judge, wrote in a 19-page opinion. “Free these evacuees from the ‘Kafkaesque’ application … Continue reading Someone is acting

Live, from Amman, Jordan, it’s the Chimpy Show. Time Limits Defined A time limit. As soon as possible. All About al Qaeda And, yes, I talked about making sure that al Qaeda doesn’t take — doesn’t provide — gets safe haven in Iraq. Secatarianisms Well that’s — killers taking innocent life is, in some cases, sectarian. I happen to view it as criminal, as well as sectarian. All About Oil But it’s one thing to put people in uniform, and another thing to have clear command structure, or the capacity to move troops from point A to point B, or … Continue reading Your President Speaks!

Dan Froomkin: Mike Allen writes for Time that White House aides are delighted that the U.S. television networks are sending their news anchors to Amman, “ensuring massive coverage of an event that the White House has said is unlikely to produce any major announcement or development.” Why? Because the White House is simply happy to have Bush in the spotlight — rather than James Baker, whose bipartisan Iraq Study Group has been garnering so much attention in Washington these past weeks. Writes Allen: “Bush’s aides have begun to chafe at the idea that Baker is needed as some sort of … Continue reading How Did That Work Out For You Then?

The traveling press corps plays “Who’s On First, What’s On Second” with an unnamed “senior assministration official” over the question of who cancelled yesterday’s Abdullah-Bush-Maliki meeting, when it was cacelled, and why it was cancelled.

Q Have you gotten any clearer understanding of who made the decision not to make it a trilateral? I mean, did King Abdullah suggest it to Prime Minister Maliki, or did Prime Minister Maliki make the decision unilaterally?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: No, the one word answer is, no. I can tell you that when the President made the decision — or actually, it wasn’t even a decision a few days ago when the idea arose — of coming here after Riga, it was always a bilateral dinner. I can tell you that. It was always a bilateral dinner, and that was well understood.

I don’t know when the idea — the trilateral idea came up, but it was pretty clear from the dinner, I think, that both of them felt they — you know, there are three bilateral meetings here, which cover all the bases — President-King, King-Maliki, President-Maliki. So everybody gets to have these bilateral conversations and go into all the depth they want, and I guess they just concluded there was no need for a trilat.

Q Did the King of Jordan —

Q — who, that’s my question.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I can only —

Q Did the President Holden in Jordan believing that he was going to a meeting this evening?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: No.

Q Did he leave —

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I don’t believe so.

Q Did he leave Riga believing that he was going to be meeting —

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I wasn’t here, I can’t answer that.

Q When was the White House informed that Maliki would not be attending the dinner tonight?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I can’t answer. I can only tell you that there was a good — there was a broad feeling that a trilateral was really not necessary.

The comedy continues…

Continue reading “Hay Abbott!!!!!”

Kos leads us to this particularly advanced bit of nonsense from Will Marshall: The left’s unease with patriotism is rooted in a 1960s narrative of American arrogance and abuse of power. For many liberals who came of age during the protests against the Vietnam War, writes leftish commentator Todd Gitlin, “the most powerful public emotion of our lives was rejecting patriotism.” As he and other honest liberals have acknowledged, the excesses of protest politics still haunt liberalism today and complicate Democratic efforts to develop a coherent stance toward American power and the use of force. Will, it’s not that I … Continue reading Department of Oh Fer Chrissakes

Oh hell yeah: “How’s your boy?” Bush asked, referring to Webb’s son, a Marine serving in Iraq. “I’d like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President,” Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme. “That’s not what I asked you,” Bush said. “How’s your boy?” “That’s between me and my boy, Mr. President,” Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House. That’s how we do things downtown. A. Continue reading Happy Democrat Photo: WEBB! Edition

Curious as to why Chimpy’s come-to-Jeebus meeting with Iraqi PM Nouri al Maliki was cancelled today?Dan Bartlett is here to set you straight. You see, Maliki already had a two-way with King Abdullah, and Abdullah already had a two-way with Chimpy, so there is no need for Chimpy, Abdullah and Maliki to have a three-way. Got it? MR. BARTLETT: The President is going to have a bilateral and dinner with the King of Jordan. Since the King of Jordan and Prime Minister Maliki had a bilateral themselves, earlier today, everybody believed that negated the purpose for the three of them … Continue reading Dan Bartlett Explains

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who became a millionaire after suing the owner of a tree that fell on him and left him in a wheelchair then ran for his current office on a “tort reform” platform, has signed on with the Bush Assministration in opposing the regulatio of carbon dioxide emissions over he objections of the Texas’ own environmental regulatory agency. It’s not much of a stretch to say global warming policy will be on trial at the U.S. Supreme Court today. Twelve states are squaring off against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which they say has failed to … Continue reading The Shame of Texas

Aaargh. I spent most of last year’s pre-Christmas season in a holiday blues funk, either sick or getting there, and this year I am determined not to let the same thing happen to me. I love this time of year, the anticipation of seeing family and friends, figuring out what to give people that will surprise or delight them, making the whole house smell delicious with gingerbread and chocolates. When I occasionally long to be rich, it’s because I don’t want to have to budget for giving. Add to that this being the only religious holiday I’ve ever really loved … Continue reading Forget That ‘Peace on Earth’ Business

Wunnerful. Using money, weapons or its oil power, Saudi Arabia will intervene to prevent Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias from massacring Iraqi Sunni Muslims once the United States begins pulling out of Iraq, a security adviser to the Saudi government said on Wednesday. Nawaf Obaid, writing in The Washington Post, said the Saudi leadership was preparing to revise its Iraq policy to deal with the aftermath of a possible U.S. pullout, and is considering options including flooding the oil market to crash prices and thus limit Iran’s ability to finance Shi’ite militias in Iraq. “To be sure, Saudi engagement in Iraq carries … Continue reading Let’s Widen The War!

Chimpy’s super-duper mighty-frighty terra powers take another hit in court. A Los Angeles federal judge has ruled that key portions of a presidential order blocking financial assistance to terrorist groups are unconstitutional, further complicating the Bush administration’s attempts to defend its aggressive anti-terrorism tactics in federal courts. U.S. District Judge Audrey B. Collins, in a ruling released late Monday, found that two provisions of an executive order signed Sept. 23, 2001, are impermissibly vague because they allow the president to unilaterally designate organizations as terrorist groups and broadly prohibit association with such groups. [snip] David Cole, a Georgetown University law … Continue reading This Makes Him 0-for-2006

Either the famously impatient Chimp arrived a bit early for dinner or no one wants to eat with a Crybaby Loser. U.S. President George W. Bush arrives for a working dinner with NATO heads of state during a NATO summit in Riga November 28, 2006. Heads of state and government from the 26 NATO countries met for a discussion on transatlantic issues at the highest level on Tuesday. REUTERS Continue reading “They Told Me To Sit At The Head Of The Table”

The housing bubble is thoroughly popped. The price of existing homes sold in October fell for the third straight month and posted the biggest drop on record, an industry group said Tuesday, adding it expects weakness in pricing to drag on into next year. The National Association of Realtors said that the median price of a home sold in October was $221,000, the same as in September, but down 3.5 percent from October 2005. The previous record drop was a 2.1 percent decline in November 1990, the real estate group said. While month-to-month declines in home prices are not uncommon, … Continue reading My Bush Boom Sets Another Record!

Holy crap, there he goes again. This time in Estonia. Checking Out His Options for Exile I appreciate the fact that you got a flat tax, you got a tax system that’s transparent and simple. The Plans Wuz You know, the plans of Mr. Zarqawi was to foment sectarian violence. Catapult The Propaganda While Perpetuating The Sectarian Violence On The Internets With The Google The recent bombings were to perpetuate the sectarian violence. Your Strategery To Be A Country I will ask him: What is required and what is your strategy to be a country which can govern itself and … Continue reading Your President Speaks!

Ouch! Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods plunged in October by the largest amount in more than six years, in another sign of a slowing economy. The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that demand for durable goods fell a larger-than-expected 8.3 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted $210 billion, reflecting a big drop in demand for commercial airplanes, a category that had soared in September. It marked the third month in the past four that orders have either fallen or shown no gain, providing evidence that the nation’s factories are beginning to feel the impact of the slowdown in the overall … Continue reading Have You Seen My Bush Boom?

“Fix mah mess! Waaaaaahhhhhhhh!” U.S. President George W. Bush wells up as he finishes a speech at the University of Latvia in Riga, Latvia November 28, 2006. Bush, in Latvia for the NATO summit, appealed to NATO allies to provide more troops with fewer national restrictions for the alliance’s most dangerous mission in Afghanistan. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Continue reading Crybaby Loser Sez…

National Security Advisor handled gaggle duties yesterday and today at the NATO Summit.

We’re Not Leaving And The President Has No Plans

Q Will the President talk to Maliki about U.S. troop withdrawal in any way?

MR. HADLEY: I don’t — U.S. troop withdrawal? I don’t think so. I think what he will be talking about —

Q Will he talk about troop —

MR. HADLEY: — what he will be talking about is what we need — of the security challenges we face, what we need to do to meet those challenges. Again, Maliki’s focus has been on his forces and getting more control over his forces. We, obviously, have an important role to play in that. You have heard General Abizaid in his testimony talking about embedding and greater training effort and partnering with Iraqi forces. Abizaid talked about how that might even result in a temporary increase in forces.

But we’re not at the point where the President is going to be in a position to lay out a comprehensive plan at this point. The President is going to be listening to Maliki, giving Prime Minister Maliki some assurance that we’re going to develop this way ahead — that he and the Prime Minister are going to obviously develop this way ahead together.

The Pouty President

Q I have a question — it’s kind of a general question. You know, the election is over, the Republicans didn’t do well. Now he’s going — he’s got really high violence in Iraq, and then there are problems in Lebanon and Iran and Syria and North Korea and the Gaza Strip. What kind of mood is the President in right now about all these different problems around the world?

MR. HADLEY: You know him — he’s a very resilient guy. And, look, it’s a new Middle East that is emerging. And I think he sees it as a real opportunity, but also challenges. And it is both of those. And the task he’s given for himself and for the rest of us is how to take advantage of these opportunities to advance the war on terror, advance the freedom agenda, and, over time, bring real stability to that part of the region.

Yeah, here’s your “resilient guy” president crying like a baby in Riga, Hadley.

Obsession Continues…

Continue reading “Today on Holden’s Obsession with the Gaggle[s]”

“Allow me to explain in very small words how completely and utterly screwed you are.” A. Continue reading Happy Harry Photo

From Holden: Falafel Bill admits he was wrong. Gracelessly, of course. Continue reading Cats Lie Down With Dogs!

This was really a terrible story and now it gets worse. Last week Atlanta police shot and killed 88 year old Kathryn Johnston in a supposed drug bust. Officials claimed it was a justified shooting as the woman had shot at them after they entered her home. However new information discredits what officials claimed last week namely that an informant bought drugs at the home and officers knocked and announced prior to entering.Last week officials said police went to Johnston’s home because an informant had bought crack cocaine from someone named Sam at the home… Police issued a “John Doe” … Continue reading Informant: Cops told me to lie

I’m sure the Bush twins are just blowing off steam before they enlist, right? Amid a growing barrage of front-page headlines, U.S. embassy officials “strongly suggested” President Bush’s twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush, cut short their trip to Buenos Aires because of security issues, U.S. diplomatic and security sources tell ABC News. But the girls have stayed on, celebrating their 25th birthday over the weekend and producing even more headlines about their activities. Officials say the media coverage upstaged publicity plans for the new U.S. Ambassador Anthony Wayne, who had only recently arrived in the country. [snip] Stories of … Continue reading Personas Non Grata

Chimpy’s job approval rating droops to a flacid 31% in the latest Harris Interactive Poll. President Bush’s approval ratings, as tracked by Harris Interactive, fell to the second-lowest of his presidency, according to a new poll. According to the telephone poll, conducted between Nov. 17 and Nov. 21, 31% of U.S. adults called Mr. Bush’s job performance “excellent” or “good” — down from 34% who gave a positive assessment in a late-October poll; 67% said his performance is only “fair” or “poor,” up from 63% in the previous survey. The president’s lowest approval rating in a Harris poll was 29% … Continue reading Flirting With Thrity