Happy Democrat Photo: Richardson Edition
You know, all our candidates this time around rock pretty hard compared to the reanimated corpses (and Tommy Thompson) the GOP is putting up. A. Continue reading Happy Democrat Photo: Richardson Edition
Month: April 2007
Just because kitty blogging
Willie B napping Continue reading Just because kitty blogging
Happy Democrat Photo: Edwards Edition
“Hey there, sexy.” A. Continue reading Happy Democrat Photo: Edwards Edition
Civility
What Ntodd Said. A. Continue reading Civility
Victims
Fineman, at the crack den: You just can’t because the times have changed. I mean just looking specifically at the African-American situation. I mean, hello, Barack obama has gotten twice the number of contributors of anybody else in the race. I mean, you know, things have changed. Some of the kind of humor you used to do you just can’t do anymore. So that’s just the way it is. I think there’s something else going on here, also linked to this Kathleen Parker/female soldiers thing, that plays into the Republicans’ Victimized White Male base and the narratives that appeal to … Continue reading Victims
IAWTC
Down in the comments here, jkd makes what I think is the definitive explanation of why people continue to genuflect before Imus’s slimy altar: The thing about Fineman is that “back in the day” he wouldn’t have been allowed to joke around with someone like Imus… because he’d be one of the ones Imus was slagging off. Oh wait – he already is. Once again, high school all over. The nerds suck up to the cool kids even as they’re mocked behind their backs – or to their face. A. Continue reading IAWTC
Caption This
Bush travels to the border and learns how to cover tracks. “Aah can this work with emails in the intertubes?” (REUTERS/Jason Reed) Continue reading Caption This
Imus suspended
CNN reports Don Imus has been suspended for 2 weeks. Oooh scary! A time-out.Sheesh UPDATE:mediabistro has the statement from NBC It’s just the simulcast on MSNBC. Radio show goes on UPDATE: CNN reports CBS Radio also suspends Imus Continue reading Imus suspended
Chocolate Eggs And Strife
Yesterday Imentioned that August of 1990 was not a good month for my father, what with his capture and imprisonment by Iraqis and his subsequent escape to freedom.“They tried to kill my father, man!” So, GW and I have that in common. What I didn’t tell you is that my father loathes the current occupation of Iraq because the United States took one tiny mess and turned it into a much larger and unmanageable one. When chided by my brother that he should have rejoiced when the leader of his captors was executed, my father simply replied, “Of what use … Continue reading Chocolate Eggs And Strife
To the Moon, Tom Delay! To the Moon!
In a WaPo article on Democrats efforts to address housing issues is this nugget on who blocked the Baker bill in Congress. Baker’s bill addressed post Katrina housing and had bi-partisan support in Louisiana. Despite soaring rents and complaints of a deepening affordability crisis, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) told his conference that he didn’t want to see housing bills on the floor. He thought housing programs were unreformed welfare — and they competed for the same pot of money in an annual funding bill as his beloved NASA. SNIP After the storm wiped out 82,000 rental units in … Continue reading To the Moon, Tom Delay! To the Moon!
NOLA Suicide Rate Triples
From Scout: Depression is epidemic in NOLA. One effect is the tripling of the suicide rate. From New Orleans City Business.…. Shauna James stood trembling in the kitchen before hanging up the phone. Her mind raced. Her body shivered. Was it true? She finally slid down the wall to the tile floor where she huddled in a ball crying for more than an hour. A colleague, in deep depression after Hurricane Katrina, had taken his own life. “I just don’t know what to say,” James said. “This world has messed with us all.” Her story reflects one of more than … Continue reading NOLA Suicide Rate Triples
Happy Easter
Mmmmm… To those who celebrate it. Christmas has always spoken more to my pagan soul than Easter has, though I find the ideas embodied in a story of submission, punishment and resurrection intriguing. I’ve never felt Easter, but that doesn’t mean objectively I can’t see the point, especially today, when it looks sunny and bright outside but it’s colder than a mofo. This week it just turned cold and wet and awful again, and only the fact that it’s now light past 6 p.m. has kept me from crawling back into bed and staying there until it got warm. But … Continue reading Happy Easter
Winning
TPM: Thanks to the arrogant, hapless Bushies, we are the nation that bellows “Mission Accomplished!” and then gets bogged down in a hopeless, ever-worsening quagmire. We are the nation that suffers a catastrophic loss of an entire region due to hurricane damage, and then flounders helplessly as millions of our fellow citizens give up hope. We are the nation that blusters that its “unacceptable for “evil-doers” to develop nuclear weapons, and then watches helplessly as they go right ahead anyway. It’s something I’ve noticed quite a lot over the past several years, the way people in power consistently make excuses … Continue reading Winning
al Sadr calls for attacks on US troops
This news today would not be one of Bush’s “encouraging signs“… BAGHDAD – The renegade cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urged Iraqi forces to stop cooperating with the United States and told his guerrilla fighters to concentrate their attacks on American troops rather than Iraqis, according to a statement issued Sunday. The statement, stamped with al-Sadr’s official seal, was distributed in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Sunday — a day before a large demonstration there, called for by al-Sadr, to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. “You, the Iraqi army and police forces, don’t walk alongside the … Continue reading al Sadr calls for attacks on US troops
Intelligence Gathering
TPM highlights the Pentagon report declassified this week about Doug Feith and his Special Plans. I talked a little yesterday about the report and the Feith book on the Lynn Rivers Show, but there’s a portion of this TPM post I wanted to pull out and discuss: In the slide, the briefer complains about the lofty standard of proof of the intelligence community, which had led to a consensus that Iraq and al Qaeda did not have a significant relationship — as opposed to the “mature, symbiotic relationship” touted by Feith’s shop in one slide. “Absence of evidence is not … Continue reading Intelligence Gathering
Friday Ferretblogging: Little Joe Versus The Sick
So it turns out the treats I’d been feeding Joey before we left for New Orleans were on the list of contaminated pet foods that grows longer by the day. The petsitter said he’d been restless and sick-y while he was there, so off he went to the Best Vet Ever, where he was cleared of the contamination sickness (his kidneys are fine) but diagnosed with a nasty stomach bug ulcer, for which they’re trying to treat him now. He’s been at the animal hospital since Wednesday while they try to see if he’ll respond to drugs. We won’t know … Continue reading Friday Ferretblogging: Little Joe Versus The Sick
Friday Cat Blogging: INTRODUCING…
… Willie B. Bienville! Yes I brought a little bundle of love and joy back from New Orleans. Somehow it seemed fitting. He was very good on the plane. Willie is incredibly affectionate and as you will see in the video very playful. And I think he has blogging in his blood because at one point he stops all play and looks at the teevee when CNN announces Breaking News. I have a feeling there will be beaucoup cat blogging in the future. Continue reading Friday Cat Blogging: INTRODUCING…
Meta
Holden will be out next week, so everybody say hello to our guestblogger, Maitri of VatulBlog. Be nice to her or I’ll hide the scotch again. A. Continue reading Meta
US prisons in Iraq are “terror training camps”
Another holiday timed announcement from FEMA
FEMAignores Congress and makes announcement on alternative housing plans… WASHINGTON — Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said the Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to begin releasing $281.3 million to Mississippi for an alternative housing program Monday, despite her request that the distribution be delayed pending a hearing on whether the distribution discriminated against Louisiana. Mississippi’s award was nearly four times as much as the $74.5 million awarded Louisiana — even though Louisiana lost more than 205,000 homes during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, compared with 61,000 in Mississippi. It’s the second time FEMA has timed a controversial announcement on this… This isn’t … Continue reading Another holiday timed announcement from FEMA
The Library
The moment I knew we were screwed: It is nearly the four year anniversary since the Iraqi National Museum and the Iraqi National Library and Archives were looted and seriously damaged by vandalism. I’ve been researching the story of what has happened to both institutions for a diary I intend to post next week. I came across something today, though, that cannot wait. I found the on-line journal of the Director General of the Iraq National Library and Archive (INLA), Saad Eskander, and it is a remarkable, heart rending and incredibly enlightening to read. We lost Iraq almost immediately after … Continue reading The Library
Perils of Cat Ownership In Certain Occupations
I need some funny. Via metaquotes, we have Note To Cat: Salem, I love you. I love the fact that I’m working at home and get to hang with you all day. I love the fact you are so happy about it. However, mommy is a phone sex operator. The nice men that call mummy are calling to be entertained by me. Not by your frolicking, singing, or ability to open loud squeaky doors while yowling. You are lucky the few who have heard you have thought it was funny. For crying out loud, shush!! ~ Mum A. Continue reading Perils of Cat Ownership In Certain Occupations
Round Up The Ususal Suspects
Via Froomkinwe get confrimation of Assministration leaks to the right-wing press prior to the beginning of Chimpy’s Vanity War. According to the report, “a key Pentagon office — run by then-Undersecretary of Defense Douglas J. Feith — had inappropriately written intelligence assessments before the March 2003 invasion alleging connections between al-Qaeda and Iraq that the U.S. intelligence consensus disputed. “The report, in a passage previously marked secret, said Feith’s office had asserted in a briefing given to Cheney’s chief of staff in September 2002 that the relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda was ‘mature’ and ‘symbiotic,’ marked by shared interests and … Continue reading Round Up The Ususal Suspects
Goodling to Resign
CNN reporting Monica Goodling will resign tomorrow. Continue reading Goodling to Resign
Today On Holden’s Obsession With The Gaggle
Well, obsessives, we’re stuck with back-bencher Gordon Johndroe again as the gaggle arrives in Crawford.
Just So You Know The President Has His Priorities In Order
Q Anything else on the President’s day? You talked about his morning briefings. But anything later today, how he’s going to spend the day?
MR. JOHNDROE: Yes, let’s see, morning briefings, secure video conference with Prime Minister Blair, bike ride —
Q Phone call or video conference?
MR. JOHNDROE: Secure video conference, bike ride, spending time with Mrs. Bush. His parents arrive tomorrow at lunch, and they’ll be spending Easter weekend there at the ranch as they often do.
There’s Sovereignty And Then There’s Sovereignty
Q Gordon, Zebari says that Iraq has been — Iraq’s government has been asking the United States for quite some time to release the Iranians who are held in the raid a couple months ago — said that the Americans are just not complying. If Iraq is a sovereign government and we’re just there at their invitation, why aren’t we releasing those Iranians at their request?
MR. JOHNDROE: We certainly work hand-in-hand with the Iraqis on the security issues in Iraq. Right now it’s our position that those detained were there engaged in actions that led to the deaths of innocent Iraqis, as well as Americans. So that’s an ongoing process. We’ll continue our discussions with the Iraqis on that.
[snip]
Q What are the prospects for releasing those five Iranians being held by U.S. forces?
MR. JOHNDROE: Well, that’s an ongoing process. We’re going to work that with the Iraqis to see what the next steps are, determining what course of justice should be carried out to deal with — to deal with, frankly, what we believe were activities harmful to innocent Iraqis, as well as coalition forces.
Q And they’re believed to be responsible for supplying IEDs in Iraq? Or what charges are they being held under?
MR. JOHNDROE: You know, for any specifics like that I would have to refer you to — multinational forces Iraq.
Continue reading “Today On Holden’s Obsession With The Gaggle”
Double Your Ponies
We have two new polls out today. AP/IPSOS Poll: • Bush’s job approval rating was stuck at 35 percent [unchanged from last month].• The approval of his handling of the Iraq war was flat at 33 percent.• About 70 percent of Americans felt the country is on the wrong track.• 40 percent approved of the Democrats’ approach. But the overall approval for Congress, which Democrats control, climbed 7 percentage points from last month, to a 12-month high of 40 percent. Diageo/Hotline Poll: [pdf] Bush’s job approval rating is 35%, down one point from last month, ties an all-time low. Continue reading Double Your Ponies
I’ll Take A Mellow Pony
Chimpy’s job approval rating plumbs new depthsin California. California voters’ approval of President Bush — now engaged in a war of words with Democratic congressional leadership over funding and American troop withdrawals in Iraq — has disintegrated to the lowest levels since he took office, according to a Field Poll released today. [snip] Just 26 percent of California voters surveyed by the Field Poll approved of the president’s performance in office — nearly reaching the record low 24 percent approval rating of former President Richard Nixon in August 1974, just before his resignation over the Watergate scandal. The poll showed … Continue reading I’ll Take A Mellow Pony
NOLA Impressions
I’ve been having a bit of a difficult time finding my inner voice speaking on anything definitive to say about New Orleans my third time down since the storm. So I’ve decided to just write some impressions. Of course I am coming at this from the outside and I welcome anyone from NOLA raising their voice to this. When I come here to New Orleans, I try to see and hopefully feel what has changed and not changed from the previous 6 months. I plan to do this every 6 months for as long as this takes and I guess … Continue reading NOLA Impressions
Spit-Comb Romance
Ugh. Employees of the World Bank have been “expressing concern, dismay, and outrage” regarding favoritism shown by the bank and the Bush administration towards the one-time girlfriend of World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz, according to an internal memo circulated within the bank by the World Bank Group Association, which represents the rights of the bank’s 13,000 employees. Among other things, the April 3 memo alleges that Shaha Riza, Wolfowitz’s romantic interest was given a “promotion [that] clearly does not conform” to bank procedures. Moreover, the memo alleges, she was then given a raise “more than double the amount allowed” by … Continue reading Spit-Comb Romance
Your President Speaks!
Yesterday, in Fort Irwin, California, using the troops as props once again. Struggling With Understanding With English Like many Americans, we struggle with understanding with what this attack meant. But if you think about the lead-up to the attack, you think about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, or the extremist attack on our troops in Lebanon, or the embassies in Africa; Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia; or the USS Cole. What Iraq Obviously Has Got Iraq, obviously, has got the attention of the United States, as it should. He Analyzed All The Situation I analyzed … Continue reading Your President Speaks!