Month: June 2007

Political Crack2 Comments

Kids Today

holdencaulfieldfd

What are ya’gonna do? More than half of Americans ages 17 to 29 — 54 percent — say they intend to vote for a Democrat for president in 2008. They share with the public at large a negative view of President Bush, who has a 28 percent approval rating with this group, and of the Republican Party. They hold a markedly more positive view of Democrats than they do of Republicans. [snip] At a time when Democrats have made gains after years in which Republicans have dominated Washington, young Americans appear to lean slightly more to the left than the … Continue reading Kids Today

Geek Cred2 Comments

Back When I Was Young

Allison Hantschel

The crack den was full of posts about how completely full of shit Mickey Kaus was on any given day. He’s grown since then, however. He’s like doing full-on performance art now: That was fast: Malkin has produced a future anti-Graham spot. It’s good! And the tag line worked against Senor Sasser. [Correction: It didn’t. But it resonates!] Yeah, yeah, yeah … wait, what? A. Continue reading Back When I Was Young

Economy1 Comment

Bush Boom Be Boomin’

holdencaulfieldfd

Manufactured goods orders plunge. Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods plunged in May by the largest amount in four months as demand for aircraft, heavy machinery and metals all declined.The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that new durable goods orders dropped by 2.8 percent last month, a far bigger drop than the 1 percent decline economists had been forecasting. The weakness was led by a huge 22.7 percent plunge in orders for commercial aircraft, which can be extremely volatile from month to month. But orders were also down for a wide array of other goods, from primary metals such … Continue reading Bush Boom Be Boomin’

Stupid Republican Tricks1 Comment

Today on Athenae’s Obsession with the Freepi

Allison Hantschel

Ungrateful Iraqis chuck their shiny new freedom and want to come here instead: I wonder how many sleepers will be arriving in the U.S. soon from the Middle East. —- Why the hell are we there if they won’t stay and fix their country? This nation is being swamped by people who don’t have the chops to fix their own nations; what will they do for this nation? —- I’m just tired of it all…illegals, TB, poison in the dog food and probably my food and vitamins…chocolate plants moving to mexico And ERs shutting down because they use them as … Continue reading Today on Athenae’s Obsession with the Freepi

Holden's Obsession with the Gaggle7 Comments

Today On Holden’s Obsession With The Gaggle

holdencaulfieldfd

Geeze, chemotherapy must be giving Pony Blow a hard time. They really shouoldn’t send the mentally impaired Dana Peroxide out to do the gaggle after a news weekend like the one we just experienced.

The Word Of The Day Is “Opine”

Q Dana, as long as we’re talking about branches of government, can you go back to Vice President Cheney again, the argument that he’s not part of the executive branch. Does the President believe he’s part of the executive branch?

MS. PERINO: I think that that is an interesting constitutional question, and I think that lots of people can debate it. I think when we were talking about the EO from last week, we’ve gone over that several times. You probably don’t want me to go over it again. But the Vice President — any Vice President has legislative and executive functions.

[snip]

When we are talking about this EO, it is separate and apart from — the President and the Vice President oversee the executive agencies. Supreme Court precedent shows that the Vice President and the President are not seen as an agency when it comes to executive orders.

Q I know that’s your argument about an agency, but it’s very separate from the argument the Vice President is making. And what is the President — what is the White House’s view of the argument the Vice President is making on whether or not he’s part of the executive branch?

Q For one, I think — I mean, the information is clearly —

MS. PERINO: I’m not opining on it, because the President did not intend for the Vice President to be subject as an agency in that section of the EO.

Q That’s an entirely different argument. So you don’t Vice President’s —

MS. PERINO: No, it’s the same —

Q You don’t support the Vice President —

MS. PERINO: I’m not opining on it either way.

Ask The Supreme Court, Ask The Vice President’s Office — Just Don’t Ask Dana

Q But, Dana, how could the Vice President, earlier in the administration, argue he didn’t have to turn over records about the energy task force, for example, because he was a member of the executive branch? He clearly stated that.

MS. PERINO: You could ask the Supreme Court who ruled in his favor.

Q But he did not say, I’m a member of the legislative branch, as well, so I don’t have to — I mean, he clearly stated that there was strong executive power and he didn’t have to turn over these records. Now, when it suits his interest, he seems to be saying a different legal argument.

MS. PERINO: Look, I’m not a legal scholar and there’s plenty of them that you can find in Washington, D.C. But just that very point that you’re making there shows that he has functions in both the executive branch and the legislative branch.

Q But he didn’t mention those functions — dual functions in the early legal arguments at the beginning of the administration. He only used the executive branch arguments.

MS. PERINO: Look, you can try to call his office and try to get more information. I’m not opining on his argument that his office is making.

Continue reading “Today On Holden’s Obsession With The Gaggle”

Economy2 Comments

A Bush Boom Double-Header

holdencaulfieldfd

New homes sales and consumer confidence tumble. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New home sales in May fell more than expected while consumer confidence in June hit a 10-month low amid worries about jobs and the business climate, adding to signs of sluggish economic growth this year. “These are numbers that are consistent with a slowing down in activity, a moderation on the consumption side,” said Steven Wieting, an economist with Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., in New York. Sales of new U.S. homes fell 1.6 percent last month to an annual rate of 915,000 from a downwardly revised rate of 930,000 in … Continue reading A Bush Boom Double-Header

Diary, Scoutprime

Apropo of Nothing

scoutprime2014

It’s NOT the Same Guy: The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 mandated that FEMA create a National Advisory Council. Recently they announced the membership. It includes in the category of Elected Local Official, the mayor of Grand Forks named—Michael Brown. Ya think anyone had a moment of hesitation because well ya know ———————————— So now which table is George Bush dining at? Gov. Blanco and Donna Brazille spotted Tony Bennett while dining at Filomena’s in Georgetown. Brazille decided to write a note to Bennett thanking him for his work with the civil rights movement. When she tried to … Continue reading Apropo of Nothing

So Called Liberal Media2 Comments

‘Top of the List’

Allison Hantschel

Via Romenesko, the Sacramento Bee: How rare is it these days for a reader to write a letter to the paper supporting President George W. Bush? Well, visualize quietly efficient editorial workers diligently digging through the hundreds of e-mails, letters, faxes and online offerings submitted by The Bee’s readers each week. Days and days go by until, finally, one suddenly appears, like a glimmering gold nugget in a clear Sierra stream: a letter praising the president. Eureka! It brings a smile to Bill Moore’s face, not to mention a sense of relief. [snip] “We’d love to put pro-Bush letters in,” … Continue reading ‘Top of the List’

Political Crack6 Comments

Missionary To The Surrender Monkeys

holdencaulfieldfd

Winger head explosion alert! Mitt Romney dodged the draft during the Vietnam War by performning Mormom missionary work… IN FRANCE! As the Vietnam War raged in the 1960s, Mitt Romney received a deferment from the draft as a Mormon “minister of religion” for the duration of his missionary work in France, which lasted two and a half years. Before and after his missionary deferment, Romney also received nearly three years of deferments for his academic studies. When his deferments ended and he became eligible for military service in 1970, he drew a high number in the annual lottery that determined … Continue reading Missionary To The Surrender Monkeys

Hurricane Katrina & Federal Flood, Scoutprime2 Comments

Scout’s Obsession with the GAO: EPA post Katrina “efforts could be Enhanced”

scoutprime2014

Yesterday as Christie Whitman was grilled by Congress on the air quality at Ground Zero post 9/11, the GAO released a report (pdf) on the EPA’s efforts on the Gulf Coast post Katrina. The GAO concluded their efforts could have been “enhanced.” One of the main findings involves monitoring of asbestos in the air. However, as cleanup continues, EPA’s assurance that public health is protected from risks associated with inhalation of asbestos fibers is limited because the agency has not deployed air monitors in and around New Orleans neighborhoods where demolition and renovation activities are concentrated. After Katrina the EPA … Continue reading Scout’s Obsession with the GAO: EPA post Katrina “efforts could be Enhanced”

Stupid Republican Tricks5 Comments

Today on Athenae’s Obsession with the Freepi: What Constitutional Crisis? Edition

Allison Hantschel

Cheney is TeH ROXXORZ!!!!: OK. This sounds like the liberal handwringer: “stupid Bush taking orders from evil Cheney”. Republicans are two dimensional, either stupid or evil (owned by the corportionscounts for evil). They don’t possess the critical seventh dimension of “nuance”. —- I’m now convinced Cheney is one supreme badass. I hate that his health precludes much further participation in government. —- The enemy wears no uniform, will kill women and children, has no conscious or regard for the truth. If our prisoners were kept in our country they would be subject to our laws. —- Dick has all the … Continue reading Today on Athenae’s Obsession with the Freepi: What Constitutional Crisis? Edition

Your President Speaks3 Comments

Your President Speaks!

holdencaulfieldfd

Yesterday, at the White House, flogging No Child Left Behind reauthorization while supposedly honoring this year’s Presidential Scholars (yes, the same group of brave high school students who scout told us had publicly chastized the Chimp for his multiple war crimes). What You Ought To Expect If you believe a child can learn to read, then you ought to expect a child to read. That’s what you ought to expect. Yeah, Presidential Scholars Hate Tests I’m sure some of your classmates would say you don’t like to take a test. Your School Isn’t Doing As Good As Your School It’s … Continue reading Your President Speaks!

Your President Speaks1 Comment

Your President Speaks! Again!

holdencaulfieldfd

This morning, in Washington, flogging his immigration bill. We Are More Than Just Giving Speeches And I said we’re going to be more than just giving speeches, or using the microphone to proclaim the need for a comprehensive bill. I would send two members plus our staff up to — two members of my Cabinet plus our staff up to work the — to work with the senators. TheReasonTheSenate The reason the Senate, of course, is that we’ll be moving our attention to the House when it passes a comprehensive piece of legislation. Problem Recognition The problem that this bill … Continue reading Your President Speaks! Again!

War in Afghanistan1 Comment

Poppies, Poppies [waves wand menacingly]

holdencaulfieldfd

Heckuva job, Chimpy! Afghanistan produced dramatically more opium in 2006, increasing its yield by roughly 49 percent from a year earlier and pushing global opium production to a new record high, a U.N. report said Tuesday. Opium production in Afghanistan increased from 4,100 metric tons in 2005 to 6,100 metric tons in 2006, according to the 2007 World Drug Report released by the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Opium is the main ingredient for heroin. In 2006, Afghanistan accounted for 92 percent of global illicit opium production, up from 70 percent in 2000 and 52 percent a … Continue reading Poppies, Poppies [waves wand menacingly]

Your President Speaks

Chimpy Fucks Up

holdencaulfieldfd

Behold the awesome power of Your President Speaks! STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY Earlier today, in speaking about comprehensive immigration reform, President Bush misspoke. He told a group, “You know, I’ve heard all the rhetoric – you’ve heard it, too – about how this is amnesty. Amnesty means that you’ve got to pay a price for having been here illegally, and this bill does that.” This has been construed as an assertion that comprehensive immigration reform legislation before the Senate offers amnesty to immigrants who came here illegally. That is the exact opposite of the president’s long-held and often-stated position. … Continue reading Chimpy Fucks Up

Law/Justice, Scoutprime9 Comments

Young Scholars tell Bush…Don’t Torture

scoutprime2014

Good for these responsible young people… June 25, 2007 (WASHINGTON) – President Bush was presented with a letter Monday signed by 50 high school seniors in the Presidential Scholars program urging a halt to “violations of the human rights” of terror suspects held by the United States. The White House said Bush had not expected the letter but took a moment to read it and talk with a young woman who handed it to him. SNIP The handwritten letter said the students “believe we have a responsibility to voice our convictions.” “We do not want America to represent torture. We … Continue reading Young Scholars tell Bush…Don’t Torture

Law/Justice3 Comments

Breakin’ The Law, Breakin’ The Law

holdencaulfieldfd

Dang. Mitt Romney was sitting in the car with his aide Jay Garrity while Garrity was breaking the law. Republican Mitt Romney said Monday he supports a top aide under investigation in two states for impersonating a law enforcement officer, “but this really is now in his hands.” The former Massachusetts governor, in his first public comments on the case, described Jay Garrity as “a good guy” and cautioned against a rush to judgment. Before taking a leave of absence last Friday, Garrity was Romney’s “director of operations,” serving as a constant traveling companion, shepherding Romney between appointments and controlling … Continue reading Breakin’ The Law, Breakin’ The Law

Scoutprime, Uncategorized10 Comments

Sadness

scoutprime2014

Molly Ivins has died… AUSTIN — Molly Ivins, whose biting columns mixed liberal populism with an irreverent Texas wit, died at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at her home in Austin after an up-and-down battle with breast cancer she had waged for seven years. She was 62. More at the Star Telegram Damn just damn UPDATE: From her final column (via Think Progress) We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something … Continue reading Sadness

Economy1 Comment

Bush Boom, Bitches!

holdencaulfieldfd

Smells like ass. Sales of existing homes fell for a third straight month in May, dropping to the lowest level in four years as the median sales price declined for a record 10th consecutive month. In a troubling sign for the future, the inventory of unsold homes shot up to the highest level in 15 years, meaning more downward pressure on prices in the months ahead until the inventory glut is reduced. Sales fell by 0.3 percent in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.99 million units, the National Association of Realtors reported Monday. Sales now stand 10.3 … Continue reading Bush Boom, Bitches!

Of Interest8 Comments

Security, Personal and Interpersonal

Allison Hantschel

Amanda, via the crack den: But I do think liberals who dislike Moore so strongly are genuine in their distaste and not just trotting it out to appear fair’n’balanced. And I think that Ezra’s review points to why—the overarching theme of Moore’s career has been an attack on American exceptionalism, a disease that infects both the left and the right in this country. Granted, the right suffers from the disease far more, but the belief that America is somehow better or at least different and can’t be held up to the same standards as other countries is endemic. I read … Continue reading Security, Personal and Interpersonal

Your President Speaks2 Comments

Your President Speaks!

holdencaulfieldfd

Today, in the White House, after a meeting with President Toomas Hendrik Ilves of Estonia. The Form Of Government That’s Changed And having been in Estonia, I can report to my fellow citizens that people now see the light of day, and see a better future because of the form of government that’s changed. What’s The Estonian Word For “Suicider”? Today, once again, we saw the brutality that extremists can inflict upon societies when a suicider killed innocent people who were working toward reconciliation. He Forgot Poland All the more reason, Mr. President, for us to remain firm and strong … Continue reading Your President Speaks!

Geek Cred11 Comments

Fine, Be That Way

Allison Hantschel

Man, when I thought the Townhouse list was just a few friends of Kos, I wasn’t really hurt that I wasn’t on it, but now that I know it was 300 people? I feel like the girl at the party who has breath so bad nobody can stand to speak to her, but nobody has the balls to mention it, either. So she’s just standing in the corner, wondering why her polite hello’s repel people from 50 feet away. Last June, Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, former soldier, one-time Reagan Republican, and proprietor of the wildly successful liberal blog Daily Kos, sent … Continue reading Fine, Be That Way

Hurricane Katrina & Federal Flood, Scoutprime

Workaround

scoutprime2014

Last week Iwrote about the Bush administration’s throwing a monkey wrench in Louisiana’s plan to rebuild Charity Hospital. Well Gov Blanco now has a plan to work around the feds on this and help out the Road Home program. From the Times Picayune… Gov. Kathleen Blanco came up with a plan Sunday to help patch the Road Home shortfall and simultaneously bypass her dispute with Washington conservatives over a proposed Charity Hospital in New Orleans. The governor will rely solely on state money to build the medical facility, then shift federal recovery dollars allocated to the hospital to fill in … Continue reading Workaround

Political Crack

Generic Asskicking

holdencaulfieldfd

Brand Republikkkan is in the shitter, according to Rasmussen. If the Congressional Election were held today, 46% of American voters say they would currently vote for the Democrat in their district while 34% would pull the voting lever for a Republican. [snip] Support for the Democrats has remained very steady, ranging from 45% to 47% in each of the past four months. Over the same four months, support for Republicans has ranged from 34% to 38%. Among voters not affiliated with either major party, Democrats are currently favored 41% to 18%. [snip] Seventy-three percent (73%) of American voters now believe … Continue reading Generic Asskicking

So Called Liberal Media2 Comments

Please, Please, Please

Allison Hantschel

I’ll never ask for anything else for Christmas ever again: CHICAGO (Reuters) – Wagering on the outcome of the Conrad Black fraud trial is a risky proposition, as lawyers representing the former media baron and three co-defendants present widely divergent versions of events in their final statements to the jury. Judge Amy St. Eve promised jurors at the close of the trial’s 14th week on Thursday that they will begin their deliberations sometime in the early part of week 15, cementing her stance in a firm talk with the lawyers in the case. [snip] Black, Atkinson, and two other former … Continue reading Please, Please, Please

So Called Liberal Media4 Comments

It’s The Simple Stuff, Stupid

Allison Hantschel

Once again, the Internet is ruining journalism: *Wet papers. Rain happens. Call the number for circulation; it is printed on Page 4 every day. 1-800-Tribune (874-2863). If you call early in the morning, the circulation department will replace it or give you a credit. *Ink-smudged pages. A quality-control issue that the paper wants to know about. *Missing papers (or sections). Things can go astray while producing and distributing nearly 570,000 copies every weekday and more than 940,000 on Sunday so don’t just stew on your driveway or doorstep. Call early for a replacement. *No more individual stock listings. Horse racing … Continue reading It’s The Simple Stuff, Stupid