ThinkFast: August 28, 2007
ThinkFast: August 28, 2007
In what officials call “the largest ring of fraud and kickbacks uncovered in” Iraq yet, federal agents are investigating “the purchase and delivery of billions of dollars of weapons, supplies and other matériel to Iraqi and American forces.” One investigation involves a senior American officer who worked closely with Gen. David Petraeus in training and equipping Iraqi forces in 2004 and 2005.
Karl Rove was one of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s few defenders at the White House, notes the New York Times. “He was being protected, in large measure by Karl,” said a Republican close to the White House. When Rove left, it “further exposed that the only thing that was standing with him was the president of the United States.”
Michael Moore’s documentary SiCKO has helped start a national discussion on health care reform. A new poll finds that 43 percent of respondents familiar with the movie “said they were more likely to think [there] is a need for health care reform.” Another “45 percent said they discussed the U.S. health system with friends, co-workers, or family as a result of the movie.”
In an editorial, The Idaho Statesman writes that “Sen. Craig owes Idahoans an explanation.” “This is a painful time made worse by the fact that Craig so far has been less than forthcoming. … [V]oters now deserve the full story from their senior senator.” The paper has a longer profile of Craig here.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) suggested CIA leak investigator Patrick Fitzgerald and former Deputy Attorney General James Comey as possible replacements for Alberto Gonzales. Durbin acknowledged Fitzgerald would be a ”long shot” for the job.
28 percent: Americans who approve of President Bush’s handling of Iraq according to the latest Harris Interactive poll. That number is down slightly from 30 percent in May. “61% of those surveyed said Mr. Bush had been too eager to go to war in Iraq.”
“The U.S. military said Monday it regretted any offense it may have caused by giving out a soccer ball with the word Allah written on it as part of a public relations exercise in Afghanistan.”
Yesterday, the National Association of Realtors announced that home sales “fell in July to their slowest pace in five years. The glut of homes for sale is at a 16-year high.” The housing market likely won’t recover “until early next year.”
And finally: Yesterday, speaking at Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, First Lady Laura Bush revealed that Henry Hager proposed to Jenna Bush in Maine’s Acadia National Park. Mrs. Bush added, “So the national parks have been a very important part of our family life, as well.” (See the Bush administration’s record on national parks HERE.)
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Comey has a brain, respects the Constitution and will not keep mum at executive power abuses. The Bushies will not touch him with a ten-footer
August 28th, 2007 at 9:05 am“61% of those surveyed said Mr. Bush had been too eager to go to war in Iraq.â€
Or, more accurately, send someone else and someone else’s sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers to die in Iraq. Bush, of course, just puts on the costume and watches from behind his mother’s skirt. Bush is a coward.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:06 amIraq is nothing more than a “Contractors Paradise” where the law is no-existent.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:07 amThe median price of American homes is expected to fall this year for the first time since federal housing agencies began keeping statistics in 1950.
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/26/Home_prices_NYT.ART_ART_08-26-07_A1_RO7N85N.html?sid=101
Do the Republicans know how to do anything RIGHT about the economy?
August 28th, 2007 at 9:09 amThe Bush family once again succeeds in making it all about them. “Oh, I think National Parks are great, because my daughter got engaged in one.” Stupefying.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:10 amTwo years ago today, Hurricane Katrina became the monster everyone feared. Category 5. 175mph winds with over 200mph gusts. And it was bearing down directly on New Orleans. Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city, knowing that not even on their best days could the levees stand to a direct hit by a Category 5 storm. People streamed out of New Orleans. The population of 1.4 million decreased to less than 50,000, 3% of the pre-storm population, with roughly 20,000 of them making their way to the superdome. The evacuation proceeded smoothly for the most part, with only a few hitches.
Again, the right argues that it was the residents of New Orleans fault, shared equally with the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana. Let history record that Nagin ordered the evacuation of New Orleans, and that 97% of the population of the city escaped the storm. Blanco had already declared an emergency and had done the needed contacts with the feds.
One day remains before the event that changed our nation. Stay tuned for the continuation.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:17 amExit Stage Right for Rove and Fredo means the only two left to be rid of would be Darth and Dumbo. Looks like the people’s plan to rid ourselves of filth in Washington is taking shape now.
The “think fast” for today hits a few other nails on the head: War profiteering which is certain to bring down the Dick with his Haliburton ties, the Attorney Firing Scandal which is certain to bring Dumbo down before his term expires, and the Sicko state of our abhorrent health care crisis which Moore has, once again, genius-ly highlighted and is making THE topic of discussion in this country.
I’d say that the Dems plan is moving rather swiftly and “swimmingly”, wouldn’t you Coultergeist??
August 28th, 2007 at 9:20 amWhen the report on the feckless, reckless machinations of Weasel Chertoff is made public (of Katrina fame) , his chances for reaching AG status will be all but moot.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:22 amRather than being promoted for his failure during Katrina, Chertoff should be investigated and held accountable by the people of New Orleans…..tarred and feathered for the sad and controllable loss of lives there.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:23 amOK, I guess we should start a betting pool or something.
Which gay-bashing, “family values” Republican will be caught handing out blowjobs next week?
August 28th, 2007 at 9:26 am.
But, of course, all Dumbo can do is give these incompetents a promotion or a public expression of support which only serves to demean and diminish his stature further among the people of this country. Doesn’t he “get” that he is lowering himself publicly by doing this?? One criminal supporting another, regardless of his position, doesn’t exonerate either one of them – it only compounds the fact and makes it painfully obvious that the one making the outward display of support must be equally guilty. It’s getting clearer and clearer with each passing day that we’ve got a POTUS who is suffering from a serious mental disorder. This country cannot permit him to make further blunders over the course of the next year…..they both must be impeached now.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:26 amI’d rather have either Fitzgerald or Comey instead of Chertoff as the AG. But since it’s been reported that another one of Bush’s cronies is going to head HSD, it’s pretty much assured Chertoff will be moving to Justice.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:27 am#10 I find it fascinating to observe that the very ones espousing “family values” and/or making the public statements about Clinton are the very ones who shouldn’t be throwing stones. It’s a case of “he who doth protest too much” – just like their hero Haggert. They’re a bunch of perverts hiding behind the cloak of faith and religion. They’re charlatans of the first order.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:28 amComment by isis — August 28, 2007 @ 9:26 am
Here, here!
NANCY PELOSI BECOMES PRESIDENT AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL IMPEACHMENT OF BUSH AND CHENEY!
August 28th, 2007 at 9:29 amI would prefer that Craig just go quietly. I don’t really need any more sordid details of his sex life when what truly bothers me is his hypocrisy — and I doubt he will have an adequate explanation for that.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:29 ammiss molly: I think that if Bush attempts to promote Chertoff, then impeachment proceedings will be a foregone conclusion. Perhaps that’s why he IS promoting him at this time – to then “cut a deal” with Congress of some sort. Bush and Cheney now know that their protective mantle (Rove and Gonzo) is gone exposing them both now to impeachment.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:30 amWhen I was a teenager, I had sex with my girlfriend in a National Park. I never proposed to her, but I would tend to agree that Parks are a good thing.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:31 ammolly: I agree. This guy was up on suspicion of Foley-ish antics back in 1982 with some sordid sex/drug congressional page scandal back then. Clearly, he should have been exiled from office but the sicko-GOP kept propping him up.
I expect that during the next year there will a mass exodus of Repukes from office and/or not running again. They ALL have very dirty laundry which will be outed.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:31 amImpeachment of Cheney & Bush should be a foregone conclusion now as well.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:32 amCongress made it patently clear yesterday that Fredo’s departure will have nothing to do with the ongoing investigation into the attorney scandal which will find itself running up the chain of command. Now that Rove and Gonzo are no longer protected, they will be subpoenaed and imprisoned if they fail to comply.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:34 amComment by missmolly — August 28, 2007 @ 9:27 am
See #1 on Comey
Fitzgerald, I am a little concerned that he has been soiled by playing nice during the investigations into L’affaires Plame. Yes, he got a libby indicted, but Libby was a mere altar boy for the priests of doom.
Now if he had nailed Rove…
August 28th, 2007 at 9:34 am“One investigation involves a senior American officer who worked closely with Gen. David Petraeus in training and equipping Iraqi forces in 2004 and 2005.”
The true extent to which the taxpayers of this country have been bilked by Iraq will not be known until a Democrat takes over as President and does a thorough investigation. I hope when they do that, that people will go to jail for stealing from their government.
Then there is the 9 billion dollars that went missing in Iraq. Do you remember that? Probably not, because it got like one day of coverage in our “liberal” media. Now, just imagine what would have happened if 9 billion dollars went missing under a Democratic administration. Do you think it would have been hushed up and forgotten? Not likely.
I don’t know about you, but I resent the hell out of the fact that there are war profiteers in this country and I doubly resent it when they cheat and steal to make their profits.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:35 am28% and dropping like the Titanic! Bush’s numbers are crashing before our very eyes.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:35 am“Again, the right argues that it was the residents of New Orleans fault, shared equally with the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana.”
Comment by Jeremy — August 28, 2007 @ 9:17 am
The right is especially good at pointing fingers of blame instead of helping to fix problems. It was the right who blamed the NO residents for staying put, citing everything from laziness to a lack of education, and concluding with “they deserved what they got”.
They conveniently forget that many residents had no car to get out of the city with, and buses used for evacuation were full. Furthermore, many people were poor — where would they go? Oh, right — I forgot that according to the right, being poor was their choice and they deserve the consequences.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:36 amBilbo: The taxpayer dollars being siphoned off by the real crooks (*Haliburton et al) will be astounding when someone with a brain actually gets in there to do the accounting. And I think we know already who those ‘war profiteers’ will turn out to be. For this alone, we will see them walked to prison.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:36 amMolly: The right will never get out from under the cloud of disgust which their lackadaisical, incompetent, and amoral reaction to Katrina has produced. The fact that it took Bush 4 days to react/respond is reprehensible in itself. This attitude in the face of many residents not having the means to evacuate (no vehicles) is especially heinous. Chertoff blew it – big time; Bush blew it – big time. This will be part of Bush’s legacy of TOTAL AND UNEQUIVOCAL FAILURE.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:39 am“Now if he had nailed Rove…”
Comment by James Saville Row — August 28, 2007 @ 9:34 am
Or Cheney! Yes, I wish Fitzgerald had the tenacity of Ken Starr. I’d take Comey over Fitzgerald, to be sure — but either of them would be better than Mr. Gut Feeling.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:40 amSo has Fox “News” reported that Craig is a democrat yet?
August 28th, 2007 at 9:40 am“Sen. Craig owes Idahoans an explanation”
Why? What part of “pleaded guilty” and “lewd conduct” is not clear? Y’all in Idaho can decide if you want a pervert representing you, but the facts here are pretty damn obvious. How many more details do you need from Senator Footsie?
August 28th, 2007 at 9:41 am“A new poll finds that 43 percent of respondents familiar with the movie “said they were more likely to think [there] is a need for health care reform.â€
I thank Michael Moore for putting a human face to the misery that is our health care system. And, he was very smart to focus on people who have health insurance rather than those who didn’t. Unfortunately most people will not care about the inadequacies of our system until they are they ones who are being denied medical treatment by their insurance company. Then it will it become a big deal to them. In the meantime, thousands of their neighbors in the US are being bankrupted each year because of inadequate medical coverage.
I think the first thing that the new Congress should do in 2009 is to pass a law stating that if you have health insurance and your Doctor thinks you need a certain treatment, that the health insurance company MUST provide that treatment. After that, work on a single payer health care system.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:41 amFitz will be AG. Not today, but eventually. And it will be good.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:41 amIn what officials call “the largest ring of fraud and kickbacks uncovered in†Iraq yet, federal agents are investigating “the purchase and delivery of billions of dollars of weapons, supplies and other matériel to Iraqi and American forces.†One investigation involves a senior American officer who worked closely with Gen. David Petraeus in training and equipping Iraqi forces in 2004 and 2005.
Let’s get to the bottom of this. I remember when I served in Germany, the only enlisted men that wanted to go back to Nam were supply sergeants. I doubt that this shit goes down to that level… Can you say BlackWater?
August 28th, 2007 at 9:42 amthis morning on TODAY, ari fliescher tried to scold the dem congress for all the investigations and not passing any legislation…
good ol’ james carville missed getting in the fact that any attempt at legislating is met with blocks, fullibusters and vetoes…
something’s up with ari… why is he back, so much?
August 28th, 2007 at 9:42 am…
katy ~ Ummm, because the chymp is running out of shills?
August 28th, 2007 at 9:43 amThe Senior Moment Senator from Idaho gots some splainin to do!!
August 28th, 2007 at 9:44 amComment by isis — August 28, 2007 @ 9:39 am
Legacy? Can our esteemed Prez even spell the word. The Bushies have always acted and ‘let the academics’ worry about the confines of history.
I think a good exorcism should be performed on the white house come January 2009.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:45 am“Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) suggested CIA leak investigator Patrick Fitzgerald and former Deputy Attorney General James Comey as possible replacements for Alberto Gonzales. Durbin acknowledged Fitzgerald would be a â€long shot†for the job.”
I’m not so sure about Fitzgerald being a long shot. It has been my belief for a long time that Fitzgerald was a shill for Bush. When Bush (actually more likely Rove) realized that someone had to be sacrificed in the Plame matter, they chose Libby and told Fitzgerald to only go after him. Fitzgerald could have charged Rove and Armaitage because they both admitted that they outed Ms. Plalme. So perhaps Fitzgerald’s reward was a promise of the AG position when Gonzales if Gonzales was gone.
I think that Comey would be a great pick. But since he is a man of integrity and not a “yes” man for the Bush administration, I doubt that Bush would even consider him.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:46 am28% and dropping like the Titanic! Bush’s numbers are crashing before our very eyes.
Comment by isis — August 28, 2007 @ 9:35 am
Only with the rover’s “THE math” would 28% be a majority. And we can see some of that 28% here as apologists for the BushCo Clusterf@ck and Kickback Kompany.
A$$Klowns is too good a word for the evil scumbags in office and those that still worship at their feet. But the Big Flush is coming in 09. I can almost hear the swirling sound now!
August 28th, 2007 at 9:49 amWow, isn’t it nice to have intelligent discourse here without the stench of trolls? I guess that trolls don’t get up before 9:00 because they were up late fouling blogs with their blather.
I still wonder why the people here screw up threads by engaging the trolls. I don’t understand how you don’t realize that it does nothing to contribute to discourse. I suspect that many posters here would leave if the trolls weren’t here for them to play with.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:50 am“Fitz will be AG. Not today, but eventually. And it will be good.
Comment by DM “
I disagree. I don’t want an AG who doesn’t prosecute people who confess to a crime. Both Rove and Armatiage confessed that they outed Valerie Plame and Fitzgerald did nothing about it. His excuse that because Libby lied and obstructed, he couldn’t make a case doesn’t hold water with me.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:53 amI still wonder why the people here screw up threads by engaging the trolls. I don’t understand how you don’t realize that it does nothing to contribute to discourse. I suspect that many posters here would leave if the trolls weren’t here for them to play with.
Comment by bilbogaggins — August 28, 2007 @ 9:50 am
As someone who occasionally enjoys a good troll-slapping, I think it’s presumptuous of you to make a statement like your final sentence. And you should also know that when the trolls really get rolling, they don’t need any help at all in staying engaged, especially the obvious mental cases like Mr Pee and Ralph.
That having been said, a troll-free blog is a great thing. If you look at sites like Crooks & Liars, Washington Monthly, et al, you’ll see that the absence of trolls is due entirely to good administration skills.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:56 ambillbog and gumm,
I agree with both of your comments and I admit to having stirred the troll pot a few times. What is sad, actually, is the troll mr. p, who is mentally off-center and as the day (or night) goes on, becomes less coherent with each posting. It is almost like being part of a real-time psycho-trauma case study. Kind of amazing that he still has any normal human functional capabilities outside the basement.
August 28th, 2007 at 10:10 amcool:
Human stem cells fix heart damage in lab rats
By Carol M. Ostrom
Seattle Times health reporter
Human embryonic stem cells have been used to regrow the heart muscles of rats that had survived lab-induced heart attacks, scientists from the University of Washington and a private biotechnology company reported Sunday.
Because the rebuilt heart muscle halted the progression of heart failure, the findings offer encouragement that treatments based on embryonic stem cells someday might be used to help people who suffer heart attacks, a leading cause of death in the U.S.
August 28th, 2007 at 10:19 am[...]
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003855008_stemcells27m.html
.
If you look at sites like Crooks & Liars, Washington Monthly, et al, you’ll see that the absence of trolls is due entirely to good administration skills.
Comment by gummitch — August 28, 2007 @ 9:56 am
This is an exercise in pure free speech, and it ain’t always pretty, but it is always free. I’ve wondered and wondered about this the last couple of months. What does it mean? How do we deal w/ it?
You could have a “troll free” website, but something would sadly disappear. I’m not defending bad behavior by the trolls, or the regs here for that matter, just pointing out that freedom is hard to manage, let alone define, but it is freedom, and this website is proof of that.
I sometimes think the real issue is not, how to get rid of the trolls, but how do we get smart and tough enough to manage them? Some nights we’re quite good at it. Sometimes when someone like Ralph goes so off the deep end, we can’t do anything about it, but that certainly isn’t a reflection on us, and he certainly doesn’t win any converts to “Conservatism” when he does that.
Having said that, I does enjoy me a good round of Whack-A-Troll from time to time. I did get tired of the heavy profanity, which seems to have abated, somewhat.
Freedom of speech is an interesting experiment. I guess we’re still all learning what it really means. We all complain they won’t let us post at places like Redstate or LGF. Do we really want to turn around and be the same way? Yes, it is difficult to manage here, but isn’t that the challenge? To quote the immortal Walt Kelly,
“I have met the enemy and he is us!”
August 28th, 2007 at 10:20 amWhat kind of ammo is being handled by those soldiers?
They look like mortar rounds about 125-150mm and clips or belts of cannon shells about 25-30mm.
When was this photo taken? Are those weapons part of a Saddam cache? Or, did USA provide them?
August 28th, 2007 at 10:23 amWhat kind of ammo is being handled by those soldiers?
They look like mortar rounds about 125-150mm and clips or belts of cannon shells about 25-30mm.
When was this photo taken? Are those weapons part of a Saddam cache? Or, did USA provide them?
Comment by crassus — August 28, 2007 @ 10:23 am
And the 20mm shells on the right looks like they stored in a sand pile! I wonder if those artillery shells on the left are made with depleted uranium. If so, I bet those poor guys glow in the night!
August 28th, 2007 at 10:28 amSen. Larry Craig of Idaho Is A Pervert
Tuesday 28th of August 2007
by Jay Randal
Almost a year ago, in October, Mike Rogers of BlogActive outed Sen. Larry Craig as cruising restrooms for sex with males, but the press did nothing about it.
Now it’s come out that Craig tried to solicit a police officer in a restroom at Minnesota airport, last June, pleading guilty to disorderly conduct charge August 8.
So far no explanation has been given for the delay in reporting this news till now, but speculation is Alberto Gonzales tried to keep it under raps, so GOP cover-up.
Anyone who seeks sexual encounters in public places is perverted, which is unlawful behavior everywhere in the United States, so Sen. Craig acts like a pervert.
Nobody who engages in this type of behavior is worthy to be in Congress, so Larry must resign from Senate, and he must NOT receive slap on the wrist like Vitter.
Most Americans are disgusted by the hypocrisy in DC!
(Jay Randal, political activist and writer in Georgia, USA.)
August 28th, 2007 at 10:41 amGreat article at Slate on Bush and his penchant for cronies…
August 28th, 2007 at 10:48 amhttp://www.slate.com/id/2172858/?gt1=10346
*
Justice Department Resignation Roll Call
By Paul Kiel – August 27, 2007, 2:42 PM
The circle is pretty much complete at the Justice Department with Gonzales’ resignation today. Here’s a rundown of the numerous resignations over the past several months connected to the U.S. attorney firings scandal.
[...]
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004012.php
…
check out the comments… verrry interesting…
August 28th, 2007 at 11:00 am…
“Michael Moore’s documentary SiCKO…”
Forgot all about that movie. It didn’t even last at the discount theaters. ;)
August 28th, 2007 at 11:15 amA fraud and kickback scheme involving an illegal war, what a concept! Once more this Administration grabs its collective shovels and heads for a new low! Imagine what will show up if a truly independent, nonpartisan AG is somehow appointed. Hopefully impeachment will be back on the table and my country can be put right again.
August 28th, 2007 at 11:17 amImpeach Bush and Cheney and Save the Constitution!
Of COURSE the American taxpayers are being ripped off in IRAQ!
Of COURSE Blackwater and other criminal contractors are the culprits, stealing weapons and hording cash!
DUH!
…and WHY aren’t the American people being informed of the TORTURE being perpetrated against American service personnel…
…like the whistleblower in the U.S.Navy who told of illegal weapons sales/purchases…
…he was reportedly “detained” in a brig, interrogated, and subjected to loud blaring music and bright lights 24/7…
…and YOU DUHmeriKKKans are going to allow the criminal Bushites…
…like Rumsfeld, Rove, Gonzo, Snowjob, Adelman, Kristol, Perle et al…
…and their gods Bushiva and L’il Dick to get away with it?
…look at the DUMB a*ses at the DUHmerican Legion and VFW…
…embracing and applauding the DESERTER-in-Chief…
…this country is full of dumb a*s animal al Crackers!
August 28th, 2007 at 2:00 pmwe picketed one of our local theaters last Saturday for their refusal to show Sicko. The management claimed that the movie was “too liberal” as the reason. check it out on the blog spot for http://www.bluenovember.org
August 28th, 2007 at 8:27 pmCaption Contest:
Achmed: “What do they call these in America, Abdul?”
Abdul: “Er, ‘votes’, I think, Achmed”
August 28th, 2007 at 9:53 pm