What does it look like to you?

>Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) has lost another staff member to a lobbying firm.
The Hill: Rachel Robinson has joined the American International Automobile Dealers Association as vice president of government relations. Most recently, Robinson served as chief of staff to Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference. She was a lobbyist for the Securities Industry Association and served as director of Speaker operations for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).

>Are they buying influence? You decide. CQ Politics:
BankPac, the PAC of the American Bankers Association, has already started passing out contributions to candidates:

....As one might expect, several recipients of BankPac campaign contributions sit on the Financial Services Committee. The leadership PACs of Republican Reps. Paul E. Gillmor and Deborah Pryce of Ohio and Bachus of Alabama each received $5,000 last month from BankPac.

>Here is some information on how Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce won the last election. Alternet:
.....In Ohio in 2006, Republican congresswoman Deborah Pryce was "reelected" only after thousands of Ohio State college students -- who vote predominantly Democratic -- were forced to vote on provisional ballots and those ballots were disqualified. That happened on top of preelection polls that found Pryce well below 50 percent, which also raises questions about the accuracy of the voting technology in Franklin County, Ohio. As is often the case, voter suppression tactics can be compounded by problematic counting technology....

Remember, Robert Bennett, head of the Ohio GOP who thinks Pryce would win re-election easily over any future Democratic opponent. The article mentioned above indicates that Pryce won because of voter suppression. Would the Republicans stoop to using voter suppression to win? You bet they would and they have. At least if Kilroy had won, she'd have a better attendance record than Pryce.

>>>>Have you ordered your Smart Car?

You can now put in your $99 reservation. If you've traveled to Europe, you've seen these nifty cars. Now they're coming to the USA. http://www.smartusa.com/

Problems?

***Republicans in Ohio cannot believe that there have been voting problems in Ohio. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner wants to clean up the voting irregularities in Ohio. Dispatch:
Tired of Cuyahoga County’s vote-counting problems, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has given the elections board a choice: Resign by Wednesday or be fired.
The board’s chairman is Robert T. Bennett, who also is chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. He said he will not resign and that the board is not to blame for the problems....

(What a coincidence! Bennett is chairman of the Ohio GOP AND the Cuyahoga County Election Board! Hmmmmmm. Anyone else see a problem with that?)
.....Brunner, a Democrat who was elected last fall, said that on Sunday, she asked the two Republicans and two Democrats on the Cuyahoga board to resign no later than Wednesday as a way to restore public trust after high-profile election problems at the state’s most populous county.

Those who do not resign will face a complaint that will be filed Thursday and a public hearing by the secretary of state’s office. Brunner said she has the power to remove any board member for cause....

...Two county elections workers were sentenced to 18 months in prison last week for rigging a recount of the 2004 presidential election, and problems in the May 2006 primary delayed the unofficial vote count in the county for five days.

The Cuyahoga County elections director, deputy director and a third top official all are being replaced because of the scandals and problems....

...J. Kenneth Blackwell, Brunner’s Republican predecessor, forced the entire Lucas County Board of Elections to resign in 2005 after a review of the November 2004 election found numerous problems, including ballots being stored in an unsecure warehouse.

**Guess who'd like to go home? The troops! Raw Story has this:
For US troops from 9th Cavalry Regiment bumping around the dangerous streets of Baghdad in Humvees after dark on Monday, news that their deployment in Iraq could be extended fell like a hammer blow.

Their commanders had cautioned that their second one-year tour due to end in October could be prolonged while US President George W. Bush later warned troops it was too soon to "pack up and go home."

The expletives during the four-hour night patrol turned the air in the Humvee, already thick with cigarette smoke, a dark shade of blue.

"We just want to get out of here as soon as possible," said one vehicle commander in one of his few printable comments....

"Ninety-five percent of Iraqis are good but five percent are bad. But the 95 percent are too weak to stand up to the five percent."

"Bush should send all the Death Row prisoners here and they can be killed fighting the terrorists. We've had enough," said another soldier, as the Humvee accelerated past a roadside car in case it exploded.

Added yet another, "Bush can come fight here. He can take my 1,000 dollars a month and I'll go home."

Commander of the night operation, Lieutenant Brian Long, said the anger was understandable.

"One of the men has five children, another has three. Another has a boy aged four -- he's missed two of those years. He'll never get them back," said Long.

"It is like the movie 'Groundhog Day'. Each day is the same and nothing ever changes," he added, referring to the 1993 movie in which the principal character is doomed to repeat the same day endlessly....

Now we know how the troops feel. It is unnecessary for the Republicans to say that the troops want to stay in Iraq. Since only Republicans and Joe Lieberman support an everlasting war in Iraq, they should volunteer themselves, their children, and grandchildren to go fight in Iraq.

>>The latest CNN poll shows that Americans over 50 of becoming increasingly anti-war. Excerpts from CNN:

As the war in Iraq steadily plummets in popularity, opposition has grown mostly among Americans older than 50 and Democrats, survey results released Monday show.
When President Bush announced March 19, 2003, that U.S.-led forces had begun military attacks, 15 percent of Americans 50 and older strongly opposed the invasion, compared to 18 percent younger than 50.
Four years later, the fighting is opposed by 52 percent of Americans 50 and older, and by 42 percent younger than 50.
The CNN poll of 1,027 adults was conducted by Opinion Research Corp. March 9-11. It shows that support for the war has dropped 40 percentage points since 2003, while the number of Americans who say they strongly oppose the war has doubled.
Just after the war began, 72 percent of Americans said they favored the war; today only 32 percent do.
More than six in 10 people oppose the war, and nearly half say they strongly oppose it....

I'm not surprised. Those of us over 50 remember Vietnam and we don't want to repeat those mistakes.

Remember Liberal Radio In Columbus?

I don't listen to talk radio very often. I once listened to 1230 AM when they carried Air America programs, Stephanie Miller, and Ed Schultz. Now 1230 AM has new call letters, WYTS, and new ratings. According to Radio and Records the ratings for WYTS, which is now extreme right wing radio, have declined dramatically. They have a 0.7 audience share and they are third from the bottom in radio rankings in the Columbus metropolitan area. Good. I hope that Clear Channel is satisfied with their format shift.

Not Just Another Monday

>Did you happen to see Chris Rock's opening monologue on Saturday Night Live this weekend? Chris Rock discusses the next presidential election. If you missed it, LAist has it and it is worth seeing: HERE

>I'm listening to the House of Representatives committee hearing on global climate change. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD-8th) has raised some serious questions about how the White House tried to control what was being said. Dr. James Hansen said that science was being controlled by politics. Now Rep. Darrell Issa (tel. phone: 202-225-3906), a Republican, is attacking Dr. Hansen. Issa is a jerk. Issa would rather have scientists lie than tell the truth. Dr. Hansen said that when he talked to the press he had to have someone on the phone listening to him to make sure he didn't say the wrong thing that would go against the administration's views. Also, the Republican put in charge of controlling the message on global warming is George Deutsch, a 23 year old twit who had no expertise about global climate change. Philip Cooney had to "fix" documents to go along with the White House's views! More lies from this Bush administration, as usual!

>Four years ago, Bush started his war in Iraq. Our men and women in uniform have suffered tremendously. MSNBC has an article about the stress put on our military and their readiness:

Four years after the invasion of Iraq, the high and growing demand for U.S. troops there and in Afghanistan has left ground forces in the United States short of the training, personnel and equipment that would be vital to fight a major ground conflict elsewhere, senior U.S. military and government officials acknowledge.

More troubling, the officials say, is that it will take years for the Army and Marine Corps to recover from what some officials privately have called a "death spiral," in which the ever more rapid pace of war-zone rotations has consumed 40 percent of their total gear, wearied troops and left no time to train to fight anything other than the insurgencies now at hand.

The risk to the nation is serious and deepening, senior officers warn, because the U.S. military now lacks a large strategic reserve of ground troops ready to respond quickly and decisively to potential foreign crises, whether the internal collapse of Pakistan, a conflict with Iran or an outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula. Air and naval power can only go so far in compensating for infantry, artillery and other land forces, they said. An immediate concern is that critical Army overseas equipment stocks for use in another conflict have been depleted by the recent troop increases in Iraq, they said....

....Pace said the unexpected demand for more troops in Iraq -- from the 10 brigades that commanders projected last year they would need by the end of 2006, to the 20 brigades scheduled to be there by June -- prompted him to recommend permanently adding 92,000 troops to the Army and Marine Corps, saying it would "make a large difference in our ability to be prepared for unforeseen contingencies."

Indeed, the recent increase of more than 32,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan has pushed already severe readiness problems to what some officials and lawmakers consider a crisis point. Schoomaker said last week that sustaining the troop increase in Iraq beyond August would be "a challenge." The Marines' commandant, Gen. James T. Conway, expressed concern to defense reporters last week that it would bring the Marine Corps "right on the margin" of breaking the minimum time at home for Marines between combat tours. U.S. commanders in Iraq say they may need to keep troop levels elevated into early 2008.

It is time to bring our troops home. This administration and the Republican enablers have allowed this disaster to go on too long.

Another Failed Charter School

Here is more evidence for my previous statement about how most charter schools are a waste of tax dollars:
Columbus Dispatch

After three weeks of hope and worry about the future of the Harte Crossroads charter schools, their sponsor closed them yesterday.

Most at the schools learned of the decision about 3 p.m., not long before the end of the school day.

Teachers, who have not been paid for their last month’s work, stood outside the schools’ doors in the Columbus City Center and cried. Seniors wondered whether they would be able to graduate from somewhere else. Parents said they felt that they had been misled by those who had taken over the schools two weeks ago....

....Richland Academy of the Arts, the schools’ sponsor, made the decision yesterday afternoon after learning that the state would not send its March payment of $131,800 in per-student funding. The state said the records for Harte Crossroads Academy and Harte Crossroads High School were too much of a mess.

Richland took over the schools March 1 after firing founder Anita Nelam, who had announced a week earlier that the schools would close because of financial problems and disputes with Richland and an affiliate.....

....The teachers and staff members, who are paid every two weeks, have missed two paychecks, said Mary Tackett, a first-grade teacher who said she fears eviction....

.....The management company, Innovative Learning Solutions, took 20 percent of the schools’ revenue in return for fiscal, recordkeeping and other services, and Richland took another 3 percent....

....Cooper said problems stemmed from the prior administration’s over-reporting of the number of students. Nelam had said there were about 250 students from kindergarten through 12 th grade before she announced the closure; the schools had 190 students yesterday....

...Gov. Ted Strickland wants to prohibit the type of relationship that existed between Harte Crossroads and Innovative Learning Solutions. He said in his State of the State on Wednesday that forprofit management companies should not be allowed to run charter schools.

The state Education Department will try to help students who need a new school, said spokesman J.C. Benton.

"Our No. 1 priority right now is to make sure the students get into other schools as soon as possible," he said.

Columbus Public Schools principals will be contacting students’ parents to encourage them to return....

Let me explain this to you: One management company got 20% of the operating costs of the school and another group got 3%. This type of arrangement was doomed from the start. The students and parents are left out in the cold. High school students don't even know if their credits will count toward graduation. Teachers have not been paid and the management companies are still pulling in their big money. This is awful! The only groups who are for these voucher supported charter schools are the fat cats who run the management companies.

Charter Schools

Ohio Gov. Strickland's new plans for Ohio schools have upset some right wing nuts in the state. Here are some excerpts from the Akron Beacon Journal:
Gov. Ted Strickland crossed the state Thursday to promote his $53 billion spending blueprint as anger flared among advocates of education choice over his plan to scrap the state voucher program outside Cleveland.

Strickland surprised many Wednesday when he said in his State of the State speech that he would stop students in other cities at low-performing schools from receiving the vouchers to pay for tuition to attend private and parochial schools.

The new Democratic governor also said his budget will prohibit for-profit companies from running state-funded charter schools, as he seeks to funnel more resources to public education within a cash-strapped state budget. His spending plan increases state spending at just 2.2 percent a year on average, a rate barely lower than the last budget under GOP Gov. Bob Taft and less than any budget in the past 42 years.

``The charter school movement in Ohio has been a dismal failure,'' Strickland said during a Thursday stop in Cleveland. ``What I'm asking for in terms of charter schools is simply that they are held to the same standards of fiscal and educational accountability that we are expecting out of our public schools.''

David Zanotti, president of the conservative policy think tank that fought for years to protect vouchers, said backers are mobilizing parents statewide to fight the plan....

I agree with Gov. Strickland. The charter school program has been a huge failure in Ohio. Money is misused. Teachers are unqualified. Students get a less than satisfactory education. Facilities used by charter schools are less than adequate. The only people who benefit are those who own and manage the charter schools and they are lining their pockets with money taken from the public schools.

I have seen the results of students who've left charter schools to attend public schools. Charter school students are far behind similar aged students in public schools. The charter students are far below grade level in the areas of writing, reading comprehension, basic social studies/history, general mathematics, and especially science.

We cannot let the right wing extremists in Ohio dictate how education money is spent in the state. The charter schools have robbed Ohio of badly needed funding for public schools. If you agree with Gov. Strickland, call/write Jon Husted. Husted has said that he never hears from those who oppose his views: Jon Husted, 77 S. High St-14th floor, Columbus, OH 43215-6111. Telephone: (614) 644-6008 or FAX: (614) 719-3591. Email: district37@ohr.state.oh.us

Drudge Lies Again

Is there something wrong with Matt Drudge? He said that since the surge, American fatalities decreased. Do you think he gets his information from the spin doctors of the Republican party?

Here is the truth, as reported by ICasualties:
US Deaths by Month
March 2007 (so far) 39
February 2007 80
January 2007 83

If you go to the site listed above and click on the bar chart, you can actually get the names of those who died in Iraq. I cannot believe that people are stupid enough to believe anything written by Drudge.

Update: It is 1pm and Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC-R) is on the floor of the U.S. Senate speaking about why the U.S. should remain in Iraq f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Call his office. If you can't talk to a human staff member, at least leave him a message (press 2) and tell him why he is wrong.
(202) 224-5972

Sam and Peter Don't Speak for Me

I saw this over at Think Progess:

Brownback ‘applauds’ Pace’s homophobic comments.

Today Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) circulated a letter in support of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace: “The question is whether personal moral beliefs should disqualify an individual from positions of leadership in the U.S. military? We think not. General Pace’s recent remarks do not deserve the criticism they have received. In fact, we applaud General Pace for maintaining a personal commitment to moral principles.”

Every single person knows someone who is gay. It could be a family member, a friend, or co-worker. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Pace's comments and Senator Brownback's support of those comments have hurt a lot of people. Since when do they speak for all Americans? How do they have the right to call people immoral? What about those 50 translators who could have helped the government, but were let go because they were gay? How many men and women in our military have given their lives for this country and were gay? Would Pace and Brownback call them immoral also?

Mistakes

The Bush administration and the Republican Party just keep making mistakes. Unfortunately, their screw ups have resulted in deaths in an unnecessary war, firings of U.S. attorneys, the suffering of injured soldiers, exposing an undercover CIA agent, the lack of a concerted effort to help the Gulf Coast after Katrina, etc.

An update on the firings comes from the Washington Post and includes this:
Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Wednesday it's up to President Bush whether he remains in the administration and said he wants to stay and explain to Congress the circumstances surrounding the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.....
...Several Democrats have called for Gonzales' resignation, among them presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards.

"The buck should stop somewhere," Clinton said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" which was broadcast Wednesday morning. She added that Bush "needs to be very forthcoming -- what did he say, what did he know, what did he do?" and that high-level White House adviser Karl Rove also "owes the Congress and the country an explanation" for his role in the affair.

The firestorm of criticism has erupted in the wake of the disclosure of e-mails within the administration which showed that Gonzales' chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, had discussed the possible firings of U.S. attorneys in early 2005 with then-White House Counsel Harriet Miers.

Gonzales accepted Sampson's resignation this week; Miers had left the administration earlier this year.

It was the second time in as many weeks that Gonzales came under withering criticism on Capitol Hill. Last week, the attorney general and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller admitted that the FBI had improperly, and at times illegally, used the USA Patriot Act to secretly pry out personal information about Americans in terrorism investigations....

Is anyone else curious as to how Karl Rove manages to insert his nose into all of these mistakes/scandals/screw ups?

Americans are looking for leadership and honesty for our next President. It appears that those associated with this administration and the Republicans haven't a clue about integrity and honesty. It will take years to clean up the mess left by this Bush administration. Our country has lost friends around the world because of this president's preoccupation with Iraq. South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia have not had the attention they need and deserve because this president wanted to settle a score with Saddam Hussein. Now, our people and those around the world have had to suffer because of the mismanagement of our country's power and influence. We've learned a lesson here-----no more Bush family members and no more unnecessary wars.

Republican Family Values

When I think of the Republican Party I think of the following words--- scandals, bribery, lies, Abramoff, adulterers, friends of big oil.

Now it appears that people who identify themselves as members of the Republican Party are disgusted with the presidential candidates from their party. A new poll by the New York Times/CBS News, as published in today's NY Times, has the following info:

...Forty percent of Republicans said they expected Democrats to take control of the White House next year, compared with 46 percent who said they believed a Republican would win. Just 12 percent of Democrats said they thought the opposing party would win the White House....
...Asked what was more important to them in a nominee, a commitment to stay in Iraq until the United States succeeds or flexibility about when to withdraw, 58 percent of self-identified Republican primary voters said flexibility versus 39 percent who said a commitment to stay....

....The poll highlights a Republican weakness going into next year’s election. Just 34 percent of all respondents said they had a favorable view of the Republican Party, and that is the lowest it has been since December 1998. By contrast, 47 percent of respondents said they had a positive view of the Democratic Party.

And by a 20-point margin, respondents said that if the election were held today they would vote for an unnamed Democrat for president rather than a Republican....

The three leading Republican presidential candidates (McCain, Giuliani, Gingrich) have had 8 wives. (McCain: currently married, 1 ex-wife; Giuliani: currently married, 2 ex-wives; Gingrich: currently married, 2 ex-wives). This must be an example of Republican family values.

Injured Troops Going Back to Iraq

This is how Bush and the GOP love the troops--

Salon: "This is not right," said Master Sgt. Ronald Jenkins, who has been ordered to Iraq even though he has a spine problem that doctors say would be damaged further by heavy Army protective gear. "This whole thing is about taking care of soldiers," he said angrily. "If you are fit to fight you are fit to fight. If you are not fit to fight, then you are not fit to fight."

As the military scrambles to pour more soldiers into Iraq, a unit of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga., is deploying troops with serious injuries and other medical problems, including GIs who doctors have said are medically unfit for battle. Some are too injured to wear their body armor, according to medical records.

On Feb. 15, Master Sgt. Jenkins and 74 other soldiers with medical conditions from the 3rd Division's 3rd Brigade were summoned to a meeting with the division surgeon and brigade surgeon. These are the men responsible for handling each soldier's "physical profile," an Army document that lists for commanders an injured soldier's physical limitations because of medical problems -- from being unable to fire a weapon to the inability to move and dive in three-to-five-second increments to avoid enemy fire. Jenkins and other soldiers claim that the division and brigade surgeons summarily downgraded soldiers' profiles, without even a medical exam, in order to deploy them to Iraq. It is a claim division officials deny.

....Eight soldiers who were at the Feb. 15 meeting say they were summoned to the troop medical clinic at 6:30 in the morning and lined up to meet with division surgeon Lt. Col. George Appenzeller, who had arrived from Fort Stewart, Ga., and Capt. Aaron K. Starbuck, brigade surgeon at Fort Benning. The soldiers described having a cursory discussion of their profiles, with no physical exam or extensive review of medical files. They say Appenzeller and Starbuck seemed focused on downplaying their physical problems. "This guy was changing people's profiles left and right," said a captain who injured his back during his last tour in Iraq and was ordered to Iraq after the Feb. 15 review....

Despite the fact that the administration is denying this, the truth of the matter is that the injured are being sent back to war. While families are struggling to find help for their injured sons and daughters with serious war injuries (New York Times), now some injured are going back to Iraq. This is just wrong!

Why?

Why did President Bush go to Brazil to ink a deal on ethanol when our country could be producing its own ethanol? Did you know that 8 out of 10 cars in Brazil run on ethanol?

Why do the Republicans continue their unwavering support of the Iraq war? Haven't they seen the casualty list?
Iraq Coalition Casualties:

U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD:	3186
Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation:	3
Total	3189

Why has Jon Husted and the Ohio Republicans refused to budge on fixing Ohio schools?

Why haven't more newspapers canceled Ann Coulter's column?

Why do Republicans continue to support Newt Gingrich? Now he even says he had an affair during the Clinton impeachment proceedings. Raw Story:
Potential Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich admitted in an interview with conservative Christian group Focus on the Family that he had an extramarital affair even while leading the charge to have President Clinton impeached.....

Just asking.

News to Use

Media Matters has a list of newspapers, their editors, and contact e-mail for the papers that still are publishing Ann Coulter's column. Check it out and send those e-mails.

The New York Times has a story that indicates that the Democrats will push for a pullout from Iraq in 2008:

Democratic leaders in the House and Senate began a new legislative push today for the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq in 2008, coalescing behind a fixed timetable to end the war for the first time since assuming power.
The plan to establish a specific date for removing troops intensifies the confrontation with the Bush administration at a time when Congress is scrutinizing President Bush’s request for nearly $100 billion in additional spending toward military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Republicans vowed to block the new Democratic effort, though, which they said amounted to micromanaging the war, and the White House immediately signaled its opposition.....

Those Republicans just want the war to go on f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Apparently, the GOP has not seen the polls that show that the American people want our troops home NOW.

More Libby

Doesn't it just get you mad when you hear these conservatives try to minimize what Scooter Libby did? Now they want Bush to pardon Libby. We know Bush will pardon Libby but the question is when will he do it---just before the 2008 election or in the next few weeks?

You must see Jon Stewart's take on how the Libby verdict was reported by cable news:

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=83364

Ohio Sports News

Sorry. I just could not pass up on this news:
Ohio State has a new cornerbacks coach, Taver Johnson. See the details at BuckeyeXtra.

LeBron James scored 41 points tonight in a Cavs victory over the Pistons. Sporting News has the story.

The Ohio State Basketball Buckeyes will show off their new uniforms soon. The Sacramento Bee has a picture of part of the new uniform (scroll to bottom of the page). The Plain Dealer also has a picture.

Libby

Thank you, Patrick Fitzgerald! Merry Fitzmas to all!

Now that Scooter Libby has been convicted, will President Bush pardon him. We will have to wait and see. If Bush, pardons him, it would most likely happen just before Bush leaves office.

What are other liberal bloggers saying about the Libby conviction? Here is a small sampling from around the blogosphere:

Americablog: GUILTY: Scooter Libby guilty on four counts

FireDogLake: the blogger who sat through the trial

Crooks and Liars: Fitzgerald on Libby Verdict

Dependable Renegade: This is one of my favorites blogs.

Not So Good

>>>>UPDATE: Libby found guilty on four out of five counts!!!! For details see the NY Times.

> Nine U.S. troops were killed on Monday, according to the New York Times:
The American military command in Iraq reported today that nine American servicemen were killed in two blasts north of Baghdad on Monday, making it the deadliest day in weeks for U.S. troops....
....Another bomb attack killed three soldiers conducting combat operations in Diyala Province, the restive area northeast of Baghdad where Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias fight daily for control of the large city of Baquba and the fertile region around it....

Was Bush's surge meant to bring more troops into Iraq or more U.S. deaths? In case you haven't been keeping a record, according to Iraq Coalition Casualties, 3170 Americans have been killed in Iraq. They are 14 more American deaths waiting for confirmation by the Department of Defense, which would bring the total to 3184.

> Finally, Jenna Bush has written a book. (No---- it is not a coloring book or a book on how to party!!!!!!) Any fool who purchases this book should be taken out into the bookstore parking lot and slapped ten times with a wet noodle. This is just another Bush family member trying to make a profit off of the American people. In the article in USA Today, Jenna is called a former public school teacher. Wait..... Wait...... Wait.... Sorry, I had to pick myself up off the floor because I was laughing so much. Give me a break! Now she is a "former" public school teacher!!!!????? I thought she was a teacher's assistant. How did she go all the way to be called a teacher? Miss Bush's experiences in the classroom or travel do not justify a book deal. This is just disgusting.

Why is it tolerated?

The recent remarks by Ann Coulter make me wonder why her remarks are tolerated by the right wing. If some other well-known person had used the same word, he/she would have been attacked by many people. However, those on the right continue to make excuses for Coulter.

Now Coulter said it was a joke. How can this kind of behavior be taken as a joke? In this country's not too distant past, racial and ethnic slurs were hurled by racists toward other Americans. As a nation, we cannot allow Coulter and others to adopt these words and use them in their daily language. Any groups that would invite and pay Coulter's high speaking fees, should receive condemnation. The groups that sponsored Coulter's talk, CPAC and the National Center for Public Policy Research, knew what they were getting when they invited Coulter. They knew she could do/say something controversial, but they still invited her. They knew that she could possibly insult someone, but they still invited her. Today they claim they were surprised by her remarks and use of that "word." Baloney. Don't believe it.

Let CPAC know that you are not interested in their agenda or their support of Coulter. Let those conservatives squirm. Contact them at CPAC Phone: (800) 752-4391. Email: cpac@conservative.org

Call/e-mail/fax the National Center for Public Policy Research: (202) 543-4110/ Fax: (202) 543-5975/e-mail: info@nationalcenter.org

This Administration Should Be Ashamed

Recent news from Dana Priest and others from the Washington Post has exposed the dirty, filthy conditions at Walter Reed Army Hospital. Every single person who knowingly let these horrible, deteriorating facilities be used for our wounded, should be fired. Is this the way President Bush and his administration support the troops? By letting our wounded remain soaked in their own urine, left unattended, and then force them to sleep in rooms with moldy walls/ceilings, Bush and his people have shown they have little regard for the welfare of our military and their families. They can say they support the troops, but their actions speak louder than words. Every American needs to read the news articles about Walter Reed and then call their Representatives and Senators. We cannot believe that something will be done because this has been going on for almost four years and no one did anything about it. The Republicans, in an effort to protect Bush's reputation, had been able to cover up the information until recently.

For further info, read The Washington Post. As Bush's war in Iraq continues, more of our wounded will return home for medical care. Will Bush and his administration be ready to care for them?

TGIF

With the Democratic majority in the House of Representative, Democrats can do something that the Republicans had refused to do investigate and issue subpoenas (The Hill):

A House Judiciary subcommittee approved today the first in what is expected to be an avalanche of subpoenas to Bush administration officials. They will likely explore corruption and mismanagement allegations on everything from pre-war Iraq intelligence to the mishandling of the response to Hurricane Katrina.

The first round of subpoenas concern the recent controversial firings by the Bush administration of seven U.S. attorneys, some of whom were pursuing public corruption cases against Republican members of Congress.

The House Judiciary subcommittee on commercial and administrative law, chaired by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), approved subpoenas requiring four former U.S. attorneys to appear at a subcommittee hearing next Tuesday. The former U.S. attorneys include Carol Lam of California, David Iglesias of New Mexico, H.E. Cummins III of Arkansas, and John McKay of Washington state. The subcommittee approved the subpoenas by voice vote; no Republican lawmakers were present.....

* Oooops! It appears that President Bush is losing the support of Republicans! NY Times:

A House Judiciary subcommittee approved today the first in what is expected to be an avalanche of subpoenas to Bush administration officials. They will likely explore corruption and mismanagement allegations on everything from pre-war Iraq intelligence to the mishandling of the response to Hurricane Katrina.

The first round of subpoenas concern the recent controversial firings by the Bush administration of seven U.S. attorneys, some of whom were pursuing public corruption cases against Republican members of Congress.

The House Judiciary subcommittee on commercial and administrative law, chaired by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), approved subpoenas requiring four former U.S. attorneys to appear at a subcommittee hearing next Tuesday. The former U.S. attorneys include Carol Lam of California, David Iglesias of New Mexico, H.E. Cummins III of Arkansas, and John McKay of Washington state. The subcommittee approved the subpoenas by voice vote; no Republican lawmakers were present.

Mr. Bush’s approval rating dropped 13 percentage points since last fall among Republicans, 65 percent of whom now say they approve of the way he is handling his job as president, compared with 78 percent last October.

Over all, Mr. Bush’s job approval remains at one of its lowest points, with 29 percent of all Americans saying they approve of the way he is doing his job, compared with 34 percent at the end of October. Sixty-one percent disapproved, compared with 58 percent in October, within the margin of sampling error....

* The good people at FireDogLake have been following the Libby trial. Although there is no news today, you should check out their observation on the proceedings.

* Since we lost Air America Radio here in Columbus, I've been listening to NPR. (I'd rather stick a fork in my eye than listen to the right wingers on local radio.) A journalist from ABC News, Martha Raddatz, was interviewed about her book and her observations about Iraq. Visit NPR for more info.

Republican Presidential Candidates

>Last night Sen. John McCain (AZ-R) went on David Letterman's show to announce he is running for president. I usually watch Letterman, but I decided I wouldn't watch it last night. McCain is not someone I'd support for president. Although I respect and honor McCain's military service, I do not respect and honor his current support for this administration and the war in Iraq. McCain has been getting too cozy with the religious right wing of the Republican party. This disturbs me. Also, McCain's support for the surge/escalation does not make me feel comfortable at all. If McCain were elected president, our troops would remain in Iraq for another ten years. I cannot support someone who would let that happen.

>Rudy Giuliani, might be getting favorable reviews by some Republicans, but I would never, ever vote for him. How can you respect a man who carried on a public adulterous relationship and then let wife #2 he was divorcing her while he was speaking on TV? Rudy is not a nice guy. Before 9/11, his popularity in NYC was in the pits.

>Mitt Romney..... yawn.

>Sam Brownback.....are you #%*@$*@ kidding me?????!!!!!

>Jeb Bush..... Is this a monarchy? We've had enough screwups from that family.

Can you tell I am not even remotely impressed by these GOPers?

Barack Obama Visits Ohio

Senator Barack Obama (IL-D) took his presidential campaign to Ohio this week. The visits to Ohio's three largest cities, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, helped Obama win new supporters and collect more campaign contributions. When Senator Obama visited Cincinnati, when met with a large crowd. The Cincinnati area has a reputation for being the most conservative section of the state. However, Obama was enthusiastically received.

Senator Obama's visit to Cleveland is described by the Zanesville Times Recorder:

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama finished an early campaign swing through this politically pivotal state Monday with a rally that had the energy of an election eve.

The Illinois senator fired up a young crowd of both supporters and the politically curious with promises of a new vision and widespread change in policies at home and overseas.

"The election is not about me, it's about you and your hopes and your dreams," Obama said. Obama raised more than $450,000 at two earlier fundraisers in Cincinnati and Columbus, said the campaign, and a third fundraiser was held in downtown Cleveland before the rally. A message seeking the amount raised in Cleveland was left at Obama's campaign headquarters in Chicago.

More than 1,700 people filled a community college gymnasium in suburban Cleveland with chants of "O-bama!" and a large banner overhead read "Obama Rocks!" A drumline warmed up the crowd before he spoke, and a local marching band kept the celebration going as Obama shook hands while leaving the stage.

Thousands more watched his 30-minute speech from several overflow rooms. The campaign estimated the entire crowd at 7,000.

"The turnout exceeded all expectations, and I've got to say this is how we roll these days," Obama said of his strongly embraced early campaign stops. In a dark suit and blue tie, he spoke and carried himself as if the 2008 election weren't all that far away.

Earlier in the day, he told supporters in Columbus that he decided to run now - about 10 years ahead of his personal timetable - because he saw a unique moment when people are listening and wanting change in the direction of the country.

Obama told reporters after the event that Ohio's problems are not unlike other places, and that he's begun campaigning early so people will know his plans for manufacturing renewal, improved public education and better health care.

"I'm going to be spending a lot of time in Ohio so that people are familiar with me, so that by the time I'm the Democratic nominee they don't feel like I'm just parachuting in but that they've heard me and had a chance to kick the tires and lift the hood," he said.

In his three stops to the state's largest cities in his first visit to Ohio for his campaign, he covered a wide range of topics, including ending the war in Iraq - which received the loudest cheer at the Cleveland-area rally - developing universal health care and improving early childhood education.....

I hope that I can see Sen. Obama when he visits Ohio again. I think he can provide leadership and hope for all of us.

Gore Attacked by Science Haters

Did you catch this baloney from the Tennessee Center for Policy Research in their attack on Al Gore? The Tenn. Ctr. for Pol. Research is a fancy name for a bunch of conservative dimwits who do not believe in global warming. They probably had this latest attack on Gore planned. Since the loonies over at the TCPR don't believe in science or intellectual pursuits, they spend a lot of time smearing people.

How did they get Gore's utility bill? According to a spokesperson (link):
Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider said: "Sometimes when people don't like the message, in this case that global warming is real, it's convenient to attack the messenger."

Kreider said Gore purchases enough energy from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and methane gas to balance 100 percent of his electricity costs.

Gore, who owns homes in Carthage, Tenn., and in the Washington area, has said he leads a "carbon-neutral lifestyle." To balance out other carbon emissions, the Gores invest money in projects to reduce energy consumption, Kreider said.

Also, Gore's house is 10,000 square feet. In the article, they compare his house with the average house in Nashville, but they don't say the size of the average house in Nashville (1500 sq. ft.? 2000 sq.ft.?). They don't indicate that the Gore family has a contingent of Secret Service agents within their home. There are also other buildings on their property.

We need to face the fact that this "research" group is just a bunch of right wing nuts who don't believe in science and they don't want to respect someone like Al Gore.

Still More Fallout from Republican Scandals and Mismanagement

>It appears that the name of former Republican Congressman Bob Ney keeps appearing in the news. Now Ney's former staff member has landed in legal trouble. Chillicothe Gazette:

The top aide to convicted former Rep. Bob Ney pleaded guilty Monday to federal conspiracy charges stemming from a congressional bribery scandal that downed his boss.
Smiling nervously at times, William Heaton, 28, acknowledged accepting a golf trip to Scotland, expensive meals, and tickets to sporting events between 2002 and 2004 as payoffs for helping clients of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Heaton worked for Ney, R-Ohio, from September 2001 to July 2006, ultimately serving as his chief of staff. Ney represented Chillicothe during the time period.
"You received things of value in exchange for performing functions for Mr. Abramoff and other lobbyists who worked for him, as well as a foreign businessman. Is that correct?" U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle asked Heaton during the 20-minute hearing.
"Yes, your honor," Heaton replied in a firm voice. He pleaded guilty to one count of federal conspiracy.
He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines, but probably would serve between 18 and 24 months as outlined under federal sentencing guidelines. No date was set for sentencing.....

>Ohio's Democratic Attorney General, Marc Dann, has been working hard to clean up the mess left by the Republicans. His staff is involved in reviewing the insurance industry. Columbus Dispatch:

Attorney General Marc Dann is after documents that he thinks will show that the nation’s largest insurance brokerage fixed prices to cheat Ohio employers.

Dann went to court yesterday to demand documents showing how Marsh & McLennan Cos. handled the insurance bids of some of Ohio’s largest employers, including Ohio State University, Wendy’s International, the city of Columbus, American Electric Power and numerous others.

To show why the documents are needed, Dann attached to his filing e-mails from 2003 that show Marsh asking for a "fake ‘B’ quote" and "an unattractive premium ... that won’t sell" to fix prices on insurance bids for at least two Ohio companies.

The e-mails "clearly demonstrate the outrageous illegal conduct of Marsh and its co-conspirators," the motion says.....

>The News-Herald's article shows that former Republican Gov. Taft's programs are miserable failures:

Even in retirement, former Gov. Bob Taft can't catch a break. It's not enough that pay-to-play scandals led to a GOP downfall in November.
Or that the Buckeye State's economy tanked during his tenure.
Add in that Taft's Third Frontier plan to attract bio-technology jobs to Ohio has sputtered.
Now comes data that the much-ballyhooed tax reform of 2005 hasn't reaped the dividends that were promised in its first 18 months.....

The Republicans may be out of the governor's office, but the mess left has created even more work for Strickland's administration.

While The Republicans Do Nothing

While Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice travels around the world.......
.......U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD: 3154

While Vice President Dick Cheney travels around the world talking tough......

.......02/25/07 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (part 3)

Pfc. Rowan D. Walter, 25, of Winnetka, Calif...assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division...died Feb. 23 of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated...

While the President rides his bike instead of going to a terrorism drill at the White House.....
.....02/25/07 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (part 2)

Pfc. Travis W. Buford, 23, of Galveston, Texas...assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division...died Feb. 23 of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated...

While the Republicans in the House and the Senate refuse to join the Democrats in bringing our military home.....
....02/25/07 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (part 1)

Staff Sgt. Joshua R. Hager, 29, of Broomfield, Colo...assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division...died Feb. 23 of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated...
and....

...02/25/07 daytondailynews: Soldier dies nearly a year after being shot in Iraq

Richard L. Roudebush...died early Saturday morning after spending nearly a year in a coma after he was shot in the head during his second tour of duty in Iraq.

The American people need to continue to contact their elected officials and let them know that we want this war over NOW.

*Statistics and news: http://icasualties.org/oif/

More News About Iran

>For some reason, this Bush administration wants to bomb Iran. It doesn't matter that this administration has already created a mess in Iraq, now they want to bomb Iran.
RAW STORY:
Despite the Bush administration's insistence it has no plans to go to war with Iran, a Pentagon panel has been created to plan a bombing attack that could be implemented within 24 hours of getting the go-ahead from President George W. Bush, The New Yorker magazine reported in its latest issue.

The special planning group was established within the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in recent months, according to an unidentified former U.S. intelligence official cited in the article by investigative reporter Seymour Hersh in the March 4 issue.

The panel initially focused on destroying Iran's nuclear facilities and on regime change but has more recently been directed to identify targets in Iran that may be involved in supplying or aiding militants in Iraq, according to an Air Force adviser and a Pentagon consultant, who were not identified.....

>As if that wasn't enough to keep you awake at night, here is another story found by Raw Story that says if Bush attacks Iran, some U.S. generals/admirals are prepared to resign:

SOME of America’s most senior military commanders are prepared to resign if the White House orders a military strike against Iran, according to highly placed defence and intelligence sources.

Tension in the Gulf region has raised fears that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly likely before President George Bush leaves office. The Sunday Times has learnt that up to five generals and admirals are willing to resign rather than approve what they consider would be a reckless attack.

“There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,” a source with close ties to British intelligence said. “There is simply no stomach for it in the Pentagon, and a lot of people question whether such an attack would be effective or even possible.”

A British defence source confirmed that there were deep misgivings inside the Pentagon about a military strike. “All the generals are perfectly clear that they don’t have the military capacity to take Iran on in any meaningful fashion. Nobody wants to do it and it would be a matter of conscience for them.

“There are enough people who feel this would be an error of judgment too far for there to be resignations.”

A generals’ revolt on such a scale would be unprecedented....

Incredible.

>While 90 people at the White House conducted a disaster drill, the President was busy. He was riding his bike. The Washington Post has details:

Dozens of high-level officials joined in a White House drill yesterday to see how the government would respond if several cities were attacked simultaneously with bombs similar to those used against U.S. troops in Iraq.

White House homeland security adviser Frances Fragos Townsend and the Homeland Security Council that she heads mapped out in advance a massive disaster involving improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. The attack targeted 10 U.S. cities, both large and small, at the same time, said a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Townsend presided over the three-hour exercise, which brought the government's top homeland security officials to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House. All Cabinet agencies were represented by their secretaries or other high-ranking officials, with about 90 participants in all, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said....

....President Bush went on a bike ride yesterday morning and did not take part in the test....

The President was on a bike ride? Was the drill only for the grown ups in the White House? Did he have to get a note from Laura to get excused from the drill? Most presidents would want to be there at the drill to observe and do some problem solving. However, that type of grown up behavior somehow is not part of George W. Bush's character.

Saturday Morning---

1. According to Eleanor Clift, Jeb Bush is a possible presidential candidate for one special interest group. Here is an excerpt from MSNBC and Newsweek:

....There’s one politician the Christian right could get excited about: John Ellis (Jeb) Bush. But he’s not running—surely in part because the Bush brand has been so badly tarnished by the Iraq misadventure. A handoff from brother George would have been easy—if only the president had stayed focused on finding Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan rather than rushing off to invade Iraq. But for his brother’s mess, Jeb would be a formidable candidate.
He’s still a likely contender at some point—maybe even as a vice presidential pick in ’08. He can raise money, he has a Mexican-born wife who could help with California, and he can deliver Florida. The restoration is premised on the Republican nominee needing the credibility with the religious right that Jeb could bring......

Enough of the Bush family!!!! I can't even stand to watch that twerp Billy Bush on that entertainment show. Yuck!

2. Anna Nicole Smith's mother is STILL trying to prevent her daughter from being buried in the Bahamas, according to the Chicago Tribune. PLEASE, STOP THIS!!! Just bury the woman now next to her son in the Bahamas!!!!! Why is it so important for the mother to have her daughter buried in Texas? She didn't see her for 10 years? Does she want to sell tickets to her grave? Enough!

3. When I read this about Obama, I was so happy: Yahoo News

Here is what Obama had to say about Cheney---
"In fact, Dick Cheney said this is all part of the plan (and) it was a good thing that Tony Blair was withdrawing, even as the administration is preparing to put 20,000 more of our young men and women in.

"Now, keep in mind, this is the same guy that said we'd be greeted as liberators, the same guy that said that we're in the last throes. I'm sure he forecast sun today," Obama said to laughter from supporters holding campaign signs over their heads to keep dry. "When Dick Cheney says it's a good thing, you know that you've probably got some big problems."


Thank you, Senator Obama!!!!!

Is that fur on your coat from a dog?

As the owner of two lovely dogs, I became disgusted after reading this article:
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/02/23/D8NFFQL81.html

That fur trim on your jacket that you think is fake? Tell it to Fido. An animal advocacy group says its investigation has turned up coats _ some with designer labels, some at higher-end retailers _ with fur from man's best friend. Some retailers were set scrambling to pull the coats from shelves, take them off Web sites and even offer refunds to consumers.

The Humane Society of the United States said it purchased coats from reputable outlets, such as upscale Nordstrom, with designer labels _ Andrew Marc, Tommy Hilfiger, for example _ and found them trimmed with fur from domestic dogs, even though the fur was advertised as fake.

"It's an industrywide deception," said Kristin Leppert, the head of the Human Society's anti-fur campaign.

The investigation began after the society got a tip from a consumer who bought a coat with trim labeled as faux fur that felt real. Leppert and her team began buying coats from popular retailers and then had the coats tested by mass spectrometry, which measures the mass and sequence of proteins, to determine what species of animal the fur came from.

Of the 25 coats tested, 24 were mislabeled or misadvertised.

Three coats _ from Tommy Hilfiger's Web site ShopTommy.com, Nordstrom.com and a coat from Andrew Marc's MARC New York line sold on Bluefly.com _ contained fur from domesticated dogs. The others had fur from raccoon dogs _ a canine species native to Asia _ or, in one case, wolves. The single correctly labeled coat was trimmed with coyote fur, but it was advertised as fake.....

"Americans don't want Lassie turned into a fur coat," Moran said. "In the U.S., we treat cats and dogs as pets, not trimmings for the latest fashion wear."

Other retailers the Humane Society said sold mislabeled raccoon dog fur included Lord & Taylor, BergdorfGoodman.com and Neiman Marcus.com. Designers whose clothes were mismarked included Donna Karan's DKNY and Michael Kors. A coat from Oscar de la Renta advertised as raccoon had raccoon dog fur.

Neiman Marcus, which owns Bergdorf Goodman, said it removed Bogner and Andrew Marc coats from its Web sites. Michael Kors said it was investigating, and a DKNY spokeswoman said the label was unaware that raccoon dog fur had been used.

Donna Karan's executive vice president for global marketing and communications, Patti Cohen, said, "While it is not illegal to use this type of fur, we have taken measures to ensure that it is never again used for any of our products."

A spokeswoman for Oscar de la Renta declined to comment.

Yuck! If it looks fake and the label says fake or man-made, it probably is some little doggie. I'll stay away from the designers mentioned in the article.

What is unfair?

Washington Post:
The Army's surgeon general yesterday criticized stories in The Washington Post disclosing problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, saying the series unfairly characterized the living conditions and care for soldiers recuperating from wounds at the hospital's facilities.

"I'm not sure it was an accurate representation," Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, chief of the Army Medical Command, told reporters during a news conference. "It was a one-sided representation."

The Medical Command oversees Walter Reed and all Army health care....

....In another development yesterday, the White House announced that President Bush plans to nominate S. Ward Casscells to replace William Winkenwerder as assistant defense secretary for health affairs. The Pentagon said Winkenwerder's departure was already planned and was not related to problems at Walter Reed.

Has this administration been fair to our soldiers and Marines? They put our fighting men and women in an unnecessary war that was based on lies. They sent our troops to war without adequate body armor and without armored vehicles. They forced members of our military to go on 2, 3, and even 4 tours of duty in Iraq. They couldn't even get the paychecks correct for our service members. Now, this administration cannot even give clean, healthy places for our injured to recover. This administration, that has claimed it supports the troops, has instead shown little regard for their welfare or that of their families.

I don't care care what the Army's surgeon general says when he calls the criticism of hospital conditions unfair. It is his duty and those of others to get it right the first time.

Are you surprised?

In today's Columbus Dispatch there is a story about a former state senator who is being investigated. Here are some excerpts from the article:

A former state senator could face criminal charges for his efforts to obtain significant reductions in the workers’ compensation rates paid by his company....

Before I continue quoting the article, please guess the former state senator's political party affiliation. I'll wait.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Correct! He is an Ohio Republican!!!!

Here is more from the article:
.....Jeffry Armbruster, a Republican from North Ridgeville, was served with a complaint by the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee in December informing him that the group thinks he might have violated either state law or the code of ethics. Armbruster left the legislature at the end of 2006 because of term limits.

After a future hearing, the committee could refer the matter to Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien.

A key concern is that Armbruster, while serving as vice chairman of the committee that oversaw issues related to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, allegedly called bureau officials into his Statehouse office to discuss getting his rate reduced.....

These Ohio Republicans are just ........... . I'll let you fill in the blank.

If the British are leaving Iraq, why can't the U.S.?

According to the London Times, the British will begin pulling out their troops. Here are some excerpts from the London Times:

British troops will start coming home from Iraq within weeks, Tony Blair will announce today almost four years after the start of the war that removed Saddam Hussein from power.

The Prime Minister will say that up to 1,500 of Britain’s 7,000 contingent around Basra could be out by the summer, with the first coming home by April, and 3,000 by the end of the year if the process of handing over control to the Iraqi security forces continues to go well, The Times has learnt.

Mr Blair will say that Operation Sinbad, the security and reconstruction plan conducted in Basra over the past six months, has been a success. Since it ended this month Mr Blair and forces’ chiefs have assessed the ability of Iraqi troops to do the job.

Mr Blair will give the go-ahead for withdrawal despite President Bush’s decision to send more than 21,000 reinforcements to Baghdad. The decision will be seen by some as a signal that the Government is prepared to demonstrate its independence from the US.......

What will the White House say to this latest development? I'm sure they'll find a way to spin it with their usual lies.

George Washington vs. George W. Bush

Here are some excerpts from an opinion piece from the Baltimore Sun:

Thursday is the 275th birthday of the Father of Our Country, and somehow the current President of Our Country seems to have felt a need to show that he's living up to the old man's standards. "I feel right at home here," he told a crowd at the Washington estate. "After all, this is the home of the first George W."

The Revolution, you see, was about independence, for Americans. It wasn't about fighting in somebody else's civil war, on a false pretext and with an uncertain aim.

"George Washington's long struggle for freedom has also inspired generations of Americans to stand for freedom in their own time," Mr. Bush said yesterday, after a longish recitation of the first president's accomplishments in war and in peace. "Today, we're fighting a new war to defend our liberty and our people and our way of life. And as we work to advance the cause of freedom around the world, we remember that the father of our country" - see what we mean? - "believed that the freedoms we secured in our revolution were not meant for Americans alone."

Sorry. You can't blame Iraq on George Washington.

The First Decider was wary of both military power and executive power. He may have believed that America had a westward destiny, as Mr. Bush averred, but he would have been shocked and awed at the horrendous idea of freebooting around the Middle East with 150,000 of America's best men and women. He didn't have the advantage of a Yale education, but we're willing to bet he would have seen through the ludicrous claim that Americans must fight in Iraq, and give up their civil liberties at home, so they won't have to fight "over here," as Mr. Bush put it in a different speech just last week.

Actually, two similarities between then and now do come to mind. From 1775 to 1783, 4,435 American soldiers were killed in battle, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The war in Iraq is getting close: 3,144 American dead.

Also, as he left office, President Washington warned his countrymen against entangling alliances. And you have to hand it to President Bush on that one: He's untied just about every alliance this country ever had.

Bush thinks we should believe everything he says because he said so. How can you compare this miserable failure with the 'Father of Our Country'?

McCain

Sen. John McCain (AZ-R) is a declared Republican candidate for president. Some people think that John McCain is very firm in his beliefs. Unfortunately, John McCain is just another flip-flopper.
Philadelphia Inquirer---

.....at this point, it's impossible to ignore the fact that McCain has been riding the Double Talk Express for the better part of a year, flip-flopping with an alacrity that would humble Hamlet.....
...McCain used to dismiss Jerry Falwell as an "agent of intolerance," but tomorrow he will trek to a Florida religious convention to woo the guy.

McCain, until recently, was pushing for a reform law that would require conservative groups to reveal their financial donors. But, after fielding protests from evangelical Christians and antiabortion activists, McCain decided last month to strip out the provision.

McCain in 2000 assailed Bush's proposed tax cuts as a sop to the rich, and a year later, with Bush in office, he voted against those cuts, declaring that "the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle-class Americans." But a year ago, he switched sides and voted to extend tax cuts for the wealthy.

McCain in 1999 said that, "even in the long term," he would not support the repeal of Roe v. Wade because "thousands of young American women would be performing illegal and dangerous operations." But last November he said that he now favored repeal because "I don't believe the Supreme Court should be legislating in the way that they did on Roe v. Wade."

McCain in 2000 was incensed when a pair of Texas businessmen, Sam and Charley Wyly, bankrolled some Bush-friendly TV ads that distorted McCain's record. McCain declared at the time that their "dirty money" did not belong in national politics. But last year, McCain decided that their dirty money belonged in his campaign; he took $20,000 and allowed them to chair a McCain fund-raiser. (McCain later had to give back the money, because, it turns out, his new friends are reportedly under federal investigation.)

McCain, who has long deplored negative politics, defended John Kerry in 2004 when the Democratic candidate's war record was being impugned by the Swift Boaters. But today, one of McCain's top advisers is GOP hardball specialist Terry Nelson, who has worked as a consultant with one of the principal Swift Boaters. Nelson also produced the notorious '06 TV ad that implied, in the Tennessee Senate race, that the black Democratic candidate cavorted with white women.

McCain has voted against a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, but last fall, regarding his own state, he supported an Arizona referendum that would have banned gay marriage.

McCain in 2006 suggested that creationism was not a fit topic for the schoolroom: "I respect those who think the world was created in seven days. Should it be taught as a science class? Probably not." But he suggested the opposite in 2005 ("all points of view should be presented"), and Friday he is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a confab sponsored by the Discovery Institute, a prominent creationism advocacy group.....

With awhile to go before the primaries and the election, McCain has plenty of time to do some more flip flops on issues.

Rep. Tim Ryan Won't Back Down!

Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Youngstown, is making Ohioans proud because he stands strong and tall against the Republican propaganda. Here are some excerpts from the Plain Dealer's Politics Blog:

A Republican, identified by Ryan staffers as Indiana's Steve Buyer, took loud umbrage at several points when Ryan attacked Republicans for calling his party's distaste for the war "unpatriotic."

Buyer was gavelled down several times as he attempted to object to Ryan statements such as these:

"We never called the other side unpatriotic ... We've called you incompetent. We said you're incapable. And we've said you're derelict of your oversight responsiblity. But never, Mr. Speaker, have we called anyone in this House unpatriotic."

When Ryan was asked whether he'd yield the floor to a parliamentary inquiry from Buyer, he snapped "I don't yield" with belligerence reminiscent of his congressional predecessor and former mentor, Jim Traficant.

"We've heard a lot over the last couple of days about the American Revolution, and the Civil War and World War II," Ryan concluded. "Well, Mr. Speaker, our president today is not Washington, he is not Lincoln, and he is not Roosevelt. And so I think our Republican colleagues should take the advice of the Secretary of Defense. And that's: You go to war with the president you have, you don't go to war with the president you wish you had."

See Tim Ryan's video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRBUW3W_7Pg&eurl=

In my humble opinion, Rep. Tim Ryan's theme song should be Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down." Thank you, Rep. Ryan, for your strong voice. I wish Ohio's 15th district had someone like Ryan. However, we are stuck with Republican Deborah Pryce who follows her party's orders instead of the desires of her constituents.

Republicans and Lieberman Like War

If your U.S. Senator is on this list, they want our American troops to stay in Iraq forever. They are unwilling to do anything that would bring our troops home sooner. They voted "NO!" on the Iraq resolution.
El Paso Times:

Republicans No
Alexander, Tenn.; Allard, Colo.; Brownback, Kan.; Bunning, Ky.; Burr, N.C.; Chambliss, Ga.; Coburn, Okla.; Cornyn, Texas; Craig, Idaho; Crapo, Idaho; DeMint, S.C.; Dole, N.C.; Domenici, N.M.; Enzi, Wyo.; Graham, S.C.; Grassley, Iowa; Gregg, N.H.; Hutchison, Texas; Inhofe, Okla.; Isakson, Ga.; Lott, Miss.; Lugar, Ind.; Martinez, Fla.; McConnell, Ky.; Roberts, Kan.; Sessions, Ala.; Shelby, Ala.; Stevens, Alaska; Sununu, N.H.; Thomas, Wyo.; Thune, S.D.; Vitter, La.; Voinovich, Ohio.

Others No
Lieberman, Conn.

Are you proud of your senator? E-mail or call these senators and tell them why their vote was wrong.

What would you do?

Let us imagine that you are a celebrity and you have been asked to speak at a charitable event. Knowing full well that the charity needs every penny for its cause, what demands would you make to the charity? What would you charge as your speaking fee? How should the sponsors of the event pay for your transportation?

I am not a celebrity. However, if someone wanted to hear me speak, at the most, I would ask for a round trip airline ticket, and $1 as my speaking fee. I would even pay for my own hotel accommodations. I think that is very reasonable.

Raw Story is reporting that presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani, asked for and received an obscene amount of money for a speaking engagement for a charity. Here are some excerpts:

In the video below, CNN reports on Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani's eye-opening speaking fees.

While charging speaking fees is a regular practice for expert and celebrity speakers, some are criticizing Giuliani for collecting speaking fees from charities. CNN reports on one appearance at a 2005 tsunami fundraiser for which Giuliani received $100,000, and also mentions a contract stipulation that the former New York City mayor be given the use of a "private aircraft -- must be a Gulfstream 4 or bigger."

Link for video. Giuliani's $100,000 speaking fee could have fed many people and provided an incredible amount of medical care for the tsumani victims. We will just never know how many could have been helped because Giuliani took the money.