Rumsfeld

With the month of April just half over, the total American deaths this month have already exceeded March 2006. The total number of confirmed American deaths in Iraq is 2,369, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty page. However, that could have changed by now. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's methods of getting us into this war, troop movements, supply methods, and his relationships with military brass have been exposed and criticized. Rumsfeld, who has no combat experience himself, has overruled the recommendations of military brass. The war has not gone well and the only people to blame are the President and Rumsfeld. They created the war and they continue to orchestrate it. Our sons and daughters continue to pay the price with their lives.

Late News

Criticism is increasing over an e-mail sent by Republican Supervisor Fred Gold. Philly Burbs has the story. Here is an excerpt:
The leaders of the Republican and Democratic committees in Warminster are calling for the resignation of GOP Supervisor Fred Gold, who sent an e-mail with a photo of a topless woman promoting Jan. 15 as "Breast Appreciation Day."

The e-mail that accompanied the photo asked, "Beats ... Martin Luther King Day, doesn't it?"

Democratic chairman Joseph Bowes Jr. and Republican chairman Jim Messina described the e-mail as insulting to women and blacks...

Despite the calls for Rumsfeld's resignation, the president wants him to stay. Boston.com has the story.

Things are getting worse in Iraq. More deaths are being reported by the New York Times. Here is an excerpt: ...on Thursday, 2 American marines were killed and 22 wounded in an attack in Anbar Province, the American military said in a news release early Saturday that offered few details...

The Failing Republicans

The Stephanie Miller Show has a link to a video that someone made to Pink's song, Dear Mr. President. Watch the video.

Are Republicans trying to attract African-Americans to their party? There is an interesting article from Southern Voice which says that Republicans are trying to use a specially crafted campaign to bring African-Americans to the GOP. In my opinion, the Republican Party has done everything they can to destroy civil rights, voting rights, workers' rights, and anything else they can get their hands on. I still remember those remarks of Kanye West during that hurricane relief program, and I'm positive that many African -Americans recall his words today. It will be nearly impossible for the failing GOP to bring in African-Americans, Latinos, women, Catholics, Jews, and others because the GOP works for their business pals, not for real people.

Why do you think that all of these retired generals are calling for the firing of Donald Rumsfeld? They could not do it when they were on active service, but as private citizens they can voice their opinions without fear of reprisals. MSNBC has the story and the video.

Americablog is reporting a quote by Democrat Harry Reid on the subject of immigration. Bush has been blaming Democrats for blocking the votes, but Bush is wrong. Here is the Reid quote:

"President Bush has as much credibility on immigration as he does on Iraq and national security. If he were actually committed to comprehensive immigration reform he would have stopped his own party from filibustering it twice last week.

"If the president is serious about moving forward, then he should join me in calling on Senator Frist to bring immigration reform back to the Senate Floor when we return. Hopefully by then, President Bush and his Majority Leader will have found the backbone to stop the extreme elements of the Republican Party from blocking improvements to America's security."

Fear

Tonight on MSNBC's Keith Olbermann program, guest, Jonathan Alterman of Newsweek, said that this administration may change FDR's famous quote, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" to a quote to fit their own needs. In the past, Alter said, this administration has used fear to scare the American people in order to win elections. Alter thinks they will use the following quote to regain power--"The only thing we have to do is fear."

I think Alter has a good point. Have you ever talked to people who said the only reason they voted for Bush was because of the security issues? You need to remind those same people that the Republicans can talk security, but they don't vote to deliver it. Remember when this administration was willing to turn the control of our ports to the Dubai Ports? When Republicans had the chance to increase port security, they voted it down (see vote here).

In reality, the only thing we have to fear is that the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate remains under control of the do-nothing, corrupt Republicans. It is time we stop listening to their talking points and vote for Democrats. It is the only way to put our country back on the right path.

--> On another subject....Gasoline Prices
Some analysts are saying that gasoline prices could go as high as $4/gallon. If gas would go that high, people would be forced to change their driving. However, according to an article found by the good people at the Huffington Post, Ford Motor Company is betting that you'll still buy SUV's no matter what the price of gasoline. In the article, Mark Fields of Ford Motor said, "There is a certain portion of the marketplace and customers who want that flexibility that is provided with a traditional SUV..." and "So I don't think our strategy would change too much."

In other words, Fields and the folks at Ford are betting the future of their company on the misguided hope that you'll buy a Ford SUV that gets 12mpg city/16mpg highway EVEN IF GAS REACHES $4/gal! How stupid can they be? As an owner of a hybrid, I want to tell you that if you want to give your money to EXXON, that is your business, but you don't need to do it. I continue to get 40-45 mpg city/45-51 mpg highway in my hybrid car. I think Ford is stupid and they deserve to continue to go down the drain.

All About Numbers

The fatalities and injuries are up again in Iraq. The New York Times is reporting the number of troops killed this month to at least 32. That figure already surpasses the American military deaths for all of March.

The Iraq Coalition Casualty Count has the numbers on our war dead and injured. It is really sad to see the brief death notices given for the American service members. It is even more difficult to realize that more of our young men and women will die and be injured because the current Republican administration has no exit strategy for Iraq. How many more families will lose a loved one while this war continues?

MSNBC is reporting that
....At least $8.8 billion in Iraqi funds that was given to Iraqi ministries by the former U.S.-led authority there cannot be accounted for, according to a draft U.S. audit set for release soon.....
....One of the main benefactors of the Iraq funds was the Texas-based firm Halliburton, which was paid more than $1 billion out of those funds to bring in fuel for Iraqi civilians.

The monitoring board said despite repeated requests it had not been given access to U.S. audits of contracts held by Halliburton, which was once run by Vice President Dick Cheney, and other firms that used the development funds.

**American taxpayers are footing the bill, and all this money goes missing? There is no money to rebuild the Gulf Coast, but the shareholders of Halliburton are seeing huge profits. This is morally wrong!

George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States, was born in Connecticut. However, a home he spent some time in as a youngster, has been restored. The home in Texas, is trying to give evidence to the myth that Bush is a "good ole boy." The story is here. (In my humble opinion, the restoration is trying to make it look like he was born in a log cabin!)

Do you hear the sound of a check being written? No, I didn't hear it either. The federal government still has not written a check to reimburse Franklin County for the money spent on finding the freeway shooter, Mr. McCoy. I guess the taxpayers of OH-15 will have to foot the bill because Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce isn't doing her job to help the people of her district.

$2.79 per gallon

Today I paid $2.79 per gallon for gasoline. Here in central Ohio, on a beautiful day in April, $2.79 per gallon for unleaded gas is just obscene. While Exxon has profits of over $30+ billion dollars, working families are having difficulty filling up the tank. I guess nothing will be done to stop these oil companies from profiting from war and natural disasters. President Bush and the Republican Congress will do everything they can to keep oil/energy companies, pharmaceutical corporations, large financial institutions, and other businesses happy and wealthy so that Republicans can continue to enjoy contributions from their CEO's and directors.

Let College Students Ask Questions

Yesterday, President Bush got questions from college students. If you were able to hear some of the questions asked by the college students, you'd be amazed. Perhaps we should have our press, except for great reporters Helen Thomas and David Gregory, turn in their press passes to have college students ask questions in the White House briefing room. I think it is a brilliant idea! I'd love to see Bush, Scott McClellan, Donald Rumsfeld, and Condoleeeza Rice squirm when someone demands the truth. The Brad Blog has a video of part of yesterday's event.

Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has been giving some hints as to where his investigation is going. The NY Times has the story.

Staying Informed

There is plenty of information on the Bush leak scandal. Why would the President of the United States authorize the declassification of secret stuff for political reasons? Isn't that juvenile? Articles about the leaker-in-chief, can be found---- New York Times USA Today Concord Monitor

* In other news.....
Did you know that a vaccine for cervical cancer might be available very soon? Did you also know that some extreme right wing religious groups don't want you or your daughters to get the vaccine? Really. Here is an article about the fight to vaccinate young girls to prevent cervical cancer.

Bush Approval Poll

The Huffington Post found the AP story---Here are some of the excerpts from article at Yahoo:

...Just 36 percent of the public approves of Bush's job performance, his lowest-ever rating in AP-Ipsos polling. ..

...Just 30 percent of the public approves of the GOP-led Congress' job performance, and Republicans seem to be shouldering the blame...

...Just 35 percent of the public approves of Bush's handling of Iraq, his lowest in AP-Ipsos polling...

...By a 49-33 margin, the public favors Democrats over Republicans when asked which party should control Congress....

That 16-point Democratic advantage is the largest the party has enjoyed in AP-Ipsos polling...

Read it and weep, Republicans!

Curt Weldon PA-7

Having lived in Pennsylvania, I have a special place in my heart for the Keystone State (except when Ohio State plays against PSU). I've been surprised by the recent antics of Republican Rep. Curt Weldon. Yesterday, he attacked the 4 year old daughter of his opponent. Despite the fact that the youngster has suffered from a malignant tumor, Weldon had to viciously go after the little girl and the Sestak Family. Now we have word that Weldon has declared that Sun Myung Moon "as humanity's Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent", on March 23, 2004.

The entire story, with references, is posted at The Swing State Project. A word of caution for those people in the 7th district in PA, you need to dump Weldon. He is a disgrace and you cannot let someone like him represent you. You can do better than Weldon.

Really?

I don't know if you've ever read Wonkette or even heard about it. There is an interesting article about Jessica Cutler, a former staff member of Sen. Mike DeWine (OH-R). Here is a little tidbit from today's posting:

According to the Associated Press:

A judge on Wednesday allowed a lawsuit to proceed against Jessica Cutler, the former Senate aide who posted details of her sex life on the Internet. The case brought by Sen. Mike DeWine’s former counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Robert Steinbuch, alleges that Cutler engaged in an invasion of his privacy in 2004 by publishing sexually explicit facts about a relationship with Steinbuch.

But even though the judge declined to dismiss the suit, his ruling on the statute-of-limitations issue may not bode well for Steinbuch:

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled that Steinbuch had one year from the time of the Internet postings to bring the matter to court. Almost all of the material at issue in the case was posted on the Internet more than a year before the lawsuit was filed May 18, 2005...

More articles HERE and HERE.

Joe Sestak

Retired Navy Admiral and Democratic candidate Joe Sestak has had to endure a lot in his life. Joe and his wife, Susan, have had some heartbreak in their lives with the diagnosis of their daughter's illness and treatment. However, Joe and Susan Sestak probably could never imagine that Republican Rep. Curt Weldon would be attacking them and their 4 year old daughter. The Philadelphia Inquirer has a story describing the Weldon attacks and the aftermath. The bottomline is this....Weldon has no business attacking a sick child.

Thanks, Harry Shearer!

I don't know how he does it, but Harry Shearer finds the most incredible stuff! At the Huffington Post, Harry Shearer posted a conversation between Chris Matthews (MSNBC) and disgraced Republican Rep. Tom DeLay. The taped conversation happen before Matthews and DeLay went on the air. Matthews and DeLay were discussing the results of a focus group. Here is an excerpt:

MATTHEWS: Have you seen this new focus group stuff on the candidates?

DELAY: No I haven't

MATTHEWS: It's great stuff. I'll send it to you -- it's great -- yeah it's great stuff. Hillary, John Kerry. All these guys, all these democrats, and how they do. And, uh, Frank Luntz did it...

DELAY: who I like

CM: ...and Hillary did not do well. Kerry did well.

DELAY: You're kidding.

MATTHEWS: I am NOT kidding. They didn't like Edwards -- they thought he was a rich lawyer, pretending to care about poor people...

DELAY: Too slick. Too slick.

MATTHEWS: ...and Hillary was a know-it-all.

DELAY: Nothing worse than a woman know-it-all...

Thank you, Harry. And thanks also to Chris Matthews and Tom DeLay--You've confirmed yet again that you are complete idiots!

My To Do List

Newsweek is reporting:
A deputy press secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was charged with using a computer to seduce a child after authorities said he struck up sexual conversations with an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl.
Brian J. Doyle, 55, the fourth-ranking official in the department’s public affairs office, was expected to be placed on administrative leave Wednesday....

>From the Dayton Daily News:
Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell held shares in voting-machine manufacturer Diebold last year when he identified Diebold as the state's only qualified provider of touch-screen voting machines....

>Republican Sen. Bill "video diagnosis" Frist is trying to delay a vote on immigration reform. ABC NEWS has this:

...Democrats set up a showdown over a proposal that would allow the illegal immigrants to remain in the country and become permanent residents after paying $2,000 fines and back taxes, learning English and working six years.
"Are the Republicans going to stand up for comprehensive immigration reform or not?" Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked Tuesday....

>>To Do List:

1. Visit Dependable Renegade.
2. Vow to never ever see another Tom Cruise movie.
3. Read Two Deadlines and an Exit.
4. Visit The Daily Show and watch the Persian 2.0 video.
5. Laugh while listening to the Stephanie Miller Show.

A foreshadowing of future for Schmidt

Yesterday was opening day for baseball and there was a big parade. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer:

The coolest thing about the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade is the way families hang out together all day.....

....OOPS: You just knew there had to be a snafu at some point. That came at 12:01 p.m. when the red Corvette in Congresswoman Jean Schmidt's entourage stalled at Fifth and Sycamore streets. Six or eight floats had to go around until members of Schmidt's party could push the car out of the way and get it rolling back down Fifth....

Has the Schmidt campaign stalled with all the miscommunication and false statements? What about that second bachelor's degree? Tsk! Tsk!

Facts You Should Know

Embattled Republican Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas will resign his office and quit his re-election bid, according to the New York Times. Is this the beginning of the end of the Republican culture of corruption? The culture of corruption will only end if Americans vote out these unethical Republicans.

Speaking of unethical Republicans, the Columbus Dispatch is reporting that Republican candidate for Ohio governor, Kenneth Blackwell, just recently sold his stock in Diebold. Diebold, as you may recall, was the voting machine company that was the center of vote manipulation in Ohio's 2000 and 2004 presidential election. Blackwell was also the chair for the Ohio Bush/Cheney campaign for both of those elections. Doesn't it just make you sick? Read the entire Dispatch article here.

Have you seen the new ads put out by Move On? Some stations are refusing to broadcast them. Here are the ads:

Pryce (OH-15) (ad | facts) Chocola (IN-2) (ad | facts)

Drake (VA-2) (ad | facts) Johnson (CT-5) (ad | facts)

DeLay Drops Out

Raw Story is reporting that Tom DeLay will drop out of his re-election campaign. Could it be that the federal investigation is getting closer? Other sources are here and here. Will Rep. Bob Ney (OH-18-R) be next?

The following was mentioned at the Huffington Post: From Yahoo News-- Senator Obama said the following about President Bush:
"Saying that America is addicted to oil without following a real plan for energy independence is like admitting alcoholism and then skipping out on the 12-step program," said Obama in a reference to one of the principal themes of Bush's State of the Union address...

Have you seen the new ads put out by Move On? Some stations are refusing to broadcast them. Here are the ads:

Video
Watch the Ads

Chocola (IN-2) (ad | facts)
Drake (VA-2) (ad | facts)
Johnson (CT-5) (ad | facts)
Pryce (OH-15) (ad | facts)

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

THE GOOD
Journalist Jill Carroll is safe at home after months of being held captive in Iraq. PEOPLE has the story.

THE BAD
Republicans Sen. Frist and Rep. Sensenbrenner want to criminalize immigrant workers. The problem with both Frist and Sensenbrenner is that they are both....prejudiced pinheads. They are trying to push their far right agenda, and in the process, many people will be hurt. The Mercury News has an article describing their proposed legislation.


THE UGLY
Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Katherine Harris, has had big problems with her campaign staff. Now things have gotten worse....
Concord Monitor New York Daily News UPI

INCOMPETENCE

How do you spell incompetence? There are many ways that the Republicans and the Bush administration spell it. Here is my word list for incompetence:

>AFGHANISTAN
>ABRAMOFF (YEAH, WE KNOW HE VISITED THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE TEXAS RANCH)
>ATTEMPTS TO DISMANTLE THE CLEAN AIR ACT
>BYPASSING THE FISA COURTS TO SPY ON AMERICANS AND ANTI-WAR GROUPS
>BUSH
>CHENEY
>CORRUPTION IN THE REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED HOUSE, SENATE, AND EXECUTIVE BRANCH
>CONFUSING MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN THAT REWARDS DRUG COMPANIES
>CUTTING PROGRAMS FOR THE POOR AND ELDERLY
>ENCOURAGING CORPORATIONS TO SEND EMPLOYMENT OVERSEAS (OUTSOURCING)
>FEMA
>INCREASING THE FEDERAL DEFICIT TO ASTRONOMICAL NUMBERS
>IRAQ
>KATRINA
>INABILITY TO MONITOR ALL THE WORLD'S HOTSPOTS, INSTEAD OF JUST IRAQ
>INABILITY TO WORK ON A FAIR AND HUMANE IMMIGRATION POLICY
>INCREASED INTEREST RATES FOR COLLEGE LOANS
>INCREASED LOGGING IN NATIONAL PARKS
>LACK OF BODY ARMOR FOR TROOPS
>LACK OF FUNDING FOR THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT
>LACK OF LEADERSHIP IN SOLVING OUR NATION'S PROBLEMS
>LIBBY
>NO EXIT STRATEGY IN IRAQ; LEAVING THIS PROBLEM TO THE NEXT PRESIDENT
>NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR INDUSTRY INCREASING BECAUSE OF ADMINISTRATION'S ARROGANCE
>POISONED WATER SUPPLY FOR OUR TROOPS IN IRAQ
>PUTTING POLITICAL CRONIES IN POSITIONS INSTEAD OF QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS
>RELEASING THE NAME OF AN UNDERCOVER CIA AGENT
>RICE
>ROVE
>RUMSFELD
>RHETORIC INSTEAD OF ACTION IN REBUILDING THE GULF COAST
>SENDING BOLTON TO THE U.N.
>WAR PROFITEERS (HALLIBURTON, KBR, OIL COMPANIES, ETC.)

I'm sure you can think of more areas in which they've demonstrated their incompetence. What have the Republicans concentrated on instead of these critical issues? Terri Schiavo, same-sex marriage (the defense of marriage act), the war on Christmas, missing woman in Aruba, tax breaks for the rich, ducking lobbying reform, refusing to increase port security, etc. Do you get the picture, America? The Republicans have done NOTHING for this country except get our kids killed in an unnecessary war, increase our deficit, and reward their rich pals with unbid contracts? Do you feel better now?

Right Wingers Attack

Right wing bloggers have been attacking Cindy Sheehan for a long time. She has endured because no matter what they say or do, she experienced the most pain when she lost her son, Casey. Now, besides Sheehan, a Gold Star Mother, these righties are attacking others. These are the same righties that denounced Senator John Kerry by wearing bandaids and making jokes about his military service. Those of us who have studied psychology know that these right wingers' attacks are covering up their own inferiority complexes.

Now the same conservative bloggers, TV/radio talkers, and others are attacking journalist Jill Carroll, who was held captive in Iraq. Obviously, theses righties have no compasion or intelligence. Miss Carroll was held captive in a foreign country by terrorists. She endured physical and emotional pain. However, the righties continue their attacks because they are unable and unwilling to feel sympathy and understanding for her ordeal. How would these right-wingers feel if it had been their daughter, sister, or wife who had been held in similar circumstances?

It is no wonder that Hannity, Boortz, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, and other right-wing conservative talkers are losing their audiences. The American people are tired of their unrelenting, and unfounded criticisms.

I hope that Miss Carroll finds the peace and understanding she needs with her family, friends, and compassionate Americans. Welcome home.