Bushie's Policies Sure Do Help the Army

The Army missed its recruiting target figure by the largest margin since 1979. I wonder why? Bush keeps telling us things are just great in Iraq - could he be wrong?

Bushie Joke

Got this in an email from a friend yesterday and found it amusing:

Donald Rumsfeld is giving the president his daily briefing. He concludes by saying: "Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed."

"OH NO!" the President exclaims. "That's terrible!"

His staff sits stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching as thePresident sits, head in hands.

Finally, the President looks up and asks, "How many is a brazillion?"

Day 1479!

Freedom Marching!

Turns out that 2 out of the 3 Iraqi military battalions are no longer capable of fighting insurgents without American troops.

Of course, Bushie gave his standard speech about making progress, freedom marching, etc. Of course, 5 more soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb today. If this is progress, I'd hate to see how Bushie would define setbacks.

Cool Guy!

Man, there are people that are just amazing and inspirational. Here is a kid who is not willing to give up even though God/life has thrown him a curve ball.

Day 1478!

Bushie's Compassionate Conservativism

Bushie is really helping those in need in the Gulf. He and his allies in the Senate are withholding funds that would help the people in that region recover. Quoting from the story, the "Bush administration raised objections to provisions that would extend Medicaid coverage to thousands upon thousands of adults who otherwise would be uninsured"

Turning to the Iraqi front, looks like Bush expects the violence to surge again. He keeps saying we are making progress and freedom is on the march, but it sure does not seem like he is in touch with reality. On top of that, it is hard for us to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis when we have a group of soldiers selling pictures of dead Iraqis for free access to porn. I know it is probably just a handful of soldiers, but they make it harder to make progress and are ruining it for majority of soldiers.

"The Hammer" gets nailed!

Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay (aka, The Hammer) was indicted today on a felony conspiracy charge. He will have to step down in disgrace. Senate Majority Leader Frist has his problems, we all know about Bushie and his cronies and now in the House there is a Republican scandal. Tells you something about the Republican leadership in this country.

Day 1477!

You gotta love Brownie!

Blaming everyone but himself for the disaster in New Orleans - I love it, he is so Bushie - not able to take some responsibility.

When Bushie told him he was doing a "heckuva job" I think it went to his head.

Brownie's Baaaaaack!

What the heck is going on - it appears that Brownie is back as a consultant to FEMA. Now I know Bushie must be drinking again.

Day 1476!

Bush Boozing Again?

No comments on my earlier post so I decided to link back to the story one more time.

Unintelligent Design

The Pennsylvania court case on "intelligent design" is underway and it should be interesting to see what comes of it.

I would have more respect for the folks who push intelligent design if they would just argue that they believe in Biblical creationism rather than making up a non-supportable theory and trying to hock it as science. If intelligent design is approved, then there is nothing to stop people from arguing that the "Intelligent Designer" (i.e., God) is a space alien or a holy cow or whatever.

Frist Pulled a Martha Stewart

Looks like Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is in some hot water. He sold all his shares in HCA two weeks before a disappointing earnings report came out and caused the stock to fall. He claims he did not get insider info but HCA was founded and largely owned by the Frist family. Frist's shares were also supposedly in a "blind trust" but there is growing evidence that Frist not only knew what was in the trust but got updates and made decisions about the HCA stock on several occasions.

Iraq Musings

More than 100,000 people protested the war in Iraq yesterday. It certainly appears that Americans are realizing the mistake that is Iraq. During the 2000 campaign, George Bush explicitly told the American people that he did not believe the role of the U.S. military was to build nations, and he explicitly criticized the Clinton administration for what he saw was the overextension of our military. It certainly appears like we are in the midst of a major nation-building effort in Iraq – given the ongoing insurgency. billions of dollars that have been lost to corruption and gouging by contractors (e.g., Halliburton) and the overall lack of infrastructure development.

On top of this, there are indications of ongoing widespread and systematic torture of Iraqi prisoners. I am not one to just "blame the troops." American soldiers are trained to kill - not to build nations. When they are constantly being shot at by insurgents it is hard to expect them (or anyone) not to get angry and to continue to work with local folks to build the nation. This is just another example of the failure of the Bush Administration's "plan," if we can call it that, for Iraq.

Oops!

Bad luck for this flasher.

Day 1474!

Bush Goes to Hell - Funny!

One day in the future, George Bush has a heart attack and dies. He immediately goes to hell, where the devil is waiting for him.

"I don't know what to do," says the devil. "You are on my list, but I have no room for you. You definitely have to stay here, so I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I've got some folks here who weren't quite as bad as you. I'll let one of them go, but you have to take their place.I'll even let YOU decide who leaves."

Bush thought that sounded pretty good, so the devil opened the first room. In it was Ronald Reagan and a large pool of water. He kept diving in and surfacing empty handed. Over and over and over. Such was his fate in hell. "No, George said. "I don't think so. I'm not a good swimmer and I don't think I could do that all day long."

The devil led him to the next room. In it was Richard Nixon with a sledge hammer and a room full of rocks. All he did was swing that hammer, time after time after time. "No, I've got this problem with my shoulder. I would be in constant agony if all I could do was break rocks all day," commented George.

The devil opened a third door. In it, Bush saw Bill Clinton, lying on the floor with his arms staked over his head, and his legs staked in a spread eagle pose. Bent over him was Monica Lewinsky, doing what she does best. Bush took this in disbelief and finally said, "Yea, I can handle this." The devil smiled and said "OK, Monica, you're free to go."

Courtesy of GWBushjokes.com

This could explain a lot!

Bushie may be hitting the bottle again to cope with his utter failures as a President. I know its the Enquirer, but I don't think they would risk lawsuits if they were not sure. Here is some info by the Pleasure Boat Captains for Truth. More seriously, it was also recently reported that he was drinking non-alcoholic beer on his vacation. We will see if this pans out or not.

I do like the part of the story that describes a drinking incident from his past: "Age 26 in 1972, he reportedly rounded off a night's boozing with his 16-year-old brother Marvin by challenging his father to a fight." Now that would be a sight to see.

But his speech issues, multiple falls from his bike, and the pretzel choking incident all make more sense - not to mention his terrible decision-making.

Day 1472!

More on Rambo IV

By popular demand, here is some more info on Sly's big return as Rambo. However, there are conflicting stories about the plotline as you can read here. I love them both! Perhaps he could film both and we could get Rambo IV and V!

All I can say is when is Rocky VI coming out?

Anti-Bush Thought of the Day

Under this President:

1. More than 1000 people died in the Gulf Region as a result of Hurricane Katrina - many of whom could have been saved had there not been government incompetence.

2. More than 1900 American soldiers have died in Iraq fighting in a voluntary war for which there is no real justification - again utter government incompetence.

3. Nearly 3000 Americans were killed on 9/11 and the criminals responsible are still free. Osama bin Laden and Sheik Omar are doing their thing and the President does not seem to care.

Pathetic. I think we should expect better of our President.

Iraq - The Gift that Keeps Giving

With all the stuff going on with Katrina and now Rita, most Americans probably failed to notice that we just went over the 1900 mark for American soldiers killed in Iraq.

What are our soldiers fighting for? At this point, it is basically to prop up an Islamic theocracy that takes away the rights of women. It is fantasy to think that there will be a Western-style democracy.

Congress Investigating Steroid Use in MLB

Barry Bonds is in Washingtong playing to the Nationals. He was asked about Congress investigating MLB players for steroid use - there are several congressional investigations going on right now. He said they are a waste of time given the other issues in this country. Now he may have some personal reason not to have Congress looking at the issue, but he is right.

Why isn't Congress investigating the billions of dollars lost to fraud and corruption in Iraq, why we haven't caught bin Laden or Sheik Omar, the government's failure to develop an effective Homeland Security Office, the no-bid contracts that have now been given to Halliburton, KBR, Bechtel, Fluor, Blackwater, etc. (the same cast of characters in Iraq and who happen to be friends of Bush/Cheney), the massive waste in the transportation bill, and so on. There are more important things that our federal government should be looking at but won't because they are corrupt and want to keep Americans from realizing how corrupt and inept they are.

Day 1470!

Kudos to the 'Skins

My hats off to the Redskins for not quitting. For 56 minutes of the game the 'Skins and Mark Brunell looked as I expected - horrible. Then the Dallas (more specifically, Aaron Glenn and Roy Williams) allowed a speedy Santana Moss to get behind them - twice to beat them in the final five minutes.

Dallas went from being in total control and shutting out the 'Skins to losing. This is the kind of win that can elevate the 'Skins and devastate the Cowboys. It will be interesting to see what happens the next couple of weeks. I still have my doubts about the 'Skins and Brunell, but a win is a win and we will see.

Day 1469!

Brownie's Job

Brownie was a good foot soldier for Bushie. It has been reported that he made sure that millions in taxpayer funds were used to pay off Florida voters to secure Bushie's reelection.

Bears Roaring/Redskins to be Scalped

How 'bout dem Bears! I know it is a lowly Lions team with no quarterback and who quit when the going got tough, but I love it. Domination in all three phases of the game (offense, defense, and special teams).

Tonight the Redskins will lose for the 11th straight time in Dallas. Quarterback play will be their undoing and I predict Redskin fans will be shaking their head wondering when they Campbell will be ready to play.

I know 'Skins fans will be saying they beat the Bears. All I can say is that let's see at the end of the season which team has progressed.

Day 1468!

Face/Off for real!

This is weird, but it is cutting edge (so to speak) and it could really help a lot of people (burn victims, severly deformed, etc.). I could see it really twisting into a bizarre form of plastic surgery, but the good outweighs the bad in my opinion.

Police and Firefighters Save the Day

Trouble with your hitman? Call the Police. Talk about stupid!

Here is a good reason to try to avoid static electricity.

Day 1467!

Freedom still marching (I guess)

Another bloody day in Baghdad. Almost 1900 American soldiers killed and costs continue to mount.

Why are we still in Iraq? There are no WMDs, the proposed constitution sets up a Shiite Islamic state (like Iran) that is not likely to be friendly to the U.S., women will no longer be equal, and we cannot stop the coming civil war. What is the goal at this point?

What a waste.

Why?

I guess Schwarzenegger figures he cannot act and he is too old for the action movies he used to be good for, so what the Hell?

Day 1463!

Bush in New Orleans

Bush spent part of yesterday touring New Orleans. Here is what he accomplished.

It was nice to see him comfort the poor folks of New Orleans who have been displaced.

Day 1462!

The Horse Whisperer is No More!

FEMA Chief Brownie resigned and has now been replaced with someone who actually appears to have some relevant experience.

Day 1461!

Still no Osama! Bush is too busy cleaning up after Brownie mucked up the FEMA response to Katrina.

The four year anniversary passed and I cannot even remember the last time Bush gave us an updated on the search for bin Laden.

Bush Sinking!

His lowest poll numbers are here and the question for Bush is . . . How low can you go? I guess Americans finally are getting the fact that this guy cannot do anything.

Pass me a beer!

Man, this beer sounds promising. I'd love to try it.

Day 1459!

A Hero's Story

This six year old child has more courage, conviction, and sense than Bush. Bush stayed on vacation, diddled around for a couple of days, and actually praised Horse Whisperer Brownie when it was clear that he had done virtually nothing but impede efforts to assist the victims of Katrina. This is our great "War President" who will keep us safe from terror! What a joke.

Brownie relieved of command

Looks like Bush decided to take Brownie out of the Gulf and bring him back to Washington. We will see if this becomes a more permanent removal from his post. Anything short of firing Brownie (or asking and receiving his resignation) would be a disservice to the country.

Brown Exaggerated!

Not surprisingly, Time Magazine has found that FEMA Director Mike "Brownie" Brown has not exactly told the truth about his background. According to the article,

Before joining FEMA, his only previous stint in emergency management, according to his bio posted on FEMA's website, was "serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight." The White House press release from 2001 stated that Brown worked for the city of Edmond, Okla., from 1975 to 1978 "overseeing the emergency services division."

Turns out Brownie was actually a student intern working as an administrative assistant to the city manager at the time. Another discrepancy from the article:

Brown's lack of experience in emergency management isn't the only apparent bit of padding on his resume, which raises questions about how rigorously the White House vetted him before putting him in charge of FEMA. Under the "honors and awards" section of his profile at FindLaw.com — which is information on the legal website provided by lawyers or their offices—he lists "Outstanding Political Science Professor, Central State University". However, Brown "wasn't a professor here, he was only a student here," says Charles Johnson, News Bureau Director in the University Relations office at the University of Central Oklahoma (formerly named Central State University)."

Basically, Brownie is a Bushie hack who got the job through connections rather than ability and experience. Bush served the public interest well by picking the "Horse Whisperer" don't you think?

It Figures!

Bush gets his compassion from his family upbringing. If you haven't heard about what Barbara Bush said about the evacuees, here is the link.

Day 1468!

NFL's Most Disappointing Teams

As the NFL season prepares to open, here is an interesting list of the most disappointing teams of all time.

Republican Talking Points

Republicans are trying to protect the President from blame by accusing Louisiana state and local officials for the fiasco in New Orleans. Certainly some blame is warranted but I have seen numerous Republican operatives saying that Governor Blanco failed to declare an emergency or request federal assistance. If you hear any of that nonsense know that that is factually incorrect.

Blanco declared a state of emergency for the state on Friday, August 26. She then sent a letter to Bush requesting that he declare a federal state of emergency on Saturday, August 27 when it became clear that Hurricane Katrina was going to hit New Orleans. The President not only received the letter, but in fact declared a federal state of emergency. In an August 27 White House press release it was announced:

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts . . .

Basically, Homeland Security and FEMA were in charge retroactively to Friday, August 26 - 2 DAYS BEFORE THE STORM HIT! Don't be fooled by Republican efforts to deflect blame.

Day 1467!

FEMA Errors

Check out a list of FEMA errors. At the very least, Bush should fire FEMA Director Mike "Horse Whisperer" Brown (before joining FEMA the guy was fired from his last job as a horse show organizer). The mistakes are not just administrative snafus, they are criminal in that they led directly to the deaths of countless Americans.

NFL Rankings

The Bears are starting at the bottom, but they will move into the middle of the pack by the end of the year.

Day 1466!

He is so right!

Great blog post by Keith Olbermann. The guy really caught my thoughts and emotion on the situation and the complete an utter failure of leadership, particularly at the federal level.

Day 1465!

NFL Picks

Read Peter King's predictions. This is a guy who knows something about the game and his predictions for the Bears and Redskins are enlightened. Redskins - fourth in their division and Campbell will be quarterbacking the team by mid-year. Bears - third and possibly second in their division if Orton can play. He picks Orton as Offensive Rookie of the Year.

A look at the Bears' schedule and the Redskins' schedule are quite telling. They play each other in week one, and then it is clear the Bears have a better schedule on paper. The 'Skins will beat Seattle, SF, Tampa Bay, Oakland, Arizona, and get two division wins (maybe), to finish 7-9. If they finish 8-8 or better it will be a shock.

The Bears will beat Washington, Detroit (twice), Cincy, Cleveland, NO, SF, Tampa, and Green Bay to finish 9-7. An improving Orton and a great defense will give Bears fans hope for the future, while 'Skins fans will be left at the end of the year scratching their heads and wondering what improvements the off-season will hold.

Some people!

Man, what an idiot!

Just pathetic

Bush is getting his photo ops, but people are still in great need. This story is just so typical for the apparent inability of Bush to fully understand and know about the problem. It is odd, because he really did do a good job in the aftermath of 9/11.

At this point, Bush should fire FEMA director Mike Brown at the very least. He has to hold someone responsible and Brown's comments have shown him to be misinformed and/or a liar.

Day 1464!

Why FEMA fu$@ed up!

It is clear that the federal response to Katrina, particularly in New Orleans, has been horrible. Bush was on vacation and was reportedly golfing the day after the Hurricane (can you imagine if he was seen golfing the day after 9/11)? The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Homeland Security do not appear to be ready for an emergency and this demonstrates a complete and utter failure of leadership. The Hurricane was being monitored before it hit, just imagine if a significant terrorist attack occurs out of the blue.

Bush put Mike Brown in charge of FEMA. Brown is a former family estate lawyer who was fired from his last private-sector job overseeing horse shows. Before joining FEMA, the Boston Herald reported that Brown had no significant experience that would have qualified him for the position. He got the job because he was a Republican activist who got the job through a college friend. Good job Bush!

Day 1462!