More freedom marching

6 more U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq.

As the death toll continue to rise at least people are starting to pay attention and realize that Bushie does not know what he is doing.

More on the Bears/Redskins

I just looked at the box scores for both games and read Wilbon and Kornheiser's columns about how bad the Redskins were.

Brunell - 65 yards passing (32.4 QB rating)? Portis - 9 yards rushing? And what happened to the vaunted Washington D? It is only one game, but for 'Skins fans there are definitely some things to worry about after losing 3 of 4.

For the Bears, Orton showed further progress with 230 yards passing in a big divisional game (89.4 QB rating). Thomas Jones ground out a workman-like 72 yards on 22 carries. But, the Bears defense continued to shine with the game ending in overtime with a Tillman interception return for a touchdown. We are on a nice 3 game win streak.

NFL Recap

Just as predicted the Bears won in a tight game and the Redskins lost to a pumped up Giants team. I was surprised at the margin of victory, but not by the loss itself. It was a "statement" game that did not go well for the Redskins.

I could gloat and stick it to the 'Skins fans, but the bottom line is that this was just one game, on the road, against a tough division foe who had just lost its beloved owner. How the Redskins bounce back from this loss will say a lot. With a tough Philly team coming to Washington after a loss of their own, this weekend's game will be critical.

You know you want them so here are the updated stats:

Defense:

Bears - Second-ranked scoring defense (11.6 pts/game, no change from last week), third-ranked defense in terms of yardage/game (263 yds/game, no change from last week).

Redskins - 17th-ranked scoring defense (19.9 pts/game, down 9 spots from last week), 6th-ranked defense in terms of yardage/game (283 yds/game, down 2 spots from last week).

The Bears have only allowed 1 rushing touchdown this year (ranked #1). The Redskins have allowed 7 rushing touchdowns.

Offense:

Bears - 23rd-ranked scoring 0ffense (17 pts/game, up 2 spots from last week), 26th-ranked offense in terms of yardage/game (261 yds/game, up 1 spot).

Redskins - 19th-ranked scoring offense (19.3 pts/game, down 5 spots from last), 10th-ranked offense in terms of yardage/game (350 yds/game, down 8 spots).

Thomas Jones 6th-ranked running back (102 yds/game, 6 touchdowns, down 1 spot from last week), Clinton Portis ranked 13th (79 yds/game, 3 touchdowns, down 5 spots).

Red Zone Stats:

The Bears continue to dominate in the Red Zone on both side of the ball. They score touchdowns on offense 62.5% of the time they get in the RZ and only allow opponents to score touchdowns 12.5% of the time.

The Redskins are at 54.5% on offense and 52.9% on defense.

Day 1510!

Down goes Libby

Libby was indicted on 5 serious counts. We will see if he is convicted. Looks like Rove dodged the bullet but he is not yet out in the clear, but he must be breathing a little easier. What is certain is that there is further corruption at the highest levels of government - at least to the door of the Vice President's office.

Viagra Prank!

If you have ever wondered about Viagra and want to hear it described in a funny manner read this.

More on Rambo IV

Details are sketchy, and I would not be surprised if this ends up as direct to DVD. The fact that Sly is a punchy 60 year old does not bode well for this proposed film. Anything for a buck I guess.

Sulu is Gay!

Not that I really care - to each his own, but man, who would have thought? If you think back to Star Trek IV there is a quote by Sulu - "San Francisco . . . I was born there." I wonder if it was a coded sign.

Football Predictions

Bears - win in a close but comfortable 10 points at Detroit. Bear defense will carry the day by controlling the running game and forcing Garcia to make some plays. I wouldn't be surprised if Garcia goes out with an injury and a confused Harrington throws a pick or three. Bears running game will dominate and Orton will again show progress and manage the game well.

Redskins - lose in an emotional game to the Giants by a field goal in the final minutes. The Redskins will move the ball between the 20s against an injury plagued Giants defense, but will not be able to score touchdowns in the Red Zone. Wellington Mara died this week and Giants players past and present love the man. They would have been fired up anyway to play for first against the 'Skins but this will give them that little extra. Antonio Pierce will make Gibbsy and Danny Boy pay for not matching the Giants offer and Arrington will blow some assignment that will be costly.

Neither game is "critical" for the Bears or Redskins, as much as they are for the Lions and Giants who are at home. However, for both the Bears and Redskins these are statement games that can go a long way toward winning their divisions and contending for playoff spots.

Day 1507!

White Sox

The World Series champs are from Chicago which is nice. Although I am not a fan of the team, I did like the way this team played. There are really no superstars, they just play solid fundamental baseball as a TEAM. Consider that they won 11 of 12 post season games, gave up less than 3 runs a game, and scored about 6 runs a game. That is dominance.

It's Christmas Eve in October

Looks like indictments of several major Bushie folks are going to be announced tomorrow - Rove, Libby, who knows. The anticipation is growing.

Day 1506!

No torture . . . except by the CIA

In response to repeated incidents of torture the Sente recently passed legislation that would outlaw the "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" of anyone held by the US.

Bushie wants to exempt the CIA from any torture limitations. What is the point of the Senate's legislation if there is the exemption? The United States should stand up with moral clarity on this issue of prisoner treatment and human rights. Either we believe torture is wrong or we don't. I love how Bushie and the Republicans act pious and speak as if they are the party of God, then they pull this junk.

Crank Call to Cheetos

Man, if you want to read some funny stuff, go to zug.com and read some of the stories and transcripts of prank calls John Hargrave has made. This one to Frito-Lay had me laughing. There are some more adult pranks that you may want to check out.

White Sox

Stick a fork in the Astros, they are done. Good game this evening that just ended about 15 minutes ago. There is no way the White Sox are going to lose four in a row including two at home.

Day 1505!

Another Iraq Milestone

Bushie's war has now ended the lives of 2,000 American soldiers. At least he now has clear objectives for victory and an exit strategy - no wait that is in Bizarro world. In the real world, "freedom is on the march" and "we will stay until the job is done." Whatever that means.

If true, this is incredible

The NY Times is reporting that Cheney was the second source for the leaking of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. If he is indicted he would almost certainly have to step down. This would shake the Bushies to the core.

If Cheney did leak Plame's identity, then the death penalty should be considered for treason. Of course, there is still what can be proven. What is known is that Plame was a covert agent working on WMD issues in time of war. By outing her for purely political purposes to get back at her husband, he put this country at great risk by diminishing our capacity to find out about WMD.

Day 1504!

The BCS should be called the BS!

This is ridiculous. USC hasn't lost in years is beating everyone they face and still Texas passes them in the latest BCS poll. All the more reason to have a playoff system.

This has to be on purpose!

A friend forwarded this to me. Check it out before Google "fixes" it.

Go to www.google.com and type in "failure." Then click on "I'm Feeling Lucky." See what pops up.

Don't Forget to Flush!

Man, this would be scary.

Couple of Football Stats

Defense:

Bears - Second-ranked scoring defense (11.3 pts/game), third-ranked defense in terms of yardage/game (260 yds/game).

Redskins - Eigth-ranked scoring defense (17.2 pts/game), fourth-ranked defense in terms of yardage/game (266 yds/game).

Offense:

Bears - 25th-ranked scoring 0ffense (16.7 pts/game), 28th-ranked offense in terms of yardage/game (249 yds/game).

Redskins - 14th-ranked scoring offense (22.5 pts/game), second-ranked offense in terms of yardage/game (387 yds/game).

Thomas Jones fifth-ranked running back (107 yds/game, 6 touchdowns), Clinton Portis ranked 8th (91 yds/game, 3 touchdowns).

Analysis Through 6 Games:

Both have solid defenses with the edge going to the Bears. The Bears have 8 more interceptions and 10 more sacks than the 'Skins (both have forced only 4 fumbles). These stats clearly indicate the Bears have the higher impact defense.

The offensive edge clearly goes to the Redskins. Bears have thrown 4 more interceptions and given up one fewer sack (both have fumbled 5 times).

However, where offense and defense really counts - in the RED ZONE - the Bears are much better than the Redskins. The Bears have only given up one touchdown in 13 opponent drives in the Red Zone (7.7%). The Redskins have given up 6 touchdowns out of 11 Red Zone drives (55%). The Bears are ranked first in Red Zone defense by far - the team ranked second is Indy (39% touchdowns scored). On the other side of the ball, Bears score touchdowns in the Red Zone 69% of the time (9 of 13 drives), Redskins 55% of the time (12 of 21 drives). Bears are ranked second only to New England in terms of percentage.

The point is that teams don't score against the Bears in the Red Zone and when they do get into the Red Zone the Bears score touchdowns. They make it count, albeit they don't get down there very often.

Day 1503!

Football!

As expected, the Bears and Redskins won. Both remain in first place in their divisions.

Bears - good solid win against a subpar Ravens team. Defense was phenomenal. I don't think the Ravens could have scored if they played all evening. Orton continues to make progress. Nothing special but he managed the game well and did not make any critical mistakes. The game will continue to come to him as the season goes on. Thomas Jones was great as usual which is why he is one of the top rushers in the game.

Redskins - expected easy win (except by Gibbsy) over a horrible 49ers team that may not win another game this year. LaVar finally got in and surprise . . . he was the leading tackler for the team (by far). The guy can play and makes the defense more dangerous. At least it looks like the coaches finally came to their senses.

One final note: the Bears defense is better than the Redskins defense at this point in the year. We will see if it holds up.

Day 1502!

LaVar Prediction

Oh yeah, LaVar is going to play this week. Danny Boy realized he had a problem and called Gibbsy and said it was OK to play LaVar. I suspect he will make some plays, but I am hoping he blows a play or two so that he loses confidence. There is no question that when he does play he will be under the microscope.

Football predictions for this week

Bears will beat a subpar but dangerous Baltimore team at home. Orton is playing solid, if not stellar, football. Certainly, the team is much better off at this point than last year. I would like to see Cedric Benson show some signs of being a player and not just a high priced bust.

Redskins will beat the 49ers. They have played better than last year, but their turnover situation is horrible. The 49ers are clearly a team that the Redskins should handle at home. If they lose this game it will send shock waves through the organization. (I hope Gibbsy doesn't call me to complain about this post.)

The need for clear SOPs

Bush does not want basic standard operating procedures (SOP) for military treatment of prisoners ostensibly so that torture can take place. Although not directly linked to prisoner abuse, American soldiers were filmed burning the dead bodies of two suspected Taliban fighters.

This one image is sure to further enrage Muslims because burning the dead is not considered appropriate in the Islamic world. Better military discipline and command with clear SOPs may have prevented this incident.

Day 1500!

Still no Osama bin Laden. Bushie just does not talk about him anymore, which should be an outrage for all Americans. I would expect a president who was worth anything to bring bin Laden to justice. Just one more reason I think Bush is a pathetic leader.

It figures. . .

An Australian study finds that 1 in 3 crocodile attacks are on people who have been drinking. The lesson is obvious: Don't drink because you might get attacked by a crocodile. G'day mate!

Oh Gibbsy, you make me laugh

Gibbs complained this week about the media saying that the 49ers are a team the Redskins should handle easily. What is he talking about? The 49ers are a team they should beat easily. If they don't there is a major problem. There is a reason the Redskins are 12 POINT FAVORITES (how often does that happen).

A Really Stupid Sports Fan

I don't know, but this is one of the stupidest requests I have ever heard about.

Oh Brownie!

A FEMA official testified before the Senate and stated the obvious - Brownie just failed to do anything as he was receiving reports and being told about Katrina (even the day before it hit) and as it led to a rapidly deteriorating situation in New Orleans. Of course Brownie testified that the did everything he could and it wasn't his fault.

Day 1499!

Finally, Chewy is an American!

Peter "Chewbacca" Mayhew got his citizenship yesterday. That is important news and we can now all sleep better.

St. Louis rises from the dead

I meant to write something about this earlier, but last night's game was unbelievable. One strike away from going to the World Series and up by 2 with no one on. It was destiny that Pujols was meant to crush a three run homer to win. The question now is, will that HR be just a great HR, or will it be one of the all-time legendary moments. If St. Louis somehow manages to win the NLCS, it will be legendary. Will Houston collapse?

Day 1497!

Iraq Election Irregularities

Bushie probably got his Diebold friends from Ohio and Florida to conduct the election in Iraq.

More Rocky Info!

It looks like Adrian will be dead, but at least Paulie is coming back! Perhaps Clubber Lang and Drago can be added as tune up fights before taking on Mason "The Line" Dixon. I cannot wait.

More LaVar Thoughts from outside Washington.

I came across a short piece on CBS Sportsline. In it the following appears with regard to Arrington:

"He's a beast," said quarterback Trent Green, who was relieved not to face Arrington. And he was not alone. "If he were there that defense would be better," said tight end Tony Gonzalez. "He's one of the best linebackers in the league. He's proven that. I don't know what the situation is. Whatever it is I hope they work it out; he's too good of a football player not to be on the field."

Rocky VI Baby!

First Rambo now this. Sly's coming back with a vengeance. It's on the way and filming starts in December. The latest version will be "similar to the tone and grit" of the first two movies. I love it, I am back in the 80's. Excuse me while I put on my Ray Ban sunglasses and break dance out of here.

Will Gibbsy Learn?

Mike Wilbon's column in the Post is dead on. Jared Allen was KC's LaVar Arrington and made all the difference in the game. Arrington needs to play. For God's sake, Gibbs has to get over whatever the problem is and play the guy. At least get him in on third down passing situations.

The defense played well statistically, but Warrick Holdman had 2 tackles and if you actually watch him play he is always engulfed by blockers. I am going to assume the 'Skins can beat the lowly 49ers this week, but then they play at NY Giants (loss), Philly (loss), at Tampa (loss), Oakland (win), San Diego (loss). This will put them at 5-6 and people will have forgotten about the 3-0 start.

Bears play Baltimore (win), at Detroit (win), at New Orleans (win), San Francisco (win), Carolina (loss), at Tampa (loss). This will put them at 6-5.

Day 1496!

Football Thoughts

Bears 2-3 and Redskins 3-2. Redskins played an average KC team on the road and lost, the Bears played a Vikings team that is rapidly spiraling down the toilet, but hey, wins are wins and losses are losses. It is a long season.

Oh, to add to a good weekend, UVA beat Florida State.

Day 1495!

Oh the Crazy White House

If you want some funny reading and you are a political junkie, you have to read the transcript of yesterday's daily White House Press Briefing by Scott McClellan. The reporters are all over the guy about the fake conversation with soldiers, Iraq, Harriet "I love the president" Miers, etc.

Enough LaVar! What about KC?

OK, it is time to look to the KC-Redskins game. Prediction KC in a close, high scoring game (30-27). KC's defense is poor, but their running game is great and they have a solid passing attack. The last two weeks the Redskins have shown some weakness in the running defense. I think the LaVar situation won't have much impact this week, but it will in the post-game and next week if they lose.

Bears-Vikings in Chicago. This is a must game for the Bears. The Vikings look like they may be imploding given their off field love boat escapade. Allegedly former Redskin Fred Smoot was a key part of the action, although he denies it. If the Bears lose this game after blowing the Cleveland game in the last three minutes last week it is going to be a long season. I have faith that Lovie will get the guys going right.

Bushie battling nature

Yet again, Bushie has stood up to the environment and is battling to win the war of Man versus Nature.

Closing in on $8 trillion national debt

By the middle of next week, Bushie and his Republican cronies in Congress will have successfully pushed the U.S. National Debt over $8 trillion. He has added $2.3 trillion to the debt in less than 5 years. As interest rates continue to rise, so will the debt at a faster pace because it will be much more expensive to finance the debt. We have been in a period of historically low interest rates.

People who tell you Bushie's economic policies have put us on solid financial footing are simply wrong. Bushie has dramatically increased the rate of debt accumulation, saddled this country with unprecedented levels of debt, and created deficits that will significantly add to the nation's debt for at least a decade if not longer.

Inflation is up, interest rates are up, energy prices are up, education costs are up, health care costs are up, poverty is up, global terrorism is up, thethe number of uninsured Americans is up, the Iraq war costs are up, American deaths in Iraq is up, the number of Republicans in congress who are under investigation is up. Why not just let Bushie "fix" Social Security.

Day 1493!

LaVar LaVar, where are you?

To see what fans are saying, here is a local DC bulletin board on the subject. I think it says something that most of the fans are in LaVar's corner.

Pathetic Propaganda

Bushie wanted to have a "conversation" with troops in Iraq. But instead of a conversation they staged a scripted show. It must be that he is too scared to actually talk to rank and file troops because of what they might say.

Of course, Bushie and the Republicans in Congress have set a new low for their poll numbers.

Oh no, Mr. Bill!

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has been subpoenaed by the SEC to turn over personal records in an investigation into possible insider trading. That doesn't sound good.

Soaring Trade Deficit

The U.S. trade deficit hit its third highest level of all time to $59 billion for the month of August. Our deficit with China was about $18.5 billion for the month. This means that we imported $18.5 billion more from China than we exported to China. With oil prices still very high don't expect a change in this deficit any time soon.

When you consider the fact that China also holds abot $250 billion of the U.S. national debt and continues to let us borrow more from them the problem becomes even more clear. We are basically borrowing money from China so that we can buy more of their stuff. That is not good economics over the long term.

Gibbs speaks

In response to the LaVar situation, today's Post quoted the Coach:

"I've talked to LaVar more than any player I've ever coached in 30 years, probably three times more. I've had great conversations with him and told him exactly what he needs to do."

"Our coaching staff here has got tons of experience, and, I believe, plays the best guys. So at whatever point LaVar is the best person to be in there, I'm convinced he'll be in there."

My take is that if Gibbs is telling the truth then we must assume that LaVar is a liar (they cannot both be right) and that LaVar is not good enough (perhaps not smart enough) to play in the Redskin's defensive system. Unless there are some injuries, I would not expect to see him play much on defense anymore. I still think this is a bad situation that will end badly.

Day 1492!

LaVar Continued . . .

Read the "Redskins Notebook" story in the Post today. It has some good quotes from Arrington that I alluded to in an earlier post. Here are two choice Arrington quotes from the article:

"If you are not going to play me, then don't play me. Just don't make things up about why I am not playing. I'm healthy. I'm of sound mind and body. Don't try to slander me. It's being insinuated that I'm not smart enough to play this defense. That's absurd."

As for whether he will play on special teams he said, "I approached [special teams coach] Danny Smith. If he wants me to do something, let's have it. I'm with it. I just want to help . . . I'm not playing because I can't play. I don't know why I'm not playing . . . If they put me out there to hit somebody, that's what I'll do."

If they do not intend on playing him, then deactivate him. If he is suited up, healthy, and ready to go then they should play him. If nothing else get him on special teams where he may be able to make a play.

Scary thought! Bushie as Supreme Leader

We should all be concerned about the state of American democracy. Giving Bushie the ability to declare martial law and take away all rights would be a disaster - his decision-making has been horrible to date.

Don't think it won't happen, it is already happening and unless Congress steps up things will get worse.

Awwwwhhhhhh! How Cute!

In addition to calling Bushie "the best governor ever," Harriet Miers thinks Bushie and Laura are "cool." That is just wicked awesome! Clearly she is more than qualified to sit on the Supreme Court.

Day 1491!

Kornheiser's Take on LaVar

Great opinion piece by Tony Kornheiser in the Post today. He concluded his piece in which he detailed how the Redskins are sticking it to LaVar in his back by saying, "if the Redskins don't want LaVar, they should deactivate him, and not strand him out there in his clean jersey so it looks like they're deliberately trying to embarrass and punish him."

I totally agree. If LaVar could not get in for one play this week and only two plays last week then deactivate him so that at least he does not have to suffer the indignity of sitting on the bench and not knowing whether he is ever going to play again.

Frist really is an idiot

Oops! Turns out that the Republican Majority Leader of the Senate Bill Frist lied when he said he had a blind trust to avoid conflicts of interest between legislation and his family's multi-million dollar health care business. Looks like his presidential hopes have been dashed - at the very least.

Just another of the Republican leaders who have chosen power over the people. Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay is under indictment and "Bushie's Brain, Karl Rove, may be next. I just laugh that the Republican Party is supposed to be "God's Party."

Just heard from LaVar

I just listened to LaVar speak about his situation for 30 minutes on Sportstalk 980 and am more perplexed about his situation. It seems as if he is honestly confused himself and if he is to be believed, then no one on the coaching staff has explained to him why he is not playing other than to say he is not the starter. He called rumors that he does not understand the defense and/or is a freelancer who does not do his job, "slander."

He explicitly said that he gives 100 percent on the practice field and has no problems playing special teams. He also sounded tired and a bit sad that he had been "reduced to just collecting a paycheck." It is clear that he feels like he can contribute and be a difference maker on the field, but sincerely does not understand why he is not being given a chance.

He does not know if they are trying to trade him, but all of the negative rumors that are floating around cannot help his standing around the league. I will say again, it certainly sounds and looks like the organization is trying to embarrass the guy which I think is a shame.

Bushie's Supreme Court Nominee

To get on the Supreme Court you should have at least a clear legal history in Constitutional law and some discernable skills other than the president likes you. It is clear that Harriet Miers just gushes over Bushie. But choosing insiders to take top spots is just so Bushie.

More on LaVar

It seems oddly personal that LaVar cannot get on the field. It is clear that at least at this point he is unwanted. I cannot believe that he is such a liability and a problem that he should not play at least a couple of passing downs. If Gibbs or Gregg Williams is trying to make a point, that's fine, but they are letting a 3-time Pro Bowl physical freak waste away on the bench. This is a very good defense that is highly ranked, but appears to have some issues - notably it only has 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and one interception.

His salary limits their options in terms of a trade as does the fact that by not playing him they lose any trade value. It is more likely that they will have to cut him after the season and get nothing except a cap headache.

Day 1490!

Bears, Redskins, and . . . Neuticles

Man, I feel like I got kicked in the neuticles. The Bears wasted a great effort by Thomas Jones (137 rushing yards) and collapsed late in the game. Rookie mistakes really hurt, but I have to say for the first time since Lovie took over I am wondering about his system. The defense was solid for most of the game but they are not without blame for giving up big plays when it counted. The offensive play calling was weak in my opinion. I watched the game and cannot remember any deep throws. Orton has a good arm, let him air it out and at least loosen up the defense. 115 passing yards for the game is not going to consistently get it done in the NFL.

I missed the first half of the game, but this was probably the best game the 'Skins have played even though they lost. But just as 3-0 is 3-0, a loss is a loss. It is a long season yet to go, let's see what happens.

Day 1489!

Get your red hot "Neuticles"

This guy has waaaaayy too much time on his hands. He created prosthetic testicles for neutered dogs.

Now that I think about it, perhaps Bushie needs a pair.

Spending in Iraq

The Senate approved another $50 billion for Iraq pushing the total to over $350 billion with no end in sight.

We are spending $6 billon each month in Iraq. This comes to $2,315 per second. In the time it took you to read this post, American taxpayers just spent about $26,000 in Iraq. Great investment for this country's future.

Win a Vacation with Bushie

Great contest. Sign up to win and tell all your friends.

Trouble in Paradise?

Arrington situation could become a problem. The 'Skins are 3-0 which masks a lot of problems, but if they lose this week in Denver (which I think they will) people will start to wonder.

Redskins Offense

From Dr. Z's column: "after three games the '05 Skins have gained exactly 24 more yards, total, than the '04 Skins did. But last year's vintage had scored five more points. Defensive numbers are much better this year, though. Apart from the fact that Mark Brunell is playing better now, the (1-2) Skins had nine turnovers, while this 3-0 team has six. All three opening games, both years, have been close."

Before getting too excited keep the following in mind:

2004 Stats
points per game: Washington - 15.0, Bears - 14.4
yards per game: Washington - 274.8, Bears - 238.5
time of possession: Washington - 31.18, Bears - 28.25
NFL Offense Ranking: Washington - 31, Bears - 32 (two worst teams in the NFL)
points allowed per game: Washington - 16.6, Bears - 20.7
yards allowed per game: Washington - 267.6, Bears - 336.9
NFL Defense Ranking: Washington - 5, Bears - 13

2005 Stats
points per game: Washington - 14.3, Bears - 17.3
yards per game: Washington - 340.3, Bears - 252.3
time of possession: Washington - 29.16
NFL Offense Ranking: Washington - 27, Bears - 21
points allowed per game: Washington - 12.3, Bears - 13.0
yards allowed per game: Washington - 290.3, Bears - 267.0
NFL Defense Ranking: Washington - 5, Bears - 6

Nothing to write home about for either team offensively, obviously they are both excellent defensive teams. Bears are making significant progress both offensively and defensively at least this early in the year. Also, with a rookie quarterback I expect the Bears to have offensive troubles and to make mistakes. On the other side, while the 'Skins are 3-0, they are still shaky which is why I am not a believer (yet). Let's see what happens as the season unfolds.

Day 1486!

God "told him" to invade Iraq

Bushie apparently is doing the God's work! Apparently he thinks God is talking to him. Scary.

In his speech today Bushie said, "we've killed or captured nearly all of those directly responsible for the September the 11th attacks" What an idiot! The fact is that those DIRECTLY responsible died in the planes and bin Laden and his top lieutenant al-Zawahri who is widely believed to have been the operational mastermind of 9/11 have not been caught or captured. Given that we are almost 1500 days removed from 9/11 and have not brought bin Laden or al-Zawahri to justice, I would say we have largely failed in our response.

What is Bushie Saying?

In a speech today, Bushie called for more sacrifice in the "war on terror" which is what he calls the war in Iraq. I think as a nation we should look at the utter incompetence with which the Iraq war has been handled and have a true dialogue about what we are doing there. There is little question that we have destablilized the country and the region and it is not likely that we will be able to re-stablilize the region. All of the justifications and assumptions about the war have been wrong (no WMD, not greeted as liberators, small insurgency, oil profits will pay for war and rebuilding, etc.). Whatever the Bushies told us has been wrong - not just a little wrong but completely wrong.

The constitution that will be voted on next week is ridiculous from an American point of view. It sets up an Islamic state somewhat similar to Iran, it allows for human rights violations, takes away rights of women, and would have to be forced down the throats of Sunnis who already oppose it. This would do nothing to stop the Sunni insurgency from continuing and may even make it worse.

I think it is time for Americans to speak with moral clarity and conviction that we need to set a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq (perhaps 6 months). The alternative is to continue to listen to the nonsense, slogans, and outright lies this president continues to spew out and continue to waste American blood and treasure in a hopeless cause. At this point, there is no "winning" if winning is ending up with a true democracy. The only choices are to leave now which is bad, or to stick around as things continue to get worse and leave later.

Typical!

Bushie's CIA Director Porter Goss announced that no one would be held responsible for 9/11 intelligence failures because it would "send the wrong message about taking risks." What? It seems to me that people should do their jobs or be held responsible for failing. Ah, but that is not Bushie Bizarro World.

Hunting mishap.

When you shoot at something in the air and actually hit it, you should watch where it goes.

Good Politics and Good for the People

Democrats need to win in the battle of ideas and stand for something different than Republicans. Universal health coverage is one place that they differ with Republicans but which most Americans probably agree is good policy. It is nice to see a Democrat proposing something of value. Illinois' governor wants to cover all children in his state - 250,000 uninsured kids right now.

Spawn of Cruise

Looks like Katie and Tom are having a baby. I wonder if that will make Tom even more crazy.

Day 1485!

Does this make sense?

This is just stupid and Americans should be outraged. A firm from Alaska just got a sole source/no bid contract to provide modular building units for schools in the Gulf. Are you telling me that there are no firms in Gulf who can do the same thing? Bushie and the Republicans are just using the funds to rebuild the Gulf states to line the pockets of their friends.

Redskins Thoughts

I cannot stay away. 3-0 is 3-0 and I would be happy if the Bears were there. But, 4 of the next 5 are going to be tough (at Denver, KC, NY Giants and home against Philly and San Francisco) and I expect them to lose 4. Their offense is still terrible (albeit they showed some signs since the last 4 minutes of the Dallas game).

I think the LaVar situation is going to end badly. He seems to be a real difference maker when he is healthy and he is healthy. The Redskins signed outside linebacker Zak Keasey yesterday (who?). Is that a sign that LaVar will soon be traded?

Day 1484!

Doctor Sued for "Sex Treatment"

Who is the bigger idiot:

1. The doctor who prescribed the 45-minute "treatments" for back pain and then submitted medical claims to be paid by the state of Oregon.

2. The woman who agreed to it.

Harriet Miers for Supreme Court

Bushie tapped another one of his cronies to serve on the Supreme Court. She has never been a judge and has never actually argued a case before the Supreme Court. To most of the rest of the world this makes her unqualified, but in Bushie Bizarro World she is perfect!

Day 1483!

What is Bushie Drinking?

Again, Bushie is sugar-coating Iraq for the American people. He says the Iraqi military is making progress and that he is encouraged; however, it was revealed this week that there is only one Iraqi battalion that is able to fight insurgents without U.S. troops to back them up. The one battalion is a drop from three battalions a year ago. In Bushie's Bizarro world, I suppose that is progress.

Timmy Smith

It is hard for 'Skins fans to forget Timmy's career day in the Super Bowl. But oooohhhh Timmy, what happened?

Day 1481!