Chad Vader!

I posted this several months ago, but somehow it wasn't working. Check it out.

Plame was a Covert Agent

Right-wingers want to make excuses for Scooter Libby and the Bush Administration for exposing Valerie Plame's secret identity. I've heard a lot of right-wingers say she wasn't covert. That is just a load of crap. The fact is that she was, and that the Bush Administration exposed her for political reasons during a time of war. Pathetic.

A Unique Victim of Iraq

A four year old was killed by his mother's boyfriend. So what you say? Well, his Mom couldn't be there to care for him because she is in the National Guard and was called to Iraq.

Bushie Claims Right to Take Dictatorial Power

On May 9, Bushie signed an Executive Directive that allows him to make himself dictator. Read what the right-wing WorldNetDaily said about it.

Jerome Corsi - who worked closely with the Swift Boat Vets Against Kerry - thinks it the Directive is an abomination and perversion of Presidential power.

Dems Have Failed

Instead of fighting the President, the Dems caved into the President's demands that there be no timetables for the Iraq war funding. So the Dems are going to pass along another $100B to Bushie so he can continue playing war and acting like he knows what he is doing. Bushie is at freaking 33 percent approval! He has been wrong about everything. His surge is failing miserably. And the Dems gave up. It is truly pathetic.

So the most ridiculously misguided and mismanaged Iraq war goes on on with Bushie running the show and no one willing to stand up to him.

Keith had a great Special Comment on Wednesday. It captures how I feel. Maybe it will open the door for another Gore run.

Bushie's Latest Iraqi Plan is Failing . . . Again

The "Surge" is turning out to be another failed Bushie policy.

Sectarian violence is up and another 9 American soldiers are dead. Not a surprise to me.

CP is an Idiot

If you want to see what an idiot looks like, check out CP's defense of Mike Vick's dog fighting business.

CP is just a bit more idiotic than Clark Judge over at CBS Sportsline. Judge has written off the Bears in 2007 already. Of course, Judge predicted that Arizona and Detroit would be playoff teams last year. So don't get too excited Bears' Haters.

Jamar Williams in for Briggs

The Bears concluded their 3-day minicamp and Jamar Williams got good reviews for his play in place of disgruntled Lance Briggs. Like I have been saying, I am not worried and neither are the Bears.

Bushie Won't Take Responsibility

No surprise. The Dems met with Bushie and offered to take out domestic spending in the new Iraq war funding bill. In exchange, Bushie had to accept a timetable for withdrawal. But, he gets the opportunity to waive the timetable if he wants to. All he has to do is waive it.

He rejected that deal because he doesn't want to be on record as being responsible for the war.

ESPN NFL Power Ranking

About what you would expect.

Bears #5

Redskins - Phooey (#28)

Another Day, Another Lie

Just last week, Gonzo testified before the House Judiciary Committee that the controversial and flawed (I would say politically-motivated) process of firing U.S. attorneys was limited to eight U.S. attorneys, and other administration officials have said that only a few others were suggested for removal.

Turns out that at least 26 were considered for removal last year. More evidence that our esteemed ATTORNEY GENERAL IS A LIAR!

Through his smirk, he will probably say, "My mistake. I was inartful and should have refreshed my memory before testifying. My memory is not what it used to be." His "I DON'T RECALL" excuse is getting a little old.

The Justice Department has been Destroyed

Gonzo is nothing more than an idiotic Bushie "Yes Man." He should take off his knee pads and actually be a man rather than Bushie's lapdog. He has destroyed the credibility of the Justice Department by allowing it to become a politicized arm of Karl Rove's operation.

Another day, another growing scandal. We learned yesterday that not only did the previous Attorney General not reauthorize the warrantless wiretapping program (which was required by law) because it was not legal, but Gonzo showed up while he was drugged and in the hospital and tried to trick him into signing the reauthorization. He refused, but that didn't stop Gonzo and Bushie from continuing their illegal activities.

WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO.

On top of that, Gonzo simply ignored a congressional subpoena for documents between Karl Rove and the Justice Department that would prove that Rove and the political operation in the White House is actually running the "Justice" Department.

It is clear that Bushie is not going to fire Gonzo because he knows if there was a real Attorney General, all kinds of corruption and illegal activity will come to light and be investigated. My bet is that Gonzo is going to get that stupid smirk knocked off his face when he actually faces federal charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. It is coming and he is too stupid to realize it - he is like Fredo in The Godfather.

3400 and Counting

The U.S. military death count went over 3400 today. Still no end in sight.

Redskins D-Line Will Be Fine

I don't believe that, but here is a positive story that will help raise spirits and hopes in Redskin Nation this off-season. Enjoy Redskin fans.

Of course, my feeling is that disaster is looming. We'll see.

Iraqi Benchmarks on the Way

For all of Bushie's bellyaching over the last couple of months about benchmarks - the reality is that they are coming. The American public and Congress are tired of empty promises and an aimless, pointless occupation.

It looks like some Iraqi politicians are recognizing that they have to do their part and set benchmarks.

Finally!

Devin Hester Moving to Offense

The Bears drafted 3 guys for their secondary. The added depth will allow them to move Devin Hester to offense. He is a great weapon and if he can get 3-6 extra touches a game it could be huge. I like the move.

Hide the Kids . . . Tank's Out!

Just kidding, of course. Tank Johnson completed his 60 days in the slammer and got out yesterday.

He finds out what his NFL punishment will be on Wednesday. My guess is that he is going to get a 4 to 8 game suspension. Based on my understanding of what he did, I would say he should get 0-4 games (he got a 1 game suspension from the team last year).

Hopefully he has learned something. Whatever the case may be, he certainly has a strong support network in the Bears. For a full list of his visitors, click here.

Where NFL Teams Spend Money

Obviously, QBs are the highest paid players on NFL teams. Where does the rest of the money go and what are the value positions?

Based on salaries, NFL teams value good defensive linemen and cornerbacks. The thing to notice is that safeties are not really valued in the NFL.

When you look at the starting players, starting QBs are #1, and then starting left tackles are the next highest paid starters.

There is another more scientific study of where to spend money in order to secure wins. According to that analysis, having a good kicker is key. But again, safety is not a "money" position that leads to wins.

The Redskins will be on the hook for at least $6.5M at safety this year. It is likely that LaRon Landry will eat up at least $4M of cap space for 2007. Sean Taylor's cap friendly contract will cost them about $2.5M. Of course, Taylor is unhappy and wants more - so we will have to see what happens. However, on top of that, Archuleta's dead cap amount comes to $4.5M for this year. It may very well be that the Redskins will have more than $12M of their cap tied up in Landry, Taylor, and Archuleta's contracts.

Some (JKD? Deepie? The Danny?) may argue that the Redskin braintrust knows better than the rest of the NFL. They have been so good at picking players over the last few years (I am being sarcastic). The bottom line is that either they are idiots or geniuses - you know what I think, but they may still prove me wrong by beating all of the odds.

Redskin Rumblings and Early NFL Power Rankings

This picture will soon be a distant memory.

Bears #5, Redskins #28. Seems about right to me.

Looks like Sean Taylor is unhappy that he will not be the highest paid safety on the team again this year.

Rosenhaus is "working his magic" and is having Sean miss the first organized activities at Redskin Park.

Not surprisingly, Shawn Springs is also still in Arizona and not attending. He is pretty sure he is going to get cut or traded anyway, so why bother.

More Iraq "Progress"

Further evidence that Bush's war escalation (i.e., "the surge") is failing - the U.S. Embassy in Iraq has ordered all employees to wear flak jackets and helmets while in unprotected buildings or whenever they are outside - AND THIS IS IN THE GREEN ZONE!

Gas Prices HIt Record High

Given where gas prices are now, just imagine where they will be in the peak summer driving season.

Our continued blundering in the Middle East will continue to keep gas prices high. Iraq is just the Bushie's "gift" that keeps on giving.

Bushie: What is the Floor?

His approval rating has hit an all-time low in the Newsweek poll - 28 percent. He is now lower than his father and tied w/Jimmy Carter.

There is nothing on the horizon that will turn around his steady slide. His Iraq war escalation plan is failing and will continue to fail. Anyone who takes an objective look a the facts in Iraq should be able to see that absent of sending over a couple of hundred thousand troops, several hundred thousand civilian contractors (who are actually qualified to do the work), and billions more in reconstruction funds, nothing is going to change.

More death and mayhem in Iraq.

Best Chicago Bear Fan Ever

Man, this guy really is committed - or he should be committed.

Danny Snyder Note

Looks like Danny Boy found his way to the NFL Hall of Fame Committee. I am not really sure what it means, but hopefully this will help Art Monk find his rightful place on the Hall. The guy belongs.

THE DECIDER HAS BECOME COMMANDER GUY!

WTF is Bushie talking about?

On Wednesday, Bushie spoke to the Associated General Contractors of America. In response to a question from the audience about his Iraq war escalation he said the following:

"We put in more troops to get to a position where we can be in some other place. The question is, who ought to make that decision? The Congress or the commanders? And as you know, my position is clear -- I'm a COMMANDER GUY. "

A "COMMANDER GUY?" How cute. He is an idiot.

Good! About Time!

The NCAA three point line is moving back a foot. I am all for it. The three-point line has been too close and has allowed sub-par shooters to look better than they are. Hopefully this will do two things:

1. It will put a greater premium on the top long shooting players in the NCAA. It will require more talent.

2. It should open up the shooting and passing lanes inside. One foot doesn't seem like a lot, but it really is. It should stretch defenses a little further which should make for more open space.

I think it will be good for the game. Let's see what happens.

Bears Cap Figure

I have seen some different numbers, but the Bears are between $10M and $17M under the cap. They have plenty of room to operate.

I would love to get a good summary - by player - for the team. If anyone knows of one let me know.

During the pre-season, I would like to see them extend Nathan Vasher or Charles Tillman (not both, and I would prefer Vasher). They have enough young guys and depth to lose one of the starting corners next year. I would also like to see them sign several free agent D-tackles and bring in some O-line help.

As for Briggs - allow him to seek a trade, but I don't see anyone making a signficant deal that would please Briggs unless there are some injuries during the pre-season. The Bears can offer him the same deal that they have given (maybe a bit higher), but they certainly should not break the bank on him. In the end, he will play for $7.2M and he will be productive.

Predicted Redskin Personnel Moves

The Redskins are currently about $5M under the cap.

Most of that will go to signing Landry. Given their draft picks, cap situation and looking ahead, it seems certain to me that the Redskins will release Marcus Washington. This will free up about $2M in additional cap space. And, they drafted linebackers who will come at a much cheaper cost. Marcus is also coming off of injury. Too bad, Marcus is a nice guy and a core Redskin, but that is the nature of the business.

Given how tight the Redskins are, it looks more and more certain that Springs will be gone also. I would argue that 8-10 games with Springs would be better than 16 games with either Double Move or Captain Stubing, but again, the Redskins cap problem is significant. Cutting Springs would free up about $2.5M this year.

I expect there will be another couple of cap casualties (i.e., cutting Collins and Wynn would free up about $2M), but we will see. The money freed up by the cuts should go to re-sign Cooley and re-do Shawn Taylor's contract (Taylor is going to be pissed off by the Landry contract). Then, again next year, the Redskins will again be looking to restructure deals and there will be more "core" guys that are going to have to get cut. But, at least it won't be Cooley and Taylor - two of their better, younger players.

Iraqi Government

Maliki has a shadow government that has an extreme Shia bias and is responsible for sectarian killing of Sunnis. This is the government Bush and the 35 percent of Americans who support him think American soldiers should die for. Pathetic.

This revelation comes on the heels of a report this week that showed that Maliki and his government are arresting and removing those in the Iraqi military and security forces that are trying to stop the extreme Shia militias. These militias have now become government approved death squads with the right to kill Sunnis without any hindrance.