Saturday, July 29, 2006

American Idol Meets American Idiot!

OK America - which one of these talentless, over-hyped wannabees would make the best President?

I'm guessing Pickler is not the only one here who has never heard of "Calamari".

Left-Over............Out!

[update by seenos]

I just had to add question # 2: Which one of these talentless, over-hyped wannabees most deserves to be marketed under this logo?



And remember I said "most!"

No, He's Not Pretending. He Really IS an Effing Idiot!


The question from David Gregory of NBC News:

Mr. President, I’d like to ask you about the big picture that you’re discussing. Mr. President, three years ago, you argued that an invasion of Iraq would create a new stage of Arab-Israeli peace. And yet today there is an Iraqi prime minister who has been sharply critical of Israel.

Arab governments, despite your arguments, who first criticized Hezbollah, have now changed their tune. Now they’re sharply critical of Israel. And despite from both of you warnings to Syria and Iran to back off support from Hezbollah, effectively, Mr. President, your words are being ignored.

So what has happened to America’s clout in this region that you’ve committed yourself to transform?

What the bumbling moron, Bush, said:

It’s an interesting period because, instead of having foreign policies based upon trying to create a sense of stability, we have a foreign policy that addresses the root causes of violence and instability.

For a while, American foreign policy was just, Let’s hope everything is calm — manage calm. But beneath the surface brewed a lot of resentment and anger that was manifested on September the 11th.

And so we’ve taken a foreign policy that says: On the one hand, we will protect ourselves from further attack in the short run by being aggressive in chasing down the killers and bringing them to justice.

And make no mistake: They’re still out there, and they would like to harm our respective peoples because of what we stand for. In the long term, to defeat this ideology — and they’re bound by an ideology — you defeat it with a more hopeful ideology called freedom.

What he should have said, using nearly all his own words, that could have been summarized into one sentence:
Instead of having foreign policies based upon trying to create a sense of stability, we have a foreign policy based on spreading the root causes of violence and instability.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

It's Not Just North Koreans Who are Tired of Rice!

I referred to this article in an earlier comment, and wanted to pull it up to elaborate a bit. Apparently now, in addition to the North Koreans calling her an "imbecile," several prominent conservatives are calling Condoleeza Rice “incompetent” in her role as Secretary of State.

As I suggested earlier, when such strange bedfellows as North Korea, Newt Gingrich and Richard Perl, and seenos all agree on something, there is clearly a real problem (sorry for the narcissistic third-person reference – I’ll try not to make it a habit!)

On reading the article, however, you might conclude that Gingrich, Perle and I are on the same page about what should be done to rectify the apparent fact that Condi is, well, an “incompetent imbecile,” and that the U.S. has become a “weak bully.”

Not so! In keeping with the schoolyard bully reference in my earlier post, let me say that I want the United States to return to being the powerful, but kind-hearted, kid - who won’t let anyone pick on the smaller kids. Gingrich and Perl, on the other hand, want us to be the predatory psycho kid, who will attack anyone and everyone without regard for consequences.

Perhaps, if she wants to keep in good favor with her fellow conservatives, Condi should consider a makeover!

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Photo of the Day

President George W. Bush poses for a photo with the recipients of the 2005 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, July 26, 2006. The Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, established in 1996, represents the highest honor that any young scientists or engineer can receive in the United States.

"Congratulations on this award young scientists. You all have wonderful careers ahead of you. I greatly look forward to ignoring the results of your future work"

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Um, Not Exactly!


Oh, how I long for the good old days when the leaders of my country held positions of esteem and respect throughout most of the world community.

In fact, after 5 years of Bush foreign policy, we now have to look in the rear view mirror just to see the days when we were feared enough by our enemies that they would think twice before poking us with a stick!

Take this report in which North Korea openly mocks Condoleeza Rice.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Monday accused Rice -- who called North Korea a "completely irresponsible" and "dangerous" state for launching (several test) missiles -- of distorting the facts.

It said the North was under threat of attack from "the worst gangsters in the world" after the Bush administration listed it as part of an "axis of evil."

The conclusion?
This cannot be construed otherwise than an outburst made by a political imbecile.

Ouch! They may not be able to shoot a missile more than a few hundred miles, but they know an incompetent diplomat when they see one!

This all brings to mind Paul Krugman’s recent piece (registration required), which restates from an earlier column the following explanation for the behavior of North Korea.
As I wrote back in January 2003, ... the “Bush doctrine” of preventive war was, in practice, a plan to “talk trash and carry a small stick.” It was obvious ... that the administration was preparing to invade Iraq not because it posed a real threat, but because it looked like a soft target. The message to North Korea, which really did have an active nuclear program, was clear: “The Bush administration,” I wrote, ... “says you’re evil. It won’t offer you aid, even if you cancel your nuclear program.... But for all its belligerence, the Bush administration seems willing to confront only regimes that are militarily weak.” So “the best self-preservation strategy ... is to be dangerous.”
Under George W. Bush, the U.S. has become the playground bully who acts tough - but everyone knows will leave you alone as long as you don’t act weak, because he’s scared to death of being hit back!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

The Most Opportunistic Guy in the Room!


In the wake of Kenneth Lay’s sudden “deathwhile awaiting sentencing after his conviction for accounting fraud, I finally made a point of watching the documentary, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. As I had heard from numerous sources, the most striking and maddening parts of the film were the sound clips from tapes of Enron traders talking about how they were essentially “raping and pillaging” California during an energy crisis that was largely manufactured by Enron.

While it is only hinted at in the film, the aspect of this period that seems critically important today is that the only reason Arnold Schwarzenegger is Governor of the State of California is because Enron gamed the State’s energy market! This enabled Schwarzenegger and his supporters to use the phony crisis as a club against then Governor Gray Davis to pound him out of office during a hastily arranged recall election.

And Schwarzenegger was in on the ground floor of the “crisis,” as e-mails show Arnold met with Ken Lay and others before the onset of the rolling blackouts that created a groundswell of resentment toward Davis, and allowed Arnold to ride into Sacramento as a self-proclaimed “savior.”

But what happened after the Enron scam was revealed, and it was determined that they had duped California out of some 9 billion dollars? Arnold quickly presided over a settlement that might end up restoring less than 17 cents on the dollar.

Then, despite also owning a fleet of Hummers that could justify his own direct pipeline from Saudi Arabia, he proceeded to make one of the cornerstones of his supposed “environmentalist” credentials the same hydrogen fuel cell boondoggle pushed by the Bush Administration in an effort to stave off real energy reform while the oil industry cleans out the last remaining crumbs from the cookie jar that is the U.S. economy!

Forget about the fact the technology exists to use plug-in electric/gas hybrids (in fact the freakin’ cars existed in the 1990’s) to increase fuel efficiency by a factor of 10! All without having to build a massive network of hydrogen fuel stations for cars we won’t have the capability of mass producing for decades, and which are based on a technology with serious questions about its own efficiency and feasibility!

All so Schwarzenegger can get up and proclaim how wonderful it will be when his Hummer “can run on nothing but water!” He might as well dream of putting a flying pig behind the wheel, for all the good either will do toward bringing America to energy independence in time to prevent economic collapse.

With Arnold Schwarzenegger gearing up for a re-election campaign, we need to constantly remember how he got where he is. As you find yourself cursing Enron, and wishing that Kenneth Lay had stuck around long enough to pay for his crimes with prison time, just remember the motto:

A vote for Arnold is a validation of Enron!

Monday, July 17, 2006

What Have We Learned?

I can’t help thinking about Stuart Baker – the guy listed as making $106,641 on this roster of White House staff members. You know – the White House Director for Lessons Learned.

[But not, I should note, the bushy-eyebrowed Stewart Abercrombie Baker, who had previously been reported on this site. Sorry Stew!]

American taxpayers are footing the bill for this guy, so shouldn’t he be required to file a complete report on exactly what lessons have been learned by the White House?

Frankly, I think he should be required to call a press conference to make an announcement each time a new lesson is learned!. For Example, he could say:

“I’ve gathered you all here to tell you that today we learned that lowering standards to meet military recruiting goals is likely to lead to undisciplined behavior that could result in the raping and killing of innocent civilians”

Or

“I’m pleased to inform you that today we learned that wives of congressmen who work for lobbyists create an unacceptable conflict of interest.”

Or

“Ladies and gentlemen, today we learned that Halliburton has been wasting billions of dollars of your money”

Or

“I’d like to announce that today we learned that our National Strategy for Victory in Iraq wasn’t worth the substantial amount of glossy paper it was printed on, and our bungled efforts appear to have actually started what some Republicans are calling World War III."

And so on.

If the White House Director for Lessons Learned isn’t even required to tell us about the actual lessons learned by The White House, then we might as well get rid of the position entirely and just give Baker the new title of White House Minister of Silly Walks!



At least that way, we would be able to see the fruits of his labor!

Friday, July 14, 2006

Left-Over Photo Match

[Note: This was in the works since right after the World Cup Final, but was delayed because several other hot news stories came along to distract me. I'm putting it up today as a light-hearted change of pace - before what I think will end up being a string of posts on how difficult it is to enjoy saying "I told you so" while watching World War III!]

Can you match the titles to the photos below?

A. Headbutt
B. Head Cheese
C. Cheese Head
D. Headmaster
E. Butthead
F. Buttmaster
G. Cheese Master
H. Cheese Butt

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.



Sorry for that last mental image! This all started from the image of Zidane in the World Cup Final (and obviously went downhill from there!) Getting back to soccer, and to take your mind off of where this led you, here a link to my new favorite writer, Cenk Uyger at The Huffington Post, who always seems to cut right to the point, even when writing about Why Soccer Sucks.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

It's Showtime!

Just when the criminal investigation of the Valerie Plame leak had seemed to whittle itself down to the familiar fall guy, Scooter Libby, and a lot of desperate ass covering by the other players in the drama, there’s this announcement.

As I suspected earlier, the other shoe is getting ready to drop on Libby, Rove, and Cheney, much like the civil lawsuit dropped on O.J. Simpson after he escaped the criminal charges!  

Although Fitzgerald has yet to take Libby to trial, and apparently was not able to “find a glove that fits” Libby’s boss beyond a reasonable doubt, perhaps there is still a preponderance of evidence to justify dipping into some of the missing Halliburton billions that surely ended up in Dick Cheney’s coffers. He may be hedged against inflation and a sinking dollar, but there’s no hedging against kharma!

And Rove, thinking he was off the hook, suddenly returned to his tough talking bully act, flinging the “cowardly” and “unpatriotic” labels at his political enemies with McCarthyish zeal!  Will Rove learn the hard way that people who look like the Michelin Man shouldn’t throw sharp objects?

Some Sobering Thoughts…

Via Dead Last at firedoglake.

*AT LEAST IN VIETNAM, BUSH HAD AN EXIT STRATEGY
*BLIND FAITH IN BAD LEADERSHIP IS NOT PATRIOTISM
*IF YOU’RE NOT OUTRAGED, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION
*IF YOU SUPPORTED BUSH, A YELLOW RIBBON WON’T MAKE UP FOR IT
*POVERTY, HEALTHCARE & HOMELESSNESS ARE MORAL ISSUES
*OF COURSE IT HURTS. YOU’RE GETTING SCREWED BY AN ELEPHANT
*BUSH LIED, AND YOU KNOW IT
*RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM: A THREAT ABROAD, A THREAT AT HOME
*GOD BLESS EVERYONE (No exceptions)
*BUSH SPENT YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY ON HIS WAR
*PRO AMERICA, ANTI BUSH
*WHO WOULD JESUS BOMB?
*IF YOU SUPPORT BUSH’S WAR, WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE? SHUT UP AND SHIPOUT
*FEEL SAFER NOW?
*I’D RATHER HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO SCREWED HIS INTERN THAN ONE WHOSCREWED HIS COUNTRY
*JESUS WAS A SOCIAL ACTIVIST - THAT IS A LIBERAL
*MY VALUES? FREE SPEECH. EQUALITY. LIBERTY. EDUCATION. TOLERANCE
*IS IT 2008 YET?
*DISSENT IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF PATRIOTISM — Thomas Jefferson
DON’T BLAME ME. I VOTED AGAINST BUSH — TWICE!
*ANNOY A CONSERVATIVE; THINK FOR YOURSELF
*VISUALIZE IMPEACHMENT
*HEY BUSH! WHERE’S BIN LADEN?
*CORPORATE MEDIA = MASS MIND CONTROL
*STOP MAD COWBOY DISEASE
*GEORGE W. BUSH: MAKING TERRORISTS FASTER THAN HE CAN KILL THEM
*KEEP YOUR THEOCRACY OFF MY DEMOCRACY
*DEMOCRATS ARE SEXY. WHOEVER HEARD OF A GOOD PIECE OF ELEPHANT?
*ASPIRING CANADIAN
*CORPORATE MEDIA: WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION
*DON’T CONFUSE DYING FOR OIL WITH FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM
*STEM CELL RESEARCH IS PRO LIFE
*HATE, GREED, IGNORANCE: WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
*HONOR OUR TROOPS - DEMAND THE TRUTH
*REBUILD IRAQ? WHY NOT SPEND 87 BILLION ON AMERICA?
*FACT: BUSH OIL1999 - $19 BARREL2006 - $70 BARREL
*THE LAST TIME RELIGION CONTROLLED POLITICS, PEOPLE GOT BURNED ATTHE STAKE
*I’LL GIVE UP MY CHOICE WHEN JOHN ROBERTS GETS PREGNANT
*SUPPORT OUR TROOPS - IMPEACH BUSH
*HOW ON EARTH CAN 59,411,287 PEOPLE BE SO DUMB?

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Lesson's Learned???

So I have been out of the loop writing for a while but I have still been surfing the blogs. Once I stop writing I find it very hard to get back on that "horse".

But this morning I ran across something so bizarre I had to share it with you.

Earlier this week the National Journal published an article detailing the recent pay increases for the Whitehouse staff. George couldn't bring himself to back the recent federal minimum wage hike, but he has no trouble once again rewarding complete incompetents in his administration.

As I read down the list of staffers and their pay - one jumped out above all others.

Stewart Abercrombie Baker. He is paid 106,641 per year. And what you ask does he do to earn this hefty sum?

Stewart Abercrombie Baker - Whitehouse Director for Lessons Learned.

That's right he is in charge of all the lessons learned by this administration. Now if he is good at this job it would be overwhelming I'm sure. But this group has never learned from a mistake in their F---ing lives. So what do you suppose Mr. Baker does all day - every day - to earn such a hefty salary?

He certainly doesn't spend any extra time grooming!




[Update by seenos] Maybe he just forgot to take off part of his costume after the last Star Trek Convention!

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Laura Would Have to Admit: Bush Close to Dead Lay!


Despite Tony Snow’s recent claims that convicted Enron scammer, Kenneth Lay, was just an "acquaintance" of the President (or was that Jack Abramoff?), these documents archived at The Smoking Gun clearly show the close relationship between the Bush and Lay families.

And, according to these accounts, Arnold Schwarzenegger also has a history of being willing to do just about anything for a Lay!  Anything but, apparently, buying  dinner for his wife!

It's a Series of Tubes!

Click on the image below for a remixed version of Ted Stevens' (R-Alaska) bizarre explanation of how the "internets" work. I apologize in advance for the condition of your sides in a few minutes!



Courtesy of the folks at Bold-Headed via Firedoglake.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Cheney Bets Against Administration's Rosy Economic Picture!

According to this article from Kiplinger’s Magazine entitled “Cheneys Betting On Bad News,” it appears that Dick Cheney’s investment portfolio is primed to capitalize on an economic future far less favorable than the one that the Administration keeps touting.  While the Bush team consistently asserts that the U.S. economy remains strong and the outlook is favorable, Cheney’s investments suggest otherwise. From Kiplinger’s:
Vice President Dick Cheney's financial advisers are apparently betting on a rise in inflation and interest rates and on a decline in the value of the dollar against foreign currencies.
A full analysis of what this means is covered here. The conclusion?
Take another look at Cheney's investment strategy; it tells the whole ugly story. Interest rates are going up, the middle class is going down, and the poor dollar is headed for the dumpster. The country is not simply teetering on the brink of financial collapse; it is being thrust headfirst . . . .
And all while, Cheney insists that the U.S. economy is strong and that “deficits don’t matter!” Secretly profiting during a decline, while offering phony projections to keep others in the dark?

Is it just me or isn’t this basically the same thing that Kenneth Lay was convicted of doing at Enron?

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

American Idiot Watch: "Slow Learnerman" Edition

A new Time poll has Bush's approval rating slipping to 35%, down from 37% in March. You know what that means! It’s time to highlight another nominee in the narrowing field of candidates to be the last person in America to support the President.

This time, the nod goes to the man known throughout the blogosphere as “George Bush’s favorite Democrat,” although apparently not for long. No, Joe Lieberman isn’t falling out of favor with the President, but he appears to be falling out of the Democratic Party.

Not that Lieberman with admit it! He gave a press conference Monday announcing his response to a tough primary campaign against Ned Lamont. Firedoglake has been all over it, as have others, so I’m going to focus on Sore Loserman’s written explanation from his campaign website (with my emphasis.)
I’ve always leveled with you. That’s why I want to tell you today that I have made the decision to allow signatures to be collected that will enable me to appear on the November Ballot as an individual Democratic candidate for re-election to the Senate if I don’t win the Democratic Party’s nomination in the Primary on August 8th.

I will stay a Democrat, whether I am the Democratic Party’s nominee or a petitioning Democratic candidate on the November ballot.

Now, having made this decision, my supporters and I are going to focus with single-minded intensity on our goal of winning the Democratic Primary, and we look forward to August 9th. When all we have to do is celebrate our victory in the Primary the day before.
As if recognizing that his statement is too ridiculous to accept without questions, there are some FAQs included below.

Q. Is Joe Lieberman leaving the Democratic Party?

A. No. He has been a registered Democrat his whole life and he will always be a registered Democrat. If he petitions his way onto the ballot in November, he would
continue to be a registered Democrat. If he wins in November, he would organize with the Democrats and vote –as he always has- with the Democrats in Washington. He would be the same public servant he always has been—with a strong progressive voting record

Q. Does this move signal to Sen. Lieberman's supporters that he thinks he is going to lose the primary?

A. No. The most recent polling has shown that Sen. Lieberman holds a commanding lead over his opponent. These steps are only being taken as a fallback

Q. Who will be collecting the signatures?

A. This decision was made over the last few days. There is no plan yet for collecting signatures.

So Joe is still a Democrat, albeit one who says he won’t accept the democratic voting process in the primary election! He says he will vote – as he always has – with the Democrats, yet here’s Joe voting with his lips:



I didn’t see too many other Democrats lining up to cast that vote, Joe!

Oh, and about those signatures that you are allowing to be collected while your supporters are focused with a single-minded intensity on winning the Democratic Primary? I guess they will be collected by your detractors, huh Joe? Or perhaps by some of Karl Rove’s minions?

If Joe Lieberman is willing to look like this much of a fool in order to stand by his decision to support a failing President every step of the way, he certainly has potential to end up as the last person in America to continue to support Bush, thus earning the coveted title of American Idiot!

Monday, July 03, 2006

Bush: I Decidered to Smear Joe Wilson.

The latest Murray Waas article details Bush's "interview" with the special prosecutor in the "Plame Leak" case.

I'm sure the Whitehouse will try to make the argument that George did nothing wrong - that he did not authorize the release of Plame's identity - nor did he specifically tell anyone to break the law. But the real point in all this is that the information in the NIE that Bush wanted leaked to counter Wilson's charges was completely wrong.


That is the point. On the most important decision of his presidency - George Bush was completely and tragically wrong. A fact that he still will not admit.

Hell, if we are going to impeach this idiot lets not do it on some legal technicality, lets impeach because he is just plain wrong.


Even Your Mother Thinks You're Ugly!

Under the questionable leadership of George W. Bush, the United States has seen a steady decline in its image throughout the World. Few countries even initially supported the invasion of Iraq beyond mere lip service, and only Great Britain provided more than a few thousand troops in support of the U.S. effort.  In fact, of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, Great Britain stood as the only strong ally that Bush could regularly cite as evidence that he was not establishing a World consensus view of an “ugly-American” foreign policy.

It was almost as if the country from whom we asserted our independence during the Revolutionary War still looked at us with the unconditional acceptance and support of a mother for her whining, snotty, self-centered child. You know, the child that everyone else thinks is an annoying little beast!

Well, I guess those days are over, according to this poll.
People in Britain view the United States as a vulgar, crime-ridden society obsessed with money and led by an incompetent president Iraq policy is failing.
(snip)
More than two-thirds who offered an opinion said America is essentially an imperial power seeking world domination. And 81 per cent of those who took a view said President George W Bush hypocritically championed democracy as a cover for the pursuit of American self-interests.
(snip)
In answer to other questions, a majority of the Britons questions described Americans as uncaring, divided by class, awash in violent crime, vulgar, preoccupied with money, ignorant of the outside world, racially divided, uncultured and in the most overwhelming result (90 percent of respondents) dominated by big business.
Ouch! Looks like two terms under this president, and the United States has shown a face not even a mother could love!