Obama Follows Edwards To Boycott Fox News

It took a couple of weeks but Obama finally got behind John Edwards and disavowed the Presidential debate sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus and Fox News who was to air the show. Of course this is the second debate that the two have joined together to oppose the propaganda-spewing Fox. The first debate was unanimously denounced by all the candidates, but this one was different.

The Congressional Black Caucus plans on having their debate September 23 in Detroit. The candidates generally want to look good for the CBC in order to woo black voters and for Obama, it was apparently a tough call to make. Thankfully he made the right choice. Barack has been a target of the conservative news outlet for some time and he is sick and tired of their crap.

Roger Ailes recently went on the offensive to address candidates pulling out of his channel's debates but ultimately proved that he has some sort of vendetta against Obama.

Check this out from ABCNews:

"Any candidate for high office from either party who believes he can blacklist any news organization is making a terrible mistake about journalists," Ailes said at a Radio and Television News Directors Foundation dinner in Washington last month.

"Pressure groups are forcing candidates to conclude that the best strategy for journalists is divide and conquer, to only appear on those networks and venues that give them favorable coverage," Ailes said, adding that any candidate "who cannot answer direct, simple, even tough questions from any journalist runs a real risk of losing the voters."

But in that same address, Ailes joked about the similarity of Obama's name with that of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, saying, "It's true that Barack Obama is on the move. I don't know if it's true President Bush called [Pakistan President Pervez] Musharraf and said, 'Why can't we catch this guy?' "

Why any fair-minded voter would want to deal with Ailes, his cohorts in the message-machine department at Fox or the brainwashed dittoheads that watch FNC night after night is beyond me. I hope this CBC-Fox debate finally puts to rest where Fox sits on the partisan scale. It certainly isn't about journalism, they are down in the mud with the rest of their wingnut friends.

NY Gets Ready To Vote In February

Generally during the primary season I like to sit back and watch the candidates duke it out early in the year out in Iowa or up in New Hampshire. The prospect of voting for my favorite candidate is on the horizon, but I get to see what they are made of when the race starts getting tough and delegates are lined up.

Well forget about it next year. New Yorkers will be voting in the primaries on February 5th for the first time along with a ton of other states. Up to twenty states might join in on this (most likely) cold day less than ten months from now.

The Republicans will still have their winner-take-all system and the Democrats sticking to the more spread out version based on percentages. So expect many candidates other than Giuliani on the right to skip the Empire State. Meanwhile the Dems will see a huge brawl as Hillary tries to defend her home (for the last several years anyways) state.

Calling A Spade A Spade

Why does the media fear being blunt when describing the President's "misspoken" words and "misleading" characterizations. For the most part his propaganda is transcribed verbatim from his mouth to the pages of the nation's newspapers and onto television screens. It is a rare occurrence when someone in the press actually calls Bush what he is, a liar. A cowardly liar at that. Though there was a small shining light in the pages of the New York Times this week, and it came from Frank Rich.

Via AmericaBlog (just in case you don't subscribe to TimesSelect):

As if to confirm we’re in the last throes, President Bush threw any remaining caution to the winds during his news conference in the Rose Garden that same morning. Almost everything he said was patently misleading or an outright lie, a sure sign of a leader so entombed in his bunker (he couldn’t even emerge for the Washington Nationals’ ceremonial first pitch last week) that he feels he has nothing left to lose.

Incredibly, he chided his adversaries on the Hill for going on vacation just as he was heading off for his own vacation in Crawford. Then he attacked Congress for taking 57 days to “pass emergency funds for our troops” even though the previous, Republican-led Congress took 119 days on the same bill in 2006. He ridiculed the House bill for “pork and other spending that has nothing to do with the war,” though last year’s war-spending bill was also larded with unrelated pork, from Congressional efforts to add agricultural subsidies to the president’s own request for money for bird-flu preparation.

Mr. Bush’s claim that military equipment would be shortchanged if he couldn’t sign a spending bill by mid-April was contradicted by not one but two government agencies. A Government Accountability Office report faulted poor Pentagon planning for endemic existing equipment shortages in the National Guard. The Congressional Research Service found that the Pentagon could pay for the war until well into July. Since by that point we’ll already be on the threshold of our own commanders’ late-summer deadline for judging the surge, what’s the crisis?

The president then ratcheted up his habitual exploitation of the suffering of the troops and their families — a button he had pushed five days earlier when making his six-weeks-tardy visit to pose for photos at scandal-ridden Walter Reed. “Congress’s failure to fund our troops on the front lines will mean that some of our military families could wait longer for their loved ones to return from the front lines,” he said. “And others could see their loved ones headed back to the war sooner than they need to.”

Amen!

How Many People Want McCain To Be President?

When you phrase the question in a certain way, the number you get is zero. McCain clearly dislikes the question and tries to get out of it.

Are You Feeling Safer Yet?

I'm really glad that the TSA is protecting me when I fly around the country. The level of security is unheard of. Just last month when dropping my mom off at Newark airport one of the head guys talked down to her like she was 2 yr old when she wanted to know which way to go the ticketing office. Then he proceeded to flirt with one of the young women working there and within seconds was acting with condescension towards another traveler.

When I heard that Walter Murphy was placed on the no-fly list, it was apparent that safety for American flyers was job number one. Why you ask? Is Mr. Murphy a terrorist? Sponsor terrorism around the world that is aimed at American interests? What could possibly be the reason for a Princeton Professor Emeritus to be banned from flying? Well, he was speaking out against King George and his 'benevolent' government that cares so much about our citizens and those around the globe.

From Balkinization:

"On 1 March 07, I was scheduled to fly on American Airlines to Newark, NJ, to attend an academic conference at Princeton University, designed to focus on my latest scholarly book, Constitutional Democracy, published by Johns Hopkins University Press this past Thanksgiving."

"When I tried to use the curb-side check in at the Sunport, I was denied a boarding pass because I was on the Terrorist Watch list. I was instructed to go inside and talk to a clerk. At this point, I should note that I am not only the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence (emeritus) but also a retired Marine colonel. I fought in the Korean War as a young lieutenant, was wounded, and decorated for heroism. I remained a professional soldier for more than five years and then accepted a commission as a reserve office, serving for an additional 19 years."

"I presented my credentials from the Marine Corps to a very polite clerk for American Airlines. One of the two people to whom I talked asked a question and offered a frightening comment: "Have you been in any peace marches? We ban a lot of people from flying because of that." I explained that I had not so marched but had, in September, 2006, given a lecture at Princeton, televised and put on the Web, highly critical of George Bush for his many violations of the Constitution. "That'll do it," the man said. "

"After carefully examining my credentials, the clerk asked if he could take them to TSA officials. I agreed. He returned about ten minutes later and said I could have a boarding pass, but added: "I must warn you, they=re going to ransack your luggage." On my return flight, I had no problem with obtaining a boarding pass, but my luggage was "lost." Airlines do lose a lot of luggage and this "loss" could have been a mere coincidence. In light of previous events, however, I'm a tad skeptical."

I would be a tad skeptical as well. All kidding aside, this is just another story that highlights the disgraceful TSA and the Bush Administration that tries to silence dissent at any cost. I personally despise the TSA, their 'security' is nothing more than smoke and mirrors that only humiliates people into taking off their shoes, belts and whatever else the men with the gold-plates badges ask of you.

EmailGate?

It takes an army these days to keep track of all the scandals emanating from the White House. Prosecutor-gate, GSA-gate, NSA-gate, illegal war-gate and so much more continuously makes the news because of the corrupt Bush Administration. Well now there is yet another potential abuse of power perpetrated by George's merry men.

From The LA Times:

Waxman told the Los Angeles Times in a statement that a separate "e-mail system for high-ranking White House officials would raise serious questions about violations of the Presidential Records Act," which requires the preservation and ultimate disclosure of e-mails about official government business.

Waxman's initial request to the RNC seeks e-mails relating to the presentation of campaign polling and strategy information to Cabinet agency appointees. He is also expected to ask for e-mails relating to Abramoff's activities, which Waxman is also investigating.

The Senate and House Judiciary Committees are also expected to formally request e-mail records from the RNC that relate to last year's firing of eight U.S. attorneys.

The private e-mail system came to light in the U.S. attorney controversy because one of Rove's deputies used an RNC-maintained e-mail domain — gwb43.com — to communicate with the Justice Department about replacing one of those prosecutors.

So from the prosecutor purge debacle this new potential scandal is coming to light. Using back-channel emails in this manner may violate the Presidential Records Act because of the White House's desire for ultimate secrecy. That hush-hush attitude has gotten the Administration in hot water already and this can just add more fuel to the fire.

Republicans are visibly worried over this latest request for information by Congressman Waxman because of the damning material that may be in those emails. Using the government for political maneuvering in this manner is a serious no-no and it doesn't seem that the White House really cared to follow those rules. Republican officials say that they created the email system to avoid troubles that arose in the Clinton years, but as the Republican and former Asst. Press Secretary Adam Levine said: "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Ford's Mulally Literally Saves Bush's Life

Ford Motor Company's CEO Alan Mulally didn't have to know the heimlich maneuver to save the life of the President today but his knowledge of cars did. George Bush wasn't threatened by pretzels on the south lawn of the White House but his lack of knowledge on the mechanics of hydrogen powered cars.

Mulally wanted to give the President a demonstration of the vehicle's charging abilities and had an electrical outlet run on the grounds to the car. Apparently someone mistakenly laid the end of the cord near the hydrogen tank. If it had been plugged into the tank, the results would have been disastrous.

When the pair walked towards the car Mulally noticed the misplacement and tried to beat George to the car to prevent an accident. Of course Bush unwittingly sped up and picked up the cord, though he was guided by his guest towards the front of the car and from there everything went smoothly. So congratulations are in order for the CEO, perhaps even a Presidential Medal Freedom. When Mulally shared this information with the press he asked if it was off the record, though since you are reading this, you can see it was not.

The WaPo's Editorial Page Is Screwed Up

And their columists know it. Check out what Eugene Robinson had to say about Fred Hiatt and company over Nancy Pelosi going to Syria.

Women Bloggers Getting Attacked, And On The Attack

On Reliable Sources today, Howie Kurtz tried to go along with right-winger Mary Ham that only rightwing women get attacked in the blogosphere. Unfortunately for them Arianna Huffington was on the panel and infused a little bit of truth into the matter. Reality sucks for wingnuts when it obliterates their narrow little world.

From Crooks and Liars:

HAM: I disagree just a little bit. I think it is easy to say that this is a problem of both sides without realizing that there, despite Arianna's obvious comportment and elegance on TV that there are some serious monkeys hanging from the rafters over on the left side of the blogosphere.

HUFFINGTON: Absolutely. I think it is really amazing that people like Michelle and others are really trying to make that a left-right thing. I read everything Joan wrote on the subject, and there wasn't a single thing that singled out progressive women bloggers. It was all about women.

And the idea that this is a left-wing phenomenon is just laughable, absolutely laughable. I mean, the most toxic women on TV practically is Anne Coulter, who is solidly on the right, who talks about rat poison for Judge Stevens, who talks about The New York Times journalists needing to be executed. I mean, this is the kind of absolutely toxic vile talk. And she is not even anonymous. So please, you know, let's stop this absurd idea that this has anything to do with the progressive blogosphere.

It is absurd to believe for one second that only the left attacks the right. Seriously what world is Mary living in? Coulter may have the most notoriety among the hateful right-wing bloggers, but everyone knows that there are so many more. All you need to do is go over to LGF, Townhall, Redstate or the other wingnut sites and see the vile that they spew. Sure, there are some hateful comments from the left, but for Mary Ham to play the victim is ridiculous.

A Scene From The Matrix, Easter Style

Welcome to the real world Neo:

No Resurrection In Iraq

So today is Easter Sunday, one of the holiest days in Christianity. A time for many families to get together and celebrate Christ (and a few Jews to keep eating Matzah depending on the position of the lunar calendar). More importantly it is a good time to reflect on the ways of the world and the current times. Pope Benedict XVI did just that in his sermon today from the Vatican and he focused on the reality of Iraq along with the suffering that takes place on a daily basis worldwide.


From CNN:

"How many wounds, how much suffering there is in the world," the pontiff said, delivering his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" Easter address from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica as tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists listened in the square.

Benedict read out a litany of troubling current events, saying he was thinking of the "terrorism and kidnapping of people, of the thousand faces of violence which some people attempt to justify in the name of religion, of contempt for life, of the violation of human rights and the exploitation of persons."

"Afghanistan is marked by growing unrest and instability," Benedict said. "In the Middle East, besides some signs of hope in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, nothing positive comes from Iraq, torn apart by continual slaughter as the civil population flees."

He singled out what he called the "catastrophic, and sad to say, underestimated, humanitarian situation" in Darfur as well as other African places of suffering, including violence and looting in Congo, fighting in Somalia -- which, he said, drove away the prospect of peace -- and the "grievous crisis" in Zimbabwe, marked by crackdowns on dissidents, a disastrous economy and severe corruption.

Kudos to the Pope for giving voice to all of the mayhem that occurs in our world. The pope directly refuted one of the White House talking points that good things happen in Iraq. The truth of the matter is that they don't. Things are only getting worse by the moment. The only trick is to actually do something to help our planet.

The Mantra

President Bush's popularity (or what is left of it) came from one thing and one thing alone, fear. It wasn't simply "9/11", it was the fear of another attack and his faux determination to get the terrorist that perpetrated that terrible act. His determination was only to exert control over the country in order to carry out the plan to destroy America as we know it. Civil liberties are on the decline, our popularity across the globe is almost non-existant and wealth is flowing at an uncontrollable rate towards the elite.

How the hell did he do this? It was fear, and the primary tool of that was to say that if we didn't attack our enemies over there, they would come here. But, how true is that statement? The military and many diplomats say it isn't.

From McClatchy:

“The president is using a primitive, inarticulate argument that leaves him open to criticism and caricature,” said James Jay Carafano, a homeland security and counterterrorism expert for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy organization. “It’s a poor choice of words that doesn’t convey the essence of the problem - that walking away from a problem doesn’t solve anything.”

U.S. military, intelligence and diplomatic experts in Bush's own government say the violence in Iraq is primarily a struggle for power between Shiite and Sunni Muslim Iraqis seeking to dominate their society, not a crusade by radical Sunni jihadists bent on carrying the battle to the United States.

Foreign-born jihadists are present in Iraq, but they're believed to number only between 4 percent and 10 percent of the estimated 30,000 insurgent fighters - 1,200 to 3,000 terrorists - according to the Defense Intelligence Agency and a recent study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a center-right research center.

Even conservative think-tanks such as the Heritage Foundation knows this. If they can admit to the truth, it shows that America really is waking up to Bush's failed policy and the tools he uses to implement them. It is time to throw off the yoke that George Bush has around our collective neck and choose a new direction. It is time to get the hell out of there and focus on what is truly important for the United States.