Its Not The Surge Stupid

One of CNN's few shining examples of journalists is Michael Ware. For some time now, he has been in Baghdad, covering the war like no other. He speaks truth and doesn't care for sound bites or repeating U.S. government propaganda. He tell it like it is, and here he explains the implications of the surge and more importantly, the chaos of Iraq and all the things Bush and all the war supporters do not want you to hear.

Leahy To Rove: Its Not Over Yet Big Boy

I know this is third post today on Karl Rove, but it is a big news day on Bush's Brain. If Karl thinks he is going to get out of his legal/constitutional/congressional trouble with his resignation this month, he has another thing coming. Patrick Leahy made a statement today that shows he has no interest in stopping Congress' investigation of the most hated (admired by some too) political advisers Washington has ever seen.

From Senator Leahy:

Earlier this month, Karl Rove failed to comply with the Judiciary Committee’s subpoena to testify about the mass firings of United States Attorneys. Despite evidence that he played a central role in these firings, just as he did in the Libby case involving the outing of an undercover CIA agent and improper political briefings at over 20 government agencies, Mr. Rove acted as if he was above the law. That is wrong. Now that he is leaving the White House while under subpoena, I continue to ask what Mr. Rove and others at the White House are so desperate to hide. Mr. Rove’s apparent attempts to manipulate elections and push out prosecutors citing bogus claims of voter fraud shows corruption of federal law enforcement for partisan political purposes, and the Senate Judiciary Committee will continue its investigation into this serious issue.

The list of senior White House and Justice Department officials who have resigned during the course of these congressional investigations continues to grow, and today, Mr. Rove added his name to that list. There is a cloud over this White House, and a gathering storm. A similar cloud envelopes Mr. Rove, even as he leaves the White House.

I do not doubt Leahy's pursuit of Rove, but how far will it actually go? Like many other White House officials that have information about the evil deeds of the Bush Administration, Bush will most likely cite "Executive Privilege" to protect Rove's ass and his own. For this investigation and others to bear fruit, there will have to be serious willpower exhibited by Leahy and others in the Congress to ensure that we have accountability for our government.

Steve Harrison For Congress!

Ok so I'm a few days late to the game...even though I did hear about this while I was in Chicago over a week ago. Steve Harrison made his announcement to run for Congress a few days ago. He'll be challenging Staten Island's incumbent Vito Fossella (R-NY), who has been in Congress as NYC's only Republican remaining in the five burroughs. For this city, one (R) is too many and Harrison is our best hope to get Vito out.

From The Daily Gotham:

An email informs that Steve Harrison, the Democratic candidate in last year's Congressional election in the Thirteenth District, is holding a press conference tomorrow at 12:30.

Who: Brooklyn Attorney and 2006 Democratic Congressional Candidate Steve Harrison
What: Press Conference concerning 2008 NY 13 CD (Staten Island/Brooklyn) race
When: Aug 9, 2007 12:30 PM
Where: Arthur Von Briesen Park (foot of Bay Street at Fort Wadsworth), Staten Island.

You have to wonder what that's all about. Just as a refresher, Harrison lost last November to Vito Fossella, 42,739 to 55,981.

It would be really sweet to be able to be able to declare New York City, at last, liberated from its last republican Member of Congress. Since that requires a strong challenger, keep your fingers crossed that this is what I think it is. Experience suggests that entrenched incumbents are rarely dislodged on the first go; 2008 would be the third attempt by Democrats to oust Fossella, and you know what they say about third times and charms.

I couldn't make the press conference, had to work in Manhattan that day. Nevertheless, I will be more than happy to head downtown, catch the ferry to Staten Island and campaign for Steve. Ridding NYC of Vito is more than worth it. I suggest the same for all the passionate Democrats out there. Stay tuned for more info.

Reminiscing Rove

Now that Bush's brain only has eighteen days left to go working at the White House, I would like to remember my favorite outtakes of the political goon. No, it isn't the dancing at this year's White House Correspondents Dinner, I'm not even linking to that nightmare. This is much closer to how I feel about the guy, got to love the students at American University for giving him such a nice greeting.

Meet President Sarkozy's Better Half

France recently elected the conservative (drunk) Nicolas Sarkozy to follow the controversial Jacques Chirac. If our own President sees promise in him, you know its bad news. Though there is a bright side to the new French leader, its his wife. Cecilia has been tantalizing the press across the pond with her very non-traditional ways, including a snub at George Bush.

From Yahoo News:

President Nicolas Sarkozy travelled alone to meet George W. Bush and his family at their Atlantic holiday home after Cecilia -- staying just an hour away at a US lakeside resort -- bowed out due to a throat ailment.

The US leader said he was "disappointed" but understanding after Cecilia called Laura Bush at the last minute to excuse herself, but the change of plan sounded a false note in what was billed as a rare personal get-together.

She was photographed later Sunday taking a stroll in town with two friends. Nicolas Sarkozy, meanwhile, was seen wearing earphones and jogging on a lakeside path with a seven-strong entourage.

I would personally rather be with friends than step anywhere near the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport. So there's no blame towards her from this corner. If you have to use the "sore throat" line to get out of something you hate doing (i.e. work, school, seeing the Bushies) then its just got to be done.

Chris Matthews And Glenn Beck Have Something In Common

I'm not talking about the obvious fact that both of their pompous asses are on television. It is also apparent they have no idea what they are talking about, though Beck is a certifiable right-winger doing a terrible job of pretending he's not. One thing is for sure, they are both chauvinistic pigs. Beck's comments a few months ago to Dina Sansing of US Weekly were talked about for days and even weeks. So should Chris Matthews' words to Erin Burnett on Hardball this past Friday.

From Media Matters:

On the August 10 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, during a discussion of recent financial news, host Chris Matthews told CNBC's Erin Burnett: "[Y]ou're beautiful" and "[y]ou're a knockout," before closing the interview by saying, "It's all right getting bad news from you."

Matthews began the segment by asking, "So what's going on with the stock market? Yesterday, the stocks on Wall Street suffered their biggest one-day decline since February. Should we be worried?"

But at the conclusion of the interview, Matthews asked Burnett, who anchors CNBC's Squawk on the Street and Street Signs, "Could you get a little closer to the camera?" Burnett replied, "My -- what is it?" Matthews then said, "Come on in closer. No, come in -- come in further -- come in closer. Really close."

After Burnett began to comply, Matthews stated, "Just kidding! You look great! Anyway, thanks. Erin, it's great to -- look at that look. You're great." He went on: "No, you're beautiful. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. You're a knockout. Anyway, thank you, Erin Burnett."

Forget the stock market, Matthews' behavior is the bad news here. Tweety wasn't kidding, he was being a pig. While trying to reinforce stereotypes about women in professional roles only being there for their looks, what Chris did was show how he fits in with the rest of the chauvinistic pigs that reside in the Old Boys Club of Washington, D.C.

I wouldn't be surprised if him and Glenn were best buds.

Dick Cheney Speaks For Me

I actually despise the man, but these wise words in 1994 were well said. Too bad he didn't follow his own advice when he became VP.

On NYC's Subways, You Can See Something, But Who Can You Say Something To?

Our subway system is one of the most extensive in the world and definitely in the United States. Millions of passengers travel every day on local and the world's only express tracks. And on a sunny day that doesn't include the weekends, they tend to work rather well. Its only when we get some rain, like Wednesday that there can be total shutdowns and a non-existent communication system gets brutally exposed.

Being in Chicago last week, it was great to be able to use my cellphone on the L, and locals that have U.S. Cellular can use their phones anywhere. That means the Chicago Transit Authority can tell commuters if there are problems on the lines and what you can do about it so one isn't stranded in hot and humid stations (like I was last Wednesday waiting for a C train that never came at Penn Station). Local politicians are speaking out for cell service, so that we can hear updated information and even report on things that are suspect, like all those ads and loudspeakers keep saying on the trains.

From AM New York:

Straphangers were left with white dry-erase boards and bullhorns to tell them about subway service during the floods last week.

With spotty platform pay phone service, the MTA could have used wireless service to get the word out about outages, in text messages or emails to devices like BlackBerries, the officials said.

The MTA doesn't have a text or email alert system for New York City Transit outages, except for a weekly weekend service advisory e-mail, but could consider such a program with cell phone access, said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn/Queens).

"There's a mantra they repeat over at the MTA: If you see something, say something," Weiner said. "The problem is that without cell phone service, there's really no way to tell anyone."

Weiner said a cell phone service surcharge is already in place that could fund underground service. The MTA is considering subway cell phone access and companies bid for the work in January 2006, but none has been chosen.

Thats the MTA for you, slow in doing....anything really. Meanwhile customers suffer and despite a billion dollar surplus, their concern is to raise fares and drop untold gobs of cash into a Second Avenue subway line that was started nearly eighty years ago. They could have left the old elevated line in place until an underground tunnel was completed...but that might be considered common sense, and why would we want something like that to be a trait of the MTA?

Good Riddance To Karl Rove

The sweetest music hit my ears this morning, and it wasn't listening to "The Best Of Van Morrison." According to the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, Karl Rove is leaving the White House at the end of the month. Of course the reason is so that he can spend more time with his family, why else would anyone want to leave the Bush Administration (threats of criminal prosecution aside)? August 31st will end over six years working in the West Wing and many more years of being Bush's brain. The man that led George to so many successes has turned into one of his biggest detriments, and now it is his time to go.

From The Washington Post:

Rove, 56, who escaped indictment in the CIA leak case, has been under scrutiny by the new Democratic Congress for his role in the firings of U.S. attorneys and in a series of political briefings provided to various agencies across government. Citing executive privilege, he defied a subpoena and refused to show up for a congressional hearing just two weeks ago on the allegedly improper use by White House aides of Republican National Committee email accounts. Fellow Bush advisers have said they believe the congressional probes have been aimed in part at driving Rove out.

The White House said his departure was unrelated to the investigations. In an interview published this morning, Rove told Wall Street Journal editorial page editor Paul A. Gigot that he had been interested in leaving last year but did not want to go immediately after the Democrats took over Congress, nor did he want to abandon Bush as he fought for his troop buildup in Iraq and an immigration overhaul.

"I just think it's time," Rove told Gigot in comments confirmed by the White House. The Journal said White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten told Rove and other senior aides that if they stay past Labor Day, they would be expected to remain through the end of the second term, Jan. 20, 2009.

The time was before he even got there, he helped mastermind two stolen election and the manipulation of the American people who mistakenly voted for the worst President of all time. Clearly, he was good at his job. Even more so, he was terrible for this nation. He was a servant of the Bush Administration and an enemy of democracy. Rove was complicit and smack in the middle of many illegalities that have and are taking place in the White House.

The Democratic Congress has been hot on his trail this year after Patrick Fitzgerald could not pursue him anymore in the Valerie Plame trial. Email-gate has stunk up Washington even more than its usual swampy smell and that may ultimately have been his downfall. Now he says he is done with politics for good after more than thirty years of dirty tricks that stretch back to the Nixon years when he was the leader of the College Republicans. He will definitely be missed by the many proteges in that organization, but for this progressive on a sunny New York morning....I'm ecstatic.

Rachel Maddow Discusses The "Gay" Debate

Hillary Clinton....Not Good For The Party

Everyone keeps telling me..."Hillary isn't my favorite choice, but she is going to be the nominee." Whenever I hear that I grimace with hesitation, sure she is the favorite now, but so was Joe Lieberman four years ago leading up to the 2004 Presidential race. Now he isn't even a Democrat. So, not only is Hillary not the best choice to be our 44th President (though better than any Republican of course), she might have a negative effect on the rest of the races around the country next year.

From The Huffington Post:

The chairman of a Midwest state party called Clinton a nightmare for congressional and state legislative candidates.

A Democratic congressman from the West, locked in a close re-election fight, said Clinton is the Democratic candidate most likely to cost him his seat.

A strategist with close ties to leaders in Congress said Democratic Senate candidates in competitive races would be strongly urged to distance themselves from Clinton.

"The argument with Hillary right now in some of these red states is she's so damn unpopular," said Andy Arnold, chairman of the Greenville, S.C., Democratic Party. "I think Hillary is someone who could drive folks on the other side out to vote who otherwise wouldn't."

It isn't just me, its the entire Democratic establishment. Our goal isn't just to have a Democrat in the White House, its to shape a progressive vision into a reality in America. Our nation has been suffering for far too long under the neo-con thought machine. It is time for us to return to our democratic roots that have been abandoned and replaced by this neo-authoritarianism that relies on fear and discards hope.

Hope will only come with a strong Democrat in the White House that makes voters want to cast their blue ballot down the line, whether it is here in New York City, rural Virginia, Dallas or anywhere that Americans are feeling sick and tired of the status quo.

Boycott Johnson and Johnson For Being Evil

The evil side of Big Pharma and Johnson & Johnson in particular is being shown in the form of a lawsuit against the most prolific aid agency of all time. The claim is that the emblem (i.e. The Red Cross) is being used to make a profit off of their safety items. The pharmaceutical giant is not content that they make billions from their own products and have some sort of ridiculous fear that a non-profit such as the Red Cross would try to take away their business. WTF?

From RawStory:

After more than a century of sharing the same emblem, a red cross on a white field, Johnson & Johnson has sued the American Red Cross for using its trademark for other than non-profit purposes.

J&J claims the ARC is marketing first-aid kits to make a profit, while the Red Cross says the money from the sale of the kits goes exclusively to its relief services and called the pharmaceutical giant's lawsuit "obscene."

People around the world "look to the Red Cross emblem and see a worldwide symbol of humanitarianism. The Red Cross will vigorously defend and protect our emblem and mission," ARC President Mark Everson said Friday in a statement.

The money goes for good causes you idiots. The callousness of Johnson and Johnson is definitely on display here. To think that the Red Cross will settle or that a jury would ever bestow a dime in restitution to a pharmaceutical company as big as this one is insane. I'll definitely be boycotting them for this one, and I hope everyone will do the same.