Heck of An Editorial

It’s in today’s New York Times.Adam Cohen writes:

Just What the Founders Feared: An Imperial President Goes to War

The nation is heading toward a constitutional showdown over the Iraq war. Congress is moving closer to passing a bill to limit or end the war, but President Bush insists Congress doesn’t have the power to do it. “I don’t think Congress ought to be running the war,” he said at a recent press conference. “I think they ought to be funding the troops.” He added magnanimously: “I’m certainly interested in their opinion.” The war is hardly the only area where the Bush administration is trying to expand its powers beyond [...]

Tags: Imperial President, Iraq War, George W. Bush

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He Is, After All, The Decider

And, he apparently decided he wanted the discussion to be quite one-sided.

‘He answered his own questions’

It appears the president isn’t a great listener. The entrepreneur who hosted President Bush last week for a roundtable discussion on health care and small business said yesterday that he could barely get a word in as Bush opined on children’s health insurance and other health topics. If he had, Clifton Broumand would have told the president [...]

Tags: George W. Bush, Health Care, Health Insurance

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Housing Troubles

New indications that not all is rosy in the housing industry.

Not Just Sub-Prime Anymore

….The latest news from the housing bubble:Shares of Countrywide Financial Corp. tumbled today after the nation’s biggest mortgage lender signaled that rising defaults and delinquencies are spreading beyond the troubled sub-prime market to higher-quality "prime" loans. ….Countrywide [...]

Tags: Housing Bubble, Mortgage Defaults, Sub-Prime market

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On The Warpath

John at AmericaBlog has really been on a warpath today. And deservedly so.  Much of what we hear from the Administration is a stretch to link to reality.

Bush just said that Al Qaeda is "public enemy number one" in Iraq. It’s a flat-out lie, and all of his own experts have said it.

…It’s a total, flat-out lie. Alex has already explained this in detail. "Anyone who claims that the so-called al Qaeda in Iraq group is the "principal threat" to anything in that nation — whether its citizens, the government, the political process, or any specific ethnic or sectarian group — is either grossly ignorant of the realities of the Iraq war or blatantly lying. I honestly have no [...]

Tags: Iraq War, George W. Bush, al Qaeda

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More Numbers

Pollsters are busy these days.

Poll: Almost 80% of Americans say Bush is too stubborn on Iraq

On the heels of yesterday’s ARG poll which shows that only 25% of Americans approve of the job President Bush is doing, and a new CBS/NYT poll which says that “Half of those polled say the administration talks about the threat of terrorism to gain a political advantage; 39 percent say it is a genuine [...]

TPM Election Central notes another set of numbers from the same poll:

Poll: Bush Approval Lower Than Cheney’s

It’s hard to imagine that anyone in public life is less popular than Dick Cheney, but a new poll finds that one politician has managed to pull it off: George W. Bush. Take a look at these numbers in [...]

Tags: ARG Poll, Washington Post, New York Times, ABC, CBS

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Confused Yet?

I wouldn’t be surprised if you were.  I know it all makes MY head spin.  The testimony changes, the stories conflict, the mind boggles. Oh, yes.  Up is now down and night is day.

Gonzales Contradicts Prior Statements, Confirms Existence Of Other Spying Programs

In his testimony today before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was asked by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) to address inaccuracies in his 2006 testimony in relation to the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. “There has not been any serious disagreement about the program that the president has confirmed,” Gonzales said at the [...]

And, the reviews are in:

Alberto, we’re laughing at you, not with you

Gonzales Testimony is a Total Disaster

Tags: Gonzales, Warrantless Wiretap, Specter

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Crystal Ball

Our top military minds are gazing into their Iraq crystal ball, trying to see an image of success.  Are you ready to keep this thing going until 2009?  Not according to most polls.  But, that’s what they’re hinting at now…

Petraeus Plans For 2009 Already

Even though Bush has told Congress to wait until mid-September and General Petraeus’ fresh update and analysis before legislating any changes in Iraq, that hasn’t stopped his administration and CENTCOM from writing their prescription now. At a time when over 60% of the public wants the troops home in 2008 and wants Congress to call the shots from now on, Bush is already planning to keep spending $10 billion a month well into his successor’s first term while telling Congress to back off his [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Petraeus, Centcom

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The Apology

I’ve been dodging this issue for several days now.  It all has to do with a recent "Countdown" segment that really trashed Wendy Vitter for her clothing during the news conference in which she said she supporter her husband.  He, of course, is the congressman linked to prostitutes.  It was a horrible segment.  I’ve avoided blogging about it because there was no way to justify it or support what was said.  Last night, Olbermann apologized, even though he was not anchoring the night it happened…

Keith Olbermann Apologizes for Wendy Vitter Countdown Segment…

…Not only was a series of unfortunate and inappropriate terms used, there was no justification for such a segment about what a woman, a victim of her husband’s inappropriate behavior was wearing in public. The story should not have aired, it should not have been [...]

Tags: Vitter, Countdown, Olbermann

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Did You Watch?

The YouTube debate was last night.  Honestly, it hit at just the wrong time for me.  So, I’ve been keeping an eye out for reaction.  Here’s a small collection from around the blogosphere.  Let’s just say that it seems most people were impressed, to some degree.

Tuesday morning quarterbacking the debate

Video from the debate

You Tube Democrat Presidential Election Debate

I watch debates — so you don’t have to

We also know who DIDN’T watch…

Snow: Bush Isn’t ‘Big On YouTube Debates’

Last night’s Democratic presidential debate, hosted by CNN, allowed ordinary citizens around the country to be heard. By uploading a 30-second video to YouTube, “voters could directly question a presidential candidate during the debate.” Thirty-nine videos were chosen from the 2,989 submitted. CNN will hold a similar debate for the Republican candidates on Sept. 17. [...]

Tags: YouTube, Debate, CNN

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Travel Advisory

Hey, you can put the Presidential Palaces in Baghdad on your next trip!

Bachmann On Her Trip To Iraq: It’s Like Visiting The ‘Mall Of America’

Earlier this month, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) traveled to Iraq with a congressional delegation. In an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, Bachmann said that after her trip, she remains firm in her support for Bush’s escalation: This month, Bachmann traveled to Iraq, and despite more GOP defections from Bush’s base of support, she returned as [...]

Tags: Bachmann, Baghdad, Presidential Palaces

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More Gonzales

As if you haven’t read and/or heard enough about Alberto Gonzales’ testimony today, just take a look at Countdown tonight.  I’ll update with a link to video when it’s available. Click Here for Countdown Video.  But, wait! There’s more!

Gonzales Memo Widened Cheney’s Office Access to DoJ Case Info

Yet another dispiriting revelation from Alberto Gonzales’ hearing today. During Gonzales’ last hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) questioned him about a [...]

Tags: Gonzales, Cheney, DOJ

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Healthcare Overhaul

America’s healthcare and medical insurance industries need to be "fixed".  No doubt about it.  Premiums keep increasing, deductibles keep increasing, coverage keeps going the other direction. Horror stories abound.  So, there’s lots of talk of Universal Healthcare.  Wisconsin, apparently, is set to jump in with both feet.  This blogger doesn’t think the higher taxes will go over well with folks who live there.   I’m thinking there needs to be some math involved – comparing current health insurance premiums with the tax increases and looking at what the coverage includes.  If it wipes out deductibles, etc, the tradeoff could be worth it. You’ll find the numbers on the link…

Wisconsin To Provide Universal Healthcare

You’d think liberals around the nation would be happy about this program.  You’d think we’d have been hearing about it all over the place.  As it is, the Wall Street Journal (hardly a bastion of liberal sentiment) had to highlight the program in an op/ed.  Wondering why? Maybe it’s because the program highlights the stark reality of socialized medicine: Free health care is expensive: [...]

Tags: Universal Health Care, Wisconsin Health Care

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Heck of An Editorial

It’s in today’s New York Times.Adam Cohen writes:

Just What the Founders Feared: An Imperial President Goes to War

The nation is heading toward a constitutional showdown over the Iraq war. Congress is moving closer to passing a bill to limit or end the war, but President Bush insists Congress doesn’t have the power to do it. “I don’t think Congress ought to be running the war,” he said at a recent press conference. “I think they ought to be funding the troops.” He added magnanimously: “I’m certainly interested in their opinion.” The war is hardly the only area where the Bush administration is trying to expand its powers beyond [...]

Tags: Imperial President, Iraq War, George W. Bush

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He Is, After All, The Decider

And, he apparently decided he wanted the discussion to be quite one-sided.

‘He answered his own questions’

It appears the president isn’t a great listener. The entrepreneur who hosted President Bush last week for a roundtable discussion on health care and small business said yesterday that he could barely get a word in as Bush opined on children’s health insurance and other health topics. If he had, Clifton Broumand would have told the president [...]

Tags: George W. Bush, Health Care, Health Insurance

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Housing Troubles

New indications that not all is rosy in the housing industry.

Not Just Sub-Prime Anymore

….The latest news from the housing bubble:Shares of Countrywide Financial Corp. tumbled today after the nation’s biggest mortgage lender signaled that rising defaults and delinquencies are spreading beyond the troubled sub-prime market to higher-quality "prime" loans. ….Countrywide [...]

Tags: Housing Bubble, Mortgage Defaults, Sub-Prime market

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On The Warpath

John at AmericaBlog has really been on a warpath today. And deservedly so.  Much of what we hear from the Administration is a stretch to link to reality.

Bush just said that Al Qaeda is "public enemy number one" in Iraq. It’s a flat-out lie, and all of his own experts have said it.

…It’s a total, flat-out lie. Alex has already explained this in detail. "Anyone who claims that the so-called al Qaeda in Iraq group is the "principal threat" to anything in that nation — whether its citizens, the government, the political process, or any specific ethnic or sectarian group — is either grossly ignorant of the realities of the Iraq war or blatantly lying. I honestly have no [...]

Tags: Iraq War, George W. Bush, al Qaeda

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More Numbers

Pollsters are busy these days.

Poll: Almost 80% of Americans say Bush is too stubborn on Iraq

On the heels of yesterday’s ARG poll which shows that only 25% of Americans approve of the job President Bush is doing, and a new CBS/NYT poll which says that “Half of those polled say the administration talks about the threat of terrorism to gain a political advantage; 39 percent say it is a genuine [...]

TPM Election Central notes another set of numbers from the same poll:

Poll: Bush Approval Lower Than Cheney’s

It’s hard to imagine that anyone in public life is less popular than Dick Cheney, but a new poll finds that one politician has managed to pull it off: George W. Bush. Take a look at these numbers in [...]

Tags: ARG Poll, Washington Post, New York Times, ABC, CBS

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Confused Yet?

I wouldn’t be surprised if you were.  I know it all makes MY head spin.  The testimony changes, the stories conflict, the mind boggles. Oh, yes.  Up is now down and night is day.

Gonzales Contradicts Prior Statements, Confirms Existence Of Other Spying Programs

In his testimony today before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was asked by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) to address inaccuracies in his 2006 testimony in relation to the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. “There has not been any serious disagreement about the program that the president has confirmed,” Gonzales said at the [...]

And, the reviews are in:

Alberto, we’re laughing at you, not with you

Gonzales Testimony is a Total Disaster

Tags: Gonzales, Warrantless Wiretap, Specter

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Crystal Ball

Our top military minds are gazing into their Iraq crystal ball, trying to see an image of success.  Are you ready to keep this thing going until 2009?  Not according to most polls.  But, that’s what they’re hinting at now…

Petraeus Plans For 2009 Already

Even though Bush has told Congress to wait until mid-September and General Petraeus’ fresh update and analysis before legislating any changes in Iraq, that hasn’t stopped his administration and CENTCOM from writing their prescription now. At a time when over 60% of the public wants the troops home in 2008 and wants Congress to call the shots from now on, Bush is already planning to keep spending $10 billion a month well into his successor’s first term while telling Congress to back off his [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Petraeus, Centcom

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The Apology

I’ve been dodging this issue for several days now.  It all has to do with a recent "Countdown" segment that really trashed Wendy Vitter for her clothing during the news conference in which she said she supporter her husband.  He, of course, is the congressman linked to prostitutes.  It was a horrible segment.  I’ve avoided blogging about it because there was no way to justify it or support what was said.  Last night, Olbermann apologized, even though he was not anchoring the night it happened…

Keith Olbermann Apologizes for Wendy Vitter Countdown Segment…

…Not only was a series of unfortunate and inappropriate terms used, there was no justification for such a segment about what a woman, a victim of her husband’s inappropriate behavior was wearing in public. The story should not have aired, it should not have been [...]

Tags: Vitter, Countdown, Olbermann

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