Archive for May, 2006

31.05.06 | Comments Off

Unintended Consequences

I don’t think Bush and his pal Al are smart enough to conspire, but Karl Rove might recognize that the FBI’s roust of the House could save the immigration bill. A promise to block a “pending� search warrant might secure the vote of anyone who’s ever done anything questionable, and there may be some of [...]

more …
30.05.06 | Comments Off

They Never Heard of Florida or Ohio

Candidates for naïve person of the year include a spokesperson for California’s secretary of state, Jennifer Kerns, who says Diebold voting machines have potential security vulnerabilities, “but you have to be realistic about it: When you’re administrating elections, there’s a very low risk of any” tampering. And Diebold spokesman David Bear who says security concerns [...]

more …
29.05.06 | Comments Off

Frist Is a Yo-Yo

He opposed the Dubai port deal, then favored it. He wanted a security only immigration bill, then pushed through amnesty for illegals. He thought the FBI violated the constitution, now he thinks they did fine. Whenever he goes to sleep on the job, Bush jerks his string.

more …
28.05.06 | Comments Off

Sensenbrenner Makes Sense

Senators in conference should accept the House immigration bill, without the felony provision, if it’s stipulated that once the flow of illegal immigrants stops the Senate bill will be considered. No intelligent boater would debate the merits of bailing until the leak is plugged. No intelligent Republican should back Bush until he gets our troops [...]

more …
27.05.06 | Comments Off

Gonzales Threatens To Quit

If one considers the unscrupulous efforts presidents make to persuade lawmakers to support controversial bills, it’s easy to see why it should be unconstitutional for the FBI to search congressional offices. Congress should go to court to force the return of the illegally seized evidence. They would eliminate a threat to their independence, and if [...]

more …
26.05.06 | Comments Off

So Everything Was Wrong Except the War?

I missed the Bush and Blair affair ‘cause I took my grandsons to dinner. Since our leaders confessed to many mistakes, but not the biggest, I traded an evening of frustration for one of fun.

more …
24.05.06 | Comments Off

Immigration Maven Meets His Match

Tony Snow buried Lou Dobbs in a white-out of words. Every torrent of questions was met with answers that sounded so fluent and sincere even Lou didn’t seem to notice they weren’t pertinent or true. At the start of the interview Lou thanked Tony for thawing the four-year-old wall of ice between him and the [...]

more …
24.05.06 | Comments Off

Is Incompetence Contagious?

Everyone is mad at the Attorney General except the guy whose office was searched. Congressman Jefferson is getting the closest thing to sympathy he’s seen in months. What evidence does Justice need besides a video tape of the him accepting a bribe, and finding the money in his freezer? Gonzales’ judgment matches heck-of-a-job Brownie.

more …
23.05.06 | Comments Off

Al Drops the Ball

Alberto Gonzales swore to uphold the constitution, but no one asked if he had ever read it. He ignores the first and fourth amendments, due process, and the fact that treaties are law, but the separation of powers, may be his undoing. Congress went five years without asserting authority, but the FBI raid on a [...]

more …
22.05.06 | Comments Off

A Flash of Clarity in a Cloud of Fog

“I can understand why people are concerned about whether or not our strategy can succeed because our progress is incremental,� Bush said, choosing his words more carefully than usual. Incremental can mean “infinitesimal movement,� an apt description of the changes we see. Sadly, he soon reverted: “we have now reached a turning point in the [...]

more …
21.05.06 | Comments Off

Triku

Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds formed a government without army or police. The new cabinet was supposed to produce peace, but can’t without force. Bush needs another way out of his Iraq mess – before Labor Day.

more …

The president misread the illegal immigration situation and caused an uproar worse than his drug plan, or privatizing Social Security – but not as bad as Afghanistan or Iraq. The Republican party split so badly no one seems to notice many Democrats side with him and oppose a majority of the American public. He created [...]

more …
19.05.06 | Comments Off

Senate Ready To Wield Its Rubber Stamp

I’m not sure a general can be independent of the Pentagon, as Hayden claims, but he also said he couldn’t tap phones without warrants though he did. At least one senator expressed doubts about the nominee’s credibility, but he probably will vote to confirm. After all, would anyone ever believe the director of the CIA [...]

more …
17.05.06 | Comments Off

Rousing Reception

Today, Bush extended the tax cut on dividends and capital gains, and bragged about the economy. The Dow dropped 200 points, 2%. Are investors afraid of inflation, or what the president will do next?

more …

Bush can’t do anything about illegal immigration because he’s beholden to business, and won’t enforce existing laws against employers. If he did, the other problems might solve themselves. Illegals who couldn’t find work might decide to go home on their own. If there were no jobs, the border might police itself. Employers who couldn’t find [...]

more …
15.05.06 | Comments Off

Haiku

Bush’s idea of immigration reform: “welcome amigo”

more …

We ask the National Guard to do so much it doesn’t seem fair to send them up in a dangerous trial balloon to help Bush push his amnesty program for illegal immigrants. Unless we’re prepared to shoot people who try to sneak into this country, soldiers are not the best choice for guarding borders. We [...]

more …
12.05.06 | Comments Off

Star Wars for Geeks

Bush and his boosters had a conniption about the leak of NSA’s attempt to keep a record of everyone’s phone calls. One congressman calls it “one of our most highly classified secrets,� says its disclosure hurts national security. Anyone who ever watched Law and Order knows phone records are readily accessible to the police. The [...]

more …
11.05.06 | Comments Off

Stop the Infighting and Imitate

Democrats can’t agree on a strategy because no good one exists. Bush led us to the brink of bankruptcy, launched a war we can’t end, made restoring solvency all but impossible. Nothing will help except tough love, a promise not likely to win elections. To defeat Republicans, liberals must copy their blueprint – promise what [...]

more …
10.05.06 | Comments Off

Bush’s Balanced Benefits

Congress hasn’t done anything about gas prices, but this week they’ll extend some tax cuts that will save an average family enough to buy a tank each year. The rich can buy a hybrid car.

more …