(Cross-posted at Docudharma)

did Bush "beat" Al Gore?
or did Jeb fudge the numbers?
Florida screwed us

Bush must stay healthy
or we go from bad to worse:
President Cheney

Bin Laden still free
while we flounder in Iraq
that's Bush-league justice

the Katrina storm
was too much for Brownie
heck of a job?  pffffft!

Cheney went hunting
and shot his friend in the face
that's how he treats friends

I was reminded of something during Senator Carl Levin's opening statement at the Armed Services committee hearing on Tuesday:

"During my recent trip to Iraq, just before the latest outbreak of violence, a senior U.S. military officer told me that when he asked an Iraqi official, "Why is it that we're using our U.S. dollars to pay your people to clean up your towns, instead of you using your funds?" that the Iraqi replied, "As long as you are willing to pay for the cleanup, why should we do it?"

This story crystallizes the fundamental problem of our policy in Iraq. It highlights the need to change our current course in order to shift responsibility from our troops and our taxpayers to the Iraqi government, to force that government to take responsibility for their own future, politically, economically and militarily.

(snip)

But the major political steps that they need to take have not yet been taken by the Iraqis, including establishment of a framework for controlling and sharing oil revenue..."

What ever happened to the "big breakthrough" on Iraq's oil-revenue sharing that was announced last year?

(I apologize in advance for writing about a different King on the anniversary of Dr. King's death)

Everyone should have an arch-enemy, right?  Someone who is the very antithesis of everything you stand for and believe in?  I've been looking for just the right candidate in an arch-enemy and a clear frontrunner has emerged:  Rep. Steve King of Iowa's 5th congressional district.

King, a Republican (duh!), was recently in the news for his remarks about Barack Obama.  He said if Obama was elected president that al-Qaida "would be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on September 11 because they would declare victory in this war on terror."  King also said of terrorists' reaction to a potential Obama victory that "he will certainly be viewed as a savior for them."  A savior for terrorists, Congressman?  Remarks like this are, sadly, just another day at the office for King.

Five former secretaries of state, three Republicans and two Democrats,  announced their recommendation that the next presidential administration should close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba.

America's collective response?  "No shit."

Note that the recommendation is for the next administration.  No one has any illusions that the Bush administration will pay any attention to mere secretaries of state.

Wednesday, October 26, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC:  President John McCain held yet another news conference on Tuesday trying to reassure a weary public about their economic fears.  "My friends," said the President, "as I have said many, many, many, many times before, we have the most resilient economy in the world.  Everything will take care of itself somehow."  Vice-President Joe Lieberman then whispered something in the President's ear, and McCain then corrected himself:  "Actually we have the fourth-most resilient economy behind China, India, and Canada.  That's still pretty (expletive deleted) good."  But the McCain administration has continually struggled with economic issues since taking office in 2009.    

Iran holds its parliamentary elections today, March 14th, to fill the 290 seats of the Islamic Consultative Council.  It is also expected to be a referendum on Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is in the third year of a four-year term.  Currently the Iranian Parliament seats consist of 190 conservatives, 50 reformists, 43 independents (or centrists), 5 seats reserved for religous minorities, and 2 other seats.  Voting will conclude at 2:30 PM EDT today, and preliminary results can be expected Saturday and Sunday.  Official results will probably not be announced for a few days after that.

You know what's missing on the Intertubes?  (well, if you read my title the cat is already out of the bag)  

Haiku written for the right wing!  

For some inexplicable reason the right has not yet embraced this literary form.  Maybe that's because right-wingers can't use the left half of their brain.  Or is it the right half?  OK, they generally don't use either half.  So being a generous soul, I'm offering some haiku written from a right-wing perspective to get them started.

I have a hangover today.  Everyone is encouraged to join in and comment, but please do it quietly, OK?

It got me thinking though.  If you're not very handy in the kitchen like me, what do you like for breakfast if you have a hangover?  Or if you're out late and want breakfast before going home, what's your favorite "nightcap" breakfast before staggering (not driving, please) home?  A hearty breakfast really hits the spot after a touch of the grape, or a touch of the barley, or whatever has been touching you all night.  And if you didn't eat before coming home, that first meal when you're hung over is crucial to determining how the rest of the day is going to go.      

So today I would like to share one of my favorite "hangover" meals, which is a shameless copy of a Village Inn breakfast that I call the Ham and Cheese Skillet.  Coincedently that's what Village Inn calls it too.  

The February jobs report released this morning shows a decrease of 63,000 jobs for the month.  This is the largest single-month decline in about 5 years.  To make matters worse, the 82,000 gain reported for December was revised down to 41,000;  and the loss of 17,000 jobs in January was revised to a worse loss of 22,000.

How effective was the Bush administration in dealing with the worsening job problem?  Well, they tried:

One bright spot was that the government added 38,000 jobs in February on top of 4,000 new-hires in January.

The right-wing "less government" screamers will be thrilled with that, won't they?  

The argument that Hillary Clinton would be a better nominee than Barack Obama because of her victories in big states is getting much attention again this morning with her Ohio and Texas victories.  Senator Clinton touted her list of victorious states in her speech last night, including Florida and Michigan.  

This argument doesn't make any sense to me.  Isn't it more important to compare how Obama would perform against John McCain in theses states?  So I made a list of all the states Clinton has won so far (not just the big states) to see how Obama's second-place finish compared to McCain.  The states are listed below showing the raw vote comparison between Barack Obama and John McCain.

Being almost completely devoid of original thought, I'm recycling a diary idea from last week to present cooking tips for men that, shall we say, are not exactly connoisseurs of the kitchen.  I could claim that people begged me to write another installment, but the truth is that one person kinda hinted at it and I'm pretty sure it was a bluff.  Well . . . I'm calling your bluff.

Today's featured recipe is for Hackbraten, which is a German meatloaf.  Everyone knows that the best part of meatloaf is the crusty end piece.  To help avoid the fascist at your dinner table claiming the end piece for himself, my recipe is for mini loaves so that everybody gets an end piece.  A much more progressive solution, don't you think?

Let's get started:

MSNBC has a story (via the Associated Press) that Roger Clemens is under investigation by the FBI.  The investigation stems from Clemens' testimony on Feb 13th about the use of steroids in baseball.  

"The FBI has begun investigating whether Roger Clemens lied to Congress when he denied taking steroids, officials said Thursday in the case of another baseball star snared in a long-running inquiry into drug use by professional athletes."

Clemens testified that he has never used steroids, which was contradicted by his former trainer Brian McNamee during the same hearing.  McNamee testified that he injected Clemens at least 16 times.

November 9, 2044

WASHINGTON, DC:  Malia Obama's victory in the 2044 presidential election on Tuesday ended a remarkable 50-year dominance by the Republican party.  Obama's victory finally eased the pain from the bitter defeat of her father Barack in the 2008 election.  And to complete the irony from 2008, vice-president-elect Chelsea Clinton helped seal the victory by securing Arkansas for the Democrats, the state which first brought her famous parents onto the national stage, and bringing back the memory of Hillary Clinton's titanic struggle with Barack Obama for the 2008 nomination.

In the spirit of "What's For Dinner" Saturday, I'd like to share some cooking tips with my fellow hopeless male cooks out there.  I struggled to feed myself for many years not knowing anything about cooking, with me being a "typical man" and all.  But I've learned a few basics and I know you can too.  Now, I know what you're thinking -- cooking is NOT very manly.  Well, neither is starving.  So why not give it a try?

Today's featured recipe is for Chicken Schnitzel.  It's easier than the more traditional German wiener schnitzel made of veal, because eating veal that isn't cooked thoroughly makes you way more sick than eating chicken that isn't cooked thoroughly.  So let's get started!

David Yepsen is a political reporter for the Des Moines Register.  He has gained some national significance for his reporting on the Iowa caucuses, having his columns reprinted by other papers and making appearances on all the cable news channels.  

His column in Thursday's paper, "Say Good Night, Hillary", suggests it is time for Sen. Clinton to withdraw from the presidential race.

MSNBC is reporting a shooting at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL that occurred about 3:00 PM CST.  Local hospitals have been advised to expect up to 15 victims.  No confirmation yet of any fatalities.  Initial reports are that a gunmen with a shotgun opened fire in a geology class on campus.  The gunmen may still be at large.  Evening classes have been cancelled and the campus is on lockdown.

UPDATE:  Link to MSNBC story here.  Reports are that the shooting occurred in Cole Hall.

UPDATE 2 (4:27 PM CST):  CNN is now reporting that 2 people have been shot and several injured.  The gunman is reportedly dead.

As a life-long Democrat I have grown used to be scoffed at by Republicans in all matters relating to the Bible.  They don't believe I've read it; they don't believe I understand it; they don't believe I can discuss it intelligently.  Well, I have read it -- all of it.  Do I understand it?  No, not all of it, but I'm still trying to learn.  Can I discuss it intelligently?  If you will indulge me I would like to try.

First of all, I admit that I'm at a disadvantage because I'm Catholic.  And as the old joke goes, "if Catholics read the Bible they would be Lutherans."  But all denominations know one thing above else:  Every word of the Bible is literally true.  If Democrats were just able to grasp this simple concept, the whole "separation of church and state" argument would be obsolete!

The Associated Press is reporting the Speaker is threatening to disband the Parliament.  This would mean new elections would have to occur within 60 days to elect an entire new parliament.