I can’t think of one reason to be sad, so I won’t pretend.
“We believe in free speech…”
Except when it’s anti-Bush. I really hate this president. I am a Canadian who loves this country, and this guy is a complete embarrassment. I absolutely believe George Bush is a war criminal. I really wish someone had the guts to put the question to him in an interview.
“Mr. President, you’ve authorized torture. Over 4,000 men and women have died in a war that most people knowwas absolutely unnecessary. It is now well known that intelligence was manipulated to get us into Iraq. Are you a war criminal? And should you be tried as one?”
I would love to hear one – just ONE – credible journalist ask him this question. We won’t though because it’s the MSM. And we all know the MSM sucks. MSM bias towards the left? Pleeeeze.
Did I mention how much I hate this president? Hate is a word I don’t use often.
Sorry. Just on a rant. I freaking hate George Bush. I feel terrible for Americans that this guy will be in your history books.
A Metaphor
About half a million people are expected Friday on the National Mall in Washington for the nation’s birthday celebration, but they may be shocked at what they see.
This gathering place known as America’s “front yard” stretches from the Capitol to the Potomac River and is home to the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials and Washington Monument, but it’s starting to look like “an old rundown, worn-out mall that looks like it was abandoned 30 years ago,” says Judy Feldman of the National Coalition to Save Our Mall.
Just a reminder, a Capitol Fourth will be on PBS in a little bit, in case you are in an area with really crappy weather. Personally, the Marine Corps Marching band alone makes it worth watching.
***Update ***
The Boston Pops 4th on CBS is better than the PBS one, for you west coast types.
Another Open Thread
Since I got cranky and spoiled all the other ones.
Sheer Unadulterated Idiocy
There is no other way to describe this:
The White House said Thursday that dangerous detainees at Guantanamo Bay could end up walking Main Street U.S.A. as a result of last month’s Supreme Court ruling about detainees’ legal rights. Federal appeals courts, however, have indicated they have no intention of letting that happen.
The high court ruling, which gave all detainees the right to petition federal judges for immediate release, has intensified discussions within the Bush administration about what to do with the roughly 270 detainees held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
“I’m sure that none of us want Khalid Sheikh Mohammed walking around our neighborhoods,” White House press secretary Dana Perino said about al-Qaida’s former third in command.
Bookmark this post in case you ever need to show anyone what the pure, distilled essence of wingnut looks like. This comment from Perino has it all- sheer nonsense, a complete distortion of the truth, an attack on an independent judiciary, fear-mongering, and the characteristic brazenness we have grown to know and love. If you are looking for right-wing bullshit, this quote is the full monty. I have not seen the transcript, but I would bet it went unchallenged by the press corps.
But, channeling my inner Democrat and left-wing blogger, I will note that Obama isn’t doing exactly what I want on a piece of legislation, so I probably will vote for him, but I won’t enthusiastic about it or help fund his campaign to beat down this kind of nonsense we have dealt with for eight years. Plus, the media told me that he flip-flopped yesterday on Iraq even though he said exactly the same thing he has said all along, so I don’t know if I can trust him to do the right thing. He might be just as bad as the current administration.
*** Update ***
The transcript of this press briefing is even worse than I guessed it would be. Not only was the proclamation about KSM walking the streets not challenged, it was treated seriously:
Q: One last thing, then. If the stakes are so high, and you’re saying there’s a possibility that someone like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed could be put out on the streets of the United States, what is a reasonable timetable, then? Is this weeks, months? I mean, you don’t want that to —
MS. PERINO: Well, I think you — the Supreme Court, again, didn’t provide a lot of answers. They just asked — basically asked a lot of questions. And we don’t know how this whole system would work for them to be able to exercise their now constitutional and habeas rights. It’s unchartered territory, so we don’t know.
Q: What’s the best-case scenario, then, given that that’s the circumstance? What would the White House like to see happen?
MS. PERINO: Well, that’s what we’re working through right now. And we’re trying to make sure that everyone remains safe and that enemy combatants who are a threat to innocent life are kept in detention.
Think about that. The WH press secretary said something completely and totally far-fetched, about as ridiculous as stating “We have information that Martians may invade tomorrow, so we may need to cut taxes on the top .5% of earners to make sure everyone is safe,” and rather than challenging it, the press asks when the tax cuts would take place.
The absence of a decent media is honestly killing this country.
Yeah, Well, You Know OBAMA FLIP FLOPPED ON IRAQ
Al Gore never claimed that he invented the Internet. Howard Dean didn’t scream. Hillary Clinton didn’t say she was staying in the race because Barack Obama might be assassinated. And Wesley Clark didn’t impugn John McCain’s military service.
Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary, titled his tell-all memoir “What Happened.” But a true account of modern American politics should be titled “What Didn’t Happen.” Again and again we’ve had media firestorms over supposedly revealing incidents that never actually took place.
***“Two days into the Wesley Clark fallout,” wrote the Columbia Journalism Review on Tuesday morning, “the press, the G.O.P., and the Obama campaign all seem to have agreed that Clark’s recent remarks on John McCain’s service record were at best impolitic and at worst despicable.”
Since then, however, both the press and the Obama campaign seem to have recovered some of their balance. Opinion pieces have started to appear pointing out that General Clark didn’t say what he’s accused of saying. Mr. Obama has also declared that General Clark doesn’t owe Mr. McCain an apology for his “inartful” remarks and denies that his own condemnation, in a speech given on Monday, of those who “devalue” military service was aimed at the general.
In the end, the Clark affair may have strengthened the Obama campaign. Last week, with his cave-in on wiretapping, Mr. Obama was showing disturbing signs of falling into the usual Democratic cringe on national security. This may have been the week he rediscovered the virtues of standing tall.
Furthermore, my sense, though it’s hard to prove, is that the press is feeling a bit ashamed about the way it piled on General Clark. If so, news organizations may think twice before buying into the next fake scandal.
Is McCain hosting a bbq today?
Yeah, Well, You Know OBAMA FLIP FLOPPED ON IRAQPost + Comments (51)
Happy 4th
Raining here, so not much to do in the way of 4th activities.
On the upside, google’s site is all gussied up in patriotic colors, so we have avoided a minor hissy-fit from the right-wing blogs.
*** Update ***
PS- I hate Democrats. You all have your little pet issue, and if the candidate does not say exactly what you want, you pitch a fit for five months, all the while remaining incapable of figuring out that if there was sufficient political will in the country for said pet issue, there WOULD PROBABLY BE MORE PEOPLE IN CONGRESS WHO SHARED YOUR OPINION ON FISA (or whatever the issue is). No wonder Democrats can’t get elected. They have to fight the Republicans, the media, and the Democrats.
You all suck. I think I am done blogging for the day. I have nothing but contempt for you all.