Tag: Election 2004

Keeping Secrets, Keeping Suspects.

Slate‘s Dahlia Lithwick reports in on the Bush administration’s twin attempts before the Supreme Court to lock up US citizens and hide their shady energy deals indefinitely. Update: The Times and Post weigh in as well.

Losin’ It.

Continuing his recent spate of bizarre pronouncements, Zell Miller calls for repeal of the 17th Amendment, as apparently the direct election of senators is the primary cause for the domination of special interests in Washington these days. Well, the principle of federalism aside, it’s hard to take seriously any such special interest prescription from a guy like Zell, who’s gone so far out of his way to prostrate himself before Dubya and his cadre of corporate cronies. Sorry Zell…it’s Miller time no longer.

Iraq-Contra?

“Woodward reports that in July 2002 Bush ordered the use of $700 million to prepare for the invasion of Iraq, funds that had not been specifically appropriated by the Congress, which alone holds that constitutional authority. No adequate explanation has been offered for what, strictly speaking, might well be an impeachable offense.” Sidney Blumenthal sees the behavior underlying Reagan’s Iran-Contra fiasco revived, while law professor Cass Sunstein delves deeper into the illegality and unconstitutionality of Dubya’s likely misappropriation of funds.

Revisionist History.

Once again, it seems, the Bush administration is falsifying records to cover up their shadiness. This time, the Pentagon deleted key remarks made by Rumsfeld to Bob Woodward on the certainty of the Iraq war. (Regarding an invasion of Iraq, Rummy told the Saudis in Jan. 2003, two months before operations commenced, that they could “take that to the bank.”) Given the other times the Bushies have been caught doing this, their withholding of Reagan and Bush Sr. papers, and the general moral turpitude of this administration, one has to wonder how snarled up the historical record is at this point.

Failing Up Yet Again.

Clandestine oil deals with the Saudis, secret (and quite probably) illegal misappropriation of anti-terrorism funds, Bob Woodward’s confirmation that Richard Clarke was right despite the Bushies’ smear machine…no matter how you cut it, the news coming out of the White House these days looks grimmer and grimmer. Now Dubya is actually running on the Patriot Act, of all things, and yet his poll numbers are rising?! I’m going to chalk up this latest bounce to sheer GOP cash flow (a funding discrepancy soon to change) and the post-primary press lull for Kerry. But, still, I find it hard to believe that anybody of an independent disposition can look at what’s going on in Washington these days and in good conscience vote for Dubya. This joker can’t handle the 9/11 commission without Cheney by his side, and he can’t even face the national press without begging to see the questions in advance. Why on Earth would anyone think this fool should stay in office? Inept and corrupt, Bush is easily the worst president America has seen since Warren G. Harding. In fact, he’s probably worse. Where’s the outrage?

Dubya and his cronies have coasted on the “soft bigotry of low expectations” long enough…let’s vote out these guys, already.

Not Ready for Primetime?

Sorry 24 and American Idol fans…Dubya takes over the airwaves tonight to “reassure” us about Iraq, and perhaps explain why he spent the day he was warned about Al Qaeda attacks just goofing off at the ranch. Hmm…I wonder if he’ll only answer press questions in the presence of Cheney…after all, the Prisoner’s Dilemma still holds.

Two-Front War.

I haven’t spoken much about it here, but obviously the situation in Iraq is getting much, much worse. I think it’s now safe to assume that our war president‘s June 30 pullout date is an election-year fantasy. Who the hell’s running this half-assed outfit? You’d think that after getting us involved in this unnecessary sideshow of a war, Bush and the neocons would at least have the decency to execute it properly. But, no, they’re still prattling on about a peaceful transfer of power and hoping we ignore the unmistakable signs of an incipient civil war, and all the while the US casualties mount. What’s the plan? (War prez link via Medley.)

Love (and Vote With) Thy Neighbor.

Goodbye, ethnic enclaves. Hello, partisan provinces. Delving deeper into the red state/blue state meme, Slate‘s Tim Noah discovers that the partisan divide now extends to red and blue counties. Apparently, “geographic segregation by major-party affiliation at the county level [has] increased by 47 percent” since 1976.

The Boy in the Bubble.

“There was always something of the boy in the bubble about George W. Bush, cosseted from the vicissitudes of life, from Vietnam to business failure, by his famous name….Now we’re told the military is preparing an “overwhelming” retaliation to the carnage in Falluja. You can hear the clammy blast from the past: We’re going to destroy that village to save it.” Maureen Dowd ruminates on recent events in Iraq…and the Bush administration’s failure to recognize their gravity.