“Impeach Bush!”

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Foreign Affairs, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

In case you haven’t been paying attention, that’s been the rally cry from the rightwing side of the blogosphere.

Why?

Because the Bush Administration reportedly has been shadowing the Minutemen (the group of private citizens monitoring the U.S.-Mexican border for illegal immigrants), and reporting information about Minutemen groups (including their locations) to the Mexican government.  Michelle Malkin started the fire going, and other right bloggers joined in:

  • Confederate Yankee: "I’ll never support impeachment proceedings brought against President [Bush] for going to war with Iraq based on flawed intelligence. … His resistance to protecting this nation’s borders, however is another matter entirely. Bush refuses to protect the territorial integrity of the United States, leaving us exposed to an importation of poverty that strains our social welfare system and artificially depresses wages."
  • Riehl World View: "Maybe Bob’s right and Bush should be impeached. He can always retire to Mexico."
  • Weapons of Mass Destruction: "It almost seems like the stuff of fiction. A government agency shadowing the actions of American citizens and then reporting their movements and actions to a foreign government. …If a Republican President, Republican House, and Republican Senate is not enough to implement a sensible border policy in a post 9/11 era, then whats the point?"
  • RightWingNews: "Not only should Congress demand that the Border Patrol stop working with the Mexican government to circumvent our laws, they should launch an investigation in order to find out who signed off on this unconscionable outrage."
  • Bryan at Hot Air: "I’ve seen several administrations do a lot of outrageous things, but tipping a foreign government to the legal activities of American citizens just might be the most outrageous thing I’ve ever seen any American administration do."
  • Daily Pundit: "As for the treacherous Bush administration notifying a foreign power of the actions of homegrown patriots, that goes beyond despicable, and assures that the administration has no further claim on my support whatsoever. George W. Bush supports a foreign power engaged in fostering a criminal invasion of our country over the very Americans trying to stop that invasion!"
  • Tom N at Hot Air: "It surely could put the lives of the minutemen at risk, especially from drug runners..I’ve been a republican since Reagan and now IM getting worried about where the party is going..

    • The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol have denied the story, but many on the right aren’t buying it.

    Pass the popcorn.

    UPDATE:  Wow.  Even the Corner’s John Derbyshire has had enough:

    I kept my mouth pretty well shut when the splendid whack-’em’upside-the-head assault on Iraq turned into a ludicrous and apologetic "nation-building" exercise.  I bellyached in a restrained fashion at the Harriet Miers farce.  I kept my grumbling over Medicaid, the budget bloat, and border security at a decently low volume.  This one, though, I can’t take.
    I can’t think of a single thing to say in favor of the national Republican party, its senators, representatives, governors, and administration.  I can’t think of a single reason why, right now, I should vote for any of them. 

    CBS/NYT Poll

    Ken AshfordSex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

    There’s a lot of good news for Democrats buried in the details of today’s CBS/New York Times poll, which you can read here (PDF). 

    No, it’s not just the approval rating (this poll also puts Bush at 31%).

    It’s things like this:

    "Do you think the Republican party or the Democratic party comes closer to sharing your moral values?"

    Republican party: 37%.

    Democrat party: 50%.

    So, the Democrats have become the party of morality.  Heh.

    I suppose there’s two ways of looking at this — (1) America has gone to the dogs; or (2) America is coming to its senses.  I go with (2).

    Cosmo and Jane Are Ruining America

    Ken AshfordSex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

    Cosmopolitan2019461_1The latest from the American Taliban:

    A pro-family organization in Michigan is mobilizing forces to protest magazine displays in grocery story checkout lines.

    Bill Johnson’s American Decency Association says he is tired of the risqué magazine displays along the checkout line, and his group wants to do something about it.

    "If there’s a place where Christians can win the battle against indecency, it ought to be at the checkout counter," says Johnson. "And it’s greatly concerning to us because we believe there are numbers of people who are really alarmed by the pornographic nature, the verbiage, the actual pictures themselves [on the magazine covers]." The vulgar nature of many of the magazines can wield an influence, he contends. "Little by little, that which we tolerate and that which we then accept … does work its way down into the very moral fiber of our country," eventually becoming the "cultural norm," he says.

    Particularly upsetting to Johnson’s group is the current issue of Cosmopolitan, which is devoted to sexual fulfillment techniques for women.

    CosmopolitanjloSexual fulfillment techniques for women?  No, we can’t have that!

    Look, I have my own particular problem with these magazines — collectively, I think they set up unrealistic expectations of what women should look like, and that contributes to esteem problems (particularly in teenage girls), and health problems.  Frankly, I think that’s a real issue worth debating — unlike trying to get Food Lion to conform to somebody’s priggish view of society.

    Anyway, the American Decency Association (don’t you love the name?) website has some suggestions about how to combat the Cosmo scourge upon your shopping trips.

    National Security

    Ken AshfordWar on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

    This doesn’t make me think that the Bush Administration is up to the job of ensuring national security:

    How much do you think Osama bin Laden would pay to know exactly when and where the President was traveling, and who was with him? Turns out, he wouldn’t have had to pay a dime. All he had to do was go through the trash early Tuesday morning.

    It appears to be a White House staff schedule for the President’s trip to Florida Tuesday. And a sanitation worker was alarmed to find in the trash long hours before Mr. Bush left for his trip.

    It’s the kind of thing you would expect would be shredded or burned, not thrown in the garbage.  Randy Hopkins could not believe what he was seeing.

    There on the floor next to a big trash truck was a thick sheaf of papers with nearly every detail of the President’s voyage.

    “I saw locations and names and places where the President was going to be. I knew it was important. And it shouldn’t have been in a trash hole like this,” he said.

    What The Tax Cuts Mean To You

    Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & DeficitLeave a Comment

    GOP conservatives voted yesterday to extend  the 15 percent tax rate for capital gains and dividends until 2010.  This will add another 70 billion to the deficit.

    But you’ll get a tax refund, right?  Well… actually…. according to the Tax Policy Center study (as reported by the New York Times):

    The top tenth of 1 percent, whose average income is $5.3 million, would save an average of $82,415. Those in the top group would see their tax bill cut 4.8 percent, while Americans at the center of the income distribution — the middle fifth of taxpayers, who will earn an average of $36,000 this year — could expect a 0.4 percent reduction in their tax bill, or about $20.

    Those who make less than $75,000 — which includes about 75 percent of all taxpayers — would save, at most, $110 each. Those making more than $1 million would save, on average, almost $42,000.

    Enjoy your refund.  Maybe you can buy a tank of gas (unless you’re a millionaire, in which case you can buy another car and the gas).

    American Idol Update: Elvis Week

    Ken AshfordPopular Culture1 Comment

    Liveblogging tonight!

    Well, I think this is going to be Elliott’s last night, but we’ll see. 

    Oh, it’s Elvis.  Katharine must not be pleased.

    FIRST ROUND

    (1)  Taylor ("Jailhouse Rock"):  This is typical Taylor.  Boisterous and fun.  I’m not sure "typical Taylor" is what he should be doing.  He’s great, but he needs to kick it up this week.  Vocals: A-; Performance: A-

    (2) Chris ("Suspicious Minds"):  I keep forgetting just how rich the tone of his voice is.  He’s nailing this.  Not sure about the sunglasses and the INXS-like skulking, but he’s really great.  Vocals: A+; Performance A-

    (3)  Elliott ("I Can Dream"):  Never heard of this song.  Good choice for him though.  He’s got this down good.  Hmmm.  If he’s to be leaving this week, it’s not without a fight.  Good for him.  Vocals: A; Performance: B+

    (4)  Katharine ("Hound Dog", mostly):  Just not a great song for her and a little pitchy.  Did she just forget the lyrics?  Why, yes she did.  Oh, this is not good (comparatively).  Vocals: B; Performance: B

    Well, if tonight is the only night that voters care about, Katharine is in deep shit.

    SECOND ROUND:

    (1)  Taylor ("In The Ghetto"):  I don’t know.  Taylor is bugging me tonight.  His eyes are shifty.  This is better than his first one though.  Something seemed to go wrong at the end.  But nice to see this side of him.  Vocals: A; Performance: B+

    (2)  Chris ("A Little Less Conversation"):  This is in a great (low) register for him.  Again, I’m reminded of that dead INXS guy whose name escapes me [POST-SHOW UPDATE: the late Michael Hutchence].  He better kick it up an octave — ah, there it is.  Fantastic.  Vocals: A++; Performance: A-

    (3)  Elliott ("Evil"):  He’s picking the Elvis songs that people (meaning, you know, me) don’t know.  Wow, that was great!  By far his best.  He’s definitely not going this week (unless, of course, he is).  The judges are right — his best performance of the series.  Vocals: A+; Performance: A

    (4)  Katharine ("Can’t Help Falling In Love"):  No, she’s not nailing it.  She’s sounding shrill, even.  Oh, dear.  Oh, dear.  A little pitchy, too.  Vocals: B; Performance: B

    You know what?  Unless this is just a popularity contest now among Idol fans (and it may be), Katharine will be history.  It’s a shame really.   But even I want to see more Elliott now, and I’ve been riding him hard for weeks.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not in the bottom two.

    Worse Than ‘Nam

    Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

    Percent of Americans in April 1968 who said that sending troops to Vietnam was a mistake: 48%

    Percent of Americans in latest poll who said that sending troops to Iraq was a mistake: 57%

    Source

    “I Want To Talk About Medicare, But First….”

    Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

    U.S. federal agencies received an email telling them to work in "progress in Iraq" talking points whenever and wherever they give a public statement, according to the Washington Post.

    So if the U.S. Department of Agriculture were to give a press briefing on the subject of, say, the avian flu, they have to somehow work "good news" from Iraq into their statement.

    Here’s an actual suggestion (from the original document [PDF]) about how to work the subject of Iraq into press briefings that have nothing to do with Iraq:

    Usdairaq

    Awwwwkward.  Kind of like…

    The name of the book about which
    This book report is about is
    Peter Rabbit which is about this
    Rabbit.
    I found it very-
    I liked the part where-
    It was a-

    It reminded me of "Robin Hood"
    And the part where Little John jumped from the rock
    To the Sheriff of Nottingham’s back.
    And then Robin and everyone swung from the trees
    In a sudden surprise attack.

    HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson Should Resign

    Ken AshfordBush & Co.Leave a Comment

    What a pinhead.  According to this story, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson took away a government contract from a business, all because the business owner mentioned that he didn’t like Bush. 

    How do we know this happened?  Because Jackson himself bragged about it.  In fact, he told the story as a warning to a conference of other potential government contractors:

    After discussing the huge strides the agency has made in doing business with minority-owned companies, Jackson closed with a cautionary tale, relaying a conversation he had with a prospective advertising contractor.

    "He had made every effort to get a contract with HUD for 10 years," Jackson said of the prospective contractor. "He made a heck of a proposal and was on the (General Services Administration) list, so we selected him. He came to see me and thank me for selecting him. Then he said something … he said, ‘I have a problem with your president.’

    "I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘I don’t like President Bush.’ I thought to myself, ‘Brother, you have a disconnect — the president is elected, I was selected. You wouldn’t be getting the contract unless I was sitting here. If you have a problem with the president, don’t tell the secretary.’

    "He didn’t get the contract," Jackson continued. "Why should I reward someone who doesn’t like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don’t get the contract. That’s the way I believe."

    Yup.  You can jump the administrative hoops and come up with a "heck of a proposal", but it can be taken away from you merely because of your political views.

    Only in Bush’s America. 

    What’s next?  Will federal college aid be denied to Democrats?  After all (according to Jackson’s logic), why should they be rewarded with money if they’re only going to go to university and become educated Bush-hating libs?

    UPDATE:  Think Progress notes:

    Jackson’s conduct appears to be in violation of federal law. From the Federal Acquisition Regulations, 48 CFR 3.101-1:

    Government business shall be conducted in a manner above reproach and, except as authorized by statute or regulation, with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none. Transactions relating to the expenditure of public funds require the highest degree of public trust and an impeccable standard of conduct.

    Jackson has admitted that this particular contract was not awarded with “impartiality.” The business that would have been awarded the contract was excluded because of the contractor’s political views.

    The Competition in Contracting Act (41 U.S.C. 253(b)(1)) details the six circumstances in which a particular contractor can be excluded. Needless to say, political views are not on the list.

    LATE UPDATE:  Jackson’s excuse?  "I lied".  He says he was doing it to illustrate a point.  Hmmm.  The clear point, to any reasonable listener, was that if you don’t like Bush, you won’t get a government contract.  Even if it didn’t actually happen, it’s still a disgraceful position to adopt.  Although, as Think Progress notes, it probably did happen.

    U.S. Military Recruiters Sign Up Mentally Ill

    Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

    A kid with autism?  Wow.  Just . . . wow.

    Jared didn’t know there was a war raging in Iraq until his parents told him last fall — shortly after a military recruiter stopped him outside a Portland strip mall and complimented his black Converse All-Stars.

    “When Jared first started talking about joining the Army, I thought, `Well, that isn’t going to happen,”‘ said Paul Guinther, Jared’s father. “I told my wife not to worry about it. They’re not going to take anybody in the service who’s autistic.”

    But they did. Last month, Jared came home with papers showing that he had not only enlisted, but signed up for the Army’s most dangerous job: cavalry scout. He is scheduled to leave for basic training Aug. 16.

    And other abuses, too:

    A family in Ohio reported that its mentally ill son was signed up, despite rules banning such enlistments and the fact that records about his illness were readily available.

    In Houston, a recruiter warned a potential enlistee that if he backed out of a meeting he’d be arrested.

    And in Colorado, a high school student working undercover told recruiters he’d dropped out and had a drug problem. The recruiter told the boy to fake a diploma and buy a product to help him beat a drug test.

    Vultures.

    Spend-Crazy Republicans

    Ken AshfordCongress, Economy & Jobs & Deficit, RepublicansLeave a Comment

    In March, the GOP-controlled Senate voted to increase the federal debt limit by $781 billion, bringing the debt ceiling to nearly $9 trillion.

    Neat trick.  If you find yourself outspending the legal limits, just change the legal limits.

    And now, two months later, GOP lawmakers decided to raise it again.

    A $2.7 trillion budget plan pending before the House would raise the federal debt ceiling to nearly $10 trillion, less than two months after Congress last raised the federal government’s borrowing limit.

    Of course, they tried to be sneaky about it:

    The provision — buried on page 121 of the 151-page budget blueprint — serves as a backdrop to congressional action this week.

    Yup.  And why do they need to raise the debt ceiling again?  Because congressional Republicans want to cut taxes for the wealthy (again) and pass a half-trillion-dollar defense policy bill.

    WaPo notices that this is nothing new for Repubs in Congress:

    With passage of the budget, the House will have raised the federal borrowing limit by an additional $653 billion, to $9.62 trillion. It would be the fifth debt-ceiling increase in recent years, after boosts of $450 billion in 2002, a record $984 billion in 2003, $800 billion in 2004 and $653 billion in March. When Bush took office, the statutory borrowing limit stood at $5.95 trillion.

    Yeah, and when he took office, Bush vowed to a balanced budget and pay off the national debt, too.

    Depressed Fat Man Approaching New York

    Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

    StevecatoosaFifteen years ago, Steve Vaught of Oceanside, California accidentally killed two pedestrians in a car accident.  That sent him in a downward spiral of depression, and within three years, he had gained 150 pounds (taking his weight to 410).

    Last year on April 10, he decided he had to do something to turn his life around.  So he decided to walk across the country.  No support team or anything.  Just a single documentary film maker who shows up every once in a while.

    Today — 13 months and 2900 miles later — he is scheduled to arrive in New York City, 100 pounds lighter.   Read his exploits at www.thefatmanwalking.com.  New Yorkers can greet Steve at the GW Bridge walkway at 5:30 p.m. (or thereabouts) this evening.

    We here at No You Can’t Have A Pony are more impressed with Mr. Vaught than this self-aggrandizing asshole.