FYI, for those playing at home, Mandela is alive:
Grade Inflation 101
Bush today at a press conference: QUESTION: Do you think there’s a risk of a recession? How do you rate that? BUSH: You know, you need to talk to economists. I think I got a B in Econ 101. I got an A, however, in keeping taxes low and being fiscally responsible with the people’s money. It’s nice to see … Read More
Bush Thanks “Austrian” Troops In Iraq
Too bad he was in Australia. [Note: There are no Austrian troops in Iraq; there are, however, 1,500 Australian military personnel] UPDATE: Apparently, that gaffe was one among many: “Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit,” Bush said to Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Except Bush was attening the APEC summit. Bush quickly corrected himself. … Read More
Our Crying President
George Bush, to author Paul Draper for his book Dead Certain: "I’ve got God’s shoulder to cry on. And I cry a lot … I do a lot of crying in this job. I’ll bet I’ve shed more tears than you can count, as president. I’ll shed some tomorrow." I’m with Paul Begala on this one: [F]orgive me if I … Read More
Conservative With A Conscience
Former Assistant Attorney General Jack Goldsmith was a Bush Administration insider, with a stack of conservative credentials. As Glenn Greenwald notes, Goldsmith is “no hero.” He “is a hard-core right-wing ideologue who continues to support many of the administration’s most radical positions, including his view that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions does not apply to terrorist suspects (the … Read More
DOJ Investigating Gonzalez For Lying To Congress
Good: The Justice Department’s inspector general indicated yesterday that he is investigating whether departing Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales gave false or misleading testimony to Congress, including whether he lied under oath about warrantless surveillance and the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. I guess it’ll be easier for the DOJ to investigate the DOJ, now that Gonzalez no longer runs … Read More
“You Don’t Rewrite What I Write”
That’s a line from one of my favorite movies, Reds. John Reed (Warren Beatty) is arguing with his Russian communist superiors how the speeches he ghostwrites to promote the communist cause somehow get altered when they are translated. In the movie, this marks the beginning of Reed’s dissolutionment with socialism, a cause for which he championed his whole adult life. … Read More
Two Years Ago Today
With a strong nod to Digby… 7AM CDT — KATRINA MAKES LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE [CNN] 7:30 AM CDT — BUSH ADMINISTRATION NOTIFIED OF THE LEVEE BREACH: The administration finds out that a levee in New Orleans was breached. On this day, 28 “government agencies, from local Louisiana parishes to the White House, [reported that] that New Orleans … Read More
Heckuva Jobs
Okay, well. It’s old news now that Alberto is resigning. I have nothing to say about that, other than it is waaaay too late. The thing about Gonzalez is that he should not have been there in the first place. He got the position because he was one of Bush’s boys back in Texas. It’s that cronyism thing…. again. Bush … Read More
Making The Clinton White House Look Like A Nunnery
Jeff Gannon first came on the national radar in early 2005, as the White House reporter who asked softball questions of the President and the Press Secretary. Questions like: "Senate Democratic leaders have painted a very bleak picture of the U.S. economy. (Senate Minority Leader) Harry Reid was talking about soup lines. And (Senator) Hillary Clinton was talking about the … Read More
Connecting The Dots
Americans who give Bush a positive approval rating: 28% Americans who read zero books last year: 27% Coincidence?
White (House) Wedding
So Jenna Bush has announced her engagement. And Wonkette notices that Jenna (unlike her sister, NotJenna) has been looking a little — shall we say — wide around the waist lately. May 31, 2007: June 17, 2007: August 12, 2007 (Jenna, on the left, takes up most of the seat, yes?):
Somebody’s Lying
Alberto Gonzales (under oath), July 24: "When we got there, I would just say that Mr. Ashcroft did most of the talking. We were there maybe five minutes, five or six minutes. Mr. Ashcroft talked about the legal issues in a lucid form." Today’s Post: Then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft was "feeble," "barely articulate" and "stressed" moments after a hospital … Read More
Stewart on Cheney
This is a treat. Even though it’s a comedy show, Stewart asks hard questions that nobody else seems to ask…. At the end, he refers to John Gibson, the Fox News wanker who played an audio of Jon Stewart on 9/20/01, the day The Daily Show returned on the air following the 9/11 attacks. Stewart was clearly shaken (as we … Read More
Rove To Quit
Cool. Apparently without irony, he told reporters that he is going to go dove-hunting. Seriously. People think that Rove was an "evil genius" because of his strategic brilliance. Carpetbagger thinks that a lot of hype, but: His significance has everything to do with his cutthroat, win-at-all-cost style. Rove believes the political rule that there are no rules. Laws are meant … Read More