Bush and Obama and Cheeeeney...

i really have been wondering for the last several days if there has been communication between George Bush and Barack Obama over everything going on. seems like the question has been answered by Mr. Obama himself:

In an interview with C-SPAN that will air in entirety at 10.a.m. Saturday, President Barack Obama acknowledged having had conversations with Bush since leaving office, though he insisted on abiding by "a general policy of keeping confidence with your predecessor."

Obama Has Talked With Bush Since Inauguration
Sam Stein, Huffington Post
May 23, 2009

personally, i thought that it was a certainty that they have been talking. i also believe that Obama probably has been talking to George H.W., Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter. i also speculate that George W. has been counseled by his father, George H.W. on how to respond or, rather, how not to respond to Cheeney's mutterings.

there is much talk that Mr. Bush and Cheeeeney were at odds towards the end of Bush's term in office. Bush himself said it was time to close Gitmo; Mr. Cheeeney has been continuing his talk to keep it open. something is obviously not right here.

now comes word that Mr. Cheeeney is hawking a book deal - Cheney Seeks Book Deal on Bush Years and More, New York Times, 5/22/09 - and the last few weeks of Cheeeeney's actions and behaviour seem to be even more self-aggrandizing as some have come to explain one reason for his whirlwind jaunt. it's almost a book tour being done BEFORE the book is published.

actually, no publisher has even bought the book yet.

not to worry there. someone is just waiting on the chance to jump on that. that person wants to make a lot of money. Mr. Cheeeeney seems to be investing on his reputation more than anything else.

well, he doesn't need the money. does he?

the former vice-president...

i love the way that Chris Matthews pronounces his name - Cheeney.

just listening to the excerpts from his speechifying today at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank [an oxyomoron?] i wish the man would just go away.

i realize that i'm a small cog in the wheel of Republicans and Democrats who wish the same thing.

Cheeney is so over the top he borders on mental. that anyone can believe that it is right to harm another person for any reason is beyond me.

he says that he saved thousands of lives with this actions; he says the safety of the U.S. was strengthened because of his actions; and he believes that what he did is forgivable.

it's not.

he is diminished in his humanity and he has diminished the humanity of the country.

if he were a priest, i'd use the line i've used in several previous posts - here...

the score seems to be adding up...

the more i've been reading about Obama's release of the torture memos and his decision not to pursue any legal maneuvers the more it seems that most people do not like his stand.

i don't either.

with all the talk during the campaign with emphasis on the Rule of Law, as a lawyer he is shirking his legal and ethical standards as an officer of the courts.

the best argument i've heard was Keith Olbermann's Special Comment last night. Olbermann lays out the argument succinctly bringing in historical reference that is quire indisputable, going all the way back to the Civil War.

you can watch and read Olbermann's Special Comment over at Crooks and Liars. it's really to the point.

Countdown Special Comment: Future of US Depends on Torture Accountability

one of the better round-ups of the flurry of pundits, newspeople and other media is over at Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish.

he has links to Greenwald, Coles, and others in a lot of posts he's done. one of the more telling post's title is We Are Now Indonesia.

IMO, Obama has surpassed all of the obfuscations over the last eight years in one fell swoop...

a very scary thought...

what if, in one or two years time, we discover that Dick Cheney was actually not the driving force behind the hard rhetoric and hawkish stances of the Bush Administration but was actually the one reining the Tsar in all along the way?

that is a scary thought... don't you think?

i'm watching Olbermann again...

and just had a really, really scary thought while listening to his Special Comment on John McCain's statement that pulling the troops out of Iraq is not the most important thing.

the really, really scary thought?

Rasputin Cheney as McCain's vice-presidential choice!

remember - "In a world where carpenters get resurrected, anything is possible."

what was the name of that other movie? you know, the one that has the line, "Be afraid. Be very, very afraid."


oh, my...

two different takes...

While the U.S. is struggling and debating if the country is in a recession [it depends on which politician you listen to] Europe is feeling a different economic problem and I would bet it's all tied to the U.S. economy.

The banner headline in Le Monde today -

L'inflation s'installe en Europe

trans: "Inflation takes hold in Europe"

It reached 3.4% in March, the highest rate since the introduction of the Euro. The European Union declared that it is directly related to the price of fuel.

let's see... oil is around $110 a barrel right now. hmmmm? Tsar George and Rasputin Cheney both were involved with the oil industries and, i assume, the blind trusts that they had to establish when elected are probably ripe with oil stocks, options, etc.

do you think there may be some sort of connection?

just asking...

Impeach Cheney petition...

Wow! 50,000 names in less than 24 hours....

Rep. Robert Wexler (FL-19) posted the video below on his website yesterday calling for Vice-President Dick Cheney's impeachment and support from people. It was answered with those 50,000 signatures in less than 24 hours and now stands at over 70,000 names. It's growing quite quickly.

Though Wexler comes across as a bit vituperative, I have always agreed with this move. My stand comes not so much from the actions of the VP, though they are at face-value criminal, but because of the precedent it does not set, if impeachment proceedings are not begun. It's a dangerous precedent that undermines the checks and balances built into the Constitution. It also emboldens not just Bush/Cheney but any future administration.

You can add your name to the petition at Congressman Wexler's website here.



no one is above the law... no one!

Chicago Sun-Times: Shock makes Cheney's heart OK...

on page 26! and this was the entire story:

WASHINGTON -- Doctors administered an electrical shock Monday to Vice President Dick Cheney's heart and restored it to a normal rhythm. Cheney went home after the procedure. AP

two sentences, buried in a small corner on a back page...

were that it was this simple...

does it count as understatement or hyperbole?

just asking...

can someone clear up the distinction between "lame duck" and "lame"?

Bush compares Democrats' attitude toward terror with those who ignored rise of Lenin, Hitler

Bush argued the current debate over the Iraq war and the administration's anti-terror methods harkens back to debates decades ago over resisting action when Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin first talked about launching a communist revolution, when Adolf Hitler began moves to establish an "Aryan superstate" in Germany, and in the early days of the Cold War when some advocated accommodation of the Soviet Unio

Yes, there is the question, "Well, what if I'm wrong?" in the back of your head when it comes to being opposed to the actions of the Bush/Cheney administration. It's playing directly into the tactics of fear that this administration has used over and over to garner "pseudo" support for an action that has gone terribly wrong.

George Santayana's quote on history is the first thing on the top right column of this blog. What kind of learning is necessary? Why is there always an "axis of evil"? Why has the Bush/Cheney administration said that there is no room to talk with Iran and, in fact, turned down Iran for direct, non-conditional talks in the past?

I used to think that maybe a nuclear war would be what it takes to make people come to their senses at the senselessness of this sort of conflict. One thing that I forgot to take into consideration is the lack of sense in people like Bush, Cheney and Ahmadinejad. It's interesting that all three are "lame ducks". Of course, the scary thing is that we have until 2009 before these lamesters are out of office. While, ironically, bin Laden goes on his merry little way.

What's the difference between reading the pulse on the mind of a nation/world or a finger on the button of destruction?

just asking...

how much are Bush & Cheney's "blind' trusts worth?

I should have stopped to fill up the tank yesterday. It was at $2.92 a gallon. I didn't thinking I'd just do it today.

Today it's $3.09 a gallon. That's 17¢ more in less than 24 hours!

The price of a barrel of oil closed at $96.24, the highest yet. They are predicting that it will be at $100 by the end of the year.

The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 provides that the administration and congressional members place holding in a blind trust to prevent any possible conflict of interest or suggestion of inappropriate influence in their decision making.

Of course, the parties themselves set up the trusts and name the trustees. Soooooo, the question is, how much are George W and Dick's trusts worth? It would be totally within reason to believe that they still have substantial holding in the oil industry.

dontcha think?

just asking...

great quote from Ezra Klein...

on Hardball with Chris Matthews he was asked during a roundtable about Mr. Cheney's role in the Plame cover-up, his actions with Iraq, and everything in Cheney's stand::

"We have always been at war with Oceania."

sad, but true...

warn your family and friends, quickly...

heads-up from Salon.com -

Cheney's got a gun, again

Our friends at Think Progress are up with an important warning for readers in New York's Hudson River Valley: Vice President Dick Cheney will be hunting there this weekend.

Tim Grieve does add a caveat though -

To be fair, Cheney has never actually shot anyone in New York -- at least as far as we know.

still, i better call Jimi and Rickie and make sure they are staying in the city this weekend. better safe than sorry...

Obama and Cheney related...

Lynne Cheney, on the circuit to sell her new book, announced to Norah O'Donnell on MSNBC that in her research for the book she discovered that her husband Rasputin, sorry, Dick and Barack Obama are eighth cousins.

Obama's response, well his spokesperson's -

A spokesman for Obama, who wants to be the first black U.S. president, offered a tongue-in-cheek response. “Every family has a black sheep,” said spokesman Bill Burton.

I can't even make a comment about this. Obama's spokesperson said it the best...

impeachment arguments...

One of the main arguments against impeachment of the Bush/Cheney administration is the turmoil that it would bring to the country like the circus of the Clinton impeachment. It's an acceptable argument. The time spent on hysterics was critical for the wing-nuts (i'm sorry. social conservatives) to foment its hatred for the Clintons as well as make a name/reputation for themselves.

Another argument against impeachment is timing. There are only 463.5 days left for the Bush/Cheny administration. In other words, "Surely, we can last this short amount of time?"

Still one more argument against impeachment is the length of time it would take to actually follow the process. There are many other arguments.

BUT...

what about the precedent that is being set?

There has been an ample amount of proof that both Bush and Cheney have not upheld their end of the bargain when they swore at their inauguration to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." The lead up to the Iraq incursion was illegal. The denials of torture are found in not only statements from military but also in "leaked" internal documents. Mr. Bush's "signing statements" actually say that he, not the Federal Courts or Congress, has the right to make the law and have the final say in its constitutionally.

The Constitution creates three equal parts to the federal government - the executive, the congressional and the judicial. One of the functions each has is a check and balance on the other two. The framers of the Constitution did not want to place all of the power in one element, let alone in the hands of one man/woman. The term often used to describe the Bush/Cheney administration is "imperial presidency." Of course, they, and their supporters refer to it as the "unitary executive." Semantics.

The best argument for impeachment is the possible example it sets for future presidential administrations to use the justification that, "It's been done before, so why shouldn't we?" Bush/Cheney has used less than this to defend their actions. In effect, one of the issues of the current political race for the White House runs something like this: "Do we really want Hillary Clinton to have all that power?" Of course it is the wing-nuts, who spearheaded the current "unitary executive" theory who are crying this the loudest.

One other thing. The House of Representatives and the Senate take the same oath. Below is the first sentence/paragraph of that oath:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

If the House and Senate is aware of only the things being reported by media about the Bush/Cheney administration's actions [that is all we know, so i'm sure they actually know more], aren't they breaking their oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic... also?

just asking...

"What a fucking disgrace..."

...this man [Bush] and his journalistic lackeys are.

Excuse my language. But I can't take this any longer. We're at war; and he's still playing Rove's game.

Andrew Sullivan, The War Council, September 19, 2007

Yeah, there's a lot of us who have been saying this for a long, long time. Andrew has been slowly coming around to this view, actually much quicker for the last year or so, and his anger is coming out. Good for him.

My anger has been around for a long time. I've said in previous posts that I can't take it any longer. It's one of the reasons I really haven't been posting serious topics for a while unless they strike me as totally off the wall. I've only been doing jokes and ridiculous things that people do.

Today, the Busheviks made the Republican Senators toe the line by 1) using the filibuster threat against the bill reinstating habeaus corpus and 2) Senator Webb's bill that would have had the troops spend as much time at home as their last rotation to Iraq. I mean, these authoritarians are caving into the social dominators, Bush/Cheney, every time. What are they afraid of? Loosing Congress? They have already. Loosing the White House? It's almost a forgone conclusion. It's almost a given that in 2008 they're going to loose even more.

You know..., what's more important about these two votes, and the way they happened, has more to do with the process of government, democracy to be specific, than the outcomes. It smacks of dystopian autocratics - Mssrs. Bush and Cheney über alles.

The majority of the American people in poll after poll and in the November 2006 election let their wishes be known. The authoritarian Republicans have allowed the Bush/Cheney administration to say, "The American people don't know what's best for them. We do." That's a fascist plutocratic form of governing. It's not a democracy.

The republican process of our democratic government is not functioning. Instead of the long held fear of the majority over a minority [remember Majority rule and minority rights] we have minority rule and majority rights festered with minority tyranny.

People are blaming the Democrats for not making good on the promises they made. They can't make good on them. They are being blocked at every turn. Bush/Cheney have something to keep their minions in line. Some say it's the fear tactic. "The terrorists are going to come and get us. America has never lost a war. We have to support the troops. We can't let the rest of the world down." I think that's bullshit.

I think it is the pull of power. What's the old saying? "Absolute power corrupts absolutely!" We sure have seen the proof of that for the last seven years. Bush/Cheney grab more and more power and believe it is their right.

So, Andrew, keep getting fucking disgusted. A lot of us are. The one thing that the history of this country has shown is that when the American people get fucking mad, they always make the right decisions and moves and that began with the Revolutionary War.

The Busheviks are good at reminding everyone what they say the founding fathers had in mind and quoting them chapter and verse as their proof. What they keep forgetting is Washington, Franklin, Adams, Madison, Jefferson etal got fucking mad and overthrew a legitimate government on this continent. That wasn't a conservative move. It was fucking radical.



Jeebus, Andrew certainly got my dander up. thanks, Andrew...

if you haven't heard...

the argument being used by Gonzales, besides his condition of donta recalitis, and now being touted by Mike McConnell, is that he wasn't speaking of the TSP [Terrorist Surveillance Program]. He was referring to another aspect of surveillance that was going on that could not be mentioned due to national security issues.

The bigger question now is what other aspects? If the TSP had to be made public because of a congressional inquiry, what was/is being held in secret? AND are they worse than about what we know? It also seems that the Congress doesn't know about these things either.

Mr. Cheney on Larry King last night contradicted both Gonzales and McConnell and said it was about the TSP.

my father always told me to never tell a lie - no one believes the truth anyway!

ain't that the truth?

too bad these guys didn't know my father...

how conveennnnyent...

that's what the Church Lady, aka Dana Carvey, used to say on SNL

Larry King has just heard what fits right into the Church Lady's comment:

Cheney on Trip to Ashcroft's Hospital Bedside: "I Don't Recall"

Larry King: In that regard, The New York Times -- which, as you said, is not your favorite -- reports it was you who dispatched Gonzales and Andy Card to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital in 2004 to push Ashcroft to certify the President's intelligence-gathering program. Was it you?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I don't recall -- first of all, I haven't seen the story. And I don't recall that I gave instructions to that effect.

That would be something you would recall.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I would think so. But certainly I was involved because I was a big advocate of the Terrorist Surveillance Program, and had been responsible and working with General Hayden and George Tenet to get it to the President for approval. By the time this occurred, it had already been approved about 12 times by the Department of Justice. There was nothing new about it.

LK: So you didn't send them to get permission.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I don't recall that I was the one who sent them to the hospital.

how conveennnnyent...


don't you think that he should be able to answer a direct yes or no to that question? is there some sort of contagious disease running rampant in Washington, D.C.?

donta recalitis?

Gonzales repeatedly used the words "I don't recall." in his Congressional hearings. Others have also. It's spreading rapidly.

I certainly hope that they'll get the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services on the bandwagon quickly to come up with a cure. Given their track record on global disasters like AIDS, I don't have much hope though.

Oh, wait. It's a Republican disease. They'll put all the government's money behind it finding an antidote, ummm remedy, ummm medication, ummm antiserum, ummm treatment, ummm physic!

that's the word - physic - it's what my grandmother used to call an enema!

i feel safer now...

kismet?

how perfectly coincidental that this news should come out right after I posted the last item -

Vice President Dick Cheney will serve as acting president briefly Saturday while President Bush is anesthetized for a routine colonoscopy, White House spokesman Tony Snow said Friday. CNN.com

At least for 14½ hours he won't be full of shit. If you have never had a colonoscopy, it's necessary to be, ummm, cleaned out before the test. Wonder what else they may find up there?

think about it...


actually, I just thought of something awful. Cheney will have 2½ hours when he'll be able to invade or bomb Iran...

i think i'm very afraid, right now...

ah, to be in ignorant bliss...

QT in the Chicago Sun-Times has this great tidbit for the 4th of July :

Dick who?

A Republic, If You Can Keep It (cont'd):

Three out of 10 Americans you see on the street can't name the vice president.

were that it was so easy. life would be so much simpler...

no chance, no way...

Even Richard Nixon knew it was time to resign

Would that you could say that, Mr. Bush.

And that you could say it for Mr. Cheney.

You both crossed the Rubicon yesterday.

Which one of you chose the route, no longer matters.

Which is the ventriloquist, and which the dummy, is irrelevant.

Keith Olbermann, Special Comment, Countdown, Tuesday, July 3, 2007

The Czar and Rasputin could never show the insight and understanding that, in the end, Richard Nixon showed by resigning. Nixon still had a sense of honor. These two men have no honor that can be found in their wills or actions. They are bolstered by the words of the people who stroke their egos. The Ann Coulters, the Rush Limbaughs, the Bill O'Reillys....

There was another thing that helped Mr. Nixon realize that resignation was the only correct course of action - outrage. Outrage that was non-partisan. The Republican leadership stood up to him and said, "Enough." They had the courage to grasp the facts and to act in a way they knew was right, because they realized that the Constitution was under attack. They helped Mr. Nixon understand that.

I fear that there may only be one person on the Republican sides of the aisles of Congress that could do this - Senator Arlen Specter. So far, he has been the sole voice of reason questioning what is going on. Unfortunately, if any of the other Republicans are listening to him, they aren't making it known.

I've asked this before and it's becoming more and more important...

Where is the outrage?