Month: February 2006

Mr. President, read ’em and weep:

Just 17 percent of Americans believe Dubai Ports World should be allowed to purchase operating rights to several U.S. ports. A Rasmussen Reports survey found that 64 percent disagree and believe the sale should not be allowed…

From a political perspective, President Bush’s national security credentials have clearly been tarnished due to the outcry over this issue. For the first time ever, Americans have a slight preference for Democrats in Congress over the President on national security issues. Forty-three percent say they trust the Democrats more on this issue today while 41 percent prefer the President.

It is important to note that the question about trust on national security issues was asked first, before any mention was made of the Dubai Ports issue.

The preference for the opposition party is small, but the fact that Democrats are even competitive on the national security front is startling.

Startling for you maybe but the rest of us have seen through the “Bush makes us safe” charade from the beginning. His response to Katrina exposed his true colors in plain sight.

China Frees Man Jailed During 1989 Protest
BEIJING – A man who was jailed for throwing paint on Mao Zedong’s portrait in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square during pro-democracy protests in 1989 has been released after nearly 17 years in prison, his family said Thursday. We’ll wager he won’t do that again.

London Mayor Suspended Over Nazi Remark
LONDON – Mayor Ken Livingstone was suspended from office for four weeks on Friday for bringing his office into disrepute by comparing a Jewish reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard. “He didn’t look Jewish,” explained Livingstone.

Hamas’ Moscow Trip Angers Israel
JERUSALEM – A top-level Hamas delegation will travel to Moscow next week for meetings with Russian officials, a Hamas official said Friday, part of the militant group’s efforts to gain international legitimacy after sweeping a Palestinian parliamentary election. More evidence these guys should not be allowed to run a country — they think hangin’ with Putin will boost their legitimacy.

Police Sketch Suspect in Big Heist
TONBRIDGE, England – One of Britain’s biggest and most audacious robberies was executed with military-style precision: One gang abducted the cash depot manager’s family while another tied up guards and made off with up to $87 million. Police expect a “Reservoir Dogs” resolution to the matter when one set of robbers realizes they only got the cash depot manager’s family while the other guys got away with all that dough.

Fear factor: It seems that the Bush adminstration’s constant repetition of the “terrer” mantra appears to be working, according to a recent Harris poll:

About two-thirds of respondents said they thought it was likely there would be a terrorist attack in the next year, an increase of more than 10 points since a June 2005 poll.

A majority of respondents also said U.S. law enforcement is “using its expanded surveillance powers in a proper way” to combat terrorism. Four in 10 said it is not, 6 points higher than last year’s measure. Majorities also said they favored most of the security proposals mentioned in the poll, including “expanded camera surveillance on streets and in public places” and “law enforcement monitoring of Internet discussions in chat rooms and other forums.” The only one of the seven that most did not support was “expanded government monitoring of cell phones and email, to intercept communications.”

But most also said that President Bush is at least sometimes justified in wiretapping domestic citizens if they are terrorism suspects, even without court orders. Fifty-three percent said they were familiar with the National Security Agency program.

The Age:

Dozens of charred, smouldering bodies littered the streets of this bustling commercial centre after three days of rioting in which Christian mobs wielding machetes and clubs set upon their Muslim neighbours.

Rioters have killed scores of people here, after burning their homes, businesses and mosques in the worst violence yet linked to the caricatures of the prophet Muhammad first published in a Danish newspaper.

The violence erupted after similar attacks on Christians in northern Nigeria last week by Muslims.

At least 33 bodies were still visible on the streets of Onitsha on Thursday and a local organisation reported that it had already picked up 80 others.

Sectarian violence has pushed the total death toll in the last week well beyond 100, making Nigeria the hardest-hit country so far in the cartoon controversy.

The main thoroughfare leading into the city across the Niger River was covered in bodies of Muslim Hausas who had tried to flee rampaging bands of youths, witnesses said. Many appeared to have been beaten to death; most had been doused with petrol and burned.

Looters combed through the destroyed shops and homes of Muslims.

Murray Waas reports Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to John Negroponte, the head of the new National Intelligence agency, complaining about leaks coming from top officials in the Bush Administration, including providing classified information to Bob Woodward:

In his 2002 book Bush at War, Bob Woodward described almost unfettered access to classified material of the most sensitive nature. According to his account, he was provided information related to sources and methods, extremely sensitive covert actions, and foreign intelligence liaison relationships. If it no wonder, as Director Goss wrote, “because of the number of recent news reports discussing our relationships with other intelligence services, some of these partners have even informed the C.I.A. that they are reconsidering their participation of some of our most important antiterrorism ventures.”

I wrote both former Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) George Tenet and Acting DCI John McLaughlin seeking to determine what steps were being taken to address the appalling disclosures contained in Bush at War. The only response I received was to indicate that the leaks had been authorized by the Administration. The CIA has still not responded to a follow-up letter I sent a year and half ago on September 1, 2004, trying to pin down which officials were authorized to meet with Mr. Woodward and by whom, and what intelligence information was conveyed during these authorized exchanges.

Republicans like to call people who criticize the president,”Bush haters.” They’re also fond of saying that hating Mr. Bush is the same as hating America itself.

Lately, as the Bush regime has begun to disintegrate, Republicans are going on the record to criticize their Dear Leader. However, just because Republicans are finally acknowledging that George W. Bush is not infallible, the rules of discourse they set in place must not be allowed to change:

Criticizing Bush = Hating America

Here are a few Republicans who hate America because President Bush has sold our ports to the Emir of Dubai:

• Michael Brown, former FEMA director: “We ought to get mad at the President… The alarm bells were being sounded on Sunday. Because not only was I having conferences with the President on the telephone, but he was also on the video conference with all of the state emergency managers.”
• William F. Buckley Jr.: “One can’t doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed… And the administration has, now, to cope with failure.”
• Tom Delay, indicted former House Majority Leader: “Politically, for the president, it is a huge mistake for him to be defending this decision. The president will be overturned.”
• Sue Myrick, member of Congress and former Charlotte mayor: In regards to selling American ports to the United Arab Emirates, not just ‘no’ but ‘hell no!’”
• Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader: “As of today, I’m requesting briefings on this deal. If the Administration does not put the deal on hold, I will introduce legislation doing so … to ensure that this decision gets a more thorough review. Common sense warrants it; our national security requires it.”
• Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House: “We must not allow the possibility of compromising our national security due to lack of review or oversight by the federal government.”
• Wayne Allard, senator from Colorado: “My primary concern about this plan is national security. I am asking the president to reconsider this takeover and to put it on hold immediately.”
• Ileana Ros-Lehtinan: “This is a financial transaction whereby DP World … will have 50 percent of the financial interest of a small operation in the port of Miami. This gets people rolling because of the secrecy involved in this committee, CFIUS. There’s not enough transparency. We don’t know what questions have been asked.”
• Cal Thomas, rightwing columnist: “There have been some dumb decisions since the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. … But the decision to sell port operations … to a company owned by the UAE may be the dumbest of all. … Apparently money talked more than common sense.”
• Michelle Malkin: “I stand with critics … who want to stop the secretive deal transferring operations of our ports to the UAE — a Middle Eastern government with a spotty record of fighting terrorist plots and terrorist financing. … From every angle — political, safety, and sovereignty-wise — Dubai Ports World’s business transaction … looks bad and smells worse.”
• Wes Pruden, editor-in-chief of the rightwing cult-owned Washington Times: “Perhaps, as the president seems to suggest, the Arab chiefs of the United Arab Emirates who are bound to their brothers across Arabia by blood, history and religion will prove as reliable as our own English cousins. But counting on their loyalty and friendship being permanent is a risk too far. That’s what the president’s friends are trying to tell him.”
• George Pataki, governor of New York and 2008 presidential candidate, was also critical of the deal.
• Bob Erlich, governor of Maryland, criticized Bush’s decision as well

Last week, Republicans on the House committee that investigated Hurricane Katrina, chaired by Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, were critical of the President’s handling of the disaster.

Last year, the Republican wingnut fringe went ballistic when the president nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court because her idealogical purity was suspect.

Why are Republicans so angry? Why do they hate America so much?

Note: If you come across other instances of Republicans hatin’ on America, please send them to us or leave a comment. (Please include a link back to the source of the quote. )