Day: November 10, 2006

But He Meant It In a Good Way

Trish

I don’t even know anybody in Mississippi, and I’m insulted by what U.S. Charles Rangel (D-NY) said.

Rangel, a Democrat, was quoted in The New York Times on Thursday saying: “Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?”

Rangel said he didn’t intend to insult the state…

Obviously.

Maybe Rangel needs to get out more. He could come south and listen to some live blues and maybe even eat a fried catfish. But let us know when you’re coming, Charlie, so we can all peel our “We don’t care how you do it in New York” bumper stickers off our cars.

He Wasn’t Lying Then, He’s Lying Now

Trish

You heard it here first.

I don’t think Bush was lying when he told reporters last week that Rumsfeld was here to stay. I think he was lying when he told reporters this week that he was planning to get rid of him all along.

I mean, come on, since when has Bush/Rove ever been careful not to do something that would impact an election, the justification he gave for not announcing Rumsfeld’s departure sooner?

Think about it. If Bush had done as “fine” as he expected, do you think for one minute he’d have gotten rid of Rummy?

And the reason why is I didn’t want to inject a major decision about this war in the final days of a campaign…

And so [Rumsfeld] and I both agreed in our meeting yesterday that it was appropriate that I accept his resignation. And so the decision was made — actually, I thought we were going to do fine yesterday.

Think about it. If Bush had done as “fine” as he expected, do you think for one minute he’d have gotten rid of Rummy? Hell no. He’d have stayed the course with maniacal glee, tacking that boat right over a tsunami without a backward glance.

On the other hand, if they had realized how fed up we all were with his conduct of the war (among other things), do you really believe he wouldn’t have rushed to dump Rumsfeld? Think how differently the election would have gone if he had. People would have taken it as a sign of hope that things were going to change, and that maybe the Republicans aren’t such bad fellows after all. And they would have softened on throwing the bastards out.

He blew it but he wasn’t lying then, he’s lying now.

That’s my take. So what do you think?

First Mehlman, Next Karl Rove?

Trish

Somebody measure the drapes in Karl Rove’s office. It didn’t take long for Georgie’s vexation at his party’s sorry showing in the midterm elections to manifest. First Rumsfeld was gone and now Ken Mehlman has gotten the ax. Yes, the Republican National Committee’s chair is outta there at the end of the year.

No one’s pointing a finger at the guy who was really in charge of all the losing strategies. Yes, I’m talking about Turd Blossom himself, Karl Rove

And while rumors abound about both men — Mehlman being pretty much known to be gay and Rumsfeld’s head supposedly on the chopping block for at least a week before his “resignation” was “accepted” — no one’s pointing a finger at the guy who was really in charge of all the losing strategies. Yes, I’m talking about Turd Blossom himself, Karl Rove.

Karl has shown the pressure lately. After Florida Governor candidate, now Governor-elect, Charlie Crist failed to attend a rally with the President in his honor just before the election, Karl was feeling it. One moment of Rovian pique was even immortalized by Crist’s campaign workers at a victory party.

…dozens of campaign staff then arrived wearing black T-shirts that said “Ask George LeMieux.”

…Asked [earlier] by CNN why Crist wouldn’t appear with the president at an election eve rally in Pensacola, a miffed Rove snapped that the reporter should ask George LeMieux.

LeMieux was Crist’s campaign manager.

Mehlman was hand-picked and cultivated by Rove, so his failure and subsequent exit can’t be good news for Karl.

A protege of Bush’s top political adviser, Karl Rove, Mehlman became RNC chairman after managing Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004, when the president won re-election and Republicans expanded their majorities in the House and the Senate…Before that campaign, he served as White House political director under Rove.

Bush’s comment to reporters post-election speaks volumes about his current feelings toward the man who more than likely took a fall for Bush in the Valerie Plame affair.

Bush also got in a dig at his trusted top political adviser, Karl Rove. Rove is widely credited with Bush’s presidential victories in 2000 and 2004 and GOP gains in the 2002 congressional elections. As recently as last week, Rove predicted Republicans would retain both House and Senate.

“I obviously was working harder in the campaign than he was,” said Bush…

Ha ha, funny. Unless you’re Karl Rove, and then there’s a big sweat stain spreading under both your arms. People contrast George with his little brother, Jeb, finding the elder sibling more affable, down to earth, etc. (Not me, of course, but people.) Jeb has always made it abundantly clear he’s a conniving, nasty, petulant asshole who will take you out if you cross him. But I think this trait, inherited from Mom’s side of the family, is present in all the offspring.

And Karl Rove should be putting his affairs in order.

USA Today: Bush Quietly Resumes Training of Rightwing Latin American Militaries

Jon Ponder

Iran-Contra Redux: USA Today reports that on Oct. 2, in the wake of the election of liberal governments throughout Latin America, Pres. Bush lifted a ban on training rightwing militaries from the region:

The 2002 U.S. law bars countries from receiving military aid and training if they refuse to promise immunity from prosecution to U.S. servicemembers who might get hauled before the International Criminal Court. The law allows presidential waivers.

The White House lifted the ban on 21 countries, about half in Latin America or the Caribbean, through a presidential memorandum Oct. 2 to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The training is conducted in the USA.

A ban on giving countries weapons remains. Commercial arms sales are not affected, said Jose Ruiz, a U.S. Southern Command spokesman.

The training ban had resulted in a loss of U.S. influence in the region. The issue gained urgency after a string of leftist candidates came to power in Latin America. Rice said this year on a trip to the region that the impact of the ban had been “the same as shooting ourselves in the foot.”

With the United States strapped down in Iraq, China has moved into Latin America to support the new governments:

[U.S. Southern Command spokesman Jose] Ruiz said China “has approached every country in our area of responsibility” and has exchanged senior military officials with Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Cuba and provided military aid and training to Jamaica and Venezuela.