Year: 2007

Bush Says He, Too, Is Above the Law – Including His Own Presidential Decrees

Jon Ponder

That whirring sound you hear is the U.S. Constitution going through the shredder:

The White House said Friday that, like Vice President Dick Cheney’s office, President Bush’s office is not allowing an independent federal watchdog to oversee its handling of classified national security information.

An executive order that Bush issued in March 2003 — amending an existing order — requires all government agencies that are part of the executive branch to submit to oversight. Although it doesn’t specifically say so, Bush’s order was not meant to apply to the vice president’s office or the president’s office, a White House spokesman said.

At Picnic, Bush Tells New Orleans Jazz Musician to ‘Pick Up Trash’ After Performance

Jon Ponder

At the annual congressional picnic yesterday, Pres. George Bush, addressing the crowd of 1,500, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, suggested that the African American musicians performing for the event should earn their keep after they performed:

THE PRESIDENT: Kermit Ruffins and the Barbeque Swingers, right out of New Orleans, Louisiana. (Applause.)

MR. RUFFINS: Thank you. Thanks for having us. We’re glad to be here.

THE PRESIDENT: Proud you’re here. Thanks for coming. You all enjoy yourself. Make sure you pick up all the trash after it’s over. (Laughter.)

Via Eric Alterman at Media Matters.

Lowering the Bloom — On the GOP

Buck Banks

Political analyst Craig Crawford says that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s noisy exit from the Republican Party and foray into the ranks of political independence helps the Democrats and harms the Repugs:

Even though he was once a Democrat and despite his liberal social views, Bloomberg more naturally appeals to those Republicans who are iffy on social matters but who tend to admire a wealthy businessmen who runs government like a CEO (which he also once was).

What little polling data exists right now suggests a break toward Democrats. For instance, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York nets an across-the-board gain of three percentage points in a 3-way matchup against Bloomberg and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani done this month by SurveyUSA in battleground states. A Bloomberg candidacy boosts Clinton’s net margin in 10 of the 15 states surveyed, while giving Giuliani a bump in only three and producing no change in two.

The Bloomberg assist to Clinton is most evident in Southern and border states. Missouri actually flips from a Giuliani lead to a Clinton lead if Bloomberg is in the mix. And in Kentucky – one of the few Southern states that the Clinton campaign intends to target – the Bloomberg factor tightens a Giuliani lead to a dead heat between he and Clinton.

While a slew of new polls will surely test other matchups, expect the Bloomberg spoiler effect to narrowly benefit Democrats.

Bloomberg had better run for something and win because he’s quickly running out of potential party affiliations. Forget the Greens, maybe the Libertarians and there’s always the World Socialist Party of the United States or the National Nihilist Party, if he gets really desperate.

Quote du Jour

Buck Banks

To maintain that Slavery is in itself sinful, in the face of all that is said and written in the Bible upon the subject, with so many sanctions of the relation by the Deity himself, does not seem to me to be little short of blasphemous! It is a direct imputation upon the wisdom and justice, as well as the declared ordinances, of God, as they are written in the inspired oracles, to say nothing of their manifestations in the universe around us.

— Alexander H. Stephens (1812-1883), Vice President, Confederate States of America

L.A. City Attorney’s Publicity-Seeking in Paris Hilton Case Wrecks Promising Political Career

Jon Ponder
L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo

Crash and burn: Nothing compelled Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo to join the fray in objecting to Paris Hilton’s early release from the county jail earlier this month.

Judge Michael Sauer, whose sentence was curtailed by the decision to let Hilton serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest, called a hearing into the matter and had it under control.

But Delgadillo (“Del-gah-dee-yo”) weighed in for no reason other than to cash in on the national publicity around the case.

Now it appears inserting himself into the Hilton case may have permanently sidelined his ambitions for higher office. Here are headlines from this month in the Los Angeles Times that tell the story:

Delgadillo has had his eye on higher office. Last year, he ran for California State Treasurer in the Democratic primary, losing to former Gov. Jerry Brown, who went on to win the general. Now he’ll be lucky to keep his job through the next city elections.

It didn’t have to be. For one thing, if Hilton had been a regular non-celebutante citizen, she would have spent zero minutes in jail, according to L.A. County Sheriff Lee, the man in charge of the jails here.

If you doubt it, watch this video of Baca saying Hilton would not have gone to jail if she were a non-celebrity. (Starts at 04:18.)

Poll: Bush Approval Remains Amazingly High at 26%

Jon Ponder

Pres. George Bush scored his lowest approval number yet in the latest Newsweek poll. Now only 26 percent of Americans say the think he’s doing a good job.

The only true revelation here, of course, is that 26 percent of our fellow Americans are delusional, by which I mean, “Republican.” Nearly two-thirds of Republicans still cling to the illusion that Bush is competent, according to the poll.

Cheney Claims to Be Above the Law – Literally

Jon Ponder

Rogue Vice President Who Exposed CIA Agent’s Secret Identity Now Refuses Security Oversight That Protects State Secrets

Just when you think you’ve run out of capacity for outrage, comes this:

So does this mean Cheney can’t claim executive privilege?

For the last four years, Vice President Dick Cheney has made the controversial claim that his office is not fully part of the Bush administration in order to exempt it from a presidential order regulating federal agencies’ handling of classified national security information, officials said Thursday.

Investigators for the House government oversight committee revealed yesterday that Cheney’s office has refused to allow the National Archives security unit to conduct mandatory inspections to ensure that sensitive materials were being handled properly.

According to Cheney, he is exempt from security oversight because the vice president has two functions, one in the Executive Branch and in the Legislative Branch, where he serves as president of the Senate.

Rep. Henry Waxman, chair of the House committee, also said Cheney tried to have the inspectors’ department — the National Archives’ Information Security Oversight Office — abolished because it tried repeatedly to force the vice president to comply with the regulations.

On one hand, this really shouldn’t be surprising since it was Vice President Cheney who orchestrated the traitorous campaign to reveal the identity of U.S. secret agent Valerie Plame Wilson, a covert CIA agent who was tracking black-market sales of weapons of mass destruction.

The final irony is that the compliance is part of a presidential directive established 30 years ago and then amended by Pres. George W. Bush in 2003.

So does this mean Cheney can’t claim executive privilege?

H/t: Thomas Kent

Study: Firstborns Are Smarter

Jon Ponder

Of course they are:

Wading into an age-old debate, researchers have found that firstborn children are smarter than their siblings — and the reason is not genetics, but the way their parents treat them, according to a study published today.

The study of 240,000 Norwegian men in the journal Science found the IQs of firstborns were 2 to 3 points higher than that of younger siblings. (The average IQ is 100.)

Though that may not sound like a lot, experts said even a few IQ points could make a big difference over the course of a lifetime — and set firstborns on a trajectory for success.

An informal poll of the editorial staff at Pensito Review found that Buck and I are firstborns, while Trish, the smart one, is not. However, our results may be skewed by the fact that none of us are Norwegian.

Republican Mom Leaves Party to End Stop Loss

Trish

Blogger and lawyer Suzanne Miller with her son, Army Specialist Matthew “Cory” Beard

Michael Bloomberg isn’t the only one discarding the Republican party. A war mom who twice voted for Bush but defines his “stop loss” policy as indentured servitude has also left their ranks.

If, like me, you gritted your teeth when Cindy Sheehan spoke…well, don’t expect to feel warmer or fuzzier about Suzanne Miller, Jacksonville lawyer and mother of Army Specialist Matthew “Cory” Beard. Local alt weekly, Folio, whose stories are only available offline, interviewed Miller after she launched a blog called End Stop Loss Now.

Miller disputes that the open-ended occupation in Iraq qualifies for stop loss — the policy of rescinding the release of service members who have already served deployment terms and sending them back to battle, sometimes for three or four tours. Folio writer Jane Akre:

I was…responding to comments Laura Bush had made regarding how much she and the President suffered over the loss of our troops. I lay awake thinking about their suffering all night long and finally the solution to their problem came to me: BRING OUR BOYS AND GIRLS HOME.

Miller the attorney believes stop loss is an illegal and unconstitutional policy. The military vehemently disagrees, and points to paragraph 9c in the enlistment contract: “In the event of war, my enlistment in the Armed Forces continues until six (6) months after the war ends, unless my enlistment is ended sooner by the President of the United States.”

But Miller takes exception of the military’s definition of war, which she says is being defined loosely to mean any conflict. “I’m pretty sure we have not declared war on Iraq and I’m pretty sure they haven’t declared war on us,” she says firmly.

Officially, she’s right. The U.S. hasn’t officially declared war since World War II…

…in the now-famous “Mission Accomplished” speech of May 1, 2003, Pres. Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. “In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed,” he announced. “And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.”

Miller’s blogging style could best be termed, “full-contact.” She posts replies to almost every comment, which are mostly from active military or their families and are about 60 percent in favor of her wave-making and 40 percent of the “leave the decision-making to our leaders” variety. But Miller pulls no punches and her opinions are decidedly right-wing.

We are losing dozens of soldiers each month for a country that will never be civilized. For the most part, they are barbaric. The cultural difference is too great. We gave them the greatest gift on earth and that is “freedom” and look what they have one with it. Not one more of our soldiers needs to die trying to make these people get along. They are simply not worth it.

Nor does she regret voting for Bush.

If Gore had been elected, he would still be bunkered down somewhere worried about the 3 trees in Afghanistan and nothing would have been done. At least George Bush did something.

Yet the only love Miller has found has been among Democrats. She petitioned all the cable news talk shows, she said, but none of the conservatives would touch her. She was embraced instead by Alan Colmes, we venture to say, for her wit and sarcasm.

I was, again, on the Alan Colmes nationally syndicated radio show responding to comments Laura Bush had made regarding how much she and the President suffered over the loss of our troops. I lay awake thinking about their suffering all night long and finally the solution to their problem came to me: BRING OUR BOYS AND GIRLS HOME.

Florida’s Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and California’s Democratic Rep. Lynn Woolsey have also responded to her campaign.

I was greatly honored that Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey chose to quote me on the House floor. I agreed with everything she said about the civil war in Iraq. Ten billion dollars would have brought our kids home. So to Congresswoman Woolsey, I say “thank you” for not only recognizing that this is a useless war but also recognizing the fact that the stop loss policy is a policy that needs to end. I no longer call myself a Republican. I am American. I will vote according to my conscience and not a party affiliation.