Author: Trish

Two Candidates Challenge Harris, One Picked by Rove; Meanwhile Katherine Gets Her Gun

Trish

In literally the final hour before today’s qualifying deadline, two candidates surfaced to challenge U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) for the opportunity to beat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) this fall.

The president kept so far away from Harris, “it could have been a public-service announcement on bird-flu-greeting protocol.”

Jeb’s first choice, Speaker of the House Rep. Allan Bense (R), kept everyone guessing wrong until the last minute that he would decide to run. The seat is just too coveted — and the Bush brothers just too contemptuous of the woman who prostituted herself to put W. in power — to let it go without a fight.

Indeed, the president’s visit to Florida earlier this week should have provided Harris a photo opp to counter the governor’s constantly voiced doubts about her ability to beat Nelson. Instead, as Orlando Sentinel Columnist Mike Thomas put it, the president kept so far away from Harris, “it could have been a public-service announcement on bird-flu-greeting protocol.”

Today two dark horses appeared, one hand-picked by Karl Rove. According to the Lakeland Ledger, Harris’ hometown newspaper, they are William McBride, an Orlando personal injury lawyer, and Peter Monroe, a developer. McBride — a family friend — is Rove’s choice.

Meanwhile, Harris grabbed the spotlight back with her oddly timed announcement that she will spend the weekend in a class to renew her concealed weapons permit, lapsed after she first obtained it in the wake of death threats during the 2000 election theft.

“For me, I just want to have a permit in an overabundance of caution,” she said. “I want to go ahead with getting it for practical purposes.”

…The visit to the gun range will double as a photo op, with media invited to broadcast images of Harris that could play well with gun rights advocates.

The range is at the aptly named Hallelujahland Ranch, “owned by James F. Griffin III, a member of the local Republican Executive Committee.”

Don’t let Harris’ firepower scare you, boys. I doubt she’ll pull down on you unless it looks like you’re going to shoot first. Or win.

Quote du Jour 2

Trish

A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side.

— Aristotle (384-322 BCE), Greek philosopher

HUD Secretary Reassures the Public. Gee, I Feel So Much Better

Trish

PR’s Buck noted yesterday the boasting by Bush’s HUD secretary, Alphonso Jackson. Jackson proudly told a forum of Texas realtors that he pulled a HUD contract because the recipient did not support Pres. Bush.

Today, he says sorry, he was only kidding. A.P.:

Jackson, seeking to avoid a political firestorm, said he made up the story.

“I deeply regret the anecdotal remarks I made at a recent Texas small business forum and would like to reassure the public that all HUD contracts are awarded solely on a stringent merit-based process,” he said in a statement. “During my tenure, no contract has ever been awarded, rejected or rescinded due to the personal or political beliefs of the recipient.”

It’s the old courtroom question. “Are you lying now, Sec. Jackson, or were you lying then?” I’m betting the answer is, “All of the above.”

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) wants Jackson investigated.

Breaking: Bush’s Travel Plans Found in Trash

Trish

Breaking: Washington’s WUSA-9 is getting a White House response to this incredibly embarrassing story, which they broke earlier today.

How much do you think Osama bin Laden would pay to know exactly when and where the President was traveling, and who was with him? Turns out, he wouldn’t have had to pay a dime. All he had to do was go through the trash early Tuesday morning.

It appears to be a White House staff schedule for the President’s trip to Florida Tuesday. And a sanitation worker was alarmed to find in the trash long hours before Mr. Bush left for his trip.

It’s the kind of thing you would expect would be shredded or burned, not thrown in the garbage. Randy Hopkins could not believe what he was seeing…

See the video HERE.

Bush Urges Democracy on Germany Then Goes Fishing

Trish

I hate it when someone writes a commentary so good I wish I’d written it myself. O.K., actually I love it. The Miami Herald’s Ana Menendez made me hate/love her for her column on the president.

While everyone was distracted by Bush’s admission that catching a fish of disputed genus was the highlight of his presidency, we missed other gems in the same interview. Menendez combed the rest of the transcript:

Meanwhile, no respectable commentator is allowed to point out that the emperor has no mind.

Bush’s interview with Bild, released by the White House press office Sunday, offers the following additions to the startling Bush opus:

“That’s George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing about him is that I read three –Three or four books about him last year. Isn’t that interesting? People say, so what?”

Indeed. Here’s another one:

“Germans have always been incredibly efficient, capable business people, and when they make a product, it is always of the highest quality.”

And finally:

“The point now is how do we work together to achieve important goals. And one such goal is a democracy in Germany.”

Right. And then on to France, England and maybe even the United States.

Satisfying though it might be to cringe and guffaw at Bush’s idiocy, Menedez says the fun is wearing off.

Meanwhile, no respectable commentator is allowed to point out that the emperor has no mind. Democrats, terrified of sounding snobby, would rather retain some fake ”credibility” than be accused of saying anything interesting. And Republicans . . . Well, what few remain loyal to King George have made a career of crafting apologias whose authors should be arrested for reckless and cruel abuse of the exclamation point…

The leaders are swinging from the monkey bars, but the people are not fooled. Bush’s abysmal approval ratings are no mistake. There’s only so much nonsense that the average citizen can take before it stops being hilarious.

For me, that point came when Bush usurped John McCain in South Carolina before the 2000 election. That was when I had the illogical yet persistent feeling that he was going to be president. It’s been downhill ever since.

The More Bush Speaks, The Less America Likes Him

Trish

CNN Senior Analyst Jeff Greenfield sniffed out a correlation between Bush’s speeches and his approval numbers.

The problem isn’t that the longer Bush is in office, the more we need to see “what he’s really like.” The problem is that we already do.

All through the second term, Bush has been using the “bully pulpit” of the presidency to argue his case on the war in Iraq… And what has happened?

Approval ratings — on Iraq, on terror and on job approval in general — have steadily fallen.

On April 12, 2005, a day when the president gave a speech to military families on terror, Bush’s job approval rating was at 50 percent. Two months later, he made a visit to the National Counterterrorism Center and then gave a nationally televised speech to the nation from Fort Bragg. By month’s end, his job approval was at 45 percent.

Last November, the president visited the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and Elmendorf Air Force Base to talk about terror and Iraq. By year’s end, his job approval was at 41 percent.

So far in 2006, Mr. Bush has given this year six speeches on terror and Iraq, not counting the State of the Union. What has happened? He began the year at 43 percent job approval — in CNN’s latest polling, he’s at 32%…

Every White House loves to argue that its best weapon is the president, connecting directly with the people, and this White House has been relentless in the belief that when the president goes to the country, surrounded by respectful, if not admiring citizens, with the slogan of the day emblazoned in the background, it will be politically effective.

This will come as bad news to new chief of staff Josh Bolten, who recently announced the key to the White House turning things around is trotting Bush out in front of the people.

It’s time for the White House to go on offense and “get our mojo back,” Josh Bolten said Sunday in his first interview since taking over as the president’s chief of staff.

“We’ve taken advice from a lot of folks that we ought to put the president out more in ways that the American people can see what he’s really like,” Bolten said on “Fox News Sunday.”

I got two words for you Josh: social security tour flop.

Anyway, the problem isn’t that the longer Bush is in office, the more we need to see “what he’s really like.” The problem is that we already do.

Texas Repugs Celebrate Patriotism by Pretending to Shoot Immigrants

Trish

Some Texas Republicans are confused about the meaning of patriotism, supporting our troops, and who our actual enemies are. Their recent “support our troops” rally morphed into a “shoot up immigrants” fest. The meeting was held — as you might expect — in a church. Dallas Morning News:

Critics of church-based, GOP pretend immigrant slaughter need to “lighten up.”

Some Greater Irving Republican Club members who attended the meeting at First Church of the Nazarene were dressed in military garb or carried toy guns. Silhouettes – one riddled with pellet-like holes – were on display…

Club leaders said that the meeting about homeland security and other matters was benign. Attendees dressed up because the club has a different theme each month, club president Sue Richardson said. April’s theme was designed to support the troops, she said.

And yet the speaker for the yellow-ribbon-magnet-on-the-back-of-
your-SUV meeting was an immigration official. Huh?

Ms. Richardson said the meeting included a presentation by a representative from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on the topic of sealing off ways for terrorists to enter the U.S. undetected…

“[We’re] being patriotic and standing with our troops and trying to fight the war on terrorism,” she said. “We’re at war, and it’s not business as usual.”

Amazing how that “war excuses everything” line crops up among Repugs, even at the local level. It’s not really working for me. Reactions to the odd pairing of human targets and a talk on immigration were…well, see for yourself.

Lico Reyes…said the meeting – particularly the use of the silhouettes – was insensitive and not well thought out. Mr. Reyes said he looked into the meeting after concerned residents contacted him. He and other critics linked the silhouettes to immigration concerns…

Church pastor Rick Thomason said he looked into the matter and was satisfied with an explanation of what happened. The group will continue to be allowed to meet at the church, he said.

Irving City Council member Lewis Patrick said he visited the gathering but left early to attend other meetings…

“I’m not going to get in the middle of it,” he said. “It could get political.” [Editor’s note: Gee Lewis, ya think?]

Ms. Richardson attributed criticism of the meeting to people who are “spreaders of misery.”

“They don’t like a lot of people in the club, and they’re always complaining,” she said. “They need to lighten up.”

Yes, just lighten up for pete’s sake. I mean, it’s not like they’re not real guns. Those are still out in our glove boxes and trunks.

Common Cause Wants Justice Department to Investigate Katherine Harris

Trish

This shouldn’t take long.

Common Cause, pain-in-the-GOP-ass extraordinaire group that Jeb once referred to as a bunch of “secret squirrels” is at it again. This time, they’re going after beleaguered Senate candidate U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.), asking the Justice Department to do its job and investigate the skanky ho bag.

“Bribery takes two…We know Mitchell Wade has been guilty of bribery. The question is, ‘Is Katherine Harris guilty?’

Common Cause wants to know whether Harris broke the law when she and Mitchell Wade met at an exclusive Georgetown restaurant in early 2005. At that dinner — which cost Wade up to $2,800 — Wade offered to hold a fundraiser for Harris and sought her help obtaining $10 million in federal money…

“Bribery takes two,” said [Common Cause Director of Ethics Campaign’s Mike] Surrusco. “We know Mitchell Wade has been guilty of bribery. The question is, ‘Is Katherine Harris guilty?’ “

It’s a violation of Congressional ethics codes to accept anything worth more than $50. Harris didn’t do too well recently explaining this whole $2,800 dinner deal to reporters. One can only imagine how she’ll hold up under Justice Department questioning.

In her interview Wednesday, Harris acknowledged for the first time that Wade had paid for the dinner at Citronelle, reversing a statement from her congressional spokeswoman earlier this year.

But in the interview, Harris also said her campaign had, at some point, “reimbursed” the restaurant.

When asked how she could have reimbursed a business that was owed no money — Wade paid the bill that evening — she abruptly ended the interview and walked off. […]

Makes Sense to Me: Bush Logic

Trish

Only in Bushistan does it make sense to waive air pollution laws because gas prices are high. WTF does one have to do with the other? Yeah, I know, some obscure connection between cleaner “summer gasoline blends” and something something. Whatever. It’s just another flimsy excuse for Georgie to do what he wanted all along.

So what other initiatives that follow W-logic should we expect? How about:

  • Enforcing a 7 p.m. curfew on Democrats to stop CIA leaks about secret prisons
  • Barring Cindy Sheehan from Texas to stem illegal immigration
  • Ordering an IRS audit of Kanye West to prevent hurricanes
  • Deporting Michael Moore so Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq will throw down their arms
  • Torturing detainees isolated at Guantanamo since 2001 to prevent future terror attacks (oh wait, they really do that!)

This quick list is just the beginning. Add your own examples of Bush reasoning now.

Pink: ‘Dear Mr. President’ — Finally, a Song for Our Times

Trish

“Dear Mr. President”

by Pink, featuring the Indigo Girls

Dear Mr. President
Come take a walk with me
Let’s pretend we’re just two people and
You’re not better than me
I’d like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep
What do you feel when you look in the mirror
Are you proud

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye
And tell me why

Dear Mr. President
Were you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
How can you say
No child is left behind
We’re not dumb and we’re not blind
They’re all sitting in your cells
While you pave the road to hell

What kind of father would take his own daughter’s rights away
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You’ve come a long way from whiskey and cocaine

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