I know this site is supposed to be about sound politics, and I have a tendency to focus on national issues, but I have to say this today because my belly is full. Bush authorized leaks via Scooter Libby. Essentially (and we’ll have to see how this plays out) he is the man that authorized the leak of Valerie Plame. Bush said that he would fire anyone involved in the scandal, so I’m wondering if he’s going to fire Cheney before he resigns. The men in charge of our country have authorized treason, and one more day for them in office is another day that democracy rots in its grave. Today I can truly say that I am absolutely ashamed to call George Bush my president. The son of privilege, using his lies and his stupid smirk to sell his bogus programs, wars, and agenda. There’s no way to spin out of this, and I wait with baited breath to hear his talking heads try to do so. This is truly a black day for America.

• Boehner is welcomed
  — (Yale University News), Well he usually is, but in this case, not so much
• Clutch of businesses pins hopes on Boehner’s election
  — (The Hill), Wow. Sounds painful
• Ex-Boehner Aide Planned for Abramoff Trip
  — (Leading the Charge), Apparently, the man only used to be a boehner
• Boehner watch begins in House
  — (FortWayne.com), Business as usual
• Boehner Has Lobbyist For Landlord
  — (CBS News), Boehner parks it in his garage
• Boehner's Broken Promises
  — (Yahoo News), I'll last forever!

Gosh, I read the most uplifting news ever this morning. Wanna see it? Here:

Huge College Loans Eating Up Salaries
Yeah. Totally awesome. It's really inspiring. All of those years of being told that higher education was the way to get ahead, and it turns out that the only "get" we're getting is further into debt. Woo!! Crack open the Pabst and break out the coozies, kids-- we're havin' a party!

The great thing is that our Congress is really out there doing its part. I mean really. They are so on the side of students. Ha ha ha I am totally kidding!!! The kicker is that a while back-- you probably heard something about this-- the House and Senate threw down this budget reconcilliation business. 'Cause, you know, when you have to pay for a war and cleanup of the totally-preventable-if-someone-had-actually-invested-the-money-in-the-first-place aftermath of a natural disaster, you're not going to pay for it by eliminating tax cuts for the rich, and you're definitely not going to pay for it by raising taxes.

You're going to pay for it by making it more difficult and more expensive for students to get loans for school.
click here to learn how to take action...

A new Zogby poll released yesterday found that 52% of Americans want Congress to impeach President Bush if he wiretapped American citizens without a judge's approval Fourty-Three percent did not want the president impeached.

According to the guy who commisioned the poll, Bob Fertik co-found of AfterDowningStreet.org, "The American people are not buying Bush's outrageous claim that he has the power to wiretap American citizens without a warrant. Americans believe terrorism can be fought without turning our own government into Big Brother"

Lets hope he's right.

Al Gore is fighting the good fight, while most of his Democratic colleagues seem content to let the wiretapping scandal fade as the news cycle marches on. Via Kos:

The Administration's response to my speech illustrates perfectly the need for a special counsel to review the legality of the NSA wiretapping program. The Attorney General is making a political defense of the President without even addressing the substantive legal questions that have so troubled millions of Americans in both political parties...

I’m surprised at how dead the site is with so much going on lately. Is anyone else alive out there?

First, we have the wiretapping scandal, and the requisite spin put on it by the pundits. All the talking points say that the president needs to do what needs to be done to protect us. Yes, he does, but he also needs to follow the constitution. If it was an emergency, then he had up to 72 hours to get the subpoena after the info was gathered. He did not, and it reeks with its illegality. Remember that when your conservative blowhard uncle says that. Constitution followed by subpoena. 72 hours. Watch the smoke coming out of his ears trying to think of a response to that.

Next we have the Abramoff scandal. First off, who is this guy Abram who keeps getting jacked off? Such profanity doesn’t belong on TV! Oh, the guys name is Jack Abramoff? Oh, never mind. So I was watching c-span last night, it was a repeat of the hearings on the Abramoff-Reed Indian Gambling Scandal. There were the managing partner of Greenberg Traurig, Abramoff’s last firm, the outside counsel of the Louisiana Coushatta Tribe, and one of the tribal council members of the tribe. You could just see the disgust on their faces for being associated with the scumbag Abramoff, and to hear what they had to say makes me hope that although he’s getting a plea deal that his penalty includes some time in federal “pound me in the ass” prison. I hope the same happens to Ralph “good Christian coalition” Reed, Grover “drown the government” Nordquist and Michael “fucking douche bag” Scanlon. They basically worked both sides of the Indian gambling industry, eventually having several tribes paying money to the Christian coalition to stop other tribes from opening casinos. I draw particular offense to this because I am part Choctaw, and to see my people be extorted by these right wing fucks really gets me by my velvet plum sack. I hope everyone involved in this scandal get theirs in a big way. Maybe we will get lucky and not have to vote out all the scumbags, they’ll do it all for themselves.

Hi. Remember when there was a hurricane and then a flood and then the Gulf Coast drowned and then a bunch of people in New Orleans got stuck in the Superdome and the Convention Center and some guy called Chertoff lied and said he didn't know that anyone was at the Convention Center and now people are still homeless and waiting for FEMA trailers and some guy called Brownie was hired as a Department of Homeland Security contractor for two whole months afterward despite his arguable personal responsibility for the deaths of thousands of people?

Yeah. I thought you might remember that. Recently I got my little hands on some hot poop you're probably not aware of. See, some folks from Jefferson Parish-- the parish just west of Orleans Parish-- came to a, shall we say, colleague of mine for some, shall we say, consultation on matters of local importance.

The leadership of Jefferson Parish is almost 100% Republican, and the majority of residents are white and middle and upper-middle income. Just FYI.

President Bush's visit to Argentina has been met with a violent response. Now, many of us here understand why so many across the globe, and currently nearly 60% of Americans in every major poll, feel that Dubya is so dangerous to human rights and to the progress of human freedom and dignity.

But, for those 35% or so that will never leave Dubya, even in the darkest hours, they should take a look on the front page of Yahoo! right now.

Summit Protests Turn Violent in Argentina - Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of this seaside resort Friday chanting "Get out Bush" as the U.S. president sought to promote free trade at a divided Summit of the Americas. Protests turned violent with about 1,000 people shattering shopfronts with clubs and pelting riot police with stones... Demonstrators took to the streets hours before the summit started, shouting insults about President Bush and chanting "Fascist Bush! You are the terrorist!"

The remaining Bush faithful (at this point I'm going to call them dead-enders... thanks Rummy!) are shocked and dismayed with such statements and opposition. Why, George is just a good-old boy! He's one of us. He's making the world safe for freedom. We're freedom lovers. You're with us or against us. The conservative dead-enders are asking, how come these people hate America so much?

Maybe because they're also reading the story directly below, too!

Your present this year? A 22 page indictment.

Enjoy! And, a Merry Fitzmas to you and your family.

Related Links:
The Smoking Gun - Libby Indicted In CIA Leak Case

An Arrest warrant has been issued for Tom DeLay. While his lawyer called this "a matter of routine", DeLay has been charged with conspiracy and money laundering in a campaign finance scheme and could face up to life in prison if convicted.

Scooter Libby: man of powerful metaphor.

You went into jail in the summer. It is fall now. You will have stories to cover—Iraqi elections and suicide bombers, biological threats and the Iranian nuclear program. Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them

In his colum in today's NYTimes, David Brooks essentially asks the Democrats to be grown ups even though the Republicans have acted like 12 year old bullies for the past 10 years:

Will we learn from DeLay's fall about the self-destructive nature of the team mentality? Of course not. The Democrats have drawn the 10-years-out-of-date conclusion that in order to win, they need to be just like Tom DeLay. They need to rigidly hew to orthodoxy. They need Deaniac hyperpartisanship. They need to organize their hatreds around Bush the way the Republicans did around Clinton.

The old team is dead. Long live the new team.

It strikes me that Brooks is acting alot like an ex of mine. Selfish and petty.

Republican Party Endorses I-912

State Transportation Infrastructure Poised to Crush Us All To Death

Darlings, this is serious. The state GOP is endorsing (read: feeding an assload of money into) the I-912 campaign, which will destroy hundreds of vital transportation projects designed to repair the roads and bridges you use every day.
If I-912 passes, your safety is in jeopardy.
You and I have to step up, you know what I'm saying? Investing in the future TODAY is what being progressive is all about. So here's my suggestion: go to the Keep Washington Rolling campaign. Sign up to volunteer-- that's what I did. Maybe throw them a $20 if you've got it. Read up on the facts (grant talks about this a bunch in his blog) and talk about this with your friends. And of course, come November 8, vote no on I-912.

Republican House Majority leader Tom Delay Indicted - Has to Step Down

Republican Senate Majority leader Bill Frist under federal investigation for insider trading

Holy shit. It's Christmas in September!

Tom DeLay Indicted

WASHINGTON - A Texas grand jury on Wednesday charged Rep. Tom DeLay and two political associates with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme, forcing the House majority leader to temporarily relinquish his post.

DeLay was accused of a criminal conspiracy along with two associates, John Colyandro, former executive director of a Texas political action committee formed by DeLay, and Jim Ellis, who heads DeLay's national political committee.

"I have notified the speaker that I will temporarily step aside from my position as majority leader pursuant to rules of the House Republican Conference and the actions of the Travis County district attorney today," DeLay said.

It couldn't get any worse for Republicans.

(click Read More to continue)

How the Bush's really see New Orleans.

Cheney Keeps Power from being restored to two Louisiana Hospitals in order to keep Pipeline running

It's time again for - The Lame List.

MSNBC reported this evening that shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck South Mississippi knocking out electricity and communication systems, calls came from the Vice President's office ordering power restored to a pipeline that sends fuel to the Northeast.

The Hattiesburg American and a post on Motherjones.com reveal that Jim Compton, general manager of the South Mississippi Electric Power Association, said he "reluctantly agreed to pull half our transmission line crews off other projects" which included restoring water to rural water systems and two rural hospitals - Stone County Hospital in Wiggins and George County Hospital in Lucedale.

"We were led to believe a national emergency was created when the pipelines were shut down," Compton said.

The story gets thicker from there, as The Hattiesburg American reports:

(click read more to continue)

Various news organizations are quoting former first lady Barbara Bush, while touring the hurricane relief centers with her husband George Bush, as saying This is working very well for them.

In a segment on American Public Media's "Marketplace" at the top of the show on the surge of evacuees to Houston, Barbara Bush said:

Almost everyone I’ve talked to says we're going to move to Houston.

What I’m hearing which is sort of scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality.

And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them.

At times when I feel utterly helpless-- and this is certainly one of them-- I find that my only defense is to take in as much news as possible. I can't get enough.

Just in case you're the same way, I've collected my favorite articles, editorials, and resources from various news sources.

Did I miss something important? By all means, please comment with a link!!

New York Times

• Maureen Dowd: United States of Shame
• Paul Krugman: A Can't-Do Government
• Radio Interview with New Orleans Mayor Nagin
• Editorial: Katrina's Assault on Washington

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

• Melanie McFadden: Race, Class, and the Media

The PI's Joe Connelly has a great article on what Republicans, many of whom were elected by criticizing the excesses of government, have been doing for the Country since they took over government.

The next time you hear someone talk about accountability and the excesses of government, remind them of what their Republican elected officials are doing for our State.

What's amazing, however, is how the Republicans have expanded all the excesses they howled at when Democrats ran the show in D.C. Examples:

• The K-Street Project: Since gaining control of Congress in 1994, Republican leaders on Capitol Hill have pressured major D.C. lobbying firms to hire only Republicans and not to employ Democrats or contribute to their causes.
  Home to many trade and lobbying groups, K Street was a bipartisan employer. But House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has made partisan hiring the price of access.
  A conservative D.C. operative, Grover Nordquist, posts information about lobbyists' contributions on the Web site of his Americans for Tax Reform.

The Bush Administration can Lie All It Wants, but Americans Know The Truth.

Did you stop thinking about the Hot Karl that's about to hit the fan just because George W. spent a week teasing us (will it be Gonzo? Will it be one of the Ediths? Will the news media jump on every fake lead Bush gives them, or just most of them?) with his lame-o Supreme Court bomb? I didn't think so.


So let's have a little chat then. Let's have a little chat about some red-hot Republican corruption. Because you and I-- you and I are not stupid. The Bush administration has been putting some hard time into hiding the facts on this one, and you and I are not so stupid that we are just going to open our mouths and let them shovel the shit in.

Why don't we start this one off with a little recent history. Back in July 2003, retired ambassador Joseph C. Wilson wrote a firey editorial in the New York Times about his trip to Africa with the CIA, where he discovered that Bush twisted the fuck out of the facts-- the facts about Saddam Hussein NOT trying to buy nuclear fuel in Africa. You'll remember that this led to a whole lot of talk about "the 16 words" in Bush's 2003 State of the Union address-- 16 words full of lies, lies, lies spoken in justification of the Iraq war quagmire.