FITZ AND IMPEACHMENT NOW !!!!

Redd!

Kitt!

Welcome back!! You were missed, but I am sure the vacation was really, really necessary.

One of these days I’m gonna get around to joining the Radical Faeries.

Can’t wait to see Helen go after Tony . . . .

Redd, glad you’re back!

I’ve been cursed with the 24 hour crud so out of commission. Did I miss anything?

GOD, he’s touting the energy plan as a good thing! What planet is he going to escape to when the greenhouse gasses take over?

This is too orchestrated. First day back and both sides in the Senate are yammering away about gas prices (while coming back all rested from mostly hiding from their constituents over their 2 wk Easter/Passover break). Chimp on the trail doing the same and now Snootie spending the first 10 minutes on the same. Is this the new manufactured crisis to prove that everyone is on top of things? To distract? This has been coming for a long time now and do they really think we are that stoopid? They have been mum and nothing has been done til now. hmmm, bad outcomes in Iraq and Afghanistan, sabre rattling with Iran, hate speech toward Venezuela, problems unattended in Nigeria and collusion with the energy sector. Oops, now back to gas again on the presser with Carl Faux.

angie — I think it is more along the lines of folks coming back from a Congressional break and at the WH — all getting an earful from Americans about the gas prices the whole way through the break. Geezers who live on a fixed retirement income are VERY unhappy when something cuts into their already stretched thin budget.

We have to thank Ms Nedra Pickler for her tremendous job of reporting the ‘oil crisis’ today. npickler@ap.org Let her know that being a mouthpiece for the White House is like being a good Nazi.

Read her white house press release here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....pr_wh/bush

How was the vacation with the toddler Redd? Glad to be home to rest?

i just had a thought - for those of us in the roots project…. we could purchase a gift copy of glen’s book to give each of our senators.

hmmmm…. i’m going to ask my group (MA) what they think of this… in the mean time, what do the rest of you FDLers think?

rw — the vacation was quite a bit of fun. And yes, I am very grateful to be home to rest. *g*

It’s so easy to lose count of the lies Scotty tells . . . successful and popular drug plan??? what is he smoking?

Oh, and what planet does McClellan live on that he thinks seniors are “very happy” with their current Medicare coverage under the new drug plans? Good heavens — he’s clearly not been to a pharmacy and had to listen to everyone gripe lately.

EPU’d from last thread:
Attacking the oil companies? Not so much, really. This is George Bush we’re talking about, the man who means what he says only about stuff that is totally, hopelessly wrong for the country. The rest of what he says is not even smoke, it’s smoke rings - barely any substance, with nothing but air in the middle.

I think the Dems could have a winner in any plan that “gets back†at the oil companies, even if only a little - the average person, thinking about Lee Raymond’s $400 million dollar compensation while more and more of his own paycheck is blasting out the back end of his car, wants nothing more than the satisfaction of putting some kind of dent in that kind of greed.

lol RevDeb — GMTA.

One point seems to be getting missed here—strike that

There’s one point that I haven’t seen being discussed yet here:

Clusterfuck has spent two days moving to the left.

Yesterday he made a point of emphasizing the “guest worker” part of his immigration plan- not the police part.

Today he attacked the oil companies.

Two days is a row is NOT an accident. What’s going on here? This is contrary to all of his instincts to shore up the base first- and the base is screaming for immigrant blood!

Something interesting that should be explored.

(By the way- I’m not suggesting that Clusterfuck is actually moving his POLICIES to the left- only that he is positioning himself more to the left- ala Arnie- why?)

Puck in A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream is my favorite faerie — although Disney’s Tinkerbell is way cute.

Life under BushCo is more like A Never-Ending Nightmare.

And what does it say when you slip to 45% in your home state of Texas?

YEE - HAW !!!

rwcole: have you had a chance to look @ that Survey USA map on the Geiger link ?

and could one of the more politically saavy or resident sociologist among us explain that little knot of red ? find it interesting as hell and wildly coincidental

hi RevDeb - hope you are feeling better!

Welcome back Christy and its good to know you are getting a chance to rest up from your adventures!

Welcome back Redd, how was Toddler Parallel Universe? ;-)

Re: Strategic Petroleum Reserve, IIRC Congress asked the Bush Admin to start refilling it, post-Katrina. Around about January. Answer from White House was, “We can’t afford to.” So this SPR draw-down may be more like a draw-out…and there are no longer any reliable figures available on what level the SPR is at.

limiting or suspending environmental regulations for the oil companies is not my definition of attacking the oil companies…

this has been the plan all along, only now they can do in under the guise of doing something about the high cost of gasoline.

what I am unclear about is how the pResident is able to unitarly suspend environmental law…

fuckin’ asshole. Rot in Hell GWB.

cbl–I didn’t see the link- I’d like to. I look at the Survey USA data everytime it is released- but haven’t seen it in map form.

(I’m a little sleepy this morning- spent the night at the emergency room with my wife- turned out to be a false alarm- but cost us both sleep.)

COOL~
Nancy Pelosi just used the phrase “RUBBERSTAMP REPUBLICAN CONGRESS” in her live TV press conference on CNN a moment ago.

Welcome back, Christy.

Taylor’s snark is good, but yours is the best!

Since my mom had a stroke a few years back, managing her finances and paying bills has been more than she could handle, so yours truly assumed that responsibility. The stroke did not affect her physically, and her speech is fine, but it left her with visual deficits (blank spots on her left side and a tendency to ignore anything that happens on her left) and unable to focus for any length of time, and to think much beyond about step two of a five-step process.

My point is that I have been firmly entrenched as the bologna (no jokes!) between the rye bread of husband/children and elderly parent ever since. I was never so happy as I was when I found out that she already has Rx coverage, through the coverage she has as a retired government employee. I am eternally grateful that I did not have to wade through the morass of Bush’s deal with the drug companies. I am surprised more family members of seniors have not gone “pharmaceutical” (the new “postal”) trying to (1) figure out which is the best plan and (2) pay for the drugs until it kicked in.

When we revise the plan after the 06 elections, I hope we can write into it special exceptions for all of those who touted it as a wonderful plan, but never actually had to deal with it (that means YOU, Scottie!).

Selise,
not back in the saddle yet. Drove down to the Cape to work, was a little queesy yesterday am and have been in bed since. Was wondering if anyone else in the group got sick. Anyway another day or two should do it.

I am really far behind in reading posts and comments and will probably give it up—there’s always more to come.

As for MB’s poll on the 1000 days of W ahead of us, I, not a gambling sort of gal, made a bet with my spouse that W would not make it through his term. He’s never finished a job he started, why start now?

The pity of it all is that there will be a colossal clean up job to do after he’s gone. Katrina is only the beginning.

rw, sorry to hear about the visit to the er.

Here’s a site I found with up to date inventory numbers for the strategic petroleum reserve- and recent draw downs and additions.

Bottom line 675 million barrels in the reserve.

We drew down about 16 million for Katrina- and since then about half has been replaced.

http://www2.spr.doe.gov/DIR/Si.....E_new.html

John- Thanks- but it was no big deal. My wife woke up at 1:30 with chest pain and a rapid heartbeat. We decided not to take a chance and took her to the emergency room- where everything checked out fine. The doc took away the green tea tablets she bought at Costco.

The only serious damage was that she is responsible for a $2,500 deductible on her medical insurance. The blood tests, x-rays, cardiograms, and medications may have burned right through that.

Glen Greenwald - I pre-ordered the book and I encourage everyone else to do the same. There is no doubt in my mind that it’s going to be a barn burner.

Smoke and mirrors are all this Administration has. They trot out a “new” face, a few “new” proposals. The President makes a speech or two. The fix lasts two or three days and then it all falls apart. It is found that the new face is actually an old face and that the new ideas are just more of the same. They are bankrupt and out of gas.

On a comment EPU’ed from last thread, I would just like to point out again that the spike in current oil prices came about when the Administration talked tough about Iran, sending jitters through oil markets. If they want to cool the speculative fever, they should try a more conciliatory tone and avoid fomenting more instability in the world.

As for Bush’s approach to the oil companies, the threats are all air and the incentives are all dollar signs. Anyone surprised?

Christy, it’s not that Tony Snow’s loose with the facts: he just reads from a teleprompter, that’s all — Scotty isn’t as dumb as Tony — we’ll soon see that Tony’s overrated but maybe Bush is bringing in Tony thinking he’ll be able to talk directly to Bush’s base of jesus freaks & chicken hawks [not mutually exclusive]

RevDeb,

please take good care of yourself! i didn’t get sick - but we all ate mostly different food at lunch…

been thinking a lot about how to maximize benefit of our monthly meetings… will email ideas later….

back too work now…. *poof* (gonna try markinireland’s trick!)

Hugh- well yeah- Clusterfuck’s a lyin bastard- but let’s pay attention to what appears to be a new political strategy.

rwcole,
sorry to hear of your ER visit, glad to hear everyone’s ok-

all of a sudden my linky template isn’t working - the Survey USA Map link is in Christy’s post under Update

rwcole at 18:

Great catch (re: George’s shift to the… center?). I’m assuming that’s Karl’s been reading the polls and the tea leaves and has been realizing that he’d better do something, and quick.

So, he’s telling Shrub to test the winds with this new approach.

So, just for grins, what’s tomorrow’s “adjustment”? If he’s hit immigration and gas prices (what a complete sandbag, by the way), which are two of the three big items according to CNN’s latest poll, that means that bingo! Iraq…something related to Iraq, would be tested tomorrow…hmmm

John Kerry to be on “Talk of the Nation” today (will be on this hour on my local NPR station).

cbl–thanks- found the link.

The map isn’t too interesting since it only highlights the four states that are still giving Clusterfuck a JAR over fifty percent.

Three of the four are heavily mormon. Can’t really explain Nebraska- but it’s likely related to corn subisidies for ethanol- notice that Clusterfuck just endangered that one with his latest announcement. Can’t remember if there’s a gooper senator running this year in Nebraska. If so- he’s probably leading by triple digits anyway- so Clusterfuck figures he can spare a few votes.

Larry Johnson has some thoughts on the Mary McCarthy firing and the CIA/Bush WH. (The comments to his post are almost as interesting as the post itself.)
Those comments are very entertaining and engaging. The troll comment is quite a specimen.

OT– this is weird– can only get the header for this story in today’s issue of The Hill– when you try to open it, looks scrubbed. Maybe someone more savvy than I can tell me what is going on?

>>>>>
Sen. Roberts seeks delay of Intel probe
By Alexander Bolton
Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said he wants to divide his panel’s inquiry into the Bush administration’s handling of Iraq-related intelligence into two parts, a move that would push off its most politically controversial elements to a later time.

http://www.hillnews.com/

Bush to Suspend Oil Reserve Deposits
04-25) 08:03 PDT WASHINGTON (AP)
“President Bush on Tuesday ordered a tempory halt to deposits to the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve to make more oil available for consumer needs and relieve pressure on pump prices…”
It’s my understanding that this is simply Bush’s doubletalk for drawing down the SPR. The SPR is not static, like a savings account, the oldest oil in it continues to be delivered to refineries. Suspending deposits is just a confusing way of saying that Bush is playing our last card, he is drawing down our only reserve. Any attempt to shore up the SPR, will simply drive the price of gas higher.
I hope Dems hit Bush hard on this “during a time of war.” This is unbelieveably reckless given the number of troops we have abroad. Rommel’s North Africa Corps died because of lack of fuel in WWII.
Doesn’t hurricane season start in May or June?

Angie- sounds like more stonewalling from Roberts. Nothing new about that. He doesn’t want a report to come out until after the election in all probability. Dems should fry his ass.

thanks rw !
Martha -

So, just for grins, what’s tomorrow’s “adjustment�

Ken Mehlman’s White House Wedding . . .

Cheney’s ‘heart’ gets a stem cell transplant . . .

Anne #28

Re the Medicare Drug Prescription benefit

When a program is as ghastly a hoax as this one, there is nothing left but to declare it an overwhelming success. Oh sure, there were a few startup problems: people being dumped from their insurance plans, the incomprehensible complexity and uncertainty in the number of plans and what they did and did not cover, how this placed an impossible burden on the elderly to deal with. Anything new has a few wrinkles that need ironing but no biggy, right?

The media initially reported some of this but now seems more interested in the “happy” side of things the Administration is peddling. IIRC there was even an upbeat report about how the overall cost of the program was going to be less than projected (because many seniors had been scared off from even enrolling). Now that’s coverage.

Welcome Back! I didn’t catch my daily dose of FDL for about a week. I was wondering if maybe all the scandels were taking too much time from your family and two year old. I have been there and worked out of the home for three years when my kids were young, and it is trying.

Numbers for Bush are low and now if the Democrats keep quiet - they deserve to loose in November. Take a look at Harold Ford’s campaign. He is hitting the administration and the Republican Rubber Stamp Machine every day. He does Imus in the am routinely and that is a demographic audience - the over the hill viagra gaggle of males - that the democrats should also speak out to. Imus doesn’t come across as a Bush fan - but thinks Santorium is a great guy?

Wrote to Pelosi, Reid and Fetrik about making sure that the Dems house was in order before hammering the Abramoff and corruption machine too hard at the time, citing Maxine Waters being included on the CREW report. Warned of sounding too angelical coming back to bite them because Rove will be sniffing for tips from any one on any Democrat’s impropriety or paper trail. Look at what DeLay’s folks did to Obey with a mere rumor told to one person.

Now with a somewhat ratched media and the obvious lack of governing abilities, the incompetence, and corporate greed hitting pocketbooks, and the Repubs base now loosing confidence, desparation will abound with KR and cabal. The dems have to get competent, articulate mouths in front of the media –not this same crew of Carville,Begula, or Strom.

This WHIG crew will do anything to win in November and the Democrats have to keep hitting right back, stopping them in that news cycle.

Let’s face it, the majority of voters do not read for various reasons. The key is radio and television and that platform is sorely being overlooked by the “gang in charge” in D.C., and it is frustrating.

Over confidence and keeping quiet by not calling out to the general public for election monitors and paper trails, while lamblasting the NH and Ohio voting scandel phone calls to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, is strategically shooting themselves in the foot. Dems must start thinking Rovian on media and technology perceptions and platforms in which a plethora of various voices can hit back.

Would love to see you get back on CSPAN because Grover Norquist is starting to be a regular and he is good at lying. His body language and demeanor is well practiced in the art.

John- It isn’t clear whether Clusterfuck is talking about net draw downs- as he did after Katrina- or no net additions. The language sounds like no net additions- but who the hell knows. It’s not a bad thing to do in my opinion. The world oil market has already reacted favorably.

Of course if dems can get political leverage by attacking it- well what the hell- go for it- but I think it will backfire if they do.

“Do I believe in Fairies.” Noone clap their hands.

rwcole– I am glad your wife is ok. ER visits are scary no matter what. Good that you all rushed in and did not wait, though. Too many times people do the opposite with horrific results– especially women.

I agree, nothing new wrt Patsy but the story is unavailable when you try to open it– I have tried every which way!

Thanks Angie–she’s fine. She can’t sit still- so I hate to think what would happen if a doctor ever prescribed “bed rest”.

rwcole #37

The new political strategy is the old political strategy, repackaged but still the same. My point is that anything that looks new out of this White House isn’t. They aren’t showing anything they haven’t shown before.

Hugh- well it looks new to me- backtracking and moving a bit left.

Expect a pullback from Bush in one to two days wrt the lip service on addiction to oil. Trouble in pseudo-freeper land:

http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=042506G

I write “pseudo” because (About TCS):

TCS is supported by a small group of sponsors: the American Beverage Association, ExxonMobil, Freddie Mac, General Motors Corporation, Gilead Sciences, McDonalds, Merck and PhRMA. We are proud to have them as sponsors; however, the opinions expressed on these pages are solely those of the writers and not necessarily of any corporation or other organization.

BTW, thanks to Jonah at the Corner for that tip.

“Coalition casualties just hit 2,600 in Iraq. We’ll likely see 3,000 before the election. That number will resonate with the public.

cbl

LOL..but those picks don’t involve Iraq. CNN’s poll said that “we” are worried about three things: Iraq, immigration, and energy prices. So, per rwcole’s great catch, he’s made statements that appear to be appeasing those crazy people who aren’t his base on immigration and energy.

I don’t know, it’s got to be some microscopic shift, nothing big (no running Rummy out of town or anything). I’m guessing it would have to be a rhetorical concession, something that doesn’t require him (or his henchmen) to admit anything could possibly be wrong or need improvement.

ahhh…just a bit over 29 years ago James Earl Carter, Jr. told us:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/c.....nergy.html

I’d recommend anyone who hasn’t seen it give it a quick look. You’ll notice that it has a specific PLAN to implement and ways to see progress. It was labelled as ‘Carter’s malaise in America’ speech, and it may have been the major meme that led to its message being marginalized and cast aside. Along with his Presidency.

You can be sure GWB will avoid that at all cost. But, in my book it would be wise to use history as a guide.

Folks here are correct. This WH is gov’t by PR, and nothing else. It wouldn’t be so bad, but the nimrods think razor thin margins aided by vote fraud and theft is a ‘mandate’.

Okay, somebody may have already linked this and I just missed it, but…

http://www.thesun.co.uk/articl.....96,00.html

How psyched do you figure Jagger was to be able to tell Bush in no uncertain terms, “No! Now sod off, ya silly little bleeder!”, do ya think? ;^)

Just got an e-mail from Markey’s office. Mark-up on the “Internet Neutrality” bill starts at 5 today.

Reposted from end of previous thread:

Christy -

Looking at DJ DrZ’s post (# 92 in previous thread), I am interested in knowing how many of our FDL regular contributors are Quakers and/or how many, like me, have several generations of Quaker ancestors (in my case, by way of my paternal grandfather and paternal grandmother).

NEW VIDEO-ZARQAWI-WITHOUT HIS MASK
CNN) — Video that appears to show Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of insurgent group al Qaeda in Iraq, was posted on an Islamist Web site Tuesday.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/04/25/zarqawi/

wcole says:
April 25th, 2006 at 10:36 am

One point seems to be getting missed here—strike that

There’s one point that I haven’t seen being discussed yet here:

Clusterfuck has spent two days moving to the left.

Yesterday he made a point of emphasizing the “guest worker†part of his immigration plan- not the police part.

Today he attacked the oil companies.

Two days is a row is NOT an accident….

RW: IS IT REALLY MOVING OR APPEARING TO MOVE TO THE LEFT WHEN IT’S ALL JUST BULLSHIT? HE DOESN’T MEAN A WORD OF IT.

IF HE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING, THEY WOULD RAISE THE CAFE CAR MPG STANDARDS. NEVER GETS MENTIONED. THEY WOULD DO REAL EFFORTS AT CONVSERVATION. HE WOULD STOP FLYING AROUND, 10,000 GALLONS A MINUTE? WHEN A STAMP WOULD DO.

Well I’ve got a new Karen Armstrong book calling me. Check y’all out later.

The Larry Johnson article comments are also very scary.
Ex: It is a well known fact that Rumsfeld, and many of his allies inside the Pentagon, fear China much as if they are Soviet Russia of yesteryear. Paul Wolfowitcz could very likely be at the center of such paranoia. . . Or:
Voter registrations and FEC contributions are public information and something that Karl and his minions know very well. And they can search them stealthly. And point fingers. And blackball.

uh clem–

‘I said, hey! you! get off of my cloud
Hey! you! get off of my cloud
Hey! you! get off of my cloud
Don’t hang around ’cause two’s a crowd
On my cloud, baby’

LOL– telling off the murderous wanker.

Redd- welcome back! I usu. don’t get to comment on your threads because of my schedule, but I took a break and read from the first. Style and smarts, as ever.

angie,
that was my experience too with the story from the Hill. I finally removed everything after www.thehill.com or whatever it is, got on the main page, clicked on the story and it came up. But I’ve got it here if you want me to post it.

Tom- Of course- I gave a point by point reply to his speech on the previous thread. Of course he’s only trying to move perception- not substance- but why is he trying to move perception. He now wants to be seen as a centerist apparently- and is risking abandoning his base to do it. It’s at least interesting- don’t you think?

rwcole,

Well, as I think you pointed out in the last thread, Bush managed to talk about what he was going to do wrt gas prices without mentioning CAFE standards. That would be real. That would be new. He didn’t do it. Instead he talked about suspending deposits to the Strategic Oil Reserve which over at Froomkin’s was noted to come to about 1/3 of one percent of our daily consumption. The rest seemed geared toward removing pesky environmental restrictions that interfere with big oil’s bottom line and the perennial fake investigation of price fixing.

Via Wolcott on ‘The Anchoress’.

“The Cult is execrable - it sleeps in its own feces and calls it a bed of fragrant moss and clover - and too many have become too willing to believe that the squish and stench in which they slog is a pristine pasture rather than an overflowing latrine.”
–The Anchoress

Clearly the Anchoress’s attic needs airing out. She’s mistaking her own lack of mental hygiene for the sins of others, quite an un-Christian thing to do.–
James Wolcott

Wow. The Anchoress writes in very ‘flowery’ prose, does she not?
–Me

From the AP link in 44:
“Easing the environment rules will allow refiners greater flexibility in providing oil supplies since they will not have to use certain additives such as ethanol to meet clean air standards.”
While Bush is talking about “alternative fuels,” of which ethanol is the most prevalent, his actions are hurting ethanol producers. If you want to drive investors away from ethanol and alternative fuels, Bush has the template.

Hugh- I totally agree. It’s mostly smoke and mirrors (although yanking some of the subsidy to oil companies is pretty extreme for him).

Again- I’m only discussing the politics of the move- and pointing out that SOMETHING is happening.

#62 Stephen Parrish, CPA

The estimates I’ve seen say about 50 percent probability of at least one Friend if your family was here much before 1800 to 1850 (I forget the year - 1850 is what I think it said, but that seems late). They were mostly in RI and PA, but a substantial number in NC up to the 1830s.

OT - VG

Nice catch on that cup with handle formation, re: PEIX. I noticed it also ; )

OT (hmm… what is the topic? :-) )-

Seems like we are back on the “rolling disclosure” train. This time WH use of pre-war intelligence:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....ge=printer
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000446.php

Margot # 69– thanks for that! I tried again with your suggestion and can’t open it– is there anything new in there? I don’t need to see it unless you think it newsworthy. ;) I can wait til they fix it.

From previous thread:
“rwcole says:
April 25th, 2006 at 10:08 am

Mornin Redd- good to see you back!

Was surprised to see Clusterfuck’s oil speech. Looks as if he is finally making at least cosmetic changes in his policy stances in response to poll numbers. That’s big news. Haven’t seen the speech- but he is advocating:

-Investigating the oil companies for excess profits.

-Relaxing environmental rules temporarily (not requiring the addition of ethanol this summer apparently.

-Eliminating additional buying for the strategic reserves

-Calling on congress to cut tax incentives to oil companies

-Expanding tax breaks for hybrids.

Much of this can and should be challenged:

If the potential for price manipulation exists- then why didn’t Clusterfuck stop all the mergers that have occured in the oil industry recently?

If adding to the strategic reserves isn’t necessary at this time- why doesn’t he RELEASE some of the reserve to ease prices?

If the oil industry doesn’t need the stupid tax incentives, why did he call for them in the first place?

Why isn’t he calling for CAFE standards to be increased?

Why is he only NOW calling for bigger incentives for hybrids? It’s not as if we didn’t know this was coming- the two thousand dollar break was and is a joke- the incentive needs to be at least four thousand dollars to be impactful- and whatever it costs- the consumers will get it back in lower gas prices as demand decreases.

Still- this is news- he is attacking the oil companies- trying to shed his image of being tied at the hip to them. VERY interesting. IT’s a massive retreat. Will be interesting to see if it is reported that way.”

John- bingo- the elimination of ethanol- even if just for the summer- is a big move. It has been pretty much a bullshit political move from the beginning- pandering for the votes of the corn states. It’s very surprising that Clusterfuck would risk that vote in an election year.

Of course if there is less ethanol in the gas- there will be MORE petroleum…Too tired to figure out all of the effects.

By the way- I have read that ethanol as a gas additive- takes more energy to produce than it supplies in the final product- so that has to be balanced in too. I have also read that it’s a mixed bag in terms of lowering pollutants- but I can’t remember the details. My impression is that ethanol is a shuck.

Stephen Parrish–I’m a Quaker but not a descendant of Friends. My folks mostly worshipped at AA meetings, if that.

rwcole– “ethanol is a shuck”

LOL– from corn.

Hugo Chavez is already pledging to help MA heat their homes NEXT winter, expanding the help he ‘delivered’ this winter.

http://www.boston.com/news/wor.....discounts/

Who knew the Citgo sign beyond the Green Monster would be so valuable?

The President’s Magician, Karl Rove, Has Lost His Magic

By James C. Moore
SNIP
The Independent, April 24, 2006As Rove’s role was being redefined by the new White House chief of staff last week, Fitzgerald was reportedly presenting evidence against the political genius to the grand jury. Rove has been ordered by his new boss to concentrate his considerable political skills on the mid-term elections in November because the president’s approval ratings are so poor that Republican candidates are running away from Bush and his policies.

If, however, Fitzgerald’s case against Rove is as open and shut as it appears from the outside, the man chosen to mastermind a comeback for the president and his party may find himself in legal jeopardy before the autumnal rhetoric of the election. And the president’s final two years will accomplish little more than chopping down cedar trees on his Texas ranch.

Patrick Fitzgerald, too, carries an awful burden, even though he considers himself little more than a good citizen just doing his job.

http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opi.....0Moore.htm

rwcole,

Ethanol isn’t JUST corn anymore. I’s come a long way, baby! ; )

“Ethanol can be derived from corn, wheat, potato wastes, cheese whey, rice straw, sawdust, urban wastes, paper mill wastes, yard clippings, molasses, sugar cane, seaweed, surplus food crops, and other cellulose waste.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel

angie,

Thinkporgresshas the Pat Roberts/PhaseII story covered and links to DailyKos with more. If you’re interested.

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/.....nipulated/

Shiite Militias Move Into Oil-Rich Kirkuk, Even as Kurds Dig In
By Swopa Apr 25 2006 - 7:51am
“Warming up for the big show”
“Somewhat buried in the Washington Post this morning:
“Hundreds of Shiite Muslim militiamen have deployed in recent weeks to this restive city — widely considered the most likely flash point for an Iraqi civil war — vowing to fight any attempt to shift control over Kirkuk to the Kurdish-governed north, according to U.S. commanders and diplomats, local police and politicians….”

Thanks Jay!

angie
I take it back, I just tried it and it doesn’t work for me now. Here’s a few bits:
Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said he wants to divide his panel’s inquiry into the Bush administration’s handling of Iraq-related intelligence into two parts, a move that would push off its most politically controversial elements to a later time.

The inquiry has dragged on for more than two years, a slow pace that prompted Democrats to force the Senate into an extraordinary closed-door session in November. Republicans then promised to speed up the probe.
[snip]
Left unfinished would be a report on whether public statements and testimony about Iraq by senior U.S. government officials were substantiated by available intelligence information. Roberts also would leave unfinished another report on what Democrats have called possibly illegal activity in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, formerly headed by Douglas Feith, who is believed to have played an important role in persuading the president to invade Iraq.
[snip]
Democrats charged that the committee did almost nothing to evaluate the statements of public officials before November, when Democrats forced the Senate into closed session. ……………
At one point, Roberts wanted Intelligence Committee members to vote separately on scores of statements to determine whether each was justified — a proposal Democrats rejected.

Democrats also have pressed Roberts to interview government officials about their statements, something Roberts has not agreed to, although he told The Hill in November that he would conduct interviews and issue subpoenas as a last resort.
[snip]
He recently complained in a U.S. News & World Report article that his committee has not made progress on overseeing intelligence on Iran, a growing national security concern, because Democrats are “more focused on intelligence failures of the past.â€
http://www.thehill.com/thehill.....news4.html

Coz

From your link:

“If Net Energy Analysis is accepted, then ethanol must be shown to result in positive net energy. In other words, the ethanol that is put in a car must have more energy than was used to make the ethanol. Electricity production results in a net loss of energy, showing that net energy is not the only factor - cleanliness and convenience are considered more important than the loss of energy. It remains to be seen whether factors such as cleanliness or appeals to energy independence will outweigh the loss of energy in ethanol production.

Three countries have developed significant bio-ethanol programs: Brazil and Colombia (from sugarcane), and the United States (from maize)”

So ethanol uses more energy to produce than it supplies to the finished product- and is made primarily from maize (corn) in this country.

No problem, Google News searches are great for current/breaking news too, you’ll usually find a link to coverage there.

Hey Christy, I haven’t been online, so I’m late chiming in with my Welcome Back! We missed you. :)

I clicked the link to Wolcott and then through to the Anchoress. Oy. In addition to all their other sins, these wingers write like overheated Victorian novelists! As a teacher of writing I’m actually pained by the overwrought analogies, the flashy use of SAT words (often just off meaning, so they don’t quite say what they think they’re saying), and the just in general garbled syntax. Domenech/”Augustine” and all the others with their faux-medieval or faux-Roman nicknames and verbiage…sheesh.

Then there’s the mispelled inarticulate grunting of the Freeper hoi polloi, complete with the sexual violent imagery they descend to so quickly. Add in Dick’s pottymouth and GeeDubya’s mangling of English (BTW: did you see that he says the pre-Iraq, he explored the use of diplomacy “to the max?” Who says that any more? I’ll even the surfers in La Jolla stopped about ten years ago!) I’d say there’s a pattern here, exactly what I tell my students: clarity of expression goes hand in hand with clarity of thinking.

Margot– thank you!

Liar, liar pants on fire. Harry’s got to pull another closed door session yesterday. With all that has come out with Drumheller, I do not see how this can be allowed to stand.

Coz- if you are reading I have a temp email addy tenureransom at hotmail dot com if you email me there I’ll respond with reg addy

Wrt ethanol production:
Switchgrass
“Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a summer perennial grass ….that is native, switchgrass is resistant to many pests and plant diseases, and it is capable of producing high yields with very low applications of fertilizer (bold is mine). This means that the need for agricultural chemicals to grow switchgrass is relatively low. Switchgrass is also very tolerant of poor soils, flooding and drought, which are widespread agricultural problems in the southeast…”
It’s unclear to me how much switchgrass it takes to make a gallon of ethanol. We have to know that before we can make a “net net” energy determination.

Christy -
My girlfriend would be jealous of you. The 50th Anniversary is still going on, right? Did you get the “gold plated” Mickey Mouse ears?

VG

OK

According to DailyKos diary on Phase 2, the story may not be accurate in reflecting Rockefeller’s stance, perhaps that is why it is unavailable…

“So ethanol uses more energy to produce than it supplies to the finished product- and is made primarily from maize (corn) in this country.”

guys,

I’ll do some digging, but about 2 weeks ago, Ed Schultz had some Ethanol guy on who appeared to factually dispute that claim and cited the PetroChemical Industry sponsored studies that was making the claims in the first place - I’ll see what I can find - the guy could have just as easily been an Ethanol shill

Zbig News:

Brezinski says “Don’t Attack Iran”.

http://www.iht.com/bin/print_i.....edzbig.php

*Republican Leader Blunt blames gas prices on Democrats and environmentalists.

*Condi Rice greeted with protests, tear gas and a nyet on Iran attack in Greece.

*Bush ducks , Cheney naps, Bolten flops, Snow melts.

-GSD

John–Well what we need to know is how much energy it takes to distill a gallon of ethanol from that grass vs. the energy that COMES from a gallon of ethanol.

Ethanol is booze- you make it by first making “beer” and then distilling the beer using heat. It’s the distillation process that uses energy- which has to come from coal, or natural gas, etc.

There must be some accurate information available on that process.

OT
Haven’t seen anything about this online, but been sick for the last 24 Navy to send hundreds of sailors to Fort Jackson’s 2-week program

It was in yesterday’s print version of the Boston Globe but couldn’t find the link so went to the source.

The Navy’s decision to have thousands of sailors serve with ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan means more work for Fort Jackson trainers.

Plans call for the Navy to send at least 400 sailors a month to a two-week crash course in ground combat at the Columbia post.

That total could reach 1,000 sailors a month by October, said Lt. Col. Doug Snyder, commander of an Army Reserve unit training the Navy personnel. . .

read it all.

So is our military broken or what?

ReDeb-
Does that mean that the airforce and the coast guard are next?

Limbaugh is railing about a “culture of treason” in the Democractic Party.

“They’ve already attempted to collapse the Bush administration in its effort to deal with rising Islamist power with Mary McCarthy’s leak. And let’s not forget these generals. Let’s throw them in the loop here, folks. The timing of this I know appears all to be coincidental. We have the Clinton generals. They were promoted by Bill and Hillary to make the military politically correct.”

Bush, Coulter, Savage, Limbaugh, Tony Snow and the gang. They are itching for internment camps and firing squads for liberals and Democrats and anyone that doesn’t agree with them. The fascism is open and it is growing more virulent by the day.

They will attack and label as treasonous anyone who disagrees with the Godly George W. Bush.
-GSD

Here’s an article that argues that ethanol productionn DOES create more energy than it uses- brought by a group who is a part of the ethanol industry apparently- but fairly detailed.

“(BTW: did you see that he says the pre-Iraq, he explored the use of diplomacy “to the max?†Who says that any more? I’ll even the surfers in La Jolla stopped about ten years ago!)”

What, so now Bushie Boy is taking elocution lessons from Moon Unit Zappa