Sure, he’s fast becoming the least popular president ever, and his administration has produced nothing but disaster and discord – but George W. Bush is still upbeat and positive, at least according to those who have met him in person – especially (but not necessarily) if they’re insane right-wing sycophants. I have a theory about this, but first I must rant about some of said sycophants’ stupider comments, as lovingly gathered by The Indispensable And All-Seeing Eye Of Froomkin.
If every American could have the opportunity I did today — to sit with the President of the United States and hear him firsthand describe his resolve to win in Iraq and around the world, we would have a very different situation with public opinion. . . .
His descriptions of the enemy and their brutal, cold-blooded-killer tactics were enough to make a graying group of radio talk how hosts want to enlist and serve this country in uniform.
That may very well be one of the least believable statements of all time. But he’s not done:
I wish I could quote him exactly or play a recording of the conversation. Because the George W. Bush I met with in the Oval Office today is a very different person than the man you see in our media. He is a great President. We are very blessed that he is our Commander in Chief. History will judge him well.
Why would Dubya hide his brilliance from the public? Methinks his secret greatness has more to do with the audience than the setting.
Democrats are showing us with their every word and grimace that what is good news for our country, what is good news for the war against Islamic terror, what is god news for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and what is good news for the cause of peace — real peace — and stability in the Middle East is bad news, really bad news, for Democrats. Many of these people with that “D” after their names would gladly sacrifice any semblance of victory in Iraq and against the scourge of Islamic fascism if it would mean maintaining and strengthening their hold on power in Washington.
I am so sick of this insultingly stupid meme. We would love for Iraq to turn out well, and we would love for our soldiers to stop getting killed and maimed (physically and mentally), but we can see it’s not happening. We’re rolling our eyes at the “good news” because it’s bullshit, not because it sucks for our team. But if victory really is kryptonite to Democrats and progressives, then why did the Bushies make so little effort to secure it?
Okay, on to my theory. Dubya is cheerful because he can see the finish line. He’s realized that at their current pace, the Democratic Congress isn’t going to force him out of Iraq, isn’t going to impeach him, isn’t going to breach his bogus “executive privilege” stonewalls – not within 17 months. We know from his business history that failure itself doesn’t bother him; only consequences, and he never faces them.
Dubya’s “optimism” is the smug relief of a wealthy criminal who knows his lawyer will get him off; of a thuggish frat boy whose dad paid for the school’s new library. I hope he’s wrong, but fear he’s right.
My only consolation is that I can see the finish line too.
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hey!
Eli!!
Hi Eli
Hi guys!
The GOP is showing the Democrats how they should have acted all those time the GOP dissed them when they were in the minority.
GOPers fight a good fight when u need to know arcane rules and debate procedures but I bet there aren’t many who could fight their way out of an ambush
I hope the entire world is watching.
Both the House and Senate are rocking right now!!! 8-)
Eli, excellent post about the great delusionist.
Are you watching the Sharks and the Jets on CSPAN?
LoudounLib @ 8
Dr. Who vs. the Daleks. It’s… similar, except the Doctor is usually a lot more successful.
Zed?
AND HE IS NOT MY COMMANDER IN CHIEF!!!
That one burns me more than anything else. NOT MY CIC! I’m not in the military! THE MAN IS NOT MY COMMANDER!
Jeebus.
Hey, did I break the first twenty?
And I just ate. Eww.
I’m still rooting for junya to go to jail.
Four Republicans voting Present???? Eunuchs in the GOP.
How the Republicans think this is gonna help their cause, I don’t know. I mean it’s like Hoyer said, “Enough is enough,” but they can’t let go. It’s like a schoolyard thing with them never admit you’re wrong. How many mothers and fathers are teaching their kids that now?? This is what Iraq is all about in a nutshell….never back down, never admit defeat whether you are wrong or right.
PB @ 11
You certainly did – with quite a bang.
Just turned in what is happening in congress tonite. What is the bru ha ha?
PB @ 11
This is something Dubya has never adequately understood. I think he conceived of the President as the Boss Of America, not a glorified public servant. And the Republicans are doing all they can to make that true.
And, unlike Boehner. who prefers the “recipe,” I sincerely believe George is on some powerful happy pills, like Laura.
I feel like a marathon runner (in reality I could only run a marathon if I hired Michael Vick to chase me, I hear he’s out of work)
The Boys on the right are really playing dirty tonight, they always think they so much smarter than everybody else.
Eli; they have to have this monstrous disconnect from reality. And why not? It mirrors precisely the one that george bush, himself, has to have.
What he did when he pulled the trigger on Iraq was so abysmally stupid; so irreversible; so guaranteed to turn the country from a nuisance (at worst) with an ageing, increasingly impotent tyrant, into a hellish metastisis of chaos and violence, with nothing but a prognosis for more of the same for the foreseeable future, that he, and many of those people who supported him simply cannot look honestly at the Gorgon they’ve created; it will turn them to stone.
PB @ 11
HEY! SHOW SOME PROPER RESPECT!
Suck on your bone, Boehner! Your charade is going down to defeat!!!
LoudounLib @ 8
LOL
–chokes—
Damn — I gotta stop reading the posts first. Anyway, Chimpy McFlightsuit has a reputation in some circles for dumbing-down his talk because it gains him votes in the hinterlands–from the people who think “elite” is a bad word. But there is so much incompetence in this bunch and I simply cannot believe that one could act so dumb so consistently and never get caught being smart. If he’s not dumb, he’s the smartest guy who ever lived. Move over Feynman, Einstein, Newton…Bush is here.
Good evening, Pups. The House is a rockin’ so I won’t bother knockin’!
Eli @ 9
But who is being cast as Dr. Who’s teenage assistant? I vote for Cassie!
Bob in HI
Whitehouse on C-2!!!
Wo ist Steiner?
Whitehouse up in the Senate: we are judgin legislation and that piece puts exclusive rights ion the presidency to deternmie what gets collected against americans overseas and against americans in this country and it does it pursuant to an eecutive order
This is about the rule of law
I was busy configuring a live stream of some of the sessions this morning, so I missed the breakfast. I’d really love it if some firepups at YKSL dropped by to say hello. I’ll mostly be in the audio/video area to the right of the stage.
CTuttle @ 26
Whew! That’s a refreshing change.
That shoulda been YearlyKos. I’m pretty worn out….
Throw me in that briar patch, Mitch!!!
So they want to give Bush what he wants so they can go on vacation.
Mitch: Bush has said he won’t sign anything except the one he wants
What kind of fuckery is this? You have to give the spoiled fucker what he wants or he’ll hold us here….shit guys, break out the cots, cancel those vacation plans, and fuck George Bush and what he wants
Am I the only person who would be terribly tickled by a “Whitehouse White House”?
Of course, I’d by tickled by a “Snow White House” too, even if it would be Pure Evil…
Murtha takes the big chair in the House.. *s*
snowbird42 @ 32
In both Houses!!! *g*
E. FUDD EXPWAINS THE PWESIDENT
Wadies and Gentlemen of the bwogosphere, the Pwesident wequires that our countwy win in Iwaq, or at weast, not wose until a Democwat is in office.
If you disagwee, you are a twaitor.
Somehow, mere English never quite expresses how catastophic Bush is, until Elmer Fudd explains it and the full stupidity comes through.
Whitehouse for the White House…smelling salts..
I’d really like to think that there is a finish line coming up for this administration, but more and more I am beginning to think it’s not going to happen. There has been so much consolidation of power to the Executive branch, I am finding it hard to believe that it will all be handed over in January 09. Why would they work so hard to undermine the separation of powers and make the presidency a near dictatorship only to walk away in a year and a half? I hope that I am wrong, but I fear that I am right.
If they give him what he wants, they wont be having my support.
The house didnt pass their bill
They are replaying the comments from the previous debate where Murtha purportedly acted in a partisan manner on c-span. C=span 2 has the senate voting on the bill that Bush wants and will not let anyone leave town without.
Sensenbrenner, the guy who turned off the mike when he was in power. Murtha should have turned off his mike.
I think what Bush secretly wants is to retire to his ranch in Crawford – why can’t Congress see that?
Eli @ 34
I would love to see Whitehouse as AG.
Right now the yeas win
Lynn @ 39
They will have drained the treasury by then and will have no reason to stick around – if dog is good.
Lynn @ 39
Civil War II should that happen.
james @ 41
And walked out turning his back on the Rep Dems.
Lynn @ 39
They would have to either cancel elections or rig them *massively* to keep a Republican in the White House, and I’m not sure even they can pull that off.
Lynn @ 40
They live in our country, America, not “The Homeland”. In America, you have to abide by the constitution. They can try, they can cry, they can attack, but there are 300,000,000 of We the People here. They work for us. They are abusing us, and they will not prevail. They will not. The only question is, will they ultimately end up in jail or not. Probably not.
E. FUDD @ 37
(standing on chair) YEE-HAW!!! What’s up, Doc?!!! ;-)
And they still won’t stop
When will the friggin GOP give it up?
Tax incentives added to the IRS Act of 1986
And now let’s adjourn
Issa the a**hole for yeas and nays
james @ 35
If he makes them stay, they should have a giant repeal-o-thon.. MCA, consent to war, etc etc.. and when they’re done with that, arrest Rove, Myers and Bolton, drag them before the bar and summarily try them. I’m sick of this.
(That’s the irony – that the Bushies’ attempts to consolidate absolute power for the Republicans have all but guaranteed that the Democrats take the White House and *more* of the Congress)
Eli @ 43
I so agree with you. I think he hates his job. Cheney…not so much…ala…Kissinger…they like to stay behind the scenes forever and control everything…but Bush, he’s outta here ASAP.
BobbyG @ 47
First you’d have to draw the masses away from the new season of American Idol. The apathy is astounding, sometimes I feel as though I am existing in a bubble of reality while those around me are happily going along thinking everything will work out without any effort whatsoever on their part. Like voting.
Eli @ 54
Unless…..It just doesn’t matter because the outcome is already determined.
Senate voting on the R version now.
CSpan lady says, They are having a revolution, I mean resolution…
Yeah, baby!
Why can’t the Senate post a running tally as the House does??? Only a Hundred instead of 435???
QuakerGirl @ 57
The amount of rigging and tampering that would be required would be impossible to cover up.
Blub @ 54
Great idea…I wouldn’t wanna piss off a lot of lawyers with legal pads and pencils at hand and lots and lots of time
I think he is so high on anti-depressants that if a thermonuclear war happened beside him he would be upbeat, serene, optimistic, positive (or whatever other adjective they are using nowadays to describe this Bush in lalaland) about it.
james @ 44
Is that what we want?
Eli @ 48
BTW- there’s an article in the current New Yorker about a quiet Gooper ballot intiative in CA to make Electoral votes proportional rather than winner-take-all, the net effect of which would be to spot the Reeps about 20 additional EVs in 2008. They’re tryin’ to slip this one through unnoticed.
Loo Hoo. @ 66
I’m losing track too…help?
Hugh @ 62
He might actually enjoy being prez if he understood it, but alas, that was not to be.
BobbyG @ 67
It’s worse than that, a proper proportional allocation isn’t actually a bad thing per se (except that really all states need to adopt it at once), but this is based on the highly partisan congressional districts, not a straight population proportion. CA blogs are on top of this…I sure hope we nail the motherf****rs on this one…
BobbyG @ 65
Yeah, I heard about that. It’s a great idea… if every state does it.
Is it all party line?
Looks like McConnel-Bond amendment on FISA is passing – this can’t be good
The House rejected it! The Senate appears to be a different beast tho!!!
They have to get 60
Loo Hoo. @ 65
For this motion yes because it denies the motion that the GOP made.
But this is just emblematic of what’s wrong with DC and why people don’t pay attention…how many people watching this can explain it to their kids without getting cynical?
Eli @ 63
What I fear is reaching a point where they don’t care that it can’t be covered up and do it anyway…
Eli @ 69
But you can bet that the same people touting this in CA will be fighting it tooth & nail elsewhere. They don’t care about equity, they care about retaining power.
Even Webb. I guess Bush gets what he wants again
I think it si simpler (and scarier) than any rational explanation.
The man is a sociopath.
His reactions are not those of a normal person.
Never have been.
He knows how to ‘act’ in certain settings to get his way.
But beneath it all is a little boy who has left childish animal torture behind to wreak reak damage.
Re: CT @ 74:
No, House rejected the D version. Now Senate is voting on R version which is ahead.
james @ 52
What did Assa do?
I think the senate is screwing we the pooch, atm.
how many people watching this can explain it to their kids without getting cynical?
I just wish I had the ability to explain it to my kid – period.
james @ 76
Or psychotic, in trying to follow the ins and outs of all this…
Read somewhere (probably on here!) about putting earmarks up on the internet for public (or blogospheric) examination — I think this is the sort of transparancy and accountability that we’re in desperate need of.
I really really hate his smirk. (okay I feel better for saying that again)
CTuttle @ 73
The Senate amendment, IIRC, does not allow the executive to control the process. I think there has to be a judge involved. If that’s the case when these two things are considered for presentment there has to be congruity…althiough two separate bills were passed for the Budget for 2007 and the courts, surprise surprise found that to be ok even though it was a prima facie violation of the constitution
Hmmm. @ 79
please tell me it the cloture vote?
Eli @ 71
I like the idea that got David Broder’s panties all tied in a knot of state legislatures directing that their electoral votes be cast to the winner of the popular vote. The result is direct election of the President without having to fight over a Constitutional amendment.
Gotta head out for an hour or so… please all y’all keep on loveblogging the action in both Houses!
LS @ 40
I was just thinking about a Whitehouse/Feingold ticket…
Hmmm. @ 79
My Bad! I was tracking the Senate side, not the House side, the Senate side is definitely not going well!!!
Holy effing shit. It’s a difficult choice for the Senate: civil liberties versus getting away on holiday.
Why does Bush make me feel like a tinfoil-hatted conspiracy freak?
selise @ 87
This is a simple majority vote…cloture is to end a filibuster
Eli @ 44
Offer him Baseball Commish & he’ll leave immediately. Much less bother than impeachment.
What they’re trying to do in California is a good start.
BobbyG @ 76
Oh, absolutely.
There’s a movement afoot to get 270 electoral votes worth of states to pledge their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote, thus short-circuiting the electoral collage without requiring a constitutional amendment (which the small states would never ever approve).
Here’s one. Was that story the other day about Putsch pounding his chest in front of Republicans at a soire in Texas true? When I read about that right before bed, I started awfullizing that the plan was for Bush to ‘flip the dummy’ (suck on a chip of soap, start to foam and twitch and appear insane) then Prez. Cheney would appoint an unimpeachable VP to carry the next election. Alternatively, Cheney might also retire, so we would have a Boner/Issa lineup or something like that. But I couldn’t think of any of his friends that were unimpeachable, so finally went to sleep.
PB @ 75
We’re already there…Way…..
The thing is, it is now publicly illegal…much easier to nail them. Leahey quite blatantly spoke last week about wanting to get to the bottom of what they are doing….make them leak out stuff, so that it can be discussed publicly….call their bluff…pull them out from their wretched Wizard of Oz curtain…because that is essentially what is happening. Wizard of Oz tells us pretty much everything that is happening…
jayt @ 83
Aren’t you a lawyer?
Except for the very few who realize that the Constitution is going down in flames, they are voting for their own convenience – out the door and on with their vacations, Constitution be d*mn*d – and d*mn*ed it now is….
ugh.. why can’t cspan streaming give me enough resolution to actually see the vote totals?
Loo Hoo. @ 81
707
james @ 92
is there no dem willing to stand against this? all it take is one to object!
i’m having a MCA deja-vue moment.
Current House vote is to adjourn for the day (not for recess!), cutting off Boehner’s latest dilatory fuckery.
I was tracking the Senate side, not the House side, the Senate side is definitely not going well!!!
All you have to know is that Lieberman voted in favor – this could be bad.
Landrieu voted aye-no-aye?
I’m guessing that Reid pulled her chain until he had the votes counted, and then let her live down to expectations.
More info on the CA proposal:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..31152/4327
Hey Eli,
As great as it is that Bush’s Cabal has destroyed the Republican party for now, it’s imperative that we keep close tabs on the Democrats when they retake the White House, and more seats in congress. We can’t let out guard down and allow power to corrupt like it has in the past.
eCAHNomics @ 95
This would no doubt spell the end of baseball in this country. Not being a fan, I see no downside.
Evidently the current vote in the Senate requires two thirds for passage.
I hope some staff is researching what the pres can do if the congress sends him a bill and goes home. The secret with clusterfuck is to force him to overplay his hand- sendin out the cops to track down congresscritters and arrest em all would be great theatre- it would make the idiot look like a RUBE– do it Nancy- defy this piece of shit and make him take the next move. If you don’t- yer gonna be suckin his dick for 18 more months.
Millineryman @ 108
!!!!!
Eureka Springs @ 109
i have no audio on c-span2 webcast (is it just me?)… and i can’t figure out what’s going on :(
james @ 99
ummm, yes. Still don’t understand all the parliamentary stuff though.
60-28, the amedment passes. So, Landrieu’s flip-flop-flip put it over the top.
Millineryman @ 107
I have said repeatedly that the Democrats need to take over the government, and *we* need to take over the Democrats.
If the Democrats get their money and electoral success from corporations, they won’t be much better than the Republicans, but if they have to depend on us, they might actually be a force for good.
George W. Bush is irrelevant. Thoughtful folks, many here and there throughout the blogosphere, understand that this miserable little shit-heel is only a front-boy for the real enemy.
The ‘conservative’ ReichWing in this country which has been working ever since the miserable old fascist Goldwater was ’stabbed-in-the-back’ in ‘64.
We progressives have a great opportunity here but only if we realize that….
George W. Bush, America’s Greatest Conservative President
and act accordingly.
The fight for our nation’s soul has only just begun. I call on all progressives to get active and put a super-majority of real, progressive Democrats into Congress and the White House in 2008 so we can begin the rebuildign process.
One thing’s fer sure….
Folks in Minnesota are ready.
Only 88 total votes in the Senate.. the bill passed 60-28.
Snarl them all up, tangle them all up in their own web…
solai @ 96
It would be, if the proportional votes were based on population votes. What they are proposing is to allocate one electoral vote per congressional district. Since these were last gerrymandered by the GOP, this is hardly a proper proportional allocation.
I actually think a nation-wide proportional allocation vs the winner-take-all model would be a huge improvement (and give realistic way to third parties), but it must be based on population, not on artificial regions. Also, it would need to be adopted across the board, as the states (there are two right now, Nebraska and one other I forget, that do this) that switch to proportional will drop in importance in the short term in elections — the winner take all states being the best result for least effort in that scenario.
LS @ 102
Called for a yea and nay vote
The Senate amendment is passed and now the motion is being voted on
Eli,
One small addition to your description of Junya’s state of Non Compos Mentis:
Junya’s worst fear right now is being known as the Preznit
witwho “lost” the war.All his stalling and attempts to run out the clock have to do with his, Deadeye’s and Rover’s plan to pass this tragic travesty on to the next occupant of the Whitehouse.
It is part of their plan to avoid the “Loser Label” and instead pawn it off on the likely Democratic next President.
No duplicitous lie is too small to tell in this regard, no malignant deed too criminal to be left undone in the furtherance of avoiding the label of “Loser“!
Hugh @ 110
Call it a twofer.
Millineryman @ 109
Oh man, the naivte here is staggering. Doesn’t the vote tonight prove to you all, once and for all, that the democrats are already corrupt? How is having one in the white house going to help anything?
Bush is threatening that if there’s a terrorist attack during the break, he’ll blame it on the dems for not giving him a bill.
Dems need to give him a bill- theirs- and tell him that if he doesn’t sign it and there’s an attack- it’s on HIS head. Two can play his game.
Come on dems- you can WIN this one- don’t cave!!
E. FUDD @ 39
Classic. Almost blew my wine into my keyboard.
Would be even funnier if your observation weren’t so damned on target. Perhaps Elmer could take Tony’s job, should he retire.
As a big fan of Daffy, any idea what his take is?
OK I see while I was watching the vote in the Senate the house adjourned.
They will be back tomorrow.
Mad Dogs @ 121
Well, I did mention that the Dems probably wouldn’t have time to get us out of Iraq. He doesn’t care about winning in Iraq, but he *definitely* cares about staying.
A.Citizen @ 117
Si.
Hi y’all. Loo Hoo went downstairs to have a drink. Can anyone give me a 2 sentence summary?
The House just adjourned until tomorrow morning.
selise @ 112
Me Too! I can get the audio tho!
Bush was cheerful because he had a room full of Barneys and a half gallon of peanut butter!
House is done for the night. On the bright side, Friday Night Fights is up on ESPN-2.
Seems kinda redundant though.
texBetsy in Chicago @ 131
Much chaos and confusion, sound and fury signifying nothing.
texBetsy in Chicago @ 131
Very funny.
We were just musing on how no one could explain this to their kids.
Yeah, these dickwads will look into voting irregularities in the House but not in voting irregularities in the nation as a whole.
I agree with A.Citizen…people have to start identifying themselves as progressives and educate themselves on what the issues are affecting ALL progressives. This country is spinning right now like Dorothy’s house in the eye of the twister…we need to guide it so that the house lands on the wicked witch from Crawford and his entire nefarious group.
eCAHNomics @ 135
But I wanna KNOW !!! NOW !!!!!
texBetsy in Chicago @ 130
Granny’s got the keys to the T-Bird at the moment.
texBetsy in Chicago @ 130
Bush is trying to fuck up the country worse than it is and the Democrats are trying to stop him.
You haven’t missed a thing.
Is there a 3 sentence summary someone can give me of Congress events tonight?
Boy, what I life I have. Friday night and I’m hanging out at my computer, with friends, watching C-SPAN & C-SPAN2. I’ll bet all those folks out on dates are really jealous.
texBetsy in Chicago @ 138
Kid…remember Star Wars…well…
Your gift from Loo Hoo. Enough for everybody. (Several are no-booze)
james @ 140
You did miss seeing a drunken Boehner though.
Same here, selise @ 113 (tho’ C-SPAN 1 feed works fine). Am reduced to listening to the audio feed alone for the Senate – use that ‘listen’ link instead of the ‘watch’ link.
Can’t tell where things are with this Senate vote as a result of the interrupted feed… Did Feingold/Sanders/Byrd filibuster the McConnell/Bond FISA bill, and the Democrats just vote to override their filibuster? [Heard Levin strongly advocating against that bill, in favor of the Rockefeller/Levin version.]
Heard Webb, McCaskill, Klobuchar vote Aye on something (McConnell/Bond?).
Mad Dogs @ 123
I noticed Dr. Strangelove could not repress glee at being asked on Larry King if he favored attacking Iran. He grinned sincerely (!) actually glowed, if I may say, and flipped off a line like, ‘What exactly would be the reason be.’ As if to say our Gulf of Tonkin is not lined up yet. Larry did not follow up.
George Bush is a very sick man. And he is absolutely spoiled rotten. But take a look at the whole Bush family. Jeb, Neil, the twins. My gawd. Talk about bad parenting.
Absolute must reading on this very “why is this man smiling” topic:
What do you get when a shrink reads FOIA-derived CIA documents about Iraq and the DSM (psych disorders manual) together?
An armchair analysis of classic textbook chauvism.
(I blogged it here in a post entitled Dear Leader on the couch)
Frightening, must-read stuff. Tone-deafness, and something called megalomania.
A brief excerpt (emphasis mine):
The vote in the Senate is now on Rockefeller-Levin amendment; that means the McConnell-Bond amendment did not pass.
Richmond @ 142
Bush is trying to fuck up the country worse than it is and the Democrats are trying to stop him.
You haven’t missed a thing.
Bush and his family will never stop trying.
Did the McConnell-Bond bill pass? Why are they voting on the Rockefeller-Levin bill then???
selise and pow wow, McConnell/Bond FISA bill just passed 60-28
Levin Rockefeller vote taking place now.
Richmond @ 140
A hockey game broke out.
Nobody won.
They’ll do it again tomorrow.
The entire bush family gives dysfunctional a bad name.
pow wow @ 145
thanks! that works for me too!
what feed is senate now? 2?
Oklahoma kiddo @ 148
Yeah. Jeb, Neil, Marvin, George, and Dodo or whatever the sisters name is…no one even knew they had a sister until fairly recently.
TexBetsy, you got any newsy FDL behind the scenes at YKos info?
Yes, texBetsy. C-SPAN2 (’listen’ may work better than ‘watch’ if viewing on-line stream).
anontvent @ 125
First of all a Democrat in the White House and a strong enough majority in the Senate will ensure the Supreme Court vacancies will be on the side of justice. That’s a start.
Second the netroots movement is new. There is still a lot of deadwood that needs to be removed. For now that dead wood is needed to substain a majority on the Democrat side. As the deadwood is removed, and the candidates that are on the side of the people get relected and work their way up the seniority ladder on the committees and more netroot candidates come into the fold.
It’s more then one vote on a Friday night. Democracy is a constant battle, and for too long we lost the fight. I dread to think where we would if we didn’t have the internet to organize over the last few years.
If you fell I’m being naive, so be it. I won’t let cynics like you piss in my belief that hard work and accountability
to keep my rights and freedoms is being navie.
james @ 151
OK thanks. :-) I can see this as the Fox stream tomorrow morning. ;-)
blue e @ 157
Yeah, our big speakers are all stuck in Washington voting on stuff!
I have a bunch of new photos to post, hopefully soon.
no summary, TexB – lotsa chaos… Pelosi tried to get a “reasonable” update to FISA thru and a vote was taken, but apparently it needs a 2/3rds vote, so they have adjorned now until tomorrow.
The Senate is putting a bunch of different amendments thru on their version- don’t know what is happening there.
the bills will have to be reconcilled before it goes to the shrub.
Twain @ 155
*g*
How about this for a meme: Bush has lost HIS war, and yet he’s still putting our troops in harm’s way. Don’t let them die for Bush’s dream.
oh, and lots of yelling in the House…
pictures, yea!
no sound on cspan2?
Millineryman, nicely said!
Eureka Springs @ 151
thanks. i will be checking roll call votes here… in order to know which dems to call with my complaints. at least there are 28 sane senators… but, not nearly enough.
Richmond @ 142
They came.
They argued.
They adjourned.
Sorry, I didn’t see that the McConnell-Bond amendment had passed.
I know this is off-topic, but anyone who wants to get a good grasp of the various functionings of the difft branches and the disputes that have arisen and how they’ve been resolved would benefit from most of the books written by Louis Fisher published by the UNiv of Kansas Press. Fisher is concise and calls it like he sees it. He has written excellent books on presidential spending, war powers, separation issues (of powers that is, the others not so much), and executive privilege. His book on privilege is a good read if Berger’s book doesn’t excite you.
IANAL, but I learned many lessons on parliamentary procedure throughout the years trying to get a word in at Teamsters meetings and various school board and Town Board meetings.
They don’t like it when you’ve learned the language and learning parliamentary procedure is like mastering the spells at Hogwarts.
texBetsy in Chicago @ 157
Yeah C-Span 2
texBetsy in Chicago @ 169
it seems to be messed up
open another window and hit ‘listen’
Hugh @ 172
Oooh…Primo
selise @ 169
and eleven who should be there..
texBetsy in Chicago @ 167
Audio or Video! You’re choice!!! How’re ya doing, Ma’am??? *g*
Hugh @ 172
LOL
Eureka Springs @ 175
Did 12 go home?
Yeah. Hold their illegal feet to the fire.
No compromise.
Stay and fight for America. Don’t let the Homelandians win. I don’t want to live in “the Homeland”, I live in the United States of America…the one that Pat Tillman took 3 shots in the forehead for. He died for America, not “the Homeland”. He wouldn’t back down.
Twain, only 88 votes a few moments ago. With the exception of Johnson, all other have no excuse, imo.
Eureka Springs @ 175
good point! but i give johnson a pass, since he’s ill.
I wonder if the week-end sessions will prevent some candidates from appearing at the convention.
Ghostman
rwcole @ 126
I posted on last thread about a Randi Rhodes guest a few days ago. No one commented at the bottom of last thread. Here goes again:
Hey, there was a commentator on Randi Rhodes the other day (her legal mentor she indicated). He argued that if their is another intelligence snafu such as 9-11 there will be investigations that will make Teapot Dome look like traffic court. And Bush has got Gonzalez and Chertof protecting Bush instead of the USA. Sounds like Bush is still the same old loser trying to make himself lose while acting like a high roller. Last part my ‘analysis.’ Did anyone hear that show?
Reid getting feisty again….. his bill didn’t pass, and he wants to go to a four hour debate of a conference bill. Rut roh.
Yes, Ghostman, presumably all of the candidates. We already lost Schumer and Durbin, who were due to speak today
texBetsy in Chicago @ 187
Well, I’m sorry about that. It would’ve been nice for ya’ll to see some of the candidates.
Ghostman
texBetsy in Chicago @ 187
What do you think the Rethugs get special pleasure out of the fact this is happening during the Chicago party so the Dems can’t be there.
Eli @ 44
We’re rolling our eyes at the “good news” because it’s bullshit, not because it sucks for our team.
One of the things that you really have to realize is that they project. They don’t care about anything other than whether it is good or bad for their team. And they project that pov onto us. It doesn’t occur to them that we actually care about what happens to soldiers in Iraq, and, for that matter, what happens to Iraqi citizens.
It doesn’t occur to them that we actually believe in these principles, because they don’t have any, other than acquisition of power and might makes right.
Richmond @ 187
Possibly not. It kinda messes with their plan to associate them with the uncouth, hate-talking rabble at Daily Kos.
jayackroyd @ 189
Exactly.
texBetsy!! great meeting you today.
hey, how ya doing eli?
a great read as always, especially this part;
wow, didn’t ANYONE ask if ANY OF THEM then went on to enlist?
cause they could get a little credibility if they now enlisted and fought for their “GREAT PRESIDENT”
Because it’s one of the few things he does good?
If Chertoff’s “fart” manifests in an actual event that hurts one single hair on a Congressman, Bush is the culprit. Just remember that.
I do not believe it will happen, but they want to scare people by using the “I know something, you don’t know”. They are bullies. They are cowards, and they are vulnerable right now, because their illegal spying program on Americans is illegal. They are responsible, no matter what happens. The buck stops on W’s desk. End of story. Peace to the World.
BTW. Iraq is having horrible water problems. No water. Extreme temperatures. Sound familiar?
What happened on the last senate vote? It ended so fast I missed the count.
If McConnell/Bond just got through, unchanged, because of a split Democratic caucus, that’s it, I’ve had it. Jim Webb??!! What the HELL.
Coleman talking about all 60 kids walking away from the school bus after the bridge collapse in Minnesota.
Paul Wellstone and his wife and child didn’t though, did they Norm?
jayackroyd @ 192
Nice meeting you as well.
“Daddy? Why does the president get to break the law?”
Any lawmaker or public official that can’t give an honest answer to a 10 year old asking that question is unfit for office.
I see Coleman trying to expeditiously steer contracts to favored contractors.
One small observation. Bush does not still have to be in office to be impeached. Something to think about, what, come January 21, 2009….
Given the shape the country and the world will be in by then, I say the HELL with letting bygones be bygones. Start compiling dossiers now for the truth commissions we’re going to need if this country is ever going to recover.
Baghdad has no water:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c…..raq03.html
xaxnar @ 203
What would be the point of impeaching after 2008?
pow wow @ 198
did webb vote for mcconnell/bond amendment?
Thanks, perris! I’m doin’ good.
Yeah, I just loved that bit. “Oh, I would *love* to go and fight in Dubya’s brilliant war, but wouldn’t you know, I’m too old to be eligible. What a shame.”
xaxnar @ 205
One hundred percent correct. Bush and his henchment should be impeached even if they make it out of office. That would at least stop them from feeding at the trough and keep them from coming back to feed at it again when the Americans in the future elect another Bush (as they will, some people never learn).
THEY CUT OFF PEOPLE’S HEADS!
Which is WAY worse than dropping bombs or shooting people. I mean, obviously.
Eli at 193
One of the reasons I loved Dean’s speech last night is that he is willing to fight for those principles. I was really pleased to hear him “get” the netroots. But that was not nearly as important as his message that WE are the defenders of the most powerful idea in recent human history–that people have rights, that those rights must be respected by their government, and that the government’s job is largely the preservation of those rights.
Dean talked about voting. It should be an absolute no-brainer, echoed in every editorial page in the country, that the broadest participation possible is what we should seek.
AFTER the elections, they lament the turnout. The time to deal with non-participation is before the election. It should be easy to vote, not hard. And Dean gets that. Because it’s a basic principle of a representative government. Everybody can vote.
And it is a sign of how bad things have gotten that I need to write that last sentence.
As TPM points out the toobz are truly not the Right’s Domain!!!
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/016185.php
it’s not likely you can see the finish line eli, there is no finish line
the very purpose of this war was to destabalise the planet and bring about never ending war
please to watch this link, there are a few parts, the first is the intro, entertaining at best
the second part is the history of religion and man it is riveting
the third part is the 9/11 conspiracy and that we all know so you can skip that part
then there is the endless war part which is also riveting and then some economics which I don’t agree with many of the premises but very enlightening if with some facts that cannot be denied
so have a look see…good stuff here
http://zeitgeistmovie.com/
CNN.com: “White House, Congress deadlocked on surveillance law upgrade“
LINK
Went back and read the fine print.. er, the entire post. Oh boy. Nothing’s stopping those graying talk show hosts from enlisting.
Of course, absent from this latest terror warning is any raising of the terrorist threat level by Homeland Security. If the threat is so immenent, the threat level should be raised….but ya’ll know that anyways. Just more BS from Commander Guy.
Ghostman
Eureka: 43 for, 45 against, I think. It needed 60 votes to proceed, and thus was “placed on the calendar” after the vote, as per regular procedure, rather than being sped up for consideration with McConnell/Bond (I believe), which was introduced a few days ago.
Yes, selise, from what I could hear – but it’s possible they were on to the next bill by then. Am not positive.
new pix are up. names are attached on my facebook page where/when i know the names.
Other pix here and here.
texBetsy in Chicago @ 205
Well, it depends on what your objectives are. If you simply want to get the criminals out of office, then it’s pointless.
If you want to hold them accountable and send the message that criminal behavior in high office will be punished severely, then there’s definite value.
My question is, would it actually be impeachment, or actual court proceedings? ‘Cuz I’d like to see BushCo tried before a court where roughly half the jurors aren’t their buddies.
Americans love happy endings. With Bush there are no happy endings for the country, only for him.
Night all…I’m going to bed and reading the House rules instead of Ambien
Peace all
E. FUDD’S SECWET PWAN
I pwan to wepeat the Pwesident’s evewyday speech, things wike “Executive Pwiviwege” and “Waw on Tewwow” and all the other soundbites that Karl Wove is wequiring the Wepublicans to wepeat wike woyal wobots.
Somehow it makes him sound wike a mowon
ironranger @ 155
I put the ‘fun’ in dysfunctional.
perris @ 212
I’m talking about the finish line of the Bush administration and Republican control of the White House in general, which *is* in sight.
LS @ 205
Baghdad has no water:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c…..raq03.html
torture.
After he’s out of the WH, I should think it would be criminal proceedings, not impeachment.
The real trick right now is that he could pardon folks before leaving office, which renders those folks immune to prosecution..which basically means then they don’t rat on him. This doesn’t apply to impeached officials, so we need to impeach Gonzales NOW.
texBetsy in Chicago @ 207
I’m with texBetsy. If Junya and his criminal crew make it through 1/21/09 unscathed, we got plenty enough on them for criminal indictments and sentences in the range of 500 plus years or more per miscreant.
Junya be best advised to check the fit of those orange jumpsuits ’cause it will be the only thing in his wardrobe in the very near future!
George Bush is one smug son of a bitch. Am I insulting Babs? That is my intention.
Eli @ 209
Let them broadcast/write/blog from Badhdad.
solai @ 229
But the Empire State Building is so much more dangerous!
FYI, new post upstairs
lhp was kicking the thought that the criminals can still be charged after they leave office if there’s no impeachment.
I’d love to see what would happen if they were prosecuted by Attorney General Fitzpatrick or Whitehouse.
Millineryman @ 161
The Bush family must be exasperated with those like me. They know I would be much happier if I would somehow come to the realization that I am simply not as good, speaking qualitatively of course, as a Bush.
Eli
As usual, on the subject of team support, What digby says
My 87yr old Aunt just learned a new expression (from who knows where). No one has the heart to tell her that she’s using it wrong and that it’s slightly profane. Anyway it keeps going through my head tonight.
They’re pissing me on.
PB @ 108
And here’s the source article.
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/….._hertzberg
Ballot Initiativem filed two weeks or more ago.
Paid for, and proposed by, Gov. Ahnald’s Voter Election Lawyer, and the law firm that got the Recall initiative against Gray Davis and then got Ahnald erected.
Easy loss of 20 maybe more, electoral votes.
Enuff to tip the Election . . . ’specially if NC and other states fall to this kind of *uckery . . .
Royal Scam.
jayackroyd @ 235
Rudy has jumped the shark.
solai @ 236
Perhaps it’s the *opposite* of pissing off?
Hi All — just got here, can anyone give me a quick recap… Did the Senate just vote to revise FISA?
If so, can anyone explain to me why Ted Stevens can place a hold on an ethics bill, but Feingold couldn’t place a hold on this?
jayt @ 226
torture.
Willing to put money on the fact that it is purposeful.
And how are those netroot candidates behaving? Wasn’t there a post here the other day about how some of them gladly took your money while telling you what you want to hear, and then turning around and rolling over for Bush the first chance they got? How about Webb, tonight?
What is the point of having a Democratic president if they are acting like Vichy frenchmen NOW, when the future of the country is on (over?) the line?
Did the Senate pass the fucking bill backed by Bush?
tbsa @ 244
According to nbcnews.com they did. For 6 mos.
anontvent @ 241
That was my Tuesday post, as a matter of fact. Unless and until Democrats feel that they need us to get elected *and* re-elected, that sort of bullshit will continue. They’ll use us to get their foot in the door, then pivot to corporate masters once they’re incumbents.
As I said, “rootstrapping”. And unless we back successful (or at least scare-inducing) primaries, or sit on our hands and let them lose to Republicans, or find a better vetting strategy, I think they will continue doing it.
tbsa @ 243
Ah yes, of course. A man who should be impeached for advocating torture, perjury, and other high crimes and misdemeanors, will be put in charge of massively spying on the American people by the very “lawmakers” who should be holding him to account.
That is my hope. They should be scared witless to cross their base, like the repukes are. Instead, they stab us in the back every chance they get.
Eli @ 246
Hi Eli — Any suggestions on how to recruit primary challengers? I’ve had it with the incumbents…
By the way, does anyone besides me thinking the timing of this wasn’t accidental… That is, all the FISA hubbub started on Wednesday and YKos started Thursday. Anyone want to bet they sprung this at the last minute because they figured the blogosphere would be too distracted to mount an effective response?
phred @ 247
God, I wish I knew. From what I gather, running for office is really really hard, and sucks terribly. As well as requiring a whole lot of money and organization.
Eli @ 251
Perhaps that’s why the critters we’re stuck with are so awful. Thanks for the post. I’m going to go wander off and be despondent for awhile. I really really really hate Pelosi and Reid.
phred @ 250
Yeah, I know I’ve really been churning out the happy, uplifting posts lately…
Mad Dogs @ 123
jc inOR @ 185
I did, as well as Trent Lott’s statement today. Something along the lines of “we all better get out of Washington till after 9/12 because the terrorists are comming! ooga, booga, booga!!!”
Lynn @ 255
That’s right. Try to keep us frightened. I’m off to see if I can find a link to Rhodes’ guest. I wonder about these ‘if only’ scenarios, when we have the goods on these jokers right now. The good gentleman was pretty certain that we can still pull it out, as do I.
Perhaps Fiengold & the other decent Dems should quit the Democrat party and become Independents. The Dem are as bad as Bush and his merry gang of scumballs.
What’s with the creepy Nazi-style way Bush talks about “our Homeland”? Someone should make a YouTube video with Bush and Hitler taking turns as they say “Our Homeland!,” “Die Vaterland!,” “Our Homeland!,” “Die Vaterland!”
I believe the right wing is praying for another domestic terrorist attck. It is the only thing that can save them now. That is the most likely explanation for why they have done nothing to secure the country, not the borders, not incoming cargo, nor the chemical plants, nor the nuclear plants. And they obviously don’t mind if a few more poor people die. They pray for another attack the way they say Democrats pray for a loss in Iraq. The difference is, the Dems would benefit politically from having less people die (American and Iraqi), while the Rethugs would benefit politically from having more Americans die. Which side is morally superior?
Phoenix Woman,
I am hoping that since the Chief Executive Smirker is once again giving me an ulcer, that you consider running “Why Is This Man Smirking, Part 2?” with the same photo and the following story from what used to be considered a parody website, but now approaches the MSM in credibility:
There’s No Such Thing as Bad Publicity
“His descriptions of the enemy and their brutal, cold-blooded-killer tactics were enough to make a graying group of radio talk how hosts want to enlist and serve this country in uniform.”
So Mr. Bush (he’s not my President)has stood face to face with our enemies, and witnessed their “cold-blooded-killer tactics.” Spoken like a kid at summer camp.
Why DON’T these gray-headed guys sign up? What’s stopping them? They could continue to broadcast from “Inside the Green Zone.” Wouldn’t that be fun????
And then my son could come home.
What makes you think you can “see the finish line”?
You’re making a prediction whose probability of occurrence is less than 1.
PB @ 227
Impeachment doesn’t block a President from pardoning an individual for criminal acts. The processes of criminal and impeachment are separable. Impeachment deals with removal from office and denying the holding of any future office of “honor, trust, and profit” under the United States. It cannot do anything more than THAT.
Millineryman @ 233
They can…but not if they are pardoned for the criminal offenses by the President.
US Constitution. Article 1.
Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States: but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law.
So, while an individual is subject to further criminal charges after impeachment, a pardon would nonetheless block this…whether it came BEFORE or AFTER the impeachment.
I don’t like to say it…but the idea that one can prosecute criminally individuals if Bush grants them a pardon is likely not possible under the Constitution. Pardons immunize the individual from indictment, trial, conviction and punishment “under law”.
N=1 @ 166
Bush is just a symptom of the bigger problem as to what is so wrong with our country that we could have elected Bush to two terms, againt fifth rate opposition the likes of Gore and Kerry, and now we face the prospect of 8 more years of the Clintons who bear some significant responsiblity for the election of Bush.
I find the notions advanced that Bush stole elections and there is nothing otherwise wrong here to be really scary. The Clintons with their sleazy allignments with Murdoch stylists and their personal advancement at all costs is really troubling. Sure Gore and Kerry might not have screwed up Iraq. And Stephen Breyer is better that Alito, but our country needs a lot more than these liberal cosmetics.
He is smirking because he knows that no matter what he does, after all the posturing and babbling, if he stamps his little foot, Sen. Reid and the rest of his party will roll on their backs, piss on themselves, and do his bidding. I give you the FISA debacle as exhibit A.
central texas @ 266
how right you are, he does have reason for his idiotic smirks … but Republicans bashing comes a little short of what was actually happening here.
let me make this clear: i not only live in Europe, i am also far left from the US Democrats (but just as far from being a communist). now what happened? the bill passed 60:28 after “The Senate bowed to White House pressure” (Washpost online today). excuse me, please? what pressure? ah, yeah, they are in a hurry to get their asses out under the sun! only human? no, ladies and gents, that’s OUTRAGEOUS! so, what’s all that bla bla since the Dems have held both houses (but obviously don’t dominate them).
what America seems desperately to be in need of is more choice, choice in form, maybe, a 3rd party or a 4th and so on. but a 3rd would already be a good beginning.
i’m sorry, i needed to say this.