Good morning Attaturk. Kind of ironic – their Council must approve while our Congress is left out of negotiations.

g’morning attaturk and g’nite pups.

This is a face saving bit of window dressing without troops in Iraq our puppet government will fall. The new government will not honor the old governments contracts unless we give the new government something they want assuming that the new government will have anything to do with us.

Bush can’t even get the Iraqi government to meet the “Benchmarks ” even with the Surge. Does he really think that the Iraqis will agree to this?

“Mission Accomplished” time to bring the troops home tp a ticker tape New York victory parade…when Johnny comes marching home hurrah hurrah. Just like the end of WWII…yeah sure

Does Bush really think that after we leave Iraq that anybody in America would support sending troops back to Iraq…besides the GOP Presidential Candidates that is?
I don’t even think that the 30%ers would support sending troops back to Iraq after we leave.
If we had a polling question on this issue the results would be interesting. Still I think that this issue is useless.

I think george needs a one year timeout. Go to Crawford and wait for our call if we need you. Take the shooter with you.

If we withdrew our troops now and gave the Iraq government credit for us leaving that might stabilize the Iraqi government. I don’t see us having any other cards to play.

Why in heavens name hasn’t the world court gone after the mercenaries and war criminals from this administration? We HANGED people for LESS then what these, I hesitate to call them, people have done?

When we left Vietnam, nothing bad happened to us. We just stopped dieing, so much money, and killing people. That all.

Inside Vietnam, there were reprecussions for those who aided us, the occupiers. Hundreds of thousands were imprisoned and tens of thousands died, a tragedy but not so horrible as say another five years of war.

There was no domino effect.

So, what would happen if we simply left Iraq?

361!

The passivity with which the gang of thugs has been met is and long will be one of the mysteries of the age.

At this link is the spectacle of two economists for the price of one, exasperated by the latest example of this passivity, in the sphere of emergency economic policy.

Obvioulsy you were not an ARVN.

Why in heavens name hasn’t the world court gone after the mercenaries and war criminals from this administration?

Good question! Per the Wikipedia:

Because the United States is not a state party, Americans cannot be prosecuted by the court (except for crimes that take place in the territory of a state that has accepted the court’s jurisdiction, or situations that are referred to the court by the United Nations Security Council).

I suspect that a lot of ARVN would agree with me. Their combat conditions and fatalaties were horrible from what I’ve heard and read.

yea, the 250,000 that were killed probably would.

HANOI (AFP) — The United States and Vietnam have signed a memorandum of understanding on the repatriation of Vietnamese illegal immigrants from the United States, the US embassy said Tuesday.

Under the agreement signed in Hanoi, “Vietnamese nationals who arrived in the United States illegally on or after July 12, 1995 are subject to return” to the communist Southeast Asian country, the embassy said in a statement.

US Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement Julie Myers and Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign Minister Dao Viet Trung signed the MOU in Hanoi, the statement said.

“Agreements such as this are the building blocks of diplomacy,” said Myers. “This agreement allows us to carry out a judge’s order to remove individuals from our country in a safe and humane manner.”

The statement said the United States would “manage the repatriation of Vietnamese nationals in an orderly and safe way, and with respect for the individual human dignity of the person being repatriated.”

USA! USA! USA!

*whimper*

Good morning, pups. It’s Bobo and Krugman in the NYT today, both writing about the economy. Guess who’s worth reading? Bobo’s babbling about “Two Cheers for Wall Street,” and wondering which of his artificial narratives will prevail: the Greed Narrative or the Ecology Narrative. I’m calling BS on him because he says “research shows” without giving any indication that there is any such research or who did it. Feh. Mr. Krugman writes about “Stimulus Gone Bad,” and says that if the money the government lays out doesn’t get spent, the stimulus plan will have failed. As an aside, the front page headline of today’s Savannah Daily Disappointment trumpets “You’ll Get $600–$1200,” and only in the much smaller type in the body of the article does it become clear that the vast majority of their readers will probably get the minimum of $300. But what the hell, it’s a Republican rag and remember — everything is good news if you’re a Republican.

http://mgpaquin.wordpress.com/

The coffee, tea and hot chocolate are ready, and I’ve got either rough milled oatmeal from Silver Palate or a selection of bagels and cream cheeses. I’m having the oatmeal because it’s down below freezing here. Oh, and also because it’s delicious. Happy Friday — 361 days of W left.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Thursday that the United States is ”ready, able and willing” to send troops to Pakistan if the government of the South Asian nation is interested.

U.S. military officials have told CNN that commanders are reviewing a classified planning order that could result in troops going to Pakistan for training purposes if Pakistan’s government approves.

The announcement comes as Pakistan’s government faces what Gates called increased efforts by al Qaeda.

The first paragraph of the story in the NYT about the administration’s arm-twisting in Iraq pretty much says it all:

With its international mandate in Iraq set to expire in 11 months, the Bush administration will insist that the government in Baghdad give the United States broad authority to conduct combat operations and guarantee civilian contractors specific legal protections from Iraqi law, according to administration and military officials.

They’re all about immunity, aren’t they? For telecom spies and also for murderous “contractors,” what sane people recognize as mercenaries.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Thursday that the United States is ”ready, able and willing”

He drank the koolaid. These crazies will not give up. Thank goodness it is 361 and counting

They’re all about immunity, aren’t they? For telecom spies and also for murderous “contractors,” what sane people recognize as mercenaries.

Shithead can do all he wants with immunity and pardons but it will not stop prosecution from war crimes in the International Court.

I think george needs a one year timeout. Go to Crawford and wait for our call if we need you. Take the shooter with you.

a timeout!
I think he needs LWOP at Leavenworth

What frosts my butt is that these people are trying to tie the hands of future administrations. If it looks like a treaty, sounds like a treaty and works like a treaty but you know you don’t have the support for it, just call it a “status-of-forces agreement” and bypass the Congress. These people give pond slime a bad name.

Per Krugman “Stimulus Gone Bad”:

House Democrats and the White House have reached an agreement on an economic stimulus plan. Unfortunately, the plan — which essentially consists of nothing but tax cuts and gives most of those tax cuts to people in fairly good financial shape — looks like a lemon.

Specifically, the Democrats appear to have buckled in the face of the Bush administration’s ideological rigidity, dropping demands for provisions that would have helped those most in need. And those happen to be the same provisions that might actually have made the stimulus plan effective.

FUCKING CAPITULATORS

Krugman.

Specifically, the Democrats appear to have buckled in the face of the Bush administration’s ideological rigidity, dropping demands for provisions that would have helped those most in need. And those happen to be the same provisions that might actually have made the stimulus plan effective.

To help those in need you have to admit that are needy people.. an admission that is an anathema to the “powers that be” both gooper and dem. Reid thinks the “needy” are those that are not 7th day adventists and Pelosi thinks the “needy” are the defense contractors. They are greedy rich people that have not one whit of understanding for those of us that cannot afford meds and worry how in the heck we are going to stay warm.

a timeout!
I think he needs LWOP at Leavenworth

I would be there to cheer as he is led away in chains…. what a lovely thought.

See my #13.

We’re no surprised, are we? What else has the Democratic “leadership” in Congress EVER done other than “buckle in the face of the Bush administration’s ideological rigidity?” You were expecting leadership? Ha.

See my #13.

Yes I see it. Frankly the wiki is not a “definitive” source of accurate information. As I understand it the International Criminal Court can go after these bastards any time any where and for as long as it takes. War crimes trump all immunity deals. Of course I could be wrong…. but no more than wikipedia

PS Where are the lawyers, sleeping in *g*

can someone compile a list of democrats and on the fence/tight election worries republicans we need to inundate with fisa requests?

I want to email and phone each one, try to give them my unique framing on the issue live if I can

btw here’s what’s on Washington Journal, right now callers are telling what they’ll do with their stimulation
WASHINGTON JOURNAL
Friday, Jan. 25
7am – Newspaper Articles & Phones
7:30am – Steven Thomma, McClatchy Newspapers, Chief Political Correspondent
8am – Keith Hennessey, National Economic Council, Director
8:30am – Shirley Franklin, Mayor of Atlanta (D), U.S. Conference of Mayors
9am – Allen Raymond, Author, “How to Rig an Election”

my bold on the 8:30

The three Democratic candidates ought to declare now that they will not be bound by any Bush agreements with Iraq, and they should caution the Iraqi government not to cut any deals with Bush. That would stir the pot.

That’s not the world court. Several European nations, e.g., Germany, subscribe to the doctrine of “universal jurisdiction” for war crimes and crimes against humanity. I believe that charges have already been filed against Rumsfeld.

Regarding the world court, etc., you should look up the Hague Invasion Act (aka, American Service-members Protection Act), which prevents the government from turning anyone over to the Hague and authorizes the president to invade the Hague to free Americans that fall into their hands. It was sponsored by Jesse Helms in 2002 after 9/11. (You can find it in the Wikipedia.)

From EW

Bayh (202) 224-5623
Carper (202) 224-2441
Inouye (202) 224-3934
Johnson (202) 224-5842
Landrieu (202)224-5824
McCaskill (202) 224-6154
Mikulski (202) 224-4654
Nelson (FL) (202) 224-5274
Nelson (NE) (202) 224-6551
Pryor (202) 224-2353
Salazar (202) 224-5852
Specter (202) 224-4254 (What the hell–he had an amendment ignored today, too)

And to convince those Senators who want to be President that this is a vote they need to be present for. (This assumes Rockefeller won’t flip, since he’s co-sponsoring the bill with Bond.) It’s probably also a good idea to touch base with Senators DiFi (202-224-3841) and Whitehouse (202-224-2921) to make sure they remain on the side of the good.

btw here’s what’s on Washington Journal, right now callers are telling what they’ll do with their stimulation

My wife says that she will give it to Edwards. I will go online and order goods from Canada… that is if we get anything.

Three of the above plus Obama and Clinton would block cloture (i.e., a victory for BushCo and the telcos).

btw here’s what’s on Washington Journal, right now callers are telling what they’ll do with their stimulation

I will be using it to invest in progressive politicians campaigns and try to insure there is no chance a republican is the next president of our country

we cannot afford another republican for at least 3 administrations

Hague Invasion Act (aka, American Service-members Protection Act), which prevents the government from turning anyone over to the Hague and authorizes the president to invade the Hague to free Americans that fall into their hands.

Aha we are talking apples and oranges. As for the Hague Act that would stand a snowball’s chance in hell.

what was the final thing with whitehouse, was he for immunity or not?

I rememeber yesterday somebody saying he wasn’t comming out against the immunity clause

authorizes the president to invade the Hague to free Americans that fall into their hands.

aha

that word “authorizes” is important, it’s an optional action

if I were president I would not consider the option

and while I might be prohibited from turning anyone over to the hague I surely wouldn’t protect anyone from being arrested while overseas, I might even facilitate the effort

thus insuring any criminals who thought they could travel abroad would be disabused from that notion

American officials are keenly aware that any agreement must be approved by Iraq’s fractured Council of Representatives, where Sunni and Shiite factions feud and even Shiite blocs loyal to competing leaders cannot agree.

These people acn’t even agree on chan ging the font of the Arabic words in their flag. This just ain’t happenin’.

With its international mandate in Iraq set to expire in 11 months, the Bush administration will insist that the government in Baghdad give the United States broad authority to conduct combat operations and guarantee civilian contractors specific legal protections from Iraqi law, according to administration and military officials.

The International Mandate is bogus.

on cpsan caller was complaining that we’ve spent $100,100 per each Iraqi on this war and he’s only gonna get $600.

Sigh. I am now resigned to no impeachment until after 2008, but hope fervently that once we have a Democratic candidate President, the netroots will coalesce again around a ginormous pressure campaign for retroactive impeachment of all the impeachables so that they never run for public office or in Toddler-in-Chief’s case, Baseball Commissioner.

So to keep my hopes up, can anyone tell me how low in the executive branch totem poll we can go for retroactive impeachment. Cabinet officers–the precedent is an AG, I believe–and then where?

Levenworth: any of our legal minds know which of our criminal mind has done something to deserve that kind of (max security, yes?) prison. For example, where have the dirty B***ards put Siegelman. It would nice to see Rove delivered there through one door as Gov. Siegelman goes though the other, except to do that Rove would have to plead guilty because come day 1 of the new AG, Siegelman’s release had better be on his todo list.

It’s not yet coffee-tea time, so I must be dreaming still.

But then we dreamed for day of a Gonzo gonzo and it happened.

Top of the 361 to you all.
An

that’s a great friggin call

I would also like to add “and are planning on spending about 300,000 dollars more on each one of them

how do they come off giving me only 600 bucks”

teeheee

off to work, see all later

Hey BSRH

You (I think it was you) asked twice yesterday about coverage/talk down in Fla. The first time was abhiout whether any papers down here picked up the NYT story from 2 or 3 days ago about how nasty and vindictive Rudy is. I put up a link to a Sarasota paper that picked up the story. Did you get it? Want me to pull it up again? It’s the same stuff verbatim and you already read it in NYT so I don’t know that it’s necessary. But if ya want, I will.

Sign that man or woman up to run the Presidential Nominees campaign STAT!!!

He voted against the SJC bill IIRC. I did not watch the whole thing but it’s on one of yesterday’s threads. People opined there that he had tried a behind the scene thing and been screwed on it. Then he was part of the Sanders Committee grilling testimonial train wrecking of EPA Johnson. So I am not sure if we was on the floor for the rest. Selise super committee sleuth can tell you or I could look it up…
after tea.
Back in a bit.
Top of the 361 to you.

This nation and its administration and congress critters is pathetic and disgraceful.

The stim package is one more move of wealth to those who least need it.

on cpsan caller was complaining that we’ve spent $100,100 per each Iraqi on this war and he’s only gonna get $600.

Lewis Black – Tax Rebates and Common Sense

Per the Wikipedia:

The amendment is intended to weaken the position of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.[citation needed] It authorizes the President to use “all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any [US or allied personnel] being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court”. This has led opponents of the act to call it The Hague Invasion Act.[1][2]

The Act prohibits federal, state and local governments and agencies (including courts and law enforcement agencies) from assisting the Court. For example, it prohibits the extradition of any person from the United States to the Court; it prohibits the transfer of classified national security information and law enforcement information to the Court; and it prohibits agents of the Court from conducting investigations in the United States.

The Act also prohibits U.S. military aid to countries that are party to the Court. However, exceptions are allowed for aid to NATO members, major non-NATO allies, Taiwan, and countries which have entered into “Article 98 agreements”, agreeing not to hand over U.S. nationals to the Court. Furthermore, the President may waive this prohibition where he determines that to do so is “important to the national interest of the United States”.

Got it, thanks. I am hoping for vindication for all the vindictivictims. Today’s Rudy the red faced looser question is:
do the papers pick up on the NYT editorial slamming him when coming out for McCain and the money quote from there that can served up during the snoozefest debate?

BTW, on the NYT video of the Rudy event, one can note how Mrs. Vuitton Bag ha no idea how to interact with voters. She just wiggled a baby’ toes and looked demeure. And he was going to have her participate in cabinet meeting. Tell me nyers who lived through him. Is he certifiably mad?

Also:

A slew of former members of the USA office in his time are nailing him for misrepresenting his record there and besmirching the office.

I sometimes wonder if the recognition of his slimebally-ness helps his kids feel they are doing the right thing or hurts even more.

I hope loosing is something that sticks and ruins his business cred and motivational rep.

One thing is certain: Permanent boos at Yankee Stadium are guaranteed.

Lewis Black – Tax Rebates and Common Sense

thanks! great find, twolf! I love him

The Rudy news for today is…. no news really. Well not no news, but the lead article is “Romney, McCain too close to call”. No mention of Rudy in the headline. But in the article the talk about Rudy is about whether all the support he’s losing will go to McCain or Romney. Says his support is limited to Southeast FL.
Now, with his support virtually isolated to southeast Florida, Giuliani may be nothing more than a spoiler when it comes to deciding who gets the 57 delegates in Tuesday’s winner-take-all primary.

Also:
“As he becomes less and less of a factor, does the support he has left begin to fall off and does that go to McCain, who would seem to be more ideologically similar to him?” some pollster dude said.

The poll showing Rudy in third has a pretty big margin or error (5%)but Rudy wasn’t even that close to McCain or Romney.

How bad are things for Rudy? He’s at 18% in today’s poll. Contrast with:
A Mason-Dixon poll for the Sentinel in November had Giuliani with 36 percent support, compared with Romney’s 15 percent and McCain’s 10 percent.

So to keep my hopes up, can anyone tell me how low in the executive branch totem poll we can go for retroactive impeachment. Cabinet officers–the precedent is an AG, I believe–and then where?

Hmmmmm. Following a retroactive impeachment, it would be a “case of impeachment,” which would nullify any presidential pardon. COOL!!

Poor people don’t vote. The stimulator is a sham designed to get voting people (those with some means) to vote republican. The ones who were on the edge and have fallen out of the middle class, well, most have joined the ranks of the too poor to bother with voting class. In addition, the MSM would (will, just the same) stir Republican voters into a frenzy by suggesting that the stimulus is a handout to the poor because of bleeding heart liberal Democrats.

Reading Scarecrow makes me see the $$ stimulation is a good thing to do right now, but I had to be persuaded.

GOod Morning,

As I posted last night in Late Night, I’m going to e-mail Obama’s, Hillary’s and Edward’s campaign and let them know for now, my Super Tuesday vote is for Edwards, and is up for consideration for anyone else who might have the guts to show up in DC for FISA, or is the first one to announce that they will. I seriously doubt any of them will.

Basically I’m pimping my primary vote for the Constitution.

Lewis Black suggested that Kerry would have been just as bad as Bush. When he made that remark on his comedy special, I turned it off.

Sigh. I am now resigned to no impeachment until after 2008, but hope fervently that once we have a Democratic candidate President, the netroots will coalesce again around a ginormous pressure campaign for retroactive impeachment of all the impeachables so that they never run for public office or in Toddler-in-Chief’s case, Baseball Commissioner.

I would be happy to see the bastards impeached just before they leave and before they have a chance to pardon anyone else.

loosing = losing. need that tea. back with it and a word on impeachment after office if I can find any

then you won’t be interested in this tidbit from wiki

On October 5, 2007 It was announced by Comedy Central, that Lewis Black will be the host of his own television series in March of 2008. The show, titled Root Of All Evil, will pit two people or pop-culture topics against each other as a panel of comedians argue which is more evil, two examples being “Paris Hilton vs. Dick Cheney” and “Internet Porn vs. YouTube”. At the end of the argument Lewis Black will make the final decision as to which is more evil

Bailing out Bush

I’m not saying I don’t want to get a check. I’m saying that the timing and motivation are suspect. A rebate in the middle of an election year? It would have been more effective from an economic standpoint to have sent checks out last year b4 the shit hit the fan. The whole trickle down, tax cuts, top down, supply side economic plan is a cruel joke on working people. The best way is the Keynesian model. Working people and the poor spend money when they get it. Bushco/Rove is simply pandering for Rethug votes. Anything resembling Keynesian economic theory is against their religion. Of course, they won’t dare call it what it is. Just like they don’t say trickle-down. Tax cuts are trickle down.

Ah tea. Ah google. Yea Cornell Law.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/bac…..mpeach.htm

What is Impeachment?

Technically, impeachment is the Senate’s quasi-criminal proceeding instituted to remove a public officer, not the actual act of removal. Most references to impeachment, however, encompass the entire process, beginning with the House’s impeachment inquiry. The term will be used in that broader sense here. By design, impeachment is a complex series of steps and procedures undertaken by the legislature. The process roughly resembles a grand jury inquest, conducted by the House, followed by a full-blown trial, conducted by the Senate with the Chief Justice presiding. Impeachment is not directed exclusively at Presidents. The Constitutional language, “all civil officers,” includes such positions as Federal judgeships. The legislature, however, provides a slightly more streamlined process for lower offices by delegating much of it to committees. See Nixon v. US, 506 U.S. 224 (1993)(involving removal of a Federal judge). Presidential impeachments involve the full, public participation of both branches of Congress.

Sign up list: who is your favorite civil officer for postfacto impeachment for whom there are credible IG delivered grounds, because moral ones dont matter, sniff:

Mine, For starters
Doan/GSA
Johnson/EPA

BSRH, good start, man we could just reprint the list of the Bush Administration couldn’t we?

Here is a delicious bit that could take down Goodbadling and all the testimonial train wreckers, in principle

?

Article 2, Section 4–”. . .on impeachment for, and on conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors.”

This implies that the impeachment process is not tightly linked to the criminal law. The test is not satisfied by all crimes. With only two named offenses to provide context for the inclusive phrase “high crimes and misdemeanors,” the standard remains undefined. The language suggests, however, that criminal action may be required. It is worth noting that the term “misdemeanor” does not correspond to the modern definition of a less serious (sub-felony) statutory or common law criminal offense.

In the case of Andrew Johnson, the House accused the President, among other things, of speaking disrespectfully of Congress “in a loud voice.”

Scarecrow’s upstairs on Bush’s Bailout

Impeach Scolia and Thomas for a conflict of interest in Bush vs. Gore, they had family members employed by the Bush campaign. And here in bucks County Pa I’m expecting a high of 93 degrees.