Fired Up! America - Bush Administration

Bush signing may mean government can read your mail

Thu, 4 Jan 2007 22:00:18 -0600

A signing statement attached to postal legislation by President Bush last month may have opened the way for the government to open mail without a warrant.

The White House denies any change in policy.

The law requires government agents to get warrants to open first-class letters.

But when he signed the postal reform act, Bush added a statement saying that his administration would construe that provision "in a manner consistent, to the maximum extent permissible, with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances. ..."

"The signing statement raises serious questions whether he is authorizing opening of mail contrary to the Constitution and to laws enacted by Congress," said Ann Beeson, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Dying For Bush's Mistakes

Wed, 3 Jan 2007 17:40:32 -0600

“How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?” Lt. John Kerry, the Winter Soldiers testimony.

"Iraq is in serious danger of coming apart because of lack of planning, underestimating the task and buying into a flawed strategy, the longer we stubbornly resist admitting the mistakes and not altering our approach, the harder it will be to pull this chestnut out of the fire." Gen. Anthony Zinni.

“The invasion of Iraq I believe will turn out to be the greatest strategic disaster in U.S. history,” Lt. Gen William Odom.

“The Iraq invasion will be seen as one of the greatest blunders that American Presidents have ever made,” Jimmy Carter.

"There will be no military victory or military solution for Iraq." Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE).

“The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating.” Summary, Iraq Study Group.

“The Iraq Group confirmed that a military solution is not forthcoming no matter how long we stay,’’ Rep. Gwen Moore.

“I thought we would succeed quicker than we did, and I am disappointed by the pace of success.” George W. Bush, in response to the Iraq Study Group report.

It seems no matter what channel on TV you watch, no matter the radio station, or no matter what web site you visit, the war in Iraq has been failing and will fail no matter what course of action is taken. Our dimwitted, stubborn President George W. Bush has stated on MANY occasion, “stay the course”. Why? He refuses the advice of his military brass. Why?
In 1941, Adolf Hitler took control of the German military. After that, the German “war machine” failed even more miserably.

Would you follow a man that cannot remove the caps of binoculars? President Bush is not a “common sense” type of leader. He refuses the idea of withdrawal of troops from Iraq until “the job is done” despite Army and Marine commanders advice. That’s a sign of dictatorship and just plain stupidity. Our involvement there, based on lies, will be a failure also, just like the German military.

Now that three thousand (3000) American soldiers have died, and tens of thousands wounded, when will we get involved? Do we only become interested when we lose our son, daughter, nephew, or niece? Some sources state that over one hundred thousand (100,000) Iraqi people have been killed. How many more Americans and Iraqis will have to die or be wounded based on a lie, stubbornness, and no-contract corporate greed?

Yes…I am one of those folks that claim that if Gore or Kerry were President, things would be better! Could it possibly be worse? Could the victory in Iraq at this present time be more bleak? At what point do we “cut and run”? At what point will our Congress reinstate the military “draft” to reconstitute the dwindling number of able-bodied troops?

Yes…Osama bin Laden remains uncaptured and not held responsible for his part in the worst crime against the American people. The people who died on 9/11/01 at the World Trade Center are remembered, but not avenged. Isn’t it a pity? Our President is more concerned about a democracy in Iraq than capturing our worst enemy, Osama bin Laden!

Stay the course in Iraq? At whose expense? Remember John Kerry’s words, “How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?”

No Wonder Bush's Job Approval is at 36%

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:42:37 -0500

No wonder President Bush's approval rating is at a dismal 36%. Here are some recent Bush quotes on his job analysis of his fellow Republicans:

"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." President Bush to then-FEMA Director Michael Brown, September 2, 2005.

"(Rumsfeld's) done a heck of a good job." President Bush on Rumsfeld. Fox News Interview with Brit Hume, December 14, 2005.

War in Iran: April 2006

Sun, 2 Apr 2006 20:10:20 -0500

A writer predicts what is about to happen.

http://www.antiwar.com/orig/hirsch.php?articleid=8788

GOP Rep: Port Deal Not Investigated Beforehand

Thu, 2 Mar 2006 01:50:11 -0600

According to USA Today-On Deadline, GOP Rep. Peter King says the Bush administration failed to investigate the ports deal before approving it.

Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, told radio ranger Don Imus this morning that contrary to what President Bush and administration officials have been telling the public, the Dubai port deal was not scrutinized first, according to officials involved.

This is yet another example of a troubling lack of character in the Bush administration. As in the case with Hurricane Katrina, they fail to take actions to keep up safe, and then when they get caught failing us, they lie about the situation.

Bush Was Aware Of Risks Posed By Katrina

Wed, 1 Mar 2006 16:44:43 -0600

According to the AP, President Bush was fully aware of the risks posed by Katrina.

In dramatic and sometimes agonizing terms, federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees, risk lives in New Orleans' Superdome and overwhelm rescuers, according to confidential video footage of the briefings.

America Is Becoming A Strange Place Indeed

Wed, 1 Mar 2006 15:04:29 -0600

I think this morning's Washington Post story points out just what a strange place America is in politically.

It's strange to me that it is news merely because members of Congress from the President's own party asks a few questions about our national security.

There was a time that the Congress actually thought that was their job, regardless of which party was in the White House.

Rules Committee Report Is Now Available Online

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 13:53:14 -0600

The new report by the Rep. Louise Slaughter of the House Rules Committee is now available online.

You can find the full report here.

And here's a link to Rep. Slaughter's post on Kos about her report:

Our Report from the House - America for Sale: The Cost of Republican Corruption

According to Rep. Slaughter, here are some of the key findings of the report:

For the first time, this report tries to quantify the damage the Republican Congress and Bush White House have inflicted on our country. Here are a few numbers to consider:

America For Sale: The Cost Of Republican Corruption

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 13:55:30 -0600

From her vantage point atop the the House Rules Committee, Rep. Louise Slaughter has had a birds-eye-view of how the Republicans have done business in Washington over the last several years, and the costs those actions have had for the average American.

In a 118 page report to be released later today, Ms. Slaughter lays out in painstaking detail exactly how the Republicans have conducted themselves over the last several years, and the myriad ways that has cost the American people.

Simon Says: 2006 Likely To Be A Very Bad Year For The GOP

Sun, 19 Feb 2006 14:34:25 -0600

In this piece, NDN Chair Simon Rosenberg lays out how he sees 2006 shaping up.

Here's his bottom line:

I've been skeptical about the fall elections becoming a 1994-like "change election." But given that in Mid-February the President has dropped below 40 percent, their weak agenda has nowhere to go, foreign policy and security issues are as likely to be as damaging to them as helpful, and the criminal cases against their leadership will spread and deepen, I think even the skeptics have to now acknowledge that 2006 is likely to become an historically bad year for the governing party.

AP: VP Accident Tale Filled With Discrepancies

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 10:45:50 -0600

The AP shreds several of Vice President Cheney's claims regarding his hunting accident in their latest piece.

Vice President Dick Cheney said he didn't immediately disclose his hunting accident because he wanted the confusing details to come out right. Instead, authorized accounts came out slowly — and often still wrong.

The result: a week of shifting blame, belatedly acknowledged beer consumption (not "zero" drinking after all) and evolving discrepancies in how the shooting happened, its aftermath and the way it was told to the nation.

"There's a reason they call this crisis management," said corporate damage-control specialist Eric Dezenhall, "and that's because it's a mess."

"W" Needs His Credit Card Limit Upped

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 04:45:15 -0600

I am so glad that President George W. Bush is so conservative and such a good financial steward. Oh wait.

It seems that the Bush administration can't manage on an $8 trillion credit card limit and need to have it upped yet again.

Apparently, the Bush administration is spending like a bunch of drunken ~~hunters~~ sailors.

An Interesting Take On The Bush White House's View Of The Press

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 13:32:21 -0600

Check out this piece by Jay Rosen, a NYU Journalism professor, about the view of Bush White House on the role of the press.

It's a long piece, but worth getting through.

Via Romenesko.

GOP Front Group With Ties To DeLay And Abramoff Should Be Investigated

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 10:42:38 -0600

A GOP front group that helped pushed for passage of the fatally flawed Medicare prescription drug benefit was funded, at least in part, by felon-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, likely at the request of Rep. Tom DeLay.

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi recently called for a congressional investigation into the passage of the Medicare law based on the role played by yet another group with strong ties to DeLay and Abramoff, the Alexander Strategy Group.

In her call for an investigation, Pelosi laid out the troubled history of this legislation:

Miscellaneous Observations About Cheney's Appearance On Fox News

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 05:56:09 -0600

I hate to be a nitpicker, but if ever there was a man who deserved to have his words picked apart, it's Vice President Dick Cheney.

I have previously discussed what I view as the most significant falsehoods of his statement on Fox, but here are a couple of other observations: