Um, yeah

Via Pharyngula, an excellent excerpt from Molly Ivins:

Do it all, go long, go for public campaign financing for Congress. I'm serious as a stroke about this -- that is the only reform that will work, and you know it, as well as everyone else who's ever studied this. Do all the goo-goo stuff everybody has made fun of all these years: embrace redistricting reform, electoral reform, House rules changes, the whole package. Put up, or shut up. Own this issue, or let Jack Abramoff politics continue to run your town.

Bag man for hire

Josh Marshall provides one the clearest examples of the Congress/lobbying/Abramoff scandal. It is easy to grasp - it's a money laundering operation.

Before 2003, the State of Texas had never hired a private sector lobbyist to advocate its interests in Washington, DC. That year Gov. Rick Perry (R) hired Drew Maloney, a former Chief of Staff for Tom DeLay, on a contract that has since paid him $180,000 in state funds.

According to this article in the Houston Chronicle, prior to being hired, Maloney had made no more than $250 in political campaign contributions.

Since being hired he's contributed $75,000 to various Republican political committees.

Check out the rest.

State taxpayer money goes to lobbyist.

Lobbyist gives money to Republicans.

Any questions?

I've got one. How do I get a six-figure gig (there's $105,000 left over in the example above) as a bag man?

Heh heh ... he said "organ"

Administration Lays Out Legal Case for Wiretapping Program

In a 42-page white paper, the Justice Department expanded on its past arguments in laying out the legal rationale for why the N.S.A. program does not violate federal wiretap law and why the president is the nation's "sole organ" for foreign affairs.

"Sole organ"? So, the president is the penis of the American body?

I always knew he was a dick.

And that pretty much means that all the defenders of Bush are cock-pullers. Strokers. Wankers.

This is nothing we didn't already know, of course.

Breaking Ranks
Larry Wilkerson Attacked the Iraq War. In the Process, He Lost the Friendship of Colin Powell.

"This is really a very inept administration," says Wilkerson, who has credentials not only as an insider in the Bush I, Clinton and Bush II presidencies but also as a former professor at two of the nation's war colleges. "As a teacher who's studied every administration since 1945, I think this is probably the worst ineptitude in governance, decision-making and leadership I've seen in 50-plus years. You've got to go back and think about that. That includes the Bay of Pigs, that includes -- oh my God, Vietnam. That includes Iran-contra, Watergate."

Traitor.

(Emphasis added.)

Also:

Interviewed by CNN in November, Rumsfeld termed the suggestion of a cabal "ridiculous" and said of Wilkerson, "In terms of having firsthand information, I just can't imagine that he does."

Yeah, we never invited him to our cabal! He's just jealous that we never asked him. Like we were reallly gonna ask him along. Gawd!

The CRS war on the Bush adminstration

Advance copy, Hinderaker's column regarding the CRS report on the Legality of Briefings

Leaking Researching At All Costs
What the CIA CRS is willing to do to hurt the Bush administration.
by John Hinderaker
11/30/2005 1/19/2006 12:00:00 AM


THE CIA'S Congressional Research Service's (CRS) WAR against the Bush administration is one of the great untold stories of the past three years. It is, perhaps, the agency's most successful covert action policy analysis of recent times. The CIA CRS has used its budget to fund support the partisan criticism of the administration by former Democratic officeholders. The agency allowed an employee, Michael Scheuer Alfred Cumming, to publish and promote a book containing report regarding classified information, as long as, in Scheuer's words that I'm sure that Cumming was really thinking, "the book report was being used to bash the president." However, the agency's preferred weapon has been the leak "impartially" researched report. In one leak report after another, generally to the New York Times or the Washington Post traitorous, terrorist-sympathizing DemocRats, CIA CRS officials have sought to undermine America's foreign policy Bush's geniusly devised and executed domestic wiretapping program. Usually this is done by leaking issuing reports or memos critical of administration policies or skeptical of their prospects. Through it all, our principal news outlets, which share the agency's agenda and profit from its torrent of leaks reports, have maintained a discreet silence about what should be a major scandal.

...

John Hinderaker is a contributing writer to THE DAILY STANDARD SUBSTANDARD and a contributor to the blog Power Line Tools.

Pre-emptive wankery

Inquiry on Clinton Official Ends With Accusations of Cover-Up

Pre-emptive wankery:

Clenis official cover-up abuse of office liberals inconsistent Abramoff just a lobbyist highest office in the nation disgrace pardons Hillary government agency abuses worse than Bush again with the inconsistency IRS jackboots cover-up Reno sure was ugly Barrett American hero deserving of honors for integrity and honesty Clintons dirty dirty dirty Whitewater rape troopers travel office authorized physical searches perjury lying to investigators blue dress blow job blow job blow job blow job BLOW JOB

Rules for Govern'n

HHS Works to Fix Drug Plan Woes
Widespread Difficulties With New Medicare Benefit Reported

President Bush's top health advisers will fan out across the country this week to quell rising discontent with a new Medicare prescription drug benefit that has tens of thousands of elderly and disabled Americans, their pharmacists, and governors struggling to resolve myriad start-up problems.

...

Even as federal leaders touted the enrollment figures, state officials and health care experts continued to report widespread difficulties, especially for the poorest and sickest seniors who were forced to switch from state Medicaid programs to the new Medicare plans on Jan. 1. Nearly two dozen states have intervened, saying they will pay for medications for any low-income senior who is mistakenly rejected.

Bubble Boy's Rules for Govern'n:

*Disregard predictions in matters of life and death (PDB's, weather forecasts, analysis and planning of a major health coverage intiative).
*Vacation or fund-raise while disaster strikes.
*Delegate the first response to the locals.
*When the griping and accusations get too loud, launch a PR offensive. Department officials should take the first round. If the bitching persists, Bubble Boy himself will make appearances.
*Return to vacation or fund-raising.

"Responsible debate"

Bubble Boy, addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars

Yet we must remember there is a difference between responsible and irresponsible debate -- and it's even more important to conduct this debate responsibly when American troops are risking their lives overseas.

Scottie Spokesweasel, responding to separate comments by Al Gore and Hillary Clinton

"Al Gore's hypocrisy knows no bounds," Bush's press secretary, Scott McClellan, responded.

...

McClellan called the comments "way out of line" and suggested that Clinton's presidential ambitions were behind them.

I guess the words "hypocrisy" and "way out of line" are what make up a "responsible debate." Who knew?

Running the government like a business into the ground.

President Tells Insurers to Aid Ailing Medicare Drug Plan

This is what happens when Republicans are running things.