Congratulations, President Bush. You are finally being compared to a past United States president, instead of a circus clown. Unfortunately, that president is Richard Nixon, one of the biggest tyrants this country has ever known.

So what is it that makes G.W. and Nixon so similar? Well, it's not just that they are rotten people who escalated a war for their own political gain. It's not just that they surround themselves with the most corrupt, greedy people this country produces. The main similarity is their disregard for the U.S. Constitution, and their belief that the president is allowed to violate U.S. laws if they say it is for the protection of the people. They truly think that they are above the law, and no legal authority can bring them down. Of course, Nixon learned that he was horribly wrong about that.

The president can be brought down by a country that is patriotic enough to stand up to them. Bush never learned that lesson, because as Nixon was being disgraced, Bush was high on various drugs and drunk on booze, passed out in hotel bathrooms, barely clinging to life. In his sober moments he was impregnating young girls, then paying for them to have abortions (an act he now stands firmly against).
FindLaw's Writ - Dean: George W. Bush as the New Richard M. Nixon

An interesting psychological study reported on in the Washington Post ties political beliefs to such things as racial bias, and the results are not so good for the GOP.

The study, which used brain scans to gauge a person's reaction to various information, showed that Republican supporters were considerably more likely to have implicit biases against blacks and other minority groups. Many conservatives seemed to have an us (whites) against them (minorities) mentality.

The Republican National Committee, which does not believe in science (that's a joke, by the way), did not offer a formal response to the study, which shows that much of President Bush's support at the polls likely comes from those who have very strong inner anti-black feelings.
Study Ties Political Leanings to Hidden Biases

As if the White House didn't have enough problems, it now appears that ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff were much closer than previously thought.

New evidence shows that not only was the White House close with Abramoff, who has plead guilty to various crimes and is now working with investigators, but members of Bush's administration may have illegally given out government information to save Abramoff money. Abramoff was informed that the government was about to suspend contracts with Tyco, a company with its own legal problems. Abramoff was a lobbyist for Tyco at the time, and a Bush administration official told Abramoff what arguments he should make when appealing the suspension.

I'm sure Democrats wish mid-term elections were held tomorrow, because who knows if they can hold on to this momentum for another 9 months.

The only thing they are having difficulty with right now (besides the Alito hearings) is getting the truth out to the public. A large percentage of Americans (mostly Fox News viewers, I'm sure) still believe that Abramoff gave ill-gotten money to both parties. That is 100% NOT TRUE. There is a paper trail for his donations, the proof is right there. 100% of Abramoff's donations went to Republicans. Abramoff himself has not even claimed to have given to Democrats. The only people claiming that are Republican politicians (when they say "this affects all of us" they are flat out lying, remember that) and Fox News reporters.
Update 1: White House Official Warned Abramoff - Forbes.com

It seems that the $3.5 billion President Bush alloted for AIDS research and prevention is not just going towards scientists and medical costs. Nearly a quarter of the money will be going to religious groups who have no history of active AIDS prevention programs.

Most of these religious groups only solution to the AIDS problem is abstinence and prayer, hardly the solution that most people are looking for, and one not likely to curb the growing epidemic. Of course, nobody has told the president that there are several different ways AIDS can be spread, and some of them are not even a sin. I hope the groups that get this huge chunk of money will pray extra hard for those people in third world who contracted the disease from a tainted blood transfusion.
ABC News: Religious Groups Get Chunk of AIDS Money

Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum (R) denied claims that he was part of the "K Street Project" and claims he has never talked to nor met conservative activist Grover Norquist, who teamed up with Tom DeLay to make a unified effort at pressuring D.C. lobbying firms and trade associations to hire Republicans who could help them achieve their various agendas.

The comments by Santorum, which appeared in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, have been questioned now that a video has surfaced where Santorum is introduced by Norquist at a press conference. After the introduction, Santorum remarks, "Thank you Grover, and I appreciate your help and support on this and many other issues..."

That sure doesn't sound like a non-meeting to me. I'd almost say they were co-workers, and possibly friends. This is just one more scandal threatening the GOP, almost all involving lobbyists and using their power to pocket a lot of money from special interest groups. I sure do miss the Clinton days, when the only thing that was hurt by his lies was his marriage.

The White House has admitted they have been trying to cover up any photographic evidence linking the president and lobbyist Jack Abramoff. It seems that Abramoff has at least some of that photographic evidence (who wouldn't keep a photo of themself with the president?), and he's been shopping it around.

Just one good photo showing the two in a friendly handshake, or possibly working together on something, could be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to the tabloids.

Abramoff, who already admitted to many illegal activities and has been naming names of politicians who worked with him, seems to be burning all his bridges in an attempt to retain some of his fortune and keep his prison term to a minimum. That's bad news for Republicans (all of the illegal activity involves Republicans, that is a FACT, no matter what Fox News has been telling people), many of whom could be sharing time with Abramoff. Good riddance.
The Raw Story | Abramoff shopped Bush photos, Newsweek reporter says

I know people usually come to my blog for my arguments against the Bush administration, but this story is a little different than the norm.

I feel it is necessary to expose any government corruption, no matter where it lies or how it relates to Bush's policies. That said, I read today about the release of a German hostage in Iraq on December 18. The hostage, an archaeologist named Susanne Osthoff who had converted to Islam and was living in Iraq at the time, was taking a shower at the German embassay in Baghdad a short time later when U.S. money was found in her clothes. The serial numbers on the currency identified it as part of the ransom the German government had paid to the kidnappers.

The story gets a little spicier, as the German government released a Hizbollah terrorist, sentenced to life in prison in 1985 for the slaying of a U.S. Navy diver, just two days after after the release of Osthoff. The German government denied that the two incidents were related. Osthoff said in an interview following her release that her kidnappers were not criminals.

So what's going on here? Why is the German government making deals with these people? Why are hostages getting paid off with their own ransom money? Something dirty is going on in the German government, but more things need to be connected to prove it.
World | Reuters.co.in

It seems that President Bush is having the same type of memory problems that crippled Ronald Reagan during his final years in office.

The president can no longer remember the meetings he had with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who has pled guilty to various federal charges and is working with investigators. He does not know what days the half a dozen pictures showing him and Abramoff together were taken. He does not remember congratulating Abramoff for becoming a Bush "Pioneer" for raising over $100,000 for Bush's presidential campaign.

I'm afraid that Bush may be suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, the same brain deteriorating condition that led Ronald Reagan into dementia during his final years. My diagnosis may also explain why the president is a blundering idiot, although it cannot explain the rampant corruption. That may be due to an chemical imbalance.
Bush Doesn't Remember Abramoff Meetings - Yahoo! News

Presidential adviser/co-conspirator Karl Rove has laid out the Republican roadmap going into this November's elections. As predicted, the GOP will make the fictional "War on Terrorism" a major issue. I have said all along that this war is unwinnable, because terror is an emotion. It's equivalent to fighting a war against sadness. The truly sad thing is that we've caused a lot more terror for many innocent people around the world than there was terror for us to fight.

The GOP also hopes to belittle the Democrats for their fight against the Alito appointment to the Supreme Court. I think the Dems have been holding back on Alito, and I'd like to see them hold back even more. They have no chance of stopping the nomination, so why not look like the classier party in allowing it?

Rove will also attack the Dems for their pre-9/11 worldview. I'm not sure what this means, and I don't think Rove knows either. I know Republicans enjoy the post 9/11 view, because they benefited from that date more than any other group in the world. Rove claims the GOP's progress over the "past four decades" is a "stunning political achievement." Of course, he's ignoring the fact that all that "achievement" has come in the past 5 years. I think somebody owes Osama a "thank you."

Rove did not mention the Republican scandals in his roadmap. The Senate and House majority leaders are both facing possible indictments and maybe even prison time, and Rove himself is under investigation for leaking the name of a CIA agent for political gain.
BREITBART.COM - Rove Says Democrats Wrong on War on Terror

Several Republicans have come out this week and said that no crime was committed when Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and disgraced former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay gave information about unfinished litigation (not available to the public) to Wall Street traders, who used the information to buy and sell stocks and bonds accordingly.

The GOP continues to claim that this is not a crime, because the information did not come from a company, but from the government. It now appears that they are very wrong. There is a precedent for this type of case, and it now appears that it is just as illegal to trade based on government inside information as it is to trade based on corporate inside information. This could be more bad news for Republicans, who have been unable to avoid very serious scandals in the past year. Many GOPers, including some of its most well-known leaders, could be facing prison time.
Complaint: SEC v. Peter J. Davis, Jr., John M. Youngdahl, and Steven E. Nothern

White House press secretary Scott McClellan has admitted that the White House is actively trying to destroy all evidence that the president and lobbyist Jack Abramoff have ever known each other. It seems odd that they would admit this to the public, as many people in the press and internet sleuths are also trying to find links between the two men.

The White House has already found at least 5 pictures, and they say they have put them in a protected location. That most likely means they have been destroyed. This is not the first time the President has tried to distance himself from an embattled peer. When Enron collapsed and CEO Ken Lay faced multiple indictments, the President said he barely knew Lay and they were not friends. Pictures later showed up showing the two chatting and laughing together while sharing a private box at a Houston Astros game. The president had to retract his earlier statement, but said the pictures were misleading. His close involvement with Enron executives while he was governor of Texas, however, tells a much different story.
WASHINGTONIAN: Capital Comment

A small majority of US soldiers, usually a conservative stronghold, support the Iraq War. The rest of them hate America and are putting our troops in danger... oops, sometimes these Bush talking points get caught in my head. Bush's loss of support from the military is nothing short of startling. I even saw one documentary produced by an Army veteran accusing the Bush administration of staging 9/11 for their own political agenda.

Only once before has a US president faced this much opposition from his own military during a time of war, and it's hard for anyone to compare poorly against Richard Nixon.
Military Times Polls

Controversial filmmaker Spike Lee has urged blacks to register to vote, and also called for them to look beyond race and not vote for Condileeza Rice in 2008. Rice said last week that she would not be seeking the presidency in 2008, but she is still considered a front-runner for the GOP nomination by many.

Republicans are trying to shed their corrupt old white man image, which is hard to do when nearly every prominent Republican is a corrupt old white man (ok, so maybe some of them are not so old), including George W. Bush, Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, that Alaskan congressman with the 1/2 billion dollar bridge to nowhere (Don Young is his name, if you want to write him a letter), and just about every other elected member of the GOP.
Spike Lee: Blacks shouldn't back Rice | IndyStar.com

Controversial filmmaker Spike Lee has urged blacks to register to vote, and also called for them to look beyond race and not vote for Condileeza Rice in 2008. Rice said last week that she would not be seeking the presidency in 2008, but she is still considered a front-runner for the GOP nomination by many.

Republicans are trying to shed their corrupt old white man image, which is hard to do when nearly every prominent Republican is a corrupt old white man (ok, so maybe some of them are not so old), including George W. Bush, Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, that Alaskan congressman with the 1/2 billion dollar bridge to nowhere (Don Young is his name, if you want to write him a letter), and just about every other elected member of the GOP.
Spike Lee: Blacks shouldn't back Rice | IndyStar.com

Controversial filmmaker Spike Lee has urged blacks to register to vote, and also called for them to look beyond race and not vote for Condileeza Rice in 2008. Rice said last week that she would not be seeking the presidency in 2008, but she is still considered a front-runner for the GOP nomination by many.

Republicans are trying to shed their corrupt old white man image, which is hard to do when nearly every prominent Republican is a corrupt old white man (ok, so maybe some of them are not so old), including George W. Bush, Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, that Alaskan congressman with the 1/2 billion dollar bridge to nowhere (Don Young is his name, if you want to write him a letter), and just about every other elected member of the GOP.
Spike Lee: Blacks shouldn't back Rice | IndyStar.com

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Republican - Tennessee) and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Republican - Texas) have both been implicated in a new scandal. This one may take the cake.

Frist and DeLay were giving tips to Wall Street traders, telling them important news about certain bills that was not available to the public yet. For instance, they told their traders that an asbestos bill was not going to get through the Senate, which allowed the traders to invest accordingly. If there is enough evidence to prove both Frist and DeLay were involved, this could top all their other scandals. The charges would be much worse than just insider trading, which we all know can bring down even the richest Americans after Martha Stewart spent several months in prison last year for her involvement in insider trading that resulted in profits of $50,000 at most.

What DeLay and Frist seemed to do is much, MUCH worse. They used their elected positions to get information and pass it on to inside sources, who had the opportunity to reap huge profits from the information. Their actions could impact the market in a HUGE way. Such actions put the stock market, and even the entire United States economy at risk. Democrats, who are outnumbered in all parts of government right now (wait until November), are calling for a full scale investigation. A lobbying firm used by Republicans responded to the allegations by saying that "everybody, to a degree, does this." That's a terrific defense. I predict there will be a huge backlash against the GOP come November, with Democrats and even many Republican voters uniting to bring down corrupted officials. I'm sure the White House is writing up the pardons already.
The Raw Story | Democrats want ethics committee to probe 'day trading' allegations

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Republican - Tennessee) and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Republican - Texas) have both been implicated in a new scandal. This one may take the cake.

Frist and DeLay were giving tips to Wall Street traders, telling them important news about certain bills that was not available to the public yet. For instance, they told their traders that an asbestos bill was not going to get through the Senate, which allowed the traders to invest accordingly. If there is enough evidence to prove both Frist and DeLay were involved, this could top all their other scandals. The charges would be much worse than just insider trading, which we all know can bring down even the richest Americans after Martha Stewart spent several months in prison last year for her involvement in insider trading that resulted in profits of $50,000 at most.

What DeLay and Frist seemed to do is much, MUCH worse. They used their elected positions to get information and pass it on to inside sources, who had the opportunity to reap huge profits from the information. Their actions could impact the market in a HUGE way. Such actions put the stock market, and even the entire United States economy at risk. Democrats, who are outnumbered in all parts of government right now (wait until November), are calling for a full scale investigation. A lobbying firm used by Republicans responded to the allegations by saying that "everybody, to a degree, does this." That's a terrific defense. I predict there will be a huge backlash against the GOP come November, with Democrats and even many Republican voters uniting to bring down corrupted officials. I'm sure the White House is writing up the pardons already.
The Raw Story | Democrats want ethics committee to probe 'day trading' allegations

I have not had the time to check all the facts surrounding this story, but here's what I've read: the recent provision of the Patriot Act includes a provision allowing the Secret Service to arrest protestors for "disruptive behavior" at events like the Olympics and political party conventions. George W. Bush, father of the hated Patriot Act (but certainly not the writer), and perhaps the most protested president not named Richard Nixon, likely pushed to have the provision included quitely. I have a feeling he won't be using it to get rid of those pesky protestors at the Democratic National Convention.
mparent7777: Bush to criminalize protesters under Patriot Act as "disruptors"

The fallout from the Tom DeLay/Jack Abramoff scandals could lead to some sort of legislation to end earmarking, which has ballooned since Republicans took power in the House of Representatives. Earmarking is when politicians enter hidden footnotes in big spending bills, allocating billions of dollars for projects that will benefit people and corporations that support their campaigns. Over 15,000 earmarks were used last year, a new record. Republicans have taken this secretive spending to help their corporate donors to levels most people would not believe were possible 5 years ago. Conservatives who complain about high taxes and runaway government spending should look at members of the Republican party, with members like Ted Stevens trying to sneak in half a billion dollars for 2 bridges in Alaska, one of which leads to an island that has just 50 people living on it. That's not very conservative, Mr. Stevens. If earmarking is cleaned up, we could see Republicans forced to return to conservative values. They will have less money to spend on their campaigns, but for once they will be people that our citizens can respect. As they stand right now, I would not let a Republican politician into my house, or even brake for one in the middle of the road.
FT.com / World / US - Conservatives call for return to core Republican principles

There has been a lot of talk about who will be dragged through the mud when Jack Abramoff starts talking about his shady dealings over the past decades. Of course, I've already mentioned that ONLY Republicans in Congress received money from Abramoff, and ONLY Republicans could be indicted. But this story goes beyond Congress. There were also many evangelical Christian leaders who readily abandoned their moral teachings to help Abramoff with whatever scheme he was up to. When one Indian tribe paid Abramoff to eliminate possible casino competition by lobbying against gambling, the Christian Coalition was there. In the end, Abramoff and the Christian Coalition were really just ripping off the Indian tribe trying to eliminate its competition. They were taking the money, pocketing much of it, and using the rest to rally Christian opposition to gambling. Abramoff and the Christian Coalition made off with tens of millions of dollars, and Christians everywhere were left with the idea that God came down and talked to their slick-haired, Italian suit-wearing leader and told them betting on black was bad.

Oh, how easily the sheep are misled. I urge everyone to examine the car parked in the pastor's parking spot before church service. The nameplate on that car should read "Taurus," "Cavalier," or maybe "Civic," if it's a bigger church. If the name is just a letter and some numbers, with a name like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Audi before it, leave immediately. The Bible says "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to pass into heaven." How can you be led by a person who manages to so easily ignore this particular passage, yet instruct you to follow other "Christian values" that often aren't even referred to in scripture?
World Magazine - Weekly News | Christian Views

It's been easy to attack Democrats over the past few years for their inability to, well, attack. Now it looks like they may finally be turning things around. Click on the link below for a great video of Howard Dead being interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on Late Edition. When Blitzer asks him if Democrats should give back money given to them by embattled scumbag Jack Abramoff, Dean answers by saying there are no, repeat NO Democrats who received money from Jack Abramoff, and the FCC reports show that (they are available to the public). He repeated that this was a Republican scandal, and no matter how much the GOP wants to make it look like it's hurting both sides, the truth is that only Republicans received money from Abramoff. Blitzer seemed stunned that Dean was so ready with such a stern, precise response, backed up by evidence. At one point I was pretty sure his beard would spontaneously combust.
Crooks and Liars Movie

Tom DeLay, who has quickly become the poster boy of political corruption, helped to end a federal investigation of a Texas billionaire who played a role in a collapse of a savings & loan that cost taxpayers $1.6 billion. The federal government was seeking a $300 million fine of Charles Hurwitz, but a $300,000 donation to Tom DeLay helped end the investigation, with Hurwitz getting away scot-free. One strategy DeLay used in ending the case was using his power to subpoena the confidential evidence the government had gathered against Hurwitz. DeLay then entered this sensitive information into the congressional record, making it available for Hurwitz's lawyers to see. This damaged the government case to the extent that they could not go further with the investigation. There is no good excuse for DeLay going out of his way to disrupt a government investigation. His actions were both unusual and unethical. The only explanation is that he was doing what his donors told him to do. In a fair world, Tom DeLay would spend the rest of his life in prison. In parts of this world, Tom DeLay would be executed following a short trial. In the United States, he'll do a short amount of time in white collar prison and then spend the rest of his life playing golf on some of the best courses in the world.
A Donor Who Had Big Allies - Los Angeles Times

House majority leader Tom Delay (who I often refer to as "Senator Tom DeLay," because I often post while very tired) will step down from his post as house leader, allowing Republicans to elect a new leader, preferably one who won't be going to jail in the near future. I'm sure DeLay blames a vast left wing conspiracy for bringing him down in his prime, even though the evidence against him stacks higher every day. Even other Republicans have started wearing wires, after cutting deals with prosecutors who have evidence against most right wingers in Congress, in efforts to bring down one of their own to save themselves. Sorry Tom, you have no friends anymore. At least you can remember back to all those vacations you took that were paid for with bribes from various corporations over the years. Millions of dollars worth of vacation trips and other perks will give you great memories during those long hours in a lonely prison cell.
BREITBART.COM - Officials: DeLay to Quit Leadership Post

The New York Times has scooped a secret Pentagon study that reveals up to 80% of Marines who have died in Iraq could have been saved had they been wearing better body armor. The bullet-proof vests they have been supplied with can barely stop a 9mm round, and they get blown apart against weapons faced in Iraq. The only reason the military uses those vests is because defense contractors have been bribing politicians who approve such purchasing decisions, as I have reported on earlier. Many Republicans have been implicated in that scandal and could be facing prison time. I also reported about the bat mitzvah for the daughter of one of those defense contractors, which included entertainment by the likes of 50 Cent and cost several million dollars. Our sons, brothers, fathers, and other loved ones are dying in Iraq so some rich executive at a defense contractor can throw a multi-million dollar party for his 13-year-old daughter.
Extra Armor Could Have Saved Many Lives, Study Shows - New York Times

Disgraced Congressman Duke Cunningham wore a wire to catch lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Cunningham, a Republican, is accused of taking bribes from a defense contractor, including a yacht worth several million dollars. I think that pretty much explains why we went to war in Iraq for no good reason. Republicans have been brushing off allegations that Jack Abramoff was illegally funneling money to the party for years, but it wasn't until one of their own started wearing a wire that it was possibly to bring him down. Abramoff faces various charges relating to his illegal money channeling schemes, and many Republican politicians could be taking the fall with him.
TIME.com: Disgraced Congressman 'Wore a Wire' -- Page 1

President Bush said that he plans to give away $6,000 of the donations his campaign received from lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who has pled guilty to various illegal activities. The White House also said that Bush did not know Abramoff personally, which is surprising considering Abramoff raised over $100,000 for Bush's 2004 campaign, earning him the honorary title of "Pioneer." The White House has not explained why they are giving such a small fraction of the funds they received from Abramoff away to charity, rather than the whole thing. Several Republican lawmakers are also giving away some of their possibly-illegal funds away to charity, a move that will not keep some of them out of prison.

This article also notes that Democrats have received money from Abramoff and his clients. Of course they have, idiots, Abramoff was a lobbyist. That's what lobbyists do. They give money to both sides, and hope it sways their opinion in various matters. The fact remains that Abramoff's clients gave $5 to Republicans for every $1 they gave to Democrats. Abramoff also gave a lot of his personal money to Republicans, while not once making a donation to any Democrat. There is not hypocrisy here, as the paltry sums received by Democrats were from clients who just wanted to sway the system (which is sleazy, but not illegal), while the massive sums received by Republicans like Tom DeLay were used for his multiple vacations in exotic locales and many other perks. They were not solely to help his campaign, or to help him hire another staff member. The money given to Democrats was barely enough to buy a Snickers bar at the Congressional candy machine.
Democrats Benefited from Abramoff Contributions, Too -- 01/05/2006

Lobbyist Jack Abramoff plead guilty to various charges relating to money he gave to various politicians, and now dozens of Congressmen and other elected officials could be in serious trouble. On the top of that list is Senator Tom DeLay, who holds the record for committing a felony on 4,386 consecutive days without getting caught. That streak could be in jeopardy, as Abramoff's testimony will likely implicate DeLay on various charges that DeLay has already denied.
Prosecutor in DeLay case subpoenas Abramoff documents

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry will not confirm that he is running for president in 2008, but he will not deny it either. Kerry, who was brutally smeared by a Bush attack team calling themselves Swift Boat Veterans For Truth in 2004, will face a tough challenge from the likes of Hillary Clinton and a young man from Virginia (more about this mysterious politician who could shake things up at another time, keep checking back). Political experts seem to think Kerry is positioning himself for another run, but most contend that his chances of winning the democratic primary are slim.
USATODAY.com - Kerry keeps 2008 options open