The New York Times has uncovered a secret memo that reveals President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair considered flying a plane painted in UN colors over Iraq in 2003, hoping that Saddam Hussein would order his military to shoot it down. They believed this would convince the United Nations that they should draft a resolution of war against Saddam's regime, as shooting at UN planes (even though this one would have been fake) is a violation of laws agreed to by members of the United Nations.

This is a very disturbing revelation - and a side of the president that previously only existed in the minds of conspiracy theorists. If he was willing to make a mock UN plane in order to goad an enemy into starting an offensive, what else has he done during his time in office?

Could he have faked other incidents? He claims that the NSA wiretapping program (which has been operating under his orders despite the fact that it is an outright violation of the constitution) has yielded thousands of terrorist suspects. But that number seems improbable, since high-ranking officials in the Department of Homeland Security have admitted that they are currently aware of only hundreds of potential terror suspects, and the category of serious suspects yields just dozens of possible names.

Since the NSA program has wiretapped thousands of individuals, it's fairly safe to assume that all but a few hundred are innocent mistakes. False positives. The NSA thought they might be threats, but it turns out they aren't. But they still got wiretapped, and that information may have been used against them as criminal cases were started as a result of evidence recovered from wiretapping. Would you want the FBI listening in on every call you make? Have you ever talked about an illegal activity over the phone (anything from drugs to unregistered guns and vehicles to stealing cable)? Does anyone STILL think wiretapping is ok, because it only harms terrorists?

The president has shown that he cannot be trusted, and any information he gives us should be taken with a grain of salt. His men are master manipulators, filtering every piece of info that makes it into your homes. Should we really be trusting George W. Bush to make some of the most important decisions anyone has ever made?
The Raw Story | NY Times obtains secret memo of Bush, Blair meeting before Iraq war

A few years ago, the Dixie Chicks made some anti-Bush statements and condemned the war in Iraq. Country music fans, the core of conservative America, sent them death threats in response. To repeat that tired old cliche, the tables have turned. The Dixie Chicks now have a hit song about those very theats they received, and country music fans are quickly embracing their views. It seems that even conservative country music fans are unable to swallow the giant lie they were fed by our president.
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Dixie Chicks turn death threats to song

Vice President Dick Cheney, apparently forgetting the 8 years of prosperity that preceded the current administration, accused Democrats of being unable to lead this country. He also rejected accusations that the administration is dangerously incompetent, then promptly shot a man in the face, as is the new custom following press conferences.

President Bush's poll numbers continued their plunge into historically low territory this week, with only about 35% of Americans supporting the president. These numbers have been attributed to the failed war in Iraq (no connections to Osama Bin Laden or weapons of mass destruction were found, and the country is now in a state of civil war), the numerous Republican and White House scandals (PlameGate, illegal wiretapping, Jack Abramoff paying Republicans and Bush administration to get bills passed, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay involved with money laundering, etc).

The Republican core continues to crumble apart, with the once respectable group of politicians being reduced (by their own doing) to a gang of petty thugs, willing to do anything for the right kickback (see previous post about Conrad Burns).
Cheney: If Democrats can lead, then I can sing - Yahoo! News

This story really makes my blood boil. Conrad Burns, a Republican senator from Montana, is leading a half-arsed lobby-reform bill in the Senate, but he appears to be the greatest friend a lobbyist could ever have. Not only did Jack Abramoff give more money to Burns than any other politician, but a undercover reporter was welcomed into Burns inner circle while posing as a lobbyist for a Russian oil firm that wanted to drill in the Grand Canyon.

The premise of this undercover assignment/prank are pretty ridiculous. There's no way a man posing as a lobbyist for a foreign oil company wanting to drill in America's most revered natural landmark could be accepted in any politician's inner circle. He would be tossed out of any party on sight, right? Well, not with Conrad Burns. This is the senator who once responded to a supporters question of "how could you live in Washinton with all those n-words?" with "it's a hell of a challenge." PEOPLE IN MONTANA STILL VOTE FOR THIS GUY.

The undercover reporter said that he was a lobbyist working for PerDuNefteGaz. That roughly translates to FartOilGas. He was told by an experienced lobbyist that no matter what company name he chose, people at lobbying parties would all pretend that they had heard of it. After arriving at the party, he began to shmooze with the other lobbyists, telling them of his cause. They all sympathized with his efforts, even after he explained that he wanted oil drilling in the GRAND CANYON. Here's one quote from a Republican at the party:

"The thing is, you come up with something like that, the first thing they'll say is 'Oh, the animals, the animals!' F-ing New York liberals."

Well, at least now I know how Republicans really feel about people like me. The undercover reporter later learned that it would cost $500 or more to get some face time with Conrad Burns, and a lot more to get his agenda through (although I would hope some other politicians would resist his efforts to push a pro-drilling in the Grand Canyon agenda).

To sum this up for Republicans who think their party is protecting America:
For the right price, Republicans have now proven that they are willing to allow just about anything, including letting the Russians drill for oil in our most prized national park. Oh, and Republicans feel "it's a challenge" to live around minorities.

Rolling Stone : How to Be a Lobbyist Without Trying

Former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who will be sentenced on fraud charges next Wednesday, could also be testifying in a case involving the slaying of a gambling fleet owner. He was subpoened yesterday. Abramoff and a business partner bought out the gambling fleet a short time before the mob-style hit.

Abramoff has already agreed to work with federal investigators on any cases where they might need him as part of his deal for pleading guilty. The bad news just piles on for Republicans in Congress, many of whom were close friends with Abramoff and could be indicted for their involvement in his fraud enterprise, which could have been involved crimes much more serious than fraud.

The White House admitted in January that they were actively searching for any photos of Abramoff and the president together. Several news agencies have already found multiple pictures with the two in the same room, but have yet to secure the records showing that the two met privately in the Oval Office on multiple occasions. Abramoff's personal schedule, along with other evidence from the White House, indicates that those meetings did take place, but the records may be hard to find.
BREITBART.COM - Abramoff May Be Subpoenaed in Slaying Case

A meatpacker is suing the U.S. government to gain the right to test all of cows he processes for mad cow disease. The government currently requires that just 1% of cows are tested, and surprisingly they do not want anyone to test more than that. Officials threatened criminal prosecution of a Kansas meatpacker that wanted to test all of their beef.

Officials say they oppose 100% testing because it does not ensure food safety. Does 1% testing ensure food safety? Some meatpackers want to do 100% testing because customers in countries like Japan demand it. The larger meatpackers, who are big enough to pay for lobbyists, are against 100% testing because each cow test costs an extra $20, which translates to about 10 cents more per pound. Those larger meatpackers have been lobbying their political leaders to put pressure on meatpackers who are currently doing more than the required testing.

This case is at the core of the disintegration of our conservative government. Even though so-called conservatives are in control right now, they are so close to lobbyists and big-business that they are actually crushing conservative values. To prove this, just look at the size of the federal government now compared to during the Clinton administration. Apparently Bill Clinton was much more conservative than the Republicans of today.

The reason the current government does not work is because Republicans have too much power. When Republicans are in the minority, they fight hard to keep the government from gaining too much power. The Democrats usually concede some ground to the Republicans, cutting superfluous government programs and pork-barrel spending (which actually disproportionately goes to "red" states). The results are great. Government spending goes down, and businesses (including both the smaller and larger meatpacking plants) thrive.

Why doesn't this work in reverse, with Republicans in power and Democrats in the minority (such as we have now)? Well, it won't work because Democrats favor government spending for various programs to help the underprivileged, while Republicans in power will spend as much government money as they can get their hands on for their home state to get votes for re-election.

So what's my solution to our troubled government? Well, we need to vote Democrats into power, and have a strong Republican presence to keep them in check. That's the best way to keep the most people happy, including our good friends in the meatpacking industry.
AP Wire | 03/23/2006 | Meatpacker sues government over testing for mad cow

Presidents have been known to have embarassing brothers. Jimmy Carter had Billy, Bill Clinton had Roger, and George W. Bush (who is embarassing enough by himself) has Neil.

Neil Bush was most famous for being the son of former President George H.W. Bush. During that administration he was the head of a Savings & Loan that was doing some shady dealings and eventually went under. Neil was sanctioned (if not for his father, he probably would have ended up in prison) and taxpayers had to pay for the $1 billion bail out of the company.

Neil Bush has another family member running the country, and that means he's back to illegal practices that he knows he can get away with. He now runs Ignite!, an educational software company. When Barbara Bush (grandma) made a big donation to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, it was earmarked for Ignite!.

I have no problem with Neil Bush running an educational software company and receiving charitable donations. I do have a problem with this particular company, which does not even try to help children with educational software. The whole purpose of the company is to jet Neil around the world to find "investors." Who would invest in a company that does not make any real products and just collects money for owner? Lots of people. People who want to curry favor with that owner's powerful brother, George W. Bush.

The people who invest in this company aren't looking to receive a penny of their investment back, and they also don't care if any children learn from the non-existent software. They are Red Sea oil magnate and the sons of China's rulers. Investing in Ignite! is also popular in the United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai. Even Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky is getting in on the action.

This covert form of nepotism must end. We need to stop ignoring the scandals of this administration. Vote away Bush's power this November, and let Congress take care of the dirty work.
Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall March 23, 2006 11:10 AM

President Bush is able to convince millions of Americans that his policies are correct. How is it possible that a man who can barely tie his own shoes is able to sway the entire south into believing in him? Well, he gets a lot of help from his aides, and he's constantly defeating a debate opponent who does not exist.

The straw-man argument is well-known in American politics. The strategy is this: create an imaginary opponent by saying things like "Some say..." or "It has been said that...". This opening should be followed with a statement that takes a real opponent's viewpoint and twists it into an extreme, such as "American soldiers lack the courage to win the war in Iraq." Now, we all now there are no real Bush opponents who have said anything close to that. There may be some who want the soldiers to come home, or some who think the Iraq situation has dissolved into a mess that we can't fix, but nobody is claiming the American soldiers aren't good enough.

By using straw-man arguments, President Bush makes all of his opponents look like anti-American traitors. If his typical speech was broken down into individual arguments, with every use of the "straw man" eliminated, there would only be an brief introduction and farewell left.
Bush using straw-man arguments in speeches

Bush administration spokesman Scott McClellan, who probably has the hardest job in the country - defending Bush administration policies - was trapped by a reporter when asked about conflicting statements about IED intelligence. Bush had previously said that Iran was partially responsible for IED attacks, as they helped supply component parts. Genreal Peter Pace and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld later said that there was no evidence of a connection between weapons being used against American forces in Iraq and the Irani government.

The connection made by the president puzzled many because the attacks in Iraq are coming from Sunni muslims, while the Irani government in Tehran is run by Shiite muslims. Does the president really think that these two groups are sharing weapons? It would frighten me to think that our president could be so out of touch with reality. Given the current conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, it's hard for the president to fudge the facts on this one in the same way that he fudged the facts to take us to war in Iraq. It would be like saying Osama Bin Laden is being funded by Israel - only the most ignorant Americans will believe it. I guess Bush is still pandering to his base.
THE BRAD BLOG: "Bush Adminstration Caught Fixing Intelligence Again?"

Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated Senator and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy 38 years ago, was denied parole for the 13th time. He is still very hostile, and continues his hatred towards Americans. He is being held in Corcoran State Prison, and he did not have a lawyer representing him at the hearing, nor did he attend. His longtime lawyer died last year, and he has not appointed a new one, and there is no indication that he will.
CNN.com - Robert Kennedy's killer again denied parole - Mar 15, 2006

Secretary of the Treasury John W. Snow has warned Congress that they must put their partisan bickering aside and raise the national debt ceiling or face a cash shortage for the federal government. The government would lose its borrowing power if it exceeds the current debt limit of 8.184 trillion dollars, which it is expected to do later this week.

It seems a bit strange to me that these staggering debts only seem to come when Republicans are in power. I thought conservatives favor smaller central government. The truth is, there is more pork-barrel spending now than at any other point in US history. Republicans have full control of all 3 branches of government, and they are robbing it blind for their own special projects, like that $500 million bridge to an island inhabited by 50 people in Alaska. Thank you, Ted Stevens, for robbing us while we were forced to watch. Republicans will likely pay for their spending sprees come November elections, unless they can find a way to use government money to rig them.
BREITBART.COM - Snow warns Congress: US government's cash running out

This quote pretty much sums up how I feel about the Bush presidency:

"This Katrina videotape is as defining for Bush's presidency as the audiotapes of President Kennedy's councils of state during the Cuban missile crisis were for his. Kennedy's tapes revealed him as probing, subtle, prudent and decisive. Bush's tape exposes a deaf man spouting talking points."
- Sidney Blumenthal
XplanaZine

Donald Rumsfeld has been making millions of dollars in capital gains from shares of Gilead, the company that makes Tamiflu, the only drug that consistently battles the effects of the flu virus. He served on their board from 1988 until 2001, and was chairman for 5 of those years. He has hyped the dangers of the bird flu to the media on many occassions, spurring many countries to begin stocking up on the Tamiflu drug, which has driven the price of Gilead's stock skyward in the past year.
Independent Online Edition > Americas

Claude Alexander Allen, a former adviser of the Bush administration, was arrested yesterday for accepting $5,000 in refunds on retail products that he never purchased. He resigned as a domestic policy adviser in February, although it now appears that he was forced out as it appeared that he was going to be charged.

With this arrest, the Bush White House has shown that there is no crime that are unwilling to commit. I think there might actually be a long-running game of truth or dare going on somewhere in the West Wing, with all the dares being different crimes that must be commited. The truths are all confessions of past felonies, such as the time Laura Bush was joy-riding and she got in a car accident that killed an innocent man (true story, look it up). I've got an inside scoop that next week is Donald Rumsfeld's turn, and he will be dared to smuggle 8 of those 2-foot-long dog bones from a local Wal-Mart while wearing nothing but socks and a trench coat.
Former Bush Advisor Arrested