The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day

Warning - Bypass this post if you don't want to be discouraged.

"Oh, I know that very much," Laura Bush responded. "And believe me, no one suffers more than their president and I do when we watch this, and certainly the commander in chief, who has asked our military to go into harm's way."

Thank God the Queen of England blew into town, heh, Laura?

So much to do, so many distractions.

The guest list, the protocols, the food and, of course, getting The Uniter/The Decider/The Commander Guy into his white tie and tails.

Little chance of even catching a glimpse of a television screen, and getting washed over with all that discouragement.

Now, we know you're busy, but we do have a bone to pick with you.

A little over a week ago, we gave you a task. You were supposed to become the First Chief Decideress Veto Killer. You were supposed to work on that husband of yours, and not let go until he agreed to sign the Iraq War Spending Bill, so we - that is the American people - could start to see our brave soldiers begin making their way home.

Doesn't look like you made much of an effort there, girl. The Uniter/The Decider/The Commander Guy had his Mission Accomplished II, and signed, with gusto, the veto.

Look, you're part of the team there in the Grindhouse. And you're educated, a former liberian, been around a block, or two in the world of politics. Surely, you must be able to see that the ship is sinking. Even The Uniter/The Decider/The Commander Guy's wing men, the Republican Caucus, is beginning to look for the life rafts. Their not going to get their feet wet.

And you have the former CIA Director out there, running around the country, popping up on television (I know, that probably discourages you as well), selling his book, and making his money, politely slamming the The Uniter/The Decider/The Commander Guy.

And the polls, Laura.

28%

He's down there with Carter, at his worst moments, and, likely, he'll be chasing Hoover next.

Think about that Laura. You don't want to exit the Grindhouse in January 2009, with Herbert Hoover rated as a better President that your The Uniter/The Decider/The Commander Guy, do you?

There's still time to salvage this.

Perhaps, you can pull (well, you're not supposed to touch the Queen, so take that figuratively) the Queen aside and lay out the
First Chief Decideress Veto Killer plan with her. She's been through a few of these things during her reign, so, likely, she can offer a tip or two to help you out.

And you should have the Professor back pretty soon.

Wolfie will likely have some time on his hands and he might, just might, be looking to do something good of a change.

Hang in there Laura, a bright, beaming, discouragement-free television screen is just around the corner.

Todays Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the-Day

8 U.S. Troops Killed In Iraq Bomb Attacks

Links

Laura Bush: Much Of Iraq Is ‘Stable,’ There’s Just ‘One Bombing A Day That Discourages Everybody’

Brookings Institute Iraq Index

CNN Larry King - Interview With Laura Bush/"The Lost Tomb of Jesus"

Laura Bush: My husband never misled about Iraq

Petraeus Ex Machina

New Feature - The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the-Day

Tuesday, March 06, 2007 The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day

Friday, March 09, 2007 The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day

Friday, March 16, 2007 The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day

Tuesday, March 20, 2007 The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day

Wednesday, March 28, 2007 The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day

Saturday, April 07, 2007 The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day

Thursday, April 26, 2007 The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day

Hey, Dems, Let'em Veto It! ... Here's All The Ammunition You Need!

There is a small, but fascinating. drama that is to play out in the nation's capital today.

Before sunset, the Senate resumes its' debate, and possible vote, on the Protect America Act, the FISA Bill that the Bush Grindhouse wants, the one that will give immunity to the telecommunications companies that went along with them in breaking the law.

After sunset, the Lame Duck Commander Guy will take to the podium, before a joint session of Congress, and deliver his final (Thank God!) State of the Union address.

Whether he crows, or carps, all depends on what happens in the Senate.

No doubt the Stepford Republicans will continue to block, and otherwise attempt to bully through what the Bush Grindhouse wants.

They, along with the Bush Grindhouse will be laying down the vibe - as they have all along - of fearmongering, claiming the Democrats will get us killed while they, thumping their chests, are the protectors.

Trust us, we'll take care of you ...

Fat chance.

So, Harry Reid, and all you other Democrats, here's your ammunition.

Bush Lied!

Over 935 times (and that's just a couple of years) on the threats to the country, to justify his preemptive, colossal mistake, in taking us into Iraq.

While we have all known this, it was documented last week... And with a searchable database, in case you want to cherry pick some of the juicy lies.

But wait, there's more bullets.

Why not force the Stepford Republican to explain, and justify, The Commander Guy's giving up on capturing Osama bin Laden?

Have them explain the need to continue this illegal wiretapping program, and the need to give immunity, because, if the bill isn't passed, the terrorists are going to come and get us.

Have him explain how his illegal wiretapping is only capturing the conversation of terrorists, and not American citizens.

Point out, that their fearless leader has already given up ... That he's content to pass it along to the next president, the justice due Osama bin Laden.

So much for the Republican being our protectors.

The Commander Guy has indicated he will veto the bill, if it is not exactly how it wants it.

Fine.

Let'em veto it! ... Let'em go out, and continue his lying, for he is the Emperor with no clothes! ...

Perhaps, someone, like Senator Feingold, or Senator Whitehouse, can read into the record the Bush Lying Report.

Let's have Senator Kennedy, or Senator Boxer read into the record the interview in which The Commander Guy says he's passing Osama bin Laden onto the next administration.

Let's hear from Lawrence Wright, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower, on how he was wiretapped, and threatened.

The New England Patriots landed in Arizona last night, to fight for the Super Bowl.

It long past due that few patriots stand up and fight in Congress.

For all you Senators, vote against the bill, deny the immunity and let The Commander Guy piss-and-moan his way out the door in less than a year!

Protect America ... Yes, indeed ... Protect us, please!


Bonus Must Reads

Glenn Greenwald: What's at stake today in the Senate's FISA filibuster vote

Paul Kiel/TPMmuckracker: Today's Must Read

Wanted Dead Or ... Ahh, The Hell With It .. I'll Let The Next President Get'em ...

Maybe, instead of having him classified as a terrorist, the FBI's #1 Wanted Man, The Commander Guy can call Osama bin Laden a tax cut, that way, he'll be motivated, like all-get-out, to see that the mission gets accomplished.

Not exactly a head-shaker, being his consistent detachment, his always-growing disinterest in capturing Osama bin Laden, going back to, well, first, the left turn he took out of Afghanistan to attack and occupy Iraq, his closing the CIA office that was after the #1 terrorist, his admission that Bid Laden's capture wasn't a "top priority", and now, to this;

Bush: Bin Laden Will Be ‘Gotten By A President’ (But Probably Not This One)

"It has been 2,326 days since 9/11, and the chief mastermind behind those attacks, Osama bin Laden, has not yet been captured. “If we could find the cave he is in, I promise you — he would be brought to justice or wherever he’s hiding,” President Bush tells Fox News in “George W. Bush: Fighting to the Finish,” a documentary scheduled to air Sunday night. Fox reports:

Bush says in the interview he’s confident bin Laden ultimately will be found.

“He’ll be gotten by a president,” Bush says.

And to critics who say he hasn’t done enough to find bin Laden, Bush is blunt:

“They don’t know what they’re talking about,” he says."

And neither does he!

Now, this isn't to be confused, with the profound and proficient Lying Operation that has been conducted.

When it came to fearmongering, or scoring political points for a political victory, The Commander Guy didn't shy away from putting on his ten-gallon hat and six-shooter and he, and his henchmen and woman, attempting to scare the bejeezes out of everyone, that Bin Laden and/or other terrorists were going to pop out of your closet.

In fact, the Bush Grindhouse continually inflated the size and importance of Al Qaeda in Iraq, whenever it deemed to serve their talking points.

Keith Olbermann pointed out the Wednesday evening, the Center for Public Integrity report on the lying of the Bush Grindhouse, noted the spikes in the number of lies, based on the calendar of political events, and/or Grindhouse scandals

Opening the segment, a wry observation;

OLBERMANN: If you have ever said this administration lied to us 1,000 times about the Iraq, the war and al Qaeda, it turns out you owe Mr. Bush an apology. In our third story tonight, a new study confirming the administration only lied about those vital matters 935 times.

Then, with Rachel Maddow, of Air America, and a newly-anointed MSNBC political pundit;

OLBERMANN: Only 935. In gambling terms the under won. Who knew?

MADDOW: Looking back, before today, before we had a bullion keyword searchable database of lies about to lead up to the Iraq War. You had the sense that we were lied to a lot about weapons of mass destruction, about Saddam having links to al Qaeda and to 9/11.

But having all of these instances in a list now, literally in a searchable database of lies kind of plugs up the memory hole in a way.

It means that we have the evidence at hand to rebut the assertion every time somebody asserts that oh the intelligence was a little fuzzy or I never made that sort of claims, 935 lies may feel low or they may feel high, but they are all provable, documents lies that can‘t disappear again that can‘t disappear in a public record or down the memory hole.

OLBERMANN: So that‘s 532 occasions so it‘s basically a two to one ratio to lies to opportunities for lies. It‘s kind of spectacular in its own way.

MADDOW: Compound sentences is what I think that means.

OLBERMANN: The center did not include false implications. Indirect follow-ups like Iraq has dangerous weapons. Or Iran has dangerous weapons, for that matter. The Republican echoing, actual other Republicans outside the administration saying the same things. We‘ve got all the senators and congressmen are not included in this list. Fox News chicken little moments are not included in this. But what base is there for claiming that this was planned deceit as opposed to innocent, albeit voluminous incompetence?

MADDOW: Well, I spoke with the director of the Center for Public Integrity about that fact today. I said how do you get from there were a lot of lies to the lies were plants. He said one of the things that they found was they organized this information was that there were these really noticeable quantitative spikes in the number of lies being told. At certain times they were lying a lot faster than other times. For example in the lead-up for the Congressional authorization, midterm elections. At specific politically moments, the lies got faster.

There is no way to explain that unless they were lying to accomplish the political objective

Much like the 160,000+ troops in Iraq that he will dump on the next President, The Commander Guy will exit the Grindhouse, an utter failure in HIS War on Terror, leaving the Osama bin Laden problem as well.

After all, The Commander Guy closed the CIA office in charge of hunting bin Laden (which he, a few days later, attempted to deny), then, a few months later, telling rightwing pundit Fred Barnes "Bin Laden Is Not A Top Priority Use of American Resources".

This, after his chicken-heart, phony bravado, following the attacks of September 11th, with his swaggering "I want justice," Bush said. "And there's an old poster out West… I recall, that said, 'Wanted, Dead or Alive.'"

Hmmm ... I wonder, have they raised enough funds, for the Bush Presidential Library, to have a wing of it house all the lies? Or, is that question, about where to house his lies and his Presidential Library, a redundant one?


The Commander Guy's Legacy

Bush uses bin Laden to defend Iraq war policy

Digby: Hyping the intelligence again?

Juan Cole: Bush's incompetence gives al-Qaida new life; The White House hints at military action as the terror organization regroups in northern Pakistan and the Musharraf government begins to wobble.

Sidney Blumenthal: Cooking the intelligence, again; The latest government estimate of the terrorist threat is just a rehash of the same old script, produced under pressure to support the president's efforts to sell the Iraq war.

Why the Bush Administration Didn't Care About Al Qaeda


An empty bullhorn

Breaking News! Bush Sees Shadow; Another Year of Lawbreaking Predicted

Oval Office Event Draws Thousands; Top Hat and Tails, and an Outcome "Just Like The Movie"

In what started out as an inside joke, among just a few staffers, has now grown to a full-scale event, with thousands of government employees gathering around the West Wing, and the grounds of the Bush GrindHouse, to see the spectacle.

For the past seven years, as soon as The Commander Guy walks into the Oval Office on February 2nd, hearts are stopped and breath is held - will he see his shadow, a bona fide indicator of continued disregard for the laws of the country - or not.

Reports are just coming in, over the roar of the crowd - The Commander Guy saw his own shadow ... Another year of lawbreaking lays ahead!

Often timed with the other famous prognosticator, Puxsutawney Phil, the legendary Pennsylvania groundhog, who also saw his own shadow this morning, the Oval Office event has grown to almost the same, frenzied, party-atmosphere as takes place in Gobbler's Knob.

Government employees from the State Department, Pentagon, Transportation, FBI, CIA, including some who travel to Washington from federal offices around the country, and a few from international posts, all begin gathering at and around the Bush Grindhouse in the pre-dawn hours, some staking out positions days in advance.

For the occasion, as like the crew at Gobbler's Knob, those that work in the West Wing, don tails and top hats, and only a chosen few handle The Commander Guy after he's seen his own shadow.

A cottage industry has grown around the Oval Office event, with trinkets, tchochtkes and T-Shirts - this year's showing, being the last Bush Shadow event, on the front, an outline of hand, holding a pen over a document, and, on the back, a listing of The Commander Guys' over-700 Signing Statements.

Vice President Dick Cheney, sources have told The Garlic, was at the event, wearing last years' official T-Shirt, simply the image of a pair of headphones embracing the country at both coasts, with the words "We're Listening" underneath.

"This really has come to emulate the movie," offered Hildy Johnson, editor of the monthly newsletter “What Did He Say Now?” that tracks and reviews President Bush’s speeches and interviews, referring to the comedy classic, 'Groundhog Day'.

"Bill Murray goes through the same day, over and over, and nothing happens to him," continued Johnson. "He doesn't get injured or hurt ...Arrested ... Nothing happens ... And Bush, it's the same thing ... He breaks law after law and nothing happens to him ... It's amazing, just like the movie."


Bonus Groundhog Riffs

Groundhog Lied; Investigation Launched

Breaking News! Bush Administration To Tap Punxsutawney Phil To Bolster Foreign Policy; Gobbler's Knob Appearance Tomorrow Will Be Last For Famous Prognosticator

More Discord In The White House; White House At Odds With Groundhog Hire, Handlers Over Cheney Shooting; Bush Said To Be "Livid, As Famous Prognosticator 'Never Tipped Us Off"; UK's Blair Said To Be Frantic For Direction



















For the occasion, as like the crew at Gobbler's Knob, those that work in the West Wing, don tails and top hats, and only a chosen few handle The Commander Guy after he's seen his own shadow.

"They will have flies walking across their eyeballs"

No, the above title isn't from an upcoming Discovery Channel program, nor is it booming out of a trailer of bloody, gore-filled scenes of a Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriguez movie.

It is from J. Cofer Black, former CIA veteran and now vice chairman of Blackwater USA, allegedly describing to President Bush the outcome of invading Afghanistan after September 11th, from one of a trio of articles in Salon today.

Boy, I'll bet that phrase gives the Neocons - Norman Podhoretz, Jonah Goldberg, Little Billy Kristol, and, heck, even Vice President Dick Cheney - raging hard-ons.

And what a missed opportunity to aid the Army in meeting their recruiting goals.

Just think, they could have replaced the iconic "Uncle Sam Wants You" posters, with much more graphic, horrific depictions, of dead terrorists lying in the desert, a close-up of one (so you can see the flies walking across their eyeballs), and more littered in the distance.

A wave of Army recruiters, sitting in the living rooms across Nowheresville, USA, going through their pitch, about the benefits, the call-to-duty, serving your country, and building up to the chest-thumping, lump-in-the-throat clincher, how you, little John Doe recruit, will see the blazing day of righteous victory when you watch the flies walking across their eyeballs (Far-Fetched? It seems quite clear The Commander Guy bought it).

Perhaps the CIA could have had one of their deep-cover, front companies put out a video game, a war video game, where, for all the terrorists you kill, you earn the flies that you will gleefully (and, if you have Neocon tendencies, with hard-on) place on their eyeballs (which the above-referenced Army Recruiter gives a copy to the little John Doe recruits, as a "gift")

Instead of telling us to "go shopping" The Commander Guy could have rallied the country around the collection of flies.

"No flies on his head" would become a jingoistic talking point, rather then a derisive put-down.

Instead of waterboarding, we'd be talking about "flyboarding".

The Republicans could have, instead of taunting their counterparts in Congress with "Defeatocrats" and "Cut and Run", could have, with veins popping on their foreheads, voices coursed from passion, saying the Democrats want to "protect the flies" ... "Fly Appeasers" and the like.

Who knows the impact this would have had, if the military dropped leaflets, that new "Flies-Walking-Across-Eyeballs" recruiting poster sketch, that maybe the insurgents, terrorists, Al Qaeda in Iraq, even those infamous "dead-enders" would have paled at such a thought and immediately thrown down their arms ... Heck, they may even would have been at the head-of-the-list on planning the "Liberation Parades" throughout Baghdad.

L. Paul Bremmer, and The Commander Guy, wouldn't have had to dismantle the Iraqi Army.

The donations to the Bush Library, or the Freedom Institute, would be flooding in at record pace

The references to his presidency wouldn't hover around Hoover, but, rather, resplendently ride next Roosevelt.

Bush would become "Lord of the Flies", the de facto leader of the Neocon tribe.

Hmmm ... Wait a minute ... None of that is even close, and he's already become something like that ....

Never Mind ...

The Salon Blackwater Trio Links

Ben Van Heuvelen: The Bush administration's ties to Blackwater; Blamed in the deaths of Iraqi civilians, the private security firm has long ties to the White House and prominent Republicans, including Ken Starr.

P.W. Singer: The dark truth about Blackwater; Outsourcing the war to private military contractors such as Blackwater has shattered the United States' moral authority and its ability to win the nation's wars -- including Iraq.

Blackwater by the numbers; A congressional memo looks into the private security contractor's activities in Iraq, the State Department's responses and taxpayer costs.

Minced Garlic - New Keith Olbermann Special Comment: ‘Your hypocrisy is so vast’

Like Pike Bishop returning to the General's compound, demanding "We want Angel Back" in the Sam Peckinpah classic, "The Wild Bunch", we had MSNBC Countdown Anchor Keith Olbermann back at the helm, following a multi-day absence due to his appendix removal, firing with both guns at The Commander Guy, in his Special Comment, "Olbermann to Bush: ‘Your hypocrisy is so vast’.

Rather coincidentally, The Garlic, earlier in the evening, wrote on the same theme ("Hypocrites, The Bunch of Them!") as it was so egregious, the Smearmeisters attack on MoveOn.Org, for the "General Betrayus" ad.

And Olbermann, like Pike Bishop, hit a dead-on bullseye with his first shot;

"So the President, behaving a little bit more than usual, like we would all interrupt him while he was watching his favorite cartoons on the DVR, s ...

We did have endure, from the Press Conference this morning, The Commander Guy morphing into The Whining Guy, when he was served up a softball final question;

“I thought the ad was disgusting. I felt like the ad was an attack not only on General Petraeus, but on the U.S. Military.”

“And I was disappointed that not more leaders in the Democrat party spoke out strongly against that kind of ad.

“And that leads me to come to this conclusion: that most Democrats are afraid of irritating a left-wing group like Moveon.org or more afraid of irritating them, than they are of irritating the United States military.”

“That was a sorry deal."

And the shooting began, with Olbermann in high, spirited form, spanking The Commander Guy with history, highlighting even more, his folly.

"Deliberately, premeditatedly, and virtually without precedent, you shanghaied a military man as your personal spokesman and now you’re complaining about the outcome, and then running away from the microphone?"

"But a shot at General Petraeus, about whom you conveniently ignore it, was you who reduced him from four-star hero to a political hack, merits this pissy juvenile blast at the Democrats on national television?"

"The line between the military and the civilian government is not to be crossed."

"But Mr. Bush, you have hidden behind the General’s skirts, and today you have hidden behind the skirts of ‘the planted last question’ at a news conference, to indicate once again that your presidency has been about the tilted playing field, about no rules for your party in terms of character assassination and changing the fabric of our nation, and no right for your opponents or critics to as much as respond."

"That is not only un-American but it is dictatorial."

And the final shot, a zinger;

"It is a line which history shows is always the first one crossed when a democratic government in some other country has started down the long, slippery, suicidal slope towards a Military Junta."

Hats off to you, Mr. Olbermann.

Good to have you back.

Watch Keith Olbermann's Special Comment: Bush’s hypocrisy for condemning Petraeus ad

Read Keith Olbermann's Special Comment


Bonus Links

Matt Stoller: Wes Clark Interview, Part One: The Petraeus Ad

Chris Cillizza: Bush vs MoveOn

Paul Begala: Democrats Should Attack Bush, Not MoveOn

Chopped Garlic ... Lightning Striking Twice ... Of Success ... Who's In Command ... Pentagon vs. Soldiers ... And Those Al Qaeda Guys - Again

The Chief Decider, yesterday, gave an Al-Qaeda-laden speech (to the Associated General Contractors of America, at the Willard Hotel in Washington D.C.) that I'm surprised the crowd didn't stampede out to the street in panic.

It was all but inferred that they were, perhaps, in the hotel, waiting to follow the conference attendees back to their rooms.

It was that Al-Qaeda-Iraq-Sept. 11th, throughly debunked tie-in that he, and the others in the Grindhouse, have so desperately clung to. If they can't find a War Czar that they can pin this disaster on, they gotta put the blame on somebody.

But there we're two gems in this speech, perhaps the equivalent of lightning striking twice, that leaves you shaking your head

In reference to the invasion and occupation of Iraq;

"...Either we'll succeed, or we won't succeed"

And on the question of command, who's running this war;

"And as you know, my position is clear -- I'm the commander guy."

We can also throw in the ever-evolving reason why we are still in Iraq, what the winning strategy is;

"Success is not, no violence. There are parts of our own country that have got a certain level of violence to it. But success is a level of violence where the people feel comfortable about living their daily lives. And that's what we're trying to achieve."

Amazing.

There's the answer, the whole apple cart on why our lives may be out of order - We haven’t struck the right balance of the proper amount of violence in our lives to feel comfortable. Do we have too much? Too little?

Maybe the endorphins were racing around his head, giddy and punch-drunk after doing his "I'm the commander guy" thing and signing the veto on the Iraq War Spending Bill

So it's gone from finding the WMD's, to putting a stop to Iraq's nuclear program, to taking out Saddam Hussein, to establishing a free Democratic Iraq, to allowing the Iraq people to vote, to "when they stand-up, we stand-down", to an Iraq that can govern and defend itself and now, to a level of violence where the people feel comfortable about living their daily lives.

We should, probably, be strapping ourselves in, for it is entirely likely the Bush Grindhouse will be pumping out more fear rhetoric, as he fights to save his failed policy while the rest of his administration explodes.

You have the Crony General Alberto Gonzales scandal sprouting spin-off scandals in time for Sweeps Month.

Turd Genius Karl Rove has more sights targeting him then an injured buck on opening day of hunting season.

And then there's the "My Sister-My Daughter" move by the Pentagon this week, announcing one day that they will be posting to YouTube their chip on the PR front, from war battles, to feel-good, uplifting stories coming out of Iraq (has the Lincoln Group opened up a film division?), and, on another day, shutting down blogs (and emails) of soldiers, who don't first submit their content to their superior officers for approval.


So, in a nutshell, here's what the Chief Decider wants you to do.

Be afraid, remember who the commander guy is, get the right balance of violence in your life, watch the Military YouTube channel, don't read the soldier's blogs or emails that haven't been approved and, with whatever you do, maybe you'll succeed, or maybe you won't.

Bonus Links

State Dept: Iraq Has Been ‘Good For The Effort To Reduce Terrorism’

The right's explicit and candid rejection of "the rule of law"

White House Plunges Into New Iraq Strategy; Moving From ‘Keystone Cops To ‘Marx Brothers’

Disney, With Secret Contract, Working With White House, Military On Building Baghdad Moats


"Whatta ya think there, Harriet, either we'll succeed, or we won't succeed"

Know Thy Pope

I'm having a hard time finding it, but I could have sworn I heard someone - recently - refer to Pope Benedict as "The Vatican's Cheney".

It's quite likely this post will draw the wrath of the perpetual fuming smokestack, Catholic League President Bill Donohue, but hey, it might slip under the radar.

Donohue is, very likely, going to be going without sleep for about the next week (which could make him more dangerous), with the Head Honcho in-country ... So many comments to swat down ... So many critics to bully ...

Why would The Commander Guy be rolling out the red carpet for the Pope?

I mean, he would be doing this for Kim Jong Il, or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or any other monstrous criminal (Okay, I know he let's Cheney in the office every day)?

While, at first, I thought it odd, perhaps a blatant, feeble attempt to grab some approval ratings.

After all, getting your snapshot next to the man in PopeWear isn't bad for business ... Newspapers across the country will lap that up like Happy Soup!

Perhaps, his staff, to break up the day, of the lamest-of-lame President, trying to make him feel relevant, threw it on the schedule.

But then it hit me ...

Pope Benedict is Bush's kind of guy!

While The Commander Guy has his piddly, poltical scandals to lord over, PB is the Babe Ruth of ruthless, hardcore, monolithic stonewalling.

This guy wrote the book - literally!

Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1981–2005)

In his capacity as Prefect, Ratzinger's 2001 letter “Crimen Sollicitationis” which clarified the confidentiality of internal Church investigations into accusations made against priests of certain crimes, including sexual abuse, became a target of controversy during the sex abuse scandal.[14] While bishops hold the secrecy pertained only internally, and did not preclude investigation by civil law enforcement, the letter was often seen as promoting a coverup.[15]

This refers to the "Crimen sollicitationis", which, in a nutshell, was the Vatican's way of telling their corps, especially regarding sex scandals, to "shut the fuck up, or else!"

Where do you think that got that line from in 'The Godfather', when Don Corleone chastises Sonny with "Never tell anyone outside the Family what you're thinking again!".

"British documentary alleges pope linked to "child abuse cover-up"

Before becoming head of the church, the then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger enforced church doctrinal orthodoxy, including a "secret Vatican decree which seemed to shelter the perpetrators and silence the victims of abuse", the Panorama programme said.

This was the 1962 document Crimen Sollicitationis, which told top churchmen how to deal with priests who "solicit or provoke the penitent toward impure and obscene matters", according to a translation from Latin on the BBC website.

It imposed an oath of secrecy on victims, witnesses and those probing abuse claims and said that anyone breaking this would be excommunicated, the BBC said.

Boy, doesn't that just make your heart swell with spiritual inspiration, how they really hit the nail-on-the-head, spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ like that?

I think that's one of my favorite passages in The Bible, when JC, witnessing repugnant, immoral child abuse, tells his apostles to keep it on the QT.

What do they call these guys - Princes of the Church?

So, as the MSM takes a breather from the campaign (or, in another light, rearms itself to bash one or the other candidates), splashing the Papal "Up Yours" tour across our pages and screens (maybe even pulling in Peggy Noonan, to have her do her version of Je T'aime Moi Non Plus, [Note: This is the great rendition, of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot] live, on television, for the new Pope, though, a little piece of her heart will be singing it for Ronnie), here's a little tip for you;

Get To Know Thy Pope!

He's a thug, he had a direct hand in perpetuating (in case you need clarification, that means, scores-of-hundreds, possibly thousands of young children, mostly boys, were sexual abused) the Priest Pedophile Scandal, when he, and a vast many others, could have, just as easily, put a stop to it.

If you want to say "Forgive Them Lord, They Know Not What They Do", that's not exactly accurate.

And that, sure as hell, is one helluva of a test for someone's faith ...


Bonus Pope Riffs

BBC: Warm US welcome for Pope Benedict; Pope Benedict XVI has received an unprecedented presidential greeting from George W Bush after arriving for his first official visit to the US.

The Boston Globe was on top of the Pedophile Priest story from the get-go, and you can go here and you can go here to check out a ton of material on the scandal.

ABC's Brian Ross: Then-Cardinal Ratzinger's Hand Slap - Then-Cardinal Ratzinger Became Upset When Asked About Sex Abuse in the Church

YouTube: Boston Clergy Abuse Scandal - Geoghan Documents Released

Barry Crimmins: Child Abuse - Mea Maxima Culpa

Vatican Discounts "Bonfire Pope"; Says Flames "Not Hunched Over Enough"; Late Pontiff's Bend Was Measured "Religiously"; Never Used Contingency "Roller Skate Gloves"

News In Brief - OJ, Vatican Said To Sign Deal, Merge Hunts

All I Want For Christmas Is My Presidential Pardon

It would appear the I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is placing his chips on "Presidential Pardon", with the news today that, despite continuing to claim his innocence, he is ending the appeal of his trial, leaving him, for the time being, a convicted felon.

In all likelihood, that was the deal from the beginning, but, considering the mental capacity of The Decider Guy, does he even remember The Scooter Guy?

Especially after, earlier this summer, he offered "I'm aware of the fact that perhaps somebody in the administration did disclose the name of that person ..."

Did Cheney have those CIA guys erase his memory as well?

Does Scooter get his Christmas stocking stuffed with a Presidential Pardon?

Is this Scooter's powerplay, to force the hand that will sign the pardon?

With the blizzard of new scandals that whacked the Bush Grindhouse in the past week - take your pick; A) the still-growing CIA Videotape erasure, B) The Iran NIE Report C) Sheldon Whitehouse's yeoman work in exposing the self-appointed rulings, declaring The Decider Guy, well, the real Decider Guy, as whatever he says is the law, is the law - is The Scooter getting nervous that something could happen - yes, the "I" word - comes down, before January 20th, 2009, killing off his going-out-the-door pardon?

Is this pressure from Darth Vader, that, perhaps, the device inside his chest is in it's last throes and he wants to see his little Robin (Ehhh, scratch that - the thought of Cheney and Libby in tights ... Nasty), free-and-clear while he's still ticking?

This oughta' put a few talking heads to work over the next few weeks.

Everybody can synchronize their watches, for the Libby Pardon Clock is, officially, set today.

Mary Matalin must be busy, drafting up those new fundraising letters, and urging all those Friends of Scooter, to start badgering The Decider Guy to make the only decision they know in their hearts should be made - Pardon our Little Scooter!

And, for all of you waiting to hear The Scooter, or The Bush Grindhouse, spill their guts, now that the appeal process is over, think again.

There's still the matter of Valerie Plame's possible lawsuit and, no doubt, they will continue to clam-up, citing that "litigation", if the Wilson's can revive their case, after it was thrown out last summer.

Still, it would make for entertaining viewing, to see a subpoenaed Scooter, sitting in front a Congressional Committee, displaying his deep dedication to public service, by taking the 5th, over-and-over. A veritable civics lesson for the cable news and C-Span viewers.

Scooter must be banking on that The Commander Guy has a Santa suit hanging in the closet, perhaps, right next to his Mission Accomplished" flightsuit.

Valerie Plame, covert CIA agent exposed, to punish her Iraq War-critical, Op-Ed-writing husband, and no one goes to jail for treason?

Sounds like another Bush Grindhouse "Mission Accomplished" to me.

It's Another Scooterpalooza!

Let's Hear It For The Quid Pro Quo ... New Garlic Song - Hush Little Libby

Jane Hamsher: Scooter Libby Drops Appeal, Ready To Testify Before Congress?

Shaun Mullen: A Fall Guy’s Final Fall

EmptyWheel: Scooter Libby, Still a Felon; the Unitary Executive, Still a Dubious Theory

The Carpetbagger Report: Libby drops appeal — and gives the White House a chance to divulge?

Sidney Blumenthal: Bush and Cheney walk, too; Even as the president confesses that Scooter Libby engaged in a cover-up -- after all, that was the verdict -- he completes the ultimate obstruction of justice in the Plame affair.

Libby Trial Update - The Scooter and Cheney Show Theme Song

Hypocrites, The Bunch of Them!

Actually had some other posts planned for today, however, upon opening my eyes early this morning, I soon descried what the day would be - An absolute, merciless hammering, like a Blackwater USA security detail in the a heart of Baghdad, of allergies.

So, instead, I rant.

Why-O-Why do the Democrats, after all the twisted spin, outright lies, hurtful smears, keep buying into the Republican/Rightwing/Freak Show straw-man, talking point hissy fits?

General Betrayus!

How could the Senate Democrats possibly join in with the Rubber-Stamp Republicans, to the tune of a 75-25 vote, to approve a resolution condemning MoveOn.Org for their "General Betrayus" advertisement, the day the PetraeusReportPalooza kicked off.

While The Commander Guy, and the rest of the blathering pinheads wipe away the foam and spittle from their mouths, over this "outrageous insult to our troops", where was your rage when the "Betrayus" line was first used - or, at least uttered before the MoveOn.Org ad?

It occurred on a TimesOnLine (UK) article from 19 August 2007, titled "Americans doubt ‘General Betraeus’ over troop surge".

Here's the money shot;

"AFTER being hailed as King David, the potential saviour of Iraq, the US commander General David Petraeus is facing a backlash in advance of his report to Congress in September on the progress of America’s troop surge.

Critics, including one recently retired general, are privately calling him “General Betraeus” on the grounds that he is too ambitious to deliver a balanced report on the war."

Seems that the the title "General Betraeus" was coined by military people, the same people that The Commander Guy, the Republicans, and more-than-a-handful of Democrats are accusing MoveOn.Org slandering.

I don't have access to Lexus-Nexus to verify when it was first used, but, by way of the above-quoted article, it was used, at least once, prior to MoveOn.Org.

I mean, wake the fuck up!

It wouldn't take a fifth-grade (including one from that Fox show) class clown all that much to figure out the rhyme potential of "Petraeus" and 'Betrayus".

But no, the Harry "Just-Don't-Hurt-Me-When-You-Walk-All-Over-Me" Reid-led Senate Democratic Majority folds like a beer-barrel-song accordion every time.

The Golden Boy General chose to make himself the water carrier for the Bush Grindhouse and it shouldn't be incumbent on the Senate, or anyone else, to try to hid him behind his uniform, free of criticism. He's playing politics just like everyone else, he lobbied, wine-and-dined the dog-and-pony shows in selling this, and because he has a lot of scrambled eggs on his chest, that doesn't give him any free passes.

The Senate Republicans are a very partisan, even meaner Lucy, and the Senate Democrats seem all-to-content to comply to their Charlie Brown role, but even more gullible, kicking at that football that isn't there.

But Wait, There's More

And in case you have any thoughts of this is part of Reid's grand strategy, or they're fighting the battles they can, get a glove, get in the game

We had a vision yesterday, a sneak preview, rated "N" for nauseating, on how the next year-and-a-half is going to play out.

Better, I guess, to have 130,000 tired, burned-out, over-extended soldiers stationed in Iraq, than, say, 65,000 well-rested and refreshed.

Pretty amazing, with the mantra of the Republicans the past few years, of beating the Democrats over the head with false charges and lies about not wanting to support the troops, "Defeatocrats" and the like ...

Given the opportunity to do something that would truly aid and assist our military troops, the Republicans all raced to shove their heads up The Commander Guys' ass.

And here is, essentially, what the Republicans continue to support, without question or oversight, from Sidney Blumenthal today over at Salon;

"One week after Petraeus flashed his metrics, a whole new set of facts on the ground suddenly emerged: an admission (previously denied) by Petraeus that the United States was arming the Sunnis, who might use those weapons in the next phase of Iraq's civil war; the release of a Pentagon report that there is "an increase in intra-Shi'a violence throughout the South" (a report conveniently withheld as Petraeus was testifying); the Iraqi government's expulsion of Blackwater, a private security firm with close ties to the administration, after a band of its guards gunned down Iraqi civilians; the restriction of all nonmilitary U.S. personnel in Iraq to the Green Zone; a report by the Iraqi Red Crescent that about 1 million people are internal refugees as a result of ethnic cleansing (apart from the more than 2 million refugees who have fled the country); and the announcement by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of an investigation into the State Department's inspector general for quashing scrutiny and embarrassing studies of fraud in the construction of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, among other projects.

As these events played out, Petraeus was detailed as Bush's Willy Loman to preside over the cooling of the special relationship with America's most important ally in the coalition of the willing. The general traveled to London to meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the policy from which he is rapidly disengaging, already having withdrawn British forces in Basra to its airport before final evacuation. Such is the face of victory 10 days after Petraeus' march through Capitol Hill. "

Apparently, since they like to rig voting counts, they want to apply the same policy to death counts, and will continue to blindly support the failed policies of a failed president.

Not a big fan of Chris Matthews, but he did have a good point yesterday (apply the "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile" here), noting the Republican actions in not supporting the Webb Bill, by saying "but we now realize that we stay in this war six more months, do the multiplication. Six times 90; 550 some people are going to be dead ..."

Time, sadly, once again, to cue up Que Sera Sera...

More To Wade Through Links

Digby: Make Em Talk

Joan Walsh: When winning is still losing

Glenn Greenwald: Limitless wrongness

Good Post Alert - Launching Brand Petraeus

The PetraeusReportpalooza ... Ready For Your Close-Up, General?