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OUR NEW ADDRESS IS:
http://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/

Link HERE
We will be there forever and ever.
This has been a public service announcement.
The End

Headlines like this make me smile.

GOP Faces Dimming Prospects in '08

A Senate electoral playing field that was already wide open for 2008 has become considerably more perilous for Republicans with the retirement of Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.) and the resignation of Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho).

Republicans need a net gain of just one seat to take back control of the Senate, but they have 22 seats to defend, and campaign cash is conspicuously lacking. Warner's retirement raised to two the number of open Republican seats, and both of them -- in Virginia and Colorado -- are prime targets for Democrats.

(snip)

"The state of the playing field looks very good, even in places where we didn't expect it to look good, even in deeply red states," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "Things could change, but if you did a snapshot, we're going to have a good year."

"It's always darkest right before you get clobbered over the head with a pipe wrench. But then it actually does get darker," said a GOP pollster who insisted on anonymity in order to speak candidly.

Some "Hooker" fun from Rachel Maddow

pic via Cat of course

Well, I haven't gotten my keys and the super duper password for the new place yet, so I thought I'd put this here for meantime.

Looks to be that we'll get our last glimpse of Larry Craig (at least until he enters "rehab") today at 1230p EST. Set the Tivo.

fTucker is still in the middle of a broohaha over his gaybashing. Poor fTucker.

Karl got all weepy as he hightailed it from the disaster he made. Sniff.

How the hell did Minneapolis make it this long? At least NOW they can crack a cold one while fufting cardboard squares surrounded by trolls. (real and plastic)

I understand the basic idea, but wish some of these "Generals" would have spoken the hell up when they could actually do something about the actions they're now griping about.

Switch To New Site Finally Happening

Please come join us at the new site, which is just so damn cool:

http://cliffschecter.bravenewfilms.org

Once again that is http://cliffschecter.bravenewfilms.org.

All the laughs, half the price.

It's so safe in Iraq, one can go shopping with ease, and get shot at while flying in a plane

If you're a member of the U.S. Congress, you might think twice before flying Air Evasive Maneuvers:

A military airplane carrying four members of the U.S. Congress came under fire over Iraq on Thursday but the plane was not hit and no one was hurt, a spokesman for one of the lawmakers said on Friday.

Mmmm. The Baghdad skies: Lean back, soar among the clouds, and....DUCK!

The C-130 cargo aircraft conducted evasive maneuvers after a nighttime takeoff from Baghdad, said Ken Lundberg, spokesman for Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, who was on the plane.

At least it was a bipartisan attack.

In addition to Martinez, the plane was carrying fellow Republican Sens. Richard Shelby of Alabama and James Inhofe of Oklahoma, and Alabama Rep. Robert "Bud" Cramer, a Democrat.

To quote our favorite Wide-Stancer, "Jiminy!"

The world is so much safer since we invaded Iraq, isn't it? Maybe during their next trip, the Congressmen can take a late-night stroll and stop for a cup of IEDs.

ALSO UP AT AMERICABLOG:

The Week That Was 7/27/2007

Another week. More preposterousness to report.

I am not gay. I never have been gay. I was only getting a massage from those "Central American" hookers. I was only massaging my mistress, not choking her. I was only attracted to those pages because I am an alcoholic.

Is this a political party or the left-over members of Heaven's Gate who weren't beamed up to Scotty (calm down Larry, that is only an expression)? I mean, are you kidding me? Really, are you kidding me?

These guys talk about family values like they live in a "Leave It To Beaver" world, when really, they would have to pay for either beaver or Beaver, if not lucky enough to catch him while in the john.

Wow, I even learned some new things about the GOP this week. For example, it seems they have to be proficient at tapping to get any illicit action. If so, then they are the party of Fred Astaire.

I also learned that some hearty-whoring, a seemingly weekly-to-monthly engagement for David Vitter, is not treated like a potential bathroom boinking for a man who has apparently been crossing light sabers with other Y-chromes at Union Station for a quarter century now.

Moral, or lack thereof: Sex with anonymous women for pay: Good. Sex with anonymous men through hand signal: Bad--yet, much like with Mark Foley, only when discovered by the media.

Can Rep. Frank Wolf stop fighting the War On Porn? It may be the only thing saving the GOP from giving in and holding one big group orgy.

Snort.

The Long View
Advisory thoughts on the 43rd president.

By Karl Rove
(snip)

However, I believe history will provide a more clear-eyed verdict on this president’s leadership than the anger of current critics would suggest.

President Bush will be viewed as a far-sighted leader who confronted the key test of the 21st century.
(snip)

Damn, it would have made my Friday night.

Craig to announce his plans Saturday


Staff
AP News

Aug 31, 2007 17:18 EDT

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig will announce his future plans Saturday after widespread calls from fellow Republicans to resign, according to his spokesman.

Hmmm, found this from 10 months ago about Larry Craig on Bill Maher.


Put there by the illustrious, talented and handsome Mike Rogers from PageOneQ

BREAKING - Buh-Bye John Warner

18 holes per day have his name written all over them.

If we can get our own Warner to run (that would be Mark, who said if his good friend John did not run, he would seriously consider it), well, he left office as governor a year and a half ago with an 80%+ approval rating. And he can self-fund.

In other words, the seat is ours if he runs.

The Band Marches On: War Profiteers Find Ever More Sickening Ways To Commit Treason

"There is such a thirst for gain [among military suppliers]...that it is enough to make one curse their own Species, for possessing so little virtue and patriotism." -- President George Washington, 1778

George Washington knew a thing or two about war. Unlike a more recent George W, he chose to actually fight in one to defend what he believed, instead of simply paying it lip service while bottom-up in an alley somewhere with a fifth of Scotch in tow.

In fact, when it came to engaging in armed conflict, the Founding Fathers considered enriching oneself through war the lowest form of treason. These days among the GOP donor class it has a different name.

A day at the office.

Adding to what we learned from Robert Greenwald's terrific film on this topic (full disclosure, he's my boss--further disclosure, I'd be writing this anyway as you may be able to tell from my slightly peeved tone), Iraq For Sale, a number of recent articles have helped shed a light on the sick practice of immensely profiting from unnecessary death, as well as the punishments meted out to whistleblowers for trying to help reign in this traitorous behavior. It is enough to make you wonder if we are still the United States we all grew up learning about, or have become something more akin to the Roman Empire (ask Larry Craig about that).

Matt Taibbi, in a recent piece for The Rolling Stone, describes one typical case this way:

You start off as a well-connected bureaucrat: in this case, as an Air Force civil engineer, a post from which Robbins was responsible for overseeing 70,000 servicemen and contractors, with an annual budget of $8 billion. You serve with distinction for thirty-four years, becoming such a military all-star that the Air Force frequently sends you to the Hill to testify before Congress -- until one day in the summer of 2003, when you retire to take a job as an executive for Parsons, a private construction company looking to do work in Iraq.

....

A few months later, in March 2004, your company magically wins a contract from the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq to design and build the Baghdad Police College, a facility that's supposed to house and train at least 4,000 police recruits. But two years and $72 million later, you deliver not a functioning police academy but one of the great engineering clusterfucks of all time, a practically useless pile of rubble so badly constructed that its walls and ceilings are literally caked in shit and piss, a result of subpar plumbing in the upper floors.

Yes, if this doesn't remind you of the very "military industrial complex" President Eisenhower--a Republican at a time when they were actually a respectable party instead of a collection of self-hating lunatics--warned us about in his farewell speech, you're dumber than Dubya.

This shameful case is but one of thousands: Billions disappear in Iraq, Katrina becomes a money-making venture for those who have already screwed up multiple times in Iraq and no-bid contract has become a household term learned by every American during the corrupt reign of The Decider.

Take our friends at CACI. No, please take them. Would it surprise you in any way to find out that they are up to their necks in piles of naked men at Abu Ghraib:

Following the conviction of a few low-ranking soldiers for their roles in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, Lt. Col. Steven Jordan was reprimanded Wednesday by a 10-member jury after his conviction on only a single charge - failing to obey an order. As a result, he will spend no time in jail, after being cleared of all allegations that he abused prisoners or failed to do his duty as a senior officer at the notorious prison. The case is supposed to be the last of the criminal proceedings concerning this dark chapter of the Iraq war, but sources close to the Abu Ghraib legal drama tell TIME that two key civilians who worked as private contractors in the notorious facility's cell blocks could still face prosecution.

....

CACI itself said in 2004 that its own internal investigation had produced no evidence that any of its employees had been involved in abuse at the prison. Contacted by TIME regarding new investigations into their former employee Stefanowicz, a spokesperson said: "CACI does not condone or tolerate illegal acts or behavior on the part of its employees. It is the company's clear and unambiguous policy that all its activities shall comply with all applicable laws at all times."

Well that clears it up. They don't "tolerate" or "condone" torturing other human beings. So that's why it didn't happen. Oh wait, it did.

And of course CACI and their bloated, Cheney-like, cholesterol-inhaling, CEO J.P. London got themselves the best lobbyists money could buy. Which would be Vin Weber, former GOP Rep. from Minnesota and policy-chairman on the Romney-For-President campaign (a tough job, as you have to change your position paper on any issue on any given day).

Good to know Weber could have access to a GOP President. J.P. London must be psyched. His compensation only rose from $2.5 million in 2003 to nearly $4 million in 2005 of course not including stock options worth $27.5 million by the end of 2005. So if President Bush regulates children our of having health care access through SCHIP, J.P's kids could find themselves in some hot water. Not boiling water, like the prisoners of Abu Ghraib most likely got to know intimately, but hot.

I am guessing somewhere J.P.'s over-caloried corpus must by gyrating with delight at the thought of a President Romney.

And what if you actually have a conscience and try and stop this madness? Why, you are punished by those making out like bandits, of course. And by punished I mean demoted, fired and yes, sometimes tortured (obviously CACI has some experience with this):

One after another, the men and women who have stepped forward to report corruption in the massive effort to rebuild Iraq have been vilified, fired and demoted.

Or worse.

For daring to report illegal arms sales, Navy veteran Donald Vance says he was imprisoned by the American military in a security compound outside Baghdad and subjected to harsh interrogation methods.

Is this the country you thought you lived in? Because it was not the one I grew up believing in. It is also not a country that is going to prosper much longer on the world stage, unless we do something to show people that we don't reward venality and criminal behavior.

Right in Cliff's back yard, a very special prank

A gift to Cliff from OhDave (it's a short video, take a look):

Take top poster and pass to the left.

Following those instructions, hundreds of Hilliard Darby High School football fans fell into an elaborate prank on Friday night.

When they stood up during a football game against cross-town rival Hilliard Davidson High School and held up squares of construction paper, they thought they were spelling out: "Go Darby."

But from across the field, Davidson fans read the actual message:

"We suck."

Now why can't we do the same to a Bush or Cheney event?

Oh, I remember why. We'd all get cuffed and dragged off to another country to be tortured.

Well batpoop. Between the renewed Diana hysteria on MSNBC and Snow resigning, I managed to miss this.

Warner expected to announce end of Senate career

Richmond (Map, News) - Sen. John Warner, R-Va., is expected to announce today that he will not seek re-election, Republican officials said Thursday.

According to GOP campaign and congressional sources, the 80-year-old Warner has informed them he will retire when his fifth term ends at the end of next year. Political analysts, however, cautioned that Warner may not come to a final decision until he steps up to the microphone at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where he is scheduled to appear at 2 p.m.

(snip)

Some congressional aides said Virginia's senior senator could be hoping for a last-minute intervention by GOP leaders who want him to run again, but others say he has made up his mind not to seek a sixth term.

One top GOP aide described the decision to retire as “solid.”

Personally, I don't think Warner will run again. I've had the feeling for a while that he (as well as my Senator Lugar) have been chafing against pretty much everything the GOP represents lately.

The question would be does he dislike the current GOP more than he dislikes a possible Democratic Majority Senate?

Snow announces departure date
Press secretary to step down Sept. 14

WASHINGTON - Tony Snow, the highly visible White House press secretary, will leave his job on Sept. 14 and be replaced by his deputy, Dana Perino, an administration official said Friday.

President Bush was to announce the changes during an appearance in the White House briefing room.

Snow, ailing with cancer, had said recently he would leave before the end of Bush's presidency because he needs to make more money.

I do not envy Mr Snow's situation with his illness and position at the White House.

But in the same breathe, I would like to say that I personally know of quite a few families of 5 that would be willing to try and live on $166k a year with full government benefits.

Just sayin'.

The Gay Penalty

Lost in much of the Larry Craig bathroom follies coverage has been the blatant double standard practiced by the GOP. The GOP leadership has stripped Larry Craig of his committee assignments and has pushed him to resign, based on his misdemeanor crime.

On the other hand, the GOP has allowed David Vitter to retain all his committee assignments and has not pushed him to resign. They have taken this relaxed stance, even though Vitter has essentially admitted to criminal behavior (sex with a prostitute).

Now some of this difference could simply be politics. Louisiana, home to Vitter, has a Democratic Governor, so the GOP would lose a seat if Vitter resigned. Idaho has a Republican Governor, so there is no problem for the GOP if Craig quit the Senate.

But the vehement reactions of the GOP leadership regarding Craig intimates something deeper - a loathing of homosexuality. Ruth Marcus nails it in her column this morning.

Now there is the furious swiftness of the GOP's response to Craig. Senate Republican leaders have called for an ethics committee investigation and stripped Craig of his committee assignments; presidential candidate Mitt Romney couldn't boot Craig as his Idaho chairman fast enough. Would the reaction have been nearly so fierce if homosexuality wasn't involved?

When Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter's phone number turned up on the accused D.C. madam's call list and he acknowledged a "very serious sin" in his past, there was hardly a peep from the GOP leadership. Craig pleaded guilty to a crime, and Vitter wasn't charged, but lawmakers' squeamishness with gay sex, I suspect, played a big role in the differing treatment

.

Hillary was on Letterman last night, and she was good.
A little too laughy for my taste, but good.

Top Ten Hillary Clinton Campaign Promises

10. Bring stability and long term security to The View.

9. Each year on my birthday, every American gets a cupcake.

8. You'll have the option of rolling dice against the IRS for double-or-nothing on your taxes.

7. Having trouble getting a flight and Air Force One is available -- it's yours.

6. My vice president will never shoot anybody in the face.

5. Turn Gitmo into a Dairy Queen as soon as possible.

4. For over a century there have been only two Dakotas -- I plan to double that.

3. We will finally have a president who doesn't mind pulling over and asking for directions. Am I right, ladies?

2. I will appoint a committee to find out what the heck is happening on Lost.

1. One more pantsuit joke and Letterman disappears

list via MyDD comments

Mucho buzz on the intertubes and CNN that Larry Craig will step down soon.

Here's a lite amuse bouche for your Friday morning funny.



Via Firedoglake

Oh no! Bush may not have a reason to bomb Iran after all! What's a war-happy Maniac-In-Chief to do?

IAEA: Iran Atom Work Slow, Insignificant

The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency gave an upbeat assessment of Iranian cooperation with international inspectors in a new report Thursday that could make it more difficult for the United States to win tougher U.N. sanctions against Iran.

No way! If this keeps up, we'll have to find a brand new country to invade!

The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna also concluded that while Iran continues to enrich uranium in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, its fuel enrichment plant has produced "well below the expected quantity for a facility of this design." The quality of the uranium also was lower than expected, the IAEA said.

What no mushroom cloud? No Holocaust? What fun is that?

The report praised Iran for --

SCREEEEEECH! Huh?? Wait. Go back. Say that again.

The report praised Iran for taking "a significant step forward" by agreeing to a new work plan and timelines for resolving numerous questions about the history of its nuclear program. Separately, U.N. officials said that Iran had slowed construction of a new plutonium-fuel reactor in Arak.

Boiiiiing! That was the sound of Bush's eyes popping out of his head.

The report suggests that if Iran adheres to the program and timelines, the agency could resolve its remaining questions about the nature of the country's nuclear program by the end of the year and close the file.

Close the file? Close the file? What are they nuts? This must be some mistake. We can't have that. It simply won't do. That was Chimpy's favorite file!

If the IAEA concludes that Iran has not engaged in a covert program to develop nuclear weapons, it could raise new questions about the quality of U.S. intelligence in the Middle East. The United States made the case for going to war against Iraq based on claims that Saddam Hussein had programs to develop nuclear technologies and other weapons of mass destruction, but U.S. forces found no evidence of such programs after invading the country.

Bush would have to come up with a whole new little skit on looking for WMD somewhere else. Wouldn't that be special? He's such a cut-up.

But the report also gave ammunition to Iran's critics, who noted that the country has not stopped its uranium enrichment...

Whaddya want? They are part of the Axis of Evil. Nobody's perfect.

Dr. Drew Westin Peers Into The Craven "Mind" Of David Brooks




As you can imagine, what he finds ain't pretty.

It's game time! Let's see how many headlines sound so familiar that you could recycle them!

• Testimony by Gonzales Is Subject of Inquiry
• Check your freezers for contaminated beef
• White House plays down critical Iraq report
• Pentagon disputes parts of Iraq report
• US report finds Iraq failing on goals
• Bernanke Under the Microscope
• Spinach Recall Sparks Oversight Calls
• Passenger freaks out, delays flight because men spoke foreign language
• Clinton rebuts "electability" questions
• Thompson making White House bid official next week
• Bush is a sociopathic loser Okay, I just made that up, but I Googled it, and there are a ton of entries.

When will Thompson jump in?

(CNN) — When will Fred Thompson officially jump into the race for the White House? That's the question all of us would like to know. Well, here's what we're learning.

A handful of sources working on Thompson's formal entry into the race for the GOP presidential nomination tell CNN to expect the former Tennessee senator and actor to make his announcement on the web, some time as early as the middle of next week. They say Thompson will travel and campaign in key primary states following the Internet announcement.

When I first started hearing about Thompson joining the race, I have to admit I was a little worried. Sometimes the American public isn't as discerning as it should be, and can be um, deceived by clever tricks and sleight of hand.

But the more I read (and see) of Thompson, I'm really looking forward to his candidacy. It's gonna be a huge bomb, mark my words. Word on the street is he can't make a speech, doesn't have any energy and looks really ancient and worn.

Bring it on Hollywood Fred, I need the laughs.



****UPDATE****

Looks like Sept 6th. Why then you ask?

Well, how about this for a reason?

By delaying the filing of his organizational papers until books have closed on the third quarter of 2007, Thompson arguably will not have to file any disclosure reports with the FEC until January 31, 2008, after the Republican primaries/caucuses in WY, IA, NH, NV, FL and Lord knows who else at this point.

Got that?

Frederick of Hollywood's shadow campaign can raise millions and spend millions without having to disclose to the public a single contribution raised or disbursement made over a six-month span -- and while his opponents have been consistently doing so -- delaying disclosure until after at least five Republican primaries have been held.

And it's deliberate, too, just like his (failed) coy attempts to walk the tightrope on "testing the waters" activity.

Via Adam B at Kos.

The Larry Craig Arrest Audio



This is so spooky to listen to it is actually a bit unnerverving. The cop accuses him of lying.

It is simply brutal.

The foxes at the henhouse Justice are expanding their investigation

For what it's worth:

Justice Department investigators have expanded their probe into whether political considerations were improperly used in hiring, inquiring about personnel decisions as long as a year before Alberto Gonzales became attorney general.

In a related story, Karl Rove is anxious to probe into his own activities to determine whether he's a lying, underhanded, destructive sleazeball.

THEY FOUND THE IRAQI WMDS!!!


Alert Pete Hoekstra!!! Call Rick Santorum!!! Crown Michelle Malkin!!

YOU WERE RIGHT GUYS!!

Gosh, we're so sorry for being stu... oh, wait.

UN Inspectors Find Chemical in UN Office

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- U.N. weapons inspectors who had been in Iraq discovered potentially hazardous chemical agents in their office near U.N. headquarters as they were wrapping up their operation, a U.N. spokesman said Thursday.

"There is no immediate risk or danger," U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said.

Yeah, so? That just proves that all the wingers were right... you libtard!!

Chemicals from Iraq inspections found in N.Y.
FBI called in to remove what U.N. inspectors collected decade ago

UNITED NATIONS - U.N. officials found vials of dangerous chemicals, which had been removed from Iraq a decade ago, in a U.N. building in New York, but U.N. officials said Thursday there was no danger.

Oh, nevermind.

Idiotic quote of the day

On Thom Hartmann just now, there was a discussion about homosexuality.

Thom explained to Rick Scarborough (who was featured on Christiane Amanpour's recent CNN special "God's Warriors") that one is born gay, and that zoologists even confirm homosexual behavior in animals, mostly mammals.

Here's Scarborough's response:

"So what you're advocating is animal behavior."

That was the idiotic quote of the day.

FYI: On Friday, The Thom Hartmann Program "Live" on C-SPAN! Check local listings.

Whoa...totally off that topic

Thom just said this:
It's illegal to use the militia against U.S. citizens on U.S. soil, until the most recent Republican control of the House and Senate. Then came the Military Commissions Act.

Now, from WESH in Florida: Members of the 1st batallion 265th air defense artillery, headed for federal active duty in DC, troops to be deployed for a year. Ordered by Bush to D.C. where they will operate high tech weapons systems against any air threat. If that's the beginning and end of it, okay.

But what if it's not? We don't know yet. I'm looking on the WESH site and I can't find the story. I might have not heard the call letters correctly, but I'll keep looking.

UPDATE: I found the story. It was from August 24th.

Members of the 1st Battalion 265 Air Defense Artillery have mobilized and are on a plane headed first to Ft. Bliss, then for federal active duty in the capital region.The troops will be deployed for a year. [...]
They are ordered by the president to the nation's capital, where they will operate high-tech weapons systems against any potential air threat. [...]

The 265th is part of Operation Noble Eagle.

Thom got creeped out by this. When Thom's creeped out, so am I.

This Is Why I Like Chris Dodd

It is always nice to hear someone being honest about what is going on in Iraq, when rejecting a call for more money by the Bush Crony Clan:

You've got to give them credit for water carrying.



Just amazing.

via Newshounds

Moveon Slams Rep. Brian Baird (D-Blue Dog) For Betraying The Soldiers In Iraq

This is what these guys need to know will happen to them when they fall under whatever spell (the phrase "right-wing speaking fees" comes to mind) has worked on Zell Miller, Joe Lieberman, John Kennedy (the party-switching idiot in Louisiana who is going to run against Mary Landrieu), Rodney Alexander, Ben Nelson and others to turn them from simply somewhat bad Democrats into full-on GOP suckups or party-hoppers.

Larry Craig Holds Another Press Conference!...This Time He's British

FYI
Cliff will be on Young Turks any minute now.

Here or here.