Posts from ‘November, 2006’

At the beginning of 2006, President Bush’s political advisor, Karl Rove, trumpeted Republicans as the party of ideas. In the wake of the midterm election debacle, Bush said he was interested in seeking “a new direction” regarding Iraq policy.
Yesterday, during his joint press conference with Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki in Amman, Jordan, Bush made [...]

We understand and support House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi’s decision to not appoint Rep. Alcee Hastings chairman of the Intelligence Committee.



Hastings is a loyal Democrat and an able legislator. But his record of having been impeached as a judge goes too hard against the grain, especially when the House desperately needs an image cleanup.



Pelosi’s passing over of Rep. Jane Harmon of California is harder to understand.

Cole’s comment was about a federal judge’s ruling that strikes down an executive order President Bush issued after the 9-11 attack. The order designated groups as terrorist in nature and blocked their assets.



The judge also struck down Bush’s order allowing the secretary of the Treasury to designate as terrorists anyone who “assists, sponsors or provides services to” or is “otherwise associated with” a group Bush identifies as terrorist.



Cole rightly condemned the sweeping authority in Bush’s executive order as creating de-facto black lists reminiscent of the McCarthy era.

Memo from a liberal Democrat to the Christian right and right-wing demagogues (attention: Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh).



While there is no left-wing war being waged against Christmas or Christianity, we note with equal parts regret and disgust there are dimwits in Chicago city government who deserve public scorn for doing so.



“A public Christmas festival is no place for the Christmas story, the city says. Officials have asked organizers of a downtown Christmas festival, the German Christkindlmarket, to reconsider using a movie studio as a sponsor because it is worried ads for its film ‘The Nativity Story’ might offend non-Christians. . .”

Sunday’s “Meet the Press” included an interesting Iraq discussion featuring three can-do, must-do, will-do guys set off by one less articulate but far more realistic gentleman.
The principles were: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.; Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., ranking member of that committee; and retired generals Wayne Downing and Barry McCaffrey.
Hunter, who has [...]

Twenty-four more months of President George W. Bush’s administration means 18 months too many.



Most Americans arrived at a judgment of their national leaders by the summer of 2005: unsatisfactory.



. . .The midterm election made it possible for the voting public to mandate a big change. But under our system, the chief architects of what’s unsatisfactory remain in place for two more years. . .

We wish you and yours the best of Thanksgiving holidays. May your feast be sumptuous, those gathered for it cordial, your leftovers manageable and your weight gain minimal.



If you’re traveling, we wish you good luck, godspeed and a safe journey. And patience, plenty of patience.

The U.S. military-industrial complex requires constant support at least in both houses of Congress and better, when possible, from the White House as well.



There’s a real possibility that if budgets grow slim and contracts dry up, idled companies will go under or turn to more lucrative activities. Scientists and tech wizards with the knowhow to make ever more deadly - and costly - weapons might turn their talents to making alternative-fuel vehicles, affordable bionic replacement body parts and coffeemakers that never need deliming, or do that obnoxious job on the fly, automatically. . .

Alas, in Florida’s 13th Congressional District race, Republican Vern Buchanan has been declared the winner, by a 369-vote margin.



Buchanan’s opponent, Democrat Christine Jennings, is going to court seeking to have the election done over. This isn’t a case of being a sore loser.



More than 17,000 voters who made selections in other races mysteriously failed to vote in the congressional race — or did vote only to have Sarasota County’s electronic voting machines fail to properly register their votes.

Quote: “These days, black music produces fewer songs that cherish women. Oh, there are plenty of sex songs, plenty I-love-your-butt songs. But baby, please is becoming a lost art.



“I’m reminded of a talk I had with my middle son a few years ago. . .”