By Popular Demand...Our Question of the Week

From Atrios: what he calls the "Moustache of Understanding", a column that can only make one say whaaa the fuck?

As a country, we must not go down this road of global ethnic profiling — looking for Arabs under our beds the way we once looked for commies. If we do — if America, the world's beacon of pluralism and tolerance, goes down that road — we will take the rest of the world with us. We will sow the wind and we will reap the whirlwind.

...

What ranks much higher for me is the terrible trend emerging in the world today: Sunnis attacking Shiite mosques in Iraq, and vice versa. Danish caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, and violent Muslim protests, including Muslims killing Christians in Nigeria and then Christians killing Muslims. And today's Washington Post story about how some overzealous, security-obsessed U.S. consul in India has created a huge diplomatic flap — on the eve of Mr. Bush's first visit to India — by denying one of India's most respected scientists a visa to America on the grounds that his knowledge of chemistry might be a threat. The U.S. embassy in New Delhi has apologized.

Our Question: What part of pluralism and tolerance have I missed the last six years?





And please let me give a hearty shout out to Friedman and the assholes he has apologized for during the entirety of the mess that is the Bush maladministration:

FUCK YOU.

Oh Falafel! -- Worst Person in the World!

Let nothing ever prick the sensitive, and massive, ego of Bill O'Reilly!

O'Reilly is literally trying to get Keith Olbermann fired:

February 22, 2006

Chairman Robert Wright
National Broadcasting Company
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10112

Dear Chairman Wright:

We, the undersigned, are becoming increasingly concerned about the well-being of MSNBC and, in particular, note the continuing ratings failure of the program currently airing weeknights on that network at 8:00 PM EST.

It is now apparent to everyone that a grave injustice has been done to the previous host for that time slot, Phil Donahue, whose ratings, at the time of his show's cancellation three years ago, were demonstrably stronger than those of the current host.

Therefore, in an effort to rescue MSNBC from the ratings basement and to restore the honor and dignity of Mr. Donahue, who was ignobly removed as host three years ago, we ask that you immediately bring Phil Donahue's show back at 8:00 PM EST before any more damage is done.

If you would like to express your support for this issue please fill in the information below and press the "Sign the Petition" button. Your signature will be added from the information you provide below. To protect your privacy, your last name will not be displayed on the web site.

If you didn't love Olbermann before, there's your reason.

And here's a special "fuck you" O'Reilly bonus!

The Dude-o-meter

Well, apparently Rush Limbaugh and Daryn Kagan are history. Though I don't know the cause (*cough* he's fucking Rush Limbaugh) any more than I know how it all started (*cough* rhymes with "bitch"), Rush is back on the market again.

Meanwhile, for the former Jeff Christie, old habits die hard:

OK, so there's that. Lemme put that aside. Next little story, and this -- this actually is from Sunday. It's an Associated Press story: "Ginsburg bears burden without O'Connor. It'll be a one-woman show in the Supreme Court starting Tuesday. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the only female among the nine justices, and she's not so happy about it." So, resign. If you don't like it, resign. If you don't like being the only woman on the court, then go somewhere else. Besides, David Souter's a girl. Everybody knows that. What's the big deal?

To assist Rush and others determine who is or is not a woman we present the following, the "Dude-o-meter":





But perhaps it's time for Rush to settle down with a woman that already loves him and is about on his level.

But who?











Like you didn't see that one coming.

Where Is the 25 year-old, Snot-Nosed Repugnicrat?

This from dailykos on bird flu:

Meanwhile, H5N1 is becoming endemic in Europe. This means that the poultry may be exposed again and again to the virus, as has already happened in Hong Kong. The longer term approach may be a better vaccine for poultry and humans; short term, culling and other methods must be used. But senior flu researcher Robert Webster in this paper warns against killing migratory birds:

Although culling domestic poultry to contain the spread of highly pathogenic H5N1 virus is considered an acceptable agricultural practice, culling migratory birds is not acceptable to any international authority (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO], the World Organization for Animal Health [OIE], the World Health Organization [WHO]). The idea of culling migratory birds must be strongly discouraged, for it could have unknown ecologic consequences.

Instead, since highly pathogenic H5N1 has been demonstrated in migratory birds, the poultry industries of the world must adapt measures such as increased biosecurity (Figure 1), the use of vaccines, or both.

There has to be some snappy young underqualified Bush appointee somewhere willing to push "we've got it under control" propoganda on an unsuspecting press and people.

Wonder who wrote this press release

The Washington Post writes today of the unseemly nature of a current Senator's husband lobbying on behalf of the UAE state-controlled company seeking to manage a half-dozen American ports while she is involved in the oversight of the deal.

In response, I'm guessing Elizabeth Dole's husband put out a press release in her name, given its language:

"Elizabeth Dole knows that her work is separate from Bob Dole. Bob Dole works for a law firm. Elizabeth Dole works for the people of North Carolina."

Silly Bloggers

Doing research and stuff, unlike the American Press Corps. Better send this Outraged Moderates person to one of Atrios's Blogger Ethics conferences.

Hours after a commercial plane struck the Pentagon on September 11 2001 the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, was issuing rapid orders to his aides to look for evidence of Iraqi involvement, according to notes taken by one of them.

"Hard to get good case. Need to move swiftly," the notes say. "Near term target needs - go massive - sweep it all up, things related and not."

The handwritten notes, with some parts blanked out, were declassified this month in response to a request by a law student and blogger, Thad Anderson, under the US Freedom of Information Act. Anderson has posted them on his blog at outragedmoderates.org.

We've heard before, first from Richard Clarke and then that load-Woodward, that Rummy (and Bush) were gung ho for launching Operation Clusterfuck right after 9/11 rather waiting and rampting up as a scary tool before the November 2002 elections. And here's your smoking gun (click to enlarge):

Jurassic Beaver!

More than just a hideous porn video title.

Blowed 'em Up Real Good

In news that Big Jim McBob and Billy Sol Hurok would love, the powder keg isn't being lit just with a match but a huge torch.

A faltering political process seemed on the verge of collapse as the biggest Sunni Muslim bloc pulled out of delicate talks over the shape of Iraq's new government. Sunni politicians and clerics blamed the bloodshed on their Shiite counterparts, pushing sectarian tensions to new heights as the threat of civil war shadowed the country.
***
"The Americans also abandoned us extremely. They could have put some of their vehicles to protect the mosques; they have the forces to do that," said Khalaf al-Hayan, general secretary of the Sunni Iraqi National Dialogue Council. "How does a civil war start? It starts like this."

And the chimp picks some bugs out of his wife's fur, studies it like the booger he was oh so proud to extract from his nose just moments ago (and wiped it on his chief of staff's back, laughing) ingests the bug, is handed a script to speak, forcefully, and belches a few words:

President Bush, who said the U.S. would help rebuild the Golden Mosque, today denounced the attacks on religious symbols and the ensuing violence.

"The voices of reason...understand that this bombing is intended to create civil strife, that the act was a evil act," Bush said. "The destruction of a holy site is a political act intending to create strife. And so I'm pleased with the voices of reason that have spoken out. And we will continue to work with those voices of reason to enable Iraq to continue on the path of a democracy that unites people and doesn't divide them."

I think he is on to something. If the voices of reason could just be heard over the blood curdling din of the heathens, things would just be fine. If they would only see we invaded their country for their own good, things would be just fine. If they would know that the people we have detained, tortured, and killed were not treated that way in vain, things would just be fine. Because the chimp knows in all of their hearts there is a yearning to be just like us: greedy, warmongering, sadists who need oil to grease the machinery of death.

"Hi, I'm George W. Bush, and do you want money from the Government?"

Take it from me, George W. Bush, no one ever worked less to get ahead than I did. And I have tips for you as to how to get more money out of government programs than ever before!



First, are you a Republican of limited qualification, but still required a high-paying six-figured salary for which you possess no skills whatsoever? Well, look no further than old George here. Write to Me, George W. Bush, the "W" stands for "money" and I'll give it to YOU! Yes YOU!



You can get big money from the government for simply sweating!


If you're a Republican, why you can even fail in one project and we'll even put you in charge of a bank!


Or an international institution!


Or even a WAR!



Need a little cash so you can get out of trouble? Then look no further than my government!



Enrich your friends!



Enrich the rich!

Send your request, and a copy of your voter registration to: "George W. Bush, 1600 Pennsylvania, Avenue, Washington, D.C."



And it's as simple as JUST BEING A REPUBLICAN!

"Progress"

Remember the Bush Administration touting the "progress" they were making in training police & security forces; contrasted with other stories about how insurgents were infiltrating the same forces.

As usual, it sure looks like the Bush Administration was effectively lying again. I know the real gasping will occur when they tell the truth.

Police said two bombs that had been planted at the mosque overnight exploded at dawn. Some local officials in Samarra said the bombers were dressed in the uniforms of Iraqi security forces. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari, in one of several televised news conferences and appeals by Iraqi and U.S. leaders, said preliminary investigation into the bombing pointed to "infiltration'' of Iraqi security forces.

For those of you with strong stomachs and whose remotes broke after Olberman's show finished for the day, you may have seen dye-job propogandist Laura Ingraham on Scarborough Country. I can only imagine the laughable lying that must have been taking place on her part after a week in the "Green Zone". I can only imagine because the hell if I'd watch that shit.

"I wonder if 'Steve Howe' is here?"

(muttering to self) "It was the heat of the moment, heat of the moment, heat of the moment..."



I always figured him to be a lame prog rock guy. Bush undoubtedly did several lines of coke off their album covers.

President Bush, ladies and gentlemen

Smart enough to detect obvious rope traps.

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)





A few seconds later, guess who shows up...





I would like to point out to my friends in the Secret Service that this is PARODY and I am not encouraging Bush & Cheney go hunting together.

Who'd have thought that with rifles in their hands, its Cheney that's Gilligan and Bush that's the Skipper?

Prevented from bringing his gun

Dick sneaks in a smirk as he manufactures his own personal musk, good thing he wore the black pants.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Last Throes

Dick Cheney, about as accurate a soothe-sayer as your average National Enquirer Psychic (who I noticed failed to predict this year that Dick Cheney would get sauced and shoot an old man in the face).

Insurgents posing as police destroyed the golden dome of one of
Iraq's holiest Shiite shrines Wednesday, setting off an unprecedented spasm of sectarian violence. Angry crowds thronged the streets, militiamen attacked Sunni mosques, and at least 19 people were killed...

...In predominantly Shiite Basra, police said militiamen broke into a prison, hauled out 12 inmates, including two Egyptians, two Tunisians, a Libyan, a Saudi and a Turk, and shot them dead in reprisal for the shrine attack.

The bodies of three Iraqi journalists, including a well-known correspondent for Al Arabiya television, were found Thursday near Samarra, police and the Arabic network said. Al Arabiya's Atwar Bahjat and two colleagues from the al-Wassan media company had been in the city to cover the bombing when they disappeared Wednesday night, the network said.

In Baghdad, the bodies of 23 men were found bound and shot, police said Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether the killings were linked to the shrine attack.

I'm going to guess that more than a few of them were.

Everyday you wake up and wonder what nightmare from Iraq the press filter will allow you to discover today?

Just when you thought he could not be any sadder

Froomkin reports that Bob Woodward is still saying that Cheney may run for President in 2008.

On the lecture circuit, author and Washington Post Associate Editor Bob Woodward continues to push the idea that Dick Cheney may run for president in 2008.

Tracy Idell Hamilton writes in the San Antonio Express-News that Woodward "noted that Republicans have a long track record of nominating 'old war horses.'

"Given that, and depending on how things in Iraq proceed, 'You're going to think I'm crazy, but you heard it here first. I think they could nominate Dick Cheney.' "

Not just a wanker, but one hell of a dumbfuck as well.

What would Cheney's slogan be Bob?

"Cheney 2008: NOT IN THE FACE!"

"Cheney 2008: Shoot first, Don't Answer Questions Later"

"Cheney 2008: The Republic's Last Throes"

"Cheney 2008: Go Fuck Yourself in the Face!"

Joe Klein Empathizes With Cheney

Joe Klein has a problem calling it straight: Cheney fucked up, the handling of the shooting after-the-fact was a fuck-up, both are apt metaphors for the last six years under the reign of king George. Here is some of what he had to say in a recent column:

"In less than a second, less time than it takes to tell," Dick Cheney mused last week, his quail-hunting expedition had gone "from what is a very happy, pleasant day with great friends in a beautiful part of the country, doing something I love—to, my gosh, I've shot my friend. I've never experienced anything quite like that before." It was perhaps the most eloquent, emotionally unguarded moment from the notoriously buttoned-up Vice President. He seemed stunned, uncertain for once. And the haunted look in his eyes reminded me of what soldiers in Vietnam used to call the Thousand-Yard Stare—the paralytic shock that comes from seeing the impact that even low-caliber weaponry can have on human flesh.

Yeah, poor Dick, now he knows what it must be like to be a real shoot 'em up soldier. Right.

The Vice President's hunting accident occasioned a familiar explosion of public inanity. We seem to have a primal need for these circuses; they are the postmodern equivalent of scapegoat sacrifice. There was the embarrassing, self-righteous reportorial melee in the White House pressroom. There was the predictable patter of late-night comedians, although the jokes didn't seem quite so funny this time; a man had been shot.

Public inanity. Self-righteous reportorial melee. My how above all of us, including the White House press corps, you are Mr. Klein.

But Cheney's stubborn diffidence may have been something else entirely: a consequence of the incoherence and confusion that come with emotional trauma, as well as an understandable desire to protect oneself and one's friends from the ravening horde at a moment of personal anguish.

The possibility of vice-presidential anguish was barely mentioned by most commentators at first. Cheney is a tough customer; Oprahfied "sharing" isn't his way. But then, there he was, with that haunted look in his Fox News interview, saying, "[T]he image of him falling is something I'll never be able to get out of my mind. I fired, and there's Harry falling ..." Hunting had given him "great pleasure" in the past, but he wasn't so sure now. In fact, he sounded a lot like the combat veterans I've spoken with over the years, for whom the living nightmare of firing a weapon under questionable circumstances is a constant theme.

I guess you have a special window into his soul, Joe, thanks for clearing it up. And I'm sure all those combat veterans out there really appreciate that analogy.

I bet Cheney's known longer

Is this guy ever given a piece of news that may have any potential consequence? You know, like he's the President?

President Bush was unaware of the pending sale of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates until the deal already had been approved by his administration, the White House said Wednesday.

Just like Rummy, who is supposedly on the committee that approves such nonsense.

Chimp Watching Too Many Old Movies

The petulant puss is really, really mad, so mad in fact that he has taken to talking like they do in the old movies. From today's LA Times:

Lawmakers "ought to listen to what I have to say about this," he told reporters. "They ought to look at the facts and understand the consequences of what they're going to do. But if they pass a law, I'll deal with it, with a veto."

The rest of the quote:

Yeah, see, what are ya some kind of wise guy? Why I outta smack ya right in the kisser , see. Who do ya think I am treatin' me like some kind of sap? Well I'll show yous guys, see, I'll show ya real good like.

"Don't Shoot Dick! Don't Shoot!"

Tony Scalia's hunting stories.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

All my Himbos

Everytime John McCain kisses right-wing ass in his quest to be President. But McCain is not exclusive with his senatorial mantasies, there are other suspects.

He came out supporting Bush's plan on handing over control of ports to the government owned corporation of the UAE yesterday as an obvious firewall for Bush.

Sen. John McCain said Tuesday night that he stands behind the Bush administration's decision to approve a deal that gives an Arab company control over operations at six major U.S. ports.

"I trust the president of the United States," McCain, R-Ariz., told nearly 800 West Valley residents during a town-hall meeting in Sun City West. "I will not make a judgment until I hear his arguments as to why he made this decision. . . . I will not reject out of hand the decision of the commander in chief."

His support came out shortly after he was doing this:

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a man in perpetual motion, flew to South Carolina in January. His stops included a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and speeches to local Republican groups. But one of his most important events was not on the public schedule -- a 5 p.m. meeting at a Spartanburg hotel with loyalists to President Bush.

A dozen or so people were in attendance. At least two were among Bush's major national fundraisers. Virtually all had been on Bush's side in the bitter 2000 South Carolina primary that badly damaged McCain's chances of winning the presidential nomination and scarred the relationship between the two men and their rival political camps. McCain was there to woo them.

There's no doubt, he's running in 2008. Therefore, it is necessary that as Bush's incompetence (at best!) is proven time and time after time that we remind people of this over and over again.

Or as I've liked to style it before...



But it is not just McCain, old reliable, Bush frenching, Joe Lieberman came -- came, like an ambitious cabana boy, to his Dear Leader's defense:

One of the few legislators to come close to defending the transaction was Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, who is considered a security hawk among Democrats.