No, He Didn't

War Room - Salon.com

Ron Suskind, George W. Bush and the Aug. 6, 2001, PDB

Ron Suskind's "The One Percent Doctrine" is out this week, and the Washington Post's Barton Gellman says it's full of "jaw-dropping stories" about the Bush administration's war on terror.

Or lack thereof.

We've known for years now that George W. Bush received a presidential daily briefing on Aug. 6, 2001, in which he was warned: "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." We've known for almost as long that Bush went fishing afterward.

What we didn't know is what happened in between the briefing and the fishing, and now Suskind is here to tell us. Bush listened to the briefing, Suskind says, then told the CIA briefer: "All right. You've covered your ass, now."

I'm speechless.

Dear God, 1.4 Billion That Defense Contractors Could Have Used!

BBC NEWS: US storm fraudsters paid $1.4bn

Waste and Abuse in Pentagon Budget

Remember the good old days, when Rumsfeld admitted that he couldn't account for 25% of the Pentagon budget? Getting excited over the chump change spent in New Orleans is really the height of hypocrisy for these wastrels.

Thursday Photo Challenge: FAMILY

Serenity At Rapa Nui
Originally uploaded by JoeWorldTraveler.

Last American Survivor of Titanic Disaster Dies

Tennessean

Lillian Asplund was 99.

Probable Cause

Crooks and Liars

The soon-to-be-head of the CIA has no idea what the Constitution says, and can be rather bullheaded about being corrected.

Ouch - Kos Spells It Out For Hillary Supporters

Hillary Clinton: Too Much of a Clinton Democrat?

At a time when rank-and-file Democrats are using technology to become increasingly engaged and active in their party, when they are demanding that their leaders stand for something and develop big ideas, Clinton's closest advisers are headed in the opposite direction. But big ideas aren't Bush's problem -- bad ideas are.

Yet staying away from big ideas seems to come naturally to Hillary Clinton. Perhaps first lady Clinton was so scarred by her failed health-care reform in the early 1990s that now Sen. Clinton shows no proclivity for real leadership as a lawmaker.

Afraid to offend, she has limited her policy proposals to minor, symbolic issues -- such as co-sponsoring legislation to ban flag burning. She doesn't have a single memorable policy or legislative accomplishment to her name. Meanwhile, she remains behind the curve or downright incoherent on pressing issues such as the war in Iraq.

On the war, Clinton's recent "I disagree with those who believe we should pull out, and I disagree with those who believe we should stay without end" seems little different from Kerry's famous "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it" line. The last thing we need is yet another Democrat afraid to stand on principle.

Bush had spectacularly bad ideas - Iraq, Mars, gutting our intelligence community at every turn, Social Security. Of course I would vote for Hillary should she become the candidate, but hades! If she's elected, that means a Bush or a Clinton in power for 24 years of this country's existence - that's over 10 percent of our history. Is it possible that somewhere else in this nation of over 250 million people we could find someone else to lead us?

Goss Forced Out as CIA Director

Washington Post:

"'There has been an open conversation for a few weeks, through Negroponte, with the acknowledgment of the president' about replacing Goss, said a senior White House official who discussed the internal deliberations on the condition of anonymity. Another senior White House official said Goss had always been viewed as a 'transitional figure' who would leave by year's end. His departure was accelerated when Bush shook up his White House staff in hopes of beginning a political turnaround."

This could all be true. However, it misleads by omission. Why the expulsion without a replacement? Because of the Cunningham case.

Kansas setting minimum marriage age

MSNBC.com

This is the state that loves creationism.

It used to have no age limit as long as the parents said it was okay. So this law is an improvement.

Off The Road Again

I'm back! Didja miss me?

I'm in Dallas, Texas right now, with my mom. I'm waiting to hear about summer employment. Porter Goss just resigned. Life is good.

On The Road Again

Heading off to the cruise ship now.

I filled in all my destinations at a site called WAYN.com (Where Are You Now?) but I can't find any way to let people look at that page short of inviting them to be a part of that site. Which means a registration. Which means I just put information about where I will be for the next six months on the Internet, and my friends and family can't benefit! I hate sites like that!!!

Anyway, I'm going to do a travel blog as I can. I'm going to call it I'm So Going To Hell, if that name isn't taken at Blogger. Going to go see that now. To get there, click on my profile link on the side. It will take you to a master list of all my failed and abandoned blogs.

Hope everyone remains well, and try to topple Bush while I'm gone. I would really appreciate it.

Thursday Photo Challenge: SIGNS

Jesus Getting Serious About Preserving Mexican Culture
Originally uploaded by JoeWorldTraveler.

Jesus throwing a rock at the Appleby's being built along the La Paz malecon.