Call Bush's Bluff

Bush pardoned a bunch of turkeys this week yet left off those responsible for the engineering and implementation of torture. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Bush Administration thinks that the DOJ's torture memos give guilty officials cover.
Last night on Rachel Maddow, her guest, constitutional legal scholar Jonathan Turley believes that the torture memos have little to do with why no torture pardons were made. Instead Turley believes that the Bush Administration will use the Democrats conciliatory nature to repair his legacy.

The Democratic leadership would love to have a pardon so they could go to their supporters and say, “Look, there’s really nothing we could do.”...
Well, the Bush administration is calling their bluff. They know that the Democratic leadership will not allow criminal investigations or indictments...

This will effectively repair Bush's legacy. Because Bush will be able to say that the Democrats had their chance to prosecute yet didn't think there was a basis for it. Basically clearing his administration of any wrong doing because the Democrats don't have backbones.

We don't need to give these guys a pass. The republicans are weak right now and we need to do what is right and stomp these crooks out while we can. We need to make these things stick to Bush's legacy so that he doesn't become a republican hero like Ronald Regan twenty years down the line. George W Bush should be remembered as a torturer, an illegal war monger, and an economy destroyer. Giving this guy a pass is not thinking of the political future. Grow a spine dems!

78 killed in Mumbi? And Rising? Terrorist attack? WTF?

Bush pardons "Scooter" Libby in a giant Turkey suit

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheOnion

Battle in Bangkok!

Today The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have taken over the government office at the Don Mueang airport. There they clashed with the pro-government United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship(UDD). The PAD also crowded armed forces headquarters on Chaeng Wattana Road in order to block a cabinet meeting scheduled to take place there tomorrow.

The city-wide protest's goal is to overthrow the People Power Party government, who won the election in December 2007. The PPP was the TRT party before Thaksin was removed. The TRT party was extremely popular because of their populist initiatives. The elite felt threatened and removed Thaksin in 2006 with a military coup. Thaksin was later charged with corruption and is now avoiding prosecution outside the country.

The PAD believes that the PPP is controlled by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The PPP is currently led by Thaksin's brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat. The PAD is a pro-royal anti-Thaksin group that believes that these protests will cause the military to take control back from the PPP.

Last night the PAD also crowded the main airport Suvarnabhumi, which is a regional hub, effectively stopping all flights, backing up travel through out south Asia and Australia. The PAD wanted to block the Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from returning from the the Apec summit in Peru. You know, the summit where Bush and all other participants had to wear those brown ponchos?

The Thai Military, who were responsible for the 2006 coup d'éta, have stated unequivocally, that they will not allow another coup d'éta to take place. Fortunately the military has pledged that there will be no bloodshed, which is good because in the recent history of Thailand, uprisings have been met with deadly force. Being pro-royal is a good thing if you don't wanna get killed in Thailand.

I hope the democratically elected government can weather this backlash and and retain control. They won the election, they deserve to be in control. The only solution may be for the King of Thailand to come out and persuade his loyal followers to support the elected government. This bad press could really hurt their economy, especially in these rough times.

I have confidence in the Thai people, that they will work this out. I also descourage anyone from changing their plans to go there. It is an excellent place to visit and live. Just wait until this conflect is resolved before going.

Not even a slap on the wrist for the traitor Lieberman.

Harry Reid gives Lie-berman a full pass. Lieberman gets to keep his chairmanship. No punishment at all for his GOP convention speech, his campaigning for McCain, and his constant criticitism of progressive policies. Now I remember why I don't like democrats, because they may just as well have been the republicans! The video is hard to watch.

Robert Greenwald said it best:

Look at every major Bush initiative, every controversial signature Bush policy over the last eight years, and one finds virtually nothing but massive bipartisan support for them -- the Patriot Act (original enactment and its renewal); the invasion of Afghanistan; the attack on, and ongoing occupation of, Iraq; the Military Commissions Act (authorizing enhanced interrogation techniques, abolishing habeas corpus, and immunizing war criminals); expansions of warrantless eavesdropping and telecom immunity; declaring part of Iran's government to be "terrorists"; our one-sided policy toward Israel; the $700 billion bailout; The No Child Left Behind Act, "bankruptcy reform," and on and on.

Most of those were all enacted with virtually unanimous GOP support and substantial, sometimes overwhelming, Democratic support: the very definition of "bipartisanship." That's just a fact...

That's why the outcome of this Joe Lieberman "controversy" is anything but surprising. Having Democrats overlook Lieberman's extremist views and reward him is anything but "change." That's perfectly consistent with -- not a departure from -- how Washington works: political disagreements can be expressed on the rhetorical level but they're virtually always subordinated to the far greater imperative of bipartisan harmony within the political class.

For progressives like myself, it seems like when we win, we still lose.

Thank you Pufferfish

Let them Starve!

Greg Saunders:
from This Modern World

When it comes to bailing out the auto industry, count me in the “let them starve” camp. The auto industry has been outsourcing American jobs for 25 years now with little regard for the devastated communities they’ve left in their wake (seriously, re-watch Roger & Me sometime). The big three have also used their lobbying might to oppose every environmental regulation in their sights. And on top of all of that, their cars suck. Bailing out the auto companies whose single-minded devotion to SUV’s made them blind to the hybrid revolution is like bailing out a record company that hasn’t had a hit since “The Macarena”. Screw them.

I couldn't agree more!

-Tad

Hillary for Sec. of State?

What? Really? Why would "no drama Obama" appoint Hillary "Oscar for drama" Clinton? The MSM seems to think this is a great idea. They think that having Hillary on staff will keep her from rocking the boat, and also, I am sure, because the MSM loves drama.

Obama supposedly wants to be create a "Team of Rivals", very much like Abraham Lincoln, a favorite president of Obama's. But will Hillary be an asset or a obstacle on the road to change. The latter is more likely. The Clintons basically are The DLC. Wikipedia describes The Democratic Leadership Council(DLC) as; the powerful, corporate-financed mouthpiece within the Democratic party - or "The Republican Wing of the Democratic Party". We don't need that. The DLC is the reason I don't like Bill Clinton. He sold us out at every opportunity to corporations.

I think it's a bad idea. Obama should pick Bill Richardson. He never called Obama naive for wanting to talk to our "enemies" or said that McCain was more ready to be president than Obama. Remember that god awful "3am phone call commercial"?

The MSM always talks about Hillary like she got here on her own. She has rode Bill's coat-tails her entire career. Do you think she would be a Senator if she wasn't a Clinton? And that isn't sexiest, that's real. We need real change and Hillary is too embedded in corporate interests to do the right things. I mean how do you think we got into all these unfair trade agreements in the first place. That's where all our jobs went. Bogus.

-Tad

Vote tomorrow! Please please please please vote tomorrow. Even if your are going to be difficult and vote for Ralph Nader or even John "G W Bush" McCain. It's pathetic that in 2004 only 56.70% of eligible Americans voted (young people like myself are the most guilty cohort). It is so important! If you manage not to vote this time I will lose all respect for you.

In our system we all get to participate, not to a high degree, unless you have millions, but we all get to. And that is something. Your interests will never be accounted for unless we take back control. The only way to accomplish this is to vote. Why would they care about if you have a job, unless you were part of the reason they have their jobs. That's what is going on here.

If you think that you aren't eligible you are probably wrong. I've heard people tell me that they think that they can't vote because they have outstanding tickets. Or that they didn't have a job so didn't file taxes, or that they file as dependents or that they aren't state residents. These things do not disqualify you. Go vote! Don't be lazy and assume that you are not eligible. Even ex-felons can vote after they complete parole.In two states they can even vote in prison.

People want to steal your right to go to the polls. They have weakened our system to the point where we must waste a workday each year in order to basically tax our right. They spread lies to make you throw your right away, like Pat Buchanan boasted about on HardBall with Chris Matthews, last night. People are paid to search for tiny mistakes in your registration forms in order to block you at the polls. People will rig the poll machines too. Vote because that is what will end these shameful practices. And if these things happen to you call the Election Protection Coalition (1-866-OUR-VOTE). Already over 80,000 have called them.

Get out to vote tomorrow under any circumstances. Rain or shine, get out there and I will see you there.

-Tad