"On Topic" With Doug Krile

Moving Day

2007-02-15T19:49:00.000-06:00

Okay, folks. Time to trim the workload around here. Yours truly is moving on. To a new job in a new industry and I can't keep two blogs rolling. So, if you're finding us via wb42.blogspot.com, delete that bookmark and move on up to the new site or drop in via www.dougkrile.com..

I'm getting out of the media business, and into something completely different. It's an exciting time and I'll tell you more about it as time goes on. We're building something from the ground up, so it's going to be a lot of work. Bottom line - the old wb42 site is history after tonight. I have family matters piled up this weekend, so posts will be sparse. But, move on over to the new site and be ready for some fun!

Just A Little Fun Among Friends

2007-02-13T20:35:00.000-06:00

Those White House News Conferences with Tony Snow.

In Heated Exchanges, Reporters Press Snow To Justify Iran Claims

At today’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Tony Snow faced intense questioning over administration claims that Iranians have smuggled weapons into Iraq with “the approval of senior Iranian officials.” Yesterday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace seemed to contradict this claim, saying that he has not seen evidence that the Iranian government “clearly [...]

Tags: White House Press Conference, Tony Snow

Oh, Yeah

2007-02-13T20:33:00.000-06:00

One more thing. Did you hear this story?

Another Republican Corruption Indictment

Federal grand jury indicts Foggo, Wilkes,A federal grand jury on Tuesday issued indictments against Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes and former high-ranking CIA official Kyle “Dusty” Foggo, [...]

Tags: Brent Wilkes, Dusty Foggo

Missing Data And Missing Laptops

2007-02-13T20:32:00.000-06:00

Who knows what evil lurks in the halls of the FBI?

FBI still losing laptops, weapons

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has lost or had stolen 160 laptops in four years, including 10 with sensitive or classified information, and one containing personal information on FBI employees, according to a report released Monday by the Department of Justice inspector general. In addition, 160 weapons [...]

Tags: FBI, Missing Laptops

Political Suicide

2007-02-13T20:12:00.000-06:00

We have, indeed, been talking about this for darn near a full year now. It's beginning to look like the early "conspiracy theories" are close to reality.

Cheney's Top Aid Says War With Iran "Real Possibility in '07"

As the Bush administration ratchets up pressure on Iran, Vice President Cheney's top national security aide has been quoted by the Washington Post - in the 10th paragraph on page A18 - that war with Iran is "a real possibility" this year: "Some senior administration officials still relish the [...]

Tags: War With Iran, Dick Cheney

Philosophical Changes

2007-02-13T19:52:00.000-06:00

Talk about a past that will come to haunt him. Look at Mitt Romney's presidential chances.

GOPer Mitt Romney jumps in the race for the White House, hypocrisy and all

Today, former Massachusetts governor Mitt ‘more conservative today than yesterday‘ Romney, announced his Presidential plans- formally- in his home state of Michigan. In the former Republican governor’s 2,151 word speech, he mentioned the word “Massachusetts” only twice: he doesn’t want to remind conservative southern primary voters where he’s been active in politics for the last [...]

Tags: Mitt Romney

A Blogger Calls It Quits

2007-02-13T19:24:00.000-06:00

Even though her boss stood up for her, she just couldn't stay.

Edwards' Bigoted Blogger Resigns

Just when it mattered least, Amanda Marcotte resigned from the John Edwards campaign: "I was hired by the Edwards campaign for the skills and talents I bring to the table, and my willingness to work hard for what’s right. Unfortunately, [...]

Tags: Amanda Marcotte, John Edwards

Slip Of The Tongue

2007-02-13T17:11:00.000-06:00

This is why I could never be a politician. One slip of the tongue and you get your words crammed right back down your throat. I'm still looking for the law that says politicians must be perfect.

Obama’s ‘waste’ gaffe

In New Hampshire over the weekend, Barack Obama told an audience that “we ended up launching a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged, and to which we now have spent $400 billion and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted.” It was a well-received comment [...]

Tags: Barack Obama, Wasted Lives

Let's All Sing

2007-02-12T20:05:00.000-06:00

They won. They won big. But...

Country Radio Refuses To Accept Dixie Chicks: Listeners Are "Outraged"

Country radio still isn't ready to make nice with the Dixie Chicks. With a haul of Grammys Sunday, the Texas trio topped their comeback from their 2003 Bush-bashing comment that turned them from superstars to pariahs -- but Music Row isn't welcoming them back into [...]

Tags: Dixie Chicks

All To Balance The Federal Budget

2007-02-12T19:39:00.000-06:00

Cutting corners where corners should not be cut.

Bush plans more cuts to veterans' health care

The Bush administration plans to cut funding for veterans' health care two years from now - even as badly wounded troops returning from Iraq could overwhelm the system. Bush is using the cuts, critics say, to help fulfill his pledge to balance the budget by 2012. After an increase sought for [...]

Tags: Veterans' Health Care, Balanced Budget

Still Breaking News

2007-02-12T19:19:00.000-06:00

Countdown is talking tonight about how the military is doing a bit of a turnaround on this story. I'll update with more details. But, up until mid-day today, this was the story and the analysis.

Bush administration anonymously presents evidence against Iran

Bush administration officials have been hinting for weeks that they had quite a presentation to show reporters about Iranian meddling in the war in Iraq, and would provide proof just as soon as they could find some. I mean, as soon as they nailed down the details. Yes, that’s it. Yesterday, reporters in Iraq finally received [...]

UPDATE: Here's the problem -

The White House’s Iran claims begin to fall apart

When Pentagon officials presented a 16-slide PowerPoint presentation to reporters Sunday in Baghdad, they did not imagine they would be on the defensive, only hours later. The briefing, reminiscent of many pre-Iraq war briefings, was highly unusual because the officials that conducted it refused to let reporters attach their names to the intel they were presenting. [...]

Tags: Iran, Iraq

Still Breaking News

2007-02-12T19:16:00.000-06:00

Countdown is talking tonight about how the military is doing a bit of a turnaround on this story. I'll update with more details. But, up until mid-day today, this was the story and the analysis.

Bush administration anonymously presents evidence against Iran

Bush administration officials have been hinting for weeks that they had quite a presentation to show reporters about Iranian meddling in the war in Iraq, and would provide proof just as soon as they could find some. I mean, as soon as they nailed down the details. Yes, that’s it. Yesterday, reporters in Iraq finally received [...]

Tags: Iran, Iraq

Ungodly Behavior

2007-02-12T19:05:00.000-06:00

Life in prison would be bad, at best. At worst, this:

What Goes On in Our Prisons

Human Rights Watch has issued a report on male-on-male prison rape in American prisons. As part of their research they solicited mail from prisoners. The following letter is the one they chose to open their report. Hat tip to Chrisopher Hayes. "I've been sentenced for a D.U.I. offense. My 3rd one. When I first came to prison, I had no idea what to expect. Certainly none of this. I'm a tall white male, who unfortunately has a small amount of feminine characteristics. And very shy. These characteristics have got me [...]

Tags: Human Rights Watch, Christopher Hayes, Prison Inmates

Bad News

2007-02-11T20:50:00.000-06:00

Or, at least it would seem that way.

US Sending Third Carrier Strike Group to Persian Gulf

The Iranians have reason to feel paranoid. At least one former White House official contends that some Bush advisers secretly want an excuse to attack Iran. A second Navy carrier group is steaming toward the Persian Gulf, and a third carrier will [...]

Tags: Iran, Navy

Just A Bit of History

2007-02-11T20:02:00.000-06:00

Fascinating stuff, those old political speeches.

FLASHBACK: Here's Hillary's Full Speech On Eve Of War Vote

The other day, Hillary Clinton told the New Hampshire Union Leader that when she voted to give President Bush the authority to go to war, "I said that it was not a vote for pre-emptive war." So we thought it would be a good idea to dig up the speech she gave at the time. She said: "My vote is not, however, a vote [...]

Tags: Hillary Clinton, Iraq War

Negative Picture

2007-02-10T19:49:00.000-06:00

So, how are things in Iraq?

Democracy..not possible in Iraq

The Iraqi political parties that formed the current Iraqi government claim to seek establishing a democratic system in Iraq. The very same political parties don’t practice democracy. The main five political parties that rule the country are: The Supreme Council [...]

Tags: Iraq, Iraq War, Supreme Council

The Big Speech

2007-02-10T19:45:00.000-06:00

Obama's speech today really was quite good. On several levels.

Obama's Speech Accomplishes More Than It Appears

A couple of very quick thoughts on Barack Obama's speech. First, one peculiar aspect of this Dem primary is that there is not one, but two potentially history-making candidates -- he and Hillary Clinton -- meaning that they'll in a sense be vying for the role of most potentially history-making contender. By drawing a direct line from [...]

UPDATE: A bit of response from the Right.

Official Blogs for Bush Commentary on Sen. Obama's Presidential Announcement

1. He hasn't the experience: Certainly the most impertinent Presidential campaign since Wilke in 1940. 2. Should he get elected, his ultra-liberal policy proposals will just be more-of-the-same political gamesmanship when placed into practice. 3. Democrats would be monumentally stupid [...]

Tags: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton

Before It Makes The Bigtime

2007-02-10T19:40:00.000-06:00

This could be a HUGE story.

Is Harry Reid getting ready to sue AP & John Solomon?

I hate putting this important a story up on a Saturday night, but I'm not gonna be scooped on this baby. Check out this Associated Press story from a few days back that nobody seemed to notice. It looks to me like Harry Reid is getting ready to sue the AP and their former [...]

Tags: Harry Reid, Associated Press

Unbelievable

2007-02-09T19:05:00.000-06:00

I really don't want to get into the Anna Nicole story. But, this is just too much....

Zsa Zsa Gabor's Husband Says He Might Be The Father

The husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor said Friday that he had a decade-long affair with Anna Nicole Smith and may be her infant daughter's father. The claim by Prince Frederick von Anhalt comes amid a paternity suit over Smith's 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn. The birth certificate lists Dannielynn's father as attorney Howard K. Stern, but former Smith boyfriend [...]

Tags: Anna Nicole SMith, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Howard K. Stern

Today's Big Story

2007-02-09T19:02:00.000-06:00

Not Anna Nicole Smith. But the lies that led to the Iraq War. Read on....

Cheney’s Other Liars

First, a heads-up: Christy will be on Air America with Sam Seder about 9:15 a.m. EST. Somewhere in the lead up to the Iraq war, the Bush/Cheney Administration decided they needed two strands of intelligence to convince the American people and the world that a preemptive war on Iraq was justified. The first would be [...]

And, of course,,,,

White House ‘red-faced’ over Rove remark.

Karl Rove was quoted telling a group of conservatives he supports President Bush’s immigration policies because “I don’t want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas.” ABC reports: “The White House does not deny that Rove made the remark but claims it has been taken out of context. [...]

Tags: Dick Cheney, Douglas Feith

Those Prisons

2007-02-09T18:56:00.000-06:00

Yet another account you should read.

Former Iraqi Interrogator Admits Abuse of Iraqi Prisoners: "I Will Never Forgive Myself"

Despite my best efforts, I cannot ignore the mistakes I made at the interrogation facility in Fallujah. I failed to disobey a meritless order, I failed to protect a prisoner in my custody, and I failed to uphold the standards of human decency. Instead, I intimidated, degraded and humiliated a man [...]

Tags: Iraqi Prisoners

Rove On A Roll

2007-02-09T18:39:00.000-06:00

Karl seems to have really stepped in it this time.

Karl Rove is a Racist Elitist Pig

The following anecdote does not come from a left-wing blogger but from National Review Online's The Corner. Karl Rove managed to be such a racist snob that he even offended that crowd. According to a congressman's wife who attended a Republican women's luncheon yesterday, Karl Rove explained the rationale behind the president's amnesty/open-borders proposal this way: "I don't want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas." And I thought Rove just wanted to keep enough of the Hispanic vote to win elections past [...]

Tags: Karl Rove, Nation Review

Room For Condi At The Libby Trial

2007-02-08T21:37:00.000-06:00

With memory lapses like this one, she'd fit right in.

Ex-Rice Aide: Memory Lapse on Iran "Really Quite Curious"

I just got off the phone with Flynt Leverett, a former CIA Mideast analyst and National Security Council staffer during President Bush's first term. Leverett says he finds it "really quite curious" that Secretary Rice is pleading a memory lapse [...]

Tags: Flynt Leverett, National Security Council, Condoleezza Riced, Iran

The Big Story

2007-02-08T20:53:00.000-06:00

That's what this story was. Until Anna Nicole Smith suddenly died. Basic info here -

Hastert Used Military Aircraft To Fly Foley Page Scandal Figure To Washington

The media continues to pound a false Washington Times report accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) of wasting government resources by “demanding permanent access to a large military jet for herself, her staff, other Members and supporters.” In fact, Pelosi’s office has stated repeatedly, from the beginning, that “it is up to the Air Force to [...]

Major update here -

A new statement...

A new statement from the House Sergeant at Arms on the Pelosi-plane-ridiculousness ... "For Immediate Release February 8, 2007 As the Sergeant at Arms, I have the responsibility to ensure the security of the members of the House of Representatives, to include the Speaker of the House. The Speaker requires additional precautions due to her responsibilities as the leader of the House and her [...]

Tags: Nancy Pelosi, Plane Scandal

The New Polls

2007-02-08T20:40:00.000-06:00

Still, the bounce just ain't happening. No matter how hard you look, it's tough to find much of optimism for the Administration.

Morning musings: Bush continues to flail in the quicksand

A new survey shows President Bush’s approval rating is at an all-time low. In fact, the only political leader with a lower approval rating is Ariel Sharon. Let’s think about that for a second. The only world leader with a lower approval rating than Bush is a Jew among Palestinians. The only world leader with a [...]

Tags: Bush's Approval Rating, Ariel Sharon, Harris

This Looks Like...

2007-02-08T20:26:00.000-06:00

Not much more than a slap on the wrist, to me. Or, is that all that's really warranted?

Breaking: a long-awaited...

Breaking: a long-awaited report on the Office of Special Plans, the intelligence shop in the Pentagon notorious for its bogus intel on Saddam Hussein's ties to Al Qaeda, is coming out tomorrow. Some details here, via [...]

Tags: Office of Special Plans, Iraq War, Saddam Hussein, Al Qaeda

But...

2007-02-08T20:16:00.000-06:00

Will it make any difference? Will the number of suicide bombings decrease? Will the number of civilian deaths decrease? Will the number of military deaths decrease?

al Qaeda on the run

Via Iraq Pictures: A suspected insurgent training site is destroyed with explosives north of Baghdad. This news from Iraq, via the Jawa Report, should be top story. But since Anna Nicole Smith died, it won't get the coverage it deserves: [...]

Before you move on, here's the likely answer to at least one of my questions -

Yes, Things Can Get Worse....A Continuing Series

Tags: Iraq War, Insurgents

Managing Our Money

2007-02-08T19:30:00.000-06:00

It is, after all, our tax dollars they're losing. Simply unbelievable. This story has floated around the web for a long time now. Finally, pretty much confirmed, the world is getting a glimpse of just how badly the Iraq War has been run.

Pallets Of Cash - Billions

Well, years later it's finally hitting a mainstream outlet - the Bush administration sent pallots of cash to a war zone, and didn't have any way to track where it went (which was probably the plan): [ ...]

Some more interesting thoughts on the vanishing $$$$$$ here -

Someone Else's Money

Tags: Iraq War, Money on Pallets

MM And Imus

2007-02-08T19:20:00.000-06:00

Mary Matlin with Don Imus this morning. Just downright bizarre. Weird. And strange. Transcripts and audio via Crooks and Liars and others.

Mary Matalin is Dazed and Confused

Her appearance on Imus this morning was just bizarre. The main point Imus wanted to cover is if she actually told Libby that Tim Russert hated Chris Matthews. I edited some stuff out (it's still a long clip) and tried to focus on her responses to this point and the Libby trial. Basically—try to follow [...]

Tags: Mary Matlin, Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, Scooter Libby

The Prosecutor Purge

2007-02-08T19:14:00.000-06:00

The stars are lining up and this one is looking more and more like the title of this post - a true purge of prosecutors who might not be explicitly friendly to the Bush Administraton.

‘I was ordered to resign’

The more we learn about the Bush administration’s prosecutor purge, the more disconcerting it looks. Bud Cummins’ dismissal was suspicious in Arkansas, Carol Lam’s removal was odd in San Diego, and now we’re learning more about John McKay’s dismissal in Seattle. Former U.S. Attorney John McKay told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his resignation this [...]

Tags: Prosecutor Purge, Bud Commins, John McKay, Carol Lam

It's Enough To Make Your Head Hurt

2007-02-08T18:36:00.000-06:00

Are you having as much trouble as I, trying to figure out what's happening with the Scooter Libby trial? I've read through this post a couple of times and STILL can't really figure who's saying the good stuff and who's not. Comment away and straighten me out. Oh, by the way, make sure you read the comments on the post quoted below -

JustOneMinute: What Is Russert's Game (And Is Fitzgerald Helping Him Play It?)

Tim Russert's testimony, as elicited by the defense, painted a picture of a pundit with a puzzling problem. Arianna Huffington has a great collection of links and a quick summary of Russert's baffling testimony and Jane Hamsher offered some helpful hints as well [and let's include Swopa's liveblogging 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Let me point out a few dots that the defense has introduced and make [...]

Tags: Scooter Libby, Tim Russert, Arianna Huffington, Jane Hamsher

Nice Save

2007-02-08T17:51:00.001-06:00

John Edwards did a pretty darn good job of defusing the big "Blogger Blowup". (See the post directly below this one for earlier information). This really could have blown up and caused big problems for his campaign. He effectively puts out the fire. Read on to find out how.

Edwards Comes Through in the Clutch

A lot of people pulled together yesterday to exert maximum pressure on John Edwards not to fire his two female netroots outreach employees, Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon and Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare's Sister and Big Brass Blog. And it payed off. "John Edwards in News Feed of 2/08/2007 at 11:36 AM EST The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte's and Melissa McEwan's posts personally offended me. It's not how I talk to people, and it's not how I expect the people who work for me to talk [...]

Tags: John Edwards, Amanda Marcotte, Melissa McEwan, Bloggers

Nice Save

2007-02-08T17:51:00.000-06:00

Edwards Comes Through in the Clutch

A lot of people pulled together yesterday to exert maximum pressure on John Edwards not to fire his two female netroots outreach employees, Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon and Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare's Sister and Big Brass Blog. And it payed off. "John Edwards in News Feed of 2/08/2007 at 11:36 AM EST The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte's and Melissa McEwan's posts personally offended me. It's not how I talk to people, and it's not how I expect the people who work for me to talk [...]

Tags: John Edwards, Amanda Marcotte, Melissa McEwan, Bloggers

Nice Save

2007-02-08T16:00:00.000-06:00

John Edwards did a apretty darn good job of defusing the big "Blogger Blowup". (See the post directly below this one for earlier information). This really could have blown up and caused big problems for his campaign. He effectively puts out the fire. Read on to find out how.

Edwards Comes Through in the Clutch

A lot of people pulled together yesterday to exert maximum pressure on John Edwards not to fire his two female netroots outreach employees, Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon and Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare's Sister and Big Brass Blog. And it payed off. "John Edwards in News Feed of 2/08/2007 at 11:36 AM EST The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte's and Melissa McEwan's posts personally offended me. It's not how I talk to people, and it's not how I expect the people who work for me to talk [...]

Tags: John Edwards, Amanda Marcotte, Melissa McEwan, Bloggers

The Blogger Blowup

2007-02-07T19:54:00.000-06:00

Big shakeups among big-time bloggers. Maybe. All over some old posts. Sheesh.

The Edwards’ Blogger Firestorm

A few days ago the Edwards campaign announced they had hired liberal bloggers Amanda Marcotte (Pandagon) and Melissa McEwan (Shakespeare’s Sister). No sooner did the news break, when wingnut bloggers started a firestorm over opinions expressed on their blogs. In particular, Marcotte’s Pandagon blog. Now the firestorm has hit the mainstream media with the news [...]

And, there's more.

Edwards Camp, Under Siege, Is In Bunker Mode Over Blogger Story

The John Edwards campaign appears to be in bunker mode over the big blogger controversy. Staffers aren't answering phone calls and emails. The statement on this whole dust-up promised to Salon earlier today has yet to materialize. Meanwhile, the Edwards camp is under blogospheric siege from some quarters. Chris Bowers of MyDD is threatening not to support Edwards if the two bloggers are fired. He writes: [...]

Tags: John Edwards, Amanda Marcotte, Melissa McEwan, Bloggers

Lilbby Trial Update

2007-02-07T19:34:00.000-06:00

I've been watching (and listening to) the audio tapes of Scooter Libby's Grand Jury testimony. Quite the fascinating stuff! I'm sure you'll find posts here in the future linking to the audio. However, there's something like eight hours of the stuff. So, you might want to start with this summary of one bit of key testimony.

Russert Destroys Libby on Stand

Tim Russert has finally taken the stand in the Scooter Libby case. Here is a quick refresher for the non-Plameologists. Scooter Libby testified that he did not leak Valerie Plame's identity or occupation to anyone until after he heard about her from Tim Russert. He called Tim Russert on July 10th, 2003 to complain about Chris Matthew's Hardball shows of July 8 and 9. And Libby told the FBI and testified to the grand jury that during this conversation Russert asked him if he knew that Ambassador Wilson's wife worked [...]

PS. Don't forget - if you're reading this at the old site, it's time to move your bookmarks. We're working on RSS feeds for the new one - www.dougkrile.com or krilefiles.blogspot.com.

Tags: Tim Russert, Scooter Libby, Chris Matthews, Hardball, Dick Cheney

Housekeeping Duties

2007-02-06T20:01:00.000-06:00

Time to move it on over to the new blog, after one final post. New URL's are www.dougkrile.com or krilefiles.blogspot.com. Obviously, the new name is "The Krile Files". So, here's one final post for the old blog and another fresh one for the new blog. Whatcha think about THIS idea? Pretty strange, in my book.

Interesting New Twist in the Marriage Debate

One has to give them an "A" for originality - from NWCN.com: OLYMPIA, Wash. - An initiative filed by proponents of same-sex marriage would require heterosexual couples to have kids within three years or else have their marriage annulled. Initiative [...]

Tags: Same-Sex Marriage

Housekeeping Duties

2007-02-06T20:00:00.000-06:00

Interesting New Twist in the Marriage Debate

One has to give them an "A" for originality - from NWCN.com: OLYMPIA, Wash. - An initiative filed by proponents of same-sex marriage would require heterosexual couples to have kids within three years or else have their marriage annulled. Initiative [...]

Tags: Same-Sex Marriage

New Posts, New Site

2007-02-05T20:26:00.000-06:00

Okay, folks. If you haven't bookmarked it yet, do it now. We're bailing out of the old, tied-to TV, site and will be working on a new one. It's up and running, albeit a bit empty right now. Bookmark either of these urls - This one or This one.

And, watch for more fun and excitement ahead.

Nice

2007-02-03T21:40:00.000-06:00

Just so very nice.

UK "Inadvertantly" Sent 15 Underage Troops To Iraq War Zones

Defense Minister Adam Ingram, who gave the figure in a written statement to lawmakers, said the "vast majority" of the young troops had been within a week of turning 18 when they were deployed, or had been removed from the war zone less than a week after arriving. "Fewer than five" were women, and none [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Underage Troops

And, People Actually Listen to Limbaugh

2007-02-03T21:20:00.000-06:00

Even though the says stuff like this -

Limbaugh: Stranded Polar Bears Are ‘Just Playing Around…Like Your Cat Goes To Its Litter Box’

This week, the UK Daily Mail published photos of polar bears stranded on ice floes in the Arctic. Determined to deny the existence of global warming, Rush Limbaugh said on Friday that the bears were “just playing around…just like your cat goes to its litter box”: This whole thing is totally misleading. They’re not even stranded [...]

Tags: Rush Limbaugh, Global Warming, Polar Bears

Oh, By The Way...

2007-02-03T21:03:00.000-06:00

Today was a bad day in Iraq. Really bad.

Deadliest Bombing Yet Today in Iraq

The deadliest suicide bombing to date occurred in Iraq today. More than 100 were killed and 300 were injured, many of whom are expected to die. "The pick-up truck that exploded was left at the entrance of [...]

Tags: Iraq War

What's Wrong In Iraq

2007-02-03T20:44:00.000-06:00

It's really quite simple.

The Deadly, But Simple Logic of Anarchy in Iraq

Greetings from the PlameHouse apartment in Washington, D.C. Between packing for my flight, getting to and from airports, flying across the country, and catching up on sleep, I didn't have much chance to follow the news for a shocking 18 hours or so. When I did finally get a look at the headlines, I [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Iran

Going After Iran

2007-02-03T20:32:00.000-06:00

With little to back up the push. So very little.

Where’s the Evidence?

Despite the ever increasing drumbeat from the Bush administration on the threat that Iran poses to the U.S. the L.A. Times reports that, “Bush administration officials acknowledged Friday that they had yet to compile evidence strong enough to back up publicly their claims that Iran is fomenting violence against U.S. troops in Iraq.” Administration officials have [...]

Tags: Iran

It's Only Money

2007-02-03T20:28:00.000-06:00

Your money. And my money.

Bush requests largest military budget ever for last year in office

President Bush is requesting the largest military budget in all of US history for his last year in office, 2008. The budget is more than half a trillion dollars- $622 billion to be exact. The Administration is also requesting an extra $93 billion for this year, 2007. Depending on the fate of the current Warner-Levin compromise [...]

Tags: Military Budget

Dick Cheney, et al

2007-02-03T20:23:00.000-06:00

Oh, this is such good reading.

Frank Rich Has It Right - The Libby Trial Is VERY BAD for Cheney and This White House

Blogged by Brad from the road... See RAW STORY for their excerpts from Frank Rich's analysis about what's going on at the White House and in Dick Cheney's brain right now. We happily associate ourselves with his take on things. Particularly the part about most of the DC insiders "misunderestimating" all that is likely at stake [...]

Tags: Dick Cheney

In-Fighting

2007-02-03T20:12:00.000-06:00

I always love it when bloggers attack each other. Particularly when they're supposed to be on the same side. Still, it makes for good reading.

Not What Digby Said

In my continuing campaign of disagreeing with Left bloggers and writers, I now turn to everybody's favorite (but my favorite first) blogger, Digby, who appears to endorse the very line of argument I find infuriating: "Deciding what to do next about Iraq is hard — on the merits, and in the politics [...]

Tags: Iraq, Iran

New Digs

2007-02-02T21:46:00.000-06:00

Don't forget to bookmark the new digs for this blog - krilefiles.blogspot.com or www.dougkrile.com. It's still pretty empty over there, but we'll paint the walls and get some furniture in soon!

Before Bed

2007-02-02T21:35:00.000-06:00

You should know that we've lost another chopper and crew.

Progress in Iraq

Unfortunately, this progress is working against us: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. Army helicopter crashed Friday in a hail of gunfire north of Baghdad, police and witnesses said — the fourth lost in Iraq in the last two weeks. The U.S. command said two crew members were killed, and the top [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Helicopter Crash

Commentary Time

2007-02-02T21:20:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, while exploring the blogosphere, you stumble on something written by a little-known writer who makes a lot of sense. Here's a case in point.

Listen Up, Congress - It's Time to Show us What You Are Made Of

Forget the talk about wanting Bush to withdraw from Iraq by 2009. Forget the self congratulating with respect to a (warning: .pdf) toothless and meaningless but symbolic vote. Hell, even something like censure is barely sufficient as far as action. Here is the plain fact. America wants out of Iraq. As soon as possible. Period. If you want to have any chance of gaining the public’s confidence, and as a nice little side benefit, control of Congress for a generation as well as the next few presidencies, listen and [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Congress

Commentary Time

2007-02-02T21:20:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, while exploring the blogosphere, you stumble on something written by a little-known writer who makes a lot of sense. Here's a case in point.

Listen Up, Congress - It's Time to Show us What You Are Made Of

Forget the talk about wanting Bush to withdraw from Iraq by 2009. Forget the self congratulating with respect to a (warning: .pdf) toothless and meaningless but symbolic vote. Hell, even something like censure is barely sufficient as far as action. Here is the plain fact. America wants out of Iraq. As soon as possible. Period. If you want to have any chance of gaining the public’s confidence, and as a nice little side benefit, control of Congress for a generation as well as the next few presidencies, listen and [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Congress

Followup Time

2007-02-02T20:58:00.000-06:00

Quick followup posts to a couple of important stories. Both via ThinkProgress. First topic - White House response to the NIE.

Hadley Ignores NIE, Says White House Will Still Not Call Iraq A ‘Civil War’

At a press briefing this morning, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said the White House will continue to avoid using the term “civil war” to describe events in Iraq, despite the findings of the new National Intelligence Estimate. Hadley was pressed on the issue by ABC News’ Martha Raddatz: “Why do you go out of [...]

And, just for good measure, something of note about New Orleans.

Bush shifts $1.3 billion away from levee funding.

“President Bush is expected to shift $1.3 billion away from raising and armoring levees, installing floodgates and building permanent pumping in Southeast Louisiana in order to plug long-anticipated financial shortfalls in other hurricane-protection projects, a move Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) describes as a retreat from the president’s commitment to protect the [...]

Tags: National Intelligence Estimate, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans

The Other Big Story

2007-02-02T18:54:00.000-06:00

You have your DNC meeting (first post below this one) and, then, you have the hugely important NIE Report. The Washington Post did a great job of summarizing it. Via AmericaBlog, where John offered a comment.

New "National Intelligence Estimate" looks grim for Iraq

Funny, that. Iran is supposedly, per Bush, one of our biggest problems in Iraq. Yet, according to the massive intelligence community review, Iran is mentioned only as [...]

Tags: National Intelligence Estimate, Iraq War

The Big Meeting

2007-02-02T17:34:00.000-06:00

The DNC meeting in Washington today produced some interesting comments from the candidates. Some good speeches. Some not-so-good speeches. TPMCafe blog has some good analysis and some video clips.

DNC Meeting Highlights

Because you all want to know how the Dem Presidential candidates did at the DNC's Winter Meeting today, we've compiled some highlights! We've got videos of the best moments lodged by Hillary, Obama, Kucinich, the whole bunch....First up was Chris Dodd, kicking off his underdog campaign with a [...]

Tags: DNC Winter Meeting

New Site

2007-02-01T22:14:00.000-06:00

It's very new. Not very fancy. But, we're going to be moving this site to a new one. If you want to go there directly, it's http://krilefiles.blogspot.com It's just duplicated posts right now. http://www.dougkrile.com will redirect shortly.

Quick Turnaround

2007-02-01T21:49:00.000-06:00

We're sending troops back to Iraq much quicker than they expect. And, some of them aren't happy about it. Not one little bit.

Why The Coming Fight On Iraq Starts Now

I know my wife hasn't seen the following headline yet, or there'd be one hell of an angry, angst-ridden email in my inbox: Oklahoma National Guard to Deploy to Iraq in 2008. It seems that my brigade has been given a warning order to prepare to deploy to Iraq in 2008, about six months after I get home. I don't know if it's [...]

Tags: Iraq Deployment, National Guard

Like A Freight Train

2007-02-01T20:07:00.000-06:00

We appear to be headed for big-time trouble with Iran. How many months have we been talking about this? I believe my first post was last August. Now, it's getting serious.

The Edge of The Abyss

I've had a knot in my stomach for weeks as the rhetoric out of Washington amped up against Iran. As others have pointed out, this is deja vu, all over again. Sean-Paul Kelley at The Agonist pulls it all together and it paints one very scary picture. The drumbeat for an attack on Iran is [...]

Tags: Iran

What He Said Then

2007-02-01T19:52:00.000-06:00

Versus what he says now. There are some mighty big questions, here, my friends.

Now he tells us

In an otherwise unremarkable interview with the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, the president explained a bit about how he came to realize his strategy in Iraq wasn’t working. WSJ: Was there a moment in the war when you said we have to make a major change in the way we’re doing things in Iraq? GWB: Yes, [...]

Tags: Iraq War, George W. Bush, Wall Street Journal

New Numbers

2007-02-01T19:13:00.000-06:00

No, not another set of poll numbers. We're talking troop numbers. For Iraq.

BREAKING: Bush "surge" likely sending DOUBLE the number of troops to Iraq - 35,000 to 48,000 - NOT 21,000

Leaked Congressional Budget Office report says real number of Bush troop surge is between 35,000 and 48,000 additional troops. UPDATE: And that $5.6 billion Bush asked for to pay for the "surge," it was a lie too. From CBO: [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Congressional Budget Office, Troop Surge

The Libby Trial

2007-02-01T16:51:00.000-06:00

We haven't done this justice. It really has become much more fascinating than many expected. All because of testimony like today's.

The Vice-President is Guilty

There are a lot of sexy witnesses in the Libby trial but it is a no-name FBI case agent that is providing the most damning testimony. Ms. Deborah S. Bond questioned Scooter Libby in October and November of 2003. Scooter Libby concocted a phony baloney story to cover up the Vice-President's role in outing Valerie Plame. It went like this: Scooter Libby learned about Valerie Plame from the Vice-President back in early June 2003. He then promptly forgot about learning this because he was a very busy man. Then Joe [...]

Tags: Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, Deborah Bond, Valerie Plame

Spying? On You?

2007-01-30T20:15:00.000-06:00

You, the average, ordinary, internet user? Before you say, "No way!", read on.

FBI "Vacuum Cleaner" Sucks Up Americans' Internet Records

Cnet News reports: The FBI appears to have adopted an invasive Internet surveillance technique that collects far more data on innocent Americans than previously has been disclosed. Instead of recording only what a particular suspect is doing, agents conducting investigations [...]

Tags: Internet Records, Spying

Weekend Drinkers

2007-01-30T16:04:00.000-06:00

And the school that wants to test them on Monday mornings. Whatcha think about THIS idea?

NJ School Randomly Screens For Alcohol Consumption

A public school that wants to search a student's urine for evidence of alcohol consumption should seek a warrant based on probable cause. The shortcut taken by Pequannock Township (NJ) High School is offensive: random urinalysis using a dubious screening test. "Urine screenings look for ethyl glucuronide, produced by the body after it metabolizes alcohol. School officials acknowledge the test is sensitive, and false positive readings can be [...]

Tags: Alcohol Consumption, Urinalysis, Testing High School Students for Alcohol

Not What It Appears

2007-01-30T15:28:00.000-06:00

Consider, if you will, the end result. TPMmuckraker did.

Today's Must Read

The dark reign of experts and regulatory officials is over! From The New York Times: In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by [...]

Tags: Executive Order, Regulatory Policy Office

Katrina Memories

2007-01-30T14:52:00.000-06:00

Those memories are today's reality. Sadly.

Katrina recovery efforts — and Republicans’ disinterest

Barack Obama did a good job yesterday of bringing attention to an issue that seems to have been largely forgotten: post-Katrina recovery in New Orleans. If only Republicans had bothered to listen to what Obama had to say. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama blasted the Bush administration Monday for the slow pace of Hurricane Katrina recovery [...]

Tags: Barack Obama, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans

Minimum Wage

2007-01-30T13:50:00.000-06:00

Raising the minimum wage took a sizable step forward in the Senate this afternoon. A Daily Kos poster has waded through a myriad of reports and pieced together a good summary. Complete with a rhetorical question or two.

Harry Reid breaks GOP min. wage filibuster

A step forward for the minimum wage increase this afternoon, as the Senate cleared the logjam of the Republican filibuster that had been preventing the Upperdownvote^TM. But just how craven was Republican opposition to a fair day's pay for an honest day's work? Well, apparently the tax breaks they demanded in exchange for [...]

Tags: Minimum Wage, Harry Reid, Filibuster

Twisting The Truth

2007-01-30T12:57:00.000-06:00

There are some startling numbers included in this report. It's from AP, via Huffington Post.

Scientists To Congress: There's Political Pressure To Downplay Global Warming

Two private advocacy groups told a congressional hearing Tuesday that climate scientists at seven government agencies say they have been subjected to political pressure aimed at downplaying the threat of global warming. The groups presented a survey that shows two in five of the 279 climate scientists who responded to a questionnaire complained that [...]

Oh, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Read on.

A Story You Won't Read Here In The US

This Friday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will issue its fourth annual report on global warming, and it's expected to be a doozy. Put it to you this way: the only thing the world's scientists disagree on is how high sea levels will rise in response to the current warming trends, and the panel painstakingly went out of its way to include scientists who formerly disagreed with the global warming concept. In fact, one of the major criticisms [...]

Tags: Global Warming, Political Pressure

Questioning "The Decider"

2007-01-30T12:45:00.000-06:00

There are some interesting quotes coming out of today's hearing on America's war powers.

Specter to Bush: you aren't the only decider (that was just the case when the GOP controlled Congress)

Oh, now Arlen Specter gets a spine. Today, he challenged Bush's self-designation as the decider:..."I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider," Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said during a hearing on Congress' war powers amid an increasingly harsh debate over Iraq war policy. "The decider is [...]

New CENTCOM Commander Oblivious On Surge

Can someone explain to me how in the hell Admiral William Fallon was installed by the White House to implement the surge in Iraq when he doesn't fully understand the president’s plan or his boss's congressional testimony on it, and won’t commit to Senator Levin that the 21,500 troops [...]

CENTCOM Follies

Spencer Ackerman reports from Capitol Hill:I just got back from Admiral Bill Fallon's hearing to head Central Command, and I've never heard a military officer testify for nearly four hours and fail to exhibit an understanding of even one [...]

Tags: The Decider, Arlen Specter, George W. Bush

What's Happening?

2007-01-30T12:05:00.000-06:00

Not a whole lot today. In fact, it's one of the slower days out in the blogosphere that I've seen for quite a while. That probably means all heck is fixin' to break loose, though. Here's something to get you talking.

Army Investigating Video Alleging More Iraq Prison Abuses

The U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Division has begun an investigation into this video, which was first posted on IraqSlogger last week. The clip, originally linked via a now defunct account on YouTube, purports to show a former guard from Abu Ghraib talking about torture techniques employed at the American-run prison. The man also recounts the gang rape of [...]

Tags: Abu Ghraib, Torture

No Laughing, Now

2007-01-29T19:33:00.000-06:00

Science is serious stuff.

WE FIGURED THIS WOULD BE A MORE EFFECTIVE WAY TO COOL THE PLANET THAN HANGING A REALLY, REALLY HUGE CEILING FAN FROM THE MOON

Who says the Bush administration favors "junk science"? This is from Saturday's Guardian: "The US government wants the world's scientists to develop technology to block sunlight as a last-ditch way to halt global warming, the Guardian has learned. It says research into techniques such as giant mirrors in space or [...]

Tags: Global Warming

Contractor Corruption

2007-01-29T19:25:00.000-06:00

Asking the obvious question, I give you Nicole Belle -

Army To Investigate War Contractors

Hmmm….the new Democratic majority in Congress wouldn't have anything to do with this sudden interest in cleaning up corruption, would it? Kansas City Star (h/t MrEMan) Army investigators have opened up to 50 criminal investigations involving battlefield contractors in the war in Iraq and the U.S. fight against terrorism, The Associated Press has learned. They include high-dollar [...]

Tags: War Contractors, Corruption

No Kidding

2007-01-29T19:22:00.000-06:00

Politicizing prosecutors? No kidding.

CNN: Bush Admin Politicizing Prosecutors?

Jack Cafferty, in his gruff, everyman way, took on the question of the Bush administration's placement of conservative loyalists in U.S. attorney spots during his segment today [:...]

Tags: Jack Cafferty, U.S. Attorneys

Ari Opens Up

2007-01-29T14:10:00.000-06:00

Under immunity, the former press secretary speaks out. And opens some eyes.

Fleischer: Libby discussed CIA official over lunch.

“Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer testified Monday that then-colleague I. Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby told him over lunch that the wife of a prominent war critic worked at the CIA,” the AP reports. “Fleischer said the conversation happened July 7, 2003, days before Libby told investigators he was surprised to learn about the CIA [...]

Tags: Ari Fleischer, Scooter Libby

The Campaigning Begins

2007-01-29T14:00:00.000-06:00

You know the political campaigns are truly underway when the critics start putting together websites and videos to work AGAINST a candidate.

TheRealMcCain.com

It isn't pretty. Please watch this video. It's a documentary short about John McCain, and it's simply devastating. It's all his own words. Then his other words that contradict his words. Again, and again, and again. Then visit the new [...]

Tags: TheRealMcCain.com, John McCain

Just Another Day

2007-01-29T12:58:00.000-06:00

In the War Zone. More thoughts via the McClatchy News folks in Baghdad.

A typical day of fear

We encounter so many violent incidents everyday not only in the district we live in but everywhere in Iraq, every passing day there is something new to worry about, sometimes I wonder where I have the patience and the courage [...]

Tags: Baghdad, Iraq War

The Strange Case of Dick Cheney

2007-01-29T12:32:00.000-06:00

Every day brings a new (and unfathomable) bit of information about our Vice President. Andrew Johnson notes the latest.

The Arrogance of Cheney

After his patently unhinged appearance with Wolf Blitzer last week, one wonders how much longer the vice-president's increasingly bizarre assertions of secrecy and authority will be tolerated in Washington. Check out this post from David Kurtz. Money quote:The Vice President [...]

And Booman Tribune notes another classic, via Newsweek -

The Hubris of Dick Cheney

Newsweek's Richard Wolffe got an exclusive interview with Dick Cheney and he asked some tough questions. Here is how the interview ended. "Wolffe: Bob Woodward reported that President Ford thought you had justified the war wrongly, and that Ford agreed with Colin Powell that you developed a fever about Saddam Hussein, about terrorism. Did you feel that was accurate? Cheney: I've never heard that from [...]

Tags: Dick Cheney, Wolf Blitzer, CNN, David Kurtz

Tags: Newsweek, Richard Wolffe

Huckabee Announcement

2007-01-28T11:27:00.000-06:00

No surprise. Mike Huckabee went on Meet The Press today to confirm he's setting up an exploratory committee for a presidential campaign. There was at least one surprise - Russert brought up the Wayne Dumond issue, surprising several bloggers.

Russert did ask Huckabee about Dumond

I'm still half asleep, but Timmy did bring up a few questions about the Wayne Dumond case to Mike. Huckabee did admit that he talked to the parole board about Dumond, but danced around and never told us why he was interested in the case in the first place. I'll have to check the segment [...]

The Arkansas Times blog has some key quotes in its summary.

Huckabee meets the press

Did you watch Mike Huckabee with Tim Russert on Meet the Press? Thoughts? (Of course he announced his presidential candidacy.) After noon Sunday, you can watch the show on the web. Mine: Huckabee did well. He's a good talker and met no question that he doesn't expect to have to field at some point. But Russert was sharper than I'd predicted and brought up some issues Huckabee struggled with a bit. Some talking points: [...]

Tags: Mike Huckabee, Tim Russert, Meet The Press, Wayne Dumond

Psychic Advice For a President

2007-01-28T11:22:00.000-06:00

It was Nixon. And, it appears, he took it seriously.

President Nixon’s Secret Psychic Adviser

After his secretary conveyed psychic Jeane Dixon’s prophecies about terrorism, President Nixon ordered Henry Kissinger and others to prepare for attacks [...]

Tags: Richard Nixon, Jean Dixon, Psychic

And the Winner Is...

2007-01-28T11:15:00.000-06:00

Interesting observations on Wolf Blitzer's interview of Dick Cheney. Must say, I'd agree.

In Wolf v. Dick, Blitzer Wins

I think it's safe to say that Wolf "out of line" Blitzer was the winner of last week's verbal battle [...]

Tags: Wolf Blitzer, Dick Cheney, CNN

Hillary Singing

2007-01-27T19:02:00.000-06:00

We were watching MSNBC today when Hillary Clinton was being introduced in Iowa. During the singing of the National Anthem, they left her microphone on. The lady can't carry a tune, that's for sure. MSNBC spent some time debating whether that was her verion of "The Dean Scream". Nope. No way. And Rachel Sklar explains why not on the Huffington Post

Microphone Mistake Broadcasts Clinton Singing National Anthem...

More and more, it seems, it's the unscripted, unguarded moments in candidates for public office that are making the difference, be they botched joke or Macaca moment. Today in Iowa, Hillary Clinton may well have had her own: An open-mic snafu that broadcast her singing along to the National Anthem, and none to tunefully. "Iowa Idol!" screams the headline at Drudge, but even [...]

Tags: Hillary Clinton

The Big Protest

2007-01-27T18:42:00.000-06:00

They really had a decent crowd for the anti-war protest in D.C. today. And HippieChick has a very nice little commentary on it.

Evening reflections: can you hear us now?

Thousands of protestors stormed Washington this morning to make sure the president knows how most of this country feels about the war in Iraq. Thousands and thousands. Tens of thousands. People from all over the country, members of Congress, celebrities, old and young, black and white. Can you hear us NOW, Mr. Bush? I hope [...]

Tags: Anit-War Protest

Kerry's Speaking Out

2007-01-27T18:25:00.000-06:00

Actually, it's more than just speaking out. It's a pummeling.

Kerry Rips Bush Administration in Davos

John Kerry is in Davos this weekend for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting where he wasted no time stepping up to speak the truth to power. Liberated now from the constraints of running for president in ‘08, Kerry ripped the Bush Administration as he spoke at the WEF session, ‘The Future of the Middle [...]

UPDATE: Just for the sake of comparison, here's how the right sees the Kerry speech.

John Kerry Slams His Own Country At Davos

Tags: John Kerry, Bush Administration, World Economic Forum

Kerry's Speaking Out

2007-01-27T17:50:00.000-06:00

Actually, it's more than just speaking out. It's a pummeling.

Kerry Rips Bush Administration in Davos

John Kerry is in Davos this weekend for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting where he wasted no time stepping up to speak the truth to power. Liberated now from the constraints of running for president in ‘08, Kerry ripped the Bush Administration as he spoke at the WEF session, ‘The Future of the Middle [...]

Tags: John Kerry, Bush Administration, World Economic Forum

Mike Huckabee is In

2007-01-27T13:59:00.000-06:00

Announcement coming on Meet The Press Sunday, exploratory committee to be formed Monday. Many of us here in Arkansas wonder how long it will take before somebody asks him about Wayne Dumond. Who's that, you say? Read on. And thank the blogosphere for the research.

The Tale of Wayne Dumond

Wayne Dumond was convicted in 1985 for the rape of Ashley Stevens. In 1999, he was released after the parole board, under pressure from Huckabee, voted to do so. Two years later he was convicted of murdering a woman, who he also sexually assaulted. Dumond was also a victim of a vigilante attack, having been attacked and castrated after his rape of Stevens. Now, normally this would just be usual tale of leniency being granted to the wrong person, the kind of thing which is inevitable in the criminal justice system. But Wayne Dumond wasn't just any criminal, he was [...]

UPDATE: Also from the blogsphere. Some help for Russert on MTP

Questions Tim Russert should ask Mike Huckabee on Meet the Press

Tags: Mike Huckabee, Wayne Dumond

So Much For Bipartisanship

2007-01-27T13:48:00.000-06:00

The gloves are gonna come off now. I don't believe the Democrats will stand for this kind of childish behavior by opponents of the Minimum Wage Hike.

179:

Number of amendments offered by conservatives to the minimum wage bill, including multiple amendments to abolish the federal minimum wage. In a dramatic floor speech (go to 4:30), Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) said today that conservative senators appear to be waging a “filibuster by amendment.” The next vote on the bill will be on [...]

Tags: Minimum Wage

New Lows

2007-01-27T13:02:00.000-06:00

Simply stunning results in the latest Newsweek poll. You really need to read through all of the results. Several key things to note: A new low for the President; The State of the Union Speech did not help the President; Americans think he's ignoring the experts; and they want us out of Iraq. And not by small margins. A longer-than-usual quote follows below. But, there's much more to read.

NEWSWEEK Poll: Bush Hits New Low

President George W. Bush concluded his annual State of the Union address this week with the words “the State of our Union is strong … our cause in the world is right … and tonight that cause goes on.” Maybe so, but the state of the Bush administration is at its worst yet, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. The president’s approval ratings are at their lowest point in the poll’s history—30 percent—and more than half the country (58 percent) say they wish the Bush presidency were simply over, a sentiment that is almost unanimous among Democrats (86 percent), and is shared by a clear majority (59 percent) of independents and even one in five (21 percent) Republicans. Half (49 percent) of all registered voters would rather see a Democrat elected president in 2008, compared to just 28 percent who’d prefer the GOP to remain in the White House [...]

Tags: George W. Bush, Newsweek Poll, State of the Union, Hillary Clinton

More Libby Court Action

2007-01-26T19:53:00.000-06:00

Now, THIS is really going to get interesting. MSNBC is making it out to be "breaking news". And, it probably is.

Rove, Bartlett Subpoenaed In Libby Trial

White House anxiety is mounting over the prospect that top officials--including deputy chief of staff Karl Rove and counselor Dan Bartlett-may be forced to provide potentially awkward testimony in the perjury and obstruction trial of Lewis (Scooter) Libby. Both Rove and Bartlett have already received trial subpoenas from [...]

Tags: Karl Rove, Dan Bartlett, Scotter Libby

Tough Words

2007-01-26T19:43:00.000-06:00

CNN's milking the Blitzer/Cheney interview for everything they can squeeze out of it.

Begala on Cheney: “If he had any decency, he would simply resign”

After a clip from Cheney's interview with Wolf Blitzer, Begala has some tough words for Vice President Cheney. Tell us how you really feel, Paul. Video will be coming… From CNN.com : PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: "Really, it's stunning. It's a great interview, and — because we saw the real Dick Cheney, you know, a really remarkable, [...]

Tags: Wolf Blitzer, Paul Begala, Dick Cheney

No Guts

2007-01-26T19:39:00.000-06:00

No glory.

Profiles in courage?

A top conservative Capitol Hill staffer tells Politico that more than 70 senators would oppose Bush’s escalation if their vote matched their comments in private meetings. “The White House is trying to [...]

Tags: Troop Surge, Congress

Flip-Flop

2007-01-26T19:32:00.000-06:00

Of the good kind!

Famed country singer Toby Keith,

who engaged in a public feud with the Dixie Chicks and once sang a two-fisted song about putting “a boot in [the] ass” of the terrorists, tells Newsday that he doesn’t support the Iraq war. “‘Never did,’ he says — and he favors setting a time limit on the occupation. He says he suspects civil [...]

Tags: Toby Keith, Dixie Chicks, Iraq War

Nudging Slightly Higher

2007-01-26T19:26:00.000-06:00

A bit of a bounce from the State of the Union speech.

Bush's Approval Edges Up

President Bush's job approval rating ticked up slightly after his nationally–televised State of the Union address, according to a new Zogby telephone poll. With 32% approving of his work leading the nation, he is up two points from last month's poll. Key finding: "More people approved of the Bush speech than [...]

Tags: Zogby Poll, Bush Approval Rating, State of the Union, SOTU

The Personal Stories

2007-01-26T19:25:00.000-06:00

This, from NBC News, will touch you.

An attack in Baghdad hits home

Robert Bazell, NBC News Chief Science Correspondent, is reporting from the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq this week for the Nightly News with Brian Williams. He blogs about how an attack in Baghdad hits home in the [...]

Tags: NBC News, Robert Bazell, Baghdad, Iraq War

Smokescreens and Changing Stories

2007-01-26T15:50:00.000-06:00

It just makes it so darn difficult to trust any part of the Administration. So difficult.

AP Disputes Military Claims on Deaths of Americans in Iraq

Contrary to U.S. military statements, four U.S. soldiers did not die repelling a sneak attack at the governor's office in the Shiite holy city of Karbala last week. New information obtained by The Associated Press shows they were [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Karbala

Just Down The Road

2007-01-26T15:00:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't keep up with Southern geography, the city of Texarkana is actually two cities, one in Arkansas and one in Texas. The city is divided (pretty much right down the middle) by the border between the two states. So, being an Arkansas myself, this headline caught my eye. Our tax dollars at work, my friends.

Terrorists in Texarkana?

The city of Texarkana, Texas, has found the terrorists, and with money from the Department of Homeland Security, is going to go round 'em all up. Or, perhaps, not [...]

Tags: Tracking Terrorists, Texarkana

Not A Joke

2007-01-26T14:28:00.000-06:00

Right on the heels of announcing massive losses, look at what Ford Motor Company is doing -

“Ford May Resume Its Bonuses to Boost Executive Morale”

It's as if this was written as a satire: Ford Motor Co. may resume paying executive bonuses to boost the morale of managers battered by three rounds of job cuts and plant closings in the past five years, people familiar with the matter said. The No. 2 U.S. automaker is considering [...]

Tags: Ford Motor Company, Executive Bonuses

Another Arkansan In The Hunt

2007-01-26T13:40:00.000-06:00

Huck (announcing Sunday?), Hillary and now the General. Maybe.

Wither Wes Clark? Wait Two More Weeks...

Over the Christmas holidays, Ret. Gen. Wes Clark told a close friend that, without a doubt, he would establish a presidential exploratory committee after the first of the year. And now? A Clark adviser says the '04 candidate is "leaning towards setting up an exploratory then taking some time to explore." Clark accepted an invitation to speak at [...]

UPDATE: Hotline has more on Huckabee - Huckabee Hearts This Weekend

Tags: Wes Clark, 2008 Presidential Campaign

Oil Rights and Politics

2007-01-26T12:57:00.000-06:00

If you want to know the REAL reason the Administration is so intent on sending more troops to Iraq, read on. It's quite simple. Oil.

Big Oil Strikes (Black) Gold in Iraq. $3 Billion Worth.

And there it is. Once again. As if there wasn’t enough reason to make you disgusted about the trillions of our dollars and tens of thousands of lives (at a minimum) wasted in Iraq, ExxonMobil and Chevron are (quietly) negotiating with Iraq on a $3 Billion deal for one of them to build a petrochemical plant. So while a debate continues to rage about whether we should send more troops (which are already being sent) or whether we should keep the same troop levels – as opposed to debating the [...]

Tags: Iraq Oil, ExxonMobile, Chevron, Iraq War

Decision-Maker

2007-01-26T11:50:00.000-06:00

AP pretty much spells it out with a few choice words: "on a collision course with Congress". I'm looking for video clips, but the President was far from a happy camper during a terse meeting with reporters this morning. He also owned up to a relatively recent policy implemented in the Iraq War -

Bush Approved Killing Iranian Assets Inside Iraq

While Bush told the world last summer that he was committed to resolving disputes with Iran diplomatically, he secretly authorized US forces in Iraq to capture and kill suspected Iranian operatives. Dick Cheney and Elliott Abrams, who both think that the killing of Iranians inside Iraq will force Tehran to back down from its nuclear ambitions and stop meddling in Iraq, cooked up the new policy. Of course, it could also [...]

UPDATE: The folks at Think Progress snagged the video clips. Watch 'em.

UPDATE 2: One of the commenters over at Talking Points Memo has some salient thoughts about all this -

TPM Reader AC...

on the Decider ... "President Bush has never been very strong on the stuff most of us learned in 7th grade civics--namely, that there are three branches of government that share power. Of course, part of that is because he's always had a rubber-stamp congress. His comment that "I'm the decider" on Iraq shows that view remains. No surprise there. But now there's a congress with a [...]

Tags: George W. Bush, Congress, Iraq

TGIF

2007-01-26T11:41:00.000-06:00

The President was back on his "I'm the Decider" kick this morning and is really locking horns with Congress. More on that momentarily. First, a bit of history. And some thoughts about how it might apply to today.

JFK to GWB?

Here's a YouTube purporting to expose what president Kennedy might say to president Bush if he were still alive, on the question of government secrecy and executive power. It's worth acknowledging that, whatever his rhetoric, Kennedy wasn't so good at [...]

Tags: John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush

Constant Pressure

2007-01-25T21:15:00.000-06:00

Smoke and mirrors. Non-stop. 24/7.

Rockefeller: Cheney applied "constant" pressure to stall investigation on flawed Iraq intelligence

Vice President Dick Cheney applied "constant" pressure on the Republican former head of the Senate Intelligence Committee to stall an investigation into the Bush administration's use of flawed intelligence on Iraq, the panel's Democratic chairman charged Thursday. "It was just constant," Sen. Jay [...]

Tags: Dick Cheney, Jay Rockefeller, Senate Intelligence Committee

Ready-Made Promo

2007-01-25T21:14:00.001-06:00

Talk about falling into a ready-made promo. I'll bet MSNBC has clips of its reporting of the Libby trial on the air by tomorrow. If not sooner.

Cheney was obsessed with Hardball’s coverage

This is pretty exposive testimony. Cathie Martin, (worked at the OVP under Mary Matalin) testified today that Cheney was totally obsessed with Chris Matthews and "Hardball," because they were taking Joe Wilson so seriously. Cheney's staff were cutting up clips and transcripts and passing them out to track what was being said on the show regarding Joe Wilson. Cheney [...]

Tags: Scooter Libby, Cathie Martin, Chris Matthews