This was great

Olbermann on Bush:


Kieth Olbermann is excellent.

Semantics Game

It's all a semantics game...
Remember the good old days of the republican majority? When a simple majority vote would usually pass a bill? Back when the headlines and tv and radio hosts would report how democrats are blocking something with a filibuster? When you heard not so subtle threats of the 'nuclear option' when talk of a democratic filibuster came up? Remember the right wing talking heads railing about obstructionist democrats? If you are Alberto Gonzales and don't recall, take a look at this, this(second half), and this. How much ink was given to democratic filibusters and the nuclear option? Lots.

Do you wonder what headlines you see when republicans filibuster 2 (or more) bills this week? Judging by the AP articles on the habeus corpus bill and leave and deployment time bill that ran in most newspapers; there will be no mention of filibuster or blocking. Not one. Why did these bills fail?

"The proposal... failed on a 56-44 vote, with 60 votes needed for passage"

Why 60 votes you may wonder? Don't look to the articles for help.

Hint: it rhymes with General Custer

3 strikes (wax on, wax off)

The bad news has been coming more and more frequently this summer, with three rather significant events happening this week. Yesterday was Alberto Gonzales' last day at the justice department (please hold your applause till the end). Then later in the day yesterday the Iraqi govt. rejected Blackwater Inc.'s right to operate in Iraq due to an incident in Baghdad where quite a few Iraqis were killed. For the cherry on top, it was announced that the inspector genereal of the State Dept. is under investigation for fraud, abuse, profiteering, and basically doing a shitty job. The man behind it all is Rep. Henry A. Waxman, (D-Calif.)

It just came out the Waxman is going to hold hearings about Blackwater. Though the facts are not yet completely clear, Iraq's govt. is trying to get Blackwater out of the country after a Baghdad incident where between 8 and 20 people were killed by its employees. It's not publicized (or even publically available) how many Blackwater and other mercenaries are in Iraq, Afghanistan, who knows where else, but many estimates have put it near or greater then the number of actual US combat troops. Our wars and occupations are being fought by private soldiers of fortune almost as much as by the military. With huge no-bid contracts, no oversight, no accountability, supposed immunity from any criminal prosecution, and an overstretched US military, Blackwater was living the dream. Little mention was made concerning the wisdom of committing so largely to soldiers-for-hire. Eisenhower talked about the military-industrial complex, and the danger of having such a large permanent group with a large profit motive to fight wars. The same can be said about private warfighting companies...profits will motivate then to fight, start, and prolong conflicts. The Blackwater CEO has certainly made back the money he spent helping Bush get elected.

Three cheers for Bush's privatization of every and all things possible.

My two cents