The U.S. Attorney, the G.O.P. Congressman and the Timely Job Offer - New York Times

The U.S. Attorney, the G.O.P. Congressman and the Timely Job Offer - New York Times:

United States attorneys serve, as the White House likes to point out, at the pleasure of the president. But if Ms. Yang, or any of the others, was pushed out to prevent justice from being done in a pending criminal matter, it would be a serious misuse of executive authority. It could also be obstruction of justice.

Congress is conducting closed-door interviews with Justice Department officials. That is important, but hardly enough. It is looking more and more as if the United States attorney dismissals were managed out of the White House. The way to put to rest the questions about Ms. Yang’s suspicious departure, and the firings of the other prosecutors, is to require that Ms. Miers, Mr. Rove and other White House officials tell what they know, in public and under oath.

Amen to that!

If it walks like a duck and craps like a duck and....

The Surge Is Not Working (In Our Favor)

WP: Iraq projectile bombs at record high - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com:

Overall attacks using roadside bombs doubled in Iraq from 2006 to 2007 and number about 1,200 a month. They cause roughly 70 percent of the casualties suffered by U.S. troops, according to military statistics.

Total strikes by roadside bombs in Baghdad have increased in recent months, said Sgt. 1st Class Stuart Walker, a member of an engineering battalion that clears roads in eastern Baghdad. One reason for the increase, he said, is that there are thousands more U.S. troops in Baghdad. 'Before, we didn't present as many targets,' said Walker, of the 9th Engineer Battalion based in Schweinfurt, Germany.

You have to congratulate this Sgt. Walker on his logic. The number and lethality of the attacks on U.S. soldiers is increasing because the number of U.S. soldiers is increasing. Wow. Didn't see that one coming.

But wasn't the reason for sending more soldiers to Iraq to quell the violence there? If sending more troops is only increasing it, then shouldn't we be sending less troops; in other words, shouldn't we be decreasing the number of troops in Baghdad and Iraq if we want to quell the violence against them and cut the toll of death and injury? I think this Sgt. Walker is on to something here.

Another Important Bill Headed For Veto

My Way News - House Passes Expanded Hate Crimes Bill:
"WASHINGTON (AP) - Just hours after the White House issued a veto threat Thursday, the House voted to add gender and sexual orientation to the categories covered by federal hate crimes law."

As far as I'm concerned (and I am concerned), you are either tolerant or not; bigoted or not. Being a little intolerant is like being a little pregnant. The myth proferred upon the public is that a person can be a little intolerant, in fact, that we are all a little intolerant or a little bigoted, etc. I disagree. You either accept people for who they are or you don't. Even if you don't, you have no right to discriminate against others for any reason or else there is no inalienable right to freedom in this world.

You are free to hate anyone you like, but you have no right to harass or endanger or assault anyone, whether you hate them or not. And if you attack someone because you hate what they are or who they love, you commit a crime not just against a fellow human being but against humanity itself. That is the reason for distinguishing hate crimes from other crimes of violence (BTW, I consider rape a hate crime as well, since it meets the test as stated above).

Finally, An Actual Subpoena!

My Way News - Senate Subpoenas Gonzales on Rove E-Mail:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senators subpoenaed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Wednesday, ordering him to provide all e-mails related to presidential adviser Karl Rove and the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

'It is troubling that significant documents highly relevant to the committee's inquiry have not been produced,' Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., wrote in a letter to Gonzales. The subpoena gives Gonzales until May 15 to turn over the information.

Lookin' forward to May 15 and many more subpoenas to come.

Just Following Bushy's Lead

Iraqi lawmakers' vacation plans draw fire - Politics - MSNBC.com:

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers divided over whether to keep U.S. troops in Iraq are finding common ground on at least one topic: They are furious that Iraqi politicians are considering a lengthy break this summer.

'If they go off on vacation for two months while our troops fight - that would be the outrage of outrages,' said Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn.

It's all a matter of priorities, you know. Bush has taken more vacation time than any other president, and he did it while waging a war! So, one can hardly blame the Iraqi parliament for following in his example. It's not like they expect anything to change in the next two months, right? Schmucks!

As Expected

House Fails to Override Bush Veto on Iraq - New York Times

What was unexpected was Speaker Pelosi and Leader Harry Reid saying that they will not stop trying to end the war any way they can. I hope they continue to stand up to the Preznit and do what they say they will to stop this debacle.

The Wrong Kind Of Progress

U.S. Cites 91 Percent Rise In Terrorist Acts in Iraq - washingtonpost.com:

The number of terrorism incidents in Iraq -- and resulting deaths, injuries and kidnappings -- skyrocketed from 2005 to 2006, according to statistics released by U.S. counterterrorism officials yesterday.

[...]

(T)he invasion "has been used by terrorists as a rallying cry for radicalization and extremist activity that has contributed to instability in neighboring countries."

Dubya keeps saying we're making progress in Iraq. Who the hell is he calling "we"?!

Paul Craig Roberts Writes A Slam-Dunk

Every American who voted Republican shares responsibility for the great evil America has brought to the Middle East.

The evil that America brought to Iraq transcends the tens or hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians who have been killed and maimed in the conflict. The evil goes beyond the destruction of ancient historical artifacts and the civilian infrastructure of a secular state and the decimation of the lives, careers, and families of millions of Iraqis.

The violence and killing that Bush brought to Iraq has spread antagonism between Sunni and Shiite throughout the Middle East with potentially draconian consequences. Bush’s war has turned Muslim hearts and minds against America and made terrorism an acceptable means to resist American hegemony. With his mindless war, Bush has created more terrorism than the world has ever seen.

Read the rest. It's worth it. This guy used to write for the National Review and has plenty of cred on both sides of the political divide. This is the best piece of summation and call to reason I have read so far.

He closes with this:

The most frightening fact about the Bush administration is that not a single office is held by a competent or qualified person. Integrity is so rare among Bush appointees that integrity has been silenced.

That should concern all Americans. Even Republicans.

Amen, brother, amen!

Exactly Why Are We There Again?

Rebuilt Iraq Projects Found Crumbling - New York Times:
"In a troubling sign for the American-financed rebuilding program in Iraq, inspectors for a federal oversight agency have found that in a sampling of eight projects that the United States had declared successes, seven were no longer operating as designed because of plumbing and electrical failures, lack of proper maintenance, apparent looting and expensive equipment that lay idle."

So it's not to make a stable nation out of Iraq, apparently. I mean, if even your "successes" are washouts (7 out of 8 times, and this is in the "stable" areas), then don't you think it's time to cut your losses and get the hell out of Dodge? But not the Commanderin' Chimp. Hell, if we just hang in there another four, maybe 40, years, it's just got to get better eventually, right?

And after all, the contractors are still getting paid, and isn't that what's important?

GET OUT! NOW! WE ARE ONLY MAKING THINGS WORSE FOR THE IRAQIS AND OURSELVES BY BEING THERE! GET THE FUCK OUT!