Frank Rich tears the GOP a new one

Frank Rich's latest column in the times is great. I haven't been a huge fan in the past, but this is making me a believer. This caught my eye, but read the whole thing.

"By my rough, conservative calculation — feel free to add — there have been corruption, incompetence, and contracting or cronyism scandals in these cabinet departments: Defense, Education, Justice, Interior, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development. I am not counting State, whose deputy secretary, a champion of abstinence-based international AIDS funding, resigned last month in a prostitution scandal, or the General Services Administration, now being investigated for possibly steering federal favors to Republican Congressional candidates in 2006. Or the Office of Management and Budget, whose chief procurement officer was sentenced to prison in the Abramoff fallout. I will, however, toss in a figure that reveals the sheer depth of the overall malfeasance: no fewer than four inspectors general, the official watchdogs charged with investigating improprieties in each department, are themselves under investigation simultaneously — an all-time record."

(http://select.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/opinion/13rich.html)

Times calls for Gonzalez to be axed

Read this editorial (you don't need times select):

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/opinion/11sun1.html?hp

Senate puns...

I just got this chainmail:

"This Senate is replete with possibilities. I eagerly await an Obama-Akaka-Sununu bill. There's also the redundant trio of Pryor-Brown-Brownback.

What else... I forsee a pro-global-warming bill from Snowe-Burr, a liberal arts education bill from Reid-Conrad, an Internet Quality Assurance Act sponsored by Webb-Tester, a proposal to make Democratic Nostalgia Day a national holiday by Clinton-Pryor-Whitehouse, poultry legislation from Byrd-Hatch, a bill to improve submarine access for the overweight by Wyden-Hatch, a Mangled Song Lyrics Act by Bayh-Biden-Byrd, an undead-alert system proposed by Specter-Warner (with a later prepare-for-the-worst amendment by Specter-Boxer), a new Ben&Jerry's flavor suggested by Graham-DeMint, a proposal for bi-partisan cooperation training from Bond-Sessions, and a bill I shan'tgo into from Akaka-Crapo-Brown."

Credit apparently goes to someone named Rubrick. Anyone have any alternatives?

Bushy issues

Because I'm bored and procrastinating for conlaw: 

Take a gander...

Perhaps not the mosts important article, but this picture had to be posted.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1989397,00.html

Crazy woman

So I didn't think it was possible to make Sean Hannity look like a measured, articulate commentator, but this woman sure tries to make the case.  I'm guessing a producer at Fox News got fired over this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR95lNQkXNI

Congressional Dems will force vote on "Iraq surge"

So the Congressional leadership has announced that there will be a symbolic vote denouncing Bush's decision to increase troop levels.  Best decision they've made yet.  Congressional republicans will be forced to declare themselves and Bush likely will have some genuine problems with his own party.  It's about time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/washington/10capitol.html?ex=1326085200&en=0ab1fcaf62db9954&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Brownback is an idiot

I missed this when it first came out, but Sam Brownback blocked the nomination of Judge Janet Neff because "she attended the a same-sex commitment ceremony for the daughter of her long-time neighbors." Yes, this is the voice reason as interpretted by a great American Patriot. And it gets better. He agreed to allow a vote on the nomination if she agreed to recuse herself from all cases regarding same-sex civil unions.

Brownback has received a lot of criticism for this (obviously), and just announced that he will allow a vote without such a promise. This is the kind of legal mind that America deserves as its next president. Brownback's bid is taking pandering to a whole new level.

Oh Rummy

As reported in the Times, Rumsfeld wrote a memo the day before the election outlining all the possible ways to change Iraq policy.  The majority of the proposals seem to take directly from the Democrats the DOD and the White House have been blasting for the past, oh, three years.  Glad you caught up Rummy.  The full text is here:

 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/world/middleeast/03mtext.html

Some of the suggestions do seem to be uniquely Rumsfeld's.  This is my favorite one:

¶Stop rewarding bad behavior, as was done in Fallujah when they pushed in reconstruction funds, and start rewarding good behavior. Put our reconstruction efforts in those parts of Iraq that are behaving, and invest and create havens of opportunity to reward them for their good behavior. As the old saying goes, “If you want more of something, reward it; if you want less of something, penalize it.” No more reconstruction assistance in areas where there is violence.

That is about the stupidest thing I've ever heard.  The best way to incite good will in the Iraqi people, to lead them away from terrorism and sectarian violence, is to starve them.  Good idea.  That really captures the situation there.  And Fallujah is a great example.  As the Times notes, the areas surrounding Fallujah that have not received aid have significantly increased in violence.

Christian Coalition president-elect bites the dust

From CNN:

The president-elect of the Christian Coalition of America resigned his post Monday.

Rev. Joel C. Hunter cited a difference in philosophy over which issues the conservative Christian organization, in his opinion, should embrace.

Currently the senior pastor of the Northland Church in Longwood, Florida, Hunter was to assume the presidency in January.

But Hunter said CCA leaders resisted his calls to expand their issue base.

"I wanted to expand the issues from only moral ones -- such as opposing abortion and redefining marriage -- to include compassion issues such as poverty, justice, and creation care," Hunter said in a statement. "We need to care as much for the vulnerable outside the womb as inside the womb."

Hunter also said he wanted to focus on rebuilding the CCA's once powerful grassroots network -- an appeal he says board members rejected.

"After initial willingness to consider these changes, the board of the CCA decided, 'that is fine, but that is not who we are,' " Hunter said.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/28/christian.coalition/index.html

I can only say this is exactly why we are having problems with the Christian Right.  All we hear is that this is going to be a new era of bipartisanship.  In the name of compassion, it would be nice if a leading conservative advocacy group like this one would at least value ending poverty enough to put it on its masthead.