from the article;

Maybe this is the natural wear and tear of an administration well into its fourth year, having survived the stresses of an economic downturn, a terror attack and two wars. Many think it is a casualty of Iraq: When the occupation turned south, the backbiting and second-guessing were inevitable.

by David E. Sanger
from the NY Times

"If you should go skating... On the thin ice of modern life... Dragging behind you the silent reproach... Of a million tear stained eyes... Don't be surprised, when a crack in the ice... Appears under your feet

You slip out of your depth and out of your mind... With your fear flowing out behind you...

As you claw the thin ice"

Pink Floyd... The Thin Ice

And so, the cracks begin... to grow. Sprout and his buddies in the White House have been stuck on stupid on a weekly basis. This last snafu by Ashcroft & Ridge was a classic.

The goons in the GOP like to paint Kerry as a flip-flopping waffler, but the real deal is coming out of smirky's administration. Now we're finding out the Veteren's budget is going to be cut by about $900,000,000 and 'No Child Left Behind' will be underfunded by $1,500,000,000. Chalabi's now a con artist and a crook and Cheney's backing down on the Mobile Weapons Labs.

What really has to suck for the sprout brigade is people like me who get to sit back in our easy chairs with a real shit eatin' smirk of our own and say...

"Told ya so..."

Nah, we wouldn't do that.

-scroff

I don't think I've ever seen a "clean" campaign, but this one is turning into a real doozy. Bush must be pretty worried about his standing, because he is in attack mode. I guess that is obvious, looking at the way he has dealt with Iraq.

There have been exaggerations from the Kerry camp too, but nothing like the attempted trashing coming out of the Bushies.

At least, if one is willing, the truth is out there to be found...just boot up, and go.

Bush, at this point, has taken many detours from the truth. Keeping that in mind, it shouldn't be too much of a problem for the Kerry campaign.

So, if it gets you upset and worried, please refer to :

Guidelines For Dealing With Bushboys  ruthalla

from the article:

The charges were all tough, serious -- and wrong, or at least highly misleading. Kerry did not question the war on terrorism, has proposed repealing tax cuts only for those earning more than $200,000, supports wiretaps, has not endorsed a 50-cent gasoline tax increase in 10 years, and continues to support the education changes, albeit with modifications.

Scholars and political strategists say the ferocious Bush assault on Kerry this spring has been extraordinary, both for the volume of attacks and for the liberties the president and his campaign have taken with the facts. Though stretching the truth is hardly new in a political campaign, they say the volume of negative charges is unprecedented -- both in speeches and in advertising.

There have been many cover-ups by administrations all through our country's history.

What makes this administration different is the vast number of "things" they have felt a need to hide. (sort of like Ashcroft hiding the breast of Justice...which is telling in itself)

My, oh my, the number of secrets. If only the White House could talk. I think the words would be..."Bush, You are evicted! You have brought shame to these great halls."

This is not the first time there has been a total lack of cooperation from the administration. Remember all the pages about 9/11 having anything to do with the Saudi's were just "too sensitive"? So, they were blacked out, cause, well, we really didn't need to see it, and who says it was about the Saudi's anyway? Yeah, right.

Now, there are 2000 pages missing from the Taguba report...of course, it is some of the most important information gained by Taguba...as in how high does this REALLY go, perhaps?

Even whole truths have been left outside at the hearings... even the closed door hearings. Yup, that's a good way to get to the truth.

Here's a good one....Rumsfeld is going to put together an independent panel. He wants it to look forward, and basically says if any new info pops up, well, it'd be darn interesting.

The total lack of responsibility, honesty, and integrity should be enough to rid this country of this administration. Hell, look what happened with Nixon. Is this not worse? -ruthalla

from the article:

But numerous critics—not just in the human-rights community, but in Congress and the U.S. military as well—insist that the current probes are still too limited to bring full accountability. Some critics say Donald Rumsfeld's Defense Department is doing its best to stop potentially incriminating information from coming out, that it's deflecting Congress's inquiries and shielding higher-ups from investigation. Documents obtained by NEWSWEEK also suggest that Rumsfeld's aides are trying hard to contain the scandal, even within the Pentagon. Defense Under Secretary Douglas Feith, who is in charge of setting policy on prisoners and detainees in occupied Iraq, has banned any discussion of the still-classified report on Abu Ghraib written by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, which has circulated around the world. Shortly after the Taguba report leaked in early May, Feith subordinates sent an "urgent" e-mail around the Pentagon warning officials not to read the report, even though it was on Fox News. In the e-mail, a copy of which was obtained by NEWSWEEK, officials in Feith's office warn that the leak is being investigated for "criminal prosecution" and that no one should mention the Taguba report to anybody, even to family members. Feith has turned his office into a "ministry of fear," says one military lawyer.

This is excellent. The Bush Show was on last night, and all he did was rattle on about nothing new...no surprise there.

By today, there were reports of disagreements between the US and the UK. as to how the new and inproved Iraq will be run. I'm sure Blair will do what he's told to, though.

Bush has a couple of screws loose. He has taken no responsibility for the consequences of his actions, suffered, worldwide.

His speech was a joke. Considering the horrors that happened at Abu Gharib, it would be PC if he at least learned how to pronounce Abu Gharib.

It is time for the Bush Crusade to end. Havoc and destruction will be his legacy. Enough. - ruthie

from the article:

Here's how Bush, in his speech this evening, described Iraq's place in history:

In the last 32 months, history has placed great demands on our country, and events have come quickly. Americans have seen the flames of Sept. 11, followed battles in the mountains of Afghanistan … We've seen killers at work on trains in Madrid, in a bank in Istanbul, in a synagogue in Tunis, and at a nightclub in Bali. And now the families of our soldiers and civilian workers pray for their sons and daughters in Mosul, in Karbala, in Baghdad. We did not seek this war on terror, but this is the world as we find it. We must keep our focus. We must do our duty. History is moving, and it will tend toward hope or tend toward tragedy.

The description is almost biblical. The narrative—"this war on terror"—is a moral test arranged by higher powers. Postwar Iraq, like 9/11, Madrid, and Bali, is "the world as we find it," not as we made it. "History," not Bush, has placed the demands of occupation on our country. "Events," not Bush's mistakes and their consequences, have come quickly. We must focus on the "duty" defined by our situation, not on how we got here.

This is a great op-ed. Shouldn't the GOP take responsibilty for their Golden Boy. The policies of the Bush Administration have devastated our country, on both the domestic front and abroad.

The GOP needs to rein in Bush, who is making crucial, consequential policies, causing damage that will not be easy, if even possible, to repair. ruthie

from the article:

Today, confronted by the graphic horrors of Abu Ghraib prison, by ginned-up intelligence to justify war, by 652 American deaths since presidential operatives declared "Mission Accomplished," Republican leaders have yet to suggest that George W. Bush be held responsible for the disaster in Iraq and that perhaps he, not just Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, is ill-suited for his job.

Having read the report of Major Gen. Antonio Taguba, I expect Baker's question will resound again in another congressional investigation. The equally relevant question is whether Republicans will, Pavlov-like, continue to defend their president with ideological and partisan reflex, or remember the example of principled predecessors who pursued truth at another dark moment.

from the article;

“I believe that they should accept responsibility for that,” says Zinni. “If I were the commander of a military organization that delivered this kind of performance to the president, I certainly would tender my resignation. I certainly would expect to be gone.”

from CBS News, 60 Minutes
Watch the video

Now, of course, he's a traitor for pointing out how wrong this whole mess was before the first troop landed. He's a disgruntled former envoy, nothing more. The fact that he was commander-in-chief of the United States Central Command, in charge of all American troops in the Middle East, lent his position no weight. The thugs in the White House turned loose the opinion mongrels and his reputation and credibility were scrambled. The sad part, if there is a sadder part, is how easily many so-called Americans believed the smear campaign.

-scroff

Seems to me there is lots of rationalizing going on by our administration, and it unfortunately seems plausible to some people, too.

Well, not me. There is an excuse given for everything illegal that has been done. Isn't it fascinating how new laws are created to fit the deeds of the bushies? ....ruthie

from the article:

"Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved a plan that brought unconventional interrogation methods to Iraq to gain intelligence about the growing insurgency, ultimately leading to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, the New Yorker magazine reported on Saturday."
- Reuters, May 15

President Bush has said that Americans are not the kind of people who commit this kind of act. Yet many Americans have committed these acts, which were apparently planned and approved, then carefully staged and recorded. How do we persuade young American men and women to behave like this? It's simple:

 •Declare war on terrorism. Since terrorism is not a nation, we need to define terrorism so we can wage war against it.

Terrorism is anything done by a terrorist; a terrorist is anyone who commits an act of terrorism. Therefore, when we detect a terrorist act, there must be a terrorist in the neighborhood

The recent execution of mentally ill Kelsey Patterson was a travesty.

Even the Texas pardons board made a recommendation for clemency. Obviously, this was ignored.

The lack of understanding and compassion is so sorely lacking in our society. Texas seems to be a state that is proud of it's number of executions.

When there is this level of viciousness in our society, it is no surprise that we have soldiers torturing prisoners....ruthie

from the article:

The thinking in Texas appears to be that if mental illness doesn't prevent you from holding the state's highest office, or the Oval Office, it shouldn't keep you away from the executioner either.

What Rumsfeld Doesn’t Know That He Knows About Abu Ghraib

from the article;

Thus, Bush was wrong. What we get when we see the photos of humiliated Iraqi prisoners is precisely a direct insight into “American values,” into the core of an obscene enjoyment that sustains the American way of life.

from In These Times
by Slavoj Zizek

Of course you have the self-proclaimed pundits and talking heads from both sides of the political discourse, these are to be expected. I receive newsletters from the likes of Jerry Falwell and Right March as well as Moveon, Truth Out and their ilk. But what I'm talking about is mainstream America.

Michael Moore, in "Bowling for Columbine", made the point that America is a violent culture. Many people missed this point, focusing on what they thought was a documentary on gun control. While much of the film involved guns, the point was made that while Canada has just as many guns and just as much of a love affair with guns as America, their murder rate is far lower. It's not the guns that kill people, it's the people that kill people, I get that... so did Moore.

Violence is acceptable in America... "How the West was Won" was through murder and theft, genocide of the indigenous populations... it's our heritage... to too many it's our right... 'Manifest Destiny'.

We are told that the troops in our military are the best the US has to offer. In reality they are simply a cross section of America. Granted they have the best training (when they're properly trained) and the best equipment (when they're properly equipped), but they are still a product of American society.

The actions at Abu Ghriab, unfortunately, do represent the values of America... maybe not all Americans, and maybe when we lay down at night we like to think of ourselves as the good guys, and maybe, comparatively, we are, but we can't deny that the actions of our troops are a reflection on all of us.

-scroff

The 9/11 hearings were on the news today. 

A court-martial, as well as the little slap on the wrist given as punishment, were news today. (which was disgusting..he got away with murder).

Not enough attention has been paid to the horror and atrocities occuring in the refugee camp in Rafah.

I am tired of hearing Israel give excuses for it's violence in these camps. The killing of innocents is not new for Israel. I do not negate or minimize the problems Israel faces from suicide bombers, however, these people aren't the suicide bombers. I don't think they (Israel) can justify the continuing violence they assault the refugees with. They can, of course, continue to rationalize it.

This is more than "troubling", a word used by Bush. Peacekeepers should be sent in, and the slaughter of the innocents should be stopped.

There is a huge difference between defending oneself from terrorists, and being the terrorist. ....... ruthie

from the article:

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - Israeli forces opened fire on a protest march in a besieged Gaza refugee camp on Wednesday, killing at least 10 Palestinians and raising the death toll to 33 in Israel's bloodiest raid in Gaza in years.

Israeli media said at least 22 bodies, most of them school children, had been counted after the strike in the Rafah camp, which some witnesses said was carried out by helicopter gunships and others blamed on firing by tanks.

People fled screaming, some dragging bloodied comrades and others carrying wounded children in their arms