Cup o' Joe Joe Veccio's wife has died
Joe Vecchio's wife, Catherine Susan Vecchio, has passed away at age 46 after a protracted illness. Her long suffering is over. She was a dear woman, and devoted wife and mother.

Joe could really use your help, and support right now. Please visit his site, and Drop Some Love In Joe's Paypal, if you can. Whatever you can give will make a big difference for him and hid children... He's really given SO much for us. Our hearts are with you, Joe-- you're not alone.

Words from Joe:

"She was my wife, the only woman I have ever loved, the only woman I will ever love. She was the most selfless person I have ever known, totally devoted to her children and to me. I don't have the words to express how empty my life will be without her, and the short time we were together were happy days for each of us despite her persistent illness and our poverty. She was the kind of person the world needs more of.

Her spirit still lives on in me. Whenever I hear a good joke I will recall how she would laugh (or groan), whenever I hear a romantic or sad song I will remember how she would put her arms around me. I will still reach out for her late at night, because she will still be with me. And if there is an afterlife I know I will meet her there when my time comes."

We love you, Joe. Hang in there, sweetie.

Friday random 10
Actually, I don't have my iPod with me, so here are today's damn earworms - and thank God there aren't ten of them:

If I Only Had A Brain
Holly Jolly Christmas
Long Long Way from Home
Dancin' with Myself
In the Merry Old Land of Oz
This Girl Is A Woman Now
Transmaniacon MC

Bush's new, post-Rita poll numbers
Floaters rather than sinkers.


***

Values and integrity
"The Republican rap sheet for the past week alone is staggering" - a helpful guide to the rethug hall of shame.


***

Values and integrity, II
Bill Bennett extends Republican outreach to the black community by announcing crime would disappear if you aborted all of them.

With the GOP silent on the matter, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats have called on right-wing gambling addict and dominatrix patron Bill Bennett, author of The Book of Virtues, to apologize for telling his radio listeners that "you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down."


***

Meanwhile, there's a vast left-wing conspiracy out to get indicted smegcheese Tom DeLay

DELAY: Ronnie Earle has been district attorney in Travis County since 1976. In 1976 there were no Republicans -- certainly no Republicans other than governor, and he didn't get elected until '78. There were no Republicans. The fights were between conservative Democrats and liberal Democrats. Ronnie Earle does this to all his political enemies. He did it to conservative Democrats. He did it -- and he does it to Republicans. And particularly in my case, he did it in conjunction and working with the Democrat leadership here in Washington, D.C.

CNN's WOLF BLITZER: Well, that's an explosive charge you make, that there was some sort of collusion or conspiracy between Ronnie Earle and Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders in the Congress. What evidence, if any, do you have to back that up?

DELAY: It's very good evidence, that they announced this strategy publicly, they put it on their website and this strategy is in their fund-raising letters.

BLITZER: Who specifically -- who announced this?

DELAY: The DCCC, the Democratic Campaign Committee, run by Chairman Rahm Emanuel.

BLITZER: They announced that they were working with Ronnie Earle to get you an indictment?

DELAY: No, they didn't do that.

BLITZER: What evidence is there they consulted with Ronnie Earle, that they talked to him or they had any dealings with him whatsoever?

DELAY: That evidence is coming. But the point is, they announced the strategy, and it's very funny that two weeks ago, when Ronnie Earle said publicly that I was not part of the investigation, that I hadn't been investigated, and then turns around in two days -- over the weekend -- he now is going to indict me. It is quite obvious, because the Democrats announced this strategy. And we all know how this place works. I'm sure they worked closely with Ronnie Earle on this strategy.

BLITZER: When is the evidence going to be made available? You say it's coming. When are you going to make that evidence available?

DELAY: When it's timely.

BLITZER: What does that mean?

DELAY: When it's timely.

BLITZER: All right. Well, we'll have to wait and see for that evidence.

*****

Cracks seen in GOP front on asscrack DeLay
The united front republicans built to support corrupt scumbag Tom DeLay - indicted on a felony conspiracy charge - showed signs of crumbling yesterday, with conservatives threatening a leadership challenge and some moderates saying they don't think DeLay, facing criminal conspiracy charges in Texas, will ever come back to House leadership.

"He's not going away, but he's not the leader," said Rep. Christopher Shays. "I don't think we're in limbo now. With all due respect, he's moving out of his office."

And hopefully into prison.


***

A baby tortoise with two heads found some days ago on a river bank. According to scientists who inspected the animal, it seems to be perfectly healthy (REUTERS/Claudia Daut). Oh, and corrupt sleazeball Tom DeLay remains indicted, the slimy little fuck.

Blogger did some weird stuff to my posts yesterday. I hope we have better luck today.


Reporter names source, appears before federal grand jury

Neocon playmate Judy Miller is testifying today after receiving permission from her source, Dick 'Chicanery' Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby. Though the White House had long maintained that they had nothing to do with the leak and that any wrongdoer would be fired, Mr Libby retains his job jump-starting the vice president. Fellow traitors Karl Rove, the WH svengali, and incontinent, crabby douchebag Bob Novak remain free.


Vice president Cheney reacts to news that NY Times reporter Miller may spill the beans.
****

In other news
Compassionate conservative Bill 'snake-eyes' Bennett: "you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down."

The number of Iraqi battalions capable of combat without US support has dropped from three to one, the top American commander in Iraq told Congress Thursday.

A judge has ordered the release of pictures of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib despite the WH's claims that they could damage America's image.

Pentagon keeps GIs waiting for body armor reimbursements; "Rumsfeld is violating the law," says Dodd.

Insurgency growing against Karen Hughes' Muslim touchy-feely tour.


***

Mwwwwaaaaaa!

Depressed and demoralized White House staffers say working at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is “life in a hellhole” as they try to deal with a sullen, moody President whose temper tantrums drive staffers crying from the room and bring the business of running the country to a halt.

“It’s like working in an insane asylum,” says one White House aide. “People walk around like they’re in a trance. We’re the dance band on the Titanic, playing out our last songs to people who know the ship is sinking and none of us are going to make it.”

Increasing reports from the usually tight-lipped staff of the Bush Administration talk of a West Wing dominated by gallows humor, long faces and a depression that has all but paralyzed daily routines.

- from here.
*****

Indicted scumbag a "total tool"
Corrupt nutbar Tom DeLay is "a man so unprincipled that not even his allies pretend he stands for anything"

"The imperious Texan is an increasing embarrassment to his party, turning its majority into an undisguised fountain of patronage and an ideological cudgel while skirting the bounds of campaign law."

Yeah, and...?
Heh.


***

The Hammer is chickenshit!
Breaking: Tom DeLay to be fingerprinted and photographed.

"I can understand why Tom DeLay wants a quick trial, because politically (the indictment) paralyzes him," attorney Wood said.


****

Senate confirms Roberts as Chief Justice
The heros who voted No:

Akaka (HI)
Bayh (IN)
Biden (DE)
Boxer (CA)
Cantwell (WA)
Clinton (NY)
Corzine (NJ)
Dayton (MN)
Durbin (IL)
Feinstein (CA)
Harkin (IA)
Inouye (HI)
Kennedy (MA)
Kerry (MA)
Lautenberg (NJ)
Mikulski (MD)
Obama (IL)
Reed, J. (RI)
Reid, H. (NV)
Sarbanes (MD)
Schumer (NY)
Stabenow (MI)

Final Senate Vote - Accepted by a vote of 78-22:
Republicans 55-0
Demo-rats 22-22
Independent 1 {Jeffords (VT)}

Link.
*****

And speaking of corrupt republicans....

SEC: Frist "inquiry" upgraded to "investigation"
Rethug pantloads upgraded to "full"

SEP. 28 7:19 P.M.: The Securities and Exchange Commission, which is examining a suspicious stock sale by sanctimonious sniveller Bill Frist, has upgraded its initial informal inquiry to a formal investigation. The change means the agency can issue subpoenas for documents rather than just requesting them, and that the Senate Majority Leader is in big, big trouble. Just like his counterpart in the House, Tom DeLay, indicted ubersleaze scumbag.

???

House GOP shaken up after DeLay indictment

It's slamma time! Even as corrupt scumbag Tom DeLay professed his innocence and his lawyers said they hoped to avoid having him handcuffed, fingerprinted and photographed, {Oh please oh please oh please.... Ed.} potential for fresh controversy surfaced.

Records on file with the Federal Election Commission show that Roy Blunt's political action committee has paid roughly $88,000 in fees since 2003 to a consultant facing indictment in Texas in the same case as the indicted, venal flatulent DeLay.

Fun fact: Mr Blunt has been named as one of the 13 most corrupt members of Congress.
::::

A 2 1/2-week-old baby aardvark sniffs the lens of a television camera Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2005, at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. The first aardvark to be born at the Omaha, Neb., zoo, is now on display (AP Photo/Nati Harnik). Oh, and Tom DeLay's been indicted.


Conservatives reject Dreier for being "too gay moderate"
Then there's poor Dennis Hastert - first his master is indicted, and now he can't even command the respect of his thug colleagues... Conservatives in the GOP caucus erupted in anger over Denny and indicted vulgarian DeLay's pick of David Dreier as figurehead and placeholder, and elected Roy Blunt of Missouri as their majority leader, replacing indicted scumbag Tom DeLay. Blunt will "share" leadership responsibilities with Dreier, a hypocrite and gay-hating gay man.

F*cked fact: In a sign of the despicable indicted DeLay's confidence he will return, he will keep his majority leader office/freezer full of dead puppies in the Capitol rather than vacate it for Blunt.


***

Adding insult to injury to corrupt scumbag Tom DeLay's indictment...
Erstwhile DeLay throwrug Denny Hastert has named gay congressman David Dreier as DeLay's replacement as House Majority Leader. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Except Dreier is virulently anti-gay.

Hey, look - DeLay's been indicted!
Gov. Kathleen Blanco fired back today at incompetent hack Brownie, who did a heckuva job uttering "falsehoods and misleading statements" under oath to Congress.

She said Brown's comment clearly demonstrates what she says is the "appalling degree" to which he's "out of touch with the truth or reality."

Brown had a 'testy' exchange with republican Christopher Shays, who said the Fumbling Fuckwit (no, the other one) failed when compared with how America's former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani acted during 9/11.

Brown retorted: "I guess you want me to be the superhero, to step in there and take everyone out of New Orleans."

"What I wanted you to do is do your job," Shays replied. "Asshat."

Oh, did I mention? Tom DeLay's been indicted! And accused of criminal conspiracy! Mwwwaaaahahahahahahahahaha!


****

Tom DeLay indicted!!!!!!!!

Tom DeLay indicted!!!!!!!!!! Tom DeLay indicted!!!!!!!! Tom DeLay indicted!!!!!!!!!!

The glorious linkie-poo.

Study says belief in God may contribute to society's dysfunctions
"The more people believed in God in the western world, the worse off the society was in numerous aspects."

For example, the United States again is the only prosperous democracy where religion is really popular and we're the only nation among prosperous democracies to have really high murder rates.

We also have the highest juvenile mortality rates. We have pretty much the shortest life spans. We have the highest abortion rates among democracies where abortion is legal. We have the highest sexually transmitted disease infection rates. We have the highest teen pregnancy rates, pretty much across the board we have real, serious social issues that other nations don't seem to be suffering from.

Abaya

Bush nanny and former pro-wrestler Karen Hughes gets pwn3d by Saudi women.

More Christian rethugs in trouble...

Heck of a job committing perjury, Brownie
Accountability... If a Bush crony makes false statements to a room of republicans, is he still lying?

Whining, incompetent FEMA hack Michael Brown lied under oath during his testimony yesterday.

Louisiana Governor Blanco responds:

“Mike Brown testified today, under oath, that I did not include Orleans, Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes in my original disaster declaration request sent to the President on August 28. In fact, that request did include 14 parishes in southeast Louisiana, including Orleans, Jefferson and Plaquemines.

“Mr. Brown further suggested that I did not order an evacuation of New Orleans until Sunday, Aug. 28. In fact, the evacuation was ordered on the morning of Saturday, August 27. Within 48 hours, 1.3 million citizens – representing more than 90 percent of the region — were safely evacuated in the state’s extraordinarily effective evacuation plan that included early use of contraflow on the interstate system.

“Such falsehoods and misleading statements, made under oath before Congress, are shocking. It clearly demonstrates the appalling degree to which Mr. Brown is either out of touch with the truth or reality.

“Today’s hearing only supports the need for a thorough, non-partisan investigation of this event.”

Frist's brain-dead stock sale may cost him
"He may prove to be totally innocent, but this is a negative -- a big distraction -- for his presidential ambitions and management of the Senate."

Senate Majority Leader and smug, sanctimonious faux-pious pudface Bill Frist's recent stock sale threatens to cost him and fellow Republicans politically as he mulls a 2008 presidential bid and investigators examine whether he violated any trading laws, political analysts said.

Fun fact: his rethug Senate colleagues are getting worried and are a bit peeved with him - Fristie 'defended himself and took questions' at their weekly closed-door meeting on Tuesday.
*******

Cool: a 26-foot long giant squid - "one of the most elusive creatures in the world" - attacks prey hung by a rope (white line at left) at 900 meters deep off the coast of Japan's Bonin islands. (AP Photo/HO, National Science Museum)


Oh please oh please oh please...
Lawyers for corrupt scumbag Tom DeLay fear indictment. Oh please oh please oh please...

The Texas grand jury investigating unethical sleazeball Tom "possible felon" DeLay's state political organization was completing its term Wednesday after demonstrating a recent interest in conspiracy charges that could bring more indictments.

Before the recent conspiracy counts, the investigation was more narrowly focused on the state election code. By expanding the charges to include conspiracy, prosecutors made it possible for the grand jury to bring charges against the slimy waste of O₂ DeLay, despicable alleged crook.

Oh please oh please oh please...
*****

The Bush ecomnitude
Yeah...

Consumer confidence recorded its steepest point drop in 15 years in September, as Americans grappled with the economic uncertainty wrought by hurricanes, soaring gas prices and rising interest rates. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index fell 18.9 points to 86.6 from a revised reading of 105.5 logged in August. That marked the largest one-month decline in the index since October 1990 and put the measure at its lowest level in two years.

Accountability
What can Brown do for you?

Brownie says his biggest mistake was not assigning blame to Lousiana State gov't even before the hurricane..
Mike Brown has gone from being an incompetent moran to a partisan douchebag...
Brownie fucked up: trusted Louisiana officials.
"My biggest mistake was not realizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional." -- Mike "Fired From Horse Shows" Brown. It takes one to know one.
Brownie you're doing a heckuva job at starting the blame game.
Ex-FEMA head Michael Brown decides it's time to start playing the blame game; remarkably manages to avoid mentioning his own incompetence
- headlines at Fark.

Brown's defense drew a scathing response from Rep. William Jefferson, D-La.: "I find it absolutely stunning that this hearing would start out with you, Mr. Brown, laying the blame for FEMA's failings at the feet of the governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans."

Unintentionally funny quote from the article: "I've overseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. I know what I'm doing, and I think I do a pretty darn good job of it," Brown said.


***

Honor, integrity, values, blah blah blah
Republican state Rep. David Graves, charged with DUI for a second time, claims "legislative immunity" - says his position as a lawmaker means he cannot break the law while the Legislature is at work. Even when caught redhanded.


***

Scott, why doesn't he just ride his mountain bike down?
WH spokes-tool Scott McClellan tries to justify Bush's 7th trip to the Gulf states, coming one day after Preznit Photo-op asked Americans to travel less to conserve energy:

Q: Earlier today, the President said, and encouraged Americans, to not use gasoline unnecessarily, to not take trips that were not absolutely necessary. Would the President curtail his own travel to the region, since he can be in touch by --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think it's important for the President of the United States to travel to the region and get firsthand accounts of the operations and to provide comfort and support {Ick - Ed.} to those who are -- have been affected by this -- by these hurricanes, as well as waste the time of those who are providing the critical support, the critical relief to get these people back up on their feet and to save lives and sustain lives.

Q: If I can just follow up on what Kelly was asking. What the President did for the vast majority of the weekend was get briefings, many of them via videoconference, that he could have easily done here at the White House. Why is that not just the kind of travel that could be curtailed?

MR. McCLELLAN: For the very reasons that I talked about this weekend, and that the President talked about. It's important for the President to look like he's doing somethi get a firsthand look at the operations that were underway.

Q: And what's he doing tomorrow that makes it necessary travel?

Q: Scott, beyond the President's travel tomorrow, what is the President going to do to conserve his own gas use and energy use here by White House staff?

MR. McCLELLAN: Fuck...

... later...

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think the American people recognize the importance of what we are working to accomplish in the broader Middle East. Iraq is a key part of establishing a foundation for lasting peace and security. What we're working to do is lay a foundation of peace for our children and grandchildren. And the President has made it very clear that his number one priority is the safety and security of the American people. And we are engaged in a global war. It is a war that is -- that continues. The President said after September 11th, that some would tend to forget. He will not. We are going to stay on the offensive until we win this war, and we're going to work to spread freedom and democracy to address the --

Q: How many are you going to kill, in the meantime?

It's hard work spreadin' freedom and democracy. But we're makin' progress.


***

Shotgun for President Bush: $14,000. Bike: $2,700 dollars. Training wheels: $8? Chinese news' picture of Bush: Priceless


Actual photo from China Daily News.
***

"Brownie, yore doin' a heckuva job"
- unqualified incompetent president to unqualified incompetent hack appointee.

Drownie still has a taxpayer-funded job
How #ucked up is that???

Former Fluffer of Equines, Mostly Arabians FEMA director and next Medal of Honor recipient Michael Brown is continuing to work at the Federal Emergency Management Agency at full pay as a "contractor," with his Sept. 12 resignation not taking effect for two more weeks. During that time, Brown will advise the department on "some of his views on his experience with Katrina," as he transitions out of his job.

The man who was a total disaster at the disaster agency is being paid to advise the department he was fired from? Excuse me?

Update: BuzzFlash notes that "CBS News has changed its account of this three times since we first posted it, from his being rehired, to his being retained as a consultant, to his just being there two more weeks. It's probably because FEMA got political heat and changed ITS story three times."



Speaking of incompetence... like attracts like:

How many more Mike Browns are there in Bush Gardens II?
Well, lots!

[S]cientists' drug-safety decisions at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are being second-guessed by a 33-year-old doctor turned stock picker.

At the Office of Management and Budget, an ex-lobbyist with minimal purchasing experience oversaw $300 billion in spending, until his arrest last week.

At the Department of Homeland Security, a well-connected 36-year-old White House aide with minimal experience is poised to take over what many consider the single most crucial post in ensuring that terrorists do not enter the country again.

I feel safer already.

Frist's political future darkens over questions on stock sales
Freetards bring up Hitlery Xlintoon's cattle futures in 3... 2... 1...

Senate majority leader/sanctimonious Bible-thumping moral-values schmuckwit Bill "visual stimuli" Frist may face a Senate investigation over communications he had with the trustees of his assets that suggest he had a greater measure of control than reported over the blind trust. He faces federal investigations into his HCA stock sale, probes that will likely delve into his telephone and e-mail records, legal experts said.

The SEC's new chairman -- former Republican Representative Chris Cox, who was appointed last month by President Partyhat -- may be reluctant for political reasons to drop the case, even if an initial inquiry turns up no clear sign of illegal insider-trading.

Not so fast: now we're reading that Mr Cox has just recused himself from the investigation.

I could watch this all day
Bubble-boy.


***

Cindy Sheehan arrested today while protesting outside the Bushistan White House

Sheehan and several dozen other protesters sat down on the sidewalk after marching along the pedestrian walkway on Pennsylvania Avenue. Police warned them three times that they were breaking the law by failing to move along, then began making arrests.

"I would like to say to Cindy Sheehan and her supporters don't be a group of unthinking lemmings. It's not pretty," said the irony-challenged, kool-aid-drinking freetard Mitzy "baaaaaaaaa!" Kenny. The anti-war demonstrations "can affect the war in a really negative way. It gives the enemy hope."

***

Bush's plea to taxpayers for cash to rebuild Iraq raises only $600.

Puh. Maybe Halliburton will help out.


Makin' progress
Over Memorial Day, Vice President Dick "dick" Cheney said the Iraqi insurgency was in its "last throes." Let's see...

Iraq constitution seen worsening insurgency

Roadside bombs kill three US soldiers

Suicide bomber kills six near Iraqi oil ministry

10 Iraqis killed in suicide car bombing

18 die in latest Iraq killings

Bush lapdog Tony "Piddles" Blair surprised by scale, ferocity of insurgency

At least 30 killed in Baghdad and beyond
****

Deer enjoying tasty acorns, 9/21/05.
***

"[I]ts hard to tell whether the storm Bush was trying to ride out was Hurricane Rita, or the enormous storm of criticism aimed at his Iraq policies by anti-war activists who marched past the White House over the weekend." - from this week's Top 10 Conservative Idiots at DU.

Bringing hon ... fuck it. Bringing shame and dishonor to the presidency
Yeah. Good thing the grown-ups are back in charge.

The president didn't look all that relieved or happy, however. His eyes were puffy from lack of sleep, and he seemed cranky and fidgety. A group of reporters and photographers had been summoned by White House handlers to capture a photo op of the commander in chief at his post. Bush stared at them balefully. He rocked back and forth in his chair, furiously at times, asked no questions and took no notes. It almost seemed as though he had regressed into a pissy, petulant two-year-old having a temper tantr resented having to strike a pose for the press.

The president made no effort to play down hurricanes as natural calamities that are unavoidable and hence uncontrollable. Instead, he reinforced the link between hurricanes and terrorism.

"Jeebus. How much more evidence do you need that this guy's a fucking loony?" - Lawrence O'Donnell (paraphrasing), The McLaughlin Group, 9/25/05.

Ummmm, sorry.

O'Donnell: There are few Presidents in our history more lost then that. [Laughter from panel] For him to find this desperate pathway from Katrina, from lives lost because of government mishandling of the hurricane that hit New Orleans... to get a path from there to his war on terror, and somehow link the hurricane to Al Qaeda, is as large as possible flight of mental illness as we've seen in a President.

Tony Blankley: Now look...

Larry: There is no coherent objective to what that man said.

***

Texas messed with.
***

Looks like a few people actually showed up at the little anti-war rally yesterday.


Fuck you, freepers!
***

Stuff from the internets
100,000 expected to join Cindy Sheehan – and Barb of the Mahablog! - at the anti-war rally in DC today.

Looks like Pope Palpatine made good use of the dark side of the Force.

“1873 dead Americans, $144 billion wasted tax dollars, and an entire country's credibility and goodwill blown to bits around the planet and all they got was another lousy Islamic republic.”

For the love of criminey… Bunnypants’ Texas trip cancelled because it was too sunny. Oh, and the WaComPo is a BushCumHo.

"Christianity has nothing to do with Christ and probably never has, unless Christ was a close-minded, misogynistic, war-loving, imperialistic, aggressive hater of anything he didn't understand or agree with. "

“Why is it reporters like Anderson Cooper (I mean, what's a hurricane without Andy getting blown [cough] down the street?), and all the others out there in the hurricanes, dodging the wind, water, and debris, can't wait to get out there and report the story, yet none of them have the balls to report what is actually going on in Washington?”

Bringing honor and integrity back to Washington
Well well well.


"The Republican Party is increasingly looking like Tammany Hall."

Gee. Turns out that holier-than-thou good christian and Senate majority leader Bill Frist, R-Liar, was updated several times about his investments in blind trusts during 2002, the last time two weeks before he publicly denied any knowledge of what was in the accounts, documents show.

The senator has not yet been subpoenaed for insider trading.

Somewhere Martha Stewart is laughing her ass off.


"La la la - I can't hear you..."
***

No Bianca? Well then, let's go to Jeff Gannon...
Bad: Bunnypants calls on a planted reporter for a softball question.
Worse: She's not there. Really. Enough already.
Totally #ucked: This idiot's the president

[Drinky McDumbass] treated White House reporters to a decidedly goofy moment yesterday, when he kept demanding the whereabouts of a correspondent during a mini-press conference at the Pentagon. "Bianca?" Bush inquired, looking down at a list of White House press poolers. "Nobody named Bianca? Well, sorry Bianca's not here. I'll be glad to answer her question."

While Vice President Cheney and other high officials smiled supportively, [Chimpy o'Jimbeam] explained: "Just trying to spread around the joy of asking a question." More official smiles. The President wouldn't give up. "Are you Bianca?" he asked another young woman. "No, I'm not," the woman answered. "Anita - Fox News." Bush responded with determination: "Okay. I was looking for Bianca. I'm sorry." Yesterday, I, too, had trouble locating Bianca, who didn't return my phone call by deadline.

- the NY Daily News.


***

Reminder
For several hours tomorrow Karl Rove will be in total control of our government.


***

Moral values
Sanctimonious, holier-than-thou good Catholic and fetus abuser Rick Santorum, R-PA, made some wild claims back in late July and early August about Boston and the Catholic Church sex abuse scandals. At that time Santorum tried to pin the blame on Senators Kennedy and Kerry claiming they “did nothing” about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church (which, surprise, surprise, was a lie).

Now, after a three-year investigation, a Philadelphia grand jury has exposed some of the ugliest, most vile sex abuse in the country and one the most most blatant cover-ups. Read more here.
*******

Pork over people
GOP = Greedy, Oily Pigs

Are Republicans in Washington going to get serious about their fiduciary responsibility to the nation, or are they going to continue wrecking the country's finances to secure their own reelection? As engineers continue to pump floodwaters out of New Orleans and Hurricane Rita selects her target, Republicans have to make a choice - possibly the most important choice since the party took charge of Congress. When the chips are down, to whom will they be loyal: the public or themselves?

- from the usually prone and Bush-kissing Manchester Union Leader.


***

Roll out the barrel
While it’s easy to dismiss the National Enquirer, it's also often accurate and can hold its own in a libel suit.

Alcoholism is a chronic disease. As the article relates, the Bushling never went for therapy. It would be much more difficult to believe that he would NOT return to drinking! He attributes his miraculous cure from a very real disease to the strength of his Christian faith. However, his faith doesn’t seem strong enough to produce a moral conversion, as he remorselessly engages in lying, killing and torture. It seems that his religiosity, far from being curative, only aggravates his mental illnesses as well.

The Enquirer has the best explanation so far of why Turd Blossom didn't rush to prop up Dubya with another bullhorn in front of a news camera during and after the destruction of New Orléans - Preznit Partypants was drunk as a skunk.


***

We don't need no civil war
Keepin' us safer

Meanwhile, as the insurgency winds down its last throes, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal warned Thursday that Iraq is moving toward total disintegration, and war there could spread to neighboring countries.

Space cadet
Jeb! Bush and his astral buddy Chang are this week's BuzzFlash "GOP Hypocrites of the Week":

When asked about [son] John's latest encounter with the police, Jeb's office said that it was a private family matter. But when it comes to Americans that Jeb thinks are "morally dragging" the nation down, Jeb is quite outspoken about their private family lives.

Maybe he should check if Chang has a brother.
****

Are we not men


Devo bassist Jerry Casale on George Dumbya:

"Bush is an insecure, moronic, dickless spud who has to prove he’s macho. There’s nothing more frightening than a dickless, wimpy man who has to prove he’s a god."

:: golf clap::

Effie tries to wake Egon and Jaffa.
***

Good crap.
***

Beat on the brat
Phil Donahue smacks the living snot out of Bill O'Reilly with a hot, wet falafel.


Clicky.
***

Abramoff probe may threaten leading Republicans
Bringing honor and integrity back to Washington...

The widening investigation of lobbyist/Tom "scumbag" DeLay golfing buddy Jack "me off" Abramoff is moving beyond the confines of tawdry influence-peddling to threaten leading figures in the Republican hierarchy that dominates Washington.

This week's arrest of David Safavian, the former head of procurement at the Office of Management and Budget, in connection with a land deal involving Abramoff brings the probe to the White House for the first time.

Safavian once worked with Abramoff at one lobbying firm and was a partner of Grover Norquist, the beetle-dicked national Republican strategist with close ties to the White House, at another. Safavian traveled to Scotland in 2002 with Abramoff, Representative Robert Ney of Ohio and another top Republican organizer, Ralph Reed, southeast regional head of George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and raving, sanctimonious arch-Christian conservative asshat.

House Majority Leader and corrupt dickrag Tom "you make me want to puke, you fucking bag of shit" DeLay, who once called Abramoff "one of my closest and dearest friends," already figures prominently in the investigation of the lobbyist's links to Republicans. The probe may singe other lawmakers with ties to Abramoff, such as Republican Senator Conrad Burns of Montana, as well as Ney.

"These people all shared transactions together,'' said former House Democratic counsel Stan Brand, now a partner in the Washington-based Brand Law Group. ``That's always something that worries defense lawyers."

Ha ha ha ha ha! Sweet!.


***

Learning nothing
The 'Brownie' of US Customs and Immigration:

Julie "who??" Myers, a 36-year-old with limited executive experience, is slated to become head of one of the nation's most critical security-related agencies, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Myers' uncle is none other than the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard B. Myers.

And Myers' husband is DHS chief Michael Chertoff's current chief of staff, John F. Wood.

- from NewsMax, so no link.

Feeling safer yet?


Whatever.
***

Integritude
"A blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers"

(Washington, D.C.) Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today named House Majority Leader/corrupt scumbag Tom DeLay (R-Insane) and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Tinypenis) Co-Porkers of the Month for their response to requests to offset the costs of Hurricane Katrina relief.

According to a September 14 Washington Times article, Rep. DeLay declared an “ongoing victory” in the effort to cut spending, and that the Republicans had “pared [the government] down pretty good.” While claiming to be receptive to proposed offsets, Mr. DeLay said that “nobody has been able to come up with any yet.”

Rep. Young had a much more curt response when asked by a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reporter about redirecting the combined $450 million for the Gravina Island and Knik Arm (renamed Don Young’s Way) bridges to hurricane victims: “They can kiss my ear.” He then called such a request the “dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Jerkoff.


***

Supportin' the troops
This came in through anonymous email and I haven't been able to confirm it, but it wouldn't surprise me. You must be effing crazy if you thought the goddamn disgusting bloated bag of shit GOP rep from Alaska wasn't going to pass up the chance to see his name plastered on his 315 million dollar bridge to nowhere.

A group of House Republicans have proposed a plan to offset the costs of relief and rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina that includes trimming military quality-of-life programs, including health care. Possible sources of funding cuts to free up money for Katrina relief include reduced health benefits, consolidation of the three military exchange systems and the closure of the military’s stateside school system.

***

Repukes tear into Bush at prestigious, hoity-toity conference of rich white fascists fatcats
Cranky, incontinent traitor Bob Novak - who somehow still has a job - sort of leaks "off the record" grousing, hostility towards Preznit Partyhat from elite rethugs channelling their inner Frenchmen, but does not reveal his sources - except PBS's Charlie Rose, who's a commie symp in the liberal media anyway, so fuck him.


***

Great moments in television
CNN's Jack Cafferty nearly sent Wolf Blitzer running to the little girls' room last night.

CAFFERTY: Congressional Republicans are suggesting ways for the government to save more than $500 billion over the next ten years to offset the cost of Hurricane Katrina. Cutting funding on programs from NASA to Medicare to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The question this hour is, what should be cut from the federal budget in order to pay for Katrina?

Andrea in Round Lake Beach, Illinois, writes: Bush's war in Iraq should be de-funded, and the soldiers should be brought home. Let the oil companies, Halliburton and others with an interest in the Iraqi oil fields finance their own enterprises, it should not be a public expense.

Sherrie in Camarillo, California: Oh, no question about it. Congressional salaries, their underlings' salaries, and the president's salary too, while we're at it.

Maggie writes from New Smyrna Beach, Florida: They should cut all perks to oil companies, that bridge in Alaska and all tax cuts to the rich folks, but knowing the way our government works, they'll end up cutting funding for the Army Corps of Engineers, the Centers for Disease Control, and to public services for lower income Americans.

Michael in Plymouth, Minnesota: The bulk of the funding for the restoration of the Gulf Coast should come from the recently passed transportation bill. Even a blind man can see there's enough pork in that bill to feed an army for several years over -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Tom DeLay says there's no pork, everything is essential. I don't know if you heard him say that.

CAFFERTY: Has he been indicted yet?

BLITZER: (laughing) We'll leave that alone.

The unethical scumbag.
***

10-week-old male panda cub at the National Zoo in Washington, Sept. 19, 2005, at his sixth health exam. Baby pandas never follow me home...


Bush 'falling apart'
Bunnypants "at his wit's end," says source with a straight face.

'Faced with the biggest crisis of his political life,' Preznit Partypants is boozing again, the paper-of-record for red-state America, the National Inquirer, reports.

A Washington source reveals "The sad fact is that he has been sneaking drinks for weeks now. Laura may have only just caught him (in Crawford, when he learned how bad the Katrina damage was) - but the word is his drinking has been going on for a while in the capital. He's been in a pressure cooker for months."




It's hard work!
***

Hmmmmmmm....
Senate Majority Leader/sanctimonious douchebag Bill Frist suddenly pulls the plug on his family's stock - two weeks before it tanks.

Fun fact: his "family business" hospital chain is the largest provider of on-demand for $$$ abortions in the US.

Integrity.


Ahhhhhhhhhh!
Bush braces for worst as Cindy Sheehan's other son drowns in New Orleans.
- headline at The Onion. Heh.

***

In other news
Chinese companies name condom for Bill Clinton, vacuum-colored crayon for George W Bush.


***

Known unknowns
Must-read: Time magazine's "Ways the Bush [mis]administration fucked up the war in Iraq, over and over and over again."

Hey, look! Rita's now a category 4!

:: crickets ::

Katrina adds to public doubts about Bush
New polls continue to show Bunnypants' numbers sliding down crapper.

Hurricane Katrina did more than wipe out much of the Mississippi coastline and flood New Orleans. The storm and the bungled government response eroded [Preznit PlayStation]'s political standing and dampened enthusiasm for his second-term agenda.

For the first time, senior Republican consultants and lawmakers are warning the White House that Bush's base is perilously close to deserting him. With nearly all Democrats and two-thirds of independents soured on his presidency, Bush needs to hang onto the large majority of braindead, sheeplike zomboids Republicans who back him.

***

Great moments in television
On fire! Jack Cafferty blasts the Bushies over their efforts to whitewash the investigation into the Katrina fiasco:

WOLF BLITZER: Let's bring in our Jack Cafferty. He always weighs in on the big stories. The president wants his Homeland Security adviser to conduct an internal investigation. The Republican leadership in the House and Senate want a bipartisan, but Republican-led investigation. Where's the independent 9/11 Commission-type of investigation to get to the bottom of this?

JACK CAFFERTY: I have no idea. That's the short answer. You can't make this stuff up, Wolf. President Bush naming his Homeland Security adviser to investigate what went wrong with the government's response to Hurricane Katrina.

Frances Towsend is the one who most recently oversaw the reorganization of the nation's intelligence services following the WMD debacle. Given the outcome of that effort, she'll probably conclude there was no hurricane.

So what's all the fuss about? Newsweek magazine reported last week that when Katrina struck, no one wanted to tell the president the truth about what happened. None of his advisers wanted to bring him the bad news. What kind of staff is that? Nobody wanted to tell the president of the United States that the nation's 35th largest city had been destroyed? Who are these people and what kind of government do we have when everyone is afraid to tell the president anything when he doesn't want to hear?

Here's the question, is the president's Homeland Security adviser the right choice to investigate Hurricane Katrina? Duh. Caffertyfile, one word, CNN.com.

Let's see, the Democrats want a committee. The Republicans want a committee. The House will have a committee. The Senate will have a committee. We've got this lady that's going to have a committee. This is nonsense. They need to take this thing outside government. This was government's screw-up. Get somebody on the outside to take a look. I think I mentioned yesterday, get a dollar-a-year guy, somebody like Tom Kean who did the 9/11 Commission, and let him get the facts together and issue a report to the public. The public's not going to buy any of this stuff that comes out of Washington. They're not going to believe anything that comes out of these partisan reports, or stuff that was done from within the White House. It just isn't going to wash. You know, the game is up with John Q. Public. They're not buying this stuff anymore.

.. later...

CAFFERTY: Busy place, huh, Wolf? President Bush has named his Homeland Security adviser, Francis Townsend, to investigate what went wrong with the governments response to Hurricane Katrina. I guess they think everybody is going to say, gee, that's a great idea. The question we're asking, is the president's Homeland Security adviser the right choice to investigate Hurricane Katrina? You can't even say this stuff with a straight face.

Theresa in Petal, Mississippi: Bush appointing his Homeland Security adviser to investigate her own departments bungled response to Katrina would be shocking, if it wasn't so tragically typical of this administration. It's like O.J. Simpson searching for the real killer, when all he had to do was look in the mirror. Just how dumb do they think we are?

Steve in Carlsbad, California writes: No one from the Department of Homeland Security can effectively investigate the Department of Homeland Security. The findings would always be viewed suspiciously, would not have credibility. We need an independent commission such as was formed to investigate the 9/11 failures. That is the only was the public will accept any report that's eventually issued.

Ron in Manistique, Michigan: Of course it's a great idea, just like having the tobacco industry do the studies on the health effects of smoking.

Terry in Nebraska writes: What's not fair about investigating oneself. Congress votes on whether to give themselves pay raises. If the public continues to buy hook, line and bobber whatever this president tells them, then they deserve what they get.

And finally Dave in Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Yeah, she's fine, and when there's an impropriety on my tax return, just tell the IRS I'll look into it and get back to you.

Crooks and Liars has the video.


***

Restoring honor and integrity
While the world was watching Katrina, House rethugs scotched the investigation of WH svengali and possible traitor Karl Rove.

Republicans on three separate committees this week derailed three formal resolutions of inquiry by Democrats that would have required the misadministration to turn over sensitive information relating to the outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame.

Had the resolutions been adopted, they would have led to the first independent congressional inquiries of the Plame affair, and perhaps even the public testimony , arrest and frogmarchi of Karl Rove and Scooter Libby, the chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, about their personal roles.

"Let us not forget the endless hearings in this committee and others on alleged Clinton-Gore campaign finance violations, the Whitewater claims, and Clinton White House Travel Office firings. These were matters all under Justice Department review at the time of our hearings. Finally, I must remind my colleagues of the numerous House and Senate hearings on Watergate that were simultaneous with the Justice Department's own investigation," Representative John Conyers (D-HugeOnes) said. "So fuck you."

The traitorous scumball.
***

Oh, for the love of...
:: thunk ::

Bush names Homeland Security official to lead an investigation of the Homeland Security Department's nonresponse to Katrina.

It's like they're not even trying anymore.

Talk is cheap


The George W. Bush Accountability Scorecard, at DemoUnderground.

Bush misadministration official charged
Bringing integrity and accountability back to Washington...

David Safavian, former chief of staff of the General Services Administration, has been charged with a three-count criminal complaint, including making false statements and obstructing a federal investigation into his dealings with lobbyist and Tom DeLay bud Jack Abramoff. Safavian moved to the Office of Management and Budget last year, becoming the administration's top procurement official. He resigned that post, effective Friday. Tom "unethical scumbag" DeLay remains free.


***

Balls
Bushies asking American taxpayers to donate to his Iraqi fiasco.

The Bush misadministration has launched an effort to raise charitable contributions for their attempt to rebuild Iraq.

Although more than $30 billion in taxpayer funds have been appropriated for Iraqi reconstruction, the administration earlier this month launched an Internet-based fundraising effort that it says is aimed at giving Americans "a further stake in building a free and prosperous Iraq."

Contributors have no way of knowing who's getting the money {read "Halliburton" - Ed.} or precisely where it's headed, because the government says it must keep the details secret for security reasons.

***

The betrayal of trust and abuse of power
A poet and patriot tells Pickles Stepford to get stuffed, and John Kerry rips the misadministration a new cornchute:

Katrina stripped away any image of competence and exposed to all the true heart and nature of this administration. The truth is that for four and a half years, real life choices have been replaced by ideological agenda, substance replaced by spin, governance second place always to politics. Yes, they can run a good campaign -- I can attest to that -- but America needs more than a campaign. If 12 year-old Boy Scouts can be prepared, Americans have a right to expect the same from their 59 year-old President of the United States.

... there's every reason to believe the President finally acted on Katrina and admitted a mistake only because he was held accountable by the press, cornered by events, and compelled by the outrage of the American people, who with their own eyes could see a failure of leadership and its consequences.

And the rush now to camouflage their misjudgments and inaction with money doesn’t mean they are suddenly listening. It's still politics as usual. The plan they’re designing for the Gulf Coast turns the region into a vast laboratory for right wing ideological experiments. They’re already talking about private school vouchers, abandonment of environmental regulations, abolition of wage standards, subsidies for big industries - and believe it or not yet another big round of tax cuts for the wealthiest among us!

And amazingly -- or perhaps not given who we’re dealing with -- this massive reconstruction project will be overseen not by a team of experienced city planners or developers, but according to the New York Times, by the Chief of Politics in the White House and Republican Party, none other than Karl Rove -- barring of course that he is indicted for "outing" an undercover CIA intelligence officer.

Vision of Karl in FPMITA prison.
***

"This administration is done for"
Right-wing rag: repukes rattled, redundant, total rectums.

"You run down the list of things we thought we could accomplish and you have to wonder what we thought we were thinking," says a Bush misadministration member who joined on in 2001. "You get the impression that we're more than listless. We're sunk."

Too pessimistic? Maybe not. Rumors are flying through various departments of longtime senior Bush loyalists looking to jump, but with few opportunities in the private sector to make the jump look like anything more than desperation. Almost daily, complaints from Cabinet level Departments come in to the White House about lack of communication coordination on even basic policy matters.

***

Doin' the peoples' business


Congress, having solved all other prob in an effort to deflect attention from embattled Bush misadministration, intensifies its perjury probe of Rafael Palmeiro.

Pic by Patrick Endres.


Mardi Gras Officials Contemplate New Politically Correct Term For 'Float'
- fake headline at Broken Newz.


Great moments in television
CNN's Jack Cafferty seems none too happy with WH svengali Karl Rove appointing himself head of the Katrina rebuilding effort:

CAFFERTY: [T]here's President Bush's chief political advisor, Karl Rove. You remember him. He was implicated in the release of the CIA agent's name to Bob Novak. Remember the e-mails that tied him into that? Remember how President Bush said 'if anybody in my administration is connected to the release of that name, he'll be fired'?

Well, Karl's not been fired. Karl's now going to have a major role in the $200 billion that's going to be spent on Katrina reconstruction. The administration has done such a tremendous job during the actual hurricane itself that, of course, it only makes sense then for them to manage the spending of the $200 billion to rebuild the Gulf Coast. What a lovely idea.

You know what they need? They need a guy like Tom Kean. A dollar a year guy from the outside with integrity. And they need a controller. Somebody to sit there and make people justify the expense of the money.

Anyway, here's the question. How much should Ray Nagin and Karl Rove have to say about what happens in New Orleans?

Tom in Houston writes: Rove, you've got to be kidding. He only knows about tearing down the opposition, and not a thing about building anything.

Wilson writes: The voters chose Ray Nagin, but Karl Rove should be washing dishes in a prison kitchen for outing a CIA agent.

Beau in Salem, Virginia: I don't fault Nagin as much as some, but Karl Rove. Give me a break. Bush appointing his chief political adviser to oversee this debacle tells you all you need to know about where out president's priorities lie. Covering his butt, and making sure his rich pals get even richer.

***

(Click to enlarge)

A sign against US President George W. Bush and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is hung in front of a house in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, three weeks after hurricane Katrina hit the city.

We used to think that "FEMA" was an acronym for "Federal Emergency Management Agency." Looks like we were wrong. The top 5 things "FEMA" might actually stand for:

5. Featuring Enron Managerial Accountability
4. Focused on Equines, Mostly Arabian
3. Finally Ejected Mike's Ass
2. Forget Everyone in Mobile, Alabama

and number 1:

1. Future Eatery Managers of America
- from top5.com
****

Not playing the 'blame-game'
Not!

"Pathetic attempts to pass the buck": The Bush Justice Department is trying to blame environmentalists for the flooding in New Orleans.


Responsibilitude.
***

Bush ratings fall after Katrina speech

Only 35% of Americans now say that Preznit PlayStation has done a good job responding to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. That's down from 39% before his speech in New Orleans.

The latest Rasmussen Reports survey shows that 41% give the President poor marks for handling the crisis, that's up from) 37% before the speech.

Following the speech, Chimpy's rating for handling the Katrina crisis fell eight points among Republicans when they realised their money would be going to help poor black people.


***

Has not volunteered to aid in his uncle's "noble cause"

Is it simply bad parenting? These kids don't have many good role models to look up to -- if you've got noone in your family to look up to other than drug abusers, petty criminals, etc., I really don't see how you can help turning out the same way.

- D Kos contributor Hunter.


John Ellis Bush, 21, the youngest son of Florida Governor Jeb! Bush and the nephew of President George W Bush has been arrested in Austin, Texas, on charges of public intoxication and resisting arrest. He was taken into custody around 02:30 on Friday in the downtown entertainment district, while your friends' kids were getting shot at and killed in Iraq.
******

Pic by Matt C.


I have no idea
Last night I dreamt I went back to school. I had just registered for college classes in my old high school, which I hated, and my courses included fencing, shaving men's faces, and training seeing-eye dogs - but the requirement for that one was the care and training of two dachsunds, which kept trying to escape and eat the cheese I was having for lunch. Difficulty: though they can be cute, I usually don't consider dachsunds as dogs. Or as weiners, for those smartypants out there!

Indeed.

A leak at the UN summit
In writing: Bush makes a silent plea.

Yesterday, it was still one of the main talking points in the corridors of global power, with delegates pondering the issue of whether it was a No 1 or No 2 call.

Whatever the case, the Daily Mail's handwriting analysis experts agree: Bush is a dumbass. Plus, he hadda go real bad...


***

By the very same people who put a horse-fluffer in as head of FEMA
Why does the misadministration hate American women?

A male veterinarian has been appointed by Bush's FDA commissioner as acting director of the Office of Women's Health.


***

Please welcome…
excuse the mess... that was just my head, CathyfromCanada, Alternate Brain, Shakespeares’ Sister, MF Blog, The Renegade of Junk, pooponpolitics, and Swatch It!

More later!

***

Bring 'em on!
No, wait!!!


Gawd, how manly!!!







Pic from Tild.

Gak!
Swallow first, then go to "It's about time he had that thing treated" at the General.


***

Fambly valyooz
It's a private matter - unless your last name is 'Clinton.'

In what must be a proud moment for the entire family - a youth finally attains Bush adulthood - Preznit Partypants' nephew was arrested in Texas early Friday and charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest.

But not to worry, I'm sure a judge will dismiss the charges against him, the way they did for his sister, his uncle, his cousins, his brother, his mom, his aunt...


***

This just in...
Leader of the free world can't dress himself...


(Check buttons near collar)


Reuters - Fri Sep 16,12:17 AM ET
U.S. President George W. Bush boards Air Force One after speaking about Hurricane Katrina's damage to the nation on network television from Jackson Square in New Orleans, September 15, 2005.
****

Dignitude.

Friday cat blogging

Work sucks wet monkey ass. Here's a picture of Egon.
****

Friday random ten+
1. Tijuana Jail - the crappy live version, Gilby Clarke
2. Radar Love - Golden Earring
3. Sweet Child o' Mine - Guns N' Roses
4. Gloria - Laura Branigan
5. She's Not There - Santana
6. Mama Told Me Not to Come - Tom Jones and the Stereophonics
7. Easy Livin' - Uriah Heep
8. Hush - Deep Purple
9. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - the very, very short version, Iron Butterfly.
10. I Can't Drive 55 - Sammy Hagar

Bonus tracks:
11. Dust N' Bones - Guns N' Roses
12. Come Out and Play - Offspring
13. Holiday - Green Day

Nasturtiums.

I couldn't stay awake last night to watch Chimpy McFlightsuit - what'd I miss?


Mommy, gotta go baf'woom
Reuters reports "extremely strong interest" in Bunnypants' permission to pee pic.

The fact is, according to Reuters -- and this has not been widely reported -- President Bush did indeed take a bathroom break after passing the note to Condeezza Rice.

Fair or not, the European press has already had a field day with the photo, often centering on the notion that Bush had to ask Rice for permission.

Fun UN fact: George Bush was also caught on film asking Kofi Annan if no-talent assclown John Bolton had blown the place up yet.


"Ah used the gwown-up's potty all buh myself!"
***

It's hard - hard work takin' a power-dump....


"Swear tuh God, it hadda be about this big!"

****

"Here I sit, broken-hearted - tried to shit, but only farted..."

Pic by Over Macho Grande.
***

"Did everything come out okay? I heard you struggled with your zipper..."

*****

I hear there's rumors on the internets....

Get your Bush toured the hurricane disaster area and all I got were these lousy maggots on.

Read what FEMA was capable of under competent leaders, at Why Now? And in a related story, check out Still dying at Proof Through the Night. Unbelievable.

Doggie T-shirts! Via the General.

Some great captions at Norbizness.

I'm sorry, but I can't help snickering whenever I see the words 'George W. Bush library.'


***

Keepin' us safer
Iran announces it is ready to begin transferring "peaceful nuclear technology" to other Islamic countries.

Keepin' us safer, II: 9/11 panel says Bush and the GOP Congress have NOT implemented key reforms necessary to save America from another terrorist attack.

Big time
Having once called a reporter a 'major-league asshole,' Preznit Poopypants finds out what it's like to have the A-word Google bomb-dropped on him.


***

Buk buk buk buk buk!
Why do the chickenshi republicans hate America?

Bringing honor, integrity and accountability back to Washington, Senate Republicans on Wednesday scuttled an attempt by Sen. Hillary Clinton to establish an independent, bipartisan panel patterned after the 9/11 Commission to investigate and make recommendations on how to improve the government's disaster response apparatus in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Clinton got only 44 votes, all from Democrats and independent Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont. All fifty-four Republicans voted no.

What the House and Senate GOP leaders DO want is a committee with a GOP majority - but Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Testosterone, has told them to piss off unless the Dems have equal representation.

But wait, there's more: House repukes have also 'derailed Democratic attempts on Wednesday' to force the misadministration to release documents on prewar intelligence and the disclosure of the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame. But hey, at least Bush didn't get a blowjob. That we know of, anyway.


***

Q: What's George Bush's position on Roe v. Wade?
A: He really doesn't care how people get out of New Orleans.
- sent in by mkutten.


Preznit Partypants' poll numbers in pooper
Support for the Jebus-lovin' problem-solvin' popular straight-shooter continues to drop, much like dung from the rented cows on his fake Texas ranch.

More Americans now distrust the federal government to do the right thing than at any time since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. [A] public that has long seen Mr. Bush as a determined leader, whether it agreed with him or not, now has growing doubts about his capacity to deal with pressing problems.

Heh: In a well, yeah... moment this morning, I saw this AP headline at Yahoo news - 'Bush to Commit to Rebuilding Gulf Coast' - and read it as 'Bush to Commit to Rebuilding Golf Course.'

Now watch this drive...


***

Mommy! I gotta go potty!

Dignitude: President George W. Bush writes a note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a Security Council meeting at the 2005 World Summit and 60th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York September 14.

Pic by Megain.


Stuff I found on the internets
"[T]he cluelessness continues - - the headline of a Mark Steyn column reads, 'Bush Kept His Head, and the Danger's Past.' But he kept his head in his ass, dear, while people were dying. Steyn is an ass, however, which is why he is full of ..." - The MahaBlog

What kind of conspiracy theorist are you? - find out at The Sideshow.

Brownie does a heckuva job resigning. - headline at Fark.

Who dresses you in the morning? - Just one of the 'questions for the 39 percent who approve of Bush' at Yellow Dog Blog.

Daman Wayans will send his sons to Iraq if Bush sends his 'drunk b!tch' daughters.

Dick "dick" Cheney says "go fuck yourselves" to Gulf Coast hospitals, orders oil pipelines fixed before water.

*****

Fear of a black asspounding
"Bring 'em on!" Bush, snivelling pussy.

George Bush 'scared to death' of black people.

"One prominent African-American supporter of Mr. Bush who is close to Karl Rove said the president did not go into the heart of New Orleans and meet with black victims on his first trip there, last Friday, because he knew that White House officials were 'scared to death' of the reaction.

- the WaComPo.


"You go first - you speak Jive!"
***

Are those pigs flying out of my ass?
"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," Bush said today. "To the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility."

In other news, Bunnypants Karl is drinking again.


***

Yeah well - at least he didn't get a bl*wjob!

"The point of all this is not a study of Bush's record; that could go on for days. What is amazing is the way Bush supporters can't seem to deal with reality. [D]espite a George W. Bush presidency filled with lies and inexcusable fiascos... They will not acknowledge that this administration has been a mess."

- the Benton Courier.


***

Quote

"For nearly five years George Bush has incensed much of the world by refusing to take action on global warming, calling for more study, more evidence. Well, we got our evidence."

- link.


***

Rarely is the question asked...
US loosing growned on eduma... edumaca.... lernin'.


***

What's the story, morning glory?

Now they tell us
From a column at Duh! dotcom.

Amid a slew of stories this weekend about the embattled presidency and the blundering government response to the drowning of New Orleans, some journalists who are long-time observers of the White House are suddenly sharing scathing observations about President Bush that may be new to many of their readers.

But not to readers of this and just about any other progressive site.

[F]idgety, cold, petulant and snappish in private, he yells at those who dare give him bad news and is therefore not surprisingly surrounded by an echo chamber of terrified sycophants.

He is slow to comprehend concepts that don't emerge from his gut. He is uncomprehending of the speeches that he is given to read.

And oh yes, one of his most significant legacies -- the immense post-Sept. 11 reorganization of the federal government which created the Homeland Security Department -- has failed a big test.

An emperor-has-no-clothes moment seems upon us.

:: sound of head pounding :: Well, #uck me. Haven't we been saying that for years????? #ucking SCLM.


***

Why haven't you killed yourself yet?
FEMA disaster head and incompetent hack Drownie - who did a heck of a good job! - resigned yesterday amid cries for investigations, his balls on a platter.

Fun fact: The duct-tape guy is now in charge!


***

Katrina a turning point for nation's journalists?
We'll see.

NBC's Brian Williams says the lasting legacy of Hurricane Katrina for journalists may be the end of an unusual four-year period of blowing the Bush misadmi deference to people in power.

There were so many angry, even incredulous, questions put to Bush administration officials about the response to Katrina that the Salon web site compiled a "Reporters Gone Wild" video clip. Tim Russert, Anderson Cooper, Ted Koppel and Shepard Smith were among the stars.

The mute button seemingly in place since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has been turned off.

Let's hope so. - from here.


A souvenir of the 'good old days'?
***

Now make sure you get his good side!
Like his dad's adventures with the supermarket scanner, a special photo-op of the vacuous ninny lookin' out his plane window while reclining on his couch backfires.

Photographers rarely are allowed into the forward cabin of Air Force One, but consigliere Karl Rove and other aides summoned them so they could snap pictures of the Boss gazing out the window as the plane flew over the devastation. Republican strategists privately call the resulting image - Bush as tourist, seemingly powerless as he peered down at the chaos - perhaps among the most damaging of his presidency.

- "The Boss"? Yep, it's by the supine and always embarrassing wHoward Fineman, WH whore.

Hard to imagine it beating out the My Pet Goat pic of 9/11, or the My Pet Goat singalong jamboreebop of 8/05 or even the Brownie, yore doin' a heck of a job! shot, but what the hell.


***

"Apparently in the current atmosphere where national security is the number one priority, it never crossed anyone's mind that perhaps the Federal Emergency Management Agency might be important." - from this week's Top 10 Conservative Idiots, at DU.

Accountabilitude
"We stand for things." - George W. Bush, Aug. 5, 2004.

"Part of the facts is understanding we have a problem, and part of the facts is what you're going to do about it." - George W. Bush, April 15, 2005.

"Give me a chance to be your president and America will be safer and stronger and better." - George W. Bush, July 13, 2004.

"It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today, on Nov. 2, we make the right choice, because if we make the wrong choice then the danger is that we'll get hit again in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States." - Dick "dick" Cheney, August 2004.

The Bush administration's attempts to shift accountability elsewhere - first to the victims stuck in New Orleans for not leaving, later to Louisiana officials and "bureaucrats" - are an appalling use of political tactics.

These are beyond outrageous. No state, no locality can take the lead in dealing with an emergency like Katrina. That's why FEMA was created in the first place, dickheads.

Incompetence is bad enough; not taking responsibility for it is shameful. Blaming it on others is a national disgrace.

- from an editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Mostly.

Fun fact: the Independant reports that "toxic chemicals in the New Orleans flood waters will make the city unsafe for full human habitation for a decade, a US government official said on Sunday. And, he added, the Bush administration is covering up the danger."

Fun fact 2: "America's Mayor" has called for a for Sept. 11-style probe into the government's Katrina failure.


***

Sorry Mr President, Katrina is not 9/11
Asshat.

Prayers (like vacations) are the default mode for this president who knows how to chuckle and bow the head in the midst of disaster but not, when it counts, how to govern or to command.

Katrina was the most anticipated catastrophe in modern American history. Perhaps the lowest point in Bush's abject performance was when he claimed that no one could have predicted the breach in the New Orleans levees, when report after report commissioned by him, not to mention a simulation just last year, had done precisely that.

In the last election campaign George W Bush asked Americans to vote for him as the man who would best fulfil the most essential obligation of government: the impartial and vigilant protection of its citizens. Now the fraudulence of the claim has come back to haunt him, not in Baghdad but in the drowned counties of Louisiana. In the recoil, disgust and fury felt by millions of Americans at this abdication of responsibility, the president - notwithstanding his comically self-serving promise to lead an inquiry into the fiasco - will assuredly reap the whirlwind.

- the Guardian.


The lying goober.
***

Ummmmm, welcome to WTF
Google searches that led some lucky individuals to this site:

karl rove miss piggy gay community homosexuality rumors - the thought of karl rove having sex... gag...

Bush is Steady. So is the course of Gonorrhea, But they Can Both be Cured. - lol

"Hannity and Colmes" barnyard animal clip - :: shudder ::


***

25 mind-numbingly stupid quotes about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath

12) "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" –House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Insane), to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston (Source).

- from here.


***

Doin' a heck of a job, Drownie!
Keepin' us safer...

FBI agents doing background check in 2002: "The misadministration is considering hiring Michael Brown to head FEMA."

Brown's ex-boss: "You're surely kidding?"

As if! And please don't call me Shirley.


Click to embiggen.
***

"We may be heading toward an election in which the attitude is to throw the bums out"
Katrina political storm may just be rising. And her ultimate casualty could be President George W. Bush.

With the popularity of Congress and President PlayStation sagging before the crisis, many officials said Bush and lawmakers made their situation worse by pointing fingers and digressing into political warfare with rescue operations still underway.

More critical to Preznit Privilege — and the GOP’s future as the nation’s majority party: most Americans, 52 percent, say they do not trust the president “to make the right decisions during a domestic crisis” (45 percent do). The numbers are exactly the same when the subject is trust of the president to make the right decisions during an international crisis. Reflecting the tarnished view of the administration, only 38 percent of registered voters say they would vote for a Republican for Congress if the Congressional elections were held today.

Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-HugeOnes.). "Enough is enough: No more Bush-business-as-usual."


***

Just... not... getting... the concept
Tight constraints on Pentagon's Freedom Walk

Event remembering Saddam attacking us on 9/11 to be kept 'sterile,' limited to the preregistered.

Pentagon restricts participation in “Freedom” event.

Organizers of the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial Freedom Walk on Sunday are taking extraordinary measures to control participation in the march and concert, with the route fenced off and lined with police and the event closed to anyone who does not register online by 4:30 p.m. today.

One restricted group will be the media, whose members will not be allowed to walk along the march route.

The march, sponsored by the Department of Defense, will wend its way from the Pentagon to the Mall along a route that has not been specified but will be lined with four-foot-high snow fencing to keep it closed and "sterile," said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense.

***

It's September 11th.
Where is Osama bin Laden, dead or alive?
**********

Just thought I'd share

You know what the old Jewish proverb says: life is like a cucumber - just when you think it's firmly in your grip, you find it's up your arse.

- from Shallow Grave by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. I love British murder mysteries.


***

Man of the people
Remember the media outrage when Bill Clinton supposedly held up air traffic in order to get a haircut?

San Diego hospital was closed to accommodate Bush photo-op:

This article was held over because of the hurricane.

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 30 -- The Naval Medical Center in San Diego's Balboa Park was shut down to accommodate a visit by President George W. Bush Aug. 30, RAW STORY has learned, forcing patients to cancel chemotherapy treatments and hundreds of scheduled patient visits.
"The pharmacy is closed. The emergency room is closed. Even chemotherapy patients will not be allowed on base," the daughter of one patient told RAW STORY shortly before the President's arrival.

Thanks to anon.


***

CNN relocates gonads, files lawsuit with gov't
At the request of CNN, a federal judge has blocked emergency officials in New Orleans from preventing the media from covering the recovery of bodies from Hurricane Katrina.

US District Judge Keith Ellison issued a temporary restraining order against a "zero access" policy announced Friday by the Bush misadministration.


***

President Bush's approval rating dips below 40, closes in on his IQ
Little Lord Bunnypants is down to a 39 percent job approval in an AP-Ipsos poll taken this week. That's the lowest since the the poll was started in December 2003.

Economic woes and a continuing war in Iraq have been complicated by the continuing hurricane recovery crisis.

"A lot of Americans don't pay attention to their leaders on a day-to-day basis," said Robert Blendon, a public opinion analyst at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "They measure presidents, governors and mayors on how they handle big events like a hurricane. This event is not over because the bodies are going to be discovered day by day."

***

Britain heads diplomatic effort to stop no-talent assclown from ruining UN summit
With the summit negotiations "imploding," Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, has made a personal plea to Condoleezza Rice to rein in obnoxious nutbag John Bolton.


***

The Bush misadministration in microcosm
Incompetent hack who lied to the American people remains clueless.

No, the other one.

Brownie, who did ‘a heck of a good job,’ doesn’t have the faintest idea why he was removed from the disaster area.

“Why, I expect to be receiving my Medal of Honor any day now!”

**********

LOL
Yeah! That oughtta shut 'em up!

OMG!!11! Like NOLA victims trying to grab hold of a life preserver as it spins past, the rightwingnuts are frantically 'pointing fingers and playing the blame-game,' saying Michael Brown and the Katrina disaster are the Democrats' fault - because 'Brownie' was OKd for FEMA by - wait for it - repuke wanna-be Joe Lieberman! What's next, he was seconded by Zell Miller?

RimJob's Home for Incontinent Mouthbreathers is having a circlejerk to this story, seen in the National Review. Idiots.


***

Tonight's top story on the Duh! network...


No fucking kidding!
***

Bush faces new questions on hurricane relief fiasco
Rescue crews prepared to speed up the retrieval of corpses on Friday amid reports that President PlayStation chose unqualified political supporters rather than disaster experts to head the agency leading the relief effort. The Washington Post reported that five of the top eight FEMA officials had little experience in handling disasters and owed their jobs to their political ties to Bush.

Update: Busted! FEMA director Michael Brown is being sent back to Washington; Homeland Security Director Chertoff to announce new leader for on-the-ground Katrina relief efforts (breaking news on CNN).
****

More great moments in television

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go fuck yourself, Mr. Cheney.

CHENEY: You have to figure out what to do with all of the...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go fuck yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER: Vice president clearly shrugging that off. Let's go to CNN's Jack Cafferty. He's standing by in New York. You heard that bleep, I hope, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY: The vice president said that's the first time he heard it. Didn't he utter the same phrase to Senator Patrick Leahy on the floor of the United States Senate?

BLITZER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: So it wasn't the first time he heard it. He said it ...

BLITZER: It is the first time he heard it in this context of this trip.

CAFFERTY: You know what? I'll bet it's not the last.

Heh.


***

Katrina quotes
"It's not a blame game. It's accountability! It's accountability!" - ABC News' Terry Moran, to WH spokes-tool Scott McClellan.

"Even now, with bedraggled rescuers pulling decomposed bodies from the muck of New Orleans, Bill Frist, the moral cretin who runs the US Senate, wanted its first order of business this week to be the permanent repeal of the estate tax, until the public outcry persuaded him to change course. The Republicans profess belief in trickle-down, but what they've given us is the Flood." - Harold Meyerson , the WaPo (via The MahaBlog, where there's LOTS of good stuff).

"When people do not want to play the blame game, they are to blame." - Jon Stewart.


***

CNN's Jack Cafferty gets righteous on the misadministration's ass
You go, dude.

CAFFERTY: Somewhere along the way, FEMA became a dumping ground for the president's political cronies with little experience in disaster relief. The agency's first director was Joe Allbaugh, he was President Bush's 2000 campaign chairman. Allbaugh brought in the current failure, Michael Brown. His previous work was with Arabian horses.

The number two guy, Brown's top deputy at FEMA is a fellow named Patrick Rhode. He worked for the 2000 election campaign. The number three guy at FEMA is Brooks Altshuler. He used to work in the White House. His job was planning presidential trips.

And FEMA's long-term recovery director is a guy named Scott Morris. He produced television and radio commercials for the Bush campaign. The federal agency charged with handling national emergencies is staffed at the very top by a bunch of political hacks with virtually no experience that qualifies them to respond to something like Katrina.

But I digress. Some people are now suggesting making the military responsible for organizing the efforts, things, in fact, picked up noticeably and considerably in New Orleans once they got there. So here's the question this hour. Should the military be put in charge of handling domestic disasters such as hurricanes? Caffertyfile@cnn.com.

WOLF BLITZER: You know, Jack, what happened in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew in Florida, the first President Bush was severely criticized for supposedly not doing enough for Floridians in the immediate aftermath of Andrew. And some pundits suggested later that he lost Florida to Bill Clinton in that election precisely because of that reason. You remember that?

CAFFERTY: I do. And I can remember a mayoral election in New York that turned on the fact that snowplows didn't get into some of the outlying neighborhoods soon enough after a particularly heavy snowstorm. And that mayor was promptly voted right out into the street, as it were. So the voters do remember. If the damage that's inflicted upon them is severe enough, they tend to remember. And when they go to the ballot box, sometimes they try to get even.

BLITZER: As we watch the vice president make his way, I believe, to microphones to report to us what he's seeing and what he's hearing, I just want to point out, there is some suggestions that this president learning from his father's mistake, wanted political associates of his to be in charge of FEMA to make sure the response would be perfect, especially to Floridians in the aftermath of hurricanes because that's where a lot of hurricanes sent.

CAFFERTY: Well, it didn't work out so well, did it?

BLITZER: Sometimes it doesn't necessarily work out that way.

CAFFERTY: Where are the qualifications of these people? None of these guys is qualified based on the stuff I'm reading to head up an emergency management agency. One of them worked with Arabian horses. The rest are all guys off the campaign trail, planned presidential trips, produced TV commercials. Don't you need somebody at the top running the organization that has some semblance of an idea of what the hell is required when there's an emergency?

BLITZER: All right, Jack. We got the point.

CAFFERTY: I got carried away.

As more of you should.


***

Grand jury indicts DeLay associates
From the same people who promised to bring honor and integrity back to Washington...

Though his PAC buddies face charges of circumventing the election code and funnelling off "massive amounts of secret corporate wealth," House Majority leader/scumbag Tom DeLay somehow remains free.


How many lies does this make now?
***

It's good to be the king
Businesses in Dick Cheney's home state given special loans earmarked for 9/11 victims.


***

The accountability administration
Keepin' us safer

It's funny watching conservapukes pointing fingers and 'blame-gaming' the NO authorities. It's straight out of the "Stonehenge in danger of being crushed by a dwarf" scene in This is Spinal Tap:

Ian: Now, whether he knows the difference between feet and inches is not my problem. I do what I'm told.

David St. Hubbins: But you're not as confused as him are you? I mean it's not your job to be as confused as Nigel is.

***

Disaster chief's bio a disaster
Brownie "overstated his record" - Duh! Time magazine

Bush misadministration's intern screws the Gulf Coast, leaves stains on the entire nation:

FEMA head and Bunnypants' crony Michael Brown, under fire over the federal response to Hurricane Katrina, cited prior emergency-management experience in an official biography but his duties were "more like an intern," Time magazine reported.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that five of eight top FEMA officials had come to their jobs with virtually no experience in handling disasters. The agency's top three leaders, including Brown, had ties to Bush's 2000 presidential campaign or the White House advance operation.

These are the guys that insisted during the presidental race that they were the ones that could keep us safer.

"The top priority for the Department of Homeland Security is not to make the nation safe from terrorists and Mother Nature. It is to provide government jobs for Republicans." - from an editorial in the Manchester Union-Leader.


***

The Bush presidents respond to New Orleans crisis.

Via email from KDKinslow.

Karma's a bitch, asstool

"Hey Cheney - go #uck yourself!"

LOL. Indeed.


"Meh!!"
***

Everyone's a comedian...

"You all are well aware of how engaged this President is in the response efforts..." - WH spokes-tool Scott McClellan.

'Is "Brownie" still doing a "heck of a job," according to the President?' - Terry Moran to McClellan.

"Remember when Bill Clinton went out with Monica Lewinsky? That was inarguably a failure of judgment at the top. Democrats had to come out and risk losing credibility if they did not condemn Bill Clinton for his behavior. I believe Republicans are in the same position right now. And I will say this: Hurricane Katrina is George Bush's Monica Lewinsky. The only difference is that tens of thousands of people weren't stranded in Monica Lewinsky's vagina." - Jon Stewart.


***

Hey, don't blame me, I wuz on vacashun!
"The President’s incuriosity, his prideful insistence on being an underbriefed 'gut player,' is not looking so charming right now, if it ever did."

What? You mean the take-action, gun-slingin' sherriff looks more like the stupid, stammering sidekick? Well duh!

Obviously, a hurricane is beyond human blame, and the political miscalculations that have come to light - the negligent planning, the delayed rescue and aid efforts, the thoroughly confused and uninspired political leadership - cannot all be laid at the feet of President Bush.

But you could sense, watching him being interviewed by Diane Sawyer on ABC’s Good Morning America - defensive, confused, overwhelmed - that he knew that he had delivered a series of feeble, vague, almost flippant speeches in the early days of the crisis, and that the only way to prevent further political damage was to inoculate himself with the inevitable call for non-partisanship: “I hope people don’t play politics during this period of time.”

And yet, to a frightening degree, Bush’s faults of leadership and character were brought into high relief by the crisis. Suntanned and relaxed after a vacation so long that it would have shamed a French playboy, Bush reacted with fogged delinquency.

- David Remnick, the New Yorker.


***

Press insurgency
Scottie gets spanked. Repeatedly.
And not in a good way, either.

"Scott, you talk about looking ahead, and on that point, why should the American people have confidence?"

Q: Scott, does the President retain confidence in his FEMA Director and Secretary of Homeland Security?

MR. McCLELLAN: And again, David, see, this is where some people want to look at the blame game issue, and finger-point. We're focused on solving problems, and we're doing everything we can --

Q: What about the question?

MR. McCLELLAN: We're doing everything we can in support --

Q: We know all that.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- of the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA.

Q: Does he retain complete confidence --

MR. McCLELLAN: We're going to continue. We appreciate the great effort that all of those at FEMA, including the head of FEMA, are doing to help the people in the region. And I'm just not going to engage in the blame game or finger-pointing that you're trying to get me to engage.

Q: Okay, but that's not at all what I was asking.

MR. McCLELLAN: Sure it is. It's exactly what you're trying to play.

Q: You have your same point you want to make about the blame game, which you've said enough now. I'm asking you a direct question, which you're dodging.

MR. McCLELLAN: No --

Q: Does the President retain complete confidence in his Director of FEMA and Secretary of Homeland Security, yes or no?

MR. McCLELLAN: I just answered the question.

Q: Is the answer "yes" on both?

MR. McCLELLAN: And what you're doing is trying to engage in a game of finger-pointing.

Q: There's a lot of criticism. I'm just wondering if he still has confidence.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and blame-gaming. What we're trying to do is solve problems, David. And that's where we're going to keep our focus.

Q: So you're not -- you won't answer that question directly?

MR. McCLELLAN: I did. I just did.

Q: No, you didn't. Yes or no? Does he have complete confidence or doesn't he?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, if you want to continue to engage in finger-pointing and blame-gaming, that's fine --

Q: Scott, that's ridiculous. I'm not engaging in any of that.

MR. McCLELLAN: It's not ridiculous.

Q: Don't try to accuse me of that. I'm asking you a direct question and you should answer it. Does he retain complete confidence in his FEMA Director and Secretary of Homeland Security, yes or no?

MR. McCLELLAN: Like I said -- that's exactly what you're engaging in.

Q: I'm not engaging in anything. I'm asking you a question about what the President's views are --

MR. McCLELLAN: Absolutely -- absolutely --

Q: -- under pretty substantial criticism of members of his administration. Okay? And you know that, and everybody watching knows that, as well.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, everybody watching this knows, David, that you're trying to engage in a blame game.

Q: I'm trying to engage?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. {"Poopyhead!"}

Q: I am trying to engage? {"I double-dog dare you to answer that question, Scott!"}

MR. McCLELLAN: That's correct.

Q: That's a dodge.

And later...

Q: Does the President agree with his bitch mother that the homeless taken from New Orleans to Houston are much better off now because they were underprivileged in New Orleans?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think she was making a personal observation on some of the comments that people were making that she was running into. I'm not sure that that's exactly what she said, but --

Q: I have it right here if you need it.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- what we're focused on -- what we're focused on is helping these people who are in need.

Q: Does he agree with his mother?

MR. McCLELLAN: And I think that the observation is based on someone who -- or some people that were talking to her, that were in need of a lot of assistance, people that have gone through a lot of trauma and been through a very difficult and trying time. And all of a sudden, they are now getting great help in the state of Texas from some of the shelters.

Q: "It's scary that they're all coming to Texas."

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I think you can look at her comments.

Q: That is what she said, though.

MR. McCLELLAN: La la la, la la la!


***

Volunteer firefighters used as props for Bush photo-op

[A]s specific orders began arriving to the firefighters in Atlanta Monday morning, a team of 50 was quickly ushered onto a flight headed for Louisiana. The crew's first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he toured devastated areas.

And there's more.


Asshat.
***

This is not a game

President Bush blithely announced at a photo-op cabinet meeting that he, personally, was going to "find out what went right and what went wrong."

We can't imagine a worse idea.

No administration could credibly investigate such an immense failure on its own watch. And we have learned through bitter experience - the Abu Ghraib nightmare is just one example - that when this administration begins an internal investigation, it means a whitewash in which no one important is held accountable and no real change occurs.

- from a NY Times editorial.

Oh, and while he's at it, maybe he can explain this. Or this.


Pic from the Daily Show.
***

"Oblivious, in denial, and dangerous"
Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, on President Lawn Ornament's reaction to her urging him to fire FEMA head Michael Brown:

Bush asked 'Why would I do that?' Pelosi said.

"I said because of all that went wrong, of all that didn't go right last week."

"And he said 'What didn't go right?'"

***

Pic by Robert Chenevert.

We're back. Sorry for the light posting - my dad's been in and out of the hospital with something that might be pleurisy. Or something else. They can't seem to figure it out.


"How much time did the president spend dealing with this emerging crisis while he was on vacation?" - Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, showing the spineless patsies in the party how it's done.

An 'investigation?' We saw it live!

Like “all the king’s men” in the Humpty Dumpty case, all the smokescreens, denials and counteroffensives in the world will not be able to put President Bush’s credibility back together again following the demonstration of his abject failure of leadership last week that let the Hurricane Katrina disaster swell into a still-unfolding human and national catastrophe of unparalleled proportions.

Sorry, Mr. President, you were caught by live television cameras with your pants wrapped around your ankles for a worldwide audience of billions to see, thanks to an alert news media, first hand. You can’t undo that.

- from an editorial here.


***

Fox, meet henhouse
Bush vows to find the WMDs lead the investigation against himself and his disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina.

In other words, blah. Blah blah blah blah democrats blah.


***

"Looking like Somalia"
"Bush fails to stem anger with second Rovian stage-managed PR appearance/stunt in devastated area."

"I'm not interested in hand-shaking. I'm not interested in photo-ops." - evacuee Mildred Brown.

"So I'm asking Congress, please investigate this now. Take whatever idiot they have at the top of whatever agency and give me a better idiot. Give me a caring idiot. Give me a sensitive idiot. Just don't give me the same idiot." - Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish.

"The American people saved us. I wish I could say the same for the American authorities. George Bush and his government left those people to die." - British tourist Ged Scott, who was trapped in New Orleans with his family.


***

Sleaziness from on high

"Spinning," which in less fastidious times was known as "lying," works like this: Sometime this past weekend, the White House decided that the party line in regard to the federal government's catastrophically poor response to Hurricane Katrina would be that local officials had failed to ask for help soon enough. The only problem with this claim is that it was totally false...

Oy.
***

A failure of leadership
Keepin' us safer

Instead of urgently focusing on the people who were stranded, hungry, sick and dying, [Little Lord Bunnypants] engaged in small talk, reminiscing at one point about the days when he used to party in New Orleans, and mentioning that Trent "I used to be somebody!" Lott had lost one of his houses but that it would be replaced with "a fantastic house - and I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch."

Mr. Bush's performance last week will rank as one of the worst ever by a president during a dire national emergency. What we witnessed, as clearly as the overwhelming agony of the city of New Orleans, was the dangerous incompetence and the staggering indifference to human suffering of the president and his administration.

Like a boy being prepped for a second crack at a failed exam, Mr. Bush has been meeting with his handlers to see what steps can be taken to minimize the political fallout from this latest demonstration of his ineptitude. But this is not about politics. It's about competence. And when the president is so obviously clueless about matters so obviously important, it means that the rest of us, like the people left stranded in New Orleans, are in deep, deep trouble.

- Bob Herbert, the NY Times.


***

Pic by Wayne Liu.

Unbelievable
Putting aside petty partisan poli What a #ucking asshat -

Grover Norquist, the conservative activist with his flabby lips around Kar close ties to Karl Rove, blamed the chaos on "looting in a Democratic city run by a Democratic mayor and a Democratic governor."

You'd think with all the spinning his head would twist off. #uckwit.


***

Praise the Lord! I get to live in a stadium!
Former Queen First Lady turns her beautiful mind to the plight of those poor, horrid black people:

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is (chuckling slightly) working very well for them..."

- Barbara Bush, on the Astrodome evacuees from New Orleans.

'Giggle! Now if we could just seal the doors... '
Bitch.


***

It's good to be the king
Fresh from a relaxing summer vacation spent fly-fishing in Wyoming, Dick "dick" Cheney may have spent the past few days closing on his new house: a "luxurious" $2.9 million mansion in snooty St. Michaels, Maryland, that is "set amidst nine lush bayfront acres and includes extensive gardens, ornamental pools and spectacular views" of the Chesapeake Bay (from NewsMax, so no link).


"Go #uck yourself, peasants!"
****

Culture of life
I almost lost my mouthful of peanuts on this one.

"Well, I'm getting sick of hearing about the horrors in the news about Hurricane Katrina and the Human Tragedy that's followed. I'd like to dedicate this thread to the good news we are hearing coming from the disaster...."

- actual post at RimJob's Circlejerk Central.


Pic from here.
***

There you are!
From something I found over at AmericaBlog - if you use SiteMeter, you can generate a map of your last hundred visitors from around the world and the US. People reading WTF:




And by night:

Hi all!
***

Stuff I saw on the internets
"A president who flew from Crawford to Washington in a heartbeat to intervene in the medical case of a single patient, Terri Schiavo, has no business lecturing anyone about playing politics with tragedy." - Frank Rich.

“Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”
–President Bush, to FEMA director Michael Brown, while touring hurricane-ravaged Mississippi, Sept. 2, 2005.

Presidential Debates 2008:
Question 1: What can be done to improve the government that has gone screaming downhill since Dubya's Daddy gave him the White House to play in?

Dumbfuck republican candidate: I don't believe that my esteemed opponent understands the intricacies of national politics.

NOLA Mayor Ray Nagin: I'd make it so that if you didn't shut the fuck up, get off your ass, and DO WHAT YOU ARE PAID TO DO, you'd be out trying to find a goddamn job at McDonald's.

-Nagin wins.
(email from Kathy A)

This time, during a catastrophe, the president did not merely dither for seven minutes, but for three days, and his top advisors followed suit....

While a rising chorus in the press has taken the White House, FEMA and the Pentagon to task for performing miserably in their response to the human disaster on the Gulf Coast, few have focused on the most telling aspect of the entire failure. It’s not just incompetence. It’s a shameful lack of concern: The 9/11 “My Pet Goat” dithering on an administration-wide scale.

Simply stated, the president and his top advisers chose vacation over action.

While the media has done a good job in portraying the overall deadly failure of leadership, it has not focused enough on this deadly dereliction of duty....


***

Yep, Karl Rove's back from summer vacation!
Plans to shift blame in Katrina fiasco

Honor and integrity...

The Accountability Administration enacts a plan to ease political damage:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 - Under the command of President Bush's two senior political advisers, the White House rolled out a plan this weekend to contain the political damage from the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina.

It orchestrated visits by cabinet members to the region, leading up to an extraordinary return visit by Mr. Bush planned for Monday, directed administration officials not to respond to attacks from Democrats on the relief efforts, and sought to move the blame for the slow response to Louisiana state officials, according to Republicans familiar with the White House plan.

The effort is being directed by Mr. Bush's chief political scumbag adviser, Karl Rove, and his communications director, Dan Bartlett. It began late last week after Congressional Republicans called White House officials to register alarm about what they saw as a feeble response by Mr. Bush to the hurricane, according to Republican Congressional aides.

WH svengali receives Medal of Honor for pulling Bunnypants' ass out of the fire after the "My Pet Goat" episode in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
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Pic by Kevin Temple.


Bush wants Roberts as Chief
Bunnypants: "No! I wan' him to be CHEF!"
Karl: "Dammit! Just read what I wrote for you..."
Bush: "Chef! Chef, chef, chef!"

With the worldwide lambasting over his misadministration’s shameful handling of the Katrina disaster and his approval numbers at the lowest of his presidency, Karl Rove got to change the subject yet again: by having Bush announce he wanted the 50-year-old John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the US.

"The Senate is well along in the process of finding Judge Roberts qualified," Bush said in a statement from the White House in Washington. 'They know his record and his fidelity to the law. Gumballs!"


Thanx to Spade Hammer for the pic.
***

Good God, I'm beyond disgusted. I need a drink, badly

Dutch viewer Frank Tiggelaar writes: There was a striking discrepancy between the CNN International report on the Bush visit to the New Orleans disaster zone yesterday, and reports of the same event by German TV.

ZDF News reported that the president's visit was a completely staged event. Their crew witnessed how the open air food distribution point Bush visited in front of the cameras was torn down immediately after the president and the herd of 'news people' had left and that others which were allegedly being set up were abandoned at the same time.

The people in the area were once again left to fend for themselves, said ZDF.

But perhaps the greatest disappointment stands at the breached 17th Street levee. Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment.

Three tons of food ready for delivery by air to refugees in St. Bernard Parish and on Algiers Point sat on the Crescent City Connection bridge Friday afternoon as air traffic was halted because of President Bush’s visit to New Orleans, officials said.

The provisions, secured by U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon baked in the afternoon sun as Bush surveyed damage across southeast Louisiana five days after Katrina made landfall, said Melancon’s chief of staff, Casey O’Shea.

“We had arrangements to airlift food by helicopter to these folks, and now the food is sitting in trucks because they won’t let helicopters fly,” O’Shea said Friday afternoon.

Follow-up: after viewing the suffering and devastation Friday, Preznit GameBoy worked hard makin' progress by playing a few rounds of golf.
****

American Idle


From here.
***

Yeah...
'does fema stand for "f*ck everyone, mr. assh*le"?' - skippy.


***

We're speaking live, from the New Orleans Green Zone...
An anonymous reader sent us this, from the Huffington Post:

Ask any Ibrahim or Mustapha on the streets of Baghdad about New Orleans and he would answer, “We coulda told ya. Got no electricity? We coulda told ya. Got no running water? We coulda told ya. Got no sewer system? We coulda told ya. Got no police protection? We coulda told ya.”

Katrina, the Russian witch, has brought home to Americans what Iraqis have long known: Accomplishment is looking busy when they turn the TV cameras on...

Iraqis, inured to Chernoffian government, are inviting any New Orleans people who get out to come to Baghdad where they will teach them how to accommodate themselves to filth and despair.

"Bush has failed everyone"
Chris at Sauceruney recommends 'We told you so' at The News Blog. I agree:

Say 9/11 changed everything now, motherfuckers. Ooops, 9/11, 9/11. 9/11. Doesn't work anymore? Gee, maybe the sea of alligator MRE's once known as the citizens of New Orleans has something to do with that. Now you can shut the fuck up about 9/11. Bush just proved what would happen with another 9/11. Dead Americans as far as the nose can smell.

Word.
Damn.
*********

Keeping it in the family
The Bush/Cheney crime family.

mkutten writes us that Dick "dick" Cheney's "former" company Halliburton has been hired for Katrina cleanup in Mississippi.

'Cause everyone knows what a great job they've been doing ripping off us taxpay in Iraq.


"Mine! Mmmwwwwaaaaa!"
***

Despite warnings, Washington failed to fund levee projects

As a result, when the immediate crisis eases and inquiries into what went wrong begin, there is likely to be responsibility and blame enough for almost every institution in Washington, including the White House, Congress, the Army Corps of Engineers and a host of other federal agencies.

As White House anxiety grows, Bush tries to quell political crisis
"A massive administration failure."

It's alive! Vice President Dick "dick" Cheney makes rare appearance at WH as rethugs reel back from their extended vacations in the face of mounting rage from distraught citizenry.

Faced with one of the worst political crises of his administration, President Bush abruptly overhauled his September schedule on Saturday as the White House scrambled to gain control of a situation that Republicans said threatened to undermine Mr. Bush's second-term agenda and the party's long-term ambitions...

Yes, it's so bad that Preznit Privilege even squeezed out a tear for his black "brothers and sisters all along the Gulf Coast."

But some repukes are already writing the disaster off, saying the easily-led sheep people will soon forget about this and start focusing on the Supreme Court hearings.

Developing...
****

Ruh-roh
Chief Justice William Rehnquist has died of cancer at 80.

We pray for his family, and that Fat Tony "the Fixer" Scalia or Slappy Thomas aren't made chief justice in his place.


***

It's hard work!
President Bush, sleeves manfully rolled up, diverts critical resources for photo-op:


***

So then the rabbi sez...

"The good news is -- and it's hard for some to see it now -- that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house -- he's lost his entire house -- there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." (Laughter.)

- Preznit Numbnutz, having a laugh in Mobile, Alabama today.


***

Obviously, it was Bill Clinton's penis's fault

REPORTER: There’s a lot of discussion going on about the funding of projects prior to this, whether projects in New Orleans in particular were underfunded because of the Iraq war or for other reasons. Do you find any of this criticism legitimate? Do you think there is any second guessing to be done now about priorities given that [a disaster in] New Orleans was sort of obvious to a lot of the experts?

WH SPOKESTOOL SCOTT MCCLELLAN: As I have indicated, this is not a time for politics. This is a time for the nation to come together for those in the Gulf Coast region and that’s where our focus is. This is not a time for finger-pointing or politics. And I think the last thing that the people who have been displaced or the people who have been affected need is people seeking partisan gain in Washington.

...and later...

MCLIAR: Flood control has been a priority of this administration from day one.

Uh huh. Well, if it was, they certainly managed to FUCK UP THAT PRIORITY, too...


***

Clueless in Washington
George W. Bush, six days after repeated warnings from experts about the scope of damage expected from Hurricane Katrina: "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees."

House Speaker Dennis "yes, Mr DeLay" Hastert, when asked in an interview whether it makes sense to spend billions rebuilding a city that lies below sea level: "I don't know. That doesn't make sense to me.'' It's a question "that certainly we should ask. And, you know, it looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed.''

Complete... and total... DUMBASS. But wait, there's more:

Nero in DC and now Imelda in NYC
While babies can't get anything to eat and dead grandmothers in wheelchairs are abandoned on the streets of New Orleans, a top member of Bush's cabinet enjoys a Broadway comedy, tennis with Monica Seles, and going on a shopping spree in some of the swankiest shops in Manhattan during a national emergency.

Just moments ago at the Ferragamo on 5th Avenue, Condoleeza Rice was seen spending several thousands of dollars on some nice, new shoes (we’ve confirmed this, so her new heels will surely get coverage from the WaPo’s Robin Givhan). A fellow shopper, unable to fathom the absurdity of Rice’s timing, went up to the Secretary and reportedly shouted, “How dare you shop for shoes while thousands are dying and homeless!” Never one to have her fashion choices questioned, Rice had security PHYSICALLY REMOVE the woman.

Update: Joe at AmericaBlog reports today that "They are paying attention to the blogosphere":

The White House battled a chorus of criticism throughout the day as bloggers made much of the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, vacationing in New York during the disaster, where she was spotted at a Broadway show and was to attend the U.S. Open. By Thursday evening, Ms. Rice had cut short her vacation and returned to Washington, where she headed to a staff meeting to discuss ways of coordinating offers of foreign assistance from more than 30 countries and organizations.

And after the worst natural disaster in our nation's history, where's Dick? On vacation, or on a hospital bed? Just wtf is wrong with this misadministration???
**********

Pic from BartCop.

Alicia writes: Hello Maru...The picture of Bush w/guitar aside the picture of Katrina refugees should remain at the top of your blog and every like-minded site in the blogoshere as a reminder of what utter failure of leadership looks like.

Alicia, I thought it would be hard to top that pic, until I found the one above at BartCop. God help us.



"Despite continuous warnings that a catastrophic hurricane could hit New Orleans, the Bush administration and Congress in recent years have repeatedly denied full funding for hurricane preparation and flood control." - the Chicago Trib, via The Sideshow.

"Despair is escalating on the streets as corpses rot on the flooded sidewalks, thousands are stranded without food or water and survivors plead for help. This what the "Master of Disaster" Bush has done with all the billions of dollars to protect the homeland: Wasted the money on incompetent appointees and contracts with campaign contributors like Halliburton... People are dying of dehydration and gross neglect, not the storm!" - BuzzFlash.

"They don't have a clue what's going on down there. They flew down here one time two days after the doggone event was over with TV cameras, AP reporters, all kind of goddamn — excuse my French, everybody in America, but I AM PISSED." - Mayor Ray Nagin ripping into the misadministration.

"Congress approved a $231 MILLION bridge to nowhere in Alaska... and halved hurricane and flood prevention programs in NO. And people wonder what's wrong with the government." - headline at Fark.

'Bush administration launches "Operation Bureaucratic Clusterfuck".'

A 'national disgrace'
Mayor blasts feds: "They are spinning and people are dying"

"... corpses rotted along flooded sidewalks and bands of armed thugs thwarted fitful rescue efforts..."

Fires, dead bodies, anarchy, snipers... people left with no food or water... hospitals being looted and fired upon. It's like Somalia in Black Hawk Down.

"It's like 'Lord of the Flies'."

The question this hour is: How would you rate the response of the federal government to Hurricane Katrina?

I’ve got to tell you something, we got 500-600 letters before the show even went on the air. No one -- no one -- says the federal government is doing a good job in handling one of the most atrocious and embarrassing and far-reaching and calamitous things that has come along in this country in my lifetime. I’m 62, I remember the riots in Watts, I remember the earthquake in San Francisco. I remember a lot of things. I have never, ever, seen anything as badly bungled and poorly handled as this situation in New Orleans.

Where the hell is the water for these people? Why can’t sandwiches be dropped to those people who are in that Superdome down there? I mean, what is going -- this is Thursday. This storm happened five days ago.

It’s a disgrace, and don’t think the world isn’t watching. This is the government the taxpayers are paying for, and it’s fallen right flat on its face, as far as I can see, in the way it’s handled this thing.”

- our new hero, Jack Cafferty, on CNN 9/1/05.

Excuse me, Senator, I'm sorry for interrupting. I haven't heard that, because, for the last four days, I've been seeing dead bodies in the streets here in Mississippi. And to listen to politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, you know, I got to tell you, there are a lot of people here who are very upset, and very angry, and very frustrated.

And when they hear politicians slap -- you know, thanking one another, it just, you know, it kind of cuts them the wrong way right now, because literally there was a body on the streets of this town yesterday being eaten by rats because this woman had been laying in the street for 48 hours. And there's not enough facilities to take her up.

Do you get the anger that is out here?

- Anderson Cooper barely manages to keep from tearing Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu's head off on CNN, 9/1/05.

I've heard you say during the course of a number of interviews that you found out about the convention center today. Don't you guys watch television? Don't you guys listen to the radio?

- Ted Koppel blasts FEMA's Michael Brown.

Fun fact: The director of FEMA, Michael Brown, was fired for incompetence, financial mismanagement and mounting litigation from his previous job.


***

Apocalypse now
"Bush seems determined to show his successors how to holiday through an apocalypse."

"The damage is heartbreaking and just when the victims most need the support of the federal government, they find themselves dependent on one that is least inclined to accept its responsibilities."

"Almost as unbelievable as Katrina itself is the fact that the leader of the free world has been outshone by the elected leaders of a region renowned for governmental ineptitude."

"There's no one in control. No national guard. no police. And certainly no FEMA. Outside the Convention Center, the sidewalks were packed with people without food, water or medical care, and with no sign of law enforcement. Thousands of storm refugees had been assembling outside for days, waiting for buses that did not come." - on CNN.
*****

Pwn3d
"Ironic: Bush warns against gas profiteering." - headline at Fark.

This morning, [Smarty McGeniusson] told Diane Sawyer on ABC's Good Morning America that to ease skyrocketing gas prices Americans "oughtta conserve more and I would hope Americans conserve if given the choice."

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued a statement reminding President Bush that in case he hadn't noticed, ordinary Americans have been doing their part.

They have been making sacrifices, they have been suffering. Meanwhile President Bush has failed to rein in skyrocketing gas prices. Now, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, as Americans pull together to do their part, and gas prices again explode, Chairman Dean suggested that perhaps it's time for President Bush to finally use whatever influence he may have to call on his friends and campaign contributors in the oil and gas industry to bear their fair share of the burden.

***

Biloxi newspaper rips relief effort, begs for help

On Wednesday reporters listening to horrific stories of death and survival at the Biloxi Junior High School shelter looked north across Irish Hill Road and saw Air Force personnel playing basketball and performing calisthenics.

Playing basketball and performing calisthenics!

When asked why these young men were not being used to help in the recovery effort, our reporters were told that it would be pointless to send military personnel down to the beach to pick up debris.

Litter is the least of our problems. We need the president to back up his declaration of a disaster with a declaration of every man and woman under his command will do whatever is necessary to deal with that disaster.

Idiots in New Orleans start shooting at the rescue helicopters.

Boat rescues suspended - conditions considered too dangerous (CNN).

FEMA suspends rescue operations in New Orleans due to chaos and disorder, lawlessness, and danger to rescuers (CNN).

Homeland Security blocks Canadian urban search and rescue team from entering US to help with Katrina rescue efforts.

Misadministration rejects Russian offer for help after Katrina.
*****

Ruh-roh! Doesn't this sound familiar!

With Bush poll numbers dropping like a good, solid d The Bush misadministration is preparing for war with Ir trying to rally other nations to agree to impose UN sanctions on Iran to force it to negotiate an end to its nuclear programs.

Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns accused Iran of misleading the UN nuclear watchdog agency with the guise of seeking a civilian program. "We fully expect that the IAEA will refer this issue to the United Nations Security Council, where it should be," Burns said. "Iran must (face the) judgment of the international community, now that it has acted in defiance of the international community."

***

Harpy skank ho-bag told don't bother showing up, fiend
Conservative Christian college disinvites "un-Christian" hate-mongerer mAnn Coulter after alumni began voicing their discontent on their blogs.


***

Hurricane hits just before homosexual event!
God smites the Sodom of the South, "Christian" organization says: "Although the loss of lives is deeply saddening, this act of God destroyed a wicked city."

Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans just two days before the annual Southern Decadence festival was to begin there, an act being characterized by some as an "act of God," the World Nut Daily hatefully "reports."


***

Waiting for a leader

George W. Bush gave one of the worst speeches of his life yesterday, especially given the level of national distress and the need for words of consolation and wisdom. In what seems to be a ritual in this administration, the president appeared a day later than he was needed. He then read an address of a quality more appropriate for an Arbor Day celebration: a long laundry list of pounds of ice, generators and blankets delivered to the stricken Gulf Coast. He advised the public that anybody who wanted to help should send cash, grinned, and promised that everything would work out in the end.

And nothing about the president's demeanour yesterday - which seemed casual to the point of carelessness - suggested that he understood the depth of the current crisis.

- the NY Times.

Then there’s the speed of the Bush administration’s response to such disasters. Just one week ago the White House declared that a major disaster existed in Louisiana, specifically most of the areas (such as Jefferson Parish) that are now under water. Was the White House psychic about the disaster ahead? Not exactly. In fact the major disaster referred to Tropical Storm Cindy, which struck the state a full seven weeks earlier. That announcement triggered federal aid for the stricken areas, where the clean-up had been on hold for almost two months while the White House chewed things over.

- Newsweek.

Even the conservative, fawning, buttkissing toadies at the Manchester Union-Leader blasted Bunnypants. In their own way:

The cool, confident, intuitive leadership Bush exhibited {Gag... - Ed.} in his first term, particularly in the months immediately following 11 September 2001, has vanished.

In its place is a diffident detachment unsuitable for the leader of a nation facing war, natural disaster and economic uncertainty.

A better leader would have flown straight to the disaster zone.

Speaking of leaders, former President George H.W. Bush and President Clinton will be heading a fund-raising campaign for victims of the hurricane, the AP is reporting.


***