Miers is asked to redo reply to questions
Urged to rethink whether Jebus or George W is her personal savior.

The Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers suffered another setback on Wednesday when the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked her to resubmit parts of her judicial questionnaire, saying various members had found her responses "inadequate," "insufficient" and "insulting."

Their letter also asked her to provide detailed accounts of private reassurances about her views given by the White House or its allies to James Dobson some conservative supporters who have been anxious about her positions on abortion and other social issues.

Fun fact: GOP Senators Lindsey Graham and Sam Brownback have demanded "internal documents related to Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers’ service as White House counsel."

Ha ha ha!
The 'No Spine Zone'!

Hillary opponent certifiable psycho, signs own death warrant
Shrill incompetent mindsplat Jeanine Pirro, the reboob running against Hillary Clinton, may have finally hammered the nails in her own coffin. Continuing her campaign of faux-pas and total fiascos, she went a step further when she told fellow g-pukes "That's a difference between Democrats and Republicans - we don't want [violent sex offenders] next door molesting children and murdering women" during a speech Tuesday night.

Great candidate you picked, guys! Choke!

Rove, Libby discussed CIA operative, reporter info
Rove told grand jury that Libby 'may have been' his source in leak case; talks, farts in his sleep.

Like all of a sudden the Brain has amnesia? Please.

Sources say top White House aides Karl Rove and Scooter Libby discussed their contacts with reporters about an undercover CIA officer in the days before her identity was published, the first known intersection between two central figures in the criminal leak investigation. Rove told grand jurors it was possible he first heard in the White House that Valerie Plame, wife of misadministration critic Joseph Wilson, worked for the CIA from Libby.

And from incontinent traitor Bob Novak, who still remains free.

The criminals are turning on each other
In a great piece of gory political theater, the suspects are starting to go for each other's throats. It's so beautiful -

"Today's big leak, which appears to be from Rove's lawyer, is particularly significant and telling, because it publically positions Rove as blaming Libby for identifying Valerie Plame to him. It indicates that the thieves are falling out and starting to look out for themselves by pointing fingers elsewhere. This is a stunning story, because it reveals that the 'targets' are expecting to be indicted -- and that their lawyers are starting to 'spin' a post indictment strategy."

- BuzzFlash.

Between this and the possible spectacle of Tom DeLay's arrest - hauled off in handcuffs! photographed and fingerprinted! - I can barely contain myself! All we need now is Bill Frist indicted for insider training to complete the trifecta.

A view of the beach at the resort town of Cancun in Mexico's state of Quintana Roo as Hurricane Wilma approaches October 19, 2005. REUTERS/Daniel Aguilar. 'Quintana Roo' sounds like a great name for a kitten.


Dems question Bush-Rove meeting on CIA leak before going back to sleep
What did Preznit Integritude know and when did he know it?

Senator Chuck Schumer, Rep. John Conyers and other Democrats asked the White House on Wednesday for details of Preznit Character 'n' Values' private conversations in 2003 with Karl Rove, after reports surfaced that Bush was aware of Rove's role in the outing of a covert CIA operative. This ought to be interesting.

So Bush knew - doesn't that mean that he lied to Fitzgerald? Is that still perjury even though he wasn't under oath? Isn't that worse than lying about a #ucking blowjob, for petessake??

Ronnie Earle issues arrest warrant for repugnant scumbag
Yep, an arrest warrant has been issued for vile puke Tom DeLay. I just want to say that again: an arrest warrant has been issued for vile puke Tom DeLay. Oooooooooooohhhh.

Corrupt slimeball Tom DeLay has been ordered to appear at a Texas county jail Friday for booking on conspiracy and money-laundering charges, and will face the humiliation of undergoing not only fingerprinting, but also posing for a mugshot.

Mwwaahahahahahaha!

Second Cheney aide cooperating with special prosecutor
Whoa!

John Hannah, a key aide to Vice President Dick Cheney and one of the architects of the Iraq war, was cooperating with Fitzgerald after being told that he was identified by witnesses as a co-conspirator in the leak. Sources said Hannah was not given immunity, but was likely offered a “deal” in exchange for information that could result in indictments of key White House officials.

Now, those close to the investigation say that a second Cheney aide, David Wurmser, has agreed to provide the prosecution with evidence that the leak was a coordinated effort by Cheney’s office to discredit the agent's husband. Wurmser likely cooperated because he faced criminal charges for his role in leaking Wilson's name on the orders of higher-ups, sources said.

- more at Raw Story.


"You're dead! I'll kill you and eat your children!"
***

Baghdad Bob's baby bro is the new WH press secretary
Q: Is it true that the President slapped Karl Rove upside the head a couple of years ago over the CIA leak?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Are you referring to, what, a New York Daily News report? That liberal partisan rag? Two things: one, we're not commenting on an ongoing investigation; two, and I would challenge the overall accuracy of that news account.

Q: That's a comment.

SCOTT McCLELLAN: No, I'm just saying -- no, I'm just trying to help you all.

Q: So what facts are you challenging?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Again, I'm not going to comment on an ongoing investigation.

Q: You can't say you're challenging the facts and then not say which ones you're challenging.

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Well, there's an ongoing investigation, and as you know, our policy is not to comment on it. So that's where we are.

Q: You just did.

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Did not.

Q: Did too!

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Not!

Q: Too!

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Not!!

Q: That's a comment right there! pwnd!!

SCOTT: :: sob! what could have been... ::

Impeachable offense?
'Bush knew Rove was the leaker in 2003. Lied in 2004 when he said he didn't know who leaked. Obstruction of Justice.'

So:

1. We just had a two year investigation costing a ton of taxpayer money to find out something that the president knew all along?

2. Bush has kept Rove on staff even though HE KNEW Rove was the leaker.

3. It was June 10 of 2004 that Bush said he'd fire anyone involved in the leak. This was AFTER he already knew that Karl was the leaker, Bush knew that in 2003. So Bush lied when he told the public in June of 2004 that he would fire the leaker because he already knew who the leaker was.

4. Bush's comments border on obstruction of justice. He went public and made clear that he didn't know who the leaker was - he said he'd fire anyone found to have been involved, he hadn't yet fired Karl, so clearly he was saying that he had no evidence that Karl was involved. Bush was trying to cover up the fact that Karl was the guy. That's obstruction.

- AmericaBlog.

"You're doing what to me??"

Milo and Effie are at the vet getting fixed today.

No final report seen in CIA leak case
Which may or may not be a bad thing.

Patrick Fitzgerald has told associates he has no plans to issue a final report about the results of the investigation, heightening the expectation that he intends to bring indictments, lawyers in the case and law enforcement officials said yesterday.

A final report had long been considered an option for Mr. Fitzgerald if he decided not to accuse anyone of wrongdoing, although Justice Department officials have been dubious about his legal authority to issue such a report.

By signaling that he had no plans to issue the grand jury's findings in such detail, Mr. Fitzgerald appeared to narrow his options either to indictments or closing his investigation with no public disclosure of his findings, a choice that would set off a political firestorm.

If he does nothing, you'll hear my head explode all the way to Uranus...

It's Wednesday, 10/19. Do you know where the unindicted co-conspirators are?

Bush "furious" with Rove for screwing up attack on Joe Wilson
An angry Bunnypants supposedly 'rebuked' Karl Rove two years ago for his role in the Valerie Plame affair, sources say. Not because Rove was involved, but because he got caught.

"He made his displeasure known to Karl," a presidential counselor told the NY Daily News. "He made his life miserable about this." :: wink wink nudge nudge ::

As special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald nears a decision on whether to issue indictments in his two-year probe, Bush has already circled the wagons around Rove, whose departure would be a grievous blow to an already shell-shocked White House staff and a President in deep political trouble.

Asked if he believed indictments were forthcoming, a key Bush official said he did not know, then added: "I'm very concerned it could go very, very badly."

"Karl is fighting for his life," the official added, "but anything he did was done to help George W. Bush. The President knows that and appreciates that."

Bush did not feel misled so much by Karl and others as believing that they handled it in a ham-handed and bush-league way," the source said.

'Bush-league.' Heh. In other words, to Preznit Honor 'n' Integrity - President 'Character Counts' - it was OK to out a covert agent in time of war in order to trash someone critical of the misadministration, but not OK to get caught. Good one. :: blowjob! blowjob! ::

Mwaaaaa!
Did you know this is National Character Counts Week?

Yellow Dog Blog reports that on October 14 Preznit Lying WarMonkey issued a presidential proclamation making this week National Character Counts Week.

"During National Character Counts Week and throughout the year, I encourage children and all Americans to make good choices in life, set high standards, and serve as leaders," says the president in his proclamation. "By working together, we can all contribute to a culture of good citizenship and responsibility that strengthens our nation."

Maybe he should let Scott McClellan, Bill Frist, Tom DeLay, Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, and the vice preznit know right away…


Ha ha ha ha ha!
***

"We're doomed... doomed!"
As Harriet Miers pastes glitter and sparkly hearts 'n' unicorns around photos of George W Bush in her scrapbook, the remaining members of the GOP go into panic mode.

Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, said he expects indictments this week in the CIA leak case involving White House advisers Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. Kristol said "the mood is bleak in the White House today,” and said the environment surrounding the federal grand jury testimony is "pretty grim.” Cool!

Follow-up: Dick Cheney should be very, very afraid.

Cheney resignation rumors fly
Bush could elevate Condoleezza Rice to VP if Dick leaves to spend more time with his family. His crime family. In FPYITA prison.

The rumor spread so fast that some Republicans by late morning were already drawing up reasons why Rice couldn't get the job or run for president in 2008.

"Isn't she pro-choice?" asked a key Senate Republican aide.

"Whoa, never mind that - isn't she a black woman? A gay black woman?" screeched another.

OK, I made that last bit up, but who's to say it didn't happen?


"Arrrggghhh! Ack! Phththpt!"
***

Ours is the former House majority leader!
Mr. Floatie, a brown, smiling lump of feces, is running for mayor in Victoria, Canada.

Hillary opponent out-stupids herself

Recently, Jeanine Pirro sent out letters to potential donors in her campaign to unseat Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton next year. But there is very little chance that she will get any help from one recipient of her appeal: Mrs. Clinton herself. In a potentially embarrassing gaffe, one of the Aug. 19 fund-raising letters that Ms. Pirro's campaign sent out was addressed to none other than Mrs. Clinton. It would have been bad enough if the letter had been addressed to, say, Mrs. Clinton's home in Chappaqua. But this one was sent to her previous residence: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

- from the NY Times.

Speaking of toast
Harriet Miers' paper trail shows she opposes abortion, thinks Dumbya is "cooler than Jebus."

Bush's job rating continues to drop
Another record low for Chimpy McFuckwit.

Preznit Partypants' job approval rating continues to plummet, with 39 percent surveyed in the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll supporting his performance - the lowest recorded during his presidency - and 58 percent expressing disapproval. And if you think it can't possibly get any worse, just wait till this winter when heating prices go through the roof!


"Ah don't pay attention to polls."
***

CIA leak probe moves from Karl Rove to Vice President Dick Cheney. If this keeps up, we're going to have Bush running the country.

Cheney may be target of probe
'Any attempts to discredit Joseph Wilson would almost certainly have been known to the vice president. "Scooter wouldn't be freelancing on this without Cheney's knowledge," a source said.'

"If top officials are indicted, it could seriously erode the administration's credibility and prove yet another embarrassment to President Bush." Heh.

A special prosecutor's intensifying focus into who outed a CIA spy has raised questions whether Vice President Cheney himself is involved, knowledgeable sources confirmed yesterday.

At least one source and one reporter who have testified in the probe said Patrick Fitzgerald is pursuing Cheney's role in the Valerie Plame affair.

In addition, at least six current and former Cheney staffers - most members of the White House Iraq Group - have testified before the grand jury, including Scooter Libby and two top Cheney national security lieutenants.

Cheney's name has come up amid indications Fitzgerald may be edging closer to a blockbuster conspiracy charge - with help from a secret snitch.

Crap. I was really hoping to see Karl Rove's pasty, sweaty phiz all over the news as he gets frogmarched from the WH in disgrace.

Best magazine covers ever


This article is useless without pics this pic.

Bush's Brain likely to face perjury charge, assreaming in prison
Will resign if indicted.

Fitzgerald appears to be seriously weighing a perjury charge for [presidential nanny Karl] Rove’s failure to tell grand jurors that he talked to Time correspondent Matt Cooper about Plame, according to a person close to Rove.

A former White House official says Rove’s break with Bush would have to be clean — no “giving advice from the sidelines” — for the sake of the [mis]administration.

Yeah. Good luck with that.


"Psssst! Karen! Write this down..."
***

Well, he blew it spectacularly

"What's a president to do when faced with growing public discontentment and crashing poll numbers? If you're George W. Bush, the answer is clear: try to focus the nation's attention away from what a jackass you are..."

- from this week's Top 10 Conservative Idiots at DU.

New questions in CIA leak probe
Such as "why hasn't Judith Miller been fired?" and "who the #uck does she think she's kidding with that 'I can't remember' bullshit?"

New details about amnesiatic neocon playmate Judy Miller's decision to cooperate in the CIA leak case are raising questions about whether Dick 'Chicanery' Cheney's chief of staff Scooter Libby and his defense lawyer tried to steer the New York Times' WH propagandist's testimony.

Miller said her lawyer Floyd Abrams told her of a conversation Abrams had with Libby's lawyer, Joseph Tate: "He was pressing about what you would say. When I wouldn't give him an assurance that you would exonerate Libby, if you were to cooperate, he then immediately gave me this, 'Don't go there,' or, 'We don't want you there.'"

Fitzgerald is also focusing on whether the Vice President was involved, according to those familiar with the probe, questioning current whether Cheney was behind the effort to discredit the agent's husband, Iraq war critic and former U.S. diplomat Joseph Wilson

Fun fact: 'there is a growing sense among knowledgeable observers that the outcome will involve serious criminal charges. "Fitzgerald is putting together a big case,'' Washington attorney Robert Bennett, who represents Miller, said on the ABC program This Week'' yesterday. White House officials and Bush supporters are fearful that recent developments spell legal jeopardy for [smarmy brownshirted POS Karl]Rove.

Heartwarming family-values story turns out to be a drag
:: snicker ::

Who wants to tell Pat Buchanan that one of the women featured in his conservative magazine's cover photo about New Orleans flood victims is a famous drag queen?

"Democracies are peaceful countries." - WarMonkey McStupidhead, on the day more than 70 people were killed in Iraq. Most of them by US forces.



Won't somebody think of the children??
Criminalizing politics:

So, why isn't character on the table this time?

Character, we were all so piously told seven years ago, was what elevated Bill Clinton's lie about an bl*wjob to an issue of national gravity and justified his impeachment.

In rode a new administration and party promising to raise the bar on character. As I see it, they've splintered that bar into toothpicks.

- from a Miami Herald editorial.

They must've meant "raze" the bar.


Seen at skippy's.
***

It's Bush-Cheney, not Rove-Libby
Well, shit. But Bush = Rove as much as Rove = Bush. I don't think that smirking fuckwit can tie his own shoelaces, much less think up something that doesn't involve marshmallows and party games.

That stonewall may start to crumble in a Washington courtroom this week or next. In a sense it already has. Now, as always, what matters most in this case is not whether Mr. Rove and Lewis Libby engaged in a petty conspiracy to seek revenge on a whistle-blower, Joseph Wilson, by unmasking his wife, Valerie, a covert CIA officer. What makes Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation compelling, whatever its outcome, is its illumination of a conspiracy that was not at all petty: the one that took us on false premises into a reckless and wasteful war in Iraq. That conspiracy was instigated by Mr. Rove's boss, George W. Bush, and Mr. Libby's boss, Dick Cheney.

-Frank Rich at the NY Times, via DKos.

Whatever

This could have more people listening to a boob than Rush Limbaugh.

Smarmy POS pressed on conflicting accounts, source says
In his fourth appearance before the grand jury yesterday, WH svengali Karl Rove answered questions for 4 1/2 hours, including explaining discrepancies between his testimonies and why he did not initially tell federal agents about a July 2003 conversation about Valerie Plame with Time magazine's Matthew Cooper, the source said.

Lawyers in the case say Fitzgerald could be trying to establish that a group of White House officials violated the Espionage Act, which prohibits the disclosure of classified material, or that they engaged in a conspiracy to discredit Wilson in part by identifying Plame.

Another possibility, the lawyers say, is that Fitzgerald could charge Rove or others with perjury or providing false testimony before the grand jury.

I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing this picture.
***

Key participant in Bush's scripted, rehearsed PR stunt was a ringer, not a grunt
Catapulting the propaganda:

Reporting on the Bush-Iraq video-op, the Village Voice's Ward Harkavy finds that it involved an actor - "The soldier on the left side of the front row was actually a flak herself, though she didn't reveal it during the regime's 24-minute infomercial."

The soldier in question is Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo, whose only first-hand knowledge is in spreading propaganda. David Axe, the Village Voice's reporter in Iraq, told Harkavy: "Her job when I was with the 42nd Infantry Division included taking reporters to lunch. She lives in a fortified compound in Tikrit and rarely leaves. Many public-affairs types in Iraq never leave their bases, and they're speaking for those who do the fighting and dying."

- more at MediaCitizen.

F*ck that!
Some douchebag thinks Americans are getting ruder.

Brownback pressured to back Miers
The White House is sending out its swiftboaters in Iowa and New Hampshire to pressure GOP senators with presidential hopes to support Supreme Court nominee/Bush groupie Harriet Miers. Or else.

As the White House seeks to reassure conservatives skeptical about Miers' qualifications, efforts are largely aimed at turning up the heat on Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, WH aides acknowledged on Thursday.

Conservatives call on Preznit GameBoy to withdraw new bestest fwend Miers
Nomination "a stupid, stupid mistake"

Conservatives have stuck with Chimpy McFlightsuit through the bloodiest and gloomiest days of the war in Iraq, held firm as administration officials are investigated for revealing a CIA operative's identity and given him a pass on the galloping federal spending. But blowing the historic opportunity to replace a swing vote on the Supreme Court is unforgivable, conservatives say.

- the Moonie Times.

Except for one or two koolaid-drinking sheep, most of the denizens of fretardville are not very happy with Bush's choice:

What is so bad about the White House pushing her religion is it is going to be impossible to put that genie back in the bottle. All future nominees are going to be asked about their religion and have it held against them if they are Christian and it will be called "The Miers Rule."

Deeper down in this story, it mentions how the White House has been showcasing Miers' religious beliefs in what has turned out to be an insulting attempt to woo conservatives.

I'm afraid you're right. It's disturbing how the White House started playing up her religion just weeks after not wanting Roberts' religion to be a factor at all. But I guess it's also disturbing that Bush nominated his own lawyer for the U.S. Supreme Court right after the mess with his FEMA crony. It's like Bush has suffered a complete loss of short-term memory.

STAY THE COURSE MR PRESIDENT!! YOU ARE RIGHT.

LOL, and what "course" would that be? The Roberts course? The Miers course? The blank-slate course? The avoid-a-fight-at-all-costs course? The don't-offend-Ted-Kennedy course? The crony course? Hey, how about the Scalia/Thomas course we heard about on the campaign trail?

Why should we even bother to win Senate elections if we're just going to nominate question marks for the Supreme Court?

This isn't about the conservative base abandoning the President, it's about the President abandoning the conservative base. W blew it.

Cheney's office opposed Miers nomination
Dick Cheney and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales tried to block the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, Raw Story reports.

[E]ven internal advice was shunned. [WH chief-of-staff Andy] Card is said to have shouted down objections to Ms. Miers at staff meetings. A senator attending the White House swearing-in of John Roberts four days before the Miers selection was announced was struck by how depressed White House staffers were during discussion of the next nominee. He says their reaction to him could have been characterized as, "Oh brother, you have no idea what's coming."

A last minute effort was made to block the choice of Ms. Miers, including the offices of Vice President Cheney and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. It fell on deaf ears.

"Christ. I can't leave that little fuckwit alone for one minute."
***

Appointment with destiny
WH svengali faces fourth grand jury appearance today, possible bass taping in FPMITA prison tomorrow.

Karl Rove is getting a fourth and likely final chance to convince grand jurors he did nothing criminal in the CIA leak case, and prosecutors are warning him there is no guarantee he will not be indicted.

Defense lawyers increasingly are concerned Fitzgerald might pursue charges such as false statements, obstruction of justice or mishandling classified information.

The White House has shifted from categorical denials two years ago that Rove or Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby, were involved in the leak of a covert CIA officer's name to "no comment" today.

Jitters at the White House over the leak inquiry
The prospect of a White House without Rove has some allies of the president in a near panic.

[A]dministration officials and friends and allies on the outside who speak regularly with them [say there is] a mood of intense uncertainty in the White House that veers in some cases into fear of the personal and political consequences and anger at having been caught in the snare of a special prosecutor. And given how badly things have been going for Mr. Bush and his team on other fronts - a poll released Thursday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center put his approval rating at 38 percent, a new low - they hardly have deep reserves of internal enthusiasm or external good will to draw on.

- the NY Times.

And now, for your entertainment, WH spokes-tool Scott McClellan will dance around questions from the press corp!

Q: Scott, why did the administration feel it was necessary to coach the soldiers that the President talked to this morning in Iraq?

McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, I don't know what you're suggesting.

Q: Well, they discussed the questions ahead of time. They were told exactly what the President would ask, and they were coached, in terms of who would answer what question, and how they would pass the microphone.

McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, are you suggesting that what our troops were saying was not sincere, or what they said was not their own thoughts?

Q: Nothing at all. I'm just asking why it was necessary to coach them.

McCLELLAN: The event was set up to highlight an important milestone in Iraq's history, and to give the President an opportunity to, once again, express our appreciation for all that our troops are doing when it comes to defending freedom, blah blah blah.

Q: But we asked you specifically this morning if there would be any screening of questions or if they were being told in any way what they should say or do, and you indicated no.

McCLELLAN: I don't think that's what the question was earlier today. I think the question earlier today was asking if they could ask whatever they want, and I said, of course, the President was -- and you saw --

Q: And I asked if they were pre-screened.

McCLELLAN: You troop-hater! You're almost as bad as Helen! She hates the war on terra!

Q: All right. Let me get back to the President's encounter with the troops, if I can. You said that the choreography of this was because of a technological challenge involved in the satellite feed. Well, what does that mean?

McCLELLAN: No, I'm just saying that there -- you have delays and things like that when you have a satellite feed, and so, obviously, there's going to be some coordination going on when you're setting up an event like this.

Q: So the choreography --

McCLELLAN: I think you're missing the broader point of what this event was about.

Q: So you're saying this was not a staged conversation for PR purposes?

McCLELLAN: Blah freedom blah! The stakes are high in Iraq. This is right up there at the top of our list of priorities. As the President said in the remarks, his most solemn duty and the most solemn duty of our men and women in uniform, like those he was talking to, is the safety and security of the American people. I just don't know if some are suggesting that what our troops were saying was not their own thoughts, because it clearly was.

Q: Now, we all saw the event, so without getting into what the President said and what the troops said, can you just talk specifically to the choreography? Did the soldiers know what questions they would be asking? Did they --

McCLELLAN: No, I really can't, because we coordinate this with the Department of Defense, and you might want to direct questions to the Department of Defense, because when we do these events -- we appreciate all the help that they provide -- the Department of Defense takes the lead in terms of pulling some troops together so that we can do events like this. Q: So you, personally, do not know if those soldiers rehearsed their answers before they were on air, live?

McCLELLAN: Well, my understanding is that someone from the Department of Defense was talking to them ahead of time. But I don't know -- I was with the President, so -- It's their fault! Blame the DOD!

Q: Can you find out what the answer is?

McCLELLAN: Yes. Shit. Just three years ago, the Iraqi people were under a brutal, oppressive dictator, a dictator that killed thousands and thousands of people...

Q: How many have we killed?

McCLELLAN: We've liberated 25 million, both in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

Q: How many have we killed?

McCLELLAN: Helen -- :: sputter :: troop-hater!!

Q: Scott, earlier you defined total victory in Iraq as a free and democratic Iraq. Is Iraq now not free and democratic?

McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?

Q: Is Iraq now not free and democratic?

McCLELLAN: I hate you guys.

And then it got worse.

Bush teleconference with soldiers staged
Bush thanks soldiers in rehearsed talk
- AP/Yahoo News/Fox News/SF Chronicle/liberal media headlines

You know this White House is in trouble when they can't even pull off a photo-op -

It was billed as a conversation with US troops, but the questions President Bush asked on a teleconference call Thursday were choreographed to match his goals for the war in Iraq and Saturday's vote on a new Iraqi constitution.

A brief rehearsal ensued...

The soldiers all gave Bush an upbeat view of the situation.

The president also got praise from the Iraqi soldier who was part of the chat.

"Thank you very much for everything," he gushed. "I like you."

Good grief.

Poll: Bush presidency judged unsuccessful
The Bush Legacy: total #ucking disaster. LOL

For the first time, more people say Preznit DisasterMonkey's presidency will be judged as a failure, according to the new Pew Research Center poll. A megaflop. A fiasco. A botched abortion of a major cock-up. A #ucked-up beyond all recall bloody sinkhole of iniquity and incompetence.

Participants said Bush's policies have made things worse on a wide range of issues such as the federal budget deficit, the gap between rich and poor, health care, the economy, relations with US allies, the tax system and education.

Yeah, that about covers it.

Around the internets

One high crime and two misdemeanors: Attytood lays out the grounds for impeachment of Preznit Lying DisasterMonkey.

If you do the crime, you must do the time. Unless you get a special deal for ratting out your co-conspirators. Atrios explains.

Georgie wuvs Harriet

Tild posts a terrific Halloween poem!

skippy shows us the billboard Clear Channel doesn't want you to see.

‘The Pretend President’ at Why Now.

Ha ha ha ha ha!

Yellow Dog Blog's Senate Weasel Meter for October

Welcome back to Bohemian Mama!

Tom DeLay: corrupt, sweating attention whore.

Dave at Seeing the Forest explains 'Why the Right Is Focused on MoveOn'

Crony Jobs!

At last, the stars are finally right... Cthulhu news, via Chapel Perilous.

Do Democrats need their own Gingrich? One that isn't a crooked weasel?

Where the hey is Jim Capozzola??

Please welcome firedoglake!

Ha ha ha ha ha!

Popular Wartime President. Snicker.

Crooks and Liars has the video of today's press conference, where a)Helen Thomas bitchslaps Scott, and b)Scott tries to explain away Bunnypants' scripted and staged photo-op with the troops to the troop- and America-hating liberal media scum.

Ronnie Earle subpoenas corrupt scumbag Tom DeLay's home phone records!

Catapulting the propaganda
President Bush's video conference with 10 "randomly-picked-yet-extraordinarily-photogenic-and-articulate" US soldiers in Iraq today was indeed the staged, thinly-veiled farce we all believed it to be.
- headline at Fark.

The exchange was carefully choreographed.

Before it began, a Pentagon official coached the troops, telling them the president planned to ask questions on three topics: The overall security in Iraq, how they were preparing for the vote on Saturday and how much progress had been made in the training of Iraqi troops.

Allison Barber, a Pentagon official, said Bush would ask them specifically, "In the last 10 months, what kind of progress have we seen?"

She asked who was prepared to answer the question. "Master Sgt. Lombardo," one said.

After Bush asked just that question, Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo responded: "Over the past 10 months, the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces are improving. They continue to develop and grow into a sustainable force."

- USA Toady.

Fun fact: the number of Iraq combat-ready units have dropped from 3 to 1.

A true hero
... who evidently hated America.

Last wishes of a WWII veteran: "In lieu of flowers, please send acerbic letters to Republicans."


We can do both.
***

Sanctimonious hypocrite subpoenaed in probe of stock sales
Sources have told the WaPo that Senate majority leader/douchebag Bill Frist has been subpoenaed to turn over personal records in the investigation into possible insider trading.

Fun fact: The SEC issued the subpoena about two weeks ago, but Frist, I guess, forgot to mention it.

Fun fact 2: Bill Frist has been subpoenaed by the SEC. LOLOL


"Here's my subpoena! Here! Now... go away! :: sob ::"
***