Fresh pickenings from the grapevine

[Master Capper]

? Over 46 million of our fellow citizens do not have health insurance;

? Poverty rates are climbing and personal savings rates are plummeting;

? The richest 1 percent of households already owns more wealth than the bottom 90 percent combined;

? Oil companies are taking in record profits while global warming advances at a record pace; and

? College tuition rates continue to skyrocket while wages stagnate.



?Ten U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq on Tuesday, one of the bloodiest days of the war for American forces outside of major combat operations.? At least 68 soldiers have been killed in October, on pace to ?make it the deadliest month for U.S. forces since January 2005.?


23: Percentage of Americans who approve of job Congress is going, according to a new Gallup poll. Only 30 percent are satisfied with the country?s direction. ?Both figures are on the low end of what Gallup has measured historically.?



Larry Diamond, a former advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq and a member of the Iraq Study Group, warned the U.S. ?could have just weeks, not months, to avoid an all-out civil war.? ?The civil war is already well along,? Diamond said. ?We have no way of knowing if it?s too late until we try a radically different course.?


Matt Drudge?s Efforts To Cast Doubt on Global Warming Reaches New Level of Desperation
Global warming is real. Matt Drudge, ?the Walter Cronkite of his era,? is working overtime to convince people it isn?t happening. Here?s what he put up on the Drudge Report today:


First, this is totally irrelevant. Global warming does not mean there is never going to be a cold day or a cold month somewhere on the globe. Globally, September 2006 was the 4th warmest on record.

Second, Drudge leaves out this crucial fact from the NOAA report he links to:

The January-September 2006 combined temperature is warmest on record. The previous record warm January-September happened in 2000.

In other words, according to the NOAA report Drudge cites, there has never been a warmer year in the United States so far than 2006. Amazingly, Drudge is seizing on this report to suggest that global warming isn?t real.


Sherwood ?Calling In Chits? With Right-Wing Leaders
Rep. Don Sherwood (R-PA) had a five-year affair with a 29-year-old woman that ended in 2004 when she called 911 after Sherwood allegedly tried to strangle her. The woman has now sued Sherwood ?for what she alleges were repeated beatings that seriously injured her physically and emotionally.?

Sherwood acknowledges he had an affair with the woman, but denies the allegations of abuse.

Now he is in danger of losing his seat, and has been ?calling in chits? with ?campaign officials and House colleagues.? He?s getting good results. The embattled congressman received about $90,000 from campaign committees and House members in the three-month period ending Oct. 1, according to his latest campaign finance report to the FEC.

? Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH): $2,000
? Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA): $5,000
? Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce (R-OH): $5,000
? House Energy and Commerce Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX): $5,000
? Infrastructure Chairman Don Young (R-AK): at least $1,000
? Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA): at least $1,000
? Rep. Richard Burr (R-NC): $5,000
? Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK): $5,000
? Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX): $5,000

In all, over 40 House conservatives contributed $1,000 or more to Sherwood in just the current quarter. But he?s just getting started. Sherwood ?is expected to raise up to $400,000 at a Thursday fundraiser hosted by President Bush in Sherwood?s district.?



Cheney: ?General Overall Situation? In Iraq Is Going ?Remarkably Well? ?

Rush Limbaugh interviewed Vice President Cheney on his show today. At one point, Limbaugh asked Cheney to respond to growing frustration over U.S. efforts in Iraq.

Cheney acknowledged there is a ?natural level of concern out there? because fighting didn?t end ?instantaneously.? (Next month, the war will have lasted longer than U.S. fighting in World War II.) Cheney then pointed to various news items to paint a positive picture of conditions in Iraq and concluded, ?If you look at the general overall situation, they?re doing remarkably well.?



Would Gandalf stay the course? Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) explains the Iraq war by citing Lord of the Rings: ?As the hobbits are going up Mount Doom, the Eye of Mordor is being drawn somewhere else,? Santorum told a newspaper editorial board. ?It?s being drawn to Iraq and it?s not being drawn to the U.S. You know what? I want to keep it on Iraq. I don?t want the Eye to come back here to the United Stat



16 percent. Number of Americans who ?believe the Bush Administration is telling the truth about what they knew prior to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.? Fifty-three percent believe the Bush administration is ?hiding something,? according to a new poll

 

[Master Capper]

O?Reilly: ?You Cannot Be Confrontational With The President of the United States? ?
Fox?s Bill O?Reilly, who argues in a new book that Osama Bin Laden is ?cheering? the progressive movement in America, was invited to the White House yesterday for an exclusive interview with President Bush. It was Bush?s third interview with O?Reilly.

Last night, just before he broadcast the first installment of the interview, O?Reilly explained to his viewers that, ?You cannot be confrontational with the President of the United States.? Instead, according to O?Reilly, ?President Bush will have his say.? O?Reilly added, ?I think it is important to look ahead rather than to look back. What good does it do to rehash WMDs? Does that do you any good??



Religious right takes aim at Condi. Last week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice swore in the new global AIDS coordinator Mark Dybul, who is openly gay, and referred to his partner?s mother as his ?mother in law.? The right wing is livid.



Ohio Governor's Race Becomes a Blow Out
Rep. Ted Strickland (D-OH) now holds a 59% to 32% lead over Ken Blackwell (R) among likely voters in the race for Ohio Governor, according to a new Quinnipiac poll. Nine percent are undecided and 13% say they might change their mind before Election Day.

Said pollster Peter Brown: "Ted Strickland's lead is large; it is broad and it is deep. He may not be ready to order the drapes for his Capitol office, but he might want to begin perusing the catalogue."



Democrats Look to Expand the Map
Top Democrats said that "they are planning to significantly expand the number of GOP House seats they will target during the final 20 days of the campaign but that financial disputes and fundraising problems are hindering the effort," reports the Washington Post.

"Democrats said private polls have convinced top party officials that they could pick up 40 or more seats -- nearly double their internal projections from a week ago -- if they spend enough money on television advertising for long-shot races.



Look Out for Party Switchers
The morning after the 1994 election, while Democrats were licking their wounds, they got kicked again when Sen. Richard Shelby announced that he was switching his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. Shortly after Shelby's switch, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell jumped to the GOP side too. In addition, several more House Democrats who were reelected in 1994 from mostly southern states, switched to the GOP making the 1994 election a good old fashioned ass kicking of the Democratic party.

There is a realistic possibility that if the Democrats pick up at least five Senate seats on Election Night, several current Republican Senators could switch to the Democratic side of the aisle. Remember, Shelby switched because he felt Democrats were incapable of moving away from liberalism and Campbell switched because he felt Democrats were beholden to cronyism and did not respect other views among colleagues on issues important to Campbell. In 2006, cronyism is alive and well in the GOP ranks: Arlen Specter is shunned by the GOP leadership and White House for his views on domestic surveillance while Olympia Snowe, John Warner and Chuck Hagel are shunned for their views on Iraq.



Democrats Leading in Most Competitive Districts
A new NPR poll of 48 competitive congressional districts shows Democrats with a large lead three weeks before the election, even in the 38 Republican-held seats.

Key finding: "Iraq has jumped up to become the dominant voting issue, well above the war on terrorism, and three-quarters of Iraq voters are voting Democratic. The president has unintentionally nationalized the election around the Iraq war."


Projected New Senate: 50 Democrats 49 Republicans 1 tie


Projected New House*: 225 Democrats 206 Republicans 4 Ties

 

[smurphy]

Last night, just before he broadcast the first installment of the interview, O?Reilly explained to his viewers that, ?You cannot be confrontational with the President of the United States.? Instead, according to O?Reilly, ?President Bush will have his say.? O?Reilly added, ?I think it is important to look ahead rather than to look back. What good does it do to rehash WMDs? Does that do you any good??

That's hysterical! What, Fox suddenly conveniently changes their attitude? Looking ahead rather than back? ...Just like when they asked Clinton why he didn't get Osama 10 years ago, I suppose. Or when they went on and on about Studds from 23 years ago.

Oh man, there's so much they could nail Bush with. Oh well. You go, Bill Mighy O'Reilly who nukes every Democrat foolish enough to be on his show - you go girl - you go and don't be confrontational with the president. When will we finally grow tired of fast food wanna be news crap like him?

 

[StevieD]

That is the problem with the so-called journalism we have in this country. Of course you are SUPPOSED to be confrontational with a President or anyone else you are interviewing unless it is to be a fluff piece. O'Lielly admitted his interview was nothing but fluff and people sheep don't even notice.

 

[Master Capper]

In a cover story, Rolling Stone calls the 109th Congress "the worst ever."

"In the past six years they have castrated the political minority, abdicated their oversight responsibilities mandated by the Constitution, enacted a conscious policy of massive borrowing and unrestrained spending, and installed a host of semipermanent mechanisms for transferring legislative power to commercial interests. They aimed far lower than any other Congress has ever aimed, and they nailed their target."

Here are their picks for the 10 worst representatives:
Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-WI)
Don Young (R-AK)
William Jefferson (D-LA)
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Tom Tancredo (R-CO)
Dick Pombo (R-CA)
Curt Weldon (R-PA)
Hal Rogers (R-KY)
Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO)



"He says our president don?t have a plan. I think he?s got one?.[But] we?re not going to tell you what our plan is, Jon, because you?re just going to go out and blow it."

-- Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), quoted by the Billings Gazette, in a debate with challenger Jon Tester (D) over the Iraq War.




Rove Forecasts GOP Victory
In an interview with the Washington Times, White House political strategist Karl Rove "confidently predicted that the Republican Party would hold the House and the Senate in next month's elections."

The Hotline points to the weekly Grassroots Report compiled for top Republican party officials as one source of optimism. "The RNC declined to share the most recent report, which was issued Monday. But two independent sources who saw last week's report professed to be surprised: not only was their no drop off last week, 12 states broke new voter contact records."

But it's also pragmatic for Rove to be optimistic. "Right now, a strong volunteer corps on election day working to turn out voters is the only hope they've got. If the volunteers detect a shred of defeatist cross-talk or come across a newspaper article suggesting that Rove is panicked, then they'll start to panic, too."


Another Page Scandal?
The rumor swirling through Washington, D.C. is that a midwestern Republican congressman close to House Speaker Dennis Hastert had an inappropriate relationship with a 16 year old female congressional page. I have no details and cannot confirm, but the Washington Post's Dana Millbank hinted at the story on MSNBC on Wednesday night and Archpundit says it's about to break.



In an interview today with ABC?s George Stephanopoulos, President Bush said he agreed with a recent op-ed arguing that the current spike of violence in Iraq could be the ?jihadist equivalent? of the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam, which was ?widely credited with eroding support for President Johnson? and turning the American public against that war.

President Bush is right to finally admit that violence in Iraq has reached a tipping point, and that the U.S. is not winning the war as he has claimed. But the current violence is not a propaganda campaign by Iraqis to impact the U.S. elections, as he suggests. It is a civil war, one that he has repeatedly failed to acknowledge and has no plan to address.

 

[Master Capper]

For the last few months, top Bush administration officials have refused to admit that Iraq is currently in a civil war ? disagreeing with many of Iraq?s leaders, U.S. troops in Iraq, and seven in ten Americans.

Recent estimates of Iraqis killed over the last three and a half years have ranged from 40,000 to more than half a million.

The simple fact of the matter is the situation in Iraq is worse than civil war ? the world is witnessing at least four major internal conflicts in Iraq:

1) A Shiite-Sunni civil war in Baghdad and the central part of Iraq. For much of the last year, a vicious campaign of sectarian cleansing has been taking place in the neighborhoods of Baghdad and the surrounding central regions, with Shiite militias targeting Sunni Iraqis and Sunni insurgent groups bombing Shiite sites.

The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that the latest killings this week in the central part of the country may be directly related to the lack of progress on the national reconciliation front. U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq have argued that the political solution, and not more boots on the ground, is the key to stopping the conflict: ?you fix the government, you fix the problem.?

2) Intra-Shiite conflict in the south. Less noticed in the American media have been some battles between Iraqi Shiites in the streets of southern cities such as Diwaniya and Basra. In these clashes, intra-Shiite political disputes have being played out in violence in the streets ? and in some cases U.S. forces have supported one faction versus another.

3) Sunni Arab insurgency in the West. The Sunni Arab insurgency continues to undermine security in the Western part of Iraq. The chief of intelligence for the Marine Corps in Iraq filed a report last month saying that the Al Qaeda in Iraq insurgent group has filled a political vacuum there.

4) Arab-Kurdish violence in the North. Violence and tensions have increased in northern Iraq between Arabs and Kurds, particularly in the disputed city of Kirkuk.

The Bush administration still does not have the right diplomatic, political or military strategy to deal with each of these multiple conflicts ? all of which add up to a situation that is worse than civil war.

The United States needs to call for an immediate internal peace conference to put a stop to Iraq?s civil war, as the Center for American Progress proposes in its Strategic Redeployment plan.



Electricity Levels In Baghdad At Lowest Level Since U.S. Invasion
In Sept. 2003, President Bush promised that he would help Iraqis ?restore basic services, such as electricity and water, and to build new schools, roads, and medical clinics. This effort is essential to the stability of those nations, and therefore, to our own security.?

But three years later, electricity levels in Baghdad are at an all-time low. Residents of Baghdad are receiving just 2.4 hours of electricity this month, compared to an average of 16-24 hours of electricity before the U.S. invasion. The lowest level prior to this month was 3.9 hours/day.

According to our chart ? using data compiled by The Brookings Institution ? electricity levels have been steadily going down in the past two years (data for parts of 2003-2004 were unavailable) and are now at their lowest point since the U.S. invasion:



WASHINGTON - Former President Clinton bemoaned ideologues who describe opponents as "running for office on his or her way to hell" and urged Democrats not to shy from fighting back.

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Clinton, criticizing Republicans weeks before the midterm elections, told an audience at Georgetown University on Wednesday that intellectual debate should trump partisan rancor and either-or choices are false.

"Most of us long for politics where we have genuine arguments, vigorous disagreements but we don't claim to have the whole truth and we don't demonize our opponents and we work for what's best for the American people," he said.

Clinton, whose wife Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., is eyeing a 2008 White House run, spoke at his alma mater to mark the 15th anniversary of his series of speeches there as a then-fledgling presidential candidate. The former president gave notice that Democrats would not be passive victims of attacks.

"This is a contact sport, politics," he said. "You can't complain about being attacked. It's like Yao Ming complaining about being fouled playing basketball."

Clinton said he doesn't see Democrats shying from the debate.

"It's not that we want a bland, mushy, meaningless politics," he said. "We like our debate. ... We understand that campaigns will be heated and only one side can win. But we want it to be connected somehow to real lives and real people, to aspirations of ordinary Americans to the future of our children and our grandchildren."

Recently, the former president engaged in a testy exchange with Fox News over his administration's record on terrorism.

During remarks that were framed as a discussion of the common good, Clinton decried personal attacks against candidates for perceived lack of faith.

"It's not about who represents the religious truth and who is basically running for office on his or her way to hell," Clinton said.

Clinton also argued that the GOP has allowed its conservative element to drown out moderate voices.

"The ideological, right-wing element of the Republican Party has been building strength, partly in reaction to things that happened 40 years ago ? Barry Goldwater's defeat, the excess of the '60s, Ronald Reagan's election" he said. "But this is the first time on a consistent basis, the most conservative, the most ideological wing of the Republican Party has had both the executive and legislative branches with a very distinct governing philosophy and very distinct political philosophy."

He said the United States' effort to develop new weapons and cut taxes undercut the moral arguments.

"They favor unilateralism whenever possible and cooperation when it is inevitable," Clinton said without specifically mentioning members of the Bush administration.

"The problem with ideology is, if you've got an ideology, you've already got your mind made up. You know all the answers and that makes evidence irrelevant and arguments a waste of time. You tend to govern by assertion and attacks."

In response, Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said, "It's not surprising to hear these attacks from a man widely recognized for repeatedly playing the blame game to cover his own mistakes."

Clinton spoke at an event sponsored by the Center for American Progress, a Democratic group run by his former chief of staff, John Podesta.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Your intro was all I needed--apparantly
Over 46 million of our fellow citizens do not have health insurance
-------------
about same figure that pay no taxes

? Poverty rates are climbing and personal savings rates are plummeting;
-------------------------------------------------
among what geopraphical segment of the population--whose responsibilty is it to save-the govs

? The richest 1 percent of households already owns more wealth than the bottom 90 percent combined;
___________________________
Once again your pulling the liberal #'s game
funny how you omit theother 9% of population--your a smart man Smurph and they still have you biting on their fuzzy math:nono:

? Oil companies are taking in record profits while global warming advances at a record pace; and
______________________________
yep the sky is falling and just where are all these hurricanes global warming crowd projected this year?


? College tuition rates continue to skyrocket while wages stagnate
---------------------------
Whens the last time tuitions declined--and whose wages are stagnant--

and where are all the footnotes of sources where these liberal blog sites derived these opinions.

 

[Master Capper]

I would stack these sources up to Fox News anyday of the week!

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Yes --YOU would-
-fortunately there are very few of you as we see another liberal arm Air America going down the tubes.

--along with fox -the most watched cable news I see your associates also dissng Drudge--who even liberal ABC acknowledges--

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2514276&page=1
Drudge Report Sets Tone for National Political Coverage


Oct. 1, 2006? In the crucial congressional elections, now about five weeks away, one of the strongest weapons in the Republican arsenal is a man running a Web site out of his apartment in Miami. His name is Matt Drudge.

Drudge broke the Monica Lewinsky story and has had a tremendous influence on what you know about politics ever since.

From the comfort of his apartment, Drudge can send shock waves through newsrooms and campaign headquarters nationwide with breaking news often heralded by his trademark siren.

"If Drudge has a siren up, people know it's something they have to look at," said Mark Halperin, ABC News Political Director.

Democratic strategist Chris Lehane agreed.


"Literally, it goes up on Drudge and the phones start ringing," he said
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

so you see your not really much of concern--your confined basically to sharing "opinions' with those that agree--skewing #'s to remotely look like facts--and plagerising terms from legitamite sources like "grapevine" here to try and trick people into thinking its the same legitimate source.

You don't fool many.

P.S. Believe the Dow closes over the magical # of 12,000 today.
Wonder what the liberal naysayers will have to comment about that

 

[Master Capper]

so you see your not really much of concern--your confined basically to sharing "opinions' with those that agree--skewing #'s to remotely look like facts--and plagerising terms from legitamite sources like "grapevine" here to try and trick people into thinking its the same legitimate source.


LMAO.....GRAPEVINE comes from a reliable unbiased source, hey put that crack pipe down and get some help if you believe that to be true. As far as Drudge, the guy is nothing more then a misinformed blogger that very rarely will break a news story that is accurate. As far as whom is in the minority, well since you still are living in the late 1990's with your absolute sickness and obsession about Bill Clinton then my friend I would have to believe that you are the minority in America whom is still fixated over just how Big Bill retained his throne even when the GOP went after him with all they had and wasted mucho tax payer dollars.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

The dow did bust 12,000 today
--and see yet another liberal news outlet and its cable affiliate is laying off over 700 today because of poor ratings--is it starting to sink in YET????

 

[The Sponge]

Rush Limbaugh interviewed Vice President Cheney on his show today. At one point, Limbaugh asked Cheney to respond to growing frustration over U.S. efforts in Iraq.

Cheney acknowledged there is a ?natural level of concern out there? because fighting didn?t end ?instantaneously.? (Next month, the war will have lasted longer than U.S. fighting in World War II.) Cheney then pointed to various news items to paint a positive picture of conditions in Iraq and concluded, ?If you look at the general overall situation, they?re doing remarkably well.?



You really have to understand Cheney quote here. For him the Iraq war is going very well as Halliburton makes record profits.

 

[The Sponge]

The dow did bust 12,000 today
--and see yet another liberal news outlet and its cable affiliate is laying off over 700 today because of poor ratings--is it starting to sink in YET????

its nice to see a record set back eight years ago finally get topped.

 

[StevieD]

Running two wars the dow should be good. It's amazing how Bush's policies have kept it so low for so long.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Mr Investor Sponge
Please let me inform you that market was in free fall because of dot.com bust "before" Mr Bill left office--the NASDAQ had already shed 1000 points on Nov 3-2000.

The Dow is up over 1000 points from day Bush inherited beginning of recession.

Then have someone you know explain to you the diff on ave PE of stocks then vs now.

Whether either pres is responsible for success is debatable--

What is evident is anyone that believes the following- needs to keep their money if they have any under a mattress

A:-economy is booming in an environment of over hyped intenet stocks and
B:an economy is terrible when one inheirits recession-country is in 2 wars -goes trough trillion $ hit on 911-has greatest natural disaster of all time and is at all time high

 

[Master Capper]

More fresh pickings


In Montana, Tester Gets Big Promise
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) promised Montana U.S. Senate candidate Jon Tester (D) "a seat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee 'as soon as possible' if Tester defeats Republican incumbent Conrad Burns next month," according to the Billings Gazette.

"The announcement was designed to blunt Burns' key campaign theme -- that he 'delivers for Montana.'"

Former Top Bush Administration Official Calls For Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Iraq

President Bush and other administration officials have been smearing anyone who suggests we begin to withdraw troops from Iraq as ?defeatist? and ?cut-and-runners.?

Now Richard L. Armitage ? who served as deputy secretary of state from 2001-2005 ? is advocating a phased withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. From the New Jersey Express-Times:

?We notify the Iraqis that we?re going to be drawing down a reasonable but careful percentage of our troops over a reasonable interval of months ? just for example, 5 percent of troops every three months,? Armitage told a crowd of 850 at DeSales University.

?This will show seriousness of purpose, I think. It will give our population some hope and enthusiasm that this is not a never-ending affair. And also it will put the heat on the Iraqis, because ladies and gentlemen, we can?t win this militarily. By the way, we can?t lose this militarily.?

Armitage?s remarks acknowledge the failure of the administration?s ?as Iraqis stand up, we?ll stand down? strategy. As Armitage points out, until Iraqis know we will stand down, they may never stand up.

Armitage was intimately involved in the Iraq war policy and recognizes that he and other top administration officials bear responsibility for a policy that ended up being a colossal failure. ?A lot of us, including me, are going to have a lot to answer for,? Armitage said.

Armitage?s proposal closely tracks a plan that the Center for American Progress has been advocating for more than a year, Strategic Redeployment


In 1995, just three days into her tenure as Secretary of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) removed a routine working file alleging that her husband had engaged in inappropriate contact with a minor. The file, uncovered only recently, reports that Wilson?s husband touched a then-16 year old boy ?in a manner that was not welcome.? Wilson sat on the Congressional Page Board and currently serves on the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children?s caucus


Fox News Falsely Claims Media Have Ignored Sen. Reid?s Land Deal ?
Fox News is arguing that the media are ?ignoring questions about Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid?s (D-NV) land deal.?

On Tuesday, Fox News host Sean Hannity told right-wing pundit Bob Novak that ?you don?t see as much in the newspapers about this [the Reid land deal], Bob Novak, and I wonder if it would be the same if it was a Republican.? Bob Novak agreed, calling it ?one of those strange things.? Watch it:


But in reality, the media have extensively covered the Reid land deal, while ignoring the $207 million earmark House Speaker Dennis Hastert inserted into the 2005 highway bill that greatly increased the value of his property in Illinois:

? CNN has devoted 50 times as much coverage to Reid?s case as to Hastert?s.

? According to a Lexis-Nexis database search, Fox News has mentioned the Reid land deal nine times, but has brought up the Hastert deal just three.

According to Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Scott Lilly, Hastert made an astounding 136 percent a year on what he invested, whereas Reid made an annual return of 29 percent, probably quite typical of the profits made by other Las Vegas real estate investors during the same period.

Reid immediately apologized for the oversight lapse and amended his 2001 disclosure forms. Hastert, on the other hand, has done nothing.



FLASHBACK: Bush Rejected Iraq-Vietnam Analogy, Said It Sends The ?Wrong Message To Our Troops?
Yesterday, President Bush said New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman ?could be right? that the current spike of violence in Iraq is ?jihadist equivalent? of the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. The event was ?widely credited with eroding support for President Johnson? and turning the American public against that war.

President Bush has flatly rejected comparing Vietnam and Iraq as recently as June 2006. In 2004, Bush said such an analogy ?sends the wrong message to our troops, and sends the wrong message to the enemy.? Watch it:


Transcript:

Q: Do you see, as some of your critics do, a parallel between what?s going on in Iraq now and Vietnam?

THE PRESIDENT: No. [6/14/06]

[Snip]

Q: Mr. President, April is turning into the deadliest month in Iraq since the fall of Baghdad, and some people are comparing Iraq to Vietnam and talking about a quagmire. Polls show that support for your policy is declining and that fewer than half Americans now support it. What does that say to you and how do you answer the Vietnam comparison?

THE PRESIDENT: I think the analogy is false. I also happen to think that analogy sends the wrong message to our troops, and sends the wrong message to the enemy.


Judge orders release of Cheney visitor logs. ?A federal judge has ordered the Bush administration to release information about who visited Vice President Dick Cheney?s office and personal residence, an order that could spark a late election season debate over lobbyists? White House access.?


O?Reilly on Blogosphere: ?I?d Go in With A Hand Grenade? ?
Last night on The O?Reilly Factor, political strategist Larry Sabato bemoaned the ?blogs on left and right? and ?the things they come up with daily, the vitriol, the vile nature of the comments.?

O?Reilly said that he knew ?for a fact that President Bush doesn?t know what?s going on in the Internet.? O?Reilly then said, ?I have to say President Bush has a much healthier attitude toward this than I do. Because if I can get away with it, boy, I?d go in with a hand grenade.?

 

[smurphy]

Fox News Falsely Claims Media Have Ignored Sen. Reid?s Land Deal ?
Fox News is arguing that the media are ?ignoring questions about Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid?s (D-NV) land deal.?

On Tuesday, Fox News host Sean Hannity told right-wing pundit Bob Novak that ?you don?t see as much in the newspapers about this [the Reid land deal], Bob Novak, and I wonder if it would be the same if it was a Republican.? Bob Novak agreed, calling it ?one of those strange things.? Watch it:


But in reality, the media have extensively covered the Reid land deal, while ignoring the $207 million earmark House Speaker Dennis Hastert inserted into the 2005 highway bill that greatly increased the value of his property in Illinois:

? CNN has devoted 50 times as much coverage to Reid?s case as to Hastert?s.

? According to a Lexis-Nexis database search, Fox News has mentioned the Reid land deal nine times, but has brought up the Hastert deal just three.

According to Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Scott Lilly, Hastert made an astounding 136 percent a year on what he invested, whereas Reid made an annual return of 29 percent, probably quite typical of the profits made by other Las Vegas real estate investors during the same period.

Reid immediately apologized for the oversight lapse and amended his 2001 disclosure forms. Hastert, on the other hand, has done nothing.

Please - somebody from the right acknowledge this portion....

 

[Chadman]

Smurph, you're gonna need a conservative cricket for that, I think. Do they make such a thing?