On John Hagee's Endorsement Of John McCain

  First off, just the fact that John McCain would even think of excepting Pastor John Hagee's endorsement for President speaks volumes on McCain's character. I mean. we all know that he really has no sustainable character to speak of, but this is down right funny when you consider that Hagee believes that the Catholic Church " is the Great Whore of Revelation 17" and that the Catholic Church generally has supported the GOP over the years. McCain excepts the endorsement which I guess would mean that neither he nor the GOP thinks to much of the Catholics these days. McSenile needs to go back home to Arizona and maybe bake his head in some desert heat for medicinal purposes.

  Glenn Greenwald had a bit on this earlier.

My new friends from the Catholic League emailed earlier to advise that Bill Donohue was being interviewed for tonight's program of The Situation Room on CNN. Blogs at The Washington Post and ABC News today covered the growing scandal from the anti-Catholic bigotry perspective, with the latter actually featuring the unbelievably inflammatory You Clip -- found by Ann Althouse, which I posted yesterday and which is now being distributed by the Catholic League -- of a shirt-sleeved Pastor Hagee spewing the creepiest, most hateful bile imaginable about Catholicism ("This is the Great Whore of Revelation 17").

As The Post noted, Catholics United, a less reactionary group than the Catholic League, has now also denounced McCain's warm embrace of Hagee and demanded that he repudiate his endorsement. Thus far, it is Hagee's anti-Catholicism which is being featured -- largely because when Bill Donohue issues press releases, the media jumps to cover it. While that angle has substantial political ramifications -- Karl Rove identified the Catholic vote in 2004 as the most vital to the GOP's electoral successes -- the reality is that Hagee's hateful and twisted extremism extends far beyond that realm. In sum, John McCain has aligned himself with one of America's purest -- and most powerful -- haters, and that ought to be the story here.

And it's good to see the DNC shrewdly involving itself in this:

Democrats quoted Hagee as saying the Catholic Church conspired with Nazis against the Jews and that Hurricane Katrina was God's retribution for homosexual sin, and they recited his demeaning comments about women and flip remarks about slavery.

"Hagee's hate speech has no place in public discourse, and McCain's embrace of this figure raises serious questions about John McCain's character and his willingness to do anything to win," said Tom McMahon, executive director of the Democratic National Committee.

 

  Just more proof of the racist attitude and non acceptance of the Repulican Party when it comes to religions that aren't Right Wing. Maybe the Catholics will wake the fuck up this time around and ditch the Repugnicans!

Technorati Tags: John Hagee, John McCain, Catholic Church, endorsement, GOP

To George Bush, Other Republicans, Democrats, And The Telecoms. Remember The 4TH Amendment?

    Amendment IV

    The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

    Many people argue that emails, other Internet use and phone usage does not fall under the 4th Amendment. I have to disagree with that. Emails and phones are one of my personal effects. So quit your fucking crying Bush and ATT, and get a fucking warrant, legally!

Technorati Tags: FISA, Protect America Act, telecom amnesty, George Bush, 4th Amendment, Congress

Bush,Fear-mongering, and FISA

  Bush has so many skeletons in his illegal wiretapping closet that the only thing that this piece of shit can offer to the congress and the American public is nothing but more fear-mongering. How many times has Bush told us that the terrorist are going to bomb the shit out of us if we do not give the telecoms amnesty for helping him wiretap our phones and emails?

  Rep. Rush Holt had a couple of things to say about Bush's comments this morning.

  The Gavel

“The President, at this morning’s press conference, said that the American people expect we will provide the intelligence community with the tools it needs to protect the country. It has those tools now through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and would have all the authority necessary to protect Americans into the future under the RESTORE Act, passed by the House in November. The RESTORE Act embodies the principle that officials must establish before a court that they have reason to intercept communications involving American citizens. What the President really wants is a permanent blank check to conduct indiscriminate collection and fishing expeditions without any judicial oversight. This does not lead to better intelligence.

“The President has had multiple opportunities to work with Congress to modernize FISA. Instead, he has chosen to demagogue this issue through a propaganda campaign, one dependent on fear-mongering and false accusations. If the President is serious about protecting the American people, he’ll drop the campaign-style rhetoric and work with us to pass a realistic and workable intelligence surveillance bill,” Holt said.

Technorati Tags: Rep.Rush Holt, President Bush.FISA, Restore Act, Congress, telecom amnesty, ATT

The House Taxes Oil Companies $18 Billion

   The House managed to get the guts to approve $18 billion in new tax increases to the largest oil companies as the Democrats noted the record profits these companies have been making and also the rising gasoline prices while our economics turn downward.

   The money, to be collected over a ten year period, will provide tax breaks for alternate energy sources as well as for wind, solar, and energy conservation. The legislation was approved by a vote of 236-182.

    Senate Democratic leaders said they would put the bill on a fast track and try to avoid a Republican filibuster. The White House said the bill unfairly takes aim at the oil industry. President Bush is expected to veto the legislation if it passes Congress.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., noted it was two years ago, when oil cost $55 a barrel, when Bush said oil companies need no government subsidies to pursue more oil or gas.

"With the price of oil hovering around $100 do we really believe this incentive is justified?" asked Hoyer. "Do these companies need taxpayer subsidies to look for new product? They don't need any incentive."

Republicans said the measure unfairly targeted a single industry.

"It punishes the oil and gas industry. This is wrongheaded. It will result in higher prices at the gasoline pump. It's spiteful and wrong," said Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La.      YahooNews

  As is natural for a Republican, they are against any kind of tax increase, especially for an oil company! Go figure that one will you?

A similar tax proposal passed the House last summer, but it was abandoned in the Senate where Democrats couldn't muster the 60 votes needed to overcome a GOP filibuster. Senate Democrats were maneuvering to avoid a repeat of that with the newly passed House measure.

The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, said Democratic leaders are considering advancing the House bill under fast-track procedures related to the budget. This process would not permit an indefinite GOP stall.

   So let the Bush administration veto this bill. Just more ammo for the Democrats come November! Bye bye GOP. R.I.P.

Technorati Tags: Steny Hoyer, oil companies tax increase, Jim McCrery, Ways and Means Committee, George Bush, veto

Obama Verses Clinton: USATODAY/Gallop Poll

  This poll asks the question " Which characteristic applies more to Barack Obama or to Hillary Rodham Clinton? "

  Some of the results?

   Best chance of winning in November?  Obama 63%, Clinton 30%.

   Honest and Trustworthy?                      Obama 50%, Clinton 37%

   A strong and decisive leader?                Obama 42%, Clinton 49%

   Can get things done?                             Obama 40%, Clinton 53%

     See more results Here

      Clinton does get a better showing when it comes to handling the economy, terrorism, and healthcare. Maybe Barack Obama may wish to get more pointed with his ideas on these things.

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, economy, healthcare, Iraq war

Obama Gaining On Clinton

   In case you haven't heard, as of Monday, Barack Obama is pretty much wrapping the Democratic Party Presidential nomination up. Here are the latest numbers from a Associated Press-Ipsos poll.

The Illinois senator leads Clinton by 23 percentage points among white men and by 17 points among liberals — groups that were evenly divided between the two in early February. He has a similar advantage among people earning $50,000 to $100,000 annually — whom she led earlier by 13 points.

Clinton maintains robust leads among some groups that have been cornerstones of her candidacy, including those age 65 and up, white women and people earning under $50,000 annually.

Overall, Obama has 46 percent to Clinton's 43 percent, a virtual tie. Clinton had a slight 5 point lead nationally in early February.

Obama's advances among voting groups are even more stark when viewed longer term.

In mid-January — when primaries and caucuses were just beginning — Clinton had a 7-point lead among all men, a group she now trails by 25 points. The two were about even among college graduates, whom Obama now leads by 20 points.

   So how do these two match up against John McCain right now?

In matchups looking ahead to November's general election, Clinton leads Arizona Sen. John McCain by 48 percent to 43 percent. Obama's lead over the virtually certain GOP nominee is twice that size, 51 percent to 41 percent.

Obama does better than Clinton does against McCain among better educated, moderate and middle-class voters, winning among those groups while Clinton would split them with the Republican. Obama trails among the oldest voters while Clinton and McCain divide them evenly.

The two Democrats do about equally against McCain among several groups that lean toward Clinton, leading him by similar margins among women, the least educated and lowest-income voters. McCain is ahead against both Democrats among whites, while they lead him easily among minorities.

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Democrats, liberals, president

GOP Working On " appearing " Less Racist

  The GOP had better do more than trying to appear less racist and it might help if they were to actually become less racist in the first place. What are the odds?  These idiots are now working on a way to attack either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama without looking like the racist pigs that they are after one or the other is chosen to run for the Democratic Party.

   From the Politico:

The Republican National Committee has commissioned polling and focus groups to determine the boundaries of attacking a minority or female candidate, according to people involved.

Republicans will be told to “be sensitive to tone and stick to the substance of the discussion” and that “the key is that you have to be sensitive to the fact that you are running against historic firsts,” the strategist explained.

GOP operatives have already coined a term for clumsy rhetoric: “undisciplined messaging.” It appears as a bullet point in a Power Point presentation making the rounds among major donors, party leaders and surrogates. The presentation outlines five main strategic attacks against an Obama candidacy, with one of them stating how “undisciplined messaging carries great risk.”

  Yada, Yada, Yada. All of the professionals that the GOP can find won't be able to help this sorry group of assholes to look non-racist. I think that racism is in their blood.

Technorati Tags: GOP, Republicans, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, racist, Democrats

Bush Intelligence Czar Eats "Protect America Act" Crow

  As you all know,  Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey and Director of National Intelligence J. Michael McConnell sent a letter to our Congress this past Friday saying that the nation was "now more vulnerable to terrorist attack and other foreign threats"  because the Congress didn't pass the FISA bill with President Bush's much desired amnesty for the telecoms in it. The letter was nothing but more fear-mongering on the part of the Bush Crime Syndicate to get the Congress to bend to its will. Didn't quite work that way this time around, so far.

   LATimes

But within hours of sending that letter, administration officials told lawmakers on the House and Senate intelligence committees that they had prevailed upon all of the telecommunications companies to continue cooperating with the government's requests for information while negotiations with Congress continue.

   On Saturday, the two evil twins (  Mukasey, McConnell ) released a statement which said

"We learned last night after sending [the original] letter that . . . new surveillances under existing directives issued pursuant to the Protect America Act will resume, at least for now. We appreciate the willingness of our private partners to cooperate despite the uncertainty.
"Unfortunately, the delay resulting from this discussion impaired our ability to cover foreign intelligence targets, which resulted in missed intelligence information."

One Democratic congressional official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, expressed skepticism that any significant gap had existed, noting that existing rules permit continued monitoring of known terrorists and their associates.

    So let me get this straight. Mukasey and  McConnell, the Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence, do not know the laws that they are supposed to enforce or to abide by? These two fucks got caught with their pants down and with their thumbs stuck up their asses, is what happened. Guess that they figured out the the American people aren't buying into their rhetoric any more.

  The House returns to session this week and no doubt Bush and his gang of criminals will attempt to put the heat on Congress to approve the Senate version of FISA with amnesty included. Hopefully, the House will stand its ground and not give into the telecoms and the Bush Mafia this time around.

Technorati Tags: FISA, Protect America Act, President Bush, Congress, telecom amnesty, Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey, Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell