Conservatives Hate Transparency..

  and boy are they now up in arms over President Obama revoking Bush's executive order to keep presidential records hidden from public view.

Conservatives hate transparency

by Daisy Cutter   Fri Jan 23, 2009

"Democracies die behind closed doors."
    - U.S. Appeals Court Judge Damon J. Keith

"Secrecy and a free, democratic government don't mix."
    - Harry Truman

"What I’m afraid of is that what Obama did with this executive order is actually make it easier for the media to go get Bush documents. Because you know Pelosi and some of the guys over in congress are talking about war crimes trials and charges and so forth. [...]

What I’m afraid of is what Obama’s done here is made the gathering of the information for this kind of stuff– This is not American. This is not America. This is not what America does. We don’t– This is Banana Republic kind of stuff."
    - Rush Limbaugh

FreeRepublic:

This is about the LEFTIES socializing this country and destroying anything President Bush did.
As Barack is showing himself for the Ideologue that he is, he is forgetting he will only be in D.C for a short period of time.

Others will come after him, his political path will do nothing but come back to bite him in the end.
[...]
This is actually about setting the stage for a prosecution of Bush and others in his administration.

[...]
I’m well aware of what is taking place. They’re on a witch hunt. The other poster seems to think Barack Hussein Obama is working for the people, which is absolute nonsense.

[...]

This is a Witch Hunt. SO hold on folks, you can bet if anyone does not agree with the POS, the IRS will be called out,etc.

HotAir comments:

He open divorce records, why not these. When is he going to unseal his birth certificate or at least his medical records or maybe even his college transcripts.
[...]
Maybe he did this so leftists could plow thru Bush’s records in an attempt to find ammo for prosecution. I simply have a hard time believing Obama had some kind of altruistic intent here.
[...]

...In other words, now the Clinton administration documents will be opened. Bush, we know, is honest. The Clintons? Not so much.
[...]
Ah, yes, Mr. Sunshine. The same guy who did everything possible to hide his connections and votes from the American people when they could do something about them suddenly has a change of heart when we’re stuck with him for four years. Such a shame he wasn’t as transparent about his domestic terrorism connections.

The Orwellian world view of the wingnut mind is a fascinating thing indeed. Transparency and accountability makes America a "Banana Republic?" I mean, really Rush? Maybe conservatives should think of it this way: if Bush has done nothing wrong, then he has nothing to hide. If wingnuts hate America so much that they want to keep basic public policies a secret, maybe they all should think about leaving. I've heard that North Korea has a fairly closed society, maybe they'd feel more comfortable there.

I have documented Bush's penchant for secrecy a while back, and I hope that Obama does a great job of exposing his abuses of power. If conservatives don't like it, tough.

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,Rush Limbaugh,Transparency,Government,George Bush

Friday Funnies: The Weeks Best From Late Night...

   and I'm starting with the best jokes from Inauguration day onward. Get a laugh and enjoy the weekend.

   Jay Leno:

"Nice to have you all here. As you all know, George Bush is no longer president, so they'll be no monologue."

"Two million people attended the inauguration, compared to less than 500,000 when Bush was inaugurated four years ago. But that makes sense because four years ago, you know, people had jobs to go to."

"In fact, John McCain said he was so moved by today's events, he suspended his campaign again."

"Every single TV network was covering the inauguration, except Fox. They're still doing the recount."

"The total cost of the inauguration was $170 million. They say this is the most of the expensive celebration since that last AIG retreat on our bailout money."

"Oh actually, you know who gave the shortest inauguration speech in history? George Washington, whose speech was just a couple minutes long, which makes sense because, remember, George Washington couldn't tell a lie, right?"

Conan O'Brien:

"Yesterday, in San Francisco, someone replaced all the street signs on Bush Street with signs that say Obama Street. Locals say it doesn't really matter because every street in San Francisco goes both ways."

"Yesterday, at Barack Obama's inauguration, he was sworn in on an old Bible that was used by Abraham Lincoln. Yeah, and the weird part is, Lincoln checked the Bible out of a library. There are $73,000 in late fees."

Craig Ferguson:

"President Obama got his new limousine. It has all the latest technology, although they did take out President Bush's favorite piece of technology, the PlayStation."

"The new season of 'Lost' kicked off tonight. If you haven't seen it, 'Lost' is about a group of desperate people out of touch with the world. It's based on the true story of the Republican Party."

Jimmy Kimmel:

"Last night, while their parents were at the inaugural balls, Sasha and Malia Obama, the kids, had their own little party at the White House. They held a scavenger hunt for them and some other kids. And this is the best thing. At the end of the scavenger hunt, they opened door and in a closet waiting for them were the Jonas Brothers. True. I guess they did the same thing with the Bush twins back in 2000, only it was Motley Crue with a tray of Jell-O shots in the closet."

Conan O'Brien:

"All the living ex-presidents attended the swearing-in ceremony. But did you see this? Bill Clinton got the biggest response from the crowd. Did you see that? Yeah. Yeah, apparently, thousands of women yelled, 'That's him, officer!'"

"Very cold today in Washington. Yeah. In fact, with the wind chill, President Bush's approval rating reached minus 13."

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,Comedy,Politics,Jumor,George Bush,Late Night Talk Shows

Obama Lifts Restrictions On Abortion Funding...

  which is another roll back of Bush's nutty policies.

    News Daily

President Barack Obama on Friday will lift restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad, reversing a policy of his Republican predecessor George W. Bush, an administration official said.

   I'll have more on this one after the Republicans and the Christian Right start with their complaining. Some of that should be real fun to read.

Technorati Tags: President,Barack Obama,Abortion,Restrictions

Former President Bush's Resume

  Someone took this off of the Internet and sent it to me. They did not state where they got it from, so i can't credit whoever came up with this. But, damned, it is good.

Subject: Resume
Date: Wednesday January 21, 2009
GEORGE W. BUSH

Hiding somewhere in Texas

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

LAW ENFORCEMENT
I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving
under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my
driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been
"lost" and is not available.
MILITARY
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused
to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By
joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in
Vietnam.
COLLEGE

I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a
cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE
I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil
business in Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought an oil company, but
couldn't find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after
I sold all my stock. I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a
sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. With the help of
my father and our friends in the oil industry, including Enron CEO Ken
Lay, I was elected governor of Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS
I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil
companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my
tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in
America. I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of
billions in borrowed money. I set the record for the most executions by
any governor in American history. With the help of my brother, the
governor of Florida, and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court,
I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT
I am the first President in U.S.history to enter office with a
criminal record. I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing
cost of over one billion dollars per week. I spent the U.S.surplus and
effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury. I shattered the record for
the largest annual deficit in U.S.history. I set an economic record for
most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period. I set the
all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period. I set the
all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S.stock
market.
In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their
jobs and that trend continues every month. I'm proud that the members
of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My
"poorest millionaire," Condoleezza Rice, had a Chevron oil tanker named
after her. I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S.
President. I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving
the most corporate campaign donations. My largest lifetime campaign
contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the
largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History, Enron.
My political party used Enron private jets and corporate
attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my
election decision. I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton
against investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent
investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent
investigating one of the biggest corporate rip- offs in history.
I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S.history and
refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was
revealed. I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S.history. I
changed the U.S.policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded
government contracts.
I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any
President in U.S.history. I created the Ministry of Homeland Security,
the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States' government.
I've broken more international treaties than any President in
U.S.history. I am the first President in U.S.history to have the United
Nations remove the U.S.from the Human Rights Commission. I withdrew the
U.S.from the World Court of Law. I refused to allow inspectors access
to U.S."prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide
by the Geneva Convention. I am the first President in history to refuse
United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S.election). I
set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President
since the advent of television. I set the all-time record for most days
on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month
of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S.history. I
garnered the most sympathy for the U.S.after the World Trade Center
attacks and less than a year later made the U.S.the most hated country
in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.
I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to
simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people),
shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of
mankind.
I am the first President in U.S.history to order an unprovoked,
preemptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I
did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of
U.S.citizens, and the world community. I have cut health care benefits
for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty
troops and their families-in-wartime. In my State of the Union Address,
I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our
British friends.
I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans
(71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and
security. I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker
Buster," a WMD. I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama
Bin Laden to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES
All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my
father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view. All records
of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies
are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view. All records or
regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable
for public review.

Technorati Tags: George Bush,Resume,Snark,Iraq,Economy,Employment