It's been eight long years for Americans.  Long, difficult years.  Internationally shameful years. Environmentally wasted years.  And let's face it:  it's going to take some time—not to mention a lot of hard work on the local, state and national levels by many individuals and groups—to turn back the policies, procedures, and sociopolitical culture built by The George W. Bush Empire.  Chairman of the Board Pelosi, while otherwise saying all the right things, abdicated her responsiblity to call for a vote to oust C.E.O. Bush from his throne of expanded executive power, a power never before wielded so coldly and absolutely by a modern day vice-president, himself an ominous, seemingly sociopathic man who has, like Bush, also amazingly escaped impeachment.  But, follow me below the fold as I point out the events and contributions that I believe constitute important blows against the Bush Empire. It's my booster shot of optimism for those who hunger for, work towards and see on the horizon, progressive change.

Post partisan my ass! That MIGHT be a good theme as a campaign strategy. It MIGHT appeal to an electorate tired of the incompetent,  ineffectual and just plain stupid brand of government they have been getting for the last ten years....you know, since the incredibly partisan impeachment of Bill Clinton by the Republican Congress....

It might sound ... nice ...and evenhanded and reasonable and mature and responsible and all that. But it ignores the simple and undeniable fact that since the Republicans lied, cheated and smeared (including smearing their current champion when he was running against Bush) their way into having full unfettered dominance of the government.....just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong and the country is in sad, sorry shape.

Because of the Republicans.

Everything the Republicans has touched in the last decade has turned to crap. From the micro (life saving stem cell research) to the macro (Climate Crisis) the Republicans have had full power to implement their vision, programs and policies....and have gotten it wrong every single time.

In February of 2006, when we were just begining to get national traction on the crooked methods behind the "PERMINANT MAJORITY" aspirations of the Bush League wing of the republican party, I wrote an article that might as well have been titled, "Republicans Miss the Commies".

Well, I thought that in light of the Bush Administration`s single handed reignightion of the "Cold War", we could take a look at how Russia achieved such a quick rise to dominance, what role the Republicans played in causing this, and at what cost.

click here for the full version with references.

The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives rarely presides over proceedings in the House chambers, but instead delegates this prerogative to a Member of the same political party. In the early morning of November 22, 2003, House Speaker Dennis Hastert delegated his presiding officer role to a loyal attendant, my congressman, Doc Hastings.

At exactly 3 a.m., Saturday, November 22, 2003, Richard "Doc" Hastings (R-WA), presiding over the House of Representatives, announced that time for debate on President Bush's Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act had expired. "Members will have 15 minutes to record their votes," Hastings declared. Nevertheless, Hastings’’ forecast missed the mark as Hastings reneged on his deadline and delayed the vote’s ending so that Republican leadership could manipulate votes.

At the end of fifteen minutes, the vote was 210 in favor and 224 opposed to the Medicare drug bill. 17 Republicans voted to defeat the measure. Hastings, at the prompting of Republican leaders, refused to end the vote, however.

I know you are all sick of James Dobson diaries. But I couldn't resist an opportunity to sink the hypocrisy knife into Dobson's fleshy backside and giving the blade a quarter twist. As we all know James Dobson accused Barack Obama of "misrepresenting the Bible". The same Bible that James Dobson and his clan of Christian Right nutcases interpret literally and demand that all of us interpret literally.

The same Bible that proscribed this punishment for a Thief:

“If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.”

And said this of Liars:

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

So why is James Dobson publicly Thanking and Praising a Thief and a Liar?

In a disturbing report on Wednesday, CBS News offered Americans a glimpse of their health care future under President Bush, John McCain and their Republican allies.  Detailing two cases of patients dying untreated and unnoticed in New York and Los Angeles emergency rooms, the story shows the exceptions that may increasingly become the rule.  Call it the Republicans' "Emergency Room" health care plan.

A fellow former volunteer from the 2006 Barbara Radnofsky (Texas Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate)campaign sent a very interesting article to our group this morning.  It is a piece written by a  non-partisan, non-profit watch dog organization  regarding  the 94 Democrats who have had a change of heart and now support Bush’s FISA.  

Many of us have been extremely perplexed, to say the very least, as to why some of our House Democratic lawmakers would cave into an ongoing Republican assault on our civil liberties.  Sadly, it seems that one of the driving forces behind the votes may be money related.  

The article  is written by Pamela Heisey of MAPLight.org.  Below is a profile of MAPLight:

In the circles of Hell reserved for politicians there is a special place for those pols who were specifically charged with fighting corruption and chose instead, to enable it.

John McCain is one of those politicians and so is Doc Hastings.

The ethically challenged Doc Hastings has been in Congress since 1994 and his career is highlighted by his extreme dedication to Tom DeLay and the Leaders of his Party. As for the people of his District, they are just the chumps who keep sending him back to Washington no matter how little he does for them. This year, his luck may be about to run out.

The WA-04 is shaping up to be a very interesting race. Right now it is rated as being Safe Republican, but I have a hunch that this is one of the long-shot races that could suddenly become very competitive.

A fired-up Democratic base, a very corrupt Republican, a great Democratic Candidate and the unique "Top Two" Primary on August 19 create an opportunity for real change.

To the jump...

Earlier this week, noted child-murdering dolphin rapist Tom DeLay voiced his concerns about his fellow conservatives to the Washington Times:

Two years after he resigned from the House, former Republican leader Tom DeLay says conservatives haven't bottomed out from their 2006 election losses, Democrats are "cleaning their clock," and it will take years before the Republican Party can compete with the operation Democrats have built.

"The conservatives refuse to accept that the left is cleaning their clock, and until you hit some bottom, wherever that is, to where it says, 'Well, maybe we ought to do something different,' little or nothing's going to change," [...] "I think it's going to take years to rebuild the party," he said.

The problem, you see, is all about how the Democrats have built this powerful political machine that the poor, lowly Republicans just can't compete with. They've gone from an unstoppable "permanent majority" featuring the likes of Tom DeLay to, well, an indicted Tom DeLay nursing his wounds and wondering where the bottom is.

I was going to write a bit of satire exploring how an indicted conservative Republican is using the pages of a newspaper which until recently featured the editorial voice of a racist and unapologetic supporter of the American Confederacy, and which is owned by an ex-felon anti-Christian Asian cult leader best known previously for his extravagant lifestyle, crime connections and mass wedding ceremonies, to tell anyone else in the universe how to rebuild their own reputations... but then I pulled a muscle or something.

I note with amusement that the Project for a New American Century has not paid their server bill:

www.newamericancentury.org/
see also:
http://www.commondreams.org/...

And the K-street Project is down for "revisions" – who we goona bribe now?

http://www.kstreetproject.com/

Tom Delay’s site is actually back- up – with no further pretense of being a blog.

http://www.tomdelay.com/...

It is actually great to see Tom around – keeps reminding us about all the corruption.

The site flogs Tom’s book – never mind that it is ranked 449,725 by Amazon.  The site also has links to his article where he calls Obama a Marxist, and another where he says the GOP has further to fall – we can agree on that one Tom.

In Dan Froomkin's must read post today titled White House Fails Self-Examination, he reports a startling fact:

But according to a new Rove biography by Paul Alexander, it wasn't a time of his choosing. In "Machiavelli's Shadow: The Rise and Fall of Karl Rove," Alexander writes that Rove was fired.

Beyond this, there are interesting reasons given for Bush firing Rove quietly during a visit to the Episcopalian church Rove sometimes visited, strictly for the sake of appearance.

More below the fold.

First things first - if you have not read The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Joe Trippi, you need to do it, pronto.  I mean, this book should be required reading for anyone who wants to know anything about how politics are going to work in the 21st Century, at least as far as Democrats are concerned.

In 2004, Governor Howard Dean made his Presidential run.  I hardly have to remind anyone here of the heights his campaign reached, or of his dramatic fall.  What is important and has to be understood is, his campaign did not die in Iowa.  It went on a hiatus, and then reincarnated in '06, when we took control of Congress, and again in 2008, as the Barack Obama campaign.  The Obama version of the campaign was bigger, stronger, and infinitely more successful, but for all intents and purposes it is largely the same phenomenon (that the MSM has not caught onto this is, quite frankly, baffling - or at least it would be, if I still had any faith in the MSM's ability to do their jobs).  Again, I think this hardly qualifies as news to anyone on this site.

Every voting cycle, we on the left can and do expect the rightwing propaganda machine to kick in full speed. Classless mudslinging and baseless accusations have become the "modus operandi" of the far right so rarely does any ridiculous thing they say surprise me, BUT...they have finally gone too far.  A true hero has been slighted and his honor must be defended.

[reprinted from WOID: a journal of visual language]

Tom DeLay, you don't want to go there. I don't mean going to jail, although that's likely the there where you're going next. I mean: you don't want to go where you're going when you say on some right-wing talk show "that unless he proves me wrong, [Obama] is a Marxist."

Do any right-wingers read my blog?  If so, can you please explain exactly what you'all mean when you call someone a "Marxist"?  Do you mean a Communist?  Or a Socialist?  Do you think a Marxist is someone who believes the "means of production" should be in the hands of the workers?  Or "the State"?  Or is it someone who is fine with capitalism, per se, but sees history as the narrative dominated by class-struggle?  (I know, for instance, many Capitalists who are Marxist in the "theory of history", but do not, you know, think the "means of production" should be seized by international syndicate of working men & women.)  The reason I bring it up is because disgraced, indicted, former-House Majority Leader (& Creationist), Tom Delay (R-TX) went on some right-wing radio show (which I won't dignify with a link) and claimed:

"...[U]nless he proves me wrong, [Obama] is a Marxist."

Tom Delay, Indicted Republican: Unless he proves me wrong, [Obama] is a Marxist.

Hunter, Blogger: Unless he proves me wrong, Tom Delay lures children into his van with candy, gasses them to death with bug spray, and uses their powdered bones as an aphrodisiac when making love to all the animals at the San Antonio Sea World.

Prove me wrong, pal, prove me wrong.

On a more positive note, I want to congratulate Republicans on finally coming up with one (albeit inexplicable) smear against Obama that isn't just codespeak or awkward polite-company placeholder for "he's black. Scary!" Consider the recent dismal record:

• Obama has a Kenyan father! (You know what color Kenyans are? Black!) Scary!


• Obama might secretly be a Muslim! (You know what color Muslims are? Neither do I, but they might be black for all I know!) Scary!


• Obama's middle name is ethnic sounding! Scary!


• Obama attends a black church! With black people! Scary!


• Obama needs to better prove his patriotism! (Waiver of proof granted if you are a white politician.) Scaaaary!


• Obama needs to prove he understands the middle class, like [insert fabulously wealthy pasty white lawmaker here] undoubtably does. (Because black people might not understand the middle class like rich white people do!) Scary again!


• Obama can't bowl! (You know who else can't bowl? Terrorists -- I mean, black people!) Super scary!


• Obama's wife, this one time, possibly was in the same room as Louis Farrakhan's wife! For a women's luncheon! With black people! Scaaaaary! Booga booga booga! Look, I'm holding a flashlight under my face right now! And there, on the handle of the car door, was a hook! Aaaaaagh!

Translation of all of the above: Oh my goodness, this guy might be African American or something. But we can't say that out loud, because it's the freaking twenty first century and we'd look like giant, bigoted jackasses.

So this new Republican opine that he might secretly be a Marxist is a bit of a novelty. Now, I'm not sure if even two in ten Republicans could tell you exactly what a Marxist was, precisely, but at least it's nice, European fearmongering. You still get to make the point that the Democratic candidate for President of the United States might secretly be a traitor to our nation, and way of life, and not really a good wholesome flag-humping patriot at all -- but instead of looking like a hopelessly behind-the-times bigot trying desperately to stay relevant and on the airwaves, you just look like an unfathomably shallow idiot with no grasp of history or politics trying desperately to stay relevant and on the airwaves.

I do think Tom Delay should, you know, read a book or something. At least to pass the time between murdering children and sodomizing sea life.

In trying to contrast his experience seeking the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee, McCain was quoted to have said,"I've never been to Pastor Hagee's church or Pastor Parsley's church" http://www.cbsnews.com/...

Yesterday I noticed a piece on Raw Story ("Talk host to Obama: Preempt swift boating") http://rawstory.com/... in which GoLeft TV’s Mike Papantonio describes what he believes will be an impending swift boat attack on Barack Obama.   Papantonio fears Democrats will do what we did when Kerry was ruthlessly attacked in 2004.  Very little.

Naturally the guy behind the forthcoming smear campaign is none other than former U.S. Attorney and Rove minion, Tim Griffin.  Griffin is no small time player in the Bush world of low life fear and smear.   According to the article:

Griffin, the McCain campaign's Director of Research, brings his experience from his time as Deputy Research Director for President Bush's 2000 run. He would also serve as a legal advisor for the "Bush-Cheney 2000 Florida Recount Team" during the battle that would culminate in Bush being awarded the presidency by the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore. Griffin would later work as aide to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove from September 2005 to September 2006.