The State of the Union, June 19, 2008

"I really don't have much of an opinion of his coming," said Lashawn Baker, 33, whose family was just starting to clean her flooded home in a southwest Cedar Rapids neighborhood. "It took him a long time to get to New Orleans and he didn't help any of those people, so I don't think he's going to do anything to help Cedar Rapids now that he's here."

I find it astonishing that this quote would be featured in a news article so prominently, and would so utterly and completely knock down the legitimacy of a presidential administration.

We are living in a time when the President of the United States of America can visit an American city that has suffered from a natural disaster and a news organization runs a story that says, basically, the President of the United States is a worthless figurehead who doesn't care about the American people...

President Bush, surveying the aftermath of devastating floods during a lightning-quick tour of the Midwest on Thursday, assured residents and rescuers alike that he is listening to their concerns and understands their exhaustion.

"Obviously, to the extent we can help immediately, we will help," said Bush, still mindful of criticism that the government reacted slowly to Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

"You'll come back better," the president said while being briefed by state and local officials at a cinderblock emergency operations center set up at a community college here, part of a three-hour tour. "Sometimes it's hard to see it."

Bush was in Europe when tornadoes hit and heavy rains sent rivers surging over their banks, killing at least 24 people, the majority in Iowa. Flooding forced tens of thousands across six states to flee their homes and washed out millions of acres of prime farm and grazing lands. He made a point to try to show his deep concern while overseas and traveled to Iowa just two days after returning.

...and the reaction to that fact is a collective "so what?" Not only is it not news, it's not even the point of the story.

-WS

Impeach this sneaky bastard already!

On March 1, 1976, in the the wake of the abuses of COINTELPRO being made public after contentious congressional hearings over domestic spying and assassinations, President Ford created an intelligence oversight board of private citizens with top security clearances to rein in abuses and sniff out illegal spying activities. Ford created the Intelligence Oversight Board to serve as a watchdog over spying agencies by executive order to put off an angry congress enacting more sweeping legislation to curtail the activities of the intelligence communities against American citizens. At the time Ford issued the order he told the Congress "I believe [the changes] will eliminate abuses and questionable activities on the part of the foreign intelligence agencies while at the same time permitting them to get on with their vital work of gathering and assessing information."

Thirty two years later - practically to the day - the current occupant signed a super-double-secret executive order gutting the oversight panel and stripping it of authority.

"It's quite clear that the Bush administration officials who were around in the 1970s are settling old scores now. Here they are even preventing oversight within the executive branch. They have closed the books on the post-Watergate era," said Tim Sparapani, senior legislative counsel to the ACLU.

But Bush downsized the board's mandate to be an aggressive watchdog against such problems in an executive order issued on Feb. 29, the eve of the anniversary of the day Ford's order took effect. The White House said the timing of the new order was "purely coincidental.

"Under the old rules, whenever the oversight board learned of intelligence activity that it believed might be "unlawful or contrary to executive order," it had a duty to notify both the president and the attorney general. But Bush's order deleted the board's authority to refer matters to the Justice Department for a criminal investigation, and the new order said the board should notify the president only if other officials are not already "adequately" addressing the problem. (emphasis added)

Bush's order also terminated the board's authority to oversee each intelligence agency's general counsel and inspector general, and it erased a requirement that each inspector general file a report with the board every three months. Now only the agency directors will decide whether to report any potential lawbreaking to the panel, and they have no schedule for checking in.

Two attorneys who have served as deputy and general counsel to the CIA denounced the order, insisting that the board had been reduced to little more than paper-pushers, and that weakening it undermines the public trust. "An organization like this gives some level of comfort that there is an independent review capability. Changes like this appear to water down an organization that contributes to the public's confidence," said the former general counsel.

But gutting intelligence oversight was just the beginning. That executive order, EO 11905, banned assassinations. Yet Bush drew up a list of suspected al Qaeda operatives to be summarily executed.

It is abundantly clear that the people who are around now who were around during Nixon are all sociopaths. They weren't content to count their blessings, thank their lucky stars and slink away in shame to molest the American people no more. No, they weren't content to be thankful they didn't all go to prison. They came back with an agenda, to settle old scores.

It was a mistake to pardon Nixon - and we can't make the same mistake again. The Republic wouldn't survive a third try by these fascist bastards.

It is imperative that we impeach these bastards, before he takes out the pardon pen and blanket-pardons the whole lot of them.

Justice demands public accountability, not weary resignation.

What's not to get?

It isn't about security or safety

By now you know that the House is not going to budge on immunity for telecoms, and Bush is having a hissy-fit and insisting the terrists are a-comin' and we need to immunize 'em to pertec the 'Murkan people, so he has to veto the bill if it clears the Senate, full of feckless Publicans and Bush-dog Democrats like the useless Claire McCaskill who roll over for him every chance they get.

Bullshit.

Bush wants telecom immunity to protect his own ass.

He only puts up this kind of fight when it's his ass on the line. He doesn't give a fuck about yours, or anyone elses - he's a sociopath, he only cares about himself. (Remember he ignored the daily briefing that warned bin Laden was determined to strike in the US.)

We aren't in peril because the telecoms aren't immunized, and we weren't safer because they spied on us. That is just a stupid assertion to make. He wants immunity because if lawsuits go forward, the findings will be subject to discovery, and everyone will know just how far this criminal sonofabitch went, starting as soon as he took office. He wouldn't fight this hard for anything that wasn't in his own interest. He is afraid that we might correct a mistake of the past - we didn't incarcerate Nixon - and make an example of him for the next GOP fascist mother fucker who comes down the pike determined to usurp power, violate the Constitution and take it upon himself to decide what part of the law he would follow and what he would ignore.

He is scared shitless at the prospect of civil discovery leading to criminal charges. He hasn't been this scared since he learned that drug tests would be required for pilots.

Bush was determined that government would crawl in bed with business from the outset, while destroying from within all the systems that worked by appointing lackies, hacks and incompetent fuck-ups (Justice, FEMA, the DoD, the Foreign Service, the DoJ, the Forest Service, the CDC...)

There is a word in the dictionary that describes the merging of corporate and government interests. You can find it in the "F's"...

The telecoms were all too willing to go along and listen in on our calls and archive our emails for the NSA - and they started spying on us before the attacks of September 11, 2001.

So...tell me again how safe his surveillance programs make us, and this time, be specific, and show your work.

Live-Blogging the Presser

The incumbent has called a press conference for this morning.

I am expecting petulance in spades and that shrill tone his every utterance has taken on of late, as well as "that look" - you know the one I mean - the annoyed one...

The press is waiting in the Brady Briefing Room.

Here come the topics...

"Tomorrow Congress will attempt to override my SCHIP veto." And he wants FISA to be expanded and the overreaches made permanent. He wants the intel community to be able to spy on you and me unencumbered. They need to pass the remaining spending bills one at a time. (Why is he suddenly so pissy about omnibus bills?) Education and housing are also on his radar...ditto trade. "Congress needs to get moving on trade agreements..." Veterans issues and the VA appropriations bill. "I ask congress to send me a 'clean bill' without unnecessary spending." And the Mukasey nomination...

He sure knows what Congress needs to do....When did he serve in the legislative branch again?

Jeebus I hate agreeing with this petulant fucking worm on anything...but Congress does need to shut up already about the Turks and Armenians...

First question is about the Turks pursuing PKK terrorists across the border into Iraq, where they have safe haven.

Why is he sticking a thumb in China's eye by giving the Dalai Lama an award. About the only thing that made sense in his answer was "I like going to the gold medal ceremonies."

David Gregory wants him to say something about the apparent Israeli-Syria episode, but he ain't commenting...

Now, Putin in Iran, talking tough...What does he think? "Sure there will be a nice picture to send a good message...he wants to talk to Pooty-Poot and see what went on..." He has no answers for this one. Sad to watch, sadder to listen to...

North Korea - he isn't elaborating. "Diplomacy only works when there are consequences if the diplomacy fails..." Consequences, consequences, consequences...Without a trace of irony...

He dissed Martha, and my husband shook his head and called him a "mother fucker."

Iraq..."Can't be won militarily." (No foolin'?) Should the U.S. be prepared for a significant troop presence in Iraq after his term of office expires? He gave a non-answer..."That will be determined by the commanders."

I just gotta rant a sec...I don't give a rat's ass if anyone has a new-que-lar weapon, seein' as how there is no such god-damned thing. I can not take seriously anything he says about nuclear matters when he can't even fucking pronounce it! That verbal affectation is not charming...it's humiliating.

He is droning on about "isolating Iran" while the Russians and Caspian states are cozying up...Sooo...How's that workin' for ya there, George? Iran doesn't look too damned isolated to a whole bunch of us...

How would he assess himself on dealings with the Democrats? We are finding common ground on Iraq, because the Petraeus Promenade was successful...telecoms need immunity for violating our civil liberties...But it's the fault of the Democrats that bills aren't moving.

Now he is lying about SCHIP. Still repeating the $83,000 lie.

Sanchez just came up..."I admire [him], I appreciate his service, the situation...has changed...so I am pleased with the progress we are making and I admire the fact that he served." What a pussified non-answer....

On to Blackwater...They provide a vital service...They have saved lives...(iow: Mercenaries are really good guys! Just misunderstood!)

"What is your definition of 'Torture'?" Glossed over..."That is defined in U.S. law, and we don't torture."

He insists he isn't an irrelevant lame duck, he has never been more vital...

Back to SCHIP and still with the lying. Please, Congress, override this petulant asshole tomorrow...

How Feckless Spent his Fourth

The resident appeared before a captive audience with no choice but to cheer and clap politely for his obligatory Fourth of July speech. He appeared before National Guardsmen and their families, and all but told them they were expendable. He appeared before about 2000 pre-screened guests (only Albanians have unfettered access to the American president) mostly from the 167^th Air National Guard Wing.

He said not one word about the Air National Guard duty he skipped out on and is aWol from to this day.

Bush said victory in Iraq will require "more patience, more courage and more sacrifice."

"If we were to quit Iraq before the job is done, the terrorists we are fighting would not declare victory and lay down their arms. They would follow us here," Bush said at the West Virginia Air National Guard.

He was, of course, lying. There is no evidence that the terrorists would follow us here. In fact, every expert who actually understands the dynamics at play has flatly stated that the president is wrong at best and a filthy liar more likely.

As to the part about more courage and sacrifice - that just pissed me off - he and his have not sacrificed a damned thing, and won't. In fact, just the opposite. How dare he??? He didn't even finish his weekend warrior duty in a champaign unit and remains to this day Absent With Out Leave, because he was afraid to piss in a cup with all that South American vitamin C in his system.

After speaking to a group of people who have no option other than to be polite, he returned to the White House, where his service-age daughters (who likely couldn't pass the requisite drug screen anyway) have joined him to celebrate his 61^st birthday on Friday. There he will eat barbecue and watch fireworks and not think another thought about the hell he has wrought to better Americans than he can ever hope to be.