Post holiday blues

Hello friends.

We are still here but in a sort of end-of-year slow-down. I know there's tons happening - Gerald Ford and James Brown died (going to see one of them lying in state tonight and I'll give you a hint -- it ain't Ford), Ethiopia has sent the Union of Islamic Courts running, John Edwards announced for president and Saddam is going to be hung (hung??) in the next month. Wow.
Even so, been too busy and then sick over Christmas (fun!) to post. Hopefully will return to normal after the holidays. Until then,
here's an article about our former president dissing the current. That's right - the man who first put Cheney and Rummy in positions of power was against the war. You know why? Because every sentient being in the goddamned universe is against the war. Anyway, peep the crazy pic that goes with this article, and happy new year, if we don't see you first!

Today, in Olden Times

Take a trip in the way-back machine and try to remember December 19, 1998. Mark McGuire & Sammy Sosa were in a race to see who could break the home run record. Matthew Shepard had just been killed in Laramie. Pinochet was arrested in London. The Yankees swept the San Diego Padres. Jesse Ventura was the new Governer of Minnesota. Exxon and Mobil had just merged. Google was founded. Hugo Chavez had just been elected president of Venezuela. Stu Unger died. US and British planes bombed Iraq.

And President William Jefferson Clinton was impeached.

Good times.

It's pretty crazy, if you think about it, how little we think about the fact that Clinton was actually impeached. They wanted to remove him for lying about a blow job. Slice it any way you like, but that's what it comes down to. A blow job. Now we're stuck with a bunch of assclowns who have lied about things that brought us to war, killed thousands of people (hell, tens, maybe hundreds of thousands), destroyed due process and a lot of the bill of rights, shot their friends in the face, and probably eaten babies for breakfast, but we're too timid to talk about impeachment.

I'm up in the air myself. The fact that the whole Clinton impeachment sucked so much energy out of everyone and was so goddamned stupid makes me wary. The fact that Clinton just got more and more popular as the scandal wore is a big 'ol warning sign. I've gotten pretty attached to seeing the Chimp with poll numbers in the 30s, and I'm hoping to see him in the 20s before this is all over -- wouldn't want to give him some kind of sypathy bounce. Also making me wary: President Cheney. But fuck, you know? What the hell is impeachment for if not the likes of W? What the hell are we keeping our powder dry for? Nail the bastards.

Here's a couple of numbers:
The average support for hearings into the affaire Lewinsky: 36%
Average support for impeachment and removal of the Clenis: 26%

And a few more:
Support for impeaching and removing Bush, according to a March 16, 2006 poll by the American Research Group: 42%
Support for impeachment and removal by a September 2, 2006 CNN poll: 30%
Support for impeachemnt according to an October 2006 Newsweek poll: 51%

Just sayin'.

Call us cynical...

but we won't rule out that Senator Johnson was poisoned, Putin-style.

One More!

Look at you, so cute there. You probably thought the midterm elections were over, didn't you? But no, that's where you're wrong. The good news is still coming.
I don't know why, because it's Texas and I don't know shit from Texas (purposely), but there was one more congressional election. And? We kicked their asses. Seven-term Republican Henry Bonilla, unseatedby Democrat Ciro Rodriguez. Which no one really predicted, btw.
This is especially delicious because it is as a direct result of Tom Delay's evil redistricting of Texas (which appears to have backfired) and crazy GOP anti-immigrant fervor (ditto).
So, in case you're keeping track, the final count is now 233 Democratic seats and 202 Republican. And, in case the schadenfreude (again!) hasn't kicked in yet, that's one more than they had on us (232-203) and a larger majority than they've had since at least 1994.

It's raining

According to a CBS poll 75% of the country doesn't like the way Bush is handling the war (which begs the question: what the hell is the 21% smoking?).
On that note, here's a nice column that strikes a nice note of unbridled rage that I appreciate. On saying that we've lost the war, big time:

Maybe you don't agree. Maybe you say, "Wait, wait, wait, it's not over at all, and we haven't lost yet. Isn't the fighting still raging? Can't we still 'win' even though we're still losing soldiers by the truckload and thousands of innocent Iraqis are being brutally slaughtered every month and isn't Dubya still standing there, brow scrunched and confounded as a monkey clinging onto a shiny razor blade, refusing to let go and free us from the deadly trap, ignoring the Iraq Study Group and trying to figure out a way to stay the course and never give in and "mission accomplished" even as every single human around him, from the top generals to crusty old James Baker to the new and shockingly honest secretary of defense, says we are royally screwed and Iraq is now a vicious and chaotic civil war and it's officially one of the worst disasters in American history?" Oh wait, you just answered your own question.

You want more good news? The Saudis have said that they might start (start, eh?) financing the Sunni insurgency if we pull our troops out of Iraq. (Because Saudi Arabia, like most of the Arab states, is majority Sunni -- Iraq is majority Shia -- and the Saudis say they are afraid that without us there to stop it the majority Shia will massacre the Sunni.) That's crazy time and a sign of how shitty things really are, because the Sunni insurgency is where most of the al Queda folk are chilling (such as they are, which is not as much as BushCo would like you to think, but nonetheless) and if there's one thing (other than us, and Israel) that them al Queda types hate, it's the Saudi monarchy. So if we're bringing them together, well watch the fuck out.

More from the Department of No Shit, Sherlock

Ted Turner must be rolling in his fucking ranch in Wyoming. Thnak you, CNN for this important and unexpected "news." The #1 story on CNN.com right now: "Poll: Racism lingers in U.S."
Really.
Don't get me wrong, I guess it's good to bring the message on home to Joe Whitey that yeah, racism exists. But really. Really. We need a poll to tell us that? Did you think it was just a coincidence that wildly disproportionate numbers of black people are incarcerated? Or have asthma? Or die of heart disease? Or that men of Arab descent can't get through a damn airport these days? Or that Wen Ho Lee was arrested for treason?

Next week: Sexism -- Still Here!

I heart Craigslist

Just a litte Monday morning treat to help you through the horror of the week. Craigslist's CEO met with a bunch of bankers at a media conference and blew their minds when he told them that he & Craig aren't especially interested in making money. They just want Craigslist to work well and be useful.

Isn't that sweet?

Oh yes, and Pinochet died yesterday. Die sucker die! Let's hope there really is such a thing as eternal damnation.

Jeane Kirkpatrick goes down

I know we're supposed to get all nice when someone dies and only say good things about them, although it seems strange since they're dead and probably don't care anymore. But Jeane Kirkpatrick, former UN Envoy, was a stone cold bitch, and I don't mean that in a good way. We (and by "we" I don't actually include myself, just folk in general) may look back all warm and fuzzy-like at the Reagan era, but for those of you who are too young or have forgotten, it sucked ass. Kirkpatrick was just as bad as Bolton in her day, so sorry if it's mean, but good riddance.

Life on Mars?

Is it just me or do they come out with shocking and almost-definitive proof that there is water/life on Mars every couple of years?

Well they've done it again. Looks like there was liquid water on Mars some time in the last seven years. Seven!

In related news, Veronica Mars in on hiatus until late January (23rd, I believe). You will be glad to know that the fall finale "Spit & Eggs" was the 2nd highest rated episode ever, and the highest ever in the demo. Rah!

Happy Baker-Hamilton Day!

So today is the big day - the Baker Hamilton Report is out. (Full PDF of report, all 160 pages of it, here.)
Maybe today is the day it all starts to get better.

But don't bet on it.

I haven't had a chance to read the report yet (duh) but that won't stop me from having an opinion about the Iraq Study Group and what it could mean.

I never had that much faith in this whole Baker Hamilton thing because I figured it was a pre-election gimmick to make it look like they were actually trying to find solutions when in fact they planned to stay the goddamned course. I think what changed was the election, which gave the whole report a lot more gravity. Anti-war became the sentiment du jour.

Have you noticed that both Newsweek and Time have the same cover this week - headlines that say, "Will Bush Listen?" Now call me crazy, but how fucking insane is it that we have to worry that the president won't even listen? But it does bring up a good point, which is that no matter what Baker Hamilton says, it doesn't mean shit if the Chimp won't act on it.

From what I have gathered so far, the main recommendations are for strategic troop redeployment, increased training and benchmarking for Iraqi forces (including the key threat that we're going to leave whether or not they are ready), and dialogue/partnership with regional players. All of these things sound like pretty good ideas, but it seems pretty obvious that without the regional dialogue (which is just a nice way of saying that we should beg Iran and Syria to stop supporting militias in Iraq and start pushing for stability and security) the rest doesn't have much of a chance. Which is why it's heartening to hear that apparently the part of all this that Bush likes, and will probably act on, is more of this endless bs about "training Iraqi forces" and "standing down when they stand up" and that crap. But talking with the Iranians? Not a chance. Which sucks. But is also ironic, as this morning ont he news they were saying that the US is just not influential enough to have just talking to us be such a big treat anymore. Used to be that for just a chance at a seat at the table countries would get in line and make concessions. Now we've painted ourselves into a corner where it's obvious that we need them more than they need us. So just opening dialogue won't be enough, we'll actually have to offer them some incentives to help. So you know, once again, nice job W.

Don't let the door hit you

Ha ha! The bloodbath coninues!

John Bolton, angriest diplomat in the world, resigned today. It's these little gifts that keep me happy.