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Thursday, July 31, 2008
As if they care! posted by Clyde 10:22 AM US judge: White House aides can be subpoenaed President Bush's top advisers are not immune from congressional subpoenas, a federal judge ruled Thursday in an unprecedented dispute between the two political branches. House Democrats called the ruling a ringing endorsement of the principle that nobody is above the law. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge John Bates said there's no legal basis for Bush's argument and that his former legal counsel, Harriet Miers, must appear before Congress. If she wants to refuse to testify, he said, she must do so in person. The committee also has sought to force testimony from White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten. "Harriet Miers is not immune from compelled congressional process; she is legally required to testify pursuant to a duly issued congressional subpoena," Bates wrote. He said that both Bolten and Miers must give Congress all non-privileged documents related to the firings. (Link) Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

$peculators come through for Exxon posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:42 AM ExxonMobil profit, $11.7B, sets U.S. record ExxonMobil reported second-quarter earnings of $11.68 billion Thursday, the biggest quarterly profit ever by any U.S. corporation, but the results fell well short of Wall Street expectations and shares fell in premarket trading. The world's largest publicly traded oil company said its net income for the April-June period came to $2.22 a share, up from $10.26 billion, or $1.83 a share, a year ago. Revenue rose 40% to $138.1 billion from $98.4 billion in the year-earlier quarter. Excluding an aftertax charge of $290 million related to an Exxon Valdez court settlement, earnings amounted to $11.97 billion, or $2.27 per share. Analysts on average expected ExxonMobil to earn $2.52 a share on revenue of $144 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Financial. The estimates typically exclude one-time items. This should be illegal Permalink :: 5 comments :: Post a Comment

Our Roaming Knome strikes again! posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:16 AM Kucinich Press Conference to Announce 'Oil for Iraq Liberation' Act Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) will hold a press conference on the Oil for Iraq Liberation Act tomorrow morning on the Cannon Terrace. The Oil for Iraq Liberation bill will prevent U.S. based oil companies from development of and investment in petroleum resources of Iraq. "Recently we have seen evidence of a concerted effort to pressure the Iraqi government into privatizing Iraqi oil fields against the will of its citizens. We have also heard that certain high level architects of the Iraq war stand to gain financially. This bill will ensure that the Iraqi oil money stays out of the hands of U.S. oil companies who would otherwise benefit from the US attack on and occupation of Iraq." The conference will be: Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. on the Cannon Terrace, intersection of Independence and New Jersey Avenue Yea Dennis! Permalink :: 2 comments :: Post a Comment

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Strongly worded letter coming soon. posted by Dookie The Webmaster 10:14 AM House panel votes to cite Rove for contempt A House panel Wednesday voted to cite former top White House aide Karl Rove for contempt of Congress as its Senate counterpart publicly pursued possible punishments for an array of alleged past and present Bush administration misdeeds. Voting along party lines, the House Judiciary Committee said that Rove had broke the law by failing to appear at a July 10 hearing on allegations of White House influence over the Justice Department, including whether Rove encouraged prosecutions against Democrats. The committee decision is only a recommendation, and it was unclear whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would allow a final vote. Rove has denied any involvement with Justice decisions, and the White House has said Congress has no authority to compel testimony from current and former advisers. The vote occurred as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on allegations of administration wrongdoing ranging from discriminating against liberals at Justice to ignoring subpoenas and lying to Congress. Will someone arrest this azzhole? Permalink :: 6 comments :: Post a Comment

The "Kissy-float" Part 2 posted by Dookie The Webmaster 7:31 AM A 'big rat' may greet Lieberman at GOP convention Joseph Lieberman might want to pack some rodenticide if he decides to stump for John McCain at the upcoming Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. Some of the same Connecticut Democrats who stalked the senator on the re-election trail two years ago with the famous "kiss" float - a papier mache likeness of President Bush kissing Lieberman after the 2005 State of the Union address - are hoping to make a similar splash at the GOP fete Sept. 1-4. If Lieberman's detractors get their way, their prop would be a 30-foot inflatable rat, the kind unions typically use when construction workers cross picket lines. "The 30-foot rat is a big rat. A 12-foot rat you can kind of put in the back of a pickup truck A 30-foot rat you have to put on the back of a flatbed," said Ed Anderson, a New Haven Democrat who helped start the Web site DumpJoe.com. Lieberman SUCKS! Permalink :: 0 comments :: Post a Comment

A lone bright spot of the Senate Dems posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:41 AM Reid Dares Republicans to Stay Over Break The indictment of Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska on Tuesday lifted Democrats' hopes of winning a Senate seat in Alaska - a feat they have not accomplished in the Last Frontier since 1974. But the majority leader, Senator Harry Reid, said he was actually feeling good about Senate races across the country. And he said that if Republicans wanted to stay in Washington through August to debate energy policy instead of going home to campaign, well, that was just fine by him. With a bitter fight raging over how to address high gasoline prices, some Republicans have intimated that the Senate should not leave for the August recess at the end of this week unless it can pass some sort of energy legislation. In fact, the Democrats have not officially "recessed" for more than a year because they do not want to give President Bush the chance to make appointments to vacant jobs that require Senate confirmation. And Mr. Reid said he would be happy to have Republicans join the lone Democrat coming in to open the Senate during the break. "We don't need the Republicans' permission to adjourn," he said, scoffing at the question at a news conference on Tuesday. "We're going to be in pro form session. This is because of President Bush not being fair on nominations. So we're going to be here anyway." A+ Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

Purple State: Now they're concerned posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:36 AM GOP chairman calls for a statewide voter fraud investigation Virginia Republican Party Chairman Jeff Frederick said Monday that incidents in Hampton and Richmond led the party to fear "coordinated and widespread" statewide voter registration fraud. Frederick called on Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and Attorney General Bob McDonnell to launch a statewide investigation, citing last week's arrest of three canvassers in Hampton as evidence that people who were not eligible to vote were being signed up by a national nonprofit organization, the Community Voters Project. Spokesmen for Kaine, a Democrat, and McDonnell, a Republican, said the matter was appropriately in the hands of the Hampton's commonwealth's attorney. Frederick said there had been 18 "incidents" of voter fraud in Richmond, although he provided specifics about just one case, in which a Richmond resident said she received a call from the city registrar asking if she had submitted a new voter registration card with a new address. What about OH, FL, CO, ...? Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

Why do they hate our troops? posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:28 AM Bill to aid paralyzed vets blocked in Senate A bill promising more money for programs that help paralyzed veterans is part of a bundle of legislation tied up in partisan bickering in the Senate. The Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve Act, which includes money for research into spinal cord injuries, is one of about 36 bills combined by Senate Democrats into what they are calling the Advancing America's Priorities Act. The bills have been bundled in an attempt to bypass objections from Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who has used senatorial privileges and procedures to stop action on several bills, including the spinal cord injury bill. The Democratic plan failed Monday on a 50-42 vote, leaving them short of the 60 votes needed to cut off debate on the package. F*ckers! Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

2008 still looks great posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:25 AM Indictment of Stevens adds to bleak GOP prospects The indictment of Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens on charges that he lied about accepting gifts from an oil contractor only adds to his party's already bleak electoral prospects in November, and not simply because it could cost the GOP a Senate seat that should be safe. While Stevens has vowed to fight charges and, through a spokesman, to move "full steam ahead" with his re-election bid, he's received little support from Alaska's Republican governor and no comment yet from his own GOP leader in the Capitol. His indictment, though, could knock Republicans off message just as party leaders hoped to gain traction on one of the few issues in which voters solidly side with them: producing more domestic oil. Stevens is the single most prominent advocate of oil drilling in protected areas, and charges that he took more than a quarter-million dollars worth of unreported gifts from oil services contractor Veco Corp. and its executives will play right into Democratic efforts to paint Republicans as a party captive to Big Oil. Landslide Permalink :: 0 comments :: Post a Comment

The law is the law posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:23 AM Obama says he'll order review of executive orders Barack Obama told House Democrats on Tuesday that as president he would order his attorney general to scour White House executive orders and expunge any that "trample on liberty," several lawmakers said. Presidents, as head of the executive branch of government, issue such orders to direct operations of executive branch agencies, like the Justice Department and the CIA. For example, President Bush used an executive order last year to breathe new life into the CIA's controversial terror interrogation program that allowed harsh questioning of suspects. GOBama! Permalink :: 0 comments :: Post a Comment

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Commander in Chief Test posted by Dookie The Webmaster 2:45 PM Permalink :: 0 comments :: Post a Comment

It's about friggin time! posted by Clyde 11:36 AM Sen. Stevens indicted: 7 false statements counts Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator and a figure in Alaska politics since before statehood, has been indicted on seven counts of falsely reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars in services he received from a company that helped renovate his home. Stevens, 84, has been dogged by a federal investigation into whether he pushed for fishing legislation that also benefited his son, an Alaska lobbyist. From May 1999 to August 2007, prosecutors said Stevens concealed "his continuing receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of things of value from a private corporation." The indictment released Tuesday said the items included: home improvements to his vacation home in Alaska, including a new first floor, garage, wraparound deck, plumbing, electrical wiring; as well as car exchanges, a Viking gas grill, furniture and tools. Justice Department officials were holding a news conference later Tuesday to discuss the charges. (Link) Permalink :: 2 comments :: Post a Comment

Kaine? posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:17 AM Kaine in 'Serious' Talks With Obama Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has told close associates that he has had "very serious" conversations with Sen. Barack Obama about joining the Democratic presidential ticket and has provided documents to the campaign as it combs through his background, according to several sources close to Kaine. Sens. Evan Bayh (Ind.) and Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) are also being seriously vetted by the campaign staff, according to sources with knowledge of the process. Obama has revealed little about which way he is leaning. And despite rising anticipation that a decision is imminent, campaign officials said an announcement is likely in mid-August, shortly before the Democratic National Convention. Obama's top aides, David Plouffe and David Axelrod, huddled yesterday in the Washington office of Eric Holder, who along with Caroline Kennedy is vetting potential running mates. Although rumors have circulated about former military leaders and other nontraditional contenders, including Republicans, Obama's pool of prospects is heavy on longtime senators with foreign policy experience. Kaine and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius are the only state leaders believed to be under serious consideration, sources close to Obama said. Not my first choice Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

All about the oil posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:06 AM Perle Linked to Kurdish Oil Plan Influential former Pentagon official Richard Perle has been exploring going into the oil business in Iraq and Kazakhstan, according to people with knowledge of the matter and documents outlining possible deals. Mr. Perle, one of a group of security experts who began pushing the case for toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein about a decade ago, has been discussing a possible deal with officials of northern Iraq's Kurdistan regional government, including its Washington envoy, according to these people and the documents. It would involve a tract called K18, near the Kurdish city of Erbil, according to documents describing the plan. A consortium founded by Turkish company AK Group International is seeking rights to drill there, the documents say. Potential backers include two Turkish companies as well as Kazakhstan, according to individuals involved. AK's chief executive is Aydan Kodaloglu, who, like Mr. Perle, has been involved with the American Turkish Council, an advocacy group in Washington. She didn't respond to requests for comment. Phyllis Kaminsky, who identified herself as the U.S. contact for Ms. Kodaloglu, said she herself was aware of the drilling plan but referred questions about it to Mr. Perle. "Richard would know the most," Ms. Kaminsky said. "He is involved, I know that." Imagine that Permalink :: 0 comments :: Post a Comment

Monday, July 28, 2008
What a coincidence posted by Dookie The Webmaster 12:18 PM Robert Novak says he has brain tumor Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak said today he has been diagnosed with a brain tumor but says that, "God willing," he plans to be back at work soon. Novak said he was diagnosed Sunday with a tumor and will soon begin treatment at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. .... Novak, 77, struck a pedestrian last Wednesday while driving his Chevrolet Corvette in Washington, D.C. The man he struck suffered minor injuries, according to the Associated Press. Novak was issued a $50 citation. Asked whether the accident might have been linked to the columnist's medical condition, Novak's reporter, Charlie Spiering, said today, "It's really too early to tell." Novak said he didn't realize what happened and continued driving until a bicyclist stopped him, the Associated Press reported. David Bono, the bicyclist, said the pedestrian was hit in a crosswalk and was splayed across Novak's windshield. Lawsuit Permalink :: 5 comments :: Post a Comment

Conservatism at its best posted by Dookie The Webmaster 12:14 PM U.S. Deficit to Hit Record $490 Billion in 2009 The U.S. budget deficit will widen to a record of about $490 billion next year, an administration official said, leaving a deep budget hole for the next president. The projected deficit for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 is far higher than the $407 billion forecast by President George W. Bush in February. The official also confirmed a report in USA Today that the deficit this year will be less than the $410 billion estimated in February. The bigger shortfall for fiscal 2009 may reflect dwindling tax receipts because of the U.S. economic slowdown, the cost of payments distributed under the $168 billion economic stimulus package and the continuing cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We've already seen a pretty sharp cooling in tax receipts and it's just going to continue into next fiscal year," Stephen Stanley, chief economist at RBS Capital Markets, said in a telephone interview. Reaganomics Oh, and... $150 million lost in failed Iraq projects Permalink :: 2 comments :: Post a Comment

*Go fck yourself, Mr. Cheney! posted by Dookie The Webmaster 12:12 PM Injured vets tell pull Dick Cheney invitation over security demands** Vice President Cheney's invitation to address wounded combat veterans next month has been yanked because the group felt his security demands were Draconian and unreasonable. The veep had planned to speak to the Disabled American Veterans at 8:30 a.m. at its August convention in Las Vegas. His staff insisted the sick vets be sequestered for two hours before Cheney's arrival and couldn't leave until he'd finished talking, officials confirmed. "Word got back to us ... that this would be a prerequisite," said the veterans executive director, David Gorman, who noted the meeting hall doesn't have any rest rooms. "We told them it just wasn't acceptable." ... Cheney's office acknowledged the security requests, but insisted he is sensitive to combat veterans' needs. Spokeswoman Megan Mitchell said the two-hour rule is "a recommendation, not a requirement," and "we always work to make sure the bathrooms are within the security perimeters." Supporting the troops? Permalink :: 0 comments :: Post a Comment

McDesperate posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:18 AM New McCain Ad Bashes Obama for Not Visiting Troops Using Footage of Obama Visiting Troops Sen. Barack Obama's landing at Chicago's Midway airport this evening was greeted with the news that rival Sen. John McCain launched a new TV ad attacking Obama for that canceled visit to see wounded troops in Germany. Obama told me earlier today that the trip was canceled because of "a concern that maybe our visit was going to be perceived as political. And the last thing that I want to do is have injured soldiers and the staff at these wonderful institutions having to sort through whether this is political or not or get caught in the crossfire between campaigns." McCain's ad asserts that Obama "made time to go to the gym, but cancelled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras." The McCain campaign provides no evidence for the assertion that being told he couldn't bring media had anything to do with the trip's cancellation. Oddly, when discussing Obama's trip to the gym, the ad uses footage of Obama playing basketball with US troops in Kuwait over the weekend. Pathetic Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

Sunday, July 27, 2008
Equality for all? posted by Clyde 4:22 AM Richest Americans See Their Income Share Grow In a new sign of increasing inequality in the U.S., the richest 1% of Americans in 2006 garnered the highest share of the nation's adjusted gross income for two decades, and possibly the highest since 1929, according to Internal Revenue Service data. Meanwhile, the average tax rate of the wealthiest 1% fell to its lowest level in at least 18 years. The group's share of the tax burden has risen, though not as quickly as its share of income. The figures are from the IRS's income-statistics division and were posted on the agency's Web site last week. The 2006 data are the most recent available. The figures about the relative income and tax rates of the wealthiest Americans come as the presumptive presidential candidates are in a debate about taxes. Congress and the next president will have to decide whether to extend several Bush-era tax cuts, including the 2003 reduction in tax rates on capital gains and dividends. Experts said those tax cuts in particular are playing a major role in falling tax rates for the very wealthy. (Link) Permalink :: 6 comments :: Post a Comment

New definition of "Run and Hide" posted by Clyde 4:08 AM For Targeted GOP Senate Candidates, St. Paul Is Not A Choice Destination Nine of 12 targeted Republicans running in the most competitive Senate races this fall are either skipping the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., or have not decided whether to attend. Among those who will not attend are Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, who is not close to presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is a McCain loyalist. Stevens and Collins will use the convention week to focus on their campaigns. Also sending regrets is former Rep. Bob Schaffer of Colorado, running for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Wayne Allard. Six others -- Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Gordon Smith of Oregon and challengers John Kennedy of Louisiana and Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico are still on the fence. Their spokesman offered responses ranging from "there are no plans yet" to "no decisions have been made." (Link) Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

Saturday, July 26, 2008
What the hell, it's only money! posted by Clyde 3:43 AM Iraq War's Price Tag Nears Vietnam's The total cost of the Iraq war is approaching the Vietnam War's expense, a congressional report estimates, while spending for military operations after 9/11 has exceeded it. The new report by the Congressional Research Service estimates the U.S. has spent $648 billion on Iraq war operations, putting it in range with the $686 billion, in 2008 dollars, spent on the Vietnam War, the second most expensive war behind World War II. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the U.S. has doled out almost $860 billion for military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere around the world. All estimates, adjusted for inflation, are based on the costs of military operations and don't include expenses for veterans benefits, interest on war-related debts or assistance to war allies, according to the nonpartisan CRS. The report underscores how the price tag has been gradually rising for the war in Iraq, which began in March 2003. In late 2002, then-White House budget director Mitch Daniels estimated the Iraq war would cost $50 billion to $60 billion. A year later, L. Paul Bremer, then-chief of the U.S. occupation government in Iraq, said the war would cost $100 billion. (Link) Permalink :: 5 comments :: Post a Comment

Drilling our way into oblivion posted by Clyde 3:37 AM Riches in the Arctic: the new oil race The future of the Arctic will be less white wilderness, more black gold, a new report on oil reserves in the High North has signalled this week. The first-comprehensive assessment of oil and gas resources north of the Arctic Circle, carried out by American geologists, reveals that underneath the ice, the region may contain as much as a fifth of the world's undiscovered yet recoverable oil and natural gas reserves. This includes 90 billion barrels of oil, enough to supply the world for three years at current consumption rates, or to supply America for 12, and 1,670 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas, which is equal to about a third of the world's known gas reserves. The significance of the report is that it puts firm figures for the first time on the hydrocarbon riches which the five countries surrounding the Arctic - the US, Russia, Canada, Norway and Denmark (through its dependency, Greenland) - have been eyeing up for several years. It is the increasingly rapid melting of the Arctic sea ice, which last September hit a new record summer low, and of land-based ice on Greenland, which is opening up the possibility of the once frozen wasteland providing a natural resources and minerals bonanza, not to mention a major new transport route - last year the fabled North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific along the top of Canada was navigable for the first time. (Link) Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

Friday, July 25, 2008
No! You cannot live in the fairy tale. Not yours! posted by Dookie The Webmaster 12:29 PM GOP stalwart arrested in 2-day St. Paul prostitution sting Peter Hong, a longtime Republican operative in Minnesota, was arrested Wednesday afternoon on a charge of soliciting prostitution in St. Paul. Police spokesman Peter Panos said that the arrest came during the first day of a two-day sting operation during which "johns" and prostitutes responded to ads placed on the Internet and in print. Thirty-five people were arrested Wednesday and Thursday, Panos said today. He declined to say where the undercover operation was based. According to city and county records, Hong, 41, of Minneapolis, was arrested at about 3:40 p.m. on Wednesday and arrived at the Ramsey County jail just after 5 p.m. He was one of at least 19 men swept up during the first day of the sting, police records show. Poor Peter Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

McCain Flips Out Bill O'Reilly Remix posted by Dookie The Webmaster 8:10 AM McCain Flips Out Bill OReilly Remix - Watch more free videos Permalink :: 0 comments :: Post a Comment

Frog march this idiot posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:17 AM Rove Threatened GOP IT Guru If He Does Not 'Take the Fall' for Election Fraud in Ohio, Says Attorney Karl Rove has threatened a GOP high-tech guru and his wife, if he does not "'take the fall' for election fraud in Ohio," according to a letter sent this morning to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, by Ohio election attorney Cliff Arnebeck. The email, posted in full below, details threats against Mike Connell of the Republican firm New Media Communications, which describes itself on its website as "a powerhouse in the field of Republican website development and Internet services" and having "played a strategic role in helping the GOP expand its technological supremacy." Connell was described in a recent interview with the plaintiff's attorneys in Ohio as a "high IQ Forrest Gump" for his appearance "at the scene of every [GOP] crime" from Florida 2000 to Ohio 2004 to the RNC email system to the installation of the currently-used Congressional computer network firewall. He'll walk Permalink :: 0 comments :: Post a Comment

Thursday, July 24, 2008
Meanwhile, in BERLIN...... posted by Dookie The Webmaster 1:18 PM In Berlin, Obama urges fight against terror Before the largest crowd of his campaign, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama on Thursday summoned Europeans and Americans together to "defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it" as surely as they conquered communism a generation ago. "The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand," Obama said, speaking not far from where the Berlin Wall once divided the city. "The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes, natives and immigrants, Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand," he said. ..... Police spokesman Bernhard Schodrowski said the speech drew more than 200,000 people, more than double the estimated 75,000 he drew in Oregon this spring. He drew loud applause when he talked of a world without nuclear weapons and again when he called for steps to counter climate change. Change Large crowd! They're waving the American flag! Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

Sad, sad, pathetic, little man posted by Dookie The Webmaster 1:13 PM McCain visits German restaurant _ in Ohio Republican presidential candidate John McCain had his own German experience Thursday - at a restaurant in Ohio. He asserted that he was happy to devote his time this week to touring the nation's heartland rather than Europe and the Middle East. "I'd love to give a speech in Germany. But I'd much prefer to do it as president of the United States rather than as a candidate for president," McCain told reporters after a meal of bratwurst with local business leaders at Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant in Columbus' German Village neighborhood. As Barack Obama delivered a high-profile speech in Berlin, McCain said he was focusing his attention this week on economic issues, including soaring food and fuel costs. He has been busy campaigning and raising funds in key battleground states like Ohio. In what was clearly not a coincidence, McCain spoke with reporters shortly before Obama began his speech at Berlin's Victory Column. At the same time, The Republican National Committee was running anti-Obama ads in Berlin, Pa., and other namesake villages in Wisconsin and New Hampshire. Attention whore Permalink :: 2 comments :: Post a Comment

About friggin time! posted by Clyde 10:37 AM Government uncovers oil price manipulation The government charged an oil trading firm Thursday with manipulating oil prices, the first indictment to come down since the regulators began a new investigation into wrongdoings in the energy markets. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission charged Optiver Holding, two of its subsidiaries, and three employees, with manipulation and attempted manipulation of crude oil, heating oil and gasoline futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In May the CFTC announced a wide ranging probe into oil price manipulation. The agency says that there are currently dozens of investigations ongoing. "Optiver traders amassed large trading positions, then conducted trades in such a way to bully and hammer the markets," CFTC Acting Chairman Walt Lukken said at a press conference. "These charges go to the heart of the CFTC's core mission of detecting and rooting out illegal manipulation of the markets." (Bastiges) Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

While McYawn has to cancel his press conferences... posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:11 AM Obamamania hits Germany On the eve of Barack Obama's historic speech in Germany, Handelsblatt, the German equivalent of the Wall Street Journal, is reporting that American expats have a newfound pride after almost eight years of shame during the Bush presidency. The paper describes a 'euphoria' which has landed in Europe with Barack Obama The subtext of the article is that write-in ballots from expats living abroad will come in overwhelmingly in favor of Obama although they had come in for the Republicans in the past. If one remembers the recount fiasco in Florida in 2000, this will be absolutely crucial in swing states like Florida, Ohio and Virginia to name a few. What's more is none of this is being captured by the U.S. media in its sate by state polling. As six million Americans live abroad, 27 million in Europe alone, the potential to swing a tight election is enormous. This has major implications for U.S. foreign and domestic policy as well as for financial markets. GOBama! Permalink :: 0 comments :: Post a Comment

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Zzzzzzzzz posted by Dookie The Webmaster 10:23 AM MCCAIN: A DUKAKIS-IN-A-TANK MOMENT? The New York Times' Maureen Dowd points out a visual contrast this week that's going to be remembered for some time. "The image of John McCain in a golf cart with Bush 41 in Kennebunkport - with Poppy charmingly admitting that they were 'a little jealous' of all the Obama odyssey coverage - was not a good advertisement for the future, especially contrasted with the shots of Gen. David Petraeus and Obama smiling at each other companionably in a helicopter surveying Iraq. (Asked by a Democratic lawmaker a while back why there weren't more Democrats in the military, General Petraeus smiled slyly and said 'there are more than you think.')" In a separate piece, the New York Times' Stanley also writes on the visual contrasts. "It wasn't a television blackout of John McCain; it was worse: split-screen contrasts that at times made it seem as if Barack Obama was on a state visit while back home his opponent chafed at the perks and privileges of an incumbent commander in chief." More: "While Mr. Obama was shown striding across military tarmacs and inspecting troops standing at attention, Mr. McCain on Monday was seen being driven around in a golf cart by former President George Bush in the resort town of Kennebunkport, Me. Later, the two men spoke to reporters side by side at a waterfront, and they looked more like fellow members of a Past Presidents' Club than a party elder passing the torch to his political heir." McBush Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

McGaffe another one posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:14 AM McCain Gets History Of The Surge Wrong, CBS Doesn't Air Footage During a CBS interview on Tuesday, John McCain made a stone cold error on a subject about which he claims expert knowledge: the "surge" strategy in Iraq. In an interview with anchor Katie Couric, the Arizona Republican said, inaccurately, that the surge strategy was responsible for the much-touted "Anbar Awakening," in which Sunni sheiks turned against Al Qaeda, helping in turn to reduce violence in the country. From the transcript: Katie Couric: Senator McCain, Senator Obama says, while the increased number of US troops contributed to increased security in Iraq, he also credits the Sunni awakening and the Shiite government going after militias. And says that there might have been improved security even without the surge. What's your response to that? McCain: I don't know how you respond to something that is as-- such a false depiction of what actually happened. Colonel MacFarland was contacted by one of the major Sunni sheiks. Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it began the Anbar awakening. I mean, that's just a matter of history. In fact, as Spencer Ackerman and Ilan Goldenberg have reported, the record firmly establishes the opposite: instead of being caused by the surge, the key signs of the Anbar Awakening occurred not only before that strategy was implemented, but before it was ever conceived. Yet McCain's error was not seen by any CBS Evening News viewers. As MSNBC's Keith Olbermann noted (video below), "CBS curiously, to say the least, left it on the edit room floor. It aired Katie Couric's question, but in response, it aired part of McCain's answer to the other question instead." (Ironically, this edit came on the same day that McCain's campaign released a video mocking the media's "love affair" with Obama.) McFallen and can't get up Permalink :: 2 comments :: Post a Comment

Memo: You are always being recorded posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:08 AM Banned Camera Catches Bush Sounding off on Economic Crisis An ABC-TV outlet in Houston, and now the Houston Chronicle, have posted a video taken at a political fundraiser for Pete Olson, featuring George W. Bush last week -- capturing some embarrassing/revealing moments after, he noted, he had asked cameras to be turned off. The first moments form the July 18 event find him speaking almost incoherently in admitting, for once, that his friends in big business had screwed up: "There's no question about it. Wall Street got drunk ---that's one of the reasons I asked you to turn off the TV cameras -- it got drunk and now it's got a hangover. The question is how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments." Then, making light of the foreclosure crisis, he said: "And then we got a housing issue... not in Houston, and evidently not in Dallas, because Laura's over there trying to buy a house. I like Crawford but unfortunately after eight years of sacrifice, I am apparently no longer the decision maker." Dumsh*t Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Enjoy the minority posted by Dookie The Webmaster 11:56 AM Young Republicans, blue about prospects ahead David All glanced around Top of the Hill bar and saw the future of the Republican Party. It looked dim. A who's who of young conservatives had gathered, but they were few, and they were frustrated. "When Reagan was president, I was 9 years old, doing cannonballs and watching 'Rambo,' " says All, 29, who prominently displays the requisite grip-and-grin photos of himself with President Bush in the office of his own L Street consulting firm. He recalled that first Republican presidential debate of the 2008 campaign, held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California; it was a veritable Reagan love-fest, with each contender claiming to be more like the conservative icon than his opponents. They sounded like old fogies and intoned the icon's name at least a dozen times. "You don't hear Barack Obama going around saying, 'I'm John F. Kennedy.' He's saying, 'I'm Barack Obama,' " All says. "There's a reason for that. He's inspiring an entire generation, and it's a generation that's trying to change the world in 160 characters or less through text messages." Still, many of the party's newbies are preparing for the worst. Matt Lewis, 33, is hoping a trouncing in November will force the old guard aside and give his generation a shot. He was one of the committed young conservatives who came to Washington during the Bush administration, eager to push the politics of limited government and compassionate conservatism. He worked for the Leadership Institute, which teaches youngsters about the principles of classic conservatives such as Edmund Burke and Frederic Bastiat, as well as William F. Buckley Jr. and Barry Goldwater. He now blogs full time at the conservative Web site Townhall.com. McCain is your man! Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

The Sheeple (R-US) posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:21 AM GOP senators scramble for life boats Republican Senate leaders - terrified by the prospect of losing five or more seats in November - have freed their members to vote however they need to vote to get reelected, even if that means bucking the president or the party's leadership. On at least four votes over the past month - Medicare, housing, the GI Bill and the Farm Bill - Republican leaders haven't even bothered whipping members to toe the party line or back President Bush's veto threats. Instead, a GOP leadership aide says leaders have told vulnerable senators that it's all right to "get well" with voters by siding with Democrats on anything but energy and national security. It's unusual for rank-and-file members to get a green light to blow off their party leaders. But these are unusual times for Republicans. They are genuinely worried they could get their clocks cleaned in November. The prevailing attitude: It is better to lose some big votes now than big races in November. This helps explain why so many Senate Republicans are taking flight from President Bush and their own leaders - and doing it loudly and proudly. Too late, PUKES! Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

McFlip McFlop posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:14 AM McCain indicates U.S. troops could withdraw in 2 years Republican presidential candidate John McCain appeared to leave a door open on Monday to a large-scale drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq in the next two years. McCain, who has wrapped up his party's White House nomination, has long argued against setting a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal. After a meeting with former President George H.W. Bush, McCain was asked whether it was conceivable for U.S. troops to be fully pulled out of Iraq in about two years. "I think they could be largely withdrawn," the Arizona senator replied, citing the success of the "surge" strategy of increasing U.S. troop levels in increasing security in the country. 100 years Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment

What about the majority of Americans who support a pullout? posted by Dookie The Webmaster 6:12 AM White House irked by Iraq support for Obama plan The White House expressed unhappiness Monday about Iraqi leaders' public backing for Barack Obama's troop withdrawal timetable. And it said that Baghdad may be trying to use the U.S. presidential election as leverage in talks about the future of American's military presence and obligations in the war. ... "We don't think that talking about specific negotiating tactics or your negotiating position in the press is the best way to negotiate a deal," Perino said after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was quoted in a magazine article supporting the 16-month troop withdrawal timeline proposed by Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate. "However, we understand that they're a sovereign country and they'll be able to do that," Perino said. "We're just not going to do it on our end." Al-Maliki's spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, initially appeared to try to discredit the magazine report but on Monday he expressed hopes that U.S. combat forces could be out of Iraq by 2010, the timeframe proposed by Obama. Buoyed by a sharp reduction in violence, Iraqi leaders have become more assertive about the country's sovereignty, giving rise to demands for a specific plan for American forces to leave. GoBama! Permalink :: 1 comments :: Post a Comment