As we all know, this week is the last of the G.W. Bush Administration. Given a national Democratic landslide election and George W. Bush's recent approval rating, there is little doubt that there is more than a tad of dancing taking place in a plethora of streets throughout the U.S. and the world.
For much of their eight year term in office, President Bush and Vice President Cheney have remained tightly entrenched behind iron gates. They avoided the press and media as much as possible. They steered clear of the public and chose to helicopter in and out of their homes and offices whenever feasible. And yet for the past two weeks both George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have been parading around on the Sunday morning talk and political news circuits. In their final days in office both men desperately tried their darnedest to re-write history. I imagine at this time, after Bush's farewell address, both men are securely ensconced back in their delusional bubbles in undisclosed locations.
With regard to Presidential exit interviews, former Press Secretary Scott McClellan is one of many who offered commentary on Bush's farewell address.
"It's hard to talk about moral clarity when you have tarnished our government's moral standing in the world," McClellan said. "If you look at the speech it was really a feel-good farewell speech. It was designed one final chance to burnish his legacy by highlighting his humanity, showing his humanity, his compassion, his inner decency and good intentions."
But "there are really two problems they don't seem to get," Bush's ex-press secretary remarked. "First of all, the public trust. The president long ago sadly lost the public trust. They are no longer listening to what he has to say or buying what he is selling. Unless he is willing to come out and talk candidly about his own mistakes, his own policy mistakes, and address those issues openly with the American people they are not tuning in."
A South Texas grand jury has indicted Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on state charges related to the alleged abuse of prisoners in Willacy County's federal detention centers.
[...]
Cheney's indictment on a charge of engaging in an organized criminal activity criticizes the vice president's investment in the Vanguard Group, which holds interests in the private prison companies running the federal detention centers. It accuses Cheney of a conflict of interest and "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees because of his link to the prison companies.
This diary is an expanded and updated re-post of one I wrote previously on Texas Kaos. This updated version is also cross posted on Texas Kaos.
As predicted, John Cornyn voted for the Wall St. bailout the other night. I never doubted for a moment that John Cornyn would ever in a day let down his buddies the fat cats. After all, the Republicans enabled Wall Street's financial melt down by voting for deregulation and lifting all "shackles," as they would call it, from their beloved soul mates on Wall Street.
Deregulate, Baby, Deregulate.
And boy did they ever do that big time.
Republicans dumbly believed Wall St. would police itself. Indeed, this is what a recently retired professor at the London School of Economics has to say about the U.S. financial melt down:
I felt it was high time for me to pay a call to our esteemed U.S. Senators to inquire about the recent financial melt down on Wall St. Since as a taxpayer I will be expected to step up and bail out a bunch of corrupted greed mongers I believe I deserve an explanation from those who got us into this unbelievable mess in the first place.
Dear Senator,
In the past two weeks I feel as if I have been hit by two devastating hurricanes. Many residents in the Houston and Galveston areas are still without power and most continue to struggle with Ike's aftermath. The nation's fourth largest city and its surrounding areas have taken a tremendous beating.
Just when we were beginning to think we could see the light at the end of Ike's tunnel we now find ourselves suddenly blindsided by another hurricane. This one did not sweep in from the Gulf. This unexpected monster came hurdling down from Wall St. and its aftermath could prove far more cataclysmic than Ike.
What is this business about a financial bailout using the taxpayer's money? It seems to me that a group of greedy and corrupted fat cats on Wall St., with the blessings of their supporters and cheerleaders in Congress, raped and pillaged the United States and now taxpayers are being asked to pay for the carnage. And we're supposed to turn over nearly $1 trillion and say "we trust you to clean up after yourselves."
Please.
See what Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine has to say about the Wall Street debacle.
I guess he has no choice. Like W. McCain has always believed war and force are major and viable options to face down an enemy, any enemy, really, whether real or imagined. Indeed, Pat Buchanan of all people said Dick Cheney seems like Ghandi when compared to where McCain stands on the use of force. This is a rather horrifying notion. Certainly the last thing the United States needs is another war monger President and reckless, perilous and irresponsible cowboy diplomacy.
Check out the chilling clip where Pat Buchanan made his alarming observation.
Endless wars will most certainly require a military draft.
Phillip is absolutely right in his previous post that the Texas of today is a world of difference from the Texas of 5 years ago. That year we saw the rise of John Cornyn from Attorney General to U.S. Senator, defeating Ron Kirk 55-43. But thanks to hard work by a dedicated group of Democrats, the world of 2008 will indeed be very different than the world of 2002.
A large part of that has to do with President Bush. Having ridden sky-high approval ratings into the 2002 elections, he naturally helped prop up John Cornyn and every other Republican that ran (and sadly won) in so many Senate races that year. Now, Bush is no longer popular. In fact, there is not a *single state* in which he has over 50% approval anymore. Not one. In Texas, Bush's approval is just above 40%. That's now below John Cornyn's last measured approval of 43%.
But that change hasn't stopped Cornyn's allegience to Bush- he's continued to vote with him lockstep, one of the strongest pro-Bush voting records in the Senate. Heck, even Texas' other Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has broken with the president on issues such as SCHIP or the DREAM Act. But I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that Cornyn is welcoming Bush to and has already welcomed Cheney with open arms to come fundraise for him in Texas.
"It's in the eye of the beholder," Mr. Cornyn said, adding, "I'm pleased that the vice president would take time out of his schedule to assist us in that effort."
...
"But I believe that it's important in a state as big as Texas to raise the funds to tell people who you are and what you stand for."
Rick Noriega and Texas Democrats are fighting back. Just as they have been for the last 5 years, together we are going to push back- in 2007, 2008, and beyond.
Below I've included an email sent by the Noriega campaign...we'll be seeing a lot more activity this week regarding President Bush secretly arriving in Texas to fundraising for John Cornyn. This is what change looks like.
President Bush is arriving in Texas for two secretive, invite-only fundraisers for his Rubber Stamp: Senator John Cornyn.
We shouldn't be surprised that George W. Bush is coming in 3 days to help his #1 cheerleader for his Administration's failed policies.
But we're not going to let President Bush quietly slink into Texas to help Rubber Stamp Cornyn. Click the link below and help us reach our $50,000 goal in 3 days to Stamp Out Bush's Rubber Stamp.
First off- a big thank you to those that donated to Rick Noriega Tuesday on my flight back to Texas! I'll be back to blogging on BOR now that I'm back and boy do I have a story to tell you below...
By now, you may be aware that President "24%" Bush is coming to Texas next Thursday, November 8th under the cloak of secrecy to host fundraisers for John Cornyn. The events are private, with no public host lists, in Houston and San Antonio. But did you know that someone even more unpopular is in Texas RIGHT NOW at a fundraiser for John Cornyn?
It's none other than Dick Cheney- no joke. Mr. 72% Disapproval.
What's even worse, is that John Cornyn isn't joining him (can you blame him...) and the reason why will just kill you. Well, maybe not you, but if you're an uninsured child, it might.
Alas for the senator, he's stuck in Washington awaiting a vote on controversial state children's health insurance program. Mr. Cornyn is keen to help kill the Democrats' plan to expand SCHIP, though his stance has earned him many nasty editorials.
So let me get this straight- Dick Cheney, the most unpopular politician in America is secretly fundraising for John Cornyn in Texas tonight while Sen. Cornyn stays in DC in order to vote against giving health care to millions of children through SCHIP.
And Cornyn's response?
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it," Mr. Cornyn said. "I'm pleased that the vice president would take time out of his schedule to assist us in that effort."
This week, General Wesley Clark joined us on Who's Blue to discuss those issues, his political activism through WesPAC and VoteVets.org, and what he views as a dangerous foreign policy precedent being set by the Bush administration in regards to Iran and the Middle East.
Try as I may, I just cannot get very exercised about Bush the Commuter letting Scooter Libby off the hook. I mean, really, is anyone surprised?
This was not about jurisprudential considerations in sentencing guidelines. It was not about whether White House aides would give unfettered advice if they thought they could go to jail for it. It was not about whether there was an underlying crime and, if so, how serious it was. I know lots has been, and will be, written about all these facets of the Fascinating Case of I. Lewis Libby. But none of it matters.
In the end, this was about the fact that Laura Bush would never -- and I mean never -- be able to show her face at a Washington social gathering or Dallas country club if Scooter did one day of hard time while her hubby could do anything about it.
I remember, when Ken Lay was indicted after causing the meltdown of Enron and the personal financial ruin of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans, betting my friend Ross Ramsey that Kenny Boy would not spend one night in jail. Not one. Ross thought I was a fool and gladly took the bet. We bet a steak dinner, and I'll remind him to pay up one of these days.
On "Countdown" tonight, Keith Olbermann called for Bush and Cheney to resign. Whatever. Those guys don't give a damn what anyone else says, does or thinks. This is beyond the smug arrogance of thinking that people in the "reality-based community" were out of touch. Back in 2004, they understood -- or at least paid lip service to the notion -- that they had to win the hearts and minds of the American people on vital issues like the necessity for the war in Iraq, the danger posed by Iran, the wisdom of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, privatizing Social Security, etc. But that's all gone now. They really just don't care.
My prediction: it will get worse and worse until the whole Administration slides into the Septic Tank of History on January 1, 2009.
It generally takes me a while to come around on such a dramatic decision as impeachment. I believe the case has to be as clear as daylight, and much like going to war, there needs to be overwhelming evidence to support it because of the natural strain and scrutiny it puts on the public domestically and internationally.
One thing is quite clear to me by reading this intense, startling, and incredibly revealing Washington Post series; Cheney has openly, blatantly, and competently rewrote the constitution of the United States and exempted himself from any and all oversight, which completely undermines the checks and balances system. This is an unprecedented move that is even supported by the President of the United States. To claim the Vice President does not fall under the executive branch of office; therefore, oversight is non-essential, begs the question, “Why have a constitution at all?”
Ladies and gentlemen, in the spirit of celebrating our Independence in the next week, we must rally to protect this blatant violation of our democratic foundation. Our constitution is under clear assault by Vice President Dick Cheney.
If you care about the United States of America, as well as respect and honor the articles and amendments that govern our country, then you too will join me in calling for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.
