Real Times's Bill Maher segment titled "New Rules" last night had the best Mary Cheney quote I've heard so far...

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He also takes to task the "abstinence only" approach to teens. A little humor for today is a good thing.

Cheney Calls DeLay’s Conduct Inappropriate

via Think Progress

From today’s New York Post:

Cheney said he backed efforts to help save Terri Schiavo’s life, but .

“I don’t think that’s appropriate . . . There’s a reason why judges get lifetime appointments.”

Rule of Thumb: If Cheney says you’ve gone over the line, you’ve gone way over the line. (Hat Tip: Armando)

Kung Fu Hustle. I love these types of movies, (House of Flying Daggers) and it's a huge international hit, but Kung Fu Hustle? (Update)- I was just told it's a comedy so I'll give it a little pass. I saw the trailer and thought it was a straight ahead action flick. I still think it's a bad title. :-) Going to see Sin City tomorrow.

When I attended the inaugural parade, I had the misfortune of seeing two junior high girls holding up front pages of theWashington Post with photos of the President with Hitler moustaches drawn in, and swastikas on his forehead.  The papers were captioned, "The Germans didn't see him coming, either."

Now, this was absurd, offensive, illogical, and a little disgusting.  It also showed how incredibly off-mark some Democrats are about Bush.  Hitler was a demagogue; he was, by definition, popular with the people.  Bush's signature trait, on the other hand, isn't his appeal to the people; it's his utter disregard for majority opinion -- whether on the Iraq War (56% now say it was the wrong choice), Social Security, or, generally, whether America should treat the world as a bully or as a leader.

We should beware of simplifying Bush, but what is I think the single most powerful premise of his Presidency -- post 9/11, when his millenarian, apocalyptic approach truly crystallized -- is found in a gem of an article by Dan Balz from last December about Pete Wehner, Bush's director of "Strategic Initiatives."

In the article, Balz quotes Wehner:  "'My view, as I read history, is that almost all consequential figures -- political figures -- are polarizing figures,' he said, because they are bold and tackle significant issues."

So, polarizing is good?  Read on:

"'You can't judge those things in real time,' Wehner said. 'You have to wait and let history make its judgment -- and reality take hold.'"

Washington Post with photos of the President with Hitler moustaches drawn in, and swastikas on his forehead. The papers were captioned, "The Germans didn't see him coming, either."

Now, this was absurd, offensive, illogical, and a little disgusting. It also showed how incredibly off-mark some Democrats are about Bush. Hitler was a demagogue; he was, by definition, popular with the people. Bush's signature trait, on the other hand, isn't his appeal to the people; it's his utter disregard for majority opinion -- whether on the Iraq War (56% now say it was the wrong choice), Social Security, or, generally, whether America should treat the world as a bully or as a leader.

We should beware of simplifying Bush, but what is I think the single most powerful premise of his Presidency -- post 9/11, when his millenarian, apocalyptic approach truly crystallized -- is found in a gem of an article by Dan Balz from last December about Pete Wehner, Bush's director of "Strategic Initiatives."

In the article, Balz quotes Wehner: "'My view, as I read history, is that almost all consequential figures -- political figures -- are polarizing figures,' he said, because they are bold and tackle significant issues."

So, polarizing is good? Read on:

"'You can't judge those things in real time,' Wehner said. 'You have to wait and let history make its judgment -- and reality take hold.'"

good -- they take it as a sign that they're doing the right (most historic, most faith-based) thing.  And Democrats, woozy at the wheel as always, have let the Administration craft a narrative of Bush-as-poll-ignorer. 

So Bush gets to do both things at once:  defy the people, and adopt the rhetoric of a profile in courage.

Approval ratings matter -- a lot.  Remember, Bill Clinton survived the impeachment trial in the Senate for one very important reason:  his approval rating never dropped below 60%.  The issue took on Constitutional dimensions; his attackers were trying to overturn an election.

Democrats need to wake up.  It's a very simple talking point:  the President is defying the will of the majority of the American people, again and again.  Not only is he not popular, he's not democratic.

We're the original populists -- so let's start talking about the people again.

That's encouraging     apostropher

Chalk up another one for faith-based governance.

Prewar claims by the United States that Iraq was producing biological weapons were based almost entirely on accounts from a defector who was described as "crazy" by his intelligence handlers and a "congenital liar" by his friends. The defector code-named "Curveball" spoke with alarming specificity about Iraq's alleged biological weapons programs and fleet of mobile labs. But postwar investigations found that he wasn't even in Iraq at times when he claimed to have taken part in illicit weapons work.In other words, this Administration thinks short-term unpopularity is good -- they take it as a sign that they're doing the right (most historic, most faith-based) thing. And Democrats, woozy at the wheel as always, have let the Administration craft a narrative of Bush-as-poll-ignorer.

So Bush gets to do both things at once: defy the people, and adopt the rhetoric of a profile in courage.

Approval ratings matter -- a lot. Remember, Bill Clinton survived the impeachment trial in the Senate for one very important reason: his approval rating never dropped below 60%. The issue took on Constitutional dimensions; his attackers were trying to overturn an election.

Democrats need to wake up. It's a very simple talking point: the President is defying the will of the majority of the American people, again and again. Not only is he not popular, he's not democratic.

We're the original populists -- so let's start talking about the people again.

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II, the Polish pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church for more than a quarter century and became history's most-traveled pope, died Saturday night in his Vatican apartment. He was 84.

"The angels welcome you," Vatican TV said after the announcement came from papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls. The Holy Father died this evening at 9:37 p.m. (2:37 p.m. EST) in his private apartment. All the procedures outlined in the apostolic Constitution `Universi Dominici Gregis' that was written by John Paul II on Feb. 22, 1996, have been put in motion," Navarro-Valls said.

Update-Josh Marshall has a great read about the Pope.

via The Poorman :

...by now we’re all familiar with Sean Hannity and “Nobel Prize nominated Dr. Hammesfahr”. It turns out, of course, that the Good Doctor was “nominated” in a letter by an ineligible Florida Rep (more info: http://mediamatters.org/items/200503220009).
Since that’s all it apparently takes to be a nobel nominee, I have OFFICIALLY NOMINATED Sean Hannity for the Nobel Prize in PHYSICS. Here’s my letter...read on

via Newshounds

Nurse interviews were part of Hannity's repetoire this week while trying to discredit Michael Schiavo and the assessment that Terri was PVS. The nurses claimed that Terri was responsive; not PVS and Michael was harsh and uncaring. One nurse claimed that she found an empty insulin vile in the room but was dismissed after reporting it and Michael Schiavo asked "Is that B..... dead yet?"

According to Florida records only one of these nurses is licensed by the State of Florida, Carla Sauer-Iyer. Two other guest nurses, Heidi Law and Trudy Capone, are not licensed as an RN or CNA in Florida.

Please make sure you take a look at Mike's Blog Round Up. The response has been awesome. Mike has been getting hundreds of emails a day.

There are some terrific writers out there that we are having the privilege to try and help get some more exposure. Mike's working hard to put the list together almost everyday. Unfortunately this blog format won't allow me to highlight the link better.(left hand column) Keep sending them to FinnsAgain@aol.com

"When you have seen a system that has gone from a few hundred thousand cases to 1.5 million last year — most of that increase during the fat years of the Clinton administration — you must conclude something is not right," said Edith H. Jones, a federal appellate court judge in Houston who served on a blue-ribbon panel to review bankruptcy law in the 1990s and is widely believed to be seen as on President Bush's short list for a position on the Supreme Court.

Sadly, No! The lowest bankruptcy year under Bush is higher than the highest one under Clinton.

The Not So Honorable possible Supreme Court Justice doesn't take into account the distribution of the "fat" and who has to file bankruptcy. Interestingly enough, the only years bankruptcy applications have gone down in the cited chart are the two years after the minimum wage was raised.

The data suggests that if Congress really wants to fight bankruptcy then they should raise the minimum wage.

 

 

The (Un)Popularity Contest     democracy arsenal

 

Why aren't Democrats making more of the fact that Bush's popularity recently fell to 45%, an all-time low? 

When I attended the inaugural parade, I had the misfortune of seeing two junior high girls holding up front pages of the So, the bankruptcy problem is Clinton's fault... The possible future Supreme Court Justice makes it sound like there were more bankruptcies under Clinton than under Bush. Sadly, No! The lowest bankruptcy year under Bush is higher than the highest one under Clinton.

The Not So Honorable possible Supreme Court Justice doesn't take into account the distribution of the "fat" and who has to file bankruptcy. Interestingly enough, the only years bankruptcy applications have gone down in the cited chart are the two years after the minimum wage was raised.

The data suggests that if Congress really wants to fight bankruptcy then they should raise the minimum wage.

"When you have seen a system that has gone from a few hundred thousand cases to 1.5 million last year — most of that increase during the fat years of the Clinton administration — you must conclude something is not right," said Edith H. Jones, a federal appellate court judge in Houston who served on a blue-ribbon panel to review bankruptcy law in the 1990s and is widely believed to be seen as on President Bush's short list for a position on the Supreme Court.