Former Bush Press Secretary Blows Whistle on the Administration

Now we have a former insiders in the Bush White House who is exposing the criminal conduct of this administration. It is a bombshell. It might heat up the effort to impeach this scoundrel. Read the entire Politico.com article:

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan writes in a surprisingly scathing memoir to be published next week that President Bush “veered terribly off course,” was not “open and forthright on Iraq,” and took a “permanent campaign approach” to governing at the expense of candor and competence.

Among the most explosive revelations in the 341-page book, titled “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception” (Public Affairs, $27.95):

• McClellan charges that Bush relied on “propaganda” to sell the war.

• He says the White House press corps was too easy on the administration during the run-up to the war.

• He admits that some of his own assertions from the briefing room podium turned out to be “badly misguided.”

• The longtime Bush loyalist also suggests that two top aides held a secret West Wing meeting to get their story straight about the CIA leak case at a time when federal prosecutors were after them — and McClellan was continuing to defend them despite mounting evidence they had not given him all the facts.

• McClellan asserts that the aides — Karl Rove, the president’s senior adviser, and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the vice president’s chief of staff — “had at best misled” him about their role in the disclosure of former CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity.

A few reporters were offered advance copies of the book, with the restriction that their stories not appear until Sunday, the day before the official publication date. Politico declined and purchased “What Happened” at a Washington bookstore.

The eagerly awaited book, while recounting many fond memories of Bush and describing him as “authentic” and “sincere,” is harsher than reporters and White House officials had expected.

McClellan was one of the president’s earliest and most loyal political aides, and most of his friends had expected him to take a few swipes at his former colleague in order to sell books but also to paint a largely affectionate portrait.

Instead, McClellan’s tone is often harsh. He writes, for example, that after Hurricane Katrina, the White House “spent most of the first week in a state of denial,” and he blames Rove for suggesting the photo of the president comfortably observing the disaster during an Air Force One flyover. McClellan says he and counselor to the president Dan Bartlett had opposed the idea and thought it had been scrapped.

Curtail Influence of Shadowy '527' Groups

This opinion piece points to the latest problem with the electoral process. These partisan groups are having destructive impact on elections. Already these groups are getting ready to swift boat Obama in the Fall:

Presidential campaigns can be tawdry enough with candidates' attacks on each other, but outside groups that operate with few restraints have made the process even more demeaning. The most notorious recent example is the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an organization that came out of nowhere in the summer of 2004 with unsubstantiated attacks that raised questions about the Vietnam War record of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

The Swift Boat Veterans had plenty of company on both sides of the political fence. Republicans were so irritated with liberal-leaning organizations impugning President Bush that the Republican National Committee alleged that the groups were part of a "criminal enterprise."

Despite outraged complaints from both parties, these "527" organizations — named for the section of the tax code they operate under — remain largely free of the constraints on candidates. They may take unlimited donations, which gives them enormous resources. In the 2004 election, the 10 biggest groups spent more than $375 million.

It's So Bad Congresspeople are Losing Their Homes

The mortgage foreclosure crisis has even hit members of Congress. That should some indication that things are getting really bad. You need to worry:

California Rep. Laura Richardson claimed Friday that her Sacramento home was sold into foreclosure without her knowledge and contrary to an agreement with her lender.

She said she is like any other American suffering in the mortgage crisis and wants to testify to Congress about her experience as lawmakers craft a foreclosure-prevention bill.

In a lengthy interview Friday night with The Associated Press, the Southern California Democrat struck back against several days of negative publicity over reports she defaulted on her mortgage, allowing the house to be sold at auction.

And it isn't just housing that is a problem. There is also the gas crisis:

At a time when gas prices are at an all-time high, Americans have curtailed their driving at a historic rate.

The Department of Transportation said figures from March show the steepest decrease in driving ever recorded.

Compared with March a year earlier, Americans drove an estimated 4.3 percent less -- that's 11 billion fewer miles, the DOT's Federal Highway Administration said Monday, calling it "the sharpest yearly drop for any month in FHWA history." Records have been kept since 1942.

According to AAA, for the first time since 2002, Americans said they were planning to drive less over the Memorial Day weekend than they did the year before.

And oil prices just keep going through the roof:

Retail gas prices hit record highs for the 20th day in a row, motorist group AAA's Web site showed Tuesday.

The nationwide average for a gallon of regular unleaded rose to $3.937, up slightly from $3.936 the previous day.

The climb in gas prices, which have steadily risen over the past three weeks, comes amid the start of the summer driving season, which unofficially kicked off over the Memorial Day weekend.

The AAA survey shows gas prices are up about 9% from a month ago and nearly 23% higher from year-ago levels. The average price for gas has passed the $4 a gallon mark in 11 states, as well as in Washington, D.C.

The most expensive state for buying gas is Alaska, where a gallon of regular unleaded costs an average of $4.201. The second most expensive state is Connecticut, where a gallon of gas costs $4.196, according to AAA.

Is there any doubt that a recession is either here or coming:

Former Fed chief Alan Greenspan thinks the United States will have a recession, though he doesn’t expect it to be “severe.” In an interview with the Financial Times, Greenspan says he believes there is a better than 50% chance that the American economy will suffer a contraction this year. Greenspan sees a “tug of war” between the loss-soaked financial sector and strong profit gains among nonfinancial companies, and concedes he can’t predict how that will play out. “No one knows how this tug of war will end – specifically, whether the financial crisis will end before it drags down the real economy,” Greenspan tells the FT.

Greenspan says recent economic data suggest the economy is stabilizing, but it’s too early to say whether the worst of the financial crisis is over, as he expects further declines in house prices. In the meantime, he is keeping an eye on rising household savings. While rising savings are surely a good thing in the long run, the danger now is they could further depress consumer spending - and deepen any recession that comes to pass.

Update. Just in:

Prices of single-family homes declined a record 14.1 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, marking a pace five times faster than the last housing recession, according to the Standard & Poor’s/Case Shiller national home price index reported on Tuesday.

The S.&P./Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas fell 2.2 percent in March from February and fell 14.4 percent from March 2007.

Economists expected prices for the 20-city index to fall 2.0 percent on month and 14 percent from a year earlier, according to a median in a Reuters survey.

New Al Qaeda Cell A Growing Threat To U.S.

This is what Bush/McCain/Clinton have left for us. America is bled dry in Iraq while al Qaeda continues to plot and prepare:

The new faces of terror are militants inside an emerging al Qaeda cell, which U.S. officials warn presents a clear and growing threat to America.

Based in North Africa, the group calling itself "Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb" specializes in kidnappings and suicide attacks, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr.

A car bombing last September of an Algerian military barracks killed 28 people. But, follow-up bombings of a United Nations building and a diplomatic office signaled that Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, has bigger plans.

"They have devoted an enormous amount of their energy and their resources to try to build this up as a base to try to carry out attacks, not just in North Africa, but ultimately into West Europe and someday against North America," says Bruce Riedel of the Brookings Institute.

Riedel, a former CIA official, says a propaganda video - just posted on a jihad website - shows a sophisticated attack capability.

With Africa being in such a sorry state is it any wonder al Qaeda camps are popping up there:

A new video has been posted on militant Islamist websites by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb on Tuesday. The 45:39 min documentary-style propaganda video is dated April 2008 and shows about 30 men training in a tree-filled area that the group identifies as the “Martyr Abu Ibrahim Moustafa Camp.”

The militants are shown training on the use of guns and RPGs, carrying out assassinations, jumping over barriers and crawling under others, using ropes to move between the trees and sitting in a circle taking notes while a trainer talks about urban warfare. Many of the trainees, as well as all the trainers, have their faces covered.

Meet The Press Transcript: Discussion on Hillary RFK Gaffe

Read the entire transcript. Excerpts below:

MR. RUSSERT: Robert Kennedy's son, RFK Jr., issued this statement: "It's clear from the context that Hillary was invoking a familiar political circumstance in order to support her decision to stay in the race through June. ... I understand how highly charged the atmosphere is, but I think it is a mistake for people to take offense." Kennedy is a Clinton supporter. Michael Goodwin, of the New York Daily News, the home state paper of Senator Clinton, had a much different view. Here he wrote this on Saturday. "Her colossal blunder simply the last straw. We've seen an X-ray of a very dark soul. One consumed by raw ambition to where the possible assassination of an opponent is something to ponder in a strategic way.

"Many black Americans have talked of it, reflecting their assumption that racists would never tolerate a black president and that Obama would be taken from them.

"Clinton has now fed that fear. She needs a very long vacation. And we need one from her.

"Say good night, Hillary. And go away." Very complicated, controversial subject.

Doris Kearns Goodwin, your take.

MS. DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN: Well, neither historical parallel that she offered were true, because Clinton had already sewed up the nomination by June, and in Bobby Kennedy's case, he'd only gotten into the race like six weeks prior to his assassination. I don't think she even needs to argue. She should acknowledge that party unity probably is hurt, but that this election is so unique that having more people vote and more people registered and more people excited is worth taking it to June. The problem is that the argument that the Clintons supporters have sometimes made is the superdelegates shouldn't even decide in June. They should wait until August, end of August, because who knows what might happen in the summer--a gaff, another pastor coming out of the woodwork, or, God forbid, what this thought suggested. And I think once it played into that, it became much more troubling.

[...]MS. MAUREEN DOWD: Well, I think her timing was excruciatingly bad. I mean, right after the anniversary of King's death, right before the anniversary of Bobby's death, right when we learn the tragic news about Teddy Kennedy, and right when she and Bill seem engaged in kind of a hostile takeover of Obama's vice presidential mansion. So, beyond that, I think it gave delegates and a lot of Democrats the creeps, because basically the only reason she is still is in the race is that something bad will happen. Of course she doesn't wish him bodily harm, but she does want--she does wish him ill in the sense that they want a big horrible story that would debilitate him to break.

[...]MS. IFILL: Exactly. Why would you even suggest it? And the backdrop is what's important. There's probably no one who's ever been in a room with Barack Obama at one of these huge rallies or even just seen a photograph of it where it hasn't crossed their mind, if you're of a certain age and survived and lived through these assassinations and assassination attempts. So the question with, with the Clintons especially is we know that they are wordsmiths, that we know that they very carefully think about what it is they say. She's said this several times before. And so you have to think what do they think people would think? We've heard her campaign spokesman say things like, you know, "Who knows what could happen?" Well, they could suspend their campaign and still come back if something happened. That's not what she's arguing. And so, you know, unfortunately, it poked a sore that, that keeps existing throughout this campaign, and it, and it never is going to go away. A lot of women feel that sores have been poked and a lot of African-Americans feel sores have been poked. The future of party unity lies in them not continuing to reopen these scabs.

Karl Rove Exposed by George Stephanopoulos

Karl Rove appeared on This Week and was caught it what sounded like a stonewall. He obviously has something to hide (see read source article and video):

STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re just about out of time. This is — as you know, and our viewers probably know, you were subpoenaed this week by the House Judiciary Committee to give testimony on any involvement you may have had with the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. He’s claiming there was selective prosecution. He’s out on bail now, even though he was convicted. He says your fingerprints were all over it.

Here’s what the House report said. It said, “In May 2007, a Republican attorney for northern Alabama named Jill Simpson wrote an affidavit stating that in November 2002, she heard a prominent Alabama Republican operative named Bill Canary say that Karl Rove had contacted the Justice Department about bringing a prosecution of Don Siegelman. The question for Mr. Rove is whether he directly or indirectly discussed the possibility of prosecuting Don Siegelman with either the Justice Department or Alabama Republicans.” Did you?

ROVE: Let me say three things. First of all, I think it’s interesting — everybody who was supposedly on that telephone call that Ms. Simpson talks about says that the call never took place. I’d say…

STEPHANOPOULOS: Although she produced a cell phone record, according to the committee.

ROVE: Well, I would say three things. First of all, I have — I learned about Don Siegelman’s prosecution by reading about it in the newspaper. Second of all, this is really about a constitutional question of separation of powers. Congress, the House Judiciary Committee, wants to be able to call presidential aides on its whim up to testify, violating the separation of powers. Executive privilege has been asserted by the White House in a similar instance in the Senate. It will probably be asserted very quickly in this — in the House. Third, the White House has agreed — I’m not asserting any personal privilege. The White House has offered, and my lawyers offered, several different ways in which if the House wants to find out information about this, they can find out information about this. And they’ve refused to avail themselves of those opportunities.

We didn’t say, close off any option to do anything else that you want to do in the future. We said if you want to hear about this, let’s sit down and talk about this, and then you’re entitled to do what you want to do in the future. This is now tied up in court. It’s going to be tied up in court and settled in court. And frankly, the House last week doing this, you know, is duplicating what the Senate has already done and it’s already found its way into the courts.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But to be clear, you did not contact the Justice Department about this case?

ROVE: I read about — I’m going to simply say what I’ve said before, which is I found out about Don Siegelman’s investigation and indictment by reading about it in the newspaper.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But that’s not a denial.

ROVE: I’ve — you know, I read — I heard about it, read about it, learned about it for the first time by reading about it in the newspaper.

The reason he is using classic lawyer language has to do with the possible legal troubles he faces:

The House Judiciary Committee pressed its investigation of possible political influence in Justice Department prosecutions on Thursday by issuing a subpoena to Karl Rove, the former chief political operative at the Bush White House.

Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, the committee chairman, said the subpoena was necessary because Mr. Rove had explicitly declined an invitation to appear voluntarily. Mr. Conyers and fellow committee Democrats say they want to question Mr. Rove about the dismissals of several federal prosecutors and ask whether he knows anything about the decision to prosecute former Gov. Donald E. Siegelman of Alabama, a Democrat.

Mr. Siegelman, who was convicted on a bribery charge, was released from prison in March pending an appeal after an appeals court ruled that he had raised “substantial questions” about his case.

Jimmy Carter: Clinton will be Forced Out after Last Primary

Why haven't the superdelegates acted already to end this race especially after Hillary's despicable assassination comment. The Democratic Party obviously lacks any moral leadership to stand up to thugs like the Clintons:

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said on Sunday he expects Democratic superdelegates to reveal their choice for presidential nominee soon after the final primary in June and that Hillary Clinton will then have to quit the race.

In an interview with Sky News, Carter said he did not think Clinton was achieving anything by staying in the fight.

[...]"I'm a superdelegate ... I think a lot of the superdelegates will make a decision quite, announced quite rapidly, after the final primary on June 3," he told Sky News.

"I have not yet announced publicly, but I think at that point it will be time for her to give it up," Carter said.

Democrats needed to put this farce to end because the Clinton dredging up Florida and Michigan could have repercussions for the general election. It is clear Billary want to damage Obama so that Hillary can run in 2012. It is so obvious at this point that it makes you wonder why the press doesn't jump all over her. Are the Clintons untouchable? They seem to always get away with it. Democrats are their own worst enemy:

Democrat Barack Obama accused rival Hillary Clinton on Saturday of "stirring up" a controversy over the disqualified Florida primary election because it was her last hope of winning their party's presidential nomination.

[...] "The Clinton campaign has been stirring this up for fairly transparent reasons," Obama told reporters on the plane from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chicago, adding she had not done so earlier in the race when she did not need the delegates to win.

"Let's not ... pretend that we don't know what's going on. I mean this is, from their perspective, their last slender hope to make arguments about how they can win, and I understand that," Obama said.

Neither Clinton nor Obama campaigned in either state before the primary elections, and the Illinois senator removed his name from the Michigan ballot. Obama spent three days campaigning in Florida this week.

A party committee will meet next Saturday to seek a resolution to the conflict. Obama said he wanted the delegates seated and brushed off arguments that voter anger at his less aggressive role in resolving the issue would cause lasting resentment among Democratic voters in Florida, a battleground state in November's general election.

Obama should not be playing politics with this matter. He should be denouncing the Clinton divisive tactics not appeasing them. It is clear that Hillary wishes Obama ill. He should be demanding Ms.Clinton pullout of the race since she is hurting the Democratic Party. He is acting like a typical politician by not standing up to her. And he could lose the general election if he continues to turn the other cheek. You don't back down to bullies:

Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama empathized with rival Hillary Clinton on Saturday for the firestorm she ignited by referring to the 1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy.

"I have learned that when you are campaigning for as many months as Senator Clinton and I have been campaigning, sometimes you get careless in terms of the statements that you make and I think that is what happened here," Obama said in an interview with Radio Isla Puerto Rico during a campaign visit to the Caribbean Island and U.S. territory.

Transcript: Olbermann's Denunciation of Hillary Assassination Remark

Read the entire transcript of Keith Olbermann's Special Comment denouncing Hillary's reference to the campaign and Robert Kennedy's assassination, and why she was sticking around. The language and hostility in Olbermann's statement is memorable, and possibly historic. You can also see the video here:

Asked if her continuing fight for the nomination against Senator Obama hurts the Democratic party, Sen. Hillary Clinton replied, "I don't. Because again, I've been around long enough. You know, my husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. You know, I just don't understand it. You know, there's lots of speculation about why it is. “

[...] She actually said those words.

Those words, Senator?

You actually invoked the nightmare of political assassination.

You actually invoked the specter of an inspirational leader, at the seeming moment of triumph, for himself and a battered nation yearning to breathe free, silenced forever.

You actually used the word "assassination" in the middle of a campaign with a loud undertone of racial hatred - and gender hatred - and political hatred.

You actually used the word "assassination" in a time when there is a fear, unspoken but vivid and terrible, that our again-troubled land and fractured political landscape might target a black man running for president.

Or a white man.

Or a white woman!

You actually used those words, in this America, Senator, while running against an African-American against whom the death threats started the moment he declared his campaign?

You actually used those words, in this America, Senator, while running to break your "greatest glass ceiling" and claiming there are people who would do anything to stop you?

You!

Senator - never mind the implications of using the word "assassination" in any connection to Senator Obama...

What about you?

You cannot say this!

Olbermann: Hillary Assassination Remark "Unforgivable"

This is a historic condemnation of a major American politician by a well known news personality. It was an amazing denunciation of Hillary Clinton by Keith Olbermann (MSNBC's Countdown)that has to be seen to be believed. There is also ironic humor in it. See if you know what I mean. Ms.Clinton's remark implying she was staying in the race just in case Obama gets assassinated is without a doubt the most despicable thing she's ever said. It shows what kind of scum the Clinton's really are. Read the entire transcript of Olbermann's "Special Comment."

John McCain's Fraudulent Reputation of Being Principled

This video exposes how John McCain has perpetrated a fraud when he tries to present himself as being a person of principle:

FBI Whistleblower Says Bureau Is 'Ill-Equipped' to Fight Terrorism

The FBI is not an intelligence agency. They are a domestic crime fighting organization. We need to restore the ability of the CIA to spy domestically; or create an agency that is dedicated to domestic intelligence. September 11th was a result of failure of the FBI and CIA to cooperate and share information:

The FBI’s counterterrorism program cannot adequately protect the nation against another attack by Middle Eastern terrorists, a high-ranking FBI official and recognized whistleblower claimed Wednesday in a rare appearance on Capitol Hill.

Bassem Youssef, in oral and written testimony, decried what he saw as major deficiencies in his own bureau’s counterterrorism operations.

He accused the FBI of needlessly violating the civil liberties of thousands of Americans, misidentifying threats against the United States and repeatedly making “sloppy mistakes."

“My greatest goal is to get the message across that the FBI counterterror division is ill-equipped to handle the terrorism problems we’re facing,” he said before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.

Youssef also matter-of-factly declared that the bureau's counterterror operations, including the prestigious International Terrorism Operations Centers, are not adequately staffed. He said many of those who do fill positions in these units have no familiarity with the basics of counterterror investigations, the Arabic language or the cultural nuances of the Middle East they must comprehend in order to be effective.

Transcript: Jesse Ventura on Larry King (5-21-08)

Read the entire transcript:

KING: Are you surprised that the polls say that about 85 percent of America is in discontent?

VENTURA: No, that doesn't surprise me a bit. Because when you look at the situation in the country today, I mean we're $9 trillion in debt now, Larry. That's -- both parties are responsible for that. I mean I did a little bit of math. And you figure if there's 300 million people in America and we're $9 trillion in debt, that means a baby born tomorrow will be saddled with $30,000 worth of debt before they've even taken their first breath of life. Now, to me, that's unconscionable.

How can we do that? How can we look at the people who run our government and say they're doing a good job when you have a generation that may never get out of debt because of what we've put them into?

[...]Why does it cost so much to run for office?

VENTURA: Well, because -- I don't know really, Larry, because you're talking to the wrong person there. I don't -- I don't spend to get in office more than I'll make while doing the office. In Minnesota, I raised $300,000. But over the course of four years as governor, I made $480,000. So I really am not the person to ask.

But on a serious note, maybe a little bit, I think, in some ways, usually it's because you have to get recognized. You don't have name recognition, so you have to purchase it or buy it. But in the case of the presidential election, they certainly all have that. So, I don't know. It's just a matter of, I guess they think if they spend money rather than ideas, they can win it with money as opposed to ideas. I don't know.

[...]KING: I know you disagree with a lot of his politics, but aren't you -- don't you have a little emotional tilt toward John McCain in that of his war service record?

You were a Navy SEAL. Don't you feel a bond?

VENTURA: Well, I greatly respect Senator McCain. Certainly we have a bond. We're both Navy men. And I wish his well. But what troubles me more, Larry, is hypocrisy. And in the case of John McCain, we have a huge hypocrisy in this country.

And that is this -- how is it that a federal employee -- if you work for the federal government, you're required to retire by age 65. And yet you can run for president and be the head of the very federal government, have the most stressful job in America and you can do it at any age. I don't get that.

John McCain could not get hired by the federal government to work, but he can become the leader of the federal government, because -- he couldn't get hired because he's too old.

Israel is Talking to Syria Why Can't We Talk to Iran?

John McCain and George (I won't negotiate with the enemy) Bush have been attacking Barack Obama for advocating negotiations with Iran. Now it turns out Israel, and their archenemy Syria are talking, in secret. Maybe because it makes the anti-appeasement crowd (people like Bush and McCain) look bad:

Israel and Syria have begun indirect peace talks, mediated by Turkey, aimed at reaching a comprehensive peace accord, the three governments announced in a coordinated statement Wednesday. The announcement is the first public confirmation of the negotiations by all three sides.

The two most senior officials in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office have been leading the Israeli negotiations and were in Ankara, the Turkish capital, on Wednesday, talking through Turkish mediators to their Syrian counterparts, Mr. Olmert’s office said.

Turkey is a close ally of the United States. It is also Syria’s neighbor and has an interest in securing regional peace. A senior official in Mr. Olmert’s office, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the talks with Syria and the decision to make them public had been coordinated with American officials.

The statement is official confirmation of what was widely suspected to be ongoing contact between Syria and Israel, directed by Turkey. In the past months, Israel had been reluctant to make the negotiations public. But the negotiations now seem to have made enough progress that all sides decided they should acknowledge the meetings.

“The two sides stated their intention to conduct these talks in good faith and with an open mind,” a statement from Mr. Olmert’s office said, referring to Israel and Syria.

And don't kid yourself into thinking that the Bush administration wasn't supportive of these naive peace talks:

London-based pan-Arabic daily Al-Hayat reported Saturday that the United States government had changed its position on negotiations between Israel and Syria. The report said an Israeli source revealed that the US government had recently requested that Turkey promote talks between Israel and Syria.

According to Al-Hayat, this change of stance came in light of recent violence in Lebanon, and was based on the assumption that peace with Syria would help distance Damascus from Hizbullah.

According to the sources, the US has hinted to Israel more than once that, contrary to the country's previously stated position, it would be interested in taking part in dialogue between Israel and Syria.

The source, who reportedly met with members of US President George W. Bush's entourage, asserted that it was not by coincidence that both Bush and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert did not mention Syria in any of their speeches.

Can someone in the press please ask Bush--why if Israel is negotiating with Syria why can't we talk to Iran.

Clinton Kentucky Victory Speech Transcript (5-20-08)

Read the entire transcript:

You know, I am so grateful for this victory, and I am so appreciative, because tonight I'm thinking about why we're all here. And it's not just to win a primary or even just to win an election. What propels us is the struggle to realize America's promise: a nation where every child can achieve his or her God-given potential, where every man and woman has a fair chance, where we fulfill...

(APPLAUSE)

... where we fulfill the ideals our founders pledged their lives to defend and our nation was born to uphold.

I want to say a special word this evening about someone who has spent his whole life dedicated to realizing the promise of America.

(APPLAUSE)

Senator Ted Kennedy...

(APPLAUSE)

... is one of the greatest progressive leaders in our party's history and one of the most effective senators in our country's history. He's my friend, and he's my inspiration. More than that, he is a hero to millions of Americans whose lives he has fought to better.

I'm proud to have stood side-by-side with Ted Kennedy to increase the minimum wage, to extend health insurance to millions of children, to help stop insurance companies from discriminating against the sick.

But the privileges that I have had and so many others have had, because of the battles we have fought side-by-side with him are just a mere handful of what he has done during his entire public service, five extraordinary decades devoted to America.

And as a lifelong champion for social justice and equality, his work has made the path easier for me, for Senator Obama, and for countless others. He's been with us for our fights, and we're with him now in his.

(APPLAUSE)

And I know he's going to fight with all of his legendary might, supported by his wonderful wife, Vicky, and his entire family against this latest challenge. And we wish him well and send our thoughts and prayers to him.

(APPLAUSE)

Tonight, we've achieved an important victory.

(APPLAUSE)

It's not just Kentucky bluegrass that's music to my ears. It's the sound of your overwhelming vote of confidence, even in the face of some pretty tough odds.

Some have said your votes didn't matter, that this campaign was over, that allowing everyone to vote and every vote to count would somehow be a mistake. But that didn't stop you. You've never given up on me, because you know I'll never give up on you.

(APPLAUSE)

This is one of the closest races for a party's nomination in modern history. We're winning the popular vote, and I'm more determined...

(APPLAUSE)

... more determined than ever to see that every vote is cast and every ballot counted.

I commend Senator Obama and his supporters. And while we continue to go toe-to-toe for this nomination, we do see eye-to-eye when it comes to uniting our party to elect a Democratic president in the fall.

Obama Victory Speech Transcript (5-20-08)

Read the entire transcript:

You know, there is a spirit that brought us here tonight, a spirit of change, and hope, and possibility. And there are few people in this country who embody that spirit more than our friend and our champion, Senator Edward Kennedy.

(APPLAUSE)

He has spent his life in service to this country, not for the sake of glory or recognition, but because he cares, deeply in his gut, about the causes of justice, and equality, and opportunity.

So many of us here have benefited in some way or another because of the battles he's waged and some of us are here because of them. And we know he's not well right now, but we also know that he's a fighter.

And as he takes on this fight, let us lift his spirits tonight by letting Ted Kennedy know that we are thinking of him, that we are praying for him, that we are standing with him and Vicky, and that we will be fighting with him every step of the way.

(APPLAUSE)

You know, 15 months ago, in the depths of winter, it was in this great state where we took the first steps of an unlikely journey to change America.

The skeptics predicted we wouldn't get very far. The cynics dismissed us as a lot of hype and a little too much hope. And by the fall, the pundits in Washington had all but counted us out.

But the people of Iowa had a different idea.

(APPLAUSE)

From the very beginning, you knew that this journey wasn't about me or any of the other candidates in this race. It was about whether this country, at this defining moment, will continue down the same road that has failed us for so long or whether we will seize this opportunity to take a different path, to forge a different future for this country that we love.

That's the question that sent thousands upon thousands of you to high school gyms and VFW halls, to backyards and front porches, to steak fries and J.J. dinners, where you spoke about what the future would look like.

You spoke of an America where working families don't have to file for bankruptcy just because a child gets sick, where they don't lose their home because some predatory lender tricks them out of it, where they don't have to sit on the sidelines of the global economy because they couldn't afford the cost of a college education.

You spoke of an America where our parents and our grandparents don't spend their retirement in poverty because some CEO dumped their pension, an America where we don't just value wealth, but we value work and the workers who create it, as well.

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You spoke of an America where we don't send our sons and daughters on tour after tour of duty to a war that has cost us thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars, but has not made us safer.

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You spoke of an America where we matched the might of our military with the strength of our diplomacy and the power of our ideals, a nation that is still the beacon of all that is good and all that is possible for humankind.

You spoke of a future where the politics we have in Washington finally reflects the values we hold as Americans, the values you live by here in Iowa: common sense and honesty, generosity and compassion, decency and responsibility.

These values don't belong to one class or one region or even one party. They are the values that bind us together as one country.

That is the country...

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That's the country I saw in the faces of crowds that would stretch far into the horizon of our heartland, faces of every color, of every age, faces I see here tonight.

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You're Democrats who are tired of being divided, but you're also Republicans who no longer recognize the party that runs Washington, and independents who are hungry for change. (APPLAUSE)

You're the young people who've been inspired for the very first time...

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... and those not-so-young folks who've been inspired for the first time in a long time.

Global Peace Index: U.S. 97th out of 121 Countries Ranked

It is part of the Bush legacy. But not limited to his disastrous administration. The goal of any society is a peace nation. Our government has failed for decades at making America, and the world, more peaceful:

Iceland tops the ranking of the world's most peaceful, Iraq rated least peaceful. U.S. remains largely unchanged, ranking at 97.

[...]The Index is constructed from 24 indicators of external and internal measures of peace including UN deployments overseas and levels of violent crime. It has won the backing of an influential and distinguished group of supporters including Nobel Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Professor Joseph Stiglitz and Professor Muhammad Yunus as well as the Fulbright Center.

Steve Killelea, founder of the Global Peace Index, said: "The world appears to be a marginally more peaceful place this year. This is encouraging, but it takes small steps by individual countries for the world to make greater strides on the road to peace."

[...]Based on a direct comparison of the 121 countries measured in the GPI 2007 to GPI 2008, a majority of the individual indicators have seen slight improvements. On average, scores for level of organised conflict (internal) and violent crime, political instability and potential for terrorist acts have all improved marginally. In contrast, the world's armed services have grown on average per country, as has the sophistication of its weaponry.

[...]-- Small, stable and democratic countries are the most peaceful - 16 of the
top 20 are western or central European democracies
-- The G8 fared very differently: Japan (5), Canada (11), Germany (14),
Italy (28), France (36), UK (49), United States (97), Russia (131)
-- Iraq is the lowest ranked country on the Index (140)

It is not a moral statement but a scientific analysis of what makes for a more violent world:

The idea for the index came from Steve Killelea, an Australian businessman and philanthropist who wanted to identify just what creates a peaceful country.

He asked the Economist Intelligence Unit to look at a range of variables, from levels of homicides per 100,000 people - which drags down America and boosts Denmark - to corruption and access to primary education.

"The U.S. does so badly because has the highest proportion of jailed people in the world. And it has high levels of homicide and high potential for terrorist attacks," Killelea told The Associated Press. "Its overall score isa reflection of that. The index is not making any moral statements by the ranking."

Forecasters see Weak Economy, Higher Unemployment

Things are not going to get better for quite a while. Fundamentally we have a broken economy. This news also spells bad news for John McCain. A weak economy in the Fall spells defeat for the Republican. It's good news, bad news:

First the good news: The worst of the painful housing slump and the credit crunch might come to an end this year. Now the bad: The economy will weaken further and unemployment will rise.

That's the latest outlook from forecasters in a survey to be released Monday by the National Association for Business Economics, also known by its acronym NABE. It will take time for any rays of light to poke through the economic clouds, though.

A growing number of economists believe the country is on the brink of a recession or in one already, dragged down by all the problems in housing, credit and financial markets. Now 56 percent of the economists think the economy has started or will enter a recession this year. That's up from 45 percent in a survey in February. If there is a recession, it probably will be short and shallow, economists said.

Forecasters downgraded their projections for economic growth. They now predict the economy, which grew by 2.2 percent last year, will slow to 1.4 percent this year. That's lower than the 1.8 percent growth projected in February. If the new figure proves correct, it would mark the weakest growth since the last recession in 2001.

Comedian-in-Chief: What's with the Candidates and Comedy Shows

Every time you look up a presidential candidate is on a comedy program. Are we electing a president or a comedian. Being a politician is serious business nowadays. So they should be concentrating on solving the ever growing problems that face our society and world. They should not be spending so much time self-promoting on comedic shows. The reason they are on these programs is because their handlers have told them that it's a good idea to connect with the Youtube generation. But lets face it, the reason they make so many appearances on these programs is that they are clowns after all. We don't take them seriously so why should they:

John McCain is 71 years old, and his age has provided late-night comics with some easy punch lines. On "Saturday Night Live," he joined in.

"I ask you, what should we be looking for in our next president?" McCain said. "Certainly, someone who is very, very, very old."

The certain Republican presidential nominee appeared in a phony campaign ad in which he promised to put an end to runaway government spending, claiming he had never sought money for his home state, Arizona.

"Controlling government spending isn't just about Republicans or Democrats," he said. "It's about being able to look your children in the eye. Or in my case, my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and great-great-great-grandchildren, the youngest of whom are nearing retirement."

"I have the courage, the wisdom, the experience and, most importantly, the oldness necessary," McCain said. "The oldness it takes to protect America, to honor her, love her and tell her about what cute things the cat did."

Too Many Guns: 3 Wounded in LA Church Festival Shooting

What was this scum doing in possession of an assault rifle. No one should own such a weapon. This is another example of what is wrong in our society. There are too many unstable people walking around guns. More guns don't make us safer:

A man with a semiautomatic rifle opened fire at a church festival Saturday, wounding his ex-wife and two bystanders before several festival-goers grabbed him, wrestled his gun away and held him for police, witnesses and authorities said.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene, with people screaming and running for the exit after gunfire rang out on a grassy field where the festival was being set up at the St. John Baptist de la Salle Roman Catholic parish shortly before 11 a.m.

[...]The woman and the man with the leg wound were hospitalized in stable condition. The man with the chest wound was listed in critical condition. None of their names were released.

Meanwhile the politicians pander to the powerful gun lobby, which is responsible for this state of affairs:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain warned gun owners on Friday that his Democratic opponents Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would threaten their right to bear arms, as he sought to rally conservatives' support in the November election.

The right to bear arms in the Constitution's second amendment is considered sacred by many U.S. gun owners. Both Obama and Clinton tout their support for it, although they also say ways must be found to keep guns from falling into the hands of criminals or those who are mentally ill.

But the Arizona senator accused the two Democrats of giving only "theoretical" support to the second amendment.

"They claim to support hunters and gun owners. But just because they don't talk about gun control doesn't mean they won't support gun control," McCain told a convention of the National Rifle Association.

"If either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama is elected president, the rights of law-abiding gun owners will be at risk. They have both voted as senators to ban guns or ban ammunition or to allow gun makers to be sued out of existence," he said.

Obama, an Illinois senator and the front-runner in the battle for the Democratic nomination to run against McCain in November, countered by accusing him of trying to whip up fear about his positions and using the "same playbook" from other elections.

"I think people have the right to lawfully bear arms. I do believe that there is nothing inconsistent with also saying that we can institute some common-sense gun laws so that we don't have kids being shot on the streets of cities like Chicago," Obama said while campaigning in South Dakota.

Reasonable gun laws would include strong background checks of those who sought to buy weapons and tracing guns back to "unscrupulous" gun dealers who sold them to people who shouldn't be able to get them, Obama said.

What hypocrisy:

A small but startling sign welcomed the gun lovers who arrived at the National Rifle Association's annual gathering Friday.

"Firearms WILL NOT be allowed in Hall A during the Celebration of American Values Leadership Forum."

Beyond this sign at the Kentucky Exposition Center was a row of 10 metal detectors. They were manned by uniformed Secret Service officers deployed because the scheduled speakers included presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.

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The people's platform would seek to create a government that isn't beholden to the powerful NRA. Government should protect us not sell out to those who don't care about America's safety. - http://Peoplat.com

Pot Calls Kettle Black: Bush Compares Obama to Neville Chamberlaine

George W. Bush accused Barack Obama of wanting to appease the terrorists. And here is the kicker, he compared the soon to be Democratic Presidential nominee, to Neville Chamberlaine (see video). This coming from a man who, Pat Buchanan this morning said, is negotiating with the North Koreans, an axis of evil country. How hypocritical is that?

Here is a president who failed to defend us and started a war that has been a blessing to al Qaeda. Bush is directly responsible for the deaths of 6,000 Americans. He has no business criticizing anyone on foreign policy, especially on foreign soil.

The Republicans would rather Bush disappear, especially John McCain. He is poison. And this disgusting speech is only going to backfire on Republicans in the fall. What a joke. What do you call your unwillingless to stand up to the Chinese? America's greatest threat.