Yo, Rove..You never grajiated!

Somebody please, get me a barf bag.

Entire AP article swiped from wire:

By Will Lester, Associated Press Writer | July 29, 2006

WASHINGTON --Presidential adviser Karl Rove said Saturday that journalists often criticize political professionals because they want to draw attention away from the "corrosive role" their own coverage plays in politics and government.

"Some decry the professional role of politics, they would like to see it disappear," Rove told graduating students at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. "Some argue political professionals are ruining American politics -- trapping candidates in daily competition for the news cycle instead of long-term strategic thinking in the best interest of the country."

But Rove turned that criticism on journalists.

"It's odd to me that most of these critics are journalists and columnists," he said. "Perhaps they don't like sharing the field of play. Perhaps they want to draw attention away from the corrosive role their coverage has played focusing attention on process and not substance."

Rove told about 100 graduates trained to be political operatives that they should respect the instincts of the American voter.

"There are some in politics who hold that voters are dumb, ill informed and easily misled. that voters can be manipulated by a clever ad or a smart mind," said Rove, who is credited with President Bush's wins in the 2000 and 2004 election. "I've seen this cynicism over the years from political professionals and journalists. American people are not policy wonks, but they have great instincts and try to do the right thing."

Rove said it is "wrong to underestimate the intelligence of the American voter, but easy to overestimate their interest. Much tugs at their attention."

But he said voters are able to watch campaigns and candidates closely and "this messy and imperfect process has produced great leaders."

A degree in 'political operatism?' WTF? I guess they couldn't do math or something.

I'll let Rove's weirdness speak for itself.

What the hell is Rove - who never graduated university - giving a commencement speech?

He could have said something substantive, but no. In his best interest, he chose to blame those reporting on events for the follies of those being reported upon. Orwellian, yes?

What a sad, little man.

I need to go to Canada..I'm close ;)

Hey You Right-Wingnuts!

Global cooling? My ass.

Dear Coulter, Crichton, Limbaugh,

O'Reilly, Stossel, Malkin,

and all other global climate change deniers,

quit using my research unless you know how to properly parse climate data!

Frikkin' Idiots!

What's all the fuss about 1559?..

..That would be UN resolution 1559. w, who really puts the 'dip' in diplomat, and the entire RWEC(Right Wing Echo Chamber) is now demanding that UN resolution 1559 be enforced prior to any cease of Israeli military operations.

Essentially, resolution 1559 calls for the disarming of Hezbollah, and a return of the Lebanese army to the border in southern Lebanon.

Big problem. Hezbollah has the overwheming support of the Lebanese people. Who knows if the Lebanese army can and/or will, do anything to force Hezbollah's hand?

Next issue.

Just today, Israel rejected the UN's call for a three-day cease-fire to get supplies in, and allow civilians to leave the war torn south.

This isn't just. It's crazy.

Israel needs to garner support from the world community. w, awaiting eschaton, and the UK are the only players that currently support Israel's continued actions. Expect the UK to drop support as Israel denies common Lebanese in the south even the luxury of potable water. Maybe.

Then there is the issue of standards. One for Israel, one for everyone else(excluding the US and the UK).

That lefty rag The Economist noted the double standards the US had between Iraq and Israel during the run-up to the Iraq war redux.

Remember UN resolution 242?

Wasn't that quaint?

Well, Iraq was in compliance. It's just that the US lapdog press and the w administration said otherwise.

In addition to the wordy Economist article above concerning Iraq and Israel, there is a much longer history of the US treating Israel with a different standard. This is not a left, right, or center issue. It is simply a fact. An embarrassing political fact, but a fact nonetheless.

A list? Okay.

A very brief history of UN resolution violations..other than Iraq..'cuz they're now the 51st state.

Read the whole piece. Especially the bottom regarding the US being the sole dissenting vote in a large number of instances. It also shows that at one time the US had a much more even hand in foreign affairs. Not anything to be particularly proud of, mind you, but more just.

I think it clearly demonstrates a need for a diplomat the likes of John Bolton to defuse. Yes, he's the guy(reeks of sarcasm more than some good 'skunk').

Lest anyone think I am an anti-semite, I can only assure you that I am not. I am critical of some Zionist policies, but that's a political difference of opinion, not an 'I wear a white hood' racial statement. There is a huge chasm between the two.

I am critical of all governments from Afghanistan to Zimbawe. So Israel isn't at all special in this regard.

If the west really wanted peace, we'd act accordingly. Our leadership simply doesn't care about peace.

w

"Here's a fellow who is in a remote region of the world, putting out statements, basically encouraging people to use terrorist tactics to kill innocent people to achieve political objectives." - w

Is w talking about Richard B. Cheney?

Well, let's see if the statements align with what we think we know.

'Remote region'...Yes! Undisclosed location!

'Putting out statements'...Yes! See Faux news!

'Encouraging people to use terrorist tactics to kill innocent people'...No! Cheney shot his lawyer all by hisself!

Zarqawi?..No. He dead.

Okay, the answer is al-Zawahiri.

In this piece by Reuters, picked up by WaPo, nowhere is it mentioned that Bush wants to get this really bad guy.

At least Bush isn't 'surprised' by al-Zawahiri's missive.

Remember those halcyon days when: "dead or alive" were the operative words?

It really takes you back.

Hugo Chavez

How can you not like what this guy has done recently?

Chavez is pissing off all the right people.

If there ever was a more glaring case that the US will accept corpocracy without democracy, but will not tolerate the reverse, I need the example.

Of course, it's official US doctrine to support democracy first. But that position is specious at best.

Regardless of how the US tlks, it is still very much mired in the Cold War mentality.

For a good outside-the-beltway read about emergent Latin-America try this.

Max Boot, A Neo-Con's Neo-Con Gets Nod From White House

Man, I don't know how I missed this.

Click vid. to watch

Sickening.

AFP Newsflash!

I just got word that a poll in Lebanon shows that 70% of those questioned approve of hostage taking.

I may have more later...Or not ;)

US, Allies Divided over Cease-Fire Terms

That's the headline that Bloomberg is running.

I like charts. Here are two:

The first is a list of countries calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The second are countries not ready for am immediate cease-fire.

In case you require further elucidation, click on image for larger versions.

As those inane anti-drug commercials of the nineties offered: "any questions?"

Sorry for all of the white space.

One more thing, UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon contacted Israeli troops 10 times before an Israeli bomb killed four of them, an initial UN report says

(pics courtesy of The Belfast Telegraph)

Made In USA

Or, alternatively, Why They Do Hate Us.

I know it's ugly, but firing missiles into fleeing civilian vehicles? WTF?

The Arabs know that while Israelis pulled the trigger, those are Made In USA missiles.

Not only is this tactically insignificant, it further fuels hatred of Israel and the US.

It appears that Hezbollah has agree to a prisoner swap deal brokered in part by the Lebanese gov't. It remains to be be seen if BushCo will accept the terms.

The situations in Lebanon and Gaza are so fluid - perhaps intentionally so - that it's difficult to draw a bead on what prcisely is transpiring.

Meanwhile, Iraq is in undeclared civil war, and Afghanistan is under increasing pressure from the resurgent Taliban.

I don't need to provide any links, a quick search will lead you to too many articles to read.

One last thing, The Supremes have decided to hear a case on global climate change.

In case you missed it, w's State Dept. recently said this: "the surface of the Earth is warmer and that an increase in greenhouse gases caused by humans is contributing to the problem."

Link to State Dept. statement on climate change.

If I was a believer in any sort of eschatology, I'd probably cite the State Dept.s' webpage as evidence that the end is nigh ;)

Thankfully, I'm unburdened by any religious beliefs.

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

Les Claypool with Another Kinda Stick

My cousin just alerted me to the fact that Les Claypool of Primus and countless other projects is on a fishing program?!?!

It's on OLN, and titled, "Flyfishing The World."

Les is up to his usual antics. Havin' fun, and catching a few fish.

Okay, so I didn't know the guy fished.

Claypool remains my favorite no-lessons bass player.

He is only slightly above god in the heirarchy of things.

I know this is way OT for rhe blog, but I am a music lover. Sadly, one sans the chops to be in a real band ;)

How Do You Fight? Do You Have the Fortitude?

I figure that there are two ways to really effectively show your displeasure with the foreign policy of the US.

The first is to vote out all incumbents. Everyone that voted to give Bush any authority to attack Iraq was driven by polling numbers available at the time. They did not think - critically or otherwise - they reacted to the majority of the public's sentiment.

This was, and is, deplorable.

The second could be more risky. I say could be because if enough of the citizenry stood together, the government would be helpless to do anything.

Of course I am referring to withholding 2006's federal income tax payments. Withholding of federal phone tax may be an easier pill for some to swallow.

Hey, it wouldn't be a viable option unless a "How To" was provided.

Give the feds a token amount. It's not as if you haven't paid enough over the past three years for an illegal war regardless of how you feel over the current US/Lebanon/US/Israel/US/Palestine/US/Syria/US/Iran/US/Iraq/US/Afghanistan/US conflagrations.

I'm through subsidizing wars.

Resistance via withholding tax payments has a very long history. Now we need critical mass.