Iraqis bid farewell to Bush - with shoes

"This is a goodbye kiss, you dog"

- Iraqi journalist Muthathar al Zaidi, who was called 'courageous' by fellow Iraqi journalists, gave Bush an appropriate Iraqi farewell - with both his shoes.



Watch it - it's hillarious

Bush desperately tries to rewrite history on the Iraq war while his administration covers up the war crimes by denying the Obama transition team documents on wiretapping and torture.

Unfortunately for Bush and America, this history of failure will be with us a long time. It was an expensive failure and America is hurting for it.

Official US gov't historical document: Iraq reconstruction a $117 BILLION failure

More of the Bush legacy...

A 513 page federal history on the Iraq reconstruction was compiled by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, led by Stuart W. Bowen Jr., a Republican lawyer who regularly travels to Iraq and has a staff of engineers and auditors based here. Here are some of the accounts in this first official federal historical document on the Iraq reconstruction entitled “Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience" -

• Ignorance: Pentagon planners efforts were crippled by spiraling violence and ignorance of the basic elements of Iraqi society and infrastructure.


• Lies: when the reconstruction began to lag — particularly in the critical area of rebuilding the Iraqi police and army — the Pentagon simply put out inflated measures of progress to cover up the failures. Colin Powell said the Defense Department “kept inventing numbers of Iraqi security forces — the number would jump 20,000 a week"


• Incompetence: The Bush Administration has in place neither the policies and technical capacity nor the organizational structure that would be needed to undertake such a program on anything approaching this scale.


• Politics over planning: Republicans put a greater priority on making things "look good" for Bush because of the 2004 election instead of efficient and competent use of money. Office of Management and Budget balked at the American occupation authority’s abrupt request for about $20 billion in new reconstruction money in August 2003, a veteran Republican lobbyist working for the authority made a bluntly partisan appeal to Joshua B. Bolten, then the O.M.B. director and now the White House chief of staff. “To delay getting our funds would be a political disaster for the President,” wrote the lobbyist, Tom C. Korologos. “His election will hang for a large part on show of progress in Iraq and without the funding this year, progress will grind to a halt.” With administration backing, Congress allocated the money later that year.


• Poor planning: As an example of the haphazard planning, a civilian official at the United States Agency for International Development was at one point given four hours to determine how many miles of Iraqi roads would need to be reopened and repaired. The official searched through the agency’s reference library, and his estimate went directly into a master plan.


• Early miscalculations: The history records how Jay Garner, Chief of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, presented Defense Sec. Donald Rumsfeld with several rebuilding plans, including one that would include projects across Iraq. “What do you think that’ll cost?” Mr. Rumsfeld asked of the more expansive plan.“I think it’s going to cost billions of dollars,” Mr. Garner said.“My friend,” Mr. Rumsfeld replied, “if you think we’re going to spend a billion dollars of our money over there, you are sadly mistaken.”

Conclusions:

"...the government as a whole has never developed a legislatively sanctioned doctrine or framework for planning, preparing and executing contingency operations in which diplomacy, development and military action all figure.”

And to think in the midst of this recession in America, billions of dollars are flying out of America every week to try to repair the damage of the Bush legacy.

Why al Qaeda endorses McCain

The endorsement of John McCain by an al Qaeda-affiliated Web site isnt a surprise to security specialists Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism director, and Joseph Nye, the former chairman of the National Intelligence Council. Both have suggested that Al Qaeda prefers Mr. McCain. Why? The same reason Osama bin Laden wanted Bush in '04:

"From their perspective, a continuation of Bush policies is best for recruiting," said Professor Nye, adding that Mr. McCain is far more likely to continue those policies.

Al Qaeda has simply outsmarted the feeble narrow minded alarmist and arrogant foreign policy of the Bush Administration. Al Qaeda welcomed the war in Iraq as a way to drain America's military resources and economy while building their real base in Afghanistan. Due to this Bush Administration blunder, they have been successful.

Bush obsesses about Islamic terrorism, understandably since he allowed the nation be attacked on 9/11 through gross negligence, he inclines toward military solutions and his antagonistic approach to other nations is an excellent recruiting tool for al Qaeda. In contrast, an African-American president with a Muslim grandfather and a penchant for building bridges rather than blowing them up would give Al Qaeda recruiters much less fertile ground.

McCain represents the cold war mentality, where the American ideological fear of communism led us to mistake every leftist for a Soviet pawn. This myopia helped lead to catastrophe in Vietnam. In the same way today, an exaggerated fear of Islamofascism leads us to overreact and damage our own interests. Perhaps the best example is one of the least-known failures in Bush administration foreign policy: Somalia.

NYT Nicholas Kristof explains:

Today, Somalia is the worlds greatest humanitarian disaster, worse even than Darfur or Congo. The crisis has complex roots, and Somali warlords bear primary blame. But Bush administration paranoia about Islamic radicals contributed to the disaster.

Somalia has been in chaos for many years, but in 2006 an umbrella movement called the Islamic Courts Union seemed close to uniting the country. The movement included both moderates and extremists, but it constituted the best hope for putting Somalia together again. Somalis were ecstatic at the prospect of having a functional government again.

Bush administration officials, however, were aghast at the rise of an Islamist movement that they feared would be uncooperative in the war on terror. So they gave Ethiopia, a longtime rival in the region, the green light to invade, and Somalias best hope for peace collapsed.

"A movement that looked as if it might end this long national nightmare was derailed, in part because of American and Ethiopian actions," said Ken Menkhaus, a Somalia expert at Davidson College. "As a result, Islamic militancy and anti-Americanism have surged, partly because Somalis blame Washington for the brutality of the Ethiopian occupiers."

"There's a level of anti-Americanism in Somalia today like nothing Ive seen over the last 20 years," Professor Menkhaus said. Somalis are furious with us for backing the Ethiopian intervention and occupation, provoking this huge humanitarian crisis.

Bottom line:

The only winner has been Islamic militancy. Thats probably the core reason why Al Qaeda militants prefer a McCain presidency: four more years of blindness to nuance in the Muslim world would be a tragedy for Americans and virtually everyone else, but a boon for radical groups trying to recruit suicide bombers.

Poll: Bush has inspired widespread hostility toward America among allies, unanimous support for Obama

Guardian UK:

Yet another poll shows America's closest allies unanimously choose Obama. The poll also shows how America's reputation has been severely damaged by the Bush Administration.

Yet another indication of the abject failure of the Bush Administration and the unanimous international support of Obama. Thanks again Bushies, your support for the worst president in history has ruined the Republican brand.

Before Bush and now

Are you better off today than you were 8 years ago? Is America? The Bush administration has shown unprecedented incompetence in both foreign and domestic policy.

• Before Bush -- Dow: January 19, 2001: 10,587.59


• Now ---------- Dow: September 29, 2008: 10,365.45

• Before Bush - NASDAQ: Jan 19, 2001 = 2770.38


• Now --------- NASDAQ: September 29, 2008 = 1983.73

• Before Bush - Dollar exchange with Euro, January 19, 2001: 1.068


• Now --------- Dollar exchange with Euro, September 29, 2008: .695

• Before Bush -- National Debt: $5.727 trillion.


• Now ---------- National Debt: $9.849 trillion

Bush has made the largest contribution to the national debt than any previous president in American history: more than $4 trillion

US budget deficit: deficit is annual additions to national debt.



Can you imagine being John McSame (McBush) and having to debate Obama on the economy next week... with people like Phil "deregulator" Gramm, Carly "golden parachute" Fiorina, and Marc "Freddie mac" Davis on his staff?

How about Sarah "I can see Russia" Palin debating Joe Biden with 35 yrs foreign policy experience?

Obama's lead grows again today after polls show most thought he won the debate.

McCain makes a bet on the stupidity of American voters

• Last week: McCain said "the fundamentals of the economy are strong."

• Tuesday: McCain said he had not read Paulson's bailout plan which had been available since Friday.

• Wednesday: McCain "suspends his campaign" to 'work' on the bailout.

Why does McCain do what he does? To make the American voter think he's doing something - to make Americans focus on him, not the political party he represents. Why? Because John McCain represents the Republican party that has brought one of the largest foreign policy blunders in American history - Iraq ... AND a massive financial crisis, one of the largest domestic policy failures in American history.

So... on both foreign and domestic policy, the Republican administration McCain represents has shown mismanagement and incompetence on an epic and unprecedented scale. McCain doesn't really disagree with the policies that have caused these massive foreign and domestic policy disasters. In fact, the WSJ suggests of McCain that you'd find the cause of what when wrong on Wall Street "by cross-examining the people riding on his campaign bus."

So... since you can't run on your party's accomplishments, you have to gamble, you have to showboat, steal headlines, pull rabbits out of hats ... something.... anything.... try to distract the public from reality, try to shield your incompetent running mate from the press, try to avoid debating, try to make the public think you're a hero. (He was tortured, you know). He also invented the Blackberry.

Reactionary and desperate, McCain thinks America is stupid enough to buy his razzle-dazzle bullshit. This should give you an idea of McCain's management style.

Bill O'Reilly on the legacy of GW Bush: "poor leadership...and now Americans are getting hurt."

We knew this presidency would be a disaster and we were right, and now the reality is even too obvious for Bush supports to ignore.

Bill O'Reilly:

He’s done. He’s through. … He will now go down in history…as an ineffectual leader. And I’ll tell you the reason why, it’s poor leadership on his part. The people that he picked to run certain things have been disastrous. And no leadership and now Americans are getting hurt.

LISTEN HERE

And these 30%ers.... you know who they are, they support Bush and then say McCain is their candidate for "Real hope and change". Sounds like a contradiction. What does this say about the judgement of such people? (mostly authoritarian religious gun owning white guys with kids)

The judgement to be Commander in Chief: John McCain was wrong, Barack Obama was right

Should we trust John McCains judgment when he said only three years ago, Afghanistan-we dont read about it anymore because its succeeded? Or should we trust Barack Obama, who more than a year ago called for sending two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan? The fact is, al-Qaida and the Taliban-the people who actually attacked us on 9/11-have regrouped in those mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan and are plotting new attacks. And the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff echoed Barack's call for more troops.

John McCain was wrong. Barack Obama was right.

Should we trust John McCain's judgment when he rejected talking with Iran and then asked: What is there to talk about? Or Barack Obama, who said we must talk and make it clear to Iran that its conduct must change.

Now, after seven years of denial, even the Bush administration recognizes that we should talk to Iran, because thats the best way to advance our security.

Again, John McCain was wrong. Barack Obama was right.

Should we trust John McCain's judgment when he says there can be no timelines to draw down our troops from Iraq-that we must stay indefinitely? Or should we listen to Barack Obama, who says shift responsibility to the Iraqis and set a time to bring our combat troops home?

Now, after six long years, the Bush administration and the Iraqi government are on the verge of setting a date to bring our troops home.

John McCain was wrong. Barack Obama was right.

Again and again, on the most important national security issues of our time, John McCain was wrong, and Barack Obama was proven right.

Folks, remember when the world used to trust us? When they looked to us for leadership? With Barack Obama as our president, they'll look to us again, they'll trust us again, and well be able to lead again.

-- Joe Biden, the next Vice President of the United States, DNC Convention, 8/27/08

More Bush lies revealed - push for war preceded intel findings

The National Security Archive has released a report based on White House documents showing the Bush administration pressured the CIA and other intelligence agencies to tailor their reports to back-up Bush's desire to invade and that the Bush administration doctored the intelligence "white paper" - making a case for war before the National Intelligence Estimate was even requested.

According to the report, the CIA was under enormous pressure, which resulted in its July 2002 draft of a "White Paper" that did not conform to the facts. This "White Paper" - drafted in July - supposedly summarized the NIE which wasn't even requested by Congress until Sept 2002. Clearly this exposes a systemic practice of lying and manipulation by the Bush Administration. Other accounts by Bush insiders including former CIA employees (Tyler Drumheller, Michael Scheuer, Richard Clarke) square with this account. The picture of these lies are becoming clearer and more complete. So far, over 30 documentaries on Iraq have exposed Bush's lies, corruption and incompetence ... Bush's War - being one of the best.

All the while, during this manipulation of intel and a push for war, Bush was making statements like:

“We are doing everything we can to avoid war in Iraq.” - George W. Bush, Mar. 8, 2003

“I think that that presumes there's some kind of imminent war plan. As I said, I have no timetable.” - George W. Bush, Aug. 10, 2002

"I've not made up our mind about military action. Hopefully, this can be done peacefully...”- George W. Bush, Mar. 6, 2003

Not lying? Then what would you call it?

Result of the Bush Administration's "Abstinence Education": Teen Pregnancy at 15-year High

The teen pregnancy rate is up for the first time since 1991 according to a report released Friday by the National Institutes of Health.

Fox News

Between 2005 and 2006, the number of teenage girls between the ages 15 to 17 having babies rose by more than 5,700 to 138,920, from a record low of 133,138, according to an annual report on the health and well-being of children and teens published by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.

After so many reports on the failure of the Bush Administration's abstinence ed programs, after $1.5 billion in public funds, we now see the result.

“The tragedy is not simply the waste of taxpayer dollars, it is the damage done to the young people who have been on the receiving end of distorted, inaccurate information about condoms and birth control. We have been promoting ignorance in the era of AIDS, and that’s not just bad public health policy, its bad ethics”.

--James Wagoner, President of Advocates for Youth

Check this out -

RH Reality Check:

Using membership dues paid in part by federal tax dollars, the National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) hired the Washington, DC, public relations firm, Creative Response Concepts, best known for the 2004 "Swift Boat Veterans" ads against John Kerry, to launch a public relations effort supporting the failed and unpopular abstinence only education policies.

So, how do you get failed policies implemented? By a marketing firm specializing in propaganda of course. Lie to the American public - what the Bush Administration does best.

The Bush Administration makes bin Laden's wish come true

Thanks to GW Bush, Osama bin Laden is smiling somewhere.

There is no longer any debate about the fact that bin Laden was allowed to escape when the US had him cornered back in 2002 at Tora Bora (as described in a CIA ground commander's book: Jawbreaker), the Bush administration had admitted this failure. Bush had surrounded himself with idiots, particularly Rumsfeld and Gen. Tommy Franks who made the misjudgement to allow bin Laden to escape. Of course in this Administration, the bigger the fuckup, the bigger the medal. (Tommy Franks received the Presidential Medal of Freedom).

Now, al Qaeda is flourishing because Bush has screwed America by getting the US military mired in Iraq. Admiral Mullen, the top US Military Commander said we don't have additional troops to fight in Afghanistan because of Iraq.

The final insult has been brought to fruition: Bin Laden said in a 1998 interview that the oil should cost $144 a barrel, not the $11 that it cost ten years ago. Guess what? Oil is $145 a barrel - 13 times more than it was 10 years ago! Bush’s catastrophic decision to invade Iraq, sink the nation into debt to pay for that war, and consequently, weaken the dollar have all caused oil prices to soar astronomically.

The NYT wrote in 2001, 3 weeks after 9/11, "nightmare scenarios" where bin Laden would get his wish of $144 a barrel oil. One of those "nightmare scenarios" was to invade Iraq.

(TP:)Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee last May, Anne Korin, the co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, reminded Congress about bin Laden’s goal:

About ten years ago, Osama bin Laden stated that his target price for oil is $144 a barrel and that the American people, who allegedly robbed the Muslim people of their oil, owe each Muslim man, woman, and child $30,000 in back payments. At the time, $144 a barrel seemed farfetched to most.

I would like to impress upon this Committee that $144 a barrel oil will be perceived as a victory for the Jihadist movement and a reaffirmation that the economic warfare component of its campaign against the West is a resounding success. There is no need to elaborate on the implications of such a victory in terms of loss of U.S. prestige and our ability to prevail in the Long War of the 21st century.

George W. Bush has handed Osama bin Laden a victory. You want more of the McSame?

The Iraq war is making America less safe

Because of the Iraq war, there are not enough troops for Afghanistan or any other conflict that may arise that could threaten America.

While the Taliban and al Qaeda strengthen in Afghanistan and Pakistan, while the sabre rattling over Iran continues in Israel, the US military is stretched thin by defending America against .... Iraq?

America's top military man, Admiral Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was asked:

Question: "Admiral, can you talk about the number and type of troops, the extra troops that are expected to go to Afghanistan in 2009?"

Admiral Mullen: "I don't have troops I can reach for, brigades I can reach to send to Afghanistan until I have a reduced requirement in Iraq" (video)

What about Iran?

Admiral Mullen: "This is a very unstable part of the world and I don't need it to be more unstable. ... Opening up a third front right now would be extremely stressful on us." (video)

So, considering the US is military is too stressed in Iraq to fight the growing al Qaeda threat in Afghanistan with more troops, how is the war in Iraq making us safer? What if another significant threat arises?

But, if you subscribe to the McCain plan, you'll want to stay in Iraq 100 years... or until no more Americans are getting killed, no matter how long it takes and how many Americans get killed achieving that goal—that is, the goal of not getting any more Americans killed. And once that goal is achieved, we’ll stay.

Great plan! Making America safer spending $330 million dollars a day fighting a war in a country that is no threat to America while the real threat of al Qaeda and the Taliban continues to grow. This is the insanity of GW Bush and John McSame.

Conservative talk radio host on Iraq: "We've let down 3000 individuals, 3000 innocent Americans ... we've squandered resources in Iraq."

"I have never voted for a Democrat for President. I could do it on the strength of this issue alone because of my disagreement with the Administration and my fear that John McCain represents more of the same."

-- Michael Smerconish sitting in for Bill O’Reilly to host the Radio Factor

Yesterday, conservative radio host Michael Smerconish sat in for Bill O’Reilly to host the Radio Factor and discussed the NYT story about how the Bush War on Terror has FAILED and al Qaeda has established a base of operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan. WATCH IT. As I had noted previously, this was also verified by a government report (pdf).

NYT:

Bin Laden Hunt at Dead End - "We're all hurting because of Iraq"

But it is increasingly clear that the Bush administration will leave office with Al Qaeda having successfully relocated its base from Afghanistan to Pakistan’s tribal areas, where it has rebuilt much of its ability to attack from the region and broadcast its messages to militants across the world. ...

Just as it had on the day before 9/11, Al Qaeda now has a band of terrorist camps from which to plan and train for attacks against Western targets, including the United States.

When American military and intelligence officials requested additional Predator drones to survey the tribal areas, they were told no drones were available because they had been sent to Iraq.

“We had to put people out in the field who had less than ideal levels of experience,” one former senior C.I.A. official said. “But there wasn’t much to choose from.”

One reason for this, according to two former intelligence officials directly involved in the Qaeda hunt, was that by 2006 the Iraq war had drained away most of the C.I.A. officers with field experience in the Islamic world. “You had a very finite number” of experienced officers, said one former senior intelligence official. “Those people all went to Iraq. We were all hurting because of Iraq.”

“The United States faces a threat from Al Qaeda today that is comparable to what it faced on Sept. 11, 2001,” said Seth Jones, a Pentagon consultant and a terrorism expert at the RAND Corporation.

------------------------------

When looking at the progress of the War on Terror since 9/11 - what does this tell us about the rationality, awareness and intelligence of people who say, "Bush has won 2 wars"... and "the surge has worked" ... and "there's not a lot of anti-war sentiment out there"?? It is more than simple denial. It is a desperate authoritarian effort to save face and cling to the status quo.

It's official: US Army official historical document details gross incompetence of Bush Administration Iraq policy

The history of the Iraq War is now being documented. Over 35 documentaries have already been filmed. One of the best: Frontline - Bush's War is extremely well written and sourced.

But now, its time for the military official historians to write the official history of the Iraq War.

Before the Iraq invasion, Bush surrounded himself with "yes men" like Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Tommy Franks. He got rid of those like Gen. Shinseki who warned that we needed many more troops than Rumsfeld proposed to secure Iraq in the aftermath. He ignored Col. Kevin Benson, a planner at the land war command, who developed a plan that called for using about 300,000 soldiers to secure postwar Iraq, about twice as many as were deployed. Colin Powell tried to dissuade Bush from the invasion. He told Bush, "you break it, you own it." In essence - if you invade Iraq, the US will be responsible for the welfare of the country and it's citizens. So what happened? Tommy Franks turned out to be a failure. According to the report, he assumed the fighting was over and put the military effort in the hands of a short-staffed headquarters over the objections of the Army’s vice chief of staff. “The move was sudden and caught most of the senior commanders in Iraq unaware,” states the history, which adds that the staff for the new headquarters was not initially “configured for the types of responsibilities it received.” Franks blamed the Defense Dept and the Pentagon leadership.

Bush failed miserably and now it is officially documented. Here we are today, an unstable Iraq where there is war with no end in sight, the US is still unilaterally paying the cost, Americans dying everyday, millions of Iraqis dead, maimed and/or displaced. The report has vindicated Gen. Shinseki whom the Bush administration marginalized and all the other Generals that came forward with complaints of incompetent leadership of the Bush Administration.

CNN Story

NYT Story

PDF Report

The disaster of the Bush presidency

It is absolutely stunning the ability of the authoritarian right to tout the "great presidency" of GW Bush in face of facts. It could only be one of two things: 1) authoritarian worship, or 2) a simple lack of knowledge and information.

It's no secret that those who get their information exclusively from 'conservative news sources' are misinformed. This of course has been proven to be deliberate misinformation as been shown time and time again, most recently through the Pentagon military analyst scandal. The Bushies eat it up... hook, line and sinker - they swallow.

Question: On whose watch did 9/11 happen? What did Bush do when Tenet and Clarke and the entire intelligence establishment was telling him an attack was imminent? Answer: he went on vacation - for a month. And he's now the big hero... the big protector? How can people thank Bush for "a safer America" because there haven't been any 'further attacks' - especially after the influx of at least 12 million illegals on his watch? If the radical Muslims we're supposedly "fightin' over there so we don't have to fight 'em here" are such a threat, what is keeping them out? What... you think only Mexicans are capable of running across the border? But if we thought logically about this, neo-cons would not be able to use fear to support the war. Stay afraid! (40 some odd presidents can claim they kept America safe because of no attacks on the homeland. It's absolutely ludicrous!)

A Government report flatly states that an al Qaeda attack is now likely because the Bush Administration has not met US security goals to destroy the terrorist threat, and we hear a few days ago a Pentagon report that states the Taliban are flourishing in Afghanistan 7 years after 9/11, and that coalition deaths reached an all-time high last month. Yet, believe it or not, there are actually people who are so delusional and in denial that they thank GW Bush for "winning two wars"!!

Is it amazing some people are so delusional that they actually believe that Bush has somehow "restored dignity to the White House." How so? By committing war crimes and torturing people to death? By ignoring subpoenas , abusing power, repeatedly violating federal law and the Constitution? The GOP Culture of Corruption is a term that has made its way into posterity ... like the Republican practice of smear - 'swiftboating'. So how did Bush restore integrity to the White House, by employing numerous convicted felons in his administration, lobbying and campaigning? David Safavian, Scooter Libby, and Ken Lay .... and Jack Abramoff, who met Bush a dozen times, was photographed with him 6 times ... yet Bush says "I don't know him" ?? The White House lied about their contact with Abramoff. Further, the White House tried to conceal meetings with Abramoff and other criminals by trying to hide White House visitor logs. Then, in violation of the Presidential Records Act - the White House loses millions of emails - specifically during the period of the run up to the Iraq War and the Plame outing.

...and this is just the tip of the iceberg, just a small fraction sampling of the corruption.

Is that YOUR idea of integrity ? It's not mine.

And then there's the economy ... a mortgage crisis and reeling from high food and energy prices, the dollar is weaker internationally than ever, earnings down, and...

• Job Growth Among the Slowest of Any Administration in over 70 Years
• Private Sector Job Growth Among the Worst of Any Administration in over 70 Years
  
• Job Growth Slowing Since Fall 2005 Peak
• Unemployment Rate up by 1.3 Percentage Points

• 2.5 Million More Unemployed
  
• Long-Term Unemployment More Than Double Since President Bush Took Offic
• Employee Compensation Has Lagged Far Behind Productivity

• The Bush Economy Real Earnings Growth Weak and Unequal Relative to 1990s Expansion
  

• Large Projected Surpluses Turned Into Large Deficits
  

• $4.2 Trillion More Debt in FY 2008
  

• Bush Tax Cuts Will Be More Than 100 Times Larger for Millionaires than for Middle Income Households

• One of Only Three Administrations with a Decline in Household Income

• Real Median Household Income Down $982

• Real Household Income Has Declined for All Except the Richest since 2000

• One of Only Four Administrations with an Average Annual Rise in the Poverty Rate

• 4.9 Million More Americans in Poverty

• 8.6 Million More Americans Without Health Insurance

Bush - one of the world's least trusted leaders

WPO: "A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of 20 nations around the world finds that none of the national leaders on the world stage inspire wide confidence. US President George W. Bush is one of the least trusted leaders..."

Is anyone surprised?

WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted the poll of 19,751 respondents in nations that comprise 60 percent of the world's population. This includes most of the largest nations--China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Russia--as well as Mexico, Argentina, Britain, France, Spain, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Turkey, the Palestinian territories, South Korea and Thailand. Fielding was conducted between January 10 and May 6. The margins of error range from +/-2 to 4 percent.

ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

Wouldn't it be great if the impeachment of GW Bush could be decided by a national referendum? Nevertheless, these Articles of Impeachment are now permanent part of the Congressional Record and Congressman Dennis Kucinich is an American Hero for presenting them. These 35 Articles make Clinton's Impeachment look like a parking ticket. They are simply too numerous and too well documented to ignore.

It is my pleasure, duty and honor to submit to you:

ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

INDEX

Article I
Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a False Case for War Against Iraq.

Article II
Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of Aggression.

Article III
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for War.

Article IV
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States.

Article V
Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression.

Article VI
Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of H. J. Res114.

Article VII
Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.

Article VIII
Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of the UN Charter.

Article IX
Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle Armor.

Article X
Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for Political Purposes.

Article XI
Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq.

Article XII
Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation's Natural Resources.

Article XIIII
Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and Military Policies With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries.

Article XIV
Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of Classified Information And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of Valerie Plame Wilson, Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Article XV
Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal Contractors in Iraq.

Article XVI
Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in Connection With Iraq and US Contractors.

Article XVII
Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And Without Charge Persons Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives.

Article XVIII
Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the Use of Torture Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places, as a Matter of Official Policy.

Article XIX
Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against Their Will to "Black Sites" Located in Other Nations, Including Nations Known to Practice Torture.

Article XX
Imprisoning Children.

Article XXI
Misleading Congress and the American People About Threats from Iran, and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran, With the Goal of Overthrowing the Iranian Government.

Article XXII
Creating Secret Laws.

Article XXIII
Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.

Article XXIV
Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered Warrant, in Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment.

Article XXV
Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an Illegal and Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers and Emails of American Citizens.

Article XXVI
Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing Statements.

Article XXVII
Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and Instructing Former Employees Not to Comply.

Article XXVIII
Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice.

Article XXIX
Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Article XXX
Misleading Congress and the American People in an Attempt to Destroy Medicare.

Article XXXI
Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency.

Article XXXII
Misleading Congress and the American People, Systematically Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change.

Article XXXIII
Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High Level Intelligence Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior to 911.

Article XXXIV
Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks of September 11, 2001.

Article XXXV
Endangering the Health of 911 First Responders.

____________

ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

Resolved, that President George W. Bush be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:

The authoritarian conservative war on America

They say, if you don't support Bush, you're a Democrat who is giving "aid to the enemy," "invested in defeat," and "not supporting our troops." It is a partisan attack, 'us and them', where all Democrats are the enemy and in support of 'surrender.'

Did it ever occur to these authoritarians that lifelong Republicans - like military generals who'd seen a lifetime of military service have called the Iraq venture "a night mare without end" (Gen. R. Sanchez), and "the war in Iraq has fueled recruitment of violent Islamic extremists" (Gen. John Batiste). They also said about Bush: "there has been a glaring, unfortunate, display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders" - Sanchez; and Bush has run a "failed strategy that is breaking our great Army" - Batiste.

Do these career Generals want to lose? Do they want to help the enemy? I can quote many more high ranking military that have spoken out. Included on this list are Generals Newbold, Eaton, Odom, Swannack, Zinni, Riggs, Clark and others. Many are life long Republicans. Below is a photo of General Charles Swannack, an Iraq vet and 30 year career soldier who spoke out against the incompetence of the Bush war plan. Does he look like a 'candy-ass liberal' invested in aiding the enemy?

And you Bush supporters have the balls to tell me I "don't support our troops"? If you support Bush, YOU certainly do not support the troops.

1. Bush sent in troops to Iraq with out adequate body armor or vehicle armor resulting in mass casualties including 320,000 brain injuries. A 2006 study showed that 80% of marines killed from upper body wounds would have survived, if they'd had adequate body armor.

2. Bush's "Stop-Loss policy" had prevented at least 50,000 troops from leaving the military when their service was scheduled to end - just since 2006.

3. Bush used National Guard troops for his surge that was overburdening units already stretched to their limits according to both Republican and Democratic governors.

4. Bush is sending troops in without adequate training. Two army brigades had to forgo their desert training to accommodate Bush's escalation schedule. Soldiers who were classified as medically unfit to fight are now being sent to war.

5. Bush has opposed pay raises for military, time and time again.

6. Bush proposed cutting funding for military housing and medical facilities. In the fiscal year 2004 budget the President Bush proposed spending nearly $1.5 billion less on these critical facilities than the previous year. (House Appropriation Committees)

7. Bush proposed rolling back increases for imminent-danger pay. Soldiers on the front lines recieve a small monthly payment as compensation for being placed in imminent danger. Bush proposed cutting this fee from $225 a month to $150 a month. (Army Times)

8. Bush eliminated aid to schools located on military bases. He sliced $125 million in federal subsidies for education children of troops. The cuts affected "about 900,000 children nationwide and 63 percent of children in military families." (Seattle Times)

9. Bush has said he would veto the Webb bill providing troops with increased education benefits. The first president in history to veto a benefits bill for those who served.

And you Bush supporters have the balls to tell me I'm "aiding the enemy"?

When a Government report flatly states that an al Qaeda attack is now likely because the Bush Administration has not met US security goals to destroy the terrorist threat and close the al Qaeda's safe haven. Further, the report states that the Bush Administration has no plans to eliminate this known terrorist threat.

87 months after Richard Clarke first insisted that the Bush Administration develop a strategy to combat Al Qaeda, 62 months after the Bush Administration announced its intention to eliminate terrorist sanctuaries, 45 months after the 9/11 Commission called for the Administration to develop a strategy to eliminate terrorist sanctuaries, 258 days after Congress required the Administration to submit a strategy to combat terrorist safe havens in Pakistan within 90 days, the GAO releases a report (pdf) finding:

No comprehensive plan for meeting U.S. national security goals in the fight against terrorism has been developed, as stipulated by the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism (2003), called for by an independent commission (2004), and mandated by congressional legislation (2007).

Result: al Qaeda is stronger than ever

If you support Bush, you are either a misinformed idiot, you buy the unreasonable fear that is peddled to control you, or you are an authoritarian ass-kisser whose only interests are to yourself and your politics, not to the well being of America or our military - your only interests are to save face because you are not man enough to admit you made a mistake by supporting an incompetent president who has severely damaged America. And all they can talk about is Rev. Wright, Tony Rezko, and the GOP swiftboat du jour... while trying to rationalize any & all failings of the Bush administration while they hide and tap dance - trying every way possible to avoid oversight, investigations, and accountability til time runs out in the term.

We must succeed in Iraq and with new and competent leadership, we can hopefully repair the damage of the Bush years, abandon the isolationist arrogant foreign policy and look to the world to build more partners in the war on terror. Gen Batiste has praised the recent gains in Iraq but notes: "Ultimately, however, these military gains must be cemented with regional and global diplomacy, political reconciliation, and economic recovery...tools yet sufficiently utilized." Without diplomacy, a willingness to reach out and a comprehensive world view, victory will be only temporary. This war should not have lasted this long and should not have been shouldered soley on the backs of our military. We have paid a terrible price due to the policies of GW Bush.

Obama leads McSame in national polls and electoral map

heh... and we're just gettin' started. Cool.

Very cool.

Which way is he going? down ... down ... down...

CBS: President Bush's approval rating is at its lowest level to date. Just 25 percent of Americans approve of the overall job Mr. Bush is doing as President, an all-time low for him and among the lowest approval ratings ever recorded for a President.

Not one single country in the world supports the US occupation of Iraq

The most recent comprehensive international poll on the subject - completed 7/26/07 - shows that of 23,000 people in 22 countries polled, not one single country supports the US occupation of Iraq. Further, the study shows anti-occupation sentiment growing as compared to a 2006 poll.

Overall:

A majority of citizens across the world (67%) think US-led forces should leave Iraq within a year, according to a BBC World Service poll of 23,000 people across 22 countries. Just one in four (23%) think foreign troops should remain in Iraq until security improves.

Muslim countries are among those who most strongly support an immediate US withdrawal from Iraq: Indonesia (65%), Turkey (64%), and Egypt (58%).

Even Israel supports withdrawal. 52% of Israelis want the US out immediately or within a year as compared with 40% who want the US out only when security improves. The Philippines and Kenya offer the most support for a US occupation with a slight majority opposing.



Change is in the air. The most recent Zogby Poll - the only poll that takes into account the candidacies of Bob Barr and Ralph Nader - shows Obama with a solid 10 point lead over McCain.

Bush also has hit a record low approval rating on Zogby of 23%.