Confirmed: Bush is worst ever

22%

CBS:
Mr. Bush’s approval rating [22%] equals the lowest ever achieved by a sitting president, and is matched only by President Truman in 1952. His 72% disapproval rating is a new high that has never been equaled.

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.

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)

Bush war crimes confirmed

After years of disclosures by government investigations, media accounts, and reports from human rights organizations, there is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes. The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account.

-- Maj. General Antonio Taguba

A new report released by Physicians for Human Rights: Broken Laws, Broken Lives, presents irrefutable medical evidence that confirms first-hand accounts of men who endured torture by US personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay. These men were never charged with any crime.

This year's Oscar winning documentary, Taxi to the Dark Side, also chronicles the Bush Administration's moral values on torture. The story is about the controversial death of an Afghan taxi driver named Dilawar. Dilawar was beaten to death by American soldiers while being held in detention at the Bagram Air Base.

Impeachment would not be a sufficient for such crimes. A war crimes tribunal is in order.

Bush approval goes DOWN DOWN DOWN - dragging McCain with him

Bush Approval Ratings Tumble to Another Record Low - McCain Approval Ratings Follow
In the traditionally Bush-friendly Rasmussen Reports, 48% of Americans now STRONGLY DISAPPROVE of Bush - a record. Overal, a total of 67% disapprove.

Rasmussen's all time low of 31% represents the high side. Other Bush approval ratings include:

Harris - 24% ; CBS - 25% ; NBC - 28% ; USA/Gallup - 28% ; Quinnipac - 28%

Rasmussen:

After falling to a record full-month low in May, George W. Bush’s report card from the American people fell even further during the first week of June.

For the seven days ending June 7, just 31% approved of the way the President is performing his job. Sixty-seven percent (67%) disapproved. Both figures are records.

Those figures include just 12% who Strongly Approve of the President’s performance. Four times as many—48%--Strongly Disapprove.

McCain's favorability rating drops 10 point since nomination

MSNBC:

In March, MccCains favorability rating was 49%-27%. Later that month, it was 45%-25%. In April, it was 40%-30%. And now in our latest NBC/WSJ poll, it’s 39%-34% -- that’s a drop of 10 points.

Wingnuts will point out that Congress approval ratings are also at an all-time low. So what? - Consider these NBC polls:

Generic congressional ballot:
Democrats 52%
Republicans 33%

Party favorability:
Democratic Party
43% approve
32% disapprove

Republican Party
28% approve
47% disapprove

More here and here. You want to see Congress polls go up? Impeach Bush.

Supreme Court ruling verifies Bush Impeachment Article XVII on unconstitutional detention

The Impeachment of GW Bush is a slam dunk case.

How much more verification of the charges do we need? Any one of the 35 Articles are grounds for Impeachment. The Supreme Court agrees:

AP: The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay have rights under the Constitution to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts. The justices handed the Bush administration its third setback at the high court since 2004 over its treatment of prisoners who are being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, said, "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times." The court said not only that the detainees have rights under the Constitution, but that the system the administration has put in place to classify them as enemy combatants and review those decisions is inadequate.

Human rights groups have blasted Gitmo. There is ample evidence for torture. This year's Oscar Award winning documentary Taxi to the Dark Side chronicles the Bush Administration's policy of torture and rendition which apply to Impeachment Articles XVII, XVIII, XIX, and XX.

McCain doesn't really want to be seen with Bush

McCain and Bush seen together publicly for the first time in 3 months - for just 26 seconds.

The Bush - McCain fund raiser last week was moved from the Phoenix Convention Center to a private residence because of poor ticket sales and a desire to keep the press away. Bush and McCain were seen in public after the fund raiser, but only for 26 seconds on an airport tarmac.

No wonder, polls show Bush with the highest disapproval of any president in modern American history.

If I were a terrorist, I'd ....

If I were a terrorist, I'd ....

How 'southernism' has affected American politics

From an interesting op/ed in Newsweek on how the conservative south has changed the face of American politics: "How the South won this Civil War" by Michael Hirsh.

Based on these trends, I'd say it's not been a healthy direction for America. Hirsh cites the founding fathers, the Jefferson-Adams letters:

When Jefferson, in his letter of May 5, 1817, condemned the "den of the priesthood" and "protestant popedom" represented by Massachusetts' state-supported church, he was speaking for both of them--the North and South poles of the revolution. Yet John McCain, even with the GOP nomination in hand, would never dare repeat his brave but politically foolhardy condemnation of the religious right in 2000 as "agents of intolerance." Why? Because we have become an intolerant nation, and that's what gets you elected.

And as a result you have this kind of shit in politics as Hirsh points out:

We must endure "lapel-pin politics" that elevates the shallowest sort of faux jingoism over who's got a better plan for Iraq and Afghanistan. We have re-imported creationism into our political dialogue (in the form of "intelligent design"). Hillary Clinton panders shamelessly to Roman Catholics, who have allied with Southern Protestant evangelicals on questions of morality, with anti-abortionism serving as the main bridge.

Hirsh explains the irrational southern conservative hero worship of GW Bush:

In Bush there seems little trace left of the Eastern WASP sensibility into which he was born and educated, and which explains so much of his father's far more moderate presidency. The younger Bush went to Andover, Yale and Harvard, but he rebelled against the ethos he learned there. The transformation is complete, right down to the Texas accent that no one else in his family seems to have.

And you can see where we are now as a result: seriously lacking leadership possessing sensibility, intelligence, prudence and the competence that moderate, balanced and diverse influences bring. Some might say it's a culture war where a lack of knowledge coupled with religious fundamentalism, authoritarianism, isolationism, and bigotry have indelibly changed American politics. Hence the emergence of intolerance, the 'white Christian party' and the neo-cons. I shudder to think where we'd be right now if the Bush presidency had been successful in any measure. Fortunately, the jury is in on that.

It's official - Bush the worst in history

Bush's disapproval rating 69% -- worst of any president in the 70 year history of the Gallup Poll

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Bush has set a record he'd presumably prefer to avoid: the highest disapproval rating of any president in the 70-year history of the Gallup Poll.

In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday, 28% of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing; 69% disapprove. The approval rating matches the low point of his presidency, and the disapproval sets a new high for any president since Franklin Roosevelt.

The previous record of 67% was reached by Harry Truman in January 1952, when the United States was enmeshed in the Korean War.

More encouraging was this:

Of independents, 23% approve, 72% disapprove of the job he's doing.

And more good news, this is from Pennsylvania but is shaping up to be a national trend:

Since Jan. 1, more than 178,000 people in Pennsylvania have changed their party affiliations, and 92 percent of them have gone from Republican or independent to Democrat.

Where is the GOP going?

Down

Down

Down !!!!

Bush crime family continues to hide from the law

Criminal behavior? You're damn right, that's why they call it "criminal contempt."

The criminal contempt citations of White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former presidential counsel Harriet Miers have been ignored by the Bush Administration, as was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's request to Attorney General Michael Mukasey to refer the House's contempt citations to a federal grand jury. Instead of letting a jury decide, Bush uses his henchman Mukasey to subvert the law.

This means the vital separation of powers between the Executive and Judicial branches of our Federal government have been violated. The Dept. of Justice is in bed with Bush and is not acting responsibly.

This begs the question:

If the Bush Administration did nothing wrong in the attorney firings investigation and various other investigations, why don't they surrender documents, White House emails, and put people on record with testimony?

Answer:

They've got something to hide - a crime.

This action is illegal - ignoring a contempt of Congress citation. Also, failing to produce White House emails is an illegal violation of the Presidential Records Act.

The criminals stonewall justice and have politicized the Department of Justice in an abuse of power and illegal violation of the Constitutional separation of powers.

So, as a result of this criminal behavior, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has filed a lawsuit against Bolten and Miers in federal court.

Let's hope the best for the integrity of our Justice system and show these cowards that they can't hide.

Bill Maher Rules

Hilarious "New Rules" segment from Bill Maher.

Listen to what he says about war funding (at 2:00 into the video) that gets the audience screaming. Also, check out Bill's commentary on John McCain's new campaign tactic (at 3:30 into the video).

or watch it here on Youtube

Impeachment is not punishment, it is protecting the US Constitution from precedent setting abuse

Article in Harpers Magazine as to why the impeachment of Bush/Cheney is vital for securing the integrity and future of our Constitution.

Impeaching President Bush and Vice President Cheney for their attempts to hijack the Constitution would make a clear statement about abuse of power. It would also serve to put reasonable constraints on the conduct of their successors–who are likely to be Democrats. This is a step which genuine Conservatives and Republicans who adhere to their party’s former understanding of a government with an executive of carefully limited and checked powers should welcome and embrace.

Bush’s abuses cannot be taken as precedent by future presidents. Indeed, failure to use impeachment has its consequences: it means acceptance of Bush’s transformation of the constitutional order. It means that the careful balance between legislature, executive and judiciary created by the Framers has been undone, and the executive has triumphed as the paramount power. Impeachment may be a painful process, of course, but Americans should consider whether their Constitution is worth saving.

Of course, if you're an authoritarian fascist, you won't agree with protecting the US Constitution. Ever notice, many conservatives, especially rural and southern cultural conservatives have very little awareness of the Bush administration's abuse of power. They'd rather not talk about politics as their understanding of these abuses seldom goes beyond what they hear from conservative talk radio or what their parents and friends believe. They've never heard of terms or issues like signing statements, pending contempt of congress citations, US attorney scandal, telecom immunity, etc... all issues that affect the Constitutionally mandated separation of powers. I'd be willing to bet that most conservatives have no idea who Jack Abramoff is and why he is in jail. But they sure know about guns, god, and gays... and the biggest oxymoron of them all - "moral values". Another oxymoron - a strong national defense. Under Bush, the American military has never been more stretched and weakened - making America less safe.

Polls say anything is better than the leadership of GW Bush

In the year 2000, we saw a disaster for America in the Supreme Court's selection of GW Bush as President. . . and we were right.

ABC poll:
An unprecedented number of Americans: 79% say the next president should set the nation on a new course rather than following the direction in which Bush has been leading. (And two-thirds feel that way strongly).

CBS poll:
An unprecedented number of Americans: 75% think the country is off on the wrong track.


Here's the GW Bush resume

PBS Documentary: Cheney's Law - how the Bush Administration manipulated law to abuse power

Spectacular PBS Frontline Documentary tells how through the White House Office of legal council, and David Addington's signing statements, the Bush Administration subverts democracy and is allowed the power to detain, interrogate, torture, wiretap and spy -- without congressional approval or judicial review.

PBS Frontline

After Sept. 11, Cheney and Addington were determined to implement their vision -- in secret. The vice president and his counsel found an ally in John Yoo, a lawyer at the Justice Department's extraordinarily powerful Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). In concert with Addington, Yoo wrote memoranda authorizing the president to act with unparalleled authority.

"Through interviews with key administration figures, Cheney's Law documents the bruising bureaucratic battles between a group of conservative Justice Department lawyers and the Office of the Vice President over the legal foundation for the most closely guarded programs in the war on terror," says FRONTLINE producer Michael Kirk. This is Kirk's 10th documentary about the Bush administration's policies since 9/11.

In his most extensive television interview since leaving the Justice Department, former Assistant Attorney General Jack L. Goldsmith describes his initial days at the OLC in the fall of 2003 as he learned about the government's most secret and controversial covert operations. Goldsmith was shocked by the administration's secret assertion of unlimited power.

"There were extravagant and unnecessary claims of presidential power that were wildly overbroad to the tasks at hand," Goldsmith says. "I had a whole flurry of emotions. My first one was disbelief that programs of this importance could be supported by legal opinions that were this flawed. My second was the realization that I would have a very, very hard time standing by these opinions if pressed. My third was the sinking feeling, what was I going to do if I was pressed about reaffirming these opinions?"

As Goldsmith began to question his colleagues' claims that the administration could ignore domestic laws and international treaties, he began to clash with Cheney's office. According to Goldsmith, Addington warned him, "If you rule that way, the blood of the 100,000 people who die in the next attack will be on your hands."

Goldsmith's battles with Cheney culminated in a now-famous hospital-room confrontation at Attorney General John Ashcroft's bedside. Goldsmith watched as White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and Chief of Staff Andy Card pleaded with Ashcroft to overrule the department's finding that a domestic surveillance program was illegal. Ashcroft rebuffed the White House, and as many as 30 department lawyers threatened to resign. The president relented.

But Goldsmith's victory was temporary, and Cheney's Law continues the story after the hospital-room standoff. At the Justice Department, White House Counsel Gonzales was named attorney general and tasked with reasserting White House control. On Capitol Hill, Cheney lobbied Congress for broad authorizations for the eavesdropping program and for approval of the administration's system for trying suspected terrorists by military tribunals.

As the White House and Congress continue to face off over executive privilege, the terrorist surveillance program, and the firing of U.S. attorneys, FRONTLINE tells the story of what's formed the views of the man behind what some view as the most ambitious project to reshape the power of the president in American history.

Watch it on-line

Wild-eyed Bush pounds his chest and repeats 3 times: "I am the President!" ... ooga ooga

Republicans - here's the guy you voted for:

The president is being himself again according to the Dallas Morning News:

"By all reports, President Bush is more convinced than ever of his righteousness. Friends of his from Texas were shocked recently to find him wild-eyed, thumping himself on the chest three times while he repeated 'I am the president!' He also made it clear he was setting Iraq up so his successor could not get out of “our country’s destiny."

This is not the first report of strange behavior from the chimp. This is from the Nelson Report:

"Some big money players up from Texas recently paid a visit to their friend in the White House. They got out exactly one question, and the rest of the meeting consisted of the President in an extended whine, a rant, actually, about how "no one understands him, the critics are all messed up, if only people would see what he’s doing, things would be OK" …etc., etc.

Apparently the Texas friends were suitably appalled. Bad president!! No banana.