It's A Start

This week the Vermont Senate voted 16 to 9 for a non-binding resolution calling for the impeachment of both Bush and Cheney.

The resolution says the actions of Bush and Cheney "raise serious questions of constitutionality, statutory legality, and abuse of the public trust."

Vermont citizens and lawmakers are often ahead of the curve on political issues and are more formally expressing sentiments that have been growing across the nation.

Late Update: Ohio Representative and candidate for president, Dennis Kucinich has decided to start with Cheney calling today for his impeachment in House Resolution No.333.

It's a start.

Missed Opportunity

It seems to me that NBC News could have had the best of both worlds in regards to the decision to release portions of the so-called “manifesto” of the murderer of 32 at Virginia Tech.

The news organization could have shown restraint and some sense of integrity by waiting to broadcast the video recordings of the killer. They would have likely gotten positive feedback from the public and even other news media outlets.

They could have gotten plenty of airtime just talking about having received the package.

They would also have the opportunity to review and analyze the material and with input of psychology experts, criminal profilers, and even the families of the victims, release a more newsworthy version of the tapes and information they received.

It is hard for NBC news to justify (just look at Brian Williams’ face when he tries to explain it) how they casually and callously threw the stuff out on the airwaves.

But for most viewers their actions look opportunistic and selfish. Arguably, they have provided an invitation for the next psychopath looking for attention. Clearly, they have diminished their own reputation as a news organization of integrity.

If you have any doubts, tune into the Fox News Channel to watch the skewering of NBC.

Drugs and Guns

“In the United States, if you are seriously depressed, you can purchase anti-depressive drugs like Prozac, but only if you have a prescription from a doctor.

But in the United States, in places like Virginia, a seriously depressed or deranged person can walk into a store and buy a semi-automatic handgun and a box of ammunition. All you need is two forms of identification.

You don’t need permission from a doctor or counselor or anyone in the business of screening people to make sure they’re fit to have a gun.”

Robert Reich (former Clinton Labor Secretary) writing this week in his blog

The Pretender

"John McCain's not an idiot. I'm sure he knows that it's not safe in Baghdad, but he has to pretend that it's safe in Baghdad because that's what the GOP base wants to hear."

-Bill Maher on John McCain

Sheer Stupidity

In apparently another attempt to pass the buck on the “War Without End”, Bush has come up with a new position he wants to call “War Czar”. So far, three generals have declined the job and most people in Washington are bewildered by the idea. Writing for MSNBC, military analyst and retired U.S. Army Colonel Jack Jacobs calls it “another harebrained scheme” by the Bush White House. He adds, “the sheer stupidity of it is staggering.”

Clearly, from Bush’s point of view, someone with the title “Commander in Chief” or “Secretary of Defense” should not be in charge.

Fire Katie

Katie Couric should be fired for her recent plagiarism. And Don Imus should be fired for his recent racist and sexists comments. But let’s not stop there.

Lou Dobbs should be fired for pretending to care about working Americans. Brian Williams should be fired for pretending the surge in Iraq is working. Bill Maher should be fired for appearing on Larry King too often. Larry King should be fired for asking lousy questions. Everyone at the Weather Channel should be fired for those asinine ad libs. Al Roker should be fired for trying to be funny. John Stewart should be fired for being about as funny as Al Roker.

Chris Matthews should be fired for acting like a Republican. Joe Scarborough should be fired for acting like a Democrat. Keith Olbermann should be fired for covering “American Idol”. Bill O’Reilly should just be fired. Dan Rather should be…oh right, he already was fired. It’s a start.

Spring Back

Reading the news over the past week or two I can’t help but get the feeling we shouldn’t have turned the clocks forward but instead maybe should turn the clocks back. Way back.

Now I may be just guessing here but it seems to me that CBS might want Dan Rather back. Then the “Today Show” probably would want Katie Couric back.

There is sentiment in Iraq that some Iraqis want Saddam Hussien back. And George Bush (if he were sane) would want the last four years back. Certainly John McCain wants the last six months back.

And America wants Bill Clinton back.

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs wants his retirement back.
Keith Richards want his father’s ashes back.
Imus wants his stupid comments back.
Al Gore wants his electricity back.
Senator Inhofe wants his gavel back.
Karl Rove wants his e-mails back.
Rudy Giuliani wants that video of himself in drag back.

But as cold as it has been the last few days, most of the country just wants spring back.

Photo Op Travesty

“John McCain and Lindsey Graham put American soldiers' lives at risk just so they could have a photo op. That's the bottomline. Why didn't they do a ride along on a real patrol? Perhaps they could have joined the U.S. team that responded to an ambush of an American patrol yesterday? Of course a total of six U.S. soldiers died in that operation. S***! You can't take real risks. No sir. Instead, U.S. military resources are devoted to making propaganda. U.S. soldiers were ordered into harms way just to ensure a congressional delegation could walk around, look serious, and perpetuate the lie that more U.S. soldiers must come to Iraq and die. That was a propaganda event and f****** General Petraeus ought to be ashamed.”

-Larry Johnson; Former CIA Officer who served as Deputy Director of the State Department's Office of Counter-terrorism under the first President Bush

Abolish The Ads

Before you send off that check for $100 that you were thinking would help elect your favorite candidate, consider this: $75 of that $100 will be spent to annoy you and frustrate you with T.V., radio, and internet ads.

That’s right. 75% of campaign money is spent on advertising. Those negative ads we all say we hate. But also those warm and fuzzy ads that make us cringe even when they put our candidate in a good light (maybe especially when they put our candidate in a good light).

It is this absurd and slick arena of advertising that is electing our leaders. It is not speeches. It is not the candidate’s character. It is not debates. It is advertising.

It takes lots and lots of cash to buy good advertising professionals and it takes even more cash to air the ads day and night.

The candidates have to do many things (some unspeakable) in order to get all that cash.

Think about it. This is exactly why we have the candidates we have and why the candidates we have run he campaigns they do.

Then try thinking about this novel idea: What would our candidates and their campaigns look like if we abolished campaign ads.

For starters, our leaders would have to run on their ideas, their intelligence, their character, and their ability to clearly articulate a case for why they should be elected.

Imagine that. Then you would imagine a world where a George W. Bush would not be chosen as President of the United States. Twice.

Oversight Overreaching Overblown

In the last year or so, while public opinion has mounted against them, conservatives have been able to hold on to a significant (if relatively small) portion of Americans by using catch phrases and slogans to frame the debate concerning the war.

Phrases like “slow-bleed”, “support the troops”, “cut-and run”, and “timetables for withdraw” have all been injected into the discussions by Republicans making it just a little harder to reject the absurd line of reasoning they are offering.

The conservative politicians and pundits are very good at repetition of the latest talking points in interviews while the Democrats seem to struggle with a clear and concise response no matter how obviously they have logic and common sense and public sentiment on their side.

The latest label being tossed at the Dems is “over-reaching”. They are being scolded by Republican politicians for doing their constitutional duty of oversight of the Executive branch (a duty the Republicans willingly neglected for the first 6 years of the Bush Administration).

The Democrats are being told that there will be a voter back-lash at the polls if they pass too much legislation or investigate the slew of White House scandals that are emerging on a daily basis.

But, in general, the public tends to think that Congress doesn’t do enough and it is hard to see that the voters who booted the Republicans out for endlessly going along with Bush and never, ever holding him to account, will somehow now reject the other party for doing exactly that.

Republicans say they learned their lesson about over-reaching during the Clinton years and suffered at the polls. But the truth is they were not booted out during the Clinton years despite their own aggressive over-sight (you might say “completely misdirected oversight”). The Republicans were only booted out after years of doing nothing other than what they were directed to do by Rove, Cheney, and Bush.

It seems to me the voters will only reject the Congress if they continue to see no accountability, no investigation. Few Congresses get the public opinion so much on their side as the current Congress has. Bush’s approval is at record lows and the public seems to want somebody-anybody- to rein in this madman.

As House majority leader Steny Hoyer recently said, “I suppose there is always a risk of going too far, but the risk of not going far is greater.”