Another Bill Maher Classic

Bill Maher said that last night in the "New Rules" from Real Time. Vintage DUzy (courtesy of Touchdown) and Maher!

Farewell Shoes for Dubya

A fellow blogger sent a link around about a friend of his who won the Grand Prize at an exhibit in a new gallery in Dallas. The title of his exhibit was "Farewell Shoes for Bush." There were many shoes to ponder, but this one was my favorite:


photo courtesy of the Dallas Observer

I think the shoe says it all in how I felt about Shrub and his ilk for the last 8 years. Thank you, Tom Lloyd-Boyd, for this expressive work of art.

Fearless

Reign of An Error Era Ends

Actually, I like Laura Bush and I appreciate what she did for libraries and promoting literacy more effectively than her mother-in-law did. But I have to say to her husband and his ilk, especially Dick Cheney and the neo-cons:

Goodbye and Good riddance.

Comforting Thought

This is the last Wed we have to spend kick around with the Chimperor-in-chief.

Maybe he's glad about it too.

WH Deserves a Bum Steer Award

Look at the below chart I swiped from Ezra Klein today. As citizens, taxpayers, or voters (the latter doesn't matter as much to the GOP) our country doesn't look so good after seven 4 more years of Bush and essentially, McCain economic policy. Granted, it's not quite the mess that Nixon and Ford left to Carter to fix, but it's still pretty awful.



McPalin was so bent in helping Main Street this week, even to suspend his campaign. Bush asked the bi-partisans to be our captains shepherds of Wall Street flock to lead the good sheep to greener pastures. And so they are trying, with visions of $700B in their arses.

Meantime, there are others in the bleeding heartland, but the White House's Office of Budget Management believes this is too much to help the foreclosed and unemployed Average Joe because it costs too much money.

Wow, what a revelation!

A 2nd stimulus package is proposed by the Dems and perhaps in the moment of the perception Dems caving in, the WH suddenly has gone back to regular programming after "McCain Faux Populist Interruptus".

From Think Progress:

Today, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a statement of administrative policy today recommending Bush veto a proposed second stimulus package. The $56.2 billion package, announced yesterday, would extend unemployment benefits for seven weeks, increase food stamp benefits by 10 percent, and provide $50 million for food banks, among other proposals. This afternoon, Senate conservatives successfully blocked the bill, as the motion to proceed won 52 votes, eight shy of the necessary 60.

In the press briefing today, just an hour before the Senate vote, Dana Perino said the White House opposed the measure, specifically citing its extension of unemployment and food stamp benefits as explanation:

PERINO: There’s some elements of the package that have been put forward by Democrats that we do not think would be stimulative to the economy, such as unemployment insurance. The food stamps, we believe we have met the need.

Doesn't any of the Fush ilk observe that perhaps if folks had an extension on unemployment benefits, they may be able to look for jobs longer and pay a bit back on mortgages. No. To quote a non-reality character, " Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" once the Dems signaled they could cave compromise with a bunch of partisans who don't give a damn about the rest of us but their campaign perks and coffers.

Food stamps are enough, if you do or don't qualify...right.

I don't get the connections. Or maybe I do.

JRE Buzz: NYC Edition

Greetings, BW Readers.

Wow, what a whirlwind of all kinds of buzz about John Edwards. He was in NYC for the past couple of days, in which he was honored by Demos, which is a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy organization. I noticed that among co-sponsors for the event were the SEIU and the American Federation of Teachers.

Edwards was also on the Today show again, in which Matt Lauer first chided Edwards for not speaking sooner about the endorsement of Barack Obama on Wednesday, and went on for the next 3 minutes or so about it. Lauer also wanted to fuel speculation about Edwards being a potential VP candidate, in which John put that one to bed:

Former presidential contender John Edwards said on Friday he would not be Democratic front-runner Barack Obama's running mate, but did not rule out taking a role in an Obama administration.

"Won't happen," Edwards told NBC's "Today" program when asked if he would be Obama's vice presidential pick. "This is not something I'm interested in."

Source: NY Times

Finally though, Lauer asked JRE more substantive: about Bush's comments in Israel, comparing Obama's comments to appeasement of Hitler:

It is beneath the President of the United States to make these kind of clearly political accusations when he is addressing the people of Israel on the 60th anniversary of Israel. It shouldn't have been done, particularly in combination with what has been an absolutely disasterous foreign policy."

Edwards was spot on, as usual.

You can watch the video here.

What Lauer didn't get out of Edwards about the endorsement, Greg Sargent at TPM Election Central ferreted a scoop from former JRE campaign staffers:

Edwards Secured Private Commitment From Obama That He'd Go On Poverty Tour As Nominee

This could require Obama to make a commitment of several days during a hard-fought general election, because Edwards specifically secured a commitment that it be a few days long, one top adviser said.

"Edwards was trying to think of ways to specifically hold them accountable," said another former top Edwards adviser. "It's easy for a Democrat to say, `Sure, I'll make poverty central to my campaign.' A poverty tour was something he felt would be really powerful with the spotlight of the general election, and it was a tangible, real thing he could ask them to commit to."

Poverty tour is a great idea. But here's the icing on the cake:

Another of the advisers said that Edwards had secured a commitment that he'd accompany the tour. "It was a specific number of days on the road together, putting poverty front and center -- it would be with him," this adviser said. "He got them both to agree to this. He was really excited."

TPM Election Central

Believe it or not, the Brand X'ers welcomed the idea too, and thought maybe Hillary would like to go too.

Edwards' endorsement was dismissed by Newsweek and Time, but they left out three important ingredients: superdelegates, pledged delegates (especially Florida and possibly Michigan), and an endorsement by a union which backed Edwards: the United Steelworkers. It's possible the Mine Workers might follow.

After Memorial Day, John will back to join Rudy Giuliani in the Radio City Music Hall Speaker series, "The Minds that Move the World." The event is on May 28th and Tim Russert is the moderator.

Speaking of NYC, Elizabeth Edwards will be returning to the Personal Democracy Forum on June 23 in NYC. According to the program announcement, Elizabeth will be giving "her firsthand view of the power and prospects of internet-driven politics".

There is birthday in the Edwards Household a week from today, so I think Elizabeth and John will also be plenty busy planning a party.

John has asked supporters to donate to College for Everyone. It's the program he started in 2005 to raise money for financially disadvantaged students in Greene County, NC who have good grades and are willing to work 10 hours a week.

More buzz l8tr...

Nationals Fans Demonstrate their Opinion of Shrub

My understanding is that he kinda knew he was a bullseye for this type of reaction.

I'm reminded of a great snark tune entitled "Texan Love Song" by Elton John from the Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player CD.

Someone did a great video to the song, and this is the best way to hear it:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/501481/texan_love_song/

Shrub, get in line with your ilk. You don't deserve respect. Even Rodney Dangerfield wouldn't respect you either.

Bush Humor

I saw this bit of humor on one of the blogs today. Enjoy!

Bush Library Planning

Here are what the draft plans for the George W. Bush Library now call for:

The Alberto Gonzales Room - Where you can't remember any of the exhibits.

The Hurricane Katrina Room - It's still under construction.

The Texas Air National Guard Room - Where you don't have to even show up.

The Walter Reed Hospital Room - Where they don't let you in.

The Guantanamo Bay Room - Where they don't let you out.

The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room - Nobody has been able to find it.

The War in Iraq Room - After you complete your first tour, they can force you to go back for your second and third and fourth and fifth tours.

The K-Street Project Gift Shop - Where you can buy an election, or, if no one cares, steal one.

The Minneapolis Airport Men's (or Tapster's) Room - Where you could meet a Republican Senator (or two).

Olbermann's Special Comment

Keith Olbermann has come a long way from the days of being sportscaster at ESPN. Since 2005, he has been doing a number of special comments, directly directed at the Bush Administration. They are thoughtful, but very deliberate. His show is now highly rated and has surpassed Bill-O's Spin Zone of spew.

Tonight's special comment took me a little by surprise. I knew that he was going to say something about Bush and his act to commute Scooter Libby's sentence. I knew it would not be pretty, but it would be forceful. I had thought it would be something about impeachment. Instead, it was this:

It is nearly July 4^th, Mr. Bush, the commemoration of the moment we Americans decided that rather than live under a King who made up the laws, or erased them, or ignored them—or commuted the sentences of those rightly convicted under them—we would force our independence, and regain our sacred freedoms.

We of this time—and our leaders in Congress, of both parties—must now live up to those standards which echo through our history: Pressure, negotiate, impeach—get you, Mr. Bush, and Mr. Cheney, two men who are now perilous to our Democracy, away from its helm.

For you, Mr. Bush, and for Mr. Cheney, there is a lesser task. You need merely achieve a very low threshold indeed. Display just that iota of patriotism which Richard Nixon showed, on August 9^th, 1974.

Resign.

Wow. Keith speaks.

Click on the link to read and watch. Amazing commentary.

Update: Here's the video.