Bush and Abramoff...Friends?

Bush continues to deny he knows Jack Abramoff, yet Mr. Abramoff was on his Presidential Transition Team, advising the administration on policy and hiring at the Interior Department, which oversees Native American issues. Abramoff also suggested that Karl Rove hire his own top aide, Susan Ralston. She remains one of Rove’s top deputies.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7577133/site/newsweek/page/2/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2801588_pf.html

And what about this recollection of a campaign worker on the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign:


“He put his arm around Abramoff and told us that ‘this man is one of this administration’s greatest friends,’” Knally recalls. Knally declined a job in the Bush administration and returned to school after the election and remembers some in the campaign privately calling Abramoff a “sleazeball.”

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publ...icle_8013.shtml


Thanks, Howl of the Randi Rhodes message boards for helping to debunk the lies of the administration.

Soldier ordered to pay for armor

How's this for supporting the troops?

1st Lt. William “Eddie” Rebrook IV was ordered to pay $700 for misplaced body armor, that he lost after he was bombed in Iraq last year. Medics removed Rebrook's body armor so they could treat his wounds. Now the Army wants to be reimbursed for the armor. I think he already paid for the armor with his service to our country.

This situation just shows how empty all these "support the troops" talking points the administration spews really are.

Indicted Delay given key assigments

Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay was given the coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee. Anyone else seeing something wrong with this?

"Allowing Tom DeLay to sit on a committee in charge of giving out money is like putting Michael Brown back in charge of FEMA -- Republicans in Congress just can't seem to resist standing by their man," said Bill Burton, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

So let me get this straight, we replace "Duke" Cunningham with Tom DeLay? So much for the Republicans plan to "clean up" the corruption in the Congress. If DeLay is the best choice for this position what does this say for the other nominees if an indicted guy beat them out? How crooked are the other Representatives?

Not only did DeLay get this cushy Appropriations Committee seat, he also was given a seat on the subcommittee overseeing the Justice Department, which is currently investigating an influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with lawmakers. One of those lawmakers is Tom DeLay.

Did someone say conflict of interest?

Bush Can't Keep Lies Straight

In the latest attempt to justify his illegal wire-tapping of U.S. citizens, "President" Bush told reporters of a supposed terrorist plot to fly a plane into a Los Angeles building in 2002 that was thwarted because of electronic surveillance.

Don't believe this for one second. This is a typical distraction story these guys put out to hide something else that's going on. Mr. Bush couldn’t even keep his story straight he named the wrong building. "We believe the intended target was Liberty Tower in Los Angeles, California," Bush said. White House aides later corrected the statement saying he meant Library Tower.

This story is a typical misdirection by Bush to distract Americans from the real issues. First, that the wire-tapping program is illegal. Second, to continue to instill fear in the 39% of Americans who still support this administration, and those of us not paying attention. Third, this story is meant to distract you from the fact that the budget submitted this week is being discovered to have more holes in it than Swiss cheese.

Hey you thought Social Security privatization was off the table? Nope, it's in the budget. That is why we are having this distraction story today. Don't fall for these tricks people.

Alberto Gonzales Hearing

May I ask what is the point of this hearing if Alberto Gonzales is not under oath? This is an absolute joke.

The Republican Senators on the Senate Intelligence Committee have formed a unified front along party lines and assured the American public that no real resolution will come out of these, now meaningless hearings. We can expect a vote of 10-8 that the President did nothing wrong when he broke the law and illegally wire tapped U.S. citizens without a warrant from the FISA court.

Why no oath? Well that way when Alberto Gonzales lies to the Senators this time he cannot be held liable for perjury. Mr. Gonzales did lie under oath during his confirmation hearing when specifically Senator Feingold asked him about illegal wire tapping of U.S. citizens. At the time Alberto Gonzales claimed he had no knowledge of such a program, which has since been proven false.

Plus he is the guy who approved of the aggressive questioning of prisoners accused of being terrorists! He's the guy who said we could torture prisoners and disregard the Geneva Convention. He's the "torture guy!"

This is an absolute mockery of what these committee hearings are supposed to be about. There are no checks and balances in government anymore. Is there any question of the corruption of every single Republican Senator in Congress? No. They just rubber-stamp every single thing this Administration puts forth.

Why illegally wire tap? Since its inception the FISA court has only turned down four requests for warrants, and approved over 20,000 others. After 9/11, the Republicans asked if the Administration wanted changes to the FISA law, the Administration declined. So with nothing standing in their way of obtaining warrants, and even changing the law, this administration chose to circumvent the courts and illegally spy on citizens.

This Week In Lies

What a week! There were so many lies this week it is hard to know where to start. The “President” delivered his State of the Union address this past week, or as I refer to it “Lies, Lies, And Lies.” Oh my goodness, I haven‘t heard such a work of fiction since the last time I visited a Barnes & Noble. The only bit of truth was when he threatened anyone who would second-guess his spying on Americans. Which he again admitted to committing a crime, just in case anyone is paying attention.

Let’s see, Mr. Bush admitted to America being addicted to oil. Duh! I thought it was hilarious though when he suggested that we would be finding alternative energy options and that we would reduce our oil imports 75% by the year 2025. Big fat lie! Everyone in this administration benefits from the oil industry doing well; they are oil men (and women). The bush family is very close to the Saudi Royal family and has no intention of ever reducing the oil usage in this country. That is why the White House took back the statement the next day, saying the statement in the State of the Union address was ”purely an example.”

Switch grass? That should have been the giveaway to anyone listening. Now his Energy Secretary, Samuel W. Bodman and his national economic adviser said the president didn't mean it literally. The Secretary of Energy also said "This was purely an example." One unnamed White House official said, Bush wanted to dramatize the issue in a way that "every American" sitting out there listening to the speech understands.

How about the promise to increase education and medical coverage budget? Holy cow what a lie! Just about a week ago they cut 12.7 billion from the Pell Grant budget. Last week Congress passed a budget cut that cut money from the “No Child Left Behind” program and further cut money from Medicare and Medicaid. Isn’t that a direct contradiction to his statement the night before? Then on Monday, Feb. 6th Mr. Bush put out his budget plan that announced further cuts to public programs. So much for heath care and education for everyone. Check out these articles as well:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/02/06/AR2006020600173.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/02/06/AR2006020601158.html

This brings us to the idiotic plan to reduce the deficit by making permanent the tax cuts for the wealthy. We will reduce the deficit by taking in less money? What kind of backwards thinking economics is that? Rich folks pay fewer taxes, the middle class and poor pay more, and Medicare, Medicaid, and Education budgets are slashed to make up the difference. Where are we supposed to get the money for the 70,000 new math and science teachers he wants to hire? This is the kind of economic brilliance that led to Mr. Bush bankrupting every company he owned and worked for. The statements made by this man last Tuesday were complete fiction.

And what the heck was he talking about when he mentions human-animal hybrids? Where are they doing this? What a fanatical imagination he has. If you want to read the lies for yourself, check out the transcript.