The Liberal Doomsayer My blog deals primarily with national politics in the U.S. as well as, on occasion, local politics in Pennsylvania. From time to time, I may have something to say about sports and entertainment as well. I try to interpret information that shapes the news and provide context to current events. I am definitely left of center politically, but as far as I'm concerned, neither major party is perfect. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 12 0 60 4272

Articles from The Liberal Doomsayer

You Have No Urgency Either, Bob 2007-08-15 11:01:00 I think I’m beginning to smell the real reason why Turd Blossom bailed out (though I have to admit that it occurred to Will Bunch first here – h/t Atrios – and I’ll elaborate in a minute…probably “echo chamber posting� lots of people here, but so be it).First, I’ll let you know that Sideshow Bob Casey returned from a fact-finding mission in Iraq with Sen. Dick Durbin (as noted here) and proclaimed the following…U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) said yesterday that his first trip to Iraq last week convinced him that the nation's new government has "no sense of urgency" to establish internal political peace or handle its own security.The visit reinforced his view that it is time to begin a phased withdrawal of U.S. combat troops, Casey told reporters during a Center City news conference. "The American people are running out of patience. This has lasted longer than World War II," he said. Casey could not give a timeline for withdrawal.Though the recent "surge" of 20,000 add ...

And The Rest Of The Valuables, Too 2007-08-15 09:43:00 I don’t know what they’re feeding Karen Heller over at The Inquirer as of late, but she has been positively lucid recently, and she was again today on the resignation the 2006 Republican political genius who lost both houses of Congress on his watch…The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons.- Ralph Waldo EmersonWhenever a person wholly devoted to work says he's leaving his post to spend more time with the family, it's time to count the spoons.And possibly, the subpoenas.Consider Karl Rove, White House deputy chief of staff, President Bush's political adviser, his brain, his architect, his boy genius, his - as the president puts it so endearingly - turd blossom."There's always something that can keep you here, and as much as I'd like to be here," Rove told the Wall Street Journal Monday, "I've got to do this for the sake of my family."This came as a shock after 61/2 years in Washington, D.C., even during the dog days of August.First, that Rove had a ...

Tuesday Videos 2007-08-14 23:32:00 Mark Ronson with Daniel Merriweather ("Stop Me" - the "concept" video for this song, I guess)......Happy Birthday to Dash Crofts of Seals and Crofts; they perform "Summer Breeze" at the Oregon State Fair in 1991 with the original tune dubbed in ("Year of Sunday" was my favorite among their recordings)......Happy Birthday also to David Crosby; "Almost Cut My Hair," live solo acoustic from 1991 also (must have been a good year for live performances - with all of Crosby's health issues and other travails, it's easy to forget just how good a performer he is)......Happy Birthday also to Steve Martin (and never forget, he's a ramblin' guy)......and I happened to come across this pretty amazing video called "Women In Film" by eggman913 at YouTube, and I hope you like it (click here for a list of the actresses appearing in it). ...

This Is An Unnecessary Post 2007-08-14 17:10:00 (But I’m going ahead with it anyway…)I know that, in Markos Moulitsas Zuniga’s appearance on Bleat The Press this Sunday with pretend Democrat Harold Ford, the latter threw out this scurrilous charge that The Daily Kos is some kind of an anti-Semetic hate site (a charge that seems to be in vogue now for Repugs and their acolytes, including Maine senator Susan Collins here, and the charges against firedoglake and MoveOn are equally laughable).You and I know all of this is patently ridiculous. I’ve seen enough of my share of actual hate speech against liberals in the Inquirer to recognize it, and if it actually were at the Daily Kos site, I wouldn’t have anything to do with it (I’ve also seen a ton of it in the Courier Times, but I have other reasons for reading the paper, so even though I refute it to rattle cages from time to time, I know I can’t defeat it).And I thought this was a nice wrapup of the whole “Meet The Press” thing and an aftermath on Hannity and Colmes, ...

Where's The Outrage Now, Inky? 2007-08-14 15:52:00 (The Orwell quote is, "The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it," in case that's not visible.)I would like to offer this quote also…“The war is lost.”Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), as noted here from April of this year.I would now like to offer this quote as well…"I don't know that there is any victory there. We're not going to be able to defeat all the crazies in Iraq."Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), as noted here, speaking at a town hall meeting in Mehoopany, Pa. last Sunday (registration required for this Inquirer story).Now tell me the difference between what Reid said and what Specter said.Need a minute? No problem, I’ll wait………Can’t think of one? OK.Then I’ll expect to see the chastising propaganda from Kevin Ferris in Friday’s editorial section attacking Specter with a sympathetic quote from one of our service people.I’ll also expect Michael Smerconish, Flush Limbore and the other right-wing radio propagandists to verbally assault Our Man Arlen to a sufficie ...

"Pulling A Gerson," Indeed 2007-08-14 14:39:00 As noted here, Bushco adviser and speechwriter Michael Gerson (center in photo) has come under fire from colleague Matthew Scully for claiming speechwriting credit where it wasn’t deserved; Scully’s article in the September issue of The Atlantic claims as follows…The narrative that Mike Gerson presented to the world is a story of extravagant falsehood. He has been held up for us in six years’ worth of coddling profiles as the great, inspiring, and idealistic exception of the Bush White House. In reality, Mike’s conduct is just the most familiar and depressing of Washington stories—a history of self- seeking and media manipulation that is only more distasteful for being cast in such lofty terms.This Washington Post article, the headline piece from last Sunday, of course claims that Scully is flat wrong (after providing background on Scully’s charge - registration required, I think), noting the following…The Scully article prompted a counteroffensive by Gerson allies. Pet ...

Patrick Minus The Freeper Fog 2007-08-14 11:52:00 (Of misinformation, name-calling and innuendo, I mean…).The following Guest Opinion appeared in the Courier Times today from John Wible who, as noted in the bio here, is a retired Teamster and a 35-year resident of Bucks County (I hate competition, especially when it’s good – snark – I spoke with John some time ago, and he’s a good dude).From the looks of the recent surge of letters critical of Congressman Patrick Murphy, I started to suspect he committed a sacrilege or some other dastardly deed.Did he avoid military duty then vote to send others off to war as so many in Congress and the Bush administration have? No.Did he support the Bush/Cheney/Gonzalez gang in all they do, or don't do? No. Did he cavort with scarlet women? Nope. Was he married and divorced two or three times? Nope. Was he a Jack Abramoff crony? Nah.Did he divulge the name of a covert CIA agent? Nope. Did he write a book and accept an illegal or unethical payment? No, not according to Common Cause and the ...

The Edwards Express Rolls On 2007-08-14 11:34:00 The latest (asking for $$ again - sorry)...Today, Elizabeth and I are launching the Fighting for One America bus tour across Iowa to take my message of big, bold change directly to the people.Just like people all over this country, Iowans know the political system in Washington, D.C. is rigged against them. Senior citizens know that lobbyists for the big drug companies are writing the prescription drug laws. Single parents struggling to make ends meet on the minimum wage know that big business interests are working against them. Homeowners facing rising energy costs know that the big oil companies are slowing the development of alternative fuels and keeping us from ending our addiction to foreign oil.The stranglehold of the special interests has to end. That is why we are fighting for One America—and why Elizabeth and I are traveling across Iowa this week.We are using B20 biodiesel, a cleaner fuel, to run our bus—and clean money to fuel our campaign. My campaign runs on money from ...

What Ingrates 2007-08-14 11:13:00 As I’ve said in the past, I’m not sure how, but somehow I ended up on the Email distribution list of Conservatives Betrayed, the organization founded by wingnut direct mail guru Richard Viguerie. By saying that, though, I don’t mean for a minute to imply that Viguerie is dumb – hardly. He’s managed to channel utterly misinformed and prejudicial regional nationalist outrage and use it to create a marketing empire (I don’t know his net worth, but I suspect it’s in the millions).Viguerie has that talent that all people who solicit for money seem to have, I grudgingly admit, and that is to make success sound like failure and earnestly plead for money at the same time (and as you might expect, as far as Viguerie is concerned, everything represents “good news for conservatives,” and you can put Turd Blossom’s resignation into that category also)…(Manassas, Virginia) The following is a statement from Richard A. Viguerie, author of Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bu ...

Monday Videos 2007-08-13 21:38:00 Art Brut ("Direct Hit"...a little bit o'cockney, ay mate? And trying to parody one of my all-time TV faves also)......Happy Birthday (56) to Dan Fogelberg (a slide show accompanying "Scarecrow's Dream" by Tage Kaliandrino of YouTube - not exactly sure what's going on here, but it's nice; his concerts used to be great night outs for a date)......Happy 88th Birthday to the incomparable George Shearing ("I Won't Dance")......I missed the 60th birthday of Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson last week, so I'm making up for it now ("Back To The Family" live from a 1969 concert in Stockholm, back when they were still strictly jazz/blues)......and I know Merv Griffin came across as a show business clown and hanger-on, but in his business dealings he was far more than that, and he just loved to schmooze on camera and that was entertaining in a way - to be sure though, he was a product of his time; R.I.P. ...

A Good Start 2007-08-13 20:20:00 Hat tips to Prof. Marcus and The Raw Story for this one (I mean, we spent time today on Dubya, his "brain," and 41 - Rummy's not officially in the game anymore - so we just can't ignore Deadeye Dick, can we now?)... ...

Call Him Mike “Yuckabee” Instead? 2007-08-13 19:54:00 Since our media seems to be getting a kick out of him and his jokey remarks during the Iowa Repug straw poll, in which he came in second behind Willard Mitt (I Advocate Fiscal Restraint, Now Watch Me Buy A Victory) Romney, I thought it would be a good idea to take a bit of a closer look at former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee...On October 19, 2006, Huckabee appeared on the Imus in the Morning radio show with Don Imus. Referring to his significant weight loss, Imus remarked that Huckabee looked "emaciated." Huckabee joked that "I have just come out of six weeks at a concentration camp held by the (sic) Democrat Party of Arkansas in an undisclosed location, making a hostage tape...That's why I look that way." The National Jewish Democratic Council spoke out against the remarks; deputy executive director David Goldenberg said that Huckabee's comments were "insensitive" and that "making light of the Holocaust isn't something any elected official should be doing."Huckabee's response w ...

Bushco's Bonhomie With The Fickle French 2007-08-13 16:41:00 Note: I think a lot of these links have now gone behind the Times Select wall; I’ll do my best – Pinch and the gang can’t get rid of that nonsense fast enough as far as I’m concerned.I wonder how exactly Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times ended up covering the little soiree in Kennebunkport recently? I mean, did she draw a short straw or something, or was this a beat she actually wanted?Apparently, Dubya and 41 invited their new buddy Nick Sarkozy over from across the pond for a little “picnic,” but as Stolberg reports here, “Mr. Sarkozy’s wife, Cecilia, and two of their children missed the lunch Saturday, citing sore throats.”Wow, that’s one heck of a sore throat affecting an adult and two children. I know that can lead to strep, which is nothing to mess with, but affecting all three people? And that excuse looks fishy anyway according to this.And Stolberg also informs us of the following…When the two leaders met privately to talk about what Mr. Bush calle ... French

Turd Blossom's Greatest Hits 2007-08-13 10:57:00 Why, I, I…I’m just in shock!How could it be that the “boy genius” of Bushco is departing? Just when we need him the most (for scorn and ridicule, that is)?The “architect” of the political divisiveness so essential for this criminal regime to operate like the self-congratulatory, clueless machine of utter political and human destruction that it is has decided to, as Atrios put it, pick up his marbles and go home?As georgia 10 supposes here, you don’t think it has anything to do with, among other things, the ongoing investigation into whether or not he broke federal laws by making political presentations to government employees encouraging them to find ways to support Republican candidates, do you?Or Rove’s first-denied role in the U.S. Attorneys scandal, in which those who were wrongly let go chose not to issue politically motivated charges aimed at Democratic candidates in an effort to make them look bad on the eve of an election, only to have the charges withdrawn afte ...

Don't Go There 2007-08-12 21:39:00 If anyone sends my son a draft notice one day, you'll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands before he ever receives it. ...