HAPPY Hallow'!... Was it a Graveyard SMASH?"

"...BOOH!"
They did The Monster Mash! [I, didn't.]
"Happy--whatever..." ~~HALLOWEEN~NIGHT~~
Or the "Many Days of Fitzmas!" 'Night, Herb.

DICK CHENEY should RESIGN! Before it's too FUBAR to fix!

How much have Dick Cheney's lame-brained, neoCon-PNAC-AEI, policies cost Us? "That... is the question!" Or that WAS the question, until I started adding.

Dick Cheney's DAMAGE TOTAL, List, whatever... So I started thinking: How much time, money, and resources... and damn, how many lives? We need to evaluate the consequences of EVERYTHING he directed for Bush, or hi-jacked! With W's affinity for "clearin' brush," VACATIONING, and "Mount'n Bike-ing," Cheney's been in charge of at least half of the BUSH POLICY FAILURES. Examples: Energy Policy, Iraq War, .Hali-No-Bid-FRAUD-Contracts, Enviromental Destruction, etc.

THE DAMAGE DICK DONE(funny!)
Here's the thing: We can't really start calculating the damage Dick done. It would be a waste of time, because HE IS STILL WRECKING-SHIT, EVERY DAY! He's making things worser(sic); And he LIES about WHAT he's doing, then LIES separately about WHY he's doing, it. Then, he denies that he said, did, or lied about anything.

So, with this post, we at thisjuncture DEMAND & INSIST("Hope" will work!) that Dick Cheney RESIGN(S) IMMEDIATELY, from the Office of the VP, in order that We might save The United States of America...


(Cue the Marching Band, Bob:
---
Just kiddin' around.)
(Well... it's not funny!
He's done some damage!)

This is a rough-draft: Dick Cheney, as GWB's Vice President, has:
Ruined, destroyed, lost, and wasted...
Squandered, stole, perverted, and/or
WRECKED the following:
Our Military
Our Treasury
Our Environment
Our Safety
Our Security
Our Economy
Our Reputation
Our Honor
Our Integrity
Our Privacy
Our Rights
Our Government
Our Strength
Our Future
Social Security
Medicare
FEMA
The National Guard
Our Military Reserves
Our Values
Our Money
Our Knowledge
Our Priorities
Our Freedom
Our Access
Our Oversight
Our Intelligence Capabilities
Our Health
Our Climate
Our Independence
Our Capacity
Our Options
Our Dignity
Our Potential
Our Influence
Our Work
Our Confidence
Our Elections
Our Country
Our Media
Our Character
Our Moral High Ground
Our Pride
Our Sacrifices
Our Communities
Our... Okay Damn-it, EVERYTHING:
Christmas,
Puppies,
Sunshine,
Peace, (NOTE: This is a "work in progress," and as such, subject to review and editing... And this is where I got a little carried away. But, so... You know!)
Minimalism,
Existentialism, (I don't even know how I spelled it/Forget what it means!)
Hope,
Friends,
Weather,
Seasons,
Evolution,
Orchids,
Little kittens,
Candy,
Sunshine,
Beauty,
Snowflakes,
Disneyland,
Gas Prices, (Note, add to the good-list!)
Clean Air,
Clean Water,
Fresh Berries,
Pancakes,
Boysenberry Syrup,
Banking,
The Messiah,

Anyway, there's some stuff up-top, good examples of the DAMAGE Cheney has done as Bush's VP, which may soon be irreparable(un-repairable).
And if anybody besides Ricky has gotten this far, without any explanation of what "FUBAR" means (for those un-familiar;), in the title--way UP there, then you probably forgot the title, or better yet: Don't care! F.U.B.A.R. It's an "acronym," for(WARNED: Rated "PG"/For Language):

Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition

That's FUBAR, folks, "F.U.B.A.R.":
"F*CKED UP BEYOND ALL RECOGNITION!"
Nice to know SOMEBODY ELSE felt the way I did, about things... and they came up with a catchy acronym. That's nice! Wish I knew who did it, I could bake 'em a pie! Thanks!
Roger, Herb.

Dick Cheney Under Oath? NEVER!

This NY Times article from Tuesday says this:

"Mr. Cheney was interviewed under oath by Mr. Fitzgerald last year. It is not known what the vice president told Mr. Fitzgerald about the conversation with Mr. Libby or when Mr. Fitzgerald first learned of it."

Wait... "Interviewed under oath?" I thought Cheney and Bush met with Fitzgerald IN THE OVAL OFFICE, TOGETHER, and NOT UNDER OATH! Right? Remember? The media at the time didn't seem to have any problem with the keeping-their-stories-straight-tagteam, and not-under-oath "rules".
Does the Times-quote above mean that Dick Cheney has met MORE THAN ONCE with Fitz for Grand Jury testimony? Alone?
What about Bush? Imagine: Our DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT being examined by Federal Prosecutors, while under-oath and alone... No "handlers" to coach him:

"...THE-TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, & NOTHING-BUT...?"

"Uhh, No sir. I don't reckonize ANY o' those names, Your Honor."
"None of 'em... sound familiar. Sir, can I go now? I gotta go Potty.

Testifying "Under oath," for Cheney, considering Fitzgerald's TWO-YEAR PILE of other evidence/testimony(You know, the post-Ashcroft stuff), might be problematic for the VP, considering his proclivity for things like lying and obsessive-secrecy. -HW

UPDATE, 10/30: Late... In the "comments" area of THIS POST at talkleft.com(Squeaky/fdl comment), I found confirmation that I'M NOT CRAZY; or at least not-alone:

"According to the NYT, they made a mistake, Cheney was not under oath when he answered questions for Fitzgerald in June of 2004."

END-UPDATE.

"Patietnce, my blue friend..."

Again, more patience. Clinically-indicated...
The quote in the title is from The Phantom Menace (Yoda?), I found it here, where some guy has accumulated "sexually tilted lines" from the Star Wars movies... ("blue friend?")
But, it's kinda-funny, like this clip:

RETURN OF THE JEDI...
09) Hey Luke, Thanks for coming after me!
10) She's gonna blow!!

I just thought: While we were waiting, Herb.
Update: I'm not sure about that Star Wars site, maybe not for kids. If you take some of those lines outta-context, it's just...
"Not that there's..." End!.

Fitzgerald's White-House-Leak Investigation "CONTINUES!"

Fitzgerald specifically informed Karl Rove that he was NOT being exonorated by the Libby Indictments! He continues to be in LEGAL JEOPARDY... Wonder who else, Dick? Defibrulators in EVERY ROOM!

(Rove's attorney)Robert Luskin, said in a statement this morning,

"The Special Counsel has advised Mr. Rove that he has made no decision about whether or not to bring charges and that Mr. Rove's status has not changed."

And Josh at talkingpointsmemo.com has another morsel:

"AP identifies "official A" as Karl Rove, according to three people close to the investigation."

Ahh-Hah! -HW

Ambassador Joseph Wilson, on White House Indictments

In a humble statement today, here at buzzflash, Joe Wilson,(excerpt):

...Today is a sad day for America. When an indictment is delivered at the front door of the White House, the Office of the President is defiled. No citizen can take pleasure from that.

He also said: It's not a day to celebrate!
Humble, for a man whose wife was attacked by cowardly, corrupt, WAR-LYING politicians. Mob-style thugs: Ruined his wife's carreer and "sent a message," and all because he wanted The People to know the truth!
"Welcome to 19-84!"

"THE OFFICE OF THE
PRESIDENT IS DEFILED!"

See the link above for Wilson's full statement, it's good; And he says he'll wait for justice... i.e., There's more(!) after this brief "INTERMISSION!"

Herbal wisdom says,
1) Fitz continues his investigation, of Rove in particular! (Cheney too?)
2) And NOTE: The Wilsons will, and well-should, sue $Bush and $Cheney (et.al.) in civil court... Why? His family(wife) was targeted by the government, at the highest level, in a disgraceful and illegal abuse of power, his wife's carrer and her (Our!) work at the CIA was ruined, and they've slandered and LIBELED Wilson and his wife, themselves and through surrogates, endlessly for over two years. Abuse of power, intent, motives, malice, etc., would all be factored in to determine DAMAGES due the Wilsons! The other flavor of Justice... And thank you, Ken Starr! (Fitz's Grand Jury evidence/testimony too.)

[Remember, OJ Simpson was "acquitted" of murder, but held LIABLE for wrongful-death to the victims' families, for millions of dollars]
Those pesky whitewater-lewinsky-jones precedents, Herb.

ANTICLIMACTIC? ... Or: Cheney loses his little Scooter!

Well, Hmm, honestly, ...we were hoping for more. Judith should've been under a (moving) bus today. She lied like a rug! BUT... "And the beat goes on," Fitz is still investigating!
Karl "Caught Lyin'" Rove keeps his pants, for another day! Heck, we might have to Trademark another catch-phrase, "Rove CIA Leak Scandal(Tm)" may not work so well(?) anymore. But, Keep Hope Alive my brothers & sisters!
My first thoughts on the substance of the Grand Jury's FIVE INDICTMENTS against Scooter Libby is somethin' like this: [DARTH]Cheney couldn't have even gotten out of a high-back chair without his Assistant & personal valet: and "Scooter" was NOT setting his own freakin' schedule back at the beginning of Cheney's War(Iraq)!!! (I wonder who sets the agenda in the VP's office?) DICK Cheney's Assistant assisted Dick Cheney. Period! Aiding & abetting... They all knew, Condi, King George, the LOT of 'em.

But, hey, I'm still workin' for "Fitzgeral-2008." He's cool, man! I faxed him at the Prosecutor's Office, just to let him know I'm available for a modest fee, campaign-manager, whatever (okay, volunteer).
And I still think she's beautiful:I said, "Good Day!" -Herb.

President Has Heroine-Withdrawal, Recovering...

Bush's lawyer, our recent Supreme Court nominee, Harriet Miers, "WITHDRAWS" (read: EJECTED by right wingers) from nomination. I couldn't help myself with the (Heroin-withdrawals pun) title, Herb.
Updated 10/28: Good Benson cartoon:Old news, I know! 10/28, Herb.

Patience... Patience damnit!

"I don't want to wait in vain," as it's been said. That's all, Herb. Update: Looks good, it seems.

"POLICE & THIEVES... in the Street!"

Look, then think: Ashcroft heading Justice!

(Junior Murvin: Bob Marley guitarist, solo artist, and wrote the "song heard 'round the world." As heard on The CLASH's first U.S. album.) Lyrics, first verse:

Police and thieves in the streets
Oh yeah!
Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition
Police and thieves in the street
Oh yeah!
Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition

Theme being: THEY'RE ALL CROOKS & LIARS!
Have a nice day :), Herb.

Scootered and Boltoned?

RE: Cheney's partner, Scooter Libby,
Steve Clemons says:

...My hunch is that he went to trusted spear-carriers for Vice President Cheney -- the office and staff of Under Secretary of State John Bolton. Fred Fleitz, Bolton's chief of staff, maintained his CIA WINPAC portfolio and access as an active duty CIA staff member while he operated as Bolton's "acting" chief of staff. We know that Fleitz was a key part of the intelligence cherry-picking/stove-piping operation when it came to both the intel and policy response to various global WMD concerns -- in North Korea, Libya, Iran, and Iraq.

See the whole Clemons article. -HW.

G.O.P. SCANDAL Overload...

Who can keep track of it all?
Frist, Harriet, and Delay one the one hand... Cheney, Libby, Rove, et. al. on the other.

Runnin' Outta Hands! I'm takin' a sabbatical(?) for a week; Get your breaking news and analysis from the links on the right, and watch The Daily Show for news. (It's on the Comedy Central channel, of course.) I'm thinking Fiji'd be nice... (And no, I'm NOT fleeing any jurisdiction.) Will post from The Islands if possible. Later, Herb.

It's all just background noise... I'm not gonna pay attention.

"Background noise," indeed. Good. Don't be distracted Georgie! It's just "chatter," Herb.


Disclaimer-update, added 10/24/05: The podium-picture at the top of this post, is in no way intended to convey presidential endorsement, nor his support. (It's a joke!)

Valerie Wilson's Maiden Name

Here'e the money-paragraph from this NY Times article on the Rove CIA Leak investigation:

It is still not publicly known who first told the columnist Robert D. Novak the identity of the C.I.A. officer, Valerie Wilson. Mr. Novak identified her in a column on July 14, 2003, using her maiden name, Valerie Plame. Mr. Fitzgerald knows the identity of this source, a person who is not believed to work at the White House, the lawyers said.

We at the "juncture" think(speculate) that it's all-around corrupt-neoCon-incompetent and Judy Miller crony, and unfortunately for the Earth, our UN Ambassador-by-appointment, John Bolton:
Follow-the-leaker: Bolton-Miller-Novak, Herb.

High Crimes and Misdemeanors?

Rove and Libby (and George and Dick and Con-di) exposed an UNDERCOVER C.I.A. (WMD!) AGENT, for SPITE... While we were "at war" with a neutered-country that THEY TOLD US had wmd's; An "imminenet threat," they said. (Thanks Judy!) But, they knew that wasn't the reason for the war. THEY LIED!
High crimes and misdemeanors? Weh-heh-hell...

Just think, Joe Wilson was a THREAT, to them, ONLY because he wanted the People to know the truth: Iraq wasn't a threat, they didn't have nukes! -Herb

"...The MOST Insidious of TRAITORS!"

The President's own FATHER, George H. W. Bush, former CIA Director and America's 41st President, on exposing Intelligence-sources:

"I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious of traitors." [George H. W. Bush, from a speech at the CIA, 4/26/1999]

"Aid and comfort," anoyone? Harboring and protecting traitors to our Country, and during a "time of war," no less. (Tayrists!)
And to follow-up on the Ken Starr post below, we should now expect the White House to start turning over documents aplenty. And soon! The President lied. There's no privilege anymore...

Also, we can expect sworn testimony from the President, ALL his lawyers (Harriet!), his secretaries, and Secret Service agents; Also: hearsay, rumors, innuendo, and DNA samples from the President (And his cabinet)! Investigate it all, spare no expense!
Thanks Ken! Holding my breath, waiting for the press-pile-on.(No semen stains) -Herb.

BL**JOB Costs President Bush his Privacy and Privilege

Kenneth "Blowjob" Starr,
'90s publisher/pornographer,
and Presidential-privacy
legal precedent setter. -HW

ARREST WARRANT: Tom Delay!

Arrest Warrant - Issued for one
Tom Delay in Austin, Texas.
Poor guy! 'Feel bad...
Okay(!), Book him, Herb.

Remember The Blue Dress!!!

The rule of law is important! ESPECIALLY for politicians in DC, because they set an example for our children. Right? Remember? Good, Herb.

Cheney, Rove, Libby, Miller, Novak, McLellan, et. al.

GOOD RIDDANCE?


Add your favorites in comments, Herb

Update: Respectfully adding to the list above:
Bolton, Rice, and Fleischer.

Update II: Josh at talkingpointsmemo.com, links to this list of EVERYONE who has appeared before Fitz's Grand Jury. It includes everybody! Thanks, Herb.

Cheney Too, W.H. CIA Leaker!

Apparently, Dick leaked!
Chickenhawk...
He's been obsessed with Iraq's oil since he was Bush 41's Defense-Secretary, and didn't get to seize the oil after destroying Iraq's army in 1991.Then, he made Haliburton into a freeloading welfare, war and oil-exploitation company, basically while Clinton was President. Then, after choosing himself for VP in 2000, he pulled W's oedipal strings, exploited 911 by faking iraq-wmds, & here we are! Perfect... FOR HIM!
But, back in the middle of Dick's "nuke threat" excuse-a-thon for AEI & PNAC's dream-scam("cakewalk" control of iraq), he wasn't about to let some taxpaying carreer civil-servant expose the truth: It was all a BIG LIE. Dicky likes OIL!
Joe Wilson was right, they lied, so why'd they attack his wife? Yeah, Mmm-Hmm, Herb.

CIA Leak Investigation

Frantic, they say... GOT XANAX?
A bit anxious myself, Herb.

UN Ambassador-By-Appointment, John Bolton, Key Leaker? Judy??

Keep this in mind... John Bolton, whilst quite busy being "appointed," demanding UN office space "bigger than Kofi's!," and acting like a child... and shredding stuff, and gettin' BOO-ED by his peers when he arrived at the U.N.(ha!), found time to visit Judy Miller in jail ...at least once. Hmm-m. He's flying below-radar for the most part lately, but he may soon find himself in the news, and NOT as an "Ambassador!" (Why? He had access to CIA info, like Valerie Wilson's [classified]maiden-name which {Benedict}Novak published in his outing-article.) Ahh, those loveable neoCon whigs!
This post, I "edited-it"(hard to say!), HW

"Criminalization of Politics," or Politics of Common Criminals?

Gene Lyons has an article here, on those pesky g.o.p. scandals (two excerpts, emphasis mine):

1)Kristol also lamented "the criminalization of politics." Well, cry me a river. Where were Kristol and his magazine during the late Clinton scandals? Beating the drum for Kenneth Starr and his leak-o-matic team of Whitewater fantasists and bed sheet sniffers, naturally. Fake lawsuits, phony investigations, trumped-up accusations, the lot. All justified by Bill Clinton’s extravagant folly and desperate little lies, they insisted. (edit: "Amen brother!")
2)At bottom, the Plame investigation is about how the U.S. deluded itself into invading Iraq on false pretenses, about the substitution of radical-right ideology for professional intelligence gathering and political revenge taken against dissenters from the party line. (edit: or their CIA-asset wives.)

"Bed sheet sniffers..." Hee-heehee!
Crooks; thieves; liars, Herb.

Go Get 'Em, Hammy! Heh heh... Best Prez'dent Ever?

"My own attorney... Yeah! Who'd have a prob' wit' that? Hammy's a sharp gal SHARP GAL! From Teyxas too. Good heart! Heh-heh!"

Oh (!) my God, he looks so proud of his LAME choice. Creepy (yahoonews)picture... Actually, I don't feel well. Clueless bubble-boy! Safer?
What will we tell the children?
Whatever Harriet says, damnit, Shut-up!
("...best governor ever?" STOP!!! Cheese-Foul!) Honestly! Hmmmph, Herb.

Corrupt BOOB Exposed!

Ashcroft is a corrupt, incompetent fool... But, keep in mind, he was Attorney General when the Rove-CIA-Leak Scandal first broke; And he DIDN'T RECUSE HIMSELF from the "investigation" for several months! So, when Scooter, Rove & Co. were first interviewed by Ashcroft's FBI, THEY... LIED... REPEATEDLY. They must've assumed Ashcroft would stall & kill the "leak" investigation like all the others he had overseen! The Administration knew they could count on Johnny! They were un-touchable!
Or so it must have seemed, until Ashcroft was forced to recuse himself due to several obvious conflicts of interest. Patrick Fitzgerald was appointed Prosecutor, and the first REAL investigation of the Bush administration (since Florida 2000!) began. And now, hysterically, they're all scrambling to explain those early lies away; to reconcile the Ashcroft-lies with Fitzgerald's contradictory evidence.
"I must have forgotten... Oh, but now I remember! Yeah."
So, might as well include Ashcroft in the ROVE-CIA-LEAK CONSPIRACY & COVER-UP SCANDAL, with the rest of W's entire Cabinet.
[Background on the picture here]. --Herb.

Money Laundering 101

MONEY LAUNDERING - Conduct designed in whole or in part to conceal or disguise the nature, source, or control of money to avoid a transaction reporting requirement under state or federal law. Transferring of "dirty money" into legitimate channels so that its original source cannot be traced. (Source: Black's)
Federal Crime under 18USCode-1956.

Checkmate(?), Herb.

The Abramoff-Delay Republican Investigation TIME BOMB

Kevin Drum, here, concludes:
"It's only a matter of time until all this digging uncovers a piece of the scandal that (a) affects someone important, like DeLay or Karl Rove and (b) is pretty easy to understand. Then it all starts to unravel.
Abramoff's roots run very deep in the Republican corruption machine. Once people start paying attention, it's not going to be a pretty sight."
Gettin' popcorn, Herb.

Bird Flu, Nothing to do?

Consider a hypothetical: If Grover Norquist, kill-government pusher, got the Bird Flu, and our bankrupt government couldn't do ANYTHING to help him, he might lose weight and have little strength... Then, some homeless old lady from New Orleans might drag HIM into the bathroom and drown him in the tub -- to put him out of his misery...
That would be ironic, huh? -HW.

Rove CIA Spite-Leak Scandal... Breaking News:

See What Karl Rove told the President: Murray Waas has latest. -Herb.

Low, lower... lower? 37%! Wonder why?

(Karl? heh, ...Daddy?)

Poll: Bush Ratings Hit New Low 37%, -Ouch!
"New low," indeed. Wonder why?
Hmmm. More here. David Corn:

Isn't it about time for Republicans and White House to start smearing Fitzgerald as a partisan hack?
/ (Ed: Or attack his wife/family?) //
Bush's supposed political capital is draining faster than the waters of Lake Pontchartrain pouring through a busted levee...

Thirty-seven, 'Bout time!!! Mass awakening, or group-disillusionment? Media-finds-balls, or: Scandal-rama? Or all the above? You decide!
(Jim "W" Beam?) Hiatus, Herb.

"Executive Privilege" or Power?

The President had a Harriet Miers Excuse-a-thon press conference Tuesday where he said Miers shares HIS opinions regarding executive privilege (power):
He can't be expected to answer Congress or the Courts, see, 'cuz he needs
"...good sound opinions."
Here's a brain-twister:
Name ONE "good sound opinion" he has gotten as President in his secret CRONY OIL meetings! Ken Lay pickin' the Energy regulators? Nope. Neoconned War in Iraq? No. (Big) Dick for vp? Well, no... If you find one, a good OR sound opinion, leave it in the comment section (with the spam). Herb.

Josh Marshall, on Harriet's Confirmation Hearings

Yeah, what Josh says:
"...Miers has been involved -- often deeply involved -- in pretty much everything that the White House has been trying to keep secret for going on five years. That should make for interesting questioning."
That sounds about right! -HW-

Delay Indicted Again:

...laundering money.

Why'd they kill the animals?

Why?




The party in power (bastards!) wants to abandon the weakest of God's animals, ENDANGERED SPECIES. Surprised? Nope! Nevertheless, Americablog has the story here: GOP House trying to gut Endangered Species Act. Grrrr, Herb.

Stay OUT of OUR Parks, Big-oil!

(playin' with pictures, herb.)

W.H. Treason Scandal

The Man in Charge,
Security-For-Spite
Leaker-in-chief,
"Caught Lyin'"
Karl Rove
(safer?)

The lid's about to blow on the Rove CIA-Leak Scandal. It seems it goes all the way to the top. Who'll get the Medal? For a good update (or two), see: dailykos here, and David Corn here. -Herb.

"No Child Left" Propaganda Was Illegal

GAO investigation concludes: The Armstrong Williams "No Child Left" Puppet Show, produced by the White House but sold as "news," was intentionally misleading and illegal. NY Times:

The Education Department flouted the law by telling (P.R. Firm)Ketchum to use Mr. Williams to "convey a message to the public on behalf of the government, without disclosing to the public that the messengers were acting on the government's behalf and in return for the payment of public funds," the G.A.O. said.

File under: "You Paid For It," Herb.