...Antonin Scalia: CAUGHT LYIN' ! "Your Honor?" ...MY ASS! You're UNFIT FOR THE BENCH [updated]

E&P story... Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the "Bush Five," was caught lying after making an obscene gesture AT A CHURCH! Then he asked the press not to tell anybody. What an idiot. (Jeez!) Brat.

NEW YORK Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has accused staffers at The Boston Herald of watching "too many episodes of the Sopranos." A reporter for the paper on Monday interpreted a hand gesture he made at a cathedral as "obscene."

In a strongly-worded letter to the editor of the paper, Scalia said the gesture was merely "dismissive."

The Herald reported the justice made "an obscene gesture, flicking his hand under his chin" in response to a question about whether lawyers might question his impartiality in matters of church and state. The incident occurred after he attended Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. It said Scalia had also asked a photographer not to publish a picture...

And now, without further ado, nor permission, here's the picture that UNFIT-FOR-THE-BENCH Lil' Ant'ny didn't want you to see (or photographer to release):PLEASE Buy the Boston Herald!
A fine newspaper... Eh?

I mean... you know,
when you're "in Boston."
Thank You, & Good Night,
Later, Herb.

UPDATE: The PHOTOGRAPHER who snapped & released that shot, got FIRED by the BOSTON ARCHDIOCESE! (Must've been a side-gig) Damned WEASELS...






They should've EXCOMMUNICATED "Mr. Scalia" from the Church for his rude childish behavior there. (It is Boston.) Instead they fire the victim-photo-journalist dude! Send money to our street address... We are gonna send some money to the photographer's family. Thanx!
GOD BLESS, Herb.

IGNORANCE & DENIAL KILL(S)

Democrats Spank Cheney Down on Enemy: Iraq: No! ...Al-qeda: Yeah! ...DUH!

Dems unite on "war on terror" strategy...
Re-focus Our assets on the REAL ENEMY, while slowly bailing on Dick Cheney's NEOCON-DISASTER, the War-in-Iraq.
Dick Cheney, upon hearing the Dems' announcement, had a heart-attack, then killed a litter of five Cocker Spaniel puppies at a suburban Virginia PetsMart... (Just kidding--that last part.)

Democrats vowed to provide U.S. agents with the resources to "eliminate" Osama bin Laden and ensure a "responsible redeployment of U.S. forces" from Iraq in 2006. They promised to rebuild the military...
:::
"It makes no sense at all to turn Iraq over to the terrorists," Cheney said. "We can succeed in Iraq, we can complete the mission."

Roger that, Dick. Over, Herb.

UPDATED: Thanks, Dick, for your tirelessly self-serving efforts as President. It's time to let the grown-ups back in. Just unlock the door. (Whiner!)

[Incompetents' Incompetence] W.H. Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, RESIGNS... Another CRONY Quickly Appointed by Bush...

----------[Yahoo News - photo / caption]----------

President Bush (R) reaches out to thank his Chief of Staff Andrew Card (C) following the announcement of Card's resignation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington March 28, 2006...
//
...as virtual clone of Andrew Card, Josh Bolten -- Card's former assistant & longtime Bush crony -- looks on...

Deck-chairs. Titanic; Shuffled, Herb.

BOMBSHELL!!! CONFIRMATION: Bush INTENDED Iraq Invasion From Start... [Memo - NY Times]

Earlier British story,
CONFIRMED by NY Times:

...(PRESIDENT BUSH) was certain that war was inevitable. During a private two-hour meeting in the Oval Office on Jan. 31, 2003, he made clear to Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain that he was determined to invade Iraq without the second resolution, or even if international arms inspectors failed to find unconventional weapons, said a confidential memo... (!)

"BOMBSHELL?"
Ehhh, maybe not;
I'm not surprised, Herb.

[But what the hell are We still doing... here?]

BUSH... To Congress & American-Public: "F*** You!" [RE: The Anti-American "PATRIOT" Act...]

BOSTON GLOBE:
"Bush shuns Patriot Act requirement..."
In addendum to law, he says oversight rules are not binding...

"Rules..." have -- NEVER -- really -- been binding for President Bush, Herb. Right...
[SEC/Harken] (AWOL-Nam) [etc., etc.]

FOR OIL: An "Oldie" From 2003...

Spike Lee: "CONDI, STOP SMOKIN' THAT CRACK!"

NY Daily News article...

(Director Spike) Lee tells the April issue of Stuff magazine...

"Condi, stop smoking that crack!"

"I know you love your Ferragamo shoes, but come on. While people were drowning in New Orleans, she was going up and down Madison Ave. buying Ferragamo shoes. Then she went to see 'Spamalot.'"

You heard the man, Madame Secretary. Put down the crack pipe.

I can't add anything to that. See the link for the NY Daily News article, Herb.

PRESIDENT BUSH... 1) Incompetent, 2) Idiot, 3) Liar.

REGARDING THE TITLE: The three words most associated with our very unpopular President... from a recent poll.Bush is an "incompetent-idiot-liar."
That sounds about right!
Cheney & Rummy too?
Okay then, Herb.

"We were there. We remember. It wasn't a century ago..." [Helen Thomas, Ameican Hero!]

Bush held a news conference today, surprise(!). He called on Helen Thomas, American icon. She's one of the last of the real "journalists," and today she was as beautiful as usual.She called a lie "a lie," and asked Bush why he REALLY invaded Iraq...
The President lied, of course... claiming Saddam Hussein "denied inspectors," transcript below...

First, from Josh Marshall @ TPM:
"WE WERE THERE. WE REMEMBER...
IT WASN'T A CENTURY AGO."

Amen, Brother Josh! It bugs me: Bush always tells the invasion-of-iraq story from the beginning, lying about what happened along the way, like it's some fable... and like we weren't all there! We all watched him, Saddam, and the UN on TV... it wasn't that long ago! Done, Herb.

Josh Marshall @ TPM:

"Of course, that's not what happened. We were there. We remember. It wasn't a century ago. We got the resolution passed. Saddam called our bluff and allowed the inspectors in. President Bush pressed ahead with the invasion.

His lies are so blatant that I must constantly check myself so as not to assume that he is simply delusional or has blocked out whole chains of events from the past."

PRESIDENTIAL(?)
FACE-OFF, WITH
AN OLD-LADY...


Here's the transcript of Bush
and Helen Thomas...

THE PRESIDENT: Helen. After that brilliant performance at the Grid Iron, I am -- (laughter.)

HELEN THOMAS: You're going to be sorry. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, then, let me take it back. (Laughter.)

HELEN THOMAS: I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is, why did you really want to go to war? From the moment you stepped into the White House, from your Cabinet -- your Cabinet officers, intelligence people, and so forth -- what was your real reason? You have said it wasn't oil -- quest for oil, it hasn't been Israel, or anything else. What was it?

THE PRESIDENT: I think your premise -- in all due respect to your question and to you as a lifelong journalist -- is that -- I didn't want war. To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong, Helen, in all due respect --

HELEN THOMAS: Everything --

THE PRESIDENT: Hold on for a second, please.

HELEN THOMAS: -- everything I've heard --

THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me, excuse me. No President wants war. Everything you may have heard is that, but it's just simply not true. My attitude about the defense of this country changed on September the 11th. We -- when we got attacked, I vowed then and there to use every asset at my disposal to protect the American people. Our foreign policy changed on that day, Helen. You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy. But we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life. And I'm never going to forget it. And I'm never going to forget the vow I made to the American people that we will do everything in our power to protect our people.
Part of that meant to make sure that we didn't allow people to provide safe haven to an enemy. And that's why I went into Iraq -- hold on for a second --

HELEN THOMAS: They didn't do anything to you, or to our country.

THE PRESIDENT: Look -- excuse me for a second, please. Excuse me for a second. They did. The Taliban provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where al Qaeda trained --

HELEN THOMAS: I'm talking about Iraq --

THE PRESIDENT: Helen, excuse me. That's where -- Afghanistan provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where they trained. That's where they plotted. That's where they planned the attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans.
I also saw a threat in Iraq. I was hoping to solve this problem diplomatically. That's why I went to the Security Council; that's why it was important to pass 1441, which was unanimously passed. And the world said, disarm, disclose, or face serious consequences --

HELEN THOMAS: -- go to war --

THE PRESIDENT: -- and therefore, we worked with the world, we worked to make sure that Saddam Hussein heard the message of the world. And when he chose to deny inspectors, when he chose not to disclose, then I had the difficult decision to make to remove him. And we did, and the world is safer for it.

PROGNOSIS: Not Good, Herb.

Bush Administration INCOMPETENCE Responsible For 9-11 Attacks...

Maybe the Bush Administration was so giddy that they had stolen the election and actually moved in to the White House... NO, SHEER INCOMPETENCE & BLIND IGNORANCE:

The FBI agent who arrested Zacarias Moussaoui in August 2001 testified Monday he spent almost four weeks trying to warn U.S. officials about the radical Islamic student pilot but "criminal negligence" by superiors in Washington thwarted a chance to stop the 9/11 attacks...

Sounds like Katrina: Deliberate ignorance, and inaction. -Herb.

"'Can't Polish a Turd," they say...

It's still a TURD!

Break out the polish... The WAR in IRAQ
is gonna need A FRESH COAT!

Spin, polish, lie, distract, lipstick*, Herb.

"REWRITING THE SCIENCE..." The White House CLIMATE CHANGE Scandal & How It May Kill Us All!

"REWRITING THE SCIENCE," from CBS's 60 Minutes
It's a great story about how the White House
[...WORKING FOR THE OIL INDUSTRY?]
DOES NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT:
GLOBAL-WARMING & CLIMATE-CHANGE;
SO THEY'RE LYING TO US ABOUT IT.
WITH OUR TAXES. FEEL SAFER?

Instead of scientific government reports, we're getting lobbyist-propaganda?
...from the Bush administration? Approved by the oil-industry, Dick Cheney, and Halliburton...
How does that help?

Jesus Christ Almighty!(praying!).

The story, from 60 Minutes, begins like this:

(CBS) As a government scientist, James Hansen is taking a risk. He says there are things the White House doesn't want you to hear but he's going to say them anyway.

Hansen is arguably the world's leading researcher on global warming. He's the head of NASA's top institute studying the climate. But this imminent scientist tells correspondent Scott Pelley that the Bush administration is restricting who he can talk to and editing what he can say. Politicians, he says, are rewriting the science.

But he didn't hold back speaking to Pelley, telling 60 Minutes what he knows.

You simply must read it (and then sell all your coastal property, buy a generator, a gun, and a good supply of ammo.), Herb.

Reid: "BUSH: WORST... EVER!"

From NYT, via John at Americablog...

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, said Thursday that given Mr. Bush's record, "I really do believe this man will go down as the worst president this country has ever had."

Amen... Hat-tip to Helen Thomas.
Beautiful, Herb.

Bloomberg Article: Bush is "DANGEROUSLY INCOMPETENT!"

Must read Bloomberg artie'.,
Via BUZZFLASH, thusly:

Bush is Either (1) Dumb; (2) a Boy in the Bubble; (3) a Spoiled Self-Absorbed Rich Kid with Arrested Development; (4) Psychotic; (5) Evil; (6) a Puppet; (7) an Indifferent Politicial Hack -- Or All of the Above. He is Still Shilling the "Good Progress" Lie in Iraq, Nearly Three Years After "Mission Accomplished." Bush's Trillion Dollar War...

All the above, Herb.I know, the Bloomberg article is quoting Nancy Pelosi, but, technically, I-think...

Bush's Fight with FICTIONAL "STRAW MEN"

They're in charge of the "war!" Feel safe?
The shit in his speeches...Pretend-critics & fake opponents... Scary!
Associated Press article:

"BUSH USING STRAW-MAN ARGUMENTS
IN SPEECHES"

When the president starts a sentence with "some say" or offers up what "some in Washington" believe, as he is doing more often these days, a rhetorical retort almost assuredly follows.

The device usually is code for Democrats or other White House opponents. In describing what they advocate, Bush often omits an important nuance or substitutes an extreme stance that bears little resemblance to their actual position.

He typically then says he "strongly disagrees" — conveniently knocking down a straw man of his own making.

Some people in the Heartland think the Pres. is bat-sh!t INSANE, & completely delusional.
I strongly agree with -- them.
Good day + good luck, Herb.

The NEOCONS, & THEIR Permanent Bases in Iraq!!!

The Neocons will WANT TO STAY in Iraq. FOREVER!

They don't care how many American kids or Iraqis die. Civil war, whatever. They want to stay. Of course, I mean THEY WANT OUR MILITARY TO STAY THERE, AS AN OCCUPYING ARMY... INDEFINITELY.SEE HERE, a Guardian UK article, reporting how the White House hopes to use land-area percentages of the amount of Iraq in Iraqi-control as an indicator of success:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. military's goal is to have Iraqi security forces in control of 75 percent of the country's territory by this summer...

That is more ambitious than President Bush's statement on Monday that his aim was to have Iraqis control more territory than the U.S.-led coalition by the end of 2006 - a process that Bush said would free up more American troops to focus on training the Iraqi forces and hunting down the chief terrorists inside Iraq..."

That'll save the midterms for 'em! [?]
Puh-lease. I hope the press and the voters don't fall for that... Doubting it though. Hmmph, Herb.

BUSH'S APPROVAL

"The Collapse Of Civilization?" Climate Change/Global Warming

BUZZFLASH:

"(Author, Tim) Flannery is quite blunt,"
"If humans pursue a business-as-usual course for the first half of this century, I believe the collapse of civilization due to climate change becomes inevitable."

PICTURE: Levees breached (topped)
in New Orleans, 2005:BOOK: THE WEATHER MAKERS: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth (Hardcover)...

Bush-Cheney 2004! Feel safer? Hmmmph, Herb.

Grover Norquist, DROWNING in Jack Abramoff Scandal?

He should be... Norquist was neck-deep in the Jack'off Scandal, along with Ralph Reed (& The President and Karl Rove). CREW -- Citizens For Ethics in Washington, who filed a complaint w/ the IRS -- isn't exactly the Justice Department, but it's a start. And that Mexican-kid at Justice (Al Gonzales) ain't doin' nothin' anyhow. (He might just be WORSE than Ashcroft! Wow! Whoa.)
Karl's BITCH...More Grover Norquist from TJ...
The G.O.P. Corruption/Fraud Laundromat...
It stinks, Herb.

Bill O'Reilly Is An Idiot

No link. That's all, Herb.

Bill Frist is nothing more than a "POLITICAL STUNT"

Nothing more, Herb.

G.O.P. 2008 Presidential Straw-Poll, Republicans Select Senate Majority Leader & TENNESSEE KITTEN KILLER, Bill Frist...

You gotta be kidding... He's the best they could come up with for 2008? (They're screwed.) The Terry Schiavo video-doctor from Tennessee? The guy who lied about his conflicts-of-interest while passing health-care legislation, claiming he didn't know what was in his "blind trust?" His portfolio was full of HMO, healthcare and medical investments, and he knew all about it...

Presidential straw-poll, results here:

The two-term Tennessee senator received 526 first-place votes, or 36.9 percent, in the Southern Republican Leadership Conference's "straw poll" sponsored by Hotline, a political digest...

Flashback: The good "doctor" honed his skills in med-school by "adopting" KITTENS from shelters so he could DISSECT THEM in his DORM ROOM! (...& they say he's a religious man!)

Dr. Frist...
A swell-guy.

That's nice, Herb.

Dubais Ports Deal Derailed; Solved they say... The solution (Halliburton) IS WORSE!

Yikes: From ThinkProgress:

Today Dubai Ports World announced it would “transfer fully the U.S. operations…to a United States entity.” This evening on the PBS News Hour, AEI scholar Norm Ornstein said that DP World was considering selling its U.S. operations to Halliburton...
:::
...(T)here simply aren’t American companies that have the know-how and the breadth to do this. Interestingly, and perhaps ironically, what I had heard earlier in the day, as they were looking at those that have the — the kind of resources, Halliburton was a name that came up.

First of all, Halliburton, Dick Cheney's baby(evil offspring), is NOT an American company -- not by any stretch or definition. So don't feel relieved... I'd rather the ports be managed by a foreign company, under great suspicion, than being run by Halliburton under less suspicion. American company... Ha! If you believe that, I'll get you some nice office-space in the World Trade Center; Cheap, dude! Later, Herb.

Paul Krugman: Bush doesn't feel your pain.

Krugman on the economy:

President Bush's main purpose in visiting India seems to have been to promote nuclear proliferation. But he also had some kind words for outsourcing. And those words help explain something that I know deeply puzzles the administration's political gurus: Mr. Bush's dismal polling on economic issues.

Now the American economy isn't doing as well as Bush partisans think it is. In fact, since the end of the 2001 recession, the recovery in jobs, output and especially wages has been unusually weak by historical standards. Still, the economy is expanding, so it's impressive just how large a majority of Americans disapproves of Mr. Bush's economic management.

Why doesn't Mr. Bush get any economic respect? I think it's because most Americans sense, correctly, that he doesn't care about people like them. We're living in a time when many Americans are feeling economically insecure, but a tiny elite has been growing incredibly rich. And Mr. Bush's problem is that he identifies so totally with the lucky, wealthy few that in unscripted settings he can't manage even a few sentences of empathy with ordinary Americans. He doesn't feel your pain, and it shows.
:::
Mr. Bush once joked that his base consisted of the "haves and the have-mores." But it wasn't much of a joke. His remarks in India show that he really can't imagine what it's like not to be a member of a privileged economic elite.

The President is... out-of-touch?

On the economy, too.
Not surprised, Herb.

THREE LITTLE MEN...

Small men -- short!
BIG problem(s).
Each one, alike...
Over centuries.
--THE END--
Hmph, Herb.

The PANDORA'S BOX... Civil-war in Iraq, going "very, very well."

Los Angeles Times:

BAGHDAD — The top U.S. envoy to Iraq said Monday that the 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime had opened a "Pandora's box" of volatile ethnic and sectarian tensions that could engulf the region in all-out war if America pulled out of the country too soon.

In remarks that were among the frankest and bleakest public assessments of the Iraq situation by a high-level American official, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the "potential is there" for sectarian violence to become full-blown civil war...

That's Bush's stooge...
Our Iraqi Ambassador.

On the other hand, General Pace, from the Joint Chiefs, told Tim Russert that the "war" in Iraq is going "very, very well..." (!)

Okay, anybody who's
been paying attention,
knows things are NOT
"going well" in Iraq...
'cept maybe for Haliburton.

But it's probably the General's job to paint it positively... However, it's ridiculous to say it's going "very well." And, "very, very well..." is just plain stupid.
Very-well, Herb.

Iraqi Civil War... latest

"Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, one of our great senators, is now calling for a withdrawal of ground troops from Iraq on the grounds that it is in a civil war and we should extricate our troops from the quagmire..."
--Juan Cole

That story and more -- the latest on Iraq at juancole.com. Later, Herb.

DONALD RUMSFELD, Flashback: "We know where the WMD's are."

What a CLOWN he was ("Rummy").
Sayin' stuff, and... stuff!Remember when he was actually in charge of Our military? What? You're----
Sh!t!

Dateline, September 2003:
But inconclusive evidence of intent, know-how and the capacity to build weapons of mass destruction does not quite measure up to President Bush's claim, in his final ultimatum to Iraq on March 19, that "Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised." Nor to Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld's claim, on March 30 that,
"We know where the WMDs are..."

Yepp, Herb.

NO COMMENT, Herb.

Spinster Bill O'Reilly's Fox News: PRETEND POLICE!

Saw this CRAZY-BILL O'REILLY story on MSNBC's Countdown w/ Keith Olberman. [video]
Unbelievable, Really... Oh, Really?Atrios has the radio-show transcript, pasted below, of Bill O'Reilly [don't laugh!] threatening a caller (Bill thought he was MEAN.) with his own pretend personal-police force... (or something?) Enforcing Bill O'Reilly's feelings?

O'REILLY: Orlando, Florida, Mike, go.

CALLER: Hey Bill, I appreciate you taking my call.

O'REILLY: Sure.

CALLER: I like to listen to you during the day, I think Keith Olbermann's show --

O'REILLY: There ya go, Mike is -- he's a gone guy. You know, we have his -- we have your phone numbers, by the way. So, if you're listening, Mike, we have your phone number, and we're going to turn it over to Fox security, and you'll be getting a little visit.

HILL: Maybe Mike is from the mothership.

O'REILLY: No, Maybe Mike is going to get into big trouble, because we're not going to play around. When you call us, ladies and gentleman, just so you know, we do have your phone number, and if you say anything untoward, obscene, or anything like that, Fox security then will contact your local authorities, and you will be held accountable. Fair?

HILL: That's fair.

O'REILLY: So, just -- all you guys who do this kind of a thing, you know, I know some shock jocks. Whatever. You will be held accountable. Believe it.

Bill O'Reilly is like a mad school-girl with a crush on Keith Olberman (or something?). The caller simply MENTIONED Olberman's name, and Billy-O thinks he gets to have the guy arrested! [O'REILLY: "No, Maybe Mike is going to get into big trouble..."]
"Local authorities?" Insane, much?

"Shut-up! SHUT... UP!He's a little monkey: No spin there, Herb.

Huffington on Hillary in 2008... NO WAY! [Amen, Sister!]

Arriana Huffington on The Colbert Report, with Stephen Colbert. (Link to video of interview...) where responding to whether Hillary Clinton should run for president in 2008 (paraphrasing):

NO!
And if the Democrats nominate her... They have a death-wish!

Exactly what we think! Hell NO! Hillary running would be a disaster for the Democrats... She's a dream-candidate,
for THE REPUBLICANS!

If they want her so badly, she should run as one of them, a Republican! (I exclaim!) Damnit, Herb.

NO BIMBOS, NO BLOWJOBS...