* The worst attempt at protecting journalistic sources ever:
The matriarch of the Bush clan is colder than North Pole ice right now to those around her son who she thinks have undermined him. I’ll tell who my sources are if Patrick Fitzgerald gives a call and makes me — but the sources are very close to Poppa Bush (41), who has been traveling a bit with some of his old entourage, including Brent Scowcroft and others of the first Bush regime.
I can’t tell you who wrote that. Secret. But the writer is one of the moderate-left political blogs I’ve read this morning which includes Steve Clemons. On topic, Barb is pissed at everybody but Karen and Junior? Of course she is. Junior’s in the tank and she can’t very well blame her own kid. Well, she could if it was Jeb. George Jr. is “special.”
* Justice Department lawyers concluded that Tom DeLay’s Texas redistricting was illegal, superiors approved it anyway. On a practical level this doesn’t mean much of anything to me since Ashcroft’s already gone, the redistricting seems like a done deal and DeLay’s TRMPAC has already gone down in flames over it. I will gladly be proven wrong if, a) somebody did something prosecutable, which I doubt, or b) this gives ammo to people challenging the redistricting in court.
* The War on the War on Christmas: Has it become an unwinnable quagmire? Carpetbagger reports that the gloves may be coming off.
Lines
Ok, if JD lawyers found that the redistricting was illegal, that means a law has been broken. Who broke it? It may not overturn the redistricting by itself, but how about those that approved it? Fines? What would a jury say, are there any lawyers that want to weigh in?
But I do see this giving a ton of ammo to those that will wish to challenge the redistricting. Its hard to justify, to an interested public, a 1 mile wide strip that runs 200 miles in order to consolodate areas of Conservativism.
But on the last point, other than John Gibson being one of the biggest a-holes on the face of the planet, how does this indicate the “gloves coming off”? It just seems more religious nuttery and less a call to arms.
And when do we get to see Babs take the gloves off? When will she start flailing about with those flabby scaly arms of death?
DougJ
That made my morning.
Steve S
Barbara Bush is a BB.
That said, the Clemons link mentions she would like to dump Dick Cheney. Not an impossible task, all they have to do is leak some damaging memo at the right moment showing that he was personally involved with the torture of women at Abu Ghraib.(who wouldn’t doubt that, the guy loves torture!)
But GW needs Cheney. He’s his Agnew.
If they get rid of Agnew and replace him with someone reasonable like Ford… That means we can impeach Nixon without having to worry about what happens next.
Jorge
One of the lefty sites has copy of this year’s White House card.
It says “Happy Holidays”
No mention of Christmas.
Jorge
Here is the card.
http://www.au.org/pdf/HolidayCard05.pdf
It does have a bit from a Psalm. But it looks like even the POTUS is smart enough to know that December is month with more than just one holiday.
Gibson and O’Reily are tools.
ppGaz
White House Celebrates Holidays
Looks like Kwanzaa and Hanukkah are well represented too.
Some Christmas mention.
All in all a pretty even-handed and pleasant approach, it seems to me.
Apparently, the WHIG party hasn’t taken over this aspect of government yet.
The Disenfranchised Voter
Hhahahaha, I can just see the nutjob blogs now…
The Liberals are winning the WoC!!!; Bush Bows to pressure from Liberals–Sends out Happy Holidays cards!
jill
Does anyone else feel like we are living in a totalitarian dictatorship? This administration just makes up or ignores whatever it wants…science?…re-write it…iraq’s wmd…oh just make it up…torure…we can do what we want…the list goes on and on and on.
DougJ
Is it time for the administration to start paying reporters to write positive stories about Christmas?
The Disenfranchised Voter
I understand your sentiment but we aren’t living in a totalitarian dictatorship.
However, we are living in an authoritarian republic at the moment. There isn’t a huge difference but there is indeed a difference, never the less.
nyrev
Yes. Yes it is. And the papers will get an extra $200/per article if the articles imply that Hannukah and Kwanzaa aren’t real holidays.
Nash
Of course, the publication of this 2-year old memo does exactly that, gives effective ammo to the group (Texas Democrats) challenging the redistricting in court. They lost their case in front on the 3-judge (two Republican/1 Democrat) panel, but this one is going to the Supremes. So how can you possibly say this isn’t ammo, Tim? The ammo may or may not end up working, but it sure looks lethal to me at this point. Not prosecutable, just lethal. In fact, I will now go so far as to say this will result in a reversal and a decision requiring the Texas legislature to redo the districts under court supervision.
And, as an aside in defense of the 3-judge panel, they were apparently not made aware of the existence of this legal finding by the Justice Department (i.e., Ashcroft withheld it from them).
jill
how about if the articles imply that Bush isn’t a real president?
DougJ
How about torturing anti-Christmas insurgents?
We need a Plan For Victory in the War Against Christmas and given how well things are going in Iraq, it seems natural to use it as a model.
stickler
Not only does the revelation about the Justice Department look very very bad for the Texas redistricting, this also sounds a lot like what happened in Georgia with their revised voter ID plan. There, too, the Justice Department lawyers reviewed the plan and found it unacceptable.
They were overruled by Bush administration political appointees. Georgia Democrats sued and the new Voter ID law was thrown out by a Federal judge.
In both cases clear violations of accepted practice and probably the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well. Let’s see how that plays in front of the Supreme Court.
Oh, and let’s keep our eyes open for more of the same. How many other states were subjected to this kind of rigging?
demimondian
Exactly. The model for the war on the war on Christmas should be “Stay the nine-course dinner, of course.”
Steve S
I always thought Happy Holidays was intended to include everything. Christmas, as well as New Years and anything else. That is, it went from “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!” to “Happy Holidays”. It’s a shortening phrase.
I think I’ll write a book titled “How John Gibson hates New Years and wants to destroy it.”
Steve S
And BTW. Shouldn’t this be a Global War on Christmas?
GWOC.
Or is it the Global Struggle Against Christmas Extremism?
GSACE
Pb
Man, this War on Christmas stuff is crazy funny. I especially like the blind support of Wal-Mart from the Right despite its “Happy Holidays” policies, and their demonization of Target despite its non-ban on “Christmas”. As usual, they know where the money is coming from, and they don’t care about anything else, like those pesky liberal ‘facts’.
nyrev
Christmas doesn’t end until our Christmas Victory is assured.
The three stages of Christmas victory are as follows.
1. The people of the world have demonstrated that they are willing to provide, for themselves and their families, a roast animal of some sort and a decorated evergreen tree. Soy is AntiChristmas. The jury’s still out on artificial trees.
B. Everyone has memorized at least one version of A Christmas Carol (two, if one of the versions stars Bill Murray or Mister Magoo). The part about the rich old man giving away his money is to be disregarded as UnAmerican and contrary to the ideals of the War on Christmas.
IV. The Christmas spirit is embraced by all peoples and is kept in our hearts at Yuletide and throughout the year.
When, these conditions are met, the War on the War on Christmas will be a success. Then, and only then, can we take the icicle lights off the garage.
God Bless America.
Faux News
“Is it time for the administration to start paying reporters to write positive stories about Christmas?”
Almost had spit up my Bottled Water on the keyboard with this outstanding comment! I should know better by now not drink anything while reading BJ comments :-)
S. Claus
Those effin fundie homos. Trying to steal Christmas away from ME and give it to some lame baby in a barn?
What the fu…I mean HO HO HO! Merry Holidays!
Otto Man
So Gibson thinks non-Christians aren’t real Americans? That they should be tolerated? That’s about a quarter of the American people he’s writing off there.
Krista
And if anybody is wondering why his attitude is disgusting, replace the word “religions” with “races”, or “sexual orientations”.
Supercilious prick.
Lines
I voted for the War on Christmas before I voted against it!
Cambodia, bitch!
Mr Furious
And if anyone is not sure if Gibson is a “Supercilious prick”, replace “Supercilious prick” with “goddamn albino cocksucker” or “incredible fucking asshole.”
SeesThroughIt
Bwah!
By the way, shouldn’t the Christmas Jihadis be really, really pissed at Honda for their “Happy Honda-days” commercials? They’re choosing to pun off the word “holidays” and not “Christmas!” They must pay! Kill the pig! Cut her throat! Spill her blood!
Also, wouldn’t it be deliciously ironic if John Gibson got his ass kicked by a priest? Just saying….
Lines
On the same topic of radio personalities that are suffering from “supercilious prick” syndrome, Savage is going overboard with racial and homophobic attacks. Blaming the War on Christmas on everyone he dislikes. I just am totally unable to figure out how these people are able to survive in America today.
Marcus Wellby
Do you go outdoors often? The question is not how people like Savage survive in America these days, the question is how the rest of us do.
Lines
I think the correct answer to my question was “Bodyguards”
The Disenfranchised Voter
Almost spit my drink up reading that one.
jg
If I know this administration you can count on a plan coming out sometime around the new year.
Paul Wartenberg
Forget Christmas. Forget Festivus. It’s high time we re-started celebrating Mithras! Who’s got the sacrificial bull? (And no, not McClellan, he’s got the stuff that comes from the bull…)
Krista
That was the basic sentiment behind the phrase. Strangely enough, I cuss like a drunken sailor in real life, but just can’t bring myself to write that way unless strongly provoked.
Now if you charged admission to that, you’d be able to buy a LOT of gifts for poor kids. Someone should arrange that…it’d be for a good cause.
Mr Furious
Blatant pimp: I just put together a long post on the re-districting fiasco.
I’m not sure which is worse; a blatant pimp or pasting a giant-ass comment into a thread…
Mr Furious
I’ve tried to rein in my real-life swearing with a toddler around, but going online and reading stuff like Gibson’s crap pretty much ensures it in my writing.
DougJ
A clear strategy begins with a clear understanding of the enemy we face. The enemy in the War on Christmas is a combination of atheists, jews, and kwanzaites. The atheists are by far the largest group. These are ordinary Americans, mostly liberals, who miss the status they had before this country turned into a theocracy. And they reject an America which respects the separation of church and state. The hard-core atheists are trying to foment anti-Christmas sentiment amongst the larger liberal community.
stickler
Isn’t Savage Jewish? I can’t stand to listen to him so I don’t know the details, but how in hell can he join the “war on Christmas” pogrom? Am I missing something?
p.lukasiak
Or is it the Global Struggle Against Christmas Extremism?GSACE
All us homos will join in if we change the name to Victory Ensured Regarding the Struggle Against Christian Extremism!
VERSACE!
Gold Star for Robot Boy
How about Global War Against Christmas?
GWAC – pronounced like the first syllable of “guacamole.”
Krista
It would be the most fabulous non-Christmas ever.
JWeidner
That’s a great name for a band….
“Hey, who you listening to?”
“Blatant Pimp. They kick ass!”
Lines
Krista:
Oh sstop you ssilly goosse!
DougJ
Am I the only one here that gets Tom DeLay’s TRMPAC confused with Nicole Smith’s TRIMSPA? And wasn’t Leonardo di Caprio’s posse called the Trimpack?
demimondian
Yes! Mithras Invictus! The perfect strategy for a war on anything — Mithras who cannot be defeated! The strategery for the divinely inspired man who wants everything.
(And, with a little luck, the geek will confuse Mithras with Mithrandir, and jump on the bandwagon due to the Tolkien reference!)
Steve S
The domain Gwacamole.com is available.
I’ve been thinking about putting up a site to help coordinate the Global War on Christmas. It’ll be a place where people can post their pictures of Christmas decorations. Highlighting the successes “Happy Holidays” and failures “Merry Christmas”.
Just need a domain name idea. :-)
Bruce Moomaw
If any additional evidence was needed that Fox News is actually a subsidiary of “The Onion”, this is it.
Kolmogorov
It’s definitely the Global War on Christmas.(TM)
I have: http://war-on-christmas.com
which currently points to my GWOC tracking blog:
http://globalwaronchristmas.blogspot.com
It is still in an infant stage, so please contribute your GWOC(TM) ideas, pictures, stories, and references at the webpage, or at [email protected].