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You are here: Home / News Bits

News Bits

by Tim F|  July 11, 20078:28 am| 31 Comments

This post is in: General Stupidity

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* Bush’s first Surgeon General: the White House constantly interfered with my office to promote its partisan agenda. Raise your hand if you’re surprised. [Update : talk about this story on John’s post above. Also, I fixed the Surgeon General’s title so that it no longer referred to John Ashcroft.]

* I’m with Kevin Drum about the Michael Moore movie – agitprop doesn’t get much better than that. More than that though, based on some anecdotes and my own intuition I have a sense that the less people like Michael Moore the more effective the movie will be. The main point, that we ought to be able to care for people at least as well as countries with a crappier economy than our own (France, England, we’ll talk later), should resonate especially well with the USA! USA! crowd.

* Someone named Sheehan has officially kicked off a futile primary challenge to Nancy Pelosi. I only mention this to head off the post that you know John is already writing.

* Woot. Dick Durbin followed through on his promise and cut Cheney’s Executive branch budget until he complies with classified information policies. Next month’s Onion headline: in a signing statement Bush reluctantly eliminates the Legislative branch.

This thread is, like, open.

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Previous Post: « God Does Not Love Me This Much
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Reader Interactions

31Comments

  1. 1.

    chopper

    July 11, 2007 at 8:30 am

    surgeon general, not atty general.

  2. 2.

    Teak111

    July 11, 2007 at 9:11 am

    Durbin should avoid small aircraft in the future.

  3. 3.

    Zifnab

    July 11, 2007 at 9:29 am

    I don’t think Durbin has the security clearance to know about Cheney’s Executive Branch budget. Isn’t the entire office of the VP one huge black bag operation?

  4. 4.

    Rome Again

    July 11, 2007 at 9:51 am

    Woot. Dick Durbin followed through on his promise and cut Cheney’s Executive branch budget until he complies with classified information policies. Next month’s Onion headline: in a signing statement Bush reluctantly eliminates the Legislative branch.

    That’s AWESOME! I like it, I like it a lot. If they keep doing stuff like this, I’ll start thinking about changing my I status back to D.

  5. 5.

    Psycheout

    July 11, 2007 at 11:01 am

    It’s going to be a dangerous summer. But the War on Terror is just a bumper sticker, isn’t it?

  6. 6.

    ThymeZone

    July 11, 2007 at 11:23 am

    But the War on Terror is just a bumper sticker, isn’t it?

    Nuh-uh. Not when your DHS chief has a gut feeling that something scary is going to happen!

    I believe we’re entering a period this summer of increased risk. We’ve seen a lot more public statements from Al Qaeda. There are a lot of reasons to speculate about that but one reason that occurs to me is that they’re feeling more comfortable and raising expectations. In the last August, and in prior summers, we’ve had attacks against the West, which suggests that summer seems to be appealing to them. I think we do see increased activity in South Asia, so we do worry about whether they are rebuilding their capabilities. We’ve struck at them and degraded them, but they rebuild. All these things have given me kind of a gut feeling that we are in a period of increased vulnerability.

  7. 7.

    Dreggas

    July 11, 2007 at 11:26 am

    Psycheout Says:

    It’s going to be a dangerous summer. But the War on Terror is just a bumper sticker, isn’t it?

    I’ll tell you the same thing I told my father last night when he asserted that “all muslims want to kill us”. You can keep living in fear and wetting yourself, I won’t because living in fear is un-American.

  8. 8.

    Rome Again

    July 11, 2007 at 11:40 am

    You can keep living in fear and wetting yourself, I won’t because living in fear is un-American.

    Exactly!

    From Chertoff:

    I believe we’re entering a period this summer of increased risk. We’ve seen a lot more public statements from Al Qaeda. There are a lot of reasons to speculate about that but one reason that occurs to me is that they’re feeling more comfortable and raising expectations.

    You mean increased risks like having a terrorist drive an SUV into a window of an airport terminal? Wow, that’s going to do a LOT of damage, huh?

  9. 9.

    ThymeZone

    July 11, 2007 at 11:44 am

    You mean increased risks like having a terrorist drive an SUV into a window

    After setting fire to the car, and to himself. He will be lucky if he does not survive the injuries, he was that badly burned.

    As a wag said on Countdown last week …. if getting doctors to set fire to themselves and drive into plate glass windows is what Al Qaeda is up to, then we’d be smart to declare that we’ve defeated Al Qaeda, and move on. That attack is about as pathetically futile and inept as you can get, next to planning to dismantle the Brooklyn Bridge with welding torches in broad daylight.

  10. 10.

    Tim F.

    July 11, 2007 at 11:45 am

    the War on Terror is just a bumper sticker, isn’t it?

    In fact it is. The sticker reads, “support the troops,” and it’s made in China.

  11. 11.

    Psycheout

    July 11, 2007 at 11:57 am

    Well when you later find out the details about how the Bush Administration foiled a huge 9/11 style terror plot, I’m sure you’ll be apologizing for the snark and will be thanking heaven that we have a competent head of Homeland Security.

    The alternative is unthinkable. What will you say if a terrorist attack happens in the homeland this summer?

    “Inside job,” probably. Or you’ll be happy because it makes the President look bad. The BDS is strong around here.

  12. 12.

    Chad N. Freude

    July 11, 2007 at 12:10 pm

    Well when you later find out the details about how the Bush Administration foiled a huge 9/11 style terror plot,

    OK, come clean, what do you know? I know the administration is really good at keeping stuff secret, but obviously you know something. C’mon, tell us, c’mon.

    I’m sure you’ll be apologizing for the snark and will be thanking heaven that we have a competent head of Homeland Security.

    Absolutely! I’m already thankful that we have a head of DHS with a feeling gut. I can hardly wait for the competent one.

  13. 13.

    Dreggas

    July 11, 2007 at 12:18 pm

    Psycheout Says:

    Well when you later find out the details about how the Bush Administration foiled a huge 9/11 style terror plot, I’m sure you’ll be apologizing for the snark and will be thanking heaven that we have a competent head of Homeland Security.

    This administration couldn’t “foil” its way out of a wet paper bag, if they get lucky enough to do so I won’t apologize for a damn thing, I’ll be pleasantly suprised, but in no way will I be apologetic.

    The alternative is unthinkable. What will you say if a terrorist attack happens in the homeland this summer?

    If there is an attack I will gladly march on washington to physically remove these asshats from office. After all they claim that as long as they’re in charge there won’t be anymore terrorist attacks, well they’d be proven once again to be liars and would be unfit to serve.

    “Inside job,” probably. Or you’ll be happy because it makes the President look bad. The BDS is strong around here.

    Nope not happy, not happy in the least because it really will be their own damn fault this time and once again they’ll have proven their incompetence.

    Go on Psycheout, hide under the bed in fear of the terrorists meanwhile us REAL Americans will continue to live our lives free from fear, hell we might even go “shopping”.

  14. 14.

    Punchy

    July 11, 2007 at 12:44 pm

    Your Preznit at work:

    I asked Mike Leavitt, who is the head of HHS, and Chertoff — he’s the Homeland guy — Department of Homeland Security — Secretary of Homeland Security. In Crawford, we kind of shortcut it. Anyway, look, nobody has accused me of being Shakespeare, you know? Anyway — I just hope you can figure out what I’m saying — is we spend a lot of time on pandemic flu. One way you anticipate a crisis is you kind of war-game it.

    These guys break down the whole speach with snark, but really, snark isnt even necessary. Good Lord, I’ve never realized just how stupid, grammatically ignorant, and just plain stammering Bush is. The whole thing is here.

  15. 15.

    Rome Again

    July 11, 2007 at 12:49 pm

    Good Lord, I’ve never realized just how stupid, grammatically ignorant, and just plain stammering Bush is.

    You didn’t? You never realized how stupid he is, Punchy? I’m absolutely amazed.

    The man can’t put three words together to form a coherent sentence 90% of the time.

  16. 16.

    Dreggas

    July 11, 2007 at 12:52 pm

    The man has always talked like he was drunk but that speech really, really makes me wonder if he’s back on the sauce.

  17. 17.

    Punchy

    July 11, 2007 at 12:55 pm

    Word on the ‘nets….

    You heard it here first…

    Grover Norquist tied to the DC madam thang. I have link, but it’s running like fire on the comments board at atrios’ site.

  18. 18.

    ThymeZone

    July 11, 2007 at 12:58 pm

    The man can’t put three words together to form a coherent sentence 90% of the time.

    This will explain it.

  19. 19.

    ThymeZone

    July 11, 2007 at 1:01 pm

    Sorry, that link is dead, but this one is alive.
    Watch it, you’ll be glad you did.

  20. 20.

    Dreggas

    July 11, 2007 at 1:06 pm

    Punchy Says:

    Word on the ‘nets….

    You heard it here first…

    Grover Norquist tied to the DC madam thang. I have link, but it’s running like fire on the comments board at atrios’ site.

    I think that was going around when she was going to release the numbers the first time, this will be highly amusing.

  21. 21.

    chopper

    July 11, 2007 at 1:19 pm

    You mean increased risks like having a terrorist drive an SUV into a window of an airport terminal? Wow, that’s going to do a LOT of damage, huh?

    somebody drove an SUV into a mailboxes etc type store down the street from my apartment yesterday. right through the window. the war on terror has come to brooklyn!

  22. 22.

    KCinDC

    July 11, 2007 at 1:32 pm

    The problem is how you get the “USA! USA!” crowd to go to a Michael Moore movie in the first place.

  23. 23.

    Rome Again

    July 11, 2007 at 2:37 pm

    ThymeZone Says:

    Sorry, that link is dead, but this one is alive.
    Watch it, you’ll be glad you did.

    TZ, you know I can’t watch that stuff at work. It’s non-Websense-ible. Care to send that to me in email and I’ll watch it later? Thanks!

  24. 24.

    RSA

    July 11, 2007 at 2:51 pm

    Coming in late: Dreggas wrote,

    Living in fear is un-American.

    Nice. If that’s not a good election slogan, I don’t know what is. I imagine it paired with a “Vote for [the Democrat]” on bumper stickers.

  25. 25.

    Dreggas

    July 11, 2007 at 3:00 pm

    RSA Says:

    Coming in late: Dreggas wrote,

    Living in fear is un-American.

    Nice. If that’s not a good election slogan, I don’t know what is. I imagine it paired with a “Vote for [the Democrat]” on bumper stickers.

    It’s just one of those things that slaps you in the face when you realize it.

  26. 26.

    Wilfred

    July 11, 2007 at 4:00 pm

    From the WSJ comes this hard hitting featured article:

    Moving Forward in Iraq
    The “surge” is working. Will Washington allow the current progress to continue?

    BY KIMBERLY KAGAN

    They forgot to tell readers that Ms. Kimberly Kagan is the wife of Field Marshal Frederick Kagan, architect of the surge. I don’t get surprised too often pissed off maybe, but not suprised. This is pretty fucking shameless, however.

    http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010320

  27. 27.

    Rome Again

    July 11, 2007 at 4:50 pm

    They forgot to tell readers that Ms. Kimberly Kagan is the wife of Field Marshal Frederick Kagan, architect of the surge. I don’t get surprised too often pissed off maybe, but not suprised. This is pretty fucking shameless, however.

    Nepotism is all the rage these days, don’t you know? Don’t worry your pretty little head, it’s just a bit of family tradition!

  28. 28.

    merlallen

    July 12, 2007 at 6:49 am

    In Crawford, we shortcut it. You are from Connecticut, goddamnit!!!
    And BDS more accurately describes the 26% who still worship the coward who ran and hid on 9/11.

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks

  1. University Update - Michael Moore - News Bits says:
    July 11, 2007 at 9:51 am

    […] Zac Efron Link to Article michael moore News Bits » Posted at Balloon Juice on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 Bush’s first Surgeon General: the White House constantly interfered with my office to promote its partisan agenda … m with Kevin Drum about the Michael Moore movie – agitprop doesn’t get much better than that. More than that though, based on some anecdotes and my own intuition I have a sense that the less people like Michael View Entire Article » […]

  2. University Update says:
    July 11, 2007 at 10:47 am

    […] […]

  3. University Update - Nancy Pelosi - News Bits says:
    July 11, 2007 at 11:55 am

    […] Wesley Clark Link to Article nancy pelosi News Bits » Posted at Balloon Juice on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 Bush’s first Surgeon General: the White House constantly interfered with my office to promote its partisan agenda … has officially kicked off a futile primary challenge to Nancy Pelosi. I only mention this to head off the post View Entire Article » […]

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