Four years in Iraq commemorated by President Bush

click uncle sam's skull to enlarge

President Bush marked the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq today with more words and pleas for patience (!) from the Roosevelt Room, as the White House struggled with the Democrat's attempts to force a withdrawal of troops.
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Poem: Changes 42/Increase

1
To rule truly is to serve
The spirit alone
Has the power to lift the world

2
It furthers to cross the great water
But never forget to dogpaddle back
Sacrifice from above increases those below

Like the marriage of heaven and earth
Even dangerous enterprises succeed
When earth partakes the creative power of heaven

3
To increase
If you see good imitate it
If you have faults unload them

4
If help comes from on high
This increased strength
Must be used to achieve something great

When increase is in harmony
With the highest laws of the universe
It cannot be stopped by any constellation of accidents

And even unfortunate events turn
To the advantage of those affected
As those who would harm you draw near.
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The Hillary "1984" Ad: Sen. Obama v. Sen. Clinton

The Sen. Barack Hussein Obama campaign claims it has nothing to do with the ad attacking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Of course. The San Francisco Chronicle says:

"It may be the most stunning and creative attack ad yet for a 2008 presidential candidate -- one experts say could represent a watershed moment in 21st century media and political advertising."

You might need to click twice to get the video to play...

So far, the author of the mash-up of the old Apple Computer "1984" ad has not come forward. The ad is only available on the internet (like, YouTube, and a few thousand blogs or so...).

What we do know now, early in the Presidential sweepstakes, is that campaigns no longer control their supporters. On the other hand, we don't know the Obama campaign isn't behind this in some fashion. If this is the opening salvo, this is going to be a fascinating capaign. . .
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Sketch of Bill Clinton using Faces 3.0

Click President Clinton to enlarge

This my latest attempt at using the Faces 3.0 identikit software. . .this time Bill Clinton. There is no white or grey hair--or blue eyes, or watercolor flag backgrounds--in Faces 3.0, so I did need to run it through Photoshop.

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Donald Trump Eviscerates President Bush On CNN

Donald Trump tore into the President tonight on CNN's Situation Room.

"...Bush is probably the worst president in the history of the United States. And I just don't understand how [the Democrats] could have lost that election."

"Everything in Washington has been a lie. Weapons of mass destruction, it was a total lie. It was a way of attacking Iraq, which he thought was going to be easy and it turned out to be the exact opposite of easy. He reads 60 books a year. He reads a book a week. Do you think the president reads a book a week? I don't think so. He doesn't watch television. Now, one thing I know is when I'm on television, I watch, or I try. You do. Your own ego says, let's watch. Whether good or bad, you want to watch. He doesn't watch television. He's on television being interviewed by you or someone else, he doesn't watch. Does anyone really believe that?"

"Whether they like him [Saddam Hussein] or didn't like him, he hated terrorists. He would shoot and kill terrorists. When terrorists came into this country, which he did control and he did dominate, he would kill terrorists. Now it is a breeding ground for terrorists."

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A drawing of Adolph Hitler (made using Faces 3.0)

Click The Fuhrer to enlarge

I used the Faces 3.0 identikit software to create this, and then touched it up with the flag in Paintshop Pro XI. . My creations with Faces mainly seem to work if you have something like a toothbrush moustache or othert caricature-able feature. Let's face it, this could as likely be Charles Chaplain as Adolph Hitler. As for as someone ever identifying a wrongdoer with one of my identikit sketches--that's not likely!
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Poem: Changes 41/Decrease

1
Increase and decrease
Come in their own time.

The lake at the foot of the mountain evaporates.
Its loss is the mountain's gain.

The lake is a symbol of passion:
It fills its hollow to the brim.

Without decreasing yourself,
You bring increase to others.

You fear nothing, because luck
Is ordained from on high.

You're God's boy, dispensing
A blessing to the whole world.

Every increase that comes to you
Benefits the whole.

In America, we call it
A win-win.

2
I donated a pint of blood today.
In three days

My body will replace the blood.
My loss is someone's gain.



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Barack Obama Calls John Edwards "kind of cute," and "good looking"

Will it come down to a slugfest between the two cuties?

Sen. Barack Obama slipped in a compliment about the compteition during two appearances in Iowa last weekend, according to The Hill.

“I want to wait and hear what John Edwards has to say, he’s kind of good-looking,” Obama pictured the rank and file in this battleground caucus state saying. At another appearance, he said the same thing, more or less, this time calling Edwards “kind of cute.”

Some of us were puzzled by these comments, since Sen. Barack Hussein Obama often says that he is rising above petty politics and has said before—about his own handsome visage—that looks do not matter!

A poll on the issue (holy moly, they poll on this kind of s***?) by Nerve.com, found both Senators Obama and Edwards running behind former President Bill Clinton on the hot-or-not scale.
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My favorite birds

Roadrunner
Woodpecker - and not just because of Woody
Water Ouzel
Owl (from the spotted own to the cigarbox White Owl)
Hummingbird - What's not to like?
Crow - for their color, and intelligence
Buzzards, Hawks, Eagles. . .all the raptors - Just Because
Chicken, Pigeon, Duck, Squab, Turkey, Pheasant, Quail, Goose - they're good eatin'!
Lyre Bird [1] - see this fantastic video by David Attenborough below if you doubt me on this one.
Any of the amazing birds Morris Graves ever painted


You will need to click the play button 2x (don't ask)

[1] The Lyre Bird is a fantastic mimic: it can imitate people, cars, machinery, even chain saws and pneumatic drills. According to the Wikipedia: "A lyrebird's call is a rich mixture of its own song and any number of other sounds it has heard. The lyrebird's syrinx is the most complexly-muscled of the Passerines (songbirds), giving the lyrebird extraordinary ability, unmatched in vocal repertoire and mimicry. Lyrebirds render with great fidelity the individual songs of other birds and the chatter of flocks of birds, and also mimic other animals, human noises, machinery of all kinds, explosions and musical instruments. The lyrebird is capable of imitating almost any sound — from a mill whistle to a cross-cut saw, and, not uncommonly, sounds as diverse as chainsaws, car engines, and alarms, camera shutters, dogs barking, and crying babies. Lyrebirds are shy birds and a constant stream of bird calls coming from one place is often the only way of identifying them and their presence."
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Former Senator John Edwards is beginning to scare me: his cause may be hopeless if he keeps telling the truth

Former Senator John Edwards is probably not a real dark horse—to meet that definition, you probably need to be toward the back of the pack, and not No. 3. [1]

I haven't looked at any polls recently, but you have to think that Ann Coulter's recent comment must have helped his standing. If Coulter despises him that much, and is willing to slur him (and probably cost herself some book deals and speaking engagements). . .he must be doing something right. And he is. He's telling the truth. He tells us he will raise taxes to fund his health care program. He admits he made a mistake voting for The President's war (as opposed to, say, Senator Clinton who doesn't say she made a mistake. She says she was misled).

John Edward’s honesty and focus on actual issues is a welcome relief from the rest of the pack of weasels, who spend most of their airtime dancing around the issues and avoiding any real commitment to virtually anything at all this early in the race.

John Edwards on Bill Maher, February, 2007: “I was wrong” means – I’m only speaking for me – means that I take responsibility for making a serious mistake on a vote that was probably the most important vote I cast in the United States Senate. I think we desperately need leaders in this country who will admit when they were wrong. We’re all human. All of us make mistakes. Admit when we’re wrong, change course, take responsibility for being wrong. I don’t think you can have the foundation for leadership, the moral foundation for leadership, if you don’t start by telling the truth. And, at least for me, this is the truth."

[1]
Top Dogs:
Senator Hillary Clinton
Sen. Barack Hussein Obama
Ex-Senator John Edwards

Bottom Dogs:
Ex-Vice-President and Ex-Senator Albert Gore (undeclared, but not saying no)
The Reverend Al Sharpton (he's making noises)
Senator Joe Biden, Delaware - almost blew himself out of the water
Gov. Bill Richardson, New Mexico
Gov. Tom Vilsack, Iowa
Senator Christopher Dodd, Connecticut
Ex-General Wesley Clark
Ex-Governor Mark Warner, Virginia
Senator Evan Bayh, Indiana - already threw in the towel
Senator John Kerry, Massachusetts - blew himself right out of the water
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Poem: Changes 40/Deliverance

1

The hawk on a high wall
is hardened in his wickedness

2

A thunderstorm clears the air
Like Wyatt Earp's peacekeeper

3
Deliver yourself from your great toe.

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It's been another rough month at the white house

• The Eight Fired U.S. Attorney's (including Seattle's) and calls for AG Gonzales's resignation



• The Army Hospital scandal



• Scooter Libby's conviction for lying and the protracted appeal



• FBI data collection scandal using a Patriot Act loophole



• The War Going South



• Revelations POTUS played fast and loose with facts and figures



• The Stock market going south



• Blood money, oil money, lies

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