President Bush Announces Iraq Exit

Bush Announces Iraq Exit Strategy: 'We'll Go Through Iran'

WASHINGTON, DC-Almost a year after the cessation of major combat and a month after the nation's first free democratic elections, President Bush unveiled the coalition forces' strategy for exiting Iraq.

Poem: Changes 45/Gathering Together (a/k/a population explosion)

If the water in the lake

Gathers until it rises above the earth

There is danger of a breakthrough.

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President Bush Paints Himself Into A Corner Over Not Firing Gonzales And Insisting His Aides Can Only Testify Without Taking An Oath

The President And Advisor Karl Rove During Happier Times

The Associated Press reports that The White House on Tuesday offered to make political strategist Karl Rove, former counsel Harriet Meiers, and a couple of lesser-knowns available for congressional interviews in the investigation of the U.S. Attorneys firing scandal. The President proffered Congress some face time with his two closest aides, but will not allow testimony

—in public

—under oath

—under subpoena

—recorded (or, at least they said, no transcripts)

—more than once. No follow-ups, or additional interviews.

The White House move was announced after the Senate voted by a large margin to end the administration's ability to unilaterally fill U.S. attorney vacancies. The vote came as blowback over Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' firing of the prosecutors. Gonzales—or, more likely, his soon to be named successor—can no longer name attorneys to fill the vacancies. They must now be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The spanking measure passed the Senate with only two no votes!

All This Is That translation: The president says they can only testify if they can't be prosecuted for lying. He learned his lesson with Scooter Libby.

Gonzales got a morale boost with an early-morning call from President Bush. It was their first conversation since a week ago when the president said he was unhappy with how the Justice Department handled the firings. The President took his old friend, Gonzales, to the woodshed and yet because he is an old friend, POTUS said he would stand by him. And he told it to all of America last night. So we see The President again leaps to the aid of yet another morally bankrupt P.O.S. Of course, who knows what that really means? You saw how long he stood by Harriet Meiers when the chips were down? The President's show of support for Gonzales paints himself into the corner. Can he tiptoe his way over around and through this one?

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Poem: Changes 44/Coming to Meet

Darkness, after having been eliminated,
furtively and unexpectedly obtrudes again

from within and below.
When heaven and earth

come to meet each other,
all creatures prosper.

Does the wind blow over the earth
or does it blow under heaven?

Heaven is far from the things of earth
But sets them in motion by the wind.

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Poem: Changes 43/Breakthrough!

1
You achieve breakthrough
Like the river breaches its dikes
Or rain is freed in a cloudburst

Danger—
It does not further to take up arms
It is time to notify the city

2
Resolution is based on strength and friendship
Compromise with evil is impossible
Evil must be swiftly discredited or worse

If we do evil the favor of fighting it
Blow for blow we lose in the end
Entangled in hatred and intrigue

With no opponent
The sharp weapons of evil are dulled
The best way to fight evil

Is to strengthen the goodness
When the lake's water rises to heaven
There is reason to fear a deluge

3
All gathering
Is followed
By dispersion

To plunge blindly ahead is wrong
It is at the beginning
That unexpected setbacks

Have the most disastrous results
Fear nothing and be watchful at all times
For a cry of alarm

Be on guard against what is not in sight
And on the alert for what is not within hearing
If reason triumphs

4
The passions withdraw
You walk alone in the rain
And encounter insuperable obstacles

Victory is a sham
Evil can be concealed
And the remaining seeds will fluorish.
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President's good friend A.G. Gonzales is on his way out the door

click the new White House Flag to enlarge

The Politico broke the news today that "Republican officials operating at the behest of the White House have begun seeking a possible successor to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, whose support among GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill has collapsed, according to party sources familiar with the discussions."


On the short list to replace Gonzales are Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff (it looks like he survived the Katrina blowback); the White House anti-terrorism coordinator, Frances Townsend; Ex-Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson; and Ex-Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson (whose wife, Barbara, you may remember was killed on the jet that crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001).


Perhaps the strongest sign that Gonzales's goose is cooked was Press Secretary Tony Snow's feeble defense when asked if Gonzales would stay on the job: "We hope so," Snow said. "None of us knows what's going to happen to us over the next 21 months." Least of all, The Administration.

Gonzales's fatal move was lying to Congress over the eight dismissed U.S. Attorneys, on top of general ineptitude and an inability to effectively manage the Justice Department.

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Harry Truman on what the Presidency really is. . .

"All the President is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway. "

- Harry S Truman

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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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