Lowness

[. . .]

A new Gallup Poll reflects further erosion in President George W. Bush's job approval rating, continuing the slow but steady decline evident throughout the year so far. The poll -- conducted Aug. 22-25 -- puts Bush's job approval rating at 40% and his disapproval rating at 56%. Both are the most negative ratings of the Bush administration. Bush's previous low point in approval was 44% (July 25-28, 2005) and his previous high point in disapproval was 53% (June 24-26, 2005).

[. . .]

At least one House of Congress is ours . . . if we play it right. Link via Oliver Willis.

Why do I feel so optimistic? It's going to cause us some pain (there's always a price), but there's a perfect economic shitstorm a-brewin' and it's gonna make landfall just about election time. Calculated Risk via my man Dave:

[. . .]

[Director, UCLA Anderson Forecast Dr. Edward E.] Leamer lays the blame squarely on the Federal Reserve for leaving interest rates too low for too long. Now, he says, we're not only heading for trouble in the housing sector, but in the auto industry - another market that got drunk on historically low rates.

[. . .]

As rates creep higher, consumers happily driving their new cars or living in their larger homes have no motivation to purchase additional ones. Since consumer spending drives two-thirds of our economy, when consumers close their wallets, the impact is far-reaching.

[. . .]

The Republicans own this, ladies and germs. Just like they own Iraq, they're the only ones to blame for the coming storm. The consequences combined with Chimpy's steadily falling numbers, they have nowhere to hide. It's gonna cause some economic upheaval to a buncha good folks who don't deserve it, but it's gonna break the GOP grip on the Congress. Once that happens, think Impeachment.

Yes, I know I said I was done for the night, but this is it . . . honest.

Tweakage

David was right, the dainty fonts were killing my eyes. Hope this is better for you other old farts too.

New York was not attacked

I know I've been a posting fool today but one more. It's a shame we fucked up the wingnuts' day on 9/11, but they've gotten their mileage out of it regardless. From the Green Knight:

[. . .]

I'm serious about this (well, sort of). The right has always been uneasy with the specifics of what happened on September 11, 2001, because the people who were killed, who were permanently injured, who lost loved ones, who rushed heriocally into danger to save their fellow human beings, were all New Yorkers. New Yorkers, like other blue-staters, aren't supposed to behave like that, according to the right-wing culture-war narrative. They're supposed to be effete, latte-drinking, Europhiliac, wine-sipping wimps who shriek and run at the first sign of danger.

The right absolutely hated the fact that New Yorkers proved their culture war narrative wrong. It would have been so much better if it had been red-staters that were attacked by terrorists and behaved heroically in response (which no doubt they would have). Annie sez this herself: "I think I'd rather have them trying to invade Mississippi or Georgia, Alabama." It was so thoughtless, really, of the Al Qaeda terrorists to make New Yorkers look good.

[. . .]

Truths

I've been posting on this for over a year. Via Maru:

While President George W. Bush travels around the country in a last-ditch effort to sell his Iraq war, White House aides scramble frantically behind the scenes to hide the dark mood of an increasingly angry leader who unleashes obscenity-filled outbursts at anyone who dares disagree with him.

"I'm not meeting with that goddamned bitch," Bush screamed at aides who suggested he meet with Cindy Sheehan, the war-protesting mother whose son died in Iraq. "She can go to hell as far as I'm concerned!"

[. . .]

White House insiders say Bush is growing increasingly bitter over mounting opposition to his war in Iraq. Polls show a vast majority of Americans now believe the war was a mistake and most doubt the President's honesty.

"Who gives a flying fuck what the polls say," he screamed at a recent strategy meeting. "I'm the President and I'll do whatever I goddamned please. They don't know shit."

[. . .]

I'm still debating the tinfoil hattishness of this. If it is true, the President should be removed from office.

The post also includes the observations of Dr. Justin Frank, whom I've posted about earlier. The confirmation of Bush's instability would explain a lot. I wish somebody would catch Condi giving Dubya a blowjob. It would be so much easier to get him out.

Bought and paid for

So who's minding the store? Via RJ Eskow:

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush played host to the White House press corps Thursday night for a private off-the-record dinner at his ranch.

[. . .]

The event was not held last year because of the busy campaign season. The invitations to the reporters were issued on the condition that they not discuss conversations at the event. [my emphasis]

Doesn't anyone have a clue how this looks? Does anyone know the meaning of perception and conflict of interest? I'm tired of the collegial relationship between the WH Press Corpse and the administration. Not when there are so many skeletons rattling around in so many closets. How do you trust a press corps who swears fealty to this corrupt administration for the price of a free meal?

Extinction

[. . .]

"At the end of my career, I get to document the destruction of the species I've been documenting for 20 years," he lamented.

Such sentiments have become increasingly common in recent years among a growing number of marine biologists, who find themselves studying species in danger of disappearing. For years, many scientists and regulators believed the oceans were so vast there was little risk of marine species dying out. Now, some suspect the world is on the cusp of what Ellen Pikitch, executive director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, calls "a gathering wave of ocean extinctions."

Dozens of biologists believe the seas have reached a tipping point, with scores of species of ocean - dwelling fish, birds and mammals edging toward extinction. In the past 300 years, researchers have documented the global extinction of just 21 marine species - but 16 have occurred since 1972. [my emphasis]

[. . .]

Our planet is dying and only the powers that be in Washington refuse to acknowlege it. Read the whole post at the 12th Harmonic.

Have Nots

Krugman:

[. . .]

The administration and some political commentators seem genuinely puzzled by polls showing that Americans are unhappy about the economy. After all, they point out, numbers like the growth rate of G.D.P. look pretty good. So why aren't people cheering?

Some blame the negative halo effect of the Iraq debacle. Others complain that the news media aren't properly reporting good economic news. But when your numbers tell you that people should be feeling good, but they aren't, that means you're looking at the wrong numbers.

[. . .]

Some commentators dismiss concerns about gasoline prices, because those prices are still below previous peaks when you adjust for inflation. But that misses the point: Americans bought cars and made decisions about where to live when gas was $1.50 or less per gallon, and now suddenly find themselves paying $2.60 or more. That's a rude shock, which I estimate raises the typical family's expenses by more than $900 a year.

You may ask where economic growth is going, if it isn't showing up in wages. That's easy to answer: it's going to corporate profits, to rising health care costs and to a surge in the salaries and other compensation of executives. (Forbes reports that the combined compensation of the chief executives of America's 500 largest companies rose 54 percent last year.) [my emphases]

[. . .]

The 'Haves' and the 'Have Mores'. I believe the Chimp calls them his 'base'. Well, they've been doing very well.

Crooks

Stirling Newberry at the Stakeholder:

[. . .]

Having given Bush the longest period of undivided government since Jimmy Carter, people expected results.

But results are exactly what this Congress has been in short supply of. For decades Republicans promised that if they got in charge, they could do more with less because of all of the Democratic "waste, fraud and abuse". Instead, under the undivided government of Bush, DeLay and Frist, budget deficits have ballooned, and billions have turned up missing or unaccounted for in Iraq. The Republican leadership promised a Congress that would be run like a business. However, it seems safe to say that if a business were run the way Congress is, it would be under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Republican Leadership learned a great deal from the dot com bubble, specifically how to keep ugly items off budget to make losses look less dire, and then masking the real size of the deficit by counting your Social Security money as if it were income taxes. Don't be fooled by "private accounts," what Bush, DeLay and Frist have really invested your money in is a dry hole in Iraq. What Bush did for Harken, he and the Republican leadership in Congress have done for America.

[. . .]

So let me ask a simple question, what has Congress done for you lately? They sent you a three hundred dollar check a few years ago, which turns out to have been borrowed, so even now you are paying it back.

[. . .]

The how is also important. It should be clear by now that the Republican way of doing something is hiring a bunch of their contributors to do it. "Pay to Play" is a good way to get bridges to nowhere, tunnels that leak and No Child Left with a Behind. It's also a good way to get a video poker vote counting system that can't be trusted.

[. . .]

Americans want to be sure that when America commits to a decision it is the right one, and that there hasn't been any cooking of the books or fixing the facts to get a rush to judgement.

The lesson is that if you elect a bunch of "yes men," don't be surprised when they can't say no to their cronies.

[. . .]

An excellent post. In effect, the Republican Party is an organized crime ring, nothing more and the press have been their enablers. It's time we showed them for what they really are. Great thanks to Jo Fish.

Well, I do love the smell of napalm...

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Or maybe it's just helicopters, boat rides, crazy bastards and/with weaponry. Grenade launchers are way cool.

I have been called by that name many times...

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Take the 45 question test. I went from Saddam Hussein to Albert Einstein just by answering more questions!

Ich bin ein Berliner

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Hat tip: Jay at RUFNKM.

Of course it was the Germans

That's what my mom used to say about every cool innovation, like rockets. But the Krauts are pretty good with figuring shit out.

HELENA, Montana - Montana's governor wants to solve America's rising energy costs using a technology discovered in Germany 80 years ago that converts coal into gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel.

The Fischer-Tropsch technology, discovered by German researchers in 1923 and later used by the Nazis to convert coal into wartime fuels, was not economical as long as oil cost less than $30 a barrel.

[. . .]

Montana is "sitting on more energy than they have in the Middle East," [Gov. Brian] Schweitzer told Reuters in an interview this week.

"I am leading this country in this desire and demand to convert coal into gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel. We can do it in Montana for $1 per gallon," he said.

"We can do it cheaper than importing oil from the sheiks, dictators, rats and crooks that we're bringing it from right now." [my emphases]

[. . .]

Today is the first I heard of this. The Indian showed it to me in a trade paper over morning coffee. I'm gonna do more research (and yes, you treehuggers, I'm gonna find out how environmentally feasible this is) and I'll get back to you. At first blush, it seems promising. Yes, I know we need cleaner fuels, but we are rich in coal, and if gasoline and diesel can be extracted, it could cut our ties to Arab oil . . . and Pat Robertson can call back the hit on Hugo Chavez.

Does a box of hatpins come with it?

Grumpy Old Man has the line on the perfect Christmas present for your wingnut friends, if you still have any.

Already?

President Incompetent Fool's newest incompetent fool is already making trouble. Via Ol' Yella:

John Bolton, Washington's new ambassador to the United Nations, has called for wholesale changes to a draft document due to go before a UN summit next month aimed at reshaping the world body.

Mr Bolton, a long-standing UN critic who was given a temporary appointment by George Bush three weeks ago after the United States Senate failed to agree on his nomination, has proposed 750 amendments to the draft and called for immediate talks on them.

[. . .]

The Bolton amendments, published in the US press, seek to play down the emphasis given to alleviating poverty, and expunge all references to the millennium development goals, including the target for wealthy countries to donate at least 0.7 % of national income to the developing world. America currently gives less than 0.2% in such aid.

The changes would also scrap provisions in the draft calling for action against global warming, and remove endorsements of the international criminal court and the comprehensive test-ban treaty - both of which are opposed by the Bush administration.

[. . .]

Not only did we fuck up the U.S., we're gonna fuck up the world. Outrageous.

U.S., insurgents locked in stalemate in Anbar

Informative article at Macon.com about what's going on in Western Iraq.

After repeated major combat offensives in Fallujah and Ramadi, and after losing hundreds of soldiers and Marines in Anbar during the past two years - including 75 since June 1 - many American officers and enlisted men assigned to Anbar have stopped talking about winning a military victory in Iraq's Sunni Muslim heartland. Instead, they're trying to hold on to a handful of population centers and hit smaller towns in a series of quick-strike operations designed to disrupt insurgent activities temporarily.

"I don't think of this in terms of winning," said Col. Stephen Davis, who commands a task force of about 5,000 Marines in an area of some 24,000 square miles in the western portion of Anbar. Instead, he said, his Marines are fighting a war of attrition.

Military officials now frequently compare the fight in Anbar to the Vietnam War, saying that guerrilla fighters, who blend back into the population, are trying to break the will of the American military - rather than defeat it outright - and to erode public support for the war back home.

Instead of referring to the enemy derisively as "terrorists" - as they used to - Marines and soldiers now give the insurgents a measure of respect by calling them "mujahedeen," an Arabic term meaning "holy warrior" that became popular during the Afghan guerrilla campaign against the Soviet Union.

The new Iraqi army has participated in all the Marines' recent sweeps in Anbar, in a limited way. While the Iraqi soldiers haven't thrown down their weapons and run, as they have in the past, many of them are still unable to operate without close U.S. supervision.

It looks like this stupid war is going nowhere fast, although that comes as no surprise. It's like WWI without the trenches. Just a lot of killing.

The Straight (?) Scoop

From an interview with Dan Savage, internationally-syndicated gay sex advice columnist, via AlterNet.

Given the ways in which various conservatives want to legislate the gay community, it seems hard to imagine voting for conservatives if you are gay. How do you respond to gay Republicans?

How do you respond to Republican women? Republican Hispanics? There are some people who are just deeply damaged. Look, I have some gay Republican friends who aren't crazy; I would count Andrew Sullivan among them, but he endorsed Kerry last time out. Not all gay Republicans are crazy or willing to lash themselves to the whale of George Bush.

You look at gay people and all studies show we drink more, we smoke more, we do more recreational drugs. Gay people are more likely to take extreme ill-advised sexual risks. There's a certain self-destructive streak that I don't think has anything to do with homosexuality per se, but has everything to do with the pain that gets wedged into your soul when you internalize the bad things you are told about being gay and punish yourself all your life.

I would add voting Republican when you're gay to that list, along with doing crystal meth and having sex with 40 guys in one weekend. They're both dumbass, self-destructive things to do. A certain number of people are stupid enough to off themselves.

He goes on to discuss conservatives' obsession with sex, hot conservative pundits, and "Spreading Santorum" (God help us all!). Enjoy.

Tonight on NOW

Via Truthout:

NOW reports on the real estate bubble and asks, is it about to burst?

The boom in real estate prices in America is being fueled in part by interest-only mortgages that are flooding the market with easy money for home buyers. Are these mortgages fabulous new financing tools that are helping more Americans buy homes, or are they a dangerous symptom of a housing bubble that is about to pop? On Friday, August 26, 2005 at 8:30 P.M. on PBS (check local listings), NOW travels to California, where housing prices are continuing to explode, to investigate the risks and benefits of new financing vehicles that are enticing buyers into bigger houses than they ever thought they could afford.

Update:

Bill Maher chimes in on the housing bubble in the LATimes:

I don't want to say there's a housing bubble, but I had a refrigerator delivered this morning and a homeless guy offered me $3 million for the box.

And do you know who holds most of our national debt? Asians. The only thing standing between us and foreclosure is the fact that Angelina Jolie is holding most of their children.

But I digress. The point was about how supposedly intellectual, superior coastal elites are the ones dumping thousands into mortgages they can't afford, proving once and for all how much people will pay not to live in Kansas.

What don't Americans get about "you're only rich on paper?" If there's one thing that Republicans schooled in the ways of Wall Street have taught us, it's this: Don't spend money you don't have; spend money other people don't have.

Go read and have some fun.

Squandering our cred

I've said this for a while, though the Wingnut Right doesn't get it. The United States is the only society gullible enough to be swayed so completely by rhetoric. 51% of the populace swallowed all the bullshit Chimpy dished out and went along like sheep, mouthing whatever RNCFox News tells them to.

Other places aren't like this, though to the wingnuts, no other places count. Earth was put here by God for the United States to dominate and administer for the good of the United States. The Neocon dogma plays here (see 'gullability' above), but folks around the world judge us by our actions, not the RNC corporate line.

Digby:

[. . .]

Ackerman breaks down all the reasons why Guantanamo is counterproductive to our national security as well as why it is an immoral, legal and strategic mistake of epic proportions. He very clearly shows how the administration's stubborn "my way or the highway" philosophy has put it at odds with virtually every other country and actually impeded the detention of dangerous people. It seems that the rest of the world isn't willing to throw its constitutions out the window to accomodate us just because we've thrown out ours. And the administration refuses to change anything, including our ineffectual torture techniques and endless detention policies. [my emphases]

[. . .]

Mission Accomplished. In five short years, we've gone from the Leader of the Free World to a pariah nation. Penthouse to the pavement in a historical blink of an eye.

Friday Cattle Dog Blogging

Princess Shayna

I'm gonna bury that camera in the yard, dad!!!!

Free Haiti

Sadly, or as an indictment of me, I do not know enough about the situation in Haiti. I have Haitian friends, but most came to this country decades ago and for one reason or another want to put that episode of their lives behind them. The Dominicans I know don't give much of a shit what happens across the border because they live relatively well and the less they know about Haiti, the better. Thankfully, CN Todd is on this like white on rice.