Guess how many days Bush has spent at the so called "Ranch." Nice that during "war time," Bush sits in an air-conditioned ranch, while our soldiers die in the heat.
432 Days on vacation. That means he has been at the WH only five years and a little over nine months.
Get out the popcorn and beer. Here we go with conflicting reports to be delivered in September.
"Strikingly Negative" Iraq Report Leaked To Preempt White House Doctoring.
Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for political and military progress, according to a draft of a Government Accountability Office report. (I just heard on CBS that only five of the 18 benchmarks have been met). The document questions whether some aspects of a more positive assessment by the White House last month adequately reflected the range of views the GAO found within the administration.
The strikingly negative GAO draft, will be delivered to Congress in final form on Tuesday
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/29/AR2007082902434.html?hpid=topnews
Posted by Judith at August 30, 2007 02:33 AMTerrorism Policies Split Democrats
Anger Mounts Within Party Over Inaction on Bush Tactics. (Recommend reading article)
The American Civil Liberties Union is running Internet advertisements depicting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) as sheep.
"Bush wanted more power to eavesdrop on ordinary Americans, and we just followed along. I guess that's why they call us the Democratic leadersheep," say the two farm animals in the ad, referring to Congress's passage of legislation granting Bush a six-month extension and expansion of his warrantless wiretapping program.
Ouch!
Reid and Pelosi promised last week that they would at least confront the president next month over his wiretapping program, with Pelosi taking an uncompromising stand in a private conference call with House Democrats. When lawmakers return in September, Democrats will also push legislation to restore habeas corpus rights for terrorism suspects and may resume an effort to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
But conservative Democrats and some party leaders continue to worry that taking on those issues would expose them to Republican charges that they are weak on terrorism.
As Dr. Phil would say, "how's that working for ya?"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/29/AR2007082902355.html?hpid=topnews
Posted by Judith at August 30, 2007 02:46 AMMaking the hearts of disenfranchised Democrats skip a beat, Rep. John Conyers declared House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could not stop him from beginning impeachment proceedings in the House Judiciary Committee against a ‘long list of people’in the Bush administration, although he did not make a firm commitment to begin proceedings.
The Michigan Democrat said during a town hall meeting in his district Tuesday:
"Nancy Pelosi has impeachment ‘off the table,’ but that’s off her table, it is not off John Conyers’ table. Nancy Pelosi, who I actually supported, cannot prevent me from introducing an impeachment resolution against, well I’ve got a long list of people who are eligible."
Posted by Christopher at August 30, 2007 04:12 AMI wonder how many months FDR spent at Augusta, Georgia with his lady friend all the while a WORLD WAR was happening, Judith?
"may resume an effort to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba." Yeah, I hear we'll move them to Leavenworth or that island prison in the Bay Area.
Posted by peter at August 30, 2007 04:13 AMHow many months was it Peter? Don't leave us guessing.
Posted by Kevin at August 30, 2007 04:44 AMI wish Bush would stay the rest of his term on vacation on his ranch. it would probably save us from a lot of grief.
Posted by at August 30, 2007 05:28 AM"I wonder how many months FDR spent at Augusta, Georgia with his lady friend all the while a WORLD WAR was happening, Judith?"
Yeah, like Kevin said. How many months was it Peter? Don't leave us guessing.
Bush has spent more days at the "ranch," absent from the Oval Office, than any president in history. Even if FDR had spent four years at Camp Campobella, he did more positive things for this Country than your boy. Oh, and the trips to Campobella were for the hot springs which seemed to help his polio ridden body. And he was an invalid. Ask a question, you get an answer.
Posted by Judith at August 30, 2007 05:29 AMFDR: 16 times from 1932 to 1945
Oh Peter, and that does include his missing in action trips to Kennebunkport either.
Posted by Judith at August 30, 2007 05:41 AMDoes NOT include his trips to Kennebunkport either.
Posted by Judith at August 30, 2007 05:43 AM
"Missing in action" seems to be Bush's script.
Posted by Judith at August 30, 2007 05:45 AM2005: The August getaway is Bush's 49th trip to his cherished ranch since taking office and the 319th day that Bush has spent, entirely or partially, in Crawford -- nearly 20 percent of his presidency to date, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS Radio reporter known for keeping better records of the president's travel than the White House itself. Weekends and holidays at Camp David or at his parents' compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, bump up the proportion of Bush's time away from Washington even further.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/02/AR2005080201703_pf.html
Posted by Judith at August 30, 2007 05:50 AMI'm so glad you asked Peter.
Posted by Judith at August 30, 2007 05:52 AMBush is not MIA.
He is , as ever, AWOL.
Posted by gtash at August 30, 2007 08:22 AMI wonder how many months FDR spent at Augusta, Georgia with his lady friend all the while a WORLD WAR was happening, Judith?
That's the wrong question. It should be something along the lines of "While FDR was WINNING the war, how many vacations..."
I'm trying to think of the last time a republi-con won a war? Well, Lincoln, but he emancipated the slaves, so that means he wasn't a true republi-con as we have them today. So, which repube-lick-on has ever won a war...wait...don't tell me...does Grenada count? No, wasn't a war....hmmmm...
But you are humming a real toe-tapper of a tune there, peter.
Posted by phidipides at August 30, 2007 09:22 AMNotes from the Iowa Campaign is up at Progressiev Historians.
Posted by idiosynchronic at August 30, 2007 09:34 AM"The August getaway is Bush's 49th trip to his cherished ranch since taking office and the 319th day that Bush has spent, entirely or partially, in Crawford -- "
I wonder what the travel expenses of Air Force One and the entourage have cost the taxpayers?
Posted by Nobody at August 30, 2007 09:34 AMThanks, idio - I was just wondrin' where it was! No pressure, though!
Posted by iamcoyote at August 30, 2007 09:41 AMI wonder what the travel expenses of Air Force One and the entourage have cost the taxpayers?
Don't worry. The Chinese are paying for it.
Posted by phidipides at August 30, 2007 09:56 AMA thirty dollar 'presidential' hair cut. I thought everything was more expensive in California. K-man nows how to find a bargain.
Posted by Sharon at August 30, 2007 01:03 PMSeveral times over the last few months, I wrote on the issue of surveillence, questioning what the interface for the wiretapping system looked like. I believe that the user interface of the system will clearly reveal its purpose.
Now we have some hints about the user interface...it is just point and click and tap any communications device. Click, and presto, listen in on anyone, anywhere, anytime, 24-7...frightening.
Posted by Nobody at August 30, 2007 02:37 PMDo you ever wonder if Karl Rove and Dick Cheney ever had one of these screens on their computer? And if they did how much they used it?
Posted by Nobody at August 30, 2007 02:53 PMgod you're a STOOPID troll, pants pissing peter
at least FDR won WWII, in less time than we've been in the Iraqi quagmire
and FDR's children SERVED in the war
Posted by gay veteran at August 30, 2007 05:57 PM