An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Archive for 13 June 2007
Getting to Know Fred
S.F.B.
Iraq surge a failure, top Democrats tell Bush
Top US congressional Democrats bluntly told President George W. Bush Wednesday that his Iraq troop “surge” policy was a failure.
Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi challenged the president over Iraq by sending him a letter, ahead of a White House meeting later on Wednesday.
“As many had forseen, the escalation has failed to produce the intended results,” the two leaders wrote.
“The increase in US forces has had little impact in curbing the violence or fostering political reconciliation.
“It has not enhanced Americas national security. The unsettling reality is that instances of violence against Iraqis remain high and attacks on US forces have increased.
“In fact, the last two months of the war were the deadliest to date for US troops.”
Deadly, yes. Perhaps if the Dhimmis would stop encouraging the bad guys, things could have a different outcome? I have no doubt if there was 100% success, these a$$wipes would still claim failure. What is it with the Dhimmis? Do they hate this country, and Bush, so much, they rather see our military defeated, than give them the moral support they need from their own nation?
The letter appeared to preview a fresh showdown over Iraq between anti-war Democrats and the president, just a few weeks after Bush forced his foes to strip troop withdrawal timelines from a 100 billion dollar emergency war budget.
It also came a few days after the US military mourned its 3,500th soldier killed in action in Iraq.
Pelosi and Reid told Bush in the letter that they planned to send him new legislation to “limit the US mission in Iraq, begin the phased redeployment of US forces, and bring the war to a responsible end.”
On Tuesday, Reid said that Senate Democrats would attach troop withdrawal deadlines to a Defense Department Authorization bill, due to be debated within weeks.
The next critical point in the showdown between Bush and Congress over Iraq is expected in September, when US commander in Iraq David Petraeus is due to report on progress in the strategy to “surge” up to 30,000 more US troops into the war-ravaged nation.
Even senior Republicans have said they expected the president will have little choice but to make adjustments in the Iraq strategy, once the report is made public.
I’d like to send the President a message too! Concentrate on victory in battle, instead of a ‘police action’! Our forefathers must be spinning at what has become of this nation they fought, and died, to create. OH, and secure the friggin’ borders while you’re at it!
Ann on the Schamnesty
‘No Drug Smuggler Left Behind!’
President Bush was so buoyed by the warm reception he was given in Albania that he immediately gave all 3 million Albanians American citizenship, provided they learn Spanish. The offer was withdrawn when Bush found out most Albanians haven’t broken any U.S. laws.
Bush keeps claiming he’s dying to enforce the border, but he just can’t do it unless we immediately grant amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens. I wonder if that worked on Laura Bush:
Laura: George, it’s time you quit drinking.
George: OK, honey, let’s discuss it over cocktails.
How about Bush enforce the border and then we’ll discuss his amnesty plan?
He assures us that granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants already here won’t inspire millions more to run across the border because … he’s going to put infrared lights at the border!
Well, that’s a relief. What precisely will infrared lights do again? This is worse than those fake cameras they sell at hardware stores to make it look like you have cameras outside your house. We still need something or someone — say, a wall or a Border Patrol agent — to stop the Mexicans illegally crossing the border as we watch them on the infrared cameras.
Bush won’t build a wall and he keeps prosecuting law enforcement officers who stop illegal border crossers. But trust him: He’ll get right on that border enforcement business as soon as we grant amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens.
Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean are normally the sort of Mexican-Americans Bush would tear up at while promoting amnesty for illegal aliens. Both served in the military and are taxpaying, law-abiding citizens. They’ve been risking their lives as Border Patrol agents for years.
Evening Snack (6/13)
Pregnant panda at Memphis Zoo miscarries, official says
A giant panda at the Memphis Zoo is no longer pregnant, an ultrasound test discovered today.
‘‘Ya Ya miscarried,’’ zoo president Chuck Brady said shortly after the ultrasound was completed.
Well, that’s sad, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.
Ruth Graham in a Coma, Close to Death
Ruth Graham, the ailing wife of evangelist Billy Graham, fell into a coma Wednesday morning and appears to be close to death, a family spokesman said. “She appears to be entering the final stages of life,” said Larry Ross, Graham’s personal spokesman.
Prayers with the family!
As a state senator, Barack Obama wrote letters to city and state officials supporting his political patron Tony Rezko’s successful bid to get more than $14 million from taxpayers to build apartments for senior citizens.
Yet, he continues to be the darling of the left. Go figure!
Over Dozen Haitian Teen Soccer Players Vanish in New York
Most of Haiti’s national junior soccer squad apparently deserted the team during a stopover in New York, hours before a planned trip to South Korea to prepare for the upcoming junior World Cup, officials said Wednesday.
Oh great. MORE illegal aliens. :/
The number of Wisconsin schools failing to meet federal No Child Left Behind standards this year grew from 87 to 95 and includes all four Madison high schools and three middle schools in the Madison, Middleton-Cross Plains and Mount Horeb school districts.
I’d say it was more likely the teachers failed. It’s their responsibility to teach….not worry about their bloomin’ bennies!
Police authorize Jerusalem pride parade
Jerusalem Police Chief Ilan Franco informs Open House organization he decided to approve their request to hold gay pride parade in capital next week; hundreds of Orthodox demonstrate against upcoming event.
Seems Israel is forgetting it’s roots, and those pesky laws.
YMCA under fire for taking kids to abortion clinic
The city school board ordered an investigation into an after-school program run by the YMCA in which some middle school students were taken to visit a Planned Parenthood clinic. New Hampshire Right to Life is now asking for equal time with the seventh and eighth grade students, as well.
Um….excuse me, but when did the Young Men’s CHRISTIAN Association decide it was ok to take kids to a murder mill?
McCain camp assails Romney on abortion
Republican John McCain’s campaign on Wednesday circulated a video clip showing then-Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney reiterating his vow to uphold the state’s abortion-rights laws. Romney, in response, suggested that his opponent’s criticism was a sign that the Arizona senator is struggling in his presidential bid.
Odds are, Romney is right. As best I can tell, thanks to McCain’s pro-amnesty bill, his bid is dead in the water.
Group opposes Rockies beer promotion
But Duckbill Draft — bearing the picture of the fun and furry purple platypus mascot — has left a bitter aftertaste with the Natrona County Prevention Coalition, which opposes underage drinking.
“Hobart beer appeals to small children,” said coalition Chairwoman Melissa Stahley-Cummings.
I wasn’t aware that any beer actually ‘appeals to small children’, unless the parents give it to them as smaller children. Guess it’s a German thing.
Gates Discusses Iran, Samarra Bombing, European Missile Defense
Gates said he hopes the Iraqi people realize the attack was a transparent effort by the terrorist group to incite the sects and force more division between Sunni and Shiia Muslims. He expressed hope that the Iraqi people will realize this and refrain from violence.
Unless the Iraqis stop allowing al Qaeda shape their future, then I fear there will be even more mass graves in their country.
More Border Hogwash from the Prez
Senators Unmoved by Bush Bid to Save Immigration Bill
In a rare visit to Capitol Hill, President Bush pressed Republican senators yesterday to resurrect the compromise overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, but many of the senators instead demanded that his administration first show a more determined commitment to border security.
He should have stayed in Albania, rather than waste time begging support for an AWFUL bill.
The visit was the first time in five years that Bush had come to the Capitol for the Republican senators’ weekly policy luncheon. He and senior administration officials painted the meeting — coming five days after the collapse on the Senate floor of the tenuous compromise on immigration — as a rescue session. Bush made an impassioned plea for the legislation, saying “the status quo is unacceptable.”
Maybe if he had spent more time listening to his base, and those who support enforcing the law, he wouldn’t be looking like a complete and utter ass!
“Now is the time to move a comprehensive bill that enforces our borders and has good workplace enforcement, that doesn’t grant automatic citizenship, that addresses this problem in a comprehensive way,” he said after the lunch.
What happened to that wall Mr. President? What happened to the laws past LAST year? Thrown out the window of the Oval Office.
Although senators described the meeting as cordial, even jovial, they also said the president’s efforts to rally GOP support did not win any converts. “We’re off the bill. We ought to stay off the bill for a while,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), one of the bill’s sternest critics.
I like this guy! 
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) marveled at the president’s passion and commitment. But, he added: “We didn’t expect anyone to stand up and holler that they had an epiphany.”
And, apparently, nobody did.
Thank goodness!!!! Someone might be listening?
“We . . . have lost credibility in Washington on the issue, and I think before the American people will really ever get behind an immigration policy, they’re going to have to feel that Washington is truly going to follow through on what it says,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.).
Y’all have lost even more credibility in the rest of the country too. ALL of y’all!
“A lot of the problems we’re facing now come from a low level of confidence in the Congress and a low level of confidence in the administration,” said Isakson, who was part of the immigration deal but now favors an enforcement-only approach. “Sometimes you have to put the left foot in front of the right foot and back again to start to walk forward before you run.”
They want to teach us how to walk, yet expect us to crawl after them? I don’t bloomin’ think so! It should be the other way around! They WORK FOR US!
Nine other Republican senators delivered a letter to the president, suggesting that a push to secure the borders could yield political dividends for a future bill.
“We respectfully ask that your Administration enforce the border security laws that have already been authorized by Congress regardless of whether the Senate passes the immigration reform bill,” the letter said. “Securing the border is the best way to restore trust with the American people and facilitate future improvements of our immigration policy.”
Ya think? Here’s an idea….BUILD THAT DAMN FENCE…..for starters. THEN we’ll chat about other options.
Cabinet officials were not so polite. As Bush was meeting with senators, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff adamantly defended the administration’s record on border security. His department is on track to hire 18,000 additional Border Patrol agents and complete 370 miles of fencing along the southern border by the end of next year, he said. He added that a series of workplace raids in recent weeks has yielded more controversy among immigrant rights groups than praise from conservative critics.
Excuse me? EXCUSE ME????? What ‘border security’????????
I’m fairly slow to anger, but I do believe I have passed that point!
H/T: Barking Moonbat Early Warning System
Mr. Bushwack Found It!!
The location of the future Bush Library!
Gleefully swiped from American and Proud!
OxyClinton
Guess I missed this! :/
Thanks Ginny!
Morning Coffee 6/13/07
Dobbs: Give it a rest, Mr. President
President Bush is building his legacy, adding another unfortunate line of hollow bravado to his rhetorical repertoire. To “Mission accomplished,” “Bring it on,” “Wanted: Dead or alive,” and of course, “I earned … political capital, and now I intend to spend it,” he has added “I’ll see you at the bill signing,” referring to his own ill-considered push for so-called comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
As far as I’m concerned, he already SPENT his ‘political clout’ not pushing for a victory in Iraq. Pushing that sham of a ‘reform bill’ ain’t gonna cut it!
Infanticide, Abortion Responsible for 60 Million Girls Missing in Asia
There is a little-known battle for survival going in some parts of the world. Those at risk are baby girls, and the casualties are in the millions each year. The weapons being used against them are prenatal sex selection, abortion and female infanticide — the systematic killing of girls soon after they are born.
First, leave nature alone! G-d decides whether a child is going to be a girl or boy. Second, without girls, you don’t HAVE any boys. Third, murdering a child just because it is a lowly female (see second point) is beyond evil!
8-year-old suspected in baby sister’s death
Based on a preliminary investigation, the injuries appear to be caused by the 8-year-old sibling, who is described by police as having “diminished mental capacity.” Two other siblings, ages 11 and 14, were not injured.
I can’t imagine the pain that mother is having knowing one of her children killed one of her babies and injured the other. Did they know this 8 year old was a possible danger? Why on earth would the paper print this family’s address?
Coach at Agassis Prep School Was Madam
A cheerleading coach at the prep school founded by tennis star Andre Agassi has been arrested in an undercover prostitution sting. Las Vegas police said Friday that 36-year-old Esperanza Brooks was arrested Wednesday night in a Las Vegas restaurant after agreeing to deliver three prostitutes and drugs to undercover detectives at a hotel-casino.
Good grief!
Affirmative action limit advances
The Joint Legislative Council voted Tuesday to recommend to the full Legislature laws that would prohibit non-U.S. citizens from benefiting from affirmative action in state and local government contracting and in the University of Wisconsin System. It was the only recommendation of the council’s special committee on affirmative action to survive. The committee chair, Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), had pushed for a constitutional amendment that would prohibit state agencies and public universities from granting preferential treatment to any individual or group based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.
Well, it’s a start. Evidently, common sense is still missing in Madison.
Investigator: Nifong knew case was weak
While Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong was publicly declaring that a racially charged gang-rape had occurred at a Duke University lacrosse party, he was telling lead investigators that the case was a loser, according to testimony at a State Bar hearing Tuesday.
It was nothing more than politics, and he ruined the lives of three young men. I really hope they bury his sorry ass UNDER a secret jail somewhere.
Minarets on Shiite Shrine in Iraq Destroyed in Attack
One of Iraq’s most sacred Shiite shrines, the Imam al-Askari mosque in Samarra, was attacked and severely damaged again today, just over a year after a previous attack on the site unleashed a tide of sectarian bloodletting across the country.
No offense, but is there ANYWHERE in the Middle East that ISN’T sacred? It’s obvious to me that those who destroy Muslims sites, in the name of Islam are extremely confused.
Toddler in Limbo Over U.S. Immigration
It never occurred to Abdeloihab Boujrad that the U.S. government may be confusing his 3-year-old son with the former leader of an Islamic militant group.
But that’s exactly what a civil rights group believes is blocking Boujrad, a U.S. citizen, from bringing the toddler from Morocco to live with him and his wife, a legal permanent resident.
Don’t you think they could tell the difference between a terrorist and a 3 year old? :/
Alexander warns of wind-power bill in Senate
He says it would be costly, hurt Smokies
Alexander said the Tennessee Valley Authority estimates the proposal would add $410 million a year to utility bills in the state. Alexander said building large wind farms would deface the beauty of the Smoky Mountains.
Anytime some yahoo in D.C. wants to FORCE states to do anything, I get REAL annoyed. But I don’t understand why Alexander thinks it would hurt the Smokey Mountains. He doesn’t like them. I get that. Personally, I think fields of those windmills are beautiful.
Fred on Leno
Sounds close to a declaration of candidacy.
