Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Into the Looking Glass

We woke to more rain this morning. It began Sunday night and tornado warnings dotted the area. You may have read of a tragic accident on my blogging friend's site, www.soundingforth.blogspot.com about her son's horrifying experience Sunday night. So sad. We hope it all pushes out of the area today.

Things are getting downright strange out there this week. First I heard Brian Williams reporting from Iraq for NBC that the surge seems to be working. Of course, his collegue Richard Engel continues to deny that, but what else is new? It was good for an old school network to catch up with reality.

Next, I see on You Tube that Don Imus, of radio show fame, takes Chuckie Schumer to task for calling the situation at Walter Reed Hospital, the "Katrina of 2007", blaming the Bush administration for it all. Even Imus, no fan of President Bush and the Iraq war, said Schumer was way out of line. He asked Chuckie if he had bothered to visit the soldiers at Walter Reed, as he was one who voted for the war, and of course the answer was no, he has not. The deterioration at Walter Reed is coming to light with the number of casualities now coming to the facility, as we are a nation at war. The Defense Department, in charge of the facility, is showing the effects of all the department budget cuts from the 1990's when the cuts grew greater each year so that Clinton could brag about his economic policy.

Then I read editorials in both the LA Times and the Washington Post chastising Speaker Pelosi for her micromanagement of the Iraq war and trying to de-fund the war under the radar. They point out the country has one commander in chief and she's not it. More proof of the fallacy of the statement 'we support the troops' from the far left. She is trying to force votes of really bad public policy. Personally, I say go ahead. I love it when she speaks.

Code Pinko is picketing Pelosi's house in San Francisco. They say they know it is an invasion of privacy but they don't care. Still all about them, you know. Medea Benjamin, a self-proclaimed member of the Communist party, instructs her members to sit in the street to block traffic. This tactic was not effective this time, though, as the police had already blocked off the street to traffic. They didn't get the publicity of being arrested after all. Pelosi is getting a little taste of how members of this administration have been treated at their homes with their families there. Not to mention the protesting out in front of Walter Reed this groups does without respect to the military families there.

Yesterday the New York Times rebuted some of Al Gore's hysteria, in power point form, about global warming. The Dems have taken it up as the cause du jour even though there clearly is no concensus in the scientific community as to the extent global warming is happening. Most Americans do believe it is occuring but certainly not at the panic levels bellowed by Gore. My husband, a scientist at heart, explains the subject to me in a reasoned way. But, he's not out to make money off it as old Al is. I never understood how a politician who grew up in the penthouse of a 5 star Washington D.C. hotel, whose family fortune was made off Big Oil, namely Occidental Oil, whose family grew tobacco as a cash crop then decried tobacco sales after his sister died of lung cancer, whose wife lead the censoring of the music industry efforts in the late 1980's but is the darling of Hollywierd now, who has more than one large family residence, and who originally flunked out of divinity school at Vanderbilt University but imitates Southern preachers could be taken seriously in the science arena. Sure, he's studied the subject. That's good. But, come on.

And last, yesterday Attorney General Alberto Gonzales held a press conference to say he is not resigning, despite Chuck Schumer's ginned up outrage over the firing of 7 U.S. Attorneys. Chuckie didn't vote for the confirmation of Gonzales in the first place but we aren't suppose to realize it is all politics all the time with Chuck. Nevermind the best interests of the country or that the President is entitled to the people he wants in these positions. They all serve at the pleasure of the President. He appoints them. The Justice Department monitors and manages them.

When Clinton came into office in 1992, he had Janet Reno fire all 93 U.S. Attorneys all at once and the positions were replaced with his people. Gonzales was counseled by Harriet Miers at the start of Bush's second term that the department needed 'fresh blood' and she recommended mass replacements. Gonzales thought that would be too disruptive so he instructed his chief of staff to make suggestions of some who would be replaced most effectively. The chief of staff has now resigned after it came to light that the process wasn't handled as well as it could have been. Gonzales apologized yesterday for that and reinterated that he will continue to work with the Congress about the workings of the department. Schumer will not stop there, of course, and will hold more hearings for the press coverage but it won't amount to anything. Again, they serve at the pleasure of the president and he can fire any or all of them at any time. They are political appointments and yes, politics are a part of the game. Gonzales had nothing to apologize about.

Gonzales said the President never recommended any firings.

There are 110,000 employees at the Department of Justice.

And to wrap up the strange happenings yesterday, Hillary Clinton trotted out the old 'vast right wing conspiracy' theory from her White House days. Poor Hillary. No wonder she is sinking in the polls. Her old style brand of war room mentality and angry rhetoric is so last century. The reason so many in the Democratic party are inspired by Obama is that he brings a positive message. No substance, but a positive, feel good brand of speeches. And whatever Hill was referring to in New Hampshire, she says she'll make it illegal. Ok then.

The Darfur commercials? The ones demanding Bush and Condi Rice do something 'now'? What is it they want done? We're working with the U.N. and the African Union. Bush was the first to call it genocide on the international stage and start the process in the U.N. I thought the libs wanted the U.N. to be in charge of all things international. We aren't suppose to be saving humans in Iraq, see the You Tube in my previous post, but we have to act 'now' in Darfur? Iraq wasn't suppose to have anything to do with us, according to the anti war populace. What does Darfur have to do with us? Just curious. One genocide at a time. Surely the left who hates our military and its actions to keep their freedoms in place doesn't advocate military action in Darfur. This president has done more for the peoples of the continent of Africa than any other. One of the Bush twins devotes herself to the AIDS crisis in Africa. The other twin has written a book about people she's met and been moved by battling AIDS in Central and South America.

But, nevermind.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

No, see? Darfur is THEIR idea. THEIR cause-of-the-week. Wonder what color ribbon they'll create?

Great post.

srp said...

They were going to close Walter Reed hospital weren't they. I know that the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology has been pressed for funding since the Clintons and there has been talk of having them close too. The AFIP tumor atlases are want ALL pathologists learn with, all over the country. And it is where most of the military hospital pathologists send their referral cases. In fact many private practice pathologists sent cases there for consult as well. But even twenty years ago the AFIP requirements for consultation were too stringent and their turnaround times too long so we stopped sending cases. Many of their top pathologists left to go to private practice. Perhaps some change in the organization of the military hospital system is in order.

Hillary can't seem to open her mouth without sticking her foot in it. Her voice is "fingernails on a chalkboard" and her Wicked Witch persona is becoming more obvious by the day! Could you imagine a Hillary/Nancy ticket... the end of the world as we know it.

AC said...

I can't think of a thing to add! You covered it all quite well and boy, do I like reading you. Yea!

I have grown up with AlGore, not up close and personal, but in the same state watching all his ridiculous twists and turns. People should not forget that IF he had taken the vote in his own home state, which he did NOT, Florida would have been unnecessary. You saw the story of his utility bill, didn't you. over 30,000 dollars last year! He is just a common man, he'll tell you. HA!

Hillary would never (I hope) share the ticket with Nancy. Gag! If she could get herself on twice, for Pres and VP, now she might go that way. I almost, ALMOST, pity whomever she does choose, should it get to that point.

Anonymous said...

I think the polar bears and eskimos falling of the ice and dying would beg to differ. Anyways, Al wrote a book about the environment 15 years ago and has a long record and positive record on environmental issues (check the wikipededia). I would think he would have done some research to write both books. Are you saying he wrote the book not to promote public awareness but because he's trying to make money?