Mike KuykendallMike KuykendallLefty political commentary from a patriotic, progressive American A-hole. Articles
Mukasey Headed for Full Senate Vote
2007-11-06 16:30:00 Watching CSPAN I just caught the vote to send Michael Mukasey 's nomination as Attorney General to the full Senat e for a vote. The tally was 11-8, largely split on party lines, minus Schumer and Feinstein, of course. More to come... UPDATE: More from AP;The Judiciary Committee voted to advance the nomination of Attorney General-designate Michael Mukasey to the Senate floor Tuesday, virtually More About: Vote , Full
The Flaw in the New GOP Mukasey Talking Points
2007-11-02 01:07:00 I wanted to post a little rant about this new GOP talking point regarding the confirmation of Michael Mukasey to Attorney General, because as usual, the logic behind the Republican arguments is asinine. I know this is a true market tested, focus group-style talking point, because so far this week I have heard the same concepts from several GOP Senators, including our favorite turncoat, More About: Talking , Points
Turkey Launches Airstrikes Against Kurds
2007-10-24 16:20:00 It seems now that Turk ey 's parliament has approved military action against the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan, they intend to waste no time getting down to business. Turkey initiated airstrikes on Kurdish positions today. From the NY Times;Turkish warplanes and helicopter gunships reportedly attacked positions of Kurdish rebels along its rugged border with Iraq on Wednesday, as Turkey's military More About: Kurds , Airstrikes
Funding For Bunker Busters May Signal Iran Attack
2007-10-24 13:58:00 Cross-posted on Think Progress There have been many signs that the Bush administration is preparing to attack Iran , and not all come from the mouth of Dick Cheney. From CQ; Some Democrats are worried that President Bush’s funding request to enable B-2 “stealth” bombers to carry a new 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb is a sign of plans for an attack on Iran. Buried in the $196.4 More About: Funding , Signal , Attack , Atta
Lessons for Bush from Classical Literature
2007-10-23 19:41:00 I was glancing through an online version of Machiavelli's "The Prince" and found a compelling passage it seems the Bush administration glossed over while studying world history in whatever ivy league school they were legacied into. This bit was from the aptly-titled seventh chapter- "Concerning Those Who Have Obtained a Principality by Wickedness" (emphasis mine); Hence it is to be remarked More About: Literature , Classical , Lessons
GOP Group Restarts Effort to Steal California Electoral Votes
2007-10-23 14:05:00 Despite the previously reported collapse of the effort to proportionally distribute California 's electoral votes, it seems Republican groups are not done yet. Another effort has begun to restart the theft; Veteran GOP consultants said Monday that they were relaunching a drive to change the way California allocates its electoral college votes, aimed at helping the 2008 Republican presidential More About: Steal , Group , Elector , Restart
Be Back Soon, I Promise!
2007-10-19 20:46:00 It's been a while since my last post- I've got some personal issues going on, so to my regular readers- please bear with me! Be back soon! More About: Back , Promise
Turkish Parliament OKs Iraq Incursion
2007-10-17 18:40:00 Via BBC News;Turk ey's parliament has given permission for the government to launch military operations into Iraq in pursuit of Kurdish rebels. The vote was taken in defiance of pressure from the US and Iraq, which have called on Turkey for restraint. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the motion does not mean a military operation is imminent. But he said Turkey needed to be More About: Parliament , Amen
Bush's Telecom Immunity Rationale Flawed
2007-10-17 15:10:00 With Congress and President Bush soon to come to loggerheads over the issue of immunity for telecommunication companies that cooperated with illegal Administration wiretapping activities, it has become clear the rationale for allowing these companies to avoid responsibility for their actions is flawed. The Administration's claims that corporations simply obeyed out of patriotism when asked to More About: Telecom , Immunity , Unit
Criminalizing Abortion Doesn't Help
2007-10-12 18:18:00 An under-noticed yet very important article from the NY Times shows that criminalizing abortion does not reduce the overall rates for the procedure, but does reduce the safety (as Planned Parenthood has been telling us all along, right-wing demonization notwithstanding.) A comprehensive global study of abortion has concluded that abortion rates are similar in countries where it is legal and those More About: Abortion , Mina
Al Gore Wins Nobel Peace Prize
2007-10-12 11:35:00 I just heard that Al did it alright- more to come as I wake up.... UPDATE: More from the AP;Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday for their efforts to spread awareness of man-made climate change and lay the foundations for counteracting it. "I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize ," Gore said. "We More About: Wins
Radiohead's "In Rainbows" is a Masterpiece
2007-10-10 14:05:00 From the angst-ridden "All I Need" to the audio blitzkrieg of "Bodysnatchers," the soothing balm of "Faust Arp" or the simple beauty of "Reckoner," Radiohead's new album In Rainbows ranks in the top tier of their work to date. In my personal estimation as a life-long fan this album is up there with Amnesiac and Kid A for sheer grooviness and that vibe that only Radiohead can create. Their More About: Masterpiece , Adio , Aster
A List of the Bush Administration's Many Failures
2007-10-09 18:37:00 With at least one news story a day about administration failures coming out lately, I began to think about how, and even if, an accounting of such a flood of bad management and cronyism can be possible. Holistically it seemed like every department in Bush 's cabinet had some kind of scandal, corruption investigation, or accusations of mismanagement and abuse of power. As a snapshot of this More About: List , The Bush , A list , Lure
Iraq Sets Timeline For Blackwater Withdrawal
2007-10-09 14:48:00 Despite the fact that President's Bush ignored recent Iraq i attempts to ban the controversial mercenary contractor Blackwater from operating within the country, it seems the Iraqi leadership are not yet satisfied;Iraq has demanded that the US end its association with private security firm Blackwater within six months. It accuses Blackwater guards of having deliberately fired on Iraqi civilians, More About: Sets , Timeline , Withdrawal
Condoleezza Orders Review of Her Own Failures
2007-10-05 18:25:00 Why is it every time the Bush administration gets caught with its collective pants down they immediately suggest an internal review? Instead of allowing objective, outside officials to come in and investigate, the answer is invariably, "we'll take care of it ourselves." It's like they are saying, "yes, we screwed this up royally. That's why the only solution is to let us do it again, only More About: Review , Orders , Lure
NOLA Recovery Corruption Spikes 452%
2007-10-04 19:39:00 Most of us on the Left really hoped President Bush meant what he said in Jackson Square despite a creeping feeling that all the reconstruction talk was just PR (emphasis mine); And the federal government will undertake a close partnership with the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, the city of New Orleans, and other Gulf Coast cities, so they can rebuild in a sensible, well-planned way. More About: Recovery , Corruption , Pike
Domenici Cites Disease as Reason for Retirement
2007-10-04 13:15:00 Adding to the stampede of GOP resignations prior to the 2008 slaughterho- um, I mean elections, New Mexico Senator Pete Dome nici is set to announce serious health concerns as the reason for his departure. From the AP; A fact sheet prepared for Domenici's announcement described his disease as Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, or FTLD. In his prepared remarks, Domenici said that as recently as More About: Retirement , Disease , Reason , Tire
Newt Gingrich Will Not Run for President
2007-09-29 19:24:00 Just in from the AP;Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will not run for president in 2008 after determining he could not legally explore a bid and remain as head of his tax-exempt political organization, a spokesman said Saturday. "Newt is not running," spokesman Rick Tyler said. "It is legally impermissible for him to continue on as chairman of American Solutions (for Winning the Future) and to More About: President , Resident
Giuliani Supporter Behind California Electoral Scheme
2007-09-29 15:21:00 It seems Rudy Giuliani supporter was the financier behind the recent GOP attempt to rig electoral votes for Calif ornia in 2008. Via the LA Times; A close friend and major fundraiser of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has identified himself as the mystery financer of the proposed California initiative to apportion the state's 55 electoral votes by congressional district instead of More About: Elector , Chem
Ted Stevens Seeks $84 Million "Ferry to Nowhere"
2007-09-28 17:00:00 Following on the heels of Senator Ted Stevens 's failed "Bridge to Nowhere" project is an $84 million ferry to allow 40 people to save a 2-hour plus drive;Sen. Ted Stevens, who championed $452 million in federal funding for Alaska's notorious "bridges to nowhere," has directed the Navy to build an experimental ferry it once rejected to serve a little-used port in a remote area of his home state. More About: Million
McCain Uses Military Despite Regulations Forbidding Partisan Activities
2007-09-28 16:25:00 The Boston Globe reports a McCain campaign earlier this month used active-duty soldiers in uniform at a rally in Londonberry, New Hampshire, despite federal regulations prohibiting such activity; After introducing other dignitaries and before giving his defense of General David Petraeus and the Bush administration's strategy in Iraq, McCain handed a microphone to each of the seven soldiers — all More About: Military , Activities , Regulations , Spit , Artis
GOP Fails to Rig California Electoral Votes
2007-09-28 15:36:00 The Republican plan to change the way Calif ornia 's electoral votes are awarded is "virtually dead." From the LA Times; Plagued by a lack of money, supporters of a statewide initiative drive to change the way California's 55 electoral votes are apportioned, first revealed here by Top of the Ticket in July, are pulling the plug on that effort. In an exclusive report to appear on this website late More About: Elector , Electoral , Votes
What If the Military Carried Disclaimers Like Drug Ads
2007-09-27 14:49:00 To continue your video pleasure, here's a great catch from Murph... best line; "Don't let another day go by without dying for the right-wing agenda!!" More About: Military , Drug , Carrie
It's The Mayor Giuliani Sex Emporium!
2007-09-27 13:05:00 Via Topher, this funny bit from Michael Moore- he opens a New York City porn shop in honor of America's mayor. Classic! More About: Giuliani , Mayor , Pori
Senate Approves Toothless Iraq Measure
2007-09-26 19:03:00 I am one of the few political types of any persuasion who refuse to assign blame for not stopping the Iraq War to the 110th United States Congress. Unlike nearly every talking head idiot on television, I can do simple math; a 49 seat majority is 11 votes short of the 60 needed to pass anything, if one party decides to kick up a fuss and invoke cloture. This narrow majority has forced Senat e More About: Prove
Acting US Attorney General Obstructing Iraqi Fraud Suits
2007-09-26 17:14:00 Acting Attorney General Peter Keisler is apparently just as bad as his predecessor- from TruthOut; Peter Keisler, the acting US attorney general, covered up evidence of alleged widespread contracting fraud in Iraq by preventing whistleblowers' complaints from being investigated, according to a prominent fraud attorney. Alan Grayson, an attorney who has represented scores of whistleblowers in More About: Fraud , Acting , Suits
Ralph Nader Probing 2008 Run?
2007-09-25 20:16:00 Via Capitolist an astute, anonymous observer notices these two Craigslist ads;Seeking 8 experienced (non-profit or political) organizers full time, and 12 field interns(6 part and 6 fulltime). Job Candidates must be residents of Iowa. Position begin December 15th and end Jan 15th. Candidates should be driven to and committed to progressive change. Salary: "Full time organizers": $1000 per week( More About: Ralph Nader , Bing , 2008 , Nade , Nader
Gonzales, Tired of Ruining Our Justice System, Takes Time to Ruin Iraq's
2007-08-11 18:31:00 Just as President Bush ran out of laws to break and had to resort to breaking his own Executive orders, now we have similar circular logic concerning contentious U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales ;The Justice Department said that Gonzales arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for his third trip to Iraq to meet with department officials who have been there to help fashion the country's legal system." More About: System , Time , Ruin
Iran: U.S. Needs "Wise Leaders"
2007-08-11 15:29:00 I suppose as the dark years of the Bush administration wind to a close so will the inflammatory commenting by those of us who have objected to the ideological bullshit they have slung thus far. That time has not yet come; recent headlines suggesting Cheney has been pushing for air strikes against Iran shows us these folks not only still have power, but are still able to methodically ruin our More About: Wise , Leaders , Lead , Leader
Is NATO in Trouble?
More articles from this author:2007-08-11 13:09:00 Perusing the morning headlines I came across an AP piece about French president Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the Bush Pleasure Dome in Kennebunkport, Maine. One line caught my eye from Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow for Europe studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (emphasis mine);"Bush realizes that Europeans have either left Iraq or they're heading for the exits," Kupchan said. "And the More About: Nato 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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