Mike Kuykendall

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Edwards to Call for Rove's Head
2007-04-26 14:54:00
I think the best way to try and stand out in the current herd of presidential contenders is to be at the forefront of the issues, leading from the front. The political panderers and centrists are trying to triangulate themselves into the White House, the folks across the aisle try to use the Rovian "base" strategy using cultural and religious conservatives.The only other way is to truly lead, project a message of "follow me, I know the way."Former Senator John Edwards has been impressing the hell out of me in that regard, as noted here, here, here, and here (not to mention here, here, and of course here, where I showed my ass with a possible bad prediction.)Once again this morning I find myself impressed. I received an email from the Edwards campaign calling on the President to fire his evil advisor Karl Rove ;New evidence shows that Rove has been methodically working to twist even the most impartial branches of the federal government?including the Justice Department?to serve the R...
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Great Quote
2007-04-26 14:47:00
Here's a great quote to chuck like a monkey with a handful of feces at Republicans you may know. Especially when you hit that "what the fuck?!" point in an argument where the ideology finally trumps their logic and the straw man arguments and Rovian conversational traps come out;"Nothing sways the stupid more than arguments they can't understand"-Cardinal de RetzAnyhow, more to come. I'm just getting warmed up. Shoot me some email (the link is top-left in the sidebar) or drop a comment if you have some particular subject matter to rant about.
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Waxman Subpoenas Rice
2007-04-25 20:41:00
We had some advance warning that this might happen, and indeed it did;"We have hit a brick wall with the Secretary of State," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA). "She will not propose a date to testify, she will not agree to testify, and she insists that our Committee be satisfied with partial information that was previously submitted to other committees."Expect the Right to go nuts, accusing Democrats of a "witch hunt" and suggesting that the Secretary of State has better things to do than to testify before a congressional committee. The nice touch by Chairman Waxman;"Under the rules of this Committee, the Chairman has the power to issue subpoenas without debate or votes in the Committee. That is what Dan Burton used to do. In fact, that is what he did over 1,000 times," he said. "But I am taking a different approach today. I believe the entire Committee should have a chance to participate in the subpoenas we will consider today."This way there can be no complaints about unilateral dec...
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500 Posts and Counting!
2007-04-25 20:17:00
I just thought I'd toss a shout out to everyone who helped make the Indigent A-hole successful, now that I just noticed I broke 500 posts a few weeks back; thanks to Murph, Mark, Chris, and my beautiful Freethinker for all their hard work and input. You guys are my inspiration!
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Rudy Pulls the 9/11 Out a Tad Earlier Than Expected
2007-04-25 18:35:00

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CBC Reluctantly Following Edwards' Lead
2007-04-25 16:42:00
As previously posted here John Edwards started the movement to cut Fox News out of any possible Democratic debates, followed quickly by Obama, with the rest of the gaggle falling in line after that. The puzzling thing then was that the Congressional Black Caucus had decided to keep going with the debates, despite the major candidates declining to attend the event.Finally the CBC starts to follow through;Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are pushing their leadership to withdraw from an agreement with Fox News to sponsor a Democratic presidential primary debate on Sept. 23 in Detroit.Spurred by liberal activist groups such as MoveOn.org, the three Democratic presidential frontrunners, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) and former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), have withdrawn from the debate, citing what they call Fox News?s conservative bias.Of particular interest, at least to the A-hole, were Representative Cleaver's words, my local congressman;...
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Special Counsel Investigating Rove Under Investigation Himself
2007-04-25 16:15:00
As previously noted here Special Counsel Scott Bloch may not be the best choice to properly investigate the administration, and especially Karl Rove. Why, you ask, when Mr. Bloch assures us he cannot be fired except for malfeasance?Why, because he's under investigation too (emphasis, and incredulity, mine)!The first question Americans want answered, CNN's John Roberts says to Bloch, is, "[Will this] be a genuinely thorough, legitimate investigation, or is this just going to be a whitewash to find no wrongdoing?" "This will be a legitimate, thorough investigation," replies Bloch. "It will be fair and impartial according to the law and the facts. We are an independent agency, which means that I cannot be removed from office except for malfeasance..." Roberts tells Bloch, "You're also being looked at" by another federal agency for charges including "improper employment practices and allegations of intimidating workers." Bloch answers, "There's no truth to any of those allegations."
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House Republicans: "Read Our Emails We'll Read Yours!"
2007-04-24 18:45:00
Someone tell me how it can possibly make sense to threaten to go through Clinton-era White House emails in retaliation for the current interest in RNC sponsored email addresses and their uses in the recent Attorneygate scandal? It really doesn't, that is unless you happen to have done something criminal involving the Clinton administration. Considering how thorough the Starr investigation and others were into every minute detail of that time period, I really doubt anything new will be turned up on anyone.I believe anyone in the Clinton White House who similarly politicized their office should be equally investigated and charged, if need be. However there is a subtle difference here; Congressional committees are investigating wrongdoing that has come to light; threatening to dig something up when no evidence exists to support charges is illogical, as well as against the basis of our criminal justice system. People and entities are innocent until proven guilty even if investigati...
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Bush-appointed Special Counsel to Fully Investigate Rove?
2007-04-24 17:22:00
I'm sure everyone has heard that the Office of Special Counsel will start an investigation into political activities at the White House spearheaded by Karl Rove;"This is a big deal," Paul C. Light, a New York University expert on the executive branch, said of Bloch's plan. "It is a significant moment for the administration and Karl Rove. It speaks to the growing sense that there is a nexus at the White House that explains what's going on in these disparate investigations."The 106-person Office of Special Counsel has never conducted such a broad and high-profile inquiry in its history. One of its primary missions has been to enforce the Hatch Act, a law enacted in 1939 to preserve the integrity of the civil service.I'm not sure about anyone else, but an investigation headed by a Bush appointee into administration antics just doesn't seem appropriate. It's the same as allowing internal agencies in Justice to conduct solo investigations of Attorney General Gonzales' recent poli...
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Kucinich to Unveil Impeachment Plans at Noon
2007-04-24 16:28:00
As mentioned previously here, Representative Dennis Kucinich plans on introducing articles of impeachment against Vice-President Dick Cheney today at noon;"People are discussing it, not from the standpoint of their personal feelings towards Mr. Bush or Mr. Cheney, but they're talking about it from the standpoint of 'Who are we as an American people? What are our standards? What is it that we expect from public officials? What should be the conduct of an individual who holds the office of President or Vice President?'" he said.Although there is no doubt Kucinich is our representative nutjob from the Left, it is nice to see someone try to take the Veep to task. If Cheney were to be impeached, and Karl Rove immersed in a cloud as he fights an investigation, that would leave the Prez all alone. Vulnerable.A little scary, considering whose incompetent finger currently sits on the "Button."UPDATE: Apparently this has been postponed due to Cheney's surgery- more to come...
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Quote Retirement
2007-04-24 16:10:00
Expect to see more Tom Paine in the title- I'll be retiring this one;It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry.-Thomas Paine
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Congress Agrees on Withdrawal Bill; Veto Imminent
2007-04-24 14:56:00
The conference on the Iraq supplemental war funding bill agreed Monday on the terms for withdrawal;Begins withdrawal of troops from Iraq on Oct. 1, with the goal of ending combat by April 1, 2008.Requires troop withdrawal to begin July 1 if President Bush cannot certify that the Iraqi government is making progress in disarming militias, reducing sectarian violence and forging political agreements.Senator Harry Reid, meanwhile, supposedly in a "flap" due to calling it like he sees it, defends himself eloquently;"General Petreaus has said the war cannot be won militarily, he's said that," Reid said. "And President Bush is doing nothing economically, he's doing nothing diplomatically, he's not doing anything even the minimal requested by the Iraq Study Group, so I stick with General Petreaus. I have no doubt the war cannot be won militarily and that's what I said last Thursday and I stick with that." In the process Reid manages to call Bush a liar, straight up. I love it! Republ...
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A Sampling of Right-Wing Nutjobs
2007-04-21 17:33:00
I just wanted to share with all of you some of the comments I have been getting from the Right via Netscape, Digg, Reddit, etc. Lots of logical fallacies and ridiculous talking points, little facts or real, substantive viewpoints.I'll present their words as-is, with my posted rebuttals. It might help to understand these if you read the original posts as well, but I figure their stupidity speaks for itself.Feel free to rant away in the comments, if you feel the need after reading this horseshit. And you probably will, if you're anything like the A-hole!__________Freeper: Have you noticed? Nobody cares. Democrats have finally out foxed themselves. They have whinned, and complained, and investigated, and accused, until they have turned off the American people. We don;t have time to watch your hearings. We are planning vacations, family outtings, shopping trips. We have positive things to do, and you are too negative for our taste. What a hoot.Indigent A-hole: Hmmm- you think your lim...
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Bush's Obstinance and the Fascism Playbook
2007-04-21 15:51:00
I have posted this before but in light of this article I felt it needed reiterating (emph. mine);His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.That was an OSS profile of Hitler- I know the civilized world thinks equating anything with Nazis is some kind of mortal sin, but he literally wrote the book on fascism and population control. I had to point out the similarities with Bush's currently predicament with both U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and randy World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz (emph., again, mine);Yet, in a mark of his dwindling political capital, Mr. Bush has so far left Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Wolfow...
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Supply Side Economics is Voodoo
2007-04-20 20:05:00
Reagan and Bush 41's "Voodoo economics", also known as supply-side economics, advocates the idea that if you let the rich segment of the population keep more of their money it will spur economic growth, create jobs, and cure cancer. Or so the Republicans would have you think;The original supply-siders suggested that some tax cuts, under very special circumstances, might actually raise federal revenues?. But today it is common to hear tax cutters claim, implausibly, that all tax cuts raise revenue. Last year, President Bush said, ?You cut taxes and the tax revenues increase.? Senator John McCain told National Review magazine last month that ?tax cuts, starting with Kennedy, as we all know, increase revenues.? Last week, Steve Forbes endorsed Rudolph Giuliani for the White House, saying, ?He?s seen the results of supply-side economics firsthand ? higher revenues from lower taxes.?This is a simplification of what supply-side economics was all about, and it threatens to undermine the e...
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Reader Maintenance
2007-04-20 18:59:00
I'd like to take a minute and encourage everyone to subscribe to my feed, now conveniently located at the top of the sidebar. Get the Indigent A-hole delivered right to your reader for instant progressive satisfaction and general civil discontent.I'm an obsessive-compulsive blogger, so to my new readers expect voluminous posting most of the time, like today. If anyone would like to drop a crude remark, slur, or hell, any good old fashioned insult feel free to comment below. Fire will be met with fire, and if you'd like an A-hole opinion of your stuff drop me some links- I'm constantly plugged in and interested in new things.Otherwise Happy Friday (and Happy Four-Twenty)- keep on fighting the good fight fellow patriots!
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Republican Senator to Co-sponsor Withdrawal Bill
2007-04-20 16:50:00
Moderate Republican Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) says she'll support withdrawal; "The Iraq government needs to understand that our commitment is not infinite," said Snowe, a moderate from Maine who frequently departs from the party line.President Bush has insisted that Congress not impose any limits on his conduct of the four-year-old war. But Snowe has taken issue with that view."It is our business as well," she said Thursday. Though the article states specifically that she does not support the Democratic bill in the Senate calling for withdrawal from Iraq within 120 days, it's still encouraging to see the GOP cracking up.
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Happy Holidays to all our loyal viewers. If you ne...
2007-04-20 16:25:00
Happy Holidays to all our loyal viewers. If you need an explanation, then you won't understand.
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Bill Clinton Mentions Possible Gore Run
2007-04-20 16:23:00
I know it's probably just a little blurb to keep the rumor mill turning, but to hear it from my favorite President makes me excited (emph. mine); The Democrats running for president "are gifted people and they deserve to be seriously listened to," and "you have got the prospect that vice president Gore might run."Yes, I know it's thin, but as a Gore supporter I have to hope!
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Paine's Advice to the AG
2007-04-20 16:18:00
Looking through quotes from Thomas Paine this morning, one caught my eye; Attorney General Gonzales and his masters would do well to remember it; Character is much easier kept than recovered.-Thomas Paine
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Quote Retirement
2007-04-20 16:15:00
I'm taking down Mr. Vonnegut from the title. He will be missed;I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center. -Kurt Vonnegut
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The Right Needs to Understand War
2007-04-20 15:25:00
Here's some great comments from one reader the Indigent A-hole knows well- he spent time in both Panama during Operation Just Cause (when we took out the U.S. appointed leader who went a little too hog-wild with the drug money) and the first Bush's Gulf War;This is the thing about war that is often left out. War is not an idea, a point of contention, or a political advantage. War is where people in no danger send young people into harms way. People to be disfigured and damaged beyond repair, never to be capable of a normal life again. War is when young people get robbed of their futures. Glory, apple pie and the american dream are not mentioned in a fox hole. Its where the meat pays the bill for checks those in the rear try to cash. So all you glory minded right wing supporters can have my slot in the kill zone. I did my time and am less because of it.Well said. Let's never forget why some of us progressives are trying to get our troops home- we CARE about them!
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Gonzales Misremembers 71 Times; Committee Not Impressed
2007-04-20 14:46:00
You really have to wonder what must be running through Bush's mind (or Rove, or Cheney, or whoever is in charge in this clusterfuck) when they put soon-to-be-former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales back in the line of fire despite egregious public errors on the whole affair. You know it's not because Congress demanded his presence- the Bushittes have shown exactly what they think about both houses in the way they have conducted themselves recently (anyone remember Sam Fox and his damn-near illegal recess appointment?) Seventy-one times Gonzales claimed a faulty memory when members of the Senate committee asked such questions as who decided on the ousted eight, and whether Gonzales was or was not involved in the evaluation process.It was not the performance President Bush seemed to be seeking when he said last March that "Al's got work to do up there." Still, White House officials said the president continued to support his longtime friend. Bush spokesman Tony Fratto said th...
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"It May Not Have Been a Knockout Punch, But He Definitely Took 20 Steps Bac
2007-04-19 22:52:00
The title contains words overheard from Senator Chuck Schumer while meeting with reporters immediately proceeding today's Senate Judiciary committee hearing. I think I agree, for what parts of the hearing I've caught.I watched a few verbal beatings throughout the day, but clearly, any reasonable person looking at his testimony and recent written and spoken accounts has to realize one thing for sure;Al is a horrible liar.Really, I did better when I was 15 trying to sneak out of the house and smoke joints."Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, HEY hey hey, GOOD-bye" chanted protesters in the gallery as the Chairman's gavel closed the hearing. Fateful words; consider rabid partisan (oh yes and he is a MEDICAL DOCTOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, I think he likes folks to remember that) Senator Tom Coburn (R-Bible Belt) as even he verbally rapes the guy (and consider this is the Indigent A-hole here, linking to video from a neocon Bush apologist, that's how much I appreciate the Senator's sense of r...
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The Final Nail in McCain's Coffin
2007-04-19 20:12:00
Via Raw Story a piece about John McCain's remarkably un-presidential remarks at a campaign stop in Murrells Inlet VFW Hall in South Carolina; "McCain began his answer by changing the words to a popular Beach Boys song," the Georgetown Times reports."Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran,' he sang to the tune of Barbara Ann," the paper notes.McCain then added, "Iran is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. That alone should concern us but now they are trying for nuclear capabilities. I totally support the President when he says we will not allow Iran to destroy Israel."The paper notes that McCain stopped short of answering the actual question and did not say if he supports an invasion of Iran."In case anyone still felt John McCain was stable enough to be president despite all his recent gaffes, here we have a nice example of his madness as he sings a pretty tune about going to WAR!If that doesn't scare you then you need to relocate to Beirut or Baghdad where you can get your daily dose...
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Right to Bear Arms, Forced to Bear Children
2007-04-19 15:27:00
Does anyone find it ironic that the very people advocating against choice and the right to an abortion are the same people that are arguing for guns for everyone? Get that seven year old kid a .22! They are not the right-to-lifers, they are the right-to-be-borners. They don't care what happens to you once you are born; all that is important is that you are born so that they may continue shoving their right-wing, religious bullshit agenda down your throat, into your bedroom, and now into your uterus. That's why they want to cut medicaid to low-income women, family planning services, education funding, etc. Kill 'em in war, not a moment before, right Mr. President? If a murderous psychopath wants to go on a rampage and kill 32 people- well, he has the right to bear arms. If a women makes the decision to abort her pregnancy- FUCK THAT SLUT. Right ? This countries priorities are sadly mistaken. On the other hand, perhaps our priorities just aren't being represented by the neo-fascist...
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Gonzales' Last Stand
2007-04-19 14:56:00
Today U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales gets grilled all day by the Senate Judiciary Committee; The Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled a daylong hearing for Gonzales' first appearance under oath since the firings set off an uproar in February that has only escalated with a bewildering series of conflicting accounts from the attorney general, his current and former aides and White House officials.Gonzales himself has provided differing versions of the events, first saying he had almost no involvement in them and then later acknowledging that his role was larger, but only after e-mails about meetings he attended were released by the Justice Department to House and Senate committees.All I can say here is that Gonzales is walking out of there with an Oscar for Best Acting at a Congressional Hearing, or he's walking out with a pink slip. I can see this escalating to an impeachment situation, as the AG has made it clear he lacks any ability to effectively manage his people.
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