I think that's what they call it anyway...

You know, when you talk to people and stuff...

Short diary, but there is a link below.

Since the Kerry debates, there has been speculation about whether Bush is occasionally prompted by handlers through an ear piece.

TPM has a YouTube video up that shows MSNBC coverage of Bush's first public statement since Libby's sentence was commuted. This is, of course, pure speculation on my part, but the more I watch the video, the more I wonder if someone is prompting him as he answers questions.

The video:

** This may have been attempted before. If so, please direct me to a link and if it similar enough, and recent enough, I'll delete this. **

While reading accounts of the Pat Tillman/Jessica Lynch lies today, a thought occurred to me. Wouldn't it be nice to have a list of Bush Administration lies that have been as effectively and undeniably demonstrated to be lies as this?

I have seen lots and lots of lists of lies that people have documented over the years, and I know there are entire websites devoted to documenting them.

But I'm looking for the big, steaming, stinking, can-prove-it-is-a-lie-with-one-simple-link-to-a-respected-source type of lies. Not just lies - WHOPPERS.

Objectives below...

My Congressman, Dave Obey (WI-7), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, met recently with some of his constituents to discuss current issues, including the recently passed appropriations bill for Iraq, accusations that it is loaded with "pork," and same-sex marriage. Although I missed his talk, I had to share some of his quotes, as reported in my local paper. You can read the full article here.

Some of his replies to tired Republican talking points are wonderful, and since they have only been reported locally (as far as I know), I thought I would share them below...

OneCrankyDom penned a wonderful diarythis morning that has had me thinking all damn day. He starts the diary with a quote from George Washington that I found brilliant almost beyond description:

"Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause... for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country."
-- George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775

My first thought was "More than three years following the shame of Abu Ghraib, and I’m just finding this quote NOW?" The quote was singing in my head all day long at work. How could I use this? At the very least, I figured I would hand a copy of it to a representative of Senator Feingold who I will be seeing tomorrow. Maybe she can get the Senator to read it from the Senate floor at an appropriate moment. That would be cool.

But something made me nervous. More below...

The list keeps getting bigger and bigger. Our president seems to declare a new previously-private domain of ours to be fair game to his prying eyes every other week. Your phones, your bank accounts, and now your mail are at the mercy of the Great Decider.

Is nothing sacred to this guy? Is EVERYTHING his business? Is THAT what we all asked for on September 12, 2001?

Dammit, I say it's time to go on the offensive with this nosy sonofabitch.

Nancy! Harry! It is time for the United States Congress to declare SOMETHING sacred, SOMETHING off-limits, SOMETHING free from the prying eyes of President Snoopy. It's time to draw the proverbial line in the sand. Might I suggest...

It was a story that was custom-designed to get attention. In a press release dated December 28, 2006, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) announced that the Bush administration was forbidding National Park Service rangers from revealing the true age of the Grand Canyon - to avoid offending the sensibilities of their fundementalist visitors. The release is here if you want to read it.

A couple of diaries here and  here discussed it either directly or indirectly, and got quite a bit of attention.

The fact that it was coming from what many of us believe to be a reputable source (and I personally think that PEER is a great organization), and despite the fact that it just SOUNDED so damn true-to-form for this administration, key parts of it are proving to be false.

Evidence below...

The giddiness of November is over, and by now I'm sure both political parties are actively strategizing for the legislative battles that surely lie ahead. For the first time in a dozen years, the Democrats will control the agenda. We're bigger than they are now, so legislative victories lie just around the corner, right? Right?

To all who would declare victory before the fact, let me just say this: Remember Chancellorsville.

Few battles in American history have more to teach than one from our own Civil War - the Battle of Chancellorsville. Fought in May 1863, the battle pitted Robert E. Lee, "Stonewall" Jackson and 40,000 Confederates against a better-rested, and much better-equipped army of Union soldiers nearly twice its size.

Do you remember what they say about those who ignore history? Follow me below to see what we might learn...

Well, it has been a tough week. There are many ways we can work out our frustrations. Like drinking, breaking things, or kicking the dog.

Drinking causes hangovers, breaking things just leads to more work later, and I like my dogs.

And so this evening, I decided to pick on someone instead.

Very little substance here, just a new video I made that documents the touching friendship shared by Joe Lieberman and Dear Leader and his minions.  If you're looking for a little levity this evening, just go here for some YouTube fun.

Many of you may remember this diary from Daily Kos member Barbara, in which she recounted the medical problems that her sister in Wisconsin was experiencing.

I received an email from Barbara today, and I thought I would share it with those of you who are interested in getting an update. The news isn't very cheerful, but it shows that there is a committed member of this community that could use some of your positive vibes.

More below...

A top-of-the-page headline story like this one from MSNBC should send shivers up the spines of anyone who believes that Dems can win in 2006 on the "Culture of Corruption" issue alone.

I don't know anything about Congressman Jefferson, and for all I know, he was set up by a Republican-controlled FBI for purely political reasons. But innocent or guilty, now that stories like these are headlines on major Internet news sites, the impression that corruption is equally gnawing at both parties will seep even further into the minds of the electorate.

The National Park Service is this nation's most popular federal agency. Period.

What other agency is able to boast of a 96% satisfaction rate with its public? Consistently. Year after year, decade after decade. Americans love their parks, and why shouldn't they? The parks represent the true treasure of the nation - the things we hold most dear. They have they been consistently underfunded over the years, both by Republican as well as Democratic administrations. It just baffles me.

They have really taken a hit in recent years. So it is high time to put things into perspective. I will attempt to do that below.

A few days ago, my brother sent me one of those emails that we all dread, but (sadly) receive every once in a while: Someone you know has died.

In this case, it was Bill. My brother and I had spent a fair amount of time crawling around with Bill in caves. Caves have always been one of my passions, and they were one of Bill's as well. And when it comes to getting to know someone and learning what makes them tick, there are few activities better than caving. Try spending 12 to 16 hours underground with someone, climbing, contorting, squeezing through 8-inch high passages to see where they lead.

I digress... But trust me, this story does get extremely relevant to this blog if you follow me into the void below.

Six hours in production, and after a budget of one wasted afternoon, I am proud to present an animated classic, sure to please progressives and piss off conservatives (and maybe the Walt Disney Company, too).

Starring Russ Feingold, Nancy Pelosi, Karl Rove, and of course, the Boy King himself, George W. Bush.

Everybody! Arise and salute...

The Lyin' King!

Link below...

Science can produce some absolutely mind-tripping results.

Like the Many-Worlds interpretation of quantum physics, originally developed by Hugh Everett. In Mr. Everett's world (well, in at least some of them anyway), every decision you make creates as many new universes as there are different possible outcomes of the decision. It is by no means a universally accepted view among physicists, but it does solve several vexing problems in quantum physics.

I find this thrilling. If true, it would mean that there is a universe in which Nancy Pelosi's gloves are, indeed, off. Maybe even several of them. I wonder... What might such a world look like?

The more I read this article, the more depressed I get.

We're all pissed at Republican fanatics putting party before country, right? We hate how they betray the very word "conservative" in order to justify what they surely realize is a radical, radical departure from what this nation used to stand for. Rapid, radical change is about as unconservative a move as you can make. Yet there it is. Party before country, right?

It just plain steams me - how they can do that. And yet...

This great diary by zesty grapher documented several classic quotes from Republican leaders relating to the topic of impeachment. Another diary by The Bulldog Manifesto documented similar quotes back in December.

I grabbed a couple of quotes from each of them and put them into a very simple little video slide show - to the refrain of the Eagles classic Lyin' Eyes. I call it Republicans Support Impeachment.

If you want to see it, go below.

I've seen the comment a gazillion times here, and now I see it over at the Huffington Post.

"We shouldn't talk about impeachment. It will only lead to a President Cheney."

Sorry, it doesn't work with me. I'm quite open to a Cheney administration. And I think you should be, too. Whether you agree with me or not, you should follow me below the fold to allow me to explain...