What next from Mitt?

[from the Boston Globe, March 20, 2007]
By Brian McGrory

Now that Mitt Romney has flip-flopped on, deep breath here, abortion rights, gay rights, gun control, immigration policy, and campaign finance reform, what's left to reverse? Maybe this:

July 20, 2007

DES MOINES -- Trailing by double-digit margins in the polls to thrice-married Rudolph Giuliani and twice-married John McCain, presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced yesterday that he was seeking a divorce from his longtime wife, Ann.

"Where's my sweetheart?" Romney asked at the beginning of a speech to an overflowing crowd of supporters in this, the first caucus state. "Come on up here, Ann."

When Ann Romney arrived on stage, Romney said, "Can you believe we've been married 38 years?"

Then he added: "That's long enough. Tomorrow, I'm filing for divorce."

Leaving the podium at the end of the event, Romney was heard to tell an aide, "Let's see which way the divorcee vote breaks now."

Sept. 30, 2007

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- With the public rallying around Rudy Giuliani in his public estrangement from his son, Mitt Romney called a press conference to announce that he had severed all ties to his five boys.

Asked why, Romney glanced quizzically at an aide standing in the wings, then told the mob of reporters, "Um, because."

When pressed on what had always appeared to be his closeness to his sons, Romney responded, "Our relationship has evolved."

Dec. 5, 2007

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Presidential candidate Mitt Romney denied ever being governor of Massachusetts, telling supporters at a private fund-raiser: "Check the records. I was never there."

Jan. 20, 2008

CONCORD, N.H. -- Bested by John McCain in the first-in-the-nation primary here, Mitt Romney arrived at a press conference with the use of a walker and the aid of a healthcare worker and announced, "I'm not as young as I used to be."

Jan. 28, 2008

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Fading presidential candidate Mitt Romney got rip-roaring drunk at a local Hooters on the eve of the pivotal South Carolina primary.

Later that night, Romney appeared before reporters while gulping a Bud longneck and puffing on an unfiltered Pall Mall and announced: "I love NASCAR racing. The only reason I'm running for president is to make it an Olympic sport."

Told by a member of the news media that the president has no authority over the Olympics, Romney responded, "Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you."

Feb. 1, 2008

NEW YORK -- Former governor Mitt Romney, whose once bright political star has faded into a haze of contorted issue positions, cheap booze, loose women, and profanity-laced speeches, announced that he is converting from Mormonism to Judaism.

"I am, at heart, a Jewish man," Romney said, several days ahead of the critical New York primary. The proclamation came one day after he told a small crowd of yogis in California that he was forgoing his Mormon beliefs to pursue Eastern spirituality.

Feb. 6, 2008

BOSTON -- Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney withdrew from the presidential race with a rousing speech declaring his respect for gays as well as straights, his belief that abortion laws should remain unchanged, his disdain for guns that plague urban centers, and his tolerance for struggling immigrants who seek a better life on American shores.

Amid euphoric applause from a swelling crowd that included his wife and sons, Romney was asked why he didn't voice these beliefs during his failed campaign.

"It never occurred to me that people might like me for who I am," he said.

Picture from the new George W. Bush library

Actually, this is a picture from Building 40 at Walter Reed Army Hospital. A building where our bravest is supposed to be treated. This looks like a set from a horror movie. And the GOP claims this administration support the troops? Despicable!

Priests to purify site after Bush visit

What a bitch-slap. Just f'ing beautiful.

GUATEMALA CITY --Mayan priests will purify a sacred archaeological site to eliminate "bad spirits" after President Bush visits next week, an official with close ties to the group said Thursday.

"That a person like (Bush), with the persecution of our migrant brothers in the United States, with the wars he has provoked, is going to walk in our sacred lands, is an offense for the Mayan people and their culture," Juan Tiney, the director of a Mayan nongovernmental organization with close ties to Mayan religious and political leaders, said Thursday.

Just as long as it's popular in South Carolina, it's okay with Mitt

Mitt Romney just had a life-changing experience. While driving in a blizzard in Iowa, he literally saw the light, and will be giving up his Mormon religion for a true faith. He doesn't care much which one it is, "just as long as it's popular in South Carolina, it's okay with Mitt"

In this satirical op-ed in the Boston Globe, Scott Lehigh examines Mitt's transformation.

Although some political experts said Romney's conversion might strike some as expedient - polls have shown that some voters won't support a Mormon candidate - his campaign adviser insisted that most people simply won't care.

''Voters want to know that you're on their side, and what better way to demonstrate it than by joining their faiths?'' this person said. ''Besides, Mitt says he's hardly the first one to switch religions.''

Asked just who else he had in mind, the political adviser said he'd have to check. He called back some hours later to cite Henry of Navarre. Raised as a Protestant, Henry twice converted to Catholicism, the first time to save his life after the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572. Although he recanted those vows once the danger had passed, he converted again in 1593, this time to render himself acceptable as king to France's Catholic population. It was on that occasion he uttered the remark he is best known for: ''Paris is worth a mass.''

''It turns out since Mitt's days as a young man doing his Mormon mission in France, Henry of Navarre has been his great hero,'' the adviser noted..

''Other than Ronald Reagan, that is,'' he hastened to add.

Fire Rove's Ass

Libby has been found guilty. Big F'ing deal. We now know that Rove and other sr. white house officials disclosed the name of a covert CIA officer, one who was specifically tasked with monitoring nuclear proliferation. As a result, Valerie Plame's cover was blown, and people who helped her in the past (i.e. helped the USA) were put in harms way. This is the government that is fighting the war on terror? Please. Where is Bin Laden? Remember him? The man responsible for 3000 American deaths? We seem to have forgotten him completely. Only thing Bush and Cheney are fighting is democracy, and will stoop to any level necessary.

WASHINGTON --Campaigning in 2000, George Bush promised he would swear on the Bible to restore honor and dignity to a sullied White House and give it "one heck of scrubbing." The conviction of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby gave the White House a scrubbing -- but not the one Bush had in mind.

The case laid bare the inner workings of a presidency under siege and the secretive world of Vice President Dick Cheney.

It showed the lengths to which Cheney went in early summer 2003 to discredit administration critic Joseph Wilson. The former ambassador's assertions had cast doubt on the administration's justification for having taken the country to war in Iraq. And the Libby case showed the president assisting Cheney in the leaked attacks on Wilson.

...

The White House refused to comment on the possibility that Bush would pardon Libby. He was the only one charged in the case, and he was not charged with deliberately disclosing Plame's identity, which can be a federal crime, but with lying to investivagators and a grand jury. Testimony showed there were other leakers, including adviser Karl Rove, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

The White House has never corrected the denials it issued in the fall of 2003 saying neither Rove nor Libby was involved in the leak of Plame's CIA identity. Political observers doubt any correction will be made.

It is spelled as P-A-N-D-E-R-I-N-G

Romney joined the NRA in August 06. First he was for gays, before he was against them. Then he was for abortion, before he was against it. Now we find out he was against guns, but now he is a card carrying gun-rights supporter.

Spokesman Kevin Madden said Romney did not join the NRA just to court gun owners, who are considered a force in Republican primary politics.

"He joined the NRA because, like millions of Americans, he supports the group's advocacy of the Second Amendment and its commitment to education programs promoting the safe use of firearms by law-abiding gun owners," Madden said.

Sure. We also fell off a turnip truck yesterday.

Gosh, we violated the law and the US Constitution, but we stopped doing it now, so the prosecution of our crime is moot.

Lets pretend nothing ever happened, nothing to see here, move along.

The US government has filed a motion to drop the case the ACLU won in lower court against the government's warrantless wiretapping program. The government's appeal of that ruling will be heard on Wednesday, January 31 in front of the Sixth Circuit court of appeals. The feds argue that the case is now moot because they are now obtaining warrants from the FISA court, and furthermore President Bush did not renew the warrantless tapping program.

"There is no longer any appropriate basis for proceeding with this litigation, given both that the President has determined not to reauthorize the TSP, and that the central premise for plaintiffs' action---that any electronic surveillance that was being conducted was without court authorization—no longer exists. There is, therefore, no longer any live genuine controversy to adjudicate."

Turns out there's a Supreme Court precedent saying that if you were doing something illegal, get taken to court, and then stop the illegal activity, you're not off the hook. The feds argue in their petition that this precedent does not apply to them.

Alberto, Alberto, Alberto!

Shouldn't you go torture a cat or set a puppy on fire instead of trying these arguments in front of the congress? In case you have not noticed, its a DEMOCRATIC congress now.

In yet another attempt to create legitimacy for the Bush Administration's many questionable legal practices, US attorney General Alberto Gonzales actually had the audacity to argue before a Congressional committee that the US Constitution doesn't explicitly bestow habeas corpus rights on US citizens.

While Gonzales's statement has a measure of quibbling precision to it, his logic is troubling because it would suggest that many other fundamental rights that Americans hold dear (such as free speech, freedom of religion, and the right to assemble peacefully) also don't exist because the Constitution often spells out those rights in the negative. It boggles the mind the lengths this administration will go to to systematically erode the rights and privileges we have all counted on and held up as the granite pillars of our society since our nation was founded.

In his view it merely says when the so-called Great Writ can be suspended, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the rights are granted. The Attorney General was being questioned by Sen. Arlen Specter at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Jan. 18. THe MSM are not covering this story but Colbert is (click on the fourth video down, 'Exact Words').

Payback's a bitch

Former Republican congressman from Ohio, and Jack Abramoff's puppet, Bob Ney, has been sentenced to 30 months in jail. This sentence is longer than what the prosecution recommended.

Bob Ney's sentence was longer than the prosecution had recommended, the judge said, because the former lawmaker had violated the public trust.

He will be on probation for two years after his term. He must pay a $6,000 (£3,000) fine and undergo counselling.

Ney had pleaded guilty to trading political favours for money and gifts.

He also admitted conspiracy and making false statements.

On Friday, he apologised to his family, friends and former constituents.

He reiterated his dependence on alcohol, saying he had battled "the demons of addiction".

Of course, poor man--its the alcohol's fault. And before I forget, he is also the idiot who renamed french fries to freedom fries.

FISA oversight of Domestic spying

The U.S. Justice Department has consented to court oversight (albeit via a secret court) of the controversial domestic wiretapping program (the "Terrorist Surveillance Program").

• Gonzales: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court must OK electronic surveillance
• Court has already approved request concerning person with alleged terror links
• Gonzales notified Senate Judiciary Committee leaders in letter issued January 10

So what happened to the argument that there was no time to seek approval (when it was always possible to ask for approval AFTER beginning the surveillance?

The Gratitude Gap

Bush thinks the Iraqi people should thank us. Don't forget, these are the same people who were supposed to greet us as liberators.

Bush continued, "I believe most Iraqis express that. I mean, the people understand that we've endured great sacrifice to help them. That's the problem here in America. They wonder whether or not there is a gratitude level that's significant enough in Iraq."

---

The interviews of Bush and Cheney happened to come on Martin Luther King Day weekend. When King came out against the Vietnam War, he said the Vietnamese must view Americans as "strange liberators." King said, "They watch as we poison their water, as we kill a million acres of their crops. They must weep as the bulldozers roar through their areas preparing to destroy the precious trees. . . we have destroyed their two most cherished institutions: the family and the village. . . What liberators?"

Romney sells out. Again

Is it a surprise that Romney is courting gun nuts? The explanation? He was against guns before he was for them, is all.

Flashback to 1994:

In his 1994 US Senate run, Romney backed two gun-control measures strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups: the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on gun sales, and a ban on certain assault weapons.

"That's not going to make me the hero of the NRA," Romney told the Boston Herald in 1994.

And now:

"He believes Americans have the right to own and possess firearms as guaranteed under the US Constitution," spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom wrote in an e-mail. "He's proud to be among the many decent, law-abiding men and women who safely use firearms. Like President Bush, he supports restrictions on assault weapons, but Mitt Romney has also worked with gun owners and sportsmen to ease the gun-licensing laws in Massachusetts."

Rest in peace, Mr. President

This is a man who sacrificed is political career to bring the country together, and is probably the last republican I liked. Have fun in the big golf course in the sky, Mr. President.

Video game: Convert Muslims and Jews, or kill them

Left Behind Games (named after the mega-successfult series of books) came up with a game called Left Behind: Eternal Forces where the players can play on the side of Christianity, or join the antichrist. If they are playing on behalf of christianity, they can convert non-christians, or kill them. Sure, there is no blood, but the player is shooting with a gun, and his victims are dying. So in the land of "life, liberty pursuit of happiness" it's OK to kill people because they are of a different religion?

BTW, Wal-Mart is selling this game (they refuse to carry some video and music because of language). If the following disturbs you, you might want to call Wal-Mart and politely explain why they should not carry this violent game that teaches xenophobia.

Tara Raddhol
1-479-277-7589
Tara.Raddhol@wal-mart.com


The SF Chronicle reports:

"It's an incredibly violent video game," said Stevens. "Sure, there is no blood. (The dead just fade off the screen.) But you are mowing down your enemy with a gun. It pushes a message of religious intolerance. You can either play for the 'good side' by trying to convert nonbelievers to your side or join the Antichrist."

The Rev. Tim Simpson, a Jacksonville, Fla., Presbyterian minister and president of the Christian Alliance for Progress, added: "So, under the Christmas tree this year for little Johnny is this allegedly Christian video game teaching Johnny to hate and kill?"

...

In Left Behind, set in perfectly apocalyptic New York City, the Antichrist is personified by fictional Romanian Nicolae Carpathia, secretary-general of the United Nations and a People magazine "Sexiest Man Alive."

Players can choose to join the Antichrist's team, but of course they can never win on Carpathia's side. The enemy team includes fictional rock stars and folks with Muslim-sounding names, while the righteous include gospel singers, missionaries, healers and medics. Every character comes with a life story.

When asked about the Arab and Muslim-sounding names, Frichner said the game does not endorse prejudice. But "Muslims are not believers in Jesus Christ" -- and thus can't be on Christ's side in the game.

"That is so obvious," he said.

America's holiest book(s)

David Kuo, ex-chief of the Whitehouse Faith Based Initiative who wrote a book on the topic, says about the Karl Ellison-oath-on-Koran manufactured controversy:

So, a Muslim is coming to the United States House of Representatives and he wants to be sworn into office with his hand on a Koran and not on a Holy Bible. Some conservatives have decided this may well be the end of American civilization. One columnist writes, "He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization." Some people's election loss grief counseling isn't going well.

The writer, Dennis Prager, goes on to argue that this all comes down to "multicultural hubris." After all, "What Ellison and his Muslim and leftist supporters are saying is that it is of no consequence what America holds as its holiest book; all that matters is what any individual holds to be his holiest book."

So the Bible is America's holiest book? Was there a vote? Did Oprah decide? Was it Jefferson? And if so was it his version of the Bible? Does that mean it is true of every American citizen? Even Kevin Federline? And if it is true then America, with its indifference to the poor and lust for money and power, would be seriously backsliding and in need of spiritual counseling.

No, the Bible isn't Ameirca' holiest book. America doesn't have a holy book. It does have two holy documents, however. One is called the Constitution. The other is known as the Declaration of Independence. That's it. Book study finished

The Diminishing Dollar: Another Bush legacy

The right-wing's favorite bogeyman, George Soros, made his billions by betting against the British pound, making the Bank of England fight for the survival of its treasury (the event is also known as the "Rape of the old lady on Threadneedle Street)

Now, both the British Pound and Euro are at a new high against the dollar. Robert Kuttner writes in the Boston Globe:

The dollar just hit a 20-month low against the euro. It now costs $1.32 to buy one euro, and the dollar is falling against other currencies as well.
...
If any other country ran such a deficit, foreigners would lose confidence and its currency would crash. That's what happened to Mexico, Argentina, even to Britain in the early 1990s. The United States has avoided that fate thus far, because Asian central banks keep the dollar propped up, and that reassures private investors.

But this game can go on only so long. This past week's decline of the dollar against the euro is rather like the seismic tremors that precede a major earthquake on a fault line. We don't know whether this is the big one. We just know that the big one is coming sooner or later.

No less than former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker put the odds of a dollar crash at 75 percent within five years. He said that more than two years ago.
...
The precarious dollar is also weakened by the big federal budget deficits and the increasing role of hedge funds, which operate like a herd and exaggerate normal swings in currency markets. But Paulson wants even more tax cuts and more financial deregulation.

The dollar dilemma is the Republicans' economic Iraq. It has no easy solution, and could be one more disaster on the watch of George W. Bush.

The Oath of Office for a Congressman

Keith Ellison is a recently elected congressman from Minnesota. He is a religious person, and he is devout. The problem, for some people, is that he prays to a different God: he is a Muslim. When the incoming congress takes its oath of office, he wants to swear to uphold his duty on the Koran, which is God's word to Mr. Ellison. Sounds fair so far?

But in the land of the wingnuts, that is a threat to the American way of life. According to right-wing radio host Dennis Prager Mr. Ellison's act will, apparently:

He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization.

I kid you not. One man's expression of his belief undermines a whole civilization? Then it gradually gets worse:

Forgive me, but America should not give a hoot what Keith Ellison's favorite book is. Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress. In your personal life, we will fight for your right to prefer any other book. We will even fight for your right to publish cartoons mocking our Bible. But, Mr. Ellison, America, not you, decides on what book its public servants take their oath.

I want to make it clear: there is no rule requiring people to swear on the Bible or any other holy book. Some congressmen do it on their own, and that is allowed. As ThinkProgress states: "Right-Wing Radio Host Fabricates Controversy to Attack First Muslim Congressman"

But Prager’s column is based on one other glaring error: the swearing-in ceremony for the House of Representatives never includes a religious book. The Office of the House Clerk confirmed to ThinkProgress that the swearing-in ceremony consists only of the Members raising their right hands and swearing to uphold the Constitution. The Clerk spokesperson said neither the Christian Bible, nor any other religious text, had ever been used in an official capacity during the ceremony. (Occassionally, Members pose for symbolic photo-ops with their hand on a Bible.)

Have you no shame, Mr. Prager?

Prez hopeful Mitt Romney: Illegal aliens tended his gardens

Political ambition is a strange thing; and now a major case of "do what I say, not what I do" First he was for the gays before he was against them, and now the Boston Globe breaks a story that the landscaping company Mitt used employed illegal aliens. The whole country knowns illegals work in the landscaping business. And Mr. "700-mile fence" didn't think of checking once?


I think this campaign will collapse before it can begin.

As Governor Mitt Romney explores a presidential bid, he has grown outspoken
in his criticism of illegal immigration. But, for a decade, the governor has
used a landscaping company that relies heavily on workers like these,
illegal
Guatemalan immigrants, to maintain the grounds surrounding his pink
Colonial
house on Marsh Street in Belmont.

The Globe recently interviewed four current and former employees of
Community Lawn Service with a Heart, the tiny Chelsea-based company that
provides upkeep of Romney's property. All but one said they were in the United
States illegally.

...

The worker in Copado said a state trooper stationed in Romney's driveway once
inquired about his immigration status, about six months ago. Saenz, the company
owner, who was at the property at the time, told the trooper that the worker was
in the country legally, but had forgotten his papers, the worker told the Globe.
The trooper never inquired again, said the worker, who repeatedly returned to
the governor's property but avoided the trooper. Saenz told reporters he did not
recall the incident.

Then there is an interesting twist. Did someone ask the trooper to not ask about this any more?

Powell: Iraq now a civil war

Oh man. To repeat an Indian proverb: when the elephant gets stuck in the mud, even the frog kicks him. Reuters reports:

DUBAI --Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Wednesday Iraq had descended into civil war and urged world leaders to accept that "reality"

So NBC first (actually, it was the bloggers), then LA Times, and now CP? Is he getting back at deadeye Dicks and Rummy, or trying to salvage his reputation for a 2008 run?

US apologizes to man mistakenly identified as a terrorist; pays $2 million fine

Warts and all, justice prevailed. But I can't help think what would have happened if Mr. Mayfield was not a lawyer, and did not have the monetary resources to pursue this case.

The U.S. government has agreed to pay $2 million to an Oregon lawyer who was wrongfully arrested as a terrorism suspect because of a bungled fingerprint match and has issued an apology for the "suffering" inflicted on the attorney and his family.

The guy isn't stopping here:

Under the terms of the settlement announced today, Brandon Mayfield of Portland, Ore., will also be able to continue to pursue a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the USA Patriot Act antiterrorism law, which played a role in Mayfield's case.