Because decent people objected....
Yesterday on the floor of the House, Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) called for the impeachment of Dick Cheney. He became the tenth co-sponsor of of H.RES.333, a bill from Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) that introduces 3 Articles of Impeachment against the...
Rule number one in project management is to identify measurable goals. You know, things you can see and track. Results! Without them you wander around forever guessing as to whether you're succeeding and making up strategies without knowing their...
I love that these two headlines accompany each other on CNN's homepage: U.N. shuts down Iraq WMD unit Focus turns to Bush's final 2 years in office Yes, after four and a half years of war, over 3,500 US troops...
In a recent op-ed piece on Slate, Bruce Fein - the former Reagan Associate Deputy Attorney General - gets right to the point: The House judiciary committee should commence an impeachment inquiry. As Alexander Hamilton advised in the Federalist Papers,...
So, if you haven't heard by now, the majority-Republican-appointee Supreme Court of the United States recently ruled that a high school student had no right to display a banner that read, "Bong Hits for Jesus" at his high school....
In the final Washington Post expose on Cheney, we learned that Christine Todd Whitman, Bush's first EPA administrator, was lying when she said she was resigning to spend more time with her family. It turns out, it was because of...
Like GLONO founder Jake Brown, I hate that she gets as much attention as she does but like it or not, Ann Coulter is a major player in conservative politics and to ignore her here would be ignoring an extremely...
He's not yet in custody, but Scooter Libby is in the system....
An editorial in the Grand Rapids Press endorses more funding and support for Amtrak as part of the solution to our energy and global warming crisis. I couldn't agree more. According to the editorial, ridership on the Grand Rapids-Chicago line...
While they're not yet saying how much money they've raised in the second quarter, the Obama campaign says they've accumulated 138,000 more donors so far. They hope to move that number up to 150,000 by the end of the quarter...
In a Cheney-related post yesterday, I wondered if anything would come of the WashPo expose on Cheney. Probably around the same time I was writing that, 36 House Democrats - most from the West Coast - called for a hearing...
Ann Coulter gets the smackdown. You're watching haaaaaardball....
The final piece in the Washington Post's four part series on Cheney came out today. It is, in some ways, the most damning of the four. But maybe that's just my perspective. As the other pieces did, this one chronicles...
Since the earliest days of the United States of America, the idea that religion should be separate from the state has been a cornerstone of American society. Indeed, it is what allows true freedom of religion; that is, the freedom...
Steven Giles, who used to be the Deputy Secretary of the Interior under Gale Norton, was sentenced to 10 months in prison today. He admitted to lying to the Senate about his relationship with Jack Abramoff, and is now the...
Among the many, many troubling habits in the Bush administration's culture of mediocrity is its preference to employ less than the best and brightest among us. I don't know if it's a product of our C student CEO-in-Chief, or what,...
It's a Cheney lovefest here at POLJUNK today. Here's some more Cheney related goodness:...
The third part of the Washington Post expose on Cheney is out today. This one focuses on his role in domestic policy, particularly on his important role in pushing through the sickening tax cuts for the rich this administration championed....
The New York Times editorial board made some staffing changes in early January 2007, and it shows. The editorials they've been producing since then are insightful, to the point, and they don't pull punches - especially as far as the...
According to an NPR piece this morning, "one-fifth of all greenhouse gases comes from forests that are cut down and burned to make way for crops or pasture." That's not good - 20% of the world's carbon emissions come from...
Believe it or not, I was listening to Rush's Caress of Steel as I was reading the second piece in the Washington Post series on Cheney. There's a song on that record called Necromancer, and it's actually a fitting description...
'Bong Hits 4 Jesus' case limits student rights. Boo. The justices ruled 6-3 that Frederick's free speech rights were not violated by his suspension over what the majority's written opinion called a "sophomoric" banner. "It was reasonable for (the principal)...
NPR ran a piece on Morning Edition this morning about a climate change game that starkly lays out the challenges we face over the next 50 years. But there's a positive spin - part of the goal is to show...
There are a few editorials out there this weekend that call for big changes to the farm bill that will be voted on this year. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which calls out the fact that there are about $22 billion...
In Sunday's New York Times, Thomas Friedman calls last week's Senate energy bill a baby that "only a lobbyist could love." True, it's the first energy bill to raise fuel efficiency standards in twenty years, but it's still too little,...
It wasn't that long ago that Dick Cheney was chastising Speaker of the House Pelosi for her supposed "bad behavior." But frankly, Cheney is at the top of the heap when it comes to bad behavior in Washington. Pelosi has...
The big news in Washington the past couple of days has been Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion that his office is, in fact, a unique fourth branch of government, not subject to the rules and laws that govern either the...
In today's New York Times, there is a full page ad on page A9 that leads with the following headline: 2008 IS TOO LATE Too late for what? Too late for getting Bush and Cheney out of office. So it's...
Yesterday, Representative John Conyers (D-MI) let the White House know that they will face contempt of Congress charges if they don't respond to subpoenas related to the U.S. attorney purge case by June 28th. Specifically, Chief of Staff Josh Bolten,...
Could it be true? Is Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) reading POLJUNK again? Based on a statement he made about electric fences, I'm afraid he may be taking my satirical suggestion that we electrify fences on the border a bit too...
According to this article, the U.S. military has dismissed at least 59 Arabic linguists in recent years because they are gay. Which is shocking and infuriating, given the limited number of U.S. Arabic linguists in the military and their importance...
An organization called Climate Counts does an annual scorecard of how corporations are doing (or not doing) in the battle against global warming. They use 22 different criteria for the scoring. I'm not clear on how they pick the companies...
Good news! Lynne Cheney - wife of the Dark Lord himself - is not in the running to replace recently deceased Wyoming Senator Craig Thomas. Rumor had it that she might throw her name into the ring, and as I...
Many in South Texas are up in arms about proposed border fencing. And rightly so. As currently conceived by the federal government, the fence will put part of the UT Brownsville campus on the "Mexican side" of the fence and...
The president again demonstrates his contempt for science with a planned veto of another stem cell bill. It plays well with his base - which would like to return us to pre-Enlightenment days - but 70% of Americans want more...
There's a great Glenn Greenwald piece up on Salon right now detailing how Bush's moral certitude has left the United States, and upon which everything this country was founded, in a shambles. A Tragic Legacy Excerpt: One of the principal...
As George Bush might say, politics is hard work. So it's no wonder that South Carolina State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel appears to have a serious cocaine problem. He has been accused of "buying less than 500 grams of the drug...
Earlier today, I said Michael Bloomberg was my favorite Republican - one of the two I have any admiration for. That was pretty short lived. Bloomberg announced today that he is leaving the GOP. Independent run for the presidency, anyone?...
The argument for placing conservatives on the Supreme Court has always been that they would interpret the Constitution in the strictest manner—that is, they would apply the law as it is written and not find unwritten meaning to suit a...
So, not only did White House aides (including Karl Rove) use Republican National Committee and Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign emails for official business—which in itself is against the law—and not only did they later destroy emails from certain staffer—also against the...
The Hillary Clinton campaign takes on the talk of the town with a sorta funny send-up of the Sopranos finale. Concept: B+ Execution: C Acting: Bill (D); Hillary (F)...
During an appearance at Google headquarters in Mountain View, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg pulled no punches in his assessment of Washington, D.C., and the state of the union. According to Bloomberg, the reputation of the U.S. "has been hurt very...
In state news, Maine has passed a bill that will cap carbon emissions at 5.9 million tons in 2009, and reduce them by 10% by 2019. Maine is the third state to pass such a law, and Maine is also...
Last week at their annual convention, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution that questions the human impact on global warming, and calls for no government limits on greenhouse gas emissions. The resolution urges Southern Baptists to "proceed cautiously in...
Also on Wednesday, a Chicago alderman - Edward Burke - introduced a resolution that calls for hearings on the concept of a "congestion fee". The idea is to charge a fee to drivers in downtown Chicago. Said Burke: Can it...
On Wednesday, the House voted to pass a bill that will provide grant money to states to update the national database that gun dealers use for background checks. If the Senate follows suit - and they are likely to do...
Today, Amnesty International released a collection of John Lennon covers by the likes of U2, Black Eyed Peas, and even Christina Aguilera, the goal of which is to bring more attention to the genocide going on in Darfur and fund...
Yes, it's true. The Pentagon actually considered trying to develop a non-lethal bomb that would turn enemy troops into drooling, foaming at the mouth, sex obsessed.... gay boys. Back in 1994, a research lab in Ohio (where else?) sought $7.5...
Bush at a press conference on Saturday: Q: And on the deadline [for Kosovo independence]? Bush: In terms of the deadline, there needs to be one. This needs to come — this needs to happen. Now it's time, in our...
"In the United States, the military cannot seize and imprison civilians -- let alone imprison them indefinitely." -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. That we needed an appeals court to remind us of this is a...
On June 1st, the Connecticut State Senate voted to pass a law legalizing medical use of marijuana for certain debilitating medical conditions, 23 to 13. The State House voted in favor of the same bill on May 23, 89 to...
Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) - one of about 30 Democratic Senators making a bid for the presidency - has the boldest plan for addressing global warming. And he knows it. Among other things, it calls for all automobiles to get...
In their latest move against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Senate Democrats will introduce a no-confidence measure against him on Monday. It's unlikely to achieve 60 votes, and even if it did, it's still primarily a gesture. But it also forces...
Earlier today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Pace was out as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And Navy Admiral Mike Mullen is in. This is a typical Rovian maneuver to bury important news - quietly announce it on...
On Thursday, the first train in Europe powered by biodiesel (at least in part) had its maiden voyage. Virgin Trains, part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, has modified a train to run on 20% biodiesel as a part of a...
Frontline has been running a lot of web ads, at least on the news sites I frequent, for a Frontline piece about Dick Cheney called The Dark Side. You can watch the whole thing online. I found a particularly juicy...
General Pace doesn't think Scooter Libby should do time for his crimes. So do some other conservative apologists. But if you take a look at the editorial pages around the country, they disagree. Mr. Libby should do his time. That's...
This article from Business 2.0 lays out the potential for Big Solar - super powerful arrays of photovoltaic cells - by looking at a handful of companies making big moves in the industry. Get one for your backyard....
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11 to 8 to push a bill out for consideration by the full Senate that would restore the right to habeas corpus. The ignoble Military Commissions Act of 2006 revoked that right, as we've...
Take action! Tell your representatives to Improve the Freedom of Information Act by passing S. 849, the OPEN Government Act of 2007. All you've got to do is fill out your name and address, and the EFF will send your...
Six years into his presidency, Bush continues to prove he has no idea how to run an effective foriegn policy shop. Leaving his greatest blunder - Iraq - aside, let's look at his approach to global warming and missle defense...
We hardly knew ye... but your parent company was too stupid to develop a hybrid that got significantly better gas mileage than the regular Accord, and they still charged more for you. You were destined for oblivion... Honda only sold...
Bradly Schlozman was an attorney general in Missouri, for a brief time. Just long enough to influence an election, with a politically motivated investigation of four ACORN activists for "allegedly submitting bogus voter registration forms." Right before an election -...
Dare I say it? Could the Rovian grab bag of deceits, tricks, and spins be used to help America rather than destroy it? If op-ed columnist David McGrath, writing in the Daily Southtown, could have his way, the answer is...
That's 2 years and 6 months, but he surely won't serve it all. He also got a $250,000 fine. Next question: When will Robert Novak do his time?...
Apparently, military judges love terrorists. They want to have like ten million of their babies. At least, that's how the Bush administration and its lapdogs will spin the decisions yesterday - by two different military judges overseeing two different cases...
Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY) died on Monday. He was 74, and was diagnosed with Leukemia last year. Governor Dave Freudenthal, a Democrat, will appoint an interim replacement, who will serve until a special election can be held in November 2008....
Mostly, it's national Republican legislators that get indicted or convicted for corruption, bribery, etc. But yesterday was William Jefferson's day at bat. The Louisiana Democrat was indicted yesterday on 16 felony counts. Ouch! That's a not a good way to...
I've often wondered if an unpublicized aspect of President Bush's Iraq strategy has been to ensure that the war in Iraq does not end. I've thought this for a couple of reasons: 1) In the run-up to the 2004 presidential...
Over 600 journalists - with over a 100 from internationl news orgs - will converge on Saint Anselm College tonight to watch the second Democratic primary debate....
Texas: the number one producer of carbon emissions in the country. Texas produces 1.5 trillion pounds of carbon dioxide each year. In addition to making them the number one state producer, they also beat out every other country in the...
After returning from a congressional trip to see the icesheets of Greenland, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pledged to get a cap and trade bill through the House before the end of 2007. She was skeptical of the president's announcement on...
Bush's tepid warming plan has been met with skepticism by most, and even ridicule by some. David Doniger, climate policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council: The president is warming up to throw his opening pitch while business, states...
With approval rating stuck in the mid-30s for months now, what is a lame duck president to do? How can he galvanize what little base he has left? One way is to make them feel as though they're under attack....
The true sign of lameness in a Presidency is when, as the end of his term in office is coming to a close, key officials and aides start to resign in order to "enter private business" or "spend more time...