california democrat

Growing A Pair

This is change we can really believe in:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is receptive to the idea of prosecuting some Bush administration officials, while letting others who are accused of misdeeds leave office without prosecution, she told Chris Wallace in an interview on "FOX News Sunday."

"I think you look at each item and see what is a violation of the law and do we even have a right to ignore it," the California Democrat said. "And other things that are maybe time that is spent better looking to the future rather than to the past."

This isn’t about a vendetta against the last eight years of hell – it’s asking for accountability. I want a courts decision on this. Not only do I and many other demand it, but so do countless laws and the constitution. Currently we are going by the word of some lawyers hired by the defendant. If that was the pivotal decider in our system of justice then we could close all prisons now.

Is Pelosi Fed Up?

Kos had this interesting tidbit yesterday:

In an interview, Pelosi also said she was puzzled by what she considered the president's minimalist explanation for his confidence in the new surge of 21,500 U.S. troops that he has presented as the crux of a new "way forward" for U.S. forces in Iraq.

"He's tried this two times - it's failed twice," the California Democrat said. "I asked him at the White House, 'Mr. President, why do you think this time it's going to work?' And he said, 'Because I told them it had to.' "

Asked if the president had elaborated, she added that he simply said, " 'I told them that they had to.' That was the end of it. That's the way it is."

Then Aravosis had an interesting follow-up via Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz:

PELOSI: He's tried this two times - it's failed twice. I asked him at the White House, 'Mr. President, why do you think this time it's going to work?'

BUSH: Because I told them it had to.

PELOSI: Why didn't you tell them that the other two times?

Why didn't he tell them (the generals) that the other two times? Why would he have to tell the generals that at all! These are the leaders of the most powerful miitary in the world and you got to tell them their plans have to work or don't? It sounds like Bush really insulted the leadership of our military in order to save face.

But it gets even better now. CNN just reported that Pelosi is now in Baghdad with other Congressional officals, on a "surprise" visit. Since this is so quickly following Bush's latest episode of "who can I scapegoat now?", I wonder if she isn't there asking questions about this. We might be seeing an end to the "impeachment is off the table" talk in the very near future.

Kudos To Congress

Karma

(This is Karma, my new kitten. She is a three month old bobbed-tail)

Finally Congress is working on some decent legislation:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A television shot of a little boy losing his dog during Katrina rescue operations was the catalyst for the House to pass legislation Monday that would require pets to be considered in emergency-preparedness plans.

"The dog was taken away from this little boy, and to watch his face was a singularly revealing and tragic experience," said Rep. Tom Lantos, a California Democrat and sponsor of the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act. "This legislation was born at that moment."

The bill, which passed 349-24, would require state and local preparedness offices to take into account pet owners, household pets and service animals when drawing up evacuation plans.

Offices that fail to do so would not qualify for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

I could not even begin to think of how these people felt being taken from their homes while their pets are left to suffer. So many people do not understand that pets are family members to a majority of Americans. This is even more so with seniors who have turned to a furry companion to fill that empty void by the loss of a spouse or loved one.

I have to compliment Congress and working on this bill and the House for passing it. It is nice to see something make its way through that isn't dedicated to helping out the corporations.

Bush's Definition of Fiscal Responsibility

We still got seniors who can not afford vital medications because of the new Medicare plan. New Orleans still looks like a third world country as the entire Gulf Coast region fights to get money so they can rebuild. Our nation's infrastructure is crumbling. A drive down any road proves that.

So with all those items, which require money, where are the administration's fiscal priorities? Insight Magazine, the conservative publication, tells us where some of that money is going:

The Bush administration, amid record budget deficits, has been spending huge amounts on advertising and public relations contracts to counter a hostile media environment.

The administration spent $1.62 billion on advertising and public relations contracts over two and a half years. Most of the money was spent by the Defense Department amid its efforts to recruit soldiers for the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"The extent of the Bush administration's propaganda effort is unprecedented and disturbing," said Rep. George Miller, California Democrat.

Growing A Pair

Is Pelosi Fed Up?

Kudos To Congress

Bush's Definition of Fiscal Responsibility

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