David Baldinger - Cartoonist & Photographer

In the last week, two of our most senior generals with command of our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have said they oppose the use of torture or so-called "enhanced" interrogation techniques.  These same generals also confirm that the use of these techniques has damaged our international reputation while producing no actionable intelligence. General David Petraeus – the figure lauded by conservatives and the person chosen by Bush and Cheney to sell the surge to Congress – said the following to Fox News in regards to criticisms of President Obama for taking “enhanced interrogation techniques” off the table: Gen. Petraeus: "Well, actually what I would ask is, 'Does that not take away from our enemies a tool which again have beaten us around the head and shoulders in the court of public opinion?' When we have taken steps that have violated the Geneva Conventions we rightly have been criticized , so as we move forward I think it's important to again live ou...

Congressman Kucinich shows the energy needed to not only wake up America but the Democratic Party. A serious mistake the Dems are making is trying to be too civil to Sen. John McCain. Stop prefacing every thing with what a "good friend" he is and 'how great a man he is." Why should anyone not vote for him if even his opponents are kneeling down before him? This is politics, Democrats. Stop being wimps and start beating the Republicans back into the hole they belong.

Such A Pinch by ~ davidbdr on deviant ART I am certainly no fan of Putin's Russia but it is hilarious watching Bush huff and puff at Russia to no avail. Russia can actually fight back!

Posted on Jul 15, 2008 By Robert Scheer McCain campaign co-chair Phil Gramm is right: We have “become a nation of whiners.” But who is whining more than the bankers that former Sen. Gramm’s financial deregulation legislation benefited? The very bankers who now expect a government bailout, such as those at UBS Investment Bank, where Gramm found lucrative employment. As chair of the powerful Senate Banking Committee, Gramm engineered passage of legislation that effectively ended the major regulatory restraints applied to the financial industry in response to the Great Depression. The purpose of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act—co-authored by Gramm, passed in 1999 by a Republican-controlled Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton—was to liberate the banks, stockbrokers and insurance companies from restraints imposed on their activities more than seven decades ago. It was legislation that the financial community, which contributed heavily to Gramm’s...

Impeachment Resolution: First Reading Today Dear Friends, This afternoon, at approximately 5 p.m. (EDT), the Clerk of the House of Representatives will give the first reading of the Article of Impeachment of President George Bush. Article One charges the President with deceiving Congress with fabricated threats of Iraq WMDs to fraudulently obtain support for an authorization of the use of military force against Iraq. Once the Clerk reads the bill, I will move to refer the bill to the Judiciary Committee for hearings. I believe the American people have a right to an open airing of the charges against this President. Did he or did he not lie to take us into a war? I believe the evidence is overwhelming that President Bush knew that Iraq was not an imminent threat, was not in possession of WMDs at the time, and had nothing to do with 911 or with al Queda's role in 911. And yet, despite having facts to the contrary, he took the U.S. into war with devastating consequences for o...

By Bill Van Auken 23 May 2008 Originally published on the World Socialist Web Site The most stunning revelation in a 370-page Justice US Department Inspector General’s report released this week was that agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation had formally opened a “War Crimes” file, documenting torture they had witnessed at the Guantánamo Bay US prison camp, before being ordered by the administration to stop writing their reports. The World Socialist Web Site , together with human rights groups and other opponents of US militarism and repression, has long insisted that the actions of the Bush administration—the launching of wars of aggression, assassinations, the abduction and detention of civilians without trial and, most repugnant of all, torture—constitute war crimes under any legitimate interpretation of longstanding international statutes and treaties. To have this assessment confirmed, however, by the IG of the Justice Department, the only senior official there not ans...

Wexler Wants Hearings

The Bush Economic Stretch by ~ davidbdr on deviant ART

Putin was just named Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for imposing stability that restored Russia as a world power. "I presume they put him on there because he was a consequential leader," Bush said. "And the fundamental question is, consequential to what end? What will the country look like 10 years from now? My hope, of course, is that Russia is a country that understands there needs to be checks and balances ." Oh My God! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Does the Idiot In Chief actually hear the steaming horse shit that spews from his mouth? What an f'n hypocrite. If any white House reporter actually had a set of balls, one of them might have called this bastard on that statement but, of course, that would never happen.

  By Representatives and Members of the Judiciary Committee: Robert Wexler (D-FL), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) On November 7, the House of Representatives voted to send a resolution of impeachment of Vice President Cheney to the Judiciary Committee. As Members of the House Judiciary Committee, we strongly believe these important hearings should begin.   The issues at hand are too serious to ignore, including credible allegations of abuse of power that if proven may well constitute high crimes and misdemeanors under our constitution. The charges against Vice President Cheney relate to his deceptive actions leading up to the Iraq war, the revelation of the identity of a covert agent for political retaliation, and the illegal wiretapping of American citizens.   Now that former White House press secretary Scott McClellan has indicated that the Vice President and his staff purposefully gave him false information about the outing of Valerie Plame Wil...

President Reagan referencing doing a favor for the first President Bush before he was the first President Bush . . .     Historical Quote of the Day   "A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne'er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida. The one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work."   -- Ronald Reagan in his recently published diaries, May 17, 1986.   Thanks to Steve at DesertPeace .

WASHINGTON - November 2 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) announced today that he will be offering a privileged resolution on the House floor next week that will bring articles of impeachment against the Vice President, Richard B. Cheney.   “The momentum is building for impeachment,” Kucinich said. “Millions of citizens across the nation are demanding Congress rein in the Vice President’s abuse of power.   “Despite this groundswell of opposition to the unconstitutional conduct of office, Vice President Cheney continues to violate the U.S. Constitution by insisting the power of the executive branch is supreme.   “Congress must hold the Vice President accountable. The American people need to let Members of Congress know how they feel about this. The Vice President continues to use his office to advocate for a continued occupation of Iraq and prod our nation into a belligerent stance against Iran. If the Vice President is successful, his actions will ensure decades...

Our Simpleton-In-Chief, speaking to an adoring Fascist crowd at the cretinous Heritage Foundation made this ridiculous statement :   "When it comes to funding our troops, some in Washington should spend more time responding to the warnings of terrorists like Osama bin Laden and the requests of our commanders on the ground, and less time responding to the demands of MoveOn.org bloggers and Code Pink protesters ."   By watching the video of the event (if one can stomach "Old Smirky"), this inanity is greeted with thunderous applause. ( video available at the White House link )   But he babbled these responses to questions back in March 2002   Q. Mr. President, in your speeches now you rarely talk or mention Osama bin Laden. Why is that? Also, can you tell the American people if you have any more information, if you know if he is dead or alive? Final part -- deep in your heart, don't you truly believe that until you find out if he is dead or alive, you w...

Published on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 by CommonDreams.org   Mired in the disastrous Iraq quagmire, opposed by a majority of Americans, George W. Bush has reached new depths of reckless, belligerent bellowing. At a recent news conference, he volunteered that he told our allies that if they’re “interested in avoiding World War III,” Iran must be prevented from both developing a nuclear weapon or having “the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.” To what level of political insanity has this Washington Caesar descended? Only two countries can start World War III-Russia and the United States. Is Bush saying that if Russia, presently opposed to military action against Iran, persists with its position, Bush may risk World War III? If not, why is this law-breaking warmonger, looking for another war for American GIs to fight, while his military-age daughters bask in the celebrity lime light? Why is he using such catastrophic language? Surely he does not think Iran could start Worl...

People's Weekly World web site

This Just In... Originally uploaded by davidbdr .

So, Bush is planning a summit on Malaria in December. http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/malaria/ I wonder if Bush is planning on sending troops to Malaria?