So If He Says No

What are you going to do about it? Reuters (06.30.05):

“President Bush said on Thursday he wanted answers on whether Iranian President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a leader in the 1979 U.S. Embassy siege as some former hostages have said.

Several of the Americans who were held said they recognized the ultraconservative Tehran mayor — who was elected president in a landslide on Friday — as a ringleader in the hostage-taking.

However, two leading figures in the embassy seizure said he did not take part.”

Bush says wants answers on Iran leader’s past

“‘I have no information,’ Bush told reporters during a briefing on the upcoming G8 summit in Scotland. ‘But obviously his involvement raises many questions, and knowing how active people are at finding answers to questions, I’m confident they will be found.'”

“Bush also issued a warning to Ahmadinejad, 48, that he and European leaders would send a ‘strong message’ to him about their concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.”

Bad Ratings

Better be careful lest he gets cancelled. Reuters (06.29.05), via Needlenose:

“President Bush’s address to the nation, urging Americans to stand firm in Iraq, drew the smallest TV audience of his tenure, Nielsen Media Research reported on Wednesday.

Bush’s speech on Tuesday night at the Ft. Bragg military base in North Carolina averaged 23 million viewers combined on the four major U.S. broadcast networks and three leading cable news channels networks that carried the speech, Nielsen said.”

Career-low TV audience for Bush’s Iraq speech

“That number was 8.6 million viewers below Bush’s previous low as president, his Aug. 9, 2001 speech on stem cell research, which was carried on six networks.”

Well Just Shag Me

Reuters (06.29.05):

“CIA agents charged with kidnapping a Muslim cleric in Milan appear to have bungled their way into an international incident by ignoring the most basic rules of the spy trade, experts say.

Far from the suave discretion of James Bond, experts say the operatives who snatched radical Muslim cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr on Feb. 17, 2003, sound more like the bumbling secret agent Austin Powers of movie fame.”

CIA abduction in Italy shows U.S. bungling-experts

“‘Instead of super-sleuths, they were like elephants stampeding through Milan. They left huge footprints,’ said former CIA clandestine officer Melissa Boyle Mahle.”

“Media reports say the agents placed phone calls to CIA headquarters on unsecured lines, ran up $145,000 in bills at luxury hotels and operated far enough in the open for Italian authorities to learn their operational identities.”

“‘Everybody knows that telephones can be traced. It’s not exactly an emerging technology,’ said one former spy.”

Not to mention they royally burned Italian intelligence.

It’s Worser Than We Thunk

Went from $1 billion to $2.6 billion. Washington Post (06.29.05):

“The Bush administration disclosed yesterday that it had vastly underestimated the number of service personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan seeking medical treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and warned that the health care programs will be short at least $2.6 billion next year unless Congress approves additional funds.

Just last week, the VA revealed that the rise in demand for VA health facilities had caused a $1 billion shortfall in operating funds for the current year. That would more than double in the coming year without congressional intervention.”

VA Faces $2.6 Billion Shortfall in Medical Care

You’d think these guys could count.

“Senate Republicans, embarrassed and angered over the revelations, yesterday announced plans to pass emergency legislation this morning to add $1.5 billion to the fiscal 2005 appropriation. The move is designed to appease angry veterans groups and preempt a Democratic proposal calling for $1.42 billion in increased VA spending.”

“The action represents a reversal of GOP policies toward the VA. For the past four months, House and Senate Republicans have repeatedly defeated Democratic amendments to boost VA medical funding.”

“‘I sit here having recently learned that the information provided to me thus far has been disturbingly inaccurate,’ Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) told [Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James ‘Jim’] Nicholson. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) told Nicholson that the failure to alert Congress earlier about the VA’s money problems ‘borders on stupidity.'”

Mere stupidity? Ha!! We were looking for something somewhere between sheer and utter incompetence, and abject and dismal failure.

On another note, we can be assured that it won’t be long before Mr. Nicholson’s picture is up in all VA facilities.

Ice Cream Diet Doesn’t Work?

Knight-Ridder (06.28.05):

“A health advocacy group filed suit Tuesday against the dairy industry, accusing it of false advertising in its $200 million campaign that ties dairy product consumption to weight loss.”

Dairy industry sued over claim its products can aid weight loss

Harry Throws Karl A Kurve

Very flattering to four Republican Senators, could open up a Senate seat, plus puts the White House on the spot. How can they say no without insulting one or all of them? Reuters (06.28.05):

“U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid suggested on Tuesday that four of his Republican colleagues be considered by President Bush if a vacancy occurs on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Seeking a possible consensus nominee, Reid recommended Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mel Martinez of Florida, Mike DeWine of Ohio and Mike Crapo of Idaho.”

Reid suggests Republican lawmakers for high court

“Reid described them all as bright and able lawyers who would be strong additions to the nation’s highest court.”

Reid doesn’t like Cornyn.

“Another senator who has been mentioned as a possible Supreme Court nominee is Republican John Cornyn of Texas, a former member of the Texas Supreme Court and the only senator with appellate court experience.

“Asked if Bush should consider Cornyn, Reid shrugged and said, ‘I’ve told you (the ones) I think he should consider.'”

Some context please.

“Graham and DeWine were among seven Senate Republicans who joined seven Senate Democrats in reaching a compromise last month on Bush’s most contentious appeals court nominees.”

“The accord cleared the way for the confirmation of a number of Bush’s nominees, but preserved the right of Democrats to block others ‘under extraordinary circumstances.’”

“Cornyn was among those who have criticized the accord, which could face a major test with a Supreme Court nomination.”

Up, Up And Away

Reuters (06.29.05):

“Robust new-home building and stronger exports helped the U.S. economy expand at a faster-than-expected 3.8 percent annual rate in the first quarter, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday.”

GDP growth revised up, beats forecasts

For all you Social Security fund fans out there, this is another indication that the Trustees’ forecasts as to solvency are way too pessimistic. Mr. Webb has this one very well-covered indeed.

Teaching Astronomy

“‘The Vatican wants to show its appreciation for science.'” Reuters (06.28.05):

“Everyone knows the Vatican is interested in Heaven but it may come as a surprise to some that it is also interested in the heavens.

In this sleepy lakeside village away from the noise and haste of Rome, the Vatican is helping to train tomorrow’s astronomers — regardless of their religious beliefs.”

Pope’s stargazers teach tomorrow’s astronomers

Considering the track record, one wonders just what is being taught. CNN (07.07.99):

“Nearly 400 years after the Roman Catholic church condemned Nicholas Copernicus’s discovery that the Earth revolved around the sun as heresy, Pope John Paul II visited the astronomer’s birthplace and praised his scientific achievements.

‘The discovery made by Copernicus, and its importance for history and science, remind us of the ever-present tension between reason and faith,’ the pope told officials of the university in Torun named after the astronomer.

The church condemned Copernicus’ theory in 1616 and later condemned Galileo for supporting his findings. Copernicus’ book ‘De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium’ was banned by the Church until 1822.”

Pope praises once-condemned findings of Copernicus

Actually, in 1633, the Vatican put Galileo on trial “for publishing a book defending Copernicus’s theory that the earth revolves around the sun.” Galileo, sensing which way the wind was blowing on that one, recanted.

In 1992, John Paul acknowledged that the Vatican had made a mistake in trying him. Prior to doing this, the Vatican requested a “Pontifical Academy study” of the matter.

In language which would make the best of the Bush Administration blush, the study concluded that in 1633, “theologians…. failed to grasp the profound non-literal meaning of the Scriptures when they describe the physical structure of the universe. This led them unduly to transpose a question of factual observation into the realm of faith…(and) to a disciplinary measure from which Galileo ‘had much to suffer.'”

This is one of the most amazing sentences we have ever read. We stand in awe.

This guy is pretty cheesed off about the decision. He thinks Galileo was scientifically correct, but philisophically incorrect, and that the “Holy Inquisition, therefore, acted correctly in condemning Galileo.” He also has some more from the Pontifical Study:

“The philosophical and theological qualifications, abusively attributed to the new theories regarding the centrality of the sun and the mobility of earth, were the consequence of a period of transition in the realm of the knowledge of astronomy, and an exegetical confusion regarding cosmology.”

Now, about that evolution thing.

Shocking

Our business is none of your business. USAToday (06.28.05):

“Just six months into a new term for President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress, some of their heaviest donors are scoring victories on the legislative and regulatory fronts.

From rewrites of the laws governing bankruptcy and class-action lawsuits to relief for oil, timber and tobacco interests, GOP supporters who gave millions of dollars last year are reaping decisions worth billions from a Congress with more Republicans.”

Big contributors to GOP reap big post-election rewards

A New Low

The Administration misunderestimated this, eh? USAToday (06.28.05):

“Americans disapprove of the way President Bush is handling Social Security by a ratio of more than 2-to-1, a new low for the White House on its top domestic policy issue, according to the latest USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll.”

Approval of president’s Social Security efforts dips

GM Gets A Clue

USAToday (06.29.05):

“Preliminary June data from analysts show that the [employee-discount] program, which grew out of employee suggestions, is wildly successful. It appears to have boosted GM sales 20% to 30% compared with recent months and pushed June market share to 30%, from 25.4% the first five months. And it isn’t costing GM much more than its previously ineffective rebates.”

GM’s employee-discount offer on new autos pays off

“‘The No. 1 reason this promotion is succeeding is not that people are getting great deals, but that they don’t have to negotiate. They know they paid the same price their neighbor did,’ says Jesse Toprak, analyst at Edmunds.com, an online car-shopping service.”

So you can actually buy a new car without that sneaking suspicion you’re being screwed. Marvelous.

“GM’s employee price is what a dealer actually pays for a vehicle, about 4% less than the dealer’s invoice price. The invoice includes a profit, called holdback.”

“To compensate dealers for selling vehicles at no profit, GM gives them 5% of the window-sticker price, an average of about $1,500 a vehicle.”

Don’t Go Away Mad

Just go away. Pretty soon, they’re gonna tell Grassley to get lost. AP (06.28.05):

“The Republican chairman of the Senate committee charged with producing a Social Security bill said Thursday his colleagues ‘all want it to go away,’ but he will not drop the issue even though his own committee is in a logjam.

‘Nobody really talks too much about Social Security,’ Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said of President Bush’s top domestic priority. ‘They all want it to go away. I’m not going to let it go away.'”

Committee Chairman Says Senators Want Social Security Issue ‘to Go Away’

The First One Is Always Special

AP (06.28.05):

“Rep. Randy ‘Duke” Cunningham (R – CA50), has been issued a subpoena for documents by a federal grand jury, his attorney said Tuesday.”

Congressman Gets U.S. Document Subpoena

“Cunningham, a former Navy ‘Top Gun’ fighter pilot and eight-term congressman, sold his home in 2003 to Mitchell Wade, a campaign contributor and close friend – whose company, MZM Inc., was enjoying a rush of new business with the Pentagon.”

Mitchell bought Duke’s old home for $1,675,000 back in November 2003. Mitchell immediately turned around and put it back on the market. A little less than nine months later, Mitchell ended up selling it for $975,000, a $700,000 loss. Bad luck? Maybe, but it does beg the question as to how much was it really worth to begin with?

While on the public’s business in Washington, Duke lives on a boat, which, coincidentally, is owned by Mitchell.

One of Duke’s subcommittee assignments is on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. They appropriate money from the Treasury for defense spending, and dole it out to defense contractors.

Since late 2003, Mitchell’s company, MZM Inc., a company which solves “enigmatic problems for an ever wider range of government and private sector entities”, has “signed more than $110 million in federal contracts since 2002.”

How fortuitous, wouldn’t you say?

Hasta La Vista, Arnold

One-term wonder. Reuters (06.28.05):

“The percentage of Californians who believe the state is headed in the wrong direction has climbed, propelled by those who disapprove of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performance in office, according to a Field Poll released on Tuesday.

The Field Poll found that 59 percent of Californians believe the state is on the wrong track, compared with 51 percent in February and an average of 52 percent in 2004.”

Californians think state on wrong track – Field Poll

“Only 28 percent believe the state is on the right track, compared with 40 percent in February and an average of 36 percent last year.” Right track drops 12% in four months, while wrong track almost at 60%.

Yeeouch.

Senate Says Yes; House Says No

House Republicans decline to fund $1 billion VA shortfall. AP (06.28.05):

“Eager to prevent political damage, Senate Republicans intend to raise spending on veterans programs by $1.5 billion to make up for a shortage caused partly by the return of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, congressional aides said Tuesday.

The decision marked a swift response to last week’s disclosure that the Department of Veterans Affairs needs $1 billion more for veterans health care this year. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, noting that no formal announcement had been made.

The House simultaneously fought back a Democratic effort to immediately spend an extra $1 billion on veterans health care. The 217-189 vote along party lines killed Democratic attempts to open a foreign aid bill and add the money.”

Senate Republicans Plan to Increase Spending on Veterans Programs

Senate Democrats have been proposing increases in VA funding for a while now. Senate Republicans have been voting them down because the VA kept saying they had enough money. Turns out not only were they off a little bit, they didn’t want to tell anyone when they found out:

“The $1 billion shortfall emerged during an administration midyear budget review and was acknowledged only during lengthy questioning of Jonathan B. Perlin, VA undersecretary for health, by House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) at a hearing yesterday.”

They did, however, have other, more pressing matters than the funding shortfall. Washington Post (06.27.05), via TheCarpetbagger:

“‘As you know,’ Deputy Undersecretary Laura Miller said on the May 27 call, ‘many of our facilities…have a picture of Secretary [Jim] Nicholson prominently displayed.

‘Unfortunately, however,’ Miller continued, ‘there are many facilities that currently do not have the picture displayed.'”

VA Gets the Picture — No Shortfall Here

Ms. Miller went on to emphasize that she and Dr. Perlin (the $1 billion man above) “‘cannot stress the importance of this enough. We are asking that you give this your highest priority.” She actually was expecting daily updates “‘until we are assured that all of our facilities have a current picture displayed.'”
This would be Mr. Nicholson
He has very nice hair.