In a speech given to HUD employees on June 18, 2002, George Bush wanted to propose a bold new plan to rout the evil-doers who would do us harm.  He wanted to make those terrorists mad.  In his speech he said:

Let me first talk about how to make sure America is secure from a group of killers, people who hate -- you know what they hate? They hate the idea that somebody can go buy a home. They hate freedom; that's what they hate. They hate the fact that we worship freely. They don't like the thought of Christian, Jew and Muslim living side by side in peace. They don't like that at all. And therefore, they -- since they resent our freedoms, they feel like they should take out their resentment by destroying innocent lives. And this country will do everything we can possibly do to protect America. (Applause.)

His plan to strike a blow for peace and freedom below the fold:  

**I'm curious about what you all think of the arrangement  that (according to the Independent (UK)):

The US has accepted that foreign contractors in Iraq will no longer have immunity from Iraqi law under a new security agreement now under negotiation, says the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari.

I would hope that such an arrangement, if it goes through, signals the realization that we are leaving Iraq sooner rather than later.

The administration has so robustly protected these criminals that I can only assume that they know they will no longer be protected and are doing all they can to distance themselves from the crimes committed by the contractors.  I'm also assuming that, with no immunity, the contractors will be less willing to stay.  

Blackwater is going for huge contracts with the defense department domestically, so maybe they see their path to continued thievery on the home front.  

I listened with increasing nervousness to Mrs. Clinton's "It's all about me" speech tonight, and found myself saying, "Leave.  Please.  Just say "Good Night, Gracie," and get the hell out of here."

I'm sure I was not alone.  I heard a pundit call her a deranged narcissist.  She's a classic example.  Her friends seem to exhibit the same tendencies (Yeah, Geraldine, I'm talking to you.)

**I find this to be GREAT NEWS!  The slash and burn, take no prisoners, Carl Icahn thinks that Obama would be a terrible President.

from Bloomberg News:

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn said Barack Obama would be a "terrible'' U.S. president whose election would bring higher interest rates and a loss of international confidence in the dollar.

I think the bad guys are starting to get very nervous.  Sweaty, in fact.
It would appear that Mr. Icahn doesn't realize the confidence in the "dollar" is pretty damn low RIGHT NOW.

**According to Sam Stein, in an article at Huffpo:

During a private fundraiser last month, Sen. Barack Obama said he was "considering" voluntarily restricting the amount of money he could raise in a general election from campaign donors.

"We need to separate money from political influence. It's an experiment in open source politics," Obama told a crowd of supporters in Silicon Valley. "One thing that I am considering, and my advisers might not like this: I may limit campaign contribution amounts per person to less than the federal limit in the general election."

Last night, in an interview with Keith Olbermann, Hillary Clinton said:

"I'd like to ask audiences to consider this as a hiring decision,'' Clinton said on MSNBC's ``Countdown with Keith Olbermann'' show. ``If you were to hire the person you thought was ready on Day One to do the toughest job in the world, what would you look for?''

What would YOU look for?  My thoughts below the fold:

**It appears that Brent Wilkes, Contractor to Corrupt CongressCritters, will be out on bail this coming week, freed while appealing his conviction on 13 charges, which include conspiracy, money laundering and fraud. He just has to pony up a little more collateral.  It appears that he intends to offer property as collateral.  I'd be curious to know who will be appraising that property.  Brent seems to have a habit of over-valuing real estate.

**This is my first ever diary, so please bear with me.

I have a morning ritual.  Scan Kos, Talking Points, Firedoglake, peruse Huffpo, do the LA Times crossword puzzle, shower, go to work.

That's going to change.  At least the Huffington Post part.  The lede that pushed me over the edge was their latest, "Why did Obama change his name?"  As if he were up to something nefarious!  They have often had "mis-ledes," and ridiculous articles, but they're starting to behave like Faux news.  Too bad.  They were interesting and edgy for awhile.  Now they've just sunken into tabloid territory.

They won't miss me, but they seem to be aiming for a different audience altogether.  

Is it just me, or has anyone else been bothered by it?  Is this even something I should post about?