I'm glad to be able to be here, and glad to read the writings of our more dedicated and serious blogger-journalists, particularly at the sad moment in American journalistic history, when the news is dumb, compromised (don't want to make anyone angry!), and even stupidly, conservatively spun by the newsreaders. Here's where I get some of the more important news the mainstream news programs seem unable and unwilling to report (*Gasp! Controversy?! *Gasp!!!)

I received a calm, professional response to my plea to Rep. Chris Carney the other day explaining why the Congress shouldn't take any action to hold this, the most criminal administration in this coutry's history, responsible. It won't remove Bush and Cheney from office, he told me. I knew that part and, frankly, don't want them out of office right now. But the largely symbolic act of impeaching these two would at least add a tarnish to their bloody, devastating record.

A two-star general accuses them of war crimes. Congress's response: Nothing.

Think about it: There was a time when I actually bought the "maverick" mythology McSame drapes about himself - 'bout 20 years ago. But in the past seven years, every time McCain did anything against this administration's wishes, however, Bush-Cheney called him in to the White House, whipped like a bad dog, and, every time, McCain heeled, toeing the Bush-Cheney line.

From Wired.com:
The Popline database, which bills itself as "Your connection to the world's reproductive health literature," is blocking searches for the term abortion.

What can you say about someone who's willing to flat-out lie in the faces of evry human being on Earth?

From New Scientist:
US 'leading on climate change', says Bush
Could it be that we've simply misunderstood George W Bush all these years?

"America is in the lead when it comes to global climate change, and we'll stay that way," Bush proclaimed - without the slightest hint of irony - at a March 5 conference on renewable energy.

I know that this is being diaried elsewhere, but I am deeply frustrated with HRC right now.

If she succeeds in her obvious play the be McCain's running mate, that's it. America will see no change, and we'll never return to being the country our Founders sought to create. Because the American electorate will vote for McCain-Clinton, because of the vapid, non-issue way that far too many Americans choose their presidential candidates.

I don't generally enjoy spreading my own brand of non-rose-tinted vision when it's about something we'd all rather weren't true, but it strikes me as time to spell something out. While Hillary and Barack would both make much, much better presidents than Dumbya, we have a bigger concern: We have to deal with the fact that a lot of voters are idiots.

After all this - a military stretched whisker-thin by our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - the second of which we had absolutely no reason entering, as it has allowed the Taliban and Qaeda to reassert authority over much of Afghanistan anyway ...

After threatening the world with World War III over Iran ...

After the revelation that he and his administration knew for weeks while he was making such threats over Iran's supposed nuclear weapons program that said program had been discontinued two years ago ...

After all that, and while repeatedly claiming to be in the Middle East to promote peace, Dumbya is again threatening Iran.

I replied to a couple of diaries on this yesterday, but the notion that my country, the America that was, passed a point of no return with the approval of an AG who will not rule out waterboarding as torture, seems too important not to write on and, hopefully, show the light of day one last time.

An e-mail from Sen. Carl Levin on the approval of Mukasey's nomination convinced me to write. I replied:

I'm generally a pragmatist about presidential elections, but having so many of our elected Dems refusing to hold this administration responsible for the Iraq disaster; the clear, blatant lies that took us there; the 1.2 million Iraqis who have paid with their lives for it; and the Dem leadership's active attempts to shut down Kucinich's impeachment measure, I'm past being merely frustrated.

Kucinich found a way to get an impeachment resolution to the floor, and getting Cheney out of power would seem like a sane and reasonable first step in a new direction.

But the pragmatist in me worries about supporting his presidential bid - or, more accurately, his electability:

An unprovoked, criminal, preemptive war against Iran?

Another unprovoked, criminal, preemptive war?

We call this a democracy? I see my votes and opinion represented practically nowhere. Our elected Dems seem too afraid to do something so outrageous as to stop – or even to slow -- another unprovoked, criminal, preemptive war. Worse, they're too afraid to seriously confront the issue of ending the current unprovoked, criminal, preemptive war. My country has become internationally despotic, and the general population simply does not seem to have noticed.

I hesitated to post this, fearing the elevated reaching/paranoid level this is likely to invoke. It's a case of science fiction becoming science fact on us. But the conservative Washington Post is covering the story - and soberly - and with photos. Anti-war protesters are reporting seeing these critters and describing them independently and consistently.

Sent via Speaker Pelosi's Website a few minutes ago:

Dear Speaker Pelosi,

With the news that Bush Asks Congress For $46 Billion More In War Funding, you have an opportunity to act as you've promised us you would. You've promised a renewed effort to address and end Bush's Iraq disaster, and with the president asking for $46 million more, you are in a unique position.

You can tell him "No."

I'm voting Dem in '08, and not seeing much reason for enthusiasm, here, as our elected Dems seem simply unwilling to tackle the Big, Scary issues. Hell, a lot of them voted for Kyl-Lieberman, which many suggest opens the gates for Bush to launch a war on Iran.
And if they didn't learn from letting that idiot loose on Iraq - if they're willing to let him do it again - what use are they?

This was not always the case. He's been good. he's been funny, he's been insightful, he's nailed people who deserved it.

But finally -- finally! -- someone has stood up and said what America desperately needs to hear about this corrupt, criminal, out-of-control, lawless, lunatic administration: Keith Olbermann.

A bit more below:

A simple observation from my morning persual of CNN: Of the 10 GOP candidates debating last night, nine want to see Roe V. Wade overturned.

I wouldn't deny the people affected by the Virginia Tech massacre their time to heal.

But seriously, every news network is hanging on this, 24-7. And I'm critical of the MSM to begin with; this marinating in people's misery is just driving me nuts.

A few of the stories CNN, Faux news, and MSNBC aren't covering:

It's depressing hearing this maddening lie repeat like a skipping record, but here it is again:

Cheney asserts Iraq-al Qaeda link

Dick Cheney said al-Qaeda was working in Iraq before the 2003 war
US Vice-President Dick Cheney has repeated his assertion that the al-Qaeda network had links with Iraq before the US-led invasion of 2003.
Mr Cheney told a US radio show: "They were present before we invaded Iraq."