Can’t Make This Stuff Up

13 Comments

1. 

   idredit on July 8, 2008 at 11:32 am

   Serious stuff this smoke and mirrors:

   Iraq insists on withdrawal timetable

   “Our stance in the negotiations underway with the American side will be strong … We will not accept any memorandum of understanding that doesn’t have specific dates to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq,” al-Rubaie said.

   He provided no details. But Ali al-Adeeb, a Shiite lawmaker and a prominent official in the prime minister’s party, told The Associated Press that Iraq was linking the timetable proposal to the ongoing handover of various provinces to Iraqi control.

   [.]

   [After that,] the country’s security situation would be reviewed every six months, for three to five years, to decide when U.S.-led troops would pull out entirely, al-Adeeb said.

   [.]”This is what the Iraqi people want, the parliament and other Iraqi leaders,” said al-Adeeb.

   The proposal, as outlined by al-Adeeb, is phrased in a way that would allow Iraqi officials to tell the Iraqi public that it includes a specific timetable and dates for a U.S. withdrawal.

   However, it also would provide the United States some flexibility on timing because the dates of the provincial handovers are not set.

2. 

   dada on July 8, 2008 at 12:41 pm

   some days ya feel like od’ing:

   

   the senate’s about to follow the house and eviscerate the 4th amendment and henry waxman’s still writing stern letters and making hollow threats:

   Waxman Threatens Attorney General with Contempt

   From Waxman’s letter:

   Despite the Committee’s repeated requests, you have consistently refused to provide these reports to the Committee or unredacted versions of the reports of FBI interviews with White House staff. In response to the Committee’s June 16 subpoena, you wrote: “we are not prepared to provide or make available any reports of interviews with the President or Vice President from the leak investigation” because of “core Executive Branch confidentiality interests and fundamental separation of powers principles.”

   . . .I regret that your failure to produce responsive documents has created this impasse, but Congress has a constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the executive branch. Therefore, unless all responsive documents, with the exception of the FBI interview report of President Bush, are provided to the Committee or a valid assertion of executive privilege is made, the Committee will meet on July 16 to consider a resolution citing you in contempt. I strongly urge you to reconsider your position and comply with the duly issued subpoena.

   via tpm

   what’s the old adage, something about  the pen being mightier than the sword?

   we now know, that’s bullshit when the pen’s wielded by the demoRATs.

   less writing, more action henry, that’s what we need. seeing a few of these asshats in the custody of the sergeant at arms would do wonders for your approval rating, dipshit.

   bah!

   • 

     idredit on July 8, 2008 at 1:32 pm

     Waxman and Conyers should realize by now the scoundrels intend to run out the clock.

     • 

       dada on July 8, 2008 at 5:19 pm
   • 

     Gaianne on July 8, 2008 at 9:48 pm

     Yeah, Fukitol!  

3. 

   dada on July 8, 2008 at 2:41 pm

   jezeus…talk about inane polls…this from the Daily Bird Cage Liner, filed under “breaking news”:

   If the presidential election goes to the dogs, John McCain is looking like best in show….An AP-Yahoo News poll found that pet owners favor McCain over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, with dog owners particularly in McCain’s corner.

   :::

   The poll found that among people who don’t have pets, Obama leads McCain 48 percent to 34 percent.

   :::

   Dog owners lean toward McCain, 43 percent to 34 percent, while cat owners basically divide their loyalties with 41 percent for McCain and 38 percent for Obama…

   moe:  2.3%  link

   Bu says: wha? grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

   nothing else in the news worth noting l guess.

   • 

     idredit on July 8, 2008 at 2:51 pm

     great minds Dada. I’m honored.

     It’s a slow news day. Maybe McCain’s pet will insure his win.

     While the Old Guard are now calmly re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, the younger staffers involved in the RNC/John McCain campaign are just collecting a paycheck and going through the motions. The McCain campaign is merely a resume-builder for them. None of these young staffers really believes in John McCain and none really expects him to win, and the honest ones don’t mind saying so — privately.

     Most importantly, none of the Beltway conservatives, young or old, can give you a conservative argument in favor of McCain’s election other than (a) “Obama would be worse” and (b) “What about judges?”

     It’s still possible that Obama may lose, but only because of his own inexperience and his campaign team’s incompetence. The defeat of Obama will not be a mandate for a “John McCain agenda.”

     • 

       dada on July 8, 2008 at 4:24 pm

       the thought of some high paid “polling consultant” sitting around in a creative session and coming up with this “idea” reminds me on this non sequitur cartoon from a day or two ago:

       
       clik to enlarge

       painfully stupid

4. 

   idredit on July 8, 2008 at 2:42 pm

   Did someone spend money to conduct this poll or is AP making stuff up?  via TPM.

   In poll of pet owners, McCain tops Obama

   Pet owners find McCain with his house full of animals more appealing than the petless Obama

   Democratic candidate Barack Obama, on the other hand, doesn’t have a pet, though he has promised his daughters a dog after the election, win or lose.

   “From an image standpoint, nothing humanizes a candidate more than seeing him lovingly dote on his pet or toss a ball around on the White House lawn,” says American Kennel Club spokeswoman Lisa Peterson.

   An AP-Yahoo News poll found that pet owners favor McCain over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, with dog owners particularly in McCain’s corner.

   “I think a person who owns a pet is a more compassionate person — caring, giving, trustworthy. I like pet owners,” said Janet Taylor of Plymouth, Mass.

   TPM: We’re not sure what our favorite thing is here. Is it that last quote? Is it the fact that the subhed called the Illinois Senator “petless Obama”? Is it the fact that the AP, which presumably knew at the outset that Obama was “petless” and was thus likely to score lower than McCain, conducted this poll at all?

   Guess that why Bush was elected. Barney did it for him?

   • 

     AP on July 8, 2008 at 3:01 pm

     Finally, a poll where McSame is ahead!!!

     I just had to hop by the frog pond, and I see you’ve found a “story” that assaults reason and common sense. Good God, if that isn’t the most stupid dreck I’ve come across.

     Are these people on the payroll or what? This is madness! And then they went out and talked to people about this POS article?

     This is reason #953 why you will see more puff pieces on the Obama Family than you’ll be able to shake a stick at–because with high gas prices, a craptacular health system that does even less everyday while we’re paying even more, and an economy that’s in the toilet, what’s REALLY important is whether or not his family has a pet.

     Geeze…

5. 

   idredit on July 8, 2008 at 5:06 pm

   Honest!  Now THIS you just can’t make up

   Frozen embryos better than fresh,….Using frozen instead of fresh embryos produces healthier babies, a new study shows.

   Infants born from embryos which were frozen and then thawed before being implanted into a woman had a higher birth weight and were less likely to suffer abnormalities.

   Fewer of the children were also twins or triplets.

   Multiple births are known to increase the risk of complications as well as the danger to the mother.

   Let’s have a show of hands on preference: fresh or frozen?

6. 

   shergald on July 9, 2008 at 11:05 am

   It is my hope that you will keep us informed about the goat and dog saga. This is a story that could end well, unlike most of the others posted here. Make our day!

   • 

     idredit on July 9, 2008 at 11:54 am

     Things are looking up. This should work out well. Pray our pensions fund are not anywhere near these two.

     via Huffpost:

     Mark Penn, ex Clinton Strategist and Karen Hughes, ex Bush Adviser on things PR, have teamed up to form Corporate Crisis Group

     The Wall Street Journal reports (password req.):

         Two hard-charging political operatives are teaming up to create a bipartisan consulting organization to advise corporations in crisis — as they work to burnish their own reputations as well.

         Former Clinton strategist Mark Penn, chairman and CEO of public-relations firm Burson-Marsteller, is hiring former Bush adviser Karen Hughes as a vice chairman, the principals say. The political combatants, known for their partisan efforts, decided to combine forces to offer a one-stop crisis-communication and public-affairs shop to corporations caught in front-page headlines or faced with a changing Washington.
         [odd couple]