Welcome to The Now

Abortion returns to the SCOTUS spotlight. Just remember that Alito is currently jockeying for this job (I wonder how he'd do ?).

Earlier today, Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld made a rather blunt remark about security around our borders, basically saying that there wasn't any. This coincides with President Bush, who gave two vastly uninspiring border speeches on Monday and today about the subject. He did manage to re-endorse his to have illiegal immigrants work temporarily, a plan that has Republicans and Democrats alike upset (I guess he can be a uniter). Bush's tone at home did not affect his policy on Iraq; he still thinks a pullout without victory is wrong . But he's not too clear about "victory" is. Nevertheless, it doesn't stop the military from tapping a 52-year-old granddad . Bush does plan on giving a speech tomorrow. It is supposed to be his most detailed address on progress in Iraq. Some think if Bush begins a pullout (aka, troop reduction) it's win-win for him and Republicans . But I think that would require Bush blaming the Democrats for making such a decision, and t...

Don't you hate it when you take a couple extra days off from work, only to get sick during that time? Well, in my case, it gave me a chance to catch up on my movie-watching, both old and new... Before I got under the weather, I managed to catch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . Without giving too much away, I think it was better than the first two but not as good as the third. And at the rate things are going, I'm not sure if Draco will ever be considered a worthy adversary. One thing though: I don't see the problem with the "kids" being older than the characters they play; has anyone heard of Beverly Hills, 90210 ? I'd rather see 16-year-olds play 14 then 30-year-olds play 17. Elektra in eight words: Great special effects, good fight scenes, poor plot. Flight of the Phoenix : sometimes movie makers are given a choice of making a movie just naughty enough to get an R rating or diluting it to get a PG rating. Phoenix was one of those movies. The movie co...

As conservative columnist Ann Coulter disgraces Rep. Jack Murtha, Condi Rice hints at troop reduction . Oh, and Michael Brown plans to help other businesses try and not let people die like he did. Hope everyone (who celebrates it) enjoyed their Turkey Day. Now go to the mall and get to shopping! :)

It a sense, Dick Cheney is the perfect Vice President (at least for George W. Bush). There was never a threat of him trying to usurp Bush for outright control of the White House and the Republican Party. This fact has gone along way to building up Bush's confidence and his effectiveness as he's navigated through his first (and now second) term. However, the positives that come with Cheney also has negatives . A person who has semi-presidential powers but no presidential aspirations won't typically care about things like PR, poll numbers or the role of Congress. Why should he; he's not running for anything. As long as his base is satisfied he's done his job. So his harsh words for Iraq war critics (most recently among them Rep. Murtha) should not come as a surprise. Cheney is the only member of the Bush Administration who has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Halliburton will be waiting for him when he finally decides to leave public service again (although his...

Iraq Leaders want a timetable for US troop withdrawal . Will they be added to the list of "cut & run" critics created by the Bush Administration?

President Bush didn't like some questions the Chinese press asked him the other day, so he tried to beat a hasty retreat . Little did he know how analogous his attempt would be to his options in Iraq (video can be seen here ). It appears that with Iraq as well, the exit strategy will not be quick and easy . Oh yeah: and what did Bush actually accomplish in China ?

Wasn't it about a month ago that defenders of Vice President Dick Cheney (and President George Bush) were saying that outing Valerie Plame was not treason, but typical D.C. politics ? If that's the case, than why isn't the same logic applied to those insinuating that President Bush and his administration misled us to war? According to Cheney , such comments are treasonous: "...the suggestion that’s been made by some U.S. senators that the President of the United States or any member of this administration purposely misled the American people on pre-war intelligence is one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges ever aired in this city. Some of the most irresponsible comments have, of course, come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein. These are elected officials who had access to the intelligence, and were free to draw their own conclusions. They arrived at the same judgment about Iraq’s capabilities...

Let's take a break from the "Did Bush Lie" Debate for a moment. Being politics and all, proving such a thing in a court of law (public opinion is very different) will take some time and money, and quite honestly there are better venues for both. While it's common knowledge (to those who follow politics regularly, anyway) that Bush has a very small circle of people he gets advice from, it's very likely that he'd blame any "misunderstanding" of information on the CIA. It would then be up to the CIA to prove that they didn't change any information Bush didn't ask them to, which is highly unlikely at this stage. But there's a different debate that hasn't gotten much airtime: what is Bush's responsibility in all of this? When he was declaring that "major combat" was over (a very slick way of phrasing the situation, BTW) under a "Mission Accomplished" banner, I don't remember hearing him mention a bi-partisan Co...

Nat'l Sec. Advisor Hadley told Washington Post editor/author Bob Woodward about Valerie Plame's identity. Woodward told lawyers this during questioning about the CIA leak. But Woodward never really told the WaPo, and he's sorry . If Hadley is indicted, will he resign too? And how much bad news can the White House take before President Bush has to speak on this (instead of continously trying to defend the Iraq War)?

That's a question some are asking. In the past, the area was little more than a refueling station . No President has really "gone" there for anything else before. The country wasn't part of the Coalition of the Willing , so there are no Iraq War ties...or are they? Officially , the purpose is to "discuss with President Bagabandi important issues in U.S. -- Mongolian relations, sharing views on international problems, and affirming the warm relationship between the American and Mongolian peoples." This could be a recruitment run: " children and youth under 35 make up 70 percent of the population and the average age is 21 year ." But considering that only 6% of the country is Christian ( 50% are Buddhist Lamaist, 4% are Muslim and 40% are listed as "none" ) it could also be part of the "We Love Muslims Tour" that Karen Hughes was a part of .... and still is ...with varying degrees of success . Of maybe he's just looking for...

President Bush may lose another ally : British Prime Minister Tony Blair. According to BBC News, there are those who think his time has come and gone . The significance? Blair was the last of the "major" World Leaders that stood by Bush and his "attack Iraq" policy. And by Bush alienating France, Germany and most of the UN, he has precious few allies left to make his "Coalition of the Willing" look legitimate.

Bush went all "Puff Daddy" (during the "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" video) when describing how he chooses his judges . But recently Joe and Jane Voter learned that 20 years ago SCOTUS nominee Sam Alito was "personally" against abortion rights and some affirmative action programs (if you are a woman or a minority or both you should be a little worried by now). I'm sure some Alito-lovers will say, " that was so long ago !" but regardless it means one of two things: either President Bush wants abortion outlawed (and civil rights reduced) or he's a hypocrite. UPDATE: It's Alito who's the hypocrite . Should a man who lies to get a job be considered for the Supreme Court?

The real intentions of the Senate Republicans were revealed as they knocked down an effort by Senate Democrats to get a commitment from President Bush to withdrawal troops. All Republican Senators voted against this amendment. The Democrats who voted against this were: Bill Nelson (D-FL) Ben Nelson (D-NE) Mark Pryor (D-AR) A lighter measure was adopted . Apparently, getting answers and re-affirming our troops that Iraq will not be like Vietnam was not part of the Senate Republican's strategy. They were really just bummed because the Democrats released their outline for withdrawal ( yesterday ) and wanted to stay one step ahead politically.

Well looky here! It seems that Democrats have ideas afterall. Check out this plan for Iraq (as delivered by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid): First, 2006 should be a significant year of transition to full Iraqi sovereignty, with Iraqis taking more and more responsibility for their own security. It’s time to take the training wheels off the Iraqi government. Iraqis must begin to run their own country. In 2006, the US and our allies must do everything we can to make that possible. Second, the Administration must advise the Iraqi people that U.S. military forces will not stay indefinitely in Iraq, and that it is their responsibility to achieve the broad-based and sustainable political environment essential for defeating the insurgency. Third, the President needs to submit – on a quarterly basis - a plan for success to Congress and the American people. This plan must specify the challenges and progress being made in Iraq, timetables for achieving our goals and estimated dates for redeplo...

President Bush prides himself on being clear. I can only assume by "clear" he means "people understand my beliefs" and not "my speeches are easy to translate from politicise to plain 'ol english." Because if he means the later, his ability to be clear is as good as his multitasking skills. His speech last Friday made many points, but there's not much of a consensus on what the overall message was. Normally I could care less about such things (his speeches have never been a rallying cry for our troops, in fact, more often than not it has provoked the enemy more than our allies) but this time it's different. This time around his theme seemed to revolve around making sure our troops are doubt free, but reactions from the masses indicate they don't really know what Bush was trying to accomplish. Or maybe people are just reading what they want to read. I don't know. You be "The Judge:" Bryan Preston (via Michelle Malkin ) believes ...

Didn't I say he was getting battle-ready ? I believe I did. But I never knew President Bush would use Veteran's Day to rehash 2004 Election talking points . Or revisit the 2004 debates. He knows he won the election, right? Unfortunately for Bush, the American people are having Voter's Remorse . Not supplying soldiers for a war that could have been prevented will do that sort of thing. As well as allowing torture (even if you don't publicly endorse it ). And moving more swiftly for Supreme Court nominees than rescuing drowning and starving victims of a natural disaster. Yeah, those type of things tend to bend people the wrong way . So Bush, like any person who is taking a beating, goes to his strength. Unfortunately, the Ol' 9/11 Well is starting to get dry. Most people accept that the terrorists that were behind 9/11 were not the same group of people running Iraq. New evidence is popping up everyday that further proves that the Bush Administration had the CIA use ...

It looks like Virginia has a new governor, and a DEMOCRATIC one at that. Tim Kaine took the election by a 52% margin while Jerry Kilgore got 46%. This election was particularly nasty. A Kilgore ad alleged that Kaine’s opposition to the death penalty meant he would not have executed Hitler. Kaine cites his Roman Catholic beliefs for his opposition to capital punishment, but insisted he would carry out death sentences because they are the law. The funny thing was that President (Boo) Bush came out to Richmond International Airport for a time Monday evening to try to rally support for Kilgore. I guess he didn't realize that he hurt Kilgore's chances because Bush's approval rating being at an all-time low at 36% I believe it was (or is). It was a nice shot of mud to the face of Kaine, but ultimately futile. Looks like times are changing.....

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be a fly on the wall of 2 people gettin' down? well fellas this is for you! The Carolina Panthers got rid of two cheerleaders who were arrested at a bar where witnesses told police the women were having sex with each other in a restroom stall. Renee Thomas, 20, of Pittsboro, N.C., and Angela Keathley, 26, of Belmont, N.C., were fired Monday for violating a signed code that bans conduct embarrassing to the team or organization, Carolina Panthers spokesman Charlie Dayton said. The women were not in town to perform at Sunday's game between the Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thomas was charged with battery for allegedly striking a bar patron when she was leaving the restroom. She was released from the Hillsborough County Jail on $500 bail before police learned she had given them a driver's license belonging to another Panthers cheerleader not in Tampa Detectives were trying to determine how Thomas got the driver's license ...

One Shaq injury and now people are writing off the Miami Heat . Jump to conclusions much , people? If anything, the Heat's demise will be because of their new parts (which they really didn't need ). They didn't need a 3-point shooting point foward . Or a crazy-passing, trigger-happy point guard who needs decaf . Or the ghost of a once-decent one-on-one guard . What they need is Shaq, Wade and some selfless role players. What they need is for Wade to figure out that he's the best player on the team. And while they're at it, back Stan Van Gundy as coach and play some defense (it was the Pacers for goodness sakes ; not the Suns ). Besides, Shaq's knee doesn't seem that bad anway .

So Tom DeLay (Republican form Texas and House Majority Leader) is facing a conspiracy case, right? The prosecutor is Ronnie Earle, a Democrat. The first judge assigned to the case was accused of giving too much money to Democrats, making him (according to DeLay's lawyer) biased towards the case (never mind that DeLay's own lawyer has given as much money to Democrats ). So a new judge is chosen. Let's get the trial underway, right? Wrong. Earle comes back: " I'm sorry, this new judge has given money to Republicans. He's biased too !" This could go on for awhile. Grab a chair and get some popcorn.

Yesterday, Scott McClellan effectively told the press that there is a "new" new standard for when the White House will officially comment on issues related to the outed CIA Agent, one Valerie Palme Wilson: Q Kind of a housekeeping question. You repeatedly say that you’ve been instructed not to comment on the CIA leaks case, because there’s an ongoing investigation. Can we infer from that that when Fitzgerald announces his investigation is completed you will be in a position to comment? MR. McCLELLAN: I said I’d be glad to talk more about it after it’s come to a conclusion. Q Well, would that mark the conclusion? MR. McCLELLAN: Would what? Q The end of the Fitzgerald investigation. MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there’s an investigation and legal proceeding. And the comments I make – Q So now you’re adding court cases. MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Bob, I think any time there’s been a legal matter going on, we’ve said, that’s a legal matter. Q No, what you said is, you can’t comment on an ongoin...

Blaze's last post ? Based on this report.

Sorry guys. I know I haven't been around much lately, but I've been really busy with work, school (sometimes I even get to sleep! Yay!), and my other projects I'm working on in addition to The Now, but now I'm back, and I have a funny thing on Kanye and 50 Cent. So here goes...... For those of you who don't know by now, some time ago Kanye said "George Bush doesn't care about black people". Personally, I'm inclined to agree, but it seems 50 Cent doesn't. Big surprise, right? Anyway, 50 told ContactMusic.com that he felt "they responded to it the best way they can". He also said "What Kanye was saying, I don't know where that came from". This isn't the first time 50 (Curtis Jackson) took a shot at Kanye. This past September in an interview with MTV, he said he felt that Kanye was popular because of him, because "After 50 Cent, (hip-hop fans) was looking for something non-confrontational, and they went after first...

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid pulled out a rare rule today (called Rule 21) to send the Senate into a closed session . The Purpose: talk about the methods and investigation that led America to war with Iraq. The Problem? Before this, the Senate was working on the budget. And traditionally, the Senate Leaders talk about doing these sort of things beforehand (it's a courtesy, not a rule). So expect some Republican Senators to say things like Reid doesn't care about America or he wants to have big government. Of course this is silly; any one with working knowledge of Parli Pro or even Robert's Rules know that half the battle in politics is being able to use rules (especially obscure ones) in your favor. Ignorance of the rules is not an excuse. And for so-called policymakers, it's border-line comical that anyone would complain to this degree. I mean, your party has majority control for goodness sakes. For a raw text of Reid's speech, try this out . Or even better, h...