Wise Men A-Leaping

post from What Happened to My Country? on 01 January 2007 11:01:33 AM. © What Happened to My Country?

The Wise Men.... James Baker's commission formed in March of this year by the GOP-majority Congress and charged with recommending a solution for the Iraq war debacle.... or more plainly put, to save Georgie's bacon.

As Michael Kinsley points out in "Get Jim in Here, Pronto," Baker is "duly bouncing around and staffing up and holding hearings and all the things that prestigious commissions do." Baker is the Bush family point man for sticky wickets, a political operative who famously in Florida's 2000 presidential "recount" ruthlessly secured the presidency for Junior.

So, who is on this "ten lords a-leaping" Baker Iraq commission?

Two turtle doves..... moderate conservative Reagan-appointed former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and former moderate Republican senator from Wyoming, Alan K. Simpson.

Five calling birds..... Lawrence Eagleburger, former Daddy Bush Secretary of Defense, (replacing James Baker when he became Chief of Staff). Eagleburger fills the vacated seat left by original commission member CIA Director Robert Gates who resigned after being named to replace Rummy at Defense.

On Iraq, Eagleburger had this to say in August of 2002... "I am not at all convinced now that this is something we have to do this very moment," and did not believe the administration was fully prepared for such a conflict. Even warning that if Georgie started something in Syria or Iran, "even I would feel he should be impeached." Whoa! The "I' word.

Other birds a-calling.... former Clinton Defense Secretary William Perry; former Democratic Senator and Vietnam warrior, Chuck Robb of Virginia; former Clinton advisor and D.C. "power broker" Vernon Jordan; and, former Clinton Chief of Staff, "Balanced Budget" Leon Panetta, who also served in the U.S. Army as Second Lieutenant.

One goose a-laying....Ed Meese. Yes, President Reagan's "counselor" on the Iran-Contra Affair, even though Meese was then supposed to be serving as Attorney General for us all. The Iran-Contra Independent Counsel's Final Report details how Meese "ignored" the involvement of Reagan and Sec. of State Shultz in the criminal affair. As the newly Liberated Limbaugh might say, Meese "carries the water" for his political bosses.

The commission, or the Iraq Study Group, is co-chaired by Baker and Lee Hamilton, the partridge and his drummer drumming. Hamilton, a Democrat, was U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1965 to 1999, and is often Baker's "balance" choice for such endeavors. Hamilton served as vice chair for the 9/11 commission and on the Select Committee on Intelligence for Iran.

But unfortunately, Iraq isn't a pear tree. It's a 10-story cactus.

We'll soon know if this commission has been appointed for action.... to recommend policies that would be political suicide if proposed by the White House. Or, for inaction.... to appear to want to do something and thus "take it off the table," in effect to give cover for "staying the course."

It would seem a consensus report from this mixed group would be difficult to achieve. We'll soon know, hopefully for our over-extended brave troops, before the twelfth day of Christmas.

Read The Full Article:
http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com/2006/11/wise-men-leaping.html

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Voter The Decider Today

post from What Happened to My Country? on 01 January 2007 11:01:33 AM. © What Happened to My Country?

Today The Decider awaits your decision.

Today the voter is The Decider.

Deciding on whether to "stay the course" with the GOP majority in both Houses.

Or, Deciding if the country needs a new direction.

As the "President Who Sees in Absolutes Awaits Voters' Definitive Answer," it is up to each one of us to send the definitive message.... VOTE!

Read The Full Article:
http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com/2006/11/voter-decider-today.html

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The Magic is Gone

post from What Happened to My Country? on 01 January 2007 11:01:33 AM. © What Happened to My Country?

The bewitching hours.... the last chance for each Party to cast a spell over voters before "turnout" Tuesday.

"Campaigns Implore the Party Faithful To Bring Their Loyalty to the Polls." While Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Bill Clinton spin their magic for the faithful, The Decider wanders the backroads of political relevancy, a pariah in his own time, but never in his own mind.

The GOP Merlins tout their special magic trick, their get-out-the-vote machine. Problem is, reaching voters isn't the same as mobilizing them. To crank up their much vaunted machine, in Ohio the GOP had to recruit.... "door-knockers from a temp agency for $12 an hour." (WaPo)

What? No enthused Republican volunteers?

And, while Bush got a "raucous" reception at his "Victory in the Heartland" rally in the very red Grand Island, Nebraska, he couldn't fill the hall.

Today in Florida, Bush will be the Great Wizard at a rally for Charlie Crist (R-FL), only Crist won't be there, he backed out and will be campaigning elsewhere.

But, "Hanging Chad" Harris (R-FL) will be there clutching at Bush's tattered coattails.... why not, with polls showing her in the twenties, what has she got to lose?

As Tuesday approaches, perhaps the apology of the adulterous meth-using pastor Ted Haggard also applies to the Bush-cast spell on the electorate.... "the darkness increased and finally dominated me."

The electorate can lift the Bush administration's dominating curse and emerge from The Decider's Congressional-enabled darkness.....

November 7. VOTE!

Read The Full Article:
http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com/2006/11/magic-is-gone.html

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Paging Solomon

post from What Happened to My Country? on 01 January 2007 11:01:33 AM. © What Happened to My Country?

The illegal alien problem in the U.S. is akin to the Iraq war, neither have easy or all-satisfying answers. So, it is good that "Democrats May Proceed With Caution on Immigration, Explosive Issue Not A Top Priority For Incoming Leaders."

Wisely, the soon-to-be in charge Democratic leaders did not include the issue on their list of immediate priorities.

The resolution to an issue this complex will take deliberate, Solomon-like wisdom. To love this country enough to reject split-the-baby resolutions like the flawed immigration reform laws of 1986 and 1996.

Will the illegal aliens think about the good of the country? No, they have already shown their disdain for our foundational rule of law. The citizens of the United States? They have the good of their country at heart and reject the idea of rewarding law breakers. A good that illegal aliens still emotionally, financially and culturally tethered to their native countries lack.

The resolution must not harm the country, and should be decided for those who are the owners of its heritage, the citizens of the United States. The wisdom to guide the country to this resolution must come from our leaders.

Is this The Decider? His "amnesty" mind-set blinders are firmly in place, doing the bidding of his corporate raiders. So, the Solomon throne rests on the Hill.

The first thing that MUST happen, secure the borders to stem the illegal alien tide. This is a move that will be welcomed and celebrated..... except of course for drug dealers, criminals and terrorists. A swift move in this direction will bring calm. Only then can the issue of the illegal aliens already in the country be humanely addressed.

In the meantime, "lame-duck" employers taking advantage of the situation need to feel the heel of the law on their necks. If Attorney General Gonzales isn't doing his job and enforcing the law, the Hill will now be able to bring him to account.

This is a historic chance for the Democrats to get it right. To listen to their citizens and act wisely. Soon-to-be Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.... the future of your and our grandchildren depend on it.

Read The Full Article:
http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com/2006/11/paging-solomon.html

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O. J. is Squeezed

post from What Happened to My Country? on 01 January 2007 11:01:33 AM. © What Happened to My Country?

Chalk one up for the power of the people....

"Swayed by Public Opinion NewsCorp Cancels O. J. Book, TV Special."

Warms the cockles of your heart doesn't it.

Media mega-mogul Rupert Murdoch, who has ruthlessly elbowed his way into our daily lives.... controlling big chunks of our daily consumption of information and entertainment.... has cancelled the book and TV special in which O.J. Simpson describes how he would have killed his ex-wife, Nichole, and her friend, Ron Goldman.

And, Nichole was not just O. J.'s wife, but the mother of his children. Brutally, mercilessly murdered. A civil court found O. J. liable for their deaths, although a race-baited jury let him off in criminal court.

Murdoch, who is the Chairman and CEO of News Corp, said this was an "ill considered" project. But, without the outrage of the victims families and the public, you can bet this "ill considered" project would have gone forward.

The book, "If I Did It," (now recalled from booksellers) was published by ReganBooks (owned by Murdoch) and was scheduled to be promoted on the Fox broadcast network (owned by Murdoch). This was Murdoch's baby, start to finish, his judgment of "fair and balanced" entertainment.

To get an idea of the impact Murdoch has on our daily lives, here are some of the companies his News Corp owns and tightly controls:

Film Entertainment- 20th Century Fox and affiliated companies
TV- FOX Broadcasting, FOX TV Stations, MyNetwork TV, STAR
Cable- Fox News Channel, FOX Sports, FX, National Geographic
Direct Broadcast & Satellite TV- BSkyB, DIRECTV, FOXTEL
Newspapers- NY Post, UK Sun, UK The Sunday Times
Magazines- The Weekly Standard, Gemstar-TV Guide Intl.
Books- HarperCollins Publishers, ReganBooks
Other Assets- MySpace, News Interactive

The Fox TV broadcast had been scheduled for the November "sweeps" as a way to boost ratings. But Murdoch monumentally misjudged the public's sense of decency. The only thing that got swept was his purulent project.

Read The Full Article:
http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com/2006/11/o-j-is-squeezed.html

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Lame Duck Chases Off Hawk

post from What Happened to My Country? on 01 January 2007 11:01:33 AM. © What Happened to My Country?

What took The Decider so long to rid us of Rumsfeld? ("A Meek Departure From the War Cabinet," WaPo).

For over three years many had advised the "my way or the highway" Bush to do so.... Powell, Hadley, Rice, Card and many highly-regarded retired Generals. Why did it take a "thumping" election loss to prod Bush into action?

Because, by showing Rummy the door The Decider would have to admit that serious mistakes were made in the conduct of his Iraq war.

Only after the electorate rubbed his face in their outrage.... the WE WANT A NEW DIRECTION election.... did The Decider finally throw a heel-nipping Rummy under the bus.

It is now left to Daddy Bush and advisers from his administration, most notably Brent Scrowcroft and James Baker, to try to clean up the Iraq mess made by Georgie's finger-painting foreign adventures.

Three years of bloody carnage later Rummy is history.... his "Medal of Freedom" awaits.

Read The Full Article:
http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com/2006/11/lame-duck-chases-off-hawk.htm
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Kiss, Kiss

post from What Happened to My Country? on 01 January 2007 11:01:33 AM. © What Happened to My Country?

After keeping the Congressional Democrats in the deep freeze for six years, the big thaw is on. "Bush Meets With Pelosi; Both Vow Cooperation."

Just what is behind all of this making nice.

For Bush it's simple, his last two years in office he wants to avoid the big "I'.... he's interested in his legacy, his place in history unmarred with impeachment hearings. Now he has his reassurance.

But ever devious, (and for his losing GOP, selfish) by waiting until the "day after" to give Rummy the boot, he sucked the oxygen out of the Democrats moment of glory. Pure Rovian.

And, by meeting with the winning Democratic leaders of both Houses Bush put on a public show of listening to the people. Responding to the "action" election.

But this Bush show will undoubtedly close soon after opening night in January when the Democrats take the legislative reins.

Remember, The Decider unsheathed his dormant veto pen for the first time to stop federal funding for stem cell research. The new Democratic Senate and House will "quickly challenge Bush on stem cell research." But his moralizing ideology is too ingrained.... his vision of the world put right by The Decider.... to recognize the humanitarian. His "my way or the highway" thermostat will plunge to Arctic.

While there may be some common ground on legislation.... a higher minimum wage (a no-brainer).... immigration (though if the Dems go along with amnesty they automatically negate their election gains and worse).... and education (Dems must refocus on public education and reverse "teaching for the test").... the devil is in the details, and collisions are inevitable.

Worse for the Bush administration, the GOP rob-the-piggy-bank era is over. Pelosi has promised that Democrats will "act immediately to reinstate lapsed budget rules, which mandate that any new tax cuts or spending increases be paid for with equal spending cuts or tax hikes. That would all but shut the door on Bush's main economic priority, making his first-term tax cuts permanent." (WaPo)

And, while there won't be impeachment hearings, the Hallilburtons of the world better take cover. Congressional oversight will be reinstated.

It's going to get frosty again in D.C......

Read The Full Article:
http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com/2006/11/kiss-kiss.html

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It's All About ME!

After their "thumping," the GOP Congress promised to get some things done in their lame fat-cat session before they hand the legislative milk bowl to the Democrats.

Don't hold your breath.

It's all about the "process," about THEM, not about you or the country's problems.

"McCain Prepares for '08 Bid With Appeal to Right." BIG NEWS! McCain is running for President. Pleeeeeze.... he's been running since 1999, at first as the anti-Christian-right knight, charging around on his Straight Talk bus. Then, after a Christian-right tar and feathering, he is now courting that very same "do-what-we-say-not-what-we-do" base.... like Rev. Jerry "Winky Dinky is Gay" Falwell.... his detoured bus now a honking-for-Jesus confessional.

In the few weeks before the Democrats take over his Senate, this does what for the electorate?

McCain's straight talk has devolved into the babble of "Debate Grows Over Beefing Up U.S. Force in Iraq, Military Leaders Oppose McCain's Push for Thousands of Additional Troops." Just like the GOP unfunded spending habits, McCain doesn't say where he'll get these thousands of additional troops. Send our National Guard back for their umteenth tour?.... or maybe he'll call on our mall and school crossing guards. But hey, he has to say something, he wants to be your president.

The electorate was promised everything and delivered nothing, they're tired of the constant political beat.... ME, ME, ME!

Our kingdom for an "America first" doer!

Read The Full Article:
http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com/2006/11/its-all-about-me.html

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History-Making Election

The election of November 7, 2006 is now history, and made some history too.

The voters saw past the "only the GOP can keep you safe from terrorism" tactics, the smutty commercials, the babbling purveyors-of-the-politics-of-personal-destruction talking heads, the push polls. The electorate's message.... no more stay the deadly, corrupt, bankrupting course, WE WANT CHANGE!

As of this moment, the "Democrats Take House," and lead in the last two Senate races, giving them a one-vote edge.... and a majority of state Governors are in their camp too.

My home state of Iowa made an almost clean Democratic sweep..... Governor, majority in legislature and a shift in the U.S. House from one Democrat and four Republicans to three Democrats and two Republicans. Proving the "baby with the bath water" truism, anti-war moderate, "gentleman" Rep. Jim Leach (R) was thrown out of office. The Democrats are now in the tractor seat in this former GOP stronghold.... history making.

The winds of change blew through neighboring Kansas too.... Democrat Kathleen Sebelius took the Governor's race, bringing with her former Republican Mark Parkinson as her Lt. Governor. Another GOP cross-over to the Democratic party, Paul Morrison, won his Attorney General race. And Democrat Nancy Boda defeated incumbent Jim Ryun for the U.S. House 12th District seat. The very conservative Kansas is turning its sunflower face to the sun of moderation... history making.

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is the probable new Speaker of the House. This blog has been hard on her, especially when she was throwing the "I" word around. Impeachment proceedings against The Decider, as gratifying as that would be, would divert the House from the many issues needing desperate attention. Impeachment proceedings and hearings are not what the electorate wants, they want action, they want their problems addressed.... NOW!

Happily, it seems Pelosi has listened to the mood of the country. The misconduct she is going to immediately address is lobbyist and other corruption in the House, the minimum wage, drug costs. She has already extended an olive branch to The Decider, wants to work in a bi-partisan way.

Not only can Pelosi make history as the first female Speaker, she can write history by presiding over a "do something for the middle-class and the country" House.

While the race is still up in the air, it appears that president-wanna be Sen. "Macaca" Allen misjudged his Virginia audience and will ride into the sunset of his political career, the miscast cowboy.

It also appears that Abramoff-tainted Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) can now retire to the "Big Sky" having avoided the "Big House" but not the odor of corruption.

Voters, you've done your job.... now your political representatives need to do theirs!

Read The Full Article:
http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com/2006/11/history-making-election.html

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Heroic Aide Fired

"Nurse aide fired for alerting patient's family of poor care" (Des Moines Register).

Let's review.

A certified nurse aide reported to a nurse at Ravenwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Waterloo, IA that an 89-year-old resident was complaining of pain, dizziness and cramps and asked the nurse to check on her.

Nothing happened.

The next night the resident appeared even more ill and was vomiting and still hadn't been seen by a nurse. The aide was alarmed. She called the resident's daughter who then asked to speak to the nurse on duty, and requested they get her mother to a hospital.

THE NURSE REFUSED! ...only after a legal threat did the nurse comply.

The resident was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition that resulted in surgery the next day, and was also diagnosed with pneumonia, dehydration and a urinary tract infection.

The aide undoubtedly saved the resident's life. Was she rewarded? No.

The aide was fired. And denied unemployment benefits because, the judge ruled that the aide had not acted in the COMPANY'S best interests.

What an outrage. Corporate policy overruling resident well-being. Are there no government regulations that say the care of the resident is paramount? Anything less is condoning abuse and euthanasia.

The agency reviewing this nursing home incident, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, is itself in need of a review, immediately. That's where someone should be fired.

Read The Full Article:
http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com/2006/11/heroic-aide-fired.html