The “president” is showing his leadership and clear understanding of the realities that are facing Americans by stating that he will oppose any new taxes to help our aged infrastructure. They have not even fished out all of the dead of the Mississippi yet, and Bush is showing that he really does not give a crap.

From the New York Times (bolds are mine)

President Bush said today that he would be opposed to any steps by Congress to increasing the gasoline tax to raise revenues for national bridge repairs in the wake of last week’s bridge collapse in Minneapolis.

And at his last major news conference before his summer vacation, he lashed out at Democrats in Congress by questioning their priorities and motives on everything from taxes to their accusations of contempt against Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.

“Before we raise taxes, which could affect economic growth, I would strongly urge the Congress to examine how they set priorities,” Mr. Bush said.

“My suggestion would be that they revisit the process by which they spend gasoline money in the first place,” he added, accusing lawmakers of focusing on their own parochial concerns — or plum projects — above such national concerns as bridge conditions.

Representative Don Young, Republican of Alaska and a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, has raised the possibility of increasing the gasoline tax as a way to pay for bridge repairs throughout the country in the wake of the Minneapolis bridge collapse, which raised new concerns about potential problems with a number of the nation’s bridges. A plan being considered by the House committee would index the current gasoline tax for inflation, which would result in an increase of roughly 5 cents.

So the idea came from a Republican, and Bush says no. The price of gas is outrages, and if they added more tax it would force people to cut deeper into their already tight budgets, and that might slow down the record profits oil companies are seeing. So Bush’s policy is now on record, he is okay with Americans having a bridge vanish from underneath them, because the oil companies are making billions!

You may or may not know this but your elected officials represent people, because shockingly corporations cannot vote. Today the Republicans filibustered a plan put forth by the Democratic leadership to found and stimulate the growth of the alternative fuel industry. The Republicans showed, as if anyone ever doubted, that it is not Americas that is important to them, it is not the people that live in America that is important to them, no, it is Exxon. The same Exxon and made more money last year in any corporation has ever made in the history of the world, I kid you not in the entire history of man on earth no company has been more profit than Exxon. Thank God they have the Republicans looking out.

Now Republicans are telling you that they were stopping the crazy taxing that the Democrats wanted to do on the cash-strapped oil companies, but this is actually a flat out lie, and the Democrats were not raising taxes on the oil companies, but instead allowing some massive tax breaks granted to them when Republicans led Congress expire. So using Republican logic, if you have a coupon, and that coupon expires, the net is a tax increase to the person buying a can of corn.

So to wrap this post up, Republican senators who were elected to represent people use a procedural filibuster to make sure that some of the richest corporations in America do not have to pay taxes that they were supposed to pay, but because of their “generous” donations to reelection campaign’s, were given coupons not to pay. How dare those damn Democrats try to collect taxes from the richest corporations in the history of mankind.

I do not use the "Must Read" Banner to much, because there is so much that you should read that I save it, I save it for the MUST READS.

Are Bush's Wars Winding Down or Heating Up?

Most Americans believe that Bush's Iraqi misadventure is over. The occupation has lost the support of the electorate, the Congress, the generals and the troops. The Democrats are sitting back waiting for Bush to come to terms with reality. They don't want to be accused of losing the war by forcing Bush out of Iraq. There are no more troops to commit, and when the "surge" fails, Bush will have no recourse but to withdraw. A little longer, everyone figures, and the senseless killing will be over.

Recent news reports indicate that this conclusion could be an even bigger miscalculation than the original invasion.

On January 7 the London Times reported that it has learned from "several Israeli military sources" that "Israel has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons."

For some time you hear the last of the wingnuts tell you that this war in Iraq was about fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them over here. While many others have said this was a war for Oil. well guess what, the "War for Oil" croud was right. So now it begs to ask, so how many solders per gallon is "Worth it" to Bush and his supporters?

From the Independent News (UK) (Bolds are mine)

Iraq's massive oil reserves, the third-largest in the world, are about to be thrown open for large-scale exploitation by Western oil companies under a controversial law which is expected to come before the Iraqi parliament within days.

The US government has been involved in drawing up the law, a draft of which has been seen by The Independent on Sunday. It would give big oil companies such as BP, Shell and Exxon 30-year contracts to extract Iraqi crude and allow the first large-scale operation of foreign oil interests in the country since the industry was nationalised in 1972.

The huge potential prizes for Western firms will give ammunition to critics who say the Iraq war was fought for oil. They point to statements such as one from Vice-President Dick Cheney, who said in 1999, while he was still chief executive of the oil services company Halliburton, that the world would need an additional 50 million barrels of oil a day by 2010. "So where is the oil going to come from?… The Middle East, with two-thirds of the world's oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies," he said.

Oil industry executives and analysts say the law, which would permit Western companies to pocket up to three-quarters of profits in the early years, is the only way to get Iraq's oil industry back on its feet after years of sanctions, war and loss of expertise. But it will operate through "production-sharing agreements" (or PSAs) which are highly unusual in the Middle East, where the oil industry in Saudi Arabia and Iran, the world's two largest producers, is state controlled.

Opponents say Iraq, where oil accounts for 95 per cent of the economy, is being forced to surrender an unacceptable degree of sovereignty.

The stroy says it best, "If the Bush administration decides to allow drilling in Bristol Bay, it will simply illustrate the level to which they will sink to satisfy Big Oil"

From the AP (bolds are mine)

President Bush is deciding whether to lift a ban on oil and gas drilling in federal waters off Alaska's Bristol Bay, home to endangered whales and sea lions and the world's largest sockeye salmon run.

Leasing in a portion of the area rich in oil and natural gas ended nearly two decades ago � while Bush's father was president � in the outcry after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.

But with natural gas prices higher, the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service proposed reopening up the North Aleutian Basin. That includes Bristol Bay and part of southeastern Bering Sea.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel confirmed Saturday the president was considering taking that step.

Environmentalists oppose drilling there because of the potential for oil spills and harm to wildlife. They have speculated in recent days that Bush might allow such drilling before Democrats regain control of Congress in January.

"If the Bush administration decides to allow drilling in Bristol Bay, it will simply illustrate the level to which they will sink to satisfy Big Oil," Carl Pope, the Sierra Club's executive director, said Saturday. "They are willing to risk a valuable, renewable resource like Bristol Bay's salmon fisheries for limited, shortsighted drilling plans."

So the Republicans are going to see just how fast they can fuck things up. The Republicans have sat on their asses the past 12 years and promised the world to the oil companies, drug companies and just about any other industry, and on my levels, they forgot to deliver. Now that the end is near, the gravy train has run out of track they are going to see just how fast they can fuck the nation over in the lame duck session.

From the AP

The Democrats' return to power is increasing pressure on House Republican leaders to accept a limited expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling.

Supporters of such exploration say the next Congress, with Democrats in control come January, probably will not tamper with the long-standing drilling bans that have protected most coastal waters for a quarter-century.

A stubborn standoff has festered for months between the House and Senate over developing more of the oil and gas resources in the Outer Continental Shelf. The dispute is expected to be an issue in the final days of the Republican-run Congress this week when lawmakers meet in a lame-duck session.

-snip-

House Republicans pushed through a bill that would open coastal waters for drilling everywhere unless a state objects. That essentially would end a ban on such drilling that Congress has imposed annually for the past 25 years in most areas outside the western Gulf.

Even drilling supporters said there was no chance that measure can pass the Senate, which has approved a compromise: opening 8.3 million acres in the east-central Gulf, no closer than 125 miles of land, and leaving other areas alone.

So as the Republicans are rushing to protect Bush’s Ass with the “Protect Bush From His War Crimes” Act, and they work to make sure the rich pay no taxes at all, but the real winner so far in the Republican protected Bush “Presidency” is the raping of our natural resources, and the raping of our wallets at the hands of the oil companies. Bush with the help from the Republicans has given the oil industry everything they could ask for.

Odd Fact: Number of subpoena delivered to the White House by the Republican Congress when Clinton was in office -157, number of the same while Bush has been in “President” – ZERO.

From the NT Times

Four government auditors who monitor leases for oil and gas on federal property say the Interior Department suppressed their efforts to recover millions of dollars from companies they said were cheating the government.

The accusations, many of them in four lawsuits that were unsealed last week by federal judges in Oklahoma, represent a rare rebellion by government investigators against their own agency.

The auditors contend that they were blocked by their bosses from pursuing more than $30 million in fraudulent underpayments of royalties for oil produced in publicly owned waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The agency has lost its sense of mission, which is to protect American taxpayers,” said Bobby L. Maxwell, who was formerly in charge of Gulf of Mexico auditing. “These are assets that belong to the American public, and they are supposed to be used for things like education, public infrastructure and roadways.”

The lawsuits have surfaced as Democrats and Republicans alike are questioning the Bush administration’s willingness to challenge the oil and gas industry.

A Letter published in Stars & Stripes

Well looks like they have been busted. The Coal Industry puts out a memo that they should cast doubt on Global Warming.

ThinkProgress has the details..

A secret memo by the coal industry details a coordinated campaign to spread misinformation about global warming. The memo expresses fear that if the government addresses climate change — through a carbon tax or regulating greenhouse gasses — it will cut into their profits.

Their solution: “support the scientific community that is willing to stand up against the alarmists.” (The memo also refers to people who believe in global warming science as those “whose true motivation is to stop growth, develop renewable resources [and] discontinue the use of fossil fuels, especially coal.”)

But the coal-based utility leading the campaign ran up against a problem: there is no scientific community who agrees with them. The memo acknowledges almost everyone who disputes global warming science have no “involvement in climatology.” So they’ve decided to lavish funding on one climatologist who will do their bidding: Pat Michaels.

The memo describes how the coal-based utility contributed “$100,000 to Dr. Michaels this year.” It also “contacted all the [utilities] in the United States” asking for contributions to Michaels’ research and “obtained additional contributions.” Here are a few highlights from Michaels’ career:

– In 2003, Michaels famously “proved” that global warming was mostly hype by mixing up degrees and radians.

– In 2004, Michaels told Business Week, “We know how much the planet is going to warm. It is a small amount, and we can’t do anything about it.”

– This year, Michaels completely misrepresented a study by Curt Davis to falsely claim that Antartica has been gaining ice in recent years.

In 2003, A Harvard scientist told the Senate Republican Policy Committee that Michaels has “published little if anything of distinction in the professional literature, being noted rather for his shrill op-ed pieces and indiscriminate denunciations of virtually every finding of mainstream climate science.”

Funding Michaels is part of a larger propaganda campaign, involving several industries, described in the memo. Other activities include bankrolling a movie that attacks An Inconvenient Truth, deceptive advertisements by the Competitive Enterprise Institute and aggressive lobbying. Corporations meet regularly with Michaels and CEI to discuss strategy.

You can read the memo here. Desmog blog has more.

I find it odd that the “President” has to release a Press Release that is called “Setting the Record Straight: President Bush’s Foreign Policy Is Succeeding”. How bad does your administration have to be to have to “Set the Record Straight”. This is a clear indication that the foreign policy is a total failure if you have to “Set the Record Straight” clearly your actions are calling you a failure, so you have to put out a press release. I find this funny as hell.

What is more shocking is this tripe by the White House has endorsed allowing Israelis to basically do the administrations dirty work.

On Wednesday, Max Boot Wrote: “Our Best Response Is Exactly What Bush Has Done So Far – Reject Premature Calls For A Cease-Fire And Let Israel Finish The Job.” (Max Boot, “It’s Time To Let The Israelis Take Off The Gloves,” Los Angeles Times, 7/19/06)

Yah, Bush knows America does not want to go to more failed wars with failes leaders, so he is going to allow others to force us into the war he wants so bad!

I find it hilarious that the Republicans see the writing on the wall, that Americans have seen the light and decided that Republicans can not govern. The Senate Republicans Committee Chairperson, Sen. Elizabeth Dole has sent out a letter to her corrupt Republican colleges that they need to get with the program.

She lists out what might happen if the Democrats take the Senate, and oddly it is things I thought the Senate was tasked to do in the first place. She says that Democrats would “put the war on terrorism on the back-burner”, now I find it hard to believe that anyone could place the War on Terror further on the back burners than the Republicans already have. Iraq had nothing to do with the War on Terror, and the facts have proven that. Osama bin Ladin, still a free man. The number of terrorist attacks around the world has sky-rocketed, to be honest, the Democrats could only improve the situation.

She goes on to say, “[Democrats would] increase your taxes” and she is right, we HAVE to. Republicans have driven this nation into a ditch. They have raised the debt ceiling 5 times in the last 4 years, all so they can fund massive tax cuts to the riches of Americans, massive tax cuts to the profit rich oil companies, and earmarks as far as the eye could see. The Republicans have sold this nations future to the Chinese. Honestly, most Americans would not see a tax increase at all, only the rich will be asked to pay their fair share.

The last, and most important reason Ms. Dole wants the Republican Senators to take note is, “[The Democrats would] call for endless investigations, congressional censure and maybe even impeachment of President Bush” now this is also true, because this is what the Congress is suppose to do! The Congress was tasked with oversight of the executive branch. The Republicans have allowed this “president” to go unchecked for 5 years, and look around, the large majority of Americans (72%) say America is on the wrong track. Maybe with a Democratic Congress the American people will get the oversight they have been screaming about. Heaven for bid Congress do it’s damn job!

Elizabeth Dole needs to wake up and smell the coffee, if you want to stay in power do your fucking job, if you want to be sent home, toe the Republican line.

Americans looked for this Republican lead Congress to choose, Americans or Big Oil… This GOP Congress choose Oil. How does it feel to be thought of less than Oil?

From the NY Times

Senate Republicans on Monday hurriedly abandoned a broad tax proposal opposed by the oil industry and business leaders, another sign of their struggle to come up with an acceptable political and legislative answer to high gasoline prices.

Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, said he had decided to jettison the provision, which would have generated billions of dollars by changing the way businesses treat inventories for tax purposes. Instead, he said the Senate Finance Committee would hold hearings on the plan "later this year, so the pluses and minuses of the provision can become well known."

Exxon Reports Record Profits…

From Reuters

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, on Thursday reported quarterly profit surged, driven by rising oil prices.

Net income in the first quarter was $8.4 billion, or $1.37 a share, compared with $7.86 billion, or $1.22 a share, in the year-earlier period.

Yah for us, now they should have the money they need to build all the CLEAN gas making plants they want… Oh and hey Bush, thanks for allowing Exxon to screw your fellow Americans!

Bush’s poll numbers continue to drop, he is down another point in the latest Harris Poll, his cabinet is under fire, especially his Defense Department head, Donald Rumsfelt, who shoulders much of the blame for the debacle in Iraq. More Americans are slipping into poverty and we as a nation are flat broke. Now more than ever America needs a leader, but you people elected Bush.

So, the gods have handed him an issue that he could use to save grace, but it pits the cabal he supports against the American people, who do you think is going to win? Will George Bush do anything about the current, and coming sky-high gas prices?

George, the American people are crying for real leadership, do you have any in ya?

Well I am not going to put any money on King George doing anything for Americans, he hates you, he hates me, he only loves the very rich and almost anyone that sells oil.

Thank god for the Democrats, they are calling for hearings on the oil prices and the effects it has on Americans (remember that is you and me).

From the AFP (Bolds are mine)

Democrats on Tuesday accused President George W. Bush of an "absence of leadership" for failing to slow the rapid rise of US gasoline (petrol) prices, which now have breached the three dollars per gallon mark in parts of the country.

In a letter to the president, 15 Democratic members of the US Senate also renewed their call for an "energy summit" to discuss strategies for tackling the rising cost of fuel, and urged his support for proposed anti-price gouging legislation.

"We have thus far been disappointed by your administration’s lack of response to our invitation to co-host an emergency bipartisan national energy summit. This offer still stands," the lawmakers wrote.

"In the absence of leadership or cooperation from your administration, we will soon be moving ahead with our own set of real solutions, which will spur the kind of innovation and investment America needs to secure its energy future for the 21st century," Democrats said.

While our "President" was holding hands with the leaders of the nation that sent us most of the 9/11 hijackers, they have also been secretly building a Nuclear program, with the help of our other friends, the Pakistanis, Thanks Bush, and thank you Republican shills in Congress for allowing him to get away with murder, real live murder!

From AFX News via Forbes

Saudi Arabia is working secretly on a nuclear program, with help from Pakistani experts, the German magazine Cicero reported in its latest edition, citing Western security sources.

It says that during the Haj pilgrimages to Mecca in 2003 through 2005, Pakistani scientists posed as pilgrims to come to Saudi Arabia.

Between October 2004 and January 2005, some of them slipped off from pilgrimages, sometimes for up to three weeks, the report quoted German security expert Udo Ulfkotte as saying.

According to Western security services, the magazine added, Saudi scientists have been working since the mid-1990s in Pakistan, a nuclear power since 1998. Cicero, which will appear on newstands tomorrow, also quoted a US military analyst, John Pike, as saying that Saudi bar codes can be found on half of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons ‘because it is Saudi Arabia which ultimately co-financed the Pakistani atomic nuclear program.’

Yah! Under Bush, more people got nukes than ever before. Maybe we should look into the ties of the Bush family and Nuclear material, I am sure there has to be a "Bush’s Nukes-R-Us" somewhere.