And I heartily approve!

House Dems Move To Cut Cheney's Funding

House Democrats, responding to Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion that his office is exempt from certain national security disclosure requirements, said Tuesday they will try to strip his office's funding.
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Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., sponsor of the de-funding amendment, noted that five years ago Cheney claimed executive privilege in refusing to release details about his meetings with oil industry executives to discuss energy policy.

"Now when we want to know what he's doing as it relates to America's national security in the lead-up to the war in Iraq and after the fact, the vice president has declared he is a member of the legislative branch."

Therefore, Emanuel said, "we will no longer fund the executive branch of his office and he can live off the funding for the Senate presidency." The vice president presides as president of the Senate.

Key GOP Backer Says President’s Iraq Strategy Not Working KWTX, TX
Prominent Republican urges new Iraq strategy AirForceTimes.com, VA
Lugar calls for new direction in Iraq Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN
Republican stalwart declares Iraq strategy not working 49abcnews.com, KS
Lugar’s Iraq speech sends ripples through Capitol The Hill, DC
Lugar Breaks With Bush on Iraq New York Times
Top Republican calls for drawdown of troops in Iraq Fort Wayne News Sentinel, IN
Senior GOP Senator Calls for Iraq Draw Down NPR
GOP Senator says Bush's war is failing Capitol Hill Blue, VA
Senator Lugar Calls for Diplomacy Free Market News Network, FL

White House shrugs off criticism from Lugar on Iraq... Reiten Television KXMB Bismarck, ND, Team 4 News, TX

White House pleads for more time on Iraq Miami Herald, FL, Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX, Sky Valley Journal, USA, CBS News, NY, Guardian Unlimited, UK, San Francisco Chronicle, USA, ABC News, Forbes, NY,

Michael Kamburowski, an Australian immigrant who served as the California Republican Party's chief operating officer, abruptly resigned Sunday -- less than 24 hours after The Chronicle reported he had been ordered deported in 2001, jailed in connection with the order, and now has a $5 million wrongful arrest lawsuit pending against U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials.

From the SF Cronicle via Calitics.

The Chronicle reported Sunday that court records indicate Kamburowski, who arrived in the United States in 1995, was ordered deported by U.S. immigration officials in 2001. He was jailed three years later for about one month at the Wachenhut prison in Jamaica, N.Y., in connection with the immigration matter, according to federal court documents.

If the Iraq war Capitulation was meant to lower our confidence in congress - that plan has succeded spectacularly.

According to the latest Gallop Poll:

Americans' Confidence in Congress at All-Time Low

The percentage of Americans with a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in Congress is at 14%, the lowest in Gallup's history of this measure -- and the lowest of any of the 16 institutions tested in this year's Confidence in Institutions survey. It is also one of the lowest confidence ratings for any institution tested over the last three decades.

The best I can think to say about that is that Congress can't do any worse. Also, this the percentage of people who have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the institution, and lets face it, those people are nuts anyway. I am not all unhappy with the way Congress is performing right now, but I wouldn't categorize my confidence in the institution as "quite a lot."

More significant than the head line is this:

The largest drops in confidence between 2006 and 2007 are eight percentage points for banks, the presidency, television news, and newspapers. There has been no change in the ratings of big business and HMOs.

See, the rating for Congress are always low.

What I posted today on the Moyers Blog in response to interviews with Grace Lee Boggs and Andy Stern of the SEIU.

Good for Business – Business for Good

I’m tired of hearing and trying to respond to a thousand calls for money and support from every candidate who puts profit ahead of the society they want to govern. Here’s a word from the HEART and SOUL of America:

Don’t just ask nice. Be nice.

Don’t just say good things. Do good things.

Or else.

The 1% who own more than the rest of us do not need me and others to vote to increase their feudal dominance over all of us in the name of freedom. They claim the right to have no one tell them what to do. They need to understand that all we want is to live a decent life without them making it impossible for anyone but them to live a decent life.

The word for living a decent life doesn’t exist.

We have to create it.

Then say it.

And live it.

Is that too much to ask?

Is living a decent life too much to do?

Today?

And tomorrow?

And tomorrow and tomorrow?

Or is the idea just completely gone now?

Not worth the time it takes to think of it,

Not worth the fatalist’s murmur,

Nor worth the cynic’s understanding,

Unworthy of even the optimist’s hope and the child’s dreams for a life that makes sense in every part of this world?

I don’t need to ask why I’m here. I already know what I am doing here and what I want to do.

I just want to ask what are you doing here?

I’m not asking “Why are you here?” But, what are you spending time doing that keeps the rest of us from doing what we want?

Are you doing it just for you or for you and the rest of us?

That’s all it would take, you know.

And we’d help you do it.

That’s right. If you wanted to make your fortune making and selling things that are useful and good in an ethical way for people pursuing decent lives we’re all for it and we’ll do what works to help you make your fortune that way.

But if you want to make your fortune by hurting others, starving others, in any way disturbing anyone else’s chances at a decent life, then we don’t want you to have that kind of fortune. In fact, we’ll work against any attempt to create such unethical, anti-humane fortunes from ever happening again.

It’s not socialism. It’s still very much capitalism. It’s just that the capitalism America and the world needs now is an enlightened capitalism.

All the millions of issues and talking points that keep swirling around are just parts of this one overriding idea. We can negotiate the small stuff, but this is the big stuff. And we all ought to agree on it.

No wars for commodities. No abuse of others for your profit. No unfairness in the way opportunity is available.

You want us to fight and die for your right to innovate and make profit? Fine. We will like we always have, but you have to remember one thing:

It’s only in fairness that we join you in this. You can have all the profit you can handle but only on things deemed worthwhile to the world and you are not allowed to take unfair advantage of anyone at any time.

We are the heart and soul of America and this is what we want for ourselves and everyone else:

Honor is the only way to conduct business, ours, yours, the town’s, state’s, and nation’s.

Equality means no one, even someone in power, has more rights than anyone else.

Affinity means, no matter our differences, we need to work together for community.

Representation is for all, from all, so all politics must start from the local to the top.

Truth is always going to come out, so we all may as well start with it to create real trust.

And

Security means social security and personal security to live calmer, better lives.

Opportunity for all gives people an even chance in life, for life.

Universality of health care and education will enable all to take that even chance.

Liberty is what this country means and every American has the right to deserve it.


Decent life.

For all of us.

We need a word for it. How can we make it fashionable in the world to do good rather than ill?

First this:

The California Republican Party has decided no American is qualified to take one of its most crucial positions -- state deputy political director -- and has hired a Canadian for the job through a coveted H-1B visa, a program favored by Silicon Valley tech firms that is under fire for displacing skilled American workers.

Then this:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told hundreds of Latino journalists Wednesday that immigrants who want to learn English more quickly should shun various forms of Spanish-language media.

"You've got to turn off the Spanish television set," Schwarzenegger said at the 25th annual National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention, which included many who produce Spanish-language material.

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