Obama can't be trusted on Social Security

Here is a link to a longish article on Obama's Social Security position. Hint: He may not be as committed to protecting benefits as he led us to believe in his campaign.

Daily Kos

Is Cheney a fugitive?

As I've said before I knew Obama would be more of the same the day it was announced that he would not investigate or prosecute the Bush/Cheney war criminals. Here's an informative summary of the law and crimes at Naked Capitalism

Canada

I think I should have moved to Canada when I was young enough to make it work. It's the Senate that makes me long for Canada; the Senate, the Republicans and Obama and his crew. This bunch also makes me long for LBJ, of all people. LBJ was a lion. He knew a paper tiger when he saw one and his presence alone would have sent the prissy Mitch McConnell scurrying for a hideout under the rug. Lieberman would be at the door holding the toilet paper while LBJ sat on the can dumping.

It's not going to happen though. Because if the Republicans are mean spirited but prissy, the Democrats are far worse. Either, like Obama they are too smug and self satisfied to act or they are stupid cowards, or they are cut and run closet Republicans like Bayh.

Maybe my daughter will move to Canada.

Real Compromise? Not likely.

No matter what the Democrats offer it will not be enough. The Republicans are only interested in obstruction as its own end. That's the simple truth of today's political landscape.

Poor Obama

Obama's Presidency is in trouble because he is an honest broker. He came to office believing that if he is reasonable and willing to compromise he would be met in kind by the Republicans and Right wing Democrats and be able to get good things done for America and Americans. Too bad. That approach to government is no longer viable. In fact it is almost charming in its old fashion quaintness and would be a good goof if so much were not at stake. Obama needs to face the simple fact that the Right does not want to compromise one inch. It wants to wipe out, grind out of existence any ideas and those that hold them that differ from Right wing Republican orthodoxy. They do not want a country that values diversity, debate, free expresion and compromise. They want a singularity and they will get it if Obama does not wake up and if the Left does not step up to the challenge.

You don't need a compass to see where we're heading

Get off the cloud Obama

I knew we were in trouble when Obama decided to give the Bush criminals a pass. It got worse with his sad efforts to reach out to Republicans. He should know they have the single agenda of obstructing his programs and destroying whatever they label as Liberal. Now it's time for Obama to stop being above it all and come down from the cloud and get his hands dirty. Republican extremists only respond to a kick in the teeth followed by an indictment. Hopefully Obama is not too enamored of his bipartisan self and the enchantment of being president to do that.

It's time to go after the big banks, close Guantanamo, prosecute the torturers, and force congress to bring to votes what's good for us and not what seems most likely to pass. By aggressively pursuing a liberal agenda the agents of failure will be clearly identified and the blame placed where it belongs.

Obama, you need to be more altruistic and less political.

Right Wing Extremists Must be Confronted.

If the Right feels about me as I do about them we are moving toward civil war.

The health care insurance town hall disruptions are a tactical continuation of the phony Right wing riot that ended the 2000 vote recount in Miami. Liberals, Progressives and organized labor must confront these neo fascists whenever they use these anti democratic tactics. American fascism always lurks close by and is an ever present threat to our way of life and we must be ready to fight it at every turn.

Mark Sanford and Maria

My God Mark, stop dithering and make the bold move. Keep the mistress, dump the wife and bag being governor. Catch the next plane to Argentina and figure it out later what the next move is. The world does not need another repressed, cowardly, image driven political hack. Face it you are never going to be president but at least you can become a legend.

U.S. torturers said to have killed dozens

The closer you look the worse it gets.

US interrogators may have killed dozens, human rights researcher and rights group say

via 3 Quarks Daily

Let the banks and brokers go down

I'm getting nervous about Obama's economic team and their plan.

What most concerns me is that they seem focused on repair and restoration rather than on replacement and invention. I'm looking for generation, not regeneration and most of Obama's team seem to come with minds shaped by long submersion in the troubled waters of our recent bank and investment cultures. His guys apparently are not capable of blowing the doors off what is and coming up with something entirely new. Or maybe they know what they are doing but are so deeply vested in the dead and dieing financial institutions that they are compelled by self interest to try to resuscitate them.

I don't own stock and I don't give a damn if the failed banks go down.

Oops

Wasn't somebody supposed to take care of that?

WASHINGTON - The federal agency that insures bank deposits, which is asking for emergency powers to borrow up to $500 billion to take over failed banks, is facing a potential major shortfall in part because it collected no insurance premiums from most banks from 1996 to 2006.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insures deposits up to $250,000, tried for years to get congressional authority to collect the premiums in case of a looming crisis. But Congress believed that the fund was so well-capitalized - and that bank failures were so infrequent - that there was no need to collect the premiums for a decade, according to banking officials and analysts.

Now with 25 banks having failed last year, 17 so far this year, and many more expected in the coming months, the FDIC has proposed large new premiums for banks at the very time when many can least afford to pay. The agency collected $3 billion in the fees last year and has proposed collecting up to $27 billion this year, prompting an outcry from some banks that say it will force them to raise consumer fees and curtail lending.

Link via Eschaton

Bushville? or Cheneyville? you pick

If you are a member of the working class without rich relatives you might check up on your camping gear. Shakeout the tent, check the Coleman stove, air out the sleeping bags because it could be you are in for a stretch at a Bushville campground for the homeless.

No doubt Cheney and his Wall Street cronies thinks all this is a healthy weed out of the dead wood (that would be you and me).

Here's a link to an NY Times article on tent cities.

Billmon

I miss a lot. Didn't know, for example, that Billmon had resumed posting, now in a diary at Kos. Found it this morning by way of naked capitalism. So, this afternoon I'm going sit back and read all Billmon's posts. After a quick survey it looks like they began last July.

Billmon's posts are here: link. If a post catches your interest make sure you click through on the "there's more" link.

Shoe thrower

Muntadher al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist on trial for throwing his shoes last year at then-President George W. Bush, said the former American leader's "bloodless and soulless smile" and his joking banter provoked him.

Rescue Via a Blue Swan

Whatis the blue swan you ask? It is immediate rescue via an unforeseen agent. In our present situation it could be:

New technology that delivers free energy.

Arrival of friendly flying saucer people who teach us how to fly unaided, heat our homes and light our cities with hydrogen, live forever, and instantly transport ourselves and goods to markets in other galaxies.

No Lieberman. No Robert Gates.

Change please.

No fool like an old fool

Delusional and/or demented McCain may be obsessed with fantasies of romancing Sarah.

Could be this old womanizer got carried away and his vp selection process was driven by dreams of romancing Sarah on Air Force One.

"mistake prone Biden"

For many journalists, including those at the New York Times, "mistake prone" has become part of Biden's name.

So, to be fair, why not "frequent liar" McCain? Or "truth" challenged" McCain?

Biden vs Palin

or an episode of Reba?

The Big Picture

From the Big Picture:

Want to get a sense of exactly how expensive the Paulson Plan is?

1 million seconds is 11 days

1 billion seconds is 32 years

1 trillion seconds is 3 centuries

The Big Picture