An Open Letter to President Obama and Senate Democrats.

I feel enraged at the lack of compassion the Republicans in the Senate have for the unemployed needing a hand in the form of unemployment benefits which have run out. Yet, these same Republican Senators passed every request by the Bush Administration, without providing the funds for them, including the lack of funding of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, unfunded Medicare benefits which they approved, as well as unfunded requirements from the No Child Left Behind legislation they also approved.

They want government destroyed by weighing it down with debt, while they blame Democrats under the Obama presidency for the debt problem. I am outraged that Republican voters allow them to get away with it. Is there no moral compass, where voters know the difference between right and wrong, moral and immoral behavior? The Republican Party used to be a great party. I have voted Republican in earlier years of my life. But the crazies have taken it over and pulled them so far right they are now extreme at their very center. It has caused the Democrats to also go more right and the Progressives are wondering where is the Barack Obama they elected?

The problem has been compounded only because President Obama and the elected Democrats in the Senate have tried to be "bipartisan". This is a character flaw of the leadership and of President Obama. I can forgive them for this up to now. Maybe President Obama needed sufficient data to convince him that the Republicans are serious in their pursuit to defeat him and Democrats. Maybe he needed more data to convince him that they would accept him eventually as President, being half black. Maybe he needed more data to be convinced it was just politics and not a grab for power. He was wrong. It has been a systematic war the Republican leadership has been waging. There has not been one single Republican vote to support your legislation. Isn't that enough data?

It's time, Mr. President and Senator Reid. It's time to get this. It is as real a war as was Iraq and Afghanistan is with its own type of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices). These IEDs are placed in front of all legislation that you propose. It is called by a special name, the filibuster. It's time to play war too! It's time to change the Senate Rules and get the agenda passed you were elected to pass. It's time to take the gloves off and put a steel rod in that spine of yours and stand tall. You don't have much time left before you lose the people that got you elected, Mr. President and Sen. Reed. Change the Rules on the Filibuster and let them see you have the spine to do what they had threatened you with, when they were in power during the eight years of Bush/Cheney. It's time for that so called "Nuclear Option", ending the filibuster as we know it. 41 Republican Senators have held this country hostage over the will of most of the population of this country, as 57 Democratic Senators have voted for the will of the American people.

You haven't lost the middle because of the Republican tactics; you've lost more of the Independents because you haven't stood tall enough to keep their respect. You haven't shown them you deserve their support. You have turned the other cheek instead of metaphorically slapping their face. Mr. President, you can change the way Washington behaves, but first you must lead like you want people to follow. YOU must change your style and your tactics. So must Senator Reid.

So far, it isn't working like it should at this point in your Presidency. But you have had a moment of leadership with General McChrystal being removed from duty. And while I'm at it, you need to have another moment of leadership in the Gulf Oil Spill Cleanup. Admiral Thad Allan is a good guy, but he doesn't give the confidence of a "command and control" guy, like General Schwarzkopf has. Get a strong leader to seize control of this mess in no uncertain terms. We are at war in the Gulf too Mr. President. Don't make the error of trying to lead this yourself. You need someone else who has total authority to do what is necessary and understands logistics and has the skill set to manage this catastrophe. I recommend General Schwarzkopf. Now is time to lead!!!! God help us if you don't.

Update: I sent a first person email to the President at the White House with this letter.

Pelosi informed on use of torture? Who cares!

Whether Speaker Pelosi was informed or not on the use of torture, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if she were informed and she wrote a letter in disagreement with its use, as did apparently Rep. Jane Harman of CA. This is gotcha politics by Right Wing Republicans, who supported the Bush/Cheney policies, trying to distract the focus off the Bush Administration. No one seems to care that the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee objected to the tactics. Isn't that enough to end this stupid and illogical argument? Apparently again, no it's not!

The media needs to use their brains and get the message back on point: That both Bush and Cheney authorized these torture tactics and they need to be brought up on War Crimes. It may not happen by U.S. lawmakers but there will be a government in the world that will eventually. This is just pastime nonsense. Let's get back to real news, how's the dog acclimating to the White House. Yes, the media always has its priorities right, don't they. Where have they been the past 8 years? Sleeping as best I can tell and it the Blogs who have stolen their attention to the point where Newspapers may become obsolete sooner, rather than later. Maybe Blogs will become the TV visual media going forward. One can surely hope. :) Maybe I will put up a video clip in the future. Now that could be news. :)

The Torture memos were released this week. Where were the critics then?

This week, President Obama released the secret memos from the Bush Administration redefining torture as "enhanced interrogation techniques" and authorizing these techniques to be used by the CIA and others. On March 18, 2006 I took the unusual step to call out President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on this Blog. With the news this past week coming out about the memos authorizing Torture during the Bush Administration, I thought I would republish here that first post. It was during this time where the media was too silent about this and the Republicans were still in charge of the Senate. Here's what I wrote back then:

Dare I write the unspeakable here. I have been very troubled lately by the actions of the President, Vice President and Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Here's what has been bouncing around the infinite space of my tiny brain.

The flashbacks of the early days of this Presidency, where the arrogance of President Bush and Vice President Cheney seemed to be our only problems and those were just personality disorders. Then came 911 and the President and the Nation came together along with the sympathies of the rest of the world. We were one then and anyone half alive could feel it. The outpouring of support by both friend and foe alike to help on this new War on Terror was remarkable, reassuring of mankind itself and comforting that we wouldn't be alone in this pursuit. Then the switches of manipulation, arrogance and anger swept the idealogues to consider using this event to go forth with their master plan to repay Saddam and correct the perceived errors made by the former Bush Administration and George W.'s father. People like former Secretary of the Treasury, Paul O'Neil, was the first to shed some light on this in his interviews and later in his book. Rumors were everywhere about Colin Powell and how he was at odds with the Administration and portrayed as a weakling. Powell never abandoned his boss, the President, in public and was a good soldier externally but we all knew something wasn't right in the White House and with this Administration.

Then came the use of language trickery to confuse the American public to believe that Iraq was somehow connected to 911, the resistance to go along with the creation of a special 911 Commission, the abandonment of enforcing Environmental laws, the abandonment of the Kyoto Treaty early in the Administration and the resignation of former NJ Gov., Todd Whitman, as head of the EPA. Then the resignation of Paul O'Neil, all while the intelligence was being cherry picked to justify going into Iraq. We were being drawn in methodically by the silencing of any voices of dissent left within the Administration. The press let us down too, as they were afraid of Bush and Cheney and the power they saw amassed after 911 through fear and intimidation.

Then the refusal by this Administration to abide by International laws citing our right for pre-emptive strikes against anyone at anytime of our choosing. Refusal to allow anyone connected to the invasion of Iraq to fall under any jurisdiction of the World Court and International laws. Then General Counsel Alberto Gonzalles endorses the idea that somehow we had a right to torture in this unconventional War on Terror, which now was being blended into the war in Iraq. Later came Abu Ghraib prison pictures and assurances that we weren't torturing even though it was obvious to all of us that this had been well planned out within the Dept of Defense and authorized by both the Vice President and President under the new interpretation of the law on treating prisoners.

So where am I going with all this. Put aside for a moment the abuse of power by these individuals within the borders of our country. These are such things as Wire-Tapping without the authority of the FISA Court, the incompetence of this Administration in handling the Katrina tragedy, the refusal to protect our Borders from illegal aliens, the leaking of the name of a CIA operative by VP Cheney for the purpose of silencing a critic. These are enough (and I have more if you like) to impeach both President Bush and Vice President Cheney but there is more we should do as their crimes are against humanity. (Now here comes the unspeakable part.)

As a country, when all of this is over and they have left power, dare we consider turning them and Rumsfeld over to the International Court at the Hague to stand trial for War Crimes. One could make a legitimate case that it is warranted for the seriousness of their crimes. Of course we would never do this nor should we. But it is worth considering what they have done in the world from the perspective of a person not living in the USA. Someone from a country that is not Iraq nor Afghanistan. How must Europeans look at us? How about Japanese, Chinese, Australians? As a people, WeThePeople need to be willing to look at issues from a different perspective. It is very difficult to do when it is the water we drink every day and the air we breathe from our media and this Administrations manipulation of the truth. We are no better than any other human on this planet but we have been blessed to have been lucky enough to have been born here. We have had our chance to help save lives in the Darfur region of Sudan. Seems like we would prefer to kill people than save people as a country sometimes. When are we going to realize that and rejoin humanity? I'll tell you when, when you wake up and speak out, especially when you are afraid to! We were all one after 911. We squandered the good will of the world. It will take decades to regain it, if we are lucky to live that long.

I felt like a lone voice back then but looking back it was the first of several difficult topics to raise and be criticized for publishing. Looking back I am glad I did. Another one I wrote was titled, "April 22, 2006 High Crimes and Misdemeanors- Bush/Cheney?" and also this one titled, "June 6, 2006 The Geneva Convention - Are we above that Law?

Cheney's argument over use of torture has been used by many a villian

Yes, Cheney employs an old argument to justify torture. We have heard this many times before. He is upset that President Obama released the memos which Bush officials wrote to support their use of these "enhanced interrogation techniques". He wants other memos released, which show the benefits they got from using torture. Or to put it in its simplest terms, he says yes, we used those techniques, and are proud we did. Why? Because to Dick Cheney and his supporters, the ends justify the means! That is the same logic as terrorists use to explain why they do the acts they do. Are we no better?

Proud today: President Obama makes us look good again.

I am having the experience today that we have a President we can all be proud of, representing us in London, at the G-20 meeting being held there. He is intelligent, an articulate speaker, a deep thinker and prefers collaboration over demagoguery. This is such a contrast to what we, and the world, experienced under the Bush/Cheney leadership. Just think about this other fact. The protesters are NOT protesting against our President at the G-20 and actually like him. This has been unheard of in the past decade.

It's time to feel good again as an American. Now we all must support this President even though there may be parts of what he wants to do, which we may disagree with. It is time we close ranks as Americans and start a new day. Republicans got the first glimpse of what they have to look forward to, when yesterday the election in the 20th District of NY voted in favor of a Democrat instead of the usual Republican candidate. If Republicans continue to just say No to the President's agenda and budget requests, they will lose everything in the November 2010 elections. I'm tired of them trying to use failed strategies in these new difficult times. It is one of the reasons we are where we are today in the Banking system. Deregulation went rampant under Bush/Cheney. The last election of President Obama should have put their failed approach in the dumpster where it belongs. But don't hope the Republicans will get it as they are more ideologues and they will pursue failed policies to the biter end. Unfortunately we all lose when they do. So let's all help each other rather than just looking out for ourselves. We are stronger when we are together and a team of Americans than when we divide into self serving factions. Yes, I am very proud today and am happy to be able to reflect on the significant changes of the day.

The most dangerous times for our fragile economy: The next 60 days!

This has been the most vulnerable period of this market crash and financial institution conundrum these past 2 months, but we are about to enter its most critical and dangerous period. That time is bounded by Congress going home on recess and doesn't reconvene until the next Congress reconvenes and the January 20th Inauguration of President Obama. The country has lost total confidence in Bush and Cheney and now Hank Paulson, just as we did with Katrina's "Brownie". This is the time of year we are to give thanks for our blessings and the only thing I can think we collectively are thankful for is that Bush et al will be finally gone!

God help this country in the interim. The Congress needs to make their recess short and get back to work soon after, as it is all about confidence right now and we are facing a collapse of GM and possibly their suppliers. This could precipitate the other 2 U.S. Auto makers having exaggerated problems and more layoffs. The unemployment figures today didn't help pushing the unemployed now to over 4 Million people, not including their families.

Art Cashin of USB Warburg was on CNBC this morning and said we need to hold the intraday low of 7,882 today with a meaningful bounce up off it. That is still over 100 points from the close yesterday. As I have said since September, the low for this market is around 7,200-7,300 on the Dow. There is a 20-year uptrend line that crosses at about the 7,200 level that if broken we all should pray, as we then would be headed down into the abyss. Let's hope this does not happen. Sorry for the gloom but that's where things really are. Cash is King!

Capitulation: In the stock market and the Bush Administration

Well 24 hours can sure make a difference. Futures are down on the Dow over 550 points as the Nikkei dropped 10% in overnight trading, or should I say dumping. Things are looking and feeling like a 9/11 in the markets. So this might be the final capitulation today and Monday, all as we approach the final 11 days before the election.

It will be difficult for anyone to be a buyer of stocks today or Monday, but the biggest shift may be that there will not be buyers of stock for a very long time. So what are stocks worth? No one will know for a while. This economic catastrophe brought to you by the Bush/Cheney Administration. You remember them. They brought you such old favorites as the WMD concerns and invasion of Iraq, the bungled aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the trashing of the Constitution and now the economic collapse of the western world. This will be remembered as the Bush legacy. We have no leadership as we don't believe our President any more.

Do your best today not to let events manage you. Go for a walk today and don't look much at what is happening. This is not a day to sell even though that might be what you want to do. It's too late for all practical purposes. I pray you all can get through this whole.

UPDATE: Noon PST
The simple answer is most likely not. Why? Because the Hedge Funds will be selling in the last 45 minutes of the market today, as they want to get this behind them. Watch the Dow drop sharply 10-20 points in every few seconds, if they are selling. This will set up Monday for a big selloff. We didn't get today the bounce up into the positive that Hedge Funds wanted. The Volume for the day is low compared to previous sessions, so unless there is a lot of dumping, today is not going to represent the market bottom. The Dow at Noon is down -175 to 8,510. We will know in an hour.

UPDATE #2 At 1:00pm PST Market close

Well we did not reach capitulation today and so must wait for another day. The Dow closed down
-317 to 8,374 with an acceleration in selling at the close. The volume was disappointing today, compared to yesterday and the day before. There was the initial drop of about 500 points at the open but the scare never materialized. Unfortunately means we wait for another day. Much can happen over a weekend so be sure to check back for Monday's outlook.

Why aren't we buying Oil for Petroleum Oil Reserves while Oil is cheap?

The Bush/Cheney duo is all about supporting their friends and their own Oil interests. Our government should be filling the deep caverns when it comes to the Petroleum Oil Reserves with Oil now in the $65 dollar per barrel price.. Instead they buy Oil at the peak, when the prices were $145/barrel. We should not be encouraging Oil producers in OPEC to cut production, we should be buying the surplus at these prices. Wake up America! Start Buying our Oil needs now!

Come out come out where ever you are! Cheney shows up

Vice President Cheney resurfaced today when the Prime Minister of Italy visited the White House. I got a glimpse of him as President Bush greeted Silvio Berlusconi. So Cheney has come out of hiding, as he hadn't been seen in public since Oct. 3rd.

Are we at the bottom in the stock market?

According to my analysis, no, but we are close. Where is the bottom? After doing my own analysis it appears to me that the bottom is between 7200 and 7400 on the Dow. As of this writing, the Dow is at 8011 or down over 565 points as I type this. Looking at the chart below we have tested the 7200 level a number of years ago in 1999, 2002 and 2003. In the attached chart you can see from the lines I have drawn that I believe that will hold as well. So there is still some pain left. That is an 115 drop from here. To recover back up to 8100 the Dow would then have to gain 900 points or 900/7200 or 12.5%. That won't be difficult to do. So it seems the best strategy now, if you haven't sold already, is to hold on and let this play out. It's too late to sell, unless you don't have any cash at all.

We need to once again believe that as Americans we can and will pull together. However this time it will take a new President, as we have lost all faith in President Bush. But I do have one question to the Bush Administration. Where's Vice President Dick Cheney through all of this financial turmoil? Is he in the underground bunker working at contingency plans to institute Marshall Law? He doesn't even feel a need to support Bush by being at least next to him during these addresses to the public as he tries to calm fears. Shame on you Mr. Vice President.

Should Congress Approve or Reject a $700 Billion Rescue Plan?

It depends on your current situation how one answers this question. First let me tell you what I recommend. I recommend a rescue plan be approved. I am self employed and can't get fired from my job. But many others will as the market melts down steadily and Retirement plans lose 20% of their current value or more, depending on the investment. Companies will lay off workers, they won't be able to pay off credit card debt, will stop going to their local restaurants, or retail stores and the entire system will go into gridlock. Cash will be King for those with enough. The rest will suffer.

I don't want innocent people to suffer. You are right it isn't fair, you didn't directly create this mess. But it doesn't matter who created it, it needs to be stopped before a Depression ensues. By approving a rescue plan we all equally share in the burden as taxpayers. But we may be able to keep this economy functioning. People need to stop being selfish for a change.

It's too late to undo this problem but leadership is required even if Bush, Cheney and the rest of the Administration got us here. Your belief that no one has been willing to "bail you out" is incorrect. This is YOUR bailout as the consequences of no action is a Dow of 8,000 instead of 11,000. Your job, retirement plans, home values, are hanging in the balance. It doesn't feel good to have a gun to our heads by the Bush Administration, Paulson and Bernake saying we are at the very edge of complete collapse and must pass this rescue/bailout. But let's be clear, they have put the gun right at our heads. Those that oppose the plan on idealogical reasons will be doing self inflicted harm or "cutting off their nose to spite their face." When you are suffering as you most likely will, unless you have wealth or nothing to lose, there will be nobody standing to help you. We must join together and trust we can fix this together. It's up to you now.

McCain/Obama first Presidential debate: Who won?

That seemed on everyone's mind last night and this morning. I have received a few emails asking for my opinion and them giving me theirs. What's my analysis? Well, the fact that everyone is asking, including the media, it seems to me that the media is calling it a draw. I was a boxer in my youth and using that metaphor, there was not a knockout punch, nor was there a clear victor on points. I was disappointed in both of them but for different reasons. I'll comment on those disappointments in a moment, and I how would rate the outcome, but first, comments on what was good.

The first thing that was good was that the debate was actually held. Everyone who has been keeping up on my views know I am a Barack Obama supporter in this race, after having initially supported Joe Biden for President in the Primary. McCain had threatened not to debate, as he wanted to go "save the country" by stopping his campaign and going back to Washington to help get something passed with bipartisan support for the governments $700 Billion rescue plan of the Banking industry and ensure that credit was available for business to borrow needed cash. I was angry McCain said he wasn't going to debate, but then I thought, if he could truly do something to help, then he should. I thought he could do both, but who am I to criticize, as I have a hard time just putting on socks in the morning and remembering to take my morning pills. (Multitasking is more difficult as one gets older. :) So I said let's see what McCain actually does. Well I got my answer, NOTHING! Most at the meeting said McCain spoke last at the meeting with the President and when he did speak, they say no one understood what he said, as it was garbled.

So, in retrospect, since the deal was not done, and he had stated he would not debate unless it was done, I am left feeling it was purely political theater by McCain. That is unspeakable during this crisis in our economy. Nevertheless, he did debate and was knowledgeable about facts and his historical recollections were good as well, although his comment about Eisenhower writing 2 letters, one with his resignation, was not true. But he passed the exam by most.

Now for my major disappointment. McCain would not look at Barack Obama the entire debate. His language and body language appeared to disdain Obama and his wise guy comments and humor did nothing but make me angry. In my local San Francisco Chronicle newspaper front page today, there was a picture from the end of the debate with Obama and McCain shaking hands. Guess what? McCain isn't looking at him while shaking his hand, either!

When you treat a Presidential candidate with disrespect, which is what McCain did to Obama, (someone who has earned their Party's nomination after a hard fought Primary race against a very competent candidate as Hillary Clinton,) then you disrespect all Americans. If you are going to disrespect your opponent, who is equally a patriotic American, how can we trust you to talk to the Russians, whom you despise, the Chinese, the Syrians, the North Koreans, the Venezuelan's and other leaders we must engage with. It was contempt of the lowest form and not becoming a Presidential candidate like John McCain. You will notice that I have not made one negative comment on Sarah Palin as a person. I criticized her politic, thought she gave a good speech at the Republican Convention but I did not disrespect her. I did defend her against supposed negative attacks. I would expect McCain to respect Barack Obama not just in words, but in deeds. Let's see if that is possible in the next debate Senator Mccain.

Barack was Presidential, gracious and respectful. Some say he was too respectful, but I don't think so. What disappointed me with Barack was that on several occasions he could have answered McCain with facts that could have made their differences clearer and he chose not to, or forgot the points at the moment. Barack never made the point that, for example, it is the Iraqi's now that want us to leave and that McCain acts like Iraqi's concerns don't matter to him. He could have more clearly stated that it is the Republican Party's mantra for deregulation these past 20 plus years, that got us into this financial mess. And it is the very Lobbyists that are part of McCain's senior staff that had major contracts with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

When I think about the debate, I saw Barack being Presidential, respectful and a clear distinction from the failed policies of the Bush Administration AND McCain. McCain is tied to the failed policies of Bush /Cheney Administration and voted for those policies 90% of the time. The choice is clear with Obama, but the challenge is whether the American people can put their country and their real needs first and vote for him and Joe Biden. Or will they let any Party loyalty or racial prejudice creep into their decision. For the good of the country I hope they can rise to the occasion.

The Bush Legacy can be summed up in 5 phrases

It only took 8 years, and any one of these events would go down in history as the greatest malfeasance of any President in the history of this Country. And President Bush did it in only 8 short years. Bravo!

1. 911
2. Iraq War, a war of choice
3. Hurricane Katrina response
4. Collapse of Banking and Insurance industry
5. Approval of use of torture, elimination of habeas corpus, and wiretapping of Americans

Of course for us it all it has been an excruciatingly long time, hasn't it? I wonder what he can manage to add to this list. There is still 4 months before he and Cheney are finally gone.

Capitalism has failed and so should the Republican's mantra

With the bailouts of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae yesterday, and the recent bailout of Bear Sterns, there is no Free Enterprise system. We are slowly becoming a socialist state without the benefits of socialism for the general public such as healthcare for all. Discussions this morning on CNBC focused on whether the next sector to get bailed out would be the Auto sector or the Airlines. The guests said that the Government has already partially bailed out the auto industry giving about $40 billion to bring it back to life.

Do you know what a bailout really is? It is when the Federal Reserve prints more paper money. They have the printing presses and all they have to do is start them up and run the machines as long as they need to generate cash. What the effect of doing this is, that our real net worth as a country drops, our currency can't buy what it use to, and we are poorer as a nation. It may look as though you still have so many dollars in the Bank. But the result of printing more money is that outsiders want more dollars for their goods and that causes inflation to rise.

All this is a result of the last 8 years of the Bush/Cheney Administration and the Republican brand of government. What ever happened to letting bad investments fail? Oh, I know as long as those investments belong to the middle and lower class, it's OK if they fail. But if those investments belong to the wealthiest of Americans and Corporate leaders, we have a duty to bail them out using our tax money to pay for the bailout.

Shame, shame, shame!

The Free Enterprise system isn’t so free as the Republicans claim, is it?

See story on "Why John McCain Really Wasn't Tortured" as claimed

This is a must read at Kiko's House, by Shaun Mullen. Thanks Shaun for making the issue so clear and why the Republicans, John McCain, Bush and Cheney can't have it both ways. Everyone should read this.

Apathy of the American voter: Will this time be different?

Only 55% of the eligible voters in the U.S, actually vote. Can you believe that something as important as who will be our next President and the person who decides whether we are allowed to exercise our Constitutional freedoms (or not, as in the case of Bush/Cheney) and only 55% go vote. You see the problem my friends isn't just the Republicans or the Democrats. It's the people who could care less to vote and it turns out they represent almost half of us. This means that about 26-27% of the entire voting age public (52% of actual voters for one Party to win vs 48% of the other Party) will be the "deciders". We promote democracy everywhere around the world, except here at home. Some countries make it mandatory to vote. I'm not sure that is any better than not voting. Must things get far worse to wake these people up? How could they get any worse? Oh, I forgot, Bush and Cheney still have almost 5 months to do more damage, if that's possible. God help us all.

You think I am kidding? The Bush/Cheney duo almost decided the Pakistani Presidency today in favor of our enemies, by sending U.S. forces by using helicopters into the rugged region of Pakistan adjoining Afghanistan. It seems Bush wants to capture Osama Bin Laden in his final months and most likely knows where he has been hiding all along. It almost worked, but while the Pakistani people were very angry at our intrusion to their sovereign country they also seem pretty smart and still voted for Bhutto's husband, a friend of the U.S. But Bush almost turned the whole country against us by this latest unannounced move into the rugged mountains of Pakistan. Why would he do that? Bush wants to have an October surprise so that the Republicans, under John McCain can get re-elected in November. If that is true, think about how many waisted lives he has lost in Iraq and the cost to our treasury of Trillions of dollars. Then ask yourself should the Republican Party be rewarded this November. I think not! If he knew where Osama was and didn't even pursue him these last 7 years, shame on him for using him as a political trophy to capture at the most convenient time, while many of our soldiers are fighting an elective war of choice that should be stopped.

So this election period, let's have "New Rules" as Bill Maher would say. If you don't vote, you can't complain after the election or you will be thrown into jail and the key thrown away, with the only possibility of parole if more than 75% of the public votes in any election.

Bush makes it a perfect record. Now it's Russia

So the Bush Administration has overplayed its hand again and has been blowing smoke at Russia in the form of bellicose language expected to threaten the Russians. Do you really believe this tactic will work? If you do, wake up. President Bush and Vice President Cheney have been the most incompetent leaders of our country ever. The thing that most amazes me is the gullibility of the American people. Most are ignorant of world affairs, and are the same people that voted for these 2 so called leaders. They have done more harm to the U.S. than any enemy could have, including Al Qaeda.

The war on terror is in place to keep you subdued and impotent. It is working isn't it! Let's see how the American people have matured by how they vote in November. I am willing to bet, we will all be disappointed.

Would Barack Obama, when he becomes President, grant immunity to a departing George W. Bush?

This question is of significant importance because this is what Barack Obama would face as one of his first decision as President, just as President Gerald Ford was faced with the same issue and chose to pardon Richard Nixon. The reason this is important is because Obama has said he will be a uniter not a divider. He said he will work to bring the country together. This single act facing Obama has the potential of causing a significant rift after the election. The same is true if John McCain becomes President, but we know he will grant immunity to Bush. No matter what, if either grants immunity to George W. Bush then we are lost as a country because all due process for the alleged crimes of President Bush, VP Cheney and others will be stopped and the American people will be the losers as well as the Constitution of the United States of America.

This is very important as we are at a decision point in America and God help us if we make the wrong decisions regarding immunity.

There oughtta be a law. Law #1

Yes, this first law should read as follows: Anyone who thinks water-boarding is not torture must be water-boarded 3 times and then asked if they think it is not torture. Today, John Ashcroft was the latest of the Bush Administration to claim it was not torture when he was Attorney General. So that makes Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Gonzales and now Ashcroft all covering their behinds in case of any future legal proceedings (within the U.S. or Internationally) that might be brought against them.

So which of you brave people are willing to step forward and be the first to try out water-boarding? Anyone, anyone?

Suggestions for this Democratic Congress

Headline today reads: "Bush claims executive privilege on CIA leak" and there is a battle brewing by House Democrats and the President and his surrogate, the Attorney General Mike Mukasey, to get testimony on what happened by whom and when regarding both Vice President Cheney and President Bush. This may be of historical importance to some, but at this stage of the Bush Presidency and the general state of affairs we have on our hands, with Financial institutions on the precipice of disaster, a possible run on banks, continued difficulty in our war in Afghanistan against the Taliban with increased casualties there, it's about time the Democratic Congress wakes up and moves forward. It needs to be preparing suggestions for solutions to implement Barack Obama's strategies at home and abroad. They tire me to the point of apathy but every once in a while I get mad enough to write here to vent my frustration.

There is plenty we can do to Bush, Cheney et al when they leave office. Read the new book by Vincent Bugliosi for some ideas!