I can't believe it's not a democracy!

With all the attention on health care reform--and the Michael Jackson bullshit--the recently released CIA Inspector General report hasn't gotten the air time it deserves.

Fortunately, Scott Horton isn't easily distracted: Seven Points on the CIA Report. Cick the link. It's a short but very valuable overview. And note that the first point is this: The worse is yet to come.

Link via Atrios, who asks (and answers): Why did Cheney and pals preside over a monstrous but ultimately pointless for the purpose of obtaining useful intelligence torture program? Because they got off on it.

I agree with Atrios--they got off on it. Maybe not in a sexual way, but they got pleasure in controlling--and destroying--lives by simply ordering some underling to do the dirty work. I bet they watched every interrogation video and looked at every photo too. Serial killers like to collect trophies.

And then W extended his wrist for the ceremonial slap:

Afghanistan's Karzai vows punishment for deadly U.S. raid. You know that W saw this headline and said,"yeah, you and what army, Karzai?" Then he laughed until he peed himself and asked for another juice box.

Gee, I wonder why:

Consumer confidence plunges in March. But no worries folks, Prezident W says we is just in a little rough patch. You know what? I think W is looking forward to the day that he can stop pretending to be president almost as much as we are. Of course, we anticipate his retirement because we hope to install an administration committed to good governance, while W just wants to be able to sit in his underwear, watch some tv, rub some hunky marine's bald head (perhaps give him a hummer) and drink. Oh, and cut some brush. Because brush don't cut itself.

No way!

Ex-CIA agent: Waterboarding approved at top levels. I don't know what's worse, the way the media acts all breathless when yet another of this administration's criminal acts is confirmed, or the fact that my initial reaction was not to post the article since it was hardly breaking news. What's the name of the phase that follows outrage overload?

The Chimpy legacy:

The Economic Consequences of Mr. Bush. You don't have to be a Nobel laureate to know that W has fucked up the economy, but it doesn't hurt. Long and short, the rich are richer, the poor poorer, the middle class is struggling to stay in the middle, and when the bill for the last eight years is presented we are all going to have to pay.

Thanks to John for the link.

I guess no one told W that you should not strike a nornet's nest with a stick:

Turkey rejects cease-fire by rebel Kurds. No way around it, the situation in Iraqi just got a whole hell of a lot worse. Thing is, I don't know whether the white house is really concerned about this development or not. On one hand, I do think that some people in the administration, and certainly many at the Pentagon, are unhappy with the growing tension between the Turks and the Iraqi (and Turkish) kurds. On the other hand, the increasing tension has translated into a higher price per barrel of crude.

Wait, who am I kidding? The president is probably beside himself with glee, and so is W. There really is no punishment severe enough for these monsters.

Woo-hoo! The U.S. of A. breaks a record!

Sadly, this is the record: New Week, New Low for Dollar. W has 16 more months to fuck things up even more for the majority of us. Let's just hope it doesn't get to the point where it becomes cheaper to wipe your ass with a dollar bill than to load up a wheelbarrow with greenbacks to go buy a roll.

Here's a surprise:

Bush won't supply subpoenaed documents. The AP reports: President Bush, in a constitutional showdown with Congress, claimed executive privilege Thursday and rejected demands for White House documents and testimony about the firing of U.S. attorneys.

His decision was denounced as "Nixonian stonewalling" by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Bush rejected subpoenas for documents from former presidential counsel Harriet Miers and former political director Sara Taylor. The White House made clear neither one would testify next month, as directed by the subpoenas.

* * *

"Increasingly, the president and vice president feel they are above the law," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said Bush's assertion of executive privilege was "unprecedented in its breadth and scope" and displayed "an appalling disregard for the right of the people to know what is going on in their government."

I must say that I respect Rep. Conyers and Senator Leahy, but what will they do? Send a threatening letter? Finger point and call a spade a spade? Truth is, I think Conyers was ready to act and move on investigations to start the impeachment process, but it seems equally clear that the democratic leadership braintrust have told him that he cannot. I have had friends comment that what they've read or heard suggests that the democratic leadership will not move forward until the people demand it. And by people they don't mean people like us who have paid attention these last six years. No, they mean the larger body of all Americans. Given how shitty and biased our mainstream media are, how the hell will that happen?

Thing is, if nothing is done to punish these bastards for their unprecedented action, then it's over. Sure, it would be nice if there was a democratic president in 2009 and much stronger democratic majorities in the house and senate, but they would be ruling over the desiccated shell of what was once the United States of America because true villains will have succeeded in showing that in the U.S. there really are some people who are above the law.