Miers, gays, Richard Clarke and Ohio......

"Be careful what you wish for..."

Harriet Miers
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Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to become a Supreme Court Justice this morning. As much as I'm sure both sides are claiming partial victory in all this, there's no real reason why this decision really makes me warm and tingly...

The Republicans didn't trust that she would further the conservative agenda..
The Democrats didn't really understand what she brought to the table.. I think they held out for cautious optimism and little else.

Regardless, this is a victory for Bush.. How do I figure?? Because he may have put her name out there knowing she wouldn't get the nomination, but it would appease the Dems that he was really trying to find an adequate replacement for Sandra Day O'Connor.. He can now install someone else that has a more conservative basis -- and someone who can fly through the proceedings faster than she would have.. This way his is "perceived" as reaching out to the democrats while having the republicans "in the bag" with a strong conservative candidate..

It'll become the ol' bait-n-switch..

And *that* concerns me more than anything..

It's overapparent that Bush's cronyism it particularly blinding.. I don't fault him for surrounding himself with people he trusts -- but the Miers nomination was not responsible by any stretch or margin.. While I echo the words from a liberal talk show tonight, "I just don't believe she bowed out because she'd have to reveal documents exposing her tenure as White House Counsel..." It's plausible and it doesn't make a lot of sense at the same time..

Once again, we were left with this administrations overly used rubber-stamp policy that Bush expected all of the Republicans to follow his marching orders and send Miers through the process without any hangups..

And that bothers me....

But what was worse than that is when James Dobson (mis-Focus of the Family) had that little bit of "inside knowledge" working.. Clearly the President has religious beliefs of an unhealthy nature - especially when they affect his judgement and subsequent nominations.. I don't like it that this administration has melded church and state in ways that were never intended..

This administration has already imposed its will and belief structure on the American people.. But what's problematic with their basis of faith - is their basis of understanding the morality of their decisions.. Unfortunately this absence of awareness and knowledge grows each day this administration is in the White House..

The Headline
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One such example of its imposed will and belief structure appeared in a press briefing yesterday for Mary Cheney's new role at AOL/Time Warner.. Instead of the headline reading that the VP's daughter was hired on at her new position, it read that the "daughter of the VP" was hired on... Mary Cheney is openly gay, but by the way the headline is drafted - it makes Dick Cheney look distant from his daughter.... "The Daughter Of" - is but a shining example of how this administration imposes their beliefs on us..

It's status quo for this administration - and yet no one really seems to care..

Richard Clarke
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Former expert on counter-terrorism, Richard Clarke - explained on Wednesday that he believed that administration officials should be exempt from prosecution whenever any criminal act occurs.. Hmmm... I don't think so.. And moreover, I think any administration official that believes that they are above the law, are the ones that should be doing hard time..

Afterall, that's the way our government was founded - and that's how it should be carried out...


Ohio
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In one of the most un-surprising news stories tonight: 'A Bush Campain fund-raiser is indicted'...".. Apparently a prominent Republican fund-raiser for President George W. Bush's campaign in Ohio has been charged with illegally funneling money to the Bush re-election campaign of 2004......

Oh, the webs we weave....

...and to think that the majority of Americans don't care....

This is the real tragedy.....

Oh MY god, we have got to get the President out that lied about an affair, but we ignore it when this President is surrounded by people who commit things like treason, illegal campaigning, etc......

Yeah - real good America.... WAKE UP....