For posterity…..

Just a couple of weeks ago, JD Hayworth (R-Az) denounced Bush as an asset to his ongoing campainging efforts on the ever-popular Imus show. 

IMUS: Would you just answer my question, would you like [President Bush] to come to Arizona and cut campaign commercials and run them on those TV stations everywhere?

REP. HAYWORTH: In a word, no. At this time.

Since then it has been reported that JD is dancing up a storm to make his way back into the inner circle.  He has been persuaded to visit with Bush in Tuscon then slink up to the Biltmore in Phoneix to slurp down a $1,000 per plate meal for Arizona Senator Kyl featuring his favorite war president, Bush.

Kiss the ring, Bitch. 

Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA), an eight-term congressman, pleaded guilty to graft and tearfully resigned Monday, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes mostly from defense contractors in exchange for government business and other favors.

"The truth is I broke the law, concealed my conduct, and disgraced my office," the Republican said at a news conference. "I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions, most importantly, the trust of my friends and family."

The Dukster could get up to 10 years in prison on federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and fraud, and tax evasion.  Investigators said Cunningham, a member of a House Appropriations subcommittee that controls defense dollars, secured contracts worth tens of millions of dollars for those who paid him off.  

Cunningham was charged in a case that stemmed from an investigation reported by RH in June.  Cunningham profited fantasticly on the sale of his home to a defense contractor.

It sucks to get caught - he is a disgrace to cheating Republicans everywhere.  

In his weekly radio propaganda address Bush lauded the progress in Iraq and compared the activity in Iraq today to that of the "birth of the US 200 years ago".  He hinted that Iraq was not the only conquest on his mind by saying the current war efforts reached beyond Iraq to the "broader Middle East".  Bush continued spewing his veiled security threats to the American people if we pulled out of Iraq, saying bringing liberty to Iraq would bring "security to our own citizens".

He also stated, "We remain fully committed to defending the security and well-being of our friend and ally Israel." This is part of what got us bombed in the first place.

While President Bush, Laura, Jenna, and Barbara dined safely on thier Thanksgiving dinner on the Crawford Ranch, the war protesting continued.  The UP reported this on November 24, 2005:

Antiwar protesters remain camped near President Bush’s Texas ranch on land belonging to one of his neighbors.

The encampment features a large white tent and a banner that reads "No Pardon for Crawford’s Turkey." The group plans to mark Thanksgiving by serving an Iraqi meal, the Washington Post reported.

On Wednesday, a group challenged a new Crawford ordinance that bans roadside camping within 7 miles of the Bush ranch. Those arrested included Daniel Ellsberg, the former government official who leaked the Pentagon Papers on the Vietnam War.

Cindy Sheehan, who spent several weeks in Crawford last summer, was expected to join the protesters Friday, after being delayed by a family emergency. Sheehan’s son was killed in Iraq in 2004.

Bush and his family are spending Thanksgiving at the ranch. According to the White House the menu includes roasted free-range turkey with herbed stuffing, chipotle-maple whipped sweet potatoes and Texas pecan pie.

Today on CNN’s Wolf Blitzer show, Seymour Hersh, reporter for the New Yorker Magazine once called a terrorist by Richard Perle, stated he felt that President Bush is incapeable to responding to reality regarding issues of the war.  Hersh alluded to Bush’s previous conversation with God telling him this war was his destiny, and Hersh doubts that the President can face a change in God’s policy.  He notes Bush is unreceptive to reality reports regarding the progress of the US troops in Iraq.

Hersh also reported that some of his confidential sources are telling him that the Bush administration is planning to pull out some of the ground troops in Iraq and replace them with Iraqi troops.  Hersh revealed his military contacts are concerned about this, citing that the US air troops will be directed to tagets by the Iraqi ground troops.  Targets would be completely out of control of the US Military.

Check the transcripts on cnn.com for further comments by Hersh.

Scientists in Tuscon have discovered the information about the Clarence Thomas "pubic hair in the Coke" issue.  Gerald Lassiter, a Biology PhD candidate from the University of Arizona, was able to secure the actual Coke can in question from Dr. Anita Hill.  Dr. Hill donated the can to the school for student forensic analysis.

Lassiter was able to isolate specific markers from the hair found in the can.  There were two individual donors - one a black male and one a white female.  Ther Markers were mapped and compared to known DNA samples for previously arrested individuals across the country.  Upon analysis from a network of law enforcement databases around the nation, it was determined there was a hit for white female DNA profile. 

The DNA was that of political pundant Ann Hart Coulter.  According to Ann Arbor police, her DNA entered the system in 1991 for identity purposes when there was a young law student from University of Michigan who was reported missing by her frantic parents.     

This was just months after the first gulf war has erupted.  There was a Corporal from the USMC corps in Kuwait that had attended a party thrown by Haliburton in honor of George Herber Walker Bush at the Kuwait Sheraton in 1991.  According to a marine Corporal, whose sworn statement was file with the can, there was a lot of drinking and "carousing" happening that night.  "There was a blonde woman doing a strange dance with the Coke can", he said, "It was nothing I had ever seen before".

After the first gulf war, the Corporal Smith’s unit was shipped home.  He was discharged and returned to his native home in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Corporal Smith was arrested later that year for possession of a small amount of Marijuanna during the "Hash Bash", an annual parade in Ann Arbor glorifing the smoking of pot.  Upon a police search of Corp. Smith’s living quarters, the Coke can was seized.  The can was entered into evidence and remained in police custody.  Corp. Smith was released and not charged.

Ms. Coulter could not be reached for comment.

Bob Woodward, reporter of Watergate fame, has had a lapse in judgment. Last month he appeared on Comedy Central to sell his new book.  During that interview with John Stuart, he stated he felt Judith Miller was unjustly imprisoned.  He has also been criticized for speaking out against Fitzgerald and the entire investigation, as well as offering to serve some of Miller’s time in jail.  He stated he would be “honored” to serve some of her time for her.

Why do you think that is?

Turns out Woodward himself was one of the first journalists used by the administration to out Valerie Plame.  Woodward confessed on the Larry King show this week that he, too, was offered Valerie Plame’s name.  He also specified it was no Scooter Libby that offered it up, but stopped short in naming the informant.

Since this information has come to light this week, and implied that Woodward was keeping silent for so long, his own employer, the Washington Post, has rebuked him for withholding information. Deborah Howell, Washington Post ombudsman, said Woodward committed a "deeply serious sin" by keeping Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie in the dark about his source for more than two years.

Wickipedia has an good time line for the Palme affair here.  Educate yourself.

Cheney has come out of his hole to enguage in a little old fashioned damage control after the stunt the Republican pulled in the house last friday backfired.  He’s making the rounds on the speech circuit, but about 100 anti-war protesters got a hold of him last Tuesday at the University of Tennesee in Knoxville.

Others who attended the groundbreaking and birthday included Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Knoxville, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Jim Haslam II, a member of the UT Board of Trustees.

UT President John Petersen hosted the ceremony, which about 500 people attended at the Thompson-Boling Assembly Center and Arena.

 About three minutes into Cheney’s speech, a woman shouted, "War, what is it good for?"

Another pair of protesters answered from a different part of the arena. UT police hustled both groups outside.

A few moments later, three protesters of the Iraq conflict raised a green and white sign demanding "Peace Now."

"Stop the war!" they shouted.

They, too, were escorted outside. Police took the names of the protesters but did not arrest them……….

…A group of Cheney supporters were upset by the disruptions inside the arena and confronted the protesters on the street corner. One of the Cheney supporters, dressed in a suit and tie, taunted the protesters with vulgarities.

There were over a hundred students there to protest the event.  It was even reported by the BBC, but sadly nobody in this country got a look.   Take a look at some pictures here

Last night the House Rule committee, in an effort to cleave the Democrats and ridicule Jack Murtha (D-Pa) for his emotional and heart-felt plea to end the war and pull out troops within 6 months, put forth HR 572 to force a vote on a corrupted version of Murtha’s plea, HR 571.

The Republicans changed Murtha’s language from “within 6 months” to “immediately”. Their goal was to cleave the Democratic vote and put this measure to bed before the Thanksgiving break. In short, they exploited the Iraq war in a cheap shot aimed at political gain.

When HR 572 went to the floor, it was a vote on whether or not to put the corrupted version of HR 571 to a vote. C-Span reported last night that JD Hayworth (R-AZ) was the mastermind behind the scheme. The Republicans used their C-Span air time to accuse the Democrats of being unpatriotic – their version of a political spanking.

Republicans all voted “yea” to HR 572 forcing a vote on the corrupted HR 571. When the vote for HR 571 came, they all switched their votes and voted “nay” killing the measure they brought to the floor.

The Democrats consistently voted “nay” to both measures, not taking the bait. The Republicans were unsuccessful at exploiting the war to bring down the Dems.

According to an AP report, at one point in the emotional debate, Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) told of a phone call she received from a Marine colonel.

“He asked me to send Congress a message — stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message — that cowards cut and run, Marines never do,” Schmidt said. Murtha is a 37-year Marine veteran and ranking Democrat on the defense appropriations subcommittee.

Democrats booed and shouted her down — causing the House to come to a standstill.

What little press coverage this has received misses the underlying motivation of the entire incident. The Republicans will exploit anyone, anywhere, to further their selfish causes. They are afraid for their jobs next November (as they should be) and they are slinging as much mud as they can.