Bush's Legacy...

From Andrew Sullivan:

The Aftermath Of Bush's Fiscal Vandalism

Shawn Tully worries about the coming debt crisis:

It can't go on forever, and it won't. What will shock America into action is the prospect of fiscal collapse, which will grow more vivid each year. In 2008 federal borrowing accounted for 41% of GDP, about the postwar average. By 2019 the burden will double to 82% by the CBO's reckoning, reaching $17.3 trillion, nearly triple last year's level. By that point $1 of every six the U.S. spends will go to interest, compared with one in 12 last year. The U.S. trajectory points to the area that medieval maps labeled "Here Lie Dragons." After 2019 the debt rises with no ceiling in sight, according to all major forecasts, driven by the growth of interest and entitlements. The Government Accountability Office estimates that if current policies continue, interest will absorb 30% of all revenues by 2040 and entitlements will consume the rest, leaving nothing for defense, education, or veterans' benefits.

To understand why a massive tax increase, probably a VAT, is the mostly likely outcome, it's crucial to look at what's driving the long-term, widening gap between revenues and spending.

Put simply, spending is following a steep upward curve, while revenues are basically fixed as a portion of GDP. Why? Because future spending is driven mostly by entitlements, which are programmed to rise far faster than national income, while revenues depend heavily on the personal income tax, which yields receipts that typically rise or fall with GDP. Under George W. Bush, the U.S. experienced a prelude to the crisis before us: Spending rose rapidly, while revenues remained reasonably flat. Bush created an expensive new entitlement, the Medicare drug benefit (cost this year: $63 billion), and let spending on domestic programs from education to veterans' benefits run wild. Over seven years the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq added a total of some $900 billion to the budget. All told, Bush raised spending from 18.5% to 21% of GDP, setting in motion a chronic budget gap by piling on new spending without paying for it.

Sullivan: The magnitude of the damage Bush did is still amazing. But when those tax increases come, they need to have his name attached to them. He made them inevitable; and deserves to go down in history for them.

The US has cooties!

This video speaks for itself. The New administration has a big task a head of them.

Ejecting My Rage from McCain's W-esque Schoolyard Bully Maneuver

Here's something I just wrote to a Republican I know:

I'm totally enraged by this reckless, unilateral move by McCain, and I can't understand how anyone could support a candidate who:

• Is trying to bully the political process; this is tyrannical (do we really need 4 more years of Give-me-your-lunch-money carelessness and recklessness?)
  
• Is trying to exploit the economic struggle to disrupt the political process - this is "un-American" to use a favorite pejorative label from the right
  
• Hides his running mate from the press - some are calling this sexist; stop treating Palin like a delicate flower and put her out for the press like the Moose-hunting bad-ass you're painting her to be
  
• Hides himself from the press - what happened to the Straight-Talk Express? Suspended? Oh, that's convenient.
  
• Can't do two things at once - shit, most of you Republicans do more things during your commute to work than some do all day. As masters of multitasking, don't you think the President should be able to as well?
• Is basically trying to extort/bribe, whatever you wanna call it, Congress so that a deal can go through. I mean, is $700 Billion the type of chump change we need to rush by Friday? And, is McCain really necessary for this thing to go through? Seems like rushing this amount of money is not the right idea, but that's just me. I'd prefer we are confident in the plan, not appeasing the whims of a bullying political candidate.

McCain and Palin are scary. McCain, once an honorable war hero, is now just an honorable war hero turned dishonorable politician. Palin is attractive as a candidate, but only physically.

Also, I have a huge problem with terms like: liberal media, biased press, etc. This is all bullshit. To label the media, as a whole, as "liberal," or "biased," is as nuts as saying all Jews are cheap, all Kentuckians are rednecks, all Catholics blame the Jews for killing Jesus, all Muslims are terrorists, all Mexicans in America are illegal, all African-Americans want black power, all white people want white power and love NASCAR.

Right now, and this might sound crazy, but I'm wondering if I should be as offended by the stereotype of journalists as I am at any derogatory racial or religious epithet. (and think about it, journalists have been grilled for the last 8 years of not busting balls over 9/11, Iraq, the Bush Administration, and other topics; seems like they're finally trying to hit back and now everyone right of center calls them biased... F That!)

So, why doesn't your side take the time to actually read a variety of sources, judge each article or author on its/their merits, instead of just doing the simple-minded thing of calling them all liberal and discarding them? It's called lazy narrow-mindedness.

The media is finally doing its job.

Finally, I am nauseous at the idea that half of the votes in America are from dumbed-down lack of thinking. I can't tell you how many of my Republican friends (yes, I have a few) think that Obama plans to raise their taxes. Also, these friends say they don't want Obama, a Democrat, to make the government bigger. Crap, the government and government spending grew ridiculously under George W. Bush in the last 8 years. And, I have the feeling that Obama's planned spending would help improve infrastructure, schools, and other sectors of our economy that will create good jobs, and not those jobs that take place in Baghdhad or Kabul - when getting your leg blown off by an IED is part of the job description, that's not a good job for an American.

We need some brains in that White House and John "I don't send email yet I invented the Blackberry" McCain and Sarah "I can see Russia from a mountain in Alaska so I have foreign policy experience" Palin don't cut it, by a long shot!

Going to blow chunks now...

Mogwai Supports Obama

In a recent Wired interview, members of Glasgow rock legends Mogwai, Barry Burns and Stuart Brathwaite, discussed the current global political climate, lamented George W. Bush's idiocy, and showed support for Barack Obama.

One thing which is not a good thing, according to the outspoken band, is George W. Bush. Burns once joked online that Mogwai would bypass touring America after Bush was elected to his second term in 2004. Things have only fallen apart since then, culminating in a Cold War rerun with Russia and Georgia. And although the band doesn't have a dog in the nasty fight otherwise known as the 2008 election, it's as ready for change as any other U.S. citizen.

"The political situation is worrying," Brathwaite says. "As Boney M famously sang, 'Oh those crazy Russians!' But Bush is a total idiot and I'm so glad that America has realized what a fool he is. I like what I've heard so far from Obama. He is an inspiring speaker, which is a marked changed from W, who can't even speak."

Nani Couldn't Say It Better Himself...

In an editorial today at CNN.com, Jack Cafferty sums up a lot of my thoughts for me. Thanks, Jack! Below are the basic/non-policy reasons influencing my vote. I've cropped some parts for the sake of brevity [photos and captions added by Nani]:

Russia invades Georgia and President Bush goes on vacation. Our president has spent one-third of his entire two terms in office either at Camp David, Maryland, or at Crawford, Texas, on vacation.

His time away from the Oval Office included the month leading up to 9/11, when there were signs Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America, and the time Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans.

Sen. John McCain takes weekends off and limits his campaign events to one a day. He made an exception for the religious forum on Saturday at Saddleback Church in Southern California....

It occurs to me that John McCain is as intellectually shallow as our current president. When asked what his Christian faith means to him, his answer was a one-liner. "It means I'm saved and forgiven." Great scholars have wrestled with the meaning of faith for centuries. McCain then retold a story we've all heard a hundred times about a guard in Vietnam drawing a cross in the sand [which he may have lifted].

Asked about his greatest moral failure, he cited his first marriage, which ended in divorce. While saying it was his greatest moral failing, he offered nothing in the way of explanation. Why not?

He was asked "if evil exists." His response was to repeat for the umpteenth time that Osama bin Laden is a bad man and he will pursue him to "the gates of hell." That was it.

He was asked to define rich. After trying to dodge the question -- his wife is worth a reported $100 million -- he finally said he thought an income of $5 million was rich.

One after another, McCain's answers were shallow, simplistic, and trite. He showed the same intellectual curiosity that George Bush has -- virtually none.

"Can I touch your hair?"

John McCain graduated 894th in a class of 899 at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. His father and grandfather were four star admirals in the Navy. Some have suggested that might have played a role in McCain being admitted. His academic record was awful. And it shows over and over again whenever McCain is called upon to think on his feet.

I am sick and tired of the president of the United States embarrassing me. The world we live in is too complex to entrust it to someone else whose idea of intellectual curiosity and grasp of foreign policy issues is to tell us he can look into Vladimir Putin's eyes and see into his soul.

I wonder if this is what Bush saw when he looked into Putin's soul.

George Bush's record as a student, military man, businessman and leader of the free world is one of constant failure. And the part that troubles me most is he seems content with himself.

He will leave office with the country $10 trillion in debt, fighting two wars, our international reputation in shambles, our government cloaked in secrecy and suspicion that his entire presidency has been a litany of broken laws and promises, our citizens' faith in our own country ripped to shreds. Yet Bush goes bumbling along, grinning and spewing moronic one-liners, as though nobody understands what a colossal failure he has been.

I fear to the depth of my being that John McCain is just like him.

Where have I heard this before?

A quick break from politics, although if you saw GWB at the Olympic Opening Ceremony last night, geez, he actually looked happy. Of course, when everything around you turns to crap, I guess watching some Americans who are actually successful can be fun. But I digress.

According to the Dayton Daily News, Dusty Baker does not believe that Cincy rookie Edinson Volquez is suffering from fatigue. As a Cub fan first, and a Reds fan second, I can tell you that this sort of statement is one that conjure images of Mark Prior/Kerry Wood. There are a few things that Baker understands, such as the lovely scent of fresh flowers and the fact that running outside is the best exercise, but there are a lot more things he doesn't understand, such as how On Base Percentage works and how to handle young pitchers.

Reds fans, it is time to worry. This season is done. Period. Once the calendar hits September, it is time to shut down Volquez and teammate Jonny Cueto. There is no reason to risk injury on a couple of very talented young arms just so you finish 2nd to last instead of last in the division.

This Reds team should be young, and hopefully, exciting next year. Adam Dunn will walk, and the Reds should received two draft picks, and they can hopefully unload Francisco Cordero, who is WAY overpaid for an average closer on a bad team.

Back to my original point. Take the decision on how to deal with the young pitchers out of the hands of Baker. There is nothing in his history as a manager that indicates he has any idea how to deal with them.

And finally, on the Olympics, is it just me or is Laura Bush looking more like Jack Nicholson's Joker everyday? Scary.

If Cincinnati Reds Were Current and Former Bush Cabinet Members

Our blog is now one of the TOP SITES in America for info on the Reds, Barack Obama, and David Lee Roth. This post will be hitting at least two of them, and maybe three. Depends on how much I drink between the beginning and the end of this post.

So, when it comes to classic FAIL, no one in the history of the world equals the accomplishments of the current White House resident. George W. Bush is, according to the Guinness Book of World Records (which has nothing to do with the beer), the worst President in the history of the world. Actually, that "fact" may not be true, but admit it, you're too lazy to check it. Anyway, looking at the last place Reds made me wonder what these two underachieving groups could have in common.

Dusty Baker = Karl Rove

1. Perception versus Reality. According to most of the people whose job it is to cover and write about them, these two men are geniuses. This is despite the fact that Dusty Baker ruined the careers of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, is openly mocked for several of his views, and was run out of town in Chicago. This is also despite the fact that Karl Rove devised the strategy that led to W being the least popular President in the history of the world. He also outed a CIA agent and probably committed more crimes than we will ever now. Yet, according to the news media who cover them, they are geniuses.

2. Weakness with Math. Before the epic beat down in the 2006 midterm elections, Rove famously declared that while the media had their math, he had “the math.” His math was horribly wrong, yet no one ever calls him on this. During a game last week with the Dodgers, Baker did not pinch hit the left handed hitting Corey Patterson against a left-handed pitcher. Baker declared that this was because Patterson, over his career, had hit left handed pitchers better. He was just as wrong as Rove. .260 against RHPs and .240 against LHPs. Once again, no mention of this glaring inability to understand how numbers work.

3. Career Success Tied to Cheaters. Karl Rove would be recognized for who he really is, a pompous arrogant fool, if not for W’s “victory” over Al Gore in 2000. Of course, W and Co. cheated the country horribly down in Florida, but it was too late. Rove was now a “political genius”. Baker, likewise, once managed a team to the World Series, and although he did not “win” like Rove, the accomplishment, and his success with the San Francisco Giants, branded him a winner. However, without the steroid induced success of Barry Bonds, the Giants most certainly would not have made the World Series.

Corey Patterson = Mike Brown of FEMA

Basically, nothing these two guys did qualified them for the position they eventually held. Patterson is a past his prime outfielder that strikes out a lot and has zero power. Past his prime may be a little cruel, since I don't think he ever really had a prime, and as a Cubs fan I would know. Regardless, because of who he knew, Dusty Baker, he was given the starting centerfield job. Likewise, Brown dealt with Arabian horses but somehow became Director of FEMA. Once these two men were required to actually perform their jobs......epic FAIL. At least Patterson's performance didn't lead Kanye West to declare that W. hates white people.

Edwin Encarnacion = Condi Rice

Edwin is a bad 3rd baseman. Rice is a bad Secretary of State. However, because they are less horrible than the other horrible people around them they don't get noticed. Not only do they not get noticed, because no one every talks about how bad they are, a lot of people assume they must be doing a pretty good job. These people are stupid.

Adam Dunn = Dick Cheney

They are both from the West. They are both terrible at their jobs. And Dunn's accuracy with a cutoff throw is about as good as Cheney's with a shotgun. And nobody likes them.

Ken Griffey Jr. = Colin Powell

There was a time when both of these guys were extremely popular. Griffey was seen as not just a Hall of Famer, but the greatest player ever. Powell was going to be the first black President. He was Obama before Obama was Obama. But something happened. Injuries, dumb ass Republicans, etc. and the next thing you know. Nothing.

Jay Bruce = Barack Obama

Yes, I know Obama is not a current or former Bush cabinet member. But, like Bruce, he is a young and exciting addition that has everyone feeling like maybe, just maybe, everything is going to work out. And they both have white moms.

File Under: Actually, No, It's Not Satire

George Bush gives up golf as a way to acknowledge the sacrifice of soldiers and their families.

No, seriously.

The Decider explains his decision:

For the first time, Bush revealed a personal way in which he has tried to
acknowledge the sacrifice of soldiers and their families.“I don't want some mom
whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf,” he
said.

* * *
Bush said he made that decision after the August 2003 bombing of the United
Nations headquarters in Baghdad, which killed Sergio Vieira de Mello, the top
U.N. official in Iraq and the organization’s high commissioner for human rights.
“I remember when de Mello, who was at the U.N., got killed in Baghdad as a
result of these murderers taking this good man's life,” he said. “I was playing
golf — I think I was in central Texas — and they pulled me off the golf course
and I said, ‘It's just not worth it anymore to do.’"

Good grief.

UPDATE: Found this great pic at the Huffington Post:

UPDATE 2: Olbermann, as usual, nails it. Video and transcript here. Video embedding later.

UPDATE 3: As promised, the video: