Reid the obstructionist?

It was only last week that the beloved GOP talking point "up or down vote" was officially declared dead. Its demise was little noticed in the aftermath of the Senate Republicans' successful all-night filibuster to block the Reed-Levin bill seeking to begin U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq. "Up or down vote" was killed by a desperate Republican Party trying to obstruct Democratic accomplishments at any cost in advance of the 2008 elections. And so far, the GOP seems to be getting away with the crime.

For the details, see:
"Up or Down Vote: Death of a GOP Talking Point."

The White House on Winning and Losing in Iraq:

"I believe that we're going to win."
President Bush, December 20, 2006.

"We're not winning, we're not losing."
President Bush, December 19, 2006.

"Absolutely, we're winning."
President Bush, October 25, 2006.

"We are losing."
Former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell, December 17, 2006.

"No, sir."
Defense Secretary nominee Robert Gates, asked if the U.S. is winning in Iraq, December 5, 2006.

"I'm not playing the game anymore."
Tony Snow, asked whether the U.S. is winning in Iraq, December 18, 2006.

In an elaborate ceremony carried live on all the cable news networks, President Bush and Vice President Cheney feted the disgraced Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with glowing words, military pomp and even a 19 gun salute. "This man knows how to lead and he did," Bush declared, "and the country is better off for it."

Rumsfeld, it seems, will not be held to the GOP's "Les Aspin Standard." That is, decisions that needlessly cost American lives in battle cost defense secretaries their jobs, but apparently only if Bill Clinton is president.

For the details, see:
"Flashback: Rumsfeld Celebrated, Aspin Slandered."

Remember President Bush's own record - and words - when it comes to Osama Bin Laden:

"So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you...I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him."
...President Bush, March 13, 2004.

"Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those exaggerations. Of course we're worried about Osama bin Laden."
October 13, 2004.

For the details, see:
"Bush Flip-Flops on Bin Laden."

While President Bush was eulogizing Coretta Scott King, his administration was supporting the Republican war on minority voting rights in Georgia.

For more, see:
"Dishonoring Mrs. King."

For more on Alito's key rulings, judicial history, Reagan-era documents, an interactive chart of his decisons, confirmation hearing transcripts and other essential materials, see:

"The Alito Files."

The Bush wiretap revelations mean it's probably time to raise the Conservative Threat Level.

The Conservative Threat Level (CTL) is currently Orange/Elevated: Church and State to Merge.

What about the ethics of "the Banana Republicans?

Voters across the nation dealt a major defeat to the radical anti-government movement. In Colorado, California and Washington, the people rejected the starvation tax policies of the Norquistas and reaffirmed their shared commitment to investment in essential public services. Looking ahead to 2006, this augurs well for good government Democrats and represents a stern warning to President Bush and the Congressional GOP.

For the full story, see:

"Voting with Their Wallets."

The nomination of Harriet Miers as the replacement for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has united liberals and conservatives in ways few thought possible. Democrats fear she is a stealth arch-conservative. But it is Republicans fellow-travelers like Michelle Malkin, Bill Kristol and David Frum who seem most horrified. They are simply astounded that Bush confirmed Americans' worst fears that he values cronyism over qualification.

For the details, see:

"Harriet Miers' Supreme Opportunism."

As the record clearly shows, Bill Frist lied twice:

Terri Schiavo was blind. His blind trust was not.

For more on Frist and the epidemic of GOP corruption, cronyism and patronage, see:

"Banana Republicans."

As Delay himself said in his own defense, "people hate the messenger. That's why they killed Christ."

The similarities between Tom and Jesus are striking...

The Tom Delay Scandal Center has a complete collection of the essential Delay articles, documents, timelines and other resources, including:

• The Indictment Text (PDF)


• Original 2003 complaint by Texans for Public Justice to DA Ronnie Earle


• Links to resources from Public Citizen, Common Cause, ThinkProgress and other groups.

For the details, see:

"The Tom Delay Scandal Center."

Bush's prime-time "Katrina Comeback" address was designed to help him, and not the Gulf States, recover from his administration's disastrous bungling of the Katrina response. He turned to the same old page in his political playbook:  offer to shower money on the devastated South, but hold no one accountable for the past and shun independent oversight of the rebuilding. Truest to form, the Free Lunch President refused to ask the American people to pay for it.

For the full story, see:

"Bush's Katrina Cop Out"

How do you explain FEMA's abysmal response to Hurricane Katrina only one year after its swift action in the four storms of 2004?

Well, Louisiana isn't Florida. And Kathleen Blanco isn't Jeb Bush.

For the full story on the politics of Bush-era disaster relief, see:

"FEMA: Florida Election Management Agency."