The Real Morning in America . . . .

A good friend from California sent this, and it's worth sharing:

One sunny day in 2009 an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, 'I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.'

The Marine looked at the man and said, 'Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here.'

The old man said, 'Okay' and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, 'I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.'

The Marine again told the man, 'Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here.'

The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U. S. Marine, saying 'I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.'

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, 'Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I've told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?'

The old man looked at the Marine and said,

'Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it.'

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, 'See you tomorrow.'

Gotta love it . . . .

(H/T Paula)

(Cross-posted from Moved to Vancouver)

The Bush administration reaches into the septic tank and pulls out another turd

You probably don't know Susan Orr. You probably don't care that the Bush administration just named her acting deputy assistant secretary for population affairs in the US Department of Health and Human Services.

In short, she's responsible for U.S. contraception programs.

So, with that knowledge, take a read of this:

The Department of Health and Human Services appointed Susan Orr — who has spoken out against contraception — to a post responsible for U.S. contraception programs.

Orr, who will be acting deputy assistant secretary for population affairs, has been directing child welfare programs in another branch of HHS. Prior to joining the Bush administration, Orr was senior director for marriage and family at the Family Research Council, a conservative group that favors abstinence-only education and opposes federal money for contraception.

In 2001, she was quoted in the Washington Post favoring a Bush administration plan to drop a requirement that health insurance plans for federal employees cover a broad range of birth control.

“We’re quite pleased because fertility is not a disease,” she said at the time. “It’s not a medical necessity that you have it.”

Orr is replacing another Bush favourite.

The administration’s last pick for that office drew similar fire. Eric Keroack was criticized by family planning advocates who objected to his earlier work as medical director of a Christian pregnancy counseling organization that opposed distribution of contraceptives. He resigned in March to deal with an allegation by the Massachusetts Medicaid program against his private practice.

I know... stunning, isn't it?

Really, it must take a monumental effort to go to such lengths to prove to the world how stupid an entire administration can be. They must seriously have to work at it.

condescending Ponders Her "Legacy" . . . .

Let's just make this easy for 'ya, condescending. Your legacy can be expressed in two words, so simple that even your idiot-boss can understand:

TOTAL FAILURE

If you need more background and can stomach her "pondering', the whole article is available here from the NYT today.

As Her Star Wanes,
Rice Tries to Reshape Legacy


Have a barf-bag readily available . . . .

(Cross-posted from Moving to Vancouver)

Waterloo . . . .

'Ya gotta love ABBA . . . .

(Cross-Posted at Moving to Vancouver)

Urban Legends, Modern Folklore, or just another Snow job?

The White House press briefing by Tony Snow contained this little remark yesterday: (Emphasis mine)

Also, I want to address kind of a rumor, an urban legend that's going around -- and it comes from language in the President's Wednesday night address to the nation, that in talking about Iran and Syria, that he was trying to prepare the way for war with either country and that there are war preparations underway: There are not. What the President was talking about is defending American forces within Iraq and also doing what we can to disrupt networks that might be trying to convey weapons or fighters into battle theaters within Iraq to kill Americans and Iraqis.

Then there was this:

Q: Everyone from the President on down has said that this depends on the cooperation of the Iraqis. And yet, to date, nothing has been heard from al Maliki, as far as I know. He's declined to endorse this, though invited to do so. There's no expression of enthusiasm over there.

MR. SNOW: Well, no, that's not true. As matter of fact, the Prime Minister, as I pointed out, on Wednesday he talked in a very forward-leaning direction about going after militias, and he mentioned the Sadrists by name. On Thursday he mentioned Muqtada al Sadr. I'm sorry, that -- yes, Wednesday and Thursday. Then yesterday, his press spokesman, in the weekly briefing, talked about the fact that they have been working with the Americans and that as the plan moves forward it is in concert with the Iraqi government. But there's also another --

Q But he's declined to speak about it.

MR. SNOW: No, and I'm glad you raise that, because that's urban legend number two of the day. And I think some news organizations that have reported this are prepared now to issue corrections.

He did not decline. He was never scheduled to make comments about it yesterday. It was his spokesman's normal weekly briefing. And somehow that has been reported or misreported as the Prime Minister not showing up for a briefing.

Ah yes. When a major shift in military disposition in one's own country by an occupying force is announced, one does not make a speech unless it was already on the calendar. To do otherwise is the stuff of modern folklore. Then:

Q Sure, but wouldn't you think that under the circumstances, with all of the rollout that's gone on here, that you would want the principal ally to endorse this in the most public and positive way?

MR. SNOW: You know, you've got an interesting political dynamics. You can turn it around and say the Iraqis have made clear their support.

By not coming out with a two sentence line endorsing Bush's ridiculous plan, that is viewed as support.

OK, all you penis enhanced warbloggers out there. Here's one for you. Your subjugated spousal unit goes to the hair dresser. She returns and asks, "How do you like my new hair style?" You say nothing. Tell me how that works for you.

Digby takes on Urban Legend number one. Go read.