Americans Died for Lack of Body Armor
The New York Times reports that a Pentagon study confirms what most of us already knew -- when it comes to safeguarding the health and lives of its people, the U.S. Government is doin' a heckuva job. "A secret Pentagon study has found that as many as 80 percent of the marines who have been killed in Iraq from wounds to the upper body could have survived if they had had extra body armor." (via Talkleft)
Republicans Ditch Delay
Republicans are so freaked by the Abramoff scandal that they have begun to band together to drive Delay out. As they wait for heads to roll, perhaps they might consider passing legislation mandating Delay's early retirement to a nice leper colony. The word is as many as three of DeLay's "former senior staff members have admitted or have been implicated in corrupt and illegal activities to get money for themselves by influencing legislation." And Abramoff still has some talking to do.
Republican Loses Votes of Cold Beer Drinkers
Republican State Sen. Bill Alter is trying to make it illegal for stores in Missouri to sell cold beer. This must be a new vote getting strategy. What? Did somebody do a study finding that only Dems drink cold beer? I don't think so. The Republican lawmaker said he got the idea from a fifth-grade student, but we think he is the fifth-grade student.
Warrantless Spying Conflicts with Existing Law
A report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service concludes that Bushie's justification for his warrantless spy policy "conflicts with existing laws and hinges on weak legal arguments. . . . The report includes 1970s-era quotations from congressional committees that were then uncovering years of domestic spying abuses by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI against those suspected of communist sympathies, American Indians, Black Panthers and other activists. Lawmakers were very disturbed at how routinely FBI agents had listened in on U.S. citizens' phone calls without following any formal procedures. As they drafted FISA and created its court, the lawmakers warned then that only strong legislation, debated in public, could stop future administrations from eavesdropping." Yep, this was the thinking in the pre Bush days.
Poll Finds Most Americans Prefer Dems
An AP-Ipsos poll finds that the majority of Americans are ready for a new majority party in Congress. Democrats are favored over Republicans 49 percent to 36 percent. Bushie's job approval is stuck in the low 40s in the AP-Ipsos poll. Republican scandals are still developing, and erupting, so things can always get worse yet for the Dark Side.
Bush Delay Body Armor Abramoff Bill Alter Scandal Spying Republican Corruption
