<$BlogRSDURL$>
Google
 
Web www.theriverman.blogspot.com

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

What?

Anyone who pays any attention to global politics knows that Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, is a creepy guy. Beady little eyes, ex-KGB. And he was on up there in the KGB; it's not like he was some little Oxford student who got drafted or something. Putin had a 20+ year career in the KGB also doing other behind-the-scenes, cloak-and-dagger stuff.

Here's a link to a video clip from CBS News showing his most recent, um... odd, behavior: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=1760111n.

Below is the blurb on the event:

CBS News: On a walk through the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin kissed a boy on his stomach, patted his head and walked off through a crowd of astonished tourists.

|

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Missle Firing

N. Korea has just finished fueling a 3 stage rocket capable of hitting any target in the US. The test firing is set to take place literally any second as of 6/18 22:26 CST. Developing...

|

Monday, June 05, 2006

DC Gossip: W And Condi?

Wane Madsen, and a couple other people, have been reporting for a few months now that Bush marriage isn't what one would call "perfect".

But now reports are coming out that GWB has been having an on-going affair with Condi and that Laura has moved in to the Mayflower hotel.

Below are excerpts from Wayne Madsen's website. I've pasted them chronologicastically for your convenieceness (Dubya helped me write that last sentance):


June 1, 2006 -- UPDATED -- Rocky shoals for Bush marriage? Informed sources Inside the Beltway report that First Lady Laura Bush has established temporary residence in the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC as a result of a tiff with President Bush over an extramarital relationship involving her husband. Mr. Bush's tryst is said to involve Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. It is not known how long Mrs. Bush plans to remain at the Mayflower, however, her security detail has been present at the hotel during hours when the First Lady would normally be residing in the White House. While she was National Security Adviser, Rice, who has never been married, referred to George W. Bush as "my husband" before she corrected herself and said, "President. Bush" Rice was speaking at a dinner hosted by New York Times bureau chief Philip Taubman when she made her "husband" remarks.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 2, 2006 -- A White House source, speaking on background, vehemently denied to WMR that there are marital problems between President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush over a reported extramarital affair between Mr. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. However, two mainstream media sources have confirmed that their sources also have reported an ongoing affair between Mr. Bush and Rice.

The mainstream media is hamstrung in reporting stories about Bush's personal life. For example, in 2001, the media highlighted Bush's comments about his passing out from choking on a pretzel while watching a football game in the White House. In reality, Bush, who claims he gave up drinking years ago, passed out from being inebriated. Washington's movers and shakers knew the story about Bush's drinking but the media studiously avoided it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 3, 2006 -- WMR can report that a Mayflower Hotel staffer has confirmed that First Lady Laura Bush spent at least one night this past week at the hotel, which is four blocks north of the White House. Mrs. Bush reportedly moved out of the White House after a confrontation with President Bush over his on-going affair with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Mayflower's official position on the story is that they can "neither confirm nor deny" the identities of their guests. Because it's penchant for security and secrecy is well known to the Secret Service, the Mayflower has become a reliable hotel for U.S. and international VIPs.

Some Washington observers believe that the recent flare up between Laura Bush and the president stems from the fact that her poll numbers are twice as favorable as her husband's (60 percent to 29 percent). Laura Bush's recent solo missions to New Orleans, Colorado, and an AIDS conference at the United Nations represent a virtual declaration of independence from the most unpopular president in U.S. history. "She's [Laura's] taking a page right out of Hillary's book," said one Washington pundit. Rice, on the other hand, has been very close and loyal to Bush since she signed on as his chief foreign policy adviser in 2000. WMR has been told of intimate encounters between Mr. Bush and Rice on trips to New York City (multiple occasions) and New Orleans following Katrina.

Mayflower officially mum on recent VIP guest and her Secret Service detail.

WMR has received numerous email from the typical right-wing political direct marketing operations with the same talking point: how dare we violate the privacy of the President and First Lady in time of war. To refresh the memory of the right, we offer this one peek into recent history:

Feb. 18, 1998 (CNN) -- . . . Clinton also faces a divided public. In the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, 54 percent of people surveyed said they would prefer to see the Iraqi crisis resolved by diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions. Maybe more importantly, though, the poll indicated a significant drop since early February in support for military strikes against Iraq, from 50 percent to 41 percent. At the same time, by about a 2-1 margin, people say if the U.S. does attack, its goal should be remove Hussein, not just to reduce Iraq's capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and threaten its neighbors.

And Clinton has another problem, and her name is Monica Lewinsky. In this public test of wills with Hussein, Clinton has tried to stake out the moral high ground. He has talked about "the chance to do the right thing for our children and grandchildren." But some of his political opponents think Clinton cannot claim the moral high ground, not now, not after the past month's lurid tales. As restrained as Republicans have been in discussing the Lewinsky controversy, there are signs that approach is ending.

In the GOP view of morality, Republican Presidents are entitled to more privacy than Democratic Presidents.

In another bit of GOP hypocrisy, on Monday, President Bush will hold a VIP ceremony at the White House to back a bill enshrining a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. The name of the legislation: The Sanctity of Marriage Act. WMR hopes the mainstream TV media will focus on Laura Bush's facial reaction when Mr. Bush proclaims his support for The Sanctity of Marriage Act, i.e., if Mrs. Bush is even present for the event.

Postscript: We want to thank radio hosts Randi Rhodes and Stephanie Miller for not being cowered by the right-wing spin machine and reporting this story on their programs.


I will update as events warrant. For a little more info, and noticably quicker updating, check out Madsen's site or the site of talkradio-host Randi Rhodes. Actually, check out Randi's site anyway. She does a good show and presents a lot of accurate, footnoted, info.

|

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Interesting, Sad Zogby Poll

In a recent Le Moyne College/Zogby Poll, 944 US military respondents were interviewed at several undisclosed locations throughout Iraq. It was found that "nearly 90%” believed that the reason America invaded Iraq, the reason they are now risking their lives in Iraq, is a retaliation for Saddam’s role in the 9/11 attacks. This sickens me. It has long been acknowledged, even by the hardest neo-con hardliners, that Saddam was in no way involved. And yet, this what our troops are apparently told. I have to wonder, if they knew the truth, would they still happy doing the compulsory “volunteer” double- and triple-tours of duty?

God bless the men and women who signed up to defend our country. It’s a damn shame that they’re not allowed to do that.

And if there be any active military reading this, as an American I ask of you only one mission, come home safe and healthy with healthy buddies. By any means necessary.

|

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Weblog Commenting and Trackback by HaloScan.com Is my Blog HOT or NOT?