Wounded Soldiers from Iraq asked to pay back signing bonuses???

Can someone please tell me WTF is wrong with this picture?!?!?!?!?

Today, President Bush delivered what was billed as a major address on Iraq. Instead, unfortunately, it was just more of the same "stay the course" rhetoric, moving us no closer to a resolution of the conflict.

We've all been waiting for many months for President Bush to come clean with the American people about the war in Iraq. But clearly, the President still fails to see and confront the truth:

1. President Bush refuses to acknowledge that the Iraq war has nothing to do with the 9/11 attack on our country by al Qaeda, and it has diverted us from our appropriate response to that attack which was to go into Afghanistan and hunt Osama bin Laden.

2. He refuses to acknowledge the fact that our long term presence in Iraq is fueling the very insurgency that he vows to end.

3. President Bush refuses to acknowledge that any mistakes were made and that this war was based on false pretenses.

4. He ignores the tremendous financial burden on our citizens, and he completely ignores the thousands of wounded that need to hear that they will not be forgotten and that they will receive the care they need.

5. President Bush even refuses to acknowledge that Iraqi government officials believe that we can withdraw within a two-year time frame, while continuing to demean those members of Congress who disagree with him.

Today President Bush squandered yet another opportunity to level with the American people and bring the country together around a unified effort to end the war in Iraq. Instead, the President used this speech to lash out in a very personal way against those who believe the best strategy for success is an accelerated training of Iraqi security forces and a drawdown of American troops, starting with the National Guard. Once we clearly state that we do not intend to stay in Iraq forever, the insurgency will be diminished and our brave men and women can begin to come home.

The President's failure to address the concerns of the American people and the Congress is a devastating blow to everyone who hoped to hear the President articulate a clear mission and a projection of when our troops can return home.

With American confidence in his handling of the war in Iraq at an all-time low, when will President Bush get the message? It's up to us to keep standing up and speaking out until he does.

In Friendship,

Barbara Boxer

I received a message from MoveOn.org two days ago asking me to sign a petition to be submitted to the Senate speaking out against the nomination of the right wing activist Judge Samual Alito to the Supreme Court. MoveOn.org's goal was to get 250,000 signatures on their petition.

I have been pretty busy, so I didn't take the time to sign the petition. I figured when I had time later, I would take the time to find out more about Alito and then make my decision. After looking at his record and finding out what kind of a Justice he has been on the 3rd Circuit, I decided that this was NOT a good nomination in terms of the gains made in civil, labor, human, and reproductive rights. So today, when I check my email, I get another email from MoveOn.org saying this:

"On Monday, President Bush buckled under pressure from the radical right and nominated the extreme right wing Judge Samuel Alito. MoveOn members leapt into action, blowing away our original goal and gathering more than 350,000 signatures in just over 24 hours—a new MoveOn record."

This time they are upping the ante. The email continued saying:

"Yesterday more than 350,000 Americans signed the petition to stop Alito. Now we're shooting for half million signatures by tomorrow, so we can publish the total in the newspaper that Congress reads. Can you help us get there?"

The reasoning behind the big push for tomorrow is:

"Tomorrow's an especially important deadline, because the so-called "Gang of 14"—a group of centrist Senators from both parties—will be meeting to discuss the possibility of a filibuster, and whether or not they'll honor their agreement to keep the "nuclear option" off the table.2 We need to make sure those Senators, and all of Congress, understand that the public is fully engaged and prepared to defend our basic rights."

So, I thought, damn, I better get over there and sign the petition. When I signed the petition, there were over 420K signatures already. Less than an hour later, I have just checked the website. There are now over 430K signatures. Sick and tired of Conservatives telling you how to live your life? Want to be a part of history? Sign the petition NOW and stop this travesty:

http://political.moveon.org/stopalito/

If you want to know who Alito is and what he is about, I recommend you Google or go to Wikipedia. Find out for yourself, like I did. I'm not going to tell you what he is. I am most confident that when you find out what kind of judge Samuel Alito has been, you will sign the petition, too. The media is saying that the far right is cooing and happy over this nomination as if they spoke for all Americans. Let's show the Senate that the Right Wing Conservative Movement does NOT represent Americans. It is a fringe political movement that used lies and deception to win elections and take us into a war with more lies. Let's show our Senators that we want a moderate voice on the SCOTUS that follows in the footsteps of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Even your average everyday Conservative can appreciate the idea of maintaining the status quo and having an ideaologically balanced Supreme Court. Encourage everyone to sign this petition. I thank you for your time!

-- Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, indicted by grand jury on charges of obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury in CIA leak probe.

Okay, now who is going to be indicted for outing a CIA operative? I hope it's Karl "The Brain" Rove. He deserves this. It's got his tactics written all over it.

-- Source: CIA leak prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to ask grand jurors to indict Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff.

-- President Bush "reluctantly" accepts Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers's request to withdraw her nomination.

Finally, he's taking some good advice from someone.

Debunking the Right Wing Myths, as usual. It seems like the progressives have to exert effort once again to make sure the truth and the facts are set straight. Here is a great synopsis of debunking right wing talking points on the outing of the CIA Operative, Valerie Plame, as a means to get back against whistle blower, Amb. Joseph Wilson who criticized statements GW Bush made in his State of the Union Speech when he was making his case to go to war with Iraq.

Think Progress summary on Right Wing Talking Points

The Iraqi Constitution is put out with the garbage.

I say good for the women who were going to be subjugated by the format of this Constitution, bad for Bush who is taking punishment in his job approval ratings, which are at an all time low of 37%.