Casey, thanks for the information relative to Jimmy Carter's book. I saw him interviewed about it on several programs. He's a good man with a lot of integrity. He walks his talk.

Here's today's stuff:


Item 1: From the NYTimes about the president's Sunday comments in San Antonio as he visited wounded soldiers at the Brooke Army Medical Center.

Much is reiteration of previous articles - Bush's lame arguments, excuses, diversions (we should be investigating who leaked the program, not the legality of it - again they ignore the Plame leak investigation) and contradictions. Still, it's worth perusing, if for no other reason than to see that he's still misleading the public and trying to coerce us with doom and gloom.

Bush Defends Spy Program and Denies Misleading Public
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/02/politics/02spy.html


Item 2: From CNN.com. Basically a repeat substantiation of the NYTimes article.

Bush defends NSA spying program
Senators back hearings as president explains campaign remarks
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/01/nsa.spying/index.html


NOTE: MSNBC also had something on this topic, but it was on a video that wouldn't work


Item 3: From CNN.com. This appears to be a defensive PR "hail the chief" article - don't get stuck in the syrup.

Bush visits wounded troops in Texas
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/01/bush.troops.ap/index.html

quote:
"The president, as commander in chief, feels it's one his most important duties to visit with those who are serving in the armed forces and providing great sacrifice for this important mission," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said.

"He thanks them for their service. He asks how they're doing. He is always interested in seeing if they are getting the kinds of care they need," Duffy said, adding that not all the troops' injuries were sustained in combat.
If he's so "interested in seeing they are getting the kinds of care they need", why did he cut veteran's benefits last year?


In this next quote, you can see the touch of disparity between his lifestyle, those who are giving their lives for him and our country and the everyday average citizen - let them eat cake!

quote:
Bush spent the past week relaxing at his ranch where he rode his bike, cleared brush and prepared for his sixth year in office. He and his wife, Laura, and her mother, Jenna Welch, stayed at the ranch on New Year's Eve and had a steak dinner.
On the lighter side:

Item 3: From MSNBC, this next article has nothing to do with the thread. It's just a neat story.

‘Hero’ cat apparently dials 911 to help owner
Responding to emergency call, police officer finds feline next to phone
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10663270/


Item 4: And here's a goofy story.

Italian women hostages in Yemen refuse release
Three tourists held say they won’t leave until male companions are set free
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10661738/

And the funny thing is:

quote:
Tribesmen frequently kidnap tourists to force concessions from the government in Yemen, a poor, mountainous nation on the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula where state control in outlying areas is shaky.

The hostages are usually freed unharmed, but several were killed in 2000 when Yemeni soldiers carried out a botched raid to free them.
Item 5: I also received an article from a friend that I couldn't get a link to. It was in the Wall Street Journal for December 28, 2005. The article was titled,

Some Conservatives Return To Old Argument
Outside Advocacy Group Aims To Rally Support by Backing Bush's Initial Claims on Iraq

Of particular concern to note was the following, about their radio and tv ads:


quote:
The hard-hitting spots are part of a recent public-relations barrage aimed at reversing a decline in public support for President Bush's handling of Iraq. But these advertisements aren't paid for by the Republican National Committee or other established White House allies. Instead, they are sponsored by Move America Forward, a media-savvy outside advocacy group that has become one of the loudest -- and most controversial -- voices in the Iraq debate.
and

quote:
"An organization with a shady tax status participating in partisan activities and saying things that aren't true is a rogue element in American politics."
Oddly enough:

quote:
The White House didn't return several calls seeking comment. A Republican National Committee spokesman declined to comment.
That's it for today. Now back to work - a painting of a wolf in the Grand Teton Mtns. in Wyoming and the writing of my old ladies' novel.

[ January 02, 2006, 07:47 PM: Message edited by: Vi ]