Slow-Pitch Softball on Football Sunday

On Wednesday, I commented that Tim Russert owed his Meet the Press audience a clarification regarding Aaron Broussard's dramatic fictional story-telling.

I got my wish. Well, not really, but the president of Jefferson Parish in New Orleans was Russert's guest this morning.

Broussard was reduced to tears--again!

This time it was momentary and he didn't sob or lower his head. He didn't really stretch as an actor. I have to give him a thumbs down on his performance. Nevertheless, Broussard was entertaining.

Russert ran the footage of Broussard's emotional collapse on the September 4 show, including Broussard saying:

"Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?" And he said, "Yeah, Mama, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday." And she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night.

Broussard was only able to hear the audio, but he got choked up upon listening.

Transcript

(Excerpt)

(End videotape)

Mr. Broussard: I've never watched this. Why are they taking me here?

Mr. Russert: Mr. Broussard, obviously that was a very painful, emotional moment, but let me show you some of the...

Mr. Broussard: Sir, I've never looked at that. I've never heard that. I'm sorry. You take me to a sad place when you let me hear that.

Mr. Russert: Well, it was important, I think...

Mr. Broussard: Go ahead. Go ahead, sir. Go ahead, sir.

Mr. Russert: Thank you very much.

Mr. Broussard: Go ahead.

Mr. Russert: All right, sir. Thank you very much. Take your time. But it's important I think...

Mr. Broussard: Go ahead.

Mr. Russert: ...that our viewers see that again because MSNBC and other blog organizations have looked into the facts behind your comments and these are the conclusions, and I'll read it for you and our viewers. It says: "An emotional moment and a misunderstanding. Since the broadcast of [Meet the Press] interview...a number of bloggers have questioned the validity of Broussard's story.

Did Broussard retract his false characterization of events regarding the death of Thomas Rodrigue's mother?

NOOOOOOOO.

He reiterated it!

Mr. Broussard: Sir, this gentleman's mother died on that Friday before I came on the show. My own staff came up to me and said what had happened. I had no idea his mother was in the nursing home. It was related to me by my own staff, who had tears in their eyes, what had happened. That's what they told me. I went to that man, who I love very much and respect very much, and he had collapsed like a deck of cards. And I took him and put him in my hospital room with my prayer books and told him to sit there and cry out and pray away and give honor to his mother with his tears and his prayers.

Now, everything that was told to me about the preface of that was told to me by my own employees. Do you think I would interrogate a man whose mother just died and said, "Tommy, I want to know everything about why your mother just died"? The staff, his own staff, told me those words. Sir, that woman is the epitome of abandonment. She was left in that nursing home. She died in that nursing home. Tommy will tell you that he tried to rescue her and could not get her rescued. Tommy could tell you that he sent messages there through the EOC and through, I think, the sheriff's department, "Tell Mama everything's going to be OK. Tell Mama we're coming to get her."

Listen, sir, somebody wants to nitpick a man's tragic loss of a mother because she was abandoned in a nursing home? Are you kidding? What kind of sick mind, what kind of black-hearted people want to nitpick a man's mother's death? They just buried Eva last week. I was there at the wake. Are you kidding me? That wasn't a box of Cheerios they buried last week. That was a man's mother whose story, if it is entirely broadcast, will be the epitome of abandonment. It will be the saddest tale you ever heard, a man who was responsible for safekeeping of a half a million people, mother's died in the next parish because she was abandoned there and he can't get to her and he tried to get to her through EOC. He tried to get through the sheriff's office. He tries every way he can to get there. Somebody wants to debate those things? My God, what sick-minded person wants to do that?

What kind of agenda is going on here? Mother Nature doesn't have a political party. Mother Nature can vote a person dead and Mother Nature can vote a community out of existence. But Mother Nature is not playing any political games here. Somebody better wake up. You want to come and live in this community and see the tragedy we're living in? Are you sitting there having your coffee, you're in a place where toilets flush and lights go on and everything's a dream and you pick up your paper and you want to battle ideology and political chess games? Man, get out of my face. Whoever wants to do that, get out of my face.

When Broussard again claimed that Rodrique's mother died on September 2, did Russert press him on it?

NOOOOOOOO.

Maybe Russert was frightened off by Broussard's anger. Maybe it was too much for Tim to hear him loudly say in a threatening voice packed with emotion, "GET OUT OF MY FACE."

Broussard was not in the studio with Russert, so that doesn't seem plausible. I guess it was Russert's anti-Bush agenda that kept him from following up. Yeah, that must be it.

Mr. Russert: Mr. Broussard, the people who are questioning your comments are saying that you accused the federal government and the bureaucracy of murder, specifically calling on the secretary of Homeland Security and using this as an example to denounce the federal government. And what they're saying is, in fact, it was the local government that did not evacuate Eva Rodrigue on Friday or on Saturday.

Stop!

The "people who are questioning your comments"?

Isn't Russert questioning Broussard's comments?

Rodrigue questioned Broussard's comments!

From MSNBC's own account:

When told of the sequence of phone calls that Broussard described on Meet the Press, Rodrigue said “No, no, that’s not true.”

What Broussard said on September 4 was acknowledged as FALSE by Rodrigue himself!

Officials say that his mother was among the thirty-four people who died on August 29 at St. Rita's Nursing Home in St. Bernard Parish, near New Orleans.

This isn't an issue of being "black-hearted" or "sick-minded" or having a political agenda. It's about facts, very simple facts, facts which Broussard refuses to admit. Russert, apparently, also prefers Broussard's timeline to reality.


Mr. Broussard: Sir, with everything I said on Meet the Press, the last punctuation of my statements were the story that I was going to tell in about maybe two sentences. It just got emotional for me, sir. Talk about the context of everything I said. Were we abandoned by the federal government? Absolutely we were. Were there more people that abandoned us? Make the list. The list can go on for miles. That's for history to document. That's what Congress does best, burn witches. Let Congress do their hearings. Let them find the witches. Let them burn them. The media burns witches better than anybody. Let the media go find the witches and burn them. But as I stood on the ground, sir, for day after day after day after day, nobody came here, sir. Nobody came. The federal government didn't come. The Red Cross didn't come. I'll give you a list of people that didn't come here, sir, and I was here.

So anybody that's saying, "Oh, they were all here," you know, they weren't living on my planet, there weren't living in my parish. They did not come. I can't make it any more clearer than that. Did inefficiencies, did bureaucracy commit murder here? Absolutely, it did. And Congress and the media will flush it out and find it out and those people will be held accountable. You've already given an example. These people in the nursing home in St. Bernard, they're getting indicted. Good. They ought to be indicted. They ought to get good old-fashioned Western justice. They ought to be taken out and administered to like they did in the old West.

Yes, there's a lot of people that they're going to find that are going to be villains in this situation, but they're also going to find for the most part that the Peter Principle was squared. The Peter Principle is you promote somebody to the level of incompetency, but when you promote somebody to the level of incompetency in a life or death department, then those people should be ousted. Those people should be strung up. Those people should be burned at the stake. And I'm sure Congress and the press is going to do that.

Mr. Russert: At the local, state and federal level.

Mr. Broussard: Sir, at every level. Are you kidding? This is a jigsaw puzzle. This is a mosaic. The blame will be shared by everybody. The heroic deeds will be magnified as individual stories of heroics come out from different people and agencies that did eventually come here. Sir, this is chaos. It's organized chaos at best. There are plenty of heroes that have to be uncovered. There are plenty of villains that have to be uncovered. Let the process go on. Let it happen. I don't have time to do it, sir. I didn't even watch my own broadcast that you played to me in my ear. It pained me to hear that again because Tommy Rodrigue is a friend of mine. He works for me. I was at his mother's wake.

When somebody wants to nit-pick these details, I don't know what sick minds creates this black-hearted agenda, but it's sick. I mean, let us recover. Let us rebuild. If somebody wants me to debate them on national TV, hey, buddy, be my guest. Make my day. Put me at a podium when I got a full night's sleep and you will not like matching me against anybody that you want. That person is going to be in trouble. If this station or anybody else or any other station wants to do that, you just give me a full night's sleep, sir. I haven't had one in about 30 days. But you wind me up with a full night's sleep, I'll debate every detail of everything you want, sir.

Mr. Russert: Aaron Broussard, the president of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, we thank you for coming on and correcting the record and putting it in context. And we wish you well and to all your people in the recovery. And we hope to talk to you again.

"Burning witches."

Yikes!

Broussard is a real piece of work.

I found Russert's final remarks to be laugh out loud funny.

"[W]e thank you for coming on and correcting the record and putting it in context."

THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN!

In effect, rather than clarifying or retracting, the segment gave Broussard a Meet the Press platform once again to lose control and spread falsehoods.

At this point, I am compelled to call on Russert to give his audience a clarification on Broussard's non-clarification. I'm not holding my breath on that.

After Broussard, the audience was treated to a panel of New York Times columnists--David Brooks, Maureen Dowd, and Tom Friedman.

Naturally, hilarity ensued.

Mr. Russert: ...Maureen Dowd, yesterday in The New York Times you wrote, "What Katrina exposed was a president who--remarkable as this may sound--seemed bored after his reelection... The more tuned-in W. is now, the more obvious it is that he tuned out as New Orleans drowned. There's a high cost for presidential learning curves."

Bored?

Ms. Maureen Dowd: Well, I think it's hard for any of your viewers to believe that a president could get bored because what could be more fun than picking up the phone, calling the 82nd Airborne and saving a bunch of American lives? But this happened to Clinton right after his re-election. The Times had a front-page story with Senator Breaux and others quoted as saying, "He's drifting. He's lost his way." He was playing golf at night in storms. And Monica, the chaos of Monica then caused him to focus. Unfortunately it was on impeachment. But a lot of people who cover Bush think he was bored. He was exercising on the mountain bike under his iPod, listening to "My Sharona." You know, his aides did not have the nerve to tell him to cut his vacation short even after Katrina started.

Mr. Russert: A stark contrast to the government reaction for Rita as opposed to Katrina.

Ms. Dowd: Right. Well, as one Republican said this week, "Now, we've got a president who's the head of FEMA," you know, which is not where they want to be, either. He has inverse ADD. Now, he can only pay attention to one thing.

Later, Dowd continued to bash Bush.

She was playing her dominatrix roll to the hilt, cracking the whip as her dye-damaged red hair hung over her right eye like an eyepatch.

Ms. Dowd: ...I think that, you know, for the Democrats, the problem is that Katrina exposed the incompetence of Iraq and Americans were able to see them on a split screen and the same exact problems existed. They were warned by experts before they went in. They blew it off. They failed to send enough troops early enough to stop the law and order and chaos problems. Then they gave all the no-bid contracts to Halliburton and staffed everything with incompetent Bush loyalists and cronies. So the public can see that this administration has always been incompetent, but the Democrats aren't in a position to take advantage of it because they went along with Bush on authorizing a war based on false premises.

HALLIBURTON. HALLIBURTON. HALLIBURTON.

That is Dowd's problem and the Democrats' problem.

Simply saying "Halliburton" is not going to cut it. They have to come up with some substance. Something. ANYTHING.

Hatred for Bush and his administration is NOT an agenda for America.

A funny line I heard while channel surfing--

On ABC's This Week, George Will said that Bush was looking for a "Hispanic woman from New Orleans" to fill Sandra Day O'Connor's Supreme Court seat.

I doubt even someone with those "qualifications" would satisfy the rabid Dems.

Enough of this. Time for football!

Packers lose in a heartbreaker.

______________________________

I retract my earlier comments about Blogspot. It was not a system problem. It was my problem, completely my fault. I apologize.

Please forgive me, Blogger Support.

(Thank you, Wordsmith from Nantucket for your kind words.)

CREEPY LIAR

I used to enjoy watching The McLaughlin Group.

Lately, I've been finding it a bit too difficult to stomach Eleanor Clift's shrieking.

The problem is Clift isn't the worst member on the panel. Yes, she provides stiff competition; but the most annoying participant on the show has to be Lawrence O'Donnell, hands down.

O'Donnell is a man of many talents. He is a senior political analyst for MSNBC. He also is a writer and producer of the NBC series The West Wing.

During the "predictions" segment, at the end of this weekend's McLaughlin Group, slimy O'Donnell shamelessly plugged his series.

His prediction was that the new time slot for The West Wing would send its ratings through the roof.

Cute.

I don't think I'll ever be able to look at O'Donnell without thinking of his meltdown last October on MSNBC, just days before the presidential election.



The man flipped out in what should have been a career ending appearance.

Maybe it would have been the end for O'Donnell if he had thrown his hissy fit on a channel that people actually watch.

I think almost anything can happen on MSNBC and go unnoticed.

Luckily, the transcript of O'Donnell's memorable performance is preserved for posterity.

If you're not familiar with his crash and burn, read it.

As you can see, even a commercial break didn't help O'Donnell to compose himself when he went nuts over John O'Neill, author of Unfit for Command.

(Excerpt)

O‘DONNELL: You lie in that book endlessly claiming that reports belonged to Kerry that don‘t have his name on it, John O‘Neill.

You lie about documents endlessly. His name is not on the reports.

You‘re just lying about it.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘DONNELL: And you lied about Thurlow‘s Bronze Star. You lied about it as long as you could until “The New York Times” found the wording of what was on the citation that you, as a lying writer, refused to put in your pack-of-lies book.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘DONNELL: Disgusting, lying book.

BUCHANAN: John, let me ask you this.

O‘NEILL: And you, Larry, are a professional liar.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘DONNELL: You have no standards, John O‘Neill, as an author. And you know it. It‘s a pack of lies. You are unfit to publish.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘NEILL: There are 254 of us, Larry. It‘s a little hard to call us all liars.

BUCHANAN: All right, John O‘Neill, let me ask you a quick question. How do you know for certain that John Kerry wrote the after-action report that said the boats were under fire?

O‘NEILL: It has been tracked down specifically in...

O‘DONNELL: Lies.

(CROSSTALK)

BUCHANAN: Oh, let him talk.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘DONNELL: He just lies. He just spews out lies.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘DONNELL: Point to his name on the report, you liar. Point to his name, you liar. These are military records. Point to a name.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘NEILL: I will, if you‘ll shut up, Larry. You can‘t just scream everybody down.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘DONNELL: There‘s no name. You just spew lies.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘NEILL: ... let everybody talk, isn‘t...

(CROSSTALK)

BUCHANAN: Look, Lawrence, take it easy. You‘ve made your point.

We‘re going to take a break. We‘re going to give John O‘Neill a chance to answer that when we come back. We‘ll continue this discussion after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BUCHANAN: Welcome back.

We‘re talking with the author of “Unfit For Command,” John O‘Neill, and Lawrence O‘Donnell is with me here in the studio Washington.

BUCHANAN: We have an e-mail, Lawrence, that says: “Why is Mr. O‘Donnell so angry? In fact, why are Democrats so angry? If they don‘t calm themselves down, they‘re going to have a heart attack.”

O‘DONNELL: I just hate the lies of John O‘Neill.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘DONNELL: I hate lies.

BUCHANAN: I know. Now, you‘ve argued that these are lies, but let me suggest...

O‘DONNELL: It‘s not an argument. They‘re proven lies. Every single journalistic look at this book has ripped it apart, left it in shreds. O‘Neill is a liar. He‘s been a liar for 35 years about this. And he found other liars to...

(CROSSTALK)

BUCHANAN: Why cannot John Kerry‘s band of brothers and Max Cleland come on and take this...

O‘DONNELL: They have come on. They have told you. Every single person who served with John Kerry...

(CROSSTALK)

BUCHANAN: I‘ve gone through every single incident.

O‘DONNELL: O‘Neill never served with them, never met them until Vietnam. Everybody who was on that boat with Kerry says all of this stuff is a lie.

(CROSSTALK)

BUCHANAN: Why have none of them signed the sworn affidavits that admirals and others have signed?

(CROSSTALK)

O‘DONNELL: Those affidavits have no legal meaning. They are fraudulent.

(CROSSTALK)

BUCHANAN: They‘re fraudulent? Twenty people got up and lied and signed their name to it?

O‘DONNELL: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘DONNELL: Because some of those people have signed their names to reports that say John Kerry‘s conduct in Vietnam was exemplary, reports written at the time. You can‘t sign both documents. They are lying somewhere.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘NEILL: Can I say one thing?

BUCHANAN: John O‘Neill, go ahead, John.

O‘NEILL: Pat, Mr. O‘Donnell has certainly shown he has a good pair of lungs.

But to try and return a little bit to just basic information, you asked the question, how do we know the report was written by Kerry? The first way we know that is that the other four officers that day, all four of them, say Kerry wrote it.

The second way we know it is the journalist Tom Lipscomb tracked the report to a Coast Guard cutter and proved that the only one on the cutter to write the report was John Kerry. Third, the report is compatible with John Kerry‘s account, which as late as the Democratic Convention.

O‘DONNELL: What are the initials on the report?

(CROSSTALK)

BUCHANAN: Let him finish.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘NEILL: Mr. O‘Donnell, this is what you all did to the POWs.

(CROSSTALK)

O‘DONNELL: Just tell me the initials, you liar.

O‘NEILL: You‘re afraid of the American people getting the truth.

That‘s why you scream and you yell.

O‘DONNELL: Creepy liar.

(CROSSTALK)

BUCHANAN: Hey, listen, we don‘t need the personal insults to you.

O‘DONNELL: Does that matter to you? They‘re not his initials? Does that matter to you at all?

O‘NEILL: You‘re totally afraid of the truth. Can I speak or you‘re going to yell...

(CROSSTALK)

O‘DONNELL: ... liar who makes things up.

(CROSSTALK)

Better yet, watch the video.



I won't call O'Donnell a liar, but I will call him creepy.

Vietnam Reflux

Jesse Jackson, Cindy Sheehan, and Joan Baez snuggle.



Anti-war protesters wearing prison uniforms and masks depicting from left to right Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, sit among crosses and flag draped coffins during protests on the National Mall, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005 in Washington.


The Washington Post writes:

Antiwar Fervor Fills the Streets

Demonstration Is Largest in Capital Since U.S. Military Invaded Iraq

By Petula Dvorak

Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 25, 2005; A01

Tens of thousands of people packed downtown Washington yesterday and marched past the White House in the largest show of antiwar sentiment in the nation's capital since the conflict in Iraq began.

The demonstration drew grandmothers in wheelchairs and babies in strollers, military veterans in fatigues and protest veterans in tie-dye. It was the first time in a decade that protest groups had a permit to march in front of the executive mansion, and, even though President Bush was not there, the setting seemed to electrify the crowd.

Signs, T-shirts, slogans and speeches outlined the cost of the Iraq conflict in human as well as economic terms. They memorialized dead U.S. troops and Iraqis, and contrasted the price of war with the price of recovery for areas battered by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Riffs on Vietnam-era protests were plentiful, with messages declaring, "Make Levees, Not War," "I never thought I'd miss Nixon" and "Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam." Many in the crowd had protested in the 1960s; others weren't even born during those tumultuous years.

It's no suprise that Vietnam would figure so prominently in the signs, t-shirts, and slogans used by Saturday's crowd.

The protesters seem to be under the impression that Iraq is Vietnam. They are allowing their nostalgia for those bygone glory days to cloud the reality of today.

IRAQ IS NOT VIETNAM.

The repercussions of an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops would be disastrous for Iraq, for the Middle East, and for us. Peace would not be achieved by bringing the troops home at once.

But, why let that get in the way of a good protest?

Saturday's events reminded me of those groups that stage Civil War reenactments, only the costumed drama was set in the 1960s, not the 1860s.

...Once protesters arrived, they joined throngs headed toward the rally on the Ellipse, which featured numerous speakers, including the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, actress Jessica Lange and Cindy Sheehan, the California woman who drew thousands of demonstrators to her 26-day vigil outside Bush's Crawford, Tex., ranch last month and was the inspiration for many protesters yesterday. Her son, Casey, 24, was killed in Iraq last year.

"This is amazing!" Sheehan said. "You're part of history."

Make that part of a historical reenactment.

Some of the biggest applause went to someone not even on the program. Adam Hathaway, an 8-year-old who became lost while mingling in the crowds. Before he was separated from his mother, Adam was showing people his jar of pennies and proclaiming that "President Bush is taking lots of this and using it in the war."

Several announcements were made seeking help in finding the blond boy from Maine. He was reunited with his mother, Julia Hathaway, as the crowd cheered.

Ah, the innocence of childhood.

It's nice the eight-year-old and his mother got back together with the aid of announcements blaring from the stage in order to reunite them.

It seems like the protesters were more than just a gathering of people. They formed a community.

I wonder if there were any announcements like this:

"There’s a rumor circulating that the brown acid going around is poison. Cool it. It’s not poison—it’s just badly manufactured."

...Bush and Cheney were depicted on posters, T-shirts and in makeshift costumes. Several demonstrators wore masks of Bush's likeness and prison jumpsuits. They were often asked to pose for photographs.

How fun!

Who needs to protest government policy in a dignified fashion when there are people dressed up like the Commander-in-Chief in a prison jumpsuit willing to pose for pictures?

It must have been thrilling for the protesters, kind of like kids having pictures taken with Santa.

All in all, it sounds like it was a festive event, for some a trip down memory lane, and for others a chance to be part of an era a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

Bush's Booze Crisis

Far left-wingers are raising their glasses in a toast to the tabloid of record. No, not the muckraking New York Times, The National Enquirer. That respected news outlet has "verified" what the libs have known all along.

Oh, the drama!

JENNIFER LUCE and DON GENTILE have written an expose that has jolted the country, make that the world. The blogosphere is abuzz.

BUSH IS HITTING THE BOOZE!

Faced with the biggest crisis of his political life, President Bush has hit the bottle again, The National Enquirer can reveal.

Bush, who said he quit drinking the morning after his 40th birthday, has started boozing amid the Katrina catastrophe.

Family sources have told how the 59-year-old president was caught by First Lady Laura downing a shot of booze at their family ranch in Crawford, Texas, when he learned of the hurricane disaster.

His worried wife yelled at him: "Stop, George."

Following the shocking incident, disclosed here for the first time, Laura privately warned her husband against "falling off the wagon" and vowed to travel with him more often so that she can keep an eye on Dubya, the sources add.

"When the levees broke in New Orleans, it apparently made him reach for a shot," said one insider. "He poured himself a Texas-sized shot of straight whiskey and tossed it back. The First Lady was shocked and shouted: "Stop George!"

"Laura gave him an ultimatum before, 'It's Jim Beam or me.' She doesn't want to replay that nightmare — especially now when it's such tough going for her husband."

Bush is under the worst pressure of his two terms in office and his popularity is near an all-time low. The handling of the Katrina crisis and troop losses in Iraq have fueled public discontent and pushed Bush back to drink.

A Washington source said: "The sad fact is that he has been sneaking drinks for weeks now. Laura may have only just caught him — but the word is his drinking has been going on for a while in the capital. He's been in a pressure cooker for months.

"The war in Iraq, the loss of American lives, has deeply affected him. He takes every soldier's life personally. It has left him emotionally drained.

The result is he's taking drinks here and there, likely in private, to cope. "And now with the worst domestic crisis in his administration over Katrina, you pray his drinking doesn't go out of control."

Another source said: "I'm only surprised to hear that he hadn't taken a shot sooner. Before Katrina, he was at his wit's end. I've known him for years. He's been a good ol' Texas boy forever. George had a drinking problem for years that most professionals would say needed therapy. He doesn't believe in it [therapy], he never got it. He drank his way through his youth, through college and well into his thirties. Everyone's drinking around him."

Another source said: "A family member told me they fear George is 'falling apart.' The First Lady has been assigned the job of gatekeeper." Bush's history of drinking dates back to his youth. Speaking of his time as a young man in the National Guard, he has said: "One thing I remember, and I'm most proud of, is my drinking and partying. Those were the days my friends. Those were the good old days!"

...During his 2000 presidential campaign, there were also persistent questions about past cocaine use. Eventually Bush denied using cocaine after 1992, then quickly extended the cocaine-free period back to 1974, when he was 28.

...Dr. Justin Frank, a Washington D.C. psychiatrist and author of Bush On The Couch: Inside The Mind Of The President, told The National Enquirer: "I do think that Bush is drinking again. Alcoholics who are not in any program, like the President, have a hard time when stress gets to be great.

"I think it's a concern that Bush disappears during times of stress. He spends so much time on his ranch. It's very frightening."

Good Lord.

Is it surprising that The National Enquirer would print such a story?

Not at all. It will probably boost their sales for the week.

Is it surprising that the libs are drooling over the story?

Not really. Even before Bush was sworn in, many libs were claiming with metaphysical certitude that Bush was off the wagon. Those not buying into that theory professed that Bush was a dry drunk. Overall, Bush's detractors have always fallen back on the "Bush is an addict" line. Naturally, they would consider the story to be legitimate.

Is it funny that Leftists are finding The National Enquirer's reporting to be credible?

Very.


What I find interesting about the article is that it reads like a Michael Isikoff piece, with a lot of "family sources said," "a Washington source said," "another source said," and "one insider said."

Moreover, Dr. Justin Frank has about as much credibilty as Kitty Kelley. No respectable doctor makes a diagnosis without examining the patient. Furthermore, his comments about the President going off to his ranch during times of stress are ridiculous.

"It's very frightening," Frank says.

What's frightening is that Frank has a medical degree.

Besides all the unnamed sources and Frank's idiotic analysis, the article clearly has some timeline issues.

Katrina prompted Bush to shorten his vacation, not run off to his ranch. He didn't disappear during the crisis. I also don't recall Bush heading to Crawford on September 12, 2001, to escape the stress.

I would like to know if Kitty Kelley or Howard Dean contributed to the Enquirer's column.

I think rather than looking into whether Bush is abusing alcohol, it would be a better idea to investigate the possibility that Michael Moore is using the pseudonym "Don Gentile" and writing for The National Enquirer.

GOLD STAR MOTHER'S DAY

Thousands of Iraq war protesters and supporters are set to converge on Washington on Saturday.

Cindy Sheehan's organization, Gold Star Families for Peace, has received a good deal attention as a result of her Bring Them Home Now nationwide bus tour, culminating in the nation's capital this weekend.

Not everyone is happy with Sheehan's exploitation of the "Gold Star" name to push her politics.

American Gold Star Mothers has been forced to have a disclaimer on their website, distancing themselves from Cindy Sheehan's political activism.

From their homepage:

Cindy Sheehan is currently in the news. She and her organization have no connection whatever with American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. We are a 501 C(3) organization and, as such, do not engage in political activities. We do support our troops. After all, they are our children.

Back on August 23, 2005, four national military family organizations issued a press release demanding that Sheehan stop using the "Gold Star" moniker.

NATIONAL MILITARY FAMILY ORGANIZATIONS SAY:

STOP USING ‘GOLD STAR’ IMMEDIATELY

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 23, 2005 – Four national military family organizations are calling for an end to the misuse of one of the nation’s most sacred symbols – the Gold Star – to politicize efforts for ending the war in Iraq.

The American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., Sons and Daughters In Touch and American WWII Orphans Network oppose the use of and reference to the ‘Gold Star’ in the political demonstrations being carried out in Texas and other parts of the United States.

In a joint statement released by the four organizations serving military families:

“The American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., Sons and Daughters In Touch and American WWII Orphans Network object to ‘American Gold Star Families for Peace’ misusing the term ‘Gold Star’ in its political demonstrations.

“These four organizations - representing the mothers, wives and children of U.S. service personnel killed in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and other U.S. military conflicts – are nonpolitical and do not take a position on the merits of the political demonstration being carried out by the group calling themselves ‘American Gold Star Families for Peace.’

“Our loved ones gave their lives to protect the freedom to protest, and we know all too well the pain that these families are now suffering. However, the Gold Star symbol – authorized by Congress to honor a family’s loss in service to our nation – must not be tarnished by partisan political demonstrations.”

That's just something to keep in mind if you hear or see the Gold Star symbol being abused during the protests on Saturday.

This Sunday has been proclaimed Gold Star Mother's Day by President Bush.

He signed the following proclamation on Wednesday.

Gold Star Mother's Day, 2005

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

The men and women of America's Armed Forces selflessly serve to protect our Nation, and they are among our greatest heroes. From the trenches of World War I to the beaches of Normandy, from Korea to Vietnam, from Afghanistan to Iraq, many courageous members of our military have given their lives so that Americans could live in freedom and security. On Gold Star Mother's Day, we recognize and pray for the devoted and patriotic mothers of these men and women in uniform who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our liberty.

America's Gold Star Mothers carry a great burden of grief, yet they show a tremendous spirit of generosity in helping their fellow citizens. With kindness and understanding, they support members of our Armed Forces and their families, provide vital services to veterans, help to educate young people about good citizenship and our Nation's founding ideals, and bring comfort to many in need. We commend these proud women for their compassion, commitment, and patriotism, and our Nation will always honor them for their sacrifice and service.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 115 of June 23, 1936 (49 Stat. 1895 as amended), has designated the last Sunday in September as "Gold Star Mother's Day" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in its observance. On this day, we express our deep gratitude to our Nation's Gold Star Mothers, and we ask God's blessings on them and on their families.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Sunday, September 25, 2005, as Gold Star Mother's Day. I call upon all Government officials to display the flag of the United States over Government buildings on this solemn day. I also encourage the American people to display the flag and hold appropriate ceremonies as a public expression of our Nation's sympathy and respect for our Gold Star Mothers.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

As you can see, American Gold Star Mothers and Gold Star Families for Peace are poles apart in their missions. The first organization does not politicize the deaths of their precious children. Sheehan's group does.

It's a distinction worth noting. I hope the pain that Saturday's protests may bring to some families of the fallen will be countered by the recognition they will receive on Sunday.

Politics aside, ALL parents who have lost a child in war deserve the sympathy and gratitude of the nation.

More Heartbreak in the Gulf

Sept. 23: Rescuers investigate the scene where a bus exploded in Wilmer, Texas.

DALLAS, Texas -- A fire in a chartered bus filled with elderly Hurricane Rita evacuees, including some who used oxygen, killed 24 people and injuring at least one near Dallas Friday.

Authorities said the bus apparently caught fire due to a mechanical problem, and that oxygen tanks then started exploding on gridlocked Interstate 45. Dallas County Sheriff's Sgt. Don Peritz said the brakes may have been on fire, leading to the explosion.

Peritz said deputies couldn't get everyone off the flaming bus. The bus was carrying 38 residents and six employees of the Brighton Gardens nursing home in Bellaire to Plano, according to Sunrise Senior Living, the McLean, Va., company that owns the center.

They had been on the road since Thursday.

Peritz said the driver survived. "It's my understanding he went back on the bus several times to try to evacuate people," he said.

Nine burn victims, between the ages 78 and 101, were sent to Parkland Hospital, where all except one were believed to be OK with only minor burns. One woman suffered severe smoke inhalation and was in critical condition Friday morning.

Three women and one man were sent to Baylor Medical Center, where they are listed in fair condition.


Sept. 22: Winds, tides from Hurricane Rita flow from the Industrial Canal in New Orleans.



Sept. 23: Water is shown rushing through a broken levee in New Orleans.



A lone dog runs down a flooded North Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans, Friday, Sept. 23, 2005. Hurricane Rita has pushed water into deserted neighborhoods that had just dried out from the flooding done by hurricane Katrina.

HOUSTON, Texas -- As Texas officials warned residents to prepare for the worst as Hurricane Rita and her 125-mph winds prepare to come ashore, rainwater from the storm caused more flooding in New Orleans Friday just as the devastated city was drying up from Hurricane Katrina.

"Our worst fears came true. The levee will breach if we keep on the path we are on right now, which will fill the area that was flooded earlier," said Maj. Barry Guidry with the Georgia National Guard, noting that the water was rising about three inches a minute.

By Friday, Rita had veered slightly east Friday and was headed about 75 miles east of Houston as cars crammed with evacuees jammed major arteries leading away from the Texas coast. Around 2 p.m. EDT, it was dowgraded from a Category 4 storm to a Category 3. But there are still fears the hurricane could cripple the heart of the nation's petrochemical industry that calls Texas home.

"It's a great test for the people of our state," Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Friday. "But we're going to get through this ... Be calm, be strong, say a prayer for Texas."

In New Orleans, water spilled over a patched levee and was cascading into one of the city's lowest-lying neighborhoods. The National Guard said there are three significant breaches in the city.

Dozens of blocks in the Ninth Ward were under water as a waterfall at least 30 feet wide poured over and through a dike that had been used to patch breaks in the Industrial Canal levee. On the street that runs parallel to the canal, the water ran waist-deep and was rising fast.

All of this serves as a reminder of how fragile we are. We are so powerless, compared to the awesome forces of nature.

Tragedy after tragedy seems to be engulfing the Gulf.

Texas Governor Rick Perry said, "But we're going to get through this ... Be calm, be strong, say a prayer for Texas."

And say a prayer for the people of New Orleans, as their neighborhoods flood once again.

This first full day of autumn is beautiful where I am--sunny, clear crystal blue sky, and a light, cool breeze.

To everyone enjoying the splendor of this glorious September day and looking forward to the weekend, comfortable in their homes:

Remember how greatly some members of your American family are suffering and keep them in your prayers.

Do what you can to help them. They need you.

David Gregory: Very Stuck on Stupid

David Gregory needs help. He is morphing into the Dan Rather of this century.

Today, before heading to Texas, President Bush made a statement on FEMA's Hurricane Rita preparations and took a few questions from the press.

Let me clarify. The President really didn't take questions from the press. He responded to a propagandist's editorializing.

To be more specific, Bush had a hilarious exchange with David Gregory.

(Q = David Gregory)

Transcript

President Briefed on Hurricane Rita Preparations at FEMA

FEMA Headquarters
Washington, D.C.

12:32 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: I stopped by the center to get a full briefing on Rita. We're now facing yet another big storm, and I appreciate the folks here who are working so hard to help the folks on the ground prepare for the storm.

I'm going down to San Antonio to see the pre-positioned assets, understand the relationship -- or that the federal government's role is to support state and local governments. I want to watch that happen. Then I'm going to go out to our NORTHCOM headquarters to watch the interface between our United States military, and again the state and local authorities. Our job is to assist -- prepare for and assist the state and local people to save lives and to help these people get back on their feet.

Again, I want to thank the people here in Washington who are working with the folks in the -- out in the field to do everything they possibly can to prepare for this second big storm that's coming into the Gulf of Mexico.

Thank you all.

Q Sir, what good can you do going down to the hurricane zone? Might you get in the way, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT: One thing I won't do is get in the way.

Q But I mean, how -- what good can you actually do? I mean, isn't there a risk of you and your entourage getting in the way?

THE PRESIDENT: No, there will be no risk of me getting in the way, I promise you. We're going to make sure that we're not in the way of the operations. What I am going to do is observe the relationship between the state and local government, particularly out in Colorado Springs. That's what I want to see.

See, NORTHCOM is the main entity that interfaces, that uses federal assets, federal troops to interface with local and state government. I want to watch that relationship. It's an important relationship, and I need to understand how it works better.

Q But critics might say this is overcompensation for the response to Katrina.

THE PRESIDENT: We will make sure that my entourage does not get in the way of people doing their job, which will be search and rescue immediately. And rest assured, I understand that we must not and will not interfere with the important work that will be going forward.

Thank you.

END 12:34 P.M. EDT

Stretch needs to take it down a notch.

Gregory is trying to talk the President into altering his itinerary. He asserts his opinion that Bush and his "entourage" will get in the way by going to Texas.

Did Gregory get on Harry Connick, Jr.'s case for getting in the way when he walked the streets of New Orleans with NBC's Brian Williams and the Today show's cameras before the city was completely evacuated in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?

Stretch really must get a grip.

Gregory has to stop acting like Dan Rather sniping at Nixon.

If he keeps this up, I think Gregory may be at risk of being attacked while walking along Park Avenue. He could be assaulted from behind and thrown to the ground. An attacker might chase Gregory into a building and then kick him repeatedly in the back, all the while demanding to know, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?".


For your listening pleasure (sort of), from RatherBiased.com:



Dan Rather sings backup with R.E.M. on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Listen to the song's first minute in MP3 (305K) or Next/Sun .au (244K).