Bush Declares Presidential Prerogative

Yesterday Bush said he will assert presidential prerogatives on issues such as domestic eavesdropping and congressional inquiries into Hurricane Katrina.

Mr. Bush also told reporters that he refused to release White House photos of himself and the corrupt lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, stating, " Having my picture taken with someone doesn't mean that I'm a friend with him or know him very well." [Then why not release the photos, Mr. Bush?] The White House has also refused to detail meetings between Abramoff and top White House aides.

Bush claimed he was also skeptical of a proposed law imposing new oversights on his use of the NSA to listen in on electronic communications. He said he is concerned the law could force the government to provide details and clues about top-secret programs used to hunt down terrorists.

In regards Bush not using FISA to spy on Americans, he reassured reporters that "There's no doubt in my mind it is legal." Also Bush said, "But it's important for people to understand that this program is so sensitive and so important that if information gets out to how we run it or how we operate it, it'll help the enemy." Why tell the enemy what we're doing?"

Source: WaPo

My my how things have changed since Clinton was President. I remember he damned well better work with investigators, providing any and all information in regards accusations against him. The Republicans are nothing if not hypocrites.

Aw, Limbaugh Is Jealous Of Matthews

It appears that Rush [bigliarmouth drugaddict] Limpbaugh is jealous of the fact Chrissy [Republicon shill bigliarmouth] Matthews has a whole website devoted to him [Open Letter To Chris Matthews] because he likes to compare Americans against the Iraq war to Osama bin Laden.

So Limpbaugh has jumped on the bandwagon and joined in with the latest chorus of the NeoConvict spin, every Democrat on the face of the earth loves Osama bin Laden, blah blah blah.

Media Matters has this to say:

On his January 23 rd radio show, Rush Limbaugh characterized Osama bin Laden's recently released audiotape as an echo of Democratic criticisms of President Bush, saying that Democrats would "eat ... up" bin Laden's message. Limbaugh said, "[H]ere comes bin Laden actually suggesting a truce," adding: "Well, the Democrats will eat that up because, while they can't trust George W. Bush, they can trust Osama bin Laden." He also claimed that the bin Laden "videotape that came out right before the election last year [2004] ... could've been a [Sen.] John Kerry [D-MA] speech. You know, 75 percent of it." Limbaugh's comments repeat claims made by other members of the media who have also used the bin Laden tape to denounce critics of the Bush administration's conduct of the Iraq war. As Media Matters for America previously noted, since the release of the tape, Fox News' Sean Hannity and MSNBC's Chris Matthews -- among others -- have made allegations similar to Limbaugh's.

Actually Bush and his good buddy Osama are working together. What other reason could there be for Mr. Bush not getting Osama bin Laden [ dead or alive] as he promised. Btw, where is bin Laden?

Hang in there, Limpbaugh, no doubt you'll be getting a website dedicated to your lies just any day now.

This Has GOT To Be Stopped

If this information doesn't prove to you that the Bush Administration needs to be stopped I cannot think of what it will take for Americans to do something to stop it. Call for Bushes IMPEACHMENT.

Democrats Denounce Bush's Human Pesticide Testing Plan

t r u t h o u t Press Release

Monday 23 January 2006

Washington, DC - Today, Senator Barbara Boxer, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, and Rep. Hilda L. Solis criticized a Bush Administration plan to promote pesticide experimentation upon humans. The plan, contained in a final draft rule, was leaked to the legislators by a concerned Administration official who requested that the original copy of the plan not be duplicated in its entirety and widely distributed out of concern for anonymity. According to the EPA's communications plan, the Administration will officially announce the pesticide experimentation plan later this week as a final regulation.


In August 2005, Congress enacted a moratorium upon EPA using human pesticide experiments until strict ethical standards were established. Senator Boxer championed the moratorium in the US Senate. Representative Solis pushed the moratorium through the US House of Representatives.

"The Administration plan is inconsistent with the law passed by Congress with bipartisan support. The loopholes which allow continued testing on pregnant women, infants and children are contrary to law and widely accepted ethical guidelines, including the Nuremberg code. The fact that EPA allows pesticide testing of any kind on the most vulnerable, including abused and neglected children, is simply astonishing," said Senator Boxer.

"The regulation is an open invitation to test pesticides on humans, which is the exact opposite of what Congress intended," said Rep. Waxman. "The Administration predicts that over 30 pesticide experiments will be submitted to EPA each year under the new rule. That's an enormous step in the wrong direction."

"This is yet another example of the Bush Administration choosing to ignore the letter of the law and going its own way. Congress passed legislation to curb the practice of unethical pesticide testing on humans, but with this rule the Bush Administration is authorizing systematic testing of pesticides on humans which not only fails to meet its congressional mandate but which will increase the number of unethical studies," said Congresswoman Solis. "Americans should be concerned about just how far the Bush Administration will go to allow pesticide testing on pregnant women and children and, the ease at which it chooses to ignore the law. The Bush Administration must revise this rule to meet its Congressional mandate and give Americans a policy which is moral, ethical, and safe."

"This rule has not been signed by EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson yet. It's within his power to fix this regulation, and we are calling on him to do so," said Senator Boxer.

If the rule is finalized as currently drafted, it would apply to studies in which humans are intentionally dosed with pesticides, as well as "observational" studies. Some of the serious flaws of the plan include the following:


The Administration plan is inconsistent with federal law.

Congress required that EPA ensure that pesticides are never tested upon pregnant women and children. But the final rule would allow manufacturers to conduct testing of pesticides upon both pregnant women and children so long as there is no "intent" at the outset of the study to submit the results to EPA. Additionally, the plan would allow pesticides to be tested upon pregnant women and children in studies intended for submission at exposure levels up to the current legal limits - even though the National Academy of Sciences found that in some cases this level of exposure could present acute risks to children.


The Administration plan is inconsistent with the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences.

Congress required that EPA establish a Human Subjects Review Board (HSRB) as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. The Academy urged that this Board review research protocols prior to consideration by an Independent Review Board (IRB). The Academy expected that the HSRB would have ethical and pesticide expertise that IRBs typically lack. This approach would allow an IRB to block unethical research or require modifications suggested by the Human Subjects Review Board prior to the initiation of a study. However, the Administration plan would establish a powerless Human Subjects Review Board that would consider research protocols after an IRB and EPA staff had already approved a study. Under the Administration plan, the HSRB would not have any authority to block or require modifications to unethical research.

The Administration plan would establish loopholes that could legally allow unethical experiments.

The Administration plan introduces new loopholes that will allow for ethical abuse. While the plan would require researchers to document their ethical compliance in the United States when the plan applies to them, it waives overseas researchers from having to prove a study was ethically conducted - even when the researcher intends to submit the study to EPA.
Also, the plan would commendably subject EPA observational studies to the Common Rule.
However, observational studies conducted by the pesticide industry would be bound by no specific ethical requirements. These loopholes were never suggested or even contemplated by Congress.

January 23 Press Gaggle By Scottie McClellan

Just listen to Scottie bob and weave about the pictures of Bush and Abramoff. I can't wait for more to come out about Bushes relationship with Abramoff. Poor poor Scottie.

Q On the Abramoff pictures. You had said last week that if we had something specific, that you would then explain further about the connections between the President and the White House and Mr. Abramoff. Can you talk about the specific circumstances surrounding these pictures, and exactly the range of contacts that Mr. Abrmaoff had?

MR. McCLELLAN: I can talk -- let me repeat some of what I have said previously. First of all, the Department of Justice is holding Mr. Abramoff and others to account for the wrongdoing they engaged in. The wrongdoing they engaged in was outrageous, and they should be held to account. And that's what the administration's Department of Justice is doing. They're also continuing to investigate whether others were involved, as well, as they should. And they will continue to pursue it to the fullest.
Now in terms of the reports about some of these pictures, as we have previously indicated, the President did not have a personal relationship with Mr. Abramoff. But we also indicated that it should not be surprising that he might have taken some pictures with him at some of the widely attended events that we know both attended. What I indicated previously was, if you've got some specific issue that you need to bring to my attention, fine. But what we're not going to do is engage in a fishing expedition that has nothing to do with the investigation.

Q Why not -- why are you guys resistant to open this here? What is there to hide, or why not just say, here are the contacts he had, here are the issues he talked about when he came to the White House, here are the people --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I did do a check, and I indicated to you exactly what I just told you. I indicated to you that there were a few staff-level meetings that he attended at least -- he attended two holiday receptions, in 2001 and 2002. There are some 400 to 500 people at each of those gatherings. And of course there's a photo line at those holiday receptions. The President has participated in tens upon thousands of photo lines or pictures in photo lines over the course of the last five years. He's taken pictures with many of you. But like I said, we're just not going to get into a fishing expedition that has nothing to do with the investigation. Though we have been very straightforward about that, when asked about it.

Q I understand that. But why not just say, and just get it over with -- say, here are the issues that he talked about -- he came to the White House to talk about, here's who he met with, and then move on. Why not --

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not aware of anything that has anything to do wit the investigation. I know that there's some Democrats that want to try to make this -- try to engage in partisan attacks. But what we do know from media reports is that Mr. Abramoff gave directly or indirectly to Democrats and Republicans. Trying to say there's more to it than the President taking a picture in a photo line is just absurd.

Gasp! Bush Does Know Jack Abramoff

Say it ain't so.

Mr. Bush and Scotty McClellan have both claimed that the President doesn't know Jack Abramoff but uh oh, pictures have turned up of Bush and Abramoff together. Damn! the bad luck.

According to reports aides are feverishly hunting for any and all photos that might show George and Jack together. Oopsey looks like some have been found.

Shades of Kenny Lay, Batman. Bush didn't remember being good buddies with him either.

They say drugs and booze fry the brain and I guess that's so cuz Bush can't remember being buds with any of these crooks.

IMPEACH