I guess short tempers may go with short tenures...

The staff of retired House Majority Leader Tom DeLay weathered many a storm during the Hammer's controversial tenure. But apparently they couldn't handle a couple of days of Dr. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, the former Houston city councilwoman who won the special election to serve out DeLay's term.

According to the Capitol Hill publication Roll Call, seven holdover employees, including DeLay's former chief of staff, David James, quit en masse after unpleasant run-ins with the congresswoman. A former DeLay aide who now works for House GOP Leader John Boehner told the Chronicle the staff "felt like they were treated terribly" by their new boss.

I wonder if anyone told her that the republican 109th Congress only works two days a week?

I love this bit too:

Sekula-Gibbs has raised a few eyebrows on Capitol Hill in her first three days in office. First, she expressed surprise and disappointment that neither President Bush nor Vice President Dick Cheney stopped by to visit during her office's "open house" Tuesday.

There is no truth to the rumour that Chad Conrad Castagana will title his memoirs to be "Tilting at Windbags" ghost written by Jerome Corsi, and published by Regnery.

Amazing the silence of the right on this, especially the same screeching people who wanted Deb Frisch strung up by her tits, isn't it?

From today's Froomkin:

"Q: How is Vietnam different from Iraq?

"A: Bush had a plan for getting out of Vietnam."

Op-Ed headlines in the Winger Post:

"Remember Who Sent You" E. J. Dionne Jr.

"Pelosi's First Mistake" By Robert D. Novak

"Can the Democrats Deliver?" By Robert J. Samuelson

"Time of Testing for Harry Reid" By David S. Broder

Why don't they cut right to the chase, and run a story about some Democrat fucking sheep out behind the Supreme Court building, while another one sells videos of it on the inter-tubes and one of the freshman "conservative" Democrats spends his days loading Alzheimers patients in a van and dropping them off at random DC metro stops.

It would have the same impact, and they'd give it the same 'thoughtfully weighty' commentary that they are giving now. Forgive me for being so cynical, but Jeebus.

It's a well-known and established fact that when our Beloved Leader either compliments a program, or promises support it means that the program or initiative in question is about to get the axe, be defunded or totally ignored...see: promises after Katrina. So when at the meeting in Vietnam (which is apparently safe enough for the Deserting Fratboy Coward to visit now 36 years late) he says this:

On the eve of an economic summit in Vietnam, Bush voiced tentative support for a free-trade agreement covering all 21 member states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, saying during a speech here that the idea deserves "serious consideration."
...
In his address previewing issues he plans to emphasize during his week-long trip, Bush said the United States is serious about helping the region meet the challenges that could undermine its recent record of explosive economic growth. He cited efforts to develop alternative energy sources, fight pandemic diseases such as AIDS and avian flu, and combat terrorism.

I wonder who he'll blame for getting the wrong Vietnamese flag on the Whitehouse.gov website? Probably, oh, I don't know...Nancy Pelosi?

Dana Milbank on Countdown tonight was talking about the "discord" and how Pelosi was battered by her backing of Jack Murtha for majority leader. Olbermann pointed out that they have reached accord, and that they are moving forward. Milbank seemed intent on keeping the "meme" (I hate that word) alive that the Democrats are a house divided. Watch "Divided Democrats" become a recurring theme/talking point among the republican-loving pundits as 2008 gets closer.

For the record, Olbermann did not let him get away with it. Thanks, Keith.

Well, isn't this interesting (as the Church Lady might have said):

“We can put in 20,000 more Americans tomorrow and achieve a temporary effect,&rdquo he said. “But when you look at the overall American force pool that's available out there, the ability to sustain that commitment is simply not something that we have right now with the size of the Army and the Marine Corps.”

General Abizaid also publicly said for the first time that the American position in Iraq had been undermined by the Bush administration's decision not to deploy a larger force to stabilize the country in 2003. That decision was made after Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, the Army chief of staff at the time, told Congress that several hundred thousand troops would be needed. His testimony was derided by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, and the general was ostracized at the Pentagon before his retirement a few months later.

“General Shinseki was right that a greater international force contribution, U.S. force contribution and Iraqi force contribution should have been available immediately after major combat operations,” General Abizaid said. “I think you can look back and say that more American troops would have been advisable in the early stages of May, June, July.”

Too bad no one listened to him outside of Left Blogtopia (and you know what a bunch of loons we are) and some of the "realists" left in the government, but who had no ability to influence the decision making one way or the other.

The Mess in Mess O'Potamia just isn't going to get better any time soon, no matter how many times Beloved Leader chants "freedom agenda, freedom agenda".

The murder of 14 year-old girl and her family was a result of the NeoCon "freedom agenda" that Beloved Leader and his BFF Joe Lieberfuck are so enthusiastic about. It looks like one of the soldiers involved has decided to plead and roll over on his co-defendants.

A US Army soldier has pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and helping murder her and her family.

James Barker agreed to the plea deal at the start of his court-martial in the US to avoid the death penalty, his civilian lawyer said.
...
In addition, former soldier Steven Green has been charged in a civilian court and is awaiting trial in a Kentucky jail.

He was discharged from the army for a personality disorder earlier this year, and in July pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and sexual assault.

They did the deed, and they have to pay for it; but if The Drunken Deserting Fratboy Coward had not had to get his war on, they never would have been in the time or place to commit these acts. It's not an excuse, but it is a fact.

Yeah, he's got a clue. Not.

President Bush traded ideas on Iraq with a bipartisan commission Monday and promised to work with the incoming Democratic majority toward "common objectives." At the same time, he renewed his opposition to any timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops.
...
Asked about proposals by Levin and others for a phased troop reduction, Bush said, "I believe it is very important … for people making suggestions to recognize that the best military options depend upon the conditions on the ground."

All he knows of "ground truth" in Iraq is what Darth Cheney and (up til now) Rumsfeld told him. I suspect that no matter what the Iraq Study Group says, he'll adopt any proposal of theirs kicking and screaming.

I wonder if he'll threaten to hold his breath and kick his feet on the Oval Office carpet if he does not like the ISG recommendations? Magic 8-Ball sez: Likely.

Then there's this:

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada went to the Senate floor to lend support for a change in Iraq policy.

But Republicans shot back, saying they would oppose any timetable because it could cause Iraq to collapse into chaos.

Is there a single clue on the republican side of the aisle?

Someone out here has to be shitting bricks over this little fuck-up.

A Chinese submarine stalked a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier battle group in the Pacific last month and was undetected until it surfaced within firing range, The Washington Times reported on Monday.

The Chinese Song-class diesel-powered attack submarine was seen within five miles of the carrier Kitty Hawk and its accompanying warships on October 26, the newspaper said, citing defense officials.

As most of my submariner friends used to say, "there are two classes of ship, Subs and Targets". Yeah, it's still true, I guess.

I'm guessing that all of a sudden ASW has taken on "new" relevance in the modern Navy... well good. Nothing like reinventing the wheel, is there?

Wow. Presenting Doug Feith in two parts, first shorter Doug Feith:

"Can I please have a reacharound?

Rumsfeld has been attacked for insisting that troop levels for the Iraq operation be kept low, supposedly out of ideology and contrary to the advice of the military. What I saw, however, was that Rumsfeld questioned standard military recommendations for "overwhelming force." He asked if such force was necessary for the mission. ...
...
But Rumsfeld never told Gen. John Abizaid or Gen. Tommy Franks that U.S. Central Command could not have the number of troops that the commanders deemed necessary. ... If other generals are unhappy with the troop levels in Iraq, the problem is not that they failed to persuade Rumsfeld, but that they failed to persuade Abizaid or Franks.

For anyone to even begin to believe that a man who said "You go to war with the Army you have" is either competant or in-touch with the forces he's responsible for especially in war of choice he advocated, is pretty lame, a word that describes Mr. Feith to a "T".

Now that the dust is settling on the 2006 election, and there are still a couple of months to go until the actual take-over of the congress, it's time to re-examine the question of Impeachment. As everyone who has been a long-time reader here knows, I have oft advocated impeaching the bastard and sending it to the Senate for trial, The Flying Spaghetti Monster knows how well-deserved that fate would be. But with the takeover of both chambers of congress, especially the winner-take-all House, that imperative is no longer there.

Why?

We have several really, really good chairmen of House committees that have both the experience, and fortitude (not to mention subpoena powers) to start their own investigations into matters that will plumb the depths of the depravity (yes, depravity) of the 1600 Crew and their use of the government as their own personal piggy bank. Bringing the misuse of funds, and the abuse of power at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue into the spotlight might spark calls for who knows what kind of Congressional legal action. And if it does, then Congress will just be doing the will of the people. All of the investigations should be done with staff of both parties involved so that results are seen as "bi-partisan", which is one of the reasons that the Watergate hearings were successful...Howard Baker's place in the American political landscape was assured by his role in Watergate as the minority committee member of the Watergate committee who asked "What did the president know, and when did he know it?".

If the work of the investigations is successful, and there is no reason to believe that it would not be, then the results will be viewed by most Americans (who are paying attention) as fair. If they mean that Bunnypants goes home with no pension, no secret service detail, and a place in history as the first impeached and convicted president, well so be it.

If he goes home being known as the single most incompetant and corrupt man in American history because he injured the very fabric of American society in his personal quest to destroy the Constitution and our country from within, well, I can live with that result too.

1. Okay, it's a little funny...
   
2. Wingnut Book Titles
   
3. A Gem
   
4. Your liberal media, Part Deux
   
5. They ought to just go home...
   
6. You Liberal Media, Dana Milbank Edition
   
7. The end of DoD Omerta?
   
8. And it goes...
   
9. Preznit Oblivious
   
10. Hmmm...