The Scum at the Top

Commentary on the Rats in Washington


"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy"
-Obiwan Kenobi







Washington Scum - Part B




The Teflon Presidency, Part II
By Ellen Goodman
St. Paul Pioneer Press
© January 20, 2005

I am not one of those dyspeptic folks spending inaugural week in mourning. No black for this blue gal. I will leave it to the more ardent opponents to turn their backs and "not spend one damn dime." I even passed up the chance to join the disloyal opposition that sailed to Cozumel on what they call the Denial Cruise.



Libya: The Strongman Is Still Making Trouble
By Michael Isikoff
Newsweek
© November 1, 2004
Page 8



Try a Slice of Humble Pie
By Jonathan Alter
Newsweek
© October 18, 2004

As Hillary Clinton put it, Kerry may sometimes change his positions to fit the facts. But Bush changes the facts to fit his positions



Retired Gen. John Shalikashvili endorses Kerry
By David Postman
Seattle Times chief political reporter
The Seattle Times
© July 29, 2004



A Republican General for Kerry
By Lonna Gooden VanHorn
http://www.opednews.com/
© 2004

General Tony McPeak is a retired four star general who was the head of the U.S. Air Force under President GHW Bush during Operation Desert Storm.



Former candidate Clark endorses Kerry
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
© February 13, 2004

Former candidate Gen. Wesley Clark endorsed Sen. John Kerry's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Friday, calling the Massachusetts lawmaker "the kind of leader Americans need."



Using body language, Ventura backs Kerry
By Conrad Defiebre
StarTribune
© October 23, 2004

With nods and gestures but nary a spoken word, former Gov. Jesse Ventura indicated his support Friday for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, apparently reversing his previous statement that "I have no one to vote for."



David Durenberger: For health care security, Kerry has the better plan
By David Durenberger
StarTribune
© October 27, 2004



Elmer L. Andersen: Why this Republican ex-governor will be voting for Kerry
By Elmer L. Andersen
StarTribune
© October 13, 2004

Throughout my tenure and beyond as the 30th governor of this state, I have been steadfastly aligned -- and until recently, proudly so -- with the Minnesota Republican Party.

It dismays me, therefore, to have to publicly disagree with the national Republican agenda and the national Republican candidate but, this year, I must.

The two "Say No to Bush" signs in my yard say it all.




John Eisenhower: Why I will vote for John Kerry for President
Guest Commentary
The New Hampshire Union Leader
© September 9, 2004



Kerry Will Restore American Dignity
The Lone Star Iconoclast
Crawford, Texas
© 2004



General Is For "Anybody But Bush"
By Tom Webb
Pioneer Press
© October 26, 2004

He faults president's foreign policy during campaign stop with Edwards' wife



U.S. Report Finds No Evidence of Iraq WMD
By Ken Guggenheim
Associated Press
© October 6, 2004



Your Gut Only Gets You So Far
By Jonathan Alter
Newsweek
© October 11, 2004

Bush makes decisions by instinct, then he sticks with them. It's what makes him a good politician and a poor chief executive at the same time.



Who Was Really In Charge?
By Daniel Klaidman and Michael Hirsh
Newsweek
© June 28, 2004

Did Bush know Cheney had given orders to down airliners on September 11? The commission staff wonders - and remains at odds with both men over alleged Saddam-Al Qaeda ties.



Gen. Zinni: 'They've Screwed Up'
By Steve Kroft
60 Minutes
© May 23, 2004

Ret. Gen. Anthony Zinni once commanded America's troops in the Middle East. Now, he tells 60 Minutes the civilians in the Pentagon who planned the Iraq War and its aftermath botched it.

President Bush named Zinni special envoy to the Middle East. But Zinni wound up breaking ranks with the administration over the war in Iraq.

"Regardless of whose responsibility I think it is, somebody has screwed up. ... it should be evident to everybody that they've screwed up. And whose heads are rolling on this?"
- Gen. Anthony Zinni




Our Darkest Days Are Here
By Andy Rooney
60 Minutes
© May 23, 2004

What happened at Abu Ghraib prison is a black mark that will be in the history books in a hundred languages for as long as there are history books.

The image of one bad young woman with a naked man on a leash did more to damage America's reputation than all the good things we've done over the years ever helped our reputation.




The Price of Arrogance
By Fareed Zakaria
Newsweek
Page 39
© May 17, 2004

In a war that could go on for decades, you cannot simply detain people indefinitely on the sole authority of the secretary of Defense



Why Your Tax Cut Doesn't Add Up
By Allan Sloan
Newsweek
Page 41
© April 12, 2004

Behind the promises to save you money, a hidden agenda is at work, with a stealth tax to pay for it all



The Insider
By Evan Thomas, Michael Isikoff and Tamara Lipper
Newsweek
Cover Story
Page 20
© April 5, 2004

The Town Crier: He came, he bore witness and he sent Washington into a frenzy. How Richard Clarke fueled a firestorm over who's to blame for 9/11, why two presidents missed the warning signs - and what we can learn to keep it from happening again.



Senate passes pension bill
CNN.com
© Wednesday, January 28, 2004



Rumsfeld, FBI official kept souvenirs from 9/11 sites
By John Solomon, Associated Press
Pioneer Press
© Saturday, March 13, 2004

The Justice Department investigation that criticized FBI agents for taking souvenirs from the World Trade Center site also found that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and a high-ranking FBI official kept items from the Sept. 11, 2001, attack scenes.



CIA Boss: Iraq Never an Imminent Threat
By Katherine Pfleger, Associated Press
© February 5, 2004



Iraq had no banned weapons, former chief weapons inspector says
By Katherine Pfleger, Associated Press
StarTribune
© January 25, 2004



New jobs pay less than those that are disappearing
The St. Paul Union Advocate
© January 15-28, 2004
Page 4








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Last Modified:
January 13, 2007