where is story that aired Mon night about the students who gave President Bush the anti torture petition?  I can't find it.

#1.  Well, they can't kill Harry, that would be a built in bummer to future readers and renters. That leaves the rest, which roughly rhymes with gorefest. #2. It wasn't the pants that Paris was wearing when she got pulled over, was it?  That should be worth at least $50 million by now, don'cha think? #3. Nothing funny here.  Just the eternal question.  Why do people do such things? #4. Well, they're both the full Green Party poster kids, aren't they? #5. Don't tell me...he was picked by God, and Dubya was picked by Mrs. God. The real Power Behind Heaven.

'He's the enforcer.'  Okey-dokey.  If you don't know how the branches of government work Ms. Perino, perhaps you have NO business being the interim White House Spokesperson.

I know, they thought if that got an attractive woman up there to take Mr. Snow's place while he is ailing, that people would just forget everything.  The only problem though, is that she pretty much SUCKS at her job, and America just isn't buying it.

Sorry Ms. Perino, you don't have near enough of the BS look or words to make it work, nor the savvy way of dissing people and not answering the question.

NEXT!

I haven't read one word of the Harry Potter books, but after Countdown's essay tonight, I could almost be persuaded that I have read all of them.  More to the point, I think it's time to read them.  (In fact, J.K. Rowling ought to pay Countdown for that promotion.)  What a wonderful, lucid, entertaining piece of work.  Almost poetic.  A little magic of Countdown's own?  Bravo.

Why is that the guy that always looks down when he is talking like I am one lying S.O.B. of the G.O.P. and proud of it.
Ah what the hell we deserve it our Congress stands around and does nothing.
If he is President of the Senate can they call for a quorum call every session and request his presence of every session of the Senate to preside as the President of the Senate.Let the Dick earn his salary?I mean that is his job and what he is being paid for?
So Penguin get get your frumpy oil dripping ass over there and preside over the Senate.
Then you got the biggest scam in history pulled by yourself.The master Dick of searching for himself.Master of Dick.The Bater of Bush.The Bater of the U.S. and gutless Congress.The Masterdebater!Who is this leader look up in the sky ! It's bird it's a plane nope it's Dubya's ,"Dick" the leader of the free world the Jerry Springer of the White House.Duck and cover before he poops or shoots.

Soon to be on dancing with the stars with Condoleezza Rice doing the Gonzo Tango and I Don't Got's to Show No Stinkin Papers or Badges.Roll Over Beethoven Tell Tchaikovsky the News.There's a new show in town and it ain't the dee dog Dubya Barney Blues.

It's a coup and I am in charge.Al Haig you weren't squat.All Hail The Dicker!You are some kind slicker you Exxon Mobile Dicker.

Just remember shhh "there is a Deep Throat out There some where." A guy like you screwed somebody over that will talk.Everybody has a price.Maybe old Scooter as we post on this blog is singing away.Who knows maybe he has seen the light.Those little twits they have called to testify a waste of time.But it's coming little turd just as sure they are going to get big turd blossum Rove.

So enjoy it while you can before the Judicial Branch catches up with you.And screw Gonzo the Committee can handle your sorry ass.

Dear Keith,
Do more and more of this about this lying, cheating and unethical Vice President; while you're at it get rid of the President too.
Only until the US rids itself of this corrupt administration can the country regain its standard of excellence in the World, that includes Canada.

Oh, Keith. I could just squeeze ya. Behind that suave, sophisticated facade we see on the news five nights a week beats the bespectacled heart of a closet Harry Potter nerd. I knew it. I think your idea for the ending of his story was right on the money. I just feel sorry for poor Jo Rowling now--how's she going to maintain the suspense now that you've figured it out? My only question: is it really going to be Snape, you figure, who gives Harry this all-important information? That would make him essentially good, wouldn't it? Is that the side you come down on? Then there are a few other things you need to explain too. And I'm probably going to have to go back and read Order of the Phoenix to remember them all...I would like to share my personal theory, however: I believe Voldemort will ultimately meet his end while doing the nasty in an airplane washroom with Bellatrix Lestrange. No idea where I got that idea from, but there it is.

Aside from that, thanks for, you know, the real news. About Dick "Voldemort" Cheney, whom many of us have suspected has been president all along. Now the big question is, how do we get rid of all HIS Horcruxes? You can lead a Hor to Cruxes, but you can't make it shrink. Where IS a teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts when you really need one?

In other news, thanks for staying on the Rudy Giuliani anti-hero beat, not overdoing the Jessie Davis story like everyone else on TV, letting us know that our long national dry-cleaning nightmare is over, and last but not least, keeping the Paris Hilton news to a blessed minimum. Tomorrow will be soon enough to get blasted around the clock with the story of her release. I hope, Keith, that once again your grandmother is on fire and you won't be able to wait with bated breath while MSNBC's reporter at the jailhouse stands there waiting...and waiting...and waiting for her to come out. Because whoever is, I won't be watching!

Lucky lucky me! Part of my education tonight included 2 of my favorites - Richard Wolffe and John Dean. I hope Mr. Dean is not being overly optimistic about the impact of the POST articles on Congressional will to finally act on all the &^%#@?! that's been going on. For all it's worth, I'm going to try to do my part and write to as many Senators and members of the House as time, stationery, postage, and funds will allow. My emails about overriding the veto allowing increased federal funding for stem cell research yielded mainly just automated replies with very little (if any) personal references. Maybe an actual letter, something they can hold in their grimy paws (OK...that wasn't very nice or constructive - sorry), will help and maybe, forgive me for not giving credit to the person who posted this suggestion in an earlier blog, a deluge of letters may be what it takes - or at least a beginning.

And, I can just hear the cries of being unpatriotic and coddling terrorists if someone dares criticize Mayor Rudy for his handeling of 9/11 and the recovery efforts. After learning that 41% of Americans still think Iraq had something to do with the attacks, the cries will probably work. Who knows...maybe I'll be wrong. I think more firefighters will have to make their concerns a little more vocal beyond the NYC area if they're to make much of an impact. Speaking from "America's heartland," unless you watch COUNTDOWN, most people still believe all is peachy-keen with Mayor Rudy and 9/11.

And, to end tonight on a lighter note, it pains me to infinity to the Nth degree to disagree with Keith on ANYTHING, but I nearly croaked when he admitted to reading all the HARRY POTTER books. I may have mentioned my feelings a few weeks back when the final POTTER book was mentioned as a possible topic, but when my nephews were young enough to want HARRY POTTER to be read to them, it took everything in me just to get through it. And, I tried to sit through the first movie with my husband and couldn't do it. I have other friends who are counting down both the movie and the final book, and I'm just sitting there thinking, "WTF?!" Oh well...not everyone can like the same thing, and this would be a pretty d**n boring country if that was the case. This is, the last I checked even though people are trying to change this fact, A FREE COUNTRY. When all the POTTER poo hits the fan, I'll patiently sit through the wailing and gnashing of teeth and go on. Besides, as I'm typing my thoughts here, I'm watching FAMILY GUY, which I KNOW Keith and I agree on!!;)

Everyone gets a good night's rest in preparation for the next POST VP article, and I'll be back tomorrow. SWEET DREAMS (or at least try)!

In a totally fannish-inspired comment, damn it if your logic doesn't make sense Mr Olbermann. Damn it to hell. Because in all of my explanations and guesses of the end I never once  considered the financial repercussions of the end of book 7 and of course that's a huge factor.
And that totally changes the conception of Snape as a big bad guy, and of course he can't end the saga being evil because that would be against the whole moral message of the books.
I'm sligthly peeved that you may have gotten it like that. I bow to your greatness Keith.
Also, how many jobs do you have and you still have that much free time on your hands, to come up with something like this?

Isn't "Dick World" the name of Heidi Fleiss's...uh...Rental Agency?

I wasn't worried about how you thought Harry Potter might end Keith because I figured it out 3 years ago, and you're correct :-)

If it is truly The Cheney Presidency then why haven't we invaded Iran sense that was and still is his main pot of black gold?

Attorney general wins "sitting duck award" <p>
American newspaper columnists' annual "Sitting Duck Award" for being an easy target. Mike Argento, president of the society, explained Gonzales' selection, "We gave it to him but we can't remember why."

Will the News Hole follow suit in the latest Administrative propaganda? Gone are the insurgents only to be replaced by “al-Qaida” Fighters!!!!

The Cheney Presidency?  If he and Bush were the only two choices, I'd rather have Bush.  

If this abuse of power by a member of the executive branch isn't enough reason to impeach them both, NOW, then that just confirms that there never was any possibility that the Demo-Rats would obey their mandate and impeach these two clowns.

Nice ending to Harry Potter, but I prefer the Catch-22 ending.  

Is anybody there???

"With our limited resources, the societal impact is going to be very bad," predicted Haider Abdul Muhsin, one of the country's few child psychiatrists. "This generation will become a very violent generation, much worse than during Saddam Hussein's regime."

Ahhh, the legacy that will be left in Iraq thanks to George W. Bush and his ignorant arrogance.

Of course, it should be no surprise.  Our own military aren't getting the help they need, why should we expect the Iraqi children to get the help they need.  What a shame.

PEACE!

Dear Keith,

I too have read all six Harry Potter books, and I too, am looking forward to the seventh.  I wouldn't want to bet against your flawless logic on how it all ends, it was pretty impressive.

I needed the levity to offset the all the other news that makes every one angry over the executive abuses.

I also believe that another Special Comment is due soon.  

Thank you.

OK Spoiler, a great theory and hopefully J. K. Rowlings will do as well. Now, how does the Iraq War end? Or does it?

RE: Cheny's Coverage on Hardball.  I saw Chris Matthews DEFENDING Cheney, saying, "He's got a point, his power is derivative from the President.  He has no Constitutional authority" blah blah blah.  Well gee Chris, thanks for showing that you too have drank the Kool-Aid and how poorly you understand Constitutional Law.  Ever hear the word "semantic"?  How about "specious"?  Does "intent" ring a bell?  Oh, how the framers of the Constitution would laugh in your face, Chris, and kill Dick with their bare hands for violating the Constitution in this way.  It would be ugly.  The Vice President is a member of the Executive Branch, period, end of story.  There is NO DEBATE except amongst the Bush Co. fascists that is even REMOTELY legal either in letter or spirit of the law.  Got it?  

Hardball?  More like Hardlyball, you hack.  I am NEVER watching Hardball again.  I used to just think you were annoying Chris, with your ubiquitous and sheep-like bleating "HA", because now I see you are a truly a fascist supporting blow hard with the moral fiber and intestinal fortitude of a Tower of Jell-o.  Journalistic integrity?  Whatever, windbag.  Come back when you understand THE LAW, not what some GOP propaganda pinhead feeds you.  In one show, you effectively wiped out ANY credibility you had left.  KO should be ashamed to share a network with a Neocon GOP whore like you.  I now have a higher opinion of Tucker Carlson and if you knew what I think of him, you'd know what an insult that is, Chris.

RE:  Whitman.  The Republicans are eating their own.  They are fascists now, not really Republicans, and not bothering to hide it anymore.  Does this surprise anyone?  The more I hear about Rudy, the more he needs to stay home.  

RE: $54 Million Dollar Pants.  Judge Pearson losing this case needs to be filed under "D" for "Duh".  Now he needs to be censured by the bar for acting like a jackass and abusing the process.  Respect is earned, Your Honor, and you have earned the finger.  $54 million for pants . . . get real, jerkwad.  What did you think would happen?  You'd win?  Did you think you could collect such a judgment against a DRY CLEANER even if you had won?  

No, your goal was to drive these people out of business, these legal immigrants working hard to legally live the American Dream, to drive them out of business with litigation costs because you are a
spoiled
arrogant
jackass.  
It's that simple.  You are She Who Must Not Be Named with a gavel and without the hotel money.  What a lovely combination; judicial authority and a personality disorder.  It's ALL about YOU, isn't it?  I bet you'd try to sue your mom over losing your favorite blankie too, ya big whining baby.  What?  You couldn't afford another pair of pants with the OVERLY GENEROUS $12,000 settlement offer?  You could have bought solid gold pants for $12,000, you malicious petulant child.

What you have done does not technically merit disbarment, but you should CERTAINLY be censured for acting this way.  BTW, the COMPETENT judges are all rolling their eyes and LAUGHING at you.  So are most of the lawyers.  And every real man on the planet, you big sissy.  Grow a pair and buy some new pants.  Get on with your life (such as it is).

And the top headline this morning at CNN, MSNBC and every other big corporate media outlet?  She Who Must Not Be Named Walks Free.

WHO GIVES A DAMN?  THAT CLUB SKANK IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE TO ANYONE BUT HER PARENTS.  LEARN TO PRIORITIZE.  THE VIOLATION OF THE CONSTITUTION IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN A TRASHY PARTY GIRL.  Idiots.  4th Estate, my ass.  Panderers.

Attention: Signs of progress. Sen. Lugar (R) Ind says exactly what I've been wanting to hear re Iraq. Also, it is important that this is coming from such a highly respected republican. This is good news. I don't think it would have been as important coming from a democrat.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/25/iraq.lugar/index.html

Further evidence that, bombast to the contrary, this administration has not been fighting a Global War on Terrorism.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/25/terror.report/index.html

I've already said my piece over the last couple days regarding Cheney and I'm tired.  Everyone will be up in arms about what he has done for the next few weeks; maybe month, and as with the Gonzalez attorney firings scandal, there will be no consequences for any of the guilty parties.    

Regarding the top newsmakers- the 50 high school students giving Bush the letter to stop torture.  While I was watching Keith tell about the story I shouted "Bravo!!!".  They are also my heroes.  Looks like they also have been reading about Cheney in the Washington Post.  Bush's "We don't torture" comment... yeah right.  And a bear doesn't... well, you know.  

Regarding the Harry Potter finale - sorry Keith.  Never been much of a Harry Potter fan.  I tried reading the first book to my youngest when he was about 6 or 7 and he wasn't the least bit interested so that was that. (He preferred the Capt. Underpants series). I am very glad, though, that these stories got so many children to become interested in reading when they might not have.  I have always been thoroughly disgusted with parents who will not allow their children to read them because it involves Wizardry which is associated in some way with the Devil, I guess.  Give me a break.  

Gitmo a model prison: Ok guys. No inflated rhetoric from either side, please. This NYT op ed written was Morris D. Davis, a colonel in the Air Force, who is the chief prosecutor in the Defense Department’s Office of Military Commissions.

So. Have the major problems at Gitmo been resolved? This is a direct contradiction of the recent testimony of one of the prosecutors. What do you think?

Here is how Col. Davis ends the article:

"Guantánamo Bay is a clean, safe and humane place for enemy combatants, and the Military Commissions Act provides a fair process to adjudicate the guilt or innocence of those alleged to have committed crimes. Even the most vocal critics say they do not want to set terrorists free, but they scorn Guantánamo Bay and military commissions and demand alternatives. The facts show the current alternative is worth keeping."

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/26/opinion/26davis.html?th&emc=th

Again - If only Cheney had worked for good instead of evil just think how effective and wonderful our government would have been over the last 6+ years.

I believe this to be the only instance I've ever seen of Gonzales standing up for something. Of course, it was standing up in the pursuit of a Democrat, but still.....

Also, this may explain why the Republicans have been so leery of moving toward Gonzales' no confidence votes.


"When the FBI seized files from the office of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) as part of a bribery investigation, House Republican leaders erupted. With a number of their own members under investigation for other matters, they charged that the search violated the Constitution. They demanded the return of the files.

Cheney quickly gravitated toward the House's position, aides said, but Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales; his top deputy, Paul J. McNulty; and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III threatened to resign if forced to hand over evidence they believed had been properly collected under a warrant."

Continuing piece of this truly wonderful
Angler" series. (Why oh why did they wait until now to publish it?)

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/a_strong_push_from_back_stage/index.html

Two comments.

1. Keith, you're right about Harry. I figured a while back that at the end Harry would be given a choice to kill or not kill Voldemort ... problem is, if he kills V, he looses all his magic. I congratulate you in weaving Snape and the Horcrux's into the climax.

2. Nominee for WPITW. The AEUB in Alberta Canada. Have a look at this video and you'll get the idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PPTrEQcpzs

... as it turns out the "big scary threat" (as I found out yesterday) was an 80 year old woman with cancer who was so upset by the dismissive attitude of the AEUB board members, that she slapped one of their neo-con lawyers.

Beam me up Scotty ... please!!!

What the deuce?! I can't BELIEVE there's no comments on last night's show at 5 'til 9 am the next morning. I know I posted something last night. Hope everything's OK!

Great insight and analysis, Keith, of the Potter saga and potential finale. Logical and astute.

The one "positive" thing I've ever been able to find about the current administration is the "No Child Left Behind" initiative. "Positive" in the sense that independent studies assert that student skills have improved since this initiative was deployed.

Today's WP says that this initiative is under attack by the very aides that helped draft it. My immediate reaction to the title was "aha!". However, further reading seems to imply that the attack is primarily, but not exclusively, based on lack of force behind school vouchers. I disapprove completely with the voucher program. I disagree that any school should be considered "private" if receiving federal funding under any guise. I also think that moving funds away from public schools, no matter how terrible they may be in a specific area, defeats the public school system.

That being said, this article is another indication of "lead in" and titleing grabbers used by the press today. People who don't read the article will assume that the attack is on the program rather than the enforcement of it.

We can't win for losing. I'm angry that the press has not reported what we need to know and I'm angry that when they do report they use such tactics.

Anger, anger, anger, about so many things.

CA - in another thread you listed 4 "things/people" that were to blame for our country being in the shape it is in. I think you should add an item and put it at the top of the list: 1) The abdication of the "free" press of its role in investigation and reporting of information to inform the citizenry.

Sorry - the "no child left behind" article can be found here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/25/AR2007062501897.html?referrer=email

With how much this administration has been allowed to get away with and how much it continues to get away with, that is all the proof anyone needs to show that we've become a nation of complacent, decadent, and ignorant sheep.  We are the Roman Empire, we are already on the decline, and it is only a matter of time before we fall completely.  We allow our elected officials to unethically and illegally use their positions to cater to their own greed for money and power, because we are consumed with the frivolous.

Independant:  Sorry to bust your balloon about No Child Left Behind, but the truth does break it wide open.  The only reason that the test scores show improvement is that the teachers are now "teaching to the test".  That is, instead of the curriculum of the school, the students are only taught material that will be on the test.  That's why teachers are so angry.

Students are no longer educated, they're being taught the answers to a test so they pass.  With school funding dependent upon the school passing, emphasis on the results of the test are changing what is taught in schools.  

As a result, look for these students to be different from us.  They won't be independent thinkers who search for the truth.  They WILL be great future Kool Aid Drinkers who will accept any answer which is poured down their throats because that's how they have been educated in school.

"Mommy was crying"  Mommy broke the table"  Mommy was in the rug"  "mommy wants to know when Al Sharpton is going to say "why they treatin' daddy this way?".

Fred Thompson's lobbying career is finally being exposed:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/06/25/fred-thompson-the-philip_n_53736.html

Enjoy the shocking revelations

Wow - I see ONE republican has finally put his head where it should have been for a long time, and a forceful republican to boot!! It should be interesting how the GOP & BushCo handle this devastating blow to their ongoing "Iraqi Enduring Incompetence Plan"!! Hmmm, redeploying troops, I believe I've heard that plan before, and is has been coming from the democrats.  Senator Lugar, while I am pleased to see you finally have your Kool-Aide problem in check, you are preaching to the choir - "WE THE PEOPLE"!! Now can we discuss IMPEACMENT??!!

“WASHINGTON - Sen. Richard Lugar, a senior Republican and a reliable vote for President Bush on the war, said Monday that Bush's Iraq strategy was not working and that the United States should downsize the military's role.

The unusually blunt assessment deals a political blow to Bush, who has relied heavily on GOP support to stave off anti-war legislation.”

Independent, thanks for the links.  If our "war on terror" is as successful as our war on drugs, we are in for some BIG trouble!

D Vandermus, you are correct in your assessment of our complacency.  Most Americans will not pay attention to the corrupt state of our government unless it directly affects them.  As Independent said, the press should be exposing the acts that help to destroy the ideals upon which our nation was founded.

[insert big sigh of relief here] Yea! Great to see everyone still here! I was starting to think I was losing it when I didn't see any posts here for awhile.

You know, it's not very often that I get the opportunity to cheer one of my representatives, but I will absolutely and enthusiasticlly echo Independent TX's kudos to Senator Richard Lugar, former mayor of Indianapolis AND sponsor/contributor to one of the scholarships for incoming freshmen at the institution where I work. WHAT A GUY! It was especially gratifying to hear about his comments on the same day when another big news story here in Indianapolis today is the fact that Elvis performed his final concert before his death 30 years ago today in what used to be Market Square Arena and is now a parking lot. Oh well...at least the news balances out a little. ;)

I'm sure there will be a link soon to part 3 of the POST article that I've already read, have taken many notes, have stiffled the urge to revisit my breakfast, and will throw in my 2 cents' worth later.

HOORAY FOR SENATOR LUGAR! HOORAY FOR SENATOR LUGAR!

Independent:  I posted a link to an article from another general that is pretty much the opposite of what 'your' general says regarding Gitmo.  Go figure.

No Child Left Behind:  Interesting read. As a Mom of three elementary school students, I spend a lot of time at their school and I have a pretty good relationship with their teachers. I know that they, the teachers, get incredibly frunstrated with this law, and they feel like 'teaching' has been taken away from them in favor of competition.

My sister taught at a school in Compton for 7 years.  Talk about children being left behind.  That school was punished and the teachers punished because they didn't perform as well-the end result was the children being punished.  Unfortunately what this law doesn't recognize, is that parent participation and/or what the hell is happening at home, has a HUGE impact how well children do in school.

It has gotten to the point that teachers are basically cheating-telling the kids how to cheat-so the kids past all the requirements.  My sister even told her principal that she will teach the kids what they need to learn to succeed in life, not what they need to to past an arbitrary test that let's the school stay off of a 'list.'

I live in a middle class neighborhood where we have most kids with two parents living at home and at least one parent is actively involved with their kids.  Our school is one of the top schools in SD county.  We are even a school that is 75% Latino/Latina, we an awesome ESL program.

In Compton at the school my sister worked, for many reasons, mostly financial, the kids fall far behind.  When you have a child that comes to school and says that their uncle was shot over the weekend and makes it seem like just another trip to the store, you know it's bad.

I don't know how they could 'tweak' the system to make it work, but from my humble perspective and observation, it doesn't work so well.

PEACE!

Todd, I concur with you regarding your statements on Chris Matthews. He is the ultimate inside the beltway political hack. I don't see him having much in the way of journalistic integrity. His excuses for these republican rats in DC turn my stomach inside out. I love when he's on vacation. Hear what he said last night to one reporter? - "you know as much as me"!!! What an arrogant jerk. I just hope as more and more of us tune Hardball out, it doesn't end up hurting Keith's ratings.  That's all I care about. Ann Coulter on tonite. Can you imagine? I always thought if we wanted her opinion, we'd have to go to FOX Propaganda. Not anymore!! Scary isn't it. If MSNBC doesn't want to thought of as a "far left" news station, there are plenty of other conservatives they can put on besides her. She's pure evil.

My issue with No Child Left Behind and nearly every other educational remedy is that they "misunderstand" education as the transmission of facts rather than as an experience that engages students with the literacies needed to test "facts" inside intellectual frameworks (i.e., science, American History, fantasy novels, baseball) in order to discover something useful or new.  

This problem can be most clearly seen in the standardized tests that states use (developed at the cost of millions of dollars) that reduce learned to identifying the "correct" multiple-choice answer.  Other modes of assessment (portfolios, exams that call for extensive writing and problem solving) are deemed too expensive or not "standardized" enough.  

One observation about the Harry Potter books:  they are very complex in terms of syntax (sentence structure), as one of my students found out when attempting a syntactic analysis of her books.

I agree that a Special Comments is in order, but I vote for one heavy on satiric wit and humor.  Cheney is a dangerous guy but humor is a weapon he can't fight, being humorless himself.

Maby it`s just me,but I think this daytime spatter on MSNBC comes off as too fluffy. Maby 10% entertainment/90% news would be better. Anybody concerned with Paris Hiltons little jail stint is probably hanging out on the porch anyway.

Maby it`s just me,but I think this daytime spatter on MSNBC comes off as too fluffy. Maby 10% entertainment/90% news would be better. Anybody concerned with Paris Hiltons little jail stint is probably hanging out on the porch anyway.

Sue, West Allis, Wisconsin (Sent Tuesday, June 26, 2007 10:43 AM)/Jamie, Chula Vista, CA (Sent Tuesday, June 26, 2007 10:54 AM)/Linda, Pittsburgh (Sent Tuesday, June 26, 2007 11:14 AM)


I'm not surprised. A few weeks back (can't really remember how long ago) when I posted this "positive" report, I said that I was surprised as Mr. Bush's approach in Texas had led to many issues with the schools gaming the system but "teaching to the test".

I was (and still am) trying to prove to myself that I am not just blindly anti-Bush since no one is ever or has ever said anything good about the administration, I get worried about true balance.

As I said today, this "education" issue article irritates me less for what it says than how it is positioned by its title.

Thanks for the feedback, all.

Jamie - Not "my" colonel!! Please !! I just think that when a large NYT opinion is published it gets a lot of attention. It concerns me greatly that this is so, er, positive about Gitmo.

I really have to know - 1) is what this guy is saying true? and 2) Is it a result of all the work that Congress, public outrage, and ally disgust have shown?

I notice that no where in this article does this Colonel say that the charges were Never true, just that it isn't true now. Especially about the Australian guy. Remember the story about the deal worked with the Australian Prime Minister theoretically to ensure that PM's relection?

What is the true state of gitmo now? If it has been cleaned up then we don't need to close it, right?

I just don't know what the current state is now.

Thanks to all for your fast replies.

D. Vandermus, I had believed what you are saying to be the case but I don't any longer. Bush's ratings, together with polls showing that this country is in dire need of a new direction, leads me to think that maybe we the people all across this country want less arrogance in exchange for moral, capable, ethical leadership. Cheney, etc. may have thought we could become the Roman Empire, but they were wrong. Most everyone who contributes to Countdown's Blog from what I'm reading here and from people I speak with, all truly believe that this Administration can't get out of Dodge fast enough, because of the reasons you set forth above.

Troubling news: A new poll shows 41% of Americans believe Iraq was responsible for 9/11. The media has to do a better job. Keith is the only prime time journalist on tv who has been miles ahead of everybody on his reporting. Every single story he has reported on has come to fruition; the Iraq War, Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales, Guantanamo Bay, John McCain, Rudy Guiliani, the Administration's scare tactics, the hypocrisy of so-called christian conservatives such as Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity. Keith makes apologies for no one. Thank goodness.

In my mind, the No Child Left Behind program was always about a movement to the voucher system....the first part of the plan was to label certain schools inferior, label others superior, then the voucher system would kick in...thankfully, many people saw through the fraud...

I was an English professor teaching first semester freshman, and like already posted, high school teachers are teaching for the test not really teaching the students...I have several friends who teach high school and they are pressured by the administrations to teach for the test to keep the scores up...sad really that most freshmen cannot write a coherent three page research paper...many cannot write a coherent paragraph...English is only our native language...while European children learn their native language plus two others while in high school...America barely teaches English anymore...Bush keeps cutting the education budget while saying education matters...another Bushworld fraud....

Mega congrats to the 50 high school students who are more clued in than the President...there letter to him was amazing...at least students are learning somewhere...amazing that 50 high school students are more plugged in than the 30 percent still supporting Dick and Bush...maybe there is still hope..

Another thing about the Luger piece: In this article, Senator Kay "baby" Hutichson is asked her opinion (it is to laugh). Sen. Hutchison has never formed an independent opinin about anything. I think she is physically incapable of doing so.

She is, however, an excellent tool for us to use when trying to determine the "official" RNC position on anything. Notice in this article, she says we'll have to examine this (or something to that effect.) What that means is that the RNC has not yet published a talking point. It also means that the RNC hasn't rejected Sen. Lugar's position (yet.)

If you use Kay Baby as this kind of weather vane, she has use. If you expect her to represent your views in the Senate, you have to give that up. Ain't gonna happen.

Jamie.  I wonder what the Child Psychiatrists say about America's children who will reach adulthood the same time as the Iraqi children?

As a part-time college professor in addition to my job as an academic advisor, I have to echo the comments on NCLB made by Jamie, Chula Vista, CA and Sue, West Allis, WI. One of the classes I teach is a basic English composition class. The vast majority of my students are adult learners who've decided to go back to school for job promotion reasons or have just made the brave decision to go to college after leaving high school upwards of 20 years ago. Every once in awhile, though, I get a "traditional" day student, meaning they're basically 18 years old and right out of high school. Since NCLB, the written expression and overall communication skills of the adult learners and the fresh out of high school students are like night and day. High school students that have been in my class seem to want to be spoon-fed EVERYTHING, and they want short sweet definate answers that will be enough to get them past the present task and onto the next one with no questions asked. The adult learners are SO NOT LIKE THAT.

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