Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall July 29, 2006 08:18 AM

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall July 29, 2006 08:18 AM: "

Talking Points Memo has an exchange between Colin Powell and George Bush that occurred in January, 2001, only 10 days after Bush's inaugration. The passage is found in Ron Suskind's The Price of Loyalty.

Kind of says it all about current foreign policy concerning the Israel - Lebanon mess. And the very last line says it all--remember 10 day AFTER the inaugration in 2001.

"He'd met Sharon briefly, Bush said, when they had flown over Israel in a helicopter on a visit in December 1998. 'Just saw him that one time. We flew over the Palestinian camps,' Bush said sourly. 'Looked real bad down there. I don't see much we can do over there at this point. I think it's time to pull out of that situation.'

And that was it, according to [Paul] O'Neill and several other people in the room. The Arab-Israeli conflict was a mess, and the United States would disengage. The combatants would have to work it out on their own.

[Colin] Powell said such a move might be hasty. He remarked on the violence on the West Bank and Gaza and on its roots. He stressed that a pullback by the United States would unleash Sharon and Israeli army. 'The consequences of that could be dire,' he said, 'especially for the Palestinians.'

Bush shrugged. 'Maybe that's the best way to get some things back in balance.'

Powell seemed startled.

'Sometimes a show of strength by one side can really clarify things,' Bush said.

With that, the rest of the meeting was devoted to Iraq."

Isle Be Seeing You! 7/26/06

Isle Be Seeing You! 7/26/06
Mark Fiore's latest cartoon, "knuckles," is up. (Shockwave, not sure how it works on a dial-up).

The Seattle Times: Local News: State Supreme Court upholds gay marriage ban

The Seattle Times: Local News: State Supreme Court upholds gay marriage ban: "Marriage in Washington State remains a union between one man and one woman.

The State Supreme Court today upheld the state's 1998 ban on same-sex marriage, delivering a victory for supporters of traditional marriage and a sobering defeat for gays and their advocates."

I just don't get it. This is an issue that affects gay men and women, and those of us that are heterosexual should just keep our noses out of it. The supremen court ruling says that the primary purpose of marriage is for procreation--does that mean that the state has an obligation to ensure that those that marry procreate?

It's insane and a crying shame to deprive people of rights that many of us hold sacred.

Email your legislators and demand that the Defense of Marriage Act be repealed, and that all persons who want to enter a legally binding relationship have that right!

Book Review: The Long Emergency

Review: The Long Emergency: "This book is not fun to read, because it paints a very dreary picture of the very near future, but it should be read by everyone between the ages of 15 and 35, since they are the ones that will bear the brunt of the disruptions outlined here, and forewarned is fore-armed."

Stephen Cochran joined us for Drinking Liberally last week, and we talked about this book. His review of The Long Emergency provoked some interesting conversation about potential impacts of our dependence on oil, and what happens after the oil goes away - both in a negative nd a positive thing.

Thanks Steve, for your review. And check out his weblog, The Paleobibliomaniac!

Our Sympathies

Olympia Drinking Liberally Regular Warren Tryk lost his wife, Dottie Tryk, Friday night following a long illness. Warren and Dottie were married almost 38 years. Our deepest sympathies go out to Warren and his family.

This from Don Krupp, Dottie's friend and boss:

Bruce,

...Warren Tryk's spouse and Thurston County's Assistant Chief Administrative Officer passed away friday evening after a three year battle with cancer. Dotty Tryk worked for for Thurston County for nine years. She was my right hand "man." And, she was the love of Warren's life.

I thought it would be helpful for the Olympia Drinking Liberally group to know that.

Regards,
Don

Sunday Humor

President George W. Bush was scheduled to visit the Episcopal Church outside Washington as part of his campaign to restore his poll standings.

Bush's campaign manager made a visit to the Bishop, and said to him "We've been getting a lot of bad publicity because of the President's position on stem cell research, the Iraq war, Katrina, and the like. We'd gladly make a contribution to the church of $100,000 if during your sermon you'd say the President is a saint."

The Bishop thought it over for a few moments and finally said, "The Church is in desperate need of funds and I will agree to do it."

Bush showed up for the sermon and the Bishop began: "I'd like to speak to you all this morning about our President.

George Bush is a liar, a cheat, and a low-intelligence weasel. He took the tragedy of September 11 and used it to frighten and manipulate the American people. He lied about WMDs and invaded Iraq for oil and money, causing the deaths of tens of thousands and making the United States the most hated country on earth. He appointed cronies to positions of power and influence, leading to widespread death and destruction during Hurricane Katrina.

"He awarded contracts and tax cuts to his rich friends so that we now have more poverty and a greater gap between rich and poor than we've had in this country since the Depression. He instituted illegal wiretaps when getting a warrant from a secret court would have been a mere administrative detail. Then he had his henchmen lie to Congress about it, and then he claimed he is above the law. He has headed the most corrupt, bribe-inducing political party since the Teapot Dome scandal.

"The national surplus has turned into a staggering national debt, gas prices are up 55%, and vital research into global warming and stem cells is stopped cold because he's afraid to lose votes from some religious kooks. He is the worst example of a true Christian I've ever known, but compared to Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, George Bush is a saint."

Plan B: Pharmacy board backs off under pressure

Plan B: Pharmacy board backs off under pressure: (Seattle P-I). While I have my issues with the Governor, she has been instrumental in getting the state pharmacy board to reconsider their decision to allow Pharmacists to NOT fill a prescription on moral grounds. The article points out that about 2,400 letters and email were received as well, most in opposition to the original order.

MyDD :: Acceptable / Unacceptable in 2008

MyDD :: Acceptable / Unacceptable in 2008: "June 26-29, 496 Democrats or Democratic Leaners
(Candidate: Acceptable / Unacceptable)
Edwards: 71 / 25
Clinton: 69 / 29
Gore: 68 / 31
Kerry: 59 / 40
Biden: 44 / 37
Clark: 42 / 49
Dean: 40 / 54
Richardson: 36 / 38
Daschle: 35 / 50
Feingold: 29 / 41
Warner: 29 / 42
Kucinich: 21 / 51
Vilsack: 19 / 47"

This is interesting, from a recent Gallup Poll. Personally, I am a Gore guy, but I like Edwards as well--especially his focus on poverty issues. What way are you leaning?

Evergreen Politics: Dems Kick Ass

Evergreen Politics: Dems Kick Ass:
The Evergreen Politics Blog:
"Democratic Congressional candidates are outraising their Republican foes across the board. This is great news. If it were only a few races, the Republicans would be able to focus their prodigious fund-raising ability easily but this is widespread.

We know that Darcy has outraised Reichert in each of the last two quarters, despite Bush's giant fund-raiser for his buddy, Dave Reichert. That was huge news. Now we hear from the DCCC that Democrats across the country are doing the same. Dean Nielsen of Progressive Majority passed along a Press Release from the DCCC. "

This is occuring on both the state and the local levels. Clicking on the link above will provide you with more specific statistics.

Crooks and Liars » Robin Williams: Rush Limbaugh’s just going fishing

Crooks and Liars » Robin Williams: Rush Limbaugh’s just going fishing
For those of you with a faster internet service, Robin Williams was on the Tonight Show--here is is take on Rush Limbaugh's recent scrape with the law.

Bush vetoes stem cell bill - Politics - MSNBC.com

Bush vetoes stem cell bill - Politics - MSNBC.com
Nobody is suprised at this--but it is a purely political move. Scott rosenbert over at salon has a good commentary on the political motivations behind the veto

Welcome to Olympia Drinking Liberally

Let's have fun with this site! Face it, conservatives are SO pickable! On the serious side, there are always emerging issues that liberals should educate themselves on. So when you combine these two, what do you get?

Learning can be fun!