Steve’s Weblog

Up until recently, I followed Senator John Cornyn on Facebook, but his obsession with Attorny General Holder got to be a little much, and as his constituent, I expressed my opinion there. Well, it seems that Senator Cornyn can’t take the heat. I’ve had my Facebook account banned from posting comments on his page, and also had my Twitter account blocked by the Senator’s Twitter account.

The Senator questioned the constitutionality of the Obama administration’s change in deportation policy, and seemed to be saying it was the responsibility of Congress:

Art 1, sec. 8 US Const: Congress shall have the power to “establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization… .”

But the Senator appears far too obsessed and busy pursuing his witch-hunt against Attorney General Holder to spend any time on the Dream Act (or any other worthwhile legislation). He’s posted (some might call it spamming) over 25 links to articles this week calling for the resignation of Attorney General Holder on his Facebook page. Meanwhile, it appears that the charges Cornyn has leveled against Attorney General Holder are unfounded: Five Things To Know About The Republican Witchhunt Against Attorney General Holder.

This comment from Facebook sums it up pretty well:

Lori Ratcliff: I LOVE our president and am so happy that he is doing the right thing in spite of all the corporate shills in the Republican party. I am SO SICK of hearing all the hatred and racism spewing from the mouths (and computers) of Republicans. Never forget, Mr. Cornyn, that it is your job to represent ALL of us, not just your personal supporters. The president is doing the right thing in spite of the congress and I say, it’s about damn time.

Enthusiastic crowd gathers to welcome Bush back
1/20/2009 10:24 PM
By: Associated Press

MIDLAND, Texas — “It is good to be home.”

That’s what former President George W. Bush today told thousands of people gathered in Midland to welcome him back to Texas.

More at News8Austin

Bush mostly down in polls

By The Associated Press Mon Jan 28, 3:46 AM ET

In February 2001, President Bush delivered an economic address to a joint session of Congress; in subsequent years he presented his annual State of the Union address. A look at his approval rating in the Gallup Poll around the time of each speech.

February 2001: 62 percent approval.

_January 2002: 84 percent.

_January 2003: 60 percent.

_January 2004: 53 percent.

_February 2005: 51 percent.

_January 2006: 43 percent.

_January 2007: 36 percent.

_January 2008: 32 percent.

Yahoo!

Senate to stay in session to thwart Bush

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 12 minutes ago

WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday that he would keep Congress in session over the holiday break solely to block President Bush from making recess appointments. It was an apt ending to one of the most bitterly partisan congressional sessions in memory.

“We’re going to go into pro forma session so the president can’t appoint people that we think objectionable,” Reid said on the Senate floor as the chamber prepared to wrap up business for the year.

The Senate must confirm major presidential appointments and judicial nominations, a constant source of confrontation between the White House and Senate Democrats. But when the Senate is off, as it will be for the rest of the month and much of January, the president can make recess appointments that are not subject to confirmation hearings. These appointees can serve until the end of the congressional session, which at this point would be until Bush leaves office.

Yahoo News

Report says war on terror is fueling al Qaeda

By Kate Kelland 2 hours, 43 minutes ago

LONDON (Reuters) – Six years after the September 11 attacks in the United States, the “war on terror” is failing and instead fueling an increase in support for extremist Islamist movements, a British think-tank said on Monday.

A report by the Oxford Research Group (ORG) said a “fundamental re-think is required” if the global terrorist network is to be rendered ineffective.

“If the al Qaeda movement is to be countered, then the roots of its support must be understood and systematically undercut,” said Paul Rogers, the report’s author and professor of global peace studies at Bradford University in northern England.

“Combined with conventional policing and security measures, al Qaeda can be contained and minimized but this will require a change in policy at every level.”

He described the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as a “disastrous mistake” which had helped establish a “most valued jihadist combat training zone” for al Qaeda supporters.

The report — Alternatives to the War on Terror — recommended the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq coupled with intensive diplomatic engagement in the region, including with Iran and Syria.

Yahoo

“I truly am not that concerned about him.”

Bin Laden slams capitalism in new video

By LEE KEATH, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 40 minutes ago

CAIRO, Egypt – In a new video released ahead of the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Osama bin Laden made no overt threats but lectured Americans on the Iraq war and criticized global capitalism, calling its leaders the real terrorists.

His emergence Friday comes at a time when terrorism experts believe bin Laden’s terror network is regrouping in the lawless Pakistan-Afghanistan border region — and it underlines the U.S. failure to catch him.

This guy is an embarrassment, who voted for him anyway?

Bush has bad day at Sydney Opera House

By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer Fri Sep 7, 6:49 AM ET

SYDNEY, Australia – President Bush had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day at the Sydney Opera House.

He’d only reached the third sentence of Friday’s speech to business leaders, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, when he committed his first gaffe.

“Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit,” Bush said to Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

Oops. That would be APEC, the annual meeting of leaders from 21 Pacific Rim nations, not OPEC, the cartel of 12 major oil producers.

Bush quickly corrected himself. “APEC summit,” he said forcefully, joking that Howard had invited him to the OPEC summit next year (for the record, an impossibility, since neither Australia nor the U.S. are OPEC members).

The president’s next goof went uncorrected — by him anyway. Talking about Howard’s visit to Iraq last year to thank his country’s soldiers serving there, Bush called them “Austrian troops.”

That one was fixed for him. Though tapes of the speech clearly show Bush saying “Austrian,” the official text released by the White House switched it to “Australian.”

Then, speech done, Bush confidently headed out — the wrong way.

He strode away from the lectern on a path that would have sent him over a steep drop. Howard and others redirected the president to center stage, where there were steps leading down to the floor of the theater.

Yahoo!

Two words George: MORE ON.

Dear Mr. Dale:

Thank you for contacting me about efforts to enact a new federal law designed to prevent and prosecute criminal acts motivated by hate. I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on this matter.

Clearly, it is inexcusable and intolerable to target any individual or group for violence, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual preference. I believe anyone found guilty of a violent criminal act deserves to be punished through vigorous enforcement of the law. In fact, current law—including Texas law—already allows the courts to consider motivation during the penalty phase of a trial and subjects the accused to increased penalties. As such, I do not believe a new federal law is warranted.

I appreciate having the opportunity to represent the interests of Texans in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

Or did they mean to “lose” FIVE MILLION e-mails?

BREAKING: White House lost Over FIVE MILLION e-mails in two year period

Submitted by crew on 12 April 2007 – 2:27pm.
Today, CREW issued a new report, WITHOUT A TRACE: The Missing White House Emails and Violations of the PRA, and made the shocking new disclosure that the Bush White House has lost over FIVE MILLION e-mails in a two year period. The report also details the legal issues behind the growing controversy over the White House e-mail scandal.

Through two confidential sources, CREW learned that the Executive Office of the President (EOP) has lost over FIVE MILLION emails generated between March 2003 and October 2005.

CREW

Is this like using gmail for company business?

By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer Wed Apr 11, 6:50 PM ET

WASHINGTON – The White House said Wednesday it had mishandled Republican Party-sponsored e-mail accounts used by nearly two dozen presidential aides, resulting in the loss of an undetermined number of e-mails concerning official White House business. (what does this delete button do?)

Congressional investigators looking into the administration’s firing of eight federal prosecutors already had the nongovernmental e-mail accounts in their sights because some White House aides used them to help plan the U.S. attorneys’ ouster. Democrats were questioning whether the use of the GOP-provided e-mail accounts was proof that the firings were political.

Democrats also have been asking if White House officials are purposely conducting sensitive official presidential business via nongovernmental accounts to get around a law requiring preservation — and eventual disclosure — of presidential records. The announcement of the lost e-mails — a rare admission of error from the Bush White House at a delicate time for the administration’s relations with Democratically controlled Capitol Hill — gave new fodder for inquiry on this front.

“This sounds like the administration’s version of the dog ate my homework,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. “I am deeply disturbed that just when this administration is finally subjected to meaningful oversight, it cannot produce the necessary information.”

Yahoo!