Bad Deeds for 4-02-07

Bush’s Actions Cause Strategist for Bush’s 2004 Reelection to Have a Loss of Faith in the President – Matthew Dowd was a keystone in the Administration’s effort to portray Sen. Kerry as a flip-flopper “, but now says, “Kerry was right” about Iraq. Dowd said he was once impressed by the pledge of Mr. Bush, then governor of Texas, to bring a spirit of cooperation to Washington. Dowd now says his faith in Bush was “misplaced.”

The Surge is Working So Well that the Iraq Death Toll Jumped Only 15 Percent in March – At least 2,078 people died in Iraq last month, 15 percent more than in February despite a massive security crackdown in Baghdad, the epicentre of violence.

McCain says Baghdad safer; six U.S. soldiers killed – Sen. John McCain used a short visit to Baghdad Sunday to highlight what he said is progress made under the city’s recent security crackdown. On that same day, the deaths of six American soldiers were announced. Progress?

Unduly restrictive policies and practices used by Bush administration in the communication of scientific information dealing with the effects of climate change to the media, the public, and Congress – Government Accountability Project finds that interference with media communications includes delaying, monitoring, screening, and denying interviews, as well as delay, denial, and inappropriate editing of press releases. Interference with the public and Congress includes inappropriate editing, delay, and suppression of reports and other printed and online material.

Bush administration’s rules for forest management violate basic laws concerning environmental safeguards – Bush administration’s revised rules for management of the country’s 155 national forests, which cut back on requirements for environmental reviews and safeguards for wildlife, violate the basic laws ensuring that forest ecosystems have environmental safeguards. A federal judge in California on Friday overturned the rules.

Newt Gingrich Says Bilingual Classes Teach ‘Ghetto’ Language – Former House speaker Newt Gingrich over the weekend described bilingual education as teaching “the language of living in a ghetto,” and mocked requirements that ballots be printed in multiple languages.

Despite Katrina and Rita, insurance companies rake in huge profits – A year and a half after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, profits at the nation’s major property-casualty insurance companies soared – and are expected to be strong again in 2007, according to estimates by the A.M. Best Co. rating agency. Allstate reported a record $5 billion profit for 2006. State Farm Insurance’s profit climbed 65 percent for the year. St. Paul Travelers’ earnings rose six fold in the fourth quarter; American International Group’s rose eightfold.

How The NeoCon Power Brokers Took Bush Back To School

The Minds of Romney and Giuliani Cannot Comprehend the Basic Guarantees of Our Constitution – After a meeting of Club for Growth, the Cato Institute’s President Ed Crane asked Mitt Romney if he believed the president should have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens with no review. Romney said he would want to hear the pros and cons from smart lawyers before he made up his mind. Crane said that he had asked Giuliani the same question a few weeks ago. The former mayor said that he would want to use this authority infrequently.

How pharmaceutical industry lobbyists literally wrote the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill and twisted arms to get the necessary votes to have it passed in the middle of the night
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US Attorney Purge Was Done to Suppress Poor and Minority Voters – According to Joseph D. Rich, who spent more than 35 years fighting for voter’s rights in the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, “[In the past,] regardless of the administration, the political appointees had respect for the experience and judgment of longtime civil servants. Under the Bush administration, however, all that changed. Over the last six years, this Justice Department has ignored the advice of its staff and skewed aspects of law enforcement in ways that clearly were intended to influence the outcome of elections.”

Hannity’s “Great American” Ex-Gay Porn Star Accused Of Wrongfully Soliciting Funds – Right-wing activist Reserve Corporal Matt Sanchez, whom Sean Hannity declared a “great American” on Hannity & Colmes is now being investigated by the military for wrongfully soliciting more than $12,000 for a deployment to Iraq he never made.

Bill O’Reilly twists the words of US Colonel Ann Wright as she defends her service and stance – On The Factor on 3/30/07, Bill O’Reilly tried to silence retired US. Army Colonel Ann Wright by over talking, twisting her words and accusing her of blaming America for the Iran-Britain situation now going on. She refused to let O’Reilly bully her. Wright, who taught the Geneva Conventions to troops at Fort Bragg, might just know what she’s talking about, but O’Reilly didn’t like the direction of her comments so over talked with increasing agitation, accusing her of blaming America. Finally, O’Reilly cut her microphone off after she declared her 29 years of service, and she questioned O’Reilly about how many years he served. With video at the bottom of the web page.

Regards,

Jim