Bad Deeds for 4-4-07

The Secret War Against Iran – A Pakistani tribal militant group responsible for a series of deadly guerrilla raids inside Iran has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005. It has taken responsibility for the deaths and kidnappings of more than a dozen Iranian soldiers and officials. U.S. officials say the U.S. relationship with Jundullah is arranged so that the U.S. provides no funding to the group, which would require an official presidential order or “finding” as well as congressional oversight. Jundullah has produced its own videos showing Iranian soldiers and border guards it says it has captured and brought back to Pakistan. The leader, Regi, claims to have personally executed some of the Iranians.

Conservative blogs continue to tell lies that CNN reporter Michael Ware disrupted a Sunday press conference in Baghdad with Sen. John McCain

Founder of conservative environmental group that served as Jack Abramoff’s gateway to the Interior being investigated on several charges – Italia Federici ran a nonprofit called the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (CREA), a conservative think tank, which she founded with Gale Norton, who became Bush’s Secretary of the Interior. As a result, Federici was well connected in the Interior Department. So she and Abramoff had a deal. Abramoff’s clients pumped $500,000 into her organization; in return, she ensured that people inside the department knew about his tribal clients’ needs.

White House May Have Aided Republican Delegation Meeting with Syrian President – The White House and conservatives criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi meeting Wednesday with Syrian President Bashir Assad. However, a Republican delegation had made the same trip – without comment from the White House – only days earlier. And Bush officials’ approval of the republican trip may have been more than tacit according to the chief of staff for congressman Joe Pitts, who, along with two fellow House Republicans met with Assad on Sunday, their “low profile” meeting “was done in cooperation with the administration.”

Justice Official Refuses Even an Informal Interview – Monica Goodling, the special counsel to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales who has refused to testify about her role in the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys, has again rebuffed requests to talk to congressional investigators, saying through her lawyer Tuesday that she would not even agree to an informal interview with Capitol Hill Democrats.

Bush Blames Democrats in Congress for Not Funding Troops While Democrats in Congress Send Bush a Bill With More Funding Than He Requested; Bush Blames Democrats for Going on Vacation while Bush Prepares to Go On Vacation – “We acted quicker than the Republican Congress has ever acted on a supplemental request on Iraq,” said Drew Hammill, spokesperson for Speaker Pelosi, arguing that the Democratic leadership is continuing to work on the supplemental through the Easter recess. Hammill also said it was ironic that Bush criticized the congressional Easter break only days before taking an Easter vacation of his own. President Bush plans to spend Thursday through Sunday at his ranch for an extended Easter weekend. This will be Bush’s 63rd trip to his ranch since taking office. He has spent 405 days, either entirely or partially, at his ranch in Crawford.

Family Research Council cites Joe Barton’s citing of 600,000-year-old scientific evidence that Al Gore’s carbon dioxide claims are false, while also contending that the Bible proves that the Earth is only 6,000 years old. How can Barton have “scientific evidence” that’s 594,000 years older than the universe itself?

Christian Right Evangelist Chuck Missler Disproves Evolution With a Jar of Peanut Butter – Craziest piece of non-logic I’ve seen. Video at the link above.

Bush bypassing Senate to name conservative academic to post – President Bush intends to bypass the Senate in order to name a “conservative academic” to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). According to the Wall Street Journal, “Susan Dudley, the former head of regulatory studies at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, has generated opposition from environmentalists and liberal interest groups, who say she would carry out a pro-business agenda at the expense of public health and safety.” Dudley “is already on record as believing that EPA rules are too strict.

21 Shia market workers ambushed, bound and shot dead at the same Baghdad market visited the previous day by John McCain – Is this retribution for the visit from McCain, who said that the American security plan in the capital was starting to show signs of progress? The good news is that Senator Lindsey Graham got “five rugs for five bucks” at the market over the weekend.

Reasons George W. Bush Wants To Put A Man On Mars
Dick Cheney needs a new undisclosed location
It’s part of his “No Planet Left Behind” initiative
Maybe we’ll find some weapons of mass destruction there
New place to drill for oil
He’s hoping to get Mork’s autograph
We cannot back down until the people of Mars hold free elections
Free Mars bars!
Why not? It’s not like we have an enormous national debt
Pete Rose bet him he wouldn’t do it
Chance of finding life form dumber than him
We’ll need somewhere to go once his environmental policy ruins Earth
Might get him in one of those “newspapers” he’s heard so much about
It was strongly suggested by Halliburton’s Outer Space division

Regards,

Jim