State of Delusion

The Republicans Pictured above aren't trying to hail taxis, they're showing solidarity with the Iraqi people by putting blue ink on their fingers, just like Iraqi voters did last week. Of course, since everyone agrees that it's a good thing the Iraqi people voted, and since the Republicans didn't pass the ink pad around to their Democratic colleagues, what this actually is is a particularly lame-ass partisan photo-op, and a tacky one at that. It's also interesting that these Congressional Republicans are expressing their admiration for the democratic process since none of them are allowed to vote for anything other than the president's policies. But come on... it was a mere two years ago that George W. Bush stood in this very spot and declared that Iraq had "biological weapons materials sufficient to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax; enough doses to kill several million people," "materials sufficient to produce more than 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin; enough to subject millions of people to death by respiratory failure," "the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent," "several mobile biological weapons labs," and of course, "an advanced nuclear weapons development program." So  invaded Iraq, wasted $300 billion (and counting), sacrificed 1400 of our soldiers (and counting), and found... nothing. [more]

• As President George W. Bush left the House chamber Thursday night after delivering his State of the Union Address, he told Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) that he included in his speech some of the issues advocated by the Congressional Black Caucus.  ''He whispered to me, 'That was a good meeting we had (last week). You see I included some of your issues and concerns into this speech tonight,''' Rush told the Chicago Defender.While Rush was optimistic about working with the president on the issues mentioned, Rep. Danny Davis, (D-Illinois), was a bit more harsh in his assessment of the address. ''It was somewhat disconcerting and actually frightening, especially from a domestic standpoint,'' Davis said.''It seems to me that there was a clear attack on social security. We don't know exactly how it's going to come, but we know it's there. It was frightening for me to hear the president say we're going to cut 150 programs that were not working. I don't know what those programs are, but I have a strong feeling that they are programs that are very basic to the survival of low-income, poor and disadvantaged people.''
• Bush: Defunding the Left, The Real Theme to the State of the Union Address [more]

• Congresswoman Tubbs Jones Urges Bush Administration to Leave No Worker Behind [more]
• Smoking BOAT: Rep. FORD: I give his speech a B+, A-. I thought it was a strong speech. Certainly, give him an A- category. BW gives you an F little buddy.  Sen. OBAMA: I'm not concerned whether it was politically expedient or genuine. The fact that [Bush] mentioned the issue of false confessions and DNA testing in the capital punishment system, I think, is positive. And I'm encouraged by it. The fact that he noted the huge rise in AIDS cases among African-Americans is positive, and I'm glad that he mentioned it. The fact that he mentioned the generations of African-American youth that are being lost to prisons is positive, and I'm glad that he mentioned it. So I do think that the CBC meeting had a positive impact insofar as the president has these things on his radar screen. [more]