Rudy is corrupt.

RUDY IS A CFR MAN AND IS BOUGH AND PAYED FOR BY THE GLOBAL ELITE, A VOTE FOR RUDY IS A VOTE FOR NAFTA SUPER HIGHWAY AND THE NORTH AMERICAN UNION.

Whether you like Rudy or not - if he makes it through the Republican primary he is very likely to become the next President of the United States. Democrats seem to like Hillary but i do not think many independents or Republicans will vote for her. I think Obama may fair better with independents but will not likely get through the primary. The real question is - will the Republican base lean to the left in order to secure the White House in 08 ?

I'm honestly perplexed by Rudy's strategy. He's going after all of the delegate rich states, traditionally won by democrats in the general election, to win the Republican nomination. His only hope seems to be if there is a major split in the GOP nominating race. If F. Thompson and Romney split up the vote, then Rudy has a real shot. If F. Thompson decides against running, as I'm beginning to think he will, I think McCain will re-surge (no pun intended) back into the top tier. If it comes down to Guiliani vs. Romney or F. Thompson, he's dead in the water. But if it's Guiliani vs. Romney vs. McCain or Fred Thompson, Guiliani will be in good shape and have a real shot at the nomination. Either way, Romney is in and is running the best campaign in the race. So Guiliani must hope a 3rd top tier joins them before voting begins, or Romney will walk away with this nomination. Right now, Mitt Romney is the front runner for the Republican nomination.

zouk -- so happy you've met your equal in rufus. actually, he's your intellectual and moral superior and it's quite funny to see him make you look like you idiot you are. most of us don't have the time or the stomach to deal with you and your lies and fascist propaganda.

why aren't you iraq, yellow-bellied chickenhawk coward? why don
t you have a job or a life?

A$$hat MikeB: "I don't post links for morons that obviously cannot read to begin with."

So you admit you have nothing to back up your drivel. How surprising that you've been talking out of your bunghole.

From the propgansidt watchers doing the FCC's job at

www.mediamatters.org

Zouk shows his face as a propogating fascist once again.

"Fox graphics falsely asserted Castro "wants" Clinton-Obama as "dream team"
Summary: During a Fox & Friends segment discussing an August 28 column by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, on-screen text falsely asserted, "CASTRO'S DREAM TEAM: WANTS CLINTON AND OBAMA IN '08," referring to Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Also during the segment, an on-screen graphic depicted Castro, Clinton, and Obama enclosed in a red heart. In fact, at no point in his column did Castro endorse Clinton or Obama. Indeed, he attributed to Clinton and Obama a pro-democratic view that he called an "error," and he said of Clinton and Obama, "They are not making politics: they are playing a game of cards on a Sunday afternoon."
During the August 29 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, during a segment discussing an August 28 column by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in the Cuban newspaper Granma, on-screen text falsely asserted, "CASTRO'S DREAM TEAM: WANTS CLINTON AND OBAMA IN '08," referring to Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) and Barack Obama (IL). Also during the segment, an on-screen graphic depicted Castro, Clinton, and Obama enclosed in a red heart. In addition, during the August 28 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, guest host Michelle Malkin previewed an upcoming segment by falsely claiming that "Fidel Castro, of all people, endorses a Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama presidential ticket." Malkin went on to ask, "What is that all about?" In fact, at no point in his column did Castro endorse Clinton or Obama. Indeed, he attributed to Clinton and Obama a pro-democratic view that he called an "error," and he said of Clinton and Obama, "They are not making politics: they are playing a game of cards on a Sunday afternoon."

From Castro's column:

Today, talk is about the seemingly invincible ticket that might be created with Hillary for President and Obama for Vice President. Both of them feel the sacred duty of demanding "a democratic government in Cuba". They are not making politics: they are playing a game of cards on a Sunday afternoon.

The media declares that this would be essential, unless Gore decides to run. I don't think he will do so; better than anyone, he knows about the kind of catastrophe that awaits humanity if it continues along its current course. When he was a candidate, he of course committed the error of yearning for "a democratic Cuba".

Enough of tales and nostalgia. This is written simply to increase the conscience of the Cuban people.
"

Details about the achievements of the 110th:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/opinion/26mann.html

Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.): "Democrats can send their members home crowing about their accomplishments, and they've done it in a bipartisan way, which is exactly what they promised to do."

Living a fact-based existence is hard and sometimes melancholy but overall it beats la-la land as a means of advancing the species.

Loudmouth voter - I don't post links for morons that obviously cannot read to begin with. As the Bible says, "Cast not your pearls before swine."

One more from A$$hat MikeB: "You're about as "liberal" as a Nazi, which is pretty typical for you Clinton goose steppers, assorted twits, and mental lightweights."

Please link to even one post in which I claim to be a liberal, you drooling, miserable wretch. You post more strawmen then the most pathetic rightwingnut.

A$$hat MikeB: "Loudmouth Voter - If you were any dumber, you'd be extinct. You have been blathering on and on about Ms. Clinton and the countries love for Bill for months now."

Oh really, you pathetic turd? Kindly post a few links to such posts from me.

And by the way, nice deflection from the fact that you can't follow a simple thread. LOL What a tool this "Democrat" is.

Loudmouth Voter - If you were any dumber, you'd be extinct. You have been blathering on and on about Ms. Clinton and the countries love for Bill for months now. When someone tosses it back in your face, you act like some pathetic child who had their candy confiscated. Get a life. You're about as "liberal" as a Nazi, which is pretty typical for you Clinton goose steppers, assorted twits, and mental lightweights.

"Hillary nomination rallying the GOP base "

That's the gop plan. Thye have no shot and they know it. Have things imporved or worsened for the gop since 06? A lot worse?

Ok. Then why do you think the results will be any differant?

MikeB: "Loudoun Voter - You're even dumber than I thought if you think nominating Hillary Clinton is going to unify Democrats."

Where did I say that, you illiterate "Democrat"? The comment I was responding to was about a Hillary nomination rallying the GOP base -- nothing about Democrats.

Now run along and learn how to read.

"In a 50-minute interview in his office in Baghdad's Green Zone, Maliki strongly defended his tenure and said that he doesn't expect to be forced out. He said his efforts at national reconciliation, not the surge of additional U.S. troops or actions by Iraqi security forces, are responsible for improved security.

He blamed the United States and its early policies in Iraq for the sectarianism that plagues the country, and said he opposed the current U.S. policy of working with former Sunni Muslim insurgent groups who've turned against al Qaida in Iraq because that, too, promotes sectarianism.
"

"BAGHDAD - Iraq's largest Sunni Arab political bloc announced its withdrawal from the government Wednesday, undermining efforts to seek reconciliation among the country's rival factions, and three bombings in Baghdad killed at least 70 people. "

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Home » World News » Conflict in Iraq

1 million Shiite pilgrims forced to leave Karbala
Police abort religious celebration after clashes leave 51 dead, 247 wounded"

You got tow major issues there. Retefiy that. Get SOMe political growth and then you can promote good things. Until that day nothing has changed. You know as I do the goal is not to win the war, but to sustain it. Why? $$$$$$$$

Bush and the gop had no intention of winning this war anytime soon. He has said himself that this will go on for generations. Why? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

You are a joke zouk. You are a laughing stock. I can't wait until election day. It's going to be ten times better than christmas. I'm also waiting to see how you fascsits will try and cheat, because you know you will.

No cheating this time. To big or a landslide. You party doesn't have much time left zouk. you are wasting it. You are hurting when you should be helping.

You people have some balls for people tah have done nothing right in 15 years.

No Lamont lost. the Kos and haters candidate has never won. there are other losers I can't recall right now. and there will clearly be more.

Elsewhere in Iraq, though, progress is extraordinary and unambiguous. I spent a week in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province, which just four months ago was the most violent place in Iraq. Al Qaeda had taken over and ruled the city through a massive murder and intimidation campaign. Even the Marine Corps, arguably the least defeatist institution in America, wrote off Ramadi as irretrievably lost last August.

Then, local tribal leaders and civilians joined the Americans - and helped purge the city of every last terrorist cell. Violence has dropped to near zero. I have photographs of Iraqis hugging American soldiers and of children greeting us with ecstatic joy, as though they had been rescued from Nazis. The Marines are even considering going on patrols without body armor.

What worked in Ramadi might not work in Baghdad. The Mahdi Army's relative moderation, compared with Al Qaeda's brutality, prevents it from being rejected by the entire society. But this much cannot be denied: There are powerful winds of change in Iraq, and not enough time has passed to determine how they will transform the country.

Want to know if the surge will succeed or fail? There is only one thing to do: Wait.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/08/29/2007-08-29_frontline_lessons_from_the_iraq_surge.html?print=1

Dems can't afford to wait in case there is a victory. that would spell disaster to their election hopes. but Dems, keep your chins up, maybe a recession will insue. that should cheer you up.

"We tolerate no thinking in the hate wing of the Libs. Stick with the program. we will win an election some day."

06?

Your points have to actually be better than the next not loader or more malicious. You have to be MORE intellegent in your agruments not less, as your boy's hannity and newt would have you believe.

Their tricks are outdated. The american people now see you propoganda.

What happened is you people showed your face. With Fox you people let non-gop'ers into your world. The world of a madman. Who do you speak to people that only understand martian? Learn MArtian. You people are not humans. You are the borg.

So what happened was you people had a full fascist push. The goal was for a conservative majority. You showed your face hoping it would boost gop numbers. You thought the country would jump of the fascism bandwagon, and the country did for a time. When they thought you people were telling the truth . No more. They see why you people say the things you do. They see why. They see who's paying the bill. They see you as hypocrites. They see you as fascsits.

YOu tried and failed. now get back in the closet for another 50 years. It's where you belong. You don't deserve the throne. The last 30 years have shone that. Where else in the world do you you keep your jobs the worse you do? Only in gop land.

I've seen some crazy stuff out here in reno. It is impossible for gop'ers to get fired by other gop'ers. no matter what you people choose party of country every time. In the business world you choose party over business everytime.

This is the problem with the economy. Gop sabotage at every turn. ME ME ME. Do you know california is the 5th biggest economy IN THE WORLD. You know why. If you do something against the business and for self, YOU ARE FIRED. Something foregin to the gop. That is why we are failing in business in this country. Greed, selfish, fascsits. "be like me, or don't be."

I and we see you know. YOur party has a year and a half of relevance. Point to the d's all you want. The question you should ask yourself is what has the gop done right? If you can't think of anything or very little, why do you think the gop will stay as a dominate party in this country.

What happened to accountability? What happened to morales? What happened to doing what's best of the country, not party?

You people are done. It is your own faults. You are causing my country to crumble. And you know what. Your doing it on purpose. It is intentional. Fascsim will never win the day. Wait and see. I know you don't believe me, even though everything I've told you people is truth.

I guess we'll all have to wait. Just remember what I've ssaid to .

"AND YOUR ACCOUNTED FOR. EVERYTHING THAT YOU HEARD? DO NOT SPEAK TO FOOLS THEY SCORN THE WISDOM OF YOUR WORDS".

Nas

I keep talking so I must think you gop'ers are not fools. only lost souls wasting your lives as slaves to the corporation.

Let's compare attorneys general:

-- Civilians killed by Ashcroft: 0
-- Civilians killed by Gonzales: 0
-- Civilians killed by Reno: 80

Reno's military attack on a religious sect in Waco, Texas, led to the greatest number of citizens ever killed by the government in the history of the United States

Number of 6-year-old boys deported to totalitarian dictatorships by Ashcroft: 0
Number of 6-year-old boys deported to totalitarian dictatorships by Gonzales: 0
Number of 6-year-old boys deported to totalitarian dictatorships by Reno: 1

Not until Bush became president was the media interested in discussing the shortcomings of the attorney general. Whatever flaws Alberto Gonzales has (John Ashcroft has none), we don't have to go back to the Harding administration to find a worse attorney general.

From the phony child abuse cases of the '80s to the military assault on Americans at Waco, Janet Reno presided over the most egregious attacks on Americans' basic liberties since the Salem witch trials. These outrageous deprivations of life and liberty were not the work of fanatical right-wing prosecutors, but liberals like Janet Reno.

Reno is the sort of wild-eyed zealot trampling on real civil rights that Hillary views as an ideal attorney general, unlike that brute Alberto Gonzales. At least Reno didn't fire any U.S. attorneys!

Oh wait --

Number of U.S. attorneys fired by Ashcroft: 0
Number of U.S. attorneys fired by Gonzales: 8
Number of U.S. attorneys fired by Reno: 93

This week, congressional Democrats vowed to investigate Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' firing of himself. Gonzales has said he was not involved in the discussions about his firing and that it was "performance-based," but he couldn't recall the specifics.

We are so proud to have named so many post offices. and minimum wage has already helped over 67 people get a raise. We will get to social security, the environment, ethics, earmarks, the appropriations, the war, medicare, eduction, energy and a whole host of other things if you just vote for us ten or 20 more times. We promise. We're Libs.

roo name one substantative new law. I always love your claims with no citations and no facts. I also love fairy tales for the same reason.

Loudoun Voter - You're even dumber than I thought if you think nominating Hillary Clinton is going to unify Democrats. Every poll to date shows support for her to be lukewarm, at best. Many Democrats (and genuine liberals) loathe both Clinton's, but money grubbing, two faced, utter incompetent, and ruthless Hillary Clinton most of all. A few more exposures of the sort of illegal campaign contributions she has been involved in, a few stories finally making it to the press about her anti-labor policies, her too cozy relationships with big money interests, and that lukewarm support will fade PDQ.

Rep. Brian Baird's (D-Wash.) recent conversion on the Iraq war is beginning to affect more than the national dialogue. On Wednesday, liberal group MoveOn.org announced an ad campaign against the congressman in his own district. Baird recently returned from a trip to Iraq and reversed his position on a withdrawal timetable, citing military progress in the four-year-old war. MoveOn is calling the move a "flip-flop" and says it goes against the views of his constituents.\

We tolerate no thinking in the hate wing of the Libs. Stick with the program. we will win an election some day.

Anonymous--"since we have no agenda other than winning power, we Dems promise to investigate until the next election. this should take up most of our time so don't expect any laws to be passed. We already passed minimum wage and helped out over 46 starving immigrants so as you can see our work is done. We simply have no idea what to do about the war, the environment, social security, medicare, corruption, earmarks or any other actual issue facing america."

The 110th Congress has actually already passed more substantive legislation than the 109th did.

In addition, the 110th Congress has gone through 56 filibusters (by Republicans) where the entire 109th went through 65 (by Democrats.)

And they still have half their session remaining! (We will discount a couple months next fall for campaigning.) So please stop embarrassing yourself.

The next generation is on to you zouk. You can't pull things out that that and expect it to work anymore. "Fidel wants obama."

Who does that work on? Middle school kids can't vote yet buddy. Your tricks are outdated. We see them all now.

""Reno. So Close to Hell You Can See Sparks."

(Sparks, Nevada. pop. 325 people ,354 cows.)"

I like it proud. Funny too. Am I living in hell? Seems like it. Sure are a lot of cow-folk/dittoheads. Sure are alot of people living in a false reality. Willful ignorance.

This is why I came. To open eyes of the blind. and To open the ears of the deaf.

You gop'ers are slaves, you just don't realize it. Nothing upstairs. Borg. Mindless robots.

Former President Carter welcomed Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards to Georgia on Wednesday, embracing the fellow Southerner as a kindred spirit on poverty and the environment. Carter and Edwards shared the stage at Carter's alma mater, Georgia Southwestern State University. Carter stopped short of endorsing the former senator from North Carolina but called him "a candidate whom I really admire."

and that folks - is all she wrote. you can flush the john now. fidel wants Hillary and carter likes edwards. which is worse? Osama liked Kerry you remember?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_levee_failures_in_Greater_New_Orleans

"In the 17 months following Katrina five investigations were carried out. The only Congressionally ordered study was sponsored and managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Two major independent studies were done by the University of California at Berkeley and the Louisiana State University. Two minor studies were done by FEMA and the insurance industry. All five studies basically agree on the engineering mechanisms of failure.

The failure mechanisms engineers investigated included overtopping of levees and floodwalls by the storm surge, consequential undermining of flood wall foundations or other weakening by water of the wall foundations, and the storm surge pressures exceeding the strength of the floodwalls."

Maintenance and inspection are the responsibility of local levee boards, but the levee failures were not due to maintenance, but rather to design flaws that routine maintenance would not have detected"

"On April 5, 2006, months after independent investigators had demonstrated that levee failures were not due to natural forces beyond intended design strength, Lt. Gen. Carl Strock testified before the U. S. Senate Subcommittee on Energy and Water that, "We have now concluded we had problems with the design of the structure." He also testified that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not know of this mechanism of failure prior to August 29, 2005. The claim of ignorance is refuted, however, by the National Science Foundation investigators hired by the Army Corps of Engineers, who point to a 1986 study by the Corps itself that such separations were possible in the I-wall design.[11]

Nearly two months later, June 1, 2006, the USACE finally and unequivocally admitted responsibility for the events in New Orleans with the release of the completed report. The Final Draft of the IPET report states the destructive forces of Katrina were "aided by incomplete protection, lower than authorized structures, and levee sections with erodible materials."

Read between the lines dittoheads.

Have you heard about Reno's new slogan? No longer are they calling themselves the Biggest Little City on the World. In an attempt to attract more folks like rufus, they are now using

"Reno. So Close to Hell You Can See Sparks."

(Sparks, Nevada. pop. 325 people ,354 cows.)

Proud - by then the Lib agenda of investigate and pontificate without any effort to legislate will be clear. they have nothing else to offer. the lesson about spending will have been digested and the Rs will be fresh for a fight. and what an easy opponent. I think rudy is an excellent choice and will lower taxes, keep us safe, and not do anything drastic on the social scene. Just my kind of guy. compare this to the given alternative : raise taxes, surrender and drastically change our society by fiat toward socialism and unethical behavior. the chinese money is already flowing. the empty promises released. the sinister attacks on anyone who dares to question the megolomania of a clinton. the hollowing out of the military.

Easy choice if you have eyes, ears and something behind them. but this obviously excludes the Libs - nothing upstairs to work with.

Tough talk, GOP. We'll see won't we. We'll see how many americans are with you guys.

good luck. Really. I don't see it happening though. You people are hopeless. I have you all in the palm of my hands. YOu just don't realize it yet. Most americans do not like to be look at as people that are ignorant to the world. That's what MOST people see you gop'ers as. Out of touch, lost track of reality. Dittohead slaves who parrot talking points all day.

Only works with people like you. Un-informe, out of touch, fascist, racist. The future will not smile on you. Read my posts a little deeper and you will see what I am really saying. I got you people in the palm of my hands. CC knows this. That's why he's shutting down.

Gotta read that fine print, right GOP. Screw the little man at every chance. Make sure there is plenty of legal gargon plenty of small print. Screw the little guy.

Who is voting republcian? Are you people going for the Darth Vader vote? :)

What spineless meniacle physco is going to vote GOP. YOur party is done for a generation. Don't hate the country to much when your movement is dust. Anymore than you currently do. You cannot force conservatism on a free people. Fear will not run my generation.

OHH. ANd old man. That post about new orleans retrepution was a joke. Just trying to make a point. You people are fascsits. You people only care about yourselves. YOu people are living in a dream land. You have a year and a half. Use that time wisely.

Insurance companies typically restrict property coverage to damage caused by wind, fire and other hazards. Congress launched the National Flood Insurance Program in 1968 to help homeowners living in flood-prone areas get flood insurance to complement private policies

rufas - we all now you can't write but now it is clear you can't read either. I guess you will probably say you misread on purpose to fool us. whatever. don't even get me started on your reasoning process. You have now made Ignorant coward look like a rhodes scholar and that is a feat. Are you his shill?

"In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, a major storm is brewing over the denial of many homeowners' insurance claims. Battered by consumer attorneys on one side, major insurers are watching their credit ratings being downgraded because of what's likely to be the largest insured loss in U.S. history.

Adjusters are denying many homeowners' claims, saying the damage was caused by flooding, an "Act of God" that is not covered by homeowners policies. Many homeowners are outraged and several prominent lawyers are right behind the adjusters.

Dean Barras of Marrero, La., said State Farm denied coverage on much of the damage to his home, claiming that the "chimney was not built properly." In a complaint to ConsumerAffairs.com, Barras complained that much of the damage occurred during the two weeks his home was exposed to the elements, without electricity or air conditioning.

Among the damage State Farm refused to cover was: a double-pane window with water in it, warped door frames, wooden musical instruments ruined by humidity, furniture and cabinetry swollen by humidity, roof damage from wind-driven debris, a batting cage with a tree on top of it and a houseful of appliances damaged by an apparent electrical surge.

"Imagine your entire house a steam bath with blown-open doors and exposed to the elements for two weeks," Barras said. "I paid insurance premiums for 9 yrs. faithfully on this dwelling. Thanks for your ears -- I'm tired."

Dickie Scruggs
Enter Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, a Mississippi lawyer who has won billions in suits against tobacco and asbestos companies. He is suing several major insurance companies, including State Farm, Allstate and Nationwide. Scruggs said that although most of the hurricane damage was caused by "a combination of wind and storm surge," insurance adjusters are claiming that the losses are due solely to flooding, which is not covered by homeowners insurance.

Scruggs said he expects to file "tens of thousands of lawsuits" for homeowners along the Gulf Coast. Rather than a class-action suit, he said, the suits would be consolidated into "common issue" legal actions in which juries will render verdicts, and in which insurance companies could be ordered to pay the amount required under each individual policy. Scruggs is the brother-in-law of Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood has also sued property insurers, trying to force them to pay for more of the damage.

Louisiana Suit Blames the Levees
In Louisiana, plaintiff attorneys with the McKernan Law Firm have filed suit on behalf of homeowners in the Greater New Orleans area claiming that the high water in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes was caused by a man-made neglect of levees protecting the area and wind damage rather than rising water caused by natural elements, normally exempted under the "Act of God" clause.

The lawyers argued that it was breeches in the levees, not a storm surge, that caused most of the damage in the New Orleans area. Water did not come over the levee but flooded the areas in question only after the breeches occurred, their lawsuits will argue.

Insurers Respond
The insurance industry is adamant that the losses are caused by flooding, which is not covered by the typical homeowner casualty policy.

"The flood loss exclusion in homeowner policies is clearly worded, has existed for decades and has withstood previous legal and political challenges," said Ernie Csiszar, president and CEO of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. "We're outraged by this attempt to retroactively rewrite policies so that every risk will be covered, regardless of the cost to millions of American consumers."

Flood losses have been covered separately by the National Flood Insurance Program since 1968, Csiszar said. Many lenders require home buyers in risky areas to purchase this federally guaranteed protection in order to qualify for mortgages. However, it is not mandatory for all homeowners.

Csiszar said private insurers have historically excluded flood damage from most standard homeowner's policies because of the potential for catastrophic, widespread, and repeated losses.

Insurers Downgraded
Standard & Poor's has placed major U.S. insurers including State Farm, Allstate, Allmerica and United Fire Group on its CreditWatch list because of their "exposure to the catastrophic and unparalleled losses stemming from Hurricane Katrina."

International companies placed on the list are: Ace Group, Lloyd's, Oil Casualty, Montpelier Re, PXRE and Swiss Re.

Fitch Ratings also put five North American insurers on its Rating Watch Negative list. The affected companies include: The Allstate Corporation, Horace Mann Educators Corp., Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd., PXRE Group Ltd., and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.

Fitch said it believes that Hurricane Katrina will represent the largest insured loss in U.S. history, surpassing the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack and Hurricane Andrew in 1992."

Shall I continue or do you get the idea?

proud: "koz - I've been hearing the leftwingnut pundits glibly chortling about Rs being in disarray. I can hardly wait till the spectre of Clinton II rallies the base. Then we'll see who's laughing."

Hey proud, go ahead and nominate Rudy or Mitty. Then we'll really see how the presence of another Clinton on the Dem ticket will rally your base.

koz - I've been hearing the leftwingnut pundits glibly chortling about Rs being in disarray. I can hardly wait till the spectre of Clinton II rallies the base. Then we'll see who's laughing.

"Again. the city stood for hundreds of years without this happening. All of a sudden bush comes in, needs a distracton from iraq and this happened"

rufas has clearly gone over the edge. now Bush is creating hurricanes to distract the press. We facesits sure are smart. You might as well give up Libs. we can even win elections with only two voters - proud and zouk. we are amazing.

More repub lies. It's ok. That's why I'm here.

"Court rules against homeowners in Katrina case
Insurance policies did not cover flood damage, federal appeals court says

NEW ORLEANS - Hurricane Katrina victims whose homes and businesses were destroyed when floodwaters breached levees in the 2005 storm cannot recover money from their insurance companies for the damages, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.

The case could affect tens of thousands of rebuilding residents and business owners in Louisiana, Daniel E. Becnel, who represented 21 plaintiffs in the case, said. Insurers could have taken a "multibillion dollar hit" if the ruling had gone against the industry, said David Rossmiller, an insurance attorney and analyst.

"This event was excluded from coverage under the plaintiffs' insurance policies, and under Louisiana law, we are bound to enforce the unambiguous terms of their insurance contracts as written," Judge Carolyn King wrote for a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

As a result, the panel found those who filed the suit "are not entitled to recover under their policies," she said.

More than a dozen insurance companies, including Allstate and Travelers, were defendants. Becnel said he planned to appeal. Xavier University said it would seek a rehearing, insisting the matter is ultimately one that should be decided by Louisiana courts.

John Houghtaling, an attorney representing 400 property and business owners in claims against insurers, agreed. He's not involved in this case but is set to argue one with similar issues before a state appeals court next month. He ultimately expects the Louisiana Supreme Court to weigh in on the exclusion issue.

"People from New Orleans need to realize this is not final," he said. "This is halftime."

King said the federal appeals judges used their "best judgment" in trying to determine how the state's high court would settle the issue if it had the case the panel decided Thursday.

The decision overturns a ruling by U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr., who in November sided with policyholders arguing that language excluding water damage from some of their insurance policies was ambiguous.

Duval said the policies did not distinguish between floods caused by an act of God -- such as excessive rainfall -- and floods caused by an act of man, which would include the levee breaches following Katrina's landfall.

But the appeals panel concluded that "even if the plaintiffs can prove that the levees were negligently designed, constructed, or maintained and that the breaches were due to this negligence, the flood exclusions in the plaintiffs' policies unambiguously preclude their recovery."

"Regardless of what caused the failure of the flood-control structures that were put in place to prevent such a catastrophe, their failure resulted in a widespread flood that damaged the plaintiffs' property," and policies clearly excluded water damage caused by floods, King wrote.

Click for related content
Report: Little progress in Katrina contracts

This was a consolidated case, including about 40 named plaintiffs, including Xavier University, and more than a dozen insurance companies. It is just one of the cases pending in federal court over Katrina damage. The Army Corps of Engineers faces thousands of claims for damage resulting after the levees breached; King noted in her opinion that dozens more cases, some consolidated and involving property owners suing insurers, are pending in federal court in New Orleans.

Rossmiller, who is not involved in Katrina-related litigation, said the appeals panel's ruling wasn't surprising.

"The 5th Circuit got it right," he said. "This was an easy one."

Representatives of Illinois-based Allstate and Minnesota-based Travelers said their companies were pleased with the court's findings.

Insurance companies typically restrict property coverage to damage caused by wind, fire and other hazards. Congress launched the National Flood Insurance Program in 1968 to help homeowners living in flood-prone areas get flood insurance to complement private policies. Private agents sell the federal policies, which are often subsidized by taxpayers because premiums don't factor in the real risks of damage."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20093139/

Proud, these are people who are going to vote for clinton again. enough said.

Rufas - you got your facts turned completely upside down again as usual.

Regular homeowners insurance does not cover flooding. you must purchase flood insurance which is extra. Most lenders who are holding paper on a home in a flood plain require it. I am not sure why any resident of NO wouldn't have the sense to keep flood insurance, unless they are like you. wind damage is covered by normal insurance. the residents who had no flood insurance claimed the damage was from the wind. really? I can only guess you want the nice big nanny government to cover all the people who were too stupid to get flood insurance for a home below sea level. can anyone make a mistake in Rufas' world and not pay the price?

but then mortgages are only made out of paper right?

"How many have actually been to n.o.?"

Rufus - I've been to the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, and I've been to Reno, too, and one thing is for sure. Any natural disaster befalling these communities has not been and will not be because of you, or to pay them back for your disgruntlement. Your grandiosity is almost as appallingly bad as your egocentrism.

Nobody is bad-mouthing New Orleans here. We're just re-stating the obvious - it is a huge waste of money and lives to continue rebuilding that city the same way over and over again. It is the definition of insanity.

I love the fact that everybody calls him "turdblossom". Hilarious.

"Karl Rove, your car is ready.

White House pranksters wrapped Rove's Jaguar in plastic wrap on the private driveway next to the West Wing. Rove's car is easily recognizable because of its "I love Barack Obama" bumper sticker and the twin stuffed-animal eagles on the trunk. Oh, and there's a stuffed-animal elephant on the hood.

Rove, the top White House political strategist who recently announced his resignation, left his car on the driveway while visiting Texas and traveling with President Bush. He was due back in Washington Wednesday evening."

"AM I my brother's/sister's keeper?"

Yes I am. If notI wouldn't waste my time here everyday. Why are you here? Whoever that "you" may be.

"Dear Rufus (name changed to protect the innocent),

Watch a special video about
New Orleans and Barack's plan
to rebuild the Gulf Coast:

http://my.barackobama.com/gulfcoast
A house built on a strong foundation should withstand floods and high winds.

A government built on a strong foundation of solidarity and common purpose should aid its citizens when their houses are not strong enough.

Two years ago, Hurricane Katrina revealed that our federal emergency response system and the leadership responsible for it lacked a strong foundation.

As thousands drowned and lost their homes, President Bush and FEMA responded incompetently to this tragedy.

Over the weeks and months that followed, things at FEMA didn't get much better. There's been a lot of squabbling, but no one has stepped up to take responsibility.

Nonetheless, New Orleans and other communities on the Gulf Coast are making a recovery -- small businesses, neighborhoods, and churches are coming back to life thanks to individuals and organizations taking matters into their own hands. In the absence of proper support from the federal government, Americans have reached out to one another and begun the work that the Bush administration has neglected.

Those working on the recovery have honored a principle our government has largely forgotten under President Bush: I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper.

Yet even for patient and generous people, the burdens continue to be overwhelming.

There are countless problems remaining to be solved: shuttered schools and hospitals, abandoned houses, faulty levees, and more empty promises from Washington.

New Orleans and the whole Gulf Coast face huge challenges ahead. But rebuilding is also an opportunity.

In rebuilding, we've got a chance to create something stronger -- a foundation that can serve as the rock on which dreams are founded.

Our focus should be on strengthening the fundamental elements any community needs to thrive: maintaining local law and order, bringing doctors and nurses back to provide reliable healthcare, and attracting top teachers to restore schools that will give our children the chance to succeed.

But to do this we must change our leadership.

These failures expose an arrogance in our current leaders -- a detachment from the lives of real people and an indifference to the consequences for the least fortunate -- that cannot continue.

And make no mistake, the failures of the Bush administration were not just failures of response. They were the end result of policies that have eroded our country's foundation and weakened our commitment to one another.

To rebuild in the wake of Katrina and get our country back on course, we need to renew our commitment to one another. We need to return to this core principle of our great nation by honoring our responsibility to our fellow citizens.

I am my brother's keeper. I am my sister's keeper. And that foundation is what makes all of us stronger.

Thank you.

Barack Obama"

""Ther eis a famous saying." It costs less to do it right than it does to re-do it." It's in prevention."

Like not building a major city below sea level in the first place?"

Again. the city stood for hundreds of years without this happening. All of a sudden bush comes in, needs a distracton from iraq and this happened. Not likely. Hundreds of years that city stood.

Don't hate and bad talk NO. Don't they have enough problems without you greeedy fascsits piling on? Saying it's there fault for living there.

Or all you people bad mouthing. How many have actually been to n.o.? How many of you actually know what in the world you are talking about before you ramble the next lie and half truth.

and how many us attorneys did President Clinton dismiss during his term ???? come on you'll have to do better than that.

Posted by: common sense | August 28, 2007 11:33 PM

Funny you should ask that "common sense." The answer is: he dismissed the same number that Ronald Reagan did when he took office and precisely one less than George W Bush did when he took office.

The only difference is, Mr. Bush decided his picks weren't partisan enough so he fired some of his own appointees mid-term, something that has only been done 3 other times since 1980. Thanks for playing.

23 Mar 2007 // WASHINGTON -- "Three weeks ago, Justice Department officials settled on a "talking point" to rebut the chorus of Democratic accusations that the Bush administration had wrongly injected politics into law enforcement when it dismissed eight U.S. attorneys.

Why not focus on the Clinton administration's having "fired all 93 U.S. attorneys" when Janet Reno became attorney general in March 1993? The idea was introduced in a memo from a Justice Department spokeswoman.

The message has been effective. What's followed has been a surge of complaints on blogs and talk radio that it was the Clinton administration that first politicized the Justice Department.

The facts, it turns out, are more complicated.

In a March 4 memo titled "Draft Talking Points," Justice Department spokeswoman Tasia Scolinos asked, "The [White House] is under the impression that we did not remove all the Clinton [U.S. attorneys] in 2001 like he did when he took office. Is that true?"

That is mostly true, replied D. Kyle Sampson, then chief of staff to Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales. "Clinton fired all Bush [U.S. attorneys] in one fell swoop. We fired all Clinton [U.S. attorneys] but staggered it out more and permitted some to stay on a few months," he said.

A few minutes later, Deputy Atty. Gen. Paul J. McNulty replied to the same memo.

"On the issue of Clinton [U.S. attorneys], we called each one and had them give us a timeframe. Most were gone by late April. In contrast, Clinton [Justice Department] told all but a dozen in early March to be gone immediately," McNulty said.

The difference appears minor. Both McNulty and Sampson acknowledged that the Bush administration, like the Clinton administration, brought in a new slate of U.S. attorneys within a few months of taking office.

But historical data compiled by the Senate show the pattern going back to President Reagan.

Reagan replaced 89 of the 93 U.S. attorneys in his first two years in office. President Clinton had 89 new U.S. attorneys in his first two years, and President Bush had 88 new U.S. attorneys in his first two years."

What is my real opinion of what happened in NO? You really want to know.

When I was out there I was played with and treated poorly. God punished NO for their insolence. The will of GOd has spoken.

Hopefully the same happens to Reno when I leave, because of their harse treatment of me. But instead no flood something else. MAybe a mexican revolution destroys it.

Is that better Proudgop. Does me saying that make you feel better about yourself. As I am some anonymous crazy person that doesn't know what he's talking about?

When I misspell words on purpose, does it make you feel smarter?

"Ther eis a famous saying." It costs less to do it right than it does to re-do it." It's in prevention."

Like not building a major city below sea level in the first place?

"I realize you were refering to rebuilding New Orleans, but can we apply that to the ultimate boondoggle we chose to fight in Iraq?"

I chose my words deliberately, clever boy.

"1. Their insurance over there was revolted."

revolked. Excuse me

"How much money should the fed gov't spend to protect a city built in such an abysmally stupid place? The people who lost homes are receiving checks & compensation, slowly - no doubt - but, how much should the rest of us pay the next time the city gets hit? If another Katrina comes in this year, or next, or in 10 years, should we respend all that money again? Just rebuild a city built below sea level in hurricane country? "

1. Their insurance over there was revolted. The people of NO may get gov. money, but they are not getting their insurance money for their homes. Why? State farm and others are trying to say katrina damage was due to wind damage not flood. WOW.

2. Something you gop morons will never understand. Ther eis a famous saying." It costs less to do it right than it does to re-do it." It's in prevention. We could have stopped catrina before it happened. That city has been there for hundreds of years. You mean to say they never had floods? How did they handle it in th epast. The levee's were neglected. This may be paranoia, but I beleive this was a planed attack against our country like 9/11. Read up. Do some research for pete's sake.

Instead of sh*oting the messenger

Oh, I get it. Homoseual prostitution is not okay for Republican's but is okay for Democrats. That is the essential difference and that is the sum total of the meaning of your comments....numbnuts.

Some anonymous polesmoker bleated "The ever changing positions of posters like Loudoun voter is simple amazing. He/she/it blathers "Funny how the...GOP has not done anything about the serial prostitute patronizer David Vitter.""

Hey numbnuts, my post was pointing out the difference between the GOP reaction to Vitter and to Craig. Eat dung.

So, again, WHY SPEND FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE??

Posted by: | August 29, 2007 02:32 PM

I realize you were refering to rebuilding New Orleans, but can we apply that to the ultimate boondoggle we chose to fight in Iraq?

As this is a Giuliani thread, I think its pertinent to mention that 1) Giuliani has no legitimate (read: verfiable or objective) basis to claim he is a "terr'rism fighter," 2) he has already lost a heads up contest to Hillary Clinton for the Senate, 3) his approval before 9/11 was under 50%, 4) he left NYC with a bigger budget deficit than he inherited, and 5) New Yorkers considered him "not likable" by a ratio of nearly 4:1 in a 2001 poll.

With his crony-capitalist, us-vs-them,my-way-or-the-highway, end-justify-the-means, party-over-country managing style, coupled with a deafness to legitimate criticism and a preference for doing things the ugly way rather than the right way, Rudolph William Louis Giuliani is first and foremost, the true natural heir to Bush/Rovism (and nearly 80% of the country agrees that is NOT a good thing) and the only presidential candidate who, if elected, would likely be actually WORSE THAN BUSH.

The ever changing positions of posters like Loudoun voter is simple amazing. He/she/it blathers "Funny how the...GOP has not done anything about the serial prostitute patronizer David Vitter." We always thought leftwing Clinton trash liked perverted sex?

The ever changing positions of posters like Loudoun voter is simple amazing. He/she/it blathers "Funny how the...GOP has not done anything about the serial prostitute patronizer David Vitter." We always thought leftwing Clinton task liked perverted sex?

rufus- It's entirely different to insist on learning from past mistakes than it is to say the citizens of NO deserved the tragedy of Katrina. Nobody is suggesting that they deserved it. What I am saying is, look...there are parts of the city that should not be rebuilt becuase they are more than 8 feet below sea level and it's a complete waste of money, and it puts people at high risk of losing their lives again. Kind of like throwing good money after bad.

If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break, If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break

When the levee breaks I'll have no place to stay.

Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan,
Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan
Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home,
Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well....

Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.

"So no had it coming and they deserved it then."

What a pinhead.

How much money should the fed gov't spend to protect a city built in such an abysmally stupid place? The people who lost homes are receiving checks & compensation, slowly - no doubt - but, how much should the rest of us pay the next time the city gets hit? If another Katrina comes in this year, or next, or in 10 years, should we respend all that money again? Just rebuild a city built below sea level in hurricane country?

How many times?

If you're upset about wasting money fighting an unwinnable war in Iraq, how on earth can you possibly be in favor of rebuilding New Orleans just for it to sit at risk of flooding again?

Ok proud. So no had it coming and they deserved it then. Is that it. Screw them. They get what they deserve. It's their fault for living there? I thought you gop'ers said the government's ONLY job is to keep us safe. So in the no case this is not true?

I guess your fake gop rules only apply to who you say when you say it. Hypocricy is so ingrained into your mental it effects all your thoughts. That is double think, no?

"New Orleans, almost all of it, is built below sea level."

This must be whart rufus was talking about earlier when he wrote:

"It is moot. YOu are wasting you time. Please go elsewhere.YOu have no chance here. I would think that would be clear by now."

Your'e right rufus. It is, indeed, a waste of time to try to prop up and rebuild a city that the ocean is quickly reclaiming.

From an eerily prophetic December 2000 article...

" New Orleans sits on a bed of silt, sand and clay, which historically has been rebuilt with each flooding; new silt and sand are deposited when the river floods. But the levees that protect the city from flooding also prevent the rebuilding of the silt. As a result, New Orleans is sinking at a rate of one-third of an inch per year, which is not good for a city that is already eight feet below sea level. To make matters worse, global warming is causing the sea level to rise."

WASHINGTON- Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu pleaded no contest in a court case in California in the early 1990s, according to his lawyer and media reports.The Los Angeles Times reported in today's editions that Mr. Hsu agreed in 1991 to accept three years in prison for allegedly swindling $1 million out of investors who had backed his plan to resell latex gloves.

Norman Hsu is one of the leading political fund-raisers in the country this year. In fact, many fund-raisers say he is one of a small handful of people capable of raising more than $1 million -- a major feat considering the maximum donation allowed by an individual for 2008 races is $4,600 per candidate. But longtime political donors are curious: "Who is Norman Hsu?" asks Robin Chandler Duke,

(Breaking News from the International Association of Fire Fighters)

Senator ... Soldier ... Patriot ...
Experience and Leadership Our Country Needs

A Message from the General President

We have a core political philosophy on which all of our political work hinges. We will support those who support us.

In the 2008 Presidential election, there are a number of candidates with solid records on fire fighter and working family issues. The proven, demonstrated ability to lead on those issues are what we weigh the most when deciding who will receive the considerable support and endorsement of our great union. These successes tell us what kind of leadership each candidate will offer as our President.

So we did the background work and looked at the candidates' records on fire fighter and working family issues. We saw which issues they have a history not just of supporting, but where they led the fight to change things for the better, and where they would in the future. And we examined the strengths each candidate would bring in a general election.

We listened to the candidates' words, hosted forums and printed them in our magazine.

We talked with our leaders and members across the country... and after all of that work, your IAFF Executive Board took that information, got together and found that one candidate out of all those running in both parties really stood head and shoulders above the rest when it came to support for fire fighters, for protecting our country and on issues that are important to our economy, our families and their quality of life.

That candidate is U.S. Senator Chris Dodd, and that's why your IAFF Executive Board voted unanimously today to endorse Senator Dodd for President of the United States.

His full record is laid out on our web site, at www.firefightersfordodd.com

Chris understands service, duty and leadership. He's spent his entire adult life serving our country and its citizens.

As a young man, he joined the Peace Corps and as he worked in rural communities in the Dominican Republic he learned the value of the United States leading the way for others.

After fulfilling that commitment, Chris enlisted in the Army National Guard and later served in the U.S. Army Reserves.

And after earning a law degree, he ran for and was elected to Congress in 1974, where he served three terms in the House of Representatives on behalf of Connecticut, then was elected to represent his state in the U.S. Senate in 1980.

His record of leadership on issues that have helped American workers not just keep their heads above water, but to get ahead, is long and distinguished. It tells us a lot about the kind of President he will make and why we believe he can win.

Just as important, Chris Dodd's record is probably the best in the history of the U.S. Congress in leading the fight to ensure that the funding, resources and staffing fire fighters need to do their jobs safely and effectively is there.

He wasn't just a co-sponsor of the FIRE Act, he wrote it.

He wasn't just a co-sponsor of the SAFER Act, he wrote it.

Chris has co-sponsored our collective bargaining legislation.

He helped lead the fight to implement all of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Report.

Dodd supports increased funding for Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grants, the Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) program and other block grants to assist first responders.

In fact, one of his first votes as a young congressman was to authorize the original PSOB program in September 1976.

Click Here for Dodd's Record on Fire/Working Family Issues

With the boldest plans to make health insurance, college tuition and energy more affordable, we know that Chris Dodd will continue to fight for the middle class as President.

Chris Dodd has a wealth of experience and record of leadership on national and homeland security matters. His experienced diplomacy is going to be critical in protecting our nation and leading back to the forefront in the world again ...

Chris has served the citizens of this country with distinction his entire career, he is a candidate with experience, a proven track record and a real vision for the future.

He is known as an effective lawmaker and a skillful negotiator who is respected on both sides of the political aisle - who can bring people together to tackle big challenges.

Such qualities have served Chris well as he has been part of every major domestic and foreign policy debate over the last quarter century.

Our great country has been without sound presidential leadership for too long to keep us safe and secure. This time around - experience matters. No candidate has more experience, and no candidate offers leadership on issues important to fire fighters and the quality of life for their families than Chris Dodd.

The Federal Election Commission has fined one of the biggest liberal political action committees $775,000 for using unregulated cash to boost Democratic candidates during the 2004 elections. America Coming Together (ACT) raised $137 million for its get-out-the-vote effort in 17 states in the 2004 elections, but the FEC found most of that cash came through contributions that violated federal limits or were otherwise barred by campaign rules.

"Published on Tuesday, February 4, 2003 by the Prince George's Journal (Maryland)
Bush-Linked Company Handled Security for the WTC, Dulles and United
by Margie Burns

George W. Bush's brother was on the board of directors of a company providing electronic security for the World Trade Center, Dulles International Airport and United Airlines, according to public records. The company was backed by an investment firm, the Kuwait-American Corp., also linked for years to the Bush family.

The security company, formerly named Securacom and now named Stratesec, is in Sterling, Va.. Its CEO, Barry McDaniel, said the company had a ``completion contract" to handle some of the security at the World Trade Center ``up to the day the buildings fell down."

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0204-06.htm

See anything I don't? See a pattern?

You be the judge

http://www.factcheck.org/article344.html

"Is Bush to Blame for New Orleans Flooding?
September 2, 2005
He did slash funding for levee projects. But the Army Corps of Engineers says Katrina was just too strong.

Summary
Some critics are suggesting President Bush was as least partly responsible for the flooding in New Orleans. In a widely quoted opinion piece, former Clinton aide Sidney Blumenthal says that "the damage wrought by the hurricane may not entirely be the result of an act of nature," and cites years of reduced funding for federal flood-control projects around New Orleans.
Our fact-checking confirms that Bush indeed cut funding for projects specifically designed to strengthen levees. Indeed, local officials had been complaining about that for years.

It is not so clear whether the money Bush cut from levee projects would have made any difference, however, and we're not in a position to judge that. The Army Corps of Engineers - which is under the President's command and has its own reputation to defend - insists that Katrina was just too strong, and that even if the levee project had been completed it was only designed to withstand a category 3 hurricane.

Analysis
We suspect this subject will get much more attention in Congress and elsewhere in the coming months. Without blaming or absolving Bush, here are the key facts we've been able to establish so far:
Bush Cut Funding

Blumenthal's much-quoted article in salon.com carried the headline: "No one can say they didn't see it coming." And it said the Bush administration cut flood-control funding "to pay for the Iraq war."

He continues:

Blumenthal: With its main levee broken, the evacuated city of New Orleans has become part of the Gulf of Mexico . But the damage wrought by the hurricane may not entirely be the result of an act of nature.

...By 2003 the federal funding for the flood control project essentially dried up as it was drained into the Iraq war. In 2004, the Bush administration cut funding requested by the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for holding back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain by more than 80 percent. Additional cuts at the beginning of this year...forced the New Orleans district of the Corps to impose a hiring freeze.

We can confirm that funding was cut. The project most closely associated with preventing flooding in New Orleans was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Hurricane Protection Project, which was "designed to protect residents between Lake Pontchartrain and the Missisippi River levee from surges in Lake Pontchartrain," according to a fact sheet from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (The fact sheet is dated May 23, long before Katrina). The multi-decade project involved building new levees, enlarging existing levees, and updating other protections like floodwalls. It was scheduled to be completed in 2015.

Over at least the past several budget cycles, the Corps has received substantially less money than it requested for the Lake Pontchartrain project, even though Congress restored much of the money the President cut from the amount the Corps requested.

In fiscal year 2004, the Corps requested $11 million for the project. The President's budget allocated $3 million, and Congress furnished $5.5 million. Similarly, in fiscal 2005 the Corps requested $22.5 million, which the President cut to $3.9 million in his budget. Congress increased that to $5.5 million. "This was insufficient to fund new construction contracts," according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' project fact sheet. The Corps reported that "seven new contracts are being delayed due to lack funds" [sic].

The President proposed $3 million for the project in the budget for fiscal 2006, which begins Oct. 1. "This will be insufficient to fund new construction projects," the fact sheet stated. It says the Corps "could spend $20 million if funds were provided." The Corps of Engineers goes on to say:

Army Corps of Engineers, May 23: In Orleans Parish, two major pump stations are threatened by hurricane storm surges. Major contracts need to be awarded to provide fronting protection for them. Also, several levees have settled and need to be raised to provide the design protection. The current funding shortfalls in fiscal year 2005 and fiscal year 2006 will prevent the Corps from addressing these pressing needs.

The Corps has seen cutbacks beyond those affecting just the Lake Pontchartrain project. The Corps oversees SELA, or the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control project, which Congress authorized after six people died from flooding in May 1995. The Times-Picayune newspaper of New Orleans reported that, overall, the Corps had spent $430 million on flood control and hurricane prevention, with local governments offering more than $50 million toward the project. Nonetheless, "at least $250 million in crucial projects remained," the newspaper said.

In the past five years, the amount of money spent on all Corps construction projects in the New Orleans district has declined by 44 percent, according to the New Orleans CityBusiness newspaper, from $147 million in 2001 to $82 million in the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

A Long History of Complaints"

Shall I continue or do you want to read it yourselves?

"The levees were neglicted. They used cheap materials. Research the levee's and you will find the truth."

So far (Happy 2nd Anniv, Kat), our Fed gov't has spent $114 Billion on repair & compensation. The levees *still* aren't up to the level of repair they were pre-Kat. Why the pheck are we spending billions of dollars to REbuild a city below sea level. And that city will KEEP SINKING. Plus, if you believe the global warming people, the sea level is GOING UP. The weather gods say that hurricans will be STRONGER and MORE FREQUENT as the atmosphere warms up. So, again, WHY SPEND FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE??

rufus is giving zouk and his sock puppets a classic beatdown today.

mONEY MONEY MONEY. I used to live in NO. I find it insulting for you gop'ers to continuously blame the people, like always, for this issue. It was preventable. I lived there, remember. Did you.

The levees were neglicted. They used cheap materials. Research the levee's and you will find the truth. OR don't. Keep repeating republican propoganda. It's all you gop'ers are good for. Parrots.

Funny how the "accountability-demanding" GOP has not done anything about the serial prostitute patronizer David Vitter.

Gee, wonder if that's because he's not up for reelection, like Craig is.

numbskull - "...After failing on katrina...". You leftist whack jobs are the ones that attack government bailouts of wealthy home owners who build houses on river banks and the ocean and cry crocodile tears when the inevitable flood happens, their fancy home gets destroyed or damaged. (And, I happen to agree with this view.) Well, news note, Now Orleans, almost all of it, is built below sea level. Over the years it has been there, it has merely sunk even lower. It is an invitation to disaster for even mini-Katrina's! Leave it to rot in peace! Or, if some people feel so attached to it, let THEM pay to fix it up, preparatory to its being offered as another sacrifice to the gods of weather and natural disaster. Just don't stick the tax payers with the lunacy of fixing up this boondoggle.

cheroff. After failing on katrina. He is being held accountable by keeping his job. His name is being thrown around( by gop'ers) to replace gonzales as the ag. Accountability?

What have I told you gop'ers. John Wayne is dead. Welcome to reality. John wayne is dead, he's not walking through that door.

"Commentary: Bush needs to pull a John Wayne on Katrina recovery "

cnn.com

Condi Rice's accountability moment:

After missing the warning signs of an impending terrorist attack on US soil, she was promoted from National Security Advisor to the cabinet post Secretary of State.

Nice job Condi!

"NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Hike up those pants. Droopy drawers that bare skin or underwear might soon be forbidden fashion on the streets of Alexandria and Shreveport, and violators could be forced to part with some cash.

"I'm tired (of) looking at behinds," Shreveport Councilwoman Joyce Bowman said after Tuesday's 4-3 vote to ban fanny-flaunting trousers.

Nobody can be arrested just for violating the ordinance, but they could be fined or required to perform community service. The maximum fine for a first offense is $100.

Alexandria's City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ban the baring. Its ordinance allows some sag, but 3 inches or more can bring a fine of $25 to $200 and a requirement for community service.

If the mayors of Shreveport and Alexandria sign the ordinances, they will bring Louisiana's total to at least six, with at least two more cities considering bans.

Elsewhere, Atlanta's City Council has held a hearing on a measure to outlaw saggy pants that reveal shorts or thongs.

A similar proposal in Stratford, Conn., was soundly rejected this week after critics argued it would be unconstitutional and unfairly target minorities.

Some opponents cite other objections.

"Are you going to have a 'sagging' court?" Michael Williams asked Shreveport's council. "The police have more important things to do than chase young boys and girls and say 'pull your pants up.'"

"

George Tenet's accountability moment:

Despite running an utterly incapable CIA that not only didn't stop the Sept 11 attacks from happening, but couldn't get the intelligence right on Iraq, resulting in what is arguably the United States' worst foreign policy debacle in 230 years, George Tenet was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Great job George!

I love it zouk. Keep it up. I like to show independant thinkers how dylusional and out of touch you gop'ers really are. People are on here talking about reality, people are talking about today and yesterday, your talking about the 90's. I love it. You got nothin. Nothin'

Your party's got nothin and is about to be eliminated from the square. HAHAHAHA. No wonder your so mad. You had your time. You people had 15 years non-stop. Time to give up the power. You people had your time. You used it poorly. Now stand down and let REAL americans fix the damage you people have caused.

Why aren't you fighting agaisnt the real enemy, the people you hate. Oh wait. You are (in your twsited gop mind america is the enemy you gop'er hate and have been fighting. You people hate americans freedom.) Why don't YOu and the rest of the gop leave if you hate our freedom so much?

Traitor

for sale: Pardons, cheap. contact hillary for President. Lincoln bedroom stays also available at a slightly higher price. donations laundered free.

That's what I thoguht zouk. You can't win can you. I know, I know. It's so hard. You have it so rough. YOu have to listen to people that have differant opinions than you, poor baby.

You cannot win combating truth's with lies and propoganda. It is moot. YOu are wasting you time. Please go elsewhere.YOu have no chance here. I would think that would be clear by now.

bill and hillary's accountability moment: zero days in federal prison for perjury and lying to federal investigators.

Dear voters,

since we have no agenda other than winning power, we Dems promise to investigate until the next election. this should take up most of our time so don't expect any laws to be passed. We already passed minimum wage and helped out over 46 starving immigrants so as you can see our work is done. We simply have no idea what to do about the war, the environment, social security, medicare, corruption, earmarks or any other actual issue facing america.

We promise to promise to look into this after the next election, or more likely, we will investigate some more and blame George Busah for everything that's wrong in the world - even if we really caused it ourselves.

Love Dirty Harry and San Fran Nan

scooter libby's accountability moment: zero days in federal prison for perjury and lying to federal investigators.

And now back to the all ignorant coward all the time blog hour, sponsoed by Kos and the braindead bloggers united.

6 in a row and growing. can someone please humor him and respond? He is so lonely over there talking to himself all day and night. Pretend he makes sense if you have to. Otherwise the flaming rants will continue the rest of the day and long into the night.

Meanwhile the blog sinks into Liberal quagmire

Hey coward......yes coward.....isn't bush stupid?.......why yes he is, how smart of you to notice....Oh you're smart too, how do come up with all those zingers?....... I cut them from Kos, our mothership....I sure hope hillary can beat bush next year......yeah, then we can lose this war quickly...and stick it to those rich guys too....and so on.

And now an editorial by that pulitzer winning rufas. but first this commercial break from the Nation.

"right. like when they plead guilty to a crime, then hold a press conference announcing their innocence. conservative accountability in action."

:)

Right. I was guilty. But now that I have a lawyer I'm pleading innocence. :) Standards? accountable? If that's your form of accountability I'm not sure what planet you are living on.

Since you want to lie, zouk, maybe you can enlighten us. How has bush been held accountable for anythig the last 7 years, by r's. The d's are trying but how have the r's held you people accountable the last 15 years.

You held Clinton responsilbe for his BJ nicely. Shut down the government, you can do that agaisnt a d for a BJ. But how have you held bush accountable in 7 years. I expect crickets.

stop, zouk, you're kill us... you are so painfully blind and naive. there is no blindness like the willfull blindness of fascists.

reminds me of a movie i saw last week, where a nazi general is bemoaning how badly the war is going for germany, and he sighs, 'Sometimes you start to wonder whose side God is really on.'

I be honest with you wack nut jobs the more you slander the more I am going to vote against you. Right now the only thing Hillary got wrong is she stated that 500,000 woman die from cervical cancer each year in the world when in fact that is how many are digonsed. Mitt is the biggest lier. Also most of America misses Bill Clinto and you remember him one of the most popular Presidents in American history. You turned him into the underdog and we love to see the underdog win and guess what he did.

Now take it one step further Bush 41 in front Bush 43 in back my God he looks even better so Hillary will get help and maybe we can unite this country except for the 25 percent that will only be happy if it is a facist state.

"Conservatives do have standards, expectations, and accountability. "

Nope. Lies. more gop lies. Where has any of these three been the last 8 years. hope can you be held accountable if you have your cronies in postions to hold you accountable. You are a joke Zouk. All independant readers can see your people's lies.

I don't mean that Giuliani changed his positions on anything at that time. He just became a Republican cheerleader and made some particularly vicious comments after the debates and such. I felt like he went from being an amazing, unifying figure into a guy that used his post-911 fame to make nasty attacks against Kerry. I just found it hard to fathom why Giuliani thought he could attack Kerry's foreign policy and anti terrorism stances. Forgive me if this sounds crass, but it's not like Giuliani prevented 911, he just moved some rocks after his city got blown up. Likewise, I don't remember hearing about Giuliani's time in Vietnam. It sickened me that he could be such a pompous @$$ about a veteran (no matter what sort of man Kerry actually was).

That's why I don't like Giuliani anymore.

"Conservatives do have standards, expectations, and accountability."

most hilarious post of the week...

...Or Vitter, and in fact, he has.

'Saying that former Massachusetts Governor MItt Romney went out of his way to "distance" himself from Sen. Larry Craig yesterday would be a understatement. Romney called his former Idaho campaign chairman's behavior "disgusting," leaving little doubt about his feelings on the Idaho Senator's guilty plea on lewd conduct charges stemming from an incident in a men's room in the Minneapolis airport. But it isn't the only endorsement a 2008 candidate has run away from this year.

In June, after South Carolina Treasurer Thomas Ravenel was indicted on federal cocaine charges, Rudy Giuliani's campaign quickly announced its state chairman in South Carolina would be stepping down. And in July, Bob Allen, a Florida state representative who was serving as the co-chairman of McCain's Florida campaign, resigned from that post after being charged with soliciting an undercover male police officer for sex in a public bathroom.

Apart from those departures, however, normally risk-averse presidential candidates have not pushed aside some other potentially controversial supporters. After Louisiana Senator David Vitter, who was a regional chair of Giuliani's campaign in the South, was linked to an escort service in Washington, the former New York Mayor aid "some people disappoint you," but did not immediately distance himself from Vitter as Romney has with Craig.'

That's becaise Rudy would do the same thing as Larry Craig...

"Conservatives do have standards, expectations, and accountability."

right. like when they plead guilty to a crime, then hold a press conference announcing their innocence. conservative accountability in action.

One need look no further than down the counter at the Red Arrow to find a military mom, Elaine Boule, the manager, who lost a brother-in-law to the war in Iraq and is about to abandon her lifelong pattern of backing Republicans to support a Democrat, possibly Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.).

That is typical, Donahue said: The military mom "would probably vote for a candidate who she thought would have credibility on foreign affairs, so that on the Democratic side is most likely to be Hillary Clinton." Most polling shows Clinton far ahead on the question of experience. She also scores an advantage among women generally -- and her campaign strategists think she will draw even more women, including Republicans, once voting begins.

"push the most radical of sexual agendas upon the masses"


so radical, in fact, that the other party engages in them as well.

the party of 'do what i say, not what i do' vs the party of 'do whatever you want'.

Republican former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is having a hard time conveying his "mayor of September 11" persona in the state, she added. "The argument up here that [the] Giuliani-equals-9/11 response doesn't seem to be getting across, in part because he hasn't campaigned here all that much," Donahue said. "But it's really because you don't get asked just one thing at the town hall meetings in New Hampshire. You get asked 25 things. So if you have a good answer on one question it doesn't get you home. You have to answer the other 24. And he's vague on a lot of things."

Conservatives, particularly faith-based conservatives, expect the GOP to sheriff out the miscreants among its ranks. Liberals have no moral standards thus making it nearly impossible for a liberal to ever be accused of being a hypocrite. That also explains why they celebrate an adulterous President, push the most radical of sexual agendas upon the masses, and mock the aberrations of the other side.

Conservatives do have standards, expectations, and accountability.

When Republicans engage in sex scandals or clear-cut corruption, they resign or face the wrath of their constituents -- ask Mark Foley, Jack Ryan, Bob Livingston, Bob Packwood, Ed Schrock and Don Sherwood, among others. When Democrats engage in sex scandals or clear-cut corruption, they retain their seats as long as they keep the cash flowing -- just ask Gerry Studds (re-elected six times after having sex with a male congressional page), Barney Frank (re-elected eight times after his gay lover ran a male escort ring out of his apartment), Mel Reynolds (re-elected despite facing an indictment for sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse of a 16-year-old campaign worker), Sen. Charles Robb (re-elected despite credible sex scandal allegations) and Gus Savage (re-elected despite fondling a Peace Corps volunteer).

"Rufii, you got the wrong guy, I couldn't care less about your self-aggrandizement"

sO WHY MENTION IT. yoU PUT YOURSELF ON FRONT STREET. Ignore it if you must. Why the snide middle scholl comments?

Rufii, you got the wrong guy, I couldn't care less about your self-aggrandizement, so it wasn't my post. And I ignore amd skip over those posts without a sig; makes the blog reading go by faster, since most of them are just clip-n-pastes anyway, nothing original.

So, back to the conversation for big-boys:

JasonL, you mention that Rudy went hardcore right in '04, and that turned you off. What do you mean by that? From what I can tell, he's locked into (ie, can't change without the Kerry/Mitt flipflop charge) positions like gun control, pro-choice, and other traditionally Dem positions.

PS You're right about DHS grants rarely covering maintenance, ongoing training, etc. And most locals, given an extra couple hundred grand, would rather buy 5 new cruisers or a new firetruck, rather than IT/comms equip, because it's simple and it's what they know. Then they gripe about interoperability...

"March 4, 2007 -- A Pakistani immigrant is wanted by federal authorities on charges he channeled $30,000 in illegal contributions to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential war chest.

The FBI is hunting Los Angeles businessman Abdul Rehman Jinnah, who vanished soon after his grand-jury indictment for violating federal election laws last May.

Clinton's camp has denied any knowledge of Jinnah's scheme, which is also alleged to have funneled more than $50,000 in illegal donations to the political action committees of Sen. Barbar