Dicky's Doodles &Scribbles

Cartoons,editorials and comment about current events and more.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Scott McClellan Is Right


Scott McClellan's new book is ruffling some feathers in the White House. This tell all volume basically is in agreement with the charges laid against the White House for years. It has a ring of authenticity and basically substantiates the view of Bush as uninformed, lazy and isolated from reality. A Bush who shapes his views according to how he wants to see things. A Bush who started a war for for false reasons.
McClellan also charges the press with not being tough enough with the administration. That seems to be right on the mark. The press failed in its job of digging out the truth, even if it brings the Presidency into an unfavorable light. As for why the press went so easy on Bush and his team the answer is not evident but this administration has relied on pure propaganda from the start and has often paid journalists for favorable stories, planted friendly commentators in the net works and provided ready made "news" stories for TV all across America.

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Friday, May 23, 2008

SUV Of The Future

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Mike Huckabee; Another Dumb Thing Said By A Republican Latley!


Speaking in Louisville, Ky. on Friday, May 16, Governor, and former Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee addressed the National Rifle Association convention.
He heard a loud noise back stage and that prompted an extremely lame, and a rather dark and bad taste, off the cuff joke.
"That was Barack Obama. He just tripped off a chair. He's getting ready to speak and somebody aimed a gun at him and he — he dove for the floor."
Even before such a mostly conservative, Republican audience such a joke fell flat. There were few, if any laughs from this very partisan crowd.
Old Huckabuck has once again demonstrated that he would be a terrible choice as President, or Vice President.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

G.W. Not Too Proud To Beg For Oil





G.W. Bush loves to talk tough and project a macho attitude. It hasn't worked out very well. But he is not too proud to go to Riyadh and beg Saudi King Abdullah for more oil production. The King said very politely that the market will decide on how much production they would make available on the market and that right now the market says things are just right, thank you!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Bush Does Not Know The Difference Between Diplomacy And Appeasement







It should come as no surprise that President G.W. Bush does not know the difference between ‘diplomacy’ and ‘appeasement.’
Speaking before the Israeli Knesset this morning, (Thursday, May 15) President G.W, Bush assured the Israelis of continuing U.S. support.
Included in his remarks was a not so veiled political attack on Democrat Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
He clearly referred to Iran when he said;
Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along.
We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: “Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.” We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.
Some people suggest that if the United States would just break ties with Israel, all our problems in the Middle East would go away. This is a tired argument that buys into the propaganda of our enemies, and America rejects it utterly. Israel’s population may be just over 7 million. But when you confront terror and evil, you are 307 million strong, because America stands with you.
America stands with you in breaking up terrorist networks and denying the extremists sanctuary. And America stands with you in firmly opposing Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions. Permitting the world’s leading sponsor of terror to possess the world’s deadliest weapon would be an unforgivable betrayal of future generations. For the sake of peace, the world must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
The Obama campaign reacted promptly with its own statement;
“It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence to launch a false political attack. It is time to turn the page on eight years of policies that have strengthened Iran and failed to secure America or our ally Israel. Instead of tough talk and no action, we need to do what Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan did and use all elements of American power - including tough, principled, and direct diplomacy - to pressure countries like Iran and Syria. George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists, and the President’s extraordinary politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure the American people or our stalwart ally Israel.”

Interestingly Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in a recent interview in the The Washington Post, had said; “We need to figure out a way to develop some leverage . . . and then sit down and talk with them. If there is going to be a discussion, then they need something, too.”

di·plo·ma·cy Pronunciation: \də-ˈplō-mə-sē
Function: noun Date: 1796
1 : the art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations 2 : skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility : tact

Monday, May 12, 2008

Hillary Is Still In The Race



(Don't forget to click on pic for larger image)

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Failure To Adapt

Sunday, May 04, 2008

She's Got It!


Much to Hillary's astonishment an Indiana labor leader said he supported Hillary because we need a President "...with testicular fortitude!"

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Gas Tax Holiday Debate






Last January, as predictions of impending recession were much in the news, I suggested that a good form of economic stimulus might be a gas tax holiday.
My idea would have been for the federal government and the state governments combine to drop the gasoline tax for a certain period of time.
I sent my idea everywhere I could find an email address for and it was published in We The People, a local monthly and on We!, an online site. Other than that I had no response or replies to my emails.
I was surprised to hear Presidential candidate John McCain recently endorse such an idea, pertaining to the federal tax only. Hillary Clinton did as well.
Barack Obama, who I support for President, panned the idea as have many others, including New York Times foreign affairs columnist Tom Friedman. They have ridiculed the idea as a “political gimmick.”
Some have said this idea would just increase oil company profits. It’s not clear just how. Some have said lowering the tax would encourage people to drive more. Very doubtful, a small savings such as proposed probably would not encourage gasoline customers decide to suddenly go on extended drives! Maybe a two dollar drop would do that.
Perhaps the strangest statement has been that this plan was “No substitute for a new energy policy.” Well, I agree with that but this was not intended as an energy policy, just as a way to keep some money in people’s pockets longer.
It has been noted that the federal gasoline excise tax is dedicated towards the maintenance, repair and construction of roadways and bridges. Certainly this proposal would cost money, estimated at about $11.9 billion in uncollected taxes.
How much of a budget shortfall will be caused by the millions of rebate checks being mailed out, at great expense of man hours and printing costs? Some estimates say a cost of $40 million just to mail the checks. It is also estimated it will cost the U.S, treasury over $100 billion to make good on those checks. (figures are from Mark Silva’s blog on the Baltimore Sun website. Who knows what they might be?)
Are we entering into la la land yet?
Barack Obama said the idea would save the average American “About thirty dollars” a month. I guess he doesn’t know many folks that drive to work each day on long commutes, or families with several members, including teenagers, who drive. Also farmers, ranchers, truckers, cabbies, pizza delivery and other small businesses could see a substantial savings.
I also wonder what would have been the discussion had it been someone other than John McCain or Hillary Clinton had come up with the suggestion. It seems that once again we are seeing politics trump any serious discussion.
Texas residents are aware that from time to time the state declares a sales tax holiday, often just before school starts, on certain retail items. Shoppers save a little and the state loses a bit of revenue flow. No lasting harm seems to result. But I would say there is even less chance the State of Texas would ever entertain such an idea.
Probably the gas tax debate is moot. The chances of it ever being put into place are probably slim to none. Something to muse while you spend a large part of your rebate check filling your gas tank.