Think Progress » Bush at portrait unveiling: ‘Welcome to my hanging.’

Think Progress » Bush at portrait unveiling: ‘Welcome to my hanging.’: “Today, President Bush presided over the unveiling of his presidential portrait, at the Union League. “Welcome to my hanging,” Bush joked to the crowd. The portrait “shows Bush staring straight ahead, looking comfortable but not quite smiling, against the backdrop of the White House’s Treaty Room.” Bush said the painter, Mark Carder, “did a really fine job with a challenging subject.””

President Bush At G-20: No One Shakes His Hand

This is both disturbing and amusing because it seems to show how unpopular President Bush is. On the other hand, he's not shaking hands either. Regardless, the video speaks volumes about the U.S. reputation around the World under Bush II.

UPDATE: According to CNN's Jeannie Moost, the Bush White House says that the President already shook all of the hands of the leaders twice.

President-Elect Obama Visits President Bush At The White House - Video

This is an historic scene, and one that undoubtedly contributed to the recent poll where most Americans think race relations are vastly improved and will get better.

President-Elect Obama has 68 Percent Approval Rating To Start

According to a new USA Today / Gallup Poll, most Americans believe that the country will be better under President-Elect Barack Obama. It also reports that Americans see a new brighter period of race relations. Here's what Jill Lawrence of USA Today wrote:

WASHINGTON — Americans have soaring hopes for the incoming Obama administration and an even higher opinion of the man they just elected president, a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows.

Nearly seven in 10 adults, or 68%, say they have a favorable opinion of President-elect Barack Obama. Nearly that many — 65% — say they think the country will be better off four years from now.

A much lower level of optimism greeted President Bush and former president Bill Clinton when they were first elected. In both cases just slightly over 50% said they thought the country would be better off.

Bush's job approval rating is a mirror image of Obama's favorable rating — 68% say they disapprove of how the Republican is handling his job.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden May Look At Criminal Charges Against Bush

VP candidate Joe Biden said to the Guardian UK that if he and Barack Obama are elected, they would look at the allegations against George Bush that could lead to criminal charges.

Senator Barack Obama Gets Ovation From Troops At U.S Embassy In Baghdad

Take a look at this video because you're not likely to see this kind of ovation for President Bush. Senator Barack Obama visited our troops at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and got a warm welcome. He then took time to thank them for their service.

Netroots Blog Caltics Attacking Senator Diane Feinstein

I happened to visit the Calitcs Blog, when I saw an article calling for nothing less than the censure of Senator Diane Feinstein. Why? Because of her support for the FISA bill that just past, and her alledged role as swing vote confirming, as Caltics put it, the appointments of Michael Mukasey, President Bush's torture-condoning nominee for Attorney General, and Leslie Southwick, a racist and homophobic judge.

Yikes!

It seems that no action has stopped Feinstein, according to Caltics.:

We've tried everything to get Sen. Feinstein's attention. Phone calls. Emails. Faxes. Petitions. Protests. Smoke signals. We even launched an online petition supporting a proposed California Democratic Party censure resolution of Sen. Feinstein last November that spread like wildfire across the grassroots, with 35,039 Californians signing on in support.

The censure movement also catalyzed national media attention, fueled by endorsements from MoveOn.org, Progressive Democrats of America, the California Democratic Party Women's Caucus and Progressive Caucus, as well as 38 chartered Democratic Clubs across California.

A number of people have asked if the Courage Campaign would support holding Senator Feinstein accountable for caving on warrantless wiretapping by re-launching the censure resolution inside the California Democratic Party. It's an important question but, frankly, a censure resolution is merely a piece of paper unless there's a people-powered movement behind it.

That's why we're putting this decision in your hands today. If grassroots and netroots activists across California support a new censure resolution of Senator Feinstein, we will launch a censure campaign leading up to the California Democratic Party's next Executive Board meeting.

Yikes!

The problem is when is that meeting? The site of the California State Democratic Party presents the standing committees, but no meeting date for an "Executive Board."

I should have asked Cal Dem Party head Art Torres when I saw him at the Karen Bass event.

FISA is for "Foreign"

The last time I checked, the title of the FISA bill was Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, not "American" or AISA. What's the deal? Are we growing a nation of people who can't read? I have no problem with the FISA bill vote. But the other Feinstein matters deserve the once over. I'd stop short of calling for a censure, however. I think a fair reading of Feinstein's accomplishments is in order. Stay tuned.


FISA