Glenn Beck: “President Obama, Why Don’t You Just Light Us On Fire?”

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Will someone kindly tell Mr. Beck that just because his party is no longer in power, it does not mean that his white, voting ass is “disenfranchised“?

And can we also take just a moment to remember how when “liberals” complained about or criticized Bush’s actions, they were accused of hating America but now that the Republican party is doing the same thing they’re branding themselves the guardians of democracy?!

Via Slog.

Iraq War: Year 7 Begins

G.W. Bush announces the start of the Iraq war via television to the American people on March 19, 2003. (AP)

Remember this address?

Since the war began, 4,259 US military personnel and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians have died. Sadaam Hussein has also been killed.

The Huffington Post  reports that the focus as we enter the seventh year is on stability through politics:

Sunni and Shiite lawmakers warned Thursday that political and economic challenges could derail the country’s progress toward stability as the Iraq war entered its seventh year. […]

With violence at wartime lows, Sunni and Shiite politicians are focusing more on economic and political issues that the U.S. and many Iraqis fear could stoke the war after U.S. troops begin drawing down this year.

“The political process is full of tensions and contradictions and the situation in Iraqi will deteriorate if political progress isn’t made,” Sunni lawmaker Osama al-Nujaifi said. “There are still a lot of challenges ahead, including unemployment and the immigration millions of Iraqis abroad.”

I’m all-for stability through politics but it seems like everything I hear about their legislature implies that it’s a giant partisan clusterfuck of incompetence over there. Like, even worse than ours.

HuffPo also has a slideshow of the war’s defining moments. De-pressing!

Breaking News: Obama More Analytical Than Bush, Gates Says

From Sunday’s Meet The  Press interview with Defense Secretary Robert Gates:

Mr. Gregory: What’s the difference between working–what’s different between working for President Obama vs. President Bush?

[…]

Sec’y Gates: I–that’s–it’s really hard to say. I think that, I think that probably President Obama is, is somewhat more analytical, and, and, he makes sure he hears from everybody in the room on an issue. And if they don’t speak up, he calls on them.

Mr. Gregory: A marked difference from his predecessor?

Sec’y Gates: President Bush was interested in hearing different points of view but didn’t go out of his way to make sure everybody spoke if they hadn’t, if they hadn’t spoken up before.

Secretary Gates is the only cabinet-level hold-over from the Bush administration.

Transcript courtesy NBC News.

Pentagon Reverses Media Ban On Flag-Draped Coffins

The ban, which prevented the media from capturing images of fallen soldiers returning to America in flag-draped coffins, was put into place in 1991 by Bush the 41st and was also exercised during Bush the 43rd’s administration.

Critics have argued that it is a form of censorship intended to hide the human cost of war from the public while others claim its only meant to protect and respect the family of the dead and those otherwise affected.

Since the ban, only a few exceptions have been made, all on an individual case basis.

The decision on whether the media will have access will now rest with the departed’s family.

More via the AP.

Former NSA Analyst: Bush Eavesdropped On American Journalists

“Russell Tice has already stood up for truth before this evening as one source for the revelation in 2005 by the New York Times that President Bush was eavesdropping  on Americans citizens without warrants. Tonight’s the next chapter for Mr. Tice, a chapter he feared to reveal while George Bush occupied the White House: that under under the color of fighting terrorism, the Bush administration was also targeting specific groups of Americans for surveillance, non-terrorist Americans, if you will.  Mr. Tice is prepared to name one of those groups tonight.”  – Keith Olberman

The group?  Journalists.

Random: Helen Thomas

White House Press Corps member I’ve-covered-every-President-since-JFK-and-I-don’t-take-no-crap-from-nobody Helen Thomas is 88 years old.

She’s awesome.

I’d hit that.

Read about her (and her relationship with the Bush administration) here.

Letterman’s Top 10 Bush Moments

Painful.  (T minus 6 days!!!)

Thanks, Slog.