"They are the result of incompetence on American soil." 

Pleasant headline, no?  It's been a whie since I've blogged for CP, but this article from Tom Shine's ABC News blog caught my eye, and then made me sick.  

Dearest Jesse,

I hate to break it to ya, but it seems your love affair with a particular Youtube video that you blogged about earlier in the summer is about to end.

When it comes to ascertaining who’s on top in the power-struggle between the Republicans and the Democrats in Washington, or to put it more broadly, conservatives and liberals in government, the U.S. has a relatively transparent system.  From seeing whether or XYZ legislation has passed and who is (and isn’t) being hauled into questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the public and the media can get a realistic grasp of which party is having a better time pushing its agenda. 

“Tonight these styles that you will hear will do for you what they did for me, I mean, hopefully.  Give you a sense of self, no longer so lonely.” 

Kevin Coval, the first of four performers at Campus Progress’s annual Spoken Word event, started the night off with this pledge/prospect for the audience.  I think everyone in attendance that night would agree this promise was thoroughly fulfilled by each artist. 

On Nov. 3rd, 2004, we all heard that hackneyed phrase, and many of us even said it: “That's it; I'm moving to Canada.” Even I made the threat, though without any intention of following through.  Still, with this administration in office, you gotta admit that hanging in the great white north, where same-sex marriage is legal and health care is universal, seems pretty damn appealing (and don’t you just love the Mounties and their red uniforms?). 

But in all serious, it seems more Americans have been following through on that claim than ever before.  According to an ABC News report,

The number of U.S. citizens who moved to Canada last year hit a 30-year high, with a 20 percent increase over the previous year and almost double the number who moved in 2000. In 2006, 10,942 Americans went to Canada, compared with 9,262 in 2005 and 5,828 in 2000, according to a survey by the Association for Canadian Studies.

Funny how those dates coincide with the years Bush has been in office…

Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, when I foolishly believed that this administration couldn’t do anything to even further neglect, abuse, and pretty much spit on the veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bush went and one-upped me with a gem of statement given during a press conference today and covered by ABC News. 

The American public made clear in the 2006 midterm elections that it was no longer satisfied with Republican rule in Washington.  According to a report today from ABC News’ Scott Mayerowitz, some of the biggest firms on Wall Street are voicing the same concern the best way they know how - $$$.  The report reads:

Workers at Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers and elsewhere are putting their cash behind Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards over the Republican front-runners, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission filings by ABC News. 

I stumbled across an article today in the New Statesman that made me shake my head in amusement at our dear old President.  Tony Blair is in the process of officially taking up his role as Middle East Envoy on behalf of the U.S., Russia, the E.U. and the U.N.  You'd think that after the FEMA debacle with Michael Brown, and the resignation of John Nicholson after his less than perfect tenure as head of the VA, Bush might have realized that supporting another bosom buddy for a big position he isn't necessarily qualified for may not be the best course of action.

Jim Nicholson, Secretary of the Department of Veterans affairs (located just a few blocks down the street from Campus Progress), signed his resignation letter today.  I know I just wrote a crib sheet on the history of veteran treatment in the U.S., but this news had to be highlighted.  Every time another Bush appointee admits he’s not qualified for job he got just for being a friend of the administration (I’m looking at you Mike Brown), it’s newsworthy to me. 

Almost one year after the head-butt heard ‘round the world, Italian footballer (soccer player for those of you on this side of the Atlantic) Marco Materazzi is suing for libel against three different newspapers in the UK.