Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Let's jump in with both feet.

Bush is rolling out yet another huge funding bill for Katrina aid, which the Washington Post says will cost more next year than the entire cost of the Iraq war thus far:

Bush and Republican congressional leaders, by contrast, are calculating that the U.S. economy can safely absorb a sharp spike in spending and budget deficits, and that the only way to regain public confidence after the stumbling early response to the disaster is to spend whatever it takes to rebuild the region and help Katrina's victims get back on their feet.

Josh Marshall asks, "Regain public confidence in who? Is the nation undergoing a crisis of confidence in itself?" As Josh points out, Mike Allen wrote in Time Magazine that "Administration aides were describing a three-part comeback plan. The first: Spend freely, and worry about the tab and the consequences later. "Nothing can salve the wounds like money," said an official who helped develop the strategy."

And the strategy, Josh says, is not being driven by a natural disaster but a political crisis--the president's political crisis. "The White House is trying to undo self-inflicted political damage on the national dime."

Josh also reported yesterday that there were votes on the House International Relations Committee on three pieces of legislation which would have required the White House to turn over documents related to the so-called 'Downing Street Memo'. They each went down on party-line votes. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) did a post on what happened over at TPMCafe.

Boy, am I glad DFA had that petition.

Chris Bowers continues to blog from the Roberts confirmation hearings. While the confirmation itself will succeed, which Democrat will state without equivocation, "Judge Roberts, I cannot vote for you based on your refusal to provide answers about your judicial philosophy and your lack of established record as a judicial figure." Chuck Schumer, perhaps? Joe Biden, ever aware that he wants to be president? I doubt it will be Hillary...

John Roberts is a DOUCHEBAG. Pass it on.

Over at Kos, nyc175 has a diary up about an e-mail from Howard asking for contributions to Freddy Ferrer's mayoral campaign.

One of the songs in rotation on my iPod is, I'm embarrassed to admit, a showtune. It's "Dirty Rotten Number" from "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" starring John Lithgow based on the movie starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin. What I found so appealing is that it sums up what a great big con the Bush Administration has been playing, which is slowly dawning on the American people:


You may be master of
Your chosen occupation
With several strings of
Polo ponies in your stable-
You must remember all the same
That at the crux of every game
Is knowing when it's time
To leave the table.

And it's important to be artful in your exit-
No turning back, you must accept
the con is done,
But now and then, you might recall
The moments when you had it all-
You had the charm,
You had the talent
And, my God, you had some fun.

It was a ball, it was a blast
And it's a shame it couldn't last,
But every chapter has to end,
You must agree.
It was a joy, it was sublime,
A splendid way to earn a dime
For a dirty rotten guy like me.

Can you just see Bush and Rove high-fiving each other in this verse:

You've got the verve
You've got the guts-
You've got the nerve-
You've got the nuts!

Yup, dirty rotten scoundrels.