Wasn't it Chaney that said they were in the last throes two years ago. Chaney has reasons to want to keep the war going.

An analysis released today by the Office of Senator Frank R. Lautenberg reveals that Vice President Cheney's Halliburton stock options have increased in value 3,281 percent in one year. The stock options, which were worth $241,498 one year ago are now valued at $8,165,489.07. In light of the surging value of Vice President Cheney's holdings, Senator Lautenberg reiterated his call for the Vice President to forfeit his continuing financial interest in the Halliburton Co (HAL). Vice President Cheney continues to hold 433,333 Halliburton stock options and receives almost $200,000 a year in deferred salary from Halliburton.

The site has links to Lautenberg's report on Cheney's finances.

As Halliburton's fortunes rise, so do the Vice President's, and that is wrong," said Senator Lautenberg. "Halliburton has already raked in more than $10 billion from the Bush-Cheney Administration for work in Iraq, and they were awarded some of the first Katrina contracts. It is unseemly for the Vice President to continue to benefit from this company at the same time his Administration funnels billions of dollars to it. The Vice President should sever his financial ties to Halliburton once and for all."

When we find his successsor, let's hope that he has a better idea about protecting our own securitya dn sovereignity than the open border fiasco of Bush and our RINO senate.
Bush has done a stalwart job in Iraq in the face of terrible odds. (particularly in America from the left)
Just as having a husband who provides a living for his family, but sleeps around, doesn't make him a good husband. Bush has let the ball down terribly -the damage may be terminal -remember Rome fell from within.

the Iranian influence in the insurgency must be reduced possibly as a byproduct of the nuke negoiations.

Wow, another turning point! How many corners have we turned in Iraq already?

Seriously, Mark, how many times do we have to go through this? Every time there's a piece of good news, you prematurely state that THIS time, things are going to be different, and are going to get better. Its been all of a week since Zarqawi was killed, why don't you wait at least a month before declaring victory.

On the other hand, maybe you're right. If that's the case, when can we leave Iraq?? Please, be specific, we all benefit from your expert strategic thinking.

As soon as we grant them amensty they will be evev weaker!

All these corners we're supposedly turning in the Iraq occupation give me the impression we're in a box.

I really hope that this is correct - that we have 'turned a corner'. I have heard this so often, until it lasts longer than a week or two I won't get my hopes up. Still, hooray for good news from Iraq!!! If the iraqis are standing up, then we can start standing down (soon, not quite yet, o'course)!

Dirka Dirka Mohammed Jihad!

I despise intellectual dishonesty... and Johan you fall squarely in that category..

Firstly.......ALL outstanding shares of Haliburton were in 2000 placed into an irrevocable trust by the Cheney's.. The options were in fact recently excercised and every dime went as instructed.... to charity

Here is the link from factcheck.org a non partisan group which shows the actual agreement/trust:

http://www.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/Cheney%20Gift%20Trust%20Agreement.pdf

Secondly..As to his deferred salary...Are you aware he took an insurance policy out to insure payment. Halliburton could have gone under and he would have still gotten paid....the fact he like athletes and other execs chose to take deferred payments is a non starter offered only by those who have nothing else..

Here is the factcheck.org websites entire artcile about the intellectually dishonest nature of what you wrote and how democrats as a whole are being liars...

then again what's new...

Macker,

Your hood is slipping

what democrat called for cutting and running? seriously...which one? names please. otherwise you are simply lying. it's your choice...but why support someone who you need to make up lies in order to support?

worth his weight in gold??? bush has spent his weight in gold on this fools mission. some conservative. maybe the ceo administration should do a cost/benefit analysis on this little occupation. let's see...$300b and counting...osama and the taliban are as strong as ever. brilliant.

oops

http://www.factcheck.org/article261.html

The title:

Kerry Ad Falsely Accuses Cheney on Halliburton
Contrary to this ad's message, Cheney doesn't gain financially from the contracts given to the company he once headed.

Joe...you've heard constantly about all of the "corners we've been turning" in the past.

Really? I've been hearing constantly for three years this would be a LONG, DRAWN OUT fight.

Blacksheep,

You know just as well as anyone the revolving door that leads striaght from the executive/legislative halls to the boardrooms of corporations. Consider political action just an investment in later, private-sector jobs.

Whatever he would have made from those stock options will be pittance to the salaries and later stock options he will reap from his hand in slicing off the pound of flesh for the energy industry and war industries.

Don't confuse Cheney with someone who cares about giving to charity, like most fake philanthropists in America, it is a reason to get good press and tax cuts, all the while his cronies at Hal/KBR, GenDyn, GE, Northrupp, etc are making killings, and he will reap the benefit of those in lucrative positions for family and friends.

Benevolent my ass!

The armed opposition is not on its last legs. The insurgency is in its last throes.

The second is much more evocative and poetic. That's why it's a talking point.

Sheesh, why do we send you guys these memos, anyway?

Warriornation,

You ever find those "goals" you were linking to yesterday?

By the way, did you actually read that crap, what a load of pcukey...there wasn't one single idea in that whole link; simply assertions of what we want to see happen, but no plan on how to accomplish those wants in reality that exists.

How do we know we have won?

Turn THAT corner!

TEO,

So, you've worked out a device which allows you to look in to another person's soul and see what their motivation is? That is pretty clever...did you take out a patent on it?

Steve,

This is the political turning point - the military turning point, the point where militarily we ensured that the terrorists could not win, was in November of 2004 at Fallujah.

A turning point is just that - the point where you are now headed closer to your goal; think of it as reaching the top of the hill.

Mark,

Have you invented that machine, as this stupid quote alludes to:

"it is simply unreasonable to think that President Bush knew about 9/11 in advance, or that he tricked America into liberating Iraq, or that American troops are torturing terrorists"

--Mark Noonan

can you see into the souls of Bush or the troops who have been accused of torture?

How about the most recent slap to the face of Cheney, with the loss of secrecy about what his hand in contracts to companies he until recently had run, and whom he still holds economic and personal ties with:

"The article—“The Paper Trail: Did Cheney Okay a Deal?”—quotes an email sent by an official for the Army Corps of Engineers, saying that the contract for construction of oil pipelines in Iraq was approved by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith “contingent on informing WH [White House] tomorrow. We anticipate no issues since action has been coordinated w VP’s [Vice President’s] office.” The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for allocating contracts, and thus the email suggests that Halliburton was awarded the deal in coordination with Cheney’s office."

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/jun2004/hali-j08.shtml

LOL!!

The new cry is "we've created such a mess in Iraq, we can't leave now". Our Christian Republican friends(who appear more fascist then the Islamo's), want us to "stay the course" until we "win", whatever that means? How about we call for a Regional Conference with everybody, especially the Iranians,in the area included to see if we can construct a Peaceful resolution to all of the Regions issues including Israel/Palestine? Peace

"what democrat called for cutting and running?... names please. otherwise you are simply lying."

Guess you never heard of Representative John Murtha, huh, J? Or these names from yesterday's Senate vote?

Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA

JPL...

Now they're playing the game of 'no democrat said the exact words "we should cut and run"'.

Cut and Run is OUR description of proposals made by various democrats that we should pull our troops out now, right now, if not yesterday.

Don't forget Mark's soul-peering machine also enables him to peer into the soul of each and every "leftist" and see that they are all purely "motivated by hate." That must be one hell of a machine.

I thought Haliburton was the only company who could "do the job". Isn't that why Clinton awarded them a no-bid contract in Bosnia?

More Dems didn't vote for bringing our troops home because they knew it would damage their chances for re-election They want to cut and run but they know the majority of Americans do not.

One of the most hiliarious revelations is the fact that Michael "I hope more Americans come home in bodybags so we learn our lesson" Moore owned stock in Haliburton, and other "evil" corporations. And ... despite making an 8 figure income, he donated a mere $36,000 to charity. What a putz!

Bush is "worth his weight in gold" to his corporate sponsors. Please take a look at human events online & search nafta superhighway. You will see the next wave of the future - a superhighway stretching from Mexico to Canada with the first border check not till Kansas City. Otherwise, the borders are wide open on both sides. Wonder why they have kept this so quiet?
Perhaps they thought we would not notice a highway the width of 4 football fields being built right through the middle of the country.

Yawn. Exactly how many times now have we heard that that the insurgency is on its last legs or that its "back" is "broken"? 10? 20? I'll believe it when I see it.

One of my favorite Reagan quotes:

"Fellow citizens, fellow conservatives, our time is now. Our moment has arrived. We stand together shoulder to shoulder in the thickest of the fight. If we carry the day and turn the tide, we can hope that as long as men speak of freedom and those who have protected it, they will remember us, and they will say, ``Here were the brave and here their place of honor.''

God bless Ronnie and all of our fine men and women in the military!!

This is great - we've turned another corner! What's this ... the fifteenth one?

TEO, you link to a socialist online "news" website. Are you out of your mind? (That's a rhetorical question by the way. Anyone who thinks they have a third eye has been duped.)

J- osama and Taliban as strong as ever? What has Osama been up to in his cave? Maybe you know some inside information? The taliban is as strong as ever? I would say their high point in power was when they ran most of the country and executed women in soccer stadiums. i guess your definition of power would be to hide out in pakistan and occasionally cross the border to get their asses handed to them. Much like yesterday with the 40 Taliban members killed. Oh well choose to see it how you will.

You know what's always nice is intellctual consistency and honesty.

For example, the way the right holds Reagan accountable for 'cutting and running' in Lebanon when he withdrew following the killing of over 200 marines by a bomb.

Oh, that's right, they simply ignore the incident because it doesn't fit the ideological mythology.

And as for their actually asking whether the mission was the right and moral policy in the first place - that's a joke. After all, any use of the forces by Ronald Reagan needs no questioning, the mythology says he's simply a wise leader who only uses the troops for good things.

No, the fact is that the right-wingers here are not really debating the issues; rather, they simply want to attack the democrats to reinforce their mythology about GWB and his policies.

It's how they're able to say that the was was well justified for reasons other than WMD when that turned out to be an 'honest mistake', and ignore the fact that Bush said that the ONLY reason justifying the war was WMD, implied by his policy that if Saddam disarmed, there would be no war.

Therefore, if Saddam had, er, somehow shown there were no WMD, none of the other criticisms by Bush justified war, by his own policy - but again the right here simply ignore that that was his policy, because it doesn't fit the mythology.

It's not a debate, it's simply talking points from the cult of the right-wing.

'Cut and run' is simply a derogatory term for attacking democrats, selectively used.

(To be fair, there are plenty of mistakes on both sides about Cheney and Halliburton; the left often exaggerating his direct financial benefit, while the right ignores everything from his history of huge increase avoidance of US taxes with off-shore tax schemes while CEO, the fact that even if he doesn't benefit directly from the revenue from Halliburton, taking care of your 'friends' is the core of crony corruption in politics, and other issues. For what it's worth, I'm pretty complimentary about most of his charitable giving the one big year he gave a lot, recognizing that he's less interested in acculating wealth for himself now that in pursuing his ideology.)

The yahoo article doesn't even tell the full good story. In addition to the 104 dead terrorists, they captured 759 "anti-Iraqi elements", and we took 28 significant weapons caches out of their hands.

Link to the AP article on the same thing

The news that Zarqawi was turned in by one of his own may also have even better benefits than just indicating that the cohesiveness of the terrorists is waning... now they're all going to be paranoid about who turned him in, so there's likely to be a lot of fighting amongst themselves as they fear betrayal by one another.

Kimberly,

Don't be stupid, you know politics is all about perception. haliburton/KBR was awarded contracts, worth billions, while the most recent CEO holds the second highest post in the land.

There are tons of companies who have the ability to do the job Hal/KBR can, isn't that the point of free markets...competition? But in this case there was no competition, only shady deals which are coming to light. LOL

Does Michael Moore hold, or is he running for any offices in the government...didn't think so.

Here is my favorite Reagan quote: "Facts are stupid things"

There is your republican motto!

TEO ,
Again, making assertions that cannot be supported.
"politics is all about perception"
Only to a neorad, where feeling is more important than doing.

"tons of companies who have the ability to do the job Hal/KBR can.
Wrong again, buffalo breath. Kimberly is right; no other American company can provide the services Haliburton provides.

"shady deals which are coming to light"
In your fever-swamp mind, maybe. but, if you or anyone else has proof, bring it on.

"Facts are stupid things"
Reagan was quoting John Adams, "facts are stubborn things" --it was a simple misstatement, you know like "politics is all about perception".

TEO ,
Again, making assertions that cannot be supported.
"politics is all about perception"
Only to a neorad, where feeling is more important than doing.

"tons of companies who have the ability to do the job Hal/KBR can.
Wrong again, buffalo breath. Kimberly is right; no other American company can provide the services Haliburton provides.

"shady deals which are coming to light"
In your fever-swamp mind, maybe. but, if you or anyone else has proof, bring it on.

"Facts are stupid things"
Reagan was quoting John Adams, "facts are stubborn things" --it was a simple misstatement, you know like "politics is all about perception".

"Insurgency" has always been a misnomer. It's a civil war - albeit one constrained by the presence of US and "coalition" troops. As soon as we leave, be prepared to see all out chaos among the Shiites, Sunnis, and all subfactions therein. Is that an excuse to stay? Sorry - but no. Leaving now, or leaving later - makes absolultely no difference except for the opportunity to finish building the military bases we plan to have there - in the midst of the newest Al Qaeda recruiting/training grounds - created by us.

Go ahead and flame me with the groupthink memes about cutting and running, and negative viewpoints, but time (unfortunately) *will* prove me right, and there's absolutely no military solution to the problem.

TEO: "There are tons of companies who have the ability to do the job Hal/KBR can, isn't that the point of free markets...competition? But in this case there was no competition, only shady deals which are coming to light. LOL"

Name some of them. Remember, they have to be able to do the job exactly the same as Haliburton can.

Don't mind TEO, people. He is anti-war, anti-US Presidents (he's bashed Bush, Clinton, now Reagan, who is next?), anti-work (obvious he doesn't work as he is on here 24-7), anti-books (unless they show his POV), and I'll think of a few more later.

He rarely shows his compassionate side, which IMHO, is his better side.

Moore may not be in any government position (thank God for that) but he is a very vocal speaking piece for the Left. He disgusts me.

Mark,

I'm still waiting for your opinion on when we can leave Iraq. I don't want a date (after all, any exit strategy is apparently "cutting and running"), I'll settle for a specific metric by which we can measure success. What is that metric? Surely you have one, you spend so much time criticizing Democrats for not having a plan (or, alternatively, for having the wrong plan), you must have generated some affirmative plan of your own, right??? I've asked repeatedly, and I'll ask again: What is the specific metric for success?

Without that, the only plan that you have is simple, pointless, and tragic: "We're never leaving."

OK, I'll bite. Assuming that Bush weighs 200 pounds, and gold at $200 per ounce, then Bush is worth $1.92 Million. So let's see, he started an illegal war that has cost us $500 Billion so far, and he is worth $1.92 Million himself. So if we had 26 thousand George W. Bushes, we could sell them to the Saudi's and aford to pay for this fiasco.

Bane,

You're funny, how about this little gem?

“I don’t care what anybody says, politics is all about perception.”

George W. Bush, quoted in
"First Son"

Now this goes out to you and kimberly, and hermie...I can't believe you would actually assert that Haliburton/KBR doesn't have direct competitors, are you guys smokin crack? here is a couple quotes about their direct competition:

"As a consequence, one of KBR's competitors, Parsons Corp, has been asked "to execute some of the remaining work" in the south originally meant for KBR"

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GD23Ak01.html

"In the competition for the current LOGCAP contract, the Army Corps of Engineers asked competitors to develop a contingency plan for extinguishing oil well fires in Iraq. The Army chose KBR's plan in November 2001, though it remains classified."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellogg,_Brown_and_Root

"All of these changes, added to the company's commitment to technological innovations and customer satisfaction, will ensure KBR's continuation as an industry leader, far ahead of its competitors"

http://www.halliburton.com/news/archive/2000/kbrnws_012600.jsp

--I love the fact your assertions get blown away by direct quoting from Haliburton, LOL!!

In regards to you challenging my assertion of shady deals, just look at the CBOs punishment of Haliburton/KBR by fining them regarding waste and overcharging...if this was another company, don't you think defrauding the government might cause them to lose the contract? I wonder if it's just cooincidence they used to be headed up by the VP? hmmmm

Regan said it, you may think it was a mis-statement, but I call it a 'Freudian Slip'. The point is he did say it, no matter if you think it was intentional or not. LOL!!

Kimberly,

Reagan was an idiot, He sold arms to terrorists, he backed-up tyrants who slaughtered thousands in Nicaragua, and he was a horrible actor to boot.

Clinton was much more intelligent, which made it even worse that he was shilling for crap like NAFTA, he should have known that it would produce effects as we have today.

Bush...well it's just evident he isn't the brightest crayon in the box, and it's pretty evident how governing from the gut turns out...civil war anyone?

jpl...they didn't call for cutting and running.
do you really buy these lies yourself...or are you just spouting talking points by rote?

TEO sounds like a very angry and frustrated leftie: No Fitzmas, the Iraq war is winding down in favor of the US, the recapture of Congress in 2006 is a pipedream, etc., etc. All he has left is throwing out old accusations against the Administration, . aka "monkey poo", and hope they stick this time.

Orion,

The only "Monkey-Poo" in this administration has already been given a job making policy.

Would you like to show me where the iraq war is winding down? I guess the recent upswing in attacks, ethnic cleansing, and civil war don't count...right?

I hope your backing of Jefferson and ports deal goes over well in November. LOL!

Third Eye and johan morel are lost in the land of misinformation, created by the mainstream propaganda news, Hollywood idiots, democrats, and other leftists like Michael Moore. The usual banter about evil corporations and anyone that makes money in stocks, other than socialist leftists, must be evil. It is the usual class warfare nonsense, where people resent those who are successful, except for their heroes on the left. Only they are allowed to get rich, which is an oxymoron since, according to their socialist/communist beliefs, if they had their way, and we were like their panacea, Cuba for example, they wouldn't be rich at all.
This is exactly why democrats cannot be trusted with national security.

It does appear TEO is a bit testy today, far more than usual. He must be failing in the foot rubbin' department.

I can think of quite a few positive accomplishments for all of the Presidents you've listed above (yes, even Clinton). Is your glass always half empty? Is there any US President you admire?

DJ,

Your boy bush has interfered more than most any president in recent memory, very much an antithesis of neo-classical economics/supply-side.

You have no clue what you're talking about obviously, so go back to sleep. Thank you!

xoxoxo

Bane, Kimberly, Hermie,

(sorry if this is a double-post, but the site is still screwing up)

“I don’t care what anybody says, politics is all about perception.”

George W. Bush, quoted in
First Son

--I love it when they get hung up on their own quotes.

Here are a few snippets about Haliburton/KBRs direct competitors:

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/co?s=HAL

--you can go there for a breakdown of the major competitors to Haliburton

“All of these changes, added to the company's commitment to technological innovations and customer satisfaction, will ensure KBR's continuation as an industry leader, far ahead of its competitors.”

http://www.halliburton.com/news/archive/2000/kbrnws_012600.jsp

n I love it when I get to use direct quotes from the company themselves.

“In the competition for the current LOGCAP contract, the Army Corps of Engineers asked competitors to develop a contingency plan for extinguishing oil well fires in Iraq. The Army chose KBR's plan in November 2001, though it remains classified.”

http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/bio.aspx?act=pro&ddlC=31

--I find it funny that a company can over charge the government, and still retain their military contracts. What happened to the ideal that, “I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do”? I guess it doesn't apply when the former CEO is now the current VP. LOL!!

Haliburton/KBR were given no-bid contracts, while there were plenty of other competitors who could have had the wealth spread to them…the latest email scandal goes to illuminate this fact, eat it!

Whether he was screwing up quotes or not, he said the words. You call them an accident, I call them a ‘Freudian Slip’. LOL!!

"We must never forget that this excellent set of circumstances was only possible because President Bush stood firm"

No, it's because of our troops. Bush hasn't done squat to make anything happen in Iraq.

Why do you hate the troops?

Turd-eye wrote, "Don't confuse Cheney with someone who cares about giving to charity."
neorad speak, "It's not how much you do, it's how much you care.
Like the economy; it's not about the actual results of the economy, it's about the e-vile motives that conservatives have.

It's not the new democratically elected government in Iraq, it's not about 20 million free citizens, it's not about a free trading partner with interests in securing peace in the middle east; it's about e-vile Bush not being a real Reagan conservative.
Take a breath, Hate-boy. You've become a caricature of yourself.

Bane,

You want actual results?

Explain how we have the largest personal debt load in history, and the lowest savings in our history...how can you logically explain we are doing alright when bankruptcies are at an all time high and forclosures are record levels...what universe are you living in?

CPI is rising, wages aren't, we are heading into the driving season, and the FED is going to raise rates...this is common sense, not anecdotal evidence of you and your buddies making a killing.

Is there any particular reason you censored my last post?

Curse words? - nope
Belligerance? - nope
Off topic? - nope

Because you are pathetically afraid of new ideas? - yep.

Lame site.

[KC, don't flatter yourself. No one is monitoring the comment threads 24/7, some of us have jobs. You know very well from looking at this thread alone that all opinions are welcome here. If you want to see your comments published without having to wait for approval, register with TypeKey. Quit complaining. -Matt]

Matt: GOOD ONE!

I'm having problems signing in to turnkey myself. :-(

TEO- I haven't heard of an uspwing in attacks. I have seen our casualty rate is steadily declining. I would say that is positive, you might not. the iraqi forces are continuing to grow, which is another positive step. Oh and maybe you heard Zarqawi got smoked? Also, name one American company able to do haliburton's job.

Steve- I'm still waiting to hear your apology to Karl Rove for libeling him.

Rich,

Last point first: Haliburton has so many fingers in different pies, because they swallow up other, smaller companies, such as KBR. Now there are tons of other companies (read further up the post for my rebuttal to that comment) who can do the work haliburton can do, everyhitng from oil companies, to food service companies, and construction companies can do the same work, probably for less fraud...oh, I mean cost.

second point regarding attacks:

"The Pentagon reported yesterday that the frequency of insurgent attacks against troops and civilians is at its highest level since American commanders began tracking such figures two years ago, an ominous sign that, despite three years of combat, the US-led coalition forces haven't significantly weakened the Iraq insurgency."

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2006/05/31/insurgent_attacks_in_iraq_at_highest_level_in_2_years/

I will admit we are trying to give the reigns over to iraqis, but i would also remind you that a vast majority of the police are militia members aswell, so they might be colluding or helping directly in the sectarian violence which is still very high.

at the very least perhaps now we will see less American death, but the body count will still be, well, uncounted, but astronomical to say the least.

Virtually none of the work being done rebuilding in Iraq was done by Iraqis, in spite of high unemployment. I say WAS because Congress has eliminated funding for rebuilding. Why is it that the work being done to build the largest embassy in the world (more like a colonial headquarters in reality) is all being done by Kuwaitis?

Heckuva job.

Bankruptcy filings; Filings for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2006 (October 1, 2005 – December 31, 2005) totaled 667,431. The number of bankruptcies filed during the second quarter of the Judiciary's Fiscal Year 2006 (January 1, 2006-March 31, 2006) totaled 116,771. Bankruptcy filings for any three-month period have not fallen this low since 1985.
Wages; Wages have outpaced inflation since 2000, and I’ve proven that on at least two other threads, so has the BLS, and CNN.
CPI; hit a 10 year low in the forth quarter of 2005. Currently at the same % as when Bush took office, and during the best period of the Clinton years.
Savings Despite your socialist rhetoric, this is not mandated by government; therefore this is neither credit to the President nor deficit.

Filings for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2006 (October 1, 2005 – December 31, 2005) totaled 667,431. The number of bankruptcies filed during the second quarter of the Judiciary's Fiscal Year 2006 (January 1, 2006-March 31, 2006) totaled 116,771. Bankruptcy filings for any three-month period have not fallen this low since 1985.

I wonder if this has anything to do with Bush's bankruptcy "reform" bills, generally regarded as the most sweeping restrictions on bankruptcy filings in the last 25 years. Bankruptcy
Please do note, however, that these restrictions apply almost exclusively to you and I, and not corporations. Hmmm..

"The man is worth his weight in gold to us..."

Price of gold today: $578.40/oz
Weight of President Bush: 190 pounds
190 lbs x 16 lbs/oz x $578.40/oz = The Worth of President Bush = $1,758,336

Total money raised from all sources for Bush in the 2004 Presidential race: $367,228,801

I think y'all overpaid. Or, the President needs to gain some serious weight.

Bane,

That is blatantly cherry-picked info.

Ofcourse the numbers for the first quarter 2006 were down, after the new bankpuptcy bill was passed last year, the numbers were going to fall, since it made certain bankruptcies harder to get.

Lets take a look at the numbers from 2001-2006 year ending March, 31st (personal):

2001: 1,271,865
2002: 1,464,961
2003: 1,573,720
2004: 1,618,062
2005: 1,559,023
2006: 1,759,503

as a side note, i'd like to quote:

"31.9 % of the filings for the year ended June 30, 2001 were joint filings of husband and wife.
To approximate the number of people filing bankruptcy we must increase the filings by 31.9% to get 2,690,000 people who filed bankruptcy in the year ended December 31, 2005"

http://www.bankruptcyaction.com/USbankstats.htm

so as you can see the numbers are even higher, if you factor in married people claiming bankruptcies.

Basically, we have seen a constant ramping up of filings since Bush took office, even after the supposed economic boom.

"According to economist Bernstein, whose study covers the years 1991-2002, households in the middle fifth of the economy increased their incomes (not adjusted for inflation) by 41 percent. Inflation during that period, as measured by the government's Consumer Price Index, went up 33 percent. That implies real living standards rose by a not very impressive 8 percent during more than a decade.

But hold on. During the same period, housing, healthcare, education, and child care went up 46 percent, or more than incomes. We cannot afford the big things we need and comfort ourselves with gadgets. The cheaper laptop, plasma TV, and GPS screen in your car make it appear statistically that living standards are not falling as much as they are."

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/04/01/stagnant_wages_made_in_usa/

Personal debt is at an all time high, currently we have a personal debt somewhere in the neighborhood of $44 trillion, and that number increased a staggaring $3.5 trillion last year alone, outpacing GDP by 5 times. Household debt went up 12%. So as you can see, this boom has all been financed, and at some point, someone is going to have to pay these things.

http://mwhodges.home.att.net/nat-debt/debt-nat.htm

so again, while you cherry pick numbers, the stats on the long term show that while wages haave risen dramatically, so have the creature comforts, and not only the little stuff, but the big stuff aswell, the past few months are just a continuation of barely moving wages for most of america.

The icing on the cake was the idea that savings are at an all time low, somewhere around 2%. So when you factor in stagnant wages in comparison to aggregate inflation, mounting debt and bankruptcy, and little to no savings, you come up with a picture where most of america just isn't keeping up, not without the help of Mr. Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.

Here is your boom, man...this is not the numbers of a healthy economy, you can't make me believe there is a silver-lining to record high bankruptcies, personal debt, and record low savings, with a consistently stagnant real wage. We are sick!

Bane,

That is blatantly cherry-picked info.

Ofcourse the numbers for the first quarter 2006 were down, after the new bankpuptcy bill was passed last year, the numbers were going to fall, since it made certain bankruptcies harder to get. Lets take a look at the numbers from 2001-2006 year ending March, 31st (personal):

2001: 1,271,865
2002: 1,464,961
2003: 1,573,720
2004: 1,618,062
2005: 1,559,023
2006: 1,759,503

as a side note, i'd like to quote:

"31.9 % of the filings for the year ended June 30, 2001 were joint filings of husband and wife.
To approximate the number of people filing bankruptcy we must increase the filings by 31.9% to get 2,690,000 people who filed bankruptcy in the year ended December 31, 2005"

http://www.bankruptcyaction.com/USbankstats.htm
so as you can see the numbers are even higher, if you factor in married people claiming bankruptcies.

Basically, we have seen a constant ramping up of filings since Bush took office, even after the supposed economic boom.

"According to economist Bernstein, whose study covers the years 1991-2002, households in the middle fifth of the economy increased their incomes (not adjusted for inflation) by 41 percent. Inflation during that period, as measured by the government's Consumer Price Index, went up 33 percent. That implies real living standards rose by a not very impressive 8 percent during more than a decade.

But hold on. During the same period, housing, healthcare, education, and child care went up 46 percent, or more than incomes. We cannot afford the big things we need and comfort ourselves with gadgets. The cheaper laptop, plasma TV, and GPS screen in your car make it appear statistically that living standards are not falling as much as they are."

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/04/01/stagnant_wages_made_in_usa/

Personal debt is at an all time high, currently we have a personal debt somewhere in the neighborhood of $44 trillion, and that number increased a staggaring $3.5 trillion last year alone, outpacing GDP by 5 times. Household debt went up 12%. So as you can see, this boom has all been financed, and at some point, someone is going to have to pay these things.

http://mwhodges.home.att.net/nat-debt/debt-nat.htm

so again, while you cherry pick numbers, the stats on the long term show that while wages haave risen dramatically, so have the creature comforts, and not only the little stuff, but the big stuff aswell, the past few months are just a continuation of barely moving wages for most of america.

the icing on the cake was the idea that savings are at an all time low, somewhere around 2%. So when you factor in stagnant wages in comparison to aggregate inflation, mounting debt and bankruptcy, and little to no savings, you come up with a picture where most of america just isn't keeping up, not without the help of Mr. Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.

Here is your boom, man...this is not the numbers of a healthy economy, you can't make me believe there is a silver-lining to record high bankruptcies, personal debt, and record low savings, with a consistently stagnant real wage. We are sick!

"Don't confuse Cheney with someone who cares about giving to charity, like most fake philanthropists in America"

TEO showing his true colors again. If that's the case, why did Gore and Kerry give almost nothing to charity? Is it because they are "real philanthropists"?

You are comical now TEO. It's to the point that I think ignoring you will be best because talking to someone so void of brain cells and so full of hate is a draining exercise in futility. The guy donates $6 million to charity and you still find a way to kick him in the balls.

People like you .... well I just feel sorry for you.

Have a good life and some day wake up and even if you have to pretend, SMILE.

"can you see into the souls of Bush or the troops who have been accused of torture?"

Can YOU TEO? Can you see into their souls?

Angry,

The troops have been magnificent, but it always takes firm leadership for even the best of troops to accomplish anything.

Everybody knows that reality has a liberal bias.

You are hilarious. But a little sad, too.

I'm sorry. If only it were so simple.

Warriornation,

I'll answer your questions by simply saying that Bush's actions have led to the death of 2500 americans, over half a trillion dollars spent, and immersion in a civil war, that frankly, we cannot control in the least...so with that said, his actions are very discouraging, and lead me to believe that he refuses to admit reality is at odds with his propaganda; delusional, one might say...I don't need to look into someone's soul for that.

But let's put the question back at you. Can you see into the souls of men?

On your point about philanthropy, my personal view is that anyone who puts out press releases about their charity, probably has an alterior motive, liberal or conservative alike.

Don't be nieve to believe that good press isn't the product purchased for charity given; do you take the money given by Gore and Clinton as face value benevolence?

Whoops!

Someone missed the memo (again). Dozens Iraqis killed despite stepped up security.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060617/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

Wow. I thought you were being ironic. It's been downhill every year since we invaded, with more IEDs going off, more attacks, more suicide bombs, and more sectarian violence. Nothing in the escalating violence has EVER even REMOTELY hinted that we have turned a corner. A marginal lessening in American deaths is an indication that we have improved our vehicle armoring and tactics, and that the Iraqis are now absorbed in a sectarian conflict where we matter less and less. However, in terms of number of attacks on our troops (up), or percent of the country where we can't go without a firefight (up), or percent of cities suffering now from unrest (up), it's all bad.

Zahawari's death was satisfying because of his history of terrorism. It unfortunately means just about nothing. You want to bet this will be better in one year? Really? You would put money on it? You have access to my email - drop me a note with your terms and definition of success and I'll take that bet.