Amid growing indications that the name he floated to become the new CIA Director would spark opposition from Democrats and was also not popular among some key Republicans, President George Bush has gone ahead and announced that he’s nominating Gen. Michael Hayden to the post. Here’s the text of the announcement. See our post here about how controversial it is — and how it’s one more example of the Bush administration brushing aside a chance to pick someone who is not controversial...

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has steadfastly refused to halt his nation’s nuclear development program, repeatedly said Israel is on borrowed time, and essentially dared the United States to try and use military action, has written President George Bush a letter. The letter’s contents have not yet been released. The unanswered question is whether it contains serious proposals to pull both countries back from the brink of the ongoing escalation or it more of a p.r. move...

Has Tom Cruise jumped the shark, jumped the couch and jumped out of favor with many movie goers because his unusual behavior left him overexposed — and some moviegoers too overdosed on the tabloid Cruise to be willing to spend money to watch the Hollywood Cruise? It certainly looks that way. The latest incarnation of “Mission Impossible” hasn’t tanked, but it has fallen short of expectations. The AP: Fewer people chose to accept Tom Cruise’s latest mission, a possible...

What do you do to get voters to the polls? If you’re the ruling party do you point to your record? To how you handled the nation’s finances, security, border security, or your perception of your foreign policy accomplishments? You’d think so, but this year the GOP’s slogan to other GOPers apparently is “Vote For Us — Because Otherwise We Could Lose.” It’s apparently the pitch being made to Republicans in Congress by party bigwigs and to party partisans...

…or else.

Some folks have seen these on TV so they’ve decided to do their own. Reason for concern?

When CIA Director Porter Goss resigned the conventional wisdom seemed to be that the White House would pick someone who would be relatively free from controversy. Instead, all signs point to the White House picking someone who is not only controversial — but who will provoke a polarizing battle in Congress since Democrats and even some Republicans will oppose him. And, according to the Washington Post, it seems like that is what the Bush administration wants: The nomination of Gen. Michael...

The barbaric terrorists beheadings that go beyond most definitions of murder in terms of their brutality have continued in Iraq. (NOTE TO READERS: You should still read this post BUT a LATER POST HERE will tell you that the actual victim was NOT the Iraqi journalist but a man from Nepal.) WARNING: This Times Online piece about the merciless on-camera butchery of Atwar Bahjat in February contains a graphic description of the beheading itself. She was on one of Iraq’s top broadcast journalists. Her...

Will the American media overlook his situation?

Political jazz, that is. Real jazz can be incredibly sweet…

If the United States decides it must go to war with Iran it better not expect much support from Europe, The Washington Times reports: The United States, in any military confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program, can expect even less support from its European allies than it received during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. “Europeans have already gone as far as they can as a group in playing hardball with Iran and are on the brink of rethinking their position at this point in time....

The question continues to rage: Where’s Osama? The latest suggestion: he’s in the remote area of Pakistan. A top U.S. counterterrorism official said Saturday that parts of Pakistan are a “safe haven” for militants and Osama bin Laden was more likely to be hiding there than in Afghanistan. Henry Crumpton, the U.S. ambassador in charge of counterterrorism, lauded Pakistan for arresting “hundreds and hundreds” of al-Qaida figures but said it needed to do more. “Has...

TMV was pleasantly surprised.

Once again: another headline about another Kennedy in crisis after being in a vehicle — but this time not a limousine, car near water, or airplane but a car in Washington, D.C. Once again, as in the case of his father, Senator Edward Kennedy, a mea culpa from a Kennedy, this time Rep. Patrick Kennedy amid allegations that proper procedures were not followed in the aftermath of the incident. Is it all the invention of the media or Kennedy haters? Not quite: the latest is that the police involved...

It’s truly getting to the point where writing about “new lows” in polling for President George Bush and the GOP-dominated Congress isn’t getting to be news anymore — but the norm. And the latest AP-Ipsos poll, AP Political Writer Ron Fornier writes, illustrates why Republicans fear “an Election Day massacre”: Six months out, the intensity of opposition to Bush and Congress has risen sharply, along with the percentage of Americans who believe the nation is...

The ever-original The Talking Dog has another original Q&A interview. Profiled this time: Professor David Scheffer, Professor of Law and Director, Center for International Human Rights, Northwestern University School of Law. Scheffer served as the United States Ambassador for War Crimes Issues from 1997 to 2001 during the second term of President Bill Clinton. This is MUST READING no matter where you stand politically. What’s always fascinating is the kind of questioning. The Talking Dog...

It’s a real life horror story. Remember the story of the Florida teen whose death was viewed all over the world in a videotape, as he was surrounded — engulfed, really — by a sea of boot camp guards? The one where the autopsy set off a firestorm because it blamed his death on sickle cell anemia? In other words: natural causes. A NEW autopsy found something slightly different: it states that he died due to suffocation…due to guards hands being over his mouth: A 14-year-old...

Once again it’s time for another gem from TMV’s favorite poet, Michael Silverstein, aka Wall Street Poet: Cash, Cash, Wonderful Cash Stock markets may tumble, bond issues default Home prices are quirky, they can somersault Gold’s upward eruptions, they come and they go Derivative products, you just never know Cash, cash, wonderful cash You can flash it or stash it, there’s no pain with cash. While its hard to keep track when your assets are many With cash you can easily count...

More details are starting to trickle out on the surprise, abrupt announcement by President George Bush that CIA Director Porter Goss had submitted his resignation — and it had been accepted. The rapidity with which this announcement took place, the lack of a full, public explanation about why Goss was exiting, and the fact that he submitted his resignation and it didn’t appear as if Bush spent much (if any) time trying to dissuade him seemed a mystery when the announcement was made yesterday....

British Prime Minister Tony Blair delivered a message after his party lost in local elections: “No more Mr. Nice guy. “Really. “Honestly. “Not kidding you…” The political carnage was so great that perhaps Hollywood is eying it to make a new movie “Friday the 5th” (it doesn’t have as catchy a sound as “Friday the 13th,” but it’s “high concept.” The changes were more extensive than President George Bush’s recent...

Other recent changes in the White House were expected, but the announcement today that CIA Director Porter Goss resigned came abruptly …with little explanation, when President George Bush announced it: CIA Director Porter J. Goss resigned today after less than two years on the job, President Bush announced at the White House. Bush said Goss offered his resignation this morning and that “I’ve accepted it.” This Washington Post article gives little explanation of why he resigned...

It was not a good day for Great Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair whose Labour Party took a beating in local elections — leading to predictions that the cabinet may be reshuffled…and even suggestions that it may be time for Blair to go: Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Labour Party suffered losses in Britain’s local elections, indicating flagging voter support for his government after two weeks of damaging publicity surrounding ministers. Labour lost control of eight councils,...

Last week Dick Meyer, editorial director of CBSNews.com wrote this piece where he discussed the fact that both political parties seem to feel they know what’s good for you and will shove it down your throats if they have to. Now, he expands on that theme in this thought provoking essay titled “E Pluralism Unum.” Once again, the original column must be read completely. In fact, we don’t want to quote from it at all since it would take it out of context. But we’ll try...

In a MUST READ TRANSLATED ARTICLE on the indispensible website Watching America, Christophe Ayad and Christophe Boltanski, writing in France’s Liberation, takes a look at how Al Qaeda’s bigwigs are adeptly using the media…and the Internet in particular. A small part of it: Within a week, bin Laden, Zarqawi and Zawahiri have all appeared on the Internet. The Internet is now, more than ever, al-Qaeda’s favorite communications tool. Last week, its main leaders, Osama bin Laden...