On Ari Fleischer’s Revisionism

Years ago, when I read The Dark Knight Strikes Again, there was a line near the end of the third issue where George Bush’s Press Secretary, Ari Fleischer says “The President doesn’t have to say dick to you media pansies.” As satirical as Frank Miller’s story was, Miller hit really close to the mark; theContinue reading “On Ari Fleischer’s Revisionism”

On John Yoo’s Constitution

Contrary to popular belief, I do not have an Enemy’s List. Yes, Warren Ellis is my nemesis, but only because his writing makes me feel like an amateur. (Though I’m not sure what to think — yet — about Crooked Little Vein, which makes me realize how completely undepraved I am. That is a goodContinue reading “On John Yoo’s Constitution”

On Commemorative Ice Cream

This is too good not to share. 🙂 Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream is creating a flavor to commemorate the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President. Here’s a list of suggested names for ice creams commemorating George W. Bush, the 43rd. I’m fond of “Rocky Road to Torture” and “Death by Chocolate… andContinue reading “On Commemorative Ice Cream”

On the End of the Beginning

For a few months now, I’ve been referring to tomorrow’s inauguration of a new President by quoting Gerald Ford’s famous phrase from his address to the nation upon taking the office at Nixon’s resignation — “Our long national nightmare is over.” But that’s not exactly true. George Bush will be leaving office tomorrow at NoonContinue reading “On the End of the Beginning”

On Bush and Pardons

I was reading this morning an article on a rumored pardon President Bush is considering — a blanket pardon for anyone involved in his administration’s torture policies. Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, extraordinary rendition — all of that would be covered. On the one hand, a blanket pardon for anyone involved in the interrogations could be viewedContinue reading “On Bush and Pardons”

On John McCain and Torture

In all the hubbub over Senator John McCain dismissing the Dungeons & Dragons vote, one vital story has been ignored — was John McCain tortured by the North Vietnamese during his captivity during the Vietnam War? John McCain would say yes: Just after his release in May 1973, he detailed his experience as a P.O.W.Continue reading “On John McCain and Torture”

On an Honor Too Awesome For Words

In San Francisco, they want to memorialize President George W. Bush. But this would be no ordinary memorial. Not a school, or a federal courthouse, or a stretch of interstate highway. This would be a sewage plant. The George W. Bush Sewage Plant: [A] group going by the regal-sounding name of the Presidential Memorial CommissionContinue reading “On an Honor Too Awesome For Words”

On Bush and Oil Drilling

There’s a political webcomic I enjoy reading, A Town Called Dobson. Today’s comic is about Bush’s call to Congress to lift the ban on off-shore oil drilling and to open the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. Bush’s argument is that high gasoline prices mean that we need to increase our own production. That will bring downContinue reading “On Bush and Oil Drilling”

On the Supreme Court and Detainees

The Supreme Court issued a stinging rebuke to the Bush Administration and its policy of classifying detainees as “enemy combatants,” stripping them of legal rights. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court says that detainees held at Guantanamo Bay and other military prisons have the right of habeas corpus to challenge their detentions. Also, theContinue reading “On the Supreme Court and Detainees”