Headline Of The Day

Whoa.

Louisiana GOP Poll

I'm sure YOU don't need to be reminded that Hurricane Katrina happened in 2005. Source.

Bush II Has Heart Surgery

George W. Bush is reported in "high spirits" after undergoing heart surgery early this morning.

During a physical examination Monday, doctors found a blockage in the artery of the former president's heart, said Bush spokesman Freddy Ford. "At the recommendation of his doctors, President Bush agreed to have a stent placed to open the blockage," Ford said. The procedure at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas went off "without complication" early Tuesday, Ford said. The news caught the political world by surprise. Bush was among the most physically active of presidents, with frequent exercise that ranged from early morning workouts to bike rides.

Bush is scheduled to leave the hospital tomorrow.

Dubya On Gay Marriage: Don't Criticize Until You Examine Your Own Heart

In an interview aired today by ABC News, former President George W. Bush refused to say whether he'd evolved on same-sex marriage, but he did say, "It's very important for people not to be overly critical of someone else until you examine your own heart." Back in February of this year, Laura Bush demanded to be taken out of a national marriage equality ad created by a coalition of LGBT groups.

A Silly Lie From The National Review

All of Teabagistan has leaped upon a word cloud posted by Pew Research that even the wingnuts at Townhall allow "isn't the most precise form of polling."  In fact, President Obama's current approval rating is 47%.  At this point in his second term, Dubya's approval rating was 39.8%. 

Dubya: No Comment On Marriage

Former President George W. Bush dodged a question on same-sex marriage in an interview with CBS.

In an interview that aired on "CBS This Morning," Charlie Rose asked Bush about his one-time support for a constitutional amendment banning marriage equality. "Yeah, well, I'm not, I'm not weighing in on these issues, as you know, because I've made the decision to get off the stage," Bush replied. "And so I'm off the stage." Bush, however, really isn't off the stage anymore. In recent days, he's made a flurry of media appearances to promote the opening of his presidential library.

Bush had no problem, however, weighing in on the issue of immigration during the same interview.

Karl Rove: My Hecklers Are Pathetic

And liberals are just intolerant.

Gawker Publishes Dubya's Email Address

To mark the tenth anniversary of the Iraq war, yesterday Gawker published the personal email address of former President George W. Bush.  The move has angered some Gawker commenters and Michele Malkin's Twitchy, whose editors last night called Gawker "cretinous slime."

Jeb Bush 2016?

Via New York Times:

When Senator Marco Rubio of Florida held a strategy session here to discuss his own political future last week, the question of Mr. Bush, a mentor, hung over the room; a decision by Mr. Bush, 59, to seek the Republican nomination would almost certainly halt any plans by Mr. Rubio, 41, to do so or abruptly set off a new intraparty feud.  Mr. Bush is said by friends to be weighing financial and family considerations — between so many years in office and the recession his wealth took a dip, they said, and he has been working hard to restore it — as well as the complicated place within the Republican Party of the Bush brand. Asked this week about whether his father would run, Jeb Bush Jr. told CNN, “I certainly hope so.” For now, however, “It’s neither a ‘no’ nor a ‘yes’ — it’s a ‘wait and see,’ ” said Al Cardenas, the chairman of the American Conservative Union and a longtime friend and adviser to Mr. Bush. “It continues to intrigue him, given how much he has to share with the country.”

Jeb Bush has a lot to share!

Push Push In The Bush Bush

George P. Bush, the grandson of Bush I, nephew of Bush II, and son of Jeb, has filed notice in Texas that he will run for office. His mother, Jeb's wife, is an immigrant from Mexico and some in the GOP are already dangling George P. as the lifeline to the Hispanic vote they so desperately need.

The younger Bush, a Fort Worth resident, filed a campaign treasurer appointment Wednesday, a requirement for someone to become a candidate under campaign finance law, Tim Sorrells, general counsel for the Texas Ethics Commission, told The Associated Press. Sorrells said the report does not specify what office Bush might seek, if any, and he had no other details on the filing, which wasn't available online. Bush did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment, and no phone listing for him could be found. The 36-year-old said in September his goal was to run for office and acknowledged that he had his eyes on several statewide offices. Raised in Florida, Bush decided to settle in Texas, home to his uncle and his grandfather, former President George H.W. Bush. He runs a consulting firm and has been active in Republican Party outreach to college students. He's also the co-founder of Hispanic Republicans of Texas, a group that seeks to elect Hispanic candidates.

On Thursday the potential Bush III will host CNBC's Squawk Box. I'll have a clip later that day.

Fleischer: GOP Will Never Back Gay Rights

"The big issue that Republicans are going to have to wrestle with is the Hispanic issue. It's not the social issues. You're not going to make the party pro-choice and pro-gay rights and think you've made the Republican party the party that's the popular party. We have a party like that. It's the Democratic Party." - Ari Fleischer, former Bush White House press secretary, speaking on CNN.

Quote Of The Day - Desmond Tutu

"The then leaders of the United States [Mr Bush] and Great Britain [Mr Blair] fabricated the grounds to behave like playground bullies and drive us further apart. They have driven us to the edge of a precipice where we now stand - with the spectre of Syria and Iran before us. The question is not whether Saddam Hussein was good or bad or how many of his people he massacred. The point is that Mr Bush and Mr Blair should not have allowed themselves to stoop to his immoral level." - Desmond Tutu, calling for Bush and Blair to by tried for war crimes.

Dick Cheney: My Standing Up For Marriage Would Have Killed Dubya's Chances

Dick Cheney, who has since endorsed marriage equality, claimed yesterday that he remained silent during the 2000 campaign because he knew if he spoke up it would have damaged Dubya's election chances.

The former vice president suggested it wouldn't have done much good and probably would have sunk President George W. Bush's prospects for office. "Why?" he responded to ABC News when asked in a televised interview whether he should have pushed harder for gay couples to marry. Cheney's daughter, Mary, married her longtime partner this June. Cheney said of the wedding: "I'm sure it was fine. We wished them well. She wanted to avoid having it be a media circus or having it become part of the political debate. So Lynn and I were very proud and happy and congratulated them."

Cheney also remained silent during then closet case Ken Mehlman's campaign against same-sex marriage, which resulted in bans in 21 states from 2004-2006. Cheney finally publicly announced his support in 2009.

Headline Of The Day II

Details.

Official Portrait

Colin Powell Backs Gay Marriage

Human Rights Campaign

“Colin Powell’s support for marriage equality is representative of the continued momentum for marriage that we’re seeing nationwide, and its significance cannot be overlooked,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “One of our nation’s foremost statesmen and a top military leader, Colin Powell is another example of how a growing number of Americans are personally connected to loving, committed LGBT couples – and these connections are having transformative results. As more and more Americans come to see the discrimination their own LGBT family members and friends experience on a daily basis, support for marriage equality is increasingly common-sense. No longer can marriage be used as a wedge issue for any community – Americans are increasingly supportive of marriage equality regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation or political associations.”

Dubya Endorses Romney

It's not much of an endorsement and likely won't include any campaigning on Romney's behalf.

“I’m for Mitt Romney,” Bush told ABC News this morning as the doors of an elevator closed on him, after he gave a speech on human rights a block from his old home — the White House. Bush’s endorsement isn’t a surprise, given that Romney is virtually the Republican Party’s nominee. But the 43rd president has been absent from the 2012 campaign and hasn’t made any public comments showing his support for Romney.

The Obama campaign has an immediate reaction.

“President Bush has endorsed Governor Romney, and Governor Romney has endorsed a return to Bush-era economic policies: massive tax cuts for the wealthiest and no accountability for Wall Street, which led to huge deficits and tepid growth. Now Romney wants to double down on those same, failed policies – expanding upon the Bush tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires at a cost of $5 trillion, and, once again, allowing Wall Street to write its own rules. While President Obama has pursued policies that have helped create more than 4.2 million private sector jobs, revived manufacturing and the auto industry, Governor Romney would return to the same policies that dragged our economy down and punished the middle class.”

LEAKED GOP MEMO: It's Time To Let Go Of Fighting Against Same-Sex Marriage

Politico has published a just-leaked memo from an insider on Dubya's 2004 reelection team. In the light of Obama's "evolution," this guy now says that GOP strategists should abandon the losing battle against same-sex marriage.

Background: in view of this week’s news on the same sex marriage issue, here is a summary of recent survey findings on same sex marriage:

1. Support for same sex marriage has been growing and in the last few years support has grown at an accelerated rate with no sign of slowing down. A review of public polling shows that up to 2009 support for gay marriage increased at a rate of 1% a year. Starting in 2010 the change in the level of support accelerated to 5% a year. The most recent public polling shows supporters of gay marriage outnumber opponents by a margin of roughly 10% (for instance: NBC / WSJ poll in February / March: support 49%, oppose 40%).
2. The increase in support is taking place among all partisan groups. While more Democrats support gay marriage than Republicans, support levels among Republicans are increasing over time. The same is true of age: younger people support same sex marriage more often than older people, but the trends show that all age groups are rethinking their position.
3. Polling conducted among Republicans show that majorities of Republicans and Republican leaning voters support extending basic legal protections to gays and lesbians. These include majority Republican support for:
1. Protecting gays and lesbians against being fired for reasons of sexual orientation
2. Protections against bullying and harassment
3. Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
4. Right to visit partners in hospitals
5. Protecting partners against loss of home in case of severe medical emergencies or death
6. Legal protection in some form for gay couples whether it be same sex marriage or domestic partnership (only 29% of Republicans oppose legal recognition in any form).

Recommendation: A statement reflecting recent developments on this issue along the following lines:

“People who believe in equality under the law as a fundamental principle, as I do, will agree that this principle extends to gay and lesbian couples; gay and lesbian couples should not face discrimination and their relationship should be protected under the law. People who disagree on the fundamental nature of marriage can agree, at the same time, that gays and lesbians should receive essential rights and protections such as hospital visitation, adoption rights, and health and death benefits.

Read the full memo.

Ken Mehlman Apologizes For First Time

"At a personal level, I wish I had spoken out against the effort. As I’ve been involved in the fight for marriage equality, one of the things I’ve learned is how many people were harmed by the campaigns in which I was involved. I apologize to them and tell them I am sorry. While there have been recent victories, this could still be a long struggle in which there will be setbacks, and I’ll do my part to be helpful." - Former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, finally publicly apologizing for spearheading a dozen state-level anti-gay ballot measures in order increase voter turnout for the 2004 reelection of George W. Bush.

RELATED: In the last two years Mehlman has worked to help convince GOP lawmakers to support same-sex marriage in several states. However later this month he will also co-chair a high-ticket fundraiser for the reelection for House Speaker John Boehner, who recently tripled the federal budget to defend against the overturn of DOMA.

Recess Appointment Chart

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