Could someone PLEEEEZE tell me, then, why it seems NOT to matter that NONE of the people who were or might have been or are alleged to have been involved in these firings was the Preznit of the United States?

...at whose pleasure these folks supposedly serve?

Seriously - why doesn't it matter that the DOJ seems to have usurped the powers of the Office of the President, without his knowledge or cooperation? At least that's what DOJ and the WH are telling us. If we choose to believe them, isn't there an even bigger issue at hand than what now seems evident?

I promise, if just one reasonably well-informed person will answer this question, I'll stop asking it.

First off, could someone please just slap the shit out of Chris Matthews? I mean, really? He's enough to make even a liberal homophobic. Think about that one for a minute...

Back when Raygun was elected for the first time, I was working as an actor in NYC. I decided that *I* was going to run for preznit too, because I was a member of all the same unions Ronnie was, so I had the same qualifications. (That CA guv thing notwithstanding.)

I mean, cripes, didn't we learn ANYthing from that mistake? Are these rightwing morons REALLY cozying up to ANOTHER actor?

I can only hope that Shrub has screwed the GOP pooch so thoroughly that it can't work again - but the fact that this topic is even being discussed seriously, instead of provoking hilarious peals of uncontrolled laughter, is making me more than a little queasy.

Fred THOMPSON? He's an actor, and not a particularly good one at that. Plays the same character over and over and over again. No range. And have you seen his wife? Perfect First Lady for the NASCAR set, bubble-headed trollop type, bad dresser just like they like 'em, but she embarrasses me. Gives trophy wives a bad name.

This is really sick-making. I can't say any more.

Not really as O/T as it may at first appear:

Has anyone ever wondered why the cult of Southern manhood exists? Why, even to this day, the stereotypical "redneck" is so bellicose? Why "The South Shall Rise Again" is still a battle cry to those we have taken to calling the "28-percenters" and the "deadenders"?

To make a very long story short, it's because the South, the Old Confederacy, were until Vietnam the only Americans ever to suffer military defeat - and after Vietnam, they had to come up with a plausible mythos to keep the stink of THAT defeat from attaching to them as well. The main element of that mythos was/is that THEY didn't lose it - the Democrats and the peaceniks and the media did. Sound familiar?

And now, they see another defeat approaching in Iraq, and their entire existence, their whole self-perception (such as it is) is geared toward NOT allowing yet a THIRD defeat to happen, and most of all not allowing said defeat to be their fault yet again.

I could probably write an entire book on this topic, and for all I know someone already has - but in short, rednecks are warmongers because they keep trying to get it right. They keep trying to win one, so they can cast off the defeats.

Why do you think they were "OK" with us getting out of Kuwait so quickly in the First Gulf War? It was because they saw THAT one as an unequivocal "win", and they were OK with us bugging out. Especially before something else could happen that might have made the win perhaps a bit less unequivocal.

I've lived among these people most of my life. All they want is a return of their manhood. Thass all.

Not only was Chaffee booted last November, he was also Chafee, not Chaffee.

Anonymous @1042am:

http://logicalnegativism.blogspot.com/2006/06/hes-not-leaving.html

Take careful note of the DATE.

And finally to Anonymous at 9:29am, Not only did Chafee NOT vote for Kerry, he also did NOT block the Bolton confirmation:

http://www.slate.com/id/2118601/

...Chafee fell short even of Voinovich's hesitations. He too recited some of Bolton's many shortcomings—his intimidation of intelligence analysts who dared disagree with him, the dismal signal his appointment will send to the world—but ended by endorsing the nominee. Bolton had testified he would follow the president's instructions, to work with Congress and the committee. "I want to take him at his word," Chafee proclaimed.

I mean, geez, there's enough revisionism going on around here...when it's this easy to prove, we should prove it.

Plugging in the term "William Jefferson" in the Salon search engine produces 301 hits on Salon alone, including "Jefferson Must Go" from late May 2006, and this one most recently (Monday 6/4/07):

Feds Reportedly Seeking Jefferson Indictment Today

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/06/04/jefferson/index.html?source=rss

So, hope that makes you happy - the score is now Republicans 257 or so, Democrats 1.

Perhaps you could actually, ummm, you know, look something up before you make an asinine accusation like that next time?

No? I didn't think so...it's always easier to just fire off an unsubstantiated accusation, isn't it?

Beautiful. Beautifully put. From your mouth to the ears of whatever Deity you choose. Or not.

@El Cid 11:23.