Great article Michele. Looking forward to reading your book.

Dave Sokal

I continue to be shocked by the shortsightedness and saddened by the lack of real human compassion this president, his administration and the religious right continues to show at home and abroad. I fear for the deep and long-range repercussions of their actions and am shamed by the potential damage that will be done to the worlds poorest and neediest at their hands. My only hope if for the outrage to resonate and start a turning of the tides in 2006. And 2008 cannot come soon enough for those who depend on our true understanding and charity to be returned to the world's stage.

Carmel Conlin

A wife, mother and Catholic living in Cleveland, Ohio

Excellent article. But as I was reading it, two thoughts occurred to me.

The first is an observation once made by George Carlin: "Ever notice that the women who are against abortion are women you wouldn't want to sleep with?" Nowhere is that more true than with this nutcase, Sauerbrey.

The second is this: Have there EVER been any good Bush appointments?

Is there ANYTHING this administration doesn't politicize?! Is there ever a single action taken without a hidden political agenda attached?! Christ, even the task of helping people is nothing more than a convenient platform with which to push a religious agenda.

Michelle Goldberg's overt hatred for things Bush is too transparent in this hated-filled piece.

Also, being culturally ignorant and narrow minded she is unaware that in the Slovenian, Serbo-Croatian and other southern Slavic languages, the letter 'Y' is not used. The country's name is Jugoslavija, but I guess we can't expect an ultra extreme left jewish princess to know that.

Get real Michelle and quit send out your hate filled mean spirited missives unless you can get the small facts right.

Dr Bogomir Kuhar

Columbus, OH

I've had several opportunities to work with the staff of BPRM over the past 12 years, and I've always found them to be dedicated and effective public servants committed to the welfare of refugees and to the support of the NGOs that work with them.

I know little of Ms. Sauerbrey, but if her agenda is indeed more political than humanitarian, I certainly hope she's as incompetent as her detractors claim. This way she'll be less than effective at changing the institution she is charged with running.

Charles Ellmaker

(Former) Country Director,

American Refugee Committee (Mozambique) &

Center for Victims of Torture (Guinea and Sierra Leone)

I'm done being shocked and amazed at the lengths this administration will go to subvert constitutional checks and balances, and to overreach its legitimate authority. Saddened, yes, that the founding principles of our nation are so easily disregarded, but no, not shocked anymore. GWB claims that he doesn't want to be a dictator, but his unflagging disrespect for the institutions and procedures of government show otherwise. This man is a president in name only. His actions are those of a absolute monarch or dictator. I would not be shocked or surprised to find Bush organizing his own secret police force, answerable only to the president and god- you could even call them the Republican Guard.

Recess appointments were intended to be used in emergency situations where we absolutely could not wait to fill a cabinet position or other post. Bush, in yet another bid to expand his imperial presidential powers, has once again made an end-run around congress- not because there were 12+ simultaneous emergency vacancies, but because putting his cronies through the actual confirmation process would be potentially embarrassing or difficult. It started with federal judges that he knew would be blocked by congress due to extreme right-wingnut ideologies. Then there was John Bolton- a man who could not be less qualified for a position that requires tact and diplomacy. Now, we are supposed to believe that more than 12 positions could not wait to be filled for the three or so weeks until congress is back in full session. Yeah, right. It is just one more instance of Bush abusing and misusing his power. And as long as there is a docile GOP controlled congress standing in the way of justice, we can only expect more of the same.

What surprises me in all this is that one name was conspicuously absent from the list- Sam Alito. Perhaps even Bush knew he might not get away with that one.

Thanks for this article that gives me plenty of talking points whgen I write my senators.

For the Yugoslavian doctor below (I'm sorry, but in English we do we spell the name of your country with a "Y", sir):

While Ms. Goldberg presents facts that support her argument that Bush is appointing Christian right-winger friends of the Replublican Party instead of career professionals in important high-level positions, it is YOU who responds with hatred, throwing in the irrelevant fact that she has a Jewish last name (throwing in "princess" for spite).

A doctor from the Balkans, of all people, should understand why it's important for someone who's directing refugee services to support emergency contraception for women who are raped in times of war or mass emigration.

What can I say, I google him and found...

Dr. Bogomir Kuhar, former Pharmacists for Life International president, is a popular promoter of the "oral contraceptives as abortifacients" view. In his book, Infant Homicides Through Contraceptives, he asserts that contraceptives are responsible for 8 to 12 million abortions annually. PFLI also advances the view that oral contraceptives are physically damaging to women. The organization endorses the Catholic church’s charge that modern contraceptives promote a “contraceptive mentality” that is damaging to women and society because contraceptives allow men to view women solely as sexual objects.

Some headlines from ther PFLI website:

1. Extremist feminazis and unions join to impose themselves on Wal Mart to dispense abortion pill

2. LDI's expose booklet on the Nazi ties to Margaret Sanger, founder of 'Klan Parenthood', as their website refers to her eugenics organization

3. LDI: Planned Barrenhood committed more abortion murders in 2004, approaching quarter million per year

4. PP offends millions of Christians with sacrilegous 'Choice on Earth' greeting cards and gifts

5. Pro-aborts forcing Emergency Abortion pills down throats of pharmacists, religious hospitals

6. Walgreens spokesman Michael Polzin had no qualms gloating over firing 4 pharmacists for refusing to kill their smallest patients in utero

7. IL pro-life group calls for Walgreens boycott; KS diocese asks faithful to avoid Walgreens

8. Pittsburgh to fight against free speech of peaceful protestors at killing centers

etc.

Another example of the religious right trying to impose their religious beliefs over the rights of other religions.