Bush's latest witch hunt - Michael Moore

This has misuse of government power written all over it.

Michael Moore, in what I considered a pretty lame publicity stunt, flew 10 World Trade Center works to Cuba, of all places, to make a point about the health care system in the Unites States, and how it's hopelessly broken. This was part of Moore's noble goal of calling attention to our health care problem, as well as to promote his latest film about the health care, SiCKO.

The Bush administration is now investigating Moore for violating the 45-year old trade embargo with Cuba. Really? Is this what the Treasury Department is spending its time on? What a total crock.

Never mind the fact that the trade embargo has long outlived its usefulness, in my humble opinion. Castro is about as much of a threat as a house fly. The only reason the embargo hasn't been lifted is because the president who lifts it will suffer terrible political consequences (and his or her party) because of the enormous Cuban-American population in southern Florida. However, even that is changing. A recent poll, according to a recent article in Time, states that for the first time, even Cuban-Americans believe the travel embargo should be lifted.

It's completely mindless that we haven't tried to change Cuba in other ways. The embargo is a joke. And the whole Communism argument is so 20 years ago. We talk and negotiate with North Korea, China and Vietnam, don't we? All three are communist, and the last two we have a vigorous trade relationship with.

Pretty interesting to hear first responders from 9-11 siding with Moore. It's only a matter of time before Ann Coulter and Co. attack these people (if they haven't already - I don't make it a habit to consistently watch Fersatz News).

There is still a lot to be told about the story of 9-11 rescue workers being allowed into the site so quickly after the twin towers collapsed. (This is something that Rudy Giuliani has yet to respond to - more on this after I read the book Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11 this summer.

Anyway, it's totally outrageous and probably a violation of the law that the Treasury Department is investigating Moore. At best, it's the appearance of political impropriety, but that would never stop this administration. Bush stopped caring about political appearances and impressions on November 3, 2004 - the day after he won his second term.

Moore isn't taking this witch hunt sitting down. On Wednesday, he filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Treasury Department for copies of all relevant documents about its investigation on his trip to Cuba.

Megan O'Hara, the executive producer of SiCKO, also responded to the Treasury Department's investigation:

'SiCKO,' Michael Moore's new movie, will rip the band-aid off America's health care industry. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in just one week and opening across the U.S. on June 29th, 'SiCKO' will expose the corporations that place profit before care and the politicians who care only about money. Our health care system is broken and, all too often, deadly. The efforts of the Bush Administration to conduct a politically motivated investigation of Michael Moore and 'SiCKO' will not stop us from making sure the American people see this film.

On September 11, 2001 this country was attacked. Thousands of Americans responded with heroism and courage, toiling for days, weeks and months in the ruins at Ground Zero. These 9/11 first responders risked their lives searching for survivors, recovering bodies, and clearing away toxic rubble. Now, many of these heroes face serious health issues -- and far too many of them are not receiving the care they need and deserve. President Bush and the Bush Administration should be spending their time trying to help these heroes get health care instead of abusing the legal process to advance a political agenda.

-- Meghan O'Hara, Producer, SiCKO

A recent article in Time details how the Treasury Department has more personnel dedicated to enforcing travel restrictions with Cuba than people dedicated to finding former assets of the late Saddam Hussein. Absurd. Maybe if the Treasury Department could find some of his assets, it could defray the cost of this war in some way.

The Time article also reveals some statistics about violations of the travel restrictions to Cuba:

The government declined to comment, saying only that OFAC [the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control] issues hundreds of letters each year asking for additional information when possible violations have occurred. In a typical year, 20,000 to 30,000 Americans travel to Cuba illegally; only 1,000 are caught. The Center for Constitutional Rights has represented 425 such people over the last 10 years, and only four were fined.

How much do you want to bet that Moore with be the fifth fined?

This is total abuse of power, and it reminds me of how President Nixon used to misuse federal agencies (such as the IRS) to go after political opponents.

I couldn't resist an example of what the right is saying about Moore's trip to Cuba. Here's Glenn Beck on CNN, and I defy you to get through more than two minutes of this garbage. He's beyond contempt and totally unprofessional. I am writing a letter to CNN about this guy - he's a laughingstock.

Beck's fifth-grade name calling is more suited for the playground. What a churlish rube.

Here's Fersatz News Channel's take on Moore's trip. It's a knee slapper...

Moore's SiCKO is premiering at the Cannes Film Festival this week, and is in theaters June 29. I haven't been able to find a trailer of it yet, but when I do, I'll bring it to you.

Telling poll numbers from NBC's Russert

Speaking of the War in Iraq, last night on NBC News, Tim Russert had some pretty interesting poll results. They are indeed very telling.

I find Russert's comments on Rudy Giuliani spot on, too. Rudy is trying to take control of the issue of terrorism. Interesting how he thinks he's going to do that - he was mayor of New York City during 9-11. Okay, so that makes him qualified to lead the United States for the next four years as we battle worldwide terrorism?

People who honestly believe that Rudy would make a great leader and that he's qualified to be president really don't know much about him, or are wooed by Giuliani's slick campaign of sound bites and arrogance. His comments a few days ago about Democrats and their ability to fight the War on Terrorism may have sealed his fate - how many Democrats are going to jump across the political divide and vote for him now? I'd stay home before I'd vote for him, and I've never missed a vote in a presidential election.

GOP voters: can we see the dessert menu?

I read a very interesting AP story this morning on HuffPo, and in so many words, it sums up what seems to be the prevailing mood among GOP voters: we aren't happy with what's on the menu.

The three alleged front runners (at one time or another) - Rudy Giuliani, varMint Romney and Judas John McCain, are all tanking, or under-performing, to say the least.

Is McCain guy dead in the water right now or what? He's had an embarrassing two weeks, to be kind. His comments before his trip to Baghdad (which in my mind brought about his trip to Iraq in the first place - click here for the embarrassing CNN exchange); his disastrous stroll through a Baghdad market with more security than President Bush; and his lackluster first quarter of fundraising - at $12.5 million.

One under reported aspect of his trip were the boot-licking sycophants that McCain had in tow. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters "I bought five rugs for five bucks!" and Representative Mike Pence of Indiana, likened the scene in the Baghdad market to "a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime." Nice job, guys.

Of course, McCain is trying to put the best spin possible on his Iraqi trip. The beleaguered candidate will appear on 60 Minutes tonight, and according to excerpts released by CBS, McCain is a bit contrite, sort of.

"Of course I am going to misspeak, and I've done it on numerous occasions, and I probably will do it in the future," according to excerpts released by the network.

But McCain also says, according to excerpts, "I believe we can succeed." And he urges viewers to "support this new strategy, let's support this new general and let's give it everything we can to have it succeed."

I'm not buying it, and I really don't believe the American people will either, Senator. How can he still cling to this delusion that we can win in Iraq? It's ridiculous. Polls show that Americans want out now, but that doesn't seem to stop McCain. Unfortunately, the killing in Iraq doesn't stop, either, and it doesn't even seem to be slowing down across the country. Yes, Baghdad may be a little more safe now, but if you look at news reports coming in from around the country, things are worse, not better.

On Friday, a suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with TNT and toxic chlorine gas into a police checkpoint in western Ramadi, killing at least 27 people and wounding dozens, police in the Anbar provincial capital said.

In the southernmost part of the country, the Basra police commander said the type of IED used to kill four British soldiers on Thursday had not been seen in the region previously.

The more things stay the same in Iraq, the more McCain's poll numbers will sink. He has no one to blame but himself - he's tied his candidacy to success in Iraq, and he's been unapologetic about it all along the way.

"My credibility gap is THIS BIG!" It seems that Romney is the latest version of the flip-flopping candidate, who is trying to be all things to all people, which can be a big turn-off to voters. His latest gaffe, answering questions about hunting as it related to gun control, was pretty entertaining. Every candidate will make errors and commit gaffes, on both sides of the political divide during this campaign, but historically he has shown a penchant for switching sides on issues when it's politically convenient. Roll the tape...



Like Rudy, the abortion issue will really hurt him with conservative voters.

"I'm fighting the next reporter who brings up Bernie Kerik!"

Rudy also faces an uphill fight on a number of issues in his battle to woo conservative voters, most notably his stance on gay rights and abortion (both of which I really like about him).

I just can't see conservatives voting for a guy who is pro-choice and pro-gay rights. I love Rudy's positions on these matters, but he has plenty of other problems that would prevent me from voting for him.

For instance, drop 9-11 and what has he done? I'm sorry, but I'm just not buying the whole "September 11" campaign. What's more, once you pick the scab of the feel-good 9-11 pics, you uncover a lot of puss. More on that in a separate post. Actually, I'll be writing about this a lot going forward.

At the top of my book stack is a book on Rudy, specifically about 9-11, that I'm going to read next. Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11 should be a good read. I want to know if it's just another Swiftboating hit-job, or if the allegations of incompetence before, during and after 9-11 have merit. I'll be writing plenty more about this book in the weeks ahead.

When looking at the GOP's "Big 3," at first blush, there's a lot to like, considering their stances on some of the issues. Okay, scratch McCain - there's little to like about him. But, Rudy and Mitt do have their pluses; but not enough for me to vote for them - both have big credibility problems, in my book.

However, I'd much rather see Mitt or Rudy be the nominee over the likes of McCain, or heaven forbid, Newt Gingrich.

It makes no difference, though - '08 is a Democratic year.

Top Photo: AP/AFP via HuffPo; Second Photo: WSJ

Some unflattering Giuliani revelations

I'm sitting here, literally shaking in anger, because I just typed a very long post (which I will not try to recreate) that got lost because of Blogger. Nothing makes me happier than when I spend a 1/2 hour typing something, hit "Publish" and "Error" comes up. I hit the back button, and *Poof!* it's gone, just like President Bush's credibility. Some day, I have to learn to do two things: 1. Learn that the 1 time in 100 that I don't insanely save my work every two minutes, it will be lost in cyberspace, and 2. Get the hell off of Blogger. As great as this Website can be, it has lots of drawbacks, too. It's not happening anytime soon, but at some point, I will get my own Website and URL, and Count Me Blue will have a new home. Okay, rant over.

These clips are just a bit dated, but nonetheless still relevant to Rudy Giuliani. It seems that the mayor's law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, has Citgo, the Venezuelan state-owned petroleum company, on its books as one of its clients. This should be a major embarrassment to "America's Mayor," who should know better than to begin a presidential campaign with this dirty little secret still in his closet. Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, is a sworn enemy of the United States. During this current Bush Administration, Chávez has made great sport of poking President Bush in the eye with inflammatory comments at the U.N. and pretty much around the world to anyone who will listen. As a result of Chávez's actions, Citgo has been the target of a well-publicized boycott by U.S. consumers. I haven't seen any Citgo stations in the Northeast in some time, but I wouldn't buy any gas in a Citgo station if there were any, just like I refuse to buy any gas at an ExxonMobile gas station. Anyway, this has got to be embarrassing to Rudy.



I'm sure more details about this will come out, but it's a pretty interesting discovery. Right or wrong, Rudy should know better. Of course the press is going to go sniffing around a candidate's personal and professional life before and during the campaign. I can't say that I always agree with it, either, but it's the reality of American politics in the 21st century. I haven't read all that much about this, but I will and I'm sure I'll have more to say. But, if true, it's outrageous.

One quick point of fact, Mr. Mayor - just shy of 3,000 Americans died on 9-11, not "four of five thousand." I'd expect "America's Mayor" to get that right.

I'm no fan of the president, which is hardly news, but Chávez is openly anti-American, and Giuliani's law firm has no business representing Citgo in any way. (Hey, I'm an American first and a Democrat second, always.)

However, there's another incident that should be at least as embarrassing to Giuliani as the Citgo revelations....



The national firefighters union is openly anti-Giuliani and has publicly stated so on many occasions during the last few weeks. At best, this should be pretty troubling to Giuliani and any of his supporters.

This is another topic that I won't pretend to know all of the facts about, but if the firefighters are this strongly opposed to "America's Mayor," on it's face I certainly give it credibility. What I do know is it's a disgrace that citizens and rescue workers were allowed in so quickly after the collapse of the Twin Towers and WTC 7. The adverse effects of this are going to be felt among some of the rescue workers and citizens of lower Manhattan will not be fully realized for years to come. The tendency to Monday Morning Quarterback some of the decisions made on 9-11 is pretty myopic, especially considering the chaos following the attacks. However, the health of residents in lower Manhattan and the rescue workers should have been the first concern, without fail. I've read some reports that the air quality in and around Ground Zero was moderately to very hazardous. It's important to remember that Guiliani was making these decisions. I've read that Rudy was concerned that the NYSE would relocate, and that was the rationale behind many of his decisions.

I take this view about 9-11 - if Guiliani is going to run on 9-11, then his record and decision making will inevitably get some scrutiny. Critics of that ought to remember John Kerry running in 2004 on his war record, and the microscope that got shoved up his derrière.

I plan on doing a whole lot more reading on Rudy later on this year, specifically a movie that examines the decisions that he made before, during and after 9-11. The book, Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11, is written by Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins. I'm waiting until June when it comes out in paperback for half the price. I only buy hardcover if I find them dirt cheap or if the book's a must read.

Anyway, the book has received a great deal of attention, and I've read it sheds a pretty bright light on Giuliani's decisions relating to 9-11. We'll see. Perhaps the book will also better explain the animosity between the FDNY and Rudy. Part of it I know stems from Rudy's calling off the recovery of some bodies, including some New York Firefighters. Was it too soon or not? Who knows, but I find it troubling that remains of 9-11 victims continue to be discovered in and around Ground Zero.

Anyway, I can't miss the opportunity to post this footage, which is truly disturbing, and hilarious.



Rudy in drag is one scary sight. I don't know whether to wince, laugh or scream out in pain while watching this. It's kinds like the sun - you just have to look away. And The Donald? What was he thinking? I know it's just a joke, and I can take a joke as well as anyone, so I guess in the end Rudy deserves some props for having the confidence and sense of humor to do it. But seriously, there's something pretty disturbing about a man in drag. Rudy makes Mrs. Doubtfire look hot.