The Grow-A-Spine Awards

Ill: Nat'l Institute of Health



Demon Princess is sick to death of people whose behavior is nothing but rank cowardice choosing to spin it to themselves & others as courage when in fact they would not recognize true courage if it hit them over their heads & cracked that ungainly protuberance in two. So I've decided to open a new category to laud people who have, actually, indeed—sometimes surprisingly--suddenly sprouted spines recently & shown some true grit.

Here's today's list, culled from news reports of the past couple of days.

1. Arlen Specter recovers his cajones after George, prankster that he is, hid them somewhere in the White House. Arlen suspends efforts to draft legislation regarding the NSA warrantless spying despite Bush’s renewed push to get it passed—in the ludicrous form he directed from on high, of course.

According to the Washington Post, “The president's appeal for congressional action to strengthen the legal underpinnings of the National Security Agency's surveillance program ran into roadblocks even as he spoke. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Spector (R-Pa.) suspended efforts to draft legislation until at least next week after Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) proposed new amendments and a bipartisan group of senators urged more hearings.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/07/AR2006090700837_pf.html

No groans from the audience. I grant you that hearings were held before, but they were a joke. Bushco regarded them as an opportunity to grandstand, swagger, & act smug. As a result, nothing very substantive was learned about the extent of the programs in place. “State secrets,” doncha know.

2. Senate report finds no link to Al-Qaeda prior to invasion of Iraq. (In fact, Saddam regarded them as enemies & might have taken them out if left alone.)

Somebody should be feeling very foolish right about now, but he’s probably too obtuse & otherwise lacking in humility for that. God wanted him to be President, doncha know. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060909/ap_on_go_co/iraq_report

3. Military Lawyers AND some GOP resist Bushco’s irresponsible proposed legislation addressing how to treat detainees.

I should note that that struggle has been going on behind the scenes for some time. Bushco, & especially Gonzales (fueled, we imagine, by the incoherent ravings of John Yoo, Esq. in the background), steadfastly ignored them.

Demon Princess just has to snicker when fine legal minds implode & meet such a terrible fate. Tsk, tsk. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/08/washington/08detain.html?ex=1158379200&en=9bd0bc49a3acd5ad&ei=5070&emc=eta1

John Yoo: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/08/washington/08legal.html?ex=1158379200&en=bcdf9e9ce0df6688&ei=5070&emc=eta1

I’ve been wondering since Toy George’s big speech last Thursday how on earth they think they’re going to get any statements extracted under torture admitted, or if admitted, taken seriously. Common sense tells ya, moonbats, it’s not exactly the most credible sort of evidence.