ormer French President Jacques Chirac was rushed to a hospital after being mauled by his pet dog who is being treated for depression, in a dramatic incident that rattled the ex-president's wife. The couple's white Maltese poodle, called Sumo, has a history of frenzied fits and became increasingly prone to making "vicious, unprovoked attacks" despite receiving treatment with anti-depressants, Chirac's wife Bernadette said.
"If you only knew! I had a dramatic day yesterday," she told VSD magazine. "Sumo bit my husband!"
Mrs. Chirac, 74, did not reveal where the former president was bitten, but said, "the dog went for him for no apparent reason."
"We were aware the animal was unpredictable and is being treated with pills for depression. My husband was bitten quite badly but he is certain to make a full recovery in weeks."
Chirac was taken to a hospital in Paris where he was treated as an outpatient and later sent home. The 76-year-old was president of France for 12 years until 2007. First Barney the White Dog puts the bite on media droids, and now this. Is there some kind of global right-wing canine conspiracy? My own wonder-dog, Roswell the Atomic Poodle, isn't talking but I suspect he might be one of the ringleaders.
#4
The old fool couldn't even recognize the danger of a mad dog in his own home. How was he supposed to recognize the threat from all those Algerians and Moroccans he let into France?
There were plenty of first-day glitches, too, as calls to many lines in the West Wing were met with a busy signal all morning and those to the main White House switchboard were greeted by a recording, redirecting callers to the presidential Web site. A number of reporters were also shut out of the White House because of lost security clearance lists.
By late evening, the vaunted new White House Web site did not offer any updated posts about President Obama's busy first day on the job, which included an inaugural prayer service, an open house with the public, and meetings with his economic and national security teams.
Nor did the site reflect the transparency Obama promised to deliver. "The President has not yet issued any executive orders," it stated hours after Obama issued executive orders to tighten ethics rules, enhance Freedom of Information Act rules and freeze the salaries of White House officials who earn more than $100,000.
The site was updated for the first time last night, when information on the executive orders was added. But there were still no pool reports or blog entries.
No one could quite explain the problem -- but they swore it would be fixed.
One member of the White House new-media team came to work on Tuesday, right after the swearing-in ceremony, only to discover that it was impossible to know which programs could be updated, or even which computers could be used for which purposes. The team members, accustomed to working on Macintoshes, found computers outfitted with six-year-old versions of Microsoft software. Laptops were scarce, assigned to only a few people in the West Wing. The team was left struggling to put closed captions on online videos.
Senior advisers chafed at the new arrangements, which severely limit mobility -- partly by tradition but also for security reasons and to ensure that all official work is preserved under the Presidential Records Act.
#3
And they were probably so self-confident that they did not contact the folks already doing the job to get a heads up on process, software, ect. as everyone knows Republicans are unsophisticated dummies and any Democrat can take right over cold. (grin til it hurts)
#4
Brahahaha.... looks like they took their own 'O' keys from the keyboard.....
"What? What do you mean I can't just go in and update the Whitehouse website directly?
"I just want to run this application I downloaded from download.com on the whitehouse network. No, of course I don't have the source code - the guy said it was really safe! Oh and I'll need these ports opened up in the firewall for it too. No I don't know what the're used for! I trust this guy!"
#2
In his appearance before Congress on structuring the stimulus plan on January 7th, Reich suggested that the package discriminate against white male workers
Yeah, you can take the dwarf outta Cambridge, but you can't take the Cambridge outta the dwarf...
Change!
#3
I didn't get one LAST go around. I don't want one now, or ever. They can marinate mine in Jalapeno sauce overnight and stick it directly up their collectivist arsses.
#5
He's been in office for a day and already he's bringing people together.
This guy thinks he's gonna get a bunch of drunks and housewives off their asses to build bridges and highways?
He really does need a whack from the cluebat.
#7
Butch - Don't mean to offend you, maybe I didn't express it well while trying to get off a snark. But I hardly think that minorities are having problems getting into the construction business, or deserve preference.
There was complete confusion Wednesday night over whether or not Caroline Kennedy had dropped her bid for Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate seat.
However, late Wednesday night Kennedy confirmed an earlier New York Post report by releasing a statement saying she is removing herself as a candidate for the now vacant New York Senate seat. "I informed Gov. Paterson today that for personal reasons I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the United States Senate," Kennedy said in a statement obtained by CBS 2 HD.
This should put an end to confusion surrounding her status. It started with numerous reports of Kennedy's withdrawal that later turned into a lot of 11th-hour back-pedaling. Two sources, including one very close to Kennedy, told CBS 2 HD late Wednesday that the Post's earlier story may have been a mistake.
It was only Tuesday that New York Gov. David Paterson offered praise for both Kennedy and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
There were reports Wednesday night from CBS News, The Associated Press, the New York Times and the Post saying Kennedy has decided to take herself out of contention for the position. But then The AP story changed as sources told the wire service Kennedy had renewed her determination to take on the position. [this was about 1100 pm EST 1-21; the "Final OUT" was reported about 100 am EST 1-22]
BARACK Obama has taken the oath of office a second time, after the vow was bumbled at the inauguration ceremony.
Between vows to forge a new era of government openness and freezing the pay of senior White House staff, President Obama took the oath again. The word order had been flubbed by Chief Justice John Roberts at the ceremony, leading to questions over the legitimacy of Obama's presidency.
But it seems the new administration is taking it in their stride, and with a sense of humour.
When Mr Obama asked Vice President Joe Biden to swear in the senior staff, Biden agreed, with a bit of a zinger: "My memory is not as good as Justice Roberts'."
#1
"My memory is not as good as Justice Roberts'."
Neither Joe's memory or quite frankly, anything else..... By the way, can we do a cost comparison analysis on the lst and 2nd inaugurations? Title it 'What was, and what should have been.' Of course the private session suffered from the loss of family oriented role models like rappers Nas, Jay-Z, and Kanye West. Smaller more discreet always has it's.... downside.
#7
I never saw anything by anyone anywhere about the oath not being binding.
And you know what sloppy Joe, nobody asked you anyways. You have a hard enough time on your own terms, nevermind (what the wife said concerning another classic Michelle outfit) Chief Justice Roberts having a giant banana staring at him.
Any takers on whether or not the commerative audio disc has the first or second oath?
The President-elect gets to hang onto his favourite gadget, although he'll also have to carry a chunky second super-secure mobile for "government" use. Chalk up the first win for Barack Obama. Even before the incoming president takes office at noon tomorrow, US time, Obama has delivered on his promise to bring change to the Washington DC and The White House -- he's changed the policy which looked set to prevent him from using his BlackBerry mobile phone.
The man who recently said of his BlackBerry "they're going to pry it out of my hands" will get to keep his hands on his BlackBerry after all. This will make Obama the first US president to carry a mobile phone and have any technology in the Oval Office. The nerdy next president, who lists one of his own worst habits as constantly checking his BlackBerry and admits to being a fan of Spiderman and Star Trek, wants to keep his email access so he doesn't lose touch with the world beyond the Oval Office.
ABC World News is now reporting that Obama has won that battle and will take his BlackBerry with him to the White House. However, it will be restricted to personal use -- and we can't imagine what sort of personal stuff Obama would now have in his life except for swapping SMS messages with wife Michelle and his daughters Sasha and Malia.
Anything government-related will have to be handled on a new super-secure mobile phone approved by the National Security Agency. The device, called a Sectera Edge, is a bit of an ugly brick which could probably double as a chuck wedged under the wheels of Air Force One. What's worse for any BlackBerry enthusiast such as Obama is that the Sectera Edge uses -- you guessed it -- Windows Mobile.
You said that we all have to make sacrifices, Mr President... yours is to use Windows Mobile.
All the same, the manufacturers of the BlackBerry have enjoyed an unprecedented wave of publicity through what has become the ultimate celebrity endorsement. Fran Kelly, the chief executive of international advertising agency Arnold Worldwide, pins the market value of Obama's endorsement at about U$25 million. "You always want the celebrity to be a good fit with your brand, and is anybody considered a better communicator right now than Barack Obama, or a better networker?" Kelly told UK newspaper The Telegraph.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Chelle,
As First Lady arrange a visit to North Carolina and get me 12 cartons of cigarettes NOW
#4
Looking forward to 'leaked' family converstions of the obamas, and thats it as PS4947 says. What a dipshit.
You always want the celebrity to be a good fit with your brand, and is anybody considered a better communicator right now than Barack Obama, or a better networker?
Better than Obama Beeblebrox? Yeah, the teleprompter. Next question.
Know why p diddy wears those aviator glasses when checking his? So we don't see that I'm using the toilet look y'all get when using the DingleBerry. Also looks like your using a stick to clean your navel when sitting.
Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., says he'd be willing to house prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in his congressional district if President Obama makes good on a plan to close the U.S. prison there. As one of his first acts in office, the president circulated a draft Wednesday that would shut down Guantanamo Bay within a year. Murtha only has a minimum security prison in his district. But he says he'd have no reservations about holding detainees there in a maximum security prison. The kicker is first ya gotta build one. Boy-Howdy can Murtha sniff out Pork!
"Sure, I'd take 'em," said Murtha, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war. "They're no more dangerous in my district than in Guantanamo." Keep believing that, Dumbo, and see what happens. Oh, I forgot. These are just mis-guided Freedom Fighters and as Rosie O'Donnel said, "They're just Mothers and Fathers like us."
Murtha added that there was "no reason not to put 'em in prisons in the United States and handle them the way they would handle any other prisoners." Jeebus Cripes, what an idiot. With a capital I.
But that idea disturbs House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
"Most communities around America don't want dangerous terrorists imported into their neighborhoods," Boehner said in a statement. They don't want to run the risk of being taken hostage and beheaded so these guy's buddies can get them released.
"The key question is where do you put these terrorists?" Boehner asked. How about 6 feet down?
Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, is introducing a bill that outlaws the release of a known terrorist into the U.S. Smith, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said it would be appalling to close Guantanamo. "If terrorists suddenly get the same rights as citizens, then we've turned the world upside down," Smith said. "We don't think there should be a limit to their detention as long as they are a clear and present danger."
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., had hoped the president would close Guantanamo Bay. But he said he didn't know how best to handle the prisoners. "They're very unsavory," Skelton said. "I don't know where you put them."
However Skelton didn't object to them staying in U.S. prisons so long as they weren't housed together.
For his part, Murtha was encouraged by Obama's proposal. "I have said for two years that we should close down Guantanamo. Close it down. It's a sore in the United States' moral standards. What they have done there has hurt us," he said.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Murtha represented Shanksville, Pa., where one of the four hijacked planes crashed.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/22/2009 12:27 ||
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And who cares what my racist, redneck constituents think...
#2
Since his district is next to mine, I'm pretty glad I finally went and got myself a gun. Bad enough those retards let wild boar loose from private hunting reserves into the wild a couple years back, they had to re-elect a senile old bastard who wants to do the same damn thing with Uighur terrorists.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
01/22/2009 15:14 Comments ||
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#3
Let's see... that would be the place where bitter white folks cling to their guns and religion? It passes all belief, but "Murder" Murtha may have a good idea there......
#6
Hey, I've got an idea. Since these terrorists freedom fighters are just misunderstood fathers and sons and brothers, why not keep them in Murtha's house?
Surrounded by a platoon of heavily armed infantry so that once they have done to Murtha what they want to do to the rest of us, they can finally be treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/22/2009 17:50 Comments ||
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#7
Which of the words 'proselytize', 'recruit', and 'propaganda' don't you understand?
Troubled OneUnited Bank in Boston didn't look much like a candidate for aid from the Treasury Department's bank bailout fund last fall.
The Treasury had said it would give money only to healthy banks, to jump-start lending. But OneUnited had seen most of its capital evaporate. Moreover, it was under attack from its regulators for allegations of poor lending practices and executive-pay abuses, including owning a Porsche for its executives' use.
Nonetheless, in December OneUnited got a $12 million injection from the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. One apparent factor: the intercession of Rep. Barney Frank, the powerful head of the House Financial Services Committee.
Mr. Frank, by his own account, wrote into the TARP bill a provision specifically aimed at helping this particular home-state bank. And later, he acknowledges, he spoke to regulators urging that OneUnited be considered for a cash injection.
As President Barack Obama's team sets about revising the $700 billion TARP program, following last week's release of the second half of the money, among the issues it faces is widespread dissatisfaction with way the program has been implemented. Treasury Secretary nominee Timothy Geithner, testifying Wednesday at his Senate confirmation hearing, acknowledged "there are serious concerns about transparency and accountability...confusion about the goals of the program, and a deep skepticism about whether we are using the taxpayers' money wisely."
Bankers, regulators and politicians complain of a secretive and opaque process for deciding which banks get cash and which don't. The goal of aiding only banks healthy enough to lend -- laid out by the Treasury when the program began -- clearly seems to have shifted, but in a way that's hard to pin down and that the Treasury has declined to explain. Part of the problem is that some powerful politicians have used their leverage to try to direct federal millions toward banks in their home states.
"It's totally arbitrary," says South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. "If you've got the right lobbyist and the right representative connected to Washington or the right ties to Washington, you get the golden tap on the shoulder," says Gov. Sanford, a Republican.
Several Ohio banks received funds after Ohio's congressional delegation complained bitterly about the treatment of Cleveland-based National City Corp., which regulators forced into a merger rather than provide with cash. And in Alabama, the state's top banking official says a windfall there -- five banks are slated to receive funds -- is testament to the influence of two powerful Alabama lawmakers who sit on key congressional committees.
A link between such lobbying and the release of TARP cash can't be proved. Treasury officials have said that political influence plays no role in the selection process. "The decisions are made by a committee of officials at Treasury based on recommendations and data provided by the regulators through the applications process," said Brookly McLaughlin, who was a spokeswoman for the Treasury until the Bush administration ended on Tuesday.
#2
They can play all the games they want, just keep in the back of their minds that there are enough lamp posts and rope in America after the fall. After you undermine the legitimacy of a government through corrupt politics, there's not much to left to protect you.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The President-elect gets to hang onto his favourite gadget, although he'll also have to carry a chunky second super-secure mobile for "government" use. Chalk up the first win for Barack Obama. Even before the incoming president takes office at noon tomorrow, US time, Obama has delivered on his promise to bring change to the Washington DC and The White House -- he's changed the policy which looked set to prevent him from using his BlackBerry mobile phone.
Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., says he'd be willing to house prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in his congressional district if President Obama makes good on a plan to close the U.S. prison there. As one of his first acts in office, the president circulated a draft Wednesday that would shut down Guantanamo Bay within a year. Murtha only has a minimum security prison in his district. But he says he'd have no reservations about holding detainees there in a maximum security prison. 
