When school was canceled to accommodate a campaign visit by President Bush, the two 55-year-old teachers reckoned the time was ripe to voice their simmering discontent with the administration's policies.

Christine Nelson showed up at the Cedar Rapids rally with a Kerry-Edwards button pinned on her T-shirt; Alice McCabe clutched a small, paper sign stating "No More War." What could be more American, they thought, than mixing a little dissent with the bunting and buzz of a get-out-the-vote rally headlined by the president?

Their reward: a pair of handcuffs and a strip search at the county jail.

I believe the oath of office is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Il Presidente has repeatedly violated that oath. It really is that simple.

Freedom of Spee.. Hey!

"It was the president of the United States himself who prevented this investigation from going forward. In obstructing the investigation, he was protecting the people around him, and not protecting the Constitution," Hinchey said.

This is explicitly "Obstruction of Justice."

NATIONAL JOURNAL: Bush Blocked Justice Department Investigation (07/18/06)

"It was highly classified, very important and many other lawyers had access. Why not OPR?" asked Specter, R-Pa.

"The president of the United States makes the decision," Gonzales told the committee hearing, during which he was strongly criticized on a range of national security issues by Specter and Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record), the panel's senior Democrat.

I want to say this is unbelievable, but it's not. This is just par for the course for these bastards. Al Q can kill people and blow up buildings, but they have no way to destroy America. The piece of crap living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has done everything he can to do so, and this is simply a prime example of it.

Gonzales: Bush blocked eavesdropping probe - Yahoo! News

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Valerie Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador, accused Cheney, Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby of revealing Plame's CIA identity in seeking revenge against Wilson for criticizing the Bush administration's motives in Iraq.

The popular comment is, "You go girl!" Now we'll get to watch them scream that they can't do this, which unfortunately, they can. The precedent was created by the Republicans pushing so hard to allow the Paula Jones case. Whoops. Petard? Meet hoist.

Former CIA officer sues Cheney over leak - Yahoo! News

"It's not a question of 'if,' it's a question of 'when,' " Davis said of an attempt to manipulate election results.

Based on the RFK Jr acticle, "when" was 2004.

A Single Person Could Swing an Election

Jack, if you’re going to pick up girls from out of town, you could pick a better venue than the Pride parade. That’s all we’re saying.

I was thinking this might be better in humor but it's really both, so...

Republican Strategists, Sex, MySpace, and Pride: A Heartwarming DC Tale - Wonkette

Former President George H.W. Bush waged a secret campaign over several months early this year to remove Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The elder Bush went so far as to recruit Rumsfeld's potential replacement, personally asking a retired four-star general if he would accept the position, a reliable source close to the general told me. But the former president's effort failed, apparently rebuffed by the current president. When seven retired generals who had been commanders in Iraq demanded Rumsfeld's resignation in April, the younger Bush leapt to his defense. "I'm the decider and I decide what's best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain," he said. His endorsement of Rumsfeld was a rebuke not only to the generals but also to his father.

Not even dad approves of Jr. After running every company he's ever worked with and the Texas Rangers into the ground, why did anyone think what he was going to do to the country would be any different?

George Bush Sr. asked retired general to replace Rumsfeld | Salon.com

Charles McGee, the former executive director of the state Republican Party, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and served seven months for his part in the scheme to have a telemarketer tie up Democratic and union phone lines in 2002.

He's back at his old job with a Republican political marketing firm, Spectrum Monthly & Printing Inc., and will be helping out at the firm's "GOP campaign school" for candidates.

Business at usual for the GOP...

Lead figure in phone jam to advise GOP contenders

Justice Department officials now insist that this specific case required them, for the first time, to conduct a search. I regret that when they reached this conclusion, they did not work with us to figure out a way to do it consistently with the Constitution. But that is behind us now. I am confident that in the next 45 days, the lawyers will figure out how to do it right.

Yes Denny, there is a right way. When they go to search your office, they'll arrest you. I've been less than pleased with the actions of the executive branch for quite some time, but in this case, the FBI went to the judiciary to get the warrant, had it approved, and conducted their search. That the legislative branch has refused to exercise their check and balance authority does not mean that the other branches are obliged to give them a free pass. The FBI went by the book. The search was properly requested and conducted.

And finally, fuck you Denny Hastert. You've been sitting by while the executive branch has run roughshod over the rest of the country, and now expect us to agree when you cry "foul!" No. The FBI made their case, got their warrant and should now arrest and prosecute the bum. If we're fortunate, you'll be next and maybe we'll go back to having the independent legislature that is a hallmark of American government.

There's a right way - Yahoo! News

On September 29, 2003, three days after it became known that the CIA had asked the Justice Department to investigate who leaked the name of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame, columnist Robert Novak telephoned White House senior adviser Karl Rove to assure Rove that he would protect him from being harmed by the investigation, according to people with firsthand knowledge of the federal grand jury testimony of both men.

Murray Waas keeps up the heat. Bob Novak and Karl Rove concocting a cover story? Looks like that's more than likely. Hard to prove, but when you've got very conflicting stories told by the same person, well, oops.

NATIONAL JOURNAL: Rove-Novak Call Was Concern To Leak Investigators (05/25/2006)