President Elect Barack Obama talked on Meet the Press this morning about his upcoming nomination of General Shenseki to Secretary of the Department of Veteran Affairs. Shinseki was fired by the Bush Administration after testifying that a war in Iraq would require more troops than Donald Rumsfeld proposed. He is also a native of Obama’s childhood state, Hawaii.

John Rowan, National President of Vietnam Veterans of America, has this to say about the selection.

“We have no doubt that General Shinseki has the integrity and personal fortitude to usher in the real changes needed to make the VA a true steward of our nation’s veterans and their families.

United States President George W. Bush has pardoned Grammy Award winning rapper John Forté.  Forte had been serving time in prison for transporting over $1 million worth of cocaine through a New Jersey airport in 2000.

John Edward Forte, a Grammy Award-winning rapper, is arguably the best known of those pardoned. He was arrested at Newark International Airport in 2000 after being found with a briefcase containing $1.4m of cocaine and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Forte, who has always protested his innocence, co-wrote and produced two songs on The Score, the Fugees’ Grammy-winning 1996 album and several singers, including Carly Simon, had joined a campaign for his pardon, claiming he was not given a fair-trial.

The singer, of North Brunswick, New Jersey, will be released after serving half of a 14 year sentence.

The pardon will is one of just a few that President Bush has given out so far in his two terms as Commander-in-Chief.  He has given out only about half the amount of pardons as of former two-term Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan.

President George W. Bush is in Beijing to encourage and cheer on Team USA and their drive towards taking all the Olympic gold out of China. Bush took time to spank the U.S. Women’s Volleyball team before practicing with them and breaking a healthy sweat. The volleyball players prodded him into give a customary spank on the butt. Bush obliged with a spank to the lower back. Remember he still has a few months before he can go on the Clinton-Post-Prez-Bang-A-Thon. He also took time to spend with the U.S. Women’s Softball team during their practice.

Bush might be a lame duck President but it’s he likely wasn’t a limp duck yesterday.

The spankee is Misty May.

Check out Mail Online for More Photos of Bush in Action

photo: reuters

First daughter Jenna Bush married Henry Hager at President Bush’s sprawling ranch in Crawford, Texas, on Saturday night. Maid of honor was Jenna’s twin sister Barbara. Best man was Henry’s brother Jack Hager.

The music was provided by wild man band leader Tyrone Smith.

The president and the bride picked “You Are So Beautiful” for their father-daughter dance, according to band leader Tyrone Smith of Nashville, Tennessee. Smith and his 10-piece party band, The Tyrone Smith Revue, was asked to do “Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes” by Taj Mahal for the newlyweds’ first dance. Smith, who promised the couple a “get down” party, talked to The Associated Press earlier in the week on condition that the information not be released before the wedding.

I have never laughed so hard reading a story. Tyrone, better known as ‘Super T’, with his superman-like cape use to play at the SAE fraternity house back in the late 90’s. We use to have him and his crew as often as we could until we went broke, were placed on probation for hazing, and then went even more in the red building a new fraternity house on Greek Row.

Smith, who witnessed the wedding ceremony, said afterward the groom was dressed in a dark blue suit with powder-blue tie and the bride wore a “very simple and elegant” white dress, but did not wear a veil.

There is no way I would have ever believed a decade ago that ‘Super T’ would be explaining to the press what the President’s daughter and her groom wore at their wedding. Congrats to Tryone…I have a feeling that the Bush’s paid him and his band a lot better than Sigma Alpha Epsilon did back in 1997.

In researching this post I discovered that Tyrone has recently played at the White House as well.

Super T How I Remember Him

Check out SuperTRevue.com to book Super T for your wedding reception or frat party. Tyrone puts on a very amazing and entertaining show.

First Daughter Jenna Bush, on The Ellen Degeneres Show, and prodded by Ellen called her dad, President Bush, during the taping.  The First Lady answered and handed the phone over to the Chief Executive.

Pleasantly prodding the First Daughter during a taping of her show on Tuesday, for an episode to be aired Wednesday (and previewed on that morning’s Today show), DeGeneres inquired if Bush could get her high-powered papa on the phone any time she wants.

Dad wasn’t upset though and acted excited to talk to his little girl and the highly rated Ellen Degeneres.

“Well, that’s great!” says the surprised Chief Executive, who asks DeGeneres, “How’s my little girl doing?”

“Oh, she’s great,” answers the host. “She’s scared she’s going to get in trouble [and] not going to get any Christmas presents.”

Pause. “Dad?” asks Jenna. “Yes, baby,” he replies. “Are you mad?” she inquires.

“No, not at all,” says President Bush. “I’m excited to talk to you. I’m glad to talk to Ellen.”

Now if we can just get President George W. and Rosie O’Donnell on the phone.  That would make for some good ratings.

Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera showed once again that Hollywood celebrities should shut up when it comes to politics. She had this comment that I assume was a jab at President Bush, yet is seems to make little since.

Here is what she had to say in her exchange with Zach Braff at the ‘Spirit Awards’:

In the scripted exchange, Braff asked: “So do you think that you have any traits in common with the country that is your namesake?�? Ferrera replied: “I guess I’m a free-spirited person and America’s supposedly the ‘land of the free,’ right?�? She then added, to loud applause from the left coast film industry audience: “Or at least we will be in 2008.�?

Free in 2008? She is trying to reference when President Bush leaves office, but he actually leaves in January of 2009. I also don’t get the reference to not being free at the moment? I sure live a free life in a free country. Perhaps if I was in Iraq, Iran or North Korea I would feel different, but we can all do more than we need to in the USA. Just ask Antonella Barba or Britney Spears about their lack of freedom. Maybe America should change her name to Darfur Ferrera, North Korea Ferrera or something along those lines.

In doing research for today’s post on the execution of Saddam Hussein I came across this Time magazine cover from 1990.  I guess Time has their answer, albeit sixteen years later and from a different Bush.

Here are some excerpts from the article about Saddam and America circa 1990.

“Like Galtieri, Saddam seems to think we are too soft to fight unless he invades Saudi Arabia. He figures we’ll eventually tire of sitting in the desert and his occupation of Kuwait will become just another of the world’s sore spots that remain unresolved for decades. He’s wrong — but fewer and fewer of us believe he will learn that lesson short of war.”

The President has danced around this objective for weeks, but the evidence grows that merely restoring the status quo ante will not yield “security and stability” in the gulf, one of Bush’s publicly stated goals. As he told Congress last week, America wants “to curb the proliferation of chemical, biological, ballistic-missile and, above all, nuclear technologies.”

The fact is that if we are serious about going beyond getting Saddam out of Kuwait, and we are damn serious about it, then war is just about inevitable.”

“We’ve been bedeviled by the pretext thing for weeks, but we were greatly heartened by the Iraqi raid of foreign embassies” in Kuwait last Friday. “That kind of stupidity shows that Saddam is capable of providing a provocation at any time, even though everyone has assumed he is too smart for that.”

Remember all of that was said back in 1990 during the administration of Bush, Sr. and continued through the presidency of Bill Clinton.  Saddam’s biggest downfall was that he was cocky and truly felt the U.S. was soft and would never do anything about him and his evil.  Perhaps the ‘Butcher of Baghdad’ is enjoying his 41 virgins right about now, but I have a feeling his scorching is just beginning.

Read about Saddam’s execution and death.

Saddam Hussein is no more. The ‘Butcher of Baghdad’ was hanged by Iraqi officials at 6:04 am Iraqi time.  The man responsible for an estimated 2.5 million deaths finally met his own.

Al-Rubaie said Saddam “totally surrendered” and did not resist. He said a judge read the sentence to Saddam, who was taken in handcuffs to the execution room. When he stood in the execution room, photographs and video footage were taken, al-Rubaie said.

“He did not ask for anything. He was carrying a Quran and said: ‘I want this Quran to be given to this person,’ a man he called Bander,” he said. Al-Rubaie said he did not know who Bander was.

“Saddam was treated with respect when he was alive and after his death,” al-Rubaie said. “Saddam’s execution was 100 percent Iraqi and the American side did not interfere.”

Many around the world were hoping to watch the execution on TV, but it was not aired live. However, there was a camera there to record the truth and limit rumors.

Mariam al-Rayes, a legal expert and a former member of the Shiite bloc in parliament, told Iraqiya television that the execution “was filmed and God willing it will be shown. There was one camera present, and a doctor was also present there.”

The station earlier was airing national songs after the first announcement and had a tag on the screen that read “Saddam’s execution marks the end of a dark period of Iraq’s history.”

Saddam’s victims insisted that the execution take place as ordered by the Iraqi courts.

Al-Maliki had rejected calls that Saddam be spared, telling families of people killed during the dictator’s rule that would be an insult to the victims.

“Our respect for human rights requires us to execute him, and there will be no review or delay in carrying out the sentence,” al-Maliki’s office quoted him as saying during a meeting with relatives before the hanging.

Even mosque preachers in Iraq were praising the end to the evil tyrant.

Before the hanging, a mosque preacher in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Friday called Saddam’s execution “God’s gift to Iraqis.”

“Oh, God, you know what Saddam has done! He killed millions of Iraqis in prisons, in wars with neighboring countries and he is responsible for mass graves. Oh God, we ask you to take revenge on Saddam,” said Sheik Sadralddin al-Qubanji, a member of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.

WARNING: Graphic Cell Phone Video of Saddam’s Hanging

CNN- Saddam executed with ‘fear in his face’
Fox News- Saddam Hussein Executed by Hanging in Iraq
MSNBC- Saddam Hussein Executed
N.Y. Times- Dictator who Ruled with Violence is Hanged
L.A. Times- Iraq exeuctes Saddam Hussein by Hanging
Breitbart- Saddam Hussein Executed for War Crimes
My Way- Saddam Executed for War Crimes
Bumpshack- Flashback of Saddam and Bush, Sr

First Lady Laura Bush found herself in an ackward fashion moment this week at an exclusive White House holiday reception.

Bush wore a beautiful and elegant designer gown for the occasion. The gown (pictured above) was designed by Oscar de la Renta and cost nearly $8,500 dollars.  The problem was not the dress but the number of people who showed up for the party wearing the exact same dress. Three women were spotted wearing the same gown at the party. Such a fashion no-no and quite embarrasing for all involved.

Laura didn’t fret though, she went upstairs changed dresses and enjoyed the rest of the evening with those in attendance.  The President and First Lady got a big kick out of mishap according to Mrs. Bush’s office.

The verdict is in and Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by hanging.

Saddam Hussein was sentenced Sunday to death by hanging for his role in a brutal crackdown nearly 25 years ago in Dujail — the once obscure Iraqi town that is now a symbol of his regime’s cruelty.

The verdicts come nearly three years after U.S.-led forces plucked Hussein out of hiding and just a few days before U.S. midterm elections, with the Iraqi war at center stage.

There is no limit on how long the appellate judges have to review the case file, but the statute states that a death sentence should be carried out within 30 days after all appeals are exhausted.

Saddam can be funny to say the least. Below you can read where he yelled ‘long live the people’ after hearing the verdict. Funny thing to say when you have been found guilty for killing thousands of people.

After the verdict was read, Saddam yelled out, “Long live the people and death to their enemies. Long live the glorious nation, and death to its enemies!”

Hopefully it will be a quick appeals process and we can all say good bye to Saddam.

A major terrorist plot to blow up 20 planes on their way from the U.K. to the U.S. has been thwarted according to British officials.

Britain’s Home Secretary John Reid said the alleged plot was significant and that terrorists aimed to “bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions, causing a considerable loss of life.”

Police arrested a number of people in London after a major covert counterterrorism operation that had lasted several months, but did not immediatley say how many.

Passengers faced delays as tighter security was hastily enforced at the country’s airports and additional measures were put in place for all flights. British Airways said laptop computers, mobile phones, iPods, and remote controls were among the items banned from being carried on board.

The U.S. government raised its threat level to the highest level for commercial flights from Britain to the United States early Thursday and also stepped up the general level for all flights within the U.S. or entering the country.

Hillary Clinton and John McCain while visiting Estonia challenged each other to a vodka drinking contest. No word yet on who won.

Mel Gibson was arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.  According to police reports Gibson was traveling 87 mph in a 45 mph zone.  He also failed a field breath test.

The Israeli-Hezbollah war continues to rage on. Friday Hezbollah launched over a hundred rockets into Israel.

In a statement released by Hizbullah, the group called the attack an “implementation of the promise and decision and in response to the brutal aggression (by Israel).”

President Bush welcomed the finalists of the latest season of American Idol to the White House. Bush called the visit the ‘highlight’ of his day. He gave them a tour of the oval house and posed for photos with all.

Taylor Hicks of Birmingham, Ala., the most recent winner on the show, also gave Bush a black T-shirt emblazoned with “Soul Patrol” _ the name of Hicks’ fan club. Hicks has a personal connection inside the White House: Susan Whitson, Laura Bush’s press secretary, taught him ninth grade English at Hoover High School in Birmingham.

Besides Hicks, the finalists from last season who met with Bush were: Katharine McPhee of Los Angeles, Calif.; Chris Daughtry of McLeansville, N.C.; Paris Bennett of Fayetteville, Ga.; Kellie Pickler of Albemarle, N.C.; Ace Young of Denver, Colo.; Bucky Covington of Rockingham, N.C.; Mandisa Hundley of Antioch, Tenn.; Lisa Tucker of Anaheim, Calif.; and Elliott Yamin of Richmond, Va., who arrived a bit late for the meeting.

126 people have died in California due to the latest heat wave.  The heat has also killed over 25,000 cattle.

Actor George Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh have split.  Clooney has left Soderbergh and their film company to start a new production company at Warner Brothers.

Israeli war planes have and continue to bomb Lebanon over Hezbollah militants kidnapping two Israeli soldiers.  People here in the United States are not paying close attention to this yet but they should.  This could be the first step in a complicated war that could eventually bring many if not all countries into it.

Warplanes punched holes in the runways of Beirut’s international airport and Lebanon’s main military air base 30 miles to the east, an attack that could draw the Lebanese army into the conflict.

Israel’s army chief Brig. Gen. Dan Halutz warned that “nothing is safe” in Lebanon and said Beirut itself _ particularly Hezbollah offices and residences _ would be a target.

Two days of Israeli bombings, the heaviest air campaign against its neighbor in 24 years, had killed 47 Lebanese and wounded 103, Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalife said. Besides the Israeli civilian, eight Israeli soldiers had also been killed.

Western countries, Russia and the United Nations called for restraint and demanded the return of the soldiers. The Arab League called an emergency meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo on Saturday. The European Union criticized Israel for using what it called “disproportionate” force in its attacks and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he was planning a peace mission to the Middle East.

More links on this:
Russia condemns attacks
Greece says Israel using excessive force
Bush backs Israel’s self defense
Israel imposes sea and air blockade

North Korea fired a test missile on the Fourth of July with hopes that it could possibly reach the United States.  The U.S. State Department says the missile failed after about 45 seconds.

The missile was one of at least three that were fired. The two others were short-range missiles. All landed in the Sea of Japan, said the Japanese government, which was unable to confirm that they included a long-range missile.

The launch came after weeks of speculation that the North was preparing to test its advanced Taepodong-2 missile from a site on its northeast coast. The preparations had generated stern warnings from the United States and Japan, which had threatened possible economic sanctions in response.

I guess North Korean leader Kim Jong Il wasn’t paying attention to the last evil dictator (Saddam Hussein) that toiled with the United States and teased President Bush.

Hopefully Direct TV or Jong’s local cable provider will check the CNN or Fox News feed to his mansion.  Or maybe Jong wants to be found hiding in a dirt hole with hopes of having photos of him doing his laundry in his briefs broadcast all over the world.

The trip to Graceland, however, is a first for a president while in office, said Todd Morgan, director of media and creative development for Elvis Presley Enterprises.

The first couple “look forward to introducing the prime minister to the beauty and warm hospitality of the people of the Volunteer State,�? White House press secretary Tony Snow said on June 13.

“[Bush] is doing it because he’s been close to the Japanese prime minister and this the Japanese prime minister’s choice because he’s been an Elvis fan,�? Sabato said.

Graceland was the home of Presley for over two decades and where he died in 1977.  The home is still furnished in the same 70’s motif from the time of his death.  I grew up an hour from the famed home, but I didn’t visit it until two years ago.  Some tourists may claim it is tacky, but it was first class for the era that Elvis lived there. Its a national treasure and everyone should make a pilgrimage at some point to the home of the King.

Official Elvis and Graceland Site