92% of Americans with da tarrists

Congressman Pete Stark accused Republicans of sending troops to Iraq to "get their heads blown off for the president's amusement." Should he apologize?
Yes 8% 745
No 92% 8863
Total Votes: 9608
This is not a scientific poll (it's CNN)

Winning Hearts And Minds! (WHAM!) (cont'd!)

Like everything else we do, our rendition is truly extraordinary.

What is Coach running away from?

WILKES' REPUBLICAN CULTURE OF CORRUPTION TRIAL GETTING WILD-- MAY BE KEY TO HASTERT'S EARLY RESIGNATION

and God knows we could use a diversion

News item -- U.S. military forces are capable of conducting operations against Iran if called on to bomb nuclear facilities or other targets, the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday.

raise your hand if you're shocked (shocked)

Comcast blocks some Internet traffic

On da udder hand, dey seem to have met dere match in dis lady.

Well... when you put it dat way... I guess nobody still gives a s#i+

"children with preventable diseases will die..."

the biggest lie ever told

There are 1,950 Google hits for "our children are our most precious resource," by the way.

If you repeat a lie often enough, you are a Republican (cont'd)

From American Progress:

RIGHT-WING HYSTERIA: The few right-wing lawmakers who continue to stand with Bush have rallied around an imaginary provision in the SCHIP bill, claiming it provides health insurance for undocumented immigrants. Rep. Steve King (R-IA) said the bill provided care for "illegals and their parents." Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) engaged in similar demagoguery, claiming the bill was a "multi-billion giveaway to illegal aliens." The SCHIP legislation does not cover undocumented immigrants. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that "undocumented immigrants have never been eligible for regular Medicaid or SCHIP," and the current bill "maintains this prohibition."

Whitey taking moral high ground

News item: Museum drops race row scientist

News item: Festival bars race row scientist

News item: Lab suspends scientist over comments on race

It's like you trot someone out every so often to say something racist so you can universally condemn him and then say "See, we're not racist because we can point out and ostracize someone who is."

Pete Stark: A Raving Lunatic I Can Get Behind

House Republicans objected today to comments made by outspoken liberal Democratic Rep. Pete Stark of California on the Iraq war during debate on the override of President Bush's veto of the children's health program. Speaking on the House floor, Stark said, "Under the Republican plan, by 2017, we probably will have killed 20,000 soldiers in Iraq, spending $200 billion."

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) rose to protest the remark and asked that Stark's words be taken down, a formal procedure to punish a member of Congress for breaching the House's standards of decorum. The chair later ruled that Stark's comment did not refer to any specific House member and thus were appropriate.

Earlier in the SCHIP debate, Stark had made other spirited remarks. "Republicans sure don't care about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal war in Iraq. Where are you going to get that money? Are you going to tell us lies like you're telling us today? Is that how you're going to fund the war? You don't have money to fund the war on children. But you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if he can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement." Responding promptly and harshly to Stark, the National Republican Congressional Committee declared he had "trampled on the sacrifice of our troops."

Stark issued this response, "I have nothing but respect for our brave men and women in uniform and wish them the very best, but I respect neither the Commander-in-Chief who keeps them in harms way nor the chicken hawks in Congress who vote to deny children health care."

Further evidence he is a total wackjob: Stark is the first openly nontheistic member of Congress, as announced by the Secular Coalition for America. Stark acknowledged his nontheism in response to an SCA questionnaire sent to public officials in January 2007. In a statement, Stark said he is a "Unitarian who does not believe in a supreme being. I look forward to working with the Secular Coalition to stop the promotion of narrow religious beliefs in science, marriage contracts, the military and the provision of social service. On September 20, 2007, Congressman Stark reaffirmed his atheism by making a public announcement in front of the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard, the Harvard Law School Heathen Society, and various other atheist, agnostic, secular, humanist, and nonreligious groups. (ripped from Wikipedia)

Happy Birthday, @$$HOLE!

Da Coach turned 68 today.

expect apocalyptic delays

Dear CTA Customer,

This email is to alert you that there is currently severe weather, including heavy rain and high winds, forecasted to reach Chicago during the afternoon and evening rush-hour period today, October 18. It is possible that this severe weather could impact CTA bus and train service. Please take this into account when planning your commute, and please allow for extra travel time on CTA service this evening.

For the most up-to-date CTA travel information, please check transitchicago.com and your local news outlet.

Thank you,
Chicago Transit Authority

156 representatives who hate poor, sick kids...

...and who would rather spend the money on 3 weeks of s#it blowing up in Iraq:

"Democrats":
Jim Marshall (GA), Gene Taylor (MS)

"Putting Families First" Republicans:
Robert Aderholt (AL), Todd Akin (MO), Rodney Alexander (LA), Michele Bachmann (MN), Spencer Bachus (AL), Richard Baker (LA), J. Gresham Barrett (SC), Roscoe Bartlett (MD), Joe Barton (TX), Judith Biggert (IL), Brian Bilbray (CA), Gus Bilirakis (FL), Rob Bishop (UT), Marsha Blackburn (TN), Roy Blunt (MO), John Boehner (OH), Jo Bonner (AL), John Boozman (AR), Charles Boustany (LA), Kevin Brady (TX), Paul Broun (GA), Henry Brown (SC), Ginny Brown-Waite (FL), Michael Burgess (TX), Dan Burton (IN), Steve Buyer (IN), Ken Calvert (CA), Dave Camp (MI), John Campbell (CA), Chris Cannon (UT), Eric Cantor (VA), John Carter (TX), Steve Chabot (OH), Howard Coble (NC), Tom Cole (OK), Michael Conaway (TX), Ander Crenshaw (FL), Barbara Cubin (WY), John Culberson (TX), Geoff Davis (KY), David Davis (TN), Nathan Deal (GA), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL), John Doolittle (CA), Thelma Drake (VA), David Dreier (CA), John 'Jimmy' Duncan (TN), Terry Everett (AL), Mary Fallin (OK), Tom Feeney (FL), Jeff Flake (AZ), Randy Forbes (VA), Jeff Fortenberry (NE), Virginia Foxx (NC), Trent Franks (AZ), Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ), Elton Gallegly (CA), Scott Garrett (NJ), Phil Gingrey (GA), Louie Gohmert (TX), Virgil Goode (VA), Bob Goodlatte (VA), Kay Granger (TX), Sam Graves (MO), Ralph Hall (TX), J. Dennis Hastert (IL), Doc Hastings (WA), Robin Hayes (NC), Dean Heller (NV), Jeb Hensarling (TX), Wally Herger (CA), Peter Hoekstra (MI), Kenny Hulshof (MO), Duncan Hunter (CA), Bob Inglis (SC), Darrell Issa (CA), Sam Johnson (TX), Tim Johnson (IL), Walter Jones (NC), Jim Jordan (OH), Ric Keller (FL), Steve King (IA), Jack Kingston (GA), John Kline (MN), Joe Knollenberg (MI), Randy Kuhl (NY), Doug Lamborn (CO), Ron Lewis (KY), Jerry Lewis (CA), John Linder (GA), Frank Lucas (OK), Daniel Lungren (CA), Connie Mack (FL), Donald Manzullo (IL), Kenny Marchant (TX), Kevin McCarthy (CA), Michael McCaul (TX), Thad McCotter (MI), Jim McCrery (LA), Patrick McHenry (NC), Buck McKeon (CA), John Mica (FL), Jeff Miller (FL), Gary Miller (CA), Marilyn Musgrave (CO), Sue Myrick (NC), Randy Neugebauer (TX), Devin Nunes (CA), Ron Paul (TX), Stevan Pearce (NM), Mike Pence (IN), John Peterson (PA), Chip Pickering (MS), Joe Pitts (PA), Ted Poe (TX), Tom Price (GA), Adam Putnam (FL), George Radanovich (CA), Thomas Reynolds (NY), Mike Rogers (AL), Mike Rogers (MI), Hal Rogers (KY), Dana Rohrabacher (CA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Peter Roskam (IL), Edward Royce (CA), Paul Ryan (WI), Bill Sali (ID), Jim Saxton (NJ), Jean Schmidt (OH), Jim Sensenbrenner (WI), Pete Sessions (TX), John Shadegg (AZ), John Shimkus (IL), Bill Shuster (PA), Lamar Smith (TX), Adrian Smith (NE), Mark Souder (IN), Cliff Stearns (FL), John Sullivan (OK), Tom Tancredo (CO), Lee Terry (NE), Mac Thornberry (TX), Todd Tiahrt (KS), Timothy Walberg (MI), Greg Walden (OR), Zachary Wamp (TN), Dave Weldon (FL), Jerry Weller (IL), Lynn Westmoreland (GA), Ed Whitfield (KY), Roger Wicker (MS), Joe Wilson (SC)

I see these Southern "christians" never seem to vote the way Jesus would. Hmmm, maybe dat's because they're FULLA$#I+?

Suckers:
"Eight in 10 Americans favor expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or S-CHIP, including large majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. While the president has raised concerns about the additional cost of expanding S-CHIP, those who favor the proposal say they'd even be willing to pay more in taxes to help the program cover more children. "

anudder quitter from Illinois

GOP sources: Hastert won't serve out his term

Real weather threats

None of that mamby-pamby San Diego 1/8th of an inch crap. And sKILLy didn't write this either...

The National Weather Service is warning of the "moderate risk" of large hail and damaging thunderstorms this afternoon with wind gusts of up to 80 m.p.h.

Severe weather most likely will reappear in the area after 3 p.m., the weather service said in a hazardous weather outlook.

And isolated tornadoes could form in the mid- to late-afternoon hours, forecasters said.

A wind advisory is in effect until 7 p.m. South winds will gust to 45 m.p.h. in advance of the coming frontal system, but are expected to diminish to 30 m.p.h. afterward, the weather service said.

The severe weather is likely to shift into Northwest Indiana early this evening.The forecast follows this morning's heavy showers and thunderstorms that swept through the Chicago area, causing a number of traffic accidents that slowed commuters on expressways.

right in Fung's wheelhouse

Nobel winner says blacks less intelligent

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British museum has canceled a lecture by Dr. James Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA double helix, after he claimed black people are less intelligent than whites in a recent newspaper interview. Watson, who won the 1962 Nobel prize for his part in discovering the structure of DNA, provoked a storm of criticism after his comments were published in the Sunday Times. The eminent biologist told the British newspaper he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours -- whereas all the testing says not really."

LoC expands its dominion (cont'd)

Now the no.1 hit for BOTH Google searches: "my phokking a$$" AND "my phokking @ss."

K-Mad loses his candidate

Brownback to withdraw from GOP race

Dere's always Tancredo and Hunter...

More Fant News

Elephants sense 'danger' clothes

To recap, Smiff gets riled up by red colors and the smell of a Maasai warrior. The smell of a Kamba farmer, not so much.

Cheney's Law

I watched Frontline on PBS last night, they were on about Cheney's law, about how his raison d'etre was to restore the power of the Executive that was lost in Nixon's days. Everything he's done since then has been calculated for that purpose. Looks like you can watch the whole thing online, I think it runs about an hour. Probably stuff you already know, and then some. Recommended if you want to really work yourself up before playing football or something.

Decider decides kids can go phokk dereselves (cont'd)

"...it's worth pointing out that Bush's claim is misleading at best, simply wrong at worst."

How bout: fullas#it?

"Bewitching" -- I bet...

The Fairest Fowl by Tamara Staples

"Lush plumage, gleaming feathers, perfect thighs... Finally, chickens receive the respect they're due."

hey kids--or should i say, suckers--PHOKK YOU!

Overturn of veto unlikely
House Democratic leaders have identified only one additional vote for expanding a children's health insurance, not nearly enough to prevail in Thursday's vote on overriding President Bush's veto.

Explaining his use of the veto, Bush said: “That's one way to ensure that I am relevant. That's one way to ensure that I am in the process.”

Also ensures what a TREMENDOUSLY, GAPINGLY HYOOOOOOOGE @$$HOLE JERK YOU ARE, TOO.

"wryly humorous"...i bet

Last Chicken in America by Ellen Litman
http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/fall07/006511.htm

"Ellen Litman has received a Rona Jaffe Award and earned her MFA from Syracuse University."

If i had only known i woulda double-majored...

Shocking! (cont)

French on strike. Again.

idiots in cars

Fleeting rain causes rash of accidents
Drizzle and light rain fall around the region, leaving freeways slick and contributing to more than 90 crashes during the morning commute. This injury accident occurred on southbound Route 163 near the Genesee Avenue exit. Lindbergh Field reports the most precipitation in the county at 0.12 inches.

all Smiff, all the time

https://twitter.com/Smiff

This might be more interesting if i had a cell phone.

Example:

"on the shuttle. zzzzz......"

let's see how long it takes them to discover the ten BEEEEEEEELLLLLLION a month we're pissing down a rat hole in Iraq

"President Reagan once said that the closest thing to immortality is a government program," said Ms. MacDonald. "It’s a super-size-me government going on, and I think it’s a problem."

Phokk that $#!+

Perhaps this applies in Yurup, but not in the good ol' US of A.

How swearing at work boosts team spirit

Regular swearing at work can help boost team spirit among staff, allowing them to express better their feelings as well as develop social relationships, according to a study by British researchers.

Yehuda Baruch, a professor of management at the University of East Anglia in eastern England, and graduate Stuart Jenkins studied the use of profanity in the workplace and assessed its implications for managers.

They assessed that swearing will become more common as traditional taboos are broken down, but the key appears to be knowing when such language is appropriate and when to turn to blind eye.

The pair said swearing in front of senior staff or customers should be seriously discouraged or banned, but in other circumstances it helps foster solidarity among employees and express frustration, stress or other feelings.

"Employees use swearing on a continuous basis, but not necessarily in a negative, abusive manner," said Baruch, who works in the university's business school in Norwich.

Banning swear words and reprimanding staff might represent strong leadership, but could remove key links between staff and affect morale and motivation, he said.

"We hope that this study will serve not only to acknowledge the part that swearing plays in our work and our lives, but also to indicate that leaders sometimes need to 'think differently' and be open to intriguing ideas.

"Managers need to understand how their staff feel about swearing. The challenge is to master the 'art' of knowing when to turn a blind eye to communication that does not meet their own standards.

"The study, Swearing at Work and Permissive Leadership Culture: When Anti-Social Becomes Social and Incivility Is Acceptable, is published in the latest issue of the Leadership and Organisational Development Journal. -- AFP

Uncanny Resemblance

An ingenious way to take down Obama. Hillary's kicking herself for not thinking of it, and thankful that someone else brought it up. Back in the day it woulda taken months to uncover this. With computers, it now take seconds. Damn computers!

Cheney, Obama 'distant cousins'

They may be polar opposites politically but US Vice-President Dick Cheney and Democratic candidate Barack Obama are related, Mr Cheney's wife says.

Lynne Cheney said she had discovered while doing family research for a new book that her husband and the Illinois senator were eighth cousins.

She said she traced a common ancestor of the two men to be a 17th century immigrant from France.

She described the connection as "amazing".

"This is such an amazing American story that one ancestor... could be responsible down the family line for lives that have taken such different and varied paths."

According to Mrs Cheney's spokeswoman, Mr Obama is distantly related to Mareen Duvall, whose son Samuel married the granddaughter of Mr Cheney's ancestor, also called Richard Cheney.

Mr Obama's spokesman, Bill Burton, responded to the news by saying: "Every family has a black sheep."

Mr Cheney, the brooding neo-conservative closely associated with the decision to invade Iraq, has little else in common with Mr Obama.

Mr Obama, the son of a Kenyan man and a white woman from Kansas, has earned epithets like "rock star" because of his popularity among young Democrats, and a reputation as a liberal because of his voting record in the Senate.

p.s. I couldn't tell where this picture fell on the Cheney emotional chart...

we are living in a golden age (cont'd)

A spokesman for Hardee's regarding a new 920-calorie burrito that wraps eggs, bacon, sausage, diced ham, cheddar cheese, hash browns and sausage gravy into a tortilla:

"It makes this big country breakfast portable."

What, no hamburger in dere?

TTS Update

So, here was the weather forecast for today: "Low clouds to start today; otherwise, partly sunny..."
What actually happened: RAIN!
Result: Smiff all wet.

You would think in an area that rarely rains they would see this coming. sKILLy has nothing on these idiots.

Things That Suck (cont'd)

1. Dumbya. What idiotic thing did the horse's ass say or do in the past week? Let's see, Mr. "Fiscally Responsible" (don't laugh!) wants to cut funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, and vows a veto of the Senate's spending increase ($110 million, or about an afternoon in Iraq...). Sounds like someone is "soft on crime" to me.
2. Big 10 football. Illinois loses to Iowa. Annuder pretenda. Wisconsin goes from like 5th in the nation to outta the poll in 2 weeks. Pathetic. The Cats suddenly look good at this point. Look for Ohio State to lose to Michigan, and six or seven teams in bowl games to all lose...
3. The rest of college football. It's hard to believe South Florida and Boston College are 2 & 3 in the nation. One thing is clear: Northern Illinois and Syracuse totally, totally SUCK.
4. The Colorado Rockies. Whatever, I'm still not buying them.
5. Senator McConnell (HYOOOGE Scumbag) Staffer Admits To Smearing 12 Year Old Graeme Frost : turns out the right-wing wingnuts were wrong about everything. But "facts" were never their game. And why do these pro-lifers seem to hate kids so much?
6. Bud Lite & Fox Sports. So if Cleveland wins Thursday we wait until Wednesday for the World Series to start? Well, that is just way stooooopid. Another non-traditionalist move by the self-avowed traditionalist (not).
7. Tim McCarver & Joe Buck: SHUTTHEPHOKKUPALREADY. Finger on mute...
8. "I don't like being in the minority. It's not that much fun, and prospects for the future don't look that good."--Rep. Ray "The Loser" LaHood (R-Ill.), who was first elected in the 1994 GOP landslide and will retire after this term. Seeya, quitter. And don't let the door repeatedly hit you on the head on the way out...
9. Socialized Medicine:

Under fierce attack by Democrats over the children’s health insurance plan, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner* said Sunday Republicans will unveil their own health care plan over the next few months.

“Republicans are working on a plan that will provide access to all Americans to high quality health insurance, make sure that we increase the quality of insurance that we have in America, and we want to foster a sprit of innovation,” said Boehner on “Fox News Sunday.” “This is a plan we’ll see over the next coming months where we put the patients in charge of their health care.”

*Pronounced BO-nurr.

10. Whatever this idiot is doing...

tonight's K-Mad killer...

- M. Delcarmen relieved T. Wakefield

- J. Peralta homered to deep right, V. Martinez and A. Cabrera scored

- K. Lofton singled to center

- K. Lofton stole second

- C. Blake singled to center, K. Lofton scored

- F. Gutierrez walked, C. Blake to second

- K. Shoppach struck out swinging

- End of Inning (7 Runs, 7 Hits, 0 Errors)

Yes.

"I think you know what you believe, it makes it a lot easier to answer questions. [Really? No shit, Sherlock.] I can't answer your question." [Shocking!] --Reynoldsburg, OH 10/04/00

McBuggin'

dangerous germ... more life-threatening infections than public health authorities had thought... killing more people in the United States each year than the AIDS virus... invulnerable to first-line antibiotics... 94,000 serious infections... 19,000 deaths each year... insidious pathogen... "We should be very worried... It's really just the tip of the iceberg..." few remaining effective drugs... painful, disfiguring "necrotizing" abscesses that eat away tissue... unusually serious pneumonia... 31 out of every 100,000 Americans... superbug...

Can we put this one in the Win column?

News Headline: "Bush says Iraq war is about al-Qaida."

News Headline: "U.S. believes surge has defeated al-Qaida in Iraq."

Of course:

1) al-Qaida wasn't in Iraq before we invaded.

2) Two percent of the violence in Iraq is created by al-Qaida.

LoC Top 20

• stooooooopid (82)
• totally phokked (58)
• brain-dead managers (45)
• he SUCKS (43)
• s#i+ blowing up (41)
• that's so America (41)
• bad ideas (38)
• Bushian (36)
• Cub (that is so) (35)
• Ozzie Guillen (33)
• expect delays (32)
• fightin' phils (32)
• moron (32)
• FULLA$#i+ (29)
• brain-dead GMs (29)
• rezzziDUNCE (29)
• we are living in a golden age (cont'd) (28)
• End Times (will they hurry up already?) (27)
• brain-dead Americans (24)
• Da City Dat Works (22)
• proven veterans (22)

oral report (cont'd)

Professors' Lawsuit Against Oral Roberts U. Gets 'More Salacious'

another case of the teacup referring to the teakettle as a vessel of tea (cont'd)

October 15, 2007, 3:04 pm
Say What?

By The Editorial Board

"If you don’t have countervailing institutions, then the power of any one president is problematic for democratic development."
-- Condoleezza Rice, quoted in today's Times, expressing concern about the state of the judiciary, legislature and news media. In Russia.

K-Maditis catches up with Owings

His luck finally runs out, and a Smiff is in the middle of it. To add insult to injury, Juan Cruz relieves... Colorado Inning Summary

- G. Atkins lined out to second

- B. Hawpe walked

- T. Tulowitzki walked, B. Hawpe to second

- Y. Torrealba grounded out to pitcher, B. Hawpe to third, T. Tulowitzki to second

- S. Smith hit for F. Morales

- S. Smith doubled to left, B. Hawpe and T. Tulowitzki scored

- W. Taveras safe at first on first baseman C. Jackson's fielding error, S. Smith to third

- K. Matsui singled to center, S. Smith scored, W. Taveras to second

- M. Holliday homered to deep center, K. Matsui and W. Taveras scored

- J. Cruz relieved M. Owings

sounds Presidential

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice now offers the last statements of executed prisoners at http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/executedoffenders.htm,
including that of James Lee Clark: "Uh, I don't know. Um, I don't know what to say. I don't know. I didn't know anybody was there. Howdy."

there's probably a horrific story behind that

ID in severed feet case

The 60-year-old man's remains were found Sunday about 10 miles from the south suburban street where his lower legs and feet were discovered on Friday night.

Latest Chinese Recall

will the living envy the dead? (cont'd)

Saturday odds
at Wisconsin 23 1/2 Northern Illinois
at Syracuse 4 1/2 Buffalo

Wall Street Urinal -- The Never-Ending Video (now with scantily clad women)

What to expect from Fox Business Network

finally, some good news

Al-Qaeda In Iraq Reported Crippled
Many Officials, However, Warn Of Its Resilience

By Thomas E. Ricks and Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, October 15, 2007; Page A01

The U.S. military believes it has dealt devastating and perhaps irreversible blows to al-Qaeda in Iraq in recent months, leading some generals to advocate a declaration of victory over the group, which the Bush administration has long described as the most lethal U.S. adversary in Iraq.

Can We Do This Just Because We Hate Him?

I can almost hear Bill O'Reilly or a minion yelling in 2011 now...

The Moscow Times
Monday, October 15, 2007. Issue 3764. Page 10.
A Lesson in Russian History for Clinton

By Alexei Bayer

The war in Afghanistan was not the main reason the Soviet Union collapsed. Nevertheless, it bankrupted the Soviet state and pointed out the moral blight, skewed priorities and irrelevance of the Communist gerontocracy.

The United States is a vibrant society with a diversified and resilient economy. But it currently stands on the brink of considerable social and economic upheaval, and the Iraq war reveals the fault lines within the world's only superpower. It is a nation living beyond its means by exploiting the status of the dollar as the global reserve currency. The war is costing some $3 billion per week -- all of it borrowed from more productive nations.

The United States is the leader of the free world, which the rest of the world refuses to follow. Even the pathetic "coalition of the willing," a bunch of mostly third-tier nations Washington assembled to back it in Iraq, has crumbled.

Iraq occupies a far more important place in the political debate in the United States than Afghanistan ever did in the Soviet Union. It is divisive, and frustrations on both sides have been exacerbated by the fact that no victory, however defined, can be achieved. Nor can U.S. forces leave without plunging a strategic, oil-rich region into chaos.

U.S. overconsumption and unilateralism predated President George W. Bush. But it was Bush who turned federal fiscal surpluses into deficits -- literally, with a stroke of a pen -- by granting his disastrous tax cuts. He plunged the United States into the irrelevant global war on terror, started the unnecessary and wasteful war in Iraq and created the moral climate in which Americans stand accused of torture, war crimes and atrocities.

Bush has been called the worst president in U.S. history. But now he has devised a clever plan to rescue his legacy. His troop surge in Iraq is designed to create a sense of stability and even progress. His economic policy, aided and abetted by the U.S. Federal Reserve, has been to stretch the liquidity bubble for another year or so. He could then credibly claim that he left office with Iraq on the mend and the economy booming and that his successors dropped the ball.

The next occupant of the White House will have to fight back in self-defense. He -- or most probably she (meaning Democrat Hillary Clinton, who is currently the most credible candidate) -- should study recent Russian history. Gorbachev withdrew troops from Afghanistan, but he never put those responsible for the war on trial. Boris Yeltsin ended communism and split the Soviet empire, but he avoided pushing for de-Stalinization. Even a symbolic condemnation of communism by Russian courts would have allowed the country to turn over a new page and rejoin the community of nations in much the same way West Germany did after World War II.

As a result, in post-Soviet Russia, Brezhnev's reputation is being revived, Stalin is widely venerated and former KGB officers rule the Kremlin. Gorbachev and Yeltsin, meanwhile, are reviled for "destroying a great country."

If Clinton doesn't want to share their fate -- which in the U.S. context would mean a failed one-term presidency -- she would need to start de-Bushification. Her first act in office should be to put Bush and his entourage on trial.

When I recently suggested this to an audience of New York lawyers, the room exploded with laughter. It would be unconstitutional, they said, and also so un-American, to be stuck in the past.

On the contrary, putting blame where it belongs would be a step toward the future. It would, first of all, extract the next president's reputation from the rubble of failed policies. More important, a guilty verdict passed on the Bush administration by an impartial and independent U.S. court might put an end to unilateralism and restore the United States' rightful place in the community of nations. Both would benefit.

Alexei Bayer, a native Muscovite, is a New York-based economist.