Heckuva Job Brownie blames the Department of Homeland Security for FEMA's woefully inadequate response to Katrina, saying DHS "put FEMA on a path to failure". He also says that what DHS says about the levee breaks and what they knew and when they knew it is "disingenuous" (is that like "lying"?) and "baloney".

Former Cheney chief of staff Scooter Libby says he was authorized by his superiors to leak classified information to shore up the Bush administration's case for invading Iraq. Based on what I know from watching West Wing, there are only a couple of people in the White House much higher up than chief of staff, right?

Meanwhile, the U.S. trade deficit hits an all-time high, Bush announces cuts to nearly 150 federal programs, including food for elderly shut-ins, drug-free school grants, vocational education, reading programs for juvenile delinquents, and more, plus more cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, not to mention the EPA. Quick, call 911. They're drowning the federal government in the bathtub!

Taking a break from choking the life out of old people and sick people (metaphorically speaking, of course), Bush reveals classified national security secrets as part of a PR campaign to justify his illegal spying operation, claiming the illegal spying thwarted a terrorist plot to blow up Los Angeles with shoe bombs or something, which was apparently news to the Mayor of Los Angeles. Bush doesn't mention why they didn't just get a FISA warrant.

Bush's PR campaign must be working, though, because according to that same article 48% of Americans (bedwetting fraidy-cats and traitors every one!) now believe it is A-OK for the President to conduct illegal, unconstitutional wiretaps to protect us from terrorists (and apparently from war protesters and gay people, too).

But, you may ask, what about the Constitution? Apparently somebody repealed it and nobody cares!

OK, then.