America does not agree with George W. Bush on the Schiavo matter.  In a short period his approval rating has tanked.  Even Gallup has him down seven points to his lowest rating ever, 45%.  In the Gallup survey, for the first time, his disapproval rating exceeds his approval rating.  That number now stands at 49%.

This comes at a critical time for the President--the beginning of his second term when he is trying to push forward the most ambitious change in American social policy in 70 years, the dismantling of Social Security.  His political capital should be at an all time high.

Yet his Social Security plan is dead in the water.  He cannot fight new wars--the recruiting numbers alone guarantee that.

Meanwhile, the rivals for the Republican 2008 nomination must be taking a look at these developments.  If his approval rate continues at this dismal level, they will consider triangulating against him to win support against a weakened President.

But even more is at stake here--his legacy.  The soaring moments of his first term are memories clouded by the reality that much of what he has done has left America in a worse place it was before.  A now-meaningless war in Iraq and rising oil and gas prices have hurt the nation.  Even worse is the enormous deficit that he and his party have presided over these last four years. 

Bush needs help.  Now.  Here's hoping he doesn't get any.

Jeb, call out the troops, storm the Bastille and tell 'em I sent you. 
John Gibson of Fox News advising the executive of the State of Florida to break the law.

Hat Tip: Atrios.

Ouch.

This guy is an idiot.  When Richard Clarke testified in front of the 9/11 Commission, Frist got up and accused him of perjury because he had allegedly testified under oath differently in front of the Joint House-Senate Committee on September 11.  The next day I had a National Security Law and Policy class taught by the Chief Investigative Counsel of the Joint Committee.  He told us that Clarke had given the same testimony the first time and that it was not under oath.  Frist is an idiot.

Apparently, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is in a bit of a sticky wicket.  It is widely assumed he will ask for a dissolution of Parliament next week for an election to be scheduled May 5.  However, allegations that the invasion of Iraq lacked a legal basis under international law have surfaced--a big problem for the Prime Minister on the eve of the election.  Apparently his Attorney General concluded that there was no legal basis for the war, and was then asked to hire "outside counsel" to find a justification.  Magically, two weeks later, justification was found where earlier there was none before. 

Where will it go?  Stay tuned.

The Republican strategy memo--allegedly put out by Rick Santorum's office--was giddy in its anticipation of polticial gain--Republicans were going to capitalize on the Schiavo tragedy.

"This is an important moral issue, and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue," said the memo, reported by ABC News and later given to The Washington Post. "This is a great political issue, because Senator Nelson of Florida has already refused to become a co-sponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats."

Yet here we are a week later and it is the Republican Party that has self-inflicted its own wedge.  The American people, millions of whom experienced the same agony faced by the actors in the Schiavo saga thoroughly repudiated the attempt by the GOP-dominated Congress and President Bush to interfere in the decision of a state court in Florida. 

Polls show an enormous 82% of Americans opposing the intervention of Tom DeLay and the President into the case.  These are numbers not normally seen in political polls.  When asked why the Congress became involved in the case, only 13% (THIS IS NOT A TYPO) of Americans felt it was for the benefit of Terri Schiavo.  A whopping 74% saw the political grandstanding for what it was, the ghoulish exploitation of the final act of a tragedy which has been going on for fifteen years.

The intervention, which came to naught today, played a role in the sudden down turn in both Congress' and Bush's approval numbers.  Currently, only 43% of Americans approve of the job that President Bush is doing.  For the GOP-dominated Congress, the numbers are even worse.  Only 34% of Americans approve of the job that Congress is doing right now.  These are the worst numbers since the ill-fated Clinton impeachment fiasco hit the Republicans in 1997.  Amazingly, the poll heavily oversampled Republicans.  All of this despite the 24-hour exploitation fest going on on the cable networks.

It is clear that the Republican party has lost its touch in the weeks since the Presidential election.  On to 2006.

Mayor Tony Williams--now unstoppable.  His new budget has it all, tax relief, help for the poor, you name it.  No wonder every single councilmember is singing his praises.  The man with the plan.  Look for a third term.

With robust tax revenue and a record $1.2 billion in reserve, Williams proposes to spend more than $500 million on new programs and services. He would fund day care for 1,200 children on a city waiting list, job training for 800 chronically unemployed residents and a campaign to lure businesses to the District's historic boulevards, such as Georgia Avenue NW and the eastern reaches of Pennsylvania Avenue.

For the first time in his six-year tenure, the mayor's budget calls for "significant broad and progressive tax relief" with specific benefits for poor and disabled homeowners burdened by skyrocketing property taxes.

"This budget funds ground-breaking initiatives that will reshape the physical landscape of the District of Columbia and strengthen our social fabric in a fiscally responsible and balanced manner,"

Competent leadership.  Its what its all about.

Turns out Terri Schiavo's father Robert Schindler, knows something of the experience of Michael Schiavo.  He decided to take his own mother off of life support.  After one week.

But, given the vehemence with which he has been fighting to prolong Terri's life, it is a little surprising to learn that Robert decided to turn off the life-support system for his mother. She was 79 at the time, and had been ill with pneumonia for a week, when her kidneys gave out. "I can remember like yesterday the doctors said she had a good life. I asked, 'If you put her on a ventilator does she have a chance of surviving, of coming out of this thing?'" Robert says. "I was very angry with God because I didn't want to make those decisions."

 Hat tip: Beat Bush Blog

Want to cut through the confusing mass of information regarding the Schiavo case?  Read this--the report of the Guardian Ad Litem appointed by the Florida courts pursuant to a Florida law signed by Governor Bush to deal with the case. (.pdf.)  It will surprise you to learn that much of what you think you know about the case is wrong.

James David Vellman has refused to appear in front of Congress should he be subpoenaed while in a persistent vegetative state.

To:  House Government Reform Committee
From: James David Velleman
Re: My Advance Directive

Having discussed with my wife how I wish to be treated in case of irreversible brain injury -- a private matter that I choose not to air here -- I hereby inform you of my refusal, in advance, to respond to any subpoenas with which I may be served while in a persistent vegetative state.  Since I will not in those circumstances be able to assert this refusal, or my preference to be held in contempt of Congress, I am asserting them publicly now, in the hope of forestalling such ghoulish theatrics on your part, which would richly deserve my contempt.  Should this hope be frustrated, I have instructed my physicians and my attorney to deny you access to my hospital room.

I think we'll all need one of these soon.

Hat tip: Grammar Police

Americans are not happy about the the late-night intervention into the Schiavo case by the Republican-led Congress and the Administration.  ABC polling has some wowing numbers (pdf):

Support Removal of Feeding tube:
63% Yes   28% No

Support Federal Intervention?
35% Yes   60% No

Appropriate for Congress to Get Involved?
27% Appropriate   70% Not Appropriate

Reason Political Leaders Are Keeping Schiavo Alive?
19% Concern about Schiavo  67% Political Advantage.

The internals are even more devistatingly against the move, with a whopping 58% "Strongly Opposed" to Congressional intervention in the case.

Looks like the public has got it right, folks.

This weekend the GOP-led Congress yet again revealed its duplicitous face by deciding to intervene in the tragic Terri Schiavo case.  Eager to jump on the "pro-life" bandwagon to throw some marrow to the religious right, GOP leaders are trying to slop together an ill-conceived bill that would give a federal judge - presumably one hand-picked by Congress - the authority to review a decision by a Florida judge to remove Schiavo's feeding tube.  This move by Congress is all the more alarming because a federal court has already ruled that the Schiavo case should be decided on state grounds. 

Thus, the GOP leaders have dumped their principles for the sake of political gain.  Longtime vigorous defenders of State's rights and the Separation of Powers have once again decided that "values" trump more trivial matters like the Constitution, particularly with the 2006 elections on their minds.  If all goes according to plan, Congress and President Bush will sign into law a bill that exists solely as a means for judicial activism - precisely what the same members of Congress fought so bitterly when so-called activist judges in Massachusetts, and more recently in California, gave homosexual couples the right to marry.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan defended this encroachment upon the Tenth Amendment - which, to conservatives, next to the right to bear arms is the most hallowed of all the Bill of Rights - by parroting Senator Bill Frist's hypocritical plea: "This is about defending life."

Regardless of how you feel about the issues underlying the Terri Schiavo case, you cannot support Congress' intervention.  For Congress to stick its nose in this case at this juncture after the Florida courts have been weighing the competing interests for seven years is nothing short of appalling.  It is political grandstanding at its worst.  The GOP's monumental hypocrisy mirrors that of Schiavo's home state: In a state that executes prisoners at the most rapid rate in the country, its license plates state "Choose Life."

For GOP politicians the vigor to defend life - like their party's core principles - is all in the timing.

The specious argument du jour against a filibuster being used to defeat judicial nominees is that because it requires sixty votes, it is unconstitutional because it goes beyond what the Constitution says the Senate is required to do in confirming nominees.  As far as I can tell, these jokers think that the Constitution says that confirmation occurs with a majority vote of senators.  Sadly, No! 

Article II Section 2 says the following:

He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States

Nowhere does the Constitution define "advice and consent of the Senate" as a majority vote.  Indeed, the Senate could define "advice and consent" to mean whatever it wanted, including a unanimous vote.  Try that one on for size.

Now I expect most wingnut bloggers to avoid reading the Constitution unless forced to do so in school.  However, I do expect Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee to read it.  Yet, I see him on Instapundit repeating the same trash.

I am loath to accuse the good professor of being disingenuous.  But I find it hard to believe that he didn't act like a good lawyer and read the Constitution before asserting that Senator Boxer was arguing to change the Constitution.

The former Oakland A's star will join a number of other past and present MLB players before a congressional committee investigating steroids in baseball.  On Wednesday, Canseco's request for immunity from prosecution was denied.  According to a spokesman for committee chairman Tom Davis, no witnesses have been or will be granted immunity.

This statement from Congressman Davis' camp begs the question: Why bother to subpoena past and present MLB stars if they will predictably invoke their Fifth Amendment rights?  To what purpose does this serve?

The answer is simple.  Congress is not particularly interested in the juicy details of who injected whom with what; they can pick up a copy of Canseco's book for that information.  What Congress can accomplish today is to force multi-millionaire athletes to invoke their Fifth Amendment rights before the world and thus behave like common criminals.  Because no matter how much Americans claim they honor and revere the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the simple fact is that most people conclude that if a person invokes the Fifth Amendment, he must have something to hide.

If Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Curt Schilling, and others refuse to answer any of the committee's questions, then Congress has won the first battle toward forcing Major League Baseball to adopt a drug testing policy with teeth.

War on Terror, bah! Amid the recent Mad Tea Party appointments of John Bolton and Paul Wolfowitz to the U.N. and World Bank respectively comes this Bush masterstroke. Because we all know how good terrorists have been at running things in the Middle East:

"Tuesday, March 15, 2005, WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Tuesday expressed the hope that Hezbollah -- which the U.S. State Department has long regarded as a terrorist group -- could enter the political mainstream in Lebanon."

Bin Laden, get your suit pressed and polish up your resume -- again.