Showing posts with label Incompetence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Incompetence. Show all posts

Friday, July 11, 2008

Schumer Not To Blame For IndyMac Failure


John Reich over at OTS (Office of Thrift Supervision) is trying to blame Senator Chuck Schumer for the failure of the large thrift IndyMac. His story is that when Chuck Schumer supposedly leaked documents to reporters that raised questions about the banks viability he triggered a run on the bank which eventually led to its failure late Friday evening.

Its fairly easy these days to google up all the news stories available about this sort of thing and google finance can put that information in context for you.


finance.google.com?q=NYSE:IMB

Clearly Schumer's statements had little or not effect. This bank was in freefall well before his statement on 6/26. There was a bit of a sell off, small compared to what had come before now, and nothing compared to when the bank itself announced it would issue no new loans, and fire half it's staff on 7/8. On the same day S&P changes their rating to complete JUNK.

This bank had so many bad loans they were going down, it was a question of when. No, they failed because the bank's management got involved in tons of crap loans, and then mishandled the internal management of the crisis. Their drastic actions in early July look like much too little to late, and that triggered the runs. But when you are a Republican hack, hired by George Bush to cover up the Fed's culpability in the mortgage crisis, it's much better to blame a Democrat from New York for the failure of a California Thrift that you yourself are responsible for. Heckuva Job Johnny...
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IndyMac Bank Fails, Fed Take Over


Friday night the feds stepped in and took over IndyMac, after they suffered run after run on the bank. Customers were withdrawing $100 million a day from IndyMac banks in order to save their cash. This is the first large bank to fail in the U.S. since the 80's.

In a side story one of Bush's little corporate cronies who works for the Office of Thrift Supervision is trying to blame this on Chuck Schumer...

The senator made comments in his letter questioning the viability of the institution,” John M. Reich, director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, said on a phone call with reporters. “When a member of the United States Senate makes such a statement, it frightens depositors. --NYTimes.com
What a load off crap, I will bet most of the customers of IndyMac would have no idea who Chuck Schumer is. The reality is that John Reich is actually one of the ones directly responsible for the current banking problems. Having a hand in helping to loosen lending requirements and encourage more and more predatory lending.

IndyMac was a major player in the subprime mortgage disaster. The bank had already announced layoffs from the 7,200 employees in a bid to stave off failing.

This is going to spook people. IndyMac is a HUGE bank.
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Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Remove Harry Reid


Hapless Harry has released a statement:

On Wednesday, July 9, 2008, after the Senate convenes at 9:30am, it will resume consideration of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (H.R. 6304). There will be one hour and forty-five minutes of debate, with 30 minutes under the control of Senator Feingold; 15 minutes under the control of Senator Dodd; 10 minutes under the control of Senator Bingaman; 10 minutes under the control of Senator Leahy; 10 minutes under the control of the Majority Leader; and 30 under the control of the Republican Leader or his designee.

Reid: At which time I will serve cookies and also juice. Only one cup per Senator will be passed out at cookie time. Please don't spill any juice, the floor of the Senate is very hard to clean up.
Upon the use or yielding back of this time, the Senate will proceed to roll-call votes in relation to the pending amendments. Upon disposition of these amendments, the Senate will proceed to a roll -call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on H.R. 6304, as amended if amended.

If cloture is invoked on H.R. 6304, all post-cloture time will be yielded back, and the Senate will proceed to a roll-call vote on passage of H.R. 6304, as amended if amended.
Reid: I want to make sure that all Senators be sure and get a permission form for all these events, I know we have had a problem with parents not providing the proper paperwork, I want to be clear that won't be tolerated anymore. Hall monitors will be watching and I expect a full report.
The Senate will soon vote on a FISA bill that represents the final result of negotiations among the White House and Democrats and Republicans in Congress. I opposed the version originally passed by the Senate. And although improvements have been made in the version now before us, this legislation continues to contain provisions that will lead to immunity for the telecommunications companies who cooperated with the Bush Administration's illegal warrantless wiretapping program.

For that reason, I will vote no.
Reid: Especially considering that I have made sure that this bill will pass. I want to maintain the illusion that I am something other than a tired sell out that is well past his prime and care more about maintaining the democratic kindergarten that I have submitted to under the republicans low these many years. I have learned to like the taste of boot leather.


Geez what a coward, what a sad end to a fairly decent career and a even more sad end to the central role of the Constitution in our government.
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Thursday, June 19, 2008

Bush Finally Gets His Ass to Mid-West

7
Number of days it took President Bush to go to the flood stricken mid-west.

Congress had time to act before he got his ass off his European vacation to bring empty promises and traffic tie-ups to the rain soaked locals.
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Friday, June 13, 2008

Losing Iowa


I realize that Tim Russert's death has hit the country like the sad senseless tragedy of Princess Diana's death or Clarabell. But maybe we can do something about the fact that we are losing more American cities to flooding.

Rain is expected through the weekend in Iowa, where floodwaters have deluged much of the state. The city of Cedar Rapids is hardest hit. More than 400 city blocks are under water and more than 3,000 homes have been evacuated.

One hundred miles to the southwest, officials have issued a voluntary evacuation order for much of downtown Des Moines. The mayor of the state's capital and largest city calls the evacuations an attempt "to err on the side of citizens and residents."

Iowa's governor has declared 83 of the state's 99 counties to be state disaster areas. Nine rivers are at or above historic flood levels. Relief may come next week, when the weather in Iowa is predicted to be sunny and dry.

Flooding is also widespread in parts of Michigan and Wisconsin. --AP
Maybe the National Guard and the Reserves can be called in... oh.. wait...
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Sunday, April 27, 2008

Afghani President Karzai Almost Assassinated, 1 Dead, 11 Wounded in Attack

President Hamid Karzai survived an assassination attempt at a military parade in central Kabul on Sunday, when suspected Taliban insurgents fired mortars and bullets at the dignitaries assembled in the spectator stand.

One person was killed and 11 injured in the incident, Gen. Zaher Azimi, a military spokesman, confirmed soon afterward. Two parliamentarians in a section of the stands not far from the president were seen falling from their chairs on television footage as gunfire rang out. NYTimes.com

Well, now that Super Dave Petraeus is in charge of Afghanistan too, maybe we can see some resources being applied to this situation. There is almost 800 KIA there, half of which were U.S. forces. This one has been ramping over the past couple of years. Because of typically incompetent handling by Bush and Cheney.

It takes some real skill to fuck up a war, two wars is unheard of. That takes real talent. One of the reasons that we can't fix either of these is that we have split our attention between the two. We are sending some of our best units to Afghanistan, 82nd Airborne, 10th Mountain Div., a lot of Special Forces, etc. People we really could use in Iraq. Now we have the Taliban staging operations in broad daylight with tons of Afghani troops around. Karzai was lucky. Sure the White House will be spinning tomorrow but this was bad, very bad. We are getting nowhere. Nowhere.
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Sunday, April 20, 2008

Condi Flaps Her Gums


BAGHDAD, April 20 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Sunday she did not know how seriously to take a threat of all-out war by Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and rebuked him for threatening violence while living abroad.

Sadr, whose Mehdi Army militia have battled U.S. and Iraqi government forces, threatened on Saturday to launch an "open war until liberation" against the U.S.-backed government if it continued a month-old crackdown on his followers.

The threat from the Shi'ite cleric was followed by what the U.S. military called the heaviest fighting for weeks in his east Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City.

"He is still living in Iran. I guess it's all out war for anybody but him," Rice said of Sadr, who has not appeared in public in Iraq in nearly a year.

"His followers can go to their death and he will still be in Iran," she told reporters travelling with her on a trip to Baghdad.

The U.S. military has said Sadr has spent most of the past year in neighbouring Shi'ite Iran.

Said Condi from the safety of a bunker in the Green Zone. Wow, taunting the defacto leader of Iraq. How high school. This is why our foreign policy is in the state it is in. This clown Rice wants to sound like her "Bring 'em On" boss. Maybe next she can "Double Dog Dare" him to come out of hiding.

Oh and Condi he isn't in Iran. Nice try, you don't know where he or Bin Laden are. Just go buy some more shoes, leave the counter insurgency to the experts.
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Friday, January 11, 2008

BagNewsNotes: Who Killed Benazir Bhutto?


Bhutto is reflected in a desk as Condoleezza Rice signs a book of condolence at the Pakistan Embassy.

Last month I wrote that Bhutto's death can be laid on the doorstep of the Bush administration. Just another victim, amongst the hundreds of thousands, for this group of incompetent fools.

Our friend Michael Shaw who does all the great visual analysis over at BAGnewsNotes.com has written a pretty good post about this called Who Killed Benazir Bhutto.

... According to this report, Condi was, again, personally involved in providing assurances regarding Bhutto's security, taking Musharraf at his word that he had Bhutto's safety in mind. For Bhutto's part, after she arrived home, she did everything she could to telegraph that she was not just at risk, but being hung out to dry.

Condi and Company are imbeciles. They should be kept as far as possible from our foreign policy apparatus. Go read the whole thing over there.
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Bush Approval Predicted to Hit 45%


U.S. News' Washington Whispers reports that Bush aides predict he'll be at 45 percent when he leaves office ... his fans have dubbed it his legacy year. --thinkprogress.com

Oh God, please no.
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Friday, December 14, 2007

“My Eyes, My Ears!”



Twelve Days of Christmas
National Republican Senatorial Committee


Yes Virgina, the Republican's really do live in a fantasy world.

Not only do they genuinely believe history will vindicate them, they also believe they can sing. They are untethered from reality. And um, can't sing.

Posted (h/t Wonkette) to show how bonkers these people truly are.

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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Question of the Day



Who Would Be A Worse PRESIDENT Than George W. Bush?

Was cruising over at Shakespeare's Sister. They posed the question.

Wow... so many possibilities, so little time to post.

Let's just say up front, that Paris Hilton is off limits. And Dick Cheney already is in the line of succession.

Other wise, have fun!

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Monday, November 12, 2007

190,000 Weapons lost in Iraq

Photo by Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images
As we have covered here before:

190,000

Weapons were sold lost by U.S. Military officers in Iraq apparently within hours or days of arriving by plane. -- nytimes.com
Already there is evidence that some American-supplied weapons fell into the hands of guerrillas responsible for attacks against Turkey

Gosh, ya think?!?
Many of those weapons were issued when Gen. David H. Petraeus, now the top American commander in Iraq, was responsible for training and equipping Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005.

Oh, I am so surprised that this incompetence has a name. I suppose this was in the COIN manual he wrote. Section 5-23: "Do such a incredibly bad job managing things that weapons are handed to every malcontent, loser, and terrorist who wants one". I guess I missed that chapter in the manual too. It doesn't look like David was alone in his fuck-ups though:
Maj. John Isgrigg III and Maj. Timmy W. Cox were assigned to issue weapons to the Iraqi military and national guard from early 2004 to 2005...[snip]..."We had folks getting killed because equipment wasn’t moving," said Col. Randy Hinton, the majors’ superior officer. Were there times when all the right forms were not signed? Probably. But we had a mission to do, and we were going to do it the best way we could at that time.

Best job you could? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 190,000 WEAPONS, MAJOR! THATS 2 FOR EVERY INSURGENT!

"folks getting killed because equipment wasn’t moving."

I gotta tell ya, that sounds like complete fucking bullshit. These officers need to be court martial-ed. This shit is just out of control over there. U.S. bank accounts need to be frozen for all these people involved. A war zone is a ripe for pickings by slick operators. These logistic systems that these officers bypassed are in place for exactly these reasons. This a complete failure all the way up the chain of command. We aren't talking about Lieutenants and Captains here and we aren't talking about chump change. Somebody got rich, and it sounds like a lot of somebodies. Make no mistake, bullets from these very guns are in the bodies of U.S. soldiers. They should hang whomever is responsible.
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