Results tagged “bush”

As quickly as you can say nuke-yu-ler, the hotly anticipated debate between George W. Bush and Bill Clinton has been called off! At first we assumed it was because when Bush agreed to the debate, he thought he'd be going up against George Clinton, the brain-fried frontman for Parliament-Funkadelic, not Bill Clinton, world-renowned master debater. But turns out, it's Clinton who's withdrawn.

Dimwitted former cheerleader and frat-boy boozer George W. Bush has agreed to face loquacious skirt-chaser and crafty triangulater Bill Clinton in a debate. With words! In our dreams, it goes something like this:

That protester who heckled Laura Bush and daughter Jenna Bush after their children's book tour hit the 92nd Street Y last year finally had his day in court, and a jury found him not guilty. Gary Talis, 24, wasn't arrested for heckling, but for allegedly assaulting the parents of a wheelchair-bound teenage girl when they tried to shut him up outside the venue. When Talis started yelling about how the First Lady is married to a war criminal as she left the Y, John Lovetro (pictured), allegedly responded, "What are you doing? Shut up. This is about a child and books...Get out of here! You're being a moron!" Lovetro (pictured), his wife Wendy, and the couple's daughter, Maureen, who suffers from cerebral palsy, then got into some kind of altercation with Talis. All three Lovetroses, plus a Secret Service agent, testified that Talis attacked them, but Talis and another witness convinced the jury that the Lovetroses were in fact going after him.

The economic stimulus package will benefit New York more than any other state in several crucial ways, and Washington insiders say Senator Chuck Schumer deserves a lot of the credit. Much of the allocation is still being determined, but as it stands now, New York will receive more money for Medicaid relief ($12.6 billion), mass transit ($1.3 billion) and home weatherization ($403 million) than any other state. Schumer is widely credited with big Democratic wins in the Senate in the 2006 elections, and one unnamed Democratic "insider" tells the Daily News, "Pretty much everyone from Harry Reid on down owes their job to Chuck. So whatever Chuck wants, Chuck gets." And it's not just Chuck; even less senior players like Rep. Anthony Weiner have been bringing home the bacon, securing $390 million to help New York's aging housing projects. But Weiner explains that part of the recent legislative success simply has to do with the end of the Dubya era: "Trying to explain public housing elevators to the Bush administration was the equivalent of talking French to a fish."

Since the Betty people haven't come out with a patriotic themed hair-down-there dye, some New York spas are suggesting you start fresh! From the inbox: "Get ready for next week's inauguration parties with change inspiring spa and salon deals...In the West Village, Boom Boom Beauty Bar is joining in the spirit with their 'Say Goodbye to Bush' special: 40% off all bikini waxing services from now till inauguration day." Not to get all servicey, but both Townhouse Spa (UWS) and Acqua Beauty Bar (Union Square) are offering 40% off all bikini waxes during Inauguration week as well. Never has a president inspired such a specific type of feminine grooming!

Will Ferrell—who will be appearing in a one man show on Broadway in January called You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush—turned up for the cold opening of Saturday Night Live's election special last night. Portraying a 'see-no-evil' Dubya who has declared the Oval Office "a bummer-free zone," Ferrell joined Tina Fey as Palin and Darrell Hammond as McCain. But with McCain on the run from Bush's endorsement (last seen "travelin' on foot through the Adirondacks"), Dubya focused on Palin first:

FERRELL AS BUSH – "My God you are folksy."

Continue reading "Will Ferrell, as Bush, Endorses Palin-McCain on SNL"

Earlier this week, it was announced that 9 to 5: The Musical, adapted from the movie and eponymous Dolly Parton song, will open on Broadway April 30th, the last day that a show can open and still be eligible for a Tony award. Broadway g'nerds rejoiced, but according to the Times, there's just one problem: The Broadway production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, starring Bill Irwin and Nathan Lane, had already planned to open that same night at Studio 54. Now there's a lot of drama, because they'll have to share the same narrow publicity spotlight! Who will blink? Who really cares? We're more excited about today's news that Will Ferrell will get his own one-man show on Broadway in January, titled You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush. Oh, and speaking of Lane, Matthew Broderick will return to Broadway the same month as his old Producers cast-mate in a revival of Christopher Hampton 1970 play The Philanthropist. Also, you'll now have "9 to 5" stuck in your head for the rest of the weekend.

Oliver Stone's latest president biopic W. opens today, and stars Josh Brolin as 43, Richard Dreyfuss as Vice and Thandie Newton as Condoleezza. Ornery Armond White at the New York Press calls it "the best example of American filmmaking courage since Munich." Then again, here's a man who thinks that "for the past eight years, the media elite have fought back against Bush." Right! The press sure gave Bush hell when the administration was ramping up for Iraq, didn't they? Anyway, Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere, no Neocon, says it's "one of the most startling and surprising films of the year. The damn movie leaves you feeling sorry for this fucker at the finale, and that ain't hay."

Infinite emails (all from the same source) flooded inboxes citywide last night (following a Reuters photo that was published) with messages pondering "how Americans would feel if they knew that just before the Olympics start, a theme park in Beijing still shows the Twin Towers standing in a NYC exhibit of mini models?" With many Americans already protesting the Olympic Games, this might not help the Chinese government's boffo P.R campaign.

Five years ago today, President George W. Bush gave a televised address on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln to declare, "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September 11, 2001, and still goes on." The speech, which took place after Bush made a splashy entrance by arriving on the aircraft carrier in a fighter jet, announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq, but the whole spectacle ended up being a target for criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the war.

Paterson: I'd say I was about 22-23. I tried it a few times, yes. Where's all the hemming and hawing about what the definition of "using" coke is? Smoking it? Snorting it? Speedballing? Paterson was sniffing a fine chablis and some cocaine fell up his nose? Bill Clinton could spend years of an independent counsel's time trying to wriggle out of those questions. George W. Bush could say it's irrelevant since he's found Jesus. Our Governor just cops to being a young man in the 1970s with an indiscreet, if not unusual past. Has NY found its first honest politician--willing to accept some responsibility for indiscretions on the way up, rather than falling back on them as an excuse (sex addict) on his way down?

On Tuesday night at St. Ann's Warehouse, David Byrne, longtime advocate of bikes, big suits, lamp dancing and PowerPoint, will be joining a who's who list of New York performers to observe the fifth anniversary of the official start of the Iraq invasion. Called Speak Up!, the sold-out show is raising money for United for Peace and Justice and Iraq Veterans Against the War. If you don't have tickets, you might want to skip over the list of artists you'll be missing: Laurie Anderson, Antony, Lou Reed, Blonde Redhead, Bill T. Jones, Norah Jones, Moby, Damien Rice, Scissor Sisters, DJs MEN. Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism will be a featured speaker, among others. But before the concert, from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Klein and a other activist groups will host a free forum, book signing and art exhibit at the nearby Powerhouse Arena bookstore [37 Main St, DUMBO, Brooklyn].

City Council member and probable 2009 mayoral candidate, Tony Avella, is the latest politician to ask for America's withdrawl from the Beijing Olympics if China will not grant Tibet independence. Under China's rule for over 50 years, Tibet has made no headway, even with the support of human rights groups, activists...and Richard Gere. When we interviewed Robert Thurman, co-founder of the Tibet House, earlier this year he touched on the Olympics, saying:

The thinking is that if you give them a big P.R. thing to do like the Olympics, they won’t want people to see how they’re beating up the Falun Gong or whatever it is they’re doing lately. This is a fallacious concept but within that it’s true that the Chinese are trying to clean up their act so they won’t be embarrassed during the Olympics. Unfortunately, what the Chinese consider ‘cleaning up their act’ is to wipe out people who might do human rights protests; they don’t mean stopping the human rights violations.

Yesterday, Senator John McCain was welcomed and endorsed by President Bush. Bush referenced McCain's doubters and past history, "John showed incredible courage and strength of character and perseverance in order to get to this moment. And that's exactly what we need in a President: somebody that can handle the tough decisions; somebody who won't flinch in the face of danger."

CNN, NBC, and the AP are projecting Senator John McCain will clinch the Republican presidential campaign, after winning the primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island and clinching the 1,191 delegates needed. A source tells NBC that President Bush has invited McCain to the White House tomorrow and will endorse him. McCain will be having a victory party in Dallas tonight, complete with banner that says "1,191."

Senator Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama faced off for the 20th time last night in Cleveland, Ohio, as they head towards the big March 4 primaries next week. The rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination "traded insults," as they accused each other of negative attacks regarding their health care policies.

Doug Schoen, the pollster who has worked with Bill Clinton on his 1996 reelection and Mayor Bloomberg, is stirring the Bloomberg for President pot again. He tells the Sun that Ralph Nader's decision to enter the 2008 presidential race could help Bloomberg.

Ralph Nader will be making another third-party bid for the Presidency in the 2008 election. The consumer advocate - and bane of many Democrats - made the announcement this morning on Meet the Press.

Senators and rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama met at the University of Texas in Austin tonight for the CNN/Univision debate. The debate was less a showdown than an "agree to disagree" type affair. You can read a transcript here and clips will start to appear, but, per Austinist, here are some of best lines of the night:

“I have to confess, I was somewhat amused, the other night, when, on one of the TV shows, one of Senator Obama's supporters was asked to name one accomplishment of Senator Obama, and he couldn't.” -- Clinton

Continue reading "Texas Hold 'Em: Clinton, Obama Debate in Austin"

Cuban president Fidel Castro resigned his position after nearly 50 years of rule. The 81-year-old Castro has been battling illness since 2006, notably turning over power to his brother Raul and other ministers temporarily. Though he was still ruling after his 2006 surgery, Castro was little seen. Now it is expected that Castro's resignation positions Raul Castro, 76, in line for the presidency.

Mayor Bloomberg let his feelings about H.R. 5140, the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, which was signed into legislation by President Bush on Wednesday, be known. Mayor Bloomberg said the government "is spending money it doesn't have," and "I suppose it won't hurt the economy, but it's in many senses like giving a drink to an alcoholic."

The Pentagon has charged six men accused of planning the September 11, 2001 attacks and will seek the death penalty (the Pentagon's terse press release was titled "Defense Department Seeks Death Penalty for Six Guantanamo Bay Detainees"). These would be "the first trials under the terrorism-era military tribunal system."

Yet another example of foot-in-mouth syndrome due to the hours of punditry on TV, followed by an apology and suspension! Yesterday, while referring to Chelsea Clinton's campaigning on behalf of her mother, MSNBC correspondent David Shuster commented, "Doesn't it seem as if Chelsea is sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?" Yes, he totally said that. Or, as the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz writes, "Using a prostitution metaphor for the daughter of a presidential candidate is a surefire way for a journalist to get into trouble."

For those of you that still collect baseball cards (are there any left), be on the lookout for a joke card from Topps. The card manufacturer of our childhood, Topps is sneaking in a card with the former mayor and Yankees fan as a member of the Red Sox. You ask, "'But that's just nuts! He's a Yankees fan through and through! Why would Topps do such a thing?'" Well, because Rudy said in October that he was actually rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series.

The Waldorf Astoria loves to brag about how every president since Herbert Hoover has been a guest at their hotel, but they rarely disclose what delicacies our rulers savor while there. But starting this month, guests at the Waldorf Towers and diners in the hotel’s Bull & Bear steakhouse can have a taste of presidential luxury that, until now, only taxpayer money could buy.

President George Bush gave his final State of the Union address, sounding positive about his leadership but also noting that there's still more to do: "From expanding opportunity to protecting our country, we have made good progress. Yet we have unfinished business before us, and the American people expect us to get it done." (You can read the entire text here.)

The NY Times' editorial board has made its endorsements for the upcoming primaries. While the Times' selection of Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama is interesting (the Times cites experience), we're very taken with the editorial about the Republican candidates.

Though there's a "tentative deal" for President Bush's proposed economic stimulus plan in D.C., Mayor Bloomberg thinks it's a bad idea. During a speech last night (accepting an award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors), he outlined why the package was a problem. From the NY Sun:

The $145 billion proposal being negotiated centers around the idea of providing several hundred dollars in tax rebates to individuals and families in a bid to spur the economy — a plan that Mr. Bloomberg said could "modestly benefit Americans" but would not "make a huge difference" overall because of the enormous deficits the government has already run up.

Continue reading "Bloomberg: Don't Base U.S.'s Economic Decisions on Election Calendar"

Is this the first election season where you’ve supported one of the candidates? Sort of. This is the first time I’ve supported someone during the primaries, which carries a lot of weight with people who were already going to vote for Obama. In 4th grade I campaigned for Reagan (it worked), and in 2004 I did a bunch of fundraisers for John Kerry (Sorry, America, I failed). Basically, after Bush beat Al Gore and tried to ruin America, I decided to be more politically involved. But not too much! I want to remain “cool.”

The U.S. financial markets may have been closed due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance, but stock markets around the world tumbled as worries over the U.S. economy took hold. Johan Stein, who manages about $14 billion at an asset management firm in Stockholm told Bloomberg, "It's the worst I've ever seen. The financial system is in terrible shape, and no one knows where this will end.''