Fooled by a googly

A few things to get through before we get to what you really want to see: pictures of Bush playing cricket.

Interesting AP report on the increasing number of secret federal court cases, with sealed records, up from 1.1% in 2003 to 2.7% in 2005.

The NYT had a story a day or two ago about the federal government not bothering to collect fines against coal companies. The Bushies have simply abandoned any pretense of enforcing laws against corporations putting people at risk. And today, the NYT reports that they’re not making drug companies do the required tests for side effects or effectiveness (to be fair, it sounds like this pre-dates the Bushies). The companies promise to do them in order to get approval, and in 2/3 of the cases don’t bother. The FDA’s director of the Office of New Drugs says that only 5% of those studies are considered delayed – because no one ever set a timeline.

Generalissimo Musharraf brought up the whole Danish cartoon thing with Bush, and says, “May I say that the President did show concern.” Which I guess means Bush put on his concerned-chimp expression. Although the joint statement says, “The two leaders agreed that acts that disturb inter-faith harmony should be avoided.” The rest of the statement offers such enlightening initiatives as “President Bush and President Musharraf are launching a Strategic Dialogue under the Strategic Partnership.”

On Kashmir, Bush once again ignored the interest that actual Kashmiris might have in having a voice in their future: “The best way for Kashmir to be resolved is for leaders of both countries to step up and lead.” Of course this is Bush, who talks about democracy but whose definition of the term at home and abroad is “elective dictatorship,” and whose idea of foreign relations involves deals between two countries’ elective dictators. Thus, Bush seems not to have protested or even mentioned the people placed under house arrest or the anti-Bush protesters shot dead in Pakistan. He did say that he and the general “share a strong commitment to democracy.” Sure they do.

Here Bush asks Musharraf for a hug.


Then Bush asks Musharraf for, um, uh....


Then he asks Musharraf where he can get one of them hats.


He met a kid crippled in the earthquake.

You didn’t get like that quail-hunting with Cheney, did you?
And finally, to cricket. In the last shot, a bowler hits Bush in the shoulder, or, as Bush later put it, “I was fooled by a googly.” Fool me once...