The Hemingway Report

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

I think he left more then his heart in SF

Tony Bennett, legendary crooner, delivers rant about 9/11 on Howard Stern show: 'We caused' it

Legendary singer Tony Bennett raised eyebrows in a bizarre interview with Howard Stern when he proclaimed that "we caused" the 9/11 attacks and former President George W. Bush admitted to him that the Iraq war was a mistake.

"They flew the plane in, but we caused it," the 85-year-old crooner told Stern on his Sirius Radio show Monday night. "Because we were bombing them and they told us to stop."

Bennett's controversial answer came after Stern asked the World War II vet how the U.S. should deal with the terrorists responsible for toppling the Twin Towers.

"But who are the terrorists?" Bennett said, according to ABC News. "Are we the terrorists or are they the terrorists? Two wrongs don't make a right."

Bennett went on to describe a night in 2005 when then-President Bush made a frank admission to him about the war in Iraq.

The pair were at an event at the Kennedy Center honoring Bennett.

"He told me personally that night that, he said, 'I think I made a mistake,'" said Bennett, who was appearing on the show to promote his new album, "Duets II."

Bennett said he believed that the president made this revelation because "he had a special liking to me."

Bush could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bennett said he just so happens to agree with the former president.

"To start a war in Iraq was a tremendous, tremendous mistake internationally," he said.

Well...which is it?

You can't have it both ways.

After he said this he now wants to raise taxes by 1.5 trillion. The only bone of contention; are we or are we not in a recession?

Recession defined is a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.

However, U.S. real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 1.0 percent in the second quarter of 2011, that is, from the first quarter to the second quarter. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 0.4 percent.

So technically, by a hair, we are not in a recession. But by raising taxes in this environment is tantamount to visiting your sick uncle in the hospital on life support after a heart attack and asking him if he would like to join you for a 10K run.

His catchphrase bullshit about millionaires and billionaires...fairness... and shared sacrifice is just that --bullshit.

Just once I would like a reporter to ask.

Mr President how is it 47% of all Americans who earn a living pay no income tax whatsoever? Explain to me how that is fair?

How could someone who has never run a business conduct the business of government?

Monday, September 19, 2011

This one slipped by me

Not a joke.

He actually said this.

Obama made the remark before a gathering of 50 donors to his reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee who each paid $35,800 to attend.