Unspinning Bush’s War

PLUS: We are sooo over Thomas Edison...It’s like they don’t even care what happens in Afghanistan...TV ads make skin cancer fun...Paris Hilton probably let the dogs out, that’s who...And check your facebook newsfeed, your DNA just got poked. It’s March 28th and this is Mic Check. Oh, we’re on all right.

Celebration Excuse

Spring’s the ripe time to change names, Spaniards cease hacking Spaniards to death, and Three Mile gives the world a radioactive scare. It’s March 28 and here’s why Mic Check is celebrating.

1774

British Parliament adopts the Coercive Acts. Little did they know, Americans just don’t like to be coerced.

1814

Guillotin, inventor of the machine of the same name, dies. His head, incidentally, stayed with his body.

1834

Scandal! President Andrew Jackson—the original bad boy—is censured for defunding the Second Bank of the United States.

1930

Constantinople and Angora decide to freshen up their image for spring season and change their names to Istanbul and Ankara for a new attitude.

1939

One million lives later, the Spanish Civil War ends and the bad guys still are in power.

1964

The “King” is ousted from his throne. Beatles break Elvis’ record of consecutive hits

1979

Your nuclear power naysayer’s worst nightmare: Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania’s nuclear reactor, has a meltdown. Panic attacks across the nation ensue.

Can’t Hardly Wait to Eat Cake

1928: Mika’s dad (and former National Security Adviser) Zbiginew Brzezinski

1970: He’s so money and he doesn’t even know it. Champion of the Frat Pack, Vince Vaughan

1975: Ex-beauty queen Shanna Moakler, prime example of hot girl going for way less attractive guys

1981: Julia Stiles, actress most likely to win “Dancing With The Stars”

Daybook

Stumpin’

California Democratic Party Annual State Convention.

Congress

Senate

Not in session.

House

Spring District Work Period.

10:00 a.m.

National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee and Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee: Joint field hearing on “Community Impacts of Proposed Uranium Mining Near Grand Canyon National Park.”

TV

Tivo…

Oprah: Oprah’s Great American Haircut (R 11/2/07)

The View: Sen. Barack Obama

Regis & Kelly: Matthew McConaughey, Keira Knightley, Martin Lawrence, Daytime’s leading lady Susan Lucci, k.d. lang

Ellen: Courtney Cox, skier Bode Miller, “American Idol” castoff Amanda Overmyer

Martha: French Chef Show

Fall asleep to…

Letterman: Maryland politician Charles Barkley, comic Billy Burr (R 2/15/08)

Leno: Kid Inventors, Canadian singer k.d. lang

Ferguson: Tom “Magnum” Sellek, racing driver Dario Franchitti, Ziggy Marley

Conan: Jerry Seinfield, Red Sox player David Ortiz, Sondre Lerche (R 11/2/07)

Kimmel: Kate Bosworth, TV sorority girl Spencer Grammer, Seri Tankian

Daly: Baywatch babe Brooke Burns, Shiny Toy Guns (R 3/10/08)

 

Eavesdrop

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The Three Trillion Dollar War And Beyond

Who: Linda Bilmes, Professor, Harvard University and Steve Kosiak Vice President for Budget Studies, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments

What: Linda Bilmes shares findings from her new book, The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict, during a probing panel discussion moderated by CAP senior fellow Lawrence Korb. [AMERICAN PROGRESS][AMAZON]

Why You Should Care: Remember in 2002 when Bush put a $100 to $200 billion price tag on the Iraq war before it began? 4,000 American lives and five years later, the direct cost of the war is quickly approaching $1 trillion at a time when recession is one of the most Googled words. With an Administration funding a war completely from borrowed money, Bush and McCain are intent on sticking the next generation with the bill.

The Audio:

  • Linda Bilmes breaks down how the war has “weakened the economy”.
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  • Linda Bilmes dreams about what $600 billion could do for Social Security, health care, and kids.
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  • Budgetary expert Steve Kosiak is not impressed with the Administration’s budget record.
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  • $600 per American vs. $21,000 per Iraqi? Linda Bilmes thinks it’s an “opportunity cost that we’ve lost in terms of what we can do to stimulate the economy”.
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  • “Lost visibility on billions of dollars” due to irresponsible spending? Thanks for explaining why there’s a reason for a set budget process, Linda.
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Popularity Contest

You may have spent all day yesterday stuck in an airport, but you can still catch up on the world with these Most Popular stories.

NBC: Police free boy, 16, who was kidnapped as infant

ABC: Bitter Democratic Fight Takes Voter Toll

FOX: Man Claims to Speak ‘Australian’ After Allegedly Being Raped by Wombat

CNN: Glenn Beck: The $53 trillion asteroid

CBS: Pelosi’s Office Responds To Clinton Supporters

NYT: Yes, Running Can Make You High

WASHPO: Making Up Is Hard to Do

USAT: Ky. police find 2 children dead after campus incident

LAT: Ads give Sarah Marshalls some unwanted exposure

REUTERS: Clinton backers warn Pelosi on superdelegate rift

BBC: Baggage halted at new £4.3bn T5

Masthead

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Mic Check is produced every weekday by Christy Harvey, Sara Langhinrichs and Nicole Murphy, and is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Read more about Mic Check.

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