Huckabee, clueless on facts again, crosses picket line

From the Los Angeles Times:

DES MOINES -- Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee was a guest Wednesday on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" -- though he seemed earlier in the day not to know that he would be crossing a picket line to appear.

Huckabee flew from Iowa to make the appearance, a day before the state's first-in-the- nation caucuses. The candidate made no mention of the Writers Guild strike during his appearance and instead joked about having lived in a "triple-wide" trailer when he was governor of Arkansas. The amateur musician also played his guitar in Leno's band.

Strike supporters outside the NBC studios carried signs calling Huckabee a scab. One read: "Huckabee you can't deny this cross."

The Leno show is among those being struck by the Writers Guild of America.

Separately, Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton made a brief taped appearance on David Letterman's show. But Letterman, who owns his own production company, broke from other producers and reached an accord with writers last week. There is no such deal with Leno's show.

Writers Guild strike coordinator Jeff Hermanson said there was "no doubt about it" that Huckabee would be crossing a picket line by appearing on Leno's show, which is not part of any settlement.

Democratic candidates have vowed to honor the writers' picket line.

Earlier Wednesday, Huckabee, while campaigning in Iowa, said he did not believe he would be crossing a picket line to appear with Leno because he thought writers had settled their differences with the late-night shows.

"My understanding is that there was a special arrangement made for the late-night shows, and the writers have made this agreement to let the late-night shows to come back on, so I don't anticipate that it's crossing a picket line," Huckabee told journalists.

When reporters noted that the writers settled with only Letterman's show, Huckabee protested: "But my understanding is there's a sort of dispensation given to the late-night shows, is that right?"

Huckabee added that he supports the writers, "unequivocally, absolutely."

I don't know which I find more disturbing: either he's completely clueless or he is a complete liar. We've already tried both of those traits in the White House -- in fact we've currently got a two-fer with George W. -- and it's not worked out so well.

Iraq oil ministry refuses to work with unions

Whether you belong to a union or not, I think most people in this country agree that a basic principle of democracy is the right to join one if you wish. Which is the all the more reason you should be outraged that the Iraq Oil Ministry has refused to recognize or have any dealings with the Oil Workers Union.

If you think there is no need for these workers to organize, imagine the working conditions they must endure. Do you think either the government or the private sector cares about their safety or well-being? Of course not. In fact, the Oil Ministry is busy drafting the “Hydrocarbon Law,” which will give foreign oil companies huge access to Iraqi oil. The law contains 3 sentences on Oil Revenue Sharing and 33 pages on Privatization. And the Bush-Cheney Administration, with its undeniable ties to the world of private oil money, are pushing this law at the expense of the Iraqi people.

Dennis Kucinich, my candidate for President in 2008, wrote his colleagues recently,

“The law, if passed, is expected to open the country's billions of barrels of proven oil reserves, the world's third largest, to foreign investors....Under the new law, the Iraq National Oil Company would have exclusive control of only about 17 of Iraq's approximately 80 known oil fields.”

According to our Leader/Decider/War President, our troops are in Iraq for the purpose of bringing democracy to that country. Why then are we trying to (a) take their oil and (b) reinstitute policies of Saddam Hussein?

Saddam Hussein outlawed worker organizing in the public sector; subsequent U.S. occupying powers and now the Iraqi government do not recognize the workers' rights to organize.

A nice summary of this situation written earlier this year is Iraq Labor vs. ExxonMobil, BP and Shell at Truthout.org.

photo of an Iraqi oil refinery worker by David Bacon at Oil For Freedom.