Hold Bush Accountable (washingtonpost.com)

"I do not write the headlines for my columns. Someone else does. But if I were to write the headline for this one, it would be 'Impeach George Bush.'"
Richard Cohen 10-28-2004
btw, this man is more constant than Friedman, more measured than Krugman, I have not read a mean spirited column and his writing his often is rich with the words and events of history.
He does not say this, but from events just in our time, each society, no matter how governed, has within it seeds of violence: Hutus, Germans, Israelis, Serbs, Indonesians, Asian Indians, Italians, Greeks, Turks... Americans, we had our turn, with Negroes, with Native Americans, can be called out by the leader of the moment: we turn to murder.
Bush is one of those leaders. Powerful, rational people are swept up in it.

From the Trenches

While we debate the value of telling our Kerry voting compatriots that their mothers are no longer Americans there are some down in Florida making a difference. Check this out from Talking Points Memo:

Received yesterday from a reader down in the trenches ...

Still in Florida.

This was one of the most moving, meaningful days of my life.

My job is to get people to the polls and, more importantly, to keep them there. Because they’re crazily jammed. Crazily. No one expected this turnout. For me, it’s been a deeply humbling, deeply gratifying experience. At today’s early vote in the College Hill district of East Tampa -- a heavily democratic, 90% African American community — we had 879 voters wait an average of five hours to cast their vote. People were there until four hours after they closed (as long as they’re in line by 5, they can vote).

Here’s what was so moving:

We hardly lost anyone. People stood outside for an hour, in the blazing sun, then inside for another four hours as the line snaked around the library, slowly inching forward. It made Disneyland look like speed-walking. Some waited 6 hours. To cast one vote. And EVERYBODY felt that it was crucial, that their vote was important, and that they were important.

And there were tons of first time voters. Tons.

Aside from some hassles from the Republican election commissioner ( … [ed.note: Here the letter writer describes various shenanigans intended to exacerbate the difficulties of waiting hours in line to vote. I’ve censored this detail to preserve the anonymity of the writer.], I actually had an amazing experience. No, actually, in a way because of that I had an amazing experience. Because these people know that the system that’s in place doesn’t want them voting. And yet they are determined to vote.

The best of all was an 80 year old African American man who said to me: “When I first started I wasn’t even allowed to vote. Then, when I did, they was trying to intimidate me. But now I see all these folks here to make sure that my vote counts. This is the first time in my life that I feel like when I cast my vote it’s actually gonna be heard.”

To see people coming out — elderly, disabled, blind, poor; people who have to hitch rides, take buses, etc — and then staying in line for hours and hours and hours... Well, it’s humbling. And it’s awesome. And it’s kind of beautiful.

Sometimes you forget what America is.

I think there’s hope.

ES

Nothing to add ...

-- Josh Marshall

Here in Colorado I've been canvassing for the last two days and was on the phone the prior two days. I have to say I'm having the time of my life. There are people ALL OVER from all sorts of organizations knocking on doors and getting people AMPED about Tuesday. Unfortunately there is a pro-Bush campaign focused on the Latino vote that may well send Colorado Bush's way. But the energy out there FOR Kerry is exciting! I'm a changed man because of the last four days and I have Bush to thank for it.

US Marshalls assigned as inflight protection

Your US Marshals in action. Guns don't kill people: US Marshals do.
(You know, if the police are going to carry guns, ummm, it might be wise for a citizen to be armed as well.)

John Dean: The coming post election chaos

"It does not seem to trouble either Rove or Bush that they are moving us toward a Twenty-first Century civil war -- and that, once again, Southern conservatism is at its core. Only a miracle, it strikes me, can prevent this election from descending into post-election chaos. But given the alternatives, a miracle is what I am hoping for."

---

Conservatism? Conservatism?? You call a capitalist who deals in humans, cares for the product but not the person, a conservative?
Is that, after all, to be the essence of the what it means to be a conservative?
There would be NO such "conservatives" if corporations were not recognized, as obscene as it is true, as people.

Where are the weapons!

He has been unable to account for the weapons! They are gone, but we have no idea where they might be, where they may have been moved!

Gee, that sounds familiar. Saddam? or Bush?
When Bush said them, it had that distinct ring of the challenges from the guy who was going to give you a beating by asking you questions that just could not be answered.
I've been in that position, and I made sure I got off first.
Why didn't Saddam get off first? Big mistake. Go figure: the US massively attacking the cities of Iraq? I wonder, in term of "towers" what the damage, just to Bahgdad, was.

The Bloggosphere Files

Here is a blog post of a man (not sure his age or location) writing a letter to his mom. He's explaining why he can't vote for Bush. As far as I can tell, this man is no ideologue, no political expert, no academic, no pundit (arm chair or otherwise). He's just an everyday guy now involved in politics due to the circumstances he now finds us in. At least that's my take. The bloggosphere offers quite a few peaks into regular people's lives but this one is one of the more personal (and therefore warming and beautiful) I've seen.

This is a letter I wrote to my mom the other day. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. Since I think it’s my best writing I’ve done about the election, I asked her if I could post it here. (She said yes.)

U.S. Marines Poised to Storm Falluja and Ramadi

They weren't kidding when they said they would do this right after the election!

T.Roosevelt Thought for the Week

Tip o' the Keyboard to the Bull Moose blog

"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."
"Roosevelt in the Kansas City Star", May 7, 1918

Kerry's the One - Another Conservative for Kerry

From DailyKos

Bob Smith of New Hampshire lived at the far right of the GOP. He even left the Republican Party at one point because he considered it too moderate. In fact, he was one of those guys who waved around plastic fetuses whenever abortion was debated.

But in 2004, this hard right winger is endorsing Kerry (PDF).

As someone who worked with you daily for 12 years as a United States Senator, I am acutely conscious of the fact that we disagree on many important issues. Despite our differences, you have always been willing to engage in constructive debate in an effort to forge sound public policy.

I deeply respect your commitment to our nation and your patriotism which, I believe, was forged when you-like I-proudly wore the uniform of the United States Navy in Viet Nam...

Because of the courage and character you demonstrated in Vietnam, I believe you when you say that you'll do a better job than President Bush to win the peace in Iraq, as well as to win the war against terrorism.

President Bush has failed to restrain federal spending, sending our deficit spinning into the stratosphere. I well remember that you were one of a handful of Democrats who crossed the aisle to forge a bipartisan coalition in the Senate to balance the federal budget [...]

John, for each of these reasons I believe President Bush has failed our country and my party. Accordingly, I want you to know that when I go into the booth next Tuesday I am going to cast my vote for you. So will my wife, Mary Jo, and all three of my children: Jason, Bobby and Jenny.

Moreover, I will do all that I can to encourage my friends in New Hampshire and Florida to join me in supporting you.

Troop Strength divided by 3 equals troop strength

I recall visiting Tevia's, a restaurant owned by my
friend Shelly and his brother Murray on, ummm, can't remember the street,in San Franciso. Small place, bar, a dozen booths. How many people work here, I asked, figuring like 3 or 4. Nope. 19. 19???
Well, there's the bar and the kitchen and bussing and then there's lunch and dinner and we are open every day.
Ah.
So when you deploy 150K troops, how many have you really got working at any one time: maybe a third. Probably way way less. Because somebody also has to cook, to order shit, to build stuff, to answer the phone. So, how many are actually on duty, soldiers, armed, protecting, defending? Like, ummm, try 3am in the morning.... very very very few.
Oh, yeah, and then there better be a few just hanging around while the other guys are sleeping, brushing teeth, recovering from the flu, (well, OK, malaria)...
Maybe its more like divided by 5? 10? So, you send 150K troops and you get maybe 10K at any one time. And how many in Bahgdad? Fallugah? etc.... you know something: there is nobody home!
Oh, by the way: no live footage of what is going on in Iraq. Nothing on "air strikes": just what does that mean? helicopter, wart hog? high level bombers? fighter jets?
I sure as hell do not know. We get lots of footage about Israel bulldozing Palestine, but bombs in Iraq: nothing.

Breaking News About Missing Iraq Explosives

In many parts of the world such news is known as conclusive evidence. But then again, we live in the reality based community.

Worth Reading Every Word

This is how you LOSE wars. Support our Troops, re-defeat Bush. Follow the link above for more.

October 28, 2004

A SOLDIER'S STORY: "VOTING FOR BUSH WON'T HELP US"

I JUST SAT NEXT TO A VERY TOUGH SOLDIER FROM THE 82ND AIRBORNE on a flight back from Europe. I have been thinking for two days about how to share some of the things he told me without compromising him.

This guy I met is not one prone to talk; he was very serious, very mellow -- and comes from a family of enlisted military men. His dad was in Vietnam.

He has had one rotation in Afghanistan, one in Iraq. He is now in Germany but will soon be transfered back to Iraq. He was at Tora Bora and has seen a lot of Iraq, Afghan, and American dead.

According to him, 75% of all soldiers want Bush defeated in the election and don't care who defeats him; anger and resentment are high. He says that 90% of the officers remain far out of harm's way, from lietenants all the way up -- and that only about 10% of the officer corps has some reasonable concern for the troops. There is general understanding that the officers are hiding in holes, or holding back in well-defended buildings and quite cavalier about sending troops out for assignments and errands that are frequently stupid, poorly planned, and dangerous.

The Missing Explosives

Could these be them? [They aren't 100% sure yet but...]


Bush is toast. His number is up. The Pentagon is now no longer toeing the line. Bush has passed his last buck.

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew in Iraq shortly after the fall of Saddam Hussein was in the area where tons of explosives disappeared, and may have videotaped some of those weapons.

During that trip, members of the 101st Airborne Division showed the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS news crew bunker after bunker of material labelled "explosives." Usually it took just the snap of a bolt cutter to get into the bunkers and see the material identified by the 101st as detonation cords.

Once the doors to the bunkers were opened, they weren't secured. They were left open when the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew and the military went back to their base.

"We weren't quite sure what were looking at, but we saw so much of it and it didn't appear that this was being secured in any way," said photojournalist Joe Caffrey. "It was several miles away from where military people were staying in their tents".

Denver on the GOP hit list.

From the Washington Post:

In Denver, election officials said the Republican Party told them it plans to have 350 poll watchers to challenge voters there. "This is a very organized, very intense effort," said Alan McBeth of the Denver Election Commission. "If it becomes abusive, we may have to step in and say this is out of hand."

How to program a voting machine

It's hiding in plain site. Anyone who knows cntrl-alt-del should grasp the concept: you touch the screen simultaneously in some specific spots and it goes into control mode or whatever the hell you want to. Heck, we've done that on web pages: you make a single pixel on the screen live, off in some corner, invisible, but active: you click when you find it and voila! you're in control mode of your pages.
That technique has been applied to tablets that support very complex custom overlays... you tell the table what the overlay is by touching the specific marks on the overlay. For instance, you can tell the machine that the overlay is a map of the United States.
The process was quite accidentally demonstrated, in fact, that such a process is already in the Diebold machines: on 60 minutes, it was demonstrated that if you voted for two candidates at the same time, the first and the third at one time, neither was chosen, but the one in the middle was selected.
Another voter said no matter how many time she picked on candidate, the x showed up for another: calibration? nope, but surely that would work easily... all you have to do is shrink one field and enlarge another... encourage a mistake.
The very fact that the software for the voting machines was given to a private company and that code is proprietary is in itself intentional abrogation of responsibility.
So, my prediction is out there: violence, police, national guard, deaths, and Bush stays in office siting domestic unrest as terrorism, and the supreme court will back him.

Mosh is #1

The Get Out The Vote (GOTV) spot by eminem is #1 on MTV.

The GOP's November Surprise

From NewDonkey.com

Where is Superman when we need him? Oh, that's right...

I should have known when George Will started writing columns about the dastardly threat of voter fraud that something big was in the works. And sure enough, the conservative media echo chamber is now vibrating from a cacophany of warnings that Democrats are trying to steal the presidential election by fradulently registering ineligible voters.

What's happening here is an effort to soften up the news media and the public for a truly audacious, and perhaps even desperate, gambit by the Republican Party that appears to be planned for election day: wholesale challenges to minority voters in battleground states in an effort to either (1) intimidate or demoralize likely Democratic voters, or (2) lay the groundwork for one of those Bush-v.-Gore-enabled retroactive legal actions aimed at reversing an adverse result. More likely, the aim is (3) both.

In case you've missed it, both the New York Times and the Washington Post have published extensive reports on the GOP's plans in Ohio to deploy "volunteers" (paid a reported $100 a pop for their time) in 8,000 mostly minority voting precincts with the goal of challenging the eligibility of many if not most voters. Aside from throwing such voters into the category of "provisional" voters whose ballots may get tossed out later on, the idea appears to be to make voting as slow and unpleasant as possible in the precincts that might give John Kerry the electoral votes of this key state.

While this scheme has been best documented in Ohio, I'll bet you a fist full of buckeyes that similar plans are under way in other battleground states with large minority populations. Hence the "voter fraud" cries from the GOP. "You know how these people are," is the implicit message. It is highly reminiscent of the Bush-Cheney campaign's successful strategy in 2000 of preemptively claiming victory in Florida and then depicting any effort to actually get the votes counted as an election-stealing enterprise.

I don't know exactly who the "volunteers" are who are planning to flood African-American polling places in Ohio to gum up the works and mess with the minds and ballots of voters. But given the rather limited number of black Republicans available, I have a clear mental image of some pasty-faced, bow-tie clad Federalist Society dweeb from Case-Western Law School showing up at an inner-city Cleveland precinct spouting 1953 case law at angry voters who know how often this sort of crap was pulled on African-Americans in the Deep South.

Now I have no particular reason to doubt the physical courage of conservative activists, and absolutely no reason to doubt their willingness to engage in bully-boy tactics. A good precedent was provided by the famous Brooks Brothers Riot of November 22, 2000, when a gang of Republican operatives, including quite a few GOP congressional staff down from Washington, succeeded in intimidating the Miami-Dade Canvassing Board into abandoning a hand recount of presidential ballots. But if this year's Republican intimidation tactics are half as bad as I suspect they will be, they may simply fortify the determination of their targets to get out and get in their votes.

Today the DLC called on President Bush to personally condemn any wholesale challenges to minority voters on or before Election Day. He's about as likely to do that as he is to suddenly admit he's made a bunch of mistakes over the last four years. But at a minimum, he should have the decency to warn his campaign's "volunteers" that they may experience more than a $100 worth of unpleasantness if they spend November 2 randomly hassling minority voters.

After all, playing Bull Connor without the fire hoses and the police dogs could be hazardous to your health.

UPDATE: Tapped's Nick Confessore has an excellent post on the GOP's minority voter intimidation project, and documents the propaganda war to pre-justify it better than I have.

Kerry's the One - American Conservative Magazine

I think the best arguments for Kerry are coming from the conservatives that realize they are losing their party.

Gibson: "You're getting in trouble -- "

From Tuesday, Oct 26, 2004; 2:48 PM White House Briefing Blog

This morning, in part two of his interview with Bush on ABC's "Good Morning America," Charlie Gibson spit it out. Brandishing a copy of the photo, he asked: "Final question. What the hell was that on your back, in the first debate?"

Bush chuckled.

Bush: "Well, you know, Karen Hughes and Dan Bartlett have rigged up a sound system -- "

Gibson: "You're getting in trouble -- "

Bush: "I don't know what that is. I mean, it is, uh, it is, it's a -- I'm embarrassed to say it's a poorly tailored shirt."

Gibson: "It was the shirt?"

Bush: "Yeah, absolutely."

Gibson: "There was no sound system, there was no electrical signal? There was --"

Bush: "How does an electrical -- please explain to me how it works so maybe if I were ever to debate again I could figure it out. I guess the assumption was that if I was straying off course they would, kind of like a hunting dog, they would punch a buzzer and I would jerk back into place. I -- it's just absurd."

I'm not sure which is more sickening, Bush's excuse or the softball, lead by the hand, everything will be OK, listen to mommy, statement of Gibson's: "You're getting in trouble -- "

Missing explosives? It is not my fault!, says Bush

"While Mr Bush has not commented on the missing materiel, his aides seized on another news report that the explosives were missing when US forces arrived at the Iraqi base the day after the fall of Baghdad. However, it remains unclear if the stockpile had already been stolen or just not found at that time."
That's FB time, (Fall of Baghdad): of course the invasion and the bombing and the tanks: that was BFB (before the Fall of Baghdad, so nothing before counts.) Then the rest of the time is "too soon" after the Fall of Baghdad, and then as the WSJ points out, Abe Lincoln made mistakes!! So, George Bush is like Abe Lincoln!
Taking the line from "City Slickers", Abe Lincoln crapped bigger than George Bush.

New Florida vote scandal feared: they're making a list, checking it twice...

...gonna find out if your color is nice.

Things were clearer when they just called black people niggers: then at least you knew where they stood.
African Americans, Black, Black Americans, People of color, all sorts of names, but they treat them like niggers just the same. Mind you, you don't have to be black to be treated like a nigger: poor will often do just as well.
But you just can't see a poor person from a distance. And Jews? they can be right next to you and you wouldn't know*. All this "right to privacy" crap is just another way for people who aren't really rich and white and Christian to keep you from knowing that.
How much does that suck.
We know Saddam is evil, we trust George Bush's intensions (some I hear from the polls are going to vote for him!), and we know blacks just aren't as good as whites. Not that they can't be, they just aren't. Not now. But later? Sure.
We're at war and we are NOT going to play the second string team! Later, when it's not so important. Then they can vote.
*Actually, a lot of Jews seemed to have become way too white, IMHO.

Know your Eminem

View this Eminem video. It's a "wow"!





News out today on the BBC website

A secret document obtained from inside Bush campaign headquarters in Florida suggests a plan - possibly in violation of US law - to disrupt voting in the state's African-American voting districts, a BBC Newsnight investigation reveals.

Know your Eminem

View this Eminem video. It's a "wow"!

News out today on the BBC website

A secret document obtained from inside Bush campaign headquarters in Florida suggests a plan - possibly in violation of US law - to disrupt voting in the state's African-American voting districts, a BBC Newsnight investigation reveals.

Look! Up in the sky! Is it a bird? ...

How about new brains for people? This bit'o science actually gives me the creeps. [Tip o' the keyboard to BurstTransmission] More...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- A University of Florida scientist has grown a living “brain” that can fly a simulated plane, giving scientists a novel way to observe how brain cells function as a network.

The “brain” -- a collection of 25,000 living neurons, or nerve cells, taken from a rat’s brain and cultured inside a glass dish -- gives scientists a unique real-time window into the brain at the cellular level. By watching the brain cells interact, scientists hope to understand what causes neural disorders such as epilepsy and to determine noninvasive ways to intervene.

As living computers, they may someday be used to fly small unmanned airplanes or handle tasks that are dangerous for humans, such as search-and-rescue missions or bomb damage assessments.

Deliberately stupid

The flu shot. That we don't have flu shots because vaccines are cheap and the risk of getting sued makes it unprofitable. See, now that is willful, deliberate and I would say malicious stupidity because it advances a view at a real risk to others.
Why the **&^! don't flu shots fall under "provide for the common good"? Isn't that why we have countries and government and public institutions, to do things at a place and at a time and on a scale that singly we cannot?
Look at the people pushing up the wall of a new barn. Look at the towns building parks and playgrounds. Indeed, look at the whole principle of insurance. I mean, if you want to insure your balls, have at it, find a company, pay the fee. But should you have to rely on seeking individual insurance for a flu shot?
When risk of just litigation obstructs the path of the common good, the state must step in or the state should just go away and let some other needed office take its place. Did someone pollute some ground? Maybe? We don't know, but there is a risk: well, let the state absorb the risk and let the state, in a separate action, attempt to recover just costs from the polluter, IF there is a case, and not merely deep pockets (current law basically says that IF you have the money, even though you were just a teeny weeny bit involved, well, you can be totally liable. Not guilty mind you, just liable. How stupid is that!
When a person in an official position acts in a way that is deliberately stupid, ie, it is absolutely clear that a thinking person knows better (eg, do you put your hand in boiling water), then that person should be taken out to the woodshed.
Or, as Lewis Black would say, taken out for an afternoon of electroshock, just to get them back on track. Just to get them back on track.

Why I believe in our president

[From [with alteration] Daily Kos Blog]
With the election fast approaching, I've been re-examining my feelings about our president. And though I know some TCAers will be disturbed, I have concluded that I believe President Bush -- and I believe in him.

Bush makes mistakes right up there with the greatest!

From the Wall Street Journal:
"The truth is that war is nearly always a trial-and-error business in which bad decisions and failure tend to precede good ones--and victory.
During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln hired, then cashiered, Generals Scott, McClellan, Burnside, Hooker and Meade before settling on Grant. That took about two years, during which the catastrophes of Bull Run (Union casualties: 2,896), Fredricksburg (13,353) and Chancellorsville (18,400) intervened. How's that for poor Presidential personnel choices leading to unnecessary loss of life?"
No doubt. But it is the success column that is rather shabby. That's the part you're supposed to look at.
This is, alas, another example of how the GOP brings out the worst of us, in word and deed. And don't forget how we slaughtered the Indians. Lynched the black people. And under Bush, carry those great "traditions" right into 21st century.
By the way, bad decisions and failure tends to preceed defeat. But damn me for the pessimist I am, eh?

The New Yorker Endorses John Kerry

The New Yorker has never endorsed a presidential candidate before. They must feel it pretty important to get rid of Bushy.

BTW- I voted today. Got to use a Diebold machine - it was a pleasant experience.

The Next "Brooks Brothers" Riot

Seems the Bush team is preparing the way for their next election tactic. Here's something from the Bush camp:

Welcome to the 72 Hour Task Force! We are excited to introduce you to this innovative and winning approach to putting people back in politics. Following the great grassroots success of the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign, the 72 Hour Task Force was launched to explore the incredible potential of strategic grassroots campaigning to get-out-the-vote. [emphasis mine]

Remember back to Florida 2000 and the mêlée [bottom of page] that broke out that stopped a vote recount in Miami. Seems this “innovative and winning approach” may be needed again.

More: Brooks Brothers Riot

Maybe May Be Our Best Hope

Over at Burst Transmission there is an interesting conversation about what reality is.

Maybe that is what is going on in the Bush administration as they do their darndest to re-shape reality as we see on Talking Points Memo where Josh Marshall reveals that…

On Good Morning America, President Bush pushes the idea of a pre-election or an election day terrorist attack: "I am worried about it and we should be worried about it. On the other hand, I don't want people to say, that he knows something I don't know and therefore, something is imminent."

My guess is that is a cover for the LATEST disastrous incompetence of the administrations in not securing and losing in Iraq 380 tons of the most powerful non-nuclear explosives on the planet (seems oil was more important, but wasn’t the war about weapons?)

Maybe that’s why over at White House Briefing they are beginning to see the end (hopefully?)

At the same time, there are some signs that the grim realities on the ground -- in Iraq, in a slew of last-minute newspaper stories, and in battleground states -- may finally be grinding down the Bush campaign's optimism.

In the Gibson interview, Bush said he's not thinking about losing.

"I'm not there yet," he said.

But what does he mean, "yet"? Was it just an innocent slip, or a glimpse into his private thinking?

"That's not me," he said. "I believe we're going to win and I'm campaigning as if we are going to win."

As if?

Maybe that is why Rasmussen Reports that their...

Presidential Tracking Poll shows Senator John Kerry with 48% of the vote and President George W. Bush with 46%.

This is the first time Senator Kerry has held the lead since August 23. The 48.4% for Kerry is the Senator's highest total since August 17.

Army to Let Halliburton Keep Iraq Payment

Comments anyone?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Army is laying the groundwork to let Halliburton Co. keep several billion dollars paid for work in Iraq that Pentagon auditors say is questionable or unsupported by proper documentation, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

According to Pentagon documents reviewed by the Journal, the Army has acknowledged that the Houston-based company might never be able to account properly for some of its work, which has been probed amid accusations that Halliburton's Kellogg Brown & Root unit overbilled the government for some operations in Iraq.

Bush and Harvard

"One of the most refreshing things about President Bush is his immunity from intellectual intimidation. More than his decision to go to war in Iraq, more than the religious values I share with him (though I do not share his religion), I appreciate that, though he has to struggle for language, he expresses unapologetically his commitment to the strength of our nation. By contrast, through their opposition to the military, my clever colleagues have done everything they could to make America indefensible."
Interesting: immunity from intellectual intimidation. And that he has to "struggle for language" (I, Claudius?) These are very novel and I think useful characterizations: one a strength, the other a call to listen to what a man is trying to say. As it applies to Bush? Ummmm,.... no.
Choosing to go to war is not refreshing. And getting direction and approval from god is not a "religious value".

Campaigns fail to focus on energy

I wonder why this is.
"Kerry promises "energy independence from the Middle East in 10 years," yet he has not detailed how he would bring about such a colossal shift in the way America gets its energy in such a short period of time."
See, but this sort of crap pisses me off: no detailed plan? Like, who wants to know? Yeah, he has a plan, a coherent plan, but "detailed"? Just what is that supposed to mean? Does it mean he doesn't have oil production figures for 2004-2012, MTBH reduction % for those years, average ethanol consumption, number solar plans that come on line by year?
Geez Louise!

Ohio Court: Provisional Ballots Cast Outside Voter's Home Precinct Not Valid (washingtonpost.com)

"The ruling by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals supports an order issued by Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell. Democrats contend the Republican official's rules are too restrictive and allege they are intended to suppress the vote."
I don't think so. Get to your polling place. Think, vote clearly, ask questions. I don't think that's too much to ask. I mean, pretty soon we'll want to vote through the EZ pass lane in toll booth.
The point was made on NOW last Friday and times before: democrats ask for too much and take too much shit (like not telling the church to stuff it on the Kerry/choice position): that does NOT look like a party that will support you. for one thing, they are too busy supporting the people that seem totally unable to stand for themselves, leaving no time to support people what are working hard. For another, if they cannot stand up for their own party, how are they going to stand of for, there it is again, people who are working hard.
Democrats ought to be called to work hard and kick ass. Too much namby pamby to much of the time.

"Absolute Garbage"

Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo reveals the latest Bush/Cheney lie...

[Talking Points Memo]
Last night when discussing the White House's truth-bending revisionism on Tora Bora, I wrote that I had been "pretty skeptical of the Bush team's revisionism on this count since the outlines of the Kerry critique have been a commonplace in national security and counter-terrorism circles for literally years."

You'll remember that what I'm referring to here as 'Kerry's critique' is the charge that the US let bin Laden get away at Tora Bora because we 'outsourced' the job to local warlords and militiaman. The Bush campaign is now calling that a lie. Dick Cheney says it's "absolute garbage" and the campaign has enlisted retired general and now Bush surrogate Tommy Franks to help back their case.

Look at the lede of this Washington Post article from April 17, 2002 ...

The Bush administration has concluded that Osama bin Laden was present during the battle for Tora Bora late last year and that failure to commit U.S. ground troops to hunt him was its gravest error in the war against al Qaeda, according to civilian and military officials with first-hand knowledge.

[/Talking Points Memo]

Why is it the "left" that is accused of revisionist histroy?

Big G.O.P. Bid to Challenge Voters at Polls in Key State

"Republican Party officials in Ohio took formal steps yesterday to place thousands of recruits inside polling places on Election Day to challenge the qualifications of voters they suspect are not eligible to cast ballots."
Thousands? to "challenge"? Whoa!
Hey, I got your "challenge" right here.
Sounds like a state-wide Irish brawl in the making.
I was wondering how the revolution would start.
This might be a "must see".
This might be the "Woodstock" of the 21st century!
I wonder what the 2nd amendment rights are like in Ohio.

American Airlines Warns About Big Layoffs

"Word of the cuts came two days after American reported a $214 million third-quarter loss, and said that it expected a 'significantly wider' fourth-quarter loss. The airline blamed rising jet fuel prices, which have jumped more than 50 percent in the last year, as well as the impact of hurricanes on its operations in Florida and the Caribbean."
The Bush energy policy is indeed just that: a Bush policy. Oh, you thought that it was an energy policy for the country! Ha ha ha!

Bush Supporters Out To Lunch

Here is part of the analysis from a report of a poll conducted by the Program on International Policy Attitudes. I take an interesting part from the report for its applicability here in the blog but the rest of the analysis is worth reading where they try to explain the roots of the resistance to Bush unfriendly information due to a "bond" that was formed in the aftermath of 9/11.

Analysis
It is normal during elections for supporters of presidential candidates to have fundamental disagreements about values (such as the proper role of the government) or strategies (such as how best to defend US interests). As we have seen, the current election is unique in that Bush supporters and Kerry supporters have profoundly different perceptions of reality. So why is this the case? And, more specifically, why are Bush supporters holding so clinging so tightly to beliefs that have been so visibly refuted? As discussed, one key possible explanation for why Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq had WMD or a major WMD program, and supported al Qaeda is that they continue to hear the Bush administration confirming these beliefs.

Another possible explanation is that Bush supporters cling to these beliefs because they are necessary for their support for the decision to go to war with Iraq. Asked whether the US should have gone to war with Iraq if US intelligence had concluded that Iraq was not making WMD or providing support to al Qaeda, 58% of Bush supporters said the US should not have, and 61% assume that in this case the president would not have. To support the president and to accept that he took the US to war based on mistaken assumptions is difficult to bear, especially in light of the continuing costs in terms of lives and money. Apparently, to avoid this cognitive dissonance, Bush supporters suppress awareness of unsettling information.

This tendency of Bush supporters to ignore dissonant information extends to their perceptions of world public opinion. Despite an abundance of evidence that world public opinion has opposed the US going to war with Iraq, only 31% of Bush supporters are aware that this is the case, and only 9% are aware that Kerry is a more popular candidate than Bush in world public opinion.

Finally, Bush supporters also frequently misperceive their candidate’s foreign policy positions. In particular they tend to assume that he supports more pro-multilateral positions than he, in fact, does. In all cases, there is a recurring theme: majorities of Bush supporters favor these positions they impute to Bush. They have trouble believing that Bush does not favor them too.

Pity the poor Catholic

John Kerry just will not do what the pope says. Hey John, how about not being catholic, and tell the pope to shove it?

"On Oct. 5, a committee of European Parliament members voted to oppose Italy's nomination of Rocco Buttiglione, a Christian Democrat, to be the European Union's justice commissioner. During a hearing before the Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee, he had labeled homosexuality a sin and asserted that the family exists so a woman can raise children under a man's protection. Buttiglione is a friend of Pope John Paul II and various high-ranking Vatican officials.
'It looks like a new Inquisition. It is a lay Inquisition, but it is so nasty,' Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace, told reporters this week in response to the dispute. 'You can freely insult and attack Catholics and nobody will say anything. If you do so for other confessions, let's see what would happen.' [ed: how funny is that?]
The controversy was new proof of the heat of a long debate in Europe over issues of women's equality in the workplace, gay marriage, abortion, scientific research using human embryos and separation of church and state.
Such debates are also intense in the United States, where the Vatican has waged a campaign against abortion, advising U.S. bishops on the inadmissibility of giving Communion to Catholic politicians who persist in supporting abortion rights. It did not specify names, but some bishops in the United States have said they would not administer the sacrament to Sen. John F. Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate"

---

See, I think the democrats ought to tell the vatican to get out of politics or be taxed, right now.

Columnists in the Washington Post

broder on electoral college considerations
cohen on nonsense
wills on voter responsibility
This is why the post beats the NY Times...
broder examines the electoral college, thoughtfully
cohen suggests that O'Reilly's "victim" is really no victim
wills suggests that voters are not "disenfranchised" by every single thing.
This in interesting and thoughtful writing, methinks.

On the Trail: In Bush's Vision, a Mission to Spread Power of Liberty

Oh shit: it's a crusade.
It really is a crusade: George Bush is bringing god's freedom to the world: it's the Christian thing to do.

Freeway Free Speech Day Pictures Page 1

Freeway Free Speech Day Pictures Page 1

Bush Relatives for Kerry

"Bush Relatives for Kerry" grew out of a series of conversations that took place between a group of people that have two things in common: they are all related to George Walker Bush, and they are all voting for John Kerry. As the election approaches, we feel it is our responsibility to speak out about why we are voting for John Kerry, and to do our small part to help America heal from the sickness it has suffered since George Bush was appointed President in 2000. We invite you to read our stories, and please, don't vote for our cousin!

The Coming Conflict

Well with such an over wrought title as that how can I follow up with facts to bring it home. Well there is an interesting article in the NYTimes magazine about the "Messianic" president. "He truly believes he's on a mission from God."

Bruce Bartlett, a domestic policy adviser to Ronald Reagan and a treasury official for the first President Bush, told me recently that ''if Bush wins, there will be a civil war in the Republican Party starting on Nov. 3.'' The nature of that conflict, as Bartlett sees it? Essentially, the same as the one raging across much of the world: a battle between modernists and fundamentalists, pragmatists and true believers, reason and religion.

In that article you learn some wonderful little niggling facts that the Republicans are not showing in their advertising like:

Joe Biden was telling a story, a story about the president. ''I was in the Oval Office a few months after we swept into Baghdad,'' he began, ''and I was telling the president of my many concerns'' -- concerns about growing problems winning the peace, the explosive mix of Shiite and Sunni, the disbanding of the Iraqi Army and problems securing the oil fields. Bush, Biden recalled, just looked at him, unflappably sure that the United States was on the right course and that all was well. '''Mr. President,' I finally said, 'How can you be so sure when you know you don't know the facts?'''

Biden said that Bush stood up and put his hand on the senator's shoulder. ''My instincts,'' he said. ''My instincts.''

Biden paused and shook his head, recalling it all as the room grew quiet. ''I said, 'Mr. President, your instincts aren't good enough!'''

But you see the problem is not theirs, it is ours. You see the problem you and I have is that we live in the "reality-based community". If you respond, well yeah, well then you still don't get it. Let's turn to Ron Suskind in the NYTimes magazine to explain his encounter with a senior adviser to Bush to explain it:

In the summer of 2002, after I had written an article in Esquire that the White House didn't like about Bush's former communications director, Karen Hughes, I had a meeting with a senior adviser to Bush. He expressed the White House's displeasure, and then he told me something that at the time I didn't fully comprehend -- but which I now believe gets to the very heart of the Bush presidency.

The aide said that guys like me were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.''

A look at lawsuits, voting problems and other ballot issues around the country

Hey. First we have to stop the evil ones. Then we can worry about this prissy voting shit. I mean, where the hell are their priorities.
Consider, it's such a close election and we need Bush anyway, so as long as Bush wins, lets not worry about the voting. On the other hand, if Bush looses, why, we could just stop this government right in its tracks.
Then we're ALL gonna be NRA members ;-)

IDEAlog.us - Video of Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan: Don't Trust Bush on the Draft!

You gotta see this. You gotta. And then write to Tim Ryan and thank him. And probably send him some money: he's out of a job if Bush wins.

Bush the mis-leader: Flu vaccine? Not MY fault!

Bush always has a reason, and excuse. If Americans had any concept of management, they would not accept excuses in place of results.
Flu vaccine, weapons, economy: Bush has an excuse.
"It's getting better." (better than what? certainly NOT better than it was when he got it.)
Bush is the Alfred E. Newman of presidents.
Alfred E. Newman: "What, me worry?"
George Bush: "It's not my fault".
or maybe, Bart Simpson? "I didn't do it"

Two Republican-Oriented Newspapers Refuse to Back Bush

From CapHillBlue

In a break with tradition, The Tampa Tribune, a Republican standard-bearer for decades, refused Sunday to endorse anyone for president for the first time since 1964.

The Tribune became the second GOP-oriented daily to balk at endorsing the Republican incumbent. The Winston Salem Journal also refused to endorse either candidate.

Singling Out Mary Cheney Wrong, Most Say (!)

Nonsense. Cheneys daughter is a lesbian.
Shit, even Seinfeld said "not that there is anything wrong with that".
Just as Kerry can be Cathollic and be pro choice, Cheney can have a gay daughter he loves dearly and oppose gay marriage.
I'n not particulary in favor of people who stake out nationial policy decisions based on their own personal experiences or beliefs*, so I would not like to see a person do a 180 turn on some personal experience and change 65 years of beliefs in an instance. That doesn't show compasion, it merely exposes 65 years of a lack of imagination and that systemic failure has not been remedied.
*eg., like, ummm, invading a country

Jon Stewart says: Please! Stop hurting America!

Great new book, but Jon doesn't plug it.
Here is an honest man.

Bush leads Kerry as "strong leader"...

...but trails Putin significantly.
(pollsters are really a bunch of yutzes)

Ohio Republicans Reenact Watergate?

A tip o' the pen to Rising Hegemon blog:

The Lucas County Democratic Headquarters was burglarized overnight, and three computers, including the party’s main system, were stolen.

The computers contained highly sensitive information, including the party’s financial information, names and personal phone numbers of hundreds of party members, candidates, and volunteers.

The computers also stored e-mails from candidates that included discussion about campaign strategy.

A second computer, belonging to an attorney-volunteer working to ensure voters’ rights, also was taken, officials said. The headquarters on 1817 Madison Avenue does have an alarm system that volunteers believed they set late Monday when they left.

However, it apparently wasn’t tripped during the night. Workers arriving about 7:30 a.m. yesterday noticed the back window had been shattered and called police.

Grand Old Plutocracy

The party of internal rot starts showing some signs.

A tip o' the pen to Talking Points Memo for these gems:

Bush's New England Campaign Chief Resigns

Six people connected with the South Dakota republican party have resigned over questions surrounding absentee ballot applications.

President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, testified Friday before a federal grand jury trying to determine who leaked the name of an undercover CIA officer.

One of Karl's little tricks?

frontline: the choice 2004 - explore this link

frontline: the choice 2004: interviews: david frum | PBS:

"How evident was the religious current in the White House? You recall, I think, the first words you heard.

Yes. The first words -- obviously it's sort of funny -- but just by coincidence the first words I heard as I stepped over the threshold for the first time, on my way to the breakfast where they make the decision whether to hire me or not, were 'Missed you at Bible study.' Not directed to me, but to the man I was with, who had supposed to be at it.
The religious influence was strongest in sort of the mid-level of the staff. You had a lot of very idealist young people and not-so-young people who came from religious backgrounds, for whom evangelical Christianity was the natural idiom of their lives. Maybe other White Houses had been full of economists, and this one was full of people for whom faith was the way they understood the world.
But you can get the wrong idea from that, because evangelical America is a pretty diverse place, too. There are a lot of different political strains. Evangelical religion can point you to a lot of very different kinds of political answers."

And also, The Jesus Factor This transcript is drawn from two interviews conducted on Oct. 30, 2003 and Jan. 8, 2004

The Stench of Things to Come

If this year stays true to past form, the campaign will get nastier in the closing weeks, and without anyone's quite registering it, Rove will be right back in his element. He seems to understand-indeed, to count on-the media's unwillingness or inability, whether from squeamishness, laziness, or professional caution, ever to give a full estimate of him or his work. It is ultimately not just Rove's skill but his character that allows him to perform on an entirely different plane. Along with remarkable strategic skills, he has both an understanding of the media's unstated self-limitations and a willingness to fight in territory where conscience forbids most others.

Thomas Friedman: Addicted to 9/11. We need an America that is not afraid.

Ah it's a bright day. You can even see a little bit of Friedman's head shining out from inside his ass. Maybe he'll take it all the way out? Nah.
9/11 didn't change anything. July 4th did.

Viva America

From Capitol Hill Blue's "The Rant"

When adherence to a political position replaces loyalty to your country and party dogma replaces the Constitution, it is time for a change.

I’m not talking about changes to a party structure or amendments to a political system but substantial change to a system of government that no longer serves the people. One only has to look at the gridlock in Congress, the absence of truth and honor in the White House and the American public’s deteriorating belief in our elected leadership to know that what we have now ain’t working.

But change – real change – won’t come at the ballot box. We can’t change a thing when our choices are George W. Bush or John F. Kerry. We also can’t change it by throwing our votes away on Ralph Nader or any other fringe candidate.

Instead, we have to rethink what we – as Americans – must do to save our country.

It took a revolution to create a place called America.

It may take another one to restore it.

Tim Graham on Debate #3 on National Review Online

This is funny. This man thinks that Shieffer was pro Kerry. Pro Kerry/pro Bush or no, he had by far the lamest questions. He was off topic.
See, now, Howard Dean would have nailed his butt for those off topic questions.And for the spin he put on the questions.
And Greenspan? that man is a survivor.
We really do NOT shoot enough of these people in this country. Maybe the end of the assault weapons ban will correct this weakness.

Why conservatives must not vote for Bush

Exceprts from the Salon article mentioned in Donnesburry today.

A Reaganite argues that Bush is a dangerous, profligate, moralizing radical -- and that his reelection would be catastrophic both for the right and for America.

By Doug Bandow

Quite simply, the president, despite his well-choreographed posturing, does not represent traditional conservatism -- a commitment to individual liberty, limited government, constitutional restraint and fiscal responsibility. Rather, Bush routinely puts power before principle. As Chris Vance, chairman of Washington state's Republican Party, told the Economist: "George Bush's record is not that conservative ... There's something there for everyone."

What's more, says former conservative Republican Rep. Bob Barr, "in the midst of the war on terror and $500 billion deficits, [Bush] proposes sending spaceships to Mars."

Unfortunately, even the official spending numbers understate the problem. The Bush administration is pushing military proposals that may understate defense costs by $500 billion over the coming decade. The administration lied about the likely cost of the Medicare drug benefit, which added $8 trillion in unfunded liabilities. Moreover, it declined to include in budget proposals any numbers for maintaining the occupation of Iraq or underwriting the war on terrorism. Those funds will come through supplemental appropriation bills. Never mind that Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz had promised that reconstruction of Iraq could be paid for with Iraqi resources. (Yet, despite the Bush administration's generosity, it could not find the money to expeditiously equip U.S. soldiers in Iraq with body armor.)

Iraq, already in chaos, is no conservative triumph. The endeavor is social engineering on a grand scale, a war of choice launched on erroneous grounds that has turned into a disastrously expensive neocolonial burden.

Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction, contrary to administration claims, and no operational relationship with al-Qaida, contrary to administration insinuations. U.S. officials bungled the occupation, misjudging everything from the financial cost to the troop requirements.

Sadly, the Iraq debacle has undercut the fight against terrorism. The International Institute for Strategic Studies in its most recent study warns that the Iraq occupation has spurred recruiting by smaller terrorist groups around the world. And acting CIA Director John McLaughlin worries that terrorists are plotting "something big" against the United States. For a time the Pentagon considered closing its child care center, lest it become the target of an attack. NRO columnist Goldberg observes that the president's contention that the war in Iraq has made America safer "is absurd." Goldberg backs the war for other reasons, but says it was probably "the risky thing in the short run."

A few conservatives are distressed at what Bush has wrought in Iraq. "Crossfire" host Tucker Carlson said recently: "I think it's a total nightmare and disaster, and I'm ashamed that I went against my own instincts in supporting it." William F. Buckley Jr., longtime National Review editor and columnist, wrote: "With the benefit of minute hindsight, Saddam Hussein wasn't the kind of extra-territorial menace that was assumed by the administration one year ago. If I knew then what I know now about what kind of situation we would be in, I would have opposed the war."

The final conservative redoubt is Bush's admirable personal life. Alas, other characteristics of his seem less well suited to the presidency. By his own admission he doesn't do nuance and doesn't read. He doesn't appear to reflect on his actions and seems unable to concede even the slightest mistake. Nor is he willing to hold anyone else responsible for anything. It is a damning combination. John Kerry may flip-flop, but at least he realizes that circumstances change and sometimes require changed policies. He doesn't cowardly flee at the first mention of accountability.

Some onetime administration supporters have grown disillusioned. Sullivan observes: "To have humiliated the United States by presenting false and misleading intelligence and then to have allowed something like Abu Ghraib to happen ... is unforgivable. By refusing to hold anyone accountable, the president has also shown he is not really in control. We are at war; and our war leaders have given the enemy their biggest propaganda coup imaginable, while refusing to acknowledge their own palpable errors and misjudgments."

Those who still believe in Bush have tried to play up comparisons with Ronald Reagan, but I knew Reagan and he was no George W. Bush. It's not just that Reagan read widely, thought deeply about issues and wrote prolifically. He really believed in the primacy of individual liberty and of limited, constitutional government.

Although anecdotal evidence of conservative disaffection with Bush is common -- for instance, my Pentagon employee neighbor, a business lobbyist friend, even my retired career Air Force father -- for many the thought of voting for John Kerry remains simply too horrific to contemplate. And this dissatisfaction has yet to show up in polls. Fear of Kerry, more than love of Bush, holds many conservatives behind the GOP.

Yet serious conservatives must fear for the country if Bush is reelected. Is Kerry really likely to initiate more unnecessary wars, threaten more civil liberties and waste more tax dollars? In any case, there are other choices (e.g., the Libertarian Party's Michael Badnarik, the Constitution Party's Michael Peroutka and even Independent Ralph Nader).

Serious conservatives should deny their votes to Bush. "When it comes to choosing a president, results matter," the president says. So true. A Kerry victory would likely be bad for the cause of individual liberty and limited government. But based on the results of his presidency, a Bush victory would be catastrophic. Conservatives should choose principle over power.

About the writer
Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. He served as a special assistant to President Reagan and was a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

More on the Bubble President II

The wired President? Seems more evidence says yes.

Salon.com now has a technical expert backing up its story that Bush was wired fpr the first debate. He says the large size of the box is due to its cryptographic capabilities. I don't know, but from my own photo taken from the debate tape it seems Bush has something under his jacket and his campaign has stated that he was not wearing a bulletproof vest.

Voter Registrations of Democrats Possibly Trashed

From the CBS affiliate in Las Vegas ...

(Oct. 12) -- Employees of a private voter registration company allege that hundreds, perhaps thousands of voters who may think they are registered will be rudely surprised on election day. The company claims hundreds of registration forms were thrown in the trash.

Anyone who has recently registered or re-registered to vote outside a mall or grocery store or even government building may be affected.

The I-Team has obtained information about an alleged widespread pattern of potential registration fraud aimed at democrats. Thee focus of the story is a private registration company called Voters Outreach of America, AKA America Votes.

The out-of-state firm has been in Las Vegas for the past few months, registering voters. It employed up to 300 part-time workers and collected hundreds of registrations per day, but former employees of the company say that Voters Outreach of America only wanted Republican registrations.

Insurgent Alliance Is Fraying In Fallujah (washingtonpost.com)

This article says the Iraqi insurgents want the foreign "helpers" out.
This makes sense. One has to wonder why this logic still evades the Palestinians: the people fighting "on your side" from within your country are NOT "on your side": they have their own agenda.

2 Mavericks in Economics Awarded Nobel Prize

An American and a Norwegian economist were awarded the Nobel in economics yesterday for their efforts to demonstrate that innovative technologies and shocks, like a sharp increase in oil prices, play a much greater role in causing booms and recessions than fluctuations in demand.....
There was one catch in their work that has riled a faction of the economics profession. The Prescott-Kydland finding assumed that demand was always at a high level. Everyone who wanted to work did so at the prevailing wage and all production could be sold at the existing market price.
oops. Too many prizes, too few contestants.

Boycott Sinclair Broadcast Group's Advertisers

[Talking Points Memo]
A brief follow-up on contacting advertisers. I'm already getting reports from the field that many Sinclair advertisers are starting to communicate their concern to Sinclair. If you don't live anywhere near a Sinclair station then by all means make your concerns known to their national advertisers. But from knowledgable folks I talk to, I get the strong impression that the real point of vulnerability are the local advertisers. So if you live in or really anywhere near a Sinclair market that's definitely where to focus.
[/Talking Points Memo]

NOTE: Many of these advertisers are ON OUR SIDE - don't be an asshole when you call/write them.

The New York Times > Washington > Campaign 2004 > Television: TV Group to Show Anti- Kerry Film on 62 Stations

Free press? Nope. Bought and paid for.
Americans, scared and herded like sheep: no time to think, must hide, must be safe.
"People who choose safety over freedom will get neither"

The New York Times > Washington > Campaign 2004 > Religion: Group of Bishops Using Influence to Oppose Kerry

Not sure what to say here, but it wouldn't be nice.

Secret Agent Man

So what was all that stuff from Bush about Dred Scott in the debate? Turns out it was a code word for the abortion debate. This from the Paperwight's Fair Shot blog:

October 09, 2004
Dred Scott = Roe v. Wade

Some people seem to be a bit boggled by Bush's Dred Scott remark last night. It wasn't about racism or slavery, or just Bush's natural incoherence. Here's what Bush actually said:

If elected to another term, I promise that I will nominate Supreme Court Justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade.

Bush couldn't say that in plain language, because it would freak out every moderate swing voter in the country, but he can say it in code, to make sure that his base will turn out for him. Anti-choice advocates have been comparing Roe v. Wade with Dred Scott v. Sandford for some time now. There is a constant drumbeat on the religious right to compare the contemporary culture war over abortion with the 19th century fight over slavery, with the anti-choicers cast in the role of the abolitionists.

[...]

To me, no matter how one comes down on the issue of abortion, this is a CLEAR indication of Bush and company's inability to be forthright and honest with THE PEOPLE. By Jove man, if you take a tough stand, SAY IT. Don't hide behind code words you STINKING COWARD!

US's Snow-Jobs likely to rebound after hurricanes

Someone had fun with this headline. These numbers are snow-jobs. An honest headline for a change. "That darn hurricane was to blame!"

How you can break Murphy's Law (October 8, 2004)

Do the math. It's just math. It's all math.

Is Bush Wired?: Earwig and the Angry Bush

I don't know what it is. But there is something there.
Only Bush and the GOP could change the subject on that one: Hey, look! There's Osama!

The troops do NOT support the war.

For Marines, a Frustrating Fight (washingtonpost.com)
Who DOES support the war? You? Well, suit up, there's an opening for you.

The Bush Informercial

Newspapers label advertising as such. TV does not.
None of the so called public appearences of Bush have been public: they are all private, they are all by approval only.
It's an infomercial, and they should say so.

Authorization for War

The authorization for war had this clause.

(b) Presidential Determination.--In connection with the exercise of the authority granted in subsection (a) to use force the President shall, prior to such exercise or as soon thereafter as may be feasible, but no later than 48 hours after exercising such authority, make available to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate his determination that--

(1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic or other peaceful means alone either
(A) will not adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq or
(B) is not likely to lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq

Thus Kerry did not vote FOR the Iraq War but for the Iraq War pursuant to clause B. Now, with what we know, clause B would have prevented the war. That clasue B was not respected is Bush's responsibility.

More on the Bubble President

Salon.com reports that Bush had a radio receiver taped to his back during the first debate so he could receive messages via a tiny hearing-aid-like device in his ear. They back this up with a photo. I have no way of verifying the story, but the Commission on Presidential Debates has verified that one of the rules of engagement the Bush campaign insisted on was no camera shots of the candidates from behind (which one of the pool cameras did anyway). This story is either investigative journalism at its best or wishful thinking. If you are not a Salon.com subscriber, you have to sign up for a free day pass to read the full story. [http://www.electoral-vote.com/]

Could it be?

Mayhem in Gaza

Why not ask the UN to occupy Gaza. Is Arafat really any better than Saddam? He hides among his people, kills Israelis, and draws fire which get his people killed.

Ten Ways to Beat George W. Bush -- Main Story Archive - Nader for President 2004 - www.votenader.org

Thank you, Ralph Nader. Better late than never. Better. And still way not enough. Maybe after the election you'll support Kerry?

HERE is how its done!

On this page you can actually see and hear the speeches that Ralph Nader has given.
You CANNOT see this kind of simple presentation of Kerry, of Edwards, of Dean, of any of the once were candidates and now are.
THIS is how it is done.

How nuts is that?

Bush leads Kerry. I mean, even if you really really didn't like Kerry, can you really vote for Bush? Could this be, ummm, Christian? BTW, you can google for real estate in Canada really easy. And lots of other places. Who needs this?

Non-headline of the Year

Here's my vote

Conspiracy Theories Flourish on the Internet

The New York Times > International > Middle East > Rebuilding: Japan's Troops Proceed in Iraq Without Shot Fired

Here's how the allies do it!
I don't see how Bush has the balls to show up at the Friday debates.
Oh, yeah: he doesn't read the papers.

DICK CHENEY IS A BIG FAT LIAR. I said it.

John Edwards and Dick Cheney at the Feb 1, 2001 National Prayer Breakfast.

He is kind of silly too. Factcheck.com, mentioned by Cheney during the debate,
actually links to http://www.georgesoros.com and the headline "Why we must not re-elect president Bush"

The Global Economy

Trade, money, jobs, disease, snakeheads...
Sometimes what you need is a fence, a door, something.
Copyright: Snakehead Global Trading, LLC.

The Great Success of Afghan Democracy!

Except for the possibility of voter fraud.

On 17 August, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan reported to the Security Council that the high rate of voter registration - more than 9.9m already enrolled - showed the political isolation of groups responsible for violence.

Men registering for Afghan elections

A disproportionate number of men have registered in some areas
What he did not mention was that the number registered already exceeds the estimated total of eligible voters for the whole country.

Dick Cheney is not a Nazi

Even though the Nazis were known for their lies and deceits, even though they were known for their use of fear to gain and hold power, I must still insist that I have never once said or even suggested the Cheney was evil incarnate nor have I said that this administration from Bush and Cheney on down is neo-Nazi.

Cheney Quotes:

In invading Iraq we had "struck a major blow right at the heart of the base, if you will, the geographic base of the terrorists who have had us under assault now for many years, but most especially on 9/11."
Meet The Press Sep. 14, 2003

"I have not suggested there's a connection between Iraq and 9/11."
Vice Presidential Debate Oct. 5, 2004

Report Discounts Iraqi Arms Threat (washingtonpost.com)

"Saddam had desire, lots and lots of desire. You can't let people go around with that kind of desire. You know where I stand. It's hard work," said Bush. "If I knew new then what I know now I would still do it. I don't go by polls and I don't buy into this information and details thing: you know where I stand, and I do too, and I'll do what I think is right, every time, and there is no way that I could be swayed from that purpose."
"Saddam had desire. That's good enough for me. I have to protect this country, that's my job, to protect Americans. Against evil, against WMD and all sorts of desire to do evil. If you are a terrorist, or you harbor them or you have that kind of desire, it's the same thing."

Economist.com | Lexington

"The Republicans are becoming the party of committed Christians, the Democrats that of committed secularists."

Like I was saying, this is what has become of our two party system: Theocracy vs. Democracy. Blind faith seems to be the only explanation for how someone like George Bush could ever be considered for high office.

Dear Mike, Iraq sucks

Civilian contractors are fleecing taxpayers; US troops don't have proper equipment; and supposedly liberated Iraqis hate them. After the release of Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore received a flood of letters and emails from disillusioned and angry American soldiers serving in Iraq. Here, in an exclusive extract from his new book, we print a selection

Endorsement from Bush's hometown newspaper

"Kerry Will Restore American Dignity"

George W. Bush, Faith In the White House

This is good news? I wonder what they think Bush is in the Muslim world. Maybe an American version of a grand mullah? (Can you say MOOO-LA?) How about a "Radical Cleric"?

Bush is leading a pack of lies...

"details have emerged showing the U.S. government and a representative of President Bush's reelection campaign had been heavily involved in drafting the speech given to Congress last week by interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi."
From the When you are willing to win your way at all costs, there is a very very very big bill waiting dept.

Heeeeere's the coalition!

While the invasion and occupation of Iraq has cost U.S. taxpayers more than $144 billion, the rest of the world has provided a disappointing $1.3 billion for Iraq's reconstruction (more than half of that coming from just two countries - Britain and Japan).
From the Hey Bush! I got your coalition right here! dept.