Damnit Jim, I'm Only a Doctor

WaPo:
Reviving Jim Crow?

Any day now the Justice Department will render judgment on one of the single most discriminatory pieces of voting legislation of recent years: a Georgia state law requiring voters to present one of only six forms of photo identification before they can exercise their right to vote. Before enforcing this statute, Georgia must get Justice Department approval by proving that the law will not put minority voters in a worse position than they were in before the requirement was instituted.

Go read the rest. This is what we have to look forward.

The Christian Republic of America

FromDaily Kos we have this LA Times article

Nearly every Monday for six months, as many as a dozen congressional aides — many of them aspiring politicians — have gathered over takeout dinners to mine the Bible for ancient wisdom on modern policy debates about tax rates, foreign aid, education, cloning and the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

Through seminars taught by conservative college professors and devout members of Congress, the students learn that serving country means first and always serving Christ.

They learn to view every vote as a religious duty, and to consider compromise a sin.

That puts them at the vanguard of a bold effort by evangelical conservatives to mold a new generation of leaders who will answer not to voters, but to God

There is at least one other country that I know of who professes the same belief.

I wonder who that could be?

Patriotic American

Bill Moyer, 73, wears a "Bullshit Protector" flap over his ear while President George W. Bush addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

Apparently he has had enough


As have we all.

Tx-31 Mary Beth Harrell

Mary Beth Harrell has announced her intention to run for the 31st Congressional District of Texas against Republican John Carter.

This district is fairly Republican, however, there have been a number of people who have moved in this direction out of Austin, and during the last election there were a surprising number of Kerry/Edwards bumper stickers.

This district does encompass Fort Hood, so I expect there to be a lot of pro-military advertisements coming from the Carter campaign.

This will be a tough campaign for a Democrat. However, he campaign motto, is one that I have mentioned a Democrat should definitely run with:

INTEGRITY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND FAITH IN THE FUTURE

John Carter is one of those who accepted money from Tom DeLay so this could be an opportunity, along with many others (particularly Smokey Joe Barton, see below) to break the DeLay stranglehold on the House of Representatives.

Right now, Harrell does not have an Act Blue campaign link, but if you are so inclined, you can send some scratch her way from the link above.

Another Iraq War Vet Sets Himself Up for a Swift Boating

Hot on the heels of the sliming of Paul Hackett, another Iraq War vet takes on the Republicans for 2006.

David Harris will be taking on Smokey Joe Barton for the Texas 6th CD. Harris received a Bronz star for his actions in Iraq.

He will be launching his website, tentatively, on 15 October. Keep an eye out for it.

And prepare for the questioning of the legitimacy of his Bronze star.


Thanks to Damon @ Burnt Orange Report for the info.

Bush Says Anti-Iraq War = Anti-America

E&P:

Meeting briefly with reporters Monday aboard Air Force One, Trent Duffy, a White House spokesman subbing for Scott McClellan, said that President Bush believes that those who want the U.S. to begin to change course in Iraq do not want America to win the overall "war on terror."

Well, isn't that special.

Next thing you know, Bush will declare that anyone who doesn't like apple pie should rot in jail for the rest of their lives.
(For the record, I don't like apple pie. If I end up in jail, you now know why.)

Duffy continues:

"So he believes that people have a fundamental right to express their views. That's one of the reasons we're fighting this war on terrorism, to protect our fundamental rights. But at the same time, he disagrees strongly."

Now we are really diving right into the Newspeak here.

I have a right to express my views on the war, but somehow the fight in Iraq is fundamental to the bedrock of American principles?

Since when? When did Iraq threaten the American way of life? How is Iraq a threat to the United States Consitution?

I challenge anyone from the 101st Fighting Keyboarders to demonstrate how Iraq was a threat to the American way of life.


I know what is an anathema to American principles.

George W. Bush and Company.

Only a Temporary Setback

No Proof Found of Iran Arms Program:

Traces of bomb-grade uranium found two years ago in Iran came from contaminated Pakistani equipment and are not evidence of a clandestine nuclear weapons program, a group of U.S. government experts and other international scientists has determined.

"The biggest smoking gun that everyone was waving is now eliminated with these conclusions," said a senior official who discussed the still-confidential findings on the condition of anonymity.

I am sure that John Bolton is real happy about this. Bolton being one of the chief proponents for invading Iran. The question left hanging now, is since the weapons grade uranium issue has been shot down, what will be the next reason?

I am sure that Bolton is creative enough to come up with something that Bush and Cheney can use.

Lipstick on a Pig

No matter how much he pretends otherwise, Ohio Governor Bob Taft is still a convicted criminal.

The tiny town of Midvale got all dressed up for Gov. Bob Taft's first public appearance since he was convicted of ethics law violations. But some residents said they weren't impressed by the show featuring the governor breaking ground at an elementary school.

"I don't think this is what he'll be remembered for," said Beverlea Bell, 51, as she pointed to the shell of the school the village is replacing. American flags decorated the road to the nearby field where the new elementary school will be built, and cheerleaders performed at the site.

This is a person who still has the support of the White House as well.

Shows where Bush's priorities are.

Thought for the Day

"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."

--Mahatma Gandhi

No Child Left Behind Lawsuit

Connecticut sues the federal government over NCLB:

Connecticut became the first state to file suit against the federal government over the No Child Left Behind Act, claiming the Bush administration has not provided enough money to pay for new testing and programs.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Hartford against federal Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, asks a judge to declare that state and local funds cannot be used to meet the goals of the law.

"We in Connecticut do a lot of testing already, far more than most other states. Our taxpayers are sagging under the crushing costs of local education," said Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell. "What we don't need is a new laundry list of things to do - with no new money to do them."

The true irony in this, is NCLB is held up by Bush supporters as an example of his commitment to education. However, Bush's "commitment" does not extend to providing funds to adequately ensure that the goals of NCLB can be met.

It really seems as if it is but one step closer to killing of public education in this country by the Right. By setting unattainable standards (not because of ability to perform, but ability to fund), Republicans can hold up this inability to attain the standards set by NCLB as the "final nail in the coffin" of public education.

Fortunately for our children, many states are beginning to realize that they don't want to be labeled as a failure over this. With Utah opting out of the NCLB standards, and now Connecticut suing to have the law invalidated, it seems that the education of our children is taking precedence over some political goal by the Right to kill public education.

Now, if we could only kill the Creation/Intelligent Design crap, then we would be back on the right track again.

Qualls: Perception versus Reality

Like Digby I saw the interview on Olbermann's show with Gary Qualls.

Like Digby, I found what Qualls said to be just a pathetic attempt(at whose prompting remains to be seen) to slime Cindy Sheehan, when just a week earlier Qualls was friendly with Sheehan and the anti-War protestors.

Whether it is for purely political reasons, someone from the 101st Fighting Keyboarders got to him, or some other Chickenhawk called him, Qualls has done a 180° flip.


It is time to put Qualls on ignore.

Assassination as US Policy?

That is what "Christian" minister Pat Robertson advocates:

You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war.

The worst part about his advocating for the assination of Chavez?

Chavez was democratically elected, and was replace after the coup, by the majority of the Venezualen populace.

The Anti-Military Right

Supporting the Troops Republican style:

(Minn.) STATE SEN. BECKY LOUREY: This is before my son died, and the point I had wanted to make was that when my son went to Bosnia, he had wonderful tents, you know. The Army was in charge, subcontracting with contractors. When my son went to Iraq, he was sleeping in the sand, being bitten by sand fleas, you know, and that was because Halliburton had a no-bid contract, Halliburton, a company that has headquarters offshore in the Cayman Islands and is avoiding paying taxes in the United States, a no-bid contract without the experience to get the equipment to the troops that they need, and I had wanted to talk to Rumsfeld about that, and I think that he should in fact retire, excuse himself, because of the ineptness of his job.

Courtesy of Jeanne at Body and Soul

Thought for the Day

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice; In practice, there is."

--Chuck Reid

The Scandal Plagued Bush Administration

AP:

Ohio Gov. Bob Taft is hardly the only politician these days to be hit by scandal. He's just the only one to admit he was wrong.

The chickens are coming home to roost, as it were. Andrew Taylor does a pretty good job laying out some of the scandals that are plaguing politicans this summer. From Taft, to Cunningham, to DeLay, the common thread is that they are all Republicans closely aligned with Bush.

Of course, in the name of "balance" there is a Democrat listed, William Jefferson (D-La), but I am of the opinion that if they are dirty, party affiliation matters not.

With Americas support of Congress and Bush reaching historic lows, there is a lot of blood in the water right now, and if someone would pick up the mantle of "Cleaning Up Congress/Government" they could have a winning strategy.

Hopefully some Democrats will pick up on this, but I have a feeling that it will not be any of the Dems in Congress who will.

Down, Down, Down

Via Atrios we learn that Bush’s popularity is dropping like a rock.  We are starting to get into the range which only the true believers support Bush:

American Research Group:

George W. Bush's overall job approval ratings have dropped from a month ago even as Americans who approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president are turning more optimistic about their personal financial situations according to the latest survey from the American Research Group. Among all Americans, 36% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 58% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 33% approve and 62% disapprove.

Needless to say, things are not looking too good these days.

Operation Yellow Elephant Goes Mainstream

Ben Sargent:

Bush Running and Hiding

Bush, rather than facing a grieving mother, has decided to make a run for it.

CNN, playing the narrative out, explains that Bush is going to the remote Idahoan mountains to give a speech on, of all things, al Qaeda, Iraq, and 9/11, as if these things are connected

(You know the song:
Which one of these things is not like the other?
Which of these things just doesn't belong?
Can you find out which thing is not like the other
by the time I finish this song?)

rather than telling us the truth, which is that Bush is hiding from Gold Star Mothers for Peace.

As the drama of Bush v Gold Star Mothers for Peace continue to drag out, the Bush administration falls into its pre-Mission Accomplished mindset that the country thinks Iraq is responsible for 9/11.

Maybe recognizing that the larger majority no longer believes that, Bush and Rove are trying to link the two together to try and stop the hemorraging of support. At this point it is starting to look like too little too late for that majority.

With Chuck Hagel calling out Bush the other day, open dessent is beginning to crack the ranks of the lock-step Republicans.

The question that is left hanging, is how long will CNN continue the charade?

It Seems that Malkin is a Flip-Flopper

Via DC Media Girl we learn that Michelle Malking actually opposed the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII before she wrote her racist tome supporting it.

Flip-Flopper!

Thought For the Day

“Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves”

--Abraham Lincoln

Thought For the Day

"We can have facts without thinking but we cannot have thinking without facts."

--John Dewey

Latoyia Figueroa Update

Richard Cranium, over at The All Spin Zone has been following the case of Latoyia Figueroa.

For those that don’t remember who Ms. Figueroa is, she is a non-white missing woman. She went missing when CNN/Faux/MSNBC were offering hyper-coverage of missing white women. At that time, bloggers, and some print journalists were noticing this biased coverage. Well, Richard went and tried to do something about it. He started going after CNN on this issue.

Well, it worked, and the news networks began covering this story. Richard stayed with it, and today there has been an ominous update: Body Found Could Be That Of Latoyia Figueroa.

Well, CNN just announced that the body that was found was in fact Latoyia, and her boyfriend has been arrested in connection.

A tragic ending to a tragic circumstance.

Austin Guarantees Contraceptives for Women

Email I received yesterday from Planned Parenthood:

Dear David,

GREAT NEWS!

This morning the Austin City Council voted unanimously to pass a “no refusals” amendment to its pharmaceutical services contract with Walgreens. Our elected officials heard your voices loud and clear.

What does this mean?
Last year, the City of Austin entered into a contract with Walgreens, which covers pharmaceutical management services and prescription dispensing for patients treated at the City/Travis County Community Health Centers and for enrollees in the City of Austin and Travis County Medical Assistance Programs. The “no refusals” amendment that passed today, authored by Council Member Brewster McCracken, guarantees that patients served by this program will have fair and equal access to their prescriptions.

This amendment ensures that Walgreens pharmacists may not refuse a prescription because of their personal beliefs. In the event that a pharmacist declines to fill a prescription based on personal belief rather than professional judgment, Walgreens has committed to serving those patients in-store, without delay or discrimination. No delays, no lectures, no hassles.

Will this apply to all Walgreens pharmacies?
This applies only to those pharmacies that participate in the City/County program. However, it is our hope that Walgreens will adopt this policy at the corporate level and apply it to all of their locations.

What does this mean for other cities?
Austin is the first city to take this bold, proactive step to protect patient rights. This sets a great example for other communities to follow.

Wouldn't it be nice if the country was as concerned for womens rights as Austin, and Walgreens is?

Friday Dog Blogging

I haven't done a Friday dog post in a while.

However, this one needs no comment:

Thought for the Day

"A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures."

--Daniel Webster

Cindy Sheehan is Still Winning

Yet, we are getting closer to the point of physical violence against anti-war protestors.
Waco Tribune-Herald:

A 23-year-old California man was arrested Thursday morning and charged with impersonating a peace officer at the anti-war protest camp in Crawford.

John Joseph Blaisdell was hanging around the camp between about midnight Wednesday and 6:30 a.m. Thursday, telling people that he was with the Secret Service detail for Jeb Bush, President Bush's brother and governor of Florida, according to protester Ann Wright.

Chief Deputy Randy Plemons of the McLennan County Sheriff's Office said that at about 6:30 a.m. protesters asked the Alameda, Calif. resident to produce a badge. At that point, Blaisdell became irritated and threatened to harm one of the protesters, Plemons said.

Plemons indicated that Blaisdell proceeded to make hand gestures indicating that he had a weapon before running up the dead-end Morgan Road, away from the protest camp.

Sheriff's deputies were alerted and Blaisdell was apprehended a short distance up the road without incident.

Blaisdell was charged with impersonating a peace officer, a Class C felony; a Class C misdemeanor threat; and making a terroristic threat, a Class B misdemeanor. He remained in the McLennan County Jail Thursday night, awaiting arraignment.

Plemons said that deputies who have been involved in the day-to-day affairs at the protest site did not recognize the man, indicating that Blaisdell had recently arrived.

“But it looks like he'll be here awhile,” Plemons said, referring to the charges against the California man.

Plemons also said that the sheriff's office is anticipating more action this weekend, when Lance Armstrong is set to join President Bush for a bike ride.

“Right now, everybody's working together and we want to make sure everybody continues to work together to keep everybody safe,” he said.

Wright said the camp's volunteer security staff will have to review procedures in wake of Thursday's incident.

“They don't have enough people to have a permanent presence, so we have to evaluate when to call authorities. We don't want to cry ‘wolf,'” said Wright, a former U.S. diplomat.

I am glad to read that the local sheriff's department is working with the people at Camp Casey to help keep things peaceful, but I have no doubt that there are those who would like to see things escalate into a violent confrontation.

I just hope it doesn't happen.

So Much for Bringing Honor and Integrity to the Executive Branch

During the 1996, 1998, 2000, elections, and even into the 2002 and 2004 elections (though to a lesser extent) Republicans all across the country promised to bring "Honor and Integrity" to both the government as a whole, and specifically the Executive Brans, in response to Clinton's perceived moral failings.

Well, no longer:

Gov. Bob Taft, a lame duck leader and now a convicted criminal for state ethics violations, said there is still important work for him to do and he will not resign.

Not only has Taft been convicted of a crime, and thus tarnished his honor and integrity, he won't uphold the "Honor and Integrity" of the executive branch by removing himself from the post of governor.

The really epitomizes just how corrupt the Republican party has become. Convicted criminals hold positions of power within the party, and even the White House comes to their defense:

"Governor Taft apologized today, he has paid the fine and said it was a serious mistake, and the president accepts that," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Honor and Integrity used to mean something?

Now it is just hollow platitudes, from a morally bankrupt Republican party.

Cheney and Bush Suit Up to Fight

Cheney Tells Veterans Group how tough he and Bush are:

Vice President Cheney declared yesterday that the United States "will not relent" in the war in Iraq and will hunt down insurgents there "one at a time if necessary," implicitly rebutting escalating pressure on the Bush administration to bring U.S. troops home.

Such macho bravado from a man who had "other priorities" during the Vietnam War.

Cheney is living up to the new Republican motto:

"Let's you and him fight"

Sheehan's Mother Has a Stroke

Via Yahoo:

Texas - The grieving mother who started an anti-war demonstration near
President Bush's ranch nearly two weeks ago said Thursday she was leaving because her mother had a stroke.

Cindy Sheehan told reporters she had just received the phone call and would rush to her 74-year-old mother's side. Her mother lives in the Los Angeles area.

"I'll be back as soon as possible if it's possible," Sheehan said. After hugging some of her supporters, she got in a van and left.

Sheehan, of Vacaville, Calif., said the makeshift campsite off the road leading to Bush's ranch would continue. The camp has grown to more than 100 people, including many relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq.

Sheehan had vowed to remain until Bush met with her or until his month-long vacation was over.

Let's hope for a quick recovery.



The Freepers, and assorted Right wingers are already beginning to blame Cindy Sheehan for her mothers stroke.

They are a vile bunch.

More Polling, Less Popularity

Rasmussen:

Thursday August 18, 2005--For the second straight day, just 43% of American adults approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. That's the lowest level ever recorded by Rasmussen Reports.

Fifty-six percent (56%) disapprove, the highest ever recorded.

The President's Approval Rating has fallen to 39% among women and 47% among men. Seventy-six percent (76%) of Republicans still give the President's Job Performance their Approval. That view is shared by 15% of Democrats and 35% of those not affiliated with either major political party.

   Date    Approve Disapprove
   Aug 18  43      56
   Aug 17  43      55
   Aug 16  45      54
   Aug 15  46      53
   Aug 14  48      51
   Aug 13  47      52
   Aug 12  47      51
   Aug 11  46      52
   Aug 10  48      50
   Aug 9   47      51
   Aug 8   47      51
   Aug 7   47      52
   Aug 6   47      52
   Aug 5   48      50
   Aug 4   48      50
   Aug 3   48      50
   Aug 2   49      49
   Aug 1   48      50

Down, down, down.

Is Bush Still Popular?

SurveyUSA - 50 State POTUS 0805

Texas: Approve: 53%, Disapprove 43%

The interesting thing about the results:

Age group:

18-34: 53% Approve, 43% Disapprove
35-54: 55% Approve, 41% Disapprove
55+: 52% Approve, 44% Disapprove

It seems that the younger and older groups are not quite as blinded by the Right as the middle age group.

Thought for the Day

"I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education."

--Wilson Mizner

The Anti-Military Right

Paul Begala tells it like it is:

...

I don't think they taught Larry Chad to desecrate crosses at the Columbus Avenue Baptist Church. And I doubt his Army buddies from Vietnam are proud to see him running over American flags and disrespecting a memorial for the war dead.

So what could drive a true-blue - or should I say Bush red? - American patriot to commit such a heinous act

Such is the hatred of the far right at the dawn of the 21st Century. And my how the optical worm has turned. Today it is the left invoking faith, flag and family, while the right destroys crosses. Today it is the left that honors the war dead, raises up a Gold Star Mother and publicly prays for our troops, while the right viciously attacks a woman who gave her country everything. Today it is the left that patiently and peacefully respects the Office of the Presidency, while the right diminishes the office by claiming it's more important for the President to go bike-riding with a sports hero than comfort the mother of a war hero.

For the last two presidential elections it has been the Democratic Party whose nominee was a Vietnam War veteran, while the Republicans have sputtered out spurious defenses of their candidate's deceitful draft-dodging.

On Thursday, Dick Cheney, who said he had "other priorities" in the Vietnam era, and so helped himself to five draft deferments, will address the 73rd Convention of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. I do not think he will express remorse for the callousness with which he explained his cowardice. Nor do I expect him to apologize for the shocking, mocking Republicans who, at their New York Convention a year ago, sported Band-Aids with tiny purple hearts to mock the blood shed by John Kerry and so many other heroes in that misbegotten war.

No, Mr. Cheney, surrounded by body guards who would gladly give their life for him, will no doubt wrap himself in the flag. A flag Larry Chad Northern wrapped around his axle on Prairie Chapel Road.

I really don't have too much to add to this.

Yet Another Bush Lie Exposed

State Department experts warned CENTCOM before Iraq war about lack of plans for post-war Iraq security

To anyone who was paying really close attention to the buildup to the invasion of Iraq, it was clear that the Bush administration ignored advice, and planning details for how to deal with Iraq post invasion. Going so far, as to forbid members of the Defense department from speaking with the Army War College about their post-war planning.

Now, after 4 years, we now have proof that the Administration really had no plan on how to deal with post invasion security, and had Iraq invasion plans in October 2001.

This information only reinforces what was written in the Downing Street Memo.

The Bush Administration was absolutely NOT interested in completing the mission in Afghanistan.

The question that remains is, who will hold the Administration responsible for the mess, that is post invasion Iraq?

Will it just be those of us on the left side of the blogosphere?

The Patron Saint of Brewers

For those that don't know, it is Saint Arnold.

Well, now Texas' oldest microbrewery Saint Arnold's Brewery now has a blog

Test brew day.
August 17th, 2005 by Vince

Every once in awhile (should be every wednesday), we have a day where we can play around with different beer styles and recipes. Well today was my day. I’d like to tell you exactly what we were concocting today, but that would ruin the surprise when it becomes the new St. Arnold seasonal.

I get paid for this. SWEET. I win.

What would you like us to try next week?

Listening : Brian Wilson - Smile, Sepultura, Dale Watson - The Hightone Years

Brewing : Test Batch V.2.0

Hangover Factor : High

Vince

Just a taste, as it were.

An Open Letter to Larry Northern

Soldier Memorial Vandal from a soldier.

Go read.

Lucky for Him It Was Just a Misdemeanor

Unlucky for Justice though:

Gov. Bob Taft has been charged in Franklin County Municipal Court with four criminal misdemeanors for failing to disclose golf outings and possibly other favors.

The charges were outlined at a press conference this afternoon with Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien and Columbus City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr.

If convicted on the first-degree misdemeanor charges, Taft faces a maximum fine of $1,000 and up to six months in jail on each count.

Thought for the Day

"A girl phoned me the other day and said "Come on over, there's nobody home." I went over. Nobody was home."

--Rodney Dangerfield

Bobblehead vs Bobblehead

It seems there is a bit of a inter-Network smackfest brewing.
It seems that Anderson Cooper, of CNN criticizing the coverage of Natalee Holloway, targeted Dan Abrams of MSNBC as one of the "others" covering the case he didn't want to cover himself.

Abrams responds:

I love it when media folks try to jump on the journalistic high horse, critiquing others for doing something they do at their own network?

You see last night my friend Anderson Cooper over at CNN criticized his "cable competitors" for the "downright ridiculous" coverage of the Natalee Holloway case. He played a clip from this show, among others, and said he will leave it to the "other guys" to follow the case.

Abrams goes on to list the amount of coverage CNN devotes to the Holloway case.

No doubt Cooper will have a response.

Watching media whores devour themselves.

Seems like fun, pull up a chair.

Getting on With Your Life

Ben Sargent

Bob Dole: Yes Mr Rove, Whatever You Say Mr Rove

I didn't want to comment on Bob Dole's behavior as a lapdog for Karl Rove, but CNN this morning was using his Opinion Piece as justification for freeing Judy Miller.

It is clear that CNN is trying to out-Fox, Fox News, but just how far CNN was willing to go to debase themselves, to try and gain the Administrations favor, was unclear.

Well, now we know.

They have come to Judy Miller's defense. They are adopting the position that what Karl Rove did was not wrong.

To CNN, outing an undercover CIA operative, in order to slime a critic of George W Bush, and his administration, is a perfectly acceptable thing to do.

I Think I Need One of These

Mr. Housing Bubble Shirt:

Someone Cue Up Michelle Malkin

Parents of dead Marine challenge Bush:

The day after burying their son, parents of a fallen Marine urged President Bush to either send more reinforcements to Iraq or withdraw U.S. troops altogether.

"We feel you either have to fight this war right or get out," Rosemary Palmer, mother of Lance Cpl. Edward Schroeder II, said Tuesday.

I am sure that Michelle Malkin knows exactly what Lance Cpl. Schroeder would have wanted.

Doin' Time

Cross Mower, caught:

Baylor parent and Woodway resident Larry Northern said he decided to support Lynch because he was 'honest, straight-shooting and moral.' Northern said Lynch's favorite saying was, 'Don't do crime because you're going to do the time.'

And that, dear readers, is what you call Irony.

Time for a bit of Schadenfreude

Is this true?:

Buy beleaguered, overworked White House aides enough drinks and they tell a sordid tale of an administration under siege, beset by bitter staff infighting and led by a man whose mood swings suggest paranoia bordering on schizophrenia.

They describe a President whose public persona masks an angry, obscenity-spouting man who berates staff, unleashes tirades against those who disagree with him and ends meetings in the Oval Office with “get out of here!”

In fact, George W. Bush’s mood swings have become so drastic that White House emails often contain “weather reports” to warn of the President’s demeanor. “Calm seas” means Bush is calm while “tornado alert” is a warning that he is pissed at the world.

I don't know if it is true. If so, it would explain alot.

Thought for the Day

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--/ I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference."

--Robert Frost

The Anti-Military Right

Atrios is spot on. The Right is becoming increasingly anti-military.

Last nights episode in which some Bush supporter ran down a makeshift memorial for members of the military who have been killed in action is indicative of just how much contempt the Right has for members of the military.

Sure, they hold these Orwellian type rallies, in which they say things like "we support you" with about as much sincerity as one would have for road kill.

The worst part, is this faux sincerity is only reserved for soldiers who are alive. The dead, which are slipped into the US under cover of darkness, kept far away from the prying eyes of the public, no longer are relevant.

These dead soliders are inconvenient, to the supporters of this war. They are a unsettling reminder of what war is. To these supporters, it is best to ignore the dead. Pretend they don't exist. When their death intrudes on the supporters reality, lash out.

Run down a memorial to them.

Ridicule a mother who had to bury her son.

She is inconvenient.

The dead are inconvenient.

CNN and Cindy Sheehan

I am sure this is not limited to CNN. In fact Randi Rhodes said yesterday on Air America, that she had received this same information.

Today on CNN's American Morning, there was a news segment about the marital state of Cindy Sheehan. Apparently her husband filed for divorce after having been separated for sometime.

The three female talking heads at CNN were tut-tutting her. Expressing their disproval that this woman would allow her distress over the death of her son to interfere with her martial duties to her husband. Apparently because of Ms. Sheehan's protest, her husband is in the right.

After a couple of moments of this, Soledad O'Brien tried to salvage their reputation as women with careers by making a weak statement about married couples and their childrens death. However, by that point they had already made their views clear.







I wonder what these women's husbands think about them neglecting their wifely duties by working at CNN?

Thunderbird, new version 1.0.6

If you use Thunderbird as your mail client (you should think about it), go download version 1.0.6.

Security fixes from previous versions, and stability fixes.

Gee, I Wonder Why?

Post Drops Plan to Promote Pentagon Event.

The Washington Post announced yesterday that it will back out of a controversial co-sponsorship of a Pentagon-organized event next month to remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and support the troops in Iraq.

...

"As it appears that this event could become politicized, The Post has decided to honor the Washington area victims of 9/11 by making a contribution directly to the Pentagon Memorial Fund," said Eric Grant, a Post spokesman. "It is The Post's practice to avoid activities that might lead readers to question the objectivity of The Post's news coverage."

It couldn't be because it was Government sponsored propaganda, helpfully paid for by our ever vigilant "independent" press?

Nah.

Cindy Sheehan is Winning

How can I make this assertion?

Here:

t r u t h o u t | One Mother's Stand
By Scott Galindez

Monday 15 August 2005
9:50 PM

Reality Hits Camp Casey

The last 10 minutes have been very difficult here. I am at the Peace House editing video. First came a phone call that someone drove their vehicle over the Arlington West Crosses at the camp. I will head out to the camp now to get more details.

Within minutes one of the volunteers logged on to a website and learned that her friend was killed in Iraq. She burst into tears, Cindy was sitting across the room and immediately moved over to comfort her. What a reality check.

The wingnuts are on the verge of turning violent.

The cognative dissonance is getting to the point where otherwise sane people, start doing stupid things.

It started with the guy shooting in the air, demanding that people leave.
Now we have people driving over memorials, makeshift or otherwise.
Next there will be some physical violence.

If it escalates to that point, it will be because Rove wants it to. The whole thing can end right now, if President Bunnypants goes out and meets her. However, either through the stupidity of Karl Rove, or the cowardice of George Bush that is not happening, nor does it seem likely to.

So, things will probably escalate to a violent attack. It will be someone who feels that Cindy Sheehan does not have the right to do what she has the right to do.

There are those who are advocating physical violence, it just takes one person to do it.

When it does, Bush has lost.

Let us hope it doesn't happen.

Bush Makes Time For His Supporters. Only

With hundreds of anti-war protestors lining the road to Bush's "ranch", President Bush ignored all of them, and took time to address Little League Baseball players:

President Bush relived some of his childhood Saturday night when he attended a Little League playoff game near his ranch.

The world's most powerful former Little Leaguer watched several innings while players from Bryant, Ark., and Lafayette, La., competed for the southwestern regional championship.

Bush welcomed the players, coaches and families to Texas from the pitcher's mound. He then threw out the ceremonial first pitch and watched from behind home plate with the first lady and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"Play hard, play fair, play to win," he said. "God bless you all and may God continue to bless our great country."

Typical.

Thought for the Day

"Talking with you is sort of the conversational equivalent of an out of body experience."

--Bill Watterson

Curt Weldon and the NY Times

BTC News: Curt Weldon and the New York Times: made for each other.

There are days when the primary difference between the New York Times and the Weekly World News seems to reside in the fact that reporters for the Times believe the crap they’re writing.

The World News reports that Texas prison authorities are replacing the gas chamber with a dozen inmates stuffed full of pork and beans; the Times reports that nutjob Republican Congressman Curt Weldon has startling new intelligence about the September 11 attacks.

Apparently,the BBC was taken in by Curt Weldon as well, which I dutifully reported.

Now, we know that Weldon doesn't have any of the information he purported to have, because he gave his only copy to Stephen Hadley in 2001, and never got it back (why Weldon only had one copy of such important information never crossed anyone mind before, is beyond me).

It now appears that everything Weldon reported is, at best suspect, at worst a total fabrication from an active imagination.

Thought for the Day

"Isn't it interesting that the same people who laugh at science fiction listen to weather forecasts and economists?"

--Kelvin Throop III

The Anti-Military Right

Digby

He is right. There is this new trend from the right.

George Bush, Dick Cheney and others that the Right hold in such high regard did not serve their country during a war they were of age to participate in.

However both John Kerry, and Al Gore did. Yet they are attacked for it.
Max Cleland left limbs in Vietnam, yet he is labeled anti-American.
John McCain spend time in a POW camp, and was tortured, yet his service is attacked.
At the Republican Convention in 2004 people were wearing purple heart band-aids to mock the injuries John Kerry received, in a war most of them did not fight in.
And the list goes on.

The latest is from the comment section at The Poor Man. Casey Sheehan is attacked for the audacity to die in battle.

I mean really. How dare he!

Didn't he see the bullet coming?



It really is indicative of what is wrong with the Right these days.

They idolize a leader who happily sends the men and women of the United States military to fight and die in Iraq, yet was unwilling to make the same sacrifice when it was his turn to do so.

People who blindly support the President, and his war, are unwilling to enlist to fight in it.

"Military service isn't for our son. It isn't for our kind of people."

When the soldier or Marine is alive, they say things like "We support you". However, when you die, or get wounded, all bets are off.

"People like you caused us to lose that war."

--Ann Coulter, to disabled Vietnam Vet on MSNBC some years back.

Everyone, welcome to 2005. Where the Right is anti-Military and pro-War, and the Left is pro-Military and anti-War.

Outrage and Idiocy

There was a post a redstate.org, in which one of the individuals there called Cindy Sheehan an media whore.

Apparently she is a media whore because she wants to confront Dear Leader over his continued insistence that the Iraq war is a Noble Cause, while the administration lowers its expecations of what can be acheived, and according to retired General Barry McCaffery, the wheels are coming off the train.

She is a whore, unlike say, any of the whores are Faux News, or maybe Cliff May.

I suppose in those cases the whores in question support Dear Leader, whereas Cindy Sheehan does not, so therefore, she is a media whore.

Well, can't say I am surprised that those on the right would stoop to attacking the mother of a dead soldier.

Friday Formula One Blogging

Today I decided to do my favorite Formula One driver.



Damon Hill

Thought for the Day

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."

--Herm Albright

Malkin Presumes to Know What Casey Sheehan Knows

Via TBogg we see that Michelle Magalangadingdong (aka Malkin) presumes to know something about Casey Sheehan. Unlike, you know, his mother Cindy Sheehan, who raised Casey.

Michelle Malkin:

I can't imagine Army Spc. Casey Sheehan would stand for his mother's crazy accusations that he was murdered by his commander-in-chief, rather than the Iraqi terrorists who ambushed his convoy. I can't imagine Army Spc. Casey Sheehan would stand for a bunch of strangers glomming onto his mother's crusade and using him to undermine the war effort as they shouted "W killed her son" in front of countless TV cameras.

I am pretty sure that Veronica Malkin (Michelle's daughter), is ashamed of her mother's crazy hate filled rantings about Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son. I can't imagine that Veronica Malkin would stand for her mother's support of the internment of people based on where their ancestors were born.

Ben Sargent

Ben Sargent

Swift Boat Liars Never Pulled Their Ad

I don't care how bad the ad by NARAL was, the Swift Boat Liars ad was worse. Howver no one pulled that ad.

In fact, as lie after lie was exposed, not one single Republican that I recall called for them to pull their ad.

Hypocrites.

Hey Buddy, Can You Spare A Hundred Million?

Will work for space travel:

The company that pioneered commercial space travel by sending "tourists" up to the International Space Station is planning a new mission: rocketing people around the far side of the moon.

The price of a round-trip ticket: $100 million.

You can put a temporary tatoo of your companies name on my forehead for a ticket.

The Ever Forgetful Judge Roberts

Apparently there is a good bit of stuff the John Roberts has forgetten to disclose:

Supreme Court nominee John Roberts didn't disclose that he once lobbied for cosmetics makers, or mention that he'd once given a TV interview about justices' independence. And questions about his connections with the conservative Federalist Society have lingered for weeks.

Midway between his nomination and his confirmation hearing, a big issue is whether more surprises await officials fighting over access to documents in his career.

What more could there be?

The Minority Becomes the Majority

Whites now a minority in Texas:

Texas has become the fourth state to have a non-white majority population, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday, a trend driven by a surging number of Hispanics moving to the state.

According to the population estimates based on the 2000 Census, about 50.2 percent of Texans are now minorities. In the 2000 Census, minorities made up about 47 percent of the population in the second-largest state.

Texas joins California, New Mexico and Hawaii as states with majority-minority populations - with Hispanics the largest group in every state but Hawaii, where it is Asian-Americans.

I imagine there are a number of Right Wingers who are not happy about this.

I wonder if this news will spur a round of white-flight from Texas.

Thought for the Day

"Reality is merely and illusion, albeit a very persistent one"

--Albert Einstein

Zell Miller's Motivation is Revealed

Zig Zag Zell:

After snubbing his Democratic Party to deliver the Republican keynote address for President Bush, former Georgia Sen. Zell Miller seemed a good bet for an ambassadorship, adviser post or maybe even a Cabinet office. On Tuesday, the White House revealed Miller's choice: a seat on the American Battle Monuments Commission.

"I'm just an old man looking after cemeteries," Miller said in an interview Tuesday after President Bush tapped him for the job.

See how cheaply Zell Miller sold his soul to the Republican Party for.

Thought for the Day

"Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something."

--Robert Heinlein

Beer

Courtesy of The Agonist we are directed to this article in the Independent Online Edition about the Worlds Best Beer:

For more than 160 years the Trappist monks at Saint Sixtus monastery in Flanders have been producing a rich, dark-brown, beer renowned for its exceptional flavour and strength. But an unexpected misfortune has befallen this reclusive community of 26 Cistercians: their beer has been named the best in the world.

As a self-described connoisseur of beer, I am in agreement that the Trappist Abbey Ales are truly some of the best beers in the world. Living in the United States I have not been able to sample many, but this article is enough to make we want to go to Belgium to try a fresh bottle of this.

However, with fame comes attention, and the Trappist monks are not really known for their public persona, past the beer, and prefer a life of solitude and prayer.

The quantity of beer they produce has been limited to what is required to support the monastary, and the surrounding community. So naturally the residents of the Abbey are not particularly thrilled with the attention heaped on them from www.rateBeer.com, who bestowed the title of "World's Best Beer" on them.

So, for now, I remain hopeful that one day I will travel to Belgium and be able to purchase one of these beers.

Let's Party Like it's 9/11/01!

Woo Hoo!

The Pentagon would hold a massive march and country music concert to mark the fourth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in an announcement tucked into an Iraq war briefing today.

"This year the Department of Defence will initiate an America Supports Your Freedom Walk," Rumsfeld said, adding that the march would remind people of "the sacrifices of this generation and of each previous generation".

The march will start at the Pentagon, where nearly 200 people died on September 11, 2001, and end at the National Mall with a show by country star Clint Black.

Word of the event startled some observers.

"I've never heard of such a thing," said John Pike, who has been a defence analyst in Washington for 25 years and runs GlobalSecurity.org.

The news also reignited debate and anger over linking September 11 with the war in Iraq.

"That piece of it is disturbing since we all know now there was no connection," said Paul Rieckhoff, an Iraq veteran who heads Operation Truth, an anti-administration military booster.
AdvertisementAdvertisement

Rieckhoff suggested the event was an ill-conceived publicity stunt.

"I think it's clear that their public opinion polls are in the toilet," he said.

Rumsfeld's march had some relatives of September 11 victims fuming.

"How about telling Mr Rumsfeld to leave the memories of September 11 victims to the families?" said Monica Gabrielle, who lost her husband in the attacks.

Administration supporters insisted Rumsfeld was right to link Iraq and September 11, and hold the rally.

"We are at war," said Representative Pete King, (Republican, New York).

"It's essential that we support our troops."

He also said attacking Iraq was necessary after September 11.

"You do not defeat al-Qaeda until you stabilise the Middle East, and that's not possible as long as Saddam Hussein is in power."

Now why would people be upset?

I mean really!

Let's have a big old party to celebrate the largest attack on American soil by foreigners since Pearl Harbor with a par-tay!

Freedom Walkin' Baby

The tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, left an indelible mark on the American consciousness. This September 11th, the nation will gather in Washington, D.C. to remember the victims, honor our veterans, past and present, and celebrate our freedom with the America Supports You Freedom Walk, organized by the Department of Defense

I think someone in the Pentagon has gone over the deep end.

The RNC Sinks Deeper and Deeper

into the abyss

I guess the RNC is having a real hard time keeping its collective fingers out of other peoples bank accounts.



Thanks to Atrios

I'm a Bit Slow With This Absurdity

Because of how absurd it is, I thought it couldn't be real.

Alas it appears to be real:

A national anti-abortion group yesterday served the administrators of California's stem cell institute with a federal lawsuit seeking to stop their work on the grounds that the civil rights of frozen embryos are violated by stem cell research.

The lawsuit was delivered during a a monthly meeting of the institute's oversight committee at the University of California San Diego. Around the same time it arrived, committee Chairman Robert Klein was announcing that several lawsuits filed in state court had been consolidated to be heard by one judge, in one county, on an expedited basis.

That litigation has blocked the sale of government-backed bonds to fund the institute, which is supposed to award $300 million annually for stem cell research.

The federal lawsuit, filed by the National Association for the Advancement of Preborn Children, could now further delay the sale of bonds.

The NAAPC? You have got to be kidding!

As Amanda at Pandagon put it:

Talk about killing two birds with one stone. The name of this group is both a way to mock the NAACP and an opportunity for wingnuts to pretend that their desire to control women's bodies puts them on the side of the angels. If they could only work in a way to claim the Islam is Satanic, it would be a trifecta of wingnuttery. I say watch this group closely. If they open and close their meetings with a sincere-sounding rendition of "Every Sperm is Sacred" as if it were "Kumbaya", then we'll know for sure they are fucking with us.

*Sigh*

This is what Wingnuttery will get you.

Let this serve as a Public Service Announcement

Cindy Sheehan in NY Times

NY Times:

One Mother in Crawford

Summertime often produces unexpected media figures, and this is Cindy Sheehan's season. Ms. Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq last year, is camping out near President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Tex., and says she won't leave until Mr. Bush agrees to meet with her to discuss the war. There are many reasons for the flood of media attention she is attracting: she has a poignant personal story and she is articulate - and, let's face it, August is a slow news month. But most of all, she is tapping into a growing popular feeling that the Bush administration is out of touch with the realities, and the costs, of the Iraq war.

Ms. Sheehan's 24-year-old son, Casey, was killed in Baghdad. She says she and her family met privately with Mr. Bush two months later, and she is sharply critical of how the president acted. He did not know her son's name, she says, acted as if the meeting was a party and called her "Mom" throughout, which she considered disrespectful.

Ms. Sheehan has traveled from her California home to Crawford, where Mr. Bush will be spending much of the month, in the hope of having a more substantive discussion. On Saturday, Mr. Bush's national security adviser and the White House deputy chief of staff met with her beside a road a few miles from the ranch, but she is still insisting on a meeting with the president.

Even many Americans who do not share her views about the president - she arrived in a bus bearing the slogan "Impeachment Tour" - share her concerns about his war leadership. President Bush has refused to ask the nation to sacrifice in any way, so the sacrifice gap has never been greater. A few families, like Ms. Sheehan's, have paid the ultimate price. Many more, including National Guard families, are bearing enormous burdens, struggling to get by while a parent, a child or a spouse serves in Iraq. But the rest of the nation is spending its tax cuts and guzzling gas as if there were no war.

Mr. Bush obviously failed to comfort Ms. Sheehan when he met with her and her family. More important, he has not helped the nation give fallen soldiers like Casey Sheehan the honor they deserve. The administration seems reluctant to have the president take part in events that would direct widespread attention to soldiers' funerals or to the thousands who have returned with serious injuries.

Perhaps most troubling, Mr. Bush is not leveling about where things stand with the war. He continues to stay on message, as he did with the platitude he offered last week: "We will stay the course; we will complete the job in Iraq." The public knows that things in Iraq are not going well on any number of levels, and deserves a fuller, more honest discussion led by the commander in chief.

Just 38 percent of the respondents in a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll, a new low, approved of Mr. Bush's handling of Iraq. That does not mean the remaining 62 percent agree with Ms. Sheehan that the troops should come home immediately. But it does mean that many Americans are with her, at least figuratively, at that dusty roadside in Crawford, expecting better answers.

It's not much, but it is a start.

Somehow I Always Felt this was the Case

Hijackers 'identified pre-9/11':

A year before the 9/11 attacks a secret US intelligence unit had identified four of the hijackers as likely linked to al-Qaeda, a US congressman says.

But the unit's request for the FBI to be informed was turned down, according to Representative Curt Weldon.

One of the men identified was said to be 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta.

Mr Weldon has a reputation for bold statements, but his comments are being taken seriously after claims from an unnamed former intelligence official.

Certainly, based on information coming from Richard Clarke, and other former Bush administration officials, they really were not all that interested in pursuing terrorism to the same degree as the Clinton administration was.

None of this is to imply that Bush or anyone in his admin knew what was going to happen on the morning of 11 September 2001, but if the administration had been more interested in terrorism, and not the SEC issues, and vacation, perhaps something could have been done to prevent 9/11 before it happened.

Censoring Pay Television and Radio

The Rapture Right wont rest until they can censor everything. But you have to think that the cable and satellite companies wont stand for this:

An outspoken anti-pornography advocate has been hired by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to advise the agency on consumer issues involving the cable and broadcast industry, which has been under scrutiny for airing racy material.

Let's be realistic. For every person who says it is liberals who are trying to legislate morality, there are 10 of these Rapture Right Republicans trying to take away our rights to read, watch, listen to what ever we are willing to pay for.

The hypocrisy of the Right is stunning in its breadth and depth.

Thought for the Day

"I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something."

--Jackie Mason

CNN, Missing the Boat, As Usual

This is rather funny.

Online Magazine Responsibilities

In my role as a member of the media, I would be remiss if I let something this inane pass by with out me commenting.

MJ jurors remorseful

What is clear, is that the mainstream media, needs this story. The missing white woman in Aruba story is old news. The space shuttle landed safely, and there aren't any new white women missing that the mainstream media feel are worth reporting about.

With this dearth of nonsensical news, the greatest fear among the media elite, is that they may be forced into reporting actual news, or even worse, reporting on the disastrous Bush administration.

Well, leave it to circumstance to drop a new, juicy, non-story into the media's lap.

Apparently some of the jurors from the Michael Jackson trial are having buyers remorse. They say they are convinced that Jackson was guilty, and want to convict him post-trial, in the media.

Two of the jurors, Eleanor Cook and Ray Hultman, say they are not in it for the money, but with other jurors having signed book deals, and what not, everyone's motives are now suspect.

The fact is that this would be a non-story were it not for the lack of non-stories being reported in the media right now, so we can expect to hear many more days of "revelations", as peoples consciences "get the better of them", or some such nonsense.

All of this navel gazing by the jurors is merely posturing, and trying to get their 15 minutes of fame.

Shame on the media for giving them their 15 minutes.

Thought for the Day

"If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a committee -- that will do them in."

--Bradley's Bromide

The Sliming of Cindy Sheehan

The Raw Story picks up on the apparent sliming of Cindy Sheehan:

An article by Matt Drudge quoting anti-war mother Cindy Sheehan whose son was killed in Iraq grossly took Sheehan out of context, RAW STORY has learned.

The Vacaville, California Reporter told of how Sheehan was invited to meet with Bush and given "VIP treatment" from the military. But even when the article was published, it's clear that Sheehan and her husband had serious questions about Bush -- and were not adulatory as the article by Drudge suggests.

Honestly, this was to be expected.

Many of those on the Right cannot abide having Dear Leader's motivations or actions questioned. It really is quite scary the extent to which many, Matt Drudge included, will go in order to denigrate anyone who dares oppose President Bush.

I expect that things are just really starting to heat up against Ms. Sheehan.

Cindy Sheehan's Message Goes Big

And it's about time:

President Bush draws antiwar protesters just about wherever he goes, but few generate the kind of attention that Cindy Sheehan has since she drove down the winding road toward his ranch here this weekend and sought to tell him face to face that he must pull all Americans troops out of Iraq now.

Ms. Sheehan's son, Casey, was killed last year in Iraq, after which she became an antiwar activist. She says she and her family met with the president two months later at Fort Lewis in Washington State.

But when she was blocked by the police a few miles from Mr. Bush's 1,600-acre spread on Saturday, the 48-year-old Ms. Sheehan of Vacaville, Calif., was transformed into a news media phenomenon, the new face of opposition to the Iraq conflict at a moment when public opinion is in flux and the politics of the war have grown more complicated for the president and the Republican Party.

Her story is not only being covered by the NY Times, but CNN, ABC, and CBS have reported on it, and she is getting calls from reporters all over the country.

As Ms. Sheehan put it:

"It's just snowballed," Ms. Sheehan said beside a small stand of trees and a patch of shade that contained a sleeping bag, some candles, a jar of nuts and a few other supplies. "We have opened up a debate in the country."

It is a debate that has needed to happen for sometime, but it is good that finally it is being talked about.

The only question that remains is will Bush talk to Ms. Sheehan?

He has already spoken with her one time, and by her account it was not the experience one would have expected:

As the mother of an Army specialist who was killed at age 24 in the Sadr City section of Baghdad on April 4, 2004, Ms. Sheehan's story is certainly compelling. She is also articulate, aggressive in delivering her message and has information that most White House reporters have not heard before: how Mr. Bush handles himself when he meets behind closed doors with the families of soldiers killed in Iraq.

The White House has released few details of such sessions, which Mr. Bush holds regularly as he travels the country, but generally portrays them as emotional and an opportunity for the president to share the grief of the families. In Ms. Sheehan's telling, though, Mr. Bush did not know her son's name when she and her family met with him in June 2004 at Fort Lewis. Mr. Bush, she said, acted as if he were at a party and behaved disrespectfully toward her by referring to her as "Mom" throughout the meeting.

By Ms. Sheehan's account, Mr. Bush said to her that he could not imagine losing a loved one like an aunt or uncle or cousin. Ms. Sheehan said she broke in and told Mr. Bush that Casey was her son, and that she thought he could imagine what it would be like since he has two daughters and that he should think about what it would be like sending them off to war.

"I said, 'Trust me, you don't want to go there'," Ms. Sheehan said, recounting her exchange with the president. "He said, 'You're right, I don't.' I said, 'Well, thanks for putting me there.' "

No doubt he said something truly inspiring to one of his aides after he left the room.

Thought for the Day

"Nice guys finish last, but we get to sleep in."

--Evan Davis

I Want to be a Part of This.

And not on the paying side.

Rich Liberals Vow to Fund Think Tanks

At least 80 wealthy liberals have pledged to contribute $1 million or more apiece to fund a network of think tanks and advocacy groups to compete with the potent conservative infrastructure built up over the past three decades.

The money will be channeled through a new partnership called the Democracy Alliance, which was founded last spring -- the latest in a series of liberal initiatives as the Democratic Party and its allies continue to struggle with the loss of the House and the Senate in 1994 and the presidency in 2000. Many influential Democratic contributors were left angry and despairing over the party's poor showing in last year's elections, and are looking for what they hope will be more effective ways to invest their support.

I'm looking for this kind of work. Anyone want to hire me?

Presidential Radio Address

The President:

Good morning. Like me, many across this great land are taking lengthy vacations this month, to escape the roasting hot weather made possible by my bold policy of global climate enhancement. However, it has been brought to my attention that a relatively small number of families are not enjoying the summer nearly as much as I am, because their fathers, mothers, brothers, sons and/or daughters have been wounded and/or killed in the War of Heroic Action against Terrorism for the Future of a United Christian Kulture -- or, as my NSC counterterrorism experts sometimes call it: WHATtheFUCK?

All of us here in Crawford mourn the loss of these brave but ultimately expendable men and women -- although if Cindy Sheehan thinks I'm going to let her anywhere near my house, she's out of her freaking mind. However, I will now honor the sacrifices made by our slaughtered troops and their annoying families with this brief moment of presidential silence. (Pauses briefly.)

Go read the rest. Classic

Thought for the Day

"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."

--Sidney J. Harris

Does the DCCC Want to Win Elections?

From what David Sirota has, is certainly does not look that way:

On the issue of the Iraq War, the disconnect between the Washington, D.C. Democratic Party establishment and political reality in America is growing by the day. Case in point is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's attitude towards the tremendous special election run by Paul Hackett in the staunchly Republican Cincinnati suburbs.

Hackett, an Iraq War veteran, made headlines in the campaign for taking a strong position against the original decision to go to war in Iraq, even calling the President of the United States an SOB.

Let us think about that for a moment.

...

...


...



...




...





Done? Good.

What did we learn from that bolded paragraph. In a heavily Republican district, a Democrat was able to strongly criticize the "War President" and benefit from it.

This is probably obvious to many of you, however the Democratic Establishment cannot see that. In a memo sent to Democratic House members, there is an analysis of the race. In that analysis, not one word, let me repeat that, not one word, about Hackett challenging Bush on the Iraq war.

Why would that be?

Why would the one tactic that was demonstrated to be a benefit to Hackett's campaign be ignored?

It is possible that Democrats who voted for the war are still embarrassed about that vote, and just want to pretend the issue doesn't really exist. If that's the case, they need to get over it and just do what others have done: tell the truth, admit they were lied to, and acknowledge that they made a mistake.

Is that the case?

Embarrasment?
Afraid to admit a mistake?

If that is the case, get over it.

Otherwise, Democrats will lose seats (unless they are challenged in the primary by one who is willing to make strong statements).

Still, this memo makes clear there really still is a disconnect within the D.C. Democratic cabal. Not only is the D.C. Democratic Establishment removed from the concerns of ordinary Americans, it actually goes out of its way to deny the existence of the messages that actually make campaigns successful. Here's hoping that individual Democratic candidates realize understand that such a disconnect exists, and that they better-understand the messages that are required to win elections.

Thought for the Day

"It is bad luck to be superstitious."

--Andrew W. Mathis

Letters

New York Times:

To the Editor:

Bob Herbert's touching column about Specialist Fourth Class Hugo Luis Gonzalez, a maimed Iraqi war veteran, hit me especially hard ('Forget the War? Many Can't,' Aug. 4).

I spent last weekend at a Silver Springs, Md., hotel near Walter Reed Army Medical Center. There, on Sunday morning, I helped a young wife wheel her legless husband into the elevator, then the dining room. He dandled a pretty 2-year-old on what remained of his lap. Another tiny beauty clutched the wheelchair, trying to help.

As we entered the dining room, we saw 10 or 12 cheery young men and women about to be seated. When the amputee rolled into view, he waved to the group. Only one of the group waved back. Another gave the vet a thumbs-up gesture. Strangely, all the others looked away or fumbled with napkins, newspapers and chairs.

Eavesdropping on them during the meal, I think that I discovered why so many of them seemed ill at ease. They were members of a conservative college student group, and the subject of their breakfast meeting was how to improve their campus recruitment activities.

Some World War II feistiness left in me wanted to ask, 'If you're so ardent about the war, why don't you enlist?'

Art Shay
Deerfield, Ill., Aug. 4, 2005

Novakula

After Robert Novak had his little fit on CNN today, CNN decided that he needs a few days off:

"Bob Novak's behavior on CNN today was inexcusable and unacceptable. Mr. Novak has apologized to CNN, and CNN apologizes to its viewers for his language and actions. We've asked Mr. Novak to take some time off," a CNN spokeswoman told us.

According to Fishbowl DC, as of 19:17 EDT, CNN still had the video link on their featured videos.

It seems, from a quick perusal of CNN's site, that they have pulled the video. Or, at least made it hard to find, as of this posting.

Will They Listen?

Democrats need to pull their heads out of their asses:

We Democrats need to be the tough guys again. We used to be the thick knuckled steel workers, the big burly football fans in the cheap seats, the lunch pail Joe Six Pack with the big heart. We used to have class. We used to be Frank Sinatra with a martini glass and a "don't fuck with me" look in his eye. That's where we need to go. We need to be Rat Pack Democrats again.
...

Perhaps most importantly, it's vowing to never shrink from a junk yard brawl with a Republican carrying a Bible. Get outta here, fuck face. That's what Sinatra would have said. "My buddy Sammy's a Jewish black man...take your crucifix and shove it up your ass." Then he'd go to church on Sunday and roll his eyes at the priest when he started preaching about abortion from the pulpit....Jesus Christ, buddy, get real!

I don't agree with everything Tim wrote, but the overall thrust I do.

It is time, no, past time, for Democrats to fight back.

We have allowed ourselves to become pantywaists.
We have allowed ourselves to be pushed around by the schoolyard bullies.

And like the little kid who has been cowed by the bully, we sulk off into a corner and cry like a little baby.

Paul Hackett called President Bush a Son of a Bitch, and people liked it.

Democrats don't need to sink to the level of Republicans. But when the slime balls start flying, hit back. Tell them where they can put their lies. The truth of the last 5 years is devastating to Republicans. I believe that many are starting to see it, and it scares them. The Republicans have to fight dirty, because in a fair fight they know they would lose.

Look at the Ohio-2 race as a sign. If people like Joementum get out of the way, either voluntarily or by force, Democrats will win. And win big.



Thanks to Americablog for the link.

Thought for the Day

"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important."

--Martin Luther King Jr.

Screwing the Native Americans

Carl Pope:

Congress has delivered a nasty surprise to the Indian Nations from whom most of this state was stolen. Even the parts that weren't stolen will now be turned over to the oil-and-gas industry in a new version of the Oklahoma Land Rush. You might not have thought that the Energy Bill the President just touted was yet another land grab from the First Nations. Deeply buried within it, however, was a provision that stripped from Indian tribes in Oklahoma -- and only in Oklahoma -- the right to protect the environment on their own lands. Instead, the state of Oklahoma can simply trump the rules or standards set by the tribes.

What this means is that the oil-and-gas industry can now pollute the streams on which tribal communities and agriculture and ranching depend, and the tribes will have no recourse. This little sneaker apparently was slipped in at the behest of the oil and gas industry. David Conrad, of the National Tribal Environmental Council, wrote to me that "it is not good news for tribes or the environment in Oklahoma. The State and more radical sections of the oil and gas industry have short circuited the process to get this through without our being able to stop it." [House Conference Report] And here we thought they were writing an energy bill -- who knew that the real problem was the rights of the Pawnee rather than our dependence on Saudi Arabia?

The only conclusion that one can draw from this legislation, is that Oklahoma, and the Republican Party would like to see the Native American Indian Tribes eliminated.

I thought America got past that.

Poor Judy!

Writers Group Won't Give Judith Miller 'Conscience in Media' Award After All:

The board of The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) has voted unanimously to reverse an earlier decision to give its annual Conscience in Media award to jailed New York Times reporter Judith Miller, E&P has learned.

The group's First Amendment committee had narrowly voted to give Miller the prize for her dedication to protecting sources, but the full board has now voted to overturn that decision, based on its opinion that her entire career, and even her current actions in the Plame/CIA leak case, cast doubt on her credentials for this award.

The group's president, Jack El-Hai, posted an explanation on an internal list-serve yesterday, noting the opposition from the rank and file, and also mentioning two other reasons for the unanimous vote:

* “A feeling that Miller's career, taken as a whole, did not make her the best candidate for the award”

* “Divided opinions on the board over whether her recent actions merit the award.”

Thought for the Day

"To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it."

--G. K. Chesterton

The Sad Thing is He is Probably Proud of This Record

While most Americans get only two weeks of vacation, Bush goes for the gusto, and sets a record for a vacationing President.

President Bush is getting the kind of break most Americans can only dream of -- nearly five weeks away from the office, loaded with vacation time.

The president departed Tuesday for his longest stretch yet away from the White House, arriving at his Crawford ranch in the evening to clear brush, visit with family and friends, and tend to some outside-the-Beltway politics. By historical standards, it is the longest presidential retreat in at least 36 years.

I notice a bit of snark in this article.

Apparently the Washington Post reporters are getting fed up with Bush?

Maybe a litte.

The Last Throes

Of what I am not sure.

Fourteen Marines killed in bombing:

A roadside bomb blast killed 14 Marines and a civilian interpreter Wednesday as they rode in a vehicle near Haditha, Iraq, U.S. military officials said.

If you listen to the Bush-Bots, you would think that things were peachy in Iraq.

Unfortunately it is not that way.

Frist Being Thrown Overboard?

President Frist seems less likely then ever before:

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said Tuesday on the group's Web site that Frist's recently announced stem cell stance "reflects an unwise and unnecessary choice both for public policy and for respecting the dignity of human life." Perkins also has been annoyed with Frist for allowing a compromise on President Bush's judicial nominations.

How I enjoy watching the right fight amongst themselves.

Ohio-2 Special Election

It broke 48% - 52% to Schmidt.

Many may say, a loss is a loss. However, one thing to remember, this district is one of the reddest districts in the country.

Something like 60+% for Bush in 2004, and 70+% Republican in other elections.

The NRCC had to spend $500,000 on ad buys to buoy Schmidt. That it half-million dollars that the NRCC does not have in its coffers to spend next year.

Sure they will get it back, but this was a phyrric victory.

Too many of those, then it will become financially too burdensome to run Republicans.

There is a silver lining in this dark cloud. You just have to look hard for it.

Thought for the Day

"At my lemonade stand I used to give the first glass away free and charge five dollars for the second glass. The refill contained the antidote."

--Emo Phillips

John Nichols

The Bolton Embarrassment:

When the United States sought to be a true world leader, as opposed to a petulant global bully, this country's seat at the United Nations was occupied by great men and women. Consider just some of the amazing figures who have served as U.S. ambassadors to the international body: former Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., two-time presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson, former Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, former Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton, former civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman Andrew Young, academics and public intellectuals Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Jean Kirkpatrick, Madeine Albright and Richard Holbrooke, former State Department aide and New Mexico Congressman Bill Richardson, former Missouri Senator John Danforth.

Now we have the bully.

Just when the US needs the support of the world in helping to combat terrorism (despite the ham-fisted manner of Bush), Bush appoints probably the one person who will do more to damage the status of the US in the United Nations than anyone up to this point.

I have no doubt that during the time that Bolton is in the UN, he will screw up big time. Allies, and those sympathetic to the US will be put in a position of having to deal with an individual that most of the country does not want representing its interests before the UN. The "reform" agenda that Cheney and Bolton will no doubt push, will push other countries away from us.

Increasingly the US will become isolated, when isolation is what the US needs the least.


Thanks for nothing.

Roberts and Civil Rights

Roberts sought to shift course of civil rights law:

In the early 1980s, a young intellectual lawyer named John G. Roberts Jr. was part of the vanguard of a conservative political revolution in civil rights, advocating new legal theories and helping enforce the Reagan administration's effort to curtail the use of courts to remedy racial and sexual discrimination.

Nothing surprising there.

Civil Rights is one area that Democrats should hit Roberts on during the confirmation hearings.

It is one thing to say he respects "Rule of Law" and what not. However, since it has been made clear that Republicans feel the SCOTUS can and should be setting new precedent, and ignoring previous rulings, this is one of many areas that Roberts positions can (and probably will) dramatically change the entire character of the United States as a haven for promoting the rights of all.

But, seeing as that is one of the goals of the Rapture Right, it is why Democrats need to fight against this threat.

And fight hard.

All Signs Point to a Firing?

In each case, where a member of the Bush regime has been fired, or a high ranking resignation to spend time with their family, Bush has said that person has his "complete confidence":

President Bush on Monday declared "complete confidence" in his top political adviser, Karl Rove, despite his alleged role in leaking a covert CIA operative's identity, according to an interview.

If Bush holds true to form, we can expect Karl to resign, or be fired here very shortly.

If he doesn't then we have reached a truly sorry state of affairs, when the President of the United States of America, places his confidence in a person who is willing to gamble with national security in the name of partisan politics.

Ruining Texas for the Rest of Us

Despite the continuous carping from the Anti-Texas brigade, there is alot to like about Texas. However, some Texans can do a pretty good job of royally screwing the public image of Texas. Case in point, Rapture Right wingnuts adding Bible study to the 2006 high school curriculum. It would be fine if it was a part of a comparative religion class.

However, we are talking about the Rapture Right.

Thought for the Day

"Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all."

--William Goldman

Bush Does the Nasty

Bolton Appointed:

President Bush sidestepped the Senate and installed embattled nominee John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations on Monday, ending a five-month impasse with Democrats who accused Bolton of abusing subordinates and twisting intelligence to fit his conservative ideology.

Anyone know what the line is on Bolton creating a new international incident that will piss off the rest of the world?

Thought for the Day

"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity."

--Frank Leahy

Thought of the Day

"We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing."

--R. D. Laingh

Law for Thee, but Not for Me

That is the message the Secret Service is sending about Republicans.
No Charges For Secret Service Impostor:

The Secret Service has determined the identity of a mystery man who forcibly removed three people from a March appearance by President Bush in Denver, but it has decided to not press charges.

In a letter sent to three Colorado members of Congress, the Secret Service said that its investigation is over and that it will not name the man because no charges were filed.

I wonder who pressured the Secret Service to let this person get away with breaking the law?

IOKIYAR indeed.

Hey, That's Me!

System Administrator Appreciation Day Friday July 29th 2005:

System Administrator Appreciation Day - A special day, once a year, to acknowledge the worthiness and appreciation of the person occupying the role, especially as it is often this person who really keeps the wheels of your company turning.

As a system administrator, I demand appreciation!

Heads Exploding

Concerned Women for America

“Sen. Frist’s public backing of this horrific science is being felt deeply across middle America, and most importantly at the grassroots,” said Tamara Scott, CWA’s Iowa State Director. “Iowans today are significantly saddened to see our Majority Leader support an issue that stands in opposition to his former pro-life stance.”

There are some seriously unhappy people around Wingnut Land tonight.

Friday Formula One Blogging: Happy Birthday Edition

I don't have a new pics of my dogs, my car, or the cool looking thunderstorm that just rolled into Austin. So, since this weekend is the Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary, I would do something there.

Additionally, Mrs. David has a thing for Spaniard Fernando Alonso. So, two birds, one stone:



Current Formula One Championship points leader Fernando Alonso.
Team: Renault
Date of Birth: 29 July 1981

Happy 24th Birthday

Mixed Blessings

Frist Flip-Flops:

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on Friday threw his support behind House-passed legislation to expand federal financing for human embryonic stem cell research, breaking with President Bush and religious conservatives in a move that could impact his prospects for seeking the White House in 2008.

"It's not just a matter of faith, it's a matter of science," Frist, R-Tenn., said on the floor of the Senate.

Frist's announcement immediately dented his support among Christian conservatives but won lavish praise from former first lady Nancy Reagan, who said it "has the potential to alleviate so much suffering." Her husband, the late former President Ronald Reagan, had Alzheimer's disease.

Of course, it is still Bill Frist. Honestly, he is probably going with the sentiment of Tennessee, but I fear that his newly found support for stem cell support is primarily window dressing.

The proof will be in the pudding, when a bill comes before the Senate that promises to greatly expand funding of stem cell research.

White House on Flipping the Bird

Well, this is very interesting. John at Americablog received a telephone call from the White House yesterday. The caller, David Almacy from the White House communications office, told John that Bush was giving the thumbs up sign, and not flipping off reporters.

Which certainly could be plausible, except that Scott McClellan refused to address the issue in his press briefing yesterday.

If it was really as innocuous as a thumbs up, why would the White House press office lie about something that is easily verifiable. In fact McClellan indicated that Bush never would flip someone off, when we have video of Bush flipping off a reporter as Governor of Texas?

There are reports of him flipping off others.

Until I see something to the contrary, I still believe that was Bush's middle finger, and not his thumb.

Act Blue

With the Hackett race nearly over, I have (albeit late to the game) learned about ActBlue.

I have set up my own page for those races that I will be watching, and posting about occassionally.

Right now, there are two campaigns here in Texas that deserve help.

Barbara Radnofsky who is running for Kay Bailey Hutchisons seat and Chris Bell who is running for governor.

Occasionally I will put something up about them, or any other races which I feel are worth taking a look at.



I don't like pushy solicitations for money as much as the next, so I wont be doing much more than just providing a link to contribute through.

Vindicitve Republicans

In a growing sign of desperation in the OH-2 race, between Democrat Paul Hackett, and Republican Jean Schmidt, the NRCC makes a $500,000 ad buy to try and keep her from losing.

The extra money being funneled into this campaign is in response to a comment by Hackett:

What prompted the committee's entry into the Schmidt-Hackett race was a comment made by Hackett in a USA Today article published Thursday. Hackett, talking about his service as a marine in Iraq, is quoted as saying, "I've said I don't like the son-of-a-b--- that lives in the White House. But I'd put my life on the line for him."

Because Hackett said that, Forti said, "we decided to bury him."

Of course, Forti has said that she has no concern that Schmidt will lose. If that is the case, why does the NRCC feel the need to dump a rather large sum of money into a campaign that is a forgone conclusion?


The campaign is nearly over. Send a few dollars his way to prove these Republicans wrong.

How Totally Desparate Republicans Are

In a truly pathetic attempt to blame al Qaeda for being constipated, Fox News tried to blame al Qaeda for the police accidentally shooting Brazilian Jean Charles De Menezes.

This is just how pathetic Bush apologists have gotten.

Tomorrow, when someone gets run over by a car, Fox News will state that it is part of a conspiracy by al Qaeda to direct cars into pedestrians to generate sympathy for their cause.

It really is pathetic.

Bolton Lied to Congress?

It's possible:

July 28, 2005

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Madam Secretary:

It has just come to my attention that then-Undersecretary of State John Bolton was interviewed on July 18, 2003 by the State Department Office of the Inspector General in connection with a joint State Department/CIA IG investigation related to the alleged Iraqi attempts to procure uranium from Niger. This information would appear to be inconsistent with information that Mr. Bolton provided to the Committee on Foreign Relations during the Committee’s consideration of his pending nomination to be Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

The Committee on Foreign Relations expects all nominees to provide to it accurate and timely information. Indeed, in submitting the Committee’s questionnaire, all nominees are required to swear out an affidavit stating that the information provided is “true and accurate.” It now appears that Mr. Bolton’s answers may not meet that standard. I write, therefore, to request that you review this matter to determine whether incomplete or inaccurate information was provided by Mr. Bolton.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Ranking Minority Member

Thought for the Day

"The one serious conviction that a man should have is that nothing is to be taken too seriously."

--Nicholas Butler

Steve Bell

The launch of the space shuttle Discovery

Chris Bell For Governor of Texas

Today Chris Bell announced is candidacy as the Democratic Candidate for Governor of the State of Texas.

Dear Friend,

Over the past half year, I have traveled all over Texas, literally exploring the race for governor. You have indulged me in this process as I sought the answers to some important questions, some personal (and Alison's doing better every day, thanks) and some of them public: Can a Texas Democrat win? Are Texas Democrats ready to try something different? Do people see what is happening in Texas the same way that I do?

Well, I have my answers, and today I am proud to share the news that I've decided to run for governor.

If you ever want people to question your sanity, explore running for statewide office as a Democrat in Texas. When this started, I had no clue as to how people might respond. I have not been that nervous about getting on the phone since running for Houston City Council the first time. Everyone agreed that it would be a tough road for any Democrat but, interestingly, the overwhelming majority of people with whom I spoke could also see that Rick Perry is creating a huge opportunity for a Democrat. They also agreed it wasn't enough for me to be right about Rick Perry being wrong; it would take a positive message that could unite all Texans.

As I've traveled the state, I've been talking about the "New Mainstream," the disaffected majority of Texans who know that Rick Perry couldn't lead a silent prayer. I've been talking about how budgets are moral documents that have both a fiscal impact as well as a human cost. And, as a public school parent, I've learned that parents and teachers across Texas share my frustrations with Enron-style accountability that encourages dropouts and systematic fraud by teaching our kids nothing as much as how to take yet another standardized test.

The best part of the exploration phase has been watching as people came out of their seats to cheer. Some memories have really stuck with me: the young college student who approached me in Brazos County, with tears in her eyes, telling me how inspired she was by what I had said; the pastor in Mount Pleasant who told me he would be with me all the way; the County Chair in Lubbock starting the chant, "Run Chris, run!" I won't pretend that people were responding to me so much as to hearing someone talk about the world the way it is, and not just the way it polls.

The one remaining question was whether my wife, Alison, would be up for the fight. I am happy to tell you that the prognosis after chemotherapy is as good as it can get. Ali has been my rock ever since we've been together, and there's no way I would embark on something as challenging as a race for governor without her feeling up to it. As everyone knows, she's every bit the fighter I am, and she feels strong enough to join me in this battle.

We're launching our campaign for governor on Sunday afternoon, August 14th, at 2PM in Austin, and Alison and I want you to join us there. If you would like to help organize participants from your city, please let us know. Information about the launch rally is available here.

We are going in with eyes wide open, aware not only of the odds but also of the possibilities to achieve great things for Texas. I look forward to seeing you in Austin and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your friendship and support.

Sincerely,

Chris

P.S. Ironically, as I was writing this letter, I received a "thought for today" e-mail from a friend. It was a quote from Anatole France that says, "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." I couldn't have said it better myself. I dream of a better state and believe we can build it together.

ChrisBell.com

Compare and Contrast

Two articles. Both Associated Press. One vague, one detailed. Same story, two different conclusions drawn.

Article One:

Bad weather forced the cancellation of President Bush's trip Wednesday to the Boy Scouts' national jamboree where tens of thousands of youngsters have been saddened by the deaths of four of their leaders in a tragic accident.

Article two:

The Boy Scouts marched onto the field singing, plopping down in the grass to wait for President Bush. But hours later, the news that Bush couldn't make it was drowned out by sirens and shouts as hundreds fell ill because of the blistering heat.

About 300 people, most of them Scouts, suffered from dehydration, fatigue and lightheadedness Wednesday - just days after four Scout leaders were killed at the national Jamboree while pitching a tent beneath a power line.

In the first article, there is no mention of the fact that 300 people had to be treated for heat related illnesses. If you take the first article by itself, you are left with the impression that there were just a bunch of disappointed Boy Scouts.

The second article indicates that not only could Bush not make it, but because the White House did not communicate their intention not to go soon enough, that hundreds of people suffered because of it.

Two issues. The media sucks, and why couldn't the White House make a courtesy call to let the Boy Scout leaders know that they wouldn't be coming, so the kids could get out of the sun?

Flipping the Bird

George Bush apparently has had it with the press. So much so, that he no longer bothers to respond verbally to questions:




Go to the link for the actual video.



Thanks to John @ Americablog for the pointer.

Democrats in the Military: Bad?

Via Atrios we learn that Thursday's guest on Hardball is former Marine Major Paul Hackett, who is running as the Democratic candidate in the special election for Ohio district 2.

From Hardball page at MSNBC.com:

ON HARDBALL TONIGHT
Thursday, 7 p.m. ET

Paul Hackett wants to be the first Iraq war veteran to do battle in Congress. But first, Chris plays Hardball with the former Marine Major on whether his military service will help or hurt his bid for office.

It certainly appears that Chris Matthews subscribes to the belief that on Republicans who serve in the military are worthy.

How about asking Chris why is willing to attack former military who are Democrats:
hardball@msnbc.com

Thought for the Day

"Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example."

--Mark Twain

Blair v Blair

Blair v Blair:

"I may offend people when I say this, but 11 September for me was a wake-up call. Do you know what I think the problem is? That a lot of the world woke up for a short time and then turned over and went back to sleep again."
--Tony Blair

"At the same time, it is all too easy for us to respond to such terror in a way which undermines commitment to our most deeply held values and convictions and which cheapens our right to call ourselves a civilised nation."
--Cherie Blair

I bet dinner was a frosty affair.


Some more Blair v Blair:

She says

An independent judiciary has the important task of executive action against the benchmark of human rights

He says

The independence of the judiciary is a principle of our democracy, but I hope that recent events have created a situation where people understand that it is important that we do protect ourselves

She says

It is all too easy for us to respond to such terror in a way which undermines our commitment to our most deeply held values and convictions

He says

I think it perfectly reasonable for us in circumstances of great difficulty to have a greater detention, in order that there can be the interrogation of people who are suspected of doing this

She says

Courts have to act as guardians of the weakest, poorest and most marginalised members of society against the hurly-burly of majoritarian politics

He says

I think when the main political parties present a united front then you send an important signal to the terrorists of our strength, our determination, our unity to defeat them

She says

As long as young people feel they have got no hope but to blow themselves up, you are never going to make progress - JUNE 2002

He says

It is just a lie when they say that people have got no option but to engage in terrorism. They do have an option

My goodness.

Missing Latoyia Figueroa Update

Richard Cranium is working to keep the story of Latoyia Figueroa alive. It appears to be gaining some traction (fortunately):

A researcher at CNN just called me, and we went into as much detail as I'm familiar with on the case. It's my understanding that CNN will be expanding on the story as the day goes on, and it should hit their website at some point. Also, there's apparently a news conference slated for later today - don't know a thing about it, but will update when I know something. Keep the pressure on...

Keep up the good work.

Additionally there is a fund setup to provide a reward for information about Ms. Figueroa. According to Richard, the reward is up to $10,000. Info on how to contribute at the link above.

Color Me Shocked and Awed

Via Atrios:

JESSICA SIMPSON wants to know where missing footage of her and husband NICK LACHEY's harrowing trip to Iraq got to - because she thinks Americans would like to see just how bad conditions are there.

The pop singers-turned-reality TV couple travelled to the war-torn nation to visit US troops as part of a recent ABC TV variety special, and they were both left shellshocked by what they saw.

But all the controversial moments and harrowing footage of the trip didn't appear in the fun-filled TV show.

Simpson says, "It was unbelievable. They didn't show a lot of what really went on with the enemy attacks and the shelling. There was so much stuff that went on and somehow the tapes got mysteriously misplaced.

"It put everything in perspective for me. It really did teach me the definition of sacrifice. I can't even fathom being out there right now. I was ready to come home."

Alright, how did we get into Bizzaro World?

Bush Not So Trustworthy?

So says the American Public:

For the first time, a majority of Americans, 51%, say the Bush administration deliberately misled the public about whether Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction — the reason Bush emphasized in making the case for invading. The administration's credibility on the issue has been steadily eroding since 2003.

By 58%-37%, a majority say the United States won't be able to establish a stable, democratic government in Iraq.

About one-third, 32%, say the United States can't win the war in Iraq. Another 21% say the United States could win the war, but they don't think it will. Just 43% predict a victory.

I looks like Bush is losing the American public

Just wish that happened last November.

Is Karl Rove Having an Affair?

I guess that in my role as a member of the "media", it is my role to speculate on things like this.

Radar Online has speculation about an inappropriate relationship between Karl Rove, who is married with children, and lobbyist Karen Johnson.

Asked to comment on Rove’s relationship with Johnson, a White House spokesman firmly declined to discuss the matter, saying that their relationship was “the business of these two individuals who have personal lives…I don’t think that’s something that the White House should comment on.”

Is it true? I don't know.

Democrats Grovel to Republicans

I am constantly amazed at how Congressional Democrats enjoy being abused by Republicans:

Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa criticized the administration as "not sharing with us the true reasons for going to war or the true price we would have to pay to continue the war."

But for all the criticism directed at Mr. Bush and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill, some of the prospective presidential contenders warned that Democrats had to offer the public more than criticism of the Republican Party if they hoped to begin winning again.

"We can't afford to be anti-, against everything," Mr. Vilsack said. "America is waiting for us. They are desperate to know what we are for."

For all of the pleading that Democrats do along these lines, do Republicans acknowledge those who plead for a change in the tone?

What do you think?

Republicans immediately fired back at the criticisms, mocking the council for reaching out to Mrs. Clinton, whom conservatives have long derided as a symbol of liberal excess.

"The fact that the centrist organization of the Democrat Party would anoint Hillary Clinton anything, exemplifies just how far left the Democrats have gone," said Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.

"There is nothing centrist about Senator Clinton's liberal record," Ms. Schmitt said in a statement.

Thought for the Day

"With most men, unbelief in one thing springs from blind belief in another."

--Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Will Nancy Grace Cover This?

Odds are no, but we can hope.

The All Spin Zone / Missing Pregnant 25 YO Mother Alert (Non-White Division)

Armstong a closet Lefty?

Think Progress thinks that Lance Armstrong may hold a leftward tilt in his political biases.

I guess it is possible. However this comment:

“Funding [for cancer research] is tough to come by these days,” he says. “The biggest downside to a war in Iraq is what you could do with that money. What does a war in Iraq cost a week? A billion? Maybe a billion a day? The budget for the National Cancer Institute is four billion. That has to change. It needs to become a priority again.

“Polls say people are much more afraid of cancer than of a plane flying into their house or a bomb or any other form of terrorism. It is a priority for the American public.”

Is not surprising, seeing as cancer research is Lance's cause celebre.

I don't presume to know Lance Armstrong, nor his politics, however, until I see something a bit more concrete WRT his political leanings, I remain abivalent. However, one thing that must be remembered, if he does identify as a Democrat, he may be a Texas Democrat. Not exactly the most liberal leaning crowd.

Let's not jump on the bandwagon just yet.

Formula One Blogging

Since the beginning of the Formula One season, I have resisted blogging much about it, because I don't know that many of my readers are interested in the sport.

However, I couldn't let this one pass:

Formula one star David Coulthard has been collared by police after driving his racing car through Turkey.

The Red Bull ace took his motor for a spin across the Bosphorus Bridge, but forgot to pay his toll fee and was promptly pulled over when he reached the other side.

Coulthard was in Turkey to promote the sport, but that cut no ice with the over-officious cops and he was hit with a whopping fine of 20 euros - that's £13.75 in old money.

Fortunately the Scot didn't have to smash open his piggy bank, with his team generously agreeing to stump up the cash.

Turkey's Anatolia news agency said: "The driver was picked up by the automatic surveillance system when he was driving across the Bosphorus Bridge in his Formula One car."

Apparently only the president, traffic police and emergency workers have the right to cross the bridge for nothing.

More Questions About Judge Roberts

As the White House continues to insist that Judge Roberts writings post 1988 are off limits to Senate Democrats, questions arise about Roberts membership in the Federalist Society:

He waved off questions about whether he was a member of the Federalist Society, an influential legal group formed to counter what its members saw as growing liberalism on the bench.

A 1997-98 leadership directory for the Federalist Society lists Roberts as a steering committee member in the group's Washington chapter, The Washington Post reported. At the time, Roberts was a partner in a private law firm.

Roberts has acknowledged participating in Federal Society events, but White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, "He has no memory of ever joining or paying dues to the Federalist Society."

He did not list the Federalist Society in a questionnaire he submitted to the Senate when he was nominated for his Court of Appeals seat in 2001

Maybe this is a bit pedantic, but why would the Federalist Society have someone as a member of the steering committee if they weren't a dues paying member?

Wouldn't that be like allowing British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw being on the United States National Security Council?

White House to Democrats: Piss Off

Today, according to an anonymous source, the White House told Senate Democrats to take a long walk off of a short pier, if they want to see any of Judge John Roberts writings since 1988:

"They will not be released," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been made public.

The administration is working on the release of other documents from Roberts' time working for President Reagan in the 1980s, the official said. But it will claim executive privilege for materials from his time as principal deputy solicitor general - the government's second-ranking courtroom lawyer - for former President George H.W. Bush between 1989 and 1993.

Well, that settles it then. Senate Democrats will probably roll over on this one.

You Spin Me Right Round Baby

Plame controversy continues to heat up.

The first rounds of deflection, that she was not covert, didn't mention her name, etc., are all failing miserably.

The Republicans are now getting ready to trot out the next defense of Rove. Should she have been covert at all? Pat Roberts (R-Ks) is going to be holding hearings to review the use of the covert status by the CIA.

The smell of desperation is thick in Washington these days. I can smell it here in Texas.

Teamsters, SEIU to Bolt AFL-CIO

I have been watching the brouhaha kicking up at the AFL-CIO, and when I saw this article, I cannot say I was too surprised:

Organized labor is at war with itself as the Teamsters and a major service employees' union decide to bolt from the AFL-CIO, paving the way for two other groups to sever ties in the labor movement's biggest rift since the 1930s.

The Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union, the largest AFL-CIO affiliate with 1.8 million members, intended to announce Monday that they are leaving the federation after failing to reform the 50-year-old labor giant, according to several labor officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

I don't really know what impact this will ultimately have on organized labor in this country. I do know that there has been a large dissatisfaction with the AFL-CIO leadership for sometime Alot of it has been over declining membership, and what to do about it.

I don't know that the Teamsters and/or SEIU leadership know what to do, but they do have ideas.

It would be nice if the unions and the AFL-CIO could have worked out their differences (I suppose they still could), but whatever it does, I hope the union membership begins to increase.

Thought for the Day

"Drive-in banks were established so most of the cars today could see their real owners."

--E. Joseph Crossman

Number 7

Congratulations Lance on number 7.

12 Hours To Do What?

What was Andy Card doing in the 12 hour window between the time that Abu Gonzales told him that there was an investigation started into the Plame leak, and the time Gonzales told everyone else in the White House?

Why the delay, and for what purpose?

What is Bush Hiding About Roberts?

Maybe alot:

Citing privacy and precedent, the Bush administration indicated Sunday it does not intend to release all memos and other documents written by Supreme Court nominee John Roberts when he worked for two Republican presidents.

The leading Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will conduct hearings on Roberts' nomination, disputed the assertion that privacy was at stake and called such a position a "red herring."

Roberts worked in the Reagan White House counsel's office from 1982-1986. He also was principal deputy solicitor general in the administration of the first President Bush.

Fred D. Thompson, the former Tennessee senator who is guiding Roberts through the nomination process on behalf of the White House, said material that would come under attorney-client privilege would be withheld. He contended that previous administrations, both Republican and Democrat, have followed that principle.

"We hope we don't get into a situation where documents are asked for that folks know will not be forthcoming and we get all hung up on that," Thompson told NBC's "Meet the Press."

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appeared more open to considering such requests, but he also cited concerns about "very sensitive, very deliberative information" that could be involved.

"Generally, that's not something that the administration or any White House would be inclined to share because it is so sensitive and does, in my judgment, does chill communications between line attorneys and their superiors within the Department of Justice," Gonzales said on "Fox News Sunday."

"That would be something that we'd have to look at very, very carefully," he said. "Rather than prejudge the issue, let's wait for the Judiciary Committee to make its requests, and then we can evaluate the requests and hopefully reach an appropriate accommodation."

The committee has yet to ask for such material. But some Democrats, including Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, have urged the White House to release "in their entirety" any documents written by Roberts.

Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said other nominees, including Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, have provided material they wrote in confidence while working in the Justice Department.

"It's a total red herring to say, 'Oh, we can't show this,'" Leahy told ABC's "This Week." "

"And of course there is no lawyer-client privilege," he said. "Those working in the solicitor general's office are not working for the president. They're working for you and me and all the American people."

Leahy and the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois, said Roberts' elevation to the Supreme Court called for a high standard of evaluation — higher than that when the Senate agreed to out Roberts on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in May 2003.

The two senators split over Roberts in committee: Leahy voted in favor and Durbin against because of what he considered incomplete responses to questions.

"I want to ask him full and fair questions," Leahy said. "It's a standard I would have for any nominee to the Supreme Court."

Contending that documents could be an important part of the confirmation process when little is known about a nominee, Durbin said, "A lot has to do with whether or not you can fill in the empty vessel with the information that tells you about this person."

Another Judiciary Committee Democrat, Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, said the goal is to learn about Roberts' judicial philosophy and method of legal reasoning.

"This is not a game of 'gotcha,' and document requests and, in general, information requests, are not an end, a goal to prove something," Schumer said. "They're a means to simply determining Justice Roberts' judicial views. That's all we want."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he thought some documents about work Roberts did in the solicitor general's office probably could be turned over, but not material from his time as a lawyer for the first President Bush.

"If we're going to set a precedent that those communications between someone who works for the president and the president of the United States are some day going to be made public, I think it could have a real chilling effect on the kind of candor in communications that people would have with the president," McCain said.

I thought John Roberts was Mr. All American?

Wouldn't he then have nothing to hide?

Thought for the Day

"He wrapped himself in quotations- as a beggar would enfold himself in the purple of Emperors."

--Rudyard Kipling