John Moltz

They come not to praise Social Security

...but to bury it.

When Republicans chant "Social Security has got to go!" (link via just about everyone), I think it's pretty safe to say they're not all that interested in saving it.

I believe a while ago I was involved in a dispute in the comments as to whether or not president Bush wanted to kill Social Security. Well, his proposal for private accounts - according to him - does exactly dick to "save" Social Security and the members of his party are gleefully (and stupidly, I might add - more power to 'em!) chanting that it's "got to go."

So, um, yeah, I don't believe I was engaged in demagoguery.

Heh

I had exactly the same idea, but Quiddity beat me to it.

The state of conservative discourse

Conservative blogger responds to an email about Gannon (link via Daily Kos):

You dumb shit... you stupid asshole... Go crawl back into your hole, you stupid left-wing shithead. And don't bother us anymore. You have to have an IQ over 50 to correspond with us. You don't qualify, you stupid shit.

Ah. Touché! Was that one of Oscar Wilde's?

Methinks he doth protest too much

Kos makes a good point about Howard Kurtz's concern about delving into Gannon/Guckert's so-called "private" life that was, you know, on the Internet:

Apparently, he doesn't know that prostition is the world's oldest profession. People are digging into Guckert's professional life, not his private life.

Follow that up with Atrios' flashback to Kurtz's treatment of Dick Morris and it spells just one thing: hack.

The difference between certain nuts

TBogg points out the difference between Ward Churchill and Ann Coulter: Coulter's gainfully employed.

Must be nice to be a crazy demagogue and still get invited to the party.

The Howler

Somerby, incomperably, makes a good point.

The transition cost of Bush's privatization plan is not $1 trillion, it's not $2 trillion, it's not even $4.5 trillion.

It's $15 trillion.

Also, don't miss Charles Krauthammer telling Ross Perot that his U.S. treasury bonds are worthless pieces of paper down at the bottom.

It's like these guys came out of a survivalist cabin in Idaho and proclaimed that the gubbiment has no ability to issue bonds.

What else is worthless? All those cool state quarters they've been minting? The new nickels? Presumably everything but the dime, as soon as they can get Reagan's face on it.

Shorter Krauthammer (to be said in voice of Kang from the Simpsons): YOUR RETIREMENT IS DOOMED! DOOOOOOOMED! END COMMUNICATION.

Shorter Bush Administration to POWs

Your suffering pales in comparison to our need to dig ourselves out of the whole we've dug ourselves into.

"No amount of money can truly compensate these brave men and women for the suffering that they went through at the hands of this very brutal regime and at the hands of Saddam Hussein," White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters when asked about the case in November 2003.

Government lawyers have insisted, literally, on "no amount of money" going to the Gulf War POWs. "These resources are required for the urgent national security needs of rebuilding Iraq," McClellan said.

Playing the game you know.

See, this makes sense to me.

Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rice... all of these goofballs came to office having focused their careers on the Soviet block during the cold war. So, what do you do when the rules change? Try to change 'em back.

They're just trying to create an Islamic block.

GAH!

There seems to be a lot of concern about what the Republicans "have" on Howard Dean and how much they're going to turn up the noise machine to attack his chairmanship.

Jesus fucking Christ, haven't we seen this movie?

I'm the first to say that there's no way to tell whether Dean would have had a better chance against Bush than Kerry had he won the nomination instead. But you'd think that after the Swift Boat Veterans Against Veterans attack the lesson might have sunk in that no one is bulletproof.

Yes, they'll play the scream over and over and, yes, they'll hurl whatever dirty they can fabricate at him.

They will do that to anyone.

You don't win the game by playing nothing but defense. We picked the guy with the best offense to be the chairman of our party.

Good times. Good times.

Remember the quaint old days before 9/11 when lying under oath could get you impeached?

Ha-ha! Ahhhh...

We were all so young!

You, particularly! I mean, look at you! All that hair! Ha-ha! All dressed up in that grunge wear! That plaid shirt was like three sizes too big for you!

Oh, for fun!

Well, in this post-9/11 world of things that have happened since 9/11, it's good to see that we don't let little things like lying to Congress under oath prevent someone who's done such a bang-up job prosecuting the war on things loosely tied to terror from getting promoted.

I mean, we didn't let her incompetence bother us, why should we let a little thing like lying?

Flush

That sound you just heard was the president of the United States flushing the last of our national integrity down the drain by saying U.S. bonds are worthless.

And, as Marshall points out, that almost certainly violates his oath of office.

But, message received: Bush would rather the U.S. default on its loans than raise taxes on his rich friends.

Actually, even that's not true. He'd rather the U.S. default on its loans so he can dismantle a highly popular and succesful social program that keeps the elderly from dying in a cardboard box under an overpass.

Nice.

Smackdown

Cole continues to kick Jonah's ass up and down the street. (Link via Atrios.)

Intellectually speaking, of course.

Well, and then there's this:

I don't think there is anything at all unpatriotic about a young man opposing a war and declining to enlist. But a young man (and this applies to W. and Cheney too) who mouths off strongly about the desirability of a war is a coward and a hypocrite if he does not go to fight it.

Indeed.

And Cole notes essentially what I mentioned previously:

The thing that really annoyed me about Goldberg's sniping was it reminded me of how our country got into this mess in Iraq. It was because a lot of ignorant but very powerful and visible people told the American people things that were not true.

And, by the way, it'd be nice if we had more people who actually know something about anything call out these ass-clowns who know nothing about everything.

Shorter Jonah Goldberg

"The Iraq War was well worth the cost I paid for it. Which is nothing."

And, really, he's too busy to spend any more time on having his ass handed to him so if you'd just not pay attention anymore that'd be great.

Killing Social Security

If you're having trouble figuring out the whole Social Security debate, Josh Marshall has lengthy, but worth while post that helps explain why, yes Virginia, George Bush is trying to kill the program.

Short story: Social Security was designed as a defined benefit plan - where you could count on what you'd get out of it later in life. Bush wants to replace that with a defined contribution plan - where you determine how much you put in, but what you get out later depends on market performance.

That, kids, is killing Social Security.

Inexperts

It struck me after reading Juan Cole's complete takedown of Johah Goldberg (link via Daily Kos) that it was largely endemic of the last four years. People who know absolutely nothing about a given subject matter and stand to gain personally by defending the indefensible side have been treated as equals to subject matter experts. That is perhaps the greatest single thing that keeps the conservative house of cards from collapsing.

"Global warming is a farce!" says group of scientists (many of whom turn out to be Republican dentists).

"Social security is doomed!" say retirement experts (who turn out to be stock brokers).

"Iraq has nuclear weapons!" says pundit (i.e. nitwit son of conservative media mogul).

Like Goldberg, I don't know squat about the Middle East. Unlike Goldberg, I don't get paid handsomely to pontificate about it.

Flim-flam artist

You know, I'm fairly certain that there are rules in the mutual fund industry against making claims about future returns from the stock market.

It's a shame the same rules don't apply to the president.

Applause

The United Church of Christ welcomes SpongeBob Squarepants. (Link via Uggabugga.)

Did I mention Condi was black? Because she is.

Shorter Charles Krauthammer to black people: "Hey, there's a black guy who goes to my gym! Do you know him?"

Every time I hear a Republican deride how Democrats "take the black vote for granted", I remember discussing the runup to the '96 election with some well-heeled white Republicans who claimed Clinton was on his way out as the eventual GOP nominee would pick Colin Powell as his running mate to "get the black vote."

Could the Democrats better represent African Americans? Absolutely. Consistently standing up for their voting rights would be a great place to start. But at least Democrats don't just run black faces up the flag pole and expect African Americans to salute.

And speaking of taking things for granted...

Wow

Since when is Barbara Boxer a Kos diarist? That is fucking cool.

More like this, please

Democrats are introducing the Stop Government Propaganda Act.

Golly, who are these "Democrats" I've been reading about recently? Some new party? I like the cut of their jibb.

Yes, we are all doomed

The juxtaposition of these two posts struck me today.

Newspeak

Failed Bush World Leadership

During the Clinton years, conservatives grieved the supposed decline of the moral fiber of the United States that they believed was the result of having a... well, I guess since Republicans are adulterers and liars too, they must have thought it was just from having a Democrat as president.

Now under Bush we are left to grieve the decline of the United States' economy, the legitimacy of its political process, its international standing and its ability to look itself in the mirror.

You know, an actual decline instead of one ginned up by politicians and right wing ministers.

Bush's ardent supporters believe that A) America can do no wrong and B) America is so good it doesn't even have to try. Perhaps this is the logical result when you believe that your country was chosen alone by god to do his bidding.

It angers me that while we find ourselves forced to spend our time fighting their control of the rhetoric (let alone their control of the implementation of policy), our country continues to to be sold down the river by shallow and greedy men and women.

The audience that they play to - one that they have successfully trained to jump like trained poodles through a hoop come election day when they yell about foreigners and butt-fuckers - longs for a fantasy version of 1954 where all is Mickey Mouse and Howdy Doody and sock hops and ice cream socials and America is an island unsullied by unsavory ethnic types or anyone who made the mistake of being born different. It's a fantasy of a nation that never existed, where America single-handedly won World War II and black people would be happier if they just kept to themselves.

Where America never needed France's help to win its independence from Great Britain, there was no French resistance to German occupation during World War II, the Soviets didn't lose millions of people on the eastern front and more and more of our ass isn't owned by foreign crediters every day.

But America is not an island and the rest of the world is fully capable of accomplishing things - important things - on its own without us. While we arrogantly strut and posture and mortgage our future, young Koreans and Thais and Vietnamese are no longer learning English, they're learning the language of mortgager: Chinese.

I love this country. I was born and raised here and my time abroad has only made me appreciate what we have. That's why this administration makes me angry. Because I hate to see them tear it down.

And here you thought they were extinct

First it's "fightin' Dems", then it's "fightin' pro-choice Republicans".

Next up, "fightin' blue-footed boobies".

Traffic was hell.

Yesterday I received an email from John Kerry informing me that he would vote against Condoleeza Rice's nomination for Secretary of State, partly because of her poor job architecting the Iraq war.

That's good, I thought. If only you and more Democrats had voted against authorizing the Iraq war in the first place and created some actual debate about it, maybe we wouldn't be losing more lives each day over nothing.

Today I received an email from Terry McAuliffe telling me how Democrats "won't stop fighting" even though Bush is being inagurated today. That's nice, I thought. But I can't help but think also that if you had simply started fighting when we were all screaming "FIGHT!" at you, maybe a Democrat would be being sworn in today.

So if Dems are finally fighting back, my question is simply, what took you so god damn long?

Thoughts for the day

• The state of Republican discourse can apparently be summed up thusly: because I had a proctologic exam once, we should be allowed to anally rape Iraqi prisoners.
• I know it's considered hyperbole for a Mac user to call Bill Gates evil, but if he'd just stop actually being evil it'd make it easier not to.

Indeedily-oh, blogarinos!

Jesse Taylor notices how conservative blogs are more of a, well, circle jerk than liberal blogs. In general, I think liberal blogs try to actually add something to the commentary if they link to a post on another blog - either by way of support or contradiction. Glenn Reynolds can spend the whole day "Indeed"-ing his way through ten or twenty posts. Reynolds also does not offer comments on his site, so if anyone wants to comment they have to do so on their site, driving up links to him and, conveniently, making sure there are no uncomfortable facts or critiques that run counter to his thesis ("Indeed.") right there below the post.

The circle jerk reaches full frenzy when Glenn then links to Little Green Footballs which had linked to his post and "Indeeds" their "Indeed" of his original "Indeed."

Finally, they all lie back and enjoy a nice smoke.

Conservative blogging - link with full release.

(And this is not just an "Indeed" of the Pandagon post. See, I added that bit about comments and a disgusting sexual metaphor that is guaranteed to stick with you for the rest of the day.)

What did you do in the great Social Security War, grampa?

Bush plans to spend hordes of taxpayer money next year trying to convince taxpayers that they should gamble with their futures.

But this is winnable as long as you don't play his game. Here's how this can play out:

BUSH: Social Security is in crisis! Your only hope is to put all your money on red and let the big wheel spin! Quickly! You may not get a second chance!

DEMOCRATS: President Bush is looking to kill Social Security. He doesn't care if your last days are spent coughing up blood in a homeless shelter somewhere, he wants to get rid of your safety net. Instead of spending money to fund a big party for Wall Street brokers, let's just fund the system.

Republicans even fear they're vulnerable on this.

The ball is in the Democrats' court. Josh Marshall has been keeping track of which ones are likely to sell out the American people.

This is unequivocal. Democrats cannot support the destruction of Social Security.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it...

Josh Marshall tells Democrats what they must do in order to have a chance at thwarting Bush's desire to destroy social security in the coming years.

It's a good read and pardon me if I fear our current crop of elected Democrats isn't up to the task.

Get your post-election war on

The first Get Your War On since the election (despite the post dates, I've been checking and there hasn't been anything at this link anyway).

No excuses

Here's a great answer to those who, like the Stork in Animal House, would ask "Well, what the hell are we supposed ta do, ya mor-on?"

The money shot from Digby: when health care reform was shot down with the help from the Harry and Louise ad...

... the Democrats controlled the House, the Senate and the Presidency...

Can we put that to rest now?

Anybody still think the Democratic Party needs to move to the center?

Amazing

You know, it kind of damages your point about how blogs are not responsible when you change the online version of your story without posting a correction.

This is something I find fascinating about big media on the Internet. They know that if a mistake was made, they have to issue a correction for a story that appeared in print or on TV, but it's as if when they discovered the Internet they decided that rule didn't apply there. Hey, we can just change it! Forget about all those people that have already read it! It's no big deal! No harm, no foul!

They do this all the time.

Blogging etiquette dictates that when you change a post, you note what was changed. All of the good blogs do this. How is it the professionals feel self-righteous enough to criticize bloggers when their standards are more lax than ours?

He's got my vote - again

I don't pretend to know a lot about the deep machinations that make successful political campaigns, but it sure doesn't seem like the people currently in charge of the Democratic party know a heck of a lot more than I do.

I like what I see of this Dean guy.

I think it's time for some new ideas.

How to fight and why we must.

I had started a lengthy post keyed off this Tom Tomorrow cartoon. I was trying to talk about how we can fight back without losing our self respect, but it was going nowhere. Then I read this post on Hullabaloo, linked to by Ezra Klein at Pandagon.

Digby was succintly able to get to the point I was trying to make:

Go for the gut, not the head.

Joseph Campbell talked about the need for ceremony, the need to belong. As progressives and "free thinkers" we value open dialog, questioning authority and challenging the status quo. Those are admirable qualities, but so are the spirit of kinship, loyalty and conviction in your beliefs. We need to re-learn how to talk in those terms.

To wrap up, read this post on the Left Coaster, to remind yourself what we're fighting. It's disturbing and important.

Partial points

Kevin Drum has a good post about framing - short synopsis: we can do this - but he's clearly wrong about one thing.

The Bush administration has shown that it can slap a catchy phrase on something and rely on enough people to not notice that the actual meat of the effort is completely antithetical to the catch phrase.

The "war on terror" is actually increasing terrorism. The "Clean Skies" initiative is allowing companies to pump more pollutants into the air. The "No Child Left Behind" act is, well, leaving children behind.

The list goes on and on.

Now, simply because they get away with it doesn't mean we should do it. Besides, we shouldn't have to cover up the real purpose of our proposals because people actually want those things.

Enron nation

Hey, remember when there was a big uproar about shady accounting practices and we were assured it was all taken care of but we all pointed out that it was our preznit who was in tight with Ken Lay and all the guys who invented those practices?

Well, congratulations! Now we're all Enron employees! Don't worry, though, some of us will land on our feet!

Kerry

According to Atrios and Josh Marshall, Kerry will have a statement later today that looks to be good stuff.

Also, it looks like he's going to use some of the vast amount of money he inexplicably saved to help other candidates.

Why he didn't use it to help himself we'll never know, but seeing as we are where we are, these are good moves.

New Hampshire recount

You have to give credit to the Nader campaign for pushing for this recount.

It is absolutely astounding that in some states people are willing to take the word of private corporations with a history of partisanship and incompetence that their votes are being counted correctly.

Powell gone

I'm shocked... shocked!... that Colin Powell is stepping down (is it still called stepping down if your integrity hit rock-bottom a couple of years ago?).

Oh, wait, no I'm not.

Just a question

What if they stole the election?

To tell you the truth, I don't think they did. I don't think it's possible to pull it off without someone coming out and talking about how they were told to put more votes into Bush's column than Kerry's.

The point is, if they had stolen the election - or, if Kerry had managed to steal the election - no one would have any way of proving it.

This is no way to run a democracy. I don't want to look at these issues because I think it will change the results of the election. I want to look at them because there is a serious problem with the legitimacy of what is supposedly the world's preeminent democracy.

Oh! Hi!

That's right! I have a blog! Almost forgot.

No, turning 40 did not kill me in some Logan's Run-esque ritual of youthful purity. But I did have a busy weekend with visitors in from out of town and the bowling and the drinking and the whoring...

Uh... OK, not that last part. As far as you know.

But, still, there's more to my lack of posting than just being busy, because I haven't been busy since Sunday. No, in light of our failure to get the nation to hold the worst president in 70 years accountable for his failure, lies and incompetence, I've been thinking. I've been thinking about where I should be spending my time.

This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, but blogging is not a political act, it's more of an an exercise of personal expression. As much as it might feel like you're doing something when you blog against the establishment, you're not doing anything if no one is reading it.

Of course, it's likely that someone will read it and even making a small contribution online is better than screaming at the radio in the car. I did that for years and it never got me anywhere.

But I've been asking myself if the effort I put into blogging politically might be better used somewhere else (politically). I haven't come to any firm conclusions yet, but I'm looking at my options.

So, forgive me if my posts aren't coming as fast and furious as before. The last thing I would want you to think is that I've given up. I haven't. I'm just trying to be as effective as I can.

Bush's mandate

Have you heard about the Bush mandate?

(Thanks to Corrente via Atrios.)

One more thing...

Before I roll off to what I hope will be a better night's sleep than last night's.

Remember how Bush didn't win the previous election but acted like he won by a landslide?

Well, we didn't win this election.

So now it's our turn.

This isn't the time to roll over.

Marketing

Great post by Chris Bowers at MyDD about how there are more of them than there are of us.

Why? Well, why is "liberal" a dirty word? They've made it a dirty word. Why is "card-carrying member of the ACLU" bad? They've made it bad.

But there's nothing wrong with us. We're not bad or dirty (we're only good and dirty!). Fuck, we're better than they are. They're just better at marketing themselves.

We're gonna change that. Right now.

From these lemons I shall make delicious lemonade

Here are two companion posts from the Left Coaster and the Carpet Bagger on how el Slackidente managed to win. Long story short, they were able to sell snake oil to people dying from tuberculosis. The Republicans have managed to turn religion into, well, religion, or at least the worst of religion. An opiate for the masses who picked the guy who looks more religious even if he's going to rob them blind and kill their children. And even if they know that.

Over at Pandagon the soul-searching is so deep they're saying "Now, tell me more about why you hate the ass fucking..."

And they're right to do that.

This is something that occured to me when thinking about Nader supporters over the summer. While I have my ideological problems with the Democratic party and wish they could be more progressive, I recognize a simple fact that they refuse to acknowledge: we have to live with the other parts of the country that just flat out are not socially progressive. They aren't going away. If anything, they're becoming more powerful. Clearly, the Republicans have managed to have their cake and eat it, too, by tapping into this group. By picking certain wedge issues, they managed to get people to vote for them even against their economic and personal self interests.

Contrary to the DLC's opinion, this does not mean running to the middle. How do I know? Because the most right-wing administration in the last 30 years if not more just won the election. They didn't do it by taking centrist positions.

Our challenge is to get these people to vote in their personal self interests and against their baser social beliefs.

We need to pick our issues. Simply because Uncle Karl came up with God, Gays and Guns doesn't mean we have to try to outdo them on those issues. Folks would probably rally around "free big-screen TVs" as a platform, too, if we could afford it.

This is the kind of thing that takes market research to figure out and is not going to be solved by looking at what the Republicans did and trying to jam it into our platform.

And, speaking of our platform, scrap it. "We are for affordable health care for all, a more rational foreign policy that engages rather than confronts, a..." is not going to cut it. There's nothing wrong with our agenda. It's smart, it progressive and it's right for America. But this is a country with a weight problem and while you see a lot of people on fad diets, you don't see many just eating more sensibly.

This doesn't mean we won't get them to eat better but these people want a fad diet.

[I'm watching Super-Size Me right now, hence the reference.]

So how do we do this?

Organize - We've started something big. We need to keep going. we're still not as organized as they are - that much is obvious. We need to turn this organization to work now for 2006 and 2008. Where can we win? How can we win? We need more people doing the next two things.

Investigate - We need to figure out how to reach the rest of the country. Look at the electoral college map and figure out how we sell - yes, sell - to folk in the south and the middle parts of the country. We know our agenda is in their best interest - how do we close the deal? Candidates with religious values? Free toaster? We need to know.

Educate - A large percentage of the people who voted for Bush were not only unaware of his many, er, shortcomings, but were completely backward on his stance on basic policies. They thought Iraq was involved in 9/11, they thought al Qaeda was tight with Iraq... the list goes on. We need to keep exposing this administration for the fraud that it is.

Of the three, the second will be the hardest for us. We already know we're right and we think that if we just explain it loud enough, people will see the light of reason. The links above prove that's not the case. This is listening and market research and we haven't done enough of it.

There are going to be two fronts to this battle. Picture Apple's product grid and think of a "pro" and "consumer" front. We're getting the "pro" down - building our own media infrastructure and getting organized through MoveOn and Democracy for America.

Where we need work is on the "consumer" front. We need an iMac.

These are just the thoughts of a well-educated but politically wet blogger. I've never won a race. I have no special knowledge whatsoever.

But I know one thing - whatever we've been doing ain't working.

A lot of people put in a lot of hard work for this and it didn't turn out the way we'd hoped. But think about the people you've met, either in person or online. We're building a community of people who love their country and have nothing to be ashamed of or to apologize for. We need to act just as audaciously and with conviction in our beliefs as our opponents. They may run this country, but they do not own it.

Go back? Oh, you can't go back. Gotta go forward to go back. Better press on.
- Willy Wonka

The Daily Show

Steven Colbert on why Americans should not take this opportunity to come together:

Our identities have become wholly dependent upon rejecting each other. For who am I, if not not you?

Fatty.

Well THAT could have gone better!

Kerry just conceded.

Jesus H. Christ on a pogo stick! I don't blame him - it really didn't look like he had the votes. But what the fuck is wrong with this country?

I understand that there were a lot of ballot initiatives involving gay marriage that turned the religious right out just where Karl Rove needed them.

So that's what it's all about? It's all about the ass fucking? And the Democrats are just not sufficiently anti-ass fucking to overcome a guy who got us into an illegal war and blah, blah, blah?

Well, that's GREAT! What do we do about THAT? Do we have to try to leapfrog the Republicans and say "We're SO opposed to ass-fucking that we're even against ass! How 'bout that?!"

While I regret losing a Democratic senator, I won't miss Daschle. Maybe we can get someone in there who will actually stand up for Democratic principles and, you know, BE a minority LEADER. Kos says Dean for DNC chair and Durbin for Senate Minority Leader. It'd be a start.

Last night when Albert came over with a bottle of tequila as things seemed to be slipping away, I shared a dual toast with him and my wife.

"To victory!"

Or...

"The resistance begins tomorrow!"

We came very close. That doesn't count for a hill of beans right now, but remember that this isn't the same atmosphere that existed right after 9/11. There is criticism of this president even if there isn't enough. We need to work our message, we need to continue to organize and we need to fight back.

Let the resistance begin.

UPDATE: Ezra Klein has some good thoughts on "Where do we go from here?" In particular he recommends this Washington Monthly piece by Todd Gitlin written back in September.

Those in the Democratic camp and the rational liberal-left who believe in long-term institutional politics should conclude that they could not possibly have compensated for 30-plus years of right-wing base-building with one year's fever of anti-Bush resolve. They should, like the Republican Party after the Goldwater cataclysm of 1964, sigh, shudder, mourn--and organize. They'll pick themselves up and get back to work building their start-up think tanks and media and Internet networks, from the Center for American Progress through Air America Radio through MoveOn.org and various 527 soft money distributors, all of which, despite starting late, made up for a good deal of Democratic organizational weakness in 2004.

Still alive

Remember the Red Sox.

Someone asked me tonight, "How are we going to deal with four more years of Bush?" I said, "What? We already know how to do this. We've been doing it for four years."

The game's not over. Ohio's still up for grabs. But I'm going to bed.

Good night.

Fucked up

Via Atrios, Oliver Willis notes Lucas County, Ohio, has 4,685 votes for a guy named David Cobb, 1,917 for Bush and...

...zero for Kerry.

Hmm.

Via Google, I see Lucas County uses Diebold e-voting machines.

Hmm.

Earlier in the evening in Hamilton County, Kerry had exactly the same number of votes as David Cobb. Hamilton also uses Diebold machines.

I smell a big, fat, hairy rat.

Sweet

GOTV fever.

Catch it.

They just don't get it

Via Kevin Drum, here's an amusing example of either willful ignorance or plain ol' stupidity.

Let's explain it slowly for the slower people in the class.

Doing any of the following...

• Delivering leaflets into heavily Democratic areas indicating that the election is on the 4th
• Delivering leaflets into heavily Democratic areas indicating that if you've ever had a parking ticket you can't vote
• Calling voters to tell them, incorrectly, that their polling places have moved

...in an attempt to deter people from exercising their constitutional right to vote IS NOT EQUAL TO issuing a leaflet stating the law that governs challenging voters.

Frankly, it's not equal to that no matter who it's passed out to, but the fact that it was intended for Republican thugs with the sole goal of trying to prevent as many Democrats from voting as possible makes their whining all the more pathetic.

Boneheads.

Ladies and gentlemen...

Boys and girls...

Children of all ages...

This is the moment you've been waiting for.

The main event.

See you under the Big Top.

More lies

Remember when Bush said he'd be the one who'd better protect America from having to institute the draft?

Well, that's why it was so strange to learn of this Seattle PI article about a meeting Rumsfeld had about how to implement an expanded draft.

This may come as a shock to the Pentagon chief, but most of the rumors have arisen from actions within the Bush administration, which has studied how to expand draft registration to include women, target some civilian work specialties for special attention by the draft and extend the required draft registration age from 25 years old to 34 years.

That is so weird! Isn't that weird?

Doesn't he know today's Halloween?

Guess that's what you get when you don't read the papers, but Atrios heard a rumor Bush will be handing out candy tomorrow to try to win votes.

Too little.

Too late.

Up. Up. Up.

Kerry Has One-Point Lead Over Bush - Reuters Poll

Down. Down. Down.

I've been watching this Reuters poll for the last week. Bush's lead has gone from 3...

to 1...

to ZERO.

If you're going to pull bin Laden out of your ass, you'd better stand up, Mr. President.

Headlines that say it all

He just can't help making the case for Kerry, can he.

Shorter media

I'll save you the trouble of reading today's campaign coverage. It all boils down to this:

Here's some actual evidence Bush sucks! But Bush says Kerry sucks! Which is right?!

Lying about their lying

Bush Campaign Acknowledges Ad Was Doctored

Shoot. I was kind of hoping they'd say "No. All those soldiers really do look alike!" I'm kind of disappointed in them.

But, there's always room for some lyin' about sumpin'!

"It was completely unintentional," [I totally didn't mean to click the clone tool! I wanted the lasso!] he said. "The ad has already been replaced." [Oh, well, good, then it's all settled and...]

The ad still appeared on the front page of the campaign's Web site as of Thursday afternoon.

Whoops! And...

Dickens said, "There was no attempt to mislead."

Uh... yeah! The deliberate Photoshopping of an image to make it appear that there were more soldiers in the crowd than there were was somehow... educational! Not misleading!

Although, to be fair to Dickens, maybe he meant that while there was no attempt to mislead, but there was a deliberate attempt to lie. That could have been what he meant.

GOP: taking things out of context is our platform

I got an automated call from the RNC this morning that derided Patty Murray for praising Osama bin Laden as "charitable".

Of course, Murray's point was that much of the Muslim world supports bin Laden because he does support them with money. But rather than recognizing the validity of Murray's comments or recognize the nature of the enemy we're supposed to be fighting instead of the one they've been distracted by, the RNC will simply take things out of context to attempt delude voters that she supports the terrorists.

As the automated call said, "Please."

Add that to Bush's puppies ad that falsely insinuates that Kerry voted to cut intelligence spending after 9/11 and you're left to wonder, is the primary agenda of the Republican party now just to see how many things they can take out of context?

Blame the troops first

Giuliani backs up the "I didn't do it" president by pointing the finger at the troops.

These fuckers don't give a shit about the troops. They never have. To them they're a tool - a tool to keep them in power and a tool to get sweetheart no-bid contracts for their friends. They won't take responsibility for anything - it's always someone else's fault.

The troops did and are doing a difficult job that was handed to them by a shitty-assed president as best they can. Giuliani is a punk for trying to blame them for Bush's fuck ups.

Unpresidential

Quick hits

1 - "I was exercising my political expression," it quoted him as saying. "I did not run them down, I scared them a little." (Via James.)

2 - The worst part about working at the IAEA is that nobody can hear you say "I told you so." On account of all the explosions.

3 - And Howard Dean was supposedly unpresidential.

I smell a slander suit!

DeLay slanders Kos.

"LaRouche is a con felon and all I can tell you is that Mr. Morrison has supported and campaigned with LaRouche followers and Mr. Morrison also has taken money and is working with the Daily Kos, which is an organization that raises money for fighters against the U.S. in Iraq," said DeLay. (emphasis mine)

Fucking liar!

Sue him blind, Kos! SUUUUUUUUUUE HIIIIIIIIIIIM!!!!!!

Kerry in the lead? Kill it.

If this (link via Atrios) is true, it is another egregious example of how the media has failed to learn where it failed in the 2000 election. The Conventional Wisdom is that our Wartime Preznit is the folksy choice chosey security moms choose when they ain't choosin' Jiff, and that Librul Senator Kerry had better be up by twenty god damn points before you say he's got the lead.

But all this does is give ammunition to those who will scream "Illegitimate!" when Kerry wins both the electoral college and the popular vote. How could he have won?! The carefully rigged polls didn't show him up! He must have stolen the election by getting those black folks to come to the polls!

Rasmussen has Kerry up by 2 points.

48.4 to 46.4% (link via the Left Coaster). When leaners are included Kerry moves ahead by another point.

Meanwhile, Gallup continues to fudge the numbers but still can't cover up the fact that Bush is tanking.

The Bush Administration

Protecting us from terrorism.

(Actual protection from terrorism not included. Offer void... well... pretty much everywhere. Side effects may include dry mouth, painful urination, the condition known as Cheney-face, and a desire to hide in your basement until the Rapture comes.)

No, but seriously, kids...

How many times does this administration have to fuck up before people realize they suck really, really badly at the only thing they profess to be good at?

UPDATE: Quiddity does some math that should scare the shit out of you.

Tacoma paper endorses Kerry

As I told James, I had a feeling the News Tribune would endorse Kerry after endorsing the Republican candidate for governor, Dino Rossi.

Kerry is clobbering Bush in newspaper endorsements (link via Daily Kos).

The sound of crickets chirping

So, even the gay-bashing Eminem has come out against Bush.

And Jesse Ventura has endored Kerry.

Who, exactly has come out for Bush?

Other than Iran, I mean.

So, let me get this straight...

If Bush wins the election, he will have done so based on the complete misunderstanding by the people voting for him about his policies and positions.

Oh, that's just great.

And here I thought the major problem was just swing voters who refuse to pay attention to the race until the last minute and decide sole based on looking at pictures of the two candidates. Come to find out it's just fucking morons.

That must be satisfying. "We've got the idiot vote locked up!"

Go Bush!

The stupidest thing I've read in a long, long time

Via Kevin Drum I was reading a list of Libertarians (Oooh, don't you find Libertarians exciting?! I just think they're so exciting!) revealing who they're voting for and why. Louis Rossetto, who helped start Wired, wrote:

2004 vote: Bush may be wrong about everything else, but he is right about the issue that matters most for my children’s future: stopping Islamic fascism.

Wow. Someone's been drinking the sweet, dewey nectar that collects on Paul Wolfowitz during the night. You think Islamic fascism is the issue that matters most for your children's future?

Boy, are you an idiot.

If you're afraid a nuclear bomb is going to get set off in a major city my suggestion would be to be afraid of nuclear proliferation, not a particular group that happens to be unhappy with us.

Because, you know what? There are a lot of groups that are unhappy with us.

Before 9/11, the most successful act of terror committed on American soil in our generation was committed by whom?

A) Islamic fascists
B) The French
C) Democrats
D) Radical lesbian Buddhist nuns on dope
E) Right-wing separatist wackos

The correct answer is E. And the Bush administration's efforts to tear down international accords aimed at halting the spread of nuclear weapons, their arrogant attitude toward other nations, their reckless disregard for securing nuclear materials in Iraq and their utter failure to even slow Iran and North Korea's efforts to develop nuclear weapons run entirely counter to your weak thesis.

Afraid of getting blowed up real gud by crazies?

Vote Kerry.

Rossetto's idiocy doesn't stop there, however.

The alternative of not voting and allowing a billionaire currency speculator like George Soros to pick the next U.S. president is too dire to contemplate.

Apparently Rossetto prefers to have his presidents picked by billionaire media tychoons like Rupert Murdock, or billionaire Korean nutjobs like the Reverend Moon.

You know, you might make half an effort to have your argument for Bush make some kind of sense.

Or... not. Whatever. It's no skin off my apple. Really, so many entries simply defy any connection to reality that it's appalling. Jude Wanniski plans to vote for Kerry but may be tempted back to Bush if he fires Cheney, Rumsfeld and company.

In the next week and a half?! What the fuck are you smoking?!

That librul media!

When is a lead not a lead? When is a lead actually a lead?

Why, it depends on who's got the lead!

AP Poll: Bush, Kerry in Dead Heat

Ah, so they're tied!

Well, yes and no. Kerry got 49%, Bush got 46% and the margin of error is 3%. Fair enough.

But Reuters, which I think is arguably less pro-Bush than the AP (NNNNNNNNEDRA!), chooses to put a different spin on their poll results.

Reuters Poll: Bush Grabs One-Point Lead on Kerry

Bush leads 46% to 45%. Margin of error? 2.9%.

So, a somewhat statistically insignificant Kerry lead is a "dead heat". But a much more statistically insignificant Bush lead is a "lead".

Go Bush!

Frankly I don't know why I bother to look at these assinine polls since what actually matters is the results of the 51 individual races for president that will take place in one and a half weeks.

But, c'mon...

UPDATE: Kos noticed the same thing.

UPDATE II: Atrios correctly notes the way the margin of error works - which I vaguely remember from the statistics class in my MBA program - and which further points out how wet Reuters' headline is.

Link update

Since the Whiskey Bar is closed, please welcome Bob Harris of This Modern World fame to the Politics links on the left.

Cautiously optimistic

Here's a link for James since he doesn't want to talk baseball (SOX!!!).

This is all good news (is it news when you hear something that you just knew had to be true?), but no cause to rest. We're gonna carry this baby over the finish line.

Flip

Flop.

This time on the flu vaccine.

In these troubled times, can we really afford to have someone so willing to be swayed by political pressure as George Bush in the White House?

Why does Jon Stewart do what others dare not?

It's probably because when Jon leaves work, he hangs around with his peers - actors and commedians - not politicians and political talking heads.

The Howler skewers Ted Koppel this week and reminds us of the fops who like to party with the people they supposedly cover so objectively.

It wasn't surprising to see Novak say he didn't think Stewart was funny and that he acted in poor taste on Crossfire in last night's Daily Show Moment of Zen. But I was personally disgusted to see James Carville say he thought Stewart was funny but he acted in poor taste.

Stewart finally pulled down the curtain.

Obviously the chattering teeth will struggle hard to pull it back over the timid form of Oz that Stewart exposed to the world. But rememeber, the audience applauded Stewart, not Tucker and Begala.

Gallup: Official Tool Of Bush/Cheney 2004

Steve Soto catches them violating even their own questionable methodology to favor Bush.

If there's one thing this administration wants it's the air of inevibility. Gallup stacks the deck to help them out.

Vermin watch

Cheney: Terrorists May Bomb U.S. Cities

Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday evoked the possibility of terrorists bombing U.S. cities with nuclear weapons and questioned whether Sen. John Kerry could combat such a threat, which the vice president called a concept "you've got to get your mind around."

Riiiiight.

The guy who got five draft deferments is concerned that the guy who was turning his boat into gunfire and chasing guys with rocket launchers - while he was stateside hoping to god he could knock his wife up fast enough - might not be able to combat a threat.

There's definitely something you need to get your head around.

Meanwhile, Dick had a few words for John Edwards.

"I thought, frankly, the other day what John Edwards suggested when he made his comments about Christopher Reeve, that somehow if John Kerry were president, Christopher Reeve could get up out of his wheelchair and there all of his problems would be solved, I really thought was an inappropriate remark, especially given ... well, given the false hope it engendered," Cheney said.

And we all know Cheney's not in the false hope business. As a matter of fact, he's not selling any kind of hope at all.

Terrorists will kill your children! That much I can guarantee you! The only question is how many of them! If you elect president Bush and I, we might be able to save a few!

Sox/Yankees open thread

If you want to chat about it.

This is no time for a democracy

Says the Dallas Morning News in endorsing Bush.

"This is not the time for Americans to abandon their president."

All together now: "How dare the Democrats field an opposition candidate! And in an election year!"

Fortunately, their witless lack of understanding of how this democracy works is not shared by many other newspapers (link via Atrios).

One more

I've been a long-time user of the free version of NetNewsWire, NetNewsWire Lite. But its author, Brent Simmons, just inspired me to buy a license for the full application.

Fair and balanced

So, let's see how this works.

A conservative broadcasting group that uses a licensed portion of the airwaves that belong to every American is attempting to force its affiliates to air a partisan hit piece on the Democratic candidate - effectively ramming it down the throats of viewers in swing states just days before the election. A grass-roots effort has been launched to try to stop it and has hurt the company, but not stopped its plans.

Meanwhile a liberal movie maker can't get his opinion piece shown on cable pay-per-view - which is a completely private, opt-in venue - because the channel has been pressured by conservative political forces to not show the film.

When this is all over, will the failure to defend our democratic institutions force another set of weak mea culpas from the press and the networks? How many times do they have to turn a blind eye or play a willing part to rampant bias before they finally grasp their responsibility?

ATTENTION NADER SUPPORTERS

Think there's no difference between the Republican and Democratic candidates?

Well, I can guarantee to you that if Gore had been installed in the White House, we would not have invaded Iraq. Is more than 1,000 American lives and untold Iraqi lives big enough for you?

Also, while you're busy worrying that there's not enough difference between Bush and Kerry, here's a thought:

The biggest difference between Kerry and Nader is that Kerry can actually get elected president.

Wouldn't it be nice to vote for a winner? A winner who can make a difference?

Just something to think about.

Trying to find the words

I don't think it's accurate to describe America as polarized between Democrats and Republicans, or between liberals and conservatives. It's polarized between the people who believe George Bush and the people who do not. Thanks to some contested ballots in a state governed by the president's brother, a once-proud country has been delivered into the hands of liars, thugs, bullies, fanatics and thieves. The world pities or despises us, even as it fears us. What this election will test is the power of money and media to fool us, to obscure the truth and alter the obvious, to hide a great crime against the public trust under a blood-soaked flag. The most lavishly funded, most cynical, most sophisticated political campaign in human history will be out trolling for fools. I pray to God it doesn't catch you.

Read. (Link via TBogg.)

And marvel that these people - the ones who sent other people's sons and daughters out to die so they could give their friends billion dollar no-bid contracts - are still leading in the polls.

It's not the worst time to be an American, but it is a very bad time. This kind of corruption and usurption of a government designed to be for the people will not stand forever. Some of the preening, self-absorbed members of the political press will eventually be shaken by the unprecidented nature of the failure to govern with anything but the interests of a narrow few in mind. Eventually Americans will stumble out of their slumber even if it takes another attack or a draft to stir them.

I wish it didn't have to be so hard.

Deliberately missing the obvious?

I don't know if Josh Marshall is deliberately overlooking the obvious instance where Rove may have planted material damning his own candidate in an attempt to make his opponents look bad or if he's just being coy.

Forget about Tennessee, what about CBS?

OK, on three...

I think what's so devasting about the Cheneys' righteous indignation about Kerry mentioning that their daughter is a lesbian is how unscripted and from the heart it is.

Dick Cheney:

"And I am not just speaking as a father here, although I am a pretty angry father."

Lynne Cheney:

"Of course, I am speaking as a mom, and a pretty indignant mom."

Uh... yeah.

You read the whole article with its litany of just how out Mary Cheney is and you come away wondering... just what the hell is it that upset them?

UPDATE: In the comment section of this post on Demagogue, it became clear to me why the Cheneys are protesting so much. It's an excuse to bash Kerry over nothing and it's code to the religious right: we're ashamed our daughter is a lesbian.

They're not, of course, but they're willing to pretend to be.

You spin me right round, baby

The first time Bush got his ass kicked it was "Kerry cheated!" Now the complaint is "He said something that's factually true and not at all a secret!"

Boy, you'd think Mary Cheney being a lesbian was something they were ashamed of.

Also, let me just posit that complaining that Kerry is making proposals he can't pay for is just a tad ridiculous when you've already enacted tax cuts, crony give-aways and a war you can't pay for.

UPDATE: Yikes. In discussing the debate with someone who felt Kerry overstepped in bringing up Mary Cheney I apparently made almost exactly the same argument as Andrew Sullivan (link via the Liquid List).

...it exposes the rank hypocrisy of people like president Bush and Dick and Lynne Cheney who don't believe gays are anti-family demons but want to win the votes of people who do.

Well, I'm happy to agree with him when he's right.

The AP pussies out again

Headline was: Bush Overlooks Own Flip-Flop in Debate

Headline now is: Debate Inaccuracies Turning Into Classics

Cowards.

There was a debate tonight?

Actually, I had a prior engagement so I missed most of it - heard a little of it in the car and I taped it - but I see that Bush screwed the pooch (SANTORUM!!!) yet again. More and more he reminds me of the guy in Office Space who gets asked "What is it, you'd say, you... do around here?" and just get angrier and angrier as he's forced to realize he does nothing.

Josh Marshall points out a particularly salient bit that you should see more of in the coming days.

Bush just handed Kerry the right to show the American people exactly how he took his eye off Osama bin Laden in his rush to get Saddam Hussein... over and over and over again.

Marshall also provides his analysis of the debate and comments on how Kerry controlled the tempo and kept Bush on the defensive.

I have no doubts about Kerry's ability as a debater (he's a master debater - HA-HA! GET IT?). But I gotta say, maybe one of the reasons Kerry's been able to score so many points is simply that Bush has sucked so bad as a president.

UPDATE: And here's a sweet headline: Bush Overlooks Own Flip-Flop In Debate

"I HAVE PEOPLE SKILLS, DAMN IT!!!"

UPDATE II: Steve Soto says stick a fork in him.

Appropriate quotes

Sinclair seems to be digging itself a bigger and bigger hole and Talking Points Memo is a good place to keep up on it all. It prompts me to remember a favorite quote from Mystery Science Theater 3000:

Ah, it does my heart good to see Crow burned beyond all recognition.

This is a good time for the management and dwindling number of shareholders of Sinclair to ask themselves "Are we a business or are we a right wing propaganda tool?"

They've now been lambasted by the Anti-Defamation League, their stock is dropping like a rock, and they're the target of a complaint to be filed with the FEC and another filed with the FCC.

Their response is to invite Kerry to participate in the magical evening of anti-Kerryism so, presumably, they can poke at him with sharp sticks in addition to defaming his character.

This brings me to a quote from the cult classic Big Trouble In Little China. As Jack Burton said after almost being run over by a member of the Lords of Death street gang, errand boys for the Wing Kong:

Son of a bitch must pay.

Here's a call to action (link via the Left Coaster) if anyone needs any direction.

Finally getting it

The press finally seems to understand Kerry's position on Iraq.

Edwards Disputes Rice on Iraq Invasion

Kerry has said repeatedly that Bush rushed to war without a strong coalition or a plan to win the peace.

See? It only took two debates and constant repetition but, by Jove, I think they've got it!

Debate

Once again, Chris Matthews was watching a different debate. Go figure.

UPDATE: Matthews asks Bush campaigner if Kerry was "appropriate" in his demeanor toward Bush.

I'll quote the Daily Show yet again: "How dare the Democrats field an opposition candidate. And in an election year!"

UPDATE II: When I saw the first debate, I wondered why I ever doubted Kerry.

Seeing the second debate, I couldn't fucking wait until this man is President. I am stoked by his performance tonight. He looked Bush in the eye and told him he should be held accountable for his horrible performance over the past three and 3/4 years.

Bush came with his "A" game and was still wasn't playing in the same league.

UPDATE III: And David FUCKING Ortiz! YEAAAAAAAAH!!!!!

I gotta say, though, I don't feel sorry for Bush, but I do feel sorry for Vlad.

Bush's closing statement

"We've been through a lot together as a country. Recession. War. Unemployment.

"Good times. Good times."

THE SMIRK IS BACK!

AH-HA-HA! Kerry just got the ol' smirk for the ASS-KICKING he delivered to Bush on the environment question!

And Bush's winking at the members of the crowd is really annoying.

Mmmm...

So far Kerry is kicking Bush's ass up and down Main Street.

It's a beautiful sight.

Need some sandals?

Try the G.W. & Crew Flip-Flop Catalog (link via BoingBoing).

The blog defense

I think Karl Rove has now sunk to getting his ideas for defending invading Iraq from Glenn Reynolds.

Saddam was embezzling money from the food for oil program!

Uh...

When do we invade Dick Cheney's bunker?

UPDATE: Digby has the specific charges (link via Atrios). Now we just have to get the U.N. to draft a resolution and then we can "mean what we say" our way into ousting this madman before he does something else unspeakable to the United States.

Preznit Zinger

Apparently after his lackluster debate performance, Bush has decided that, in lieu of having a actual record to run on, he will try out a series of "witty" one-liners that will have the crowd in stiches.

The problem might be that the crowds at the debates aren't allowed to laugh. And they're not hand-picked by the GOP. And it's a presidential debate, not Last Comic Standing.

Do the Republicans really think what people want is a guy running as class clown? I think they may have finally stooped below the American electorate's intelligence.

Sounds to me like Bush is just going to embarrass himself in a whole new way the next time around.

Mmm. Toast.

Kerry Holds Small Lead Over Bush

Unlike the "small leads" Bush has had over Kerry recently, this one's outside the margin of error.

Sen. John Kerry has taken a slim lead over President Bush, according to an Associated Press poll that shows the president's support tumbling on personal qualities, the war in Iraq and the commander in chief's bedrock campaign issue — national security.

And people are really starting to get it.

Eric Schlichting, a suburban Chicago inventory manager who tends to vote Republican, said Iraq is troubling him.

"Up until the last 18 months, I was leaning toward Bush, but the more that happens the worse it gets," Schlichting said. "He sticks to his guns, but his aim is so far off that sticking to his guns is not paying off."

Pat the bunny swallower

I found it amusing that reading this post on TBogg that it only took me getting to the second sentence of the quote before I knew who wrote it:

Not only would the Democrats not have attacked Iraq, they would have given Saddam Hussein an award for...

Coulter. She's always having Democrats handing out awards and praise to Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, Hitler, Satan...

Yes, who can forget the magical moment when Saddam Hussein beat out Satan for the 2003 Paul Wellstone Award for Anti-Americanism?

That's shtick's getting a little too pat, Ann.

The day after

Josh Marshall has good series of posts about the debate. Essentially the only thing you can knock Edwards for amounts to "there just isn't enough time in 90 minutes to take Cheney to task for every lie that comes out of his mouth."

Also, it was particularly gratifying to see this story on the front page of the paper below the piece on the debate.

The government’s most definitive account of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs, to be released today, will show that Saddam Hussein posed a diminishing threat at the time the United States invaded and did not possess or have concrete plans to develop nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

The officials said the 1,000-page report by Charles Duelfer, chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq, concluded that Saddam had the desire but not the means to produce unconventional weapons that could threaten his neighbors or the West.

President Bush has continued to assert in his campaign stump speech that Iraq had posed “a gathering threat.”

The officials said Duelfer, an experienced former United Nations weapons inspector, found that the state of Saddam’s weapons development programs and knowledge base was less in 2003, when the war began, than it was in 1998, when international inspectors left Iraq.

Reality is very anti-Cheney.

4 for 4!

All my teams won today! Boston, Minnesota, St. Louis and Edwards!

Quite frankly I think Cheney did better than I hoped he'd do, but Edwards smacked him down so hard on Halliburton ol' Dick didn't even have a comeback.

"Well, er, I could spend a lot of time responding to that... goddam punk..."

Cheney is clearly the much more frightening of the Bush/Cheney team. He's both smarter and more evil than Bush. That's a disturbing combination. But it was satisfying to see Edwards take him to task for the constant "al Qaeda = Iraq" statements and deflate his "trial lawyers = bad" balloon.

John's got that one story he uses all the time but damn if it doesn't work.

Balance

Bush Holds 1 Point Lead Over Kerry, Poll Shows. Poll's margin of error? 3.1%.

Meanwhile all the stories about Kerry being ahead of Bush by two points in the Newsweek poll call the race "even" or "a dead heat."

Remember, no Bush lead is too statistically small to call it a lead.

Looking forward to the internals

Hopefully The Left Coaster will have the internals of the new Gallup poll that shows Kerry and Bush tied some time soon.

If those internals are anything like the previous ones, that means Kerry is actually ahead by a substantial margin.

Debate Result Overturned. Bush Named Winner.

It is my sad duty to inform Kerry supporters everywhere that the results of the debate have been overturned and Bush has been named the winner due to cheating by John Kerry.

"Cheating?" you ask.

Yes, cheating. Apparently Kerry somehow managed to smuggle what appears to be a pen into the debate. Just before the debate began, Kerry pulled it from his pocket which somehow caused him to be able to make Bush look like a lying, squirming, sack of shit who is uncomfortable at finally being questioned by someone with the balls to put the smackdown to him.

Since this has now been reported on Drudge, I'm sure it'll be picked up by all the major cable news channels and Kerry will be forced to withdraw from the race. It's truly sad that this had to end this way, just as his campaign had pulled into the lead. Because, you know, it looked to all reasonable eyes like he took Bush out to the woodshed. But now that we know he cheated... with... a pen... well... that throws the whole thing.

Although, it's also possible it was this which clearly would have been against the rules and should certainly mean that Bush should just be given the election.










Fucking dumbasses. It just kills them that Bush got his ass handed to him in a bucket that said "Bush's lying sack o' shit ass."

Oh, and perhaps they'd like to explain why at the end Bush picked something up off the podium and put it into his pocket. Did he steal something?! Must have, if Kerry was the only one who pulled something out of his pocket and put it on the podium.

Go Kerry!

There were a mess of Kerry supporters out at the Tacoma Mall today, including Firefighters for Kerry. They had a giant Kerry/Edwards sign and were standing right at the primary artery where cars were constantly streaming by. They were also handing out bumper stickers and buttons.

It was a strong and visible show of support for the guy who's now leading the polls.

More Fox Shenanigans

Fox Photoshops Bush up to Kerry's height. (Link via Daily Kos.)

Maybe if the real George Bush didn't suck so badly, they wouldn't have to invent a fantasy Bush who's three inches taller.

Pathetic.

UPDATE: Not so sure about this one. Could be another angle.

UPDATE II, THE RETURN: BoingBoing says no. But, seriously, it's not like it was out of the realm of imagination.

AP changes another headline

Was "Powell Regrets Iraq Weapons Claim For War", a headline based on this graph:

He blamed "bad sourcing" and did not apologize for his U.N. presentation, which had been designed to rally support in the United Nations for the coming war. He said, "I am not only disappointed, but I regret that the information was not correct."

Now it's "Powell Wades Into Midst of Campaign Discord".

I don't know if the text of the story changed - I only got to it when Yahoo hadn't updated to the new headline.

Seems like they do this a lot and almost always to favor the administration.

We fabricate, you decide

Just go read Talking Points Memo.

Yeah, and Dan Rather's blunder is the biggest journalistic scandal in 20 years. The true scandal is that Fox hasn't gotten it's FCC license revoked for continued unabashed, deliberate, partisan Republican spin.

UPDATE: I'm with Jesse! I prefer my cash in small, unmarked bills!

Losing on your own turf

Both Kos and Atrios note one of Bush's big gaffes of the night. Kerry detailed how he'd make America safer. Bush joked that it would cost a lot.

This is a point that Democrats can hammer home. Bush doesn't want to pay for Americans' safety. He wants his tax cuts and his war in Iraq.

Protecting ports is boring! Bush wants to see things blowed up real gud! And then he wants to go buy himself a pony to try to fill the emptiness that lies inside!

Remember - national security was supposed to be his strong suit.

What does Bush do for an encore? Punch someone with a question about unemployment in the gut at the "town hall" debate?

Strongly inconsistent

zeke L makes a connection in the comments of a post at Pandagon that didn't occur to me right off the bat possibly because I found it so hard to track Bush's point here.

Osama bin Laden isn't going to determine how we defend ourselves.

bush said this early on, in response to kerry's comments. but then when north korea came up, bush said that we mustn't do bilateral talks because "that's just what kim jong il wants us to do."

so let me get this straight - we'll go ahead and do what osama wants us to do because we don't negotiate with terrorists, but we won't do what kim jong il might want because we are negotiating with him. uh... i think.

i'm confused.

Which, of course, is really the hallmark of the Iraq situation. For some reason, we had to invade Iraq immediately even though they turned out to be the smallest threat of the so-called Axis of Evil (TM). Now, presto change-o, the rules don't apply anymore.

But, you know... strong, resolved, say what I mean, don't change my positions, blah, blah, blah...

Balance

This post by Matthew Yglesias highlights the problem of reporters trying to seek balance above all else. Like, for instance, accuracy.

Both Bush and Kerry stretch the truth!

Except it turns out that Bush is out-and-out lying about any number of things that have cost people their lives and Kerry said one thing that could possibly be misinterpreted as exaggerating the cost of the war if you decided to interpret it other than how he meant it.

In 2000 the press simply decided it didn't like Gore and aided and abetted the GOP in trashing him. In 2004 they're not so much trashing Kerry as just giving Bush a pass on everything.

That's not really any better.

Hot debate action!

Llllllllllllllllllet's get ready to rrrrrrrrrrrrummmmmmbbbbbbblllllllle!!!!!!!

LEHRER: 90 seconds! Places people! Let's put on the best damn drag version of 1776 we can!

Wait, wait, wait. You lost me, Jim. Yellow means what now?

Bush. Heh-heh. He's a teenie guy. Heh-heh.

Hmm. Not thirty seconds into it and he's already smirking up a storm.

Ooh. Kerry should not stick his tongue out when he's taking a drink of water. That's the debate! He lost! He stuck his tongue out! Turn off the mikes! Send everyone home!

Bush will now have 90 seconds to see how many times he can say "free." GO!

John's hitting hard on the Iraq mistake. Good to see. And, hey, there's a name we haven't heard a lot about - Osama bin Laden. Whatever happened to that guy?

"Of course we're after Saddam Hussein... uh... bin Laden..."

Paging Dr. Freud. Dr. Freud to the white courtesy phone.

BUSH: "Steadfast. Resolved. Light. Refreshing. Flavorful. And that's what I believe. That's my plan."

KERRY: "The president has not spent money on X, Y and Z."

BUSH: "I spend money. I spend money on lots of things."

BUSH: "I wake up every day thinking about how to protect America. I work with FBI Director Mueller. He comes to my office. Some times we build a little fort using the cushions from the couch. Some times we have PB&Js with the crust cut off. So... justice. Freedom. Uh..."

Hey, hey, hey, Senator. Now, Bush has also been out there when he hasn't known what's around the corner. Sure, he was driving drunk, but...

Good line from Kerry about how it's a little more important that someone mislead than misspoke.

BUSH: "That's totally absurd. When he says we don't have a full and complete alliance, he denigrates our tiny and flimsy alliance. And may I just add that I'm optimistic in the face of all contrary evidence. That's the kind of guy I am. I don't think it helps when people make suggestions about how to do something better."

FINISH HIM! FIN-ISH HIIIIIIIMMMMMM!!!

Man, Bush is just super smirky tonight. Did someone put lemonade in his glass instead of water?

KERRY: "My position then was X and it is now X. All those statements are consistent with X."

BUSH: "He changes positions!"

BUSH: "I told her after we prayed and teared up and laughed some... that there's plenty more nitrous oxide in the canister."

KERRY: "Here's how I'd fix Iraq...."

BUSH: "He changes positions!" (One message, all the time.) "How can the troops follow him when he has all these suggestions about how to do things better?!"

Ladies and gentlemen, Jim Lehrer and the Iraq Experience!

So... Bush's primary message here is either that he shouldn't have to face an election opponent while Iraq is all fucked up or he should only have to face an opponent who thinks exactly what he thinks.

And THIS is the guy who is going to bring DEMOCRACY somewhere?

Hey, someone finally told Bush that Saddam Hussein did not attack us on 9/11! Wow, how do you think he'll handle the news?

Hey, he knew that! Huh. It sure didn't look like he knew that...

BUSH: Uh... errrr... uh... let me... um... just throw up in my shoe for a second... OK. Security. Liberty. Freedom. Terrorists on the run. Making progress. Oh! And he changes positions!

YES! WE HAVE "NUKULAR!"

"Iranian moolahs?" Is that the new Iranian currency? I don't know. Maybe it's really pronounced that way.

LEHRER: Let's talk about Darfur...

BUSH & KERRY: No, let's talk about Iran.

LEHRER: President Bush, what do you think about Senator Kerry's character?

BUSH: Oh, blah, blah, blah, platitude, blah, blah, both have hot daughters, blah, blah, Yale, blah, blah.... but he changes his positions!

BUSH: We busted a Pakistani proliferator who could have given North Korea nukular weapons. Sure, we totally fucked up everything else and they got them anyway, but, you know, I'm a glass is half full kind of guy.

Um, is Lehrer trying to start a fight with that "truth" thing?

LEHRER: President Bush, would you like a free punch?

So, in summing up:

KERRY: "These are the differences between President Bush and myself. This is what I would do differently. I believe my positions are more aligned with the beliefs that made this nation great."

BUSH: "He changes his opinions!"

Of course the one part that Bush nailed was the scripted ending. Go figure. Other than that, Kerry by a mile.

I don't have the stomach to watch the post-game analysis or, worse, the CSPAN callers. But I don't think there's any conclusion other than that Kerry won hands down. Kerry stayed on the attack but didn't come off as angry or mean. Bush avoided specifics in most cases and the only thing he could come up with was "He changes his positions!"

'Cept he didn't change his position about what you're talking about and, if he had, it wouldn't have been as bad as what you did. His complaint about mixed messages will only sell with his base because it just doesn't make any sense. It's whiny and petulant to say "Stop criticizing meeeee!"

Let the spin begin, though. It'll be interesting to see how they try to claim victory after that.

Selective Lip Service

To summarize Kevin Drum here, Bush either flip flops, or he institutes a draft.

Now, we all know what a straight shooter Bush is, a guy who sticks to his guns, says what he means and means what he says.

So...

Draft it is then.

Golly, I don't think people are going to like that.

The Debate

I will most likely be live blogging at least the first hour. Although, we all know what the outcome will be: Bush will lie through his teeth about the war and the economy, provide several verbal gaffes and generally look like a petulant child being given detention. But Kerry will take too long to answer one question and the gathered media will carry Bush off on their shoulders as the victor.

Anyway, the Mariners game starts at 7 PM PST and Ichiro! is only two away from tying George Sisler's record for most hits in a season.

Between the two, I'll choose the unscripted event.

UPDATE: Ah, CRAP! I forgot the game started at noon today!

Would Dean have been better?

Both Matthew Yglesias and Atrios have commented now on Peter Beinart's contention that if Dean were the Democratic presidential candidate we'd be talking about Iraq, not perceived flip flops. Both come to the correct conclusion - that the Republicans would try to tar Jesus as a flip flopper and a dozen other things if he were to come down and run against them.

But Atrios gets it wrong when he says "My concern during the primary was that every candidate's supporters seemed to believe their chosen one would somehow be immune to 'line of attack X.'"

Dean supporter were decidedly not making that contention. In fact, Dean supporters were categorically arguing against that contention by Clark and Kerry supporters.

And possibly Lieberman supporters if there were, in fact, ever any Lieberman supporters. I don't know.

Dean supporters knew the reality of what Gore had gone through and it was precisely the fact that Dean was willing to actually stand up and say shit that was true but flew in the face of Republican marketing blitzes that we though made him a better candidate. We knew there is no immunity - there is only carrying out active defense and offense.

Kerry's turned out to be a better candidate than I thought he'd be, but one of my key concerns with him from the get-go was that he and his supporters thought that his military background would make him the teflon candidate. Dean supporters had no such illusions - we just wanted someone who'd defend himself.

More Documents

Bush's Reserve Resignation Cited "Inadequate Time"

And here I thought the White House had released all the documents. They said they had. Like three times.

I guess this is a new twist on the old legal trick of burying the opposition in documents.

Flypaper

Pie makes a good point over at Eschaton that's occurred to me before.

Prove to me that invading Iraq saved more than a thousand American lives, let alone the innocent Iraqis and people of other nationalities that have been killed because Bush decided "Fuck Saddam."

Obviously no one could. Saddam had no WMD. He had no nuclear capabilities. He had no real ties to al Qaeda. He was no threat to us and, because he was effectively contained, barely a threat to his neighbors.

Flypaper was a popular rationale in hindsight for the war and even that couldn't justify it. Nothing could.

My analysis is flawed

I told you my 4-point Bush lead was not going to be accurate because I assumed Gallup's party affiliation stayed the same, and I was right - that was a bad assumption.

Because this time they gave Bush a 12-point lead instead of a 7-point lead!

So, if we assume all the Republicans went with Bush and all the Democrats went with Kerry (yes, yes - YOU CAN'T DO THAT! - I know, I know), Bush got 35% of the Independents and Kerry got 52%.

Since you CANNOT take Gallup's utterly biased poll seriously, my whopping 17-point Kerry lead - based on, you know, actual voter turnout in the last umpteen elections - is just as statistically valid!

ADDENDUM: Reuters weighs in on the topic with a particularly lame "he said, he said" piece which might lead you to think giving Republicans a 12-point head start will provide perfectly valid results. Shorter Reuters: Polls are confusing!

Momentum

A-member that heavily Republican-slanted Gallup poll? Well, now Bush is slipping in even that one.

Hold on tighter now, kids.

I just did a back-of-the-envelope, entirely unscienfic un-biasing of this, assuming the number of people polled and party affiliation was exactly the same as the last poll, and came out with a 4-point Bush lead (note: this has no real statistical validity - it's just fun).

And guess what the margin of error of the poll is.

4 points.

Like I said, completely unscientific but, then, so's Gallup's methodology.

We've got a horse race.

CBS Full Of Pussies

CBS will not air a story questioning the reasons for the Iraq war (link via Atrios) until after the election.

You can email them from the feedback link at the bottom of their homepage and ask them why they're pretending they're in the news business if they won't, you know, actually report the news.

Fucking pussies.

Vermin

Cheney: Kerry Doesn't Have Terror Resolve

The Democratic presidential nominee "has given every indication of a lack of resolve and conviction to prevail" in Iraq, Cheney said.

Cheney should know something about resolve. It takes a lot of it to get five draft deferments.

When you criticize the president...

... God kills a kitten.

Bush Says Kerry Criticisms on Iraq Threaten Effort

 "Mixed signals are the wrong signals," Bush said...

Hmm. Well, by that logic, your incessant Pollyanna-ism is also threatening the Iraq effort. So why don't you shut the fuck up?

As the Daily Show says "How dare the Democrats field an opposition candidate?! And in an election year!"

Also, I think any junior high-level wit would be able to describe that with one sarcastic phrase: "Uh... nice comeback."

Seriously, is the administration's response to criticism about it's crappy handling of the situation in Iraq really to whine "Stop criticizing uuuuuuuuussssss!"?

Then, to drive home his loose grasp of reality, Bush applied it equally to domestic policy as to foreign policy.

Bush touted Maine's unemployment rate, even though it rose last month to 4.5 percent from 4.2 percent.

"We've been through some tough times when it comes to this economy. Yet we're overcoming those obstacles. Our economy is strong and it is getting stronger," Bush said.

If by stronger you mean weaker.

George Bush: Saying Strong, Meaning Weak.

Emperor, clothes, etc.

One of the most aggrevating things about this election is that a great deal of it will depend on who the undecided (read "not paying attention until the last minute and then voting based on the candidates' perceive personality") voters decide they'd rather have a beer with. The Republicans have managed to do a good job marketing Bush as "the average Joe" and the Democrats have done little to really dent that image, arguing almost explicitely on issues and hoping that pictures of John Kerry windsurfing will make him look "cool."

But people love Homer Simpson more than they do James Bond. So here's an ad I'd like to see to pull apart Bush's fake persona:

Republicans want you to believe George Bush is a straight shooter, a regular guy you'd want to have a beer with.

But Bush passed a Medicare bill that he said would reduce costs for seniors, but their costs went up.
Bush claimed to support our men and women in uniform, but cut their benefits and combat pay.
Bush invaded Iraq because he said the country would attack us with weapons of mass destruction, but none were found.

Is someone as two-faced as George Bush really the kind of guy you want to have a beer with?

Extra points if Joey from Friends or the guy who played Norm in Cheers (I have no idea if they're Democrats) does the voice-over.

If you read one speech today...

Everyone else is linking to it so I might as well too. Because it's worth it.

We must have a great honest national debate on Iraq. The President claims it is the centerpiece of his war on terror. In fact, Iraq was a profound diversion from that war and the battle against our greatest enemy, Osama bin Laden and the terrorists. Invading Iraq has created a crisis of historic proportions and, if we do not change course, there is the prospect of a war with no end in sight.

When the conversation turns to Iraq, it will become patently obvious who has at least a chance of restoring a sane approach and who has his head us his ass.

It is never easy to discuss what has gone wrong while our troops are in constant danger. But it’s essential if we want to correct our course and do what’s right for our troops instead of repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

Paging James Butler...

Someone has created the group for you... (link via Daily Kos)

A little sunshine into your day

Know that Gallup poll that shows Bush vastly ahead?

Well, that's what happens when you poll more Republicans than Democrats (link via Atrios).

So fret not.

Also, without outing anyone, I learned the other day that someone very near and dear to me is voting for Kerry after voting Republican in every presidential election since 1960 and giving $2,000 to Bush in 2000.

Anecdotal? Sure. But when you hear the same anecdote over and over and never hear the opposite, you might be on to something.

Hang on tight.

Blogging for the blogless

James, who apparently can't afford a blog of his own (here's a hint, Slim Jim - they're free!), alerts me to this bit of sweetness:

Judge Orders U.S. to Find Bush Records

A federal judge has ordered the Pentagon to find and make public by next week any unreleased files about President Bush's Vietnam-era Air National Guard service to resolve a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by The Associated Press.

James likes the picture which shows our "regular guy" preznit buying a soda. Or, rather, some lackey buying him a soda - you can see someone else's hands with the money.

How many "regular guys" do you know who have a personal assistant who handles their cash? And when will the New York Times do a detailed story on the man behind the hands, like they did for Kerry?

The article does a nice job of detailing the troubling details of Bush's guard service - or, rather, Bush's lack of service.

Now, let's all remember, kids, this is the AP raising these questions and demanding these documents. This is not equivalent to a group of conservatives closely associated with the Bush campaign and funded by major Bush contributors launching baseless attacks on Kerry's service record.

To quote Mr. Burns, "Release the hounds."

ALL YOUR POLLS ARE BELONG TO US

Polls Show Nov. 2 Race Even as Bush Bounce Fades

To make the merry-go-round go faster
So that everyone needs to hang on tighter
- They Might Be Giants

I got yer catch phrase right here

Democrat Kerry Slams Bush's "Excuse Presidency"

Democratic candidate John Kerry unleashed a stinging indictment of President Bush's economic stewardship on Wednesday and urged his Republican rival to take responsibility instead of playing the victim.

...

"His is the excuse presidency -- never wrong, never responsible, never to blame ... no, it's not our fault; no, there's nothing wrong; no, we can't do better; no, we haven't made a single mistake," Kerry said.

...

"You can even say that George Bush is proud of the fact that not even failure can cause him to change his mind."

That's a message that will resonate.

Nice

A good Tom Tomorrow this week.

Bush bought silence on Guard duty

Ezra Klein at Pandagon points to a piece by Greg Palast that shows that Bush bought off Ben Barnes with a no-bid contract (sound familiar?) to stay quiet about getting him into the TANG.

The letter said, "Governor Bush ... made a deal with Ben Barnes not to rebid [the GTech lottery contract] because Barnes could confirm that Bush had lied during the '94 campaign."

...

The happy client paid Barnes, the keeper of Governor Bush’s secret, a fee of over $23 million.

Ezra suggests linking to this and/or emailing it to everyone you know. Time for some offense.

Catch Phrase

Josh Marshall asks readers to come up with a concise question that gets voters thinking about how badly the administration has blown the situation with Iraq.

His suggestions to get the ball rolling:

• Do you think Iraq has made us safer or less safe?
• If you had to do it over again, would you trust George W. Bush to get this right?

He's not completely happy with those and, uh, he doesn't have comments, so I'll put my suggestions here:

• How many do-overs should George Bush get?
• After three years, billions of dollars and 1,000 more American lives... shouldn't we have caught Osama Bin Laden?
• Didn't anyone tell George Bush that Osama Bin Laden was not in Iraq?
• If George Bush thinks the situation in Iraq is success, can we afford one of his failures?

I'll add more if I think of any. If you've got 'em, add 'em in the comments section.

Flip flop

Bush to Shift Iraq Funds to Boost Security

Faced with mounting violence in Iraq, the Bush administration plans on Tuesday to propose shifting $3.46 billion from Iraqi water, power and other reconstruction projects to improve security, boost oil output and prepare for elections scheduled for January.

So the grand plan to try to beat the press into submission by whining for more stories about school openings instead of U.S. casualties has failed. Hey, if this saves some lives, I'm all for it. But face it: master plan? Fucked.

Oh, and... "oil output"?

Hmm.

Priorities.

"This is adjusting a plan in response to changing circumstances," said a U.S. official who asked not to be named.

Wrong, anonymous adminstration booster. This is adjusting a plan to finally recognize reality and your lousy grasp of it.

"One of the changing circumstances is the need to focus more urgently and more quickly on developing Iraqi security capability."

Hmm, and what could be driving that need? Something coming up soon? Something in... November?

And I swear to god, I have never seen more pro-administration comments come out of an administration anonymously before this one.

"I'd just like to say that President Bush is doing a splendid job and we're lucky to have such steady leadership in these trying times since 9/11," said an administration source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Is it simply that they don't want their names associated with such obvious bullshit?

Oh, great

Blast, Mushroom Cloud Reported in N. Korea

A large explosion occurred in the northern part of North Korea, sending a huge column of smoke into the air on an important anniversary of the communist regime, a South Korean news agency reported Sunday.

But I'm glad our military is all tied up in Iraq and that we've ignored North Korea for so long. Because.... uh... er...

Well. Ahem.

Urg.

ADDENDUM: Probably not nuclear.

Whaaaaaa???

Is that a hint of fairness I smell?

Both Candidates Often Shift Positions

While working relentlessly to portray Democratic Sen. John Kerry as a "flip-flopper," President Bush has his own history of changing his position, from reversals on steel tariffs and "nation-building" to reasons for invading Iraq.

Well, I'll be damned.

Don't expect Al Michaels to change his tune, though.

I know I shouldn't, but...

Lane?

James?

Was this one of you?

If not... uh... touché, DjSwanyMT36@yahoo.com.

Oh, and I think it's spelled "fuck", not "f**k".

Ditto

What Ezra said.

Nice bounce, dude

Zero.

GAAAAH!!!

Cheney Again Links Saddam to Al Qaeda

At a town-hall style forum [operative word being "style"] in the swing state of Ohio, Cheney described Saddam as a "man who provided safe harbor and sanctuary to terrorists for years" and a man who "provided safe harbor and sanctuary as well for al Qaeda."

Vermin.

Right

To continue the game we were playing the other day, follow along with this:

W. House Accuses Kerry, Surrogates of Guard Attacks

The White House said Kerry's lagging poll numbers were behind the new questions about Bush's military service

Uh, yeah, but it was the AP that FOIA-ed the memos that were finally released. Is the administration suggesting the Kerry campaign runs the AP? Because that's just bat-shit crazy talk.

When Democrats talk about Bush surrogates, they're talking about people who actually worked on the Bush campaign and helped start up Swift Boat Veterans Against Veterans. When Republicans talk about surrogates they're... talking about the independent media organizations.

See? Isn't that fun?

Ah, Maureen!

All is forgiven! (Link via TBogg.)

Every time Mr. Cheney opens his mouth, vermin leap out.

Almost makes me want to renew my subscription to the Times.

The Bush Doctrine in action

Matthew Yglesias suspects the Bush administration's new strategy for fighting terrorism is basically to let terrorists run around for a while, kill a bunch of Americans, and then, finally, implement the old strategy.

See, the key difference is letting them run around for a while and kill more Americans than they would have...

Aaaahhhh...

Truly strong leadership for our time.

A tale of two scandals

One phoney and fabricated after the fact, the other real and covered up for years.

This story is a perfect demonstration of the difference between the Swift Boat controversy and the National Guard controversy. Both are tales from long ago and both are related to Vietnam, but the documentary evidence in the two cases is like night and day. In the Swift Boat case, practically every new piece of documentary evidence indicates that Kerry's accusers are lying. Conversely, in the National Guard case, practically every new piece of documentary evidence provides additional confirmation that the charges against Bush are true.

And what are the charges?

In fact, these four memos are pretty close to a smoking gun, since it's now clear that (a) Bush was directly ordered to take a physical in 1972 and refused, and (b) he plainly failed to perform up to National Guard standards, but that (c) he was nonetheless saved from a failing evaluation thanks to high-level pressure.

And (d) the Bush campaign in 2000, the Bush administration and the Bush campaign in 2004 systematically sought to cover up (a), (b) and (c).

Tsk-tsk-tsk.

You know... [sniff]... it's not the lying that bothers me...

Oh, wait, yes it is. It's all the incessant lying.

ADDENDUM: Whoops - more charges!

(e) Bush had strings pulled not only to get him into the Guard, but also to get him out of the guard!

Compare this documented evidence to the fantastical scenarios created about how Kerry shot himself with an RPG or simply manufactured three Purple Hearts using a lathe in his basement, all of which was in direct opposition to the documented evidence. They have no shame (not that we didn't know that). They slime a decorated war veteran who fucking volunteered to go to Vietnam to protect a son of privilege who had strings pulled to get someone to go in his place. Then he partied his way through half of his guard duty before he decided even that responsibility was too much for him and took off early.

It's disgusting.

Chickenshit

So, Bush is chickening out of the second debate, the one that features questions asked by real people (who scare him) instead of easily scripted dickheads like Peter Jennings.

The thinking is supposedly that incumbents who are ahead in the polls don't have anything to gain by debating much.

As the Post points out, Clinton was ahead in 1996 and declined the same debate.

Except... as this graphic Kevin Drum posted shows, Clinton was ahead by 19 points. Bush, by realistic accounts?

1.7.

Yeah, maybe the incumbent doesn't have much to gain by debates.

Particularly an incumbent who doesn't do so good in unscripted settings.

Boston Globe: Bush AWOL

Bush Fell Short On Duty At Guard (link via Atrios).

Since this is now in a major metro daily, will Peter Jennings call Wesley Clark or Michael Moore and apologize to them?

Whew!

Well, I for one am relieved that the White House won't reiterate Dick Cheney's threat to unleash violence upon the American public if they don't vote for Bush.

Maybe they're much more reasonable than I've made them out to be.

Gimmee a double scoop o' that double standard

See, the fact that Bush was honorably discharged proves he fulfilled his obligation to the TANG.

But the fact that Kerry was awarded three Purple Hearts doesn't mean he was actually wounded.

According to Bob Dole, there's no evidence Kerry even bled!

Show me the bloody rags!

See how that works?

OK, let me go though it again...

See, Bush...

Only good at the worst

This is why even the ridiculous film that was shown right before Bush took the stage at the Republican National Convention culminated with their nominee - the tough guy, the guy the terrorists supposedly fear - committing the highly difficult and manly skill of lobbing a baseball 60 feet.

The truth of the matter is, when they're not actively pushing an agenda of cronyism, tax cuts for the rich and right wing religious totalitarianism...

... they're incompetent.

It was only a matter of time

And they complain that we're negative...

"Vote for Kerry and the terrorist will attack... again!" says Dick.

Uh... just who was president when the last attack happened... Dick?

Let the incessant hand-wringing begin!

I can't wait to see this played over and over again on the talk shows!

What?

What do you mean it won't be?!

Bush is not the Lathe of Heaven

He can't dream up a good economy.

Kerry Assails Deficit As Bush's Fault

As Jon Stewart might ask, when your party controls the White House, both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court... who else's fault could it possibly be?

But, of course, they like to think the economy's doing just great!

"Only George W. Bush could celebrate over a record budget deficit of $422 billion, a loss of 1.6 million jobs and Medicare premiums that are up by a record 17 percent," Kerry said.

Yes, what exactly are they crowing about?

"John Kerry's plan for $2 trillion in new spending means higher taxes on all Americans or a budget deficit that is completely out of control," Adams said.

Liar. Kerry would raise taxes on the richest Americans - the ones who got the biggest benefit from the Bush tax cuts. And the denial is nowhere more evident than the second half of that sentence. You are no one to be talking to anyone about out of control budget deficits.

Bitch.

Well, babies, don't you panic*

Looks like my comment about the nation not being impressed was certainly incorrect, at least in some circles, as Bush is enjoying a bounce in the polls.

What's a horror-stricken Democrat to do? Remember that Kerry was down in the polls going into Iowa and contribute to the dKos 8 (box a little down on the left), any of the links at the top of Atrios, Democracy For America or the Democratic candidate of your choice.

The game's not over. It's never over.

*(Rocky Horror Picture Show)

Revisionist historians

Remember in the early nineties when the Soviet Union was being dismantled and voters across America said "Don't give me some so-called 'peace dividend'! Take that money and use it to fight terrorism!"

Yeah, neither do I.

I'm getting very suspicious that Wesley Crusher's warp bubble might be moving backward in time as well as forward. It certainly seems to have fully engulfed Zell Miller and Rudy Giuliani.

The reviews are in

Watching the Republican National Convention the nation learned:

• The Republican party has some guys who aren't half bad. However, none of them are currently running for anything, their views are not part of the party's mainstream and, consequently, several were not covered by the networks.
• There are, in fact, people of color who are Republicans, proving there are those who hate abortion and homosexuals enough to sell out on everything else.
• The Bush twins are a not fit for prime time consumption as they give a little too much insight into what their father was like at their age.
• It is possible to infiltrate the Republican National Convention and blow yourself up, causing irreperable damage to the party. You just have to be a Democratic Senator from Georgia. And it doesn't hurt if you're insane.
• George Bush has not been president for the last three and a half years - it's all been some parallel universe created by a warp bubble accidentally set off by Wesley Crusher. This is why Bush is not to blame for the currently crappy state of the economy and the situation in Iraq. Or anything else. This is also why he delivered his acceptance speech from 2000.
• Above all else, the party would like the nation to take these two things away from the convention:

  1 - John Kerry is the anti-Christ.
  2 - ...and they really mean this... 9/11.

Understandably, the nation was not that impressed.

Pimpin' the Daily Show

Now, really, I don't know why I should have to relay the Daily Show to you... daily...

By all rights you should be watching it yourself and if you're not... well... I just don't know what to do with you.

But, last night's edition was quite good. And it keeps me from having to come up with something original. Obviously.

STEWART: Last night the Republican faithful were angry! After four years of being in charge of the House, Senate, Supreme Court and Executive Branch, they were not gonna take it anymore!

And then, using clips of Lynn Cheney's speech to form pure comedy gold.

CHENEY: But while most of the boys I knew saw the charm of driving back and forth time and again between the two A&W Root Beer stands in our small town, Dick did not. And when practically everybody in Casper, Wyoming, started doing the Twist, I can tell you, Dick did not.

STEWART: And when all those young men were forced to go to Vietnam...

CHENEY: ... Dick did not.

STEWART: And, later, when the government told business like Halliburton to stop doing business with Iran...

CHENEY: ... I can tell you, Dick did not.

There was a lot more, but I'm not going to spoon-feed it too you. If I'm too lazy to come up with original content, I'm also too lazy to transcribe a half-hour show.

Why Do I Gotta Own Everything All Of A Sudden???

Get Your War On hits the convention!

I'm gonna issue a stamp with my face on it!

ADDENDUM: No, no, wait! The previous one is even better!

I just want to see him be held responsible for one thing. I'd settle for a candy wrapper dropped on the White House lawn at this point. Just to let me know it's still possible.

Sorry, I must have been in Alaska or some shit.

Ha!

Bush just chided Kerry for wanting to spend too much.

How does he say that and not burst into flames?

I'm confused

Wasn't the film Fred Thompson introduced supposed to be a biography of George Bush?

If so, why did it start at 9/11?

Priorities

As George Bush is walking out to deliver his acceptance speech, this is the top story on the GOP's home page:

First priority - attack Kerry.

Bush Acceptance Speech Preview

Hey, wadda ya know, the 6:30 episode of The Simpsons had a preview of Bush's acceptance speech:

We don't need a thinker! We need someone who'll act without considering the consequences!

So don't bother tuning in. I mean, really, what else could he say? Some lame rehash of his 2000 acceptance?

The Republican Platform Redux

Lane reveals the Republican platform in a comment to the previous post:

9/11.

I think I'd also heard talk about tax cuts and no more ass-fucking and John Kerry sux, but yeah, I've got to agree, their platform is pretty much 9/11. And in this post-9/11 world, what better platform could there be than 9/11?

So, summing up, I'd just like to say, when you vote in November, please vote for the day that thousands of Americans were killed on American soil while the president read a children's book and then paid an impromptu visit to random military bases across the nation.

Thank you, and god bless.

Oh, and... 9/11.

Just sayin' is all

Dunkin' Donuts, BusinessWeek, IBM, Ford, KMart, McDonald's, Holiday Inn, and Bud Light.

Or...

Starbucks, People, Apple, BMW, Target, Subway, Hilton, and Heineken.

Well, despite my hatred of People magazine, I'd have to go with the second list. And that, apparently, is appropriate.

Like putting a prom dress on a pig

After Jenna and Not Jenna's (this phrase copyright TBogg) meltdown last night, I'm hoping Dick's the next to fuck up "big time" in prime time.

Here's a tip to Dick's speechwriter: "confusion of conviction" may sound hi-larious when you're all juiced up on caffeine and writing at 2 AM, but as far as making sense in the English language - not so much.

But Dick won't be alone in not making any sense. Apparently Schwartzenegger told us that:

Bush "doesn't flinch, doesn't waver, does not back down,"...

Which is something Moqtada al Sadr would probably find amusing. That, however, paled in comparison to the comment from the little woman:

Added Mrs. Bush: "You can count on him, especially in a crisis."

Count on him to sit there reading My Pet Goat and then hop on a plane and run screaming around the country like Ned Flanders being chased by a guy in a big-headed Mardi Gras devil costume.

George Bush: All Batson. No Shazam.

ADDENDUM: And the Daily Show's Steven Colbert says:

Jon, I found it crasstastic. The message was delivered by the Republican's most popular figures - John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani - two men of bravery and leadership, qualities the president would very much like associated with him.

Also good was his comment that Bush's compassion, like the Olympics, triumphantly springs forth every four years.

Saletan

I haven't had the stomach to watch any of the convention yet, but William Saletan lets the hot air out of it.

Being There - What does 9/11 tell us about Bush? Nothing. (link via TAPPED)

But isn't it odd to see Republicans belittle the physical risks Kerry took in battle while exalting Bush's armchair wars and post-9/11 photo ops? Isn't it embarrassing to see Bob Dole, the GOP's previous presidential nominee, praise Bush's heroism while suggesting that Kerry's three combat wounds weren't bad enough to justify sending him home from Vietnam?

Watching the attacks on Kerry and the glorification of Bush reminds me of something Dole said in his speech to the Republican convention eight years ago. It was "demeaning to the nation," Dole argued, to be governed by people "who never grew up, never did anything real, never sacrificed, never suffered and never learned."

You tell me which of this year's presidential candidates that statement best describes.

Flip-flopper In Chief

Flip.

Flop.

So... what the hell's going on?

No, really, I've been on a boat in Alaska for a week and I have no idea.

OK. Well, it'll take a little time for me to catch up so be patient.

Plus, I got really used to someone mixing my drinks for me...

(Comments are back on line.)

Uuuuuuuh... huh.

So now Kerry's a hothead.

A... sort of monotone hothead... I guess. The kind of hothead that's... er... not easily riled.

Next week: the Bush campaign accuses Kerry of being too young to run for the office of President of the United States.

"He's actually a 14-year-old girl from Deluth," Scott McClellan will say.

(Where's the fairy imp when you need him?)

Was... was that it?!

Remember when Bush was supposed to come out swinging after the Democratic Convention?

Bush to Take Break During Dem. Convention

Bush plans to spend July 23-29 at his Crawford, Texas, ranch catching his breath before the campaign's home stretch, aides say.

Bush to ignore rivals' convention

Bush plans to charge back out to the campaign trail July 30, the day after the Democratic National Convention ends, heading straight to four battleground states in two days.

Well, after an exhausting two weeks of Shocking and Awing (as one Freeper comment I won't link to breathlessly expected) one campaign stop after another, it's back to Crawford for some much-needed rest!

Bush Begins Weeklong Stay at Texas Ranch

See, there was that one campaign stop... then there was the other one... and there was the Shock and the Awe at both of them... but now it's back to Crawford.

While Bush's rival, Democrat John Kerry, continues to campaign, the president is scheduled to be at his ranch for about a week, taking a break from re-election appearances. It's his 38th presidential trip to his ranch where he spends time outdoors fishing, clearing brush and exploring its rocky terrain, waterfalls and canyons. On Wednesday, he took a bike ride, and has been watching some of the Summer Olympics, McClellan said.

Wait... what? "Exploring its rocky terrain, waterfalls and canyons"? Who is he? Major Matt Mason?

Dramatic Sighting

Driving home from having dinner with my parents who are in town, I saw the PantsOnFire-mobile of PantsOnFire.net driving up and down Tacoma's Ruston Way waterfront. It's kind of a big anti-Bush Mardi Gras float that has the PantsOnFire.net URL on it and says "Don't get burned again."

I chased them for a while and took these dramatic photos with my cell phone that have sort of a David Lynch quality to them.

Fire. Walk with me.

The homosexual agenda revealed

Over at Eat Your Vegetables.

Will nothing stop these femi-lebo-nazis?! Won't somebody please think of the children?!

Whoa!

Tom Tomorrow reader has "issues"!

Me likey

Report: Bush Fails N.Y., Site of Republican Meet

The report, "Bush Misleads New York: A Four-Year Record of Failure," said the U.S. government had not provided enough money for counter-terrorism efforts in New York.

...

New York ranks 35th in per capita funding from the homeland security agency despite being the most populous city in the United States with eight million residents, and the place most frequently mentioned by security experts as a possible target for another attack by al Qaeda.

The report said the administration had cut funding for biological attack preparedness, firefighting equipment, personnel and the communications systems that hampered rescue efforts in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center, killing nearly 2,800 people.

In addition, it said ports were vulnerable because most of the millions of containers that enter the country were not inspected by the government. It described as inadequate Bush's proposal of $46 million for port security in 2005 compared with $4 billion over 5 years that Democrats in Congress call for.

Me love you long time, N.Y. Democrats!

Just in case anyone says "Dude, we're gettin' the Soviet Union back together!"

And doesn't anyone remember when those terrorists attacked us with intercontinental nuclear missiles on 9/11?!

Bush Defends Pursuit of Missile Defense System

Kerry Seen Cutting Spending on Missile Defense

It was in all the papers!

I don't have a question, Mr. President, but can I touch the hem of your garment?

We've seen a lot of local stories about Bush's tight control of media events, but this is the first national story I've seen.

The thing that's somewhat aggrevating about this is that it's not something that started with the campaign, it's been going on for years.

Basically, Kerry fosters an environment of open debate, Bush tries to create the sense that all love and pray for Dear Leader, and his election in November is a fait accompli.

Which world do you want to live in?

Take those lemons and make lemonade!

Poll: Bush Tops Kerry As a Strong Leader

Ah, Will Lester. Doing the yeoman's work of the Bush campaign.

Yes, apparently we should ignore all those other categories where Kerry beats Bush - including, you know, who respondents said they were going to vote for - and focus on that one shining pro-Bush example.

Results matter

And Bush has none to show (link via Daily Kos).

Gays have real ultimate power!

Republican senator reveals that (link via Atrios):

• Gays are mammals
• Gays have anal sex all the time
• The purpose of gays is to subvert our missionary position-only heterosexual nation

(For those of you who have not yet tasted real ultimate power, please go here.)

But what's with the equivalence between abortion and sex with multiple partners?

I mean, I don't speak from experience with either (assuming he means multiple as "at the same time"... that's what I like to think it means... oh, wow) but, from what I understand, sex with multiple partners is a lot more fun than an abortion.

And, again, correct me if I'm wrong, but how does intercourse between two people of the same sex promote abortion?

It's not just me, right? It's him, isn't it?

Cha-laaaaaaaaa-bi!

Josh Marshall on the arrest warrants for Ahmed and Salem Chalabi on charges of counterfeiting and murder, respectively (not to be confused with respectfully):

Salem, of course, remains head of the war crimes tribunal charged with trying Saddam Hussein and other leaders of the former regime. But the tribunal covers crimes committed under the former regime, not the present one. So perhaps there's no conflict.

Ha!

Again.

Flip.

Flop.

Ouch

Failure of Leadership (link via Atrios)

The failure of leadership that led to the bonehead decision to invade Iraq remains painfully evident today.

Flip

Flop.

Although, to be fair, it is perfectly in line with Bush's "got mine" philosophy.

Turning the corner

And... er... running into an oncoming train.

Job Growth Meager, Markets Stunned

Gosh, you mean tax cuts for the rich aren't the great job-creation engine everyone said they were?!

Wwwwwhoops

Clashes Threaten to Reignite Shi'ite Rising in Iraq

So much for Dear Leader's glorious victory via the shock and awe of appeasement over Moqtada al-Sadr.

George Orwell, please pick up the white curteousy phone.

The Justice Department was asking libraries to destroy certain books that explain how citizens can retrieve items that have been confiscated by the government (link via BoingBoing, which notes they have rescinded the order).

Sharp Reaction

This is a little late in coming, but I've finally had a chance to sit down and put together some reaction to Al Sharpton's speech at the convention and the clips of the MSNBC talking head reaction I saw on the Daily Show.

I remember seeing Sharpton defend Tawana Brawley back in the '80s, when both Reverend Sharpton and myself were somewhat younger. I remember feeling a smug sense of superiority because, punk-ass product of white suburbia that I was, it didn't occur to me that the police might do something illegal from time to time.

Rape a black girl? Is he crazy?

Well, not long ago an officer in the area forced a teenaged boy to masturbate in front of him in a holding cell. Raping a black girl has long since ceased to seem far fetched to me.

But, as it turned out, Sharpton was wrong. His big mistake - and not certainly his only mistake - was to vociferously stand up for someone who had no one else to stand up for her. Someone, it turned out, who was lying.

But read Sharpton's speech.

There is nothing he said that was not true.

Yet I saw Dorris Kearns Goodwin say that Sharpton was so "grating" that "you can't bear to listen" and nod sagely as Howard Fineman said it was "an insult to African American voters that they're giving as much time to this guy as they are" and that "he could actually turn off the black vote."

I can't believe I bought my wife that bitch's baseball book. No wonder she couldn't get through it.

As well as taking a writing class, Goodwin should also consider civics. From the transcript of the show the Daily Show took the clips from, she says that, because Sharpton hasn't been elected to any position, "these are words without any connection to a constituency." She goes on to blame the media for Sharpton.

Apparently Goodwin believes that if you don't make up 51% of a given population, you don't exist.

Meanwhile someone on Fox, the network next to Godliness, should call his clergyman and ask him what he does because he thinks the Reverend Sharpton "has never held a job."

I have no idea what part of Sharpton's speech offended these fuckers so much. Was it simply mentioning reparations? Personally, I found Goodwin's Member's Only jacket to be the truly grating thing.

Maybe it was just the way Sharpton said what he said. But, frankly, I don't know how you talk about the following without getting worked up.

Mr. President, the reason we are fighting so hard, the reason we took Florida so seriously, is our right to vote wasn't gained because of our age. Our vote was soaked in the blood of martyrs, soaked in the blood of Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner, soaked in the blood of four little girls in Birmingham. This vote is sacred to us.

This vote can't be bargained away.

This vote can't be given away.

Mr. President, in all due respect, Mr. President, read my lips: Our vote is not for sale.

...

And I wanted somebody in my community -- I wanted to show that example. As I ran for president, I hoped that one child would come out of the ghetto like I did, could look at me walk across the stage with governors and senators and know they didn't have to be a drug dealer, they didn't have to be a hoodlum, they didn't have to be a gangster, they could stand up from a broken home, on welfare, and they could run for president of the United States.

How dare he stand up for people who have no one else to stand up for them? The same people who the president's brother continues to try to cut from the voter rolls.

Yes. It's a damn shame the Democrats put this man up on the stage. John Edwards' tale is so much more palatable! So much whiter! Please take this intemperate black man from my sight before I come down with a case of the vapors!

Well, I'll let the man who makes the pundits uncomfortable have the last word:

Mr. President, we love America, not because all of us have seen the beauty all the time.

But we believed if we kept on working, if we kept on marching, if we kept on voting, if we kept on believing, we would make America beautiful for everybody.

Starting in November, let's make America beautiful again.

Hmm

Far be it from me to criticize those in power (huuuuh?), but in all this talk about creating an intelligence czar, has it occurred to anyone that we kinda sorta already have one of those, but it's just that she sucks?

Giving credit where credit is undue

The New York Times today:

Much of the information that led the authorities to raise the terror alert at several large financial institutions in the New York City and Washington areas was three or four years old, intelligence and law enforcement officials said on Monday.

Tom Ridge on Sunday:

But we must understand that the kind of information available to us today is the result of the President’s leadership in the war against terror.

Now, I'm no math major or, certainly, well versed in the quantum underpinnings of space, time and dimension, but it seems unreasonable to expect that Bush should get much credit for ringing a conveniently timed alarm about terrorist threats we've known about since before 9/11.

Unless Ridge meant that ironically. Was he rolling his eyes when he said it?

Oh, yeah... the president's sooooo goooood at fighting terror. Like... here are some three or four year old warnings for you. That should show you how goooood he is at fighting terrorism. Pff.

Was it anything like that? 'Cause I didn't see the whole press conference.

ADDENDUM: Michael Burton in comments notes that I'm misreading the Times article. U.S. intelligence has not known of these threats since before 9/11. These were Al Qaeda reconnaissance missions from before 9/11 that have come to light this year. Still, the bogosity meter is way high.

The real pessimism is saying we can't do better.

As our next president said.

Laura Rozen provides a prime example (link via Pandagon).

But verification is so haaaaaaaard! And I'm all hot and itchy!

Ooh! Ooh! I've got heat exhaustion, too!

Except I'd like to be treated by Kerry's other hot daughter because I've got the kind that only brunettes can cure.

I know she's not the medical student, but...

Pff. Heat exhaustion. Right! Duuuude...

Uh... what?

"Results matter." says our slacker Preznit.

They're... uh... kidding...

... right?

Because...

Ha-ha!

If that's their response to the convention...

Ha! Oh, man...

Drinking is so an accomplishment!

Matt Deatherage compares Bush and Kerry's achievements and, uh... Bush don't come out lookin' too good.

Get yer DemoRat liberal jibber-jabberin

Right off the iTunes Music Store.

Cool!

Get Your Botched War On

For your reading enjoyment.

Big John

That epithet used to be reserved for Howard Dean, but Kerry earned it tonight.

What if we have a president who believes in science, so we can unleash the wonders of discovery like stem cell research to treat illness and save millions of lives?

Yes. What if we have a president who believes in science? And was all the other things Kerry spoke of.

Kerry was inspiring tonight. Way to go.

The Blogger formely known as Atrios

Sheesh, am I the last to know that Atrios has quietly revealed his secret identity?

Well, as long as we're making Duncan Black's life more dangerous, I hear it's the orange Kryptonite that hurts him.

In related news, I've decided that now is the perfect time to go into the closet. From now on, I want you to call me Dr. Secret Hassenpuffer.

No, seriously.

Well, MY fake anecdote also speaks volumes!

As Kevin Drum noticed some convenient cabby conversations, I thought I'd relay one I had the other day. After another drinking binge at a local establishment, I decided to call a cab as I was in no condition to drive home. After the standard 45 minute wait for it to arrive (there are only three cabs in Tacoma, I believe), several good looking waitresses and other will-wishers poured me into the cab. The following is a verbatim transcript of my interaction with the cab driver who was a white male, around 45 years of age who voted for Bush in 2000. A self-described believer in personal responsibility and fiscal restraint, he also watches NASCAR and JAG and loves Jesus.

CABBY: Where to?

ME: Just to the top of the hill.

CABBY: Hey, that George Bush sure is a lying sack of shit, isn't he?

ME: No argument here. Blech... I shouldn't have had that body shot off that Swedish stewardess. She tasted like sun tan lotion.

CABBY: Yessir! George Bush! What a douche bag! God, am I kicking myself for voting for him the first time! Ha-ha!

ME: Here's my house.

CABBY: That'll be five dollars.

(DISCLAIMER: This may not have actually happened, just like Kaus and Boortz' cabby conversations.)

Just how hard is it to write up a GOP press release?

Will Lester of the AP discovers, not very.

When was the last time you saw a story on a Democratic ad about Bush? And I mean one produced by the DNC, not one produced by some guy who posted one to an open collection on MoveOn.org that happened to morph Bush into Hitler.

To be fair, it's harder to write up Democratic attack ads because there aren't nearly as many of them. There is something to having an actual record to run on. Perhaps the RNC should have thought of that three and a half years ago.

Right

Yes. Kerry really should spend some time telling jokes at his own expense about pictures of him that Republicans think are silly. Because that would really be the mark of a serious candidate.

If I were a hack like Glenn Reynolds and devoted almost 400 words to manufactured silly picture controversies, would I get a lot of hits too?

What an ass.

And someone should really remind the good professor who was president when the World Trade towers were knocked over.

"These things really write themselves."

Indeed.

ADDENDUM: Great minds? Thinking alike (not an Instahack link for the sensitive readers out there)? Think about it, won't you?

Or, possibly, so obvious it's unbelievable even Reynolds couldn't see it coming up Main Street.

Obama. Barack Obama.

Best comment I heard from someone seeing Barack Obama for the first time: "Shh. I'm listening to the future president."

Gah

While this is a stupid story about stupid stuff that doesn't have an iota of consequence to how one might run a nation, you'd think that Reuters could actually check their facts. Kos already discussed the magic rain that loosens soil nine days after it falls back in May.

It's no wonder no one can get to the bottom of Bush's Guard duty.

Duh?

Ronstadt's Vegas Row Fuels U.S. Campaign Debate

Oh, great, because that would be so much better than having it fueled by an open discussion of policy or some stoopid crap like that.

But virtually all agree that Ronstadt's dedication of an encore song to Moore was mild in comparison to comedian Whoopi Goldberg's obscene comments about the president at a John Kerry fund-raiser, or Ozzy Osbourne projecting of Bush's image onto that of Adolf Hitler's during a rock concert.

And of course, it was extremely mild compared to the criticisms leveled at Bush by Moore in his hit film.

Uhhh... what? Let's just look at that math for a minute:

Ronstadt praising Moore < Goldberg comparing Bush to female genitalia and Osbourne comparing Bush to Hitler < Fahrenheit 9/11.

Where in Fahrenheit 9/11 is Bush compared to either female genitalia or the worse mass murderer of the previous century? Has Arthur Spiegelman seen the movie?

The fact that Moore's movie is more popular than either the hackneyed Golberg or the hackneyed Osbourne and presents a more effective message than either the other two are capable of making does not automagically make it a harsher critique.

Ooh! You got a smiley face in fighting terrorism!

So, the Justice Department has vastly overstated the number of terrorism-related cases that have been prosecuted to make it look like it's really going gangbusters after...

You know, I'm kind of surprised the country hasn't picked some normally innocuous Anglo-Saxon name to apply to terrorists. We had "Jerry" for Germans in WWII and "Charlie" for Communists in Vietnam. What goes well with Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorists?

Izzy?

Hmm...

Oh! Oh!

Terry.

Mmmmm! That's got legs.

Uh... well... think about it.

Anyway, in the article Confessore cites via Atrios, it appears that the Justice Department said it prosecuted 35 terrorism-related cases in Iowa in the last two years. A U.S. District Judge for the area claims to not know of any. That may be because of the loose standard being applied.

Prosecutors stressed that many of the Iowa cases were classic examples of illegal activities that are perpetrated by terrorist groups.

So, since terrorists might steal money to fund their activities, the Justice Department feels OK in classifying any theft as terrorist-related.

Because that's just what Terry would do!

But back here in the real world we have no way of knowing how many of the supposedly thousands of cases prosecuted are really terrorism-related. But if there were 35 bogus cases in Iowa, you can bet there were a lot more in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and elsewhere.

It's a damn shame that we don't really know how well we're doing combatting terrorism domestically because the Justice Department is more interested in getting Bush elected in November than providing an accurate accounting.

It's ironic that the same administration that's so concerned with standardized ratings for students and teachers feels no compunctions about taking a ball point pen to an "F" in prosecuting terrorism to turn it into an "A".

If a guy gets shot in the back of the head in the forest...

Let's say the U.S. decided to invade a country because it was a really big threat to our national security. Then let's say that, whoops, turns out it really wasn't such a big threat after all, but the guy we deposed was a really bad guy who killed his own people (killed his own people!), so it was all worth it anyway.

But then, just as an example, let's say that the guy we put in place of him... uh... well, let's just say there were certain allegations that, er, to kick off the transition of power, as it were... well... he... killed some of his own people.

Don't you think that would be an interesting story that, perhaps, might be a useful thing to know when you're evaluating the merits of that particular invasion?

Well, if you said yes, that is why you are not a major media outlet in the U.S.! Shows what you know! Pff!

But Mr. Jesus is very far away

Did you know that god speaks through Bush?

Word up. Straight from the horse's mouth.

Well... Bush's that is. Not god's. But... you know... since god speaks through Bush, it's really the same thing, now, isn't it?

Makes me think of They Might Be Giants' Kiss Me, Son of God.

I built a little empire out of some crazy garbage
Called the blood of the exploited working class
But they've overcome their shyness
Now they're calling me Your Highness
And a world screams, "Kiss me, Son of God"

I destroyed a bond of friendship and respect
Between the only people left who'd even look me in the eye
Now I laugh and make a fortune
Off the same ones that I tortured
And a world screams, "Kiss me, Son of God"

I look like Jesus, so they say
But Mr. Jesus is very far away
Now you're the only one here who can tell me if it's true
That you love me and I love me

I built a little empire out of some crazy garbage
Called the blood of the exploited working class
But they've overcome their shyness
Now they're calling me Your Highness
And a world screams, "Kiss me, Son of God"
Yes a world screams, "Kiss me, Son of God"

Curiosity

See, it's something actual journalists are supposed to have.

Wonder why the AP seems so curious about stuff Peter Jennings is simply willing to take on faith?

W stands for weasel

Bush Refines His Position on a Measure Banning Gay Marriage (link via Pandagon)

Ol' blood and guts is trying to finesse an issue?! I don't know, but that word sounds awfully French...

OK, let me put it a more 'merican way: Is Bush a flip-flopper? Is he trying to have it both ways? Is it unclear where exactly he stands on this issue?

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I'm sure it's a perfectly clear if just a little complicated position. See, he likes gays - he's really very tolerant - and he's watched that Queer Eye show a couple of times and found it uproariously funny with the overt gayness and all (that Carson!), and he doesn't care what they do in their home...

... he just doesn't think they should be treated the same way everyone else is.

You know. Other humans.

Hmm.

Wait, I'm still confused. How is he not a mealy-mouthed weasel again?

John continues to stalk the Daily Show

Hey, it's my shtick. I stalk Phil Schiller and Jon Stewart. You know that, baby.

And, as I didn't say anything about the gay marriage thing, I thought I'd post the Daily Show's Gay Marriage Formula, as portrayed by gay marriage opponents:

So, to sum up, it'll take two-thirds of both houses and three-quarters of the states to approve an ammendment saying two straight parents are better than one straight parent which is still greater than two gay parents which is equal to a guy screwing a turtle.

And, they also provided this handy graphic:

Speaking of craptacular...

Edwards Chooses Fast-Food Joint as Romantic Date

This is the same kind of fast-food reporting we've been fed about Bush for the last four years. "Man of the people! Man of the people!" It's certainly a thousand times more true of Edwards than it is of Bush, but this level of reporting is still kind of sickening.

Who cares where Edwards eats his anniversary dinner? It's the fact that he actually, you know, seeks to implement legislation that helps people as opposed to large corporations that would make him a "man of the people." Conversely, the fact that George Bush has a big house, inherited a mess of money and plays golf a lot does not not make him a "man of the people." It's the fact that every time he pushes legislation it's designed precisely to screw the people at the behest of his big corporate buddies.

Gah.

Hey! Remember North Korea?!

Matthew Yglesias notes that, despite the tough talk from the Bush administration, the reality is...

When you overreact to one problem, you wind up underreacting -- and even exacerbating -- others, and that's what we're seeing right now. It's the president, not his critics, who has adopted an "all or nothing" approach, and thanks to his decision to throw "all" at Iraq, we've now got "nothing" left for anything else.

Bush has noted that 9/11 made us realize that oceans no longer protect us, but... uh... I guess he was just talking about the Atlantic...

Which, in Bush's defense, makes sense. The Pacific is bigger.

Guilty of drunk driving related program activities.

Jerome Doolittle at Bad Attitudes passes on a link to a story about the Bush policy of pre-emption at work in the Homeland.

Whoops

I read about three paragraphs into this story before I realized that it said "decisive" rather than "divisive".

That just seemed more obvious.

Still, decisive/arrogant is a bad mixture on the ol' Myers/Briggs.

Good point

Not only are the administration's vague warnings that imminent death awaits us all and the constant reminders that we all die alone and afraid really just a way of saying "Vote Bush!" (or, "Don't vote!" as the case may be), but they can't possibly help us git the terra-ists.

Excuse the fuck me?

Officials discuss how to delay Election Day

U.S. officials have discussed the idea of postponing Election Day in the event of a terrorist attack on or about that day, a Homeland Security Department spokesman said Sunday.

The department has referred questions about the matter to the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel, spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said.

The department wants to know about the possibility of granting emergency power to the newly created U.S. Election Assistance Commission, authority that Roehrkasse said was requested by DeForest B. Soaries Jr., the commission's chairman.

Pardon my Cheneyism, but who THE FUCK elected that dickhead?

The answer is, of course, no one fucking elected that dickhead.

Soaries, who was appointed by President Bush, is a former New Jersey secretary of state and senior pastor of the 7,000-member First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey.

He would be an unelected official who would get to decide when America gets to vote.

Roehrkasse said the recent discussions were sparked by intelligence indicating al Qaeda wants to "disrupt our democratic process."

Yeah, someone's trying to disrupt our democratic process.

Stand by your man

Even if he does sustain himself on a diet of live puppies.

The administration has trotted out Lynne Cheney to say "Nay! Mine husband ist not a foul-mouthed lout! Twas he that pushed him to it!" But Lynne might need a little schooling on the finer points of government.

"The way Dick did it, it was a private comment. You wouldn't know it from the amount of publicity that it's garnered," she said.

A private comment? On the floor of the U.S. Senate?

Hmm. Well, the way the Bush administration treats our government as their own personal playground, I guess it's not surprising that they'd feel that way.

Out of touch

Proving again how out of touch he is with the American people, Bush's belief that Dick Cheney can be president and John Edwards can't is not shared by voters (scroll to the bottom of the post, past some nice numbers showing Kerry leading Bush in most polls).

Whaaa?

Is this... balance?! Jesus, it's been so long since I've seen it that I don't even know what it looks like!

NY's Bloomberg to Entertain Gay, Pro-Choice Groups

At least someone other than Kerry is getting some attention for taking a position that doesn't coincide with what others tell him he should take.

Wow

So, Joe Lieberman, have we lost the American people?

Just when you think they can't get any dumber...

Plan for success

Here's a plan for success I just came up with and I really like it.

Whenever I get down about Kerry and Edwards' chances of winning the White House in the face of the lying, deception and other shenanigans being carried out by the Bush campaign (Terror strikes coming soon! Whoops - lost those crucial three months of documentation on Bush ANG service! Nader's going to get on the Nevada ballot!), I'm going to give some money to the Democratic congressional campaign fund.

If we had just one fucking branch of the legislative, Bush could probably be impeached in about fifteen minutes.

Nice!

And after the takedown, how about the breakdown?

Just how does the Democratic candidate for vice president stack up to the Republican candidate for...

... president?

Takedown

Matthew Yglesias has the perfect rebuttal to the conservative spin on Edwards and, for bonus points, it morphs into a takedown of a certain no-talent ass clown (if I may borrow from Office Space, and I may) who stumbled into the nation's highest office.

Want to nay-say Edwards?

Bring it, beeotches.

UPDATE: The unqualified one himself brings it up. And your so-called liberal media provides this unbiased analysis:

Cheney is a seasoned Washington insider with an impressive resume as a former defense secretary and member of Congress, while Edwards is a freshman senator from North Carolina.

Ah. But you also neglected to mention that Dick Cheney is an evil cyborg with unethical ties to a certain defense contractor that's getting fabulously wealthy off Dick-n-George's excellent adventure in Iraq. Plus, he eats live puppies.

Your turn

Cheney Had No New Data on Saddam, Al Qaeda - Panel

The Sept. 11 commission, which reported no evidence of collaborative links between Iraq and al Qaeda, said on Tuesday that Vice President Dick Cheney had no more information than commission investigators to support his later assertions to the contrary.

Which will, of course, prompt Dick to go on a whole other string of shows and reiterate all the baseless shit he's been spewing for the last year and a half and the gigantic circle jerk will continue.

But don't say the Bush administration is lying. That would be shrill.

Kerry/Edwards

Yay!

One thing I haven't seen noted in any of the coverage yet is Edwards' ability to bring in the third monied set of the Democratic Party after labor and Hollywood: trial lawyers. Looking over Fund Race 2004's neighbor search after the Washington state caucus, the lawyers in the area really came out for Edwards and many gave him the maximum. That, it seems, was one of the keys to his late surge.

I'm looking forward to Edwards debating Cheney. Oooh, yes. Might be time to break out some more colorful euphemisms, Dick.

Needless to say, I think Edwards is a great choice - the best choice. I really liked what I saw of him during the primaries. His retort to anyone who complains about "frivolous lawsuits" is sterling: try telling that to kids who have been dismembered or brain damaged by negligent companies.

Thank you, John Kerry.

Gep?

To me, this does not a confirmation make (link via Eat Your Vegetables), but take it for what it's worth.

I'm less anti-Gep than I used to be and, remember, their vice president is evil, so...

Happy Fourth!

We've spent our Fourth of July in the time-honored tradition of cleaning one's house to get it ready to sell.

We're just moving a couple of miles away, but I find it interesting that celebrated bloggers Tom Tomorrow and Atrios have also recently moved. Mmm? Mmm? Mmm?

Well, anyway, we also watched 1776 to celebrate the greatness of this nation and are now watching the Bourne Identity to remember how power left unchecked... uh... turns into... um... rogue agents who can't remember their names... and... um... with the martial arts and the... uh...

OK, I don't own a copy of JFK.

SCLM

Kerry Dodges Questions About Running Mate

Consider the meaning of the word "dodge".

The act of evading by some skillful movement; a sudden starting aside; hence, an artful device to evade, deceive, or cheat; a cunning trick; an artifice.

Evade, deceive, cheat, trick.

As opposed to "refused to answer", which would have been another way to put it.

Liar

Cheney Fires Back in Debate Over Values

"Did he forget his voting record, a voting record that makes him the most liberal member of the United States Senate?" Cheney asked.

I did like the Kerry campaign's response, though.

"Considering that Dick Cheney got five deferments from the military to avoid combat, he's the last person who should be attacking Vietnam veteran John Kerry's commitment to the flag," said spokesman Phil Singer. He added that if the Bush campaign choses to use "shrill speeches, they're going to do so at their own peril."

No rough-housing, please! We're liberals!

On the treadmill at the YMCA this morning, I read this piece by Ellen Goodman which ties into my previous post. Goodman's point is that liberals have been the voice of reason to conservative attempts to simply brow-beat and she expresses her concern at losing the high road.

I'm at a loss, however, as to how Michael Moore's two-hour movie negates the fact that establishment Democrats and other liberals are taking the high road when compared to their conservative counterparts. Why is it that we're the ones who are supposed to fight with one hand tied behind our backs all the time? Unlike Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage, Moore hasn't even been proven false about anything he's said in this film.

And, I've asked this question before, but why is it that so many "liberal" columnists feel the need to devote much of their space to "schooling" other liberals? "Ooh, don't be too shrill!" How many inches of conservative columns have been dedicated to hand-wringing over Limbaugh or Savage? I don't have access to Lexis/Nexis, but I bet it can be measured in two words: exactly dick.

Krugman, of course, gets it right by wondering why it's OK for conservatives but causes national soul-searching when it's done by liberals.

Meanwhile...

Rush Limbaugh and Fox News are on radio and cable TV every single day for hours at a time.

But we have to have a national debate about a two hour movie.

The sacred cow of even-handedness

Kevin Drum has a couple of examples of the even-handedness of the political press.

Bush likened Kerry to Hitler, but Kerry did liken Bush to a schoolboy.

Kerry says 2 million jobs were lost under Bush, but it's really 1.9 million.

Mmm, that's good linkage!

Via Dori, here's something I think James was asking for a while back: the Regime Change Guide.

Other than shelling out a mess of money, it's got what you can do to defeat Bush in November.

Cause to be optomistic

Despite the continued parade of "Bush should be doing worse!" stories you will see, the best analysis I've heard was related to me by a friend over the weekend who said she heard it on NPR.

How many people have you heard of who voted for Gore last time who say they are going to vote for Bush this time? How many people have you heard of who are going to do the opposite?

My Life

I happened to find myself in a bookstore this afternoon where I picked up a copy of Bill Clinton's autobiography My Life.

I didn't buy it, I just read the first paragraph, flipped to the last page and read the last paragraph so I'd know how his life turned out. But this cursory look is more than enough to give me major-league clout in reviewing the book by the standards currently employed by the political press, so here goes.

Bill Clinton's My Life is a tour-de-force that lets the hot air out of all the years of the witch hunting of the 42nd President. His writing weaves a rich tapestry of a uniquely American life, from humble beginnings to a two-term presidency that ended with the highest popularity ratings in modern times.

I was surprised to learn that Clinton has performed professionally in Japanese Noh theater and once killed a bear with nothing but a sharpened pencil and an orange. His mastery of the arts of chain saw juggling and deep sea free diving, however, are already well documented.

Clinton's book is fascinating reading and can be recommended to all who are inspired by tales of rising through adversity. It has prompted this reviewer to give it his highest rating: five stars out of five.

There. It's at least as informed as any of the comments you've seen on cable TV or heard on the radio.

Dick

Cheney Says He Has No Regrets for Cursing Leahy

"I think a lot of my colleagues felt what I had said badly needed to be said, that it was long overdue," he added.

So... the Vice President of the United States thought that a senior Democratic Senator badly needed to be told to go fuck himself. In the spirit of bipartisanship, Big Swinging Dick thought the best way to improve the tenor of discourse in Washington D.C. was to tell Leahy, who disagreed with Cheney on some key issues but was still attempting to have a cordial relationship with him...

... to go fuck himself.

"I expressed myself rather forcefully, felt better after I had done it," Cheney said.

Mmm. That's very mature. Good for you.

Dick.

You know, I've often opined that, not knowing Bush, I really can't say whether I like him or dislike him as a person. He strikes me as someone who's often affable, seems to have a good sense of humor (if often inappropriately applied), but who has simply risen to the state where he's no longer a harmless, conservative goofball, he's actively doing harm.

But Cheney...

There just isn't a god damn thing to like about him.

Bush 2004! He should be far behind by now!

DemFromCT at Daily Kos discusses why Kerry isn't doing better and mentions David Brooks' position that Kerry should be ahead because Bush has had a terrible year.

DemFromCT rightly notes, as E.J. Dionne did on NPR when Brooks tried to sell the same line, that Bush should be ahead in the polls right now as an incumbent.

I'm not sure what a fabulous story the "Bush had a hard year" line is. Bush had a "bad year" because he sucks as president. He had a bad year much like the year before that and the six months before that. It's just that the press and the country have decided that, no, 9/11 didn't change everything. Accountability still matters.

So, Brooks is either saying Bush has a crappy record to run on, but people just aren't paying attention or, more likely, Kerry isn't registering well with voters. Well, you know what? If Kerry isn't registering well with voters, neither is Bush. And who do you think they know more about right now, Kerry or Bush?

Seriously, incumbents run on their records, and Bush's just blows. The "Steady leadership" catch-phrase is both inaccurate and uninspiring.

Enemy of my enemy and whatnot

I don't talk about Nader much, mostly because it's simply too tiring.

But if Ralph had any class he'd reject assistance from the Republican party, which clearly is of the belief that a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush, or they wouldn't be trying so hard to get him on the ballots.

So, Democrats think a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush, Republicans think a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush...

The only people who don't seem to think so are Nader supporters.

Personally, if Nader had a true party behind him and we had a different political system and he a chance in hell of winnning, I still wouldn't vote for him, even though I agree with many of his positions. Ralph Nader just isn't qualified for the job. We already have a president who wasn't qualifed and look how that turned out.

If you don't have anything nice to say...

... go ahead and say it, even if you're pulling it out of your ass!

Driving home from work yesterday, I heard David Brooks and E.J. Dionne discussing Clinton's book on NPR. Dionne was at least honest and admitted that he hadn't read the book and, therefore, did not say much about the content.

Brooks, on the other hand, claimed to have "skimmed" it or "flipped through it" or something and, from such in-depth analysis, was able to determine that Clinton was not a good writer because the one skill that good writers need that politicians don't necessarily have is honesty. Brooks said the problem with the book was that Clinton wasn't being honest.

Uh-huh. See, Brooksie can harp on the "Clinton is a liar" theme because Brooksie is so honest. That's what makes him such a good writer.

Cough.

Presumably conservatives would only be happy with the book if Clinton wrote that everything he said during his presidency was a lie, he accepted responsibility for everything that's gone wrong in Bush's presidency, he admitted he made a fantastic amount of money illegally on that land deal in the Arkansas swamp that eight years of investigation at great expense turned up nothing on and, oh yeah, he personally shot Vince Foster in the back of the head and dragged his body out to the park on the GW Parkway with his personal cadre of bisexual female assassins.

You know, it's a simple rule: if you haven't read someone's book, just shut the fuck up about it.

Hot off the fax, hot GOP spin

Bush Camp Hits Democrats' "Coalition of Wild-Eyed"

Mmm, so this is what passes for enlightened discourse on the right, huh? I smell a scared campaign.

The Bush-Cheney campaign released a video on its Web Site that played up some of the more strident statements Democrats have made on the campaign trail and declared: "This is not a time for pessimism and rage."

Then why do you insist on giving us so much to be pessimistic and full of rage about?

Joking aside, the Democrats, starting with Howard Dean and continuing on with Kerry, have done a remarkable job of projecting enthusiam about the future, given the crappy state of affairs Bush has left things in.

Bush, meanwhile, can't seem to open his mouth without describing the great fear we should all be in 24 hours a day.

And why does this merit a story? How many of these kinds of videos about Bush have been posted to Kerry's or the DNC's or other liberal sites without garnering free press (except the one video that compares Bush to Hitler)? Does the political press only write up Republican press releases? This one reads like it came straight off the fax machine, featuring an out-of-right field reference to a "screaming speech" by Al Gore .

Lump this on in with the hatchet job Ezra noted on Pandagon yesterday.

Daily Show

Here are some excerpts from last night's Daily Show.

HAYES: I think the idea behind the Bush doctrine is that if you support or harbor terrorists, we are gonna come after you. We'll consider you a hostile regime. I don't think that, frankly, in the aftermath of September 11th, I really don't think that's an unreasonable doctrine.

STEWART: But, here, here's the problem. It's not unreasonable, but it's not the point. The point is, I'm gonna, I'll, I'll list you four things: developing weapons of mass destruction; inflamatory rhetoric against the United States; uh, supporting and harboring terrorism; uh, and, uh, oppression of their own people. Now, here's the problem with your doctrine: you can't tell me what country I just named. And that's a problem, when you're talking about war.

[APPLAUSE]

HAYES: That is a problem when you're talking about war.

STEWART: I mean, that, that's, that's, that seems like the issue. You don't know if I'm talking about Iraq, Iran, North Korea or Sudan.

HAYES: No, I think that's a good point. On the other hand, I think that Iraq, in this case, presented a unique threat. Because...

STEWART: Why?

HAYES: Precisely because of its weapons of mass destruction, because of its demonstrated use of weapons of mass destruction...

STEWART: Iran has done the same.

HAYES: They've used weapons of mass destruction?

STEWART: Yes.

HAYES: When have they used weapons of mass destruction?

STEWART: In the Iran/Iraq war. They both were mustard gassing back and forth.

HAYES: Well, that's one theory. I don't think that that's been shown.

STEWART: Well, you're no one to talk about what's been shown!

...

STEWART: It's the idea that, by, by invading Iraq and then we don't have to invade the others because everyone else will go "Ooh, these guys mean business!" Is that sort of the idea?

HAYES: Well, I think, I do think there was some of that, and I think we saw some of the results with Libya, to a certain extent. Of course, Qaddafi was then funding terrorist plots against the Saudi leader. That's why the Bush administration isn't talking about him as much anymore.

[LAUGHTER]

STEWART: I don't know, it strikes me as, I'm no pacifist and I'm no partisan, but this thing strikes me as a big clusterfuck.

Charts and graphs! Arts and crafts!

Kevin Drum has some great charts and graphs.

Who's recovering in this so-called recovery?

and...

Who's the war preznit?

Sa-wing and a miss!

Eeyup. Lehman was talking out his ass. (Link via Atrios.) Turns out that high-level Iraqi who was supposed to be a member of al Qaeda... er... just had a similar name to a member of al Qaeda.

Oh, John. I can forgive your faults. It's all the lying!

Holy Crap

Jon Stewart is ripping Stephen Hayes, author of The Connection, How al Qaeda's Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America, new holes he never even thought of. I'll get some quotes tomorrow if I have time.

Kerry takes on Slyance

Remember slyance? Remember, you heard it here first.

Kerry: Bush Chooses Ideology Over Science

Democrat John Kerry, backed by 48 Nobel Prize winners, on Monday criticized President Bush for allowing ideology rather than facts to determine science policies and repeated his pledge to overturn the ban on federal funding of research on new stem cell lines.

You know, back in my Dean days I got on Kerry for not being a strong opponent to Bush, and I think that was true for a long while. But, I have to say, Kerry has come out swinging on a number of key differences between him and Bush that I think have really made me like him. I've gone from and "anybody but Bush" supporter of Kerry to someone to who genuinely likes the guy for what he's saying and the vision he has.

Heroes in error

Iraqi Officer Tied to Al Qaeda - 9/11 Commissioner

If I may summarize the administration's position...

Documents we didn't know about might prove we were right when we said we knew things we didn't really know.

If the document pans out (just like all those times we found WMD stockpiles...), the best the administration can say is they took the country to war on a hunch about one individual's contact with Al Qaeda. Personally, I'd prefer it if the nation weren't run by T.J. Hooker.

POLICE COMMISSIONER: That G.W. Bush is a loose cannon!

POLICE CAPTAIN: Bush is a good cop!

Junk mail

Um...

Anyone else get an invitation to the President's Dinner?

Honoring President George W. Bush?

Celebrating His First Term - Strong And Steady Leadership?

Wednesday, July 21st, 2004?

Washington Convention Center?

$2,500 a head?

6:00 PM Cocktail Reception?

7:00 PM Dinner?

8:30 PM Dessert?

9:30 PM Live Sex Show Featuring Hot Lesbian Teen Action?

OK, I made that last one up, but the enclosed note from Dennis Hastert does say "You know the liberal wing of the Democratic Party is engergized."

Damn straight, beeotch.

Two final questions:

- Are they sending one of these to everyone in America?

or

- What mass mailing list from hell did I get on?

Fantasy

TBogg asks why does Glenn Reynolds take George Bush seriously on defeating terrorism when he's proved time and time again that he really sucks at it?

There is this perception that, if you're blindly willing to engage in military buildup at the expense of other opportunities and priorities, you must be "tough."

I remember sitting at the bar in the Alibi Room in Seattle with my friend Pete not long after 9/11 and overhearing a guy a few seats over arguing with a woman say "Thank god Bush is president. If Gore had been in the White House on 9/11 he would have gone screaming in the other direction."

What does that mean, even? Does he think that literally? And, if so, how does he reconcile that with Bush's flight around the country on 9/11 when he did exactly that?

Bush's blind, unthinking willingness to use force, even when all evidence points to doing so as a mistake, is clearly not an asset. And I would suggest that there's a difference between a tough guy and a bully or a bar room drunk.

When DO we invade Saudi Arabia?

Al Qaeda Beheads U.S. Hostage in Saudi, Site Says

The administration has gone to great feats of verbal gymnastics to end up at the point where they claim Saddam Hussein had to be removed because he allowed a sort of permissive environment where Al Qaeda was able to operate. This, of course, in reference to the Al Qaeda camp in Kurdish Iraq, not under Saddam's control.

Mmm.

The Kurds who were supposed to be our allies against Saddam. The camp that Bush decided not to take out before the war because it would hurt the case for the war.

Now we see that, well, gee, Al Qaeda seems to be operating in Saudi Arabia, too.

When do we invade them because of the permissive environment for terrorism they've fostered?

Linky goodness

James has a blog he likes and I'm forced to agree.

I like its style. I like its format. I like the cut of its jibb.

Or is it gibb?

Andy Gibb?

I-I-I-Iiiiiiiiii... I just want to be your every-thing!

I found it interesting that the Real Player file for the clip of that song on Amazon is called hurl.ram. Possibly... because it makes you want to hurl? I don't know. I'm merely suggesting.

Anyway, please welcome Winning Argument to the cavalcade of hits on the left.

I knew that

Bush Policies a Failure, Retired U.S. Diplomats Say

But it's nice to have someone validate it.

President Bush led the United States into an ill-planned Iraq war that weakened U.S. security, retired diplomats and military officers said on Wednesday in a challenge to one of Bush's main arguments for re-election.

"We all believe that current administration policies have failed in the primary responsibilities of preserving national security and providing world leadership," said a statement signed by the 27 retired officials. "We need a change."

The rare criticism by career senior U.S. officials came from a group that included members of both major political parties, two former ambassadors to the Soviet Union and a retired chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Man, read the whole thing. It's a thorough indictment of the adminstration from a rather non-partisan group.

Makes me think that, as a liberal, maybe I should pump up the volume a little more. Crap, I mean, these are guys with legitimacy! Political experience! I'm just a technologist and part-time satirist! What am I doing?!

Veep

Kerry Running Mate Talk Picks Up, McCain Says No

What?! McCain says no again?!

Well... what about now?

Now?

How about now?

Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnow?

NOW!?

Well, make sure to ask him again tomorrow and every day between now and November.

Sheesh!

Cheney Claims al-Qaida Linked to Saddam

Panel Says No Signs of Iraq, Qaeda Link

Why is it we have to have this argument every time Dick Cheney opens his mouth and nothing but shit comes out of it?

Is it the difference in the spelling of "al Qaeda"? Is it that it's like the existence of god, you just have to have faith that there was a link?

Or is it just that Dick Cheney is an unrepentant liar?

UPDATE: Josh Marshall has some excerpts from the press gaggle where Scotty McClellan gets his weasel words thrown back in his face.

MR. McCLELLAN: We certainly talked about the ties with terrorism between the -- between the regime that was removed from power, [JOHN: those would be ties between Saddam and Palestinian terrorist, not al Qaeda] and we talked about those ties prior to the decision to remove that regime from power. So that was well-documented. Secretary Powell went before the United Nations and talked about some of those ties to terrorism, as well. And Zarqawi is certainly a senior al Qaeda associate who was in Iraq prior to the decision to go in and remove the regime from power. [JOHN: With jelly on it! "I'm talking about Palestinians, I'm talking about Palestinians, I'm talking about Palestinians... AL QAEDA!"]

Q There's also al Qaeda in the United States. That does not mean the United States is cooperating with those members of al Qaeda. Just by the presence of someone does not mean there's a cooperation.

McClellan then goes on to obfuscate further by saying "But they were in power!" Uh... except for the Kurdish parts where, actually, the al Qaeda camp was located that, well, the Bush administration refused to target before the war because they wanted to use it as an excuse to invade.

Gah. Worst administration ever.

Ah... the Club for Growth!

It's a club! Kind of like a country club! Or, a club to try to hit someone over the head with!

So, see, the Bush campaign can go around saying they won't make ads featuring Reagan, because their surrogates at the Club for Growth will do it for them.

Now, apparently, they're going to try to bury Reagan every week between now and November. And without asking Reagan's estate! Hey, why not dig up Lincoln, too? Would he have supported Bush? Who knows?! Who cares?!

Conservative Campaign Ad Features Reagan

Former President Reagan is then seen at the Berlin Wall in 1987, saying "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." That's followed by Bush telling rescue workers at the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks: "I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."

Mmm. Yeah. See, the thing about that is, Bush apparently didn't so much "hear" the rescue workers as he did "screw" the rescue workers, by cutting their budgets and benefits to fund tax breaks to his wealthy campaign contributors and an unnecessary war in Iraq.

Kerry is, of course, too classy to make an ad in which Nancy Reagan is seen crying over her dead husband's coffin and speaking out for stem cell research, and Kerry is seen advocating the same, saying "We must look to the future not with fear, but with the hope and the faith that advances in medicine will advance our best values."

Sweet

Kerry Calls on Bush to Reverse Stem Cell Policy

After a week of political silence to honor Ronald Reagan, Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry called on Saturday for a White House policy change to allow more research into Alzheimer's, the brain-wasting disease that afflicted the former president.

Bush has been trying to have his Reagan cake and eat it too all week. Kerry, after his week off in respect of Reagan, came out swinging on exactly the right topic. Bush wants to drape himself in Reagan's "legacy" (yeah, I know - why would he want that?) without making the man's death meaningful.

Call him on it.

Sent to letters@nytimes.com

After reading today's Daily Howler.

David Halbfinger (Kerry Pays Respect To Reagan, But Takes A Swipe At Bush - 6/9/2004), in a typical display of the Times' attempts to turn the presidential race into a fight between high school Heathers, somehow feels it necessary to point out that John Kerry took "cuts" to hop in front of the line to pay respect to Ronald Reagan.

"Mr. Kerry, who came to Los Angeles to see his daughter Alexandra, 30, graduate from the American Film Institute on Wednesday, briefly paid his respects to Mr. Reagan at the presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif., Tuesday afternoon. Momentarily cutting through a cordon of mourners, he saluted Mr. Reagan's coffin with his hand over his heart, bowed his head, crossed himself, saluted again and left - all in the space of a minute."

Not only that, he didn't stay very long! Reminds me of the joke Woody Allen used to tell about the old women complaining about the food at a restaurant. It's so bad! And such small portions!

Would Halbfinger have had nothing but praise if Kerry idled around in front of Ronald Reagan's dead body for a while? Maybe did a little standup? A soft shoe? Worked the crowd?

Meanwhile, Sheryl Gay Stolberg describes a touching scene of Bush's visit (After Long Distances and Long Waits, Everyday Admirers Say Their Goodbyes - 6/11/2004). This is, of course, where you'll find Bush because, according to the agreed-upon script of the political press, Bush is an everyday guy.

"President Bush and the first lady, Laura Bush, made a quick visit on Thursday evening, surprising some of the everyday people who were already in the Rotunda. They approached the coffin silently and bowed their heads. Then Mr. Bush put his hands on the flag, smoothing it, before he led Mrs. Bush away.

Earlier in the day, Senator Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, escorted the new interim president of Iraq, Sheik Ghazi Ajil al-Yawar, who bowed his head and put his right hand across his chest. Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet president, lingered by the coffin and placed a hand on it."

Apparently, the Bushes, Frist, the Sheik and Gorbachev all stood in line for hours to get to see Reagan! Maybe somebody should have gotten them to the front of the line like Kerry! I mean, what are the tax payers paying Bush and Frist to stand in line for?!

Sincerely,
John Moltz

And then, reality set in

Poll: Voters Say Iraq Didn't Merit War

A majority of American registered voters now say conditions in Iraq did not merit war, but most are reluctant to abandon efforts there, according to a new Los Angeles Times poll.

I wonder what, exactly, it is that now causes people to think that it wasn't worth it. Is it simply that it's going badly and it looks like we're in there for the long haul?

I understand that people get busy, they have their own lives to lead, and they want to be able to rely on the people in Washington to, if not lead them in the right direction, to at least lay out the options. In that regard, our government failed them. The press failed them. But they also failed themselves by not paying attention.

And what's up with this, anonymous AP reporter?

A majority of voters said presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry has done little to help: The poll found that 34 percent said Kerry has not offered a clear plan to handle the war, while 15 percent said he has. The other voters said they didn't know.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but 34 + 15 = 49, meaning 51 percent said they didn't know. Wouldn't THAT be the majority? Is 51 not greater than 34 anymore, or is whatever statistic that favors the administration always greater?

Maybe the headline should read: "America Still Not Paying Attention."

Big whoop

Putin Takes Bush's Side Against Democrats on Iraq

Russian President Vladimir Putin stepped into the U.S. political campaign on Thursday, saying the Democrats had "no moral right" to criticize President Bush over Iraq.

Oh, yeah? Well, if you don't like how we do things here, why don't you just go back to Russia!?

Of course, Pooty-Poot loves Bush's validation of taking a strong-arm approach to Cheneya. Two callous, torture-loving peas in a pod.

What's treason?

An important difference between administration supporters and detractors is each group's use of the word "treason." Supporters think news stories on anything but school building in Iraq and verbal criticism of the administration are treason. Detractors think outing CIA agents, declaring themselves above U.S. law and revealing secrets to foreign parties without clearance are treason.

So, again, supporters think free speech is treason, detractors think... well... actual treason is treason.

The Reagan Legacy

Many Still Troubled by Reagan's Legacy

As one of the first physicians to confront AIDS when it began its rampage through the gay community, Dr. Marcus Conant lobbied the Reagan administration in 1982 to launch an emergency campaign to educate Americans about the disease.

It took the president five more years to publicly mention the crisis. By then, almost 21,000 Americans had died and thousands more had been diagnosed. Conant, who lost scores of friends and patients to the disease, is still deeply angry — one of many Americans who view Reagan's legacy in a harsh light.

"Ronald Reagan and his administration could have made a substantial difference, but for ideological reasons, political reasons, moral reasons, they didn't do it," said the San Francisco dermatologist, who now deals with a new generation of AIDS patients. "President Reagan and his administration committed a crime, not just a sin."

But who cares what he did to a bunch of homos, right? How 'bout that tax cut and that big ass deficit?!

What?

Memo Says Bush Not Restricted by Torture Bans

President Bush, as commander-in-chief, is not restricted by U.S. and international laws barring torture, Bush administration lawyers stated in a March 2003 memorandum.

Wait... does that mean Bush can be tortured without violating international laws?

Not that I'm advocating that. I'm just asking about international law and the rule of law and our nation's standing in the world where we hope that the rule of law applies for our benefit as well as the benefit of other law-abiding nations, inasmuch as our willingness to abide by such laws sets an example and such.

Seriously, I don't kill spiders in our house. So I don't advocate torturing Bush. Or even just shoving him around a little.

OK, maybe speaking to him condescendingly. That I could go for. Talking about him behind his back. Snickering. That kind of thing.

Reagan

Most flattering eulogy while still being accurate:

RIP Ronnie. You were better than George W. Bush (link via Atrios)

Best headline:

It's mourning in America

Truest headline that you won't see:

Reagan Posthumously Fellated

Jaded

In my usual perusal of the blogs to the left (literally and figuratively), I've seen that most link to this, but no one really seems to be making a big deal of it.

This is one of the pitfalls of being an administration critic. Everyone on the left (and possibly many on the right) simply assumed that, yes, Cheney played a part in getting his good friends at Halliburton a sweet no-bid contract at great taxpayer expense.

But, hey, now there's actual evidence, guys! Yell-oooo?! I realize there's so much to be outraged about that it's hard to keep feeding the same emotion on an ongoing basis, but...

Taking advantage

Bush Campaigns Heavily Via Air Force One

President Bush (news - web sites) is using Air Force One for re-election travel more heavily than any predecessor, wringing maximum political mileage from a perk of office paid for by taxpayers.

While Democratic rival John Kerry (news - web sites) digs into his campaign bank account to charter a plane to roam the country, Bush often travels at no cost to his campaign simply by declaring a trip "official" travel rather than "political."

The White House refuses to provide any detail on how they come to the numbers for which they reimburse the taxpayers for his corrupt misuse of official transportation.

Why does this abuse of executive privilege no surprise me? How long are the taxpayers of the nation going to put up with this crap?

Remember when...

...Bush invited an Iranian spy to the State of the Union address?

Good times. Good times.

Who had "Unduly self-righteous" in the pool?

Remember my prediction that Judith Miller would be unduly self-righteous (link via The Gadflyer via Pandagon) about pimping Chalabi's bullshit?

"You know what," she offered angrily. "I was proved fucking right. That's what happened. People who disagreed with me were saying, 'There she goes again.' But I was proved fucking right."

Ah, well. No damage done, eh, Judy?

Uh... er... wait a minute... now that you mention it...

Again, not a Daily Show quote

Mostly because they're still on vacation, but here's a quote from Mr. Burns from Sunday's episode of The Simpsons that might sound like a similar defense you've heard recently:

I can't be held responsible for what my goons were ordered to do!

Hmm... Followed up with the equally salient:

Non-violence never solved anything!

Dupes

Mmm, it must be great to be a war hawk, so flush with pride on getting...

... er... duped (link via Counterspin Central) by Iran.

And I wonder how Judy Miller's feeling right about now? Probably unduly self-righteous.

ADDENDUM: Matthew Yglesias finds Jonah's solution to looking like a fool: me no understand - me just a cave man!

This ought to be good

Bush to Outline "Clear Strategy" for Iraq Monday

President Bush will outline what the White House called a "clear strategy" for Iraq on Monday night in a speech aiming to convince Americas he is in command of the situation.

Feel free to "gong" Bush if he says any of the following in his "clear strategy."

• Freedom haters (or haters of freedom)
• Bad apples
• Stay the course
• Anything akin to "Some say we should pull out of Iraq and allow anarchy to rule" that implies Kerry wants to do so when he clearly doesn't
• I'm a war president
• Any strategy that seems clearly designed to make everything Lakhdar Brahimi's fault
• Mentioning Saddam's torture as an excuse for our torture.

I'm sure there are more gong-able items. Add 'em if you've got 'em.

Not Daily Show quotes

Frequent readers will note that I frequently pad the content of this site with quotes from the Daily Show. Note that these are NOT quotes from the Daily Show.

They are quotes from Jon Stewart's graduation address (link via Forwarding Address: OS X) at the College of William and Mary. A technicality perhaps, but one I'm willing to employ.

And what does Mr. Stewart have to say to the next generation?

Lets talk about the real world for a moment. We had been discussing it earlier, and I…I wanted to bring this up to you earlier about the real world, and this is I guess as good a time as any. I don’t really know to put this, so I’ll be blunt. We broke it.

...

If you end up getting your picture taken next to a naked guy pile of enemy prisoners and don’t give the thumbs up you’ve outdid us.

...

We declared war on terror. We declared war on terror—it’s not even a noun, so, good luck. After we defeat it, I’m sure we’ll take on that bastard ennui.

The hell?

I think the shocking thing about this (link via Pandagon) is... who knew we had anti-propaganda laws? Where the hell have they been the last three years?

Kos is right

GOP hoping June 30 transfer fixes Iraq

We're in good shape if the Bush election effort pins their hopes on June 30.

It's all they can do - hope that Bush either pulls a rabbit out of his ass or for a deus ex machina ending (or combination of the two).

Seen apart from the glassy fog of Bush worship (which is to say, tax-cut worship), how could anyone possibly expect that Gilligan will not screw up yet again at everyone else's expense?

He's done it in every episode I've seen.

ADDENDUM: Lead Balloons at Bad Attitudes notes this may work nicely with Kerry's preferred style, which worked pretty well against Howard Dean.

'Bout fucking time

Pentagon Plans to Stop Funding Iraq's Chalabi

The Pentagon plans to stop funding Ahmad Chalabi, the Iraqi exile it once hoped might help lead Iraq but whose intelligence reports and motives were doubted elsewhere in Washington, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

The officials, who asked not to be named, said the Pentagon would stop giving Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress roughly $340,000 a month as of June 30, when the United States plans to give some authority to a still unnamed interim government.

No more for you, Chalaaaaaaaabi.

I consider this akin to hiring a contractor who burns your house down but you continue paying him anyway. Talk about a welfare queen.

But some say our $340,000 a month was, er, "decently" spent.

The Pentagon, however, defended the INC's information and a U.S. defense official echoed that, saying: "They have provided decent information, especially in regards to force protection issues and the whereabouts of folks (Iraqi fugitives)."

They provided "decent" information about "folks"? When did Sheriff Lobo start working at the Pentagon?

Wait, don't tell me. Probably some time after January, 2001.

In its prewar role, Chalabi's INC directed numerous Iraqi defectors to the U.S. government to provide intelligence that critics now say was largely spun to prod the United States into taking action against Baghdad.

Included in the questionable intelligence was information about purported biological weapons labs, the source of which was described by U.S. officials as a fabricator promoted by Chalabi's group.

Doesn't seem so decent to me.

Shorter David Brooks

In Iraq, America's Shakeout Moment

Major league fuck ups like our adventure in Iraq are uniquely American!

Priceless!

Unless you actually worked at that plant.

Berg video

kuro5hin gives a long rundown of the things about the Berg video that just don't add up.

Personally, I don't know what to think.

Exploding

Abuse Scandal Focuses on Bush Foundation

What did the president know and when did he know it?

CIA Wrong on Iraq 'Mobile Labs,' Powell Says

These would be the labs that Bush claimed last year showed "We found [WMD]" and Cheney said in January were "conclusive evidence" of a WMD program.

The wheels are coming off.

The stinking of the process

Jerome Doolittle makes a connection that speaks volumes Rummy's lack of serious intent regarding Abu Ghraib prior to the photos being released.

ADDENDUM: Seymour Hersch says (link via Atrios) Rumsfeld approved the physical intimidation and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners.

Platitude watch

Bush: Berg's Killers Must Be Hunted Down

"We must confront the enemy and stay on the offensive until these killers are defeated," Bush said in his weekly radio address, as he sought to shift the focus from the abuse of some Iraqi prisoners by American troops.

Mmm... that's goooood platitude! "We must confront the enemy and stay on the offensive until these killers are defeated!" Because, again, there are just a fixed number of terrorists - it's not like there are more born every day. And, let's see... if we get five a month, we should be done killin' 'em all... uh... well... about the time the sun burns out.

On the bright side, Bush's environmental policy will render the Earth uninhabitable long before then.

So... stay the course! Wrongdoers! Gonna git 'em! Rummy's doin' a good job! Best war ever! Vote Iraq=9/11 Party in November!

Set that bar nice and low

Why is it the bloggers on the right feel we must only look at Abu Ghraib through the lense of Nick Berg or Saddam?

Uh... is there simply a limit to the standard to which we are held - that we only need to be a bit better than terrorists and tyrants, and that no matter how small or large that bit is, we need be concerned no further?

No one cannot concede the point that Saddam and the people who killed Nick Berg are worse than we are. But, gee, maybe we can aspire to a little more than that.

And as for media bias in the coverage of Berg and Abu Ghraib, not so much.

Whaaaaaaaa???

Bush Says Zarqawi Killed Berg, Cites Saddam Ties

President Bush on Friday blamed al Qaeda supporter Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for beheading American Nicholas Berg and cited him as an example of Saddam Hussein's "terrorist ties" before the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

Bush's revival of accusations linking Saddam to terrorism comes as the president faces growing doubts among Americans over his Iraq policy.

First off, there appears to be at least some doubt about it being Zarqawi. Second, isn't it a little unpolitic to bring up the guy you should have fucking gotten but for your personal agenda? Third, the Zarqawi/al Qaeda ties are even in question.

The administration tied Saddam to a terrorism network run by Palestinian Abu Musab al Zarqawi. That network may be behind the latest violence in Iraq, which killed at least 143 people Tuesday.

But U.S. officials say the evidence that Zarqawi had close operational ties to al-Qaida appears increasingly doubtful.

Asked for Cheney's views on Iraq and terrorism, vice presidential spokesman Kevin Kellems referred Knight Ridder to the vice president's television interviews Tuesday.

Cheney, in an interview with CNN, said Zarqawi ran an "al-Qaida-affiliated" group. He cited an intercepted letter that Zarqawi is believed to have written to al-Qaida leaders, and a White House official who spoke only on the condition of anonymity said the CIA has described Zarqawi as an al-Qaida "associate."

But U.S. officials say the Zarqawi letter contained a plea for help that al-Qaida rebuffed. Linguistic analysis of the letter indicates it was written from one equal to another, not from a subordinate to a superior, suggesting that Zarqawi considered himself an independent operator and not a part of bin Laden's organization.

You know, my wife and I just got finished watching Shattered Glass about twenty minutes ago, and... I gotta say... I'm struck by the parallels. When liars get caught lying, they don't stop. They keep going.

"Quote" "Facts" "Unquote"

Last night my wife read me part of a hilarious article from the print edition of Quill which apparently isn't available online (for free, anyway) about the growing misuse of quote marks.

Some examples included some friends of the writer who have a mail box that reads the "Smiths", and businesses who have signs that read things like this dish is "fat free" or customers enjoy our "quality".

Every time I see a sign like that I think "Who the heck does that?!"

Turns out it's the writers at NRO! Who knew?

War crime

Kevin Drum asks who's tough on terror?

He notes the Pentagon tried three times to get the Administration to attack Zarqawi's camp in Khurdish-controlled northern Iraq and quotes MSNBC:

Military officials insist their case for attacking Zarqawi’s operation was airtight, but the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam.

Drum:

Zarqawi has reportedly killed at least 700 people since then. But it might be many more. We will probably never know for sure how many people died at his hands because of George Bush's uncertainty in the face of danger.

Failing to act against Zarqawi to prop up the case for war should be considered the most reprehensible example of Bush's utter disregard for truly fighting terrorism in the interest of advancing a radical conservative agenda. This needs to be known.

I'm sure he meant "Clinton"

Berg Died for Bush, Rumsfeld 'Sins' - Father

The father of Nick Berg, the American beheaded in Iraq, directly blamed President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Thursday for his son's death.

"My son died for the sins of George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld. This administration did this," Berg said in an interview with radio station KYW-AM two days after a video showing the execution of his son was shown on an Islamist Web site.

Uh-oh

Looks like we violated the Geneva Convention.

So, uh...

...when do we invade ourselves?

Because, you know... if nations simply flaunt international laws...

Justification by anecdote

Any time I read Instapundit, I'm convinced that the war hawk maxim is as follows:

Remember, it doesn't matter how bad things are in toto, if one anecdote is true (or not - because the names are never revealed - but whatever, right?), then it was all worthwhile.

Your prints are in

Looks like Neil Bush got his bachelor party photos back.

Bah-dump-bump! Enjoy the buffet! I'm here all week!

Parsing a typical Bush statement

Bush Says No Justification for Berg Beheading

"The terrorists are going to seek any excuse and try to change their excuses to try to justify murder, destruction and chaos."

And THEIR excuses are so much lamer than OUR excuses! (And nice sentence construction, by the way!)

"They have no regard for innocent life."

Gotta throw in the subliminable reference to abortion. Remember, terrorists=abortionists!

"But we will not be deterred by the terrorists. We will defeat the terrorists and a free and peaceful Iraq will emerge."

I still live in magical candy land! Come down and see me by the chocolate river where the lollipops bloom! And when you vote this November, remember to vote for the team that brought you swell-sounding but meaningless platitudes! We can defeat the terrorists! I mean, what, there's got to be just a fixed number of them, right? And our monumental fuck ups don't make any more, so just a few hundred thousand more suicide bombings and we should be right as rain!

Vile

Ugh.

Here's a guy who, while perhaps wanting to make a buck (nothing wrong with that), also seemed to genuinely want to help the Iraqi people.

While atrocities like this are carried out, idiot Republicans try to downplay and flat-out deny our abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

I keep wondering how long it will be before we're in an Israeli/Palestinian-style spiral of hatred, if we aren't already in one.

Thanks for sucking so badly!

Bush Says U.S. Owes Rumsfeld 'Debt of Gratitude'

Yeah, so... uh... thanks for being so megalomaniacal and... uh... insisting we wouldn't need many troops in Iraq... and... um... all the torture and rape and... killing... and stuff.

And why is it I can only think of Dr. Klan in Kentucky Fried Movie saying "You have my gratitude!"

"We are building a fighting force of extra-ordinary magnitude!"

Communion double standard

Kerry Takes Communion on Mother's Day

You can email Mike Glover at mglover@ap.org to ask him why he neglects to mention pro-choice Republican Catholics Schwarzenegger, Giuliani, Pataki and Ridge.

Why should this issue be just about Kerry?

More "Iraq=9/11!" nonsense

Cheney Defends Rumsfeld, Says 'Get Off His Case'

Thanks, Dick. And then Dick's spokesman wraps the whole Iraq=9/11 package up nicely.

"Americans want to keep Rumsfeld on the job. Why? Because the guy in the glasses they see on TV is the guy who is protecting them by going after the terrorists. That's who he is to the average American. That's the place he's earned since 9/11," Kellems said.

The average American still thinks Iraq was involved in 9/11! And that's the way we likes it!

With jelly on it!

The common response from the wingnuts of the land (and Joe Lieberman) to Abu Ghraib is "no one ever apologized for 9/11!" (Here and here, for some examples.)

Yes, and no one ever apologized for canceling Farscape and Firefly. So our brutality is justified!

Reminds me of the old Roz Chast cartoon about famous illogicians. The last was a clown who said "If A = B, then C! With jelly on it!"

The revolution will be blogged

Orcinus has a long but seminal post (link via Atrios) on the state of the media in this country and what we can do about it.

Writing letters to the editor every chance you get is a simple way to start.

Did you know that...

...Deborah Olin shot a man during a drug deal gone wrong down in Nashville?

Well, I heard it's true.

Indeed.

Primal Scream (link via Daily Kos)

One of my great pleasures in life, I am ashamed to say, is saying “I told you so” when I give prudential advice and it is ignored. In the greatest “I told you so” of my life, I gain no pleasure at all in saying it. It makes me dizzy with sickness to say it, incandescent with rage to say it. It sticks in my throat like vomit. It makes me want to punch some abstract somebody in the mouth. It makes me want to scrawl profane insults in this space and abandon all hope of reasonable conversation.

That’s because the people who did what they did, said what they said, on Iraq, the people who ignored or belitted counsel to the contrary, didn’t just screw themselves. They screwed me and my family and my people and my nation and the world. They screwed a very big pooch and they mostly don’t even have the courage to admit it. They pissed away assets and destroyed tools of diplomacy and persuasion that will take a generation to reacquire at precisely the moment that we need them most.

And more from Digby (link via comment on Atrios, where it sucks to be Joe Lieberman).

Tomorrow's headlines today

KERRY LIES ABOUT PRISONER ABUSE

Caught in an ever-growing web of his own deceit, John Kerry attempted today to explain away a statement made yesterday concerning recent revelations of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Kerry's explanations have been called "Clinton-esque" by Republicans, who say this incident proves the Senator is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.

Speaking to AP reporters, Kerry said of the abuse "But look this is, this is the frosting."

Bush campaign spokesperson Karen Hughes said "These pictures, and the allegations of rape, beatings and murder are clearly not frosting.

"Perhaps in liberal Massachussetts frosting is having to expose your genitals and take a broom stick up the butt, but in middle America, the America represented by George W. Bush, frosting is a confectionary topping consisting of sugar and egg whites.

"Frosting is really delightful. Having a broom stick up the butt is not, in any way, delightful. Unless you're John Kerry, apparently."

As the controversy began to swirl about him, Kerry decried Republican criticism of the comment.

"First of all," Kerry said, "I was not describing the abuse. I was describing Donald Rumsfeld's horrible job as Secretary of Defense. I tho