Cheney Vice Presidency in Last Throes

No Announcement Today in CIA Leak Probe Spokesman for Prosecutor in CIA Leak Says No Public Announcement Will Be Made Before Tomorrow
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1255419

on Rove

Grand Jury Hears Summary of Case On CIA Leak Probe
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/26/AR2005102600532_pf.html

The prosecutor in the CIA leak investigation presented a summary of his case to a federal grand jury yesterday and is expected to announce a final decision on charges in the two-year-long probe tomorrow, according to people familiar with the case.

Even as Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald wrapped up his case, the legal team of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has been engaged in a furious effort to convince the prosecutor that Rove did not commit perjury during the course of the investigation, according to people close to the aide. The sources, who indicated that the effort intensified in recent weeks, said Rove still did not know last night whether he would be indicted...

get the box of kleenex before you read this...

My Son in Iraq: I Know That It Happened Because I Heard It
by Teri Mackey

"Hey Mom it’s me." Something my son always said every time he called, but this time his voice sounded unusual. He had a really serious tone in his voice and the automatic gunfire in the background was loud and more constant than usual. My heart began to race and I took a deep breath.

"Hey, I'm trapped on a rooftop and I don't think we are going to make it out of here, so I just called to tell you that I loved you and that I am thinking of all of you." The gunfire in the background was so loud that he had to pause, and then he continued. "We were out on patrol and were just getting ready to return to base and a bunch of our guys got overrun and so we went to help them, but when we got close we got overrun as well and had to retreat to this rooftop."
~snip~

read the rest here..
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/09/con05358.html

hat tip to John Aravois who mentioned it in this post:

"I wanted to mention that the Y2K? idea came from Teri Mackey, the mom of a US soldier who has served two tours in Iraq. I didn't want to mention Teri's name initially, as I wasn't sure she'd want me to, but she said she was okay with it, so there you are."

"Terri wrote a recent piece for Buzzflash you might want to read."

----
As for the Y2k? idea, check it out here...

http://www.cafepress.com/americablog/933269

I know we are all talking about Plamegate and Miersgate and Ann Coulters remarks this morning on CNN saying when she heard of Mier's nomination was withdrawn that Democrats need to understand that the radical right control this country and the nomination process. She refused to be labeled the radical right and just called it the movement, her new euphemism.

I would appreciate others here carefully reading the following story. As Chuck and others here in Texas know I have been extremely careful not to be seen as trying to exploit the 200,000 or so N.O. evacuees for partisan advantage, concerned about the potential backlash and bad press here locally.

Apparently Republicans in N.O. including Sen. Vitters are not so retiscent about doing the moral thing and are busy licking their chops and strategizing on how to take partisan political advantage of the sorrow the evacuees have suffered in having to relocate to Texas and leave their districts in N.O. After everything I saw at the Dome and all of the pain in the evacuee's faces this is the last straw and about as low as the Republicans can get preying on the misfortunes of Katrina victims.

Please let me know if there is a way to push the attached story and cause a political backlash in Louisiana.

"GOP eyes Big Easy gains after incumbent lapses
By Audrey Hudson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
October 27, 2005

Louisiana Republicans say Hurricane Katrina has provided them an opportunity to win top elective offices their party has rarely held since Reconstruction.
Peggy Wilson, a Republican and former New Orleans City Council president, already is raising money for a potential bid to unseat New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, a Democrat, in February.
"I think the numbers show a small window of opportunity for a Republican candidate to win," said Mrs. Wilson, who has not formally announced her candidacy but is "meeting with people, getting ideas."
Besides a run at New Orleans' top slot, which a Republican has only held once, Republicans say Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's poor performance in the aftermath of Katrina has left her vulnerable in 2007.
"She's a gone pecan," said Jeff Crouere, a Republican strategist and New Orleans talk-show host.
Sen. David Vitter and Rep. Bobby Jindal, both Republicans, are both said to be eyeing the governor's mansion, home to only two Republicans since the Civil War.
Mr. Vitter told a Lafayette crowd earlier this month he would sign a petition to recall the governor, and said of state officials' efforts after the hurricane that it is easy for him to "look like a giant in a land of pygmies."
Mr. Jindal narrowly lost the governor's race two years ago and has support of the socially centrist Republicans in charge of the state party. Mr. Vitter is supported by conservative Republicans.
Democratic state officials did not return calls for comment, but Democrats are trying to maintain their strong voter base dispersed by Katrina by issuing absentee ballots to evacuees in other states.
New Orleans' population, which was predominantly black and Democratic, is expected to only be about 40 percent of its former size by the time of the Feb. 4 mayoral election.
"Republicans see a real opportunity to change the whole dynamics of the city," said Mr. Crouere. "I don't see a lot of folks who were displaced coming back to New Orleans."
Mrs. Wilson, who managed the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans and served 12 years on the City Council and a stint on the city's levee board, said the city needs to create a new image.
"We can't go back to the way things were before Katrina turned over all of the rocks and the whole world saw what was underneath those rocks," she said of the city's widespread and longtime corruption. "It's unacceptable."
The state's top election official is trying to locate 299,000 New Orleans evacuees so they can be sent absentee ballots. Louisiana Secretary of State Al Ater says the Federal Emergency Management Agency refuses to divulge the location of evacuees, citing confidentiality.
Meanwhile, Rep. Artur Davis, Alabama Democrat, is sponsoring legislation with 30 other Democrats to give voters from Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi the same voting status as those serving in the military. Voters would have to sign an affidavit they will return to their home states to vote in the 2006 and 2008 federal elections."

http://www.magnuminmotion.com/bitterfruit/player.html

amazing little film....

Great statement from JFK yesterday:

Kerry, in electric red tie, drew roars for saying, in response to a question, that Americans should care about the caskets returning from Iraq because "it's more important than Nick and Jessica's breakup." (what a great line and so true) And they applauded his introduction of a "great citizen" in the front row -- Teresa Heinz Kerry."

"If only more of you had moved to Ohio," Kerry joked.

"If only more of you had moved to Ohio," Kerry joked.

Posted by: Ira at October 27, 2005 12:22 PM

yeah. haha

Some of our comments from yesterday which were re-posted on DU have been picked up and commented upon here:

http://www.conservativeunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22663

It is not rude or trollish, but it is an interesting contrast in insight.

Here's the original DU post:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5189325

Oh. My. God

However, intelligence officials and those familiar with the case have indicated that Fitzgerald could convene a new grand jury to investigate forged documents used by the Bush Administration that purported to show Iraq was seeking to buy uranium from Niger.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Prosecutor_secures_indictment_in_CIA_outing_1027.html

Jeffrey Feldman of the Frameshop has an excellent diary on kos in which he makes the following point:

FRAMESHOP: 'Surprise' (MEDIA ALERT)

As we approach the time that top Bush officials will be charged with serious crimes, the White House will be running a strategy to move the media off the story. That began this morning.

At 9:00am the Dallas News ran the story announcing a "surprise"--Harriet Miers, the President's nominee to fill Sandra O'Connor's seat on the Supreme Court of the United States, has withdrawn her candidacy. The article included this sentence:

"Miers' surprise withdrawal stunned Washington on a day when the capital was awaiting news on another front -- the possible indictment of senior White House aides in the CIA leak case."

This is no "surprise."

And any news agency that is currently running the Miers story as a "surprise" is aiding the White House's campaign to distract the American public from the real story: George W. Bush's top aides will soon be charged with serious crimes.

Let's think about this for a minute. Do we really think that Harriet Miers made this decision in private? That she confided in nobody and then just dropped a letter on the President's desk?

Nobody in America is that naive. And it is an insult to the American people to use this Harriet Miers "surprise" in an effort to distract the media (which appears to be working).

Don't believe it. Harriet Miers was forced out by the President when he realized she was not going to be confirmed. The reason? Because she is not qualified for the job. This decision was probably made last week. It is likely that the communications team at the White House decided they would throw it at the media as a "surprise" the day of the Grand Jury indictments.

Stay tuned. This is just the first distraction. I fear that the White House may be cynical enough to pressure the Department of Homeland Security to issue a terrorism alert.

Beware of all "surprises" in the news, today. The big story is not a surprise. It's the story we all know is about to hit: criminal charges against the White House.

read more here...
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/10/27/94020/511

it's also crossposted here:

http://www.frameshopisopen.com/

has anyone noticed that Congress is in the final stages of allowing drilling in Anwr next week. something we have fought against for some 20 years.

that is exactly my point. they are busy with this legislation to pass this controversial bill while all eyes are looking elsewhere with bigger fish to fry like Rove, Libby and Miers.

be careful what legislation sneeks through Congress in the next few weeks when no one is paying attention.

we were up in arms earlier in the year when it was at the forefront of our attention; no longer.

We need a lawyer to write up something very simple, all legal like

The Peoples Amendments.

10 Amendments to be written by the PEOPLE to ensure this never happens again.

#1 of those amendments are the ability to overturn ALL decisions made by a fraudulant president

#2 1 person.1 vote, 2 copies, voter keeps original. It is called Carbon Copy reciepting. Almost perfectly tamper proof. And they can be printed so cheaply its not even funny. In any language you desire, no less. With pictures too just to make sure even the illiterate can not be disenfranchised.

#3 Forever and all time the standard now is, any reporter caught embedded with the White House to the detriment of WE the PEOPLE shall face a citizen tribunal on charges of treason.

#4 Any news organization caught taking payoff, or bribes involving tax payer monies will be immediately shut down and thier journalistic practices reviewed. If an journalist in thier employ is found to be doing so, the SAME penalty is applicable.

#5 The governors of EVERY State shall meet all together in one place at least once in every year our soldiers are engaged in conflict abroad with the EXCLUSIVE purpose to review the LEGALITY of ALL issues involving the use of military force.
A public record of these meetings will be kept completely open to the public view and may NEVER convene in private or secret.

#6...?

7
8
9
10
Anyone..?

Here's an interesting perspective from AlterNet...

Ladies and Gentlemen: The Real George W. Bush

Ninety percent of Americans believe the Bush administration is guilty of illegal or unethical behavior in the CIA leak case. Where does that leave our president?
--snip--
There really are only two explanations, and neither reflect well on him. First, he can claim his closest aides conspired behind his back while he was otherwise occupied. I call that the "Exxon Valdez Defense" -- the captain was not at the helm when a careless crewman ran the ship of state aground. Unfortunately for Captain Bush, that defense did not wash for the real captain of the ill-fated tanker. Because, you see, the captain is always responsible.

The other explanation is worse: that the President of the United States knew what was going on, maybe even participated in it.
--snip--
The best way to think of George W. Bush is as a beard for others. At every step in his career, individuals of wealth or power groomed him, and then used him as their front man.
--snip--
That's George W. Bush. He fit the bill to a T. Texas oil men -- and companies with international agendas and voracious appetites for government contracts -- had found their perfect front man in GW: a kind of Forrest Gump from the Dark Side. A man ignorant and proud of it, and willing to take direction from those he considered friends.
--snip--
All went very well for the first four years. From day one, their boy delivered, delivered and delivered again. He was a gift that just kept giving:

* $1.6 trillion in tax cuts, the bulk of which went to people like them;

* Environmental laws watered down; expanded logging allowed in national forests

* A push to open protected Alaska wilderness to oil and gas drilling;

* Iraqi oil fields suddenly within reach;

* Plenty of cheap labor flooding across our southern border.

And just as it looked as if he was on the way to fulfilling another assignment -- the elimination of the estate tax -- his beard fell off. It was the thing they had always feared most: the real George W. Bush went public. There it was, for the whole world to see: a chuckling, twitching dope of man standing in front of the American people, unleashed and unscripted. Worse yet, he was making his own decisions. He chose his friend and admirer, Harriet Miers, for the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

What went wrong? Where were his handlers? Busy. They dropped Bush's leash when handed subpoenas. Junior was unleashed and home alone.

It's a moment new to America -- a leader who needs to be led, and now unled. And the world is watching. It's as if the police had come and dragged Edgar Bergin offstage in the middle a show, leaving Charlie McCarthy, wide-eyed, mouth agape and slumped alone on his stool.

So, what now?
http://www.alternet.org/story/27385

This diary is about to disappear from the list at kos but knowing that we have some western NY people here, I thought I'd post...

Western New York Housing/Community Development Activists
by bankbane
Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 07:32:57 AM PDT

Yesterday our side lost a key vote in the House of Representatives by a margin of 210-205 on the GSE Reform bill. The vote was on whether non-profit organizations, which utilize the Affordable Housing Fund which the legislation establishes, will be allowed to do voter registation. This bill still has to make it through the Senate and in all likelihood it won't pass at all, or the Senate will strip this provision, but it did raise questions for me about how bloggers can more effective at mobilizing our forces for times like this.

Among New York Republicans only McHugh (North Country district) and Sweeney (north of Albany) voted with us to strip this onerous provision which on its face seems quite unconstitutional. Reynolds didn't vote at all on this key vote, which may have been his way to sidestep the issue, but Kuhl, Walsh, Boehlert & Kelly all voted against us. All of the Dems voted with us.

There are a number of good list serves in which this kind of information gets out in western New York, but it seems like we could capture more of the blogging energy for concrete votes like this if we worked at it. Anybody have any ideas. If you would prefer to discuss offline you can email me at bankwatcher -at- frontiernet.net

here's a couple of responses to his post...

What? I'm sorry. I'm new to Kos but I don't understand what you're trying to write? As I'm from WNY, I'd really like to understand your point here. Please expand on this...

by BlueMax on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 08:37:30 AM PDT

How can we be more effective?

The number of people who care about participating in the nitty-gritty of getting people activated on particular votes is just a small portion of the overall DailyKos customer base.

You can watch any diary that is a call to specific political action scroll down the side, and they are very rarely recommended up or get large number of comments.

I think the kind of venting, speculating and theorizing that is such a big portion of what happens here is important- it makes it exciting and creates a buzz - but we also need to figure out if this medium can also be used to do day to day grassroots organizing on issues that often aren't particularly exciting.

Reynolds on the Ways and Means Committee, Walsh on the Appropriations Committee, Kelly on the Financial Services Committee, etc. will all vote several times a year on contentious issues that we need to be able to quickly mobilize Western New Yorkers to weigh in on.

Can we do that in a blog or is that asking too much of the medium?

by bankbane on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 09:02:19 AM PDT

Here's the diary link if you want to comment further:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/27/103257/50#3

I have another one...

Two thirds of all 3, 4, and 5, star generals from ALL branches of the United States military can maintain the right with a collection of their personal signatures an arrest warrant for the President or Vice President of the United States.

Only a 1% majority of signatures by these generals would be needed to issue a like arrest warrant for the Secretary of Defense and must be honored by both houses of congress.

These officers would be allowed to convene a military tribunal and try all charges, up to and including war crimes, by a normal standard of the code of military justice.

The privlages of an officer will be maintained by an accused Commander and Chief until the conclusion of court proceedings.

Chuck in Houston for Ira:

I think in general we should get less shy about promoting voter registration and electoral reforms in such cases. I don't understand why the Dem party is less than enthusiastic about it. I think it may be the best rallying point for 2006 elections, as these are not national elections per se. If our opponents can use homophobia to get their base to the polls, why can't we make electoral reform a big, big initiative issue to motivate our folks and to get out ahead of this? Let's revisit the corruption of lobbying -- McCain/Feingold (or whatever) is a leaky band-aid at best. Gerrymandering and lobbying gets DeLay's ethics front and center. The New Orleans issue you mentioned is a brilliant example. Tie in CIA-gate as an example of how our media are infected by political corruption, which can segue into how we were lied to about yellow-cake and why. We rack up their negatives and then hit with an elegant solution for electoral reform, saying we in DC can't do all these other great things (enumerate platform) if we have to represent lobbyists instead of you. They've already carried a huge amount of water for us on this by incessantly bad-mouthing "Washington DC" -- WHICH IS THEM! So we turn it around: "People, you have lost Washington DC and we're here to take it back for you." Something along those lines. My two-bits anyhow.

Chuck in Houston

who is a lawyer or can use law jargon well?

We DESERVE a Peoples Amendments section to the Constitution

Posted by: madame defarge at October 27, 2005 02:22 PM

That's actually a very frightening viewpoint. What happens to our nation now?

As the kos diarist who commented on the Sy Hersh speech said earlier,

"U.S. Us. I left the lecture feeling responsible for what is happening. Yes, I have been a Bush hater for years, I've marched and protested, volunteered for Democratic campaigns, donated more money than I can afford to individuals and groups, dressed my car in bumper stickers, devoured hundreds of thousands of words from media around the world - still, those are MY tax dollars going to repress the Iraqi people. The money I earn and work hard for every day is being used for the slaughter of people who have done nothing to me. My Fitzmas joy was immediately erased, rightfully so, and I now feel utter guilt, sorrow, remorse and extreme anger at not only Bush, but every single Senator and Congress member, every single member of the administration, every single talking head and pundit, liberal and conservative, every single person who has voted for this war and who still supports it in ignorance. How could we have allowed this to happen?"

Chuck in Houston again with "Oh, and Another Thing":

Ira, as we've discussed before, here we have YET ANOTHER opportunity to FORCE GOP congress people to go on record on SCOTUS issues -- this is our THIRD AND POSSIBLY LAST chance at this (I mean, of course, this Miers debacle). We must use the Senate confirmation process to flush this regime out once and for all, that is, we have to call them and get all their cards right down face up on the table. Then in 2006 go out and say THIS is what your bought-and-paid for representatives stand for and will continue to stand for until YOU take our capitol back from the lobbies. So electoral reform is a great fulcrum in my opinion. Or frame-builder, if you like. The iron is getting hot and soon we'll have to hit in a way that makes every blow count.

I know that sounds feverish but I have a fever, so, this may be the cold medicine speaking....

Chuck in Houston

Support for Bush policies withers

Miers withdraws; Bush blames Senate; Dem chief says right won.

Miers in middle of Bush National Guard scandal? Records of litigation involving Ben Barnes payoff, Texas Lottery Commission scam ordered destroyed

Posted: October 5, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Joseph Farah© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

WASHINGTON - "The nomination of Harriet Miers as associate Supreme Court justice may have an unintended consequence for President Bush", renewing questions about the long-forgotten issue of his National Guard service and charges of influence peddling by the man who raised those allegations in a CBS News interview in 2004.

In 1995, the year George W. Bush won the governorship of Texas, Ben Barnes, the former lieutenant governor, who later claimed in a "60 Minutes" interview with CBS' Dan Rather that George H.W. Bush approached him to secure a National Guard appointment for his son, secured a contract for a company called GTECH to run the Texas Lottery, reports WND columnist Jerome Corsi.

Barnes was granted a contract worth about 4 percent of the revenue generated by GTECH - some $3 million a year. But, by 1997, with the company embroiled in controversy over allegations of political kickbacks, payoffs and overcharges, his contract was bought out by the company for $23 million.

Two years later, a former executive director of the Texas Lottery, Lawrence Littwin, filed a lawsuit alleging he lost his job as a result of political influence wielded by GTECH. He alleged in his lawsuit that much of GTECH's clout was the result of the work of Barnes, who affirmed under oath he had helped get the governor into the National Guard and out of military service in Vietnam.

The Littwin lawsuit was settled out of court with a $300,000 payoff and an unusual agreement that he would destroy all documents produced by the litigation, including any copies of the Barnes deposition.

GTECH moved to settle with Littwin only after its ability to defend itself was damaged when a federal judge ruled that Texas Lottery Commission Chairwoman Harriet Miers did not have to give a deposition in the case, Corsi reports.

While Miers has been credited with cleaning up the scandal in the Texas Lottery, Corsi, the co-author of "Unfit for Command," a book credited with helping re-elect George W. Bush in 2004, characterizes her role in the scandal as "questionable."

Littwin served for only six months as executive director of the Texas Lottery before being fired by the commission headed by Miers. Littwin was hired in 1997 to replace Nora Linares, who was fired amid allegations of questionable business practices, including a charge that GTECH hired her boyfriend, whom she later married, and because she had not objected to GTECH hiring "former state officials as lobbyists with excessive control," people like Ben Barnes.

When Littwin took over, he received a state auditor report highly critical of the Texas Lottery Commission, GTECH and the relationship between the two. Littwin found that the commission, headed by Miers, had not conducted audits of GTECH, as required by Texas state law. He launched an investigation of GTECH, including allegations of unlawful campaign contributions. He ordered that the GTECH contract be out to competitive bid.

Littwin was first ordered by the commission to stop his investigation. Later he was fired. In addition, the commission, headed by Miers, renewed its contract with GTECH, a Rhode Island company, despite receiving lower bids from other companies. The audit of the company was also halted, Corsi found.

Ben Barnes was not heard from again until 2004 when he explained his role in making sure George W. Bush got into the National Guard and avoided Vietnam service. The impact of the CBS story was minimized because of seemingly bogus documents used by Rather to buttress Barnes' story, and the revelation that Barnes served as a major John Kerry fundraiser.

But Corsi, who also played a pivotal role in the 2004 campaign with his book, "Unfit for Command," wonders out loud whether Barnes may have been telling the truth about his involvement in securing Bush a spot in the National Guard.

"The Barnes melodrama got drowned out by the forged document saga, but to this day, nobody has disproved Barnes played the role he said he did," writes Corsi.

He adds: "CBS missed the boat. Dan Rather should never have forged documents. Instead, '60 Minutes' should have focused on GTECH, Ben Barnes and Harriet Miers."

It was Bush who appointed Miers to head the Texas Lottery Commission in 1995. And it was Bush who brought her to Washington to serve as White House counsel. Again, it was Bush who made her his surprise choice for a Supreme Court appointment, despite the fact that she had never served as a judge.

"President Bush says he nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court in large part because she is a close and trusted associate," writes Corsi. "The question is how close and how trusted?"

Corsi cites GTECH's 1997 10-K report, a full-disclosure document public companies are required to file by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

"What GTECH revealed in its 1997 10-K was that the company was under investigation in Texas because of allegations against one its paid consultants, one Ben Barnes, who previously had been lieutenant governor," writes Corsi. "The 1997 GTECH 10-K noted that the company was under investigation in Texas and its contract had been open to competitive bid. GTECH disclosed that the Texas Lottery contract was then the company's largest, accounting for 16 percent of the company's total revenue in fiscal 1997. Losing this contract would materially hurt GTECH's operating income and depress its stock price as a consequence. GTECH ran for cover by terminating Ben Barnes' contract and paying him $23 million to stay quiet."

Barnes had been hired first by GTECH because of his relationship with former Gov. Ann Richards. When Richards was replaced by George W. Bush in 1995, he boasted to the company that he knew the Bush family well. He explained that Bush family friend Sidney Adger approached him in 1968 to ask Barnes to use his influence to make sure George W. Bush was admitted to the Texas Air National Guard.

Linares, the former executive director of the Texas Lottery, was paid $435,000 by GTECH to drop her lawsuit. Her attorneys were paid a reported $290,000, according to Corsi.

"GTECH further dodged a bullet when the Texas Lottery Commission, including Harriet Miers, decided to end the competitive bidding and re-award the contract to GTECH, deciding not to pursue the lower-price competitive bids that were on the table," Corsi reports. "In the period of 1995-1997, the George Bush controversy over the National Guard had not yet surfaced to be vetted. Was there a cover-up going on? That's a reasonable question given what we've uncovered so far."

He adds: "Who was at the center of what may be a massive cover-up? Attorney Harriet Miers -- President Bush's new, surprise Supreme Court nominee -- that's who."

chuck this is racism in its purist form being practiced in N.O. Let's see they want to defeat a minority mayor of N.O. knowing that 200,000 of his minority constituents have moved out of state mainly to Texas and may not be able to retain Louisiana voting rights. They want to take political advantage of the heartache of 200,000 people mainly Democratic leaning constituents having left their state. What political motivation do they now have to rebuild N.O.'s inner city and their 9th ward, absolutely none. I happen to think this story is a big deal, a national disgrace, not seen since Brownie left those same folks stranded at the Superdome and N.O. Convention Center to fend for themselves. I don't like use the racism tag but I have not seen a clearer example of it.

Do we have the time or the attention to examine stories like drilling in Anwr or Republican efforts of disenfranchising 200,000 Louisiana Democratic voters?

Sorry links from last post

Miers in middle of Bush
National Guard scandal?
Records of litigation involving Ben Barnes payoff, Texas Lottery Commission scam ordered destroyed

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46671

Support for Bush policies withers
Miers withdraws; Bush blames Senate; Dem chief says right won.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/uspoliticsbushpoll&printer=1

How could we have allowed this to happen?"

Posted by: dwahzon at October 27, 2005 02:39 PM

No one took to the streets dwah, that is why it happened no one took to the streets and they still are not not when you think of the population of America

Rossi, that's not true. I know many people here at the DCP who spent many hours on the streets going door to door and on the phone and who still do spend much of their free time reaching out to others.

Do not say "no one took to the streets". That is most patently not true. I suspect you did not mean it that way but it feels like a slap in the face.

I think the kos poster that I quoted above and who is the one who asked the question, 'How did we let this happen?', is trying to raise the consciousness of all of us that celebrating Fitzmas is not appropriate; that we all are responsible for what our government does overseas and at home, whether we voted for a particular administration or not, and the news on that front is dire indeed.

This isn't about documents its about Dobson said Senator Durbin this morning.
What happened with Republican calls for an Up or Down vote? How many times did we hear that every nominee is entiled to an Up or Down Vote; unless Dobson says No.

Ira:

I like the way you put that: "Do we have time to..." I think that is a key notion -- we DON'T have time to examine every travesty in detail (see for example what Rossian posted above -- man the strings keeps pulling and pulling), so we need to build a framework to put everything in context, and I think the electoral and media reform issues, which this website was founded to examine, I think, provide a most excellent lens through which all of these travesties can be viewed. Why do we need to make a choice between preserving wilderness and drilling? Because we have no energy policy at all except to do more of what we've been doing. And why is that? Because the interests behind our lobbies in DC want to get rid of environmental regulation. As long as our selected representatives answer to lobbyists instead of voters, we will continue to be forced to make these false choices. We are getting ANWR wrong because our electoral system is out of wack.

And it is racism. I've heard enough water-cooler comments during Katrina to absolutley convince me of that, if I needed any convincing. The weird part is, these people don't consider themselves racists. It's really almost sub-conscious. Pandering to racism and homophobia in order to advance the agenda of the rich and powerful has been the GOP strategy for years. Democratic governance gets in the way of those interests, so it has to be dissapated. I can't prove it, and in fact it is not probably a testable hypothesis, but that is my long-considered opinion.

Chuck in Houston

I think the kos poster that I quoted above and who is the one who asked the question, 'How did we let this happen?', is trying to raise the consciousness of all of us that celebrating Fitzmas is not appropriate; that we all are responsible for what our government does overseas and at home, whether we voted for a particular administration or not, and the news on that front is dire indeed.

Posted by: dwahzon at October 27, 2005 03:11 PM

Dwah you have a population of 283 million or so is that not right, and we have not been able to get more than maybe 1/2 million out on the streets at one time, it is not enough, I know absolutely how hard a few of the country have worked, but it is has never been enough not when you think of the population of America that is why fox and cable have been able to get away with what they have gotten away with not reporting any of the antiwar marches.

It is not a slap in the face to all the people who have worked so hard I was with John Kerry I know how much hard earned money and work so many people put into the election, but it is not enough when you consider that the population of America is 283 million, I still believe that is why fox and cable can get away with not reporting,

They need people sitting outside of the white house like whoever did in Europe, then they would not be able to get away with not reporting.

my fear is that with all of the chaos with Rove/Miers/Delay/Iraq going on, that issues like preserving the wilderness and stopping Alaskan drilling and voter disenfranchising in Louisiana and Anold's sinister redistricting plan, seem to get lost in this chaos. That is exactly what the RNC and Frist are hoping for.
Seems like now when Bush is at 38% that we tie vulnerable Senators like Chaffee, Santorum and Voinovich to Bush and his unpopular causes like drilling in Alaska.
If not now, when?

Posted by: Ira at October 27, 2005 03:15 PM

Ira, they just don't want to tell the people that the uber-capitalist Republicans wouldn't vote Ms. Miers in.

Slinky, slimey.

That's what I was asking this morning myself. What about the good old straight up or down vote?

Noe just indicted in Ohio for Coingate and Bush contributions.

Santorum's wife sues for $1 million dollars in medical mal practice claim while hubby pushes for caps for all other victims of medical mal.

Chuck in Houston for Ira:

You know, it just occurred to me, there is no reason to let this other stuff get lost in the chaos of judicial proceedings against GOP leadership. MSM-wise, these proceedings will take on a life of their own. When our folks get a chance to chime in, that can simply underscore the gravity of these transgressions and use them to frame the larger issues and then move on to keep these other issues in the spot-light of example of why this matters so much. The iron is getting hotter everyday....

Chuck in Houston

My post on Jerry Kilgore's Commonwealth Conservative blog site. There is a Governor's election in Va in 2 weeks and it is very important for the '08 Presidential Election that we hold on to the governor's office in Va. and send Bush a message.
I am still waiting to hear their response.
Maybe other can join me there.

Any reports here about Mr. Kilgore meeting Bush/Rove or Libby when President Bush comes to Norfolk this week? Will Mr. Kilgore conveniently say he doesn’t have time to meet with the leader of the free world and his Republican allies?

Will Mr. Noe, Abramoff or DeLay be helping with your last minute fund raising efforts on behalf of Mr. Kilgore?
Is there a problem here? Any explanations?

Chuck in Houston for all:

1. New thread

2. On this thread topic, here is an interesting article from Josh Marshall's blog:

http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2005/1027nj1.htm

for Ira:

1. What is the blog link?

2. This probably isn't going to be appreciated, but, if you can be philosophical, think of your vicarious sports disaster as Oncall' vicarous sports moment in the sun! Me, as an Oregon transplant Red-Sox fan, I hope you will forgive my lack of civic pride on this one. Next season, I hope to get my daughter to some games and maybe then I will be a regulation vicarious sports fan! I just haven't been here long enought to get emotionally attached to the Astros yet!

Chuck in Houston

PS: As a Trailblazer fan, I do feel your pain.

chuck I am a native, it was pretty sad last night and hope I don't have to wait another 44 years for a series. happy, sort of for you, oncall. hope your parade which we were planning here, is dignified as we do it in Houston and void of violence.

its called the commonwealth conservative.com but not much discussions there, mainly just Kilgore promotional articles. I'm doing what I can to help Tim Kaine. I feel that Va is a doable blue state with the success of Mark Warner.

Christy at October 27, 2005 02:28 PM

What's the source?

Posted by: rossiannn at October 27, 2005 02:58 PM

Hey, Rossi, that's not accurate. There were MILLIONS of us that took to the streets. But there was NO WAY you were going to see it on the media. They were too busy going to GI Joe and Judy canp to let a little thing like, say, the will of the people get in the way. Even at the height of the pre-ware frenzy, there were only 58% of people who thought that going to war in Iraq was the right thing to do. And that was AFTER the "smoking gun as mushroom cloud" scare the bejeezus out of everyone crap speech was given.

Of all of the people I know, only the die hard Bushistas were the ones who thought going into Iraq was the right move. And even though there were those that could make and intellectual case for it, none of the others I know could make a practical or a moral case for it.