The Campaign Season Christians

Call this Congress "the do nothing scam artists Congress" because after yesterday's do nothin' propaganda non-binding bill and this...

I might run for Congress. I can do nothing and give myself a pay raise too.

Greg Palast | African-American Voters Scrubbed by Secret GOP Hit List
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061606J.shtml
"The Republican National Committee has a special offer for African-American soldiers: Go to Baghdad, lose your vote," writes Greg Palast. "A confidential campaign directed by GOP party chiefs in October 2004 sought to challenge the
ballots of tens of thousands of voters in the last presidential election, virtually all of them cast by residents of Black-majority precincts."

Betting on the Blogs

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=37524

local long & detailed report on what happened at Yearly Kos in Las Vegas - well worth reading.

Excellent post here:

http://daoureportgrit.blogspot.com/2006/06/ann-coulter-identifies-john-murtha-as.html

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN ALL THEIR GLORY:
1. "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. Thou shalt have no other gods besides Me... .."
2. "Do not make a sculpted image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above..."
3. "Thou shalt not swear falsely by the name of the LORD..."
4. "Remember [zachor] the Sabbath day and keep it holy" (the version in Deuteronomy reads shamor, "observe")
5. "Thou shalt honour your father and your mother..."
6. "Thou shalt not murder"
7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery."
8. "Thou shalt not steal."
9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor"
10. "Thou shalt not covet your neighbor's house..."

How many in the House have broken any of the above commandments? Can we name a few from this year?

10 Commandment Fundie Reality TV idea:

Take Two Tablets and Call Me in the War Room

Go to the top story on Bush, scroll down to the "Photos" & there are 5 photos - check out the last one of Rove coming across the tarmac. There is also one that looks like Bush is picking his nose.

The story on protesters says that they are going to show up in boats & kayaks again (since the houses where conservative wingnuts host these parties are always secluded & surrounded by water).

Do not use Drugstore.com - a huge conservative donor.

Albequerque John & others in New Mexico - beware - he's headed your way.

Posted by: monkey at June 16, 2006 02:56 PM

Their ten commandments.

1. We need more wire for the taps.
2. We need more wire for the bombs.
3. We need more wire for the dissenters.
4. We need more wire for the accused but will never see their day in court.
5. We need more wire for the electrical zaps.
6. We need more wire for the paperless election machines.
7. We need more wire for the brown skinned Mexicans...
8. We need more wire for the peace protestors.
9. We need more wire for keeping people away from our abuses of power.
10. We need a pair of wire cutters to free Delay, Noe, Cunningham....

Posted by: sparrow at June 16, 2006 03:10 PM

You forgot the homosexuals and the non-Christians... Put them under #7 next to the Mexicans.

They are abominations to be exterminated according to *their* Ten Commandments, I thought?

On an unrelated note, just heard of that fascist puppet Jay Leno bringing in Mann Coulter as his guest. I am puking. I thought Leno absolutely hated castrated men in miniskirts - I must've been seriously wrong.

RIGHT-WING GROUP CALLING IT QUITS?
Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service
It looks like the Project for the New American Century, the neocon group that promoted the invasion of Iraq, is closing down.
http://www.alternet.org/story/37590/

DOES THE WORLD SEE BUSH AS A MORON?
Molly Ivins, AlterNet
Do you suppose the rest if the world just assumes George W. Bush is a moron when he goes overseas?
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/37623/

John Kerry on Week of Phony Iraq Debate

Below is a statement from Senator John Kerry:

“While Senate and House Republicans played political games to avoid meaningful debate on Iraq, Americans who know war is not a game prayed for the 2,500 brave troops lost in Iraq. While Don Rumsfeld arms surrogates with 74 pages of hollow talking points, Karl Rove spells out a political strategy on Iraq, and Dick Cheney dissembles with Sean Hannity, Americans are caught in the crossfire of vicious sectarian strife in Iraq.

“This has been the duck and cover Congress. For three years, Congress has sat on its hands or played political games while the war in Iraq has gone on unchecked and unending. It’s time for a Congress that shares responsibility for getting us into Iraq to take responsibility for helping to get us out and get resources refocused on the war on terror.

“Every month we are in Iraq, we lose more American lives and over $8 billion dollars. It’s time for Iraqis to stand up for Iraq.

“Since October, I have been pushing for a clear deadline in Iraq. We cannot take the heat off the Iraqi leaders to do their job and stand up for their own country, and we can’t take the heat off Washington to do the job of applying pressure in Iraq. There will be a real Iraq debate next week, and it will address the real needs of our troops, not the political needs of the Republican Party.”

Posted by: Ally McLesbian at June 16, 2006 04:17 PM

Right. Add it to number 7.

I'm exhausted from the hate already! Come on everyone! We MUST fight this and not let them win on hate.

Rove Gets $2073 Gun (Beretta) From Cronies

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5892300,00.html

Things people gave Bush & pals to butter them up:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003064970_bushgifts16.html

Bush Arrives in Seattle

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003066167_webbush16.html

..just sick, as usual..tied up traffic

Report on the "liberal blog convention"

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/49403

Hmmm

It was only $5,000 for a pic in Albuquerque - guess we got the discounted rate from this discounted pResident.

Pix of the protest posted soon - the Black Balloon Fiesta with Code Pink.

Here abq...for you

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1446570

As we were protesting in the front of the Hyatt, Shrubya snuck in the back door - literally. He never looked out over Civic Plaza where we were assembled. No one was allowed withing two blocks of the back of that building.
Amazingly - no one escorted the homeless off of the Fourth Street Mall - they usually give these folks a free meal to get them out of the limelight when he visits.

Rove’s Trap
The president's strategist is politicizing the Iraq war for partisan political gain. Will the Dems figure out how to fight back?

Web-Exclusive Commentary
By Eleanor Clift
Newsweek

June 16, 2006 - Our towel-snapping president is feeling better. He joked and jostled with the press for almost an hour, high on adrenalin after his secret trip to Baghdad. Thanks to skilled lawyering, his adviser Karl Rove is back in business framing the November election as a referendum on cut-and-run Democrats.

Rove is following a time-honored tactic: hang a lantern on your problem. Iraq is George Bush’s biggest problem, ergo Rove’s strategy: showcase the war, frame the choice between victory and defeatism, put the Democrats on the defensive. Moments after learning he had escaped indictment in the CIA leak investigation case, Rove told New Hampshire Republicans that Democratic critics of the war like John Kerry and John Murtha “give the green light to go to war, but when it gets tough, they fall back on that party’s old platform of cutting and running. They may be with you for the first few bullets, but they won’t be there for the last tough battles.”

It’s appalling that an administration led by chicken hawks dares to build an election strategy based on lecturing combat veterans, but it is devilishly clever, and it might work. The Swift Boat veterans destroyed Kerry in 2004; and in 2002, losing three limbs in Vietnam didn’t save Georgia Sen. Max Cleland from attacks on his patriotism. Rove told the GOP faithful that if the Democrats were in charge, Iraq would fall to the terrorists and Zarqawi would not be dead. As offensive as those words are, Rove is doing his job, which is sliming the Democrats so Republicans can cling to power on Capitol Hill. He is politicizing the war for partisan political gain, a strategy that could backfire if events on the ground in Iraq deteriorate.

“They’re risk-takers,” says Matt Bennett of Third Way, a Democratic centrist group. “Did they risk politicizing 9/11 by holding their convention in New York? Yes, and the risk paid off. It’s very Rovean; they’re trying to turn a weakness into a strength.” Another Democratic strategist noted the irony that after four years of no accountability on the mistakes made in prosecuting the Iraq war, the administration was hanging Democrats out to dry. This strategist called it “reverse accountability—shift the blame to those not in charge.”

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13367209/site/newsweek/

I know I am off topic, but it's so exciting. Dan Seals new site is up and it is terrific. See it here: http://www.dansealsforcongress.com/

Driving home, saw a woman in a big black truck with two signs on the back:

Bush is a Liar

One Nation Under Surveillance

Albequerque John

Glad you were out there protesting!
He spent 3 hours here then headed your way.
He would never come into the city - he's scared.
He heads for the 'burbs.
Chickenhawk.

Eleanor Clift can make good points, but she was/is so blinded by disdain for Kerry that she continues to misunderstand the vote, no matter how many times we write her, as I did again.

In love with Dean back then, and how pure he was on the war. Yet now she talks about the anti-war base as if it's this pesky problem, when there is no good answer. A sudden revelation.

There never was a good solution throughout the campaign, regardless of how Kerry talked about it, independent of his vote. He could have been more comfortable and authoritative, but I'm not sure of the substance.

Then she goes on to suspect his turnaround after two years for just the next presidential ambition. Maybe a pre-emption.

Whatever one might say, this is sincerity about making things right on Iraq.

She's a harpy. Some columnists are just begging for blog comments.

Oh, above's reply to monkey's post at 10:04.

I don't even know who Eleanor Clift is but by coincidence, I just got this email from a friend:

Subject: Eleanor Clift

At least Eleanor Clift brought up Bush's idea of granting amnesty to the insurgents who have killed troops just a few minutes ago on McLaughlin group.

Ohmygod they have that ass Rove on the McLaughlin group as we speak.

barf barf barf

Marjorie G

When I was at Yearly Kos, I overheard this woman saying:
"I was John Kerry's number one fan but he completely blew it when he was unable to stop the Diebold machines."

What a moron!

Monkey
Can Rove actually turn looking like a pig into a strength?

Knives, rifles and a whip. Are Bush's gift-givers trying to say something?

2004 presents inventory leaves president prepared for worst-case scenario

A braided leather whip, a sniper rifle, six jars of fertiliser and a copy of the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook were among the presents foreign leaders have given George Bush. They are clearly trying to tell him something.

The inventory of official gifts from 2004, published this week by the state department, reads like the wish list of the sort of paranoid survivalist who holes up in his log cabin to await Armageddon, having long ago severed all ties with the rest of the world.

The president received a startling array of weapons, including assorted daggers and a machete from Gabon. He got the braided whip with a wooden handle from the Hungarian prime minister.

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, a gift from the Sultan of Brunei, has some tips on how to use some of these implements in a tight spot.

The paperback also explains how to wrestle with an alligator, escape from a mountain lion and take a punch. But the small arsenal of guns presented by Jordan's King Abdullah, including a $10,000 sniper rifle, would presumably render much of that advice unnecessary.

The king also gave President Bush six jars of "various fertilisers" on a rotating wooden stand. It sounds like the sort of present likely to cause offence when coming from a mother-in-law or sibling. But according to the Jordanian embassy, the jars contained neither manure nor the sort of chemicals that can be turned into homemade bombs, but rather an array of fertile volcanic soils found around the country .

In each instance listed by the state department, the acceptance of the gift is justified by the phrase "non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and US government". But acceptance clearly has its own embarrassments.

President Bush was reminded of his problems with language by a vocabulary-expanding game called Forgotten English, from Brunei.

Meanwhile, it is hard to imagine no-nonsense Donald Rumsfeld summoning much enthusiasm for the gold bracelet he got from the Egyptian minister of defence, or the aromatherapy gift set from those cheeky Jordanians.

There will, however, be no calming scents wafting around the Pentagon in the near future as the gift was passed on to the general services administration, a government department that disposes of unwanted presents.

If the top members of the administration met to compare gifts at the end of the year Mr Rumsfeld would no doubt have been looking enviously over the president's shoulder at some of his weapons, or at the special presentation edition of The Art of War Dick Cheney got from the Chinese vice-president.

But Mr Cheney also received presents clearly intended to enhance his gentler, fun-loving side: a "Happy Day" clock from the Swiss president, gold silk pillows, scented candles and a pottery incense burner (the Jordanians again).

(THIS PARAGRAPH CONTAINS MY FAVORITE LINE -GUESS WHICH!!)
It is apparent that a lot of the foreign dignitaries do not do much research before buying gifts. President Bush, a reformed drunk, was given a cellarful of wine over the course of 2004.

(snip)
But despite standing shoulder to shoulder around the world in 2004, President Bush got nothing from Tony Blair, for Christmas or his birthday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk

Fundraiser in Albuquerque gets 300 Heather Wilson suppporters - and 200 protestors.

Link to a scary ABQ Journal article about the event:

http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/469102metro06-17-06.htm

Back to the Christian issue...

When our missionaries go overseas, it appears that they LIE to the local populations - that they have been funded by the US government to proselytize the world, that the US is indeed a nation founded to spread the Christian faith, and that it is under attack by the non-Christians and the homos.

I know that it's worked so f'ing well in Korea. Everyone in Koreatown believes in this crap.

Of course, I then tell them there is a strict separation of church and state, and that there is no mention of God (Christian or otherwise) anywhere in the US Constitution - and they think I am lying.

Ally
You will just miss Pride weekend.
This is Pagan weekend.

Hi all-

Me again, espousing the benefits of TALKING about the issues with the other side - actually speaking from the heart and keeping politics out of it.

Here is a great how-to post from DU on this topic. That's what I'm talking about.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/LeftHander/12

Carol
I seldom meet people from the other side, but will keep it in mind! LOL Occasionally I do up north at work, but am not supposed to talk politics. I do sneak it in. When I visit my mom in ND, will definitely see what happens there!

Don't forget, at Fundies R'Us, you get to run around the country, try to get every school board to teach creationism, and THEN be the ultimate cheerleader, complete with bumber stickers, for a group of people who are hellbent on lying to, stealing from, and yes, killing anyone and anything they feel like, even while espousing their fervent belief with all their so called hearts that THEIR GOD created ALL people as sacred and holy.... even before leaving the womb!

All this and ya STILL get to heaven! It's a win/win at Fundies R' U.S.

G. Hodd

Has anybody heard a good retort to the Repulican/Rovian phrase, "Cut and Run"? John Kerry sent out a statement that used the phrase, "duck and cover" congress. I understand what it means, but it doesn't have anger that I really need to express. I know we can all think of phrases, but that is not what I am looking for. I want to know if there has been a similar rejoinder by the Dems/Independents/Progressives to the Rovian slime.

"Cut and Run" is going to become the same mantra as "flip flopper" was. Personally I prefer "lying bastard".

Ally
You will just miss Pride weekend.

Posted by: This is so embarassing! at June 17, 2006 12:25 PM

It's a shame DiAnne, but my family business seems to have somehow caught on with the purpose of my Seattle trip for the 4th of July, and is threatening to pile on extra work on me so that I will have to cancel the trip. (Even worse, drag me to the local Korean fundamentalist church to brainwash me to their side.)

I'll fight to ensure that I can still make the trip. It's bad enough that there is no set paid vacation at my workplace (or many others in this country). To deny me a long weekend is penny wise pound foolish for this business.

oncall, this isn't quite the retort you're looking for, but it's along the same lines...

Stay the Course to What?
"Thelma and Louise stayed the course. And they sailed off a cliff to presumed death in the 1991 film. Thousands stayed the course in New Orleans as Katrina bore down on the city, and many drowned. To most Americans, President Bush's flat refusal to alter his course in Iraq recalls Einstein's immortal definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-crawford/stay-the-course-to-what_b_23233.html

This is an interesting piece to read. The author, Arthur Silber, explains how, no matter the results in Iraq, Bushco is determined and foolhardy to focus our military on Iran.

http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2006/06/please-no-more-apologies.html

Posted by: madame defarge at June 17, 2006 03:01 PM

Thanks Madame, That post by Crawford made me think of a different less, belligerent retort: "Let's get on the right path."

Posted by: monkey at June 17, 2006 12:58 PM

That is so true, Monkey.

The Koreatown fundies are still trying to brainwash me into thinking that their patriarchal mean-spirited God is one of love and peace. I know he's not, at least the way they describe him.

They tell me that seeking the truth is as simple as reading their death book. I've read it, and it doesn't speak for me; I know that all I can find is judgmentalism, exclusion, and death. Sure, the extraordinary circumstances of Jesus make for a break, but they are assuring me that he'll be back to fight a war, not spread peace. Besides, any "truth" that has to be pounded into my brain as the truth, definitely has at least some flaws in it - the real truth will simply reveal itself to me.

I've been shooting back at them, telling them they are supporting the religion that kills the poor to feed the rich, that lets the sick die so that some insurance company CEO's ideology stays intact. That they are supporting the religion that is the basis for white supremacy, both at the KKK level and at the Pat Robertson level (they are surprised to know that the KKK runs on Christianity too). That they are the worst scums in the American society, right next to black Klansmen, Cuban exiles, and Log Cabin Republicans.

oops comma was in the wrong place. ....different, less belligerent....

Here is what you can say when somebody claims that the Dems only complain. Tell them about the Dems "New Direction" program. It is nice to see some type of cohenrent plan put out by the opposition party. I have grown sick and tired of hearing talking heads and the like repeat the worn out phrase that the Dems don't have a plan. When one reads the Republican response to the plan, I think it is easy to say that if there are any increase in funds needed for these plans, then it will be those who can afford to who will be paying for it.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/06/15/democrats_to_run_in_new_direction/

Oncall,

One of the speakers at the conference (can't remember who, but it might be on the website) listed all the things that BushCo. have cut and run from, like:

fiscal responsibility
good schools for our kids
affordable healthcare for our kids
protecting the ozone layer
protecting our troops in Iraq
telling the truth
the constitution

You can turn it around on them, and your advantage is that you have the truth to back you up.

A less argumentative option would be to get them to explain exactly how we cut and run from whatever it is that they are talking about. What exactly do they mean by that? They'll figure out pretty quick that they don't know what they are talking about.

Oncall,

my computer thesaurus didn't recognize cut and run, but it did give some good ones for run away ( different in tone, but useful in various ways):

- go AWOL -skip out - cut loose - desert - play hooky

- abscond - chicken out - worm out - kiss goodbye

- play dead - wimp out

Seems like BushCo. have done all these things to the american people.

Oncall,

Maybe I'm the rare bird who actually liked "duck and cover" because it was so visual. Reminded me of the times we had to practice 'duck and cover'in school as part of our tonado alerts.

I picture little kids crouched down, or under desks, literally hands over their heads...

And I wondered if I'm the only one who visualized little children doing this. If not, then perhaps it was similar to the Lakoff frame of taking away their 'stern parent' status and making them look weak and needing direction from someone stronger and wiser, which would be progressives of course!

sparrow -

I had the same visual when I read duck and cover.

For excellent discussion and talking points on all of our issues, check out this download from the TBA conference/Campaign for America's Future. I think this was the best give away I received.

http://straighttalk.ourfuture.org/

Pentagon Denies Widespread Mistreatment of Detainees
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061706Z.shtml
Murky procedures, lack of oversight and inadequate resources led to mistakes in the way U.S. troops treated Iraq and Afghanistan detainees. But two Pentagon reports, made public Friday, found no widespread mistreatment or illegal actions by the military. A human rights group called the reports a whitewash that ignored countless documented accounts of detainee abuse.

{{{The last paragraph tells how many cases have been investigated and little numbers indicating how many have been punished for abusing prisoners. But... the Pentagon is missing the point, IMHO. Even one report of prisoner abuse is too many.... In this case, there have been many, and not all have been investigated.}}}

WHY THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT FIGHTS CANCER PREVENTION
Gene Gerard, Truthdig
Conservative groups have caused an uproar by opposing a vaccine for the second-deadliest cancer for women.
http://www.alternet.org/story/37485/

STICK YOUR NECK OUT, AMERICA!
Ray McGovern, AlterNet
Americans, for the most part, are blissfully unaware of our own power -- even as the claws of fascism creep steadily closer.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/37381/

Posted by: Carol at June 17, 2006 04:39 PM

I'm so glad you won that and had such a great time. I am so sorry I couldn't make it too.

I'm also glad you had the same visual. I was beginning to think I was a nutcase or just overly optimistic.

Carol,

I loved meeting you and sharing your big tent thinking and respectful approach to changing hearts and minds. Petitioned this afternoon and met a lovely Republican, African American lady, who will look at the candidates and pull the lever regardless of party, something unusual even in NY. We both appreciated her party of the 50's, how important not to be labels, but big tent, and how we Democrats do try to simply be the party able to govern on issues we care about. Not having an huber lefty scowl at her was a good thing.

Here in Brooklyn, across the spectrum, that is an important pitch, even when talking up a progressive community activist of many decades.

I am repeating Kerry's/David Wade's response to Rove's attack as cut and run:

“The closest Karl Rove ever came to combat was these last months spent worrying his cellmates might rough him up in prison. This porcine political operative can’t cut and run from the truth any longer. When it came to Iraq, this Administration chose to cut and run from sound intelligence and good diplomacy, cut and run from the best military advice, cut and run from their responsibility to give our troops body armor, and in November, Americans will cut and run from this Republican Congress.”

Love porcine political operative.

My LTE to the ABQ Journal:

I find it interesting that during the Bush visit the other day, one Bush supporter said “Remember September 11”. No American has forgotten that fateful day – where we were and what we were doing, and I agree that we should all hold it fresh in our minds. We should all also remember that even after being warned in a Presidential Daily Briefing of an imminent threat to America by terrorists over a month before the attacks, Mr. Bush took the bold action of going on vacation. We should also remember that even after a special commission took the time, effort, and millions of dollars to make recommendations to this administration to prevent another attack such as 9/11, not one of those recommendations has been enacted. Makes me fell all warm and fuzzy. And, let us not forget that after almost five years after the September 11 attacks and over three years of war and over 2,500 American soldiers killed, the one person who so bolding claimed responsibility for 9/11 is still at large. Methinks this situation is more like Osama Bin Forgotten.

Mr. Bush ignored pertinent intelligence about the September 11 attacks, ignored recommendations of a special panel, and still, after almost five years, has not captured Osama dead or alive.

28-9-3

Posted by: abqjohn at June 17, 2006 07:21 PM

Good letter John. I might just plagiarize parts of it.

Nice letter John. I might just plagiarize parts of it.

Weird.

Posted by: oncall at June 17, 2006 10:39 PM

lol...

Posted by: oncall at June 17, 2006 10:39 PM

lol...

Ally
DO NOT GIVE UP!

Sorry, Oncall...couldn't help teasing you back.

Posted by: Marjorie G at June 17, 2006 06:39 PM

Did Kerry really call Rove a pig or is that one of Kerry's aids that said that?

This article is one of the best short biographies writtten about Rove. You may have read it before the 2004 election. It details Karl Rove's journey to the White House. The guy is worse than pond scum. And that is being cruel to pond scum.

Here are some excerpts:

From his official biography

Born on Christmas Day 1950 in Denver, Colorado, as one of five siblings, Karl C. Rove grew up in both Colorado and Utah, where his father was employed as a geologist. On his 19th birthday, his father abandoned the family and soon afterwards, Rove found out that this man was not his biological father. He was informed of this by his family. His mother committed suicide in Reno, Nevada in 1980.

.......He had no girlfriends but spent all of his time in obsessive pursuit of various political offices in the school . It was remarked by students and faculty sponsors alike that Rove was intensely fixated on political activities “to the point of obsession” and that his methods of seeking school offices were highlighted by “unprincipled campaigns, noteworthy by their viciousness” towards any rival. Rove always wore jackets and ties in school and displayed an attitude of pompous self-importance that made him even more unpopular with staff and students alike. He had no interest in women, student social or sporting events but dedicated all of his school time in political activity. It was noted that when he obtained a position, he apparently lost all interest in it and merely applied himself to gaining the next higher position.

....Like George W. Bush Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, Rove managed to avoid the Vietnam draft with a college deferment, but dropped out of the University of Utah in 1971, never obtaining a degree. While at the University of Utah, Rove began his real-life political career as the executive director of the College Republican National Committee.

......He also expressed fury and contempt for fellow students who did not support the war and began circulating forged newspaper articles claiming criminal arrests for sexual deviancy on the part of campus liberals. Rove was a "Young Republican" back when being a Young Republican wasn't cool (a historical era ranging from 1959 through the present). As a student at the prestigious University of Utah, Rove teamed up with a young Lee Atwater to seize control of the College Republicans political club in the early 1970s.

....Nor did anyone in the office make the connection between the mystery volunteer and 1,000 invitations on campaign stationery that began circulating in Chicago's red-light district and soup kitchens, promising "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing" for all-comers at Dixon's headquarters.

http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=2432

Oncall,

David Wade is technically his "press secretary" but I think he's also a devoted friend and a person who has the authority to speak on Kerry's behalf to the press.

Here is some interesting history. It will probably be easier to get rid of Bushco when we remind people what they were paying for gas in 2001.

Global comparison of price per gallon of gasoline (January 2001)

UK $5.05
Norway $4.54
South Korea $4.52
France $4.28
Japan $4.16
U.S. $1.52
China $1.34
Ukraine $1.00
Kuwait $0.76
Indonesia $0.45
Venezuela $0.40

Source: Runzheimer International.

This graph is excellent:

http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/pol_sci/fac/sahr/gasol.htm

Oncall,

Do you remmeber in 2000 he said he'd jawbone them to lower the prices.

Another lie!

The man doesn't even bother telling the truth.

Posted by: sparrow at June 18, 2006 12:25 AM

Sparrow,

He did something else with his mouth when it came to the oil companies.

Posted by: oncall at June 17, 2006 11:51 PM

Good chart.

Notice that the expensive countries were paying at least 3x the US price for gasoline. The last time I checked, they were paying less than 2x our price.

What does that tell us? Our gasoline price spike is more severe.

No one called Rove a pig - it was a "porcine political" (D Wade).
It made my week. Rove didn't have girlfriends, eh? That explains why there were some interesting Rove social spottings in Austin.

Catch this, if you can:

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/PBS_Frontline_Inside_battle_between_Cheney_0617.html
Tuesday's episode of the PBS public affairs series Frontline will probe the battle between Vice President Dick Cheney and the CIA to control the 'dark side,' according to a press release for the show.

"Amid daily revelations about prewar intelligence and a growing scandal surrounding the indictment of the vice president's chief of staff and presidential adviser, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, FRONTLINE goes behind the headlines to investigate the internal war that was waged between the intelligence community and Richard Bruce Cheney, the most powerful vice president in the nation's history," says the press release.

The title for the show is derived from a television interview Cheney gave five days after September 11, 2001, when asked how the government might respond to the terrorist attacks by NBC's Tim Russert.

"I'm going to be careful here, Tim, because I--clearly it would be inappropriate for me to talk about operational matters, specific options or the kinds of activities we might undertake going forward," Cheney said . "We do, indeed, though, have, obviously, the world's finest military - they've got a broad range of capabilities - and they may well be given missions in connection with this overall task and strategy."

"We also have to work, though, sort of the dark side, if you will," Cheney added. "We've got to spend time in the shadows in the intelligence world."

"A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion, using sources and methods that are available to our intelligence agencies, if we're going to be successful," Cheney continued. "That's the world these folks operate in, and so it's going to be vital for us to use any means at our disposal, basically, to achieve our objective."

Cheney also told Russert that he envisioned a "very thorough sort of reassessment of how we operate and the kinds of people we deal with," and that the "mean, nasty, dangerous dirty business out there" necessitated putting "some very unsavory characters" on the payroll.

According to the PBS press release, "The Dark Side" draws from "more than 40 interviews and thousands of documents," providing "a step-by-step examination of what happened inside the councils of war." Michael Kirk served as producer, writer and director while Jim Gilmore co-produced.

A brief trailer for the episode can be viewed at PBS' Frontline Website .

Hello All,

Have spent the better part of the past days casting FEAR UP--we had a large turnout and some great actors. Callbacks tomorrow evening.

We have been thinking about the horror stories of the day; especially as we explained the origins of the piece to the actors. We will be updating and rewriting--I wish it were not necessary to update, but the terrible things that happened as of fall 2005 have been overwritten by new horrors.

Haditha, the GITMO suicides, and the 2500 US soldier killed seem to part of the never-ending story of our folly and criminal behavior in Iraq.

Democrats will win when leadership stops being so afraid to lose.

This Nation is obviously terribly easy to seduce, yet democrats insist on laying out strategy and policy so complex everyone has a different version of what it is.

Republicans are in this to Win. Democrats are in this to be part of the game.

Strategize to win or stop wasting everyones time and efforts.

For oncall (& others discussing "cut and run" & "stay the course")...

This diary explains the original meaning of the two metaphors (they're nautical terms) and how stupid & inappropriate it is to use them in relation to a desert war...

I think you'll enjoy this explanation & it will also give you some good ammo when someone says "cut & run" or "stay the course."

Do you know jack about either cut or run?
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/6/17/7386/27743

Some morning mail:

This is from Portland - I'm not clear where she's getting this,
but I like both ideas:

Bobby, Mike and Matt Schultz, an attorney with Levin Papantonio, discuss
their lawsuits against Diebold and the other electronic voting machine
companies that helped the Republicans steal Ohio in 2004.

Also on Fire: Dave Lindorff, co-author of The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office...and Canadian broadcasting legend Moses Znaimer, who's hosting the Idea City conference next weekend in Toronto.

& from Bend, OR:

Oh! It Was All Just A Big Paperwork Mistake!

Error blamed in use of unauthorized interrogation tactics
US special operations soldiers in Iraq used unauthorized interrogation tactics on detainees after receiving an outdated policy from commanders in Baghdad, a Pentagon report said... The tactics included feeding detainees only bread and water when they were uncooperative, allowing only minimal sleep and making them kneel for long periods of time in stress positions. The inquiry also determined that some detainees were stripped naked, sprayed with water and then interrogated in air-conditioned rooms or in cold weather... Pentagon officials released a heavily redacted version of the report on Friday as part of its response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union. The final report was issued on November 8, 2004.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile...

Horror Show Revealed:
OMG.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2230672,00.html
OMG. Thing is... I believe negroponte's men... and the 'iraqi govt' have done most of these killings..... Maybe not all.... but I could sure see the US deciding .... no one will ever know it was us. ugh.

Thanks madame.

Yeh, I have family who love sailing and those terms mean something totally different from the neocon spin.

Nolie posted another article on the missing soldiers and the sham non-binding bill.

http://www.progressiveu.org/091832-the-search-for-two-missing-soldiers-in-iraqs-death-triangle

I just posted this:

Bobby, Mike and Matt Schultz, an attorney with Levin Papantonio, discuss their lawsuits against Diebold and the other electronic voting machine companies that helped the Republicans steal Ohio in 2004.

--Apparently, "Bobby" is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Germany is a non-nuclear power.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-06-17T135534Z_01_L17248657_RTRUKOC_0_UK-NUCLEAR-IRAN-GERMANY.xml

Germany urges nuclear powers to disarm

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany called on Saturday for the world's leading nuclear powers to reduce their atomic arsenals as they press Iran to curb its nuclear programme.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France -- to make concessions in the context of the Iran dispute, Spiegel magazine reported.

"I am in fact of the view that, beyond the current Iran conflict, we must review the worldwide nuclear armament status," Steinmeier told Spiegel.

"We are in favour of effectively applying the Non-Proliferation Treaty. It contains the promise of the nuclear powers disarming, and we should press them to do that," he said.

The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a 1970 global pact against the spread of atomic weapons which is policed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.

Posted by: Ally McLesbian at June 18, 2006 01:00 AM

Ally,

Click this link to get a better idea of the price of gas when considering inflation. If anybody tries to use that one, you will be able to slap them down with the facts.

http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/pol_sci/fac/sahr/gasol.htm

Posted by: madame defarge at June 18, 2006 08:54 AM

Madame,

The histroy is interesting; however, in today's reality, the news organizations have bought hook line and sinker (that's a joke) the Bushco talking point - cut and run. The news organizations are simpletons and will regurgitate any inappropriate slogan, as long as it sounds good. The opposition has yet to better articulate in SIMPLE language what it would do and in SIMPLE language why "stay the course" is a lousy policy.

As an aside, I just heard Joe Biden say that the administration has to stop this "political shtick".

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads who are working for a better future for their children.