Vote Republican or Die

Great though to hear on NPR the back-to-back recordings of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld backing down on the war - Bush saying it was "only about 1/4 stay the course" - followed by various personnel in Iraq saying things are all messed up - followed by John Warner saying things seem to be all sideways, & Lindsay Graham.

The the sad part - a recording of a gathering of TX Marines heading off to Iraq. They put the guys, the wives on the phone - could hear some kind of ritual marching stuff in the background. They were starting to put on their macho, stoic face where they have to turn off their emotions.

I don't know about regular mainstream tv but seems the last two days, every newspaper, internet article, radio broadcast I saw, heard, walked by, scanned talked about one of two things - the unusually high number killed this month, the quarter of a million or so weapons including assault rifles that we taxpayers gave Iraq and only 10,000 or so got serial numbers - the rest are gone.

I was trying to put myself in the place of someone who hasn't been paying attention or someone who has supported the overall premise for the war (which isn't possible, but sometimes I try) - it was hard to imagine that I wouldn't be having my doubts right about now. I wonder if I would find Bush's 16 words or so (he seems to have a pattern with that) very reassuring, or Dick Cheney's paternalistic growl either, or Rumsfeld's slimey reassurings.

Dick,

I actually SAW Bush on a network news program say LAST WEEK that "if we pull out of Iraq before the job is finished, the terrorists win, and THEY WILL FOLLOW US OVER HERE."

I was disgusted and dismayed, of course.

One of the reasons this stuck out so vividly in my mind was because of the boldness of the outright lie.

Yes, they turned Iraq into a hot bed for terrorists. Am I mistaken, or is most of the fighting going on over there between factions within the country itself? Or has our mess in Iraq become fertile ground for actual al Qaeda members to try to stop our progress over there?
I believe it is some of both, but the greatest fighting is between the Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds.

The Dems could twist that around you know by saying "How safe has the "Neocons" made America when they are failing in Iraq to tell Americans that to withdraw now from a fight we aren't winning will jeopardize all those at home?"

Yeh,right...because Bush has had such a winning strategy for Iraq we should vote republican ? I'm scratching my head on this one!! I think the voters across the spectrum are too. Word players only allowed to participate will go no where.
On taxes,the dems should hit home and HARD the reality of how much HC costs are up as is home insurance and property taxes since these creepers took over. Won't be long b4 these "interest only" home loans forclose for those that can't afford the price.

Patti F,

A large local grocery store just went out of business because the interest rates went up and they couldn't afford their loan payments.

Home owners and those in debt (most of America) will feel the pinch because they have been floating this facade of "our economy" by having people mortgage their homes and buy on credit to keep the economy moving. America is almost maxed out.

White House slams Kerry for Iraq remarks
President's spokesman says Massachusetts senator owes an apology

Updated: 23 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House accused Sen. John Kerry on Tuesday of troop-bashing, seizing on a comment the Democrat made to California students that those unable to navigate the country’s education system “get stuck in Iraq.”

“Senator Kerry not only owes an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who’ve given their lives in this,” White House press secretary Tony Snow said. “This is an absolute insult.”

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran and Bush’s rival in 2004, fired back, saying the president and his administration are the ones who owe U.S. troops an apology because they “misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it.”

“This is the classic GOP playbook,” Kerry said in a harshly worded statement. “I’m sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did. I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium.”

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15499174/

As Bill Maher would say this is fake outrage; aren't we used to it yet. Another Rove stunt stoked by Limbaugh. George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Rove lecturing Kerry on military service, its amazing.And where are they stoking this fire, on Faux news and CNN.

Monkey
I just saw that on Comcast headlines - I also received word that he'll be having a press conference (Kerry) from the Hyatt Hotel in Seattle. I'm going to try to get there in time.

Here is what he'll cover:

Statement of John Kerry Responding to Republican Distortions, Pathetic Tony Snow Diversions and Distractions

Washington – Senator John Kerry issued the following statement in response to White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, assorted right wing nut-jobs, and right wing talk show hosts desperately distorting Kerry’s comments about President Bush to divert attention from their disastrous record:

“If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy. This is the classic G.O.P. playbook. I’m sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did.

I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq. It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have.

The people who owe our troops an apology are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it. These Republicans are afraid to debate veterans who live and breathe the concerns of our troops, not the empty slogans of an Administration that sent our brave troops to war without body armor.

Bottom line, these Republicans want to debate straw men because they’re afraid to debate real men. And this time it won’t work because we’re going to stay in their face with the truth and deny them even a sliver of light for their distortions. No Democrat will be bullied by an administration that has a cut and run policy in Afghanistan and a stand still and lose strategy in Iraq.”

As Bill Maher would say this is fake outrage; aren't we used to it yet. Another Rove stunt stoked by Limbaugh. George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Rove lecturing Kerry on military service, its amazing.And where are they stoking this fire, on Faux news and CNN.

Whoa I missed the press conference - tres magnifique though - hope there are enough people REALLY thinking about the war to not fall for paranoid delusions and fearmongering chickenhawk rhetoric. The mood of the country is that it's sick of the war & it's not working out over there.

This is all deja vu - I was pretty young but this is so similar to the rhetoric during Vietnam. People started out all gung ho but when boys began to come back in boxes, it really started to add up that it was a hopeless quagmire.

It's shameless how these "leaders" repeatedly get us into these losing ventures just so a few hypercapitalists can profit.

The top CEOs in this country got over 350x what an average worker did last year. That figure has been multiplying every few years, with the ratio in favor of the tiny richest segment.

This election is about deciding: Is it better to have a bigger discrepancy between rich and poor with more suffering so a few rich can be richer? Or it is time to work toward less disparity? That is the bottom line - now how to explain it to people, I don't know.

By the way, I posted a couple of good videos to view at the end of the previous thread.

One is John Edwards. The other a response to the attack ad on Harold Ford.

Both nice to watch.

If you want to read the transcript of what Kerry said in Seattle, I'm posting it at the bottom of the last thread, as it's rather long & I don't want to interrupt the flow. It's an elaboration on what has already been posted.

For discussion, also go to http://www.thepremise.com

I for one have his back.

Maliky lifts joint check points in Sadir City, why is that not the headline? Civilians celebrate.

Posted by: monkey at October 31, 2006 02:32 PM

WOO HOOOOO Way to go, Senator Kerry!!!!

Truer words haven't yet been spoken.

Leave it to the Neocons to try to turn his remarks into an insult.

THAT wasn't nuanced. Straight and honest and to the point. Just the way the voters in red America understand it!

Come out swinging, Senator Kerry. The way they swiftboated you was despicable, now let them have it with your left hook.

Is that the Best you have Rove? He wants to talk about Iraq, he must be insane to want to keep Iraq at the forefront for voters.

This Israeli Trophy anti IED tank defender was rejected by Republicans in favor of a 70 million dollar Raytheon system that did not work making our tanks unnecessarily vulnerable to IEDs. And Limbaugh whines that Republicans care more about the troops. Why is this not what is talked about by righties who proclaim they care more about the troop. This story has been out there a long time but has received little attention.

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/002230.html

“The system in question is the Trophy, developed
by the Haifa-based Rafael Armament Development
Authority. It is said to be capable of creating a
hemispheric protective zone around armored vehicles
such as the Merkava tank that counters incoming
missiles with radar-guided projectiles."

"The congressional hearing was convened following
an in-depth NBC report that questioned why the US Army
had decided to award the $70 million contract to US
company Raytheon, whose active-protection system will
only be ready in 2010, while Rafael said the Trophy
was operational and ready for sale. “

Alleged Assault by GOP Congressman Caught on Tape
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103006R.shtml
Videotapes from cameras in the parking garage where Congressman Jim Gibbons is alleged to have tried to sexually assault a cocktail waitress are now in the hands of Las Vegas police.

UK Signs Gore to Sell Climate Case in US
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/103006EA.shtml
Britain is to send the author of today's landmark review on global warming to try to win American hearts and minds to the urgent cause of cutting carbon emissions - as it emerged yesterday that the government has already signed up former US vice-president Al Gore to advise on the environment.

Bush Appointee Rejects Advice on Endangered Species
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/103006EB.shtml
A senior Bush political appointee at the Interior Department has rejected staff scientists' recommendations to protect imperiled animals and plants under the Endangered Species Act at least six times in the past three years, documents show.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061031/ap_on_go_ot/cia_leak
Attorneys: No backstory in CIA leak case
WASHINGTON - Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald and former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby agree on something: keeping Libby's perjury trial in the CIA leak case focused solely on his actions. The two are separately asking a federal judge not to allow three years of politically charged backstory in the case to seep into Libby's trial starting in January.
{More on link.}

U.S. Predator drone killed 80 In Pakistan Attack:
Despite earlier reports that the missiles had been launched by Pakistani military helicopters, Pakistani intelligence sources now tell ABC News that the missiles were fired from a U.S. Predator drone plane.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article15443.htm

The Dollar's Full-System Meltdown
By Mike Whitney
Everyone in Washington already knew that doomsday was approaching. That’s the way the system was designed from the very beginning. It’s all part of the madcap scheme to “starve the beast” and transfer the nation’s wealth to a handful of western plutocrats.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article15440.htm

Dying to Save the G.O.P. Congress
By Frank Rich
The ultimate chutzpah is that Mr. Bush, the man who sold us Saddam’s imminent mushroom clouds and “Mission Accomplished,” is trivializing the chaos in Iraq as propaganda. The enemy’s “sophisticated” strategy, he said in last weekend’s radio address, is to distribute “images of violence” to television networks, Web sites and journalists to “demoralize our country.”
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article15442.htm

Chris Floyd | Postcards of the Hanging
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103106J.shtml
Chris Floyd writes: "These are the deadly ghosts that the Republican Party has been dancing with for decades in its 'Southern Strategy' of fomenting white resentment and marginalizing black political participation. Anyone who says that such tactics are not racist is either a fool or a liar ..."

Robert Parry | All the President's Lies
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103106N.shtml
Robert Parry writes, "Many Americans are cynical about what they hear from politicians - and often with good reason - but perhaps no US political leader in modern history has engaged in a pattern of lying and distortion more systematically than George W. Bush has."

Pentagon Memo Reveals Launch of New PR War
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103106O.shtml
The Pentagon is buttressing its public relations staff and starting an operation akin to a political campaign war room as Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld faces intensifying criticism over the Iraq war.

Dean Baker | Social Security Is on the Ballot Next Week
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103106L.shtml
Dean Baker writes: "With the Congressional elections fast approaching, one issue that has received remarkably little attention is Social Security. While it is understandable that the public would attach a higher priority to ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Social Security has barely registered a blip in public opinion surveys on the list of issues on voters' minds."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6096098.stm
Iraq inquiry call rejected by MPs
An attempt to force the government to hold an inquiry into the Iraq war has failed in the House of Commons.
Excerpt:
But Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett warned it was "not the time", as an inquiry could undermine troops' morale.

{{{"Not the right time." Haven't we heard versions of that EXCUSE before in the US? That's like saying it would be a "waste of time" to impeach Bush/Cheney. After all the war crimes and high crimes and misdemeanors and the endless string of LIES they've told us since 2000, how can any Rep or Senator say it would be a "waste of time" to impeache the bam dastards?!?}}}

Bush will respond - to try to keep this on the nightly news with the conservative spin of questioning patriotism - by chickenhawks - who started the war in the first place - with lies - using our tax money.

Another response:

Statement of Max Cleland on John Kerry’s Response to GOP Attacks

"I think people will remember John Kerry's press conference today as the moment we Democrats stopped once and forever accepting the disgraceful smears of Republicans. John Kerry showed our Party how to fight back with the truth.

“John Kerry is a patriot who has fought tooth and nail for veterans ever since he came home from Vietnam. He has stood with his brothers in arms unlike this Administration which exploits our troops to make a political point and divide America.

“John Kerry should apologize to no one for his criticism of the President and his broken policy in Iraq. George Bush is the one who owes our troops an apology. This is text book Republican campaign tactics.

“Everybody knows it's not working this time around. If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they've got a partisan political agenda and that's the bottom line. We're not going to take it any more."

---all hands to defend on the blogosphere

Wait until the war is over
And we're both a little older
The unknown soldier

Breakfast where the news is read
Television children fed
Unborn living, living, dead
Bullet strikes the helmet's head

And it's all over
For the unknown soldier

Make a grave for the unknown soldier
Nestled in your hollow shoulder
The unknown soldier

Breakfast where the news is read
Television children fed
Bullet strikes the helmet's head

And, it's all over
The war is over

Jim Morrison

"No Child Left Behind Act
Schools and Military Recruiter Information
The No Child Left Behind Act requires that schools provide students' name, address and phone number to military recruiters. "

http://www.olympus.net/personal/gofamily/co/nochild.html

those kids in California knew what Kerry was referring to. Its too bad Snowe wasn't bright enough to figure it out.

In 2004 John Kerry slamed Bush on his joke about weapons of mass destruction joke at Press Dinner. It should be played over and over again.

http://www.yuricareport.com/Campaign2004/BushJokesAboutNoWMDs.html

Protestor at Allen event today thrown to floor in strangle hold.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149191438539

PLEASE go vote at CNN lou dobbs...NOW!!

Here's the link Patti F. was referring to.

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/

I'm sorry, but this is one reason I rarely post on here anymore. John Kerry made a huge political blunder with his speech, and not a single blogger here will admit to it. This is not a week that CNN should be talking about John Kerry, or Al Gore, or any of our other failed (though Gore didn't truly fail) candidates of the past. Kerry should not have even IMPLIED that our soldiers, all of whom are volunteers, are there because they couldn't navigate the education system, and only those who worship JFK in the same way the Repugs worship Georgie would deny that this might have an effect on this election. It's ok to be a liberal, and it's ok to be a Kerry supporter, but in political campaigning, it's not ok to be naive. This thing could be a disaster. There are too many states that are only a point apart in this race, and the statement just led the network news on all 3 networks. And there is no twisting the statement around- read it, and you'll see that. Kerry's off the cuff statement during the election that he would still vote for the IWR, even knowing what he knew in 2004, probably cost him the young voters who just MIGHT have come out and swayed that very close election. I'm sorry- JK needs to stay out of this election if he can't more carefully consider his words. Because we all know this country's future depends on it. Now, I'll lurk again awhile , while everyone on here tries to explain away what he said. Too bad the news media isn't going to bother to explain it away, and too bad the average American isn't bright enough to take the statement for anything except what was actually said. Because we no longer have habeas corpus rights, we're being spied on by our own government, we've had over 100 kids killed in Iraq this month, and we don't have party leadership bright enough to not screw up the election. It's just maddening.

Linda Enrerkin,

Softball just masterfully defended Kerry's statements he thinks the GOP played this one wrong and he knows Kerry was talking about Bush. I do not defend Kerry as a rule because he made his own mess last election in many ways. But this time I think everyone but Bush and company totally understood what he was saying, and the only reason they did not was because they wanted to missunderstand him. McCain was weak when he attacked Kerry today so weak he could barely read what was written for him he was very anti-McCain meaning he was not straightshooting and you could tell.

Both statements could be true (this helped, this hurt). I just read the stories NewsMax sends out - that would be the extreme rightwing. They definitely love a story like this at this juncture. On the other hand, this country is very unpredictable. No amount of patriotic fervor is going to make things right in Iraq.

For crying out loud - I read on a Kos comment that Bush himself will be on Limbaugh's show tomorrow. That means the base he has left is the Dittoheads. This country is incredible.

"He then said: "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

Bush is not in Iraq, ie. the statement was not about Bush.
Over a hundred thousand children of American voters are in Iraq. The statement was about soldiers.
Soldiers are not "failed Students."
They are volunteers, serving our country.

That's what American voters will be thinking tomorrow when they read this incredibly stupid ( and PLANNED) remark in their local papers, if they even read. The rest of them have heard it already on the 6:00 news tonight.
John Kerry doesn't owe George W Bush an apology.
But he owes someone an apology.
And the sad part is, that if he does apologize, it will only add more light to the statement.

There are NO positives.
Denial is not a river in Egypt.
This will affect SOME votes in this election.
Those are the facts.
Now I really will go away.

By his response to Senator Kerry's remarks, George W. Bush has once again demonstrated that his strategies are drawn directly out of the playbook of that snake in the Garden of Eden.

George W. Bush knows perfectly well that Kerry was referring to him - a failed President that Republicans are running away from in droves during this campaign season. George W. Bush knows perfectly well that Kerry was not referring to our brave soldiers serving in Iraq.

It is crystal clear to anyone with a brain, even Bush's brain, that George W. Bush is the worst President in modern American history, and one of the most fundamentally dishonest to boot.

And as for John McCain, well...I guess that some men will say just about anything to become Jerry Falwell's candidate for President.

Linda great to hear from you but you are way off base. Matthew Dowd, major Republican operative just admitted what this is all about fake outrage by Rove and was going to be said about JK no matter what he said. Dowd just said that he knows that JK is a great friend of the military. Keeping Iraq on the front page for another news cycle is a good thing. Voters understand that this election is not about John Kerry but about Iraq no matter how Rove and Mehlman want to spind this. I have spent the last 2 monts in Ohio and Virgina Linda and I think I have some insight into this election. Those are 2 Senate races that we are going to win and I doubt last summer anyone here would have ever contemplated Ted Strickland winning by 30 point, Sherrod Brown by 12 points and Jim Webb by 5%. What I would like to know is how Jim Davis has managed to come from 14 points back 2 weeks ago and very little money, from what I see as a proabable uspset in Florida? I am very positive about next Tuesday and think we now have a very good chance of not only taking the House but the Senate. Did I mention that John Kerry has raised and contributed over $10 million dollars for these candidate's campaign and campaigned on behalf of over 45 Congressional candidates in the last year. I understand you were not thrilled with JK in '04 I respect but differ with that position. We can talk about '08 next year, lets just past next Tuesday.

We have been crying for a leader, we said we want to have a voice. Kerry spoke out, and some people don't like what he had to say. I think it's damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I don't care whether John Kerry meant Bush or the children of poorer folks who do not go to college. In my opinion he was speaking the truth.
And he said what he had to say without mincing words.

I also agree that this war is so on the front of people's minds that what John Kerry said won't change their vote.

Why do we worry that one of our spokesmen makes a public statement that not everyone agrees with? He's not starving or killing anyone, and that's more than I can say for the party in power.

Don't forget: The polls lean STRONGLY in favor of Dems and AGAINST the Iraq war. How on earth could Kerry's comments offend the strong majority who know Iraq is a quagmire, and feel that our children are dying needlessly over there?

Today's NBC/WSJ poll had only 37% of Americans stating that removing Saddam was worth the effort.

Linda Enterkin
I think this could affect some votes - depends on whether they are in critical places. The climate of the country has changed as two more years have gone by & nothing has appreciably gotten better, except some already rich people are getting richer off this war. I suppose Bush et al were waiting for any Dem comment they could "spin" - they'll find something else tomorrow - anything to shift to gays and Vietnam instead of Katrina and Iraq, I suppose.

Well I already filled out my ballot and it's sealed, stamped and going out. I suspect alot of people have already made up their minds.

Linda - here, at least, politics is very local this year. JK's statement gets a lot of airplay on Fox and so do the Bush stump speeches but really it's the scandals and catfights between all the local candidates that people are focusing on this year, if they are even bothering to vote, which many are not.

Even in the military and even in a very red state, there is a lot of frustration about the economy and about Iraq. And about Katrina. A statement by JK may make folks around here wonder why he's still getting air time but won't make them change their vote for governor, senator, or representative.

IMHO.

In a stealth maneuver, President Bush has signed into law a provision which, according to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), will actually encourage the President to declare federal martial law (1). It does so by revising the Insurrection Act, a set of laws that limits the President's ability to deploy troops within the United States. The Insurrection Act (10 U.S.C.331 -335) has historically, along with the Posse Comitatus Act (18 U.S.C.1385), helped to enforce strict prohibitions on military involvement in domestic law enforcement. With one cloaked swipe of his pen, Bush is seeking to undo those prohibitions.

Public Law 109-364, or the "John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007" (H.R.5122) (2), which was signed by the commander in chief on October 17th, 2006, in a private Oval Office ceremony, allows the President to declare a "public emergency" and station troops anywhere in America and take control of state-based National Guard units without the consent of the governor or local authorities, in order to "suppress public disorder."

President Bush seized this unprecedented power on the very same day that he signed the equally odious Military Commissions Act of 2006. In a sense, the two laws complement one another. One allows for torture and detention abroad, while the other seeks to enforce acquiescence at home, preparing to order the military onto the streets of America. Remember, the term for putting an area under military law enforcement control is precise; the term is "martial law."

Section 1076 of the massive Authorization Act, which grants the Pentagon another $500-plus-billion for its ill-advised adventures, is entitled, "Use of the Armed Forces in Major Public Emergencies." Section 333, "Major public emergencies; interference with State and Federal law" states that "the President may employ the armed forces, including the National Guard in Federal service, to restore public order and enforce the laws of the United States when, as a result of a natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition in any State or possession of the United States, the President determines that domestic violence has occurred to such an extent that the constituted authorities of the State or possession are incapable of ("refuse" or "fail" in) maintaining public order, "in order to suppress, in any State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy."

For the current President, "enforcement of the laws to restore public order" means to commandeer guardsmen from any state, over the objections of local governmental, military and local police entities; ship them off to another state; conscript them in a law enforcement mode; and set them loose against "disorderly" citizenry - protesters, possibly, or those who object to forced vaccinations and quarantines in the event of a bio-terror event.

The law also facilitates militarized police round-ups and detention of protesters, so called "illegal aliens," "potential terrorists" and other "undesirables" for detention in facilities already contracted for and under construction by Halliburton. That's right. Under the cover of a trumped-up "immigration emergency" and the frenzied militarization of the southern border, detention camps are being constructed right under our noses, camps designed for anyone who resists the foreign and domestic agenda of the Bush administration.

Continues

http://www.informationliberation.com/print.php?id=17432&PHPSESSID=8e558e61cbb6bb8ab5f63fd6ef5b827a

Posted by: Christy at October 31, 2006 09:51 PM

I guess, I better watch what I say, or I might have a stay at the Halliburton Hotel.

Christy
All the more reason to get control of the House of Representatives, or we are no different from any Banana Republic anywhere.

V
I listened to NPR all the way home & heard nothing about the Bush/Kerry thing. That was kind of refreshing. My husband heard some of it on Air America, including Vets who called in & said they agreed with Kerry. No one at work knew about it, & I also found out that only 4 of 15 people had heard of Rush Limbaugh and 0 of 15 had heard of Anne Coulter!!

Trick or Treaters are showing up. In 2004 we had a lifesize John Kerry cutout & he handed out the candy. So we do it every year now. The kids like to be photographed with him & they all know who he is. We are getting alot of big kids this year. We're giving out M&Ms. Alot of pirates & we had a "homeless" guy (which was in pretty poor taste - probably a lazy dad's idea) - he had a sign that said "Will work for candy"

There have been parties solid from Wednesday night as Halloween is one of the biggest nights of the year, and then starts Dia de le Meurta with more events.

WE NEED SUBPOENA POWER AND WE NEED IT NOW!!

By the way, anyone heard anything from the Supreme Court - did they consider the case of Boehner v McDermott tonight as planned? That could be a true "October surprise" - it is a big Freedom of Speech case that many are not aware of.

http://www.kndo.com

Bingo. The case will be heard next year - and it was federal appeals court, not Supreme Court yet. Watch media be shut down further still, if Boehner gets his way. Hypocritical to think he has any say about "ethics" - after DeLay, Foley, Hastert, etc.

Full appeals court hears McDermott taped-call dispute

WASHINGTON A federal appeals court in Washington, D-C, heard arguments today in the case in which Congressman Jim McDermott is accused of giving an illegally taped phone call to reporters.

McDermott's lawyer told the court that he should not be punished because he had merely received the tape from a Florida couple and therefore had done nothing wrong.

The lawyer says punishing McDermott could hurt the news media's ability to gather information on important public issues. Lawyers for 18 news organizations (including The Associated Press) filed a brief backing McDermott.

The recording was a 1996 call involving then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Congressman John Boehner (BAY'-ner) who is now House majority leader.

Boehner's lawyer says McDermott's actions were especially wrong because he received the tape in his capacity as a member of the House ethics committee, who was sworn to confidentiality.

The appeals court is expected to rule next year.

I VOTED FOR MCDERMOTT

I have already voted too, DiAnne, but unfortunately I live in Ohio. They are fighting in court to see if votes will be counted. It's all due to Lord Blackwell and his voter id law. time will tell. Many people are ready to march on Columbus at the slightest hint of election fraud this time.

http://www.seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003332668_webmcdermotttape31.html

In arguments that evoked the Pentagon Papers and other press freedom cases, lawyer Christopher Landau said McDermott had merely received the tape from a Florida couple and therefore had done nothing wrong.

A finding against McDermott could chill the news media's ability to gather information on important public issues, Landau said.
"It's hard to overstate the impact of the case on the media," he said.

Lawyers for 18 news organizations - including ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, The Associated Press, The New York Times and The Washington Post - have filed a brief backing McDermott, who gave reporters access to a recording of a 1996 call involving then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled against McDermott in March. The 2-1 opinion upheld a lower court ruling that McDermott had violated the rights of Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, who was heard on the 1996 call. Boehner was then a Gingrich lieutenant and is now House majority leader.

The full nine-member appeals court vacated the ruling this spring and heard new arguments in the case on today. A ruling is expected next year.

Boehner's lawyer, Michael Carvin, told the court that McDermott's actions were clearly illegal. He compared McDermott to a "fence" who received stolen goods and then sold them. McDermott's actions were especially egregious because he received the tape in his capacity as a member of the House ethics committee, who was sworn to confidentiality, Carvin said.

Judge David S. Tatel said that under Carvin's interpretation, the New York Times and other newspapers that published the contents of the tape could be held liable. "The argument to extend it to the New York Times is quite powerful," Tatel said.
"I'm not representing the New York Times," Carvin responded. "I'm perfectly happy to throw them overboard."

But Landau said a ruling against McDermott would be disastrous for a free press.

"You are basically saying Congress can indict the media if it is deemed they knew the information was unlawfully obtained," he said.

The case is Boehner v. McDermott, 04-7203.

DO NOT OVERLOOK THIS CASE IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO LIVE IN AN OPEN SOCIETY>

A little more - looks like it was an appeal so Boehner has not won yet.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled against McDermott in March. The 2-1 opinion upheld a lower court ruling that McDermott had violated the rights of Rep. John Boehner, who was heard on the 1996 call. Boehner was then a Gingrich lieutenant and is now House majority leader.

The full nine-member appeals court canceled the ruling this spring and heard new arguments in the case on Tuesday. A ruling is expected next year.

That's International Herald Tribune.

Kay,
Good luck! That I did hear on NPR. People need to start thinking about alternatives if "working within the system" (voting, etc) are tampered with - remember the Civil Rights marches, the Vietnam antiwar marches, etc. 9/11 scared the American people into submission, but this is not our history.
People need to get some payoff - it's not a case of blind, unquestioning obedience.

Remember Renee from Ohio? I've seen some diaries by her about Ohio, on Daily Kos.

PS Blackwell must be desperate - he looks terrible in the polls.
I had no idea.

Lest we forget ..

“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”

–George Bush at signing of defense appropriations bill, August 5, 2004

General Claudia Kennedy Defends Veteran John Kerry Against GOP Attacks

Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Claudia J. Kennedy, the first woman to achieve the rank of three-star general in the United States Army, defended Senator John Kerry today in the wake of right-wing attacks.

Her statement is below:

“Senator John Kerry has served our country with great distinction, both in the military and in the United States Senate. The men and women of our armed forces know they have a friend and tireless advocate in John Kerry. When it comes to Iraq, he's right to stand up against baseless attacks, and right to keep fighting for a better course for our troops and our country.”

It's not too late - download a mask of maybe Kim Jong-Il .. or Mark Foley.

http://www.forbes.com/2006/10/23/tech-media_06deadcelebs_cx_pf_halloween-masks.html?partner=links

Joel Connelly, Seattle P-I (This took place in Seattle, this morning)

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/seattlepolitics/archives/108204.asp

A Focussed, Fighting Kerry

At Espresso Vivace on Capitol Hill, Sen. John Kerry inhaled a cupcake, and then set out to demonstrate why he isn't a cupcake.

The Democrats' 2004 presidential nominee has obviously brooded at a "lost summer" in which the Bush campaign landed body blows, labeled him weak on national defense, and manipulated a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that demeaned Kerry's record in Vietnam.

Awarded the Silver Star and three Purple Hearts as a Navy lieutenant, Kerry had basked in accolades from old Navy buddies as he swept through the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

When slimed, even by Republicans who never served, he remained curiously detached.

The Kerry witnessed on Capitol Hill yesterday was spoiling for a fight. It was as if Kerry were heeding the famous World War II command of Adm. Bull Halsey: "Attack, repeat, attack."

Counterpunch might be a better way to describe it. Late Monday, in California, Kerry stumbled while talking to students about Bush, his advisers, and the administration's "failed strategy" in Iraq.

"You know," Kerry told them, "education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't you get stuck in Iraq."

He meant to say that Bush was stuck in Iraq. Instead, the remark appeared to condescend toward the U.S. troops who have been fighting --- and, in increasing numbers, dying -- in a far-off land.

The White House seized on the remark yesterday. Bush called it "insulting" and "shameful" and said that Kerry "owes" the troops an apology.

But the diffident Kerry of two summers ago reacted like a South Boston brawler -- the same Kerry that used eight debates to come from behind and thrash Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld when the two faced off in a memorable 1996 Senate race.

He declared that Bush should do the apologizing, for invading Iraq on false pretenses, failing to provide troops with adequate armor, and left the U.S. "bogged down" in harm's way "as a result of arrogance and ignorance."

He made an acid reference to the five deferrments received by Dick Cheney during the Vietnam War. He talked about billions of dollars "wasted" in Iraq on no-bid contracts. And, referring to Bush, declared: "The president always sets up a straw man because he won't debate a real man."

The jury -- America's voters -- is still out. But 2006 may go down in America's political history as the year that Democrats stopped acting like wimps.

Kerry's response yesterday was immediate and from the gut. A pro-Democrat veterans group has run graphic TV spots showing the consequences of not providing troops with adequate body armor. The Democrats' Senate nominee in Virgina, author and Viet vet James Webb, has run a spot in which President Reagan praised his military service. Veterans are shown saluting a Democratic House nominee in Pennsylvania, a retired three-star admiral.

Espresso Vivace has the scene of more than one kind of wake-up on Tuesday.

JK blog is crawling with freepers.

Posted by: not my president at October 31, 2006 11:53 PM

The place needed an exterminator. The moderators really must have been hustling. I am sure I did not make things any easier with some of my attempts at troll smashing. I admit I went a bit over the top. But my juices were flowing and it reminded me of 2004. Fun.

On the JK remark....

I took it to be a backhand personal slam against the most incredibly stupid being who has ever "led" this country. W may have "served" (AWOL) during the Nam years being a fly-boy to protect the TX border, but he was a partying cheerleader in college, which does not make him a good student... and because of W's lack of studying, lack of intelligence, lack of educating himself, lack of curiosity, his selfishness and stupidity (and LIES) got us into Iraq, which only proves he can't read a map, since US military personnel were only supposed to go into Afghanistan. Someone took a wrong turn somewhere....

Besides which, way back then, if a guy was too stupid to apply himself in his college courses and flunked out (without having any political pull to get him a cushy job or a Guard position), then he really did end up in the military as a draftee. In a twist of fate for today's world, a person too stupid to do anything other than enlist for the bonus and a person who believes W's lies and war propaganda does end up in Iraq for the simple reason he/she doesn't have any critical thinking skills. (I'm not counting the people who enlisted pre-9/11 who have been forced into multiple tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan who really were following a call to duty and who do possess critical thinking skills.) Anyone who enlisted post 9/11 bought into the bandwagon patriotism and xenophobia and the lies, if they didn't enlist for the enlistment bonuses, thinking they wouldn't end up over there.

Or else I didn't get the joke. I really did think it was a personal slam against W, never did figure out why W's handlers and spinmeisters didn't figure it out, am still wondering how the personal dig at W ended up being an 'insult' to the troops. Only in Rove's world....

But, as an in-state commentator said during his one-minute commentary during the 10 p.m. news, he knew someone on one or both sides of the aisle would say something stupid at least six days before election day, and all the spinmeisters would analyze and parse words about whatever stupidity that was said to the exclusion of everything else and the focus would be on the people who are not running for office this year, and it would take people's minds off of the candidates and the issues....

So, for the next week I don't expect anyone in Lamestream Media to focus on anything other than the JK/W remarks (neither of whom is running for office this time), and no one will be talking about candidates or issues....

Posted by: NonnyO at November 1, 2006 01:24 AM

There are plenty of people, even today, who do not simply enlist for the money or especially the propaganda. Talk to a few. You'll be surprised what they say.

An excellent article I think yall should read every word of...

This history, this system, is the real context for the RNC ad and Corker's jungle drums. These are the deadly ghosts that the Republican Party has been dancing with for decades in its "Southern Strategy" of fomenting white resentment and marginalizing black political participation. Anyone who says that such tactics are not racist is either a fool or a liar - or has no Southern blood, where these restless spirits dwell.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/103106J.shtml

NonnyO
JK should not apologize to anyone. The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars are crawling with vets who have never done anything for JK in the first place, but who serve as backdrops for W. There are many reasons why people join the military but there has to be a wide range for degree of self-examination and questioning of authority, just as there is for the general public. I am with those who think very carefully about any move they make in life - it's context, who will be helped or hurt. People need to live with the decisions they make.

JK was right at his press conference to insist that Republicans be exposed for continuing to turn things into personal attacks, for continuing to spin everything away from issue and policy, for refusing to make good policy, for refusing to publicly discuss policy, and most of all for lying to the public.

My son once said that Bush could go on tv and take a dump in front of the cameras and his poll ratings would go up temporarily then go back down. All publicity is good publicitiy in this country. As long as it's not about sex, as we're a Puritan-based society. Those who don't like Kerry never did like Kerry. He's not running and if he does, continuing to focus on the war will not hurt him. People need to wake up. More than a hundred military died last month and for what.

Vietnam was a failure and as long as people won't admit it, they'll attack Kerry. Iraq is a failure and as long as people won't admit it, they'll attack Kerry, Murtha, Feingold or anyone else who speaks out against death for oil.

I woke up several times thinking about this and the final time, after sleeping on it, conclude that he should remain on the offensive, call the shots, repeat himself as many times as necessary, stay focussed, stay mad, let them have it with both barrels, and ignore the framing which questions his patriotism.

The same approach should be taken with trolls. If they say things like "I am a Democrat but now I will vote straight Republican" - call them a liar. I used to want to just say "that's not true. Here are some facts." Now I finally see the value of saying "Stop lying." I think Christy was trying to tell me about that recently. I see the light.

The Truth will set us free.

Indeed, the Kerry nonstory is the top story on every major news website.

The headlines, from msnbc.com "Ducking For Cover"...
From cnn.com... "Kerry Scarce On Campaign Trail"

Un-B-fuggin-lievable

Americas new theme song:
"Dumb, duh-dumb, dumb, DUMMMMMMMMB!"

Rush Limbaugh, Michael J. Fox and the cruelty within

Great article from Salon.com on Republicans' hypocrisy

Limbaugh says that Democrats always do this: They trot out someone who's a victim of something or other and thereby make it impossible to engage in reasoned debate. . . . it's the same argument Ann Coulter makes about family members who lost loved ones on 9/11 and have the audacity to say that they wish the Bush administration were doing more to stop the next terrorist attack.

Is there anything to this argument? Maybe, but what's the alternative? Are Limbaugh and Coulter suggesting that we deny those most directly affected by government policies any role in debating them? Should wealthy executives be silenced during discussions of tax cuts? Should the automakers be denied a say in any debate over fuel economy standards? Did Limbaugh complain this week when George W. Bush said that the United States has to stay the course in Iraq -- well, not "stay the course, " but you know what we mean -- out of allegiance to "the husbands who have lost their partners in life ... children who won't ever see their mom and dad again ... and to the families who still have loved ones in harm's way"?

It's OK for Dick Cheney and the Republican National Committee to suggest that we'll all die at the hands of terrorists if Democrats are elected in November, but it's somehow unfair for a guy suffering from Parkinson's disease to say that he hopes Missourians elect a senator who supports stem-cell research?

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2006/10/27/fox/index.html

If the Republicans truly believe that stem cell research would be "destroying human life" why aren't they protesting to ban invitro fertilization?

New stories on BBC world news & on NPR. They were more concerned with anniversary of Japanese terror unleashed on China in the 1940s & with what's happening in Ethiopia v Eritrea. Foreign newspaper stories treated it all as a joke, as they like to laugh at us by now anyway, since our media is a big circus and mouthpiece for the WH. Internet news stories & blogs domestically are still recycling stuff from the last 2 days but it'll die out - the news cycle is short & so is the attention span of most. Many blog commentaries are tired stuff we've all heard, Swifty stuff from those in denial.

McGavick here in WA tried to damage Cantwell for "hosting" JK for his press conference, which is a joke. JK is always welcome in Seattle - Republicans aren't. Conservative papers like WA Post (Murdoch voice) and WA TImes (Reverend Moon voice) made a big deal of cancelled appearances by JK in MN and IA. Well he'll be with Casey (v Santorum) today.

Onward to recapture the House & Senate!

Posted by: T Barnett at November 1, 2006 10:14 AM

Exactly. That's why it's so hypocritical. They don't ban "throwing away the embryos that were part of a fertilization process", they just make a big to do about stem cell research.

They appeal to people's emotions, and most people don't know enough about stem cell research or the fertilization process to know this fact:

They are phoneys.

Are we going to let them get away with taking over the airwaves with Senator Kerry's supposed gaff?

I fear for Senator Kerry's safety.

Dick,

I am sure all of you are on top of this, but the media is beginning to distort the cancellations of some John Kerry campaign stops. I certainly hope the Senator will be filling up that time focusing the final week of the campaign on the following:

"I think in the end, this will turn out to be a very nice move for the Democratic Party. John Kerry has in one small speaking flub, taken control of the single issue that most voters care about in this election, Iraq.

No longer are the news media focusing on gay marriage objections, the 'robust' economy, or other Republican wedge issues, they are focusing on Iraq and support for the troops.

What will come out of this are some of the things that John Kerry and others have been talking about. This administrations total lack of preparedness for war and other domestic disasters and their callous willingness to place/leave US citizens in harms way."

Give em Hell!

Posted by: DiAnne at October 31, 2006 11:43 PM

WOO HOOOOOO!!!!

Once again, THANK YOU Senator Kerry!!!!

The slimers will try to make this about Kerry, but Kerry will continuously make it about Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld and Iraq!!!!

BRING IT ON!!!!

(Now if only the press will play it straight.)

Great start on Imus. Keep that ball rolling guys!

I don't think Kerry should apologize to anyone either.

Lamestream Media, however, needs to apologize to the American public for distorting this non-story way out of proportion, and any in-state media needs to re-focus their political stories to the statewide and local candidates and issues.

And, if anyone gets criticized for slamming DumDum for his years and years and years and years and years of LIES and repeated LIES and the LIES to cover the original LIES, or for pointing out his misbegotten war for oil and why they aren't jumping on the patriotic bandwagon, they need to print up little cards with the Teddy Roosevelt quote to hand out to the people who criticize them:

“To announce there must be no criticism of the President, and to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, it is morally treasonous to the American public.”
– President Theodore Roosevelt

Truth Shall Prevail
Now I read the Casey appearance has been cancelled & that Tester is distancing.

This too shall pass - conservative operatives do opposition research everywhere and are always looking for a distraction away from their lack of record.

Keep the faith. The corruption and failures of the party in power are actual. Alot of the "spin" is virtual.

Like your name, the Truth Shall Prevail. It's taking awhile, but lies on top of lies does little to alter the underlying truth.

What we need right now is a little emotional detachment from what is in the news media & to get out the vote.

Those jumping on the Fox bandwagon weren't going to vote for progressives anyway.

I just talked to a disgruntled Independent here at work who can't stand either party and wants a third party. She's not a lefty either - she is kind of along the lines of Lieberman.

The point is, the Bush v Kerry type of stuff just alienates a person like this further. What she will do is focus on local issues, not candidates. She will try to figure out what either of them actually plan to do, in making a decision.

What she said to me is, "I want to know what either party will actually DO about Iraq. No one is talking about that." That may or may not be true, but the perception is certainly that they spend more time attacking each other & the system is pretty much set up that way.

The country is very polarized and it's hard to imagine people in the middle who can't figure out which way to go, but it's not very hard to imagine that they get sick of the bickering.

Who doesn't?!

I was just watching the first half of The View (ABC) - I occasionally try to watch it since Rosie O'Donnell joined the group (I still detest the blonde idiot who is a Bu$h Groupie).

O'Donnell had the original Kerry quote from the prepared manuscript - Kerry botched a joke about DumDum.......

So, the kerfluffle for the next week will be because of a botched joke....

DiAnne,

What is the Kerry blog URL? Can we post it here?

DiAnne,

You've got mail.

Thanks Joe:

"Lieberman's coattails could carry the GOP incumbents to re-election and undercut Democratic hopes of majority control of the House.

"It does help me," Shays said in a recent interview. "I know there will be a lot of Republicans who will vote for him, as well as a lot of independents and Democrats. ..."

DiAnne,

One of the pundits last night said that it's a sad but true fact that negative ads work.

Kerry was the ultimate gentleman during the '04 campaign, and they slimed him. He's not waiting to be on the defensive this time. I am very glad.

NBC and CNN had Rove's smiling face on nonstop this morning.....appeared ruthless to me.

Kerry may be cancelling appearances because of security issues, not because he won't help the candidates.

Iraq speaks all by itself.

And, yes, DiAnne, that is why I chose my name years ago when many people were still buying the lie. Truth indeed has a power of it's own. Always has, always will.

"Now I finally see the value of saying "Stop lying." I think Christy was trying to tell me about that recently. I see the light. "

It was not you specifically I was trying to say that too. It was really about all of us.

I was not trying to single you out, only point out a question we should all contemplate.

The question fascinates me:

If you know for a fact that someone is lying are you the type of person to call them a 'liar'?

I do believe it goes to the heart of the most dangerous of all forms of political correctness.

That political correctness is what the liar is counting on. It is how they get away with it.

Dear Friends.

Some of you continue to ignore, at this country’s peril, the fact that our elections have become a farce, like those in a third world country. Watch HBO’s documentary on Nov. 2nd (and throughout the month of November) and see if your lack of concern is justified.

In the upcoming November 7th election we will not be having exit polls. Exit polls have been used for years as a part of system of checks and balances. This system has disappeared along with the exit polls. They have been eliminated because in 2004, they did what they were supposed to do, and revealed that election results in several states (Ohio, FL, New Mexico and several others) were inaccurate (intentionally or accidentally?). So what do we do, we eliminate the exit polls so that no one will know when the will of the people has been subverted.

For those of you who still do not take this issue seriously, I implore you to watch this documentary. You owe it to this once great nation. Just how long are we going to bury our heads in the sand? When are we going to face reality? We are the progressives. We are the ones that look at the facts and live in a reality based world instead of a world of make believe. By ignoring the fact that our elections, one after the other since the year 2000, have been subverted through both voter suppression and machines that provide unverifiable results, we, not the neocons, are determining the destiny of this country.

CNN's Lou Dobb's: 'We are beginning to behave like a Banana Republic, this great superpower of ours.'

Lou Also Interviews Bev Harris and Hugh Thompson about New HBO Documentary 'Hacking Democracy'

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.Org

Tuesday's segment of "Democracy at Risk" was about the increasing incidents of problems in Florida during early voting. After discussing the problems encountered by some voters, Gov. Bush was quoted and showed that he is no smarter than his brother:

"We're a model for the reset of the country and we're a model on how we certify equipment as well."

Bush needs to open his eyes and look at what is happening around him. Of course, he might find out there are problems and that would mean doing something to fix them, which would mean making decisions, which would mean….Oh never mind! As Lou said in closing the segment: "Idiotic. Idiotic. Unbelievable. It's just — it's incredible."

And in the "Hacking Democracy" segment we learn that though Diebold is protesting the fact that HBO is going to air the documentary all month beginning on Nov. 2; Diebold is protesting a different documentary than the one HBO is airing.

It is no wonder that no one from Diebold has agreed to appear on Lou Dobbs. They might have to get the facts right.

Elizabeth Walter

The U.S. is not a third world country, so why do I feel like I live in a banana republic?

Posted by: Elizabeth at November 1, 2006 12:43 PM

We're not a third world country, we just play one on TV.

Ask your doctor if the truth is right for you.

Void where prohibited.

If you know for a fact that someone is lying are you the type of person to call them a 'liar'?

I do believe it goes to the heart of the most dangerous of all forms of political correctness.

That political correctness is what the liar is counting on. It is how they get away with it.
Posted by: Christy at November 1, 2006 12:30 PM

Yes, I do call a liar a LIAR to his/her face - or behind their backs if they're not present. I've been severely criticized for speaking truth to LIES and LIARS over the years (long before the 2000 farce, in professional and personal life for almost half a century).

I can be perfectly tactful in other situations, but not when someone is LYING to me - and, in Bu$hCo's case, LYING to the people of this nation and the people of other countries, and all for personal gain, or the gain of corporate cronies.

It's why I get so danged mad when politicians and snooze anchors very politely say weak phrases like 'we were misled' (we were NOT 'misled' - we were LIED to, repeatedly, and people like me knew we were being LIED to then just because of LYING body language), or only say something 'was not true.' What's wrong with a shorter one-syllable word: LIE, LIAR, LIED.... That is, after all, what Bu$hCo has been doing all along. Yet politicians and pundits continually use the less-than-stark phrases that mean the same, but without the impact of the words LIE, LIED, LYING, LIAR, LIES, etc. It's like they're allergic to plain-spoken language!

And, yes. You are correct. Polite political correctness is what psychopathic LIARS count on from their opponents, and it's why they get by with almost-half-truths spun into almost good-sounding rhetoric - and their outright oft-repeated LIES.

MSNBC is covering the faulty electronic voting machines today.

Just in from Not My President who is at work and can't post as often as he would like to:

"Found the Imus apology, now people should just drop it already!"

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15512797/

The U.S. is not a third world country, so why do I feel like I live in a banana republic?
Posted by: Elizabeth at November 1, 2006 12:43 PM

Because until or unless most of the smarmy legislation passed by the Rubber Stamp Congress Critters since 2001 is repealed, especially that piece of toilet paper officially known as the 'Military Commissions Act of 2006' (unofficially the 'torture bill' or the 'detainee bill') that gives the executive branch dictatorial powers, we ARE, in fact, a banana republic....

IF the Dems vote in overwhelming numbers in a mandate against that unconstitutional, illegal, immoral, unethical, dishonorable war crime in Iraq, and IF that can happen in states where e-voting machines can be hacked into (gads, I hope those states get something passed in their state legislatures mandating paper ballots!), I suspect Herr Dictator Boosh will start employing some of his dictatorial powers immediately after Nov. 7. I think for the moment he's holding off, giving people the false impression that we're still the republic the Founding Fathers gave us. But, if there is a clear Dem majority elected on Nov. 7 in spite of e-voting machines, I expect things will get a whole lot worse before Thanksgiving....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061101/ts_nm/usa_elections_women_dc_2
Unmarried women targeted in election
Excerpt:
"Women do lean Democratic," she said. "Will unmarried women turn out this year? Because they lean Democratic by two to one, that would be disastrous for Republicans."

{More on link.}

I think John Kerry should just call a press conference, and have a short-to-the-point speech ready apologizing for the gaff, then blasting the administration for their lies that cost our troops their lives.

He already apologised on Imus. The rest he should hammer away at, yes. I got a mailing from DCCC with Wes Clark. Good to work with him also at a time like this.

The whole thing reminds me of a biography I'm reading, about Jim Morrison. It occurs back in the height of the Vietnam War & speaks to media hype, about celebrities, politics & the war. They can make anything into a circus.

Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side, yeah

I agree with Ed Schultz who just said the Republicans don't want to run against Kerry in '08 they are setting up Hillary as the nominee. He said Kerry would set up an I told you so campaign which they don't want, since everything he predicted about Iraq has come true and conservatives can't stand that.

(Now if only the press will play it straight.)

Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at November 1, 2006 10:36 AM

I think you are expecting way too much.

Okay, I have to be honest here, and I will not put this out anywhere else, but...

Can someone show me where else other than Imus that Senator Kerry is talking to the media and pointing up the failed policies of this administration? Honestly, I can understand why he would not want to stump with some candidates in close races so that he would not distract from their message, but simply returning to Washington and being quiet is wrong.

Senator Kerry made myself and a lot of other Dems proud when he first made his statement rebutting the thugs (that part still does), but to return to Washington and be silent, only appears that he is running from a fight.

I'm sorry to be so blunt about this, but that is how I am feeling about it right now and this is a serious mistake. Keep this campaign focused on the failure in Iraq and we win, let the media continue to promote what they currently are, and John Kerry loses.

I can't stand it.

Please make me feel better here!

Look, Kerry did insult the men in uniform even if it was unintentional. He made a MISTAKE. You know what I tell the kids to do when they make a mistake? I tell them to own it and move on and I bet you tell that to your kids too if you want them to grow up to be responsible adults. He should have apologized first, then said what he meant to say and he should have done it immediately. Now, he just continues to be the gift that keeps on giving to the Republicans. Hardly what we need at this time in history.

Bush just announced that Rumsfeld to remain through January 2009. That is our message today not what kos THINKS that JK said.
This election is about Iraq, Rumsfeld and the Rubber Stamp Congress, that is it, period.
We may disagree with what JK said, but keeping the war on the front page with Rumsfeld is a far worst mistake.
This election is a referendum on the winner of the 2004 election and his failed policy in Iraq.

This whole incident is painful for me. I am thoroughly disgusted with Hillary Clinton at the moment. I am not very happy with the Senator. The main stream media is pathetic.

I have a great deal of respect for Senator Kerry for apologizing for any offense that may have been taken by the troops or their families, however I am saddened that if he had any Presidential ambitions for 2008, they may now be gone over a single missed word.

I am going to take a break.

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Kerry apologizes for 'misinterpreted' words

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/01/kerry.remarks/index.html

Posted by: KerryDemocrat at November 1, 2006 03:48 PM

Imus is not a journalist. Kerry can discuss this non issue with a journalist (Obermann). After he does, the right wingers will look even more pathetic.

End of Story, now let's moveon

Statement of Senator John Kerry

"As a combat veteran, I want to make it clear to anyone in uniform and to their loved ones: my poorly stated joke at a rally was not about, and never intended to refer to any troop.

I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended.

It is clear the Republican Party would rather talk about anything but their failed security policy. I don’t want my verbal slip to be a diversion from the real issues. I will continue to fight for a change of course to provide real security for our country, and a winning strategy for our troops."

Now lets talk about Heck of a Job Donald Rumsfeld to be kept on until January 2009.

Great video about who should be apologizing:

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/WhoShouldApologize.mov

Posted by: Democrat at November 1, 2006 04:32 PM

If political ambitions were snuffed out over one bad word, George W. Bush would have never been re-elected in 2004.

The three words that come to my mind at this moment are:

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Woops, four words.

I apologize.

"WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Wednesday he wants Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney to remain with him until the end of his presidency, extending a job guarantee to two of the most-vilified members of his administration."

"Both those men are doing Fantastic Jobs and I strongly support them," Bush said in an interview with The Associated Press and others."

Washington Post

This should energize Democrats. Have we ever heard Bush offer an apology for anything in 6 years? JK is more of a man then Bush will ever dream to be.

"Both those men are doing Fantastic Jobs and I strongly support them," Bush said in an interview with The Associated Press and others."

___________________________________________________

That's the worst joke I ever heard.

John Boehner, the Republican majority leader in the House of Representatives, has publically stated (on CNN just now, and elsewhere as well) that Senator Kerry's apology for his mispoken remarks is fully acceptable to him and to the troops as well, and that as far as he's concerned this is now a case-closed non-issue. Even the White House issued a statement to the same effect this afternoon.

It would seem that the only people still thrashing this as though it's evidence of party-wide treasonous intentions on the part of Democrats everywhere are the neocons' pet blabbing heads on the cable snooze shows, reich-wing bloggers, foaming-at-the-mouth talk radio poseurs, and others of their ilk who have their own agendas for wanting to mislead and misdirect the voters' attention this close to November 7.

Everybody else is now be admitting the obvious here -- which is that this whole vitriolic kerfluffle was much ado about nothing right from the start.

guess they'll have to set up another straw man to kick at now instead,
Otter

Everybody else is now be admitting the obvious here -- which is that this whole vitriolic kerfluffle was much ado about nothing right from the start.
Posted by: Otter at November 1, 2006 05:15 PM

Or to divert attention from...

...what's really happening in Iraq
...that October was one of the deadliest months for US soldiers in the Middle East
...the fact that the Dems are kicking butt right now and are well positioned to take control of the House and possibly the Senate
...Bush isn't drawing very many people in his closed door fundraising efforts around the country
...what Laura Stepford Bush said about Michael J. Fox

if all of these Republicans are now falling all over themselves to accept JK's apology it sounds to me as though their polling is showing their stunt either didn't work or is backfiring otherwise they would continue pounding on it until next monday. Perhaps the voters are not s gullible this time and perhaps insulted by the RNC's desperate attempts to divert attention from their failures. Again while many have attacked JK, the act that he has kept Iraq at front and center of 2 more news cycles is positive.

Will be interested to see how Bush's Heck of a Job Rummy statement plays on this evening's news.

I agree 100% with Bubba. It is a good thing that all of this is based on Bushco Iraqi failures. The Republicans didn't want to talk about it, but they shot themselves in the foot.

Robert Parry | Al-Qaeda Wants Republicans to Win
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110106J.shtml
Robert Parry writes, "George W. Bush's blunt assertion that a Democratic victory in the November 7 elections means 'the terrorists win and America loses' misses the point that Osama bin Laden stands to advance his strategic goals much faster with a Republican victory."

Excerpt:

On Oct. 29, 2004, just four days before the U.S. presidential election, bin Laden took the personal risk of breaking nearly a year of silence to release a videotape denouncing Bush. Right-wing pundits immediately spun the videotape into bin Laden's "endorsement" of Democrat John Kerry. Polls registered an immediate bump of about five points for Bush.

However, inside CIA headquarters, senior intelligence analysts reached the remarkable conclusion that bin Laden's real intent was to help Bush win a second term.

"Bin Laden certainly did a nice favor today for the President," said deputy CIA director John McLaughlin in opening a meeting to review secret "strategic analysis" after the videotape had dominated the day's news, according to Ron Suskind's The One Percent Doctrine, which draws heavily from CIA insiders.

Suskind wrote that CIA analysts had spent years "parsing each expressed word of the al-Qaeda leader and his deputy, Zawahiri. What they'd learned over nearly a decade is that bin Laden speaks only for strategic reasons. ... Today's conclusion: bin Laden's message was clearly designed to assist the President's reelection."

Jami Miscik, CIA deputy associate director for intelligence, expressed the consensus view that bin Laden recognized how Bush's heavy-handed policies - such as the Guantanamo prison camp, the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal and the war in Iraq - were serving al-Qaeda's strategic goals for recruiting a new generation of jihadists.

"Certainly," Miscik said, "he would want Bush to keep doing what he's doing for a few more years."

{That headline was proved when Herr Boosh "won" in '04. OBL was the real "winner" that year. OBL knows that as long as Herr Boosh is the pretzelnitwit there will be US troops in Iraq. OBL and GWB have a perfect symbiotic relationship; the phobias of one feed off of the phobias of the other, and the result is that a lot of innocent people who have nothing to do with either one of them die for the sake of each other's megalomania.... If the neoCons win with rigged e-voting machines this year (and I firmly believe they won't win without rigged machines), it will fulfill every one of Bin Laden's wet dreams....}

David Swanson | Oneonta
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110106K.shtml
David Swanson writes: "Were it not for the influence of war profiteers, there would be no war. Not the war in Iraq. Not the possible war in Iran. Not virtually any war."

More Than Ever, Insurgents Are Targeting US Forces
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110106A.shtml
October's death toll, the highest for American forces in nearly two years, came during a period without conventional battles or catastrophic helicopter crashes. Rather, the 103 troops killed in Baghdad and across Iraq were victims of a steady onslaught of assaults, primarily by their longtime nemeses, Sunni Arab insurgents.

Diebold Demands HBO Cancel Documentary on Voting Machines
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110106B.shtml
Diebold Inc. has insisted that cable network HBO cancel a documentary that questions the integrity of its voting machines, calling the program inaccurate and unfair. The program, "Hacking Democracy," is scheduled to debut Thursday, five days before the 2006 US midterm elections. The film reveals that Diebold voting machines aren't tamper-proof and can be manipulated to change voting results.

Steven F. Freeman and Joel Bleifuss | A Way to Restore Confidence
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110106E.shtml
"Widespread concern over recent reports from Princeton University on Diebold machines' susceptibility to tampering, and from New York University on e-voting more generally, confirm what computer scientists have long known and contended: There is little reason for confidence in election results obtained from electronic voting machines. Yet voters in the United States are denied the one powerful technique that might restore confidence in election results - an independent exit poll," write Steven F. Freeman and Joel Bleifuss.

Ok. Now CNN is calling Kerry radioactive, and saying he's just ruined any chances he had at a White House run in 2008. Quite frankly, that doesn't bother me at all, but the pictures coming out of Iraq of banners from our military men cursing Kerry do bother me. We'll lose a lot of military votes over this, a lot of parents of the military votes over this. And no, he doesn't need to apologize again. He's done that, and now he needs to disappear for the next 6 days to some island where there are no members of the press at all. Also, there seems an assumption on here that the '08 nominee will be either John Kerry or Hillary Clinton, which is just ridiculous. John Edwards, Wes Clark, Joe Biden, and a lot of other democrats will have something to say about that. Lou Dobbs is now asking why Kerry didn't just apologize at first, and not waste 2 days of news coverage with an issue that could further damage his party. Lou is right on many issues, most issues, in the opinion of moderates like myself.
Moderates, by the way, since no one seems to know, are that huge bunch of people in the middle that both the left and the right like to ridicule. They are the ones that the left is too elitist and self righteous to bother to cater to. And they are the ones that the right wingers depend on to vote their way, because the right wingers know the left wing only seems interested in promoting issues like gay marriage, gun control, and total freedom for anyone who wants to illegally cross our borders- issues that choke centrists to death, no matter how hard they try to swallow them. Ok. The center will control this election again, just like they do every single election cycle. And we'll just wait and see how many of them aren't angry and alienated by stupid comments from the Democratic party leadership. They have been swinging our way, but we can easily push that pendulum backwards if we keep it up. 6 days need to pass, and very very soon.

Moderates, by the way, since no one seems to know, are that huge bunch of people in the middle that both the left and the right like to ridicule. They are the ones that the left is too elitist and self righteous to bother to cater to.

Posted by: Linda Enterkin at November 1, 2006 06:08 PM

I thought the elitist left wingers were the ones calling for a fairer tax system, better access to health care and figuring out ways to get out of Iraq.....silly me.

Hi Everyone.

I've been gone (busy) for a while. Just wanted to update everyone on Jesselyn Radack's book.

It's officially in the hands of the publishers now and hopefully the paypal link is working for advance sales.

I think many people will take different things from her book. But one thing that struck me as important was what happened to her: the whole government services--FBI, Administrators, Political heads, media, smears, etc...-- were used to attack her, just one person. The whole government against one person.

Today as I see what has happened to John Kerry from the media and this administration and the failings of the whole Democratic Party as well, I'm reminded that this is what Jesselyn faced as well-- a whole concerted effort to destroy her because she stood up for ethical treatment of Americans.

Today is Suz's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUZ!!!!

Kerry should not have apologized, but he had to do the right thing.

Everyone is now saying that this is the end of his chance for 08. It's unfortunate because he would have made a good president. A lot better than the criminal in the WH now.

Happy Birthday, Suz! Thanks for all you do. I would favor cloning if we could have a million more of you to GOTV!

Happy Burfday!

btw, have I mentioned lately what colossal ay-holes republicans are?

sham-a-lame-a-ding-dongs

Thank you everyone. Yep. It's my birthday. I'm beginning to think that my birthday only brings bad luck to John Kerry though.

On another subject though, I don't know if anyone saw Allan's thugs beat the **** out of Mike Stark. But I met Mike Stark at Camp Democracy and I have to tell you how sickened I am that the media isn't plastering this assault and battery and showing Allan's smarmy smile as Mike is getting the **** beat out of him.

http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/31/george-allens-goons-attack-mike-stark/

I'm so disgusted that the Democratic party has abandoned Kerry and abandoned right and wrong once again! I'm sorry, but when they can't make an issue out of BUSH apoligizing for murdering almost 3000 soldiers and torturing thousands and thousands of people but Hilary gets off saying what she did today...well then I feel there is NO hope for the Democratic party.

Now I'm as disgusted with them as the "Christians" are with this republican party. Who knows...maybe we'll end up with 4 parties again like we had pre-civil war.

It's too early to predict what will happen in 2008. The Republicans have a new candidate announcing from California, who is not a household name. It's way too early.

It's too easy to generalize about the political spectrum and what will or will not work.

Thare are literally millions of people who don't fit the left's stereotype of the middle or the middle's stereotype of the left - because it may depend on the issue.

Then there is the whole continuum between libertarian and authoritarian as well as left and while. It's multi-dimensional.

Republicans and Democrats have some pretty traditional differences, regardless of where on the spectrum. It's also regional. Some regions have more moderate candidates, more appropriate to the constituencies they represent. Other regions do well with very liberal candidates.

Bill Clinton does a good job of summarizing - the conservatives want to consolidate and increase their wealth and power, and they are ideological, fitting facts to their ideology even if it isn't reality-based. The liberals want to improve the life of the most people possible, and deal in reality, based on facts. To preserve the middle clase in this country, it's clear what the best choice is.

Re the "apology" by JK - I agree the Republicans really want to get this over with. The issue IS about Iraq and they don't want it talked about any more than possible. The latest TruthOut article is about a woman soldier who committed suicide because of how she felt about how interrogations took place. This was a real person. There is no way Kerry is disrespectful of someone like this - Cheney's position on torture is far more disrespectful & endangering of the troops. We need to keep the focus on human rights.

Dianne,

You are right. It's way too early. Guess the negativity and attacks towards Kerry is pathethic. I just hope we can win in 06. I really do.

Regardless the results next week, my gut tells me yer gonna see some serious domestic unrest over the next few years... all the ingredients are there, as Chef Uniter continues to bring things to a slow, dull boil.

The Waterboard of Directors

The results are in from Kerry's "3 at the Buzzer - Help Take Back Congress" challenge:

Senate: Jim Webb (VA)
House: Dan Seals (IL-10 That's my candidate!!!) & John Courage (TX-21).

Many many thanks to all who voted, whoever you voted for.

Some wise words from KO...

A brief reminder, Mr. Bush: You are not the United States of America.

You are merely a politician whose entire legacy will have been a willingness to make anything political; to have, in this case, refused to acknowledge that the insult wasn't about the troops, and that the insult was not even truly about you either, that the insult, in fact, is you.

So now John Kerry has apologized to the troops; apologized for the Republicans' deliberate distortions.

Thus, the president will now begin the apologies he owes our troops, right?

This president must apologize to the troops for having suggested, six weeks ago, that the chaos in Iraq, the death and the carnage, the slaughtered Iraqi civilians and the dead American service personnel, will, to history, "look like just a comma."

This president must apologize to the troops because the intelligence he claims led us into Iraq proved to be undeniably and irredeemably wrong.

This president must apologize to the troops for having laughed about the failure of that intelligence at a banquet while our troops were in harm's way.

This president must apologize to the troops because the streets of Iraq were not strewn with flowers and its residents did not greet them as liberators.

This president must apologize to the troops because his administration ran out of "plan" after barely two months.

This president must apologize to the troops for getting 2,815 of them killed.

This president must apologize to the troops for getting this country into a war without a clue.

And Mr. Bush owes us an apology for this destructive and omnivorous presidency.

Read more http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15519404/

Love that video about who died because of a joke !
I've been doing a lot of soul searching today and I believe "WE" lose elctions because of the fact that whenever dems (or one of our own) mess up or say things out of school,the leaders abandon that person. I find it a disgrace that dems abandoned JK yesterday and today. The facts are clear,JK'S been right all along about the war. When you have Geoge Wills saying the:"the truth be known, Kerry was right on Iraq." If you look at reps it's taken years for them to abandon Bush...and barely. They don't abandon anyone!
That video needs to come front and center over the next few days. JK needs to keep the pressure on and NO dem should abandon him ! There are 70 million people out there that don't vote. JK can give those people a voice and get them up and moving. To HELL with the RIGHT....and center!
Anyone that's now aware that Bush has claimed his territory for the next two years,keeping Cheney and Rummy on certainly isn't listening us.
GO SENATOR KERRY...GO !! Tell them to "SHOVE IT!"
You have plenty of ammo against McCain..now give it out.

Congrats madame. Any word where Seals stands in the polls?

Re comment about having our own country..go for it!

Head on over to C&L for Olbermann's special comments - scorching!

And on JohnKerry.com, you can view the actual clip of the speech, and you will see that, in context, it was clear what he meant.

The swift-boating machine is killer, but I really believe it is too late.

C&L - thats www.crooksandliars.com

Oncall- the center of the country wants all that too- decent healthcare, to get out of Iraq, and a fairer tax system. If you look at every poll out there, you'll see that. What they don't want is to be told that if they don't believe that illegal aliens should be supported in their efforts to take over every low paying job in America, and thereby lower the living standards of Americans who are already here in the process, then they're just being racists. And they don't want to be told that if their religious beliefs won't allow them to support the idea of two men marrying each other, then their religion is just outdated superstition and they should be embarrassed about it. Most moderates, by the way, support civil unions, but not marriage rights for gay couples. But they get no credit for that belief- they're still told they are superstitious bigots for believing the way they do. And just by the way, arguing evolution vs creationism is about the quickest way I know to turn off moderates- if you can explain to me why it matters to liberals SO MUCH what other people think about the origin of mankind, other than it being a way to show their intellectual superiority, then let me know. Because I listen to Air America Radio, and I'm pretty tired of Randi Rhodes making such an issue out of it. Quite frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about how I got to this planet- but I do care about how I treat people while I'm here, and arguments about the intellectual superority of one belief over another only create division where there's no real reason for it to be created. And it loses our party votes. No one likes to be talked down to. Period. As far as a fair tax system goes, please explain to me why you would think moderates really don't want to be treated fairly????? Or perhaps moderates really don't want decent health care either? I think you proved my point by your own words- in your mind, if you're not a libersl, you're just not capable of thinking straight. Somehow, you just need taking care of. And that's exactly why the word Liberal is generally negative terminology in America today- no one likes a know it all who tells them that they are not just intellectually inferior but morally inferior as well. Sorry, but it was the immigration issue that chased me off here the last time- being asked to march hand in hand down the street with lawbreakers who entered our country illegally, are paying no taxes, and who are siphoning off the jobs of Americans, was just too much for me to take. I can only take so much well intentioned but totally irrational thinking in one day. So, this moderate will sign off, again. I really don't know why I keep trying to explain middle America on here, because we're obviously so inferior that no one really wants to learn why we think the way we do. It's just a darned good though, that we're still the majority in this country. Because the idealogues on both sides can be extremely dangerous to children and other animals.

Linda Enterkin
I always like reading your perspectives. Politics is very regional and multidimensional. On the political spectrum, I usually come out a libertarian liberal and tonight is no exception. The scales are left to right and then libertarian to authoritarian.

http://www.politicalcompass.com

I lean to the left economically and tend to be libertarian socially, more Ghandi than Mao, and certainly no Maggie Thatcher.

Stalin and Mao and Pol Pot favor a totally controlled economy but Gahdhi and Mugabe would be less extreme for degree of government control of the economy. Maggie Thatcher would be toward the right, with extreme free trade, and even moreso, Pinochet. That's economics.

On the social dimension, Stalin believed in state control of the individual but Gandhi believed in supreme value of each individual. It's possible to be collectivist without involving the state, as in some anarchistic collectives. Pinochet, on the other hand, sanctioned mass killing for the sake of the free market, in a hardcore authoritarian position. Friedman was antistate for fiscal rather than social reasons. Hitler wanted a stronger state, even if he wiped out half of the people.

The opposite of fascism is anarchism.
The opposite of communism is neoliberalism.

If you go to http://www.ontheissues.org, which is the site which my son used to "sell" me on John Kerry in 2002 December, when Al Gore (his hero) decided not to run - along with a video in which JK said "We need to start making some friends on this planet" - well anyway, you can peg your particular political heroes (or irritants) on the political compass.

Bush is a populist-leaning conservative (hard to believe with his tax cuts for the rich) and doesn't score as far to the right as I'd expect. McCain is almost the same, as is Cheney. Buchanan is a little further right, along with Ashcroft, Alan Keyes and Peroutka of the Constitution party.

Kerry is just on the border of liberal and moderate, as is Hillary Clinton. Edwards is a tad more populist, Barak Obama is a tad more libertarian, but all of these Democrats straddle the line between liberal and moderate. Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo are barely a tad more liberal than these Dems and David Cobb is a little more liberal than that but not much.

Al Gore is a moderate populist, as is Bill Clinton. Lieberman is right between Clinton/Gore and Kerry/H Clinton/Obama/Nader, so a tad more left economically than Gore/Clinton. Colin Powell is right in the middle of moderate and more Libertarian than the others and in fact, Badnarik of the Libertarians isn't far from him, very moderate.

linda: for the life of me I don't understand why you are so angry and want to lump all of us as wild eyed, tax raising, illegal immigrant loving left wing loonies. I can only speak for myself. I am southerner, who is socially libertarian and economically conservative. I believe in the death penalty, even though I do criminal defense work and worry about equal justice and Houston's broken crime laboratory, I am heavily invested in the stock market, run a small business, watch CNBC, want fair and low capital gains tax and believe that the first 5 million dollars of inheritance taxes should be exempt just not for Warren Buffet or for Michael Jordan. I appreciate well run government programs like Social Security and don't believe that we should have zero taxes or a regressive flat tax but like you I want fair and low taxes for all while meeting the needs of the poor and the middle class I am conflicted being from Texas about illegal immigration and don't think its reasonable to want to deport 12 million illegal immigrants, or spend 9 billion dollars building a 700 mile fence which leaves 2300 miles unprotected and that it is a joke that only 1 billion was appropriatedin an election year political stunt that ignores the status of 12 million illegals probably building homes and roofing in my neighborhood and probably yours. I want our borders enforced and don't want illegals to receive Social Secuity worry about dangerous illegal gangs of El Salvadorians perpetrating gang violence not far from my nice neighborhood. I greatly admire Harold Ford, his wearing his religion on his sleeve, his pro business positions, and even have learned to tolerate both Ford and Casey's antiabortion positions. I will be heart broken if he looses b/c I think he is one of the brightest underrated politicans of the 21st century that often I simply don't agree with and have sent his campaign a contribution. I believe in science Linda and think that it is nuts that our finest minds in genetics and medical research have left for Asia to do research that any previous generation of Americans would be astonished that Americans have foregone.My brother is a geneticist. Linda I believe profoundly that religion is important to me and my family, that we should not write descrimination into our constitution and that gay rights and evolution have absolutely no business in the political areana, none. If that makes me or others here they you have painted with the broad brush as being n left wing loonies, so be it.

Personally I have missed hearing from you, but just don't understand why you are so defensive and have incorrectly concluded that everyone one of us here march in lockstep to somne left wing ideology.Incidentally I listen to Air America and Rhadi Rhodes every day in my law office. Some of the things she says are way off the mark, and she can be at times annoying, but she and Ed and Ms Miller often have good points they make. Does that make me a left wing stooge? We come here to share ideas and grow, but unlike the right wing sites we thrive and challenge each other with different politcal and social ideologies, but no Linda we are not monolithic, far from it.

Linda I don't normally write long post but I feel it is especially important 6 days before an election that you and others understand that the dcp is not monolithic in thought and thrives on diverse opinions, especially yours. Welcome Home.

McCain & Hillary Clinton - The New Liebermans

http://thepremise.com/archives/11/02/2006/542

That's why I posted the political compass - if we were all uniform it would be boring.

The candidates are more politically uniform than we are.

Linda, labels are worthless to me. I really don't care what somebody calls themselves or how other people try to label them.

I don't think evolution vs. creationism is really an argument that belongs in science class. If you do, then most of the country disagrees with you.

Gays deserve no greater or fewer rights than straights.

I think you missed my point before about health care, taxes and Iraq. Whom you perceive as "liberals" are actually the same people who are fighting for what "moderates" also want. They are not fighting for anybody but for a better, fairer America. By doing that the greater majority/middle class (your definition of "moderates") benefits

As far as illegal immigration, George Bush (hardly a liberal) is diametrically opposed to what you are talking about. He is perfecty content to honor big business's wishes to have a cheap labor workforce manned by illegal immigrants. I would like to know in the political world (not Randi Rhodes whom I find obnoxious as well) whom you can quote that calls people racists if they make an effort to deal with the immigration issue in order to protect the human rights of illegal immigrants?

So labels are wothless, it is the stand that individuals take and fight for that really make the difference.

Ranting and running is not a way to have a discussion. Living in "middle America" doesn't make one superior either.

Power balls Olberman said it all tonight:"Mr. President only you could pit a war wounded soldier against another war hero."
Nice to have your script Linda. With the way things are going today there's a lot of "confusion" out there. You're NOT alone.
It's my belief we're ALL sick to death of these six past looooooooong years.

Linda, good to see you back where you belong. A different voice, and always welcome.

Never a Kerry fan, I get it, but he was maligned and deliberately misinterpreted, with lies spread to the troops. He has spent his life looking after Vets.

After his 2004 swiftboating, he vowed that he and the Dems will not tolerate or let it defeat them. Had the media, at all, shown the press conference, the school speech with the laugh track and lead-in context, anything but a corporate media lemmings of the cliff performance, we wouldn't be here.

As for 2008, I hope he gives it a shot, because he's earned the right to run, whatever happens. Getting it stolen by these same tactics, gives him appreciation for having to face the enemy.

The competition and the corporate media who didn't want him last time, and want a new face this time, will do their thing. It all may or may not be too much to get past, but he's a worthy leader who won't back down. That's a good thing.

I LOVE Keith Olberman!

If he ever runs for office, he has my vote...!

US Soldier Killed Herself After Objecting to Interrogation Techniques
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110106R.shtml
The true stories of how American troops, killed in Iraq, actually died keep spilling out this week ... Now we learn that one of the first female soldiers killed in Iraq died by her own hand after objecting to interrogation techniques used on prisoners.

Depleted Uranium Risk "Ignored"
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/110106HA.shtml
UK and US forces have continued to use depleted uranium weapons despite warnings they pose a cancer risk ... and now senior scientists have pointed to worrying health statistics in Iraq, which show a rise in cancer and birth defects.

November 2, 2006
Editorial
The Great Divider

As President Bush throws himself into the final days of a particularly nasty campaign season, he’s settled into a familiar pattern of ugly behavior. Since he can’t defend the real world created by his policies and his decisions, Mr. Bush is inventing a fantasy world in which to campaign on phony issues against fake enemies.

In Mr. Bush’s world, America is making real progress in Iraq. In the real world, as Michael Gordon reported in yesterday’s Times, the index that generals use to track developments shows an inexorable slide toward chaos. In Mr. Bush’s world, his administration is marching arm in arm with Iraqi officials committed to democracy and to staving off civil war. In the real world, the prime minister of Iraq orders the removal of American checkpoints in Baghdad and abets the sectarian militias that are slicing and dicing their country.

In Mr. Bush’s world, there are only two kinds of Americans: those who are against terrorism, and those who somehow are all right with it. Some Americans want to win in Iraq and some don’t. There are Americans who support the troops and Americans who don’t support the troops. And at the root of it all is the hideously damaging fantasy that there is a gulf between Americans who love their country and those who question his leadership.

Mr. Bush has been pushing these divisive themes all over the nation, offering up the ludicrous notion the other day that if Democrats manage to control even one house of Congress, America will lose and the terrorists will win. But he hit a particularly creepy low when he decided to distort a lame joke lamely delivered by Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. Mr. Kerry warned college students that the punishment for not learning your lessons was to “get stuck in Iraq.” In context, it was obviously an attempt to disparage Mr. Bush’s intelligence. That’s impolitic and impolite, but it’s not as bad as Mr. Bush’s response. Knowing full well what Mr. Kerry meant, the president and his team cried out that the senator was disparaging the troops. It was a depressing replay of the way the Bush campaign Swift-boated Americans in 2004 into believing that Mr. Kerry, who went to war, was a coward and Mr. Bush, who stayed home, was a hero.

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/02/opinion/02thu1.html

John Edwards on John Kerry:

"This is all politics," Edwards said. "What's happening is the president and the Republicans...they know they're in trouble in this election and they're trying to find anything they can to distract the voter's attention. It's not going to be successful."

Posted by: oncall at November 2, 2006 12:50 AM

Labelling is definately wrong. All of this centrist, left, independent, right, conservative, etc stuff is squished into the only two party system we have.

And I am sick to death of hearing, "I'm left, I'm right, I'm a moderate..." because in the end we all have opinions that overlap from any of the 'issues'. And when I hear Linda coming here and saying what she did. While at the same time, I hear a "Christian" who believes ALL the same things that I do--except gays and abortion--but says "I'm a Republican because I have nothing in common with Democrats..." you can see that the issues only divide us into groups IF we allow it!

My friend- L- allows those two issues to make her say that she has nothing in common with Democrats even though she's against everything else Republicans do. Admittedly she wants the "Christian-Republicans" to break off from the Republican party, and I hope they do!

However, I want to say that what Hillary did to John Kerry did not represent the middle or the independent. It represented someone looking out for her own political ambitions. AND I'm sick to death of these Democrats who are fair-weathered-friends who toss out their leaders to the lions for their feeding frenzy.

Also, people on this blog come from all different philosophys and we are not just "Leftists" with no central or independent ideaology. Some of us have strong opinions on abortion, gays, immigration, etc...however the group as a whole doesn't have ONE opinion on each of those subjects.

Posted by: Cyrano at November 2, 2006 07:33 AM

Yay! Someone else with courage. We need to enforce the spine campaign for anyone DEFENDING Kerry agaisnt this smear!

Posted by: Matthew Carnicelli at November 2, 2006 06:55 AM

But when candidates for lower office make their opponents out to be friends of Osama bin Laden, or try to turn a minor gaffe into a near felony, that’s just depressing. When the president of the United States gleefully bathes in the muck to divide Americans into those who love their country and those who don’t, it is destructive to the fabric of the nation he is supposed to be leading.

This is hardly the first time that Mr. Bush has played the politics of fear, anger and division; if he’s ever missed a chance to wave the bloody flag of 9/11, we can’t think of when.

snip

They leave us wondering whether this president will ever be willing or able to make room for bipartisanship, compromise and statesmanship in the two years he has left in office.

********

Exactly!

And may these opinion writers around the country take the stand that the icky-Dems like Hillary did to Kerry.

(AND by the way, for anyone who thinks I am only angry at Hillary about this because it's John Kerry, then they'd be wrong. If she did this to Obama or Reid or anyone I'd be equally as angry. I'm just to the point of seeing that Hillary has sold her soul to the lobbyests and has decided to p** on her turf like male dogs do. It was bad enough that she med with the devil-Murdock--refused to take stands on Iraq--but now this!!!)

Suz, Hillary the snake should have long ago apologized to the American people for forcing them to put up with her dysfunctional marriage...

"I'm not sitting here as some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette. I'm sitting here because I love him and I respect him, and I honor what he's been through and what we've been through together."

If you believe that one, I've got a bridge to sell you in Falluja...

And I'm still waiting for Hillary to apologize to her constituents in New York for the insulting tone of her responses to our letters, urging her to oppose the Iraq War, or alter her Bush-lite stance on the conflict.

Posted by: Suz at November 2, 2006 07:45 AM

My one sentence was all messed up. I meant take a stand FOR Kerry unlike what Hillary did.

(Note to me: Wake up and smell the coffee!)

My biggest gripe in all this crap this week is that JK flubbed a pre-written "joke". I've heard the man speak off the cuff, and when he speaks from his heart, he is an orator on par with some of the greats imho.

What I'm sick of is the "handling" of political figures. Am I the only one who is sick of hearing the same exact sentences coming out of peoples mouths, over and over and over????

I've seen both JK and Al Gore speak with such incredible passion at various times throughout their careers, and wished to God above on more than one occassion that they would just stay "that" way forever.

The pre-written statements, the "hook" line, the crappy corporate looking backdrops. It's all a bunch of crap.

I say, be yourselves, and most of this crap goes away.

Rant over.

Good Thursday to you all.

Monkey
I agree

What I'm sick of is the "handling" of political figures. Am I the only one who is sick of hearing the same exact sentences coming out of peoples mouths, over and over and over????
Posted by: monkey at November 2, 2006 08:45 AM

No, my simian friend, you are not the only one who is sick of hearing the exact same sentences endlessly repeated by politicians...!!! Endless repetition is the best reason for turning off the television!

It all reminds me too much of DumDum's saying the same things over and over and over and over and over... and he once alluded to having to say the same thing over and over so people heard his propaganda, which lets me know he knows what he's doing by endlessly repeating the same things. What's Lamestream Media's excuse for endlessly showing sound bytes of him in different costumes at different locations still repeating the same lame grammatically incorrect sentences...?

Redundant statements only bring on my yawn factor, and I tune out the person who said the same words I've already heard at least two dozen times, either by that person or by other people within her/his political party. Approaching election day, the few TV shows I watch I tape so I can fast forward through the commercials and political ads.

To engage my mind, speakers (politicians or otherwise) MUST be able to participate in a dialogue without notes and speak extemporaneously - and, most of all, whatever they say, however they say it, there must be logic and common-sense to what's said/written.

That's where Bill Clinton still excells. I may not necessarily agree with everything he says, but the man's mind has a firm grasp of issues, he asks questions when necessary, and he speaks concisely and clearly using grammatically correct sentences.

The only scripted words I appreciate that are spoken nowadays come from the mouth of Keith Olberman....

"But I know now that there is not a chance in hell of America becoming humane and reasonable. Because power corrupts us, and absolute power corrupts us absolutely. Human beings are chimpanzees who get crazy drunk on power. By saying that our leaders are power-drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East? Their morale, like so many lifeless bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated, as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas.": Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Author

The Spoils of Corruption
By Charles Sullivan
The mainstream media, like organized religion, is used to program public perceptions-to steer us away from truth and to perpetuate fairy tales that extol the virtues of bribery, violence, and greed. It makes useful idiots of those who cannot think for themselves and persuades them to act like fools in the eyes of the world.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15469.htm

“There has never been an American army as violent and murderous as the one in Iraq”
Pulitzer-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh slams Bush at McGill address
By Martin Lukacs
Hersh described video footage depicting U.S. atrocities in Iraq, which he had viewed, but not yet published a story about. He described one video in which American soldiers massacre a group of people playing soccer.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15456.htm

"Starving The Beast."
By Thom Hartmann
How the Corporatocracy Sets the Rules of the "Game" To Create Peons.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15455.htm

The theft of American elections is a media issue: .
ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox and the AP own the exit polls and have defied John Conyers' request for the raw data, keeping that data secreted from even qualified independent researchers.
http://freepress.org/departments/display/16/2006/2205

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6108578.stm
Web inventor fears for the future

The British developer of the world wide web says he is worried about the way it could be used to spread misinformation and "undemocratic forces".

The web has transformed the way many people work, play and do business.

But Sir Tim Berners-Lee told BBC News he feared that, if the way the internet is used is left to develop unchecked, "bad things" could happen.

He wants to set up a web science research project to study the social implications of the web's development.

The changes experienced to date because of the web are just the start of a more radical transformation of society, he said.

But Sir Tim is concerned about the way it could end up being used.

He told the BBC: "If we don't have the ability to understand the web as it's now emerging, we will end up with things that are very bad.

"Certain undemocratic things could emerge and misinformation will start spreading over the web.

"Studying these forces and the way they're affected by the underlying technology is one of the things that we think is really important," he said.

{{{More on lin. Hmmmm.... Sounds like "control of the internet" to me; worse, the last section of the article mentions MIT....}}}

Remember "Deep Thoughts" on SNL? Well I just had one a little while ago. Even though it is a personal thought, it is not necessarily correct, but I wanted to share what I have been thinking after reading the New York Times Editorial from this A.M.:

There are certain unfortunate political realities. John Kerry got a bloody nose in the last news cycle. He was sucker punched by the lamestream media and our own President. Will we see a reversal of fortunes? I am confident we will. Americans are fed up with the lies, distortions, and failures. The day of reckoning is rapidly approaching. The editorial in today's New York Times is a premonition of what Americans will be saying if George Bush continues with his reckless attacks on those who disagree with him. The majority of Americans will view him as pathologically detached from reality while his desperate rhetoric betrays his overwhelming fears.

John Kerry has done so much to help Democrats in this election cycle and we are all thankful for his hard efforts. But he should stay away from scripted "jokes". He is not Jon Stewart. Americans can get their political humor from others. We want a serious, rational leader (like John Kerry) who can lead America out of this dysfunctional relationship we have with our government.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/02/opinion/02thu1.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=print

Posted by: oncall at November 2, 2006 10:52 AM

Good point about the "bloody nose during this news cycle." I think it's a key point for all doomsday-sayers like Ed Shultz...very little in politics is a permanent black eye. An example of that is the anti-gay message of 04 that isn't making waves this time.

Andrew Sullivan And Christopher Hitchens Blast Bush And Defend Kerry

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/11/02/andrew-sullivan-and-christopher-hitchens-blast-bush-and-defend-kerry/

Watch the video after you click the link.

SUZ, I thought your birthday was today!!!

Happy Birthday to a great patriot!

AND, for the DCP family, check out our own Victoria on Minnesota Public Radio!

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/10/31/victoria/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiOo7S0DvM8

This one speaks for itself.

Posted by: oncall at November 2, 2006 11:03 AM

Paula Zahn is an idiot, pure and simple. Christopher Hitchens is not a conservative. He has adopted the same position as the neo-conservatives on the Iraq War, but he is much, much closer to socialism than conservatism.

Andrew Sullivan: This is not an election, it's an intervention!