Visionaries Visit the Emerald City

The Enemy Within
The Democrats' most dangerous opponent in '08 may be their own campaign consultants, who charge far more than GOP strategists -- and deliver far less

by TIM DICKINSON
Rolling Stone

2008 has the makings of a banner year for Democrats. The wave of discontent that swept the GOP from Congress last November is growing, and the Iraq debacle will make it difficult for Republicans to retain the White House. But there is one group of powerful Washington insiders who have a proven ability to derail the Democrats. Working behind the scenes, these top-tier operatives humiliated Mike Dukakis in a tank, muzzled Al Gore on the environment and portrayed John Kerry -- a lifelong crusader for gun control -- as a rifle-toting Rambo. Year after year they have made sure that the Democratic message comes across as little more than a fuzzy, focus-grouped drone about child tax credits, prescription-drug plans and the "fight for working families."

And here's the depressing news: The Democrats pay them millions to do it.

The insiders are the political consultants hired by the Democrats to poll voters, shape strategy and devise campaign ads. With the exception of Bill Clinton, who brought in his own team of outside-the-Beltway mavericks, these top advisers have paved the way to Democratic defeat in every presidential election since 1980. "The political consultants," says longtime Gore policy staffer Elaine Kamarck, "have not served our presidential candidates well." Larry J. Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, is even more blunt. "Forget what Shakespeare said," he advises. "First, kill all the consultants."

more...
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13883484/national_affairs_the_enemy_within

p.s. my reason for posting the RS article on this thread is cuz I firmly believe if not for the absolutely abyssmal handling of candidate JK, he'd be leading this country in a decidedly different direction... and the rest of the world would be exhaling more often.

I inhale.

Another reason to hate the bastids:

---------------

LA Times: New regulatory head favors hands-off approach
http://tinyurl.com/yuqs4r

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Wednesday appointed as his top regulatory official a conservative academic who has written that markets do a better job of regulating than the government does and that it is more cost-effective for people who are sensitive to pollution to stay indoors on smoggy days than for the government to order polluters to clean up their emissions.

As director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the White House Office of Management and Budget, Susan E. Dudley will have an opportunity to change or block regulations proposed by government agencies.

[snip]

Although Dudley's new job is more obscure than those to which Biggs and Fox were appointed, it is also potentially the most powerful. The budget office's regulatory shop acts as a funnel for all regulations emanating throughout the government.

In congressional testimony, Dudley has favored dispensing with costly air pollution controls and initiating a pollution warning system "so that sensitive individuals can take appropriate 'exposure avoidance' behavior" -- mostly by remaining inside.

She opposed stricter limits on arsenic in drinking water, in part because she argued that the Environmental Protection Agency's calculations of the costs and benefits overvalued some lives, particularly those of older people with a small life expectancy.

She has argued that air bags should not be required by government regulation but requested by automobile consumers willing to pay for them.

Rick Melberth, director of regulatory policy for the watchdog group OMB Watch, called Dudley a "terrible pick." He described her as "an anti-regulatory extremist" who believes that the proper regulatory lever is the free market, "and if the market doesn't protect you, too bad."

The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, called her a "radical reactionary" who favors business over public protection.

Dudley, who recently resigned as an expert on government regulation at the Mercatus Center, a free-market think tank at George Mason University, was first nominated to the OMB post in July.

[snip]

Her nomination stalled because the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, which held the hearing, didn't vote on it.

Dudley was unavailable for comment Wednesday, as were leading senators on the Senate committee. But Leslie Phillips, the committee's communications director, criticized Bush for making an end run.

The recess appointment, she said, "shows disrespect for the advise-and-consent responsibilities of the U.S. Senate and for the American people, on whose behalf the president acts. The power to recess appoint should not be used to avoid any scrutiny of presidential nominees."

---------------

chimpeach already dammit,
Otter

Anyone able to visit in the irc? (I magically got in this morning!)

LA Times: New regulatory head favors hands-off approach
http://tinyurl.com/yuqs4r
Posted by: Otter at April 5, 2007 10:18 AM

Dudley Doo-Doo's "stay indoors" approach regarding pollution has a glitch in the logic: for those who have to work for a living, getting to/from work poses a health risk... while staying at home may cause the boss to fire the person, which means they can't pay house payments, rent, insurance, buy food, buy more clothing, buy cars, provide for families, invest in the stock market, which cuts into the profit margins of corporations who demand money to pay their CEOs outrageous bonuses for doing absolutely nothing. Out of work people are less productive and do not contribute to the overall economy (trickle down/up theory anyone?). People whose health is affected by pollutants (emissions/chemicals) just can't function properly.

So, is Dudley Doo-Doo for or against corporations and corporate profits? If she's for corporate profit margins, it behooves her to promote clean air, water, environment, etc., which ultimately boosts corporate profits. Otherwise the corporations lose money, lose productive employees, et cetera and so on and so forth in the corporate profit food chain....

Bu$hCo = FUBAR logic.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6526589.stm
Guantanamo conditions 'worsening'

Conditions for detainees at the US military jail at Guantanamo Bay are deteriorating, with the majority held in solitary confinement, a report says.

Amnesty International said the often harsh and inhumane conditions at the camp were "pushing people to the edge".

It called for the facility to be closed and for plans for "unfair" military commission trials to be abandoned.

Many of the 385 inmates have been held for five years or more, unable to mount a legal challenge to their detention.

"While the United States has an obligation to protect its citizens... that does not relieve the United States from its responsibilities to comply with human rights," the report said.

"Statements by the Bush administration that these men are 'enemy combatants,' 'terrorists' or 'very bad people' do not justify the complete lack of due process rights," the group said.

Amnesty reiterated its call for detainees at the prison camp in Cuba - many of whom are suspected Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters - to be released or charged and sent to trial.

'Already in despair'

The report, published on Thursday, said about 300 detainees are now being held at a new facility - known as Camp 5, Camp 6 and Camp Echo - comparable to "super-max" high security units in the US.

The group said the facility had "created even harsher and apparently more permanent conditions of extreme isolation and sensory deprivation".
It said the detainees were reportedly confined to windowless cells for 22 hours a day, only allowed to exercise at night and could go for days without seeing daylight.

The organisation's UK director, Kate Allen, described the process at Guantanamo as "a travesty of justice".

"With many prisoners already in despair at being held in indefinite detention... some are dangerously close to full-blown mental and physical breakdown.

"The US authorities should immediately stop pushing people to the edge with extreme isolation techniques and allow proper access for independent medical experts and human rights groups."

{{{More on link. How to make and influence 'enemies'..., eh, Georgie and Dickie???}}}

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070405/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_pelosi
House Speaker Pelosi in Saudi Arabia
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) continued her Mideast tour Thursday, a day after coming under sharp attack from the Bush administration for meeting with Syria's leader.

Pelosi arrived in Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally, Wednesday night from Syria, where she defied the White House's Middle East policy by meeting with President Bashar Assad and insisting "the road to Damascus is a road to peace."
~~~~~
Pelosi was the highest-ranking American politician to visit Syria since relations began to deteriorate in 2003. Then-Secretary of State Colin Powell went to Damascus in May 2003.

She was accompanied by a delegation of five congressional Democrats and Ohio Republican Dave Hobson. Their meeting with Assad included a lunch in Damascus' historic Old City.

{{{More on link. What are the names of the Democrats who accompanied Pelosi...? My guard gets put up when I hear of politicians visiting Saudi Arabia, home of Bandar Bush, OBL, and the majority of the 9/11 criminal hijackers. Chinkster went last and a few weeks later Saudi Arabia was given a deal of some sort, only right this second I can't remember what it was; I only remember posting a link many weeks or months ago. True, Pelosi may be accomplishing more with diplomacy than DimWit's heavy-handed tactics and demands (but I note no one has mentioned what concessions and compromises she's made). I'd feel better if Pelosi did something about IMPEACHING the two top criminals in the US before she looked to diplomatic talks with anyone else in another country. Unless we get rid of the top two criminals, we're still stuck with them as the official faces "leading" this country, which does absolutely no good whatsoever for our reputation on a world-wide scale, since they have absolutely zero credibility, nor for further diplomatic talks (since the "leaders" of this country would nix any diplomatic progress).... I'm sure any number of Americans would provide the table (or contribute to the cost of a fancy table, if that's what's needed instead of a plain table), but Pelosi must bring the IMPEACHMENT papers to the party. I'm sure others would volunteer to bring pretzels and bean dip to the party. But FIRST, IMPEACHMENT papers must be brought to the table; they were prepared a long time ago, so no expiration date applies, and the only thing that needs adding are the latest outrages by the current "leaders" of this country....}}}

WAXMAN TO LOOK INTO PRIVATE/RNC EMAIL ACCOUNTS USED BY THE WHITE HOUSE:

Ralston, who was also an assistant to Abramoff prior to her tenure at the White House, told the lobbyist to contact her through her RNC email address concerning specific favors he requested from the White House on behalf of his clients, so as to avoid leaving an automatic paper trail that is established when White House email servers are used. Ralston hasn't yet responded to Waxman's request.

In letters sent last week to the RNC and the Bush/Cheney 2004 Campaign, Congressman Waxman urged the two groups to preserve all emails sent by White House officials from their servers, because of their relevance to Congressional probes, including the US attorney scandal.

"I am writing about email records in the possession of the Republican National Committee. Congressional investigations have revealed that White House officials have used nongovernmental email accounts, including those maintained by the RNC, to conduct official White House business," Waxman's letter states. "The Committee has questions about who has access to these email records and how the RNC protects them from destruction or tampering. The Committee also directs you to preserve all such records because of their potential relevance to Congressional investigations."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040507J.shtml

Posted by: monkey at April 5, 2007 09:24 AM

What the Dems don't know, and the Republicans know, is simple: KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID.

The Republicans used simple emotional wedge issues - abortion, gay marriage, school prayer - to turn on Christian voters, and that was devastatingly successful.

All the nuanced crap the Dem consultants put out is useless and just too damn complicated.

DiAnne -

Thanks for giving us this update on the Kerry visit.

I was going to go last night, but as I said before, work got in the way, and I missed out. (Besides, the Kerrys were in Democratic West LA, while I was at least two hours of heavy traffic east, in bleeding red Republican territory.)

Posted by: Otter at April 5, 2007 10:18 AM

Another "free-market" lunatic. As if free market still exists anyway (it died a long time ago).

I hate neoliberals! (PLEASE don't call them "libertarians.")

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Nine coalition troops were killed in Iraq over the last two days, four of them in the deadliest attack on British troops since November, the U.S. and British militaries said Thursday.

The four British troops and a civilian translator were ambushed early Thursday as they returned from a mission west of the southern city of Basra, British military spokesman Lt. Col. Kevin Stratford-Wright said.

Insurgents wielding small arms and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the troops' armored Humvee about 340 miles (547 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, said Stratford-Wright. A roadside bomb also was employed in the attack, he said.

The soldiers fired back and "one or more of the attackers were killed," the spokesman said.

A British soldier was hospitalized after being seriously wounded in the fray.

The troops were attacked earlier in the night as well, but they escaped the first incursion without casualties, Stratford-Wright said.

The second ambush was the deadliest assault on British troops since insurgents killed four servicemen in an attack on their patrol boat in a Basra waterway.

Basra is the command headquarters for British forces in Iraq.

The number of British troop deaths in the war stands at 140.

The U.S. military also announced Thursday that five of its troops were killed Wednesday in a string of attacks around Baghdad.

I have a hard time reading anything about JK. I am still sick that he is not running for President in '08 as I believe Otter is; I still think it was a mistake to let Rove and Schrum drive him out of the '08 election.

Nixon and Bush 2 peas in a pod. San Francisco Gate has Bush at 26% in California, the San Jose poll has him at 23%. The only difference is that Republicans in the US Senate were once willing to acknowledge that Nixon was a crook.

"Just 26 percent of California voters surveyed by the Field Poll approved of the president's performance in office -- nearly reaching the record low 24 percent approval rating of former President Richard Nixon in August 1974, just before his resignation over the Watergate scandal.

snip

"The poll showed that just 24 percent of the state's voters saw the president's performance in Iraq in a positive light, compared with 72 percent who viewed it negatively, the poll showed."

"Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll, said the results reflected a "really dismal" loss of confidence in Bush, saying that "what is driving (his numbers) down now is that the Republicans seem to have greater reservations and are more critical of the president than they have ever been."

"That's the only way an elected official can get into the 20s,'' DiCamillo said. "You have to start losing your rank and file."

"The Field Poll showed that "majorities of Californians now hold positions diametrically opposed" to those of the president on the Iraq war. Two-thirds opposed the president's decision to increase American troops by 20,000 in Iraq, nearly 60 percent echoed Democratic efforts in Congress by favoring a timetable for troop withdrawal, and half said the U.S. presence in Iraq "decreases the chances of bringing peace and stability" to that nation, the poll showed."

snip

"The president's collapsing numbers and the loss of confidence, DiCamillo said, now extend to voters' growing disapproval of Bush's handling of the economy. The latest poll showed that just 1 in 3 California voters approved of the president's performance on the economy, the lowest assessment ever given Bush in this area."

snip

"The Field Poll results mirror a new poll from the San Jose State University Survey and Policy Research Institute released this week, which showed that Bush's approval rating stood at 23 percent among state voters.

The institute's poll showed that the president has suffered a devastating loss in credibility among state residents -- just 28 percent of Californians answered "yes" to the question: "Generally speaking, do you believe what President Bush tells the American people is true?"

snip

"The San Jose institute's survey found that the president's positive rating on his handling of the war was a mere 21 percent, with just 1 in 5 people saying the Iraq war has made the United States safer and 24 percent saying the war has been "worth it."

A correction on one point, Bubba -- I'm not sick about JK's decision not to run for president in '08. I'm disappointed by it in some ways, but at the same time I can see many positive aspects to his having made that choice as things move forward for him and Teresa. I don't think it's accurate to say that Rove and Shrum drove him out of the race, either; John's not the type to let himself be driven anywhere he's not willing to go. He made the right decision for him to make given the circumstances and situations that he was part of at this point in time, and he seems to be quite comfortable with that choice now. Teresa certainly is. I still do a lot of work with both of them on an ongoing basis, so I'm not just speculating here. John is at ease with his decision, Teresa is at ease with his decision, so I am at ease with his decision too.

This is amazing! Hope DC people are able to RSVP and attend. This will be the debate of the century! (I think for the last century it was Tim Leary v G Gordon Liddy)

***ADVISORY***

John Kerry to Debate Newt Gingrich on Climate Change, Environment

WASHINGTON D.C – Senator John Kerry will debate Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on the issues of global climate change and the environment.

WHO: Senator John Kerry and Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich

WHAT: Kerry-Gingrich Debate on Global Climate Change and the Environment

WHEN: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 from 10am to 12pm

WHERE: 325 Russell Senate Office Building, 1st and C streets, NE, Washington, D.C.

Senator Kerry, a long-time leader on environment issues and author of This Moment on Earth, and Former Speaker Gingrich, author of Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America, will deliver remarks and discuss ways in which Congress can resolve its differences on global climate change through innovative solutions and changes in public policy.

The event with Kerry and Gingrich is part of the Brademas Center exploratory series, “Legislating for the Future,” which is cosponsored by The Brookings Institution and RAND Corporation.

Posted by: Bubba at April 5, 2007 01:03 PM

Unfortunately, I live with the 26%. They are concentrated in places like Orange County and elsewhere in suburban Southern California, where W ovals still rule.

After all, these people gave Ronald Reagan to the rest of the nation.

As for JK not running in '08, I fully respect his decision - if he can be more influential as a Senator than as a Presidential aspirant, more power to him.

more power to him.

Posted by: Ally McRepuke at April 5, 2007 01:45 PM

interesting choice of words ... and a debate all on its own ;-)

peeps got the poweraid

There is political power and there is moral power.

It's kind of self-evident where the current administration stands and not at all where they think they stand or wish they stand.

The internet has shrunk the globe but the influence of the US is shrinking with it.

Wonderful photos DiAnne! It is so nice to see them real and with the personalities shining through!

Hope you were able to say hello from the DCP and all the bloggers.

Yes, Richard will be attending the debate of the century on Tuesday. Looks great! Wonder which side he will be cheering for?

I just found this--it mixes dance and peace/justice in the best way:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FczN5rt9bn0

Look what little Jebby left behind...

Florida housing sex offenders under bridge

The sparkling blue waters off Miami's Julia Tuttle Causeway look as if they were taken from a postcard. But the causeway's only inhabitants see little paradise in their surroundings. Five men -- all registered sex offenders convicted of abusing children -- live along the causeway because there is a housing shortage for Miami's least welcome residents.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/04/05/bridge.sex.offenders/index.html

Otter/Ally: like you I was deeply involved in JK's '04 campaign and perhaps that is why I am having a hard time letting go, just like 2000. I was in Boston when he announced and felt like I was emotionally involved with his campaign, maybe too much. What many don't yet appreciate is that many of us here in Texas who understood Texas politics and know the history of Bob Perry, tried valiantly to warn the campaign of the scummy tactics the Swiftboaters,led by Bob Perry,used here to defeat a conservative Democrat John Sharp in his gubenatorial campaign against Rick Perry to succeed Bush as governor. I remember Molly Ivins writing in the Texas Monthly before the '04 election trying to warn of the Bob Perry tactics and what to expect and was ignored. The recess appointment of Fox was truly dispicable, sticking his finger in JK's eye. I am sure Bush will expect us to be magnanomous to him when he leaves office, hopefully we will remind him how absolutely ugly he and his party have been to Progressives and Democrats.
JK has gotten over 'our' loss and seems to be at peace with it and now emulating Al Gore. He's gotten over it and I respect that, its going to take another election cycle for me to get there.
I look forward to Presidential elections just like I look forward to opening day for the Astros.This year I just can't seem to get worked up over our choices. Fine candidates, just not JK.

Bottom line, the Democratic Party has a PR problem. They would not have gotten away with the swift boating if the image of the party hadn't been previously smeared beyond all recognition. I would say whoever started the "sweater Democrats" is to blame. The thing Schweitzer, Tester and Webb have in common is that they're a "man's man". JK is too, which is why Rove targeted everything that would have reflected that - hunting, sports, military. We can't change that image by becoming war mongers either, which is what the "New Democrats" want to do. It's not Hollywood image making, we've got to let our leaders express the values at the core of their being. That's where strength lies.

(Bush is a sociopath, that's why he can fake it)

Sometime blogger Kayakbiker is heading out to this today so hope to hear more soon!:

Middle East commentator Juan Cole to speak at U of M

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (3/29/2007) -- Juan Cole, blogger, commentator and professor of Middle East and South Asian history at University of Michigan, will speak at the University of Minnesota Institute for Advanced Study at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 5, in Room 125 of the Nolte Center, 315 Pillsbury Drive S.E., Minneapolis.

His talk, “The Internet, the Public Intellectual, and the 'War on Terror,'” will address the role of intellectuals at a time when Internet use intersects with U.S. government security concerns. The Internet has opened up new ways for intellectuals to interact with the general public, allowing them to sidestep the gatekeepers that had often marginalized university and college teachers. At the same time, the United States faces new asymmetrical warfare from abroad and security challenges at home. Do these new possibilities for civic dialogue place any special responsibilities on intellectuals to become public? What are the perils and promises of renegotiating the relationship between academics and the political sphere?

Cole is a well known commentator on Middle East issues, especially Iraq, Iran and Israel, for media outlets including Washington Post, Le Monde Diplomatique, The Guardian, Lehrer News Hour, Nightline, the Today Show, Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Al Jazeera, and CNN Headline News. He is also an award-winning blogger, sharing his thoughts on the situations in the Middle East in his highly-ranked “Informed Comment” blog at www.juancole.com.

Karen
I did mention DCP and the bloggers, at the conference call, reception and book signing!
& last time he was in town, I gave him the t-shirt. "I read it often," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070405/hl_nm/eritrea_circumcision_dc
Eritrea bans female circumcision
{{{Totally OT, but relevant to concerned women everywhere. Progress; not enough progress, but progress.}}}

http://www.americanprogress.org/cartoons/2007/04/040507_camo.html
Center for American Progress Cartoon

US Interrogating Terror Suspects in Ethiopian Prisons
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040507A.shtml
US agents hunting for al Qaeda militants in the Horn of Africa have been interrogating terrorism suspects from several countries held at prisons in Ethiopia, according to American officials who spoke to The Associated Press.

{{{"US agents"...? What "US agents?" Mercenaries from Blackwater? Or mercenaries from one of Halliburton's subsidiaries, DynCorp or KBR? Seems the FBI and/or CIA have access to the prisoners, or at least info about them, but "US agents" are the ones doing the "interrogations".... Hmmm.... Puh-Leeze, Pelosi... can we IMPEACH the bam dastards who authorized this horror... NOW?!? If not now, when...?}}}

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070405/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/fired_prosecutors_iglesias

Ex-prosecutor talks to special counsel

New Mexico's former U.S. attorney, David Iglesias, is talking with the government's independent counsel about whether Justice Department officials violated federal law when they fired him late last year.

A deputy in the Office of Special Counsel, which protects federal government whistleblowers, first contacted Iglesias in early March as part of an inquiry into whether his firing may have violated a law that protects military reservists from discrimination.

The special counsel's staff also is examining possible violations of laws designed to protect whistleblowers and prohibit political activity by government employees, Iglesias said in an interview this week.

Iglesias said he has authorized an investigation, but there are no formal charges pending. The process is in its very early stages, he said, adding: "It's too early to tell whether will result in a legal claim."

{More on link.}

from Seattle PI reader comments:

"The President couldn't do any worse if he was lit up like Rick James {RIP) on a Saturday night."

Is this what victory looks like?

"Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates insisted today the United States' "troop surge" strategy is working in Iraq,"

"Gates said large-scale bombings have increased in Iraq,.."

"Gates spoke as American and British military officials announced that 11 soldiers--seven from the U.S. and four from Britain--have been killed in Iraq over the last two days."

Sounds like more double talk from Gates and McCain.

I did mention DCP and the bloggers, at the conference call, reception and book signing!

Posted by: not my president at April 5, 2007 05:22 PM

Thank you!

That lessens my guilt for not being able to see JK last night.

More lies, more lives... As Feingold says, it's time to ratchet up the pressure & use Congress’s power of the purse to bring an end to our current open-ended involvement in Iraq...NOW!

12,000 more Guard troops may be going to Iraq

WASHINGTON - Coming on the heels of a controversial “surge” of 21,000 U.S. troops that has stretched the Army thin, the Defense Department is preparing to send an additional 12,000 National Guard combat forces to Iraq and Afghanistan, defense officials told NBC News on Thursday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17971410/

“I think this was all concealed until we got through the election,” said retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, a military analyst for NBC News. “There’s no way to sustain the current rate of deployments without calling up probably nine National Guard brigades in the coming year for involuntary second tours.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17971410/

Defense officials said the quick turnaround could hurt overall readiness by leaving those troops unprepared for other missions.

“When you only have one year or less between deployments, instead of the two that you would like to have, you then do not train to what we call full spectrum,” said Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

All the nuanced crap the Dem consultants put out is useless and just too damn complicated.

Posted by: Ally McRepuke at April 5, 2007 11:57 AM

I completely agree.

KISS (Keep it simple stupid.)

“When you only have one year or less between deployments, instead of the two that you would like to have, you then do not train to what we call full spectrum,” said Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Posted by: monkey at April 5, 2007 07:46 PM

Well, tell Pace to stop injecting religion into public service, and stop supporting "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

DADT is what is causing the shortage of good people in the military. Besides, its repeal would enable those ultimate American patriots - Jeff Gannon and Mann Coulter - to back up their rhetoric with action, by actually serving their country in uniform.

CHENEY EVEN UNPOPULAR ON MORMON COUNTRY:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9371087

Brigham Young U. protests decision to have Cheney speak at commencement

Posted by: Ally McRepuke on a new Mac at April 5, 2007 09:01 PM

I'd rather they not back up their rhetoric, anywhere, quite frankly....

In other news, somewhere, OBL is in a cave saying, for the sixth consecutive year, "See, told ya he'd take the bait".

This country is ska-roooood.

Can you say ska-rood, boys & girls?

I knew y'could.

Sen. Carl Levin has released the entire report on the Office of Special Plans in the Pentagon and their intelligence gathering operation:

WASHINGTON, April 5 (UPI) -- The Defense Department's policy office acted "inappropriately" when it analyzed and disseminated now discredited intelligence linking Iraq and al-Qaida.

The finding from the Pentagon inspector general's office should bring to a close four years of investigation into the role played by former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith in making a case for war against Iraq after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"The office of the secretary of defense for policy developed, produced and disseminated alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq-al-Qaida relationship, which included some conclusions which were inconsistent with the intelligence community," the February 2007 report states. "While such actions were not illegal or unauthorized, such actions were, in our opinion, inappropriate given that the intelligence assessments were intelligence products and did not clearly show the variance with the concensus of the intelligence community."

"As a result the USD (policy office) did not provide the "most accurate analysis of intelligence" to senior decisionmakers, the report states.

DICK CHENEY THE LIAR STILL TRYING TO FIND AN AUDIENCE TO LISTEN TO HIM:

Cheney accuses Pelosi of 'bad behavior'

WASHINGTON, April 5 (UPI) -- Vice President Dick Cheney Thursday accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., of "bad behavior" for visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Speaking with radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, Cheney said Pelosi doesn't represent the administration.

"I think it is, in fact, bad behavior on her part," he said. "I wish she hadn't done it, but she is the speaker of the House, and fortunately I think the various parties involved recognize she doesn't speak for the United States in those circumstances."

Cheney also accused Pelosi of supporting policies that would lead to defeat in the Iraq War.

"I've got some friends on the (Democratic) side of the aisle, and I don't want to question everybody's motives," he said. "I do believe that a significant portion of the Democrats -- including, I think, Nancy Pelosi -- are adamantly opposed to the war and prepared to pack it in and

A simple question. It strikes me that almost every single military person of the US is either shell-shocked at home or serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now the National Guard is to function as military in those places.

Doesn't all this leave the United States ripe for the picking? Who's looking after the homelands and keeping you safe right now?

The top four people in the Twin Cities working for the DOJ have resigned in protest because of the "dictatorial style" of the person in charge, a Bush appointee who used to work in Gonzo's office.

That was the lead story on the 10 pm news on WCCO (CBS affiliate).

Web site does not have story/video online yet. When it is, I'll post a link.

Who's looking after the homelands and keeping you safe right now?

Posted by: woz at April 5, 2007 10:41 PM

We are...the guardians...well at least we are looking after the homewaters :)

This has been a crazy patrol.

Ralpheh
I had a surprising talk with some Mormons today and they concur with those you talked about above! We agreed that there would be more peace if there was more respect and open-mindedness. It was really a pretty amazing chat!

About Pelosi .. I was listening to the journalist who operates out of Pakistan and who wrote the books "Taleban" and "Jihad." He really felt Pelosi is running American foreign policy because Condi Rice certainly isn't, because she won't talk to anyone. He said the US has squandered a relatively good relationship with countries that potentially felt rather favorably. He also said that we used to have a policy of "engagement," where we talked to our friends and our enemies.

He said many abroad are really hoping for alot of change in the west - the American, British and French elections cuold be critical, with the French one the most tense since WW2. & that Taleban and Al Quaida would probably try to take advantage of this rather delicate time in the west, but all things considered, most of the world would rather have the Democrats in control in the US.

I haven't taken a stand on the Presidency and am not going to yet, except to say that I'm glad Obama raised almost as much as Clinton and seems heavy with small donations. This thing needs to remain a contest. John Kerry talked about the need for Campaign Finance Reform and said alot of the things I'd been thinking, about the corruption r/t elections. I really wish the contest had remained much more open for much longer. It's good we don't have an incumbent.

I'd really like to see Kerry wipe the floor with Gingrich when they debate on the environment. & need to find out where the candidates stand on more issues. My God, Gore should be in his second term and with someone other than Lieberman. Oh to be in one of those science fiction movies where one can go back and influence the past!

Cheney said

"I've got some friends on the (Democratic) side of the aisle"

Lieberman, Lieberman, Lieberman

Questions Linger About Bush, Bin Laden And BCCI.
Analysis by Lucy Komisar
The link between Hussein and Bin Laden was their banker, BCCI. But the link went beyond the dictator and the jihadist -- it passed through Saudi Arabia and stretched all the way to George W. Bush and his father.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17488.htm

Senator Feinstein's War Profiteering
Democratic Blood Money
By Joshua Frank
Here's a brief rundown of the Feinstein family's blatant war profiteering.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17485.htm

Hang Up on War
By Amy Goodman
If you are upset that Congress won't defund the war in Iraq, there's something you can do: Stop paying a tax. Legally.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17486.htm

http://www.wcco.com/video/?id=25636@wcco.dayport.com
4 Top U.S. Attorney Administrator Resign Midst Controversy
If that direct link doesn't work, go to home page of wcco.com, upper right-hand corner has the same video.

Caption for this photo of Rove with the troops?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/gallery/2007/apr/05/1?picture=329769903

Posted by: NonnyO at April 5, 2007 11:53 PM

And who famously led the big BCCI investigation/exposé??

UN Report: Climate Change Poses Bleak Future

A draft report expected to be released Friday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N. network of 2,000 scientists, warns that global warming could threaten the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the decades to come.

In the absence of action to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, the future looks bleak, according to the draft obtained by The Associated Press.

The report will be the second of a four-volume authoritative assessment of Earth's climate released this year. The first volume, released in February, updated the science of climate change, concluding with near certainty that global warming is caused by human behavior.

more at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9398924

Hello from New York City!

I drove nine graduate students up here in a huge van--we are going to see a modern dance concert tonight (Friday) and they are taking class and having a tour of a dance space along with a conversation with a dance critic. I loved listening to them chatter in the van and was struck by several things:

how innately progressive and peace-loving they are in their thinking, and

how little attention they are paying to the forces acting around them. They have no idea who Sam Fox is, for example.

It made me realize why I am both hopeful and despairing about the future of this country and about democracy in general.

These young adults do get it--they know war is useless and horrible and that health care for all is a good thing and No Child Left Behind turned into a bad thing. But they will repeat talking points from mainstream media and their beliefs are a mixture of childhood hard-wiring and the loving concern they have for the world just because they are good people.

I think they are much like most of the population and that is information that is useful to have.

They assume the world will go on as it has. They do not see their own roles in its demise. I prod gently (sharpness would only cause recoiling after all)and slowly they begin to understand at a deeper level that change is necessary. We have a ways to go before they see that THEY must change first.

I mean WE THE PEOPLE. WE must change first.

"We must become the change we want to see." Gandhi

Cheney reasserts al-Qaida-Saddam connection
Vice president’s words come as latest Pentagon report again dismisses link

Updated: 3 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney repeated his assertions of al-Qaida links to Saddam Hussein’s Iraq on Thursday as the Defense Department released a report citing more evidence that the prewar government did not cooperate with the terrorist group.

Cheney contended that al-Qaida was operating in Iraq before the March 2003 invasion led by U.S. forces and that terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was leading the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida. Others in al-Qaida planned the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“He took up residence there before we ever launched into Iraq, organized the al-Qaida operations inside Iraq before we even arrived on the scene and then, of course, led the charge for Iraq until we killed him last June,” Cheney told radio host Rush Limbaugh during an interview. “As I say, they were present before we invaded Iraq.”

However, a declassified Pentagon report released Thursday said that interrogations of the deposed Iraqi leader and two of his former aides as well as seized Iraqi documents confirmed that the terrorist organization and the Saddam government were not working together before the invasion.

The Sept. 11 Commission’s 2004 report also found no evidence of a collaborative relationship between Saddam and Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network during that period.

more on...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17975678/

Limbaugh: One more, and that's the recess appointment of Sam Fox. Sam Fox is from my home state, and I know Sam Fox -- he's an immigrant, a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant, whose parents would have nothing -- when they died they had nothing. He is a totally self-created man, a great American. And he was treated horribly by Senator Kerry and others on that committee, simply because he had made a political donation. They essentially told him he did not have freedom of speech in this country, until he would apologize, until he would go up to Kerry and apologize for supporting the Swift Boats. Now the President has recess-appointed him. And of course, the Democrats have said they're going to investigate this and going to look into this.

This is the kind of move that garners a lot of support from the people in the country. This shows the administration willing to engage these people and not allow them to get away with this kind of -- well, my term -- you don't have to accept it -- Stalinist behavior from these people on that committee.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, you're dead on, Rush. I know Sam well. He's a good friend of mine and has been for many years. I think he's a great appointment. He'll do a superb job as our Ambassador to Belgium. I was delighted when the President made the recess appointment. He clearly has that authority under the Constitution. And you're right, John Kerry basically shot it down.

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Cheney_rebukes_Pelosi_for_bad_behavior_0405.html

Happiness is a warm gun.
Bang, bang.
Shoot, shoot.

Posted by: Bubba at April 5, 2007 03:37 PM

------

Only one minor correction: JK is not "now emulating Al Gore" -- he's been there in the forefront of the enviro movement all along, was one of the organizers of the very first Earth Day even back in 1970 in fact, and even Al Gore has credited JK for being there in the enviro trenches longer than anyone else. Gore and JK (and THK) are all pulling on the same end of the rope, but not of them are emulating each other -- they've always worked closely together as partners in this cause, and they still are.

(Not trying to be a noodge, I know you don't mean it the way the spinmeisters do, but the "he's just copying Al Gore" riff is something he's been having to deal with at every stop.)

Emulating Al Gore .. the Kerrys explained that Al's primary focus is global warming and they work in the broader but related areas - what is happening to our skies, waters, infrastructure that was not designed with an influx of pig waste, hospital nuclear waste, industrial mercury etc. to glob out into it like it is. Teresa has worked extensively with creating "green" environments and also with a more ecological approach to disease. For example, if there is a pocket where young women are getting breast cancer in high numbers, she is funding projects where researchers get to the bottom of why. John has worked on legislation for years, some of which this administration ignores or tries to undo.

The similarity between Gore and Kerry was pointed out by Joel Connelly in his P-I article here. Both "turned their backs on a process that dwells on the latest opinion polls and fundraising figures, with a news corps consumed by a pack mentality of who's up and who's down." They thus go over the heads of the pundits and out of the beltway.

John also said he'd been with Al Gore at Kyoto, and in Rio, applauded his work, defended him against the insane Larouchies who had set up a stand outside and who infiltrated the Q/A session. Al Gore wrote that "both John and Teresa have been long time leaders in the battle to save the Earth's environment. Way back when it was not at all fashionable, indeed when very few people in the world were even paying attention to it, both John and Teresa were providing outstanding and courageous leadership."

We also met a guy who had worked with John on the environment for 37 years now.

Cheney reasserts al-Qaida-Saddam connection
Vice president’s words come as latest Pentagon report again dismisses link

Posted by: monkey at April 6, 2007 08:04 AM

John Adams said "facts are stubborn things."

Poor Uncle Dick...Reality stinks, doesn't it? Today's lead story at WaPo is...

Hussein's Prewar Ties to Al-Qaeda Discounted

Documents reveal prewar consensus that Iraq and al- Qaeda had limited contacts and say deeper ties were based on dubious or unconfirmed data.

http://tinyurl.com/2ra8kh = WashPost

madame and monkey,

The problem is that the folks who listen to Rush do not read or believe the Washington Post. It continually astounds me how hard-wired some people are to whatever lies come out of his mouth. And those people do not have access to other sources of information--or at least, they do not attend to other sources.

We have to figure out a way to insert facts and truth into their conscious minds. There most be a way.

Posted by: karen at April 6, 2007 09:34 AM

Karen, I agree. But the people who listen to Rush are the 30% base who will never change & live in their own parallel universe. Anyone with half a brain will happen upon other sources of information. We need to concentrate on those former republicans who are now claiming they're independents/moderates.

I agree, madame. Some are irretrievably lost. But I still have some faith in the hundredth monkey notion. My ongoing question is: Has the hundredth monkey learned the truth yet?

Any one citizen we can help to understand what has been perpetrated on the American people brings us closer to critical mass. It's why we are here, no?

It's why THIS monkey's here, and I've told at least 98 others...

Otter, I have no idea who the 'spinmesiters' are, that was my observation,and mine alone. I know that JK has been involved in the environmental movement for decades. My point was that I was complimenting JK and pointing out the obvious parallels between Al Gore' path post Presidential loss, and JK's. It seems like both are now working to reach a larger audience, humanity rather than just going back to the political well that failed both of these fine men. Bush doesn't give a flip up the environment and Al, JK and Theresa have decided like another post has suggested, that if we are to save the environment from catastrophy, they need to communicate above the heads of the pundits and chattering class who care only about the latest political poll numbers. My post was intended as a compliment to JK and Theresa, its just hard to accept that he will not be our next President, an opportunity taken from him by some Texas thugs.

... an opportunity taken from him by some Texas thugs.

Posted by: Bubba at April 6, 2007 10:40 AM

Here, here... and Cheney is peeved cuz Kerry asked Sam Fox some tough questions. boo-hoo ya evil sissy.

Silly wingnut, trix are for pimps.

Irc anyone?

Freed Britons: We were blindfolded, isolated

The 15 British military personnel captured by Iran in the Persian Gulf were subjected to psychological pressure and kept in isolation, the group's commander told reporters today. Lt. Felix Carman of the British Royal Navy said the troops were 1.7 nautical miles from Iranian waters when the incident occurred despite statements while in custody.

Happy Good Friday to all those observing...

Commentary: What would Jesus really do?
By Roland Martin
CNN Contributor

Editor's note: Roland Martin is a CNN contributor and talk-show host on WVON-AM in Chicago, Illinois. He is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith."

NEW YORK (CNN) -- When did it come to the point that being a Christian meant only caring about two issues,­ abortion and homosexuality?

Ask the nonreligious what being a Christian today means, and based on what we see and read, it's a good bet they will say that followers of Jesus Christ are preoccupied with those two points.

Poverty? Whatever. Homelessness? An afterthought. A widening gap between the have and have-nots? Immaterial. Divorce? The divorce rate of Christians mirrors the national average, so that's no big deal.

The point is that being a Christian should be about more than abortion and homosexuality, and it's high time that those not considered a part of the religious right expose the hypocrisy of our brothers and sisters in Christianity and take back the faith. And those on the left who believe they have a "get out of sin free" card must not be allowed to justify their actions.

Many people believe we are engaged in a holy war. And we are. But it's not with Muslims. The real war -- ­ the silent war ­-- is being engaged among Christians, and that's what we must set our sights on.

As we celebrate Holy Week, our focus is on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But aren't we also to recommit ourselves to live more like Jesus? Did Jesus spend his time focusing on all that he didn't like, or did Jesus raise the consciousness of the people to understand love, compassion and teach them about following the will of God?

As a layman studying to receive a master's in Christian communications, and the husband of an ordained minister, it's troubling to listen to "Christian radio" and hear the kind of hate spewing out of the mouths of my brothers and sisters in the faith.

In fact, I've grown tired of people who pimp God. That's right; we have a litany of individuals today who are holy, holy, holy, sing hallelujah, talk about how they love the Lord, but when it's time to walk the walk, somehow the spirit evaporates.

A couple of years ago I took exception to an e-mail blast from the Concerned Women for America. The group was angry that Democrats were blocking certain judges put up for the federal bench by President Bush. It called on Americans to fight Democrats who wanted to keep Christians off the bench.

So I called and sent an e-mail asking, "So, where were you when President Clinton appointed Christian judges to the bench? Were they truly behind Christian judges, or Republican Christian judges?

Surprise, surprise. There was never a response.

An African-American pastor I know in the Midwest was asked by a group of mostly white clergy to march in an anti-abortion rally. He was fine with that, but then asked the clergy if they would work with him to fight crack houses in predominantly black neighborhoods.

"That's really your problem," he was told.

They saw abortion as a moral imperative, but not a community ravaged by crack.

If abortion and gay marriage are part of the Christian agenda, I have no issue with that. Those are moral issues that should be of importance to people of the faith, but the agenda should be much, much broader.

I'm looking for the day when Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Joyce Meyer, James Dobson, Tony Perkins, James Kennedy, Rod Parsley, " Patriot Pastors" and Rick Warren will sit at the same table as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Cynthia Hale, Eddie L. Long, James Meek, Fred Price, Emmanuel Cleaver and Floyd Flake to establish a call to arms on racism, AIDS, police brutality, a national health care policy, our sorry education system.

If they all say they love and worship one God, one Jesus, let's see them rally their members behind one agenda.

I stand here today not as a Republican or a liberal. And don't bother calling me a Democrat or a conservative. I am a man,­ an African-American man ­who has professed that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that's to whom I bow down.

If you concur, it's time to stop allowing a chosen few to speak for the masses. Quit letting them define the agenda.

So put on the full armor of God because we have work to do.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/04/martin.jesus/index.html

Ok. I'm out of irc, but if anyone wants to visit, I will arrange to be there around 6pm ish EST.

Hope to see some talking heads in there tonight.

Posted by: sparrow at April 6, 2007 11:50 AM

Life During Wartime

Monkey,

Thanks for posting that. I'm sending it to my in laws now.

Posted by: sparrow at April 6, 2007 11:50 AM

I should be there around 8-9PM EST.

The problem is that the folks who listen to Rush do not read or believe the Washington Post. It continually astounds me how hard-wired some people are to whatever lies come out of his mouth.

Posted by: karen at April 6, 2007 09:34 AM

And the sad thing is, you don't even have to know who Rush Limbaugh is, in order to repeat his lies. Case in point: my father, who gets all the Rush talking points either from the Marine bases he works at, or from the goddamn right-wing Korean radio stations in Los Angeles (which, thanks to satellite radio, have gone national).

Posted by: sparrow at April 6, 2007 11:50 AM

I should be there around 8-9PM EST.

Posted by: Ally McRepuke at April 6, 2007 12:05 PM

Ok, 8-9 pm wins!

Looking forwarded to seeing you and anyone else.

Here's a very interesting diary that's in line with our earlier discussion about the lying media & how to combat it.

The Chris Wallace Effect: How to Slap the Pundit Kings
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/6/125729/0653

And here's another one...

"Many people think" the media are just lazy douchebags
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/6/115840/1091

I don't think it's that some people will never change, but that's it's a slow process and sometimes seems like too little too late.

I am getting antiBush jokes and bumper stickers from people at work who used to turn a blind eye and deaf ear to my political involvment. I didn't say much but they knew what I was up to and were completely silent. No more.

It took a long time but people are starting to change. The question is whether this energy can be harnessed to undo some of the damage and stop more from happening. It's alot of little people against some pretty big forces and alot of dots to connect, and many people have little practice in doing so, or realizing that they have to do so.

About the British hostages being blindfolded and isolated - that will be trumpeted loudly in order to bolster any moves toward attacking Iraq. I am already seeing this as Cheney reiterates connections between AlQuaida/Saddam and MSM emphasizes that that an Iranian-made bomb allegedly killed some other Brits.

Bush and Blair will want to do this as a last hurrah, knowing full well that they don't have to see it through and can just sit back and watch the damage.

I meant attacking Iran. We already attacked Iraq.

Slow learners.

Few Americans Trust Military or Media for Information on Iraq: Poll
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040607F.shtml
Most Americans have little or no confidence in the information they receive from
the military or the media about the situation in Iraq, according to a poll
released Thursday.

Monica Goodling is on shaky legal grounds. It is unprecedented that a Defendant take the Fifth before a question is even asked. Is her attorney suggesting that if she is asked what is your name she can then take the Fifth. She needs to be subpoened, given Transactional Immunity, and told if you don't testify we will go Federal Court and hold you in criminal contempt. It is arguable that she knows of criminal conduct and until she is in legal jepordy or has not been given immunity should be compelled to testify. She is now no longer a federal employee and therefore not subject to the executive privilige argument.Not even the Nixon crowd attempted this kind of contempt of Congress.