September 30, 2004
Debate Day
* One-sided debate humor, courtesy of the DickNBush '04 team.
* Debate secrets debunked.
* Debate control run by those who are mostly Fair and mostly Balanced?
* Despite what you're hearing, Bush is not a great debater.....he's a talking points parrot unable to move off topic.
* As for those damn polls. Coulter, as a pundit is proving to be a waste of skin.
Update:
In my poll of me, I predict that after Bush beats Kerry in the debates, the Times will call it a draw.
that, was NOT a draw, that was an ASS whoopin'
* Bush on what he's planning to do and failed miserably on completing during the current term. Maybe he should have taken less vacation.
Bush O'Reilly pt III
Last night's summation of the interview had a mediocre religious question and then a 'what do you want people to know about you' moment. Both questions were answered with vague ramblings. The shining moment was;
(regarding religion)
O’REILLY: Is it important in your decision-making?
BUSH: It’s an important part of my life. I don't see how you can divorce religion and how you live your life. I mean -- I, they're -- if faith is an important part of your life it’s ingrained in your soul, and ingrained in your being. And I make decisions based upon what’s best for this country. And I pray for wisdom, I pray for strength, I pray for others who are in harm’s way. I pray for the soldiers, I pray for their families. And I make decisions -- I make decisions about earthly matters, I make decisions about how to get out of recession, or how to improve education, or how to spread the peace-- and that's what I believe we’re doing is spreading the peace.
Proof that prayer doesn't seem to work in all cases and that Bush seems to effectively distinguish between the decisions he has to make regarding earthly matters versus heavenly matters. Is he a minor deity that has to differentiate between his planetary duties and his ethereal tasks?
Spreading the peace. Spreading the Peace. Spreading the Peace.... say it long enough. You too will begin to believe it. Spreading the Peace.
weenie reprise
Frost buckles, Yarrow dumped, Sessions chuckles.
who really won here and what was gained?
Pete Sessions ... weenie
Today, Martin Frost's mailer pointed out Pete's incredibly unique methods for spending your tax dollars.
Pete, comes out with this: (typos and all)
Dear Supporters:
In case you missed the Mark Davis Show (WBAP-820 AM) yesterday morning,
wethought you would be interested in some illuminating clips from the
program.Apparently, Martin Frost is planning a fundraising event on
Monday, October11th here in Dallas with Mr. Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul,
and Mary fame.This is the same Peter Yarrow who is a convicted child molester -
youcan hear the details from Mark Davis' clips that are attached
below.Martin Frost's hypocrisy on the issue of child protection could notbe more
clear.Chris Homan
Campaign Manager
Pete Sessions for Congress
Clip2 - (listen to clip 2)
Transcript
"Now why do I bring that up, why do I bring that up? Because on
October11th, Martin Frost welcomes to an event on his behalf for alittle mini
concert, as it's called. I guess that's strumminga guitar in what I'm
guessing will be a very well furnishedand affluent living room. Peter
Yarrow, of Peter, Paul, andMary. That may seem like kind of a bit,
because that wholePeter, Paul,and Mary anti-war vibe, and all of that. Peter
Yarrow, absolutelyis a radical anti-war crank, he does not believe that
the attacksagainst America in fact on 9-11 were an act of war. He
accusesthe Bush Administration of trying to scare the American peoplewith
phonyrepresentation of the risk against us. So this is the guy
MartinFrost is bringing town on October 11th.There is one more thing. Amid all this talk of who is and isnot strong
on protectingchildren. I don't know what you will think on the imagery
of this. AndI'll ask you. I'll just flat out ask you. Because Peter
Yarrow comesto town on October 11th in an appearance for Martin Frost.
That would be convictedchild molester Peter Yarrow. You may recall 1970
when this man pleaded guiltyto taking immoral and improper liberties with
a 14 year old girl, while her sisterwas in the room. He was sentenced
in
September 1970 in a plea bargain to 90 daysin jail and three years of
probation. He was pardoned by Jimmy Carter on thePresident's last day in
office. And you can think what you wish about that.But you know, lets'
not have Martin Frost lecturing anyone on protectingchildren as a
convicted child molester comes to town to make an appearanceon his behalf.
Okay? Okay.Oh, by theway, that same night, who comes to town for Pete
Sessions? Thatwould be Rudy Giuliani. I rest my case."mmMarkDavis show, September 28, 2004
The best Pete Sessions can come up with is a talkjock's spew on Peter Yarrow
Consider one other case: Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary. The folk-pop trio has enjoyed a family-friendly image for decades, and has even done albums of children's songs. Back in 1970, however, Yarrow pleaded guilty to taking "immoral and improper liberties" with a 14-year-old girl.According to media reports, the girl and her 17-year-old sister went to Yarrow's hotel room seeking an autograph, and the musician answered the door naked and made a sexual advance that stopped short of intercourse. The 14-year-old victim resisted his advances but did not shout or leave the room.
Yarrow served three months of a one- to three-year prison term. In 1981, he was pardoned by President Jimmy Carter. The singer has acknowledged the incident as "the most terrible mistake I have ever made." Today, it is all but forgotten.
Now 23 years after his pardon and 34 years after his sentence was completed, he's fodder for campaign rhetoric? First sign of a drowning candidate.....the flailing.
Hey Sessions, try some Conservative Compassion on for size.
Luke 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 17:3-4: Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him
(cannon fodder scripture via Andy)
September 29, 2004
O'Really et Shrub II
O'Reilly, for all his fawning, has stuck Bush with a few zingers. Problem is, the real reactions don't seem to translate as well in the transcript as they do when you see the facial reactions. Thanks to TIVO, you're able to go back and freeze frame through those uncomfortable moments before he recovers. FWIW, Bush grinds his teeth.
BILL O'REILLY: How will the federal government ever pay off the federal deficit, in your opinion?
(...)
BUSH: Yeah, it’s happening. Seriously. One other, you know, I get accused for not having vetoed any budgets. One reason why is because I’ve worked with Speaker Hastert and Leader Frist, and formerly worked with Leader Lott, to develop a budget that trunked discretionary spending, that was reasonable about the growth in discretionary spending. It’s now, — non-defense, non-homeland, discretionary spending — is less than one percent in our budget. And that was growing at one, less that one percent, when I became President, it was growing at fifteen percent. So we’ve made some progress. The reason I believe tax cuts were necessary is because we were in a recession and we needed to grow this economy.
So, ignore the war impact, homeland security and all the other budgetary impacts we refuse to factor in... and you'll find us on the right track? Now that we've reduced the amount of money flowing into the government Bush is working hard building a coalition of the 'like-minded' (Frist, Lott and Hastert) to what, continue fudging numbers? He goes on to complain about 35% tax for the rich.......not so much in his case.
O’REILLY: Do you think the federal government has a moral obligation to pay Americans’ health bills?
BUSH: A moral obligation to pay, now, I think the federal government has an obligation to help those who cannot help themselves.
(...)
BUSH:: Well, let me stop you on the prescription drugs just for a second. Prescription drugs is a part of medicine. And we provide it, we said to the seniors, we’ll provide you medicine. We would put, we’d put the money up to, for heart surgery, we wouldn't put the money up for the prescription drug coverage necessary to prevent the heart surgery from happening in the first place. So that's a wise use of modernizing Medicare. I think it’s going to save us money in the long term. I know it’s going to provide our seniors better coverage and care, and seniors are going to have a choice in this plan. In other words, we’ve introduced market reform into Medicare for the first time, and that's why it was opposed by my opponent, and many people who believe we ought to nationalize healthcare. This is, you — what you're talking about is an issue in this campaign, and that is, do we increase the reach of the federal government to the lives of our citizens?
(...)
BUSH:: My answer is no. We shouldn’t.
Drugs is a part of medicine? After the 13% increase in Medicare costs for 2004 and the 17% increase projected for 2005, who's swallowing the "we're looking out for you" line? The prescription cost savings as described at this rate, will be totally eaten up by the time it's fully implemented in 2006. Why does no one call him on this? So help those who can't help themselves, but we don't have a *moral* obligation to pay the health bills? Swimming in rhetoric here. The question should have been, "does the government have a moral obligation to look out for the taxpayer base that supports its existence and to ensure the health and stability of the individual to build a strong nation that can effectively defend itself?" for starters.
on the subject of Bush being a Uniter.
BUSH:: Well it’s just — it’s just one, a period of history, you know, and I’m doing my best to bring people together. We’ve been united at times during my presidency. We were united after [CROSSTALK] September the 11th, we were united going into Afghanistan.
O’REILLY: But why did it go, why did it go out, is there one thing that's polarized the nation?
BUSH:: I, well, you know, we’ll see how polarized it is on Election Day, for starters. But, if I, — the Iraq war was a, — is a polarizing event, because a lot of people didn't see the wisdom of going into Iraq.
The boy in the bubble still can't see the extent of the damage he's caused to the nation as whole. Ironic, Mr. President.... there are more people *now* that don't see the wisdom of going into Iraq than prior to the invasion and we have less voting citizens as a result. Does he have rose colored contacts too?
regarding Chirac
BUSH: Well, you’d better get him on your show “Factor,” because I don't want to put words in his — I’ll tell you this. I’ll tell you this. — If Saddam Hussein were in power today, we’d be a heck of a lot worse off. And it’s really important for our citizens to understand that. This is a guy that had the capability of making weapons. I believe he was trying to delay and hope that the world would turn its head once again, and remember, there was what, seventeen different U.N. resolutions…
O’REILLY: Oh, it’s ridiculous. I, mean…
BUSH: That had been totally ignored.
O’REILLY: On that one, I’m with you.
BUSH: He would have been completely strengthened if the United States and the world had not acted.
O’REILLY: Well what about the guys who died in the first Gulf War, when you sign a cease-fire that he disobeyed seventeen times…
Heck of a lot worse off.... than what? No WMD, no nuclear capabilities and the sanctions had crippled the nation completely. Were they planning an attack on the US that no one's shared with us yet? First wave of stone throwers? Hell Texas has more firepower than most of the Middle East combined... who, really, was at risk... besides Halliburton's bottom line? After 12 years of restrictions, we went back in to honor the Gulf War 1 dead? Rather insulting to the current string of casualties.
O’REILLY: If you had to do anything again during those years, if you had to live, re-live them, would you have done anything differently?
BUSH: No, I fulfilled my duty, and was honorably discharged. I think I had about five hundred and seventy flying hours, and…
O’REILLY: So all this is propaganda, all of this…
BUSH: I was on active duty for a little over a year and a half and I proudly served.
CROSSTALK
O’REILLY: And they…
BUSH: And had my unit been called up, I’d have gone.
O’REILLY: They say you didn't register in Massachusetts, is that bogus?
BUSH:: I fulfilled my duties, I mean, this is...
[LAUGHTER]
I did exactly what my commanders told me to do.
Minus the physical, right? No more questions your honor.
proceded by a dissing of the 527's and their funding....missing completely the irony of the vast sums of money his campaign pulled in from major corporations.
O’REILLY: You didn't know anything about the Swift Boat ads before they went on the air, did you?
BUSH: No. I didn't.
O’REILLY: Did Karl Rove know anything about it?
BUSH: I don't think so. (pause) In other words, you're asking if anybody coordinated this in our campaign?
O’REILLY: No, whether they’d give you a heads up they were going to do it.
BUSH: Not to my knowledge.
What's missing here (identified by the pause) is the visual where the camera pulled back and Bush then followed up his own answer with a question. His face at this point could have been more pinched, but they'd have to have employed a ton of lemons.
All in all, the non-verbals are almost more telling than what's stated. The nervous laughter, the grinding of teeth, the pursed lips (see extended entry). As Commander in Chief for the last 3.7 or so years, he should not be this uncomfortable with unscripted interviews.
Smoke = Fire
* The Crawford Texas paper, The Lone Star Iconoclast has endorsed Kerry, as has the mayor. Crikey!
* Novak goes off on the CIA vs White House struggle, Tbogg caught it first.
* Odds we get any information out of Saddam...........very low. Quick trial, few witnesses, Rumsfeld/Reagan/Bush I references stripped from transcript and then, poof.
* Since our administration's speech writers are so good at filling in where there are gaps, couldn't we have just loaned a couple out to France and Russia, pre-Iraq and got them to side with us?
* Kos has a piece in the Guardian on the media.....nice to see.
* How's that war going? Let's check in with a man in the field........what, still no rose petals?
* Cleanse your palate with a swig of Molly, who never misses the ball when up at bat.
* Posters for your dorm room or cubicle wall.
September 28, 2004
Bush on O'Reilly p1
What a treat watching O'Reilly was last night. Mediocre questions followed by obscure responses. Fair and Balanced indeed.
Choice bits only, due to time constraints.
BUSH: I also saw a poll where it said, by far, the vast majority of the Iraqis believe the world is getting better. And that's positive.
In other words, people are beginning to see progress. Electricity is better, schools are opening, hospitals are running. I think when it's all said and done, the Iraqis are going to look back and say: "Thank God for America."
O'REILLY: How long is it going to take before that happens, do you think?
BUSH : You know, as soon as possible. Now, I think the elections are going to have, you know, a very positive effect, and they take place in January. Look, the people want to vote.
Iraqis don't have electricity, they're combating a rise in hepetitis cases, death from above and they believe the world is getting better....they're true optimists. riiiiiiiight. They're still holding on the "thanking God" part though but they'll get to it ASAP. Ingrates.
O'REILLY: But can they vote when people are being blown up...
BUSH : Yes.
O'REILLY: ... and these guys are threatening them?
BUSH: That's when you're supposed to vote. You've got to stand tough with these terrorists. You cannot allow the terrorists to dictate whether or not a society can be free or not.
Gee whiz Wally. Shouldn't someone tell Cheney?
BUSH: I think that the government of Iraq, Allawi, did a good job in Najaf with Sadr. In other words, they now control the shrines, and they did so in a way that he, Allawi, thought would be best for the political process. In other words, there's a dual track here. There's a political process going forward and a security operation going forward. And the two must be parallel. And Allawi made the decision that the best operation in Najaf would be the way we handled it. And if they're saying that maybe last fall we should have moved on Sadr, it's a judgment call that history will have to look back on.
O'REILLY: Fallujah: Should we have crushed it when we could have?
BUSH: Well, there again, there was a dual track with a political process going forward. A lot of people on the ground there thought that if we'd have gone into Fallujah at the time, the interim government would not have been established. And if the government would not have been established, we wouldn't have been able to transfer sovereignty.
I happen to think the transfer of sovereignty is a key moment in the history of a free Iraq. The reason I believe that is that the Iraq people are going to follow Iraqi leadership, not U.S. leadership. And Prime Minister Allawi's been there for about two and a half months, nearly three months. He's getting his feet on the ground. He's establishing a government, they're training police, they're training army, they're beginning to move out in, in places like Samarra (search) and Najaf in order to make the place a more peaceful country.
In other words, thank goodness we met the June 30th handover date or we wouldn't have the Allawi patsy we're touting today. That and the pesky dual track of politics and security running in parallel. Please ignore the rhetoric that seems eerily similar to Vietnam logic. We turned this puppy over so as to deflect critique, next question.
O'REILLY: The "mission accomplished" statement in May 2003, if you had to do it all over again, would you not have done it?
BUSH: Well, first of all, the statement said: Thank you for serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Thank you for being on one of the largest, longest cruises in our nation's history. Thank you for serving our country. And we've still got tough work in Iraq.
Now, I'm going to go and thank our troops every chance I get.
As long as I don't have to acknowledge the ones coming home in body bags. The message is still lost on them.
O'REILLY: Would you do it again?
BUSH: You mean have the sign up there?
O'REILLY: No, no, but go in there with the flight jacket,
BUSH: Absolutely.
O'REILLY: You would.
BUSH: Of course. I'm saying to the troops, on this carrier and elsewhere: Thanks for serving America. Absolutely.
On behalf of the American voters, I too would like to see a repeat performance of the codpiece strut. grrrrr, ruff ruff.
O'REILLY: Iran said yesterday: Hey, we're going to develop this nuclear stuff, we don't care what you think. You ready to use military force against Iran if they continue to defy the world on nuclear?
(...)
BUSH: No, we've made it clear, our position is that they won't have a nuclear weapon.
Dear Iran, once we clean up this, Iraq place and have our military bases installed, you're next.
O'REILLY: Every year, 3.5 million illegals come over. Why can't the federal government control that?
(...)
BUSH: It's working a little better. They're doing a pretty good job down in Arizona, which is the main border crossing. But I was trying to get my words here for a minute. I was trying to give you some facts. I think there's a thousand more border patrol agents along the border, we're modernizing border techniques, we're using better surveillance methods to stop crossing at the border. Now, look, people are coming up because they want to work. You know, family values don't stop at the border.
Six years as Governor of the state with the largest boder with Mexico, four years as President and he's searching for words on immigration? What a CEO! Wish he could wax as eloquent on the economy, international law and the environment.
It's Tuesday, therefore...
It has to be Texas Tuesday
In the hottest race in Texas (DeLay/Morrison notwithstanding), the Frost vs Sessions battle in the newly formed District 32, covering the bulk of Dallas County, is key to defeating the DeLay power grab and sending the best man to Congress. Dailykos has created a website, BlogPAC, for addressing these types of highly contested races. They've focused on Sessions' reference to Iraq as "an away game" from the last debate.
The Frost profile this week is here and the district race profile is here.
Go read, catch up and either volunteer or contribute.
September 27, 2004
RastaFallwellians
Well I'll be darned
Other Stuff
* "If I had a million dollars....................I'd be rich". Ah, the lure of easy money to bring people to Christ. Money-changers everywhere shake heads in puzzled amusement.
* Upcoming scheduled delivery of cut-able brush slated for alignment with October surprise. Next on "Cutting Bush with Shrub", it's 'Genocide or Simply Thinning the Family Tree?'.
* Visions for the future, ramifications of current policy and the raging success in Iraq. Genuine reasons for voting Bush in 2004.
* Dredging up the non-applicable past, courtesy of the Guardian. Who doesn't know the Bush family ties to the [insert Godwin's Law] Party by now? Voters in red states, maybe?
* O'Reilly's perception that all 'Daily Show' watchers are stoned slacker seems to be at odds with reality. Ooooh, stop the presses. Speaking of the 'Great shut up Orator', he'll be interviewing Bush this week.
* Bush base identified by supporter of 'Dead Homos'. 30 Helens agree and Jesus wept.
* Find the flip flop, kids. 1000+ dead troops disagree with the Bush/Allawi assessment of the state of Iraq. Controversy rages.
* Could someone, anyone, please cite an example where any liberal has tried to ban a book, ever. Projecting much there, GOP dudes?
* CBS in an effort to not seem like ineffective weenies, become... just that.
* Hey Kerry campaign!!!! Try running on the 'Support the Troops' slogan. It's not working for your opposition.
* Jeb Bush fights to save the protracted life-support dependant life of a non-voter. It's a shame he's doesn't show the same level of care and affection towards all his voters. Florida still uses the electric chair occasionally, don't they? Odd.
Homogenous Hemophiliacs
Some Thing to Whet the Appetite. (all links were sent in)
* Credit where credit's due. Ted Rall nails it in one.
* Is it just me or is Bush actually doing a disservice to our military when he states 'Everything's Cool' in Iraq? They say Kerry's emboldening the enemy and harming the troops' morale, but if those were my boots on the ground, I'd want my leader to be honest with the people back home.
* Similarities? Maybe. Who knows...........it does seem vaguely familiar, don't it.
* Bad policy is bad policy, no matter how you spin it.
* Class warfare? It's not a war until the peasants rise up.
September 24, 2004
Non Compos Mentis
Random Bits
* Class warfare couldn't be a reality, could it?
* What's with the surprise that the EPA reports look and sound like the industry reports? We've already handed most of our agencies over to former lobbyists and CEOs. What do you expect?
* Free speech. This is what we're looking to implement in Iraq, right?
* Neal Boortz is in favor of voter disenfranchisment that surpasses anything the 2000 election offered up. Guess he had a sit down with Rumsfeld and they figure if it's good enough for Iraq, it's good enough for the US.
* Deconstructing the election ads visually. via Atrios
* They're your neighbors, family, friends and co-workers.... educate them.
* kos sponsored catharsis... questions you'd like to ask Bush in the debates.
* Bush was whaaaaaaaaaaat?
Image of the Day (thanks Fred)
September 23, 2004
Dance with He who Brung Ya
Circle left halfway (8)
Allemande left (8)
Dos-a-dos (8) (or: Swing partner twice)
Promenade (1/2) (8).
Then the real dancing begins
See, 9/11 changed everything. September the 11th meant that we had to deal with a person like Saddam Hussein. Of course, I was hoping it could be done diplomatically, but diplomacy failed. And so the last resort of a president is to use force, and we did. And now we're -- we're helping the Iraqis.
(firm grasp on reality, lost.)(...)
By the way, it was the Afghan (sic) National Army that went into Najaf and did the work there. There's a regular army being trained, there are border guards being trained, there are police being trained. That's a key part of our mission. (someone get this man an atlas)
(...)
See, they've been emboldened before; they have caused certain nations to withdraw from coalitions as a result of their action, such action reinforcing the ability for suiciders, for example, to affect free societies. I know that; I've seen first-hand the tactics of these killers. And so therefore, I think it's very important for all of us involved in the process not to send mixed signals. (like what, voting for Kerry?)
10-4 Good Buddy
* Are you better off now that 'you' were 4 years ago. Don't think of it in terms of the individual, but as a United country.
* Bush picks up two more votes. The ALBRC has endorsed President Bush.
* Compassion from the Conservative NeoCons. Don't Lose Your Head, Vote Bush '04
Bush said the insurgents "use the only tool at their disposal, which is beheadings and death, to try to shake our will. They understand the nature of America. ... We weep when we think about the families affected by those who have been brutalized by these terrorists."
We, on the other hand use really really big bombs and death. Distinction is key.
* Using the logic that pre-emptive attacks are justifiable and that harboring terrorists is reason enough to bomb, can Venezuela, Cuba, Panama and Chile declare war on us now?
* Dan Barlett performed his role as the "Great Dismisser" online this week.
* Wonder if the Huginator performed his task on this grieving mother.
* Lies and the lying liars who tell them.............Danny and Georgie. Which had the greater impact?
Monumentally Weird
Selling War
One of the more spectacularly weird advertisements for toys... things you learn being a parent. A, must click!! The 'Dr. Strangelove' overtones are too ironic.
Update: You can buy them, here and here.
Powell toes the party line
From the 9.12.04 MTP. What is it about this administration and shifting 100% of all blame?
SEC'Y POWELL: Of course. I'm troubled that we have to do a better job of conveying to the world what we have achieved in Afghanistan and in Iraq: two terrible regimes gone, 55 million people given the promise of freedom. The people who should be getting criticized right now are the insurgents and the terrorists and the old remnants of the Taliban and the old remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime who are trying to keep the Iraqi and Afghan people from getting to a better, brighter future. Those are the ones that should be getting the criticism, but we're getting the criticism right now.But we're confident of what we're doing. We're confident in our strategy. We're confident that we've done the right thing in both Afghanistan and in Iraq, and this is not the time to get weak in the knees or faint about it, but to drive on and finish the work that we started.
Flashing back to the bully on the playground scenario here...where the bully taunts the little guy until he swings, beats the shit out of him and then blames the little guy for swinging first. Quite the international policy.
September 22, 2004
2 Parts Message, Mix Well
* Shorter Bush at the UN; "Suck my ass you lily-livered pussies, I'll bomb who I want... Vote for me".
* Stop the presses, I almost agree with Jeff Jacoby on 'Election Day'. I though think he doesn't go far enough and insist that it should be a national holiday.
* Cat Stevens turned away from the US? Who's the music critic in charge of immigration this week? Why can Ricky Martin keep touring?
* I'm torn, do I get the mousepad or the coffee mug?
* Truthout's scathing critique on the failure of the media.
* Bush AWOL? The Air Force Times seems to think so.
* Juan Cole puts the shoe on the other foot. An argument I've been trying to articulate for weeks and now, don't have to.
* The OZ aspect to campaign contributions that is slipping under the radar and truly having the greatest impact. 527's are a red herring, comparatively speaking.
* Shorter Dennis Prager: "I refuse to cite specifics in order to bolster my case, Lefties have no morals and rely on the courts too much". The cognitive dissonance is much greater and should be read......I just don't have the time to deconstruct it.
* The Parlock family were blessed this week with a gift of gratitude for sacrificing their daughter to the evil masses that are Democratic voters.
Three-year-old Sophia Parlock has a new Bush-Cheney campaign poster, courtesy of President Bush himself.Sophia became famous Thursday when Associated Press photographer Randy Snyder captured a shot of the toddler crying after her Bush-Cheney sign was torn to pieces at a Huntington, W.Va., rally for Democratic vice-presidential candidate John Edwards.
Sophia's father, Republican activist Phil Parlock, charges that Edwards' supporters "pounced" on him and two of his children, equating it to a "feeding frenzy."
The photo of Sophia crying made her a cause celebre in newspapers around the country. Parlock said on Friday that he'd already given more than 20 interviews.
U.S. News & World Report writer Paul Bedard was the first to report Friday that the White House sent Sophia a new poster, with a personal inscription from the president: "Dear Sophia, Thank you for supporting my campaign. I understand someone tore up your sign. So I am sending you a new sign and a signed picture."
Self Importance
Pecking order as established by Bill O'Reilly is Bush, McCain, Kerry and... himself? Who knew? Courtesy of Wonkette, from the Jon Stewart interview.
STEWART: George Bush?
O'REILLY: Yeah.
STEWART: I don't recall the president stopping by the program.
O'REILLY: But McCain's been on.
STEWART: Yes.
O'REILLY: OK. Kerry's been on, as we mentioned.
STEWART: Yes.
O'REILLY: I've been on. So you've had the three most powerful people beside him on.
STEWART: That's probably right.
Guess a Polk award is, all that and a bag of chips.
September 21, 2004
Quickies
Last Minute Entries in 10 Words or Less
* We s-elected Bahgdad Bob.
* Rumsfeld changes title to 'Secretary of Offense-ive'.
* Losing the war, one missed opportunity at a time.
* $2,500K to hear Novak ... and he won't name a source?
* History lesson from the Boston Globe. (via Peter)
* Support your troops, pay less taxes. God Bless.
Bonus Logic
Terrorism didn't begin on September 11, 2001. It started earlier than the Beirut barracks attacks in 1983. It began in the hearts of evil men who preached about an angry god intent on wiping out his enemies through violent acts. That disease spread, and whether it found a host in Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden, the virus exploded into a worldwide plague.
Refresh my memory, where did Osama get his Stinger missiles and where did Saddam get his biological weapons? Why now is it a black mark against John Kerry and although he's presenting a solution for an exit, will still have to be the cleanup crew for the sloppy frat boys that lived in the house before him.
Didactic Demagogue
QOTD
From one of my more conservative friends:
"But our pro-life, pro-family President has no plan to save the lives of our men and women in Iraq (civilian and military alike) and no plan to bring them home to their family and that is bugging the hell out of me this week."
Elsewhere
* I was provided an opportunity last night to get a sneak preview of "Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry." It's both powerful and moving. I was disappointed to learn that it's a theatrical release and might miss the best and most important target audience. However, for those Democrats, looking for a reason to support the John Kerry of today, go watch the John Kerry from 1971 in action.
* Dan Piraro nails it good.
* How do we expect to receive commitment from our troops when we cannot treat them with the honor and dignity they so rightly deserve?
* Dennis Hastert is a party man right down to the last drop of Kool-Aid. Well, except for that whole Keyes boondockle.
* This just in, ....you know why you can't get emergency health care......................MEXICANS!!! I had no idea.
* Grover Norquist is dancing on the future graves of the WWII veterans. How does this guy look at himself in the mirror?
Tuesdays in Texas
Candidate #1
In the newly drawn district a non-standard race is being run. A write-in math professor from UT against a hard-line Republican who's deep deep in the pockets of big business, most importantly, Clear Channel.
Lorenzo Sadun (D) vs Michael McCaul (R)
This is a district that, when you look at the overall demographics, will be under represented by someone who's as beholden to corporate interests as McCaul is.
Candidate #2
District 6's race is a no-brainer folks. It's Morris Meyer against Joe Barton. Morris is in an uphill battle against DeLay's boy Smoky Joe (who won't debate) and needs all the help he can get.
South Dakota
I watched the MTP session from Sunday with Daschle and Thune last night ...or, as I like to call them, Spineless and Pretty Boy. It's got to be rough being a Democrat from South Dakota this year. They're going to have to hold their noses and vote for the somewhat lesser of the two evils, simply to ensure a 1+ count on the D side of the aisle. Daschle's so incredibly weak, he can't even hold the party line well enough to defend the decision made by his party's candidate for president.
MR. RUSSERT: Didn't Senator Kerry vote against $87 million for aid to the troops?
SEN. DASCHLE: He did. I disagree with that. And when I was over there, that was one of the most important things we could do is to send the message, I think, that these members of the Guard and reserves, our active duty personnel, need the support need the equipment they've got to have.
oh, come on Senator...........Russert lobbed you a softball and you had the opportunity to hit it out of the park with the bat of truth and you're so frigging desperate to win your own race you can't see past the end of your brown nose. sheesh.
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. Thune, let me talk to you about the lead-up to the war and this emphasis on the weapons of mass destruction and ask you something specifically that you said on October 8 of 2002. "There's a high probability that [Saddam Hussein] is able to add nuclear capability to extend missiles to the United States."
MR. THUNE: ... I think at the time--we now know that he still has the intention, he still has the capability as has been determined I think since that time. He doesn't have the stockpiles, or at least, we haven't found them yet, but I think that when the president very aptly described the axis of evil--Iran, North Korea and Iraq-- there there was a potentiality of nuclear weapons in each of those countries, and I believe that it was the correct move to vote for the resolution of force.
Would someone let Johnny here know that Saddam's in prison, about to stand trial and not really doing much scheming anymore. That and the whole Iran and NK thing, we really have no plan for dealing with them ...remember, we ignored them as we ran out of Afghanistan in our rush to topple a dictator we knew couldn't stand up to us.
What other spectacular words of wisdom do you have on our international efforts there, Mr. Thune?
MR. RUSSERT: There was no hard evidence that Saddam had a "high probability of nuclear weapons." Was that a scare tactic?
MR. THUNE: I don't believe that's a scare tactic, Tim. And I think that there was a lot of anecdotal evidence that had been collected over time in the region. We certainly knew that there had been a past history of using Scud missiles and that sort of thing on neighbors in the region.
Ah, we attacked Iraq because of anecdotes. Remind me to stay away from your dinner parties.
What other witty reparte' can these clowns come up with to win the hearts and minds of their constituents?
MR. THUNE: ...And what it does is emboldens our enemies and undermines the morale of our troops and I...
MR. RUSSERT: His words embolden the enemy?
MR. THUNE: His words embolden the enemy. I think they do. I think when you've got political leaders in your country, Tim, in a time of war, ....
(...)
MR. RUSSERT: Do you regret the day before the war saying that the president had failed miserably?
SEN. DASCHLE: I could have found a different time to say it.
Would someone pass Daschle a diaper, I think he just rolled over and pissed on himself again. He capitulates on every friggin' point when it comes to the war which is in absolute chaos, he stops just shy of completely excusing our justification and fawning all over the president. It's time for him to stop thinking of himself as a leader and more as a representative of the people... who's needs are clearly not being met.
September 20, 2004
Rufus Xavier Sarsparilla
Audacity
* Jay Bryant does his readers a favor and "stops short" of accusing Kerry of being in cahoots with Osama. Isn't he just the sweetest? So he plants the seeds and then what, blames fate for the sudden growth of unwanted weeds?
So stopping short of accusing Kerry of being in cahoots with Osama, here’s what is perfectly plausible:
(...)
If he should happen to win, his strategy, and that of America’s worst enemies, will have succeeded.
* Bush's Guard Service is no longer in question. The American people know he didn't show and don't care (larger issue than memo-gate). Disappointing as it is, there's still no real closure on the memos CBS was feed and failed to effectively vet. There is though some extra detail on the primary freeper working to discredit them.
* It's not just me apparently. Other people are conviced that this year's polling numbers are shit. Big heaping warped piles of steaming refuse.
* A moment inside a "Dry Hump a Bush" campaign stop.
* Not only will our children be saddled with vast amounts of national debt and interest, but they may get to see action in the field as well.
* The 'Coalition of the Going Home', starring Britain.
* Finally, Kerry's going after the lack of exit plan and the chaos surrounding Iraq.
* Why would anyone conciously vote to save the unborn, knowing that it's the born that are at risk?
The Republicans will hurt me in the long run in providing for my family, but it's probably more important to watch out for the unborn and that kind of stuff."
* Lemme get this straight, we got our yellow cake data from France and the UN resolution on Iraqi weapons were some of the primary reasons for going to war? That means we attacked Iraq for the French and the UN? I thought this administration hated these people...does anyone else see the irony here?
September 18, 2004
All In a Day's Work
Stats: (3 of us working)
- Knocked on approximately 60 apartment doors.
- Immediately registered 12 people.
- Handed out 20+ voter registration cards.
- Registered the ice cream man.
- Added many new people to the precinct activity rolls.
- Provided voter education to former felons.
In under 3 of the best hours I've spent all week. Making a difference feels good.
September 17, 2004
a man walks into a bar.......
* Oh, no!!!! It's the revenge of the angry Democrats! They've all gone nuts! Abusing 3 year old Bush supporters at Kerry/Edwards rallys. No, fabulous reporting on behalf of the Moonies.
* How about that Operation Iraqi Liberation?
* and.......on and on and on and on. Still no rebuttal to content from the White House.
* Polls and more polls. IMNSHO, they're all shit.
* Stop gapping. After watching a co-worker get called up this month just after receiving his Army retirement papers, I'm convinced this is simply getting worse and worse. After 20 years of service to your country, you can't even retire now.
* Warning!!! Bush in flightsuit leads to overactive imagination, a longing for a poseur in a uniform and possible masturbation.
* Mmmmmmmmmmmm, Yellow Cake with a side of justice.
* Oh, come on.... you knew it was coming, right? Remember, Dana Rohrabacher's the guy who recently argued that global warming was a myth on Bill Maher.
How about that record?
Voting for the incumbent should be based on his success and failure, right?
Compare this to the Bush/Cheney stump rhetoric.
September 16, 2004
Perky Nihilists
War For Fun and Profit
* From the stump, Bush seems convinced he's strong on terror, strong on national defense and that we're winning the peace in Iraq. 0 for 3 kiddo. On the playground, the term for this is "Loser".
* After pissing off the Russian government by meeting with Chechen leaders, the last thing this administration would want to is feed the fires already burning, right? wrong. Cheney's still got opinions and the sentiment towards Russia's not much different than the one he has here at home.
"I think what happened in Russia now demonstrates pretty conclusively that everybody is a target, that Russia, of course, did not support us in Iraq. They did not get involved in sending troops there. They've gotten hit anyway."
boy, that's empathy for ya.
* The other war. The war on information and the public's right to know. Do not consume on a full stomach.
* Grrrr, ruff ruff. Democratic strategists should critique themselves behind closed doors......especially when former Gore campaign staff begin to criticize a race that hasn't been lost.
* May DeLay collapse under the sheer weight of his own hubris. amen.
Other Stuff
* Buttons for fun, pleasure and getting messages across.
* FWIW, some of us do this because we're dedicated and aren't in it for money. Note the absence of ads or paypal links?
Defiling Logic
The sacred institution of marriage is under attack. There are those who want to redefine marriage to include two men, or two women, or a group of any size or mix of sexes: One man and four women, one woman and two men, etc. If they fail to secure legal protection classifying these arrangements as 'marriage,' they want to include all these mixtures under the definition of 'civil union,' giving them identical standing with the marriage of one man and one woman.
Where's the defense of marriage from stupid people who feel it's all about them and not about the happiness and love of others?
It's the Voter, Stupid
All the voters in the nation won't mean a thing if their votes are rendered invalid or they're purged from the rolls.
MichiganMichigan is the state that Jon Greenbaum, director of the Voting Rights Project for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, mentions as a potential trouble spot. On July 16, the Detroit Free Press quoted John Pappageorge, a Republican state representative from Troy, Michigan, who said, "If we do not suppress the Detroit vote, we're going to have a tough time in this election cycle." Detroit is 83 percent African American. Pappageorge later told the Associated Press that he was not advocating suppression of the black vote but that "you get it [the Detroit vote] down with a good message."
They can't keep blaming Freud for these verbal gaffes. They're saying what they really mean.
September 15, 2004
Impact Statement
Flak Jacket Required
To date, the majority of the debunkers and the Townhall types celebrating the demise of Dan Rather, appear to be quite elated that the memos have been proven to be forgeries. Ironically though, there's been little to no effort to contradict the content. Even the secretary who typed up the Colonel's memo's noted that they're more than likely forged, but the sentiment's accurate.
She said that although she did not recall typing the memos reported by CBS News, they accurately reflect the viewpoints of Col. Killian and documents that would have been in the personal file. Also, she said she didn't know whether the CBS documents corresponded memo for memo with that file.
Notice the White House isn't pissing and moaning much about forgeries... wonder why that is? Maybe it's their vast experience in performing like tasks with much more long reaching impact. Heck, even on the campaign trail they're using the selective inclusion of data approach to lessen the impact of the bad news they're actually touting as success.
There's a bit of familiarity to all of this and has a bit of a Rovian hint to it. Sort of the, "gawrsh, somebody bugged my office.... lookie lookie, bad stuff.... please ignore the real race and pertinent issues".
The upside to all of this controversy surrounding Bush's past is, that it's forcing the media and those blogging politics to do the nitty gritty research on Texas politics and the quid pro quo aspect of doing business here that they completely ignored in the 2000 race. Pandagon connects the dots and Greg Palast weighs in a bit as well. The tit for tat's been there since Bushie got his start in the 'awl bidness' back in the 70's this is just the natural extension and next step aspect of using cronyism and shady tactics to move forward on the political stage.....it's just that Bush skipped over most of the growth stages (local office, state rep, etc) in his rush to power.
For those, just now waking up and tuning in, think about this:
1992: George H W Bush lost the election to Clinton.
1994: Having never succeeded in a business of his own, George W Bush becomes Governor of Texas.
1998: George W is re-elected as Governor and swiftly declares his intent to run for president.
2000: George W become President of the United States in a tightly contested, highly manipulated race.
From "boy with good name" to "president" in under two presidential terms. From failed businessman (bailed out by parental cronies) to leader of the free world in 6 years? Who else moves that fast through the political growth cycle and into such a position of power on their own? Wake up America, you got yourself one nasty bait and switch and it's time to do your own switching.
September 14, 2004
Smokescreening
Seven weeks out from the Presidential Election and the only thing anyone's talking about in the media, the blogosphere et al, is 4 memos CBS and Dan Rather harked up on 60 minutes last week over Bush's service (or lack of service) in the TANG? Hey Zeus F'ing Christo folks, you're all being taken for a ride.
The myriad asinine aspects of this fiasco include but are not limited to; the fact that the White House has been rather mum on the subject, the concern isn't over content or validity of the details as much as the format of the documents and the complete possibility CBS could be getting punked in a big way simply to discredit the "liberal media" and bolster the talking points of the GOP.
The sheer volume of noise to signal is deafening and all the strong points at issue this election are being lost. Is this the Willy Horton of 2004? Can no one hear the message for the spin? Our troops are losing their footing exponentially in Iraq while we pay $29.95 to watch wrestling on PPV. We're sponsoring terrorist immigration while ratcheting up Medicare and prescription costs for the elderly. Ignoring the states where there's no voting paper trail and whining about whether or not a commander typed up a memo or his secretary did? Vets against Kerry marching on Washington to protest Kerry marching on Washington protesting a war that was unpopular while an unpopular war wages on today.
Instead of wondering whether the mainstream media is liberal or conservative, why aren't we asking why they're wasting our bloody time and bandwidth? Ironically, President Bush said it best in his RNC speech "We are on the path to the future and we are not turning back."... Well, duh, not without a time machine......... could someone tell these guys.
[Waving big red flag]
Wake the hell up folks, you're being taken in by a last minute snow job and you've lost focus on the real issues facing your country. Every minute you spend typing up a diatribe on fonts and Rather's communist ties, you could be registering voters, walking precincts, phone banking, delivering signs for candidates, or carting the elderly to early voting polls. Get off your collective fat asses and get busy making change and stop being manipulated.
Occam Shaves
Vote Bush......
* Vote Bush; While he was drunk in the 70's Kerry was being monitored by the FBI. Which would you trust more, a dry drunk or a person of interest?
* Vote Bush; He Swaggers. "But there's something at work under the radar called the masculinity factor. George W. in his cowboy boots and Texas drawl is much more the natural man that appeals to feminine instincts."
* Vote Bush; Cheney's not nearly as spooky as he seems, especially when his comments are edited.
Random interest
* Homosexual reversal. Don't just deny who you are, affect other's lives as well. Live a lie, God says so.
* Counter that liberal media bias.......... support the silenced and downtrodden like Malkin and Coulter. Supporting anger's never been easier.
* Get my necklace............support me. Ok, not me, but I need one of these.
* 9/11 Commission report summarized. Go read.
* Go pledge to vote...........Democrat.
* Martin Frost has made the "game" portion of his debate available for you. Go watch.
Recommendations for the Kerry Campaign
* StoutDem on how to beat Bush.
* Kevin Hayden on tightening the message and focusing on the voter's needs.
Texas Tuesday
This week's profile is on one of the two hottest and most important races in Texas this year. It's the showdown at the Sugarland Corral starring Richard Morrison and Tommy DeLay. Nothing would be more enjoyable than sending a retirement card to DeLay this year.....except maybe an indictment next year.
Bad Flag, BAD!
Flag Desecration's back on the table. As you listen to the rhetoric spew forth from the right, reflect back on last September........atrios points to it here as well.
remember, the flag belongs to all of us.
September 13, 2004
Not Pissing Enough People Off
Fonts, Kerning and Missing the Point
* Why try and over scrutinize four memos typed up back in the '70s to determine if Bush met his requirements for service or not? If the issue is primarily over his piss test nothing is going to get solved. If the issue is specific to proving whether he was able to show up for duty, simply look at his vacation record today. Hell, he's got an uphill climb daily to schedule in work between his napping and early bedtime. This election year stumping's got to be killing him.
* Since when did it become popular for those who fought, to defend the Vietnam War? Since when did the Vietnam Vets become so bloody anxious to revisit the horrors they experienced? When did it become fashionable to blame the entire failure of the war (and impact on POWs) on one man who spoke out (amongst hundreds) against the political nightmare? Especially since his primary focus was bringing the troops home and wasn't part of the congressional team that initiated the draft or deployed troops?
------ aren't we already fighting a war where we're winning every battle and yet losing the war overall. Switch the focus kids.
* 1000 words times 1000 pictures.
* The last defender of the people has slipped over into the abyss of self indulgent stupidity. Please, no one toss him a rope.
* Job losses under Bush reach new levels.
* They hate us cause we're freeeeeeeeeeeeee......and our blatant profiteering.
* W stands for Wussyomen
Texas Politics
* Pete Sessions, who voted against a congressional review of Abu Ghraib, referred to Iraq as a game in yesterday's debate against Martin Frost. Remember, this is the guy who was surprised that the local police frowned on him pulling Pauline Dixon's signs.
* Expanding the number of "Americas".