Weekend

Hey, it's a holiday. My work is done here unless something interesting happens.

Jobs report, average at best. 2 people knew yesterday and the President is one of them, so I guess he wasn't that excited.

Be safe. It's the other drivers you have to worry about.

Have a nice long weekend.

Kerry Attacks

Kerry:

"This president is quite proud of the fact that not even failure is going to force him to change course. I will tell you what will force him to change course, you are going to force him to change course," said Mr. Kerry. "We are going to change course this November..."

The Democratic presidential nominee used his appearance to display what a top campaign official described as a new, more confrontational style. Senator Kerry, a decorated combat veteran of the war in Vietnam, lashed out at President Bush and Vice President Cheney for avoiding service in that conflict.

"I will not have my commitment to defend this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they could have and by those who have misled the nation into Iraq," he said.

Then there's Bush's record as a "deserter":

After Bush quit TXANG, he still had nine months of his six-year military commitment left to serve. As a result, Bush became a member of the Air Force Reserves and was transferred to the authority of the Air Reserve Personnel Center (ARPC) in Denver, Colorado. Because this was supposed to be a temporary assignment, ARPC had to review Bush’s records to determine where he should ultimately be assigned. That examination would have led to three conclusions: That Bush had “failed to satisfactorily participate” as defined by United States law and Air Force policy, that TXANG could not account for Bush’s actions for an entire year, and that Bush’s medical records were not up to date. Regardless of what actions ARPC contemplated when reviewing Bush’s records, all options required that Bush be certified as physically fit to serve, or as unfit to serve. ARPC thus had to order Bush to get a physical examination, for which Bush did not show up. ARPC then designated Bush as AWOL and a “non-locatee” (i.e. a deserter) who had failed to satisfactorily participate in TXANG, and certified him for immediate induction through his local draft board. Once the Houston draft board got wind of the situation, strings were pulled; and documents were generated which directly contradict Air Force policy, and which were inconsistent with the rest of the records released by the White House.

Facts and Fiction.

60 Minute Man

Ben Barnes about to blow the campaign wide open, and he didn't want to:

Barnes is a Kerry supporter, and the White House last week tried to depict him as a longtime partisan. But the fact is, Barnes for years resisted any attempt to get dragged into a political debate about Bush's war record. It was only under threat of legal action back in 1999 -- and only after efforts to assert "executive privilege" failed -- that Barnes came forward with his statement about helping Bush. (And even then, Barnes issued it through his attorney, refusing to answer press questions.) The lawsuit was brought by a disgruntled Texas lottery executive who charged that his former company, which Barnes lobbied for, was able to keep a lucrative Texas state contract in exchange for Barnes' remaining silent about helping Bush get into the Guard. The case was later settled out of court, with the executive receiving $300,000.

In 1998 Barnes even met privately with Bush's then-campaign manager and current commerce secretary, Donald Evans, in order to give him a heads up about the unfolding Guard story. Bush himself sent Barnes a note thanking him "for his candor" on the matter.

Whether Bush still appreciates Barnes' "candor" next week remains to be seen.

Sucks that it's the sunday before Labor Day, but it will still be damaging.

Chechnya

So one conflict ends there, and we await the next one.

Clinton didn't help this problem at all as it is said the US provided Moscow with millions of dollars which helped Putin fight the Chechens. However, after 9/11 I'm told "everything changed," but what didn't change was our policy.

It was a grand opportunity for Bush to take the side of Muslims (who happen to sit on oil), and put on display that we're not fighting a war against Islam. That didn't happen. Bush wanted an ally. He wanted out of missile treaties. It was all about what Bush could get.

So now Chechnya is a rallying cry for Arab Muslims as well.

GOP Convention

Pretty lame. I expected more. Less hate, move vision.

Didn't make me worry any more, or less, and that's bad for them.

Funny

TPM:

Remember how President Bush has said, any country that looks at me the wrong way, that's a country I'm going to wipe from the face of the earth? And do you remember how he said that if he didn't read the August 6 PDB that that wasn't his problem and people should stop complaining about it?

I admit that I probably can't point to a direct citation for those things the president says. But then I don't know if George Pataki or the others can point to where John Kerry said he would only attack terrorists after they attacked us first.

-- Josh Marshall

Cash

USATODAY:

The CIA now estimates that it costs al-Qaeda about $30 million per year to sustain its activities before 9/11 and that this money was raised almost entirely through donations," the report said.

Maybe we should be hiring the Al Qaeda accountant to run the books in Iraq? Feel like I'd trust them more than I would Halliburton for the numbers. At least they fear God.

Sticktuitiveness

WEINISH: what's yer story?
tderl: what't yer scene?
tderl: what's.
tderl: so many weddings and bar mitzvahs.
tderl: damn jews.
WEINISH: again?
WEINISH: i told you
tderl: you did?
tderl: when?
tderl: on wednesday?
tderl: i've been ill most of this week.
tderl: forgetting things and whatnot.
WEINISH: i told you the jews are a problem
tderl: ah.
WEINISH: all that greed and money, bad mix. combined with all those lawyers setting up legal networks.
WEINISH: you'd think they were all from texas working for energy companies.
tderl: or georgia.
WEINISH: temperature wise it's similar to israel
tderl: i didn't realize how much kerry supported terrorism til i read zell's speech.
WEINISH: you obvioulsy weren't paying attention to his appearance before the Senate some 20 years before you were born
WEINISH: it was loaded with al qaeda references
tderl: i knew it!!!
WEINISH: did you not see the new ad? Suicidal Pilot Veterans for Truth?
tderl: and i heard he went to sleepaway camp with mcgreevey.
tderl: truth is such a hard word to define nowadays.
WEINISH: Here we go again! Next thing we'll find out is he's actually Israeli, but of course solidly in the Labor Party.
tderl: one man's truth is another man's love of terrorism.
WEINISH: i heard him say he supports Labor.
tderl: zionist!
WEINISH: Nazi.
WEINISH: He looks French!
tderl: frog!!!!!!!!!
WEINISH: which apparently is worse than looking dumb all the time.
tderl: dumb is okay as long as you are stubborn and arrogant and make rash decisions.
tderl: better than a flip flopping frogger.
WEINISH: You must respect a man who makes a decision and sticks with it. I mean who cares that he's convinced gasoline can put out fires if that's what he believes?
WEINISH: He BELIEVES THAT!
tderl: if he were to change his mind, that would be a sign of weakness. did we change our mind once we got into vietnam? we won that war, right?
WEINISH: I believe we did.
tderl: go USA!!!
WEINISH: I mean, why do people get all mad at me when I say, "I think the President is a dumb idiot." I mean, that's what I believe, so why would they want to convince me otherwise?
WEINISH: That's my belief! CHanging it would make me like Kerry: nuanced.
tderl: you better not ever flip flop on that lest you be convicted under the patriot act.
WEINISH: I believe the patriot act is exactly what it says. It allows republicans who support it to "act patriotic." What's wrong with that?
tderl: nothing, unless you are a terrorist.
WEINISH: I'm coming to a realization that Republicans KNOW the Patriot Act is flawed, but to change it now would go against their initial "belief" that it's perfect.
tderl: what gets me is all the bleeding heart lefties that whine about things like civil rights and the right to vote and the right to free speech and things like that. quit crying and go get a job you terrorism loving idiots. you're the reason that unemployment is up, even though it's not really up if you don't count the people not working as technically unemployed.
tderl: and whoever decided that you had to actually be a felon to be on the felon list of people not allowed to vote was clearly working for some terrorist organization.
tderl: after all, if you made it on the list and haven't already committed a crime, isn't there a good chance that you will commit a crime in the future? it's called pre-emptive action idiots!
WEINISH: girlie men, all of them.
tderl: agreed.
WEINISH: Cheney said that he doesn't want a guy who wakes up in the morning with a different opinion. I guess they want Kerry to starve himself to death to win this thing. I figure if he goes to sleep not hungry, and wakes up starving, in order to appease these people he cannot eat, he has to remain full. Eventually he'll die.
tderl: he better get a permission slip first.
tderl: put it to a vote in the court of world opinion whether or not he should eat.
WEINISH: He'll never eat again unless the UN approves.
tderl: appeasers!!!!!!
WEINISH: and when he dies they'll say, "well, he should have ignored the polls, like Bush does."
tderl: idealogues rule.
WEINISH: fucking jews!

Too Funny

You need audio for this.

James Brown.

100%

Todd Purdum in the NYTIMES:

In politics, as in baseball, it's better to be up last, and the Republicans have spent their convention in New York this week in a batter-by-batter rebuttal of almost everything the Democrats said and did in Boston last month - a strategic twist on that old Broadway boast: "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better."

If by better you mean worse, then yes, they did it better.

Democrats positive, forward looking, offering hope. Republicans negative, on the attack, looking backwards, offering fear.

I must say, partisans will be partisan and you pretty much know the reaction of every person who watches these things before it happens. However, I never expected the Republicans to be THIS LAME! Usually they are fantastic at spreading the bullshit on thick, but this time, they really missed their mark.

I guess they will rely on their fearless leader, which is certainly a bit of role reversal for him and them.

I imagine tonight will be all about the benefits of his tax cuts (w/o #s), his great call on fighting a war in Iraq, his oh-so-succesful education plan, privatization of social security (again w/o numbers), and if we're lucky, and I mean REALLY DANG LUCKY: MISSILE DEFENSE!

Should be great. Of course, a bad joke or two is a must. Remember, Republicans, laugh even though you don't know why since it's never funny.

(Mc)Cain and (Un)Able

If McCain is the straight talker/shooter, what's Bush? I mean, we're told that's what Bush is, but at the same time this is the quality that makes McCain better than Bush, right?

Confusing to me.

Not to take a away from Bush, I think he's also known as "the fucking moron," which McCain is not.

Sheezus

Rich Mel:

'The Passion of the Christ' DVD sold 4.1 million copies in its first full day of sales. The DVD is on track to sell close to 10 million copies in the first week. This is the most sold DVD for a R Rated film in its first day of sales; however, this does not come close to the 8 million copies of Finding Nemo sold on its first day of sales.

Church groups are buying up this DVD like its the new Bible. The only extras on disc is a interview with Mel Gibson. So I would not be surprised if another issue of 'The Passion' comes out loaded with bonus features, making everyone who bought the first release to go out and buy it again.

Rumor has it that those who bought the film were polled, and 94% believed that Jesus would in fact bomb innocent Iraqis if he was the U.S. President (which many said they would have voted for him as well).

Watch It

Senile Zell, what a douche bag.

Thought

Go crazy, look nuts, make Cheney look moderate? Was that the goal? Is it possible that when the media says, "Look how angry Miller is?" Republicans will respond with, "Well, democrats are always angry!"

Billion ways to go with this. All I know is Miller just went to the top of my HOPE HE DIES A LONG PAINFUL DEATH list.

Zell-ot

From Jonathon Cohn:

As one of our outstanding historical figures once said, 'When a great democracy is destroyed, it will not be because of enemies from without, but rather because of enemies from within.'"
--Joseph McCarthy, speech to Ohio County Women's Republican Club, February 9, 1950

"Our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrats' manic obsession to bring down our commander-in-chief."
--Zell Miller, speech to Republican National Convention, September 1, 2004

Garbage

Cheney really hates facts. Libyan reality from New Republic:

By contrast, Tenet said "the key" to Libya's disarmament was not the Iraq war, but the work of U.S. intelligence, which, he claimed, had left the Libyans with no choice but to come clean. Though intelligence successes and the Iraq war aren't necessarily mutually exclusive explanations for the Libyan success, much of Tenet's case seems plausible. For example, The Wall Street Journal has reported that U.S. intelligence was the source of a crucial interdiction effort last fall that contributed mightily to dictator Muammar Qaddafi's decision to renounce his nuke program, something Tenet briefly mentioned today. And even if some portions of Tenet's claims are subject to dispute, at the very least they significantly complicate Bush's contention--which he will surely make a cornerstone of his reelection effort--that his security policies have made the nation safer. Tenet seems to be serving notice that if his record comes under the magnifying glass, he can just as easily turn that lens on his accuser.

Grist for the Mill

Thank You

Just want to thank some of the media last night, Jeff Greenfield, Judy Woodruff (who I'm strangely attracted to), and Wolf Blitzer for ripping Zell Miller a new asshole after his speech. They basically told him Bush has used the word "occupation" multiple times in response to Miller claiming the Dems believe we are occupiers, Republicans believe we are "liberators."

Also, Chris Matthews for taking him on as well.

The major media figures were obviously insulted by the speech.

Well Said

"I watched a Democrat at a GOP Convention convince me that I could never be a Republican. If they wheel out lying, angry old men like this as their keynote, I'll take Obama. Any day." - Andrew Sullivan. Read on.

Dubya

New from Salon:

"The impression I had was that Georgie was raising a lot of hell in Houston, getting in trouble and embarrassing the family, and they just really wanted to get him out of Houston and under Jimmy's wing," Allison's widow, Linda, told me. "And Jimmy said, 'Sure.' He was so loyal."

Asked if she'd ever seen Bush in a uniform, Allison said: "Good lord, no. I had no idea that the National Guard was involved in his life in any way." Allison also confirmed previously published accounts that Bush often showed up in the Blount campaign offices around noon, boasting about how much alcohol he had consumed the night before. (Bush has admitted that he was a heavy drinker in those years, but he has refused to say whether he also used drugs).

"After about a month I asked Jimmy what was Georgie's job, because I couldn't figure it out. I never saw him do anything. He told me it basically consisted of him contacting people who were impressed by his name and asking for contributions and support," Allison said.

Focus on Swift boats, please.

Seriously?

Congressman John Thune is questioning Tom Daschle for using an ad showing him and Dumbya in an embrace. You remember this nauseous moment right after 9/11, right?:

On Tuesday, the Republican National Committee wrote a letter calling on Daschle to pull the ad.

"As you are no doubt aware, President Bush has not indicated any support for your campaign, and in fact has endorsed your opponent, John Thune. The implication from your advertisement that President Bush supports you is false and misleading," the letter said.

Daschle said the ad was designed to show that there are times when the nation's leaders need to show emotion in a public way.

I could say so much, but I think this time...

American Airlines Flight 77

Hey, I'm not conspiracy theorist. I mean, one doesn't need to be these days since all the lies and bullshit are RIGHT THERE.

But this certainly creates more questions than it answers.

Your thoughts?

Well Said

Economic girlie-man.:

I'm afraid that the Federal Reserve has backed itself into a corner. I'm afraid that lending discipline among mortgage companies has completely collapsed. I am concerned that low interest rates have been used to entice the American consumer to clean up a recession borne by an irresponsible corporate spending binge by going on one of his own. I'm afraid that the $200 billion-plus that Americans have cashed out of their houses has been spent, and the next drop in interest rates won't be concomitant with a rise in prices; rather, it will be because of a full-fledged financial emergency.

Count me in as well. I choose girlie-man over full-fledged-fucking-moron any day.

The Liernator

When you switch parties does it just start happening over night?

White House West

I'm sure most of you have seen this, but for those that haven't, it is priceless.

Swift Boat

They lie.

Denny Hastert

Unbelievable.:

George Soros, the billionaire financier who has given millions of dollars to liberal and Democratic-leaning advocacy groups, launched a blistering counterattack on Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) yesterday, saying he should be “ashamed” of allegations he made Sunday.

Hastert had suggested that Soros’s wealth came from criminals, and in a letter Soros challenged the Speaker to substantiate his claims or publicly apologize.

Laura

"My husband did not want to goto war...," said Laura Bush.
Please, that's NOT the issue.

He DID goto war, and he went to war because he ignored all evidence contrary to his own beliefs. Whether or not he wanted to is pretty damn irrelevant.

Put a cohh, uhh, sock in it, Laura.

More Russia

This issue is HUGE!:

Armed attackers seized a school in southern Russia near rebel Chechnya Wednesday, took up to 400 children and adults hostage and threatened to blow up the building if police tried to storm it, news agencies said.

The assault bore the hallmarks of a Chechen rebel operation. The gang of up to 17 heavily-armed men and women stormed into the secondary school in Beslan in North Ossetia province during a ceremony to mark the first day of the new school year.

The gang, some strapped with explosives, herded captives into the school's gymnasium and mined it, RIA news agency said. They threatened to blow up the building with their captives if interior ministry forces tried to take it by force...

Incredible how our so-called leaders have managed to shield themselves from any responsibility with regard to this situation. Also great to see how our media doesn't call out the leadership for blowing on opportunity to reach out to Muslims.

The situation gets progressively worse, and yet we're not concerned. I'm concerned.

There are many Russian scientists out of job, partially because President Dumbass decided that it wasn't a good idea for us to keep giving them money to employ these people. Well, sympathetic Russian NUCLEAR scientists may find it advantageous at some point to help a Chechen or two, and that could be catastrophic. Beyond that, it's just wrong to support Putin's policies on Chechnya.

Keep Talking, Alan

Good times:

Alan Keyes, the Republican candidate for a vacant U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, said Tuesday that Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter Mary was a "selfish hedonist" for being a lesbian.

Wait, lets put that in context:

"The essence of … family life remains procreation. If we embrace homosexuality as a proper basis for marriage, we are saying that it's possible to have a marriage state that in principle excludes procreation and is based simply on the premise of selfish hedonism."

Asked whether that meant Mary Cheney was "a selfish hedonist," Keyes said: "That goes by definition. Of course she is."

I am sure the media will give him every chance to recant.

Platform Blues

I asked new blogger Andy to watch the convention for me because I couldn't stay awake after drinking 10 beers at my nightmarish golf outting (I did eagle a hole).

But, I stayed up and watched a bit. I'm somewhat satisfied Chris Matthews asked Dog Fucker Rick Santorum why the PLATFORM is so to the right, and your speakers are so not. Santorum's response they just want people to tune in is really lame, but apparently enough for Matthews. This issue needs to be discussed in the media. I know I'll be talking it up.

Imagine...

The media reaction if Chelsea acted as ditzy as the Bush girls?

McGreevey Update

This guy Golan Cipel is such a joke:

"It's clear to all that McGreevey resigned because he sexually harassed me and that a man of his standing would not have resigned because of sexual orientation or having had an extramarital affair," Cipel said in a statement issued from his home in Israel. "I see the resignation as an important victory and feel great relief in light of the fact that McGreevey cannot now do to others what he has done to me."

Then there's this:

One of the attorneys, Rachel Yosevitz, said Cipel decided over the weekend to drop the claim after discussing it with her, his family and supporters.

"Mr. Cipel has no desire to have the taxpayers of New Jersey pay for Mr. McGreevey's reprehensible conduct," she said. "Only Mr. McGreevey alone should have to answer for his own improprieties."

Okay, what a joke. Mr. Cipel didn't give a shit about the taxpayers of New Jersey when he was TAKING THEIR MONEY for a job he wasn't qualified for.

Finally, I'm shocked I don't hear this line of reasoning: McGreevey tells Cipel the relationship is over, he's going back to his wife. Cipel loses his shit. McGreevey gets scared and tries to get him out of the country. Cipel turns on McGreevey and enacts revenge. Makes sense to me!!!

Poverty in America

The Economist has a good read, but this sticks out:

But a better measure of poverty would also assess the various weapons the government deploys against it. The current measure ignores non-monetary benefits, such as food stamps. Nor does it count the earned income-tax credit, a benefit paid via the tax code to the working poor, which has become every policy wonk’s favourite way to redistribute money. The Census Bureau has already experimented with such measures, and is probably itching to finally retire the Orshansky line. But its political masters in the Office of Management and Budget may be nervous of any innovation that would raise the official poverty number. To the bureau, the poverty line may be a mere “statistical yardstick”, but to the administration, it is a political stick its opponents might use to beat it with.

The non-WSJ Iraq

From BBC:

The common feature of the anger driving different Iraqi groups, whether Sunni or Shia, is resentment at the US military presence in Iraq - and a feeling that the Allawi government is a puppet of America.

Here's the REALITY of Iraq:

Both the Americans and Mr Allawi had wanted to avoid the kind of unsatisfactory compromise which ended an earlier uprising by Moqtada Sadr's supporters in the spring.

So in this crisis, Mr Allawi and his top ministers talked tough, threatening a military assault to remove Sadr's forces from Najaf's holy shrine.

But when the assault never came, their credibility was dented.

Now, once again, Moqtada Sadr's prestige has risen. Once again, he has walked free. Once again, he has refused to disband his militia.

The Sadr movement may have the support of only a minority of the Iraqi Shia, but this crisis has shown it is a force to be reckoned with.

So the Najaf agreement represents a truce, rather than a solution.

It gives the government a breathing space, but little more.

But again, there's good news lower in the blog!

Gay Congressman Resigns

Most conservative member of Congress resigns because he's gay.:

Congressman Ed Schrock has made a habit of rendezvousing with gay men via the MegaMates/ MegaPhone Line, an interactive telephone service on which men place ads and respond to those ads to meet each other. What makes this story more amazing? Congressman Schrock not only voted for the homophobic Marriage Protection Act, but he also signed on as a CO-SPONSOR of the Federal Marriage Amendment!

There's room for everyone under his tent.

Bush on Terror

With Matt Lauer:

"I don't think you can win it," Mr. Bush replied. "But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world."

As recently as July 14, Mr. Bush had drawn a far sunnier picture:

"I have a clear vision and a strategy to win the war on terror," he said.

Flip-flopper?

Nauseous

The coverage of the RNC, and the inability of any commentator to clarify John Kerry's war position is sad.

Here it is if you need it.

JFK isn't the clearest guy, and that's his fault. But that's why we have a media, at least I thought. These people are all busy becoming famous.

Chechnya

What's our role here?

A new election was just held and the Kremlin's candidate, aka, the only candidate to be shown on t.v. for more than two seconds, won the election. SHOCKER!

The U.S. has an incredible opportunity after 9/11 to refute Putin's war against Muslims in Chechnya, but Bush chose to give him a free hand to gain Russian support in his war on terror. The Russians are committing major atrocities against these people.

The Russians also do not support Bush in Iraq, but all of this is unimportant compared to getting Russian support for missile defense programs, and shattered agreements. You must remember Bush calling Putin a "friend."

Startling what's going on there, and of course mum's the word.

Good News from Iraq

The WSJ has been running stories by Arthur Chrenkoff, a man who clearly invested millions in the "Rose Colored Glass Co." Not saying that all he speaks of is right, wrong, whatever, but it's certainly RIDICULOUS!

Sure, there's positive. How can there not be? We're spending money hand over fist! I expect some good, but I don't expect Iraq to pan out.

It's rumored the WSJ will soon run a column pertaining to all the planes that succesfully land across the USA on a daily basis.

Y'all Want...

this party started right?

Well, lets kick it off with Sheri Dew! Conservative homosexual Andrew Sullivan points out rightly that she equates those who support gay marriage with Nazism:

I found myself reading the latest edition of one of the nation's most popular news magazines. One of the major articles was about gay "marriage." There were several statements that stood out for me in a dramatic and terrifying way, but one of the most sobering features of the entire article was a picture of two handsome, young men, getting "married." What distressed me most was the fact that they were both holding an infant "daughter" - twin girls they had adopted. I was, frankly, heartsick. What kind of chance do those girls have being raised in that kind of setting? What will their understanding of men and women, marriage and families be? Is there any chance that, as adults, they could expect to marry and enjoy a healthy relationship with a man, including rearing children together? In addition, there were alarming concepts about "family" presented throughout the article - concepts that even questioned the validity of heterosexual families.

To say I found the entire article sobering would be a grand understatement. And I found myself thinking, "Talk about influence. Imagine the influence of that one magazine in presenting ideas about the family that are totally in opposition to God's plan and will for His children."

This escalating situation reminds me of a statement of a World War II journalist by the name of Dorothy Thompson who wrote for the Saturday Evening Post in Europe during the pre-World War II years when Hitler was building up his armies and starting to take ground. In an address she delivered in Toronto in 1941 she said this: "Before this epic is over, every living human being will have chosen. Every living human being will have lined up with Hitler or against him. Every living human being either will have opposed this onslaught or supported it, for if he tries to make no choice that in itself will be a choice. If he takes no side, he is on Hitler's side. If he does not act, that is an act — for Hitler."

Sullivan then asks:

Look, she has every right to oppose same-sex marriage and every right to feel strongly about it. But comparing well-meaning advocates for including gay people in their own families as the equivalent of Nazis is just, well, sadly typical of what the GOP is fast becoming. Is Dick Cheney the equivalent of a Nazi?

Now, do I really need to answer this? Will someone answer the man!!!???

People

Please, stop bothering me!!! There is a place for comments right below every story.

I have now received 5 IMs from people making the argument that Democrats should be worried because John Kerry has slipped in the polls. Of course, this is red meat for the media hounds as they are asking every D under the sun if they're now officially "worried" about the poll numbers.

Funny, I don't seem to remember the same inquisition of the Bush people when he was trailing Kerry for the last month. Ok, that said, NO! I'M NOT WORRIED!

For one, I maintain the debates will separate moron from man-with-brain. Two, there's a long way to go. Three, both campaigns claim a desire to talk about the issues! I'd see it! Once Bush lays out his platform of what he has done, and plans to do, well that's ammo that leads to real debates.

Hey, I'm worried as much as the next person since most people don't really care. I'm not worried like a leftist, that's for sure. I think Kerry will win, and then we'll deal with that. Keep in mind, Bush lost already, and it's not as if the nation as a whole has embraced the putz. He'll lose AGAIN.

Sure, Kerry could be looking better, and the $50,000 Swift Boat buy in the media actually gave them $10000000000000 of coverage, so I'm not surprised. But those negatives are already turning around on Bush as the lies have been exposed, and people think the Bush people are responsible.

What bothers me most today is what a piece of shit John McCain is. Now, that's something I'll talk about (and you can to, RIGHT BELOW!).

Unreal

CNN just did a story called "9/11 Hero", a retrospective of Bush during 9/11. Fucking Liberal Media!

Page 39

Too Funny.

Stop it

Allawi:

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Fed up with the persistent insurgency that's stymied Iraq's postwar progress, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said yesterday he is reaching out to rebel leaders in risky face-to-face meetings focused on one question: What do you want?

Allawi told a small group of journalists in Baghdad that the meetings, held last week outside the heavily fortified government compound, assured militants that their hopes of political freedom, new jobs and fewer foreign troops on Iraqi soil were coming soon. The notoriously tough-talking politician said he also warned the leaders they should take advantage of his amnesty program or "face justice."

And by "face justice" he of course means, walk free to start over at a later date.

Kidding, Right?

Comedy:

“In choosing a president, we really don’t choose a Republican or Democrat, a conservative or liberal,” Giuliani said in remarks that compared Bush with Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill. “We choose a leader. And in times of danger, as we are now in, Americans should put leadership at the core of their decision.”

Winston Churchill? Reagan?

Seriously

The WSJ cannot be serious when they allow commentary like this to be printed. Is it possible that educated people really believe any of this?

You can refute every line.

That's Strange...

We already won this war:

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A powerful car bomb detonated outside the office of a U.S. security contractor in the Afghan capital yesterday, killing at least seven people, including two Americans, and wounding several others, officials and witnesses said.

Hours earlier, a blast wrecked a religious school in southeastern Afghanistan, reportedly killing at least eight children and one adult and underlining the country's fragile security as it moves toward its first post-Taliban election in October.

How about this:

Security officials have issued several warnings in recent weeks about possible car bombings and suicide attacks in the Afghan capital. NATO forces patrolling Kabul have warned that anti-government militants, including the ousted Taliban, could try to mount spectacular attacks in a bid to disrupt the landmark presidential election scheduled for Oct. 9

Followed by:

Karzai and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad expressed shock at the bombing.

So, security officials were aware, but the president and our envoy apparently we're "shocked!" Makes sense.

Dirty Sanchez

WaPo:

The authors of the Army report did not accuse Sanchez of directly instigating abuse, and they did not cite the contents of his memo in the unclassified version. But Army Gen. Paul J. Kern -- who oversaw the drafting of the report -- said in an interview last week that Sanchez "wrote a policy which was not clear," and that by doing so, he allowed junior officers to conclude mistakenly that they were following an official policy as they stepped over a legal line.

It seemed like just yesterday when Bush was blaming "a few American troops who dishonored our country."

Bitch

Dumber than Dubya?:

First lady Laura Bush said on Sunday that campaign advertisements accusing Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry of lying about his Vietnam War record were fair.

In an interview with Time magazine released on Sunday, Mrs. Bush said ads by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth criticizing Kerry were no different from attack ads that have been aimed at President Bush.

"Do I think they're unfair? Not really. There have been millions of terrible ads against my husband," Mrs. Bush told Time.

Ok, so her husband says they're wrong, but she thinks they're fair because in the Bush household 'two wrongs obviously make a right.' But even beyond that, she feels it fine to bash a Vietnam Vet, and isn't concerned about whether ads are accurate, only that they fit into some arbitrary idea of what is "fair."

Name Change

Mom didn't like it.

So I took Pete's advice.