Sometimes...

Bs are better than As!

Boggs, Brosius, and Boone all did it.

A-Rod did not.

I'm not posting again. Busy in Atlantic City with the UFC.tv.

SOX!!! :)

Sometimes...

Bs are better than As!

Boggs, Brosius, and Boone all did it.

A-Rod did not.

I'm not posting again. Busy in Atlantic City with the UFC.tv.

SOX!!! :)

Long

Long day, and an even longer last night.

Posting light.

But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...

actually, I don't remember where I was.

Operation Flight Suit

Atrios is talking about Bush parachuting into Baghdad next week.

I said weeks ago Kerry needs to make a claim, "Well, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bush show up in Baghdad the week of the election to get some votes. As President, I would have gone immediately to see first hand the problems on the ground."

A preemptive shot. One people would have remembered only if it happened.

Sheezus

This piece talks about Iraqi deaths and the reporting of.

From Oct. 11 to Oct. 17, an estimated 208 Iraqis were killed in war-related incidents, significantly higher than the average week; 23 members of the United States military died over the same period.

The deaths of Iraqis, particularly those of civilians, has become an increasingly delicate topic. Early this month, the Health Ministry, which had routinely provided casualty figures to journalists, stopped releasing them. Under a new policy that the government said would streamline the release of the figures - which were clearly an embarrassment to the government as well as to the Americans - only the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers is now allowed to do so.

"It's a political issue," a senior Health Ministry official said last week...

According to a report by the Health Ministry, which last April began compiling figures for all regions except the Kurdish north, 3,040 Iraqis were killed in war-related incidents during the 22 weeks from April 5 to Sept. 6 - a little more than 138 deaths a week. The dead included 2,753 men, 159 women and 128 children. There are no agreed figures for civilian deaths in Iraq over all since the war began in early 2003, but the best estimates, by private groups and independent news organizations, place the figure in the 10,000 to 15,000 range.

The most important part of this article is this:

United States military released a statement that read in part: "A top priority is to avoid harming civilians and causing damage. However, by operating and hiding among civilians, the terrorists endanger innocent civilians and are directly responsible for any harm to the women and children they hide behind."

That's absurd!

The article mentions how some Iraqis blame the terrorists, and certainly on many levels, they are to blame. But it's the statement that is scary.

The US is taking little, if any, responsibility for their deaths. Their excuse is the terrorists hide amongst the citizenry, which is a war crime, but the article also mentions that we bombed the most popular restaurant, a place where terrorists couldn't be.

It's a little disingenuous to blame terrorists considering our government has admitted that they made Iraq the central place to fight the terrorists. So considering we went to war under false pretense, and then made up some story about bringing the terrorists to Iraq to fight them (flypaper theory) it's still your fault!

Will the US make the claim: It's the terrorists fault your people are being killed, but it's our fault for making your country a place where we could fight them.

Don't hold your breath.

Seriously, do they take responsibility for ANYTHING?

Spanish Bombs

New video released by Spainish TV of Madrid train bombings.

Guns

This is great:

BAGHDAD -- Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi announced plans yesterday to extend a cash-for-weapons program for Shi'a fighters in Baghdad's Sadr City to cities nationwide in an attempt to disarm the country.

The announcement came as fresh violence erupted in Baghdad and Mosul. Multiple car bombs over a two-day period claimed at least 12 lives, and a militant group, the Islamic Army in Iraq, claimed to have beheaded two Macedonian hostages.


U.S. forces also reported fresh attacks against alleged terrorist strongholds in Fallujah.

The government launched the cash-for-guns program in Sadr City as part of a deal to end weeks of fighting in the Shi'a district of Baghdad and has twice extended the deadline for fighters to hand in their weapons.

It's really a great idea. I mean, we do it in America and if you've noticed there's really no guns anywhere.

Ahmad asks himself, "Seriously, why don't I take one of my 6 guns, trade it in, get some cash, and then go kill with some of the other weapons floating around Iraq? I love the free market they installed!!!"

A Republican

Former Senator Bob Smith has some words for his party.

Who's Your Daddy

For some, this dick:

CARROLL, Ohio (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday evoked the possibility of terrorists bombing U.S. cities with nuclear weapons and questioned whether Sen. John Kerry could combat such a threat, which the vice president called a concept "you've got to get your mind around."

"The biggest threat we face now as a nation is the possibility of terrorists ending up in the middle of one of our cities with deadlier weapons than have ever before been used against us - biological agents or a nuclear weapon or a chemical weapon of some kind to be able to threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans," Cheney said.

Ignore the fact there's loose nuclear material floating around the former Soviet Union (check the date), and more being processed in multiple countries because of their policies.

But we secured all the Iraq WMD first...

Flashback

A reminder from Ageny Hynd. 

The Real World

Krugman:

The administration's strategy of denial in the face of these realities was illustrated by a revealing moment during the second presidential debate. After Senator John Kerry described the stop-loss policy as a "backdoor draft," Charles Gibson, the moderator, tried to get a follow-up response from President Bush: "And with reservists being held on duty --"

At that point Mr. Bush cut Mr. Gibson off and changed the subject from the plight of the reservists to the honor of our Polish allies, ending what he obviously viewed as a dangerous line of questioning.

And during the third debate, Mr. Bush tried to minimize the issue, saying that the reservists being sent to Iraq "didn't view their service as a backdoor draft. They viewed their service as an opportunity to serve their country." In that case, why are they being forced, rather than asked, to continue that service?

A lot of bloggers (don't expect the media to do this) are pointing out the differences between Bush's fake world versus the real world we live in. I think a lot of his supporters ignore the real world for two reasons: 1) They are "believers" who have hope 2) They are optimists who refuse to see America in any harsh light, and they welcome the dreamland scenario of their preacher.

Sinclair Boycott

In effect.

80 advertisers pulling.

Huh?

Reuters:

The former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan on Tuesday disputed Democrat John Kerry's charge that the Bush administration allowed Osama bin Laden to escape Afghanistan in 2001.

"I was responsible for the operation at Tora Bora, and I can tell you that the senator's understanding of events doesn't square with reality," retired Army Gen. Tommy Franks wrote in a commentary published by The New York Times.

But then way at the bottom:

Franks contended that the American military did not outsource military action, although "we did rely heavily on Afghans because they knew Tora Bora."

Isn't that the point?

The irony here is real thick.

In Afghanistan they relied on warlords throughout the land because they better understood the people and the terrain. The last thing we needed was to get bogged down like the Soviets. Afterall, designs on Iraq had already begun, so using more Afghans to fight made total sense to this Administration.

Also, let us not forget the Afghan war plan was Richard Clarke's plan, formulated under Clinton, and since they never believed anything the last Administration planned there was no one in the Bush Administration who was serious about Afghanistan to begin with.

The problem is the Afghan warlords were feuding and were not trustworthy on any level. They are all back to their same old games of trying to dominate Afghanistan. The country is currently in bad shape. So Kerry is right, we relied on people to do our dirty work because Bush Co. didn't have the guts or the info to get it done themselves. For this is a war they never wanted that was only taken up because the public generally demanded it.

A plan was delivered to them, but they never really cared to modify it on any level. Just send in the orders.

Now turn to Iraq. Well, maybe a lesson was just learned? Maybe they thought this "outsourcing" did not work out so well in Afghanistan. Or, maybe they got this wrong as well from the get go.

Bush Co. immediately disbanded the Baathists loyal to Saddam even while many Iraqi leaders told them not to. At the time we were in the "Listen to No One Dark" mode. It can be assumed that many Baathists are bad people. But many were in the army because it was a job. Some may have joined just to stay alive. Point is there was an actual army, one capable of maintaining stability.

The US immediately took Baathist guns and pay away, and expected these people to just go home quietly. Talk about a bad idea. Now we hear of many of these people attacking the Allied Forces on a daily basis. We also have a movement by Allawi to bring back the Baathists. This just more proof of how little Bush Co., and bureaucrats like Wolfowitz and Perle understood the situation. Of course, they were being led by the nose by Ahmad Chalabi, another mistake.

All in all, Bush Co. had it wrong in both places. Iraq becomes mired in conflict every day, and there is no sign that it's changing. Afghanistan is running a drug trade half the size of it's real economy, Osama bin Laden is nowhere to be found, and Zarqawi is pledging his allegiance to bin Laden as a rallying cry for Muslims who hate the "occupiers." Had he been caught and killed things would be different. He is a LIVING MARTYR!

I mean, if this doesn't spell out 4 more years, what does?

And Tommy Franks should stop worrying about his book sales and shut the fuck up.

Kerry Must Be President Already

Bush keeps saying if you vote for Kerry you'll get the draft.

The Selective Service has been updating its contingency plans for a draft of doctors, nurses and other health care workers in case of a national emergency that overwhelms the military's medical corps.

In a confidential report this summer, a contractor hired by the agency described how such a draft might work, how to secure compliance and how to mold public opinion and communicate with health care professionals, whose lives could be disrupted.

On the one hand, the report said, the Selective Service System should establish contacts in advance with medical societies, hospitals, schools of medicine and nursing, managed care organizations, rural health care providers and the editors of medical journals and trade publications.

On the other hand, it said, such contacts must be limited, low key and discreet because "overtures from Selective Service to the medical community will be seen as precursors to a draft," and that could alarm the public.

Bush says a lot of things.

Do you know how Bush plans to avoid having a real draft? Well, he can still have one in his second term since he's not running again, but it would make Jeb's life tougher. If I had to guess I would say the government is going to increase pay and benefits to anyone who signs up, continuing to force the poorest people in the country to fight for the richest.

If there is a draft I hope it takes both the rich and the poor, then the rich wouldn't be so quick to vote for war mongers.

Voters

Washington State:

Thousands of others lined up yesterday at elections offices around the state on the last day to register to vote in November's elections. It capped what the state believes to be a record-setting year in registrations, in which, according to a tally by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, at least 314,171 new voters have registered statewide this year.

I'm a believer that high voter turnout favors the challenger. We'll see.

FZ

No, not Zappa, but Zakaria:

One of the reasons the United States has been able to dominate the global economy has been its awesome lead in science and technology. But here too Asia is gaining strength. From computer science to biotechnology, one can see the beginnings of Asian science. It's at a very early stage, but again, the arrow is moving in only one direction. Physical Review, a top science journal, notes that the number of papers it publishes by Americans has been falling dramatically, from 61 percent of the total in 1983 to 29 percent last year. The journal's editor told the New York Times that China, which now submits 1,000 a year, has sharply increased its share of the total.

Good piece, but he doesn't point out that if and when China becomes the #1 economy is about the same time we'll bomb them.

Liberal Media

Boston Globe:

The Washington bureau chief of Sinclair Broadcast Group was fired yesterday after accusing the media company of ''indefensible" conduct for planning to air a movie attacking Senator John F. Kerry's Vietnam record in the coming days.

Jon Lieberman, who also was the lead political reporter for the 62-station chain, told CNN last night that he was terminated for his criticism, quoted in yesterday's Baltimore Sun.

He spoke out, he said, because ''I feel so strongly that our credibility is at issue here. . . . I feel our company is trying to sway this election."

Radio Clips

I'm throwing some of my stuff on the site in case you want to listen.

They'll be posted on the left hand side. Some of it will be what Program Directors are going to here, so feel free to give me some feedback.

Self-Evident?

Kinsley:

President Bush: "My opponent, you see, wrote -- or he helped to write -- this document, this so-called Declaration of Independence. And in it, see, he says something about how we hold these truths to be self-evident. Now, self-evident is just a fancy word -- or actually it's two words: Of course I know that! I can count! -- it's just a fancy way of saying you don't have to say anything because folks already know it.

"In other words, he's saying that you don't have to tell the truth. Well, I just happen to disagree with that. I think the truth is one of the most important things in our great country. The truth is American. And it's good. It's good to tell the truth. But my opponent disagrees with that. He thinks you don't need to tell the truth. And I happen to think that's wrong. It's a difference in philosophy, you see."

Newspaper Headline: "Kerry Opposes Truth, Bush Charges; Opponent Responds, 'Issue Is Complex' "

Basically.

Sinclair

NYTIMES:

Earlier this year, Mark Hyman, the vice president for corporate relations at Sinclair who doubles as a conservative commentator on the company's newscasts, took a crew to Iraq to find what he called the untold positive news of the war. And after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Sinclair ordered newscasters at its Fox affiliate in Baltimore to read patriotic statements praising President Bush.

Read Frank Rich.

Niiice

I love using 9/11 for political purposes:

``From a lot of places in New Jersey you could see the towers,'' Karl Rove, Bush's chief political adviser, told reporters at a weekend campaign rally in West Palm Beach, Fla.

``A lot of people in New Jersey, a lot of communities in New Jersey felt personally the sting of 9/11. I think that has made them more sensitive -- as we get close to the end -- about the question of who will make America safer.''

What's funny is it's South Jersey where Republicans have a chance. This is like saying the same thing in New York while campaigning in Utica.

Frank Rich

A summation of things:

Like the Nixon administration before it, the Bush administration arrived at the White House already obsessed with news management and secrecy. Nixon gave fewer press conferences than any president since Hoover; Mr. Bush has given fewer than any in history. Early in the Nixon years, a special National Press Club study concluded that the president had instituted "an unprecedented, government-wide effort to control, restrict and conceal information." Sound familiar? The current president has seen to it that even future historians won't get access to papers he wants to hide; he quietly gutted the Presidential Records Act of 1978, the very reform enacted by Congress as a post-Watergate antidote to pathological Nixonian secrecy.

There's so much more.

The "Real Issues"

Open minded party:

The Republican nominee in South Carolina's hard-fought U.S. Senate race apologized yesterday for saying gays and unmarried mothers should not teach in public schools, but he stopped short of retracting the statements.

Jim DeMint said he regretted the comments, made in a recent debate, because they distracted voters from "real issues" such as jobs and national security. Repeatedly asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether gays and single mothers should qualify as teachers, DeMint said local school boards should decide.

Shock and Awe

Here's where it comes from. I'm convinced.  

Literate People

Support Kerry more:

NEW YORK Senator John Kerry picked up a raft of newspaper endorsements on Sunday, widening his lead over President George W. Bush in this area.

Kerry gained the editorial backing of at least 28 papers, with Bush winning the support of 14 that we know of, giving Kerry the lead by 43-27 in E&P's exclusive tally. He has many more large papers on his side, maintaining his "circulation edge" at nearly 3-1: approximately 8.5 million to 3 million (we will post a complete tally later today).

View of US Favorable...

View of Bush, not.