The Religious War Continues

Xinhua:

BAGHDAD, Nov. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- A total of 20 US Marines were wounded in action in the restive Iraqi city of Ramadi west of Baghdad, a US military spokesman said on Saturday.

The servicemen were injured while conducting "increased security operations" and all the 20 were assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said the spokesman, revising an earlier tally of 14 wounded.

The spokesman did not disclose any further details about the incident, which appeared to be one of the fiercest attacks against US forces in the area.

It's a religious war not because of the secular Iraqis, but because our fearless leader.

1458

Days til it's over, but who's counting?

Sidenote: Had Joe's Pizza at the new location last night and it was the worst piece I've ever had. I've had good pie there in the past, but this was AVG at best.

And the guys working the joing did not exude the Joe's vibe at all. It was sorta sad.

Can't wait to see that Starbucks up and running!

Sir, sir, how does it feel to be liberated? 

Just a Mistake

You know, this probably only happened in this one specific case:

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - An error with an electronic voting system gave President Bush 3,893 extra votes in suburban Columbus, elections officials said.

Franklin County's unofficial results had Bush receiving 4,258 votes to Democrat John Kerry's 260 votes in a precinct in Gahanna. Records show only 638 voters cast ballots in that precinct.

Lets check the receipts! Oh, there aren't any.

Pandagon makes a really good point about the election being stolen. Exit polls actually talk to people, and that's not rigged. All of the exit polls showed Kerry winning, and the entire media was basing their favoritism of Kerry on those polls. They USUALLY work.

But not this time.

This time something else was at play, and no can really explain it. Maybe it was the polls themselves? The machines? No, please, say it isn't so.

I mean, it doesn't make a lot of sense, especially considering none of these machines ever seem to give the democrat the extra votes.

Just a coincidence, I guess.

Alarms

I'd love to see a poll that asked: Do you have an alarm in your house? Do you use it when you're home?

I mean, Bush makes people feel safer, so I'm just worried how scared these people are. I mean, forget Al Qaeda, there are BLACK PEOPLE OUT THERE!!!

Priceless

This from the New Republic:

There is a simple way to understand economic policy-making under George W. Bush: Whichever pressure group has the strongest and most direct stake in an issue gets its way. Wealthy individuals and business owners have received large tax cuts; farmers have gotten lavish assistance; and insurance and drug companies won enormous subsidies in the Medicare prescription-drug bill. When steel firms lobbied for tariffs, Bush granted them. When automakers and other manufacturers later lobbied Bush to reverse course, complaining that those tariffs had raised the cost of the steel they buy, he began to back down. If there's a single prominent case where Bush offended a powerful corporate interest--except to benefit an even more powerful corporate interest--we have not come across it.

It is therefore fitting that the final bill Bush has signed before voters have a chance to cast judgment on his term represents the apotheosis of this appalling tendency. With no public ceremony at all, Bush last week approved a grotesque and completely indefensible corporate tax bill. If anybody needs a final reminder of this administration's lack of concern for the national interest--indeed, the lack of a policy process that could even conceivably advance it--this is it.

The latest installment of this revolting saga began in March, when the European Union began imposing new tariffs as retaliation for the U.S. refusal to repeal a $5 billion per year export subsidy that the World Trade Organization said violated fair trade practices. This prompted Congress to rescind the subsidy. So far, so good. Then, predictably, Congress decided that the savings from killing the subsidy could not be used to reduce the deficit. Instead, the money had to go to tax breaks. And, rather than using the money for broad-based tax breaks, Congress decided on specific tax breaks for manufacturers. Why is this dumb? Because economists across the political spectrum have long held that, if the government rewards one kind of economic activity over another, it distorts the economy. Worse, those who don't qualify for preferential treatment will press the government to be reclassified.

That's exactly what happened. First, Congress redefined "manufacturing" to include engineering contractors (under pressure from Bechtel), companies involved in mineral extraction (for the benefit of Exxon Mobil), and virtually anybody else who hired a lobbyist. Later, the pretense of helping manufacturers was dropped entirely, and everybody from the importers of Chinese-made ceiling fans to foreign citizens who earn money gambling on American dogs and horses won special provisions. One lobbyist involved in drafting the bill confessed to The Washington Post that the whole thing represented "a new level of sleaze." In the end, the breaks given out will substantially exceed the cost of the rescinded subsidy, driving the deficit even higher.

There is plenty of blame to go around. The GOP-run Congress utterly abdicated its responsibilities by allowing the bill to degenerate into a lobbying free-for-all. Only a few Democrats bothered to put up a fight, with most deciding it was best to hop aboard the gravy train themselves. Louisiana Democratic Senator John Breaux gave voice to unprincipled capitulation when he told The New York Times, "In the end, you need to get things done." (Breaux is retiring and reportedly entertaining lucrative offers to work as a lobbyist.) And John Kerry inexplicably failed to campaign against the bill, eliminating any pressure to oppose it.

But the ultimate responsibility lies with the Bush administration. It is in Congress's nature to act like a pig at the trough. The reason this sort of spectacle is so rare is that most presidents have some sense of responsibility to the national interest. Conservatives, liberals, and moderates have all denounced this bill. (Conservatives recognize the "tax breaks" to be thinly disguised pork.) It is a naked payoff, and there's no principled reason, from any ideological perspective, to support it.

That's why it is so emblematic of Bush's presidency. Previous presidents have done things that have alienated conservatives or moderates or liberals. But is there any president in recent memory who has enacted major legislation that is universally regarded, excepting its direct beneficiaries, as bad public policy? If so, there certainly can't be one who, like Bush, has done so over and over again. (We're referring here to the farm subsidies, the Medicare bill, and other giveaways listed above.) Some endorsements of Bush have expressed hope that, in a prospective second term, he will either moderate his views or hew more firmly to conservative principles. Both possibilities would constitute an improvement. Neither, alas, would be remotely plausible.

He's a brave man, our leader.

Right

EJ Dionne:

Let's be honest: We are aghast at the success of a campaign based on vicious personal attacks, the exploitation of strong religious feelings and an effort to create the appearance of strong leadership that would do Hollywood proud. We are alarmed that so many of our fellow citizens could look the other way and not hold Bush accountable for utter incompetence in Iraq and for untruths spoken in defense of the war. We are amazed that a majority was not concerned about heaping a huge debt burden on our children just to give large tax breaks to the rich.

And we are disgusted that an effort consciously designed to divide the country did exactly that -- and won. With all his failures, Bush could not count on a whole lot more than 51 percent. Karl Rove and company calculated perfectly, organized painstakingly, greatly increased conservative turnout and produced a country divided just their way.

I mean, I still believe in all the things I wrote the day after, but lets be serious about what happened. They BARELY won.

Sure, they won Senate seats, but they won those in the same red states. In fact, Colorado voted in a democrat for the Senate, but went Bush as well.

Bush has a MANDATE! Like that matters. I'm sorry, does anyone remember how he governed without a mandate, pre-9/11? I do, as if he had a mandate! So who really gives a shit about his slim mandate?

Regardless, democrats should be winning this country over by a large majority, different than the one Bush got. That's still the issue. It's not a huge loss because Republicans squeaked by on lies, but rather it's a huge loss because honesty, integrity, and the needs of Americans should be enough to blow them away.

So, things need to get worse before they get better, and they sure as hell will.

Hunter

We have become a Nazi monster in the eyes of the whole world - a nation of bullies and bastards who would rather kill than live peacefully. We are not just Whores for power and oil, but killer whores with hate and fear in our hearts. We are human scum, and that is how history will judge us. No redeeming social value. Just Whores. Get out of our way, or we'll kill you.

Who does vote for these dishonest shitheads? Who among us can be happy and proud of having all this innocent blood on our hands? Who are these swine?

These flag-sucking half-wits who get fleeced and fooled by stupid little rich kids like George Bush?

They are the same ones who wanted to have Muhammad Ali locked up for refusing to kill gooks. They speak for all that is cruel and stupid and vicious in the American character. They are the racists and hate mongers among us - they are the Ku Klux Klan. I piss down the throats of these Nazis.

And I am too old to worry about whether they like it or not. Fuck them.

- Hunter S. Thomson

Blogger

Blogger has been giving me serious problems so I haven't been able to post.

As for the stupid Republicans, yes, I'm aware it's not scientific, and the numbers at best represent very old numbers. I saw this when Gore was running as well.

However, I could very easily dig up census numbers on incomes, and point out that the states that pay the most to keep this nation afloat are the blue states, with few exceptions.

Also, the United States of Canada and Jesus thing is also a joke.

While I am agnostic, I certainly have nothing against anyone who believes in religion. It's yet ANOTHER JOKE, but the only reason it sticks is because on many levels it's true. Some of the most virtuous people I know believe in a god, and so do some of the biggest scumbags, at least so they say.

As for the news, I think it's best to let things settle a bit before rushing back into things. I'll probably take the weekend, but I'm sure another disaster will come to us via Iraq and I'll be forced to post.

By the way, all those red state people, I hope the draft comes back, and I hope all your kids are ready to fight for your "morals."

Oh, Elitist Me

Way to fuck up the country, morons!

List in descending Avg IQ by State, and who that state voted for:

State Avg. IQ 2004
1 Connecticut 113 Kerry
2 Massachusetts 111 Kerry
3 New Jersey 111 Kerry
4 New York 109 Kerry
5 Rhode Island 107 Kerry
6 Hawaii 106 Kerry
7 Maryland 105 Kerry
8 New Hampshire 105 Kerry
9 Illinois 104 Kerry
10 Delaware 103 Kerry
11 Minnesota 102 Kerry
12 Vermont 102 Kerry
13 Washington 102 Kerry
14 California 101 Kerry
15 Pennsylvania 101 Kerry
16 Maine 100 Kerry
17 Virginia 100 Bush
18 Wisconsin 100 Kerry
19 Colorado 99 Bush
20 Iowa 99 Not determined
21 Michigan 99 Kerry
22 Nevada 99 Bush
23 Ohio 99 Bush
24 Oregon 99 Kerry
25 Alaska 98 Bush
26 Florida 98 Bush
27 Missouri 98 Bush
28 Kansas 96 Bush
29 Nebraska 95 Bush
30 Arizona 94 Bush
31 Indiana 94 Bush
32 Tennessee 94 Bush
33 North Carolina 93 Bush
34 West Virginia 93 Bush
35 Arkansas 92 Bush
36 Georgia 92 Bush
37 Kentucky 92 Bush
38 New Mexico 92 Not Determined
39 North Dakota 92 Bush
40 Texas 92 Bush
41 Alabama 90 Bush
42 Louisiana 90 Bush
43 Montana 90 Bush
44 Oklahoma 90 Bush
45 South Dakota 90 Bush
46 South Carolina 89 Bush
47 Wyoming 89 Bush
48 Idaho 87 Bush
49 Utah 87 Bush
50 Mississippi 85 Bush

Not far off... 

Barf

Bush today:

``There is a certain attitude in the world by some that says that it's a waste of time to try to promote free societies in parts of the world,'' he said, a reference to Iraq in particular. ``I've heard that criticism,'' he said.

Yeah, that "attitude" was espoused by you in the last election, idiot. In fact, that's been the republican mantra for decades until they became overnight "liberators."

I think I may have to get over the hypocrisy thing since it doesn't seem to matter to Republicans.

AraFag?

WorldNetDaily:

In addition to cancer, which doctors have ruled out, the low count could be attributed to bleeding ulcers, colitis, liver disease, lupus, HIV, or a host of other diseases. Ulcers and colitis have been ruled out, as well, it is believed.

Some have been speculating Arafat might be suffering from HIV/AIDS.

The homosexual site, 365Gay.com, which deals regularly with issues related to HIV/AIDS, ran a piece yesterday reminding readers that, for several years, it has been suggested Arafat is bisexual, and could have contracted the disease.

Oh Jeez

That took like 5 minutes:

Now that fantasy will be shelved. The White House is not about to ditch the approach of the last four years. Why would it? Despite the mayhem and murder in Iraq, despite the death of more than 1,000 US soldiers and countless (and uncounted) Iraqis, despite the absence of weapons of mass destruction, despite Abu Ghraib, the Bush administration won the approval of the American people. If Bush had lost the neo-conservative project would have been buried forever. But he won, and the neo-cons will welcome that as sweet vindication.

So it will be full steam ahead. "There are real threats that have to be dealt with," Danielle Pletka of the impeccably neo-con American Enterprise Institute told the Guardian yesterday. Iran would not go away - indeed, Ms Pletka warned, "force might be the only option" - nor would North Korea. "We can't all pretend that the world would be a prettier place if only George W Bush was not the president."

They're so emboldened disaster may come sooner than we expected.

Fiscally Retarded

AP:

Washington - The federal government, running record budget deficits over the past two years, is projecting that it will have to borrow a record $147 billion in the first three months of 2005, the Treasury Department announced Monday.

The department projected net borrowing needs of $100 billion for the current October-December quarter, less than the $122 billion it had earlier estimated would be needed to meet the government's obligations.

Treasury said it is currently projecting net borrowing of $147 billion in the January-March quarter of next year, which would top the previous record net borrowing amount for a single quarter of $146 billion set in the January-March quarter of this year.

No rest for the wicked.

Allies

Second largest paper in London. 

Compulsive Gambler

Bill Bennett calls it "a mandate":

Having restored decency to the White House, President Bush now has a mandate to affect policy that will promote a more decent society, through both politics and law. His supporters want that, and have given him a mandate in their popular and electoral votes to see to it. Now is the time to begin our long, national cultural renewal ("The Great Relearning," as novelist Tom Wolfe calls it) — no less in legislation than in federal court appointments. It is, after all, the main reason George W. Bush was reelected.

Yes, a whopping 51% of the country (we think), and not a single city of importance votes for Bush, creating a mandate.

As if they ever care? I mean, they ran as if they had one when they didn't!

This is gonna be fun. This is the beginning of the "over the top" that I'm hoping for.

Niiiice

Radio people:

With the presidential election still on the minds of many, Salem Communications President/CEO Ed Atsinger told those participating in the company's Q3 earning call yesterday that the emergence of new media outlets that has occurred since equal time laws were in effect has rendered as moot such legislation. Speaking of the Fairness Doctrine, Atsinger responded to an analyst's question about content regulations by saying, "If you look at the situation when that rule was enacted, in the 1950s and 1960s, it was a different universe. There were three networks and very limited media offerings. With the explosion of media, I just don't think a case can be made." He adds that "a broad coalition across a wide ideological spectrum" would oppose a return of the Fairness Doctrine. "There is always a certain mentality out there that believes that there is a need for the government to regulate content," Atsinger said. "But is our view that it's contrary to what this country is all about. Free speech, even when you don't like the speech, is just consistent with American philosophy." Salem was a major financial supporter of President Bush's reelection effort.

No need for "fairness."

Get Ready!

Because it's coming!

Tuesday's Republican sweep of the South will reshape the next Senate, replacing moderate Democrats sometimes willing to cross party lines with ardent GOP conservatives who will press their leaders for a more right-leaning agenda, according to analysts.

Republicans claimed Senate seats vacated by Democrats in Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina. In South Dakota, Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle fell to a challenger closely identified with President Bush. And a GOP-crafted House redistricting plan in Texas led to the defeat of four veteran Democratic lawmakers and helped Republicans expand their majority by three and possibly four seats.

These changes have the potential to reduce the importance of Republican moderates, especially in the Senate, and embolden conservatives in the White House and elsewhere, these analysts said. But they also might heap unrealistic expectations on Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who still lacks a filibuster-proof majority as he weighs a 2008 presidential bid.

Be proud, NJ/NY Republicans.

Thoughts

Yesterday I came to a realization about the future of this country, at least for the next 4 years. If, and "if" is the biggest word in the English vernacular, we can get through these years without causing major problems we may be better off in the long run.

Humor me, and yourselves, just for a moment, and imagine that the "vulcans" can turn their Middle East disaster into something resembling stability we have a grand opportunity to pull the country back towards normalcy and reality.

For years the conservatives behind the backing of George Bush I and people like Richard Melon Scaife have been planning to change the world as we know it. They've been very succesful. All of this happened under the noses of normal people; people who have lives and assume that leaders act in their best interests. They do not, but they have changed the world.

The creation of institutions like the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, Cato Institute, and Rutherford Institute gave many intellectuals a place to grow, and push forward a rightward leaning agenda to change things. These people sat on the sidelines for much of the 60s, 70s, and 80s as things moved in a direction opposite of their beliefs. Don Rumsfeld, for example, was part of the Center for Strategic Studies from the get go.

These groups sprung upon America without most people realizing what was going on. There was a plan, and it was executed succesfully. Today we see the realization of much of their work.

To Conservatives, Bill Clinton was a disaster. Without Clinton, they could move toward their goals much faster, but Bush I let them down. Americans viewed that as a typical changing of the guard, Republican to Democrat. The conservatives did not view it this way at all. Clinton was destroying their goals just by existing, hence the attacks (Newt Gingrich, for example, now works for the American Enterprise Institute). The leading conservatives all came together during the Clinton years. Most Americans were completely unaware of the true movement during the Reagan and Bush years. To Conservatives Clinton was just an abberation, hence why Iraq was continued and SDI was the primary issue for Conservatives prior to 9/11.

America is suffering because of this time period. Had the Hawks/Vulcans never had Clinton they would have attempted their plans years ago. You may not have an Osama bin Laden had they created Middle East wars 10 years ago, but you may have a situation much worse. Who knows?

During this time Conservatives formulated their game plan, placed Bush in Texas, Bush in Florida, and many others around the nation. All the while using these Institutes, radio, tv, and POWER to create their machine. It was not a coincidence that the Bush children ended up where they did.

The machine is in 6th gear.

I think there's a chance the machine will become complacent, or conservatives so over the top they will expose themselves. I may be wrong altogether for they may dig in further. We'll see, but it really does not matter because Democrats need to be looking in house.

The beginnings of of a Democratic/Liberal counter exist, and Bush's victory should be the catalyst needed to sustain it. Had Kerry won, Air America, MoveOn.org, Progressive, and other groups may have sat back and considered the "Mission Accomplished." That would have been disastrous because the Conservatives would take it up a level. They still may. But my guess is they will fall back slightly, and the liberal movement will intensify. This is the positive.

While I hope this happens another significant thing has to happen: Rationale Senators and Congress people need to stand their ground.

Tom Daschle is the epitome of a mistake. Democrats figured they could find a red state Senator who could cross party lines to help bridge their views to the middle of the country. That failed for many reasons. First, Daschle was not a very strong leader. Second, it makes Daschle look like someone on the fence, never truly comfortable with his positions one way, or the other. Third, the machine was much stronger than Daschle. This is why Democrats can never again appoint someone like this to lead their party.

It is time for Democrats in "safe" districts and states to make their case. It's time to point out reality, lies, problems, and solutions. You can't be a fucking pussy, and sit around while the country is taken out from under you just because you are well off at the end of the day. You must take a stand. I truly believe John Kerry was trying to take that stand, but it was so beyond him.

You cannot hedge on your positions while the Republicans are sending these wingnuts to Congress. The case for why liberalism needs to triumph over conservativism needs to be made, and ground needs to be held. No more hedging.

If Democrats take a stand initially they will be viewed as too far left by many people living in more conservative areas. But over time that will change. The liberal leaders will stake out their ground, and the red state Democrats will fall to the right of them, which will make it easier for them.

Democrats in red states may not make it all the way over to Ted Kennedy or Jon Corzine, but the paradigm will surely shift. Let the democrats in red states stake out the supposed "moderate" view, but let protected Senators and Congress people in the educated areas make the REAL case. The media will be tough at first, but once you start crafting the message the media will run with it. Heck, most of the media is situated in New York and LA, and regardless of who these media people are, they live in these places. They are automatically moved by who they are, and where they live. So if the paradigm shifts they too will be forced to shift. Media conservatives are mostly selfish whores who just want to be famous. They don't have any real backbone, so they to will be affected.

Point being, Democrats and moderates need to stake out their ground in safe places, and believe that what they're doing is right. The red state Democrats can be to the right of them, but still to the left off insanity.

All of this can take place only now because George Bush will ripen the nation for change. The democratic leaning groups and organizations cannot sit on the sidelines.

Had Kerry won most people would have gone back to "Clinton fatigue" which is what makes Bush winning not such a bad thing. Conservatives would have tightened their grip. People on the left can never become complacent again.

Bush will lie, Bush will cheat, and Bush will kill, but since that will happen, hopefully it will be the catalyst for a reestablishment of what is right about mankind.

It may seem crazy, and part of this was written while I was drunk, but I believe it to be true.

(someone get me an editor!)

Ay

Not so fast, my friends:

OTTAWA, Canada (Reuters) -- Disgruntled Democrats seeking a safe Canadian haven after U.S. President George W. Bush won Tuesday's election should not pack their bags just yet.

Canadian officials made clear on Wednesday that any U.S. citizens so fed up with Bush that they want to make a fresh start up north would have to stand in line like any other would-be immigrants -- a wait that can take up to a year.

"Let me tell you -- if they're hard-working honest people, there's a process, and let them apply," Immigration Minister Judy Sgro told Reuters.

Asked whether American applicants would get special treatment, she replied: "No, they'll join the crowd like all the other people who want to come to Canada."

Josh Marshall

He really hits the nail on the head, one more time. His take on institutions is exactly right, and I hope to be part of this movement.

Well, what to say? Two years ago, after some surprisingly disappointing election results I quipped something like, "Well, that could have gone better."

But somehow, that sort of irreverent, grim humor doesn't seem appropriate. This isn't just a disappointing election result. The consequences of what happened last night are too great.

Setting aside my general political leanings, my personal views and feelings of partisanship, I think the result portends very bad things for America's role in the world and the well-being on all levels of this country. Changes in domestic politics, in theory at least, can be shifted back at a following election. The world, though, is different. There we are just a ship -- though the largest one -- on waters we can never truly control. And I fear that this result will set in motion dangerous dynamics that even the relatively young among us will be wrestling with and contending with for the rest of our lives.

I've referred to this in the past, and hopefully will have a chance to return to it, but here's the essence of the matter, as I see it. Before today, the course that America had charted in the world over the last three years could be seen as the result of a traumatic event (9/11) and the choice of a president who was actually put in office by a minority of the electorate. This was a referendum on what's happened in the last three years. And it's been validated.

Let me run through a few other points rapidly.

The situation in Ohio. I gave myself the benefit of sleeping in a bit this morning. So I have not gotten my head around all the details of the provisional ballots and how many votes, in theory, remain. I can see that President Bush is trying to force the process and wring some de facto concession out of Sen. Kerry -- a typical Bush/Rove maneuver on many levels.

I don't want to see Kerry supporters (or the country as a whole for that matter) remain in an emotional limbo any longer than necessary. But for my part, I see no reason that Kerry should concede anything so long as uncounted votes remain outstanding that could conceivably decide the contest in his favor.

That's not something that means a lot to this president; I know that. But this whole contest has been too dirty, too marred with voter suppression, dirty tricks and other unspeakable antics not to press every last possibility. So, not that my views matter in this, but I would say do nothing premature. Make sure every last vote is counted. The fact that the president is "convinced" that he won, is not only meaningless but offensive. We have a system of rules for counting votes. That's how we decide.

(As I was writing this, word just went over the wires that Sen. Kerry called President Bush to concede the election. I don't second-guess the decision. They have a better handle on the numbers than anyone. And I'm sure they can see that they are simply not there.)

Finally, to Democrats and Kerry supporters.

Yesterday evening I heard various commentators say that Kerry's defeat would usher in a civil war among Democrats. Tucker Carlson said it would or should lead to a 'Goldwater moment' for the Democrats.

As I've noted above, I don't want to diminish the scope of what's happened. But a civil war over what exactly? Yes, some consultants will get a hard shake. And I'm certain there will be backbiting against Kerry (which I for one will very much disagree with.) But a civil war over what? The right and the left of the party were remarkably united in this cycle and managed to find points of compromise on key issues.

In some ways this would all be conceptually easier for Democrats to deal with if President Bush had managed a realignment of our politics in the post-9/11 world. But when I look at the results from last night what I see is that they are virtually identical to four years ago. Pretty much the same states going each way and a very close to even race -- though of course the president's 51% makes all the difference in the world.

As I said, if the Dems had been crushed, that would be one thing. If the American people were coalescing away from them, etc. But that's not what has happened here. In 2000 the country was divided into two (increasingly hostile) camps. And it's still exactly the same way. If anything it seems only more entrenched -- perhaps symbolically and geographically captured by the flip between New Hampshire and New Mexico from 2000.

The country is bitterly divided. And as much as anyone President Bush has divided it. But president Bush got 51% and if there's anything I've learned from watching him for the last four years-plus, it is that his team will take this as a popular mandate for an aggressive push for their agenda -- notwithstanding the profound division in the country or what has happened over the previous four years.

For the Democrats, what I fear most (and what I've privately worried about for months) is this: Energy cools after an election. That's inevitable. But organization and institutions can survive. And it is within institutions and organizational infrastructure that energy and power exist and persist.

Certainly it would have been more pleasant (and perhaps better) to nurture all the organization and infrastructure that has been built up over the last two years under a President Kerry. But my concern over the last few months has been that if Bush won, all of these groups and organizations and incipient infrastructure would simply be allowed to wither, as though it had been tried and found not to have worked.

That, as a factual judgment, I think is just plain wrong. And if that were allowed to happen it would truly be tragic. The truth is that what Democrats have begun to build over the last two years is tremendously important. It just wasn't enough, not yet.

I remember talking to Simon Rosenberg, the head of the New Dem Network, at the Democratic convention last summer. You'll remember, he and his group were profiled in the Times magazine around that time. The article, in brief, was about plans to create a Democratic-leaning counter-establishment along the lines of what Republicans did two generations ago -- with an alternative media, activist groups, organized political giving, in short a political infrastructure.

He told me he thought it would take ten years to accomplish. And I told him my one worry was that it could all be strangled in its crib if Kerry didn't win.

Well, here we are. And this is the test for people who care about this kind of politics and these sorts of values -- making sure that what has been started is not allowed to falter. This isn't 1964 or 1972 or 1980. This wans't a blow-out or a repudiation. It was close to a tie -- unfortunately, on the other guy's side. Let's not put our heads in the sand but let's also not get knocked of our game. Democrats need to think critically and seriously about why this didn't turn out 51% for Kerry or 55% for Kerry (and we'll get to those points in the future). But it would be a terrible mistake to stop thinking in terms of those ten years Simon described.

Take time to feel the desolation and disappointment. But I remain confident that time is not on the side of the kind of values and politics that President Bush represents. It took conservatives two decades to build up the institutional muscle they have today. Though I was always nervous about the result, I thought we could win this election. But it was always naive to believe that that sort of institutional heft could be put together in 24 or 36 months.

President Bush and the Republicans now control the entire national government, even more surely now than they have over the last four years. They do so on the basis of garnering the votes of 51% or 52% of the population. But they will use that power as though there were no opposition at all. That needs to be countered.

Leave today for disappointment. Tomorrow, think over which of these various groups and organizations you think has made the best start toward what I've described above, go to their website, and give money or volunteer. After that, okay sure, take a few more days for disappointment, maybe a few more weeks. But this takes time. And you shouldn't lose heart. The same division in the country remains, the same stalemate. The other side just got the the ball a yard or two into our side of the field rather than the reverse. And we have to deal with the serious consequences of that. Tomorrow's the day to start.

-- Josh Marshall

Be Proud, America.

For that is your lying moron. 

The Morning After

I haven't checked my email, nor have I looked at the blog since I am really not concerned with the thoughts of others. At the same time I wouldn't be offended if no one cared about my own, but I've got a few.

I haven't spoken to my dad either. I really cannot call him. He must be feeling worse today than he ever has, and I mean that.

On CNN last night Paul Begala and James Carville were being told by Bob Novak (who did his part nicely) and Tucker Carlson that "Kerry was a great candidate." My how things have changed! Both men on the right stated the Democrats need to look in the mirror, think about where their party is, and where it's headed. To some extent they both agreed.

I could not agree less.

What Democrats needs to focus on is not where they're going, but how they expose people for who they are. There's no reason to continue to dumb down the dialogue in this country just because Republicans have. I mean the party of simplicity won this thing, so it seems, on two issues: Taxes and Morality. It is the height of absurdity that Republicans can run on those two things, one that is practically fraudulent and the other one so ironic you'd think Bush voters couldn't define the word.

The Republicans control so much of Red State media, and their message is so simple and refined that it has almost become easy. For Dems, things have to get worse before they get better and then the message will simplify. You won't have to explain the "deficit," or the "loss of jobs" to make people see the reality. A woman will see what type of people are sitting on the Supreme Court, and moderates will watch as gay people are treating as second class citizens. In fact, Tom Coburn became Senator of Oklahoma when just last week he said, "Doctors who commit abortions should get the death penalty..." and "there are too many lesbians in the schools...single women should not be teachers." THESE ARE THE RED STATES! There are people who read this blog who AGREE WITH THOSE PEOPLE! You live here, where you are clearly a minority.

The party of nuance, so I'm told will have to watch as those nuances grow into real world issues, exposing ignorant and racist people. Democrats and like minded people will have to stay on message, take control of certain media outlets, and get their message heard. Republicans dealt with this problem for years when they had no control of Congress, and they came out of it with what we have today. This will have to be reversed.

I do not for a second think Democrats have to "look in the mirror." It's people who have to look in the mirror. I'm sorry, but I have a hard time thinking that 90% of the free world sees Bush for what he is, but 50% of America does not, therefore democrats are wrong.

I'm not going to rehash the education argument, and the dumbing of America because you've heard it before. Unfortunately smart people get the raw end of the deal here because one could almost guarantee that those with 4-Year college educations and more voted for Kerry. We're being led around by the blind, who are being led by the manipulative. If the smarter clan can not convince people that they're being used then I guess they're not that smart afterall. We'll see.

For me, it actually may make my life easier as far as getting a job, especially when I look at the states that voted against Bush, and the cities. I'd rather not have that leg up. But I will continue to fight, and expose, and be honest, and be concerned, although it may take a few days to recover from this. I imagine the blog will be light.

Everyone says, "things happen for a reason." Well, we will certainly see if that's true. The only thing I see right now is a lot of Americans digging in for a holy war against holy warriors, viewing them as insane but themselves normal. Please.

For every young person who did not vote I am hoping you get drafted. Sorry, hate to say it, but these are the types of things that will get worse.

I've said enough...and no, I won't be reading "Comments" because frankly, I'm not really concerned.


(not proofreading)

My Heart

Is the only thing that hurts.

My mother was saying she wanted Bush to win because it needs to get so bad in order for people to realize what's going on. I was never there. I had "faith" that people would make the right decision for the benefit of woman/man.

It doesn't seem to be the case right now.

I am really devastated on many levels. I ask myself "why?"

Why do I fight for people when so many are blind?

Why do I stress myself out over people who refuse to accept reality? People who rely on faith before the Earth, life, and what is tangible?

Never has it become so evident that the American spirit to never be viewed as second place is the thing that holds us back from actually becoming leaders in a new world. So many view it as the World vs. Bush, and therefore America, when in essence the President represents a false reality, and a life of privilege and failure.

Tonight I heard analysts comment about the "moral issue" over and over. Since when did lying, and intellectual dishonesty separate itself from morality?

I am sure many people want to gloat about a Bush victory in the face of those who are completely anti-Bush, but I would suggest that is the wrong tack. For those who are against Bush are mostly people who worry about the future of woman/man everywhere, and to gloat is actually an expression of that "win at all costs" American attitude that is exactly the reason which may lead to our collapse.

This country should not be based on deception, and should not lead only because we are powerful. We should lead and be based on truth, and what is right. What is not right is George W. Bush, and the myth of who he is and what he has done.

Tomorrow will be a completely new day. If the country continues on it's current path we will become a nation that many people will not want to call their own.

I do not have it in me to not fight for what is right, honest, and good. But right now I feel a disgusting feeling. I feel the people of New York, New Jersey, and California, the engine of the world, are constantly working to be the best, yet there are people hanging onto our coat tails and actually holding us back from continuing to move toward what is right. It's not right. It is so wrong. But if the country continues to move the way it is these hangers-on will lose us because at some point we will not want to fight for you.

The Gingrichs, Tom Delays, Dick Cheneys, and so many others are not the face of what is right.

I hope to awake to news telling me that things aren't what they seem.

Good night.

JERSEY

FOX CALLS JERSEY FOR KERRY!

It's Being Defined!!!!

WEBSTER apprently gave $7 Billion to Republicans today to have GAY MARRIAGE defined!

Ohio votes YES.

VIRGINIA!

TOO CLOSE TO CALL!

If Virginia is close that means it could be a trend...

Come on Virginia, you fucked me before, don't FUCK ME AGAIN, BITCH!

More News

Polls show there is a 52% chance Bush will have a drink tonight.

Apparently, there are only two states in America, those being Georgia and South Carolina because those are the only states they are mentioning.

I think FOX will keep pushing good Bush news til the end, so there people will stay tuned!

They should be running bad news so they can all grab their hoods and get on over to both the polling booth and the rally.


WAIT, WAIT, Brit Hume just called William Kristol "perplexed!"

FOX...

FOX now reporting that FLORIDA has 200,000+ uncounted absentee ballots that will not be counted until Thursday! Republicans complain they have a 150,000 vote advantage there.

This is amazing. FOX NEWS reporting that Bush is getting screwed in Florida of all places.

Look closely and you'll notice they're reporting from the clouds, since the world is now upside down.

More FOX

FOX is calling Bush the winner, Jeb, in 2008.

Looks like Bush won Iraq 11% to Kerry 8%

Physically Unable to Vote 80%

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Bill Kristol just said: This election will be decided by one issue, George W. Bush. If voters are happy with his presidency he will win, if not the challenger will. The election is always an assessment of what the President did.

If he loses, we can blame the media for the overwhelming negative coverage of George W. Bush and their positive coverage of Senator Kerry!



PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!

FOX UPDATE

WATCH FOX NEWS NOW AND ALL NIGHT!

They're still talking about the story that Drudge ran about voting machines already having registered votes before the election.

Obviously, Republicans stop at nothing, but even after it has been debunked FOX is STILL RUNNING IT!

I think you need to watch FOX ALL NIGHT because you may witness one of the most Orwellian moments in history. You really never know.

Crazy if Bush and FOX went down together...btw, take Jeb.

WAIT, WAIT, I think Bill Kristol is CRYING! Is he crying?

...

Wait, FOX is now discussing what Bush could have done better.

Oh, this is great, Fred Barnes of FOX now yelled, "Well if the Democrats had just admitted that this economy is going great, it'd be different."

...

Juan Williams of NPR looks very comfy.

...

Bill Kristol chiming in, "The Bush Administration should have known about the intelligence failues...then Abu Gharib...I don't think it'd be competitive if there had been Weapons of Mass Destruction..."

...

Brit Hume, "If there had been weapons there, I don't think anyone would think this was bad for the war on terror...Once you cut the heart out of the rationale...The turning point was the decision to goto the UN to seek a UN sanction because we already had the mandate from Congress...If Bush doesn't goto the UN the emphasis on the WMD never would have been what it was..."

This is all so entertaining!

They're practically CONCEDING!

Rush's Favorite...

Our Call
Zogby International's 2004 Predictions
(as of Nov. 2, 2004 5:00pm)

2004 Presidential Election

Electoral Votes:

Bush
213

Kerry
311

Too Close To Call
Nevada (5)

Too Close To Call
Colorado (9)

BTW

There's still that war:

An unknown militant group holding Iraqi-British hostage Margaret Hassan in Iraq has threatened to turn her over to a group led by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi if Britain does not quit Iraq, Al Jazeera says.

Zarqawi's group, Al Qaeda Organisation of Holy War in Iraq, is blamed for the bloodiest suicide attacks and hostage beheadings in Iraq.

Al Jazeera said on Tuesday it received a video tape from the group saying it would hand over Hassan to Zarqawi's group within 48 hours "if Britain does not meet its demands, mainly for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq".

DAMN!

VOTE OR DIE is working!

I just heard some kid out my window say, "Yo niggah you vote?"

Not Helping

Man, I'm praying like I was Dubya himself, or Jesus, but...

The US presidential race was in a dead heat Tuesday as Americans cast their ballots but polls showed some worrying signs for George W. Bush as he fought off a challenge by Democrat John Kerry.

A CBS News polls confirmed earlier findings by the Gallup organisation that the president's once-substantial lead on his signature issue of national security seemed to erode in the waning days of the campaign.

Forecasts of a potentially large turnout also provided a measure of encouragement to Kerry, the Massachusetts senator, whose support was high among self-described new voters.

ouch.

Lift the Spirit

Listen to this song. Hilarious.

Oh My Gawd...

I just heard on CNN that in Harrisburg, PA there are not enough provisional ballots (the disaster our Congress created), and that they are photocopying ballots to make sure they have enough!

Aren't these things numbered?

Sounds OFFICIAL!

Zogby

Calling a blowout.

Coop Speak

Coop speaks:

CoopDouche: market telling you kerry won
WEINISH: ?
CoopDouche: kerry trading 71
CoopDouche: bush trading 29
CoopDouche: bush losing florida
CoopDouche: kerry next president
WEINISH: where are the #s from?
CoopDouche: markets always efficient
CoopDouche: its the price of where the futures are trading
CoopDouche: they trade like stocks
CoopDouche: kerry won.
WEINISH: relax, relax, market boy.
WEINISH: i'm saying, what's the sign, is there a ticker?
CoopDouche: there is a ticker
CoopDouche: iprekerr
CoopDouche: iprebush
CoopDouche: trust me
WEINISH: trust me, i believe you.
WEINISH: cooper loves his markets.
CoopDouche: market always efficient
CoopDouche: efficient
CoopDouche: bush dropping rapidly
CoopDouche: now 26

I await the terror attack.

Right?

I was just thinking to myself, "4 more years of Bush just doesn't make sense! Can you imagine this guy being president again?"

I really can't.

Numbers

Early numbers show Kerry, but it's waaaaaay too early.

Follow Kos for all the news.

Daschle is probably going to lose.

I can't keep up. Shutting down.

I'm Hearing

That Jonah Goldberg, aka, Major Conservative Douche, is hearing NH is for Kerry.

I'd be surprised.

In Case You Forgot...

Oh, there's still a war:

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saboteurs have mounted the biggest attacks yet on Iraq's oil infrastructure, blowing up three pipelines in the north and hitting exports via Turkey, oil officials said Tuesday.

Niiiiice

Shocking news from "the heartland":

Republican poll workers in Lake Andes were intimidating Native American voters on Monday, a federal judge ruled early today.

Republicans may not write down license plate numbers or follow Native Americans from polling places during today's election, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol ruled in a temporary restraining order.

FOLLOWING THEM!

Polling Places

Here's a link to help you find out where you vote.

Send this to friends who don't know.

Nice

This should go over well:

A federal appeals court has cleared the way for political parties to challenge voters' eligibility at polling places throughout Ohio, ruling early Tuesday that their presence on Election Day was allowed under state law. Meanwhile, a federal judge in South Dakota granted Sen. Tom Daschle's request to limit operatives' activies at the polls.

In Ohio, overturning the orders of two federal judges from the day before, a three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 early Tuesday to grant emergency stays that will allow Republicans and Democrats one challenger per precinct each. The judges also consolidated the two appeals, which stemmed from separate lawsuits in Cincinnati and Akron.

Come On!

I'm really praying for the big guy:

Nine days after surgery for thyroid cancer, ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist was not on the bench when the Supreme Court convened Monday, one of several signs that his illness is more serious than first indicated.

"According to my doctors, my plan to return to the office today was too optimistic," Rehnquist said in a statement released by the Court shortly before the Court's regular argument session began.

I also really hope Bush wins.

Obviously

The Times points out how relaxed the President is, and how not relaxed his minions are.

Mr. Bush's aides, after asserting for weeks that they were confident and calm, finally admitted in the last marathon stretch that they were on edge. But they insisted the president was serene.

"Everybody's nervous," said Mark McKinnon, the president's chief media strategist. "He has a total Zen attitude about it."

Of course he has a "Zen attitude!" God chose him for this, as he has noted. I mean, when the lord himself loves thee non-church goer versus your "opponent," how could one not be relaxed?

Now the workers who God did not necessarily choose, they are rightfully nervous.

Comedy

Notice all the black inspectors! 

Blowout

That's what I'm predicting.

I really think Kerry will win Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

I'm not sure what other states he'll carry along the way, but as I've been saying to my friends for a long time now I really think this may be a blowout.

Then the media will all scratch their heads and say, "How did this happen? Are we this fucking dumb?" The answer will be "Yes, you are that dumb, and even more annoying than you are dumb."

But I've been wrong before, but that's my take.

Osama

He has plans:

Nov. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden said he is trying to bankrupt the U.S. through its war on terror, a strategy he says felled the Soviet Union two decades ago in Afghanistan, according to a translation by al-Jazeera television of his full, videotaped statement.

``The mujahedeen recently forced Bush to resort to emergency funds to continue the fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, which is evidence of the success of the bleed-until-bankruptcy plan -- with Allah's permission,'' bin Laden said in the video that aired on the Qatar-based satellite network, according to the translation, posted today to al-Jazeera's Web site. The channel aired portions of the statement on Oct. 29.

President George W. Bush's administration plans to seek an additional $70 billion from lawmakers for Iraq and Afghanistan, the head of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, General Paul Kern, said on Oct. 26. The U.S. Congress last year approved $87 billion for military operations and rebuilding in the two countries.

Seriously, could bin Laden been any luckier than to this idiot in the White House?

Go Costco

You must not believe in a little place called AMERICA!

"Socially, we're engaged in a race to the bottom," said Craig Cole, the chief executive of Brown & Cole Stores, a supermarket chain that employs about 2,000 workers in Washington and adjoining states and pays for insurance coverage for about 95 percent of its employees. "Do we want to allow competition based on exploitation of the work force?" he asked.

If there is any place where Wal-Mart's labor costs find support, it is Wall Street, where Costco has taken a drubbing from analysts who say its labor costs are too high. Costco's pretax profit margin is only 2.7 percent of revenue, less than half Wal-Mart's margin of 5.5 percent.

Wal-Mart now asks employees to pay 33 percent of the company's cost of providing insurance, but says it plans to reduce that to 30 percent. So far, Costco has resisted pressure to increase employees' share of health care premiums beyond a planned target of 8 percent in 2007, reasoning that too many of their workers would be forced to drop coverage.

"From the very beginning of time, the founders here felt you have to pay a living wage and provide benefits," said Richard Galanti, the chief financial officer of Costco, which is based in Issaquah, Wash.

Wall St. analysts, does anything else REALLY MATTER?

I'd love to poll Wal-Mart employees in Red states to see who they are voting for.

Tom

Tom Friedman supports Bush for President...sorta.

Seriously...

SERIOUSLY! Is there ANYTHING FUNNIER?

"When I first heard about the looted weapons stockpiles I was like, 'Damn, that's a ton of explosives!' Then I said it again 379 times, just to be accurate."

Pay Attention!

Friend sent this to me.

Check it and have a phone number handy:

Yesterday a friend voted early at a polling location in Austin. She voted straight Democratic. When she did the final check, lo and behold every vote was for the Democratic candidates except that it showed she had voted for Bush/Cheney for president/vice pres.

She immediately got a poll official. On her vote, it was corrected. She called the Travis County Democratic headquarters. They took all her information, and told her that she wasn't the first to report a similar incident and that they are looking into it.

So check before you leave the polling booth, and if anything is wrong, get it corrected immediately. Report any irregularities to your local Democratic headquarters. Make sure you pass this along to your friends.

...hopefully this is all over the airwaves by tomorrow...

The Texas voting fraud is for real.

I called the Austin office (Dem. Nat. Comm.) 512-637-1737
and they said that it has been happening a lot. They don't know why
but the machines seem more "sensitive" this year and that every voter MUST
check their summary as the presidential choice often rolls over to the
republican choice if you vote straight democrat.

Here is there website.
http://www.democrats.org/
and their main . in DC 202-863-8000

I would advise picking each race individually. Take your time when you vote.

Dick Fucking Cheney!

This is HILARIOUS!

It's Logical

Josh Marshall posted a MUST SEE letter on his site from the Florida Leadership Council. Nothing like children in gas masks to scare you to vote!

It makes complete sense that Conservatives use scare tactics to get people to vote. I mean, sure, it's disgusting and sad, but it's not as if they don't believe what they're saying. They really do, and it makes perfect sense.

Conservatives basically see the world as "Us vs. Them" in almost every scenario, where as Liberals are usually not looking at things from that perspective. One is more of a "fend for thyself" mentality against a "lend a hand" mentality. You decide which one America is supposed to represent.

So if one sees advertisements scaring people, or Dick Cheney scaring people, or any other asshole scaring people it really is genuine. They enact policies home and abroad that create tension, and they know it. They assume the tension will always be there, and it will grow. They do not see negotiation as a means to an end evident by their inability to actually bring allies to the table. In fact, alliances have been damaged to a level not seen in the US in years, if ever.

Again, their policies create conflict and do not solve problems, domestically as well. It makes total sense that they do live in fear, more so than people on the left because they know the policy choices they will make will in fact create more problems between themselves and others. People who are more rationale believe things to be different, and they are right. They believe what the President himself even says, "People want freedom." It's true, they do, but Bush really doesn't believe it. He sees the world in black and white terms, aka, stupid terms. He has been "chosen" to destroy all terrorists, or anyone who goes against His America. It's completely absurd, but considering who they are, it makes sense.

These people really do see the world only in terms of conflict, and it completely makes sense since they are the people who cause the conflicts.

I am no longer surprised on any level by their advertising, or the things they say. They truly are completely fucked up, and represent a lot of Americans. It's totally embarrassing, and totally ridiculous. But as long as this country continues to cheapen education, and as our media continues to dumb us down I imagine the nation will continue to move toward stupidity and fear.

Simply put: Republicans cause conflict, so they really do live in fear, and Bush is the main conflict causer which makes him more absurd and scared than anyone, so he'll do WHATEVER it takes to protect his brand of people. They are like him, think like him, so they believe in him. Like him they don't see consequences, or fault, they only wonder what they need to do next to combat their fears.

Scary.

Ohio

And the beat goes on.

A federal judge on Monday barred political party challengers from polling places throughout Ohio during Tuesday's election. State Republicans planned to appeal.

The order by U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott found that the application of Ohio's statute allowing challengers at polling places was unconstitutional. The presence of challengers inexperienced in the electoral process questioning voters about their eligibility would impede voting, she said.

Mark Weaver, lawyer for the Ohio Republican Party, called the ruling erroneous and said the party would ask the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati to overturn it.

The Republicans also added, "This is RIDICULOUS! We've been ignoring the Constitution for almost 4 years and now you're going to use it against us?"

More of the Same

WaPo:

After more than a year of difficulties, the pace of contracting for Iraqi reconstruction projects picked up substantially over the past three months, but U.S. authorities have still spent only a fraction of the rebuilding money allocated by Congress, according to a new report.

The inspector general monitoring Iraq's rebuilding also said in his latest quarterly report, released today, that reconstruction aid promised by international lenders and other countries has only trickled into Iraq. Of the $13.5 billion pledged at a donors conference last year in Madrid, contributions and firm commitments total $2.7 billion, the report said.

Inspector General Stuart W. Bowen paints a picture of lawlessness and corruption hampering a reconstruction program that once promised Iraqis a significant boost from their pre-war standards of living. Allegations have surfaced of large-scale embezzlement, robberies perpetrated by Iraqi police, even payoffs to U.S. military personnel who aided in theft...

The inspector general has managed or coordinated 113 criminal investigations, and opened cases on 272 reports of fraud, waste or other problems reported on the agency's hotline.

This has been an issue for a while. There's debate between Congress and people working in Iraq and for the Administration that want to streamline the process of getting money spent in Iraq. Too many bureaucratic hurdles remain.

This is obviously a bad thing, but at this point it's beyond fixing. The White House and Congress needed to realize a drawn out conflict in the Middle East would be terrible for the United States. The US has spent more time in this Iraq War than we did World War I.

While the problem cannot be easily fixed it's pretty apparent that Bush Co. will only continue to mess up over time.

Sure there needs to be streamlining, but the reason the safeguards exist is because companies like Dick Cheney's abuse the system! So it's really one disaster on top of another, on top of another.

This war should end soon...

Telephone...

I know most of you are busy, but seriously, take one minute out of your day to make a difference. It's very easy.

Below I've provided you with phone extensions in Ohio. Call one of these extensions and just make up the last 4 digits. Do this til you get someone on the line.

Tell them simply: Hi, I'm not a telemarketer, and I do not work for a political campaign. I am a concerned citizen that called you randomly from New York/Jersey/Elsewhere and I just want to make sure you go out and vote tomorrow. The country needs change, so it's very important that you do so.

Extensions:

Columbus
614-291-****
614-294-****
614-299-****

Cincinnati
513-861-****
513-232-****
513-521-****

Akron-
330-864-****
330-535-****
330-773-****

Toledo
419-535-****
419-531-****
419-475-****


If they hang up, they hang up, but at least you did something.

Please, tell everyone you know. Try to talk to someone.

Make ONE phone call. It's that easy.

Dowd

I guess she agrees:

The Bushies' campaign pitch follows their usual backward logic: Because we have failed to make you safe, you should re-elect us to make you safer. Because we haven't caught Osama in three years, you need us to catch Osama in the next four years. Because we didn't bother to secure explosives in Iraq, you can count on us to make sure those explosives aren't used against you.

I can't wait to read Maureen's column if Bush wins.

Shameless Crew

Riiiight:

"There's no question in my mind, and I think to anybody who knows how close this election is," Tommy Thompson said later during an interview. "Osama bin Laden would not give out a video report 72 hours before the election unless he wanted to influence it.

"He would like to see somebody other than George Bush, because George Bush has really taken it to him," added Thompson, the U.S. secretary of health and human services and an appointee of President Bush.

I was in Vermont this week and frankly, I'm tired of people who live in Nowhereville acting as if their lives are threatened by terrorism the same way mine is.

Also, I truly believe the Bush team has had this tape for quite a few days and used it to distract us from the latest story of Bush and the ammunition that's killing US soldiers.