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August 31, 2004
He's a Liar. Say It.
Now, in the end I don't really care about this stupid quote throwing game. George Bush says stupid things, like, all the time. Most politicians say stupid things. He says stupid things more often than most. Generally, I'm much more concerned about his actual policy of Destroying Everything That I Hold Dear than his little verbal gaffes.
But the problem is that often they're not just verbal gaffes, they're just plain lies. Lies I'm not a fan of. And when this douche lies and the media just lets him get away with it, I have a hard time keeping my food down. It's not a good feeling. I like my food down.
So when Bush said about the War on Terra on Sunday, "I don't think you can win it." it wasn't a gaffe. It's not like when he deliberately mispronounces nuclear or accidentally let's slip that he's trying to destroy our country. "I don't think you can win it" is an unambiguous statement, but it generated some bad press because he has often said previously that we were winning and would win the War on Terra. Bad press is, well, bad, so it's time for some flip-floppin'.
"In this different kind of war, we may never sit down at a peace table," Mr. Bush told the American Legion delegates. "But make no mistake about it, we are winning and we will win."
Later, in an interview with the conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, Mr. Bush elaborated further. "What I meant was that this is not a conventional war," he said from Iowa. "It is a different kind of war. We're fighting people who have got a dark ideology who use terrorists, terrorism, as a tool."
After telling Mr. Limbaugh that "I probably needed to be a little more articulate" in his initial comments, which he had made in an interview with Matt Lauer of the NBC program "Today" program, the president went on to say: "Really what I was saying to Lauer was, is that this is not the kind of war where you sit down and sign a peace treaty. It's a totally different kind of war. But we will win it."
New York Times
This isn't a clarification, it's a lie. That's not what he was saying to Lauer. Saying "I don't think we can win it" does not mean "We will win it, but not in a traditional peace treaty kind of way" - it means "I don't think we can win it."
The irony, of course, is that it was one of the few things the jackass has ever said that happens to be true.
In order to show John Kerry as a flip-flopper, the Republicans are constantly taking what he says completely out of context, quoting partial statements, and all kinds of nasty little tricks. This statement by Bush is clear and concise, yet they still can't resist lying about it when it doesn't go over well.
And the worst part? It works.
Posted by ahecht at 5:14 PM [
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August 30, 2004
So Far, So So
(Side Note: I'm back from New York. Luke and Jeanhee's wedding was wonderful; great friends, great place, great ceremony. Photos and so on to come soon.)
To the news. Massive protests in New York have so far gone on without too much incident. No "Anti-Bush Protestors Destroy Property and Rumble With NYPD" headlines. Not yet.
But I'm worried. Worried that one day this week, something nasty will happen. I don't mean major catastrophes, but enough to turn the headlines from "Protests Masive and Peaceful" to "Liberal Nutbags Trash NYC."
This would be very, very bad. Hundreds of thousands could protest peacefully, but if some fringe loonies start getting violent, that will be the story and it will be 1968 all over again. Nobody in "middle America" will get any of the messages, they'll just see scary, out of control riots and paint all of us with the same brush. Bush would LOVE this to happen. It worked for the last major criminal we had as president.
So, if you're in New York, protest, but for the love of all that is good and tasty, be nice.
Posted by ahecht at 12:02 PM [
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August 26, 2004
Jet Settin'
I'm off again to the east coast, this time for a less frivolous reason, that being to witness (and participate in!) the marriage of Luke Melia to Jeanhee Kim, two of the most freakishly wonderful people on earth.
Posted by ahecht at 6:00 PM [
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Damn You Bill Clinton!
Obviously, the fact that the number of Americans living in poverty rose by 1.3 million last year, to 35.9 million isn't George W. Bush's fault, so it must be that two-timin' bastard Clinton. His tricky way of making the economy tank 3 years into his successor's term is just another Democratic ploy to make the Republicans sound economic policy -- cutting taxes while waging wars and so on -- look bad.
Oh, and if you are among the 45 million Americans living without health insurance (up 1.4 million from last year), that's probably Clinton's fault too. Or his wife. Maybe Ted Kennedy.
The Bush administration was also kind enough to release these numbers a month earlier than usual, so we can forget about them by election time and focus on the surprise late October capture of Osama bin Laden.
Posted by ahecht at 3:44 PM [
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August 25, 2004
Swiftboatgate
Everyone knows that the Bush reelection campaign has nothing to do with the Swift Boat Veterans for Lying Out Our Asses. I mean, if they were connected to the campaign, that would be illegal. The president has repeatedly and ridiculously said that he wants to ban ALL ads by outside groups, so if they were connected, he wouldn't say that, right?
Well...... maybe not.
A legal adviser to the Bush-Cheney campaign resigned Wednesday after revealing that he had also advised the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the 527 group that has launched a campaign to discredit Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's military record.
A campaign official told CNN that Benjamin Ginsberg advised the group a few months ago at the same time he was working with the Bush-Cheney campaign.
Whoops!
Oh please, oh please can we have another Watergate over these bastards? Please? That would be so frickin' sweet.
Oh, and I still hate CNN. They mention the accusations the Swifties have made against Kerry in the 5th paragraph of the story, and then naturally they mention that the allegations are completely unsubstantiated and contradict not only 35 years of public records, but statements the liars themselves have previously made, 10 paragraphs later.
Posted by ahecht at 2:38 PM [
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August 24, 2004
He Said, She Said
Excerpt from the Daily Show last night, as Jon Stewart and correspondent Rob Corddry discuss the Swift Boat Veterans:
STEWART: Here's what puzzles me most, Rob. John Kerry's record in Vietnam is pretty much right there in the official records of the US military, and haven't been disputed for 35 years?
CORDDRY: That's right, Jon, and that's certainly the spin you'll be hearing coming from the Kerry campaign over the next few days.
STEWART: Th-that's not a spin thing, that's a fact. That's established.
CORDDRY: Exactly, Jon, and that established, incontravertible fact is one side of the story.
STEWART: But that should be -- isn't that the end of the story? I mean, you've seen the records, haven't you? What's your opinion?
CORDDRY: I'm sorry, my *opinion*? No, I don't have 'o-pin-i-ons'. I'm a reporter, Jon, and my job is to spend half the time repeating what one side says, and half the time repeating the other. Little thing called 'objectivity' -- might wanna look it up some day.
STEWART: Doesn't objectivity mean objectively weighing the evidence, and calling out what's credible and what isn't?
CORDDRY: Whoa-ho! Well, well, well -- sounds like someone wants the media to act as a filter! [high-pitched, effeminate] 'Ooh, this allegation is spurious! Upon investigation this claim lacks any basis in reality! Mmm, mmm, mmm.' Listen buddy: not my job to stand between the people talking to me and the people listening to me.
STEWART: So, basically, you're saying that this back-and-forth is never going to end.
CORDDRY: No, Jon -- in fact a new group has emerged, this one composed of former Bush colleages, challenging the president's activities during the Vietnam era. That group: Drunken Stateside Sons of Privilege for Plausible Deniability. They've apparently got some things to say about a certain Halloween party in '71 that involved trashcan punch and a sodomized piƱata. Jon -- they just want to set the record straight. That's all they're out for.
STEWART: Well, thank you Rob, good luck out there. We'll be right back.
Via Atrios.
It's funny, and yet so, so sad.
Posted by ahecht at 1:05 PM [
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August 23, 2004
Bad CNN, Bad
A Bush front group airs ads consisting of nothing but documented lies, attacking the honor of a decorated war veteran, Bush refuses to condemn the ads, instead shamelessly reframing the issue as one of campaign finance and comparing the ad to ads by other, legitimate and fully disclosed groups like MoveOn, and this is CNN's headline.
Bastards.
Posted by ahecht at 5:11 PM [
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Connections and Contradictions
Have a look at this New York Times graphic detailing the connections of the various Swift Boat Veterans for Truth members' to the Bush family and Karl Rove, along with their past statements contradicting their current statements.
Liars, liars, liars.
Posted by ahecht at 4:03 PM [
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Bush Versus The Sierra Club, et al
So, it's clear from many, many sources (as long as you read the whole articles, they don't tend to make it clear in the first few paragraphs) that the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are nothing but a bunch of Bush-fronting liars. They've contradicted themselves and the public record going back 35 years. And yet, George Bush refuses to specifically condemn their tactics.
When asked about the issue, he and his mouthpieces have taken to calling for an end to all "shadowy" organizations that engage in political advertising.
"I can't be more plain about it," Bush said. "I hope my opponent joins me in condemning these activities of the 527s (political groups that sponsor to ads). I think they're bad for the system."
MSNBC
Crooked Timber wonders what Bush has against the Oregon Grocery Association and the League of Conservative Voters, among others.
He thinks all of this kind of thing should go away. This attitude is obvious from this exchange with a definitely-not-planted-or-coached questioner at one of his "Ask the President" dog and pony shows:
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, sir.
QUESTION: On behalf of Vietnam veterans -- and I served six tours over there -- we do support the President. I only have one concern, and that's on the Purple Heart, and that is, is that there are over 200,000 Vietnam vets that died from Agent Orange and were never -- no Purple Heart has ever been awarded to a Vietnam veteran because of Agent Orange because it's never been changed in the regulations. Yet, we've got a candidate for President out here with two self-inflicted scratches, and I take that as an insult. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you for your service. Six tours? Whew. That's a lot of tours.
Let's see, who've we got here? You got a question?
White House
Clearly he finds these kinds of attacks despicable.
In the end, this is what Bush's stance on this issue amounts to: We'll stop our people from telling lies about you if you stop telling the truth about us.
Posted by ahecht at 3:24 PM [
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By Popular Demand
And yes, I was wearing a floppy hat, too.
Also of some note to some is the debut of my new slideshow script in the photo archives. Leaner, meaner, sexier, and it works. The best part is that it works. The old version lacked that feature. The new was swiped and modified from Luke "Not Single For Long" Melia's installation of Gallery.
Posted by ahecht at 1:06 AM [
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August 22, 2004
If He Only Had a Brain
Matt Yglesias writes brilliantly in The American Prospect about the issue of presidential intelligence.
His conclusion? It matters.
Well gaawwwwwllleee. Slap my ass and call me Nancy. Seems obvious, no? Well, the scary thing is that it's not obvious, not anymore, not to far too many Americans. Old Smirky Pants and his cronies have made "character" the issue, and managed to keep a pliant media from ever discussing the elephant in the corner -- not only does the Emperor have no clothes, he's a frickin' idiot. And it's not funny; it's caused and will continue to cause the deaths of thousands.
Instead of jokes about Bush's verbal gaffes, we should really be outraged by them. We may be a nation populated by the under-educated, but the world is a far too complicated place and the job of the president far too important for us to be ruled by them.
One of the most disturbing examples of the trouble Bush's lack of intellectual heft has gotten us into that Yglesias details is the state of U.S. relations with North Korea.
In early 2001, Colin Powell assured the world that the U.S. would continue down the Clintonian path to working with North Korea to ensure that they did not develop nuclear weapons. The White House quickly contradicted Powell, citing the new "Clinton Was Never Right" doctrine which mandated reversals of all Clinton policies in all cases with no discussion.
Instead of Clinton's policies, they did basically nothing. Then, after September 11, they prepared to announce the formation of the dreaded Axis of Evil. Small problem, though... The countries they wanted to name were all Muslim countries and that caused a big PR problem, especially with Bush running around talking about a "crusade." They needed another, less Muslim country on their list, so North Korea, come on down!
North Korea, noting that we were about to invade Iraq and concluding that they might very well be next, kicked out their weapons inspectors and started openly working to acquire nuclear weapons, which they have now certainly accomplished.
To sum up: The lack of foresight and inability to admit that a Democratic policy has ever had any merit whatsoever has created a MUCH more dangerous situation with North Korea -- a country whose missiles could actually reach U.S. soil -- than would otherwise exist. This happened because Bush does not grasp these things. He doesn't pretend to grasp them. He takes pride in not grasping them.
Whenever this issue comes up, we inevitably hear people talk about how they can "relate" to the president -- how he seems like someone they could kick back and have a beer with (mind your alcoholism now, George). The question that never seems to get asked is, "Sure, we all love our buddies, and it's great to have down-to-earth, non-fancy-talkin' friends who don't make you feel stupid, but do you really think those guys should be running the country? Do you want your heart surgeon to be a guy you can 'relate to,' or a guy who knows how to fix hearts? Huh?"
I'll quote Yglesias' concluding paragraphs in their entirety, because they're very good:
Reviewing Clinton's My Life in the June 24, 2004, Los Angeles Times, neoconservative Max Boot happily concluded that "conservatives like character, liberals like cleverness." He's right. But to state what should be obvious, the president is not your father, your husband, your drinking buddy, or your minister. These are important roles, but they are not the president's. He has a job to do, and it's a difficult one, involving a wide array of complicated issues. His responsibility to manage these issues is a public one, and the capacity to do so in a competent and moral manner is fundamentally unrelated to the private virtues of family, friendship, fidelity, charity, compassion, and all the rest.
For the president to lead an exemplary personal life is surely superior to the alternative. But within obvious limits -- no one would want an alcoholic president, for example -- it doesn't really matter. Clinton's indiscretions caused his family pain and produced awkward moments for the parents of some young children. But Bush's bungling has gotten people killed in Iraq, saddled the nation with enormous debts, and created long-term security problems with which the country has not yet begun to grapple.
That the country should be secured against terrorist attacks, that deadly weapons should be kept out of the hands of our enemies, or that it would be good for a wide slice of the world to enjoy the blessings of freedom and democracy are hardly controversial propositions. But these things are easier said than done. Even a person of goodwill is by no means guaranteed to succeed. Yet succeed we must. And if we are to do so, the question of intelligence must be put back on the table. The issue is not "cleverness" -- some kind of parlor trick or showy mastery of trivia -- but a basic ability to make sense of a complicated, fast-changing world and decide how to confront it. Any leader will depend on the work of his subordinates, but counting on advisers to do the president's heavy lifting for him simply will not do. Unless the chief executive can understand what people are telling him and follow the complicated arguments they may need to make, he will find himself paralyzed at every point of disagreement, or he will adopt the views of the slickest salesman rather than the one who's gotten things right.
The price to be paid for such errors is a high one -- it is, quite literally, a matter of life and death. Already we've paid too much, and the problems confronting the country are growing harder with time. Unless the media, the electorate, and the political culture at large can shift their focus off of trivia and on to things that actually matter, it's a price we may pay again and again.
Posted by ahecht at 9:20 AM [
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August 20, 2004
Iraqi Soccer Team No Fans of Bush
But he, apparently, is a big fan of theirs. He's using their inclusion in the Olympic games, as well as Afghanistan's, in his campaign ads, though he stops short of taking direct credit for their surprise advance to the quarterfinals.
"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," [midfielder Salih] Sadir told SI.com through a translator, speaking calmly and directly. "He can find another way to advertise himself."
Ahmed Manajid, who played as a midfielder on Wednesday, had an even stronger response when asked about Bush's TV advertisement. "How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women?" Manajid told me. "He has committed so many crimes."
Ouch.
Posted by ahecht at 2:41 PM [
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August 19, 2004
Kerry Fights Back
It's good to see John Kerry fighting back against these ridiculous "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" or whatever the lying bastards are calling themselves.
The sheer absurdity of Bush supporters attacking Kerry's war record aside, he was to go after these guys. People should know that they're full of shit, and they should know that president Bush has specifically refused to condemn their attacks.
The Washington Post today also had more evidence that one of the leaders of SBVFT, Larry Thurlow, has been blatantly contradicting military records of his own service in his attacks on Kerry.
In newspaper interviews and a best-selling book, Larry Thurlow, who commanded a Navy Swift boat alongside Kerry in Vietnam, has strongly disputed Kerry's claim that the Massachusetts Democrat's boat came under fire during a mission in Viet Cong-controlled territory on March 13, 1969. Kerry won a Bronze Star for his actions that day.
But Thurlow's military records, portions of which were released yesterday to The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act, contain several references to "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" directed at "all units" of the five-boat flotilla. Thurlow won his own Bronze Star that day, and the citation praises him for providing assistance to a damaged Swift boat "despite enemy bullets flying about him."
--snip--
Last month, Thurlow swore in an affidavit that Kerry was "not under fire" when he fished Lt. James Rassmann out of the water. He described Kerry's Bronze Star citation, which says that all units involved came under "small arms and automatic weapons fire," as "totally fabricated."
"I never heard a shot," Thurlow said in his affidavit, which was released by Swift Boats Veterans for Truth. The group claims the backing of more than 250 Vietnam veterans, including a majority of Kerry's fellow boat commanders.
A document recommending Thurlow for the Bronze Star noted that all his actions "took place under constant enemy small arms fire which LTJG THURLOW completely ignored in providing immediate assistance" to the disabled boat and its crew. The citation states that all other units in the flotilla also came under fire.
Washington Post
The fact that these allegations have been given as much airtime as they have is truly sad. Some simple research shows that these guys are just liars. I really hope the whole thing just blows up in their faces.
Posted by ahecht at 10:10 PM [
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Free iPod Update
Woo!
It looks like this might just actually work. How nice.
As you were.
Posted by ahecht at 4:47 PM [
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What's $8.8 Billion Between Friends?
Apparently the Senate thinks it's worth looking into. Those guys and their investigations... so cute.
At least $8.8 billion in Iraqi funds that was given to Iraqi ministries by the former U.S.-led authority there cannot be accounted for, according to a draft U.S. audit set for release soon.
The audit by the Coalition Provisional Authority's own Inspector General blasts the CPA for "not providing adequate stewardship" of at least $8.8 billion from the Development Fund for Iraq that was given to Iraqi ministries.
--snip--
One of the main benefactors of the Iraq funds was Texas-based firm Halliburton, which was paid more than a billion dollars out of those funds to bring in fuel for Iraqi civilians.
The monitoring board said despite repeated requests it had not been given access to U.S. audits of contracts held by Halliburton, which was once run by Vice President Dick Cheney, and other firms that used the development funds.
Wouldn't it be so completely cool to see Cheney do the Kenny Lay perp walk? Man... And then to watch them spin their way out of it and the media just kind of roll over like a dog hoping for a belly scratch? That would be sweet.
Posted by ahecht at 4:15 PM [
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Authentic Thai Food
Maybe I'll just post my Coventry pictures one at a time.
Maybe not.
Posted by ahecht at 8:14 AM [
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Speaking in Footnotes
Sadly, No discovers that White House spokesman Scott "I Believe I Have Addressed That, Helen" McClellan has the unusual ability to speak with footnotes!
Under the President, funding* for our veterans has more than doubled over the previous eight years.
* by nearly doubling the funding increase of the previous eight years
The White House
You know, if you have to add a footnote to the transcript later showing how when you said "more than doubled" you actually meant "nearly doubled," while the reality is "not close to doubled," there's a word for that... It's a lie.
The wonder here is that Bush has actually increased veterans' funding, but not as much as they claim. Even when they do something good, they can't resist lying about it.
Posted by ahecht at 7:38 AM [
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August 18, 2004
Keyes So Crazy
As I'm sure you know, the Republicans have selected Alan Keyes, from my home state of Maryland, as their challenger to Barack Obama in the race for Illinois Senator.
This is a good choice for the Republicans because... umm... because... well, I guess because he doesn't have a chance in hell of winning, he's absolutely nuts, and it'll be fun to watch Obama wipe the floor with him in the debates.
Okay, that's why it's a good choice for me, not for the Republicans. They must be out of their minds.
Certainly enough has been and will be said and written about what a nut Keyes is, but here are a few of my favorite tidbits:
1) Alan Keyes thinks that September 11 was a warning from god to stop abortion.
2) Keyes is running in a state he didn't live in until recently, and now he has a nice little place, with a month-to-month lease. Good idea, that. Maybe he's not crazy. Here's what Keyes had to say in 2000 about Hillary Clinton running for the Senate in New York: "And I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent people there. So I certainly wouldn't imitate it."
(This nutball columnist, Al Kamen, seems to think this flip-floppery is irrelevant, because it happened "more than four long years ago." He describes is as an "ancient allegation." How the hell did this idiot get a column in the Washington Post?)
3) Finally, Alan Keyes would like to end the practice of popular election of U.S. Senators, favoring instead appointments by state legislatures. And he's running for the U.S. Senate.
Posted by ahecht at 9:34 PM [
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August 17, 2004
Preaching to the Choir
Hey Republicans! Anyone there?
Well, if you are, let me ask you a question: Is this really what you want?
Kathryn Mead wanted to see her first sitting president when George W. Bush visited the city.
Instead, Bush campaign staffers tore up the 55-year-old social studies teacher's ticket and refused her admission because she sported a small sticker on her blouse that touted the Democratic ticket of John Kerry and John Edwards.
"I had my ticket and photo identification, but they would not let me in because of this sticker," said Mead, a teacher at Traverse City West Senior High, who said she has seen Queen Elizabeth and Pope John Paul in person.
"I have never found this kind of screening anywhere in my travels around the world. I can't imagine being denied access to hearing the president of the United States speak."
Several people outside the campaign event tried to console Mead, who was visibly upset.
Of course, "visibly upset" means that she was crying.
I would really love for someone to defend this to me in any sensible way. Don't kid yourself, this is the kind of country George Bush and his buddies want. No dissent, just photo-ops and bullies enforcing the rules of the emperor. You are free to protest, as long as no one who you disagree with has to see you.
Posted by ahecht at 4:09 PM [
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Face Full of Mud
Quick explanation for lack of posts -- I was away, seeing Phish's last show. Pictures to come.
I forgot to say I was going to be away before I went away.
Now I'm back, but I'm late for work.
Posted by ahecht at 8:07 AM [
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August 12, 2004
NJ Governor McGreevey is Gay, Will Resign
Sad.
I feel bad for his family, it must be a terrible thing to go through, not to mention having to go through it in public.
The real tragedy here, of course, is that an unaccepting society made him feel that he had to keep his sexuality hidden for all these years. That same society will now focus exclusively on his sexuality in this story. He had an affair, like a very large percentage of politicians and people in general do. The fact that it was a homosexual affair is not the story. The fact it wouldn't have been nearly as big a deal if he were straight is.
Posted by ahecht at 4:30 PM [
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Hey, Remember Iraq?
Well, despite it's absence from the news lately, it's still a complete nightmare, and getting worse.
Explosions and gunfire echoed across the holy city of Najaf on Thursday as the U.S. military and Iraqi forces launched a full-scale assault to crush a weeklong uprising by militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Thousands of U.S. troops were taking part in the offensive, which began with the cordoning off of the revered Imam Ali shrine, its vast cemetery and Najaf's Old City.
"Major operations to destroy the militia have begun," said U.S. Marine Maj. David Holahan, executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines Regiment.
And just when major combat operations had been over for what, a year and a half?
Posted by ahecht at 7:55 AM [
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Prepare For The Worst
In a surprise move, the government has announced that September will be "National Preparedness Month."
Presumably what they mean for us to be prepared for is that George Bush will win a second term as president. Should this emergency actually come to pass, Americans will be empowered and educated, and hopefully we'll all have an escape route already planned.
Ha ha. Of course what they really mean for us to be prepared for is terrorist attacks on our precious homeland. They also surely mean for us to remember that in order to be best prepared, we should really consider voting for George Bush or not voting at all. If you feel nervous, just stay home on Election Day, there's no shame in it. There are plenty of people who will brave the outdoors to vote, and you can be assured that they will make a good choice for you. Are you really going to put participation in the democratic process ahead of the safety of your family? If you do, the terrorists have truly already won.
The announcement of "National Preparedness Month" is to be made by Tom "WOLF! RIGHT BEHIND YOU! SERIOUS THIS TIME!" Ridge on September 9.
Well that's odd. Why would they announce a month of preparedness a full week and two days into said month? Seems like you'd want to get the full month involved.
Oh, right, right. The anniversary of September 11 falls on a Saturday this year, so it's important to get the announcement made on the preceding Thursday so it can get into the papers on Friday and onto the Sunday morning news shows.
Wow. It's some complicated business, manipulating an entire nation's darkest fears...
Posted by ahecht at 7:12 AM [
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August 11, 2004
Sovereignty is, Like, Sovereignty and Junk
More on Bush's definition of sovereignty from a few days ago.
Democracy Now has a video clip of the exchange, where you can clearly hear the audience of journalists laughing at the president -- feel free to laugh along with them. Later, as you think about what you've just witnessed, you'll probably cry, but it's still good for a brief, if ultimately tragic, laugh.
Be sure to keep watching for the next clip of Jesse Jackson's hilarious reaction in a press conference later that day.
Posted by ahecht at 10:59 AM [
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August 10, 2004
Liberal Media At It Again
Now, we all know Joe Scarborough isn't a journalist, he's an opinion show guy, and a former Republican Congressman to boot. Still, you'd think MSNBC would have enough sense to keep their on-air personalities from stumping for political candidates. It surely undermines their credibility and analysis, don'tchathink?
Via Atrios
Posted by ahecht at 3:43 PM [
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Stewart Takes Down Bonilla
Comedy Central has posted the video clip of Jon Stewart eviscerating Congressman Harry Bonilla last week. (If that link doesn't work, find it on this page.
Bonilla had been part of the Republicans' "Rapid Response Team" at the Democratic Convention, and had come on Stewart's show to explain the RNC talking point that Kerry and Edwards are the #1 and #4 most liberal Senators in Congress. Stewart, unlike a single one of his "real journalist" colleagues, had the nerve to ask Bonilla to back this statement up. Naturally he couldn't.
Watch the clip. This is what actual journalism looks like. It might make you feel a little bit bad for Bonilla, but that doesn't mean he didn't deserve it.
Ezra has more analysis.
Some people think Stewart ambushed Bonilla. I disagree. Bonilla came on his show and used blatant and unsupported distortions and lies to make the point that John Kerry should just "come clean" and be honest about his liberal views. He deserves no mercy.
Posted by ahecht at 8:18 AM [
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Krugman on Iraq
Great column, in which he attempts the radical, some might say un-American, act of setting "some realistic context for the political debate."
He's mad I tells ya!
Speaking of context, I saw Control Room last week and would like to highly recommend it to you and yours. A more important film for Americans to see than F 9/11, I'd say, and a remarkable look into Iraq and the media.
Posted by ahecht at 8:11 AM [
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August 9, 2004
The War on IEWDNBIFSWHTUTAAWTTTSTCOTFW
In a rare moment of not talking about anal sex, Wonkette describes Bush's performance at the UNITY Conference of minority journalists (Official White House transcript).
She describes how his usually crowd pleasing call for tort reform was met with silence, and points to this amazing exchange:
QUESTION: "What do you think tribal sovereignty means in the 21st century, and how do we resolve conflicts between tribes and the federal and the state governments?"
THE PRESIDENT: Tribal sovereignty means that, it's sovereign. You're a -- you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And, therefore, the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities.
But the real story comes as the president tries to rename and reframe the "War on Terror:"
PRESIDENT: We actually misnamed the war on terror, it ought to be the struggle against ideological extremists who do not believe in free societies who happen to use terror as a weapon to try to shake the conscience of the free world. (Laughter.)
No, that's what they do.
He was serious. They laughed at him.
I share Wonkette's excitement about Bush's first salvo in the War on IEWDNBIFSWHTUTAAWTTTSTCOTFW, which must surely be coming against the Ashcroft Justice Department. They may then want to turn their guns on the Bush/Cheney campaign, who -- for the love of free societies -- have been having retired steel workers arrested by the Secret Service for wearing anti-Bush t-shirts at campaign rallies.
Last May, the Department of Homeland Security issues an advisory to local law enforcement agencies directing them to keep a close eye on any citizens who have, "expressed dislike of attitudes and decisions of the US government."
Besides being absurd on its face and so awkward as to provoke a room full of journalists to laugh out loud, the president's renaming is a clever (well, relatively) way of getting away from 9/11 and Al Qaeda. We're not at war because of the tragic attack on our country 3 years ago, and we're not at war with those who carried out that attack. We are at war with ideologues who hate freedom.
I actually agree with the president. This evil enemy will use any tactic to maintain their strangle hold on power and to suppress those who would disagree. They will fill their government with like-minded ideologues and base their laws and policies on extreme religious faith instead of on the consent of the people. It is these people we are at war with. They seek to destroy all the principles that make our country great and we must not stop until they are gone. We must not let them win.
Vote Kerry. It's our only hope.
Posted by ahecht at 8:12 AM [
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August 6, 2004
Job Growth Not
We might be turning the corner, but it seems it might be a wrong turn. Like, we accidentally turned right around.
Job growth ground nearly to a halt last month, the Labor Department reported Friday, in a new sign that the economy has weakened in recent months.
Employers added just 32,000 jobs in July, a small fraction of what forecasters had expected and the smallest gain this year. The government also announced that job growth in May and June was less than initially estimated.
The New York Times
The New York Times' headline for this article was "Job Growth Grinds Nearly to Halt in July, Labor Dept. Reports" Pretty accurate, some might say a bit negative, but this is some pretty negative news.
A screenshot of CNN's front page coverage on this story:
Jeez, if you just glanced at that page, you really wouldn't get the idea that these were the worst job numbers of the year, would you? They're just "fodder for campaigns," by god! It's not really important what this says about the state of our economy, it's only important that the presidential candidates "offer different interpretations."
And the picture! Just a big ole' American flag, what could be better than that? Sure doesn't make me feel bad about the economy!
Bush is quoted as offering this encouragement, obviously noting the seriousness of this report: "I say we have a strong economy, and it's getting stronger."
Well, obviously. What was I thinking?
Posted by ahecht at 4:29 PM [
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Bush Wants to Harm America - Video Clip
Video clip of Bush's highly amusing verbal gaffe yesterday, in which he declares his continued dedication to finding "new ways to harm our country and our people."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan helpfully explains what this all means:
"[It] just shows even the most straightforward and plain-spoken people misspeak."
"But the American people know this president speaks with clarity and conviction, and the terrorists know by his actions he means it."
The Times of India
No, seriously, that's what he said. This just proves what a great president George Bush is. Duh.
Posted by ahecht at 10:49 AM [
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Terror Alerts vs. Bush Approval
Julius Civitatus at JuliusBlog has taken an aggregate Bush approval numbers graph over time and added the announcements of terror alerts to the equation.
click for larger version
Notice how neatly Terror Alerts align with drops in Bush's approval numbers. Notice also that his numbers tend to jump up a bit after each alert. Finally, notice how these alerts are getting much more frequent the closer we get to the election and the lower Bush's numbers sink.
Now, it would be too cynical even for me to think that there aren't ongoing, serious terrorist plots against the United States. I'm sure that there are many. The trotting out of Tom "This isn't Political" Ridge, though, is a bit too timely to be believed.
Posted by ahecht at 7:38 AM [
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New Slapshop Designs
I keep forgetting to mention that I've created a few new designs in the old Slapnose Store.
All designs are available on various shirts, mugs, frisbees, buttons, stickers and all kinds of other crap.
Classic, cliché, and etc. Available in many (2) styles and on many (many) products.
Popular on babies and dogs. Partisan as hell and loving it.
For the stylish paranoid. From a WWII U.S. propaganda campaign.
Simple, non-partisan. Classy as all get out.
More to come!
Posted by ahecht at 12:05 AM [
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August 5, 2004
Remember Katherine Harris?
Well, she's as nutty as ever. When she's not playing a key role in stealing a presidential election, she's making good use of her newfound security clearance as a U.S. Representative.
U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris said Monday that the United States has "literally defeated 100 (potential) terrorist attacks on this country" in the past three years, some of which could have been as deadly as the 9/11 destruction of the World Trade Center.
Speaking Monday night in Venice at a rally in support of President Bush, Harris said the United States is winning the war against terrorism.
"His remarkable leadership… has made our country safe," Harris told an overflow crowd of more than 600 at the Holiday Inn. The event was sponsored by the Republican Club of South Sarasota County.
In an interview after the speech, Harris said she learned from classified information about the 100 potential attacks that have been thwarted since 9/11.
"Actually, it's been more than 100," she said. "It's classified… obviously not classified to me… but things I can't go into detail about."
Harris, a first-term Republican congresswoman from Longboat Key, said terrorism remains the No. 1 challenge facing the nation.
"And the first line of defense is you," she told the audience.
Harris told the audience that while she was in the Midwest recently, the mayor of Carmel, Ind., recounted how a man of Middle Eastern heritage had been arrested. She said hundreds of pounds of explosives were found in his home.
"He had plans to blow up the area's entire power grid," she said.
Pressed after the speech for details about the arrest, Harris said it had not been made public and she asked a reporter not to name the city she mentioned to the audience.
"I probably said too much," Harris said.
Sarasota Herald Tribune
Naturally, everyone else in the world has no frickin' idea what she's on about.
Officials in Indiana and Washington said they were dumbfounded by a statement U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, of Sarasota, made about a terrorist plot to blow up a power grid in Indiana.
During a speech to 600 people Monday in Venice, Harris either shared a closely held secret or passed along secondhand information as fact.
A staff member of the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which oversees the nation's intelligence operations, said he had heard of no such plot, and Indiana officials in the county where the power grid is located were at a loss to explain where the information originated.
--snip--
Carmel Mayor James Brainard and a spokesman for Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan said they had no knowledge of such a plot. Brainard said he had never spoken to Harris.
WESH NBC 2
So here are the choices: She's either a) Completely making this up, or b) Revealing classified information.
My money is firmly on A, but who knows. Either way, she's proving once again that she's a real winner.
Posted by ahecht at 11:50 PM [
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How They Could Steal the Election
The cover story in this week's issue of The Nation made for very interesting -- and very depressing -- reading on the bus today (I've been riding the bus this week as my legs recover from the Hike of Doom last weekend). It positively sent chills down my spine.
How They Could Steal the Election This Time by Ronnie Dugger should be required reading for everybody. In fact, I'm making it such. Read it. Really, I insist. It's a little long, but I promise it's worth it. That is, if you find shaking whatever faith you may have in our democratic process to it's very core to be a worthwhile result.
Okay, maybe I'm overselling it.
Just read it.
Here's an excerpt for the link-averse:
Confident, friendly, but officious, Jesse Durazo, the registrar of voters of Santa Clara County in the heart of the Silicon Valley, is typical of hundreds of local election officials who berate "the academics." This past spring, despite dire warnings from Professors Neumann of SRI and Dill of Stanford, Durazo led his county into buying 5,500 of the Sequoia AVC Edge DREs [direct-recording-electronic machines] at $3,000 each ($20 million, figuring in everything). The anteroom of his county election headquarters is festooned with cheery signs such as one saying Voting Just Got Easier. He is delighted that DREs will facilitate voting by those who speak a foreign language (including Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese).
Durazo said that the AVC had first been approved by the federal government (which is not correct) and then certified by the California secretary of state. He said that providing a voter-verified ballot would open the way to "unlimited error," while computer error, in contrast, can be "quantified." As for Trojan horses smuggling in corrupt instructions, he said in a confident tone, "I don't have those fears." Stealing votes in the computers is next to impossible, he insisted, because local ballots are set up at the last minute, there are a large number of races and ballot initiatives in any one election, and the order of the candidates' positions on the ballots is rotated in different precincts.
The three sets of all the votes, kept in the computer, provide the recount, he said. Are those not just copies of each other, automatically made? Durazo exclaimed in high dudgeon: "It's a redundant perfection!... It starts with the premise that the information in the system is correct."
Alfred Gonzales, Durazo's Filipino outreach specialist for voters who speak Tagalog, demonstrated the AVC, a sign on the top of which said Try It Out Today. No More Punchcards! I voted on it and asked Gonzales how I knew for sure that my vote would be counted. "Because it will be registered in the machine, saved in the hard drive, and put on a cartridge," he said. "At the end of the day it will be in the printout of the total." How did he know the machine would do that? "Because it has been federally certified!" he said. "There is fool-proof security." Well, one more thing, I asked. There's no ballot--what if you need a recount? "It's really a matter of trusting the machine," Gonzales said. Patting the AVC gently, he intoned with pride, "It's really a matter of trust."
The nightmare part of this whole thing is that if the election goes forward as is, with millions of votes cast on unauditable machines, and Bush wins in a squeaker, there will be almost nothing we can do about it. Even if widespread irregularities are reported and alleged, since there is no way to recount the votes, there's no way to prove anything. The Supreme Court, or Congress, could, I suppose, call for new elections, but that would be HUGE and I imagine they'd be pretty reluctant to take such a drastic step without proof, which would be impossible to get. In all likelihood laws would be passed to (try to) prevent such a catastrophe from recurring, just as they were in 2000, but those laws would have no effect on who was sitting in the Oval Office. We'd be stuck with him for four more years.
I don't know that this will happen, but the fact that it could happen is enough.
Call your Congresspeople. Call the U.N. Call Jesus. The situation is not good.
Posted by ahecht at 10:33 PM [
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The Evil Was Very Grave
Cuban intellectual José Marti describes the presidential election of 1884.
"It's brutal, and nauseating, a presidential campaign in the United States. The mud comes up to the chairs. The white beards of the newspapers forget all about the decorum of old age. They dump buckets of mud on all our heads. They knowingly lie and exaggerate. They stab each other in the belly and the back. Any defamation is treated as legitimate. Every blow is good, as long as it staggers the enemy. He who invents an effective slander proudly struts... A good faith observer has no idea how to analyze a battle in which everyone considers it legitimate to campaign in bad faith.
But he who observes this country without rancor, as much as he is disgusted by the primacy ceded to the appetites here, and the forgetfulness, if not the disdain, in which the generous qualities are held, also has to recognize that whenever it appears that a danger is imminent, or that an institution has been profaned beyond redemption, or that some vice has devoured half the nation, there arises, with the reliability of a law, and without great apparatus, and when the evil can still be cured, the men and systems that can avoid ruin. They appear, do what they have to do, and drop from sight. And it also appears that a condition of this law is that the evil has to be extreme, as if the prosperous peoples never decide to change direction, or perturb their habits, until the reality becomes so dire that it is impossible to ignore.
This was the law affirmed by the election of Grover Cleveland. The evil was very grave: the Republicans, entrenched in power, cynically abused it; they subverted the integrity of the vote, and of the press; they mocked the spirit of the Constitution through partisan legislation, and copying the tactics of tyrants, used overseas wars to deflect attention from their actions. Who had a chance to compete against them? Defeat them? -- if elections are won by the force of money, if the Republicans have a free hand with the national coffers?
But a wave rose up that no one saw forming on the margins, and no one knows how it came, breaking over the heads of all the ambitious and illustrious politicians of the nation -- despite the anger of the members of his own Democratic party, despite time-proven practices and conceits -- and landed in the White House a man just a little more than barely known, a tough but humble man, fit for the task of fearlessly and patiently reforming the corrupt government ... the wave brought Cleveland.
Up close you see that the change has not been essential or durable, but circumstantial and like a proof: an eruption proving that it can be done: that the eruption of a fistful of men, a fistful of honorable people, nothing more than that, have given victory to Cleveland -- a thousand votes less, among ten million voters, and the president would have been an impure and sinister man, a brilliant sofist: he would have been Blaine."
Quoted in The American Prospect
Posted by ahecht at 9:55 PM [
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The Truth at Last
Okay, this is a cheap shot, but I can't resist.
Speaking to a room full of Pentagon brass at a signing ceremony for his $417 billion defense bill, George Bush accidentally told the truth:
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
Associated Press
Posted by ahecht at 3:53 PM [
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August 3, 2004
Bush Would Do It Again
Via Talking Points Memo.
George Bush, yesterday:
"Let me talk about the intelligence in Iraq. First of all, we all thought we'd find stockpiles of weapons. We may still find weapons. We haven't found them yet. Every person standing up here would say, 'Gosh, we thought it was going to be different.; As did congress, by the way. Member of both parties. And the United Nations. But what we do know is that Saddam Hussein had the capability of making weapons. And ... umm ... but let me just say this to you. Knowing what I know today, we still would have gone on into Iraq. We still would have gone to make our country more secure. He had the capability of making weapons. He had terrorist ties. The decision I made was the right decision. The world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power."
Okay. So let's pretend it's late 2002. It's clear to everyone that Iraq has no stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, no means to create such weapons, and no ties to organized terrorism or al Qaeda in particular. Iraq is doing just what it was really doing in late 2002 -- nothing.
George W. Bush would still have invaded.
My only question is why aren't we invading just about every country on earth right now? They also might possibly someday want to do something bad. Those evil bastards must be stopped from ever having the chance to think of doing something against America's interest. Think of the children.
Posted by ahecht at 4:50 PM [
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Commercial Jet Pulls Over for Bush Twins
Via Political Wire.
Amid the mess over the weekend for travelers flying from Boston to Washington (lost luggage, delayed flights, etc.), those aboard Saturday's 7 p.m. US Airways shuttle from Logan International Airport -- which had been held up for 20 minutes because of luggage problems -- were surprised when the pilot announced that the plane would make a quick hop to Albany on its way to Reagan National.
"We land in Albany, and the doors open and in come Jenna and Barbara [ Bush] and several Secret Service agents," our spy, who declined to be named "for fear of going to Gitmo," told us. "I kept thinking, I haven't heard of anybody diverting planes for all these other people being inconvenienced. This doesn't fit in the norm of airline travel."
Washington Post
A spokesperson for U.S. Airways claims that this is not a particularly unusual practice and was not inspired by the first daughters presence.
"Yes, there are times when we will divert an airplane to pick up passengers off of another canceled flight. We do that when we have no other way to accommodate those customers," said airline spokesman David Castelveter.
Really? Has anyone -- anyone -- ever heard of this or experienced it before?
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We're going to be delaying you for several hours and wasting thousands of dollars worth of fuel, not to mention throwing our entire schedule out of whack, and therefore several other airlines' schedules as well, because 20 people missed their flight. Sorry for the inconvenience. Please enjoy our formerly complimentary peanuts. Exact change is appreciated."
Sounds fishy to me. I've seen that Airline show, and when people are stranded on there, they just tell them, "tough shit."
Posted by ahecht at 4:33 PM [
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Not Again, Hippy
Via TalkLeft.
The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir is pleading with Deadheads everywhere not to vote for Ralph Nader. Performing on Saturday in Boston, Weir told the band's followers to be sure to vote, but the (sic) exorted, "Don't vote for Nader. I know him. He's an a--hole," our spies tell us. The band then broke into "Johnny B. Goode," a theme song of the Kerry-Edwards campaign ..."
NY Daily News
I'll admit it, I voted for Nader in 2000. The state went for Gore, so my guilt isn't as profound as it might be, but still, it's a mistake I'm not making again.
Posted by ahecht at 4:21 PM [
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August 2, 2004
Terror Alert Level a Bit Behind the Times
I watched the NBC Nightly News tonight, during which a story on the newly Orange Terror Alert Level in New York and Washington was aired. Images of concrete barricades being placed in front of the Stock Exchange while Senator Schumer, Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Pataki reassured everyone that business would go on. In Washington, police armed to the teeth patrol the subways. A "typical" young professional New Yorker expressed his defiance, "I'm not going to live in fear, which is what the terrorists want."
Condi Rice was on the program, ignoring questions and assuring the nation that the only motivation for this announcement and raising of the alert level was the public's well-being.
This of course is all in response to yesterday's announcement that terrorists were targeting and surveilling specific buildings and institutions.
Asked how confident officials were of the information, Ridge said Monday on NBC's "Today" show that on a scale of 1 to 10, it rated a 10. "It is as reliable a group of sources as we've ever seen before," he said.
NBC News
It all sounded a little familiar to me, and now it's clear exactly why: this stuff is three years old.
Most of the al Qaeda surveillance of five financial institutions that led to a new terrorism alert Sunday was conducted before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and authorities are not sure whether the casing of the buildings has continued since then, numerous intelligence and law enforcement officials said yesterday.
More than half a dozen government officials interviewed yesterday, who declined to be identified because classified information is involved, said that most, if not all, of the information about the buildings seized by authorities in a raid in Pakistan last week was about three years old, and possibly older.
"There is nothing right now that we're hearing that is new," said one senior law enforcement official who was briefed on the alert. "Why did we go to this level? . . . I still don't know that."
Washington Post
The New York Times is a bit more charitable about this revelation, but still includes the following:
Federal authorities said on Monday that they had uncovered no evidence that any of the surveillance activities described in the documents was currently under way. They said officials in New Jersey had been mistaken in saying on Sunday that some suspects had been found with blueprints and may have recently practiced "test runs'' aimed at the Prudential building in Newark.
Joseph Billy Jr., the special agent in charge of the F.B.I.'s Newark office, said a diagram of the Prudential building had been found in Pakistan. "It appears to be from the period around 9/11,'' Mr. Billy said. "Now we're trying to see whether it goes forward from there.''
Another counterterrorism official in Washington said that it was not yet clear whether the information pointed to a current plot. "We know that Al Qaeda routinely cases targets and then puts the plans on a shelf without doing anything,'' the official said.
New York Times
The point here is not that these cities or specific buildings are safe -- far from it -- but that the announcement made on Sunday was dishonest and manipulative. In other words, they lied. They then lied about the lie. And they continue to lie. This is not about our physical safety, it's about their political safety.
These stories will hit the print papers in the morning, we'll see what the major TV networks have to say tomorrow evening.
Posted by ahecht at 10:18 PM [
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That Old Compassion Again
Via TalkLeft and David Sirota before them:
President Bush's re-election campaign insisted on knowing the race of an Arizona Daily Star journalist assigned to photograph Vice President Dick Cheney.
The Star refused to provide the information.
Cheney is scheduled to appear at a rally this afternoon at the Pima County Fairgrounds.
A rally organizer for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign asked Teri Hayt, the Star's managing editor, to disclose the journalist's race on Friday. After Hayt refused, the organizer called back and said the journalist probably would be allowed to photograph the vice president.
Arizona Daily Star
A campaign spokesperson, Danny Diaz -- who we can only assume is some shade of light brown and handy with a weed-wacker -- said the information was necessary for "security purposes."
"All the information requested of staff, volunteers and participants for the event has been done so to ensure the safety of all those involved, including the vice president of the United States," he said.
Oh, well okay then. If it's for security purposes and all, I can understand why you'd need to know THE RACE of someone taking photographs. Security. Obviously. Clearly the situation is made safer if one knows the ethnicity of everyone in the vicinity beforehand. I can't believe I didn't see that.
George W. Bush almost exactly a year ago:
"I've asked the attorney general and the deputy attorney general to examine racial profiling. It's wrong in America and we've got to get rid of it."
White House
Posted by ahecht at 10:01 PM [
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Mmmmm... Free iPod
Huzzah!
Now, we truly find out if it's a scam. It's all in the name of scientific research, after all.
My great thanks to all who helped out! Don't forget to cancel those memberships or whatever crap you might have signed up for before they start demanding monthly tithes.
Stay tuned.
Posted by ahecht at 9:16 PM [
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Zogby: Bush in Trouble
The latest Zogby poll shows big trouble for Bush.
The most recent Zogby poll shows deeper trouble for President George W. Bush beyond just the horserace. Mr. Bush has fallen in key areas while Senator John Kerry has shored up numerous constituencies in his base. The Bush team's attempted outreach to base Democratic and swing constituency has shown to be a failure thus far, limiting his potential growth in the electorate.
Atrios pulls out the important bits.
My favorite:
Among People Who Did Not Vote in 2000:
Kerry 50%
Bush 25%
The other 25% I assume are still not planning to play along.
Posted by ahecht at 5:19 PM [
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We Heart the IRS!
I'm no Econo-thingie-guy, but this one's pretty easy. Whenever Dennis Hastert suggests anything, you can be sure it's a great idea for the rich and a terrible idea for everyone else. These days he's proposing eliminating the I.R.S..
I'll leave you in the capable hands of Kevin Drum and Matt Yglesias to explain why this is such a stupid idea, not to mention unrealistic and practically impossible to implement.
In short, it's ridiculous and obviously just a ploy to appeal to people's "Hey! That means no taxes!" ignorance.
Quick lesson to those folks: if we change our tax system, but don't drastically reduce spending (that means roads, schools, social security, medicare, veteran's benefits, etc.), the money still has to come from somewhere. It will come from you and me, one way or another. Reigning in runaway government spending is a separate issue, one that won't be resolved by changing the tax code. Starving the beast doesn't work. Hungry beasts are really mean and unpredictable.
Posted by ahecht at 5:11 PM [
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Speechless
I don't even know what to say about this. Are these people insane? I mean, really, actually insane?
For several years the United States and other nations have pursued the treaty, which would ban new production by any state of highly enriched uranium and plutonium for weapons. At an arms-control meeting this week in Geneva, the Bush administration told other nations it still supported a treaty, but not verification.
Administration officials, who have showed skepticism in the past about the effectiveness of international weapons inspections, said they made the decision after concluding that such a system would cost too much, would require overly intrusive inspections and would not guarantee compliance with the treaty. They declined, however, to explain in detail how they believed U.S. security would be harmed by creating a plan to monitor the treaty.
Arms-control specialists reacted negatively, saying the change in U.S. position will dramatically weaken any treaty and make it harder to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the hands of terrorists. The announcement, they said, also virtually kills a 10-year international effort to lure countries such as Pakistan, India and Israel into accepting some oversight of their nuclear production programs.
(emphasis mine)
The Washington Post
Posted by ahecht at 4:52 PM [
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Calculated Derision
Good thing the grown-ups are in charge...
Mr. Bush's advisers plan to cap the month at the Republican convention in New York, which they said would feature Mr. Kerry as an object of humor and calculated derision.
New York Times
I think this bodes very well for Kerry. Snarky attacks and "calculated derision" will get the nutso Bushies all riled up and frothing at the mouth, but to the average voter, particularly the average undecided, this will look like just what it is: sad and desperate.
Josh Marshall thinks it could work and worries that it is a technique that is very difficult to counter, but I disagree. Kerry's campaign is in a great position now to not counter this kind of attack and just focus on the message from the convention. If Bush attacks and derides and Kerry sticks to issues and consistently does not personally attack Bush, I think it can only help Kerry.
Bush's strategy depends on a majority of Americans being as mean-spirited, cynical and unscrupulous as he and his crew are. I don't think they are.
Posted by ahecht at 4:26 PM [
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What, Me Political?
Via Atrios.
As the Bush administration has repeatedly assured us, there's nothing at all political about the timing and content of terror alert announcements. Any suggestion to the contrary is not only wrong-headed, it's downright unpatriotic and un-American.
Everyone is positively in a tizzy over remarks Howard Dean made on Wolf Blitzer's show on the subject.
As further evidence, excerpts from Tom Ridge's completely apolitical warning yesterday:
But we must understand that the kind of information available to us today is the result of the president's leadership in the war against terror, the reports that have led to this alert are the result of offensive intelligence and military operations overseas, as well as strong partnerships with our allies around the world, such as Pakistan.
Houston Chronicle
See? Nothing political there. Just an unbiased warning, for your own good. And that warning is: Don't vote for John Kerry or else.
Posted by ahecht at 2:33 PM [
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August 1, 2004
Goat Rocks
The view from our campsite this weekend.
More photos here.
Posted by ahecht at 10:29 PM [
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