Monsignor Joseph Champlin/American Catholic.org
We Can Move Toward Harmony
Truths Jews, Christians and Muslims Hold in Common


These points are important for us, as a nation, to remember as we move into an uncertain future with those whom we wish to retain as our allies. It's also personally imperative for the sake of harmony that we focus our understanding on what we share as human beings vs. what drives us apart. I hope my secular-minded readers will indulge me.

Excerpts from the section entitled "We Can Move Toward Harmony":

The 10 spiritual commonalities shared by Christians, Jews and Muslims are indeed remarkable. But it would be inaccurate and naïve not to recognize that real differences do exist. Moreover, years of conflict have generated, among some, intense bitterness, hatred and mistrust.

Despite those divisions, if we know and understand each other better, then it should be easier for us to love one another more. Religion, instead of being a source of division, could become a basis for unity.

For such a positive global development to take place, we need to take some practical domestic steps. Individuals can educate themselves through print publications or Web sites such as the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs , Jewish-Christian Relations and the Middle East Policy Council.

Families might discuss these 10 spiritual commonalities to deepen their own awareness and appreciation. Parishes could arrange for visits to both synagogues and mosques. Dioceses might facilitate public dialogue among Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders.

Each of us needs to take the important step of praying individually and with others "that we all may be one" (see John 17:21), just as our loving God has envisioned us from the beginning.

Msgr. Joseph M. Champlin, a widely published author, exchanged pulpits with a local rabbi two years ago, preaching in the synagogue, while the rabbi spoke at a Sunday Mass. This was a first for both their 150-year-old congregations. Last year, Msgr. Champlin invited Dr. Anis Obeid, raised as a Druze Muslim, to describe the basic articles of that religion at a Sunday Mass at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Syracuse, New York, where the author is rector. Those exchanges and the tragedy of September 11 led to this article.

U.S. Newswire
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Files FEC Compliant Against Grover Norquist, Ken Mehlman;
Alleges Violation of Federal Campaign Laws Over 'Master Contact List'

-[The group is] alleging that Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform and Bush-Cheney '04 violated federal campaign laws. According to The Washington Post, Norquist gave Ken Mehlman, the campaign manager for Bush- Cheney '04 a "master contact list," including the names and information of conservative activists in 37 states compiled by Norquist over a period of 5 years.
-CREW's complaint alleges that both parties, Norquist and Mehlman are in violation of the law regardless of whether Americans for Tax Reform or Norquist personally contributed the list. Americans for Tax Reform is a corporation and campaigns are prohibited from accepting contributions from corporations. According to FEC regulations, Bush-Cheney could not accept the list if it came directly from Americans for Tax Reform.
-"The public needs to know that no one, including the President of the United States, is above the law. FEC laws are clear and must be followed,"

See Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington website.

See Forbes.com: "Did Bush-Cheney '04 Break Campaign Law?"

Grover Norquist is one of the "Think-Tank Bottom Feeders" (as described in this tongue-in-cheek Austin, Texas-based column).

Among the brightest lights was anti-tax absolutist Grover Norquist, who called his co-panelist Dick Lavine a "Bolshevik," defined taxation as "taking money from people who have earned it and giving it to those who haven't earned it" (presumably the latter would include guests of the tax-exempt, "nonpartisan" TPPF), denounced graduated tax rates as "the [mass murderer] Richard Speck approach," and advocated abolishing public schools altogether: "Don't raise taxes, and don't fund monopolies!" The assembled elected officials – when not attacking "politicians" – generally took a more moderate line. Rather than abolish public education outright, they simply intend to starve it to death.

Salon.com (subsc. or free one-day pass req.)
Hitting the mainstream media:
Bush's Missing Year
In 1972, George W. Bush dropped out of his National Guard service and later lied about it. With the media finally paying attention, will he now come clean?

JWR/Omer Bartov
Did Hitlerism Die with Hitler?

....those who foolishly think that doing away with Israel, not least in a "one-state solution," would remove anti-Semitism had better look more closely at the language of these enemies....
Hitler taught humanity an important lesson. It is that when you see a Nazi, a fascist, a bigot, or an anti-Semite, say what you see. If you want to justify it or excuse it away, describe accurately what it is that you are trying to excuse away. If a British newspaper publishes an anti-Semitic cartoon, call it anti-Semitic. If the attacks on the Twin Towers were animated by anti-Semitic arguments, say so. If a Malaysian prime minister expresses anti-Semitic views, do not try to excuse the inexcusable. If a self-proclaimed liberation organization calls for the extermination of the Jewish state, do not pretend that it is calling for anything else. The absence of clarity is the beginning of complicity.

Washington Post
Auschwitz Under Our Noses

Come Fly With Me!

"Come fly with me,
let’s float down on Air Force Two
In Cheney land, there’s a huntin' strand
And you’ll shoot a duck or two
Come fly with me, Antonin,
just me and you..."

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia traveled as an official guest of Vice President Dick Cheney on a small government jet that served as Air Force Two when the pair came here last month to hunt ducks. The revelation cast further doubts about whether Scalia can be an impartial judge in Cheney's upcoming case before the Supreme Court, legal ethics experts said. The hunting trip took place just weeks after the high court agreed to take up Cheney's bid to keep secret the details of his energy policy task force.

Bohemian Mama Blog
I might like John Kerry as Nominee More If.........
Bohemian Mama originally posted this on her diary over at Kos and there are some spirited comments. She says she's "glad people are at least talking about things", and she's "always wanting to learn more."

I understand exactly how she feels.

My question is--what lesson didn't he learn from Viet Nam that would have lead him to miss the important fact that Bush was surely going to take pre-emptive action against Iraq? Kerry must have known the UN would just be, for Bush, a polite stop-over visit with a step-over attitude. We all knew it...why didn't he?

Related article: Salon.com (subsc. or free one-day pass req.)
Will Deaniacs pull a Nader on the Democratic Party?
Some of the insurgent's supporters say they're going to take their idealism and go home --- but most of them will probably get over their bitterness and support the nominee.

Jake Tapper/ABC news
Stealth Negativity?
Recording Reveals Kerry Operative Dissing Dean in Campaign Call

Caught on Tape

But two nights ago, Cornell College psychology professor Suzette Astley, a Dean volunteer in Lisbon, Iowa, received a phone call from a Kerry's Cedar Rapids headquarters — in which, she says, a Kerry volunteer had some less than kind things to say about Dean regarding his foreign policy experience, being from a largely white state, and so-called "environmental racism."

Since a documentary filmmaker was staying with Astley, the exchange, which has been confirmed by the Kerry campaign, was caught on videotape.

"Does your candidate know that you're saying these kinds of things, unsubstantiated claims on the phone representing Sen. Kerry?" Astley asked 19-year-old volunteer, Jacob Thomas, on the tape, a copy of which was obtained by ABCNEWS.

Soon, she asked to speak with Kerry's regional field supervisor, with whom she launched a complaint.

"I am just really offended by the call I got tonight," she said. "The person who was talking to me was taking things out of context, repeating unsubstantiated reports to me, and I find that really offensive."

Democrats: This is the time to look at yourselves most honestly

A righty-writer at World Net Daily hopes that "the RNC provides a 24x7 cable show for McAuliffe and, in the interim, invites all those outraged with yet another clownish moment from the Alfred E. Neuman of American politics to skip the getting mad and go straight to the getting even via a donation" to the Bush campaign."
While the AWOL situation deserves mainstream media treatment (see the actual/true story here), you cannot treat it lightly and clumsily. Talk about gaffes from Howard Dean....Terry McAuliffe tends to act like a verbal bull in a China-shop while a more detached demeanor would suffice. I am more than a bit angry with McAuliffe myself for what I watched him fully allow to happen with the Howard Dean candidacy. His actions (or failure to act when Dean rightly appealed to him about professionaly interfering in all the unfair media treatment) led me to suspect that he was a biased party chairman. Comments I have heard from him and Carville and Begala since that incident have further fed that suspicion.
Although it is a harsh statement by WorldNet Daily columnist and I'm not inclined to drink the koolaid of Bush-defenders, when I read this following statement, some of it "hit home".

"McAuliffe's decision to deny that service in the national guard is service in the military – even as thousands of national guard have served in Iraq – is a blunder larger than any of his others, and trafficking in discredited urban myths gives you a glimpse of McAuliffe's desperation to turn the conversation to anything except Kerry's way-left voting record, or his role in the Dean meltdown, or the failure of Wes Clark to capture any significant support outside the loon caucus."

I hope Democrats will take a good, hard, honest look at themselves and understand that the Peter Jennings of the so-called "liberal" media will not let sleeping dogs lie. Jennings was the one who started this Michael Moore-deserter baiting. The Democrats had best find just the right way to get the truth out there and shut up the mealy-mouthed media-baiters while they can. Situations like this could easily spin out of control. Judging from McAuliffe's treatment of Howard Dean in his own party's primary, I can't say I have faith he'll understand what he needs to do.

New Yorker Magazine/Comment
BLAME GAME
What Hutton and Kay reveal

....as Seymour M. Hersh has reported in this magazine, senior members of the Bush Administration did press the intelligence agencies to provide evidence supporting the President’s claim that Iraq represented a grave danger. Other journalists have made similar charges.
We know that Vice-President Dick Cheney, who continues to insist that some W.M.D.s might be found, visited the C.I.A. several times before the war for face-to-face meetings with Iraq analysts, and that senior Pentagon officials were running their own intelligence operation, the Office of Special Plans. Until a full account is provided, the suspicion will remain that in Washington, as in London, the handling of intelligence had more to do with persuading the public to support a war that had already been decided on than with calmly assessing threats. Whatever finally emerges, the C.I.A. should not be used as a scapegoat. Intelligence, by its very nature, is usually uncertain and often wrong. It should always be treated with skepticism and caution, two attributes that were, and are, conspicuously missing from the Bush White House.

Top four reasons Bush and media can't claim they were 'misled'

And Cheney appoints his own interrogator! ;)
Hey! Some fair investigation that'll be!

Madison Capital Times
Dean treated badly by most media

What if we lived in a parallel universe where Howard Dean was actually treated fairly by the media?... a place where Dean would be treated like the other candidates - criticized for his mistakes, complimented for his accomplishments and, above all, treated seriously when he discusses issues.....How would a Dean candidacy be faring today if the press gushed over him as it does John Edwards, or forgave him his trespasses as quickly as it does John Kerry, or overlooked the disorder in his organization as casually as it does the daily disaster that is Joe Lieberman's so-called campaign?
Dean has made mistakes, to be sure. But those mistakes have been amplified by a 24-hour-a-day news cycle, by late-night comics, by an Anybody-But-Dean army of cable television and talk-radio talking heads, and by Washington-centric newspaper columnists who never understood or particularly approved of Dean's decision to show up uninvited at the top of Democratic polls in late 2003.

....Democrats quietly admitted they would probably vote for Kerry or Edwards - candidates who just weeks ago were dismissed as losers but are now regularly referred to as "electable" by the media pack....
It is true that every disintegrating presidential candidacy since that of John Adams in 1800 has blamed the media for its decline. But in this case, Dean's complaints appear to be more credible than those of most damaged contenders.
How do we know? (SEE ARTICLE!)

NY Times
U.S. Comptroller General Warns About Magnitude of Deficits and Fiscal Risks
This is not a particularly sexy issue, so you won't see a lot about it on CNN. I suppose the likes of Grover Norquist and George W. Bush are just as glad it's not a hot, juicy story like Kobe, Condit, sharks, or mountain lions. They can quietly destroy our Social Security, Medicare, and other socially beneficial programs much easier this way. US Comptroller General David Walker realizes this is not an easy topic for the typical American to want to wrap their minds around. He warns that, if Americans are not educated and accurately informed, they may find themselves in fiscal peril before too long.

Long-term simulations from the legislative agency I head, the General Accounting Office, paint a chilling picture. Even before the new drug benefit was enacted, these simulations showed that by 2040 current policy could require a 50 percent reduction in federal spending or a doubling of taxes to balance the budget.

As Jefferson pointed out, truth and transparency are even more essential in the public sector. Government services -mail delivery, food inspection, Social Security and defense, to name a few - directly affect the well-being of every American. But sound decisions on federal programs and policies are nearly impossible without timely, accurate and useful information.

A top-to-bottom review of government activities to ensure their relevance for the 21st century is long overdue. From a practical standpoint, our elected representatives are not likely to get too far out in front of the American people when addressing complex and controversial issues. These fiscal risks, however, are a long-term problem whose impact will not be felt for some time. The understanding and support of the American people will be critical in providing a foundation for action.
A national education campaign to help the public understand the nature and magnitude of the long-term financial challenge facing this nation is essential. After all, an informed electorate is indispensable for a sound democracy. Young Americans especially need to become active in this discussion - because they and their children will bear the heaviest burden if today's leaders fail to act.

Washington Post Blasts Bush Budget

The Bush administration's 2005 budget is a masterpiece of disingenuous blame-shifting, dishonest budgeting and irresponsible governing...To keep running up these deficits is to stick future generations with a tab they won't be able to afford. The administration presents itself as blameless victim.. it doesn't take into account continuing costs in Iraq and Afghanistan...The biggest distortion is to present a snapshot of 2009 and stop there. Making the tax cuts permanent would cost $132 billion in the coming five years, but $936 billion through 2014. How Mr. Bush can adhere to this reckless course is the true "subject of concern."

The Hill
Grassley oddly confident about catching bin Laden "before November 2nd election"
I find all this certainty to be very, very strange. I have the distinct impression, from this and other stories I've read recently, that the Bushies have known where bin Laden is for a long time and have purposely held off capture until it can fit their political agenda.

“Obviously, he’ll be caught between now and the election,” Grassley said Monday when asked if he’s disappointed that Osama bin Laden hasn’t been killed or captured.
“I think they’re on his trail now in a way they haven’t been all year,” Grassley said.

SEE: "Hmmmmmm....they are apparently"sure"of where Osama is now...why not go and grab him?"

Washington Post
George McGovern Speaks About 1972 and 2004

Isn't the big lesson of 1972 this: Beware a president whose campaign dishonesty got him expelled from office shortly after his landslide win? Is winning an election worth dishonoring the nation? Am I the one who should be ashamed about 1972?

It has always seemed to me that the leaders who are the quickest to send our boys and our young to war are those who have never known war themselves.

I'm proud of my war service, but today I'm more interested in peace. I certainly don't want any more wars like the one in Iraq -- a country that posed no threat to us and had nothing to do with Sept. 11, 2001. There seem to be no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

CONGRATULATIONS, JOHN EDWARDS!!!!!!
Senator Edwards is the projected winner in the South Carolina primary.

CONGRATULATIONS, WESLEY CLARK!!!!!!
General Clark is the projected winner of Oklahoma.

Well, well..Look what's hit the mainstream
For the Record
Bush's Guard Service In Question
Democrats Say President Shirked His Duty in 1972
It only took them four years.
Wonder if they'll ever mention this?
Or this?
There's always this...and this.
That he received an honorable discharge is not a testament to his honorable service, but rather one that indicates that he received preferential treatment not available to those being charged with AWOL and desertion today.

Woman gives up her career to be
First lady
Geez-
Why couldn't Judy Dean have been so lame?

on the trail
From the Mouths of Babes
General Clark's son speaks out about the corrupt political press
By Chris Suellentrop

"Of politics, he says, "It's a dirty business, filled with a lot of people who are pretending to be a lot of things they're not."
"It's not the media's job to get his message out. The media's job is to sell advertising."
The media's horse-race coverage is all that matters, and by skipping Iowa, Clark got left out of the horse race. "It's all horse-race questions," he says. "My favorite was Dad wearing a sweater in New Hampshire one day. Maybe he was wearing a sweater because he was cold."
But why has the president gotten positive coverage while the Democrats have gotten negative coverage, in his opinion? "It's about access. You know that you'll be denied access if you actually cover things honestly."
"I'd like him to win today. If he doesn't win, I don't want him to stay out there," and "What did we get on the news for this weekend? A speeding ticket in Oklahoma. You gotta be f*cking kidding me."

JWR/Jeff Dunetz
ON GROUNDHOG DAY-
Groundhogs and human rodents

Why should Punxsutawney Phil get all of the attention?


These are strong words. I think we owe them a good listening and we should heed the pain that lies behind the cutting wit. How can we, as American citizens, become healers in our own right?

..Phil is just one example. All across the world there are ceremonies just like the one in Punxsutawney — ceremonies, where people trust animal behavior to indicate the future....There is the one that takes place in Ramallah on the West Bank. The Ramallah rodent is named Palestinian Yassir.....Yassir the Moneyhog is worshiped in Europe, because his primary role is killing Jews...Another ceremony that uses a rodent as a seer is the one in France .The animal in this one has had many names. The latest is Judenphobe Jacques. If Jacques poke his head out of his hole and sees Jewish people living in peace, we will have six more years of horrible anti-Semitism....
During the UN Party, all the delegates gather around a small hole and out pops Kantseenuthing Koffi. If Koffi sees Jews dying he goes back into his hole and closes his eyes.....There are so many other events that people don't know about, there is Mousears Michael who is so afraid of being recognized as Jewish, he pokes his head up from a tree atop of a castle and if he sees a Jewish shadow he runs from his background and we have 6 more months of ABC News' anti-Israel Bias...... One of the newest prognosticators is known as Passiveagressive Powell. Passiveagressive he helps predict US Foreign policy. Passiveagressive Powell has been known to trade Israeli lives for Arab oil. Every time Israel ties to defend herself he pokes his head up from the fence between US and Mexico (that's a good wall) and if he needs something from the Arab world we get six days of condemnation.....

I have one comment---remember who Powell works for. I recall his performance at the U.N. to make the (suspected false) case for the attack upon Iraq, which not only set back the peace process, but endangered the people of Israel. At the time, I thought to myself: a very un-Powell performance. It was then I realized he had become the loyal and willing puppet of the Bush administration.
May I suggest BlastIraqatAnyCost Bush?

Pressure, pressure!!
James Carville said two
(of the "Big Five") should have gone after last week's primary....

It didn't happen, though. And I'm glad.
My state (New York-the one hit on 9-11) won't even have a chance to speak until March.
Our hero-attorney-general Eliot Spitzer's endorsement of Kerry (announced yesterday in New Mexico) is going to be one of Kerry's greatest endorsements.
Should Kerry succeed, I recommend Spitzer for the AG spot. Kerry will owe him big-time.

About the other candidates dropping out after two states....
Give us a chance to speak, Carville and McAuliffe!
Give us a choice.
There were 48 other states in America last time I checked.
You are for a healthy (small 'd') democratic race...aren't you, now!?

CARVILLE: I think of the big five, two will be gone tomorrow. Whether they drop out -- whether you drop out or not doesn't matter -- but if two people finish far behind here, it's going to be pretty hard for them to raise money; it's going to be hard for their supporters to stay with them.

And there's a great sense among everyday rank-and-file Democrats, "Hey, if somebody does really well here, let's get, all get behind them and make this person nominee." And by the same token, these guys have been working hard -- Sen. Edwards and Dean -- you can't force people out of this thing too early, but somebody has to show ability to get votes in order to stay in this thing. You can't just stay in this thing forever.

Thomas Friedman says....
"Personally, I don't believe the Bush team will pay a long-term political price for its faith-based intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Too many Americans, including me, believe in their guts that removing Saddam was the right thing to do, even if the W.M.D. intel was wrong."

I wonder how we might reconcile that opinion with the President's approval rating, which has dropped from the 60s to the 40s since capturing Hussein? How does that jibe with the fact that, on the most recent poll taken of the president's performance on Iraq, the disapproval rate rose from 36 to 53?

Making a case for Bush/Justifying War:
Who Said This?
"You're talking about delivering the arsenal he has...he might still have all of those barrels of evil stuff, the biochemical weapons...chances are he has those weapons but he doesn't have the power to deliver them...It is particularly in light of what happened on September 11, 2001 and the fear that there are evil people out there, some of whom may have consorted with Saddam Hussein in the past, that would get together and use some of these chemical weapons -- if they're in Iraq -- on U.S. citizens....
September 11, 2001 was not hypothetical, nothing hypothetical at all...We know there are people out there willing to do the dirty deed and we also know Saddam Hussein has had contacts with these people in the past. ...
We know from Czech intelligence. Czech intelligence says that an Iraqi met with Mohammed Atta twice. ...
The FBI and CIA say the situation is not clear but Czech intelligence says it is. And why it is that the only person, only Arab leader that Usama bin Laden likes and approves of and speaks highly of is Saddam Hussein, why?
We talked to representatives of Al Qaeda here in 1998 shortly after the bombings of those embassies in Africa. The only Arab leader -- I spoke to them personally, the only Arab leader they were willing to praise, not to condemn, was Saddam Hussein. Why?
[The case has] been made not only by Usama bin Laden himself but by representatives of Al Qaeda to me personally on air. We've got the tape. I can show it to you...
They both want the destruction of the United States. You don't think they do? You don't think Usama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein want the destruction of the United States?
That's the point, the fact that Usama bin Laden has had, or is suspected to have had contacts, well, just a suspicion when thousands of American lives are at risk. Isn't a suspicion alone enough to really act upon?
You don't have to be told who lost the war in 1991. Who lost? It was Saddam Hussein. He signed these agreements as a result of his loss so that he could keep his nation in power. The conditions laid out by the U.N. were agreed to by the Iraqis. 95 percent was destroyed but five percent could not be accounted for.. That's a lot of potential biochemical weapons...for a madman like Saddam Hussein, to have 5 percent of that arsenal is still a dangerous thing...
...it would take six months to rebuild those facilities. So they could have built that. They could have built that four, six times over... isn't that a risk that we have to be particularly cognizant of, and if the Iraqis won't allow our inspectors unfettered access, isn't our only option to go in there and take out Saddam? Richard Butler was a spy for the United States, not an independent U.N. weapons inspector? The United States has admitted that they used Richard Butler as a pawn in an intelligence operation thwarting the neutral interests of the United Nations? Knowingly allowing them neutral reputation of the United States -- United Nations to fall by the wayside in order to work with United States intelligence is nothing that he's ever admitted to...
They say they want death and destruction for the United States. The vice president of Iraq said it is the duty of Arabs anywhere in the world, anywhere in the world, to attack U.S. interests and U.S. individuals. This is the vice president of Iraq. You just admitted it is a dictatorship. We have clear rhetoric coming from Iraq. Arabs have the duty to attack and kill Americans even on U.S. soil. They are saying that. It is conceivable, is it not, that they have created in the four years since we have been there quite a stockpile of chemical [and] biological weapons. Why do you think it is that they did that?
Who do you trust more, President Bush and the case he is making against Saddam Hussein, or the rhetoric coming out of Iraq? Coming out of Iraq or that coming out of President Bush?
Why it is that we should not believe Richard Butler who was chief weapons inspector, or believe people like the former nuclear scientist who worked on Saddam Hussein's campaign who says he still has an active policy to get a nuclear weapon and has other capabilities -- why should we not believe all of these other people and believe you?"

*answer below..in comments section*

Another Halliburton overcharge!
OOPS-They did it again!
Halliburton Co. allegedly overcharged more than $16 million for meals at a U.S. military base in Kuwait
This occurred during the first seven months of last year, according to a published report Monday, citing Pentagon investigators auditing the company's work.

What Do You Think?
"In general, I think the FCC does have a role in promoting some reasonable standard of decency. However, considering what's on television these days, I think the FCC is being pretty silly about investigating this."
--Howard Dean, about the Janet Jackson/Justin Timerlake/Superbowl FCC probe

N.Y.Times editorial
Come back, little Deaniacs

....Many of the young people who heeded Senator McCarthy's antiwar message in 1968 spiraled away from politics forever when Hubert Humphrey won the Democratic nomination. The young Deaniacs could easily add to the near majority of eligible voters in America who find politics a waste of effort. One of the most important missions of the Democratic nominee this year is to help keep young people interested when the campaign boils down to the deeply pragmatic politics of the summer and fall...

I wonder why the New York Times editorial staff believes 2004 will be any different than 1968. I think the words "pragmatic politics" are just code-words for something far more insidious than simply pragmatic.
You see, the primary season is far from over, and the New York Times is already counting Dean out of the race.
Obviously, the NY Times has their crystal ball poised and ready.. and they're already planning on how the leftover Dean supporters will fit into the 2004 election. I'll bet they even have them slated for their own favorite establishment candidate, which has never been Governor Dean. For them, the writing's on the wall.

If the writing's on the wall, I ask you:
Who's doing the writing?

On some far-off day when the writing is done by the people and the pragmatic result equates to the writing of the people, I will understand the new York Times' hope for keeping these young kids in the system. Consider, however, what these kids see happening before their very eyes. They see an alleged front-running candidate who is paying for his commercial time with his filthy-rich wife's money and contributions from specal interests. They see Terry McAuliffe trying to cut their candidate off at the pass...issuing the date in which Governor Dean will be officially the "undead" candidate, as CNN's political mouthpiece Bill Schneider has been touting all this past weekend. These kids see their hard-earned small contributions wasted because of a media who would choose to mock their candidate by spurting nonsense about him repeatedly on the news networks and who chastise his wife for being her own person.
I'm a Dean supporter and I'm no innocent kid..I've been around this block before. Frankly, I believe we're going to see a replay of 1968...in spades. This is far more than "disillusionment". It's an established political system that does not appreciate being challenged. I'm thinking seriously of parting from the Democrats myself. Any candidate in November will be better than Bush, but at the same time, this was the supreme chance to show America that we people are ready for a change.
The powers-that-be have stopped us at nearly every turn. The media and the Democratic powers virtually ignored Dennis Kucinich's candidacy. There will be a political price for them to pay, I'm afraid.

N.Y. Times/Bob Herbert
Keeping It Real-
Getting Out the Low-Income Vote

One of the biggest reasons politicians continue to trample on issues of crucial importance to low-income Americans -issues like jobs, education and access to health care - is the traditionally poor voting habits of that segment of the population. The percentage of people who vote (and the level of attention they get from politicians) rises steadily as you scale the income ladder.

Most Americans are unaware of the extent of the suffering that has fallen on the bottom 20 percent or so of the population. Many low-income Americans are leading lives of grim and sometimes painful determination, struggling to survive from one day to the next. The contrast between the real lives of families sinking beneath the weight of economic distress and the headlines that continue to insist that the economy is doing famously is extraordinary.

The idea is to make low-income voters a force too strong to be ignored. A recent study commissioned by the center showed that small increases in voting by low-income people could be decisive in several strategically important states.

Media's Greatest Sin:
The Dean Scream:
The Version of Reality You Didn't See on TV

SEE THE VIDEO HERE

.....we collected some other tapes from Dean's speech including one from a documentary filmmaker, tapes that do carry the sound of the crowd, not just the microphone he held on stage. We also asked the reporters who were there to help us replicate what they experienced in the room.
Reena Singh, ABC News Dean campaign reporter: "What the cameras didn't capture was the crowd."
Garance Franke-Ruta, Senior Editor, American Prospect: "As he spoke, the audience got louder and louder and I found it somewhat difficult to hear him."
Dean's boisterous countdown of the upcoming primaries as we all heard it on TV was isolated, when in fact he was shouting over the roaring crowd.
And what about the scream as we all heard it? In the room, the so-called scream couldn't really be heard at all. Again, he was yelling along with the crowd.

I condemn the television networks for this overplaying of a specially-selected video. I found the tone of ABC and FOX to be particularly unapologetic in this article. CBS is the most anti-1st amendment network I've seen (besides FOX the right-propagandists). CBS has censored a Moveon.org commercial this week and has refused to show programs such as a movie about the Reagans. In this instance, they have apologized after they did their damage to Governor Dean.
As long as the media acts as a gaggle of clowns, the American public will be little more than clowns discussing what they've seen the night before at water coolers across America.

Bush Wants a Cover-up, Not an Investigation

"Bush, under mounting political pressure, will sign an executive order to establish a full-blown (RIGHT!) investigation of U.S. intelligence failures in Iraq... By setting up the investigation himself, Bush will have greater control over its membership and mandate. (and ability to cover his great sin!) The senior White House official said it would be patterned after the Warren Commission (whose report on JFK's assassination is believed by no one)... David Albright, a former weapons inspector, said the administration could use the commission as a way to delay judgments about the intelligence community and the administration's use of the intelligence information. 'The bottom line for them [the Bush administration] is to delay the day of reckoning about their use of the weapons of mass destruction information,' Albright said. 'David Kay can blame the CIA and say 'Oh, I made all these comments based on what I heard from the intelligence community.' Bush can't do that. He's the boss.'"

Washington Post
Twin Bombings Kill at Least 56 in Northern Iraq
Suicide Attacks Strike Both U.S.-Backed Kurdish Political Parties in Irbil

Two suicide bombers with explosives wired to their bodies struck the offices of the country's two main Kurdish parties in nearly simultaneous attacks Sunday, killing at least 56 people and wounding more than 235 in the deadliest assault in Iraq in six months. The attacks struck in the Kurdish heartland and took a heavy toll among senior leaders of Iraq's most pro-American ethnic group.
Although Iraq has suffered numerous suicide bombings in recent months, the attack Sunday marked the first time perpetrators have worn explosives rather than using vehicles.

Paul Bremer says there's no proof at this point who is responsible. It could be Ansar al-Islam...or could be al-Qaeda. It could be any of a number of foreign terrorist groups operating in Iraq. Why? Because Bush's war has proven to be a terror-growing war rather than a terror-abater...and no matter who was behind these blasts, tensions will now likely heighten between the Kurds and Sunni Arabs.

244 Muslim Pilgrims Die in Hajj Stampede

The devil-stoning is the most animated ritual of the annual pilgrimage and often the most dangerous. Many pilgrims frantically throw rocks, shout insults or hurl their shoes at the pillars - acts that are supposed to demonstrate their deep disdain for the devil. But clerics frown upon such action, saying it's un-Islamic.
Last year, 14 pilgrims were trampled to death during the ritual and 35 died in a 2001 stampede. In 1998, 180 pilgrims died.

The annual hajj, which began Thursday, climaxed Saturday as some 2 million Muslim pilgrims listened to Saudi Arabia's top cleric denounce terrorists, calling them an affront to Islam. However, he defended the kingdom's strict interpretation of the faith.
Sheik Abdul Aziz al-Sheik said in his sermon there were those who claim to be holy warriors, but were shedding Muslim blood and destabilizing the nation.
"Is it holy war to shed Muslim blood? Is it holy war to shed the blood of non-Muslims given sanctuary in Muslim lands? Is it holy war to destroy the possession of Muslims?" he said, adding that their actions gave enemies an excuse to criticize Muslim nations. A large number of the victims of suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq and elsewhere have been Muslims.
Al-Sheik, who is widely respected in the Arab world as the foremost cleric in the country considered the birthplace of Islam, spoke at Namira Mosque in a televised sermon watched by millions of Muslims in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Al-Sheik also criticized the international community, accusing it of attacking Wahhabism, the strict interpretation of Islam that is applied in Saudi Arabia: "This country is based on this religion and will remain steadfast on it."

Sistani: Iraq Cleric's Sense of History

Sistani's political activism has surprised many, even his supporters. In April, he issued statements insisting that the clergy play no direct role in politics. But he soon began weighing in with opinions that drove to the heart of Iraq's future.
Sistani's spokesmen have said he draws lessons for today from the six-month revolt in 1920 against the British occupation. Once it was put down, the Shiite clergy remained in opposition, rejecting participation in elections that followed and discouraging followers from entering the government and its institutions, which soon were dominated by minority Sunnis. That year "is like a complex in the hearts and minds of the Shiites," said Mohieddin Khatib, the secretary of the Governing Council. "It is a very deep regret, and he is saying you will not hear something like this from me."

Democratic Debate in Milwaukee February 15th

"We're all going to come together in Wisconsin and have the big showdown."
--Howard Dean

Lester Holt and Gloria Borger would not be my choice of panelists for a debate of such alleged importance.
Especially Mr. Holt. I found his last performance (at the Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum) positively dreadful. He made a shooting target out of Howard Dean, coming out of the starting gate harping on the "gotcha-of-the-moment" (where Dean criticized the Iowa caucus system on a tape from many years past). I wonder if Holt's mission is to try to pull a "gotcha" on Kerry next? If he doesn't, I wonder if Howard Dean will? If Dean "goes negative" on Kerry, I wonder if the press will get their jockeys in an uproar over "mean Dean"? How soon they forget Kerry's negative attack on Dean at the Iowa Brown and Black (where Kerry said Dean made public statements supporting a resolution that gave authority to Bush to go to war once diplomatic efforts had failed...his (dishonest) words were: "I think Governor Dean has had it both ways.") Boo! Mean negative Kerry.
In the same debate, Lester Holt was the one who raised from the near-dead the stench of the Confederate flag fiasco once again (after it had been already over-covered in prior debates). In my blog-entry of Janyaury 12, I had written: "Sigh. Lester Holt brought up the Confederate flag issue again. (Sadly creating division rather than drawing out some new ideas from these 9 candidates). "

American Prospect
Case Closed
Now we know Iraq no longer had weapons of mass destruction when we invaded. So how did the Bush administration get everything wrong?

This article leads me to believe we cannot separate the Bush administration's argument for war from even the sheerest possibility that dissent within the intelligence community was present and due diligence was not utilized to entertain and respect all of the intelligence-community's views before dragging the nation headlong into a pre-emptive strike.
Extreme diligence would have been required of the President and his administration because a pre-emptive strike is only as "just" and "legal' as its best and most fair and thorough possible intelligence review by the Commander-in-Chief and his cabinet.
Although not mentioned here, Imad Hage was another important "heads-up" warning to the Bush administration that war did not have to be the only option. Hage, too, was ignored. We need to take out the microscope and dissect this situation....it is in our nation's utmost security interest.
Bottom line, the buck stops with George W. Bush. He clearly didn't collect the entire body of facts available to him before taking our nation to war. If he did have the facts, I firmly believe his administration ignored them. This is a most serious charge, I realize, but we cannot progress as a trusting nation if such doubt hangs heavy over the heads of the most powerful.
Any Independent investigation will have to include a review of how the Bush administration developed their case for war..exactly how and to what extent they worked with Intelligence..and those of whom they may have negligently ignored in order to bolster their case.
The buck stops with Bush.
Americans want the truth.
We demand the truth.

Most importantly, though, is the fact that intelligence professionals who did offer dissenting opinions on the weapons program were simply ignored by the Bush administration, which listened to only the intelligence that reinforced its views.

[David] Kay, who resigned this week as head of the Iraq Survey Group, the CIA-led team hunting for Iraq's banned weapons, sees things differently. He insists the intelligence community, not the administration, is to blame..

...should one, as Kay insists, dismiss the reports that document just how much pressure the intelligence community found itself under from, among others, Cheney and the Pentagon?

Was the vice president a dispassionate observer, simply waiting for the intelligence estimate to arrive on his desk?" asks Joseph Cirincione, a nonproliferation expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "No. There was a tremendous amount of activity within the vice president's office and within the office of the secretary of defense to shape the intelligence, to create their own intelligence, and to feed that intelligence directly to the president. And this, in great part, is what got us in the mess we are in today."

"In all kinds of ways, both subtle and major, the fact that the White House knew what answer it wanted from the intelligence community had a very large effect on the way the intelligence community presented information," says Greg Thielmann, who retired as the director of the strategic intelligence office at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) in October 2002.

"What appeared to happen is that a particular outcome dominated, and the dissents were relegated to footnotes. It wasn't in the primary text, and that's important. And it may be that individual analysts chose not to describe their uncertainty, or that through the process of writing and editing, that uncertainty was edited out.
Now one thing that does concern me is that the vice president has continued in recent days to make statements saying that 'we're going to find weapons of mass destruction material in Iraq.' And that really concerns me. Is he is so disconnected from the administration, or what do his comments mean, given the facts that have been revealed? That's really been bothering me."

--Anonymous longtime arms-control expert

~~~~~~~~~~~

Re: Imad Hage-
SEE LINK (including the following quote) HERE:
....As has been widely reported, last March, as US troops gathered on Iraqi borders, Saddam sent a message to the Bush administration through Imad Hage, a Lebanese-American businessman, who had met with Saddam. It had first reached the office of the under secretary for planning and defense, in February. The message: Iraq has no WMDs, Saddam would permit US troops and experts to do a search of the country, and Saddam would even permit free elections – anything to avert a war. The same message was delivered in London a month later to Pentagon adviser Richard Perle..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What a joke---Bush and Blair have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
After sending hundreds of soldiers to their death on the wings of a lie and failing to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Bush and Blair have been put forward to receive the Nobel peace prize.
Jan Simonsen, an independent member of Norway's Parliament, apparently had a brainfart causing temporary insanity and nominated them. Nobel watchers say neither Mr Bush nor Mr Blair has much chance of winning.
As nominees, they're in the company of former peacenik-nominees like Adolf Hitler, Slobodan Milosevic and Yasser Arafat. Yeeha!

Flashback--Campaign 2000
Americans--Are you getting it now?
Are you seeing the pattern?
From Reagan to Dubya-
Learn the code words for keeping the mightiest wealthy while sinking the weak
*Can you say "screw you?"*

"Of the more current usage of "compassion" by political figures — the patronizing, head-patting, de haut en bas concern of the mighty for the powerless — Reagan was blessedly free. This, the Great Communicator understood in his very bones and blood, is the land of opportunity. Who is powerless in America today may be mighty tomorrow. It follows that what is mainly owed by the mighty to the weak is not compassion — not official compassion, at any rate — but to keep open and well-dredged the channels of opportunity."

"At the risk of giving offense, I hope that the “compassionate conservatism” strategy is a deception, and of course I hope it will be a successful one. I hope George W. Bush will win the coming election; and I hope that I shall then have the satisfaction, early next year, of watching him fill the seats around his cabinet table with flinty-faced puritans wearing green eyeshades, with not a single teardrop of public compassion among the lot of them."

--John Derbyshire, Contributing Editor, National Review 7-31-00

Karen Kwiatkowski:
Bush as pontifex?? (It's a lot like bin Laden as pan-Arab caliph)

Nervous neoconservatives really do need to invoke the "American civil religion......."

Perhaps understanding George W. Bush as pontifex maximus, and civil religion as adoration of a strong central governing authority makes sense. It explains the "God picked me to be President" thing, and why Mr. Bush doesn’t need to read anything written on paper, preferring instead to get guidance – on blowing the budget, conducting military invasions, public prevarication, and spending billions of our hard earned money to encourage people to stop taking steroids and get married instead – directly from some higher power. Dick Cheney, perhaps.

It also helps explain all the Lincoln and Churchill iconolatry that goes on in the private sitting rooms of the nanny-cons. I am now able to better appreciate the J. Alfreds in Washington, whispering and wondering if they’ll have the strength to force the moment to its crisis, or press the universe into a ball. Decisions, more decisions, plans and possibilities.

Life’s getting tougher for neoconservatives. Every day, more Americans reject the George W. Bush brand of "conservatism." This of course is dangerous and threatening to the neoconservatives he has appointed to power. I suggest they pray to their gods, idols and pontifices while they still can.....

In Bush's Own Words

"We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have."
--George W. Bush, President Radio Address 10/5/2002

“The Iraqi regime possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons.... If we know Saddam Hussein has dangerous weapons today — and we do — does it make any sense for the world to wait to confront him as he grows even stronger and develops even more dangerous weapons?"
— President George W. Bush, Cincinnati, Oct. 7, 2002

--"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production."
--George W. Bush, President, State of the Union Address, 1/28/2003

"In Iraq, a dictator is building and hiding weapons that could enable him to dominate the Middle East and intimidate the civilized world -- and we will not allow it."
--George W. Bush, President, Speech to the American Enterprise Institute, 2/26/2003

"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."
--George W. Bush, President, Address to the Nation, 3/17/2003

"But for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them."
--George W. Bush, President, Interview with TVP Poland 5/30/2003

“We based our decisions on good, sound intelligence, and the — our people are going to find out the truth. And the truth will say that this intelligence was good intelligence. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
— President George W. Bush, July 17, 2003

"I want the American people to know that I, too, want to know the facts."
--President George Bush, January 30, 2004 when asked asked point-blank on Friday about an independent commission to investigate whether the United States used faulty intelligence information when it decided to go to war

Additional credit: what a tangled web

Arab-American Political Action Committee Endorses Dennis Kucinich
"It was not a strategy endorsement, it was an endorsement of principle.The argument we had yesterday was should we stand by our principles or cast a vote based on electability. But this was a group that voted for (President) Bush in 2000 and were stung by the Bush administration. They decided that they needed to make it clear that this community will vote for the candidate that best represents its interests, not necessarily the one that may be elected."
--Osama Siblani, editor-in-chief of The Arab-American News.

Zell Miller: Famous supportive words of a fool/August, 2002

"Today, I am proud of our President. He has said we are at war with terrorism and with states that sponsor and harbor terrorists. I agree with that. But let's face it - that means an ever-increasing, wider war.
And as far as I'm concerned, it means at some time going after Saddam Hussein.
We don't have to prove he was involved with September 11 or with Al Qaeda. We know he hates the United States. We know he has weapons of mass destruction..."

Let's face it, unfaithful Democrat, you were duped.

In fairness to Zell, I appreciate these words from the same speech:

"It is a system that Cuisinarts individual thought into a blind party goose step. A system that expects one to go along with the team even if the quarterback is calling the wrong signals.
And one of these days someone smarter and younger and more articulate than I is going to get through to the American people just how really messed up it has become.
And when that happens, the American people are going to rise up like that football crowd in Cleveland and run both teams off the field.
Because as Churchill said, "Democracy is based on reason and a sense of fair play" and there is nothing reasonable or fair about this system.

And yet...Zell's reasoning totally collapsed when he threw his 2004 endorsement to Bush. A person can have wise ideas, yet not have the common sense to understand how to create conditions under which the ideas can flourish. With his endorsement of Bush, possibly the worst divider in Presidential history, Zell perpetuates the problem and betrays the very independent thinker he claims to be. He betrays all Americans by promising more of that which he claims to abhor.

The Nation/Katha Politt:
Judy, Judy, Judy
I think this is the best article written (to date) about the First-Lady-go-round.

Guardian:
US officials knew in May Iraq possessed no WMD

Intelligence sources, policy makers and weapons inspectors familiar with the details of the hunt for WMD told The Observer it was widely known that Iraq had no WMD within three weeks of Baghdad falling, despite the assertions of senior Bush administration figures and the Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
The new revelation came as White House sources indicated that President George Bush was considering establishing an investigation into the intelligence, despite rejecting an inquiry the previous day.(hmmm...)

WMD: How it went wrong

In a series of interviews, senior former US intelligence officers, members of the weapons community and former senior US policy advisers have told The Observer that it was well known in intelligence and senior administration circles by the first week of May that it was extremely unlikely that any weapons would be found. The allegations pose serious questions for Downing Street and the Prime Minister, raising the possibility that Blair and his officials began their feud with the BBC and Andrew Gilligan after it had become known that the intelligence used to justify Britain's involvement in the war was largely incorrect.....why did Bush and Blair press on for months with their insistence that the WMD existed, after it was clear that the intelligence was hugely flawed?
...'What is so remarkable is that it became very quickly apparent in the post-war interviews with scientists and other officials, that no one even admitted that even plans such as those existed.....
"'I know for certain that there were analysts in the Defence Intelligence Agency and the State Department and the CIA who took an alternative point of view. Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and ultimately George Bush chose to ignore their cautions. Worst-case scenarios were being taken by policy makers who were picking and choosing intelligence."
--Larry Johnson, former CIA anti-terrorism expert

God is to us everything that is gode amd all thing
that is made

In this same time our lord shewed to me a ghostly sight of his homely loveing. I saw that he is to us everything that is good and comfortable for us. He is our clotheine that for love wrappith us,(halseth) us and all beclosyth us for tender love, that hee may never leave us, being to us althing that is gode, as to myne understondyng. Also in this he shewed a littil thing, the quantitye of an hesil nutt in the palme of my hand; and it was as round as a balle.
I lokid thereupon with eye of my understondyng and thowte:
"What may this be?"
And it was generally answered thus:
"It is all that is made."

--Julian of Norwich

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


adventures of confessions of saint augustine bear

Comedy Central
John Stewart on WMDs/David Kay/Condoleeza Rice
You've got to see this video! Often these days, the fake news drives the point home far better than the real!
~~~~~~~~~

The Onion:
Bush 2004 Campaign Promises to Restore Honor and Dignity to White House

~~~~~~~~~

And they say Howie's a screamer!?

~~~~~~~~

Two Trailers Containing Bio-material FOUND!

~~~~~~~

Karl Rove's Been Seen Sneaking Out at Night...

~~~~~~~

Why Is Dean So Angry?

N.Y. Times
9-11 Commission: Extent of government's failures coming to light
Bush and GOP prefer political protection to completion of investigation

The panel faces a May 27 deadline. It wants two more months to complete its work but faces resistance from House GOP leaders and the Bush administration. They fear the process could become too politicized if it's released in the days near the November elections.

Arianna Huffington moved by Judy Dean's heartfelt declaration of independence from our "Thing" Culture

"There is a way that leads from all-colors
to colorlessness. Know that the magnificent variety
of the clouds and the weather comes from
the total simplicity of the sun and the moon."
-Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi, I, 3462-3485

People like my mother and Judy Dean stand in stark contrast to our national obsession with consumption. Our "Supersize Me!" society has so elevated the manufactured over the meaningful that when somebody dares question the value of our collective covetousness we react like they've impugned the legitimacy of the sacred scrolls of the scriptures.
In their rejection of our fixation on the fashionable, these anti-Trumps suddenly become the little boy pointing out that despite our designer clothes, top of the line SUVs, and plasma TVs, we're really just a bunch of emperors in expensive birthday suits, trying unsuccessfully to buy our way to happiness.....

...Consumer debt is at an all-time high as are the number of people filing for bankruptcy.....
Of course, this culture-wide shopping spree is happening on the watch of our conservative leaders. Conservatism is supposed to stand in clear counterpoint to the excesses of the counterculture -- with responsibility, self-discipline, and living within one's means replacing the "if it feels good, do it" ethos. But George Bush and his corporate cronies have sacrificed these values on the altar of consumption: "If it feels good, buy it!"

...What also struck me about the not very thingy Judy Dean was the sense of contentment and comfort she radiated with who she is -- and who she isn't.

...she'd make one hell of a First Lady.... I would love to have a very different kind of role model front and center in the national spotlight. One who loves her job, puts her family first, doesn't equate split ends with mortal failure, doesn't mind getting a rhododendron for her birthday, and doesn't even have cable TV.

N.Y. Times
Paul Krugman: Where's The Apology?

...America's credibility has been badly damaged — and nobody is being held accountable. But that's standard operating procedure. As far as I can tell, nobody in the Bush administration has ever paid a price for being wrong. Instead, people are severely punished for telling inconvenient truths. And administration officials have consistently sought to freeze out, undermine or intimidate anyone who might try to check up on their performance....
....These people politicize everything, from military planning to scientific assessments. If you're with them, you pay no penalty for being wrong. If you don't tell them what they want to hear, you're an enemy, and being right is no excuse.
-Still, the big story isn't about Mr. Bush; it's about what's happening to America. Other presidents would have liked to bully the C.I.A., stonewall investigations and give huge contracts to their friends without oversight. They knew, however, that they couldn't. What has gone wrong with our country that allows this president to get away with such things?

Here's my take. No one is fired from this Administration because once they're let go, they'll sing like birds about the shady doings within the White House. They might even reveal, as Paul O'Neill did, that the Emperor has no brains clothes.

This gives "garlic-breath" a whole new meaning

More on the Hutton Report Fallout
BBC's Gilligan goes, but not quietly
BBC reporter lashes out at
'unfair and unbalanced' Hutton

He branded Lord Hutton's report unfair and unbalanced: "If Lord Hutton had fairly considered the evidence he would have concluded that most of my story was right. The government did sex up the dossier."

Award-winning maverick left in the cold

Full text of Gilligan's statement

Something's rotten in Denmark Britain:
BBC dossier reveals fury at Hutton 'flaws'

James Taranto finds this wicked thought delicious-
Bravo! Abortion wins elections for the GOP!

"....it seems reasonable to assume that more potential Democrats than potential Republicans have been aborted. After all, their would-have-been mothers show through their actions that they agree with the Democratic position on the issue. Result: fewer younger voters in Democratic primaries, as we saw last night, and probably a boost for Republican candidates in the general election..."

Do you think Karl Rove and Grover Norquist secretly hope that Roe v. Wade will never be overturned?

George Soros:
Bush re-election will sink US deeper into terror-trap
"We have fallen into a trap. The suicide bombers' motivation seemed incomprehensible at the time of the attack; now a light begins to dawn: they wanted us to react the way we did. Perhaps they understood us better than we understand ourselves."
-George Soros

"If Bush is rejected in 2004, his policies can be written off as an aberration and America resume its rightful place in the world. But if he is re-elected, the electorate will have endorsed his policies and we will have to live with the consequences....

...a different president with a different attitude to international cooperation may be more successful in extricating us.."

Kay's Report on WMDs says the SAME thing Scott Ritter's report said BEFORE the war...
From A Washington Post"Live-On-Line" Discussion with Peter Slevin

"Somewhere, USA" poses this talking-point to journalist Peter Slevin:

"The Bush Administration is treating Kay's report as an "intelligence failure."
Really? Kay's report says the SAME thing Scott Ritter's report said BEFORE the war and this Administration villified him for it.
It's becoming increasingly obvious (except for those who continue to bury their heads in the sand) that this Administration most likely deliberately misled about the justification for war and possibly even abused its power.
This is potentially the biggest scandal in American history but other than a story here and there, there is not much media coverage. There's no saturation coverage like there was when Clinton lied about sex.
Why does the media continue to give this Administration a free pass? If this were a Democratic Administration that did all this, the media would be all over it, the Dem President and VP would have been impeached, removed from office, and possibly even standing before Hague by now.
Thank you. I'm sorry I was so loquacious."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SEE SCOTT RITTER ON TODAY'S CSPAN APPEARANCE
*see: "Scott Ritter, Fmr. U.N. Weapons Inspector (1991-'98)"
Question from viewer to Scott Ritter: Why have you disappeared from the cable and network TV talk-shows?
Scott Ritter: "...The mainstream media has acted irresponsibly. In 2002, Paula Zahn of CNN accused me of "drinking Saddam Hussein's kool-aid" after my response to a question about aluminum tubes and yellowcake coming from Niger. I think we have a problem here in that the media is culpable for the misleading of the American public. They bought into the Bush Administration's rhetoric and war fervor. They sold a war to the American public and now they have to deal with the fact that they were the ones beating the war drums. Maybe they just don't know how to deal with me."

SEE SCOTT RITTER'S COMMENTS FROM A SPEECH IN 2002

"The truth of the matter is that Iraq today is not a threat to its neighbours and is not acting in a manner which threatens anyone outside of its own borders. When speaking of international law as set forth by the United Nations Charter it is impossible to come up with any scenario today that would justify military action against Iraq based upon its current behaviour."
--Scott Ritter

NOTE: In fairness, other former UNSCOM officials have weighed in with their analysis of Iraq's alleged WMD threat. Check out the writings of Rolf Ekeus and Hans von Sponeck.
Read for yourself and decide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bush says NO NO NO to WMD Independent Commission
Just as in the 9-11 Commission case, King Bush simply doesn't want to be scrutinized.

Bush said he wants to be able to compare the administration's prewar intelligence with what will be learned by inspectors who are now searching for weapons in Iraq. There is no deadline for those inspectors, the Iraq Survey Group, to complete their work.

In other words, let's wait forever before investigating.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At Informed Comment, it is noted that "despite the whitewash carried out by the Hutton Commission, Tony Blair's government will not entirely avoid an inquiry into where in the world it got the idea that Saddam Hussein was a major threat to the UK and had WMD ready to launch "within 45 minutes". It is also duly noted that "parliamentarians of [Tony Blair's] own party are carrying out the inquiry, which is a good model for Republicans in the US Congress.."
The London Times has the story.

Congratulations to William Rivers Pitt, new Campaign Spokesperson for Dennis Kucinich

The position couldn't have been given to a better person. William is one of the best.
I think he'll do a great job of getting some truth out there!

Kucinich: In ABC's The Note today: From ABC News Kucinich campaign reporter Melinda Arons:
While certainly not a shake-up, the campaign is changing its media strategy. National press secretary David Swanson, who kept a grueling schedule as the campaign's main spokesperson but who oftentimes had a prickly relationship with the press, has given his two weeks notice.
Replacing him is author and journalist William Rivers Pitt. Pitt, who wrote War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know with former weapons inspector Scott Ritter and who currently edits the website TruthOut.org, was covering Kucinich last week in Iowa. He blended in so well that Kucinich offered him the position, and he will now travel full-time with the candidate. The campaign worries its relationship with the media has been damaged by its previously defensive attitude toward the mainstream press, something they hope Pitt can remedy. As Pitt told ABC News, "There's a new sheriff in town."

Joe Trippi talks to MSNBC's Deborah Norville
I just saw Deborah Norville conduct a marvelously professional interview with Howard Dean's ex-campaign manager Joe Trippi. Norville is head and shoulders above Diane Sawyer in the "class department". It was an incredibly emotional, truthful, and heartfelt interview. Joe actually spoke to Deborah from his automobile on his way back to a home in which he's spent a total of SEVEN DAYS this past year! He stressed how much he still supported Howard Dean and the campaign and that he hopes everyone will remain every bit as supportive. He became tearful speaking about the whirlwind of the past year and I realized how terribly lucky Governor Dean was to have had such a man helping to bring him where he is today. More to come on the interview after I've re-reviewed the tapes.

Some of Joe's words:

".....changing the political system in this country is really important. That‘s what got me involved. That‘s what—how the governor inspired me. And I still very much believe that‘s important. I actually think the Dean campaign may be the last chance for the American people to really change the system, to really get special interest money out.........this campaign has more heart than any of the other campaigns out there. Again, I think it‘s the heart of the American people that have joined with it are going to make a big difference.........no one is going to change this country for you. You‘re going to have to do it........Howard Dean has shown tremendous courage. When no one else would stand up against the war and say so out loud. When it wasn‘t popular to do it, he did it........George Bush is going to have $200 million. And they‘re using it now to hammer on the Democrats, on whoever the presumptive nominee is going to end up being......how would do you—how could you possibly match that kind of force? I mean, brute force and it‘s all by pioneers and rangers bundling hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars for the president. And there is only one way. It‘s a couple of million Americans giving $100. And that‘s the only way to do this. And if you can do it, you not only will change presidents, you‘ll change this country forever. You want to help here in this country? It‘s because the special interests stop it. And, you know, you want a balanced budget. Do you want real campaign finance reform? Do you want you know real policies in this country that aren‘t driven by the special interests? The only force in this country is the people. That‘s what the Constitution says. And this is our shot. And you know that‘s what I think.........."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Democrats owe a debt to Dean by Mark Shields
"..the Dean candidacy has already profoundly changed American politics for the better..."
I think it's wonderful of Mark Shields to say these true things about Governor Dean, but I think, when all this falls out, Dean's new-found, newly-awakened followers will see that all the support hasn't necessarily "paid off". After all, the Democratic establishment has still pushed, quite publically and obviously, for a "Washington-business-as-usual" candidate. The mainstream media followed the coy lead of the Democratic advisor-pundits. The media swallowed the anti-Dean kool-aid.
The Conservative pundits were more riled up by Dean than by Kerry. Rush Limbaugh was absolutely wild with worry about Dean..we liberal-types can smell Conservative fear when it's present. I have seen the mainstream media buy into this Conservative stop-Dean-by-mocking-Dean drumbeat.
The Democratic public-at-large gets most of their information from the mainstream. They make their voting decisions based on what they hear and see.
In my opinion, the media is partially culpable for the primary results we are seeing. They bought into the Democratic establishment and the Right Wing stop-Dean rhetoric. Just as the media was culpable in misleading the American public in 2002 when they beat the drums of war based on Bush's rhetoric and war fervor.
How can Howard Dean possibly beat these odds?
How does the Democratic party actually believe that there will be the same money-raising spirit that Governor Dean inspired after he was systematically trashed at every turn..by his own?
If things do not change, I hope the Democrats will understand when many of the disillusioned young people recently brought into the system fade away again. I think they've made a crucial mistake.

The South Carolina Democratic Candidates' Debate
"A through Z"



Note- These are not all verbatim statements--they convey the ideas presented by the respective candidates in tonight's debates in Greenville, S.C.

A- About healthcare: I mean Senator Kerry no disrespect, but he sponsored nine healthcare bills in the Senate and none of them passed.
--Howard Dean

B- Bremer should be "out"---NATO should take command of forces in Iraq.
--Wesley Clark

C- Clear misleadings, clear exaggerations from the Bush administration. Cooperation needed around the world. Clash of civilizations must be avoided.
--John Kerry

D- Doctrine of pre-emption and unilateralism led us into Iraq. It's a wrong doctrine--ideologically driven. Re-engage the world community.
--Dennis Kucinich

E- End the runaway deficit!
--Wesley Clark

F- Fritz Hollings...Fritz Hollings....Fritz Hollings..
--John Kerry

G- Giving up our liberties: You know, it seems the terrorists may have already won. The Federalist Society doesn't see our Constitution the way most Americans see it.
--Howard Dean re: Patriot Act attack on fundamental civil liberties.

H- He [Bush] doesn't think he needs a permission slip from the UN!? Why, he doesn't think he needs votes from the American people to be President!
--Al Sharpton

I- I'll take these hands and heal America. "Out of many, we are one."
--Dennis Kucinich

J- Jim Clyburn...Jim Clyburn.....
--John Kerry

K- Kay, David- Tom Brokaw says that David Kay claimed Bush was "abused" by bad intelligence agencies. Candidate's Reply: VP Dick Cheney went to the CIA before the Iraq strike and berated their reporting.
--Howard Dean
See June 5 story, See Newsmax excuses for Cheney

L- "Lying to the American people is NOT the way to run a country!"
--Al Sharpton

M- McAuliffe says if a Democratic candidate hasn't won in the next two weeks, he should think of geting out of the race.
--Tom Brokaw

N- "Nation of Islam": Tom Brokaw asks a question about Islamic nations and mistakenly uses the phrase "Nation of Islam". Candidate's reply: 'If you're talking about a religious group in America called the Nation of Islam, it has nothing to do with your question!'
--Al Sharpton

O- Only moderates: "I'm the one experienced moderate in this field. And in states like this, it is only moderate Democrats who win elections."
--Joe Lieberman

P "President is playing politics with National Security!"
--Wesley Clark

Q- Question on Islam: "Blame those who use religion to do deadly acts. DON'T blame religion! Christ Himself couldn't join certain American Christian churches today.
--Al Sharpton

R- Require lawyers to have cases pre-reviewed by independent experts before clogging the judicial system with frivilous suits. A new idea by..
---John Edwards

S- Saving accounts only for those who are ABLE to save is not good policy.
--John Kerry

T- Talent: "There's so much talent here. The race will go all the way to the convention. I look forward to it.
--Dennis Kucinich

U Unfair trade: FAIR trade--not FREE trade. We need to globalize worker's rights..human rights. You cannot trust the Right Wing with your money.
--Howard Dean

V "Voters-be bold! Nominate me! Defeat George W. Bush-give America a fresh start!"
--Joe Lieberman

W- "...who lobbied for the telcommunications industry!"
--Tom Brokaw (attempting his own little GOTCHA! about Roy Neel). Brokaw felt the need to interrupt/interject on Howard Dean's time as Dean was explaining that Joe Trippi was not "fired" (as Brokaw had clumsily claimed) and that Roy Neel was the new campaign manager.

X- Xtra-important statement: "Buy American or Bye-Bye American!"
--Dennis Kucinich

Y- "You mischaracterized my position!"
--Dennis Kucinich to Tom Brokaw re: replacing US troops in Iraq with UN enforcement.

Z- Zingle payer healthcare plan only. Accept nothing less.
--Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich agree
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other highlights:

"If the American people like what's going in Washington, then they should vote for people who've been there and been part of the Washington scene – 'No Child Left Behind' and all the rest. I haven't been."
–-Wesley Clark.

"That's how we're going to fix Medicare, is to get somebody who has executive experience in governing, particularly in health care, particularly somebody who is a doctor who understands these things, who is willing to get stuff done. And I don't think we are going to do that getting somebody from the United States Senate to be the Democratic nominee."
-– Howard Dean.

"What has happened is that the Republicans take the South for granted. And too many times, the Democrats ignore the South."
-– John Edwards

"I intend to hold (Bush) accountable in this election, because the American people's pockets are being picked to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, and our troops are at greater risk than they needed to be. And we deserve leadership that knows how to take a nation to war if you have to."
–-John Kerry

"By and large, the American people are not aware of how trade has changed dramatically. It's no longer about protectionism vs. free trade. It's about global corporations who are accelerating a race to the bottom, trying to get cheap labor wherever they can get it."
-– Dennis Kucinich

"There are people that I can bring into the process that won't come in if someone like me is not in the process."
-– Al Sharpton.

TRANSCRIPT OF DEBATE IS HERE

Hmmmmmm....they are apparently"sure"of where Osama is now...why not go and grab him?

I read an article titled "U.S. military 'sure' of catching bin Laden this year" You never hear "sure" unless someone is...well.....sure. So, if we know where he is and we've suspected it for some time, why are we allowing him to continue this offensive against our troops? Shouldn't his capture be our Number-One top priority? No holds barred?
Why not get him now and stick his head on a pole before more of our troops lose their lives?
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty has said the military now believed it "could seize him within months".
I'm not convinced. This.."could seize him"... this doesn't sound like a "sure" thing to me. Hmmm, I'm confused here.
Lt. Hilferty Quote: "We have a variety of intelligence and we're sure we're going to catch Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar this year. We've learned lessons from Iraq and we're getting improved intelligence from the Afghan people."
With all we now know about the Bush administration and how they've conducted their wars on a GOP-beneficial political-schedule, I wouldn't put it past them to wait until the moment was no less than perfectly politically-advantageous to go in for Osama bin Laden. Perhaps they've known where he's been for a long time and haven't tried their hardest to capture him. How creepy is that possibility? In my heart, I can't believe even BUSH would do something so awful. Yet...with all the lies his administration has already told us...can you blame me for the very thought? Forgive me for thinking out loud. Perhaps if the word "sure" hadn't been flaunted so boldly......

God helps those who help themselves,
but Bush Helps CBS. And CBS Helps Bush
When it comes to censoring Super Bowl commercials, CBS is way out of bounds.

Guardian UK / Comment
After the Hutton Report:
Important points to remember
"The future of journalism is at stake"

From this article, here are some important points to bear in mind after the post-Hutton report smoke has cleared:

...although Andrew Gilligan's report on the Today programme was wrong in one important respect, the broad thrust of it was right. Gilligan was not the only journalist who reported that the government had exaggerated Iraq's weaponry in order to make the case for war, but his report was the one that stirred up the biggest row between the government and the BBC in the history of the many feuds between them....

...Lord Hutton has ruled that the accuracy of the dossier does not lie within his remit. But this dossier was vital in making the argument for war....

....Hutton's verdict, although a huge relief to the government, does nothing to justify the war in Iraq on the grounds on which it was argued before hostilities began.....

....I profoundly hope that the BBC does not lose its nerve as a result of this reverse. In many ways it sets the standards by which other news broadcasters are judged. This is not the time for the BBC to play safe, although there may be every temptation to do so. Not only is its reputation for independence at stake, but the future of all journalism in this country. The way that broadcast journalism, and some print journalism, holds the government to account and never allows it to become too triumphalist, as it was yesterday, is important to our [British] democracy.....

....I understand why Gavyn Davies, the BBC chairman, felt it necessary to resign, but the self-flagellation should end there. The BBC must pick itself up, dust itself down and continue to provide the news service for which it was famous...

N.Y. Times Editorial: On the Democrats' Race for the Presidential Nomination

The N.Y. Times editorial today says that John Kerry's ability to win the hearts of Democrats all around the country is not a sure-thing...it will be tested..and that his strongest opponents should not give up now. They hint that Joe Lieberman should drop out and that John Edwards has yet to face the toughest scrutiny. I wonder, though, why they would suggest that Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton stop participating in the debates? If you ask me, Kucinich and Sharpton are carrying unique and important messages that have been too often ignored by the likes of the New York Times and the television news networks. Lately it seems the debates are Sharpton and Kucinich's only opportunity to "keep the debate real" while the moderators (Peter Jennings, Brit Hume, etc) avoid the real and important issues. Instead, the moderators from the media raise inflammatory tabloid-style confrontation. It's quite sickening.
I also ask myself why the N.Y. times editorial states: "[Kerry] generally seems wooden on the campaign trail, and it's important to see how voters take to him in the South and West, and in minority communities. If he stumbles, Senator John Edwards and former Gen. Wesley Clark will be waiting."
Hello?? Howard Dean came in second (with twice as many votes as Edwards and Clark) in New Hampshire. If he does not stumble, he may be leading.
This race could go anywhere, let's face it. I've never seen pundits with so much egg on their faces. The South and West may be sending the Democrats many surprising messages in the weeks to come.
I regret that any of these candidates have dropped out of the Democratic race.
Perhaps Terry McAuliffe is worried that he has created a monster with this new kind of primary season. I think what he's really done is expose the idiocy of the media and Democratic "advisors" while giving the Democratic constituency a real choice. The media does not know how to handle reporting on such choices. The Carvilles and Begalas obviously didn't know what to expect, the DLC is scrambling for what they had previously thought was their secure political life, and the Democratic voters can look directly into the soul of the people who are running their party. We are surprised by what we are seeing.
We Democrats thought this primary season would be handled with the utmost attention and care to secure the truest form of democracy..after all, isn't that the Democrat's claim to supremacy? The more I see the pulling of strings from within the party to prop up one candidate while deliberately harming another, the more I lean towards becoming an Independent again. I guess I have Terry McAuliffe to thank for allowing me to see the light.