July 26 Convention News

July 26
Convention News

Google News-'convention'

Google News-'Convention bloggers'

NYT/Adam Nagourney- Democrats Open Convention, Faulting Bush's Record (overview)

THE SPEECHES

NYT LINK

Rev. David Alston Speech FULL TEXT

WP- FULL TEXT:Gore's Speech

Command Post- FULL TEXT: Jimmy Carter's Speech

Clintons' Speeches:
WP: Hillary's Speech FULL TEXT


Credit: AP photo

Guardian UK: Bill's speech FULL TEXT

TalkLeft: Crowd Loves Rev Alston

Howard Kurtz- Bloggers: Gadflies or 'Pretend' Journalists?

ABC News: Bloggers Offer Inside View to Convention

At Press Think:
- Weekend Update: Blogging the DNC
- Dispatches from the UnJournalists
- For Party and Press, the Conventions Are A Memory Device: First Report From Boston

BOP/MattStoller: A Note To Jay Rosen: Conventions Aren't Failed, But They Play Failed on TV

"..this Convention is more than gossip.."

Wall Street Journal: Meet the Bloggers (photos included)

John Edwards has a case of "tired-nasty-voice" (we are not calling it laryngitis just yet). The word is that he needs to rest the pipes for his big speech on Wednesday night.

Telegraph- Labour MPs will join fight in US to dislodge Bush:
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will attempt to build bridges with the American Democrats this week by sending three allies to the Democratic convention in Boston. Ann Taylor, the former Commons Leader, Ross Cranston, the former Solicitor General, and Pat McFadden, the Downing Street political secretary, are travelling to the four-day "naming" ceremony. Meanwhile, some Brits consider Bush to be a complete and utter menace to the future security of the world and are working to help dislodge him from the Oval Office.


19-year-old Karl-Thomas Musselman (youngest delegate from Texas) has a lot of photos and information at his blog.

My fellow Liberal Coalition member 'Mustang Bobby' has posted the first Convention diary installment from his mother, who is a convention delegate from the swing state of Ohio.

Yahoo News: Stem Cells to Take Focus at DNC, Ronald P Reagan to speak Tuesday night. *No live coverage of Mr. Reagan's speech will be provided by NBC, ABC, or CBS.

Raleigh News- Networks have downgraded coverage of an event some say remains a linchpin of U.S. democracy. Is the image-making stage management of today's political conventions a setback for American politics? Do you believe it's true that the mainstream media already spends a lot more time on party politics than a lot of people think it's worth?

USA Today: Howard Dean will have a chance to address the convention during primetime on Tuesday. The major networks have dropped Tuesday (and Howard Dean, the "soul of the party's" speech) from their Convention coverage. The media helped immensely in destroying Dean's campaign (and image) by playing and replaying their crowd-roar-dampened version of "the scream" (not what the people in Iowa actually experienced), and now they will silence him altogether. Ron Reagan's speech will also be shunned by the major networks. Why? Why wouldn't the Democratic party press for primetime coverage by the major networks on Tuesday night? I would think, other than Kerry and Edwards' speeches, the speeches by these two men, Dean and Reagan, would be of great interest to many Americans. Certainly more so than "According to Jim" or "Big Brother Five"....right??

(more to come)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's Convention Speakers
*PBS live coverage 8-11pm, NBC/CBS/ABC will allow you to view for one hour, 10-11pm, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, CNBC and C-Span all plan to cover the convention from start to finish, within the context of regularly scheduled programming.*

Monday, July 26
The Kerry-Edwards Plan for America's Future

David Alston, Vietnam Swift Boat Crewmate of John Kerry
Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin
Jimmy Carter, Former President of the United States
Bill Clinton, Former President of the United States
Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator from New York
Al Gore, Former Vice-President of the United States
Steny Hoyer, U.S. Representative from Maryland, Democratic Whip
Terry McAuliffe, Chairman of the Democratic Party
Kendrick Meek, U.S. Representative from Florida
Robert Menendez, U.S. Representative from New Jersey
Thomas Menino, Mayor of Boston
Barbara Mikulski, U.S. Senator from Maryland
(joined by all Women Senators)
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, U.S. Representative from Ohio
Jim Turner, U.S. Representative from Texas

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

The Competition: Transcript of Today's Republican Press Conference

Putting Myself in Colin McNickle's Place

Putting Myself in Colin McNickle's Place

It looks as if Teresa Heinz Kerry did say something in public on the steps of the Massachusetts Statehouse at that now-infamous campaign event about people acting unAmerican. Colin McNickle had a right to question her about the comments. Colin is publically known (by readers in Pittsburgh) to be shamelessly Conservative and he often uses a distinct mocking tone when he discusses the Democrats. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It is what it is. Colin is an editor of opinion and opinion columns, not a straight-on news reporter. He wasn't there to look for factual information; he was there to editorialize. I would imagine he was hoping for something incendiary. I understand how people like Colin McNickle might think. I'm not that much unlike him when it comes to the passion that moves us to write about politics. In the case of Teresa Heinz Kerry, Colin surely got that incendiary result. It may wind up resulting in him being looked at as a bit of a lout, but he'll have a lot to talk about, as will the right-wing red-meat faction.


Mr. McNickle
Photo credit: pittsburghlive.com

I'd love to know exactly what Mrs. Kerry meant when she said "We need to turn back some of the creeping, un-Pennsylvanian and sometimes un-American traits that are coming into some of our politics." Perhaps Colin McNickle wanted to talk with her to get further clarification. Did he step over a line that Mrs. Kerry deemed to be inappropriate?

I imagine Colin isn't much different than me, except for the simple fact I'm leaning toward the ideological"other side". One big difference, though, is that my side of the ideological fence hasn't had the "benefit" of the vicious Scaife machine that David Brock exposes every day on Media Matters.

So, how would I feel if I was treated this way by Laura Bush? What if Laura had told me to "shove it" after I'd pressed her, a candidates's wife, to clarify the meaning of some words she had actually used in a public setting?

It would depend upon the situation. Perhaps I'd be flabbergasted that she said she didn't use those words when I had just heard her say them. But I don't really know how Colin McNickle framed his questions. I couldn't look him in the eye or hear the tone of his voice. The cameras did a poor job of relaying what occurred between the two of them. I'll tell you this-as opinionated as I can be, I'd never be less than professional and respectful to the wife of any political candidate.

Colin's a big boy and he put himself out there for any comment Teresa Heinz Kerry decided she would make in reply to his pressing. Teresa's outspoken comments were likely based on the way she believed she was being addressed and judged by Colin McNickle. I don't know if she had prior knowlege of Colin's obvious prejudgement of Democrats, but something tells me she sensed it clearly. She's no dummy.

Maybe she's sick of the right-wing mouth-machinery (as exposed by fellows like Rob Stein) and figured it was time to tell them, point blank, that she was not going to suffer any more of it like a good Stepford soldier. (I can't imagine Teresa being anyone's good Stepford soldier and I admire her honesty).

Rush Limbaugh is harping about all these pleas for civility, yet I distinctly remember a prominent Conservative he respects highly telling us a few years ago that civility often must be left behind in the pursuit of civic virtue. His name is Clarence Thomas. You remember Clarence, right? He was one of those nine voters who had the final say in "the people's" 2000 presidential election. Let's not be hypocritical. This is a fight for the soul of America and we must not fear our necessary honesty if it means a threat to the destruction of the virtues we personally cherish.

I'd like to remind Colin, since he's asked, that there is, indeed, a difference between a liberal and a socialist. If he was asking Mrs. Kerry something goofy like that particular question, I don't blame her for having the fortitude to tell him to "shove it". You couldn't hear the actual exchange between them on the news..it was muffled. I'd love to see a transcript (there's an unofficial one at Rush Limbaugh's site). It seems to me, judging by Mrs. Kerry's words "No, I didn't say that, I didn't say that," that she felt that Colin was trying to turn her words around to mean something different than she'd intended.

To Colin, I would say-- Be happy! Teresa made you a media star today.

If I was in Colin McNickle's place, though, that's not the way I'd wish to become a media star.

______________________
See reader comments at ThePittsburghChannel.com. John D. of Pittsburgh says: "..it is about time someone told Colin McNickle off!"

Read Mr. McNickle Goes to Boston

The LA Times editorial staff sounds off about the shove it.

The Washington Times accuses Mrs Kerry of employing McCarthyism. (I found this to be delicious in its hypocritical nature, recalling the months following 9/11 when Ari Fleischer soundly warned our media they'd best be careful about what they said and anyone who disagreed with President Bush was labeled as 'unpatriotic'.)

Google: McNickle/Heinz Kerry

See MEDIA MATTERS story about FOX News' misrepresentations.

Bush to Bypass Congress on 9/11 Changes

Bush to Bypass Congress on 9/11 Changes

It's been reported that President Bush, where he believes he can, will use Executive power to restructure the nation's intelligence machinery, in keeping with those changes recommended 9/11 Commission. I don't argue that these changes may be needed as soon as possible, but I don't really trust the Bush administration anymore. I believe the heart of democracy lives in the People and is exercised through their Congressional representatives. So I don't see this as particularly good news. I honestly believe Karl Rove and Company have scrambled to find something they can use to steal convention-week headlines and to steal as much Democratic ammunition as possible. I want what my fellow American citizens want, which is the best and quickest way to make our ability to fight terror more efficient. I realize that John Kerry has submitted a list of 16 ways he believes Bush can act now, so this isn't an exercise in Bush-bashing. But how much liberty will Bush take with our liberties in making these Executive decisions? Bypassing Congress in too many of the decisions may show the no-confidence vote which Bush will have thrown in our representatives' direction. In showing he cannot trust the Congress to work together (revealing that he has been a failure at getting them united on issues), Bush could wind up proving himself to be the divider he never wanted to admit to being.

While I'm glad the President would care enough to work on a "fast-track" to implement the changes, I regret that, by having done so, he may have never given the People a chance, through enough Congessional involvement, to have had any input in the decision-making about how we will fight terror (as we must do together). Democracy in America is dying. How will Bush or Kerry, for that matter, save American democracy? Who will be better to salvage what's left of our democracy? We can be as safe from terror as possible, but it will not have forwarded the value or health of our democracy. Our democracy is what makes us distinctly American.

Quoting Ben Franklin, "They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty."

Bloggers Tell More, Networks Tell Less

Lehrer's Challenge to Network Anchors
Bloggers Tell More, Networks Tell Less.

From NJ.com:

What you can't do is watch wall-to-wall primetime coverage on ABC, CBS and NBC.

This year, the big three networks are planning to devote just three primetime hours to the Democratic and Republican conventions, from 10 to 11 p.m. on three out of four nights. Boston's big-ticket items include former president Bill Clinton's speech tonight, vice presidential candidate John Edwards' acceptance speech Wednesday, and presidential candidate John Kerry's acceptance speech Thursday, all at 10 p.m.

That's a 25 percent drop in airtime from the networks' already-paltry 2000 commitment, which consisted of four hours per party, doled out over four nights. (The lone holdout is PBS, which will offer live coverage of both conventions from 8 to 11 each night, courtesy of "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.")

Said NBC News president Neal Shapiro, "With all due respect to everybody who wants us to cover more, if there's news there, I promise you we'll cover it more. The parties have done their best to take every bit of news out of the conventions."

[LINK]

Jim Lehrer, champion of the people, challenges the network anchors by saying:
"You guys are a hell of a lot more important than your bosses are willing to admit."

EXCERPT:

"I think that starting tomorrow, we're going to have four of the eight most important days we can have as a nation," said Lehrer, criticizing CBS's Dan Rather, ABC's Peter Jennings, and NBC's Tom Brokaw for not getting more air time. "I'm sorry. You guys are a hell of a lot more important than your bosses are willing to admit."

Addressing the challenges of covering politics in a politically polarized environment, CBS Rather stated that "fear has increased in every newsroom in America," and added that reporting on explosive issues can bring a torrent of e-mails and phone calls. That can lead to a situation, he said, in which journalists conclude that "when you run this story, you're asking for trouble with a capital 'T'. . . Why run it?"

Democratic Convention Bloggers

Democratic Convention Bloggers


Photo credit REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

• Convention Bloggers OPML XML site
• The Boston (D) Party DNCC blog
• Official Convention Site Dems2004.org
• Kerry/Edwards blog


Bloggers Confirmed as Credentialed

Kirk Johnson American Amnesia
Alan Nelson Command Post
Dave Winer Scripting News
Dave Weinberger Boston.com
Taegan Goddard Political Wire
Jay Rosen Press Think
Markos Moulitsas Zuniga Daily Kos
Rick Heller Centrist Coalition blog
Jerome Armstrong My DD
Aldon Hynes greaterdemocracy.org
Jeralyn Merritt TalkLeft
Matt Welch Reason.com
Mathew Gross Matthew Gross blog
Byron LaMasters Burnt Orange Report
Jessamyn Charity West Librarian.net
Natasha L.C Pacific Views
Tom Burka Opinions You Should Have
Paul McCullum Dinner for America
Jesse Taylor Pandagon
Patrick Belton Oxblog
Dave Pell Electablog
xian Power of Many, also blogging for Radio Free Blogistan, Greater Democracy
Bill Scher Liberal Oasis
Michael Feldman Dowbrigade
Peter Rukavina Reinvented.net (*See ReInvented's description of the credentialing process)
Gordon Joseloff Westport Now
Christopher Rabb Afro-Netizen
Joe Rospars BlogforAmerica.com, NotGeniuses
Allen Larson Larson Report.com
Matt Stoller BOPnews.com
Alison Teal hotflashesfromthecampaigntrail
Zephyr Teachout Blog for Victory
Nathan Paxton NateKnowsNada
Michael Andrew JREGrassroots.org
Dave Rock & Todd Beeton Dave & Todd's Wild Democracy Ride
Dave Johnson See The Forest
David Sifry and Mary Hodder Sifry's Alerts blog

Officially Credentialed, then disinvited:
*due to unforeseen lack of space at Fleet Center

Jude Nagurney Camwell Iddybud blog, Rational Liberal
James Landrith JamesLandrith.com
ANWR.com ANWR
Bill INDC Journal
John Tabin JohnTabin.com
Rob Galgano The Great Leap Forward
Justin Nawrocki Musings of a Drunken Monk


Others Who Will Be Blogging from the Convention:

Josh Micah Marshall Talking Points Memo
Matthew YglesiasMatthew Yglesias
Yglesias, Kuttner, Tomasky, Meyerson, Franke-Ruta TAP/American Prospect
Atrios Eschaton
Zoe VanderWolk Gadflyer.com
Cate Read CateRaed.com (delegate)
Karl-Thomas Musselman musselmanforamerica (Texas delegate)
Brian Reich Campaign Web Review
Erik Cornelius Dem Senatorial Campaign Comm. (Convention speech videos will be here)
Ana Marie Cox Wonkette
Dave Barry Dave Barry, of course!
Arianna Huffington Arianna Huffington blog
Jesse BerneyDNC/Kicking Ass blog
Faithful Correspondent BarkBarkWoofWoof (Ohio delegate)


• Hyperlincoln is dedicated to the best in blogging at the 2004 Democratic Convention. David Beckwith (Anonymoses) and I will be keeping you abreast of the best of the Convention blogging information as it comes in.

• Note: The new Convention Bloggers Website is up and running. I noticed an entry there about the 20 disinvited bloggers, a list on which, unfortunately, I wound up.

• Photoblogging Election 2004 was launched to make it easier for convention bloggers to do some of the things that professional journalists' companies do for them: index and archive images and retrieve them quickly for publication. They say they have prepared links to every DNC Convention blogger they know of.

• Politics.Feedster is another Convention blog aggregating resource.

• Technorati has a new website dedicated to covering the bloggers in real-time at the Democratic Convention and the news they will generate. Titled "BlogWatch", it will include CNN.com’s up-to-the-moment review of numerous Web logs covering the convention marks a first for convention coverage using Technorati, the leading monitor of blogs. CNN offers its own convention blog on CNN.com with updates from Candy Crowley on the platform and from CNN anchors, analysts and correspondents, including James Carville and Tucker Carlson, both of Crossfire.
Technorati has a politics-devoted news aggregator for up-to-the-minute blog news.

• There is an open Yahoo Group set up for anyone interested in talking about the convention.

• Hardblogger MSNBC Hardball

• Speaking of convention....Jon Stewart, whose Daily Show will cover the convention in their own (shall we say 'unique and delightful') way, speaks of Conventional wisdom in a conventionally wise way here. And there's nothing funnier than Ed Helms' timid-while-in-your-face challenges of "You're a jerk!" or "Labia! Urethra! Penis, penis, penis... vagina?" to a Boston cop from the "designated free speech zone" in Boston! I keep playing and replaying the (linked) video (titled "Freedom of Opression") and rolling with laughter.

Silly Ralph Nader prayer

Credit: ToothpasteForDinner

Kos is right-We'll be discussing this awhile

Kos is right-We'll be discussing this awhile

Kos has rightfully showcased his thoughts and a discussion about Matt Bai's article which appeared today's NYT Magazine. I haven't read anything as interesting, informative, relevant, and forward-looking in quite some time. Rob Stein's hard work has never before been made so clear to me. Mr. Bai does an excellent job of informing us about the campaign finance laws and the 527s that have come to take their place in politics today. Kos states that, after reading this article, 'it appears it will take the hard work, guidance and money of Democrats schooled in the art of innovation to shake the Democratic party free from its moorings'. I think we should all be as innovative as we possibly can be in the months and years to come. Working together, we can bring forth many ideas and keep alive the hope, among the best of those those ideas, to at last find our David who will slay the ugly Goliath. (as Matt Bai mentions in his Times piece). I'll be talking a lot more about this article.

5 Things Kerry Needs to Take A Solid Lead

5 Things Kerry Needs to Take a Solid Lead

With a presidential race that's so close you couldn't fit a razor blade between the poll numbers to cut through the frozen picture of polarization, John Kerry really needs to work at being more than simply the "Anyone But Bush" already supported by nearly half the nation's voters. He'll need to convince swing voters of a few things. Five things, according to Bill Scher (of Liberal Oasis) at today's Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Kerry will need to be:

1-Reassuring us that a President Kerry will be tough on terror. No matter how some may deny it, the political truth is that the mainstream needs to feel safe and they vote based on their own security. They also vote based on their pocketbooks (and wallets, to be gender-fair). That said...

2-Saying precisely what he'll do with and about the economy. (Note-Have you seen Billmon's essay on the economy at Whiskey Bar? It's mighty good blogfare).

3-Telling his life story in a positive and inspirational way. He may seem to be one of the 'elite', but as the JibJab boys have pointed out, he's "got three purple hearts."

4-Keeping the acceptance speech reasonably short while leaving his audience amazed (as in not snoozing).

5-Kerry will need to make some contrasts between himself and Bush to give his candidacy a rationale..but he shouldn't spend more time criticizing Bush than the time he spends on selling himself.

It's your moment, Senator Kerry. Rack up the supporters. Cha-ching!


Note: I think it would help if the media was to show the rest of the nation that folks from Massachusetts (Boston, particularly) are just as gritty and religious and down-to-earth as anyone from any little town in America. (Speaking of Any Little Town, for some real Boston flavor, there's a song by that name sung by a great Boston-based band called the Push Stars). The Push Stars are Boston Red Sox sportscaster Peter Gammons' favorite band. Which leads me back to John Kerry.


Photo credit: Reuters

I turned on the game (Sox vs Yanks at Fenway) tonight and who do I see? None other than John Kerry throwing the first pitch and cheering from the stands. Asked by Mr. Gammons (during the game) if he'd make the troubling issue of steroid use in sports part of his platform, Kerry replied his major focus would be the war on terror, but commented that steroids defeat what sports are all about. Mr. Kerry also waxed nostalgic (already) about Grady Little (who was fired from the Sox organization following last season).

Bounced Bloggers

Bounced Bloggers

The LA Times covers the disinvited convention bloggers in today's Opinion section. They mention the Democrats won't release a list of whom they've accredited or de-accredited, so it's hard to draw definitive conclusions about the decision-making process regarding the choice few who were left behind. The Times then uses carefully-chosen excerpts from various initially-accredited blogs and provide a guessing game as to which bloggers were bounced shortly thereafter. It seems they are leading us to believe the more outspoken we are, the less likely it is we'll "fit in" to the conventioneers' hoped-for results, which may or may not be true. That's why it was put in the Opinion section, you see.

In my case, they used one of my headlines which had relayed similar ideas to those which had been put forth a few days later by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. I tend to write in the style of an opinion-columnist who does not subscribe to what Mr. Krugman has coined as journalism's "curse of evenhandedness", which is the belief that you must provide a counterpoint to nearly every one of your stated news facts. The result is often no more than a confused blob of flip-flops. If I am freed to say what others won't admit by being put out to "Conventioneers' pasture", so be it. I'm tremendously proud of my body of work. If I'm getting readers from my link at the LA Times today, I hope you will look at some of my archives and decide for yourselves.

In the NY Times today, Adam Nagourney writes that, at this convention, 'Mr. Kerry's most pressing task is not to make a case against Mr. Bush, but to sell himself to voters who either do not know him or do not like him.' DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe is quoted as saying, "This is not going to be about attacking George Bush. People know about George Bush. They want to know about John Kerry."

I believe this is true. People need to know about John Kerry. They don't know enough yet. I suggest many people "know" about George Bush already thanks to people like me. Heaven knows, you haven't gotten enough gut-honest truth from the mainstream media. Think of the lead-up to the Iraq war.

Even Mr. Kerry says he cannot promise there will be no Bush attack ads if he needs to 'fight back' in the near future.

Sometimes you've just got to say it the way you see it.

As I've stated before, I am disappointed not to be playing a part in this convention. I firmly believe the DNCC missed the boat when they sunk my credentials.

Thanks to Kevin Drum at the Washington Monthly, here is the image of the quiz on the back of the Opinion section of the LA Times.

July 25 Convention/Blogger News

July 25 Convention/Blogger News

Are you Convention bloggers sniffing your press passes?

Blogger Quote of the Day:
"There's something a bit weird about sitting here at the airport blogging while watching a CNN report about bloggers on the news monitor."
-Atrios/Eschaton

TODAY'S CONVENTION EVENTS

Technorati's Guide to Following Weblogs During the Convention

See Technorati's FAQs about Blogging

According to Salon.com, delegates arriving for the Democratic National Convention were greeted today (around Boston Common) by 2000 competing protestors who were respectively against the war in Iraq and against abortion.


NY Daily News: Major Networks devoting only one hour a night, from 10-11pm (except Tuesday) for Democratic convention coverage. CNN’s “American Morning” is live from Boston tomorrow through Thursday at 7 a.m.; MSNBC’s “Imus in the Morning,” at 6 a.m., will include live convention updates; MSNBC.com will have continuous live, streaming video beginning today at 3:30 p.m. — likewise for CNN.com.

Newsday carries an article today by Press Think's Jay Rosen about blogging the convention.

UMass: UMass Boston and Harvard journalists to produce daily Newspaper at the 2004 Democratic National Convention (See Media Nation)

Joe Gandelman has done the best job, in my opinion, of covering Alex Jones' LA Times' statement about the blogger's low place in the information-chain. [Bloggers Are the Sizzle, Not the Steak]

The NY Times editorial on the Convention.

CSM: Old Boston/New Boston-A Work in Progress

Media Matters: Self-proclaimed non-partisan Bill O'Reilly urged listeners to vote a certain way in his convention preview. He stated: 'Daschle's "no good"; Pelosi's a "nut"; Cleland's "strange". Now, is that fair of Bill and FOX? Does that make Bill an outright liar or simply insincere as he tipsy-toes the unbalanced FOX line? You can hear an audio clip at the linked site.

BBC News Online: Bloggers go mainstream at US conventions
Excerpt: "We're not under a banner of [Fox's slogan] 'fair and balanced'. We are able to a little bit more flippant, more critical, more analytical. That is the nature of who we are, and that is why people read blogs." --Karl-Thomas Musselman

Karmalised has some interesting comments on the Convention-blogging.

At Wired.com, Adam Penenberg says: "I wouldn't be surprised if Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's The Daily Show were to mock a blogger -- or better yet, mock the mainstream media mocking a blogger." I'd really love to see that. I fully expect Jon, Ed, Rob, Stephen, or Samantha to do a silly segment on the blogger phenomenon. Rob Corddry sniffing his press pass at a candidates' debate comes to my mind. (Watch Debate and Switch here). Are the bloggers sniffing their press passes, I wonder?

(more to follow)

NPR has RSS

NPR has RSS

NPR has RSS feeds available now.

Who's doing the kidnapping in Iraq?

Who's doing the kidnapping in Iraq?

Juan Cole points out a UPI article by Claude Salhani that suggests the recent kidnappings of truck drivers in a bid to force the companies that employ them out of the Iraq market are being claimed by a shadowy group called the "Black Banners." They have detained six hostages in Iraq: three Indians, two Kenyans and an Egyptian, all nationals from "neutral" nations.(In an update, two Pakistanis have been kidnapped). Mr. Salhani claims 'the "war" in Iraq is suddenly taking a very different turn, and regrettably, not one for the better'. It's not yet clear how this economic warfare aimed at multinationals and their workers will effect the struggle in Iraq, but Professor Cole states what is clear is that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's "peculiar idea that Iraq is 'calming down' is ridiculous on the face of it." Our own soldiers continue to die. There are now over 900 dead.

Richard Clarke Calls 9/11 Report "Toothless"

Richard Clarke Calls 9/11 Report "Toothless"

...because the commission had a goal of creating a unanimous report from a bipartisan group, it softened the edges and left it to the public to draw many conclusions...News coverage of the commission's recommendations has focused on the organizational improvements...Putting these recommendations in place will marginally improve our ability to crush the new, decentralized Al Qaeda, but there are other changes that would help more...Even more important than any bureaucratic suggestions is the report's cogent discussion of who the enemy is and what strategies we need in the fight...In pulling its bipartisan punches, the commission failed to admit the obvious: we are less capable of defeating the jihadists because of the Iraq war...Unanimity has its value, but so do debate and dissent in a democracy facing a crisis.

[LINK]

I have joined Hyperlincoln

I have joined Hyperlincoln

Hyperlincoln is a new blog dedicated to "hyperlinkin' the blognoscenti". I am proud to say that I have been invited to share the blogging responsibilities at Hyperlincoln with Harvard University honors graduate David K. Beckwith, internet pioneer and proprietor of Anonymoses on the web. Dave and I will begin by giving you the best of the Convention bloggers this coming week.

Linda Ronstadt Welcomes Diversity

Linda Ronstadt Welcomes Diversity


Class: These opinionated fans shown leaving a Ronstadt concert (early) understand it's a waste to throw their drinks when the wine is of good quality and the music has been sweet.
Photo credit: Contra Costa Times

Love or hate her politics, fans of Linda Ronstadt are still willin' to shell out $99 to $249 each for tickets. They're well aware of the recent political controversy, but say they just want to enjoy the lady's songs. It's so easy to love her songs. In Vegas, she was treated shabbily by the Aladdin Hotel, but they have asked her to come back (with Michael Moore, as a matter of fact). Fans sit through her entire shows now, then make their symbolic "Yay" or "Boo" at the encore portion of the evening when Linda dedicates "Desperado" to Michael Moore. While the controversy becomes just another forum for Americans to gracefully express their opinions, Linda will be saying 'poor, poor pitiful me' all the way to the bank. More than being a political aggressor, she is a virtual welcome-mat to diverse opinion amongst her fans. When examining the value of that opportunity, I somehow find it to be incredibly and wonderfully American in its essence.

Democratic Convention Bloggers

Democratic Convention Bloggers


Photo credit REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

• Convention Bloggers OPML XML site
• The Boston (D) Party DNCC blog
• Official Convention Site Dems2004.org
• Kerry/Edwards blog


Bloggers Confirmed as Credentialed

Kirk Johnson American Amnesia
Alan Nelson Command Post
Dave Winer Scripting News
Dave Weinberger Boston.com
Taegan Goddard Political Wire
Jay Rosen Press Think
Markos Moulitsas Zuniga Daily Kos
Rick Heller Centrist Coalition blog
Jerome Armstrong My DD
Aldon Hynes greaterdemocracy.org
Jeralyn Merritt TalkLeft
Matt Welch Reason.com
Mathew Gross Matthew Gross blog
Byron LaMasters Burnt Orange Report
Jessamyn Charity West Librarian.net
Natasha L.C Pacific Views
Tom Burka Opinions You Should Have
Paul McCullum Dinner for America
Jesse Taylor Pandagon
Patrick Belton Oxblog
Dave Pell Electablog
xian Power of Many, also blogging for Radio Free Blogistan, Greater Democracy
Bill Scher Liberal Oasis
Michael Feldman Dowbrigade
Peter Rukavina Reinvented.net (*See ReInvented's description of the credentialing process)
Gordon Joseloff Westport Now
Christopher Rabb Afro-Netizen
Joe Rospars BlogforAmerica.com, NotGeniuses
Allen Larson Larson Report.com
Matt Stoller BOPnews.com
Alison Teal hotflashesfromthecampaigntrail
Zephyr Teachout Blog for Victory
Nathan Paxton NateKnowsNada
Michael Andrew JREGrassroots.org
Dave Rock & Todd Beeton Dave & Todd's Wild Democracy Ride
Dave Johnson See The Forest
David Sifry and Mary Hodder Sifry's Alerts blog

Officially Credentialed, then disinvited:
*due to unforeseen lack of space at Fleet Center

Jude Nagurney Camwell Iddybud blog, Rational Liberal
James Landrith JamesLandrith.com
ANWR.com ANWR
Bill INDC Journal
John Tabin JohnTabin.com
Rob Galgano The Great Leap Forward
Justin Nawrocki Musings of a Drunken Monk


Others Who Will Be Blogging from the Convention:

Josh Micah Marshall Talking Points Memo
Matthew YglesiasMatthew Yglesias
Yglesias, Kuttner, Tomasky, Meyerson, Franke-Ruta TAP/American Prospect
Atrios Eschaton
Zoe VanderWolk Gadflyer.com
Cate Read CateRaed.com (delegate)
Karl-Thomas Musselman musselmanforamerica (Texas delegate)
Brian Reich Campaign Web Review
Erik Cornelius Dem Senatorial Campaign Comm. (Convention speech videos will be here)
Ana Marie Cox Wonkette
Dave Barry Dave Barry, of course!
Arianna Huffington Arianna Huffington blog
Jesse BerneyDNC/Kicking Ass blog
Faithful Correspondent BarkBarkWoofWoof (Ohio delegate)
Tom Tomorrow This Modern World


• Hyperlincoln is dedicated to the best in blogging at the 2004 Democratic Convention. David Beckwith (Anonymoses) and I will be keeping you abreast of the best of the Convention blogging information as it comes in.

• Note: The new Convention Bloggers Website is up and running. I noticed an entry there about the 20 disinvited bloggers, a list on which, unfortunately, I wound up.

• Photoblogging Election 2004 was launched to make it easier for convention bloggers to do some of the things that professional journalists' companies do for them: index and archive images and retrieve them quickly for publication. They say they have prepared links to every DNC Convention blogger they know of.

• Politics.Feedster is another Convention blog aggregating resource.

• Technorati has a new website dedicated to covering the bloggers in real-time at the Democratic Convention and the news they will generate. Titled "BlogWatch", it will include CNN.com’s up-to-the-moment review of numerous Web logs covering the convention marks a first for convention coverage using Technorati, the leading monitor of blogs. CNN offers its own convention blog on CNN.com with updates from Candy Crowley on the platform and from CNN anchors, analysts and correspondents, including James Carville and Tucker Carlson, both of Crossfire.
Technorati has a politics-devoted news aggregator for up-to-the-minute blog news.

• There is an open Yahoo Group set up for anyone interested in talking about the convention.

• Hardblogger MSNBC Hardball

• Speaking of convention....Jon Stewart, whose Daily Show will cover the convention in their own (shall we say 'unique and delightful') way, speaks of Conventional wisdom in a conventionally wise way here. And there's nothing funnier than Ed Helms' timid-while-in-your-face challenges of "You're a jerk!" or "Labia! Urethra! Penis, penis, penis... vagina?" to a Boston cop from the "designated free speech zone" in Boston! I keep playing and replaying the (linked) video (titled "Freedom of Opression") and rolling with laughter.

Democratic Convention Speakers List

Democratic Convention Speakers List

Monday, July 26
The Kerry-Edwards Plan for America's Future

David Alston, Vietnam Swift Boat Crewmate of John Kerry
Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin
Jimmy Carter, Former President of the United States
Bill Clinton, Former President of the United States
Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator from New York
Al Gore, Former Vice-President of the United States
Steny Hoyer, U.S. Representative from Maryland, Democratic Whip
Terry McAuliffe, Chairman of the Democratic Party
Kendrick Meek, U.S. Representative from Florida
Robert Menendez, U.S. Representative from New Jersey
Thomas Menino, Mayor of Boston
Barbara Mikulski, U.S. Senator from Maryland
(joined by all Women Senators)
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, U.S. Representative from Ohio
Jim Turner, U.S. Representative from Texas

Tuesday, July 27
A Lifetime of Strength & Service

Tom Daschle, U.S. Senator from South Dakota, Democratic Leader
Howard Dean, Former Governor of Vermont, 2004 Presidential Candidate
Richard Durbin, U.S. Senator from Illinois
James Forbes, Senior Minister at Riverside Church, New York City
Richard Gephardt, U.S. Representative from Missouri, 2004 Presidential Candidate
Chris Heinz, Stepson of John Kerry
Teresa Heinz Kerry, Wife of John Kerry
Mike Honda, U.S. Representative from California
Ted Kennedy, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
Jim Langevin, U.S. Representative from Rhode Island
Carol Moseley-Braun, Former U.S. Senator from Illinois, 2004 Presidential Candidate
Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona
Barack Obama, State Senator from Illinois, U.S. Senate Candidate
Ron Reagan, Son of former President Ronald Reagan
Christie Vilsack, First Lady of Iowa
Ilana Wexler, 13-Year-Old Founder of Kids for Kerry


Wednesday, July 28
A Stronger More Secure America

Steve Brozak, Ret. Lt. Col., USMC, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New Jersey
Elijah Cummings, U.S. Representative from Maryland
Cate Edwards, Daughter of John Edwards
Elizabeth Edwards, Wife of John Edwards
John Edwards, Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee
Bob Graham, U.S. Senator from Florida, 2004 Presidential Candidate
Jennifer Granholm, Governor of Michigan
Dennis Kucinich, U.S. Representative from Ohio, 2004 Presidential Candidate
Greg Meeks, U.S. Representative from New York
Martin O'Malley, Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland
Harry Reid, U.S. Senator from Nevada
Ed Rendell, Governor of Pennsylvania
Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico
Al Sharpton, 2004 Presidential Candidate


Thursday, July 29
Stronger at Home, Respected in the World

Madeline Albright, Former Secretary of State
Joe Biden, U.S. Senator from Delaware
Wesley Clark, Four Star General, 2004 Presidential Candidate
Max Cleland, Former U.S. Senator from Georgia
James Clyburn, U.S. Representative from South Carolina
Alexandra Kerry, Daughter of John Kerry
John Kerry, 2004 Democratic Presidential Nominee
Vanessa Kerry, Daughter of John Kerry
Joe Lieberman, U.S. Senator from Connecticut, 2004 Presidential Candidate
Ed Markey, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts
Juanita Millender-McDonald, U.S. Representative from California
Eleanor Holmes Norton, U.S. Representative from the District of Columbia
Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Representative from California, Democratic Leader
Jim Rassman, Green Beret rescued by John Kerry in Vietnam
Louise Slaughter, U.S. Representative from New York
(joined by Congressional Women)
John Sweeney, President of AFL-CIO
Mark Warner, Governor of Virginia

Democratic Convention bloggers

Updated List of Democratic Convention Bloggers


Photo credit REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

• Convention Bloggers OPML XML site
• The Boston (D) Party DNCC blog
• Official Convention Site Dems2004.org
• Kerry/Edwards blog


Bloggers Confirmed as Credentialed

Kirk Johnson American Amnesia
Alan Nelson Command Post
Dave Winer Scripting News
Dave Weinberger Boston.com
Taegan Goddard Political Wire
Jay Rosen Press Think
Markos Moulitsas Zuniga Daily Kos
Rick Heller Centrist Coalition blog
Jerome Armstrong My DD
Aldon Hynes greaterdemocracy.org
Jeralyn Merritt TalkLeft
Matt Welch Reason.com
Mathew Gross Matthew Gross blog
Byron LaMasters Burnt Orange Report
Jessamyn Charity West Librarian.net
Natasha L.C Pacific Views
Tom Burka Opinions You Should Have
Paul McCullum Dinner for America
Jesse Taylor Pandagon
Patrick Belton Oxblog
Dave Pell Electablog
xian Power of Many, also blogging for Radio Free Blogistan, Greater Democracy
Bill Scher Liberal Oasis
Michael Feldman Dowbrigade
Peter Rukavina Reinvented.net (*See ReInvented's description of the credentialing process)
Gordon Joseloff Westport Now
Christopher Rabb Afro-Netizen
Joe Rospars BlogforAmerica.com, NotGeniuses
Allen Larson Larson Report.com
Matt Stoller BOPnews.com
Alison Teal hotflashesfromthecampaigntrail
Zephyr Teachout Blog for Victory
Nathan Paxton NateKnowsNada
Michael Andrew JREGrassroots.org
Dave Rock & Todd Beeton Dave & Todd's Wild Democracy Ride
Dave Johnson See The Forest
David Sifry and Mary Hodder Sifry's Alerts blog

Officially Credentialed, then disinvited:
*due to unforeseen lack of space at Fleet Center

Jude Nagurney Camwell Iddybud blog, Rational Liberal
James Landrith JamesLandrith.com
ANWR.com ANWR
Bill INDC Journal
John Tabin JohnTabin.com
Rob Galgano The Great Leap Forward
Justin Nawrocki Musings of a Drunken Monk


Others Who Will Be Blogging from the Convention:

Josh Micah Marshall Talking Points Memo
Atrios Eschaton
Zoe VanderWolk Gadflyer.com
Cate Read CateRaed.com (delegate)
Karl-Thomas Musselman musselmanforamerica (Texas delegate)
Brian Reich Campaign Web Review
Erik Cornelius Dem Senatorial Campaign Comm. (Convention speech videos will be here)
Ana Marie Cox Wonkette
Dave Barry Dave Barry, of course!
Arianna Huffington Arianna Huffington blog
Jesse BerneyDNC/Kicking Ass blog
Faithful Correspondent BarkBarkWoofWoof (Ohio delegate)


• Hyperlincoln is dedicated to the best in blogging at the 2004 Democratic Convention. David Beckwith (Anonymoses) and I will be keeping you abreast of the best of the Convention blogging information as it comes in.

• Note: The new Convention Bloggers Website is up and running. I noticed an entry there about the 20 disinvited bloggers, a list on which, unfortunately, I wound up.

• Photoblogging Election 2004 was launched to make it easier for convention bloggers to do some of the things that professional journalists' companies do for them: index and archive images and retrieve them quickly for publication. They say they have prepared links to every DNC Convention blogger they know of.

• Politics.Feedster is another Convention blog aggregating resource.

• Technorati has a new website dedicated to covering the bloggers in real-time at the Democratic Convention and the news they will generate. Titled "BlogWatch", it will include CNN.com’s up-to-the-moment review of numerous Web logs covering the convention marks a first for convention coverage using Technorati, the leading monitor of blogs. CNN offers its own convention blog on CNN.com with updates from Candy Crowley on the platform and from CNN anchors, analysts and correspondents, including James Carville and Tucker Carlson, both of Crossfire.
Technorati has a politics-devoted news aggregator for up-to-the-minute blog news.

• There is an open Yahoo Group set up for anyone interested in talking about the convention.

• Speaking of convention....Jon Stewart, whose Daily Show will cover the convention in their own (shall we say 'unique and delightful') way, speaks of Conventional wisdom in a conventionally wise way here. And there's nothing funnier than Ed Helms' timid-while-in-your-face challenges of "You're a jerk!" or "Labia! Urethra! Penis, penis, penis... vagina?" to a Boston cop from the "designated free speech zone" in Boston! I keep playing and replaying the (linked) video (titled "Freedom of Opression") and rolling with laughter.

One year ago-My thoughts

One year ago--My thoughts

I'd like to share with my readers some of the thoughts I had a year ago this week. What has changed since then? Are you satisfied? You decide.

Regards,
Jude

Atrios on Failure of Leadership

Atrios on Failure of Leadership

Atrios has a blogpiece on Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen, who is now sorry he philosophically bought into Bush's war and fear-mongering. I agree that he should have known far better. The failure of leadership rests with those in the choice positions in big media almost as much as the blowhards they are hired to challenge.

A citizen named Jackson Thoreau (who works in media himself) was more of a leader. He thought Cohen was overboard and stated so very early on. See his letter to the Washington Post editor back in December, 2001. (Third letter down).

"..I can't support us invading Iraq, under these circumstances. It's sad that I have to say we now seem more like the ones who want world domination than the ones who would fight against the forces that want to rule the planet."
-- Jackson Thoreau

David Corn: 9/11 report 'Bad news for Bush'

David Corn: 9/11 report 'Bad news for Bush'

Consider Bush's initial reaction to the attack on America (those seven frozen "My Pet Goat-ate my decisiveness" minutes); the administration not taking the threat of al Qaeda seriously enough; the vacationing Bush's poor reaction to the threat reports of "stem-cell"-summer, 2001 (limp-to-nothing), and consider the lack of proof of a solid alliance between alQaeda and Iraq (regardless of Stephen Hayes' and Dick Cheney's harmonied insistence).

As David Corn writes (tongue-in-cheek) in the Nation, "If this election to be a referendum on how [Bush] has handled the threat posed by al Qaeda, this [9/11 Commission] report--available now in local bookstores and online at the 9/11 commission's site--ought to be read by those 49 swing voters in Ohio who will be deciding the election for the rest of us."

At David's weblog, he discusses the topic and enables you to comment, if you so desire.

If America's Worst President is re-elected..

If America's Worst President is re-elected..

I've had so many positive comments on a link I posted here a few days ago that I'm going to post it again, this time in its entirety. It was written by blogger Anonymoses, who is a regular iddybud blogger.

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

Democrats Win! World Erupts in Celebration! 

Celebration, relief and good cheer spread across the globe, as war-happy madman is replaced by sane and beautiful leaders who respect all peoples.  

OR...

Republicans win. America goes to war with Iran.
Foolwells get their Armageddon. Millions die needlessly. A handful of suits reap windfall profits.

It really has come down to this. And make no mistake about it...this is the most important election in the history of the world. It is a matter of life and death. Many, many deaths. And frankly, we can't afford it. Not in blood. Not in treasure. Not in the world community.

Those who see elections as mere sport may only bet on their own team, regardless of how much damage their "team" will wreak upon the enterprise. But this would be a foolish supposition. Even deadly. And don't think blood won't blowback, if only in the subtlest ways. There will not be enough beer to drown out the sorrow of so many innocent people being slaughtered needlessly, just because you had to have your way. Your way may not be the best way.

Regardless of any stats one may concoct, this president has done wrong by America and the World, and the overwhelming majority of people who happen to not live within our borders, are deeply troubled, to put it lightly, by our having such a bellicose leader and administration. And were we to re-elect him -- arguably the worst President in American history... after dropping the man who was perhaps the most prepared man in our history -- What are they to think, except that we are either insane, perverse, or jaded...and lacking all good judgement?

In this election, it is not, "It's the economy, Stupid." It is "It's the World, Stupid!"

Serendipitously, while writing my illustrious and correct thoughts, a song wafted from my speakers that sums it up pretty well:

"Out of the darkness, deliver me."


Indeed. May we all be so delivered.

Blogger Bill Scher on Air America Tonight

Blogger Bill Scher (LO) on Air America Tonight

The editor of the blog LO (Liberal Oasis) will be on AIR AMERICA this evening. Bill Scher will be on the "The Majority Report" with Janeane Garafalo at 10 PM ET. You can connect to Air America here at Iddybud (see left side of blog for connection).

Meet the Joint Presidency Candidates

Meet the Joint Presidency Candidates

David Crosby and Graham Nash announce their candidacy for joint presidency of the U.S.A. here.

Cheney VP Replacement?

Cheney VP Replacement?

Democratic Convention blogs

Updated List of Democratic Convention Bloggers


Photo credit REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi
SEE UPDATE HERE

Quote of the Day: Jimmy Breslin

Quote of the Day: Jimmy Breslin

When he came into office, Bush regarded China as Enemy No. 1. It is good that he found Iraq before taking on China. [LINK]

Dean Speech Primetime Tuesday in Boston

Dean Speech Primetime Tuesday in Boston

On Tuesday night next week, former Vermont governor Howard Dean, ("The man who made it good for John Kerry"), will speak during primetime to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. Dean says, while he won't tell his delegates what to do, he clearly doesn't want any draft Dean movements from the Convention floor.

Joseph Wilson writes-L.A. Times

Joseph Wilson writes-L.A. Times

The right-wing campaign against me and Valerie does not alter the reality that someone in the Bush administration exposed her identity and compromised national security. I believe it was a malicious act meant to keep others from crossing a vindictive administration.

Most important, when it comes to the Niger claim — and so many other claims underlying the decision to go to war in Iraq — it is the Bush administration, not Joe Wilson, who spoke the words that have cost us more than 900 lives and billions of dollars and have left our international reputation in tatters.

[LINK (subsc or reg req)]

Devin McKinney on Pete Townshend

Devin McKinney on Pete Townshend

Having written my opinion on Pete Townshend last week, I was particularly interested in music writer Devin McKinney's article about the social politics of pop in the American Prospect. I consider it an excellent piece of writing where McKinney shows us precisely how "certain idols of a previous generation have made a small but unique contribution to our current culture of cheapened feelings and meatball ethics." Where Townshend is concerned, McKinney asks, "Why should you or I have ever guessed he would oppose the Iraq War? Or that Dylan would not one day shill for a lingerie catalog?" He asks what I consider to be an ironically delicious question: "Does anyone still look to pop stars for help in defining personal politics? Should we even expect them to define their own politics coherently, given that your typical pop star will be at once a soft liberal, a rapacious capitalist, and a dictatorial control freak?"

Some of McKinney's last lines are his best:

"If a song can bear the weight of politics, it will; if not, it will crumple like tin. The solution is simple: Trust the song, not the singer. Most of us have made the mistake of trusting the singer, believing the singer believed what we believed, what the singer seemed to believe. But that day is past; the idols are dead, and we need to grow up."

Thanks, Devin.

Michael Moore, Linda Ronstadt & the rising anti-Bush tide

Michael Moore, Linda Ronstadt & the rising anti-Bush tide

Are you aware that people on the conservative side of politics have been aware (and probably upset) with Linda Ronstadt's anti-Bush statements for some time now? Ms. Ronstadt's Aladdin Hotel dedication to Michael Moore wasn't a bolt out of the blue.

PR Damage Control: Planet Hollywood wants Ronstadt back at Aladdin hotel.


Why does this man make the GOP so nervous? Click on photo to find out.

What happened in Vegas didn't stay in Vegas...and that's become a real PR problem for the Aladdin Hotel.

The Las Vegas Sun's editorial should be read. It includes the simple statement:

Ronstadt has been touring the country since May and has been praising Moore at each stop. Las Vegas should be embarrassed at her treatment here.

Who do you suppose might be the biggest fan in Las Vegas of shock-jock Howard Stern? I think you may be surprised.

NYT Editorial:

"They have a right to voice their disapproval - to express their opinion as Ms. Ronstadt expressed hers and to ask for a refund. But if their intemperate behavior began to worry the management, then they were the ones who should have been thrown out and told never to return, not Ms. Ronstadt, who threatened, after all, only to sing."

Check out this blurb from the Las Vegas Sun:

Moore controversy

Aladdin prez Bill Timmins has left Las Vegas, but not to escape the firestorm of controversy surrounding his decision to have security escort Linda Ronstadt from the hotel after her remarks onstage Saturday night in support of Michael Moore.

Timmins left town Tuesday afternoon after turning down requests to appear on "The Today Show," "The O'Reilly Factor" and "Nightline."

Hotel spokeswoman Tyri Squyres confirmed that Timmins had left town, but said it was because he had a surgical procedure scheduled at an out-of-state hospital.

Timmins also reportedly received a long message on his voice mail from Moore himself Monday.
[LINK]

9/11 Press Conference: Failure of Imagination

9/11 Press Conference: Failure of Imagination

See the 9/11 Commission Report HERE.

An Institutional Lack of Imagination

There was a press conference held in Washington with the 9/11 commission. The panel agreed that 9/11 occurred due to an intitutionalized lack of imagination; there was no outright negligence on any particular person or agency's part. They refused to play politics by placing blame on presidents Clinton or Bush, but did comment that there was no "stimulating discussion on terror" before 9/11. It seems that no one envisioned terror as the problem it really was. The Commission concurred that neither president Bush nor Clinton was served well by Intelligence agencies prior to 9/11.

The name Tom Clancy kept popping up. It's obvious that Mr. Clancy's imagination is enviable, admirable and important to the members of this panel. The future of counter-terrorism is dependent upon creative-thinking people who can be respected for thinking "outside of the box".

Reform of Congressional Oversight Necessary

Broad recommendations have been made to reform Congressional oversight on Intelligence. This will entail the shut-down of a lot of long-standing Congressional committees and will require a lot of overinflated authority-snatching Washington DC egos to be checked at the new "door of reform". Commissioner Bob Kerry stated that he was hopeful, but not optimistic that some of these now-standing Committee leaders will gracefully step down and allow new and necessary Committees to be formed without partisan bickering.

Commissioner James Thompson publically laid it on the line to members of Congress, stating they need to unite; they'd best act quickly; doing any less will mean losing their political seats when the American people see that they're failing to act.


Presidential Candidate Comments

John Kerry said today that the is is not a time for bickering or politics. We are all Americans. We must move on this immediately, as a united people. If he is elected President and there's no sufficient progress in the next few months, he will lead by pressing Congress to rapidly enact reforms as suggested by the 9/11 Commission. President Bush said that he looks forward to reading the recommendations and hopes Congress will do the same and begin to act. If Bush makes a strong push for reform before November, it'll be tough for Kerry to distinguish himself on intelligence issues.

Other Observations:

I thought the Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes used his opportunity for questioning the panel as a disgraceful and obvious way of attempting to redeem his own reputation after writing a book about the Iraq-al Qaeda connections for which he had no solid proof. The answer he received failed to save his sad reputation and credibility.

Commissioner Kean stated he had not yet seen Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11", but suggested that Saudi Arabia is just as much at risk as America for terror attacks and they need to join closely with us in the struggle to overcome it. He admitted the basis of our respective governments' relationship needs to be more than just about oil. Commissioner Hamilton said he'd like to see more "depth and texture" to the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabian governments. (I'd like to see more transparency myself).

Iran has denied links to 9/11, and at this morning's conference, that was confirmed (given the limited scope of the Commission's oversight). When asked about Iran, one of the Commissioners stated frankly that there was no evidence of the Iran government's pre-knowlege of 9/11 whatsoever. There was only the indication that somehow, al Qaeda members had been able to cross the Iranian borders without having their passports stamped. To what degree the Iran government sanctioned this was not conclusive in the 9/11 report.

The John Lennon song "Imagine" kept running through my head. Imagination ruled the day and is our only hope to overcome terror.


*Find out how to get a copy of the 9/11 Commission Report here.

Jason Kottke created an HTML version of the executive summary of the 9/11 report, with permalinks for each paragraph.

Flight 93 details emerge with 9/11 report

Flight 93 details emerge with 9/11 report

Apparently, the passengers who wished to reach the cockpit never actually had time to breach it before the Flight 93 crashed down to that Shanksville, Pennsylvania field.

Right-wing Group Seeks Donations for Boston Ads

Right-wing Group Seeks Donations for Boston Ads

A partisan group, RightMarch.com, is hoping to take out five-full-page ads in the greater Boston metro area, demanding that Sens. Kerry and Edwards resign from the Senate in order to run for President and Vice President, because they're there so rarely that there is no realistic way for them to actually represent their constituents. The group is looking for donations to enable them to run the ads. At their site, they rage against what they call the "loony left" and "America's elite liberal media". They also casually mention that, 'as an extra "perk," if Kerry resigns, under current law, his temporary replacement would be named by the governor of Massachusetts... who just happens to be a Republican! North Carolina has a Democrat governor--but 1 out of 2 ain't bad!'

From the Revealer: How soon we forget

From the Revealer: How soon we forget

At the Revealer, Jeff Sharlet has written about our hunger for stories and our boredom when, after most of the "good stuff" has been exhausted, every horrific photo begins to look the same. We've slipped into the heat of another presidential campaign season. There's a lot of traditional hype but not much difference between the candidates when it comes to a war which they both promote yet still cannot give us reason for the fight. Old stories, based on remembered cultural tradition, are made new again as we eventually let the reality of those bodies slip from our collective consciousness. Wait---should we remember? I suggest you pay the site a visit and see if any of the images strike a familiar chord. [LINK]

Trivia Quiz

Trivia Quiz

Who is the white-haired lady seated in the center of this photo?



Answer will be in the comments section at 5pm today if no one guesses it first.

9/11 Report Out Today

9/11 Report Out Today

I laughed at Maureen Dowd's summing-up of current events as the "bizarre investigation of Sandy Burglar" and the "bomb Ira- Ali G skit" and "Right axis/ Wrong evil".

Actually, I don't believe we ever should have thought of hastily making pre-emptive attack on EITHER "Ira-". What the hell was our Congress so afraid of when they gave Bush carte blanche on his rush to attack Iraq? I hate to say this, I think their biggest fear was the possibility of not being re-elected the following month (Nov 2002).

The 9/11 Report is ripping away at Congress for being watchdog-flunkies when it came to Intelligence oversight. Allegedly, one passage of the report found that Al Qaeda and the 19 hijackers exploited "deep institutional failings within our government" over a long period. Officials have said the report did not directly blame the Bush or Clinton administration for the failures. It does harshly criticize the C.I.A. and F.B.I.

You can bet the GOP is scrambling to get a PR-list of changes they've enacted since 9/11 ready for the media to parrot for them. They make it far too obvious that they need to watch their political backs. It seems more important to them than dealing with and facing the hardest truths. Their pressing of the Sandy Berger-pants fiasco this week proved it.

While the commission may not conclude that Bush (or Clinton) could have prevented 9/11, at least ten missed operational opportunities will be spelled out in the report, showing there were several opportunities to intercept some of the activities of terrorists which led to 9/11.

I will be most curious to see the remarks of 9/11 victims' family members. especially Kristen Breitweiser who lost her husband Ronald in the attack and has been one of the most vocal proponents of the Independent Commission on behalf of victims' families.

Helen Thomas: No More Pre-emptive Wars

Helen Thomas: No More Pre-emptive Wars
If Bush Has Plans For Another Preemptive War, He Should Forget It

Bush's dwindling coalition in Iraq brings the old saying to Ms. Thomas' mind:
"Some day they will give a war and nobody will come."
The allies fade away as the White House and the Pentagon struggle with credibility problems created by their sorry record in truth telling about the war.

Ms. Thomas is sore at Kerry and Edwards for passing up a chance to offer voters a real choice as both "incredibly continue to defend their pro-war votes in the Senate, instead of saying that they, like the American public, were misled by the Bush administration."

Iraq mess stretches US Army thin

Iraq mess stretches US Army thin

The Army's pool of future recruits has dwindled to its lowest level in three years, worrying Pentagon officials as the service is being stretched by the unexpectedly difficult occupation of Iraq.

Another sign of increasing stress on the military is the Army forcing more new recruits immediately into the ranks to meet recruiting goals for 2004, instead of allowing them to defer entry until the next accounting year, which starts in October.

Recruiting's been made tough for the Army with the lies, exaggerations, and misleadings of the Bush administration; the unnecessary war; and the way it's been conducted.

Improvising to keep the levels up isn't going to work much longer.

Wait until the draft comes back.

American parents are going to become no less than furious with this self-proclaimed "war president" and his chickenhawk administration. There will be protesting in the streets.

GASP! Kofi Annan says world no safer!

GASP! Kofi Annan says world no safer!

"I cannot say the world is safer today than it was two, three years ago."
---U.N. leader Kofi Annan

What??? How dare he say that? Anti-American! Bush-hater! Burn him at the stake!
Better yet---marginalize him! Accuse his son of theft and corruption!

GASP! Bonnie Raitt Hopes Bush Will Lose!

GASP! Bonnie Raitt Hopes Bush Will Lose!

Not only does Bonnie Raitt hope Bush loses in November, she actually dared to say so! Anti-American! Traitor! Kick her off every stage! What did she really mean by "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)"? Burn her at the stake!