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...