PTSD and The Choice

Sullivan someday will have to confront the fact that in today's society he's justa frugal Liberal, not a conservative.

A great compare/contrast from him today:

One difference between Obama and Clinton does not seem to me to have been stressed enough. They are of different Democratic generations. Clinton is from the traumatized generation; Obama isn't. Clinton has internalized to her bones the 1990s sense that conservatism is ascendant, that what she really believes is unpopular, that the Republicans have structural, latent power of having a majority of Americans on their side. Hence the fact that she reeks of fear, of calculation, of focus groups, of triangulation. She might once have had ideals keenly felt; she might once have actually relished fighting for them and arguing in thier defense. But she has not been like that for a very long time. She has political post-traumatic stress disorder. She saw her view of feminism gutted in the 1992 campaign; she saw her healthcare plan destroyed by what she saw as a VRWC; she remains among the most risk-averse of Democrats on foreign policy and in the culture wars. Here's a simple current example: her position on needle exchanges to reduce HIV transmission among IV drug users. Ben Smith recounts the tale here. The last Clinton administration refused to prevent HIV transmission this way, regardless of the science and epidemiology, because they were terrified of being labeled "liberal" by the GOP machine. Clinton still hasn't out-grown that (which is why I confidently predict that if she becomes president, progress toward gay equality will slow, because a leading Democrat will impede it in a long slog of triangulation and risk-aversion). Her classic formulation today is what it was before:

"We'll have as much spine as we possibly can, under the circumstances."

Obama is different. He wasn't mugged by the 1980s and 1990s as Clinton was. He doesn't carry within him the liberal self-hatred and self-doubt that Clinton does. The traumatized Democrats fear the majority of Americans are bigoted, know-nothing, racist rubes from whom they need to conceal their true feelings and views. The non-traumatized Democrats are able to say what they think, make their case to potential supporters and act, well, like Republicans acted in the 1980s and 1990s. The choice between Clinton and Obama is the choice between a defensive crouch and a confident engagement. It is the choice between someone who lost their beliefs in a welter of fear; and someone who has faith that his worldview can persuade a majority.

In my view, the call is not a close one.

Amen.

O-Mentum

From Political Wire

... On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton has lost ground to Sen. Barack Obama in New Hampshire and South Carolina as Obama has gained among male Democrats in both states. Clinton continues to lead Edwards among Democrats in Iowa, with Bill Richardson cutting into Edwards' support among Democrats and Richardson leading among independents in the state. These results suggest Obama benefited from the July 23 debate and its aftermath in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Iowa:
Among Democrats, Clinton 30%, Edwards 21%, Obama 15%, Richardson 13%
Among Republicans, Giuliani 22%, Romney 21%, McCain 17%, Thompson 13%

New Hampshire:
Among Democrats, Obama 31%, Clinton 31%, Edwards 14%, Richardson 7%
Among Republicans, Giuliani 27%, Romney 26%, Thompson 13%, McCain 10%

South Carolina:
Among Democrats, Obama 33%, Clinton 29%, Edwards 18%
Among Republicans, Giuliani 28%, Thompson 27%

Carville Wrong?

James Carville often points out that candidates who place their hopes on 'new voters' have a special designation: Loser.

Much of course has been said of Obama's outreach to 'the youth of America', those not traumatized by the 60's, 70's 80's or 90's.

Then there's this item from Think Progress:

65 percent: Number of people under the age of 30 who are “paying at least some attention to the 2008 presidential campaign,” according to a New York Times/CBS News poll. That number is up considerably from July 2003, when just “36 percent of those under age 30 were paying attention to the election.”

The Clinton Legacy

Remember when we had a president who actually facilitated peace? Well, today is another historic milestone on the Path of Peace in Northern Ireland, where the Clinton-led initiatives brought about the unthinkable: Cessation in Sectarian warfare.

Barack better use him.

Anyway:

British army stands down in Northern Ireland

CROSSMAGLEN, Northern Ireland - The army watchtowers have gone and British soldiers no longer search homes looking for wanted men but for many in Northern Ireland’s border towns the trauma of conflict still burns.

The British army ends on Tuesday its 38-year role supporting police in Northern Ireland, its longest military operation ever.

In Crossmaglen, a heartland for Irish nationalists in the British-ruled province who want a united Ireland, residents are still dealing with the legacy of fierce clashes between Republican gunmen and British forces.

VICTORY!

Well, a small one. But it takes a lot to get Bill Clinton (whom I love) on his knees.

Politico gives us the blow-by-blow

Bill Clinton seeks truce with Obama

Bill Clinton said Monday that he had no interest in wading into “that little spat” that broke out last week between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama over whether the next president should commit to meeting with the leader of several U.S. adversaries.

Then, in the next sentence, the former president waded right in -- in a way that sounded like the Clintons are seeking a truce with Obama in the debate over the proper role of presidential diplomacy when dealing with assorted bad guys on the world stage.

While Hillary Clinton and her team pounced on Obama’s pledge to meet with leaders of such countries as Iran, Syria and Cuba as “naïve,” her husband took pains in a speech to centrist Democrats to emphasize that all the candidates basically agree on the big picture.

“We have to get back to more diplomacy,” Clinton said, adding: “I’ve heard no fewer than four of our candidates say in the last month, remind us that in the middle of the cold war, in the darkest hours, we never stopped talking to the Soviets at some level. So no one disputes that.”

If the 42nd president was speaking in any way as a proxy for his wife’s campaign, it’s a pretty clear sign that Obama has succeeded in his pushback against Hillary Clinton.

Threat Down Counterpoint

Colbert nation members know of the threat we all face from The Ursine Menace. Panty-Waist, troop-hating Osama-loving leftists are writing in European (where France is, doncha know) newpapers, minimizing the danger and tilling the soil for Islamofascists!

A recent headline indicates a number of disturbing American trends: Father Kills Bear Charging At Son With Log.

First of all, who's giving these animals logs? There's nothing in the world a respectable bear needs with a log. If that bear has a log, he has it for one reason: to kill somebody...

Oh, wait, hang on. I just went back and read the article. Turns out the father used the log, to kill the bear...

What bothers me about that bear story is this American tendency to step in and do everything for our kids. It would have been better if the father had just handed the kid the log, and said, "Son, throw this, hard, at that bear. Or you're dead." That way, the kid learns something. I'm sure we've all heard the biblical proverb, "If you teach me to fish, I fish for ever; if you kill my fish with your log, next time I'm hungry, I'm just going to come walking up to you with a log and a live fish."

BREAKING JEWS: Christianity a Fiction Fashioned by Semites!

Twenty centuries later, a secret revealed...but you have to give them credit. They can keep a straight face with the best of them.

Stolen in it's entirety from Jesus' General ( who stole it from Jivester) ... it's so good it's criminal.

Jivester News, Lmtd.) In a breathtaking announcement today, Rabbi Soyvitch Goldberginsky told a slightly confused gathering of End Timers at a How to Dress for the Rapture: Boxers, Briefs or Dangler's Puffery seminar in Las Vegas, Nevada that the basis for their religion, the founding gospels of the New Testament were in fact part of an elaborate gag perpetrated by "...a few wisenheimers back in the day. The guys were sitting around, tossing shrimp at pigs for who-knows-why, when one of them says "Hey, what if we say that God shtupped a zaftig and Jr. will give everyone a Get Out of Hell card? And they will have to sing ass-kissing songs and feel bad a lot of the time, just like us."

The audience, who stopped breathing as they scratched their heads, were a bit confused by the announcement. Added Goldberginsky, "What, you didn't know that? You didn't maybe suspect a little something was up with all the David Blaine stuff? Millions of people in the "I'm With Stupid" line and still you don't know? It was a giggle. A zoo. We made it up. What, you thought Yawheh was real too? If I slap your face does wind come out?"

Ed Handlebarb of Grunting, West Virginia, who was attending the conference as part of God's Plan to place him "...near tall, naked white women" did not understand what Goldberginsky was saying. "Did he say Jesus was a Jew? Everybody knows he was a Christian--I mean, yeah, He was a Jew, but His dad was a Christian. Well, His dad was a Jew--no, He did business with the Jews and made a baby with a Jew, but then he became a Christian. He was baptized and everything...they made that shit up? Holy mother of daddy, what the hell am I supposed to pray to now?"

A slight digression vis a vis the Punking of the Gentiles Story: after his stunning public admission to Jewish complicity in the World's Longest Running Gag, a crowd of angry men in long coats and hats began to taunt Soyvitch upon his arrival back in Los Angeles--the Orthodox men wore hats that had been blocked with an attention to detail that should shame anyone who ever tried to block a hat and then charged someone else--i.e. the paying customer for what was obviously substandard work...I mean, so many so-called haberdashers charge for work that is garbage--their so-called craft should stumble and die and rot in a dump. Lousy work that should be loudly condemned and people should dance and laugh at how dumped it all is. But I digress. You would too, if you paid for a hat to be blocked and then it came back like a rhombus. A rhombus. I kid you not. Anyway...

Well, I've had my say. The crowd of Orthodox Jews gathered around and started yelling and making those loud grunting sounds they are famous for. One man with a beard like a wolverine with a mouthful of bear fur who just ate a hair pie during a full moon in a barbershop called out, "Shut your trap, Soyvitch. What, you want the gentiles to get wise? Are you a crazy person? Everything was fine. They were sending cash to the Likkud with great regularity, and now you want they should feel stupid? We should stone you where you stand. Wait, move a little to the left...not my left, your left. Good: that is where we should stone you."

Spokesmen for various Christian groups responded to this story, each adding a unique perspective. Pope German Guy With a Weird Rat Like Face seemed resigned to the whole brouhaha. Pausing while loading gold bars into his VW van, the Pope told this interviewer, "I knew this day would come. I had it in the pool. Das tut mir leid." After loading the van up the Pope jumped in the back as his driver started the engine. It lunged a little, made a grinding sound, stopped short, and then was blown apart by normally cautious bazooka-wielding Bishops who were concerned that the gold bars might not be used for God's Greater Glory or whatever.

"We felt the Holy Spirit," said one Bishop who asked that we don't ask any questions about the Holy Spirit's age. I'd say the lad was eight or nine, ten tops. And I'm sorry, but those were tears in that little boy's eyes. Big Catholic tears.

American Christian Fundamentalists remained non-plussed by the announcement. "Look-the Jews control Hollywood, know what I mean?" said Reverend G. Happy "Doc" Doolittle of the Very First Baptist Church in Little Vapors, Mississippi. "Hollywood is Entertainment, you understand? Show folks a good time, maybe make them think a little--maybe not. And if they invented Christianity the way Soyvitch contendeth, they must have had a good reason for what they have done. Surely, they will die and reside in everlasting fire, but where will that fire come from? I ain't gonna pay for it. You gonna pay for it? They made up Satan, too--think he's gonna pay for it? I don't think he's gonna pay for it. Hallelujah. Lost at last, lost at last, thank them Jew Boys, we are lost at last!"

CNN, unsure of just about everything except how many pharmaceutical companies are coming to their summer picnic, has decided to not cover this story. Wolf Blitzer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said (anonymously, of course), "Dick Cheney doesn't give a shit about God. Why should I? Dick? Anyone? I got a situation here. Which is good, because I'm in the Situation Room. I'm dying."

Deepak Chopra has been giggling incoherently for about a week and could not be channeled for comment.

Fredo For The Ages

From Raw Story

Attorney General helped cover up Bush drunken driving conviction

Alberto Gonzales's difficult relationship with the truth has led to calls for a special prosecutor to investigate claims that the attorney general perjured himself during Senate testimony. But as the Washington Post points out Monday, Gonzales and honesty have had a shaky relationship stretching back more than a decade.

"Whether Gonzales has deliberately told untruths or is merely hampered by his memory has been the subject of intense debate among members of Congress, legal scholars and others who have watched him over the years," report the Post's Dan Eggen and Amy Goldstein. "Some regard his verbal difficulties as a strategic ploy on behalf of a president to whom he owes his career; others see a public official overwhelmed by the magnitude of his responsibilities."

Gonzales's apparent willingness to dissemble in order to protect himself or President Bush stretches back to at least 1996, when he intervened to prevent then-Gov. Bush from serving jury duty in Texas, the Post notes.

Not until its second-to-last paragraph, however, does the Post article remind readers that by not serving jury duty in the drunken driving case Bush was able to keep his own drunken driving conviction a secret for several more years.

"He's a slippery fellow, and I think so intentionally," University of Texas public affairs professor Richard L. Schott told the Post. "He's trying to keep the president's secrets and to be a team player, even if it means prevaricating or forgetting convenient things."

Questions about Gonzales willingness to protect Bush in relation to the drunken driving case were first raised last year by Newsweek investigative reporter Michael Isikoff. If Bush had served on the jury he would have had to reveal his own past conviction, but Gonzales convinced the defense attorney to ask that Bush be kept from the jury on the grounds that he may be called on to pardon the defendant.

The Post outlines Gonzales's recently disputed testimony regarding the Bush Administration's warrantless wiretapping program, which has led four senators to request a special prosecutor's investigation, and his involvement in last year's dismissal of nine US Attorneys.

Schott told the Post that Gonzales' "almost subconscious bond of loyalty" to Bush might be behind his dissembling.

"It's obvious that Gonzales owes Bush his career," Schott said.

It's A Whiz!

That middle one doesn't make me feel very happy ....

The Chinese city of Chongqing has opened the world's largest restroom.



The four-story, 1,000-stall facility features TVs, a soothing soundtrack piped throughout, crocodile- and Virgin Mary-themed urinals, and stalls with no roofs for those who prefer to relieve themselves al fresco.


A local government official brags, "We are spreading toilet culture.... After they use the bathroom [people] will be very, very happy."

Al Who?

"We had no takers."

-- Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, quoted by Think Progress, after mentioning that the show "invited White House officials and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to defend Attorney General Gonzales."

Ready To Snatch Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory

A new Diagio/Hotline national survey finds Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 39%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 30%, and John Edwards at 11%. All other candidates receive less than 5%.

On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani edges out former Sen. Fred Thompson 20% to 19%, with Sen. John McCain third with 17% and Mitt Romney fourth at 8%. All other candidates receive less than 5% each.

Meanwhile, a new George Washington University Battleground Poll shows Giuliani edging
Clinton in a general election matchup:

Clinton 44%, Giuliani 50%
Clinton 47%, Thompson 45%
Obama 52%, Giuliani 43%
Obama 56%, Thompson 36%

I Believe The Children Are Our Future

A new Democracy Corps/Greenberg Quinlan Rosner survey finds young people "profoundly alienated from the Republican party and its perceived values."

Key finding: "Young people react with hostility to the Republicans on almost every measure and Republicans and younger voters disagree on almost every major issue of the day."

In the presidential race, "both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama lead Rudy Giuliani -- the most acceptable of the Republican offerings among youth -- by significant margins. The President’s standing is substantially worse, to the degree that is possible, than we find in the broader electorate. Moreover, the disconnect we see between the Republicans and our nation’s youth runs so deep, that it likely will not only outlive the Bush administration, but potentially haunt the Republicans for many years to come."

Complete survey results are available.

Mea Culpa

So I've been absent...

The non-stop parade of crimes against America (and dogs) that has comprised the news in the last week collided with my schedule. I haven't has the time to damp my fisgust enough to cut paste and write all that needs to be cut pasted and written.

Pictures Of Lily

The Battle of the soft fuzzy striped humanoid squeaky thingy

Q: How many Christianists does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: Christianists don't screw in lightbulbs, they screw in brothels.

Q. How many neocons does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A. That's an interesting question, one that I'm sure future historians will investigate in detail. Look, let me address this issue up front: I don't know who's been installing light bulbs or who hasn't. That's none of my business. There's a lot of different views, there's a range of views, and a lot of concerns, and we are working to accommodate those concerns. We know at this point that we still have some work to do and we are working very hard to address these issues. We're not making estimates. At this point what you've had are some fairly -- you had some dramatic testimony and comments -- by the way, you can expect people to be ventilating these differing points of views in coming days. Our view is you have to have a resolution that offers a solution. And you're going to have people -- there is sometimes, you'll be surprised to hear, a disparity between comments made in public for domestic audiences around the world, and comments made in private, as well. In short, we don't want to comment on an ongoing investigation.

No Surprise

No One Admits To Singing, Writing, Producing Nation's No. 1 Song

LOS ANGELES—Neither rejected American Idol contestants nor Diddy have come forward as creators of the song, whose sole lyrics are "Baby baby, Luvya girl."

No Question

"I think more war crimes have been committed in the detention and interrogation and fake trials of people in Guantánamo than people in Guantánamo have committed. And I don't think the question is whether they've tortured people," - Major Tom Fleener, United States Army Reserve, and a military lawyer assigned to one of the Gitmo detainees.

Read the whole thing if you still believe the lies your government is telling you about its detention and rendition policies.

Well, Duh

If they weren't so incompetent at dictatorship we might have gotten something out of all this tragedy.

Bush Aides See Failure in Fight With Al Qaeda in Pakistan

WASHINGTON, July 17 — President Bush’s top counterterrorism advisers acknowledged Tuesday that the strategy for fighting Osama bin Laden’s leadership of Al Qaeda in Pakistan had failed, as the White House released a grim new intelligence assessment that has forced the administration to consider more aggressive measures inside Pakistan.

The intelligence report, the most formal assessment since the Sept. 11 attacks about the terrorist threat facing the United States, concludes that the United States is losing ground on a number of fronts in the fight against Al Qaeda, and describes the terrorist organization as having significantly strengthened over the past two years.
In identifying the main reasons for Al Qaeda’s resurgence, intelligence officials and White House aides pointed the finger squarely at a hands-off approach toward the tribal areas by Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who last year brokered a cease-fire with tribal leaders in an effort to drain support for Islamic extremism in the region.

“It hasn’t worked for Pakistan,” said Frances Fragos Townsend, who heads the Homeland Security Council at the White House. “It hasn’t worked for the United States.”

Bye Bye Rudy Bye Bye

Compare and contrast the trend lines of these two 'top tier' Republican Candidates

Geez, The Mullahs Musta Had Problems With This

OK, this one caught us off guard:

Arafat died of AIDS, confirms Palestinian leader

....Jibril, like many Palestinians, readily accepted the notion that Israel had assassinated Arafat, and wanted the Palestinian Authority to conduct an official investigation concluding as much. The response from Abbas' aides changed in an instant Jibril's view of his deceased mentor.

“They were silent, and then one of them said to me: 'To be honest, the French gave us the medical report, that stated that the cause of [Arafat's] death was AIDS.'”

Arafat eventually died in a Paris hospital after being airlifted out of Ramallah. Many speculated that the Palestinian leader, who was said to have had numerous homosexual relationships, had in fact contracted AIDS.

The Lazy Susan Of Why

Think Progress Reviews The History of Our Iraq Goals

The Ever Changing Definition of ‘Mission’ In Iraq

In June 2005, ThinkProgress noted the Bush was constantly revising the definition of our “mission” in Iraq.

Reporting on his escalation strategy this week, President Bush claimed “satisfactory” progress in many areas of the “new mission” in Iraq. Bush has changed the definition of our “mission” in Iraq so many times, he has made it impossible for the American public, U.S. forces, and the Iraqi population to have any confidence that the mission will be ever completed.

THE PRE-WAR MISSION WAS TO RID IRAQ OF WMD
Bush: “Our mission is clear in Iraq. Should we have to go in, our mission is very clear: disarmament.” [3/6/03]

AFTER THE WAR BEGAN, THE MISSION EXPANDED
Bush: “Our cause is just, the security of the nations we serve and the peace of the world. And our mission is clear, to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people.” [3/22/03]

Bush: “Our forces have been given a clear mission: to end a regime that threatened its neighbors and the world with weapons of mass destruction and to free a people that had suffered far too long.” [4/14/03]

THEN THE MISSION WAS COMPLETE
Bush: “On Thursday, I visited the USS Abraham Lincoln, now headed home after the longest carrier deployment in recent history. I delivered good news to the men and women who fought in the cause of freedom: Their mission is complete, and major combat operations in Iraq have ended.” [5/3/03]

BUT THEN IT CONTINUED AGAIN
Bush: “The United States and our allies will complete our mission in Iraq.” [7/30/03]

THEN THE MISSION WAS TO DEVELOP A FREE IRAQ
Bush: “That has been our mission all along, to develop the conditions such that a free Iraq will emerge, run by the Iraqi citizens.” [11/4/03]

Bush: “We will see that Iraq is free and self-governing and democratic. We will accomplish our mission.” [5/4/04]

AND TO TRAIN THE IRAQI TROOPS
Bush: “And our mission is clear there, as well, and that is to train the Iraqis so they can do the fighting; make sure they can stand up to defend their freedoms, which they want to do.” [6/2/05]

Bush: “We’re making progress toward the goal, which is, on the one hand, a political process moving forward in Iraq, and on the other hand, the Iraqis capable of defending themselves. And we will — we will complete this mission for the sake of world peace.” [6/20/05]

THEN IT SHIFTED TO ADVANCING DEMOCRACY
Bush: “We will stay as long as necessary to complete the mission. … Advancing the ideal of democracy and self-government is the mission that created our nation — and now it is the calling of a new generation of Americans.” [11/30/05]

AND PROTECTING AMERICA FROM TERRORISTS
Bush: “In the coming days, there will be considerable reflection on the removal of Saddam Hussein from power and our remaining mission in Iraq…By helping the Iraqi people build a free and representative government, we will deny the terrorists a safe haven to plan attacks against America.” [3/11/06]

Bush: “We will finish the mission. By defeating the terrorists in Iraq, we will bring greater security to our own country. And when victory is achieved, our troops will return home with the honor they have earned.” [3/18/06]

THEN THE MISSION WAS PROVIDING SECURITY FOR THE IRAQI POPULATION
Bush: “In fact, we have a new strategy with a new mission: helping secure the population, especially in Baghdad. Our plan puts Iraqis in the lead.” [1/13/07]

Bush: “[I]t’s the combination of providing security in neighborhoods through these joint security stations, and training that is the current mission we’re going through, with a heavy emphasis on security in Baghdad.” [4/10/07]

AND NOW?
Bush: “It’s a new mission. And David Petraeus is in Iraq carrying it out. Its goal is to help the Iraqis make progress toward reconciliation — to build a free nation that respects the rights of its people, upholds the rule of law, and is an ally against the extremists in this war.” [6/28/07]

Impeachment: The Final Solution

GW Bush From David Brooks' NYT column today:

"It's more of a theological perspective. I do believe there is an Almighty, and I believe a gift of that Almighty to all is freedom. And I will tell you that is a principle that no one can convince me that doesn’t exist."

Lindsey, Bill - Maybe You Should Follow The Money

Senator Graham insisted that military re-enlistments show the faith that service-families have in our Iraq adventure. Bill Kristol, purveyor of Kristol-Meth, insists that we must support the families wishes by hanging in ther with 'em and their efforts.

But ... I wonder if the $50k, tax-free re-enlistment bonus has anything to do with the re-ups.

And I think that this fact may suggest where the families' idea of suppport lies (from iraqslogger.com):

The Presidential campaigns just released their quarterly campaign finance reports, leaving much of the mainstream media remarking on Paul's surge in online donations from his healthy Internet following, though the $2.3 million he raised still has him trailing far behind the front runners.

But a closer look at the reports reveals a less obvious but more remarkable development--the antiwar Republican received nearly 50% of the money donated by employees of the US military.

It's No Walk In the Park, But We Could Live With It

"I honestly don't think it will be apocalyptic. But it will be ugly," - retired Marine Col. Gary Anderson, who conducted war games for the Pentagon to predict what would happen in the event of a US withdrawal from central Iraq. The three main scenarios:

Majority Shiites would drive Sunnis out of ethnically mixed areas west to Anbar province. Southern Iraq would erupt in civil war between Shiite groups. And the Kurdish north would solidify its borders and invite a U.S. troop presence there. In short, Iraq would effectively become three separate nations.

Perhaps it should have happened a long time ago. More pertinent:

The games also predicted that Iran would intervene on one side of a Shiite civil war and would become bogged down in southern Iraq

John Edwards Vows To End All Bad Things By 2011

DES MOINES, IA—Edwards' "Good Things for All" initiative builds on previous efforts to end bad things, like skinned knees, curse words, and splinters.

Only 553 Days Left And So Much Mayhem Still To Create

The balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favour of military action before President George Bush leaves office in 18 months, the Guardian has learned.

The shift follows an internal review involving the White House, the Pentagon and the state department over the last month. Although the Bush administration is in deep trouble over Iraq, it remains focused on Iran. A well-placed source in Washington said: "Bush is not going to leave office with Iran still in limbo."

Read On ....

Weenies!

A Congressional Democrat has been reined in for calling President George W. Bush a 'liar' during a Thursday hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, according to the Monday edition of the newspaper Roll Call.

"Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.) offered a lengthy criticism of Bush’s record toward the end of Thursday’s hearing, which included a statement that Bush lied about the reasons for going to war with Iraq in 2003," writes Susan Davis. "Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) offered an objection on the grounds that Watt’s words were 'unparliamentary' and violated House rules on debate and decorum that forbid personal attacks on Members, the president or vice president."

The Rest here

A Precis' On The Precipice

Mr Dan and I often laugh about conversations that we have overheard on the Train between DC and NYC but we never ride the high-speed, high-roller Acela. Adriana Huffington does and so does GT12 bete' noir William Kristol. And she eavesdrops too...

Kristol was sitting a row behind me, talking on his cell phone with someone who apparently shared his optimism. "'Precipitous withdrawal' really worked," I overheard him say, clearly referring to the president's use of the term in that morning's press conference. "How many times did he use it? Three? Four?" he asked his interlocutor, and the conversation continued with a round of metaphorical back-slapping for the clever phrase they had "come up with."

I, of course, have no idea who was on the other end. Tony Snow, perhaps? After all, he and Kristol were colleagues before Snow left Fox. But whoever it was, the emphasis during their conversation on the significance of the "clever" phrase has been emblematic of the White House prepping of the president.

Instead of sending their boss out with the real facts or logical arguments, Bush's aides and their friends (see Kristol) concoct some nonsense phrase in the spin lab, hand it to him and tell him to go out there and repeat it as often as he can. The latest is "precipitous withdrawal." It's the new "cut and run." It's actually not all that new: back in January 1969, Richard Nixon used it again and again in his famous "Silent Majority" speech: "The precipitate withdrawal of American forces from Vietnam would be a disaster not only for South Vietnam but for the United States and for the cause of peace." Again and again throughout the speech, Nixon used the phrase to paint the nightmarish consequences of a "precipitate withdrawal" from Vietnam.

Ms H reviews the the sordid trail of lies that Bill has been shamelessly hoisting on the public.

I know it's a pretty high bar, but Bill Kristol, the founder of the Project for a New American Century that spawned the Iraq war, the man whose editorials often seem to be inserted directly into the president's speeches, and who once boasted that "Dick Cheney does send over someone to pick up 30 copies of [The Weekly Standard] every Monday," has now just written the single most deceptive piece of the entire war.

The charitable view is that he's lost his mind. The less charitable view is that he's now officially surpassed Dick Cheney as the most intellectually dishonest member of the neocon establishment (the highest of all high bars). The truth-shattering piece appeared yesterday on the front page of the Washington Post Outlook section. It is entitled "Why Bush Will Be A Winner."

....

It isn't pretty. In fact, the Washington Post should have put some kind of warning on the piece for pregnant women, heart patients, and anyone with an allergy to bullshit. And if the pipeline from Kristol to the White House works the same for this piece as for "precipitous withdrawal," the country is in even worse shape than we thought.
So what did he say? I'll take it in order, and focus on national security.

After allowing that the war has been "difficult," he writes that "we now seem to be on course to a successful outcome."

Really? Not only does he give no evidence for this, not only does he ignore all the overwhelmingly contradictory evidence; he also conveniently neglects to even define what a "successful outcome" would be.

Then comes an onslaught of lies:

Read it all here and know why he should be jailed.

Pictures Of Lily

Ixnay Onay the Reedomay of Eligionray

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Everytime I think about having voted for thios guy for veep, I need a shower.

Lieberman: Bush’s ‘Ratings Among Historians Will Be Greater Than His Ratings In The Polls Today’

Yesterday in an interview with right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) praised President Bush’s policies in Iraq and predicted that Bush will be remembered by historians as a great President:

HEWITT: Oh, that’s fascinating. Last question, how do you think history’s going to evaluate George W. Bush?

LIEBERMAN: Well, I personally believe look, mistakes were made, and I know the polls are down, but I think on the largest issue of our time, which is the rise of Islamist extremism, that he will be judged as a president who saw the threat, and in the midst of an unpopular war, he stuck with it. And so I think overall, over time, his ratings among the historians will be greater than his ratings in the polls today

Well, Who's Left Then?

O'Reilly takes on Tony Snow, 'You can't win' in Iraq

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly promised his audience "the truth about Iraq" on Thursday, saying that most Americans now feel the war has not been worth the costs, while "the president's argument for sustaining the war is largely theoretical."

O'Reilly turned on his special guest during the segment, White House press secretary Tony Snow, saying, "You can't win ... unless the Iraqi people turn on all the terrorists. And they're not."

O'Reilly said he agreed with the president that defeat in Iraq could harm the US but said that "enough is enough." The populist pundit who, according to his Wikipedia entry hasn't been a registered Republican since 2000, added that the American people are as exhausted by this war as they ultimately were by Vietnam, and also that "the Iraqi government is incompetent and "the people themselves largely ungrateful."

A Big Reason That I'm A Democrat

Obama derided President Bush's commutation of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison term, noting black men routinely serve time.

"We know we have more work to do when Scooter Libby gets no prison time and a 21-year-old honor student, who hadn't even committed a felony, gets 10 years in prison," Obama said.

Aides said Obama was referring to Genarlow Wilson, a Georgia man serving a 10-year prison sentence for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 17. A judge last month ordered Wilson to be freed, but prosecutors are blocking the order.

Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted of lying and obstruction of justice in the CIA-leak case. He received a 30-month prison sentence, which Bush commuted last week.

Another Reason That I'm A Democrat

I'm against Big Government

The Decider

I'm on the road but Sullivan has a nice wrap-up of The Mishap-In-Chief's press conference.

From The Blogosphere

A reader of Andrew sullivan writes:

In saying merely that the GOP has shown a contempt for gay voters, you are being far too fair. The more accurate statement is that the GOP has built its base on a political ideology that demonizes gays. And also feminists. And scientists. And anyone who doesn't hold traditional Jewish or Christian views. That IS the culture war. When that old-fashioned God and gay hatred are used to define one side, that puts a lot of us on the other. And what are the rest of us to do, in our political efforts in a two-party system? Treat equally the party that demonizes us and the party that welcomes us?

Even if the latter party is a disorganized opposition party with historical obligations to a wide variety of special interest groups, even if one might prefer some of the specific planks of the first party, it's hard to overlook that demonization. That counts for a lot in politics. And should. Gays, scientists, and atheists have been told by the GOP that they ARE the enemy. In practical politics, a group's demonization by one of the two major political parties may look quite a bit like its "merger" with the other. It's important, nonetheless, to understand the root cause of that shift.

What more is there to say?

A Question Of Size

Recent visitors have remarked that Lily is smaller than GT12's pictures suggested. So here's a pic w/some reference (the shoe is a size 10).

Post-Jurassic Park Coming Soon

A very well preserved 10,000 year old Baby Wooly Mamoth has been found in Siberia.

Ahh, July, when a young scientists attention goes to thoughts of re-creation (from CNN):

Scientists hope the animal might yield DNA samples that could be used to clone and effectively resurrect the extinct members of the elephant family.

Good Target

"Sen. John Edwards began what he's calling his poverty tour today. He's visiting people who have no money and no hope. His first stop: John McCain's campaign headquarters,"

- Jay Leno last night.

An Important New Blog

Hi, I'm Rusty.

I am afraid of high speeds.

In fact, high speeds scare the crap out of me. My owner is helping me get the word out against Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney is mean to dogs. He scares us.

Help me get my message out [Here].

Rusty

Just say no to tying your dog to the roof of the car for 12 hour family road trips.

"Those People"

OK, they can go lower than I ever thought....

More from Dr. Carmona 's testimony.

And administration officials even discouraged him from attending the Special Olympics because, he said, of that charitable organization’s longtime ties to a “prominent family” that he refused to name.

“I was specifically told by a senior person, ‘Why would you want to help those people?’ ” Dr. Carmona said.

The Special Olympics is one of the nation’s premier charitable organizations to benefit disabled people, and the Kennedys have long been deeply involved in it.

When asked after the hearing if that “prominent family” was the Kennedys, Dr. Carmona responded, “You said it. I didn’t.”

Why Harry Matters

The Order Of the Phoenix in the Potter Books is a model insurgent patriot group ... really.

As I re-read the book a few weeks ago I was again warmed by the knowledge that millions of children are reading about the need to question and mistrust their leaders.

But don't take my word for it, here's University of Tennesee law Professor Benjamin Barton:

"What would you think of a government that engaged in this list of tyrannical activities: tortured children for lying; designed its prison specifically to suck all life and hope out of the inmates; placed citizens in that prison without a hearing; ordered the death penalty without a trial; allowed the powerful, rich or famous to control policy; selectively prosecuted crimes (the powerful go unpunished and the unpopular face trumped-up charges); conducted criminal trials without defense counsel; used truth serum to force confessions; maintained constant surveillance over all citizens; offered no elections and no democratic lawmaking process; and controlled the press?

"You might assume that the above list is the work of some despotic central African nation, but it is actually the product of the Ministry of Magic, the magician's government in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series."

Finally! Someone Going To Ten

I have limited interest in Moore's oeuvre' ... I don't really value my side's propaganda anymore than I do the other side's ... BUT

Why, after all the failures of the media, their complicity (you're on my list Judy Miller and Tom Friedman) in repeating the administrations lies (and their refusal to even examine them) does it take until last night for anyone to really tear them the new one they so richly deserve. Cheers to you Michael Moore. (Oh, and Fuck you Wolfie and Sanjay)

God Is Great, Science Is Bad, Your Doctor Should Know This

From The NY Times:

Former Surgeon General Says He Was Muzzled

"Anything that doesn't fit into the political appointees' ideological, theological or political agenda is ignored, marginalized or simply buried," Dr. Richard Carmona, who served as the nation's top doctor from 2002 until 2006, told a House of Representatives committee.

"The problem with this approach is that in public health, as in a democracy, there is nothing worse than ignoring science, or marginalizing the voice of science for reasons driven by changing political winds. The job of surgeon general is to be the doctor of the nation, not the doctor of a political party," Carmona added.

Carmona said Bush administration political appointees censored his speeches and kept him from talking out publicly about certain issues, including the science on embryonic stem cell research, contraceptives and his misgivings about the administration's embrace of "abstinence-only" sex education.

Carmona's comments came two days before a Senate committee is due to hold a hearing on Bush's nomination of Dr. James Holsinger as his successor. The administration allowed Carmona to finish his term as surgeon general last year without a replacement in place.

Continue...

Pictures Of Lily

Seemingly a bit perplexed on her second Monday in Chicago

Traditional Conservative ... Neo-Liberal?

or just sane ...

Dan Phillips:

Does victory mean toppling Saddam? Done. Does victory mean ensuring Iraq doesn’t have weapons of mass destruction? Done. Does it mean a stable and Western style democracy in Iraq? Good luck with that. Does it just mean a stable but perhaps not democratic Iraq? Good luck with that as well. Does it mean modernizing and westernizing all of the Middle East? Does it mean stamping out all vestiges of "Shari'a-observant Islam" or more crudely put, wiping out "Islamo-fascism." Most War on Terror supporters I have talked to cannot give a coherent answer.

Party-son

Bill Kristol let's us know what really at stake in Iraq. And of course it ain't the honor of our soldiers sacrifice. Bill Kristol is just a piece of shit. I understand why people support the death penalty when I think of Bill Kristol. Unlike him and his ilk, I understand that 'feeling' does not trump law and order. National or international.

Why on earth pull the plug now? Why give in to an insane, irrational panic that will destroy the Bush administration and most likely sweep the Republican party to ruin?

Bush Trends Below 29%

Why Sting Doesn't Matter

No One Can Re-Invent, Re-Create, Re-Energize and Re-Discover like the little Italian girl from Dearborn MI.

God Bless Madonna.

Now, For The Important Predictions

Harry as a Horucrux? I'd never thought of that.

Salon Polls it's writers. Here's my favorite:

Do Harry and evil Lord Voldemort finally throw down?

They most certainly do, in a 223-page rampage of blood, sweat, and potions. The action is pitched and plainly homoerotic. (At one point, transfigured into amorous bonobos, they tongue-kiss.) Having battled to a draw, they settle the matter in a most unexpected manner: a chili cook-off! Voldemort, allergic to the peanut oil Harry used to braise his tenderloin, goes into anaphylactic shock and perishes.

What about the death eaters, then?

Without Voldemort's leadership, they return to politics.

And Hogwarts?

One word: Disney.

For the record, I say that Voldemort and Snape snuff-it. Harry will do in The Dark Lord and Snape will die protecting Draco from The Killing Curse.

Oh, BTW, I'm not available 7/21/07 -7/22/07.