Even The Right Wing Is Listening

As Barry O's spin-victory continues:

From The Wall Street Journal On-Line:

Obama Is Right on Iran

Talking with Tehran may help us wage the wars we need to fight.

BY SHELBY STEELE Monday, November 26, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST

After a recent Democratic presidential debate, Barack Obama proclaimed that were he to become president, he would talk directly even to America's worst enemies. One could imagine President Obama as a kind of superhero taking off in Air Force One for Tehran, there to be greeted on the tarmac by the villainous Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Was this a serious foreign policy proposal or simply a campaign counterpunch? Hillary Clinton had already held up this idea as evidence of Mr. Obama's naiveté. Wasn't he just pushing back, displaying his commitment to "diplomacy"--now the most glamorous word in the Democratic "antiwar" lexicon?

Whatever Mr. Obama's intent, history has given his idea a rather bad reputation. Neville Chamberlain springs to mind as a man who was famously seduced into the wishful thinking that seems central to the idea of talking to one's enemies. Today few Americans--left or right--would be comfortable with direct talks between our president and a character like Mr. Ahmadinejad. Wouldn't such talk only puff up extremist leaders and make America into a supplicant?

On its face, Mr. Obama's idea seems little more than a far-left fantasy. But perhaps it looks this way because we are viewing it through too narrow a conception of warfare. We tend to think of our wars as miniature versions of World War II, a war of national survival. But since then we have fought wars in which our national survival was not immediately, or even remotely, at stake. We have fought wars in distant lands for rather abstract reasons, and there has been the feeling that these were essentially wars of choice: We could win or lose without jeopardizing our nation's survival.

Mr. Obama's idea clearly makes no sense in a context of national survival. It would have been absurd for President Roosevelt to fly to Berlin and talk to Hitler. But Mr. Obama's idea does make sense in the buildup to wars where survival is not at risk--wars that are more a matter of urgent choice than of absolute necessity.

I think of such wars as essentially wars of discipline. Their purpose is to preserve a favorable balance of power that is already in place in the world. We fight these wars not to survive but--once a menace has arisen--to discipline the world back into a balance of power that best ensures peace. We fight as enforcers rather than as rebels or as patriots fighting for survival. Wars of discipline are pre-emptive by definition. They pre-empt menace to the peaceful world order. We don't sacrifice blood and treasure for change; we sacrifice for constancy.

Conversely, in wars of survival, like World War II, we fight to achieve a favorable balance of power--one in which a peace is established that guarantees our sovereignty and survival. We fight unapologetically for dominance, and we determine to defeat our enemy by any means necessary. We do not harry ourselves much over the style of warfare--whether the locals like us, where the line between interrogation and torture might lie, whether or not we are solicitous of our captive's religious beliefs or dietary strictures. There is no feeling in society that we can afford to lose these wars. And so we never have.

Continue reading here.

Star Power

Remember how well Bruce and REM and all the Vote For Change campaign helped now President Jophn Kerry?

Ca$hing In

Lott to Resign

Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) plans to resign by year's end, according to The Politico.

"The announcement took Capitol Hill by surprise because Lott, the former majority leader, seemed to be relishing his job. He had regained a post in leadership after he resigned following racially insensitive remarks at a birthday party for the late Sen. Strom Thurmond."

"Lott would be the sixth Republican senator to announce plans to step down this election cycle. His term expires in 2012; and a resignation would prompt a special election to fill the remainder of his term."

Roll Call says the "shocking move" was "precipitated by a desire to spend more time with his family and a general fatigue of Congress."

Meanwhile, sources tell NBC News Lott is backing Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) to replace him in the party leadership, but that would be determined by secret ballot within the Republican caucus.

CQ has a good backgrounder on the Mississippi Senate seats.

Neighbor News

Bad news for Bill Richardson and Governor Vilsack, good news for the Midwest

From Political Wire

Indiana Could Turn Blue

"Disillusioned with President Bush's handling of the war, the economy and immigration, nearly half of likely voters in Indiana appear poised to buck 40 years of tradition and vote for a Democratic presidential ticket -- if it includes Sen. Evan Bayh," according to a new Indianapolis Star-WTHR poll.

The poll "revealed a growing sense of pessimism, with nearly three-quarters saying the nation is headed in the wrong direction and 28 percent approving of George W. Bush's performance as president."

White Elitist Prep School Endangerment Watch

From Think Progress:

Save Tucker?
“Rumors have been flying recently that Tucker Carlson could soon be on the way out at MSNBC.” Tucker’s show is “in real danger of being canceled,” according to an NBC official, but the right won’t let him go down without a fight. TVNewswer reports that a few of Tucker’s die-hard fans have launched a petition drive to “save Tucker.” The group’s webpage states, “This decision by MSNBC will silence a conservative voice, part of a move by MSNBC to swing left and become ‘FOX for the Liberals,’ dropping any pretense of objectivity or balance.”

The Surge Is On

Progressive Radio in chicago doubles its power TODAY

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lily's first Turkey Dayand her first snow!

We are thankful for our loved ones and for the ever changing tapestry of life.

Cheers To All of You

“I had unknowingly passed along false information,”

I always wondered how Scott McClellan could tolerate being such a chump. It's not like he looked comfortable at lying (like Tony Snow) ...

“I had unknowingly passed along false information,” McClellan wrote.

“And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the president's chief of staff and the president himself."

The 400-page hardcover, with a price of $27.95, is set for publication April 21.

Today's Wicked Smile

Evil Bastard Road Trip off to a rocky start

Embattled former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was a few minutes into his speech Monday night when the first two protesters took the stage, their heads covered and hands tied behind their backs like Abu Ghraib prisoners.

One of the young men stood silently beside Gonzales, who looked down at his notes and waited for two police officers to lead him away. Then came a young man in a military fatigue jacket, who stood directly in front of Gonzales with a sign declaring: “Habeus corpus.”

This Better Come Out In Time

McClellan Admits Mistakes

In his forthcoming memoir, former White House press secretary Scott McClellan admits to misleading the press and says President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Andrew Card, Karl Rove and Scooter Libby were all complicit.

The Mayor of 9/10

Will two weeks of media bravado finally be defeated by eight years of feckless administration?

I find that I have less and less ability to believe the general population 'won't get fooled again' but, I guess it doesn't hurt to feign hope:

Giuliani's 9/11 Image In Jeopardy

Coupled with losing the endorsement of 9/11 Commission Chair Tom Kean to Sen. John McCain yesterday, the Newsday finds that Rudy Giuliani's "image as 9/11 mayor took a double hit" yesterday as New York firefighters and families of victims of the terrorist attacks took their campaign against him to New Hampshire for the first time.

The AP reports that the New York firefighters, including two who lost sons in the terrorist attacks, held a meeting at Dartmouth College, accusing Giuliani "of politicizing the firefighters' deaths by making his post-9/11 leadership the centerpiece of his presidential campaign."

Two firefighters said Giuliani "ignored recommendations to equip firefighters with radios that would have allowed them to communicate with police and to set up a unified command center so both departments could share decision-making during big emergencies. Both men lost sons at the trade center."

Dumb

Forget about the dissing of New Orleans ... Whatever happened to the West and North? The Dems allow the majority of the debates to land in the opponent's ballpark.

The Commission on Presidential Debates has picked Oxford, Miss.; St. Louis; Nashville; and Hempstead, N.Y., as the sites of the presidential and vice-presidential debates in the general election campaign next year.

Likeable?

There really are two America's ...

AP-Yahoo Poll: If the election were about likable people, Obama and Giuliani would lead field

By NANCY BENAC
From Associated PressNovember 20, 2007 7:10 AM EST

WASHINGTON - Democrats and Republicans alike have strong opinions about who has the best chance of capturing the presidency in 2008 - Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, that is - but that is not necessarily the candidate they would rather go bowling with, take along on a family vacation or even vote for.

An in-depth survey of more than 2,000 people offers a window into the thinking of Americans as they look far beyond electability in making their choices for president - grappling with matters of personality, policy and religion in sorting through the candidates.

... Which Democrat is judged the most likable? None has a clear advantage among Democratic voters, with Clinton, Obama and Edwards running about even. Among all voters, however, Obama has the edge.

...Which Republican is the most likable? Giuliani gets the nod, both from Republican voters and among voters overall.

Hold a sheer popularity contest, pitting the most likable Democrat vs. the best-liked Republican, and it would be Obama over Giuliani, 54 percent to 46 percent.

Poll Dancing

Salon Sums up the new WaPo Poll with some modicum of sobriety:

Obama edges up in Iowa

When the Washington Post/ABC News Poll checked in on Iowa in July, Barack Obama had the support of 27 percent of would-be caucus goers while Hillary Clinton and John Edwards had 26 percent each.

A new Post-ABC poll released Monday night has Obama with the support of 30 percent of would-be caucus goers. Clinton is still at 26 percent, and Edwards' support has dropped to 22 percent.

Before going any further, we should note that the new poll has 4.5-point margin of error, so just about any conclusions that could be drawn from differences between the first poll and the second -- it's a "surge," says Team Obama; will you look at Missouri, says Team Clinton -- have to be viewed through a prism of serious skepticism.

That having been said, there are a few observations worth observing about the numbers behind the numbers here.

Gender: Clinton and Obama are running neck-and-neck among women, but Obama has a significant lead among men; he gets support from 28 percent of men while she gets just 19 percent, a number that's lower than John Edwards' and not much higher than Bill Richardson's.

Honesty: Roughly three-quarters of likely Iowa caucus goers say Obama and Edwards are willing to say what they actually think; only 50 percent hold this view about Clinton.

Experience: Likely caucus goers say that Clinton, Edwards and Richardson all have better experience for the presidency than Obama does, but Clinton's numbers on this point are dropping: Fifty percent said she had the best experience in July; just 38 percent do now.

Second choices: Under Iowa's caucus system, candidates are eliminated from contention if they don't draw the support of 15 percent of caucus-goers, thereby freeing their voters to get behind somebody else. That means second choices can matter, and Obama has a significant advantage over Clinton there. When you combine voters who favor Obama now with those who list him as their second choice, you get to 55 percent. Do the same math with Clinton, and your get only as high as 44 percent.

The rest of the pack: At the risk of being accused of ignoring anyone but the front-runners, let's just say that Iowa voters are pretty much ignoring them, too. Richardson is at 11 percent; Joe Biden is at 4 percent (up from 2 percent in July); Dennis Kucinich is holding steady at 2 percent and Chris Dodd still has one percent.

Tie Your Mothership Down

Brian May Named University Chancellor

LONDON - Brian May, rock star and astrophysicist, has been appointed chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University.

May will be installed as the university's figurehead leader early next year, it was announced Monday. The 60-year-old Queen guitarist said the appointment was "a great honor and a great new challenge."

He is an honorary fellow of Liverpool John Moores University, which has a well-known astrophysics research institute.

"Brian May is an intensely talented individual who achieved global success with Queen," said the university's vice chancellor, Michael Brown, in a statement. "In this age of celebrity culture, it is rare to find someone who has fame, fortune and universal acclaim and yet who remains true to his core values of learning and enlightenment."

May succeeds Cherie Booth, wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Liverpool John Moores University was formed in 1992 from the former Liverpool Polytechnic.

May completed his doctorate in astrophysics earlier this year. He was awarded his qualification by Imperial College London.

He was an astrophysics student at Imperial College when he joined Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor to form Queen in 1970, but dropped his doctorate as the glam rock band became more successful.

May is the co-author of "Bang! The Complete History of the Universe," which was published last year.

FoxNews is to Bush as CNN is to Clinton?

How slanted was the debate? ....

It's a big question this week.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

My neighborhood still doesn't have a Starbucks!

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Starbucks Corp., the world's largest chain of coffee shops, fell the most in six years in New York trading after the company lowered its profit and sales forecasts following a first-ever decline in U.S. customer visits.

The stock declined $1.99, or 8.3 percent, to $22.11 at 11:51 a.m. in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading, the biggest decline since November 2001. The shares have lost 32 percent this year before today.

Starbucks raised prices by an average of 9 cents a cup in July, causing U.S. customers who face higher food, fuel and housing expenses to go to McDonald's Corp. and Dunkin' Donuts LLC for cheaper coffee. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is among the few retailers to benefit from shoppers seeking lower-cost alternatives after reducing its prices ahead of the holidays.

What To Think?

George Will, quoted in a weekly Standard Blog:

Large undertakings in domestic policy --e.g., the enactments of Social Security in 1935 and of Medicare in 1965 - often follow landslide elections. In the 15 presidential elections since the Second World War, only twice has the Democratic candidate won 50 percent of the popular vote - Lyndon Johnson emphatically in 1964 and Jimmy Carter narrowly in 1976. In 2008, Obama is more likely than Clinton to win an impressive electoral vote total that will look like a mandate. Conservatives should think: Although Republicans have much to fear in 2008, they might have less to fear from her as a candidate and, if she wins, as a president, than they would from Obama.

And Matt Contnetti the Weekly Standard blogger's response:

Recently I've come across more than a few conservative Republicans who are open to voting for Obama should the Republicans nominate a polarizing figure like Giuliani. I asked one of them why they would vote for someone whose ideological leanings would result in policies with which conservatives disagree. "Well," this person said, "You've got to remember: the idelogical stuff never gets done." I hope he's right.

Elitist Democrats

And I mean the real elites ... not a bunch of over-educated granola eaters that Karl Rove and Ton Delay want you to believe are 'high and mighty'. No the dems seem to be the party of the great American Dream...

The Wall Street Journal senses the early stages of a sea change perhaps as big as the post-Civil Rights Act emmigration of the Southern Racist from the Dems to the GOP.

Somewhere, Bill O'Reilly is weeping.

"The Democratic Party stands more for creating equal opportunity," says Jim Kelley, who buys companies for the $7 billion private-equity firm Vestar Capital Partners, which is headquartered on New York's Park Avenue.

Angela Williams, a city bus driver whose route passes Kelley's Denver office building, earns $39,000 a year, but she tells Harwood that social issues and tax cuts are her primary issues.

"I'm pro-life," she declares to Harwood. "Basically, that's why I'm Republican."

Williams, who lives in a working class neighborhood also agrees with GOP attacks on Democrats' economic policies.

"Democrats are all for social programs which raise my taxes," Williams says. "I'm not working to pay for people to sit at home watching cable all day."

Kelley has a much more nuanced approach to economic policy, and he says pocketbook issues are low on his priority list. Kelley tells Harwood the Democratic Party "speaks to me on issues of the environment, and even more to me on national security." To Kelley, the Republicans are too concerned with "so-called moral issues" like gay marriage.

...

In the 2004 election, exit surveys showed President Bush defeated John Kerry by 58% to 41% among those earning more than $100,000. In 2006, Republican House candidates edged Democrats among that group by 51% to 47%.

Now the Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll shows Americans earning more than $100,000 want Democrats to win the White House next year by 48% to 41%, and want Democrats to win control of Congress by 45% to 42%.

Campaign-finance data represents another yardstick. The top five Democratic presidential candidates raised $242 million through the first three quarters of 2007, according to Federal Election Commission figures compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. The top five Republican candidates have raised $167 million.

The Bright Side Of Learned Helplessness

From Polital Wire:

Despite a slew of recent polls findings Americans unhappy with Congress, a new USA Today/Gallup poll finds that the majority of Americans still hold a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party. 54% of respondents viewed Democrats favorably with only 37% holding an unfavorable opinion of the party. The Republicans faired far worse, receiving a favorable opinion from only 40% of Americans while being viewed negatively by half.

These numbers, should they stay consistent, could set up another bad election cycle for Republicans in 2008.

Bloodlust

That's why people support torture... and the death penalty. The ineffectiveness and inherent injustice of these 'tools' are well documented, and immaterial.

A telling and sad story from the McCain Campaign trail:

At a celebration Saturday of the 232nd birthday of the Marine Corps, in Bedford, N.H., as veterans from five wars over the last century looked on, Mr. McCain said that any candidate who joked about sleep deprivation, as Mr. Giuliani had done several days earlier, should talk to his fellow prisoner of war and supporter, Orson G. Swindle.

Mr. McCain described how Mr. Swindle was “chained to a stool for 10 days, then let off that stool for one day, and then chained to that stool again for 10 more days.”

...
But Milt Mattson, standing outside the cafe after Mr. McCain left, said he thought the United States needed to take any measure it deemed necessary. “This is a war for our life,” Mr. Mattson said. “These are people that chop heads off. I don’t care what we have to do to stop them.”

Overconfidence watch

CBS News poll from Dec. 17, 2003,

polling nationally:

Dean 23%
Clark 10%
Lieberman 10%
Gephardt 6%
Sharpton 5%
Kerry 4%
Edwards 2%
Moseley-Braun 1%

Department of 'Hitchens Is Right'

Do the last two lines sound familiar?

Gays should be hanged, says Iranian minister

Homosexuals deserve to be executed or tortured and possibly both, an Iranian leader told British MPs during a private meeting at a peace conference, The Times has learnt.

... Minutes taken by an official describe a meeting between British and Iranian MPs at the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a peace body, in May. When the Britons raised the hangings of Asqari and Marhouni, the leader of the Iranian delegation, Mr Yahyavi, a member of his parliament’s energy committee, was unflinching. He “explained that according to Islam gays and lesbianism were not permitted”, the record states. “He said that if homosexual activity is in private there is no problem, but those in overt activity should be executed [he initially said tortured but changed it to executed]. He argued that homosexuality is against human nature and that humans are here to reproduce. Homosexuals do not reproduce.”

More Progressive Power Surge

On Monday Chicago's progressive talk radio station, WCPT, moves from 850 AM to 820 AM.

The signal is the most powerful in the area.

Our new signal at 820-AM will literally double our coverage area. Instead of broadcasting at 2,500 watts from Crystal Lake Illinois, our new transmitter moves 40 miles right to the heart of Chicago, giving us twice the power for all the people! In fact, WCPT’s new 5,000 watt daytime signal will be the best signal of any major AM station in Chicago. Yes, we did say daytime because the 820-AM signal is also licensed by the FCC to sign-on at sunrise and sign-off at sunset. Although we would
love to broadcast all day and all night, the new WCPT at 820-AM will now be
heard from as far north as Milwaukee to as far south as Kankakee. It will
finally put us on a level playing field with the rest of Chicago’s talk radio
stations; just in time for the 2008 election season.

It's time for all of you locals to start following Stephanie Miller!

Where Have We Been

GT12 Central has just completed a major electrical upgrade. For several days our resources have been limited and devoted to simply fending of the newly arrived late fall chill.

But now we're back with 50 more amps to spare.

Doh!

Following Cheney's lead from the very git go:

"There are a lot of Americans (who say), 'Why didn't you go get him?'" [current President G W] Bush told the Express-News back in 1997, according to Christenson. "Well, I'm confident that losing men and women as a result of sniper fire inside of Baghdad would have turned the tide of public opinion very quickly," Bush added.

I'll Take It

Show Me The Money

I would, as president, make absolutely certain that all federal laws pertaining to married couples [pertain to] same-sex couples who have civil unions as well.

- Barack Obama to Tim Russert on Meet The Press yesterday.

Tis the Season

Halloween is over.

From Think Progress

O’Reilly’s Contrived ‘War On Christmas’ Is Back

On his Fox News show last night, Bill O’Reilly kicked off his annual conniption fit over a perceived “War on Christmas.” O’Reilly’s target last night was a decision by the Fort Collins, Colorado City Council to celebrate the holiday season with “an educational museum display, plain wreaths and garlands on city property, and trees with white lights” rather than traditional Christmas decorations such as trees with “colored lights.”

In the segment, O’Reilly called the decision by the city’s Holiday Display Task Force — which he incorrectly called the holiday diversity task force — “insane” and “an assault to diminish Christmas for secular progressive reasons.”

His right-wing guest, Denver talk radio host Dan Caplis, went even further, calling it “something out of the old Soviet Union”:

DAN CAPLIS: Yes. Well, Bill, this is horrible. I mean, this should be a wake-up call to every member of your audience. If this kind of attack on American values can happen in Fort Collins, it can happen everywhere.
You have this arrogant minority that wants to go to the point of stripping away Christmas trees and colored lights. I mean, this sounds like something out of the old Soviet Union. And people need to be very aware.

This group on the left is mobilized. They’re sophisticated. They’re determined. And if you don’t stand up and fight for your culture, they will take it away from you.

The goal of Fort Collins’ proposals is to make sure that government-funded displays are as inclusive as possible. Employees at their desks and private citizens in general can “erect whatever display or symbols they so choose.”

As the Coloradoan’s Robert Moore notes today, O’Reilly “got some basic facts…wrong” about the committee he was complaining about, like “its name and number of members.”

More importantly, O’Reilly is behind in his outrage. Last year, he launched his “First Salvo in 2006 War Over Christmas” nearly two weeks earlier on October 27, complaining to former Sen. John Danforth (R-MO) about “lawsuits all over the country by the ACLU, objecting to Christmas carols, Christmas displays.” [Fox News 10/27/06]

If 2007 is anything like previous years, “secular progressives” have plenty of vitriol from O’Reilly to look forward to:

- Describing the “War on Christmas,” O’Reilly claimed “Every company in America should be on its knees thanking Jesus for being born. Without Christmas, most American businesses would be far less profitable.” [11/29/05]

- O’Reilly compared Catholic leaders’ silence over “war” on Christmas to Church’s reaction to pedophilia scandal. [12/14/05]

- “[Y]ou’re a moron … [i]f you don’t believe” the “secular progressive movement” is behind “war” on Christmas, claimed O’Reilly on his radio show. [12/19/05]

- O’Reilly lauded Wal-Mart’s decision to use the phrase “Merry Christmas” as a victory in the “culture war battle” for those who “want to retain the Christmas tradition.”[11/13/06]

Watch out “secular progressives,” the “war on Christmas” is back and O’Reilly’s got his eye on you.

People Like Us

I'm guessing that if you are reading this you would not classify yourself as 'conservative'.

That also means you probably are knowledgeable about things outside of you neighborhood and the WWF.

Liberals and Conservatives Like Different Entertainment

Not surprisingly, a new Norman Lear Center/Zogby poll reveals that America's entertainment tastes are as polarized as our political views.

A few of the findings:

Liberals were much more likely than conservatives to listen to commentary and entertainment with which they disagreed philosophically.

Fox News wins the prize for the most politically divisive TV channel (70% of conservatives watch it daily and only 3% of liberals).

Over 82% of conservatives say they never watch MTV.

Cerebral material like documentaries and arts and educational programming all appeal more to liberals... Conservative viewers are more likely to watch action-adventure, sports, and business programming.

Conservatives are the least likely group to listen to jazz and reggae... Liberals, on the other hand, are more likely than other respondents to enjoy almost every music genre.

Must Hear Audio

An Interview with Andrew Sullivan, James Traub of the NY Times and Laura Washington of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Obama and America

We look at America's relationship with candidate Barack Obama.
Whether or not he wins, do Republicans and Democrats need Obama in the
presidential race?

Listen here

An Illinois Tradition

Former Ill. Governor Arrives at Prison

OXFORD, Wis. - Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan arrived at a rural federal prison Wednesday to begin serving a 6 1/2-year sentence for corruption.

Ryan entered the federal correctional center at noon, going in through a back gate, Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Felicia Ponce said.

The former governor left his small-town home of Kankakee, Ill., for the 255-mile trip to the lockup early Wednesday morning. He waved to a horde of reporters waiting for his departure and glanced overhead as he left but did not answer questions as he climbed into the front seat of a van, accompanied by his wife, Lura Lynn, and other family members.

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y

From Salon:

He's No. 1!

It has taken years of effort and a lot of hard work, but George W. Bush can finally claim "Mission Accomplished": By at least one measure, the president is now more intensely disliked than Richard Nixon ever was.

In a Gallup poll released this week, 50 percent of Americans say they "strongly disapprove" of the job Bush is doing as president. That's the highest strong-disapproval number Gallup has ever seen, besting by two percentage points the 48 percent of Americans who said they "strongly disapproved" of Nixon's job performance in February 1974.

Nixon resigned six months later.

Based on a Gallup chart, it appears that something like 15 percent of Americans still "strongly approve" of Bush's job performance. Roughly twice as many Americans believe in astrology.

The president's horoscope today: "Stick with what you know today -- new people and projects are more trouble than they're worth. That doesn't mean you need to reject them forever, though. Check back in after a few days or more have passed."

Yes, Mr. President, check back in after a few days or more have passed. In the meantime, here's some solace: Gallup says your 50 percent strong-disapproval number is statistically "equivalent" to Nixon's 48 percent, and neither the current Congress nor the current Supreme Court seems inclined to bring things to a head in the way that their counterparts did 33 years ago.

No Honor Amongst (Election) Thieves

Conservative Authors Sue Publisher

"Five authors have sued the parent company of Regnery Publishing, a Washington imprint of conservative books, charging that the company deprives its writers of royalties by selling their books at a steep discount to book clubs and other organizations owned by the same parent company," according to the New York Times.

In the lawsuit the authors say that Eagle Publishing -- which owns Regnery -- "sells or gives away copies of their books to book clubs, newsletters and other organizations owned by Eagle 'to avoid or substantially reduce royalty payments to authors."

Some of the authors’ books have appeared on the New York Times best-seller list, including “Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry,” by Mr. Corsi and John E. O’Neill (who is not a plaintiff in the suit), Mr. Patterson’s “Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Compromised America’s National Security” and Mr. Miniter’s “Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror"

Today's Tea Leaves

Yesterday was a 'first Tuesday in November' and therefore an election day.

The Missippi and Kentucky results say little really. Virginia's show the continuing shift of the state toward's Blue status (next year they will elct another Democrat , GT12 fave Mark Warner, Senator). New Jersey's results are a relief but the state will tough for Dems in a Hillary/Rudy contest.

Election Results

In Kentucky, two decades after his first run for governor led to defeat, Steve Beshear (D) unseated incumbent Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R), who was never able to recover from a hiring scandal early in his term, Governing reports.

In Mississippi, Republican Gov. Haley Barbour easily won his reelection bid, according to CQ Politics.

In Virginia, Democrats gained four seats held by Republicans to seize control of the state Senate for the first time in 12 years, the Virginian-Pilot reports.

In New Jersey, Democrats retained control of both houses of the legislature, expanding their lead in the Senate and holding on to their margin in the Assembly, the Hackensack Record reports.

Meanwhile, Greg Ballard (R) pulled off what he and many others are calling “the biggest upset in Indiana political history,” to defeat Indianapolis mayor Bart Peterson (D), according to the Indianapolis Star. Just two months ago, most thought Peterson would have an easy race for re-election.

Of perverse interest to GT12 was this tidbit

COLUMBUS, Ohio - State Rep. Bob Latta narrowly defeated a like-minded conservative rival early Wednesday following a rancorous campaign to represent the GOP in the heavily Republican congressional district vacated by the late Paul Gillmor.

Latta, receiving more than 32,000 votes, or roughly 44 percent, defeated State Sen. Steve Buehrer, who received just under 29,400 votes, or 40 percent, according to unofficial returns with 100 percent of precincts reporting.

Latta will now face Democrat Robin Weirauch, who cruised to victory in the Democratic primary, in the Dec. 11 general election. In the 2006 election, Weirauch received the most votes in her party's history in the 5th District — which has been held by a Republican since the 1930s.

I grew up in Ohio's fifth District. Latta's moron of a father, Delbert, was my representative while growing up. As a member of the judiciary committee during the investigation of Nixon he was every bit the blind loyalist that anyone on FauxNews is today. I particularly remember him Piling up all the evidence books on his congressional desk and stating 'There is Nothing HERE!' and this was after the smoking gun tape ...

I was 16. Two years later, n 1976, the first year I could vote, voting against Delbert Latta was a more moving experience than voting for Jimmy Carter, a man who I campaigned for and had the chance to meet.

Omision Of The Year

I have begun reading Ronnie Wood's new auto biography.

Ron was Rod Stewart's right and left hand early in The Modster's solo career. Together they made not one but two perfect albums ('Every Picture Tells a Story' and 'Never A Dull Moment'). Albums of towering artistry, packed with joy, verve, elan, humanity, and salacious wit. Albums where acoustic guitars rocked harder than anything Black Sabbath could dream up.

Woody has this to say about them:

"I played bass and all the guitars on Maggie May"

Ohferchrissakes.

Uh-Oh?

The Obama strategy is to finish big ... is it starting?

Can he eviscerate Rudy?

Clinton's Lead Drops in New Hampshire

Sen. Hillary Clinton’s lead in the New Hampshire presidential primary race has fallen to its lowest level of the season, according to a new Rasmussen Reports survey. Clinton leads with 34% support, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 24%, John Edwards at 15%, and Gov. Bill Richardson at 8%.The poll shows Clinton dropping six points since her poor performance in the last Democratic debate.

As I Have Always Said

When it come to Fundamentalists (of any stripe) It ain't about God, it's about Authoritarianism. Never have they made it so clear.

The Fact that Rudy has gone from odd to insane (to say nothing of criminally minded)in the last two weeks couldn't have hurt either

"Pat Robertson, one of the most influential figures in the social conservative movement, will announce his support for Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid this morning," the Washington Post reports."Robertson's support was coveted by several of the leading Republican candidates and provides Giuliani with a major boost as the former New York City mayor seeks to convince social conservatives that, despite his positions on abortion and gay rights, he is an acceptable choice as the GOP nominee.""Robertson's endorsement of Rudy Giuliani is a significant blow to Mitt Romney, who has worked hard to court evangelical leaders."

Fingers Crossed For A Favorite

NEW YORK, Nov 7, 2007 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Country singer Rosanne Cash will undergo brain surgery to remedy a benign condition, forcing her to cancel four dates remaining on current tour.

Cash, 52, announced her impending medical procedure at Presbyterian Hospital in New York on her Web site but it wasn't clear when it would take place, E! Online reported Tuesday.

Cash, the daughter of the late country legend Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian, expects to make a "full recovery" and has plans to return to the studio to complete a new album, her Manhattan Records debut, E! Online said.

Cash's manager Danny Kahn, said she has been diagnosed with chiari I malformation, a congenital deformation of the skull affecting the brain and spinal cord.

"She does want everyone to know it's a benign condition and it's not life-threatening," Kahn said. "It's nothing like a tumor or hemorrhage or anything. It's elective surgery."

You Always Remember Your First ...

1-27-62

How They Get To Fair And Balanced

From the Boston Globe: The Bush administration managed to get around the statutory requirement that no more than four members of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights be members of any one political party when two sitting Republican members changed their party affiliations to "independent" just before the president appointed two more Republicans to the panel in 2004.

Go Toward The Light, Bill. Go Toward The Light

We need you in the senate and Hillary ain't gonna call.

Richardson's Dilemma (from Political Insider):

"It is highly unlikely that Bill Richardson will be the Democratic presidential nominee. He therefore faces the same dilemma ex-Gov. Mark Warner did in Virginia: run for the U.S. Senate or hold out for a possible veep nod? With Warner opting for a Senate bid, Richardson's vice presidential stock has increased, though Hillaryland may be more interested in Ohio's popular Gov. Ted Strickland, who might boost her over the top in the state that kept Sen. John Kerry out of the White House. Meanwhile, Roll Call says this morning that Richardson "remains an overwhelming favorite in the Senate race" according to a new poll."

Numbers For The Healthcare Agnostic

As we consider HillaryCare (or BarryOCare or JohhnyCare) let us review some facts behind some of the arguments here at the NY Times.

Nothing will happen on this front until Automakers start demanding it ... and they should since $1,500 of every American car is due to employee benefits.

The White House Agrees With GT12

Breathtaking how unconcerned they are with how their words match their deeds, innit?

White House Tells Musharraf: Never ‘Restrict Constitutional Freedoms’ To Fight Terror
During [yester]day’s White House press briefing, spokeswoman Dana Perino condemned Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s declaration of “emergency rule” in Pakistan. She said that the administration is “deeply disappointed” by the measure, which suspends the country’s constitution, and believes it is never “reasonable” to “restrict constitutional freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism”:

Q: Is it ever reasonable to restrict constitutional freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism?

MS. PERINO: In our opinion, no.

The Bush administration never suspended the U.S. Constitution; instead, it interpreted the document so broadly as to provide all the powers they desired. A look at some of the ways the White House has overstepped its constitutional powers in the name of national security:

First Amendment: In September, a federal judge ruled that the FBI’s use of secret “national security letters” to obtain citizens’ personal data from private companies for counterterrorism investigations “violate[d] the First Amendment and constitutional provisions on the separation of powers.”

First Amendment, Fourth Amendment: In Aug. 2006, a federal district court in Detroit ruled that the Bush administration’ss NSA warrantless wiretapping program was unconstitutional, violating the “separation of powers doctrine, the Administrative Procedures Act, the First and Fourth amendments to the United States Constitution, the FISA and Title III.”

Article I: Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in June, then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales attempted to justify the administration’s detainee policy by claiming, “There is no express grant of habeas in the Constitution.” (Article I, Section 9, Clause 2 of the Contitution reads: “The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.”)

Article II: In June, House investigators revealed that Vice President Dick Cheney had exempted his office from an executive order order designed to safeguard classified national security information by claiming that he was not an “entity within the executive branch.” (Read the duties of the Vice President, outlined in Article II of the Constitution HERE.)

Musharraf also complained of “judicial activism” to justify his declaration of emergency rule. Despite Perino’s comments, Musharraf seems to have taken a page from the White House playbook.

And We Can Bring Fredo AND Scooter Back Too!

Giuliani: I want to be like Bernie Kerik.
In an interview with the Associated Press today, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said “that if his achievements as president are as good as the crime-reduction results of his New York police commissioner, a man now under criminal investigation himself, ‘this country will be in great shape.’” Giuliani’s former NYPD head, Bernie Kerik, faces “allegations of bribery, tax fraud and obstruction of justice.”

"... we’re not going to harm you, we’re American soldiers.”

George HW Bush tearfully remembering his Gulf War. How things change ...

Wallace: “The President remembered the courage and humanity of American soldiers and he grew emotional.”

Bush: “My favorite picture is a picture of American soldiers surrounding a guy whose been in a foxhole, Iraqi soldier, and the American guy says, we’re not going to harm you, we’re American soldiers.” (fights back tears)

Bush: “…See, that side of the war never got — the fact that we treated those people with respect in spite of the fact they were the enemy, it’s really good.

Watch the video here.

Why It's Him

From Sullivan's e-mail bag:

Yesterday, I went to see Barack Obama speak at North Carolina Central University, a "Historically Black College" in Durham, North Carolina. The vast majority of the crowd was black. In his riffing on what groups we cannot allow to be scapegoated in the next election, Barack built to and concluded with "homosexuals" ... to the conspicuous (and regrettable) silence of the crowd.

It wasn't the "right" thing to say politically, but it was the right thing to say. The national media certainly wouldn't have reported on it had he left homosexuality out of this particular speech. All he accomplished, by sticking to his principles, was run the risk of alienating people whose support he desperately needs. Though, in fairness, this did cement my support.

Andrew, this man is a strong ally. Anyone for whom sexuality issues are important would be making a grievous error to jump his ship over the Donnie McClurkin fiasco.

My Country, Tis Of Torture

Schumer and Feinstein give Mukasey the OK. Enough to get him out of committee.

Fuck Them Fuck Them Fuck them.

Andrew Goes There

The Author of 'The Conservative Soul' makes it official:

At its best, the Obama candidacy is about ending a war—not so much the war in Iraq, which now has a momentum that will propel the occupation into the next decade—but the war within America that has prevailed since Vietnam and that shows dangerous signs of intensifying, a nonviolent civil war that has crippled America at the very time the world needs it most. It is a war about war—and about culture and about religion and about race. And in that war, Obama—and Obama alone—offers the possibility of a truce.

Tell Your Senator 'No'

TPM Lists The way Senators are Leaning on the Mukasey confirmation here.

Let your Seantor know that anything less than a refusal to torture is grounds for rejection.

if your Senators are already on board with us (as both of GT12's are), then send 'em a thanks e-mail

Edwards Goes For It

Unfazed by complaints of 'ganging up on a girl' Edwards offers his take

And Now, From The 'Those Were Just Work Camps' Club

I just finished two books dealing with Lincoln's Cabinet. If there is a man in government today as awful, scheming, self-pitying and self-deluding as Lincoln's Salmon P Chase, it would have to be Jackass Joe Lieberman.

"To reject the nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey because he refuses to say what some members want him to say on this question, and he refuses as a matter of sincerely held legal belief...would be grossly unfair, an unjust act to this judge. May I suggest an alternative course...confirm him!"

Barry O Doesn't Buy The Victimhood

Good.

Keep It Up.

You Say Tomato, I Say Tomahto, You Say Swim, I Say Sink

Republican Defense Of Waterboarding

Talking Points Memo notes:

[Rachel]Marsden has a record of false accusations and charges of stalking and criminal harassment. Actually, in May, after appearing on Fox News at FNC's Manhattan HQ, she had to be dragged out of the building by Fox security for "bizarre and erratic" behavior. Now, consider that one for a second. Just how bizarre and erratic does a Fox pundit have to be? Right?

So Heavy, So Fragile

Wait for Zeppelin reunion just got longer
From United Press International

LONDON, Nov 2, 2007 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Guitarist Jimmy Page has fractured a finger, forcing Led Zeppelin to postpone its long-awaited reunion concert in London by two weeks, the BBC said Friday.

A spokesman said the band didn't disclose which finger Page hurt or how the injury happened.

Page is expected to start rehearsing again in three weeks, which would put the iconic rock band on track to perform Dec. 10 at the O2 arena. The concert to honor late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun was scheduled for Nov. 26.

"Led Zeppelin have always set very high standards for ourselves," Page said, adding that the delay would "enable my injury to properly heal" and permit the band "to perform at the level that both the band and our fans have always been accustomed to."

Tickets for the original show will be honored on the new date and ticketholders who cannot attend on Dec. 10 will have until Nov. 14 to request a refund, the BBC said.
The last time Led Zeppelin performed a full concert together was in 1980.

More than 1 million fans registered to buy 20,000 tickets, sold by lottery, for their latest conc

Call His Bluff

We Must Not Torture. Ever. Now is the time for those spineless bastards in Washington to stand up for American Values

From Raw Story:

Bush: Mukasey for Attorney General or none at all

President Bush, fueling the effort to confirm the 66-year-old retired judge Michael B. Mukasey, emphasizes the need for the service of an Attorney General, particularly, he says, while the nation is at war.

Reports the New York Times, the President aired his grievances to a small group of reporters over Mukasey's treatment by the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearings. Recently, Mukasey stood up for the equal treatment of gay and lesbian Department of Justice employees, but at the same time, has been heavily criticized for his refusal to provide a clear answer on whether or not the interrogation technique known as "waterboarding" is considered torture.

While President Bush denounced the grilling of Mukasey over a practice he says Mukasey hasn't been briefed on, Bush declined just the same to discuss "waterboarding," assuring his invitees that interrogation techniques are "within the law," performed by "highly trained professionals."

"That's what's important for America to know," he adds.

In a speech to the Heritage Foundation, Bush worked to imply that not confirming Mukasey would result in no Attorney General "during this time of war," guaranteed.

Roosevelt On Waterboarding

Our current nominee-for-head-lawyer says he doesn't have enough info to decide if waterboarding is torture. Rudy say's it depends on who's doing it. Our president won't say anything excpet that we don't torture (the definiton there being 'if we do it then it's not torture').

Theodore Roosevelt had this to say about it:

"The president desires to know in the fullest and most circumstantial manner all the facts, ... for the very reason that the president intends to back up the Army in the heartiest fashion in every lawful and legitimate method of doing its work; he also intends to see that the most vigorous care is exercised to detect and prevent any cruelty or brutality and that men who are guilty thereof are punished. Great as the provocation has been in dealing with foes who habitually resort to treachery, murder and torture against our men, nothing can justify or will be held to justify the use of torture or inhuman conduct of any kind on the part of the American Army,”

New Hope For Dodd and Richardson

via Political Wire:

Colbert Bid in South Carolina Rejected

"Stephen Colbert’s satirical run for the presidency has run into its first roadblock -- his bid to be on the ballot in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary was rejected on Thursday," The Politico reports.

"The Democrats had to decide whether they considered Colbert to be a bona fide Democrat who is nationally viable and has spent time campaigning in the state."

"Colbert could still run as an independent in the general election, though he’d have to collect 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot."

Another Reason To Consider Moving GT12 Center To The Land Of Our Birth

Even better than 'Fresh Guiness' and 'Easier to stalk Bono'

Whatever happened to the US being the place that overthrew the power of the church?:

Government to legislate for civil partnerships
Clodagh Mulvey

The [Irish] Government tonight pledged to introduce legislation recognising same sex unions over the coming months as it moved to oppose a Labour Party proposal on the issue.

Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan said he would publish an outline of his legislation by March 30th and vowed it would become law during the lifetime of the current Government.

"The Government has asked me to prepare a Bill which will provide for the registration of civil partnerships of same sex couples," Mr Lenihan said. "It will also provide protection for other relationships which lie outside marriage but which may be heterosexual or same sex."

Currently gay and lesbian couples cannot marry each other under Irish law and are therefore ineligible for the legal benefits that apply to heterosexual married couples. Legislation for civil partnerships during the lifetime of the Coalition was promised in the Programme for Government.

The Government's report will draw on the Colley Option Paper and the recommendations of the Law Reform Commission on the rights of cohabitants. It is intended to establish a statutory mechanism for the registration of same-sex partnerships, set out duties and responsibilities of registered partners and the consequences of a separation or termination of these partnerships.

Funding The Base

Raw Story Reports

Earmarks setting aside federal funds for religious organizations -- including Christian groups openly focused on conversions and missionary work -- are on the rise in appropriations bills in both the US House and Senate.

According to analysis from Roll Call, which reviewed the contents of appropriations bills in the 2008 fiscal year, "scores of religious organizations across the country are being singled out...from earmarks for local Catholic Charities USA organizations to funding for research programs at private universities to faith-based drug treatment and jobs programs."

Although the paper points out that the bulk of the money for such groups is specifically funneled to secular projects, some of the funds are targeted at organizations "whose primary mission is evangelical."

The uptick in such earmarks has some activist organizations, such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State, concerned about a perceived increase in the blurring of the lines between religion and government.

"The trend of earmarking federal funding for faith-based organizations is a real problem," Dana Sher, the group's state legislative counsel, told Roll Call. "Under the Constitution, government funding cannot be used to endorse religion; it cannot be used for religious activities; and it cannot be used to construct buildings for religious purposes."

Other watchdog organizations are also critical of the practice, citing what they believe are inherent dangers in Congress hand-picking faith-based causes it deems worthy of funding.

"Earmarks are about picking winners and losers, and it gets more touchy when religion comes into it," Steve Ellis, the vice president for programs of the group Taxpayers for Common Sense, said. "That starts raising red flags."

One earmark, proposed by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) consisted of a "$100,000 provision to fund a science education program by the Louisiana Family Forum," according to Roll Call. "The LFF has long opposed the teaching of evolution-only science curricula in state schools, and the grant would have gone toward a project to encourage schools to teach creationist theories of development as well."

Vitter later bowed to pressure from the ACLU and others, removing that specific earmark.

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State also highlights government funding for the the Christian ministry World Impact, Inc., which received $1.9 million in earmarked money this year "from California, Kansas and Missouri Members of the House and Senate."

On its website, World Impact describes itself as "a Christian missions organization dedicated to ministering God's love in the inner cities of America. Its purpose is to honor and glorify God and delight in Him in the inner cities by knowing God and making Him known." The group also provides tutoring, vocational training and drug treatment programs.

Read the full article in Roll Call (subscription required).

The Snowflake Report

Or "Today's Essential Lies, By Golly"

In a series of internal musings and memos to his staff, then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld argued that Muslims avoid "physical labor" and wrote of the need to "keep elevating the threat," "link Iraq to Iran" and develop "bumper sticker statements" to rally public support for an increasingly unpopular war.

The memos, often referred to as "snowflakes," shed light on Rumsfeld's brusque management style and on his efforts to address key challenges during his tenure as Pentagon chief. Spanning from 2002 to shortly after his resignation following the 2006 congressional elections, a sampling of his trademark missives obtained yesterday reveals a defense secretary disdainful of media criticism and driven to reshape public opinion of the Iraq war.

In a 2004 memo on the deteriorating situation in Iraq, Rumsfeld concluded that the challenges there are "not unusual." Pessimistic news reports -- "our publics risk falling prey to the argument that all is lost" -- simply result from the wrong standards being applied, he wrote in one of the memos obtained by The Washington Post.

Under siege in April 2006, when a series of retired generals denounced him and called for his resignation in newspaper op-ed pieces, Rumsfeld produced a memo after a conference call with military analysts. "Talk about Somalia, the Philippines, etc. Make the American people realize they are surrounded in the world by violent extremists," he wrote.

People will "rally" to sacrifice, he noted after the meeting. "They are looking for leadership. Sacrifice = Victory."

The meeting also led Rumsfeld to write that he needed a team to help him "go out and push people back, rather than simply defending" Iraq policy and strategy. "I am always on the defense. They say I do it well, but you can't win on the defense," he wrote. "We can't just keep taking hits."

Read The Rest Here http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/31/AR2007103103095.html?hpid=topnews

Debating Viability

OK, It's been a few days since the much hyped chance for Barry O to slap down HRC (Her Royal Clintoness). And I was left cold by his salvos. Edwards, Biden, hell, everybody else showed how to do it. I can see Rudy eating his lunch and then making Obama explain how that was OK. We are going to need to show some showy strength next fall to counteract The Reps Forceful and Carefree Lying.

Now, Sullivan reports that maybe this view of Obama's performance is that of a too thoughtful, too educated fan (with video support) but we'll see. I do think that his post debate polling always looks better than I anticipate.

Perhaps this statement yesterday will help him:

"After the most secretive administration in memory, an administration that consistently misled the American people, we need a president who is going to be open and forthright. I think [the Philadelphia] debate really exposed this fault line. Senator Clinton left us wondering where she stood on every single hard question from Iran to Social Security to drivers' licenses for undocumented workers... Her big answer on whether she would release the papers from her White House years was particularly troubling because she is running on her record as first lady as much as on her record as a senator. How can people fully judge that record if the documents from those years remain locked away?" - Barack Obama, turning up the heat at last.

And, Clinton is acting scared, playing the victim card (Six guys against one girl") and shifting more resources to Iowa.

If Obama stops her, can he stop Rudy? He needs to get back in touch with his southside organizing past. Maybe re-read Saul Alinsky.