To get you facts...

It has been 873 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

A significant truth…

…and the inevitable good question, via the Heretik at Big Brass Blog.

GEORGE BUSH BROKE Iraq. How much longer will we have to buy it?

Of course, we really won't ever "buy" it, exactly, will we? I mean, we're not even keeping up the payments, are we? Because he hasn't just broken Iraq, he's busted the US treasury.

Maybe my grandkids…or theirs…will pay off the loan.

It's the holiday season…

…and the DNC has greetings for Rep. Schmidt…

From this day forward, the Democratic Party will commit to putting up a "Shame on You" billboard in the home district of any Republican who attacks a veteran's service in order to score political points.

The first billboard will go up near Jean Schmidt's district office in Portsmouth, Ohio. The message: "Shame on You, Jean Schmidt: Stop Attacking Veterans. Keep Your Eye on the Ball -- We Need a Real Plan for Iraq".

Chip in to get it up!

American values…

... are Democratic values.

Chairman Dean...

The vast majority of Americans believe it is immoral to lets kids go hungry. We agree. The other party cuts school lunches (they just can’t seem to leave that one alone.)

Americans believe it is immoral that not everyone has some kind of health insurance. We agree.

The vast majority of Americans believe that government overreaching into personal and family decisions is wrong. We agree.

Americans believe that it is immoral to leave huge debts to our children and grandchildren. We agree.

Americans believe that using issues to divide us as a country to win elections is bad for America. We will restore America’s sense of community.

It's true, you know. Once again, the Democratic party is called on to do the patriotic thing and clean up the mess the corrupt Republican party has made with its free lunch policies and taxpayer rip-offs.

The truth is out there.

Harry Reid shares some...

"Simply staying the course is no longer an option, we must change the course. We can do better."

Hat tip to Armando at DK.

Among the lumberjacks...

It has been 872 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

My take on the "war vote…"

…is pretty much the same as William Raspberry's, but his analogy is better than anything I've come up with...

Except they didn't really vote us into war. As I recall, that vote authorizing the president to use force against Iraq was analogous to a trade union's strike vote. When negotiations bog down, union leaders often will ask their members for a resolution authorizing a strike. For members to refuse such a vote would cripple their own leadership. But to grant it is not the same as ending negotiations and launching a strike. It is a way of steeling the leadership, giving it a powerful negotiating tool.

Unfortunately, some within the Democratic Party itself have fallen into the Rovian trap and allowed some of our candidates and leaders to be described as having voted 'for the war.' It was the basis of the 'flip-flopper' assault launched against John Kerry by the Dean camp, a line that was happily picked up and expanded on by the Bushco™ slander syndicate.

We can't afford the luxury of division over who was where on what when. The stakes going forward are too high. Hardly a Democrat voted for this war, and with some of the Party's strongest hawks joining the chorus of critics it's time for general amnesty on the use of force resolution.

The question can't be "why then?" It has to be "What now?"

The answer seems obvious to me…



Hat tip to Mr. Natural at Left Edge North.

Truth…

...from Kos.

It's quite telling that our veteran statesmen like Hagel and Murtha are leading the charge to get our troops out of Iraq. Too many others are so busy trying to look and sound "tough" that they can't see that current policy is a disaster needlessly putting our troops in harms' way.

And credit where it's due. John Kerry belongs on that list of "our veteran statesmen" showing leadership on withdrawal, too.

Without prefix, without suffix...

Saw Mark Warner on the Charlie Rose show, and I just don't understand the appeal. His brand of neo-Clintonism promises to be as damaging to the fortunes of the Democratic Party, and particularly of its liberal wing, as the original.

The injuries the Democratic Party suffered during the era of old school Clintonism have yet to be fully healed. The last thing we need is a Democratic candidate who feels compelled to apologize for the Party's history, or who passes along the kind of accusations of Democratic weakness on national security that I usually associate with the most willfully misinformed wingnuts.

A Democrat without apology, please. Nothing less.

You have many contacts...

It has been 871 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

From the Good Question file.

Sy Hersh, via Greg at The Talent Show.

"But the issue is, is this president going to be capable of responding to reality?"

I'm afraid the right answer isn't good at all...

Meet the new boss.

Human rights abuses in Iraq are now as bad as they were under Saddam Hussein and are even in danger of eclipsing his record, according to the country's first Prime Minister after the fall of Saddam's regime.

'People are doing the same as [in] Saddam's time and worse,' Ayad Allawi told The Observer. 'It is an appropriate comparison. People are remembering the days of Saddam. These were the precise reasons that we fought Saddam and now we are seeing the same things.'

Anyone surprised?

Truth…

…from, unsurprisingly, digby.

...we ought to be shouting "once again, the Democratic party is called on to do the patriotic thing and clean up the mess the corrupt Republican party has made with its free lunch policies and taxpayer rip-offs."

If we don't say it, McCain will win on personality alone.

Yep.

Say it loud. Say it proud.

Say it everyone, everywhere.

...do you, Mister Jones?

It has been 870 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Yep, Joe.

A big mistake.

2108

Damn.

Truth…

...long overdue.

"It was a mistake to assume the President would use the authority we gave him properly."

Joe Biden, on MTP.

No shit, Sherlock.

And now...

But you don't know what it is...

It has been 869 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Random, sure...

…but not without a curious synchronosity or two…

John Lennon - Watching The Wheels
Jimmy Cliff - You Can Get If You Really Want
Dar Williams - I Won't Be Your Yoko Ono
Buck Owens - Foolin' Around
Jerry Lee Lewis - Breathless
Barbara Lewis - Baby, I'm Yours
Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs - Wooly Bully
The Byrds - You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Pete Seeger - Talkin' Atom
Doobie Brothers - Long Train Runnin'

Newer and bluer…

…just in case you missed it almost everywhere else.




Respects to the Kos diarist who apparently created the map, apologies for the lost link.

How 'bout that.

Sometimes keeping up a blog is, well, sometimes it's a pain in the ass. There are payoffs, though, sometimes surprising ones.

I've been reading and enjoying Clark Humphrey's MISCmedia stuff for approximately ever, and I've learned a thing or three along the way. The idea that he peeks in here now and then, well, it just tickles the dickens out of me.

And Clark, if you see this, thanks for the link. I'm thankful you're there, too.

"People screamed."

Presumably not with Xmas glee. The P-I reports...

Extra police were called to a Wal-Mart store in the south Seattle suburb of Renton to help control shoppers who dislocated counters as they rushed into the electronics department after doors opened Friday morning, hunting a limited supply of laptop computers.

There were some officers already at the store, but others were called to help.

At the South Hill Wal-Mart in Puyallup, near Tacoma, a crowd of hundreds was getting edgy by 4:45 a.m. When the doors opened 15 minutes later, shoppers converged on a pile of $378 laptops. People screamed, one witness said.

The General reminds us - there's a reason for the season...

Because something is happening here...

It has been 868 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Ol' Blue Eyes is back...

...as the lovely and talented Miss Audrey Hepcat does her very best Sinatra, tux and all...

Oh yeah...

...those longer, (presumably) thoughtful posts. Blame it on tryptophane and Irish coffee. Anyway, hope your Thanksgiving was as enjoyable as mine (very).

It's off to work I go for a short shift at the pub, so blogging will have to wait until this evening. Maybe the lovely and talented Miss Audrey Hepcat will get within camera range. Maybe something worthwhile will show up to fill the post-holiday news hole. Maybe I'll actually write something longer and (possibly) thoughtful.

Meanwhile, use this as an open thread, poke around the archives or check out some of my fine blogroll friends.

In any event, ya'll come back. I will.

As he hands you a bone.

It has been 867 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Truth…

As he so often does, Krugman has some to offer...

The fact is that we're not going to stay in Iraq until we achieve victory, whatever that means in this context. At most, we'll stay until the American military can take no more.

****

So the question isn't whether things will be ugly after American forces leave Iraq. They probably will. The question, instead, is whether it makes sense to keep the war going for another year or two, which is all the time we realistically have.

Topplebush has it all.

Thankful...

...for family, football and the feast.

Lots more, too, including each and every one of you who has logged in here.

Hopeful for a little time, post family, football and feast, to write and post a couple of longer, (hopefully) thoughtful pieces that have been kicking around the back of my brain lately...

And you say, "Impossible"

It has been 866 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

It's not just Bushco™.

Sure, there's always a passel of prevarication at the White House, but they're hardly alone. Oliver surveys the scene and reports dishonesty from Republican Congresscritters, Republican Party organizations and wingnut news operations. There's even a Supreme Court Justice in the mix.

They just lie. It's what they do, and it's one of the reasons that…

Oh yeah…

…the blog. Caught up in pre-holiday preparations - carpet cleaning, a quick wipe of tub and bowl, etc. - while the Brilliant and Beautiful Bride of Upper Left gets started on the feast. Of course, not much has changed in the last 24. As most people know, they still just lie.

More specific lies and a truth or two to come...

...To be such a freak?"

It has been 865 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

They just lie.

{A] spokeswoman for the colonel, Danny R. Bubp, said Ms. Schmidt had misconstrued their conversation.

While Mr. Bubp, a Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, opposes a quick withdrawal for forces, "he did not mention Congressman Murtha by name nor did he mean to disparage Congressman Murtha," said Karen Tabor, his spokeswoman. "He feels as though the words that Congresswoman Schmidt chose did not represent their conversation."

No surprise, really, that Jean Schmidt is a liar. No surprise that she'd stoop to demeaning the service of a combat veteran, either. She did it to Paul Hackett, too.

Least surprising of all is that Col. Bubp, USMC, would stand by Col. Murtha, USMC.

Semper Fi is more than a bumper sticker slogan for those that have been there.

Hat tip to The Carpetbagger Report

Not just a good question…

…but in a certain sense the only question that matters.

What is victory in Iraq? When will we know we've won?

Eugene Robinson in the WaPo

Like I've said before, if Preznit GoingOn20something% wants to declare victory and bring the troops home, I won't squabble…

…much…

Oh, hell, I'd bitch like crazy, but that's just me. He should do it anyway.


Hat tip to Atrios.

And says, "How does it feel...

It has been 864 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

The truth.

"There are any number of simple empirical arguments that may be made in defense of the presidential candidacy of John Kerry. Among them are these..."

The truth expanded.

While you read…

…what Shake's Sis has to say about a certain Senator she loathes "...with a fury not an iota less intense than the sun itself," ask yourself this…



…where's his other hand?

Pass it on.

I've seen it before, and you probably have too, but it's making the rounds again. Gilliard got it from a Kos diarist, who may have gotten from wherever I saw it first, or wherever you did.

At any rate, it's worth passing on again, maybe now more than ever...

Service in the Armed Forces

Democrats:

* Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
* David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
* Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
* Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in
20th Engineer Brigade.
* Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
* Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
* John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V,Purple
Hearts.
* Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
* Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam. Paraplegic from war injuries. Served in Congress.
* Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
* Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
* Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
* Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
* Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars,and Soldier's Medal.
* Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.
* Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
* Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.
* Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
* Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
* Chuck Robb: Vietnam
* Howell Heflin: Silver Star
* George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.
* Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received #311.
* Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
* Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
* John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and AirMedal with 18 Clusters.
* Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg.

Republicans

* Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
* Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
* Tom Delay: did not serve.
* Roy Blunt: did not serve.
* Bill Frist: did not serve.
* Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
* Rick Santorum: did not serve.
* Trent Lott: did not serve.
* John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
* Jeb Bush: did not serve.
* Karl Rove: did not serve.
* Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." (The man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism.)
* Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
* Vin Weber: did not serve.
* Richard Perle: did not serve.
* Douglas Feith: did not serve.
* Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
* Richard Shelby: did not serve.
* Jon! Kyl: did not serve.
* Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
* Christopher Cox: did not serve.
* Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
* Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor.
* George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; failed to show up
* B-1 Bob Dornan: enlisted after fighting was over in Korea.
* Phil Gramm: did not serve.
* John McCain: Vietnam POW, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
* Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve.
* John M. McHugh: did not serve.
* JC Watts: did not serve.
* Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem, " although continued in NFL for 8 years as quarterback.
* Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard.
* Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
* George Pataki: did not serve.
* Spencer Abraham: did not serve.
* John Engler: did not serve.
* Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
* Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base.

Pundits & Preachers

* Sean Hannity: did not serve.
* Rush Limbaugh: did not serve
* Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
* Michael Savage: did not serve.
* George Will: did not serve.
* Chris Matthews: did not serve.
* Paul Gigot: did not serve.
* Bill Bennett: did not serve.
* Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
* John Wayne: did not serve.
* Bill Kristol: did not serve.
* Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
* Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
* Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
* Ralph Reed: did not serve.
* Michael Medved: did not serve.

When he hears you speak

It has been 863 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

RFK

Born November 20, 1925…



…and the dream will never die.

"...your tenor "Wang"…"

sez the General. Just go see.

And now...

Who immediately walks up to you

It has been 862 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

"Awesome"

"It's an awesome achievement for one family to produce two of the four most unpopular presidents in modern times. If there were a Mount Rushmore for rejection, the Bushes would have half the place to themselves."

Bruce Reed, via digby.

Quote of the Day…

…regarding the Democratic issue of the century, from the Democratic Governor of the moment...

"It isn't U.S. senators, the secretary of defense or the secretary of energy who go to funerals when bodies come back from Iraq. It's governors. I recommit myself, at every funeral, to energy independence."

Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-MT)

Hat tip to Lynn at Evergreen Politics

The Truth…

…from Matt Stoller.

Liberals shouldn't fall for it. John McCain is a corrupt Republican, just like Bush. He doesn't play to the base, preferring instead a 'good government' bipartisan strategy, but he's corrupt, mean-spirited, and puts his ambition above everything else.

Don't believe it? Remember...



Really, it's true...

Random ten...

He-Man Woman Haters edition...(no gurlz allowed)

Spirit - I Got A Line On You
Johnny Cash - Rock Island Line
Chieftans - Country Blues
Crosby, Pevar & Raymond - Ohio
Otis Redding - Mr. Pitiful
Hank Williams - Jambalaya
Elvis Costello - Watch Your Step
Patrick Sky -Ballad Of Ira Hayes
Chuck Berry - Roll Over Beethoven
Todd Rundgren - We Gotta Get You A Woman

And you go watch the geek

It has been 861 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Sic 'em, John!

That Kerry fella calls them out...

It disgusts me that a bunch of guys who have never put on the uniform of their country venomously turn their guns on a marine who served his country heroically in Vietnam and has been serving heroically in Congress ever since.

And he does it by name...

No matter what J.D. Hayworth says, there is no sterner stuff than the backbone and courage that defines Jack Murtha’s character and conscience.

****

Dennis Hastert — the Speaker of the House who never served — called Jack Murtha a coward and accused him of wanting to cut and run. Well let me tell you, Jack Murtha wasn’t a coward when he put himself in harm’s way for his country in Vietnam and earned two purple hearts — he was a patriot then, and he is a patriot today.

****

Just a day after Dick Cheney, who had 5 deferments from Vietnam, accused Democrats of being unpatriotic — the White House accused Jack Murtha of surrendering. Jack Murtha served 37 years in the Marine Corps. He doesn’t know how to surrender — not to enemy combatants, and not to politicians in Washington who say speaking his conscience is unpatriotic.

What part of 'band of brothers' don't the chicken hawks understand?

The answer is obvious, I suppose. They don't understand any part of it. They've never been any part of it.

(Hat tip to the Democratic Daily, natch…)

Shame.

Dana Milbank's lede, my emphasis…

In his 37 years in the military, John Murtha won two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star with a Combat "V," and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. As a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania for the past 31 years, he has been a fierce hawk, championing conflicts in Central America and the Persian Gulf.

Yesterday, he was called a coward.

I don't expect folks like Norm Dicks and Ike Skelton to endorse Murtha's call for immediate withdrawal, at least not without catching their breath and collecting their thoughts. He's set a bold course, one some aren't ready to join him on. It's critical, though, that his colleagues and rank and file Democrats everywhere call bullshit on any attempt by the Republican noise machine to 'swift boat' another American hero. None of his critics, not a single one, has the moral authority to dismiss Murtha's views.

As for those who would assault his patriotism or character, no mercy.

Heh™.

Taegan Goddard…

Said Rossi: "I didn't want this book to be about the election contest."
Thought his publisher: "We'll sell very few copies."

She's hiding again...

...but the archives are getting fairly extensive, and once upon a time the lovely and talented Miss Audrey Hepcat was willing to just sit still...



...for a minute, anyway.

Some truth for today…

…from Ms. Julien in Miami at Big Brass Blog.

"I don't care if the people are family, or "so-called" dear friends, of gay people...if they don't want the same rights for committed gay couples, then they hate gays."

She says more, all true.

You hand in your ticket

It has been 860 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

God I hate yappy little dogs…

Scott McClellan

"Congressman Murtha is a respected veteran and politician who has a record of supporting a strong America. So it is baffling that he is endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party..."

What is it about combat veterans that Republicans seem to hate so much?

Good question…

…from Matt Singer.

I really have no idea what Paul Hackett's stance on Iraq is, so I'll just ask a simple question and if someone from his campaign wants to email me, I'll be more than happy to post an answer. Would Paul Hackett have voted for the Levin Amendment yesterday?

Good question, in fact, for every Democratic Senate candidate not on record.

And am I mistaken, or was Hillary out of town for the vote?

All is revealed, thanks to comments from Fugitive. I was, indeed, mistaken. Senator Clinton was in town, in the chamber, and casting her vote for withdrawal.

Welcome to the club, Senator!

Quote of the Day

"Pat Robertson has said so many silly and ridiculous things that I wonder why anyone would pay much attention to him on any subject."

Bishop John Shelby Spong (ret.)

Ain't it the truth…


Hat tip to Lynn Allen at Evergreen Politics.

Do you, Mister Jones?

It has been 859 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

It's true.

We don't know how bad it really was in New Orleans. We may We'll probably never know.

We can only be sure that it's worse than they said.

"...it's going to come in for a good while. There's so much rubbish around that they might find people in the rubbish."

Orleans Parish Coroner Frank Minyard

That Kerry fella…

…on that Iraq vote.

"Clearly we wouldn’t have had the vote if we had known what we know today, and knowing what we know today, I would clearly not vote the same way.”

Clear enough?

(I don't get all my Kerry news from The Democratic Daily, but I wouldn't miss much if I did.)

Something must be true...

...in here somewhere...

Seeking to tamp down a political uproar over a 1985 document in which he denounced racial quotas and said the Constitution did not protect the right to abortion, Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. told senators on Tuesday that the sentiments were simply the views of "an advocate seeking a job."

…but what? Did he lie about his views to get that job? Or is he lying about them to get this one?

A liar either way, and unworthy of any votes, Democratic or otherwise...

Quote of the Day.

"To question your government is not unpatriotic - to not question your government is unpatriotic."

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.)

Partisanship aside, I gotta admit it. That's true.


Hat tip to Atrios.

But you don't know what it is...

It has been 858 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

A head's up…

…via the Hot Line blog about Sheriff Dave's plans for re-election...

Reichert's seat is a prime target of the DCCC, but his aggressive strategy on environmental issues is just what Dems don't want to see. Washington State has a long history of electing environmentally-friendly GOPers, including former Sens. Dan Evans and Slade Gorton, and if Reichert is able to solidify his reputation as an environmentalist, he'll have an easier time defending his seat next year.

That reputation as an environmentalist seems to consist of reading the polls and lining up behind Senator Cantwell against ANWR drilling and tankers in Puget Sound. I have to wonder, though, how ardent his environmentalism might be when he's taking votes to deed over federal land for new refineries while giving the President authority to waive Clean Air Act regulations on fuel and fuel additives (remember what happened the last time someone gave Preznit 30something% authority?).

Of course, Reichert's brief record means no ratings and damn few votes to check yet. It's hard to tell what he believes based on what he's done, and what he says? Well, he's not saying...

REPRESENTATIVE DAVID GEORGE 'DAVE' REICHERT REPEATEDLY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY RESPONSES TO CITIZENS ON ISSUES THROUGH THE 2004 NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST

REPRESENTATIVE DAVID GEORGE 'DAVE' REICHERT REFUSED TO PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION WHEN ASKED TO DO SO BY:

Major News Organizations
and key national leaders of both parties including,

John McCain, Republican Senator
Geraldine Ferraro, Former Democratic Congresswoman
Michael Dukakis, Former Democratic Governor
Bill Frenzel, Former Republican Congressman
Richard Kimball, Project Vote Smart President

C'mon Sheriff Dave. 'Fess up, don't lawyer up.

True.

"I think the Democrats always have to stand up and tell the truth. And that's what we're doing."

The Chairman.

Because something is happening here

It has been 857 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Quote of the Day...

"The world desperately needs moral leadership from America, and the foundation for moral leadership is telling the truth."

John Edwards

...the whole truth, and nothing but...

As it should be...

Rasmussen. 11/10. Likely voters. MoE 4.5% (No trend lines)

Cantwell (D) 52

McGavick (R) 37

Maria's gained enough stature in the caucus to be dubbed point person on energy independence for Senate Democrats, the issue whose resolution is required for any real economic or security progress for our country. She's been solid on veteran's issues, a leader on ANWR, a stalwart on any number of issues important to Democrats in the upper left.

Vigilance, of course, is required. The GOP mud will flow like rivers next year. It'll get messy, and in politics, messy means expensive. It's never too early to toss the Senator a few campaign bucks...

Pass it on.

Josh Marshall, via Atrios...

What this country will end up needing is something like a Truth and Reconciliation Commission because what the country needs is not so much for particular people to go to jail but for the lies and the lies to cover up earlier lies to stop. The country can't get past what has happened or move forward until we can get the truth on the table, deal with it and move on.

The truth, please. The whole truth. And nothing but...

...Am I here all alone?"

It has been 856 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

GOPod people…

72% mutant.

Fox News. 11/8-9. MoE 3% (10/25-26)

Do you approve or disapprove of the job George W. Bush is doing as president?


Approve/Disapprove

All 36/53

Dems 10/84

Reps 72/18

Ind 25/58

And now...

And you say, "Oh my God...

It has been 855 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

"...more than 2,000 brave Americans dead.."

2062, to be exact.

Damn.

Gotta agree…

…with that Dean fella, too.

The President ought to be ashamed of himself. With more than 2,000 brave Americans dead to date and tens of thousands more injured, the President ought to be telling the truth to the American people.

More mp3 roulette...

Dwight Pullen - Sunglasses After Dark
Buffy Ste. Marie - Until It's Time For You To Go
Jackson Browne - Doctor My Eyes
Lonesome Standard Time - Mother, Queen Of My Heart
Pete Seeger - Well May The World Go
Muddy Waters - Hoochie Coochie Man
Todd Snider - Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues
Linda Ronstadt - It's So Easy
Judy Collins - Someday Soon
Peter Case - Let Me Fall

And somebody else says, "Where what is?"

It has been 854 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

"Did you hear the speech?"

…asked the Brilliant and Beautiful Bride of Upper Left.

"What speech?"

"Bush. All he did was trash the Democrats."

"On Veteran's Day!?!"

Unbelievable. Really. Even for me. The President of the United States chose to dishonor veterans everywhere in observation of Veteran's Day. This was not a day for anyone's personal or partisan agenda. There were both a Democratic and a Republican Congresscritter on the rostrum at the Veteran's Day observation I participated in this morning. There wasn't a partisan note from either, and I applauded each in turn equally. That's the kind of day this is.

Or is supposed to be.

While I was posting the colors and saluting my comrades, George Bush was making the day something else, something less, something wrong. He ruined much of my Veteran's Day. Goddamn him. God. Damn. Him.

One more time, I have to side with that Kerry fella...

“I wish President Bush knew better than to dishonor America’s veterans by playing the politics of fear and smear on Veterans Day."

Hat tip to Pamela at The Democratic Daily.

Not the most flattering photo...

...ever taken of the lovely and talented Miss Audrey Hepcat, but it's the only view she would offer today...

If you're free enough...

...to read this, thank a veteran.



That's a scene I saw played out any number of times today as I gathered with hundreds of old soldiers and new, along with friends and family, at Tahoma National Cemetary. My Shrine Legion unit marched in the parade of colors on a typically cold, wet northwest fall day. Standing among 16,000 graves, though, makes a few hours in the rain a small price to pay for the chance to honor both the fallen and their comrades who came home.

To all my fellow vets, of every service, every era, thanks.

"It's his" And you say, "What's mine?"

It has been 853 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

"…an overwhelming rebuke…"

…by that Kerry fella (via the Democratic Daily).

In an overwhelming rebuke to the Bush administration’s attempt to hide alleged CIA secret prisons from Congress, the Senate voted 82-9 today in favor of an amendment by John Kerry that will require the Director of National Intelligence to report on the reported clandestine detention facilities.

Not sure who the 9 were, but weren't there 9 Republicans in the pro-torture camp last time around? Any bets on the probable overlap?

The end.

Bushism. Rovism. Destructionism.

Whatever you call it, Ruy calls it over.

If we define Bushism as the political project of building a majority coalition, despite a commitment to unpopular policies, based on a superior cultural, national security, and leadership image among voters, that project is now failing. This is the unambiguous message of the latest round of public polls.

If you fool enough of the people enough of the time, eventually you get caught and pretty soon you can't fool anybody.

I hope...

And the seasons go round and round…

One more time...

WASHINGTON - House leaders late Wednesday abandoned an attempt to push through a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling, fearing it would jeopardize approval of a sweeping budget bill Thursday.

Good news, of course, but also a reminder that no how many times we drive them back, there are some whose drive to destroy is never-ending.

And somebody points to you and says...

It has been 852 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Not an accusation…

…coming from PoliPundit, it's a confession.

This president typically makes the case for competence, not ideology. However, in the wake of Iraq-gas-prices-Katrina-Libby-Miers, competence is no longer an argument that works in favor of the GOP.

(emphasis mine)

Sounds like it's rodents and children first for the good ship Bushco™...

Good news…

…including some I'd missed last night, from Kos...

Intelligent designers on Dover school board were swept out en masse by the city's voters. Eight sane Dems swept out eight crazy fundamentalists.

In Tucson Arizona, Dems took out two Republicans and reverted the city council to Democratic control. In Washington State, a measure closely watched by anti-tax zealots to repeal Washington's fuel tax was narrowly defeated.

In Maine (as noted already), an anti-gay ballot initiative actually failed. That's something you don't see every day…

…but an important disclaimer, too.

2006 is the real target. We've got the momentum and a Republican Party reeling from its inability to govern. We can't let them regain their balance. We've got to keep them on the defensive, take advantage of every opening they provide to score additional points.

I think it's called "consolidating the victory." I know it needs to be done.

The story of this election is a crushing defeat for the Republican Party's politics of destruction. It's a corner turned, but we've got to keep moving forward. Because, after all…

Some first thoughts...

...about the returns.

Good to see the generally positive atmosphere for Democrats from coast to coast, ranging from our new Governors in Virginia and New Jersey to the rebuke of the Governator's 'reforms' in California.

Closer to home, I'm proud of my fellow Washingtonians for acting like grownups and rejecting I-912. No one loves the gas tax, I suppose, but repealing it at the expense of projects critical to public safety and economic health in our state would have reflected the self-absorption of a three year old.

The other truly onerous initiative, the mutant offspring of big insurance and big medicine wrapped in a shiny package labeled 'tort reform' and promoted through a media campaign that stopped just short of declaring "First, let's kill all the lawyers," failed as well.

The initiative calling for new audit regulations is largely redundant due to the actions of the Democratic legislature in the last term, and the passage of a statewide smoking ban that extends to all bars, restaurants, bowling alleys and, well, pretty much everywhere, was hardly a surprise given the pariah status that nicotine addicts have these days.

(Yep, that's right. The Cabin Tavern, a Richmond Beach landmark since 1933, will soon be a smoke-free establishment. Thirteen taps, a fine selection of bottled beers, great food...y'all come!)

The two partisan races on my ballot, for King County Executive and King County Council, were both solid victories for the Democratic candidates. Though it was suggested that Ron Sims might be in for a close race, he outpolled the Republican by about fifteen percent, even with five percent of the progressive vote going to the Green candidate.

Bob Ferguson was in the 75% range the last time I looked, reflective of the safe Democratic district that was created during the Council reorganization from 13 to 9 districts.

None of my Port picks were successful, and at this point I'm just one for four on my City Council choices (congratulations to Keith McGlashan). I'm still holding out some hope for Janet Way, who was trailing by just 12 votes when Records and Elections closed down for the night. It might take days of mail ballot counts to know the outcome. I'll be keeping track.

Good for Democrats, pretty much status quo for the Port, at least one, maybe another, refreshing new face on my local City Council, a couple of big, bad bullets dodged on the initiative front.

First reaction? Not bad. Pretty good, actually.

But now, to bed...

And you ask, "Is this where it is?"

It has been 851 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Vote early, and remember...

You raise up your head

It has been 850 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Tomorrow's election day…

…and while there isn't much going on in the Upper Left with much of a national profile, there are plenty of important decisions before Washington voters. Here's my take on what will appear on my ballot.

Initiative Measures 900, 901, 912, 330, 336 - NO

Actually, there are a couple of these (336 and 901) wouldn't be disasters. A couple others (912 and 330) would be. None of them, though, are essential enough to challenge my general belief that the electorate should elect and the legislature should legislate. Count me as one small voice against a once enlightened populist reform that's become almost inescapably corrupted.

Senate Joint Resolution 8207 - YES

The composition of the Commission on Judicial Conduct may seem like an obscure topic to most voters, but this is a constitutional amendment, and the Constitution is not to be taken lightly. This expands eligibility by including a class of local judges who weren't anticipated when the state Constitution was drafted. It seems non-controversial, but merits your close attention. It gets my support.

King County Proposition No. 1 - YES

I'm in favor of a levy to support expanded veteran's services in King County. Wow.

The Shoreline Fire Department has a levy on the ballot, too. I'm voting YES, and if your fire department is looking for help, I hope you give them the money.

There are two partisan races on my ballot, and I'm perfectly happy to vote another straight ticket. County Executive Ron Sims would merit re-election even if his Republican opponent wasn't as personally offensive and professionally unqualified as the odious David Irons. All the reasons I was proud to support County Councilmember Bob Ferguson in a tough primary race stand, and I'll be proud to vote for him tomorrow.

In the non-partisan race for King County Sheriff, my vote will go to the current sheriff, Sue Rahr, who was appointed to the job by Sims and the Council after serving as Chief of Police in my city, Shoreline, which contracts police services from the county. She's an experienced pro, and no good reason to replace her has emerged.

The only other contested races on my ballot will be for the Shoreline City Council. It's another non-partisan election, but there are some pretty definite factions, largely revolving around differences on land development issues. My choices, frankly, are heavily influenced by personal experience with the various candidates. I've met them all, seen them on the stump, spoken with some at length, been generally snubbed by others. It's a fact that people who actively solicit my support are more likely to get it than people who don't, and that's a big influence on a couple of my picks. I'm supporting one of the candidates endorsed by the local Democrats, but not the one who's also running as "the preferred candidate of the 32nd District Republicans."

My picks are Keith McGlashlan, Janet Way, Bonnie Mackey and George Mauer.

Whether your ballot would match mine or not, I hope yours is counted. Pump up your political muscle by exercising your franchise.

…do you, Mr. Jones?

It has been 849 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Let's see now...

Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush ordered the White House staff to take refresher classes on ethics rules in response to the indictment of Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Don't lie. Don't steal.

Wouldn't that be refreshing?

Lying liars…

…lying about lies from yet another lying liar. Jeebus.

A top member of Al Qaeda in American custody was identified as a likely fabricator months before the Bush administration began to use his statements as the foundation for its claims that Iraq trained Al Qaeda members to use biological and chemical weapons, according to newly declassified portions of a Defense Intelligence Agency document.

Not a single member of the Bushco™ defense and foreign policy team, past or present, has any claim at all upon the respect of any American. None of them, including, if not especially, the so-called grown up at the State Department who was supposed to provide a brake on the recklessness of idiots and madmen like Rumsfeld and Cheney.

Remind me, please, what was supposed to be so special about Colin Powell?

And now...

…but you don't know what it is…

It has been 848 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

The Pogo Principle…

…or, as Riverbend puts it...

Americans constantly tell me, “What do you think will happen if we pull out of Iraq- those same radicals you fear will take over.” The reality is that most Iraqis don’t like fundamentalists and only want stability- most Iraqis wouldn’t stand for an Iran-influenced Iraq. The American military presence is working hand in hand with Badir, etc. because only together with Iran can they suppress anti-occupation Iraqis all over the country. If and when the Americans leave, their Puppets and militias will have to pack up and return to wherever they came from because without American protection and guidance they don’t stand a chance.

Time at last, isn't it, to understand that American withdrawal is a necessary element of Iraqi stability. Whyever we got started, and however we've gone forward, at this point we're clearly making things worse.

For our sake and the sake of the people we have "liberated" and especially for the 2046 already sacrificed

Ten for today...

Tim O'Brien - Norwegian Wood
Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man
Etta James - Tell Mama
Rod Stewart - Twistin' The Night Away
Three Dog Night = Try A Little Tenderness
Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl
Roger Miller - Engine, Engine #9
The Gourds - El Paso
Flying Burrito Brothers - Dark End Of The Street
James Brown - It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World

(Everything was horribly Bloggered around here 'til I had to leave for the pub. Catch up is in progress.)

Aw c'mon…

…tell us what you really think.

Stirling Newberry on the "frontrunner"...

... I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever support Hillary Clinton, because she cannot ever, ever, ever, ever be trusted not to stab progressives in the back on key issues. She isn't with us, except long enough to get the checks.

That's all we hear about, really. The checks.

She looks at us the same way that DeLay's team looks at religious right voters - as stupid cash cows.

Everybody's somebody's wacko, I guess

Personally, I'm still banking on Hillary's withdrawal before Iowa.

Or is that 'praying for...'

Because you know something's happening...

It has been 847 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Home to roost…

Home to roost…


Good catch by Steve at Distance…

1.) Lewis "Scooter" Libby, October 28, 2005

Per the New York Times today, "A federal grand jury indicted Mr. Libby on one count of obstruction, two counts of perjury and two of making false statements in the course of an investigation that raised questions about the administration's rationale for going to war against Iraq, how it treats critics and political opponents and whether high White House officials shaded the truth."

2.) Thomas Noe, October 27, 2005

Noe, Chairman of President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign in northwest Ohio, and a major fund-raiser for Bush's re-election campaign, was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts for allegedly laundering money into President Bush’s re-election campaign.

Per the Toledo-Blade newspaper, "The three-count indictment says that beginning in October 2003, Mr. Noe contributed to President Bush’s election campaign 'over and above the limits established by the Federal Election Campaign Act.' The two other counts were for conspiracy and filing false statements.

The indictment alleges Mr. Noe’s actions caused false statements to the Federal Elections Commission and defrauded the United States and that he directed his conduit donors to fill out the false statements. Mr. Noe faces the maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count."

3.) David H. Safavian, October 2005

Per MSNBC, "In October 2005, David H. Safavian, the top procurement official for President Bush, resigned. Three days later, he was arrested and indicted on five felony counts connected to lobbyist Jack Abramoff. At the time the indictment covered, from May 2002 to January 2004, Safavian had been serving as the chief of staff at the General Services Administration. Case pending. "

Good recaps of three of the newest, biggest Bushco™ busts. My Scandal Scorecard project has fallen victim to the incredible expanding day job (mostly nights, actually, but you get the drift) but many of the situations that made the list have made their way into various courtrooms and administrative hearings with results including various convictions and sanctions. History will certainly note the degree of corruption which has infected virtually every corner of the executive branch under destructionist rule.

It's the kind of thing likely to make you think that this is the most lying, crooked bunch you've ever seen...

That was the year that was.

Think Progress has a sobering recap of Preznit 35%'s second term so far, culminating in Scooter's indictment. A year in the life of the gaggle of liars, crooks and incompetents led by the man who is without a doubt the

From the honored pets of the past file...

Somewhere between Tabby Hoffman and Audrey Hepcat there was the aptly, if simply, named Goldie. He was the quintessential big orange Tom.



I don't think he ever figured out how to use the remote...

Whack Hack.

"Simply put, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them."

DeLay aide Mike Scanlon, in a memo read aloud at the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

The supposedly pious SOBs.

You get that folks? They don't care about you. Even if they count on you, they don't care about you.


Hat tip to VirginiaDem at Kos.

We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee...

We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee...

It has been 846 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

(Titular tribute to Cap'n Carl Ballard, who can also be found here. We'll catch up with Mr. Jones Tomorrow.)

Bonjour!

That's my way of saying howdy to all y'all visiting from the General's place, where pal o' Upper Left Carl Ballard is filling in while the General hisself is on leave (that's his cover story, anyway).

If any of the French terminology around here disturbs you…well, that's the point, isn't it?

Thanks for the link, Carl!

That Kerry fella…

…has a withdrawal plan (and a petition to go with it), and now there's this…

Dianne Feinstein, a member of the intelligence committee, said yesterday: "Had I known then what I know now, I never would have have cast that vote, not in a thousand years."

Dianne freaking Feinstein. Their lies have made dove out of Dianne freaking Feinstein.

Which, in my mind at least, raises the question.

Where's Hillary?

Preznit 35%.

CBS:

Bush's low job approval is far below that of some of his two-term predecessors at this point in their second terms. In November 1985, President Reagan had a 65 percent approval rating, and Bill Clinton's job approval in November 1997 was 57 percent.

This can't be spun as typical second term troubles, unless you think Dick Nixon was a typical second term President.

I'm not a believer in the potential for impeachment, but I really didn't believe he'd hit 35%, either. So, how low can he go without a bill of impeachment?

Reward good behavior.

If you're able, toss a couple bucks at the Leader's PAC.


Graphical hat tip to the Nitpicker, via Lindsay.

…just what you will say when you get home.

It has been 845 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

Rove. Treason. Betrayal.

Animal House...

…sayeth The Poorman.

With just a touch of Revenge of the Nerds sez me.

What do the kids say nowadays?

Groovy? Cool? Bitchin'?

Whatever. It applies.

According to last week’s indictment of Scooter Libby, a person identified as “Official A” held conversations with reporters about Plame’s identity as an undercover CIA operative, information that was classified. News accounts subsequently confirmed that that official was Rove. Under Executive Order 12958, signed by President Clinton in 1995, such a disclosure is grounds for, at a minimum, losing access to classified information.

In case you've forgotten...

...who the world's greatest living gospel singer is, Aretha's reminding us all at Rosa's funeral, and she doesn't even need an actual gospel song to do it.

Why do we never get an answer...

...When we're knocking at the door?
With a thousand million questions
About hate and death and war.

Well, maybe not a thousand million, but Harry Reid has a few solid entries for the Good Questions file...

How did the Bush Administration assemble its case for war against Iraq?

Who did Bush Administration officials listen to and who did they ignore?

How did senior Administration officials manipulate or manufacture intelligence presented to the Congress and the American people?

What was the role of the White House Iraq Group or WHIG, a group of senior White House officials tasked with marketing the war and taking down its critics?

How did the Administration coordinate its efforts to attack individuals who dared to challenge the Administration's assertions?

Why has the Administration failed to provide Congress with the documents that will shed light on their misconduct and misstatements?

Harry's driving the Republicans nuts. Me, I'm just wild about the guy.

Another good question…

…from another pal o' Upper Left, The Carpetbagger, who wonders…

"Whatever happened to Standard Form 312?"

I'm not sure either, but it sure did happen a long time ago. In fact…

It has been 844 days since Karl Rove violated his obligations under Standard Form 312 without the White House taking “corrective action.”

(lyrical lead-ins will return tomorrow)

I knew someday they'd go too far…

…with this cloning business.



Hat tip to Billmon.

From the Good Question file…

…one from pal o' Upper Left, Dr. Streak.

If I am looking for my democracy, where do you suggest I go?

He's full of good questions I'm stumped for good answers to.

Quote of the Day

"Republicans in just 10 years have developed the arrogance it took the Democrats 30 years to develop."

Former Rep. J.C. Watts, member of the GOP class of '94

J.C. freaking Watts.

Wow.

Hat tip to Taegan Goddard.