Great Expectations
Paul Krugman is an columnist for the New York Times who, in his recent book, The Great Unravelling suggests that President Bush's ecomonic policy is putting America on track for a fiscal disaster of, in his words, Dickensian proportions. I mean, "rising infant mortality and low-birth-weight infants" style poverty across the board for homemakers making about $30,000 or less.

Meanwhile, the President is suggesting that his tax cuts are a dam holding back a tidal wave of even more economic catastrophies.

Funny. I thought we were projecting surpluses ad infinitum when he took office. I suppose that's all Bin Laden's fault. But wait - doesn't Bush know him (see the previous post)? Maybe it's Ken Lay's fault. Oh, wait, Bush knows him, too.

D'Oh.

White House Approved Departure of Saudis After Sept. 11, Ex-Aide Says

The Getaway
Right after September 11, 2001, it was at least a week or more before any more airplanes were allowed to fly.

Or, at least, so we thought.

Apparently, while most Americans were huddling in their homes, trying to comprehend the horror of what had just happened, the U.S. Government was secretly gathering up dozens of high-powered Saudi Arabian citizens still in our country, including members of Osama Bin Laden's family, shuffling them into private planes, and spiriting them off of American soil.

Joe Conason has a much more detailed accounting of this online at Salon.com, but they make you pay to read it (bastards!). The story itself is in the October issue of Vanity Fair.

Someone please tell me why Bush is coddling these people?

Standing Up In The Face Of Madness
Well, say what you will about Colin Powell (let's not get into that whole Harry Belafonte thing again), he proves, once again, that he is the voice of reason in this lunatic asylum they call the Bush Administration. This Washington Post report details how Powell engineered yet another coup to bring the UN into Iraq, over the protests of Don Rumsfeld & the neo-con civilian leadership in the Pentagon.

This is interesting to me for three reasons:
1. Notice that the military brass themselves knew that this was poorly planned, but were promptly silenced by Rumfeld & Co. until the bombs started going off.

2. Why is the President giving more credence for military planning to political appointees instead of generals? Is anyone surprised that this has descended into chaos?

3. Why is it so important to the Administration for the United States to have complete and total control in Iraq? Is it really because they're just arrogant & stubborn? Or could it possibly have to do with the fact that we're holding all of these high level Iraqi officials and that the UN, once involved, may actually want to conduct their own interrogation of these guys? Consider that, to date, none of the Iraqi leadership have confirmed the existence of the WMD arsenal that the White House said they knew had to be there. After all, if any of them knew anything to support Bush's case, they would have been paraded before the public long before now. What other secrets are the US hiding?

TOMPAINE.com - Wounded, Weary And Disappeared

Purple Hearts
Yes, the official body count of American soldiers during the Iraqi occupation has just recently exceeded the number killed during the "war" itself. But the number of wounded is officially set at around 800 men and women. And others in the know, according to this article at Tom Paine, suggest that it could really be up to the thousands.

Consider, for a moment, what being wounded in combat means. This is not like the disabled list in baseball. I mean, we're talking lost limbs. Lost eyesight. Lost hearing. Permanent paralysis. Gunshot wounds. Shrapnel wounds. Things like that.

The President has yet to visit the wounded at Walter Reed Hospital.

I think that speaks for itself.

Rejecting Wedgies
Wedge politics is a term to describe campaign policies meant to highlight the differences between segments in the electorate to incite them to vote one way or another. It is, by definition, divisive.

It was really originated by Richard Nixon, in his appeals to the "Silent Majority" in 1968, a code word meant to distinguish folks from the hippies, radicals, anti-war protesters, & civil rights demonstrators. But it was really raised to a whole other level by Lee Atwater, former GOP National chairman and manager of George H.W. Bush's 1988 campaign, with such things as the infamous Willie Horton ads. Needless to say, when they allowed party operatives to promote rumors South Carolina that John McCain had an illegitimate bi-racial baby as part of their campaign to crush his insurgency during the 2000 Republican primary, Karl Rove & our President proved they were zen masters of the wedge.

And this is why Michael Cudahy, a registered Republican, is now supporting Howard Dean for President.

Why
This gentleman on Common Dreams has EXACTLY articulated the reasons I support Howard Dean for President of the United States.

Favorite Quote: "His present positions do not unanimously agree with mine but I believe Howard Dean actually deals with evidence and reality and then arrives at a solution and a considered policy. In other words, I believe a citizen might be able to change Dean's mind."

Harry Lime Quote of the Day


"You mean the one from the four countries that got together and had a little, bitty summit?..... Yeah, the chocolate makers....."


- State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher, referring to a proposal by France, Germany, Belgium, & Luxembourg to create a European military command center separate from NATO.

For those of you who don't know who Harry Lime is, do yourself a favor and check out The Third Man. It's especially relevant now, in this "post-major combat" days.

No Chance In Hell
So, it looks like I'm going to have a Dean Hat-Trick today. Let the ranting commence....

I just had a conversation with one of my co-workers who'd heard Gov. Dean speak for the first time this weekend on C-Span. This gentleman, who'd campaigned for John F. Kennedy in the 1960 election, said that he believed Dean was his kind of candidate - he was thoughtful, strong, and had integrity. He said he would DEFINITELY vote for him.

But he also said that Dean has no chance in Hell of becoming President of the United States.

He cited the '60 election as an example: Nixon had spent the previous 8 years as the incumbent Vice-President from a popular administration. On paper, Kennedy had nothing even close to Tricky Dick's qualifications. But JFK was a good looking man and, in my friend's estimation, Americans vote with their hearts instead of their heads.

I cannot tell you how many times I've been told the exact same thing - people (usually men) love Dean but think he'll get creamed in the election. But when you listen to the reasons they cite, it tends to be something along the lines of this:

"The American people are too stupid to vote for what's good for them."

Now, to be honest and fair, I've said similar things myself. But then, I have to consider this: how often has the electorate actually made a mistake?

Gore actually got more votes than Bush, it's just that the election was within the margin of error and went to Bush on a technicality.

Was it a mistake for the public to vote for Reagan over Carter? Well, in light of that given moment in time (inflation, oil shortages, American hostages in Iran), it didn't really look like Carter was getting the job done. He was probably a better humanitarian than Reagan, but he wasn't handling the basic requirements of the job, namely peace & prosperity.

Was it a mistake to elect Bush over Dukakis? Or Nixon over Humphreys?

I think what all of these guys (Carter, Dukakis, Humphreys) had in common is that they allowed the opposition to paint them as soft. And the fundamental requirement of leadership is strength.

In the oath of office every President must take on his Inauguration Day, he pledges to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States". It's not a job for equivocation. You can't run a country by citing your credentials or brandishing a resume.

If you want to be the most powerful man (or, dare I say, woman, Mrs. Clinton?) in the world, you have to demonstrate that you are worthy of power. And power begins with strength.

George Bush is many things, but, no matter how many mistakes he makes, it is his illusion of strength that makes him seem insurmountable. All of the Democratic Senators who are running for President are losing ground to Howard Dean because they are clearly pandering to Bush's side of the electorate instead of standing up for something. Guys like Kerry, Gephardt, Edwards & Lieberman would all be crushed against Bush. I mean, really, if I want a Republican agenda, why would I ever vote for a Democrat masquerading as a Republican? The country is polarized, and rather than trying to steal from Bush's thunder, Dean is waking up the other side of the equation.

Trust me, my friends, a Dean vs. Bush election will be VERY, VERY ugly. But guys only fight dirty when they're afraid they'll lose.

And I think Karl Rove gets the "Duck Season - Wabbit Season" award for asking for the thing he doesn't want to make people think he really wants it so they'll keep it from him. They don't really want to run against Dean, because Dean won't bow to Bush like he's f'n Hirohito.

No Chance In Hell? We'll see about that.

"I LOVE me some John Ashcroft! Don't NOBODY be talking bad about John Ashcroft!!! YOU JUST SHUT YOUR STINKING MOUTH ABOUT JOHN ASHCROFT!!!!!!!!"

After Howard Dean said that John Ashcroft is not a patriot, Tom Delay has issued an official press release from his office calling Gov. Dean, among other things, a "cruel and extremist demogogue".

Whoa.

Ignoring the whole "pot-calling-the-kettle-black" aspect of all of this, who knew that the Attorney General had such a special place in the majority whip's heart. People might start to get ideas about them, you know....

Humbling Quote of the Day

"Seeing all those people out there, the enormity of it all really struck me. For the first time I realized what it really means to be President of the United States--seeing all those people out there, counting on you."

-Howard Dean, reacting to the 15,000 people who showed up to rally for his Presidential Campaign in Seattle last weekend.

You're Going To Hell

"Your" Going To Hell
I still am not completely convinced this is real, but it's certainly amusing for those of you who are not of the more fundamentalist bent. I'm actually fascinated by the fact that this person spent this much time on the site but registered an incorrectly spelled URL. At any rate, the most bizarre part of the site (other than the Hellraiser-like images) is the fact that really bad MIDI versions of popular songs such as Prodigy's "Firestarter" and Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" play while you find out how to save yourself from the fiery pit.
Be healed, my children.

Electoral College Calculator - version 2.2

College Scores
Here's a nifty little online tool that let's you calculate Presidential election results based on what states you expect your candidate to win. Let the speculation commence.....

I prefer the term "Volunteer" shops, myself
Demonstrating his commitment to cheap labor, the President has outsourced fundraising for his campaign to India.

Where to begin.....

Til Death Do Us Part
As processor speed in computers increase, silicon chips will become more and more obsolete because they'll melt under the increasing heat. So various scientists around the world are working on chips made of studier substances.

Like diamonds.

In fact, according to this Wired article, there are at least two American companies that have successfully grown synthetic 3 carat yellow diamonds in a lab for $100 a pop or less.

And the people at DeBeers are not happy. Not happy at all.

Favorite quote from the son of one of these diamond farmers: "my father's research was a good way to get a bullet in the head".

Red Meat for the Party Regulars
Since Gallup and Zogby aren't a broad enough cross section of the public to truly gage support for the California Recall, Taco Bell has decided to take polling into their own hands.

Let me repeat that: Taco Bell is conducting a poll for the California Recall, based around what kind of tacos sell the most between now and October 7th.

Is there anything I even COULD say about this?

Political Dis of the Day

"We're still focused on defeating question one on the ballot. Question two has become a sideshow with one less clown."

- a spokesman for California Governor Gray Davis, responding to the news that 2002 Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon had dropped out of the recall election.

Ain't Gettin' Any
While recently completing a course of study at Harvard (demonstrating once again why the Crimson can at best hope for a tie with Old Nassau in U.S. News & World Report), Al Franken wrote the letter, linked above, to John Ashcroft. In it, Franken asked the Attorney General to give his first hand accounts of sexual abstinence for Franken's alleged new book, entitled "Savin' It".

Priceless.

Unbecoming Conduct
The inspiration for, at least, the name of the fallen Spirit of America in Micah Wright's Stormwatch: Team Achilles, this site his a clearinghouse for vets, disgruntled soldiers, and their troubled loved ones back home as they try to mobilize in defense of their family and against the flawed plans of the Pentagon. Definitely worth a look-sie.

The Golden State's Forbidden Fruit
I've lived in California for exactly 4 years, as of next week, and I just saw my first orange grove this month. There was a time that millions of crates bearing California fruit where shipped all over the country, marked with a signature style of labels like the ones shown here, with slogans like "Don't Worry", or "Dainty Maid", or, my personal favorite, "Hustler".


Of course, our latest export, political anarchy, might be coming to a polling place near you, so get in on the new vogue. Buy some classic Ah-nold gear at the link abovee and show your support for the new regime.

Quote of the Day

"I'll probably be found dead in the woods."

-British WMD scientist David Kelley, in response to a question posed by an acquaintance in private, regarding the consequences if Iraq was invaded, even after Kelley had personally assured Iraqi officials that they would be safe as long as they complied with UN weapons inspectors.

Six months later, Kelley went missing after walking his dog, days after being fingered as the potential BBC informant who's suggested that Tony Blair's government had exaggerated the Iraq threat.

His body was eventually found with his wrists slashed, in a wooded area near his home.