It's official: Diebold election bugware can't be trusted

It's official: Diebold election bugware can't be trusted

Diebold would rather lose all of its voting machine business in North Carolina than open its source code to state election officials as required by law, the Associated Press reports.

Due to irregularities in the 2004 election traced to touch screen terminals, North Carolina has taken the very reasonable precaution of requiring vendors of electronic voting gizmos to place all of the source code in escrow. Diebold has objected to the possibility of criminal sanctions if they fail to comply, and argued for an exemption before Wake County Superior Court Judge Narley Cashwell. The judge declined to issue an exemption, and Diebold has concluded that it has no choice but withdraw from the state

.

Associated Press looks South

Facing South: Associated Press looks South

The Associated Press had a recent series of articles about the South and what it means to be Southern. The articles ran in local papers all over the region and as far away as Minnesota, North Dakota, and California. There's some interesting and thought provoking discussion:

Definition of South, Southern Is Changing
Many Blacks Take Pride in Southern Roots
Great Literature Amid Illiteracy
Yes, Ma'am, There Is Pride in Politeness
Country Comedy Is an Evolving Tradition

This is a great series, but one thing that's missing is a discussion of the South's influence on traditional/folk/gospel/popular music. That would be pretty tough to cover in a single article, though.

Out of Touch and Out of his Booze Adled Mind

Bush's Shrinking Safety Zone

What does it say about the president of the United States that he won't go anywhere near ordinary citizens any more? And that he'll only speak to captive audiences?

President Bush's safety zone these days doesn't appear to extend very far beyond military bases, other federal installations and Republican fundraisers.

Jason Isbell at Logan's Roadhouse, Flo, AL.

"The night.... Jason played my home town. The few that braved the weather (it was about 55 and pleasant) got sucked into the awesome music".

How lucky can a guy get. I went home to Florence, Al for the first time in 2 years for Thanksgiving. Before I left the ever knowledgeable DBT Yahoo group tipped me off that Jason Isbell might be playing at Logan's Roadhouse in Flo-town (or "The Titty-City" as we use to call it) on Wed the 23rd. I went to Logan's on Monday and asked the bartender if this was true and he confirmed. The Shoals area, the birthplace of 4 out of 5 of the DBTers, isn't that hip to the band for whatever reason. The bar was packed but most of the folks there weren't aware of the stature that Jason and DBT have in the music world elsewhere in the U.S. Honestly, it was a bit surreal. J.I. in my hometown playing a solo show at a local haunt. If that won't take your mind off your troubles, what will?

I requested TVA and Dec Day which Jason happily played. I also requested Superman but Jason said he hadn't played it in so long he couldn't remember it. Said he practice it so he could start playing it. I think this song is one of the best he's ever written.

So on Wed I got to see an acoustic show by Jason and on Friday the full band at the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham. I'll be posting some pics of the B-ham show later this week along with some special pics related to DBT and their music. Keep checking back.

Below are some pics of Jason at the Roadhouse:

Thanksgiving in Alabama

To my 2-3 readers:

I'm spending time in Alabama this week for Thanksgiving. First time I've been home in 2 years. It is cold and raining and perfect.

I'll attempt to update the blog but it is a low priority. Hopefully, Shrub kill us all by the time I get back to posting.

I'll be going down to Birmingham to the The Drive-by Truckers. I'll try to sneak a camera in so check back and I'll come and tell my story to all you young and eager minds. Should be a great show. Cooley and Patterson's 20th anniversary show.

Have a great T.G., y'all.

Ohio's Electric Boogaloo

"Democracy Breakin': Ohio's Electric Boogaloo"

CIA leak prosecutor sees new grand jury proceedings

CIA leak prosecutor sees new grand jury proceedings

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said in court filings that the ongoing CIA leak investigation will involve proceedings before a new grand jury, a possible sign he could seek new charges in the case.

In filings obtained by Reuters on Friday, Fitzgerald said 'the investigation is continuing' and that 'the investigation will involve proceedings before a different grand jury than the grand jury which returned the indictment' against Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis 'Scooter' Libby."

George W. Bush Gives Me Hope

The astonishing collapse of the Bumbling One surely means healthy change is imminent, right?

"In fact, George W. Bush gives me hope. He gives me hope because he has led the country into a zone where the only way to go -- morally, spiritually, economically -- is up. Is out. He gives me hope because after it has all appeared so bleak and ugly and lost for so many years, it would now appear that all laws of karmic and poetic and moral justice still hold true. And how reassuring is that?"

House Democrats Defeat Spending Bill

House Democrats Defeat Spending Bill

"Legislation to fund many of the nation's health, education and social programs went down to a startling defeat in the House Thursday, led by Democrats who said cuts in the bill hurt some of America's neediest people.

The 224-209 vote against the $142.5 billion spending bill disrupted plans by Republican leaders to finish up work on this year's spending bills and cast doubt on whether they would have the votes to pass a major budget-cutting bill also on the day's agenda."

Grand Old Spenders

Grand Old Spenders

"The storm-tossed and rudderless Republican Party should particularly ponder the vote last week in Dover, Pa., where all eight members of the school board seeking reelection were defeated. This expressed the community's wholesome exasperation with the board's campaign to insinuate religion, in the guise of 'intelligent design' theory, into high school biology classes, beginning with a required proclamation that evolution 'is not a fact.'"

....
"It does me no injury," said Thomas Jefferson, "for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." But it is injurious, and unneighborly, when zealots try to compel public education to infuse theism into scientific education. The conservative coalition, which is coming unglued for many reasons, will rapidly disintegrate if limited-government conservatives become convinced that social conservatives are unwilling to concentrate their character-building and soul-saving energies on the private institutions that mediate between individuals and government, and instead try to conscript government into sectarian crusades.

House Democrat Wants Immediate Iraq Pullout

Here is the video of Murtha. Powerful:
Murtha Speech - Video

House Democrat Wants Immediate Iraq Pullout

"An influential House Democrat who voted for the Iraq war called Thursday for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, another sign of growing unease in Congress about the conflict.

'This is the immediate redeployment of American forces because they have become the target,' said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., one of Congress' most hawkish Democrats. At times during his remarks to reporters, the decorated Vietnam War veteran was choking back tears.

'It is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering, the future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region,' Murtha said."

Confesssions of a Trucker

"Spotlight on Drive-By Truckers' newest member Jason Isbell"

A native of 60s music mecca Muscle Shoals, AL, Isbell took the bar-band route in high school, having studio session man and local legend David Hood as one of his mentors. In 1997, Isbell decided to study English at the University of Memphis. "I just wanted to write songs," he said in a recent phone interview. "I wanted to learn as much as I could about putting words on paper and making them mean exactly what you want.

From Icon to Water Carrier

Woodward Apologizes to Post for Withholding Knowledge of Plame

Document Says Oil Chiefs Met With Cheney Task Force

Foxes in the Chicken Koop

"A White House document shows that executives from big oil companies met with Vice President Cheney's energy task force in 2001 -- something long suspected by environmentalists but denied as recently as last week by industry officials testifying before Congress."

Democratic leader takes first stab at Alito nomination

Coolest Mormon Ever! Him and Dale Murphy.

First, the President’s selection of Judge Alito was not at all the product of consultation with Senate Democrats. On two prior occasions President Bush invited me and Senator Leahy to the White House to discuss the future of the Supreme Court.
...
But this time, instead of an invitation to the White House, I received nothing more than a pro forma telephone call about an hour before the President announced his choice of Judge Alito.
...
President searched the country and was unable to find a qualified female nominee. But maybe he was unable to find a qualified female nominee who happened to satisfy the far right wing of the Republican Party.
....
Let’s not sugarcoat the truth: the nomination of Harriet Miers was derailed by the overwhelming opposition of right wing activists.
....
When exactly will Harriet Miers receive her up or down vote?
....
The White House made a half-hearted effort to argue that the Miers nomination was withdrawn in the face of an impasse over what documents would be provided to the Senate. That is a pretext, a laughable cover story.
....
Harriet Miers was forced to withdraw by conservative activists who want to change the legal landscape of America. They decided she was inadequately radical or insufficiently aggressive for their purposes, so they gave her the boot.
....
For the past fifteen years, Judge Alito has been one of the most conservative federal judges in the country.
....
In Bray v. Marriott Hotels, his colleagues said Title VII of the Civil Right Act “would be eviscerated” if Judge Alito’s approach were followed.

Bob Woodward: My CIA leak source was not Libby

Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Karl Rove Right Over

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Washington Post editor Bob Woodward testified that a senior Bush administration official told him about CIA operative Valerie Plame about a month before her identity was publicly exposed, the Post acknowledged Wednesday.

Woodward told Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, who is investigating the leak of Plame's identity, that the official talked to him about Plame in mid-June 2003, the Post said. Woodward and editors at the Post refused to identify the official other than to say it was not I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff.

GOP senator hits Bush for attacking war critics

Hints Congress endorsing another Vietnam by staying silent

"'The Iraq war should not be debated in the United States on a partisan political platform,' the Nebraska senator remarked. 'This debases our country, trivializes the seriousness of war and cheapens the service and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. War is not a Republican or Democrat issue. The casualties of war are from both parties. The Bush Administration must understand that each American has a right to question our policies in Iraq and should not be demonized for disagreeing with them. Suggesting that to challenge or criticize policy is undermining and hurting our troops is not democracy nor what this country has stood for, for over 200 years. The Democrats have an obligation to challenge in a serious and responsible manner, offering solutions and alternatives to the Administration’s policies.'"

No Ideas of their own...

Cribbing a Plan from the Democrats

"WASHINGTON - The Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday easily defeated a Democratic effort to pressure President Bush to outline a timetable for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. It then overwhelmingly endorsed a weaker statement of U.S. policy in Iraq.

By 58-40, senators rejected a Democratic plan that the minority party's leadership advanced in the wake of declining public support for a conflict that has claimed more than 2,000 U.S. lives and cost more than $200 billion. The non-binding measure called for Bush to outline a plan for gradually withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq."
...

On a 79-19 vote, the Senate approved that GOP-sponsored proposal, which did not call for the president to put forth a withdrawal timetable.
...

Republicans largely adopted the Democratic proposal as their own, but they omitted one paragraph calling for the president to offer a plan for a phased withdrawal of the roughly 160,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq. The administration has refused to set a timetable for withdrawal, saying insurgents simply would wait to strike until after U.S. forces departed.

Bush's Third Campaign

Bush's Third Campaign

"But Bush's argument is deeply flawed. Far from being baseless, the charge that he intentionally misled the public in the run-up to war is built on a growing amount of evidence. And the longer Bush goes without refuting that evidence in detail, the more persuasive it becomes.

And his most prized talking point -- that many Democrats agreed with him at the time -- is problematic. Many of those Democrats did so because they believed the information the president gave them. Now they are coming to the conclusion that they shouldn't have.

Like other Bush campaigns, this one will inevitably feature the ceaseless repetition of key sound bytes -- the hope being that they will be carried, largely unchallenged, by the media -- and virulent attacks by the White House on those who dare to disagree, even going so far as to question their patriotism."

Decoding Mr. Bush's Denials

Decoding Mr. Bush's Denials

"To avoid having to account for his administration's misleading statements before the war with Iraq, President Bush has tried denial, saying he did not skew the intelligence. He's tried to share the blame, claiming that Congress had the same intelligence he had, as well as President Bill Clinton. He's tried to pass the buck and blame the C.I.A. Lately, he's gone on the attack, accusing Democrats in Congress of aiding the terrorists.

Yesterday in Alaska, Mr. Bush trotted out the same tedious deflection on Iraq that he usually attempts when his back is against the wall: he claims that questioning his actions three years ago is a betrayal of the troops in battle today.

It all amounts to one energetic effort at avoidance. But like the W.M.D. reports that started the whole thing, the only problem is that none of it has been true."

US faulted on handling nuclear threat

Bush is a Failure at Everything he does

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government is not doing enough to protect nuclear weapons from terrorists and its handling of terrorism suspects is undermining America's image in the Muslim world, members of a commission that investigated the September 11 attacks said on Monday.

Although President George W. Bush calls arms proliferation the country's biggest threat and al Qaeda has sought nuclear weapons for a decade, the former commission's chairman Thomas Kean said, 'the most striking thing to us is that the size of the problem still totally dwarfs the policy response.'"

Science, Schmience....

Too much sex, too little Jesus:

"Federal health officials didn't follow normal procedures in rejecting over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill — and some documents suggest the decision was made even before scientists finished reviewing the evidence, congressional investigators reported Monday.

Politics trumped science, immediately charged long-suspicious members of Congress who had requested the independent audit."

Rediscovered testimony given by CIA director in 2001 suggests manipulation of pre-war intelligence

Give this man the Medal of Freedom... oh....

"President George W. Bush’s attempt Friday to silence critics who say his administration manipulated prewar intelligence on Iraq is undercut by congressional testimony given in February 2001 by former CIA Director George Tenet, who said that Iraq posed no immediate threat to the United States or other countries in the Middle East, RAW STORY has found.

Details of Tenet’s testimony have not been reported before"

Asterisks Dot White House's Iraq Argument

Asterisks Dot White House's Iraq Argument

"President Bush and his national security adviser have answered critics of the Iraq war in recent days with a two-pronged argument: that Congress saw the same intelligence the administration did before the war, and that independent commissions have determined that the administration did not misrepresent the intelligence.

Neither assertion is wholly accurate."

Winning hearts and minds

CIA allegedly hid evidence of detainee torture

"WASHINGTON (AFP) - CIA interrogators apparently tried to cover up the death of an Iraqi 'ghost detainee' who died while being interrogated at Abu Ghraib prison, a US magazine reported, after obtaining hundreds of pages of documents, including an autopsy report, about the case."

Autumn of Discontent

The latest NEWSWEEK poll shows serious political trouble for President Bush.

"Only 36 percent of Americans approve of the job he is doing as president, and an astounding 68 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the direction of the country—the highest in Bush’s presidency. But that’s not the worst of it for the 43rd president of the United States, a leader who rode comfortably to reelection just a year ago. Half of all Americans now believe he’s not “honest and ethical.”

2 Dates, 1 Speech

Bush doesn't even write a new speech when he gives one. Click on the link and compare his Veterans' Day Speech today and the one he gave on 10/6 at the National endowment for Democracy.

2 Dates, 1 Speech

Democratic leader fires back at Bush speech: We must change the course

Stormin' Mormon Harry Reid

"'On this Veterans Day, the President had the opportunity to honor our troops, both those who have served and those who are currently serving, by laying out a clear strategy for success in the war in Iraq. Instead, the President resorted to his old playbook of discredited rhetoric about the war on terror and political attacks as his own political fortunes and credibility diminish."

Liar, Fucking Liar, Pants on Fire II

Bush Resurrects False Claim That Congress Had “Same Intelligence” On Iraq:

"In his speech today, President Bush claimed that members of Congress who voted for the 2002 Iraq war resolution “had access to the same intelligence” as his administration. This is patently false.

Nevermind that much of the intelligence offered to the public and to Congress was inaccurate and misleading, or that according to the Downing Street memo and other documents, such intelligence was likely intentionally “fixed.” It is simply not true to state that Congress received the “same intelligence” as the White House:"

Paul Hackett for Ohio....

Paul Hackett for America! Paul Hackett for President! Paul Hackett for damn near anything.

"My name is Paul Hackett. I'm a Democrat. And I'm damn proud of that fact"

Watch this video.

Hackett for Ohio

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire

Poll: Most Americans Doubt Bush's Honesty

"Almost six in 10 — 57 percent — said they do not think the Bush administration has high ethical standards and the same portion says President Bush is not honest, an AP-Ipsos poll found. Just over four in 10 say the administration has high ethical standards and that Bush is honest. Whites, Southerners and white evangelicals were most likely to believe Bush is honest."

That last sentence KILLS me. Southerners have the best bullshit detector in the states. Why, oh, why do they keep believing these liars? (WARNING: Question is rhetorical and no one other than a Southerner should attempt to answer it)

For GOP, 2006 Now Looms Much Larger

For GOP, 2006 Now Looms Much Larger:

In a season of discontent for the White House, Tuesday's election results intensified Republican anxiety that next year's midterm contests could bring serious losses unless George W. Bush finds a way to turn around his presidency and shore up support among disaffected, moderate swing voters.
...

"'It's not just that they lost these elections,' said Democratic pollster Geoffrey Garin, 'but that none of their old tricks worked that they've relied on to give them the edge in close contests.'"

O'Reilly Encourages Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Soil

Such a Putz

Those familiar with O'Reilly tried to put the comment in context.

"The man is a sensationalist fool," said Paul Hickey, a 76-year-old visiting from Texas.

"He's irritating," said his wife, Judy Hickey, 67.
....

"It sounds like he's on the same medication Rush Limbaugh is addicted to, and he should go see a therapist,'' Peskin said.
....

Mayor Gavin Newsom said, "I've never been impressed with what he's had to say, and I'm not impressed now. Consider the source. Remember, this is the guy who wanted me arrested after (San Francisco sanctioned same-sex marriages last year). He never let his opinion get in the way of the facts."

Bush to counter Democrats

Bush to counter Democrats

"I point out that some of the critics today believed, themselves, in 2002 that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. They stated that belief, and they voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq," said Stephen Hadley, the president's national security adviser, on Thursday.

If you believe that Congress was given the same intelligence on WMD as the POTUS then you are a damn fool.

Turning "Bubbas" Into Democratic Voters...

I just learned about these two guys, Dave "Mudcat" Saunders and Steve Jarding.

urning "Bubbas" Into Democratic Voters...

...will "take a wire brush to Republicans" for peeling off traditional Democrats in southern and rural areas under false pretenses

We adjourn to the porch, and talk hunting for what seems like several hours, while Mudcat encourages the boys to finish off the damson, "cause after this story comes out, I can't have this s--in the house." After hearing about my magazine, Bobby identifies himself as a "f--in' die-hard Republican. I love W. He's the man!" Mudcat settles in with his iced tea, and goes to work on Bobby's head. He drills him over the Contract With America, not because Mudcat disagrees with it, but because he says power-drunk, decadent Republicans have largely forsaken their principles and quit acting like Republicans.

Bobby takes strong issue, saying you can't blame Republicans for the deficit, since the economy is partly responsible. "Well they write the goddamned budget!" says Mudcat. "And the president is a Republican--who else do I blame?" Mudcat tells Bobby he may be a Democrat, but he's a fiscal conservative who believes in the sanctity of the Constitution and has a poor opinion of the Patriot Act. Furthermore, he tells Bobby that "there ain't 50 cents difference in you and I politically." Sure, Bobby's a good Baptist who thinks gays have no right to get married, while Mudcat thinks it's a states-rights issue, and takes a more laissez faire attitude toward homosexuals, as long as he's not the object of their attentions.

Read the Kos Dairy and be sure to read the article it quotes

Hold your sack.....

...but I'm posting an article from a conservitive site.... written by... Pat Buchanan... WAIT, Wait, wait. Don't hit the back button yet. This is a conservative, con-ser-va-tive writing on the Bush admin and the current state of the GOP. It is a must read.

Get you some: Bush Leaves GOP in Crisis

....President Bush’s free fall in national polls on job performance, credibility and character, the Republican Party is in imminent peril of losing the country.
...

in March, 2003, Bush, in perhaps the greatest strategic blunder in U.S. history, invaded an Arab nation that had not attacked us, did not want war with us, and did not threaten us—to strip it of weapons we now know it did not have.
...

Democratic imperialism is still imperialism. To Arab and Islamic peoples, whether the Crusaders come in the name of God or in the name of democracy, they are still Crusaders.

The H.M.S. Bush is sinking... and fast!

Senate votes down "Truman Committee" to investigate war profiteering - Halliburton

Senate votes down "Truman Committee" to investigate war profiteering

Although Senate Republicans killed an amendment that would have established a special investigation into war profiteering by Halliburton and other companies by a vote of 53 to 44 today, they have pledged to investigate Halliburton before the end of the year.
....

The vote went down straight party lines; all Republicans voted no, all Dems voted yes. Alexander (R-TN), Corzine (D-NJ), and Inouye (D-HI) didn't show.

Rove aide called back to testify as inquiry into Rove's role wraps up, lawyers say

The SOB LIED, period... Indict his ass

"Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will soon conclude his investigation into whether President Bush’s deputy chief of staff Karl Rove gave false statements to a grand jury investigating the leak of a covert CIA agent, attorneys close to the case say.

According to lawyers familiar with the case, Fitzgerald is trying to convince the grand jury that Rove made false statements during the three times he testified under oath and misleading statements to Justice Department and FBI investigators when he was first interviewed about his role in the leak in October 2003."

Bush 'sank' GOP in Virginia

From the Pro-Bush Moonie Times, no less:

" 'We know that George Bush is just killing us,' said Delegate David B. Albo, a Republican who narrowly defeated his Democratic challenger in Fairfax County. 'His popularity just brought the ticket down. There's no other way to explain it.' "

ALERT! Propaganda Campaign Coming Your Way

Bush to launch propaganda campaign to justify Iraq war and leak-treason

CNN reports that the White House is launching a propaganda campaign to justify its decision to invade Iraq and to help make the case that Scooter and Rove didn't leak in order to deceive the public about the war. It's weird, very weird.

Bush, GOP mired in political quicksand

57% believe Bush Deliberately Misled the Country on the Case for War

"The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, released Wednesday night, finds that all five of Bush’s job approval ratings — on overall job performance, the economy, foreign policy, terrorism and Iraq — are at all-time lows in the survey."

House suspends Alaska drilling push

Thank you Republican moderates.... Wait.... There are moderate Republicans?

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- A solid phalanx of Republican moderates drove House GOP leaders to drop a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wilderness area to oil drilling as a sweeping budget bill headed toward a vote Thursday."

Ala. governor praises former FEMA chief

First this headline today regarding Riley's comments on Mikey "Arabian-Horse's-Ass-Doin-A-Heck-of-a-Job" Brown

Ala. governor praises former FEMA chief

In case you missed it last week e-mails were published from Brownie during the Katrina crisis showing what a complete Arabian horses' ass this man really is:

"In the midst of the overwhelming damage caused by the hurricane and enormous problems faced by FEMA, Mr. Brown found time to exchange e-mails about superfluous topics," including "problems finding a dog-sitter," according to Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Louisiana, who posted the e-mails on his Web site.

In an e-mail he sent the morning of the hurricane to Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs, Brown wrote, "Can I quit now? Can I come home?" A few days later, Brown wrote to an acquaintance, "I'm trapped now, please rescue me."

A few days later, Worthy advised Brown: "Please roll up the sleeves of your shirt all shirts. Even the President rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow. In this [crisis] and on TV you just need to look more hard-working."

On August 29, the day of the storm, Brown exchanged e-mails about his attire with Taylor, Melancon said. She told him, "You look fabulous," and Brown replied, "I got it at Nordstroms. ... Are you proud of me?"

An hour later, Brown added: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god," according to the congressman.

Yet, Riley thinks this man deserves praise for his efforts? And why do Alabamians keep voting for these idiots? Oh, yeah, and Riley had this load of Arabian horse crap to say about Bush:

"I think we've got one of the greatest presidents we've ever had, but he doesn't know Alabama the way I do," Riley said.

I got a sneaky suspicion George may know certain "parts" of Alabama just as well as you, Riley.

(Un)Intelligent design school board bootedy

Now where should I move my High Tech Company? Pennsylvania........

Voters came down hard Tuesday on school board members who backed a statement on intelligent design being read in biology class, ousting eight Republicans and replacing them with Democrats who want the concept stripped from the science curriculum.

....or Klans-ass?

Revisiting a topic that exposed Kansas to nationwide ridicule six years ago, the state Board of Education approved science standards for public schools Tuesday that cast doubt on the theory of evolution.

Good Guys Whipped Ass Yesterday

Democrats Rising, W Sinking

*In the 94th District legislative race in Missouri, Democrat Jane Bogetto stunned locals with a 58 percent victory, becoming the first Democrat to win the seat in 58 years.

*In Erie County, New York, Mark Polocarz, a young Kerry ’04 activist, became the first Democrat to capture the county comptroller’s race in 30 years, winning easily by 18 percentage points.

*In Suffolk County, New York, Democrat Kathleen Rice defeated 30 year incumbent Dennis Dillon for DA and Brian Foley got elected town supervisor of Brookhaven, the country’s largest township, after (again) a 30 year reign.

*In St. Paul, Minnesota, Democratic mayor Randy Kelly lost 2-1 to another Democrat because Kelly had crossed party lines to endorse President Bush in 2004.

*In Corning, New York, Democrat Frank Coccho, a self-employed plumber, became the first Democratic mayor in 50 years.

*In California, Republican icon Schwarzenegger bet his incumbency on four referenda, all of which lost. And in Dover, Pennsylvania, all eight incumbent school board members lost to outsiders running on the issue that science, not “intelligent design,” should be taught in science classes."
....

Those Republicans who keep prattling on that Bush has time to turn all this around, as Reagan did, are whistling past the graveyard. For given a depleting war with no end in sight – and an incumbent party with zero agenda beyond taxes and terrorism, which have run out of steam – it’s hard not to believe that yesterday’s returns are not persuasive evidence of a progressive comeback in ’06 and ’08.

PEW: Public Says CIA Leak MUCH Worse than Monica

Um,...D'uh!

"The recent indictment of Vice President Cheney's top aide has struck a nerve with the American public. Four in five, 79 percent, said the indictment of former Cheney aide I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby on perjury and other charges is important to the nation, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Pew noted that in September 1998, 65 percent said President Clinton's lies under oath were important. Clinton was impeached over his handling of an affair with Monica Lewinsky, but was acquitted by the Senate on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice."

Don't call it a come back, 'cause we've been here for years! - LLCoolJ

Democrats Win Elections in N.J. and Va.

"Democrats cleaned up big in off-year elections from New Jersey to California, sinking the candidate who embraced President Bush in the final days of the Virginia governor's campaign. They also turned back all four of GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's efforts to reshape state government."

Alabama governor calls for Aruba boycott

Alabama governor calls for Aruba boycott

What a load of shit. Hey Riley, what about these kids who have gone missing in Alabama since Natalie went missing in Aruba. How about a travel ban in our own state. How about you quit playing politics and put some resources into finding those who went missing in your own goddamn back yard. Fucking Republicans.

They can't be trusted

The enemy from within

"Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) told CNN's Ed Henry Tuesday afternoon that he believed it was a Republican senator who gave information about secret CIA jails abroad to the Washington Post, RAW STORY can report."

Democratic senators call on Bush to pledge he won't pardon Libby

The Raw Story | Democratic senators call on Bush to pledge he won't pardon Libby

Dazed and Confused

President Bush's Walkabout

After President Bush's disastrous visit to Latin America, it's unnerving to realize that his presidency still has more than three years to run. An administration with no agenda and no competence would be hard enough to live with on the domestic front. But the rest of the world simply can't afford an American government this bad for that long.

Republicans now trying to Swift Boat Ambassador Joe Wilson over Rove-Treason-Gate

Fucking Lying Liars

Two GOP attack dogs (who are regular pundits on FOX and have been published by Regnery, the nutty GOP publishing arm) are now trying to spread a lie about Joe Wilson, saying he revealed to them in a casual conversation in the Green Room at FOX News in 2002 (a year before Novak outed Valerie Wilson) that Valerie worked at the CIA.

Amb. Wilsons says categorically that this never happened - liked he'd blare this to two total strangers, at FOX News no less - but the two FOX News pundit-authors, who of course suddenly appear out of nowhere two years into the investigation once Scooter is indicted and the Bush White House is falling apart at the seams, are now intent on spreading their suddenly rediscovered "memory." "

Uh oh....

When the Republicans are in trouble politically they go to war... literally.

U.S. severs most contacts with Syria, officials say / Washington debate reported over idea of 'regime change'

Birmingham News: Now anti-death penalty

WOW! Kudos, Birmingham News!

They finally figured out the definition of "hypocrite". Can't really oppose abortion and stem cell use and approve of the death penalty. Still misguided, but at least they're being consistent now.

The Torture V.P.

Cheney Fights for Detainee Policy

More Bush Croyny Incompetence

Before Rearming Iraq, He Sold Shoes and Flowers - Yahoo! News

Report Warned Bush Team About Intelligence Suspicions - New York Times

Report Warned Bush Team About Intelligence Suspicions - New York Times

"A high Qaeda official 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.

The document, an intelligence report from February 2002, said it was probable that the prisoner, Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, 'was intentionally misleading the debriefers' in making claims about Iraqi support for Al Qaeda's work with illicit weapons."

9-0

Defense Wins Championships:

The New Web Slingers

RollingStone.com: The New Web Slingers : Politics

"Clearly, it was the wrong moment to declare war on the blogosphere. Barely a week before The New York Times went public with its baffling account of ex-star reporter Judith Miller's unholy entanglement with vice-presidential aide 'Scooter' Libby, the paper's executive editor, Bill Keller, proclaimed that Weblogs do nothing more than 'recycle and chew on the news.' Pride, as ever, goeth before the fall.

Caught flat-footed on the CIA-leak story, the Times saw its lunch handed to it by the new blogging elite. Leading the charge were the upstart gumshoes of RawStory.com, the pundits of the Huffington Post and a rear guard of Internet editorialists, all taking the Gray Lady to task for failing to practice the very 'journalism of verification' that Keller claimed set the Times apart.

Bloggers now routinely break the major stories of the day. And their reports are getting sucked into the twenty-four-hour news cycle. 'They're looking for scraps, rumors,' says MSNBC Countdown host Keith Olbermann. 'They'll spend hours that I don't have to go digging.' According to John Byrne, the twenty-four-year-old whiz behind the Raw Story, 'Bloggers go where the mainstream media fears to tread.'"

Partisan Democrats? Let's Look at How The GOP-Dominated Senate Has Worked This Year

Partisan Democrats? Let's Look at How The GOP-Dominated Senate Has Worked This Year

"Let's go to the numbers because, just looking at the first 10 months of 2005 reveals a Republican-dominated Senate that, far from practicing what they preach and extending a hand of cooperation across the aisle, have gone out of their way to scuttle almost every amendment and bill sponsored by Democratic senators.

The numbers don't lie and here's how it stacks up after reviewing all 281 roll call votes taken in the Senate through the end of October.

Of 118 pieces of Democratic-sponsored legislation, a whopping 80 percent were rejected by Senate Republicans, many of them on straight party-line votes. Of those bills, 24 were 'agreed to' and 94 were 'rejected.'"

DeLay's Staff Tried to Help Abramoff

Goddamn, these people are as crooked as they come.

Rove's Future Role Is Debated

Debated? This would be a no-brainer for an administration that wasn't corrupt.

"Top White House aides are privately discussing the future of Karl Rove, with some expressing doubt that President Bush can move beyond the damaging CIA leak case as long as his closest political strategist remains in the administration.

....

While Rove faces doubts about his White House status, there are new indications that he remains in legal jeopardy from Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald's criminal investigation of the Plame leak. The prosecutor spoke this week with an attorney for Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper about his client's conversations with Rove before and after Plame's identity became publicly known because of anonymous disclosures by White House officials, according to two sources familiar with the conversation.

Fitzgerald is considering charging Rove with making false statements in the course of the 22-month probe, and sources close to Rove -- who holds the titles of senior adviser and White House deputy chief of staff -- said they expect to know within weeks whether the most powerful aide in the White House will be accused of a crime.

But some top Republicans said yesterday that Rove's problems may not end there. Bush's top advisers are considering whether it is tenable for Rove to remain on the staff, given that Fitzgerald has already documented something that Rove and White House official spokesmen once emphatically denied -- that he played a central role in discussions with journalists about Plame's role at the CIA and her marriage to former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, a critic of the Iraq war."

Democratic senators call on Cheney for 'thorough housecleaning' as aides in leak scandal are promoted

Democratic senators call on Cheney for 'thorough housecleaning' as aides in leak scandal are promoted:

"Democratic Senate leaders Harry Reid (D-NV), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) issued a letter to Vice President Cheney Thursday calling for a 'thorough housecleaning' in his office, RAW STORY has learned.

The letter notes that senior Cheney aides named in the Libby indictment are still working -- and in fact both have been promoted."

'Can I quit now?' FEMA chief wrote as Katrina raged

In competence at all levels. Worst Administration Ever!

Anemic Ratings For Bush | November 2, 2005

35% and fading fast.

Facts vs Punditry; the Liberal-Conservative Debate

"In general, liberals value journalism, or facts, and conservatives value punditry, or opinions. Far-right conservatives are indeed obsessed with the press, because they see the reporting of facts as being inherently 'liberal'."

Tired of losing, Democrats?

Then just become a Republican!

CIA Holds Terror Suspects in Secret Prisons

CIA Holds Terror Suspects in Secret Prisons

Update in response to my pro-torture commentor:

Clueless about torture

"Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., who was tortured repeatedly during his 5� years of solitary confinement in North Vietnam, answers no: The tortured will say anything to stop the pain.

McCain's insight offers lessons for U.S. conduct in the war on terror: Abusing prisoners elicits intelligence of questionable worth. It also unquestionably undercuts American values and produces international revulsion.

McCain and a majority of senators from both parties understand this. The Bush administration still doesn't get it."

CNN-USA Today-Gallup: Scalito a Flop

AMERICAblog Rocks.:

"If it becomes clear Alito would vote to reverse Roe v. Wade, Americans would not want the Senate to confirm him, by 53% to 37%."

Hurry! The Repugs need a WAAAHMBULANCE

GOP Angered by Closed Senate Session

"'Any time the intelligence committee pursued a line of inquiry that brought us close to the role of the White House in all of this in the use of intelligence prior to the war, our efforts have been thwarted time and time again,' Rockefeller said. 'The very independence of the United States Congress as a separate and coequal branch of the government has been called into question.'"

Bush Allies Say He's Lost His Way

The building blocks of President Bush's career his credibility and image as a strong and competent leader _ have been severely undercut by self-inflicted wounds, leading close allies to fret about his presidency. They say he's lost his way."

You've got to be kidding me. First, "credibility": The man has no credibility. He is and was a failure in everything he's stumbled into. He was a piss poor student. He drank and did coke in Alabama while he skipped out on the National Guard. He failed at the oil business. He traded Sammy Sosa. He stole 4 elections. How does one obtain "credibility" with that type of resume. How? By lying.

Oh, and "image". Let's go with mirage.

New Study Warns of Total Loss of Arctic Tundra

But the Republicans tell me that global warming doesn't exist. I'm so confused. Republicans always tell the truth and have my best interest at heart. How could this be?

Oil Execs to Be Asked to Justify Profits

And their justification will be "FUCK YOU! We're Republicans! We run the place. We own the government and the courts, so suck it and pay what we tell you to pay".

Why Reid did what he did

Why Reid did what he did

Below details the long record established by Democrats to investigate this matter.

March 14, 2003 - Senator Rockefeller sent a letter to Director Mueller requesting an investigation into the origin of the Niger documents.

May 23, 2003 - Senators Roberts and Rockefeller sent a letter to the CIA and State Department Inspectors General to review issues related to the Niger documents.........

Click the link for the entire timeline

Update: Just got word that the Senate Republicans caved. From Reid's office:

For more than two years we have been seeking this investigation. Finally thru the course of this closed session we were able to get the attention of the majority and lock in (with a timeline) the commitment of the senate intelligence committee to investigate how intelligence was manipulated and manufactured with. Its an investigation we desperately need.

Reid takes Senate into closed session over Iraq intelligence

Reid takes Senate into closed session over Iraq intelligence

"The Senate's Democratic leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unexpectedly pulled the Senate into secret session Tuesday afternoon in order to have closed discussion of Iraq intelligence, RAW STORY has learned. Specifically, the senator sought to discuss a Senate Select Committee on Inteligence report on the failure of Iraqi WMD intelligence."

From Senator Reid's statement:

The decision to place U.S. soldiers in harm’s way is the most significant responsibility the Constitution invests in the Congress. The Libby indictment provides a window into what this is really about: how the Administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions.

Open the Door, Richard: Kristof Again Presses Cheney to Explain or Resign

Open the Door, Richard: Kristof Again Presses Cheney to Explain or Resign

"'So, Mr. Cheney, tell us what happened,' Kristof writes today. 'If you're afraid to say what you knew, and when you knew it, then you should resign.'

He notes, 'Five lawyers I've consulted all agree that there is no compelling legal reason why you should not discuss the situation....As it is, you're pleading 'no contest' in the court of public opinion, and that's painful for all of us who want to believe in the integrity of our government.' "

Commentary:
Dick Cheney needs to tell us what happened in RoveGate or resign

Experts say US is losing war on terror

Experts say US is losing war on terror

"America's badly damaged image in the Muslim world could take more than a generation to set right. And Bush's mounting political woes at home have undermined the chance for any bold U.S. initiatives to address the grim social realities that feed Islamic radicalism, they say.

'It's been fairly disastrous,' said Benjamin, who worked as a director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council from 1994 to 1999.

'We have had some very important successes getting individual terrorists. But I think the broader story is really quite awful. We have done a lot to fuel the fires, and we have done a lot to encourage people to hate us,' he added in an interview."

BIGGER THAN WATERGATE

BIGGER THAN WATERGATE - Ted Rall

"Don't let the Republicans distract you. Treasongate isn't just about deposed vice presidential chief of staff Scooter Libby, who has been charged with five felony counts and faces 30 years in prison, or even deputy presidential chief of staff Karl Rove, who may soon be charged as well. The Libby charges clearly point to the real culprit: Dick Cheney, who told Libby about Plame's covert status in the first place. Cheney abused his security clearance to find out. 'Libby understood that the vice president had learned this information from the C.I.A.,' reads page five of the indictment."

Trial Could Pit Libby's Interests Against Bush's

Trial Could Pit Libby's Interests Against Bush's:

"Cooper's attorney, Dick Sauber, said Fitzgerald certainly meant it when he told Luskin last week that Rove remains in legal jeopardy and under investigation. 'It wouldn't surprise me knowing how careful he is and how much he doesn't want to be seen as trigger-happy, that he is going through each of those things [that Rove presented] and seeing if they can be verified or not,' Sauber said."