Archive

Oct. 13, 2004
DEPT. OF BUSH'S MOST FREQUENTLY VISITED STATE
Bush backs off in Pennsylvania, may be conceding state as race tightens in West
President Bush appears to be conceding some ground in the hard-fought battleground of Pennsylvania, as the 2004 race, which has been fought in only a small number of states, narrows even further. Bush has visited the Keystone State 39 times - more than any other state - but a White House source said he does not plan to return soon and Pennsylvania was not on a list of the President's top 10 advertising targets last month. [New York Daily News]

Oct. 13, 2004
DEPT. OF THIS IS HOW YOU BRING ALLIES TO THE TABLE, MR. BUSH: BY BEING 'SENSIBLE,' INSTEAD OF STUBBORN.
Germany to reconsider position on troops, welcomes Kerry summit
Germany might deploy troops in Iraq if conditions there change, Peter Struck, the German defence minister, indicated on Tuesday in a gesture that appears to provide backing for John Kerry, the US Democratic presidential challenger. Mr Struck also welcomed Mr Kerry's proposal that he would convene an international conference on Iraq including countries that opposed the war if he were to win next month's election. Germany would certainly attend, Mr Struck said. "This is a very sensible proposal. The situation in Iraq can only be cleared up when all those involved sit together at one table. Germany has taken on responsibilities in Iraq, including financial ones; this would naturally justify our involvement in such a conference." [Financial Times]

Oct. 1, 2004
DEPT. OF MOMENTUM
An incumbent who can’t break 50 percent is in trouble, even if he's ahead
Think of it this way: [Historically] the percentage that Bush receives in polls represents his ceiling of support; he may get a little less, but won’t get more. In contrast, Kerry’s percentage represents his floor, and he will almost certainly do better on election day... And there is one final factor to consider that isn’t captured in the polls at all: the ground war. Democratic 527s such as America Coming Together are conducting massive voter-registration and mobilization campaigns that could easily add 2 or 3 percentage points to Kerry’s vote. As the Service Employee International Union’s Andy Stern has observed, this field operation is "the greatest field-goal unit in history" - if Kerry can keep the race close, voter mobilization will give him the last few points he needs.[American Prospect]

Oct. 10, 2004
DEPT. OF MOMENTUM
Kerry firms up support among once-undecided voters
A "hung jury" of Pennsylvania voters who were undecided in the presidential contest two weeks ago reshuffled their positions after Friday night's debate, with Sen. John Kerry seeming to solidify his support. [Associated Press]

Oct. 10, 2004
DEPT. OF MORE CONSERVATIVES ABANDON BUSH
Conservatives have plenty of cause to abandon Bush
Bush's problem is that true conservatives remember their history. They recall that in recent years when the nation enjoyed the fruits of actual conservative fiscal and security policies, a Democrat occupied the White House and Congress was controlled by a Republican majority that actually fought for a substantive conservative agenda. History's a troublesome thing for presidents. Even though most voters don't take much of a historical perspective into the voting booth with them, true conservatives do. [Bob Barr]

Oct. 10, 2004
DEPT. OF COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATISM
Federal civil rights commission assails Bush administration record on civil rights
In an assessment of the civil rights record of the Bush administration, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a draft report that concludes the administration has failed to exhibit leadership or define a clear focus, relegating civil rights to a low priority. [US Commission on Civil Rights]

Oct. 9, 2004
DEPT. OF MOMENTUM
More newspaper endorsements break for Kerry
The two candidates are about even on the number of endorsements so far but Kerry trumps Bush in the circulation of those newspapers by about a 5-1 margin. [Editor and Publisher]

Oct. 9, 2004
DEPT. OF MOMENTUM
Behind the scenes: candid campaigners reveal independent voters overwhelmingly favor Kerry after second debate
"The biggest rises came in John Kerry being likeability, having confidence when [you] watch him and in clarity of ideas. And so when those, since that you can relate to him, feel confident in him as a leader, all those things rose and they rose significantly." [U.S. Newswire]

Oct. 9, 2004
DEPT. OF MOMENTUM
Experts wary of predicting win for Bush
President Bush will be the first president in 72 years to face the electorate with a net job loss. The Iraq war has deeply torn the nation. National polls show a neck-and-neck race. Yet economy-based projections still show a decisive Bush victory on Nov. 2. What gives? Political scientists and many economists say this may be the year to throw the economic models out the window. Forecasters are flummoxed about the impact of Iraq, uncertain about the true state of the economy, and less sure about their projections than in any recent election. [Associated Press]

Oct. 9, 2004
DEPT. OF MOMENTUM
Presidential race deadlocked: Kerry now beats Bush on 'likeability'; Kerry recaptures large lead among female voters, 50%-38%
Just before the first debate last week, Bush was up by 6 points among likely voters in the TIME Poll. Kerry's win last Thursday (59%-23%) not only tied the race, but 30% of voters said that they were more likely to vote for Kerry because of the debate. This compares to only 14% more likely to vote for Bush. [Time]

Oct. 9, 2004
DEPT. OF BEWARE OF SCAPEGOATS: THEY WILL COME BACK TO BITE YOU ON THE ASS. WITH THE TRUTH.
THE CIA 'old guard' goes to war with Bush.
In the latest clash, a senior former CIA agent revealed that Mr Cheney "blew up" when a report into links between the Saddam regime and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the terrorist behind the kidnappings and beheadings of hostages in Iraq, including the Briton Kenneth Bigley, proved inconclusive. Other recent leaks have included the contents of classified reports drawn up by CIA analysts before the invasion of Iraq, warning the White House about the dangers of post-war instability. Specifically, the reports said that rogue Ba'athist elements might team up with terrorist groups to wage a guerrilla war. Critics of the White House include officials who have served in previous Republican administrations such as Vince Cannistraro, a former CIA head of counter-terrorism and member of the National Security Council under Ronald Reagan. [Telegraph]

Oct. 9, 2004
DEPT. OF REVENGE FOR 9/11? YOU CAN THANK YOUR VICE PRESIDENT FOR THAT CONFLATION.
For Marines, a frustrating fight; some in Iraq question how and why war is being waged
Scrawled on the helmet of Lance Cpl. Carlos Perez are the letters FDNY. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York, the Pentagon and western Pennsylvania, Perez quit school, left his job as a firefighter in Long Island, N.Y., and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. "To be honest, I just wanted to take revenge," said Perez, 20. Now, two months into a seven-month combat tour in Iraq, Perez said he sees little connection between the events of Sept. 11 and the war he is fighting. Instead, he said, he is increasingly disillusioned by a conflict whose origins remain unclear and frustrated by the timidity of U.S. forces against a mostly faceless enemy. [Washington Post]

Oct. 8, 2004
DEPT. OF UP IS DOWN, BLACK IS WHITE, 2 + 2 = 5
In new attacks, Bush pushes limit on the facts
The scathing indictment that Mr. Bush offered of Mr. Kerry over the past two days - on the eve of the second presidential debate and with polls showing the race tightening - took these attacks to a blistering new level. In the process, several analysts say, Mr. Bush pushed the limits of subjective interpretation and offered exaggerated or what some Democrats said were distorted accounts of Mr. Kerry's positions on health care, tax cuts, the Iraq war and foreign policy. [New York Times]

Oct. 8, 2004
DEPT. OF HYPOCRISY, LLC., IS AN OFFSHORE SUBSIDIARY OF HALLIBURTON, INC.
Cheney pushed for more trade with Iran
Vice President Dick Cheney (search), who has called Iran "the world's leading exporter of terror," pushed to lift U.S. trade sanctions against Tehran while chairman of Halliburton (search) Co. in the 1990s. Cheney argued then that sanctions did not work and punished American companies. The former defense secretary complained in a 1998 speech that U.S. companies were "cut out of the action" in Iran because of the sanctions. At an energy industry conference in 1996, Cheney said sanctions were the greatest threat to Halliburton and other American oil-related companies trying to expand overseas. "We seem to be sanction-happy as a government," Cheney said. "The problem is that the good Lord didn't see fit to always put oil and gas resources where there are democratic governments." [Fox News]

Oct. 8, 2004
DEPT. OF ET TU, NATIONAL REVIEW?
Bush and the undecideds: what if Zogby's right?
But by far the most interesting - and disturbing - finding in [Zogby's] poll is that "among undecided voters, only 15% feel the President deserves to be re-elected, while 39% say it is time for someone new." What if the undecideds break 2-to-1 against the president less than 30 days from now? We could be looking at a Kerry landslide. [National Review]

Oct. 8, 2004
DEPT. OF ET TU, WALL STREET?
Weak September job growth a setback for Bush
Employers added only 96,000 new jobs in September, evidence of a spotty labor-market recovery that fueled debate over Bush's economic record and the speed at which the Fed should keep raising rates. [Wall Street Journal]

Oct. 8, 2004
DEPT. OF GRASSY KNOLLS AND MAGIC BULLETS
Net rumors: was Bush wired during first debate?
Bloggers are burning up their keyboards with speculation. Check out the president's peculiar behavior during the debate, they say. On several occasions, the president simply stopped speaking for an uncomfortably long time and stared ahead with an odd expression on his face. Was he listening to someone helping him with his response to a question? Even weirder was the president's strange outburst. In a peeved rejoinder to Kerry, he said, "As the politics change, his positions change. And that's not how a commander in chief acts. I, I, uh -- Let me finish -- The intelligence I looked at was the same intelligence my opponent looked at." It must be said that Bush pointed toward Lehrer as he declared "Let me finish." The green warning light was lit, signaling he had 30 seconds to, well, finish. [Salon]

Oct. 6, 2004
DEPT. OF WHO YA GONNA BELIEVE, BUSH OR HIS LYIN' CHIEF ARMS INSPECTOR?
Final U.S. inspection report expected to undercut key Bush rationale for war
Undercutting the Bush's administration's rationale for invading Iraq, the final report of the chief U.S. arms inspector concludes that Saddam Hussein did not vigorously pursue a program to develop weapons of mass destruction when international inspectors left Baghdad in 1998, an administration official said Wednesday. In drafts, weapons hunter Charles Duelfer concluded that Saddam's Iraq had no stockpiles of the banned weapons but said he found signs of idle programs that Saddam could have revived once international attention waned. "It appears that he did not vigorously pursue those programs after the inspectors left," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in advance of the report's release. [Associated Press]

Oct. 6, 2004
DEPT. OF IT'S ALL ABOUT WINNING THE UNDECIDEDS
In VP debates, undecided voters pick Edwards over Cheney
According to an ABC poll, 43 percent of registered voters said Cheney won, 35 percent gave the win to Edwards, and 19 percent called it a tie. Thirty-eight percent of the viewers were Republicans, 31 percent Democrats, the rest independents. CBS News' poll specifically focused on uncommitted voters and found 41 percent deemed Edwards the winner, 28 percent chose Cheney, and 31 percent said it was a tie. [Associated Press]

Oct. 5, 2004
DEPT. OF FAITH DEBASED
Empty pew: Why doesn't W go to church?
What most - including many of the president's fiercest supporters - don't know is the president who has staked much of his domestic agenda on the argument that religious communities hold the key to solving social problems doesn't belong to a congregation. [New Republic]

Oct. 5, 2004
DEPT. OF WELL, DUH
Poll finds Kerry assured voters in initial debate, raises significant doubts about President Bush's policies toward Iraq
enator John Kerry came out of the first presidential debate having reassured many Americans of his ability to handle an international crisis or a terrorist attack and with a generally more favorable image, but he failed to shake the perception that he panders to voters in search of support, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The poll also found significant doubts about President Bush's policies toward Iraq, with a majority of the public saying that the United States invaded too soon and that the administration did a poor job thinking through the consequences of the war. But Mr. Bush maintained an advantage on personal characteristics like strong leadership and likability, as well as in the enthusiasm of his supporters. [New York Times]

Oct. 5, 2004
DEPT. OF PROOF THAT BUSH'S TAX CUTS ARE REALLY WORKING? OH WAIT, NEVER MIND, IT'S EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE.
Job-cut plans soar to 8-month high
Employers announced 107,863 layoffs in September, 41 percent more than in September 2003 and 45 percent more than in August of this year, when 74,150 were laid off. Adding to the glum jobs picture was the slow pace of new hiring in September. The report said employer hiring announcements revealed only 16,166 new job openings in that month compared with 132,105 in August. "This period can also be a time for hiring since companies are looking ahead to the new year and making budget and staffing decisions. Weak hiring announcements last month are not a good indication of stronger job creation to come," he said. [MSNBC]

Oct. 5, 2004
DEPT. OF IT'S NOT A MATTER OF WHETHER IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO: IT'S A MATTER OF WAS THE DOING PLAGUED WITH INCOMPETENCE, AND SHOULD THOSE RESPONSIBLE BE FIRED
Bremer: U.S. 'paid a big price' for having too few troops in Iraq
The former U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq says the United States "paid a big price" for not having enough troops on the ground after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime. L. Paul Bremer said "horrid" looting was occurring when he arrived in Baghdad on May 6, 2003. "We paid a big price for not stopping it because it established an atmosphere of lawlessness," Bremer said. "We never had enough troops on the ground." Still, Bremer added, ousting Saddam was "the right thing to do." [CNN]

Oct. 4, 2004
DEPT. OF YO, AMERICA, CAN WE FIRE THIS GUY ALREADY?
Rumsfeld backs off al Qaeda assertions; concedes WMD claims about Iraq were proved wrong
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld appeared Monday to back off earlier statements suggesting Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had links to al Qaeda. He also conceded that U.S. intelligence was "wrong" in its conclusions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. "Why the intelligence proved wrong, I'm not in a position to say. I simply don't know," Rumsfeld said in remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. When asked about any connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, Rumsfeld said, "To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two." As recently as June, Vice President Dick Cheney was saying the opposite. [CNN]

Oct. 4, 2004
DEPT. OF WE'LL SEE YOU'RE ZELL MILLER AND RAISE YOU A SENATOR WHO'S NOT FOAMING AT THE MOUTH
In the Senate, raising a (quiet) Republican voice against the Bush administration
One day after the Supreme Court sealed the 2000 election for George W. Bush, his running mate, Dick Cheney, went to the Capitol for a private lunch with five moderate Republican senators. The agenda he laid out that day in December 2000 stunned Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, sending Mr. Chafee on a painful journey of political conscience that, he said in an interview last week, has culminated with his decision not to vote for Mr. Bush in November. [New York Times]

Oct. 2004
DEPT. OF AMERICA BEGINS TO AWAKE FROM A LONG, DEEP SLEEP
Post-debate, Bush's lead vanishes
With a solid majority of voters concluding that John Kerry outperformed George W. Bush in the first presidential debate on Thursday, the president’s lead in the race for the White House has vanished, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. In the first national telephone poll using a fresh sample, NEWSWEEK found the race now statistically tied among all registered voters, 47 percent of whom say they would vote for Kerry and 45 percent for George W. Bush in a three-way race. Removing Independent candidate Ralph Nader, who draws 2 percent of the vote, widens the Kerry-Edwards lead to three points with 49 percent of the vote versus the incumbent’s 46 percent. Four weeks ago the Republican ticket, coming out of a successful convention in New York, enjoyed an 11-point lead over Kerry-Edwards with Bush pulling 52 percent of the vote and the challenger just 41 percent. [Newsweek]

Sep. 30 2004
DEPT. OF WHEN THE RIGHT IS RIGHT, IT'S RIGHT
Conservative bloggers disapointed with Bush's debate performance
Among the excerpts: "I think most people's first impression, is that Kerry was strong and forceful, while Bush was less effective, more hesitant. I've been watching the debate for five minutes now. Despite my partisan inclinations, I have to admit that Kerry has won this debate. And not just in the high-school debate-coach sense of the word.Kerry comes off as the prosecutor accusing Bush of incompetence. Bush comes off as his Meet-The-Press, press-conference version - dogged, arrogant and unlikable. Kerry will get a significant bounce in the head-to-head poll numbers from this debate." [Daily Kos]

Sep 29, 2004
DEPT. YET OF ANOTHER PEDIGREED CONSERVATIVE FOR KERRY
Eisenhower's son disaffiliates from Republican Party, endorses Kerry
As son of a Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, it is automatically expected by many that I am a Republican. For 50 years, through the election of 2000, I was. With the current administration’s decision to invade Iraq unilaterally, however, I changed my voter registration to independent, and barring some utterly unforeseen development, I intend to vote for the Democratic Presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry. Recent developments indicate that the current Republican Party leadership has confused confident leadership with hubris and arrogance. Senator Kerry, in whom I am willing to place my trust, has demonstrated that he is courageous, sober, competent, and concerned with fighting the dangers associated with the widening socio-economic gap in this country. [Manchester Union Leader]

Sep 28, 2004
DEPT. OF THE TRUE FLIP-FLOPPER
Bush's top ten flip-flops
The charge of "flip-flopping" has resounded throughout the presidential race, with the Bush campaign repeatedly accusing Sen. John Kerry of changing his mind on the issues. The Kerry campaign, in turn, has declared that Mr. Bush is the one doing the flip-flopping. [CBS]

Sep 28, 2004
DEPT. OF MACHIAVELLI
Karl Rove in a corner; history shows willingness to employ savage attacks
Karl Rove is at his most formidable when running close races, and his skills would be notable even if he used no extreme methods. But he does use them. His campaign history shows his willingness, when challenged, to employ savage tactics. [Atlantic Monthly]

Sep 28, 2004
DEPT. OF IRONY WRAPPED IN IRONY
Red states feed at federal trough, Blue states supply the feed
The Tax Foundation has released a fascinating report showing which states benefit from federal tax and spending policies, and which states foot the bill. The report shows that of the 32 states (and the District of Columbia) that are "winners" - receiving more in federal spending than they pay in federal taxes - 76% are Red States that voted for George Bush in 2000. Indeed, 17 of the 20 (85%) states receiving the most federal spending per dollar of federal taxes paid are Red States. [TaxProf]

Sep 27, 2004
DEPT. OF POLLS MEANS NOTHING: IT'S ALL ABOUT GETTING OUT THE VOTE
A big increase of new voters in swing states
A sweeping voter registration campaign in heavily Democratic areas has added tens of thousands of new voters to the rolls in the swing states of Ohio and Florida, a surge that has far exceeded the efforts of Republicans in both states, a review of registration data shows. The analysis by The New York Times of county-by-county data shows that in Democratic areas of Ohio - primarily low-income and minority neighborhoods - new registrations since January have risen 250 percent over the same period in 2000. In comparison, new registrations have increased just 25 percent in Republican areas. A similar pattern is apparent in Florida: in the strongest Democratic areas, the pace of new registration is 60 percent higher than in 2000, while it has risen just 12 percent in the heaviest Republican areas. [New York Times]

Sep 27, 2004
DEPT. OF AMERICA GIVES IRAQIS THE VOTE, BUT NOT NEGROES. AGAIN.
Carter fears Florida vote trouble
[Former President Jimmy] Carter, a Democrat, said that he and ex-President Gerald Ford, a Republican, had been asked to draw up recommendations for changes after the last vote in Florida was marred by arguments over the counting of ballots. Mr Carter said the reforms they came up with had still not been implemented. He accused Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood, a Republican, of trying to get the name of independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader included on the state ballot, knowing he might divert Democrat votes. He also said: "A fumbling attempt has been made recently to disqualify 22,000 African Americans (likely Democrats), but only 61 Hispanics (likely Republicans), as alleged felons." Mr. Carter said Florida Governor Jeb Bush - brother of the president - had "taken no steps to correct these departures from principles of fair and equal treatment or to prevent them in the future". [BBC]

Sep 26, 2004
DEPT. OF JESUS, W, EVEN YOUR MAN KARL ROVE SAID ADMITTED 'MISSION ACCOMPLISHED' WAS A MISTAKE
Bush: would give 'Mission Accomplished' speech again
When asked by Fox News if he still would have put on a flight suit to declare major combat operations in Iraq over, Bush replied, "Absolutely." When Bush gave his May 1 speech fewer than 150 Americans had died in the war. Since then more than 900 have died. The interview is to air on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor" on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, just before Bush and Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry face off in their first televised debate on Thursday. Amid a rising U.S. death toll and a rash of abductions and beheadings in Iraq, some members of Bush's own Republican Party have criticized him for not doing enough to secure insurgent areas in Iraq sooner.[Reuters]

Sep 26, 2004
DEPT. OF WELL, DUH
Key Bush assertions about Iraq in dispute.
Many of President George W. Bush's assertions about progress in Iraq - from police training and reconstruction to preparations for January elections - are in dispute, according to internal Pentagon documents, lawmakers and key congressional aides on Sunday. But many of these assertions have met with scepticism from key lawmakers, congressional aides and experts, and Pentagon documents, given to lawmakers and obtained by Reuters, paint a more complicated picture. [Reuters]

Sep 24, 2004
DEPT. OF EVEN MUSHARRAF THINKS BUSH'S POLICIES HAVE MADE AMERICA LESS SAFE
Musharraf: Iraq war complicates Middle East
One of the Bush administration's key allies, Pakistan's President Perves Musharaf, expressed reservations about the effect of the war in Iraq on the war on terror and the U.S. standing in the Muslim world. "It's not the issue of capturing Saddam Hussein." says Musharraf. There's a bigger issue involved. The deeper issue is the Muslim sentiment." [MSNBC.com]

Sep 23, 2004
DEPT. OF PUBLIC PERCEPTION VS. REALITY
Despite Bush flip-flops, Kerry gets label
Over the past four years, [President Bush] abandoned positions on issues such as how to regulate air pollution or whether states should be allowed to sanction same-sex marriage. He changed his mind about the merits of creating the Homeland Security Department, and made a major exception to his stance on free trade by agreeing to tariffs on steel. After resisting, the president yielded to pressure in supporting an independent commission to study policy failures preceding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Bush did the same with questions about whether he would allow his national security adviser to testify, or whether he would answer commissioners' questions for only an hour, or for as long they needed.[Washington Post]

Sep 22, 2004
DEPT. OF THE PRESIDENT'S SUNNY OPTIMISM
If America were Iraq, what would it look like?
President Bush said Tuesday that the Iraqis are refuting the pessimists and implied that things are improving in that country. What would America look like if it were in Iraq's current situation? The population of the US is over 11 times that of Iraq, so a lot of statistics would have to be multiplied by that number. Thus, violence killed 300 Iraqis last week, the equivalent proportionately of 3,300 Americans. What if 3,300 Americans had died in car bombings, grenade and rocket attacks, machine gun spray, and aerial bombardment in the last week? That is a number greater than the deaths on September 11, and if America were Iraq, it would be an ongoing, weekly or monthly toll. And what if those deaths occurred all over the country, including in the capital of Washington, DC, but mainly above the Mason Dixon line, in Boston, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco? What if the grounds of the White House and the government buildings near the Mall were constantly taking mortar fire? What if almost nobody in the State Department at Foggy Bottom, the White House, or the Pentagon dared venture out of their buildings, and considered it dangerous to go over to Crystal City or Alexandria? [Juan Cole]

Sep 22, 2004
DEPT. OF YAPHNE'S QUOTE IS A NICE SEGUE TO THE PREVIOUS POST
US intelligence assessment on Iraq in line with global reports
A highly classified US intelligence assessment that lays out dismal predictions for the future of Iraq - including the possibility of civil war by 2005 - mirrors assessments that are being made by analysts around the world, according to diplomats and members of the intelligence community. "You don't have to have classified information and sensitive reporting to come to some kind of judgment," said Judith Yaphe, a former CIA analyst who specializes on Iraq at the National Defense University. "Anybody can come to those conclusions if they know enough about Iraq and have a brain." [Boston Globe]

Sep 21, 2004
DEPT. OF FOOLISH CONSISTENCY IS THE HOBGOBLIN OF LITTLE MINDS
Bush dismisses gloomy CIA report on Iraq as 'just guessing'
President Bush, determined to put an optimistic face on deadly conditions in Iraq, said on Tuesday that the CIA was just guessing when it said the war-racked country was in danger of slipping into civil war. "The CIA laid out several scenarios. It said that life could be lousy, life could be OK, life could be better. And they were just guessing as to what the conditions might be like," Bush told reporters during a picture-taking session with Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. [Reuters]

Sep 20, 2004
DEPT. OF SO WHAT OPTIONS DO AMERICAN SOLDIERS HAVE WHEN THEY GET TIRED OF GETTING KILLED?
Tired of getting killed??!!
Another gem from the mouth of Sec. Rumsfeld: "Iraqis are being killed, as they were yesterday and the day before. At some point the Iraqis will get tired of getting killed and we'll have enough of the Iraqi security forces that they can take over responsibility for governing that country and we'll be able to pare down the coalition security forces in the country." [Political Wire]

Sep 19, 2004
DEPT. OF HOW CAN REPUBLICANS KEEP DEFENDING THIS GUY? OH, THAT'S RIGHT. THEY CAN'T. AND AREN'T.
Republicans criticise Bush 'mistakes' on Iraq.
Leading members of President George W. Bush's Republican party have criticised mistakes and "incompetence" in his Iraq policy and called for an urgent ground offensive to retake insurgent sanctuaries. In appearances on news talk shows, Republican senators also urged Bush to be more open with the American public after the disclosure of a classified CIA report that gave a gloomy outlook for Iraq and raised the possibility of civil war. "The fact is, we're in deep trouble in Iraq ... and I think we're going to have to look at some recalibration of policy," Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska said on CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "We made serious mistakes," said Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican who has campaigned at Bush's side this year after patching up a bitter rivalry. [Reuters]

Sep 19, 2004
DEPT. OF WELL, DUH
McCain: Bush not straight enough on Iraq; Senators of both parties criticize President's picture of conditions there
Several Republicans and Democrats took President Bush to task on Sunday's talk shows over his repeated assertions that all is well in Iraq. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona said Bush was not being "as straight as maybe we'd like to see" with the American people about Iraq. McCain, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on "Fox News Sunday" that it was "a serious mistake" not to have had enough troops in place "after the initial successes" and that the mistake had led to "very, very significant" difficulties. [CNN.com]

Sep 19, 2004
DEPT. OF WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?
George W. Bush meets 'Baghdad Bob'
BRY-BRY SAYS: Remember Hussein's Minister of Information comically proclaiming victory when the U.S. invaded Iraq? We all at a good laugh over his denial of the obvious, the denial of fact, right? Well the Editor & Publisher's Greg Mitchell offers some classic quotes from Bagdhad Bob's reign of misinformation. In the meantime, President Bush is saying almost the same words day to day on the campaign trail - while his own military declares that even the Green Zone in Bagdhad is no longer safe. Not to mention last summer's hollow "Mission Accomplished" bit. Who looks ridiculous now? [Editor & Publisher]

Sep 19, 2004
DEPT. OF ORWELL
Hastert's al Qaeda comment draws fire; Idea that terrorists want Kerry to win called 'silly,' 'disgraceful'
Some Republicans played down Hastert's comments Sunday. "I doubt that Osama bin Laden is likely to weigh in on our presidential election," said Rep. Chris Cox (R-California), chairman of the House Policy Committee and fourth-ranking member of the Republican leadership behind Hastert. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) called the remarks "silly." [CNN.com]

Sep 17, 2004
DEPT. OF IF YOU'RE FEELING DISCOURAGED ABOUT KERRY'S POLLING NUMBERS, READ THIS. AND REMEMBER TO VOTE.
Making call on sham of political polling.
The telephone polls do not include cellular phones. There are almost 169 million cell phones being used in America today - 168,900,019 as of Sept. 15, according to the cell phone institute in Washington. There is no way to poll cell phone users, so it isn't done. Not one cell phone user has received a call on their cell phone asking them how they plan to vote as of today. "The people who are using telephone surveys are in denial," Zogby was saying. "It is similar to the '30s, when they first started polling by telephones and there were people who laughed at that and said you couldn't trust them because not everybody had a home phone. Now they try not to mention cell phones. They don't look or listen. They go ahead with a method that is old and wrong." If you do a political poll on land-line phones, you miss those from 18 to 25, and there are figures all over the place that show there are 40 million between the ages of 18 and 29, one in five eligible voters. And the great page-one presidential polls don't come close to reflecting how these younger voters say they might vote. The majority of them use cell phones and nobody ever asks them anything. Older people complain about Kerry's performance as a candidate. Younger people don't want to get shot at in a war that most believe, and firmly, never should have started because it was started with a president lying. [Jimmy Breslin - Newsday]

Sep 17, 2004
DEPT. OF BROKEN RECORD: THIS IS NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE. BUSH BUNGLED IRAQ AND WE'LL BE PAYING FOR IT FOR GENERATIONS. WE MUST FIRE HIM.
Far graver than Vietnam: Most senior US military officers now believe the war on Iraq has turned into a disaster on an unprecedented scale
'Bring them on!" President Bush challenged the early Iraqi insurgency in July of last year. Since then, 812 American soldiers have been killed and 6,290 wounded, according to the Pentagon. Almost every day, in campaign speeches, Bush speaks with bravado about how he is "winning" in Iraq. "Our strategy is succeeding," he boasted to the National Guard convention on Tuesday. But, according to the US military's leading strategists and prominent retired generals, Bush's war is already lost. Retired general William Odom, former head of the National Security Agency, told me: "Bush hasn't found the WMD. Al-Qaida, it's worse, he's lost on that front. That he's going to achieve a democracy there? That goal is lost, too. It's lost." He adds: "Right now, the course we're on, we're achieving Bin Laden's ends." [The Guardian]

Sep 16, 2004
DEPT. OF HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT: THIS IS NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE. THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION BUNGLED THE WAR ON TERROR WITH IRAQ SO BADLY THAT EVEN REPUBLICAN SENATORS ARE CALLING THE PRESIDENT ON IT WITH ONLY WEEKS BEFORE THE ELECTION
Senators slam administration on Iraq
Senators from both parties accused the Bush administration Wednesday of incompetence in its efforts to rebuild Iraq and said the United States could lose the war unless it improves security and gets more money into the Iraqi economy. Among those harshly criticizing the White House at a hearing were the two top Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Chairman Richard Lugar of Indiana and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. Of the $18.4 billion Congress approved last year for Iraqi reconstruction, only $1.1 billion has been spent because of violence and other problems. Hagel called that record "beyond pitiful and embarrassing; it is now in the zone of dangerous." Even Lugar, who is not usually given to strong rhetoric, said the failure to inject funds into the Iraqi economy quickly was "exasperating for anybody looking at this from any vantage point." [USA Today]

Sep 16, 2004
DEPT. OF IN SPITE OF OUR PRESIDENT'S SUNNY OPTIMISM
U.S. intelligence shows pessimism on Iraq's future
A classified National Intelligence Estimate prepared for President Bush in late July spells out a dark assessment of prospects for Iraq, government officials said Wednesday. The estimate outlines three possibilities for Iraq through the end of 2005, with the worst case being developments that could lead to civil war, the officials said. The most favorable outcome described is an Iraq whose stability would remain tenuous in political, economic and security terms. "There's a significant amount of pessimism," said one government official who has read the document, which runs about 50 pages. [New York Times]

Sep 16, 2004
DEPT. OF POOR LAURA!
Woman arrested after interrupting Laura Bush speech
A Hopewell woman whose son was killed while serving in Iraq was arrested Thursday after she interrupted a campaign speech by first lady Laura Bush. Sue Niederer had refused to leave the rally and demanded to know why her son was killed in Iraq. She was eventually escorted from the rally site, a local firehouse, by police. Niederer wore a T-shirt that bore the words "President Bush You Killed My Son" and a picture of her son, Army 1st Lt. Seth Dvorin. Dvorin was killed in February while trying to disarm a bomb in Iraq. The 24-year-old had just returned to Iraq after spending two weeks with his family. The first lady continued speaking after the arrest, touting her husband's record on the economy, health care and the war on terror. [San Jose Mercury]

Sep 16, 2004
DEPT. OF IT'S A DISSERVICE TO A MILITARY THAT OUR LEADERS WERE NOT PREPARED FOR THIS WAR
Green Zone is 'no longer totally secure'
US military officers in Baghdad have warned they cannot guarantee the security of the perimeter around the Green Zone, the headquarters of the Iraqi government and home to the US and British embassies, according to security company employees. At a briefing earlier this month, a high-ranking US officer in charge of the zone's perimeter said he had insufficient soldiers to prevent intruders penetrating the compound's defences. The US major said it was possible weapons or explosives had already been stashed in the zone, and warned people to move in pairs for their own safety. The Green Zone, in Baghdad's centre, is one of the most fortified US installations in Iraq. Until now, militants have not been able to penetrate it. But insurgency has escalated this week, spreading to the centre of Baghdad. The zone is home to several thousand Iraqis, and on Sunday it came under the heaviest attack since it was established. Up to 60 unexploded rockets were found inside its perimeters after a five-hour barrage. [Financial Times]

Sep 15, 2004
DEPT. OF BUSH'S ACTIONS AND INACTIONS IN IRAQ HAVE HAD THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THEIR INTENDED EFFECT: WE ARE NOT SAFER, AND OUR STANDING IN THE WORLD IS AT AN ALL TIME LOW.
Bob Harris: 'Our savage numbness.'
BRYAN SAYS: I'm breaking the rules by linking to this blog posting, because many of the sentiments expressed therein really hit on how I was feeling when the new song 'Harder' morphed from an indictment of a certain ex-reporter (initials J.B.) to an indictment of a certain world leader (middle initial W) as I was recording the demo Sunday night (September 12, for those keeping track). "I'm think me and you got different Jesuses" is what I start chanting when the so-called fun starts. Lyrically the song may come across as a bit of a non-sequitor now, but boy did it feel good to sing that last verse in chorus over 10 vocal tracks. I'll mix it down tonight and post it as a freebie MP3 this weekend (it will also be on the Spy Love Box record). In the meantime, go read Mr. Harris' post . [Bob Harris - This Modern World]

Sep 14, 2004
DEPT. OF YET ANOTHER CONUNDRUM FOR TRUE CONSERVATIVES WHO SUPPORT THIS GUY
$3 trillion price tag left out as Bush details his agenda
The expansive agenda President Bush laid out at the Republican National Convention was missing a price tag, but administration figures show the total is likely to be well in excess of $3 trillion over a decade. A staple of Bush's stump speech is his claim that his Democratic challenger, John F. Kerry, has proposed $2 trillion in long-term spending, a figure the Massachusetts senator's campaign calls exaggerated. But the cost of the new tax breaks and spending outlined by Bush at the GOP convention far eclipses that of the Kerry plan. Says recently-come-to-his-senses conservative Andrew Sullivan: "I cannot understand how Bush is getting away with it: the destruction of fiscal conservatism for a generation." [Washington Post]

Sep 14, 2004
DEPT. OF I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO THIS ONE
One man's resistance: 'Why I turned against America'
Jason Burke in Baghdad reports on the confused psychology of the Iraqi resistance and meets a Sunni guerrilla who welcomed the Americans at first but is now happy to have black GIs in his sights... "To have Negroes occupying us is a particular humiliation," Abu Mujahed said, echoing the profound racism prevalent in much of the Middle East. "Sometimes we aborted a mission because there were no Negroes." [The Guardian]

Sep 13, 2004
DEPT. OF MORE GREAT IDEAS FROM PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE
Key general criticizes April attack in Fallujah.
The comments by Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, made shortly after he relinquished command of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force on Sunday, amounted to a stinging broadside against top U.S. military and civilian leaders who ordered the Fallujah invasion and withdrawal. [Conway] echoed an argument made by many Iraqi politicians and American analysts - that the U.S. attack further radicalized a restive city, leading many residents to support the insurgents. "When we were told to attack Fallujah, I think we certainly increased the level of animosity that existed," Conway said. He would not say where the order to attack originated, only that he received an order from his superior at the time, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the overall commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. Some senior U.S. officials in Iraq have said the command originated in the White House. [Washington Post]

Sep 12, 2004
DEPT. OF CONFLATION
Kerry challenges Bush on Iraq-9/11 connection
Kerry said [Secretary of State] Powell "came clean with the American people about the lack of a connection between Iraq, Saddam Hussein and the September 11 attacks." Not only that, Kerry said, Powell also contradicted comments Vice President Dick Cheney has made as recently as Friday. "The president needs to answer the question: Who do you think is right? Vice President Cheney or Secretary Powell? And if it's Secretary Powell, will you direct your vice president to stop misleading the American people?" [Associated Press]

Sep 10, 2004
DEPT. OF FREEDOM FRIED
Secret Service not coddling hecklers
Officially, the Secret Service does not concern itself with unarmed, peaceful demonstrators who pose no danger to the commander in chief. But that policy was inoperative here Thursday when seven AIDS activists who heckled President Bush during a campaign appearance were shoved and pulled from the room - some by their hair, one by her bra straps - and then arrested for disorderly conduct and detained for an hour. After Bush campaign bouncers handled the evictions, Secret Service agents, accompanied by Bush's personal aide, supervised the arrests and detention of the activists and blocked the news media from access to the hecklers. Journalists were told that if they sought to approach the demonstrators, they would not be allowed to return to the event site - even though their colleagues were free to come and go. An agent, who did not give his name, told one journalist who was blocked from returning to the speech that this was punishment for approaching the demonstrators and that there was a "different set of rules" for reporters who did not seek out the activists. [Washington Post]

Sep 10, 2004
DEPT. OF TRUE CONSERVATIVES SHOULD BE MORE APPALLED THAN LIBERALS
Why conservatives must not vote for Bush
A Reaganite argues that Bush is a dangerous, profligate, moralizing radical - and that his reelection would be catastrophic both for the right and for America. " George W. Bush presents conservatives with a fundamental challenge: Do they believe in anything other than power?" asks the Cato Institute's Doug Bandow. "Are they serious about their rhetoric on limited, constitutionally restrained government?" Bandow served as a special assistant to President Reagan and was a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. [Salon.com]

Sep 9, 2004
DEPT. OF IT AIN'T A RIGHT OR A LEFT THING, THERE'S PLENTY OF IDIOTS ON BOTH SIDES, AND IF THIS WAS FORGED BY SOMEONE ON THE LEFT, THAT PERSON IS TRULY AN IDIOT BECAUSE THERE'S PLENTY TO CALL BUSH ON WITHOUT RESORTING TO MAKING SHIT UP
Some question authenticity of papers on Bush
Documents unearthed by CBS News that raise doubts about whether President Bush fulfilled his obligations to the Texas Air National Guard include several features suggesting that they were generated by a computer or word processor rather than a Vietnam War-era typewriter, experts said yesterday. Experts consulted by a range of news organizations pointed out typographical and formatting questions about four documents as they considered the possibility that they were forged. The widow of the National Guard officer whose signature is on the bottom of the documents also disputed their authenticity. [Associated Press]

Sep 9, 2004
DEPT. OF THESE DETENTION PRACTICES WERE ALL CLEARED BY WHITE HOUSE LAWYERS SO THEY MUST BE OKAY
Retired Pentagon brass seek abuse probe
The Pentagon is under increasing fire for its handling of the prison abuse investigation, as some retired military officers call for an independent commission to get to the bottom of the four-month-old scandal. Their appeal came a day before Thursday's hearings by the Senate and House armed services panels, which were reviewing the two latest reports ordered by the Defense Department. "We cannot ignore that there are now dozens of well-documented allegations of torture, abuse and otherwise questionable detention practices" eight former generals and admirals said Wednesday of prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. [Associated Press]

Sep 8, 2004
DEPT. OF THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR MAKING AN ISSUE OF MILITARY SERVICE
Bush military file lacks required records
Documents that should have been written to explain gaps in President Bush's Texas Air National Guard service are missing from the military records released about his service in 1972 and 1973, according to regulations and outside experts. For example, Air National Guard regulations at the time required commanders to write an investigative report for the Air Force when Bush missed his annual medical exam in 1972. The regulations also required commanders to confirm in writing that Bush received counseling after missing five months of drills. No such records have been made public and the government told The Associated Press in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit that it has released all records it can find. [CNN.com]

Sep 8, 2004
DEPT. OF YOU'RE EITHER WITH US OR YOU'RE AGAINST NEGOTIATING WITH TERRORISTS
Putin rips Washington's calls for diplomacy with Chechens
The United States and Russia clashed yesterday over a way to end the conflict in the breakaway republic of Chechnya, with Washington calling for a political solution and Moscow vowing to crush the separatist movement. Days after a school siege in the Northern Ossetia region that claimed at least 350 lives, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West — and the United States in particular — of having a double standard when dealing with terrorism. "Why don't you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks, ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace?" Mr. Putin told foreign reporters in Moscow late Monday. [Washington Times]

Sep 8, 2004
DEPT. OF KEEPING MARY CHENEY OUT OF THE PUBLIC EYE
Gay activists in the G.O.P. withhold endorsement
The board of Log Cabin Republicans, the largest group for gay men and lesbians in the party, voted overwhelming last night against endorsing President Bush for re-election because of his support for a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The decision ends six months of soul-searching as the group, which endorsed Mr. Bush in 2000 and Bob Dole in 1996, wrestled with its divided loyalties. [New York Times]

Sep 8, 2004
DEPT. OF KEEP AMERICA SCARED
Cheney: terror attack if Kerry elected
"Dick Cheney's scare tactics crossed the line today, showing once again that he and George Bush will do anything and say anything to save their jobs," said a statement issued by vice presidential candidate John Edwards. "Protecting America from vicious terrorists is not a Democratic or Republican issue and Dick Cheney and George Bush should know that." If Kerry were elected president, Cheney said the nation would risk falling back into a "pre-9/11 mind-set" that terrorist attacks are criminal acts that require a reactive approach. Instead, he said Bush's offensive approach works to root out terrorists where they plan and train, and pressure countries that harbor terrorists. [Associated Press]

Sep 8, 2004
DEPT. OF JUST AS CHENEY PREDICTED IN 1991
U.S. conceding rebels control regions of Iraq
[Secy. Rumsfeld and Gen. Meyers'] comments, which came after a two-day spike in violence in Iraq led to a surge in American military deaths, represented an acknowledgment that the Americans had failed to end an increasingly sophisticated insurgency in important Sunni-dominated areas and in certain Shiite enclaves. Fighting raged on Tuesday in Sadr City, in Baghdad, as Shiite militiamen loyal to Moktada al-Sadr ended a self-declared cease-fire. The officials' assessment also underscored the difficulty of pacifying Iraq in time for elections scheduled for January. The cities of greatest rebel control are Ramadi, Falluja, Baquba and Samarra, in the so-called Sunni triangle, west and north of Baghdad, where Saddam Hussein remains popular and many forces loyal to him have gathered strength.[NYTimes.com]

Sep 7, 2004
DEPT. OF BORROW AND SPEND CONSERVATIVES
Congress's analysts see worsening deficit
The U.S. budget deficit will balloon to $2.29 trillion over the next decade, congressional analysts said on Tuesday, a worse outlook than previously forecast and one likely to stir election-year debate about President Bush's economic policies. The forecast from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office compares to the outlook for a $2.01 trillion deficit for 2005-2014 it provided in March under current economic policies. [Reuters]

Sep 2, 2004
DEPT. OF EVEN YOUR BIGGEST ALLY IS JUMPING SHIP, DUBYA
No 10's silent support for Kerry
John Kerry supporters in America have been told by Peter Hain that Downing Street is hoping the Democratic candidate wins the US presidential election in November... In public the government will remain studiously neutral. And some Blairites doubt that Mr Kerry has the campaign drive to defeat the incumbent. But in a sign of frustration inside the Labour party over the government's neutrality, the Blairite group Progress is to issue a scathing attack on Mr Bush's record, although the group is sympathetic to the action in Iraq. [Salon.com]

Sep 2, 2004
DEPT. OF BE CAREFUL IF YOU'RE GONNA MAKE AN ISSUE OF MILITARY SERVICE
George W. Bush's missing year
After more than three decades of silence, Linda Allison spoke with Salon over several days before and during the Republican National Convention this week - motivated, as she acknowledged, by a complex mixture of emotions. They include pride in her late husband's accomplishments, a desire to see him remembered, and concern about the apparent double standard in Bush surrogates attacking John Kerry's Vietnam War record while ignoring the president's irresponsible conduct during the war. [Salon.com]

Sep 1, 2004
DEPT. OF FLIP-FLOP a.k.a. DID WE SAY HONESTY? SORRY, LET'S GET BACK TO EMPTY BUMPER STICKER SLOGANEERING.
Bush backtracks on terrorism remark
President Bush rushed Tuesday to reverse his assertion that the war on te