Worth the Fighting For

In 2000, I was hesitant about then Governor Bush getting the GOP nomination. I was angry that he had taken such vicious ads out agains Senator McCain [whom I supported], that he was backed by the monied interests and experienced people his father had resurrected for "sonny boy." So, naturally, I was lukewarm when he was elected. However, if my hero, Senator John McCain, can put the past behind him, then I can as well. In an interview with Sean Hannity, he spoke about campaigning for the President in New Hampshire during the Democratic primaries and why he believes our President has every right to stay in office for four more years:

HANNITY: Everywhere you went. There has been a real, I don't know if thawing would be the right word, but your relationship with the president now, how would you characterize it? It seems you're one of his staunchest supporters on many issues?
MCCAIN: It's always been -- It's always been cordial. We were fierce competitors. It's always been cordial. I saw him Saturday night at a dinner, and we talked. We will continue, probably, to disagree on some specific issues. But, look, sometimes a man makes events. Sometimes events makes a man. On September 11, the president of the United States gave the American people encouragement and confidence and belief that we will win this war on terrorism. I think there's a reservoir of confidence amongst the majority of Americans about this president which is well deserved.

Couldn't have said it better, Senator. I'm with ya all the way. He's reminded us centrists in the GOP that the interests of our nation rise above any intra-party - or even partisan - bickering.

And there it is...

With the TV pundits sounding Howard Dean's death knell, I'm hesitant on whether to continue even writing about him. Do I want to waste my time or hedge my bets against him pulling off some huge comeback. That 10%+ margin between he and Kerry is not even in the realm of a "strong second." On the other hand, my predictions were right otherwise, except that hard-fought third-place slot. It does look like my boy Joe is out though. I can not see him coming in first in any state other than New York, whose liberal jews might even give him the anti-war backlash he's had everywhere else. Joe, c'mon home...your seat in the Senate is getting cold. I think you've pretty much written that off too. Looking forward to seeing you out of the Senate in 2006! And then, Clark...he just needs to slink back into the shadows. He is pure evil, his son looks like a rat, he looks like a weasel, his wife picks her nose on camera, he's not a leader [contrary to those who think a whiny voice and a puny build is manly], and simply put: he's an idiot!

John "F-ing" Kerry: I've said it before and I'll say it again..."BRING...IT...ON!!!" We want our President's damn slogan back! Stop using it!

Primary Colors

The scenes on TV right now remind me of the film Primary Colors, based on a novel by Anonymous [Joe Klein] - a roman a clef about Clinton and his '92 run for the Democratic nomination. Up against all odds, he fought and won it. The one scene that sticks in my mind is of him out on the streets of Manchester, NH, in the freezing cold, snow falling down, in front of his headquarters shaking hands with people whose cars were passing by, with only a couple hours until the polls closed. They sat for the results later that night, and Stanton [Clinton] was projected to get second, and the aides declared, "We're still alive!" These are my hopes for Howard Dean, but even better, would be him coming in first. I want this governor to get the nomination, because I know he is one my President can beat. In the words of the real Bill Clinton, "Until the last dog dies."

So here's my rundown on CNN's count of 28:39 minutes until polls close and we see the returns:

1. Howard "YEEAAGH" Dean
2. John "F-ing" Kerry
3. John Edwards
4. Weasel Clark
5. Joe-"mentum" Lieberman

Who Failed Us in the Leadup to War?

David Kay, former chief weapons investigator under the CIA in Iraq, stated upon his leaving that post in an interview:

Q: What happened to the stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons that everyone expected to be there?
A: "I don't think they existed. I think there were stockpiles at the end of the first Gulf War and those were a combination of U.N. inspectors and unilateral Iraqi action got rid of them. I think the best evidence is that they did not resume large-scale production, and that's what we're really talking about, is large stockpiles, not the small. Large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons in the period after '95."

And today in Moscow, Colin Powell admitted that the threat of Iraq's WMDs may have been overstated. So, who is to blame?

The president stood up there in the 2004 State of the Union and reminded us that

"We're seeking all the facts. Already, the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations. Had we failed to act, the dictatator's weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day."

But last year he said in the State of the Union - before we went into Iraq - that Saddam Hussein possessed:

"Over 25,000 liters of anthrax...38,000 liters of botulinum toxin...Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent...U.S. intelligence indicates that Saddam Hussein had upwards of 30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical agents. Inspectors recently turned up 16 of them -- despite Iraq's recent declaration denying their existence. Saddam Hussein has not accounted for the remaining 29,984 of these prohibited munitions. He's given no evidence that he has destroyed them."

That's a stark contrast. A year ago, Saddam had weapons, but this year, he has weapons programs? Where did we go wrong? I doubt the president could pull numbers out of the air like that, or even that dark-lord Karl Rove could do that. As the President stated, "U.S. intelligence indicates..." So, my proposal: revamp our nation's intelligence infrastructure. The CIA Headquarters is named after his father and he should live up to the expectation of keeping that institution strong. His first step should be to fire that fat, useless Greek, CIA Director George Tenet.

Tenet was appointed by Clinton in 1998 and has served us miserably. You could blame Clinton for underfunding or not caring about national security, which is true, but we should also take a look at Tenet. While he has been in charge, we have undergone the USS Cole bombing, Khobar towers and 9/11. Thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, we have rooted out much of the known al-Qaida members, who were responsible for 9/11. In response to the Khobar towers attack, Tenet's CIA gave our military false intelligence which caused us to bomb a hospital and some empty tents. With the USS Cole bombing, we caught two of the men responsible, but they later escaped from a Yemeni prison. Where was the CIA handler on that case? Frankly, our national security would be better served, and our results in the War on Terror would increase exponentially, if George Tenet was GONE!!!

Your Darling Days are Over

John "F-ing" Kerry, who, for the last 6 days, has been the darling of the media after winning first in Iowa, is coming back down to earth. The new Zogby poll shows Kerry at 31% and Dean at 28%. The margin of error for the poll is 4.1, which means Dean could still possibly be the New Hampshire front-runner. Zogby said the final poll would be released early on the day of the NH primary, which is when I will make my prediction as to who the winner will be. As for now, I hope...I pray for Dean. As was pointed out to me by a classmate today: "That would be a cool debate: Bush and Dean. Bush would be sitting there all cool, and Dean would be like blah dee blah YEAGH![Taz noises]." Yes, yes that would be great entertainment. Bush would calmly add to that, "Ladies and gentlemen...my fellow citizens, this man sounds like a terrorist. I promised I would seek out and destroy the 'evil-doers'. I shall do just that. Howard Dean, BRING IT ON!"

My True Allegiance

With the upcoming New Hampshire primaries, this posting is quite timely. You'll find out why eventually. As much as I support President Bush, I disagree with him on alot of issues, and with the Republican Party on alot of issues. However, for now, I feel they are the only vehicle for getting candidates that fit most of my views elected. In a perfect world, I would be a member of the paty with the third-highest membership in the nation. No, it's not Nader's Green Party; it's the Libertarian Party. The LP is a party which truly champions individual liberty, personal freedom, free-trade, states' rights and fiscal responsibility. While I disagree with their policy on the war [don't hurt Saddam if he hasn't hurt you], they adhere to their party's principles much more stringently than Republicans or Democrats.

The reason the state of New Hampshire is so important, not only that the LP's two front-running candidates for the national nomination - Michael Badnarik and Gary Nolan - will be picked there. But also because members of the Libertarian Party are trying to mobilize 20,000 people to physically move to New Hampshire and form a state where they can manifest their core beliefs in NH's government through the electoral system. They hope this will be a jumping-off point for their party to recieve more national recognition and hopefully to begin electing Libertarian candidates to federal office. whereas now they make up justices of the peace, town comptrollers and other relatively insignificant positions. The Free State Project, as it is called, should help to elevate the party, and hopefully after the Democratic party shatters into pieces, the LP can be one of the two major parties in our republic, and leave the Republican party to the bible-thumpers.

Clark for Presdent

"The question is often asked, 'is our children learning'" -President Bush

I can answer that question: YES! Well, most of our children is, but it seems Clark supporters have yet to be learned on anything.

Note the sign directly behind Clark says, "A PRESDENT for all America"? Yea, all the illiterate ones. I also recently saw another campaign stump where a teenage girl tried to quote the Dispatch song, "The General." The sign said, "A dedicated general with a heart of gold." The song states, "A decorated general with a heart of gold." The latter message seems to be a stronger campaign slogan, so even if she knew the lyrics and was changing them to fit, it would still serve to make her sign even worse. I don't know what pisses me off more...Wesley Clark and his "Norman Bates moments" or the unwashed, illiterate masses he has supporting him.

The State of the Rumsfeld

ARLINGTON, VA - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today delivered his own state of the union address. He remarked, "That pansy lightweight [Bush] doesn't know jack about this nation!" The following is a transcript and matching still photos of the 72 year-old Secretary of Defense's address at the Pentagon.

		Good Evening, my fellow citizens. I am here, taking time out of my very busy schedule, to remind all my critics of what dumbasses they are. Allow me to be solemn in this address, if that rat-faced pansy Dennis Kucinich decides to have his "Department of Peace" give a response to this...he'll be hearing from my lawyers...Attys. Howitzer and Smith-Wesson.
		Let's get one thing straight, right off the bat here: I'm the one...ME...that is winning the War on Terror! I slave away here 16 hours a day while Georgie boy is lounging about in that White House bowling alley. Which...might I add, I haven't been invited to since Gerald Ford was president! Or, he's running with secret service agents or riding his little pretty ponies at his ranch. C'mon, where's the goddamn thanks?
		As far as the War on Terror, If you look at what I've done...it'll boggle your puny minds! I've expanded this military so much, made it so powerful, technologically advanced it to such a point...that if you combine all the militaries of the world into one big force, it'd look like this. The United States is way up here, and the United Colors of Benetton army is down here...in the latrine! With the sh*t...where they belong!
		There are many on the other side of aisle who say, "We need to pull out...we don't have the right to be there." Well, guess what...that's what the Bible says about your gay lovers! We'll get out of Iraq when I think we should and not until then! So, cowboy the fuck up ya goddamn hippies! Or you can run off to Gay Paree or join that United Colors of Benetton army and you can wave your 'all the colors of the rainbow' flag into battle! If ya don't, there's some cells at Gitmo awaiting your arrival...because we know you're all already accustomed to a prison-like social life!
		Now, some people have criticized the Pentagon for "not giving enough benefits to our veterans," or other some such crazy talk. I can assure you, they're getting paid what they should be getting paid. I mean, they say, "Gee, we're not getting enough money." And then somebody figures out, "Well, either you are or you aren't, and if you aren't, we pay you more, and if you are, goodbye." And that's the way it works. Fair enough. I mean, seriously, it's not like they're fighting anymore! They're no use to us!
		Hold on! Now I have to stop my speech...what the hell are you doing? Are you chewing gum while I'm talking? Wait...no! Don't throw it out! Stick it in your hair until I finish, then I'm gonna make you unstick it, then swallow it, hair and all. Sheesh!
		As far as space initiatives are concerned, I have plenty! Last night the 101st Airborne landed on the moon and set up a space-transit base there. Ya wanna know why the Mars rover isn't working? Yup, Delta Force! They sabotaged it...muahahaha! I'm not letting those pencil-neck geeks from NASA beat me to blowing up Martians!
		We are making progress in the arms race, as well. I was visiting a defense contractor the other day with a group of Senators. I was up on the second story looking at the progress of the tactical, battlefield mini-nuke. I saw that lush, Ted Kennedy down below trying to filch a new thermal canteen - probably to put his Chivas Regal in - and I got an idea. I picked up one of the prototype nukes off the assembly line, like this, and dropped it off the balcony. Then, Kennedy suddenly stumbled out of the way and the blast missed him by a few yards. Clearly, this weaponry is still in its testing phase, but we should not write off its future viability in warfare.
		I will be forwarding a request to Congress for more funding in the future. If you look at the Defense budget, it's very tiny. We need to take our military to the next level! We can't do this by sitting on our butts, not doing things! Things, when done, are the things that work, and to work, we need money...Get it?
		Let me be blunt. We don't what the future holds for us. It could be known, but it may be unknown. We know there are things we don't know, which is to say those are the known unkowns. Then, there are the things we know we know, the known knowns. Then there are the things we do not know we do not know, which is to say they are the unkown unknowns. Now, that's when we kick those terrorists' asses.
		You just...don't...get it!!! Sit up and look at me when I'm talking! My speech isn't over yet and until it is you're gonna wipe that goddamn smirk off your face and watch and listen to what I have to say!
		And you! Yea, the Commies from the Times! That's why you're seated in the back...you're paper is a front for the Worker's World Party. You're so lucky I don't have one of these military men pull out his sidearm and shoot all of you down! You need to stop scribbling your anti-Capitalist, anti-military rants in your pads there and pick up your heads! Your publication is the reason I have more toilet paper than I know what to do with!
		Tomorrow, there's going to be newspapers that write favorably about my speech. There will be those papers who just plain write about my speech. Then, there will be the papers that write unfavorably about my speech. It is those papers that simply BOGGLE MY MIND! I don't understand how anybody on God's green earth could disagree with, or criticize what I have to say. Simply put, the State of the Union is confident and mine!
		Alright, GO!...yup, that's the rip I wanted to hear. Make sure you got enough hair in that! now CHEW!

Donald Rumsfeld assured us that all pictures above were taken during that same speech. He said that, "Any comments about how the color of my suit, shirt or tie changed are false and represent a trend in the American public that reflects its growing stupidity." Our reports show that Queer Eye for the Straight Guy visited the Pentagon the morning of this speech. The Secretary would not comment and referred to 'The Fab Five' as "Peter Pumpers."

The Things They Carry

When Michael Moore said that President Bush was a "deserter," nobody listened to him because he's a fat liar whose parents didn't give him enough love when he was young. But when Wesley Clark, who is considered to be a prominent contender in the race for president, was asked about those comments in a debate Thursday night for the New Hampshire Democratic primaries, he never condemned those statements. Clark stumbled and said he "didn't read much about it." Factcheck.org unspun the spin on this one saying,

The fact is Bush was honorably discharged without ever being officially accused of desertion or being away without official leave. After graduating from Yale in 1968, Bush escaped conscription and possible combat duty in the then-raging Vietnam War by getting into the Texas Air National Guard. During the next four years Bush served the equivalent of 21 months on active duty, according to the Globe account, including more than a year of flight training. The Globe quoted Bush’s flight instructor, retired Col. Maurice H. Udell, as saying "I would rank him in the top 5 percent of pilots I knew."

So there, now that that's been proven wrong and Michael Moore has been proven to be the propagandist he truly is, let's look at the general. Wesley Clark is a conspiratorialist who has previously stated, "9/11 could have been prevented" and that "the Bush administration knew about it beforehand." By floating these conspiracy theories, he not only degrades political debate in this country but shows his own inexperience in politics [and social situations for that matter] and sullies the good name of our President.

John "F-ing" Kerry seems to share the same views as the general. The Drudge Report gives us the facts:

FLASHBACK: Kerry in 2000 claimed it is a matter of character that Bush avoided duty oversees by joining the Texas Air National Guard. No documents have been found to show he reported for duty as ordered in Alabama in 1972... 'Those of us who were in the military wonder how it is that someone who is supposedly serving on active duty, having taken that oath, can miss a whole year of service without even explaining where it went,' said Kerry... Developing...

It appears these two military men, Kerry moreso since he actually saved a man's life, are so full of their own military careers that it's become the only issue they're campaigning on now. Clark has stated, "As Supreme Allied Commander of NATO," so many times I want to punch him in his Norman Bates face, and Kerry preempts just about every other sentence with, "When I was in Vietnam..." ["I" is said long and drawn out]. But, let's look at there contributions to America's national security compared to President Bush: John "F-ing" Kerry saved the life of one man and led, otherwise, a rather uneventful military career, and Wesley Clark supported Muslim terrorists, the KLA [Kosovan Liberation Army] who raped and pillaged Serbian towns, and he was at the helm when the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was bombed, which he later blamed on one unlucky Air Force pilot. Our Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush, on the other hand, has lead the International War on Terror, garnering the flags of 120+ countries flying over CENTCOM headquarters in Florida, dislodged the ruthless Taliban, caught or killed three-quarters of the known al-Qaida leadership, lead a "Coalition of the Willing," consisting of several dozen countries to disarm Saddam Hussein, caught or killed 45 of the top 55 Iraqi Ba-athis leaders, including Saddam Hussein and his two sons, and that in turn caused Libya to declare it would give up its WMDs. So, who's AWOL now? Mission Accomplished, Mr. President!

No Worries, Mon!

Now that John "F-ing" Kerry is the front-runner, I thought it would be time to switch gears and focus on him instead of the Mr. "I Have a Scream!" Well, it turns out ol' JFK has some really extreme positions on the issues facing us today. Blogs for Bush itemizes each of these positions for us and tells us why he could never beat president Bush in a general election, because he just doesn't fit in with mainstream American thinking right now.

Rich Lowry, from National Review, launches into Kerry for going back on his own most recent views. His article, Kerry vs. Kerry shows the fight Kerry will have trying to explain away how he could be against such things now as the War, the Patriot Act, and No-Child Left Behind when he voted for all, and was an ardent supporter of many of them.

Sean Hannity today noted that while undertaking research for his novel due out in mid-February, Deliver us from Evil, he stumbled across daming information about Senator John "F-ing" Kerry. Hannity said he put a cap on the information until the book release and that a NewsMax reporter posesses the only copy outside of Hannity's publishing circle. He stated, "For those of you who are worried about Kerry being nominated...don't be." Awaiting your autographed copy, Sean...until February!

A Tale of Two Liberals

"A non-profit organization with oil...I won't allow it! An oil well doesn't belong in the hands of Betsy Bleedingheart and Maynard G. Muskievote!" -Mr. Burns

When Edmund Muskie stood on the steps of the Manchester Union-Leader in New Hampshire during February, 1972, he was there to attack the paper and its publisher. He claimed the paper had unfairly targeted him and his wife. He told a gathered crowd of supporters that,

"By attacking me, by attacking my wife, he has proved himself to be a gutless coward. And maybe I said all I should on it. It's fortunate for him he's not on this platform beside me. A good woman--"

Then he proceeded to break down crying. Now, you have to remember, in the '70s, the parents were the World War II generation. For a man to cry was just not considered right [which it still shouldn't be, but Ryan Seacrest and his horde of flaming metrosexuals have been gaining ground]. So, Edmund Muskie, the previous front-runner, lost miserably and another wack-job, McGovern was nominated. I see parallels in that speech to Howard Dean's Iowa unhinging and his subsequent Clarkification upon going to New Hampshire.

Dean's now infamous "YAAARRRHHHH!!!" has recieved widespread condemnation and been shone as a shining example of why he came in third in Iowa. It showed how loose his control is over his own body and its functions, as well as his penchant for popping off the hinges everytime his blood-pressure starts to rise. Then, when he got to New Hampshire that morning, right in the hangar at the airport, he gave "Howard Dean's State of the Union," when the president would be giving it 18 hours later. He was noticeably calmer during that speech. Then, yesterday, he gave another speech where during it, he was calm, did not raise his voice once and even hugged supporters at the end: old ladies, young children, etc. Tonight, you can view him in a Diane Sawyer interview with his wife. Do we get a Clark-style Argyle sweater? Please! Please!

No matter how much he tries to escape that violent, pessimistic image he's built up over the past two years, he can not. The Ungerer explosion and the "Perfect Storm 'YAAARRRHHH!!!'" will be played and played until the day William Rehnquist administers the oath of office to George W. Bush once again. That is, if he doesn't come out looking like another famous pantywaist from 1972 - Lawrence Eagleton - and admit he underwent electric shock therapy. That would explain alot, though! He and Muskie might share the same curse in the end though: one speech showed Muskie was a pansy and well, actually more than one speech, has served to show Dean is a loose cannon.

Intellectually Speaking

Readers subscribe to The Atlantic for its in-depth articles, incisive reporting and intellectually-stimulating topics. See, that whole intellectual thing is the magazine's problem. We've seen the more "educated" states become even more blue and the rise of condescension in them. Ann Coulter wrote a piece called "When Blue States Attack" a while ago which pointed out the quasi-crusade the secularist elite are on in this country and how they think they "have to ed-uh-cate dem hicks." Now, in the most recent issue of The Atlantic, a team of authors penned what is called "State of the Union." It is a look - through their eyes - at the well-being of our country right now. The first section that troubled me was one entitled, "The Angry American" by Paul Starobin. His writing showcases brilliantly how these writers can write these articles and not even try to disguise, or fail to notice, the obvious liberal slant they have. Starobin divides the anger categories into Economic Populist, Liberal, and Traditional-Values. When it comes to Liberal Anger, he could not be any less of a member of the watchdog press.

Under liberal anger, he interviews liberal Jane Smiley. She states that "I see people who are Republicans as people who have aligned themselves with the worst features of the American character. I call them the gruesome threesome: toxic patriotism, toxic religion, and toxic racism." Starobin goes on to editorialize [in his own words], "This current wave of anger has been a long time coming with liberals finally responing in kind to the generation of smash-mouth conservatives who have been assaulting them since the Reagan era." Yes, like liberals were never angry or bitter before that. We're supposed to believe that conservatives like Reagan, himself, were not maligned and made to look like idiots. Then, our pal Paul continues, "But liberal anger at its best is drawn from the deepest and purest source of all: love." Haha! I could not stop laughing after reading that for the first time. But what's funnier is his ending to this section, "Today's wrathful liberals are unliekly to broaden their appeal unless they can transcend their penchant for satire and sarcasm - which are indirect ways, after all, of taking a poke at a target." He justified it! Granted, the major thesis of the entire piece is that anger is good, but he justified their anger!

With Conservatives, or those who have "Traditional-Values Anger," he was less kind. He starts it right off the bat with, "Just how long can social conservatives stay angry?" I must say, I'm not a member of this group, but I don't see them as being angry. I see them as grasping for the time of the American public to listen to what they have to say. Starobin skirts that issue by saying "Conservative anger persists because core elements of the conservative world view - which is grounded in abiding religious belief - are in fact under steady assault." Yes, but they have a valid argument to make and people like you, Paul, are undermining it. He states "The effort to limit abortion achieves an occasional success [such as the recently enacted restriction on so-called partial-birth abortion], but the overall trend is altogether in favor of the liberal feminist..." He called it "so-called" partial-birth abortion, a procedure, which I, a pro-choicer, feel is an abhorrent practice. They do, in fact, induce birth so the baby comes partway out, then they crush its skull with whatever metal objects they have on hand and suck out the rest of it with a vacuum tube. Then he goes after the historic ideals of Conservatism. For people who view the stars and bars as heritage and not hate, his argument is a tacit slap in the face to them. He says, "At its worst conservative anger detracts from well-being not only by emvbracing stereotyped and in some cases hateful images of certain groups of people but also by drawing from the tainted well of nostalgia. The well is tainted because the nostalgia is usually for a society remembered or imagines as much better than it ever actually was." Gah, and I can't take any more of reading this or source-quoting it because the man is simply justifying liberal anger because it is in line with his Manhattan socialite lifestyle and discarding the merits of conservative anger because he thinks they're all hicks. Tomorrow I tackle another section, "The Chieftains and the Church: An intellectual audit of the Democrats and the Republicans." Yay! More intellectualism!

"Once upon a time, the most successful Democratic leader of them all, FDR, looked south and said 'I see one third of a nation ill-housed, ill clad, ill nourished.' Today our national Democratic leaders look south and say, 'I see one third of a nation and it can go to hell.'" -Senator Zell Miller [D-GA]

He Looked Back On All He Had Done, and It was Good

So, I was watching that State of the Union, and I think Bush did a fantastic job. He outlined all the accomplishments his adminisration has made in the past year and hopes he has for the future. He also fought back at his critics. When he mentioned that the Patriot Act would expire soon, the Democrats rudely interrupted by clapping. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he added, "But the terrorist threat does not expire on that timetable." Bam, if that's not a bitch-slap, I don't know what is. Then he bashed the multi-lateralists by naming off every country in the Coalition of the Willing and saying, "There's a difference between leading a coalition and being subject to the will of a few."

Then, Bush decided to bring up social issues towards the end, which killed it. He touted abstinence education programs, which have done nothing but leave children with a lack of knowledge about sex. Then, he proposed his "Protection of Marriage Amendment," and he said "Our nation must defend the sanctity of marriage." OK dude, homosexuality is not terrorism. I'm not sure where I stand on this one. I think he may be right that the word "marriage" is a religious and spiritual thing, but banning gays outright from any form of civil union is not right.

Looking at people's faces and their reactions to different subjects the President brings up is always entertaining. The one person that bugged me was Teddy Kennedy. Everytime the FoxNews cameras zoomed in on him he would be shaking his fat head back and forth disagreeably. Blackfive put it best, "I don't know who I want to punch more - Teddy or the Fox News producer queueing Teddy's cameraman." Hillary was surprisingly charitable and always smiling when the camera showed her - being especially politic probably because of her impending run in 2008. Even more than Kennedy though, I must say, the troops seemed especially ungrateful. Everytime they were caught by the camera, they seemed so upset at being there and it looked like they were scoffing when Bush mentioned them. When Bush read a letter from a little ten year-old girl, she mentioned her love for our troops and the soldier they zoomed in on put his head back to the side disrespectfully and yawned. Now, these are the type of people we do not need in our military: the ones in there only to get money for college [or as alternative criminal punishment], who do not show respect for their superiors and don't understand the great mission our President is undertaking to rid the world of tyranny.

Oh yeah, and he wants to make the tax cuts permanent. This would save families $300 per child, give more to those who are left in their loved ones wills, and take the burden off the small businesses in our country. I love tax cuts.

The Conservative Daily Show

After misreading a link and thinking I was going to see another Bush-hating MoveOn.org advertisement, I watched a video where this guy who looked like he could have been from Greenwich Village [actually, he's from Greenwich] wearing those pesky liberal-type black-rimemd glasses interviewing people outside a MoveOn.org event where Al Gore was to speak on the coldest day of the year, and the second coldest year on record for that day, about none other than...global warming! I looked at the ad with skepticism because the interviewer kept throwing these softball questions like, "Is Bush a monster?" to which the speech-goers would respond with a 'YES!' and go on a diatribe about the Christian Right and their coup d'etat in 2000. Then, I finished the movie and read the author's bio...and he's Conservative! I was tricked and I feel so ashamed. I started to view some of his other videos and realized they were hilariously tongue-in-cheek. With a stoic look reminiscent of Steven Colbert, he'll ask Dennis Kucinich supporters, "So, tell me about the secret shadow government controlling George W. Bush," a request they eagerly fulfill. For good laughs, go here: to Brain Terminal's video section.

Am I Right? In a Sense

The Caucuses went down yesterday pretty much as I had expected. While my dream of seeing Edwards make a complete upset and take the top spot was dashed, it was just that, a dream. Most of my other predictions came true: the endorsements were the kiss of death for Dean, Gephardt's ground force means nothing for elections now, and positivity helped boost Edwards' poll numbers well over Dean's. In the end, Dean lost out for two reasons. He campaigned on a basis of one single issue: the War in Iraq and once Saddam was caught, many people saw that as a turning point in what was previously percieved as a conflict that was "bogging us down." Plus, Dean went extremely negative in the past two weeks, trading barbs with Gephardt, which I think we can safely say defeated both of them, and Dean's general rage-filled remarks. Dale Ungerer, a 66 year-old retiree who turned out to be a Republican was yelled at by Dean, "You sit down! You've had your say! It's my turn now!" All of it went to show the inevitable unraveling of Howard Dean. This once formidable candidate who seemd to have the most mobilized base of all the candidates, and a strong internet-driven campaign, fell off. His lies were exposed, his contradictions brought to light, and a wider audience saw - for the first time - his anger-management issues and his awkward social style.

Kerry posted the gains I expected as well, and everyone who paid attention to the latest tracking polls yesterday probably saw it as well. He fought a good campaign, he has a moderate record and if he were the nominee and Edwards was his running mate, that could actually be a formidable challenge for Bush\Cheney. My best wishes go out to Dick Gephardt in his retirement. He was a good public servant, and even if you didn't agree with him, you could see that he was an honest man. He raised some good issues [all of which are inimical towards my inclination toward free trade] concerning jobs, labor and the economy and I hope the eventual nominee keeps part of his message, as those are issues key to the traditional Democratic base. If that party wants to keep viability [a word I have new-found respect for after the Caucuses], they need to pay for attention to Dick Gephardt, because he acutally remembers a key constituency their party once stood for.

Oh, and I would be remiss if I did not direct you to the sound byte of Howard Dean launching into an angry tirade to his supporters after coming in third in Iowa
YAAAAARRRRHHHH!!!

Your Caucus is Showing!

After watching the latest polling numbers, getting the Crossfire team's picks and using my own paltry reserves of common sense, I have settled upon my choices for Iowa Caucus winners. Clearly Dean has sloughed off that claim of being an outsider with his numerous high profile endorsements. He has Al Gore, Fmr. Candidate Carol Mosley-Braun, 35 members of Congress, and Iowa's most prolific vote-getter Tom Harkin. But, he's also got Jimmy Carter...quite possible the most boring president of modern times...MA-LAISSSSSE. Now, Gephardt has the union machines chugging along for him. But he also has some endorsements that could hurt him: Jimmy Hoffa, Jr., the president of the Teamsters union and son of murdered mob stooge Jimmy Hoffa Sr. Then, in the entertainer column, Dick's got that "no-talent ass clown" Michael Bolton. Since both Howie and Dick have the ground force of people who can drive folks to the polls, "help" them caucus, and "learn them good," they have that mobilization advantage. Dean's "Perfect Storm and affiliated "storm-troopers" are college kids and burn-outs from across the country who wear orange hats on caucus night and go around door-to-door hunting for votes. There are thousands of them in Iowa right now. Gephardt has Teamsters members from outside of Iowa canvassing across the state as well, drumming up support for him.

However, in recent days, we have seen Edwards and Kerry come up out of the political abyss. Kerry has now jumped to the lead and Edwards is second. But statistically, within the margin of error, all of them are tied. Kerry does have the Veterans-to-Veterans phone bank where Kerry supporters who are veterans call up others who are Iowa voters. But, then again, he has a poison pill endorsement as well: Teddy "off the bridge - 'Wheee!' - splash" Kennedy. So, we look to Edwards, the populist everyman, up by my bootstraps, smooth-talkin', good 'ol boy Southern man. He has garnered the most support from pure buzz. He has no machine and no solid base to work off of. He does not have any interest groups backing him up and mobilizing ground forces. The only endorsement of any notoriety that he has gotten is Ashton Kutcher. But I think Edwards can squeak out number one, or at least a very strong second. Plus, late-breaking news shows that Kucinich may release his caucus-goers to Edwards, giving him that wacky, tin-foil hat, liberal voter.

So, that's my call: Edwards gets the top spot, makes no showing in New Hampshire and rides it out until Super Tuesday where he gets South Carolina, and the "Big Mo" carries him a few more states. But as far as Iowa, I do believe he can get that. Then, Kerry will finish second and Gephardt's political career will end if he doesn't get that. Then, Dean, who has inserted foot into mouth and fist into air too many times during this campaign will be written off in history as another Edward Muskie. That's my dream: two optimistic Southerners - Bush and Edwards - up against one another in the general election. Then, maybe...we can restore a little faith back in our republic and defeat the pessimism that's plagued us since Florida 2000.

"We've heard from every pundit, every pollster, every prognosticator. Don't you think it's time for the people to have their turn?" -Dick Gephardt

Terrorist Test

I just found one of the most singularly hilarious/genius/innovative things on IMAO's blog: The Frank Test for Terrorists.

I had to travel by plane over the holidays, and that got me thinking about what are some actually effective ways to prevent terrorists from getting on board. Why not, instead of bothering me about my trusty pocketknife, they try to psychologically screen for terrorists using a short quiz.

Here is what I came up with:

TERRORIST TEST

QUESTION 1: What is your name?

Non-terrorists have names like Larry, John, or SpongeBob. If the person answers with "Mohammed" or the nickname "The Engineer," he's probably a terrorist.

QUESTION 2: Fill in the blank: I want to ____ Americans.

Terrorists will not be able to help themselves from completing the sentence with the word "kill". Non-terrorist foreigners will fill the blank in with "thank", "hug", or "kneel down before".

QUESTION 3: Fill in the blank: The ones to blame are the ____.

Non-terrorists will probably become confused by this question and leave it blank since they would need to know more information about the problem before being able to assign blame. Terrorists will instinctively fill in the blank with "JEWS!!!" or "jooooos!".

QUESTION 4: What is your opinion about the Crusades?

Most non-terrorist Americans’ knowledge about the Crusades will come exclusively from the beginning of the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (or Robin Hood: Men in Tights), so one should be wary of any answer that doesn't mention Kevin Costner. Even if the person does know something about the Crusades, he or she will probably not have much of an opinion about it as it seems as relevant to modern life as the battle between Thag and Zork in 30,000 B.C. over who got to next paint a buffalo on the cave wall. Only dirty terrorists care about the Crusades.

MULTIPLE CHOICE SECTION

The terrorist answer to all of these is D.

QUESTION 5:
Islam means ____.
A. peace.
B. submission.
C. That you are a "lamb."
D. kill the Jews!!!

QUESTION 6:
Children should be
A. seen and not heard
B. cherished
C. given Ritalin
D. blown up

QUESTION 7:
If you got a new puppy, what would you name him?
A. Rover
B. Fluffy
C. GK Chesterton
D. Infidel... and then hang him

QUESTION 8:
The sun sets every night because of
A. the earth rotating
B. the earth revolving around the sun
C. the sun revolving around the earth
D. a Zionist conspiracy

QUESTION 9:
My parents want me
A. to be happy
B. to make something of myself
C. to get a job
D. to blow myself up in a crowded area

QUESTION 10:
At the end of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, I immediately thought
A. "What a great movie!"
B. "It could have been more faithful to the book."
C. "I need to pee."
D. "Kill the Jews!"

If the test reveals the person to be a terrorist, proper procedure should be for the ticket taker to pull out a gun and unload it into the person while shouting, "Take that, you dirty terrorist!" I know that if I see a terrorist gunned down in front of me just before boarding the plane, I'll feel much safer.

Oh, How She Loves the Caucus

Mrs. Dr. Dean has been noticeably absent from the campaign trail. Her husband, Nikita Dean, has defended this by pointing out that she runs a medical practice in Vermont and "can't abandon her patients." Okay, so if the whole country all of the sudden has this death wish and elects you president, your wife won't fulfill the duties of the First Lady that 43 previous Presidents' wives have? I understand Dean is a bit countercultural and hippie-ish, but sometimes tradition just works. I don't want my first lady in Vermont while a man with the blood pressure of Nikita has his finger on the button...everybody needs an outlet. Which brings me to my next point: Mrs. Dean has finally arrived in Iowa on the day of the caucuses! Yay, now she can be a good wife and campaign for her husb - EUREKA! That's why she's been absent! She's one of the ugliest politician's wives since like, forever. I look at her and I look at Nikita and I can't decide whether I would rather go caveman on him and bash his face in, or give him a consoling pat on the back. Well, they about cancel each other out. Now that I have gotten to see the reason behind the rage and the frustration, I am a more understanding human being, but don't expect any bleeding heart sympathy from me anytime in the future. This was just a momentary lapse in my gruff exterior.

SOURCE: Photo of Mrs. Dr. FrankenDeanBergenheimenfurter

For compare and contrast, I recommend looking at a photo of San Francisco Mayor gavin Newsom's wife, and CNN legal analyst, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom. Now that is something that could excite the base!

You Say You Want a Revolution? Well, Y'know...

"The Revolution has not yet succeeded. Comrades, you must carry on!" -Sun Yat-Sen

After careful consideration and some minor tweaks in the page layout, I've settled upon this: The Permanent Revolution. After noting the similarities between the previous title of my page and a popular, upscale clothing store, as well as another blog: Banana Republican, who well deserves the title of her site, I felt the need to change the name of mine.

The origins of the title are from a speech made by Leon Trotsky called Address of the Central Council to the Communist League. It laid out a plan to build up Russia through the Communist system, ever so gradually, but realized the fact that they could never truly attain perfection. It was a tool to keep their public engaged and their base mobilized, as well, to keep up their allegiance to the Communist system. Of course, however, I am not a communist, nor do I support any of their ideals. The place I got the idea from was a West Wing episode where president Jed Bartlet had gotten into a rut and his advisors felt their policies had lost their steam. One suggested that they throw out the idea of a "permanent revolution." As that show's cast and production team are replete with commies [note: Creator and former writer Aaron Sorkin endorsed Gephardt, Martin Sheen, who plays Bartlet, has endorsed 'Nikita Dean'] we can assume their intent was to invoke a 'populist revolution' of economic egalitarianism or some other such liberal drivel.

This revolution I speak of has nothing to do with that. It seeks to rid the world of much of the injustice done to it by Marxist\Stalinist regimes like Saddam Hussein's. This revolution is one of faith in democracy, in a republic as a form of government and rooted in the ideals of Edmund Burke and Straussian philosophy. It is a revolution where old ideas that are the surly bonds which have tied down America and prevented its being the true democratic republic that it is, will be cast off. In the spirit of the Classical Liberalism of John stuart Mill and Thomas Jefferson, we see that "The revolution was a beginning, not a consummation," as Woodrow Wilson put it. So we must strive to be more open and accepting on a social level. Color-blindness is key, as is the idea of expanding the largest middle class in the history of the world, and both are especially important as we reflect today on Martin Luther King, Jr. and the good work he did, as well as watch as the Democrats [the so-called "Party of Change"] begin the process of selecting their de facto leader for the next four years, president or not, who will decide the party's direction and its future viability. And in the spirit of classical Conservative thinking, we must realize that there are millions of people under the repression of terror, brutal dictators and fanatical Imams, and as Edmund Burke pointed out, "The ony thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." So, here we are...to do something.

Campaigning 24/6

Yes, Fleury has finally taken on our homestate pal, Joe Lieberman. He explores the lack of 'Joe-mentum' his campaign is touting, looks at his utter lack of personality, finds the flaws in being part of the group of "Washington Insiders," and even explores the logic behind the unwashed masses' thinking when they pull that lever on voting day. A caustic, but subtly comical article about 'Hometown Joe.'

What's in the Doc's Files?

ABCNews is reporting that Howard Dean, a proponent of getting tougher on domestic abuse, had a wife-beater as his close confidant during his tenure as governor.

In his presidential campaign, and as governor of Vermont before that, Howard Dean has taken a tough, zero-tolerance stand on domestic violence, accusing the Bush administration of not being committed to the issue. Yet Dean said he had no idea that one of the men closest to him was repeatedly abusing his wife. Dennis Madore, the state trooper who headed Dean's security detail for nine years, was "a classic abuser," according to Jerry Diamond, a Dean supporter and former Vermont attorney general who was the lawyer for Madore's wife, Donna, when she filed for divorce in 1997.

Court records show that Madore's lawyer, Phil White, also a close friend of Dean, was first made aware of the abuse allegations on March 7, 1997.

On May 23, 1997, Dean inserted himself in the case, filing a three-page affidavit at White's request for use in a custody hearing, in which he described Madore as "a firm but gentle disciplinarian" and a "wonderful parent."

Jerry Diamond told ABCNews that it was a "very unusual move for a governor to make. I'm sure that there are very few cases on record where a governor might have done that." I'm only assuming that other documents like that must be in his files that he won't release to the public.

Also worth noting, Rush Limbaugh announced on his show today the presence of a letter written by then Governor Dean to then President Clinton. It was advisory and opinion on the situation in Bosnia and Yugoslavia.

"It is evident, however, that the cost in human lives in allowing this policy to continue is too great. In addition, and perhaps more importantly for the United States, we are now in a position of ignoring, as many did in the 1940s, one of the worst crimes committed in history. If we ignore these behaviors, no matter where they occur, our moral fiber as a people becomes weakened. As the Catholic Church and others lost credibility during the Holocaust for not speaking out, so will the United States lose credibility and our people lose confidence in themselves as moral beings if the United States does not take action."

Well, clearly the doctor is a caring man who wants to stop the suffering of other human beings. He realizes that the United States must use its unique position to end oppression in the world. That's a typical liberal thing, and even conservative idea...truly American; that we have a duty to protect those who can't defend themselves. However, surprisingly, he goes on to say:

"Since it is clearly no longer possible to take action in conjunction with NATO and the United Nations, I have reluctantly concluded that we must take unilateral action." Dean closes with a line that President Bush himself could've spoken about the mass graves filled by Saddam: "Surely, however, Mr. President, as you watch and read about the huge amount of unwarranted human suffering, particularly of children, you would agree that our current course must now be changed."

So now, we have a unilateralist governor on our hands? Wait, Howard Dean is the 'leading anti-war candidate!' Isn't he? No, he's not! Those who pay attention have realized that the only one who has not equivocated has been Kucinich and he's a nut anyways. Dean's contradictions must be piled up in those stacks and basements of the Vermont Statehouse.

In addition, John "F-ing" Kerry has sent operatives out to search the records of Dean. They supposedly have caused such problems that staffers in the archives have had to yell at them on more than one occasion for being too intrusive and leafing through files they hadn't requested. Keep up the good work, ladies and gents! But we all know, Karl Rove has all your souls on file, and in CD-ROM edition! GO DUBYA!

"So let us continue this journey!"

The President today proposed a bold, new vision for the future of America's space program. He asked Congress for a $12 billion increase in NASA's funding over the next five years in addition to its current yearly $86 billion. The President has already done alot for the space program. From the period 1992-2000, its budget decreased by 5%. Since 2000, NASA's budget has increased by about 3% a year. He also laid out a plan for NASA's future direction.

• First, America will complete its work on the International Space Station by 2010, fulfilling our commitment to our 15 partner countries.
• The Shuttle's chief purpose over the next several years will be to help finish assembly of the Station, and the Shuttle will be retired by the end of this decade after nearly 30 years of service.
• Second, the United States will begin developing a new manned exploration vehicle to explore beyond our orbit to other worlds -- the first of its kind since the Apollo Command Module. The new spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, will be developed and tested by 2008 and will conduct its first manned mission no later than 2014. The Crew Exploration Vehicle will also be capable of transporting astronauts and scientists to the International Space Station after the Shuttle is retired.
• Third, America will return to the Moon as early as 2015 and no later than 2020 and use it as a stepping stone for more ambitious missions. A series of robotic missions to the Moon, similar to the Spirit Rover that is sending remarkable images back to Earth from Mars, will explore the lunar surface beginning no later than 2008 to research and prepare for future human exploration.
• The extended human presence on the Moon will enable astronauts to develop new technologies and harness the Moon's abundant resources to allow manned exploration of more challenging environments.
• NASA will increase the use of robotic exploration to maximize our understanding of the solar system and pave the way for more ambitious manned missions. Probes, landers, and similar unmanned vehicles will serve as trailblazers and send vast amounts of knowledge back to scientists on Earth.

-Excerpted from WhiteHouse.gov

President Bush has realized something that his more recent predecessors did not: that NASA is underfunded by the government and undervalued by the American people. The great Cold War Space Race ended and everyone's attentions settled back onto terra firma. I would note the decline in optimism and unbridled love Americans once had for their country went hand in hand with our virtual abandonment of the space program. This is a simple plan, one that can easily be accomplished with available technology, but it is also bold. NASA doesn't have a lobby, Lockheed seemed content building fighter jets and the government seemed content to ignore the former and buy up as much of the latter as possible. But, with the Columbia disaster, our president was awoken to the plight of NASA. With the knowledge of that one man, new life has now been breathed into America's space program, and its now been given its wings to soar.

"This cause of exploration and discovery is not an option we choose; it is a desire written in the human heart. We are that part of creation, which seeks to understand all creation. We find the best among us, send them forth into unmapped darkness, and pray they will return. They go in peace for all mankind, and all mankind is in their debt."
-President George W. Bush to mourners of the Columbia disaster

American needs this optimism. Kennedy gave all Americans something to look forward to when he declared that we would put a man on the moon before the decade was out. His legacy accomplished just that. With all the anger and divisiveness in politics, the inherent brutality of war, and the ADD-inducing news media, independents and unaffiliateds, even some of Dean's supporters are going to think twice about the stability of this man, and what it would be like with him having his finger on the button. Another thought: Matt Margolis at Blogs for Bush made a great reference to Dean. He said it reminded him of the scene in Office Space, and Dean saying "I have people skills...I am good at working with PEOPLE! What the hell is wrong with you people!?!" Pretty close analogy, I'd say.

Looking for a Savior

Paul Krugman, the biweekly propagandist in the left column of the NY Times, although physically its usually on the right [hinting at the slant of the paper itself?], wrote a column today praising the courage of Paul O'Neill in coming forward with his unfounded rhetoric about the Bush administration. What Krugman seems to be doing though, is grasping in the dark. The left is so in need of credibility for their arguments, they're seeking out Republicans dissatisfied with the post-Reagan direction of the party. They've pointed out a recent study by the "Army War College," which if they paid attention, it was in fact published by the Air War College, serving an entirely different Secretary and branch of the military, but no matter; the military's all the same and it won't matter what's what when Kucinich's Dept. of Peace kicks them all out of the Pentagon. The study was published by a visiting professor, a civilian, who according to the Washington Post, is a "defense expert." It maligns the administration's direction in the War on Terror, blasting the invasion of Iraq as an unnecessary distraction, etc.

What seems to be the problem here is that neither of these people have much credibility. The media loses even more credibility when they buy into it and feed people like Krugman this motivation. Krugman is an incorrigible, weasel-looking guy that, in my opinion, is just looking for love. He's also looking for the "smoking gun" to prove Bush wrong. Note his logic here, and how he contradicts himself:

"I was one of the few commentators who didn't celebrate Paul O'Neill's appointment as Treasury secretary. And I couldn't understand why, if Mr. O'Neill was the principled man his friends described, he didn't resign early from an administration that was clearly anything but honest."

OK, note above the man has just established his lack of faith in the credibility of Paul O'Neill he has held since BUsh put his cabinet together. He shared the same view as conservative commentator Laura Ingraham, one of the few things they ever will agree on, and felt O'Neill was just a relic of the Nixon and Ford administrations being resurrected to keep the 'Cowboy Bush the Younger' in line. Nobody realized W would reject the elitism of his father and the Silent Majority populism of Nixon and take the Reagan tract of compassionate conservatism. But Krugman continues in the very next sentence:

"But now he's showing the courage I missed back then, by giving us an invaluable, scathing insider's picture of the Bush administration."

Wow, if ever I did see something so spun for political expedience, it's never been that close. Usually, people say something and reverse themselves weeks or months later. But, our friend Krugman is a visionary in this spin thing. So, he's just done it all in two consecutive paragraphs. I am simply amazed that he is grappling so hard to find some credible arguments that don't come from the Worker's World Party or MoveOn.org. He thought he had that with the Post claiming the "Army criticizes the War on Terror," when in fact it was one visiting professor...in an Air Force War College. Then he grabbed on to O'Neill, who turns out to be the unprincipled, lying piece of trash Krugman and Ingraham always knew he was. The underlying feeling also seems to be one where Krugman is applauding O'Neill's "seeing the light" and "evolving" away from the barbarism of Republicanism. In fact, when O'Neill was being interviewed by Leslie Stahl, asked if he was afraid he'd be attacked not whether or not he lied, he stated:

"I can't imagine I'm gonna be attacked for telling the truth...Why would I be attacked for telling the truth?"

If he had nothing to hide, why did he preface it with the truth issue? I am sorry, but it's going to have to take more than a liberal professor and a document-stealing ex-CEO to convince me that the course of action my president is taking: empowering the people economically, defending our country from terror, rooting out terrorists abroad, and ejecting tyrannical dictators from power is not the right thing to do. Keep looking, Krugman. The rest of America already found the person who's going to save their nation from the brink. That man is George Walker Bush.

Not a Beautiful Day for O'Neill

A posting by Power Line shows the importance of blogs in pointing out stories the mainstream media won't cover. The entire posting is included below, showing the lies perpetrated by Paul O'Neill and Ronald Suskind on the American public in their efforts to bring down the Bush administration. Looks like Bono's best friend, Paul O'Neill, whom he toured Africa with in 2002, is just another disgruntled employee upset his boss realized his incompetence.

"Laurie Mylroie sent out an email about Paul O'Neill's appearance on 60 Minutes last night; she notes what appears to be a major error in Ron Suskind's book, which casts doubt on the credibility of both Suskind and O'Neill. Here is the key portion of Mylroie's email:

"In his appearance this evening on '60 Minutes,' Ron Suskind, author of The Price of Loyalty, based to a large extent on information from former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill, made an astonishing, very serious misstatement.

"Suskind claimed he has documents showing that preparations for the Iraq war were well underway before 9-11. He cited--and even showed--what he said was a Pentagon document, entitled, 'Foreign Suitors for Iraq Oilfield Contracts.' He claimed the document was about planning for post-war Iraq oil (CBS's promotional story also contained that claim):

"But that is not a Pentagon document. It's from the Vice-President's Office. It was part of the Energy Project that was the focus of Dick Cheney's attention before the 9/11 strikes.

"And the document has nothing to do with post-war Iraq. It was part of a study of global oil supplies. Judicial Watch obtained it in a law suit and posted it, along with related documents, on its website at: http://www.judicialwatch.org/071703.c_.shtml Indeed, when this story first broke yesterday, the Drudge Report had the Judicial Watch document linked (no one at CBS News saw that, so they could correct the error, when the show aired?)"

What Mylroie says about the "Foreign Suitors" document is correct. The Judicial Watch link still works as of this morning, and as you can easily see, the document, dated March 5, 2001, has nothing to do with post-war planning. It is merely a list of existing and proposed "Iraqi Oil & Gas Projects" as of that date. And it includes projects in Iraq by countries that obviously would not have been part of any "post-war" plans of the Bush administration, such as, for example, Vietnam.

So Suskind (and apparently O'Neill) misrepresented this document, which appears to be a significant part of their case, given that Suskind displayed in on 60 Minutes. It would not be possible for anyone operating in good faith to represent the document as Suskind did.

But the truth is even worse than Mylroie pointed out in her email. The CBS promo linked to above says that this document "includes a map of potential areas for exploration. 'It talks about contractors around the world from, you know, 30-40 countries. And which ones have what intentions,' says Suskind. 'On oil in Iraq.'"

True enough; there is a "map of potential areas for exploration" in Iraq here. But what Paul O'Neill and Ron Suskind don't tell you is that the very same set of documents that contain the Iraq map and the list of Iraqi oil projects contain the same maps and similar lists of projects for the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia! When documents are produced in litigation (in this case, the Judicial Watch lawsuit relating to Cheney's energy task force), they are numbered sequentially. The two-page "Iraqi Oil Suitors" document that Suskind breathlessly touts is numbered DOC044-0006 through DOC044-0007. The Iraq oil map comes right before the list of Iraqi projects; it is numbered DOC044-0005.

DOC044-0001 is a map of oil fields in the United Arab Emirates. DOC044-0002 is a list of oil and gas development projects then going on in the United Arab Emirates. DOC044-0003 is a map of oil fields in Saudi Arabia. DOC044-0004 is a list of oil and gas projects in Saudi Arabia. So the "smoking gun" documents that Suskind and O'Neill claim prove that the administration was planning to invade Iraq in March 2001 are part of a package that includes identical documents relating to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Does Paul O'Neill claim the administration was planning on invading them, too? Or, as Mylroie says, was this merely part of the administration's analysis of sources of energy in the 21st century?

There is only one possible conclusion: Paul O'Neill and Ron Suskind are attempting to perpetrate a massive hoax on the American people."

Not on My Watch

Presidential candidate Fmr. General Wesley K. Clark has assured the American people that, if elected, there would be no more terrorist attacks against the United States. In an meeting with the Concord Monitor editorial board, when asked about 9/11, the General stated that:

"If I'm president of the United States, I'm going to take care of the American people. We are not going to have one of these incidents."

Clark continued to insert foot to mouth when he claimed that 9/11 could have been prevented and told us that any future attacks could be prevented:

"I think the two greatest lies that have been told in the last three years are: You couldn't have prevented 9/11 and there's another one that's bound to happen. I think it could have been prevented. I think it can be prevented again if we have the right leadership. That's me. I will protect America."

His handlers were obviously not on scene during this conversation because they would have been intelligent enough, moreso than a four-star General, that no person can guarantee 100% that a terrorist attack cannot occur again. If Ariel Sharon were to say that Hamas would no longer be exploding car bombs and blowing up cafes, he would be laughed out of office on a no-confidence vote. The nature of terrorist attacks is that they cannot be prevented. The threat of them can be diminished, but never completely gotten rid of. The Bush administration has done a fantastic job of implementing new procedures to try to ensure the lessened threat of attacks and built up training for first-responders to assist in the crucial moments after an attack.

The only reason Clark can say these things is because his policies will never be implemented, because he will never be President. Bush will ride out the next four years comfortably, making sure our nation keeps its vigilance. Clark will go back to CNN because his candidacy has a snowball's chance in hell of succeeding. But rest assured, that if that snowball survives, there will be no more unhappiness, cancer will be cured, and that the General will repeal Mondays. Looking forward to it...

Confederates in Vermont

When Howard Dean said that he wanted to "Be the candidate for guys with confederate flag decals on the back of their pickup trucks," he must not have been paying close enough attention to his own state. Burlington, VT news station WCAX reports that Killington, VT, home to the famed ski resort, wants to secede from the state and join neighboring New Hampshire. They are blaming Howard Dean for their woes.

In 1997, Howard Dean, as governor of the Green Mountain state, implemented a property tax in order to fund schools. He also made it state policy to ignore one of the state's biggest revenue generating towns in order to enrich the bureaucracy of the state government.

"Officials in Killington want the town to secede from Vermont and join the neighboring state because of a dispute over taxes. They say the town's restaurants, inns and other businesses rake in ten (m) million dollars a year for the state -- but gets just a (m) million dollars of state aid in return."

The vote for secession will be put before the just over 1,000 residents of this small New England town in March. If it does secede, it will join the much happier state of New Hampshire, whose residents pay no sales or income tax. If Howard Dean is elected president, will we have to have another Civil or Revolutionary War over the issue of taxes? Will Dean's 'Rebuilding America's Economy' cause the need for another Radical Republican Reconstruction? Don't let Howard Dean tax our country into oblivion.

John Chesnes?

Is that my Pre-calc teacher and track coach, John Chesnes, meeting President Bush in some random factory? Too many similarities: the smug smile, wacky mustache, large eyewear and arms crossed as such. We can't be certain whether it's him or not, but we report, you decide.

Dear Smoke-Free Leader

The BBC reports today that Kim Jong-Il has begun an anti-smoking campaign in North Korea, which reportedly stems from Kim's quitting after a bout of ill health in late 2003. He labeled smokers as one of the "three main fools of the 21st century." Rounding off that trifecta are those who are ignorant of computers and of music. North Korean television has put up ads saying, "Let's quit! Smoking endangers our health." See, that's the downside to not having a dictatorship: people have all that pesky free-will and the word of one is not Gospel. In the word's of our own fearless leader, "A dictatorship would be a heck of alot easier."

Some Words about J.F. Kerry

Clearly, the biggest surprise thus far to the 2004 campaign has been the meteoric rise of Howard Dean as front-runner (though I’m pretty sure that meteors are better known for falling.) As a result, the previous front-runner, Senator John Kerry, is languishing in the throes of stagnancy like a fly on a web. It’s only a matter of time before the spider of Super Tuesday finishes him off, but he’ll kick and scream as much as he can before the bitter end. [more]

"COWARD"

I spent some time creating a little animation. I believe it accurately illustrates, and puts in context, the draft-dodging of Howard Dean. While thousands of American boys died over in Vietnam, Howard Dean was smoking pot, drinking beer, and pouring concrete in Aspen. The animation is aptly titled "COWARD"

Fleury Takes on Dennis the Menace

It’s very difficult to take Dennis Kucinich seriously, even for the purposes of a mere column. His ideas, such as the “Department of Peace,” and scrapping of America’s nukes (and nobody else’s) make me want to scratch my head and adjust my television. “Imagine,” catchy though it may be, doesn’t strike me as a proper campaign song, unless you’re running for Dear Leader. His followers are the ones holding up the “Bush: World’s # 1 Terrorist” signs at protest rallies. He has the gall to refer to himself as the “progressive” candidate of the race. And besides, he is, as Ann Coulter put it, “a strange looking little man.” [more]

A Lame Attempt

Hillary Clinton, at fundraiser Saturday in St. Louis for Senate candidate Nancy Farmer, made one of the most racially insensitive statements a Senator has made in a long time. She wanted to quote Gandhi, so as usual, she pulled out a joke beforehand. Hey, there's nothing wrong with a little humor. However, Hillary went way too far! She spoke about Gandhi and said, "He ran a gas station down in St. Louis." To stereotype like that and imply that Indians, or any ethnic group, runs America's gas stations is deplorable and not befitting a United States Senator. When the Associated Press approached her about the comment to clarify it, she said, "I have admired the work and life of Mahatma Gandhi and have spoken publicly about that many times. I truly regret if a lame attempt at humor suggested otherwise." Well it did, and I hope you can live with your racist self!

Daschle Out!

John Thune, former South Dakota Representative and loyal Republican is expected to announce that he is running for the U.S. Senate against Minority Leader Tom Daschle. The White House has wanted this for a long time and political analysts have said Thune has the best chance of any challenger to beat Daschle in 2004. However, South Dakotans need to realize something: despite Daschle being a pantywaist and a knee-jerk critic of the administration, he is harmless, overall. It's also worth pointing out that a state like South Dakota doesn't have all that much political pull and to lose the Minority Leader in the US Senate would take them a decade or two to regain any pull in that clubby legislative body. I'm not saying they should keep Daschle. They need to get rid of him as soon as possible, but it really wouldn't be that bad keeping him in, Anyways, Chris Dodd or Hillary Clinton look to be the next Democratic Senate leaders, so South Dakotans can rest assured that they're losing their pull anyways.

What Domino Effect?!?

When President Bush, Secretaries Rumsfeld, Powell, and Wolfowitz, and Chairwoman Condi Rice all said that the liberation of Iraq would create a domino effect of peace throughout the Middle East, liberals scoffed. Democrats laughed the day Bush flew onto the USS Abraham Lincoln and asked, what domino effect? Well, since "shock and awe" began, Libya has promised to give up its WMDs. Also, North Korea has offered a deal to stop its nuclear program to smooth out talks over its disarmament. Thus, we secure the entirety of Northeast Asia.

Now, India and Pakistan, nations which have recently, come to the brink of nuclear war, and have had a smaller-scale cold war since their split in 1947, have warmed relations. Their main contention is over the region of Kashmir, which Pakistan increased tensions over by invading its Kargil region. Now, the prime ministers of India and Pakistan have met and these talks are now being hailed as a "big leap forward."

"The two leaders are confident that the resumption of the composite dialogue will lead to a peaceful settlement of all bilateral issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, to the satisfaction of both sides."

Also, Libya has recently been making peace with none other than...Israel! The Israeli newspaper, Haaretz reports that:

Following the announcement by President Muammar Gaddafi last month that Libya is willing to forego its weapons of mass destruction, Israel has initiated diplomatic contacts with Tripoli.

The head of the Foreign Ministry’s diplomatic team, Ron Prosor, met some two weeks in Paris with an Arab diplomatic, in order to establish a channel of communications with Tripoli. The meeting was coordinated with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Mossad chief Meir Dagan.

A high-ranking Israeli delegation is expected to visit Libya with the aim of reaching a mutual understanding on the signing of a peace agreement, Kuwaiti newspaper A-Siyasa, quoted on the Al Bawaba website, reported Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in comments published Tuesday, Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi was quoted as saying he is ready to compensate Libyan Jews whose properties were confiscated. He also said he is prepared to allow Libyans to travel to Israel, according to Arab press reports.

Wow, I really think my President Bush is a 'miserable failure' as Dick Gephardt's pointed him out to be! He really failed on this foreign policy bit...none of those "rogue nations" seems to be listening. What to do? What to do?

Fleury's of Wisdom on Edwards

Fleury's posted his second article. This time it's about good ol' boy John Edwards. No, not the telekenetic hack...the other hack...the wussy boy trial lawyer. [Enjoy]

Imagine...This Nightmare

Dennis Kucinich's campaign song for the 2004 Presidential race is Imagine by John Lennon. I decided to take a look at the lyrics for the song after listening to it closely during one of Dennis' appearances on TV. I was shocked at the Utopia that commie Lennon had dreamed up! Let us dissect this drivel lyric-by-lyric:

Imagine there's no countries,
It isnt hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

Alright, he did say he did not want any more countries! Now, that can't be part of Kucinich's platform! He's a United States Congressman, and would not wish for the end of nations as we know them! Guess what? He does! He stands for the end of nuclear weapons, which would leave the United States without its biggest deterrent weapon cache. Then, he wants to decrease military spending, and institute a Department of Peace, which would leave the United States with the one branch of government that has kept us safe from terror and evil since time immemorial, flapping in the wind. He wants to sign back on to Kyoto and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, both of which left our country at the mercy of international law in the past. Then he wants to ratify the International Criminal Court, which could leave our soldiers hanging, literally, in international kangaroo courts that wish to make a mockery out of them. We can not let Dennis Kucinich tear away our borders and surrender our liberty to Europe once again. We've done that in the past, and it was a bloody battle winning it back! I will not even comment on his wishes to take away religion. I think that speaks for itself.

Lennon continues on this wild trip with some more lines of wisdom:

Imagine no possesions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

To me, I dunno, maybe it's just the common sense thing I have...but that sounds like that crazy ol' Communism thing. I do believe it is! Again, a member of our United States House of Representatives espousing a form of government Ronald Reagan defeated over a decade and a half ago? It sure sounds implausible, but it's actually occurring! Dennis Kucinich has laid out a massive plan to take more and more of your tax dollars and put them to work for the government. He calls it economic justice, and clear-thinking people call that type of redistribution of wealth Communism. Maybe it's the connotation of the 'C' word that leaves a bad taste in people's mouths, but it's there either way ya slice it.

I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

Jews Rise up against Liberal Fascism

MoveOn.org loses yet more credibility today when another ad comparing Bush to Hitler makes it into their Bush in 30 Seconds contest. Today, Jack Rosen, the president of the American Jewish Congress came out swinging in an article in the Wall Street Journal saying that, "Comparing the commander-in-chief of a democratic nation to the murderous tyrant Hitler is not only historically specious, it is morally outrageous," and goes on to note that, "Political figures such as Al Gore, who have associated themselves with MoveOn.org, have a special responsibility to condemn these ads; donors to the group such as George Soros have the same responsibility. They owe it not just to the memory of the millions who died in the Holocaust. They owe it also as a simple matter of decency."

The Anti-Defamation League [ADL], which was founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry, released a statement on the ads today as well:

"It is shocking that a mainstream political group like MoveOn.org not only allowed this vile and outrageous comparison of the American President to Adolf Hitler to be entered into its "Bush in 30 Seconds" contest in the first place, but that they even went so far as to make it available to the public on the Internet. Those responsible for this contest at MoveOn.org should have immediately identified this advertisement as one going far beyond legitimate criticism and rejected it out of hand. Instead, they made an irresponsible decision that has given legitimacy to the exploitative manipulation of images in a campaign season. "MoveOn.org clearly would not have accepted a pornographic ad as legitimate criticism of a candidate. Why did they think that images of Hitler, the Nazi whose evil regime was responsible for the slaughter of millions of people during the Holocaust, was a fitting and credible expression of criticism of President Bush and his policies? Their lack of discretion cheapens the level of political discourse in America, and their comments explaining it were hardly comforting."

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which is an NGO at international agencies like the United Nations and one of the world's largest Jewish human rights organizations, released their own statement through Rabbi Marvin Hier, the center's founder, on the deplorable ads:

“Politics and preparing for a presidential election is one thing, but comparing the Bush Administration’s fight against Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein with the policies of Adolf Hitler is shameful, beyond the pale and has no place in the legitimate discourse of American politics. Adolf Hitler was responsible for the greatest crime in the history of mankind – the Holocaust. To compare Hitler to an American President is not only ludicrous, but defames the Holocaust. This ad is not about Democrats or Republicans – it is about lies and a distortion of history. Move On.org has a responsibility to publicly repudiate such lies as do all political leaders.”

The second and most recent ad featuring Bush and Hitler came after these statements were made, and further proves MoveOn.org's unbending and bitterly partisan attitude toward our Commander-in-Chief. The script is as follows:

GRAPHIC: Nazi Flags In A Parade
GRAPHIC: Hitler
HITLER: [Speaking In German]
CHYRON: A NATION WARPED BY LIES

GRAPHIC: German Troops Marching
GRAPHIC: Hitler In Car In Parade
GRAPHIC: German Troops Marching
CHYRON: LIES FUEL FEAR

GRAPHIC: German Tanks
CHYRON: FEAR FUELS AGGRESSION

GRAPHIC:  German Artillery Firing
GRAPHIC: German Planes Dropping Bombs
GRAPHIC: German Tanks Firing
CHYRON: INVASION

GRAPHIC: German Tanks Rolling Down Street
CHYRON: OCCUPATION

GRAPHIC: Hitler With Hand Raised
BACKGROUND: Sig Heil! Sig Heil!
CHYRON: WHAT WERE WAR CRIMES IN 1945

GRAPHIC: President Bush With Hand Raised At Inauguration
BACKGROUND: Sig Heil! Sig Heil!
CHYRON: IS FOREIGN POLICY IN 2003

CHYRON: SPONSORED BY MOVEON.ORG

The full second ad can be seen from the RNC website here.

Fleury's of Wisdom Premieres

Fleury has finally gotten off his lazy ass to write something. So, here's a message from him about his first post:

For those of you interested (all five of you) I apologize for the delay in my premiere appearance on the Banana Republic. Though it’s awfully strange that I’ve been so slow to start up the column that I requested, it may be easily attributed to my laziness, sickness, and occasional busy-ness. But now that it’s ’04, and we’re truly in-season politically, there’s no better time. Enjoy, and please give me comments, and SPREAD THE WORD!...If I deserve it.

And here's the actual article.

This Just In::MoveOn Not Doing So

The liberal activist group MoveOn.org, created after the Lewinsky scandal to help America move on, and which wouldn't let them during the 2000 election, is sponsoring an anti-Bush ad contest. The entrants will be allowed to submit animations, personal rants, or "whatever" as the site puts it. "Bush in 30 Seconds" is being judged by such infamous liberals as Michael Moore, Janeane Garofalo, Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Tony Shalhoub from Monk, and surprisingly, Jack Black of Tenacious D.

An ad obtained by the RNC before tomorrow's release date of the first round of entries compares Bush to Hitler. The Drudge Report is reporting that MoveOn.org had featured the ad for a short amount of time, then pulled it after complaints, but it still appeared on their website. Its script went as follows:

GRAPHIC: Pictures Of Hitler
HITLER: [Speaking In German]
CHYRON: We have taken new measures to protect our homeland,

GRAPHIC: Pictures Of Hitler
HITLER: [Speaking In German]
CHYRON: I believe I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator,

GRAPHIC: Pictures Of Hitler
HITLER: [Speaking In German]
CHYRON: God told me to strike at al-Qaida and I struck them,

GRAPHIC: Pictures of President Bush
HITLER: [Speaking In German]
CHYRON: and then He instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did.

CHYRON: SOUND FAMILIAR?
BACKGROUND: Cheering German Crowd

The full ad can be seen here off the RNC website.

Ironically, the rules of the competition state that "we're not going to post anything that would be inappropriate for television." Ah, gotta love this. While the liberals accuse Republicans of holding the public in fear and just being general Fascists, they get to use scare tactics to try to mobilize the public against us.

Is Vermont Safer Now That Howard Dean Is Gone From Power?

My unequivocal answer is YES! The AP has reported that Governor Howard Dean was warned Vermont Yankee, a nuclear power plant in his state, was a vulnerable and attractive target to terrorists as early as 1991. Documents have shown that groups of students got into restricted areas, guns had passed through, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staged a drill where three mock terrorists gained access to it. This prompted the NRC to give Vermont Yankee its worst rating out of all 103 reactors in the United States.

What would one expect the governor of the state to do? He should beef up security, set up oversight, or make the facility less vulnerable to threats. Dean did none of this. When his campaign was recently approached with this information, the press release stated that the NRC ultimately has the authority to deal with these problems. However, the NRC only does oversight, not security, and the governor is supposed to be in charge of asking for no-fly zones over plants, posting national guard or asking for funding for security within the facility.

An report was compiled by the state Audito Elizabeth M. Ready where she stated, "The lack of funding and overarching coordination at the state level directly impacts the ability of the state, local and power plant planners to be adequately prepared for a real emergency at Vermont Yankee." Not until 2002, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, did Dean create a cabinet-level position to deal with nuclear plant security and demand no-fly zones over nuclear facilities from the federal government. Dean was asleep at the wheel. He has NO credibility on Homeland Security issues. How can we expect this man to be the leader and protector of the free world when he can't keep a small, rural New England state safe?

The Right Way

George F. Will's recent article, A presidential Christmas story, reminds us how much America has changed. We no longer have a president or Congress we can look to for its ideals and wide-eyed optimism. Instead, we have career politicians, interest groups and a fractious party-system. He reminds us of the awe and adoration George Washington instilled in the American people for centuries to come. He quotes a British officer commenting on Washington's march into Harlem:

"Here, in this city, we have had an army for more than seven years, and yet could not keep the peace of it. Scarcely a day or night passed without tumults. Now we are gone, everything is in quietness and safety. These Americans are a curious, original people; they know how to govern themselves, but nobody else can govern them."

Then he goes on to describe the trip Washington took to Mount Vernon, his home in Virginia, for Christmas:

Washington's journey to Mount Vernon, which he reached after dark, December 24, was a moveable feast of florid rhetoric and baked oysters. It also was a foretaste of what was to be, for more than a century, his central place in America's civic liturgy. Abraham Lincoln wore a ring containing a sliver from the casket Washington was buried in until his body was moved to its current tomb in 1831. At his Inauguration in 1897 William McKinley wore a ring containing strands of Washington's hair.

Presidents no longer inspire such reverence, perhaps because America is different, perhaps because presidents are.

I'm not asking for them to put on powdered wigs, sign bills with their quill pens or even bring back muskets. What I do want is a president who can put people above politics, kind of like the Governator, but without the acting, and a President who stays true to his principles in times of hardship. I want a president that when he talks, I listen, and I believe him...every word.

The Right Way

Representative Ralph Hall [D-TX], the longest-serving member of Texas' Congressional delegation, is switching over to the Republican Party. I couldn't be any more pleased. How come? Jim Jeffords did this and I was furious. Well, ol' James did it mid-term, which means his constituents elected him as a Republican and he switched parties to spite the Bush White House by giving the Democrats the majority in the Senate. Congressman Hall, instead, is filing papers to run for his 13th term as a Republican, which means in 2004, the voters will decide whether they want a Republican or not. Of course they do, it's Texas.

Along the lines of Zell Miller, Hall is a Conservative "Blue-Dog" Democrat. However, I take issue with Zell Miller on the premise that parties are meant to stand behind their members and members are expected to stand behind their party. Zell Miller was appointed by a Democratic governor to fill a vacancy and should have served accordingly. While his defection is of course welcome, because I believe President Bush deserves the votes of the Democrats Senator Miller symbolizes, he could have gone about that through other means.

But I digress. Congressman Hall represents much of what Senator Miller's values embody. He has the most Conservative voting record among House Democrats, he crossed lines to endorse Bush in 2000, and was considered for the post of Energy Secretary in Bush's Cabinet. Now is the time for Congress to stand on principle and the Congressman put it beautifully, "The country is at war. When the country is at war you need to support the president. Some of my fellow congressman have not been doing that." Hall's is another much needed vote in a closely split House. The balance now is 229 Republicans to 204 Democrats, with one Independent and one vacancy left by Ernie Fletcher when he left to run for governor. One more vacancy will be left when Bill Janklow, Republican of South Dakota goes to jail for vehicular manslaughter.

"Ralph is a close friend of the Bush family. He is a well-respected leader of the highest integrity, and a tireless advocate for the people of Texas," -G.W. Bush