Not seeing the forest...

...for the trees.

It just occurred to me (no one, let alone myself, has ever accused me of being the quickest or the brightest, but at least I know I'm still qualified to be President!) that it seems like rather good timing that Resident Bush and his band of Merry-yet-still-really-Heteropublicans unleashed their "We're helping the middle class and small business by not giving them any money back" tax cut just in time for his big money contributors to receive a nice hefty check that will, for all intents and purposes, be sent right back to the "We're okay with gays as long as they don't have sex or get married" re-election fund.

talk about re-defining federal matching funds...

My first political donation

I just made my first-ever donation to a political candidate. It's cheesy as hell, but it feels really good to be a part of this.

Meanwhile, Bush is in town right now at a $2,000-a-plate dinner. He's already raised more money than all the Democrats combined.

I gave because I don't think it's enough to simply stand on the sidelines anymore. I used to do that -- just watched and listened -- but that was before Florida, before Iraq, and before, well, everything else.

Also, I found a candidate that simply inspires me. I think he can really do it.

If you have any spare money and feel at all like I do, then I urge you to head over to his official blog, check things out, and contribute a little.

Republicans = Perverts

What is it with Bill Frist and other like minded, conservatives who fear Homosexuals?

Why are these perverts so obsessed with homosexuality?

Frist's declaration of support for a constitutional ammendment against Gay Marriage just seems to be saying is, "Hi! I can't stop thinking about men having sex with each other!"

Bush's Fan's in NYC

Ahhh.... It's so nice to see the "Precedent" getting such a warm reception in NYC on the 23rd of this month

God Bless America!

Coding for Bush

Whew. GWBush04.com now has a new look, which explains my absence from posting here in a while.

Go check it out if you haven't seen it.

Observant readers should hopefully make a connection between that and the leaked images of what the official Bush Campaign site will look like. The official site will eventually be seen by millions, so matching it on my version seemed like an obvious thing to try.

It turns out I started making subtle changes on purpose based on my own design sensibilities. That was an interesting thing. The colors of the official one didn't really do it for me, for example. Also, keep in mind that I had no code from the official site to work with -- only compressed screengrabs.

There's a new editorial from Strom Thurmond up there, and I'll be working on more content shortly. If anyone would like to submit an article or ideas for articles, I'm interested.

I'm not sure if this is noteworthy or not, but the news backend for GWBush04 is being run with plain-old MovableType blogging software. My technique is to avoid using the "styles" template completely, and instead publish the news bits as separate html files which then get brought into the homepage using php "require" statements.

If anybody has comments or suggestions, I'd appreciate them.

The Green Party missed the boat?

I'm currently reading Michael Moore's Stupid White Men which is long overdue in a lot of ways (hey, I was waiting to check it out at the library -- honest!) but I finally got around to picking it up.

And while reading it I couldn't help but see the Anti-Corporate left that pre-9-11 and post 9-11, which has been vastly ignored by the media for a while now.
I started thinking, "Who will have to step forward from the Dems to counter this corporate oversaturation in government?" and yet I'm back at the realization that both of the major parties are covered by dead presidents and promises of more dead presidents...

I looked back a tthe Green Party, which I voted for in 2000, and I turned up my nose to it, despite agreeing on their principles. Why? Why would I do this?

The answer is Ralph Nader. Not because I don't like Ralph, not because I don't think he is the voice of the Party right now... It's because Nader might be able to make a stink on things but his ego is keeping him from running for office that is below the president, getting into government and helping Greens in general by being a stepping stone.

How is a true 3rd Party going to finally come to ralization if the 3rd parties aim so high and don't build up nationally? How can they build up nationally if the only prominant office they are running their top party member for is President?

And after Ralph retires from politics - who's next? There's no one in the Party that truly stands out right now, and at times the party is so left that it alienates the common voter.

Is the Green party missing the boat by not getting someone into a lower level national office, yet continually offering a presidential candidate? Is the Green Party missing the boat on national causes for personal crusades?

Just a quick thought...

So, in the time that has passed since 9/11, we haven't found Bin Laden, we haven't found Al-Zawahiryi, we haven't nabbed Saddam or either of his sons, we;ve detained lots of supposedly upper-echelon people who have fed us info that has led to wild-goose chases and potentially embarrassing international incidents. We've found nothing about the WMD's besides what turned out to be a Baghdad trailer park (instead of white trash is it shi'ite trash? Are they as worried about sandstorms as we are about hurricanes?) and now, some parts allegedly from a centrifuge (never mind that they look like my doorknobs) that were buried in someone's backyard, and we've vastly underfunded our ports, cut pensions and medical benefits for veterans - that'll be sure to attract new volunteers for military service! - and been subjected to Hollywood-ized so-called "press conferences" that were mere window dressing for GW's balls, and declared the war in Iraq to be over without letting the other side know. Does that cover it all? Feel safer, do you? Confident the government is doing all it can to keep you safe and informed? Well...there was that duct tape thing, that's gotta count for something.

What, really, has been accomplished?

Oh, wait...we made some good French jokes. Cool.

p.s. Whatever happened with Afghanistan? I kinda thought we got rid of the Taliban, now they're holding what amounts to press conferences without any fear of repercussion? Forget hearts and minds, we can't even be bothered to focus long enough to finish one job...

Praise for Howard Troxler

Written by moi and sent to Howard Troxler of the St. Petersburg Times:

Mr Troxler

Your article in the Times today, "Voters have their say; governor just ignores them" struck such a nerve in me today... Not in a bad way, however... It was just one of those pieces that you read and it completely states what you've been thinking about a situation. In this case, Jeb Bush and the government undermining the will of the people of the state of
Florida.

Now, I'm just an opinionated citizen of the state of Florida and we all know what opinions are like, yet I want to know why no one has stood up and accused Jeb Bush of breaking his oath of office? It is a governor's duty to support and defend the constitution and the laws of the state, yet Jeb's actions and his own lobbying underminded an ammendments that have been added to the state consitution: smaller class sizes (which was an attempt by the voters to get more funding funneled into eduation) and the High Speed Rail initiative (which could be seen as the voters wanting alternatives to driving).

Should I blame the Democracts in the state for not wanting to look like bad guys by attacking Jeb for his acitons? Does Bill McBride -- a lawyer -- think it would be better for a potential 2006 campaign if he sits back and twiddles his thumbs? Should I blame the local Greens for not pointing the above two options out and not standing up and saying "Jeb in Contempt!" (this is after it was brought up months ago on local mailing lists but ignored for the sake of Anti-everything protests)?

Unfortunately it all comes back to the voters and we are so apathetic towards government that our own fickleness has brought this upon us... Yet no one -- even those opinionated like myself -- has the nerve to stand up and challenge Jeb head on by telling him he is perverting the will of the people.

Is that an Impeachable offense in the state Consituation? I don't know... But I wish someone - anyone - had the guts to stand up and point this out to the masses. I'm glad that you did.

Bush? Slow? Naaaaah...

Story

It now comes to light that we apparently had Bin Laden within the range of a Predator UAV at least three times since the Bush/Supreme Court administration took office and before 9/11. Unfortunately, no one could decide who should really be flying the drones, whether they should have been armed, and if they should have taken the shot. Would it have mattered? Would it have prevented the tragedy? Given the independent operating nature of Al-Q, probably not, but it would be nice to know we actually got him, though, wouldn't it? Then again, who knows if it was already him? I mean after all, we swore we had him in the mountains in Afghanistan, and we've already killed Saddam twice (or is it three times?) How many times have we gotten Chemical Ali? Are these the same guys behind MapQuest? Inquiring minds WANT TO KNOW!

Florida State Scams

Nice article (though very regional) by the Palm Beach Post saying that the Class Size amendment that voters passed last November is being turned by Lawmakers into another lottery scam in Florida.

Way back in the day, Floridians approved of a lottery to help increase funding for schools. Instead of increasing funding, they took funds away from schools and made the income of the lottery as the standard income to pay for Education, scamming millions of Florida voters and dumbing down the state.

Now Jeb is saying the Class Size Amendment will keep teachers from getting higher salaries... This is sidestepping the fact there is so little state infrastructure to pay salaries as is. It's also sidestepping the issue that many floridians want better funding for schools and that Jeb and those in the State Senate and State House have not delievered that through their bare bones budget tactics of the past 5 years.

The entire Class Size Ammendment was a voter attempt to get the state to put education in a higher regard on their budgets. But the Republican controlled Florida government doesn't think they should jeopardize business and personal growth for the sake of the future and our children. Great bunch of guys that were voted into office, huh?

Bush works to further exploit 9-11

"Re Elect me and I will make sure more New Yorkers suffer for the next 4 years than any time in our nations great history!"

OK, that was a little harsh but still -- Dubya aand Tricky Dick took in 4 million bucks in a campaign stop in New York....

...Hopefully the MoveOn.org primary nets a windfall just as large for the winner.... But without exploiting the deaths of 2500+ New Yorkers.

Here we go again - Iraq? Iran. Ivomit

Government official decries they the US reserves the right to use military force against Iran

So does this give the rest of the world a justification to gang up on us and kick our ass -- for meddling in the affairs of other nations that have no direct link or make no direct threat to our own? Would Dubya even be able to answer that question or would he ride his Segway into the sunset to avoid it and get re-elected?

Is Bob Graham smoking something?

Taken from Bob Graham's newsletter:

I would like to share some very exciting news with you!

A Quinnipiac poll taken June 4-9, 2003 shows that I have moved ahead of Senator John Edwards and Governor Howard Dean nationally. This shows that my campaign to become the next President of the United States is increasingly gaining momentum.

I am running better than expected in several of the early primary states. For instance, at the recent Wisconsin Democratic Convention, the Hotline reported that..."Bob Graham's camp turned in the most surprising performance of the convention"…

We can win this race and build a better America together. Our fellow citizens want a government that is open and will build coalitions to protect us from our enemies. We want a president that will get our economy moving, provide affordable and accessible health care, and improve our schools.

We have made great progress in our organization by adding key staff in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Additionally, we have added key supporters and organizers in Arizona and Oklahoma. The reaction we have received from political pundits and people throughout the country has been very positive. I have been amazed at the warmth and hospitality people have shown me.

I am pleased to announce that we are setting up a powerful national finance organization. We are delighted to announce that Marvin Rosen has agreed to join our team as our National Fundraising Chairman. Marvin served as the Finance Chairman of the Democratic National Committee under President Clinton.

In fact, if you know anyone around the country who you believe would like to serve on our national finance team, please let me know by calling 305-328-5000.

Thank you for all you are doing for our campaign. I am proud of our progress and I will continue to keep you informed.

Sincerely,

Now, I admire Bob Graham but all the talk is of Howard Dean right now -- and Bob's camp is spinning it to say that he's moved PAST Dean?

Graham is almost more of an unknown than Dean... I'd support him if he got the nomination but at the same time -- he's not my ideal any more, nor the ideal for millions of progressives.

MoveON Windfall

There was a reported piece in The St. Petersburg Times Ed/Op section today (by way of the Washington post, where it originally appeared) that said the winner of www.moveon.org's endorsement may see a 30 million dollar campaign windfall.

MoveOn.Org is the leading prgressive organization out there, as readers will know. With their primary coming up (and more likely until they do make an endorsement selection) it could be a jold to the Bush campaign if a democrat gets solid financial backing through grass roots activism.

Now it's our turn

Speaking of the "dream world" that America is living in...

It seems our brave soldiers in Iraq are plugged into the Matrix as well.

"There's a picture of the World Trade Centre hanging up by my bed and I keep one in my flak jacket. Every time I feel sorry for these people I look at that. I think, 'They hit us at home and, now, it's our turn.' I don't want to say payback but, you know, it's pretty much payback."

Mind you, Specialist Corporal Michael Richardson is talking about fighting in Iraq, not Afghanistan.

I don't think this solider is simply believing a lie; Maybe he needs to believe this -- like it's a necessary condition. After all, it's got to be easier to kill people when you've convinced yourself that it's "pretty much payback." This excuse has to be better for the psyche than "I'm killing people so the President can get elected," for instance.

For that matter, maybe all of us are suffering through delusions for similar reasons. "I mean, the President would never lie to get us into a war, right?" We need to believe these things because the truth just doesn't compute...

...unless the truth is: Getting a BJ from an intern, which we all understand perfectly.

Wake Up America - The Matrix Has you

You know, I read over Toe's "America, Polled" article the other day and got sick to my stomach with some of those poll numbers... Be it "Rock n' Roll has a negative effect on culture" or the fact 20 percent of those polled thought civilian deaths in Vietnam were a rare event, or perchance the 3 percent of those polled that thought "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" needed easier answers... The fact is those numbers show an America with a closed mind, vastly limited scope or just plain wacko.

Couple that with the relatively high approval rating that still exists with G. W. Bush and the fact Republican supporters (I don't feel the term "Conservatives" really applies for the republican party under this administration - they are morally conservative but they have no morals in capitalism or politics) turn a blind eye to what's going on with politics in general and the propoganda machine that has been running since 9-11 and I just can't help but think of Morpheus in The Matrix...

"You're living in a dream world..."

As one who is on the progressive side of the fence with my political views, I feel like one of those freed from the Matrix and having to fight against the Machines in order to make things right again. I feel like Politicians in general right now are agents and either a citizen who remains in ignorance about the wrongs in America is an enemy up until their mind is freed, because those Agents and politicians will use them through their propoganda to support their own personal means.

"Wake up, America, the matrix has you."

"Knock, Knock, America..."

When is it going to end? How is it going to end? It's not as simple as just waking up Americans to what is going on, it's got to be another jarring event that forces eyes open to see the wrongs. Why? Because too many people turn away when they hear something they don't like, stick their fingers in their ears and chant "LA-LA-LA, I'M NOT LISTENING!"

The Matrix truly does have America, and unfortunately no one seems to know how to just unplug them from the system.

Kamen's missed opportunity?

The name Dean Kamen doesn't register with most people.  On others, it's a name that makes tech heads and engineers salivate because of the wonderment on what is next on Mr. Kamen's agenda.  Dean's an inventor, after all, with revolutionary concepts that can change the everyday life of people for the better.

Of course, many people reading ole' Kill The Web probably have heard about the Segway Human Transporter -- the 2 wheeled, self balancing, Bush attacking, personal mobility device.  Some of you might have heard about it's counterpart, the iBot, which is a revolutionary wheelchair (another self balancing variety that lets those confined to a wheelchair climb stairs.  Some of you may have also heard of Kamen's water purifier / generator -- and maybe realize Dean missed the boat by not shipping one of those things to Iraq.

I caught video of Iraqis forced to drink sewage, I have heard countless times that there is no clean water, there is no power and there is no timetable to have these basic services restored.  Kamen's invention would have been a great thing to have -- even in it's prototypical form -- to present to the Iraqi people in an attempt to improve things for them.

Of course, Dean probably has a reason for holding back on sending one of hese units to Basra or Baghdad or somewhere else inside Iraq?  But at the same time, one has to wonder why DEKA Research and Kamen didn't decide to take a chance with their prototype design and aid people who need it the most right now.

AMA Endorses Cloning for Research

AP story here:

The American Medical Association endorsed cloning for research purposes Tuesday, putting the nation's largest organization of doctors officially at odds with the Bush administration.

Pat Buchanan was just on MSNBC freaking out about how the AMA's position opens the door to labs filled with mutated babies that will grow into disgusting supermen with evil powers who could take over the world. It was pretty funny.

Seriously though, the AMA was very clear about not supporting "reproductive cloning" -- which is what most people seem to be afraid of. We're talking about cells here, people. The upside is huge -- the cures we could find from this kind of research has to tip the scale.

But no, it's still illegal to try and cure cancer with all the technology we have. The U.S. House passed a White House-backed ban on any form of cloning earlier this year.

Laugh at NewsMax

Former senior Clinton advisor Dick Morris has already proven that he's not credible with facts, but he's not finished yet.

According to America's News page, NewsMax:
Morris: Times Promised To Go Into the Tank for Clinton

Read all about it:

The New York Times wanted to see former President Clinton reelected so badly that in 1996 it allegedly promised to go into the tank on its scandal coverage - and even gave the president an advanced list of questions for an upcoming interview.
...
"I wondered if I heard right. Did the top editor of The New York Times just imply that they'd pull their punches over Whitewater, Paula Jones, the Rose Law Firm, Hillary's billing records, the Web Hubbell hush money and the rest of the scandals that had emerged from Clinton's Arkansas Pandora's Box - all in return for an interview?"
...
Clinton was also undoubtedly happy with the Times' observation that he "exudes physical attraction."

I have several reactions to this.

- First, I call horseshit on the whole thing. The Times, in fact, never went into the "tank" on the witch-hunt that investigated both Clintons and a Gore for more than eight years.

- The "scandals" that Dick lists above were all investigated fully by the appropriate parties, and no wrongdoing was ever found with the Clintons. Isn't this the bottom line? Is the fact that the Times supposedly agreed to stop reporting on fake scandals (fueled only by lies and political pressure from the Right) supposed to be some kind of vindication for Republicans and Cinton-haters? Yes, kids, this seems to be the best they can come up with to cover their asses in light of all the recent coverage that explains the "right-wing conspiracy" during the Clinton Wars.

- What's with all the political tell-all books coming out now? This story is from Dick's upcoming book Off with Their Heads: Traitors, Crooks and Obstructionists in American Politics, Media and Business (Alternate title: How to get caught with a prostitute and still get taken seriously in Middle-America by the Christian Right)

- Everybody loves bashing the New York Times. If you think it's really such a commie-rag that all liberals adore, then why do we bash it just as much (and how could they have started the whole Whitewater non-episode with their own reporting)?

- I love the part they made sure to include about Clinton's "physical attraction." All I can think about is Chris Matthews and G. Gordon Liddy sharing a circlejerk on Hardball over how great Bush looked in that flight suit.

America, Polled

Recent poll results show that a third of the American public believes U.S. forces found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and 22% said Iraq actually used chemical or biological weapons in the war.

Uh, this seems pretty bad. I mean, how can we hope for the truth to come out about the big, complicated issues our country is facing when the most basic issues such as this are so misunderstood.

Fortunately, Bob Harris over at This Modern World posts some other interesting poll results from Americans -- just like you and me!

Of American adults, at least 18 years of age...

65% couldn't describe the basic facts about Watergate
56% think in war, the media should support the government over questioning it
48% say the news media acted responsibly during the Clinton Wars
45% characterized Watergate was "just politics"
43% attended religious services in the previous 7 days
40% believe the media was biased in favor of Bill Clinton
35% say the government should not fund stem cell research
34% think Rock and Roll has had an overall negative impact on America
33% believe a wife should "submit herself graciously" to a husband
30% say the Bible is the "actual word of God" to be taken literally
29% think people will be "more likely" to afford college for their kids in 2020
28% disapprove of labor unions on principle
28% say the government should have the right to control news reports
27% believe divorce is "morally wrong"
26% thought various disasters in 1999 might "foreshadow the wrath of God"
26% think grade-school teachers should be allowed to spank their kids
24% describe themselves as interested in what celebrities think
21% told a pollster they'd never met that they had cheated in a relationship
21% say justice was served in the O.J. Simpson case
20% approve of the how the Catholic Church handles pedophilia
20% believe that the killing of civilians in Vietnam was "relatively rare"
15% were upset at Diana Spencer's death like "someone you knew"
12% think the United States should have a British-style royal family
11% stockpiled food and water in advance of Y2K
11% think "Titanic" was the best American movie of the 20th century
11% would like "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" as their personal physician
10% would eat a rat or an insect on a "reality" TV show
10% think it?s advantageous to be a woman in American society
10% believe Oswald acted alone
10% say they are "very likely" to become rich someday
8% could not name a single TV network
8% fear they are "very likely" to be shot or badly hurt by a stranger
7% think Elvis is possibly still alive
6% say Garth Brooks is the best male singer of the 20th century
5% are "very afraid" of thunder and lightning
5% would be "more likely" to buy food labeled as genetically modified
3% wanted to see the questions on "Millionaire" become less difficult

Are we nothing but ignorant wackos? Nah, only about 40% of us are.

One week until MoveOn.org Primary

I want to urge everyone to be sure they're registered at MoveOn.org this week so you can vote in next week's MoveOn.org PAC Primary. Votes will be taken from Tuesday, June 24th 12:00 am to Wednesday, June 25th 11:59 pm (Eastern time).

From their site:

In most presidential primary processes, pundits, pollsters and wealthy donors determine the outcome long before the actual primaries. By the time the rest of us cast our ballots, the nomination is typically a done deal. The MoveOn.org PAC Primary will allow hundreds of thousands of voters to speak out now, adding their weight to the campaigns of their choice.

There's been alot of talk lately about how blogs and the internet can influence this election. To me, it remains to be seen just how much of a difference they can make, but I have high hopes.

Actually, whether it's blogs or the internet or whatever else, the bottom line is still exactly the same: raising money. And Bush is going to have a crapload of it. Whoever wins the MoveOn.org nomination will not only get the full support of a large organization with more than 1.3 million members, they'll also get a needed shot in the arm of donations to battle the Bushkrieg.

Anyone Else??

In this story, we come to find out that former NATO Supreme Commander, General Wesley Clark, is considering running for the Democratic Presidential Nomination. Don't get me wrong, I think he's got some promise and potential, but that would be the tenth candidate to jump in on the side of the Donkey, and I'm just wondering if they're going to spend all their energy and money fighting each other, leaving them incapable of mounting a necessary attack on the transparent credibility and invisible accomplishments of the Bush/Supreme Court administration...

I think that in such a large field, it will come down to the person with the most money winning the nomination - Kerrey - and I wonder if the person with the best message or best chance might lose out due to monetary concerns. Dean is going to start running commercials THIS WEEK, others won't be far behind now that he's thrown down the gauntlet, and I think it'll end up looking like Florida's gubernatorial election last year....the big fight was over who got the Dem's nomination, then McBride got steamrolled by "Jeb?"

And even though I'm not a registered Dem, I do belong to the unofficial "Anyone but Bush" third party, I just want the "anyone" to have a legit chance at reclaiming this country for all the citizens, not just the ones who can afford it...

If you feel safer, you're wrong

The Homeland Security Department is a sham. Don't get me wrong, the color-coded alert system is a brilliant way to dictate public fear and create support for our leaders, but it is leaving much to be desired on other fronts.

On June 12th, Homeland Security head Tom Ridge highlighted the Department's efforts to secure our nation's ports, announced new port security initiatives and investments to provide increased international cooperation, greater use of technology, and additional funds for port security facility enhancements.

Yes, that was from their press release. Here's the non-spin version:

New money allocated to securing our ports: $170 million
Total money now allocated to securing our ports: $463 million
Total money requested by the Coast Guard six months ago for port security: $963 million now, and $4.4 billion to protect us for the next decade.

Our President was highly visible while fighting for another tax-cut aimed at the rich, while he's been invisible when it comes to funding our nation's security. There's really no excuse for this, but at least it makes clear his priorities.

To sum it all up, here's David Sirota, spokesman for Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee, in an e-mail note to reporters:

... (T)he Coast Guard has said that it needs $4.4 billion to secure America's ports after September 11th. Currently, only $463 million has been appropriated for port security grants since September the 11th, despite Democratic efforts to fully respect the Coast Guard's request.

Democrats: trying to make you safer.

Republicans: making sure the press-coverage makes it look like they're making you safer.

Another day, another lie comes to light

Remember those Iraqi "mobile labs" that were touted as the first (and only) major find in the search for WMD?

Well, as the Observer reported yesterday:

Iraqi mobile labs nothing to do with germ warfare, report finds

An official British investigation into two trailers found in northern Iraq has concluded they are not mobile germ warfare labs, as was claimed by Tony Blair and President George Bush, but were for the production of hydrogen to fill artillery balloons, as the Iraqis have continued to insist.

So there you have it, another unfortunate twist for Bush (and Blair). The tale of Saddam Hussein trying to buy uranium from Africa has already been blown out the water (the documents were fake, the CIA knew they were fake, and the CIA is saying that they informed the White House that they were fake), and now this.

The bigger question here is: will yesterday's news of the report clearing the "terror trailers" receive proper time in American media? Will the news be put in its proper context with the larger issue (that still no WMD have been found, that the White House bent reality before the war on the subject of WMD, and that the White House is currently bending reality on the subject of what WMD have been found).

Here's some of that context I'm talking about. Before Bush or anybody on the ground really knew what the trailers were, they already knew. They decided what they were, and Bush said the following to a Polish reporter while he was on his world tour.

We've found the weapons of mass destruction. You know, we found biological laboratories. You remember when Colin Powell stood up in front of the world and he said Iraq has got laboratories, mobile labs to build biological weapons. They're illegal. They're against the United Nations' resolutions and we've so far discovered two. And we'll find more weapons as time goes on. But for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong. We found them.

You wish, George. How about making sure that the Senate intelligence committee makes all their findings public after their inquiry?

One can dream.

Another one loses their credibility

Margaret Carlson in 1991:

"Clinton was Hope’s Doogie Howser, succeeding at everything he tried, the darling of his teachers and one of the first from the area to go to college. He got his bachelor’s degree at Georgetown University, won a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford, then went on to Yale Law School, where he met his wife Hillary. By 1979, 32 years old and back in Arkansas, he was the youngest Governor in the country."

Margaret Carlson today, in her book, Anyone Can Grow Up: How George Bush and I Made It to the White House:

"In high school, friends say he (Bill Clinton) was too undisciplined and flabby to play sports, so instead he played sax in the band. He skated through college, borrowed Hillary’s notes at Yale Law, and lost his first political race because he ran an uneven campaign."

See kids, Clinton-bashing is fun, even if it proves your own hypocrisy.

The Daily Howler is all over this.

New York Times' online tweaks

First, the big headline was:

Goal Is to Lay Cornerstone at Ground Zero During GOP Convention

I linked to this article after it appeared, as did many others because it's a sick plan. Oddly, the headline for this article on the Times' website at the same URL now reads:

Officials Plan Speedy Ground Zero Environmental Review

Further, the text of the article itself has been tweaked.

The first paragraph, as I originally quoted, read:

Rebuilding officials said yesterday that they hoped to complete a review of the environmental impact of the proposed construction at the World Trade Center site by next April. This would allow them to lay the cornerstone of a 1,776-foot tower in August 2004, during the Republican National Convention.

(emphasis mine)

The first paragraph now reads:

Rebuilding officials said yesterday that they hoped to complete a review of the environmental impact of the proposed construction at the World Trade Center site by next April. This would allow them to start construction by the summer of 2004.

(Different Strings is all over this, with screenshots of the article page now and a Google cache that proves all of this really happened.)

Okay kids, what'd we learn today? That the "librul" New York Times will gladly censor itself if it goes too far? Where's the pressure coming from? Will this incident be noted in a corrections panel, or will the original text slip through the memory hole?

Meanwhile...

Fri Jun 13, 5:33 PM ET:

President George W. Bush waves to residents of Kennebunkport, Maine as he fishes offshore with his father and former president George Bush on their boat 'Fidelity II' June 13, 2003. President Bush is spending this weekend with his family including his father who turned 79 yesterday.

Fri Jun 13, 6:39 PM ET:

A grenade explodes close to a US army vehicle during clashes in the northern city of Mosul. A US soldier was critically wounded as fierce clashes broke out on the streets of Iraq's northern capital between US troops and Iraqi gunmen. "Our soldier is in very bad shape, full of shrapnel," Brigadier General Benjamin Freakley told AFP.

NewsMax.com: All Hillary, all the Time

Screaming fanatical headline:
Dick Morris Exposes Hillary's Lies!!!

Reality Check:
Former Clinton adviser Dick Morris says that Bill Clinton beat him up, and calls Hillary a liar for not writing about this episode truthfully in her book.

Unfortunately, it's Dick himself who hasn't been a straight-shooter with his facts -- something the right-wing Hillary-hating brigade seems to be ignoring completely.

As Joe Conason of Salon points out, Dick has contradicted his own statements on this very matter. He was lying then or he's lying now. This is the best the right can come up with? This is the ultimate proof to the world? Pathetic is what it is.

I guess you really can't trust a guy who had to resign in disgrace after being caught with a prostitute. Who knew? Oh yeah, we did.

Barber Condemns Bush - Conservatives Laugh

I was reading an interesting piece from Alter.net about a Barber named Phil that had stated that Bush was in trouble right now because of the war in Iraq proving to be unjustified.

No Weapons, no "quick in and quick out", etc, etc, etc. The article is supposed to be about Americans starting to wake up and pull the wool out from over their eyes.

Unfortunately I think there is going to be a lot of conservative backlash from articles over this isntead of realization they have been buying a bunch of empty goods. ""Some guy from Alter.net wrote that? A Barber? HA! You liberals will do anything."

"I can't trust a news source like Alter..net - they are as liberal as..." ...insert news agency here.

So how long is the denial going to last? When is a major news agency going to devote their media coverage to Bush DOWNFALL instead of continuing to wave the flag? Wouldn't that be an interesting twist on things? "CNN -- Your Impeachment Proceedings News Leader"

One can dream, right?

Jeb's got his priorities straight...

I'm glad to see Florida's Jeb Bush has his priorities straight by getting involved with college athletics and plans by the University of Miami to jump to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Doesn't it make you feel better knowing that Jeb won't fund the public schools in Florida, has cut taxes to the bone, will not fund programs the public has voted for and yet he devotes his time to discuss causes such as this?

Why are conservatives so non-conservative?

Democratic presidents vs. Republican presidents and the U.S. deficit.

Remember, the economy isn't a random occurance like the weather. A President's actions do affect it.

Osama bin Rodham

Har-de-har-fucking-har. The next wave of bad photoshops is coming. We put Hitler mustaches on your people, and you put turbins and long beards on our people. That'll get us really far.

I sincerely apologize for us liberals always resorting to name-calling and insults while you neocons are always interested in only an honest debate about the issues.

(Of course, Bush has more in common with Hitler than Hillary with Osama, so go eat yourself.)

Next year's GOP strategy built on dead bodies

Talk about not playing politics with a national tradegy:

Rebuilding officials said yesterday that they hoped to complete a review of the environmental impact of the proposed construction at the World Trade Center site by next April. This would allow them to lay the cornerstone of a 1,776-foot tower in August 2004, during the Republican National Convention.

Sometimes I'm actually surprised at how low they'll go, then I remember that they'll do anything.

I thought Segways were idiot-proof

The Segway went down on the president's first attempt, but he stayed on his feet with a flying leap over the machine.

It's funny when Presidents fall down, isn't it? Kinda makes it seem like they're just regular people.

And talk about a guy with some serious vacation time, in addition to his holiday right now:

He has had three long weekends at his Crawford, Texas, ranch since mid-April, and a month ago spent several nights at the New Mexico vacation home of friend Roland Betts.

I'm almost positive that Bill Clinton's penis had something to do with this.

Speaking of Accomplished Missions...

U.S. helicopter, jet down in Iraq raid

Fortunately, it doesn't look like any of our guys were seriously hurt. But this stuff doesn't show any signs of improving anytime soon.

I guess Rumsfeld was right when he said "stuff happens."

More Mideast Violence

Well crap. This seems to have happened in the last hour or so:

An Israeli missile strike killed a senior Hamas militant, his wife and 3-year-old daughter in the Gaza Strip Thursday amid a surge of bloodletting that has plunged U.S.-led peace efforts into turmoil.

I'm shocked. I thought a Bush photo-op meant it was a "Mission Accomplished."

UPDATE: More violence happening on Friday the 13th.

When in doubt, blame Bill.

At the very bottom of a recent article in the The Modesto Bee, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, is referring to intelligence that told the Bush Administration that Iraq posed a big-time threat:

DeLay said any faulty reports the Bush administration may have issued resulted from the "devastation" of U.S. intelligence capabilities during President Clinton's White House years.

Complete horseshit. No, Tom, you must be thinking about the current economy. The closest thing to U.S. intelligence capabilities being "devastated" during President Clinton's presidency would be the FBI spending so much time looking into Republican-pressured non-scandals of the Clintons.

But it's cute how Tom can go from being the major player in the politics of personal destruction under Clinton to being so concerned about "intelligence" now.

Idiot Freepers on Hillary

I'm a few chapters into "Living History," and I've been thinking about why Hillary is such a divisive character.

It's not just threads like this one where Freepers reguritate all the same old untruths, it's people standing behind you at the bookstore who happen you see you pick it up and make comments under their breath. I've experienced this first hand, and it's hard to miss others online who've had similar experienes (CBS did something on this kind of stuff this morning, I've learned).

What I don't get is the double-standard here, and I'm trying to understand it. I've purchased an Ann Coulter book at a store (it was an experiment), and nobody gave me any looks. I've picked up "A Charge to Keep" (by GW) and I wasn't followed out to my car. Certainly there's more media attention on Hillary's book now than most (read: all) "right-wing" books ever get.

Maybe it just goes with all the attention. Maybe one day Ann Coulter will have the same kind of media firestorm around her that Hillary now does -- so we could do a scientific experiment (since they're both, um, women).

And yes, I can't help but feel that a lot of the comments I hear from people are based on sexism. Guy in the bookstore yesterday faulted Hillary for staying with Bill after the bj, saying that she's a big role-model who's setting a bad example for young girls. Excuse me, what about Bill? Didn't he make at least a mistake or two that kinda caused the whole private episode? Or what about the fact that marriages are complex things that are impossible to second-guess?

Personally, I wonder why a librarian named Laura would stay with a coke-head alcoholic.

Al Franken Interview with Buzzflash

To make the argument that the media has a left- or right-wing, or a liberal or a conservative bias, is like asking if the problem with Al-Qaeda is do they use too much oil in their hummus. And sometimes they do use too much oil, and sometimes they don't use enough. But the real problem with Al-Qaeda is they want to kill us. And the real problem with the press is all the other biases that they have. Those include: get the story fast; scandal; negativity; sexiness -- you know, ratings will be up if we go to war. It's an establishment bias -- a bias for the "new," which sounds contradictory to the establishment bias, but I think it helped Bush and hurt Gore in 2000. And so they're all these biases in all the media.

Check it.

Appropriate Michael Savage's Name For Your Own Purposes Day

From the fine people who brought us "Make Fun of the Cheneys Day," get ready for Appropriate Michael Savage's Name For Your Own Purposes Day on June 26.

Radio and MSNBC blowhard Michael Weiner (Savage) has instigated a lawsuit against three websites -- Take Back The Media, Michael Savage Sucks, and Savage Stupidity -- claiming that they've appropriated his name without his permission for commercial purposes, among other bla bla bla.

To me, the point is simple: Sellers of hate speech shouldn't get pissy when they inspire more speech aimed in their direction. In a free speech society such as ours, the only cure to speech that you don't like is more speech -- not lawsuits from corporations representing the Savage Weiner.