Every kid left behind

Jezebel, blogging at Jesus' General on Rod Paige, our Secretary of Education who helped destroy Houston's school system and is now doing his worst with yours and mine:

Rod Paige, Minister of Indoctrination, has taken some heat for calling unionized teachers "terrorists." Once again, Minister Page was proven right.

Two teachers from Harding Middle School, in Cedar Rapids, IA, were placed under arrest for sedition earlier this month. An eyewitness who admits sympathy for the disloyalists claimed they were "standing peacefully near the park." Yet Barbara Hannon goes on to admit they were provocative by wearing fealty medallions of The Pretender while less than 10,000 feet from a rally for Our Leader. Local law enforcement appropriately told them that because of the buttons they were "not allowed to be anywhere."

The soon-to-be-outlawed Demoncrat Party had the gall to post bail for the two teachers. Party Chair Joel Miller proclaimed his communist sympathies by condemning private ownership and capitalism: "So much of the area is private property there is no room for protesters to stand. They have to keep moving away from the rally." Police followed standard procedures in informing traitors that loitering (that is, wearing Kerry-Edwards buttons anywhere) would result in arrest.

For those not familiar with the General, and you Republicans, this is satire. If I have to explain satire . . . forget it.

OK, I Pissed 'Em Off - Now Go Get 'Em!

This by Noam Scheiber of New Republic Online:

DEFINING "RESOLUTION" DOWN:

Others have commented on Bob Novak's huge, but hardly surprising, scoop--that the administration plans to withdraw from Iraq shortly after the presidential election. But my favorite part of the column is this paragraph:

Getting out now would not end expensive U.S. reconstruction of Iraq, and certainly would not stop the fighting. Without U.S. troops, the civil war cited as the worst-case outcome by the recently leaked National Intelligence Estimate would be a reality. It would then take a resolute president to stand aside while Iraqis battle it out.

It's amazing how quickly conservatives are defining "resolution" down. Up until now, a resolute president meant one who stayed the course in Iraq. Now it's a president who abandons Iraq and resists the temptation to intervene again! And the truly sick thing is, Bush will probably believe he's being "resolute" if he's given the opportunity to "stand aside while the Iraqis battle it out."

If you want to read the Douchebag For Liberty's column in the Windy City Fish Wrap, go ahead, it's your time. I'd rather just watch my wife yell at him on "Crossfire".

Josh Marshall has more to say about this in his Talking Points Memo.

Serendipity

Stumbled on King of Zembla while I was cruisin' for something else. No, not porn. It's a gooder. Go read it.

More on Campaign Speech to U.N.

Here's more on Bush's preach, er, speech at the UN in a NYTimes editorial:

Mr. Bush might have done better at wooing broader international support if he had spent less time on self-justification and scolding and more on praising the importance of international cooperation and a strengthened United Nations. Instead, his tone-deaf speechwriters achieved a perverse kind of alchemy, transforming a golden opportunity into a lead balloon.

Kofi Annan gave a speech afterward saying something like "People who tell others to play by the rules should do so themselves."

A Bush grows on the East Side

I'll try and find a transcript of President Nitwit's speech to the U.N. when I get home from work, but the thing that got me was how he basically demanded the member nations' help.

Now, I know Europeans, lived there in the summers growing up. You don't diss them, treat them like assholes, and then demand their help, 'cause you ain't getting shit. And at the U.N., as Europe goes, so do the rest of the members.

It would be nice to have a President who respects other nations and knows the meaning of the word 'diplomacy'. Imagine what we could do with world opinion on our side. Some Brits expressed this to me while I was in London. Most were highly offended that Bush used the 'special relationship' we have with the U.K. to perpetuate this 'Iraq folly'. Yes, on 9/12/2001, everybody was an American. Now, three years later, everybody hates an American.

Hallelujah, Brethren!

If you feel like taking a break from this serious-as-a-heart-attack political shit, and have some fun and see some cool merchandise, well then, it's time to go to a Worthwhile House of Worship.

Can't Even See Dick's Lips Move

This is by Jan at Alternet:

If Cheney can't say it, Hastert will
Two weeks ago, Dick Cheney tried to channel fear into voting when he said Americans faced a likely terrorist attack if voters make the "wrong choice" in November. Cheney took a few bullets for that, and it could keep him from saying such things again, but that hasn't stopped him from appearing with other GOP luminaries who push the same message. Enter Dennis Hastert -- he of the Soros scandal mongering -- who joined Cheney at a recent campaign stop in Illinois. Hastert let loose the worst comments yet: When a reporter asked Hastert if he thought al Qaeda would operate with more comfort if Kerry were elected, the speaker said, "That's my opinion, yes."

That's foul politics, but the truth is, this ruling political class believes in what they're saying about national security. Cheney believes, Hastert believes that to elect Kerry is to leave out a welcome mat for terrorists. Tom DeLay also truly believed that tax cuts in a time of war were the "most patriotic" thing Congress could do. Spin from the White House on a monthly jobs report is something most of them recognize as just "spin." But on many of the issues close to the GOP's vision, they have full conviction -- and faith -- in what they are doing, which makes it all the more dangerous.
Posted by Jan on September 21, 2004 @ 1:15PM.

Foul? These bastards are nuthin' but.

McCain and Un-Able

Here's one about what McCain might really be up to from David Corn of AlterNet:

But maybe there was another reason beyond loyalty to the party and to the commander in chief why McCain saddled up with Bush. Perhaps he wanted to get near enough to knife Bush – metaphorically speaking, of course. As in, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. (Think The Godfather)

Go read it and you'll know what I mean when I say I hope McCain tears Bush's face-off. It is strange when betrayal of another will restore a man's reputation.

Shit hitting fan?

Atrios:

[. . .]

[DNC Chairman Terry] McAuliffe: Will GOP Answer If They Know Whether Stone, Others Had Involvement With CBS Documents?
Washington, D.C. - In response to false Republican accusations regarding the CBS documents, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe issued this statement:

“In today’s New York Post, Roger Stone, who became associated with political ‘dirty tricks’ while working for Nixon, refused to deny that he was the source the CBS documents.

“Will Ed Gillespie or the White House admit today what they know about Mr. Stone’s relationship with these forged documents? Will they unequivocally rule out Mr. Stone’s involvement? Or for that matter, others with a known history of dirty tricks, such as Karl Rove or Ralph Reed?”

[. . .]

A new door is opening in this CBS/National Guard mess and it might look good for us. Go read the whole thing.

Can you believe these folks are Republicans?

[. . .]

Big time political strategist Roger Stone and his wife Nikki: The former Bob Dole adviser and his wife were swingers and The Vault was a favorite haunt.
"Roger and Nikki were our customers for a long time," Marini says. "They were heavy duty swingers and ran ads on the Internet and in many sex publications. They were heavy players."

[. . .]

Now I give a shit about what anyone does in bed as long as it's between consenting adults, but these folks are the same ones who yell the loudest about 'Christian Values.' What's that smell? I believe it is the stench of hypocrisy.

Update: 18:35:

Lambert at Corrente has a musical take on this.

Update: 06:15 Wednesday:

The Stones in all their glory, via Atrios.

Yowza!

We made it here:

States Writes: a Progressive Peer Directory from The American Street

Guess Gordon and I are doing something right. Sorry Gord, but they listed us under 'New York'. Great thanks to Kevin at The American Street for recognizing our humble efforts.

Big John

"This President has hitched his wagon to the idealogues and we're paying for that every day."

At his live press conference today. He's on a roll. He looks pissed and he's breathing fire.

Debate schedule

• Sept. 30 at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.

• Oct. 8 at Washington University in St. Louis.

• Oct. 13 at Arizona State University in Tempe

Via USA Today.

DeLay, again

Swiped the whole thing from Kos:

From a Texas reader:

Breaking News from Travis County Courthouse
Texans for a Republican Majority PAC executive director John Colyandro and treasurer Bill Ceverha indicted.

32 count indictment, some corporations also indicted.

DeLay untouched.

There'll be fallout. This was all a DeLay operation.

Update: This doesn't mean DeLay is off scott-free. Some of the indicted may give up DeLay as part of a deal. How loyal might they be? Will they take a bullet for the guy?

Do you think the 'liberal media' will begin to ask the tough questions now? Do you think they'll hound that rat bastid until he drops? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Update: 16:25:

Kos is updating this regularly. Go here to follow.

Oh, and Gordon called it correctly here. And Kos agrees:

[. . .]

It's clear that DeLay's circle not violated just ethics laws, but criminal laws. If the House Ethics Committee punts on investigating DeLay, it'll further prove that the ideal of clean government is dead as long as DeLay runs the show. [my emphasis]

The Last Deception

Here's a NYTimes Op-Ed by Paul Krugman about Bush's plans to launch a full-out attack in Iraq if he gets elected. I'd just as soon we don't.

Kerry Blasts Bush on Iraq, Finally

Speaking in New York yesterday, Mr. Kerry laid out a well-grounded, intellectually straightforward and powerful critique of the Bush administration's past mistakes in Iraq.

'Bout fuckin' time, Mr. Kerry. Punch him, punch him hard and repeatedly.

Read the whole NYTimes editorial.

True Conservatives Should Vote For Kerry

Here's an exerpt from an article by Robert Scheer on Working For Change:

If they were true to their principles, moderate Republicans and consistent conservatives would be supporting John Kerry. Instead, their acquiescence to the reckless whims of George W. Bush marks a descent into that political abyss of opportunism where partisanship is everything and principle nothing.

How else to explain their cynical support for this shallow adventurer, a phony lightweight who has bled the Treasury dry while incompetently squandering the lives of young Americans in a needless imperial campaign? If Al Gore had been knighted president by the Supreme Court and overseen this mess instead of Dubya, the rational remnant of the Republican Party would be rightly calling for his head.

Liar or Idiot?

Kevin at Lean Left asks the question:

[. . .]

Which do you think Bush would prefer to be known as?? Someone who deliberately lied about terrorism, the signature issue of the day? Or someone who was too stupid to understand the details of terrorism, the signature issue of the day?

GIs, Morale, & F-9/11

Everybody's covering this like a blanket.

[. . .]

"[For] 9 out of 10 of the people I talk to, it wouldn't matter who ran against Bush - they'd vote for them," said a US soldier in the southern city of Najaf, seeking out a reporter to make his views known. "People are so fed up with Iraq, and fed up with Bush."

[. . .]

Read more here, here, and here.

Kerry Does Letterman's Top 10 List

John Kerry was David Letterman's guest on Monday night and delivered the Top 10 List:

Bush's Top 10 Tax Proposals:

10. No estate tax for families with at least two U.S. Presidents

9. W-2 form is now Dubya-2 form

8. Under simplified tax code, your refund check goes directly to Halliburton

7. Attorney General Ashcroft gets to write off entire U.S. Constitution

6. Reduced earned income tax credit makes me want to tear out my perfectly groomed hair

5. Texas Rangers get loss of credit for training Sammy Sosa

4. Eliminate all taxes and just get Teresa to cover everything

3. Cheney can claim Bush as a dependent

2. $100 penalty for saying "nuclear" instead of "nucular"

and finally,

1. W gets deduction for mortgaging our entire future

I had to watch Letterman twice, on two different stations to get these, but no sacrifice is too much to bear on behalf of our readers. Some of them may be a little paraphrased but you get the idea.

4 More Wars

Here's another one I swiped from AlterNet:

For more wars...
...Vote Bush. Analysts from all parts of the political spectrum and a majority of voting Americans believe that Bush will start another war. And further, no less than a conservative military analyst observed that "It's less likely to happen with a Kerry administration."

Duh.

This same analyst, Loren Thompson, of the The Lexington Institute (aka the Institute for Manifest Destiny) used the word that ought to make the nation as a whole cringe in horror: "The Bush administration is on a crusade to make the world safe for democracy and part of that ... is eliminating countries of anti-Western aggression."

Ahh, "elimination." It's like having a pawn jauntily knocked off the board or watching an unsightly blemish disappear from the youthful face of a supermodel...
Posted by Evan on September 20, 2004 @ 8:24AM.