Income disparity

Oy. Jerome a Paris has the stats:

Hope you had a merry Christmas.

The meme of four

It's making the rounds. Here's mine:

Four jobs you've had in your life: Actor, textbook editor, venture capitalist, grantwriter
Four movies you could watch over and over: The Third Man, Groundhog Day, The Big Sleep, Deal of the Century
Four places you've lived: Philadelphia, PA; Brighton, MA; Richmond, VA; Alna, ME
Four TV shows you love to watch: Uh….
Four places you've been on vacation: Brazil, Australia, the Isle of Man, Nova Scotia
Four websites you visit daily: Daily Kos, Americablog, Smirking Chimp, Digby
Four of your favorite foods: Garlic, olive oil, hot peppers, cheese
Four places you'd rather be: New York City, London, Sydney, San Francisco (Hmmm, they all seem really different from rural Maine….)

Your turn.

The short version

BenGoshi:

1 There's a law (FISA).

2 The law sets forth provisions for "domestic spying."

3 The law's clear, and carries criminal penalties.

4 If Bush didn't like the law, tough: it's the law.

5 Bush authorized breaking that law; and admits it.

6 Bush should be impeached by the House, tried and convicted by the Senate, then jailed for this High Crime.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Repentant Republicans

Patriotic Americans can no longer afford the hollow comforts of blind self-deception, nor the transient respite of continued silence. -- William Frey, Confessions of a Repentant Republican.

Check out the website. I'm beginning to feel hope.

Seasoned greetings

Received via email:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2006, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wishes.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher...

Have a happy.

Guerrilla marketing

Don't wait for elected Democrats to get the word out. Make your own "IMPEACH" stickers, pins, flags, banners here and spread the word yourself!

Top 14 corporate evildoers

Here they are, kids: the top 14 corporate evildoers in the world, bringing you mayhem, war crimes, toxic dumps, and oppression. List compiled by Global Exchange.

Caterpillar
Chevron
Coca-Cola
Dow Chemical
Dyncorp
Ford Motor
Kellogg, Brown & Root
Lockheed Martin
Nestle USA
Nestle International
Pfizer
Phillip Morris
Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux
Monsanto

Can you say "Newspeak"?

Excuse the hiatus, but I've been wandering. Before I wander off again, I leave you with this list of definitions compiled by The Nation.

I think they've got it nailed, by George.

Patriot Act: The pre-emptive strike on American freedoms to prevent the terrorists from destroying them first.

Bankruptcy: A punishable crime when committed by poor people, but not corporations.

Compassionate Conservatism: Poignant concern for the very wealthy.

Democracy: A product so extensively exported that the domestic supply is depleted.

God: Senior Presidential Adviser.

Class Warfare: Any attempt to raise the minimum wage.

Faith: The stubborn belief that God approves of Republican moral values despite the preponderance of textual evidence to the contrary.

Voter Fraud: Significant minority turnout.

Liberals: Followers of the Antichrist.

Free Markets: Halliburton no-bid contracts at taxpayer expense.

Laziness: When the poor are not working.

Leisure Time: When the wealthy are not working.

Senate: Exclusive club; entry fee $10 million to $30 million.

September 11^th: Tragedy used to justify any administrative policy, especially if unrelated.

Courtesy of Watching America.

Fighting Democrats

On the heels of today's House revolt on spending, Reid blasts Cheney on the Senate floor tonight, saying "we need answers and a way forward in Iraq, not another Cheney attack speech." He also points out that anyone who has time to meet with DC insiders, oil executives, and convicted felons like Chalabi ought to find time for a press conference to give answers to the American people. He also framed yesterday's Iraq vote as a bipartisan vote of no confidence in the administration's Iraq policy.

But nobody beats ex-Marine John Murtha (D-PA) for clarity:

I like guys who've never been there to criticize us who've been there. I like that. I like guys who got five deferments and never been there, and send people to war, and then don't like to hear suggestions about what need(s) to be done. I resent the fact on Veterans Day he criticized Democrats for criticizing them.

This is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion! The American public knows it. And lashing out at critics doesn't help a bit. You got to change the policy. That's what's going to help with the American people. We need to change direction. The troops -- what hurts the troops are the things that I listed before.

Scott McClellan bleats that Rep. Murtha has joined the Michael Moore wing of the Democratic party and surrendered to terrorists. Despicable.

Thanks, Snowe & Collins!

Another vote upholding the spirit of liberty and democracy from our Glorious Moderate Senators:

"On a straight party-line vote last week, Senate Republicans voted down a bill 54-44 that would have established an ombudsman function to monitor the American Forces Network," writes Bob Geiger.

Tom Harkin, who sponsored the amendment, pointed out that AFR carries our American way of life into foreign nations on the spittle-flecked cries of Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, and James Dobson, while "most offer at least 85 percent conservative programming [and] many offer only the right-wing viewpoint."

It may sound like a little thing, but it's just another example of how a vote for a Republican, any Republican, is a vote for the Bush agenda. Period.

Bishop: Pat Robertson is an idolatrous buffoon.

Wonderful rant by the Rt. Reverend John Spong, a retired Episcopal Bishop (Diocese of Newark) who grew up southern and conservative but has been fighting fundamentalism and asking uncomfortable questions for most of his career. When asked about Pat Robertson's latest Doom for Dover pronouncement, he fired back with this:

[W]ho, other than Pat himself, designated Pat Robertson to be God's spokesperson? How dare Pat assume that the God revealed in the Jesus I serve is filled with all of Pat's peculiar prejudices. Why does he not understand that God is God and Pat Robertson is not? Why does he not see that when he tells the world with an unashamed certainty what God thinks and what God will do, he is only revealing what he thinks and what he would do if he had God's power? Pat needs to understand that he is acting out the very meaning of idolatry. He has confused God with himself.

Second, someone needs to inform Pat Robertson that the idea of God sitting on a throne above the clouds manipulating the weather in order to punish sinners is so primitive and so naïve that it is staggering to the educated imagination. It is bad enough that his mind cannot embrace the thought of Charles Darwin from the 19th century, but Pat has yet to embrace the thought of Copernicus from the 16th century or Galileo from the 17th century.

He goes on to say that he knows Robertson and his family well from Virginia, that Robertson's father lost his U.S. Senate seat to Spong's first cousin - William Spong - in 1966, and that his ludicrous comments embarrass all who devote their lives to Christianity. They also raise an interesting question:

Pat is a 1955 graduate of the Law School at Yale University and received a Master in Divinity degree from New York Theological Seminary in 1959. He cannot possibly be as dumb as he sounds in his wild and thoughtless utterances. If ignorance is not his excuse, then one has to wonder what motivates him. In academic theological circles he is treated as a buffoon. No one takes his thoughts seriously.

Yay, Episcopalians.

Enemies list

Bill O'Reilly is putting together an Enemies List, no joke. So I wrote him a letter.

Dear Bill O’Reilly:

Please, please please put me on your enemies list! I have a blog called The Alna Erratic and I just can't stand you! I write negative things about you and other twisted members of the jackal pack all the time. I talk about your hate speech and cheer whenever your ratings go down, and I write letters to your sponsors asking them to drop you! Also, I lie awake nights thinking about negative things to say about George W. Bush.

Thanks in advance for including me.

Your enemy,

Hundreds and hundreds of bloggers are writing in. You can too, at oreilly@foxnews.com.

Republican senator tells Bush to lay off war critics

Well, well, well. Here's Chuck Hagel (R-NE) talking to the Council on Foreign Relations today:

The Iraq war should not be debated in the United States on a partisan political platform. This debases our country, trivializes the seriousness of war and cheapens the service and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. War is not a Republican or Democrat issue. The casualties of war are from both parties. The Bush Administration must understand that each American has a right to question our policies in Iraq and should not be demonized for disagreeing with them.

In the next breath he even says the V-word:

Vietnam was a national tragedy partly because Members of Congress failed their country, remained silent and lacked the courage to challenge the Administrations in power until it was too late. Some of us who went through that nightmare have an obligation to the 58,000 Americans who died in Vietnam to not let that happen again.

I haven't followel Hagel's voting record closely - I'm told he generally talks more independently than he votes - but it's great to have this said by other side. Maybe more of them will find their voices.

Urgent action for today

Key senators to call on the Bingaman Amendment, which is up for a vote today:

Collins (ME) T: (202) 224-2523 F: (202) 224-2693
Snowe (ME) T: (202) 224-5344 F: (202) 224-1946

Dewine (OH) T: (202) 224-2315 F: (202) 224-6519

McCain (AZ) T: (202) 224-2235 F: (202) 228-2862

Warner (VA) T: (202) 224-2023 F: (202) 224-6295

Hagel (NEB) T: (202) 224-4224 F: (202) 224-5213
Nelson (NEB) T: (202) 224-6551 F: (202) 228-0012

Conrad (ND) T: (202) 224-2043 F: (202) 224-7776

Landrieu (LA) T: (202)224-5824 F: (202) 224-9735

Lieberman (CT) T: (202) 224-4041 F: (202) 224-9750

Wyden (OR) T: (202) 224-5244 F: (202) 228-2717

Read more about its significance here, and please pass the word.

Four simple rules

Via MyDD, we have four simple rules to guide us during the rest of Bush's miserable term:

1. When referring to Bush, always include the word "Republican" in close proximity to his name, as in "Bush and his Republican Culture of Corruption..."
2. When referring to Congress, remember to remind readers that the Legislative Branch is Republican-controlled. For example: "Legislators in the Republican-controlled Congress today proposed legislation that would cut veteran benefits..."
3. When writing about Bush or Republican leaders like Frist, always include the word "Republican" in association with them. For example, instead of "Majority Leader Bill Frist" use "Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist."
4. When referring to the Republican Party, always start with the words "Republican Party" rather than "GOP." To the less politically aware, the lack of awareness that "GOP" is the Republican Party may be to the Republican's advantage.

As the author points out, we want to make sure the full measure of discredit accrues to the whole party, not just the man at the top. We want them out of power for a generation. And while "Republican" is already synomous in our minds with "corruption, scandal, and lies," we need to link the terms repeatedly in our speech and writing to see the same understanding settle on the general public.

Operation Falafel

Guess who's a terrorist sympathiser?

Read all about it here - and if you're sufficiently motivated, drop a line to a sponsor or two.

Another good day to be a Democrat

It's not just seeing their eat-the-poor, feed-the-rich, drill-ANWR budget bill derailed. It's the latest NBC/WSJ poll numbers:

When it comes to (READ ITEM), which party do you think would do a better job--the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, or both about the same?

Protecting the environment: Dems lead by 39 points
Dealing with Social Security: Dems by 22
Dealing with health care: Dems by 26
Dealing with taxes: Dems by 10 (first Dem lead ever)
Dealing with gas prices: Dems by 28
Dealing with education: Dems by 19
Dealing with the economy: Dems by 14
Reducing the federal deficit: Dems by 19
Dealing with foreign policy: Dems by 9 (first Dem lead)
Dealing with energy policy: Dems by 16
Controlling government spending: Dems by 12 (first Dem lead)
Dealing with abortion: Dems by 8
Dealing with Iraq: Dems by 3 (first Dem lead)
Protecting America's interests on trade issues: Dems by 10 (first Dem lead)
Promoting ethics in government: Dems by 5
Dealing with the war on terrorism: Reps by 9 (smallest lead ever)
Dealing with immigration: Dems by 6
Ensuring a strong national defense: Reps by 21 (smallest lead)
Promoting strong moral values: Reps by 17 (smallest lead)

Paul Waldman has more detail and analysis over at The Gadflyer.

Keeping up the pressure

While Republicans roll out the red carpet for Ahmad Chalabi, Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. George Miller call for him to be subpoenaed. Rep. Maurice Hinchey introduces a measure that would force the administration to turn over the drafts of two speeches - October 2002 and the 2003 State of the Union - to sort out the disputed uranium claims, which were pulled from the earlier speech at the request of the CIA. And on the Senate floor, Sen. Kennedy reads a catalog of administration lies - in their own words - on Iraq.

In his march to war, President Bush exaggerated the threat to the American people. It was not subtle. It was not nuanced. It was pure, unadulterated fear-mongering, based on a devious strategy to convince the American people that Saddam's ability to provide nuclear weapons to Al Qaeda justified immediate war.

I think we're seeing the beginnings of an opposition party.

On to 2006

Quick followup to yesterday's post: in-depth report of upsets in the tony Philadelphia suburbs, as Democrats rolled over Republicans in town after town.

Our job for today: Call our senators and ask them to support the bill that Barack Obama introduced on election day - the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2005:

After seeing what happened over the last two presidential elections, I have some other hopes for this Election Day. I hope all voters who go to the polls find voting machines that work, nonpartisan poll workers who understand the law and enforce it without bias, lines that move smoothly, and ballots that make sense and are easy to understand. I also hope voters go to the polls today with accurate information about what is on the ballot, where they are supposed to vote, and what our Nation’s voting laws are.

It might surprise some of you to know, but even in this awesome age of technological advancement and easy access to information, there are folks who will stop at nothing to try to deceive people and keep them away from the polls. These deceptive practices all too often target and exploit vulnerable populations, like minorities, the disabled, or the poor.

Read more of Senator Obama's comments here, and read see the GAO report on election irregularities here (warning: both PDF files).

Snowe: 622-8292, 622-7295 (fax)
Collins: 622-8414, 622-8414 (fax)
Others: online directory

Thanks.

A good day to read the news

The more you look at it, the better it gets.

• Maine: "No on 1" won by 10 points, 55% to 45%. It wasn’t just southern Maine talking, either. We carried Bangor, Biddeford, and Lewiston – even small towns like Skowhegan. The measure was championed by a truly diverse coalition of business, labor, mainline Protestant churches, gay and straight people, and politicians on both sides of the aisle. A tremendous victory by Maine Won’t Discriminate.
• Virginia: Kaine won decisively 24 hours after Bush went to Richmond to pull for Kilgore. Best of all, he made huge incursions into the sacred GOP exurbs and suburbs (of Bobo Brooks fame) and set up his mentor Mark Warner for a run at the presidency.
• New Jersey: Winner Jon Corzine thanked voters "for rejecting the Bush-Rove tactics that are bad for democracy and that were stopped in their tracks tonight."
  
• California: Voters defeated every single one of Arnold's initiatives in his expensive and pointless special election, further damaging the Governator.
  
• Pennsylvania: The entire 8-person school board of Intelligent Design Republican wingnuts in Dover was tossed out and replaced by intelligent Democrats.
  
• New York: Dems won conservative Ulster County for the first time in 25 years, turning a 16-17 minority into a 21-12 majority in the county legislature. They also made huge gains in Long Island and looks like they also won control of Nassau and Suffolk counties for the first time in history.
  
• Arizona: Tucson turned Democratic after two Republicans were ousted from the city council.
  
• Minnesota: The turncoat Democratic mayor who supported Bush in 2004 was tossed out and replaced by a real Democrat in a 69% to 31% vote. He was the first incumbent tossed out in 30 years.
  

We didn't win everywhere, but these stories augur well for 2006.

Big news

We won! AP called the election at 15 minutes past midnight. Said Joe Solmonese of Human Rights Campaign, "Understanding overcame fear and fairness overcame discrimination in Maine."

Big thanks to Maine Won't Discriminate.

There's a lot of good news coming in tonight. Time for a good night's sleep!

So that explains it

The Washington Note reminds us: For Bush, it's not torture unless there is organ failure and death. That's how he was able to say "we don't do it" even as Dick Cheney was telling Congress how much he loves coercive techniques.

P.S. Did you vote yet?

His Noodly Appendage

I have pre-election jitters on behalf of Maine Won't Discriminate, Reform Ohio Now, and the gubernatorial races in VA and NJ. Polls show us ahead in all four races, but given the other side's GOTV discipline, questionable vote-counting tactics, and latest round of dirty tricks we can't rest till it's over. Maine has been through three of these civil rights referenda already, each time seeing an organized minority triumph over the wishes of the majority.

To take my mind off things I'm posting this hilarious and true account of how one man is fighting the intelligent design crowd... by demanding equal time for the theory of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. If you haven't seen it yet, go read:

[M]any people claim our beliefs are not substantiated by observable evidence. What these people don't understand is that He built the world to make us think the earth is older than it really is. For example, a scientist may perform a carbon-dating process on an artifact. He finds that approximately 75% of the Carbon-14 has decayed by electron emission to Nitrogen-14, and infers that this artifact is approximately 10,000 years old, as the half-life of Carbon-14 appears to be 5,730 years. But what our scientist does not realize is that every time he makes a measurement, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage. We have numerous texts that describe in detail how this can be possible and the reasons why He does this. He is of course invisible and can pass through normal matter with ease.

I'm sure you now realize how important it is that your students are taught this alternate theory. …

Highly recommended.

UPDATE: This just in! Even more paralyzing good fun can be had from this short video about Harlan McCraney, Presidential Speechalist. Warning: Do not drink liquids while viewing, or you will snort them through your nose.

And don't forget to vote!

The venereal game

No, it's not what you think... it's wordplay, based on the book An Exaltation of Larks by James Lipton. You think up new collective nouns (pride of lions, gaggle of geese) for any topic you choose - in this case, Politics 2005. My favorites:

A corruption of Republicans
A swindle of lobbyists
A murder of mercenaries
A scream of Deaniacs
A weep of Liebermans
A bias of partisans
A crock of creationists
A vehemence of evangelicals
A bewilderment of dittoheads
A wash of investigations (and a whitewash of White House investigations)
A delusion of neocons
A spin of talking points
A squander of economists
A howl of fascists
A compliance of reporters
An agony of Democrats

Once you get started, it's hard to stop.

It's no fun being Cheney anymore, either

John Dean says Fitzgerald is really targeting Cheney. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson says Cheney is directly responsible for the prisoner abuse scandal. Oh, and Cheney's approval rating with the American public stands at 19%.

The I-word

Via Aravosis, news of the latest Zogby poll: 53% of Americans say Congress should consider impeaching Bush if he lied about why we went to war in Iraq.

UPDATE: 46% of born-agains agree! And if you like this line of thinking, visit ImpeachPac, which funds Democrats who support impeachment.

They don't like him any better over there

Can't be fun being Bush today.

Thousands gather in Mar del Plata, Agentina, to protest Bush's visit to their country for the Summit of the Americas (AP photo).

Meanwhile, a member of Argentina's parliament named Alicia Castro took it upon herself to write Bush a personal letter and put the protesters' feelings into words.

Here's a portion (translated from the Spanish by the European Tribune):

We do not want you to come to our country. Maybe for diplomatic reasons, our Chancery will not have made you aware how reviled you are by our people. It is not simply that we disagree with your policies, but that you represent a danger to the democracies of South America. We Argentinians have nothing against the American people, but much against the government that has put the largest political and military might in the planet at the service of bloody ambition, which does not doubt to annihilate lives to appropriate someone else's oil, to make money from arms trade and, moreover, to expand its most sinister industry: the one that reconstructs what you destroy. ...

Spare us your undesirable presence. We do not share anything that can be debated at the Summit of the Americas….

We South Americans are for the happiness, freedom and life of peoples, we are also for peace. You are on the side of war, of predation and of death.

Emphasis added by me, with glee.

Waaaah! Snowe & Collins whine about Reid

Snowe & Collins criticize Reid's closed-session move as partisan, theatrical, diversionary and - horrors! - disorderly. Says Snowe:

The Senate could have come together in an orderly fashion to address the issues raised by the minority through a deliberative process working with Senate leadership.

You know, she's right. They could have. In an alternate universe, that is, in which George W. Bush is still a failed businessman in Texas, Dr. Frist is still killing cats back in Tennessee, and Democrats represent the people of Maine in the United States Senate.

UPDATE: As usual, Fafblog puts it better:

Oh how Giblets longs for the good old days of seven months ago, when the stately Bill Frist held court over an emergency session to prolong the life of the famously vegetative, or when the august Rick Santorum compared gay marriage to terrorism on the Senate floor! Instead we must endure the pernicious and terrible tricks of Harry Reid, Mormon from Hell, as he hijacks America's upper house in some petty quest for Congressional oversight! Giblets just doesn't know if he can ever trust him again. Giblets is a Frist man from now on! Next week Giblets is given to understand the majority leader will restore the dignity of the legislature by dressing up in a giant fetus costume and jumping through a hoop of fire in the Capitol rotunda.

Ethics hilarity

Ha! Judy Miller consults her own paper's ethics column, three years too late. Brilliant snark from The Panopticist.

Hat tip Alternet.

We can relax about Rove

We can relax about Rove still being in the White House because we know the president is a man of his word, and the president said that anyone who was involved in leaking
remembers leaking
leaked and was indicted
leaked and was indicted for leaking, not for perjury
the name of an undercover CIA agent
an undercover CIA agent whose job status was classified
an undercover CIA agent posted in the US less than five years and meeting all other definitions of "covert" in the Intelligent Identities Protection Act
would no longer be part of this administration
stay put until the investigation is done
stay put until the investigation AND any trial or other legal proceedings are done. So there.

From today's press gaggle (via Think Progress):

Q Kind of a housekeeping question. You repeatedly say that you’ve been instructed not to comment on the CIA leaks case, because there’s an ongoing investigation. Can we infer from that that when Fitzgerald announces his investigation is completed you will be in a position to comment?

MR. McCLELLAN: I said I’d be glad to talk more about it after it’s come to a conclusion.

Q Well, would that mark the conclusion?

MR. McCLELLAN: Would what?

Q The end of the Fitzgerald investigation.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there’s an investigation and legal proceeding. And the comments I make –

Q So now you’re adding court cases.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Bob, I think any time there’s been a legal matter going on, we’ve said, that’s a legal matter.

Q No, what you said is, you can’t comment on an ongoing investigation.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I think what I said last — and look what I said –

Q So you’ve added the words, “legal proceeding.”

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, now there is a legal proceeding.

Q So you’re adding the words, “legal proceeding,” to the formulation.

MR. McCLELLAN: That’s not — any time there is a legal proceeding such as that, we don’t discuss it. I mean, I think you can look back at –

Q Because –

MR. McCLELLAN: Because it’s a legal matter, and it’s before the courts.

Q The world is crawling with legal matters that the White House comments on all the time. What sets this apart?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, there are legal matters that occur all the time that we do not comment on, because they’re ongoing legal matters that are before the courts. Remember, numerous times we’ve referred stuff to the Justice Department because it’s an ongoing legal proceeding.

Q What is the concern of the White House, they’re not commenting?

MR. McCLELLAN: Exactly what I said. Maybe you want to go back and look at my remarks, but we don’t want to prejudice the opportunity for there to be a fair and impartial trial.

Q Okay, because your remarks earlier had suggested that you didn’t want to influence an investigation that was ongoing.

MR. McCLELLAN: We don’t want to do that, either. We want to do our part to continue to cooperate, and that’s what we will do.

Meanwhile: As the White House gamely continues wanting to do their part to continue to cooperate, William F. Buckley announces that the leak is a deadly serious matter and Trent Lott hints that Rove should resign.

The Liberty Platform

Remember all the framing talk and 10-word platform contests and search for the perfect Democratic elevator speech? I have files full of them. But somehow when my back was turned Digby just sat down and wrote the perfect, simple, elegant solution:

Personal liberty, economic responsibility, land conservation, energy independence, and effective national security.

Okay, so it's 11 words (12 if you count the conjunction). He calls it the Liberty Platform. We could win on this.

Hallelujah!

Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid! Reid!

Frist comes unglued; Reid stays calm and furious.

Send some love to the Man from Searchlight.

Snowe & Collins: "Fraudulent moderates"

God, I love it when somebody backs me up on the damage they do.

Raise your own CAFE standards

There's a superb diary over at Kos today on how to improve your car's fuel efficiency - probably the most useful action an individual can take to help this nation cut emissions, save money, boost health, and weaken our sick and symbiotic ties to Saudi Arabia. Outside the voting booth, that is.

It's divided into three sections: (1) Change a few habits; (2) Maintain your stuff; and (3) Buy a few things. Very simple and well presented, with lots of research links. Some tips you will have heard before...

Don't Be an Aggressive Driver. Accelerate slowly - stomping on the gas will kill your fuel efficiency quickly and easily. Also - remember that every time you step on the gas and then brake, you are wasting gas. Several aggressive driving habits (such as accelerating and breaking to weave traffic lanes) are wasteful for this reason.

[Are you listening, M---?] ...and some may be new:

Refuel Early in the Morning or Late in the Evening. According to the EPA: When the weather is warm, try to refuel early in the morning or late in the evening. This will reduce the amount of evaporative emissions being pushed out of the tank during the heat of the day, when smog most easily forms. On Ozone Action Days, try not to refuel at all. And never top off your tank beyond the automatic shutoff point.

It's not self-righteous or crunchy granola in tone, either, just helpful. Also has contact info for activist geeks. Highly recommended.

UPDATE: More Bush lawbreaking - this time on energy standards. Elliot Spitzer and a few NGOs are suing the Department of Energy in attempt to bring them to heel.

Governmentium

No... energy... can't... lift fingers to blog... "Scalito." Posting this... instead...

A major research institution has announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science - "governmentium." It has 1 neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons and 111 assistant deputy neutrons for an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons that are further surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like subparticles called peons.

Governmentium has no electrons and is therefore inert. It can be detected, however, since it impedes every reaction it comes into contact with. A tiny amount of governmentium can take a reaction that normally occurs in seconds and slow it to the point where it takes days.

Governmentium has a normal half life of three years. It doesn't decay but "re-organizes," a process where assistant deputy neutrons and deputy neutrons change places. This process actually causes it to grow, as in the confusion some morons become neutrons, thereby forming isodopes.

This phenomenon of "moron promotion" has led to some speculation that governmentium forms whenever sufficient morons meet in concentration forming critical morass. Researchers believe that in governmentium, the more you re-organize, the morass you cover.

...thunk.

Peace terrorist apprehended

Jesus General has the goods.

Why I bother

The vast majority of Americans are too busy living their lives to waste time on political blogs. Maybe they've never cared about politics, or maybe they've given up because it's hopeless, or maybe they're working far more effectively than we at change in some direct way, or maybe they think we're just delusional and should get a life. In short, most people I know wouldn't spend a minute doing what I do. But here's why I bother:

Sen. Kennedy,

I find your dKos diary -- "This Indictment Is Not the End" -- truly disheartening. Your unwillingness to honestly name that which has ripped apart our country since 2001, reads more like the reflexive equivocation of a career politician, than the call from a champion of the people.

You sir, more than anyone here and perhaps the majority of your colleagues, know well that the premise of "failed intelligence" is a disception. And by promoting the image that this administration was incompetent, and not willful, you are doing your country a grave disservice.

In truth, the Bush adminstration's "intelligence" was a ringing success, accomplishing exactly that which they sought, before crumbling into dust: Saddam Hussein has been removed and we have an occupying force in the heart of the Middle East. ...

[Emphasis added.] This is the intro to a long letter to Sen. Edward Kennedy posted this evening on DailyKos by Todd Johnston. Mr. Johnston is nobody famous as far as I know. He's just a thoughtful working adult with no special access to any persons of power. He doesn't spell or punctuate especially well. And yet I know his letter will be carefully read by a Kennedy staffer. It will be certainly be brought to the senator's attention. Sen. Kennedy may even read the letter himself, and he will most definitely be involved in crafting a reply. He might even sit down and type it himself.

Why? Because Daily Kos is the largest political blog on earth. It averages 2 million page views per week and rising. Its audience is educated, affluent, overwhelmingly Democratic, and activist - 63% have donated money to political causes. According to a recent study, it outranks the top five GOP blogs combined. And if Mr. Johnson's letter reached the top of the Kos recommended list (which it did), then it will be read by all those activists along with every other legislator in DC on both sides of the aisle, all of the strategists and most of the media. You can bet Sen. Kennedy will pay attention.

Daily Kos got where it is through a combination of luck, timing, and smarts. Media windbags may have painted the site as hard left, excitable, dismissible... but those who visit on a regular basis understand that its population is diverse and generally thoughtful, with writers from the far corners of law, politics, business, academia, media, and even some of those continents way over there in Europe. The main thing Kos readers have in common is that they are SERIOUSLY pissed off. That doesn't mean they're foolish or naive.

I don't write much on that site. But it's the daily visits of people like me - asking questions, commenting, pushing up the stats, sending more people to the site, responding to calls for action, sending money - that have built the first stirrings of a left wing echo chamber. People are hearing us, and it is starting to make a difference.

Citizen Johnston puts some excellent questions to Sen. Kennedy about Iraq, intelligence, weapons, and the runup to the war. Imagine the senator reading this section knowing that a million people of influence are looking over his shoulder:

[W]here were you in 2003? In his State of the Union address, President Bush lied to the American people, citing debunked and forged intelligence. The president directly contradicted the Oct. 1, 2002 National Intelligence Estimate to state as fact that which George Tenet had called "weak" and "not particularly significant" four months earlier.

You and your colleagues allowed this campaign of fear to continue without significant challenge, as our soldiers were used like chess pieces and poker chips. And you were not hoodwinked by misrepresentations and hidden documents, because as we now know, in 2002 the CIA told Congress "that the Africa story [was] overblown" and that Iraq's reported attempt to purchase uranium was "one of the two issues where [the CIA] differed with the British." (SSCI report on the IC's Prewar Intelliegence Assessment). ...

or this one:

So why, Sen. Kennedy, is there such a deficit of courage and leadership that our country's best hope for redemption sits on the shoulders of a former U.S. ambassador?

The ending's pretty good, too:

Forgive me if am I not compelled, Senator Kennedy, to step forward at your call to arms, the timing of which, quite frankly, feels a little like opportunism. To be clear, no one wants this adminstration held accountable more than I, but during this current dearth of leadership, I've been learning to do it myself.

So, I am instead compelled to ask "where were you, Sen. Kennedy, when your country needed you most," because the indictment of I. Lewis Libby did not result from the "Kennedy Investigation."

Senator Kennedy is friend not foe, but friends need to be held accountable when it's a matter of importance. This is such a matter. And while he may not give us satisfactory answers, he will at least think about the questions. In my tiny way I helped make this possible. And that's why I bother.

Now what?

Raw Story - controversial, inflammatory, loaded with popups and other annoying features but usually accurate - reports what happens next:

Those close to the investigation say inquiry expanding... State Dep't and National Security Council figures probed... Rove may be in hotter water: Sources say he was offered a perjury deal but turned it down.... At least three officials in the case have agreed to provide additional information, setting the stage for an explosive, continuing probe... Lawyer for Joseph Wilson plans 3 p.m ET press conference; Civil suit expected...

For what it's worth.

Waiting for justice

I like the way James Moore puts it:

Leaking the names of CIA agents is not politics; it is a crime. Lying to congress about evidence for a war is not politics; it is a crime. Failing to tell a grand jury that you met with a reporter and talked about the CIA agent is not forgetfullness; it is a crime. Deceiving your entire nation and frightening children and adults with images of nuclear explosions in order to get them to support a bloody invasion of another country is not politics; it is a crime. Anyone other than Karl Rove and Lewis Libby and Tom Delay who does not get this, please raise your hand. The three of you will need to stay after class for further instruction in civics.

We're all hoping that Mr. Fitzgerald's announcement today marks the beginning of the end of our national nightmare.

Diversion #643

Do yourself a favor and drop in one last time at Harriet Mier's Blog to say goodbye to the plucky ex-nominee. And do NOT miss her link to Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog (keeping track of Condoleezza's hairdo so you don't have to).

Another hopeful sign

Are Democrats starting to get the hang of this media thing? First, Reid frames the Miers withdrawal as Bush caving to the radical right. Then, Pelosi gives a press conference:

Q. To follow up on the other question about the agenda, when do you think we might be able to get an idea about the Democrats' agenda that you were talking about?

Ms. Pelosi. When we are ready to do so. As I said, it would be helpful if there were no arrests, subpoenas, or indictments on whatever day it is. We would like a clear shot at it.

Heh. Hat tip Mike S.

Push polling

If it works in elections, why not use it all year long?

Toadies & brownies & suckups, oh my!

Paul Begala, a Clinton survivor, has an insider's appreciation of living through bone-crushing stress in a bunker White House while a federal criminal investigation unfolds under klieg lights. He says Bush has to be feeling mighty poorly right now.

Even better, he notes an important difference between Monicagate and Treasongate (aside from their subject matter, purpose, the number of people killed by them, the intellect of the presidents involved, and every other single thing): the president's ability to listen.

Whereas Clinton called in tough-minded advisors and listened to them, this president "likes having his assed kissed." The Miers-Bush correspondence "belongs in the Brown Nosers Hall of Fame." The current staff - "a C team if ever there was one" - is loaded with "weak-kneed toadies," "suckups and sycophants," throne-sniffers, over-the-shoulder-lookers, and people who have stopped taking notes in meetings but continue to assure the Beloved Leader he's the victim of a partisan plot.

Best paragraph ever written about our titanic mediocrity in chief:

The last thing this President wants is the first thing he needs: someone to slap his spoiled, pampered, trust-funded, plutocratic, never-worked-a-day-in-his-life cheek and make him face the reality of his foul-ups.

Hope he doesn't get it anytime soon.

Hat tip brandido.

Don't be distracted

The Miers withdrawal is no surprise, nor is its timing. Jeff Feldman warns us that this is just the first in what will be a blitzkrieg of distractions thrown our way and offers some pointers for getting through the next 24 hours:

1. The White House will be running a communications strategy, so beware of anything they say. In the past 24-hours, the President has given a series of speeches discussing every aspect of his presidency (e.g., business as usual). But they will go on the attack very soon.


2. Listen for magic words. Expect the White House to try to control debate by repeating keywords over and over again. So far, they have been quiet. But the specter of 9/11 is never far off. Beware of White House spokesmen who try to discuss 9/11.


3. Stay focused. The real issue tomorow is crimes committed by the White House to trick the American people into supporting a war. There is no other issue that comes close to this, tomorrow.


4. Do not talk about whether we should stay or pull out of Iraq. That is an important topic, but it will be a distraction tomorrow. The issue is crimes committed against the American people by top officials at the White House.


5. Read the White House website. This will help to understand what strategy they are launching.


6. Use only the President's name. This crisis is about the President of the United States, the people he hired, the decisions he made and the methods he used. Do not get distracted by too much talk about the names of aides.


7. Read a variety of news sources. Follow the story in a variety of media (e.g., print, TV, blogs) to get a full picture of what is going on. Don't become a CNN zombie.


8. Talk to co-workers and friends about what's happening. It is important that all Americans follow what is happening. Spread the news. Be the media.


9. Keep following the story. It is likely that the story will change several times before it is over.

Somewhere I heard rumors of an actual Bork nomination in the wind. Other tinfoilers are warning of Terra Alerts. Be prepared.

Iraq was not a mistake.

It was treason.

Please go read. This is important.

In her own words

"People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day… No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in."

Rosa Louise Parks, 1913-2005
Rest in Peace

(arrest photo via Boingboing.net)

Your tax dollars, their rules

Jesus H. Christ. First the Bush Administration uses Katrina to suspend Davis-Bacon. Then they give no-bid contracts to Halliburton and other out-of-state friends. Then Halliburton fires 75 local electricians and replaces them with, among others, illegal immigrants.

Great way to rebuild community. (Hat tip Aravosis)

The heart of the matter

It's finally happening: they're attacking each other in public. And for what? They have to be sweating bullets over Treasongate, even if they do call it just a lil' old technical perjury. But did it get them riled enough to go for blood? No.

Was it... losing Osama Bin Laden, not finding WMD's, faking the connection between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein? ...Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, forged Niger documents, 51 ignored FAA warnings about Al Qaeda hijackings? ...school dropouts, intelligent design, fear of Avian flu, skyrocketing deficits, increased abortions, explosive government spending, ...even the tragic aftermath of Katrina? No. It was Harriet Miers.

I know these folks have been waiting biblical eons to claim their Total Victory of Righteous Dominion Over the Courts Forever, but still. All that fabled discipline, undone so fast? It's startling.

Mind you, I am not complaining. Listen:

Harriet Miers is an abominable writer. Harriet Miers has offended United States Senators. Harriet Miers is a broken promise to the social conservative movement. Harriet Miers has a wretched grasp of the very Constitution she will supposedly defend on the Supreme Court. All these things are irrelevant. Right now, she is to ascend to the highest court in the land because George W. Bush is comfortable with her.

Those are the words of Josh Trevino, a fiercely conservative and influential writer for the other side. He continues:

This personal-comfort-as-principle is not merely the measure of the President's men, but of his governance. It is the enshrinement of whim and gut feeling as analysis. It is the elevation of Kentucky windage to a faux science. It is the same phenomenon that expresses itself cruelly in Iraq, erratically in policy, and as farce in the judiciary. …

Neither Left nor Right, Democrat nor Republican may justly claim that Harriet Miers stands at the cusp of the Supreme Court by dint of any sense of responsibility, conscience, propriety or mission. How then do we explain her? How do we interpret the stupefying accident of history whereby we must consider this titanic mediocrity as an arbiter of our very Constitution?

The answer lies in the titanic mediocrity who leads our nation.

"The titanic mediocrity who leads our nation." Gaze at those words a moment and smile. Who cares what made them speak out, when they get to the heart of matter like this?

Hat tip to mcjoan and to this writer (link now broken).

Danger! Danger! Danger! (framing alert)

I'm with Digby on this one:

...I seem to be unusually sensitive to Republican rhetorical hanky-panky ("pro-life," "tax relief," etc), and I couldn't help but notice some spanking new jargon bubbling up into the mainstream:

...the deeper meaning here is ideological: George W. Bush’s father was committed to a realist understanding of foreign policy. This served him well in Iraq, and not so well in Bosnia. George W. Bush, on the other hand, has become a leading proponent of democratic transformationalism; he believes it is America’s job to help non-democratic countries become democratic. The realists don’t believe that the internal organization of another country is any of our business; George W. Bush, evidently, does.

[snip]

Are the conservatives turning against the neoconservatives?

They’ve been doing so for some time. Just read George Will. Their complaint is that neoconservatives aren’t conservative; they’re liberals with guns. [emphasis added.]

You got that? "Democratic transformationalists" are "liberals with guns." Those are the clowns that got us into that stupid mess in Iraq.

In other words, the term "conservative" has been surgically removed from the failed ideology of neoconservativism and replaced with the word "democratic." This of course is purely coincidental, no associations to a certain political party should be inferred.

Cheny, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Rice, Feith: l******s with guns. (First rule of framing: don't repeat the enemy's frame.) Be on the alert. We've been warned.