tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50607262011-07-07T19:04:40.470-04:00NewsEdgeThe most difficult to categorize member of what used to be the loyal opposition and is now the sort-of majority. A <a href="http://newsedge.blogspot.com/2005/09/why-i-am-pro-life-defense-of-my.html">pro-life</a> moderate progressive who believes we can't give up on Afghanistan just yet.Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.comBlogger1791100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-79357933383117082002009-12-20T17:00:00.000-05:002009-12-20T17:00:00.656-05:00WHERE I'M AT
I realized that some of my archives -- though not many -- might not fully reflect what I think any more. This is part of what happens when one's world and views evolve but the most recent progression of them isn't reflected. For the record.
IRAQ Still necessary, but not when we attacked.
I know this isn't going to make any of my progressive friends any happier with me than they wereBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-62806552481080837722009-12-20T05:42:00.001-05:002009-12-20T05:45:43.769-05:00IN DEFENSE OF THE MANDATE
One of the most controversial pieces of what's left of the health-care reform package is the individual mandate. Keith Olbermann and other leaders of the fight for health-care reform that would have, you know, actually reformed things have taken to railing against this provision of the bill because the compromise measure no longer includes a public option or a Medicare Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-719726503201542862009-12-20T05:10:00.000-05:002009-12-20T05:10:37.485-05:00I'm going to try to get back into the politics and policy posting business. It's not going to be easy to dance around the issues I really can't talk about -- even if I remain anonymous -- but we'll see how it goes for now. If it becomes too much of a problem, I'll walk away. If it interferes with some of the other projects in my life, same. But if I can continue to find the time and the energy toBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1156200741424463892006-08-21T18:33:00.000-04:002006-08-21T18:54:54.413-04:00BUSH IN DENIAL The president can't get a gripNow, apparently, anyone who supported the president on Iraq but doubts that he is handling it correctly -- or handling it at all -- is simply weak-kneed. White House spokesman Tony Snow said the second-guessing was predictable, given the difficulties in Iraq. "It's hardly unusual in times of war that people get anxious, and that would include people Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1150119441414080992006-06-12T09:31:00.000-04:002006-06-12T09:37:21.426-04:00THE PARTY OF REFORM ... MOSTLY Why do Dems keep Moran?Ah, remember Rep. Jim Moran, who claimed that Jews got us into the war in Iraq?Well, he's a bit, er, off-message again:Moran, D-8th, told those attending the Arlington County Democratic Committee's annual Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner on June 9 that while he in theory might oppose the fiscal irresponsibility of “earmarks” - funneling money to Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1148249191462212922006-05-21T18:06:00.000-04:002006-05-21T18:07:10.713-04:00THE 'RIGHT SIDE' OF THE DEBATE What Reagan thought about immigrationAn excellent Wall Street Journal editorial (NewsEdge doesn't say that everyday) blows up the idea of Reagan as a wing-nut on the issue of immigration. NewsEdge knew there was a reason he liked a "conservative."The ed also links to a fascinating speech Reagan gave on July 3. Some excerpts:The Americans were reminded that Miss Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1148247710651537772006-05-21T17:41:00.000-04:002006-05-21T17:41:50.653-04:00'FAIR AND BALANCED' Even when one side is obviously correctIt's good to see Fox is back on board with its right-wing masters:"Last November's documentary on global warming gave a platform to those who believe that the effects of global warming are catastrophic and the causes largely man-made," FNC's David Asman blogs. "Now, FOX is again ahead of the curve, presenting another side to the issue Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1148247121800732562006-05-21T17:32:00.000-04:002006-05-21T17:32:58.263-04:00PAGING GEORGE ORWELL Tracking Bush's 1984 impulsesEveryone's favorite descendant of possibly illegal immigrants now wants to put reporters who embarass the government in the pokey:WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Sunday he believes journalists can be prosecuted for publishing classified information, citing an obligation to national security. ..."There are some statutes on Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1148065072679553072006-05-19T14:42:00.000-04:002006-05-19T15:04:42.996-04:00'TO GET THINGS DONE' A reason to vote for your senator ... unless it's notAh, remember when U.S. Rep. Jim DeMint was running against Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum for the Senate in 2004? Remember what he said about influence?Something like this:After [Dick "Chatterbox"] Cheney left, DeMint played up his strong links to the White House and what it would mean for South Carolina."It's important to Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1148047187475023902006-05-19T09:59:00.000-04:002006-05-19T09:59:47.520-04:00THE REAL 9/11 Bring it home, OliverOliver Stone has apparently made a 9/11 movie. The movie seeks to definitively prove that 9/11 was a conspiracy between the CIA, the FBI, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Russia, China, the U.N., Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and the British monarchy.Okay, so NewsEdge made everything after the first sentence up.But admit it. You were thinking the same thing.Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1147961995866275122006-05-18T10:19:00.000-04:002006-05-18T10:19:55.933-04:00DO AS I SAY DO Did AGAG's grandparents 'sneak across the border'?It seems our attorney general isn't sure whether his grandparents are legal or illegal. Via Think Progress:CNN's WOLF BLITZER: Give us your — tell our viewers who aren’t familiar your personal story, how you got to where you are, your grandparents, your parents. They struggled, they came here. I don’t know if they came here legally Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1145486283928172672006-04-19T18:36:00.000-04:002006-04-19T18:38:03.936-04:00RECOVERING WETLANDS The new WMDWell, it seems that America's wetlands are recovering.That is, of course, if you count the ponds on golf courses.The Washington Note fills us in.Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1145485045278589202006-04-19T18:17:00.000-04:002006-04-19T18:17:25.333-04:00NEWSBUSTERS WATCH Even when the media's fair, they're notOnce again, our friends over at NewsBusters are on the brink of a meltdown. This time, it's over TIME Magazine's attempt to pick "America's Ten Best Senators." So let's take a look at what they found, using a study linking these senators to their records from the American Conservative Union. As breathlessly reported, the numbers are:Thad Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1145376633391705182006-04-18T12:05:00.000-04:002006-04-19T18:19:08.006-04:00KNOWING WHAT'S IMPORTANT The real tragedy of KatrinaNever let it be said that the National Rifle Association can't set priorities:"MEDIA ADVISORY"NRA - NEW ORLEANS TOWN MEETING TONIGHT"TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 7:00 PM"NEW ORLEANS MARRIOTT HOTEL"TOPIC: FIREARM CONFISCATION IN KATRINA AFTERMATH"WAYNE LAPIERRE, NRA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHRIS COX, NRA CHIEF LOBBYIST TO HEAR FROM NEW ORLEANS Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1143068361130235662006-03-22T17:58:00.000-05:002006-03-22T17:59:21.143-05:00THE QUESTION Doubts about IraqEvery month or so, I agonize over the same question.Was I wrong to support the war in Iraq?With every new bombing, every new step toward civil war, every show of utter incompetence, I wonder if my stance was the right one, or if I was horribly misguided.(MORE)Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1142034245970558262006-03-10T18:44:00.000-05:002006-03-10T18:44:05.993-05:00CLOSING THE DEAL After the ports debaclePresident Bush is still griping about the fortunate defeat of his plan to turn over the management of six U.S. ports to a company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates. And, once again, he and his allies are pounding opponents for alleged anti-Arab discrimination when nothing could be further from the truth.Speaking to a National Newspaper Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1141080285989104102006-02-27T17:44:00.000-05:002006-02-27T17:44:46.056-05:00HMMMM InterestingApparently, the ties between the Bush Administraion and Dubai Ports World goes beyond the port deal.W.'s nominating someone from the company to an important government post. That ought to show how competent they are.Ain't that right, Brownie?Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1140019818366196642006-02-15T11:10:00.000-05:002006-02-15T11:10:18.400-05:00THE GREATER EVIL The bosses winI'm not fond of Paul Hackett; as a supporter of the war, I think linking the Democratic Party with the anti-war movement could be dangerous to both, but particularly the party.What I like less is party bosses dictating who gets to run for Senate instead of the voters. As the AP put it, with Hackett Departure, Old Politics Win.Let the man run. If he wins, he wins. Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1139860266097474552006-02-13T14:51:00.000-05:002006-02-13T14:51:06.150-05:00AL QAEDA LAUGHING Why should that make us afraid?Something Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said during his testimony last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was otherwise laced with distortions and rhetorical tricks, struck me as true.Our enemy is listening. And I cannot help but wonder if they aren't shaking their heads in amazement at the thought that anyone would imperil such Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1138307336551712892006-01-26T15:28:00.000-05:002006-03-06T14:06:36.676-05:00THE TRIUMPH OF HATE What did they expect?So this is where we are.In the middle of 2000, Israel and the Palestinians seemed to be on the cusp of peace.Five and half years later, after the gun battles and airstrikes and suicide bombings and terror and "collateral damage," we end up here: the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian parliamentary elections.What did they expect?What did Fatah expect when Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1137609791210251172006-01-18T13:43:00.000-05:002006-01-18T13:44:43.173-05:00BABY BENNETT Headline News hires their own hateful ideologueRemember when CNN hired Bill Bennett, who infamously remarked that one way to get the crime rate down would be to abort black babies?He now has a Mini-Me at Headline News.Yes, it's Glenn Beck, whose notable contributions to the public dialogue include:But the second thought I had when I saw these people and they had to shut down the Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1137428473414460732006-01-16T11:21:00.000-05:002006-01-16T11:24:46.456-05:00NOT A REPUBLICAN? The right's myth about Jackpot AbramoffAh, you have to give the right credit for something: They let no "media myth" go unchallenged. Even when the myth is the truth.And such it is with the absurd contention, such as one contained in this post from our paranoid friends over at NewsBusters, that Jackpot Abramoff is not a Republican.Today's New York Times report of the Jack Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1136579974020209812006-01-06T15:39:00.000-05:002006-01-06T15:39:34.070-05:00DO WE UNDERSTAND? A valid questionExceptionally good points about the spying program.The best of it:One wonders if Osama bin Laden didn't win after ll. He ruined the America that existed on 9/11. But he had help. ...I evidently have a lot poorer insight regarding America's character than I once believed, because I would have expected such actions to provoke -- speaking metaphorically now -- mobs Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1136307550115318862006-01-03T11:59:00.000-05:002006-01-03T11:59:10.170-05:00CNN TO ABORT BLACK BABIES Hiring Bill BennettAnother brilliant Jon Klein move.Well, at least CNN is making sure it keeps the same number of conservatives and the same number of blowhards who don't know when to keep their mouth shut.Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1135814223516093872005-12-28T18:07:00.000-05:002005-12-28T18:57:03.530-05:00WHY OLBERMANN IS WRONG Intolerance -- and ignorace -- disguised as toleranceIt must be hard to get into the same warehouse with John Gibson and Keith Olbermann. In the TV news world, a land known for its large egos, both Gibson and Olbermann set a new standard for self-absorbtion.I have always liked Olbermann, never so much Gibson. Where Olbermann's conceit comes wrapped in a wry sense of humor Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1135091014467076562005-12-20T10:03:00.000-05:002005-12-20T10:05:19.773-05:00WATCH THOSE VEGANS They could attack at any momentNYT: The FBI has lost itWASHINGTON, Dec. 19 - Counterterrorism agents at the Federal Bureau of Investigation have conducted numerous surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations that involved, at least indirectly, groups active in causes as diverse as the environment, animal cruelty and poverty relief, newly disclosed agency records show. ..Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1135033188101431312005-12-19T17:53:00.000-05:002005-12-19T18:02:02.836-05:00PERSONS OF THE YEAR At least they're actual human beingsWell, TIME decided not to go for the Mother Nature option for the "Persons of the Year." No, no, they went with the much more solid option of Bono, Melinda & Bill Gates.For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow, Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1135032600040975832005-12-19T17:50:00.000-05:002005-12-19T18:01:22.103-05:00NOT HATING EACH OTHER A good place to startAn understated but brilliant column from William Raspberry.The best of it:I was becoming more and more convinced that the sharp debates and exaggerated differences were exacerbating the political division I find so dangerous in America, and I was also starting to imagine — conceit? — that talking about issues might actually make a positive difference, Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1135022406523262442005-12-19T15:00:00.000-05:002005-12-19T15:04:33.426-05:00DO AS I SAY DO This is definitely isn't American-style democracyFrom USNWR"American-style search warrants are coming to Iraq, a victory for locals who don't like random searches but a defeat for some troops who think surprise searches are useful. While still under review, the new policy requiring search warrants is expected to go into force next month."And if it works, President Bush might once Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1135009724802892132005-12-19T11:21:00.000-05:002005-12-19T11:28:44.803-05:00LIVE BLOGGING BUSH PRESSER Installment 6If he talks about attacks thwarted by the domestic spying program, "it would help give the enemy notification." But what other ways are they going to use to communicate internationally, carrier pigeons?"I happen to know there's an enemy there." Sometimes, he just forgets where there is.An observation: Bush has looked more relaxed during this press Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1135009246328834672005-12-19T11:13:00.000-05:002005-12-19T11:20:46.330-05:00LIVE BLOGGING BUSH PRESSER Installment 5"I hope the world is more peaceful." Unless, of course, we have to invade somebody else."We have an objective in Iraq." What, exactly, is our objective again?The president says leaving now would be "disheartening to Iraqis." I disagree and agree. Most Iraqis would probably like us to be gone. But if we leave and the country collapses into chaos, we will Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1135008792321697242005-12-19T11:06:00.000-05:002005-12-19T11:13:12.323-05:00LIVE BLOGGING BUSH PRESSER Installment 4Bush talks about the need to "protect you" a lot. This is sounding more and more Big Brother-ish as we go along.I'd almost like to see one of these reporters he calls on say, "Actually, Mr. President, I'll give my question to (insert reporter the president hates)." Won't happen, but it would be amusing.Limits on power of presidency? "There is oversight." Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1135008302723854732005-12-19T10:57:00.000-05:002005-12-19T11:05:02.723-05:00LIVE BLOGGING BUSH PRESSER Installment 3"Sometimes we have to move very, very quickly." Even if we invade the wrong country.Bush keeps repeating that the administration has met with members of Congress about the domestic spying program 12 times. When? Who?A question about the intelligence "help(ing) you build support for war." He does correct the "same intelligence I saw" falsehood by clearing upBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1135007793364355012005-12-19T10:49:00.000-05:002005-12-19T10:56:33.366-05:00LIVE BLOGGING BUSH PRESSER Installment 2Bush actually seems passionate and involved when he's speaking about the voting in Iraq. If the White House was savvy, they'd get him out and talking about this more. But it would have to come with the whole admitting error thing, and he hates to do that.The "mistake" question. Will he answer it this time? Not really. He says there might have been a mistakeBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1135007298827545772005-12-19T10:44:00.000-05:002005-12-19T10:48:18.836-05:00LIVE BLOGGING BUSH PRESSER Installment 1Bush says the leak of domestic spying could "enable (terrorists) to adjust." So apparently they didn't read all the reports about the FISA that came out after 9/11, but did read the NYT report on the National Security Agency."It enables us to move faster and quicker, and that's important."Of course, spying on everyone would allow us to move faster and Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1134755240284163262005-12-16T12:47:00.000-05:002005-12-16T12:48:28.413-05:00'THE SAME INTELLIGENCE I SAW' Except all that other intelligenceFrom the WaPo:A congressional report made public yesterday concluded that President Bush and his inner circle had access to more intelligence and reviewed more sensitive material than what was shared with Congress when it gave Bush the authority to wage war against Iraq. ..."Some of the most irresponsible comments -- about Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1134688286866344682005-12-15T18:08:00.000-05:002005-12-15T18:11:26.880-05:00ANWR ALERT Republicans aren't doneA press release from the Sierra Club and others:As disingenuous as it was to consider Arctic Refuge drilling in budget reconciliation, its proponents should not be permitted to trade one cheap trick for another. Their most recent statements claiming the Defense Appropriations bill a suitable vehicle are indefensible. An Arctic drilling provision would force a Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1134686623191479952005-12-15T17:12:00.000-05:002005-12-15T18:12:23.283-05:00GIVE ME TAX CUTS OR GIVE ME DEATH Why the religious right won't rally for poor peopleAlas, the good old MSM has finally figured out that there is also a religous left. And it's got some points to make about its more conservative counterpart:When hundreds of religious activists try to get arrested today to protest cutting programs for the poor, prominent conservatives such as James Dobson, Pat Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1134595929414168412005-12-14T16:04:00.000-05:002005-12-14T19:08:50.070-05:00PERSON OF THE YEAR Mother Nature shouldn't countAs always around this time in December, TIME is set to announce its choice for "Person of the Year" on Sunday.But the suspense is over. Mother Nature has it in the bag.Here are the choices readers can select in the online poll for the annual award: Steve Jobs; Bill and Melinda Gates; J.K. Rowling; Condoleezza Rice; Bono; George W. Bush; Pope Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1133480029876407992005-12-01T18:33:00.000-05:002005-12-01T18:33:49.916-05:00DON'T YOU HAVE TO BE LITERATE? George W. Bush, reporting for duty
Well, if it'll help Loose-Lips out:
The president was among 600 potential jurors summoned to report to court in McLennan County, where his 1,600-acre Crawford ranch is located.
State District Judge Ralph Strother told the Waco Tribune-Herald he expected to get a response about the summons but didn't expect Bush to report for duty.Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1132536657510502132005-11-20T20:23:00.000-05:002005-11-20T20:30:57.520-05:00MSM FINGERS ARMITAGE Newsweek suggests NewsEdge might be rightNewsEdge was pleased to see that he is no longer alone in fingering former State Dept. official Richard Armitage as the most likely suspect to be LN2, or the person who first gave Blabberin' Bob Novak the tidbit that Joe Wilson's wife was a CIA op. Newsweek points to much of the same evidence NewEdge has used, and then some:One by one Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1131062987662924472005-11-03T18:34:00.000-05:002005-11-03T19:16:07.053-05:00HONOR ROSA PARKS But don't lie to do itI post this knowing full well the implications it could have. I fully expect anyone who stumbles upon this via Google or just flipping through blogspot to slam me -- particularly as I am a white male.So be it. I can't be silent.Anyone who reads this blog even occassionally will notice that I have dropped the narrative device under which I refer to myself, inBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1130368581245550942005-10-26T18:22:00.000-04:002005-10-26T19:16:21.256-04:00DEATH COMES EXPECTEDLY The stalking of a White HouseIs that Keystone Karl Rove's clock that NewsEdge hears ticking? Or Lewis Loose-Lips Libby's? Perhaps Dick Chatterbox Cheney's?Ah, it is almost time -- or so D.C. and assorted news junkies think -- for Pryin' Pat Fitzgerald to let us know if he will seek indictments against any number of Bush Administration insiders. Here's a digest of what's Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1129938073073279172005-10-21T19:23:00.000-04:002005-10-21T19:41:13.080-04:00B-SOS Is Libby a bad poet? Or is he speaking in code?NewsEdge intends to dissect the Judith Miller fiasco next week. But one thing keeps sticking out in his mind.What in the world is wrong with Lewis Loose-Lips Libby? In the now infamous letter between Loose-Lips and Jailbird Judy that brought the stare-down with Prying Pat to a close, Loose-Lips wrote:You went to jail in the summer. It is fall Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1129936888001435732005-10-21T18:47:00.000-04:002005-10-21T19:21:28.006-04:00LN2 WATCH We now know Fitzgerald knowsAs we get closer and closer to the possible indictments that will come out of Prying Pat's investigation, more and more leaks are coming out that could point us vaguely in the direction of Leaker No. 2. (For those of you who might be unfamiliar with NewsEdge's search for LN2, it is the person who presumably gave Blabbering Bob Novak the identity of undercoverBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1128965880186336142005-10-11T20:00:00.000-04:002005-10-11T20:05:56.583-04:00THE END OF THE BUSH PRESIDENCY From here, it's mop-up workIt's time to send in the second-stringers to try to put the game away; the Bush presidency is officially over.Evidence? Look no further than this Knight Ridder dispatch:The conservative rebellion against Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers is widening the split between the White House and Republicans, sowing fears among party strategists Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1129074405012832902005-10-11T19:21:00.000-04:002005-10-11T19:50:35.696-04:00KILLING THE MESSENGER Why don't Dems get elected? Answer: DemsWhen it comes to getting elected, Democrats are their own worst enemy. What leads NewsEdge to make such a sweeping generalization? Well, it starts with this Talking Points column in WaPo:Suddenly, Democrats are optimistic about their political future. But should they be? Back in 1994, when the Republicans took over Congress, not every Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1129072799900135612005-10-11T19:13:00.000-04:002005-10-11T19:19:59.906-04:00BECAUSE IT WORKED SO WELL LAST TIME Why not take another chance on Gore?USN&WR sez Al is ready to get back in the race:Is Al Gore coming back? If allies we talked to have their way, the former veep will be the next president. "It's Gore Time," says a political strategist and fundraiser who is opening a bid to get Gore into the race. Gore friends see his recent political and business moves as Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1128530303193365732005-10-05T12:31:00.000-04:002005-10-05T12:43:21.110-04:00I COME FROM A PLACE CALLED AMERICA Does Hughes think Arabs are dumb?WaPo gets all hot and bothered about Karen Hughes' statement that Bush was the first president to call for a Palestinian state. I'm more worried about the patronizing tone of her comment:"The person I work for, President Bush, is the first president in the history of America to say we believe the Palestinians should have a state,Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1127263223276199622005-09-20T19:28:00.000-04:002005-09-20T20:40:23.290-04:00WHY I AM PRO-LIFE A defense of my conservative positionI don't know that I'm a liberal, but at the least I'm a left-of-center kind of guy. I'm not fond of a lot of tax cuts; I support the silver spoon tax; I believe the government should do something about the appalling state of health care in this country; and so and so, on down the line. As this blog notes, I consider myself a progressive.Then Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1127258844149291982005-09-20T19:17:00.000-04:002005-09-20T19:27:24.156-04:00ONE STEP CLOSER A Bushie is arrested -- in relation AbramoffYou don't think Jailbird Jack Abramoff will be an issue in '06? Think again. The scandal has tiptoed one step closer to the White House, according to the WaPo:The Bush administration's top federal procurement official resigned Friday and was arrested yesterday, accused of lying and obstructing a criminal investigation into Republican Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1127168651535461332005-09-19T18:01:00.000-04:002005-09-19T18:24:11.543-04:00BEYOND GHOULISH And you thought Terri Schiavo was badIn the Terri Schiavo case, as you might remember, Republicans interferred in the life and death decisions surrounding a Florida woman's feeding tube. Now, they've gone from using someone's death to make a political point to using someone who is dead to make a political point, TIME reports:"Federal troops aren't the only ones looking for bodies Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1127167039582794982005-09-19T17:53:00.000-04:002005-09-19T17:57:19.586-04:00PROFICIENT IN SPINNING DISASTERS Maybe it'll work better than that FEMA thing"Less than a week after FEMA's dismal Hurricane Katrina response forced [Director Michael] Brown out of the agency, he has been shopping his resume to headhunters and Washington PR firms," USN&WR reports.Because that's who I want handling my PR -- the man who managed to make Louisiana government look effective by Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1126740910476951352005-09-14T19:16:00.000-04:002005-09-14T19:35:10.483-04:00MISSION ACCOMPLISHED Tom DeLay sez the war on waste is overThe Washington Times carries this gem:House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending that he declared an "ongoing victory," and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget. ...Asked if that meant the government was running at peak efficiency, Mr. DeLay said, "Yes, Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1126280239814443452005-09-09T11:31:00.000-04:002005-09-13T19:49:24.976-04:00W.'s DIARY A NewsEdge ExclusiveNewsEdge has obtained an exclusive, recent entry from George W. Bush's diary. The entry centers around the events in New Orleans:EDGENOTE: All errors are sic.Been trying to think up how we can help the people of New Orleans, and I think I've got it. You know what those people need? A good tax cut. That'll help em out. That way they can take more of their hard-earnedBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1124488718609943112005-08-19T17:19:00.000-04:002005-08-19T18:00:00.743-04:002008 in 2005 It's never too early to review a presidential picks listAlas, it has been nearly a year since, in the shadow of the GOP Convention, NewsEdge unveiled his list of presidential competitors for 2008. With the passage of nearly 12 months -- and a dearth of non-Cindy Sheehan ideas in the dog days of August -- it is time to review the list, beginning with the GOP:Rudy Giuliani [+] The Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1124317293012172812005-08-17T18:17:00.000-04:002005-08-17T18:21:33.016-04:00LYING AGAIN But it's no big deal for W.Remember when John Bolton (who "accidentally" mislead Congress before his recess appointment) was the best man for the U.N. ambassadorship because he was going to be a key voice in the debate over reform?UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States has launched a last-minute drive to scrap much of a draft plan for comprehensive U.N. reform just weeks before Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1124229924926922542005-08-16T17:21:00.000-04:002005-08-16T18:07:46.596-04:00THE CIA OR ARMITAGE? LN2 Watch, Part 3It has been awhile since NewsEdge has posted on the investigation into the identity of Leaker No. 2, who apparently helped B.S. Bob Novak come up with his "exclusive" on Valerie Plame. The only truly relevant article in recent weeks has been this gem from the July 27 WaPo:Prosecutors have questioned former CIA director George J. Tenet and deputy director JohnBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1123623256921189322005-08-09T16:37:00.000-04:002005-08-09T17:34:16.933-04:00BUSH = CLINTON This president smears innocent women, tooOne of the most persistently deplorable things about the Clinton Administration, GOPers used to say, was that any woman who accused Clinton of misconduct was going to get smeared by the White House and/or its allies. The allegation was, in many cases, true, and it still resonates with me despite the fact that I have long abandoned most of myBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1121812896435284532005-07-19T17:53:00.000-04:002005-07-19T18:44:39.446-04:00LIBBY, HADLEY, NEITHER OR BOTH? LN2 Watch, Week TwoNewsEdge has decided to contribute a sizable amount of time to find Leaker No. 2, whomever also ratted out Valerie Plame to Robert Novak. (We now know for certain that Keystone Karl Rove was one source, but Blabberin' Bob cited two sources; who's the other one?) However, first NewsEdge would like to applaud some of the mainstream media, such as Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1121804476859646382005-07-19T15:55:00.000-04:002005-07-19T17:51:56.856-04:00O'REILLY RANTS AGAIN This time, he lacks mannersBill O'Reilly has a problem with manners. How do we know? He says so.On July 10, O'Reilly held forth on the journalistic scumbags at the Los Angeles Times. To wit:In the early days of "The Factor," I often gave interviews to the print press and spoke frankly, but now I no longer do that. That's because I've been treated unfairly far more often than Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1121270404306729002005-07-13T11:57:00.000-04:002005-07-13T12:02:13.610-04:00VOTE AGAINST KARL Why the ol' Keystone could be the key to '06What should Dems do to regroup in '06? Why, run against Keystone Karl, who seems to be involved in almost all the relevant scandals, such as Tom DeLay's prostitution of Texas politics:A Texas state judge yesterday reaffirmed the indictment of a political associate of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), turning aside his claim Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1121208324617843682005-07-12T18:20:00.000-04:002005-07-12T18:47:57.673-04:00KARL'S KOMPANION Who is LN2?Lost in all the hubbub over Keystone Karl's involvement in the Plamegate scandal, there remains one significant question that has yet to be answered: Who else leaked Valerie Plame's identity to Robert Novak (and, likely, others)?Granted, it's great to watch Scottie drubbed about Keystone Karl's loose lips, and even better to see W. try to ignore questions about whetherBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1121106905566440992005-07-11T14:14:00.000-04:002005-07-11T14:35:05.573-04:00LINDSEY GRAHAM FOR JUSTICE An S.C. Senator for the high courtAs someone who is pro-life and pro-war but disagrees with the President on nearly every other substantive issue of our time, I expect myself to be disappointed by whomever Bush chooses to put on the Supreme Court. A conservative on abortion will also likely be conservative on environmental legislation, whether torture is A-OK and how Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1119911009442566742005-06-27T17:22:00.000-04:002005-06-27T18:24:48.226-04:00MORAL EQUIVALENCY The difference between Rove and DurbinWhenever a Republican gets in trouble, the cry is always the same: "But they're doing it too! And the media isn't covering them!" Then, they stomp off like the kid who gets grounded for eating nine cookies while their sibling who ate one cookie gets off with a reprimand.This is the best analogy I can come up with for the truly bizarre Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1119653274971347342005-06-24T18:38:00.000-04:002005-06-24T18:48:18.706-04:00LIVING IN THE TROPICS Cheney's take on GitmoFrom the AP:WASHINGTON -- Defending the treatment of prisoners at the U.S. jail in Guantanamo Bay, Vice President Dick Cheney said they are well treated, well fed and "living in the tropics." ..."They're very well treated down there. They're living in the tropics. They're well fed. They've got everything they could possibly want," Cheney said in a CNN Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1119566535318931542005-06-23T18:39:00.000-04:002005-06-23T18:43:02.230-04:00PEACE, SCHMEACE What Rummy says about IraqFrom WaPo:Rumsfeld insisted that success in Iraq "cannot be defined by domestic tranquility."Well, now that we've got that straightened out, we know why the Bush administration thinks things are going swimmingly in Iraq. Incredible.Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1119564941752335822005-06-23T17:32:00.000-04:002005-06-23T18:27:42.916-04:00THE KARL AND SCOTTIE SHOW The White House loses itAt first glance, it looks like just more hate-mongering from Karl Rove, who held forth last night at a fund-raiser in New York:Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers. ... I don'tBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1118958199767764252005-06-16T16:00:00.000-04:002005-06-17T20:19:39.630-04:00LYIN' LIBEL BILL STRIKES AGAIN Maybe he should be O'Lielly...Bill O'Reilly has done it again, striking into a raging inferno of lies without getting his facts straight in his quest to indoctrinate his legions. In the Wednesday "Talking Points Memo," which is almost as scary as it's zombie-esque name implies, he held forth:What do The New York Times and the mafia have in common? — That is the Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1118331516745800702005-06-09T11:14:00.000-04:002005-06-09T11:38:36.750-04:00BROWNBACK AND CONSISTENCY A Senator argues with himselfFrom the AP:WASHINGTON - Sen. Sam Brownback has put a hold on the White House's nomination of a prominent abortion-rights supporter to a diplomatic post.The Kansas Republican, a strong abortion opponent with presidential aspirations, says he has concerns about Julie Finley's nomination as ambassador to the Organization for Security and Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1118269999037603802005-06-08T18:16:00.000-04:002005-06-08T18:33:19.043-04:00REMEMBER AMERICA? What have we become?Remember America?Remember the reaction when the allegations of abuse of Abu Ghraib, the graphic pictures, came out? Remember how horrified we were? Remember the outrage?Remember when Newsweek wrote its article about abuse of the Quran? No, not when the magazine retracted the item; do you remember when it came out? Do you remember the firestorm? Do you Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1114798966150923662005-04-29T14:15:00.000-04:002005-04-29T14:22:46.150-04:00LESS PROGRAMS, MORE DEBT Bush's budget solutionIt's not like the federal budget plan passed by Congress yesterday isn't brazen and outrageous in more ways than one can describe. But buried in the press coverage is this little gem from WaPo:Indeed, the budget instructs lawmakers to raise the federal government's statutory debt limit this fall by $781 billion, to $8.96 trillion. The government's Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1114789231776135262005-04-29T11:33:00.000-04:002005-04-29T11:40:31.780-04:00KLEINWATCH He's even dumber than I thoughtYesterday, you may remember, I was willing to give Jon Klein the benefit of the doubt that he had lost Judy Woodruff instead of giving her the boot.I was wrong, according to the TV Column:Two sources familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified because of the confidentiality of contract talks, said CNN had offered Woodruff a role as a kind Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1114716452157071552005-04-28T15:10:00.000-04:002005-04-28T15:28:16.746-04:00KLEINWATCH Another one's gone ... another good anchor bites the dustIt appears that Jonathan Klein's idiocy might have already claimed what even he admits is one of the network's best anchors. Sez the AP:Judy Woodruff, the anchor of CNN's "Inside Politics," is leaving the network when her contract expires in June.Woodruff, 58, said Thursday that she hoped to teach, write and work on long-form Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1114619231708572372005-04-27T11:33:00.000-04:002005-04-27T12:28:49.636-04:00JOHN "SLOW DRAW" BOLTON To reform something, you need a reformerOne of the reasons that the White House has pushed for the confirmation of John Bolton is that he's a "reformer" for the beleaguered body:Administration officials said that Mr. Bolton, who has in the past expressed disdain for the United Nation, was the right man to reform an organization that the hawks in the administration considerBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1114458104232341462005-04-25T14:32:00.000-04:002005-04-25T15:41:44.236-04:00HOLY WAR Ultraconservative Christians declare jihad on the judiciarySo the war has all but begun. From the Washington Post:"LOUISVILLE, April 24 -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist delivered a taped speech Sunday to a nationwide broadcast in which Christian conservatives, during other segments, attacked Democratic senators for blocking judicial nominees described in the program as 'people of Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1113433247503464092005-04-13T18:57:00.000-04:002005-04-13T19:00:47.503-04:00KLEINWATCH Tracking Jon Klein's stupidity since 2005From TVWeek.com:In his day job, Jonathan Klein is president of CNN/US, with oversight of programming, editorial tone and the network's strategic direction. When he can find the time, which isn't often these days, he turns to his other job after hours-putting the finishing touches on his latest feature film screenplay, called "The Pinnacle." He Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1113233893757737442005-04-11T11:23:00.000-04:002005-04-11T11:38:13.760-04:00VOTING ON WEDENSDAY The John Kerry Excusapalooza 2005 tour continuesJohn Kerry wants to be president so bad, it hurts watching him sometimes. He's so desparate to explain why he lost: Americans never kick a president out in wartime (they do), It would have taken fewer people than those at an Ohio State football game switching their votes (true, but misleading), etc.Now he has a new one: Those Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1111624316460648912005-03-23T19:00:00.000-05:002005-03-23T19:40:33.603-05:00KLEINWATCH Tracking Jonathan Klein's stupid ideas since 2005For those of you who might not be aware, I have a certain feeling for Joe Klein, the new president of CNN. I think the most apt descripition would be a visceral loathing for everything he stands for. A NYT story on his new philosophy pretty much lays it out:CNN Seeks New Ways to Battle Fox NewsBy JACQUES STEINBERGIt is known, in the Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1109715654330280722005-03-01T16:57:00.000-05:002005-03-01T17:20:54.336-05:00FOX SMEARS INNOCENT WOMAN Either they're shading the truth, or they can't readIt was the kind of gem that Fox News couldn't pass up. During the "most (insert colorful adjective) two minutes in television," the "Political Grapevine," Special Report's Brit Hume looked into the camera and amusedly intoned:"Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean, who recently said he 'hates the Republicans and Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1107909106640111732005-02-08T19:07:00.000-05:002005-02-08T19:31:46.640-05:00A MODEST PROPOSAL How to fix Social Security, using a bit of everyone's ideas
I have an idea for how to solve the Social Security impasse, if both W. and the Dems are willing to compromise. Of course, I don't have the ability crunch numbers like the White House and the think thanks do, but here's the broad outlines of a plan I think would [a] work; and [b] be politically palatable (though not Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1105484445806837482005-01-11T17:20:00.000-05:002005-01-11T18:30:59.150-05:00THE CASE FOR CARLSON Why CNN was wrong to ax Crossfire -- and its amiable host
I can't take it anymore. I've been silent long enough.
CNN screwed up -- royally. And there's no two ways about it.
Yes, Jon Stewart (whom I otherwise like). Yes, Johnathan Klein. Yes, Howie Kurtz and your associated good-media types. Listen up: "Crossfire" was a good show and worthy programming for CNN. Axing it wasBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1103587226373662242004-12-20T18:27:00.000-05:002004-12-20T19:00:45.073-05:00DON'T MOVE ON; GET LOST Liberals lost the election
There's a convenient myth that the left likes to start believing and spreading about this time of an election year, and it always goes the same way: "It's not our fault the Democratic Party lost -- again. It's those mamby-pamby moderates that the Democratic Party nominated."
Oh, and has it geared up this year. So much so that MoveOn.org (the oneBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1102466789918620282004-12-07T19:40:00.000-05:002004-12-07T19:46:29.920-05:00STOP THE PRESSES I agree with Howard Dean
This might just cause an identity crisis for myself and the new mission of this Web site (to promote a national Democratic/Religious Center-Left majority), but I agree with Howard Dean on something:
Howard Dean, who is weighing a bid for leadership of the Democratic Party, will call on Democrats to fight for victory across the country instead of ceding Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1102466165918812382004-12-07T18:52:00.000-05:002004-12-07T19:36:05.916-05:00PEACE IN OUR TIME? It seems that Arafat's death paved the way
Don't look now, but something's happening in the Middle East, and most of the major U.S. media seem to be completely oblivious.
This probably isn't news to anyone who's been monitoring Haaretz or The Jerusalem Post. Those two papers, for obvious reasons, have been all over the peace process story. But for the beginner, there's a good Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1101772232787072222004-11-29T18:28:00.000-05:002004-11-29T18:50:32.786-05:00WELCOME TO RED AMERICA Our home for the next four years
Welcome to Red America.
Welcome to a country where we can live without fear of a terrorist attack, except when the administration has to knock a negative story off the front page. A country where checking cargo containers coming into the country won't make us safer, but checking our civil liberties at the door will.
Welcome to a country Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1101256155778699452004-11-23T19:13:00.000-05:002004-11-23T19:29:15.776-05:00JIM HODGES Always a bad decision
Yes, the newest name being bantied about as head of the Democratic National Committee is Jim Hodges, according to the Associated Press.
WHAT...IS IT...THAT YOU PEOPLE...DON'T GET??? We don't like these dolts that we throw out of office after one term. Hodges was a horrible leader. He had to be dragged kicking and screaming to a compromise on the Confederate flag Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1100562927848052612004-11-15T18:42:00.000-05:002004-11-15T18:55:27.846-05:00DEATH OF THE DEMOCRATS? The wrong leaders for a party on the mend
Democrats must not, must not, MUST NOT name Howard Dean as chair of the Democratic Party. In more ways than one can imagine, this would be a disaster.
Regardless of what you might think of Dean, consider this: He is not particularly well-regarded after "the Scream" in Iowa. Did he get a bum rap? Perhaps. Does that matter? Well, itBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1100110126576879852004-11-10T13:47:00.000-05:002004-11-10T13:08:46.576-05:00I'M NOT ALONE There is an organized religious left out there
Obviously, as a pro-life and pro-war left-of-center voter, I don't agree with every single little thing these folks say, but they are definitely on the right track...
From the WaPo:
Liberal Christian leaders argued yesterday that the moral values held by most Americans are much broader than the handful of issues emphasized by religiousBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1100036062672502322004-11-09T15:59:00.000-05:002004-11-09T16:34:22.673-05:00LISTEN TO THIS WOMAN The once (and future?) queen of Dem presidential politics speaks
Donna Brazile, who has the intelligence of about five average Democratic consultants, also posted a piece in the great Slate debate. Excerpts:
After the 2000 election, Democrats knew we would be up against an opponent with unlimited funds, unlimited resources, and the will to win at all costs. We knew we had toBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1100017487844982902004-11-09T11:09:00.000-05:002004-11-09T11:24:47.846-05:00LISTEN TO THIS MAN The last person to get a Democrat elected to the White House speaks
From the WashTimes:
Democratic strategist James Carville said yesterday that the Democratic Party's losses last Tuesday were no fluke, and that they need to rethink exactly who they are and provide something more than a litany of policy proposals.
"The underlying problem here is, there is no call to arms that Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1099960876848543472004-11-08T19:02:00.000-05:002004-11-08T19:41:16.846-05:00WOO-HOO Let the intraparty bloodbath begin
Well, it's obvious that the battle is joined, and my first target is Jane Smiley, an author who's middling success has obviously given her the idea that she has some sort of intelligence that she must gift to the rest of the world. (Yes, gift can be used as a verb, and as for proving my point, Smiley is one of the most prolific writers to the New York Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1099613982990263212004-11-04T18:38:00.000-05:002004-11-04T20:09:14.330-05:00BUILDING A DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY Despite Tuesday, it can still be done
THIS IS THE AGONY of a party scorned. A party desperate to convince itself that a resounding defeat at the polls Tuesday wasn't its fault. "Our message wasn't properly carried...we didn't see the religious right coming on so strong...the media didn't cover the race right..."
A bit of advice for my relatively new party, since Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1097020166023808652004-10-05T18:49:00.000-04:002004-10-05T19:49:26.023-04:00MRC WATCH Skewering the right-wing media-bashers since 2004
It's time to start keeping an eye on the "Media Research Center," which claims to be guardian of truth and justice in the media. Actually, its slogan is "Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996." For those of you unfamiliar with MRC, it's led by Brent Bozell III, a man who has his name attached to so many conservative causes he makes RushBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1096931905944663482004-10-04T18:59:00.000-04:002004-10-04T19:43:40.953-04:00WAS I WRONG ABOUT IRAQ? Friedman's return sparks some reflections
Thomas Friedman (finally) returns to the NYT and makes the disillusioned hawk case that I wish some candidate somewhere would articulate. Like myself, Friedman has come to the conclusion that "We're in trouble in Iraq."
I don't know what is salvageable there anymore. I hope it is something decent and I am certain we have to try Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1096589018878056432004-09-30T19:42:00.000-04:002004-09-30T20:06:13.526-04:00STRIKE TWO; THEY'RE BOTH OUT How Bush also lost my vote
I hadn't actually revealed on here that Kerry pretty much lost my vote when he criticized Iyad Allawi for the Iraqi premier's speech before Congress. To me, it's simply unacceptable for a would-be president to lambaste the leader of a country the U.S. is trying to rebuild. It shows a willingness to carry the politicization of foreign policy Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1096495260600437002004-09-29T17:59:00.000-04:002004-09-29T18:01:00.600-04:00TV BLURB OF THE MONTH This one can speak for itself
Choose or Lose: Sex, Votes & Higher Power
MTV
Sep 29 10:30pm
Special/Other, 30 Mins.
Christina Aguilera speaks with people directly affected by the government's policies on abortion, abstinence-only sex-education, and dating violence.
Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1096412299867956092004-09-28T18:30:00.000-04:002004-09-28T18:58:19.866-04:00WE DITHER, THEY DIE Patience as a vice
Darfur continues to be the closest thing to hell on the face of the planet. (For proof, see here -- non-TIME subscribers will get a snippet, but it's enough-- and here. Nicholas Kristof at NYT has also been a leading reporter-columnist on the issue.) And the world isn't really but might be considering the possibility of getting tough.
This is the way the U.NBrandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1096068132241566152004-09-24T19:18:00.000-04:002004-09-24T19:22:33.643-04:00QUOTE OF THE MONTH The soundbites that make a story
From a NYT item about the two Vietnamgates:
"It may well be over for this campaign, but I don't think it's going to be over until the whole Vietnam generation dies," said James R. Reckner, the director of the Vietnam Center at Texas Tech University. "I can picture the day 20 or 30 years from now when there will be old men in nursing homes Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5060726.post-1095807058224974712004-09-21T18:13:00.000-04:002004-09-21T18:50:58.226-04:00WHAT BUSH SHOULD HAVE SAID AT THE U.N. At least, what your's truly would have said
"To the Secretary General, the member nations of the this great body, and the international community: Good morning, and thank you for listening to my remarks.
"Two years ago, I stood before this body and issued a challenge to the world to take on Saddam Hussein's vicious regime, to challenge the Iraqi dictator to Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182512836958644791noreply@blogger.com0