Satanically Subverting Tyranny
Established 1776
September 30, 2004
Debate Postmortem
Right now, as I see it, Bush gets a win. He didn't knock Kerry out, but he hit Kerry hard, and frankly, he didn't even need to do that. Bush registers a win simply by not getting knocked out. Kerry had to hit Bush hard, and Kerry did not land any serious blows. Bush, on the other hand, did manage to reinforce his image as commander in chief. I don't think Kerry was able to do that.
Bush managed to really land some blows on Kerry about his stance on Iraq. He used Kerry's own words against him more than once, and did an excellent job in showing Kerry as not being a real true believer in winning the War.
Bush paused too long occasionally, and I think it might have taken away a bit from his overall message. However, I also think that the punidtocracy will do what they usually do anytime Bush speaks, and harp on style too much, and ignore the substantive points Bush made in the debate.
Bush took on Kerry quite strongly on Kerry's stance towards our allies. Those were body blows.
Kerry had the better soundbite quote, but Bush did better overall.
Lehrer gave Kerry a major league softball at the beginning, and he should have stayed out of the debate a bit more. On the other hand, overall, Lehrer could have done worse. Personally, they should dump everyone and let Brian Lamb moderate debates from now on, if only that the self important anchorman factor will be minimized.
Bush used Kerry's previous statements very effectively against him. Every statement Kerry made about Iraq going back to 2002 Bush used against Kerry. That was the most effective thing Bush did in the debate.
Listening to the pundits afterwards, they still seem to mistake style with substance. Bush stammers a bit, but he communicates on a basic level. Kerry didn't really articulate a long term vision for how he would win the war, and Bush did. Frankly, I think the big losers in the debate are the punditocracy. They really don't get the sort of homespun quality Bush has when he speaks. He communicates very effectively, but because he isn't "high falutin'" in his use of language, pundits immediately discount him. That is a mistake.
Overall, I'd call this a solid Bush win.
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More liveblogging
Bush is just hammering him. "Coerced and bribed"....oof!
Update: Kerry: "I have nothing but respect for Tony Blair and Britain"--"the Coerced, the bribed..."
Update: "Rush to war"? Geez.
Update: From what I can see so far, Bush is winning this debate, hands down. Granted, I'm a conservative, but he has a much more coherent worldview than Kerry does.
Update: 2004: "not to confuse the war with the warriors". 1971:"... in a manner reminiscent of Ghengis Khan."
Update: Kerry takes a lot of notes during the debate. I give him kudos for not taking the gore take(Sighing and stuff).
Update: Bush is writing now. I'd love to know what they are writing.
Update: Bush hit Kerry on the International Criminal Court.
Update: Bush the multilateralist, Kerry the unilateralist towards the NorKs.
Update: Kerry just brought up the "back door draft," then asks for two more divisions. Of course, if, as he claims, that he will be able to get more allies to join in Iraq, then we wouldn't need the two extra divisions.
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Time to liveblog
It's the Lehrer show. All Lehrer all the time. And, frankly, all the questions should not be by Lehrer alone. Guaranteed pro-kerry questions
Update: What a softball! "Can you do a better job than Bush?" "Duh...no Jim. I, John Kerry, are a moron!"
Update: Bush sounds a lot better than Kerry. He speaks about liberty and democracy, and shows the real successes. Kerry sort of drones.
Update: Kerry's talking about money.
Update: Bush just quoted Kerry about how Saddam should be gone. That may be the zinger of the night.
Update: Bush is on fire. He sounds a lot more coherent than Kerry.
Update: Kerry is talking about lack of body armor. He is setting himself up for Bush to attack him on the $87 billion appropriation.
Update: Bush: "Best way to protect is to stay on the offense."
Update: Kerry just used his "Help is on the way" slogan. Ugh.
Update: There comes the $87 billion dollars. Vote for, vote against.
Update: Lehrer just asked Kerry about his 1971 senate testimony.
Update: Haliburton?
Update: Bush is hammering Kerry on the "wrong war" quote. Kerry's own words are being used like a baseball bat against him
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Debates Starting
And the blogging starts....
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Hypocrisy
On Bill O'Reilly, Torricelli is talking about McGreevey's corruption. Pot, meet Kettle.
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Enthusiasm Gap is putting it mildly
Powerline links to a WaPo article about how Kerry has problems with an "enthusiasm gap":
While the enthusiasm gap is apparent across most key voting blocks, nowhere is it more striking than in the way that political conservatives, moderates and liberals view their respective choices.Bush's conservative base is broadly enthusiastic about the president while political liberals are noticeably cooler to Kerry. Among registered voters, nearly seven in 10 self-described conservative supporters of Bush say they're enthusiastic about the president. But four in 10 liberals -- 43 percent -- express similar levels of excitement about Kerry.
That's putting it mildly. As my HMN google survey shows, voters who are going to the polls to pull the (D) lever are not voting for Kerry, not by a long stretch. They are only voting against Bush. They would like prefer to vote for Billary, Dean, even Nader, but if they can't get any of the above, they'll vote for Kerry and hold their nose. That isn't an energized base. That is a depressed base. That is also why this debate is so important for Kerry, but not very important for Bush. If Kerry can't use this podium to energize his base, he's finished.
Bush, on the other hand, only has to avoid alienating his own base while reaching out to swing voters. Only if Bush does something truly, monumentally stupid can he hurt himself in this debate, and that gives Bush room to maneuver which Kerry does not have--and it will have an effect on the debate.
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Live feed of the debates
As you can tell, I've put in a live feed of the debates. I'll also be liveblogging when it comes on.
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It's Huntin' Season!
Officials say if deer steps in front of your car, hit it
DES MOINES, Iowa -- State officials are urging motorists who can't stop when a deer steps in front of their cars to do the safe thing -- hit the deer."The best course of action is to brake firmly, steer to maintain control and don't weave," said Jim Saunders, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, which is conducting the "Don't Veer for Deer" campaign with the state natural resources and transportation departments.
One of every nine crashes reported to the Iowa Department of Transportation involves deer. From 1980 through 2002, the number of deer killed in accidents on Iowa roads nearly tripled. Last year, an estimated 7,000 motorists reported collisions with deer in Iowa, with 10 people killed.
No Limit for bagging Bambis with Buicks, Benzes, and Bentleys. Ain't life grand?
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September 29, 2004
Moveon V. Gallup--My Solution
If MoveOn is so peeved about the Gallup poll, they should use my poll instead. Take a look at how good Kerry's poll numbers are:
These numbers are so much better than that dull Gallup thingy.
Update: Guess what--plugged in new numbers, and now Kerry leads Bush in H0ld /\/\y N0se by a count of 9300 to 171. And yes, I apologize for using Warez d00d spelling. The reason why I do so is so I don't skew the results on Google.
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September 28, 2004
I wonder what the NYT is talking about?
The starvation and disease stalking the refugee camps near the Darfur region of Sudan are a reminder that for many refugees, conditions where they land are not much better than the conditions they flee. The world has 12 million refugees, and 7.4 million of them have been living in camps or settlements for more than 10 years. Many are prohibited from traveling or working, confined to crowded, squalid tents, at the mercy of marauding gangs, and utterly dependent on handouts of food insufficient to ward off hunger and on health care that does not prevent cholera and dysentery. Some people have lived in such camps for generations.
I'm certain they're talking about how Arab countries refuse to let Palestinians settle within their borders.
Half a million refugees from Myanmar, for example, have lived in camps in neighboring countries for 20 years, with no right to work or travel. The same is true of about 140,000 Somalis, who have lived since 1991 in closed camps in northern Kenya.
Yep. Myanmar's got a lot of refugee camps, and so do the countries that border Somalia. And Lebanon has a bunch, and Syria, and Jordan. I'm certain Gail Collins meant to include that here. It's just an oversight. Later in the article she'll call the Arab countries to task, I'm sure.
The camps are often established quickly to deal with refugee emergencies and never get dismantled. The original goal - allowing refugees to return home when conditions improve - has had the perverse effect of preventing them from establishing new lives in a new country. Countries like Pakistan, Zambia and Chad, which end up accepting the vast majority of refugees from troubled countries on their borders, would rather quarantine them than integrate them into their societies.
See? they mentioned Zambia, and Chad, and Pakistan. I'm certain the NYT will get to the responsibility of Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan eventually.
It is time to rethink warehousing, and refugee groups and the United Nations high commissioner for refugees have recently begun to explore how to help refugees become more self-reliant. Refugees who learn skills or earn money can be an asset to their war-torn homelands when they return. Moreover, there are ways to open up refugee camps without angering host populations. Zambia, for example, has given Angolan refugees land to farm. The food they grow has turned sleepy villages into trading centers, fueling local commerce.
Of course they're talking about the Arafat here, right? He's done a marvelous job of giving Palestinian refugees ways to earn money. Such a kind man, that Arafat. Someone should give him the Nobel Peace Prize.
Wealthy countries need to absorb more people for permanent resettlement. Europe, shamefully, accepts only a handful. The United States has become far less welcoming over the last 10 years, and particularly since the terrorist acts of Sept. 11, 2001. In 1992, the United States accepted 132,531 refugees; last year it was 28,422, although this year that number will almost double.
Ah, now they'll get to the part where the Arabs refuse to let 2nd and 3rd generation palestinians integrate with their societies, right? Of course Gail and company will.
The security concerns about accepting refugees from the camps are unfounded. No terrorist would want to spend years in squalid camps and then undergo a long and uncertain vetting process simply to infiltrate the United States.
Nope, no terrorists in refugee camps at all. Absolutely safe.
Initially, reducing warehousing will require commitment from wealthy countries with the wherewithal to provide land, training and microcredit. That will cost more than doling out a weekly ration of rice and cooking oil. But it could reduce costs later, and it is a way to create a more promising future for millions.
Hmm. I'm certain they mentioned how the Arabs warehoused the Palestinian refugees somewhere. They must have. They've only had refugee camps for 56 years. Maybe I missed it. I know, its in the emanations and penumbras. That's it. Gee, that New York Times, always using those hi-falutin' metaphors.
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She has the face for it
Will Rosie O'Donnell (search) be the next Rush Limbaugh (search) or Dr. Laura — by going on radio where the really big bucks are?The former daytime TV star — who recently launched a gay- family cruise line — is trying out a talk show tomorrow night by subbing for Jim Bohannon Bohannon is syndicated by Viacom/CBS's Westwood One, causing rampant industry speculation that the network is testing O'Donnell for her own radio show.
When I think about Rosie O'donnell, the first thing I think about is the Blind Date From Hell. Imagine the following: someone sets you up on a blind date, and, when trying to find out what she looks like, you ask "Does she have a nice personality?" and, with a straight face, the person setting you up says, "What are you talking about?" Feeling relieved that she isn't a dog, you go and meet her at the bar, and this is what you find:
And then you realize, that you've managed to hit the daily double--a person more ugly on the inside than she is on the outside. If I die and go to hell, the howls of the demons torturing me will seem like the warm dulcet tones of a Spring Robin in comparison to the harpyesque screeching of Rosie O'Donnell.
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Death Blow to the German Economy
Bush has finally decided to play hardball with the Germans, and started something that will finally collapse the Germany Economy.
Troops angry over no-hookers plan
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September 27, 2004
Zelnick Nails Rather
Bob Zelnick who was a reporter for ABC News before teaching journalism at Boston University fires a cannon in Dan Rather's direction:
Unconscionably, Rather vouched for the documents' authenticity and attacked critics as "partisan." Even after acknowledging he could no longer defend the papers, he offered no retraction of the story, instead claiming that the "heart" of the report attacking the president was unchallenged.Unchallenged indeed! Without the documents there was no heart of the report, only 30-year-old hearsay. Without them the report would never have made "60 Minutes," or the "Evening News," or for that matter, the Podunk Press. What was on display at CBS appears to have been a "get George Bush" mentality -- colleagues said Mapes had been working the story for five years -- compounded by the abdication of editorial responsibility by those who turn meek in the presence of Rather.
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Three Year Blogiversary
Bjorn Staerk had his three year blogiversary today. Stop by and say hi.
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Yes, Kerry Still Stinks
I haven't updated the HMN/HYN Graphs since last Tuesday, but I updated it today, and sadly, the news is still not good for Kerry. Take a look at the graphs:
Kerry's HMN/HYN numbers are still astronomical when compared to Bush's numbers, and this is really bad for Kerry. As I said two months ago:
If Democrats are walking into the voting booth with the same expression one finds when encountering three day old roadkill, why should independents vote for the guy?And the difference has been staggering, to say the least Bush's HMN number has never broken 180. Since the second week of August, Kerry's number has never gone below 9000, and Bush's HYN number has never broken 50, while Kerry's has stayed solidly above 200. These numbers still say the same thing--blowout, and Kerry must realize this. The polling data give Bush a 5 to 10 point lead right now, and both Kerry and the mainstream press realize it. Both are trying their darnedest to shift the poll numbers. The Kerry team is trying to rally the base, in effect, trying to lower his own HMN number. The mainstream press is trying to tarnish Bush by trying to portray him as incompetent and not a great leader, in effect trying to raise Bush's HMN number. That was why Dan Antidisestablishmentarianism[I don't care if noone else likes the new name, I do!--ed] tried to go after Bush's TANG service--to make him look like a less than honorable person.
The problem is, neither strategy seems to have been very successful. Kerry's HMN number actually has increased slightly since last week, and while Bush's number has increased slightly, it still is microscopic in comparison to Kerry. That means that Kerry has one last shot at changing the outlook before the election--the debates. Kerry must win so decisively in the debates that Bush supporter must become massively demoralized, and the only way that is going to happen is if Bush suffers a breakdown on the podium, and after seeing Bush since 9/11, I know that Bush is a real cool customer who is not rattled easily.
We also know something else over the past year--Kerry does rattle easily. If running into a Secret Service Agent causes Kerry to call said agent an SOB, exactly how will he react when Bush calls Kerry out on one of his more egregious flipflops?
Frankly, as it stands now, the debates are Kerry's last gasp at beating Bush. If Kerry can't flatten Bush in the debates, Bush will win the election handily.
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September 25, 2004
Colbert King gets it
Colbert King, a columnist for Washington Post, wrote this back on August 28:
What's more, the authors of "Unfit for Command" should have, in the interest of full disclosure, revealed their own connections with the Bush campaign as well as the sources of their financial support. They didn't. Those items of interest are also available in stories that appeared in The Post, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.But "Unfit for Command" is not really about John Kerry, the naval officer. The book is aimed at John Kerry, the antiwar protester and spokesman for Vietnam Veterans Against the War. And this is where "Unfit for Command" really gets mean. It calls into question Kerry's loyalty. The Kerry camp cannot let this kind of smear stand.
Now, after hearing back from some of his readers, he is singing a different tune:
Those who dismiss critics of John Kerry's Vietnam service as just a bunch of right-wing Republicans out to advance George W. Bush's cause don't know what they are talking about -- or they are engaged in wishful thinking. Okay, I may have once thought that about the critics, too. But after poring over the large volume of e-mail I received after my Aug. 28 column, "What Matters About Kerry and Vietnam," I don't any longer.I had taken to task the authors of the blistering anti-Kerry bestseller "Unfit for Command" for giving readers an unbalanced view of Kerry's service in Vietnam, and for not revealing their own connections with the Bush campaign and the sources of their financial support. The column also criticized "Unfit for Command" for smearing Kerry, a decorated former naval officer, as disloyal because of his antiwar activities. Writing as a former Army officer, I concluded: "Speaking for myself, it is enough that he served."
A number of readers agreed with that conclusion. Many more, however, most of them angry veterans, did not. Most striking was the fact that those who identified themselves seemed to span the political spectrum, with one even describing himself as a Howard Dean Democrat.
[...]
Two weeks later, another e-mail arrived on the same topic. It was from a Howard University classmate, a friend of 47 years, former assistant secretary of the Air Force Rodney Coleman. A Democrat, Coleman has local roots, having worked for the D.C. Council and later the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corp.
[...]
Coleman, who served in Vietnam for 13 months in 1971-72, wrote that he found disheartening the protracted mudslinging between Bush and Kerry and their respective camps about military records. But the favorable conclusion I drew about Kerry's service was, he stated, "with all due respect, not mine!"
[...]
"When Kerry made those critical statements of the war," Coleman wrote, "my parents, God bless them, went ballistic about their son going in harm's way. My military colleagues in the fellows program who had been there and were shot up were incensed that a so-called military man would engage in such insubordinate actions. At the time Kerry made those unfortunate remarks, America had POWs and MIAs, among them my friend, Colonel Fred Cherry, the longest-held black POW of the Vietnam War. How could a true American fighting man throw away his medals, while thousands he fought alongside of were in the midst of another example of man's inhumanity to man?"
While I am glad that Colbert King changed his mind, I keep wondering if his classmate and apparent friend Rodney Coleman had not written the email he had, would King have written the column he had, or would he simply have echoed the Kerry talking points about how the Swift Vets were simply another evil Bush conspiracy to tarnish the manifestly moral and upright John Kerry? My guess is that he would simply have called all the letter writers who complained cranks, and left it at that.
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September 24, 2004
No more Rather!
OK, I've got to say it. I'm tired of the fact that when using the word "rather" when mentioning anything related to Rathergate, people(including myself) have a need to make some note of irony in using the word. After reading this on blogs and listening to this on TV and Radio for the umpteenth time, I think it is high time we do something about it. Therefore, I have started a petition to Change Dan Rather's name:
We, the undersigned, are sick and tired of having to use the word "rather" with a note of irony whenever mentioning Gunga Dan's forged memo story.We, the Undersigned, hereby call on Dan Rather to immediately change his legal name to "Dan Antidisestablishmentarianism" so that we can go back to using the word "rather" without having to use some form of ironic superscripting or other device to make the word "rather" more ironic and to show how aware we are of the irony in the word "rather".
We, the undersigned believe an appropriate punishment for Gunga Dan's tarnishing of the word "rather" is for him to type all his correspondence, including his new name "Dan Antidisestablishmentarianism" on an IBM Selectric Composer from now on.
Hopefully CBS News will take this to heart, and help us to remove the stain that is now on what was a very useful word, that now I can no longer use.
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Talk about Irony
I don't know if Roger Simon realizes this, but his posting today about the destruction of the Buddhas in Afghanistan, and Saddam's public disappearing of Adnan Abdul Karim Enad has an ironic component to it. When clicking on his link to the destruction of the Buddhas, he links to commondreams.org. What did Common Dreams say about this back in March 2001? Well, they have this article that was originally published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press:
On this International Women's Day, this must be said: If the outrage directed at the Taliban for destroying ancient religious figures were instead channeled into rescuing the living from the hell that is Afghanistan, there would be much more to celebrate.Not that the wanton ruin of Buddhist statues and carvings is a trifling thing. These treasures were unique and seem to be lost as both history and art. The Taliban rulers have chosen to destroy these pieces precisely because doing so renders the outside world powerless to change a shocking outcome. A ruthless decision, carried out quickly, will obliterate the irreplaceable.
But worse things have been happening to all the women and girls of Afghanistan for more than four years. No effective rescue missions have succeeded in freeing them from oppression, terror, death, creeping ignorance and almost no access to health care.
What is the article Common Dreams talks about now with regards to Afghanistan? Well it is none other than casualty myth-maker Marc Herold:
Since the American takeover of Afghanistan, the major crops are now opium, human organs and kidnapped children. Drugs reign and warlords-turned-government ministers act as a toll-gate on (foreign) resource flows. Sometimes less gentle means are used such as in September 2003 when numbers of Karzai's cabinet and his military officers organized the bulldozing and forced eviction of poor squatters on valuable real estate lands in the Wazir Akbar Khan/Sherpur neighborhood.
Of course, the fact that leftists change their viewpoint on tyrannies depending on whether or not the United States opposes them is nothing new. I just find it more than a bit interesting that the moral outrage at the evil of the Taliban and Al Qaeda disappeared sometime around 8:45 AM on September 11, 2001.(And when you see these articles, pay attention to the date).
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September 23, 2004
My Answer: Who Cares?!?
The Puppy Blender is asking if blogs elevate the public debate My answer, frankly, is I don't care. Every time someone talks about "elevating the public debate," what they really mean is
"someone talking about something I agree with, but with five zillion 'on the other hands' interspersed in the conversation, all written/spoken in a tone that is incomprehensively dull and spoken in a fake uppercrust English accent. Every use of the word 'color' and 'labor' must include an extraneous 'U'. "
That isn't elevating the public debate. That is drowning it out in a sea of pernicious boredom. That is why I don't buy into "elevating the public debate." That's not why I write. I write about what I think is important, and I couldn't give a damn whether some chardonnay drinking PBS watcher thinks it is "elevated" or not.
Right now, I want a president that a)wants to win the war, b)has the character to be of our next commander in chief, and c)has a plan to grow the economy, along with d)a compatible view on a whole host of social issues. A) and B) are by far more important than C) and D).
That means the Swift Vets allegations are important, especially since Kerry made his Vietnam story the centerpiece of his campaign. Kerry's history in Vietnam and what he did when he came home is important. It tells me something about the man today. Maybe Jeff Jarvis thinks that is slinging mud, but he's wrong. Most swing voters vote the man, not the issue. In 1980, every poll on "the issues" pointed to a Carter win. But Reagan won in a landslide, and that was because voters wanted a leader in the White House who believed the US could win the Cold War, and would do everything to make the US win the Cold War, and noone believed Carter was that man.
Also, that is why the Left keeps harping the TANG story. If they can prove that Bush lied about his TANG service, then maybe they can make the "Bush Lied" meme spread to his Iraq policy. Then they can call Bush a liar, and hope that message sticks with swing voters--except they had one problem, Bush didn't lie, CBS did--and whether the Kerry Campaign was part of what happened with Rathergate is reflective of Kerry's Character, and like it or not, issues of character and personality are more important than any wordy position paper.
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September 22, 2004
Just found this oldie but goodie
From the old homestead:
So am I peeved that 60 minutes did a lousy job of reporting again? Yes. Does it surprise me? No. Watching 60 minutes is like viewing a live-action Robert Fisk article. One is amazed that so much idiocy can be compressed into such a small screen.
Of course, read the whole thing--you would think I wrote this last week.
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It's the Apocolypse! It's the Apocolypse!
Twinkies' maker files bankruptcy
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Interstate Bakeries, maker of Wonder Bread and Twinkies, filed for bankruptcy court protection early Wednesday.The company, which operates 57 bakeries throughout the United States and employs more than 33,000 people, listed assets of $1.6 billion and liabilities of $1.3 billion. It filed under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, and said it intends to continue normal operations.
No more Twinkies? This is horrible, and a true loss to science.
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Safire Gets it
Appointing independent reviewers should not be a device to duck all others' questions; that's Kofi Annan's trick to stonewall his oil-for-food scandal. But lacking the power of a grand jury's subpoena or testimony under oath, victimized CBS cannot put real heat on the perpetrator or conspirators. We have hard evidence of crimes by low-level operatives here - from wire fraud to forgery - as well as the potential of high-level political involvement. Is no prosecutor prepared to enforce the law?Conservatives should stop slavering over Dan Rather's scalp, and liberals should stop pretending that noble ends justify fake-evidence means. Both should focus on the lesson of the early 70's: from third-rate burglaries to fourth-rate forgeries, nobody gets away with trying to corrupt American elections.
Safire's right. What was committed was a crime. We need to know all that happened in the commission of the crime, and we need to know before we go to the polls six weeks from now. That means that the US Attorney and the local district attorney in Texas need to open up a grand jury investigation now. It is vital that we find out everything about what happened here. What did CBS know, and when did they know it? What did the Kerry campaign know, and when did they know it? What are the contents of Bill Burkett's computer? Did he receive these documents from a third party, or did he create them himself? These are questions that should be answered now, and not after the election, when the damage has already been done.
Here is the contact page for the Texas Attorney General's office.
Here is the contact page for all US Attorneys in Texas.
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Not Raisin Bran
Q: Why is Dan Rather not as good as Kellogg's Raisin Bran?
A: Because he can't deliver two scoops.
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September 21, 2004
I put in a tipjar
Remember, every dollar you give pays to give Michael Moore a spongebath and a stick of deodorant. And if you don't give, I'll bring up even worse mental images in your head, and if you think I'm joking, just ask yourself one question. "Which leftist has the worst case of back hair?"
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Democrat Lifeboat Watch
Sen. John Kerry dispatched campaign chairwoman Mary Beth Cahill to Capitol Hill on yesterday to a meeting with Senate Democrats who expressed anxiety about a string of recent campaign developments.“We were worried after the convention,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “We’re doing fine. Naturally, I’m worried.”
"Please don't give Bush coattails. Please don't give Bush coattails. Please don't give Bush coattails..."
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Response #3
Something tells me that the pajamahideen may want to make some of their own comments about this response:
JOHN;`Your outrage is not misplaced in my opinion, and I think you should
do everything you want to do to respond to this breach of trust. I'll
also pass on your thoughts to CBS, and believe me, they will get read.
The affiliate body and stations are intensely angry about this.
That said, I will say to you that my trust in the accuracy, fairness,
truthfulness, and balance of a large number of blogs, is not up to the
standards those same individuals are calling CBS to. They are too
often quite the opposite!
You likely know that CBS went on the record with their
apology/explanation today. Whatever else you think of Mr. Rather or
CBS, at least they admitted a rather large error.
Thank you for the time you've given to express your concerns.Dave Weinkauf
KVAL+ VP/GM
Here is what I emailed back:
Well, when I make a mistake, I correct it right away, either at the post
itself, or in a new post. I don't bury it on page C15. I take feedback at
all times, link to every source I use unless the source is inaccessible from
the web, and use trackback links so readers can see the other blogs that
comment or critique on my post. If I'm wrong, anyone who disagrees can
leave feedback, which is visible for all to see. For all the talk about how
we "aren't up to the standards" of CBS, does *any* mainstream news source do
that? Most newspapers publish a dozen letters to the editor, at most.For all of CBS News vaunted checks and balances, noone caught the fact that
half of their own forensic specialists had serious questions about the
documents, that both the son and wife of Col. Killian said the documents
were probably forged, and that noone had bothered to interview Staudt about
his role in getting Bush in the National Guard before running the story.Bloggers broke this story. They did all the early detective work that
determined that the documents were forged. And yes, bloggers have a
viewpoint. So do reporters. The difference is that I know the blogger's
viewpoint. I don't know what viewpoint the reporter has--I can only guess
by trying to divine his preconceived notions when he reports a story.
Trying to pretend that a reporter's viewpoint doesn't matter is ludicrous,
for specifically that reason. Even if he claims he is unbiased, his views
will color everything he writes, even if he consciously tries not to do so.
It is simply human nature, and to suggest otherwise ignores that reporters
and editors write about what they see in the world, and that means what they
see depends on how they see it. I think it is only fair that we as viewers
know exactly what a reporter's political beliefs are when he reports a
story. That would give viewers the one thing that is so sorely lacking in
how the mainstream press conducts its business: transparency.
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Another Affiliate Response
Received this response from another of the affiliates that I contacted:
Thank you for your e-mail.As a local news source we strive to explain the facts - in a clear and concise manner - so you can decide for yourself. We have no political agenda, nor do we force any particular point of view into our stories. We believe the viewers of our news programming to be thoughtful, discerning citizens of a free country who can decide issues for themselves.
I would personally like to assure you that in no way, does WSAW-TV condone, support or encourage lapses in judgment (Super Bowl), or journalistic problems (Dan Rather) with these CBS programs being "distributed" by us.
With that being said, I am happy to include the following press release and apologies that we received today from the CBS Network.
Regards,
Allan L. Lancaster
Vice President/General Manager
WSAW-TV - Wausau, WI
Not a bad response. I received it after CBS announced the retraction.
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Absolutely Random Thought
- Any woman who can speak Klingon at a Star Trek Rally will have the pick of any man in the joint.
- Any woman at a Star Trek Rally who is still breathing will have the pick of any man in the joint.
Thus ends my random thought.
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Whatever you do, don't attack his patriotism
Decorated Soldier Reportedly Attacked At Concert
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A local soldier back from the war in Iraq said he was beaten at an area concert because of what was printed on his T-shirt, NBC 4's Nancy Burton reported.Foster Barton, 19, of Grove City, received a Purple Heart for his military service in Iraq. He almost lost his leg last month after a Humvee he was riding in ran over a landmine.
Barton said he was injured again Friday night in a crowded parking lot as he was leaving the Toby Keith concert at Germain Amphitheatre. The solider was injured so badly that he can't go back to Iraq as scheduled.
"I don't remember getting hit at all, really," said Barton, a member of the 1st Calvary Division. "He hit me in the back of the head. I fell and hit the ground. I was knocked unconscious and he continued to punch and kick me on the ground."
Barton and his family said he was beat up because he was wearing an Iraqi freedom T-shirt.
"It's not our fault," Barton said. "I'm just doing a job."
According to a Columbus police report, six witnesses who didn't know Barton said the person who beat him up was screaming profanities and making crude remarks about U.S. soldiers, Burton reported.
Of course, the attacker was just another oppressed dissident speaking truth to power. And of course, being a "dissident", he considers himself a "true patriot".
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Is the NFL Socialist?
Every year, either at the start of the season, or at the Superbowl, the same question gets asked. Is the NFL Socialist? The Wall Street Journal today(sorry, no link) had yet another article about whether or not the NFL is a socialist institution, and how salary caps, revenue sharing, etc. are socialist in nature. The reality, of course, is not whether the NFL is socialist or capitalist, but is each team in the NFL competing with each other, or is the NFL as a whole competing against other sports.
Unlike Baseball, Football has to compete with other sports for viewers all season long. In the early part of the season, NFL competes with baseball. In the late part of the season, NFL competes with basketball and hockey. The NFL also competes indirectly with college football for the entire season. If the Giants and Yankees are playing at the same time, or the BoSox/Patriots are playing, fans may be more likely to watch the baseball game over the football game, especially if the baseball team is in a pennant race. Baseball is the only major sport playing during July and August.
So, if Football has to compete with other sports during its entire season, how does the NFL create a competitive advantage, where all teams can benefit? The answer: create a league where no team is wildly dominant over any other team, and where even last-place teams have the capability to beat first place teams. This is what makes the NFL much different than baseball or the NBA. The NFL figures correctly that all teams will do better if they can configure the league so that every game is a nailbiter, and blowouts are rare. This gives the NFL a unique advantage in terms of viewership. The closer the game, the less likely it is that someone will turn the channel to watch something else.
Anyone who makes the spurious claim that the NFL is socialist is ignoring the fact that the NFL competes with other sports for TV contracts, ticket sales, and merchandise. For example, the Patriots may play against the Jets at the Meadowlands, but the Jets are competing with the Yankees in New York, and the Patriots are competing against the Red Sox in Boston. That makes the NFL a capitalist institution, and people who claim otherwise don't understand the nature of how professional sports make money.
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September 20, 2004
Bush Blowout Watch
Well, maybe I should change that, seeing as how Bush is trailing Kerry by five points. In New York!
September 20, 2004--John Kerry's lead in New York is down to single digits. The Empire State, among the bluest of the Blue States from Election 2000, is still in the Kerry column for our Electoral College projections, but the raw numbers are stunning.Confirming findings found in other recent polls, Rasmussen Reports shows John Kerry leading George Bush by merely five percentage points, 49% to 44%. Four years ago, Al Gore defeated Bush to carry New York by a 25 point margin. Our last New York survey found Kerry up by 19 points.
Bush is also closer than expected in neighboring New Jersey.
For Bush to be competitive with Kerry, in New York of all places, is stunning. If this poll isn't an outlyer, then that means that New York is now in play, and that Kerry will have to spend money to make certain it stays a Kerry state--and the New York tri-state media market is the most expensive media market in the country. This is bad news for Kerry.
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OK, I'm probably late to the party
But I did another 8 mile ride today. Anyway, I received this at 12:30 in the email from one of the affiliates I contacted over the weekend. Here are some of the relevant portions:
STATEMENT
FROM THE NEWS DIVISION
MAN WHO GAVE CBS NEWS DISPUTED DOCUMENTS DESCRIBES
HOW HE OBTAINED THEM; IN TELEVISION INTERVIEW, HE ADMITS HE DELIBERATELY MISLED
CBS NEWS PRODUCER
CBS NEWS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT, BASED ON SUBSEQUENT
REPORTING ON QUESTIONS ABOUT DOCUMENTS, IT CANNOT PROVE THEY ARE AUTHENTIC AND,
THEREFORE, THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN USED IN THE "60 MINUTES WEDNESDAY" REPORT.
CBS NEWS AND CBS MANAGEMENT ARE COMMISSIONING AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW
Gee, it only took them two weeks to figure it out.
Last week, amid increasing questions about the authenticity of documents used in support of a 60 MINUTES WEDNESDAY story about President Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard, CBS News vowed to re-examine the documents in question-and their source-vigorously. And we promised that we would let the American public know what this examination turned up, whatever the outcome.
Now, after extensive additional interviews, I no longer have the confidence in these documents that would allow us to continue vouching for them journalistically. I find we have been misled on the key question of how our source for the documents came into possession of these papers. That, combined with some of the questions that have been raised in public and in the press, leads me to a point where-if I knew then what I know now-I would not have gone ahead with the story as it was aired, and I certainly would not have used the documents in question.
But we did use the documents. We made a mistake in judgment, and for that I am sorry. It was an error that was made, however, in good faith and in the spirit of trying to carry on a CBS News tradition of investigative reporting without fear or favoritism.
Please know that nothing is more important to us than people's trust in our ability and our commitment to report fairly and truthfully.
Fine and dandy, but are you going to apologize to the President for slandering him? Are you going to actually report the story of his national guard service accurately? Are you going to interview the pilots that he served with, the airmen who maintained his aircraft, or any of the officers in his chain of command? Or are you going to stick with the "larger truth" crapola?
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How could the Democrats nominate this guy?
I don't blame Kerry for my father's death, and I don't much care if he shamelessly chased after medals. But I do care that when he returned from Vietnam he gave aid and comfort to the enemy while our soldiers were still dying. I care that he smeared my father and a generation of our armed forces with false charges of war crimes while posing himself as a hero. I care that Kerry's false charges encouraged our enemy who was pressuring our POWs in inhumane ways to confess to imaginary war crimes. I care that he went to Paris to meet with the Viet Cong in 1970 while still an officer in the Navy Reserve, returning to publicly advocate for their position and against America's position.This isn't about politics. It's about honor and betrayal and protecting our country. And for me it is deeply personal, as it is for countless vets. Thirty-nine years later, my mother still cries on Nov 14. Thirty-nine years later, we miss my father every day. Thirty-nine years later, Kerry poses as a hero. As children of Vietnam veterans, many of us feel an unwelcome emotional strain as the arguments about what really happened in Vietnam are tugged back and forth, often by people who were not there. We deeply resent the suggestion that our fathers were war criminals as that theme inevitably seeps into the argument.
Every time I read a column like this, or read about another charged leveled by the SwiftVets about Kerry, or watch yet another content-free Kerry speech, it makes me wonder--How could the Dems nominate this guy? How could they think that his being a veteran would somehow immunize him from his anti-war activities? Didn't anyone in the Democratic party ask, "Gee, I wonder what people who aren't liberal Democrats think of the guy?" It is almost as if Bill and Hillary wanted Kerry to lose.
Oops. Nevermind. I think I answered my own question.
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Did Rather get the scoop?
CBS News Concludes It Was Misled on National Guard Memos, Network Officials Say
After days of expressing confidence about the documents used in a "60 Minutes'' report that raised new questions about President Bush's National Guard service, CBS News officials have grave doubts about the authenticity of the material, network officials said last night.The officials, who asked not to be identified, said CBS News would most likely make an announcement as early as today that it had been deceived about the documents' origins. CBS News has already begun intensive reporting on where they came from, and people at the network said it was now possible that officials would open an internal inquiry into how it moved forward with the report. Officials say they are now beginning to believe the report was too flawed to have gone on the air.
"Officials, who asked not to be identified." Obviously the idea of shooting the messenger is the modus operandi of Viacom these days.
But they cautioned that CBS News could still pull back from an announcement. Officials met last night with Dan Rather, the anchor who presented the report, to go over the information it had collected about the documents one last time before making a final decision. Mr. Rather was not available for comment late last night."Dan, these documents, they're forged." "Forged? If they're forged then I'm a one-toed armadillo during badger mating season." "Dan, they're forged. We've finally managed to figure it out." "Forged? They're as real as an east Texas cowpie in a Minnesota Winter!" "Dan, they're forged, and you've got to say so on the air." "Say it on the air? Who sees it and decrees it?" "Sigh One more time, Dan...."
In examining where the network had gone wrong, officials at CBS News turning their attention to Ms. Mapes, one of their most respected producers, who was riding particularly high this year after breaking news about the Abu Ghraib prison scandal for the network.In a telephone interview this weekend, Josh Howard, the executive producer of the "60 Minutes'' Wednesday edition, said that he did not initially know who was Ms. Mapes' primary source for the documents but that he did not see any reason to doubt them. He said he believed Ms. Mapes and her team had appropriately answered all questions about the documents' authenticity and, he noted, no one seemed to be casting doubt upon the essential thrust of the report.
I wonder if someone is going to tell her she's the doormat Dan is going to use when he rides off into the sunset.
Several people familiar with the situation said they were girding for a particularly tough week for Mr. Rather and the news division should the network announce its new doubts.One person close to the situation said the critical question would be, "Where was everybody's judgment on that last day?''
Their same place their heads were--up something that normally isn't the location one shoves their head up into.
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Drudge has a flashy light thing going
CBS: WE WERE MISLEAD
Gee, ya think?
Update: Oops. Change that to
Frankly, I think
Is a much more accurate title.
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September 19, 2004
Ray Guns!
Microwave gun to be used by US troops on Iraq rioters
Microwave weapons that cause pain without lasting injury are to be issued to American troops in Iraq for the first time as concern mounts over the growing number of civilians killed in fighting.The non-lethal weapons, which use high-powered electromagnetic beams, will be fitted to vehicles already in Iraq, which will allow the system to be introduced as early as next year.
First we get the ray guns, then we get the giant robots of death, then we create a galactic empire. Emperor George W. Palpatine the 1st. Sounds like a plan.
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September 18, 2004
It's called a Slowplay
Via Wizbang!
In the Rush for a Scoop, CBS Found Trouble Fast
NEW YORK — It was 11 a.m. on Sept. 8 — nine hours before "60 Minutes" was to air. But as news executives debated whether to broadcast a story on newly obtained paperwork offering fresh evidence about President Bush (news - web sites)'s National Guard service, a big question hung over CBS News' Westside headquarters: Were the photocopied documents real or fake?
"Hello, and Welcome to tonight's installment of the White House Poker Tour. I'm Vince Van Patten, and next to me is poker professional Mike Sexton, and tonight we have two stars of the poker world duking it out. In the three seat, George 'Crawford Slim' Bush, and in the seven seat, Dan 'Courage' Rather.""Yeah, Vince, this promises to be one hell of a tournament. We've seen a bunch of top notch players get knocked out so far. Ann 'Big Hair' Richards got knocked out losing with a pair of kings to Crawford Slim's aces over, and Albert "the Tennesee Geek" Gore was knocked out when his Aces over Queens was edged out by Crawford Slim's pair of Kings, and we've seen loads of disappointment here today, with Howard "Screamer" Dean, Osama 'Road Pizza' Bin Laden and Saddam 'the Whino' Hussein also getting crushed by Crawford Slim's masterful play."
"Well, Mike, we're down to the final two players, so let's watch while they shuffle up and deal. Crawford Slim gets dealt a pair of Rockets and Mike, as you well know, it is really tough to beat a pair of Aces before the flop."
"That's right, Vince, and Dan's staring at a KQ suited. It looks good, but I wonder if Dan's middle name is going to help him out on this one. He's going to need all the courage he can muster to beat a pair of Aces."
"Well, Mike, let's watch and see what Crawford Slim does."
Suddenly, the answer seemed to materialize, and from an unlikely source — the White House itself.John Roberts, the network's White House correspondent, called to report he'd just completed an on-camera interview with Dan Bartlett, the White House communications director. Bartlett, it appeared, had no quarrel with the authenticity of the documents.
"Did I just see that right? Did Crawford Slim just call with a pair of Aces?""Yes, Vince, and I can't believe it. It looks like Crawford Slim is prepared to slow play the hand. As you know Vince, a slowplay is a risky strategy. 'Courage' Rather could catch up and beat him."
"Rather just raised Bush nearly a quarter of his stack of chips! Mike, it looks like this might be the hand 'Courage' Rather is going to bet to win the tournament."
"Right Vince, but let's not forget, Crawford Slim is holding that pair of aces, and I'm certain he's smiling a little smile on the inside right now."
"Look at that acting job, Mike. Bush has this strange pained expression on his face. It is almost like he is in pain holding back a smirk."
"Well, Vince, I'd be holding back a smirk too if I was holding Aces. And there he goes, he's called Rather's bet, and we're going to see a flop."
"If we had gotten back from the White House any kind of red flag, raised eyebrow, anything that said, 'Are you sure about this stuff?' we would have gone back to square one," Josh Howard, the program's executive producer, told the Los Angeles Times in an interview Friday. "The White House said they were authentic, and that carried a lot of weight with us."
"Here comes the flop, Mike, and look at that flop. Ace King Queen, and it looks like it hit both Bush and Rather hard. 'Courage' is probably pleased as punch that he got such a great hand, but he's in trouble now and doesn't know it."Boy, is he Vince. There's nothing worse than having a great hand, and finding out at the end that you are holding the second best hand. I can't see how Rather can't bet, now that he's holding two pair."
"But he's in real trouble Mike, Crawford Slim is holding trip Aces."
"That's right, Vince, but 'Courage' doesn't realize that. He thinks he's got the best hand, and he's got to bet that hand."
"Well Mike, it looks like Dan is going to bet the hand...Wow! What a bet! And take a look at Crawford Slim. He looks like the cat that swallowed the canary."
"Well, Vince, George Bush is going to play this slow. He's got 'Courage' Rather right where he wants him, and he just needs to bait that hook."
"Look at this Mike, he just called the bet. I would have expected him to go and raise Rather, but he just called."
"Why should he raise now, Vince? He's got three Aces, he has to know at this point that he probably has the best ;hand, and he has the best draw."
"Mike, we've got a bet, it's been called, and now we're going to see the turn."
The story aired that night, and Dan Rather, the CBS News anchor, seemed to have scored yet another coup in his broadcasting career.
"And here comes a deuce on the turn. Mike, what do you think is going through these players' heads right now?""Well, Vince, both players probably think they've got this hand in the bag. But Bush has this hand locked up tight."
"The action's over to Rather, and he's mulling his bet. Do you think he has a clue that he is drawing dead, Mike?"
"Well if he does, Vince I don't see it. And how would he be able to tell? Crawford Slim's hasn't given any information on the hand. He hasn't moved his head or even twitched. He has been stone cold since beginning of the hand.
"Mike, it looks like Dan's going to make another big bet, and Crawford Slim calls the bet again. Mike, 'Courage' Rather's got to believe something is up by now."
"Well, Vince, you would think that having been called three times might give him an inkling, but it doesn't seem to have phased him at all. He still thinks he's got Crawford Slim on the ropes. But we know better, don't we?"
"Yes we do Mike, and he comes the final card.
Hours later, the roof fell in.Critics, many of them Internet-based, immediately charged that CBS had relied on phony documents from a shadowy, unnamed source. Rather, 72, long a target for conservative critics, was again fending off allegations of liberal bias. A growing chorus of media observers voiced distress that CBS had hurried a story onto the air without fully checking the facts.
And Friday evening, the White House denied that it ever confirmed the documents as authentic. "For them to suggest that [the interview was] an endorsement or ratification of the documents is a terrible stretch of reality," Bartlett said in an interview.
He also disclosed that he had shown the documents that morning to President Bush. "He had no recollection of these specific documents," Bartlett said, though the president said some of the information seemed accurate. For instance, he did go to Alabama. But he denied having defied orders from his superiors, Bartlett said.
"Look Mike, another King! That gives both Courage and Crawford Slim a full house!""Yes, Vince, but Dan's only got Kings full of Queens, but Crawford Slim's got Aces full of Kings. If Dan's smart, he has to ask why Bush has been calling him all the way--
"LOOK! Dan's raising all in! He's going for it all!"
"He should have thought that out a bit more, Vince. He should have realized something was up when Crawford Slim called on the turn that something was wrong."
"And Bush is calling! It's over! Dan 'Courage' Rather is busted out! George 'Crawford Slim' Bush is the new champion of the White House Poker Tour!"
And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is what is referred to as slowplaying a winning hand. And after watching the Whitehouse in Rathergate, I have to say, it was a mas