Posted 8:19 PM by Scoobie Davis

The Fund Drive
Yo, I ask for donations but only when I need the moolah. One reason I haven't been posting as regularly is that I have some projects that I'm not ready to announce yet. I am dying to tell you what I have planned. That changes on Thursday when I announce one of my projects. It's something I cooked up last week.

Anyhoo, in the meantime, I have to move at the end of the month and I need deposit money. So for the next week is the Scoobie Davis Online Pledge Drive (I'll stop it early if I get a shitload of cash). I know a lot of you out there have contributed and I only ask for a contribution if you can swing it. One thing I want to do is to offer is for those of you who contribute $10 or more, I will have a raffle off a copy of Hef's Little Black Book that Hef signed (along with three playmates). I have a soon-to-be-announced blogger do the picking of the winner. So click here and make a contribution. Note: if you've been a regular contributor in the past and can't contribute now, email me and I'll put you in the drawing.

Posted 8:46 PM by Scoobie Davis

The Odd Couple: Tim Russert and Me
Tim Russert came to the Barnes & Noble in the Fairfax District tonight for a discussion/signing of his new book and I had to go for two reasons: 1) during the Q & A, I wanted him to discuss the significance of blogs for the upcoming election (as well as any blogs he regularly reads); and 2) I wanted to see if television creates the optical illusion that Russert's head is shaped like a gourd (note to bloggers whose nickname for Russert is "Pumpkinhead": you're not far off the mark).

Russert receives a lot of flack from bloggers (e.g, today's Howler). I tend to focus on the rabid right commentators so Russert escapes my scrutiny--I watch him but I'm usually too busy switching channels to pay too much attention to him other than to notice the fact that his haberdashery is really lame-o.

I wanted to fit in with the crowd (which I expected to be whitebread--which it was but not as bad as Bill O'Reilly's recent crowd). This wasn't hard because I recently had a short haircut for an assignment and I had slacks and a polo shirt handy.

When I got there the crowd was about sixty mostly white people. Russert was longwinded and stodgy. (I am so glad I caught a buzz before I got there). He talked about the book and a little about politics--nothing notable enough for me to mention. There was a brief Q & A session but I didn't get a chance for my question. I stood in line for the signing even though I didn't have a book (I was thinking about getting one but I don't really like the guy). When I got to him I said I didn't have a book but asked him if he read any weblogs. He said he read a few each day but he didn't mention any names. I told him about my blog and he said he would check it out--which is kind of funny because basically this post is calling him an unhip tool with a funny-shaped head. Oh well, what's one more person who hates me?

Posted 6:40 PM by Scoobie Davis

Will Post Soon
I had an illness. I will post over the weekend. BTW, when I got home, I heard the last part of a conversation between Ann Coulter and local radio talk show host Al Rantel. They were joking about the prisoner torture in Iraaq. What a laugh riot. It was almost as bad as her performance with Rantel a month ago.

Posted 10:43 PM by Scoobie Davis

Did John Kerry give the finger to a notorious conman?
I don't know because I was in San Diego when it allegedly happened. The headline: "Kerry 'Flips Off' Vietnam Vet." The problems: 1) The aforementioned headline is from Christopher Ruddy's NewsMax; 2) The story reads: "Democratic senator - and certain presidential nominee - John F. Kerry gave the middle finger to a Vietnam veteran at the Vietnam Memorial Wall on Memorial Day morning, NewsMax.com has learned." Has learned? From whom? From Ted Sampley? If so, that's great because Ted Sampley is a credible guy. Ted Sampley is also a likeable guy; I don't know why anyone would badmouth him.

Posted 8:34 PM by Scoobie Davis

Unfair Juxtaposition? You Decide.
Oliver North on Al Gore:

"Somebody needs to check this guy's medication. This guy has got a problem." -- syndicated columnist and retired Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North, on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes"

"He's really nuts." -- Fox News host Sean Hannity, responding to comments by guest Oliver North.

David Hackworth on Oliver North:

[North] returned to the U.S., where he spent as much as three weeks at Bethesda Naval Hospital for some deep-shrinking by psychiatrists. The episode is shrouded in mystery. North himself is vague about it in Under Fire, his autobiography published reports that parts of his medical record were expunged. Meanwhile, there have been published reports (which North never legally challenged) that provide details about the apparent nervous breakdown. In one account he ran around naked, babbling incoherently and waving a .45 pistol.

I asked him about his emotional problems on the radio and he did not want to talk about them. Voters in Virginia should ask him about this and demand to see his Marine medical record.[Note: Hackworth wrote this when North was running for the US Senate in 1994] Watch him say it's secret because of national security. Hell, he may believe it himself.

Posted 10:19 AM by Scoobie Davis

Private Vice Versus Public Vice
Last week, Michelle Malkin weighed in on the mini-scandal revolving around the revelations about Jessica Cutler, who while an employee of Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), had sex for money with some Washington bigwigs and announced it on her weblog. The title of Malkin’s critical piece for WorldNetDaily (more on this later) is “The Skanks on Capitol Hill.” In this piece, Malkin goes to great length to point out her own virtue compared to Cutler’s lack of it. Here’s one example:

Cutler, who aspired to be a journalist, spouted: "I'm sure I am not the only one who makes money on the side this way: How can anybody live on $25K/year??" When I was 24 and making less than that, I did it by eating Spaghetti-O's, Ramen noodles and Swanson pot pies for dinner; driving a Toyota Tercel with no air conditioning; and sleeping on a $30 futon. I did it the way most parents teach their daughters to succeed: through hard work, thrift, faith and perseverance.

It’s a comforting thought that Malkin didn’t put herself in a compromising position when she was younger (I’m still trying to get over seeing the Dr. Laura nude photos; they still keep me awake at night). Malkin goes on to decry this episode’s negative effect on culture and on young women who want to get ahead by their smarts.

I have one message for Malkin: put a sock in it, media whore!

The Cutler flap and Malkin’s self-righteous response give me an opportunity to discuss private vice versus public vice.

First, private vice. If a young woman wants to earn a little extra cash by providing companionship to an older man, it is private vice. As far as I’m concerned it a private matter between the commercial sex worker (not whore or skank), her client, his family, and the God(s) of their choice. If each party agrees to the arrangement, then pork away—it’s none of my business (I also discuss similar matters in my post that details my conversation with Sean Hannity).

Let’s now discuss public vice. In the case of Malkin and her colleagues, the vice in question is media whoredom. Media whoredom is the prostituting of one’s journalistic integrity for filthy lucre. Media whoredom, unlike commercial sex work, has devastating consequences for society. Innocent people are libelled, reputations are destroyed, and paranoid conspiratorial thinking is encouraged.

Let me elaborate. Malkin wrote the piece for WorldNetDaily run by whore extraordinaire Joseph Farah, a man who took some easy money from Richard Mellon Scaife to write libellous things. Farah’s whoredom has hurt a lot of innocent people who have no dog in the fight. That’s public vice. By being paid by Farah to write for WorldNutDaily, Malkin is a whore’s whore.

Malkin’s media whoredom is compounded by her relationship with demented false messiah Sun Myung Moon. Last year, I discussed this whorish relationship in detail. Email Malkin at mmalkin@worldnetdaily.com and ask her if she uses a Holy Handkerchief after each transaction with Moon.

Posted 9:07 AM by Scoobie Davis

Every Democrat Should Read This
Josh Marshall on campaign lies and working the media refs.

Posted 9:02 AM by Scoobie Davis

Memorial Day
I hope everyone has a reflective Memorial Day. I will post a long post later today (as promised).

Posted 8:54 PM by Scoobie Davis

I Link, You Decide
Click here and here.

Posted 6:38 PM by Scoobie Davis

Two Big Posts Forthcoming
Sorry I haven't been posting as much as I used to but I haven't had a free day in two weeks. I am writing the rough drafts of two bigger posts. I will post at least one over the weekend.

Posted 10:32 PM by Scoobie Davis

Al Gore Punches Back
I finally read the transcript. Gore rocks! My favorite part:

The president episodically poses as a healer and "uniter". If he president really has any desire to play that role, then I call upon him to condemn Rush Limbaugh - perhaps his strongest political supporter - who said that the torture in Abu Ghraib was a "brilliant maneuver" and that the photos were "good old American pornography," and that the actions portrayed were simply those of "people having a good time and needing to blow off steam."

One solution to the counter the taxpayer-supported talk radio jock: an hour a day of Al Franken.

Posted 7:07 PM by Scoobie Davis

Bad Karma
Joshua Kurlantzick has a thoughtful article on how Dems can get the votes of Indian-Americans (people whose families are from India, not native Americans). One more way would be to highlight the words of prominent Republicans such as the Reverend Pat Robertson who said some wonderfully tolerant things about the religion of Gandhi:

We're importing Hinduism into America. The whole thought of your karma, of meditation, of the fact that there's no end of life and there's this endless wheel of life, this is all Hinduism. Chanting too. Many of those chants are to Hindu Gods-Vishnu, Hare Krishna. The origin of it is all demonic. We can't let that stuff come into America. We've got the best defense, if you will-a good offense.

Posted 6:33 PM by Scoobie Davis

Department of Get Real,Wingnut
Today, Scaife monkey-boy Joseph Farah--like fellow Scaife Monkey-boy Christopher Ruddy--dishes dirt about Ron Brown's death. Just one example of Farah's horseshit:

"A day later, every pathologist who viewed Brown's body concluded that his head wound, at the very least, looked like a bullet hole. In a decision that reached the White House, there would be no autopsy."

REALITY: Air Force pathologist Colonel William T. Gormley who examined Brown's body: "[T]here is no doubt in anybody's mind who evaluated his case that this was a blunt-force injury and not a gunshot wound."

Read more about it on pages 137-138 of Al Franken's Lies and the Lying Liars Who tell Them.

Posted 9:21 PM by Scoobie Davis

Hef Slams
Hef appeared at the Barnes & Noble at the Grove in the Fairfax District tonight to sign copies of Playboy 50 Years: The Cartoons and Hef's Little Black Book. Hef was very friendly. When I got to Hef's desk (he signed my three copies of Hef's Little Black Book), I suggested a pictorial featuring the women of the Mid-American Conference (I'm a Miami of Ohio grad). I think Hef said maybe.

Posted 9:15 PM by Scoobie Davis

More Good Googlebombing News
Thanks to all who heeded my call to push my site up the list for the words "Sean Hannity." I'm now in the top ten.

Posted 10:38 PM by Scoobie Davis

Oh Rupert
One more reason why The New York Post is for people who are too lazy to watch television.

Posted 10:06 PM by Scoobie Davis

Independent?
Today's LA Times had an article that featured a slam against Kerry that misrepesents his religion. It was written by Charlotte Allen of the Independent Women's Forum. Independent? It seems that the Independent Women's Forum is dependent on Richard Mellon Scaife's sugar-teat. Click here and ask Allen if the cause of women is helped by a guy whose idea of answering a reasonable question from a female reporter is to call her "a fucking Communist cunt," tell her that she's ugly, and say that her teeth are terrible.

Posted 10:37 PM by Scoobie Davis

Yo Bloggers
Support the Nameless Blogger's Googlebomb project.

Posted 11:24 PM by Scoobie Davis

Clinton-Haters Versus Bush-Haters
Last week, I mentioned Moonie Times reporter Bill Sammon's new book, Misunderestimated, with deep skepticism. I finally got a chance to check it out tonight at Barnes & Noble. The chapter about the rise of the "Bush-haters" is even weaker than I thought it would be (and I had no great expectations for a hack like Sammon). Sammon spends a chapter discussing protesters at a 2002 Republican fundraiser in Portland. Sammon reported on citizen-activists--many of whom used the f-word liberally; some who had extreme views; and a few were violent (even if this is true, they were no worse than typical Freeper types).

Gee, I wonder how Sammon would report on violent demonstrators if the shoe were on the other foot. Well, I know how: dishonestly as hell. In his book on the 2000 (s)election, Sammon--against all evidence--referred to the choreographed riot at the Miami-Dade vote-counting center by GOP political operatives (many were on the staffs of Republican members of Congress such as Tom DeLay) as "spontaneous." Also, Sammon--against all evidence--claimed that the riot was nonviolent. Eyewitnesses such as journalist Jake Tapper witnessed brutal violence by the thugs (Also remember that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney regaled these punks on a speakerphone when they had their GOP-paid Thanksgiving Day feast).

Let's compare Sammon's weak and anecdotal account of Bush-haters with Clinton-haters. Unlike the Bush-haters, these people have real power--and their viciousness knows no limits. David Brock's new book, The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy(buy it;I didn't buy it at Barnes & Noble only because I have some important projects in the next few days and I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down if I bought it). It is a primer about how a loose network of operatives on the right subverts democracy. I'm glad Brock addressed the members of the Scaife Internet Network. Also, unlike the citizen-activists Sammon describes (plenty of whom were obviously anarchists, not progressives), these Clinton-haters (who are now Bush defenders) are subsidized in the tens of millions of dollars by unhinged billionaires such as Richard Mellon Scaife, Rupert Murdoch, and Sun Myung Moon. I can't do justice to The Republican Noise Machine because I skimmed it but I am glad that Brock addressed the right's powerful echo chamber; on pages 180-181, Brock illustrated the dynamics of this pernicious phenomenon with his discussion of the spread of the Clinton Georgetown Speech Smear (which started by a colleague of Sammon's at the Moonie Times). I discussed this shameful episode on this blog. I give Brock's book a thumbs way up. Again, buy the book.

Posted 9:47 PM by Scoobie Davis

Stuff
Sorry I broke my promise two weekends in a row that I would discuss Greg Palast's speech; cheers to Tony Valdez of the local Fox News affiliate in LA for interviewing Palast on his Sunday morning show Midday Sunday. Valdez's show comes on right after the windbag-laden Fox News Sunday. . . I enjoyed reading The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book. Nobody crosshatches like Crumb. . . People are talking about the applause in Cannes for Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911. I can't wait to see it. Here is the movie poster of another film I can't wait to see The official site is here . . .If you've written and I haven't replied, don't worry; I have a busy schedule right now; I even forgot to write the Autonomist back. . . Krugman is good(as usual)--this time discussing the Wastrel Son literary archetype.

Posted 8:24 AM by Scoobie Davis

Taking Up The Slack
If you're reading this and like it, you're probably the type of person who is irritated when you hear right-wing blowhard dissemblers like Hannity, Limbaugh, and O'Reilly. That is a healthy response (even a hardened right-wing talk radio listener like me can't listen to Dr. Laura for more than a few minutes--she creeps me out too much). So you had to depend on me and a few other internet people to listen to these wretched shows and point out the flawed arguments, sophistry, and outright fabrications of right-wing talk radio.

When my schedule began to prevent me from listening to Hannity and Limbaugh, I was concerned that they would be getting a free pass because nobody would be monitoring them. Fortunately, The O'Franken Factor and Media Matters have done an excellent job of taking up the slack. Recent stuff: I got a chuckle when I read that Rush started to blubber over Media Matters' factual and, contrary to Limbaugh's claim, in-context television spots. I really enjoy Franken's entertaining and informative on-air pummeling of Limbaugh and Hannity's problems with the truth. In case you missed it, here is Franken on Hannity's lies about John Kerry.

What you can do: 1) check out both sites and listen to Air America--if you're a blogger, link to the sites. 2) tell three people about Air America Radio--especially if you're in a swing state.

Posted 8:15 AM by Scoobie Davis

Sweet
On May 12, Campaign & Elections magazine's Political Oddsmaker downgraded Bush's chances of winning to 52.2 percent.

Posted 8:03 PM by Scoobie Davis

Posting This Weekend
I will do a post on Greg Palast (I promised to do this last weekend--sorry) and other topics.

Posted 8:41 PM by Scoobie Davis

Reading Assignments
Must read: Joe Conason on the right's transparent(and lame) attempt to demoralize Democrats about John Kerry.

Also, Limbaugh is using his own money to place ads containing Moonie propaganda (a May 9th editorial from the Washington Times). I heard from an unnamed source that the ad is a desperation ploy to avoid an indictment.

More Moonie stuff: Moonie Times "journalist" Bill Sammon (who, not surprisingly, also has a gig with Fox News) has a new book out titled Misunderestimated: The President Battles Terrorism, John Kerry, and the Bush Haters Most recently, Sammon was the tool whose behavior at the most recent White House press conference was so fawning that it's rumored that the True Messiah Himself, Sun Myung Moon gave Sammon a Holy Handkerchief to wipe both his lips and Bush's butt cheeks.

According to the book's inside flap, it "meticulously tracks the rise of the Bush-haters, a disturbing political phenomenon that colors everything from the war on terrorism to the presidential campaign." This from a guy who works for Moon and Roger Ailes--I just don't know where to start.

Thanks to Drudge, Sammon's book is selling well. Drudge also promoted Sammon's book, At Any Cost. The Howler caught Sammon in a Jayson Blairesque distortion (which unfortunately wasn't important to the mainstream media; also click here to read about further misconduct in this case). Unfortunately I don't have time to read the book. If there's a blogger out there who wants to take a critical look at this book, go for it.

Posted 7:17 PM by Scoobie Davis

The Googlebomb Worked!
Click here.

In other Googlebomb news, I discovered that my hilarious conversation with Sean Hannity is listed as number 35 for a Google search of "Sean Hannity." Attention bloggers and people who frequent newsgroups, please link the phrase Sean Hannity to the the following web address: http://scoobiedavis.blogspot.com/2002_10_01_scoobiedavis_archive.html#83680324

The result will look like this: Sean Hannity

Posted 6:34 AM by Scoobie Davis

Thanks but No Thanks, Pillhead
Rush Limbaugh's morning update 5/11/04:

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me ask you a question: Have you noticed, since these prisoners [pictures?] of torture and abuse and misery and whatever you want to say--since these pictures came out, have you noticed that there are fewer attacks against Americans by Iraqi insurgents? Have you noticed that the death toll and the injury count is [sic] severely down--drastically down--since these pictures were made public? Now, the question is this: Do we dare a draw a connection? Do we say that these pictures have so shocked the insurgents and the other members of the enemy in Iraq that they don't want to get anywhere near this prison--anywhere near these female American prison guards and so they have reduced their activity and instances of violence against us? Well, let's say it's true: can anyone get away with saying this? I mean, right now the mentality is: this is so horrible; this is bad: this is disgusting; this is mean: this the worse America has ever been. Can there be any good derived from the release of these pictures? Can anybody make this connection and survive? Who would do it? I don't think it can be done, folks. But' I'll try. I'll do it.

Posted 8:07 PM by Scoobie Davis

Every Democrat Should Read This Article
In tomorrow's Salon, David Brock's article "The Mighty Windbags" which is an excerpt from his upcoming book, The Republican Noise Machine.

Posted 7:13 PM by Scoobie Davis

Blogging Tonight
I meant to post earlier but couldn't.

Posted 6:05 PM by Scoobie Davis

Nader Update
Previously, I mentioned how Nader's organization didn't bother to update the campaign calendar on its web site. It's still true: at the time of this posting, it gives Nader's itinerary for April 24 and 25. Yo, it's May.

Posted 5:01 PM by Scoobie Davis

Must Read
Carol Lay on Kerry's war wounds. I said it once and I'll say it again: Bush's surrogates have a lot of nerve on this issue.

Posted 10:46 PM by Scoobie Davis

David Brock Mentions Me in an Interview with Columbia Journalism Review's The Campaign Desk
It's nice to be lumped together with power players like Atrios and Somerby but I'm strictly second (or third) tier.

Posted 6:33 PM by Scoobie Davis

I'm Going to See Greg Palast Speak Tonight
Details this weekend.

Posted 9:45 PM by Scoobie Davis

Is Ann Coulter Completely Whacked? I'm Transcribing; You Decide
I don't know where to start. Read it for yourself and decide. The following is part of Ann Coulter's interview with KABC radio's Al Rantel May 5, 2004. No, this is not a hoax:

RANTEL: . . .What is your general take on all of this [Abu Ghraib]?

COULTER: Well, the point I just made on Hannity & Colmes--which no one has been making--is that this is yet another lesson in why women shouldn't be in the military.

RANTEL: Oh, really? You're bringing this up? It's funny because somebody mentioned that and I kind of pooh-poohed it. So tell me more.

COULTER: Well, you can't avoid the fact that there are a disproportionate number of women involved, for one thing, in the abuse photos. It was a girl general who was in charge of running our Iraqi prison. And, you know, for one thing, I'm a little disappointed in Rumsfeld--he allows the greatest fighting force on the face of the globe to have girl generals--what are we doing with girl generals? But I think as a general matter, besides the fact that women don't have the physical abilities to do the training exercises while carrying even a medium-size backpack, women are more vicious than men.

RANTEL: Really?

COULTER: These are a few, you know, I mean, in general, these abuse photos are manifestly a few bad apples in an overwhelmingly honorable military. I don't know if you remember, but back during the Afghanistan war--and that was even the war that liberals pretended to support--our military was trained how to bury the dead so that their heads were facing Mecca. That's an incredibly honorable thing to do--and, by the way, it's something that doesn't occur to a woman because we are vicious. You don't want us in the military.

RANTEL: Uh, uh, you're not being tongue-in-cheek here, Ann, at all?

COULTER: No, I am not. I'm being a little tongue-in-cheek about how vicious women are, but I do think it is a serious problem having women in the military. Men are used to this sort of thing. I mean, C. S. Lewis himself said, remarking on the differences between men and women, if your dog bit a neighbor's child, who would you like to go deal with: the woman of the house or the man of the house? Men are much more capable of engaging in combat and still being honorable about it. I'll give you another example that seems completely off-point and perhaps you'll think I'm insane but I was watching the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night and, you know, Jay Leno was telling a lot of jokes, cutting both ways, and you see people, even somewhat slimy people like Richard Ben-Veniste in the audience, but he was laughing uproariously at the jokes--even the ones that were to the detriment of John Kerry or the Democrats. But the women journalists, ohhhh, they're very dour, they're angry, they don't laugh if the joke doesn't go their way. This is what women are like. Men are better at engaging in combat while behaving in an honorable way. And it is--now I will swing back to the abuse photos.

RANTEL: Yeah.

COULTER: It is simply a fact--I have only seen five of the abuse photos--there are females in two of them. We don't have a military that's 40 percent female.

RANTEL: Now there's the one picture with the girl--that woman with the cigarette hanging out of her mouth--the woman soldier with the cigarette--and she's holding the gun at the guy's genitals. Is that the one you're referring to?

COULTER: There's that one and there's also a female in a pile-of-bodies photo.

RANTEL: Right. Well, you know, this is an angle I hadn't thought of. What--

COULTER: And [unintelligible] a woman general--a girl general.

RANTEL: The brigadier general, [Janis] Karpinski.

COULTER: Yeah, and, of course, we have affirmative action to get more women generals--girl generals--running the--Come on! Come on! That's silly. No civilized society allows women in the military--this is separate and apart from the fact that you should not be allowing women to fight.

RANTEL: I'm a little speechless only because I can imagine some our listeners saying, "Ann is a woman. Ann is an amazingly successful woman, you know, three times New York [Times] best-selling author and great political commentator and successful at everything she's ever done. Why do you think that women can't do these jobs in the military?"

COULTER: Well you definitely wouldn't want me fighting in this war--all 99 pounds of me--if you want to win. [Coulter cackles]

RANTEL: But wait. Wait a minute. I recognize that there are physical differences between the average man and the average woman with the possible exception of Janet Reno, but I'm talking about--

COULTER: [cackles]

RANTEL: But you seem to be making a blanket statement that putting women in general, as females, in the military is a bad idea.

COULTER: Yes, and in addition to our manifest physical limitations, I think women are more vicious than men.

RANTEL: That would explain Hillary Clinton.

COULTER: Yes!

RANTEL: [Laughs]

COULTER: It would explain the White House Correspondents' Dinner with these dour feminists sitting, frowning at jokes that cut against them. You know, I will admit that there are many men who are women [Coulter chuckles] and there are some women who can behave like men, but as a general matter, women are overwhelmingly unable physically to be in the military and I think also psychologically.

RANTEL: Yeah, that's the part I'm getting to. So you think there's a psychological difference between them. We know the physical is obvious.

COULTER: It's in our genes to protect the hearth and home. to respond viciously to the enemies, to intruders, whereas, just think of immediately after the 9/11 attack, I was huffing and puffing and fuming the very night of it that we weren't already dropping bombs in Afghanistan?--

RANTEL: But I think a lot of guys--men and women were, don't you think?

COULTER: I suspect that actually is how the Democrats would have responded because they are women. . .

Posted 7:12 PM by Scoobie Davis

Another Googlebomb
Link the following web site to the words "compassionate conservatism" The site is http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1862767

The result will look like this: compassionate conservatism

Posted 6:29 PM by Scoobie Davis

Transcript Up Tonight
I'll have the Ann Coulter transcript up by 10:30 PST--unless something comes up.

Posted 9:39 PM by Scoobie Davis

My Mind is Blown
I've said it before: I often feel like the character Mr. Hand (deftly played by one of favorite character actors, Ray Walston) who by the end of Fast Times at Ridgemont High became convinced that everyone is on drugs. I was listening to the O'Franken factor and heard the following from Rush Limbaugh about the torture and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners by some renegade American troops:

This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation and we're going to ruin people's lives over it, and we're going to hamper our military
effort, and then we're going to really hammer 'em because they had a good time.

You know, these people are being fired at everyday - I'm talking about the people having a good time.

You ever hear of emotional release?

You ever hear of need to blow some steam off?

These people are the enemy!

Yes, I know Limbaugh was hooked on hillbilly heroin but what about the people who listen to this and take this shit seriously? I don't know where to start.



Also, I heard Ann Coulter tonight on KABC radio. She was so loony that even the host Al Rantel (a right-winger) thought Coulter was being tongue-in-cheek.


That's the teaser: I will have a transcript tomorrow.

I am slowly becoming convinced that one of these days, Coulter will come forth and admit that she's jerking everyone's chain.

UPDATE: on today's (5/6/04) morning update, Limbaugh did not mention his comments on the treatment of Iraqi prisoners.

Posted 3:10 AM by Scoobie Davis

Googlebombing John O'Neill
One of the reasons I believe that the right is no longer looking to conman Ted Sampley as a Vietnam vet spokesman against Kerry (notice that Sean Hannity has't brought up Sampley's name lately) is not so much that he is a conman (and a complete nut job)--rather it has been that he has been exposed as a conman. One way this has been achieved is by so many bloggers and writers whose articles are near the top of a Google search of Sampley's name.

Doing the same thing for the hard right's new Vietnam vet darling John O'Neill (who previously railed against Kerry for the Nixon White House) will be more difficult. One problem is that "John O'Neill" is a common name. However, it is important. O'Neill's piece-of-shit editorial for the piece-of-shit Wall Street Journal editorial page is a good example. The subtitle of the editorial is "I was on Mr. Kerry's boat in Vietnam. He doesn't deserve to be commander in chief." (yeah right). However, Google searchers should be able to access a comprehensive article that tells them who O'Neill really is. Joe Conason 's recent article for Salon is a good choice. Accordingly, a good Googlebomb would be to link the words "John O'Neill" to http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2004/04/23/o_neill/index.html
The result will look like this: John O'Neill

UPDATE: Also, please googlebomb the words "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" to this link: http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2004/05/04/swift/index_np.html
The result will look like this: Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

Other Googlebombing news: my site slipped a little in my Googlebombing of the words "Christopher Ruddy." It's apparently because Ruddy and NewsMax googlebombed another Newsmax page. No problemo; I'm still number four.

Posted 12:36 AM by Scoobie Davis

David Brock Is In Da House
Brock's new web journal is Media Matters. It has a comprehensive content analysis of Pillhead's extemism and hatemongering over the past few months. The article includes the quote mentioned on the net first by yours truly about how Limbaugh accused Democrats of celebrating the terrorist bombings in Madrid.

UPDATE: James's Taranto on Media Matters: "We checked out the Media Matters Web site, and here are some of its shocking revelations:

* Linda Chavez, a conservative columnist, has written a column reflecting her harshly critical opinion of John Kerry."

REALITY: Actually Media Matters took Chavez to task for calling Kerry a "communist apologist" in her syndicated column and then lying about it on the fair and balanced network. The title of the article is "FOX's Chavez called Kerry a "communist apologist" -- and then lied about it" It's not the harshness of the column,; it was the lying about the column that was the main issue; this column led to a retraction by Chavez.

Posted 8:05 PM by Scoobie Davis

Yo
May looks like a busy month for me--but I'm getting paid and don't have to use dishwashing liquid to clean my contact lens. If you had a five- or ten-spot that you want to donate to a worthy cause, the site O'Reilly-Sucks needs our help. Click here to donate to keep O'Reilly-Sucks alive.

Posted 10:20 PM by Scoobie Davis

Stuff
Sorry I haven't been posting regularly. Don't worry: I'm working on some projects and the time is not right to tell you about them. Be patient. I've read some good articles lately: Today's E.J. Dionne column was good and tomorrow's Harold Meyerson column is excellent.

Posted 8:42 AM by Scoobie Davis

For a Laugh
Go to the New York Times Book Review and click on Stamaty's latest Boox comic about dueling book tours.

Posted 6:50 AM by Scoobie Davis

Just Curious
The attempt to attack John Kerry over his Purple Heart is the latest example of the right's shameless attempt to destroy anyone in its way. Douglas Brinkley has a good rebuttal to the charges that Kerry didn't deserve the medal. In the most recent news story that the Kerry campaign is posting Kerry's Navy records online, it states that "[c]onservatives, talk radio hosts and some newspaper editorials have questioned the seriousness of his injuries and whether the Massachusetts senator was deserving of the three Purple Hearts, which resulted in his reassignment out of Vietnam." I haven't had the chance to listen to Limbaugh lately but in case El Rushbo was part of this chorus, I have one question: Was Kerry's shrapnel wound bigger than the cyst on Limbaugh's ass?
UPDATE: Limbaugh on Kerry's Purple Hearts. What a dick.

Posted 6:57 AM by Scoobie Davis

The Race
Sorry I haven't been posting regularly--busy, busy, busy. Campaigns & Elections magazine just downgraded Bush's chances for election.

Posted 6:14 AM by Scoobie Davis

The Googlebomb is Working!
The "Christopher Ruddy" Googlebomb (see previous post) is a success! I'm now at number three. Thanks to all who helped out.

Posted 11:15 PM by Scoobie Davis

Help Me With a Googlebomb!
Fucking-A! I just found out that my site comes up sixth for a Google search of the phrase "Christopher Ruddy." For those of you not familiar with this site, Christopher Ruddy is a noisome little prick who gained infamy and fortune as one of Richard Mellon Scaife's errand boys who spread rumors that the Clintons were responsible for the deaths of Vince Foster and Ron Brown (there's also the rumor that Ruddy is Tammy Bruce's lesbian lover; note to dittoheads, the previous sentence was a joke). The Google search goes to my September 2003 archives because of my article on Ruddy and other Scaife whores.

Let's try to bring my site to the top of a Google search: If you are a blogger or a newsgroup poster, then link the phrase "Christopher Ruddy" to the following web address: http://scoobiedavis.blogspot.com/2003_09_01_scoobiedavis_archive.html

Posted 7:06 AM by Scoobie Davis

Reason Number 3752 Not To Trust Drudge
The Air America flap

Posted 12:03 AM by Scoobie Davis

Darn!
I just got back from the premiere of 13 Going on 30 in Westwood. I went, of course, to sneak into the premiere after-party. No such luck: there wasn't an after-party (at least not an official one). I wanted to crash and tell Jennifer Garner that I loved Dude, Where's My Car? (I said that to Seann William Scott at the Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back premiere and he gave me a huge shit-eating grin). I also wanted to ask Ms. Garner for a date. Okay, she's out of my league but I figure I have more of a chance of getting a date with Jennifer Garner than Ralph Nader has of being elected president.

Posted 9:29 PM by Scoobie Davis

Paul Krugman Tells It Like It Is
I heard the Paul Krugman interview on Air America’s Morning Sedition last week. A caller asked Krugman why Clinton was investigated from the begining of his presidency to the end and George W. Bush has received little scrutiny. Krugman summed it up succinctly:

The short answer is “Yes Virginia, there is a vast right wing conspiracy.”

[Laughter from hosts]

The Clinton scandals--none of them, except for Monica—was there anything to it. And it was this constant era of scandal that was fomented by a network of think tanks, publications—of which were funded by a handful of angry and personally dysfunctional billionaires. And that’s basically what happened and the media fell for it and continue to circulate it. . . So that’s what happened to Clinton and the same machinery is now turned not against the man in the White House but against anyone who criticizes the man in the White House and that’s the big difference between the two.

Posted 6:51 AM by Scoobie Davis

What an Amateurish Operation
I checked the calendar on Ralph Nader's campaign web site (so that I could find out when Nader would be in LA so that I could heckle him) and last week's schedule is on the site.

Posted 6:34 AM by Scoobie Davis

Krugman Quote Tonight
I'll have a Paul Krugman quote tonight that you can't find anywhere on the web.

Posted 9:53 PM by Scoobie Davis

Best Song From an Unsigned Singer I have Heard in a Long Time
Happy Hour by Vanessa Taylor.

Posted 6:53 AM by Scoobie Davis

Relief
I finally got to listen to the O'Franken Factor. I was pleasantly surprised that Franken is taking excerpts from Limbaugh's and Hannity's radio show and scrutinizing them. I was doing this (scroll down for recent criticisms), but for the past couple weeks, I have not been able to do so because of my new job. I'm glad someone is doing it.
UPDATE: Franken's weblog has more on Hannity's lies--scroll down to 4/6 (via Atrios).

Posted 11:51 PM by Scoobie Davis

Lame Talk Radio Versus Dynamic Talk Radio
Last week, I found out that pseudo-Democrat Tammy Bruce just got a nationally syndicated radio show (it’s on Saturdays from 4-7PM PST).

BRUCE’S MODUS OPERANDI: For those of you not familiar with Bruce, she’s a right-wing shill who poses as a Democrat for fun and profit. Let me discuss Bruce’s balancing act: she acts like a loyal Democrat but does nothing but slam Democrats as intolerant (e.g., Bruce’s book The New Thought Police). At the same time, Bruce gives credibility to people who have nothing less than the goal of the destruction of the Democratic Party (e.g., Scaife errand boys Chris Ruddy and David Horowitz as well as Roger Ailes, Sean Hannity and G. Gordon Liddy). The books listed on her web site’s books selections include tomes by Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Ann Coulter, Bernard Goldberg, and David Horowitz. Yuck.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF BRUCE’S MEDIA WHORING: For Bruce, it means book deal as well as radio and Fox News gigs in which she kisses George W. Bush’s ass. For people like Fox News’ Ailes, it means a defense against charges that he’s not “fair and balanced” because Bruce is ostensibly a Democrat; at the same time, Ailes and the right benefit because supposed Democratic “balancers” like Bruce have nothing but vitriol for Democrats. The results for the American public: painful rectal itching due to all the smoke blown up their butts.

THE SOLUTION: Media hackers like me who aren’t afraid to take the fight to the right; we should expose shills like Bruce. I’ve had the chance of confronting Bruce on these matters a couple times in the past when she was on talk radio. A couple months ago, I suggested that since she had such a good time rubbing elbows with and whoring for the most noxious media people on the right that she should take the plunge and get her lame ass out of the Democratic Party and the progressive movement. My most recent action was to call into the debut of Bruce’s radio show the Saturday before last. I took a different strategy this time: instead of confronting her as I had done previously, I acted like a live one—I took the role of a mouthbreathing Freeper-type in order to find out how Bruce would respond. I made sure to bring up some of the nefarious activities of her right-wing cronies. I also wanted her input on the Air America radio network, which was starting up a few days after her show debuted. I only got a couple sentences in before she muted my line. Here’s how the transcript of my call to her show [I posed as Harold]:

BRUCE: Let’s take some more of your calls here. To Harold, calling from KABC, our flagship in Los Angeles, you’re on with Tammy Bruce. What’s on your mind, Harold?

SCOOBIE: Congratulations on your new show. I predict that your show will succeed and that forthcoming liberal talk radio network [Air America] will fail miserably. And the reason is because conservative talk radio and the internet succeed because they report what the mainstream media doesn’t report.

BRUCE: Yeah.

SCOOBIE: And one example of that is: if it weren’t for people like G. Gordon Liddy, Roger Ailes, and Chris Ruddy, we wouldn’t know how the Clintons were responsible for the death of Vince Foster and [suppressing a snicker] other kinds of Clinton scandals during the 1990’s.

BRUCE: You know, even if there is disagreement, because I also write a column which runs on NewsMax.com and also on David Hororwitz’s site FrontPage Magazine.com—the other reason why the so-called liberal network won’t work is because people who listen to radio talk shows—whether they be liberal or conservative—expect details to be able to be dealt with; they expect to be able to hear honest discussions about what’s going on. And part of my contention—Harold, thank you so much for the call—one reason why liberals—actual liberals, leftists—don’t do well, is because they can’t deal with details. One of my biggest indications and what I’ve been complaining about in my first book, The New Thought Police, and this is why I can state a question directly and know why I’m not going to vote for John Kerry because I don’t feel safe if he was president. The left for so long has been used to dealing with serious issues by name-calling. . .So what’s happened is that liberals, consequently, and that name-calling has worked, have not had to deal with the details of serious social issues and the ability to debate has atrophied, and it remains a name-calling debacle.

REALITY: Will Air America succeed? If and only if progressives are smart. When El Rushbo and Bruce’s friends were running roughshod over Bill Clinton in the 1990’s, progressive pundits and Democratic politicians stood by and did very little. It took a comedy writer, Al Franken--not a politician or pundit—to stand up to Limbaugh. Franken has done much more since then—taking on Coulter, Bush, Hannity, Ruddy, Ailes, and O’Reilly in Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them (I downloaded the audio of Franken’s confrontation with O’Reilly on Kazaa and it is hilarious). Progressives owe a big debt of gratitude to Franken.

However, I don’t think people should listen to Air America radio out of a feeling of obligation; they should do it because it’s radio that slams. The Air America radio network has been around for just one week and it is da bomb. I work days so I haven’t heard much of the O’Franken Factor but the shows I have heard were excellent. Far from name-calling, the hosts discuss the issues. It’s the opposite of right-wing hate radio shows and their paranoid conspiracy theories (which are also shared by Bruce’s friends Ruddy and Ailes). Here are a just a few of the things I heard in my limited listening time:

Randi Rhodes mocking and haranguing Ralph Nader (I’ll discuss this later). . . An interview with John Carlos Frey, director of the film, The Gatekeeper. . . An interview with Larry David. . . Janeane Garofalo on Laura “Shut up and sing” Ingraham. . . In an interview with Madeline Albright, Randi Rhodes asked the former UN ambassador if she was concerned that so many on the right have an apocalyptic view of the Middle East inspired by the Book of Revelation. . . Janeane Garofalo and Sam Seder discussed how a man with degrees from two Ivy League schools like Bush could claim the jury was still out on evolution. . . Hilarious parody public services announcements skewering Rush Limbaugh, Jerry Falwell, O’Reilly, and John Stossel. . . Garofalo and Seder talking about John Dean’s new book Worse Than Watergate. . .A discussion of paperless voting machines. . . In an interview with Helen Thomas, Sam Seder asked Thomas about her departure from UPI when self-proclaimed messiah Sun Myung Moon took it over. You won’t hear those kinds of things on NPR.

THINGS TO DO:

1) Check out Air America radio. Listen on the web if it not available on the radio in your area.
2) If you’re a blogger, link to Air America.
3) Email Tammy Bruce at heytammybruce@yahoo.com and tell her to get a life and get off of the I’m-a-principled-Democrat/right-wing-shill gravy train.

Posted 6:16 AM by Scoobie Davis

Posting Tonight
I know I promised to post the long article last night but I took a nap and woke up at 6 in the morning. I have to get ready for my new flunky job so I will have to postpone it until tonight. Sorry.

Posted 7:18 PM by Scoobie Davis

Random Stuff
I'll have the longer post I promised tonight--I won't go to bed before I post it . . . I saw a guy on the bus today--let's call him Retro-Man. Retro-Man was wearing a brown polyester leisure suit. Now it's been at least 28 years since his clothing could even arguably be described as fashionable. How does one explain this? I've come up with the following options: 1) he was into vintage clothing; or 2) he was too poor to be choosy about clothing; 3) he has an f-you attitude about fashion; 4) he's trying to be ironic; 5) he has no fashion sense; 5) He was from a country in which this type of clothing is considered safari-wear. Any other thoughts? . . . I had to give up cable and it pisses me off. One show I just discovered blew my mind. Zuma Dogg is a show that shows that you don't need a big budget for quality television. Zuma Dogg is a hilarious in-your-face public access show in which this febrile guy named Zuma Dogg has frenetic stream-of-consciousness rants in public. He has talent . . . I can't wait to see Spider-Man 2 . . .

Posted 7:03 AM by Scoobie Davis

Posting Tonight--I Promise
I know I wrote that I would be posting over the weekend but things came up. I will post tonight.

Posted 2:00 PM by Scoobie Davis

Lo Siento
Sorry about not posting the post I promised but I had to go to a job interview in San Diego for a real job. I'm in Tijuana now and I'm at an internet cafe (I stayed overnight in TJ because hotel rates are cheaper here than San Diego--$13.00 a night). Wish me luck. Because of my interview, I missed the launch of the O'Franken Factor on Air America radio). I just tuned in to Air America's Randi Rhodes; so far so good. Back in December 2002, I told you about Rhodes. On Rhodes' show, I heard an ad for the film Heart of the Beholder; the teaser is slammin'.
UPDATE: As I write this, Rhodes is putting her foot to Ralph Nader's ass.

Posted 6:10 AM by Scoobie Davis

Post Postponed
Over the weekend, I promised that I would post an exclusive this morning. Due to technical problems, I have to postpone this for a while. Sorry.

Posted 11:31 AM by Scoobie Davis

Richard Clarke
I was very impressed with Richard Clarke's performance with Tim Russert on Meet the Press this morning. Clarke effectively told Russert how important it was to focus on the issues and not on personal attacks and libels. I think it is sad when I check my sitemeter stats and find that many people came to my site based on keyword searches of the words "Richard Clarke" and "lies" or "liar." I am also saddened by the attempt by administration surrogates to try to criminalize dissent with these baseless calls to indict Clarke for perjury. Bill Frist and other congressional Republicans are acting like hired guns, not statesmen.

Posted 5:37 PM by Scoobie Davis

Exclusive:Totally Hilarious Post Forthcoming
First thing Monday morning, I will post a very funny exclusive. Trust me.

Posted 10:31 AM by Scoobie Davis

Bill Frist's Slander Against Dick Clarke
Josh Marshall sums it up well:

A few hours after accusing Clarke of perjury, [Frist] admits that he has no idea -- not just no idea whether he perjured himself, which is a fairly technical question, but no idea whether there were any inconsistencies at all.

Posted 12:33 AM by Scoobie Davis

Hate To Break The News
I just found out from my Sitemeter stats that this site is one of the top sites that pops ups for a Google search of the words "Richard+Clarke+lies." Sorry to break the news to my web-searching friends but Richard Clarke is telling the truth. Dick Clarke is the real deal. However, if you want right-wing talking points on Clarke, go to NewsMax, WorldNutDaily, or listen to Hannity or El Rushbo. . .Quick notes: Didn't you just love it on Hannity & Colmes last night when guest Charlie Rangel said that the difference between Clarke and Condi Rice is that Clarke is willing to speak under oath? Hannity's lame response: "That's a cheap shot.". . .Joe Conason's latest:

Within days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the White House public-relations office began to shroud those events behind personality propaganda, heroic mythology and even religious mysticism. Over the years to come—and until now, perhaps—stirring words and images would serve not only to repackage George W. Bush, but also to obscure the plain facts about his administration’s fateful errors.

The President’s chief political strategist and his National Security Advisor claimed falsely that Al Qaeda had targeted Air Force One on that terrible late-summer morning, thus transforming his prudent flight from Florida to Nebraska into a dramatic escape from peril. The President’s supporters suggested that God had chosen George W. Bush to lead America, in anticipation of national crisis.

During the ensuing year, while the air was filled with such mystifying nonsense, the President and the Vice President warned Congress against an independent investigation of the circumstances leading up to the disaster. After public clamor for an investigation finally prevailed over that intimidation, the White House tried every conceivable tactic to hinder the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, even while claiming to support the commission unreservedly.

Clearly, the President preferred flattering myths to hard facts about 9/11. Now, with the publication of Richard Clarke’s memoir, Against All Enemies, we know why.

Mr. Clarke is a nonpartisan professional who has devoted his life to national security, serving four Presidents of both parties during a distinguished public career that spanned 30 years. Unlike most of those who have rushed to criticize him, he rose to the highest levels of government strictly on merit rather than family or political connections. His devotion to duty and his qualifications in his field may be measured by his role on Sept. 11, 2001. He ran the Situation Room in the hours immediately after the attacks, while the President flew to Offutt Air Force Base and the Vice President sat in a fortified bunker; and when the White House was evacuated in fear of another suicidal crash assault, he stayed there to continue his work.

The rest of Consaon's essay is here.

Posted 6:43 AM by Scoobie Davis

Franken on Letterman
A friend called last night and said that Al Franken was hilarious on The Late Show with David Letterman. I missed it. Could Franken's appearance be the reason Bill O'Reilly was slamming Letterman on his Radio Factor show yesterday? Possibly. O'Reilly is still smarting about Franken (e.g., O'Reilly doesn't call Franken by his name but calls him "Stuart Smalley").

Posted 10:49 AM by Scoobie Davis

Bush Intelligence Failures
Read this.

Posted 9:02 PM by Scoobie Davis

Richard Clarke "Out of the Loop"?
Whiskey Bar has heard this one before. Mark Kleiman has some inside insights on Clarke. Krugman, again, is brilliant.

Posted 1:44 PM by Scoobie Davis

The Latest on Richard Clarke
Click here.

Posted 10:08 AM by Scoobie Davis

Wouldn't Sun Myung Moon Be a Great Topic for Howard Stern?
I think it's great that Howard Stern is out there bashing Bush. Stern would have a field day discussing Bush friend, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, the head of the Unification Church (I can only imagine how Stern would broach the topic of "the Holy Handkerchief," the sacred washclothes given to Moon devotees to wipe their genitals after sex). More important is the work that Stern could do to expose the unholy alliance between Unification Church front groups and the Bush administration. One e-mail is all I'm asking: write Howard Stern at sternshow@howardstern.com and tell them to focus on Moon. John Gorenfeld would be a great guest for Stern.

Posted 2:40 PM by Scoobie Davis

Clark on Foreign Policy
Wesley Clark was just on Fox News Live. It was a strong appearance. If anyone has the transcript, please let me know.

Posted 11:07 PM by Scoobie Davis

Check This Out
In the New York Times Magazine, "Al Franken, Seriously" by Russell Shorto.

Posted 4:49 PM by Scoobie Davis

Every Democrat Should Read This
Josh Marshall on fighting the right. Excerpts:

Kerry is now being hit by a barrage of attacks almost all of which, as I've tried to note here, are based on lies and distortions. They're being organized and planned by the president's partner Karl Rove, a man who has specialized for more than thirty years in vicious campaign tactics (remember McCain in South Carolina) and dirty tricks. . .

Kerry is a fighter. I saw it first hand during his 1996 senate race against Bill Weld. But Kerry will never successfully parry these hits by getting tangled and stuck in the molasses of the president's lies and distortions. Getting sidetracked into a discussion of legislative maneuvering isn't the answer to the president's attacks; it's precisely what they're trying to elicit.

The answer is simply to say they're lies (while having surrogates and staffers explain why) and then to go on the attack.

For instance, the Kerry campaign should never have let Bush get the upper hand on the issue of combat pay, health care, and getting things like body-armor to front line troops. One need only be a casual reader of the military press to know that the president is extremely vulnerable on these issues.

Posted 2:43 PM by Scoobie Davis

A Mediocre Performance That Didn't Have To Happen
David Wade was the Kerry spokesman who mentioned Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity as part of the Republican attack machine that John Kerry implicated in his statement about the "crooked. . . lying" group of Republicans. Wade appeared on Hannity's radio program today and his performance was mediocre at best. It's too bad Wade isn't a regular reader of Scoobie Davis Online; he could have shined. What a pity. More on this tonight.

Posted 8:13 AM by Scoobie Davis

Political Jiu-Jitsu
The Gadflyer's Thomas Schaller:

Because having too much money – and spending too much time raising it, rather than governing – makes voters uneasy, Kerry's money disadvantage thus becomes a permanent tool of election-year jiu-jitsu. The senator and his surrogates should repeat endlessly that the other guys are loaded, forcing Republicans to waste money drowning out the discomfiting message that they've got way too much of it.

In the 2004 campaign, resources will matter. But using them smartly will matter more. Getting tough on the campaign trail means being lean, quick and stealthy. It means allowing those best-equipped to handle specialty tasks to do so, and attacking with multiple weapons from different angles.

If Kerry, the Democrats and their friends can move around in the electoral ring with that combination of swift, deft and deadly motion, Bush's well-funded message machine will not be able to save him.