Bush v. Kerry: Third period. Just don't expect this hockey game to have any fights.

The third round of debates is tonight at Arizona State University in Tempe.

The Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium where the debates will be held was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and coincidentally, was the building whose design was used by Wright for the design of the Baghdad Opera House.

CBS News veteran Bob Schieffer will moderate a debate that will be very much, procedurally, like the first debate. Schieffer will sit at the moderator's position in front of the two candidates, who will stand at podiums 10 feet apart.

For those who cannot get to a television set, live streams will be available on the web in multiple places, including C-Span (RP) and BBC World (WMP) online.

Live blogging is running all over the frazzlin' place; as with the other debates, I'll most likely be adding my two cents in over on Free Republic's live message thread.

Post-game coverage to come later on.

DBD'll be back. Soon.

From Day By Day:

Chris has gone through some major personal trials and tribulations lately.

I told him he should take as much time as he needs. We'll still be here when he gets back.

Fear and loathing from the left

In New York City, my friend Renee got her own taste of the tangible and solid hatred that liberals feel toward conservatives in general, and the GOP in particular. She was attending a meeting for people who want to volunteer for a health expo in New York, and got treated to a sermon from a Bush-loathing, foaming at the mouth liberal.

There's a guy up front talking about Bush,etc. and I'm ignoring him because it's a meeting. Then he starts really getting animated, talking loud with very anti-white rhetoric, very anti-Western rhetoric. I hold up my hand and ask him (very nicely) when is he going to be finished and help return control to the person running the meeting. A older gentleman mentions the crisis in Ethiopia, Sudan and how he travelled extensively in Africa and was about to mention Zimbabwe and the same idiot up front goes PROFITABLE FOR WHO? Then launches into a tirade against Western Civilization,etc. The self hating white idiot sitting next to him is AGREEING WITH HIM and the black lady sitting next to me is muttering that she didn't come here to get a lecture (from the man up front). I really couldn't keep my mouth shut anymore and said in a firm voice 'You're talking about this crap, and look how you're manipulating the conversation, what the hell do you know about Africa? That guy has been there, and you haven't'.

Well I thought he was going to leap over the chairs and strangle me. I wasn't going to sit there and allow him to continue to INSULT the United States of America by saying people struggling to come here are WRONG. I wasn't going to stand for the anti-white rhetoric, and someone HAD to stand up to this man. Ordinarily I would have walked out but volunteering means I get into this very expensive expo free and would mean a lot of business opportunities for me. I wasn't about to let this leftist wacko filth deprive me of the golden opportunities by walking out of the meeting. I sat there though as he continued to insult me to his other friends up front.

Meanwhile, the older gentleman walked out of the room but not before he gave me a little wink and thumbs up.

What I don't understand is the unmitigated hatred and scorn that the left heaps upon anyone who is conservative, or supports the right.

Even my volume of hate mail is increasing in intensity and venom. I don't get it.

Liberals SAY they love you, then they stomp on you

From Nykola.com:

I realize that there are ugly sides to both sides of this political game. However, I find that the continual return to the small percentage of psychotic abortion clinic bombers as the rule and not the exception gets old. However, the "lovely-ness" of Liberals is rarely displayed or re-hashed in such a repetitive and vast fashion.

I received the following email and photo from a reader.

Ambra,

I thought you like to see what a nasty Kerry fan did to the windshield and side window of my car this weekend. Attacking the encouraging hate sign that way is particularly revealing. I think his scheme backfired though. Now people walking down my busy street are even more likely to stop and stare.

-Mike P. (Seattle, Washington)

They managed to take out his front window as well. Who knew the doctrine of "tolerance" has loopholes. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

But we're supposed to be the "evil" guys, right?

You remember the Ted Rall debacle this summer. Now comes yet another one.

Left-wing cartoonist Jeff Danziger has put out a political cartoon about National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice that is just as bad and racist as the Ted Rall screed this summer.

If you remember, Ted Rall had a racist cartoon that offended many, and was the source of a protest letter that I sent to Rall's syndicator, United Features, back in July.

I don't know what makes these racist leftists think that it's OK, simply because their target happens to be a conservative. What's wrong is wrong. What's racist is racist. Period.

Wanna give Danziger and his syndicator, the New York Times Syndicate, a piece of your mind?

Danziger Cartoons are syndicated by the New York Times Syndicate. Call 917-306-3616 or email to jeff@danzigercartoons.com for all publication and permissions.

What's wrong is wrong. Period.

Body of Michael Moore (no not THAT one, darn it) found after 40 days missing

49 year old Michael Moore's body was found this week near a Queens highway where it was thrown after smashing into a concrete barrier. The Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle he was riding was found nearby.

The decomposed body of Michael Moore, 49, was discovered facedown in a patch of 6-foot-tall grass between the Whitestone Expressway and the Cross Island Parkway in Malba, cops and witnesses said. He was about 10 feet from the southbound lane of the parkway, which carries more than 100,000 vehicles every day.

Moore's beloved green-and-black Kawasaki Ninja was nearby, cops and witnesses said.

Moore, a motorcycle-riding bus driver, had been missing for the past 40 days.

Damn. I feel for his family.

Although one can wish that it was Fatass, I doubt that there is a moving bike that could support the weight of his fat butt, let alone a helmet that could fit his fat head.

The AQ "Murder by Beheading" machine still churning out victims

An Islamic website has posted new video of two decapitation murders of AQ hostages in Iraq. One of the victims was a Turkish contractor, the other, an Iraqi translator wearing a badge for the Titan security company.

A statement said the two were killed by the Ansar al-Sunnah Army, which claimed responsibility for slaughtering 12 Nepalese workers and three Iraqi Kurds on Aug. 31.

Also Monday, the Arabic language television station Al-Arabiya broadcast a video showing three hooded gunmen threatening to behead another Turkish hostage within three days unless the Americans release all Iraqi prisoners and all Turks leave Iraq.

A written statement appearing on the Internet video accused the Iraqi Kurdish translator, Luqman Hussein, of participating in raids with U.S. troops in the Ramadi area. A second statement said the Turkish contractor, Maher Kemal, was working for the Americans at an air base north of the capital.

Stills and video of the beheadings are available (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES & VIDEO) at The Jawa Report.

Brave John (Sir Robin) Kerry bravely ran away...away...

John Kerry has been painting himself as heroic and "angry" during the events on 9/11. A BBC documentary, recently aired on Public Television in the US, showing the events of 9/11 in several areas, including on Capitol Hill. Footage of John Kerry's 'as it happens' reactions is also shown in this documentary.

Last night my local PBS showed two documentaries about 9/11/01.

The first was about NY and the second about PA and DC.

In the raw footage shot that horrible day they showed the Capitol building being evacuated.

Hundreds of people were struggling to get down those massive stairs. You saw EVERYONE helping eachother- like the elderly or women who were wearing high heels, etc.

Then the camera switched position and the vantage point was of a side staircase next to the main one. Who comes out but John Kerry.

He was dressed in an immaculate dark blue suit with a matching powder blue pocket handkerchief and silk tie. Not a hair on his overly-coiffed head was out of place.

Now remember- this was filmed while the Pentagon was in flames, three years ago...the camera man did not film John Kerry "The Candidate" he was showing some guy coming out the door...

Well our friend the hero John Kerry looks over at the crowd, shrugs his arms a bit, looks around as if to see if anyone is looking- and BOLTS down the side stairs! He didn't help a single soul! ( I guess no one was drowning)

Meanwhile- Donald Rumsfeld was ignoring his Secret Service detail so he could help carry the injured out of the burning Pentagon.

This is the same John Kerry who has been jumping up and down about President Bush not reacting for six minutes as he sat in a classroom full of grade school students (and repeating the mantra of "Bush is dumb" that Michael Moore has been trying to forcefeed onto the American public).

I'm immediately reminded of "brave" Sir Robin from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as portrayed in that legendary motion picture by Eric Idle.

Brave Sir Robin ran away, bravely ran away away. When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled. Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about, and valiantly, he chickened out. Bravely taking to his feet, he beat a very brave retreat. A brave retreat by brave Sir Robin.

Sounds like Ketchup Boy beat a hasty retreat, which has been caught on tape.

NBC's Today exploits Reeve to benefit Kerry

It didn't take long for the leftists in the media to start to employ and exploit the memory of Christopher Reeve to the potential benefit of John Kerry's campaign.

We were treated, not once but twice, to the same clip of Reeve from the 1996 Democratic National Convention, saying "America does not let its neediest fend for themselves," as a man in a wheelchair looked on. Got it.

Just in case anyone was still wondering where Chris was coming from, here was a clip of him saying "it gets lonely sometimes to say 'come on, let's get more progressive.'" Yes, that's the problem with America. Not liberal enough.

The message could not have been made too much clearer. Honor Chris Reeve: vote Democrat!

And we're supposed to be the "bad guys?"

He made us believe a man could fly...

From Dan Jurgens' legendary Superman #75 (1992):

"But most will remember this sad day as the day the proudest, most noble man they ever knew finally fell. For those who loved him -- one who would call him husband, one who would be his pal, or those who would call him son -- this is the darkest day they could ever imagine. They raised him to be a hero: to know the value of sacrifice, to know the value of life. And for those who served with Superman in the protection of all life comes the shock of a failure: the weight of being too late to help. For a city to live, a man had given his all and more. But it's too late. For this is the day that a Superman died."

More Democrats get their talking points from ABC News than any other source

Today's New York Post includes an editorial that finds it unfathomable that bias against the GOP by the mainstream media is as open and as blatant as it is during this election cycle.

Though many in the press deny this bias, Newsweek editor Evan Thomas all but confessed the bias on this week's edition of PBS' Inside Washington.

"The media, I think, wants Kerry to win. And I think they're going to portray Kerry and Edwards — I'm talking about the establishment media, not Fox — as being young and dynamic and optimistic, and there's going to be this glow about them, collective glow."

A memo from ABC News Political Editor Mark Halpern surfaced on The Drudge Report on Friday. Halpern's memo, to the chagrin of ABC, all but told reporters to be harder on Bush than on Kerry.

An internal memo written by ABCNEWS Political Director Mark Halperin admonishes ABC staff: During coverage of Democrat Kerry and Republican Bush not to "reflexively and artificially hold both sides 'equally' accountable."

The controversial internal memo obtained by DRUDGE, captures Halperin stating how "Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win."

But Halperin claims that Bush is hoping to "win the election by destroying Senator Kerry at least partly through distortions."

This rings true when you look back at ABC News over the course of the past year, most notably at their daily political news column, The Note, back on February 10.

Like every other institution, the Washington and political press corps operate with a good number of biases and predilections.

They include, but are not limited to, a near-universal shared sense that liberal political positions on social issues like gun control, homosexuality, abortion, and religion are the default, while more conservative positions are "conservative positions."

It still has a hard time understanding how, despite the drumbeat of conservative grass-top complaints about overspending and deficits, President Bush's base remains extremely and loyally devoted to him -- and it looks for every opportunity to find cracks in that base.

More systematically, the press believes that fluid narratives in coverage are better than static storylines; that new things are more interesting than old things; that close races are preferable to loose ones; and that incumbents are destined for dethroning, somehow.

The overriding evidence shows that ABC News obviously has a liberal agenda, geared toward removing the current Administration from office by any means necessary, and they won't hesitate to use underhanded and unethical means to do so.

Ketchup Boy continues to pander to black audiences

John Kerry continued his stretch of pandering to black church congregations, while kissing the feet of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson today in Miami.

The Democratic presidential nominee attended two church services Sunday, instead of his usual one, worshipping first with Haitian Catholics and then with Baptists, where the Rev. Jesse Jackson (news - web sites) and Al Sharpton (news - web sites) tied his election to the civil rights struggle.

"We have an unfinished march in this nation," Kerry said at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, as many congregants waved fans handed out by the campaign with his slogan, "Hope is on the way."

"Never again will a million African Americans be denied the right to exercise their vote in the United States of America," Kerry promised, referring to the disputed Florida recount in the 2000 presidential race. As he often does before black audiences, Kerry said he has a legal team that will aggressively respond to any allegations of disenfranchisement.

Kerry continued to preach to the false mantra of black disenfranchisement in Florida, a spectre which was initially raised in the midst of the 2000 election fiasco.

Jackson, Sharpton and US Rep Carrie Meek (D-FL) spoke at the church services in support of Kerry while deriding President Bush and those who support him.

Jackson told worshippers their political concerns are issues that touch their everyday lives, not gay marriage.

"I see disturbing signs today that some of our churches have been confused by wolves in sheep's clothing," Jackson said. "How did someone else put their agenda in the front of the line?"

"November 2, the power is in your hands, hands that once picked cotton," Jackson said.

While I have ancestors did pick cotton, they did so in order for me to think for myself; to move forward and make my own decisions -- not have Jesse Jackson and his cronies (up to and including John Kerry) make my decisions for me.

Ohio men videotaped vandalizing and urinating on Bush/Cheney sign

Two men who ripped down and urinated on a Bush/Cheney campaign sign were caught on tape -- literally -- Friday morning.

The videotape shows the men sneaking into the yard of a West Market Street home and bending the sign to the ground. The men struggled to rip the sign out of the ground by shaking it and pulling it but couldn't get it off the posts, so they knocked it down. Sounds heard on the tape suggest the men urinated on the sign. They were white males, about 30 to 35 years old, well-dressed and well-groomed. They parked across the street in what police think was a foreign car, a Toyota or Honda.

The homeowner, Steve Kotsatos, who is also assistant to the director of the Summit County Board of Elections, called Akron police dispatchers at 10:38 a.m. Friday and told them about how his campaign sign was vandalized.

He said he caught the vandals on a night-vision camera he had installed the day before.

The large 4-by-8-foot, red, white and blue sign was tipped over in Kotsatos' yard about 1 a.m. Friday.

John Kerry's name was scrawled across Bush's name in black marker on one side of the sign -- the work of previous vandals, Kotsatos said.

The vandalizing video of the "wanted water-makers" is available on the web (.MOV) for your sampling.

Mt. St. Helens undergoing more indigestion

Earthquake activity is up once again at Mt. St. Helens in southern Washington state, but according to geologists, there is no reason to raise the volcanic alert level -- at present.

Scientists said earthquake activity had been low until Friday, indicating molten rock was moving upward with little resistance. By Saturday, however, quakes of magnitude 2.4 were occurring every one to two minutes, they said.

"It's at levels equal to or higher than the Oct. 5 steam and ash eruption," said Jeff Wynn, the U.S. Geological Survey's chief scientist for volcano hazards at Vancouver.

A bubble on the south side of the dome has also risen to at least 330 feet since scientists first spotted it on Sept. 30 and is now almost as tall as the dome's 1,000-foot summit, said USGS geologist John Pallister.

Some people are speculating that a blast rivalling the 1980 eruption that killed 57 people. Scientists with the US Geological Survey are discounting that possibility at present. But they are keeping an eye on the seismograph and on the summit of the volcano.

Austrailan PM Howard reelected to fourth term

Australian Prime Minister John Howard was reelected today in an election that guaranteed him at least a full decade in office.

Mr Howard, 65, is now guaranteed a decade in power, unless he retires early, and will become the nation's second-longest serving prime minister behind Liberal Party founder Sir Robert Menzies.

Opposition Leader Mark Latham phoned Mr Howard to congratulate him on his victory at about 9:30pm (AEST).

Mr Howard claimed victory about an hour later after winning a swing to the government in all states.

"I am truly humbled by this extraordinary expression of confidence in the leadership of this great nation by the coalition," he told cheering supporters in Sydney.

"In accepting their charge to lead the nation I rededicate myself and all of my colleagues to the service of the Australian people."

Howard's conservative government was among the first to join the "Coalition of the Willing" in working to root out terrorism around the globe. Australia is an integral part of the war on terror, and an ally I'm glad we have on our side.

Post-game analysis, first watch

Bush looked much better tonight than last debate. He looked far more relaxed, and he got in more zingers against Kerry.

At more than one point, it looked like a case of "who can insult who better," though.

Ultimately, I think Bush won this debate; he brought forth more points, he connected more with the audience as a whole.

Kerry fell into the trap of repeating himself over and over again (much as Bush did last week). He looked far more nervous, and much less comfortable than he did during last week's debate.

I was pleasantly surprised that Kerry didn't bring up Vietnam -- someone close to Kerry is obviously telling him to dummy up about Vietnam and concentrate on THIS century.

Finally, that last question regarding Bush's "mistakes" was a Democratic set-up, if there was one.

The Bush-Kerry Debates, Round Two

Time for the sequel.

As I mentioned last week, this debate, live from Washington University in St. Louis, will be in a "town hall" format, with questions from a live audience. The audience is made up of undecided voters (as if I completely believe that).

Charles Gibson, anchor of ABC's Good Morning America will moderate this evening's debate.

As with last week's debate, live streaming coverage can be found from C-Span (RP) or BBC World (WMP) online.

Live blogging has commenced all over the place -- check the blogroll at the right; most folks are offering some form of live, running commentary. In addition, Free Republic has a live message thread running with ongoing conversation.

Post-game analysis will run pretty much all weekend long in the usual places.

British hostage Bigley beheaded

Sad word in this morning that 62 year-old British hostage Ken Bigley, kidnapped with murdered Americans Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong three weeks ago, has been murdered in Iraq.

Militants in the Iraqi city of Fallujah say they believe Mr Bigley was killed on Thursday in the town of Latifiyah, 22 miles south-west of Baghdad.

A news presenter in Abu Dhabi said on television: "We have learned from informed sources in the Iraqi capital that the kidnappers of Kenneth Bigley have killed him."

The horrific alert comes just 24 hours after Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, said there were promising behind-the-scenes to secure Mr Bigley's release.

There are conflicting reports regarding the circumstances of Bigley's murder.

U.S. military sources told NBC News that they have reports from Iraq that Bigley might have been killed while trying to escape. The reports indicate that a number of "others" who might have been trying to help Bigley escape were also killed, the sources said.

No stills or video has been released of the decapitation by the monsters, as has been the practice in the past.

UPDATE - 12:30P ET:Reuters confirms that a videotape of Bigley's beheading exists, and they have seen it. It will be available on the web soon. I'll have links to it once it becomes available.

Bigley's brother has been quoted as saying that Prime Minister Tony Blair has his brother's "blood on his hands."

Playing God. No other words for it.

When you think you've heard everything about the sliminess of the attitudes of some doctors, something else comes along to blanch your skin and drop the pit of your stomach even further.

Leading doctors today called for a major overhaul to avoid babies being born alive after abortions.

Professor Campbell said that all abortions carried out after 18 weeks of pregnancy should include an injection, followed by drugs, to induce labour and a stillborn child.

Next week a motion is being tabled at the British Medical Association conference that babies should be entitled to all the intensive care that babies born prematurely receive. Consultant obstetrician-Jim Thornton said in the past babies were born alive after abortion more regularly but "people didn't make a fuss and pretended not to realise the baby was born alive".

Professor Thornton, of City Hospital, Nottingham, said: "Once it is born, you can't kill the baby but the law doesn't say anything about to what degree you resuscitate it.

"The way it is dealt with is by sensible doctors and sensible nurses keeping it under their hat and allowing the baby to pass away peacefully."

Professor Campbell does not believe that a baby born in this way should be kept alive at all costs.

"What paediatricians do is spend resources keeping a baby that is going to die, alive. It is absolute nonsense. It does show that is up to us (obstetricians) to make sure the baby is not moving."

As I mentioned previously, I try to stay away from abortion conversations as a whole. But what happened to the vaunted Hippocratic Oath? Blog brother Avery put it succinctly: "At Least Our Ob/Gyn Was Human..."

CBS to BoycottCBS.com founder: "You're a putz!"

CBS has sent it's first statement to the founder of BoycottCBS.com, in the form of a snarky e-mail from CBS executive Ted Data to BoycottCBS.com founder Michael Paranzino.

Addressed to BoycottCBS.com founder Michael Paranzino, the email from the CBS’ “Black Rock” headquarters in New York City was brief and to the point:

“PARANZINO..YOU'RE A PUTZ!

“GET A LIFE PARANZINO!!!!”

Paranzino responded with aplomb to the e-mail.

“I’m flattered that CBS News executives read our web site, because we certainly don’t watch their news programs. CBS News debate ratings last night ranked fourth behind NBC, ABC, and Fox, which was showing baseball. It’s time for CBS executives to stop sending silly emails and start cleaning house at their troubled news department.

“And I’d like to thank Mr. Data for his email, which made me feel young again. I haven’t been called that since junior high.”

No other "official" word has come out of Black Rock to BoycottCBS.com's efforts.

"This Land" sequel to premiere on Jay Leno tonight

Jib Jab, the outfit that gave you "This Land," the satirical flash animation of George Bush and John Kerry going at each other to the tune of "This Land is Your Land," are at it again.

From the creators of the political satire sensation "This Land" comes a sequel set to the tune of "Dixie."

The online animation "Good To Be in DC!" features the presidential and vice presidential candidates along with Attorney General John Ashcroft, CBS News anchor Dan Rather, filmmaker Michael Moore, talk show host Rush Limbaugh and Jane Fonda.

"In `This Land,' you had basically (President) Bush and (John) Kerry," said Evan Spiridellis, who co-produced the cartoons with his brother, Gregg. "This piece is more about the whole town, the whole system."

The new piece is set to premiere on The Tonight Show Thursday night, and will be available online at JibJab.com shortly after.

Dennis Miller on George W. Bush

From Dennis Miller's Tonight Show apparance the other night:

That's why I like Bush. He doesn't over-think it. He wakes up every morning, jumps out of bed, lands on his two feet, scratches his balls, and says, "Let's kill some f@#@$ing terrorists!"

High-octane beer on the way from Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch is introducing a sweetened, caffeinated beer, targeted at twenty-somethings that regularly guzzle vodka-based drinks like they're going out of style.

The new beer B(E) -- read as "B to the E power" -- will roll out in several phases starting in November.

Advertising will focus on in-store merchandising and promotions at bars and nightclubs, with some local print work and online marketing, Anheuser-Busch officials said.

B(E) infuses beer with caffeine, guarana and ginseng, along with berry aromas for a sweeter, yet more tart taste at 6.6 percent alcohol by volume, said company brewmaster Nathaniel Davis.

Anheuser-Busch designed the new brew for 21- to 27-year-old drinkers who seek novel beverages and switch drinks more frequently according to mood and occasion, the company said.

The new drink will be priced somewhat higher than standard beers, and marketed in slimmer cans, not unlike Red Bull and other energy drinks.