It's late Friday night and THAT means...

More Bush military records have been found by the Pentagon.

At this point, just fucking fire someone. How many late Friday nights will it take for the Pentagon to find all of Bush's military records that were supposedly all released months ago? And at this point, the releasing-them-late-friday-night trick has gone from cute, to annoying, to downright conspiratorial at this point. If these guys have nothing to hide then why the hell are they hiding these records, and why the hell are we repeatedly hearing about this late on Friday nights?

I'm sick of this president, I really am. We are devolving into a banana republic. You get elected president because your dad was president, you lie and start wars with impunity, and then you just keep violating court orders and no one does anything about it. It's sickening what these people have done to our country. Read More......

More on that GOP House candidate who pulled shotguns on his wife

AP has the story now. Excellent. And this story has even more about the guy. He's a drunk driver and has an arrest record.

Ah the GOP. Making me proud to be an American. Read More......

Jon Stewart rips Tucker Carlson on CrossFire

UPDATE: Here's the transcript online.

Someone has part of the show on video here. It's good. Read More......

Good analysis of Marygate

From BOPNews.com. Read More......

MSNBC Poll - GO VOTE

MSNBC has an online poll with Bush up 59% to Kerry's 41%. GO VOTE! Read More......

I know it's not as bad as outing an open lesbian...

...but there is that little story about outing an undercover CIA agent. Karl Rove testifies before the grand jury today. Throw his ass in jail.

President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, testified Friday before a federal grand jury trying to determine who leaked the name of an undercover CIA officer.

Rove spent more than two hours testifying before the panel, according to an administration official who spoke only on condition of anonymity because such proceedings are secret.

Rove has been interviewed at least once previously by investigators in the leak case, as have Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell and other senior administration officials.

Read More......

Gay GOP leader BLASTS Bush for "feigning" outrage over Mary Cheney, while gay-baiting to help his re-election

Patrick Guerriero, head of the lead gay Republican group Log Cabin Republicans, BLASTED the GOP today for feigning outrage over Mary Cheney being mentioned in the presidential debates when the GOP has been attacking gays and lesbians EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THIS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.

This is the REAL story and it's one we need to get out there. We need to demand the media cover the GOP's gay-baiting in this election and demand that the president stop bashing gays to get votes from far right religious extremists. Bush and Cheney are using Mary Cheney and her lesbianism, just like they've used for the past for years, to screw our community - first to sucker gay Republicans to vote for this anti-gay administration, then to feign outrage over mentioning some is gay when THEY have been beating the crap out of gay Americans for the past four years, and are even gay-baiting in their own campaign for the presidency.

I've been told by three very good sources that a VERY senior employee of the RNC has a gay son. This would be an employee who has a direct say over the anti-gay ad campaign the RNC is running to get religious right votes. I seriously hope that person is listening, because the time for playing nice is over. If we're going to be publicly and falsely accused of criticizing your gay children, then we might as well actually do it and at least get some benefit from the attack, as we're already being charged with it anyway.

[Guerriero] said Republicans "who are expressing outrage at the debate comments really have been outrageous themselves."

"The reality is the type of outrage that is being expressed by some Republicans should be expressed at themselves. They've decided to use gay families as wedge issues across America in swing states -- that is truly outrageous," he told CNN's "American Morning."....

Guerriero said members of his group are "insulted by a campaign that has attempted to amend the Constitution, and in too many states we've seen discriminatory amendments that would deny hospital visitation and domestic partnership legislation."

He also pointed to fliers that the Republican National Committee sent to voters in Arkansas and Virginia, which say "banned" over a picture of the Bible and "allowed" over a picture of a man apparently proposing marriage to another man.

The fliers warn: "Liberals want to impose their values" on the state.

Guerriero said the fliers "equate gay and lesbian families with those folks who would want to ban the Bible."

Republican officials have said the fliers were expressing concern over what Bush calls "activist judges." But Guerriero called the mailings part of "low-ball politics."

"The big story in this election is that Karl Rove has decided to strategically use gay and lesbian Americans in a number of swing states," Guerriero said. Rove is Bush's chief political strategist.

"The same people who are feigning outrage about what happened in the debate should speak out against that type of political gamesmanship," Guerriero added.... he said, "the president and Karl Rove should stop attacking gay families on the campaign trail."

Read More......

Nah, we don't need any more troops -- OOPS, MAYBE WE DO

Well, for everyone who trusts George Bush that he won't be reinstating the draft, here's how bad it's getting. From AFP:

The United States wants Britain to deploy troops in more volatile parts of Iraq, as a new offensive on insurgent-held Fallujah looms, reports from Britain said.
"Ministry of Defence sources have told Channel Four News that the US military has lodged a formal request for our troops to cover forces which are to be re-deployed for a renewed offensive against insurgents in the rebel city of Fallujah," Britain's Channel Four television said on its website, www.channel4.com.

Hey Mr. President - this is why you need more than one ally. I forgot Poland you say? Well, what happens in January when the Polish government pulls their troops out? From Channel4:

In a further sign of the pressure on forces in Iraq, the Polish Prime Minister today said his 2500 soldiers running the south central sector could start withdrawing in January, straight after the date set for elections.
The Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka made the promise as he scrambled for support ahead of a vote of confidence, which he went on to win.

So, it's the US and the UK, and the UK has a whopping 8,000 troops on the ground, mostly in Basra. How long do you think that they are going to stay around when they start fighting up in the Sunni Triangle? George Bush is never going to be able to get allies to send troops, what's the alternative? A draft. Read More......

Entire platoon defies orders in Iraq - reportedly ordered to go on "suicide mission"

Wow. An entire platoon refused to go on what it calls a "suicide mission" in Iraq. The problem? They say they were ordered to conduct the mission without the necessary equipment they needed to do the mission safely. George Bush, sending our kids off to be killed without the supplies they need to stay safe. Sadly, this story rings true (body armor on eBay, anyone?) Lovely.

McClenny told her mother her unit tried to deliver fuel to another base in Iraq Wednesday, but was sent back because the fuel had been contaminated with water. The platoon returned to its base, where it was told to take the fuel to another base, McClenny told her mother.

The platoon is normally escorted by armed Humvees and helicopters, but did not have that support Wednesday, McClenny told her mother.

The convoy trucks the platoon was driving had experienced problems in the past and were not being properly maintained, Hill said her daughter told her.

The situation mirrors other tales of troops being sent on missions without proper equipment.

Aviation regiments have complained of being forced to fly dangerous missions over Iraq with outdated night-vision goggles and old missile-avoidance systems. Stories of troops' families purchasing body armor because the military didn't provide them with adequate equipment have been included in recent presidential debates.

Patricia McCook said her husband, a staff sergeant, understands well the severity of disobeying orders. But he did not feel comfortable taking his soldiers on another trip.

"He told me that three of the vehicles they were to use were deadlines ... not safe to go in a hotbed like that," Patricia McCook said.

Hill said the trucks her daughter's unit was driving could not top 40 mph.

"They knew there was a 99 percent chance they were going to get ambushed or fired at," Hill said her daughter told her. "They would have had no way to fight back."

Kathy Harris of Vicksburg is the mother of Aaron Gordon, 20, who is among those being detained. Her primary concern is that she has been told the soldiers have not been provided access to a judge advocate general.

Stevens said if the soldiers are being confined, law requires them to have a hearing before a magistrate within seven days.

Read More......

So when are we invading Syria

American troops along the Iraqi border with Syria are reportedly coming under increased mortar attack from shells fire from Syrian territory. No one knows who's doing the firing, but I'll bet you some day soon this will be used as an excuse to invade the Syrian side of the border, leading to God knows what.

Anyone else feeling a draft? Read More......

Hate just doesn't pay

While running through the latest market news I came across a nice IPO success story from yesterday. PlanetOut had a very nice opening day, entering the market over their target number of $9.00 and finishing the day at $10.40. Contrast that with the steady decline of Sinclair Broadcasting who is feeling the heat from advertisers upset with their decision to run a partisan attack piece the day before the election. I love it when hate doesn't pay! It's time for everyone to put their money where there mouth is. If a company is offering a good product and you believe that it is good for everyone, support them. If they are spewing hate and selling rubbish, make them pay for it with their own money.
Read More......

How to lose friends and alienate people

A new international study makes it clear what many already know. The reputation of the US in the world has fallen off of a cliff under Bush. I am not one to think that everything France, Britain, Canada, etc. does is perfect but these numbers are bad news. As an American businessman who works overseas, I can say that the mystique of America that was present in the 1990s is no longer there. Sure it has something to do with the collapse of the economy but Bush policy has really taken its toll in the business world. If you are in a competitive situation with a non-American firm, you are in trouble. Middle class business people who traditionally were strong supporters of America are openly hostile.

I often reflect on just how much opinions have changes in such a short time and it is quite clear that Bush will do nothing to build bridges or improve that situation. He will only pour more gasoline on the fire and continue his "with us or against us" bullshit. We desperately need a fresh start and we need someone who knows how to build coalitions. Save the confrontations for the bad guys and not our friends.
Read More......

Coalition of the Going

Poland is talking more about plans for pulling out of Iraq and announced that they will start removing troops early in 2005. In a country where 3/4 of the population is against involvement in Iraq, this is a hot topic. It's no wonder Republicans are creating such a diversion with the Mary Cheney issue because they want to keep the subject away from Spittlegate/Blinkygate/Wiredgate, 3 losses in the debates, a terrible economy, rising oil prices, a mess in Iraq, the Coalition of the Going and of course, the fact that their daughter is a lesbian while their core supporters want to deny civil rights to all citizens. It's a good thing that they want to talk about the issues.
Read More......

U.S. Knowingly Using Info Obtained by Torture

Who are Bush's best allies in the war on terror? Not Canada and Mexico, our neighbors to the north and south. Not France and Germany, our allies for the past fifty years. Nope, Bush's closest buddies are Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Pakistan, Lybia, Uzbekistan and the like.

This makes a certain sense, since Saudi Arabia knows a lot about terror -- they practice it on their own people and spend their oil wealth spreading the virulent perversion of Islam called Wahhabism around the world. Pakistan knows a lot about WMDs -- they've sold equipment and know-how to rogue nations and terrorist groups all over the world. Czar Putin of Russia has crushed the fragile new democracy in his homeland and brutalizes minorities he doesn't like. China uses the war on terror to justify its persecution of people in wacky cults like Falun Gong and the cultural genocide of the peace-loving Tibetans. Lybia is also a long-time terrorist state who harbored the thugs that blew up a commercial US airliner.

And then there's Uzbekistan. The UK just withdrew its ambassador. An outraged response to some Uzbeki impropriety? Just the opposite -- the outspoken ambassador who recognized the hypocrisy of collaborating in a war on terror with a govt like Uzbekistan had become a political liability.

"Earlier this week, details were revealed of a furious memo [Ambassador Craig Murray] sent to the Foreign Office, complaining that the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) was using information passed on to it by the CIA but originally obtained in Uzbek torture cells," reports the Independent.

"As well as being morally and legally wrong, the practice was unreliable because prisoners under torture could be expected to say whatever their tormentors wanted to hear, he warned.

"And he wrote: "We are selling our souls for dross.""

Murray created a stir in 2002 when he had the temerity to criticize that country for the brutal conditions of its jails -- where two prisoners were boiled to death.

That's right, the US is knowingly using information obtained by torture. What better way to fight the war on terror?

You can tell a lot about someone by their friends. What do governments like these say about us?
Read More......

All's Fair In Love and Politics...Actually, It's Not

Paul Krugman does a nice roundup about some of the Republican dirty tricks to disenfranchise voters. Of course, these are just the ones we know about. He also previews an upcoming Harper's article about those Florida felon lists.

"The case of Florida's felon list - used by state officials, as in 2000, to try to wrongly disenfranchise thousands of blacks - has been widely reported. Less widely reported has been overwhelming evidence that the errors were deliberate.

"In an article coming next week in Harper's, Greg Palast, who originally reported the story of the 2000 felon list, reveals that few of those wrongly purged from the voting rolls in 2000 are back on the voter lists. State officials have imposed Kafkaesque hurdles for voters trying to get back on the rolls. Depending on the county, those attempting to get their votes back have been required to seek clemency for crimes committed by others, or to go through quasi-judicial proceedings to prove that they are not felons with similar names."

For heaven's sake, deluge your favorite media outlet and ask them to look into this pattern of deception and report on it. Anyone with info about Democratic organizations doing anything even remotely similar, bring it on. We'll gladly blast them too. But guess what? The history of the Democratic Party is trying to HELP people vote (women, blacks, immigrants), not KEEPING them from voting the way the Republicans have always done.
Read More......

Abuse Iraqis -- Get A Promotion!

They're probably annoyed it's coming out, but Bush officials would love to reward Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez with a fourth star, says the LA Times. Sanchez was in charge during the Abu Ghraib scandal -- not to mention when insurgents seized control of a number of Iraqi cities. Amazing. According to a classified report about the scandal (for which only low-level soldiers are paying a price)

"The general personally approved some of the controversial interrogation tactics that have been criticized as abusive to prisoners, according to classified portions of a recent report to Congress by Army Maj. Gen. George R. Fay, obtained by The Times. A year ago, Sanchez changed the interrogation policy three times in less than 30 days, confusing interrogators as to what was permissible, Fay wrote. Fay said Sanchez adapted interrogation rules from those at Guantanamo where, unlike in Iraq, the administration did not grant detainees the rights of prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention.

"Sanchez "authorized the use of techniques that were contrary to both U.S. military manuals and international law," Leahy said in an Oct. 1 statement. "Given this incredible overstepping of bounds, I find it incredible that the reports generated thus far have not recommended punishment of any kind for high-level officials.""

Among those determined to get Sanchez that fourth star? Our buddy Rumsfeld. Of course, they'll wait till after the election since they know those bleeding heart liberals would make a fuss. Talk about no accountability.


Read More......