Open Thread

Evening edition.

Apropos of nothing, writing a book is fun, and I've certainly found the process entertaining -- if lengthy -- but going over the copy edits is easily the most tedious stage yet. It's really the last chance I have to make significant changes so I'm going over everything incredibly closely. After this it's galleys, which only allow for minimal adjustments (and I think will be the review copies, so that's another reason to have it be all set by that point).

Still, pretty cool that it's come this far, and just another step toward publication. Good times!

In any case, chat away . . . Read More......

Illinois: Convicted sex offender in Southern Baptist pulpit

The Southern Baptists have been accused ignoring the sex predator pastor problem in its ranks; the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) has urged, in writing to as that the group to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on sex abuse.

I can see why it's needed when you have an incident like this, where a church was warned about a convicted predator by another pastor, yet still put him in the pulpit.

A southwest suburban Southern Baptist congregation allowed a convicted child sex offender to preach for the last few years -- despite his past, and a warning from his previous church that he might still be dangerous, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

In 1996, Jeff Hannah was sentenced to nine years in prison for having sexual relations with four underage girls -- ages 15 to 17 -- while a married youth minister at Crossroads Church in Libertyville.

..."In our church, we believe in forgiveness," said Del Kirkpatrick, one of the deacons who hired Hannah.

In talking to the Sun-Times last week, Hannah, 42, was unapologetic about his crimes, saying his first marriage had been troubled and he'd had "urges."

...The Rev. Steve Farish, pastor of Crossroads Church, which has relocated to Grayslake, said he considered Hannah so dangerous that he warned the Romeoville church and a regional Southern Baptist official.

"We thought he could still potentially be a danger to women and children," Farish said. "He was never repentant and never told the truth." Randie Bruno, the prosecutor in Hannah's case said, "He has the charisma to fool everybody."

The founder of StopBaptistPredators.org, Christa Brown, said this about Hannah: "When Southern Baptists put perpetrators into positions of spiritual trust again, it sends the message that this denomination doesn't care about victims," Brown said.

Hat tip, Paul in SF. Read More......

After Bush flip-flops on Maliki, he says to Bush: We "can find friends elsewhere"

Bush flip-flopped on his support for the Iraqi Prime Minister. Yesterday, Bush was over Maliki, But today, Bush likes him again. Tomorrow, who knows? But, Maliki doesn't seem to think that Bush and the U.S. matter all that much:

"No one has the right to place timetables on the Iraq government. It was elected by its people," he said at the end of a three-day visit to Damascus, according to the Associated Press. "Those who make such statements are bothered by our visit to Syria. We will pay no attention. We care for our people and our constitution and can find friends elsewhere." Maliki said.

Maliki has no problem dissing Bush. He knows that part of Bush's latest political strategy is to blame the Iraqis for all the problems in the country. And, Maliki and the Iraqis are not taking it. Read More......

Open thread from the motherland

My parents and I are in Greece for the next two weeks. I haven't been here in 20 years, and haven't been here with parents since I was 13. My mom was born here, as were all of my grandparents. I'm finally getting to take the trip visiting all the old relatives and all the old villages when I actually care about the family history (let's face it, villages and old relatives get old when you're 13). I'm really looking forward to it - have my camera, audio recorder, and a book, ready to capture the family history. We have a pretty cool family history in Greece - an old relative was a war hero in the battle for independence in the early 1800s, his uniform is on display in a national museum in Athens. Another uncle, whom we're going to visit, was the former Defense Secretary, Deputy Prime Minister and UN ambassador in the 1980s (he was also a lead dissident who was locked up the military government that we supported). I visited him 20 years ago when I was still a Republican. I suspect he'll be pleased at the transformation. I'm also hoping to set up a meeting with some of the top people in the left-wing party while I'm here - talk about blogs and online advocacy, something that isn't as common here as it is in the states.

Anyway, I'm wondering if it's worth trying to do an AMERICAblog meet-up in Athens once I get back from visiting the villages - say Sept 3 or 4th? Anyone in town?

Read More......

Bush "was against Vietnam before he was for it"

Honesty, consistency and integrity have no meaning to George Bush. He'll say anything to sell his failed Iraq policy. Today, as we've noted, he invoked Vietnam. But, as the Senate Democrats rightly point out, Bush was against that comparison before he was for it:

In 2004, Bush Opposed Comparison Between Iraq and Vietnam:

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, April is turning into the deadliest month in Iraq since the fall of Baghdad, and some people are comparing Iraq to Vietnam and talking about a quagmire. Polls show that support for your policy is declining and that fewer than half Americans now support it. What does that say to you and how do you answer the Vietnam comparison?

THE PRESIDENT: I think the analogy is false. I also happen to think that analogy sends the wrong message to our troops, and sends the wrong message to the enemy. Look, this is hard work. It's hard to advance freedom in a country that has been strangled by tyranny. And, yet, we must stay the course, because the end result is in our nation's interest. [Press Conference by the President, 4/13/04]

In 2007, Bush Embraced Comparison Between Iraq and Vietnam:

“‘I want to remind you that after Vietnam, after we left, millions of people lost their life,’ Bush said here when an audience member asked about comparisons between Vietnam and Iraq. ‘The Khmer Rouge, for example, in Cambodia. And my concern is there would be a parallel. . . . The same thing would happen. There would be the slaughter of a lot of innocent life. The difference, of course, is that this time around, the enemy wouldn't just be content to stay in the Middle East; they'd follow us here.’” [Washington Post, 4/20/07]

Today, Bush Embraced Comparison Between Iraq and Vietnam. “Finally, there was Vietnam. This is a complex and painful subject for many Americans, and the tragedy of Vietnam is too large to be contained in one speech. So I will limit myself to one argument that has particular significance today. Then as now, people argued that the real problem was America’s presence and that if we would just withdraw, the killing would end.” [President Bush Speech to VFW, 8/22/07]

After Bush's Vietnam speech this morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid blasted him in that way Harry Reid does:

President Bush's speech this morning missed the mark yet again. Instead of providing the country with a history lesson, the President should be reevaluating his flawed strategies that have led to one of the worst foreign policy blunders in our nation's history. Today our soldiers remain caught in the middle of a civil war and the President's strategy is still failing to deliver the political solution necessary for Iraq's stability. A change of course in Iraq is long overdue, and Congress will continue to fight for that change in the coming weeks – a change that is essential for America's national security.

Harry Reid said what most Americans are thinking. It's really too bad Bush doesn't listen to Harry Reid and the American people. Read More......

Minnesota adds to the GOP moral values hit parade

Let me introduce you to the latest float in the GOP parade.

Tim Droogsma, a former press secretary to a U.S. senator and a Minnesota governor, was arrested Tuesday in a midafternoon prostitution sting on St. Paul's East Side.

He allegedly arranged a deal for sex from an undercover officer through Craig's List, police spokesman Tom Walsh said Wednesday.

In the 80s, Droogsma served as spokesman for Sen. Rudy Boschwitz (R)  and Governor Arne Carlson in the 90s.

Droogsma denies the allegation with a familiar defense.

Asked Wednesday about his arrest, Droogsma wrote in an e-mail: "Obviously, I'm deeply embarrassed by this allegation, which is not true and which is the result of a severe misunderstanding, and I look forward to making my case in court."

He declined to explain the misunderstanding.

Hat tip, Maggi A.

***

While we're on Minnesota fun, Avidor at Dump Mark Olsen (Olsen's the anti-gay lawmaker convicted of domestic assault against his wife) has a video up on this:

While maintenance on the rotting 35W bridge was deferred, right-wing "no new taxes" Republicans were promoting a fantasy transportation boondoggle at the Minnesota legislature that could have cost the taxpayers of Minnesota millions of dollars. Rep. Mark Olson (R-Big Lake) and Rep. Bruce Anderson (R-Buffalo) appear in the video (with then Mpls Councilman Dean Zimmermann (Green Party), now in a federal correctional facility in Littleton, Colorado serving a sentence for accepting bribes from a Republican developer).

Read More......

An open thank you letter to Ari Fleischer

Dear Ari Fleischer,

Thank you. The news today about a $15 million TV ad campaign targeting Republicans in the name of a group called "Freedom Watch" is probably the best thing we could want right now. It is a gift.

The revival of your role as salesman-in-chief for the White House’s failed war policy is also welcome. We were looking for a way to connect this mysterious “Freedom Watch” outfit to the White House Iraq PR machine. And then it turned out that you made our job very simple—you are in charge. This is the “White House Ad campaign.”

Our researchers tell us your ads are targeting 90% Republicans (37 out of 41). We’ve had strong fundraising but we never thought a $15 million TV buy was in the works. Every extra minute of TV time talking about Iraq is another drip, drip, drip of bad news for politicians who won’t break with Bush. So, thanks.

I hope we can meet in person. Perhaps your schedule is clear now that you are no longer a witness in the Libby trial or a spokesperson for the White House. (Have you thought about writing a fiction novel about yellowcake and Niger?)

Also, how do you define “progress” in Iraq? This is now the bloodiest summer since the war began. Already 243 Americans have been killed in June, July and August. Last year 169. In 2005, 217 were killed. 162 in in 2003 and 113 in 2003. The Iraqi parliament is on vacation. Nearly half the Iraqi cabinet is boycotting the government. The surge has failed.

Now, for the first time, we’re not the only campaign on Iraq making Susan Collins, Norm Coleman, Mitch McConnell and others look over their shoulders. If I were you I wouldn’t answer phone calls from the NRSC, the NRCC or the RNC. I don’t think they’re too happy about these ads.

Thanks again.

-Tom Matzzie
Washington Director, MoveOn.org Political Action
campaign manager, Americans Against Escalation in Iraq

P.S. Here is where the ads are running. (See the ads)

A close examination of their first ad buy, which is already public information, shows that Freedom’s Watch is targeting 37 Republicans with a direct message - stand with Bush’s failed Iraq war strategy. Freedom’s Watch is spending at least $5.8 million in the next four weeks. What follows is an analysis of the ad buy - Republicans are in bold and Democrats are in italics.

Member	Market	GRPs	Total Money
Heather Wilson Pete Domenici	Albuquerque	1,271	$254,190
Susan Collins Olympia Snowe	Bangor Portland	1,413 1,443	$105,995 $158,780
Chuck Grassley Tom Latham	Cedar Rapids Des Moines Sioux City	1,182 1,671 1,035	$118,165 $200,520 $56,925
Vernon Ehlers	Grand Rapids	1,014	$177,435
Arlen Specter Todd Platts Jim Gerlach Tim Murphy Charlie Dent Mike Castle Chris Smith Mike Ferguson	Harrisburg-Lancaster Philadelphia Pittsburgh	1,560 1,230 1,117	$226,265 $922,325 $251,290
Norm Coleman Jim Ramstad Mich. Bachmann	Minneapolis	818	$220,750
Jon Porter Dean Heller	Las Vegas Reno	241 1,382	$63,900 $138,210
George Voinovich Steven LaTourette	Youngstown	471	$32,935
Jim Walsh Randy Kuhl	Syracuse Rochester	1,450 1,560	$144,955 $187,235
John Warner Tom Davis	Washington, DC	557	$473,570
Gordon Smith	Bend Medford	1,473 1,860	$66,285 $83,710
Mark Pryor	Little Rock	2,158	$248,190
Wayne Gilchrest	Salisbury	2245	$145,925
Elizabeth Dole Bob Inglis	Greenville-Spartanburg	868	$108,470
Mitch McConnell	Lexington Louisville	1,407 1,073	$126,635 $134,140
Chuck Hagel	Lincoln	1,237	$80,395
Richard Lugar Brad Ellsworth	Indianapolis Evansville	1,528 1,532	$351,420 $137,870
Saxby Chambliss John Barrow	Macon Savannah	1,173 622	$82,100 $56,000
Ric Keller	Tampa - Sarasota	898	$296,255
Lamar Alexander	Nashville	1,078	$188,575
John Thune Stephanie Herseth	Sioux Falls	207	$16,545
			$5,855,960

Freedom’s Watch is spending at least $5,855,960 over the next four weeks (from 8/22/07 to 9/23/07):

41 Congressional Members are targeted

37 Members, or 90%, are Republicans Read More......

Look Who's Attacking The GOP For Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric

I guess I'm not the only one to mock Giuliani and Romney for their recent turnarounds on immigration:

Are Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani competing for the Republican Presidential nomination, or for the job of vacation replacement for Lou Dobbs? It's hard to tell these days as the candidates attempt to one-up each other's anti-immigration rhetoric.

Mr. Romney has faulted the former New York City mayor for not directing the local police to harass illegal-alien janitors, cooks and bus boys, thus making the Big Apple a so-called "sanctuary city" for the undocumented. Mr. Romney apparently doesn't think the NYPD has anything better to do with its time, though given the record drop in violent crime during the Giuliani years, which coincided with an increase in immigrants to the city, he might reconsider that notion.

Mr. Giuliani has responded by slouching toward Tom Tancredo, unveiling plans to tackle the immigration problem with ID cards, physical barriers and patrols along the Mexican border. But Mr. Giuliani's previous support for these newcomers, who've helped to revitalize New York over the past two decades, makes his more recent rhetoric seem like a gambit to neutralize Mr. Romney's appeals to the restrictionist right. At least Mr. Giuliani still stresses his interest in giving foreigners more opportunities to enter the U.S. lawfully.

This sentiment comes from that liberal rag, The Wall Street Journal (sub required). Giuliani and Romney both have a history of supporting immigration and they should not be allowed to shed their past just to sate the anti-immigrant passions of the right-wing base. Read More......

Bush: Ending Vietnam war was a mistake

Certifiably insane. That's the Republican model for winning in Iraq - Vietnam. You see, if we just stayed longer in Vietnam, fought longer in Vietnam, lost more American lives in Vietnam, everything would have ended okay. Read More......

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Think how desperate the Bush administration is. They're launching a negative ad campaign against Republicans in Congress -- with the return of Ari Fleischer, no less. It's almost mind-boggling. All those Republicans being targeted by the Bush front group's ad have got to be wild. They've stood by Bush for six years -- now he's stabbing them in the back.

Hey, if the Republicans want to destroy themselves, who are we to stop them?

So....what else is going on? Read More......