Wash. Post Headline: Democrats, on the Offensive, Could Gain Both Houses

Balz and Broder weigh in:

Two days before a bitterly fought midterm election, Democrats have moved into position to recapture the House and have laid siege to the Senate, setting the stage for a dramatic recasting of the power structure in Washington for President Bush's final two years in office, according to a Washington Post analysis of competitive races across the country.

In the battle for the House, Democrats appear almost certain to pick up more than the 15 seats needed to regain the majority. Republicans virtually concede 10 seats, and a split of the 30 tossup races would add an additional 15 to the Democratic column.

The Senate poses a tougher challenge for Democrats, who need to gain six seats to take control of that chamber. A three-seat gain is almost assured, but they would have to find the other three seats from four states considered tossup races -- Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri and Montana.

The longish Post article recaps the major races across the country. Things look good. There is some tightening in their latest national poll -- and in the Montana Senate race.

Mehlman is spinning furiously, but Rahm Emanuel had the best line:

"I'm playing defense in one or two districts and offense in 46. I like those odds. I'd rather be us than them."

Now, everyone just needs to get out the vote. Read More......

VFW endorses Tammy Duckworth's opponent who never even served - she lost both legs in Iraq

The Veterans of Foreign Wars is suddenly being forced to explain how it came by this endorsement - ignoring a recent Vet who made practically the ultimate sacrifice for her country in Iraq, and instead choosing a guy who never even served. The VFW's response? Some guy told them to do it, so they did it, without really looking into it.

So the VFW's endorsements pretty much mean nothing since the VFW can't be bothered to give even a little time towards figuring out what would best serve our troops and vets. Read More......

I want to marry this guy

It's about Rush. Funny as hell.



Well, the first guy, not the second. Read More......

"It's the worst political environment for Republican candidates since Watergate," said Glen Bolger, a Republican pollster

It's from the NYT story we already linked to below, but I just read this quote and had to share. I like life.

Oh yeah, then there's this:

In another bit of news that sent a chill through many Republicans, a University of New Hampshire poll showed Representative Charles Bass, a popular moderate Republican who had not been seen as vulnerable this year, trailing his opponent after Democrats spent $1 million in his district....

Joe Gaylord, who was the political lieutenant to Newt Gingrich when he led the Republican takeover of the House in 1994, said that based on polling he had seen in recent weeks, he expected his party to lose 25 to 30 seats on Tuesday. That general assessment was repeatedly echoed in interviews with Republicans close to the White House.

"It's very grim," Mr. Gaylord said. "Things are dreadful out there."

Read More......

1999 US Govt war games predicted 400,000 troops needed to invade Iraq, and even then chaos would ensue

No one could have predicted we'd need more than 150,000 troops to win in Iraq, and even then no one could have predicted it would end up a nightmare.

Oh no, that's wrong. Bill Clinton's administration predicted that fact, and George Bush's administration ignored it.

Back in 1999, chaos was predicted from an Iraq invasion even if we had 400,000 troops over there:

The U.S. government conducted a series of secret war games in 1999 that anticipated an invasion of Iraq would require 400,000 troops, and even then chaos might ensue.

In its "Desert Crossing" games, 70 military, diplomatic and intelligence officials assumed the high troop levels would be needed to keep order, seal borders and take care of other security needs.

No wonder Iraq is such a disaster. Rumsfeld, Bush and Cheney wanted to the Iraq war with fewer troops. A lot fewer. Experts were worried about chaos with 400,000 troops. Read More......

Conservative publication: Bush, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), to blame for nuclear secrets being published on public Web site

As you know, the Bush White House just published the plans for making a nuclear bomb on a public Web site. We now know the reason why: Two Republican congressman and George Bush pressured the intelligence community to publish the information in a hurry, even though the intelligence community had concerns the info was too sensitive.

From last March's Weekly Standard, a very conservative Republican publication that's a big deal in DC:

[Rep. Mike] Pence framed his response as a question, quoting Abraham Lincoln: "One of your Republican predecessors said, 'Give the people the facts and the Republic will be saved.' There are 3,000 hours of Saddam tapes and millions of pages of other documents that we captured after the war. When will the American public get to see this information?"

Bush replied that he wanted the documents released. He turned to Hadley and asked for an update. Hadley explained that John Negroponte, Bush's Director of National Intelligence, "owns the documents" and that DNI lawyers were deciding how they might be handled.

Bush extended his arms in exasperation and worried aloud that people who see the documents in 10 years will wonder why they weren't released sooner. "If I knew then what I know now," Bush said in the voice of a war skeptic, "I would have been more supportive of the war."

Bush told Hadley to expedite the release of the Iraq documents. "This stuff ought to be out. Put this stuff out." The president would reiterate this point before the meeting adjourned. And as the briefing ended, he approached Pence, poked a finger in the congressman's chest, and thanked him for raising the issue. When Pence began to restate his view that the documents should be released, Bush put his hand up, as if to say, "I hear you. It will be taken care of."

It was not the first time Bush has made clear his desire to see the Iraq documents released. On November 30, 2005, he gave a speech at the U.S. Naval Academy. Four members of Congress attended: Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the Michigan Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee; Sen. John Warner, the Virginia Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee; Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona; and Pence. After his speech, Bush visited with the lawmakers for 10 minutes in a holding room to the side of the stage. Hoekstra asked Bush about the documents and the president said he was pressing to have them released.

Says Pence: "I left both meetings with the unambiguous impression that the president of the United States wants these documents to reach the American people."

....the growing congressional effort, led by Hoekstra, to have the documents released.

Read More......

Haggard's church fires him: "He has committed sexually immoral conduct"

CNN just reported, they fired him and issued a blistering statement, finding him guilty of "sexually immoral conduct." And as CNN notes, as president of the National Assocation of Evangelicals, he represented 30 million evangelicals. That's one in ten Americans.

And as CNN just asked, isn't he going to be arrested? He admitted to buying illegal drugs. What does Cong. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO) think about all of this, does she think Haggard should be arrested? After all, Musgrave was posturing on the crystal meth issue just this past summer - so where is she on it now?

Here is the statement from Haggard's church:

November 4, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Life Church
Colorado Springs, Colorado

We, the Overseer Board of New Life Church, have concluded our deliberations concerning the moral failings of Pastor Ted Haggard. Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct.

The language of our church bylaws state that as Overseers we must decide in cases where the Senior Pastor has "demonstrated immoral conduct" whether we must "remove the pastor from his position or to discipline him in any way they deem necessary."

In consultation with leading evangelicals and experts familiar with the type of behavior Pastor Haggard has demonstrated, we have decided that the most positive and productive direction for our church is his dismissal and removal.

In addition, the Overseers will continue to explore the depth of Pastor Haggard's offense so that a plan of healing and restoration can begin.

Pastor Haggard and his wife have been informed of this decision. They have agreed as well that he should be dismissed and that a new pastor for New Life Church should be selected according to the rules of replacement in the bylaws.

That process will begin immediately in hopes that a new pastor can be confirmed by the end of the year 2006. In the interim, Ross Parsley will function as the leader of the church with full support of the Overseers.

A letter of explanation and apology by Pastor Haggard as well as a word of encouragement from Gayle Haggard will be read in the 9:00 and 11:00 service of New Life Church.

Read More......

GOP Senate candidate Katherine Harris prays that Jews convert to Christianity

These people are off their rockers. And I've got the audio of Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL) saying this.

First, the article.

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, who has made past comments that raised questions about her religious sensitivity, prayed in a telephone prayer service recently that God would "bring the hearts and minds of our Jewish brothers and sisters into alignment."

And here's the audio of Harris wishing that those damn Jews would just become Christians. Also, note Harris' creepy reference to "kingdom government" (or governance), which from context sounds like she thinks she's elected to be the Christian God's representative in Congress. Read More......

Scandalized evangelical leader had extensive ties to Bush, White House

In spite of the White House's odd denials yesterday that they had any real contacts with evangelical leader Ted Haggard, the guy who bought crystal meth and repeated massages from a gay hooker, the Rocky Mountain News details just how extensive Haggard's contacts really were with the Bush White House.

Then again, the Bush White House also told us they never had many contacts with Jack Abramoff - and then we found out there were hundreds. Read More......

Haggard gave sex/drug interview in front of his kids

The guy is a creep. Dan Savage was the one to discover this. The interview Haggard gave yesterday, the one with his poor wife watching where he talking about buying crystal meth and only getting a massage from the gay hooker, his poor kids were sitting in the back seat the entire time. And before anyone criticizes the reporter, the journalist asked Haggard if he wanted to step out of the car for a second to do the interview and he said no. He chose to do it in front of his kids.

(Click the images to see them more clearly.)

Read More......

Scott Kleeb's (D-NE-03) positive final ad, while opponent goes negative

Make sure you rate the video, put it in your "favorites," and add a comment - it helps boost the video on YouTube's home page.



And as a bonus, check out this Kleeb ad. The man is going to be president some day. Read More......

NYT: Republicans are "glum" as they struggle to hold congress

Yeah, losing sucks. Read More......

Dems blast Bush over top military papers calling for Rumsfeld to go

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

REID: MILITARY PAPERS ARE RIGHT; BUSH MUST FACE THE TRUTH AND RUMSFELD MUST GO

Washington, DC – The following is a statement by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid on calls by the Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times, and Marine Corps Times for Rumsfeld to resign.

“George Bush and his Republican Congress don’t get it, but the military papers do. If we want to succeed in Iraq, we need a better policy than stay the course and we need better civilian leadership at the Pentagon.

“America’s troops have done their part. President Bush and Congressional Republicans have not done theirs. Where they have failed, Democrats will force the White House to change course from chaos and get on the path to victory. It’s the new direction America needs to keep our country safe.”

House Chair of the DCCC Rahm Emanuel (D-IL):

Emanuel Response to Military Papers Saying Rumsfeld Must Go

“After 12 generals have said Rumsfeld should go, four military papers saying he should quit and even neo-conservatives abandoning the secretary of defense, all he gets from President Bush and Congressman Boehner is: You’re doing a heck of a job, Rummy,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “The American people deserve a new direction from a secretary of defense who won’t listen to his generals on the ground and a White House that won’t listen to reason.”

The editorial. Read More......

US Scientists warned Bush administration weeks ago that federal govt Web site contained nuclear secrets, but no one did a thing

George Bush and the Republicans don't care about the war on terror, they don't care about national security. It's all one big talking point to them, that's it. They woo the religious right, bashing gays while either being gay or hiring the gays as their top staff. They talk about limited government, then oversee the largest expansion of government, and turn a massive budget surplus into a massive budget deficit. And they talk about national security but have been responsible for an utter disaster in Iraq, not to mention, where is Osama?

And now we have George Bush, at the request of the Republicans in Congress, publishing instructions for how to build a nuclear bomb on a public US government Web site. And when they were warned about it two weeks ago by US scientists, they did nothing. When they were warned about it one week ago by European diplomats, they did nothing. It took the NYT downloading the "how to make a nuke" instructions two days ago, and demanding answers from the White House, to get Bush and his incompetent war planners to take the site down.

George Bush and the Republicans are simply incompetent. They don't care about national security. They don't care about anything. It's time for them to go. Read More......

GOP Congress gives military brass whopping pay raise, while troops on the ground gets next to nothing

Republicans in Congress have passed legislation giving some of the military's generals and admirals a whopping 8% (plus) raise come this January.

The rest of the troops, the ones who are making next to nothing, the ones whose families back in the US just barely get by, the ones who are actually risking their lives for us in Iraq - they're getting only a 2.2% raise, that would be around one-quarter of the raise the big boys are getting.

That's because George Bush and the Republicans don't give a damn about our troops (that's why they've cut veterans' funding as well). They only care about the wealthy and the connected. And if you're not a general, you ain't nothing to the Republicans running Washington (though they do love to have you at a good political rally).

For the love of God, if you're in the military, former military, or have a loved on in the service, stop voting for the Republicans. They keep screwing you and screwing you and then come election time they tell you how much they love you. They don't love you. They use you. It's time for a change.

Some real service members weigh in on Military.com

The 2.2 across-the-board military pay raise in January is a joke. So is the 8.7 percent raise set for 125 generals and admirals. How about reversing it?

Officers do not need the bigger raise. It’s the enlisted ranks who have people on food stamps and receiving assistance from the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. With the price of gas and everything else higher, a 2.2 pay raise is a slap in the face.

It’s also a travesty what else our politicians did to the 2007 defense authorization bill. They basically screwed disabled retirees rated “IU,” or unemployable, by refusing to make them eligible immediately for “concurrent receipt” payments [of both full retired pay and their VA compensation].

Maybe America needs to evaluate what these politicians have as perks, benefits and pay so more of that money goes to the people actually fighting and dying for their mistakes.

BRYAN COLLINS
Via e-mail

Great. The same individuals who got us into this quagmire in the Middle East are getting an $1100-a-month pay raise, and my E-3, who is packing his bags next week for a year of "fun in the sun" Iraq, is to get a whopping $33. Unfreaking real…No, how shameful.

Rick T.
Via e-mail

What is wrong! I don't see any of these flag officers on welfare or getting killed. They have a lot of aides and don't have much to do except make public appearances. They do make the decisions but they get input from those aides.

If they do not like their pay, why don't they get out of the military and work for a living. Instead they’ll become lobbyists or run for office.

GARY YERDON
Senior Chief Machinist Mate, USN-Ret.
Via e-mail

I am not surprised that Congress has enough money to give O-9s and O-10s (lieutenant generals and generals) a huge pay raise but cannot find the funds to support those of us who have paid SBP premiums for over 30 years. I have paid into SBP for 36 years and now will have to wait until 2008 for them to stop [because Congress refused to accelerate the effective date of the paid-up SBP rule].

There is no justice in this congressional decision.

DEAN BATCHELDER
Sergeant Major, USA-Ret.
Via e-mail

I am appalled at the inequity of pay raises voted for the upper ranks while lower ranks are getting 2.2 percent. I know why the services cannot recruit good people; they stay in civilian life where at least they get recognized for their efforts. Should we need even more men and women for the military in the future, the draft will be our only hope.

I will try to learn how my senators and representative voted. If they supported this they will not receive my vote next month.

My husband paid Survivor Benefit Plan premiums for over 30 years before he passed away. It will take me three years to get the level of SBP benefits -- 55 percent of his retired pay – for which we paid premiums all those years. That can leave a foul taste in one's mouth.

I support our men and women in service and will never publicly slander the President or our Congress. I will make my choices known at the polls.

PATRICIA CARPENTER
Rogersville, Tenn.

Thank you for keeping us informed. The military pay raise of 2.2 percent is absurd. But the most astonishing part of your article describing the final defense bill is the effect on officers in pay grades 0-9 and 0-10 with the Secretary of Defense gaining authority to add an additional 2.5 percent to retired pay for each year served past 30. That is preposterous.

The very top grades already receive all of the "perks." They and their wives are given VIP treatment on each and every military installation. Their meals have to be their preference, sent to installations ahead of their arrival. They have Lear jets to ferry them wherever they wish to visit. They have preferred housing anywhere they are assigned. Enough is enough.

WILLIAM B. HATCHER
Master Sergeant, USAF-Ret.
Via e-mail

Read More......

Bush wants judge to tell torture victims that they can't tell anyone what Bush did to them

Does that include the Red Cross when they come to visit the prisoners? Or how about US courts that are investigating the White House's absuses against innocent Americans? How can you make classified what you do to me?

From the Washington Post:

The Bush administration has told a federal judge that terrorism suspects held in secret CIA prisons should not be allowed to reveal details of the "alternative interrogation methods" that their captors used to get them to talk.

The government says in new court filings that those interrogation methods are now among the nation's most sensitive national security secrets and that their release -- even to the detainees' own attorneys -- "could reasonably be expected to cause extremely grave damage." Terrorists could use the information to train in counter-interrogation techniques and foil government efforts to elicit information about their methods and plots, according to government documents submitted to U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton on Oct. 26.

This isn't about national security. It's about Bush not wanting the Red Cross and the New York Times to report that he's been torturing people again.

Are there any Republicans who still believe in what America used to stand for? Read More......

Breaking with long-standing tradition, Condi is campaigning

Hey, it's not like she's got anything else to do like, say, Iraq. The world is such a secure place under the brilliant leadership of Bush's foreign policy team. But Condi is breaking the tradition that the Secretary of State avoids partisan politics:

Two weeks before crucial midterm elections that could tip the balance of power in Congress, Rice has been on a media blitz that appears aimed mainly at conservative media outlets, particularly radio talk shows. Secretary of state is traditionally a nonpartisan position, and Rice's media itinerary differs sharply from the practice of her predecessors during election campaigns, according to State Department records.

Rice has given nine interviews on radio, starting with three appearances on Oct. 24 during "Radio Day," when 42 radio hosts, most of them conservatives, were invited to the White House to spread the administration's message to President Bush's political base.

This is just another example of the Bush team putting politics over policy. Condi is campaigning instead of dealing with all the major problems created by her boss. They have no plan for Iraq, it's all just politics to the Bush team. Read More......

Saturday Morning Open Thread

George Bush is in Colorado today to whip up the conservative base. Probably won't make time to see his pal, Ted Haggard. Instead, Bush is spending time with one of Colorado's other preeminent gay-bashers, Marilyn Musgrave.

There really is a pattern with these homophobic wingers. It's not a coincidence that so many of them are obsessed with gay sex.

Pastor Ted's scandal is still big news today. The White House is acting like they really didn't know the disgraced hypocritical evangelical leader. But that's what Pastor Ted was saying initially about the gay hooker, too.

Three more days. Read More......

Convicted GOP Congressman finally resigns

It only took Bob Ney seven weeks to resign after being convicted. And the GOP wonders why America has had enough and will be tossing them out of power next week. Read More......

Bush together with leaders of "Evil Empire"

That's how many of our traditional friends perceive our president these days. All of those ruined relationships and for what?

In Britain, which alongside Israel is traditionally a close Washington ally, 69 percent of those questioned said they felt U.S. policy had made the world less safe since 2001.

A majority of Canadians and Mexicans agreed, with 62 percent of those polled in Canada and 57 percent in Mexico saying their neighbor's policy had made the world more dangerous.

As for Israel, just 25 percent of people asked said Bush had made the world safer, while 36 percent felt he had upped the risk of conflict and a further 30 percent said at best he had made no difference.

And now for his mix of company among world favorites.

The perceived failings of U.S. foreign policy placed Bush alongside al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a cause of global anxiety, it said.

Read More......

Why is Bush so afraid of our democratic process and rule of law?

I have no issue prosecuting this guy to the hilt and giving out whatever the punishment is for his crime if the guy is guilty. What sets America apart, or at least used to set America apart, is our democratic system and our rule of law. We have operated pretty well for a few hundred years with our system and it sickens me to see it all swept away by a bunch of loonies who have so badly botched everything they touch including the American judicial system and our good name around the world, I'd like to see us get back to what makes America, America. Just because the Bush administration has acted outside of the law does not mean that we have to scrap our judicial system, just to protect Bush.

A suspected terrorist who spent years in a secret CIA prison should not be allowed to speak to a civilian attorney, the Bush administration argues, because he could reveal the agency's closely guarded interrogation techniques.

Human rights groups have questioned the CIA's methods for questioning suspects, especially following the passage of a bill last month that authorized the use of harsh Ã?— but undefined Ã?— interrogation tactics.

In recently filed court documents, the Justice Department said those methods, along with the locations of the CIA's network of prisons, are among the nation's most sensitive secrets. Prisoners who spent time in those prisons should not be allowed to disclose that information, even to a lawyer, the government said.

"Improper disclosure of other operational details, such as interrogation methods, could also enable terrorist organizations and operatives to adapt their training to counter such methods, thereby obstructing the CIA's ability to obtain vital intelligence that could disrupt future planned terrorist attacks," the Justice Department wrote.

Read More......

Open thread

Karl Rove, not looking so smart anymore. Read More......