So, my initial take on the speech

Overall, it was fine, for Bush I mean. He didn't attack Kerry very much - wisely leaving that to his minions the rest of the week. He hit a lot of substance, which is what they wanted so they could claim that Bush has a plan and Kerry doesn't. But overall, it was kind of boring, to me at least.

I'm certainly intrigued - very intrigued - that the GOP is now running from Zell Miller like the plague (I think his horrible half-crazed post-speech performances on Hardball and CNN certainly didn't help). And now that I read the entire article, it's not just Laura Bush who backed away from Miller. McCain criticized him and the White House basically DISOWNED him. Senator Miller is speaking for himself? Bullshit. So you mean the White House didn't read his speech in advance? You had no idea what he was going to say? The guy you invited for your keynote address has nothing to do with your campaign or your candidate, then why was he there at all?

At least have the backbone to stand by your own people. I mean, man - disowning the guy in under 24 hours. That's gotta be a record for disloyalty. Flippity-floppity goes the Bush...

More thoughts on what tonight means after I read more of the analysis from others. Read the rest of this post...

GOP Abandoning Zell Miller

MSNBC Reports:

After gauging the harsh reaction from Democrats and Republicans alike to Sen. Zell Miller’s keynote address at the Republican National Convention, the Bush campaign — led by the first lady — backed away Thursday from Miller’s savage attack on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, insisting that the estranged Democrat was speaking only for himself.

Late Thursday, Miller’s name was removed from the list of dignitaries who would be sitting in the first family’s box during the president’s acceptance speech later in the evening. No explanation was immediately offered, but the change was made only a few hours after Laura Bush, asked about Miller’s deeply personal denunciation of his own party’s nominee, said in an interview with NBC News that “I don’t know that we share that point of view.”

Laura gets a backbone - a little too late. Read the rest of this post...

HOLY SHIT, MORE PROTESTERS

For the second time, Bush's speech has been stopped mid-sentence by protesters on the floor. Absolutely brilliant. Read the rest of this post...

PROTESTERS INTERRUPT BUSH SPEECH

Amazing. If these bozos can't even keep the President's acceptance speech secure, how the hell can they protect our country? Read the rest of this post...

Kerry hits back at Dick Cheney, HARD

It's about time. The Republicans spent the week making vicious attacks on Kerry, while the Dems spent their convention being all nice and sticking to promoting their own candidate. What has it gotten the Dems? Media analysis saying the Dems may have made a mistake.

Hello? What about media analysis that the Republicans went as negative, if not more, than they did in 1992? What about media analysis asking the Republicans why they insist on defending a sitting president with a negative campaign of lies and personal attacks?

The time to fight back has come, my friends. And Kerry, it appears, may be starting to do just that. But more needs to happen, much more. This president lied to get us into a war that has killed almost 1,000 honest, brave, patriotic Americans. All for a lie that has destroyed our country's reputation, is bankrupting our pocket, and has no end in sight. A lie of a war that even our president now admits we cannot win.

This man simply must NOT be allowed to be our president. We must fight back with every means available to us within the constraints of the law. He is a liar, a bigot, and a danger to our nation and the world. It's high time we fought fire with fire. It's high time the Kerry campaigned joined us in destroying this pitiful excuse for an unelected president. They declared war on us, and it's time we declared war on them. Take off the gloves, Mr. Kerry, please.

Democrat John Kerry hit back at Dick Cheney on Thursday by raising the Republican's failure to serve in the Vietnam War and asking voters to weigh his two tours of duty against the vice president's five deferments.

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, bristled at Cheney's attack on his patriotism during the Republican National Convention in New York and his ability to serve as U.S. commander-in-chief.

'Here's my answer,' the Massachusetts senator said in excerpts of remarks he will make at a midnight rally in Springfield, Ohio, shortly after President Bush delivers his acceptance speech at the Republican convention.

'I'm not going to have my commitment to defend this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they could have and by those who have misled the nation into Iraq,' he said.

Neither Bush, who served in the Texas Air national Guard, nor Cheney went to Vietnam. The vice president obtained five deferments and has since said he had 'other priorities' at the time.

Kerry volunteered for two tours of duty and won three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star while serving on a gunboat in the Mekong Delta.

Read the rest of this post...

Kerry's Speech to be a doozie

Excerpts of John Kerry's Upcoming Remarks

The election comes down to this. If you believe this country is heading in the right direction, you should support George Bush. But if you believe America needs to move in a new direction, join with us. John and I offer a better plan that will make us stronger at home and more respected in the world. And we need your help to do that.

For three days in New York, instead of talking about jobs and the economy, we heard anger and insults from the Republicans. And I'll tell you why. It's because they can't talk about the real issues facing Americans. They can't talk about their record because it's a record of failure.

We all saw the anger and distortion of the Republican Convention. For the past week, they attacked my patriotism and my fitness to serve as commander in chief. Well, here's my answer. I'm not going to have my commitment to defend this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they could have and by those who have misled the nation into Iraq.

The vice president even called me unfit for office last night. I guess I'll leave it up to the voters whether five deferments makes someone more qualified to defend this nation than two tours of duty.

Let me tell you what I think makes someone unfit for duty. Misleading our nation into war in Iraq makes you unfit to lead this nation. Doing nothing while this nation loses millions of jobs makes you unfit to lead this nation. Letting 45 million Americans go without health care makes you unfit to lead this nation. Letting the Saudi royal family control our energy costs makes you unfit to lead this nation. Handing out billions of government contracts to Halliburton while you're still on their payroll makes you unfit. That's the record of George Bush and Dick Cheney. And it's not going to change. I believe it's time to move America in a new direction; I believe it's time to set a new course for America.

And we have a specific plan to do just that. So tomorrow morning, John and Elizabeth and Teresa and I are hitting the road across America's heartland. From here, we'll go out and talk with Americans in towns across Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. And because a stronger America begins at home, we'll talk about our plan to create jobs, cut taxes for the middle class, lower health care costs, and make America safer and more secure.

Join our chat online - IM robinbaltimoremd on AOL IM.
Read the rest of this post...

FBI Informed White House of AIPAC Probe Two Years Ago

Not just that, but Bushies continued to praise AIPAC well after they knew the FBI was investigating whether AIPAC acted as a conduit to illegally pass classified material to Israel.

A senior administration official said national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and her deputy, Stephen Hadley, were "apprised of the counterintelligence investigation of AIPAC" more than two years ago.

The official said the investigation centered on whether AIPAC was acting as a "conduit" -- relaying information the group collected from the administration and the U.S. Congress to Israel, Washington's closest ally in the Middle East.

Since the White House National Security Council was informed of the case, Bush, Rice and other senior administration officials have praised AIPAC.

Addressing the group in May, Bush said AIPAC was "serving the cause of America," including its role in highlighting "the threat posed by Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons."

In a March 2003 speech, Rice called AIPAC "a great asset to our country."

AIPAC, which has denied any wrongdoing, pointed to those comments and others as "vindication of AIPAC's loyalty and trustworthiness."

"Apparently nothing turned up during this rigorous two-year probe of AIPAC's activities to deter President Bush from addressing AIPAC's policy conference on May 18, 2004. Nor has information surfaced that has prevented scores of other administration and congressional leaders from speaking regularly and candidly with AIPAC officials," the group said in a statement.

The White House declined to comment on whether knowledge of the counterintelligence probe affected contacts with AIPAC.

Read the rest of this post...

The first of many outright lies in Bush's speech

"I am running with a compassionate conservative philosophy: that government should help people improve their lives, not try to run their lives." - Bush acceptance speech.

Excuse me? This administration has financed the largest intrusion into the bedroom of Americans that we've seen in decades. The government wants to regulate whether gay people can have sex at all, let alone get married. They want to pass a constitutional amendment making abortion illegal. They want access to our private medical records. And on and on and on.

This is a president beholden to a far-right wing of his party that would like nothing less to control every aspect of the life of every American. Read the rest of this post...

Mary Cheney will reportedly NOT be coming on stage tonight when all family members gather

This is what I've heard via other reporter friends of mine. It will be interesting to see what happens. Read the rest of this post...

What the liberal bloggers think of Bush

You can listen to our collection of liberal bloggers and protesters and assorted other progressives gathered in a small room on 42d street watching, blogging, and holding this president accountable :-)

- Booooo

- Four More Months! Read the rest of this post...

Bush to bash gay marriage in speech

"Because the union of a man and woman deserves an honored place in our society, I support the protection of marriage against activist judges. And I will continue to appoint federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law."
Read the rest of this post...

Bush's ENTIRE SPEECH posted online NOW

From our friend Atrios. He's good :-) Read the rest of this post...

Now Saddam was HIMSELF a weapon of mass destruction, so the war was okay, Pataki says

"Saddam Hussein was a walking, talking weapon of mass destruction." - Gov. George Pataki, right now.

Gotta love that. This is the latest spin on what a weapon of mass destruction is. If you decide to redefine what a WMD is, then you can find it ANYWHERE. Brilliant - NOT. Read the rest of this post...

Big fucking homophobe speaking to convention right now

"I believe in George Bush's vision of compassionate conservatism." - Florida Republican Senate candidate Mel Martinez, speaking right now to the GOP Convention.

You sure do believe in George Bush's vision of compassionate conservatism. It's called bashing the hell out of gay and lesbian Americans, then pretending you're a nice guy rather than the asshole you really are (and let's not forget your openly gay staff running your campaign who are helping you bash their own community). Martinez makes me sick. Read the rest of this post...

JOIN OUR ONLINE CHAT RIGHT NOW, UNTIL END OF BUSH'S SPEECH

I've created a chat room in AOL Instant Messenger called americablog. You can instant message me: robinbaltimoremd and I'll invite you to join the chat. I plan on being online until the end of Bush speech tonight. If you want, join the chat and share your thoughts about the speeches while they are going on, join us. Read the rest of this post...

Franks: "America is about choice."

In Franks speech, he just said:

America is about choice.

Unless it's who you get to sleep with, who you want to marry, whether you get to control your own body, ... again, fill in the blank on your own. And get another drink... Read the rest of this post...

Bush Acceptance Speech: No means yes, up means down

Oh boy is this going to be fun tonight. Seriously, take a very deep breath when you watch this. Don't have a coronary, we need EVERY VOTE in November.

Now onto the speech. In the no means yes category, here's a little snippet:

I am running with a compassionate conservative philosophy - that government should help people improve their lives, not try to run their lives.

Unless you are gay or lesbian, ... hell, you can complete the sentence. Get a drink, it's all like this.

UPDATE - all excerpts released here. Read the rest of this post...

Frist uses AIDS as front to sell access to powerful Republicans at convention

Senator Frist is reportedly skirting federal lobbying regulations by throwing an "AIDS fundraiser" that's actually a way for rich Republican donors to buy access to influential GOP lawmakers while dodging strict federal disclosure rules. Isn't it nice that the GOP can even find a silver lining to AIDS.

The gala will consist of a concert, reception, and a VIP reception, which purportedly would feature Republican senators. The gala package, consisting of ten tickets to the VIP reception, 50 tickets to the concert, and entry into a separate Frist reception, costs a hefty $250,000.

Donors to Frist's fundraiser would buy invaluable face time with Republicans and, because their contributions go to a nonprofit, would simultaneously circumvent federal lobbying regulations and dodge public disclosure requirements. This political transaction would leave no paper trail-nonprofits do not have to identify their donors, and donors do not have to disclose their donations. Sen. Frist's promise of not accepting money from lobbyists attending the World of Hope gala is virtually useless, as representatives from corporations do not have to be official lobbyists to be able to donate to a nonprofit such as Frist's.

Read the rest of this post...

Republicans need help with National Anthem

I was on the GOP convention floor the other day and saw this big screen right across from the stage. It's ironic that the part of the flag and God and all that's good in the world doesn't even know the words to the national anthem.

Read the rest of this post...

PFLAG blasts GOP & Cheney family for hiding Mary

PFLAG PRESS RELEASE - 2 Sept 2004

PFLAG Wants to Know: Where Was Mary?; Cheney Family Appearance Spotlights Absence of Lesbian Daughter

Contact: Alice Leeds, 212-874-0675 or 917-523-5029 or aleeds@pflag.org, or Taylor Thompson, 202-467-8180, ext. 213 or tthompson@pflag.org, both of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

WASHINGTON -- At the Republican Convention last night, Vice President Dick Cheney gave the acceptance address and then appeared with his wife, daughter, son-in-law grandchild number 1, grandchild number 2, grandchild number 3 and, awash in the bright stage lights and swathed in blankey, infant grandchild number 4. But where was Cheney's lesbian daughter, Mary?

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) wants to know: why wasn't Mary allowed to be a part of the important event? Were the convention organizers worried that her presence would reinforce what the Vice President stated last week -- that he opposes the President's call for a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and loves and supports his daughter as she is?

"PFLAG moms and dads were moved by Dick Cheney's words of pride for Mary and her basic rights to equal freedoms in America. That made her conspicuous absence from last night's celebration especially disheartening," said Sam Thoron, PFLAG's president and father of a lesbian daughter.

"Sadly, the message last night was that Mary was not welcome to share the stage with her straight sister," said Ron Schlittler, executive director of PFLAG. "It was a missed opportunity by Lynn and Dick Cheney to show the country a family in all its diversity, sharing an exciting moment together."

Read the rest of this post...

Jon Stewart SKEWERS Bush - WATCH THIS

Stewart absolutely skewered Bush last night, and the video is online. Just watch it. You'll need to visit this page, then look for the "Indecision Videos" column and find this video: "George W. Bush's Words George W. Bush: Words Speak Louder Than Actions."

Yes, it's THAT good. And below is one of the MANY Daily Show billboards across town - there are a number of versions of them, and all are really funny.

Read the rest of this post...

Religious right leader defends Alan Keyes, slams Mary's "wrong behavior"

Illinois religious right leader Peter LaBarbera, a former senior staffer at both the Family Research Council and the Concerned Women for America, is not only defending Alan Keyes' attack on Mary Cheney, but he seems to agree with much of it. Yes, another round of nasty news stories coming to a paper near you :-)

Illinois Family Institute Executive Director Peter LaBarbera said today that GOP Senate candidate Alan Keyes (news - web sites)' willingness to debate conservative ideas is a "breath of fresh air in an age desensitized to moral truths," and said his comments on Mary Cheney's homosexuality are far closer to the truth than the views of his politically correct critics....

LaBarbera said there is a certainly a selfish component to proud homosexuality, just as there is to advocacy of any sin. He said it is a tragedy that Mary Cheney has "bought into the lie of the 'gay' movement that she is somehow defined by this unnatural inclination. I hope Dick and Lynne Cheney understand that they can love their daughter without embracing or defending wrong behavior."

Read the rest of this post...

DNC criticizes Mary Cheney's absence

Kudos to the DNC for picking up on the Mary Cheney debacle and running it with it.

Where's Mary? Not With Her Family at the GOP Convention
"Mary's Up There" Mouths Lynne Cheney as Straight Family Joins Dick on Stage

Washington, DC - For the past few years, gay rights groups have been asking, "Where is Mary Cheney?" Not on stage with her family. Last night after her father, Vice President Dick Cheney, concluded his speech to the GOP Convention, he was joined on stage by his wife, his straight daughter, Elizabeth, her husband, and their children. But where was openly-gay daughter Mary? Once on stage, Lynne Cheney offered an answer when she turned to her husband and mouthed "Mary's up there," pointing to another side of the arena far away from her family.

"They can hide gay and lesbian family members at their convention, but Bush can't hide his failed record from the American people," said Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Terry McAuliffe. "President Bush isn't content with just dividing the country along political lines, now he's dividing families, including the family of his vice president. People across the country are fed up with Bush's discriminatory politics. Together, we will take back the White House for all Americans."

Last night's absence was not the only time Mary Cheney has caused controversy during this week's anti-gay convention. Earlier, Republican Illinois Senate candidate Alan Keyes referred to Mary Cheney as a selfish hedonist, comments that were later echoed by Bush friend and long-time Republican leader Pat Robertson. Mary is also the only child of either President Bush or Vice President Cheney who was not given a speaking role during the convention.

Read the rest of this post...

Today's vigil at Union Square

A similar anti-Iraq-war vigil was held at the Dem Convention, and elsewhere I believe. Brilliantly simple but moving idea.



Photo from AmIpatriotic.com (More photos here.) Read the rest of this post...

Republican Platform Renews Call to drill in ANWR

More from the Platform (296k PDF):

Using the most sophisticated technologies, we can explore and develop oil resources here at home with minimal environmental impact. Our Party continues to support energy development in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, holds as much as 16 billion barrels of oil - enough to replace oil imports from Saudi Arabia for nearly 20 years.

Don't let that Saudi Arabia figure confuse you. According to the Department of Energy, Saudi Arabia is the #4 supplier of petroleum products to the U.S., behind Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. Their contribution to our imports has also declined almost 25% in the last year. A veritable drop in the oil drum is what ANWR would provide the U.S. Read the rest of this post...

Republican Platform supports Ten Commandments in Public Buildings

Here's another good one from the Republican Platform (296k PDF):

The sound principle of judicial review has turned into an intolerable presumption of judicial supremacy. A Republican Congress, working with a Republican president, will restore the separation of powers and re-establish a government of law. There are different ways to achieve that goal, such as using Article III of the Constitution to limit federal court jurisdiction; for example, in instances where judges are abusing their power by banning the use of "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance or prohibiting depictions of the Ten Commandments, and potential actions invalidating the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Additionally, we condemn judicial activists and their unwarranted and unconstitutional restrictions on the free exercise of religion in the public square.

So, judges who believe in separation of church and state and therefore oppose displays of the Ten Commandments in a courthouse in, let's say, Alabama, they are a representation of "an intolerable presumption of judicial supremacy." You have to wonder if anyone who wrote the platform ever sat in a Constitutional Law class. Or a logic class. Stripping the judiciary of jurisdiction is supposed to "restore separation of powers." Read the rest of this post...

Republican Platform Links Contraception and Abortion

Lest you think that the newly minted Republican Party platform is just anti-abortion, it's also anti-contraception.

Abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is 100 percent effective against out-of-wedlock pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including sexually transmitted HIV/AIDS. Therefore, we support doubling abstinence education funding. We oppose school-based clinics that provide referrals, counseling, and related services for contraception and abortion.

Here's a link to the Platform (296k PDF), it makes for some very "interesting" reading. I'll be posting more about this over the next few days, as I find some more choice nuggets. Read the rest of this post...

Edwards jumps on the Angry Old White Men Convention

Keep it coming.

"The anger we heard from Senator Miller, the anger we heard from the vice president — anger is not going to change this country and do what needs to be done for America," Edwards told a town hall meeting at a community center in this Philadelphia suburb.

Edwards said he wished the Republicans would show "a little anger about the millions of people who lost their health care" and the millions who have lost their jobs in the last four years.

"It doesn't surprise me that the vice president of the United States spent most of his speech talking about John Kerry because you know he doesn't want to talk about what they've done to this country," the North Carolina senator said.

On CBS's "The Early Show," Edwards mocked Cheney for saying "the black market network that supplied nuclear weapons technology to Libya, as well as to Iran and North Korea has been shut down."

"He said that with a straight face on the same day that the Iranians themselves were declaring that they were moving forward with their nuclear weapons development program," Edwards said.

Read the rest of this post...

Some IL Republicans defend Keyes' Mary Cheney slur

Chicago Daily Herald:

"Not all Republicans were lambasting Keyes, however. Former Senate candidate Jim Oberweis of Aurora said Keyes could have thought through his remark, then suggested homosexuality can be changed like obesity, citing his own vast weight loss in the past year.

Back in the suburbs, Family Taxpayers Network founder Jack Roeser of Carpentersville said Keyes was 'somewhat undiplomatic' but added that 'technically, logically and morally, he was correct.'

'Nobody looks at their newborn son and says, 'I hope he grows up to be a homosexual,'' Roeser said."

Nobody looks at their newborn son and says "I hope he grows up to be Alan Keyes" either. Read the rest of this post...

Alan Keyes attacks convention prime-time speakers

From an email fundraising appeal I just recieved from Keyes via Newsmax:

As you have probably seen in the press, there were battles over what the Republican Party Platform would state this year. Fortunately, the platform kept very strong and promising language defending the right to life of unborn babies, and defending the institution of Marriage against the onslaught of the homosexual lobby.

But make no mistake -- the struggle for the heart and soul of the Party of Lincoln continues! A strong pro-life and pro-marriage party platform did not end the controversy, nor has it stopped the efforts of a few to undercut our most sacred principles.

As you probably know, a handful of the GOP elite have decided to use the podium at the Convention to give prime television time to people who are opposed to the moral issues of the Party Platform. There are a few who would like to see the party of Ronald Reagan - and the issues he held dear - become a thing of the past.

We cannot let that happen.

Read the rest of this post...

Oh, well, now that you put it THAT way...

From: "Simon Vainrub" vainrub@hotmail.com
To: John
Subject: Mary Cheney IS NOT a sellout
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2004

Mr. John,

You don't own Mary Chenney [sic]. The gay community does not own Mary Chenney [sic]. In fact, the only gay community Mary needs is her girlfriend Heather.

We gay republicans are not sellouts because we are faithful to our own ideology, our own truth, and we don't need nor seek the stamp of approval from the gay left.

Lower taxes, the second amendment, traditional values, those are OUR priorities.

They may not matter to you, but they matter to us. And that's why lots of gays on the right will be voting for Bush.

Because unless Bush ever says the words "I don't need f-gg-ts to vote for me." We're not going to be offended by his support [sic] of same-sex marriage.

Finally, Mary Chenney [sic] is not a sellout because the "gay community," does not exist. Your "community" is certainly not my "community." Your people are not my people. My friends are not your friends.

The term "sellout" is used to denigrate black people who go places in society. Call Mary Chenney [sic] what you want, she does not need you nor people like you. Read the rest of this post...

No title necessary

From AmericanIdle.net Read the rest of this post...

Home Depot, where pets are people too, but gays apparently aren't

To their credit, they've fixed things now. From HRC:

The Human Rights Campaign learned Thursday that the Home Depot has announced it will offer domestic partner health insurance a day after HRC publicly denounced the company's policy to cover employees' pets but not their partners...

Read the rest of this post...

Give Zell Miller's Senate office a call and ask them if he's gone crazy

Main phone: (202) 224-3643
Fax: (202) 228-2090
TDDY: (202) 228-2105
Email: webform@miller.senate.gov

Atlanta
Phone: (404) 347-2202
Fax: (404) 347-2243

Young Harris, GA
Phone: (706) 379-9950
Fax: (706) 379-4053

Moultrie, GA
Phone: (229) 985-8113
Fax: (229) 985-8018

Savannah, GA
Phone: (912) 238-3244
Fax: (912) 238-1240

If we piss the thin-skinned flip-flopper off enough, he'll really blow a gasket on the air. Read the rest of this post...

Zell crashes and burns on CNN too

A snippet from the CNN interview last night:

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Miller, the Democrats are pointing out that John Kerry voted for 16 of 19 defense budgets that came through Congress while he was in the Senate, and many of these votes that you cited, Dick Cheney also voted against, that they were specific weapons systems.

MILLER: What I was talking about was a period of 19 years in the Senate. I've been in the Senate for four years. There's quite a few years' difference there. I have gotten documentation on every single one of those votes that I talked about here today. I've got more documentation here than the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library put together on that.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: You also were, I would say, almost indignant that anyone would possibly call America military occupiers, not liberators, on at least four occasions. President Bush has referred to the presence of American forces in Iraq as an occupation, and the question is: Are you not selectively choosing words to describe the same situation the president of the United States is describing?

MILLER: I don't know if the president of the United States uses those words, but I know Senator Kennedy and Senator Kerry have used them on several occasions.

GREENFIELD: Yes. So has President Bush.

MILLER: Well, I don't know about that.

GREENFIELD: Well, we'll...

BLITZER: You know that when the secretary -- when the vice president was the secretary of defense he proposed cutting back on the B-2 Bomber, the F-14 Tomcat as well. I covered him at the Pentagon during those years when he was raising serious concerns about those two weapons systems.

MILLER: Look, the record is, as I stated, he voted against, he opposed all of those weapons systems. That, to me, I think shows the kind of priority he has as far as national defense.

Look, John Kerry came back from Vietnam as a young man unsure of whether America was a force for good or evil in the world. He still has that uncertainty about him.

WOODRUFF: You praised him...

GREENFIELD: Then why did you say in 2001 that he strengthened the military? You said that three years ago.

Read the rest of this post...

WILD-EYED Zell Miller LOSES CONTROL on Chris Matthews, threatens him, tells him to shut up

You really need to read this ENTIRE interview with Miller. He's insane. This snippet, as long and as horrible as it is, does NOT do justice to how totally flipped out, uncontrollably wild this jerk was on Matthews' show. Read the entire thing, then share it with lots of friends.

A snippet of the transcript is below, and a link to the entire transcript. And if you go here and scroll down, you'll see a picture of Miller debating Matthews on TV, click the picture to see the actual video of the show - especially take note of the following portions of the recording:

* Zell starts going nuts here: 2:18 (i.e., 2 minutes 18 seconds)
* Zell TOTALLY FLIPS OUT here: 6:41

MSNBC Transcripts: 'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for Sept. 1
Guests: Zell Miller, Bob Taft, J.C. Watts, Jon Meacham
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5892840/

[snip]

MATTHEWS: Well, let me ask you, when Democrats come out, as they often do, liberal Democrats, and attack conservatives, and say they want to starve little kids, they want to get rid of education, they want to kill the old people...

MILLER: I am not saying that. Wait a minute.

MATTHEWS: That kind of rhetoric is not educational, is it?

MILLER: Wait a minute.

Now, this is your program. And I am a guest on your program.

MATTHEWS: Yes, sir.

MILLER: And so I want to try to be as nice as I possibly can to you. I wish I was over there, where I could get a little closer up into your face.

(LAUGHTER)

MILLER: But I don‘t have to stand here and listen to that kind of stuff. I didn‘t say anything about not feeding poor kids. What are you doing?

MATTHEWS: No, I‘m saying that when you said tonight—I just want you to...

MILLER: Well, you are saying a bunch of baloney that didn‘t have anything to do with what I said up there on the

(CROSSTALK)

MILLER: No, no.

MATTHEWS: OK. Do you believe now—do you believe, Senator, truthfully, that John Kerry wants to defend the country with spitballs? Do you believe that?

MILLER: That was a metaphor, wasn‘t it? Do you know what a metaphor is?

MATTHEWS: Well, what do you mean by a metaphor?

MILLER: Wait a minute. He certainly does not want to defend the country with the B-1 bomber or the B-2 bomber or the Harrier jet or the Apache helicopter or all those other things that I mentioned. And there were even more of them in here.

You‘ve got to quit taking these Democratic talking points and using what they are saying to you.

MATTHEWS: No, I am using your talking points and asking you if you really believe them.

MILLER: Well, use John Kerry‘s talking points from the—from what he has had to say on the floor of the Senate, where he talked about them being occupiers, where he put out this whenever he was running for the U.S. Senate about what he wanted to cancel. Cancel to me means to do away with.

MATTHEWS: Well, what did you mean by the following.

MILLER: I think we ought to cancel this interview.

MATTHEWS: Well, I don‘t mean...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

MATTHEWS: Well, that would be my loss, Senator. That would be my loss.

Let me ask you about this, because I think you have a view on the role of reporters in the world. You have said and it has often been said so truthfully that it is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. Was there not...

MILLER: Do you believe that?

MATTHEWS: Well, of course it‘s true.

MILLER: Do you believe that?

MATTHEWS: But it‘s a statement that nobody would have challenged. Why did you make it? It seems like no one would deny what you said. So what‘s your point?

MILLER: Well, it evidently got a rise out of you.

MATTHEWS: Well, I think it‘s a

(CROSSTALK)

MILLER: Because you are a reporter.

MATTHEWS: That‘s right.

MILLER: You didn‘t have anything to do with freedom of the press.

MATTHEWS: Well, you could argue it was not nurses who defended the freedom of nursing. Why did you single out freedom of the press to say it was the soldiers that defended it and not the reporters? We all know that. Why did you say it?

MILLER: Well, because I thought it needed to be said at this particular time, because I wanted to come on...

MATTHEWS: Because you could get an applause line against the media at a conservative convention.

MILLER: No, I said it because it was—you‘re hopeless. I wish I was over there.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

MILLER: In fact, I wish that we lived in—I wish we lived in the day

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: I‘ve got to warn you, we are in a tough part of town over here.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MATTHEWS: But I do recommend you come over, because I like you.

Let me tell you this.

MILLER: Chris.

MATTHEWS: If a Republican Senator broke ranks and—all right, I‘m sorry.

A Republican Senator broke ranks and came over and spoke for the Democrats, would you respect him?

MILLER: Yes, of course I would.

MATTHEWS: Why?

MILLER: I have seen that happen from time to time. Look, I believe...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: What does Jim Jeffords say to you?

MILLER: Wait a minute.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Jim Jeffords switched parties after getting elected.

MILLER: If you‘re going to ask a question...

MATTHEWS: Well, it‘s a tough question. It takes a few words.

MILLER: Get out of my face.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MILLER: If you are going to ask me a question, step back and let me answer.

(LAUGHTER)

MATTHEWS: Senator, please.

MILLER: You know, I wish we...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MILLER: I wish we lived in the day where you could challenge a person to a duel.

(LAUGHTER)

MILLER: Now, that would be pretty good.

Don‘t ask me—don‘t pull that...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Can you can come over? I need you, Senator. Please come over.

MILLER: Wait a minute. Don‘t pull that kind of stuff on me, like you did that young lady when you had her there, browbeating her to death. I am not her. I am not her.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Let me tell you, she was suggesting that John Kerry purposely shot himself to win a medal. And I was trying to correct the record.

MILLER: You get in my face, I am going to get back in your face.

(CROSSTALK)

MILLER: The only reason you are doing it is because you are standing way over there in Herald Square.

(LAUGHTER)

MATTHEWS: Senator, Senator, can I speak softly to you? I would really like you to...

MILLER: What? No, no, no, because you won‘t give me a chance to answer. You ask these questions and then you just talk over what I am trying to answer, just like you did that woman the other day.

MATTHEWS: Well, Senator...

MILLER: I don‘t know why I even came on this program.

MATTHEWS: Well, I am glad you did.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MATTHEWS: Let me ask you this about John Kerry‘s war record.

MILLER: Well, are you going to shut up after you ask me?

(LAUGHTER)

MILLER: Or are you going to give me a chance to answer it?

[snip]

Read the rest of this post...

Mary chose not to be on stage with rest of family last night

Pathetic, self-loathing, sell-out. Read the rest of this post...

Mary was missing on "Compassion Night" too

Someone just sent me the GOP press release for the guest list at VP Cheney's box seats at Tuesday's night "Compassion Night," and who do you think is missing? The ENTIRE CHENEY FAMILY is listed, including the brother of Mrs. Cheney, the sister of the VP, Mary's sister and husband and their kids, but NO MARY AND NO HEATHER. Read the rest of this post...

Andrew Sullivan on Zell Miller - worth a read

From AndrewSullivan.com:

THE MILLER MOMENT: Zell Miller's address will, I think, go down as a critical moment in this campaign, and maybe in the history of the Republican party. I kept thinking of the contrast with the Democrats' keynote speaker, Barack Obama, a post-racial, smiling, expansive young American, speaking about national unity and uplift. Then you see Zell Miller, his face rigid with anger, his eyes blazing with years of frustration as his Dixiecrat vision became slowly eclipsed among the Democrats. Remember who this man is: once a proud supporter of racial segregation, a man who lambasted LBJ for selling his soul to the negroes. His speech tonight was in this vein, a classic Dixiecrat speech, jammed with bald lies, straw men, and hateful rhetoric. As an immigrant to this country and as someone who has been to many Southern states and enjoyed astonishing hospitality and warmth and sophistication, I long dismissed some of the Northern stereotypes about the South. But Miller did his best to revive them. The man's speech was not merely crude; it added whole universes to the word crude.

And remember who Andrew is. He may be conservative, he may annoy the hell out of a lot of you, but he also has a very large fan club, and at least some of that fan club is unsure what to do this election. Andrew is pushing them the right way. Read the rest of this post...

Meanwhile, back on earth...

last day of the NYC hate-fest. but while zell is lashing out 'cause the democratic party just isn't about him anymore, and while dick is too embarrassed to let his gay daughter on the stage with him,

workers are overworked,
they're laying off another 6,000 at United,
the price of oil jumped up again,
there's another CEO scandal in progress,
factory growth slowed down again,
they cut back production at Ford and General Motors,
consumer confidence sank again, and
"kenny-boy" lay is insisting he's innocent.

four more years! four more years! four more years!



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Bush gleefully celebrates death of 3,000 Americans on 9/11. This is optimism?

This is getting absolutely bizarre. Bush and the GOP are dancing on the graves of the men and women who died on 9/11. While pushing their smear & fear agenda, they continue to show tremendous delight in the brutal deaths of Americans. If he wants to talk about 9/11 then he ought to explain why he did absolutely nothing that day expect doddle and read My Pet Goat and then hide away in Nebraska leaving all of us to wonder what the hell was going on that day. He was a coward that day and now he wants to politicize the death of 3,000 Americans for his political benefit. Bush has failed to show any leadership then or now and using the death of Americans as a campaign theme is truly a new low, even for Bush and Rove.
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It's official, the ENTIRE family was on stage EXCEPT Mary & partner

I just watched the tape of the entire Cheney speech up until the family came on stage and then all left the stage. Mary did NOT step on stage - this photo that I took of the TV coverage zoomed out right after this and showed that this was EVERYONE on stage. Mom, dad, Liz, hubby and kids. No Mary, and no Heather. PBS even announced the entire family coming on the stage and even mentioned Mary, except she never showed (even though she was sitting just off-stage with her lover during the entire speech).

Yes, I'm sure Mary didn't want to be the story and decided for herself not to get on stage. But the only reason she IS the story is because the leadership of the party she's helping re-elect HATES GAYS. If they were good on gay issues it would be IRRELEVANT that the gay kid was on stage. So once again Mary is denying herself, her lover, and her community in order to help the very people who loathe her and think she's going to hell.

Despicable. Read the rest of this post...

Entire Cheney family on stage tonight BUT NOT MARY

In an incredible slap to Mary and the gay community, Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter Mary was reportedly NOT on the stage tonight as the entire Cheney family went on stage to join VP Cheney after his prime time speech at the GOP Convention. Mary WAS in the audience with her longtime girlfriend Heather Poe, but several news reports, including Sirius OutQ's Mike Signorile, report that Mary did not get up on stage after her father finished speaking, even though the rest of the family did.

This may have been Mary's own decision, I don't know. But it's unacceptable regardless of who decided to keep her off stage. There's only one reason Mary wasn't on stage, nor was her partner, and that's because Mary is a lesbian. Whether the decision was hers or her father's or her party's, it was a homophobic decision and once again illustrates what the Cheneys, and the GOP, are all about. For shame. Read the rest of this post...