2006 Tour de France update

I started following the Tour back in the mid 1980s when Greg LeMond became the first US rider to win. Since that time I have managed to follow the Tour and have been in Paris for numerous finishes, though I missed perhaps the most exciting finish in modern history when LeMond somehow beat French great Laurent Fignon (the last truly brilliant French rider) on the final day of racing. This year the Tour has been wild, with yellow jerseys changing backs seven times already. Yesterday, American rider Floyd Landis started the day with the maillot jaune and seemed to be in position to lock down the tour as the riders hit the toughest climbing day of the year but on the final climb, Landis cracked and ended up dropping over 10 minutes and dropped to 11th place.

Today, Landis took charge on the first climb and never looked back. He's now half a minute behind the leader from Spain Oscar Pereiron and in third place with a bland day on Friday followed by an individual time trial on Saturday. Landis does very well in time trials so this Tour is going to finish on Sunday as one of the most exciting that I can recall since the '80s.

After the doping problems that were announced just before the start this year many thought the race would be a dud but 2006 has been fantastic. I don't know if Landis can win but we will know by the end of Saturday who the winner will be in Paris. Read the rest of this post...

Open Thread

What we need to know? Read the rest of this post...

"I was a Republican - until they lost their minds"

From the NY Post:

July 20, 2006 -- THE reverb is still echoing over Dan Quayle's walkout in the middle of a John Mellencamp concert in Lake Tahoe last weekend. The singer-songwriter introduced his tune "Wall Talk" by announcing, "This next one is for all the poor people who've been ignored by the current administration." As Quayle exited, the former veep explained, "I didn't appreciate the comment, and besides, I didn't think the show was very good." But Mellencamp said he couldn't care less that Quayle got his knickers in a twist: "I certainly wouldn't have changed a word." NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley backed Mellencamp, saying, "He's right." While that may sound odd coming from a former conservative, Barkley told a local reporter, "I was a Republican - until they lost their minds." Quayle, known for his great golf game, served as veep under President Bush's father from 1989-'93.

Read the rest of this post...

Senate Dems bring in twice as much money as Senate Republicans in June

From the DSCC:

SENATE DEMS DOUBLE GOP IN JUNE FUNDRAISING

GOP June Fundraising Falls Surprisingly Short Of Expectations – NRSC Claimed It Raised $12 Million At Bush Gala But Only Raised $4.8 Million For Entire Month

DSCC Builds On Cash Advantage Over NRSC For Fifth Straight Quarter

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) raked in $8.8 million in June, almost double the $4.8 million that its GOP counterpart brought in for the same month. The DSCC has raised a whopping $73 million for the 2006 campaign cycle and has nearly $38 million in the bank, almost twice as much as what the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has in its coffers.

“Throughout the country, people are looking for a new direction and are looking to the Democrats,” DSCC Chairman Chuck Schumer said. “Our fundraising success reflects a deep desire for change and recognition that the best way to get things back on track is by electing more Democrats to the Senate.”

The DSCC said that its cash on hand advantage will be a major asset going forward into the homestretch of the 2006 midterms. “More money in the bank means more resources to help spread our message of change,” Schumer said.

In June, the NRSC raised only $4.8 million despite claiming that it had raised at least $7 million more at a single event with the President that month. The media accounts following a Bush-headlined fundraiser for the NRSC and its House counterpart reported that the GOP Senate committee expected to bring in $12 million just from that one event.

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DeLay's PAC fined, out of business

CREW's complaint against ARMPAC, DeLay's Political Action Committee, resulted in a $115,000 fine from the FEC -- and an agreement that the PAC is out of business.

Don't forget -- DeLay's still a candidate for Congress in Texas. He still represents the GOP. Read the rest of this post...

Be afwaid, be vewy vewy afwaid

This is utter bull. I stopped believing the Bush administration and the Republicans a long time ago. They are simply positioning America to start yet another war, this time with Iran. A war we can't afford financially, militarily, psychologically, or diplomatically.

Seriously, you Republicans out there, you really need to step up to this man and tell him enough is enough. Or next time, it's your children who are going to be drafted.

One or more Iranians witnessed North Korea's recent missile tests, deepening U.S. concerns about growing ties between two countries with troubling nuclear capabilities, a top U.S. official said Thursday.

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Lieberman and Lamont are dead even in the polls

UPDATE: Law Dork, who doesn't always agree with me, agrees with me.

Wow.

It really is time to hammer Lieberman every day and non-stop on his having filed to run as an independent if he loses. He claims he's going to remain a Democrat, even if he runs as an independent, but if he runs as an independent it will be because the Democratic voters don't want him as their senator. So how does that make him still the Democratic senator? Lamont should hammer Lieberman non-stop about this point - remind everyone in the state that it is all about Joe, all about Joe's ego, all about Joe's need to win at all costs, to hell with the people of Connecticut.

If Lamont wins the primary, and Lieberman runs as an independent, it's going to tear the Democratic party and the grassroots apart. The blogs will, understandably, spend full time helping Lamont, bashing Lieberman, and flailing the party for not doing enough to help Lamont (or worse, for helping Lieberman). The last thing we need is a major war erupting among Democrats leading into the November elections. I'd like to spend my time, I'd like to see all the progressive blogs devoting their time, to helping defeat Republicans, rather than worrying about some guy who lost his primary and now can't take his toys and go home like a good loser. But that isn't going to happen unless the Democratic party, unless Democratic leaders in the Senate, step up to the plate here.

The party needs to tell Joe Lieberman, under no uncertain terms, that if he loses his primary he needs to bow out of the race. Otherwise, there will be open war between the blogs, the netroots and the Democratic party for the next four months. Rather than channeling those resources into defeating Republicans, we will be channeling those resources into fighting amongst ourselves. But the Democratic party can avoid this scenario, if it chooses. The Dems need to make it clear to Lieberman that if he loses the primary, he's out of here.

I'm not saying that I want to see open warfare in the party, I'm saying I see open warfare coming with 100% certainty. It's up to the party to head it off at the pass. Read the rest of this post...

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter admits to recent fake-Anthrax mailing to NYT

If any of us admitted publicly to having committed a recent act of terrorism, we'd be locked up immediately. But when lead Republicans admit to such things, the Bush administration does nothing. Pat Robertson suggests that the State Department should be nuked (he really did), and no one bats an eye. Ann Coulter first suggests that Timothy McVeigh should have considered blowing up the New York Times, that the NYT executive editor should be executed, and this week, according to published reports, Coulter says she sent fake Anthrax to the New York Times (they received an envelope with white powder last week).

Did Coulter send the fake Anthrax? She says she did.

Will she or any other conservative voicing support for terrorist acts against Americans ever be held accountable by this administration? Or at least by their own party? Or will Pat Robertson continue to be the religious darling of the Republican party and the Bush White House, and will Ann Coulter continue to receive her tens of thousands of dollars in speaking fees at Republican conferences and events?

Unlikely. After all, we do have stem cells, gay marriage, and the flag to worry about. Who can expect the Bush administration to be actually worried about terrorism, especially when it comes from the mouths of their biggest supporters. Read the rest of this post...

Ralph Reed: It's John McCain's fault

Payback's a bitch.

Republicans, like George Bush, Ralph Reed, Tom DeLay, Scooter Libby, think they're above the law and rules and thics don't matter. They never take responsibility for their own actions. It's always someone else's fault -- usually the party that busted them or has the audacity to challenge them. It gets good when they blame other Republicans. Read the rest of this post...

Republican election message: Iraq is Bush's fault, not ours

The GOP Congress has marched in lock-step with Bush on the Iraq war. They've enabled the disaster, never questioning the Iraq policy. Now, that Iraq is a political disaster, they're all acting like they had nothing to do with the mess:

Rank-and file Republicans who once adamantly backed the administration on the war are moving to a two-stage new message, according to some lawmakers. First, Republicans are making it clear to constituents they do not agree with every decision the president has made on Iraq. Then they boil the argument down to two choices: staying and fighting or conceding defeat to a vicious enemy.

The shift is subtle, but Republican lawmakers acknowledge that it is no longer tenable to say the news media are ignoring the good news in Iraq and painting an unfair picture of the war. In the first half of this year, 4,338 Iraqi civilians died violent deaths, according to a new report by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq. Last month alone, 3,149 civilians were killed -- an average of more than 100 a day.

"It's like after Katrina, when the secretary of homeland security was saying all those people weren't really stranded when we were all watching it on TV," said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (R-N.C.). "I still hear about that. We can't look like we won't face reality."

You won't face reality, Rep. McHenry. But, linking the disasters of Iraq and Katrina is a good talking point -- for the Democrats. Read the rest of this post...

Iraqi police find 38 dead, tortured bodies around Baghdad

These discoveries come in addition to 3 more people killed in a car bomb. Where are all of those brilliant architects of this mess who told us how easy it would be? Read the rest of this post...

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Is Bush making progress yet? Anywhere? Read the rest of this post...

GOP springs into action on yet another burning issue: Pledge of Allegiance

Now I know you cynics out there will say this is just political posturing in an election year, but is the failed war in Iraq, the tenuous situation in Afghanistan, the trampling of the rule of law, the massive deficit, failed energy policies, global warming, and sagging employment really more important? We should be proud that congress has the courage to tackle this hot issue that is on the lips of every person in America right now. Sleep soundly America because the GOP is in charge. Read the rest of this post...

Iraq PM Maliki supports Hezbollah

Things haven't quite worked out the way our neocon friends and Bush told us, have they? This is especially interesting because Hezbollah has not been receiving a lot of vocal support in the region outside of Iran and Syria. One hell of a mission accomplished, but for whom? Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Off to bed. Read the rest of this post...