Okay, let's see.

Hillary Clinton should simultaneously release two announcements, one in which she personally performs an abortion while presiding over a gay marriage should be released to the Right. One in which she flicks the switch to carry out the death penalty on an Iraqi rap musician should be released to the Left.

Barack Obama should announce his candidacy in front of a Holiday Inn Express.

Mitt Romney should announce his candidacy at an Evangelical church after a Sunday service. After Romney speaks, each of his wives should speak briefly about Romney's commitment to family values.

Guliani should announce in drag from the site of the World Trade Center.

John Kerry should announce his candidacy in front of a Senate committee on the Vietnam War, approximately 35 years ago.

Al Gore should announce his candidacy from Greenland, after studying melting glaciers. Instead of reporting on his announcement the media should report that Al Gore claimed that he invented Greenland.

John McCain should announce his candidacy from Arlington National Cemetary, immediately after choosing his future plot.

hmm

My first reading of this Blog has been interesting,educational,entertaining,provocative and a wonderful new asset to be shared with awakening friends and others. Those who watched our President and/or news feeds yesterday or today should hope that Santa finds the proper addresses for all candidates and delivers most needed gifts: Honesty, Fearlessness and the unbridled Search for Peace and Compassion by any means possible...except military conquest.

NO presidential candidate should be given the time of day unless they tell us with specifics where they stand on climate change and what they intend to do about it. Nothing else matters if the sea levels rise 80 feet over the next several decades.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Frienemy

that rudy guiliani idea was brilliant! girls got talent

Guiliani will announce in front of a jail cell full of squeegee-wielding windsheild washers, old black homeless women, and prostitutes who will be released into poorer neighborhoods than those from which they were arrested.

He will then shake hands with Mickey Mouse, and the two will ride a fire engine to the financial district. There they will break ground on Disneyland Ground Zero, The World's Greatest Reurbanization Theme Park.

The ceremony will end with a 41 gun salute.

david: never left but ran out of time to post; regardless, thanks for the compliment.

that's it--judge crater wins. it's great to have you back.

Great game. This is fun.

McCain announces from a gathering of centenarians (people who are 100 or older) that make him look relatively young.

Cheney announces from an undisclosed location.

Rice announces from Tina's living room. Tina applauds vigorously; everyone else falls asleep. After Rice's candidacy fails she and Tina call up Mary Cheney to find out the name of her sperm donor.

Guiliani announces from Ground Zero wearing only a full body tatoo of the American flag.

Bush declares that the Constitution's limits on presidential terms aid and abets terrorists everywhere since he is clearly the only one capable of leading the country out of the morass that he lead us into in the first place. He then announces (from the Oval Office) that he will run for a third term and that anyone opposing him will be immediately rounded up and imprisoned for treason.

Dennis Kucinich will continue to announce every single day until the mainstream media pays attention to him

To blame the war in Iraq on the Senate Democrats is disingenuous and misses the point. Yes, they voted to authorize Bush to use force against Saddam, but that was where their participation stopped thanks to a GOP-run Congress. The Senators, along with many others, were convinced that Saddam was an imminent threat to the USA and because of that, they authorized the use of force. Virtually no one is saying that we lost the war because we invaded. They're saying we lost the war because of gross mismanagement and incompetence in the handling of the war, and that's the part the Democrats (in both the Senate and the House) were systematically shut out of by their GOP colleagues.

Equally disingenuous is to ask the Democrats for a solution that no one in the Republican Administration is willing to advance. When Bush tells us how he plans to accomplish "The Mission" (that is to say, when he tells us how he plans to clean up the mess he created) then we can begin a dialogue about the best way to proceed. It's assumed that the Leader of the Free World has the best information, information from the Pentagon, CIA, FBI, etc., and can therefore create a more comprehensive image of what's wrong and what we need to do to fix it. So he should offer that solution, based on the best available knowledge, to the Congress for debate. To ask the Democrats who are still the minority party without subpoena power to form recommendations based on inferior information is irresponsible. To hold the Democrats accountable for a solution to a problem they didn't create mocks the very notion of accountability.

Despite the fact that the question of "what would you do differently" is disingenuous, I agree that solutions are important, so here's one. Make it clear to the Iraqis that we want out as much as they want us to be out. Set a timetable and tie it to accomplishments on the ground. For example, if we think we can establish an army that can defend the country in 2 years, then tell them "We can train an army in 2 years. If you want us gone, join up, train up, and behave. Do that, and we're out of here faster than a spooked chicken." If we don't get it done because we were too ambitious with our schedule, then it's our burden to make it right. If we don't get it done because we keep getting blown up by IEDs, make sure the Iraqis blame the insurgents for impeding our progress. Make sure the people of Iraq know that their best path to getting us to leave is cooperation, and then make it happen. In my judgement, that's a fair way to proceed that places incentives for behavior properly and holds accountable those who want us to leave.

Of course, the folks prosecuting this war have expressly said, "A timetable will just embolden the enemy." Though they never defined which enemy would be emboldened or just how they would be emboldened, it has been taken as the Gospel truth. So that solution is "not politically feasible."

Now, I don't have the resources that the President has. So if he, with all his information and staff can do better, I'd welcome that and invite a debate (not that he'd listen to his critics, but that's another post entirely). But it's a sad state of affairs that the paragraph I just wrote contained a more specific solution than all of the President's speaches last year.

As for announcements, Giuliani announces at a town meeting in New Orleans. America's Mayor, who helped his city recover from a time of crisis goes to another city in crisis to pledge his support from the White House.

Romney announces in a hospital in the state with the largest number of injured veterans. He highlights his health plan in Mass. and shows how his leadership could help the country.

Obama announces from Lincoln's birthplace. The other Illinois state legislator's fight against slavery allowed Obama to be a viable presidential candidate. He plays up how he can heal the rift between North and South that has arisen anew between the effete, latte-drinking liberals and the churchgoing, NASCAR-loving conservatives.

I can't do better than Hillary on SNL, except to add some follow-ups at a series of Methodist Churches.

Respectfully,
KB

''I think it would be the crime of the century if they were to send me back to Iraq or refuse me,'' he said. ''People wouldn't allow it. I have contacted senators and congressman to help me. I am coming back to Chicago. It is my home.''

By the way, who is al-Samaraie's Congressman? Why, it's none other than freshman GOP Rep. Rep.-elect Peter Roskam.

A once-prominent Iraqi American, jailed on corruption charges, was sprung from a Green Zone prison this weekend by U.S. security contractors he had hired, several Iraqi officials said.

Ayham Sameraei, a Chicago-area businessman, returned to Iraq after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and assumed the position of electricity minister during the interim government of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

A Sunni Arab who claimed ties to the insurgency, Sameraei was arrested in August of this year and charged with a dozen counts of misallocating millions of dollars in government money. He was sentenced in October to two years' imprisonment. At that time, security contractors took him to the U.S. Embassy before he could be jailed, but U.S. officials handed him over to Iraqi authorities.

There have been suggestions that American officials had a role in Sameraei's escape Sunday afternoon. But the B-movie scenario of a rich businessman hiring armed muscle to bust himself out of jail from inside the fortress-like, U.S.-protected enclave could further contribute to Iraq's image of instability and lawlessness. The flamboyant former government minister's arrest and prosecution were held up by Iraqi and U.S. officials as a rare example of good government prevailing in the new Iraq.

drindl is correct, the Senate did not vote for the war. They voted to give Bush the option of using force. Initially, that had a benefit; the Iraqis let the inspectors back in with full access. The problem for Bush was that these inspections showed that the Iraqis didn't have appreciable numbers of WMDs. So they pulled defeat from the jaws of victory by going ahead with the invasion.

VILSACK REACHES OUT TO YOUNG VOTERS
With Vilsack running for prez, this had to come out sooner or later. Here's a link to a photo of him dressed up as Winnie the Pooh for a literacy event in Iowa in 2002:
http://www.myspace.com/tuckyung

See the articles referencing this here: http://tinyurl.com/ud5f5

Did you think Clinton was *your* president? Just asking.

'but my original point is that most of the Senate voted FOR the war. '

well, no. they voted for an authorization for force...which was supposed to show saddam that we were all united behind the president. the idea was that this would give bush more leverage in finding a political solution, with war only a last resort. and of course that was just a joke to bush-- a political trick, because he immediately rushed into war, as he had intended all along.

Sorry, Bush's War. this is the way history will remember it.

and there's a lot of reasons why it went badly. two main ones were dick cheney and donald rumsfeld.

I know the dems love to say it's Bush's war (like your quote, we're losing the war he got us into, above), but my original point is that most of the Senate voted FOR the war. Something like 24 votes against. Now they are taking potshots at Bush 24-7.

My point is, OK fine - what would you do different? If you've got some ideas, let's hear them, don't just criticize (I'm talking to the politicians now, not to the great unwashed).

Some far better writers than me have said that the reason the 'war' (occupation) has gone so badly is twofold - Bremer and the CPA screwed up by firing the Iraqi army et al., and the Iraqis don't want (or aren't genetically capable of) democracy.

I think that Bush 'threw a hail Mary', and had it gone well (and it still might work; 10 or 20 years from now will be the judge), then the region would have been forever transformed into a better place. You don't want us taking those kinds of chances, fine, that's why we have elections. But blame Reid, Kerry, Edwards, HRC, Biden; all those who voted for the war as well - it isn't just 'Bush's war'. (You remember Bush - *your* president)

TomVilsack08.org

This is a great website. Get all the info about Vilsack straight from Vilsack, not from the biased MSM.

As someone that does politics for a living - these students came up with some very clever and interesting ideas. Hats off to the Fix for showcasing them.

Brownback should announce with only males in attendance from a bare platform located in the smallest town in America. His backdrop should be an American flag with the blue field replaced with red to clearly indicate that he has no interest in attacting any Democrats and beneath that should be a rainbow design devoid of color.

Giuliani can announce from a battered women's shelter. Or he could announce from the OEOB (for those of you who don't remember, he lived at a friend's place for part of his mayorship while his wife lived in the mayor's mansion).

Re: "the fact the manufactures of statins warn against the use of statins for people with myofacial TRP's and my previous use of statins have resulted in dangerous levels in the change of my liver enzymes, BUSH's CRFS say sorry - treatment denied - Zetia not available.The fact that research study after research study has shown that ACTOS can cure the liver ailment which is causing my lipid problems means nothing to BUSH - CFRS prohibit the use of ACTOS to cure NASH - Come February I will begin to buy ACTOS at the Mexican pharmacy."

Bobby...YOU are the koolaid drinker if you believe this is all Bush's fault!!! What's wrong with you? You justify buying prescrition drugs illegally from another country by saying that it's the government's fault because you won't heed prudent medical advise? Your logic is totally flawed, and your argument is without merit. Blaming the GOP, or any party for that matter, for your liver failure (while unfortunate) is absurd!

I feel sorry for you if you really believe that.

TG: Just want to note that Fort Devens is in Ayer, Massachusetts . They actually do have Army and Air Force bases there. Plus, Springfield was home to the major small arms weapons manufacturers for centuries.

The mostly land-locked state of New Hampshire is most noted for its Naval facilities (Portsmouth - appropriate for Kerry).

Quit hating on Rebecca. She didn't claim to make up the word "frienemy".

If Obama is smart, it will be a long time before we see him standing on a stage with Jessee Jackson on his right and Al Sharpton on his left, a la Ned Lamont at his victory celebration.

Drindl,

As I am sure you realize, this is not a plebiscitary democracy so your desire to have 51% rule over 49% will have to wait a while. I realize that the will of the mob seems appealing but give the electoral college a try it seems to be a good way to avoid allowing the Northeast and california to rule the country.

As for announcements:

Edwards announces from the emergency room of a hospital in charlotte while simultaneously trying to sign up clients in case his presidential bid fails again. This will remind everyone of his charlatan snake charming roots - he is not a person of substance.

Hillary announces from her home state of Arkansa/Illinois/New York while wearing a half giants/half jets jersey a yankee hat and Chicago bears sweat pants. She can be all things to all people - darnitt.

Kerry announces from the manufacturing site of the first betamax tape player - further demonstrating his irrelevance.

Obama doesn't announce - preferring instead to rest on his laurels as the chosen one while all the knuckleheads keep extoling his many and as of yet unseen virtues.

Romney announces in front of the big dig while decrying government incompetence.

Kerry re-announces - this time from Ft. Devens New Hampshire in full military regalia with Michael Dukakis flanking him while driving a bradley tank.

A year and a half after his own premature "Mission Accomplished", Rich Lowry has his moment of reality:

Most of the pessimistic warnings from the mainstream media have turned out to be right -- that the initial invasion would be the easy part, that seeming turning points (the capture of Saddam, the elections, the killing of Zarqawi) were illusory, that the country was dissolving into a civil war.

Yglesias is outraged:

Say it ain't so! And most of all what about the good news from Iraq? Lowry says "the opening of schools and hospitals is not particularly newsworthy, at least not compared with American casualties and with sectarian attacks meant to bring Iraq down around everyone's heads in a full-scale civil war." Damnit, Lowry, don't you know that only four of Iraq's eighteen provinces are violent? "True, but those provinces include 40 percent of the population, as well as the capital city, where the battle over the country's future is being waged." It's madness. A veritable stab in the back, I say. Lowry, though, says "many conservatives lost touch with reality on Iraq. They thought that they were contributing to our success, but they were only helping to forestall a cold look at conditions there and the change in strategy and tactics that would be dictated by it."

Bush is no longer pretending that the generals are running the war.

In today's press conference, President Bush dodged a question as to whether he'll overrule top military brass if they oppose his reported plan for a "surge" of troops in Iraq.

"That's a dangerous hypothetical," he said, concluding his answer with "nice try."

To bad we have the dangerous reality of a politically motivated incompetent president like Bush calling the shots.

'Victory', yes--so 1984. Where is the Victory Coffee? The Victory Chocolate rations? We have always been at war with Eastasia, i mean 'islamofascism'... war is peace.

and Emmanuel whatever his name was? First he was bin ladin, then saddam, now it abinojihad or whatever his name is in Iran. Where's today's 2 minute Hate?

The suggestion that Hillary announce her candidacy on Saturday Night Live is brilliant! This would help eliminate her image of being "icy" and "elite" (even though this translates into "focused on business" and "having money and being extremely intelligent"). By going on the show it would finally put her on the level of "the average American" and besides reaffirming her support of New York, she would also show that hint of humor and a "roll-up-your-sleeves" attitude which would help her join the human race. Bravo to Sawatzki for her great suggestion!

Wingers implode:

'What a great way to start the day: The Bush administration has sent signals since last month's elections that the president is prepared to accept some tax increases on upper-income families, worrying congressional Republicans and fiscal conservative watchdogs who say he will compromise with Democrats to win a legacy accomplishment.... At this point, I'm open to the suggestion that President Bush is hell-bent on destroying the Republican party.'

This is pretty funny. All it takes to destory the republic party is to ask the billionaires in this country to pay taxes? That's a real robust party you got there.

he Jihad Against Social Security Continues
The Washington Post writes again on Social Security, describing the system as the "fiscally imperiled Social Security system." For the facts, CBO says that if nothing is done, the program first faces a shortfall in 40 years. It's too bad the Washington Post doesn't give the same attention to the problems (e.g. global warming, rising health care costs, the increasing prison population) that will impose much larger costs on the country. But, hey, it's a jihad.

It certainly is, drindl. Scary, too, is his constant talk of "victory."

That's it, Mike. That's what I'm afraid of. He is totally disconnected from reality and it's really really scary.

drindl, I think the essence of your last post is the Bush has no idea what he's doing and never has. I agree.

last post on this, but just to show how very very badly bush has botched it and what it is going to cost us:

In another turnaround, Bush said he has ordered Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to develop a plan to increase the troop strength of the Army and Marine Corps, heeding warnings from the Pentagon and Capitol Hill that multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan are stretching the armed forces toward the breaking point. "We need to reset our military," said Bush, whose administration had opposed increasing force levels as recently as this summer.

But in a wide-ranging session in the Oval Office, the president said he interpreted the Democratic election victories six weeks ago not as a mandate to bring the U.S. involvement in Iraq to an end but as a call to find new ways to make the mission there succeed. He confirmed that he is considering a short-term surge in troops in Iraq, an option that top generals have resisted out of concern that it would not help.

A substantial military expansion will take years and would not immediately affect the war in Iraq. But it would begin to address the growing alarm among commanders about the state of the armed forces. Although the president offered no specifics, other U.S. officials said the administration is preparing plans to bolster the nation's permanent active-duty military with as many as 70,000 additional troops.

A force structure expansion would accelerate the already-rising costs of war. The administration is drafting a supplemental request for more than $100 billion in additional funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, on top of the $70 billion already approved for this fiscal year, according to U.S. officials. That would be over 50 percent more than originally projected for fiscal 2007, making it by far the costliest year since the 2003 invasion.

Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Congress has approved more than $500 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as for terrorism-related operations elsewhere. An additional $100 billion would bring overall expenditures to $600 billion, exceeding those for the Vietnam War, which, adjusted for inflation, cost $549 billion, according to the Congressional Research Service.

For all the money, commanders have grown increasingly alarmed about the burden of long deployments and the military's ability to handle a variety of threats around the world simultaneously. Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army's chief of staff, warned Congress last week that the active-duty Army "will break" under the strain of today's war-zone rotations.

WES clark should announce in front of the Declaration of Independence and swear allegence to the legal principles upon which this Nation was founded (side historical note - in Texas v. White (post civil war case) - the US Supreme Court found that the legal principle upon which Jefferson relief for the Declaration of Independence was abolished when the people consented to the US Constitution. )

Bobby Wightman-Cervantes
www.balancingtheissues.com

Direct quotes from George Bush at today's press conference:

"I'm willing to follow a path that will lead to victory..."

"...put a path in place that will lead to success."

"We'll accomplish our objectives."

And what would that path be, exactly?

What are those objectives -- can you list them in detail, along with the steps you plan on taking to achieve them?

More than three years after starting this mess in Iraq, can you give the American public any idea -- any at all -- as to when we plan on starting down that "path"?

Since you've started saying that we need to expand the military (and, btw, how do we plan on doing that in a voluntary military when we are barely meeting recruiting goals now?), what exactly are the plans going to be since we'll be exposing even more young Americans to bullets and IEDs and such in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere? .

How do you define "making progress"? You seem to say that a lot, but I'd really like for you to define what that means to you -- because I am not certain that either the American public or folks in Congress or even folks in your Administration know quite what you mean by that.

Clearly someone needs to restock the White House magnetic speechwriting kit...''

Sorry JD but Bush IS losing the war he got America into. His lapdogs in the now-defunct Republican congress gave him everything he wanted, and he still blew it.

And yet you blame America and absolve Bush? Please. Save it for O'Reilly.

'Why isn't there a bipartisan effort to solve this problem? 06 is over - are they really going to snipe until 08?
4) Bush isn't just 'my' president, he's yours too, assuming you live in the US'

well jd, sorry for getting riled. but there have been bipartisan efforts -- how about the ISG? And Murtha's plan, which was NEVER immediate withdrawal, but deploymnet off shore, will gradual withdrawal over time to 'wean' the iraqi's dependence on us...

But bush will never, never listen. He has shown his contempt fr any position other than his own -- staying is 'winnning', leaving is 'losing'. He has announced that it will be up to someone else to solve it, long after he is gone.

So we can propose solutions all we want but he will never listen. Have you learned anything at all about him in 6 years? He is incapable of listening or learning. the only thing he will change is sending even more troops and losing more amerian lives.

And bush has made it quite clear that he hates all democrats -- he has gone far beyond any other president in demonizing half of the country -- beyond calling our leaders traitors, to calling rank and file dems such.

he is not my president. he did not win the popular vote. more people voted for gore. he is illegimate, and he has torn the country apart.

For uncensored news please bookmark:

otherside123.blogspot.com
www.wsws.org
www.onlinejournal.com
www.takingaim.info

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_1551.shtml

No money to treat 9/11 workers, $3 billion a week to fight Iraq?

By Jerry Mazza
Is this a new 9/11 conspiracy The New York Times is reporting? That "roughly $40 million that was set aside by the federal government to treat rescue workers, volunteers and firefighters who became ill after helping with the 9/11 cleanup and recovery will run out in months, physicians and federal officials said yesterday." And the fund goes broke while the war meter ticks in Iraq at nearly $3 billion a week?

On top of that, that sanctimonious Contra criminal, Robert Gates, sworn in Monday as defense secretary warns us that failure in Iraq would be a "calamity" that would haunt the United States for years. Well Bobby, we've got a "calamity" here in New York (still part of the United States) that has haunted us for five years and won't go away. So take your "commanders' assessments" "unvarnished and straight from the shoulder" and you know where to put 'em.

Members of Congress from New York and New Jersey had to fight to secure $75 million a year ago to pay for health expenses, which included $40 million for drugs and medical procedures, for some 32,000 workers who reported a variety of illnesses after working at Ground Zero. You remember GZ, don't you, where some special ops helpers blew up the Twin Trade Towers?

Yes? No? Well, remember this. The two major monitor/treatment programs, one run by Mount Sinai Medical Center, the other by the Fire Department, said at the present spending rate, treatment money runs out by spring or summer. They told us top federal health officials said that unless more money was forthcoming, they'd have to notify thousands of patents their treatment could end soon. What and just let them be sick or die?

This while you, Mr. Gates, call for a big surge of fresh flesh, blood and cash to feed the Iraq canons, while these 32,000 heroes languish unto death. Your federal officials tell us if all the workers who needed treatment got it, the bill would be $250 million a year; a bill we're told that "may meet with resistance from lawmakers in Washington, who are facing intense budget pressures." We've got some intense budget pressures right here. So get real, Mr. Gates. You want to play war, try the computer game: SOCOM3 USNavy Seals, it's a killer.

You want to be human and smart, get those US asses back to the masses. Save yourself the trip to Iraq and the taxpayer money. Adjust your "war strategy" to pay your war bills, first for the first responders. Don't wave the flag and make speeches like Bush, then turn your back on the wounded and dying. Use your position, make a decision, do something for them.

We've got your co-payment: $256.6 million right here. It includes "$163.6 million in direct medical expenses for 19,200: $91.2 million for 9,6000 patients with respiratory or digestive disorders, $58 million for 8,000 patients with 9/11 related mental illnesses and $14.4 million for 1,600 patients with musculoskeletal conditions. Medications account for more than half of the treatment cost."

The numbers are from The Times, Secretary Gates. I didn't make it up like Dick Cheney made up Weapons of Mass Destruction and their imminent use to get us into Iraq in the first place, or that Saddam sat on Osama's lap and hummed al Qaeda in his ear all night. Or like Miss Rice lied, she didn't want to see a mushroom cloud on the horizon. I have a feeling somebody there is ingesting mushrooms. Let me bring you back to reality, bro, and you, sister Condi.

We've got "$49.1 million a year in administrative costs, $6 million for translation services and an as-yet-undetermined figure for 'emerging issues' like complicated orthopedic diseases and disorders that may not become evident for many years, including certain lung and autoimmune diseases and cancers," you know like Gulf War syndrome, where ex-military good guys and girls, and/or members of their families or kids. drop like flies over the years.

I hope you don't think I'm talking apples and oranges here? Like it's two different things, 9/11 and Iraq? Uh huh! It's all about sick and dying Americans and making things better not worse. Unfortunately, the Fire Department or Mount Sinai Medical Center are not into drug or gun running or money-laundering like you and the boys were into in Nicaragua and with the Iranians, so we have to rely on our real government, not the shadow government, to pay up.

You need to give that "honest advice" to President Bush. And don't let him stonewall you with "we simply cannot afford to fail in the Middle East," because the US is failing miserably in New York, never mind the Middle East. And that is haunting our nation, right now. Like now, this minute, tomorrow.

Even Mrs. Clinton, the ex-first lady -- even Mrs. Clinton thinks what the federal government has done for Ground Zero fighters has been "too little too late." And she said, "I am not going to say where the money should come from, I'm merely saying that this should be a national priority. It is not just a New York priority." She's right.

And if the president is short on cash, maybe he could call a buddy at the Fed and have them pack the $250 million and ship it to his favorite bank, like they usually do when things get tight.

I suggest that because Dr. John O. Agwunobi, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. John Howard, the director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which prepared the estimate, are co-chairmen of a task force to examine 9/11 health issues. And they made no promises, no commitments about the funds coming to New York

Holly Babin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, wasn't even familiar with the estimate, duh. But she said they were looking at several approaches, options and models. I say cash is best, real money like the kind used to buy weapons, or pay for contractors in Iraq, or for soldiers' lives and limbs. That's what we need here in little old war torn New York, five years after the dastardly deed. Remember, Bob? Cash: $250 million.

What's more, the health folks have to move their bureaucratic butts, because this $250 million has to get into the president's budget. We can't sit on it while engaging in studies. Study this: those people are sick and some are going to die. Get one of these wart heads to put the item in the budget, and get a plan to get it sold, because we have felt the stakes in the "War on Terror." They were driven, like the Twin Towers, right through our hearts. But that's war, right Mr. Secretary? That's war.

The question is how sick are you and all the rest of the neocons that you want more and more of it? Remember Vietnam: 58,000 dead. And we went home with our tails between our legs, because it was a no-win, war from the Gulf of Tonkin non-incident. So don't let this war, contrived from the start, suck us into moral and financial bankruptcy. Speaking of that, our big city mayors and friends have been paying medical disability benefits with retirement money. And now there's a whole new hole that's growing.

In fact all over America, you would find cities with holes in them, in their budgets, their schools, their roads, their social services, their families who are going broke from exported jobs, old wars, the new war, and all hell turned loose on them. So be a hero. Tell the president to change his plan. Put America's pieces back together again. Heal the sick and dying from 9/11. Bring the soldiers home. And stop making that dumb speech, "Failure in Iraq will haunt the U.S." You and yours have been haunting us for 40 years. Enough is enough.
Jerry Mazza is a freelance writer living in New York City. Reach him at gvmaz@verizon.net.

sorry guys but those koolaide drinkers whose motto is the only good veteran or soldier is one who dies for incompetent republican policy just get under my skin.

WES CLARK last I heard from Wes Clark was he was going to announce after the elections - he did not want to pull money from the congressional races.

Has anyone read or heard anything as to when or if Clark will announce?

Bobby Wightman-Cervantes
www.balancingtheissues.com

Abby you are so right about the Stewart show. It's a great chance for politicos to talk to voters of the future, while Fox offers them the chance to speak to the dying-off voters of the past.

I like Hillary announcing on the SNL set...Very Clever!

Guiliani will need to announce from somewhere in the south--People know he's "AMerica's mayor" and he needs to try to show he's more than just from New York.

McCain should do something completely out of the ordinary--like come to Seattle & announce with Mt. Rainier as a backdrop to talk about something like the environment. He needs to remind the independent voters why they like him after spending so much time trying to seduce the right.

Obama should announce from the Boeing HQ in Chicago. Sends a message that he is SOOOO BIG & soaring into the future--everyone,get on board.

Edwards in the LOWER 9th is good, though he needs to make certain it is sincere & not too Hollywood. And keep Ray Negrin far away.

The Republicans have been a disaster for Veterans - period - you koolaide drinkers need to deal in facts and tell me what Dems have speficically done to hurt the troops - not conclusions - specific facts with evidence to support your facts.

Here are verifiable facts.

Bush after sending our troops into Iraq submitted a defense budget which included zero dollars for R&D for artificial limbs for our troops coming home (Even the Republican senators responded with a "say what?")

The BUSH CFR's for veterans have left us without medications - most veterans I know now get their medications in Mexico (I live on the border) now that the Bush administration has put all medications which actually work into the category of unavailable unless a team of specialist approve the use of the medication (two year waiting list to see a specialist)

without my Zetia Milk Thistle Fish Oil combination I become insulint resistant - I pay for the Fish Oil, and Milk Thistle - I now pay for my own Zetia - the fact the manufactures of statins warn against the use of statins for people with myofacial TRP's and my previous use of statins have resulted in dangerous levels in the change of my liver enzymes, BUSH's CRFS say sorry - treatment denied - Zetia not available.

The fact that research study after research study has shown that ACTOS can cure the liver ailment which is causing my lipid problems means nothing to BUSH - CFRS prohibit the use of ACTOS to cure NASH - Come February I will begin to buy ACTOS at the Mexican pharmacy.

As to veterans BUSH and the Republicans are the enemies

Now have I given examples to support my position - can you koolaide drinkers give me one factual example of how the Dems have hurt our troops - a conmclusory statement is anot factual.

Why do I have NASH? - because the worthless republican controlled FDA refuses to put out warnings that the use of hydrocodisone to treat colitis causes NASH in 30% of all colitis patients. The VA is barred from using effective drugs so they continue to use hydrocortisone with full knowledge that 30% of the patients will end up with a damaged liver.

So Please - you koolaide drinkers get help or just stop spewing your anti-troops and anti-veteran lies in a pathetic attempt to protect the Republicans

Bobby Wightman-Cervantes
www.balancingtheissues.com

1) stewart's show isn't just a chance to make jokes and look like the new "cool guy," it's also a rare opportunity to talk to a young but intelligent audience. watch the clip - after the aflack joke, vilsack sputtered and stumbled as he tried to lay out his vision, then ducked the question when jon pressed him on his iraq proposals. he didn't look presidential, for reasons having nothing to do with his name.

2) why on earth is john edwards making his announcement during the week between christmas and new years? why not wait a week and do it when people are actually watching tv?

How pathetic that some Republicans still try to blame the "liberals" for not having the stamina to win in Iraq, instead of their own leaders who screwed up the policy.

Do they actually believe their own preposterous accusations or are they desperately trying to change the subject?

I vote for the latter.

The comments section of this blog used to be interesting. Now people are using it as a platform to spew their incoherent and useless drivel. I wholeheartedly echo Erinannie sentiments. Get your own darn blogs and go away if you twits can't stay on topic.

As for announcements, I'd like to see Duncan Hunter standing on a fence along the border of California and Mexico with a shotgun in his hand declaring that he will do everything in his power to protect us from those scary illegal immigrants.

Rebecca Stewart did not coin the term "frienemy". The term has been part of our lexicon for some time. It was even used in an episode of "CSI:Miami" about a year ago.

Jason P- It was meant to be a joke. I'm sure Obama must have something interesting to say other than giving inspiring speeches. I look forward to him having a voting record long enough we can figure out what he really believes in.

Ugh, back on track people- go get your own blogs to spout your crap!

Senator Hillary Clinton will announce from the set of the "West Wing" in Burbank, CA surrounded by all of her celebrity endorsements and media friends. Her message to the world will be, "We should all strive to live a Hollywood story. Never settle for being mainstream American."

Huckabee will announce from his living room, surrounded by his family. When the pictures run in the papers the next day everyone will ask why Mark Wahlberg wasn't there.

Erinannie, I think you're wrong about Barack Obama as a candidate. First of all, he speaks from the heart and rarely quotes other people to my knowledge and secondly, putting the names Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson in your post gives the wrong impression of Barack Obama's potential candidacy. Barack Obama is running as a candidate that would represent everyone not as a racially polarizing candidate. He is half-white as well which plays into his understanding of racial issues I think.

calm down drindl...

1) it's not 'my party', I'm an indy
2) my job supports the troops every day. I won't get specific, you'll have to trust me. I also contribute to USO and Fisher House, I hope you do too.
3) drindl, there's nothing you can do to help win the war (or occupation as Dan rightfully called it), unless you plan to enlist tomorrow. However that wasn't my point - what are the Democrat politicians doing, other than criticizing? Why isn't there a bipartisan effort to solve this problem? 06 is over - are they really going to snipe until 08?
4) Bush isn't just 'my' president, he's yours too, assuming you live in the US

I forgot to add -- putting a 50cent magnet or a cheap made-in-communist china american flag on your car doesn't count.

Actually dan, you are right. It was never a war -- it was an invasion and occupation. We won the invasion, we lost the occupation--because there was never a plan for it and our forces never knew what the 'mission' was supposed to be, because there's wasn't one, except stay there and build permanent bases. But you can't do that withut a plan.

' Too bad the left won't do a thing to help AMERICA win the war'
Right. And do tell me what it is I am supposed to be doing? Really, what? Plant a victory garden? Save aluminum foil?

I'd like to see one thing the right has been doing to help 'AMERICA' win the war? Like how many College republicans do you know who've enlisted? Name me just one. Name me one republican politicfian [incouding your president] who has urged people to make sacrifices, who have urged young people to join the military? And what about equipment and body armor? How about your R Congress shortchanging our troops on what they need to stay alive?

How about contracts to Halliburton for water for the troops, that was suppose4d to be bottled and was later found to be from the local river and contaminated, so that soldiers got sick from it? HOW ABOUT CUTTING HEALTH BENEFITS FOR WOUNDED SOLDIERS?

NAME ME ONE THING YOU HAVE DONE FOR OUR TROOPS. I am serious. I am sick of winger preaching about supporting the troops when your party is all talk and has effectively abandoned thenm.

OK Dan, I'll buy that. Then call it the reconstruction, occupation, nation-building phase, whatever.

But aren't we all in this together? If the Iraqis don't want democracy, fine, let's figure out a way to get out...together. Not keep sniping at Bush, which is so counterproductive. (now who's the divider, not uniter...)

If we think we have a chance to pull off a sustainable democracy, then let's hear some *specific* ideas from the lefty snipers on how to do that.

For all the criticism Murtha got, at least he was specific about what he wanted - GTFU. All Hillary and co. want to do is criticize without offering any solutions.

JD your're absolutely right, the liberals won't DO ANYTHING, they just keep on complaining.
I can see it now, John Edwards' announcement in the Lower 9th Ward will be rife with endless criticism of the president's handling of the Katrina event. Never mind the fact that their own illustrious Mayor neglected to upgrade their levee system to protect his citizens...no, it's all Bush's fault according to the dems. Give me a break.

JD---If you're not winning the war, you're losing it. There is NO not winning or losing. It's not like it's some scoreless soccer match! It is Bush's war, he's losing it and the first steps were taken at the polls in November to ensure that his personal vendetta comes to an end.

JD,

Actually the war is over. We are no longer fighting a war. I won't try to create a word for what it is but it isn't a war.

We won the war. We won it several years ago. The US military went in and perrformed a marvelous display of military prowess wiping the Iraqi military from teh earth.

Then the war ended.

Then the reconstruction began.

The US has never been successful with a reconstruction with the possible exception of Post WWII.

Our military is not created to be a police force. History has shown that NO army has ever been a successful police force.

Sorry to be off topic but it really annoys me to hear people say we are losing this war.

Lark/drindl:

a) are you two completely incapable of keeping to the topic at hand? You're getting as bad as Che

b) Bush isn't losing the war; America is. Too bad the left won't do a thing to help AMERICA win the war, because they want to hang the disaster on Bush to run against him in 08 (Chris Core talked about that this morning, btw). Politics over victory (including American lives) - how sad

'December 12 brought news that Associated Press Television News cameraman Aswan Ahmed Lutfallah was killed in Mosul while filming a gun battle between police and insurgents. Considering the daily wave of killings that washes ashore in Iraq, there wasn't much reason for Lutfallah's slaying to be especially newsworthy to the general public, given the fact that 129 journalists and their support staff have been killed in Iraq since 2003. The same low-level interest seemed to hold true for right-wing warbloggers, who uniformly ignored the news of the cameraman's murder.

Except for the fact that Lutfallah worked for the AP and, over the last three weeks, warbloggers like Michelle Malkin and sites such as Power Line, Wizbang, Confederate Yankee, and Flopping Aces have been in high dudgeon, eviscerating the global wire service for producing allegedly pro-terrorist reporting from Iraq. Warbloggers, all boosters of the doomed U.S. invasion, have been poring over the AP's dispatches, feverishly dissecting paragraphs in search of proof for their all-consuming conspiracy theory that biased American journalists, too cowardly to go get the bloody news in Iraq themselves, are relying on local news stringers who have obvious sympathies for insurgents and who actively "spread terrorist propaganda," according to right-wing blog Little Green Footballs. The result of the AP hoax? Gullible, or "average," Americans have been duped into believing there is a "civil war" raging in Baghdad today.

According to the warbloggers, Iraqi insurgents like the AP; they have friendly contacts with the AP; and they use the AP as a conduit to advance their propaganda war. Indeed, insurgents badly want for the AP to broadcast images and write stories about bloodshed in order to create the illusion of chaos in Iraq.

See, it's really the AP's fault we're losing the war. (Plus, it's ignoring all the "good news" from Iraq.) For warbloggers who have been chronically wrong about Iraq for nearly 50 straight months, the AP conspiracy theory represents a cure-all so important that Malkin herself has vowed to travel to Iraq to wander around the bombed-out streets of Baghdad in order to prove her AP allegations. (More on that later.)'

-Bush losing the war in iraq has driven the warbloggers into complete insanity and the wildest tinfoil hattery the world has ever seen. It's not a pretty sight.

-Guiliani announces in drag at a Pride event in SF.
-Mitt announces at the Mormon Temple in Utah.
-John McCain announces at Liberty U, holding hands with Falwell.
-Brownback announces at the gravesite of Joseph McCarthy, holding a bible and a flaming sword.

Where the hell did that Joe Bruno story come from? As someone who used to live in his district, I really want to stay as far from him as possible.

Jim Gilmore will announce from the Natural Bridge in Virginia, citing how Virginia has produced so many great Presidents, and carve his name into the bridge. The world will blink, and no one will know he was ever in the race.

'ha ha', some excellent announcement/location suggestions.

Governor Mitt Romney will travel to Nashville, TN, as far away from Massachussetts and Mormons as he can get, and right into the heart of evangelical country, and announce from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry to show how he is of the common man, in touch with regular Americans, the working class, and people of all faiths, without ever mentioning God and religion. Media reports the next day will only mention that in an effort to court the Southern Baptist vote, Romney shook the hand of a non-Mormon in the audience.

Clinton announces in the Ozark resort near Whitewater.

Richardson announces at Kaufman stadium in Kansas City.

Biden announces on the steps of the Library of Congress with fact checkers making sure his announcement speech is an original work.

Obama announces abroad from Indonesia.

McCain announces from inside the Oval Office at the White House.

Giuliani announces at a NYC Planned Paenthood.

Huckabee announces on a 30 min. infomercial for Weight Watchers.

Brownback announces from the gravesite of Billy Graham in Charlotte, or will it be at the Graham mountain retreat, well wherever he will be buried.

Romeny will announce in Mass., or Michigan or Utah (where does he live?)

Senator Barack Obama will announce from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, reminiscent of MLK, Jr, flanked by Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, and quote inspiring and uplifting speeches from previous leaders. His delivery and announcement will cause a media frenzy and cause women to swoon, and yet still never make a point or call to attention his lack of previous leadership or voting record.

John McCain at the Playboy mansion dressed as Santa on Christmas day surrounded by the bunnies dressed as elves. It's a winner people, you know it. Hef can be a reindeer.

Is no one going to put up something interesting? Such as the suggested idea --2008 announcement ideas??

The Insanity of the NeoCons, Part II:

That should do the trick. From the AP: "The Defense Department is thinking about a major buildup of U.S. Navy forces in the Gulf as a show of force against Iran, a senior defense official said Tuesday."

The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is already in the region. It left the United States in late September with four other ships and submarines carrying 6,500 sailors.

--Despite all the talk from the Joint Chiefs about the military being broken, overstretched, bereft of equipment, about the need to expand the military, cheneybush still want to attack Iran.

Wonder if we'll be hearing talk of a draft this year? I know a couple republican college kids who support the war in a major way and I'm sure they'll be happy to serve their country -- once they are made to understand h ow impoirtant it is.

'It hit me the other day that what the surge is going to accomplish for Bush and Cheney is to take them through these next two years. By the time they can claim to have the extra troops in Bagdhad it's gonna be May or June. They'll be there a few months till everyone has to admit that it isn't working (though in the interim I would predict the first really horrendous event in which our troops suffer a big loss, like 200 men in one blast), then it will be the end of 2007 and the argument will be about whether we should remove some of the surge troops. That will take a few months, at least, and we'll be in the throes of a presidential election. Bush won't want to do anything too "political" at that point, of course, so he'll happily leave it to the new prez to make s**tcakes out of sh**. And Bush and Cheney will spin it for all it's worth for the rest of their lives...'

Somehow this will be just like vietnam-- 'oh, if only the dems had [fill in the blank] we would have won' -- the usual endless whining about how R failures are somehow all D's fault.

President Bush Monday night at the White House menorah lighting: "'Terrorists' can't be God-believing people."

--the stupidest man on earth.

Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, called a late press conference this evening to confirm he is being investigated by the FBI, which has launched an inquiry into his business dealings through his consulting company, Capital Business Consultants.

Bruno read a prepared statement and took very few questions. He seemed ill at ease and spoke haltingly, but said he's cooperating with the FBI, hasn't done anything wrong and insisted all his outside business has been cleared by the Legislative Ethics Committee.

Bruno said he has hired attorney William Dreyer, a former U.S. attorney from the Nothern District, to represent him.

The senator refused to discuss what, exactly, the FBI is looking into. He declined to say whether it has anything to do with Evident Technologies Inc. - the company to which he steered $500,000 via two state grants with no strings attached.

Bruno has personal ties to several of Evident's directors, Jared Abbruzzese, one of the company's founders and a former co-chair, and Wayne Barr - both of whom share the senator's interest in horse racing.

Abbruzzese is being investigated by the state Lobbying Commission for providing his plane to Bruno for several trips, including a fund-raiser and a tour of several Kentucky horse farms that Barr arranged.

I'm comin' home! A former Iraqi official jailed on corruption charges busts out of prison with the help of private contractors, then phones The Chicago Tribune to say he's coming back to Illinois.

--This is the guy who stole $2 billion dollars of US taxpayer funds.

'But so it goes when our strange pundit corps types its political novels. Indeed, all the way back in March 2000, E. R. Shipp, then the Post's ombudsman, described their remarkable practice. Shipp's column, which was headlined "Typecasting Candidates," remains the most accurate description in the mainstream press of the way this bizarre cohort works. Think of Shipp as an anthropologist describing a strange foreign culture:

SHIPP (3/5/00): The Post has gone beyond [in-depth] reporting in favor of articles that try to offer context--and even conjecture--about the candidates' motives in seeking the office of president. And readers react...to roles that The Post seems to have assigned to the actors in this unfolding political drama. Gore is the guy in search of an identity; Bradley is the Zen-like intellectual in search of a political strategy; McCain is the war hero who speaks off the cuff and is, thus, a "maverick"; and Bush is a lightweight with a famous name, and has the blessings of the party establishment and lots of money in his war chest. As a result of this approach, some candidates are whipping boys; others seem to get a free pass.

According to Shipp, the Post wasn't really "reporting" on a group of candidates. No, it was more like the Post had pre-assigned "roles" to a group of "actors" in an unfolding "drama." Shipp went on to describe the way the Post's reporters were bending the facts to support the typecasting which defined their drama. Ceci Connolly was misreporting the things Gore actually said, Shipp noted. And other Post scribes were actively burying McCain's mistakes and misstatements.

Shipp only had 634 words--but she nailed the thoroughly oddball way the Post was "reporting" Campaign 2000. And nothing ever changes their novels (which Shipp described as their "dramas"). Even now, when McCain reinvents himself, he remains "fundamentally honest." He is "thoroughly admirable," despite his new pose--and despite even his war-monger ways. "[T]oo often in the past he has played the role of the sword-rattling heckler," Cohen says--describing a man who is "thoroughly admirable." Nothing--nothing--changes the way this priesthood chants its strange liturgies.

"Frienemy" is from Sex and the City. Not exactly original:
http://www.wordspy.com/words/frienemy.asp

Oh, and U2 and Toby Keith together? What are these people smoking?

' Sen. Sam Brownback, who wants to champion social conservatives in the presidential race, said Tuesday he wants a Senate panel to re-question a judicial nominee who attended a same-sex union ceremony.

Brownback, a Kansas Republican, said he wants Michigan state judge Janet Neff to testify about her role in the 2002 Massachusetts ceremony, her legal views on same-sex unions and her ability to be impartial if called upon to rule on such cases.

Neff's nomination to a federal district court is among a dozen or so now stalled in the Senate, a logjam in part due to Brownback's questions about Neff's attendance at a lesbian commitment ceremony. The Senate Judiciary Committee has already approved her nomination.

Earlier this month, Brownback, a prominent opponent of gay marriage who is exploring a presidential run in 2008, said he would lift the hold he put on Neff's nomination if the judge agreed to withdraw from ruling on any court case involving the legality of same sex unions.

In Iowa on Tuesday to meet with GOP activists, Brownback said he wants only a chance to question Neff about her role in the 2002 ceremony. Brownback also wants a recorded vote in the Senate.

"I am not opposed to her getting a vote," Brownback said before a lunch with potential donors and supporters in Davenport. "I would like her to come back through committee so she can testify what took place, factually ... her legal views on same-sex marriage and her ability and willingness to be impartial."

Neff has said she attended the commitment ceremony as a friend of one of the two women, a longtime neighbor.'

Well, he's quite the little fascist, isn't he? The woman was a guest at a wedding-- Mr. Brownback beginning to sound a little McCarthyesque, hmm?

I think the Dems should do the same thing then. question every judicial nominee bush puts forward, over whether they've been to say, a Federalist meeting--they're extremists, after all. Or a Board of Directors meeting [wouldn't want someone who's influenced by corporations to rule on corporate cases]--why not examine every wedding, every meeting, every party each nominee has ever gone to -- that's the way to do it. Oh, and every neighbor, thiei elementary school friends -- got to be thorough, you never know what might 'influence' someone. Maybe they had a commie teacher back in second grade, you know?

While we're at it, I think they should bring back Sam Alito to be re-confirmed. He lied through his teeth, and I don't believe anybody asked him about the weddings he's gone to over the last 20 years or so. We must be more thorough!

The Post fronts a report by the National Arbor Day Foundation finding that Washington's warm winter weather is now more similar to a Southern climate. "You could say D.C. is the new North Carolina," said Bill McLaughlin, a curator at the U.S. Botanic Garden on the Mall.

Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, has submitted plans to retire and will leave his post in March, a step likely to make way for a change in military strategy at a time the Bush administration is seeking a new plan for Iraq.

Abizaid has been the primary architect of U.S. military strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan since becoming head of the U.S. Central Command more than three years ago. He has strenuously resisted calls to increase troop levels to quell rising violence in Baghdad, arguing it would increase Iraqi dependence on Americans.

WILLIAM STOP SPAMMING UP THESE THREADS WITH YOUR WORTHLESS DRIVEL!!!!!

CHRIS, IS THERE ANY WAY THIS PERSON CAN BE BANNED?

Dear William,

Where is Osama Bin Laden?

Why did Building 7 collapse on 911? it was not hit by an airplane?

Where are the persons who send the letters with antrax to the US Congress?

Why are our boys and girls dying in Iraq?so that the defense contractors get rich?

For uncensored news please bookmark:

otherside123.blogspot.com
www.wsws.org
www.onlinejournal.com
www.takingaim.info

Yours,
Che