IL-14: Oh, How The Mighty Has Fallen

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert has left Congress and failed to finish this two year commitment to the people of Illinois 14th Congressional District, but that has not stopped him in continuing his commitment to the Republican Party.

Dennis Hastert is running unopposed for precinct committeeman for Little Rock Precinct No. 8.

Shortly after submitting his resignation last month after serving 21 years as the 14th District's congressman, the former speaker of the U.S. House signed up to run for a third term in the office of Republican precinct committeeman for Little Rock Precinct No. 8.

No one is challenging his candidacy.

It gets worst.

Now, Dennis Hastert dropped to a new low by endorsing formerly failed GOP Senate and Governor Candidate Jim Oberweis as this successor.

As expected, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert endorsed Aurora businessman Jim Oberweis as his successor Thursday morning.

Speaking briefly at a press conference at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Aurora, Hastert said that while the slate of candidates hoping to succeed him in the 14th Congressional District is a good one, "for me, the choice is clear."

Hastert praised Oberweis' integrity and conservative philosophy, and said that the dairy magnate's successful business shows he "knows how to lead."

It’s very clear. The NRCC wants candidates who can self-finance a congressional run and Jim Oberweis is always willing to spend his own personal wealth in his campaigns. So, Dennis Hastert did the most logical thing and endorsed the candidate with the greatest prosperity in order to help the cash strapped NRCC.

Citing "cold, hard analysis" of his Republican bid for Congress, Burns pulled out of the 14th Congressional District race Thursday for a combination of reasons.

Those included limited resources -- the campaign raised approximately $60,000 according to finance reports -- but not because of anything Hastert said or did, Burns said.

"It's not just the endorsement," he said, referring to Hastert's announcement of support for dairy owner Jim Oberweis in the 14th District race. "I'm certainly not going go into personal debt for a campaign."

Back in 2004 Dennis Hastert was the Speaker of the House and had no trouble criticizing Oberweis’s campaign. Now, he has to praise Oberweis.

Oh, how the mighty has fallen.

Quote of the Day

Senator Joe Biden:

And the irony is, Rudy Giuliani, probably the most under qualified person since George Bush to seek the presidency, is here - talking about any of the people here. Rudy Giuliani. I mean think about it, Rudy Giuliani, there’s only three things he mentions in a sentence — a noun and a verb and 9/11 and I mean, there’s nothing else. There’s nothing else.

Quote of the Day

Paul Krugman :

I’m just a liberal, living in a radicalizing time.

PADMANABA JAPAN FESTIVAL

A Thousand Roads to Japan
Minggu,21 Oktober 2007
SMA N 3 Yogyakarta
08.00 - selesai

Lomba - lomba :
1. Lomba Karaoke Lagu Jepang

(Biaya Pendaftaran Rp 15.000)

2. Lomba Recital
Satu tim terdiri dari 1-3 orang (Biaya Pendaftaran Rp 15.000 per orang dalam tim) Hari H peserta membawa alat musik sendiri.
Tersedia satu piano/keyboard 7 oktaf
3. Lomba Menulis Hiragana dan Katakana (SMP dan SMA)
(Biaya pendaftaran Rp 15.000) Hari H peserta membawa alat tulis
4. Lomba Kaligrafi Kanji
Huruf kanji bebas, namun tidak mengandung SARA. Dibuat di selembar A3 (Biaya Pendaftaran Rp 15.000) Hari H peserta membawa
fude/kuas * tinta. Panitia menyediakan HVS 60 gr
5. Lomba Baca Hiragana dan Katakana (SMP dan SMA)
(Biaya Pendaftaran Rp 15.000)
6. Lomba Menggambar Manga
Tema manga bebas, namun tidak mengandung SARA. Dibuat di selembar A3. Boleh berwarna atau hitam putih (Biaya Pendaftaran
Rp 15.000) Hari H peserta membawa alat lukis (bebas). Panitia menyediakan kertas gambar A3.
7. Lomba Origami
Membuat miniatur dari kertas origami, tema bebas namun tidak mengandung SARA (Biaya Pendaftaran Rp 15.000) Hari H peserta
membawa peralatan untuk membuat miniatur (BEBAS). Panitia menyediakan kertas origami 10 lembar.
8. Lomba Kreasi Bento
Tema 4 sehat. Penjurian pada warna dan rasa (Biaya Pendaftaran Rp 15.000)

Total hadiah JUTAAN RUPIAH. Seluruh pemenang akan diumumkan di acara puncak. Untuk pemenang lomba karaoke dan recital akan ditampilkan di acara puncak Padmanaba Japan Festival-Summer Paradise

Audisi Band
Sabtu, 20 Oktober 2007
Manna Studio
08.00 - 16.00 wib
Biaya Pendaftaran Rp 25.000
Akan diambil 4 band untuk tampil di acara puncak Padmanaba Japan Festival-Summer Paradise

SUMMER PARADISE

Acara Puncak Padmanaba Japan Festival

Benteng Vredeburg

27 Oktober 2007

10.00 - selesai

Htm : 1000 (peserta)

2000 (umum)

dimeriahkan oleh :

Pemenang Lomba Karaoke dan Recital

Band Audisi

Restuibu

Retsubo

Julia

Bazar-bazar

Festival Lampion

COZPLAY (Biaya Pendaftaran Rp 15.000 at Japan College)

Talkshow Scholarship with Japan Association

Sabtu, 27 Oktober 2007

Auditorium Benteng Vredeburg

10.00 - selesai

Biaya Pendaftaran Rp 15.000

Fasilitas : Snack, Buku panduan sekolah ke luar negeri

Pendaftaran di Japan College

CP Lomba : Yorghi (081328533858)

Malida (085228150694)

CP Audisi Band : Didha (08562962919)

Tichan (08985013189)

Waktu pendaftaran : 27 September - 18 Oktober 2007 ( 10.00 - 16.00 WIB)
Tempat Pendaftaran Lomba dan Audisi Band : Aula SMA 3 Yogyakarta (Jl. Laksda Laut Yos Sudarso 7, Kotabaru), Japan College (Jl. Sukonandi 9A), Pengok VCD Rental (Jl.Langensari 32), Galaxy Media, Manna Studio (Jl. Suroto 20 Kotabaru)

ticket BOX : SMA N 3 Yogya
Radio - radio sponsor starFM,Geronimo,UTYFm,PRAMBORS,unisi

Camp Clinton Disingenuous Rhetoric

Yes, disingenuous is the right word for it.

Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating.

In a pervious diary, I pointed out the Clinton campaign lead by campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson continues to twist the meaning of Senator Obama ‘politics of hope’ into one should not dare to criticize anyone, especially Senator Clinton, if you believe in new kind of politics. Once again, Senator Obama emphasizes a contrast in between himself and Senator Clinton and the Camp Clinton drag out their standard reply.

It's unfortunate that Sen. Obama is abandoning the politics of hope and embracing the same old attack politics as his support stagnates.

I have to credit the Clinton campaign; they are winning the language battle.

The most remarkable political triumph of this campaign was the Clinton campaign effectively defining Barack Obama's "new politics" as "not attacking Hillary Clinton by name." Obama, of course, could have defined the new politics however he wanted, from a focus on transformative policy to a willingness to call out the DC establishment. Instead, he let the Clinton camp define his message in a way advantageous to them.

It’s still very disingenuous, rather than having an actual debate the Clinton campaign continues use Karl Rove type rhetoric to avoid criticism. I don’t fault the Clinton campaign; this is common campaign tactic. I fully except Howard Wolfson to issue their standard reply to Senator Obama new ad.

A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request

Steve Goodman

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League

Lomba KMKath MIPA UGM

buat smua cah2x KMKath..
hari Sabtu tgl 29 September 2007 da futsal jam 7 di MU, and jam 16.00 WIB da lomba Kitab Suci di ASMI Santa Maria.
Habis lomba langsung kumpul ke rumah Anto' buat lomba masak dilanjutin nonton film.
Datang yach smua..terutama kmkath 07...

-GBU-

CHRISTMAS CHOIR COMPETITION

MNC GOLDEN VOICES 2007
CHRISTMAS CHOIR COMPETITION

Dalam rangka menyambut Natal tahun 2007 ini, Media Nusantara Citra (MNC), sebuah perusahaan yang bergerak di bidang media dan membawahi RCTI, TPI dan Global TV, menyelenggarakan sebuah kegiatan spektakular.
Kegiatan yang bertajuk MNC Golden Voices 2007, CHRISTMAS CHOIR COMPETITION ini, membuka kesempatan kepada kelompok paduan suara se-Indonesia untuk mengikuti Lomba Paduan Suara yang akan digelar pada awal November ini.

Syarat :
PS Campur (Mix Choir), jumlah peserta 40 orang.
Terbuka untuk umum, usia 12-55 tahun.
Belum pernah mengikuti kompetisi internasional.
Mengirim rekaman demo dalam bentuk DVD dan foto/profil Grup.
Demo berisi satu lagu wajib berjudul ‘Joy to The World!’, dengan aransemen bebas, lagu kedua (bahasa Indonesia/Inggris) bebas, diiringi alat musik.

Formulir pendaftaran dan informasi lengkap lainnya dapat dilihat di website www.rcti.tv, mulai Senin, 24 September 2007.Mohon Melampirkan :· Surat Keterangan keikutsertaan dari Gereja/Institusi/ Instansi ybs.·
Formulir pendaftaran (lihat di website www.rcti.tv)·
CV yang ditandatangani oleh Penanggung Jawab·

Daftar pesertaKirim ke : PO BOX 5555 JKB, JKT 11000Batas akhir pendaftaran 10 Oktober 2007 (cap pos)Tulis di pojok kiri amplop kode : CCCHADIAH

(*) Juara 1 Rp 100 Juta
Juara 2 Rp 50 Juta
Juara 3 Rp 25 Juta
(*) Pajak hadiah ditanggung peserta

Tambahan untuk Juara 1 :Mendapat rekaman album kompilasi Natal Indonesian Idol bersama Sony BMG Menjadi salah satu pengisi acara dalam Natal bersama Global Mediacom

Untuk informasi lebih lanjut, hubungi : Yulia Maroe di (021) 530 3550 ext. 3315 (Senin – Jumat, Pkl. 09.00 – 17.00 WIB)

Renungkan!

Coba renungkan penyampaian ini sebelum Anda mulai mengeluhkan berbagaihal yang terjadi dalam hidup Anda…

1. Hari ini sebelum Anda mengatakan kata-kata yang tidak baik,Pikirkan tentang seseorang yang tidak dapat berbicara sama sekali
2. Sebelum Anda mengeluh tentang rasa dari makanan yang Anda santap,Pikirkan tentang seseorang yang tidak punya apapun untuk dimakan.
3. Sebelum Anda mengeluh tidak punya apa-apaPikirkan tentang seseorang yang meminta-minta di jalanan.
4. Sebelum Anda mengeluh bahwa Anda buruk,Pikirkan tentang seseorang yang berada pada tingkat yang terburuk didalam hidupnya.
5. Sebelum Anda mengeluh tentang suami atau istri Anda,Pikirkan tentang seseorang yang memohon kepada Tuhan untuk diberikanteman hidup.
6. Hari ini sebelum Anda mengeluh tentang hidup Anda,Pikirkan tentang seseorang yang meninggal terlalu cepat.
7. Sebelum Anda mengeluh tentang anak-anak AndaPikirkan tentang seseorang yang sangat ingin mempunyai anak tetapidirinya mandul.
8. Sebelum Anda mengeluh tentang rumah Anda yang kotor karenapembantu tidak mengerjakan tugasnya, Pikirkan tentang orang-orang yangtinggal dijalanan.
9. Sebelum Anda mengeluh tentang jauhnya Anda telah menyetir,Pikirkan tentang seseorang yang menempuh jarak yang sama dengan berjalan.
10. Dan di saat Anda lelah dan mengeluh tentang pekerjaan Anda,Pikirkan tentang pengangguran, orang-orang cacat yang berharap merekamempunyai pekerjaan seperti anda
11. Sebelum Anda menunjukkan jari dan menyalahkan orang lain,ingatlah bahwa tidak ada seorangpun yang tidak berdosa,,,
12. Kita semua menjawab kepada Sang PenciptaDan ketika Anda sedang bersedih dan hidupmu dalam kesusahan, tersenyumdan berterima kasihlah kepada Tuhan bahwa Anda masih hidup !a. Life is a giftb. Live it…c. Enjoy it…d. Celebrate it…e. And fulfill it.
13. Cintai orang lain dengan perkataan dan perbuatanmu
14. Cinta diciptakan tidak untuk disimpan atau disembunyikan
15. Anda tidak mencintai seseorang karena dia cantik atau tampan,Mereka cantik/tampan karena Anda mencintainya, ,,
16. It's true you don't know what you've got until it's gone,but it's also true You don't know what you've been missing until it arrives!!!

Jadi……..berhentilah mengeluh, hadapilah manis pahitnya hidup denganbersyukur terhadap semua yang telah Tuhan berikan….

You're my all in all lyric

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that seek
YOU ARE MY ALL in ALL
Seeking You as the precious jewel
Lord,to give up,I'd be a fool
YOU ARE MY ALL in ALL

Jesus Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name...

Open 2+get+hEr

to: all Eliners UGM
tgl 28 September 2007 bakal da buber di A106/107 MU, jam 15.30 WIB.
Kontribusinya Rp 5.000,00. Acaranya dijamin seru buanget...
SO dateng yach!!!!

Open 2+get+her

Buat smua ex XI/XII IA 4 namChe...
Guys..!!! tgl 30 September 2007 bakal ada buka bersama di Taman Kuliner
kumpul di rumahnya Anya jam 15.30 WIB.

nb: yg g tahu rumah anya,kumpul di rumah nadya.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes,.

- The Nation: What's up with Republican politicos getting arrested by undercover cops for soliciting sex in public restrooms?

- Think Progress: As always, Ari Fleischer is full of it.

- Crooks & Liars: Conservative activist and past this prime rocker Theodore "Ted" Nugent is a filthy draft dodger.

Except when it was time to register for the draft during the Vietnam era. By his own admission, Nugent stopped all forms of personal hygiene for a month and showed up for his draft board physical in pants caked with his own urine and feces, winning a deferment. Creative!

- Swing State Project: Democratic State Treasurer of Louisiana John Kennedy turned possible Republican Senate candidate is full of it.

- Foul Balls: Chicago Bear linebacker Lance Briggs might be in the market for a new car, yet again.

Photo of the Day

(Photo via My.Barack Obama.com)

Quote Of The Day

Rep. Rahm Emanuel:

“Alberto Gonzales is the first Attorney General who thought the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth were three different things. The President should nominate a new Attorney General whose loyalty to the Constitution is greater than his loyalty to the Republican Party.”

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes,.

- The Carpetbagger Report: The Democratic Presidential candidates debated yesterday in Iowa, here the rundown.

As for winners and losers, I think Obama won the day, Richardson had his best debate yet (arguably, his only good one), Dodd got screwed (again) with far too little airtime, and Gravel looked sillier than usual.

- Talking Point Memo: Fox News Channel is raising money for Rudy Giuliani.

- Political Wire: When ask by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos about the role of prayer in his life during yesterday's Democratic debate, Rep. Dennis Kucinich said the following.

"George, I've been standing here for the last 45 minutes praying to God you were going to call on me."

- MyDD: Is the anti-gay movement fizzling?

- The Fan House: Johan Santana is good, seriously.

Photo of the Day

(Photo via My.Barack Obama.com)

We must re-engage the world in ways we haven’t in a very long time. I imagine going before the United Nations in my first year as president and saying America is back. We’re going to lead - and not just with our military but with our values and ideals. We want to work with you to defeat terror and on nuclear proliferation.

We want to work with you on Darfur, and to build schools in the Middle East that teach math and science - not just hate of America.

Quote of the Day

Republican Presidential candidate Gov. Mike Huckabee:

"The second thing, and this'll really wrangle, again, some of my Republican colleagues. Bill Clinton and Hillary went through some horrible experiences in their marriage, because of some of the reckless behavior that he has admitted he had. I'm not defending him on that — it's indefensible. But they kept their marriage together. And a lot of the Republicans who have condemned them, and who talk about their platform of family values, interestingly didn't keep their own families together."

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes,.

- Washington Monthly: It seems like President Bush does not like anyone questioning this taste of cowboy outfits.

- Think Progress: As always, Senator John McCain is full of it.

It’s entertaining, in that I was the greatest critic of the initial four years, three and a half years. I came back from my first trip to Iraq and said, This is going to fail. We’ve got to change the strategy to the one we’re using now. But life isn’t fair.

- The Carpetbagger Report: A vote for Rudy Giuliani is a vote for President Bush’s failed Social Security plan.

- Political Wire: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg won’t run for President in 2008.

- Crooks & Liars: Check out the latest example of an unhinged Conservative.

IL-14: It’s Official

Republican Dennis Hastert will no longer be my Congressmen.

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) made it official this morning: He won't run for Congress again.

"It was a great personal privilege and honor for this former teacher and wrestling coach to have been elected and to have served the American people," the longest-serving Republican House speaker and Plano congressman said in a prepared statement.

Photo of the Day

(Photo via My.Barack Obama.com)

Barack met with Joe's wife, Norma "Duffy" Lyon, who presented Barack with the Butter O.

Quote of the Day

Norman Chad:

"To say the other players have little respect for (2006 Main Event champ) Jamie Gold's poker skills is like saying the North Pole is a little chilly."

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes,.

- Washington Monthly: Michael Gerson is full of it.

Rove's main influence on the Republican Party has not been a series of tactical innovations but a series of strategic arguments. In this way, Rove is the opposite of a cynical political operator.

- Think Progress: Someone is walking around with a lot of money in their pockets.

- Lance Mannion:As always, TIME's Michael Duffy and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews are full of it.

In the minds of Inside the Beltway Media Types it is still 1985 and Ronald Reagan is still President.

This is how despite Bill Clinton's two terms in the White House, despite Al Gore's having won the popular vote and having the Presidency stolen out from under him by partisan and unprincipled Supreme Court justices, despite John Kerry's coming within a whisker of unseating a President who should have been re-elected in a landslide but who needed Karl Rove to steal votes for him in Ohio and Florida to stay in office, despite the shellacking the Republicans took in the 2006 elections, despite polls showing the GOP is in for a bigger drubbing come 2008, despite George W. Bush's being the most unpopular President since Herbert Hoover and the most despised since Andrew Johnson, with Richard Nixon as his only rival for either title, in other words despite the reality of the last decade and a half, Insider tools like TIME's Michael Duffy will still go on TV and blather on as if it's the Democrats who are in disarray, demoralized, and on their way to becoming a permanent, merely regional, minority party.

- Crooks & Liars: Apparently, Tony Snow can not feed this family on $168,000 salary.

- Daily Herald: Carlos Zambrano will stay with the Chicago Cubs for the foreseeable future.

Photo of the Day

(Photo via My.Barack Obama.com)

Dr. Francis Degnin, professor in the Department of Philosopy and Religion at the University of Northern Iowa, introduced the Obama family.

Michelle, Malia and Sasha walked Barack out to the podium, and Michelle introduced her husband, saying that this country doesn't just need "a change in party but a change in the way we see ourselves as Americans."

The Definition of Insanity

It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Insanity can best describe US policy towards Cuba. Democratic Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut is advocating a different and more sensible approach.

I want to see the peaceful transition to democracy occur on the Island of Cuba in my life time.

That isn't going to happen if we continue the misguided policies of the last forty-six years. We must open the flood gates to contacts with the Cuban people. We must remove restrictions on the ability of Cuban Americans to provide financial assistance to their loved ones. Even small sums of money in the hands of ordinary Cuban families can serve as catalysts for private investment to gain a foothold in Cuba. [..]

For more than forty-six years, the United States has maintained an isolationist policy toward Cuba, which I believe has not achieved its intended objectives, namely to hasten a peaceful and democratic transition on the Island of Cuba. Rather, it has solidified the authoritarian control of Fidel Castro, and has adversely affected the already miserable living conditions of 11 million innocent men, women, and children on the Island.

This won’t win him votes in Florida within the Cuban community, but Senator Dodd is correct. I appalled the Senator on taking this stand while many of this counterparts running for President rather pander to Cuban community and offer anti-Castro rhetoric without any solutions.

Quote of the Day

Rep. Rahm Emanuel:

“After years of slogans and soundbites Americans deserve an even-handed assessment of conditions in Iraq. Sadly, we will only receive a snapshot from the same people who told us the mission was accomplished and the insurgency was in its last throes. We’ve spent hundreds of billions of dollars and lost thousands of lives in Iraq. An honest report from our generals and diplomats about the status of the war isn’t too much to ask.”

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes,.

- Think Progress: According to Karl Rove, I’m an elite, effete snob who can’t hold a candle to President Bush and I hate common sense.

- Oliver Willis: As a candidate for President Mitt ‘Pretty’ Romney is against stem cell research, but as a private citizen Romney is for anything that make him richer.

- The Carpetbagger Report: Newt Gingrich declares war against illegal immigrants.

Gingrich said that the “war here at home” against illegal immigrants is “even more deadly than the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

- MyDD: Rudy Giuliani is curse the day Youtube was born.

- The Fan House: With friends like these…

The Howard Wolfson’s ‘Broken Record’ Routine

When ever Senator Obama emphasizes a contrast in between himself and Senator Clinton, Howard Wolfson (Clinton campaign spokesman) continually repeats the same statement with little variation, if any.

"It's unfortunate that Senator Obama is turning away from the politics of hope and employing attack politics instead.

Situation Room, CNN, 7/26/07:

"Well, I think that's unfortunate. It certainly doesn't represent the politics of hope. I don't what kind of politics it represents, but I don't think it's what Democratic primary voters are looking for"

Not to be outdone by her campaign spokesman, Senator Clinton has also used the same line.

"What ever happened to the politics of hope?"

It’s a great line to use against Senator Obama. The Clinton campaign has set it up if Senator Obama even dares to draw differences between himself and Senator Clinton; he is contradicting one of this main campaign themes. To the Clinton campaign Senator Obama’s ‘politics of hope’ message means one should not criticize anyone, especially Senator Clinton, because if you do you don’t represent the new kind of politics. I have to credit the Clinton campaign on distorting meaning of the politics of hope.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an "awesome God" in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end -- In the end -- In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?

-- Barack Obama, 2004 DNC Keynote Address

Senator Obama pointing out key distinctions between this campaign rivals and himself does not contradict his message of politics of hope, no matter how much Howard Wolfson ties to claim otherwise.

Just Imagine

Atrios:

Imagine if the Bush administration had gone into Iraq, found a nuclear arsenal, the ponies had a appeared, happy fun time Democracy spread through the Middle East like wildfire, 6 months and a few billion bucks later we mostly got the hell out of there, having to wade through piles of rose petals on the way out, and a grateful Iraqi population lived happily ever after in their secular pro-Israel, pro-US Democracy.

Just imagine.

Now imagine just how marginalized all of the war opponents would have been? Imagine how none of these people would've ever appeared on the teevee again, having been proved so fucking wrong that none of them were ever welcome back as participants in our mainstream public discourse again.

Oh wait, that part isn't hard to imagine, because even though they weren't proved fucking wrong it's already the case.

Indeed.

The media still continues to invite discredited war supporters on their television shows as wise men of Washington and portray Iraq war opponents as hippies who are unserious people.

Quote of the Day

Rep. David Obey:

“He’s one sneaky, lying S.O.B., to put it bluntly. He’s the most authoritarian attorney general in the history of the republic. He’s the most dangerous. I never thought I’d long for the days of John Ashcroft.”

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes,.

- The Plank: Fred Barnes really, really love him some Karl Rove.

"Rove is the greatest political mind of his generation and probably of any generation."

- Sirotablog: As always, Michael Barone is full of it.

- Think Progress: Fox News Channel’s lame attempt of imitating the Daily Show has failed.

What the right-wing failed to grasp is Jon Stewart is funny not because he spins falsehoods but because he tells the truth.

- Open Left: Telling voters that you are a Democrat is a good first step.

- Crooks & Liars: I’m not going to say this often, but I agree with Laura Ingraham.

Once Again, Obama is Right.

Senator Obama is the change candidate in this Presidential election. While this Republican counterparts continue their “Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?" routine, Democrat Barack Obama consistently speaks the truth in which everyday people understand and the old wise men of Washington who persist on supporting President Bush failed policies fail to comprehend.

Obama's rival campaigns buzzed about his statement uttered Monday during a campaign stop in New Hampshire when he was asked about his plan to move troops into Afghanistan.

"We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there,"Obama said.

Senator Obama's campaign rivals and the media are trying to spin this as another foreign-policy flap, but the facts are on Obama side.

A check of the facts shows that Western forces have been killing civilians at a faster rate than the insurgents.

The U.S. and NATO say they don’t have civilian casualty figures, but The Associated Press has been keeping count based on figures from Afghan and international officials. Tracking civilian deaths is a difficult task because they often occur in remote and dangerous areas that are difficult to reach and verify.

As of Aug. 1, the AP count shows that while militants killed 231 civilians in attacks in 2007, Western forces killed 286. Another 20 were killed in crossfire that can’t be attributed to one party.

Once again, Senator Obama is right.

The failed policies of President Bush and this supporters had allowed the Taliban and al-Qaeda to regroup in Afghanistan and tribal areas of Pakistan. Senator Obama won’t continue failed policies of wise old men of Washington.

Photo the Day

(Photo via My.Barack Obama.Com)

I won’t get another chance to vote against ...

… disgrace former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.

CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports exclusively sources say that they expect Hastert to announce he will not seek re-election next year.

The 14th Congressional District of Illinois is still a very Republican district, but it is still a winnable seat The Illinois Republican party is at a weaken state and I doubt 2008 Republican Presidential candidate will have any coattails in Illinois. Congressional Republicans lackluster campaign war chest is going to force them to play defense rather than helping Republicans running in open seats. There main concern is going to be defending their incumbents from well-funded Democratic challengers.

On the Democratic side, the disarray in the state Democratic Party will not affect Congressional races. The top of the Democratic ticket is going to be strong with Senator Durbin running for re-election and possibility of Senator Obama leading the ticket as the Democratic nominee for President.

I’m looking forward for a strongly contested Democratic primary.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes,.

- Think Progress: One of these days, I’m going to have to read Moby Dick.

In an interview today, Karl Rove said, “I’m realistic enough to understand that the subpoenas are going to keep flying my way. I’m Moby Dick and we’ve got three or four members of Congress who are trying to cast themselves in the part of Captain Ahab — so they’re going to keep coming.”

- Oliver Willis: Yes, my friends Liberals can be as stupid as their Conservatives counterparts

- The Carpetbagger Report: As always, Human Events (conservative political magazine) and Lou Dobbs of CNN are full of it.

- Digby: Chris Matthews is creepy. Seriously, he had a female guest on this show to discuss an important topic and he starts to hit on her. I guess Chris want to prove that he also like women after all of this well-documented man crushes.

- AmericaBlog: Rather than following the typical route of blaming your misdeeds on drugs or alcohol abuse and going to rehab, Republican state Rep. Bob Allen of Florida has decided he has done nothing wrong. These people are shameless.

With Friends Like These…

... Who needs enemies.

When Will Heaton went to work for Rep. Robert W. Ney in 2001, he was 23 years old and still in awe of the members of Congress he had come to know years earlier as a congressional page. Within six months, the Ohio Republican promoted the fresh-faced neophyte to be the youngest chief of staff in Congress. [..]

Last summer, Heaton began secretly recording his conversations with the six-term congressman, according to documents filed in court last week by the government and Heaton's lawyers. Heaton taped numerous phone calls and wore a hidden wire to a 2 1/2 -hour, face-to-face meeting with Ney that provided "exceptionally important" help to the FBI's investigation of Abramoff.

Quote of the Day

The full text of John Edwards' statement on the departure of Karl Rove.

“Goodbye, good riddance.”

Indeed.

Photo of the Day

(Photo via GQ)

Ryan Lizza profiles Senator Obama and this campaign for the Presidency in GQ.

“Movement without organization,” he says, “without policy, without plans, will dissipate. Howard Dean, one could argue, back in 2004 helped to engineer a movement, a movement in opposition to the war. But there wasn’t a structure there and a set of policies and plans that would then lead to governance.”

He leans forward and becomes more animated as he speaks. “One of the dangers of movements is that they always want to be completely pure and have everything their way. But politics is about governing and making compromises. And so sometimes folks who come into politics with a movement mentality can be disappointed.”

Give it a read.

So, what size of Flip-Flops does Rudy wear?

They must be a size 14 or so.

Pretty soon Rudy Giuliani is going to catch up to John McCain and Mitt Romney in the flip-flops department.

A New Kind of Politics

Senator Obama:

“Karl Rove was an architect of a political strategy that has left the country more divided, the special interests more powerful, and the American people more shut out from their government than any time in memory. But to build a new kind of politics, it will take more than the departure of a man or even an Administration that constructed the old –- it will take a movement of everyday Americans committed to changing Washington and reclaiming their government.”

Karl Rove to Resign

(Photo via Chicago Tribune)

The architect calls it quits.

Karl Rove, the architect of President Bush's two national campaigns and his most prominent adviser through 6-1/2 tumultuous years in the White House, announced today that he will resign at the end of the month, and associates said he plans to leave politics behind, for now at least.

Kevin Drum:

It doesn't really matter. History will judge Rove a colossal failure, a man who never understood how to govern and, for all his immense knowledge of polls and politics, never really understood the times he lived in. It was 9/11 that both made and broke the Bush presidency, not some kind of mystical McKinley-esque realignment. Rove was blind to that, and blind to the way Bush should have governed after 9/11. His one-track mind, in which every problem is solved by wielding the biggest, nastiest partisan club you can lift, just couldn't adapt. It's fitting that he insisted on making even his final act as calculatedly partisan as he could, announcing his resignation not through the White House press office, but in an interview with the editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page. Sic transit, Karl.

Karl Rove was more clever and shameless than a genius while many of this political opponents were inept or feeble. In 2002, a partisan court gifted this candidate the Presidency and in 2002 he used 9/11 and the Iraq war to club a weak-kneed Democratic Party to defeat. During the 2004 Presidential election, Karl Rove used shameless methods in smearing a war hero. Behind the scenes Karl Rove tired to turn the whole Government into an arm of the Republican Party, as an example the Justice Department scandals.

For Karl Rove it was never about furthering Conservative principles rather it was getting Bush elected and winning some Congressional seats. Secondary, was cementing the GOP as the majority party for years to come. Karl Rove achieved this first goal, but he failed in this second.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes,.

- The Plank: Further prove that President Bush was never really a great guy. It was just a Karl Rove spin that the media ate up.

- Think Progress: Margaret Carlson on Meet the Press rips Rudy Giuliani.

The walk in the Baghdad market and the visit to Jerry Falwell. I think he’s lost that to people, even like Giuliani, who by the way, made a huge mistake this week, saying that he spent more time at ground zero than the 9/11 rescue workers. And it made me see that Giuliani now believes his own rhetoric. And that he practically, maybe there was a third tower he kept from falling.

- Political Wire: After a sixth place finish in the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa, Republican Tommy Thompson calls it quits.

- Matthew Yglesias:The latest example of the liberal media at work.

Ron Brownstein focuses some attention on the much-neglected subject of hard-right opposition to any hints of reasonableness on the part of Republican Party politicians. When Joe Lieberman faced a primary challenge for the sin of relentlessly supporting a catastrophically failed policy, the political establishment reacted as if this was the End Times. Now that Chuck Hagel is facing a primary challenge for the sin of mildly gesturing toward the idea that maybe we should avoid catastrophically failed policy, nobody seems to care.

- Sportable: Madden 2008 preview.

Quote of the Day

Republican Mike Huckabee in his speech before the Ames Straw Poll.

"Let me make it very clear today, I’m not the best-funded candidate in America. I can’t buy you. I can’t even rent you."

On a related note …

Winner Mitt Romney has not said how much he spent. The reporting in this Washington Post article suggests at least $2 million and possibly more than twice that much. Assuming $2 million for 4,516 votes, that's $442.87 per vote. But it could top $1,000.

Photo of the Day

(Photo via My.Barack Obama.com)

Here's Barack at a Town Hall at Rancho High School in North Las Vegas.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes,.

- Think Progress: The Conservative media agrees with Stu Bykofsky, another 9/11 is good for America.

- Southern Poverty Law Center: Can you be an anti-immigration activist without being racist? The logical answer is yes, but most of the anti-immigration activists choose not too.

- The Carpetbagger Report: What came first the chicken or the egg? On a related note, is this man crazy because he listens to Rush every day or did Rush make him crazy?

- Election Central: If you question Rudy Giuliani performance relating to 9/11 then you don’t understand terrorism, according a Giuliani’s loyalist.

- Political Wire: Senator Biden rules out Secretary of State post in a Democratic administration.

"I promise you, I don’t want to be secretary of State. If I did, this is certainly not the best way to go about it. I’m going to be taking sharper and sharper exceptions with my colleagues. And it won’t be easy to then turn around and ask to be secretary of State.

I personally will rule out any Democratic Presidential candidate who even thinks of offering the post of Secretary of State to Senator Biden.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes,.

- Think Progress: It is become clear that numerous members of Congress don’t understand or refuse to read the Constitution. Or in the case of Republican Rep. Bill Sali you’re just a bigot.

- Think Progress: MSNBC’s Chris Matthews continues this school girl crush for President Bush and this swagger.

- Eschaton: For the sake of unity Stu Bykofsky calls for another 9/11.

ONE MONTH from The Anniversary, I'm thinking another 9/11 would help America.

I’m all for unity but, what Stu Bykofsky wants is no dissent in the American political process.

- The Carpetbagger Report: As always, Rudy Giuliani is full of it.

- Sportable:Chicago Bears preview.

On paper, the Bears are one of the top teams in the NFC. One thing they’ll need to be weary of is the “Super Bowl Losers” curse. In the last six years, just one Super Bowl loser has qualified for the playoffs the following year. But the Bears should find themselves back in the hunt, thanks to the piss-poor NFC North. Watch out for that schedule though. The Bears open up with three straight playoff teams: @ San Diego, Kansas City and Dallas.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes,.

- The Carpetbagger Report: Congressional Democrats want to strength the GI Bill and the Republicans ...

The Bush administration opposes a Democratic effort to restore full educational benefits for returning veterans, according to an official’s comments last week.

It’s no longer shocking that Republicans are against supporting the troops.

- The Hill: Run. Newt. Run.

Citing Howard Dean’s downfall in 2004, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) on Tuesday said it’s not too late for candidates to jump into the presidential race this fall and win their party’s nomination.

- Talking Points Memo: Mitt ‘Pretty’ Romney’s sons should not be travel in the same Winnebago while serving our great Nation.

- Crooks & Liars: Apparently, it is too soon for DLC golden boy and failed Senate Candidate Harold Ford, Jr. to say who has been wrong about Iraq.

- Fan House: Now, this is a type of football practice I can deal with.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- The Nation: Defeated Republican Congressman Jeb Bradley of New Hampshire is running for this old seat, but this time he is going to be more pro-Bush. Oh yes, that was really a smart strategy in 2006.

- Think Progress: MSNBC’s Chris Matthews continues this teenager girl theme political analysis.

- Think Progress: As always, John ’08 McCain is full of it.

- The Carpetbagger Report: Apparently, there is no American born person capable of running the California Republican Party.

- The Fan House: Can you guess what is America's fastest-growing spectator sport?

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- Think Progess: Only nine-teen percent of the American people think the country is on the right track, according to the NBC/WSJ poll.

- The Carpetbagger Report: It seems like the McCain and White House surge policy is showing little progress in Iraq.

- MyDD: The most popular Republican in Illinois former Gov. Jim Edgar is down 20 to Senator Durbin in a hypothetical U.S. Senate race.

- Oliver Wills: This young lady has a crush on Senator Obama. Wow.

- Sportable: Check out this amazing goal by Ronaldinho.

Quote of the Day

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark on Senator Holy Joe Lieberman.

"Only someone who never wore the uniform or thought seriously about national security would make threats at this point."

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- Think Progress: While Mitt ‘Pretty’ Romney was Governor of Massachusetts he denied a decorated Iraq war veteran a pardon. At age 13, the Iraq war veteran was convicted of assault for shooting another boy in the arm with a BB gun, a shot that didn’t break the skin. Now, running for President Mitt ‘Pretty’ Romney is in favor of a Presidential pardon for convicted felon and Republican hack Scooter Libby. Rep. Barney Frank is correct; Mitt ‘Pretty’ Romney has no perceivable political principle whatsover.

- The Carpetbagger Report: Rudy Giuliani outlined his 12 bumper-sticker slogans major priorities of his presidency.

- Crooks and Liars: Apparently, facts have a well know liberal bias.

- MyDD: President Bush can not deliver the big bucks for the GOP.

- Daily Kos: The Chairman of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party calls on Senator Holy Joe Lieberman to resign after his Iran bombing comments on Face the Nation.

Bonus Quote of the Day

Rep. Barney Frank:

"The real Romney is clearly an extraordinarily ambitious man with no perceivable political principle whatsover. He is the most intellectually dishonest human being in the history of politics."

Quote of the Day

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

"I’ve learned one thing in listening to all the debates and reading about all these people running for office, and the one fact I’ve learned, I can’t get out of my mind, is that Rudy Giuliani has been married more times than Mitt Romney’s been hunting."

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- Tapped: I can not believe someone would actually propose the developed of a gay bomb as a military weapon.

- The Carpetbagger Report: Republican Fred Thompson is going to campaign for President as a Washington outsider but in reality is he a ‘Gucci-wearing, Lincoln-driving, Perrier-drinking, Grey Poupon-spreading millionaire Washington special-interest lobbyist’.

- The Carpetbagger Report: Dennis Miller the comedian whose first syndicated talk show was cancelled after less than a year, his HBO talk show was cancelled, his CNBC talk show was cancelled, and he was fired from his Monday Night Football gig who now does two-minute tirades on a late-night Daily-Show knock-off calls Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid irrelevant.

- Think Progress: As always, right-wing pundit Dick Morris is full of it.

- The Fan House: A diehard Chicago Bears fan sues this friend over season tickets.

It Is What It Is

The Sopranos is finally over.

After watching the second to last show of the Sopranos in which Bobby and Silvio were gunned down, I fully expected an actual conclusion of the series. I was looking forward for a Six Feet Under ending, but what David Chase did was opposite. It was an ending without an ending. Now, we are just left with questions. The key question of last night final was Tony Killed at the diner? The closing minutes of the Sopranos were tense as Tony’s family members gathered while it seems every person in the diner looked very specious and when Meadow finally entered the diner Tony looks up and then was black. The credits started with roll without any music and I was left emotionless.

It is what it is.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- Think Progress: As always, David Broder of the Washington Post is full of it.

- The Carpetbagger Report: Senator Holy Joe Lieberman of the Lieberman for Connecticut Party is advocating war with Iran.

- Senate Guru: Go read the latest news about the 2008 Senate races.

- Crooks and Liars: Is Colin Powell turning to the Democratic Party?

- Bleed Cubbie Blue: Is it time for Michael Barrett to exit Chicago?

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- Washington Monthly: Once again the media never lets the facts get in the way of their ‘pox on both houses’ narrative.

- Think Progress: Roger Simon of Politico takes this school girl crush on Mitt ‘Pretty’ Romney to a whole new level. This is getting ridiculous.

- Firedoglake: Conservatives are shameless. They are trying to claim convicted felon Scooter Libby is a casualty of a war.

- MyDD: Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa has defeated five Republican congressmen in Senate elections, Rep. Tom Latham might be this six.

- The Fan House: This is sickening.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- Think Progress: Is Lynne Cheney going to be the next Senator from Wyoming?

- The Carpetbagger Report: Immigration reform bill goes down in defeat.

- ACSBlog: The conservative icon Robert Bork is suing the Yale Club of New York City for $1,000,000 in compensatory damages, plus punitive damages, after he slipped and fell. This is the same person who has been a leading advocate of restricting plaintiffs' ability to recover through tort reform.

- Americablog: Did President Bush fall of the wagon?

- With Leather: Apparently, Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett favorite song is "Break Up To Make Up” by the Stylistics.

Break up to make up, that's all we do
First you love me then you hate me
That's a game for fools

Quote of the Day

John Edwards:

Today, we know two unequivocal truths about the results of Bush's approach -- there are more terrorists and we have fewer allies.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- AmericaBlog: As always, Senator Holy Joe Lieberman of the Lieberman for Connecticut Party is full of it.

- Crooks and Lairs: Add this to the reasons why the Democratic Party should not legitimize the propaganda arm of the GOP, Fox News Network.

- The Carpetbagger Report: Fox News and Washington Post’s Jeffrey Birnbaum are full of it.

- Oliver Wills: I guess the current Republican field of Presidential candidates is not crazy enough for some people. I would love to see a rematch of the 2004 Illinois Senate race between Obama and Alan Keyes on the Presidential level.

- Amigos de Obama.com: Senator Obama is doing this best to hold down the Reggaeton vote. I’m definitely getting Obama’s Reggaeton ring tone.

Quote of the Day

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg:

There are lots of threats to you in the world. There's the threat of a heart attack for genetic reasons. You can't sit there and worry about everything. Get a life. You have a much greater danger of being hit by lightning than being struck by a terrorist.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- The Nation: During last night Republican presidential debate all the candidates had the chance to answer the following question: how they would "use" the outgoing president in their administrations? My favorite answer was giving by Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo who stated the President would never darken the door of the White House in this administration.

- Rolling Stone: If you love President Bush, then you are going to love Rudy Giuliani. Matt Taibbi goes in-depth about how much worst a Giuliani Presidency would be for our democracy.

Rudy giuliani is a true American hero, and we know this because he does all the things we expect of heroes these days -- like make $16 million a year, and lobby for Hugo Chávez and Rupert Murdoch, and promote wars without ever having served in the military, and hire a lawyer to call his second wife a "stuck pig," and organize absurd, grandstanding pogroms against minor foreign artists, and generally drift through life being a shameless opportunist with an outsize ego who doesn't even bother to conceal the fact that he's had a hard-on for the presidency since he was in diapers. In the media age, we can't have a hero humble enough to actually be one; what is needed is a tireless scoundrel, a cad willing to pose all day long for photos, who'll accept $100,000 to talk about heroism for an hour, who has the balls to take a $2.7 million advance to write a book about himself called Leadership. That's Rudy Giuliani. Our hero. And a perfect choice to uphold the legacy of George W. Bush.

- The Carpetbagger Report: The GOP presidential candidates rather hate gay people than protect Americans from terrorists.

- Election Central: Rudy Giuliani flip-flops on making English the country's official language to appease this Conservative base.

- The Fan House: I can’t believe that I’m going to say this but, I actually agree with Chicago White Sox manger Ozzie Guillen.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- Talking Points Memo: Black people all look like to the Fox News Network.

- Think Progress: Judge Leslie Southwick, nominated by President Bush for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, can not name one time she judge in favor for a poor person, or a member of a minority group, or someone who’d simply turned to the courts for help. Judge Southwick is the prefect Republican judge.

- The Carpetbagger Report: Will the Democrats finally kick indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) out of Congress? It’s long over due.

- The Carpetbagger Report: If a medial procedure puts a women life in danger the pro-life movement is all for it.

- The Fan House: Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson got an eight-game suspension by the NFL, which could be reduced to six-games for good behavior.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- Sirotablog: The mainstream media proves one again that Al Gore is right.

- The Carpetbagger Report: If you elected a government hating Republican to be a Governor don’t be surprise that he turns out to be a dimwit.

- Daily Kos: Nixon apologist Fred Thompson is full of it.

- Crooks and Liars: I wonder if these people are going to get unemployment benefits from the RNC.

- Foul Balls: If you really want to know what was said during the slug out in the dugout, here your chance.

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- Think Progress: In a child-like moment President Bush declares that he is the President.

- Think Progress: Bill O’Reilly and Senator McCain agree that immigration will end the white, Christian, male power structure. Isn’t this type of rhetoric similar to KKK propaganda?

- Oliver Willis: Peggy Noonan finally stops writing love letters to President Bush and realizes he is bad for the Conservative movement. It’s going to be fun to watching the complete meltdown of the wing nuts.

- The Carpetbagger Report: The media and the Republican Party continue to act like silly little superficial school girls.

- Sportable: Did I ever mention that LeBron James is a good basketball player?

Quote of the Day

Senator Barack Obama spokesman Bill Burton response to John ’08 McCain latest tirade:

"As a senator who takes his duties seriously, and has also showed up to vote more than once this month, Barack Obama considers few responsibilities more important than his votes on the war in Iraq. Obama opposed the war from the beginning and, unlike Senator McCain, is committed to ending it as quickly and responsibly as possible."

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- Think Progress: In response to a soldier question ‘when are we going to get out of here?’ Senator Holy Joe Lieberman repeated a GOP talking point.

In response to their questions about leaving Iraq, Lieberman said it would be a “victory for al-Qaida and a victory for Iran.”

- Oliver Wills: If Michael Brown, the former FEMA chief, is the most qualified person you can get on your show to discuss a serious topic, then your show has no creditably left.

- Oliver Willis: For some unknown reason Chris Matthews has a deep hatred for Clintons and Al Gore, which lead him to make false claims against them on this television show.

- The Carpet Bagger Report: If you are a minority the Republican Party does not want you to vote. This is the latest example of Republicans using power of the government to disenfranchise minority voters just because they dare to vote for the Democratic Party.

- The Fan House: Is what Alex Rodriguez did last night cheating?

Iraq

Harold Meyerson’s op-ed in the Washington Post just made me rethink my criticism of Democratic Party failure to pass an Iraq bill funding bill with withdrawal timelines.

Many of my antiwar friends were furious at Democratic congressional leaders last week for their failure to attach withdrawal deadlines to or cut funding from our occupation of Iraq -- a failure chiefly attributable to the simple fact that the votes weren't there for either option. What they should recall, however, is that the much more heavily Democratic Congress that hastened the end of the Vietnam War during Richard Nixon's presidency did so by passing a series of incremental measures, each of which constrained Nixon's warmaking powers a bit more than the last. In succession, Congress banned the use of funds for military actions in Laos and Thailand, then (after Nixon ordered the invasion of Cambodia) banned the use of ground forces in Cambodia. Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield, one of the Democrats' foremost doves, three times introduced an amendment that would have ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam within nine months of enactment, but it never passed.

It took the Democrats, and their dovish Republican allies, four full years to pass a cutoff of funds for U.S. ground forces in Vietnam, by which point Nixon had already pulled all ground forces out (though the legislation kept him from putting those forces back in, which was not a mere academic possibility). That hardly means that Mansfield betrayed the cause of peace, any more than Nancy Pelosi's failure to shut down the war last week means that she sold out to the Bush administration. Mansfield put one antiwar bill after another to a vote, winning more and more support each time around, leaving Nixon with fewer and fewer options. Pelosi is steering the same course, for a war even more reckless and absurd than Vietnam.

Go read the rest of Harold Meyerson’s op-ed.

CNN & Lou Dobbs

CNN claims to be the ‘Most Trusted Name in News’, but having Lou Dobbs as one of your main anchors put them in the league of Fox News and Bill O’Reilly. The suppose spokesmen of the Middle Class Americans, Lou Dobbs only really represent nativist while using misleading reporting to attack Mexican immigrants.

The most common complaint about him, at least from other journalists, is that his program combines factual reporting with editorializing. But I think this misses the point. Americans, as a rule, are smart enough to handle a program that mixes opinion and facts. The problem with Mr. Dobbs is that he mixes opinion and untruths. He is the heir to the nativist tradition that has long used fiction and conspiracy theories as a weapon against the Irish, the Italians, the Chinese, the Jews and, now, the Mexicans. [..]

More to the point, if Mr. Dobbs’s arguments were really so good, don’t you think he would be able to stick to the facts?

Go read the rest of David Leonhardt's article reporting on Lou Dobbs anti-immigrant hysteria.

Photo of the Day

(Photo via AmericaBlog)

CNN reports that Lieberman is on an unannounced "surprise" visit to Baghdad. Paula Hancocks followed Lieberman around. She talked to Lieberman and reported, "He said he was happy with the progress. He was devastated by the fact that May was turning in to the deadliest month since November 2004. But he said he did believe that this surge eventually would pay off and it would start to break the insurgency."

Top Five

A quick rundown of the posts I have read during my travels around the series of tubes.

- Think Progress: As always, Democratic Senator Joseph Biden is full of it. It is never a good move using GOP taking points to attack fellow Democrats.

- The Carpetbagger Report: Newt Gingrich attacks Karl Rove and President Bush and then Tom Delay points out Gingrich hypocrisy while over looking this own hypocrisy. I guess Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment, "Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican”, is not relevant anymore.

- The Carpetbagger Report: As always, the Politico is full of it.

Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II. Giuliani was mayor of New York on 9/11. Eisenhower’s national security stature was earned by defeating the Nazis and helping save the world. Giuliani’s national security stature is a media creation, bolstered by clever public relations. To put the two in the same sentence is comical.

- AmericaBlog: There is no difference between Senator Holy Joe Lieberman and Vice President Cheney or Senator McCain.

- The Fan House: What does $700 buy you in Cook County Jail?

Does every Senator want to be President?

I guess so.

Sen. Tom Coburn is mulling an entry into the Republican presidential primary, according to sources inside and outside the Senate. Coburn, a senator from Oklahoma, is believed to be receiving encouragement from a small group of wealthy businessmen and philanthropists in the Oklahoma-Kansas-Texas region of the country.

"He's all about faith, lower taxes, and staying the course in Iraq," says an adviser outside of the Senate who has been speaking to Coburn.

Yes, I’m all for Tom Coburn Presidential run. Because, someone really needs to put a stop to rampant lesbianism in school bathrooms across our great Nation.

Update:

But Coburn spokesman John Hart shot down the balloon before it could even gain an altitude.

"He has no intention of running for president," Hart said.

He chalked up the buzz to "effective rumor planting by powerful donors who want to see a wholesale shake-up in the GOP."

Senator Coburn might not be running for President, but he would be a prefect choice for Vice President.

Barack Obama

David Bernstein gives a behind-the-scenes look into Barack Obama’s 2004 keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.

The keynote speech that barack Obama delivered on Tuesday, July 27, 2004, galvanized the delegates who packed Boston’s FleetCenter and electrified a nationwide television audience. The 2,297 words uttered over 17 minutes changed Obama’s profile overnight and made him a household name. Before the speech, the idea of Obama running for president in 2008 would have been laughable; he was a lowly state senator from Chicago’s Hyde Park, and while he stood a good chance at winning his U.S. Senate race, he would enter that powerful body ranked 99th out of 100 in seniority. After the speech, observers from across the political world hailed the address as an instant classic, and Obama was drawing comparisons (deservedly or not) to Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy.

None of this happened by chance. Obama’s selection as keynote speaker was carefully plotted by all sides for maximum effect, and the speech itself was no outpouring of inspiration scribbled on the back of an envelope. Obama labored over it for weeks, harvesting lines that he had already tested on Illinois crowds. He is said to have been furious when one of his best remarks was cut by Kerry’s speechwriters. And even after all the preparation, the editing and vetting by aides to Obama and Kerry, and the three run-throughs at the convention, the speech almost didn’t take flight—on the dais, Obama was slow to hit his stride. But once he got going, the speech—and his career—took off: “Without that Boston speech, there’s a question whether Barack would be running [for president] today,” says his fellow senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin. “His public image changed because of that speech.” Valerie Jarrett, a veteran Chicago politico and one of Obama’s longtime friends, puts it more succinctly: “It changed his life.”

If you have the time, go read the whole article.