Once Upon A Time

No Fools Here

The right wing pundits are now pushing the idea that the Democrats have no right to object to the Bush Social Security Plan unless they have a counter-proposal of their own. Let me get this straight. The Democrats know that they find serious flaws with the Bush Plan, at least with the mere outline Bush has given. (He would appear to lack much in the way of details in spite of touring around the country touting his plan.) Yet they need to "shut up," as Bill O'Reilly would say, unless they have their own idea. How silly is that?

They absolutely need to be a part of the Social Security debate. They need to express the doubts and concerns that exist in terms of both whether Seocial Security is truly in crisis and what kind of fixes it needs.

Unlike Iraq, where many Americans wanted to beat up on Saddam Hussein and didn't care whether Bush was telling the truth or not, on Social Security the American people are much more cautious. This impacts their lives in a much more direct way. And they ain't liking what Bush has to offer. Nor do they trust the guy much.

I think George and Karl Rove underestimated the American people. Now that they are looking bad, they want to divert some of that negative attention away from themselves and onto the Democrats.

And the Dems need to hold their ground. At most they should indicate that they have an arsenal of ideas to deal with Social Security--not so much of an overhaul but rather things to tweak it. And then leave it at that.

Orwell was only a few yers off....

Our government continues to do more and more things that make me frightened that fredom and democracy are going to be only a memory in the not so distant future. Here's yet another example: Congress passes "doomsday" plan.

Soon they won't have to worry about stealing elections.....

W2

Well, the election is long over and it looks like I may be bitching about George for another 4 years. However, a good portion of his Admin appears to be bailing on him, LOL. It is to be seen whether that will be good or bad news. If Ashcroft goes, you know I won't be shedding many tears. ;)

Pre-election jitters

One more day....just one more day.....

And Thank God the Packers won! This is one trend or curse that had better not change. There had better be victory for Kerry tomorrow or they will need to start putting valium in the drinking water. ;)

Two Americas

AP Poll: More Voters See Bush As Decisive

Ummm....I'd say I see him as Divisive.

Am I the only one who is tired of these polls that get reported in ways to sway the American voter? The truth is half this country hates George Bush. [And I mean hates] I don't see them reporting that fact.

And they barely mention that the sample size of this poll is 804 registered voters. I'd like to know how many of each party were polled and other demographics to know whether this poll was performed in any scientific manner.

A poll can be manipulated to demonstrate anything you want it to depending on who it is you ask.

As far as I'm concerned, polls should not be news. I'm appalled at how they are used to sway public opinion. Especially considering there have been a number of polls with conflicting data in the past several weeks.

See Dick Not Run

In honor of the Kerry Edwards ticket, I donated $25 to the campaign yesterday. In other words I did what J did, and thanked Kerry for not choosing Dick, LOL. ;)

Time Flies

April is about to end. On one hand I marvel at how quickly the month has gone. On the other hand I'm thankful that we are one month closer to booting George W Bush back to Crawford Texas. If they are even willing to take him back. ;)

Memo Meme

Good Ole Condi, blurting out the damning truth. Gotta love it.

Looks like the Bush admin is going down in a ball of flames. Or perhaps that could be Plames? We'll know soon.

Lying Liars

More lies from the administration about Clarke have been pointed out on Talking Points Memo. It's amazing to what lengths these guys will go to cover their asses. You can almost see them sweating over this one. Hehehehe....

On the flip-side, because these boobs are so inept and so concentrated on trying to cover their asses, I worry about the safety of the country from within and without. But it's these lying liars who are responsible for that. If God forbid they did their jobs honestly they wouldn't have to be taken to task. LOL.

More proof of them not doing their jobs can be found here using Condi as an example.

Right or Wrong

August J. Pollack has a great post about what the GOP is trying to do to discredit Clarke and how they have failed to discredit the statements he has made. Go read it here.

Put a Smile on My Face

I just viewed this lovely flash montage of Dean images set to Mama Cass' Make Your Own Kind of Music. Definitely put a smile on my face. :) Whoever put it together did an incredible job. Many of the pictures I had never seen. I just wish the resolution of the pics was better on my puter.

Kerry Intern?

About time. I heard rumors about Kerry's infidelity a good two weeks ago. I was beginning to think the mainstream press was gonna sit on the info or that the rumors didn't have substance. Actually, they still may not have substance. But at least the press may not be sitting on it much longer. LOL.

The one set of rumors I heard dealt with an affair prior to the annullment of his first marriage. The rumor Drudge is reporting deals with more recent infidelity. Granted I think Drudge is scum, but he is right on occasion. We'll see about this one.

Brokering a Deal?

Again, no link, so here's the whole story. Are Dean and Edwards brokering a deal??? Sounds like a plan to me. As I said before I'd prefer Dean OR Edwards over Kerry.

Stay tuned. ;)

Dean Says He Favors Edwards Over Kerry

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - It's not surprising that John Edwards (news - web sites) says
he would be a tougher opponent for President Bush (news - web sites) than
Democratic front-runner John Kerry (news - web sites). It raises eyebrows
when Howard Dean (news - web sites) says the same thing.

With the race's fourth major candidate, Wesley Clark (news - web sites), out
of the race, Edwards and Dean are ganging up on Kerry, winner of 12 of the
14 nominating contests so far.

Dean told CBS News in an interview that will air Wednesday night that he
believes Edwards would be the better candidate in the general election, even
though Kerry has the advantage right now.

"My fear is that he actually won't be the strongest Democratic candidate,"
Dean told the network.

Asked about Dean's comment, Edwards told reporters: "I agree with that. I
think that he is a very wise man. ... The truth is that this campaign to
bring about change is working with independents and voters that we will have
to get in order to win the general election."

In his exit from the race Wednesday in him hometown of Little Rock, Ark.,
Clark called on Democrats to continue fighting against Bush's "fatally
flawed" foreign policy.

"We must challenge George W. Bush on that foreign policy," Clark said.

Kerry is speeding toward the nomination, and Dean and Edwards are hoping to
stop him after a showdown in Wisconsin on Tuesday.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Dean urged voters in Wisconsin's
primary to stand up against Kerry and other Washington insiders who he said
are trying to derail his candidacy. He said he would support the Democratic
nominee, but Kerry would be the "lesser of two evils" in a race against
President Bush.

Dean, once the race's high-flying front-runner, has gone winless while Kerry
has captured 12 victories, including Virginia and Tennessee on Tuesday.
Clark decided to quit the race after dismal third-place showings, while
runner-up Edwards forged ahead with a busy campaign day in Wisconsin.

Edwards said he has not entertained the thought of dropping out and not one
Democratic official has asked him to. He is planning to focus his campaign
on trade and job losses in Wisconsin, hoping the contest will force Dean
from the race and leave him as the alternative to Kerry.

"I'm going to be the nominee," Edwards told The Associated Press in an
interview aboard his plane. "I'm definitely staying in."

Edwards' advisers also said he would remain positive and refused to
criticize Kerry. Dean, on the other hand, sought to portray Kerry as part of
the Washington machine working against him.

"What we now see is that John Kerry is part of the corrupt political culture
in Washington," Dean said in an interview. He said he came to that
conclusion after learning that former New Jersey Sen. Robert Torricelli
contributed to an independent group that ran ads that used images of Osama
bin Laden (news - web sites) to question Dean's ability to combat terrorism
if elected president.

Torricelli, who was forced out of office over ethical lapses, is now raising
money for Kerry's presidential campaign. Dean said disclosures that money
was also raised by backers of Dick Gephardt (news - web sites) show
Washington insiders are trying to derail his candidacy.

"The link is unassailable," Dean said. "The same fund-raiser who was
ethically challenged and had to step aside from a Senate race because of
that raised money from the same donors to support both Senator Kerry and his
... political action group.

"I intend to support the Democratic nominee under any circumstances," Dean
said. "I'm just deeply disappointed that once again we may have to settle
for the lesser of two evils."

Kerry spokesman David Wade called it "another day, another Dean act of
desperation." Wade said Kerry has a record of fighting special interests in
Washington and that voters across the country have said they want his
leadership in the White House.

Dean finished in single digits in Virginia and Tennessee, having skipped
both states to campaign in Wisconsin. He's hoping to revive his candidacy
there, but some of his supporters have been questioning whether it is
possible.

"I think there comes a point when you have to recognize reality," said Iowa
Sen. Tom Harkin, one of Dean's high-profile endorsers. "I understand he made
the commitment to go to Wisconsin, but I think at some point there's going
to have to be a reckoning here."

Meanwhile, Kerry campaign officials said he picked up more congressional
endorsements with New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman and Maine Rep. Tom Allen and
several lawmakers who had endorsed Clark. Rep. Marion Berry, who had
organized support for Clark in Congress, said he and the two other Arkansas
Democrats in the House were backing Kerry and he expected most of Clark's
other supporters would, too.

"At some point you have to close ranks, pick a leader and get behind him
fully," Berry said.

Kerry retreated to his home in Georgetown, nursing a cough and making phone
calls. He returns to the campaign trail Friday with stops in Wisconsin and
Nevada, which holds its caucuses Saturday.

The Bush campaign is increasingly convinced that Kerry will be the opponent
in the November elections. They are planning to portray Kerry as a tax
raiser who wants to roll back efforts in Iraq (news - web sites) and has
changed from a war supporter early last year to an opponent when his
position started to hurt him in the Democratic primary.

"Certainly Senator Kerry looks to be the front-runner," said Bush spokesman
Scott Stanzel. "Democrats are supporting his campaign and we are anxious for
the time when we'll have a chance to highlight the clear contrast that
voters will have in this election between George Bush's positive leadership
and the negativity and pessimism that's being offered by the Democratic
candidate."

___

Associated Press writers Ross Sneyd and Liz Sidoti contributed to this
report from Wisconsin.

Donkey in Elephant's clothing?

The Club for Growth was a group that put out terrible ads against Howard Dean in Iowa. One of these ads pictured Osama bin Laden. Now it appears one or more of the contributors also is a major Kerry donor. (surprise, surprise, surprise.) Read about the connect over at the daily Kos

Why, if I want Bush out so much do I bring this up?

Clearly I wanted Howard Dean to be the nominee. But that seems almost impossible at this point. I would have even rather had Edwards or even Clark as the nominee, before having Kerry.

Why?

Because Kerry is just as controllable as Bush.

You think Bush is calling all the shots?

I sure don't. And I don't think Kerry will be either. With all the special interest money he's taken over the years....

Yeah, we may not have preemptive wars under Kerry, but capitalism will still be out of control.

I don't have the link handy, but you may want to note several media giants have also contributed heavily to Kerry's campaign. No wonder he's getting a free ride, while Howard (who called for media re-regulation) got pounded.

And Kerry will probably win the general election, in spite of the RNC's efforts to derail him. God, knows people are really unhappy with Bush. (except for the die hard Bushies)

But will things be any better? I honestly don't know.

Will we have health care, jobs brought back to America, civil rights advances, better foreign relations, etc? Will America be financially and emotionally better off?

That's the question I have. Status quo is not good enough, because Bush has brought us down so much. Does Kerry have the leadership necessary to bring improvements for the middle class? Or will we continue to make more but have less to show for it?

Stay tuned.

Update: Just so no one misunderstands, I will vote for Kerry should he be the nominee. Actually, more acurately I will vote against Bush. For once, I actually wanted to vote "for" someone instead of the lesser of two evils. But with Kerry and Bush, it'll be back to the lesser of two evils. Bush must go.

The Road to Hell

Don't have a link for this, got it via email. But this is the sort of stuff that John Kerry is vulnerable on:

Kerry, Too, Needs to Clear the Air

By Scott Ritter
Scott Ritter, former UN chief inspector in Iraq, 1991-1998, is the
author of "Frontier Justice: Weapons of Mass Destruction and the
Bushwhacking of America."

February 9, 2004

On April 23, 1971, a 27-year-old Navy veteran named John Kerry sat
before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and chided members on
their leadership failures regarding the war in Vietnam.

"Where is the leadership?" Kerry, a decorated hero who had proved
his courage under fire, demanded of the senators. "Where are they now
that we, the men they sent off to war, have returned?" Kerry lambasted
those who had pushed so strongly for war in Vietnam. "These men have
left all the casualties and retreated behind a pious shield of public
rectitude."

Today, on the issue of the war in Iraq, it is John Kerry who is all
pious rectitude.

"I think the administration owes the entire country a full
explanation on this war - not just their exaggerations but on the
failure of American intelligence," Kerry said following the stunning
announcement by David Kay, the Bush administration's former lead
investigator in Iraq, that "we were all wrong" about the existence of
weapons of mass destruction in that country. The problem for Sen.
Kerry, of course, is that he, too, is culpable in the massive breach
of public trust that has come to light regarding Iraq, WMD and the
rush to war.

Almost 30 years after his appearance before the Senate, Sen. Kerry
was given the opportunity to make good on his promises that he had
learned the lessons of Vietnam. During a visit to Washington in April
2000, when I lobbied senators and representatives for a full review of
American policy regarding Iraq, I spoke with John Kerry about what I
held to be the hyped-up intelligence regarding the threat posed by
Iraq's WMD. "Put it in writing," Kerry told me, "and send it to me so
I can review what you're saying in detail."

I did just that, penning a comprehensive article for Arms Control
Today, the journal of the Arms Control Association, on the "Case for
the Qualitative Disarmament of Iraq." This article, published in June
2000, provided a detailed breakdown of Iraq's WMD capability and made
a comprehensive case that Iraq did not pose an imminent threat. I
asked the Arms Control Association to send several copies to Sen.
Kerry's office but, just to make sure, I sent him one myself. I never
heard back from the senator.

Two years later, in the buildup toward war that took place in the
summer of 2002, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on which Kerry
sits, convened a hearing on Iraq. At that hearing a parade of
witnesses appeared, testifying to the existence of WMD in Iraq.
Featured prominently was Khidir Hamza, the self-proclaimed "bombmaker
to Saddam," who gave stirring first-hand testimony to the existence of
not only nuclear weapons capability, but also chemical and biological
weapons as well. Every word of Hamza's testimony has since been proved
false. Despite receiving thousands of phone calls, letters and e-mails
demanding that dissenting expert opinion, including my own, be aired
at the hearing, Sen. Kerry apparently did nothing, allowing a sham
hearing to conclude with the finding that there was "no doubt" Saddam
Hussein had WMD.

Sen. Kerry followed up this performance in October 2002 by voting
for the war in Iraq. Today he justifies that vote by noting that he
only approved the "threat of war," and that the blame for Iraq rests
with President George W. Bush, who failed to assemble adequate
international support for the war. But this explanation rings hollow
in the face of David Kay's findings that there are no WMD in Iraq.
With the stated casus belli shown to be false, John Kerry needs to
better explain his role not only in propelling our nation into a war
that is rapidly devolving into a quagmire, but more importantly, his
perpetuation of the falsehoods that got us there to begin with.

President Bush should rightly be held accountable for what
increasingly appears to be deliberately misleading statements made by
him and members of his administration regarding the threat posed by
Iraq's WMD. If such deception took place, then Bush no longer deserves
the trust and confidence of the American people.

But John Kerry seems to share in this culpability, and if he wants
to be the next president of the United States, he must first convince
the American people that his actions somehow differ from those of the
man he seeks to replace.

"Where is the leadership?" John Kerry asked more than 30 years ago,
questioning a war that consumed life, money and national honor. Today
this question still hangs in the air, haunting a former Navy combat
veteran who needs to convince a skeptical nation that he not only has
a plan to get America out of Iraq, but also possesses the leadership
skills needed to avoid future ill-advised adventures.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.

Taking Back America

Unless some major scandal gets exposed, it looks like John Kerry will be getting the nomination. How depressing.

I'm at the point where I'd take John Edwards over John Kerry. All the dirty politicking the Kerry campaign did to the Dean campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire--some proven, some alledged--really soured my opinion of John Kerry. Not that the Edwards campaign is squeaky clean, but I just find Edwards likeable and he can actually pull off the "I'm not beholden to special interests" mantra.

Kerry just looks like a complete hypocrite saying it. Oh yeah, that's because he is a complete hypocrite. LOL.

I think Clark should drop out. And if Dean gets nothing in the win column this weekend, he should too. It saddens me to say that, but Edwards is in a much better position to take out Kerry at this point. And Trippi's right. Kerry is more vulnerable in a two man race rather than a 4-man race.

As for the Deaniacs, we'll keep the movement going in a new format. There are already plans in the works for what to do next.

And as for Howard Dean, what I'd like to see him do is head up the liberal radio/TV network that Al Gore and Al Franken have talked about creating. I think Howard is still the party's best voice against Bush, so I don't believe he should --or will--go skulking away in defeat.

Howard's goal was to change this country, and he at the very least changed the Democratic party for the better, and that's no small feat. Maybe through other means such as liberal talk radio, he can have an even bigger influence than he would have had as president.

Fixing the race

Kos has a new entry discussing the whys and hows of there being multiple candidates proceeding on in this race after NH. I'm cool with Clark, Edwards, Dean and even Lieberman staying in the race. God knows I think its unconscionable how the media is giving Kerry the title of nominee already with so few delegates determined.

Hey CNN, MSNBC and Faux...let the PEOPLE decide!

And people...this is not a beauty contest nor a Miss Congeniality contest. Examine the issues. Examine their records. Decide for yourself who you want to be the nominee.

Knowledge is power...use it!

Kerry, Kerry, Kerry

Why not John Kerry?

The link above says it all. John Kerry is just as immersed in the politics of greed as George Bush. Electing him would only be minimally better than having another 4 years of Bush. Electing Kerry doesn't solve the problems this country is facing.

Leave it to the Media

My brother's email says it all:

We all know already that reporters are generally stupid, but I swear
these last couple weeks have just plummeted my faith in news
organizations.

I went to foxnews.com last night to check election results and these
boneheads keep saying that Kerry was going to get all 22 delegates from
New Hampshire just because he came in first. I think I'm going to write
those #%$%^ bozos an e-mail this morning letting them know how the
political process actually works so they can get it right for a change.
They're trying to tell people who's winning the race before the race has
barely begun. If we're going to let the media decide who the $^%^#
President is going to be, then we might as well go back to letting Senators
vote for the President and repeal the 12th amendement for God's sake!

Ok, I'm done venting now. On to the Super Seven. By the way, I checked
CNN.com and according to their numbers, the "front-runner" Kerry still
trails Dean in total delegate votes pledged even after "winning" two
states. Dean has 113 pledged votes (15 in CA alone) and Kerry only 94.
Edwards and Clark are still in the 30s as far as pledged votes go.

Soul Searching...Politically

After the disappointing speech in Iowa, I began to wonder if Dean could get beyond it. Until last night, I didn't think he could.

But after his the interview with Diane Sawyer and the debate earlier in the evening, I've decided it's too early to write him off yet. If there is a man who could turn things around, it's Dean. His heart is in the right place. He's got the right ideas. And he tells the truth.

Even my Dad of all people, after seeing the clip, said, "What was so horrible about that?" It's not like he lied or stole from anyone. As far as my Dad is concerned, politicians are all liars and cheaters, so to have that response to Dad was pretty positive, LOL.

And sometimes even bad publicity, is good publicity. Sometimes.

Parting Ways

Looks like Chistie Whitman is coming clean as to why she resigned from the Bush Administration. Could it be she was yet another member who held moderate views that clashed with the right wing ideologues? What do you think? ;)

The Dean Connection

A wonderful long Sunday Magazine story from the NYTimes about the magic of the Dean campaign, meetups, and the connection between Dean supporters across the country via the internet. I highly recommend the read.

And in the third ring...

Adding to the circus of Congress we also have the Medicare bill. You may or may not be aware that the bill upon initial vote did not pass the house. But with some arm twisting (3 hours worth!) and calls by President Bush to Republicans who had voted against the bill, the wretched bill was pushed through the House. Why is it so wretched? It is an attempt to privatize Medicare...and to do this, we the American taxpayers are going to pay these HMOs to take the Medicare patients.

As health economist Marilyn Moon said: "It is very ironic. . . . To increase participation in private plans, we are going to overpay them for the foreseeable future."

Yep, you got it. They (our government) drive the Medicare system to insolvancy and the GOP plan is to make you and I, the taxpayers, pay for it. Ain't that sweet?

Suuueeey!

I love how Democrats were the ones who always got accused by Republicans of adding pork to bills in Congress, yet now when the GOP holds control of both houses we see more pork than ever. What hypocrites...but then, what else is new?

Lost Art of Letter Writing

Posted this elsewhere, but decided to repost it on my blog:

When was the last time you sent a handwritten letter to someone? In the age of email and before that the age of the typewriter and telephone, people got away from handwriting letters as a means of communication.

For me the last time I recall handwriting letters was in high school (in the late '80s) when I had three penpals, two in Germany and one in Denmark. If I were to look at those letters now, I'd probably laugh at the innocuous stuff I included--stuff only a teenager would be concerned about. Which music artists were hot, who had a new album, what was on TV, what was the latest style and as a girl--shopping!

Just recently I picked up my pen again and composed letters containing words of a much more serious nature. I joined a group of men a women who are writing letters to express our unhappiness in how George Bush is leading the US (my home) and to show our support for the Democratic candidate who we think can lead the US in a more positive direction, providing protection without governing using fear--that candidate is Howard Dean.

Without going into much detail about Howard Dean, I'm going to focus more on our writing efforts for this posting, since this is a MB focussed on writing. What I found interesting about this experience is, a group of people can get together, write their own letters about the same subject, yet each take a unique approach to the letter. Each of us read our letters aloud, and everyone felt their letter wasn't as good as another person's. Funny how self-doubt is rampant in the world. ;)

In all honestly, all the letters were wonderful as they expressed the hopes and fears of the author in their own personal way. These letters were addressed to individuals who are undecided democrat voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, states whose caucus/primary are the earliest and may even determine who will be the Democratic nominee who will go against Bush in the general election.

Why am I bringing this up? Two reasons. First, to mention that I am a "grassroots organizer" involved in the Dean campaign--my first political experience ever. (Some of you know this fact already, LOL.) Second to express the satisfaction and pleasure that one feels handwriting letters expressing ones feelings and thoughts, even if to a complete stranger. Typing an email doesn't have quite the same effect. You don't get to pick out pretty stationary. Your hand doesn't hurt the same way, writer's cramp vs. carpal tunnel, LOL. ;) You get the idea.

I guess I'm also bringing this up also because I know the importance of letter writing throughout the ages and I hate to see the art of letter writing be completely lost. "See U soon" and "Thx, u2", simple TXT and email messaging seem to be taking over the human consciousness. Those things are fine as long as we don't forget where we came from and don't forget to use longhand from time to time, especially for those messages that are important--to those we love and even complete strangers.

Letter writing may be more time consuming....but think about the joy you'd feel knowing someone took the time to handwrite you a letter. A timely thought with Christmas coming. ;)

Schnee
Grassroots Organizer -- Ask me about Howard Dean! :)

House of Cards

More than 2,500 casualties in Iraq. Some 2.5 million jobs lost. Nearly half a trillion dollars in federal budget deficits.

The day-to-day news about violence in Iraq and lingering economic worries at home obscure a fundamental reality about next year's election: Historically speaking, it should belong to President Bush. Since the presidential primary system became influential in 1952, an incumbent president has never lost a reelection bid if he did not face significant opposition in the primaries. --Washington Post

Oh please. The only reason McCain didn't run against him was because he is up for reelection in the Senate. And the sad thing is I think McCain could have made mincemeat out of Bush. Do you know how many times I'ves heard folks lament that if McCain were running they'd vote for him?

And on C-Span on Sunday, there were 3 Republican callers who said they were seeking more information on the Democratic candidates because they were so unhappy with Bush. All those fiscal conservatives are up in arms with what Bush is doing, ballooning the deficit.

The comparison of Bush to earlier Republican presidents is a flawed one. While those other presidents did represent the views of their base, Bush represents the radical right. By far, this country is one with moderate views.

Only a year away

Are you aware of the issues surrounding the new touch screen voting machines? Here's a comprehensice article that discusses their flaws and some events of the 2002 elections that will make anyone nervous about the next presidential election. And the scariest thing is this stuff is fact, not fiction. I've recently read a few other articles on the topic, including this op-ed piece and this one from Wired.com which had me seriously considering whether our democractic elections are in jeopardy

What can you do to keep these questionable voting ptactices from becoming a reality in 2004 for the presidential election?...Write your elected officials and tell them your concerns.

Wired.com has a new article about Australia's open source e-voting that appears to work. That's more along the lines of what we need.

Keeps on Lying

I'm wary to post more news of Bush's continuing series of lies. I feel like I sound like a broken record. But he and his administration never quit lying. And as much as I believe he can be defeated by any democrat at this point, I fear that he may do so much irrepairable damage by the time he leaves office that we are going to live with this damage for years to come.

I Don't Recall

Now I know I'm having a bad dream. Ah-nuld, Governor? Bush, Jr. in the White House? Dear God, someone wake me from this nightmare!

Next I'll be having flashbacks of the Reagan Years when a Governor from California--an actor--becomes president. Right now, that's not possible for Ar-nuld, but Senator Hatch has been proposing that naturalized citizens be allowed to run for President. With Ah-nuld waiting in the wings I say, "Hell no!"

It's bad enough we're stuck with Shrub until 2004. Don't do us any favors.

On the flipside, maybe we should call for a recall of Bush? ;) God knows his record is worse than Gray Davis'. But, I'm not sure that sort of precedence should be set.

Does anyone recall if Ah-nuld has had any moments on film with any sort of chimp or ape? That would cinch the similarities between him and Reagan.

And that cinches it for me....I'll be staying as far away from California as possible. More than half the state doesn't have a brain. Either that or there is some serious voter fraud going on.....

Sleeping on the job

I guess I've been a little lax on posting the last few weeks. In addition to Isabel and having a cold, I've been involved the the campaign of Howard Dean. I've volunteered (passed out flyers), gone to a houseparty for Dean, and been trying to make more people aware of Howard Dean and his bid for the presidency.

Today is the end of the the quarter in terms of fundraising. If you haven't been to the Howard Dean homepage, I urge you to take a look.

If you already are a supporter, I urge you to donate to the campaign, if you haven't already or if you'd like to donate more.

Any candidate that is to have a legitimate shot at winning the presidency needs a warchest of funds to run their campaign against Bush who is the GOP's best fundraiser. It sucks that money appears to be able to buy elections, but in the past it has.

It should be about the candidates message. So to switch that around, if you like Dean's message, donate to his campaign. Just think of it as buying lottery tickets (people throw away their money on them ALL the time), just with a MUCH better chance of winning and a higher rate of return. (The future of our country and our children) I don't know if that's the best analogy...but oh well. LOL.

As for posting, I'll try to improve my frequency and quality. :)

Web Talent

There's one thing I know about the Democratic presidential candidates, Howard Dean has the most web saavy and talented people working with him. Dunno if that's the key to getting him elected, but you gotta like what these guys come up with. Check out this Flash item.

All Aboard the Dean Train

After the Falls Church Rally, I decided that I'd volunteer when Dean came to Maryland since that currently is my home state. I wanted to play some role in helping out. So I volunteered to do signs/pass out signs. Part of that consisted of hanging the blue Dean signs around the venue along with several other folks who volunteered just like me.

Eventually more tasks were divied up and I jumped at making hand-made signs. It's kinda artsy in a crude way...something that appealed to me. So a group of four of us went to make signs. While performing that duty, the four of us were asked to provide help with placing blue Dean signs up on the Governor's bus when it arrived so that pictures could be taken in front of the bus.

While waiting for his bus to arrive, the crowd started gathering in the outdoor ampitheater. We waited out there for a while; our excitement grew with the crowd. As the time drew nearer we moved to the location where the bus was to arrive. We sort inherited the job of making sure students didn't wander down the alley toward the stage, directing them instead to an acceptable route. One of the folks we interacted with was 'W-boy', a young Republican that carried a patriotic looking W cut-out. I did tell him to put his W in the dumpster before going to the ampitheater, but alas, he wouldn't. LOL. I did try!

During the time we were monitoring the alleyway, we also saw this young woman from CNN prep for a post-rally interview with Howard Dean. It involved getting all the camera crew and their equipment set up amongst other things. I don't pretend to know much about that sort of thing, but I did see the determination written all over her. This was an important gig to her. [more of her story later]

Eventually the bus arrived with its police escort. Before the bus unloaded, our job was to quickly place pre-taped blue Dean signs on the bus for photos to be taken. The four of us, plus Erin, a co-chair, two others, and our very own Howard Dean look-alike/stand-in (LOL) worked together to get the signs on the bus quickly. (More importantly, our guy was the same height as Dean, so we could position the signs appropriately)

Then the bus unloaded and Howard Dean took pictures with the folks who rode with him on the bus. I snapped a few myself, LOL. Then off Dean went to prep for the rally.

Meanwhile, the bus decorating crew (us) had to wait for the bus to turn around. Then we removed the signs from one side of the bus, and placed them in the same configuration on the other side. This would be the place where the college students would stand, located behind Dean in the Paula Zahn interview shot.

After that our job was complete, and we hurried back to the rally that was in progress. (Dean hadn't been introduced yet, but the speakers had started.) We were fortunate to find a place by the media area that we squeezed ourselves into. The place was packed! Unfortunately, we soon found ourselves right below the Young Republican Hecklers who stood on the balcony area next to the Student Union. They disrupted several speakers and then Dean a few times.

The thing that irked me about them was they chanted "support our troops" (amongst other things). The idea that folks who oppose the decision to go to war and who do not support Dubya, somehow are not supportive of the troops bugs the shit out of me. I damn well support the troops. They did not choose to go to war. They simply follow the orders of the commander in chief. It's that commander in chief I have issues with! That decision to go to war was based on faulty intelligence at the very least and more than likely based on lies, since Bush & Co. have a history of wanting to go back to Iraq.

Okay...back to the story....

The rally was great in spite of the dozen or so (maybe 20 at most) young republican hecklers. The Dean supporters just cheered that much louder. And Dean didn't feel threatened by them, so he joked at their expense.

And before I knew it the rally flew past. Since I had heard stories of Paula Zahn planning to interview Dean, I headed back to where the bus was. I planted myself by the camera area in hopes of seeing him give the interview. But at first it looked as though it would not happen.

Dean and his entourage headed toward the bus. At the sound of the bus being started up, CNN girl was not happy. She had worked her tail off to get thing thing together--she wasn't about to let it fall apart. She was off and on the phone with CNN trying to get things set up. Then she was talking to Dean's people. Dean emerged, all prepared to be interviewed. They got him miked up. CNN girl was still dealing with her network via cell phone. This seemed to go on for several minutes. (I suspect the rally starting and ending late threw off the original timing of the interview and CNN girl had to make her case strongly to get CNN/Paula to fit it into her program)

Meanwhile, Dean positioned himself for the camera. You could see him get very focussed, blocking out all the people crowded around the area. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, not saying a word. A hush came over the crowd as we intently watched him and waited. I found it intriguing as I watched him 'get into the zone' (as I call it). There was no frustration in his expression, no impatience, just focus.

I began to fear that his standing under the lights so long was gonna cause him to sweat...seriously, I was thinking that and hoping this wouldn't go on much longer! LOL. Finally, the go ahead came, and Dean saw/heard the feed of Paula Zahn. (I'm not sure which it was, but I suspect there was a monitor that showed Paula, so he could see her expression as well as hear her voice through the earpiece)

I could clealy hear all his answers as he gave them. I knew he was nailing this interview, without hearing Paula's questions. Then near the end, a big smile appeared on his face as he joked with Paula. It was a great smile that just lit up his face. And as the interview wrapped, the smile remained there. He knew he nailed it, too.

As the interview was happening, I could see the college girls were trying to hold their position--some were nervously smiling, others looked frozen. I sensed relief from them as the piece ended, since they like Dean had held their position minutes before the interview began. (Though they did get a photo op with Dean prior to the interview) And everyone in the surrounding area was great about remaining quiet during the interview. We all knew this was important, though I don't know if many knew who was doing the interview with Dean.

There's probably a zillion other details I've forgotten to describe, but this entry is long enough. Eventually I'll have to blog about my adventure getting home, which is a whole other story, though probably not anywhere as exciting as my day at College Park. :)

Dean Day

I haven't had a chance to write anything about Meetup last week. But I did start the morning by watching Howard Dean on NBC's Today show. He hit all three morning shows, talking about the President's speech given last night and how he takes issue with much of what was said. I caught the live interview with Matt Lauer. (The other two were taped in the morning.)

While TV still does not capture the Governor's energy, I thought he answered Matt's questions well and he put forth the fact the Dubya keeps connecting Iraq and al Qaeda, when there was no such connection or proof of such connection prior to American troops entering the country. He needs to drive that point home, because our president would have folks believing otherwise.

Just prior to Dean, Condi went on about how al Qaeda are there in Iraq to prevent the US from bringing peace and prosperity to Iraq since that is the threat to al Qaeda. The fact is, al Qaeda is attacking our troops in Iraq because they are easy targets. Easy AMERICAN targets. Condi just needs to shut up if all she is gonna do is be the mouthpiece for the Bushies lies. (aka Bush & Co. propoganda)

I plan to continue this Dean day by attending another rally with Dean as the speaker, this time at the University of Maryland, College Park. It looks to be a great day. :)

Oh , yeah, but I gotta go to work first. ;)

Sleepless in Falls Church

I went to the Dean Rally in Falls Church Virginia today. Dean was impressive. His passion and conviction rang with the crowd. Folks cheered at his points and booed when Bush's lies were mentioned. I saw both young and old there. One lady even had her dog there wearing a hat that bore a Dean for America sticker.

It just was a great feeling being there. Being with a group of Americans who not only want Bush out of the White House, but who want Howard Dean to be the next president.

After the rally, I waited alongside the barn to see if Dean was gonna come back that way. (It's not like I was gonna catch a bus back to the Metro anytime soon.) There I talked to a Vietnam Vet who was planning to start a group/website "Vietnam Vets for Dean." He was trying to figure out how he could get a bumper sticker, since they had no more left at the rally. When I got on the bus from the Metro coming over to the venue, one of the volunteers was handing them out. So I had one in my bag. I went ahead and gave the guy my bumper sticker since I already have one on my car--one I got from a prior Meetup. The guy was so thrilled to have it...made me feel great to give it to him.

Shortly after this, Dean came from the Press circle, making his way through the crowd. I stood atop some tree roots to see since I'm am under 5'4". Getting a glimpse, I started to leave. As I approached the street I saw that a police officer was trying to make a buffer zone within the crowd for Dean and staff to walk through. So I stood to one side and waited for Dean to walk by. As he was coming past me I held out my hand and was fortunate enough to get a handshake from Howard Dean.

The guy next to me held out a Sharpie and asked Dean to sign his placcard. I chimed in asking if he could sign mine too. (Hey, the opportunity presented itself, LOL.) And he did! I was thrilled to have a memento from the event since I had forgotten to bring the digital camera with me.

After Dean passed, I moved toward the street. Once across I looked back to see his staff ushering him into a black Honda Civic. Folks around me mentioned they were surprised that Don Beyer (owner of the Volvo Dealership and a former (?) politician himself) didn't get Dean a better car. However, later down the road we saw a stretch Volvo and figured the Civic might have been used to get him to the stretch Volvo, LOL. (Which BTW, I'd never seen a stretch Volvo before...hehehehe....)

I walked the two miles to the Metro Station since I figured it would have taken forever to catch one of the shuttle buses back. I walked along with some other Dean folks who had parked at the station. We discussed the rally and Al Franken's book.

Later on the Orange Line train, it should have been renamed the Dean train, since the cars were filled with rally attendees. I even met the founder of the Out for Dean website on the train. Everyone was still pumped up from the rally and chattering away.

By the time I got on the Shady Grove Red Line Train, there were few Dean folks left, as many of the folks took the Grosvenor Red Line train or other trains.

It was a great day...perfect weather. Couldn't have asked for a better day.

I suspect I won't be Sleepless tonight...as I'm exhausted from all the excitement and travelling. :)

Flash for America

The flash animation promo for Howard Dean's Sleepless Summer Tour is a hoot. It gave me a good chuckle this am. Go see it here.

I'll be attending the rally in Virginia this Saturday. I even got a rally T-shirt...it arrived in the mail yesterday. (*phew*...I was worried it wasn't gonna get here in time) So now I'm prepared.

Those who know me, know I'm not a leader, but I'm not a sheep either. (Generally I'm Goddamn Independent) I like this Dean guy because he seems like a leader, he's more than willing to go up against Bush, and I agree with much of his platform. And I'm determined to see Bush voted out in 2004.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;)

Like Father, Like Son

It would seem fair to say much of the blame for the blackout would fall on those who have pushed for deregulation of the power companies. And that would be George H W Bush and George W Bush.

Yessiree...those boys do manage to muck things up for the common man while filling the pockets of the well-to-do business man. And they manage to do it and keep the newspapers reporting that no one knows why the whole mess happened. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil....sheesh. I'll say it again...Come on America, wake up and smell the coffee. The biggest threat to this country *is* sitting in the White House. And he's attempting to buy himself another election.

It's time for us to join together and send him packing just like we did with his father. God help us if we don't.....

Politics is in the Eye of the Beholder

The GOP and Lieberman keep pointing at Dean calling him a liberal. The Progressives point to Dean and say he's not a liberal at all. Ted Rall throws his opinion into the ring here.

In essence Dean is much more a centrist. And that's what we need to beat Bush. That's why I like the guy. I don't care that he's not a true liberal.

Rall accuses that Dean will be another Clinton. I don't got a problem with that! LOL. The budget deficit was wiped out, the economy grew, life was good under Clinton. What's wrong with wanting that?

Dean is willing to take Bush on, while the others remain wishy washy. Can you think of one thing that Bush has done that was good for America? Can you name even one thing?

There's an awful lot of people out there who have lost jobs and loved ones due to Bush's policies...a lot of folks that want to see someone call Bush on his lies. They want someone to believe in again. Someone with integrity and good intent. That person is shaping up to be Howard Dean.

So while some may label him liberal and others too centrist, I label him as my hope for this country. My hope that Bush can be defeated and freedom can ring again. God knows I'll be dancing on the Mall in DC *when* Bush is defeated!

Bush on Marriage

Cartoon by Ruben Bolling, found courtesy of Mikaela:

This one had me ROTFL! Hehehehe......

Surfing

Surfing in blog land and found this journal entry that asks why Israeli deaths or other news makes bigger headlines then our own US soldiers being attacked and killed in Iraq. It's a good question and a entry that caught my attention the first time reading the blog. She goes on to list several other stories that got pushed aside. Also, of note, she supports the campaign to get Clark to join the presidential campaign for the 2004 election.

Team Bush

In These Times reports on how the tide is turning in terms of our press coverage of the Bush Team (though I still prefer to call them Bush & Co., LOL). Where no criticism was seen or heard in days leading up to the war, now the criticism is oozing out even in unexpected places.

It's about damn time. Where were these folks before the war?

And since I'm in the minority out there in having NOT read the Harry Potter Books, I found the mention that the latest book touches on the consequences of creeping totalitarianism quite interesting. Somebody needs to be speaking out. In the past the literary world has taken up that role and hopefully with Harry Potter and others, it will continue.

Bush & Co. can only get away with what the American Public let them. It's about time for us to get pissed off and do something about the lies and the misuse of power by this administration. It's been a long time coming...maybe too long.

August Dean Meetup

Tonight was the August Dean Meetup. I attended the gathering in Rockville which I must say was much more organized and energized than the previous one. I think the key to tonight's success was that the team leader Laura (I think that was her name--doh!) opened the floor to anyone who wanted to say why they support Dean. Quite a number of participants spoke with passion about why they personally feel that Bush needs to be beat in the next election and why Dean is the candidate with the right anount of integrity and strength to do it. Many of the speakers were cheered on by the group gathered outside the California Tortilla in Rockville as they mentioned Bush's lies and his tax cuts for the rich. This got everyone fired up for writing letters to voters in New Hampshire.

This time I actually composed my two letters and handed them in. Last time, taking them home was a bad idea as they never got done. I never seemed to have the time or energy. I feel so good having gotten these letters completed. :)

I must say an interesting aspect of this crowd was the number of senior citizens and high school/college students that came out...both ends of the age spectrum. Dean is reaching out to a diverse group. And his momentum continues to build. I'm genuinely excited by the potential of where this could lead.

He is our last best hope (to quote Babylon 5), as far as I'm concerned. I think he is the one candidate with the passion, integrity, and honesty necessary to get people excited and willing to get involved. To get people to come out against Bush & Co.

This election is that important to so many Americans. I'm hopeful the grassroots effort can counteract Bush's money making machine. Besides, America is all about the underdog. *g*

Truth Stranger than Fiction?

Ran across this Op/Ed piece that brings up a lawsuit again Dubya for sexual assault and harrassment that no media outlet seems willing to cover. Good ole double standard at work here? You decide.

Racism

[rant]

I get lots of jokes in my inbox most days. And some of those disturb me with tones of racial bigotry. The one I received today was called the "Illegal's prayer." And it said to send to all your tax paying friends. It talks of Pakistani illegal immigrants coming to America to be on welfare. Calling them turban heads. Interestingly the woman that sends me the joke is Black.

I guess if you are 'the oppressed' you are allowed to oppress another group. Not!

I'm the type that will go and delete this email and not forward it on. But you know others with anti-Muslim sentiments from the war will pass it on like wildfire. The interesting thing is most are too ignorant to know that many of those so-called turban heads are Sikhs, a peaceful religious group that are not Muslim. They have nothing to do with the war or terrorism.

Muslim or Sikh, there's no point in hating these people. They are human just like anyone else. Perpetuating jokes like this only fuels the ignorant resentment. It just pisses me off.

[/rant]

God's Will

Another story in which George Bush claims God is directing his actions, in this case in attacking Iraq. If this is true, the man is so dilusional AND dangerous. Yikes.

Dean Meetup Part 2

I drove in the rain down I-270 to get to the Dean Meetup in Rockville. Almost got myself killed. Some idiot was going 40 without any flashers. I tried to change lanes to get around this individual (a mini-van of course) and the idiot began to pull into the lane I signalled to move into. Fortunately I was able to switch over one more lane to avoid a collision. Otherwise there was no way I could stop that abruptly in the pouring rain. And I was going 60 at most.

Once in Rockville, I found my way to the California Tortilla. Paid $1 for parking. The Dean Meetup group was gathering on the patio which luckily did have an overhang that covered the outdoor tables. Quickly the patio became packed with Dean supporters. Maybe close to 100 people. I thought that was a pretty good showing with the rain and it being a couple days before the July 4th holiday.

Signed in quickly, got a Dean bumper sticker (which will likely hang inside my car on the back window) and headed inside for some food. Found a nice lady and her 14 year old son to sit with. They were waiting for her husband/his father to arrive. At that point I caught the tail end of the speech where it was explained that we'd be writing to Iowans in support of Dean. Three letters each, to three people listed on the sheet we were handed. Some wrote the letters there, while others opted to take them home to write. I started to write one, copying the example, but then I wasn't satisfied with it half way through. So I took the whole packet home, hoping to do a better job using my own words.

Eventually a second speech was made explaining the next project. They were looking for volunteers to hand out flyers at local July 4th celebrations. So I think I'll be handing flyers out at the fireworks display. We'll see how that goes, LOL.

Overall, the meetup was perhaps too loosely structured. I'm not sure what I expected. But I guess that proves that it really is grassroots as opposed to manufactured.

Dean Meetup

Thus far, the candidate for president I like the most is Howard Dean. I like his straight talking personality. I have agreed with his stance on Iraq all along. And the tax cuts do need to go, because America is not in the position to prosper in these recessed/depressed times when its tax base is shrinking.

I've said all along that I want to get involved in the next election. I think this particular election is that important. Bush has proven himself to be an even greater threat to American freedoms than I even imagined back in 2000. I know that I don't want to suffer through another 4 years with him a commander in chief. This four have been more than enough and we're not even through the term yet.

So in order to dip my toes into the water, so to speak, I'm planning to attend a Dean Meetup. I'm not sure if that will accomplish what I want it to, but then I'm not sure at all what happens at these Meetups. LOL. I figure at the very least I'll meet some new people, make new acquaintances. And perhaps more will come of it.

Things getting dicey in Maryland.

And I thought Bush was arrogant! It seems Govenor Ehrlich has instructed the Comptroller not to release all the state funds it had planned for to many state agencies. It averages to be about 10% of what they were to get. This is something unprecedented. He claims its to keep the state afloat financially.

"The move surprised and confused Democratic legislative leaders, as well as officials with the University System of Maryland.

In recent days, Ehrlich has said that an improving economy and an unexpected infusion of federal funds might reduce the severity of cuts needed to head off a budget shortfall projected to approach $1 billion for the second year running. This week, the administration told university officials to prepare for reductions of $40 million, rather than cuts of as much as $60 million that Ehrlich had warned of earlier. That notice prompted college officials to recalculate a package of tuition increases that was to be voted on tomorrow by the Board of Regents.

Yesterday's order, however, instructs the comptroller to reduce payments to universities by more than $87 million, a number that university officials had not heard discussed. Schurick declined to explain the discrepancy, saying that he does not expect the university system to be required to "absorb more than $40 million in cuts.""

'Roe' Seeks to Overturn Abortion

'Roe' Seeks to Overturn Abortion Law Oh please...why? To asuage her guilt? Women have had abortions performed for centuries. With that ruling they were able to safely and without fear of persecution. Does she suggest we go back to using clothes hangers in back alleys? And why with the modernization of medicine should the ruling be reversed? I don't get that leap in logic.

The fact is the decision on whether or not to bring a life into this world is a highly personal decision. To have the government poking its head in to that personal decision is unwarranted and unwanted. If the GOP wants to get out of having social responsibilities, then I don't see why it should take on the responsibility of telling a woman what she should or shouldn't do with her life and her body. But the current administration are a bunch of lying hypocrites that have come to office with a huge laundry list of agenda items.

All I know is its about time we kick this bunch of bible thumping, silver spooners and war mongers out of office. They are not serving this country and its people. They are only out to serve a small miniority...making the rich conservatives richer.

And I had a small glimmer of hope yesterday when a guy from work mentioned that a very conservative Republican friend from the MidWest told him that these days he was ashamed to be a Republican with all the stuff Bush has pulled! Amazing but true. If more than just one MidWest Republican can see the threat Bush is to this country, perhaps we can vote the bum out.

Jumping Ship

Counterterrorism official who quit Bush administration has joined up with John Kerry's campaign. Quite an interesting turn of events. Could things be getting ready to bite Bush in the ass? One can only hope, LOL.

Damn Elephants

And since I just read this...more politics, LOL.

Seems the GOP is spreading their message in the media by composing letters to the editor under psedonyms. And Time, USAToday and others are falling for it. However, Tom Tomorow is on top of this story. Read it to believe it. And read his follow up entry too. The GOP has no shame, does it? Bastards.

Meanwhile I encoourage everyone to explore their options in terms of democratic candidates. Here a few of the candidates who've already thrown their hat into the race:

Howard Dean: Dean for America
John Edwards: John Edwards (for) President
Dick Gephardt: Dick Gephardt (for) President
John Kerry: John Kerry for President
Joseph Lieberman: Joe Lieberman for President 2004
Al Sharpton (no website)
Carol Moseley Braun: Carol Moseley Braun for President 2004
Dennis Kucinich: The Progressive Choice
Bob Graham: Working for America

All I need is faith

I wonder what Mr. Bush thinks of this study looking into the effectiveness of faith-based charities. "It's a surprising result," said principal investigator Sheila S. Kennedy, an associate professor of law and public policy. "All the political rhetoric beforehand was: Everybody knows faith-based organizations are better."

And it looks like Bush and Co. are now eyeing Iran as evidenced by this Post article.

This scares me

This scares me. Once again the US government is playing bully and is working toward having no allies left.

I hope to God folks around the world know that most of this country does not support what this administration has done these past two years. I hope to God that we are able to remove his ass from office in 2004. I fear the consequences if we don't. I fear the damage he has already done. *shudder*

We Stand Passively Mute

Got this in my email....it's a speech from a US Senator that I can agree with:

t r u t h o u t | Statement
by US Senator Robert Byrd
Senate Floor Speech

We Stand Passively Mute

Wednesday 12 February 2003

"To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war.

Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent -- ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing. We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war.

And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning point in the recent history of the world.

This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption -- the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future -- is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our -- or some other nation's -- hit list. High level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table when discussing a possible attack against Iraq. What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type of uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied the vital economic and security interests of many nations so closely together? There are huge cracks emerging in our time-honored alliances, and U.S. intentions are suddenly subject to damaging worldwide speculation. Anti-Americanism based on mistrust, misinformation, suspicion, and alarming rhetoric from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once solid alliance against global terrorism which existed after September 11.

Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks with little guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active military duty, with no idea of the duration of their stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being left with less than adequate police and fire protection. Other essential services are also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim. The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may soon spike higher.

This Administration, now in power for a little over two years, must be judged on its record. I believe that that record is dismal.

In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's domestic policy has put many of our states in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential programs for our people. This Administration has fostered policies which have slowed economic growth. This Administration has ignored urgent matters such as the crisis in health care for our elderly. This Administration has been slow to provide adequate funding for homeland security. This Administration has been reluctant to better protect our long and porous borders.

In foreign policy, this Administration has failed to find Osama bin Laden. In fact, just yesterday we heard from him again marshaling his forces and urging them to kill. This Administration has split traditional alliances, possibly crippling, for all time, International order-keeping entities like the United Nations and NATO. This Administration has called into question the traditional worldwide perception of the United States as well-intentioned, peacekeeper. This Administration has turned the patient art of diplomacy into threats, labeling, and name calling of the sort that reflects quite poorly on the intelligence and sensitivity of our leaders, and which will have consequences for years to come.

Calling heads of state pygmies, labeling whole countries as evil, denigrating powerful European allies as irrelevant -- these types of crude insensitivities can do our great nation no good. We may have massive military might, but we cannot fight a global war on terrorism alone. We need the cooperation and friendship of our time-honored allies as well as the newer found friends whom we can attract with our wealth. Our awesome military machine will do us little good if we suffer another devastating attack on our homeland which severely damages our economy. Our military manpower is already stretched thin and we will need the augmenting support of those nations who can supply troop strength, not just sign letters cheering us on.

The war in Afghanistan has cost us $37 billion so far, yet there is evidence that terrorism may already be starting to regain its hold in that region. We have not found bin Laden, and unless we secure the peace in Afghanistan, the dark dens of terrorism may yet again flourish in that remote and devastated land.

Pakistan as well is at risk of destabilizing forces. This Administration has not finished the first war against terrorism and yet it is eager to embark on another conflict with perils much greater than those in Afghanistan. Is our attention span that short? Have we not learned that after winning the war one must always secure the peace? And yet we hear little about the aftermath of war in Iraq. In the absence of plans, speculation abroad is rife. Will we seize Iraq's oil fields, becoming an occupying power which controls the price and supply of that nation's oil for the foreseeable future? To whom do we propose to hand the reigns of power after Saddam Hussein?

Will our war inflame the Muslim world resulting in devastating attacks on Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its own nuclear arsenal? Will the Jordanian and Saudi Arabian governments be toppled by radicals, bolstered by Iran which has much closer ties to terrorism than Iraq?

Could a disruption of the world's oil supply lead to a world-wide recession? Has our senselessly bellicose language and our callous disregard of the interests and opinions of other nations increased the global race to join the nuclear club and made proliferation an even more lucrative practice for nations which need the income?

In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated policies which may reap disastrous consequences for years.

One can understand the anger and shock of any President after the savage attacks of September 11. One can appreciate the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution.

But to turn one's frustration and anger into the kind of extremely destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the world is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration charged with the awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet. Frankly many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous. There is no other word.

Yet this chamber is hauntingly silent. On what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq -- a population, I might add, of which over 50% is under age 15 -- this chamber is silent. On what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare -- this chamber is silent. On the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States Senate.

We are truly "sleepwalking through history." In my heart of hearts I pray that this great nation and its good and trusting citizens are not in for a rudest of awakenings.

To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation which is over 50% children is "in the highest moral traditions of our country". This war is not necessary at this time. Pressure appears to be having a good result in Iraq. Our mistake was to put ourselves in a corner so quickly. Our challenge is to now find a graceful way out of a box of our own making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time.