Political - Please Use Fact Check

My Dad just gave me a great quote, which I'm surely getting wrong:

"The Republicans started out using weapons of mass destruction. Now they are using weapons of mass distraction."

As the presidential race really heats up in the next month, please take a few minutes each week to go to FactCheck.org and browse the articles they post. It's independent and it gives you the actual facts, with no spin.

Find out the truth, and vote based on that, not on what you see or here on the TV, Radio and Internet. There's just too much bullsh!t in the news these days.

clipped from www.factcheck.org

Politics - History of Pigs and Lipstick

This story from CNN is what makes me love and hate the political process at the same time.

Love: The fact that everybody is up in arms about whether or not Obama was referring to VP candidate Palin when he used the common colloquialism "you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."

Hate: That people will probably think he's attacking all working mothers by saying they are pigs who put on lipstick and oink their way through the work day.

Love: That CNN gives a brief but fairly full history of politicians using the phrase. (See quoted paragraph below)

Hate: That nobody will read past the headline of this story.

clipped from www.cnn.com Other politicians have also used the phrase in recent years, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state, Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Rep. John Mica of Florida and Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, among others.

Politics - Colbert Can't Run

Haven't written anything political for a while, but with the primaries finally drawing near, I'll probably start piping up with my blue-state, liberal muckety-muck.

I'm a big Steven Colbert fan, and have been watching his run for president with what I feel is an appropriate amount of bemusement.

I found the story below about the legalities behind Colbert's entrance into the South Carolina primary interesting. What I'm really waiting for is to see how many people actually cast a vote for the comedian, thus declaring their dissatisfaction with all of the other available candidates.

clipped from www.slate.com TV satirist Stephen Colbert told his audience on Oct. 16 that he would "seek the office of the president of the United States." Over the next few days, he signed papers to get on both the Democratic and Republican primary ballots in South Carolina, and he unveiled a campaign Web site. The Federal Election Commission prohibits corporations from making "any contribution or expenditure in connection with a federal election." A "contribution" includes "anything of value," including airtime. Viacom might also run afoul of the Federal Communication Commission's equal time rule. By law, radio and television stations must treat political candidates equally when it comes to selling or giving away airtime. Each of the 16 presidential hopefuls could therefore demand as much time on Comedy Central as Colbert gets—about 20 minutes a night, four days a week. Faced with a similar situation earlier this year, NBC decided to stop airing Law & Order reruns featuring Fred Thompson.

Neil Young's "Living With War"

Since the Royals are beyond terrible and legitimate football is still a ways off, I'll probably start paying more attention to the political arena in the coming months.

Just to reinforce my blue-state leanings, I'm posting a link to the fantastic new Neil Young album "Living With War."

By clicking HERE, you can listen to a free stream of the album.

Quick Draw Dick

After watching Dick Cheney's interview from FOX News earlier today, I was compelled by the subtle shift in his demeanor as the discussion went from the actual shooting to the subsequent release of information.

I think that shift probably represents very closely what actually happened over the weekend:

1.) The Gunshot - I have no doubt that Cheney was shaken by the incident. It's easy to make fun of him for being a grumbling robot and call out his confession to FOX News as the staged drama it was, but actually putting a scatter of bullets (no matter how small) into another human being has to make one feel just a little sick, especially if it's unexpected.

Plenty of blame can be laid on Cheney for not taking the proper safety precautions, and John Dickerson at Slate has a nice little diatribe about how the NRA can actually strengthen their message by admonishing Cheney for his role in the incident, but nonetheless I'm willing to give Dick the benefit of the doubt when he claims shock as one of the prime ingredients of his decision making process right after the bullets left his gun.

2.) The Leak - Here is where the mood shifts. In the interview on FOX, Cheney suddenly becomes a much more focused speaker, listing off a multitude of reasons he felt it was best to forgo the official press mechanism of the White House and instead use the ranch owner and a local reporter to break the story.

I imagine this same shift in focus happened to Cheney after it was clear that his pal, Harry Whittington, was going to be okay (Ed. By "okay," I'm referring to the relative nature of OK-ness, where one is considered on the plus side of things after getting shot by virtue of being alive and on their way to a hospital, whereas this would generally be an undesirable circumstance, but is certainly more relished than the option of being dead after getting shot).

Once Mr. Whittington was carted off to the hospital, Cheney was able to take his mind off the actual incident and shift back into work mode; coming up with the best plan to inform the world he'd almost murdered somebody.

An announcement through the White House would have involved a lot of showmanship from both sides of the podium and probably muddied the message in the official way most White House press briefings do. In this case, though, Cheney didn't need the message to be vague, he needed it to be perfectly clear: "The Veep Accidentally Shot Somebody, But That Person Is Okay And It's No Big Deal."

By having the ranch owner talk to a local reporter from Podunk, Cheney could basically dictate the story and then worry about the spin later.

As it turns out, it was a pretty easy spin. Let the press complain about the secrecy and then claim you were distraught. Insinuate it was the victim's fault (through the ranch owner's quotes) then be a hero for taking the blame yourself (through emotional answers to softball questions on FOX).

I see this as a fading story in another couple of days unless the guy actually dies or it turns out he was about to go public with some insider "Cheney wears women's undergarments" kind of story, and big Dick decided to take him out for real.

Well, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline is back in court.

This time, he is defending his decision to require that all "doctors, nurses, counselors, and all other care providers report--as abuse--any sexual interaction between teens under 16."

Or course, as Dahlia Lithwick points out, this is merely another ill-conceiveded attempt at eradicating abortions under the guise of caring about children.

Lithwick (one of my favorites) does a pretty good job of laying out Kline's recent policies aimed at putting the pinch on abortion clinics in Kansas. Check it out when you have a minute.

Slate.com - Smells Like Teen Snogging, by: Dahlia Lithwick

Twelve Tribes of American Politics

The Atlantic Monthly has an interesting sidebar this month about political "tribes" in the United States.

I have stolen the following chart from their website so that it may be shared with the world.

What bubble do you fit into?



What I like about this analysis is that it attempts to account for the separate cultural and economic values that most people have. There's a reason even the most-popular politicians can only muster 50-60% of the vote. Some of us vote with our hearts. Some with our minds. And some of us just throw a dart at the wall.

Harriet, we hardly knew ye

Look, I know that the Bush administration's hallmark has been a stubborn refusal to acknowledge any semblance of logic when making policy decisions, but even they had to know that there was no good way for the Harriet Miers nomination to end, right?

(The author shuffles nervously.)

Right?

John Roberts Confirmation Hearing

Dahlia Lithwick is reporting from the John Roberts confirmation hearings on Slate.com this week.

Dahlia is one of my favorite writers for the webzine, as she makes me feel like I just might understand anything about constitutional law on a good day.

Since the overall vibe on the hill seems to be that Roberts will breeze through a Senate vote with little trouble, he is refraining from answering any questions that might evoke even a modicum of political thought.

As it seems to be a lost cause for the Democrats, I would submit the following question to Judge Roberts before I bowed out of the proceedings, were I a relevant member of congress:

Mr. Roberts. Do you like puppies? Thank you.

They want us to leave

Fred Kaplan at Slate writes an interesting article about a point that is too often overlooked in the "War on Terror."

They don't hate our freedom. They want us to leave.

Kaplan reviews three different studies of suicide bombers which all try to understand why they blow themselves up in the first place.

The overwhelming conclusion is that suicide bombers are motivated by "a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel democracies to withdraw military forces from the terrorists' national homeland."

None of this is to say the easy solution now is to just get out of Iraq and never look back. In fact, earlier withdrawals by the Reagan and Clinton administrations helped solidify the notion in these jihadist's minds that suicide bombings were a successful tactic.

Near the end of the article, Kaplan writes

The most vital lesson Americans can draw from this sorry saga, in retrospect, is that we shouldn't initiate foreign adventures unless they involve interests worth considerable sacrifice. But a more immediate—and regrettable—lesson is that, having blundered our way into Iraq, we can't hand these bastards a victory (which is what it would be) by giving in to their demands. It would only embolden them further the next time our interests clash.

It looks as though establishing a government with a legitimate Sunni presence may provide us with the best chance for a withdrawal that cedes little to the terrorists.

In the meantime, I think it would be refreshing if we didn't fall into the same cookie-cutter patriotic rhetoric whenever there is a terror attack. Our freedom means little to the radicals in the Middle East. In their minds, it's their freedom they're fighting for.

Good-bye, Sandy D

Fighting goes both ways, but right now, the ball is in Bush's court. Now is his chance to have an inclusive discussion with Democrats before nominating a Supreme Court Justice.

Ignoring the sentiments of half the country by nominating an ultra-conservative jurist and then spouting off about up or down votes will do nobody any good.

Some Thoughts

I've been quiet for a while, but wanted to throw out some random thoughts about the political stories of the day:

1. Bush's Speech - I agree that we should put the decision to go to war behind us and look for ways to make progress in Iraq, but whenever the president links 9/11 with the invasion of Iraq, it makes my blood boil. The war in Iraq was NOT the war on terror. I'll agree that it has become that, but only because we enabled it.
2. Dean's Antics - I think that Howard Dean going all Zell Miller on the Republicans is the perfect move for the DNC. It energizes the democratic base, and allows for those running for congress to set themselves up in relation to Dean. Are you a moderate senator from a conservative state? Then you rip Dean for generalizing all red-staters. Is your jurisdiction a little more liberal? Agree with Dean's intentions but express concern with the reckless way he made his remarks. Want to win in New York or California? Let it slip that Dean "makes some pretty good points." It's a win-win for everybody.
3. Exit Strategy - I think asking the administration and the military to set firm dates for leaving Iraq is a terrible idea. Regardless of how you feel about the monumentally stupid decision to go to war (I think you know how I feel), we are there now, and leaving would be an even bigger mistake. Setting a date gives the insurgents a goal to shoot for. Outlast the infidels and anarchy is yours. It's time to accept that there will always be a military presence in Iraq, just as there will always be bases in Asia.
4. Rove's Comments - It's difficult to respond politely to Karl Rove's comments about Democrats looking to fight the 9/11 attackers with "indictments and therapy," but I'll try. The White House keeps telling us that this is a war unlike any we've ever fought before (and they are right), but they keep trying to fight it like all the wars of the past (and they are wrong). Invading countries, locking up anybody suspect, pissing off most of Europe... none of this will eradicate terrorism. Understanding why somebody will strap a bomb to their chest and kill themselves in order to make the United States look bad is hard. But, that is what we need to figure out. Glossing over it by saying they "hate freedom" is ludicrous and counter-productive.

"It's good to be the king"

CNN.com - Swazi king waits two weeks for wife No. 12 - Jun 13, 2005

LA deputies to be punished over shooting

I think what frightens me most aboutthis story is that the police fired more than 120 rounds at the suspect and only managed to hit him four times.

I can't decide if those percentages make me feel more or less safe in Los Angeles.

Villaraigosa Defeats Hahn

Of my many New Year's resolutions, one of them was to vote in every election that I was eligible for -- state legislature, county clerks and even the local sanitation commissioner. While I made it to the first mayoral vote for Los Angeles, work kept me from casting a ballot in today's run-off.

One more failed attempt at being a better person, I guess.

As is usually the case with these campaigns, I ended up feeling distaste for both candidates by the time the polls opened up this morning. Villaraigosa won, for what it's worth, but since both men are Democrats, I doubt there will be a dramatic shift in the political landscape of the city.

There was low voter turnout, which isn't a surprise given the lack of a Red vs. Blue storyline for the press to latch on to, and I'm pretty sure the 70% of registered voters who decided to skip out on they're civic duty today would tell you the same thing I know from following local coverage: Jim Hahn is White and Antonio Villaraigosa is Latino.

After that, they're both politicians. Men with money and many character flaws. The people who were motivated cast their ballots, and the machine will keep chugging along.

Paranoia for Fun and Profit

A great look at how Disney and Michael Moore split up the money from Fahrenheit 9/11.

I want to write more about this, because I have a host of mixed-feelings regarding Moore's particular brand of filmaking. For now, I'll just say that this article sheds a little more light on the fact that both corporate giants and individuals can be less than sincere when politics and money are involved.

I'm hoping to have some more coherent commentary on this later in the week. Wanted to get the article out there for those who are interested to read, though.

Iraq, Afghan wars reportedly strain U.S. fighting ability

Still feeling safer with Bush in charge, all you Dubya fans?

Joe Friday could not be reached for comment

Do the people who report the news realize they don't have to reprint the administration talking points word for word?

From today's CNN.com article:

"More than 10,000 fugitives from justice have been captured in a nationwide, weeklong dragnet, law enforcement sources said"

Fugitives from justice? Who caught them? Batman?

"'We're really amazed. We had no idea we'd apprehend more than 10,000 bad guys,' said one federal law enforcement official who asked not to be identified."

If I was a grown man who used the phrase "bad guys" when discussing the arrests of murderers, gang members and sex offenders, I wouldn't want to be identified either.

In lighter news...

I just checked the news, and it looks like the Pope is still dead.

Okay, a bad joke. Anyway, I though I'd do a quick hit on a political decision concerning player playing cards that were given away at the Angels game Saturday Night. The following people had their headshot assigned to the following playing card values:

Wild Card - Brendan Donnelly
Ace - Vladimir Guerrero

Jack - Chone Figgins

Queen - Rally Monkey

King - Mike Scioscia

2 - Adam Kennedy

3 - Darin Erstad
4 - Kelvim Escobar
5 - Bengie Molina
6 - Orlando Cabrera
7 - Garret Anderson
8 - Steve Finley
9 - Bartolo Colon
10 - Francisco Rodriguez

I would love to know which of the remaining 10 players' agents stepped up and said they wouldn't allow their clients to be called a Queen.

Enter the Monkey.

Douglas County alone rejects ban

I often tell people that if God forsakes you to live in Kansas, then you want to live in Lawrence -- where it's close to Kansas City and features an educated, forward-thinking population.

Sadly, I can't say the same for the rest of the state.