All Hat, No Cattle

By now everyone has heard about the conversation between Sen. James Webb (D. Va) and the President. Seems the President asked Webb, a veteran, about his son who is serving in Iraq. Webb reponded that he wanted his boy home. The President rejoined: "That's not what I asked you. I asked you how your boy is." Webb told him "That is between me and my boy," and walked off.

Of course the President looks bad. Not just because he is insensitive, but because he is essentially a haircut masquerading as a man. There is no there, there, with our President. But we knew this going in. Here was a pro business conservative whose business career consisted of wrecked companies and feathery positions arranged with his father's friends. Here is the Education President, whose own educational achievements were mediocre, mostly through lack of trying. Here is the War President who himself actively avoided military service and whose military age children are running around Argentina celebrating their birthdays. Here is the allegedly Christian Compassionate Conservative whose Presidency has been marked by the notion of a preemptive war, rising income inequality and rising poverty.

There are many reasons to dislike Bush the President. There are also reasons to dislike Bush the Man. One of them appears to be that he is never what he says he is. He appears to have no principles dear to him. Nothing to which he will actually dedicate himself.

Things For Which to Be Thankful

1) Keith Olbermann for being an articulate voice of reason among a howling group of banshees herding a silent group of sheep.
2) A Democratic Congress, even if they tend to be a bunch of ninnies.
3) Howard Stern is no longer on the public airwaves
4) Our men and women in uniform -- for continuing to their job despite the brutal incompetence and corruption of their leaders
5) For Jack Abramoff -- for showing us how Congress really works.
6) That minister guy who got caught with a call boy -- for reminding us again that piety doesn't mean you are better than anyone else.
7) The World Bank -- for being a place we can park all the idiots who dreamt up the invasion of Iraq. (Otherwise they would sit on corporate boards.)
8) For Jack Murtha --for obvious reasons and for reminding us that living in a democracy is not for the faint of heart.
9) For President Bush -- because you often don't appreciate leadership until you witness its absence.
10) For Bill Gates and Bill Clinton -- whose international initiatives on famine and AIDS respectively are reminders to the world that the US and its wealth can be a force for good.

The Rumor Mill

Rumor has it that the US is about to make two major moves in Iraq. First, the US plans to release Tariq Aziz, the former Iraqi Foreign Minister on the condition that he will negotiate with the US as a representative of former Baathists (Saddam loyalists). Second, apparently Condi Rice has told the leaders of the Iraqi insurgency that the US will negotiate with them at any time. If true, both these options show how far our position has degraded in Iraq. Negotiations with insurgents, let alon Tariq Aziz -- he of the Anti American one liner -- would never have been discussed pre election.

More news as event warrant.

Oh Please

I see this morning that at least the NYT is making a big deal over the fact that Jack Murtha did not get the Democratic Minority Leader's job even though he was supported by Speaker Pelosi. The Times suggested this may be "fatal" to Pelosi.

Oh please.

It seems to me that in 1994 Speaker Gingrich backed some guy from Pennsylvania for the Majority Leader's position. He lost to Tom Delay. I checked. The Times barely reported on the subject let alone called it fatal. Why? Because it wasn't then and isn't now.

Second, this is a win-win for the Speaker. She backed a candidate who showed cajones when everyone else in the Party was wringing their hands. She repaid Murtha the favor the Dems owed him for turning the zeitgist on the war and just as importantly avoided any criticism that she was "abandoning" Murtha who is a minor hero to many in the party. Now she is "stuck with" a guy who is a better leadership pick then Murtha. Public happy. Party happy. Murtha disappointed but not feeling sold out.

Me thinks the lady will survive this wound.

Wow...

I just read a highly abridged version of the Catholic Church's new document on homosexuality. Wow. While it is always amusing to read any document about sexuality that is written by men whose sexuality is either dormant or antisocial in nature, it is also somewhat disappointing to see that, with all the plagues that visit our world, the Church focuses almost exclusively on the sexual mores of its flock. Should not there be some penalty for those who take the teachings of Jesus -- which have much potential for elevating our common humanity-- and give them the gravitas of a late night monologue.?

"They shall know us by our love..."

Impeachment Talk

I notice that, in the wake of the elections, a lot of conservative pundits are spinning doomsday scenarios about the Democrats trying to impeach President Bush. There are a couple of ironies here that merit attention. First, Republicans are usually all about accountability. They want criminals prosecuted and wrongdoers punished. They would rend their garments if the Brooklyn D.A. ever decided not to prosecute a drug dealer, child molester or other criminal. They hate it when "liberal judges" let a criminal off with what the perceive to be a light sentence. It seems odd that we would go to South America to bring a drug lord to justice, but not even investigate the President of our very own country. Where is all the "law and order" talk now?

Second, this is the party that tried to impeach President Clinton over a sexual tryst. It strikes me that a policy that has led to the invasion of a sovereign nation (the fact that we do not like it does not make it less sovereign), the deaths of thousands and the loss of billions at least deserves some investigation.

Lastly, it would seem that there is just an old fashioned deterrance argument to be made. It is difficult to believe that we will ever see our way clear of this kind of corruption (or incompetence) unless we hold those responsible accountable and thus send the message that the American people are willing to police their democracy, even if it is mesy, expensive and time consuming.

Eating Crow

I happily breakfast on crow this morning as it appears the Democrats have retaken the House and may take the Senate pending some to--close--to--call races. This puts an important check in place. That is, the Dems will now be able to play effective defense. On offense, I am less hopeful. If nothing else, the Republicans have always been an ideologically cohesive and disciplined party, The Dems, less so. they are th egreat party of everyone else. I really do not see much of anything that suggests the Dems can create a ruling coalition, but so often it is the winning that creates the agenda.

My point is illustrated by the Democrats lack of a clear position on Iraq. Last night on MSNBC Chris Matthews asked Howard Dean (whom I respect) why one more US soldier should die in Iraq or why a US soldier should take a single additional Iraqi life. Dean had little answer. Later, Rahm Emmanuel was asked the same question. Rahm did a little better, reciting the "Five Rs"; however, those are a litte like a handful of sand.

Right now, it is a very close question whether US forces are serving any-- even a marginal --purpose in Iraq, close enough that I would err on the side of pulling them out. I think too often the warring factions in Iraq use the presence of US forces as cover for their real agendas. Without a US boogeyman, the Iraqis may see their way clear to some form of government beyond rule of the best armed militia. Redeployment would also take the steam out of any argument that the US intends to hold Iraq as some sort of colonial protectorate, which could begin to mend some fences in the Middle East.

But I digress. For now, we can breathe a little easier knowing that our President no longer has plenary power. I foresee this respite as short.

Breaking My Own Rule

Today I break my own rule against using any material that can be described as an inspirational quote. Bask in this one, because it will only come around once.

Now my friends, I am opposed to the system of society in which we live today, not because I lack the natural equipment to do for myself but because I am not satisfied to make myself comfortable knowing that there are thousands of my fellow men who suffer for the barest necessities of life. We were taught under the old ethic that man's business on this earth was to look out for himself. That was the ethic of the jungle; the ethic of the wild beast. Take care of yourself, no matter what may become of your fellow man. Thousands of years ago the question was asked; ''Am I my brother's keeper?'' That question has never yet been answered in a way that is satisfactory to civilized society.

Yes, I am my brother's keeper. I am under a moral obligation to him that is inspired, not by any maudlin sentimentality but by the higher duty I owe myself. What would you think me if I were capable of seating myself at a table and gorging myself with food and saw about me the children of my fellow beings starving to death.

E.V Debs

You Saw it Here First

Right now, while many races are tightening, all the polls seem to indicate that Democrats will retake the House but that the Senate is a longer shot. My own pessimistic prediction -- little change. If the Republicans hold on to the government, here are the reasons why:

Redistricting. In the past eight years the GOP has redrawn many districts to protect their incumbents. These types of structural advantages are hard to overcome no matter how attractive your candidate is, or how bone stupid his or her opponent is.

The Republicans have a superior get out the vote apparatus and have outspent the Democrats on national and local levels. Again, those types of advantages are hard to overcome.

In the last week, the national GOP has been aiming squarely at Christian evangelicals and its base of social conservatives. Many states have gay marriage amendments on the line so these folks are definetley hitting the polls.

As 2000 and 2004 proved, one cannot overestimate the parachiolism and gullibility of the American people. We have not really shined in the last 20 years and many folks are drawn to both the rhetoric of victimology and the siege mentality promoted so effectively by the GOP. "Won't get Fooled Again" was not written with us in mind.

Of Slivers and Beams

I have been reading all the news regarding the downfall of Ted Haggard, President of the National Association of Evangelicals, anti-gay crusader and poster boy for self righteousness. You cannot help reading the articles. Tales of this kind of hypocrisy are like highway wrecks -- you cannot look away because the mendacity is just so unquestionably complete.

Mr. Haggard is a very nice cautionary tale about the danger of trying to remove specks (slivers in some biblical interpretations) from the eyes of others without attending to the beams in your own.

While I feel a certain sympathy for Mr. Haggard -- who doesn't have something about them they wish not to be revealed -- I cannot help but think of all the pain he has brought to so many individuals and the divisions he has helped sow throughout the country by giving bigotry a biblical justification. What a sad and pathetic man.

Taking the Ball and Running (your Mouth) With It.

So Sen. John Kerry flubs a line and the GOP is going to use it as an example of how democrats "don't support our troops." It is true that Kerry blew it and left his remarks open to interpreration. It is also true that the GOP will now use his miscue to revert to their trick of using "the troops" as a proxy for the War. (That is, if you don't support the War, you are not supporting our troops.) Shame on Kerry for leaving this opening. Shame on the GOP for cynically exaggertaing it. The last thing we need is any more smoke and mirrors on this issue.

Did Kerry mean to insult our troops? I doubt it. He is a proud vet and has one of the highest VFW ratings in the Senate. I somehow doubt that he would ever disparage anyone in uniform. The fact that our President avoided his service in Vietnam, has sent 140,000 men and women on a poorly planned adventure, and supports a party that has cut veterans benefits only adds to the idiocy of the situation.