Significant typo.

This week I discuss targeting ME Senator Collins as an enabler of the McCain/Bush/Lieberman escalation, call Rudy Giuliani to task for his Karl Rove like tactics, and discuss what it REALLY means to support the troops. If you visit my blog, don't forget to click on an advertiser or two since that helps me keep the blog going. As usual I also highlight local events and organizations for several states. And, if you want more political and social discussions, please check out our offerings on Culture Kitchen.

What a week! Gonzales looking like a deer in the headlights, Virginia Tech, and McCain seemingly completely losing it (see here and here). As usual I can barely keep up. But I hope what I can get to is still helpful to you.

This week I discuss targeting NH Senator Sunnunu as an enabler of the McCain/Bush/Lieberman escalation, present John Edwards' response to Democracy for America, show how Dems and Repubs differ on election reform, an experiment in alternative energy in Indiana, and revisit the issue of recycled paper. If you visit my blog, don't forget to click on an advertiser or two since that helps me keep the blog going. As usual I also highlight local events and organizations for several states. And, if you want more political and social discussions, please check out our offerings on Culture Kitchen.

Teresa Heinz Kerry's two marriages bring together two American political traditions, the Republican Heinz family and the Democratic Kerry family, and shows how good people in both parties have common ground. Much of her philanthropic effort has focused on two areas: the environment, and women's health and economic security. Since 1996, Teresa Heinz Kerry brings these two issues together in an annual conference called the "Conference on Women's Health & the Environment," held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. In preparation for this year's conference, Teresa is participating in a blogtour, a relatively new concept where she participates in a series of mini-interviews with bloggers around the country on the subject of women's health and the environment. More below...

The Progressive Democrat Newsletter grew out of the frustration of the 2004 election. After much pressure from readers, this email newsletter is now going the blog route. I update the blog once a week focusing on both national issues and issues of interest to particular regions or states. In general, NYC, California, New Jersey, Virginia and the Midwest get special attention simply because those are the areas where I seem to have the most readers.

This week I discuss the Democratic approach to getting out of Iraq, targeting Ann Coulter, reform in NY State, recycled paper, Barack Obama's response to Democracy for America and some strategy for 2008 based on Rove's strategy. If you visit my blog, don't forget to click on an advertiser or two. As usual I also highlight local events and organizations for several states. And, if you want more political and social discussions, please check out our offerings on Culture Kitchen.

The Progressive Democrat Newsletter grew out of the frustration of the 2004 election. After much pressure from readers, this email newsletter is now going the blog route. I update the blog once a week focusing on both national issues and issues of interest to particular regions or states. In general, NYC, California, New Jersey, Virginia and the Midwest get special attention simply because those are the areas where I seem to have the most readers.

This week I discuss how Republicans hurt our troops, Rudy Giuliani's flip flops, Democratic Presidential hopefuls going to Indian Country, and LOTS of stuff about Ann Coulter. If you visit my blog, don't forget to click on an advertiser or two. As usual I also highlight local events and organizations for several states, including some real disgusting stuff about Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project in NYC. And, if you want more political and social discussions, please check out our offerings on Culture Kitchen.

The Progressive Democrat Newsletter grew out of the frustration of the 2004 election. After much pressure from readers, this email newsletter is now going the blog route. I update the blog once a week focusing on both national issues and issues of interest to particular regions or states. In general, NYC, California, New Jersey, Virginia and the Midwest get special attention simply because those are the areas where I seem to have the most readers.

This week I discuss election fraud in Florida's 2006 election, Iowa and Michigan SLAMMING John McCain for hypocricy, corruption NYC real estate, and turning red states blue. If you visit my blog, don't forget to click on an advertiser or two. As usual I also highlight local events and organizations for several states. And, if you want more political and social discussions, please check out our offerings on Culture Kitchen.

Originally posted on my blog.

I wanted to post this earlier, but forgot. From Slate's Fred Kaplan:

Imagine that President Harry S. Truman had not put into motion the Marshall Plan, the Bretton Woods Agreement, NATO, and the various other institutions that propped up Western freedom in the destructive wake of World War II--and that, on the fourth anniversary of V-E Day, the greatest boast he could make was: "Today the world is rid of Adolf Hitler." It would have been a great boast, but beside the point as Paris and Rome collapsed amid poverty, despair, and subversion.

So it is with George W. Bush, whose failure to repair postwar Iraq is particularly disgraceful, since this war was launched at his initiative, not as a response to aggression.

General Pace said "I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts."

I guess that means he only endorses group sex.

As Deaking stated "In this Constitution, although much is written much remains unwritten", then surely the need for an OFFICE OF THE GUARDIAN, a constitutional council, that advises the Government, the People, the parliament and the Courts is wll overdue to be created, as politicians of all political colour and judges alike simply after more then 100 years of federation still do not know and neither so comprehend what is constitutionally appropriate in certain constitutional issues.

Is Bush sending more troops to Iraq in order to buy 2 years of stalemate? Then he can blame the Democrats for not winning the war when Obama brings them home.

Note: Originally posted here.

Jose Padilla, as you may know, is an American citizen detained by the Bush Administration for being an enemy combatant. He was aggressively treated/tortured, and since then he's been using the legal system to fight back (in his first two years of incarceration, he didn't have access to a lawyer).

How the courts treat Padilla will set a precedent on future hearings, and may even have an impact on the Anti-Habeas Corpus bill that was passed before the November elections. So it's in the Bush Administration's best interests to "nip this thing in the bud" as soon as possible.

President Bush said that he and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed in high-stakes talks Thursday that
Iraq should not be partitioned into separate, semi-autonomous zones.

President Bush and Prime Minister Al-Maliki have agreed to keep Iraq in one piece and that splitting Iraq into multiple zones would only increase the violence currently taking place.

This meeting was touted by the Bush administration and PM Al-Maliki's administration as an important meeting to discuss strategies to foster peace in the region however it's arrival was marred by protests including 30 Shiite members of Iraq's parliament suspending all parliamentary activity in protest and vocal objection by Iraq's neighbors Iran and Syria.

Hardline Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a competing summit Wednesday with Iraq's president Jalal Talabani and called for the United States to withdraw troops from Iraq.

"I advise you to leave Iraq," Ahmadinejad said. "Based on a timetable, transfer the responsibilities to Iraqi government. This will agree to your interests, too."

The Center for Constituional Rights will file a suit in Berlin on Tuesday charging Donald Rumsfeld with war crimes for Gitmo and other abuses of the Geneva Convention.

I can understand the rationale for not wanting to impeach Bush, Cheney, et al, but if a sitting President can get away with destroying the Constitution the way Bush has, then why do we even have impeachment proceedings anymore.  We are not talking about covering up a second rate burglary job or fibbing about a consensual sex act in the oval office.  We are talking about the systematic destruction of the document that holds this country together -- what else do you have to do to get impeached.  My question is what will the new Congress do if their investigations/subpoenas turn up evidence of impeachable offenses.  Will they move forward or simply sweep it under to rug?

See the case for impeachment for more information

Alright, alright. So that's not 'breaking'... or 'news'... or even remotely surprising... but it does answer some lingering questions.

For example, I'm sure you've all wondered where Karl developed his keen sense of evil, feverish distaste for compassion, and astute ability to f**k people over.

Now we know. It was all those endless hours he endured stuffed in stinky high school lockers. All these nasty mental maladies were clearly born of his hours-long periods of reflection as he peered at passers-by, cripplingly crunched amongst the texts, notebooks, and various writing accoutrements.