The latest bipartisan George Washington University Battleground Poll rightfully received media attention because of its depressing data.  There is historic political pessimism and cynicism.  But something is more troubling than the data on the dire views of Americans about their elected representatives and government.  It is that 72 percent of voters still believe that "voting gives people like me some say about how the government runs things."  Unbelievable!  Such confidence in a system that has failed them.

On September 4th AmericaStandsWatch.org. Stand Watch. Protect Democracy. Expect the War to End Now.

Since the Democrats won a majority so razor-thin that an ailing Senator's hospitalization caused Dick Cheney to briefly believe he was part of the legislative branch, the threat of filibusters and the reality of failed cloture votes has kept the Democrats stymied. Perhaps it is time to consider a new tactic, truly becoming a do-nothing Congress.

I unexpectedly found myself crying over the Iraq war as I read the obituary of Capt. Maria Ines Ortiz, a highly praised Army nurse.  What I read broke my heart.  The story of this remarkable woman and her tragic, pointless killing in Iraq had so much more power than the endless statistics that have numbed our emotions and fed our anger about Bush's Iraq War.

Maria was just 40 years old.  She volunteered for duty in Iraq, eager to do her part.  She wanted to take care of soldiers.  She was the first Army nurse killed in combat since the Vietnam War.

On the Friday before July 4 Republican Senator Arlen Specter showed his respect for the U.S. Constitution and his anger about President Bush's repeated pissing on it by introducing the Presidential Signing Statements Act of 2007.  What happens to this crucial bill will test both congressional integrity and courage.

When someone in high elected office shows the nation how vulnerable our Constitution is, we should be thankful for the wakeup call.  Like many ruthless dictators, evil kings, and monster generals, Dick Cheney is the leading practitioner of the ends-justify-the-means mentality, where only his vision of the desired ends counts.

And if this means disregarding and disobeying the Constitution, torturing prisoners, killing thousands of American soldiers, disrespecting Congress, destroying our environment, embracing the invasion of illegal immigrants, increasing out national debt, and disregarding the will of the vast majority of Americans, so be it.  Serving corporate interests rather than serving the people is Cheney's brand of patriotism.

Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) has introduced a bill calling for UNFPA funding and presidential accountability for refusing to release these congressionally appropriated funds--as Pres. Bush has done for the past six years.

By Dr. Lawrence Smith, Population Institute, at RH Reality Check.

The frog-in-boiling water model helps us understand political upheavals: how citizens wake up early enough (or too late) to respond to social and economic oppression.  Sometimes the greed and arrogance of Ruling Classes makes them careless and social waters heat too quickly.  Sensing doom, alert citizen-frogs escape or revolt.  Or they stay complacent and boil.  The Bush Administration has turned the heat up on us, explaining why nearly 75 percent of Americans believe their country is on the wrong track and 70 percent think the economy is worsening.

The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal national poll results vividly show a population incredibly dissatisfied with their nation's political system.  In other countries in other times such a depressing level of confidence in government would send a signal to those running the government that a major upheaval is imminent.  But not here in the USA.  Why?

First, here are the highlights of the poll that surveyed 1,008 adults from June 8-11, with a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points.

A whopping 68 percent think the country is on the wrong track.    Just 19 percent believe the country is headed in the right direction - the lowest number on that question in nearly 15 years.  And most of those with the positive view are probably in the Upper Class.

There are numerous reasons to admire you, as I have for many years.  Clearly you are running for president as a Republican, rather than a third party candidate, for the sole purpose of getting media and public attention not available to those outside the two-party duopoly.  In last night's debate among Republican presidential candidates you proudly described yourself as a "champion of the Constitution."  However, you are missing a major opportunity to demonstrate your courage and allegiance to our constitutional republic.

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 fumble in Congress, yet another example of Republican Corruption (in Kentucky), discuss American Muslims (something to shit our pants over or well-integrated and hard-working Americans) and present some interesting aspects of unemployment figures. If you visit my blog, PLEASE don't forget to click on an advertiser or two since that helps me keep the blog going. It really makes a difference! 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.

Watching congress do whatever it is that they do is like watching my screen saver, a lot of movement, a bit of color, a little cheap entertainment but ultimately a waste of time.

I would like to have 10 percent of the monetary value of the man hours expended by members of the House, the Senate, and their respective staffs that was piled atop the redolent heap of history's wasted gestures in the recent exercise in futility that was the fight over the Iraq supplemental appropriations bill.

Republicans joined with Democrats in making a spectacle of themselves as ineffectual windbags without a cause, proving publicly, once again, that most of them have no respect for this republic, it's people or the business they are paid so handsomely to conduct.

Knowing that the eminently hardheaded little man who occupies the big house on Pennsylvania Avenue would veto any bill which included deadlines for troop withdrawals, and knowing that the same cynical little man would use the pork content of the bill against them, they made him a gift of a bill that he could veto and look "presidential" while doing it. They gave Bush exactly what he wanted.

Few Americans have heard of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment.  It was created by Congress in 1972 and became the fourth congressional support agency.  It was designed to provide the House and Senate with independent, nonpartisan and thorough analysis of complex technical issues and policy options for addressing them.  In 1995 under pressure from the pompous and nefarious Newt Gingrich the small agency was de-funded.

Hello everyone!  It has been a while since I last wrote a diary.  I miss it, and the connections with all of you, and I am going to make sure I get to write more often.  For those that don't know, I am Sherri Welsh, and my husband is Barry Welsh.  He blogs too as many of you know, and those that don't can Google or You Tube to learn about him.  He was the man that stood up and challenged Mike Pence two years ago (we started the campaign in 2005).  If you don't know the name Mike Pence, here are the latest links.

I have to be honest and state that even though I am so very grateful to Mr. Gore for appearing in front of these committees, I am very skeptical about what will come from it from the other side of that table as the only thing many of them seemed concerned about were the coal and nuclear lobbies that support them.