If you dislike the idea of Evan Bayh on the Democratic ticket this November, join together on Facebook against him. Writers welcome you. The page. Even if Bayh had a fantastic record on liberal issues, he wants to be Vice President almost as bad as McCain wants to be President. That is a very bad thing. Power corrupts, and Evan Bayh has been sipping from the fountain.
If FISA is a precedent, then the Facebook page won't make any difference. Even less so. Get in on it while it's young (only [tens of?] thousands strong so far). Be a charter member of the "Bayh Not VP" Facebook movement. T-shirts will be available, if you make them. So not news.
[Funny, Kos, but only painfully so]
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Danger, Will Robinson
John McCain is aloose gun. He is a Senator gone puppet, who has overstepped his authority and common sense on Russia and Georgia. McCain's condescension goes beyond his belief that he somehow deserves to be President, because he's a rich white man. He is already berating foreign nations, and promising perpetual warfare. This may give the neocons "war orgasms," but even if I were a warmonger, I'd have to say our military is desperately understaffed.
Neocons know better than to institute the draft again right now, because that would be their party's death knell. That problem would be bypassed if McCain could convince the frightened citizens of this nation that Russia desires to end our "freedoms." It's not plausible, but the plan doesn't rely on logic or knowledge. It depends on the GOP's ability to exploit the fears of a horribly uninformed populace.
Do I fear Russia? Not so much. My greatest fear is a McCain presidency. The fledgling proto-fascistic near monarchy only needs a few things to happen to kill our democracy forever. If it goes down that way, none of my protests will make any difference. This will be America, land of the led, not land of the free.
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They're Shooting At Us
The Jim Adkisson church murders should have thrown up red flags for every dedicated Democrat out there. Some of the more decent and forward thinking members of the party probably still do not understand the underlying feeling among the right wingers that this is a cultural war. I will not jump to conclusions in the case surrounding Bill Gwatney, who was gunned down this afternoon. It should serve as a warning, however. It's not all smiles and light out there in Americaville. The game is reaching a new stage, and dodging bullets needs to be part of your game plan.
Quick note: Be careful who you shoot at. New Orleans teaches people how to survive.
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Colin Powell: Neocon Target
I wholeheartedly agree (in theory) that Bill Kristol's carefully planned attack on Colin Powell seeks to preemptively undermine the retired General's role in the upcoming election. Kristol had talking points to refer to, you can bet your daughter. The propagandists have been very busy, and Bill Kristol is the perfect empty vessel for their message. Kristol has no new ideas, and believes with all his heart that his masters in Washington love him. Kristol would parrot anything The Party told him to, and consider it a downpayment on his role as a loyal dog in their New World Order.
Keep trying, Bill!
You may soon devolve into the lapdog you always wanted to be.
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A Cigar Sometimes Is... Yuck
Thanks to Digby, I guess (eww, dude, why?) for pointing out this Rush Limbaugh perversion of the day:
LIMBAUGH: OK, we're back. Ladies and gentleman, my theory that I just explained to you about why -- you know, what could have John Edwards' motivations been to have the affair with Rielle Hunter, given his wife is smarter than he is and probably nagging him a lot about doing this, and he found somebody that did something with her mouth other than talk. I think I can back this up from her.
We have a sound bite. This is February 2007. She was on the tabloid show Extra. And this is what she said. Listen very carefully.
HUNTER [audio clip]: The whole experience was life-altering for me. One of the great things about John Edwards is that he's so open and willing to try new things and do things in new ways.
LIMBAUGH: "Open to new things." Folks, it is what it is. You get mad at me for bringing the truth to you, but it is what it is.
He's not just single, Digby. He prefers the cigar. He's open to old things.
End abbreviated edition.