OK....we're getting close to the early primary season. I've been neutral all year, and with less than a month to go, now I feel like I really ought to start thinking about the candidates. What follows is a list of what's basically been bouncing around in my head for the last twelve months and does not even pretend to be comprehensive.

I want this thread to be for undecided voters only. If you already know who you're voting for, please refrain from commenting. If you're volunteering for a candidate, please refrain from commenting. I want this to be a discussion of the relative merits and demerits of each candidate, free from mudslinging and horserace bullshit.

I specifically want to appeal to lurkers too: c'mon, log in already and let's talk. I know you're out there. (I can hear you breathing....)

Once upon a time, there was a guy named Uncle Sam. Like all of us, he had his faults--he could be a bit arrogant, selfish, shortsighted, or oblivious at times, but his heart was (mostly) in the right place. Pretty much everybody that knew him liked him, and he was always around to lend a hand if things got tough.

OK. This is where I get off.

I suppose this might end up with a GBCW tag on it, but that's not really true. I'll be back.

Now, I have never registered as a Democrat. I usually skip the primary votes, simply because I don't care. I'm pulling the lever for whomever wins the Democratic nomination anyway.

But after the public humiliation of Pete Stark, I'm just too embarassed. As of right now I will not work for anybody's campaign in 2008. I'm not giving any money.

There is no Democratic party. Nothing that I recognize anyway.

I rarely, if ever, do these, but this LGF thread was so hilarious I had to do a light fisking....

(h/t to JML9999...this started out as a reply to that comment.)

Let's go way back to 2004 for a moment.

Fallujah was burning. The corpses of four (ahem) mercenaries were desecrated, receiving worldwide attention. (Probably only because there were pictures.) Our esteemed proprietor made an infamous, somewhat ill-considered remark in a comment (not on the front page). Various bloggers made a stink, completely in bad faith. It turned into a shitstorm.

It even got to the point where the Kerry campaign de-linked the Great Orange Satan.

Fast forward to Bill O'Reilly's handwaving from yesterday....

In a written statement Wednesday, Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska said the "honesty and capability" of the attorney general must be unquestioned, and that Gonzales "can no longer meet this standard." (Full story)

Minnesota's Norm Coleman became the sixth Republican to call for Gonzales to go. His spokesman, Leroy Coleman, told CNN the senator was angered by revelations that the former U.S. attorney in Minneapolis had been on a Justice Department list for dismissal as part of a shakeup that has stirred up a firestorm on Capitol Hill.

Three other GOP senators have called for Gonzales to resign: Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, John McCain of Arizona and John Sununu of New Hampshire. McCain is running for president; Hagel is considering a run.

Another Republican, Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, suggested to The Associated Press on Wednesday that Gonzales should consider stepping down: "When you have to spend more time up here on Capitol Hill instead of running the Justice Department, maybe you ought to think about it."

I don't usually do these, but this particular poll jumped out at me and utterly shocked me....I'll delete this if it's not substantive enough....but the CNN.com front page poll goes like this....

Should states apologize for slavery?
Yes 26% 6312 votes
No 74% 18102 votes
Total: 24414 votes

Apparently this is related to this article. Disgusting that it's running 3-1 against, I'm flabbergasted that that many racists are able to read, let alone use a computer....

A simple thought, re: impeachment.

The Bush Admin. collectively was at war with Iraq even before they were elected. Once they had (illegitimately) ascended to power, they decided to destroy as much of it as they could, for reasons that historians will have to sort out.

Then-chief of staff Andy Card famously blurted out that "from a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August," which I was thinking about just now and it nicely dovetails with the recent, sudden explosion of the US Atty scandal....

Hey, Joe. Nice to meet you. My name isn't really nota bene, but you'll just have to deal with that.

Here's a copy of a comment I'm submitting at Swampland, in response to this unbelievably obnoxious post. Earlier today, Joe posted this charming little entry. So I'm reproducing what I'm going to post there, in case it doesn't get past the comment moderators.

I'm filling in for a poll watcher in the morning and doing last-minute knocking on doors for McCaskill in the evening. Sometime around 2:00 or so I'll get a chance to eat lunch and VOTE. I did not sleep well last night--too excited. The weather should be very nice today here, upper 60s and sunny. Right now it's mid-40s and cloudy.

So let's hear it--where are you and what are you doing to help Democrats GOTFV today?

Let's review all the Republican/conservative malfeasance of the last two years--just since the 04 election. I want a comprehensive catalog of people who are going to jail, face legal jeapordy, have lost their jobs, etc. And I want links too.

I'll get it started, and if I miss any, or if there are some nifty links that I left out, add them in comments. Here goes....

White House hails Katrina recovery

As Dave Barry would say, I am not making this up. I had to rewrite this, because the first version of this diary was basically just cussing.

We've known for a long time that George Bush et al are not conservatives; at least, not in the pre-2000 senses of that word. We've known they were radicals since, if not before, their response to 9/11. They are definitely radicals.

Think about it. Under six long years of Bush we've seen:

Oh, and by the way, the letter added at the bottom. You'll be given a choice of voting by optical scan or touch screen. Just one or two paragraphs at the bottom of the page, in case you were still reading.

A few days ago I get a nice, full-color brochure from the Board. It's got some nice pictures and instructions on how to use the new equipment, blah blah blah. But it doesn't mention the name of the company providing the equipment.

meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta meta

I find the actions of Leopold, Pitt, and Ash over the past week to be utterly incomprehensible. If they had a story, they should have waited until one--any--of the principals were able to go on record. This anonymous sourcing is bullshit. We've had rumors flying around all week about all sorts of people and it's ridiculous. I personally feel like a moron because I told friends and family to expect a Rove indictment this week based on their faulty journalism. The fact that they still can't bring themselves to explain anything at all is disappointing, to say the least.

It is possible that Rove will still be indicted; however, this will not vindicate Leopold if it happens in September or something.