Reading Hunter's excellent diary this morning on McCain's photo-op trip ("Forgotten, USA") brought up so many memories of Bobby Kennedy's visits to some of the same forgotten places.  Thinking about these events side-by-side gives a clear picture of the chasm that separates the "soul" of the GOP and the soul of the Democratic Party-- or, at least, what we used to be, and can be again.

McCain in the Ninth Ward:

"...Rebuild, tear it down, whatever..."

McCain's pandering and posing continued in Appalachia as he devoted time to flogging Bittergate and telling people how elitist Obama was for condemning the traditional values of working people.  Oh, and elitist because Obama will raise (miners?) capital gains taxes.

Bobby in Hazard, Kentucky:

"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

My sig also came from this trip.  More after the jump.

O.K., I admit it.  After tonight, I'm going to miss Jeb Bartlett almost as much as the Big Dog.  Almost.

Waxing nostalgic about "The West Wing" today has reminded me of Aaron Sorkin's first great creation of a fearless progressive president, Andrew Shepherd in "An American President:"

http://www127.pair.com/...

In that press conference, Shepherd puts the smackdown on his republican opponent and lays out the difference between a candidate who wants to win in order to govern for the common good, and a candidate who just wants to win.  And that reminds me of the core reason for Bush's total failure as president, and the over-arching meta-meme that the Dems need to use to frame the '08 campaign:

Bush is the Republican President, the Neo-Con President, the Right-wing President, the Red State President.

Isn't it time for an AMERICAN president?  

Using the familiar SOP during his "press conference" today, the Chimperor attempted to divert criticism of his domestic spying by attacking those who leaked the story.  He attempted to illustrate how despicable and damaging to national security leakers could be by throwing out a story about how we were tracking Bin Laden by his cell phone until somebody leaked that tidbit, causing OBL to "change his habits" and elude the tail.  

Thing is, IIRC, the phone leaker was a certain GOP Senator, not the SCLM.

     In all the chatter, outrage, and analysis over Chimpy's speech yesterday, a watershed moment has gone unnoticed.  

     The War Chimperor has finally drawn his line in the sand.  The cocky bastard declared that his noble mission in Iraq is "complete and total victory over the terrorists."

     Fine.  Sounds good.  Strong and steadfast, we shall prevail.  Go USA!

     Well, I call bullshit on him, and so should everyone else.  Every Dem, citizen, reporter, Gold Star Mother, soldier, blogger, congressman, and senator needs to focus and distill every drop of blood and angst from the last four years into one single burning question:

     What is 'victory' in Iraq?

         

     Jon Stewart got a big laugh out of me and everybody else last night predicting that Chimpy's penchant for rewarding screw-ups would would soon give us "Chief Justice Rove."  That scenario is not quite as funny in light of a comment Chimpy just made in his bogus press conference.

     Somebody asked him if he was considering a SCOTUS pick from outside the realm of present judges.  He got very excited and said, Yes, indeedy.  He was considering all "qualified" people-- his pick could very well come from outside the legal field.   So-- is all this blather about Rodriguez, et al., just a smoke screen to divert us from an outrageous, non-judge pick?
 Who would it be?

     

     It took about a nanosecond for the wingers and the MSM to start framing Deep Throat as an unpatriotic, disloyal "snake," as Pat Buchanan the Nixonite called him.  Tweety immediately steered the charge toward possibilities of deception and fabrication by Woodstein, and Felt's ulterior sour grapes motives.

     As usual, the Dems are a day late and a dollar short in the framing game.  We need to be out there reviving our long national nightmare, starting with pointing out that Karl Rove, Bush's Brain and the "architect of Bush's victory," is a creature forged in Daniel Segretti's Dirty Tricks laboratory, and heir to Segretti's title of King of the Black-Bag Ops:

http://www.counterpunch.org/madsen1101.html  

     This morning on C-Span's "Washington Journal" a guy called in with this:

     "I listen to WJ every morning.  Yesterday I heard two guests refer to the 'Downing Street Memo,' but it wasn't explained.  Can you tell me what they were talking about?"

     Reply from C-Span host:  "I have no information on the Downing Street Memo.  Perhaps you could find something if you check the internet.  Next caller."

     WTF?  

    The Sunday talking heads gave gave only a little time to the military base closings list, and this coming week everything will be eclipsed by nuclear fallout from the judicial nominations battle.  Is it just my cynicism edging into paranoia to think that this is the perfect time for the GOP to tee-up a strategy for '06 based on "reversal" of the base closing decisions?  

     Better start the counter-spin:  CNN just reported that our Imperial President is making plans for a triumphal entry into Rome to attend the Pope's funeral-- the first president to ever do so.  Think he will bring the elephants?  Or maybe the Schindlers, riding the elephants.

     Is there no limit to the hubris of the Chimperor?  Of course there isn't.  Bush will make the funeral about HIM.  In Bushworld, the passing of John Paul II is just the mother of all opportunities to gain "traction" with Catholics, Hispanics, and Randall Terrorists in this country.

     We know how our sycophantic media will cover his trip:  "President Bush, the Man of Faith, honors the Pope with First Presidential Attendance at Papal Funeral."  Bush will be quoted as commending the Pope for his "commitment to Life and Freedom, just like me!"

     What will the Italians and the world press say?  More importantly, will we hear it?  When Bush had his papal audience in June, we heard almost nothing about...  

     

and it's a simple one:  Fuck the Constitution.

On Imus this morning (I know, I know...can't look away...) Pat managed to distill the entire Schiavo circus into the kind of nutshell idea the sheeple seem to latch on to:

An activist judge is putting Terri Schiavo to death.  The judiciary in this country is out of control.  It has to be brought to heel.

"Activist judges have imposed abortion and gay marriage on this country.  The executive branch, good people like the President and his brother, with the help of congress, have to strip power from the judiciary and put it back in its proper place."    

     A couple of days ago somebody at work handed me a letter from her cousin in Iraq, Marine LtCol Jim Rose, claiming it was another side of the story on Iraq that the "Liberal Media" was suppressing.  The letter was accompanied by a picture of Marines and Iraqis in front of "the Last C-130" taking election workers back to Najaf after the elections.  I was blown away by the uncanny  resemblance of a bald marine in shades to Gannon/Guckert.  A little googling came up with this:

<http://www.webcommentary.com/asp/ShowArticle.asp?id=websterb&date=050225>

Follow the link at thebottom to this guy's website-- nice Ronald Reagan quote and anti-gay screed.

     Juan Williams offered this parting shot on Faux this a.m. just as Chris Wallace cut off his " ridicule Dean" panel (Mara, Brit, Juan, WSJ Guy):  "Democrats electing Dean means a shutout for Blacks and Latinos by the party!"  (paraphrase, but 'shutout' was his actual word.)

     Yet again, Juan shows himself to be just one more lazy journalist who has bought into the media caricature of Dean without looking at anything in his campaign.

     Not one of the Dem presidential candidates-- not even Reverend Al-- connected with minorities better than Dean.  I hope as Chairman Dean will inflict instant death on lying media memes about him and the party as soon as they pop out-- and he could start with this one.

     Is this another tipping point that we are letting slip by us?

     I read in the paper this morning that Abdulrahman al-Rashed, manager of Al-Arabiya TV, was appalled by the terrorism in Russia and wrote an op-ed in Arab newspapers laying the blame for world terrorism where it rightly belongs:  on Muslims.

     This truth-telling has shocked the Arab world.  It should have astounded the U.S., too, but I didn't hear a wrod about it on TV.  The article was on page 10 of the paper. The big question is, will Kerry seize the debate and point out how Bush's war has undermined moderates all over the Middle East, and talk about how to support Muslims who want peace instead of creating more terrorists, or will we let the whole Beslan story slide with a Bush spin:  "See?  Terrorists are everywhere.  Thank God I have protected OUR children, and this didn't happen here!"  

     

     I just heard clips from the letter Max Cleland is delivering to Crawford and they snuffed out all my "Kerry is a badass" fire like the icy touch of a Dementor's kiss.

      Apparently, the letter tells Bush (paraphrase) "an attack on one veteran is an attack on all.  Veterans should be honored not only for their service, but after they return home."  Could anyone have possibly come up with a better lead-in for Bush to attack Kerry's 1971 testimony?   I can write Bush's response letter myself, hoisting Kerry on his own petard.  

     Yes, I admit the GOP Rapid Response effort is scarily massive and pervasive.  But I have to laugh out loud at their major assault on Edwards.  With all that money, and organization, and high-profile spokesmen, the best they can come up with is St. Rudy, saying with a straight face:

     "Senator Edwards talks about 'TWO Americas.'  Well, I grew up believing in ONE America, where everybody is united as one nation, and everybody has the same equal chances to succeed.  Edwards is the perfect example of ONE America where even somebody from a humble background can succeed.  Edwards is trying to divide America and perpetuate class warfare and break our ONE America into his TWO Americas."  

     Another one of the great 4-minute speeches relegated to the
Convention's 4:00 p.m. Dead Zone:  RFK, Jr. on Bush's assault on the environment.  He managed to cram a quite on-point smackdown into those 4 minutes.
 

     I just heard the tail end of an item on MSNBC that said Tweety was launching a blog at noon today-- has anybody heard anything?  I am trying to staunch my immediate impulse to make myself crazy by posting there in the delusional hope he would actually be interested in what we think-- prognosis, anyone?

     If the blog surfaces in a few minutes, let this diary be an open thread for discussion, condemnation, rejoicing, whatever.
Ha!

     I was watching Bush's speech with the Australian PM and
pretty much shut down when he started his usual spiel about staying "strong against Terra, the killers are out to get us, we're all going to die unless you support me...yadda yadda yadda..."  I looked at the press and the people around him and noticed that they were all glazed over, too.  Do you think the world is getting tired of this all Terra, all the time
thing?  I remember reading something a couple of months ago that some of our allies have been grumbling that Terra-ism is the only thing he wants to talk about and, well-- screw him, they've got other problems.

     I realize terrorism IS a global problem, but so are alot of other things.  Could this be an opening for Kerry?  Shouldn't he be going around talking about optimistic, internationalist themes?  The good things that might be in the future?  Maybe everyone would welcome a break from the War on Terra.