It all began when my father, a die-hard Republican, through whatever bizarre motivation (he knows I am a liberal), gave me a subscription to the Washington Times.

As these things are wont to do, one thing followed another and I began receiving all manner of rightwing mailers.  Thus the seeds were planted for my own version of Operation Chaos . . .

Follow me below the fold for why and how (anyone can join in) . . .

Kerry was Swiftboated.  And, of course, the "Big Dog" was saddled with Whitewater and the death list/Clinton Chronicles.  But the wingnuts are obviously deciding that it isn't too early to start on Hillary.  (Disclosure: I am undecided on who to support . . . except it will be a Democrat.

I learned about this Hillary smear from a wingnut I often debate on another board, it may have been diaried before, but the fact that it is becoming an object to cite in wingnutville means we may need to know about it.  It involves allegations that Hillary has committed a felony and details . . . with links  . . . are below the fold.

I'll try to keep this short and sweet.  It seems that the legal arm of the GOP political effort (formerly known as the US Department of Justice) has decided Abramoff has caused enough trouble for them.

So, the DOJ is asking to shorten his sentence!

As events (the US Attorney scandals, the NSA wiretaps, the FBI misuse of national security letters, the outing of a CIA agent, etc.) continue to unfold, it may be time to remind our Republican friends, neighbors and elected officials that once upon a time there was true bi-partisan agreement regarding what constitutes an impeachable offense.  

I speak, of course, about the Articles of Impeachment drafted for Richard M. Nixon.  In the case of Article Two, the parallels are striking, as demonstrated below the fold . . .

Most of us here are familiar with George Lakoff's teachings regarding the importance of "framing." but there is already some framing going on regarding Iraq which we should begin addressing because if we succeed, progressives will benefit multiple times.  I am talking about the use of the term "sectarian violence" to describe "religious violence" - why we should stop using the former and why the latter is the better term below the fold.

Sure, we've all read that Rupert Murdoch has tried to make nice with Hillary lately.  Strange enough when the owner of FOX does something like that.  But he has now had quite a nasty spat with his editor Judith Regan. (Murdoch's News Corporation owns Harper Collins which handles Regan Books imprint.)  It seems that Regan was upset over the lack of support for her "If I Did It" O.J. book and in the course of things made a remark that News Corp has now shared.  Details on the remark and more on Regan books after the jump . . .

Going to be a short diary, I'll start with the link

It's a Reuters story, wonder if the MSM will pick up on this?

Anyway, Susan Ralston . . . gal pal to Abramoff and Rove has resigned.  Brief backstory on the jump. . . .

Lloyd Grove, who does a column called "Lowdown" for the NY Daily News apparently got orders to take out Keith Olbermann.  Given Olbermann's exposure Bill O'Reilly, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. Perhaps some folks from O'Reilly's staff or from FOX decided to use the NY Daily News since running this in Murdoch's Post would have been too obvious.

Link to Grove's (the man is truly "Lowdown") hit piece and more below . . .

I love camping in the desert . . . especially in the spring and fall.  In the springtime, especially, the wildflowers can be a revelation and the stars at night are well beyond anything you can see most other places.  Unlike a lot of campgrounds, there seems to be fewer RV's blaring television programming out there.  Heck, if you have all your supplies, you can camp ANYWHERE on BLM land . . . no need to find a crowded campground.  I also love the ingenuity with which plant and animal life has evolved and adapted to this harsh world.  And some of America's most spectacular, beautiful and remote places are along our border with Mexico.

And it is in these wild places that being an American and being a human being can collide with others in that harsh environment.  What happens when you meet a "hiker?"

Well, we have the Downing Street Memo and Woodward's book and so many things that point to a plan to invade Iraq at the same time they were claiming that war was a "last resort."  We have also accused The Bush cabal of going in without a plan to get out.  It seems though, that they DID have a plan to go in and they KNEW it would spread the military very thin.

Rumsfeld once famously said, "You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you may want," or something like that.  Well, it seems that while they were claiming war was a "last resort," Rumsfeld dealt with some of the problems with the Army he had . . . they instituted DoD wide "stop loss" months before the invasion.  Details after the jump . . .

I was engaged with another discussion group and, once again, found myself defending the ACLU against some pretty serious ACLU haters.

They kept throwing out all this stuff about the founder being a Communist and the ACLU "agenda" being Communism and anti-Americanism.  The usual wingnut spew.

As usual, I quoted from the ACLU's own website and such "tried and true" sources as wikipedia, etc.  When I asked for sources for their allegations, I got the usual, "Look it up!"  So, I did . . . and THAT is where things got interesting . . . .

Excuse the brevity, but this is a worthwhile thought to share in more than a comment format.

As the GOP tries to ram through John Roberts, Mike Brown has given us an opportunity to slow that process and REALLY examine this (and other) Bush nominees.  In Brown, the Senate gave the President the nominee he wanted without a close examination.  We have now seen what a debacle that was.

Yes, the all caps may be annoying and I apologize.  But I also have friends in New Orleans, so please bear with me.

Here's the deal . . . nearly 2000 years ago, the leader of the most powerful nation on earth did something and is still remembered for it today.  What springs to mind when someone says "Nero?"  Got a single image in your head?  Good . . . now on to the flip . . . .

First of all, a disclaimer . . . I'm a man, so I'll say first that I am glad I will never be faced with the personal choice on abortion, because it is not my body or heart facing that awful choice and so perhaps my thoughts will be discounted or matter little to some.  But this is about my experiences in life.

When I first arrived in Austin, Texas in 1972 to attend the University as an undergrad, my older sister was already there.  In one of her initial "big sister" talks with me, she confided to me that, if the need should ever arise, she could help me arrange an abortion.  She had done so for a friend . . . the two driving to Mexico for the procedure.  

But the story doesn't really end there . . . there is so much more to tell and its below the fold . . .

Reading the "pie diaries," I was struck by the thought that a lot of great writers/contributors/diarists have taken offense at Markos personally and at some others here who have reacted insensitively to their concerns. (I know, you were just "joking" and people need to get a sense of humor.)

Unfortunately, the completely "innocent" rest of us lose those great voices.  Markos provides a forum for us.  He has said so many times that people are free to disagree and many of us have (and not just on this issue).  But we have to keep our eyes on the prize(s) here.

More on THAT below the fold!

This was just so far into the last century I had to post it.  I di a diary check and no one else seems to have seen this.

"TOPEKA, Kan. - A state senator who once said that giving women the vote was a symptom of weakness in the American family now wants to be Kansas' top elections official.

More below the fold!

The good people over at Arnoldwatch.org seem to have struck pay dirt.  It seems that Arnold's cozy relationship with ChevronTexaco has repercussions in the proposed Unocal merger and California energy policy.  Unocal controls a lot of Far East liquified natural gas (LNG).  Chevron has been trying to convince the governator that LNG is the answer to California's energy problems (of course, it will also require construction of some LNG shipping terminals where an accident may kill thousands).  If the governator blesses that idea and Chevron controls not onlt their own supplies but Unocal's as well . . . they stand to be in an Enron/Reliant/Dynergy position.

Link and some brief thoughts below the fold.

I am a news junkie, I admit it.  But every once in a while I come across things that just warm my heart!  Anything that catches Tom Delay and his pals in ethics violation slime is cause for joy in my book.  So imagine my joy at not one, but two such stories!

Not only is Delay directly implicated by some emails in the Texas case, but the group that paid for his little Scotland golfing junket is denying that it paid for two of his Republican colleagues to go on a similar junket . . . and now they are in hot water with the Ethics Committee!!

More below the fold . . .