First things first: rec the thread, un rec the earlier one.

This is the six of a growing number of live blogging threads for tonight's debate, keeping this conversation going. Useful to keep in mind that soon we will all be campaigning under the same banner and kicking the current occupants out onto the curb.

Six threads in and I'm getting over my disgust with the format and impressed that the candidates are able to communicate anything of substance. Lot's of good moments. When JE was asked the question about moral leadership, there I am yelling"It's Elizabeth" while he pauses to think. Thankfully, he pulled it off; but it would have been much better if she hadn't been part of that admittedly good list.

Public interviews are part of the campaign Wes Clark is waging to keep us out of armed conflict in Iran. Readers of these diaries and Clark supporters are well aware that his chief allies are VoteVets, Fighting Dems and StopIranWar. I've been tracking this campaign at Wes Clark's blog.

This is the fourth and final segment of the long interview held at the 92nd St. Y in NYC some few weeks ago. Wes Clark talked with Amy Goodman. Transcript available through DemocracyNow!

Like many of you, I've signed the StopIranWar petition and sent it to friends, family and colleagues. If not, why not today? That's the pitch, the goods are below the jump.

This is the third segment - of four - snipped from Democracy Now's rapid transcript of Amy Goodman's interview with Wesley Clark. The topics, raised by Amy Goodman, are 24 (the Fox TV show), civilian casualties, and weapons bans. The fourth diary will cover his discussion of President Eisenhower, foreign policy, Middle East oil, response to President Carter's recent book, and Congress's authority with regard to war. I changed the order to keep each diary close to 1500 words. Find the first two here.

Poll below.

Earlier this week, Amy Goodman interviewed Wes Clark at the 92nd St. Y in NYC. This is the second section of that hour long conversation. The rush transcript and links to audio are available at Democracy Now!. A complete transcript will be available soon, both there and at Securing America.

In this section, Clark responds to questions concerning the prison at Guantanamo Bay and the Military Commissions Act, impeachment and war crimes.

In yesterday's overly long diary Clark discusses the Irag and Iran, $75 million approriated for regime change, and John Negroponte. Among other things.

Let's get started.

Earlier this week, Amy Goodman interviewed Wes Clark at the 92nd St. Y in NYC. He was not there to talk about presidential politics and a possible candidacy. Clark was there to talk about public policy, the Middle East and the current administration. This appearance is part of his campaign to do everything he can to stop the Bush Administration from taking us to war with Iran.

MariaWells’ first person diary led into a long discussion here last night. After reading through, I did the next best thing to being there and followed the links to transcript and audio.

Goodman laid out the program at the top:

… the possibility of a US attack on Iran; the impeachment of President Bush; the use of cluster bombs; the bombing of Radio Television Serbia during the Kosovo War under his command…

Excepts after the jump, emphasis added. This is adult swim: hold on tight.

Below the jump is the Call to Conscience issued by the Panel of the Citizens’ Hearing on the Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq.  The Citizens’ Hearing heard testimony from Iraq War veterans and experts in international law and policy that would have been presented in Lt. Ehren Watada’s court martial had the military judge not excluded it from evidence.  After hearing this powerful testimony, the Citizens’ Hearing Panel, chaired by David Krieger - who asked that this report be forwarded to our lists - found the war in Iraq to have been initiated illegally under international law and the U.S. Constitution.  The Panel further found that a pattern of war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in Iraq, and that Lt. Watada is acting legally, honorably and in accord with his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States in refusing orders to deploy to Iraq.  The Call to Conscience issued by the Citizens’ Hearing Panel makes a number of important recommendations.  Lt. Watada’s court martial begins today at Ft. Lewis, Washington.

I don't regularly watch TV news, the radio reception from my desk is rotten and I don't drive every day, so maybe that's why Thursday morning's broadcast of Terry Gross interviewing Lt. Ehren Watada, about his impending disciplinary action by the U.S. Army, was news to me.  Officer Refused to Deploy to Iraq was the second Gross interview. Active Duty Seaman Rejects U.S. War in Iraq aired on Jan. 10. It's an important story, I missed it and I set out to find out more.

Below is some of what I learned ... with links to everything I found. The netroots is, of course, on top of it. Here, in case you don't read to the bottom of an admittedly longer diary than I intended, is the link to Thank you Lt. Watada a dedicated site organizing action among Lt. Watada's growing base of support. With links, they recommend seven actions: See Lt Watada in Person! Sign Our Petition! Write to Congress! Make a Donation! Read Prior Action Alerts! Rally at Ft. Lewis! Attend the Court Martial! It looks legit.

There is a new Congress in town.

This coming Thursday, January 11th, 2007, under Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Actwill be brought to the floor of Congress once again.

Remember the terrific battle we waged last year, just to get the Stem Cell Research Act considered? When finally muscled to the floor of Congress by Republican Mike Castle and Democrat Diana DeGette, HR 810 proved a superb example of bi-partisan cooperation. It overwhelmingly passed the House and Senate-- only to be vetoed by President Bush.

Well, we're back, and this time it could be different. The same exact bill, now called House Resolution 3, and Senate Bill 5, would increase the number of federally-funded stem cell lines: all from microscopic blastocysts otherwise thrown away: turning laboratory trash into a treasure of hope for our loved ones.

Some of the folks who voted against it are gone: some are still there. Can we get enough votes to override a Presidential veto? Will greater bi-partisan support create a climate shift? This time around, we might get there. Time to make phone calls and write letters...

Thankfully, the mainstream media are covering the story of how our elections are being conducted. Over the next few days, I'll be listing and linking to press and blog reports on the conduct of the 2006 elections: the casting, counting, and auditing of our votes. I'm relying on community help, so don't be shy.

Some good news from - wait for it- the The Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/...

A New Breed of Watchdog
For Election Day
By JUNE KRONHOLZ
November 6, 2006; Page B1

When Americans go to vote tomorrow, a new breed of activist will be on guard, monitoring polling stations for everything from voting-machine glitches to long lines to registration snafus.

more below the jump

What, you might ask, does arch-conservative Tom McClintock have to do with the diabetes epidemic that is about to overwhelm every other pressing need on the long list of pressing needs in front of our lawmakers today?

At Monday's stem cell research press conference in San Francisco, I got myself a quick education in the broad implications of epidemic diabetes, stem cell research and the office of Lt. Governor. (Thank you to the folks at the Garamendi campaign for linking to video from their release.

All public health experts agree that a diabetes epidemic is overwhelming our already fractured health care delivery system.  What is not well known is that we haven't seen anything yet.  We need money for national defense?  Schools?  Roads?  Fuggedaboutit!

More below the jump

At first I applauded yesterday's announcement of Dem candidate for CA Lt. Guv John Garamendi's Monday press conference with Stem Cell Initiative Founder and Bd Pres of the Calif Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Bob Klein and SF Mayor Gavin Newsom on the importance of stem cell research to the nation. (University of California, 600-16th - in front of Genentech Hall, St. San Francisco, 12:15pm. Be there.)

Like many of us, I'd been following the delicious way Rush Limbaugh turned Michael J. Fox's recent ads on behalf of Dem candidates who favor medical research into a national news story.

Then I got to wondering how much - if anything - is known about the truly critical choice California faces in the Lt. Governor race. After all, most of us, even if we live in CA, don't know much at all about the L.G.'s scope of work, let alone it's relationship to stem cell research. And if we live anywhere else, we certainly can't be expected to understand why this CA race should be of national concern.

More below the jump. I'll unpack and shed some light.

Last Monday, I drove to Sacramento with fellow members of the Califonia Election Protection Network (CEPN). Approx. 50 of us entered testimony into the record. Our report, compliments of Einsteinia, is below the fold. (California State Senator Debra Bowen commented that the sight of all these activists taking the stand, made her very proud of California.)

Between now and Monday, Nov 28, the California Election Protection Network needs 1000 Californians to dedicate an hour to preserving the integrity of our elections. Why a Thanksgiving weekend call to action? Secretary of State Bruce McPherson, ever the populist, has given all California citizens only through Monday to submit testimony regarding his proposed certification of Diebold equipment.

Last Saturday, I drove to Sacramento for the Western State's Caucus, a meeting of the DNC delegates who will be electing the Chair of the Democratic Party on Feb 12. This was the next to final of a series of regional meetings.  
 
Like nearly every political meeting I've attended in the past 15-16 months, the turnout was much greater than expected by the organizers. In addition to the 50 or 60 voting members of the DNC who traveled to Sacramento, the candidates for chair and vice-chair (five positions, I think), their staff and various regular officers, elected and staff of the Cal Dems were there. As were perhaps 600 "observers," mostly members of Dean affiliated clubs and groups, but also plenty of people I recognized from the SF Bay area swing state mobilization and, earlier, the Clark campaign.

 

 

 

While visualizing landslide and doing my bit to bring it about, I was prepared for Republican dirty tricks. I was not prepared, especially after advising so many people to send their checks to GELAC, for Kerry to concede the election as if the number of provisional votes was the only issue.
As if Bev Harris and Prof. David Dill and others had not demonstrated how easily the voting machines and the tabulating process could be corrupted. Had been corrupted. As if they hadn't demonstrated that the central tabulators, located in the county offices, could not be hacked through the modems.

As if Diebold hadn't promised to deliver Ohio. As if the Republican campaign hadn't been one lie after another and could somehow be trusted now.