NASA Photo Analyst: Bush wore a device during debate

You know it, I know it, everybody knows. Bush says it's a shirt flaw. That's one lousy shirt and one horrible president.

Go and Vote! Even in Utah

What if you show up to vote next Tuesday and election workers say you are not registered?

1. Make sure you are at the correct voting precinct. You can check at My Polling Place or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE for assistance.

2. If you are at the correct polling place and officials claim you are not registered, request a provisional ballot. It's your right under the law.

Please pass this on to as many people as you can.

One Finger Victory Salute

This man never seizes to amaze me. Here, he flips the camera off while preparing to record a message sometime in the nineties. To laughter that ensues, Dubya responds with: "It's just a One Finger Victory Salute". That's all.

What will history think of this man? And of us?

How Big Will Be Kerry's Win?

Discussing whether JFK will win next Tuesday has gotten a little stale. Unless Karl Rove throws a stink bomb of enormous proportions, Bush will be out. However, if things go as they are now, exactly how big will be Kerry's victory remains the only question. Well, since everybody is jumping into the prediction game now, and I have announced Kerry's victory on Election Day 6 months ago (if not more), the only thing left for me to do now is to predict which states will go to Bush (like our god-forsaken Utah) and which will go to Kerry. If I win, I will have a country that's moving in the right direction, and a country that I'm proud to be a citizen of. If not... then I'll know that Mr. Rove has better attorneys.
By the way, I'd like to correct myself on the earlier post: it's pretty clear that there WILL be several states that will end up voting for the president regardless of the reality on the ground (like our god-forsaken Utah). But swing states? Not Likely I say. So let's get to it and go through the actual list:

Alabama (9 Electoral Votes) Bush

Alaska (3) Bush

Arizona (10) Kerry

Arkansas (6) Kerry

California (55) Kerry

Colorado (9) Kerry

Connecticut (7) Kerry

Delaware (3) Kerry

District of Columbia (3) Kerry

Florida (27) Kerry

Georgia (15) Bush

Hawaii (4) Kerry

Idaho (4) Bush

Illinois (21) Kerry

Indiana (11) Bush

Iowa (7) Kerry

Kansas (6) Bush

Kentucky (8) Bush

Louisiana (9) Bush

Maine (4) Kerry

Maryland (10) Kerry

Massachusetts (12) Kerry

Michigan (17) Kerry

Minnesota (10) Kerry

Mississippi (6) Kerry (Major Upset)

Missouri (11) Kerry (Major Upset)

Montana (3) Bush

Nebraska (5) Bush

Nevada (5) Kerry

New Hampshire (4) Kerry

New Jersey (15) Kerry

New Mexico(5) Kerry

New York (31) Kerry

North Carolina (15) Bush

North Dakota (3) Bush

Ohio (20) Kerry

Oklahoma (7) Bush

Oregon (7) Kerry

Pennsylvania (21) Kerry

Rhode Island (4) Kerry

South Carolina (8) Bush

South Dakota (3) Bush

Tennessee (11) Bush

Texas (34) Bush

GF Utah (5) Bush

Vermont (3) Kerry

Virginia (13) Bush

Washington (11) Kerry

West Virginia (5) Kerry

Wisconsin (10) Kerry

Wyoming (3) Bush

Thus giving Bush a total of 175 Electoral Votes and 363 for Kerry. So let's hold on to our arm-chairs and keep our eyes on Diebold and those paperless machines. Remember, the worst thing that could happen is if this election is perceived as illigitimate. And don't forget to VOTE.

Kerry For President

Unfortunately, I am too busy (or angry) to write a thoughtful analysis of this administration and its failures. Therefore I would like to defer to Des Moines Register endorsement of John Kerry for president.

Hunter Thompson article linked to earlier is also quite good. I highly recommend reading it.

Bush Explains Bulge

President Bush"... if I were straying off course they would ... kind of like a hunting dog, they would punch a buzzer and I would jerk back into place,' " I see. So that's how it works. They just remind him when he's getting off message. Can't they do that with a smaller system? Does he really need to have a 'box' on his back just to reign him in?
Bush's apparent problem is that he's got the Wrong message for the Wrong crowds at the Wrong time. Therefore he needs the electric buzzer. Got it.
Just kidding. Actually Bush denied this very approach, although with his 180 degree spinning, it seems, that it's exactly what is going on - he's got a buzzbox.

Is Bush Going to Win Any States At All?

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire: "Ohio: Kerry 49, Bush 43 (Scripps)
Ohio: Kerry 50, Bush 44 (Gallup)
Pennsylvania: Kerry 47, Bush 41 (Quinnipiac)
Minnesota: Bush 47, Kerry 45 (Mason-Dixon)
Michigan: Kerry 51, Bush 44 (Survey USA)
Michigan: Kerry 47, Bush 46 (Mason-Dixon)
Iowa: Bush 49, Kerry 43 (Mason-Dixon) "

Given the theory that the Undecideds move to the Challenger, and that the Incumbent's final numbers are reflected by his last polling numbers, and the fact that Bush can't get over 50% ANYWHERE, how can there be any question, that Kerry has the commanding lead that will result in a colossal loss for the Rove-Bush administration?
I mean, I know Utah will vote for Bush, but who else?

What Will Happen

You can follow the polls all day long, but here what I strongly suspect is going to happen (and what I have been suggesting previously): Kerry is going to win at least 55% of the vote. Why? Because undecideds will break for him. Why? Because those who have still not made up their mind, are undecidedd only because they are waiting for Bush to give them reasons to vote for him, and to be more precise, they're waiting for Bush to answer their questions. Well, there is not going to be any more new information from Bush. He's not going to announce his plan for Exit from Iraq or Saving Social Security, or anything else between now and the election. He might say what he won't do, but there will be no new and exciting proposals. And that means that when it will come time to vote, he's going to lose all of these fence-seaters, who just want the POTUS to reassure them. He won't be able to do that. He can only scare people now. And he doesn't even have energy for that anymore. By the way, exactly what is Karl Rove saving Bush for now anyway? They all will have time to sleep after the 2nd of November. Sort of. Presuming there's no major shananigans taking place... Bush is now back to sleeping at the White House or at Crawford every night. And that's with 10 days 'til the election! Now who is the one who's taking his job seriously? Kerry's got 4 different states on Monday coming up, and Bush has...0. At least thanks to the beautiful BC04 site that actually lists both candidates schedules right next to each other. More on that later. May be.

Hunter Thompson Clarifies the Obvious

RollingStone.com: Politics - Fear and Loathing, Campaign 2004: "The question this year is not whether President Bush is acting more and more like the head of a fascist government but if the American people want it that way."

Sinclair flip-flops on Anti-Kerry Documentary

ha!

Jon Stewart on Crossfire

"You know Tucker, you're just as much a dick on your show as you are on any show." Is Jon Stewart right? Did he piss off Tucker? Is Crossfire nothing but political theater? Yes, yes and yes. To paraphrase: Best. Crossfire. Ever.

Broad Use of Harsh Tactics Is Described at Cuba Base

where is the outrage? By re-electing Bush we endorse his policies. By endorsing his policies, we tell the world (and NO, we're not alone on this planet) that we condone these actions.
We have already lost our Moral Authority (whatever we had left of it) at Abu Ghraib, and incidentally, that's when we lost the Iraq War.
Now it seems to me, that the terrorists have won - they made us show ourselves for the monsters that we can be. Doesn't matter that it's in self-defense. Isn't there a line somewhere that says that when you engage in war, you become what you fight?
Is this a permanent victory? Not at all. Can this be reversed? Absolutely. That's what the elections are for. Let me restate that we're in this war for only as long as WE want to be in it. And we can end these horrors by merely holding people responsible for their actions. Does it start at the top? See 'Rotting Fish'.

Ron Suskind's describes Bush

Wow...

Political Animal notices Bush's Bulge

A. Yes Bush has something under his jacket that he won't acknowledge, and somebody should press him on this harder.
B. This is not a joke. He's the POTUS and he's hiding stuff from us.
C. A 'Conservative' blog would have been all over this long time ago.
D. This could be the thing that will bring him down, because no one has been able to discredit the idea of a radio transmitter yet.
E. This is a great opportunity to put Bush into a corner yet again. Why? Well, for one he is not the one for reversing course, and if he had to admit that there IS something under the jacket, that would be ANOTHER reversal of course for him.
F. I'm tired of this lame f***ing media refusing to investigate another story.
G. Did you notice that Drudge has COMPLITELY ignored this? And I actually wrote him (for the first time EVER), asking him why he won't acknowledge that there's something under Bush's jacket. This is THE Drudge story if there ever was one.

The Inner Poodle Points It Out

I have to agree, Bush's remark about unemployed people needing to get education was condescending and hurtful. Especially if you thought about it. Especially if you're unemployed. Especially if you have a doctorate degree and work at Walmart. I know, I know, he has nothing to be proud of when it comes to job creation (except for all the government bureacracy), but it takes guts to say that No Child Left Behind is really an employment program, because if you can't read and write, you can't get a decent job. Well, you can still be the President Of The United States.

Drudge Report gives reasons to vote for Kerry

One glance at tonight's Drudge Report and I am instantly confused as to why John Kerry isn't running away with this election. Here's what I see (analysis later):
1. Karl Rove Goes Before Grand Jury.
2. Chiron Vaccine Unusable.
3. People camp overnight to get flu shots...
4. Gas Nears $2 Ahead of Election
5. Oil Hits Record
6. BBC doc claims terror threat politically driven fantasy (duh!)
7. Michael Moore's Pre-Election TV Special Nixed...
8. Platoon defies orders in Iraq (in fact they're under arrest for refusing 'suicide mission')
9. Kerry Still Says Bush Plan Could Lead to Draft...
Wow. That's nine things with each one potentially resulting in huge number of votes shifting to Kerry. Let's start at the beginning:
Karl Rove Goes Before Grand Jury. This government is being run not by crooks but by mafia. It is evident in their modus operandi. There is a reason why Republicans and Sopranos are popular: if you do what it takes, you too can be in a position of power, where you can dismiss your adversaries using under-handed techniques, that the rest of us can only dream of being able to get away with.
Chiron Vaccine Unusable. Without going further into details of how messed-up our health care system is, I would just like to mention that instead of whining about lesbian this and that, Democrats should be screaming about the fact that Bush called Chiron an English company, when their headquarters are in California. I mean he lied. I'm sorry... mislead. Again.
People camp overnight to get flu shots. Do you think that may be all those old people could put two and two together and vote Democrat while they are still alive? What we have here, is an agency, FDA, that is failing to protect the citizens of this country. Whether we're talking about standing up to Merck with its Vioxx catastrophy, or not allowing importing drugs from Canada, this agency is proving just how useless it can be under the wrong leadership. And where does the buck stop? They've known about problems with vaccine for several weeks, but I would bet money, they were hoping to fly under the radar until after the election.
Gas Nears $2 Ahead of Election. Hmm... Can anyone say 'Irresponsible foreign policy?'. I guess time will tell... Sometimes I feel like people just don't notice and don't pay attention. Come on, if it's costing you more and more every time you have to fill up your SUV, doesn't somebody need to be held responsible for this insanity? No, you're right. Just bend over and take it.
Oil Hits Record High. More of the same. Two plus two equals... Gosh, I just don't know what it could be...
BBC doc claims terror threat politically driven fantasy. Well, of course! Just watch Fahrenheit 9/11. It's all there. Have you noticed that we haven't been attacked since 9.11? And that Anthrax scare still hasn't been resolved? Why are people so scared of terrorism? Must be getting too fat or something. I mean, I would hate for anything horrible to happen, but the odds of me setting my house on fire lighting candles is far, far greater then me being killed by a terrorist. And that's true for most people. Especially for those of us who don't live in New York City or DC. Hey, I would think that as far as terrorists are concerned, we're playing right into their hands - I mean, why worry about sneaking anything into this country, when you can blow up our troops and behead our citizens right there in good old Iraq, which is so much closer and easier to get into. Not that I totally discount the possibility of a terrorist attack before the election. Of course, nobody can predict what that will do to the results of the election, or even if Mr. Rove will decide to use that as an excuse to post-pone the elections altogether (especially if Mr. Bush is down in the polls), but let us hope that Mr. Kerry can win in a clear cut land-slide.
Michael Moore's Pre-Election TV Special Nixed. Yeah, and you call this democracy? I just hope that Sinclair stock sinks so low so fast that they will have to nix their own idea of airing anti-Kerry documentary.
Platoon defies orders in Iraq. It was bound to happen sooner or later with all the mismanagement of the war in Iraq (as well as everything else that Bush had his hands on (or is it hands-off?)). How long is it going to be before the stories of the war atrocities come out, and we won't even support our troops anymore? Perhaps this would be a good time for the military and their family to re-think their situation and vote for Kerry, because he has military experience, is likely to get allies involved, and does not have Democratic fantasies like his opponent.
Kerry Still Says Bush Plan Could Lead to Draft. Well, duh again! This guy wants to fix the world. And that's the best case scenario. Of course he'll need a large army. And if that does not move you to vote for John Kerry, just wait until tomorrow and whatever the next news-cycle will bring to us...

Presidential Debate #3

Well, here we go. Yet another attempt at catching the exact moment when Bush flushes his remaining popularity down the toilet. And it's much better for my throat then yelling at the TV.

7:01 I was concerned that after debacle of the 1st debate, Bush team will illuminate the rule about the podiums. Guess they couldn't. Ooh, and the lights! I almost forgot the lights!
7:03 They're looking pretty good. The podium is not kind to Bush. Look! Bush is trying to pay attention to the man in his ear.
7:04 How can Kerry drive Bush crazy in the next 90 minutes, is what I want to know. Or if our children will ever live in a safe & secure world. Whatever. Either one.
7:05 Bush is blinking again. Kerry is going for the swing vote already by sighting Reagan. Oh, the messianic Bush and his democracy around the world...
7:06 Bush is reciting his stomp speech about the Afghan elections, and the 19 year old woman who was the 1st voter. Now he's off to talking about Kerry's 'nuisance' record.
7:07 Now Bush is laughing it off. He just called Kerry 'exaggurator'. Does he think he's still running against Gore? Boy, Rove must've decided that the best way for Dubya to react is to laugh at everything Kerry is saying. That's not a very re-assuring reaction either, as it seems totally disconnected to reality - Kerry is talking about what POTUS has done to the country - POTUS laughs. Oy.
7:09 No vaccine for Bush. Ooh, and he pivoted that to litigation and malpractice lawsuits. Idiot. The problem is not lawsuits, but the profiteering that takes place, and the fact that we're totally not prepared for one company's supply being faulty.
7:11 Kerry's good and serious. Bush tries to smiles. Even though he looks like he would like to burn Kerry down to a crisp. Mmmm... Crispy...
7:12 Bush got a handful of one-liners. Oh, my God, Bush used 'bait and switch' on Kerry! Bush is the 'bait and switch' King. That's how Rove operates. Come on.
7:13 Kerry's called on his taxes pledge. Beautiful opening. Can he hit it out of the park? May be. Bush looks indignant. Where are the views of Bush from the back?! Where's the BOX?
7:16 "Reduce deficit in half by 5 years!"
7:17 Bush kinda stumbles... And he looks angry already.
7:19 Tony Soprano to Law and Order as Bush is to Fiscal Responsibility. Counts like half a joke. Can Bush come back?
7:20 Is that a flip-flop? Kerry said first that that he will fight for American jobs HARDER then he'll fight for his own job, and now he says AS HARD.
7:24 Bush makes a transition from Kerry's statement that is supposed to be funny, but it falls down flat. If after every Kerry's answer, Bush is going to say something to the effect of 'this is just too complicated', people will think that he's really that dumb.
7:26 Hey, Bush has just gone for the swing vote. And quickly went back to his base again. That was about 30 seconds of pandering. A new record?
7:27 Ooh, Dick Cheney's Daughter. Nice.
7:29 Abortion. Does this country have a problem that's not a wedge issue?
7:31 Bush and Kerry give pretty much stock and barrel answer, except Kerry managed to fit in the Bible quote about having faith but no deeds.
7:32 Bush talks about great alternatives to abortion. Abortion light? Fat free abortion?
7:33 Bush got a scary laugh. Can we get that soundtrack playing over and over for 30 seconds?
7:34 Did W just metnion 'hell-savings accounts'? He needs one. George just throws out the words and facts out there as soon as he's been fed them through the ear-piece without thinking. Something will stick, God willing.
7:35 I WANT TO SEE BUSH'S BACK!!! It's been just over 30 minutes? Wow.
7:40 Kerry seems to have a pretty clear explanation of his health care plan.
7:41 Bush keeps trying to start with a funny. Hey, we found another Group of Folks. These ones are policy wonks. Kerry has just flipped Bush off for the 2nd time. Bush is really not doing that much better then in his first debate. And a lot of big pauses. And anger.
7:43 Bush looks tired. There's a problem for our youngsters. Bush family alcoholism. It will cost trillions? OH MY GOD, quickly buy liquor stocks.
7:45 Watch for SNL to spoof Kerry's often used line 'Now, you've just heard President Bush say...' Not the worst one, I guess.
7:46 Wow, nothing but promises from Kerry: "I will not privatize Social Security".
7:47 Let's get back to the nineties! Come on everybody! We can do it! Let's party like it's 1999!
7:49 Bush didn't hear what Kerry said? OH, he's being funny, again... And now he's blaming the recession on Clinton. By the way, I don't think that Bush has mentioned anything new that he's planning to do in his 2nd term.
7:51 Wow, that was quick. Dubya has been prepping for this question and looks like Bob has served it just perfectly. As close to a home run (at least in terms of delivery) as Bush has had all night.
7:54 'Borders are much better protected now, then when I was Governor of Texas'.
7:56 Minimum Wage. Good question for Kerry, finally. How can Bush be against it? Nice recap on numbers. Nominate Kerry for the Barak Obama This Is What America Is About award.
7:58 But according to Bush No Child Left Behind is a work-employment legislation. Will Kerry pick up on what Bush is saying? Not really. Did I mention that Bush is looking red? And his tie is burning red. He's on fire, baby!
8:02 Ah, I see sparks. On education no less.
8:03 We're entering the last half an hour. And now on the National Guard.
8:06 And now, introducing the No-Win Bush Answer on Iraq. The best way to relieve the pressure off our military is by succeeding in Iraq. Followed by the entire Iraq war replay with slightly improved and more polished responses.
8:08 Assault Rifle. Hey Bush, you did nothing. Why? Apparently because Democrats and Republicans in Congress were against it. What? The shit is getting thick now. Instead, we should concentrate on prosecuting gun crimes.
8:09 Ah, Kerry brought up the fact that he's prosecutor. Well, we could see it was coming. Good one, Kerry uses OBL's handbook against Dubya, as in Osama encourages his followers to buy guns at the gun shows where there is no back ground check. Bush is steaming, but the next question goes to Kerry. Well, George, you have about 20 minutes left. Got any more punches?
8:12 Affirmative Action? I didn't know anybody cared. I think it's part of Kerry's debate strategy to flood Bush with so many points that Dubya doesn't know where to begin, and can't possibly counter all of them.
8:14 Bush is for basic education. He is for helping small businesses. He created an environment. More minorities own home then before. That's good. Not much on Affirmative Action though.
8:15 Faith. I think Bush can't believe that somebody actually asked him that. Too good to be true. Kerry catches sweat.
8:17 'President just said that 'Freedom is a gift from almighty.' Everything is a gift from almighty. Pretty good sermon, though. As usual, something that we would think would be a gift to Bush, ends up being a home-run for Kerry.
8:20 Kerry is a uniter, not a a divider. And another pledge:
1. Open meetings
2. Work with McCain
Can somebody do the count of how many things Kerry pledged and promised in these debates in general, and tonight in particular?
8:22 Kerry brings up McCain, Bush - Kennedy. And then he pounds on the podium, saying that McCain is for Bush because Bush will pound Iraq into sand.
8:23 Bob is saving up a cute question for the end. Laughter? What the hell? What will Kerry do? Bush is going into a cute story.
8:24 Bob is laughing louder then anybody at Kerry's jokes. Bush tells a cute story, Kerry talks about integrity. I think Bush is very envious. Or at least he should be.
8:27 Closing statements: Kerry - Excellent. Bush - Be optimist. Look forward. DO NOT LOOK BACK. Oh, finally, he's talking about the next four years. Armies of Compassion? Isn't that a band? Bumperstickers, bumperstickers, bumperstickers. And generally rambling. The end.
8:32 No Christopher Reeve mentioned, but Michael J Fox is sitting next to Tereza. Smiles all around.

Krugman's latest: Checking the Facts, in Advance

The man knows his stuff. I was quite lucky to have seen him in person at the Library of Congress, when he was unveiling his book, The Great Unraveling, in paperback. By the way, make sure to read the book. The best book of this election season by far. Why? Nothing but the facts, mam.

Germany in rethink on Iraq force deployment

Point for Kerry. So much for Bush saying that no one will come to our rescue.

Bush Brothers, Bloggy Thoughts and Biff Tanner

If at all possible, Jeb Bush will deliver Florida for W, but I presume that Jeb Bush would really like for W to win without needing Florida. In fact I suspect that next best scenario for Jeb, is for W to lose so big, that even Florida votes would not make a difference. In fact that scenario is probably the best one for the country. (Short of W spontaneously combasting together with Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld and John Ashcroft. I think that Condi Rice will make a great NFL commissioner, plus she'll feel right at home- she is so knowledgable about things that have nothing to do with her job description - it'll be like being at the White House all over again.)

I've been very impressed with what the Blog Community has been able to accomplish in terms of grass-roots activism. Daily Kos, PowerLine, Instapundit, Josh Marshall, Eschaton receive so much traffic from people who are not afraid to make a phone call or write an e-mail. And I think that really makes a difference.

Have you ever noticed how perfectly Dubya would fit in at the Biff Tanner household? Back To The Future has one of the best bullies portrayals anywhere. I recommend: next time you find yourself in front of TV when that movie's on, just imagine George W. Bush in the part of Biff Tanner. It's amazing how easy it is, and how clear and transparent it makes everything. IMHO. If I were better at this, I would find a nice picture of GWB and BT, put them next to each other in a witty form, and post them here. But that's for later.

Bubbie leads the way

Pretty good cartoon. Not jibjab, but at least its honest. ;)

Kerry Pivot?

Is Kerry pivoting from proving that he can defend the country, to accusing Bush of irrelevance by pointing out that the main theme of Bush's candidacy is flawed? Bush appears frightened by Kerry's proposition. In fact Bush's ads may/should backfire on him.
I'm impressed that media has been good about reading the ENTIRE Kerry quote instead of just repeating "terrorism...nuisance?".
The picture in the magazine is strange though.
President can't exist without the threat of terrorism. I think that's pretty clear. But can America let go of this nightmare? This imaginary goblin? Can America handle not living in fear? Are we ready?
It's a big gamble for Kerry, but one that I hope will prove to be a success. This war has gotta end. And we're the only ones who can decide if we're at war or not.

Is Bush Wired? The site

This is really great. This is what I call grass-roots journalism if I ever seen one. Hope this is not a fake. But Bush DID have a rectangular bump on his back!
As long as whoever is doing this site keeps blogging, this story should be followed.

Presidential Debate #2

Live Blog as best I can:

7:06 Split Screen! Bush from two angles. That's nice.
7:10 From where I'm sitting, Bush is doing just fine. Of course that's when he goes ahead and stumbles.
7:12 Global Test is here! Bush does sound defensive. He's trying to persuade people.
7:14 Am I onto something? Bush avoids looking Kerry in the eye when speaking, and Kerry looks for opportunities to look Bush straight in the eye when he talks. I don't think it's just looking at the audience member. It's almost as if Kerry is reading Bush the evening news. Here's what's going on, Mr. President.
7:17 Bush is trying to make up ground from a week ago. Too late? Watch out, it's a free-ranging Bush! He's repeating things from his last debate and butchering new sentences. 'We'll make elections!'
7:18 Goodness, it just really sounds like Bush is saying: "Listen to me, you stupid people!"
7:19 Bush appreciates the aggravation that he's causing in Europe with his decisions in Iraq. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last, according to him. Is W losing his voice?
7:23 So did the generals lie to Bush? Should somebody be punished for something?
7:25 I want more Bush reaction!!! Where's the infamous CSpan split screen?
7:27 Split was back...
7:28 Draft. "There's a rumor on the internets". Some or all of them? This is obviously a question he's been practicing answering. Is that an ear-piece?
7:32 Bush unleashed. WE'RE NOT ALONE!!
7:34 Bush is fighting with the notepad. Notepad lost.
7:35 "This war we live in". Bush is so right.
7:36 "This war is a long long war". Thank you President Bush.
7:39 Bush is just a little hyper. I thought he'd be Lethargic, but instead he's just totally reserved when Kerry speaks, and quite uppity when speaking himself. Another well rehearsed answer. But moving over 25 mph is likely to cause a crash for the president.
7:43 Kerry "We did something you don't know how to do, we balanced the budget."
7:44 Bush may not lose the battle on style points, but substance is another story. Kerry is painting problems, plans and proposals, with a broad and pretty precise brush, but Bush is connecting words into sentences left and right.
7:47 That tax and spend liberal senator from Massachusetts!
7:50 Deficit. "I think we have an obligation to spend that kind of money". Who's writing this stuff?
7:50 Bush is spewing statistics when everybody knows that COUNTRY is not on the right track.
7:51 Bush is not communicating with Mr. Gibson very well. In fact, he's kind of bullying him. I wonder if W appears to be a real bully live in public.
7:55 Please, Kerry, you can hit this one out of the park. Don't get too smart, man. Just look into the camera and say: " I will not increase taxes for people who make less then $200,000". Say it! Say it! There, he said it. The camera wasn't in his face, though.
7:56 According to Bush, Kerry has no credibility with fiscal responsibilities. Brave man that President.
7:59 Bush: Don't look at me, he'll raise your tases! Oh, American politics at its most Americaniest.
8:01 Environment. Bush is reading off the list. Boy he knows his numbers. They prepped him good. I don't believe that Kerry has been able to make Bush bleed yet. What do you do? Just keep at it, or do something drastic? What? Is there a surprise in his inside coat pocket? "I'm a good steward of the land."
8:02 Kerry keeps saying "Labels don't mean anything". Oh, but they do, laddy!
8:03 "Being popular in the halls of Europe." Kerry goes back to the woman who asked earlier why people hate Americans.
8:04 Boy, Bush blinks a lot when he listens.
8:06 Kerry's line of the night "I HAVE A PLAN." Obviously implying that Bush does not.
8:06 Both candidates have less than perfect make-up day. They're both looking kinda pale.
8:07 Bush is looking to coast through this thing with minimum damage. At least on its face. And I was hoping to document a train wreck. Well, obviously Karl Rove is smarter than me.
8:08 Bush "I own a timber company? Want some wood?" Instant Classic.
8:10 I would say that looking at this, so far, both camps will declare victory.
8:11 Would it be appropriate for Kerry to say that so far Bush has no convictions on war with Terrorism, regardless of the Patriot Act?
8:13 Did Kerry just endorse the Patriot Act?
8:16 Stem Cells for Bush/Cheney 2004! All 22 of them. Bush is itching to go.
8:18 The Embryo was dead when I got here.
8:19 Bush reveals himself: I give you information, no one will vote for me.
8:20 Bush is sighting Supreme Court decisions. OY.
8:25 Kerry just gave what I thought, was a very good abortion answer. Bush instantly says "try to decipher that." I guess you won't bother, you lazy f***. He wanted to use that zinger the whole debate. Last time he said "and how is he going to pay for that?" after a complicated answer where Kerry lined out his plan for Homeland defense. Everybody is tossing one-liners out there - time is running out.
8:28 There are big mistakes and little mistakes. According to Bush, he himself never made a big mistake. Little ones he doesn't remember. Ah, he appointed some wrong people. Good one, Sir.
8:30 Kerry recaps his Iraq points. Bush blinks.
8:31 Bush is just as happy to be able to re-state all the points he forgot last debate.
8:33 Bush invites Kerry to go first in the closing statements. How pollite of him.
8:34 Let's see what slime Bush will dump on Kerry in his closing statement.
a. Contest is about the future. Not the past.
b. We've been through so much, and we're still alive. Hooray!
c. Most people still have homes. Hooray!
d. September the eleventh.
e. Ah, the nexus again.
f. Deep faith... in liberty.
g. Afghan elections. Watch everybody! Now duck! Now watch again quickly!
8:37 And that's it. Let's see where the spin goes.

Is Bush Wired?

I couldn't believe it because I distinctly remember that Bush had a bulge on his back during the first debate. But at the time, I dismissed it thinking that was there for technical reasons. Like a monitor perhaps.
It is so totally obvious that he is wired. This story needs to get legs.

Rude Pundit's masterpiece

I just had to acknowldge this very very direct analysis of tonight's upcoming presidential debates.

Bye Bye George

I would like to take this opportunity to announce the end of the Bush administration.

Edwards Looks Good

I will try to be honest, and please believe me, but as the debate when on, my opinion was that Cheney was up. Big time. But. And I believe that was the initial reaction. And then the dust started to settle. It came out that Cheney has met Edwards on record at least twice before.

Lie One for Dick.

Even during the debate he looked menacing and scary. He has the voice of God, but what he says is questionable in substance. And speaking of that:

Dick is not used to being questioned.

And he is supposed to be light on his feet, but he was surprised and awkward in his spontaneous exchanges with the mediator. His insults on JohnJohn seemed canned and written for him by somebody else.

I’m afraid that Americans have looked at Dick Cheney and said: if this is the best guy in the Administration, we’d like to try something different.

Dick Cheney is presenting himself as a loyal servant of the POTUS. Everybody knows that Bush is a fool. That’s why Dick is there in the first place. But when VP says that his goal is merely to further the agenda of the President, and you know that the president is a not really capable or interested in any sort of agenda, you start to wonder: who’s agenda is Dick really pushing? His? Somebody else’s? In that context, Cheney becomes much more important.

In the last election, he was given a once over by the public, who wanted merely to be reassured that Bush was not alone at the wheel. This time around Mr. C really had to sell himself to the American public.

Mr. Edwards says that right things and looks harmless. But he knows that few things hurt Cheney more, then being brought up repeatedly, when talking about Gay Marriage.

So Cheney says: Thank you for your kind words about me and my daughter. That’s it.

On second Edwards looks damn good.

Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Opinion / Op-ed / Cheney proves his irrelevance

Cheney proves his irrelevance
I couldn't agree more.

Ellis Ivory for Governor

So I’m driving from Einstein’s to my office and I hear Ellis Ivory announcing his write-in (!) candidacy for the Mayor of Salt Lake County. He’s doing that because the current Republican Mayor is being indicted for shifting county money around, in order to hire an assistant for her daughter, who worked for Boys and Girls club at the time. Or something close to it. Anyway. Ellis was a co-chairman of her campaign, and now he’s running as a write-in candidate, just in case the Mayor has to serve her second term from a prison cell, or if God Forbid she loses the election to a democrat (a more likely scenario as of today). A couple of thoughts:

1. It’s good to see him run. Tells me that the Republican Party here is seriously nervous about losing an election.

2. Ellis Ivory of Ivory homes. Just what this state needs. A Developer running the city. He’s going to say that he’s got unique qualifications for the job, and that he can get all the parties to the table, but I believe that he’s going to get all of his developer buddies to the table so as to devour the county assets even further. The place that has been so ravaged by the developers, who are building lots of cheap homes all over the valley. This place where the property values have sat stagnant for YEARS. This place that has the lowest property appreciation in the nation... Yeah, let’s elect a developer. He'll know just what to do. Not.

3. He’s willing to give it four full weeks of his precious time. Where can we gather to kiss his glorious feet? How about Peter Corroon who’s been running for this office for over a year, and who’s been building an organization, sending e-mails, putting up billboards and showing up in every local parade throughout the County? Do you think Mr. Corroon has shown more dedication or less then Mr. Ivory?

4. During his announcement, KSL (Also known as MBS – Mormon Broadcasting Station/More BullShit) took 3 phone calls. First was from Mr. Ivory’s former barber who endorsed Ellis. Second, from a former associate of Mr. Ivory’s, who says that he used to be jealous of the new candidate, but now he discovered that he just has admiration for what Ellis has accomplished. And how can he volunteer to work for Mr. Ivory? Third call was from Mr. Ellis’ close Church (LDS/Mormon) associate, who wanted to refer to him by another title (Brother Ivory I presume), but after admitting to that notion, said that he won’t do it after all. Might as well, I say. And the caller vouched for Mr. Ivory’s upstanding and outstanding moral and ethical values and principles. Oh Goody. All I can say is, Mr. Rove's roots are showing. He didn't invent that highly screened, soft-ball questioned way of running for a public office. It all started here, in Utah, where we know how to protect a candidate from people.

Well, I’m mowing my lawn and sticking FOR SALE sign in front of my house.

Now that Bush lost Debate #1

Debate on Tuesday is more important than people think. If Cheney comes through clearly, he has a chance to 'stop the bleeding'. If Cheney does not clearly best Edwards, it's down the slippery slope for the Rove Administration.

Watched Cheney-Lieberman debate in 2000 last night on C-SPAN (God Bless them), and few things seemed pretty clear:
1. Lieberman is a whiner.
2. Cheney is a very good debater. When Joe would tell a joke, Dick would take off his glasses and start cleaning them. He's got the technique.
3. I wonder how much older and slower Mr. Cheney is going to be - it's been pretty demanding 4 years - running the country and all.
4. Joe played into Dick's hands by being so good-humored. He made it seem, like it didn't matter who was elected - he was so chummy with the DoomBoy. I remember that at the time, the popular consensus was that 'Gee-Wiz, wish we could have elected Dick and Joe as the presidents for they are so civil with each other.' Well, I'm starting to think that may be Mr. Lieberman was not the best choice for the Vice-President... Edwards will do well to stick to Kerry's approach and beat up on VP for everything that he should. At least this time around, there is a LONG record of lies, fear-mongerings and failures.

Trying to decipher who is the underdog in this debate has not been easy. And still, I'm leaning towards Edwards. After all, we all know that when it comes to George and Dick, Dick is the Smart One.