Same old story...

In testimony this April to the Sept. 11 commission, before it was made public, Ms. Rice insisted that the report was "historical."

"It did not, in fact, warn of attacks inside the United States," she testified. "It was historical information based on old reporting. There was no new threat information.''

But there were gasps in the audience in the hearing room when she disclosed the name of the two-page briefing paper: "Bin Laden Determined to Attack in U.S."

The document was made public several days later and contained passages referring to F.B.I. reports of "suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York." It noted that a caller to the United States Embassy in the United Arab Emirates that May had warned that "a group of bin Laden supporters was in the U.S.," planning attacks with explosives.

The commission's final report revealed that two C.I.A. analysts involved in preparing the brief had wanted to make clear to Mr. Bush that, far from being only a historical threat, the threat that Al Qaeda would strike on American soil was "both current and serious."

Never thought I'd see this on the front page of the New York Times:

But the question that voters seem to be wrestling with now is not whether Mr. Bush is a legitimate president but whether he is a trustworthy one.

(It's actually the last sentence of the article, but for a while this morning it was the sub-headline.)

In other bad news for Bush, the heroes hate America--

New York Police and Fire Unions to Picket G.O.P. Events

--and guess what?

Pentagon Finds Payroll Records for Bush's Military Service

Defense officials yesterday attributed the earlier contention that the records had been destroyed to confusion over which boxes contained the relevant microfilm files at the Federal Records Center in Denver. The boxes are numbered, and the numbers are indexed in a binder, but government employees hunting for Bush's records last winter could not find the binder.

Whoops--I see. OK, well, good news, right? Not really:

Bush's Military Records Fail to Dispel AWOL Charges

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some of President Bush's missing Air National Guard records during the Vietnam War years, previously said to be destroyed, turned up on Friday but offered no new evidence to dispel charges by Democrats that he was absent without leave.

Could it be that the charges can't be dispelled because they're, um, true?

JERUSALEM (AP) -- A young monkey at an Israeli zoo has started walking on its hind legs only -- aping humans -- after almost dying from a stomach illness, the zoo's veterinarian said Wednesday.
...
"I've never seen or heard of this before," said Horowitz. One possible explanation is brain damage from the illness, he said.

by Stand Up & Holla!

(i.)
Exclusive "Patriot Pack" DVD boxset from
Best Buy, $58.99, featuring "Tears of the Sun,"
"Glory," "The Patriot," and "Black Hawk Down.

West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd will be in New York City to present his new book at the Union Square Barnes & Noble (33 East 17th Street at Union Square; 212-253-0810) on Monday, July 26 at 12:30pm. (Call the store to confirm details.)

Byrd, of course, spent this past Sunday morning on Meet the Press brandishing a copy of the Constitution and railing against the Bush administration’s corrupt and criminal conduct in the TWAT.

He also recently released the book Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency, in which he writes:

Bush's power has been wielded with arrogance, calculation, and disdain for dissenting views. The Constitution's careful separation of powers has been breached, and its checks and balances circumvented. Behind closed doors, schemes have been hatched, with information denied to the legislative branch and policy makers shielded from informing the people or Congress. In fact, there appears to be little respect for the role of Congress. There is virtually no attempt to build consensus through the hard work of reaching across the aisle to find common ground. Real consultation does not exist.

 
Plus, unlike George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and John Ashcroft, Byrd renounced his membership in the KKK some 50 years ago.

Come see Robert Byrd, American patriot, in person on Monday, July 26. 
 

Did your know that the chief of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence wired 100,000 dollars to Mohammad Atta right before 9/11?  Did you know that he was only forced to "retire" by Musharraf after this fact was exposed by the Wall Street Journal?  Did you that it is widely acknowledged that he was one of the chief planners of the 9/11 attacks?  That is, did you know that the Pakistani Secret Service attacked us on 9/11?  Did you know that Omar Sheikh, who will shortly be hung for killing Daniel Pearl, is known not to have killed Daniel Pearl--that Mariane Pearl in fact acknowledges that he was not the man behind the murder?  Did you know that he is being denied a trial because Pakistani authorities are afraid of what would be revealed in that trial?  Did you know that two alleged 9/11 conspirators have been released in Germany because U.S. authorities are refusing to allow prosecutors to call other Al-Qaeda members to the witness stand--again for fear of what will be revealed?  Did you know that the prosecution case against Zacarias Moussawi is falling apart for the same reason--because U.S. authorities won't allow Al-Qaeda members captured abroad to testify? 

Well, according to this story by British MP, there is a lot you don't know. 

"I am the Khan Bahadur. I am the chief. I know there are terrorists in Waziristan? George Bush was elected President by the state of Florida. His brother is governor of Florida. George Bush knew there were terrorists training in Florida?"

(from Eliza Griswold's "In the Hiding Zone," from the New Yorker--not online.)

Probably because it wasn’t captured on film (à la Jenna’s tongue) -- and perhaps because the act was perpetrated by the Preznit himself, and no major media outlet has the balls to call him on it -- we haven’t heard much (save for a report on Air America Radio) about the more appalling case of Bush flipping his middle finger at a small group of teenage protesters two weeks ago in East Lampeter, PA.

After waiting around for about 45 minutes, the motorcade passed by us again. A few police cars, followed by a van or two, drove by. Then, a Bush/Cheney bus passed, followed by a second one going slower. At the front of this second bus was The W himself, waving cheerily at his supporters on the other side of the highway. Adam, Brendan, and I rose our banner (the More Trees, Less Bush one) and he turned to wave to our side of the road. His smile faded, and he raised his left arm in our direction. And then, George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States of America, extended his middle finger.

Read the full account on the victim’s web journal.

posted by Dawkins : 7/22/2004 12:21:00 AM

It would be easy to dismiss the brouhaha about Jenna Bush sticking out her tongue at reporters as so much idiotic gossip-mongering by the zombified media--which it surely is.  



But it also shows the kind of girl that results from 22 years of spoiling and abuse at the hands of a failed abortion and a demented moon-faced lump.  Think about this:  this girl is traveling with her father, who has been declared President of the United States.  And she is ostensibly campaigning for him--an official role.  She is employed by him.  And yet she can't even understand what's at stake for her father.  She doesn't even realize that he is in a campaign which she is supposedly working for.  For her it's all a joke.  She's the center of attention, all these schmos are following her, they can't get to her in her limousine, she's the one on the inside, they're stuck on the outside--ha, ha, ha.  That's all she can understand.  That's all her father's supposed presidency means to her. 

And sadly, obviously--that's all it means to him.  Being in this family means being rich, being famous, being the center of attention, getting your ass kissed.  Those are the family values.  The idea that anyone deserves any sort of respect is simply incomprehenible.  When you're campaigning for your dad, the press--however odious--needs to be shown respect.  Chelsea Clinton wouldn't have dreamed of doing this--even though, after the treatment she received from the media, she would have been justified in paying the Secret Service to kill a reporter a day.

William C. Rhoden of the New York Times profiles Carlos Delgado, the All-Star first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays: 

Last March when the United States invaded Iraq, Delgado, in his own quiet way, said that for him, enough was enough. He had stood for "God Bless America" through the 2003 season but vowed not to do so this season. In an act of a simple, mostly unnoticed, protest against the war, Delgado, a 32-year-old first baseman, has chosen to remain in the dugout while "God Bless America" is played.

…

"It takes a man to stand up for what he believes," Delgado said Monday. "Especially in a society where everything is supposed to be politically correct."

"I am not pro-war; I'm antiwar," he said. "I'm for peace."

More. 
 

Carlos Delgado

Speaking of the "variousthings I'm sure you'd be glad to support, for example the freedom alliancefoundation"--


--well, this "Freedom Alliance" is also apparently the recipient of some lucre from another ingenious entrepreneur, none other than the purveyor of

The Village Voice’s Rick Perlstein (a friend of AmCop) hangs out with Bush-lovers in Oregon. Chaos, folly, and soul-petrifying terror ensue.

In the column referenced below by speakingcorpse, Paul Krugman mentions the new G.O.P.-sanctioned bumper stickers being distributed in Kentucky that read: "Kerry is bin Laden's man/Bush is mine." 

Of course, it was AmCop that broke the story last week about an outfit called AuthenticGOP.com that sells t-shirts that read: "10 Out of 10 Terrorists Agree Anybody But Bush." 

 

At the time, I wondered aloud whether or not the enterprise was affiliated with the Republican Party. To find out, I posed as a dim-witted prospective AuthenticGOP customer and wrote to both AuthenticGOP and the "real" GOP.

The following are actual transcripts of my communications:

To AuthenticGOP:

Subj: awesome shirts!
Date: 7/12/04 7:43:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time
To: info@authenticgop.com

Dear Authentic GOP:

I love your 10 out of 10 Terrorists tee shirts. They are awesome! I am totally going to get one.

When I buy one, do the proceeds go the election campaign or to the Republican party? Are you guys part of the GOP?

Keep up the good work.

Bush-Cheney all the Way!

-[Dawkins] 

AuthenticGOP responds:

Subj: RE: awesome shirts
Date: 7/13/04 9:59:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: agop@integrity.com

[Dawkins],

All the profits go to me... But as a republican I give my money to variousthings I'm sure you'd be glad to support, for example the freedom alliancefoundation.

I'm just a guy who came up with a slogan in response to the "anybody butbush" slogan, and I must tell you it has become a huge national hit...Thanks for your support.

[AuthenticGOP]

Then, to the "real" GOP:

Subj: AuthenticGOP.com
Date: 7/13/04 3:29:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time
To: info@gop.com

Hi GOP:

Are you guys affiliated with the merchandise website AuthenticGOP.com, which uses your logo to sell GOP-themed products?

I want to show my support for the President by wearing GOP merchandise, and I like the products for sale on AuthenticGOP.com, but I want to make sure my money is going to the GOP.

Thanks for your help.

[Dawkins]

The GOP responds:

Subj: RE: AuthenticGOP.com
Date: 7/14/04 2:13:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: info@rnchq.org

We are not affiliated with this website however that does not mean the money would not be well spent. Our only affiliated seller of campaign merchandise is the george w bush store at www.georgewbushstore.com

Sincerely,
RNC 

Frankly, I don’t buy the denials, and even if the denials are true, what are they denying?

Whether it comes from Condi Rice, David Brooks, Tom Ridge, AuthenticGOP, the national GOP, or the Kentucky GOP, it’s all the same message: a vote for Kerry is a vote for the terrorists. 

We’re going to hear lots more of it from here on out.

Great Garrison Keillor here. The gist:

This is Democratic bedrock: we don't let people lie in the ditch and drive past and pretend not to see them dying.

No wonder teachers, and firefighters, and EMTs, and nurses, and counselors, and social workers--maybe even doctors, those demented souls--are Democrats. (Shit, maybe even police--I wouldn't think so, by my friend in D.C. who works for the cops assures me otherwise.) Anybody whose business and/or life has anything whatsoever to do with human suffering--and who gives a shit about it--is a Democrat.

(I guess that's why Republicans are so "positive": it's a lot more fun, pleasant, and positive to keep driving past the ditch and pretend you didn't see anything.)

(Scratch that: it's a lot more fun to drive headlong into the ditch, so the rear end of your SUV is sticking up in the air and all the Democrats who come to rescue your bleeding carcass can see the Power of Pride bumper sticker displayed powerfully and pridefully on your totalled wreck.)

I offer three interesting links:
 
1)  Paul Krugman here seems to have deliberately positioned the fan beneath a torrent of shit.
 
2)  Frank Rich, in his latest column, is the first person I know of to make the obvious but important point about the significance of Will Ferrell's film Anchorman; he also presents an interesting history of the idea of news broadcaster as likeable "personality" or demented clown.  And he gives a neat answer to the proverbial question:  why (apart from despair and self-hatred) to media figures exult in serving as shit-conduits?  Because they are in the business of giving people what they want, and they blithely assume--though perhaps not incorrectly--that the American people are hungry for shit.
 
3)  In today's edition of the Washington Post daily news publication, Senators Joseph I. Lieberman and Jon "Kill" Kyl announce that they are resurrecting the Cold-War era "Committee on the Present Danger" to ensure that Americans remain aware of the threat of terrorism.  Just as many Americans were in denial about communism, so many of us are, according to these two United States Senators, in denial about terrorism.  There is a political "undertow" that, they claim, threatens to undo our advances in the war (in the TWAT?).  What is this "undertow"?  Unease about Iraq, of course.  We who dislike the Iraq war don't believe that terrorists pose a threat.  Of course.  Actually don't read the column; here is another, more accurate summary:  Lieberman shits on himself; then, in a fit of inarticulate infantile rage and desperation, he smears himself in his own shit; then, unable to sustain his disgust with himself, he suffers a psychotic break and has a hallucination of his own impeccable cleanliness; then he presents himself to the public, covered in shit, and asks for our admiration.  
 

 
The smug grin of the always-upright Lieberman (right) radiates poison in the direction of a real, not shit-covered Jew, Senator Carl Levin.

We're back.

It is an omen that Kerry will win the election.

(At least his campaign is making serious plans to deal with the expected fraud. This is the most reassuring news I've heard in months.)

Obviously, we are having technical difficulties. Please bear with us while we "solve" this problem. Keep checking back.

Let this website help you harness the power of hard numbers when you ungratefully bitch and moan about the war in Iraq.

By last count, we (that’s you and me and every other taxpayer) have spent a total of some $123 billion on the war. That breaks down to about $437 per American, which reminds me of that $300 Bush tax cut check I have lying around here somewhere….

Costofwar.com also poignantly depicts some of the ways in which that money might have been spent elsewhere.

(Most distressing of all is that the existence of the site provides clear evidence of an Al Qaeda cell operating within our borders.)