Month: September 2004

Enjoyed it so much the first time

Kerry’s supporters have apparently decided that since focusing on Vietnam worked out so splendidly for them in August, like to do it all over again in October:
Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry, a new documentary by George Butler, hits theaters in the United States on Oct. 1. The film, which had its world premiere here Tuesday evening, is sure to land the Swifties in the news again. For one, the movie is based on Tour of Duty, the Douglas Brinkley hagiography that the Swift Boat vets say incited them to action in the first place.
Brilliant. It’s times like these that the value of our political system shines through . If you run a stupid campaign, there’s a good chance you’d run a stupid Presidency as well.

Proposal: Blogger Jammies!

“Bloggers have no checks and balances . . . [it’s] a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas.” — Klein
This is, of course, far too delicious a statement to simply ignore. Already, bloggers have taken it up as a badge of honor.
A modest proposal, then:
1) We find a clothing producer willing to custom make pajamas for sale.
2) We produce a special run of “blogger’s pajamas” for sale over the ‘net.
3) We donate the proceeds to some worthy cause; perhaps Spirit of America, Operation Give, or the latest Strengthen the Good cause, under the banner of the CBS News “We got our asses kicked by guys in pajamas” Fund.
I’d buy a pair. What say you?
We’ll need an appropriate design, of course. I’m thinking Mr. Klein’s immortal quote goes on the back, and some kind of thingy on the front chest pocket, maybe as follows:
“Blogosphere Truth Squad: We can fact-check your ass without even getting dressed.”
Anyone have suggestions on a) where we could get such garments made (CafePress, sadly, doesn’t seem to do jammies), and b) appropriate designs?

Three Years On

I’m under some extreme deadline pressure at work (just got home from a 14-hour weekend day), so I’ve been a bit absent.
And I’ve missed all the fun! What is the frequenthy, Kenneth, indeed.
I also didn’t have time to compose any sort of an anniversary post for today. But my sentiments and thoughts have changed very little in the past three years, so feel free to read Turning Point (9/11/2002) if you didn’t do so way-back-when. I’ll only add what I stated on September 11, 2003:
This is not the anniversary of a “tragedy”. It is the anniversary of an attack; planned and carried out by men who conciously and deliberately inflicted the death and suffering of that day on the citizens of our nation — and many others.
I believe that September 11th, 2001 represented one battle of a larger war — not the first, by any means, and as much as we might regret it, not the last. You may disagree with my use of the word “war”. But what you think, and what I think, doesn’t matter: because it is clear that the remnants of those who attacked us two years ago are quite clear-minded, and they have no doubt that it is war — ask them yourself.
We forget this at our peril.
I wish the best for all who lost loved ones two years ago on this painful day. And for all of us, I wish safety, and more to the point, victory: for we will never, ever find the former if we do not achieve the latter.

I don’t like him when he’s angry, either.


“KERRY HULK SMASH PUNY BUSH!!!”
Kerry Hulk Update: “Unless it not smashing at right time. Then KERRY HULK NOT SMASH PUNY BUSH!!!”
Kerry Hulk Update Some More: “When Kerry Hulk say Kerry Hulk smash, Kerry Hulk mean Kerry Hulk should have authority to smash. Actually smashing was not what Kerry Hulk meant at all.”
Kerry Hulk Again Updating: “Unless Kerry Hulk allies approve. Kerry Hulk need allies for smashing. If Kerry Hulk allies approve, then Kerry Hulk smash.”
Kerry Hulk Getting Tired of Updates: “But not these allies. Those allies bad. Not good enough to approve smashing. Not like these allies. Those allies good. If those allies say Smash, then KERRY HULK SMASH!!!”
*In other Hulk-related news, Real Hulk doesn’t care much for Real Kerry’s foreign policy solutions…

MoveOn.org PAC FEC Filings

MoveOn.org recently made a million dollar ad buy for ads to run during the Republican convention, and you can now see their filing data showing up on the FEC web site. (This is the MoveOn.org PAC; not the MoveOn.org Voter Fund 527)
Seeing such a large ad buy led me to start poking around further on MoveOn’s filings, and I found one interesting note. The FEC appears to be keeping an eye on MoveOn.org: you can see a MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENT which reads:
This submission is in response to the Commission’s letter of August 18, 2004 regarding the committee’s 2004 July Quarterly Report.
Please note that all media expenditures disclosed on Schedule B were not allocable to any federal candidate and were properly reported on Schedule B, Line 21(b).
So it sounds like the FEC questioned some expenditures, perhaps suggesting that they should have been listed as supporting a particular candidate.
If you trace back to MoveOn’s July 2004 Quarterly Report, you can see that the section in question, SCHEDULE B ITEMIZED DISBURSEMENTS Line #: 21B shows a bunch of expenditures for things like Internet access, Health insurance, Political Consulting, and others. I guess MoveOn’s contention is that these expenditures — which seem to represent the bulk of their operating expenses — aren’t directly related to supporting any candidate. But the FEC appears to be questioning that categorization, in particular for “media expenditures.” There are some line items for “media consulting” and “media production” — and then there is one line item for a “media purchase”:
Media Strategies
1580 Lincoln Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
06/11/2004
Media Purchase 1147414.00
So that particular item — which looks like a $1.1M ad buy — might be the one that is puzzling the FEC. And there doesn’t seem to be a corresponding detailed filing (like the one for the $2.9M buy above) for this expenditure.
Hard to tell anything definitive, and it is worth noting that it’s unclear whether this level of scrutiny is unique to MoveOn.org or if every PAC is getting similar memos. But interesting…

Dukakisization: Kerry Strikes Back!

Kerry is moving to address danger of creeping Dukakisization by shuffling his campaign staff yet again:
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, under pressure to bring new focus to his campaign, added a veteran political strategist to his travelling campaign entourage, rounding out changes to his senior staff.
Democratic National Committee General Election Manager John Sasso will become the senior campaign staffer aboard the Kerry campaign plane, a key role in the final weeks leading up to the election.
Excellent!
Sasso’s r

Navy Decides to Meddle in Kerry’s Medals

So the Navy is an investigation into John Kerry’s medals:
“Even if it was the Navy’s fault,” one source following the story told NewsMax, “surely Senator Kerry knew the citations were wrong. Why did it take a formal Navy probe for him to correct records he had to know were fraudulent?”
Kerry received five medals during his four months in combat in Vietnam, including a Silver Star with a “Combat V” designation. A Navy source confirmed last week, however, that in the entire history of the Navy, no Silver Star has ever been awarded with “Combat V.”
Happily, Kerry has already staked out his first position on this issue, which means we’ll get to his second position all that much sooner:
In 1996, Adm. [Jeremy] Boorda committed suicide after he was accused of wearing medals he hadn’t earned.
At the time, Sen. Kerry told the Boston Herald that the error was “sufficient to question his leadership position.”
“If you wind up being less than what you’re pretending to be, there is a major confrontation with value, self-esteem and your sense of how others view you,” Kerry told the Boston Globe.
I have a simple explanation for this whole medal flap. Kerry obviously must have confused the medals he won in Vietnam with the medals of two other Vietnam vets that he threw back in protest.
An easy mistake to make, really; could happen to anybody…
More at:
Instapundit
Steve Verdon
Beldarblog
Powerline
dislogue
DailyPundit
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
JustOneMinute (part of a fine Kerry reprise post)

GPS Stalking?

Quick thought: It’s late, and I’m heading to bed, but story about a man who “stalked” a woman “with GPS” seems technically wrong to me.

Campaign Finance Reform 60-day window is here

In case y’all hadn’t noticed, we’re now within 60 days of the election, which means that in theory, groups are now prohibited from running television and radio ads:
Restrictions on “Phony Issue Ads” Run by Corporations and Unions (The Snowe-Jeffords Amendment). First adopted as part of McCain-Feingold during the Senate

God Save The Queen!

Ok, now this is just a bit, er,
Top Politics sites in the UK by market share of visits, for the week ending August 28th
1. British National Party (5.60%)
2. Guardian Unlimited Politics (5.30%)
3. YouGov (5.21%)
4. Petition Online (3.56%)
5. The Truth Laid Bear (2.45%)
6. Conservative Party (2.43%)
7. JohnKerry.com (2.34%)
8. Free Republic (2.31%)
9. Indymedia UK (2.27%)
10. Michael Moore (1.79%)
(13) Jib Jab (1.57%)
(23) George W. Bush (0.99%)

And also see this news piece on the report:
UK interest in November

Kerry on Sudan

John Kerry has issued a press release the genocide in Sudan. And yes, he uses that word explicitly:
First, President Bush should stop equivocating and join the U.S. Congress in calling the catastrophe in Darfur by its rightful name: genocide. He should also release immediately the powerful findings of the State Department

Thoughts on the speech: Morning after editon

My opinion hasn’t really changed; slow start, laundry-list middle, but a very strong finish. I will say that Bush’s speech delivery has improved hugely since the 2000 campaign; he’s beginning to master his own tone of mixing conviction and passion with folksy I’m-a-regular-guy humor.
Ultimately, though, my opinion on judging political speeches is the same as my opinion on judging popular art: there are no objective standards, and it doesn’t really matter what I think. If lots of people like it, it was good, by definition. And by that measure, media reports this morning suggest that Bush scored a win last night.

Liveblogging: Oh alright.

George W. Bush: The Main Event
11:13: And that’s all, folks. Overall, a deeply erratic speech. When Bush spoke about security and terrorism, he showed vision, and sincerity, and absolutely rocked. But the middle section on domestic issues was horrible; a simple laundry list of promises and pork, much of which he promised four years ago and hasn’t delivered. Overall, I’d give it a B+. And I need more beer.
11:12: Ooooh, who was that cute redhead they just showed?
11:11: “This young century will be liberty century”. Sorry, but that one just fell flat, even with the convention audience. Love the sentiment, but a lame line.
11:07: Wow, we’re suddenly watching Last Comic Standing! And even more shocking, Bush has actually got the lines! “People sometimes have to correct my English. I knew I had a problem when Arnold Schwarzenegger did it.” Beautiful.
11:05: “Even when we don’t agree, at least you know what I believe and where I stand.” Nice.
11:00: This is the core of it, and why I support Bush. We are at a point where realpolitik and morality intersect and overlap: where it truly is in America’s best interest to ensure democracy and freedom is spread across the world. This is where Bush shines, and why I support him.
11:00: My helpful commenters point out that the “four more years” chants are to drown out liberal hecklers. Got it now. Give me a break, I’m typin’ a bit fast here (and drinking even faster).
10:59: America is “The greatest force for good on this earth.” Guaranteed to make some cringe, but I think it’s a good one. If you don’t agree with that statement, don’t vote for Bush.
10:57: Another direct slam, on Kerry’s sneer that those who supported the Iraq war were bribed/coerced. Bush says they are: “Allies that deserve the respect of all Americans, not the scorn of a politican.” Now that was a good line, both in substance and in delivery. We’re getting back on track here.
10:55: Wow. Direct attack on Kerry on the $87B vote for funding the war. Interesting choice, but I think a good one. “When pressed, he said it was a complicated matter. There’s nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.”
10:48: Nice segment on the decision to attack Iraq. “… or do I take the word of a madman? Faced with that choice, I will defend America every time.”
10:48: I am awestruck by the stupidity of the delegates who think it is a good idea to interrupt their candidate’s speech by chanting “four more years”.
10:46: Back on terrorism. Safe ground! Thank heavens.
10:44: Beer output accomplished, additional input procured.
10:40: “The unborn child”? Abortion!??!?!?!? You’re bringing up abortion? Have you fallen off the wagon, you stupid Texan? Are you high? Are you high right now?
10:40: I’d estimate that Bush looses about .01 in the polls for every minute those idiots chant “four more years”.
10:39: Shit. Zero more beer to input, and there needs to be some beer output shortly.
10:38: “He’s proposed more than two trillion in spending so far, and that’s a lot even for a Senator from Massachusetts.” Ok, that was nice.
10:37: George seems extremely pleased with himself to have a web page. Maybe we should get him up on LiveJournal?
10:36: Note to self: be careful to turn off snark when responding to coworkers IMing at the same time liveblogging political events.
10:35: “The soft bigotry of low expecations”. Hey, that’s line! Well, kinda.
10:30: This isn’t a vision, it’s a laundry list. And it’s not even a very good laundry list .
10:25: Is it suddenly Spring? Did I miss seven months? Am I watching the State of the Union, or a convention speech?
10:24:OK, this speech blows. Tell me a story, damnit. I don’t give a shit that 2/3 of mothers now work outside the home.
10:22: “Restraining Federal spending”? He said that with a straight face, too. Spoons, call your office.
10:21: So far, Bush is getting his butt kicked by Pataki, for crissakes. Not a single money-line yet in this slog.
10:19: I need more beer.
10:18: By the way, I hope all the liberal bloggers/commenters are paying attention. Did I forget to mention that I’ve never liked Bush very much, and that his speechifyin’ drives me bugshit? Mine is a loyalty of policy, not of personality…
10:17: Oh dear. “Nothing will hold us back” is the theme? Please no.
10:16: “Tonight I will tell you where I stand”. Yes, please! Get on with it. And by the love of god, shoosh the 4-more-years chanting idiots.
10:15: This is going nowhere. Pick up the pace, George.
10:14: A Cheney tribute? This is not looking good. Oh, nevermind. Thanking the wife too. Although on second thought, I’m not so sure if I was Laura I’d be too thrilled about being lumped in with Dick.
10:12: So far, I’m not with the vibe. The valley is in our view? Huh?
10:11: Yes Stephen, I’m drinking.
10:10: He’s letting the applause / chanting go on too long, if ya ask me.
10:08: Not sure about the tie.
George W. Bush: The Clip Show
10:05: Isn’t using “Amazing Grace” in a campaign ad a violation of McCain-Feingold? Kinda the rhetorical equivalent of WMDs…
10:04: What the hell is with all the sirens in the background? A bit much, isn’t it?
10:03: Firefighters! Everybody loves firefighters. (Wonkette, call your office…)
10:01: Hey, isn’t that the guy with Alec Baldwin in Red October?
“Son, Roooski’s don’t take a dump without a plan…”
Interlude
Mission Accomplished: Additional beer retrieved. Anderson Valley IPA, if you were curious, which is ex-cellent. And with this damned jump-jive crap music, I’m glad I have it…
Governor Pataki
9:55: Unlike Stephen, I foolishly haven’t had dinner yet. Severe tactical error. But I am going to get another beer, and Bush can damned well wait.
9:52 : On deposing Saddam: “Some people have called this an abuse of power. I call it progress.”
9:47: On Kerry’s positions: “This is a candidate who has to Google his own name to find out where he stands!” Quote of the convention thus far.
9:46: I hate these little “And he did” chant-with-the-speaker bits. But maybe I need more beer.
9:44:On comparing Kerry’s record to “That way they’ll be able to see the difference, which is that President Bush has a record of achievement.” Ouch.
9:42: Pataki’s material is good, but his cheery delivery on the 9/11 stuff is creeping me out.
All times GOP-local-time. All quotes are approximate, best-efforts based on live typescription; your mileage may vary.

Liveblogging? Eh. Maybe…

For those of you geeks who can’t be bothered to use one of those old fashioned tee-vee’s, the live feed seems to be holding up much better than C-SPAN’s under the stream. Getting a nice consistent stream from the RNC folks.
I might liveblog Bush’s speech. I might not. We’ll see…

Spam of the Day

From the spam inbox today:
I love your website!
Your creative talents have produced a killer site. You’re only missing one thing. Visitors.
Worst. Timing.