Swept under the rug?

Scary disgusting repugs like boys and cover up for those who like boys. Eeeek!

House Majority Leader John Boehner told the Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of some "contact" between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he told House Speaker Denny Hastert, and that Hastert assured him "we're taking care of it."

****
Foley: What are ya wearing?

Teen: Tshirt and shorts

Foley: Love to slip them off of ya.

Foley, before he resigned in disgrace, was chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus. The sick part is the house leadership has known about this for months...


Damn, why didn't I think of that?

stick magnetic ribbons up your suv

This is some funny stuff. This is dedicated to all you magnetic ribbon people. Asylum Street Spankers rock. Thanks to Skippy by way of Sean-Paul for the great find.



stick magnetic ribbons up your suv

450 slimy contacts

Truth Serum Alert!

The report from the Republican-led House Government Affairs Committee will state that Abramoff had as many as 450 contacts with the White House, and prime among his lobbying targets was former White House political director Ken Mehlman, and Bush's adviser Karl Rove.

The lie...

After Abramoff pled guilty to illegal lobbying, officials at the White House said they barely new him and all they knew was what they read in the papers.

Liar liar pants on fire

Houston City Council disgusted with Shelley Sekula Gibbs

Houston City Council walk out on Shelley Sekula Gibbs after using the funeral of a dead police officer for political gain.

"I was embarrassed to be in the room with somebody talking like that," said Councilwoman Toni Lawrence, a Republican and one of the first to leave.

The symbolic move was the only time in recent memory that a group of council members left the chambers to protest a colleague's comments.

Frankly, I'm embarrased for the Repubublican party...

Somebody pop that bubble

Here are a few of the new Iraqi poll findings: The title of article is what really caught my eye. An Overwhelming Majority Think U.S. Forces Are Provoking Conflict.

Six in 10 Iraqis approve of attacks on U.S.-led forces, up from fewer than half in an earlier PIPA poll in January.

Nearly eight in 10 say the U.S. presence in Iraq is provoking more conflict than it's preventing (as opposed to being "a stabilizing force.")

Forty-seven percent say the country is headed in the right direction, down from 64 percent in January.

Most have confidence in the Iraqi army (64 percent) and police (71 percent) to protect their security. More than eight in 10 lack such confidence in U.S. troops.

Thirty-seven percent want U.S. troops to withdraw within six months; an additional 34 percent want them to withdraw within the next year.

Fifty-three percent are confident that Iraqi security forces will be strong enough to deal with security challenges in six months, up 14 points since January.

Most Iraqis want to attack us, we provoke more conflict and most have confidence in their own army. So will Bush now come out and say that the Iraqi people are "just dead wrong" as he said to the majority of Americans, retired generals and his own intelligence agencies. Will somebody please pop the bubble this president has been living in for the past six years...will somebody in his staff please give this guy a DVD of current events...or is this guy really that incompetent?


I am bubble-boy

Lampson leads by 29 in new poll

Kuff is reporting the release of a Lampson campaign poll which has Nick leading the Hyphen Lady by 29 percentage points. What remains to seen is the 26% undecided who the majority of are people still hoping DeLay will end up on the ballot or pissed of Wallace folks. Then again others are probably just disgusted middle of the road republicans who have had enough of their party.

LAMPSON 43%
SMITHER 10%
WRITE-IN (SHELLEY SEKULA GIBBS) 14%
WRITE-IN (OTHER: SPECIFY _______) 7%
(UNDECIDED) 26%

The bright side or dark side, however you want to look at it, for the Republican write-in is a big Dick will penetrate this district soon. I just don't know whether she can handle it?

Liberty and Justice For All?

Andrew Sullivan gives you the heads up.

"Talking and thinking this over, I'm trying to look on the bright side. The bill allows this president to continue torturing detainees (and possibly innocent ones). But it doesn't actually authorize the torture methods. And it doesn't formally breach Geneva. So "the program" continues in the shadows of Bush's shadow government. The truly disturbing part is that the only criterion for detaining anyone without charges - citizen or non-citizen, at home or anywhere in the world - is the president's discretion. If Rumsfeld decides you're an enemy combatant, you can be whisked away into a black hole, tortured, or have to prove your innocence in a military commission while he insists on your guilt. The "battlefield" is everywhere; and the war is endless. This is not, to put it mildly, what the founding fathers had in mind. It is one of the darkest hours for Western liberty in a very long time. And most conservatives are cheering. Watching habeas corpus go down the plughole is not something I ever thought I would have to contemplate. Well done, Osama. You won this one big time."

NIE is online

The NIE is now online. America Blog lists the key passages.

Declassified Key Judgments of the National
Intelligence Estimate “Trends in Global Terrorism:
Implications for the United States” dated April 2006

Key Judgments

United States-led counterterrorism efforts have seriously damaged the leadership of al-Qa’ida and disrupted its operations; however, we judge that al-Qa’ida will continue to pose the greatest threat to the Homeland and US interests abroad by a single terrorist organization. We also assess that the global jihadist movement—which includes al- Qa’ida, affiliated and independent terrorist groups, and emerging networks and cells—is spreading and adapting to counterterrorism efforts.

• Although we cannot measure the extent of the spread with precision, a large body of all-source reporting indicates that activists identifying themselves as jihadists, although a small percentage of Muslims, are increasing in both number and geographic dispersion.

• If this trend continues, threats to US interests at home and abroad will become more diverse, leading to increasing attacks worldwide.

• Greater pluralism and more responsive political systems in Muslim majority nations would alleviate some of the grievances jihadists exploit. Over time, such progress, together with sustained, multifaceted programs targeting the vulnerabilities of the jihadist movement and continued pressure on al-Qa’ida, could erode support for the jihadists.

We assess that the global jihadist movement is decentralized, lacks a coherent global strategy, and is becoming more diffuse. New jihadist networks and cells, with anti-American agendas, are increasingly likely to emerge. The confluence of shared purpose and dispersed actors will make it harder to find and undermine jihadist groups.

• We assess that the operational threat from self-radicalized cells will grow in importance to US counterterrorism efforts, particularly abroad but also in the Homeland.

• The jihadists regard Europe as an important venue for attacking Western interests. Extremist networks inside the extensive Muslim diasporas in Europe facilitate recruitment and staging for urban attacks, as illustrated by the 2004 Madrid and 2005 London bombings.

We assess that the Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives; perceived jihadist success there would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere.

• The Iraq conflict has become the “cause celebre” for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement. Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight.

We assess that the underlying factors fueling the spread of the movement outweigh its vulnerabilities and are likely to do so for the duration of the timeframe of this Estimate.

• Four underlying factors are fueling the spread of the jihadist movement: (1) Entrenched grievances, such as corruption, injustice, and fear of Western domination, leading to anger, humiliation, and a sense of powerlessness; (2) the Iraq “jihad;” (3) the slow pace of real and sustained economic, social, and political reforms in many Muslim majority nations; and (4) pervasive anti-US sentiment among most Muslims—all of which jihadists exploit.

Concomitant vulnerabilities in the jihadist movement have emerged that, if fully exposed and exploited, could begin to slow the spread of the movement. They include dependence on the continuation of Muslim-related conflicts, the limited appeal of the jihadists’ radical ideology, the emergence of respected voices of moderation, and criticism of the violent tactics employed against mostly Muslim citizens.

• The jihadists’ greatest vulnerability is that their ultimate political solution—an ultra-conservative interpretation of shari’a-based governance spanning the Muslim world—is unpopular with the vast majority of Muslims. Exposing the religious and political straitjacket that is implied by the jihadists’ propaganda would help to divide them from the audiences they seek to persuade.

• Recent condemnations of violence and extremist religious interpretations by a few notable Muslim clerics signal a trend that could facilitate the growth of a constructive alternative to jihadist ideology: peaceful political activism. This also could lead to the consistent and dynamic participation of broader Muslim communities in rejecting violence, reducing the ability of radicals to capitalize on passive community support. In this way, the Muslim mainstream emerges as the most powerful weapon in the war on terror.

• Countering the spread of the jihadist movement will require coordinated multilateral efforts that go well beyond operations to capture or kill terrorist leaders.

If democratic reform efforts in Muslim majority nations progress over the next five years, political participation probably would drive a wedge between intransigent extremists and groups willing to use the political process to achieve their local objectives. Nonetheless, attendant reforms and potentially destabilizing transitions will create new opportunities for jihadists to exploit.

Al-Qa’ida, now merged with Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi’s network, is exploiting the situation in Iraq to attract new recruits and donors and to maintain its leadership role.

• The loss of key leaders, particularly Usama Bin Ladin, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and al-Zarqawi, in rapid succession, probably would cause the group to fracture into smaller groups. Although like-minded individuals would endeavor to carry on the mission, the loss of these key leaders would exacerbate strains and disagreements. We assess that the resulting splinter groups would, at least for a time, pose a less serious threat to US interests than does al-Qa’ida.

• Should al-Zarqawi continue to evade capture and scale back attacks against Muslims, we assess he could broaden his popular appeal and present a global threat.

• The increased role of Iraqis in managing the operations of al-Qa’ida in Iraq might lead veteran foreign jihadists to focus their efforts on external operations.

Other affiliated Sunni extremist organizations, such as Jemaah Islamiya, Ansar al- Sunnah, and several North African groups, unless countered, are likely to expand their reach and become more capable of multiple and/or mass-casualty attacks outside their traditional areas of operation.

• We assess that such groups pose less of a danger to the Homeland than does al-Qa’ida but will pose varying degrees of threat to our allies and to US interests abroad. The focus of their attacks is likely to ebb and flow between local regime targets and regional or global ones.

We judge that most jihadist groups—both well-known and newly formed—will use improvised explosive devices and suicide attacks focused primarily on soft targets to implement their asymmetric warfare strategy, and that they will attempt to conduct sustained terrorist attacks in urban environments. Fighters with experience in Iraq are a potential source of leadership for jihadists pursuing these tactics.

• CBRN capabilities will continue to be sought by jihadist groups.

While Iran, and to a lesser extent Syria, remain the most active state sponsors of terrorism, many other states will be unable to prevent territory or resources from being exploited by terrorists.

Anti-US and anti-globalization sentiment is on the rise and fueling other radical ideologies. This could prompt some leftist, nationalist, or separatist groups to adopt terrorist methods to attack US interests. The radicalization process is occurring more quickly, more widely, and more anonymously in the Internet age, raising the likelihood of surprise attacks by unknown groups whose members and supporters may be difficult to pinpoint.

• We judge that groups of all stripes will increasingly use the Internet to communicate, propagandize, recruit, train, and obtain logistical and financial support.


Congressman Tim Ryan from Ohio says Bush has made us less safe. Period:

Olberman: The "free pass" has been withdrawn, Mr. Bush…

Keith Olberman again delivers the blistering truth and this time he comments on Bill Clinton's Fox News interview. What an an honest portrayal of failed national security behavior of the Bush administration. Breathtaking! C&L has the video.

And finally tonight, a Special Comment about President Clinton’s interview. The headlines about them are, of course, entirely wrong. It is not essential that a past President, bullied and sandbagged by a monkey posing as a newscaster, finally lashed back.

It is not important that the current President’s "portable public chorus" has described his predecessor’s tone as "crazed."

Our tone should be crazed. The nation’s freedoms are under assault by an administration whose policies can do us as much damage as Al-Qaeda; the nation’s "marketplace of ideas" is being poisoned, by a propaganda company so blatant that Tokyo Rose would’ve quit. Nonetheless.

The headline is this: Bill Clinton did what almost none of us have done, in five years. He has spoken the truth about 9/11, and the current presidential administration.


"At least I tried," he said of his own efforts to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden. "That’s the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now. They had eight months to try; they did not try. I tried."

Thus in his supposed emeritus years, has Mr. Clinton taken forceful and triumphant action for honesty, and for us; action as vital and as courageous as any of his presidency; action as startling and as liberating, as any, by anyone, in these last five long years.

The Bush Administration did not try to get Osama Bin Laden before 9/11.

The Bush Administration ignored all the evidence gathered by its predecessors.

The Bush Administration did not understand the Daily Briefing entitled "Bin Laden Determined To Strike in U.S."

The Bush Administration… did… not… try.—

Moreover, for the last five years one month and two weeks, the current administration, and in particular the President, has been given the greatest "pass" for incompetence and malfeasance, in American history!

President Roosevelt was rightly blamed for ignoring the warning signs — some of them, 17 years old — before Pearl Harbor.

President Hoover was correctly blamed for — if not the Great Depression itself — then the disastrous economic steps he took in the immediate aftermath of the Stock Market Crash.

Even President Lincoln assumed some measure of responsibility for the Civil War — though talk of Southern secession had begun as early as 1832.

But not this President.

To hear him bleat and whine and bully at nearly every opportunity, one would think someone else had been President on September 11th, 2001 — or the nearly eight months that preceded it.

That hardly reflects the honesty nor manliness we expect of the Executive.

But if his own fitness to serve is of no true concern to him, perhaps we should simply sigh and keep our fingers crossed, until a grown-up takes the job three Januarys from now.

Except… for this:

After five years of skirting even the most inarguable of facts — that he was President on 9/11 and he must bear some responsibility for his, and our, unreadiness, Mr. Bush has now moved, unmistakably and without conscience or shame, towards re-writing history, and attempting to make the responsibility, entirely Mr. Clinton’s.

Of course he is not honest enough to do that directly.

As with all the other nefariousness and slime of this, our worst presidency since James Buchanan, he is having it done for him, by proxy.

Thus, the sandbag effort by Fox News, Friday afternoon.

Consider the timing: The very same weekend the National Intelligence Estimate would be released and show the Iraq war to be the fraudulent failure it is — not a check on terror, but fertilizer for it!

The kind of proof of incompetence, for which the administration and its hyenas at Fox need to find a diversion, in a scapegoat.

It was the kind of cheap trick which would get a journalist fired — but a propagandist, promoted:
Promise to talk of charity and generosity; but instead launch into the lies and distortions with which the Authoritarians among us attack the virtuous and reward the useless.

And don’t even be professional enough to assume the responsibility for the slanders yourself; blame your audience for "e-mailing" you the question.

Mr. Clinton responded as you have seen.

He told the great truth un-told… about this administration’s negligence, perhaps criminal negligence, about Bin Laden.

He was brave.

Then again, Chris Wallace might be braver still. Had I — in one moment surrendered all my credibility as a journalist — and been irredeemably humiliated, as was he, I would have gone home and started a new career selling seeds by mail.

The smearing by proxy, of course, did not begin Friday afternoon.

Disney was first to sell-out its corporate reputation, with "The Path to 9/11."

Of that company’s crimes against truth one needs to say little. Simply put: someone there enabled an Authoritarian zealot to belch out Mr. Bush’s new and improved history.

The basic plot-line was this: because he was distracted by the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Bill Clinton failed to prevent 9/11.

The most curious and in some ways the most infuriating aspect of this slapdash theory, is that the Right Wingers who have advocated it — who try to sneak it into our collective consciousness through entertainment, or who sandbag Mr. Clinton with it at news interviews — have simply skipped past its most glaring flaw.

Had it been true that Clinton had been distracted from the hunt for Bin Laden in 1998 because of the Lewinsky nonsense — why did these same people not applaud him for having bombed Bin Laden’s camps in Afghanistan and Sudan on August 20th of that year? For mentioning Bin Laden by name as he did so?

That day, Republican Senator Grams of Minnesota invoked the movie "Wag The Dog."

Republican Senator Coats of Indiana questioned Mr. Clinton’s judgment.

Republican Senator Ashcroft of Missouri — the future Attorney General — echoed Coats.

Even Republican Senator Arlen Specter questioned the timing.

And of course, were it true Clinton had been "distracted" by the Lewinsky witch-hunt — who on earth conducted the Lewinsky witch-hunt? Who turned the political discourse of this nation on its head for two years?

Who corrupted the political media?

Who made it impossible for us to even bring back on the air, the counter-terrorism analysts like Dr. Richard Haass, and James Dunegan, who had warned, at this very hour, on this very network, in early 1998, of cells from the Middle East who sought to attack us, here?

Who preempted them… in order to strangle us with the trivia that was… "All Monica All The Time"?

Who… distracted whom?

This is, of course, where — as is inevitable — Mr. Bush and his henchmen prove not quite as smart as they think they are.

The full responsibility for 9/11 is obviously shared by three administrations, possibly four.

But, Mr. Bush, if you are now trying to convince us by proxy that it’s all about the distractions of 1998 and 1999, then you will have to face a startling fact that your minions may have hidden from you.

The distractions of 1998 and 1999, Mr. Bush, were carefully manufactured, and lovingly executed, not by Bill Clinton… but by the same people who got you… elected President.

Thus instead of some commendable acknowledgment that you were even in office on 9/11 and the lost months before it… we have your sleazy and sloppy rewriting of history, designed by somebody who evidently redd the Orwell playbook too quickly.

Thus instead of some explanation for the inertia of your first eight months in office, we are told that you have kept us "safe" ever since — a statement that might range anywhere from Zero, to One Hundred Percent, true.

We have nothing but your word, and your word has long since ceased to mean anything.

And, of course, the one time you have ever given us specifics about what you have kept us safe from, Mr. Bush — you got the name of the supposedly targeted Tower in Los Angeles… wrong.

Thus was it left for the previous President to say what so many of us have felt; what so many of us have given you a pass for in the months and even the years after the attack:

You did not try.

You ignored the evidence gathered by your predecessor.

You ignored the evidence gathered by your own people.

Then, you blamed your predecessor.

That would be the textbook definition… Sir, of cowardice.

To enforce the lies of the present, it is necessary to erase the truths of the past.

That was one of the great mechanical realities Eric Blair — writing as George Orwell — gave us in the novel "1984."

The great philosophical reality he gave us, Mr. Bush, may sound as familiar to you, as it has lately begun to sound familiar to me.

"The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power…

"Power is not a means; it is an end.

"One does not establish a dictatorship to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.

"The object of persecution, is persecution. The object of torture, is torture. The object of power… is power."

Earlier last Friday afternoon, before the Fox ambush, speaking in the far different context of the closing session of his remarkable Global Initiative, Mr. Clinton quoted Abraham Lincoln’s State of the Union address from 1862.

"We must disenthrall ourselves."

Mr. Clinton did not quote the rest of Mr. Lincoln’s sentence. He might well have.

"We must disenthrall ourselves — and then… we shall save our country."

And so has Mr. Clinton helped us to disenthrall ourselves, and perhaps enabled us, even at this late and bleak date… to save… our… country.

—

The "free pass" has been withdrawn, Mr. Bush…

You did not act to prevent 9/11.

We do not know what you have done, to prevent another 9/11.

You have failed us — then leveraged that failure, to justify a purposeless war in Iraq which will have, all too soon, claimed more American lives than did 9/11.

You have failed us anew in Afghanistan.

And you have now tried to hide your failures, by blaming your predecessor.

And now you exploit your failure, to rationalize brazen torture — which doesn’t work anyway; which only condemns our soldiers to water-boarding; which only humiliates our country further in the world; and which no true American would ever condone, let alone advocate.And there it is, sir:

Are yours the actions of a true American?

I’m K.O., good night, and good luck.

Yes folks we are less safe

Truth Serum Alert:

"A 30-page National Intelligence Estimate completed in April cites the "centrality" of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the insurgency that has followed, as the leading inspiration for new Islamic extremist networks and cells that are united by little more than an anti-Western agenda," the Washington Post reported earlier today.

"It concludes that, rather than contributing to eventual victory in the global counterterrorism struggle, the situation in Iraq has worsened the U.S. position, according to officials familiar with the classified document," wrote Karen DeYoung for the Post.

Democrats are slamming the Bush Administration for not being 'honest' about the Iraq war. This true but really call it like it is...


Bush Lied!

Dream Team: Kinky Friedman and George Allen

What to these two men have in Common?

We all know about Kinky and his love for the word, "nigger". This is awful and Kinky should drop out the Texas Governor's race today. Well now he has company in the field of people who should never run for office. His name George Allen and his use of the word comes out of his mouth faster than you can say "macaca".

The politcal future of these two candidates is toast, I hope. But I can see it now...a Klan 08 dream ticket. There's only one problem though, Allen hates Jews just as much as he does blacks.

So Kinky, you're in a tough situation. Do us all a favor and go back to what you do best.

Taking care of stray dogs and selling hot sauce.

Democrats - fun in the sun in Sugar Land

The Fort Bend County Democratic Party hosted a area-wide picnic slash rally today in Oyster Creek in Sugar Land. I got there early and yes it was friggin' hot. My four year old made sure I was aware of that. The short while I was there I did get hear great speeches by Nick Lampson, Al Green and Shane Sklar. The people were great, down to earth and I got my extra stash of yard signs and bumper stickers.

Overall a great day...the horns won, the Astros beat the Cards again and the Democrats look stronger by the day. Just ask the "gang block walk" crew.

Middle East policy failure

A Shiite Muslim Sheik watches as Hezbollah supporters wave their group's flags during a Hezbollah 'victory over Israel' rally, in Beirut's bombed-out suburbs, Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 22, 2006. Hezbollah's leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah made his first public appearance since his group's war with Israel began July 12, taking the stage Friday before the gigantic rally.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

The Bush White House policy of stabalizing the Middle East is a complete failure. Our enemies hate us more and friends are not happy. Now you see why our country needs a new direction?

It‘s just another bump in the road

for Tom DeLay

Texas‘ highest criminal appeals court agreed Wednesday to consider reinstating a conspiracy charge against former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay , a move that could delay his trial until next year.

"It‘s just another bump in the road," DeLay attorney Dick DeGuerin said.

Who's playing with your gas money?

My wife, a good Democrat, called me at work today and asked if I the gas prices would drop to two dollars or lower by the November elections. I thought this was odd due to the fact that I had mentioned it to her on more than occasion that it would just in time to give the Republican base something to feel good about around election time. Even with all the misery caused by the gang of thugs there are some who would fall into the trap of the party in power working for them by lowing the price at the gas pump BUSH-shit. The reality is big oil has done fine...no has done great with the Bush Crime Family in power.

Wow, that felt good! Anyway, I think she's a believer now.



American voters are sooo stupid.
They could easily fall for this bullshit.
If they do, gas will be $4 at Christmas.- Bartcop

A Threat to our national security - Diebold

Hacking into one of these things is the real deal. This is some scary shit and the possibility of some corrupt shit-head stealing my vote pisses me off.

What shall you do? Snave suggests absentee voting is a solution to the Diebold problem and has a link that lists absentee ballot voting information for all the states.

Absentee Voter Guide

The only candidate gaining steam is ... Chris Bell

Funny how the guys on the local trash radio hate Rick Perry so much that they now think Kinky and his dirty mouth could be the surprise candidate to take it all and Chris Bell to finish in a miserable fourth place. Somebody tell Dan Patrick the good Shepard is a racist.

An oh yeah...HELLO! and HELLO!

The more Texans see of the three major candidates for governor, the more some like the fourth.

Three weeks into the TV campaign by Gov. Rick Perry and independent challengers Kinky Friedman and Carole Strayhorn, the only candidate gaining steam is ...Chris Bell?

One month from the start of voting, the Democratic Party nominee is still -- to borrow his own term for his Texas education plan -- a "moon shot" away from landing in the Governor's Mansion in January.

But for the moment, the gangly former yell leader for the Highland Park Scots seems to be edging ahead of the two cartoonish independent candidates, maybe because Texas has seen them plenty already.

One Republican close to the campaign already thinks this is a Perry-Bell race.

That Republican would be Perry.

So sad...so true

It's a toss up

Republican friendly Rasmussen reports.

Little more than a week ago, our Balance of Power summary showed the Republicans leading 50-45 with five states in the Toss-Up category. Today, Rasmussen Reports is changing three races from "Toss-Up" to "Leans Democrat." As a result, Rasmussen Reports now rates 49 seats as Republican or Leans Republican while 48 seats are rated as Democrat or Leans Democrat (see State-by-State Summary). There are now just three states in the Toss-Up category--Tennessee, New Jersey, and Missouri.

Today’s changes all involve Republican incumbents who have been struggling all year. In Montana, Senator Conrad Burns (R) has fallen behind Jon Tester (D). Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee (R) survived his primary but starts the General Election as a decided underdog. Sherrod Brown (D) is enjoying a growing lead over Ohio Senator Mike DeWine (R).

Rasmussen has never had Bush below 40% in the approval polls (shock) even while others polled in the lower 30's. Well, today per Rasmussen, Bubble Boy has lost his 9-11 free bump in the polls and has slid back to his near low point of 41%. His plan to scare America on to victory isn't going to work this time except to a maybe to a few of the lost souls here my neck of the woods. And to top it off, Collin Powell again tells the White House to quit fucking with his country. Honestly, who would your trust?

I don't see how this helps the GOP in the least bit.

In honor of Willie

I have to give it to Willie for being a 73 year old party animal. Kind of make you wonder about Kinky, doesn't it?

Guess who's coming to dinner?

I knew it was coming but could you imagine the people who would attend such a gathering. It gives me the chills just thinking about it. The last time the Dick was in town he paid the guy who actually did "cut and run" a visit and raised $500,000. Shelley doesn't have that kind of pull so you can surely bet on poor ole' Tom being there to grab the attention from the Shelley Whatever write-in person.

What a classic gathering. Here you have one guy who has yet to tell the truth and a so called candidate who has convinced herself she is ahead in a poll she conducted. He has has a 20% approval rating and she is...well...you know. Oh and the guy arriving to help the struggling GOP is the Dick... who is Cheney if need a little help to fugure that out

Vice President Dick Cheney will be traveling to Houston to raise funds for the Congressional campaign of Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, several sources told the Fort Bend Herald this week.

Sekula-Gibbs, a Republican, is running for the District 22 seat as a write-in candidate. She joined the race in August after courts ruled that the Republican Party could not appoint a candidate to replace Tom DeLay on the ballot. DeLay withdrew his name from consideration in August after resigning the office.

Also running is Democrat Nick Lampson and and Libertarian Bob Smither, who has said he is picking up support from disaffected Republicans.

Shelley needs our help?

Same old story

Things are looking better in Iraq...

Insurgents killed at least 23 people with a wave of vehicle bombs across Iraq's ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk on Sunday, one day after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki urged Iraqis to embrace reconciliation.

At least 73 other people were wounded in the coordinated blasts caused by a huge suicide truck bomb and four car bombs which rocked oil-rich Kirkuk, a flashpoint city north of Baghdad disputed by Sunni Arabs, ethnic Kurds and Turkmen.

In the deadliest explosion, a suicide attacker driving a truck rigged with explosives blew himself up outside a police center and the offices of two top Kurdish parties, killing 17 people, mostly civilians, police said. The toll included 10 women and two children visiting relatives held by police.

Huh? This is it folks...this is the national story for the 06 elections. Don't let the boogeymen scare you otherwise.

A day in Texas

I got my signs up

A big thanks to Don Bankston and Charles for the placement of the campaign signs at our business this morning. The Fort Bend Democrats get a nice contribution and we got our signs for this very busy road. Awesome!

Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards dies at 73

AUSTIN — Ann Richards, who shed the role of homemaker to rise through Texas politics to become the state's 45th governor and a national celebrity, died today after a six-month battle with cancer. She was 73.

Richards was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in March.

Richards was the quintessential Texas woman, with a sassy homespun charm, sharp wit and tough pioneer spirit. With bright silver hair, a weathered face and an affinity for cobalt blue suits and pearls, Richards was instantly recognizable to national television audiences.

As a Democratic politician, Richards' 1990 race for governor against Republican cowboy oilman Clayton Williams became a battle of the sexes. Her victory symbolically broke down gender barriers for a generation of Texas women who were seeking professional careers.

Richards labeled her administration the "New Texas," appointing more Hispanics, blacks and women to state boards and commissions than any previous governor. She pushed for increases in public education funding and promoted business expansion in the state. - Chron.con

We will miss you, Ann.

Docu-Drama this

AWOL with "My Pet Goat" on 9-11

BuzzFlash remembers...

Today's television garbage

On my way to Austin

Go Horns! See ya soon.

Southern Women: Bush worst president since Ulysses S. Grant

Southern women as the rest of the country are waking up to the lies of the miserable failure. I guess now I know why he's trying to scare the shit out them...

President Bush's once-solid relationship with Southern women is on the rocks. "I think history will show him to be the worst president since Ulysses S. Grant," said Barbara Knight, a self-described Republican since birth and the mother of three. "He's been an embarrassment." In the heart of Dixie, comparisons to Grant, a symbol of the Union, is the worst sort of insult, especially from a Macon woman who voted for Bush in 2000 but turned away in 2004.

From Whitehouse.gov on Grant. You make the call.

When he was elected, the American people hoped for an end to turmoil. Grant provided neither vigor nor reform. Looking to Congress for direction, he seemed bewildered. One visitor to the White House noted "a puzzled pathos, as of a man with a problem before him of which he does not understand the terms."

There always is the scary few...

"There are some people, and I'm one of them, that believe George Bush was placed where he is by the Lord," Tomanio said. "I don't care how he governs, I will support him. I'm a Republican through and through."

Kind of reminds you of the Tom DeLay crowd doesn't it?

$30,000 or $3,000,000 What's the difference?

I guess this is why the righties hate the chron so much...

Lampson has already set the pace for spending. By the end of June he had $2.2 million cash on hand and spent about $80,000. His campaign spokesman Mike Malaise said Lampson should have more than $3 million in contributions and the campaign plans to use every bit of it. "It's not in our plans to have any money left over," Malaise said.

Sekula-Gibbs had about $30,000 in the bank at the end of June, two months after she began raising money.

Some Republicans in the district are skeptical the national parties will plunk down much money at all.

They wish. I look at it this way, I foresee the Dems pumping some money in to ensure they win the race in a district Tom DeLay royally screwed up for his party. Now on the other side, why in the hell would the GOP send three dollars, much less 3 million to a little known dermatologist who is a write-in candidate. But then again, they seem to have forgotten how they got their head up their ass in the past few months so nothing surprises me. Just wondering? How long before she used the term "Islamic fascists"?


Show me the pennies!

Wesley Clark needs more air time

because he made Neil Cavuto look like such a schmuck...

Lampson challenger lies in new push poll

Here is the email note I received from the Lampson team.

Dear me,

We knew it was coming -- a nasty smear campaign against Nick Lampson. Last week, in a desperate attempt to add credibility to her congressional campaign, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs began push polling in our district.

A push poll is a telephone interview, which tries to disguise itself as a poll, but is really just an effort to push negative and often untrue information about an opponent to households within the district. Our opponent's poll was filled with inaccuracies and outright lies about Nick Lampson's record.

Even more disturbing, her poll was filled with distortions of her own record. For example, our opponent told voters that she had secured "millions" in resources for NASA. Last time we checked, she has never served in any office that could secure as much as one dime for NASA. You would think she could learn a lesson from Tom DeLay about how this kind of dishonesty can come back to haunt you. But, apparently, she has not. So, at least for two months, this district will get "more of the same" from our opposition.

It is unfortunate that our opponent will not be running an honest campaign based on the issues. Instead, she is working on a smoke and mirrors polling effort to make herself look more viable as a candidate, and she is running a campaign of distortion to try and answer Nick Lampson's record of service and integrity.

But we are ready for the fight. Nick is traveling all across the district holding meetings in people's homes, talking to local community organizations, and working hard for every vote. Between our door knocks and phone calls, our field program has reached out to over 60,000 voters to make sure they hear first-hand the great things Nick will do for the people of this district. While our opponent is running so-called push polls to take petty and dishonest shots at Nick Lampson and show pseudo-support for herself, we are going to continue talking to voters about things like fiscal discipline, homeland security, and education.

Soon, we will begin our push on broadcast television and we will begin mailing people in the district. Help us fight the negative, dishonest tactics of our opponent. Make a contribution to our campaign today!

http://lampson.com/contribute

Bluer in Fort Bend

I took a road trip to Austin for the Labor day weekend which was great as usual. I must say my heart remained in Sugar Land as I missed out on the The Fort Bend Blue event on Sunday. Good people, great candidates and awesome barbecue. Muse has a quick breakdown of the evening and pointed out this event wasn't just the same ole party loyals. Amen!

One of the cool things for me was that the crowd wasn't just the same old die hards you see at every event. I get kind of used to that. I go to a political event and see all of my friends and a few new faces. This wasn't like that at all. These are the voters and activists who are going to turn Fort Bend Blue on Nov. 7th!

Bryan, as usual, puts his camera to excellent use.

Ok, Susan and Don, call me it's time to put the big signs up...

Republican agenda 06

Will America get suckered again?

It's all in a name

Here's something funny. DeLay has a new book deal in the works but here's the kicker...his proposed title is "No Retreat, No Surrender: The American Passion of Tom DeLay". With a nickname of "cut and run" Tom... you get the idea what most people think of him around here.