It Looks Like This (sorry, no ice cream) 

Two More Failures in the War on Terrorism

As if we wanted or needed them, two more examples about the lack of seriousness or competence in the Bush Administration war on terrorism are highlighted in this Mathew Yglesias article, describing the US freezing of assets of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group and the failure of the US to secure sites with Iraqi nuclear material after our troops overran the country.

The US has considered Zarqawi a major terrorist threat since before the war. It was in part his presence in Iraq that the US used to try to tie Saddam to Al-Qaeda (which is easy to do, as long as you overlook the fact that Zarqawi's group and al-Qaeda do not have a collaborative relationship and that Zarqawi was in a part of Iraq not controlled by Saddam even before the war). In the last six onths or so he has become infamous for kidnapping and beheading foreigners. Despite that, we are just now freezing his assets?

Another justification, the major justification, for the war was that Iraq had WMD and nuclear weapons that they might use against us or pass on to terrorists. Despite this expressed concern, no attempt at all was made to secure former Iraqi nuclear installations until weeks after the fall of Saddam's government. Even since then security has been lax and as a result, entire blocks of buildings at these sites have been dismantled and their contents taken to who knows where.

How can we possibly take seriously a President who claims to be tough on terrorists and would allow things like this to happen?

The End of the World

My daughter said that "everybody has seen this video," but it's just now worked it's way around to me. It's funny, but as with so many of these things, people who are squeamish about language blah blah blah.

The Businesses Supporting Genocide in Sudan

Remember how divestment helped uproot the apartheid regime in South Africa? There's a move afoot in Congress (HR 5061)to require disclosure of those firms that are propping up the genocidal regime in Sudan. The thinking is that companies (mostly multinationals based in Europe that trade on the NYSE) will wilt under the glare of publicity tying them to mass murder. I think that may be naive in this day and age, but still a noble and necessary attempt at it must be made. This has been approved by the House (412-3) and passed to the Senate. Contact your Senators and ask for their support for HR 5061.

Progressive Politics

In a comment about Ralph Nader, Oliver Willis says, "If you vote for Nader, don't expect to have a seat at the table of progressive politics for the next decade." In the Democratic Party, the table of progressive politics is the little table out in the living room, while the grownups from the DNC and the centrists eat at the big table. I'm not voting for Nader this time, but I'm not really too concerned with getting the table scraps the Democrats toss to the progressives once every four years or so. The Democrats are primarily concerned with getting elected, and this time around I'm willing to help them because of the overall malevolence of the Bush Administration. Unless I have completely misjudged John Kerry, though (and I am very willing to find that I have), I don't expect that his policies for the preservation of planet Earth and the reining in of the multinationals will be much more useful than Bill Clinton's were.

Big Media Hackery

I don't watch the pre- or post-debate analysis because I frankly just can't stand the aggravation of having people tell me I didn't see something I quite obviously know that I did. I didn't see then, the "expert" commentary on MSNBC following the debate, and didn't hear Andrea Mitchell state that Kerry "frankly, pandered on the issue of Social Security."

So what, you say? In his answer to Shieffer's loaded question on Social Security, Kerry quite clearly showed that he doesn't think much of Alan Greenspan's thoughts on the viability of Social Security and what needs to be done to protect it. Greenspan is, as most do not know, the HUSBAND of Andrea Mitchell. Did Andrea Mitchell reveal this as she made her remarks? No. Did anybody else on the MSNBC panel? No.

One of the things that professional journalists like to say differentiates them from bloggers is that they (the PJs) have professional ethics. So when, I'm wondering, will they start putting them on display?

Not Worried About Osama

John Kerry: "Six months after he said Osama bin Laden must be caught dead or alive, this president was asked, 'Where is Osama bin Laden? " He said, "I don't know. I don't really think about him very much. I'm not that concerned.' "

George Bush: "Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those exaggerations."

Of course, Bush did say that. (Video link via Atrios)

Under the circumstances, the quote would be awfully hard to justify. But to lie about it? When within minutes (according to Kevin Drum) the Kerry campaign had flooded the internet with the original quote? How can the President of the United States be so unconcerned that the whole world can see that he is just flat out lying? (You have no idea how often I've asked myself that question over the last three years).

Minimum Wage Increase

I have to question whether those workers who would most benefit from an increased minimum wage would benefit as much from increased education standards. The President's replay suggests this is the case.

Shieffer's an Ass

Mr. Shieffer...do we all really know that Social Security is running out of money?

There's your liberal media bias for you.

The Idiot's Grin

Apparently his staff has spent the last week coaching Bush to grin like an idiot every time Kerry says something that Bush doesn't have an intelligent response to. That grin is pasted on his face.

Atrocities in Iraq?

This story from a talk Seymour Hersh gave at Berkeley is one of those things I hope is wrong but I fear is right. Whenever I hear stories about fire fights in Iraq that tell us of a particular number of insurgents being killed, I wonder what it is about the dead that identifies them as insurgents, rather than Iraqis who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This description plays on my worst fears.

The story appears at about 41:45 of the video. If you have time, keep watching through.