Rootz!

Everything Okay over there ??

there’s no way i could be first. but keep it up.
good work.

Joe actually thinks the way to win a Democratic primary is to act like a Republican and treat Democrats like 12-year olds who just don’t understand. It had better not work…

Steve at 2 — the damn computer ate my original draft of the post — which was a longer, more detailed version. Hate it when that happens, but it was my own fault — I clicked the wrong button and instead of posting, I went back one page. And I hadn’t saved as I was going along like I normally do. SIGH Hate it when that happens.

I was wondering…….. Well, It might be one of those days.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the Detroit News poll yesterday.

And yes, this is a thread-jacking, but you REALLY have to see this racist ad in Michigan: http://jesseowensrules.blogspot.com/

Anonymous Michigan conservatives hired an ad agency to compare Democrats to Hitler and they used Jesse Owens to do it. It’s the swift boating (literally) of Jen Granholm — and Scamway heir Dick DeVos is playing George Bush.

“I love you George”

“I love you too Joey”

“Geroge… I can’t quit you!”

Stopping by on the way to work this AM — people on previous threads asked about what caught their attention close to midway through the debate — the obviously VERY local station dumped into a promo for the 11pm newscast. There was no audience — that studio is teeny.

New poll at the Hartford Courant this AM http://www.courant.com on who won — sadly, “did not watch” is winning with 46%

While we are talking about whether the Democratic Party has left Joe Lieberman or Slow-mo has left the Democratic Party, may I provide a little information on whether Tom Delay has left the Texas Republican Party or the TRP has left the U.S. Constitution?

I don’t know whether this has been provided, but here is the Opinion (decision) of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Texas Democratic Party v. Tina Benkiser, Chairwoman of the Republican Party of Texas:

http://www.txwd.uscourts.gov/a.....pinion.pdf

This is the case that leaves Tom Delay on the November ballot in Texas. The resolution of the case involves the question whether the Republican Party of Texas and state law can set requirements for eligibility of candidates for federal office, or whether only Congress under the U.S. Constitution can do so. The court ruled that only Congress can do so, so Delay stays on the ballot.

It will be, of course, appealed.

Fallout and next steps at this Houston Chronicle article: Democrats pleased with ruling; Texas GOP appealing

I had to turn off the debate about halfway through. They kept letting Joe get the last word in on everything and seemed too intimidated to cut him off when he was out of line. It’s getting so close to the elections and all this stuff raises my blood pressure to the danger level. At some point I’m going to have to bail out on paying such close attention to all the politics and just start hanging out with my cat to mellow out.

Steve Clark 11 - I had the same reaction to the debate. Joe was pissing me off much like when Chimpy is on TV, I often change channels or mute him. Someone should tell Joe that the debate is structured so they each get equal time and it is very rude, and not to mention unprofessional, to keep interrupting with snippy little comments.

Who is Ned Lamont? Joe, he’s the guy that is going to kick your ass in the primary.

i sent off an email to boxer’s office yesterday but have yet to hear back. i kept it brief and asked her why she was endorsing joe’s canidadcy given his ardent support for the war which she voted against and his spotty record on progressive issues which she always champions. i’ll be interested to see if i get an actual answer, or just a “thanks for making your opinion known” reply.

e.c.

Christy -

you’ve got mail

off the above topic but never-the-less related - editorial at NY Times about the Dem’s war strategy

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07.....rubin.html

and thanx to cujo, i now can link….

OfT: As usual, d r i f t g l a s s is, well, d r i f t g l a s s.

http://driftglass.blogspot.com.....manqu.html

FWIW - Brian Lehrer on WNYC is devoting the first hour of his show (10-11 AM ET) to parsing the debate and taking calls, in his usual pretty fair and direct way. It’s available on line streaming and podcast @wnyc.org.

e.c.

I emailed Boxer two days ago, and I’m still waiting . . .

Maybe her “constituent services” intern is on vacation.

Bwwwaaaaa…..Liebermans internal polling confirms that the CT. primary voters are realizing that politicians are very much like diapers… when full they should be changed.

Christy,
I am sorry and I am not trying to hijack the thread, but I am looking for info.

According to the Chicago Tribune, yesterday while Shrub was eating wig Daley (which was supposed to do something to boost Shrub’s polls–don’t ask) Daley got the news that Team Fitz won it’s conviction in the Chicago City Hall hiring case.

The Trib thinks this has directly damaged Bush. Pat DID NOT ATTEND THE PRESS CONFERENCE according to the video the Trib had up and there are ZERO quotes from in and any of the 5-6 articles I have read so far.

When I first heard that Shrub was going to Chicago, I expressed a little concern that Pat may have been Saturday Night Massacred. I don’t see, but admit I have just started looking, any mention of Pat being somewhere else.

Question: does any body know why he was not at the press conference? has there been a press sighting? Does anyone KNOW of an innocent explaination for this? (So I don’t spned a day doing research instead of doing my job)

Thanks.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming

Prof

Just FYI on the Delay ruling — I read it yesterday and the final footnote sums up the Court’s opinion: the change in residency was just an attempt to circumvent Texas’ “no replacement of a candidate who withdraws after the primary” rule.

It is a fairly solid opinion. The ultimate conclusion is that Delay says he lives in Virginia today, but there is nothing keeping him from living in Texas on election day — the only day that constitutionally matters. I would be VERY surprised if the Fifth Circuit bothered. Sparks is no Hughs (insider Fed Judge talk) and the Appellate Court does not have much to go on to disrupt the District Court finding.

Boxer lives in the San Francisco area — a phone call to her office there would be most efficacious. Faxes are good too. Internets get clogged up in the tubes full of Emails so they arent all that useful anymore.

Looking at the Hartford Courant poll, if you count those who watched and expressed an opinion it’s 69/31 Lamont. If you include those who said it was a draw, it’s 65/30 Lamont.

I’ll take those odds.

OT, but deserving of inflammatory indignation. From Soldiers For The Truth:

http://www.sftt.us/cgi-bin/csN.....abase=HOME DefenseWatch FTE 2.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=1&rnd=139.6759073938464

A recent IED attack has surfaced an ugly truth — the Grunts doing the great majority of fighting and dying in Iraq are considered “more expendable” than their REMF comrades, and the people making this determination are themselves, you guessed it, REMFs!!
.
.
The 4/1 SPPT Team was traveling back from Salman Pak to Camp Rustamiyah along EFP alley (RTE Pluto South) on Sunday May 14th about 5:15pm in a 3 vehicle convoy. About 3 miles from Camp Rustamiyah, the first Humvee was hit by a massive roadside bomb called an EFP. The bomb blew the HUMVEE into the air and created a giant cloud of debris, dirt and pavement. . . The two soldiers in the front were trapped inside the burning vehicle and died. . . The gunner was pulled from the wreckage and was severely wounded with shrapnel wounds from the spalling. The Medic with the SPTT Team was able to start working on the gunner to save his life and we gave the interpreter aid as best as we could. A MEDIVAC was immediately called for the litter urgent and critical soldier and the QRF rolled from the FOB. About 10 minutes later the tanks and HUMVEES of the QRF got there and secured the area.
.
.
The MEDIVAC was denied because we could not guarantee the LZ was not hot. Even with the QRF securing the area, the MEDIVAC was not launched. We were told we had to transport the severely wounded soldier and interpreter back to the FOB, have the aid station stabilize them and the MEDIVAC would then fly to the FOB to pick them up. . . Thank God this soldier is still alive and on his way to Landstuhl. The two [dead] soldiers were eventually pulled from the wreckage after a HEMMIT with a tank pump unit put out the fire that engulfed the wrecked HUMVEE. It took the HEMMIT almost an hour to get to the site, 3 miles away from the FOB, because the KBR contracted Fire Department and EMT unit refused to leave the FOB, because their contract states they will ONLY work within the protection of the FOB. . . Their brand new fire engines and rescue vehicles were waiting inside the gate when we finally towed the wrecked HUMVEE back. . . . When we asked why the MEDIVAC would not land on a secured LZ to MEDIVAC the critically wounded soldier, we were told “the policy is that we cannot afford to lose a Blackhawk and crew flying into potentially hostile LZ.” We work in Salman Pak, which is almost an hour southeast of Baghdad. If a soldier is wounded, we are expected to self evac him back to Rustamiyah because “it is too dangerous” to send a MEDIVAC, Ambulance or M113 combat medic vehicle (even if it is with the QRF). From he time we landed in Kuwait and after we arrived in Iraq, we were given MEDIVAC procedure cards and even given a MEDIVAC Freq . We were told that all we had to do is call and follow the procedures on the card and a MEDIVAC would be launched. This is BOGUS! ALL Soldiers need to know that unless they are at a FOB, the MEDIVAC will not be launched. Fire departments, EMT, combat medic vehicles, field ambulances all have orders not to leave the FOB because it is to “dangerous.” The reality is if you are wounded, you are SOL until your own unit puts you into a HUMVEE and you get back to the FOB.

So. The grunts outside of the perimeter not only can’t expect (although they’re told to expect!) a helicopter medivac, but the KBR operated fire trucks and ambulances won’t come for the either “because their contract states they will ONLY work within the protection of the FOB”!

In armies everywhere, for decades if not centuries, the tendency of the REMF’s is to look out for themselves at the expense of they troops at the point of the spear. That can only be countered by responsible leadership. And when you don’t have leaders with character at the civilian-political level, it decays at the upper and middle military levels as well.

I can’t remember when I’ve read something that pissed me off so much. And there’s plenty to read that pisses one off these days.

PS of the long link above doesn’t work go to www.sftt.org and click on the Roger Charles piece entitled “Abandoned On The Killing Fields - No Medivac Coming”.

the Preznit will be doing a press conference at 11am ET — half an hour from now …

Hey, jim preston, if you’re here, thanks for that link in your comment last thread. That E. J. Dionne bit in WaPo is definitely a Must-Read. I’ve been telling my kids we should watch the Mexican election outcome as a learning opportunity about electoral processes.

GG 7:09 am — hey, send me an email, I’m in MI and would like to formulate a response to that bit of nasty work. rayne_today (at) yahoo.com

Joe isn’t the only mole. Feinstein joins him as a neocon thoroughbred. The Democratic Party needs resolution of it’s platform-any platform-before our country is diluted into a single party with one aim; world domination through force.

The push and shove in the struggle for dwindling resources can be resolved by different means. Thats what our mouths are for. Those like Lieberman and Feinstein have settled on war and dangerous military-industrial hybridizing. Not a good show of ethics.

As for Boxer: Her support for a neocon is outrageous. This is not going to go away for her. She has some explaining to do to us loyalists.

The voters of Connecticut and California need to be put on high alert.

I just spoke to a lady in Boxer’s office. She is claiming that it would be ILLEGAL for her to comment on any position Boxer has with regard to the CT Dem primary.

Time to open up in this disingenuous hack with both barrels, folks.

24, minnesotachuck: yeah, I’d heard that. Oh….for a few of you here, “REMF” is lingo for, and pardon language….Rear Echelon Mother Fucker. The rest of the initials “stuff” in the article are just primarily unit desinations. The POINT is how the Brass is letting soldiers die over there to save equipment. Tragic. And, I COULD just about choke Rummy. But I’m a man of peace.

Ghostman

“And while Ned Lamont’s most fervent acolytes occasionally seem to be writing for Tiger Beat, last night he was cool and precise and extremely disciplined. I don’t know what kind of senator he’d make, but I wouldn’t go into a business deal against him without body armor.”

–Charles “where roam free” Pierce

Something tells me that we’re all a little cranky today - well, I am, anyway. You’d think I would be in a fine mood - it being such a short work week, but I think I get to a point where ALL the BS going on eventually gets to me. Sigh…

Anyway, I am just tired of Joe Lieberman, and I’m hoping that by the time August 8 gets here, the majority of Connecticut voters will be feeling the same way. Really, from what I’ve read, Joe has been virtually unseen in CT these last 6 years, so his “We’ve cried together” comment ought to have everyone in CT thinking “yeah, right - but yours were crocodile tears.”

Ned needs to clue CT voters in on Joe’s charade of casting “principled” votes only when it didn’t matter, and should reveal his committee voting record - that’s where the truth is.

I hope Lieberbaby’s “Who is Ned Lamont?” talking point is answered for him when Lamont uses it to bite Joe in his wrinkly (never seen it, but how could it not be?) ass. Not only can Ned make an effective case for who he is, he can also make an effective case for who Lieberbaby is. The “Kiss” photo is going to be the dominant image of this campaign, and there’s nothing Lieberbaby can say about it that will make it go away, or change its meaning. Add the growing evidence of Lieberman’s anger problem - anger that never seems to be directed at the opposition party, only at opposition from his fellow party members - at least the ones who dare to question his positions and ask him to be accountable for them.

This isn’t helping my rantful mood, so I’ll stop now. *g*

*ilson — what is the presser for???

OT. A very disturbing story, among several in today’s NYT, about the US military allowing increasing numbers of skinheads to enlist, and the consequences thereof.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07.....mp;emc=rss

A decade after the Pentagon declared a zero-tolerance policy for racist hate groups, recruiting shortfalls caused by the war in Iraq have allowed “large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists” to infiltrate the military, according to a watchdog organization.

[snip]

The report quotes Scott Barfield, a Defense Department investigator, saying, “Recruiters are knowingly allowing neo-Nazis and white supremacists to join the armed forces, and commanders don’t remove them from the military even after we positively identify them as extremists or gang members.”

Mr. Barfield said Army recruiters struggled last year to meet goals. “They don’t want to make a big deal again about neo-Nazis in the military,” he said, “because then parents who are already worried about their kids signing up and dying in Iraq are going to be even more reluctant about their kids enlisting if they feel they’ll be exposed to gangs and white supremacists.”

[snip]

An article in the National Alliance magazine Resistance urged skinheads to join the Army and insist on being assigned to light infantry units.

The Southern Poverty Law Center identified the author as Steven Barry, who it said was a former Special Forces officer who was the alliance’s “military unit coordinator.”

“Light infantry is your branch of choice because the coming race war and the ethnic cleansing to follow will be very much an infantryman’s war,” he wrote. “It will be house-to-house, neighborhood-by-neighborhood until your town or city is cleared and the alien races are driven into the countryside where they can be hunted down and ‘cleansed.’ “

He concluded: “As a professional soldier, my goal is to fill the ranks of the United States Army with skinheads. As street brawlers, you will be useless in the coming race war. As trained infantrymen, you will join the ranks of the Aryan warrior brotherhood.”

Another major story is about the guy accused of rape and murder, but that’s another post.

In the meantime, our President is throwing up one distraction after another. The last is a campaign trip around the country to “find out what the American people are thinking.” We’re thinking this guy and his neocon apologists and Republican rubber stamps are running our country into the ground and destroying its moral authority and international image for decades.

CTblogger message for Rayne:

CT: “Oh, that’s good. I’ll take it.”

Egregious email to CT last night–

fdl blogger has this for you:
39
Rayne says
July 6th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
EPU’d, previous thread:
BarbaraB - somebody beat me to it [buying the domain WhoIsNedLamont.com], and I don’t know if they’re somebody from “our team”.
Any Firepups got scoop on it, dish it out here.
In the mean time, I need to find somebody in CT who’s pro-Lamont who wants the Blogger site I set up, http://whoisnedlamont.blogspot.com.
Firepups, help me out here and find me somebody to give this to!! [end email]

Raayynne? Calling Rayne?

CT is subbing for our own CTBob in support of Lamont.

contact — ctblogger@yahoo.com

Any official taxpayer-funded Senatorial Office is indeed prohibited from being involved in any partisan political matters whatsoever. You are free to ask which phone number will connect to a campaign office/operative.

Minnesotachuck 24, and that sorry situation is a direct result of the outsource-ization of non-fighting military functions to civilian outfits who can’t be ORDERED to go do their jobs.

OK

Nevermind.

Solved my own problem. He was just out of town the day of the verdict. I really gotta stop seeing monsters in the closet everytime some member of Bushco glances in the direction of Illinois.

I am having trouble posting a longer comment, is anyone else getting server backtalk?

I guess the presser is for the Preznit’s dirty laundry …

Isn’t the important question how Ann Althouse would feel about someone calling Joe Lieberman “Joey” in this thread?

ilson 35 - yeah, but Karl Rove is allowed to do politics on the public dime for six years and counting.

joe-nertia has looked around and seen all the success the rethug lite strategy has garnered the Dems and feels they need more of the same.

Trying new ways to improve his low poll ratings, President Bush will hold an hour-long press conference in Chicago on Friday morning. It will be his first full-scale meeting with reporters since June 14 after he returned from a surprise trip to Iraq.

Presidential counselor Dan Bartlett said Bush is beginning a series of trips around the country to learn what is on the minds of Americans. Now, when Bush travels, he primarily sticks to one issue, Bartlett noted.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribun.....ld_ne.html

Beemer t 28 and anybody else who is communication with Boxer’s Legislative office on the leiberman endoresement issue.

the staffer is correct, under the haqtch act, it is illegal to use the staff , offices, phones, etc of the government financed Leg. office to do politcal work.

You must cantct her campaign committee or her PAC office. They will blow you off becaus e they must, not because hey are trying to diss you.

Being POd b/c the leg office won’t answer poitcal questions (of any fed employee) is not prof of how evil they are,it just displays a lack of knowledge on our part.

I hope Senator Boxer does change her mind. I would like to keep my admiration of her.

I hope that when Lamont defeats the Bush saliva recepticle, it will signal the start of something bigger, that true Democrats want leaders who defend and fight for Democratic principles.

SOme Guy at 38 — it’s a WordPress glitch. If you just sit still for a few additional seconds, your longer post will go up. It gives you an error message, but it posts a longer post anyway. We don’t know why this is — and we’re trying to find a fix for it — but in the meantime, patience is a virtue and will get your comment up as well.

Minnesotachuck at 24 re no medivacs–that’s awful. Our troops deserve so much better. Where is the leadership?

“We support the troops” right up until you get wounded in battle??

Chimpy’s presser could be to tout the foiled NYC tunnel bombing plot. It smells like the miami 7 to me.

Don’t know if anyone has seen this article, but it is actually a pretty decent take on the debate. I usually don’t expect that from national media.
In Conn., Lieberman Defends Seat, War Stance
By Shailagh Murray
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....01755.html

Amgie at 43

the Chicago trib said that daley got the new about the City Hall hiring conviction during the meal with Shrub and that this directly danmaged Shrub.

That made me smile.

Chicago rules and Karmic payback, who culd have predicted that the jury would come in just when it did? But what kind of fool scheduled that meal with daley while the jury was still deliberating?

Was this meant to influence the jury to aquit? Did the w/h not do their homework, were they unaware of the stauts of the City Hall trial?

Has Bush’s brain imploded? WTF?

Kinda OfT, but not really - Found out yesterday that Mark Pryor (DINO - AR) will support Liebertwit (WATB - CT) no matter what. I shamelessly c/p’d (with a few modifications) punaise’s most excellent letter from one of yesterday’s threads and shot it off to Pryor. Also sent a little love note to Blanche Lincoln’s office encouraging her to grab her compadre by the short hairs and show him the light.

Methinks Mr. Pryor could use some fdl love…

:-)

BobbyG’s rant to the papers this morning:
_____________

An all-powerful, unfettered “unitary,” “gloves off” Executive, constantly exhorted regarding His messianic noble infallibility by his fawning courtiers and Machiavellian subordinates? Murders and rapes under color of Authority? Secret detentions, abuse and torture of innumerable Enemies real and imagined (mostly the latter, as it turns out)?

The Iraq of Saddam Hussein, or the United States of George W. Bush?

Yes.

While the Hamdan decision has momentarily jerked us grudgingly back toward the moral constitutional basis of all that we espouse as this planet’s exemplar of civil realization and aspiration, we are but one Supreme Court vote away from our GOP becoming the American Ba’ath Party. To my Republican friends I have to ask: WHAT is it that you “conservatives” purport to conserve?

I, for one, have had quite enough of this pee-your-britches GOP Spectre-mongering regarding these putative 50 foot tall rag-and-turban clad Enemy Combatants that are SO dangerous as to be necessarily rendered exempt from the barest shred of due process. Go to any post office or police station. Look through the “Wanted” posters. You will find therein battalions of violent miscreants every bit the al Qaeda malevolence equivalent and then some. Yet, we find it unremarkable to accord such low-lifes the due process of our Constitution and lesser laws. Hello?

The Bush administration seems hell-bent on turning this nation into an overfed North Korea littered with Wal Marts and docile, groveling supplicants of The Dear Leader. We let it happen at our national peril.

Lieberman’s many lies yesterday should not be allowed to stand. We at FDL are doing a great job of fact-checking - but I hope that Lamont’s staff is compiling a list of the lies as well.

Lamont’s team needs to distribute a list of Lieberman’s lies yesterday in simple bullet-point format to be distributed to the press.

Make the list easy to digest, concise and simple or else it won’t get read.

Get the list out to EVERY columnist and reporter in CT.

Do it IMMEDIATELY or Lieberman’s lies will cement themselves into “conventional wisdom”.

op99 @ 36, True enough. But also a result of the moral bankruptcy of the civilian leadership who didn’t think through the downside risks of all the outsourcing.

When I wrote the post I was still fuming such that I could barely write a coherent sentence.

Ghostman @ 29, Thanks. I meant to define a couple of those acronyms but forgot. See above.

Good morning everyone, lots of great links since last night. Christy, do you use Resolve? It works great on, um, body fluids and the like on carpets and rugs. I have an older cat with an iffy stomach who likes to eat plants and have maintained the purity of a lovely persian rug.

Worth mentioning that Brian Lehrer is looking for Lieberman supporters to call because all callers have been Lamont supporters.
Thanks for the link, subject has ended.

(I’ll try thi sin two halves, nothing seems to be happening.)

Christy wrote: “The Democratic party hasn’t left Joe Lieberman, but Joe’s stance on the Iraq conflict (and on women’s issues) does not reflect the views of his constituents in Connecticut. Who is disrespecting whom in this relationship?”

Disrespecting yes, but there is more in this about the war besides Joe’s political tin ear and arrogance.

Despite the fact that the war is an unmitigated disaster, the country is split on even vague poll questions about “withdrawal” and general support for the war is bad, a candidate who is unswervingly opposed to the war in Iraq and who is in tune with a majority of his state’s voters is being treated like a strange weed in the garden by the national press.

xyz, there is some postmortem & clarifications at the Lamont blog:http://nedlamont.com/blog

(OK, three “halves.”)

Lamont is running on more than the war, Joe is losing on more than the war, but on that issue this primary is a case study in the contemporary Looking-Glass political landscape.

The war is very unpopular and if you asked people about Maliki’s plan for getting us out, I think a majority would say, “sure, why not, even the Iraqi’s want it.” That and Bush has nothing, zip, to in the way of a plan except rumblings about expanding the war into a regional (actually, probably global) conflict by bombing Iran.

I’m going to be playing at a Jazz Festival in Connecticut in three weeks (as if anyone cares). I’m looking forward to mixing it up with the locals about “Jumpin’ Joe” over a few beers while winding down from playing jazz all day. Should be fun, and informative.

So the question is, why do journalists keep acting like Lamont is a little strange even as they admit that Joe has problems? It has been observed many times that the country has moved faster than the press seems capable of in terms of the war, and Lamont’s challenge reflects that very well. Many reporters seems unable to believe that being prowar is the disadvantaged position. They say yes its unpopular, but then the often reflect the Rovespeak that looking weak on terror is politically dangerous.

I suppose it will take a high profile loss for a war supporter like Lieberman to change that tone and force the press to catch up to the public.

On this side of the looking glass, standing against an unpopular war is evidently a remarkable and slightly risky thing to do.

I am tired of living in bizarro world.

Thanks mui.

In addition, I think Lamont himself should speak out regarding Joe’s lies.

This would certainly garner media attention.

Mui, I read that article, too. It was a pretty good overview and I loved the fact that they, like several of us here, took note of Lieberman’s ridiculous comment on the situtation in Iraq now:

Lieberman defended the conflict as “a lot better, different” than a year ago.

John Laesch had a diary up at Kos yesterday discussing the Bush presser today in Chicago—actually Aurora, a suburb in Hastert’s district. Bush was in Aurora last year to sign the Transportation Bill that had big earmarks for Hastert to get that highway going near the land he bought in his district, and now has sold for a $2 million profit. (Much of this I have gleaned at tpm.) Laesch’s diary:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/7/6/223240/7338

Steve Clark, where is the jazz festival and what are the dates? I bet there are folks here who would like to go.

looseheadprop

Daddy Daley never would have let a jury come back with a verdict like this during lunch with the president. Of course, Daddy Daley would probably have preferred lunch with Daddy Bush - former CIA chief, and all that.

Kids these days . . .

ummmm …. Daddy Bush sometimes throws up at dinners with foreign potentates

egregious 7:39 am — got it, I’m on it, will send info to ctblogger immediately. ;-)

No answer on the phones at Boxer’s offices, so I sent this rather long email, which I hope they’ll bother to read:

Dear Senator Boxer:

I have heard that you are planning to campaign for Senator Lieberman in his primary against Ned Lamont. I have also heard it reported that you think the only reason so many Democrats, in Connecticut and around the country, are unhappy with Mr. Lieberman is because of his stance on Iraq. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I would like tell you why.

It is true that many Democrats, myself included, do not agree with Mr. Lieberman’s position on our ongoing occupation of Iraq. But there are other problems. I am also profoundly disappointed with the Senator’s anti-choice decisions. Mr. Lieberman thinks that it is acceptable for rape victims to be denied emergency contraception, when an overwhelming majority of Connecticut voters, including 74% of Catholics, do not. He claims the endorsement of Planned Parenthood; but this overlooks the fact that the Connecticut state chapters of both Planned Parenthood and NARAL both took the unusual step of breaking with their national organizations and voting for Ned Lamont at the state convention. In addition, Mr. Lieberman’s vote on Samuel Alito was appalling. He voted for cloture, the only vote that mattered, but now disingenuously claims that he “opposed” Mr. Alito’s nomination. We know better.

But the real problem with Senator Lieberman is his disrespect for his own party and for the democratic process. Mr. Lieberman continually echoes GOP talking points in criticizing members of his own party, about Iraq and other issues. There is certainly room in the Democratic Party for a variety of views; but Democrats, especially at a time when the party that controls all three branches of government is driving our country to the brink of disaster, should not be aiding and abetting the GOP by attacking their own party.

Mr. Lieberman’s decision to run as an independent (there is no such thing as a “petitioning Democrat”) is part and parcel of this pattern of disrespect. Mr. Lieberman claims to be a Democrat; but if the Democratic party chooses Mr. Lamont as its candidate, the Senator refuses to respect that choice. Mr. Lieberman’s approval rating in Connecticut is higher among Republicans than Democrats; clearly, he thinks he can count on them to support him. But that being the case, why does the Senator continue to claim he is a Democrat?

If Mr. Lieberman runs as an independent, he could split the vote and actually throw the election, including the down-ticket races, to the GOP. At a time when a Democratic majority is desperately needed, Mr. Lieberman is willing to cost his alleged party, the Democratic party, three seats in a state that should be safely blue.

The Senator said, in announcing his decision, “I have loyalties beyond that to my party.” Indeed, that is very clear. Mr. Lieberman’s loyalty is to his continued position of power, even if it endangers Democrats’ chances of regaining a majority. If the voters of Connecticut give him an answer he does not like, he will act as though they don’t know what they’re doing, and give them another chance to return him to the seat he believes is rightfully his. If Mr. Lieberman wants to run as an independent, he should do it now, before the primary. If he loses the primary, he should support Ned Lamont as the Democratic candidate.

I understand that Mr. Lieberman is a longtime colleague of yours, Senator Boxer; but incumbency is a privilege, not a right. Mr. Lieberman no longer represents the views of a majority of his constituents, and they have every right to replace him with someone who does. Mr. Lieberman’s sense of entitlement is unseemly; his disrespect for the democratic process is repugnant; and his disloyalty to his own party should not be rewarded with that party’s support. I respectfully ask you to reconsider campaigning for Senator Lieberman; at the very least, it sends a bad message to your own progressive, proudly Democratic, pro-choice constituents. Thank you.

I’ll try again later with the Sacramento office and see if anyone’s there.

Also re: clarifications on Lieberlies from the debate, kos started during the show last night, I’m sure the Lamont/CT blogs are working on this furiously; they have been very effective on message.

Bush’s folksy little tour just makes him look even more out of touch than he ever was.

Just hearing that Japan is dropping the notion of sanctions for N Korea, likely under pressure from China and Russia. (Lehrer show talking about news off the wire)

Oh, shit, it’s Bush, I forgot he was going to interrupt our beautiful day.

OT - It looks like Mann Coulter had it’s adam’s apple digitally removed on the cover of her book Godless

lhp @ 50– I grinned like a fool when I saw that, too!

btw, folks, w’s interview with the lump and larry will be re-broadcast Sunday nite so everyone who can stomach it will get to hear him say this about Joey:

“You’re trying to get me to give him a political kiss, which may be his death.”

It’s really too funny!

HA!

Jim Vandenhei’s opener for today:

>>>>>>>>>>>

Jim VandeHei: what I love most about these chats is you, the audience, love to talk about the things we political reporters live for. So while the rest of the world is focused on nuclear showdowns in Iran and North Korea and CNN obsesses about new details of some disrupted NYC terror plot, we will chat about Lamont, Condi and all things 08.

Coulter’s physique is not why she is a lousy excuse for a human being. There are plenty of good reasons to bash her without sounding like the other side. Just saying.

Is anyone else watching the Bush presser this morning? Is it me, or does he sound like he’s really trying hard to convince not only the audience of journalists and folks watching out in the country, but HIMSELF, about the economy and his Administration? Weird tone this morning…

Zennurse 64, I thought you’d never ask. The Great Connecicut Traditional Jazz Festival is July 28-30 at Sunrise Resort in Moodus, CT. Here is a link: http://www.ctjazz.org I play drums with Igor’s Jazz Cowboys from Arizona. (forgive me for the shameless plug, everybody) Would love to meet some FDL folks up there !!

Leslie in CA @ 73: I agree. Her neck is not her problem. Her mind is her problem.

Christy, he sounds like he has to go to the bathroo & he failed an exam and he’s trying to convince the teacher that the dog is responsible for both.

BobbyG -was just wondering this morning where you’ve been - have you been away, or am I just imagining that you’ve not commented a lot lately?

Either way - love your letters to the editor.

Leslie in CA - GREAT letter - sure hope someone reads it. You might try faxing, as well!

For instance (sorry if this is a duplicate post - at the top of TPM so maybe not), there’s now a complete-to-date list of all of Coulter’s alleged instances of plagiarism.

Angie — that’s a good analogy, actually. He’s jumping from one thing to the next, with no real coherence to the topics and the stringing together of blather — and he’s shifting back and forth from one foot to the other. They must not have a teleprompter up for him. He keeps shifting his shoulders away from the camera — which makes him look dodgy. Weird that they didn’t do more prep work for this — it must have been a hastily put together newser.

But why?

Anne, thanks - faxing’s a good idea. Won’t be able to do it from work, but sometime this weekend, and it can be waiting for them Monday a.m.

From RJ Eskow at HuffPo, this is the most likely explanation for Boxer’s position. Not acceptable, but a theory.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....24547.html

SharonW at #62 — I agree that statement may have been the key quote. Not from a debating standpoint but from a lasting impression.

The newspapers are full of stories this week about all the stuff going wrong in Iraq — US soldiers engaged in rape/murder, and this is just one of five recent atrocity disclosures, US Ambassador and top General issue a written apology to the Iraqi people, Iraqi PM calls for review of the occupation’s exemption from Iraqi prosecution, skinheads being recruited to meet enlistment quotas (anyone wonder why there are more atrocities?), towns being devasted, sectarian “cleansing” on the rise, kidnappings on the rise, more evidence surfaces of illegal renditions and tortue (and of the wrong people) etc, etc, etc — but instead of acknowledging any of this, Lieberman took last night’s opportunity to tell Connecticut voters that things are better today. They know this is false — no need for act checking — and that this is the line from the WH talking points. So I think that’s the connection they’ll use to make their choice in August.

The best Lamont comeback last night: “It’s time for the people who got us into this to be held accountable.” I think that taps right into the deep anger out there, and I believe ConnDems will express it in August.

Thanks, steve, sounds great. Easy for W. MA folks to get to. I work every weekend but would love to come, that’s my birthday weekend!

Ah well, will save the link and post again, would suggest sending to or posting on CT Bob’s site (blogroll), tell them zennurse told you to blogwhore.

Press conferences don’t generally use teleprompters, because they get in the way of eye contact between the questioners and responders.

They also often open with a brief statement, but this brief statement seems more wandering than usual. Which is saying something.

Christy—I’m watching. I am reminded of an article Molly Ivins wrote last year warning that if the Bush comes to you for a photo-op, beware, your funding will be cut tomorrow. I fear for museum funding…
Also thought it was interesting that he was trying to take credit for the strong jobs market in Chicago. If his point is to talk about immigration, it does make sense to be in Chicago because of the strong Mexican community. But he also there fundraising for Topinka running against Blagojevich for govenor.

Redd @ #74,

As he prattles on and on, he sounds no more sure about the economy than about any other issue he’s using for his preface. He’s been worse, but clearly he’s grasping at some type of straws here.

Just finished his opening remarks.

Why is it that Bush persists in refusing to understand that democracy only spreads to a region if and when the people in the region want it for themselves. It cannot be imposed by an occupational force from the outside, but the populace themselves have to be willing to do all of the work and the make the changes and make the difficult choices required of a plural, democratic, open society.

did anyone ever see a less heartfelt person speaking about the death of someone than bush just on the Chicago Marine.
why does he even try to do it?

‘The problem with diplomacy is that it takes a while.’

well, there you go, they don’t like it if it ain’t shock and awe; diplomacy is a problem.

he’s more of a blubbering mess this morning than usual.

angie and Christy - all I could think of when I saw him weaving back and forth at the podium was that his handlers are probably saying to themselves, “Damn - I TOLD him to go to the bathroom before this started!”

Pressers are always a bad idea for Bush.

AP now correcting previous report and reporter’s question that Japan is including sanctions per Lehrer.

This history lesson is just annoying.

Oh please, oh please, let someone ask about Lieberman advocating direct talks with Kim Jong Il in last night’s debate…

Oh, boy, he can’t even remember the first part of a simple two-part question if the second part disturbs the waves of his inner rage……..

Christy @ 88: I too find that one of the strangest things about this war. The fundamental illogic of “democracy at gunpoint” still floors me. Citing Germany and Japan as neocons do is nonsense. We did not go to war to make them democratic, we defended ourself and in the aftermath helped build democracies. That and every war is different, they aren’t products one buys off a shelf.

Message to Bush: whatever you’re doing ISN’T WORKING.

Here comes the Hmadan question - look out!

This presser shows why Bush won’t go one on one with Kim Jong Il — because he sucks at speaking and needs a script or an ear piece.

SharonW — I took issue with so many of Lieberman’s statements during the debate, I almost feel no single article could do him the justice he so richly deserves. I didn’t like Lieberman pointing and his in your face approach to Lamont. That’s actually not really CT style or very apealing, n’est ce pas? I think Lieberman made a grand mistake, but still . . . This person who I watched the debate with is only halfway attentive to the race,but walked out midway because Lieberman’s behavior was so unbearable.

Is the presser streaming anywhere?

Um, he did not answer the question about military approach with N Korea.

Uh oh…he’s lost the plot on the question. He’s going to argue his POV again, and screw the Court’s ruling. SIGH He has learned absolutely nothing.

Dr Bong, I’m listening on WNYC. YOu could try msnbc or cnn.