More Tales From the Front

First, read the Daily Kos post linked to above. It's a rogue's gallery of GOP attempts to prevent people from casting their votes on Tuesday. Complete with indictments.

Then read this letter, submitted to Talking Points Memo by a reader of that site, which I'm posting verbatim:
___________________________

Still in Florida.

This was one of the most moving, meaningful days of my life.

My job is to get people to the polls and, more importantly, to keep them there. Because they’re crazily jammed. Crazily. No one expected this turnout. For me, it’s been a deeply humbling, deeply gratifying experience. At today’s early vote in the College Hill district of East Tampa -- a heavily democratic, 90% African American community — we had 879 voters wait an average of five hours to cast their vote. People were there until four hours after they closed (as long as they’re in line by 5, they can vote).

Here’s what was so moving:

We hardly lost anyone. People stood outside for an hour, in the blazing sun, then inside for another four hours as the line snaked around the library, slowly inching forward. It made Disneyland look like speed-walking. Some waited 6 hours. To cast one vote. And EVERYBODY felt that it was crucial, that their vote was important, and that they were important.

And there were tons of first time voters. Tons.

Aside from some hassles from the Republican election commissioner ( … [ed.note: Here the letter writer describes various shenanigans intended to exacerbate the difficulties of waiting hours in line to vote. I’ve censored this detail to preserve the anonymity of the writer.], I actually had an amazing experience. No, actually, in a way because of that I had an amazing experience. Because these people know that the system that’s in place doesn’t want them voting. And yet they are determined to vote.

The best of all was an 80 year old African American man who said to me: “When I first started I wasn’t even allowed to vote. Then, when I did, they was trying to intimidate me. But now I see all these folks here to make sure that my vote counts. This is the first time in my life that I feel like when I cast my vote it’s actually gonna be heard.”

To see people coming out — elderly, disabled, blind, poor; people who have to hitch rides, take buses, etc — and then staying in line for hours and hours and hours... Well, it’s humbling. And it’s awesome. And it’s kind of beautiful.

Sometimes you forget what America is.

I think there’s hope.

ES

___________________________________

There you have it. The GOP is committing criminal acts to keep people from voting, and it isn't working. I've never been more proud to be a liberal American. Oh, and Happy Halloween.

Eminem Video Against Bush

This has been out for a while, but I haven't mentioned it yet. Never been a fan, and I have some problems with the guy. That's what made me balk. But what has turned into the most popular video on MTV is also a powerful indictment of the administration, and recommended viewing.

It shows you just how energized the opposition is, and why some of us are so confident about this election (there's a lot of stuff in the Blogosphere showing Kerry advancing in the battleground polls). Eminem is a gifted rapper, but has a history of being pretty irresponsible with his music. The fact that he felt this to be such an important project is admirable, and the result is very smart and very impressive. Get fired up.

Another thing I've heard about the video since it surfaced is that it's being run on MTV with virtually no changes. One will be obvious when you watch it, the other is more discreet-- a knife pins the photo of Bush to the wall in the soldier's home, and the version on the air moves rapidly through the shot to make it unclear. Congratulations to the network for not being cowardly, which isn't just faint praise these days.

State-by-State Cost of Iraq

This is scary stuff. According to the site:

Missouri residents have been charged $2.7 billion of the Iraq bill, they have received less than $120 million for Homeland Security and just $350 million for No Child Left Behind.

That leaves a deficit of $2,230,000,000.

Ohio, the battleground state spent $5.7 billion on Iraq, yet received only $240 million for Homeland Security and $659 million for No Child Left Behind.

That leaves a deficit of $4,701,000,000.

Three cheers for wartime tax cuts!!!

GOP: Osama Bin Laden Alive and Well! Hooray!!

From the New York Daily News:

"We want people to think 'terrorism' for the last four days," said a Bush-Cheney campaign official. "And anything that raises the issue in people's minds is good for us." A senior GOP strategist added, "anything that makes people nervous about their personal safety helps Bush." He called it "a little gift," saying it helps the President but doesn't guarantee his reelection.

And it gets worse:

(AP) "It's very helpful to the president," contended Bush ally Sen. John McCain. (Insert obvious Shakespeare reference here.)

I was (foolishly) hoping that there wouldn't be too much to report from the Blogosphere this weekend. But I still contend that this amounts to good news for Kerry, as far as the few undecideds go. This statement should explain why: BC04 is openly welcoming the re-emergence of the man behind 9/11. In other words, they are excited about the fact that OBL is on the loose.

On the other hand, there are some indicators that BC04 senses some seriously bad mojo. Tucker Carlson recently called the election for Kerry, as did pollster John Zogby. And polls were showing Gore trailing Bush by up to ten points at this time in 2000.

My thoughts? This is all the GOP has to pin its hopes on. If the 'little gift' line gets any media coverage (unlikely), they might already be sunk.

Take a friend to the polls on Tuesday.

Eight Marines Killed, Nine Wounded

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Eight U.S. marines were killed and nine wounded west of Baghdad on Saturday in the bloodiest attack on U.S. forces in Iraq for months. The U.S. military gave no details of the circumstances of the deaths, which it said occurred in the western province of Anbar, which includes the rebel cities of Falluja and Ramadi.

Yet the news hasn't merited mention on, for example, CNN. So we've got the man responsible for the deadliest attack on US soil mocking the nation, an increasing death toll in Iraq, and entirely credible reports that explosives were looted after the US invasion. Sick, sad, and irresponsible.

Keep watching the Blogosphere, folks! And keep your eyes on www.mediamatters.org, which could be one of our best hopes for holding the media responsible for their actions.

More Fun With Chairman Bush

Just heard on NPR's "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!"
(http://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/)

Host: Three Oregon school teachers were threatened with arrest for trying to get into a Bush campaign rally wearing shirts that read blank.

Panelist: Uh, 'Kerry?'

Host: No. 'Protect Our Civil Liberties.'

________________________________

On Slate this week from Chris Suellentrop:

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.—"I want you to stand, raise your right hands," and recite "the Bush Pledge," said Florida state Sen. Ken Pruitt. The assembled mass of about 2,000 in this Treasure Coast town about an hour north of West Palm Beach dutifully rose, arms aloft, and repeated after Pruitt: "I care about freedom and liberty. I care about my family. I care about my country. Because I care, I promise to work hard to re-elect, re-elect George W. Bush as president of the United States." I know the Bush-Cheney campaign occasionally requires the people who attend its events to sign loyalty oaths, but this was the first time I have ever seen an audience actually stand and utter one. Maybe they've replaced the written oath with a verbal one.

_____________________________________________

UPDATE: This article from TNR's Ryan Lizza shows that I might have been wrong. Kim Jong Il, not Mao, might be the inspiration for BC04:
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=express&s=lizza103004

Endgame

Unsurprisingly, the blogosphere is abuzz over two issues. Well, three, but the attention paid to the final polls isn't really meaningful.

First, the Osama tape. The right-wing press is delighted, and convinced that this will remind everyone of Bush's "greatest strength." The blogs are much less impressed-- most seem to think it will have no effect, or help Kerry a tiny bit. I'm agreeing with the (surprise!)latter assessment. There aren't many undecideds left. Undecideds tend to break for the challenger. And the top news stories are now a fiasco in Iraq, and the 9/11 mastermind freee andtaunting us.

Second, reports of vote suppression from around the nation. As I mentioned before, it looks like the left is coordinated and energized like never before, with tens of thousands of volunteers heading to battleground states to help GOTV.

I think that the main concern should be GOP lawsuits alleging fraud after the election. We won't see a repeat of Gore's gracious concession this time around. The best hope is that John Zogby's prediction of a Kerry win by 5-7 points comes to pass. The larger the margin, the less chance there will be that the inevitable cries of fraud will be tolerated, even by the fraidy-cat media.

Dan Bartlett's suggestion that it's shameless of Kerry to even comment on the video of OBL shows how desperate they are. My thought is that Kerry should rush out a commercial that uses the footage of OBL along with Bush's notorious "I don't really think about it much" comments. BC04 has been on the defensive all week, and it has to stay that way. And I'm confident that it will.

Kooky Costumes for Kids

Things are starting to look good for Kerry, since the October Surprise seems to be that BC04 is getting shaky in the home stretch.

Anyway, in case you need a few more chuckles don't miss these, uh, 'adorable' costumes for the young'uns. Hilarious, and thanks to Randy Rooster for bringing it to my attention.

Down to the Wire

Look, folks. Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 is now available for viewing online. And I trust that it's legal. If you haven't seen it, you need to. If you've seen it, you need to see it again.

Yes, it contains some unsupported assertions. As for factual errors, I have yet to hear any convincing arguments (and I've read plenty of anti-Moore articles). Believe me, even if you've seen it before, the impact is much greater than it was last summer. So much that's happened since the movie was released has made the case all the more clear. Way back when, Richard Clarke was claiming that Bush had planned to invade Iraq since before his inauguration. Today, the authorized biographer of Prescott Bush, and the ghost writer of W's autobigoraphy, said the exact same thing.

Watch it. And no matter what side you're on, do whatever you can to increase voter turnout next Tuesday. It's that important.

And if you're only willing to watch a few minutes of the documentary, it should be part 13. Believe me, it's been fact-checked, and it's all real.

UPDATE: Fact Check has an article up that suggests I might have missed something important when I said that I haven't seen any evidence of intentional distortion in Fahrenheit. Here it is: http://www.factcheck.org/article294.html. I wouldn't want anyone thinking that I'm trying to spread lies. By the way, they don't pertain to 'part 13,' which I recommended above.

Tales From the Front

This is truly great news, and a great article from the LA Weekly. Here's the beginning:

"I have spent the past week observing the official Democratic Party and unofficial 527 field operations in the battleground states of Ohio and Florida. And I have found something I've never before seen in my 36 or so years as a progressive activist and later as a journalist: an effective, fully functioning American left."

(This one's for you, Dr. Bloodmoney!)

Tears of a Clone

This time I'm awarding BC04 an 8 out of 10 on the patented Sandwich Funny-Yet-Sad-O-Meter.

The above story, from Daily Kos, is vintage GOP campaigning-- with a little help from Photoshop. It shows without a doubt that the troops support Bush. Or three of them, plus all of their vat-grown relatives. I always feel a little guilty when I start throwing around names like Mao, but...
http://www.jiyuu-shikan.org/e/fujioka/frontlines11.html

And it says something about the suckers who're still swallowing all of this baloney. (Or bologna, if you prefer.)

UPDATE: BC04 has 'fessed up and withdrawn the ad, pending re-editing and redistribution.

Errol Morris

Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, A Brief History of Time, The Fog of War), has been making ads with MoveOn that feature Republicans talking about why they won't vote to re-elect Bush. According to Salon, he wasn't happy with the number of spots he was able to run. Now you can see them on his site. Just follow the link above.

Those Elusive Explosives

Josh Marshall has been following the story closely, and I'm inclined to agree with this analysis of the administration's attempts to get it off the table. With the dubious help of Drudge.

The standard MO for the White House in sticky situations is to A) switch the debate to something else (Mary Cheney vs. Bush's debate performances), or B) attempt to defuse the problem by raising doubts (Kerry's war record and the Swifties). But it's always about obfuscation. With the state of the media, and their obsession with not seeming biased, it's as easy as putting someone out there with a countercharge. And this is a sterling example. No matter how dubious the claim, they're guaranteed equal time. Sad.

George W. Bush: Class Act

The above link will take you to a video of Fearless Leader looking extra presidential. There have been reports of him flipping off protesters from his campaign bus, but he's way too suave for something like that, right? Of course not.

Update: The woman he's giving the finger in the video (from the 2000 campaign), is now thought to be none other than Bush loyalist Karen Hughes.

Halloween Gets Scary

Not the fun, spooky kind of scary. The disturbing kind. Here are a couple of horror shows that will make the flesh crawl right off of your bones.

Frontline- Rumsfeld's War

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/pentagon/

More from hose wacky liberals at the New York Times. Those nutty lefties are actually reporting research funded by a white supremacist group to boost Bush! Hahaha-- wait, that's not funny. Or leftist.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200410250007

UPDATE: Tom Brokaw repeated this claim in an interview with Kerry! Absurd. http://mediamatters.org/items/200410290005

A report by a member of the Senate Armed Service Committee finds that (gasp!) the administration pretty much knew all along that there were no ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda. But Bush said it yet again this week!

http://www.levin.senate.gov/newsroom/supporting/2004/102104inquiryreport.pdf

If you can't get to sleep tonight, try watching a horror movie. "Cannibal Holocaust," for example. Much more relaxing than this waking nightmare.

Johnny Bravo: "You've Shamed Us All!"

Some pop star-- that I have to admit to knowing by name only-- looked like the perfect ass (no, the OTHER kind of perfect ass) on Saturday Night Live this week. Remember that show? It used to be known for launching unknowns into stardom based on their stellar comedic talents. But I won't make any Sandler or Fallon jokes.

The video can be found at the following address, and it's worth it. If you like Lucky Charms, that is. It's magically ridiculous. http://www.felbers.net/mt/archives/000938.html

Sigh. Yet another lesson to be learned in the perils of letting carefully trained pre-fab opinion leaders out of the bubble.

Bush Relatives for Kerry

Yes, it's true. Just in case you haven't gotten the message that a whole lot of Republicans are finding it impossible to support BC04 this time around, here's a site run by members of the family. And they're voting for Kerry. Can you think of another precedent in your lifetime? Neither could I.

American Conservative: Kerry's the One

In case anyone wants to see what it's like for a staunchly Republican magazine to endorse a Democrat for president...

Bush is "the most radical [president] America has had since the 19th century," and "has behaved like a caricature of what a right-wing president is supposed to be. . . it is as if Bush sought to resurrect every false 1960s-era left-wing cliché about predatory imperialism and turn it into administration policy."

It isn't a ringing endorsement of Kerry, but an entirely reasonable case against the Bushies. Highly recommended-- and see my previous post on the return of the Bull Moose. Maybe these really ARE the first stirrings of a revolution within the GOP. Here's another plug for the site: www.bullmooseblog.com. Whenever you need a reminder that there was a day when "conservative" didn't equate to "evil," check in with 'em.

Explosives Update

The story made today's NY Times, and the figure is now 380 tons of explosives that went missing in Iraq.

More bad news from Iraq

Remember when General Shinseki lost his job for telling the administration that more troops were needed in Iraq than they wanted to send? Remember when Rumsfeld dismissed post-invasion looting of a Baghdad museum? As it turns out, priceless artifacts aren't all that went missing in the chaos. It's been reported that 350 tons of explosives vanished during the occupation. Why? Maybe because they were left unguarded.

More Horrors from Iraq

Fifty American-trained Iraqi troops were ambushed and executed by insurgent forces, although they were in civilian dress and unarmed. This certainly doesn't bode well for the creation of an Iraqi force to help alleviate the need for US troops.

Pro Wrestlers for Kerry!

Minnesota shouldn't be a battleground state, but it is. And the rough 'n ready anti-politician Jesse Ventura has thrown his support behind Kerry. Every vote counts, folks, and he could be worth a few.

Republicans for Kerry

I'm swiping this list from www.dailykos.com. And this is just one section of the page linked to in the title. Have a look, won't you?

Charley Reese, conservative columnist/journalist, Orlando Sentinel (1971-2001)
Lee Iacocca, former Chrysler Chairman
Russell E. Train, EPA chief under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
Various Republican Business Leaders
Gail Slocum, former Republican Mayor of Menlo Park, California
Clay Myers, Republican Secretary of State (1967-77) and State Treasurer (1977-84) for Oregon
Bill Rutherford, former Treasurer of Oregon and Chair of the Oregon Investment Council
George Comstock, Mayor of Portola Valley, California
Mike Cobb, former Republican Mayor of Palo Alto, California
Pete McCloskey (editorial here), former Republican Representative from California
John Eisenhower, son of former Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Steve May, former Republican state legislator from Arizona
Jon Silver, former Republican Mayor of Portola Valley, California
John A. Galbraith, former Republican Ohio General Assemblyman
David Catania, Republican (now Independent) Councilman from Washington, D.C.
Clyde Prestowitz, counselor to Ronald Reagan's Secretary of Commerce
Rick Russman, former Republican State Senator from New Hampshire
Marshall Wittmann, former communications director to Arizona Senator John McCain
Elmer L. Andersen, former Republican Governor of Minnesota (1961-63)
Ballard Morton, son of Thurston Morton, former Republican Senator from Kentucky
Anne Morton Kimberly, former Republican Representative from Maryland
William Milliken, former Republican Governor of Michigan (1969-82)
Marlow Cook, former Republican Senator from Kentucky (1968-74)
Peter Gillette, former Republican Commissioner of Trade for Minnesota (1991-95)

I guess the GOP equivalent would read 'Zell Miller, Democrat Senator from Georgia.' See my previous post. Hopefully the revolution I mentioned is actually on the way.

Conservatism Reborn

It's nice to see the stirrings of Republicans who have had enough of their party being run like an old-school political machine. As I like to say, I never had a problem with Republicans until the mid-80s, when the party went from being fiscally conservative protectors of individual and state rights to being the enforcers of laissez-faire capitalism and fundamentalist Christians. The current Republican party isn't about conservative values-- it's about promoting money and religious authority.

Enter the Bull Moose, and Marshall Wittman. A staunch supporter of John McCain, he is reintroducing his blog, and I like it. It gives me hope that a day might be coming when Tom DeLay, Dennis Hastert and John Ashcroft will no longer be the face of conservatism in America, and that the choice in elections will no longer be between the left/centrist Democrats and the corrupt minions of the (dare I say) fascist-leaning GOP.

From the site:

"The Bull Moose advocates a progressive poltics of national greatness that promotes a strong national defense, economic justice, political reform and national service. The Moose hopes that Democrats, Republicans and Independents who share this vision will join together to forge a new politics that defies the current partisan polarization."

Check it out, folks. Conservatism without evil. What a breath of fresh air.

Fundamentalist Crackpot or Unscrupulous Fraud?

See? I carefully consider both sides of an argument, folks.

There's been a spate of articles published lately that contemplate the dark side of Bush's faith. After all, there have been about a half-dozen books touting his Christian bona fides. So why not a few rebuttals?

The most significant is Ron Suskind's NYT magazine piece from Sunday:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/17/magazine/17BUSH.html?oref=login&oref=login&pagewanted=all&position

Here's a good New Republic article that uses a lot of info from Richard Clarke. The idea is that Bush's ideology means that he can be played like a fiddle by savvy advisors:

http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20041011&s=scheiber101104

Finally, there's this piece from the American Prospect, suggesting that Bush is in fact manipulating faith for other ends:

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=8790

Thanks to the Mighty COW for prompting this post.

Dear Limey Assholes

That's the actual title of this Guardian UK story that presents the response to their well-meaning, if not necessarily bright, idea of getting readers to write people in Ohio about overseas impressions of the upcoming election.

There is, however, an interesting contrast between the language of those who were appreciative, and those who would prefer (I'll paraphrase) those spotted-dick-loving, mushy-pea-eating bounders to mind their P's and Q's.

Worth a rating of 7 out of 10 on the funny-yet-sad-o-meter.

Whither Verity?

Another article that I found really interesting, and my second link to a story by Gregg Easterbrook. Ostensibly a review of Ralph Keyes' book "The Post-Truth Era," it addresses issues that have been mystifying some of us about why the facts don't seem to get in the way of successful politicking when it comes to shaping public opinion, especially when we're supposed to be such media-savvy folks these days.

Good stuff.

Reserve Troops Arrested for Refusing Orders

This is a pretty shocking article from the Marine Corps Times.

"The platoon could be charged with the willful disobeying of orders, punishable by dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of pay and up to five years confinement. . ."

“I would not want any member of the military to be put in a dangerous situation ill-equipped,” said [Mississippi Representative Bennie]Thompson, who was contacted by families. “I have had similar complaints from military families about vehicles that weren’t armor-plated, or bullet-proof vests that are outdated. It concerns me because we made over $150 billion in funds available to equip our forces in Iraq.

“President Bush takes the position that the troops are well-armed, but if this situation is true, it calls into question how honest he has been with the country,” Thompson said.

Thanks to 'Nancy Nurse' for this one.

Battle of the Bulge

I've been willing to leave this one alone, since it smelled a bit too much of iffy Internet gossip. But it keeps on going (unlike Drudge's "magic pen" story), and keeps looking more credible. That doesn't mean I think it's a transmitter-- I have no idea what it is. But there's something there, and in all three debates. What's more, photos are surfacing of the mysterious bulge on several other occasions (the Crawford picture is especially eerie):

http://homepage.mac.com/c.shaw/BushBulges/PhotoAlbum15.html

What's so strange about this is that the administration is only willing to say what it isn't-- namely a bullet-proof vest. Was there something more significant about that lack of a physical exam public record this year?

Kerry on eliminating Gulf oil dependence

Gregg Easterbrook has a great article in the latest New Republic about just how easy it would be to free the US from oil imports, which are only going to get more expensive as China's demand increases. And Kerry has a practical plan to do it. Highly recommended reading.

"In short, eliminating U.S. dependence on Gulf-state oil is not a granola-crunching fantasy. All that's needed is a one-third MPG improvement, an extremely doable goal. Moreover, this goal is achievable within roughly a decade: Five years' notice to automakers to allow them to adjust plans and production (this avoids harm to Detroit), five years of sales of higher-MPG vehicles, and then the United States can kiss the Persian Gulf goodbye. When Kerry promises "a secure America independent of Middle East oil," he is not blowing smoke. He is setting a realistic goal that can be achieved in the near term.
Of course, if the United States stopped buying Middle East crude, the oil sheiks might simply sell to someone else, notably China. But then the sheiks would be China's problem. The United States would no longer need to offer its soldiers' blood in defense of Gulf oil fields, nor coddle corrupt Gulf dictatorships."

Nightline Takes on the Swiftboaters

This is good to see. Nightline sent people to Vietnam to interview witnesses of the firefight that earned Kerry a Silver Star and has been disputed by John O'Neill (who's been at it for more than thirty years, ever since Nixon got him started). Here's an excerpt:

Was the man killed by Kerry or by fire from the Swift boat? It was the heat of battle, [eyewitness and VC soldier] Tam said, and he doesn't know exactly how the man with the rocket launcher died. But he knows the man's name — Ba Thanh. He was one of the 12 reinforcements sent to the village by provincial headquarters, and after he died, the firefight continued, according to Tam.
"When the firing started, Ba Thanh was killed," Tam said. "And I led Ba Thanh's comrades, the whole unit, to fight back. And we ran around the back and fought the Americans from behind. We worked with the city soldiers to fire on the American boats. . . None of the villagers seems to be able to say for a fact that they saw an American chase the man who fired the B-40 into the woods and shoot him. . . But they have no problem remembering Ba Thanh, the man who has been dismissed by Kerry's detractors as "a lone, wounded, fleeing, young Vietcong in a loincloth." (The description comes from "Unfit for Command," by Swift boat veteran John O'Neill.) "No, this is not correct," Nguyen Thi Tuoi, 77, told ABC News. "He wore a black pajama. He was strong. He was big and strong. He was about 26 or 27."

Is the RNC funding voter suppression?

This story has been getting a lot of attention on the blogs, but little media coverage. The allegations might not surprise many of you, but this could turn into a huge story. Kudos to the local station for airing this.

http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2421595&nav=168XRvNe

Summary: Sproul & Associates, known in this incarnation as Voter Outreach, has been accused of running a voter registration program funded largely by the RNC, and systematically destroyed the forms of many Democratic applicants.

The LA Times has published a piece on Oregon's decision to launch a criminal investigation. (You have to register to read the piece.)

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-sproul14oct14,1,3532412.story

Frontline Documentary

This week's Frontline is a two-hour biography of the presidential candidates. It's very even-handed, relying on actual footage and photos that are on the public record, as well as interviews with acquaintances of the two men. You can check your listings to see if it's being re-run, or you can watch the show online.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2004/

I was really impressed with it, and I have to admit that I have a heightened respect for Kerry now. Again, I thought that it was very fair. Not that it really matters-- as useful as this would be to the voting public, PBS is a hobgoblin to Republicans, and only regular viewers are even going to be aware that this show exists. Still, it's worth a look. Especially if you're in the camp that's never been too enthused about Kerry as a candidate. The audio of Nixon and Haldeman expressing grudging respectfor him in 1971 is impressive.

Two views of Iraq

First is this personal e-mail sent by Wall Street Journal reporter. It paints a more grave picture of the situation on the ground there than what we're getting in vanilla news reports. After it began to circulate on the Web, the author was given a vacation by the paper. Until after the election. http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_farnaz_fassihi.htm

Then there's this letter on the homefront, by a columnist for some Illinois "weekly shopper" publications who lost a grandson in the war. http://www.flakmag.com/opinion/shredder15.html

Not much in the way of coverage in the mass media, but two chilling statements that bring home the tragedy of this misguided war.

That isn't to say that the networks are presenting a rosy picture of what's happening there. But the reporting is taking on a tone of "And in other news..." Three American employees of the DOD died today after a bomb exploded in a Green, or safe, Zone in Baghdad. CNN suggests that it could indicate increased violence with the beginning of Ramadan. http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/14/iraq.main/index.html

Sandwich One

Welcome to The Daily Sandwich. A couple of people have asked me if I have any sort of online journal. I didn't until today. I'll be posting 'news of interest,' and some occasional thoughts of my own. As well as whatever clever comedy comes my way. It's pretty much going to be political, and that means liberal in my case, but I'll try my best to stick to the truth-- no conspiracy theories here. So you can park your tinfoil hats at the door.

Sit back, enjoy, and see what you think as I take a stab at the wild and woolly world of shooting off my virtual mouth.