God I hate Ralph Nader.

This is so funny.

Congressman Kingston forgot his prop.

I talked about Rep. Jack Kingston here, and here is a video of the congressman on the Dan Abrams show on MSNBC.



Not only is Kingston not wearing his flag lapel pin, he also claims that Senator Brack Obama has said he will never wear one. This is another lie. Senator Obama has worn a U.S. flag lapel pin, but here he tells why he doesn't always wear one now.

“Somebody noticed I wasn’t wearing a flag lapel pin and I told folks, well you know what? I haven’t probably worn that pin in a very long time. I wore it right after 9/11. But after a while, you start noticing people wearing a lapel pin, but not acting very patriotic. Not voting to provide veterans with resources that they need. Not voting to make sure that disability payments were coming out on time.
“My attitude is that I’m less concerned about what you’re wearing on your lapel than what’s in your heart. And you show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who served. You show your patriotism by being true to our values and our ideals and that’s what we have to lead with is our values and our ideals.”

A lapel pin doesn't make you a patriot.

And Rep. Kingston says about repeating half-truths and falsehoods, "I don't think they're attacks, I just think this is a little banter back and forth." Banter? People are sick of this kind of politics. What people in Washington call banter, the American people call lies.

A long dry spell ... time to kick some ass!

Unfortunately, I have been too busy to blog lately. But I have found some time to read some blogs, watch some political news and keep up with some of the hot stories out there.
To get the ball rolling again I want to highlight one of the most shameful things I've seen a United States congressman do it some time. His name is Jack Kingston (R-GA) and he is an automated Republican Talking Points Machine. He was on Bill Mahaer on HBO Friday night and not only repeated a debunked Obama smear, he also made sure to sneer Barack's middle name at one point while he twisted his black handlebar mustache and ran off to tie a woman to some railroad tracks.
I find it hard to believe that a sitting U.S. congressman does not know that he is repeating a falsehood when he claims on national TV that Senator Obama does not say the Pledge of Allegiance. Heck, you would think if he was that concerned Kingston could walk down the hallway in the Capitol building and simply ask the Senator if it was true. But then he wouldn't have that handy smear in his arsenal anymore.
Oh, and what does Kingston use as proof of his assertion? A picture he saw on the Internet. Like most Wingnuts, Kingston has built his narrative that Senator Barack Obama is unpatriotic on a photo, that Obama does not always wear a US flag pin on his lapel, and on rumors he was/is a Muslim (ie. Jihadist plant in the White House).
About that photo. It shows Obama standing upright, holding his hands in front of him, with candidates Bill Richardson and Hillary Clinton standing behind him, their right hands are over their hearts. Of course, in Wingnutistan this proves that Obama doesn't say the Pledge. Unless ... oops ... it was taken during the playing of the National Anthem? Yup. The Star Spangled Banner was playing and like 80+ percent of the population (look around the next time you go to a Major League baseball game), Obama stood there respectfully, without his hand over his heart. There is nothing wrong with that.
So, Rep. Jack Kingston would rather believe in hoax emails circulating on the Internet and promote falsehoods over the truth. He is a despicable man.

Michelle Obama's Cookie Moment ... Give it a rest!

There are a couple of items over at Balloon Juice that John Cole brought attention to, and they turn my stomach. The first demonstrates that some on the Left can Swiftboat as well as the Right. The second shows that the Left still has a way to go to sink into the cesspool as deep as those on the Right.

FIRST ... I'm having a hard time finding a transcript of her actual comment, but apparently at an event in Milwaukee on Monday(?) Michelle Obama said:

“For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country,” she told a Milwaukee crowd today, “because it feels like hope is making a comeback.” ... “and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.”

You can see why many people are upset with this remark.
My goodness, she's never been proud of her country until now?
Shame, shame you uber liberal America hater!

Puleeeeze. If you think that the wife of a major party Presidential candidate would a) admit to never being proud of America until now ... or b) would actually say this in public ... then you are a partisan fool clinging in desperation for anything you can use to tear down Barack Obama in hopes of saving your candidate's damaged campaign.

Because that is not what she meant.

Do I know this for a fact?

No. But I will give her the benefit of the doubt.

Why?

Ask Hillary!

She knows what it is like as a prospective First Lady to say something in good faith and have it taken to an extremely absurd meaning. Laura Shapiro wrote in the Boston Globe:

PERHAPS THE LAST TIME anyone heard Hillary Rodham Clinton utter a spontaneous remark in public was the famous moment during the 1992 presidential campaign when she declared to a shocked -- shocked -- nation that she liked her job. Or, as she fatally put it, "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was fulfill my profession." Pandemonium ensued, and Clinton was pounded nearly to dust for seeming to disparage domestic life and its coziest symbol, the cookie.

Or ask John Kerry, who botched a joke about Chimpy Bush during the campaign and was accused of insulting the troops.

Democrats have been victims of this tactic over and over again. We should know better.
But today I read a knee-jerk reaction blog post by Progressive radio talk show host and ardent Hillary supporter Taylor Marsh and the subsequent reader comments sliming the Obamas. I often enjoy reading Taylor, but this is sanctimonious swill (not that she has pride in America, but that she uses Michelle Obama as a punching bag and feeds into the Right Wing meme). But it is really the reader mudslinging that made me completely ill. As John Cole said:

Taylor Marsh disgraces herself.

This quote and the reaction is Michelle Obama's "cookie moment" and here are progressives/liberals piling on with absolute glee. Disgusting.

For many years, I have been a supporter of Bill and Hillary Clinton against a barrage of anti-Clinton sentiment from family, friends, the media elite and others. Until a few weeks ago I was going to vote for Hillary in the Arizona primary (after John Edwards dropped out). I had doubts about Barack Obama and one of my biggest concerns was ... Michelle Obama. But guess what? Her name isn't on the ballot. So, I took a fresh look at him and considered an Obama presidency, and just as important, an Obama campaign. I considered both candidates, studied some of their positions and assessed their chances in November. I value my vote, and weighed my decision carefully. And I chose Barack Obama and his version of change, his message of hope.

For all of you Hillary supporters who dismiss or ridicule my decision, you need to step back. Your venom is demonstrating one of the concerns I had ... How ugly would a Hillary campaign get?

I know the Obama campaign isn't blameless, it knows how to play dirty politics, too. But as Hillary Clinton falls further and further behind, her supporters are lashing out. I don't blame her. But I don't want that kind of campaign in this moment, in this time.

[And if Michelle Obama comes out and actually clarifies her comments to mean that she really hasn't been proud of America at all until this point in her life, then she will have sunk his campaign. So be it.]

SECOND ... I don't have the energy to write about it, I'll just link to it. Here is a (bitter) taste:

"... for a white woman to marry a black man in 1958, or 60, there was almost inevitably a connection to explicit Communist politics."

Congratulations to TPM!

The first blog I go to any time I'm online is Talking Points Memo. I have blogged about this site before here, and how it is changing the nature of online journalism. Today, TPM and its founder Josh Marshall won a prestigious George Polk Award.
Here is another excellent blogger, Will Bunch of Attytood.com with details:

A landmark day for bloggers -- and the future of journalism

The George Polk Awards are kind of like the Golden Globes of American journalism . Not as well known as those Oscars of the news business, the Pulitzer Prize, the Polk Awards are nevertheless probably a close second in terms of prestige, and this year I am especially blown away by the quality of the work they honor. But I want to highlight one Polk Award that shows there are emerging models for using the very tool at the root of the turmoil of the news business -- the Internet -- as a newfangled way to re-invent investigative reporting -- by using new techniques that emphasize collaboration over competition and by working with readers and through collective weight of many news sources to expose government misconduct.
It would have seemed incredible a couple of years ago, but a George Polk Award was given this morning to a blogger.
Not just any blogger, of course. Josh Marshall (top, with his son Sam) of Talking Points Memo may have started back in 2000 as a kind of blogging stereotype, posting late at night from his small D.C. apartment and from the corner Starbucks and -- in just two years -- shining a light on the remarks that cost Sen. Trent Lott his GOP Senate leadership post, but he's turned his operation into much, much more.
Since 2002 Marshall has moved to New York and -- thanks to increasing ad revenue -- made Talking Points Memo into a new kind of journalistic enterprise for the 21st Century, hiring a staff of a half dozen talented young journalists and rewriting the rules with a mix of commentary and original muckraking while highlighting the work of other to focus like a laser on the big political questions.

There is much more to read ... go do it!

Let me introduce you to my cousin Valencia.

The Florida Board of Education is considering new science standards which make evolutionary theory a central part of the curriculum, and limits the influence of alternative theories in the classroom. You may remember the Kansas Board of Education going through a similar experience over the last few years, with evolution proponents eventually winning out over the creationist/intelligent design crowd. If a city, state or country really cares about being competitive in the global economy and wants to prepare children for success in a variety of scientific fields, they have to strengthen their support of true science, whether that involves evolution, climate change, genetic research, or a myriad of other topics.
But the challenge ahead for science proponents is daunting as this article makes clear:

The Times survey ... revealed a huge gulf between scientists and the public. While the vast majority of scientists consider evolution to be backed by strong evidence, nearly two-thirds of those polled were skeptical.

Sha and I were fotunate to hear a some great speakers last summer at the YearlyKos convention in Chicago (now Netroots Nation). One of the panels was on science and the most entertaining speaker was Ed Brayton. Here is a post from his blog on the Florida situation:

Those who are campaigning against those standards have consistently displayed precisely the kind of rank ignorance of science that make those new standards crucial. A commenter left this transcript of what one man said during the public comment time on the new standards recently:

"Now I have in my hand an orange. I was about to eat this orange yesterday, but before I did I sat down and read about this evolution stuff. I learned that this orange is actually my first cousin. I didn't want to eat the orange no more. So now I'm going to give it to you people on the committee, and you can eat it if you want. But if you do decide to eat it, it shows that you don't believe in this evolution either. And we shouldn't be teaching our kids something no one believes."

Stunningly stupid.

Well said.

FISA fight proves Bush is a Fascist

Another Special Comment last night from Keith Olbermann:

We will not fear any longer.
We will not fear the international terrorists -- we will thwart them.
We will not fear the recognition of the manipulation of our yearning for safety.
We will not fear calling out the vulgar hypocrites in our government.
We will not fear George W. Bush, nor fear because George W. Bush wants us to fear.

Watch it at Crooks and Liars.

Another black eye for a "Family Values" politician?

Arizona Congressman John Shadegg announced this week that he would not be running for another term this November. It was a surprise announcement and it prompted more than 130 House Republicans to sign a letter to Shadegg asking him to reconsider. So, as he mulls over his options, some people in Arizona (fellow Republicans?) are trying to make sure he spurns their pleas and stays out of the race by sharing dirt on the randy representative. This comes from a book by John L. Jackley's called Below The Beltway and was featured in the blog Down with Tyranny:

The brief part about Shadegg, however, is deadly ... It details the adultery, sex, and violence scandal that Shadegg-- and even more so an enraged Mrs. Shadegg-- do not want to come to light and is exactly why he retired and won't be running for re-election to Congress, nor for poor old McCain's Senate seat. Republican officials in Phoenix aren't talking about anything else today but this:

Read the sordid details here!

Gee, I wonder why the Arizona Republic hasn't written much about this? Hello Phoenix New Times?

Imagine 50 Million on the Move in America

This is from Tom Dispatch via Altercation:

Today, perhaps 4.5 million (or one of every six) Iraqis is either a refugee in another country or an internally displaced person. If the Iraqi refugee crisis, the worst on the planet at this moment, were recomputed in terms of the U.S. population, an unimaginable 50 million Americans would have either streamed across the Canadian and Mexican borders or be out of their homes but still inside the country. This is the essence of what the Bush administration let loose with its invasion and subsequent occupation policies in Iraq.

Who has their backs?

Since we are down to 3.5 candidates (you don't really think Huckabee can come from behind and win, do you?) I think we should move on to our VP forecasts.

The pick for Veep will be critical for each of the candidates, but perhaps for Senator John McCain most of all. The dude will turn 72 in August. And did you know ...

For the record, just checking actuarial tables, the odds are roughly 15% that a 72 year old person will die in the next 4 years. For a 60 year old person (like Hillary), it's about 5%.

So does McCain pick Huckabee to keep the Evangelicals close? Does he pick someone who really is a moderate, centrist who can draw from Independents and Republicans? Another move is to go with a hard edge Neocon to keep the Bush base (the 30-percenters) happy. Or how about the hilarious suggestion lately that he could pick Condi Rice as his running mate? And will all of this make Joe Lieberman jealous?
My prediction for McCain is ... Jeb Bush. I know it sounds nuts, but it's all part of the deal McCain made when he sold his soul to Bush/Cheney/Rove to become the Republican nominee in '08.

As for Senator Hillary Clinton, this is a tough one. I think she needs someone with a pleasing nature who isn't a Type A personality ... a shadow. A name tossed around is Senator Evan Buyh of Indiana.

But the winning ticket will be Senator Barack Obama from Illinois and Senator Jim Webb from Virginia. Webb is a former Admiral, a critic of the war in Iraq, and he has a son currently serving over there. He is tough. But like Obama he only has brief experience in Washington with less than two years in the Senate. But people clamoring for real change may be attracted to two people on the ticket who are not entrenched in Beltway politics.

PS - You'll notice that I didn't give John Edwards consideration. He is still tainted by the 2004 disaster.

The 100 Years War of john.he.is

This is hilarious. You don't want to miss it. But ... you need to first watch the video from will.i.am to feel the full effect of john.he.is by an L.A. comedy group. Like the Obama video this one is exploding all over the net.



Yes We Can! beats Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran anytime.

They do it on purpose ...

Lance Mannion has an excellent analogy to Republican Rule:

If the Goverment is a car setting out to give every one a ride to work, then for 40 years the Republicans have been puncturing the tires, pouring sand in the gas tank, stealing the distributer cap, and, whenever they can get their hands on the wheel, driving it straight into the nearest ditch and then, pointing to the wreckage as the tow truck backs up to it, saying, See, this proves that people were meant to walk.

And they do this so that they don't have to chip in on gas.

Hat tip to Atrios/Avedon

Why do all the big ugly monsters hate New York City?

I saw Cloverfield on Friday night. I had been following news about this movie since the mysterious ad campaign began last fall. So I had scanned a few reviews and checked out the Tomato Rating to see if it would be worth my time.
I have to say that I left the theater very impressed, with my pulse still racing, and a big headache. The turbulent handheld camera work was jolting at times (thus the spinning of my brain) and frustrating, but it was crucial to the nature and point-of-view of the film and it helped to ratchet up the tension. As the camera bounced and moved back-and-forth you weren't always sure what you were seeing.
Cloverfield is basically the best Godzilla movie I've ever seen, but instead of focusing on the monster or the hero (geeky scientist or steady soldier) it tells the story from the perspective of some of the tiny people running around the city trying to keep from getting stepped on by Godzilla.
As for the Cloverfield monster, it was creepy and terrifying ... and damn near indestructible. Its ability to take a punch (or a tank round for that matter) was a bit problematic, and there were some other plot holes, too. But the fast pacing didn't give me much time to think about them. Overall, the movie was creative and exciting. And short at less than 90 minutes.
I don't do thumbs up or down, stars are overused, and ripe or rotten tomatoes are already taken. Any ideas on what I should use as my unique movie rating icon?
for now I'll give it four out of five ripe thumbs.

See also: The Host, another creative monster flick that came out last year from South Korea.

Rogue Columnist

If my wife ever leaves me it would probably be for this man.
Stay away, dude!
He's a great writer, a former columnist for the Arizona Republic, and an author. We recently discovered his blog and look forward to reading him again on a regular basis.
Here are some of his recent posts:

• Who is this 'Maverick' I keep hearing about?
• What's really wrong with newspapers
• What I didn't write at the Arizona Republic

McCain running from his future record ...

I just can't let this go:

On the stump, McCain has repeatedly claimed that passing a package was a priority for him. Yet his missed vote yesterday was not an accident due to a late flight or scheduling conflict. It was deliberate ... McCain’s move was certainly not a profile in courage. His spokeswoman said that the senator would have voted against the package anyway. By missing the vote, however, he didn’t have to go on record denying benefits to 20 million seniors and 250,000 disabled vets — both key blocs of support for his campaign. As ABC’s Jake Tapper notes, “In fact, in the 110th Congress, out of 450 votes, McCain missed 56.7% of them. The only one who missed more was a senator who had a brain hemmorhage.”

McCain = Bush Bush = McCain McCain = Bush
And so on ... and so on ... and so on ... and so on ...

Profiles in Wimpiness

Remember that economic stimulus package that President Bush and so many others have been saying is critical to help avoid a recession and bring relief to consumers?
The Republicans filibustered the bill today and the vote for cloture to end debate failed in the Senate by a 58-41 vote, two short of the 60 needed to bring it to a vote. But in reality the measure failed by one vote (Harry Reid cast a no vote in a technical move to enable him to bring the bill forward at a later date). And why did it fail by one vote? Who was the lone Senator to miss this important vote? John McCain. He was in D.C. but chose to hide so he would not have to vote on a bill that he said he supported, but which was opposed by many Bush conservatives. Think Progress has more:

"John McCain (R-AZ) has been repeatedly claiming on the stump that passing an economic stimulus package is at the very top of his agenda. He has told audiences that the “first thing we gotta do is pass the stimulus package through the Senate.” During a Jan. 24 GOP debate, he explicitly pledged to vote on such legislation when it reached the Senate. As recently as this morning, McCain again told reporters that he planned on returning to the Senate for this evening’s vote on the economic stimulus, stating that Congress needed to quickly pass legislation. The measure, blocked by conservatives, fell just one vote short of the 60 needed to end debate. At the “last minute,” McCain decided to skip the vote, even though his plane landed in DC in time. McCain claimed that he was "too busy":
“I haven’t had a chance to talk about it at all, have not had the opportunity to, even,” McCain said. “We’ve just been too busy, focused on other stuff. I don’t know if I’m doing that. We’ve got a couple of meetings scheduled.”
Both Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) were able to return to the Senate and vote on the bill.
The stimulus package, which included “$600-$1,200 rebate checks for more than 100 million Americans,” would also have provided “$44 billion in help for the elderly, disabled veterans, the unemployed and businesses.” The bill was opposed by hardline conservatives whom McCain is hoping to woo. By not voting for bill, as he had promised, McCain caved to the right wing and turned his back on 20 million
seniors and 250,000 disabled vets. As the AP notes:
Voting “no” with Republican leaders would have offended millions of Social Security recipients and the disabled veterans not scheduled to receive rebates. Voting “yes,” on the other hand, risked alienating Bush, GOP leaders and conservatives already suspicious of McCain’s political leanings. Today proved to be quite a detour for the straight talk express."

Remember this ...
McCain = Bush

The Big Purple & Orange Aristotle

On my way home I heard a caller to the local sports talk radio station say that the Phoenix Suns should trade for Shaquille O'Neal. The two hosts laughed and derided the caller into radio purgatory for such a ridiculous suggestion. And then ... not more than 20 minutes later the news came across the wire that the Suns and the Miami Heat were talking trade: Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks would go from the Suns to the Heat for Shaq.
Many Suns fans are saying this would be the worst trade in franchise history. Why?

Shaq is old by NBA standards, almost 36 with many miles and battles on his 7-foot, 350+ lb. frame. He is injury prone, missing many games this season and last. He is big and slow, and would disrupt the Suns' run-n-gun style of play. He is due the remainder of his $20 million salary this year, another $20 mil next year, and another $20 mil the following year. And many Suns fans love Shawn Marrion and what he has done for the team during his nine year career. The Matrix is a key part of the teams' success in recent years.

But I love this trade proposal and hope it happens ... soon. Why?

Several other teams in the West have already made trades making it likely that this year's Suns team will not win the NBA Championship as it is currently put together. They have to make a trade to have any chance of winning in the playoffs this year. There are chemistry issues between Marion and Amare Stoudemire and Marion actually requested a trade in the off-season. Some believe Marion is on the downward side of his career and his physical skills are diminishing. The team is successful with their high octane style of play, but always come up short in the down-and-dirty playoffs -- a small team that gets beat up by tougher teams. The Suns have never had a dominant center and Shaq may not be what he was, but he is still better than most other big men in the league. The team currently has too many small forwards, and with the addition of Grant Hill losing Marion may not be such a devestating blow. We also get rid of the overpaid and underutilized Marcus Banks. With Shaq Daddy taking over the middle of the court, Amare can play big forward, where he wants to be, and I think he would increase his scoring. You would not see Manu Ginobili slicing through the lane to the rim so easily with Shaq sitting there to knock him on his ass.

It's time to gamble. If the Suns are going to win a championship it has to happen within the next two years, while Steve Nash is still playing at an MVP level. Suns Owner Robert Sarver may not want to spend the money on a broken down future Hall of Famer, but he may not have a better option. And he may make a ton of money back on the sale of Shaq Suns merchandise.
Word is Shaq may be in town tomorrow for a physical. If it looks like he is healthy enough to play down the stretch run they should pull the trigger and bring Shaq Diesel to the Valley of the Sun.

"I have been wrong more often than I have been right, it seems ..."

I found this entry at Instaputz:

This sentiment, re: the "Yes, We Can" video, is, I think, quite lovely and correct.

"My daughter is 28, about the age of many of the people in this video. I don't know for whom she's planning to vote. We haven't discussed it; it's her business.I do know, however, that at age 57 I wish I had done a better job caring for our country and our planet, for her sake and those of her peers. I have been wrong more often than I have been right, it seems. I have been lazy and selfish when I should have been industrious and giving. I think it's obvious to anyone making a rational assessment that humanity in general and enough folks like me in particular have failed in a thousand little ways that have led inexorably to failure in several big, big ways. Babies still starve to death. Gorgeous creatures that once roamed free are now pushed to extinction. Men still take up arms against one another, and now, more often than not, women do, too.
I don't know for sure if Barack Obama is the candidate to lead us out of this mess; I don't know for sure if he can even lead us to a solution to any of our tempests du jour like health care or immigration. But I do know that I would find it completely understandable if the young people asked to participate in the video had simply shrugged their shoulders and said, "Fuck it. I'm looking out for Number One, and that's it."
That they did not, that they chose instead to try to motivate others to feel a little mist of hope in a desert of cynicism, brought tears to my eyes as I watched them, whoever they are."

This video continues to blow up on the internet. It is beautiful.

Chillin' for Obama

We volunteered this evening to canvass a neighborhood for the Barack Obama campaign. They gave us a list of addresses for democrats and likely voters in a neighborhood and we walked door-to-door. What a great time for a cold winter storm to roll through town. Rain, wind, sleet, lightning, and a few rainbows made it a memorable experience. I think we earned at least of few extra votes from people who were impressed that we were so dedicated. We spoke to Obama supporters, Clinton supporters, met some big, loud dogs, had a couple doors closed in our faces, found ourselves on the wrong block more than once, and eventually knocked on about 100 doors between the three of us.
If you've ever wanted to volunteer for a campaign and make a difference, canvassing is a simple way to do that. I plan to do it again in the fall no matter who the Democratic candidate is ... it's too important.
By the way, it seemed to be almost split evenly between people who said they were voting for Hillary and those who preferred Barack.
Tomorrow is Super Tuesday. Go vote!

The Yes We Can Song

Watch this and share it. Yes we can!