Daffodil Lane: Political: Presidential Archives

April 27, 2007

Debate Thoughts

I TiVo'ed the debate so I could watch it when I got in. My gut reaction is that there were no winners on this one. Hillary did good, so she met expectations. Obama stumbled and fumbled around, also meeting expectations. Edwards flinched a little, but delivered a good performance. Richardson seemed seriously out of his element for some reason. If you've seen him in the past you would have been disappointed with his performance, but it was only slightly worse than Obama's. Biden and Dodd, well you can tell that they've been doing this for a long while, but they didn't really raise the bar. The only two that you were left with the idea that they had no place on the stage, let alone in the White House, was Kucinich and Gravel. Personally they had more of the hysterical disconnection from reality that's become the hallmark of Republican candidates and not Democratic ones.

Of course for the radical right the polling that Obama won the debate is gospel. It's not overly useful to know that the guy with the most support is in the lead debate polling in South Carolina. Obama didn't pull a W and do so badly that people decided to stop supporting him, but I could have told you that. It simply is not overly useful information, much like most Republican polling.

The interesting thing is who were the losers of the debate. Gravel, Clinton and Kucinich all three pulled double digit negatives from the South Carolina crowds. Interesting the person that the least number of people thought lost the debate was John Edwards. I can't shake the feeling that 9 months from now when it actually becomes time to vote that this race is going to come down to being a fight between Richardson and Edwards over substance, because Hillary and Obama are going to destroy each other in the campaign for style.

I'm sure the blogosphere will be filled with analysis today on it that will be much more in depth than my own.

Comments

My money is on Edwards pulling through with the nomination

Posted by: steve at April 27, 2007 12:37 PM

I agree. My money is on edwards pulling through with the victory in the primaries and the general

Posted by: steve at April 27, 2007 12:39 PM

I would be very happy with that outcome!

Posted by: Dianne at April 27, 2007 5:17 PM

April 7, 2007

Baghdad in the Midwest cornfields

What an outing to a market in Indiana would look like if a congressman's observations were correct.
By John Kenney, JOHN KENNEY is a writer in Brooklyn, N.Y.
April 7, 2007

MY WIFE came into the living room wearing a Kevlar vest, helmet and night-vision goggles.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Have you completely forgotten, silly head? We're going to the market."

I placed my hand at my head. I'd been so caught up in stitching a minor wound I'd received earlier in the day after going to an outdoor fruit stand that I had completely forgotten.

I have to say I had to laugh for a while after reading this one. Sometimes people's ideology gets a head of their ability to grasp reality. That is what has happened to a lot of the Republicans visiting Iraq. They are so desperate to prop up the Bush regime that they will tell any lie, no matter how big and easily disprovable to support what we all know to be false, but this is the world that the GOP imagines America to be. I know I went shopping in Indiana myself on occasion, I think a cashier may have miscounted some of my change once, then again that may have been Kentucky, but in my entire life I can't remember having to deal with snipers, bombings, or anything else that is a part of the daily lives of Iraqis right now. You'd have to be a cold, ruthless, calculating individual to even dare to make the comparison and yet every GOP'er seems determined to trivialize the Iraqis suffering because of their colossal incompetence. It's utterly disgraceful.

Finish reading the story at LA Times.

Posted by Jamison at 10:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Comments

Well, the gangs here are shooting up stores and busting out windows. So we will probably get to the scene soon enough. They don't seem to realize we can't keep lying to everyone and ourselves and have it come out right.

Posted by: mums at April 8, 2007 9:03 AM

April 6, 2007

Edwards Not Participating In Fox/CBC Debate

"We just called the CBC to let them know that we're looking forward to their January debate with CNN but we're not going to participate in the proposed debate with Fox. The CBC champions critical issues that matter enormously to the future of our country, and we look forward to discussing them throughout this campaign and at their debate in January. But we believe there's just no reason for Democrats to give Fox a platform to advance the right-wing agenda while pretending they're objective. If there was any uncertainty as to Fox's objectivity, it was put to rest when they attacked Democratic candidates, Democratic constituency groups, and the Nevada Democratic party when their last proposed debate was cancelled for lack of support."

Once again Americans, and more specifically Democrats, are left to wonder if Hillary and Obama are going to do the right thing and join Edwards in making a principled stand against the right wing propaganda outlet that is Fox News. Given Hillary's close personal relationship with Murdock, and Obama's unwillingness to take a stand on anything, I have a feeling it will be a long wait. I guess they'll have to depend on Dean to bail them out on this. Also being a natural leader, unlike the DLC sellouts, he stated that there will be no Democratic Debates sanctioned by the DNC that will appear on the Faux News. I think it's time to use one of Al Gore's favorite quotes.

"The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences." - Winston Churchill

Hillary and Obama should take note of the lessons taught to the GOP last election cycle. In the end money doesn't win elections and rabid followers don't win elections. Elections are won by the people who stand up and offer a vision of the future that the American people want to be given. Democrats can't take half-measures, they have to be leaders. If the American people wanted fools and cowards they'd just elect more Republicans. Dean gets it. Edwards gets it. The question becomes how long will it take for the rest of the party to catch on and catch up? How patient will the Democratic party be with people that claim the represent us that don't get where we are as a people right now?

Read more over at Daily Kos, MyDD, TPM Cafe, America Blog and Politico.

Posted by Jamison at 9:41 PM

April 1, 2007

McCain Strolls Through Baghdad Market

McCain being a Republican of his word today, took a stroll through a Baghdad Market to reinforce the Republican talking point that Iraq is a land of peace and tranquility. The right wing media of course jumped up to scream that the Republicans were right and that victory in Iraq is just moments away for us. But the devil is in the details as always when you are dealing with people as dishonest as the Republican party. McCain little stroll wasn't alone. He actually tied up 100 American soldiers to provide security, 3 Blackhawk Helicopters and 2 Apache Gunships. I know when I take a stroll around any American city that's usually my normal compliment???? What adds insult to injury is that McCain then went straight to a press conference to claim that the media was just fabricating that things were bad in Iraq. There is no lie too big for the GOP to fabricate folks. They will keep telling a lie even when you catch them red handed doing just that.

Read more over at Think Progress and Think Progress.

Posted by Jamison at 9:01 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

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I actually pulled aerial security on a Toby Keith concert while I was in Iraq. Would the Dixie Chicks rec'd the same protection? Hmmmm.

Posted by: Wayne at April 4, 2007 4:00 AM

It doesn't matter who goes over there they all get the same protection. That's the way it works.

Posted by: Dianne at April 4, 2007 9:15 AM

March 30, 2007

Bush Prepares to De-Fund Troops

The president wants to have his endless war without restriction or accountability, and the Congress has said "enough is enough". When President Bush defunds his own War, he will have only himself to blame. This is his temper tantrum, and Americans are no longer willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

As the Senate resumed debate Wednesday on a bill containing a spring 2008 timetable for bringing American troops home, Bush argued again that such a step would result in a needless delay of funds for troops. But Democrats are insisting that he'll have to accept some sort of timeline to get the money.

The quotes on this story are priceless. The Republicans choose to veto the funding for the troops and it's the fault of the Democrats?? What's even more priceless is when Bush screams that the American people will blame the Democrats for him being the ones who is actually defunding the troops? Really now? With 60% of Americans supporting scaling back our participation in this Republican war of aggression, the American people are going to hold Democrats responsible for doing what they were elected to do? Not quite. I know for the Republican voter electing someone that doesn't fulfill any of their campaign promises is sort of the norm, but the rest of America sort of elects people to do the job they promised to do. It's a wild concept that is catching on after 12 years of utter Republican mismanagement of Congress. In the next election cycle, we are going to roll it out again. It's just become all the rage with voters, actually having representation in Congress, I know wild who could have ever guessed that it would catch on?? Not Republicans evidently, but such is life. We've seen the best that conservative thinking can do for America, I think we are all ready for a new direction for the country now.

Read more over at Raising Kaine, Nightbird's Fountain, TalkLeft and MyDD.

Posted by Jamison at 7:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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March 28, 2007

Bush is the symptom, conservativism the disease

Republicans are in a bind -- they want to disown Bush and throw him to the wolves. They want to blame him for all the problems they've had the past few years governing the country and save their own hides, but they still can't find the strength to oppose his Iraq efforts. They are attached to his hip, yet they want to pretend that Bush is the cause of all the nation's problems. Complicating things, they've had a governmental trifecta, so they don't have their usual Democratic Party foils to blame. They're on their own and isolated on this one.
But ultimately, Bush is a symptom of the problem, not the cause. The cause is conservatism. How can an ideology that holds as a truism that government can't work, work? If Republicans ran the country smoothly and ably, it would lay waste to their claims that government is the enemy and can't make people's lives better. In that regards, Bush hasn't been incompetent. He's been wildly successful.

So yes, what we have just witnessed is the logical conclusion of effective conservative governance, and things would look the same way today whether we had President McCain, President Lott, President Jeb, President Romney, President Thompson, or whichever other anti-government Republican we slotted in.

This is what conservatives want for America. We're seeing it in the most vivid of colors. Blaming Bush for doing exactly what conservatives wanted to the country would be like, well, blaming Gonzales for doing exactly what Bush ordered him to do.

Markos is on fire this morning! OK it was yesterday, but I didn't catch wind of it till this morning. It's absolutely so true, the radical right is trying to say that the problem isn't conservatism, but it's just the people in charge. The reality is that it's a natural result of conservative ideology, this is where you will always end up, thousands of Americans dead, the country faltering at every turn and conservatives screaming if they could just give the wealth one more tax cut that this would all turn around. Yeah right! Failure is the ultimate end of conservative ideology, it's the only place it can go because it's built on a fundamentally unsustainable set of precepts. Take a good look America this is the best the conservatives can do, this is their finest hour, the realization of all their dreams and ambitions. As you watch scandal after scandal unfold, remember this is what they consider Utopia and remember that the next time you're alone in the voting booth. If you vote for a conservative, this is what you want for America.

[via America Blog]

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March 26, 2007

NYC Police Spied Broadly Before GOP Convention

On one level this is neither surprising or overly concerning. The job of the police force is to maintain law and order. So the fact that they worked to figure out who had plans to be violent and collected information about them isn't a matter for concern. But then you read something like this.

From these operations, run by the department's "R.N.C. Intelligence Squad," the police identified a handful of groups and individuals who expressed interest in creating havoc during the convention, as well as some who used Web sites to urge or predict violence.
But potential troublemakers were hardly the only ones to end up in the files. In hundreds of reports stamped "N.Y.P.D. Secret," the Intelligence Division chronicled the views and plans of people who had no apparent intention of breaking the law, the records show.

What??? RNC Intelligence Squad??? I think I need some clarification now if this was a temporary working group or a permanent extension of the police force that is still alive today. We've heard for years that the GOP has abused it's political power to manipulate the justice system into being an extension of the Republican party, but this borders on just being criminal!

I know this may sound strange to the Republican readers out there, but we have this thing called a constitution...I know wild concept there, but it guarantees certain inalienable rights to American citizens and one of them is the "the right of the people peaceably to assemble". That means protesters no matter how annoying or misguided have the right to protest your convention no matter how it will make you look in the media. Trust me a few protesters would look a lot less scary to the world than an RNC Intelligence division spying on Americans trying to exercise their constitutionally protected rights of assembly.

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March 23, 2007

White House spokesman Snow faces surgery

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Presidential spokesman Tony Snow said Friday he will undergo surgery Monday to remove a growth in his lower abdomen.
He said the procedure was being done "out of an aggressive sense of caution" because he had colon cancer two years ago.

He said Friday that tests since the growth was discovered in his lower right pelvic area have been negative for cancer, but that doctors decided to remove it to be sure.

Regardless of political persuasion this type of thing is never good. I hope that Mr. Snow's surgery goes well and that the mass does indeed end up being benign as preliminary tests show.

Found via CNN.

Posted by Dianne at 4:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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March 22, 2007

Elizabeth Edwards Cancer Has Moved From Her Tissue To Her Bones

John Edwards said tests this week had shown his wife, Elizabeth, had cancer in a rib on her right side. He said the cancer is treatable but not curable.
"We are very optimistic about this," he said, noting that the tumor is small in size and has a "relatively minimal presence."

Elizabeth Edwards said she was "incredibly optimistic" and said her expectations about the future were unchanged.

"You can go cower in the corner and hide or you can go out there and stand up for what you believe in," John Edwards said. "We have no intentions of cowering in the corner."

Elizabeth Edwards said she was fortunate that she felt pain from a cracked rib and got X-rays for that which revealed the cancer.

Elizabeth Edwards underwent treatment for breast cancer after the 2004 campaign, in which her husband was the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Elizabeth Edwards' breast cancer, invasive ductal cancer, is the most common form of the disease, accounting for 70 percent to 80 percent of cases, according to the American Cancer Society.

Her cancer is treatable, not curable. That's not good, but apparently some people live with this for a very long time, and live normally at that. She's still in our thoughts and prayers.

Found via CNN.

Posted by Dianne at 12:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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Edwards to hold news conference on wife's health

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina (CNN) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, have scheduled a news conference for Thursday to discuss what sources close to Edwards described as possible developments with her health.
The sources would not disclose the exact nature of Thursday's announcement, but they did say that the couple is not going before the press to say that "everything is OK."

Elizabeth Edwards underwent treatment for breast cancer after the 2004 campaign, in which her husband was the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

The sources close to Edwards said his wife had a routine follow-up appointment on Monday to check her breast cancer, which was believed to be in remission. According to sources, the doctor called back on Tuesday and asked her to come in again on Wednesday.

Edwards, who was campaigning in Iowa, cut short the rest of his schedule on Tuesday to fly back to be with her. The two of them went to see the doctor together on Wednesday, the sources said.

It appears that Elizabeth Edwards' cancer may not be in remission after all! Our thoughts and prayers go out to her today. I hope that everything will turn out ok. I'm such an admirer of hers!

Found via CNN.

Posted by Dianne at 8:26 AM

March 21, 2007

An 18 day gap???

Shades of Rose Mary Woods? An 18 day gap?
I think a commenter in our document dump research thread may have been the first to notice that the emails released by the Justice Department seem to have a gap between November 15th and December 4th of last year.

(Our commenter saw it late on the evening of the dump itself -- see the comment date-stamped March 20, 2007 02:19 AM in the research thread)

The firing calls went out on December 7th. But the original plan was to start placing the calls on November 15th. So those eighteen days are pretty key ones.

For those of you that don't know, Rose Mary Woods was the secretary of Richard Nixon that was blamed for erasing portions of the Nixon tapes. So appears the Republican cover-up is in full force, you can see why Bush is willing to take this matter to the Republican controlled Supreme court. I love the breathless hysteria of the radical right that you can't ask the President's staff to testify about anything before Congress, yet 47 different times, Clinton's staff was called to testify before Congress on matters related to Republican investigations. Evidently we are back to the old Republican stand by of two legal systems, one for them and one for everyone that disagrees with them. The Republican party is trying to top their Nixon era criminality and it appears that they've made Nixon look like a rank amateur.

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March 7, 2007

Edwards to skip Fox News debate

I have to say I'm extremely proud on this front. The Netroots ran into the problem of a State Democratic party to recalcitrant to reconsider an obvious and terrible mistake that they had made. What's the old saying about moving mountains...If you can't make people see the error of their ways, the next logical choice is eliminate their mistake before it happens. So the Netroots has set about chopping the legs out from under the foolish Democrats in Nevada. Actually that's not even the case, if you interview any member of the Nevada's State Democratic party they say they would never have voted to allow it, so what we have is a state leadership organization that has become utterly corrupt and disconnected from the people on the ground.

I just can't get over that they don't get that Fox News is an extension of the Republican party. You don't let the people who hate you introduce your political candidates for President. It's just not done. So we have the first candidate stepping up to say he won't help the Republican party win the Presidency. I imagine that Obama will not be too far behind Edwards, because after that assault on his character by Fox News he will likely just continue forward with his stated policy, which will just leave Murdock's good buddy Hilliary to decide which side she's going to be on in this election. This is actually rapidly turning into the event that determines who is the logical choice for President of the United States.

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March 6, 2007

The Libby verdict is in

Count I: GUILTY

Count II: GUILTY

Count III: NOT GUILTY

Count IV: GUILTY

Count V: GUILTY

Well Dianne and I were in transit, so we missed the big news. I'm disappointed that he wasn't found guilty on all counts, but I'll take as many as I can get. The real guilty parties (ie. Rove, Cheney, Bush, etc.) will never get the justice they so richly deserve for their role in a ruthless attack on the American spy network that they conducted. I imagine we will see endless appeals and an eventual pardon by this worthless President to cover up his criminal behavior as he leaves office in shame. It will take decades to repair all the damage done to America by the Republican party in the last 12 years. I only hope we can hold the country together long enough to fix it before it comes apart at the seams.

We all owe Fitzgerald a great debt of gratitude. In an age where this corrupt administration and its party time and time again attacks anyone that questions their criminal misconduct, Fitzgerald stood by his principals and did his job regardless of his political affiliation. Likely he will join the ranks of the fired prosecutors that the Republican party is racking up across the country right now, but in a cesspool of Republican criminality Fitzgerald came in and did a bit of cleaning. I only wish there were more honest men and women in Washington willing to do their jobs over the loud objections and the Republican establishment hell bent on destroying this country for personal gain.

Comments

Two quibbles:
1. Bush's pardon will be a payment to Libby for falling on his sword like a good little soldier, not as a coverup (the coverup was a related scandal).
2. Fitzgerald did well as far as he went, but the man is not a risk-taker. He took the safe route. I'm not sure if he could have gone after bigger fish, but it would have been nice to see him try. Now that Libby can count on the safety of Bush's eventual pardon, he's not likely to turn on Cheney, so I'm afraid this chapter may be winding down... of course, there's always the civil suits...

Posted by: alice at March 7, 2007 12:17 AM

Yeah, I don't hold out much hope for justice, but that's the nature of our system. There is no justice really, the weak and the helpless receive heavy handed treatment at the hands of system that is stacked against them and the wealthy never even get touched no matter what law they break. Two systems of justice for the two classes of Americans, the notion that the two are even related is an exercise in naivety.

Posted by: Jamison at March 7, 2007 8:31 AM

One of the nice things about Edwards is that it's nice to hear someone acknowledge our dual system once in a while...

Posted by: alice at March 7, 2007 9:14 AM

February 26, 2007

Just a cowboy at heart?

The other morning I was over at Bob Geiger's site and I saw the above picture of Obama. It takes a special kind of man to pull off wearing a cowboy hat folks. You have to have an inner strength to make it not seem like an act. It appears that Obama is one of those kind of men. So anyway, I flagged this picture for future posting because it left me with a feeling that I'd seen this kind of picture before but I just couldn't put my finger on where. Then it hit me, Cowboy Troy! You be the judge.

Now if Obama can sing country music too, well he's still not got a chance in hell to get a Republican vote, but the connection made me smile. I'd like to see a little more Cowboy Troy in my Obama, then maybe I could get inspired.

Posted by Jamison at 2:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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February 25, 2007

Great News!!!

As I've mentioned in the past there is only one candidate on the Republican list for President that worries me in the slightest. Well there has been some great news this week on that front. Turns out Mr. Huckabee has been involved in a scandal at the governor's mansion of Arkansas with some missing money and some deleted hard drives. I know what's you're thinking...A dishonest Republican what a big surprise there Jamison! I know it won't keep Republican from voting for him, or let's be honest, they wouldn't be able to vote for any of their guys on the ballot. That leaves the last serious threat on the Republican side to be Hagel and it appears that Republicans hate him more than they hate Democrats. Personally I can't tell the difference between Tancredo, Hunter, and Brownback. I suspect one of those three are going to win because they represent the purest embodiment of the GOP in it's current form.

Comments

In fact, the charges against Huckabee were made up in an attempt to embarass him while running for president. The ethics committee dismissed the charges quickly as baseless.

He did nothing out of the ordinary when there is a transition between administrations.

Posted by: lloyd at February 26, 2007 10:36 PM

I don't know, it's been my experience where there is smoke there is fire when it comes to Republican corruption. I read his pitiful denial, definitely points to a man caught up in some dishonest dealings. But the Republican Culture of Corruption invades every level of the party so it's not really that big of a surprise to see someone like Huckabee's chances of running for President squashed by his strict adherence to the Republican mantra of hate, fear, and greed.

Posted by: Jamison at February 27, 2007 7:16 AM

February 16, 2007

Melissa Sums It Up Nicely

What those who believe I (or Amanda) 'caved' don't seem to understand is that from Day One, this situation just kept escalating. When Donohue went after me, I didn't quit. When Malkin went after me, I didn't quit. When the rightwing blogosphere went after me, I didn't quit. When the mainstream media went after me, I didn't quit. When someone from another Democratic campaign went after me, I didn't quit. When Bill O'Reilly went after me, I didn't quit. And after all that hadn't made me quit, the threats poured in.

Melissa sums up very nicely why she had to quit. The right wing can not, nor have they ever been able to back up their arguments with facts, so they yell, they lie and they threaten violence to get their "point" across. It speaks volumes to their characters. They are all bullies, though they try to paint themselves in a different light, but all the painting in the world can't change that fact.

Melissa did the right thing for her and for her family. There was no caving, it was simply the only way to survive and she rightly took the only path that she had to escape the insanity.

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February 8, 2007

Draft Gore 2008

Need I say more?

Draft Gore!

Posted by Dianne at 9:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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February 7, 2007

If The Rumor Is True I'll Have To Rethink My Support Of Edwards

The right-wing blogosphere has gotten its scalps -- John Edwards has fired the two controversial bloggers he recently hired to do liberal blogger outreach, Salon has learned.
The bloggers, Amanda Marcotte, formerly of Pandagon, and Melissa McEwan, of Shakespeare's Sister, had come under fire from right-wing bloggers for statements they had previously made on their respective blogs. A statement by the Catholic League's Bill Donohue, which called Marcotte and McEwan "anti-Catholic vulgar trash-talking bigots," and an accompanying article on the controversy in the New York Times this morning, put extra pressure on the campaign.

Speculation from sources that the two bloggers might be rehired was bolstered by Jennifer Palmieri, a spokeswoman for the Edwards campaign, who said in an e-mail that she would "caution [Salon] against reporting that they have been fired. We will have something to say later."

So did he or didn't he? I will tell you one thing though, if he does fire Melissa and Amanda, bowing to the radical, hypocritical right wing and their complete disconnect from reality, then I'm done with Edwards. I await the official comments from his campaign.

Until then we return you to your regularly scheduled Daffodil Lane.

Found via Salon.com.

Read more at Shakespeare's Sister as well.

Posted by Dianne at 5:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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What America Needs to Know About Giuliani

Crooks and Liars has an excellent run down of what Giuliani did NOT do in the aftermath of 9/11. Basically he looked good on TV and that was about it, but that shouldn't be surprising.

And Giuliani walks on. He walks from his bunker, up Barclay Street and went on television. Went on and announced his heroism and then came back every hour or so until he became a star, a great figure, a national hero, the mayor who saved New York.
Most of this comes from these dazed Pekingese of the Press. … Giuliani was a hero with these news people. He did not pick up a piece of steel or help carry one of the injured off.

We've seen this time and time again with Republican "leaders". Take Bush in New Orleans after Katrina. What did he do exactly other than roll up his sleeves and walk around in circles looking arogant and out of touch with reality? Did he help clean anything up? No. Did he help search for lost or missing? No. Did he even do anything but talk about how it should be done? No. He wouldn't even help with funding! That's not leadership, that's acting for the cameras.

And now they want you to think that if Giuliani had been mayor of New Orleans things would have been different? Not quite!

So exactly what did Mayor Giuliani do to exhibit “leadership”? The fact is that post-Katrina New Orleans was a much bigger mess than post-9/11 New York, and Rudy Giuliani did nothing after 9/11 that would indicate his “leadership” would have made much difference in New Orleans. As Michael Atkinson wrote in the Village Voice last year, “After 9-11, a sick, scandalized lame-duck mayor became a national hero for simply keeping his composure on TV.”

And to make matters worse, Giuliani lied (remind you of Dubya anyone?) in order to try to secure the legacy he wanted, instead of what his legacy actually was:

On perhaps the most painful of these, the loss of at least 121 firefighters in the north tower, Mr. Giuliani suggested that they stayed inside the trade center because they were busy rescuing civilians — never mentioning that they could not hear warnings from police helicopters, that many of them never learned the south tower had collapsed or that they were having serious problems staying in touch with their own commanders.
Witnesses who escaped from the tower tell a vastly different story than Mr. Giuliani. They say that in the north tower’s final 15 minutes, only a handful of civilian office workers were still in the bottom 44 floors of the building, perhaps no more than two or three dozen. Many of the firefighters who remained in the towers were between the 19th and 37th floors, having made slow progress up the stairs in their heavy gear.

It is clear, witnesses said, that even after the south tower collapsed, many, if not most, of the firefighters had no idea that they were in dire peril, or that it was time for them to leave. In contrast, police officers received strong guidance from their commanders to get out of the building, the commission reported, thanks in large part to the information sent to the ground by police helicopters.

Giuliani is not the person we need running our country. He's far from what we need! We don't need another show off. We don't need another liar! We need true leadership and someone that will stand up for what is right and what is just. Giuliani wouldn't know either if they hit him square in the face. We need someone who will get in there and get their hands dirty in order to make our country a better place. Giuliani wouldn't even know where to begin.

Found via Crooks and Liars.

Posted by Dianne at 2:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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February 4, 2007

What Real Leadeship Should Look Like

John Edwards 2008

Posted by Dianne at 2:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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February 1, 2007

Leading By Example

John Edwards 2008

Posted by Dianne at 10:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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Yet Another Reason Hillary Clinton Sucks

Hillary Clinton is personally putting out the word that she has no intention of sharing the wealth: "She's calling all the big-hitter fundraisers and saying, 'I want you to understand: NO money to anybody else. You cannot play both sides of the street,'" in the '08 presidential race, says a longtime Democratic operative who has worked for the Clintons in the past but turned down a role in the current campaign, and is so far sitting this one out.
And what's the reaction been? "People don't like it, but they're afraid of her." Yet the far more palpable fear for Democrats, discussed constantly, is that she'll have so much money she'll sail to the nomination.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I used to adore Hillary, but recently I just can't stand her. This kind of action on her part is yet another reason to work hard and make sure she does NOT get the Democratic Nomination! I'm all for a woman as president, just not this one. I think this kind of action is just down right vile on her part. I am NOT impressed!

Out of all the candidates running right now John Edwards is still the best choice. Hillary needs to get her head out of her butt and realize that her antics are simply childish! Bascially she's saying either play my way or I'll take my toys home. Take them home babe! It's not a loss!

Via Huffington Post.

Posted by Dianne at 8:52 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

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Hillary Clinton Sucks Balls. and I pray to god that she does not become president!

Posted by: Rob at March 7, 2007 12:47 PM

January 31, 2007

Melissa from Shakespeare's Sister Is Netroots Coordinator for John Edwards

I have to say this is a BRILLIANT choice by the Edwards team, but then again he seems to be on track for brilliance as it were. I'll admit I don't agree with everything he says (Iran for example), but at least he's taking a stand on the issues and I think by far he's the best candidate running so far!

Here's a bit of the announcment:

I have been offered and have accepted a position as the Netroots Coordinator for John Edwards’ presidential campaign, joining an outstanding internet team that now also includes Pandagon's Amanda Marcotte, with whom I'll be working closely. (Watch out, world!)

Congrats to Melissa! You'll do an excellent job for John Edwards! I'm so happy for you!

Check out the news on Shakespeare's Sister.

Posted by Dianne at 9:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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January 30, 2007

Obamamania Jon Stewart Style

Jon Stewart slaps down Faux News. Just go watch. Sort of NSFW due to some of the discussion, but very funny!

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January 26, 2007

Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards has a nice blog entry up about her family going green. Check it out here.

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Stewart On Cheney

As always Jon Stewart is brilliant! Just go watch...What are you waiting for? ;o)

Updated: 7:05 pm

Oh and you HAVE to watch the Darth Vader part! :o)

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January 25, 2007

Iraqi War Vets Speak Out On SOTU address

Once again our good Daffodil Lane buddy Rose Forrest was on CNN setting the record straight on the incompetent Republican Iraq war plans.

If you'd like to catch Rose's previous appearance on CNN, here's the link for that as well. Once again, Rose does a fabulous job!

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GO ROSE! I'm happy the phrase "escalation" is being properly used here as opposed to "surge."

Here's the money quote: "It's not as easy as it sounds."

Bingo.

Posted by: Mike Miller at January 25, 2007 6:03 PM

January 24, 2007

Rolling Stone: "Run, Al, Run"

Rolling Stone has a very interesting article on why Al Gore should run again for president.

If the Democrats were going to sit down and construct the perfect candidate for 2008, they'd be hard-pressed to improve on Gore. Unlike Hillary Clinton, he has no controversial vote on Iraq to defend. Unlike Barack Obama and John Edwards, he has extensive experience in both the Senate and the White House. He has put aside his wooden, policy-wonk demeanor to emerge as the Bush administration's most eloquent critic. And thanks to An Inconvenient Truth, Gore is not only the most impassioned leader on the most urgent crisis facing the planet, he's also a Hollywood celebrity, the star of the third-highest-grossing documentary of all time.
"He's perceived very differently now than he was six years ago," says Frank Luntz, the Republican consultant who advised George W. Bush to dispute global warming during the 2000 and 2004 elections. "He's an icon. Imagine that: Al Gore, Mr. Straight and Narrow, Mr. Dull on Wheels -- now he's culturally cool."

Indeed, Gore is unique among the increasingly crowded field of Democratic contenders. He has the buzz to beat Obama, the substance to supplant Hillary, and enough stature to enter the race late in the game and still raise the millions needed to mount a successful campaign. "Very few people who run for president can just step in when they want, with a superstar, titanic presence," says James Carville, the dean of Democratic strategists. "But Gore clearly is one of those. He's going to run, and he's going to be formidable. If he didn't run, I'd be shocked."

I won't lie...I'm a HUGE Al Gore fan and as I've said before if the man he is today ran in 2000 Bush wouldn't have been able to tweak Florida in his favor, because Gore would have won by such a great margin it wouldn't have mattered that Bush and his Daddy's buddies stole Florida.

I will also admit now that I'm torn. On the one hand the idea of Al Gore as president makes me giddy! On the other he is doing such great work now for the environment that perhaps he's found his calling there. Then again maybe he could do so much more work for the environment as President. Regardless he'd be a great candidate!

Will he run? I don't know, but if he does I think he's more than worth a second look!

Found via Rolling Stone.

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I totally concur! I vote Gore in a heartbeat before anyone else.

Posted by: Moni at January 25, 2007 12:09 PM

January 22, 2007

Richardson Is In

There is only one guy that I think has a chance on the Democratic side of the fence of actually knocking Edwards out of the race. And that's Richardson. He's got the experience that dwarfs everyone else in the field. I have little doubt that there will be a Democratic ticket that doesn't have him on it. I would love to see an Edwards/Richardson ticket because I think it would be a sweep. For now I'm just happy to see that the radical right is focusing all their attention on Hillary and Obama, because I don't think either are overly serious about running.

[via Daily Kos]

Read more over at Richardson for President.

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January 20, 2007

I Guess We Should Mention...

That Hillary has thrown her hat into the ring for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. And while this is historic in that a major woman candidate has never done this in American history, I will readily tell you that my support is still strongly behind John Edwards. He is the best candidate. I used to adore Hillary Clinton and the thought of a female president is exciting, but I just can't seem to forget what she did to Lamont.

Found via the New York Times.

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I think I have to agree with you. I like the idea of a woman president but I'm not really excited about Hillary. I like Edwards the best so far. Or Kucinich.

Posted by: Moni at January 20, 2007 4:27 PM

January 17, 2007

Edwards In The Lead On The Democratic Side!

WH '08 Primary Election Matchup J. Edwards 27%, B. Obama 17%, T. Vilsack 16%, H. Clinton 16%, J. Biden 16%, J. Kerry 3%, Other/undec 18%

Now that's what I like to see! I've become increasingly leery of Mr. Obama and this story today didn't add to his reputation in my eyes at all! We need to seek ways to make energy with LESS damage to the environment, NOT more!! Edwards gets that fact. He's looking more and more presidential everyday!

Check out Senator Edward's website and take the link and make a donation below!

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Scary when Ted Stephens is more progressive than a freaking Democratic candidate for President.

Posted by: Jamison at January 17, 2007 3:05 PM

I always liked Obama, but that coal nonsense is just that...nonsense!

Posted by: Dianne at January 17, 2007 3:29 PM

January 3, 2007

Olbermann Hands Bush The Truth Eloquently Once Again

Mr. Olbermann's righteous indignation so illustrates my feelings on this whole scenario. Well done Mr. Olbermann...Well done!

Click the picture above to hear Mr. Olbermann's Special Comment.

Transcript below the fold.

Finally tonight, a Special Comment about "Sacrifice."

If in your presence an individual tried to sacrifice an American serviceman or woman, would you intervene?

Would you at least protest?

What if he had already sacrificed 3,003 of them?

What if he had already sacrificed 3,003 of them — and was then to announce his intention to sacrifice hundreds, maybe thousands, more?

This is where we stand tonight with the BBC report of President Bush's "new Iraq strategy" and his impending speech to the nation, which it quotes a senior American official, will be about troop increases and "sacrifice."

The President has delayed, dawdled, and deferred for the month since the release of the Iraq Study Group.

He has seemingly heard out everybody… and listened to none of them.

If the BBC is right — and we can only pray it is not — he has settled on the only solution all the true experts agree, cannot possibly work: more American personnel in Iraq, not as trainers for Iraqi troops, but as part of some flabby plan for "sacrifice."

Sacrifice!

More American servicemen and women will have their lives risked.

More American servicemen and women will have their lives ended.

More American families will have to bear the unbearable, and rationalize the unforgivable — "sacrifice" — sacrifice now, sacrifice tomorrow, sacrifice forever.

And more Americans — more even than the two-thirds who already believe we need fewer troops in Iraq, not more — will have to conclude the President does not have any idea what he's doing - and that other Americans will have to die for that reason.

It must now be branded as propaganda — for even the President cannot truly feel that very many people still believe him to be competent in this area, let alone "the decider."

But from our impeccable reporter at the Pentagon, Jim Miklaszewski, tonight comes confirmation of something called "surge and accelerate" — as many as 20-thousand additional troops — for "political purposes"…

This, in line with what we had previously heard, that this will be proclaimed a short-term measure, for the stated purpose of increasing security in and around Baghdad, and giving an Iraqi government a chance to establish some kind of order.

This is palpable nonsense, Mr. Bush.

If this is your intention — if the centerpiece of your announcement next week will be "sacrifice" — sacrifice your intention, not more American lives!

As Senator Biden has pointed out, the new troops might improve the ratio our forces, face relative to those living in Baghdad (friend and foe), from 200 to 1, to just 100 to 1.

"Sacrifice?"

No.

A drop in the bucket.

The additional men and women you have sentenced to go there, sir, will serve only as targets.

They will not be there "short-term," Mr. Bush; for many it will mean a year or more in death's shadow.

This is not temporary, Mr. Bush.

For the Americans who will die because of you… it will be as permanent as it gets.

The various rationales for what Mr. Bush will reportedly re-christen "sacrifice," constitute a very thin gruel, indeed.

The former Labor Secretary, Robert Reich, says Senator McCain told him that the "surge" would help the "morale" of the troops already in Iraq.

If Mr. McCain truly said that, and truly believes it, he has either forgotten completely his own experience in Vietnam… or he is unaware of the recent Military Times poll indicating only 38 percent of our active military want to see more troops sent… or Mr. McCain has departed from reality.

Then there is the argument that to take any steps towards reducing troop numbers would show weakness to the enemy in Iraq, or to the terrorists around the world.

This simplistic logic ignores the inescapable fact that we have indeed already showed weakness to the enemy, and to the terrorists.

We have shown them that we will let our own people be killed, for no good reason.

We have now shown them that we will continue to do so.

We have shown them our stupidity.

Mr. Bush, your judgment about Iraq — and now about "sacrifice" — is at variance with your people's, to the point of delusion.

Your most respected generals see no value in a "surge" — they could not possibly see it in this madness of "sacrifice."

The Iraq Study Group told you it would be a mistake.

Perhaps dozens more have told you it would be a mistake.

And you threw their wisdom back, until you finally heard what you wanted to hear, like some child drawing straws and then saying "best two out of three… best three out of five… Hundredth one counts."

Your citizens, the people for whom you work, have told you they do not want this, and more over, they do not want you to do this.

Yet once again, sir, you have ignored all of us.

Mr. Bush, you do not own this country!

To those Republicans who have not broken free from the slavery of partisanship — those bonded still, to this President and this Administration — and now bonded to this "sacrifice" — proceed at your own peril.

John McCain may still hear the applause of small crowds — he has somehow inured himself to the hypocrisy, and the tragedy, of a man who considers himself the ultimate realist, courting the votes of those who support the government telling visitors to the Grand Canyon that it was caused by the Great Flood.

That Mr. McCain is selling himself off to the irrational Right, parcel by parcel, like some great landowner facing bankruptcy, seems to be obvious to everybody but himself.

Or, maybe it is obvious to him — and he simply no longer cares.

But to the rest of you in the Republican Party.

We need you to speak up, right now, in defense of your country's most precious assets — the lives of its citizens who are in harm's way.

If you do not, you are not serving this nation's interests — nor your own.

Last November should have told you this.

The opening of the new Congress tomorrow and Thursday, should tell you this.

Next time, those missing Republicans, will be you.

And to the Democrats now yoked to the helm of this sinking ship, you proceed at your own peril, as well.

President Bush may not be very good at reality, but he and Mr. Cheney and Mr. Rove are still gifted at letting American troops be killed, and then turning their deaths to their own political advantage.

The equation is simple. This country does not want more troops in Iraq.

It wants fewer.

Go and make it happen, or go and look for other work.

Yet you Democrats must assume that even if you take the most obvious of courses, and cut off funding for the war… Mr. Bush will ignore you as long as possible, or will find the money elsewhere, or will spend the money meant to protect the troops, and re-purpose it to keep as many troops there as long as he can keep them there.

Because that's what this is all about, is it not, Mr. Bush?

That is what this "sacrifice" has been for.

To continue this senseless, endless war.

You have dressed it up in the clothing, first of a hunt for weapons of mass destruction, then of liberation… then of regional imperative… then of oil prices… and now in these new terms of "sacrifice" — it's like a damned game of Colorforms, isn't it, sir?

This senseless, endless war.

But it has not been senseless in two ways.

It has succeeded, Mr. Bush, in enabling you to deaden the collective mind of this country to the pointlessness of endless war, against the wrong people, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

It has gotten many of us, used to the idea — the virtual "white noise" — of conflict far away, of the deaths of young Americans, of vague "sacrifice" for some fluid cause, too complicated to be interpreted except in terms of the very important sounding, but ultimately meaningless phrase, "the war on terror."

And the war's second accomplishment — your second accomplishment, sir - is to have taken money out of the pockets of every American, even out of the pockets of the dead soldiers on the battlefield, and their families, and to have given that money to the war profiteers.

Because if you sell the Army a thousand Humvees, you can't sell them any more, until the first thousand have been destroyed.

The service men and women are ancillary to the equation.

This is about the planned obsolescence of ordnance, isn't, Mr. Bush? And the building of detention centers? And the design of a 125-million dollar courtroom complex at Gitmo complete with restaurants.

At least the war profiteers have made their money, sir.

And we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.

You have insisted, Mr. Bush, that we must not lose in Iraq, that if we don't fight them there we will fight them here — as if the corollary were somehow true, that if by fighting them there we will not have to fight them here.

And yet you have re-made our country, and not re-made it for the better, on the premise that we need to be ready to "fight them here," anyway, and always.

In point of fact even if the Civil War in Iraq somehow ended tomorrow, and the risk to Americans there ended with it, we would have already suffered a defeat — not fatal, not world-changing, not, but for the lives lost, of enduring consequence.

But this country has already lost in Iraq, sir.

Your policy in Iraq has already had its crushing impact on our safety here.

You have already fomented new terrorism and new terrorists.

You have already stoked paranoia.

You have already pitted Americans, one against the other.

We… will have to live with it.

We… will have to live with what — of the fabric of our nation — you have already "sacrificed."

The only object still admissible in this debate, is the quickest and safest exit for our people there.

But you — and soon, Mr. Bush, it will be you and you alone – still insist otherwise.

And our sons and daughters and fathers and mothers will be sacrificed there tonight, Sir, so that you can say you did not "lose in Iraq."

Our policy in Iraq has been criticized for being indescribable, for being inscrutable, for being ineffable.

But it is all too easily understood now.

First, we sent Americans to their deaths for your lie, Mr. Bush.

Now we are sending them to their deaths for your ego.

If what is reported is true — if your decision is made and the "sacrifice" is ordered — take a page instead from the man at whose funeral you so eloquently spoke this morning — Gerald Ford: Put pragmatism and the healing of a nation, ahead of some kind of misguided vision.

Atone.

Sacrifice, Mr. Bush?

No, sir, this is not "sacrifice." This has now become "human sacrifice."

And it must stop.

And you can stop it.

Next week, make us all look wrong.

Our meaningless sacrifice in Iraq must stop.

And you must stop it.

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December 30, 2006

It's never a good sign when you're outpolled by Lucifer

I'm not exactly sure what the GOP did to Scarborough, but man he's been giving them a beating lately! Mind you he's still one of their devoted minions, but go figure...They must have gone a bridge too far! Anyway, it appears that Bush was the worst villain and the biggest hero, this caused the AP folks so confusion. The GOP has spent the last 12 years trying to rip this country apart, so on the one side you have the America haters who support the GOP who see their efforts as the greatest thing in the world. On the other side there are those that love America who see the GOP for the monsters they are. So it will appear that America is bipolar in our impressions about things until the war is resolved once and for all between America and the GOP.

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December 29, 2006

John Edwards: Iowa Town Hall Meeting Part 1, 2 & 3

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

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Episode 4: The Plug

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December 28, 2006

Tomorrow Begins Today!

He's in and he's brilliant! :o)

John Edwards 2008

Update: 9:27 am: He just made it official!

NEW ORLEANS - Two years after his hopes for a Democratic takeover of the White House were narrowly dashed, former vice presidential nominee John Edwards said Thursday that he is making another run at the presidency.

Edwards — who is calling for cuts in poverty, global warming and troops in Iraq — scheduled his kickoff in New Orleans, still devastated from last year's Hurricane Katrina. He chose the site to highlight his signature concern of the economic disparity that divides America.

"I'm here to announce I'm a candidate for president of the United States," Edwards sold NBC's "Today Show" Thursday, one of three back-to-back interviews by the candidate on morning news shows. "I've reached my own conclusion this is the best way to serve my country."

Edwards said the difference between his message to voters in 2004 and his 2008 presidential bid is that, "I've learned since the last campaign that it's great to identify a problem ... but the way you change things is by taking action."

And Iraq is one of the biggest issues facing the country.

"It would be a huge mistake to put a surge of troops into Iraq," Edwards said on ABC's "Good Morning America. "It sends exactly the wrong signal. We can maximize our chances for success by making clear we are going to leave Iraq and not stay there forever."

And the next president must restore America's leadership in the world, he said.

"It's absolutely crucial that America re-establish its moral authority and leadership role in the world," Edward said on CBS "Early Show."

Very well put Senator Edwards!

Also Check out CNN's coverage.

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yay!

Posted by: Moni at December 28, 2006 7:50 PM

I totally agree! :o)

Posted by: Dianne at December 28, 2006 8:38 PM

December 26, 2006

Episode 3: Plight of Uganda

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December 22, 2006

Edwards Behind The Scenes

After watching these I'm even more convinced that John Edwards is the man to help bring out nation back into the light! I'm also even more convinced that had he been the main person on the ticket in 2004 Bush wouldn't have stood a snowball's chance in hell of winning anything!

Check out the first two webisodes and stay tuned for more!

Episode One: Plane Truths:

Episode Two: The Golden Rule:

He's very real, very personable and he thinks about those in need. His mind is always working. You can see him trying to solve problems. He's compassionate and we so need that in a leader after it has been so lacking during the last administration.

John Edwards is off to a very good start! Keep up the good work sir!

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December 16, 2006

Democrat John Edwards planning for '08 presidential run

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards intends to seek his party's nomination for the 2008 presidential race, two Democratic officials said Saturday.

Edwards, who represented North Carolina in the U.S. Senate for six years, plans to make the campaign announcement late this month from the New Orleans neighborhood hit hardest by last year's Hurricane Katrina.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt Edwards' announcement.

As Edwards enters the crowded field, the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood in New Orleans provides a stark backdrop to highlight his signature issue -- economic inequality.

Edwards also plans to travel from New Orleans through the four early presidential nominating states -- Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...Had Mr. Edwards been the nominee for President in 2004 we wouldn't be worried about what Bush is doing now because he wouldn't be President anymore! It appears Mr. Edwards will once again throw his hat into the ring and I am fully behind that decision. I think he would make an excellent President and he would most definitely help move this country forward!

Found via CNN.

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REALLY!!! Oh that makes me more than happy!!! Can I vote now?

Posted by: Leann at December 18, 2006 3:26 PM

It's a long time before anyone can start voting. But you can start contributing of course. ;) As soon as it's official Dianne and I are going to add a ActBlue contribute option to the blog for Edwards. But if you want to start today, you can always contribute to the Draft Edwards drive.

Posted by: Jamison at December 18, 2006 4:12 PM

November 24, 2006

Now That's a Ticket I Could Really Get Behind!

RALEIGH, N.C. - When introducing former vice presidential candidate John Edwards at a book signing this week, a family friend mentioned a bumper sticker she'd seen around town: "Edwards-Obama." The giddy audience roared with approval.

I think Edwards alone would be perfect, but throw in Obama as the VP and I think that would be heaven on Earth! I could easily support that ticket and feel good about doing so!

Found via Yahoo! News.

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I've got to totally agree with you! I like it!

Posted by: Moni at November 24, 2006 5:00 PM

November 19, 2006

An Open Letter To John Kerry

Dear Mr. Kerry,

With all due respect Sir, you lost. Therefore it's time for you to move on. Running for president again is a waste of your time and your effort, because Sir it has been proven that you are not popular enough to win by enough to make a difference. The polling is not in your favor and it's obvious that you are not the one we need to save our great country. Yes, I agree that there were some shenanigans in Ohio, but that doesn't change the fact that you are not sitting in the oval office. If you had won by a larger margin across the country Ohio would not have been an issue.

We need a strong candidate Sir, and that candidate is not you. Your season has passed and it's time to let someone else go out and see what they can accomplish. I voted for you in 2004, though I will admit you were not my first choice, nor were you my second, or even third. The fact of the matter is that between Bush and you, you were clearly the better choice. But that's just the thing...I, and many Americans like me, are tired of having to pick between the best of two bad candidates, or in your case between a mediocre choice (you) and a horrible one (Bush). We need someone to step up and run that has charisma and has flare. Quite frankly Sir, you lack both.

So Mr. Kerry, for the good of our country and for the good of your party it is time to step aside. It's time to put your own dreams of grandeur to rest and let someone more qualified and charismatic win by a much larger margin. It's your duty as an American and your duty as a Democrat. It's as simple as that.