The Blue State

Blue Blogs: Worthy Mentions from the Liberal Blogosphere

Here are what some of the liberal blogs are posting:

Crooks & Liars: 'Girl Dies AfterParents Pray for Healing Instead of Seeking Medical Help' - An 11-year-oldgirl died after her parents prayed for healing rather than seek medical help fora treatable form of diabetes, police said Tuesday. Everest Metro Police ChiefDan Vergin said Madeline Neumann died Sunday. Readon...

My 2 Cents: Maybe GOD was busy, but wouldn't he have afew assistants? I'll get back to you after I speak with ChristopherHitchens,unless of course you already conferred with Romney.

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News Hounds:  'ThinkBarack Obama’s Pastor Reflects Badly On Him? Take A Listen To Sean Hannity’sFormer Neo-Nazi/White Supremacist Pal' - Neo-Nazi/white supremacist HalTurner elaborated further on his webcast last night (3/26/08) about his pastfriendship with Sean Hannity. His description remained consistent with that laidout by Max Blumenthal in The Nation. Turner acknowledged he had previously madesome mistakes about dates in his blog post on the subject but insisted that theframework of their relationship was as he described it. Readon...

My 2 Cents: Practically every time Hannity confronts aguest, he starts off with "We're friends", "We've been friendsfor..." "My Friend..." (Hannity needs to be abducted and probed)

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Raw Story: 'Poll:Wright flap hasn't hurt Obama' - The first significant poll since the flap over Barack Obama's formerpastor erupted this month shows the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's comments have notdamaged Obama's prospects to take the Democratic nomination.

His opponent Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, sees her highestnegative ratings yet in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday. Thetwo candidates remain tied among voters. Readon...

My 2 Cents: When Barrack speaks I see nothing, I only"Hear", and I like and BELIEVE what I hear.

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Treasure ofBaghdad:  'Do You Really Still Believe in Your Government?' - TheAmerican people have been hearing that the "Surge" has been the mainreason why Baghdad is "safer" and why violence has dropped down. Buthave Americans really known if they have been deceived or not? From what I seeand hear here in the U.S. is that they do. Five years after their country'soccupation to Iraq, there are Americans who still believe that what theirgovernment is saying is true. And the worst part is that there are Americans whohave no idea what the hell happened in Iraq, and have no intention to know.Their lives are better off without knowing Iraqis and Americans are dying. Readon...

My 2 Cents: Think about "the big picture"from the other side. Actually do this with all aspects of your life, friends,family etc. Ya might understand things a little better.

Time to get back in the game

As many of you long-time visitors are aware, this site has not been updated as much as it used to.  I am emailed about it on a daily basis.  I picked the worst time to do it, too.  We have one of the most competitive presidential races in Democratic primary history.  So what happened?  For the most part, I usually tend to keep personal issues away from the online type pad.  But because I have left many of you hanging, it was irresponsible for me not to explain why I haven't been blogging as much.  So no longer will I keep my personal issues on the other side of the fence.

Putting it simply, since November I have been working full-time plus overtime at a certain retailer.  With college loans that had to be paid and medical costs going through the roof (many of you can relate), the best way to get piece of mind is to work, work, work.  But in February, after gaining a very positive reputation for my good work ethic, I was given the option of transferring from Seattle, Washington to Bellingham, Washington and receiving a pretty respectable promotion.  So I did it.

Having never lived outside Seattle before, this has been quite a humbling experience for me.  I knew that putting this move as my top priority, ahead of this blog, would have to be done for a little bit of time.

Now that I am all settled and will not be working overtime hours, I can start back up something that I love doing: writing about American political culture on a day-to-day basis, and interacting with passionate progressives all across the country.  My schedule will be much less chaotic and more consistent than it was in Seattle.  I know what to expect.  During certain hours when I am not here I will ask my other writers in advance to submit a post, or update it immediately if there is breaking political news.

What I'm trying to say is that I'm back.  This blog, regardless of who wins the Democratic nomination, will continue better than ever before.  This is a site for those that believe in bottom-up progressive values.  We will only support candidates that have proved over a lifetime that they will follow through and not cave in the wake of the Washington special interests.  This is your site as much as it is mine.  I'm just the founder.  And I want to let all of you know that all systems are a go for reboot.

Blue Blogs: Worthy Mentions from the Liberal Blogosphere

Here are what some of the liberal blogs are posting:

Crooks& Liars: 'Republican Senator At Center Of D.C. Madam Scandal Earmarks$100K For Christian Anti-Darwin Group' - Sen. David Vitter, R-La., earmarked$100,000 in a spending bill for a Louisiana Christian group that has challengedthe teaching of Darwinian evolution in the public school system and to which hehas political ties. Readon ... (My 2 Cents:..umm, ..Oh brother)

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ThinkProgress: 'Bush Offering ‘Back-Channel’ PoliticalAdvice To Democratic Candidates: Stay In Iraq' - In an interview with GQcorrespondent Robert Draper for his book DeadCertain, President Bush described his Iraq strategy as “playing forOctober-November.” He explained that his hope was to “get us in a positionwhere the presidential candidates will be comfortable about sustaining apresence,” and, he said, “staylonger.” Readon... (My 2 Cents: ain't he a Helluva guy?)

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MyLeft NutMeg: 'Vote on Lieberman-Kyl Iran AmendmentTomorrow?' - Lieberman's latest warmongering"sense of the senate" language against Iran may come up for a votein the Senate tomorrow, on the same day that Ahmadinejad speaks to the GeneralAssembly in the UN:

Today the Senators Lieberman and Kyl presented arguments in favor ofAmendment No. 3017 to the Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Authorization bill. Accordingto John Isaacs, the Senate is expected to continue consideration of the DefenseAuthorization bill this week, but it will also break for other bills, includinga Continuing Resolution to keep the government going after October 1 because noappropriations bill have passed. Senators Lieberman and Kyl predicted thattheir amendment could come up for a vote tomorrow if there are votes on theDefense Authorization bill. Readon... (My 2 Cents: Lieberman = Bush's"pretend Independent" and lap dog)

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TheHuffington Post: 'Bush: Clinton Will Beat Obama' - PresidentBush seems confidentthat Hillary Clinton will top Barack Obama for the Democratic presidentialnomination, and that Clinton will lose to the eventual Republican nominee.

How quaint.

With due respect for the office of the President and for its currentoccupant, George W. Bush doesn't know a damned thing about the mindset ofDemocratic primary voters in 2008. Why not? Because he didn't know anythingabout them in 2004, and he didn't know anything about them in 2000. It's notthat he's blind to Democrats as American citizens -- really, it's not. But neveronce has President Bush had to contend with Democratic voters on a nationalscale. His victories have been crafted through careful cultivation of aconservative message designed to rally his reactionary conservative base anddraw in just enough independents to get to that nebulous "50% 1" thatcampaign managers love to tout. Readon...(My 2 Cents: Maybe this is Bush's way of endorsing the "whiteguy"? after all, what's worse than a woman running the country?...wasprobably discussed among the Skull& Crossbones Crew)

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Bonus Track:

Committee on Oversightand Government Reform: 'White House Approved LobbyingEffort to Block Approval of California Vehicle Standards' - Internal e-mailsshow that Transportation Secretary Mary Peters personally directed abehind-the-scenes lobbying campaign approved by the White House to oppose EPAapproval of California’s landmark standards reducing greenhouse gas emissionsfrom motor vehicles. Read on...(My 2 Cents: Naturally)

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Blue Blogs: Worthy Mentions from the Liberal Blogosphere

Here are what some of the liberal blogs are posting:

TPM Muckraker:'Schlozman Admits Touting GOP Qualifications ofProspective Prosecutors' - In writtenanswers to questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, Bradley Schlozman,the former Justice Department official and U.S. attorney who's been at thecenter of the firings controversy, admitted that he'd once urged hiring certainprosecutors for his office based on their political affiliation. It's againstcivil service laws to do so.

But he had a reason, he explains(how good a reason, you can decide for yourself). When serving as the interimU.S. attorney for Kansas City, Schlozman had been unable to hire assistant U.S.attorneys on his own, as Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys are able to do. Forthat, he had to go through the central office, or in this case, Monica Goodling,the Department's White House liaison. He'd "heard rumors," hewrites,"that Ms. Goodling considered political affiliation in approvinghiring decisions for career positions." Goodling, of course, admittedin testimony to Congress that she'd made sure that only Republicans were hiredfor certain non-political positions. Readon...

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ABCNews via Raw Story:  'Florida-SizeChunk of Arctic Melted in 6 Days' (Arctic Ice Continues Record Melting)Scientists report that arctic ice the size of the state of Florida has melted inthe last six days. (ABCNEWS)

An area of Arctic sea ice the size of Florida has melted away in just thelast six days as melting at the top of the planet continues at a record rate.2007 has already broken the record for the lowest amount of sea ice everrecorded, say scientists, smashing the old record set in 2005. Currently, thereare about 1.63 million square miles of Arctic ice, according to the NationalSnow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo. That is well below the record of 2.05million square miles set two summers ago and could drop even lower before thefinal numbers are in. Readon...

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ThinkProgress:  'What Petraeus and Crocker didn’t say'- McClatchy notesthat while Gen. David Petraeus and Amb. Ryan Crocker yesterday repeatedlyreferenced declines in Baghdad’s sectarian violence, they completely ignoredthe city’s ethnic cleansing: A chart displayed by Army Gen. David Petraeusthat purported to show the decline in sectarian violence in Baghdad betweenDecember and August made no effort to show that the ethnic character of many ofthe neighborhoods had changed in that same period from majority Sunni Muslim ormixed to majority Shiite Muslim. Readon...

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My LeftNutmeg: 'Iraq by the Numbers' - Connecticut's very own JR. Senator, Joeneocon Lieberman, bloviates in another WSJ propaganda hit piece claimingthat "advocates of withdrawal risk makingthe exact same mistake" (Which mistake Joe? Of being completely andtotally correct and making you and your  warmongering republican brethrenlook like total failures and lunatics AGAIN?) and, meanwhile, support for thecontinued occupation of Iraq is slipping even further both in Iraq and the USAto the dismay of Republican operatives currently hitting the airwaves to sharetheir rosy propaganda pictures. Iraqis currently overwhelmingly oppose thepresence of coalition forces to the point where the support of violence againstthe occupying coalition forces is rising. Readon...

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TheHuffington Post: 'Key Republican Question Iraq Strategy' - WASHINGTON— A prominent Republican on Tuesday said he remains deeply skeptical of theU.S. war strategy in Iraq, comparing the long and bloody military campaign to afarmer risking his savings to plant on a flood plain. "In my judgment, sometype of success in Iraq is possible, but as policymakers, we should acknowledgethat we are facing extraordinarily narrow margins for achieving our goals,"Sen. Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign RelationsCommittee, told the top U.S. military commander and the American ambassadorthere. Lugar, R-Ind., has called for a sizable drawdown in coming months, a planthat runs counter to Gen. David Petraeus' recommendation. Petraeus says theUnited States should withdraw the 30,000 extra troops deployed earlier thisyear, but maintain the approximately 130,000 troops _ who would be left there _at least through next summer. Readon... Also: 'TheDay After: EditorialsNot Convinced by Petraeus'

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NewsHounds: 'Brit Hume Suggests That Diplomacy with Iran IsImpossible and Intervention by a Non-American Military Is Needed' -Yesterday FOX News anchor Brit Hume had an "exclusive" interview withGen. David Petraeus and Iraq Ambassador Ryan Crocker. In other words, FOX Newsoffered Petraeus and Crocker a cozy womb in which they could comfortably spoutadministration talking points secure in the knowledge that there would be nohardball questions from the interviewer. General Petraeus rolled out some fancyflow charts designed to justify his claims that there has been decidedimprovement militarily in Iraq. He claimed that Iraq is in the midst of an"ethno-sectarian competition for resources" that must play out andPetraeus clearly believes that American soldiers must stay there, beings killedand wounded, for God knows how many years until the Iraqis calm down and decidehow they want to structure their own government. Petraeus and later Ryan Crockermade sure to sprinkle the word "Al Qaeda" liberally throughout thediscussion, despite the fact that bin Laden's group is a very minor player inthe Iraqi conflict. Readon ...With video.

Comment: I looks like FOX is starting to do"their job" of preparing us for a conflict with Iran?

Blue Blogs: Worthy Mentions from the Liberal Blogosphere

Here are what some of the liberal blogs are posting:

TheIndependent: (Via The Raw Story) 'ManFaces Execution for Being in Car with Killer' - A 30-year old man, KennethFoster, is set to be executed today for a murder which he not only did notcommit, but which the authorities in Texas accept was carried out by another manin 1996. The trial judge, the prosecutor, and the jury that sentenced Mr Fosterto die admit that he did not murder the victim Michael LaHood. But, under acontroversial "law of parties", in Texas an associate of a perpetratorcan be found co-responsible in a capital case. The law imposes the death penaltyon anybody involved in a crime where a murder occurred.

The murder occurred as Foster was sitting in a car some 30 metres away withthree other passengers – but prosecutors said there was a conspiracy to committhe crime and therefore he deserved a death sentence. Since Foster's originaltrial, the other passengers – none of whom was tried under the law of parties– have testified that Foster had no idea a shooting was going to take place. Readon...

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MyLeft NutMeg: 'How to Really Save New Orleans' -  Any discussionof rebuilding New Orleans must take into account this alarming reality: NewOrleans is sinking.

"The city will be completely surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico just 90 yearsfrom now. ... That's the projection, because we are losing land on theMississippi Delta at a rate of 25 to 30 square miles per year. That's two acresper hour that are sinking below sea level," says [Tim] Kusky, [a professorof earth sciences at St. Louis University].

That process could only be slowed, in theory, by massive restoration ofwetlands.

The geological forces that, over the centuries, created the area we now knowas New Orleans were drastically changed in the 20th century by levees along theMississippi River. These levees diverted the silt, sediment and nutrients thatcreated the Mississippi Delta out into the continental shelf. Without the steadyflow of sediment, the Mississippi Delta - including New Orleans, the wetlandsand barrier islands - will likely disappear under water by the end of thiscentury.

It's already happening,with devastating effects: Readon...

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Crooks& Liars: 'Homeland Security Expert Asks: What could we do with$456,278,478,000?' - It’s hard to get an accurate estimate because the[cost of occupying Iraq] mounts so rapidly every minute. Can’t help wonderinghow much farther along the [Gulf Coast] rebuilding would be, how much more couldbe spent to improve public education, insure the 43 million Americans withouthealth insurance, ad nauseum. Great legacy you’re leaving, George.

National Security budget priorities.  Chart from The National Priorities Project.

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TPM Muckraker:'Prosecution: Siegleman Obstructing Justice From His Cell' - FormerAlabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D) has already been convicted of a crime, and he andhis co-defendant are in jail pending an appeal of their convictions. Butaccording to a prosecutor on the case, Siegelman's efforts at getting hisconviction overturned have crossed the line into obstruction of justice.

Speaking during a hearing for former Siegelman aideNick Bailey, Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Feaga said Siegelman and Scrushy hadbeen doing things from behind bars to "manipulate events" - acts thatcould be considered a crime.

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The Huffington Post:'UPDATED: Carlson claimed that after incident in a publicbathroom, he assaulted the man who "bothered" him' - On the August28 edition of MSBNC Live, hosted by MSNBC general manager Dan Abrams,Tucker Carlson, host of MSNBC's Tucker, asserted, "Having sex in apublic men's room is outrageous. It's also really common. I've been bothered inmen's rooms." Carlson continued, "I've been bothered in GeorgetownPark," in Washington, D.C., "when I was in high school." WhenAbrams asked how Carlson responded to being "bothered," Carlsonasserted, "I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the --you know, and grabbed him, and ... hit him against the stall with his head,actually." Read on...With VIDEO

My Comment: I'd like to know Carlson's definition of"bothered", is it "coming on to you", or "grabbingyou" ? In my opinion, if you assault someone for "hitting" onyou, that's just "bashing"

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ThinkProgress: 'White House Preparing Strategy To 'Water Down' PessimisticReports From Iraq' -  The Washington Post reports that a draft versionof the Government Accountability Office’s upcoming report on Iraq will delivera “strikingly negative” assessment of the situation in Iraq. The reportcontradicts the administration’s claim that sectarian violence is decreasing,stating that “the number of attacks against Iraqi civilians remainsunchanged.”

The leaked draft version of the report was sent to the Post by an individualwho was concerned the White House may try to “water down” its conclusions.The concern comes on the heels of a report that Gen. David Petraeus“softened” the judgments of the recent National Intelligence Assessment onIraq and comments by Rep. Tom Davis that the White House would probably“tweak” the “Petraeus report.” The Post explains: Readon...

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Blue Blogs: Worthy Mentions from the Liberal Blogosphere

Here are what some of the liberal blogs are posting:

Think Progress:'Pence: Baghdad Bazaar Is Like ‘Any Open-Air Market InIndiana In The Summertime’ - On Monday, Republican lawmakers visiting Iraqtried to argue that President Bush’s escalation in Iraq has made Baghdad —especially the Shorja market — safer. Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) told reportersthat Shorja — where a suicide bomber killed88 people in January — is now “likea normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime.” On his blog, hewrote:

And so it went, up and down the street, in between tents and tables,squeezing past pedestrians to inspect the offerings in one booth after another,we milled around this marketplace in downtown Baghdad for more than an hour. Itold reporters afterward that it was just like any open-air market in Indiana inthe summertime. I didn’t mean that Baghdad was as safe as theBargersville Flea Market; I just meant that that was what it looked and feltlike…lots of people, lots of booths and a friendly relaxed atmosphere.Read on...

VIDEO: 'The Daily Show's Rob Riggle reports from Baghdad'

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Crooks& Liars: 'Father Of G.I. Who Died Mysteriously In Iraq SpeaksOut - Wants Investigation Reopened' - Dr. Johnson spoke last Friday atthe Veterans for Peace speakout on sexual assault in the military outside theRobert A. Young Federal Building in downtown St. Louis. This was just one ofmany events and workshops comprising the 22nd annual national convention of VFP.More material relating to the convention will be posted here as soon as I canget to it. In the video embedded here, Dr. Johnson talks about learning ofLaVena’s death, his suspicions about how she died, and the family’s attemptsto get the Army to reopen its investigation. He is introduced by antiwaractivist and retired Army colonel AnnWright. Readmore… The complete post HERE...

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NewsHounds: 'Louisiana Democrats Use Rove-Like Tactics AgainstRepublican Bobby Jindal' - According to a report from Wednesday's SpecialReport (8-22-07), Louisiana Democrats are fighting back against Bobby Jindal,the Republican candidate for Governor. Taking a page right out of the Karl RoveCampaign Bible, Democrats went after one of Jindal's supposed strengths - hisdevout Catholicism - and turned it against him. In 1996 Jindal, a Hindu whoconverted to Catholicism, wrote some inflammatory statements about Protestants,which Democrats have read verbatim in a political ad. Jindal's opinionsreiterated a kind of elitist, separatist concept prominent in the CatholicChurch prior to Vatican II and Pope John XXIII. It seemed that even FOX News -an organization peppered with Roman Catholics like John Moody, Neil Cavuto, BillO'Reilly and Sean Hannity - found it difficult to find something redeeming tosay about Jindal's pietistic scribblings. With video. Readon...

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RawStory: 'Militarycommand wants Iraq troops cut by nearly half' - The chairman of the JointChiefs of Staff is expected to tell President Bush to cut the US footprint inIraq next year by almost half, according to an article in Friday's(registration-restricted) LA Times. Officials say Marine Gen. Peter Pace willconvey concerns by the chiefs that keeping in excess of 100,000 troops in Iraqinto 2008 will "severely strain" the US armed forces. This assessment,the paper says, may sow discord with top Bush officials and Bush's top commanderin Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, who continue to push for more troops. Readon...

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TPM MUCKRAKER:'GOP Lobby Firm's Allawi Contract Worth $300K for 6Months' - Christina Davidson at IraqSlogger, who brokethe story that influential GOP lobbying firm Barbour Griffith & Rogersare promoting Iraqi parliamentarian Ayad Allawi to be the new prime minister,has another scoop. On Monday, BGR president Robert Blackwill -- President Bush'sformer Iraq coordinator at the White House -- signeda contract with Allawi worth $300,000 over six months to provide"strategic counsel" for the would-be-premier "before the USGovernment, Congress, media and others."Read on...

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Treasureof Baghdad: 'Ugly Reality' - Yes, it's pretty gross. It's prettyugly. It's even worse. That's how new Iraq turned to be. That's how we dieeveryday. That's how people live everyday. That's what these bodies you see deadwent through. And that's how our politicians took part in this murder. Warning:The content of the movie is very violent, ugly, and terrifying. If you have theguts to face reality and help Iraqis, you know where to click. Otherwise, gofinish your business. Readon With Video...

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Marine Drill Instructor Charged With 225 Criminal Counts of Abuse

A Marine drill instructor (DI) apparently missed his younger days of pullingthe wings off of flies, so he reverted to bullying the recruits he was supposedto be training by the book. Now realistically, we all know thatnot following the rules 100% can be acceptable at times in most any job, but notwhen a recruit is made to dive into a dumpster and then get pushed further down.Sgt. Jerrod M. Glass not only ordered the recruit to "dumpster dive",but has been charged with 225 criminal counts of abusing recruits.

SAN DIEGO - A Marine drill instructor has been charged with 225 criminalcounts connected to abusing recruits, a Marines spokesman said Thursday.

In one incident, Sgt. Jerrod M. Glass allegedly ordered a recruit to jumphead-first into a trash can and then pushed him further into the container,according to court documents cited in The San Diego Union-Tribune. He is alsoaccused of striking recruits with a tent pole and a heavy flashlight.

Two other drill instructors, Sgt. Robert C. Hankins and Sgt. Brian M. Wendel,face special courts-martial in the case, the Marines said. Arraignment dateshave not been scheduled for either Marine. Military.com has the complete story here...

No one would expect a Marine Drill Instructor to coddle a recruit intraining, and training Marines for potential combat consists of many hardshipson the recruits. It seems that Sgt. Glass has a sadistic side, and "225counts" pretty much backs that theory up.

Military.com hasa discussion forum for their stories, and I wasn't surprised to see themajority of the comments backing up Glass and calling the recruits"punks" and calling to have their asses kicked.

 
• My God, this is unreal! Now the Drill Instructors can't do thier jobs    without a bunch of cry babies charging them? What's next, feelings hurt law    suits?   

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• "A Marine Corps Drill Instructor abusing recruits? Absurd! The Drill    Instructor was toughening up and educating the recruits. I was educated once    for knocking the 'smokey' off of one of my Drill Instructor's head.
      I was on the quarterdeck doing about a thousand 'side-straddle-hops' when my    hand hit something. I then saw my Drill Instructor's 'smokey' roll across    the deck. Next thing I know, I'm getting 'educational training tips' to my    chin, my chest and my belly. Went on for a few seconds. My Drill Instructor    taught me something that I still do today and that is to respect the 'smokey'    of a Marine Corps Drill Instructor"   

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• "I thought marines were supposed to be tough. If these guys get    captured and tortured in Iraq, do they honestly believe that their captors    will let up on them if they ask politely, or threaten to press charges.
      To me this is just more evidence that West Coast Marines are not as tough as    those from The Island. If they wanted to be babied, then they should have    joined the Air Force"   

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• "My opinion on this is that this is indicitive of a larger problem    with civilian society. This whole liberal politically correct society we    have in this country today is hurting this country. We all have to be    touchy-feely and God forbid that we have to yell at someone. It wouldn't    surprise me if a lot of these kids called and cried to mommy that the DI's    yelled at them and gave them some discipline they never got at home. It    wouldn't surprise me either that some pinhead would sue the Marines for    putting stress on their little Johnny."   

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• "Some of these young punks going in now need a good kick in the ***    to straighten them out and dicipline them. As long as no one gets killed or    maimed, I see no problem with it.( Enought of them will get killed or maimed    by the enemy-we don't need the DI's doing it to them-but hard dicipline is    ok-it will make men out of them instead of boys."   

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An exercising Marine knocks the hat off a DI by accident, then gets hit inthe chin, chest and belly? Training Marines and Soldiers to be aware of theirsurroundings and doing their best not to have accidents is an important part oftraining, but in this case it appears to have been the DI's fault. Some of thecomments are reasonable, but there's a boat load of absurd ones.

More comments can be read HERE.

Of all the Marines that have went through boot camp and became outstandingMarines, I am sure it wasn't "abuse" that made them that way.

Blue Blogs: Worthy Mentions from the Liberal Blogosphere

Crooks& Liars: 'Daily Show: 1994 Dick Cheney vs. Post-9/11 Dick Cheney' - Joncompares the eerily prescient Dick Cheney of 1994 with the Dick Cheney of today.

t’s really amazing to contrast these two Cheneys. The latter Ceney wouldargue that “9/11 changed everything,” but what did Saddam have to do withthose attacks? According to President Bush, nothing. Whatever else you might sayabout Dick Cheney, he is not a dumb guy. The 1994 Dick Cheney was dead on aboutwhat would happen if we toppled Saddam Hussein. Hell, even Bush 41 and BrentScrowcroft advanced the same argument back in 1998. Other than having aPresident whose strings you can pull, what else could have changed Cheney’sworld view since then? I wonder…Readon - With VIDEO and interview

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Treasure of Baghdad: 'NewTactics, Poor Future Plan' - A capricious thing happened recently in

Iraq. Armed men who brutalized and terrorized people changed their strategy tosuddenly help those whom they victimized. The U.S. press seemed to enjoy presenting the avant-garde step these insurgents took. nrecent days, the U.S. has taken a major and different step in fighting terrorists inIraq, dealing tête-à-tête with them. In Baqubah whereal-Qaeda announced its state for instance, Iraqi local insurgents turned againstthis terrorist group whom they befriended for more than three years. Readon...

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ThinkProgress: 'Tony Snow Signals His Resignation, Plus ‘ACouple’ More ‘Coming Up In The Next Month’ - After the recentresignation of Karl Rove, media outlets speculated on what the rest of PresidentBush’s term will look like without “the Architect.” The President is“fighting lame duck status,” reported the AP. In response, White House PressSecretary Tony Snow shot back: “As the president has said many times, he’sgoing to sprint to the tape.” But even Tony Snow doesn’t want to be aroundfor that sprint. In an interview with the conservative Hugh Hewitt show, Snowsignaled that he will not stay until the end of the term. He also mentioned thatthere are “probably a couple” of other high-level resignations “coming upin the next month or so.” Readon...

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NewsHounds: 'Brian Kilmeade and Andrew Napolitano BeginLong Road To Enlightenment With Deepak Chopra' - It was a bit of a shock tosee Deepak Chopra plugging his new book, Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment on Fox& Friends yesterday. Alyson Camarata was familiar with Chopra's work butBrian Kilmeade and Andrew Napolitano were welcoming and attentive but definitelynot in sync. The segment opened with a few seconds of Enya and a shot of atranquil landscape straight from the Hallmark collection. Camarata told Choprathat she had used his relaxation techniques and the Judge added , " Youhelped her get pregnant!." On cue a baby wail was heard as Deepak Choprasmiled tolerantly. Readon... (Comment. Kilmeade is like Little pesty brother Gnat Boy)

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Huffington Postvia WaPo:'White House Doesn't Want Petraeus To Testify Publicly On Iraq' -Washington Post  |  Jonathan Weisman, Karen DeYoung August 16, 2007 08:57 AM

Senior congressional aides said yesterday that the White House has proposed limiting the much-anticipated appearance on Capitol Hill next month of Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker to a private congressional briefing, suggesting instead that the Bush administration's progress report on the Iraq war should be delivered to Congress by the secretaries of state and defense.

White House officials did not deny making the proposal in informal talks with Congress, but they said yesterday that they will not.. Read on ....

Editorial: DC lobbying money hurts democracy -- you can change it!

Now many of you may not be on-board with this, but I truly believe deep down that our country is on the edge of greatness.  You, me and every other progressive knows what needs to be done.  We need to fix our voting systems and fight voter discrimination.  We need a health policy that actually values people.  We need a Manhattan project to make us energy independent.  We need to restore our sense of community.  And the laundry list goes on and on!

Yet, none of these new century reforms can happen if we continue electing leaders that take money directly from DC lobbyists.  Candidates such as Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden are indebted to a bribery system that is based on the power and profit of a few, which undermines the uniquely American value of populist-driven democracy.

Even so, we are still on the edge of greatness because we are building a populist movement right here online.  It consists of hundreds of blogs and other outreach groups that connect people to -- well -- other people.  This is not a battle between the liberal and centrist wings of the party, it is a battle between the grassroots and the status-quo Democratic establishment.

If it was 1990 and we were faced with today's problems, change would be more difficult to come by.  Today, we have the power of the internet.   What an amazing resource!  Never before has the establishment felt so threatened.  To see how nervous they really are, all you had to do was watch Meet the Press yesterday, as Harold Ford tried to justify why an organization of just a few dozen Washington insiders know more about priorities than millions of concerned progressive citizens.

We are turning the page on this six-year train-wreck as we head towards January, and you can be part of it.  Remain engaged.  Volunteer or even donate a small amount of money to a campaign of your choice that does not accept direct DC lobbyist money.  Comment on forums, blogs, MySpace, Facebook, Youtube, chat rooms and anywhere else on the internet where you think you can make a difference.  If you work full time, as most of us do, then put aside just fifteen minutes each day for this effort.  The great part about the internet is you do not have to live in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina to impact the vote.  Visit local Iowa forums and chat rooms, and remind people why lobbyist money pollutes our system.  Also, commenting on progressive blogs gives them a higher search rating -- which means more voters Googling a particular candidate will find the content you commented on.  Do your part.

If you are the kind of person that always complains, "Politicians are corrupt and they never look out for me," then do not sit idle on the sidelines when there is so much at stake.  You have the resources right in front of you.  Get connected, and get moving.  The next five months could determine the next eight years.  What do you want our American political system to be like in the year 2016?  It's your call.

Am I being a little over-dramatic?  Maybe.  But no apologies here.  The vehicle of change is right in front of our eyes.  It's the internet.  Use it and do your part for the next five months, or else don't complain!

(Video) Kos vs Ford on Meet the Press

Many of you already saw the program morning.  Nonetheless, are two short excerpts of the showdown on Meet the Press between netroots activist Markos Moulitsas and DLC Chairman Harold Ford:

As a blogger, I was proud to have Kos speak on behalf of the entire netroots.  Kos was clear and direct in saying that the old way of relying on the establishment types for change was not working, and the future of the Democratic Party now lies in the hands of the people.  Blogs enable that to happen because they are people-powered.

I will try to post more clips of this discussion in tonight's Blue Nightowl Clips.