Friendly Advice

The Rude Pundit's depraved and hilarious "Requiem for Rehnquist" is worth a look.

Failure is Success

According to the Republican leadership:
With his typical flair for drama, Osama Bin Laden inserted himself directly into the presidential election yesterday, and both parties believed it would boost President Bush's reelection hopes...

A senior GOP strategist added, "anything that makes people nervous about their personal safety helps Bush."

He called it "a little gift," saying it helps the President but doesn't guarantee his reelection.
-NY Daily News

It would be rude if the ghoul quoted by the News not write Bin Laden. It is more than a little distrubing that the creeps trying to re-elect the President think of the threat of mass-casualty terrorism as a political asset.

Surprise Endorsements

Christopher Hitchens and The Economist have joined the ranks of the Kerry Haters for Kerry.

Hilarity Ensues

Food fight in Taiwan's legislature
They've fought with fists. They've thrown paper at each other. And on Tuesday, Taiwan's rowdy lawmakers had an old-fashioned food fight.

Legislators began chucking white cardboard takeout lunch boxes full of rice, meat, hard-boiled eggs and vegetables at each other during a heated debate over whether Taiwan should spend billions on weapons sold by the United States.

It was difficult to figure out who started the battle. Local TV showed the legislators yelling at each other as they sat at long tables in a committee room during a lunch meeting.

After the food fight had settled down Pan-Blue officials vowed to form an unaccountable, unconstitutional investigative committee to get to the bottom of things and punish their political opponents.

Book Learning

Politicalwire reports:
In their latest strategy memo, James Carville and Stan Greenberg say "the big story in this election is the Education Gap, which is greatly impacting who are the targets in the coming week, and will impact and be the story of the election afterwards...the Education Gap has expanded significantly, and is now slightly larger than the division along gender lines."

"In 2000, there was only a 2-point education gap, with Gore and Bush running dead even among college graduates and Bush winning by just 2 points among the non-college educated voters. The result was a 2-point education gap. But not so in 2004. Today, there is now a 12-point education gap. Kerry is winning college educated voters by 10 points but losing the non-college graduates by 2 points.

I guess David Horowitz was right all along about Colleges and Universities (especially mine) being breeding grounds for anti-Americanism.

Nerdular Nerdence

Amygdala pointed the way to this story from Wired:

In this era of high-tech memory management, next in line to get that memory upgrade isn't your computer, it's you.

Professor Theodore W. Berger, director of the Center for Neural Engineering at the University of Southern California, is creating a silicon chip implant that mimics the hippocampus, an area of the brain known for creating memories. If successful, the artificial brain prosthesis could replace its biological counterpart, enabling people who suffer from memory disorders to regain the ability to store new memories.

Pretty exciting, even though the experts say that it would take decades to make microchips that could work on humans. It is likely that I'll still be around to enjoy the benefits/horrors of computer enchanced brains.

Go to the video tape

Triumph the Insult Comic takes on the flacks (video here). It is almost as good as John Stewart's Crossfire appearance.

Incompetence Kills

Huge Cache of Explosives Vanished From Site in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 24 - The Iraqi interim government has warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives - used to demolish buildings, make missile warheads and detonate nuclear weapons - are missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations.

The huge facility, called Al Qaqaa, was supposed to be under American military control but is now a no man's land, still picked over by looters as recently as Sunday. United Nations weapons inspectors had monitored the explosives for many years, but White House and Pentagon officials acknowledge that the explosives vanished sometime after the American-led invasion last year...

American weapons experts say their immediate concern is that the explosives could be used in major bombing attacks against American or Iraqi forces: the explosives, mainly HMX and RDX, could produce bombs strong enough to shatter airplanes or tear apart buildings...

The International Atomic Energy Agency publicly warned about the danger of these explosives before the war, and after the invasion it specifically told United States officials about the need to keep the explosives secured, European diplomats said in interviews last week. Administration officials say they cannot explain why the explosives were not safeguarded, beyond the fact that the occupation force was overwhelmed by the amount of munitions they found throughout the country.

What's wrong with the administration? This was a very foreseeable danger, it is almost as bad as their failure to assassinate the Jordanian jihadist Abu Musab Zarqawi when they had the chance. If they had any plan at all for the managing Iraq after ousting Saddam this sort of thing wouldn't have happened, but of course there was no planning. Absolutely none. The annecdote from Knight Ridder's report on America's plans for rebuilding Iraq, Post-war planning non-existent", says it all:

WASHINGTON - In March 2003, days before the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, American war planners and intelligence officials met at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina to review the Bush administration's plans to oust Saddam Hussein and implant democracy in Iraq.

Near the end of his presentation, an Army lieutenant colonel who was giving a briefing showed a slide describing the Pentagon's plans for rebuilding Iraq after the war, known in the planners' parlance as Phase 4-C. He was uncomfortable with his material - and for good reason.

The slide said: "To Be Provided."

The Opposite of Good

Republican Party officials in Ohio took formal steps yesterday to place thousands of recruits inside polling places on Election Day to challenge the qualifications of voters they suspect are not eligible to cast ballots.

Ohio Democrats were struggling to match the Republicans' move, which had been rumored for weeks. Both parties had until 4 p.m. to register people they had recruited to monitor the election. Republicans said they had enlisted 3,600 by the deadline, many in heavily Democratic urban neighborhoods of Cleveland, Dayton and other cities. Each recruit was to be paid $100.-The New York Times

Just swell. The Republicans have not decided yet whether or not their poll watcher training sessions will be open to the public or the press. Judging by the GOP's love of secrecy (and why wouldn't they love something so effective), it is unlikely that will opt for transparency. I wonder what sort of instructions the vote blockers will receive. Hopefully some clever Democratic Party hacks or enterprising journalists have infiltrated the ranks of these recruits already.

Stay The Course

U.S. upgrades strength of Iraqi insurgency
New Pentagon estimates of the Iraqi insurgency's numbers and funding reveal a military challenge vastly more daunting than anything planned for...

U.S. officials now say when foreign fighters and the network of a Jordanian militant Abu Musab Zarqawi are counted with home-grown insurgents, the hard-core resistance numbers between 8,000 and 12,000 people, a tally that swells to more than 20,000 when active sympathizers or covert accomplices are included.

That contrasts with earlier estimates of an insurgency with 2,000 to 7,000 participants and supporters.

Of Course

Divide seen in voter knowledge
WASHINGTON -- Supporters of President Bush are less knowledgeable about the president's foreign policy positions and are more likely to be mistaken about factual issues in world affairs than voters who back John F. Kerry, a survey released yesterday indicated.

A large majority of self-identified Bush voters polled believe Saddam Hussein provided "substantial support" to Al Qaeda, and 47 percent believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction before the US invasion. Among the president's supporters, 57 percent queried think international public opinion favors Bush's reelection, and 51 percent believe that most Islamic countries support "US-led efforts to fight terrorism."

No weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, the Sept. 11 Commission found no evidence of substantial Iraqi support for Al Qaeda, and international public opinion polls have shown widespread opposition to Bush's reelection.

Bush supporters also feared that John Kerry would "take their gun away" and that his plans to rollback the upper income portions of the Bush Tax cut would deprive them of their hammock.

World's Largest Dictatorship Backs World's Largest Democracy

China has endorsed India's application for a seat on the U.N. Security Council, a strategic step forward in bilateral relations, the Times of India reports.
-Via UPI

The Spin Cycle Summarized

Based on a true story

No?

From USA Today:
President Bush says he doesn't envision a longtime presence of U.S. troops in Iraq similar to post-World War II deployments in Europe and South Korea that continue today.

Well at least President Bush doesn't "envision" a permanent American deployment in Iraq. Unfortunately he has a poor record of predicting things and he hasn't ruled it completely either.

"Pooty Poot, I need a favor."

Putin Backs Bush
Russian President Vladimir Putin says terrorist attacks in Iraq are aimed at preventing the re-election of U.S. President George W. Bush and that a Bush defeat "could lead to the spread of terrorism to other parts of the world."

I am confident Vladimir Putin has endorsed George W. Bush simply out of the goodness of his heart and not because he expects anything in return.

AWOL

I am taking a blogtacular blogbreak from blogging my blog on the blogosphere and will be back with more partisan spin in a few days. My spite batteries are drained from contiously producing a crackling field of high-voltage hate-tricity.

The Empire Strikes First, Then Never Leaves

Pandagon brings up an interesting point here:

Bush is apparently building 14 permanent bases in Iraq, a move akin to promising the Iraqi people unending occupation and the eternal threat of reinvasion. Kerry, on the other hand, wants "no long-term military presence after the job is done". This is significant both as a substantial difference between the two men's plans for Iraq and as a counterinsurgency tool.

John Kerry wants to stay in Iraq because he thinks a failed state would be a disaster for America (providing a haven for terrorists) and for Iraqis (putting them in danger of suffering a civil war). George W. Bush wants to says he wants to stay in Iraq for those reasons, but these large military bases suggests that there are other, more sinister reasons at work (greater American control over Mid-East Oil?). The construction of these bases fits, which are a sign of plan long term American presence in Iraq, fit perfectly with the small target size for the Iraqi Army, National Guard and Police, which leave the Iraqi government dependent on the US for security well into the future. Also, a long term American involvement in Iraq would further strain the military and increase the chances of a draft. Though the Naderites might not be willing to believe it, there is only one really imperialist candidate in this election.

Good News For People That Love Bad News For George Bush

After getting pounded by the Swift Boat Vets and the Republican Convention, Kerry has taken a clear if not commanding lead in the race:

Democratic challenger John Kerry expanded his slight lead over President George Bush to three points in a tight race for the White House, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Monday.

Judging from the previous debates, it is unlikely that Bush will benefit from the third and final debate.

Not only is Kerry up in the polls, but his supporters are re-engergized, too, which is especially important in an election where all the experts are sayign that turn out is key. Here is a local news report from a John Kerry rally I attended last weekend in Ohio:
Thousands stood for hours in long lines yesterday that snaked their way through the campus of Lorain County Community College just to get a chance to listen and watch Sen. John Kerry's speech.

Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, spoke to an estimated 20,000 of his supporters on a sun-splashed picture-prefect autumn day in his first public appearance following Friday's debate with President Bush.

The Bush-Cheney Campaign seem to be getting nervous. Rove says he has some tricks left. But if they aren't any better than calling Kerry and Edwards "LIBERALS", George W. Bush is probably out of luck. The Republicans have tried to do that to every Democrat since the dawn of time (or maybe 1968), yet for the last 3 elections in a row LIBERAL DEMOCRATS with values OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM have captured the popular vote. Furthermore the facts just don't support the charge at all. Bush has expanded government more than "liberal" President has and more than any Republican has for that matter. Since the 1990's Kerry has built up some very serious centrist credentials, too, supporting balanced budgets, welfare reform and free trade (more or less). No matter how much Bush wishes it was true, John Kerry is not Michael Dukakis.

Corporate Media To The Rescue

From the LA Times:
The conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcast Group, whose television outlets reach nearly a quarter of the nation's homes with TV, is ordering its stations to preempt regular programming just days before the Nov. 2 election to air a film that attacks Sen. John F. Kerry's activism against the Vietnam War, network and station executives familiar with the plan said Friday.

They must be really worried about the rabble costing them their investment.

Too Legit

Observers approve Afghan election
International observers have endorsed Afghanistan's first presidential election, rejecting opposition calls for a new poll amid reports of fraud.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said demands by 15 of the 18 presidential candidates to annul the poll were "unjustified".

The elections in Afghanistan seem to be rather successful. From what I have seen though, Bush hasn't done that much to hype the results. Is it because he was waiting for the international monitors to sign off on them? Or does Afghanistan just not really figure into his thinking all that much?

Update: Matthew Yglesias comes up with a much better question about the recent elections in Afghanistan: Why is Afghanistan working so much better than Iraq? I am damned if I have any ideas of my own, but he has some interesting "considerations".

The Debates Go Into Syndication

In case you haven't had a chance to see the debates or if you want to relive all the magic moments of the presidential and vice-presidential debates ("I own a timber company?"), audible.com has them on mp3 for your downloading pleasure.

Huh huh conservatism's best and brightest

While browsing the internets for the latest on J-Pop and anime scene, I came across the Public Enquiry Project. PEP is a weblog created by Adrian Spidle. Mr. Spidle's blog is essentially Hasan's Blog For Bush except he is for serious. Mosts posts from the Public Enquiry Project either accuse Kerry of treason for his anti-war activism, repeat the lies of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, extol the greatness of the blog's author, condemn pundits for partisanship and include comments such as this:

"I made the mistake of sending my son to Massachusetts Public Schools and he turned into a knee jerk Democrat. That will never happen with my daughter."

H. Khan himself could not have done better.

Round II

In the second Presidential debate, Bush managed to exhibit slightly more self-contronl. He stopped looking so irritated, which was a definite step up for him, though he frequently looked confused while Kerry was speaking. Only towards the end of the debate did he figure out that taking notes makes you look less like of an akward buffoon. No matter, John Kerry did better than last round, thereby countering any improvements in Bush's performance. Kerry was relentless, launching attack after attack on the President. Additionally, Senator Kerry's wooden demeanor actually helped him because his digs seemed less mean-spirited and more matter-of-fact. Bush was unable to repsond in any meaningful way to most of them. The audience for its part did a very good job of assisting Kerry. Unlike those half-bright punks that go for moderators these days the members of the general public asked real questions about serious issues. Naturally, these sorts of questions are not what one of the worst Presidents in recent memory needs. This debate was a win for Kerry and an effective post debate PR operation (I am sure I detected at least a few statements by Bush that were complete nonsense) could make it a crushing vicotry for the Democrats.

They Like Him, They Really Like Him

Kerry beats Bush on 'likeability' in new survey
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and President George W. Bush are neck-and-neck in their race for the White House, but Kerry is seen as a bit more likeable according to a new poll out just ahead of the second presidential debate.
Who would have thought people wouldn't find an irresponsible frat boy turned preachy, teetotalling dry drunk likeable? He sounds like the kind of guy you'd want to have a bee-a refreshing diet Spite with.

Jobs Awaaaay

U.S. Job Growth Weaker Than Expected
U.S. employers hired just 96,000 workers in September, the government said on Friday in a weak jobs snapshot, the final one ahead of presidential elections that also fueled speculation about a pause in interest-rate rises.

That jobs report with its liberal bias. Clearly the Treasury department is willing to do anything to get John Kerry elected and has cast its lot with the MSM (MainStream Media) and the Iraqi insurgency.

The Credibility Chasm

ABC News
Vice President Dick Cheney asserted on Thursday that a report by the chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq, who found no evidence that Iraq produced weapons of mass destruction after 1991, justifies rather than undermines President Bush's decision to go to war.

Noted without comment.

Hacking One Up

Matt Taibi is overseeing Wimblehack the New York Press' search for the worst campaign journalist in America.

Second Stringers

The vice-presidential debate wasn't a blow out for either side. John Edwards held up well during the national security portion of the debate, which naturally favored Dick Cheney simply because of Cheney's grave demeanor and reputation. Edwards easily won the domestic policy section, despite the ridiculous questions that were being asked of him by the moderator , blasting the Administration's failures and serving up the Democrats' solutions. Cheney floundered, reciting irrelevant statistics and looking fairly cold and indifferent. A modest, but respectable victory for Edwards is a strategic defeat for the Republicans. They needed the Vice President to decisively defeat John Edwards in order to undermine Kerry's rise in the polls and Cheney didn't deliver.

Bremer (Accidently) Comes Clean

From the Washington Post:
The former U.S. official who governed Iraq after the invasion said yesterday that the United States made two major mistakes: not deploying enough troops in Iraq and then not containing the violence and looting immediately after the ouster of Saddam Hussein...

"We paid a big price for not stopping it because it established an atmosphere of lawlessness," he said yesterday in a speech at an insurance conference in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. "We never had enough troops on the ground."

Why didn't Paul Bremer do something about this earlier, when he was running the US occupation? Did he think that protecting his career was more important thans saving American and Iraqi lives? Already the shameless Mr. Bremer is backpedalling at top speed:

"A Bremer aide said that his speeches were intended for private audiences and were supposed to have been off the record."

Forget Poland

During the debates Bush made much of Poland's participation in the occupation and reconstruction of Iraq. Unfortunately, the Poles are heading for the exit:
In a surprise announcement, Poland said Monday that it would withdraw its troops from Iraq by the end of 2005, leaving the U.S.-led multinational forces the task of finding replacements to fill a crucial security role in south-central Iraq.

Beginning To See the Light

In IMF talks, U.S. shifts toward debt-forgiveness pact
With public pledges and in private conversations, Britain managed over the weekend to move the United States closer to full forgiveness of the debts of the poorest countries during the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Before the meetings, the United States privately discussed a more modest plan that had no obvious source of new funding. Throughout the meetings, the stronger American focus was on forgiving the debt of Iraq. But on Sunday, Treasury Secretary John Snow told the gathered officials that the United States was working with Gordon Brown, the British chancellor of the Exchequer, and that it "is time for us to get serious" about the unsustainable debt loads being borne by large parts of the world.

"We're prepared to go to debt forgiveness of up to 100 percent," he told the gathering of world finance ministers and governors of central banks. "What's important is that we all embrace that goal."

It is about time the United States' is reversing itself on Third World debt forgiveness. I wonder what the British officials did to chance the minds of the Americans. Perhaps the British pointed out the contradiction in supporting forgiveness for Iraq while at the same time opposing freeing other poor nations of their odious debts.

Down To The Wire

Registration Deadline For Ohio
I turned my form in at 11:30. I had completed one earlier, but there must have been something wrong with it since the Board of Elections doesn't have me on their rolls. Anyway, don't be like me, take care of this stuff before the last possible day.

Pull My Strings

Apparently Ayad Allawi, Prime Minister of the Iraqi Interim Government, has allowed himself to become nothing more than an exentsion of Bush-Cheney 2004. His speech before congress very closely mirrored statements made by George W. Bush on Iraq, which makes sense since a representitive of the Bush campaign (not the White House mind you, but the campaign itself) helped Allawi with his speech (more here). I'll bet this new will go over really well with Iraqis.

Partisan Spin

The first presidential debate was definetly a victory for John Kerry, the only question is how badly he crushed his opponent. George W. Bush was dishonest and looked dumb (pausing akwardly, mispeaking). The real damage Bush inflicted on himself was his angry, irritated appearance. In order for the President's dishonesty to harm him, people need to be aware of the facts and if people did know the facts, this clown would be the victim of the greatest bone shattering landslide in history. It is also well known that Bush is not all that bright and that has not held him back. His anger though was clear to see and will work against him the way Al Gore's undermined his campaign. Kerry in contrast played it cool, looked tall, serious and Presidential, unlike the real President of the United States.

Presidential Debate Transcript