Anyone else think that the US demands for Syria and Iran to hermetically seal their borders with Iraq sounds awfully like the schoolyard bully forcing a weak kid to be lookout while he beats the crap out of an even smaller, weaker kid?

Oh yeah: Bush sucks.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother to stay informed. When so many in this country can so easily be had by the media. When they care so little about their fellow human being. When being unintelligent/average is revered. How is it that people like us are to go on caring??

I do a lot of coordinating of volunteers for the Howard Dean campaign in the San Gabriel Valley north of LA and our response rate, despite the dire need to get our feet on the ground, is less than 10%.

Whether it's with people that are clueless and are blissfully unaware or it being with people who call themselves supporters of the liberal cause but just can't find the time to do the work, what is the point?

Are there others out there with similar frustrations?

Regards,

Patrick Briggs, Pasadena, CA

It seems that this administration is in a panic mode. Bush & Co. found out that the U.S.'s hyper-power status didn't last long and that they can't bully the bigger kids. I think their looking for any concessions they can wring out of anyone.

I've recently posted concerns about the reinstatement of a military draft. A column on the Center for American Progress hints at the same. It's called "Voluntary No More?" by Lawrence Korb.

http://www.centerforamericanprogress.org

I'm with you on that one, Manumission.
Bush REALLY sucks, too.

We'll miss you, Billmon, while you catch up on work. I just crawled out from underneath one work-related rock for a few minutes of sunshine before tackling the next big deadline.

You know what headline I really want to see next year?

"Democratic Party wins White House in 2004: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

News reports just out say the the US is ready to call off the WMD hunt and use the soldiers for other duties. I guess Mr. Kay's report is about done. It is clear that Saddam had ambitions to someday possibly revive a program that might have led to a potential to start preliminary development of basic facilities that could, in the future, be turned in to factories that may produce farm pesticides with the clear aim to ruthlessly murder hundreds of thousands of Iraqi based grasshoppers.

British intelligence supplied the Americans with forged documentation . . . material that found its way into a presidential speech. In wartime, the traditional mandates of friendship, such as telling the truth, can stop at the water's edge.

The words of Daniel Davidson, explicity speaking about WWII (while making an implicit analogy to the Iraq Crusade) -- taken from a WaPo Book World review concerning recent books on Churchill. Was Tony Blair's adherence to Churchill's dictum: "Never be separated from the Americans" the most fatal flaw in the structure that enabled this tremendous waste of life, international trust & support, and money? More here.

I think the military draft is good.

Charlie Rangel floated this idea because it will make the American public realize that there are sacrifices that need to be made if we want to go to war. He thinks it will make us more risk-averse.

I think the military draft is good.

Charlie Rangel floated this idea because it will make the American public realize that there are sacrifices that need to be made if we want to go to war. He thinks it will make us more risk-averse.

P Briggs, I think this administration has done more to help the progressive cause than we can even fathom, so there is a bright side to all of this.
For every ignorant Fox viewer sitting on the couch, there is an informed activist on the street. The net has made huge gains and has a huge effect. We now rule the bestseller list of non-fiction books. Generation Y is even starting to notice.
The crap that Bush is pulling is slowly trickling into the public view. Machiavelli wrote that "you should never make your vices become odious to the public". Bush is making such a big pile, no one will be able to deny to smell soon. Even the Republicans I know sometimes scoff at the info I tell them, then it makes the lead report in Newsweek or Time a month later.
They are cannibalizing themselves. The more Bush refers to 9-11 while witholding 9-11 documents the better. The more he talks about sacrifice while making none himself, the better. And the more he talks about desperation, the more desperate he sounds.
Hell, I'm starting to appreciate the idiot for just how truly idiotic he is. He calls soldiers dying progress!

I can go for a draft, provided only rich kids can be drafted.

You have to come from a family with an income in the top 1% of American families. No deferments. And every family member can participate, say up to the social security retirement age. Sons and daughters can protect mom and dad in the 'Broil for Oil' Occupation of Iraq.

And in honor of our current regime's careful preparation for the Iraq invasion... 25% of draftees get no body armor until the American taxpayers get held up for $150 billion on top of the disgustingly gross defense budget.

i am so damn glad that bushco. is sending troops to iraq and getting them killed in the name of the safety of our country, i am glad that he is asking for more and more money to fund his little project, taking away from our school system, healthcare, etc., and i am so glad that we have people like ridge and ashcroft who are here to protect our freedoms with such brainchildren as the patriot act 1 and 2....i just feel so damn lucky....

strike one

strike two

get the fuck out of here!

Praktike, I agree that Charlie Rangel was making a point about class division and spreading the sacrifice when he raised this issue months ago. Democratizing the draft was a big part of getting us out of Vietnam (I got my draft card in 1972, and had to sweat out the lottery, and then we stopped sending troops in spring of 73). I'm not sure if he was making a point, or was serious about it. I don't believe he's introduced a bill.

There's no way the chickenhawks are going to have enough volunteer soldiers to throw into further adventures in Syria, Iran, Cuba, or Colombia. I wouldn't put it past them to create a draft with the kinds of deferments the lottery system was meant to get rid of. Rich kids can go to college, or join and then desert the Texas National Guard.

I don't believe he's introduced a bill

Indeed, Charlie Rangel did introduce a bill to Congress to reactivate the draft back in January of this year. I also seem to remember reading something more about the bill just a few weeks ago.

Thanks for the correction, CJW.

Just read this on CNN website and wanted to share. Here's Fearless Leader's 2004 campaign message. HOT AIR, Indeed!

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush offered a broad defense of his foreign policy and said his message that "the world is more peaceful and more free under my leadership" will be a prominent theme of his bid for a second White House term.
In a Rose Garden news conference Tuesday with reporters, the president asserted, however, that his re-election campaign had not yet begun, even though the Bush-Cheney team has raised more than $83 million, much of it through personal appearances by Bush at 27 fund-raisers across the country over more than five months.
"I will defend my record at the appropriate time, and look forward to it," Bush said. "I'll say that the world is more peaceful and more free under my leadership, and America is more secure."

Bush said he isn't worried that Americans' patience would run out as the [Iraq WAR] death toll ticks upward, even if it continues during the election year.
"They tend to be able to differentiate between politics and reality," he said. "There's no question politics can -- will -- create ... a lot of noise and a lot of balloon drops and a lot of hot air. I'll probably be right in the mix of it, by the way."

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/29/elec04.prez.bush.campaign.ap/index.html

The Pentagon is considering cutting back the WMD search program. Anybody want to suggest a job for David Kay?

lk,
David Kay will, of course, become an analyst for Fox News.

David Kay will, of course, become an analyst for Fox News.

I thought he was an analyst for Fox News.

On the draft question- it would be a good thing to have a draft that incompassed shared sacrifice from all sectors of society; however, my belief is that this would be impractical. It is benefitial to those serving to know that the person they are serving with raised their hand and said "this is what I want to do with my life for the next _____ years". I know from personal experience the difficulties of leading soldiers who made a mistake of joining when their personality and outlook were not adaptable to the military, as well as the joy of leading soldiers who decided correctly to join. The importance of having an effective fighting force outweighs the benefit of knowing there is shared sacrifice throughout society. It is just human nature for a person who is told "you have to do this" to be less motivated to accomplish a mission than someone who willingly accepted the risks for the rewards. I contend that regardless of how the draft would be structured, there will always be the most favored individuals from the wealthy and well connected. There would aslo be the problem of pay structure. I would assume (dangerous ground here) there would be a cut in pay for all in the armed services - more soldiers, sailors, marines, the less money to go around. Of course budgetary concerns can be easily solved with more tax cuts (smily face thingy here)
Billmon-I regret not making it here until after closing time, was looking forward to cold union made brew. BTW- is this a smoking or non-smoking bar?

what does it mean that w and co. are contemplating 'cutting and running'? if so, you wonder where the political pressure is coming from. surely not from the american people? this is truly madness. god wants this creature to lead us until arnie talks the helm.

Changing the subject slightly, has anyone seen or heard any confirmation of this?

Commenting on a report in the San Jose Mercury News (http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/7130116.htm) that firefighters in California are having to work 55-hour shifts to get the fires under control, Left Eye on the News (http://lefti.blogspot.com/ - Fire politics, part II, Wed 29 Oct 03) says:

So, 2,300 more men and women are needed to properly fight just this one section of the fire. There are currently 42,000 US Army reservists and National Guard members in Iraq.

Is this true? I kind of assume that the National Guard would be called out in a declared state of emergency.

Are there really none of them left in California or neighbouring states to help put the fires out?

Billmon, you are supposed to be working! Moe is managing fine!

Bush: "They tend to be able to differentiate between politics and reality"

since when are dying troops "politics?"

also, what the hell is this "balloon drop" shit? is this gonna be another stupid pseudo-wonky catchphrase like "metrics?"

Patrick Briggs,

What you're seeing is par for the course. My wife attended training sessions to be a field coordinator for an unsuccessful Congressional candidate two years ago. The instructors pointed out that only 10% of the public pays any attention to politics and only 1% get actively involved. That should give you somewhere in the neighborhood of 200,000 politically active adults in CA to draw from, and I'm guessing around 120,000 or so Democrats.

Unfortunately, even the "politically active" don't generally get involved until about six weeks before an election. But don't give up hope. All you need right now is a small, dedicated group to have things in place to marshall your forces as the primary draws near. (And a bottle of Southern Comfort in the bottom desk drawer never hurts.)

Good luck, and don't give up the Good Fight!

Bing--
I find it difficult to ever understand what the hell Bush is talking about, but in the "balloon drop" quote, he is referring to campaign balloons and confetti -- you know, his celebration by the hoards (also known as the whores) as he attempts to buy the election in 2004.
I'm sure there will be no shortage of Hot Air to fill those balloons at the Republican Convention in NY next year, and the confetti will be in ample supply too -- the White House staff has those shredders working overtime as I type.

Fox nearly sued itself over 'Simpsons' parody: Matt Groening

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1517&e=16&u=/afp/lifestyle_us_television

Bush and balloons . . .

I've always associated the phrase, "Having the balloon go up" with the start of World War III. But with Dumbshit, who knows?

Be afraid, be very afraid . . .

Just to share with you guys a line from the great Baghdad Burning blog (http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/) which I found extremely funny: "Another example of a high-tech attack was the attack on Rasheed Hotel a few days ago, where Wolfowitz was shocked and awed out of a meeting."

By the way, in this post the girl Riverbend does a better job of analysing the attacks against American forces than the military intelligence seems capable of...

on the draft thing. . . i dont really support it. on the other hand, there will always be armies. probably the best you can hope for is that they are staffed by sullen conscripts.