I guess I’m one of the few people who were there the first year as well as last year, and recall the last minute “fuck off” that we Little People received in Chicago from Her Nibs. Hint: She didn’t show. Blah, Blah, order and security and Seriousness blah, but if this is true, I’m even more glad I saved the money for the garden instead of the trip to Austin:

Gina Cooper opened the event by letting us know that any organized disruption would result in the protesters’ being escorted out and badges taken. As for the questioning of Speaker Pelosi, she said that impeachment and FISA questions were consolidated into 2 summary questions. Congressman Lloyd Doggett just introduced Speaker Pelosi. She got a standing O.

I guess condemning MoveOne and passing FISA along only sweetened such fruits as taking impeachment “off the table” and failing to find a way to stop war funding bills, despite the ability to do so when it suits her on other issues. Whatever.

“Thank you Sir, may I have another!” The motto of the “progressive” blogospherical leadership. Here is what I read today, instead of self-congratulatory gossip and back-slapping filling my inbox from attendees. But I suppose that middle picture isn’t Good Form, and Nanci shouldn’t be troubled with such. I will laugh long and loud and with irony-driven bitterness when Rahm replaces her in the Speaker’s job. And he will.

To Zoriah.

Not vouching, Ok, I’ll vouch. FDL says he needs our support. I’m happy to give it.

It means nothing to the dead and little to their families, but it’s still an important step in moving this nation back towards sanity. Conservative blogger Cole bitchslaps the stupidest of Villagers thusly:

see that Andrew Sullivan was asked to list what he got wrong about Iraq for the five year anniversary of the invasion, and since I was as big a war booster as anyone, I thought I would list what I got wrong:

Everything.

And I don’t say that to provide people with an easy way to beat up on me, but I do sort of have to face facts. I was wrong about everything.

I was wrong about the Doctrine of Pre-emptive warfare.
I was wrong about Iraq possessing WMD.
I was wrong about Scott Ritter and the inspections.
I was wrong about the UN involvement in weapons inspections.
I was wrong about the containment sanctions.
I was wrong about the broader impact of the war on the Middle East.
I was wrong about this making us more safe.
I was wrong about the number of troops needed to stabilize Iraq.
I was wrong when I stated this administration had a clear plan for the aftermath.
I was wrong about securing the ammunition dumps.
I was wrong about the ease of bringing democracy to the Middle East.
I was wrong about dissolving the Iraqi army.
I was wrong about the looting being unimportant.
I was wrong that Bush/Cheney were competent.
I was wrong that we would be greeted as liberators.
I was wrong to make fun of the anti-war protestors.
I was wrong not to trust the dirty smelly hippies.

I mean, I could go down the list and continue on, but you get the point. I was wrong about EVERY. GOD. DAMNED. THING. It is amazing I could tie my shoes in 2001-2004. If you took all the wrongness I generated, put it together and compacted it and processed it, there would be enough concentrated stupid to fuel three hundred years of Weekly Standard journals. I am not sure how I snapped out of it, but I think Abu Ghraib and the negative impact of the insurgency did sober me up a bit.

War should always be an absolute last resort, not just another option. I will never make the same mistakes again.

I salute you, Cole. It takes a real man to stand up and say, “I was wrong.” Kudos.

I know, I know- my smart friends keep telling me to ignore what I perceive to be a Republican revolt, and an upswell of “libertarianism” in that party. OK, I’m probably wrong. But then there is this thread. It probably means nothing. And yet- on a recent drive thru this state, going up north to the country, what did I see? A lot of poverty, and misery. And, a lot of signs. For one guy, and no one else. That guy was Ron Paul.

I am not a Paul supporter. But I keep talking about him, and his flunkies, because I know them to be like me. That is, lost, and forgotten, and without a real party or representation. I think they are confused about reality, but they likely think the same of me, and in the end, we all understand that we have more in common with each other than we do with our “leaders” in either party.  Read more 

I’ve refrained from too much blogging about Donohue’s idiotic campaign to get Amanda fired since the first couple of days, mainly because so many others have picked up on it and Edwards came out and did as close to the right thing as he could. But let’s put it all in perspective, shall we? Who is the Donohue guy anyway? Well, besides being a gay-bashing, Jew-hating bigot, he’s also the guy who decided that one of 2001’s top ten anti-Catholic atrocities was…onion dip. No, I am not making that up.

For those who missed it, Lipton ran a print ad in the June 13, 2001 edition of The New York Press featuring a person holding a bowl of onion dip while waiting in line to take communion—the implication being that this person planned to dip the Eucharist in the onion dip.

Reasonable humor? Clever Madison Avenue marketing? Not according to Bill Donohue. In his eyes, the onion dip ad was an anti-Catholic “atrocity.”  Read more 

That’s going to be my theme for the day. (Scroll down for update)

Perhaps it’s a common enough story, but I’m one of those people who has in my past been both very popular in certain circles and very much an outcast in others. The most painful memory of being unpopular comes from my time in the Marine Corps. Think of that poor guy in “A Few Good Men” and you’re somewhat close to what it was like for me. I was naive and young enough at the time to not really notice until it was too late, and when I got kicked out I was actually quite stunned. I had thought that I was “part of something special” and that my friends would defend me. One young officer, whom everyone in the Company agreed was a wonderful example of everything that is excellent and right about servicemembers, did defend me, and to this day I hold her opinion above those who thought I was the ’wrong stuff.’ Such is life, by such surprises and disloyalty we learn that the world is often an unfair and lonely place. It was an important lesson for me, in that I learned that people frequently clothe themselves in the language and trappings of “honor” and “loyalty,” when in fact what they are really all about is getting ahead, even if it means stepping on their friends and colleagues to do so.

In other situations, I’ve known what it’s like to be “the belle of the ball.” Again, one learns important lessons in that role; there are pitfalls and challenges to being the person everyone wants to know and be seen with, and true friendship can be as hard to find in such conditions as when one is a pariah. Everyone loves a winner until the winner stumbles, and there is little that is more soul-destroying than realizing that without your (money/popularity/power), your “friends” would disappear like cockroaches under bright light. True friendship, and loyalty, are among the most precious things in the world. And nowhere are they more rare than in the world of politics.

This is a Great Test for Edwards.  Read more 

I just got off a conference call with Senator Reid, and his office has given the go ahead to blog on record about what he said. Other bloggers were in on it too, so look around for other reports, as mine is going to be a little strongly worded.

Good news: Harry Gets It. To quote: “The insurance industry is the Enemy.” This was part of his response to questions about health care. Although he won’t oppose it, as it’s “something,” he’s not impressed with Arnold’s bill, because he’s worried about the Mass. example, that is, forcing the poor into plans doesn’t really help anything and in fact hurts those who can’t afford ridiculous premiums. If Harry had his way, people in this country would enjoy “the same plan as [he] has.” Mmmm!  Read more 

Is there anything more aggravating than being immensely proud of one’s sense of ethics, and never getting a chance to demonstrate them by turning down a big, fat, juicy bribe?

I guess I’ll never know, because Microsoft did not find me a Blogger Worth Bribing with a superhot top-o-the-line new laptop:

Several bloggers reported last week that they had received Acer Ferrari laptops, which can sell for more than $2,200, from Microsoft. A spokeswoman for Microsoft confirmed on Friday that the company had sent out about 90 computers to bloggers who write about technology and other subjects (such as photography and, oddly, parenting) that could be affected by the new operating system.

Parenting?? You need a 2-friggin-grand laptop (you can get a perfectly decent brand new laptop, and a way better known name than Acer, for a quarter of that at the moment) to write about parenting but not politics? I am so pissed. My only consolation is that the teeth of conscience, not to mention public opprobrium, are gnawing at the bones of the undeserving wretches who did get the machines  Read more 

Ok, so I’m a tad nervous this morning. Coffee probably wasn’t a good idea this morning, but it’s going to be a busy day. I’ll be at several election parties tonight, and running around between blogging today, and chewing on my fingernails. But I wanted to say:

Thank you, Fremen warriors. And: I’m sorry for being such a Bitch.

Long Live the Fighters!

I recently got an email from a liberal friend, complaining about how librul organizations are, well, kinda fucked up. And they are. I could tell a silly story about my canvassing experience this weekend, but rather than do so, I want to thank the utterly clueless man who at least tried to put in some time and effort in the cause of justice. Not everyone is so good with maps, ya know?  Read more 

I’ve got to run, so go to the original post for the livelinks. But I try to read several Iraqi bloggers at least several times a week, and I found quite a bit of news, perspective and other types of useful information that I never see in the SCLM.

 Read more 

I’m worried about Riverbend. It’s been since early August since she’s posted. She’s always been part of the “lucky” Iraqis, and enjoyed some power, water, food and money enough to blog. I wonder, worriedly, what’s changed. I’ve been reading her since shortly after she started blogging, and I feel like she’s a friend. Anyone with any insight into this, I would greatly appreciate your view. I have great fear that she has been identified, or otherwise targeted by the Shia fundamentalists. Please tell me I’m wrong.

This is great news. Sirota to work for Lamont:

Clearly, this is an uphill fight - but then, uphill fights are the kind of campaigns I have always worked on. Why? Because trying to change the status quo is always an uphill fight. In 1998, people told me not to work for Joe Hoeffel because they said he couldn’t win a Republican congressional seat in Pennsylvania - but we won. In 2004, people told me I was crazy for working for political outsider Brian Schweitzer because they said he could never win a statewide race in as Republican a state as Montana. Now, Schweitzer is the widely popular governor of Big Sky country. People said Ned Lamont couldn’t win a primary against an 18-year incumbent who grossly outspent him with a massive warchest of corporate cash - but he won. Even after Ned’s crushing primary victory, elite cynics in Washington and the national Republican Party apparatus that is supporting Joe Lieberman still say Ned can’t win the general election. And once again, we’re going to prove them wrong.  Read more