If you have high-speed access, you should go to Watertiger’s lair, skippy’s place, or the original at First Draft and watch Scout-Prime’s Katrina ad.

This is the cost of the Shrubbery’s regime – American deaths through his actions and inaction. The Republicans in Congress have provided no oversight and no regulation on his radical agenda.

This “problem” in Colorado may really affect the Republican GOTV. This was the last sermon before the election and the buzz was not about the election, but the sins of Pastor Ted.

While most people have never heard of the guy, among the Reich he was a name, and, at a minimum, there had to be prayer circles set up to help him rid himself of “demons”.

I would note that unsolicited suggestions that they dunk him and then burn him at the stake if he floats are not received with Christian charity in the frozen food aisle of the Winn-Dixie. They get really snippy if you suggest calling in a Catholic priest for an exorcism.

“Okay, Sherman, it’s time to set the Wayback Machine for 1998.” [For some reason when it comes to neocons, I think of Peabody’s Improbable History.]

On January 26, 1998 the Project for the New American Century sent a letter to “The Honorable William J. Clinton, President of the United States” concerning Saddam Hussein and Iraq. In that letter they wrote: “The only acceptable strategy is one that eliminates the possibility that Iraq will be able to use or threaten to use weapons of mass destruction. In the near term, this means a willingness to undertake military action as diplomacy is clearly failing. In the long term, it means removing Saddam Hussein and his regime from power.”

The letter was signed by Elliott Abrams, Richard L. Armitage, William J. Bennett, Jeffrey Bergner, John Bolton, Paula Dobriansky, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Kagan, Zalmay Khalilzad, William Kristol, Richard Perle, Peter W. Rodman, Donald Rumsfeld, William Schneider, Jr., Vin Weber, Paul Wolfowitz, R. James Woolsey, and Robert B. Zoellick

Unlike the Shrubbery, the Clinton administration actually had a functioning National Security Council, and while there is no readily available evidence that the letter was taken seriously, it is known that Operation Desert Fox was launched in mid-December 1998 to degrade Iraqi WMD capabilities. We now know that the raids pretty much eliminated WMD production in Iraq.

[Read more →]

Laura Rozen at War and Piece wonders:

Put on the web at the request specifically of people like — oh yeah: Hoekstra, Santorum, Pat Roberts and Curt Weldon. So Hoekstra is content to let Negroponte take it on the ear on this one, not for the first time. What’s the word for going on national television to blame others for what he specifically is most responsible for in all of Washington? It seems to be becoming an epidemic.

Why don’t we call it “neoconning”. It does seem to be the current fashion among the Gee-Oops.

The Pensacola News Journal, a Gannett purveyor of conventional wisdom and the status quo has endorsed a Democrat for governor.

Citing Charlie Crist’s studied silence over the Terry Schaivo matter while attorney general, and the Republican support for the interests of the insurance companies over policy holders, the PNJ editorial board has endorsed Jim Davis in one of the most blood red parts of the state.

[Note, I alluded to the Bible in a political statement; I didn’t quote it. Okay, so there’s not a penny’s worth of difference between the two methods, but that’s my excuse and sticking with it.]

A new post up at Baghdad Burning regarding the Saddam sentence: When All Else Fails…

… Execute the dictator. It’s that simple. When American troops are being killed by the dozen, when the country you are occupying is threatening to break up into smaller countries, when you have militias and death squads roaming the streets and you’ve put a group of Mullahs in power- execute the dictator.

She gets it, even if too many Americans don’t:

I’m more than a little worried. This is Bush’s final card. The elections came and went and a group of extremists and thieves were put into power (no, no- I meant in Baghdad, not Washington). The constitution which seems to have drowned in the river of Iraqi blood since its elections has been forgotten. It is only dug up when one of the Puppets wants to break apart the country. Reconstruction is an aspiration from another lifetime: I swear we no longer want buildings and bridges, security and an undivided Iraq are more than enough. Things must be deteriorating beyond imagination if Bush needs to use the ‘Execute the Dictator’ card.

She sums up with clarity:

Once again… The timing of all of this is impeccable- two days before congressional elections. And if you don’t see it, then I’m sorry, you’re stupid. Let’s see how many times Bush milks this as a ‘success’ in his coming speeches.

A final note. I just read somewhere that some of the families of dead American soldiers are visiting the Iraqi north to see ‘what their sons and daughters died for’. If that’s the goal of the visit, then, “Ladies and gentlemen- to your right is the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, to your left is the Dawry refinery… Each of you get this, a gift bag containing a 3 by 3 color poster of Al Sayid Muqtada Al Sadr (Long May He Live And Prosper), an Ayatollah Sistani t-shirt and a map of Iran, to scale, redrawn with the Islamic Republic of South Iraq. Also… Hey you! You- the female in the back- is that a lock of hair I see? Cover it up or stay home.”

And that is what they died for.

And is what you are voting for if you “stay the course”. This is the Republican legacy of the last six years. The death of Saddam Hussein by hanging is not much to show for the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of Americans.

If you vote for Republicans this is on your head.

Yes, folks, I get to use my tag line for the latest campaign move by the Shrubbery.

The Pensacola Beach Blog alerted me to this development yesterday with his post, Protesting Bush’s Visit.

I went looking for the Pensacola News Journal articles and found the Friday announcement of the visit:

“This is a God-fearing, flag-waving, military-loving congressional district,” said U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, who faces opposition from Democratic challenger Joe Roberts. “The president obviously wants to show the Republican base is not depressed as the national media would portray it.”

Bush is expected to stump for Miller and gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, who is running against Democrat Jim Davis. Crist and Davis are battling to replace Gov. Jeb Bush, the president’s brother, who will be ousted by term limits.

Gov. Bush likely will attend, as will Crist, Miller said. There was no indication whether U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, who is battling for Democrat Bill Nelson’s U.S. Senate seat, would attend.

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Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot.

The British are celebrating the anniversary of the thwarting of the Gunpowder Plot.

A group of English Catholic conspirators including an explosives expert, Guy Fawkes, stashed 36 barrels of gunpowder in the basement of the Parliament building with the intent of blowing up the members of Parliament and King James I during the official opening of Parliament on November 5^th, 1605.

Bonfire Night is celebrated with bonfires and fireworks. Effigies of Guy Fawkes, and occasionally the Pope, are traditionally thrown on the fires. Effigies of modern politicians have made their appearances at the celebration.

As Robert Cecil was involved, I doubt anyone will ever know the truth about the plot.

Florida License Plates

Beneficiary

A weekend feature of Why Now.

[Editor: Okay, I cheated. This is not the next plate in order, but I was not going to put that plate up the Sunday before an election. Come back next week to see why.]