But maybe I am wrong. If I am would a nice Bushie clearly and calmly explain the logic behind the taxcut and give examples of where the tax cut has directly and demonstrably lead to some sort of economic growth, because I'm not seeing it. In fact, these tax ctus smell suspiciously like Reagan's Voodoo Economics - give more money to the wealthy and the money will trickle down. Well, it didn't then and it sure looks like it isn't happening now.

Bush is truly a Faith-based President. He has Faith and expects you to have Faith in him. He is more preacher or mullah than President.

And for this he won't get my vote. We're in a war in Iraq against people like him, who refuse to look at issues logically but instead call upon Faith (intuition) to guide them and allow them to persevere (heart). It's this type of tandem that sets back civility and human progress, not that the qualities are inherently bad but that simply we have more aspects to our being that we can use, namely intelligence.

And Bush prides himself of being a yokel like the common folk who don't need to use ther noggins fer figurin' out this here terrorist problem: we jus' need more guns and warm bodies, shee-yuck.

And like everything else about Bush, it's a lie. He's not a common folk, he's a privileged player who has essentially failed or performed mediocrely in almost every aspect of his life. He's gotten where he's gotten by the contacts of his daddy, not by any genius of his being. He's proven as President that he doesn't belong in that difficult and prestigious position, hence his frequent absences. That he has reduced the prestige of America should not be a cause for his re-election. He broke what should'na been broken and despite his claims to make better, he likely won't as his vision gets sidetracked to topics that interest him.

Bush may have qualities that make him an interesting person but as a President we need better, we deserve better, we demand better.

Vote for Kerry - you may not like Kerry, but he's a step in a better direction. He has intelligence and heart and intuition. He will inherit a veritable mess from Bush and will likely get vilified by the Republicans for four years as an underachiever. But we don't know. Kerry may prove himself an incredible leader or as someone totally unable to deal with the mess left by Bush. But this we do know - Bush created these messes and was unable to deal with them or simply didn't care. Bush proved himself already and was found lacking. Vote for Kerry.

Another Stifled Report
Another report stifled by the Bush Administration showed that Hussein didn't have links to al Qaeda. Folks, we've been played. Bush and the D.C. Boyz wanted Iraq and made damn sure the intelligence went their way even if it had to be massaged or manipulated. It would have been cheaper to simply assassinate Hussein if it was so important to get him out of power. It would have saved a few thousand lives too.

Stormy Weather
We've had our first rain the past few days and it's gotten cold, around the 50's. Yeah, I know, for much of the U.S. temps around the 50's would be considered borderline warm but for Los Angeles, it's parka time. Once i had a roommate from Chicago and when the weather got cold (to me) he'd be running around in shorts and a t-shirt. He was always bugging me about how in Chicago it would get a real cold, none of this wimpy pseudo-cold, and I should take off my jacket and sweater.

But his laughter was shortlived. When the rainy cold season ended and we got into the typical hot, smoggy days he was like a fish floundering for fresh water and air. On the days when it broke 100 degrees I could usually find him collapsed in a semi-coma, unable to move due to the heat.

Even better we had an earthquake, a little rumblor about 5.5 or so. Some folks say that hurricanes are the worst but c'mon the news tells you when they're coming and you can make adjustments. Tornados happen in certain types of weather. Thunder, lightning - scary and sometimes dangerous. But earthquakes are essentailly unpredictable. The ground moves suddenly and you are frozen. Meanwhile, if you're in a building, everything is falling and moving and - shit! - what if the building collapses on you. Worse, it's never a single shock. You get the big one and then aftershocks - lots of them - for the next week, so you can never quite relax and say the earthquake is over.

We had a quake and, having been through a few, I wasn't too worried. I knew that the cleanup would be a pain but a 5.5 wasn't cause for concern. My roommate, on the other hand, thought armageddon had hit. He was a wreck, shaking, sweating, eyes bugged out. It gave me no great pleasure to sneak up on him in the following weeks and shake his shoulders while yelling. Revenge is sweet.

(Mentions are my own preferences and do not reflect the prevalent media-fueled norms)

Kristin Kreuk - the more I see her, the more I appreciate her total beauty. Captivating head to foot.

Michelle Trachtenberg - OK, her nose is too big, her lips are slightly crooked, and her figure is awkward at times but she's mesmerizing in a Lauren Bacall sort of way. Although Lauren Bacall must be considered as an all-time goddess and Michelle isn't quite at that level, especially as an actress. Still, MIchelle does capture the eye.

Amanda (from America's Next Top Model) - stop laughing! Even though the show is crap and Amanda is a flake ("Where are my crystals?"), she is amazingly photogenic in an Annie Lennox sort of way (which, believe me, is a good thing). It's ultimately ironic and tragic that she has these amazingly beautiful eyes and she's going slowly blind due to retinitis pigmentosa.

Hudson Leick - Callisto from Xena, oh she of the pointy chin and evil demeanor but what a stunner! For some strange reason i think she'd be perfect as Dagny Taggart if they ever made Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" (hint, hint).

Charisma Carpenter fell of my list since appearing in Playboy. Believe it! The mystery and my interest was lost since the spread (and the demise of Angel). Same for Eliza Dushku. Her new show wasn't as interesting as Buffy and she wasn't interesting as previously thought.

To Halle Berry, Lindsey Lohan, Hillary Duff, Britney, Olsen Twins and all the other media babes that we're supposed to fawn over and buy their products. Too many flavors of the week and no lasting taste, although Hillary could be yummy in a pinch...

Oinkers away for now. Time to return to political correctness.

The Rut is when you find yourself doing the same work grind day after day, year after year, when your thoughts and aspirations are elsewhere. Being Stuck in The Rut comes about when you are saddled with responsibilities - mortgage, children, etc. - that necessitate you staying in The Rut to maintain at the very least a status quo. And the motivator to keep you in The Rut is not necessarily a sense of duty as it is a sense of Fear. Fear to change jobs, fear to try something new, fear to take chances. Because you know that if you try something new and it doesn't work out, you're screwed. You may not be able to go back to the old job or to the old status quo.

To make things worse is that if you've invested enough time in The Rut - in a job for example - you hate to lose all that you've accrued: vacation, sick leave, seniority. And so you keep at it, all the while looking over you shoulder, fearing that you'll lose your job to someone younger or just from being unable to keep up with changes (which is part of being Someone Who Does Things as opposed to being a manager).

I hate it - the commute, the expectations that I'll give more than my 40 hours per week to my job to show that I'm a team player, the way managers get raises far in excess of their actual worth and participation because they mutually support each other to get the raises.

I hate it. I see 25 more years of drudgery before retirement when I can do what I want, but by then I'll be too damn old to really enjoy my free time. Assuming I live that long and have the finances to enjoy a relative amount fo freedom. And this because I didn't inherit a small fortune or have family connections to get into the right schools. It's a terrible feeling when you see that most of your life belongs to someone else. Slavery in America - modern style.

It's very tempting to buy a chunk of land, decent acreage, somewhere away and live apart from Society. I've given up on TV except for a few sports. The constant barrage of how we could live like celebrities if we just buy like celebrities makes me sick. Trends, trends, trends simply means a quicker path to poverty. Who needs it? I make sure to tell my kids that if they want trendy clothes then they can help pay for it. And for them it quickly becomes a matter of priorities: trendy clothes or a videogame.

But how to break out fo the rut... Start my own business? I've tried it but not many companies want to outsource their data analysis and computer techies are a dime-a-dozen. Two main skills down. I tried screenwriting but in LA everyone has a screenplay. Pimp my kids into showbiz? As cute as they are, it's not worth the effort if they're not truly interested and committed (and they aren't).

So I blog, I bitch, I complain, and play the stupid Lottery. Maybe someday...

Congrats to Boston
For beating the Yankees and for staging a fantastic, exciting comeback. Win the World Series now...

Mmmmm, Schilling vs Clemens....

Today, Cheney said that terrorists could bomb American cities with nuclear weapons and expressed doubt that Kerry could deal with that. That's a scare tactic - right? It implies that not only will terrorists strike if Kerry is elected but that he will be incapable of dealing with the catastrophe. But as with all the Republican rhetoric the logic doesn't hold. Terrorists could bomb American cities with Bush as president and Bush could do what he did during 9/11, continue reading a kiddy book. A nuclear bomb would make 9/11 look like a tea party. With Bush all we'll get is the Look of Grave Concern and a call for prayer. He proved himself incompetent with his pursuit of bin Laden. Today a terrorist group we're fighting in Iraq has pledged themselves to al Qaeda. The enemy is getting stronger while we stagnate.

And while Bush crows incessantly about his being a strong leader and leading the war against terror, fact is we've done some damage but not enough. Terrorists are getting stronger and cleverer. Bush has spent the last 3 years fighting terrorism while essentially ignoring U.S. affairs. Now he's running on a platform that claims he can fight terror and deal with U.S. problems. When did he gain this ability? Certainly not in the past 3 years. He's proven he can't chew bubblegum and pat his head at the same time. So either he'll ignore U.S. problems (again), or try to deal with more than he can handle and really screw things up. This has the makings of yet another Bush bait-and-switch.

For us as a country to go in to another land, overthrow the Government, install a new political system, and proclaim automatic victory is facetious, dangerous, and possibly counterproductive as any country invaded generates a share of people embarrased or angry about an invasion. To install a new government requires the blessings of the vast majority of the people, which in Iraq is obviously not happening as various factions are fighting the U.S. and against each other for control. If Bush has plans to bring peace to the Middle East by the method of invasion his first step has failed, unless he plans to invade and control the entire MIddle East. This is likely not to happen. If he planned to use Iraq as an example of a Happy Democracy, that too has failed as the interim government is seen as nothing more than a puppet for the U.S. Government. It is not an Iraq Government for the Iraqi people.

No more excuses. No more Bush. We need to restore our Democracy before we can preach Democracy to other countries.

U.S. Hits Debt Limit After Senators Put Off Raising Ceiling

Fri Oct 15, 2:46 AM ET

By Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post Staff Writer

The federal government reached its $7.4 trillion debt ceiling yesterday, forcing Treasury Secretary John W. Snow to delay contributing to one of the federal employees' pension systems to avoid running out of cash and possibly defaulting on government debt.

The situation will probably be temporary, as it has in the past. Congressional leaders said that when they return for a lame-duck session after the election, they will raise the debt ceiling to allow the government to borrow the money it needs to pay its bills. At that point, any overdue contributions to the pension fund would be paid, with interest.

Snow has pleaded with Congress since Aug. 2 to raise the debt limit, but Senate Republican leaders -- whose aides said they were worried about the possible political backlash -- adjourned for the campaign this week without acting on Snow's request. The Treasury secretary repeated his plea yesterday in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), appealing to his "commitment to maintaining the full faith and credit of the U.S. government."

And in the Iraq Invasion, failing to learn from lessons past:

U.S. Orders Freeze on Zarqawi Network Assets

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday ordered a freeze on assets of the militant group led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings in Iraq.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control added Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group to its list of suspected terrorists and terrorism financiers.

The move, which came a day after Britain ordered banks to seek out and freeze any assets of the group, blocks any accounts, funds and assets of Tawhid and Jihad in the United States.

Now they put on an asset freeze?!? It should've been in place immediately after the first act of violence. This is a stupid as not closing the borders after the invasion. Again the Bush Administration shows its complete incompetence at anything other than blowing things up.

Find a Pro-Bush web site - a blog or something - and post questions, lots of questions, every day - that call into account Bush's inaction and ineptitude. Be nice - no namecalling, no falsities, no distortions. Let's not act like Them. Just a bunch of questions from an undecided person.

Question why Bush, for someone claiming to be strong on terrorism, hasn't pursued bin Laden as well as he could of. Question the switch from Afghanistan to Iraq using false pretenses. Question th elack of plan for peace. Ask them to explain the disparity between having a plan to invade Iraq before 9/11 and the claim that Iraq invasion was due to 9/11. Question the disparity between Bush's claim that we're safer now and the increase in violence in Iraq and the increase in terrorist recruiting.

Question Bush's claim that the second term will focus on domestic issues. Why wait until the second term? As President he should have focused on all issues during his first term. That's the President's job.

Ask them to explain clearly how a Federal surplus could so quickly turn into the largest deficit ever. Trillions of dollars in swing money. Iraq accounts for $120 billion (to use Bush's numbers). Can the rest truly be due to a minor recession? Have them explain clearly as to where the trillions disappeared.

Question how Bush will now assume fiscal responsibility when for the past four years he has shown none, particularly with the Republicans in control of everything in Washington. Question how he will erase a massive deficit by tax cuts? To do so will require tax increases and/or federal cuts. Which programs will he cut? Defense? No! How about...education, social security, healthcare. How will Bush pay for all his promises?

Keep asking questions - have them explain repeatedly - and catch these people in their lies and hypocracies. By showing that there's another way to interpret Bush's actions we want to give these blowhards a glimpse of reality, make them question their views when caught in a conflict of statements.

Don't play up Kerry but simply downplay Bush. Bringing up Kerry puts you on the defensive. Let them do the explaining. Just keep attacking. All we want is for a few of them to not vote for Bush. That's right - we don't want them to necessarily vote for Kerry, we want them to not vote for Bush.

Good luck and stand firm, stand resolute! It's hard work, really hard, hard work to be anti-Bush! Remember to wipe the smirk off your face and turn your brain cells back on afterwards.

Like the first debate I felt Kerry came out better - more focused, answering the questions and generally remaining calm and looking presidential. Bush - whatever the hell he was on - was manic for the first couple of questions but settled down into his usual befuddled "Aw shucks!" routine. This guy is President - scary. He downright avoided answering the question about minimum wage to go on a tangent to ramble about education. He rambled quite a bit about education. Kerry cut him out about education. Bush should shut up about education because he's not doing much for education. I know this because, as a parent, I get monthly pleadings from my kids' school to donate supplies such as toilet paper. And I know that when I went to elementary school my mother never had to provide toilet paper. I'm not convinced that my kids will get a better education than I did from our schools (but as a parent I'm not going to fully rely on schools to educate my kids either.)

It's one thing to start a program with even the best of intentions and it's another to fund the program so that those intentions can be realized. Bush natters away on the programs and Kerry calls him on the lack of funding. This theme was repeated throughout the debates.

After four years you'd think Bush could talk in a style more becoming to the position as President. Consistently he would ramble on and then get to a sound bite or something funny and then stop talking suddenly, even if he had time remaining to talk. There'd be a pause as he looked on eagerly as if awaiting a non-existent pat on the head. "Yip, yip, I said something good. Pat me on the head, pat me on the head!" To be fair, Kerry veered at times between looking like he was asleep or passing a gall stone. I kind of expect him to have two little electrodes on his neck and a doctor shrieking around him "I need more electricity! It's barely alive!!!"

I like what Kerry said about America if for those with Faith and for those without. Now if he'd take the next step and get Religion out of Politics we'd have clean pants.

Hate to say it but the most presidential person at all these debates was Cheney and I don't even like him.

Kerry won the debates. He offered plans; Bush offered more of same, which is uncertainty, lack of action, and lack of direction for America. Bush has had four years to prove himself and he did, as the incompetent that is his trademark. No more incompetence and settling for mediocrity. We shouldn't have to lower our expectations for our President. Lowered expectations means a lower quality of life for America. We don't want a worse America, we want a better America. We shouldn't lower expectations we should raise them. You can't achieve greatness, you can't fly, by staying on the ground. Vote Kerry.

Questions of Faith
For those who believe in God and all that stuff could someone answer a few questions for me...

That's enough for starters.

Nice to see the Afghani elections were as filled with accusations of fraud as our elections. They learned well.

The first Laker preseason game with Kobe Bryant at the helm went as expected. They lost but Kobe got his 35 points. Worse part, there may be some decent talent in the roster but we may never know if Kobe doesn't share the ball. If he does start sharing, why couldn't he have shared last year when the Big Dude was on the team. Grrrrrr. The Lakers may have an up-tempo strategy for this year but they will get demolished whenever they face a team with a decent center or power forward. They might make the Playoffs but I'd be very surprised if they lasted past the second round.

Is this Allah the same God as the one worshipped by Christians, Jews, and other monotheists?

If you answered "Yes" then you are targeting and killing your brethren, which is an abomination unto the Lord.

If you answered "No" then you are admitting that there are other Gods, which is an abomination unto the Lord.

Do us all a favor - grow up and join the Modern Day. If you don't like our American commericialism, then don't buy the products at all. Boycotts can do wonders. And - FYI - we're sick of Britney and Madonna too. We just don't blow up people over them.

Lakers Preseason
The Lakers open their preseason tinight and I'm already sick of Kobe acting like the Second Coming. I expect this team will suck mightily. I expect Kobe will complain unendingly. I hope that Lamar Odom just keeps quiet, smiles a lot, and demonstrates a Malone-like level of class and hard work. With luck, Kobe will go and the Lakers might have a real chance at rebuilding into Contenders again.

WYEIWYS
Or "What-you-expect-is-what-you-see", meaning that those watching the debates will see Kerry as stiff and dull and Bush dynamic if they expect that (e.g. Republicans). Or if you're a Democrat (or maybe not) you may see Kerry as Presidential material and Bush as a smirking, arrogant, mediocre, privileged, jack-rear. The 3rd debate should be interesting. Hopefully Kerry will drive home the fact that Bush has left the coop to the foxes, and pretty much ignored domestic issues. Hopefully Kerry will riposte Bush's claim with facts, along the lines of:

Bush: I started the "No Child Left Behind" program...

Kerry: And grossly underfunded the program.

Domestic policies are Bush's weakness and Kerry should have a field day.

Interesting. Reagan helped build Iraq in defense against Iran. Nice picture of Rumsfled with Hussein floating around the Net. And Cheney, while at Halliburton, pushed to get sanctions lifted against Iran, the same Iran now crowing about nukes. To Bush and Cheney we must give our humble thanks for making this world so much safer (assholes!).

Let us, however, learn from Bush's turn at the Helm of Power.

Let's face it. If you're one of those Neanderthals who gets your jollies fondling guns and strutting around as Big Person On Earth crowing about how great the U.S. then you're going to vote for Bush. Fine, do so, crawl back into your 4x4, grab your uzi, and keep an eye out for Them. They're coming for YOU.

As for the sane Americans we see that the rest of the world is greater than the U.S.. We recognize that fact and are humbled by that fact. We can join the world in seeking peace through discourse, solving problems without always taking the safety off and blazing away, taking responsibility for our actions, and acting like adults.

For it's the ultimate American irony that as Bush claims to make us safer by removing dictators like Hussein from power he, at the same time, dictates to the World to do things his way or else.

President Bush - if you truly want to make the World safer by removing dangerous dictators from power, quit the election. Resign immediately. For you are your own worst enemy and - hey! - it'll give you a chance to remove your foot from your mouth and your head from your behind.

Hussein didn't have WMDs but - tricky SOB - he was waiting for the U.N. sanctions to be lifted so he could get them. He supported terrorists by paying families of suicide bombers.

Bush doesn't flip-flop. No, sirree, he stands firm in his conviction that whatever he does is right even if the logic behind the actions are flawed. We had to remove Hussein because if we let the U.N. inspections continue then the inspectors wouldn't have found any WMDs, which would mean the U.N. sanctions would get lifted and Hussein would get WMDs. So either Hussein had WMDs (which was untrue) or he would eventually get them.

But Bush couldn't have known all this before the invasion of Iraq. So either Bush was counting on there being WMDs (and he struck out), or he could see into the future that Hussein was acting to get the sanctions lifted (yeah-right!), or he planned to invade all along and was looking for a convenient reason. Bush assumed that Hussein, being an evil nasty dictator, must always lie. False assumption like the good guys always tell the truth. Fact is, Hussein said he didn't have WMDs and didn't - he told the truth - and without WMDs, Hussein was not a threat at all to our National Security. Therefore the invasion was illegal.

That Hussein was a dictator was an after-the-fact excuse to justify the illegal behavior. Bush behaved in a manner detrimental to the reputation of the U.S.. I state this not as a Hussein lover or as a U.S. traitor which the Bush Administration labels anyone who disagrees with them. I state this as an American concerned for our National reputation, security, and future. I state this as a parent and one who wants a better future.

By promoting a policy of preemptive invasions Bush may have sent the battle offshore but how long before the bloodshed returns to haunt us? We do not have a monopoly on preemptive actions and, in fact, the policy can serve to justify any aggressive action by any nation. The policy castrates the United Nations and thoroughly subverts any attempts to create a World Peace. Simply, if any nation has a right to defend itself by launching an offense, does not any group that perceives itself under a threat also have a similar right? In a perverse way, the preemptive policy justifies the actions of terrorists. Surely, all humans have a right to defend themselves and if you perceive that you are under attack or may eventually come under attack can you not defend yourself by striking first?

If you answered "No!" to the question you're probably a weak-kneed, bleeding-heart, gutless, tree-hugging, Liberal Democrat - at least, accoridng to the Bush view. In the real world you'd answer "no" because you can see how violence could easily escalate under such a policy. Any act could be perceived incorrectly or any aggression could be justified by claiming a non-existent threat. Preemption benefits the strong, that is, the well-armed but stimulates the desperate. With a policy of preemption Bush guarantees may profitable years for those trafficking in arms and nation rebuilding, though at the expense of humanity. The policy places profits over human liberties and freedoms for the aggressive policy demands heightened security. Bush has mortgaged a future of hope and peace for long-term profits and American aggression.

And I state this as a Patriot, one who doesn't want our great country to become a tool for a small clique of dangerous self-absorbed, religious-political fanatics. We are not to become a sick variation of Hussein's Iraq or Stalinist Russia but if Bush remains in power America could become essentially a dictatorship.

Vote on November 2. Vote for Kerry.

Cheney meant to say Factcheck.ORG but don't expect an admission of fault from Cheney. Maybe he did mean Soros's site - Freudian slip sort of thing.

Edwards appeared too nervous, drinking water often, and - fer pete's sake - keep that lizard tongue tucked away. He had some good comebacks but I felt he never really cracked Cheney, never got to him the way Kerry addled Bush. A mistake of Edwards was repeating the same things over, literally. And in the beginning of the debate where he restated something by Kerry almost word-for-word was a complete turnoff. If it was meant to show that he was on the same page as Kerry it didn't work. It didn't show that he had a mind of his own.

Most important is when you consider the pairs Bush/Cheney and Kerry/Edwards. With Kerry/Edwards it's obvious in comparing these two that Kerry is the Presidential candidate by his demeanor and attitude. Edwards is still a little too raw to run for the top job. (During the debate Edwards was challenged as to the qualities he had for the job, in particular, if he had to take over as President. Cheney claimed that Edwards had far less experience than he. Edwards should have countered that Bush had less experience than all of them but he didn't say that point - pity.)

When you look at the Bush/Cheney pair, you'd likely guess that Cheney was the President. He had the poise, the speaking ability, the knowledge. After the debate I had the feeling that Bush really was nothing more than a talking head, a puppet being used by Cheney and Co.. Worse, hearing that Bush never had wanted to run and had to be talked into running only confirms that suspicion. Finally, watching Cheney was like watching The Godfather or the Sopranos. Cheney is someone you don't want to cross. Don't expect Cheney (or Bush) to ever admit wrongdoing.

Vote for Kerry.

Hey, it's more plausible than the crap coming out of Washington these days. Interesting how darn near everyone below the level of Rumsfeld is coming out and saying the Administration made mistakes in Iraq. But not Dubya, not Cheney. They may preach personal responsibility but they don't walk the walk. That's the sign of BS leadership.

After the debate which even many Republicans say Kerry won, some lauded Bush on his long range plan to bring peace to the Middle East and chided Kerry for focussing on the near term and not the long term. That may be - Bush may have a valid long term plan for the Middle East but it doesn't mean that (1) he can carry it out; (2) Kerry can't carry it out. One would hope that our leaders would recognize worthy plans outside of whom came up with them. The other problem with Bush's long term vision with the Middle East is that it doesn't jibe with his religious views, which don't want peace in the Middle East (*cough* Armageddon *cough*). More importantly we can't bring peace to the Middle East alone. The overwhelming majority of people there have to want it, otherwise all we're doing is knocking over Governments and occupying lands, something Bush has proven very poorly at doing.

Likely it's the women of the Middle East who will bring about change. When they flex their political muscles, things should change for the better. "Should" but likely "won't" for a long time. They'll have to change the fundamentals of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism to take back their rights and THAT won't go over too well.

Anywho. Should be an interesting debate tonight between Dick Cheney and John Edwards. Unlike Bush, Cheney can actually talk without cue cards. Should be a good, ol' fashioned, American, blood bath.

Impropriety Investigations
Anyone have any statistics on the number of Republicans vs Democrats currently being investigated for impropriety or somesuch. It certainly seems that more Republicans are being investigated, rebuked, or chastised but maybe it's that goshdarn Liberal media...

Four More Years
Judith Hayes AKA The Happy Heretic notes that if Bush wins the election he can pretty much do whatever the hell he wants because he won't have to worry about campaigning for 2008. That is, he can be even less accountable for his actions, an even bigger loose cannon. Scary thought.

Bush must think he's living in a biblical past where exploits travel slowly by word of mouth or via caravans, where heroes and leaders stand tall against the overwhelming enemy, where communication can be easily sanitized. But this isn't 2000 years ago. This is the age of information where despite Bush's best attempt to stifle information and dupe the masses, communication of peoples around the world is near instantaneous.

Maybe Bush needs to bring out that bottle he has hidden away. He's not fooling anyone. At the first debate he repeatedly stressed the difficulty of being President. If it's that difficult that he can't do it or isn't interested in doing it then quit. Spare us the martyr act. I read elsewhere that you didn't want to run for President but were talked into it. What happened to stadning tall and firm? What kind of mixed message is that, where you can be easily manipulated into doing something you didn't? Hey, if you don't want to be President, bow out.

But if Bush does win flash-forward to 2008. You can imagine the campaign slogan for Jeb Bush:

Jeb - Smarter, Sober - the better Bush for a better America

Instead Kerry demonstrated that he had the patience, intelligence, and communication skills necessary for the highest job in this country. Granted, at times, he came across like Ol' Grandad tellin' his war stories but he spoke clearly, consistently, and without waffling. In fact, he countered Bush's attempts to label him a flipflop and clearly put forth his vision. Bush, however, never quite got past Kerry calling him ineffective.

Bush came across as a One-note Willy. Yes, we know, you're adamant, steadfast, staying the course. But as Kerry pointed out you can be steadfast and wrong. Bush never was a good speaker, though some commentators said he was much imporved than four years ago, and frequently appeared searching for words, any words. Scary, to have a President who can't communicate. In the debate, Bush would start an answer s.l.o.w.l.y, wasting time, until the first warning light went on, then he would launch in to his prepared rhetoric about how he is steadfast and how hard this all is being President. Yes, Georgie, being President is hard. What did you expect? In contrast, Kerry used his available time better, getting more content in to his answers.

The format was supposed to curb interruptions and long answers. First to break the rules - surprise! - was Bush and he kept doing it. When Bush spoke, Kerry took notes. When Kerry spoke you could see Bush's expressions, ranging from befuddled to bored to smug, as he awaited a phrease he could pounce on. When Bush had a rebuttal you could see him bouncing around like a little puppy. "Yip!, Yip! I got something to say. Uhhhhhh..."

Kerry answered the criticism of flipflopping on the Iraq Invasion but Bush never answered the charge of why we left pursuing the known terrorist bin Laden for the possible threat of Hussein. Kerry talked about his plan to bring the troops home and what it would take. Bush never countered the charge that he offered more of same. Kerry talked about restoring relations with other nations and tackling terrorism as allies. Bush tried to bury this with his notion that America leads by focusing on America first (and essentially the rest of the world be damned).

In all, the debate was Bush's to lose and he did - big time. Perhaps Bush thought it beneath him. Perhaps Bush thought that by showing up he would win. Sorry, George, Daddy wasn't there to give you a gold ribbon.

The debate was for Kerry to demonstrate that he had Presidential qualities and he did. With Bush as President we no longer expect much but Bush couldn't even meet his own low standards. Kerry, by default, showed that he will raise the standards if only a little bit. But it's a beginning.

The themes were foreign policy and terrorism. The concept simple: to fight terrorism you have to fight them as a united worldwide effort. Bush understands this and has failed to pursue it. Kerry understands this and must certainly do a better job than what Bush has done. In fact, the adage "United we stand, divided we fall" applies and Bush has done more to divide this country and the world. For this he has proven himself again as nothing more than a mediocre person in a position way above his capabiltiies. Kerry, career politician that he is, has the capabiltiies and seemingly the vision.

Round One: Kerry.