DAMFA

CLARK 49%, BUSH 46%: ONE-MONTH DAMFACRATIC PREDICTION HAPPENS IN ONE WEEK

"In head-to-head matchups, registered voters said if the election were held today, almost half, 49 percent, would support Clark, while 46 percent would support Bush, which is within the poll's margin of error."

WASHINGTON – One week after he announced he was running for the Democrat nomination for president, retired Gen. Wesley Clark has surged to the head of the pack.

A USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll found Clark leading the field with 22 percent of Democrats who are registered to vote, followed by Dean at 13 percent, Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Dick Gephardt at 11 percent each, Sen. Joe Lieberman at 10 percent and other Democrats at 4 percent or less.

Richard Reeves JOINS DAMFA-DOUBTS ABOUT CHENEY on TICKET; RUSSERT IS WEAKLIN

"Perhaps there is just no television set at Cheney's place. Unfortunately for the vice president, however, there was a video player at NBC, and Russert used it to play back Cheney's assertion, during a similar interview last March, that Saddam Hussein had reconstituted nuclear weapons.

"You misspoke," said Russert, putting it politely.

"Yeah," Cheney said quite coolly. "I did misspeak. ... We never had any evidence that he had acquired a nuclear weapon."

Russert also showed a clip from the same March show, in which he asked whether the United States was prepared for the resistance that usually meets conquerors, and Cheney answered: "The read we get on the people of Iraq is there's no question they want to get rid of Saddam Hussein and they will welcome us as liberators."

But, Russert said last Sunday, "We have not been greeted as liberators." "

Cheney's comment: "Well, I think we have by most Iraqis."

Bygones. The misspeaking served its purpose, scaring Americans and getting us into a war of White House choice. Now, said Cheney last week, "There has been significant success in putting Iraq back together again. ... Most of Iraq is stable and quiet."

That is his story and he's sticking to it. In fact, Cheney has served his purpose, and there is reason to believe that his stubborn service to president and nation will end one way or another after the next election.

Although Cheney told The Dallas Morning News last May that Bush has asked him to be his running mate again in 2004, that may not happen."

***


thanks B-flash

BIDEN-BACKED CLARK RAISES 750K IN 3 DAYS, STEALS LIMELIGHT FROM EDWARDS

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Retired Gen. Wesley Clark raised $750,000 in the first three days of his Democratic presidential campaign, campaign officials said Sunday.

Advisers say the money does not include the $1.9 million that supporters pledged before he entered the race Wednesday. The campaign intends to notify those supporters, members of various Draft-Clark organizations, and ask them to back up their pledges with cash.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Joseph Biden, a former Democratic presidential candidate, says he's leaning this year toward supporting his Senate colleague John Kerry or the newcomer, retired Gen. Wesley Clark.

But, Biden was asked, what if Mrs. Clinton should decide after all to run in 2004?

``Look, this is one of the few people in all of America who's known by every single American,'' Biden said. ``The good news is the bad news: Everybody has an opinion.''

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. John Edwards dismissed a national poll released over the weekend that showed the newcomer, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, among the leaders in the 10-candidate Democratic presidential campaign.

Asked if Clark had become the man to beat, Edwards replied, ``Anybody can be beaten.''

``This thing's just starting,'' he said. ``Voters are just beginning to pay attention.''

Edwards formally announced his candidacy Wednesday. Just before he took the stage in his hometown, word leaked out that Clark planned to enter the race a couple of hours later, which stole the media spotlight from Edwards and the headlines of Thursday morning's newspapers.

``Gen. Clark's not very well known across America, but he had a couple of days of being on television,'' Edwards said Sunday.

CLARK 43%, BUSH 47% -DAMFACRATS PREDICT REVERSAL OF THESE NUMBERS IN LESS THAN ONE MONTH

The current leader of the Democratic presidential challengers is retired US Army general Wesley Clark -- who announced his candidacy on Wednesday and collected 14 per cent of the vote among registered Democrats in the poll.***

In a test election against Bush, the Newsweek poll found that 43 per cent of registered voters would vote for Clark or lean toward Clark, compared with 47 per cent who said they would vote for Bush or lean toward the president.

Despite this, a sizeable chunk of all those polled, 45 per cent, said they had never heard of the retired general before.

The poll canvassed 1,001 adults between September 18 and 19 and had a three-percentage-point margin of error.

©2003 AAP

CLARK LEADS INSTANTLY

("Among the leaders" is a strange way to characterize 1st place)

WASHINGTON -- Retired Gen. Wesley Clark already appears to be very competitive in a new national poll released Saturday just days after he became the 10th Democratic presidential candidate.

Clark was among the leaders of the Democratic candidates in the Newsweek Poll and was not far behind President Bush in a head-to-head matchup in the poll taken only days after entering the race.

Clark, with 14 percent, was grouped among the leaders, along with former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, both at 12 percent, and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry at 10 percent.

Other candidates were in single digits.

CLARK AND DAMFACRATS HUNKER DOWN UNDER FIRST WAVE OF ATTACKS

Damfa and local Wes Clark leaders convened Thursday afternoon, at one of the chain sit-down restaurants on the Boulevard. Members of the Fouth Estate were present as was a member of Clark's family. The campaign -and the attacks- have begun.

John McLaughlin predicted tonight that Wesley Clark will drop out of the race before Super Tuesday in March. Bye Bye!

The first major news story on Clark was a supposed "flip-flop" regarding his stance on the Iraq war.

Raven discovered a picture of him wearing a funny hat.

The Rush "Limpballs" Limbaugh machine is cranking out daily anti-Clark propaganda. The web site features unflattering cartoons and tries to paint him as a Perot-like whacko ("There's something not right about this guy").

Republicans are saying, with unflinching hypocrisy, that Clinton "misrepresented the reasons for going to war" in the Balkans. They say Clark is a puppet and a Stalking Horse for the Clintons. One crazy site is even accusing him of being a Trojan Horse for Neo-Cons in the administration.

Damfacrats had theorized that actual troop-bashing was extinct but, apparently, it has been cloned by Petrolican pundits in the form of this "WWIII" quote. Maybe next they will call him a "baby-killer" for his service in Vietnam.

Clark is going to do just fine, in fact, he is going to become wildly popular. In a teleconference with a key Rat Dog Damfacrat, party members agreed that if this weak criticism is the best Petrolicans can sling, they are going to look pretty stupid.

The General may have to dumb some things down for us for a while. The nuances of "what he would have done" as a make-believe Senator might honestly reveal that, given many factors, he would have voted for the resolution.

For anyone who has been listening, this man has done nothing but criticize the decision to go to war, its presentation to the American people and the faltering aftermath. It is absurd that his statements about a hypothetical scenario create any ambiguity in that regard.

America is not overly nuanced, so these stories shouldn't hurt him very much -but first impressions matter. Wes learned the hard way why it is important to Stay On Message. Dumb it down and be repetitive. Just one of many Petrolican tricks that the D's can use against them. Anyway, as expressed at the press conference, the Wes Wing people are working on name recognition right now and it looks like that is going pretty well.

PHOTO WITH GOOD CAPTION

CLINTON SPEAKS AT IOWA STEAK FRY

Damfacrats highly reccommend Bill Clinton speech at 1:47:30 of streaming video under the Most Watched Videos on the C-Span home page.

How could we thank C-Span enough?

JEWISH TIMES: Raised a Southern Baptist who later converted to Roman Catholicism, Gen. Wesley Clark knew just what to say when he strode into a Brooklyn yeshiva in 1999, ostensibly to discuss his leadership of NATO's victory in Yugoslavia.

"I feel a tremendous amount in common with you," the uniformed four-star general told the stunned roomful of students. "I am the oldest son, of the oldest son, of the oldest son -- at least five generations, and they were all rabbis."

The incident could be a signal of how Clark, who became the 10th contender in the Democratic run for the presidency on Wednesday, relates to the Jews and the issues dear to them.

Apparently Clark, 58, revels in his Jewish roots.

He told The Jewish Week in New York, which first reported the yeshiva comment in 1999, that his ancestors were not just Jews, but members of the priestly caste of Kohens.

Clark's Jewish father, Benjamin Kanne, died when he was 4, but he has kept in touch with his father's family since his 20s, when he rediscovered his Jewish roots. He is close to a first cousin, Barry Kanne, who heads a pager company in Georgia.

FL. HERALD TRIBUNE: Until now, only political experts and the media have closely followed candidates crisscrossing early voting states, but the public is starting to pay attention, Huffmon said.

"We've been watching every click up the hill and this roller coaster is about to start going," he said.

GAURDIAN: Others, however, saw Gen Clark's political virginity as his greatest asset. "In this season when Wall Street investment houses, the Catholic church and the New York Times have suffered scandals based on hiding the truth, Americans might be ready for a straight-talking, four-star general," said Jack Newfield in New York Newsday. "The whole culture ... seems to need a shot of truth-telling."

NEWSDAY: Rangel, D-N.Y., a ranking member of the House Ways and Means committee, said he is already pressing officials in his home district of Harlem, around his state, and in the Congressional Black Caucus to support Clark.

"Anybody that's against the war that can beat Bush is going to be overwhelmingly supported in the black community," Rangel said.

The congressman will meet Saturday morning with elected and religious leaders in his Harlem district to talk up Clark's candidacy.

"I'm going to share with them that this is the most emotional political decision of my life," he said. "I truly believe that my community would be better off in putting their money on this horse to win."

The Army retired general opposes the war in Iraq, favors abortion rights and affirmative action.

***In discussions with black lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Rangel said he's "had a whole lot of people say, `I want to see your man,' with a big smile on their face. I told the general I've got people on Ways and Means, people in the black caucus that want to talk with him."

One other New York congressman, Rep. Steve Israel, has already signed on to support Clark.

NY TIMES: Moving to fill in the blanks of his candidacy a day after he announced for president, General Clark also said that he had been a Republican who had turned Democratic after listening to the early campaign appeals of a fellow Arkansan, Bill Clinton.

Indeed, after caustically comparing the actions of the Bush administration to what he described as the abuses of Richard M. Nixon, he said that he voted for Mr. Nixon in 1972. He also said he had voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984.

The general's remarks in a free-rolling 90-minute airborne interview suggested the extent of the adjustment he faces in becoming a presidential candidate.

General Clark said his domestic priorities would include health insurance and rolling back parts of Mr. Bush's tax cuts. "I don't see why we can't have health insurance for every single American," he said.

Asked how he would pay for it, General Clark said he was open to some cuts in the budget he is more familiar with — the Pentagon's. "The armed forces are a want machine," he said. "They are structured to develop want."

KNIGHT RIDDER: "I would never have voted for war," Clark said in a speech at the University of Iowa. "I've seen that killing begets killing and hatred begets hatred, and it's no way to solve problems and resolve disputes." He called the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath a "major blunder."

"What I would have voted for is leverage. Leverage for the president of the United States to internationalize the challenge of Iraq … leverage for the United States to avoid a war. That's what we needed from that resolution. We didn't get that," Clark said.

Clark said Iraq never presented "an imminent threat" to the United States, which he said sent too few troops and was ill prepared to face a chaotic aftermath.

We are going to ask, `Why are we engaged in Iraq, Mr. President — tell the truth,' " he said, standing on a chair. "Why, Mr. President? Was it because Saddam Hussein was assisting the hijackers? Was it because Saddam Hussein had a nuclear weapon that might bring a nuclear cloud?"

The crowd shouted back answers. "Oil!" one person yelled. "Halliburton!" yelled another.

General Clark said: "We don't know. And that's the truth. And we have to ask that question."

Clark, 58, relaxed and speaking without notes about his experience as NATO supreme commander in the late 1990s, criticized the Bush administration's approach to international affairs, portraying it as go-it-alone and macho.

"We're not the sort of `you're with us or against us' kind of a people," he said, referring to Bush's warnings to other nations in the war on terror. "We're a `come and join us' kind of people."

OPEN LETTER TO SPAMFA VICTIMS

Hello Friends

We apologize for the previous emails wherein the tech transfer was poor. Attached please find the latest Damfaudio. It is a wav file, 517K, in condensed mono form. The sound quality is inferior to previous Damfaudio but it is less information to download.

"Rangel-izin'"
Dr. Damfa

Featuring Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY), Retired General Wesley Clark (D), Chris Matthews (Cable News Show Host). Special appearance by Vice President Dick Cheney. Sample from MSNBC "Harball with Chris Matthews."

Also, we apoligize for the disfunctional link to the weblog. Quite uncivilized.

Maybe this one will work: http://damfacrats.blogspot.com/

Thanks everyone.

Dr. D HONORS RANGEL WITH ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Here's something from Damfa that was written back in the late spring/early summer some time....It was Rangel who was the first to stand up to the Petrolicans following the war and Damfacrats were paying close attention. Let's not forget that Rangel also stood up to Bill Thomas when Thomas sent the cops after Democrats to force another vote in committee. It was Thomas who ended up apologizing through crocodile tears on the House floor.

The Republican Rangel-er
Damfa

The story of the week was Rep Charlie Rangel's declaration of all out "war," as the final conference report on the tax bill went through the House, with not one Democrat voting for it. His remarks inspired applause from Democrats, who also booed Republican speakers, including Bill Thomas, the new hero for the Neo-Cons, who was the face man for the tax bill in the House.

Charlie kept saying he was pleased and touched and amazed by the "honesty" of fellow Democrats. The tax bill was called "deceitful," "insidious" and a "fraud" by various Democrats, including the assertion that the American people were getting "jobbed not jobs" from this bill; now law.

One Republican said he was relieved that everyone's true colors were finally showing and with that, even Damfacrats can agree. After Republicans accused Democrats of playing the class-war card several times, Rangel proclaimed, "A class-war? You bet it is."

Rangel openly blasted Republicans, accusing them of trying to squeeze out all federal spending except defense. He even thanked the Republicans for doing something so harmful to the American people that he would later be able to say that it wasn't him making the mistake.

DAMFACRATIC HERO CHARLIE RANGEL SUPPORTS CLARK

MATTHEWS: Yesterday’s “Washington Post,” you are quoted as saying you predicted Clark would win.

You said, “Nobody believed me when I said Hillary Clinton would be the next senator from New York. And nobody believes me now. But Wesley Clark will be the next president of the United States.”

Are you talking about him beating the incumbent president in 2004?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: I really do believe that this nation is so fearful of terrorist attacks, we don’t know how we got into war, we don’t know when it’s ever going to end. And anyone that challenges the president or commander in chief. as you call President Bush. carries the heavy weight of sounding unpatriotic.

General Clark removes this issue from the table. And you will not see, once he announces, you will not see President Bush landing on any more aircraft carriers in combat uniform.

"My name is Wes Clark. I am from Little Rock, Arkansas, and I’m here to announce that I intend to seek the Presidency of the United States of America."

"And when I say we’re going to bring people together, I mean all people, not just Democrats, but Independents, and Republicans, too. And especially those who have never participated before. You’ll come with us."

CLARK ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR US PRESIDENT

"Get ready. We're movin out." -- Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark

CLARK WILL ANNOUNCE TODAY!

CLARK SLIDESHOW

CLARK WILL ANNOUNCE TOMORROW!

1 pm -- Little Rock

Clark/Dean 2004...in that order...

From the Raven's Nest:

Many offer to pay 12-year-old's RIAA settlement:

And speaking of that 12-year-old, Brianna Lahara has charitable donors lining up to pay her $2,000 bill in her settlement with the RIAA. File sharing network coalition P2P United and Rochester, N.Y., disc jockey Brother Wease have both offered to cover the fine. Lahara's mother, Sylvia Torres, already paid the $2,000 fine when the agreement was reached last Tuesday. Since then, Grokster has labeled the RIAA the Taliban of the music world and others have ridiculed the organization as an online bully. Online music site MusicRebellion.com, an industry-okayed site, has offered to give Lahara $2,000 worth of free music.

DAMFACRATS RELEASE AUDIO COMPOSITIONS

"The Frontlines of Freedom"
Dr. Damfa

Featuring George W. Bush and Colin Powell with guest appearances by angry Larry King Show callers. Sample by Soul Coughing.


"What Democrats Do"
Dr. Damfa

Featuring the Democratic presidential candidates, except Lieberman and Kerry, with secret guest appearance by Jeff Goldblum. Samples by K.D. Lang, Flatt and Scruggs. Damfa on Damfophone samples with live Debate bells that ring on cue.

Available by email request

A NATION REMEMBERS
Sweet flash animation...

Thanks to Cuz D

RAVEN, DAMFACRATS, MOURN DEATH OF JOHNNY CASH

Cash said in his 1997 autobiography "Cash" that he tried to speak for "voices that were ignored or even suppressed in the entertainment media, not to mention the political and educational establishments."

Cash once credited his mother, Carrie Rivers Cash, with encouraging him to pursue a singing career.

"My mother told me to keep on singing, and that kept me working through the cotton fields. She said God has his hand on you. You'll be singing for the world someday."

CENTRAL NY, NORTHERN NY, WESTERN NY

"All up in the kool-aid and doesn't know the flavor." Jill on GWB.

DAMFACRATIC ARTS AND SCIENCE COMMITTEE CONVENES IN NORTH COUNTRY
Dr. Damfa


The Special Committee on Arts and Sciences convened in the North Country over the weekend. The representative from South Carolina could not attend.

Photo

photo (2)

photo

In a related story, the Rat Dog caucus conducted an investigation into the leak of a previously undisclosed email address but did not request removal from the Spamfacratic list, which commentators view as a sign of their allegiance.

Sources say the mainstream Damfacrats took the opportunity to discuss issues important to the splinter group, including Rat Dog disatisfaction with Clark "hand-wringing," poor Spamfacratic tech transfer, overreaching law enforcement and "blanket" terrorist warnings.

SAUDIS JOIN MARY JANE MADNESS

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- A Saudi drug trafficker was beheaded Sunday, a Ministry of Interior statement said.

Dhaher bin Thamer al-Shimry was convicted of smuggling marijuana into the kingdom, the statement said.

Al-Shimry was beheaded in the eastern province of Hafr al-Baten, bringing the number of beheadings in the kingdom this year to 41, most of them drug traffickers. At least 49 people were beheaded last year.

This conservative country follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which people convicted of drug trafficking, murder, rape and armed robbery are executed. Beheadings are carried out with a sword in public.

OLD-TIMER INVOKES MODERNITY

"Congress is not an ATM," Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., told Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz as he appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. "We have to be able to explain this huge, enormous bill to the American people."

visit uggabugga...

DIEBOLD VOTING ALERT

Always Get a Receipt

Ohio Vulnerable

sounds like "evil"

thanks BuzzFlash

TOTAL JOKE

(Reuters) - Actor Tommy Chong of the spaced-out, dope-smoking comedy duo "Cheech & Chong" was sentenced to nine months in prison and fined $20,000 on Thursday for distributing marijuana pipes over the Internet.

***Federal sentencing guidelines called for a prison term of six to nine months and a fine of up to $250,000.

Chong, who has no criminal record, is best known as the bearded and bespectacled member of "Cheech & Chong," who along with partner Cheech Marin became synonymous with the drug humor of the 1970s through comedy skits such as "Dave's Not Here" and movies like "Up In Smoke."

***Federal authorities in Pittsburgh have convicted 22 other national drug-paraphernalia distributors since 2000 through a program called "Operation Pipe Dreams."

"(Chong) wasn't the biggest supplier. He was a relatively new player. But he had the ability to market products like no other," U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said.

Four months ago, Chong admitted distributing thousands of marijuana pipes, including large water-pipes known as bongs, through the Web sites www.chongglass.com and www.tommychong.com. Prosecutors said some of the products turned up in western Pennsylvania.

He also admitted to promoting drug paraphernalia during personal appearances around the United States.

On Thursday, Schwab put the family-run company on three years' probation and ordered Chong to abandon his Web site domain names. The judge also instructed Chong to forfeit $103,000 in sales proceeds.

Prosecutors said Chong would likely surrender to federal authorities within five weeks and serve out his time at a prison near his home in Pacific Palisades, California.

Thank you BuzzFlash.

SCAM ARTISTS GET POLL RESULTS AT WEBSITE BEFORE POLLS CLOSE

From the AP:

The strange case of an election tally that appears to have popped up on the Internet hours before polls closed is casting new doubts about the trustworthiness of electronic voting machines.

During San Luis Obispo County's March 2002 primary, absentee vote tallies were apparently sent to an Internet site operated by Diebold Election Systems Inc., (Read Wally World -Dr. D) the maker of the voting machines used in the election.

***But computer programmers say the incident is further evidence that electronic voting technology could allow a politically connected computer hacker to monitor balloting and, if the vote was going the wrong way, mobilize voters to swing the election.

***Silicon Valley computer experts have long criticized touch-screen voting machines, which do not normally provide a paper receipt and which send digital votes directly to a computer server. Programmers say software bugs, power outages or clever hackers could easily delete or alter data -- and recounts would prove impossible without paper backups.

***Voters who cast optical scan ballots typically use a pencil to fill in a bubble near their candidate's name on a sheet of paper, similar to standardized tests. Poll workers feed the ballots into a scanner, which records results on a precinct computer.

After polls close, results are sent to a central server via modem. Anytime modems are involved, hackers get an opportunity to intercept data, computer security experts say.

***Diebold, which won't say when the data showed up on the site, acknowledged the incident and says it is investigating how the data ended up on a public Internet site.

***Deborah Seiler, Diebold's West Coast sales representative, said Diebold engineers may have published the results as part of a test -- possibly days, weeks or months after the county primary, regardless of the time stamp. (YAH-Dr. D) She said a system of checks and balances safeguards Diebold's 33,000 voting machines nationwide from fraud.

"These activists don't understand what they're looking at," Seiler said.

***March questioned why San Luis Obispo County's server connected to a Diebold server at all -- particularly if it dialed out while polls were open. He said the "phone home" incident could have been the work of an incompetent or malicious Diebold insider, or an outside hacker.

***"In our quest to deliver faster, more accurate election results, we've left the voting process wide open to new forms of attack and mismanagement," Alexander said.

?

?

RAVEN REVEALS OBL NIELSON RATINGS

If you apply the same measures used by Madison Avenue to gauge the success of most marketing communications campaigns - media impressions - bin Laden's reach into our innermost psyches has faded, not grown, two years after the attacks.

Wednesday's world media coverage of bin Laden drew less than half the number of stories it did on Sept. 10, 2002, the eve of the first anniversary of the attacks, according to a MediaPost analysis of press coverage compiled by the Lexis/Nexis news database.

Interestingly, the falloff has been greater for overseas media outlets - the ones that presumably are more targeted at bin Laden's actual constituency - than the U.S. press. While coverage of bin Laden declined 47% among U.S. newspapers and wire services, it fell 61% among non-U.S. news outlets.

Perhaps most significant of all, bin Laden's coverage in the category Nexis defines as "Major World Publications" fell 73% from Sept. 10, 2002.

"Osama bin Laden"


----------------------------------2002----2003------------Change

Major World Publications-----161 ------43 ------- -73%

U.S. Papers/Wires-------------252 -------133 ------- -47%

Non-U.S. Papers/Wires-------285 -------110 ------- -61%

All News Sources--------------697 -------321 ------- -54%

SHOWTIME OUTSOURCED BUSH MOVIE

How appropriate:

Doug Saunders in The Globe and Mail explained how this subsidy system works: "While the film is intended for US viewers, it is produced in collaboration with Toronto-based Dufferin Gate Productions in order to take advantage of Canadian government incentives.

It is eligible for the federal Film or Video Production Services Tax Credit, the Ontario Film and Television Production Services Tax Credit, and a federal tax-shelter program, which together could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in Canadian government checks being sent to the producers."

SHAPED, SHADED, EXAGGERATED

From the AP Wire:

Ex-inspectors now say, five months after the U.S. invasion, that the "unaccountables'' may have been no more than paperwork glitches left behind when Iraq destroyed banned chemical and biological weapons years ago.

Some may represent miscounts, they say, and some may stem from Iraqi underlings' efforts to satisfy the boss by exaggerating reports on arms output in the 1980s.

"Under that sort of regime, you don't admit you got it wrong,'' said Ron G. Manley of Britain, a former chief U.N. adviser on chemical weapons.

RUMMY LESS POPULAR LATELY
Damfa

Rumsfeld claims that anti-Bush sentiment inspires terrorists while simultaneously claiming that invading Iraq does not inspire them because, supposedly, "the bad guys would go after us no matter what."

DAMFACRATS MONITER VOTING MACHINE TREND

Don't lose focus, America...


Where are they going with this machine that they need it to be wireless?

HOMEGROWN IDIOTS MAKE DU LIST

10. Bristol-Myers Squibb

And finally, it appears that there are certain large corporations which were so keen to see George W. Bush elected in 2000 that they threatened their employees to donate to his campaign - or else. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, "top Bristol-Myers executives" sent messages to some employees telling them to "donate the maximum - $US1000 ($1500) in their own name and $US1000 in their spouse's - and if they failed to do so, their names would be forwarded to the company's then chief executive, Charles Heimbold." Purely coincidentally, of course, Bush's ascension to the White House has proved to be a massive boon for drug companies like Bristol-Myers Squibb, who are now able to shaft the consumer far more effectively and throughly than they would have been able to under Al Gore's prescription drug plan. However, since it is apparently illegal under federal law for companies to use "coercion to force a person to make a political contribution," I expect we'll see the Justice Department leap into action at any moment to prosecute these companies, won't we? Yeah, right - and then John Aschroft will announce that he's converting to Islam. See you next week!"

Thank you DU

GREENPEACE GETS LUCKY FOIL RESPONSE

The corporate losers must have missed this one when they were shredding in anticipation of the Freedom of Info Law response:

"In the email, Myron Ebell of the Exxon-funded Competitive Enterprise Institute writes to Phil Cooney, a senior official at the White House Council for Environmental Quality.

According to the two State Attorney Generals, the email obtained by Greenpeace

"reveals great intimacy between CEI and [Bush Administration official Cooney] in their strategizing about ways to minimize the problem of global warming. It also suggests that CEQ [the Council of Environmental Quality] may have been directly involved in efforts to undermine the United States' official reports, as well as the authority of the EPA Administrator."

CADDY MEETS LAMA

More Raven participation:

"Also Wednesday morning, Bush met briefly in the White
House residence with the Dalai Lama. The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, who has campaigned for the cause of a free Tibet since fleeing his land for India in 1959 after a failed revolt against Chinese rule, is on his first tour of the United States in more than two years.

Afterward, the Dalai Lama told reporters that Bush showed a "a genuine interest and a genuine sympathy, so I am quite sure that, whatever way, they will help us.""

RAVEN CAWS LOUDER WITH PAT II ALERT

From Raven:

"The original Patriot Act has drawn fire from civil liberties groups and their supporters in Congress, and a Senate Democratic source said Republicans have been seeking alternate ways to package new anti-terror measures.

Bush will urge Congress to pass three major measures, McClellan said. They are:

-- Allowing law enforcement authorities to bypass a judge or grand jury and issue ``administrative subpoenas'' in terrorism investigations where ``time is of the essence.''

-- Expanding the ability to presumptively deny bail for terrorism suspects. McClellan said this was essential to preventing suspects from fleeing.

-- Expanding the death penalty for terror related crimes."

RAVEN CLAIMS ADVERTISERS CAN SAVE ECONOMY AND DUBYA; DEMANDS WINNINGS UP FRONT

Raven has wagered 100 dollars against the equivalent in Damfadollars and he has placed his money on Dubya. Raven does not support Dubya but feels his re-selection is predictable. (That's what you think)(We'll see)(Yes we will)

A Raven blog contribution... excerpt:

"Only after the new ad investments had been made did corporate profits begin to rebound. Just when everyone had given up on the employment market, jobs began to grow as companies hired to fill the demand generated by the ad investments. Unemployed workers, with short memories, were so happy to see their colleagues getting jobs that they forgave the Bushies, voted for a second term and hoped for their own re-employment."

"You Decide"

OK ...technical problems temporarily solved...Damfacrats back in action...hope anyone who got the audio supplement, "Frontlines of Freedom," found it listenable.

many technical difficulties

KNOW THE CODE

OPEN POST TO HITCHWORLD
Damfa

Our current Dubya is just a Dubya. It was his dad who had the "H Dubya" in his name.

As for him winning "Fair and balanced" back in 2000, yes, it's ancient history. By the way, his presidential selection was only legitimate if you've never seen any media outside the United States. American journalist Greg Palast does a great job of proving the dirt on Dubya's brother, Jeb, who was governor of Florida in 2000 and who rigged the voter roles to de-register common Damfacratic voters like tu y yo.

In regard to the claim that there will be no Damfacratic "majority" anymore, I find it interesting to note that Senator Bore actually got 500,000+ more votes than his Petrolican opponent. Clinton's perjury cost us plenty but, again, that's ancient history and so is Bill. Bill could have been the antichrist and you still couldn't blame him for what Dubya has spastically damaged in a post-9/11 hysteria.

The two main complaints against Damfacrats appear to be whining and hypocrisy. As to the former, I didn't think it was whining to ask for a piece of paper that confirms my computer vote in the FUTURE election. If the vote is fixed nationwide you can kiss your right to Hitchworld good-bye because the people whom the scam will benefit are holy-rollers who don't like freedom of expression and don't like songs with names like "Dirty Movies."

As to the latter, hypocrisy, there is a difference between intolerance and judgment. I'll tolerate every kind of ourageous attitude or policy idea, any kind of ill-informed rhetoric, and any kind of Dubya that I think the American people could honestly choose, until the end of time. I will also judge them all and reject them as, indeed, JesterStar - "terrible" and "useless" - and I won't tolerate some kind of computer election meddling.

Hypocrisy reigns in a "compassionate" administration that is pro-nuclear, pro-oil, pro-war, pro-non-breather, pro-BornAgain, pro-Saudi, pro-deficit and pro-censorship. Mr. War-on-Terror creates new terrorists every day with his heavy-handed Petrolican adventure in Iraq. Thanks to Dubya diplomacy, 90% of the planet doesn't like us anymore and that sure doesn't make us safer.

The would-be "best man" is spending 100 billion dollars to make the water and electricity function for people who shoot at our soldiers, after he just spent 50 billion to disrupt it all in the first place. I would say "it's your money" but it's really not, because we borrowed it all from Communist China and Social Security. Still, it would be nice to get a few crumbs of that to spend somewhere on our side of the planet. It's not the criminals, apparently, who have superior rights. It's the Iraqis.

Finally, for the one-issue voters who crave gun freedom, I respect that. Those folks can safely vote to re-select Dubya with integrity.

MORE QUOTES

"I don't give a damn about Rumsfeld. All I give a damn about is going home. *** The only thing his visit meant for us was we had to clean up a lot of mess to make the place look pretty. And he didn't even look at it anyway." --Specialist Rue Gretton, September 2003

''Why should we hear about body bags and deaths and how many, what day it's gonna happen? *** It's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?'' -- Barbara Bush, March 18, 2003

"'America Says: Don't Get Between Me And My TV.'' -- Joint lobbying slogan for Viacom, Fox/Murdoch and GE/NBC conglomerists.

"God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them." --Resigned Palestine Prime Minister Abu Mazin, quoting President Bush to Arab newspaper.

Thanks Buzzflash.

SCORECARD OF EVIL

Thank you wage-slave.org

UNCERTAIN TRUMPET

From AP:

Chronically short of musicians for military funerals, the Pentagon has approved the use of a push-button bugle that plays taps by itself as the operator holds it to his lips. A real bugler still will be used when available. Otherwise, the family of the deceased service member will be offered the ceremonial bugle as an alternative to prerecorded taps, often played on a boom box.

Use of the $500 instrument "is intended to enhance the dignity of military funeral honors," the Pentagon said.

Also, it plays "an exceptionally high-quality rendition of taps that is virtually indistinguishable from a live bugler," the Pentagon said.

RAVEN SWOOPS ON PEGGY NOONAN ABOMINATION

"From my perspective, however, I know that belief in God and prayer, and prayers of people on our behalf, makes a huge difference. Just living this life -- when you realize that there is an Almighty God on whom you can rely -- it provides a great comfort. That's why I read every morning, the Bible and scriptures and Charles Stanley devotionals. It matters a lot to me personally. - Bush

"Of all the concerns I have, of all the issues of war and peace, and prosperity and freedom -- all the things I work on and think about a lot in this job -- my biggest concern is whether or not those girls are happy. --Bush ***

"To which she adds that if Jenna were to come home and announce she'd met someone just like her husband, George Bush, 30 years ago, she'd approve. She says her advice is, "Just wait till you find someone like your daddy.

"Do you like that [standard]?" interviewer Noonan asks, turning to the President.

Bush demurs. "That's a pretty low standard. ***

Bush says that the roles with his father have reversed under the glaring media spotlight. "When he was the president, I would agonize when I would hear things said about him that I knew weren't true, and I hurt for him when the traditional slings and arrows of politics were fired at him. And now the roles are reversed.

And the truth of the matter is it doesn't bother me one whit what they say. And I don't pay attention to it. I've got a job to do.

I frankly know more about what is going on on a lot of the subjects than a lot of the pundits, and I'm confident in our team, and I'm confident in this administration. And therefore, I end up spending time with my dad telling him not to worry, that I am doing great. We feel wonderful. Laura's terrific. I'm happy."


From Ladies Home Journal

QUOTES OF THE DAY

"It tells you what you need to know about Fox News. They're just ...oh, what's a good word for them...they're just...huge assholes over there." - Al Franken

"And I said on my program, if, if the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clear he had nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again." -- Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, March 18, 2003

"There is no strategy or mechanism for putting the pieces together ... we're in danger of failing. *** My contemporaries, our feelings and sensitivities were forged on the battlefields of Vietnam, where we heard the garbage and the lies, and we saw the sacrifice ... I ask you, is it happening again?" - retired Marine Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, who endorsed President Bush in the 2000 campaign

"This President is a miserable failure." --Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt, presidential candidate

"There's great talk about the might of America and we're mighty." George W. Bush

"If that ever happened, I'd say the Bush recession would be followed by the Dean depression." - Joe "Cheap Shot" Lieberman, presidential candidate.

"Al Sharpton is a great American" - Dennis Kucinich, presidential candidate.

INDIANA JONES AND EDWARD SCISSORHANDS DIS PETROLICAN USA

"it's like a dumb puppy that has big teeth that can bite and hurt you, aggressive, *** My daughter is four, my boy is one. I'd like them to see America as a toy, a broken toy. *** I was ecstatic they re-named 'French Fries' as 'Freedom Fries *** Grown men and women in positions of power in the U.S. government showing themselves as idiots."

-- Johnny Depp*


"I am very disturbed about the direction American foreign policy is going *** Something needs to be done to help alleviate the conditions which have created a disenfranchised and angry faction in the Middle East *** I don't think military intervention is the correct solution. I regret what we as a country have done so far. *** I'm very troubled by the proliferation of arms. *** So many people in the United States carry guns."

--Harrison Ford



*Depp also said something about getting out of America...Damfacrats disagree and will stick with it.



Thanks to Missy.

QUESTION MARKS UNTRUSTWORTHY?

Damfacrats are advising the use of caution when reading headlines that end with a question mark.

Usually, if you remove the question mark, you can see the true gravity of the story, despite the media's attempt to soften it: "SAUDIS BEHIND 9/11?" or "W STANDS FOR WHISTLE ASS?" or "PETROLICANS LOVE SAUDI DICTATORS?"

On the other hand, one also has to watch out for headlines with question marks where the answer to the question is clearly "no." For example, "WAS 9/11 BILL CLINTON"S FAULT?" or "COULD CLINTON HAVE STOPPED BIN LADEN?" or the classic: "BUSH UNBEATABLE?"

This has been a Spamfa alert.

AMERICA HEARS CHECK-OUT SENSOR BEEPING?
Dr. Damfa

The Damfacrats seem to be winning a few skirmishes here and there.

In California, Arnold is falling in the poles, skipping debates and getting egged. Seemingly principled conservatives are in-fighting with the administration's puppeteers.

The President has heard the people's voice and has gone to the UN, even if it is just for show. His approval ratings are falling. Wesley Clark beat him in a blind-bio poll, got on board with the Damfacrats and appears to be the Clintons' champion.

Miguel Estrada's name was withdrawn from judicial nomination in the Senate. The Ten Commandments side show was shown the door.

The blame for the blackout is correctly falling on FirstEnergy, a Bush-loyal energy company. As usual, they won't blame a specific person. Like NASA, the administration, the CIA, the FBI and everybody else these days, FirstEnergy is using the "culture of incompetence" argument to dilute blame within the company.

The mainstream press is finally examining the stories about Saudi Arabia's 9/11 connection.

A tough-on-crime, longer-sentences South Dakota Republican is standing tall before the Bench and facing felony manslaughter charges for what he has done. Even America is incapable of overlooking that sort of hypocrisy.

People are beginning to recognize that Iraq is a disaster, which, to them, wouldn't matter too much if it wasn't for the fact that it is their money being flushed down the toilet. They are also beginning to realize that the corporate criminals remain free, the EPA is an anti-environmental tool for Bush's industrial interests, and that Bush can't eat a pretzel, ride a scooter, hold a dog or wave from a flying machine (thanks Jilly) without bumping his head.

ONE OF US, ONE OF US ...

Today, for the first time, the General officially announced that he is no Petrolican:

From Inside Politics, CNN:

WOODRUFF: I want to ask you, first of all, you have been saying for months that you're neither a Republican nor a Democrat. Are you now ready to declare that you belong to, swear your allegiance to one party or another?

CLARK: Well, Judy, this has been a really tough transition to make out of uniform and looking at American society. You know, I was in the Ford administration, I know a lot of people who have really believed in the Republican party. I was working around the White House through the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Clinton administration. But as I've traveled around America and looked at where the country is now domestically, and looked at our policies abroad, I have to say that I'm aligned with the Democratic Party, I like the message the party has, I like what it stands for.

To start, it's a party that stands for internationalism, it's a party that stands for ordinary men and women, it's a party that stands for fair play and equity and justice and common sense and reasonable dialogue. It's a party that has had a great tradition in our country, and I'm very attracted to it and that's the party I belong to. ***

***WOODRUFF: You feel you've got a great burden off your chest by doing this?

CLARK: I think that it helps clarify the situation because I think it's easier for people to relate to you if they can put a label on there. And the label is, you know, I'd be proud and I am proud to be a Democrat.

DAMFACRATIC ALLY FALLS IN BATTLEGROUND STATE

MOUNT HOPE, Ohio (AP)-- A driver fired a shotgun into a cornfield and killed a man after being tormented by a group of young Amish pranksters who pelted his car with tomatoes, authorities said.

Steven L. Keim was with about 10 other members of the Amish community, ages 15 to 23, who were hiding in the field Monday night, throwing tomatoes and firing paintball guns at passing cars, the Holmes County Sheriff's office said.

After driving past the cornfield several times and being pelted on each occasion, the driver stopped and challenged the group to throw more tomatoes, then fired three to five shots into the field, striking Keim multiple times. No suspect had been arrested Tuesday.

Holmes County, a rural area that has what is believed to be the world's largest Amish population, sees its share of pranks by young Amish people every fall, Chief Deputy Nathan Fritz said.

``They'll steal their neighbor's buggy and put it on top of a building,'' Fritz said.

It was the county's first firearm-related homicide in about 30 years, Fritz said.

Although Keim was raised Amish, the self-employed roofing contractor had a driver's license and had left the Amish church, Fritz said.

Many Amish teenagers, like the group in the cornfield, experiment with popular culture then later return to the Amish lifestyle, Fritz said.

The Amish do not believe in modern conveniences such as electricity and automobiles.

The incident occurred just north of Mount Hope, about 60 miles south of Cleveland.

GLOVES COME OFF
From the AP wire...

"House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, lashed out at Democrat Howard Dean on Tuesday, calling the presidential candidate a "cruel, loudmouth extremist" for comments he made about Attorney General John Ashcroft.

During a campaign appearance in New Hampshire this past weekend, Dean said Ashcroft "is not a patriot. John Ashcroft is a descendant of Joseph McCarthy," a reference to the Communist-hunting senator of the 1950s.

DeLay fired back in a statement Tuesday. "Howard Dean's comments are an embarrassment to the democratic process and the Democrat Party," DeLay said. "If this cruel, loudmouth extremist is the cream of the Democrat crop, next November's going to make the 1984 election look like a squeaker."

Dean's communications director Tricia Enright responded with some harsh rhetoric.

"The narrow ideological agenda of the DeLay-Ashcroft wing of the Republican Party threatens basic American freedoms that have been enshrined in the Constitution for over 200 years.'"

DAMFACRATS LOVE UGGABUGGA

WINNING THE ELECTION BY THE NUMBERS
Damfa archives, June 2003, edited

The Republicans, supposed shoe-ins at one time, will need 270 electoral votes to win. They get the advantage of a nine-electoral-vote swing next year, based on population changes in Petrolican "Red states," as recorded in the 2000 census.

In 2004, the Republicans are virtually guaranteed 18 small states (100 votes) (Alab, Alaska, Ark, Col, Id, Kan, Kty, La., Mt., Ne., Nev., NH, ND, OK, SC, SD, Ut, and Wyoming) and 7 large states (110 votes)(Tx, N.C., Ga., Va., Indy, Mo., Tenn.), for a total of 210 votes, leaving only a 60-vote road to victory.

Nevertheless, the Democrats are virtually guaranteed 86 votes from just NY (31) and California (55). Nine other states and D.C. (3) will probably or definitly be theirs (Mich. (17), NJ (15), Mass. (12), Wash. (11), OR (7), Conn. (7), Hawaii (4), RI (4), Vt. (3), making 169.

At current numbers, the Democrats might actually lose Illinois (21) but it's unlikely (if they do, they will lose 45 states and the issue will be moot), working them up to 190, with a friendly Maryland (10) and Delaware (3) carrying them to 203, only 67 shy of victory.

This is where it gets very interesting, with 125 votes remaining. The Democrats can afford to lose 58, so let's give the Bushies Arizona (10) Iowa (7), Miss (6), W. Va. (5), Me. (4), and NM (5).

Here's why the election comes down to three states. 21 Republican electoral votes still needed, so the Dems can give the Republicans either Pennsylvania (21), or Ohio (20) if they get Florida (27). That's assuming the Democrats can also keep Minnesota (10) and Wisconsin (10) to get them within 47. If they don't, the Republicans will be within 1 or 2 and the Democrats will need all three swing-states.

Pa. Oh. and Fla. are 68 votes. Can the Dems make up the Fla. 27?

Perhaps they grab away Missouri for (11), with New Mexico (5) and Maine (4) sticking around from last time. That would mean Dems could lose Pa and Ohio and still win if they get Florida. But without Fla., and only one of the other two, from where else can the Dems get 27 votes?

If the Pubs get 48 from Penn and Fla they only need 9 to win it, meaning any two of the six mediums listed above. (Arizona (10) Iowa (7), Miss (6), W. Va. (5), Me. (4), and NM (5))

The Republican assumptions above may not survive, as New Mexico (5) was decided by three hundred votes, Iowa (7) went Dem and there may be new democratic life in Nevada (5). Just keeping Iowa would make it a pure two-out-of-three shot among the battleground states. Then again, even Minnesota (10) is not guaranteed to be Democratic anymore. Colorado and Lousiana are vaguely in play. Arizona would be nice but not likely.

Campaigning and voter registration should focus on minorities and working class people in Philly, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cincinnati, Akron, Cleveland, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Miami, Tampa, Las Vegas and especially college voters in Colorado, Arizona, Ohio, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Hispanic Democrats need to reach out and consolidate the various Hispanic groups, especially in New Mexico and Florida.

The Democrats need to take the three big swing states, to hedge the bet against losing Minn and/or Wisc. They need Graham to help take Florida, Kusinich to help with Ohio, and Carol Mosely-Braun and Al Sharpton to champion Philly and Pittsburgh votes in Pa. They need Gephart to go for Missouri and Dean and Kerry to pull New Hampshire out of a hat, and ensure Rhode Island and Maine. Damfacrats hope that the Secret Weapon, will take care of Arkansas, in an election where every vote will count. Of course, what we really hope is that Americans will come around and W will lose in a landslide, at which time Raven will have to make a 100 dollar contribution.

CAPTAIN HOEGH: ALL POLITICS ARE LOCAL

WALLY WORLD
Dr. Damfa

Remember how the Griswolds drove all the way across the country, only to find that their mecca, the big amusement park, was closed? Damfacrats don't want to be them. We don't want to struggle for the next fourteen months, bang the peace drum, survive Petrolican TV advertising "roadblocks," and then find out the whole election was rigged.

Few things would be more horrific then a Presidential election where GOP gremlins hack into computer voting systems and steal the whole thing. Oh yeah, they already stole it in 2000, down in Florida and maybe elsewhere, but it seems that nightmare wasn't scary enough to get Americans interested.

Damfacrats understand that neither of the major parties are without sin when it comes to tinkering with the ballot box. That doesn't mean Damfacrats have to lie down for it. After all, we drove all the way across the country in the family truckster...

Diebold, Inc. appears to be the corporation (non-breather), along with its CEO, Wally O'Dell, that is looking to outbid everybody else for the contract to make voting machines used in the 2004 election. Experts have already complained that Diebold's machines are very vulnerable to hacking and other monkey business. Moreover, O'Dell is a huge Petrolican supporter, who goes around asking people for $10,000 contributions to his in-home GOP fundraisers.

The Diebold machines do not print out each voters choices for confirmation purposes. When the debate about voting "reform" flashes across your radar and you have a chance to take sides, Damfacrats hope Americans remember a solid bit of advice: always get a receipt. We simply need paper print-outs of our votes, so we can wave them around if some place like Harlem miraculously chooses George W. Just think of it as the BB gun that gets us our ride on the rollercoaster, whether Wally World is closed or not.



Thank you DU.com

YOU ARE ONLY AS SAFE AS YOU FEEL

Poll report from AP:

"four in five think that terrorists in this country are prepared to launch a major attack anytime and

about that many think the United States, within the next few years, will have to send troops to fight wars in other countries as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More than half, 54 percent, said they think more terrorist attacks are likely in the United States during the next few weeks.

Nine in 10 said they expect that in the next decade there will be suicide bombings of buildings or other public places,

two-thirds said they expect chemical or biological attacks and

a third think there will be a nuclear attack."

RAVEN REPORTS ON AD SCANDAL: DAMFACRATS QUICK TO BLAME PROXIMITY OF MARS

The reason your site has ads for various political web sites is simple. The
ads are targeted through the google portal, where people not only bid on
search related terms, they also pay for what is called contextual
advertising. For example, if the terms "Iraq", "President Bush" and so forth
appear on your website often enough, then the spiders from Google match
those terms to the terms selected by various advertisers, and place an ad.
This is the cost of being on a "free" blog.

ITS ALL HERE:

WARNING: EXPLICIT MATERIAL FROM REPUBLICAN

"[U]nder the First and Fourteenth Amendments, criminal laws in this area are constitutionally limited to hard-core pornography. I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it ..." - U.S. Supreme Ct. Justice Stevens

Jacobellis v. State of Ohio, 378 U.S. 184, 197 (1964).


also...

FREEDOM FRY PROPONENTS RANKLED BY GOP SUPPORT FOR FRENCH PUBLICATION
from Faux News

photo

REAL JUJU
Dr. Damfa

Damfacrats have been unable to decide whether to support U.S. military action in Liberia. The knee-jerk reaction seems to be an opposition to it, in the face of troops stretched thin around the globe and an all-around distaste for mission creep. Also, it would be an unpopular undertaking, as America reduces the situation to "another Somalia" and resists any such effort.

On the other hand, the U.S. is said to have a "special relationship" with the country that has been torn apart again and again by constant civil war. Following our own civil war, which killed about five hundred thousand of us, the U.S. established Liberia as a place for freed American slaves to live. Liberians generally speak better English than Americans.

As Damfacrats sit the fence, it's probably time for the U.S. to "get right to work if they had any sense," rather than withdrawing, as we recently did, the 150 troops we had there for a few weeks.

A South African newspaper reports tomorrow (time zone thing) that, basically, Liberians are being terrorized by rebel fighting, with the government and the rebels becoming more or less the same thing. Those in the Damfacrat family who have actually lived in west Africa might offer some deeper insights and they will be Spamfed up in here.

Meanwhile, the scene in Liberia is like a snapshot of our future country, whites included, after another term or two of the government-shrinking service-obliterating Petrolicans:

"First the drugs, then the bullets and then the battle. Jungle Fire battalion knew the routine and lounged on the abandoned market stalls, waiting for the marijuana and crack cocaine to kick in."

The book on Liberia is that teenage gunmen spend all of their pay on drugs before ingesting them and charging into battle. They also count on their juju:

"The seven dashed back behind a wall, panting. It was the turn of David Kollie (12) nicknamed Deputy, to lead the next wave. He wore a red headband, a yellow T-shirt which said "AK Baby, Man Moving, Man Dropping" and a serene expression.

"I eat the leaf," he said, "but I cannot disclose its nature because that is a military secret." Then he was on the bridge, firing away and joined by older boys, some with women's wigs and toenails painted blue. On Merclin Street a teenager with a bayonet jigged to the rhythm."

The juju is a variety of different charms, such as women's wigs, which are supposed to keep soldiers safe under fire. Americans can conjur up Dennis Rodman with an assault rifle if their TV-diluted imaginations have trouble picturing it.

"One boy, emotional from drugs or trauma, offered to lend a clump of white hair on a necklace, his juju charm. "This'll bullet-proof you man," he said."

As much as the Damfacrats are loathe to engage, it seems to us that the U.S. could do a whole lot of good in Liberia without risking a whole lot of lives or money. In the days of an Iraqi bloodletting for no good reason, we might as well get in there and chill things out - saving a populus that REALLY DID dance joyfully in the streets, for the love of the U.S. and even a hint that we might stop by and help.

AD SCANDAL ROCKS DAMFACRATS

Damfacrats are scrambling to explain why their blog is sponsered by right-wing syndicate advertisers:

Iraqi Freedom Coin
"No Outcome But Victory"

Iraq Reconstruction Report
"The Iraq Reconstruction Report will keep you informed of developing business opportunities and provide the business intelligence needed to compete for this business."

Janusian Security Risk Management
"Janusian Security Risk Management has been active in Iraq since 17 April 2003. We are the only Western security company in Baghdad with an independent operational office and a country manager permanently based there."

Halliburton Co.
"Many employees echo the belief that the company "'is the best in the class when it comes to service companies.'"

Still working on that advertising investigation... look for it next spring ... if it doesn't get blacked out.

THE BODY QUOTES CAPTAIN TRIPS
Damfa

Five minutes ago, on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, former Governor of MInnesota Jesse Ventura was discussing the two party system. Jesse shocked the world by winning in Minnesota as an Independent. Then the one-time pro wrestler chose not to run for re-election because the job was so difficult.

Ventura said the country is mostly moderates and they are forced to pick between the evils of the far right and the evils of the far left. He went on to quote the late, great, musician, Jerry Garcia.

"Just remember the words of Jerry Garcia," he said with confidence, while wagging a finger. ''If you are picking the lesser of two evils, you are still picking evil.''"

Damfacrats applaud this kind of straight talk, which will help grease the nine-mile skid on the ten-mile ride to victory in the elections next year.

"Ideas the Pentagon Wishes It Never Had"

Thanks BuzzFlash

Damfacrats read The Nation

BE FOR REAL

Thanks to the Wesley Clark Weblog for the link to Globe comment on Clark. Really positive, however:

"Who might Clark pick as a running mate? Someone with domestic political experience: a Western or Midwestern governor or senator. Maybe New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a former Clinton Cabinet official and a Hispanic. Or how about Michigan's effective and popular governor, Jennifer Granholm? Or Illinois Senator Dick Durbin?"

As the Damfacrats say, "be for real" - for now, anyway - Howard Dean is It and I don't see why he wouldn't make a fine VP. If Clark pulls this off he will need the doctor's political muscle, which is now unquestionably permanent, to defeat the 200 million dollar Petrolicans.*


*Props to Dave 'Cuz' C. for inventing good nomenclature

FREE IS A VERY GOOD PRICE
Damfa


I don't know what is up with Blogger but some of my sponsers (see banner at top of page) sure look sinister. I'm wonder if Blogger takes a look and asks the question: what kind of ads will this person detest to the point where he or she will subscribe in order to eliminate the ads?

I've had a chance to notice some more diversity in the ads. They are looking a lot better and I am wodering what is going on. I need to investigate and determine exactly how ads end up on my otherwise free blog. As Tom Peterson used to say out in Portland, "free is a very good price." The Damfa team will figure it out and, in honor of the bosses, issue a report in 8 months.

BOTTOMS PORTRAYS JACKASS

Thanks to Cat for a sick link about the upcoming Showtime Horror movie

JESTER BACKS DAMFACRATS

Shout out to JesterStar

NEW YORK IS SAFE TERRITORY FOR DAMFACRATIC SPLINTER GROUP
Damfa

You may have heard of the Blue Dogs, a group of Democratic Congress members. They hail from the middle south, mostly, and their trademark is being stridently anti-deficit.

Another group of Democrats are known as the Yellow Dogs. These are voters, from what I could find, characterized by a Southern rural white base, who join forces with strongly Democratic African American voters to beat back the gunracks.

The Damfacrats have discovered another tribe of Democrats, known as the Rat Dogs. These are a group of Northern New York voters. Although their views have not always been made clear, it appears that they support louder motorcycles and fewer corporations. Some commentators suggest that they support Drug Law reform, despite the local prison economy. They are clearly pro-environment and - perhaps this is their trademark - they support massive increases in funding for the arts, particularly music.

The Rat Dog Damfacrats have gotten along with the more traditional Damfacratic neighbors to the south. The Rat Dogs and the traditionals find they often share common roots, many of them in Western New York. Party leaders from Central New York recently honored a prominent Rat Dog on the eve of his marriage to a true Eve of the Adirondack Eden.

The Rat Dogs and the traditionals get along O.K. but the word is that the Damfacratic hard-liners won't budge on the motrorcycle noise issue. Meanwhile, some Rat Dogs reject any alliance with what they see as the soft-on-corporations "part of the problem" Damfacrats.

The two caucuses are expected to smooth out any disagreements well before the important elections arrive, stringing and flattening a tarp above an upstate constituency upon whom the present leadership has "trickled down" long enough.

RELIGIOUS FANATICS TURN ON THEIR OWN
"Damphs"

The holy rollers are demanding William Pryor's resignation. Just a few weeks after Pryor was strung up as a poster boy for oppressed Christians.

Pryor is the Attorney General for the State of Alabama, where the state's chief justice, Roy "10-Moore," is refusing to obey a federal judge's order to remove the affront to the First Amendment down at the courthouse. Pryor is about to enforce the law, too, as he should, by hauling the thing out of there through a crowd of irate citizens. photo

Pryor is also a pet nominee for the federal bench among abortion-criminalizers in the Senate. His nomination has enraged Democrats on the Judiciary committee, who attacked him mercilessly for his far-right history during a July hearing. The holy rollers began claiming that the Democrats discriminate against certain religions, such that "no good Catholic" could ever be nominated.

Spamfa victims have read the transcript of the venom in the committee when Orrin Hatch rammed through a vote on Pryor's floor nomination over an official protest by Democratic members. Now I guess Sen Schumer and Sen Kennedy will get pats on the back from the born-agains, who are marching on Pryor's office and chanting 'Resign now! Resign now!''

This affair should nuetralize Bill Pryor's darling status somewhat but it won't stop Hatch from pushing Pryor for the devout administration. These folks force a God or an unwanted pregnancy on us and call it tyranny when our procedural and substantive laws actually work to prevent it. If Hatch calls on Cheney to break up a fillibuster on the nomination (Schumer calls it "going nuclear"), we may see Damfacratic Senators settle into lawn chairs outside the capitol building, to protest the removal of the Bill of Rights.

Update: Moore gets Constitutionally punked

$1.2 MILLION CHEESECAKE STICK LURES BUSH FROM BUBBLE

photo

"The event put another $1.2 million in the bank for Bush's re-election effort next year, a campaign spokesman said. And it bought those who attended edibles better suited for the ongoing Minnesota State Fair -- corn-on-a-stick, chicken fingers, cheesecake-on-a-stick, lemonade, cotton candy and fried pickles.

Bush has raised at least $56 million for his re-election.

The president, on a daylong outing from his ranch in Texas, spoke to the 85th annual convention in between two political fund-raisers.

About 75 people protested outside as Bush's motorcade arrived at the speech site in St. Paul. One sign said, ``Admit failure. Beg the U.N. for help.'' Another said ``Search for economic recovery,'' in a reference to the unsuccessful hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Bush's appearance before the veterans comes as the number of troops who have died in postwar Iraq reached 140 -- surpassing the number killed during major combat.

A total of 278 soldiers have died since the war began March 20. Bush declared an end to major combat May 1.

After visiting the American Legion, Bush was headed to a hotel fund-raiser on behalf of Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., who is up for re-election to a fourth term next year. He was due back at his Texas ranch Tuesday night."
from AP

MORE EPA SLUDGE

Clear Skies Initiative:

"Congressional investigators say the Environmental Protection Agency relied on anecdotes from industries it regulates, not comprehensive data, when it claimed that relaxing air pollution rules for industrial plants would cut emissions and reduce health risks."

POPPIES POPPIES POPPIES

Sprint realized a little too late that it printed its central Florida phone books with a nice big picture of a purple poppy on the front. They aren't recalling them but they are printing new ones with a different cover.

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from Mother Jones
"a draft of the bill defines narco-terrorism as "the crime of selling, distributing or manufacturing a controlled substance with the intent of helping a terrorist group." Essentially, the Victory Act would make it easier for Ashcroft and his minions to charge drug offenders with aiding terrorists, and could potentially freeze the assets of a suspected offender. Though Hatch's spokespersons refused to comment on the legislation, she did acknowledge the push to investigate the drug-terrorism link, stating that Hatch 'is continuing to look at all legislative options for combating the nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism.'"

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(Orrin Hatch ought to take a look at Afghanistan. How does he think they make a living over there? Selling self-made patriotic singing recordings like he does? -- Dr. D)

BUBBLE BOY POET SPENDS 17.4% OF PRESIDENCY HIDING AT RANCH
from USA Today

Two years ago, during his first vacation at the ranch, he told USA TODAY that he chafes at the "bubble" of security, staff and reporters that confines him.

"I like to, to the extent that I can, kind of expand the diameter of the bubble," he said. "The ranch is a good place to do so."

*** photo

This is Bush's 26th trip to Crawford as president. In 949 days in office, he has spent 166 days at the ranch or on the way there.

***photo

Later, he told reporters, "We're heading parallel to this little river and I'll show you the headwaters of the river. It's spectacular. Can you envision me sitting here, on the rock, writing some poetry?" ***

"But when you're running or when you're fishing or when you're working with your hands, you tend to think about other things than your work, than your job," he said. "It mellows me out in many ways to be outside, working outside."

Bush is so proud of his ranch that he even allows reporters to cross his line of privacy occasionally, but he doesn't relish it. Last week, he said his wife had suggested inviting journalists who are spending August in Texas to see it.

"Her idea," he emphasized.

DAMFACRATS ARE PRO-HEMP FOR FARMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

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HEY CLIFF: SUNSHINE

http://mirror1.draftclark.org/12_Patriot_Act.mp3

http://mirror1.draftclark.org/12_Patriot_Act.mp3

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thanks to digitalclark.com

TALK TO THE MEDALS

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Disabled Georgia Senator, Max Cleland veteran who got punked by Neo-Com computer voting machines, with Guess Who

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Talk to the medals

DUBYAH'S MILF

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"The United States is committed to helping, when asked. President Arroyo and I reviewed last year's highly successful deployment of U.S. troops to the southern Philippines, and we agreed to a similar deployment in the near-term, in which U.S. forces would support Philippine-led anti-terror operations. -- GWB

The President and I also reviewed the developments with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front -- MLIF. That group must abandon the path of violence. -- GWB

And that's why I appreciate President Arroyo's leadership. She's tough when it comes to terror. ... She knows, like I know, that the only way to deal with these people is to bring them to justice. You can't talk to them, you can't negotiate with them, you must find them. -- GWB

Yes, I remember right after September the 11th, President Arroyo called me, and there was no doubt in my mind where she stood. It was more than the condolence call, it was a let's get after them call." -- GWB

Q -- and about the MILF -- your offer of assistance in the MILF* problem, because we have poverty problem there now.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, my offer of assistance, it depends upon the MLIF choosing peace as a peaceful reconciliation of issues."
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Arroyo/Bush "Press Conference" at White House
May 19, 2003

*(damfacrats 2004 is a family blog but MILF has quite another meaning online)

ARROYO BOMBS HER OWN PEOPLE

Why aren't we shocked?
PARANOIA IN THE PHILIPPINES: Did the Philippine government bomb its own people to attract U.S. military might? Was the CIA involved? And why was there so little media coverage?

By NAOMI KLEIN
Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - Page A13

On July 27, 300 soldiers rigged a giant Manila shopping mall with C-4 explosives, accused one of Washington's closest allies of blowing up its own buildings to attract U.S. military dollars -- and still barely managed to make the international news. ***

The government blames the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The mutinous soldiers point the finger back at the military and the government, claiming that by inflating the terrorist threat, they are rebuilding the justification for more U.S. aid and intervention.

Among the soldiers' claims:

that senior military officials, in collusion with the Arroyo regime, carried out last March's bombing of the airport in the southern city of Davao, as well as several other attacks. Thirty-eight people were killed in the bombings. The leader of the mutiny, Lieutenant Antonio Trillanes, claims to have "hundreds" of witnesses who can testify to the plot; ***

that the government was on the verge of staging a new string of bombings to justify declaring martial law. President Arroyo denies the allegations and accuses the soldiers of being pawns of her unscrupulous political opponents. The mutineers insist they were not trying to seize power but only wanted to expose a top-level conspiracy. When Ms. Arroyo promised to launch a full investigation into the allegations, the mutiny ended without violence. ***

Days before the mutiny, a coalition of church groups, lawyers and NGOs launched a "fact-finding mission" to investigate persistent rumours that the state was involved in the Davao explosions. It is also investigating the possible involvement of U.S. intelligence agencies.

These suspicions stem from a bizarre incident on May 16, 2002, in Davao. Michael Meiring, a U.S. citizen, allegedly detonated explosives in his hotel room, injuring himself badly.

While recovering in the hospital, Mr. Meiring was whisked away by two men, who witnesses say identified themselves as FBI agents, and flown to the United States. Local officials have demanded that Mr. Meiring return to face charges, to little effect. BusinessWorld, a leading Philippine newspaper, has published articles openly accusing Mr. Meiring of being a CIA agent involved in covert operations "to justify the stationing of American troops and bases in Mindanao."

Yet the Meiring affair has never been reported in the U.S. press. And the mutinous soldiers' incredible allegations were no more than a one-day story. Maybe it just seemed too outlandish: an out-of-control government fanning the flames of terrorism to pump up its military budget, hold onto power and violate civil liberties. Why would Americans be interested in something like that?

BUSH LOSES TO PIECE OF PAPER

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=120-08252003

-- 84.1 percent of likely Democratic primary voters say it is not too late for a new entrant into the race to win their support;

-- 73.5 percent of all likely voters rate military/national security experience as "very" or "somewhat" important for a presidential candidate;

-- Clark comes in first in a blind-bio match-up versus six key Democratic candidates (Dean, Kerry, Edwards, Lieberman, Gephardt, Edwards, and Graham);

-- Clark wins 49.4 percent to 40.2 percent in a blind-bio match-up versus President Bush among a national poll of likely voters; photo

-- Even when the poll question referred solely to candidate names (no bio information), Clark jumped to 5th place (4.9 percent) nationally among likely Democratic primary voters -- despite his low name recognition, and the fact that he has not spent a dime.

"These Zogby poll results suggest that the race for the Democratic nomination is wide open, and that likely primary voters are definitely open to another candidate entering the race," said Dr. Kofinis. "Further, the poll results tell us that Clark has the qualities to compete against the elite of the Democratic field, and to challenge and potentially defeat President Bush in 2004."

See http://www.DraftWesleyClark.com for full results.

SMUG BUTTHEAD GETS SHUT DOWN

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8/21 -

CLARK: I don't think there's anything wrong with being a Democrat. We're in a two-party system.

HANNITY: Obviously.

CLARK: You're saying it like a dirty word.

HANNITY: Will you admit it finally that you are a Democrat?

CLARK: Sean, I would think you would admit it's a healthy democracy to have a two-party system.

HANNITY: I'm a Republican.

CLARK: Or do you believe it should be one party?

HANNITY: I just want to know what you are.

CLARK: I just want to know whether you believe in a two-party system, Sean? Do you believe in the two-party system.

HANNITY: I will answer the question if you tell me if you're a Democrat. Yes, I believe in a two-party system.

CLARK: Thank you very much.

LATE NIGHT SPAMFA BEATS KRUGMAN TO THE PUNCH (SORT OF)

Dust and Deception, NY Times

FEINSTEIN LOSES GRIP ON REALITY

Califonia's Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein has been publicly stating that she will vote NO on Question #1 and NOTHING on Question #2. The first question is YES or NO on the Recall, the second is the voter's choice for Gray's replacement. Everybody gets to vote on both questions.

The media (dumb-it-down-and-create-false-uncertainty-to-keep-viewers) is "just now" discussing what the Damfacrats realized weeks ago. (See below) The Damfacrats haven't wasted a moment of concern about Califonia. We know who our friends are and California is safe territory. Cruz "Bust-A-Move" Bustamonte is a lock.

Every person who is partisan enough to vote NO on the recall will vote YES for the "Tough Love" candidate. The latest polls say that's 45%.

A good many fed up Democrats will vote YES to yank Davis. The polls show 35% of YES-voters want Bustamonte instead of Davis. That is about 19% overall.

I didn't get as far in math as some folks but I think it will be hard for the big guy to bench press more than 65% when there are only 55% Yes-voters out there. Then again, he's apparently got Feinstein as a spotter: "I am not going to vote on the second part of the ballot. I am going to vote on the first part of the ballot and my vote is going to be to vote 'no' on the recall."

She's advising people to vote NO on the recall and walk out of the booth. This is her version of integrity. The polls have been fluctuating all over the place so she had better get wise and add her vote for Bustamonte like a Dem with some heart. Also, I must acknowledge, after reading Palast's The Best Democracy Money Can Buy , regarding Florida in 2000, and a link from j1mo regarding computer voting machine sketchiness, the thing that worries me a little about California is wondering whether this is a voter-fraud test run for some spooky Neo-Cons.

Two weeks ago, I guess I had it wrong - I was saying it was the movie star who was detaching us from reality.



Here's what the Spamfatorium was displaying back on August 12:


A Herculean Idea

This latest scheme is brilliant. California. Everyone condemn Gray Davis for screwing up California.

It's another good Republican power grab strategy. Never mind that California is just suffering the same thing most states are, but on a much, much larger scale. Never mind that most of the reason that California had an energy crisis was because Cheney and Enron were monkeying with the prices. Blame it on the Democrats in California.

What an incredible and devious plan. I mean you have to hand it to these Republicans. Use an expendable Darrel Issa to push the recall and then pull his plug just hours before his tearful non-candidacy announcement.

The most diabolical portion of this move is Arnold Schwartzenegger. This is the outside-the-box part that might just make it all work. Republicans supporting a celebrity. Appealing to the most gullible of the voters. Just the ticket.

He's a big, lovable, bland man with fame. He lures the American people further over the blurred line between our impressions from movies and our understanding of reality. Appealing to that lingering feeling of raw power that we all seem to enjoy so much lately.

This plan dazzles but it won't work. I'll go out on a limb and call it for Cruz Bustamonte. 65% will vote YES to the recall. The 35% who vote NO will vote for Cruz Bustamonte. 15% of those who vote YES will also vote for Bustamonte. 40% will vote for Schwartzenegger. Simon (update: out) will get 10% and the rest get the remaining 5%.

Even if the Republicans could put Arnold in Sacramento, Democrats are getting California's 54 electoral votes in 2004 and in every election from here to eternity. I won't hear any talk to the contrary so save it.

Still, the Pubs have managed to redirect the political spotlight for a full two months. It will distract America's attention when Wesley Clark announces his candidacy. It further polarizes the nation because you are suddenly either a moderate Bush supporter or a California weirdo.

THE GREAT PUPPY TOSS
Dr. Damfa

Don’t blink or you will miss another one. New revelations of Neo-Con deception are happening so often and so fast, it’s like driving through one little municipality after another.

The little Scamlet known as Bogusville. The quaint fiefdom of Phonytown. The struggling community in Fellforit Falls. photo

If the bumpy road finally jars us out of our uncomfortable nap in the passenger’s seat, we will rub our eyes and look out the window to realize that we have arrived in Blunderburg without seeing any of the sights along the way. Of course the vehicle is a pick-up truck and the driver is you-know-who but this analogy has gone far enough.

The point is this: there are increasingly less and less areas and issues about which this administration has not been full of it. If you have bothered to read this far, you are probably aware of such Euphrates River fish-stories as "Trying to Avoid the War," "Niger Uranium," "Mobile Labs," "Aluminum Tubes," "Al Qaeda Connections" and "Saving Private Lynch." The latest episodes include “Troops Collect Pay Raise, Tax Rebate and Departure Date at Mess Tent,” “Chemical Crop-Dusting UAVs” and “Chemical Ali DOA.”

This administration has been pretty prolific, in multiple genres. No Child Left Behind, except for those that benefit from Head Start, Americorps, and Low-Income Tax Rebates. We had the Cheney/Enron Meeting censorship, the 9/11-Saudi censorship, and the EPA global warming censorship.

Now it turns out that the White House forced the EPA to lie about dangerous NYC air quality following 9/11.

I happened to already be aware of mercury poisoning among WTC clean-up workers, thanks to a lengthy obsession with the environmental and bodily hazards of mercury amalgam dental fillings. Apparently, the mercury in all of those broken fluorescent lights found its way into the workers’ bloodstream.

The claims of breathable air after 9/11 were so much hot air. Maybe this story will have some kind of impact on the electorate.

Even in my home city’s conservative newspaper (and even though it had to be on a Saturday) the headline was unequivocal: “EPA FORCED TO CALL 9/11 AIR SAFE.” This is the same paper that ran a huge front-page local story: “POLICE: PUPPY TOSSING A HOAX” with only a ten-line story that the White House had acknowledged the Uranium lie on the same day.

It’s strange and unfortunate, but every time a new lie is discovered, the fresh outrage hurts a little less because it means a few more Americans will take note. That keeps us from getting closer to living in a country where the following phrase, as made by the White House to the EPA, becomes a way of life: “all statements to the media should be cleared.”

WHY DAMFACRATS SUPPORT THE EFFORT TO ELECT WESLEY K CLARK AS THE NEXT U.S. PRESIDENT

I view the strategy of next year's election as a system of priorities. The first priority is to make sure George W. does not win re-selection. Only a Democrat can defeat him. Times are too precarious to support a long-shot independent. The next priority is electing the right Democrat.

Thankfully, in Wesley Clark I see a man who I believe can win and whom I truly believe can provide the sorely needed leadership that has been absent of late. I trust him and I think America can trust him. I guess we can always be wrong about such feelings and be eternally disappointed by politicians but, for Wes, I will set aside the pecimism.

I think he is brilliant and articulate. I think he speaks to all people and all people will love to hear him speak. I think he is a politician who has enough self-esteem so that he doesn't have to fabricate an image. I think he is well-respected by the rest of the planet and could heal the international wounds that Bush's failed diplomacy has inflicted. I don't think he cares about making money or being adored. I think he would work like a dog to help our nation every waking moment of his Presidency. He is the "adult" we need to put back in charge of this country.

I won't list all his credentials because you can easily find them elsewhere. He is absolutely impervious to the blustering right wing pundits' attacks. They dare not attack him because it will look like (gasp) not supporting the troops and not respecting the armed forces. He can make, and has made, them all look like the rude and braying jackasses that they mostly are.

Most of all, he can win. I think if he runs, he will win. He might even be able to win it for the Democrats just by running as the VP candidate.

Let's face it, in America, Rhode Scholar and Four Star General don't exactly motivate the voters, even though it should. No, in this land that I love despite all its problems, voters favor candidates from places like Arkansas. They like celebrities who are loved by the camera, such as relatively young men who appear on talk shows as respected analysts. They like candidates who make them feel safe, who don't make them feel resentful towards the candidate's intellect, such as a General, who it's OK to place above them. One thing for which American voters deserve credit, they have pretty much decided that most career politicians are mired in special interest and not very genuine, unlike a man who has never held public office but has all the executive skills to handle the job from day one.

Clark has white male appeal (roughly 80% Republican) and even some Pick-Up-truck-gun-rack appeal. He has soccer mom appeal. He has Catholic appeal and ex-Baptist appeal and enjoys being part Jewish, which even the not so progressive Americans can handle.

He has crossover pro-military appeal. He is pro-affirmative action and pro-gay rights. He is pro-choice and, this being beyond reproach: pro-America. He pretty much eclipses Bush's whole myth of national security prowess.

Dean probably can't win because he is incorrectly perceived as too liberal and because he hails from New England. Wes has the same anti-war message but can deliver it with much more credibility.

Lieberman can't win because he is dull and because he was a mere tag-along with the "loser" in 2000. I simply cannot stomach a candidate who quotes incessantly from scripture and calls the war "just." I don't think most Democrats can, and like minds are increasing. That New England problem again. Finally, and sadly, he is Jewish, and the country, as I said, flawed but beloved, is not ready for that.

Kerry can't win because he seems aloof and again, he's from New England. Also, his military credentials, although admirable, include an episode where he returned from Vietnam and threw his medals at the capital. Unfortunately, it also turns out that he actually threw a friend's medals and his turned up later on his office wall. This will confuse his image. Kerry is also rather dull - certainly uninspiring.

Like Kerry, Gephart is yesterday's news. He has union support and he is from the Midwest but he has been rejected more than once among Democratic contenders. He won't inspire anyone and sounds too much like Al Gore. Graham has great things to say but is a little too old and has trouble delivering his message with any impact. Edwards, although also a Southerner, is too young and belongs to that most-hated breed, the trial lawyers. Despite the remaining candidates' many fine qualities, not the least of which is Carol Mosley-Braun's magical smile, they almost certainly have zero chance of winning.

I believe that Wesley K. Clark is such a threat to the current administration's power that some crazy might even try to put a bullet in him. May all that is Good forbid that. Even so, Clark is a man who already took four bullets in Vietnam and is still standing by to serve this nation, so if he runs, and I believe he will, there may be nothing that can stop him.