I always think it's funny when reporters pick up on stories that are absurdly old. Mind you, I don't think these stories shouldn't necessarily be recirculated. It's just funny when they're presented as breaking scoops.
Lest you think I'm talking about repeat offender Matt Drudge, I'm actually talking about former Washington Post, current Daily News columnist Lloyd Grove.
Grove has The Lowdown on Ralph Nader offering Dean a deal whereby he would not run third party if Dean took him on as his VP candidate. To be sure, it's an interesting story and speaks to Nader's honesty in attacking the Democratic Party.
However, ex-Dean staffer Mike Ford blew the lid off of this one back in February on the Jerry for Ohio site, writing that "the Nader entourage made a blatant pitch for a Nader Vice Presidential nomination."
Nice story, Lloyd. Only this Lowdown hasn't been on the down low for quite some time now.
posted by Scott |
4/22/2004 |
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For the past week or so, the right wing attack machine has been calling John Kerry out, demanding that he publicly release all of his military records. They seemed to think that there was going to be some deep dark secret hidden in Kerry's records that would prove that he isn't the war hero so many have claimed him to be.
Well, here's what Kerry was hiding:
Kerry "exhibited all of the traits desired of an officer in a combat environment. He frequently exhibited a high sense of imagination and judgment in planning operations against the enemy..."
You know, I didn't understand the GOP demanding Kerry's records from the get go. No matter what was in those records, the hard fact is that Kerry volunteered to serve in Vietnam while Bush did not. Even if Kerry hid under his bed the whole time he was in Vietnam, he was still there.
I guess, though, that none of that matters as it has been shown without a doubt that Kerry proved his mettle in battle. Sorry, Rove.
posted by Scott |
4/22/2004 |
| Tuesday, April 20, 2004
This administration is a sinking ship. It may still be afloat, but the hull is full of holes.
In an article titled "Fables of Reconstruction," writer Jason Vest will reveal tomorrow a CPA memo written by an American official detailing the mess that is post-war Iraq. Calling the reconstruction effort to date a "year's worth of serious errors," the memo paints a portrait of a country on the brink of civil war.
It's not really surprising to hear that kind of assessment of the situation in Iraq. Many have been saying the same or similar things for months--some predicting it even before the war.
But this is evidence that not every American's head is in the sand when it comes to Iraq. Let's just hope it's not too late to cobble together some sort of positive outcome from all of this.
posted by Scott |
4/20/2004 |
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It used to be that every day, another story came out about the Bush administration that made me even sicker than the last one. Now the pace has picked up. These jerks don't even give me a full 24 hours to catch my breath anymore!
Washington Group International, Inc. is a contractor working on rebuilding Iraqi water infrastructure. They were awarded a $1.1 billion contract for this project by the Bush administration. Three weeks later, 31 Washington employees donated a combined $27,750 to Bush-Cheney '04.
The company's comment?
"You either participate in the system or you don't."
If you aren't nauseated right now, you need to have your damn head examined.
posted by Scott |
4/20/2004 |
| Monday, April 19, 2004
And now, not even attempting to veil their partisan use of supposedly non-partisan government bureaucracy, a Treasury Department press release is used to further the Bush-Cheney reelection efforts. Witness this insanely pro-Bush statement in a tax day reminder issued by Treasury.
"America has a choice: It can continue to grow the economy and create new jobs as the President's policies are doing; or it can raise taxes on American families and small businesses, hurting economic recovery and future job creation."
The level of apathy among the electorate has allowed this type of garbage to go on virtually unchallenged. Had Clinton's Treasury done anything half as audacious as this, the GOP would have been calling for criminal charges.
posted by Scott |
4/19/2004 |
| Sunday, April 18, 2004
Now how's that for loyalty? North Carolina Democrats have made their senator, John Edwards, the only Democratic nominee besides John Kerry to win more than one state in the 2004 primary battle.
As many have pointed out, the key here really seems to be NC Dems wanting to raise Edwards' profile for the convention in Boston. But still, one can easily question why it's of any importance that Edwards won his own state's caucus when the voter turnout was right around 1%. The idea of helping Edwards didn't get NC voters more energized than that?
Lest anyone think I'm overanalyzing this, I can assure you I am not. It's just that I'm so happy to see some action in the primary race that this site is dedicated to covering...
posted by Scott |
4/18/2004 |
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