Tuesday, September 07, 2004

We mentioned The Shrill Blog a couple days ago and we're keeping tabs on all things shrill. I have to say I'd forgotten this quote by Tommy Franks, about Douglas Feith: "I have to deal with the fucking stupidest guy on the face of the earth almost every day." Now that's shrill! 5:43:58 AM    comment []

What Gives? from Matt Yglesias Time and Newsweek both registered massive bounces for Bush during the Republican National Convention. Rasmussen says he would be showing Bush with a five point bounce (and, therefore, a four point lead) except his Saturday sample was terrible for Bush, giving him a slight 1.2 percent lead in the three day moving average. Now Gallup is showing a two point bounce based on a weekend poll that's moved Bush from one point behind to one point ahead (and now we're in the territory where sampling error matters, so it's not entirely clear than anything changed at all). Obviously, something a bit nutty is going on with polls taken on, say, Friday showing dramatically different results from polls taken over the weekend. Is this "faster public opinion" where people love Bush after seeing his speak and then forget all about it after 36 hours of hurricane coverage? As I recall something similarly screwy happened with Kerry -- he got a big bounce on Friday and then by the following Monday it was gone. It's hard for me to understand the psychology of folks who would let their votes be swung by a speech -- we've had four years to watch Bush and his performance in office seems like an infinitely better guide to what you should do than is a speech -- so from my point of view there's really no telling. 5:39:07 AM    comment []

Sunday, September 05, 2004

Kerry Enlisting Clinton Aides in Effort to Refocus Campaign.  Former President Bill Clinton offered John Kerry advice on how to reinvigorate his candidacy, and Mr. Kerry enlisted more Clinton advisers for his campaign. By By ADAM NAGOURNEY and DAVID M. HALBFINGER. The conversation and the recruitment of old Clinton hands came amid rising concern among Democrats about the state of Mr. Kerry's campaign and criticism that he had been too slow to respond to attacks on his military record or to engage Mr. Bush on domestic policy. Among the better-known former Clinton aides who are expected to play an increasingly prominent role are James Carville, Paul Begala and Stanley Greenberg, campaign aides said. "It's very simple," Mr. Johnson said in an interview yesterday, describing what he said would be the template for Mr. Kerry's speeches and advertisements in the weeks ahead. "It's: 'Bush has taken us in the wrong direction. If you want more of the same for the next four years, vote for President Bush. If you want a new direction, John Kerry and John Edwards.' It's not complicated. Failed policies, jobs and the economy, health care." Mr. Begala, who said he would remain a CNN commentator, said he was delighted with the changes. He added that Mr. Bush had succeeded over the past month in transforming the race from a referendum on an incumbent president to a referendum on Mr. Kerry. "It was an enormous shift," Mr. Begala said last night. Then, referring to Karl Rove, a top Bush strategist, he added: "And it required the cooperation of the candidate. And you know what? The Kerry campaign is no longer cooperating. Sorry, Karl." 11:16:40 PM    comment []

A note on polls: as of the day after the convention I'm told by what I believe to be reliable sources that the internal polls of both campaigns had President Bush up roughly four points on John Kerry. Getting straight-up info on what each campaigns' own polls are telling them is inherently difficult. And I want to make clear that I have not seen the data with my own eyes. But I have heard this from sources (for each side) which I believe to be reliable. And I'm passing the information on on that caveat-ed basis. -- Josh Marshall   Presidential Tracking Poll: Bush-Kerry The Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll shows President George W. Bush with 48% of the vote and Senator John Kerry with 46%. The Tracking Poll is updated daily by noon Eastern. Two-thirds of the interview for today's report were completed after the President's speech on Thursday night. Updated Daily by Noon Eastern Election 2004 Date Bush Kerry Today 47.6 46.4 Sept 4 49.1 44.7 Sept 3 49 45 Sept 2 49 45 Sept 1 47 47 Aug 31 47 46 Aug 30 47 46 Aug 29 48 45 Aug 28 47 46 Aug 27 46 46 Aug 26 47 46 Earlier Results for RR Premium Members Dates are release dates  Surveys conducted on preceding three nights RasmussenReports.com 7:58:32 PM    comment []

Amnesia in the Garden By MAUREEN DOWD Full article he Manichaean Candidate sees the world only in terms of good and evil, black and white. He scorns gray, nuance, complexity, context, changing circumstances and inconvenient facts. Real men make their own reality. Trying to match John Kerry, who roused the base at his convention with a line bashing the House of Bush-House of Saud coziness, George W. Bush roused the base at his convention with a liberal-media-elite-bashing line. W. took a page from Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Total Recall," a futuristic movie about inserting fully formed memories into the minds of unsuspecting victims. The president and vice president ignored all the expert evidence now compiled indicating no link between 9/11 and Saddam, and no Saddam threat to U.S. security. After talking about "the fanatics who killed some 3,000 of our fellow Americans," Dick Cheney boasted: "In Iraq, we dealt with a gathering threat, and removed the regime of Saddam Hussein." W. suddenly proclaimed himself a compassionate conservative again, even though extra-chromosome conservatives, as Lee Atwater called them, were in closed meetings calling for a culture war to curb the rights of women and gays. Mr. Bush even tried to implant in our heads that he is the son of Reagan. He didn't give his dad a speaking slot, though the last two Democratic presidents spoke in Boston, and he spent more time in his speech lionizing Gip than Pop. Inside Madison Square Garden, W. kept insisting he'd made the world safer. Outside, the exploding world didn't seem safe at all. 4:12:25 PM    comment []

Bush's National Guard File Missing Records WASHINGTON - Documents that should have been written to explain gaps in President Bush (news - web sites)'s Texas Air National Guard service are missing from the military records released about his service in 1972 and 1973, according to regulations and outside experts.  For example, Air National Guard regulations at the time required commanders to write an investigative report for the Air Force when Bush missed his annual medical exam in 1972. The regulations also required commanders to confirm in writing that Bush received counseling after missing five months of drills. No such records have been made public and the government told The Associated Press in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit that it has released all records it can find. 4:07:09 PM    comment []

Speaker Dennis Hastert, on Soros: "I also believe that 527 political organizations set a dangerous precedent for political discourse because we don't know where the money comes from. For all we know, funding for some of the 527s might come from foreign sources or worse." Back by popular demand, it's the handy Soros vs. Moon chart: Which sugar daddy is right for you? A consumer's guide George Soros Reverend Moon Claim to fame Investor Cult leader (Unification Church), businessman, owns The Washington Times and UPI Agenda Liberal democracy Moon-centered theocracy Net worth $5-7 billion $10 billion in assets Big gifts $35 million to the liberal groups MoveOn.org, Americans Coming Together, and the Center for American Progress His Times loses $100 million every year promoting the Republican cause. Pays lavish speaking fees to George H.W. Bush, William Bennett, and others. Has spotted Jerry Falwell and other hard-up Christian evangelicals for millions of dollars. Grassroots promotion of the Faith-Based Initiative, more. Cut a check for the "Contra" part of Iran-Contra. Maze of crypto-Moonist conservative foundations (like the American Family Coalition) Controversial idea Wants to legalize drugs. Has been called a "left-wing crank" by Tony Blankley Claims to be the Messiah and True Father of humanity. Has urged deacons to "tear down the cross." ("My enemies are America and Christianity. How am I going to win over those enemies?" he mused in 1993.) Shocking quote Compares War on Terror talk to Nazi slogans heard in his boyhood: "When I hear Bush say, 'You're either with us or against us,' it reminds me of the Germans." Calls the Holocaust payback for killing Christ: "Jewish people, you have to repent. Jesus was the King of Israel. Through the principle of indemnity Hitler killed six million Jews. That is why." Pet causes Anti-Communism in the old East Bloc (i.e. Polish Solidarity). Fostering "open societies" throughout the world. Funding study of the root causes of crime. Campaign finance reform Anti-Communism in Asia, South America. Reconciliation of Korean "Fatherland." Amending the U.S. Constitution to enforce sexual purity. Abstinence. Ensuring that newlyweds make love in white robes, with his photo nearby Thoughts "I propose replacing the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive military action with preventive action of a constructive and affirmative nature. Increased foreign aid or better and fairer trade rules, for example..." "Individualism is what God hates most"..."The separation between religion and politics is what Satan likes most." Deprogrammers hired to rescue teenagers from his remote compound? No Does business with North Korea? No Buying influence Vows he'll buy a Bush defeat "I influenced America through the Washington Times and so many different activities," he says. Claim: "Republicans' only hope is to unite with Father." Trouble in court Convicted of insider trading in France, fined $2 million Landed in federal prison in the early '80s for tax crimes and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Also, a group of lawyers in Japan attacked his "spiritual sales": aggressive missionaries scamming widows out of $622 million, by telling them their husbands would burn in hell unless they bought certain objects. Coronated the Messiah in a bizarre Congressional ceremony at the Dirksen Senate Office building? No Claims to be endorsed by former president William Howard Taft (1909-1913)? Unknown (Click check boxes for more information. Note: For purposes of accuracy, the simple description of Moon as a "Republican" has been removed, in mind of the uptick in Democrats drawn to his recent events. Moon's politics, however, remain conservative and he's been rewarded with $450,000 in your tax dollars for some...er..."faith-based programs" 8:16:01 AM    comment []

Wow. Even Susan Estrich, who usually seems to have forgotten she was ever a liberal (which I'm guessing has something to do with her token liberal post at Fox), wants blood: Thanks Suburban Guerilla:  The mask came off at the Republican convention on Wednesday night. After the video tribute to Ronald Reagan, the man whom his son described as a conservative without anger, the angry men took over. The angriest of all was Zig Zag Zell. It was stunt casting gone wrong. Sen. Zell Miller calls himself a Democrat, but he has no friends left in the Democratic Party, and after last night, some Republicans must be shaking their heads and wondering whether they want to claim him as one of their own. The substance of his speech was dubious at best. He attacked John Kerry for voting against the very weapons systems that Dick Cheney, as secretary of defense, had himself questioned. How could he justify this, Wolf Blitzer asked him after the speech. He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It's all here, he mumbled, seemingly unable to understand the question, much less answer it, even though it was repeated over and over. Why did you praise John Kerry when you came to the Senate, he was asked. Couldn't answer that one, either. He attacked John Kerry for describing the United States force in Iraq as occupiers, a term George W. Bush himself has used. Why? He couldn't explain that, either. Earlier in the week, in an interview with Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday," Zell Miller found himself making the case for change, as he did when he nominated Bill Clinton for president to run against George H.W. Bush. He stopped mid-sentence, clearly confused. Change? That was 12 years ago. Confused? Clearly. He quickly switched gears, and began to argue for stability. Could it be true, as those who have known Zell longest are suggesting, that he may not be all there, that a minor stroke or early onset Alzheimer's has clouded his judgment? That's the word among Democrats in Georgia, and if you watched his performance on Fox, you had to wonder if they could be right. But Wednesday night was worse. In the hall, partisan Republicans called it an old-fashioned stemwinder. On television, it came across as the tirade of a bitter old man. Who could forget that Zell Miller got his start in politics working for the angry segregationist Gov. Lester Maddox, who used to give out pick handles to his white customers at the Pickrick restaurant to use against blacks who might seek service? Zig Zag is not a new nickname for Miller, but one he earned years ago, for the ease with which he switched positions to suit his ambitions. Dick Cheney was not so angry. Or happy. Or engaged. Or anything. Passion was almost altogether missing from his performance. So was one of his daughters, who supposedly did not join the family on stage afterward for personal reasons. Even though she works full-time for her father, apparently there was no place on the podium for the vice president's openly gay daughter. Too bad. It might have brought some energy to what was the flattest moments of the week. Was the vice president that bored? That uninterested, patronizing or contemptuous? Hard to tell. What he certainly wasn't was engaged with his audience, or interested in anything other than attacking John Kerry or addressing the war on terror. No Ronald Reagan he. No Arnold Schwarzenegger, either. Rich Lowry, the editor of The National Review and as partisan a Republican as you can find, called it the worst night of the convention. It was one of the worst nights of any convention I can remember. It was enough to make you yearn for the much-criticized Bush twins and their "Sex in the City" jokes. But it's not simply a problem of style. In three days, no one has said a word about jobs, health care, education, children, seniors, prescription drugs, the environment, the cost of health insurance, clean air, clean water, urban sprawl, housing, poverty, cancer, the loss of manufacturing jobs, the working poor, the price of oil, etc., etc., etc. This has been a convention about fear and terror, about anger and hate, not about America's families sitting around their kitchen tables. Every poll says swing voters care most about the economy. They ain't heard nothing yet. To find out more about Susan Estrich, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2004 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. Originally Published on Friday September 3, 2004   Archive: To See Earlier Columns Friday September 3, 2004 Wednesday September 1, 2004       about creators  |  contact us  |  site index  |  privacy policy       8:07:44 AM    comment []

9/11 hijackers tied to Saudi government, Graham says in book. WASHINGTON -- Two of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers had a support network in the United States that included agents of the Saudi government, and the Bush administration and FBI blocked a congressional investigation into that relationship, Senator Bob Graham wrote in a book to be released Tuesday. The discovery of the financial backing of the two hijackers "would draw a direct line between the terrorists and the government of Saudi Arabia, and trigger an attempted coverup by the Bush administration," the Florida Democrat wrote. And in Graham's book, "Intelligence Matters," obtained by The Miami Herald yesterday, he makes clear that some details of that financial support from Saudi Arabia were in the 27 pages of the congressional inquiry's final report that were blocked from release by the administration, despite the pleas of leaders of both parties on the House and Senate intelligence committees 7:57:39 AM    comment []

Saturday, September 04, 2004

Where's the... Where's the Anything? Dan Froomkin puts together a partial list of things not addressed by George Bush last night: No beef...or veggies, or fruits, or starches either. Where's the Agenda? (washingtonpost.com): "Tonight," President Bush said at the top of his hour-long convention speech last night, "I will tell you where I stand, what I believe and where I will lead this country in the next four years." Not much luck on that last part.... [I]n substance, there was essentially nothing new last night, no detailed agenda... vague on the big stuff and otherwise small-bore. He didn't address the job losses that have plagued his tenure.... [On] Iraq, Bush defended his actions, but didn't describe a way out. Standing accused of having fudged the connection between the war on terror and the war on Iraq, he continued his attempt to conflate the two, without substantiation, leaving unclear where we go from here.... From Milbank and Allen: "The speech dealt lightly with some of the more vexing issues facing the Bush campaign. The president dealt only briefly with jobs and the economy, and the Democratic National Committee was quick to point out that he made no reference to Iran, North Korea or Osama bin Laden. The speech continued the efforts of other convention speakers -- whose remarks were vetted or written by the Bush-Cheney campaign -- to conflate the war in Iraq, which is generally unpopular, with the war on terrorism..."  From Balz: "Nowhere did he confront directly what he has heard along the campaign trail in battleground states such as Ohio and Michigan, which is the loss of jobs during his presidency and uneven economic recovery that casts a shadow over his hopes for reelection. . . . "Bush also did not confront the enormous fiscal problem that has been created during his presidency, an explosion of the deficit brought about by recession, the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the massive tax cuts he pushed and promoted even as he dramatically boosted spending on defense and homeland security." From Tom Shales in The Washington Post: "Bush, however, did not address his own recent flip-flop on whether the war on terrorism is winnable." From Nagourney and Stevenson: "[T]here was one notable omission from Mr. Bush's speech. The president made no mention of the foreign figure who arguably most influenced his first term in the White House: Osama bin Laden, the yet-to-be-captured leader of Al Qaeda." From Fournier: "He didn't mention Kerry's combat service in the Vietnam War or his rivals anti-war protests, issues that have dominate the political debate the past month. " Todd S. Purdum... Bush "offered few critical details of the second-term domestic agenda he outlined. His big policy ideas -- restraining government spending, simplifying the tax code, offering tax credits for health savings accounts, allowing personal investment accounts for Social Security -- were vague. And the specific proposals he cited -- increasing money for community colleges, opening rural health centers -- were mostly small. . . From AFP: "Bush's speech was as notable for what was not in it: He did not mention the failure to find the weapons of mass destruction he cited as the reason for the war in Iraq, which has eroded US credibility. . . . "Bush offered no new details on when the roughly 130,000 US troops in Iraq or their comrades in Afghanistan might return home, saying only that their goal was to help both war-torn nations 'get on the path of stability and democracy as quickly as possible.' "Todd S. Purdum... Bush "offered few critical details of the second-term domestic agenda he outlined. His big policy ideas -- restraining government spending, simplifying the tax code, offering tax credits for health savings accounts, allowing personal investment accounts for Social Security -- were vague. And the specific proposals he cited -- increasing money for community colleges, opening rural health centers -- were mostly small. . . . John Tierney and Sheryl Gay Stolberg write in the New York Times: "The Walter Mondale Where's-the-Beef Award [goes to]: George W. Bush, who told the conventioneers, 'Anyone who wants more details on my agenda can find them online.' Ever the wonks, we followed the directions to georgewbush.com, seeking the details of the crowd-pleasing promise in his speech to 'lead a bipartisan effort to reform and simplify the federal tax code.' Here's all we found: 'President Bush will work with Congress to make the tax code simpler for taxpayers, encourage saving and investment, and improve the economy's ability to create jobs and raise wages.' "... Los Angeles Times: "His well-written speech would have been more convincing if he had not actually been president for the last four years."...   From Howard Kurtz on (washingtonpost.com) "There was, you might have noticed, no mention of the nearly half-trillion-dollar budget deficit." Unfogged: ...guess what word—other than "a," "and," and "the"—occurs most fr frequently in the acceptance speech George W. Bush delivered tonight. The word is "will." It appears 76 times. This was a speech all about what Bush will do, and what will happen, if he becomes president. Except he already is president. He already ran this campaign. He promised great things. They haven't happened. So, he's trying to go back in time. He wants you to see in him the potential you saw four years ago. He can't show you the things he promised, so he asks you to envision them. He asks you to be "optimistic." He asks you to have faith. My favorite moment was when Bush touted the No Child Left Behind Act. No more social promotion, he promised. "We are transforming our schools by raising standards and focusing on results. We are insisting on accountability." Wasn't this speech, full of unfulfilled promises and appeals to good character, basically a plea for social promotion? Isn't that the message of the entire Bush campaign? Shouldn't the president have to show results, too? Wordplay Number of times the following words/phrases (or variants) were uttered in George W. Bush's acceptance speech Thursday night: Deficit: 0 Unemployment: 0 Balanced Budget: 0 Surplus: 0 Blue Skies Initiative: 0 Intelligence Failures: 0 Gay/Homosexual: 0 Estate Tax: 0 Corporate Fraud: 0 Elderly: 0 Prosperity: 0 Investigation: 0 Commission (any commission): 0 Osama Bin-Laden: 0 Weapons of Mass Destruction: 1* * "We knew Saddam Hussein's record of aggression and support for terror. We knew his long history of pursuing, even using, weapons of mass destruction. And we know that Sept. 11 requires our country to think differently." [The 9-11 Commission reported 'no credible evidence' linking 9-11 and Saddam - Ed.] And, for the record, here are a few other things he didn't mention: • The prison abuse scandal or allegations of torture in IIraq. • His proposed mission to Mars. • The value, past or future, of having a Republican-contrrolled Congress. • His "miscalculation" in Iraq. • A headcount of the dead in Iraq. To be fair, one should note that Bush was very resolute in his refusal to address any of these things. The only problem, really, with the president's big speech was that the policies he's actually pursuing bear little resemblance to the policies he was talking about, the candidate he's actually running against bears little resemblance to the candidate he was talking about, and the world he's actually living in bears little resemblance to the the world he was talking about. 8:10:07 AM    comment []

Thursday, September 02, 2004

GOP Prism Distorts Some Kerry Votes. A number of the specific claims made in attacks against Sen. John F. Kerry this week are at best selective and in many cases stripped of their context, according to a review of the documentation provided by the Bush campaign. As a senator, Kerry has long been skeptical of big-ticket weapons systems, especially when measured against rising budget deficits, and to some extent he opened himself to this line of attack when he chose to largely skip over his Senate career during his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention last month. But the barrage by Republicans at their own convention has often misportrayed statements or votes that are years, if not decades, old. For instance: • Kerry did not cast a series of votes against individual weapons systems, as Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.) suggested in a slashing convention speech in New York late Wednesday, but instead Kerry voted against a Pentagon spending package in 1990 as part of deliberations over restructuring and downsizing the military in the post-Cold War era. • Both Vice President Cheney and Miller have said that Kerry would like to see U.S. troops deployed only at the direction of the United Nations, with Cheney noting that the remark had been made at the start of Kerry's political career. This refers to a statement made nearly 35 years ago, when Kerry gave an interview to the Harvard Crimson, 10 months after he had returned from the Vietnam War angry and disillusioned by his experiences there. (President Bush at the time was in the Air National Guard, about to earn his wings.) • President Bush, Cheney and Miller faulted Kerry for voting against body armor for troops in Iraq. But much of the funding for body armor was added to the bill by House Democrats, not the administration, and Kerry's vote against the entire bill was rooted in a dispute with the administration over how to pay for $20 billion earmarked for reconstruction of Iraq. Six years later, Kerry took part in a complex and serious debate in Congress over how to restructure the military after the Cold War. Cheney, at the time defense secretary, had scolded Congress for keeping alive such programs as the F-14 and F-16 jet fighters that he wanted to eliminate. Miller said in his speech that Kerry had foolishly opposed both the weapons systems and would have left the military armed with "spitballs." During that same debate, President George H.W. Bush, the current president's father, proposed shutting down production of the B-2 bomber -- another weapons system cited by Miller -- and pledged to cut defense spending by 30 percent in eight years. Though Miller recited a long list of weapons systems, Kerry did not vote against these specific weapons on the floor of the Senate during this period. Instead, he voted against an omnibus defense spending bill that would have funded all these programs; it is this vote that forms the crux of the GOP case that he "opposed" these programs. On the Senate floor, Kerry cast his vote in terms of fiscal concerns, saying the defense bill did not "represent sound budgetary policy" in a time of "extreme budget austerity." Much like Bush's father, he singled out the B-2 bomber for specific attention, saying it is "one of the most costly, waste-ridden programs in a long history of waste, fraud and abuse scandals that have plagued Pentagon spending." 11:08:18 PM    comment []

Every time I look on Fox News channel's website, I always see these funny anti-Kerry ads. Now they have a new one . ADVERTISEMENT I keep checking CNN and MSNBC's websites and have never seen a camnpaign ad quite like this! I report and you decide, JA 11:01:46 PM    comment []

Wednesday, September 01, 2004

Nader Crashes the GOP's Bash. Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader is crashing the Republican National Convention, stopping by Madison Square Garden, giving a flurry of media interviews and offering a running critique of nearly every major policy initiative of the Bush administration. By By Brian Faler. [washingtonpost.com - Politics] 8:34:26 PM    comment []

Hard right is left on the sidelines of GOP convention. At the GOP convention, president Bush's political core stays offstage so cameras don't see and swing voters don't hear. [USATODAY.com Politics - Top Stories] 8:33:09 PM    comment []

CNN rejected Log Cabin Republicans ad urging inclusiveness at RNC Blogger Joshua Micah Marshall has reported on his website, Talking Points Memo, that CNN has refused to run a TV advertisement by the gay Republican group Log Cabin Republicans. The ad, as Marshall described it, advocates "an inclusive, rather than an intolerant Republican party" and concludes with the words "HOPE NOT FEAR." According to Marshall, other channels, including FOX News Channel, have agreed to run the ad -- but CNN has rejected it as "too controversial." Media Matters for America viewed the ad, and we're guessing the part CNN deemed too controversial is not the clip from a stirring speech by the Great Communicator before a Republican Convention past. Rather, it's likely a photo of gay-basher Fred Phelps, carrying his trademark placards emblazoned with the words "GOD HATES FAGS." So, to sum up: CNN says Log Cabin Republicans cannot run an ad that accurately depicts signs carried by a publicity-savvy hate-monger. But the network has agreed to run (and give near-constant free airtime to) a series of ads by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that smear Senator John Kerry. 8:28:19 PM    comment []

The Ebert and McCain show By Michael Moore NEW YORK — Poor John McCain. Here's a guy I've always sort of liked, a courageous war hero reduced to carrying water for the Bush campaign. (Related stories: Moore index page) So it was Monday night, as I sat in the press section — unbeknownst to Sen. McCain — when he switched from pro-war convention speaker to film critic. Out of nowhere, he began to attack my movie, Fahrenheit 9/11, calling me a "disingenuous filmmaker." The problem is, he hasn't seen the movie, a fact he later admitted to Chris Matthews on MSNBC. I know Republicans are mad that my film may have convinced just enough people to tip the balance in this election. Yet with all the serious issues facing our country, and right smack in the middle of an important speech about the need to catch the terrorists and continue the war in Iraq, McCain decided to turn the convention into the Ebert and McCain Show. He claimed that I portrayed Saddam's Iraq as an "oasis of peace." Some of the 20 million who have seen the film must have wondered, "Did I miss that scene? I knew I shouldn't have gone out for those Goobers." All I can imagine McCain was referring to was a brief cutaway just as President Bush announces the commencement of the bombing of Baghdad on March 19, 2003. Human-rights groups say thousands of civilians were killed because of our bombing. I thought it would be worthwhile to show some of the faces of Iraqi people who might soon meet their death. I felt really bad for McCain standing there on the stage. The man wanted to be president. That dream was snuffed out during the 2000 primaries, when George W. Bush's supporters spread nasty rumors about what five and a half years in a North Vietnamese POW camp might have done to McCain's sanity. Then there were the calls to potential white voters in South Carolina to inform them that McCain had a "black baby." (He and his wife adopted a child from Bangladesh.) The Bush supporters also spread other rumors that questioned McCain's patriotism, even though the man was a decorated war hero while W. chose to oh, let's not get into that again. Still, McCain has offered to soldier on for Bush. So how does Bush's campaign treat him? It doesn't tell him I might be in the press section, officially credentialed. It has him say some gibberish about my movie. Everyone then sees me, I start laughing my ball cap off, the crowd goes bananas, and poor McCain must think he said something funny or cool, so he says, "That line was so good, I'll use it again." Agghh! Thousands of Republicans turned to me chanting "Four more years." I thought, "That's strange, Republicans are usually good at math, but they're off by a few dozen months. Bush only has two months left." So I held up two fingers to correct their miscalculation. But that just drove them into more of a frenzy. If you have never had this happen to you, I insist you try it at least once in your life. It is better than an angry mosh pit at a Slayer concert. As a quiet salute to Beavis and Butthead, I held up my index finger and thumb in an "L" — the international sign for loser — which is what I hope their candidate is about to become. As for McCain, he had to beg the mob to be silent and listen to the rest of his speech. He must have wondered why a party that promises to protect us from terrorists booed my name more loudly than Saddam's or Osama's. Actually, no one mentioned the "O" name Monday night because, well, that would acknowledge that they have failed to find him. Perhaps that is why Bush told Today anchor Matt Lauer that we can't win the war against terrorism. Perhaps that is why they were more mad at me than the bad guys. I'm much easier to remove. Maybe I'll call up McCain and treat him to a movie down the block, one I know he will enjoy, considering he agreed that I was right when Chris Matthews said a main point of my movie is that "war is often fought by people without power." If he will join me at the movies, he'll see brave soldiers like himself face the camera and tell the truth to the American people about what is going on in a place called Iraq.   5:10:44 AM    comment []

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

TV coverage favors RNC than DNC Convention opening night comparison: FOX's live speech coverage of Republicans almost doubled that of Dems. CNN aired five more minutes of live primetime speech coverage on the first night of the RNC than it aired on the first night of the DNC. MSNBC aired 17 minutes more of the RNC speeches than of the DNC speeches. FOX News Channel devoted 65 of its 74 minutes of live speech coverage to major speakers, airing speeches by both Senator John McCain (R-AZ) (25 minutes) and former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani (40 minutes) in their entirety. On the first night of the DNC, the network devoted just 40 minutes to major speakers -- airing only former President Bill Clinton's speech (24 minutes) and Senator Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) introduction of him (11.5 minutes) in their entirety. It aired only 45 seconds of former Vice President Al Gore's speech and just four minutes of former President Jimmy Carter's speech. On the opening night of the RNC, FOX aired live coverage of speeches by September 11 victims' family members Deena Burnett, Debra Burlingame, and Tara Stackpole. Yet on the first night of the DNC, the network did not air any of a speech by Haleema Salie, whose pregnant daughter and son-in-law were on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. CNN and MSNBC did show Salie's speech. Finally, mediabistro.com's TVNewser weblog noted that while FOX aired the national anthem live during the RNC, the network did not air it during the DNC. Thanks Mediamatters.com 9:10:34 PM    comment []

Giuliani Charges Lack Context. Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani made a number of specific attacks based on statements allegedly made by Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry in his speech to the Republican National Convention Monday night. But Giuliani's description of those comments often lacked context. By By Glenn Kessler. [washingtonpost.com - Politics] 4:55:01 PM    comment []

Who said what? A) We need a strong military and we need to lead strong alliances. And then, with confidence and determination, we will be able to tell the terrorists: You will lose and we will win. The future doesn't belong to fear; it belongs to freedom. B) "I don't think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that the -- those who use terror as a tool are -- less acceptable in parts of the world." Answers: a) John Kerry b) George Bush If you got it right, congratulations. What would the Republican Noise machine have said if John Kerry had said that we couldn't win the war on terror. 8:29:14 AM    comment []

Pre-emptive policy still being debated. In a landmark June 1, 2002, speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., President Bush quoted former secretary of State general George C. Marshall to explain what is now known as the Bush doctrine an unflinching, pre-emptive war against terrorism in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. [USATODAY.com Politics - Top Stories] "Those who say it is better to be feared have to answer a difficult question: How can you be safe when the world hates you?" O'Hanlon asks. 8:06:23 AM    comment []

Monday, August 30, 2004

Bush's risky 9/11 legacy GOP walks fine line in touting its terror record vs. politicizing it. By Liz Marlantes | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor NEW YORK – If political conventions are designed to showcase a candidate's biggest asset, then George W. Bush's will revolve around one thing: 9/11. Ever since Republicans chose New York - an overwhelmingly Democratic city in a state certain to back John Kerry - as their convention site, it has been clear that the memory of the 9/11 attacks would be central to the president's reelection effort. Throughout the week, Republicans hope to resurrect what many Americans still see as Mr. Bush's finest hours - his leadership in the wake of the attacks, when many voters bonded with their president and gave him overwhelmingly high approval ratings. 1:37:07 PM    comment []

The Bush retreat? "We have a clear vision on how to win the war on terror and bring peace to the world." -- George W. Bush July 30th 2004. "I don’t think you can win [the war on terror]. But I think you can create conditions so that the — those who use terror as a tool are — less acceptable in parts of the world.” -- George W. Bush Aug. 29th, 2004. 12:52:34 PM    comment []

An opposite view Open progressive conservative thread Go read David Brooks' cover story for the New York Times Magazine on the future of both conservatism and the Republican Party (not necessarily the same thing). Brooks opens with a point I've made in recent months: There used to be a spirit of solidarity binding all the embattled members of the conservative movement. But with conservatism ascendant, that spirit has eroded. Should Bush lose, it will be like a pack of wolves that suddenly turns on itself. The civil war over the future of the party will be ruthless and bloody. The foreign-policy realists will battle the democracy-promoting Reaganites. The immigrant-bashing nativists will battle the free marketeers. The tax-cutting growth wing will battle the fiscally prudent deficit hawks. The social conservatives will war with the social moderates, the biotech skeptics with the biotech enthusiasts, the K Street corporatists with the tariff-loving populists, the civil libertarians with the security-minded Ashcroftians. In short, the Republican Party is unstable. 10:09:57 AM    comment []

Prez on war against terror: 'I don't think you can win it' When asked “Can we win?” the war on terror, Bush said, “I don’t think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that the — those who use terror as a tool are — less acceptable in parts of the world.”  article 10:00:53 AM    comment []

Columnist Has Ties to Anti-Kerry Book In his syndicated columns and on the CNN program "Crossfire," Mr. Novak has lauded the book and referred to veterans who criticize Mr. Kerry - most notably John E. O'Neill, the book's co-author - as "real patriots." Unmentioned in Mr. Novak's columns and television appearances, however, is a personal connection he has to the book: his son, Alex Novak, is the director of marketing for its publisher, the conservative publishing house Regnery.   9:10:05 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2004 John Amato.