His Vietnam Experience

Just keeps on keepin on...


GOP senator: McCain roughed up Nicaraguan
AP



One of John McCain's Republican colleagues says he saw the presumed GOP presidential nominee roughly grab an associate of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and lift him out of his chair during a diplomatic mission to the Central American nation in 1987.

A former McCain aide who was along on the mission said he doesn't recall an incident like the one described by Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.

Cochran said he saw McCain, who has a reputation for being hot tempered, rough up an Ortega associate during a trip to Nicaragua led by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan.

"McCain was down at the end of the table and we were talking to the head of the guerrilla group here at this end of the table and I don't know what attracted my attention," Cochran said in an interview with the Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss. "But I saw some kind of quick movement at the bottom of the table and I looked down there and John had reached over and grabbed this guy by the shirt collar and had snatched him up like he was throwing him up out of the chair to tell him what he thought about him or whatever ...

"I don't know what he was telling him but I thought, 'Good grief, everybody around here has got guns and we were there on a diplomatic mission.' I don't know what had happened to provoke John, but he obviously got mad at the guy ... and he just reached over there and snatched ... him."

The "netroots" have been throwing mass hissy fits over FISA for a couple of weeks. Well, whatever, if the "FISA cave" twisted your undergarments, just wait a couple of weeks.

Bush appears for all the world to be setting the Demo Leadership up, preparing the battle space for his hit on Iran - the Grand Finale

Evidence?  Lots of Sunday reading. We've seen this movie before.  Covert ops now going on under classified Presidential budget cover and a very public effort to lay the groundwork for draconian sanctions of the kind imposed on Iraq.
 

Cole:

Sunday afternoon viewing:

Ron Paul on Iran and the energy crisis. He argues that speculation about a US or Israeli strike on Iran is driving some of the increase in oil prices.

The OPEC president should know a thing or two about what drives oil prices and he agrees.

 

 

Just because Ron Paul's from Texas don't mean he's a total idiot Bush, DeLay, Gramm, Perry, Cornyn et al to the contrary notwithstanding

 As Seymour Hersh points out in his latest Preparing the Battle Field, Bush has been conducting covert operations for some time

Paul is talking about HCON Res 362, the "Iran War Resolution" which is coming to a vote on July 8

It's been obvious for 2-3 years now that Wes Clark's been running for SOMETHING. No great secret to anyone on his email list..always raising money for some Senate or Gov candidate then Hillary But what? Sec Def or Veep?

Today with Mentum co-appearing on Face ... This has all the hallmarks of a VP campaign ramping into high gear
 
Clark Slams McCain(Politico)

Gen. Wesley Clark, acting as a surrogate for Barack Obama’s campaign, invoked John McCain’s military service against him in one of the more personal attacks on the Republican presidential nominee this election cycle.

I DID NOT receive this. Forwarded by an Obamacon

My Friends,


The Straight Talk Express bus has become
a symbol of my campaign's openness, honesty and
access - true democracy at work. Some of my
favorite memories of the campaign so far are of
riding on the Straight Talk Express across this
great country, enjoying unscripted, spirited
conversation about the issues with members of
the press and other passengers.

I believe
voters deserve a close examination of our
presidential candidates. This give-and-take
of ideas is a true example of democracy in
action.

I'd like to take the
opportunity today to invite you to join me on
the Straight Talk Express for a day of
conversation and campaigning.

Our last
"Ride the Bus" contest was such a success, we've
decided to launch it again. As a token of my
appreciation for your financial support, with any
donation you make between today and next
Monday at midnight, will qualify you to win a
seat aboard the Straight Talk Express. I hope
you'll consider joining me by making a donation
right away.

McClellan May Vote Democratic

Scott McClellan - the longtime supporter of President
George W. Bush who served as his White House press secretary for nearly
three years - said today he hasn't ruled out registering as a Democrat
or voting Democratic for president this year.

"I haven't made any long-term decisions," McClellan said after an
address to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, where he received a
warm reception from an audience numbering in the hundreds at the
Fairmont Hotel

From today's SF Chronicle.  Proponents claim they already have sufficient signatures to qualify for the November ballot

"(Bush) has always done well for the affluent of America, and
anyone that does well for the affluent should be named for the
effluent," he said.





SF Group Proposes Renaming City Sewage Treatment Facility - "The George Bush Sewage Plant"

"Fifty years from now in a civics class, students will learn about
the Lincoln Memorial, that other presidents are on Mount Rushmore - and
George W. Bush got a sewage plant," he said. "It will prompt people to
ask why, and they can discuss the Iraq war, and everything that led to
it. People want to forget bad moments of history, and this is our way
of making sure that doesn't happen."

The answer to my prayers may be closer than we think.
Almost a no-brainer for McSame - a "national unity ticket" with the only politician who has been totally loyal through thick and thin

A McCain-Lieberman ticket?

Joe-mentum slants too far right for Democrats, but it would (believe it or not) move the Republicans toward the center.

I'm Voting Republican Because... (video)

Facilitrix still has no earthly idea what she is talking about. The Episcopal Bishop of California plainly stated that he wished his priests not marry any couples until the Church itself granted full marriage equality.  Until then, the Bishop urged all couples to marry in civil ceremonies and have their unions blessed in their parishes.

Facile seems to have a problem understanding the unambiguous meaning of Bishop Andrus's words. Today's SF Chronicle had no such problem and neither do I:

Creating equality for all

Bishop Marc Andrus, who leads a six-county Bay Area diocese based in San Francisco, is recommending a split between civil and church weddings to create equality for all.

Andrus is suggesting that all couples go to county clerks' offices or have a purely civil ceremony elsewhere. As a second step, Andrus is advising that they return to the church for a blessing. Andrus is recommending that all couples - regardless of sexual orientation - use one of the three rites approved for same-sex blessings.

"This allows the church to focus on what is genuinely spiritual about marriage and leaves the legal parts that have to do with registering and legal rights - which are tremendously important, and why we're supporting this ruling - in the hands of the state," he said.

Andrus said it is part of a natural order that churches might lead the state, and that the state might lead the church.

"We seek to intently follow Christ, but we don't contain Christ," Andrus said. "Christ transcends the boundaries of the church. ... It's not a surprise to me that the culture is going to manifest Christ in a way that summons the church to new realities. I really welcome that. I think that's the way it's meant to be."

Ref:http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/06/facileitatrix-facilitate-this.php#comment-2905527

Election 2008 is a battle against the Little Fascist War Party of the US, not dems v republicans

Forewarned is forearmed

They want to talk about Obama as black panther, black muslim, communist and closet peter puffer



Why do you think they do this?

Because they hate our values


From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

   Listen. What you are about to hear is the sound of John McCain flip-flopping his position on one of America's most cherished ideals.

    A top McCain advisor says the Republican presidential candidate agrees with President Bush's outrageous program of wiretapping Americans' overseas conversations without warrants.

    McCain previously had been critical of the Bush administration's unilateral decision, following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, to let the National Security Agency eavesdrop on untold numbers of citizens.

    Before, McCain talked of the need for presidents to obey the law, just as other Americans must do.

    But now he suggests that a McCain White House would pursue the same unchecked spy powers as Bush.

    His flip-flop isn't as significant as the fact that McCain has gotten hold of the wrong end of the stick.

In 2008, it is not the economy stupid, no matter how many times CNN tells you otherwise

WRT, my Episcopal Bishop's pastoral letter.  You wanted to know what I was talking about when I said the diocesan called for a suspension of heterosexual marriages in Bay Area parishes?

Facilitate THIS moron...and in the future watch you mouth when addressing me

I urge you to encourage all couples, regardless of orientation,to follow the pattern of first being married in a secular service and then being blessed in the Episcopal Church. I will publicly urge all couples to follow this pattern.

Bite me asshole

The view from the Canadian Broadcasting Co

The blueprint for Forward Base America


Like
the guy in the movie yelling pointlessly out the window how he's mad as
hell and isn't going to take it anymore, American voters have a
persistent fantasy about their own transformative powers.

They
want out of Iraq, which is understandable. Beyond all the corpses,
walking wounded and destruction, George W. Bush's expeditionary
adventure in social engineering is costing Americans $2 billion a week
and there are all sorts of good uses for cash like that here at home.

But
most Americans don't understand what is going on right now, urgently
and secretly, in Baghdad and Washington. Nor do they realize it may be
part of a grand plan, hatched by the same conservative group that
brought about the war on Iraq in the first place.


Been the NeoCon plan all along
Still is.
That's why McSame is running for president and why the War Party must defeat Barack Obama

The Episcopal Bishop of California (Bay Area parishes) just released the following Pastoral Letter on Gay Marriage

Translation:
Since the Church has no rite for marrying Adam and Steve, it will no
longer marry Adam and Eve in the Diocese of California


xoxoxo

The Bishop of California



ruh roh

Pastoral Letter from our Bishop Regarding Same-sex Marriage


June 9, 2008


Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,


I welcome the ruling of the California Supreme Court affirming the
fundamental right of all people to marry. I am writing to you now to
recommend a path to use this decision to strengthen our support of our
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered sisters and brothers, and our
continued witness to God’s inclusive love.


Clergy and lay leaders in the diocese have been working for the
rights of LGBT people and for their full inclusion in our Church for
more than forty years. Today, we continue to walk a journey that
includes:


• Bringing the witness of our LGBT sisters and brothers to this summer’s Lambeth Conference,

• Combating a ballot initiative this November that will attempt to
take away the rights recently recognized by the California Supreme
Court,
• Providing leadership at next summer's General Convention to
bring our marriage practices and theology in line with our fundamental
baptismal theology.

For far too long the onus has fallen on marginalized people to bear
the burden of inequalities that exist within the Church, and the
decision by our state’s Supreme Court has given us the opportunity to
level the playing field.


To that end, the Diocese of California seeks to provide, by
advocacy and example, a way forward for The Episcopal Church so that
the marriage of same-sex couples will be a part of our official
marriage rites, without distinction. Although The Episcopal Church does
not have canonical rites for same-sex marriage, it is our goal that all
couples be treated equally by the Church, as they are equally loved by
God.


I therefore provide you with the following pastoral guidelines:

29060. jexster - 6/13/2008 3:46:24 AM



• I urge you to encourage all couples, regardless of orientation,
to follow the pattern of first being married in a secular service and
then being blessed in the Episcopal Church. I will publicly urge all
couples to follow this pattern.
• For now, the three rites approved for trial use under the
pastoral direction of the bishop, adopted by resolution at the 2007
Diocesan Convention (see appendix), should be commended to all couples
(again, regardless of orientation) to bless secular marriages.
• All marriages should be performed by someone in one of the
secular categories set forth in California Family Code, section 400
(see appendix), noting that any person in the state of California can
be deputized to perform civil marriages. The proper sphere for
Episcopal clergy is the blessing portion of the marriage.
• The understanding of The Episcopal Church currently is that
blessings are an extension of the pastoral office of the bishop. I ask
that you continue to inform me of all same-sex blessings.
• Couples who have been married under the auspices of the
California Supreme Court ruling must have the same pre-marriage
counseling as that required of any couple seeking marriage or blessing
of marriage in The Episcopal Church. This should be understood as an
offering of the Church’s support for marriage.
• I urge Episcopalians, clergy and lay, to volunteer as Deputy
Marriage Commissioners. There are over 4,000 civil same-sex marriages
planned in a short period of time in the city of San Francisco alone
and the city is asking for help in meeting demand. I intend to
volunteer for this at my earliest opportunity. This would be one sign
of affirmation for the Supreme Court ruling from our diocese. By city
requirement, clergy will not be allowed to wear collars when presiding
at secular marriages. (For more information about how to be deputized,
see the attached appendix.)
• All people receiving blessings of civil marriages in the
Diocese of California are free to use the same degree of publicity
(e.g., newspaper notices).

29061. jexster - 6/13/2008 3:47:18 AM



These are interim measures as the Diocese of California and The
Episcopal Church continue our journey in the context of this prophetic
opportunity provided by the California Supreme Court’s ruling. I have
already initiated a process to arrive at a more studied, permanent
answer for Episcopal clergy presiding at same-sex marriages in this
diocese. That process includes the formation of a panel of diocesan
clergy to make recommendations about how to move toward equality of
marriage rites for all people. These recommendations will be discussed
across the diocese resulting in an official diocesan policy.



In the coming days, I will publicly state my opposition to the
initiative to overturn the Supreme Court ruling. The Diocese of
California will publish advertising around June 17 celebrating the
Supreme Court ruling and inviting same-sex couples to our churches for
pre-marital counseling and nourishment in communities of faith.



As always, I welcome your wisdom, your insights and your input on
these matters, and I continue in my commitment to work for a Church
that sees all of God’s children through the same eyes that God does.

Peace,

The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus

Bishop

Just not ready for prime time... Maybe a little more seasoning?


Telegraph UK: Clinton to be Offered Dignified Exit

after 17 months of campaigning, and $150 million (£76 million) spent, the question that haunts the Clinton camp is: how did someone who a year ago had unrivalled name recognition, a legendary campaign organisation and more money than her opponent contrive to throw it all away?

The answers come down to wrong message, wrong tactics, complacency, character - and, ultimately, the opponent. Even Clinton aides agree that she wrongly sold herself as a candidate of experience, when voters yearned for Barack Obama's message of change. Her campaign machine then failed to win January's crucial opening Iowa caucuses, handing lethal momentum to Mr Obama.

Her staff mistakenly believed they could knock her rival out by "Super Tuesday" on February 5, when 22 states voted. When that did not happen, she had neither the resources nor the organisation to compete in the succession of caucuses that followed, allowing Mr Obama to build the delegate lead he maintains to this day.

Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster not affiliated to either camp, told The Sunday Telegraph: "We have known for two years that Democrats and voters in general are much more interested in change. Yet for reasons that are inexplicable, the Clinton campaign chose to be on the short end of that message stick."

Backed into a corner, Mrs Clinton responded with increasingly outlandish claims about her qualifications, including a ludicrous statement that she had braved sniper fire on a trip to Bosnia.

That, plus her subsequent insistence that she had merely "mis-spoken" rather than admitting she had got her facts wrong, raised new issues about her character.

In any case, Mr Mellman believes the decisive factor in her defeat was the one she couldn't control. "The most important thing was that she was up against Barack Obama. He is enormously talented."

Field Poll

A new poll of California voters appears to undercut Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's argument that she is the stronger presidential candidate in big states, showing that her long-standing support in the nation's most populous state has eroded among Democrats - and even women.

The latest Field Poll shows that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama - who lost the Feb. 5 California primary to Clinton by nine points - is now preferred as the party nominee by a landslide 51 to 38 percent among the state's Democrats, according to a poll of 914 likely party voters taken May 16-27. ...

Obama and Clinton each beat McCain by 17 points in the state.