Commentary (and rants) on national and local politics.
I love The Onion. After watching Bush's speech tonight, it's clear what his re-election gameplan is: you like him or you don't. Plain and simple. He's going to let Kerry do the dancing for the swing vote and cross his fingers hoping JFK hangs himself with a misstep or two. Much as I hate the guy and everything he stands for, I can't say I'm willing to bet against him at this point. Kerry better come up with a mind-blowing, paradigm-shifting choice for VP. :-( PS: Apologies to the Acentos crew for not making it out tonight. The weather, my…
The feedback from louder than words has been great. Much of it overwhelmingly positive, and where there was critique, it was generally offered honestly and clearly. Eric, Helen, Diane and I met Tuesday night to digest it all and tweak the format in a way that puts more emphasis on - and sets aside more time for - the debate. One of the comments we received - or, more correctly, I received as it was all directed at me - took issue with some of the things I said in my introduction, challenging me on both facts and opinion. The…
President Forever 2004 is the perfect computer sim for political junkies. I bought the full version last week (only $12, well worth it!) and have run through six campaigns so far with Dubya kicking my ass all but once. He beat Kerry twice, paired up with Edwards and then Gephardt, neither of whom helped carry their home states. He beat Kucinich twice, with Edwards and then Clark, again with neither VP delivering their home states. Kucinich's default setup is oddly to the right of the real deal. Not drastically, but subtly enough to illustrate the annoying nuances of politics that…
Another hopeful sign…
Soldier who refused to return to Iraq to surrender in North Miami
By Erik Schelzig, Associated Press
NORTH MIAMI, Fla. (AP) Shaken by a gunfight in Iraq that killed innocent civilians, a 28-year-old U.S. soldier declared the invasion ”an oil-driven war” and said he won’t return to the Middle East and fight.
Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia, of Miami Beach, surrendered Monday at an air force base in Massachusetts, where he was ordered to report to his unit Tuesday at the North Miami Armory in suburban Miami.
His attorney, Louis Font, said he believes Mejia is the first soldier to turn himself in after refusing to return to Iraq. Mejia said he would seek conscientious objector status.
Mejia was in Iraq for about five months last year until October, when he returned home on leave. He did not return to duty.
”This is an oil-driven war, and I don’t think any soldier signs up to fight for oil,” Mejia said Monday after arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Mejia said he was particularly upset over an incident in which he and others were ambushed and innocent civilians were hit in the ensuing gunfire.
”That’s one of the things that tells me there’s no such thing as a fair war, no such thing as a just war,” he said.
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Perhaps there is some reason for hope…
Spain Vows to Pull Soldiers Out of Iraq
By ED McCULLOUGH, Associated Press Writer
MADRID, Spain – The leader of Spain’s victorious Socialists said Monday he will withdraw his nation’s support for the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, restating a campaign promise a day after his party won elections overshadowed by terrorist bombings.
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, calling the war that ousted Saddam Hussein an “error,” said he would recall Spanish troops from Iraq by June 30 unless the United Nations assumes control of multinational military operations there.
In a surprise defeat, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar’s conservatives on Sunday became the first government that backed Washington in Iraq to be voted from office. The election came amid charges that Aznar made Spain a target for terrorists by supporting the war, and that his government concealed possible connections between the attack and Islamic terrorists for political gain.
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1. The Machiavellian Chronicles continue over coffee with my old boss this afternoon [Starbucks. She paid. I still feel guilty!] to discuss the current situation and the interesting direction it took earlier today. She's the only one I actually trust and things could get very interesting as early as next week so I'm trying to place my pieces on the right squares and minimize the collateral damage. Drama! 2. On a related note, I got some well-timed rave reviews for the series of ads I did for our new Accounting books. I love it when a plan comes together! 3.…
Let's ignore the undemocratic idiocy of the fact that on the one day of the primary season that the most delegates are up for grabs, there's only four of the ten original candidates actively running, one of whom has been routinely referred to as "the presumptive nominee" for the past few weeks. Let's ignore the hypocrisy of the fact that the networks pledged to stop projecting the winner of individual states until after the polls were closed during the Presidential election, but tonight were projecting John Kerry victories in some states a full three hours before the polls in California…
