Alabama's Family Farm Bill ~ Don't do it Kim S.

There's likely nobody in the blogosphere that thinks more of Alabama Senator Kim S. Benefield from Woodland, Alabama. I've known her for years and think she's top drawer. However, I do worry she's gone over to the dark side in supporting this ALFA backed legislation cleverly framed as the Family Farm Preservation Act.

Senator, didn't ALFA, likely the biggest of the Big Mules in Alabama, support Gerald "Dino" Dial against you? I know we must move on in politics. Surely having ALFA's support in the future will be helpful but hold them to a little responsibility please. Should this bill (and the actual text may be found via ALISON) become law then instead of the seemingly happy porkers to the left (that might be the ideal even if not always the reality) you'll have plenty of this. The Anniston Star labels this ALFA backed bill the "Alabama Agribusiness Advancement Act" and rightly asks why it fails to define "family farm". "Hog Farm Bill" might work just as well.

I'll also send you to the Top Ten Reasons for rural communities to be concerned about large-scale, corporate hog operations by John Ikerd, Agricultural Economist, University of Missouri, Columbia. One of the things he references is the fact that small operators will be harmed by CAFOs in most cases. The Sierra Club's Cahaba Group tells us "While corporate growers claim to bring economic growth to small rural communities, the truth is that they tend to hamper economic growth. For every 3 jobs created by corporate agriculture, 7 rural agricultural jobs are lost. The big profits end up in out-of-state corporate headquarters."

The Anniston Star closes with:

This space can concede that there is a place in the farm economy for CAFOs. They (concentrated animal feeding operations) are a byproduct of a food culture that place more importance on cheap than healthy or sustainable. Reversing this factory farm trend is a long, hard slog; the good news is the struggle has begun as more people are coming to appreciate the "eat local" movement.

A law that prevents new CAFOs from coming in to fill existing neighborhoods with flies and smells and health hazards should not be allowed. Nor should existing factory farms be allowed to expand to create a nuisance for existing neighborhoods.

In effect, this law, which is being debated in a statehouse committee Wednesday, gives large factory farms a free pass to expand or relocate, and it discourages those who feel they have been hurt by what is done from seeking legal redress.

Unless the bill is rewritten to define a family farm and clarify the responsibilities and rights of farmers and non-farmers in dealing with farm-operations byproducts — and to remove the clause inserted to discourage citizens from going to court with their grievances — this proposed law should never get out of committee.

There's a better option that this legislation Kim S. Get it right and then we'll see. But don't open Pandora's Box. John Gunn

William Kristol's audacious advice for John McCain

Given the image I better go ahead and explain that one suggestion "serious, respected conservative intellectual" William Kristol gave St. John was to "persuade the most impressive conservative in American public life, Clarence Thomas, to join the ticket". I kid you not! Offering up Uncle Clarence came only after offering up "hawkish and principled" Honest Joe Lieberman however. Alternative running mates were also Generals David Petraeus or Raymond Odierno.

On the subject of Iraq, he suggested St. John "could mock the narcissism of the Obama supporters, who think they’re the ones we’ve been waiting for — by pointing out that their contemporaries serving in the armed forces are the ones making real sacrifices on our behalf." What one of those contemporaries who did serve is alleged to have done to a student down in my beloved Auburn immediately comes to mind yet his idea that service under arms, where I make a living now, is the only service worthy of praise offends me, as does much from Mr. Kristol.

I've posted on him before yet most recently here. Translating Kristol's French I get "Audacity, more audacity, always audacity." How appropriate for this right wing hack who is wrong on pretty much everything. John Gunn

Condi and ... in those first eight months of Bu$hCo

I referenced Condi's boots in a Daily Kos post with poll I dropped just today. so that's the only reason for the image. Poor Condi has been having a rough few days. I'll let Peter Huestis via Wonkette give you the snark but I do think it so sad that she's proving this poor in her performance. Then again the whole of Bu$hCo's years have been rather rough. Witness this Vanity Fair work from David Rose where he examines their bumbling about with Hamas for instance. At least Condi looks fashionably fabulous. I'd been meaning to post on Philip Zelikow and The 9-11 Commission as I heard a NPR interview rather recently that I think was with Philip Shenon. Mr. Shenon's The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation is now available. The book's own website is here.

The Sydney Morning Herald (reckon why they cover this across the pond and not here?) has a damning portion of Shenon's book provided that is titled They knew, but did nothing. Think Progress revealed some time back that Key 9/11 Commission Staffer Held Secret Meetings With Rove, Scaled Back Criticisms of White House yet again where's the coverage in and on the domestic corporate media? I've found Bob Hoover's work in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette way back in February yet that's about all I've located. On wait, here's a not too kind WaPo review of the Shenon's book by Michael Dobbs.

Condi's past academic work with Professor Zeliko is just a portion of the tangled web they've seemingly woven. That Zelikow actually authored the September 2002 National Security Strategy which is a foundation for the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive war is a blockbuster. Professor Zelikow is not without his defenders yet you'd think the 9-11 Commission would have deserved a leader that was beyond reproach. We know that Dubyah tried to avoid even having a 9-11 Commission yet if that couldn't occur then I guess they did the best they could to control the effort. John Gunn

Bama beer swillers & Baptists make the LA Times

Speaking of Southern Baptists ... we've got Joe Bob Mizzell to the left. He's the director of the Office of Christian Ethics & Chaplaincy Ministries for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. Joe Bob (gotta love that name!) was one of several quoted by Stephanie Simon in her reporting in the Sunday's LA Times titled Beer battle brewing in Alabama. Not to worry DuWayne Bridges got some ink as well. The Rev. Dan Ireland and his Alabama Citizens Action Program were duly noted. I've yet to learn if the Alabama Senate will Free the Hops but I'm hopeful. Ms. Simon's writing was solid and amazingly enough Alabama came across rather well but for the Bible thumpers. John Gunn

Can Southern Baptists buy climate change shift?

That Southern Baptist leaders shift position on climate change is good news yet I'll not hold my breath that it will matter for many of the true believers. As a recovering Southern Baptist perhaps I'm just too scarred to expect much. With Albert Mohler, who you'll see to the left, being the President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary I just can't expect much can I?

I've posted on Dr. Mohler here and here so immediately turned to him for a representative whack job. I wanted to see if he had anything to offer up on this shift. Just this past October he wrote When Ecology Replaces Theology where he (although I've emphasized portions) penned:

... Christians do bear a responsibility to be good stewards of the earth. This is not an easy responsibility to bear in the confusing context of modern ecological debates. But the church of Jesus Christ bears the responsibility to be the steward of the Gospel above all other concerns. The temptation to turn to this-worldly concerns at the expense of spiritual concerns is very strong. Beyond this, human beings will worship either the Creator or the creation. When the authority of the Bible is undermined and confidence that we can know the Creator is compromised, the creation itself looms larger and larger as a central passion.

When a passion for seeing sinners converted to faith in Christ declines, a passion for converting people into environmentalists can appear as a replacement purpose and a culturally-attractive mission. ...

I also noted a post of his from less than a month on evolution titled Two Irreconcilable Worldviews. He wrote:

... I have not said that one can't be a Christian and believe in evolution. It is entirely possible to be a confused Christian or a confused evolutionist . . . or both. Nevertheless, the dominant theory of evolution -- the theory as taught and defended by the world's leading evolutionary scientists -- explicitly rules out any supernatural design or interference at any point in the evolutionary continuum. That fact alone makes the theory incompatible with any legitimate affirmation of divine creation or of biblical theism. ...

That seems clear enough. I doubt that around my "home" much will change. And that's a shame. I grieve that my very own son and other children have been "taught" creationism in his public school. I didn't make a stink mostly for his sake but also due to some family members attending the same Southern Baptist church this "science teacher" does. I'll do what I can to remedy the harm she might have caused my boy and hope for the best for his classmates.

With some pleasure I found reporting by Patrick Henderson in the Birmingham News today titled Alabama dinosaurs exhibit at McWane shows who was here first. The McWane Science Center is to indeed be commended for this latest exhibit. McWane paleontologist James Lamb said "these scoundrels lumbered more than 80 million years ago around what became Alabama". I'd love for Mrs. ____ to have exposed my very own to Dr. Lamb rather that her backwards fundamentalism. My feeling is that if she wants to teach that the earth is 6000 or so years old then she ought to go teach at one of the many "faith academy" efforts that are dotting the rural landscape down in my former neck of the woods.

I'll almost bet that somebody will write the B'ham News to correct their blasphemy. While I'm glad to see the piece on climate change until folks like Albert Mohler are shown the door I'll suggest the Southern Baptist Convention has a long row to hoe. And I'll do my darndest to not darken their door. John Gunn

Update ~ March 29, 2008 - Certainly Luke Boggs isn't a buyer. He's a good writer though. Even if I don't agree I did find his structure and the like pleasing. A portion of what he wrote in the AJC follows: "Instead of straining to turn a political question into a moral one, we might do well, as Southern Baptists, to stay focused on the instructions Jesus gave all Christians as He departed this world, the part about making disciples of all nations. As a denomination, I think we can safely leave the global-warming crusade to secular activists and our friends at the more liberal main-line churches. There's more than enough hot air to go around already."

Is Bu$hCo due blame for flawed census gadgets?

To the left you'll find an image of Howard L. Lance, the Boss Hoss at Harris Corporation down in Melbourne Florida. According to FEC searches, it appears he's a solid Republican/Bu$hCo supporter. Howard is doing just fine if this Business Week piece is accurate.

However, David Goldstein of McClatchy Newspapers reveals troubles for the taxpayers with his reporting titled Gadget's failure could triple cost of 2010 census. Mr. Goldstein reports:

... The hand-held mobile computers that are supposed to replace the pens and paper long used by census takers aren't working properly, and delays could send the cost from $600 million to as much as $2 billion. ...

The government awarded a $600 million contract for the new system to the Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Fla., in 2006. But the Census Bureau continued to tinker with the specifications, which the GAO said led to delays and cost overruns. The agency didn't finalize the specifications until January. ...

Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee this week that the program has "serious problems." Both the Census Bureau and Harris "could have done things differently and better over the past couple of years," he said.

Harris spokesman Marc Raimondi would not comment on who was to blame. But he said it was "not unusual for programs of this size and length to encounter some customer requests for additional requirements that they feel best enables them to accomplish their mission."

"Managing those changes is challenging," Raimondi said. "However, we remain totally committed to supporting the Census Bureau's efforts." ...

So should we blame Bu$hCo? The Census Bureau is after all part of Bu$hCo's Commerce Department. Former Census head Charles Louis Kincannon, who appears to have earned plenty of blame for the trouble with the Harris gadgets, was appointed by Dubyah. It seems like from the prior link that Mr. Kincannon fled the Executive branch, even serving in Paris with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a globalization outfit of some note, whenever a Democrat was in the White House.

Returning to the reporting of David Goldstein, please note the following:

... Census data is used to apportion congressional seats, as well as to calculate how much money states receive for subsidized school lunches, highway aid and a host of other federal programs dependent on income and other demographic data. ...

Reckon if slow or flawed census data might not be a useful problem for movement conservatives? Thinking about the possibilities for mischief troubles me greatly. Even if St. John doesn't make the cut come this fall the mess that Bu$hCo will leave for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will be significant.

Also, I note that Harris just got a 45.2 Million Order from U.S. Air Force for Falcon Radios. Also, there's U.S. Air Force Selects Harris Corporation for $410 Million Network and Space Operations and Maintenance Program. Following Harris' own press releases indicates they are surely involved at the defense/government level. While an Open Secrets search doesn't reveal exclusively GOP donations from Harris connected people a good number did donate to Republicans. I've long believed while folks like Grover Norquist, the Field Marshall of the Bush Plan, might want to get government down to the size where they can drown it in a bathtub one of their favorite ways to reduce its size is to pocket what they can from its coffers.

So we've got a mess that will costs us triple what it should have plus likely deliver critical data slower than we need it? Heck of a job! John Gunn

Tucker Carlson Benched on MSNBC Primetime

MSNBC finally gives up on Tucker Carlson's Tucker. He will be replaced by David Gregory doing some political horserace thing entitled appropriately enough “Race for the White House”. I've posted on poor Tucker here and here yet at times I've found him tolerable. Both of the prior links reference Tucker acting like a spoiled no-it-all yet his routine was authentic at least. News Corpse gets rather clever in examining his blue bloodedness where they write:

It all started in a little mansion in San Francisco where the spawn of Republican ambassador and public broadcasting chief Richard Warner Carlson, and TV dinner princess Patricia Caroline Swanson, was ingloriously hatched. Thirty-eight years later it all comes screeching to a halt. Well, it actually just sort of peeters out, but that doesn’t sound quite as dramatic.

Tucker will hardly starve in that he has enough talent and connections where I'm sure he'll do fine. I doubt that dancing will be part of his future although he was a good sport about that part of his effort to boost his dreadful ratings.

I'd argue that the way MSNBC is chasing the audience share says much about the modern corporate media. I posted on both the horserace coverage plus the soap opera nature of this Presidential campaign recently. David Gregory has shown some backbone at times in dealing with Bu$hCo so this is likely a positive but I'm still troubled in general by the usual corporate coverage. I also watched the 1976 classic Network just the other night. Some serious talent in that film! I think Howard Beale had it rather right when he claimed it was "all bullshit". There are rare moments when we get some policy and politics but it is mostly infotainment about the politicians. John Gunn

Brent Bozell fires one across St. John's bow

L. Brent Bozell has to be one of my least favorite right wingers. I've mentioned him before yet How The Right Winger Reads the New York Times might be a good place to go to get a handle on this operator. Shortly after burying his uncle William F. Buckley, L. Brent is back to work. He's in today's WaPo with From the Right, He Looks Too Blue : Think real conservatives will vote for John McCain? Don't count on it. With L. Brent bashing Bush the Elder and today's Bu$hCo, and getting in the obligatory outrage regarding the "liberal media" plus falsely claiming Bill Clinton devastated the military, while warning and advising St. John, you get a decent look into the conservative movement from reading his rant. John Gunn

Nice new resource to combat astroturfing efforts

I've posted on "astroturfing" at least a few times yet I'll send you here for some background. Follow the links and you'll do fine. To expose the way some groups are clearly astroturf rather than grassroots takes some work. Here are the basics on this new tool:

Full Frontal Scrutiny is a joint venture between Consumer Reports WebWatch and the Center for Media and Democracy, two non-profit organizations whose mission includes consumer education using investigative reporting. This Web site seeks to expose front groups, which are organizations that state a particular agenda, while hiding or obscuring their identity, membership or sponsorship, or all three.

I've added Full Frontal Scrutiny to my sidebar. Information is power. John Gunn

Bill Maher's New Rules - Pols & pundits should stop saying "the American people are smarter than that"

Wickedly clever as always, HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, delivers this past weekend. I'll send you to Logan Murphy's post at Crooks and Liars for another way to view Maher's New Rules. Maher spends some time ridiculing claims that Barack Obama is a Muslim ties into recent posts on Rep. Steve King's crazy comments and another recent post examining Senator Obama's middle name. I hope Bill Maher will keep on making us laugh ... and think. John Gunn

Today's Mobile Press-Register Siegelman sleight

Barry Lyman, of the Mobile Press-Register's Capital Bureau, reports Siegelman treatment standard?: Yes, say experts; but some surprised judge didn't allow voluntary surrender. Like their sister publication, The B'ham News, did with "there's precious little reason to believe justice wasn't served", the actual text of your work doesn't support the claim. "Yes" is hardly applicable when the body of the reporting has the following:

... Still, it (the shackling of Don Siegelman as he was immediately taken into custody) was "stunning" to one well-regarded Washington lawyer that the situation involved a white-collar criminal. "I've only heard it happening on one other occasion," said Michele Roberts, who practices at Akin, Gump, Strauss Hauer & Feld. ...

... "Unless the court is convinced there was a real risk of flight, it sounds more like a situation where the court wanted to start the punishment," William Lawler, one of (former Representative Bob) Ney's (who got a voluntary surrender date after his guilty plea) attorneys, said of the Siegelman/Scrushy case. ...

"Stunning" and "... only ... one other occasion" seems like rather strong language from a "well-regarded Washington lawyer ". Or did the mysterious "they" who claim "the treatment of Siegelman and Scrushy was no different from many others who are ordered into custody" cancel out those blockbuster claims? C'mon MP-R, do you think all your readers just read the headlines or are unable to read below the first couple of paragraphs?

Although you stacked what you wanted folks to read up top, there's some of meat here. For instance, I like how the following from Ms. Roberts made it into the piece:

Fuller has said in court filings that Siegelman's defense team has not "raised a substantial question" that would lead to a reversal or a new trial. Roberts (a well-regarded Washington lawyer) said a problem with the "substantial question" standard (applicable to a release pending the running of the appeal) is the trial judge essentially must admit fault. "The judge has to say, 'Yeah, I screwed up,'" she said. "'I ruled against you, and it's likely you'll prevail on appeal.' It's a ridiculously high standard."

Reckon you might point something like this out the next time you obviously try to justify the way Don Siegelman's case has been and is being handled? Given that the 11th Circuit had to outright force Judge Mark Fuller to provide his reasoning for the denial of bond pending appeal, plus all the many other questions about this case, I'd think you could do much better in your coverage. I know it would be hard to give balance to a matter that your paper helped bring about (and then serve as a conduit for leaks and the like) but both justice and journalism requires it to be done. John Gunn

Are we meeting the needs of citizens or capital?

Gregory Fitch, Executive Director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, the "statewide 12-member lay board ... responsible for the overall statewide planning and coordination of higher education in Alabama, the administration of various student aid programs, and the performance of designated regulatory functions", is pictured to the left. His writing appears in the B'ham News with Initiative involving industry, education would benefit us all. I'll submit I like much of what he's suggesting and yet I do hope there's more to the mix than just getting labor ready for use by capital. I'll return to that theme later.

I'll also offer up that ACHE's website has several bugs, seems rather clunky, etc. I'm also thinking ACHE ought to be replaced with something like a Board of Regents like Georgia uses. Decision and policy making is all the more difficult given Alabama's organizational structures. We also ought to give PK-12 to the Alabama Board of Education and take the JuCos away but that's another post for another day.

My concern with what Dr. Finch is suggesting is that he seems to almost exclusively focus on how our students will be plugged in to serve the needs of industry in a global economy. Yes, earning a living is critical. No, I'm not against economic development. But there's way more to "education" that this vision. I want to share just a few quotes ....

Why should society feel responsible only for the education of children, and not for the education of all adults of every age? ~ Erich Fromm

It has always seemed strange to me that in our endless discussions about education so little stress is laid on the pleasure of becoming an educated person, the enormous interest it adds to life. To be able to be caught up into the world of thought -- that is to be educated. ~ Edith Hamilton

Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living. ~ John Dewey

The above quotes represent just a few of my ideas. I weep and gnash my teeth over much in today's dominant approach toward education. A post fussing at Ted Kennedy over his limited vision and just wrong thinking on education is similar to what I'm laying into Dr. Finch for ... plus there are links to other posts that clarify where I stand on the goals of educators. Perhaps Dr. Finch isn't thinking as narrow as I fear. He only had so much space I'm sure in the B'ham News. And in Alabama his audience might not respond to a more Progressive or dare I say liberal view on education. Whatever the case, my concern is that when education leaders fail to even gratuitously reference the more lofty vision for education then we are surely doomed. John Gunn

Wisdom from Ian Welsh on economic challenges

I always find lots to like in Ian Welsh's work. His How This Economy Is Going To Play Out at FireDogLake is no exception. Ian ends with "FDR wasn't just a man. FDR was a movement. So let's start making an FDR." and darned if that will not haunt me for a few days. Like my long departed father, I'm, with the addition of some time in the academic trenches that he never got, a huge FDR fan. As for Ian's writing, I'll share this:

... overall we're in a gray zone where the train trundles on towards that light in the tunnel, and nothing is going to turn it around until a new Congress and new President are sworn in.

And when they do get in, what are they going to do? The truth is that even they don't really know. There are no easy answers because the US (and the world, in a sense) has dug itself into a hole that is bigger than the pile of dirt on the side. More damage will be done than there is free money hanging around to fix. The miracle of leverage in reverse is going to remind everyone why "over-leverage" is something old style brokers considered the greatest mistake anyone could make.

The old, oil based, suburban sprawl economy based on forever rising house prices, on easy credit, on subdivision after subdivision--on running up credit cards and on leverage piled on leverage piled on arbitrage, is in the middle of cracking up, spectacularly. While there will be a short term reduction in the price of oil, in the long term oil is still going up and the America of the sprawl economy; the economic geography of America, looks entirely different at $4/gallon gasoline than it does at $2/gallon gasoline. Huge swathes of exurbia and suburbia become simply economically unviable. Zombie Burbs. ...

Ouch! I'm not sure our current corporate media and uninformed citizenry deserves another FDR yet if and when the bourgeois start getting pinched on a large scale perhaps things will shift. I hate to see it come to that. Still, the electing of so many of these jokers we have now was done by these very same folks that may very well about to be in a world of hurt. You reap what you sow. John Gunn

Cleverness from Mick Farren of LA Times CityBeat

No wonder George Bu$h doesn't even rate a cameo in the ongoing production of "Our 2008 Election" with reactions like this. I've got a total tip of the tam for what follows. As the World Churns : The contest among Clinton, Obama, McCain, and Huckabee is our primary TV soap from Mick Farren (see this one and this one and this one) is a must read. John Gunn

Democrat Bill Foster Gets Denny Hastert's Seat

Bill Foster reminds me of Jerry McNerney. Science guys, a bit hair-challenged, ... Do we have a theme here? Congrats to our newest Democrat in Congress. Deanna Bellandi of AP gives us the details. It's sweet indeed to take this rather red District. To think Denny "The Hut" Hastert held this seat and the Speaker's gavel (since Newt's departure in early 1999!) so long encourages me on our prospects this fall. Show Bill Foster some love for the fight this fall. John Gunn

Bernie Sanders ~ Let's "soak the rich" for the kids

If only more pols tried Being Like Bernie. Common Dreams gives Senator Sanders space for Changing Our National Priorities.

Bernie tells us that he plans to soon offer up a proposal to "restore the top income tax bracket to 39.6 percent for households earning more than $1 million a year." Senator Sanders claims,

"Restoring the top income tax bracket for people making more than $1 million to what it was in 2000 would increase revenue by $32.5 billion over the next three years, according to the Joint Tax Committee, including $10.8 billion next year alone. ... This amendment is a fiscally responsible way to reduce childhood poverty, address an income gap greater than at any time since the Roaring Twenties, and lower our deficit."

The idea of spending the money on our kids, radically narrowing the income gap, and cutting the deficit (created by the GOP yet once again!) seems right. What gives that this is not SOP for the alleged leftists in Congress? John Gunn

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is crazy as a run over dog

I see those crazy run over dog eyes again. As this old post pondered Ann Coulter's "windows to her soul" it also provided me an opportunity to share stories of that crazy yet cherished canine from my youth.

Faiz at Think Progress has the down and dirty on Representative King (King Watch has more) plus his latest lunacy. So that's why my colleagues were talking about Senator Obama when I arrived to work with them yesterday evening. Our discussions then prompted this post. Congressman King's Onionesque career will continue on perhaps given his rather red district and maybe that's a good thing given his wingnuttery. John Gunn

Barack Hussein Obama ~ With that name I'd ....

To the left you'll see Barack Obama from a few years back wearing supposedly what a Somali elder might wear. Obama's natural father is of Kenyan ancestry and my understanding is the photo was snapped when Senator Obama had visited his father's homeland. I guess it might be like John McCain in a kilt if in fact he's at least partly a Scot. That might explain the temper! The image's recent appearance was somewhat of a scandal, especially if from the Clinton campaign. I'm not sure they did leak it from what little digging I've done. That the image wound up on Matt "America's Assignment Editor" Drudge's site surprises me not.

As a brief aside, I still think Glenn Greenwald is where you start to understand the Drudgester yet Greg Sargent also provides some insights into the admission of L.A. Times staff writer Joel Sappell on how the average "journalists" prays for some linky love from Drudge.

As for the photo, and beyond, which I'll get to in a bit, I'll expect far worse come this summer and fall if Obama is on the ticket. Dirty dealing is part of the way much of the the modern GOP approaches politics.

In the meantime, I had another conversation with folks about Obama's faith, middle name, etc. I've posted on this before and there's not much to add. On the other side of the fence, actually I'd hope the planet, there's Gordon's Bishop's "intelligence alternative" from here and Debbie Schlussel's "unique expertise on radical Islam/Islamic terrorism" here and cao on Stop the ACLU (don't you love their slogan "Beating Them With Their Own Sickle And Hammer") citing Free Republic no less, putting out "Barack Obama, Kenya, his cousin Odinga and Islamic jihad" here and ...

Finally, Might Righty (some interesting thumbnails here) is claiming "Confirmed: Barack Obama Practiced Islam" here yet Christian Worldview Network uses the same title here (although you'll not see the same thumbnails .. wonder if they'd approve of the scantily clad brunette?). It appears this "Confirmed" theme originated over at David Horowitz' FrontPage Magazine via Daniel Pipes. (MoJo's Michael Scherer looked at Mr. Pipes back in 2003 and Right Wing Watch has more material here.) Even after Mr. Pipes was pretty much ridiculed by relatively reliable outlets for his wanderings around the questions of Obama's faith, he's sticking to his guns and supplying a dangerous title to the wingnuts. This almost looks like a "Whisper Campaign" of sorts to me.

As for at least some the allegations ... Good Grief! So Little Barack Jr. was under the age of ten years old at the time he was in Indonesia doing all this Muslimizing? Also, in the mid to late sixties was Indonesia experiencing anything close to radicalism? Argh

In my conversations with some rather right leaning colleagues over the issue I pointed out that I thought it is actually a positive that Barack Obama is multi-racial and had been exposed to so much diversity. I told them I was not yet an enthusiastic supporter, and neither do I so support Hillary for the record, and explained some of my thinking but that I'd surely support his candidacy if he earned the nomination. I explained as best as I could what I understood the facts were yet I was hardly optimistic I'd convinced them.

And that's OK. If Progressives can just do our best to get alternatives to the whispers out there then perhaps some truth will set in. Take the long view. Also, I sort of like the opportunity we get to engage in some jujitsu politics. Let some of these lightweights on the right start slinging this sort of foolishness to their masses and we'll use that opportunity to talk about the right wing movement conservative networks. We'd likely not get that many votes of those in deep Jesusland and yet perhaps a few can come our way. Focus on the swing states and the close Congressional races as far as the work and the money but always "Bloom where your planted!" as you take on distractions and downright lies of the conservative message machine.

I come in this morning and find Warren P. Strobel work on McClatchy Newspapers titled Obama's foreign policy likely to be pragmatic, inclusive. Mr. Strobel writes:

... If he's elected president, Barack Obama promises to bring a new tone and more inclusive approach to American foreign policy, reaching out to adversaries and giving greater weight to the views of U.S. allies.

Obama (would) travel to a major Islamic forum to give a speech redefining the struggle against terrorism, making it clear that it isn't a crusade against Islam. ...

After The Reign of Error of Bu$hCo, wouldn't the chance to start somewhat fresh out there in the international community with a man such as Obama be a sweet opportunity? Reckon some from that troubled region that remain on the fence or presently unable or unwilling to meet us halfway might respond better to fellow like Barack Hussein Obama? John Gunn

UPDATE ~ May 9, 2008 - McClatchy's Matt Stearns tracks down at least one source of the rumors. A former CIA operator and his "Crusaders" have been doing the false flag thing.

Duties of twenty four hours plus on Friday and ...

I'll be out of touch for a touch. Early duty, then Arabic class, and finally CQ puts me out of pocket for a while on Friday into Saturday AM. John Gunn

Alabama State Senator Scott Beason is schooled

J. Richard Cohen, President of The Southern Poverty Law Center, gets space in The Anniston Star for A distraction from real problems where he ridicules State Senator Scott Beason for his claim that the "number one issue in the state of Alabama is illegal immigration. (As an aside, let's guess which political party has this man on various Executive Committees? Surprise ... he's a Republican. A Lou Dobbs type it seems.) Seriously, that's Alabama's number one issue? C'mon Senator, surely you know better. Or could this be a little more about your ambitions or ... ?

Mr. Cohen writes in part:

According to Beason, it's simple: Alabama has "a common culture" that is being threatened by "illegal immigration." Our way of life is at stake.

If all of this sounds familiar, that's because it is. A half-century ago, we heard another generation of politicians claim that Alabama's culture — its "way of life" — was threatened. Then the enemy was integration. Politicians like George Wallace built their careers by vilifying blacks and stirring up hatred — all while largely ignoring our state's real problems.

Immigrants may be the most popular scapegoat of the day, but they're obviously not the cause of the major problems in our state. In fact, there have been numerous studies in recent years suggesting that undocumented workers have an overall positive economic impact.

Unfortunately, we're not having serious debate. Instead, the discussion is being dominated by pundits looking for ratings and politicians trolling for votes. Beason's comments are the type that inflames racial and ethnic passions, poisons the debate and distracts us from more pressing problems.

When confronted with right wing posturing I truly value the direct approach. Well done Mr. Cohen. Would Gardendale Alabama's First Baptist Church approve of Senator Beason's demagoguery? A "successful businessman and owner of Custom Renovators and Old South Construction" I'd wonder if Mr. Beason might have an entrepreneurial view on the issue. Since he's a NFIB darling I'd suggest the defense of "free enterprise" must fit with his approach.

I couldn't help but note Senator Beason's "Joint Interim Patriotic Immigration Commission" (Love that title don't you?) was being assisted by Michael Ciamarra, vice president of the Alabama Policy Institute. I also noted that the first recommendation of the JIPIC citied in the reporting of the AP/Montgomery Advertiser was "getting Congress to develop a comprehensive guest worker program that would provide for a timely and adequate supply of workers." Lets keep the cheap labor coming even if "our way of life" is threatened. John Gunn

Did U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton play ball at DOJ?

Fired, former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias is claiming Bu$hCo buddy and Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton gave him a heads up on what was coming and that he should "go quietly". Marisa Taylor of McClatchy Newspapers reports, Fired U.S. attorney says he was told politics were behind his ouster. You think David? With Johnny being a former left-fielder for the Longhorns, even part of their 1983 Championship team, you could expect that baseball fan Dubyah likes this guy. He worked for Governor Bu$h from 1995 to 2000 and then helped W and Dead Eye Dick transition to DC. Very connected and I'm sure a loyal Bu$hie.

Why'd Johnny Sutton know what was coming? Ms. Taylor reports, "During a congressional investigation of the firings, department e-mails revealed that Sutton was given a heads-up about the firings because he was the chairman of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys."

Not without his own controversies, Mr. Sutton has some 'splaining to do I'd think. I wonder if Johnny could add anything to the troubles of Don Siegelman? John Gunn

March 26th ~ First Freedom First Simulcast

“Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Separation of Church and State … but Were Afraid to Ask!”is a high-definition theatrical effort being hosted by First Freedom First, a joint project of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation, in movie theatres in 25 cities across the nation on the evening of Wednesday, March 26, 2008. My closest option is all the way up in Seattle so this might be a bit of a stretch for me yet I'll surely ponder attending. My Scottish soul does like "free"! First Freedom First is worth a visit even if attending is not possible. I certainly appreciate their efforts to get candidates and elected officials to confirm their support of religious freedoms. John Gunn

Please don't be a Bu$h Dog Democrat Silvestre

Representative Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) heads the House Intelligence Committee. Let us not forget his inauspicious start at that post. I understand that Jane Harman might have been even more inclined to accept Bushit (with her Third Way credentials for example) but wasn't there another alternative Nancy? At least Representative Harman is generally on the ball. I'd have liked to see her resist Bu$hCo more assertively plus her AIPAC ties and ... hardly please me.

Representative/Chairman Reyes is poised to commit an even bigger goof if he lets telecom immunity through. AP/MSNBC gives us the latest. On Daily Kos, smintheus asked "Has Bush already indemnified the telecoms?" Reckon Representative Reyes has thought to ask? I'm with plenty of others in the lefty blogosphere that figure telecom immunity is more about they, and especially Bu$hCo, avoiding the generally broad discovery available to Plaintiffs in civil trials than protecting the actual service providers. But the bottom line is that the eavesdropping legislation, which I'm certainly nervous about on its own merits, can proceed without being coupled with telecom immunity.

If you want to "protect America" then lets start with saving the 1st Amendment. Call your Representative please. The ACLU's tool and suggestions is here should you need it. John Gunn

Mr. Blast, Reckon we can fit nineteen in there?

Hell, I actually don't care if there were 19 or "more than 200" "scientists" as claimed by Heartland's President and conference organizer Joseph L. Blast at Heartland Institute's recent 2008 International Conference on Climate Change. Perhaps the 19 "scientists" willing to be photographed were just those that thought they were handsome or lovely? Maybe they had more elected officials there given their enticements? I do, however, like the idea that if you had a convention of actual scientists that don't accept that we have a problem with climate change it could be held in a phone booth. That's actually a good analogy. And I'm not ready to side with those in the phone booth. Let's do something dammit!

Praising George Will and other enablers while blasting Al Gore and the many, many on the "we're in a mess" side of the "debate" seems to be the theme of the conference. Heartland is what we'd expect I suppose. Note the contrast of their rhetoric with merely an AP/MSNBC piece on northern Europe's warm winter where the reporter writes, "Experts are careful not to blame global warming, noting that a warm winter could be followed by a cold one."

Finally, check out the World Nut Daily coverage titled Scientists meet in NYC to challenge Gore, U.N.Hundreds of experts assert 'alarmists' in climate debate 'have had their say'. There's also Newsbusters and ... Argh! For an alternative try Miles Grant at Grist. John Gunn

Any flip flops for St. John "The Maverick" McCain?

Reckon St. John McCain will be labeled a "flip flopper"? After my team's war hero got that treatment in 2004 I suppose it would be fair. Via the NYT, Elisabeth Bumiller, with a little help from Michael Cooper and Kitty Bennett, reports On Signature Issues, McCain Has Shown Some Inconsistencies in the Senate. Writing that his positions have "meandered over the years" is actually rather kind. How St. John can now praise the Bu$hCo "tax cuts" for the Big Mules is perhaps the best example (What happened to “I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle-class Americans who most need tax relief.” Senator?) yet there are also his flip flops on immigration/border security, torture, ... John Gunn

Clinton and Obama ~ About this NAFTA stuff ...

Newsweek's Daniel Gross gives us Trade Talks: The NAFTA debate is shorthand for a broader policy problem and I think it is worth a read. I like this part:

... I also think there's something deeper at work. For the purposes of the Ohio primary, NAFTA is a two-syllable shorthand for the larger problems of trade policy. It's less about NAFTA than what came after. Call it the Great Risk Shift, or the cram down, or the fraying of the safety net. But people who have blue-collar jobs, or who have lost them, have suffered a series of blows over the past three decades: stagnant wages, job insecurity, rising health costs, and the loss of insurance and pension benefits. Free trade is a factor—not the factor, but a significant factor—behind these trends. Unfortunately, the policy response from the Bush administration and from the Republicans who have, until recently, dominated Congress has been: Suck on it. This decade, Washington has been quick to remind the public of the benefits of free trade, which are real, but has offered painfully little to those hurt by its effects. Even long-winded politicians speak in code and shorthand. And when Clinton and Obama traipse through Midwestern de-industrializing states and promise to revisit NAFTA, they're not really saying they want to stop the flow of goods and services from Mexico and Canada. They're trying to send a signal—clumsily, perhaps—that they understand that free trade hasn't been an unalloyed good. ...

I was at a Drinking Liberally meeting in Olympia last night and two folks tied up on "globalism" or "neo-liberalism" or whatever we choose to call this mess. Despite their differences, both would likely agree that "free trade" has hardly been an "unalloyed good" unless you are certain large corporate interests. That recognition is surely a step up from the GOP's "suck on it" approach.

Also, last night, while in Olympia, I bought a used copy of Professor Arthur MacEwan's Neo-Liberalism or Democracy?: Economic Strategy, Markets, and Alternatives for the 21st Century last night. Once I wade into the thing, I'll try to drop a post on what I gleaned from it. John Gunn

Building a Progressive future with our youth

Michael Connery is dropping some solid work over at TPM Cafe's Table for One. His work at Future Majority seems credible and I think imprtant. His book Youth to Power: How Today's Young Voters Are Building Tomorrow's Progressive Majority also gives me hope. His Millennials Rising examined the new crop of young voters and surely made me think the future might be bright. I couldn't help but think some of my first 8th graders at Long Cane Middle School that witnessed 9-11 are now coming of age. Today's Conservative Youth Factory motivates me to drop this post. He writes:

... It is from these institutions that many of the stars of today’s Conservative stars – Gover (sic) Norquist, Ralph Reed, Karl Rove – received their start. Contrary to conservative political mythology, these individuals did not emerge as fully formed political geniuses on the national scene. They were the beneficiaries of a highly subsidized and intensive youth training apparatus that values new blood as the backbone of the movement, and pumps out thousands of activists on a yearly basis. ... Conservatives talk a good game about “lifting oneself up by their bootstraps,” but that’s a trial rarely forced on conservative youth, who as I’ve explained are afforded every subsidized opportunity imaginable. ...

Yup! Ain't that rich? On the dole when mere pups.

Thinking of how the movement conservatives have developed so much of their "talent" frustrates me. Reckon if this is why their spawn seems unable to rationally entertain anything that contradicts their upbringing? Dance with the ones what brung ya? Or are they just bent? I've written on Wingnut 101 via Young America's Foundation previously so this is hardly a new itch.

I also grieve over those we failed to support and build for our team. Not that Progressives could come up with our own Karl or Grover or ... as few if any Progressives could be that calculating. Still, I'm sure some of our most talented young prospects are now barely scraping by or more likely out of action . John Gunn

C'mon Alabama Senate ... Free the Hops!

A tip of the tam to a goodly portion of the Alabama House for finally doing the right thing on gourmet beer sales in Alabama. Despite the best efforts of ALCAP (Alabama Citizens Action Program) to not even let the bill come up for a vote it seems common sense has prevailed up on Goat Hill. Bob Johnson of AP provides the reporting. Representatives Richard Laird and DuWayne Bridges from down near my "home" still need some education on good beer and kids and ... yet they didn't sound nearly as out of touch as that last vote from April. Congrats to Free the Hops and Dan as well. Now for the Senate. And surely Governor Riley will not stand in the way of this given the international flavor to some of the arguments of supporters. John Gunn

Obama busted on NAFTA fudging for Canadians

Canadian Steve Nease's work above still works yet Margaret Talev's McClatchy piece Out of bounds! Obama admits what he once denied does remind me of Bu$hCo's trouble with even "truthiness". If "Obama's anti-NAFTA rhetoric is political posturing and shouldn't be taken literally" then I'm even more troubled. Amending, or perhaps even trashing, NAFTA is the right thing to do on at least labor and environmental standards. I'm all for fair trade but the wide open hyper-capitalism made even easier by NAFTA only serves the interests of the Big Mules. John Gunn

Jerry McNerney & some House Dems hit with lies

Hank Shaw of the Stockton Record reports Political group takes aim at McNerney with ads: Attacks target vulnerable Democrats yet the YouTube I've used above references Rep Nancy Boyda. Hank Shaw sends us to FactCheck.org from The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania for the facts rather than the lies put out by The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. This is who all is involved with their effort and I can only hope that my readers will recognize the many movement conservatives (and goobers like that Honest Joe Lieberman) involved with the effort. Non-partisan my rear end. John Gunn
PS - Help Jerry fight back against this common GOP tactic of "fear and smear" by sending him some money!

Howard Zinn ~ Voting is ... marginally useful but a poor substitute for democracy

Professor Zinn reminds us why he's a treasure with his Election Madness appearing in The Progressive. Dr. Zinn tells us that "Historically, government, whether in the hands of ... , has failed its responsibilities, until forced to by direct action: ... " He correctly claims that neither Presidential candidate that will represent the Democratic Party this fall and likely occupy the White House come next January (even with a probable Democratic Congress!) will move "off center". Neither offer "radical change from the status quo."

The whole piece is solid Zinn yet I especially liked the following:

I’m talking about a sense of proportion that gets lost in the election madness. Would I support one candidate against another? Yes, for two minutes—the amount of time it takes to pull the lever down in the voting booth.

But before and after those two minutes, our time, our energy, should be spent in educating, agitating, organizing our fellow citizens in the workplace, in the neighborhood, in the schools. Our objective should be to build, painstakingly, patiently but energetically, a movement that, when it reaches a certain critical mass, would shake whoever is in the White House, in Congress, into changing national policy on matters of war and social justice.

He's right of course. We get wrapped up in the election process, especially in the Presidential race although I for one like to work on Congressional and State campaigns, but don't do the hard yet vital work of building the grassroots and moving forward towards a movement. As DFA suggests, "We are the ones we have been waiting for." We can and must do better. John Gunn

Economy ~ James Carville calls BS on his bride

Amanda at Think Progress posts on Mary Matalin's effort to blame the media for economic insecurity amongst the American people. We know "blame the messenger" is a standard GOP tactic in areas ranging from Iraq to Bu$hCo's low approval ratings to ... As for today's claim, James Carville even responded to Proud Mary. I've always appreciated the Raging Cajun and even watched The War Room recently where I enjoyed his antics and talent. Not that he's without faults of course yet overall I'm glad Carville's often on my side of the issues. I can't imagine how these two make their marriage work yet kudos if they are able. Still, I expect James can't help but enjoy stirring up the wife given her weak, weak efforts at propping up the GOP and especially Bu$hCo in these last few years. John Gunn

UPDATE ~ 1630ish on March 2, 2008 - Nancy Cleeland of The Nation gives us The Incredible Shrinking Paycheck to also help counter Mary Matalin's BS on the economy.

John McCain gets/takes John Hagee endorsement!

I am not surprised that St. John would get and then accept help from John Hagee. If St. John is truly concerned about religious extremists then he need look only over his right shoulder. TPM's Josh Marshall examines how St. John is handling Hagee's blessings. I've posted on John Hagee before labeling him as just one of the many, many conservative crazies. Hagee's ideas of "dispensational premillennialism" simply scares the hell out of me and to have him coupled with the increasingly militaristic McCain campaign troubles me even more. John Gunn

Tax Fairness ~ John Knight vs. Mike Hubbard

State Representative John Knight (D-Montgomery) and State Representative and GOP Chairman Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) are good for showing some of the differences between the two dominant political parties in Alabama and our nation. The B'ham News is right to praise Representative Knight's efforts to make Alabama's regressive tax structure more equitable. They give a good summary of his proposal and provide context to what he's trying to accomplish. However, Representative Hubbard said:

"I just don't think that you should penalize people for creating jobs, taking risks and doing well."

There you have some foundational Republican thinking. Capitalism, or at least their simple ideas about how that works, controls their whole reference it appears. Is that the best you've got Mike? You are the Chairman of the state GOP so I'm expecting more. That might sell for your own but do you really think Joe and Jill Sixpack are going to buy it? You'll need some "family values" or perhaps gun control lies or ... to keep them voting with your Big Mules.

Of course, given the Alabama Democratic Party's tendency to default over towards Republican Lite they'll likely let you get away with it. At least the Alabama Democratic Party has this on their Principles page:

... Those who benefit most from our free enterprise system should bear a proportionate cost of its maintenance. We condemn all schemes of taxation, which shift a disproportionate burden of government onto to the shoulders of those who are least able to pay. ...

I like! Lots! Now lets see if the leadership and elected officials from my team can frame constructs that those "doing well" might owe a little back to the society as a whole. John Gunn

Robert Creamer ~ His book & latest HuffPo effort

Robert Creamer's Listen to Your Mother: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win is now on my Amazon Wish List. I was in Barnes and Noble this evening and noted several books I really wanted but I was strong and walked away. Mr. Creamer's recent HuffPo post titled We Don't Just Need A Democratic President. We Need a Movement to Change Washington says pretty much everything I could offer up on the 2008 election. He's thinking or at least hoping that Barack Obama might be the real deal as relates to a capacity to lead a movement. I remain uncertain as to Senator Obama yet if Progressives try to make certain he and his understand our expectations then I suppose that's a step in the right direction. John Gunn

Are Jed Babbin's guns for Radical Islam, China, Old Europe, the UN, or ... ?

Jed Babbin got space in The Montgomery Advertiser recently to simultaneously shill various themes of the right wing. Distancing Bu$hCo from St. John McCain was attempted. Jed also managed to stoke fears of terrorism. He even opines that "the left" is getting away with straw men arguments that he claims are "guns vs. butter" retreads because President Bu$h "has never defined the war, the enemy, or what victory would be comprised of." He praised General Petraeus and "The Surge". He does the obligatory comparison of terrorism to Communism and Nazism. He also gets in a lick on Congress in the early 1970s merely looking by at South Vietnam as their people and millions of others suffered.

He also remarkably writes:

Which brings the inevitable conclusion: regardless of what happens to Iraq's nascent democracy, a war must be fought to defeat the terrorist ideology, and to compel the nations that sponsor terrorism against us and our allies to cease doing so. Unless and until that occurs, the war goes on.

Thanks Jed for confirming that you and yours see "war" as pretty much the only answer. The fact that military options are but one piece of the long, hard process of dealing with threats that face our world seems to escape you. And once again, how does war defeat an ideology? Can war compel? I understand war destroys. War doesn't however build squat. Also, since you've pretty much rejected Old Europe and the United Nations I don't suppose cooperation amongst law enforcement and intelligence communities gives you much hope. But I'd really like to know how to respond to the threat from China? Reckon we ought to be getting ready for the "showdown"? You claim China wants war don't you? It looks like you're now rather worried about the words of Islamists, China, Hugo Chavez and Russia and ... as well. Newt Gingrich wrote the foreword so surely it will be a blockbuster.

Surely being ready to fight a possible enemy possessing serious modern weapons and the like rather than trying to fight an ideology makes some sense. I agree we ought to be aware of words from nations or groups or persons that might wish us harm or merely have contrary interests or perspectives.

I also know that Regnery Publishing and their Human Events and ... not to mention Jed Babbin might not be the best sources to turn for serious thinking. Earning that keep Jed on the wingnut welfare? Being on the dole for the glorious cause of movement conservatism must be a nice way to earn a living since so many are doing it. John Gunn

How would Al.com have covered the case of Wisconsin's Georgia Thompson?

U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic up north in Milwaukee is pictured to the left. Reckon the B'ham News and Mobile Press-Register would have defended him as fiercely as they've done for his counterparts down here in Alabama on their prosecution of Don Siegelman.

First of all, understanding Georgia Thompson's reversal and immediate release in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals is required reading. Jeralyn can help get you started. Adam Cohen of the NYT also reports on this strangely similar case of Wisconsin state bureaucrat Georgia Thompson with his A Woman Wrongly Convicted and a U.S. Attorney Who Kept His Job. TPM Muckraker, a great place to understand the political work done by at least part of the Bu$hCo DOJ, shows that "How in the heck did this case get brought?" surely does apply. Didn't a jury convict Ms. Thompson? Wasn't her case brought by career prosecutors? C'mon al.com ... aren't there some parallels here?

Finally, I can't help but note via TPM Muckraker that Monica Goodling, former White House Liason to DOJ, is marrying Mike Krempasky of RedState and ... fame. Is this some sort of Republican eugenics effort? Their children, and I'm sure they will be lovely kids, will probably get jobs at The Heritage Foundation when they are old enough to start coloring. John Gunn

UPDATE - Noonish here on the Left Coast ~ I did find one reference to Georgia Thompson's case on al.com and thought I'd share since they dared to provide the full text of a letter from the House judiciary Committee to then AG Alberto Gonzales. This letter is a worthy read. I noted how the B'ham News uses language like "Now this panel, led by Democrats and armed with subpoena power, has taken up his (Don Siegelman's) cause." before providing the text of Chairman Conyer's letter. Since Democrats are asking for information then I suppose the politics is a given?

Harold Ickes thinks Mark Penn is a Dick (Morris)

While I've hardly been an enthusiastic supporter of Hillary Clinton's candidacy, I do think she's more than qualified and will certainly support her should she snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. And for the record I'll support Barack Obama if he gets the nomination.

What interests me is the finger pointing going on even now in the Clinton Camp. Harold Ickes, a generally left leaning insider (labeled "Hillary's Hammer" by a Politico piece from this summer) that is not without his own controversies such as the data-mining head bumping he had with Dr. Dean, has recently blasted Mark Penn's work for Hillary. The polling and/or consulting work plus basic public relations services provided by Mark Penn (I just learned he is married to Third Way ... hardly for Progressives I'd offer .... and Senator Evan Bayh .... a reliable Bu$h Dog centrist weenie ... Senior Advisor Nancy Johnson) can be traced back to that damned Dick Morris.

These DLC Republican Lite types surely frustrate me. I mentioned that I was reading Robert Reich's Trapped in the Cabinet and now that I've completed I'm even more frustrated with The Clenis and his team's tendency towards triangulation. Yes, this Progressive did fear Hillary Clinton's "accommodation" and this remains true for an Obama administration. The reality is I fear that the White House is a long ways from being occupied by a true Progressive. We simply must shift our nation back from being dominated by the Corporatists and other well-financed and organized special interests.

Movement Conservatives will likely continue to dominate the GOP, perhaps even more so if and when St. John loses from what they'll claim is due to his not being conservative enough. If the GOP doesn't explode, and I doubt they will, then they aren't going to work with any effort to accommodate and find that elusive "middle ground". I suggest to not put much hope there. Being strong and bold as we advance the interests of the poor and middle class, while also challenging the false choices presented by the so called "values voters" such as the Dobsonites, is where I want this next administration to be centered.

Finally, if we Progressives can get the larger Democratic Party and our candidates to appreciate the failures of "centrism" then perhaps that will be a lesson worth learning, even for Senator Clinton. If Hillary Clinton indeed loses the nomination then she'll remain in the Senate and can be a solid voice for a better future. I've long thought she was more cerebral plus left leaning than Bill Clinton so she's needed. With a little luck Congress will be better situated than what Bill Clinton faced and this next President might be able to get a little done. We surely can't wait much longer can we? John Gunn

UPDATE ~ I found this Anne Kornblut piece in the WaPo that I think is terrific in understanding Mark Penn and his type. He may indeed be "brilliant, intense, shrewd and insightful" yet Penn planned for a coronation but got into a campaign. You simply can't effectively lead with focus groups and polling as your foundation.