I tried to tell people that my congressman Joe sestak was a republican in disguise. He supports the presidential candidate with the biggest earmarks for the pentagon. He won't vote to stop the school of america. He goes to local veteran events and plays up like a true republican. He is like Murtha ROLL CALL a game player who speaks tough but votes like a republican.

your calls and emails persuaded 149 Representatives to vote against Bush's demand for $163 billion more to occupy Iraq for another year, and we won the vote in the House 149-141

What's most amazing is that only 46 Representatives = http://clerk.house.gov/...
voted against Iraq occupation funds in January. So in just 4 months, we picked up 103 votes!

McCain admitted in his long screed and attack on Barack Obama recently what the real purpose of his alternative Senate bill was: It was to cripple any GI bill, to ensure that any sort of improvements and benefits in education amd retraining for GI's would be small enough and of little use to encourage GI's to make the service a career by default, especially the NCO's and lower ranks.  Token amounts for them. A fake bill.

 The attack on Obama, on Obama's history was to avoid discussion of lack of participation in this debate over what a modern "G.I." bill should be. It avoided casting a "NO" vote on Memorial day and the excuses for it. (more on jump)

The furious Republican reaction to the Democrats' accusations of McCain's warmongering is a classic case of "doth protest too much." We aren't often treated to such a display of righteous anger from the right wing....it usually only happens when one of their fictitious icons are attacked with facts. For instance, go to any RW board and suggest that the media speak primarily for corporate interests rather than being liberal or conservative, and you'll incite quite the firestorm. And if you suggest that George Bush was AWOL during the Vietnam War, Look Out.
Now we have McCain's warmongering.

A couple of days ago, Ed Schultz called John McCain a warmonger - which is what a lot of people believe a factual statement. Since then Ed has been asked to apologize multiple times. Only yesterday he was asked on both MSNBC and CNN. Before I go any further, let me provide some context.

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks to reporters aboard the campaign airplane in route from Phoenix, Ariz. to Kansas City, Mo. Sunday, April 6, 2008.  
   
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Republican John McCain insists last year's U.S. troop buildup in Iraq brought a glimmer of "something approaching normal" there, despite a recent outbreak of heavy fighting and an American death toll that has surpassed 4,000.

Looks like the Republicans are still going by the Rovian playbook.  When will the Democrats learn not to give in when they are right?

It's been widely reported that McCain is up in arms (so to speak) about being called a "warmonger," but nobody in the media seems to have noticed McCain's blatantly contradictory message. What McCain said was this:

Well, it’s a free country and we have freedom of speech in America and Mr. Schultz is entitled to his views. I would hope that in keeping with his commitment that Senator Obama would rapidly condemn such language since it was part of his campaign.

Apparently, McCain has no complaints about Ed Schultz expressing his opinion, because, after all, we live in America and Americans are free to express their opinions, but he insists Obama should condemn it because the opinion happened to be expressed at an Obama event?  Could the talk possibly be any straighter?

A day after Ed Shultz called John McCain a "warmonger," the Senator from Arizona released this statement:

Any chickenshit who wants to call me a warmonger can do so to my face.  Keep in mind that anyone who tries to pull such a stunt will have to deal with both me and my good friend, Mr. Knuckles McHurts-alot.

McCain's comments evoked other infamous moments in which the Senator displayed his quick temper, like when he called Sen. Chuck Grassley a "fucking jerk," Sen. Pete Domenici an "asshole," and when he said, "Fuck you!" to Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.

  President Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch Saturday at the Washington Nationals season opener and the inaugural game at Washington's National Ballpark. But the President, an avid baseball fan and the former owner of the Texas Rangers, probably didn't get the fan response he was hoping for, as he was largely booed by the 41,000-person sellout crowd as he walked out to throw the pitch.
http://www.youtube.com/...

The straight talk express lost some more wheels with this new story released a few minutes ago from Washingtong Post

Broadcaster Lowell "Bud" Paxson today contradicted statements from Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign that the senator did not meet with Paxson or his lobbyist before sending two controversial letters to the Federal Communications Commission on Paxson's behalf.

Paxson said he talked with McCain in his Washington office several weeks before the Arizona Republican wrote the letters to the FCC urging a rapid decision on Paxson's quest to acquire a Pittsburgh television station.

Paxson also recalled that his lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, attended the meeting in McCain's office and that Iseman helped arrange the meeting. "Was Vicki there? Probably," Paxson said in an interview with The Washington Post today. "The woman was a professional. She was good. She could get us meetings."

McCain, as you guys remember, come out in full force on Wednesday morning to defend himself against the Nytimes story and he denied ever meeting Paxton. So who's involved in double talk now?

Today one of my biggest fears is gone.  For a decade, I've lived in dread that one day Rudy Giuliani would be President.  We always knew in NYC he was projecting himself nationally with his police tactics.  I believe one of the implicit goals of Bin Laden on 9/11 was to propel Giuliani to the Presidency.  That will never happen now.  Here's my visual tribute to Rudy Giuliani -- The Man Who Will Not Be President:

Rudy Giuliani:  The World Is Mine
More:

link

Vice President Cheney is losing a trusted aide: David Wurmser, Cheney's chief adviser on Middle East affairs and perhaps the Bush administration's most radical hawk. According to multiple sources, Wurmser will leave the office of the vice president (OVP) in August for the private sector, where he will start a risk-consulting business.

or spend more time with his copy of "Idiot's Guide of Things not to Leak to
Steve Clemons"; and so he can write a new book, "Me and Rummy: How it feels to be fired by George W. Bush."

The Washington Post has a story today about the wealth of most of the contenders for President:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

While I find this disturbing enough, (it is no longer true that Johnny can grow up to be President, Mom!) there was more. After hand wringing about Edwards, the stenographer, Matthew Mosk, throws this in with no comment:

Giuliani has a stake in a biohazard firm that responds to terrorist attacks, an outfitter that markets canteens to the military and a private equity fund that was formed by former Massachusetts governor William F. Weld (R).

There's more below.

In a live press conference held today, Vice President Dick Cheney said the following of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's promise to continue pressing for a withdrawal date and a conclusion to the Iraq war:

It's simple cause and effect: US attacks Iranian consulate in Iraq. Someone attacks US Embassy in Greece. Does anyone want to predict what happens if the U.S. bombs Iran?

Bush Bull-Headed Warmonger

By Peter Fredson

January 11, 2007

Last night it was the old George W. Bush that we have come to know and despise. It was the obdurate, head-like-cement, aggressive, unrepentant Bush that loves to kill Muslims for his shrinking Dominionist and Reconstructionist Fundamentalist base. He still thinks that some God advised him to go head with killing rag-heads. And, to leave no one out, Barney and Laura still believe in him.

EASY POP QUIZ

By Peter Fredson

December 22, 2006

An amusing test of American intelligence or gullibility.

It's bad enough that Fox News invites Bill Kristol  to warmonger every Sunday, but now it looks like Time magazine wants some of that action.

This appears to be the decision of Managing Editor Rick Stengel who clearly must not know Bill Kristol's history.  I don't have his direct e-mail, but you can tell Time magazine editors what you think of the decision to hire Bill Kristol here.  It may not be easy, but try and be polite when expressing your displeasure at Time hiring a discredited warmonger.