Teetering on the bleeding edge

We teeter on the brink of a huge disaster. I keep trying to think what the best case scenario for this Bushkrieg will be. Perhaps, when it has all turned to crap and we are embroiled trying to run Iraq (when we cannot even run our own country with fiscal responsibility), after the deaths of innocent thousands, and our troops are victims of bombings and guerilla attacks in the occupied territory, and Bush has lost the 2004 election to Edwards or Dean or Kerry, the new Democratic administration can withdraw us quickly and relatively cleanly from this horror scene. But the destroyed treaties, the broken trust, the outraged allies, and the threatened targets (not to mention the economic destruction) that we have left will haunt us for years to come. It is easier to destroy than to build, create, or preserve, and this administration has taken the easy way out.

Operation Deserter Storm Watch

Mark Morford seems displeased with the direction we are heading.

Fascists Say "Ooops!" Watch

It seems that the Crossgates Mall has decided that maybe acting like fascists towards a lawyer is not the smartest thing to do, although they aren't really issuing an apology here, just dropping their charges and acting like it wasn't their fault. They still seem to be blaming the "disruption" on Mr. Downs. Not smart. We'll keep an eye out for future stories about this and other malls and crackdowns on free speech. Wouldn't it be great if misconduct at the top didn't bring out all of the petty thugs in this country who are just waiting for a chance to suppress other people?

History Watch

Somerby deals with the origin of the earth tones "scandal" in today's Howler. Like nearly all of the Gore campaign's "scandals", this turns out to be based on a lie, and a stupid, insignificant lie at that. When you think of it, Gore must have been squeaky clean if these were the only things the media could attack him with. This Howler also summarizes Ceci Connolly's bad behavior in 1999. Connolly was the reporter assigned to covering the Gore campaign for the Washington Post. In Somerby's earlier work, he looks at the other flaps concerning Gore, including inventing the internet, the "posh hotel" of his youth, Love Canal, Love Story, the Willie Horton smear, the canoeing "scandal", etc., etc. All of them, without exception are based on nothing more than the story of earth tones - willful lies and misunderstandings by malevolent journalists. Only the Buddhist Temple story had even the hint of malfeasance, and even then it was not technically illegal, the mistake was made by Gore aids, and in the end the actual activity involved was garden variety fund-raising. For real scandals, the media might have looked at another candidate . . .

See this Howler for more misbehavior from the Boston Globe in their seemingly endless war to smear John Kerry, making themselves look like bigots in the process.

Bush Watch

Digby has some analysis of the Resident's rare press conference last night.

Humor Watch

Dick Cheney's office is using taxpayer money to try to stifle parody sites, including those that poke some fun at his wife. Check out Whitehouse.org for many good laughs - the original stuff about Lynn Cheney, the lawyer's letter from the VPs office, the response. At least there is something to laugh about.