Category Archives: Political Commentary

Screed Alert

James Lileks is less than impressed with Andrew Sullivan’s poorly-thought-out and naive endorsement of John Kerry.

But in wartime, a president bears the greater responsibility for keeping the country united. And this president has fundamentally failed in this respect.

Oh, surely. But maybe – just maybe – many people did not want the country to be united if it meant being united behind Bush. He is a much more potent and immediate threat, after all. Who

Frightening

This article says that most voters are clueless.

”Particularly significant is the fact that, on many issues, the majority is not only ignorant of the truth, but actively misinformed. For example, 61 percent believe that there has been a net loss of jobs in 2004, 58 percent believe that the administration sees a link between Saddam Hussein and 9-11, and 57 percent believe that increases in domestic spending have not contributed significantly to the current federal budget deficit.”

It’s amazing that Bush is doing as well as he is, when you consider this.

I doubt that this is a new phenomenon, but I’m concerned (as always) about this big push to get people to vote (like the foolish “motor voter” law) without an accompanying push to educate them to the point that they can do so responsibly. Fortunately, most of them still don’t make it to the polls.

I Think We Can Guess Now

…why Kerry continues to refuse to sign SF 180 and release all of his military records. There have been rumors swirling about this for a while, but it’s looking more and more like his discharge from the Navy may have been less than honorable.

And much of his subsequent political career has been spent in attempting to repair that blot on his vital narrative of “John Kerry, Vietnam Hero”

There are a number of categories of discharges besides honorable. There are general discharges, medical discharges, bad conduct discharges, as well as other than honorable and dishonorable discharges. There is one odd coincidence that gives some weight to the possibility that Mr. Kerry was dishonorably discharged. Mr. Kerry has claimed that he lost his medal certificates and that is why he asked that they be reissued. But when a dishonorable discharge is issued, all pay benefits, and allowances, and all medals and honors are revoked as well. And five months after Mr. Kerry joined the U.S. Senate in 1985, on one single day, June 4, all of Mr. Kerry’s medals were reissued.

[2:30 PM EDT update]

More thoughts over at the Beldar Blog.

Even if this isn’t the issue, the question won’t go away–why is Kerry and his campaign stonewalling on the service records? If this isn’t what he’s hiding, is it something else? Something worse?

It Was Just A Matter Of Time

The anti-First-Amendment types are siccing the FEC on the web. How long before they shut down this site because I occasionally have harsh words for Senator Kerry and his blow-dried running mate? Signing McCain-Feingold was one of the most shameful acts of this administration, and that Supreme Court ruling that it was constitutional was a disaster for free speech.

If they really try to regulate the blogs, it may finally start the needed revolution against all of this campaign finance nonsense.

Heal…Heal!

According to Drudge:

John Edwards: ‘When John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk. Get up out of that wheelchair and walk again’…

Yes, and He shall cast the loaves upon the waters, and walk out upon them to gather up the fishes, to feed the long-suffering victims of Republican tax cuts. He shall make the blind see, and the deaf hear, and the dumb speak, and cure the afflicted of their poxen. No one will need Viagra.

Feel the power! Let it course through your body!

The lion shall lay down with the lamb, and the Jew with the Jihadist.

Though I walk through the Valley of MOAB and PGMs and missile defense, I shall fear no evil, because The Beast in simian form, George W. Bush, will no longer be president.

Testify, Brother Edwards! Testify!

Truly, these clowns are becoming a parody of themselves.

[Update a few minutes later]

It just occurs to me that, given Mr. Reeve’s current body temperature, Senator Edwards isn’t just claiming that Senator Kerry will cause the crippled to walk–he’s going to raise the dead.

Good Line

…from Pete Coors on Meet the Press this morning. Not an exact quote, but something like “Why would we want to bring into the coalition countries that have been working with the enemy?”

By the way, has anyone noted the irony of calling the coalition, which consisted largely of countries that weren’t on the take from Saddam and the UN Oil for Palaces program, the “coalition of the bribed”?

Something I Would Love To See

…in the debate tonight. Remember the scene in the movie Annie Hall, in which people are arguing in a movie theatre lobby about something that Marshall McLuhan said, and Woody Allen, disgusted, pulls the actual Marshall McLuhan out from behind a counter, who informs them that they don’t seem to understand his work at all?

When (probably not if) Kerry mentions Paul Bremer, or Charles Duelfur, as supporting his position tonight, it would be great if the president could pull them out of the woodwork, and have them tell Kerry, in front of God and the debate audience, that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about?