Guys, the corporate right wing media doesn't believe in anything being fair. If the facts are an impediment to a good story, fuck the facts. And if it screws the Democrats, so much the better.

And as for the Limbaugh/Fox echo chamber faux-journalists out there, they don't give a shit about even appearing to be fair.

And, in my humble opinion, we sometimes give them too much credit and too much respect. Sometimes the proper response is to fight fire with fire. These people say out of one side of their mouth that this is a dramatization and a conflation and we shouldn't take it too seriously, but they know damned good and well (and intended when they made it) that tens of millions of people would take it as gospel. They are professional liars.

I say it time to take the fight to the no good sons of bitches in the only place that they feel it -- their pocket book. Boycott ABC/Disney and boycott whoever the corporate shill are that advertise on the damn show. The sooner we resolve to do so, the better off we'll be.

I think that the Democrats are doing fine on this issue at the moment. If anything, I think the critisicm needs to be "Why did it take so long for this administration to finally bring these terrorists to justice. Had the administration adopted the rules that we've urged them to adopt, that the military has urged them to adopt, and many (a bit of an exageration) of our Republican collegues have urged them to adopt, these men's trials could have already been held. But instead, this adminstration insisted on holding onto rules that were doomed to be ruled unconstitutional and were in fact ruled unconstitutional. The victims of this attack deserve justice and justice delayed is justice denyed, etc."

But back to the issue of the rules under which the terrorists will be tried. At present, the Republicans are engaged in internicine warfare over that issue. Why should we be seen to be protesting at the potential cost of alienating some swing voters when it is being done for us? That just doesn't make sense to me. Our position that we're cooperating the Graham and McCain in reaching a bipartisan compromise strikes just the correct tone.

And speaking of being done for us I want to say a word about Lindsey Graham, and to a lesser degree John McCain and John Warner. And I very seldom say anything good about any Republican. Lindsey Graham has stood very tall on this issue (and other issue effectin the justice system) against this President. He seems to be a that rarest of species -- a Republican who respects our legal system and doesn't want to completely tear it down.

I saw a quote from him today that seems so self evident, it would be comical were it not for the fact that the President of the United States, and a majority of the House of Representative and a majority of the Republican Senators apparently support the contrary position: "It would be unacceptable, legally, in my opinion, to give someone the death penalty in a trial where they never heard the evidence against them. ‘Trust us, you’re guilty, we’re going to execute you, but we can’t tell you why’? That’s not going to pass muster; that’s not necessary.” Shame on all of those other Republicans, and thank goodness for Lindsey Graham.

I'm all for building the party in all fifty states, but when the chips are down and it's election time, the only sane strategy is to spend the money where it matters. The fool Dean should be run out of any position of party leadership.

How much more money do you have to have to pay to be promoted from Ranch Boss to Overseer?

Woman's inhumanity to woman.

I've read the four page "cleaned up" excerpt which is udoubtedly the best spin that the administration can put on this report, and it is plenty damning. Two of the four major trends that it identifies as driving Islamic terrorism 1) increasing anti-American attidutes and 2) the war in Iraq can be laid squarely at the feet of the administration. If this is the best counter leak that they can manage to clean their own skirt tails, the full report must be damaging as hell.

Rather than bitch about them not declassifying the whole thing, or whine that the declassification is for their own political purposes -- both of which are self evident points -- I think that Democrats can simply take was was declassified and beat the President to death with it.

I absolutely agree with kc. I grew up, and still live, in a town of 25,000 in east Texas. The town used to vote Democratic, but does not anymore. The the G's are the problem -- God, Guns, and Gays. Democrats are perceived, rightly or wrongly, as being out of touch with the issues that matter. And being more liberal and confronting the Republican more on social issues is only going to make it worse.

It sounds like the book, despite some sloppiness, makes a number of important observations. However, if you think that the way to win over some of these rural voters is to make fun of them, or even to pretend to understand them (or worse to pretend to be one with them), you are sadly mistaken. I've made a very good living off of trying -- and winning -- lawsuits against lawyers from big cities in Texas and from out of state who have tried those tactics in the courtroom and failed.