Lurch

Mr. Bush explains what we've been doing in Iraq for the last five years.
h/t Jeff Huber, Pen and Sword

It's not often you can say of blogging friends, "I've met that person, we had beers, we talked about blogging and blogsites, politics, music interests, they came inside my house and met my family." I was fortunate enough to meet D.J. Moonbat 2 years back. A few weeks later, Lurch, of Main and Central stopped by. Unfortunately, Valentines Day of this year I learned that he had passed away.

I find myself going back and remembering where I first encountered Lurch. I know we first talked at Jo Fish's place, Democratic Veteran. Upon stopping by Jeff Huber's place today, I remember reading his comments there as well. I was just getting my blogging legs then, coming out from being a lurker. With the help of Jo Fish, he started Main and Central with some other Veterans. I was always amazed at how prolific he was. Story after story... sometimes, 6 in one day. I have a tough time putting out one or two pieces a week. It wasn't only how productive he was, his articles had substance. I think Lurch was the best at reporting on the lack of equipment (such as Body Armor) the troops had in Iraq. His commentary on the War of the Bridges in Iraq was simply outstanding!

I'm glad he took the time to visit. I was able to go all out because it was a weekend when he stopped by. We had a large Mexican feast in his honor. That's what we do in AZ in early summer, Bar-B-Que some marinated chicken and beef for tacos, all the trimmings, some Corona or Dos Equis all poolside, laughing and talking. He loved it. Easy going, smiling the whole time. He spoke lovingly of his late wife. That's how I'll remember him...

In short, I miss my friend Lurch... RIP. He, like Steve Gilliard, leaves a "blogging void" of which few can replace. I find myself visiting Veteran websites for a glimpse of Lurch. He would have laughed at that picure and comment of bu$h...

Crossposted at Low and Left Part Deux

The Struggle Isn't Over

Some of the patrons from "The News Blog", the late, great Steve Gilliard's place, have formed their own place: "The Group News Blog". Lower Manhattanite first lays out the welcome mat in fine fashion and then gives up a fine tribute to Steve. He makes sure that this will not be an imitation of Steve because nothing can be. Never the less, Lower Manhattanite lets it be known that this new blog is an "uncanny offspring of a supremely talented cat...":

No, this is a kind of offshoot, wild-assed, cross-pollination, quill-shooting, radioactive mutant, test-tube baby of what happened those last four months at The News Blog, where some of us learned about the level and even presence of some of our nutty, hard-to-harness "powers". But the main thing is--the vision. The natural flow from "We Fight Back", to "We Fight On" as you see in the masthead above. So yeah, it's gonna be political. It's gonna be rough. It's even gonna be fun, and snarky and all that shit at times. But we're gonna try to make it one thing for certain: Sucka-free. Ain't gonna be about no back-slidin' or half-steppin. I'm a liberal. I'm a progresisve. I'm a dirty fucking hippie--cept' I ain't that dirty, and I like real nice clothes. I'm all the shit that wingnut bastards hate and I'm Goddamned proud of it. So rest assured, the fastballs are comin' as usual, hard and portside. And I love beaning slow-reflexed right-wingers. I got notches in my glove for every one. That's how this place is gonna play. It's gonna deal with the international, the national, and the local shit. We're gonna discuss war, and how to get...to peace. We're gonna look at what's shaping up to be--the longest election season since Guyana's Three-Toed Sloth Council voted for its Circle of Jungle Elders. Pop culture will be commented on--as will food, and yes...even advice. Health and gadgets too, ya'll. It'll be here. And I'll be here, too. Maybe a little hesitant. But fuck, now I can at last answer those who've said "Well, why ain't you blogging?" for the longest, with a simple, "I am...now."

He shares some light on his fellow bloggers at "The Group News Blog", Hubris Sonic and "Doc" Wendel.
He also gives thanks to the many supporters, commentators and lurkers who helped them through the last few months while Steve was sick.

Mostly, Lower Manhattanite informs us that the struggle isn't over:

So, we've had our sadness. Our hurt. It's gonna leave a scar. But you know what? The fight still goes on. Bastards still wanna flex--wanna boost your shit. Be it your rights, your dignity, or your very existence. Fuck all that. You're gonna fight, and live, and Goddamnit--enjoy. So belly up cats and kiddies, dudes and dudettes. And get your bloggy drank on. 'Cause we want you good and blotto on the grog we'll be serving when that inevitable moment comes. You know the one. Some wingnut's gonna roll by, like he's the man, and we're gonna have to say to him... "Hey! There's a new joke goin' round--have ya heard it? It goes...'What...did the five fingers say to the wingnut's face?" SLAP! :)

It's already in my favorites. Another place to visit for our continued struggle of good versus evil. It's not the same place, it never could be, only slightly different. I'll drink it in just the same, because we all know...LEFT is RIGHT!!

h/t terri at dkos

The Progressive Community loses a leader:

Steve Gilliard, 1966-2007 It is with tremendous sadness that we must convey the news that Steve Gilliard, editor and publisher of The News Blog (www.thenewsblog.net), passed away early Saturday morning, June 2nd. He was 41. To those who have come to trust The News Blog and its insightful, brash and unapologetic editorial tone, we have Steve to thank from the bottom of our hearts. Steve helped lead many discussions that mattered to all of us, and he tackled subjects and interest categories where others feared to tread.

Here are all the posts from Left is Right that linked to Steve Gilliard.

They couldn't protect us on 9/11


They can't protect our troops in Iraq


Now they can't even protect our kids in the halls of Congress

The Republican Party of the 21st Century.

(stolen from Steve Gilliard)

"The Democrats need to..... say the obvious, Bush and his war are a failure and as long as they are running it, we will continue to fail. The War on Terror is a war of failure, where we squander precious lives in Iraq to prove George Bush was a better man than his daddy. "Cut and run? Shit, the people bitching about this have no stake in [it] either. It's not their kids flying into Dover seven days a week and making the ride to Walter Reed. We need to get out of Iraq, yesterday. The Iraqis can choose to kill each other or not, but it is their choice, not ours. Pretending otherwise gets more people killed." - - - Steve Gilliard

"Our president's illness, his need to beat his father, is driving this war more than any other factor, and it is getting worse. "We are facing a question of character here, one where we descend into the typical brutality of a colonial war, or of the Eastern Front, only to lose in the end. Are we going to hang Iraqis in town squares and burn their villages, murder whole families to keep the weak government in power? As if the resistance will react passively. "They mutliated, read as castrated, the soldiers they caught, then cut off their heads and then booby trapped the bodies. A horrible way to die. "Those who say we must now stay in Iraq are fools. People debating amnesty are wasting their time. An amnesty from a government which has no power means nothing "Iraq will have a civil war, kill many, many people and the hard men with guns will win. "We can never be as savage as people fighting an invader of their home. It is useless to even contemplate that." - - - Steve Gilliard

If Only...

Steve Gilliard sure sounds convincing as he predicts the downfall of the Bush Gang (snippet):

"....This could end a couple of different ways, but I'm betting that Rove is indicted by the middle of the month. Fitzgerlad didn't conveiene a grand jury and drag up Viveca Novak for fun and games. Remember, the singular trait of Bushies is an overweeing belief that they will prevail no matter what, despite the constant string of failures they've racked up. My bet is that an indictment will come as a shock to Bush, despite the evidence that it is coming. To people who believe Bush will skate, just keep in mind, Nixon was far more popular than Bush ever was excluding 9/11. And with Jack Abramhoff about to paralyze Congress, Bush's decline could be short, sharp and fast. No matter how reckless Bush seems, and he seems to be doing 90 on a wet road, it's all based on a need for approval and a fear of failure. THis whole thing is driven by a fear of failure. The one thing liberals do, repeatedly, is cede power to Bush he does not have. 2005 was a year of failure for Bush, yet time and again, people were wondering when he would turn it around. He won't. Katrina made that impossible. He failed so badly, so publicly, public trust has been eroded trust. The mass confusion of the new Medicaid plan will alienate the elderly, the most loyal voters. The US Army is reaching it's limits in Iraq, by mid-summer, with shrinking recruiting and soldiers leaving the Army after three tours, climbing divorce rates, the US will have to begin to leave Iraq or draft replacements...."

This is by far the most all-encompassing optimistic prediction from a reputable political analyst I've read. I would give anything to be able to believe it. But one thing Gilliard fails to recognize is that the government is run by corporations, not individuals or political coalitions. Those in power could care less if Bush is running scared or losing the trust of his party. He's the Howdy Doody of the military/industrial/petroleum monolith and really doesn't seem to care about consequences in the least; as financially protected as he is, why should he? The Steve Gilliards of the web need to take one more step back, because they're seeing not the forest, but only the leaves.

Is Rove off the hook or not?

Steve Gilliard is certain that Fitzgerald has some cards up his sleeve:

....Now, why would Libby accept disbarment and years in jail, years which could push his family into penury when everyone else would walk? Rove go on making millions, Cheney pretending he doesn't know him. Fitzgerald has a much stronger case than we've seen. He has shown exactly what little we need to see of his hand., which is almost nothing. People cheering that Rove hasn't been indicted and Spikey Isakoff running to believe that Fitzgerald told Bush's lawyer that he wasn't going to indict Rove are idiots. Fitzgerald's case is so strong that : A: he feels no need to get a new grand jury for his case and will use any sitting one in the District. B: Refused to accept a plea by Libby and demanded at least 24 months jail time. So people thinking Rove is out of the woods are kidding themselves. It could be a detail or two missing or a witness to flip or even someone still working in the White House gathering evidence for an indictment. If Hadley thought he could be indicted, there's a reason for that. This indictment was clearly designed to show Libby what was going to happen, and give him a chance to think about life with no money coming in, a humongous legal [bill] and jail time. And to encourage him to share the pain.

This is the most optimistic opinion I've seen yet, so here's hoping that Gilliard, who's no dummy, is closer to right than wrong.

"We all make jokes about jail and Fitzmas Day, but this isn't funny. We may not have voted for Bush, we may not like him, but our collective security depends on his effectiveness and the effectiveness of his staff. But from 9/11 to Katrina, we have been failed. Failed to the point that this nation's security may have been crippled in any number of ways. Brave, resourceful CIA officers we ask to do our dirty work in parts of the world we would never want to be in, may have died over this. The CIA may not be our friends, but it should be clear that they also don't join the GOP when they get hired. I think it's clear that Plame was a liberal democrat, by her political donations alone. Yet, she went to Central Asia and risked her life for this country, all of us, even though some of us do not trust or like the CIA. I tend to blame the CIA's bosses more than the agency, but I think, we on the left, better realize something: national security needs to work. If the CIA doesn't work, or abuses people, we need politicians who will do their jobs and reign them in. But I think we need an effective CIA, protected by law and custom. I've smelled when intelligence failed. Jen swept it out of her aparment. I saw the consequences in a newspaper for over a year. They buried the last firefighter a few months ago. So I know all I need to know about intelligence. When it doesn't work, people die. They die at thew WTC, they die in Iraq and they die in backrooms when they are carelessly betrayed. So while I joke and mock the Bushies, I am genuinely outraged by this, their carelessness, their pettines, their cowardice. They have endangered us all for petty political revenge and didn't even bother to resign. There shouldn't have to be a drawn out trial here, but that is what they want. Fitzgerald is no hero. He is doing his job, as he has done before. He can only remove the worst parts. No trial can repair the damage done. That is up to us and the political process. We have to fix what happened, all of us, Democrats and Republicans. If they refuse to do so, if they choose to remain blind, then we will do it on our own. But make no mistake, we are about to enter rough times here, brutal times and we must be ready to meet them." - - - Steve Gilliard

"2000 dead and we're losing. No one will enlist. Soldiers are facing their third tour. Most Americans oppose the war. Yet, they talk of a ten year commitment. With who's children? The Bush clan? No? The Army is now running a series of horrid comnmercials where kids, black kids talk to the parents about all the fun things they can do in the military. Truck convoys to Ramadi and patrols around Baghdad are not included. Losing your leg is not included. Having them make you a new skull isn't included. Being told there is no money for college isn't included. Watching your friends die in your arms isn't included. 2000 tragedies, 2000 lives cut short, 2000 families ruined. For what? Sunni guerrillas? Iranian-backed politicians? The return of Chalabi? As William Odom said, this is the greatest strategic mistake in US foreign policy. Yet, Bush will give another speech [this week] to tell us that it is a good thing that the Wal-Mart class sends their kids to die or be mained in Iraq. They won't treat them decently when they come home, but "military service is a noble profession". Not for Jenna and Not Jenna, but for your kid. We have made Iraq worse, we have made America worse and we have trained a generation of terrorists. What hotel will they blow up tomorrow? How many car bombs? 45 percent of Iraqis support the resistance. How much longer will this go on? 2500 dead, 3000 dead? How many more can America afford to lose?" - - - Steve Gilliard

"One other point: what happens if [Florida Governor]Jeb [Bush] kidnaps Terri Schiavo and has the feeding tube reinserted. Does he plan to pay for her care ad infinitum? He couldn't expect Medicaid to pay against the husband's wishes? Where will he keep her? In his mansion? How many guards will he keep around her? How long will he prevent Michael Schiavo from seeing his wife? All the radical rightists screaming for Jeb to seize her, are they willing to deal with the consequences and the massive legal judgement Michael Schiavo would win against the state of Florida? After all, Jeb would be acting illegally, and in the end, as Jeb is cooling his heels in state prison, not just being impeached, since he has no legal standing to take Schiavo anywhere, depsite the rantings of wingnuts, are they going to pay as well? Or do they just want Jeb to set up the Christian Republic of Florida." - - - Steve Gilliard

Getting close to the deep end?

Steve Gilliard on the consequences of Republican politicians giving their support to the fundagelicals who are actively campaigning for Terri Schiavo's parents:

....I said soon after the election that Bush would regret making a deal with the devil and that day seems to be fast approaching. The wingnuts expect to have their way, as they have in the past. They vilify Michael Schiavo with a vile ease. They seem to be getting nuttier by the day and Jeb may find that he cannot meet their demands. The parents are taking cash from the right with glee and working the room, but the danger of playing with ultras is their refusal to accept reality. The backlash could hit Jeb square in the face. The further he goes with this, the more he and DeLay invest in this circus, the more they have to lose. If Jeb intervenes illegally, he'll be hammered by the courts. If he doesn't, the Ultras may get even crazier. The more emotional this gets, the more liklihood there is of violence. What's to stop someone from shooting their way into the hospice in a misguided attempt to rescue Terri Schiavo? The radical right has created an [environment] where violence could explode at any moment. People so reckless that they will let their kids get arrested. Even the GOP is [n]ervous about how this plays out and they should be. The rage of the ultras may be turned against the GOP pols in a violent way. By raising expectations of some kind of relief against any legal reality, they are creating this fantasy world. And by siding with the Schindlers against the husband, there is the expectation that Jeb can perform some miracle which he cannot.

I keep finding myself mentally crossing my fingers.

On Crazy Gays and Whiners

Steve Gilliard give a case for liberals to stop whining:

....The question you have to ask is this: do you think Bush is right or not. I don't mean, right about an issue, but right in his idea of the Americans he won't talk to. I don't and I don't think you should either. Why? Because Bush's support outside his hard core is an inch deep. Kerry came close, but he didn't make the case to enough people . It's not about sheep or stupidity, but belief. People want to believe Bush stands with them, even when he doesn't. He's a human Rorschact test. People believe he's for Kyoto and the environment. Wny? Because they assume he likes what they like. They do not want to believe that he would wage a pointless war, that he is as reckless as he is. But that is not my concern. What we have to do is both fight back, and tell people what we believe, and stop fucking whining. No one likes a whiner. Either you want to do something or not, and if it's not, please keep it to yourself. Look, most of the people who read this blog will do fine regardless of who sits in the White House, they may not like it, but for the most part, their lives will not hang by what is done in Congress. But there are other people who will not. There are people who will starve if Bush has his way. We're not really fighting for ourselves for the most part. We are fighting for both our ideals and those who cannot fight, who are trying to get through the day in one piece. Bush is a bad president and miserable leader, but he and his cronies can and will be stopped. He barely won reelection and we got Howard Dean past the Washington Dems in a way they had to accept, whether they liked it or not. And if you think it's too hard to struggle, let me remind you that the NAACP was established in 1909, a year when 69 blacks were lynched. It would take 55 years for blacks to be accorded basic civil rights. It took until 1973 before being gay was not the same as being crazy. So knowing Bush is gone at the end of 2008 should make things a bit easier, if you put it in perspective, that is.

Damn optimist, that Steve guy.

An Idea - or Not

Hecate suggests a different way to effectively protest (snippet):

....This year, I’m urging everyone I know to refuse to spend money for Xmas as a protest. Stay out of the stores. For Goddess sake, don’t run up credit card debt. Give your family and friends the gift of your time and attention rather than a new sweater that they won’t wear or some object to clutter-up an already over-cluttered life. But just not buying isn’t enough. You’ve got to contact the retailers and credit card companies and tell them: I’m not going to be buying Xmas stuff and I’m not going to be charging Xmas stuff until this country has a system in place that ensures fair and verifiable elections. Reader Kate has done the research and discovered that The National Retail Federation “is the world’s largest retail trade association . . . .” Write to Their Vice President for Legislative and Political Affairs, Katherine Lugar. Here’s her contact info: National Retail Federation 325 7th Street, N.W. Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20004 Phone: 1-800-NRF-HOW2 Fax (202) 727-2849 Write to your credit card companies and tell them the same thing. You can find the address on the back of your latest bill. And, heck if you’re really angry about this last election, write to the large department stores that you patronize, or at least cc them on your letter to the National Retail Federation. CC your Senators and Congressman or Congresswoman as well....

Steve Gilliard feels otherwise:

....Jesus, people have to think this through. I don't want retailers and credit card companies demanding election law reform. Because their lobbies do as much damage as possible NOW. Don't let your frustration be your guide, because it leads you down blind alleys. You want to make a statement, don't act like a spoiled child, do something positive. Don't shop at Wal-Mart. Just don't do it. Shop at Costco and Target, places which treat their workers a lot better than Wal-Mart does. That's an affirmative statement. You don't need to ask the irrelevant to do the impossible, do the relevant and right thing. If sending a message is your concern, make sure Wal-Mart has a shitty Christmas and Target, Costo and Toys 'R Us have good one. Make a positive market decision, not a negative one. I won't buy anything sounds great, but to a six year old, it's pretty mean. To your parents, it's mean. To people who care about you, it's mean. We can decry consumerism, and I have gotten and given homemade gifts. Jen made me two bottles of preserved lemons and I made her spice rub. Cute, right. I also bought her a gift. Food gifts are nice. But this? No. Let's not be negative for once. Let's not whine and go after the wrong people. Let's be positive and make an affirmative statement. And all you have to do is not shop at Wal-Mart and avoid their American job-killing low, low prices. You want election law reform, you target the legislators who run the committees in your state and the people who give them money. You get good candidates for Secretary of State. You propose new laws. You don't do this. Even if they could do something, would you want them to? I wouldn't.

Ooooh, my head hurts.

"Politically, this is a nightmare. Battered mosques. Prisoners shot out of hand, people bleeding to death on the street, people shot by Marine Air. Allawi about to draw the ire of most sentinent Iraqis once the fighting stops in Fallujah. Because we fucked that town up but good. When people come back, the outrage will be explosive." - - - Steve Gilliard

"The question you need to ask is this: what do we offer them when they wake up? What do we tell them? Who do we offer for them to vote for. We need to pick the fights closest to home and be credible. We should go after the liberterians and fiscal conservatives and tell them the GOP is leaving them. The Vets, who are being betrayed by them. We need to welcome these people and explain what the GOP is really turning into. We need to oppose them, not just in Washington, but at City Hall and the school board. We end the free ride we gave them. We oppose them at every turn." - - - Steve Gilliard

Bush: Not Dumb...

Steve Gilliard contrasts Bush and Kerry (snippet):

....Bush is intelligent, above average actually. But his intellect is not his problem. It is his innate laziness and contempt for logic and contemplation which shines through. Toss on an alcohol addiction and a dysfunctional family where lying was standard operating procedure, and you have one sick puppy. Even if he never took a drink, his temperament and deep anger would shine through. John Kerry, as he so clearly proved in the first debate, is the kind of man we should have as president. George Bush is not and never has been a serious man. His anger at his father and his mother's explosive temper, along with a lack of any sort of self-criticism or examination preclude that. Kerry is not the guy to pat you on the back and leer at a pretty girl, that was our last Democratic president. Kerry is the serious guy who you can count on when things get tight. He's going to stand by you without checking. With Bill Clinton, he always had an eye out for himself, even when he was swearing undying loyalty to you. Kerry's word may not come easy, but when he gives it, he means it....

Bin Laden? Been Hidin'.

Steve Gilliard on why we probably won't be seeing OBL any time soon:

...While people have expected Bin Laden to be captured for the election, the reality is that the longer Bin Laden is hidden, the harder he is to find. He's no Pablo Escobar, surround by fear, people LOVE Bin Laden, he's a fucking rock star, the John Lennon of terrorism. In the hills of Pakistan, no one is going to rat him out any more than most people wouldn't get high with the Beatles. Bin Laden is the great Islamic hero to the people in the Hindu Kush. There is no law there, has never been, not under the British and not now. Expecting the military to solve this is ridiculous. Also, there is no penalty for helping Bin Laden. The Pakistani Army cannot massacre the Pathan tribesmen. Because they all have guns, unlike Colombian campesinos who had to fear the death squads as well as the Army. There, they have lots of guns and will use them on the slighest pretext. So even if they know where he is, they have no incentive to turn him in. The only reason is money and that means a visa to the UK or US. They would have their whole family killed otherwise. And why should they help us? What reason have we given them? Revenge? How does it make their lives better? We have to provide a reason beyond hot actresses and Coke to support the US. And Bush hasn't created one. The US could have supported Islamic culture and employment for the region, but they didn't and thus, it's Bin Laden, who represents their culture and thinking against the alien US. And it didn't have to be that way.

Debate Analyses

Joshua Marshall
Washington Post (reg. required)
Left Coaster
Steve Gilliard
Liberal Oasis
Amy Sullivan
Kevin Drum
The Rude Pundit
And finally, The Daily Scribble

Four Years' Tuition Down the Drain

Bush's daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush, sent this e-message to me today:

Dear MXXX, We're sure that you have no doubt who we'll be voting for in November. But you should also know that we would be voting for our Dad in this election even if he had not raised us, loved us, tutored us, coached us, and even listened to a few excuses from us for late curfews. We have been privileged to know our President personally and we know he is the right person to lead our country - especially when there are so many important issues at stake. Our Dad has qualities that are needed in a good President - loyalty, humor (embarrassing as it sometimes may be), compassion, and, most importantly, integrity. We're not the only ones who see it. In fact, our friends - from varying political backgrounds - are supporting our Dad in November. Not only because of his decisions to liberate the women of Afghanistan or bring freedom to the people of Iraq, but because during the last ten years they met a man whose title was Governor or President, but who was always happy to be known as "our Dad." He made everyone feel welcome and comfortable in our house (except for the occasional boyfriend) and our friends got to know him as a really good guy.

Besides the expected dribble, note the emphasized section: this is not even a complete sentence, this from two college graduates!

If you want to receive these same emails, you can sign up HERE. They're generally a hoot!

Steve Gilliard has more to say about this.