I've been watching CSPAN's camera span around Madison Square Garden and interview people at the Republican convention. I've come to two conclusions:

1) The Republican message: Bush makes decisions and sticks to them. Even if they are wrong. That's what leadership is about.
2) The Republicans are freaks. Did you see the guy in yellow suit with the funny top hat? What a hippie weirdo freak. These people are the fringe, not the middle. Long-haireds and weirdoes everywhere!

Juan Cole has an informative article about the Pentagon spy case. Here's the link.

More to come soon about the MEK.

A spy in the Pentagon is a really big deal isn't it? I haven't seen much coverage this morning as I browsed the morning cable news shows.

The Link

Woohoo!

Update: Okay, this was a link to a story about the Iranian weightlifter that won a gold at the Olympics. Sorry for the confusion.

Does anyone else think this Jonathan Idema thing is a little weird?

Congratulations!

Brenna finished school last week! Wahoo!

Bonesy Jones directed me to this wonderful interview by P.J. O'Rourke with Colin Powell: Link

John Stewart just called Bob Novak a "douche bag for liberty". I'm going to try to use that term everyday from now until the election.

Woohoo Sarah!

I can't stop laughing at this picture: Link

Thanks to Atrios

I just finished reading William Rehnquist's book All The Laws But One: Civil Liberties In Wartime.

This book was written in 1998. Rehnquist spends most of his time talking about Lincoln suspending the writ of habeas corpus by executive order during the Civil War. He also spends some time talking about the shutdown of newspapers during WWI and Japanese internment in WWII. Gives an interesting historical perspective of civil liberties during wartime from someone who is deciding some of these issues today.

Rehnquist doesn't wholly agree with the idea of Inter arma silent leges, "In time of war the law are silent". However, he does conclude with, "The laws will thus not be silent in time of war, but they will speak with a somewhat different voice".

Kinda scared me with that last quote, considering he's the Chief Justice and all.

I'll leave you with a quote from Lincoln:

"Are all the laws, but one, to go unexecuted, and the government itself to go to pieces, lest that one be violated?"

Thanks to Bonesy Jones for this link: An Anarchist in the Hudson Valley in conversation: Peter Lamborn Wilson

Sarah has a great post about the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth:

Link

We Report, You Decide

Democracy?

The Daily Howler has a great post refuting the RNC talking points on John Kerry.

I have to admit that the movie OutFoxed inspired me to start demanding more from the media. I've been frequenting a few sites that monitor right-wingers in the media:
Media Matters
The Daily Howler
The Campaign Desk

These are now linked over in the "media watch" section.

I've already written CNN and MSNBC a number of times. I also wrote KVUE for their "news" segment on the Chillow.

Saw a clip on the Daily Show about this: Obtaining Cheney Rally Ticket Requires Signing Bush Endorsement

I know I don't have the most sophisticated vocabulary and I'm not much of a writer, but I think I could have done better that this: "I, (full name) ... do herby (sic) endorse George W. Bush for reelection of the United States."

The New Republic Online posted an article today called Going Long. It's a good read.

Optimism about the future feels good.

In the current Harper's magazine there is a forum called Liberalism Regained. Harper's editors gathered some well-known progressives to talk about the future of the Democratic Party and progressive politics. It's an interesting read, and it makes me feel better that progressives are thinking about the future.

The impression I'm getting is that the conservatives have been working for the past 30 years, slowly chipping away at the progressive base of America to gain mainsream acceptance of their ideas. Maybe we need to lay out some sort of 30 year plan that has some coherent policy recommendations. Just a thought. I gotta go to work...

I just love this picture that Atrios has posted: Link

Everyone disagreed with me when I told them that the movie Buffalo '66 was a steaming pile of dung. Now I know why I hated it:

"(Vince) Gallo is now in New York and says he will attend the Republican National Convention later this month.

"I'm here trying to help out in any way that I can. I have made it clear that I am open in any way to promote and protect the Republican administration," he said."

The Link

via Atrios

Zell Miller, "Democrat" from Georgia (who's speaking at the Republican convention) was on Meet the Press this morning. Here's some highlights (these aren't exact transcripts):

Miller: If John Kerry had his way in the 1980's, there would still be a Soviet Union and a Berlin wall, because he voted against all the weapons systems that Ronald Reagan wanted to build. (Russert doesn't call out this lie, but...)

Russert: Senator Miller, you have exactly the same voting record at John Kerry on those weapons systems throughout the eighties.

Miller: Pfft, well, ahhh...

That's just one gem. Later he started hammering on Kerry about gay marriage and flag burning. Russert brought up the fact that 3 other speakers (Arnold, Guiliani, McCain) are against the banning of gay marriage, are pro-choice, etc. Miller responded much the same way as before when presented with facts. I'm glad that Miller isn't running again.