Date

Once more, with feeling

barbara — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 12:22:39 -0600

barbara writes

Happy Blue Year!

Click for closer look at photo of original U.S. Constitution.

Iowa is just the beginning, folks

barbara — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:22:45 -0600

barbara writes

See anything in the photo that you like? Want to wake up each day with "U.S. president" captioning any of these faces? (Yeah, I know that some of them are no longer part of the rat pack.) You say that makes your innards clench? Well, bunky, time to get goin'.

Lest there be any doubt about what my Happy Blue Year wish (earlier post) means, it's not about mental health. Well, not strictly true. Because if the Congressional lemmings continue their blindered march to the cliffs, and if Democrats succeed in giving away the gift of the White House that Junior has presented, we will be beyond blue. We will move into the world of black. No gradations thereof. Just . . . black.

So in the spirit of happy blue year, do whatever you can possibly do to: Read and do!

Iowa: The Abiding Wish to Find Out

susan — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:48:43 -0600

"The despising without remission that constitutes being a conscientious citizen in the reign of George W. Bush was not for one who had developed a strong interest in surving as reasonably serene -- and so I began to annhilate the abiding wish to find out." Nathan Zuckerman, in Phillip Roth's Exit Ghost.

Well, so much for serenity. Tonight we find out.

It's the big night in Iowa, where the sycophants and pundits and hangers-on are clamboring over themselves to be at the hub of "THE" story. Skies are clear, weather favors a heavy turnout. Just wish it weren't such a nutty system in such a puny state (sorry neighbor) so that all this hoopla would really mean something.

If I were in Iowa I'd caucus for Obama. I got in with him early and I'll leave with the one that brung me. Besides, I think he's a breath of fresh air who'll change America's Bush-tattered world image more effectively than any other candidate. (But if he gets the nomination, I'm afraid he'll get shot. My adult life started with a trio of assassinations, can't help thinking it's going to end that way. It's political PTSD.)
More cheery thoughts, and a prediction. Breaking: Entrance polls already forecasting me to be wrong!

O-ROCK-O-BAMA!!

susan — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:40:07 -0600

AMAZING, HISTORIC, THRILLING DAY. I TAKE IT ALL BACK. IOWANS, YOU ROCK. CAUCUSES ARE A-OK.

Onward to New Hampshire, to Pensylvania Avenue, to a better world. "We are choosing hope over fear."

And reminder to Minnesotans, our caucuses are on February 5. Be there!

BREAKING NEWS!!!

barbara — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:42:56 -0600

barbara writes

This just in!

Mark your calendars. Minnesota has announced it will launch the 2012 presidential campaign season on November 5, 2008. That’s right. The day after this year's national election! This is a coup! It marks Minnesota's first-ever, pre-declaration-of-candidacy caucuses.

It has not yet been decided whether to call the caucuses to order at the stroke of midnight on the 5th, thereby mitigating against a deke by North Dakota. But a Minnesota spokesperson, who declined to be identified for fear of terrible reprisals for leaking this mind-bending news, said that could change.

“We will be watching the Dakotas very closely,” the person said. “They’ve been positioning themselves for years by keeping an extremely low profile, unlike our neighbor to the south. So it would not surprise me to see them mount a pre-emptive-caucus movement. However, I don’t put much stock in the rumor that they’re planning to spring a surprise 2012 caucus convention this coming Fourth of July. That’s just silly.” Of course there's more!

It's chemo time again

barbara — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 09:21:30 -0600

barbara writes

Taking a break while David deals with latest chemo infusion. An amazing extension of a stunningly Dark Ages kind of cancer treatment. Fry 'em with radiation and then poison 'em with toxic chemicals. Hair gone, energy tanking. Woo hoo!! A little bit more.

Words from Fearless Leader

barbara — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:01:20 -0600

barbara says

Someone gave me a 2008 "George W. Bush Out of Office Countdown" calendar. Just brought it up to date this morning.

As Junior travels the Middle East, representing the United States of America, I thought today's entry on the calendar is particularly apt. Where did he say it? Lee's Summit, Missouri, January 2007.

We thought long and hard about what to propose. We proposed a bold initiative, an initiative that takes equities out of the system, so people are treated fairly.

May you sleep better tonight knowing that Junior is out there, brokering peace.

Click for closeup of priceless photo.

Don't it make your brown eyes blue?

barbara — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:21:18 -0600

barbara writes

THIS JUST IN!

It has been reported that Barack Obama may have misted up just a wee bit in an allegedly unscripted moment. It happened yesterday when a Charleston house-husband approached him and said, “Hello.” It is not yet clear whether the alleged tear(s) formed in both of Obama’s eyes or just in one, and if the latter, which one. We'll be following up on that.

An Obama campaign insider who demanded anonymity, saying simply, “My ass will be grass,” waffled about the rumor that the Obama camp purchased several cartons of Bausch and Lomb’s artificial tears on the heels of Hillary Clinton’s deeply touching meltdown last week. “Are you suggesting that our man isn’t in touch with his inner lachrymosity?” the anonymous insider said with no small measure of defensiveness. Okay, that short exchange netted bupkes. There’s more!

If not now, when?

barbara — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:17:40 -0600

barbara writes

I came across this piece at Smirking Chimp. It's a long read, printed here in its entirety with the author’s permission. He summarizes some elements of our long national and global nightmare. I encourage you to read it and to think about it. Perhaps even to speak about it here or elsewhere.

Nancy Pelosi, You Must Impeach! The Truth About the Wars Will Guarantee the Votes
by R.W. Behan | January 15, 2008 - 5:59pm

When people who honestly believe a lie
learn the truth, they will either cease believing,
or they will cease being honest.
--anonymous

Speaker Pelosi, President Bush could have achieved his goal of “regime change” in Iraq quickly and without the violence of war. Saddam Hussein offered, weeks before his country was invaded, to leave Iraq and go into exile. President Bush withheld this offer from public view—and refused it. Nor did the President need to invade Afghanistan to apprehend Osama bin Laden. On five different occasions, George Bush refused a standing offer from the Taliban to surrender Osama bin Laden—three times before 9/11 and twice thereafter, again without public disclosure.

No, the military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan are not directed against terrorism. They are territorial in nature. Mr. Bush intended from his first days in office to invade the two countries: as early as late January, 2001, his Administration was developing the decisions and beginning the preparations for both military incursions. 9/11 was in the distant future, so the conflicts cannot be exercises in counter-terrorism, as the Bush Administration frequently and dishonestly insists. They are premeditated wars of unprovoked conquest and occupation.

Madam Speaker, if you know this, and if you continue refusing impeachment, then you are a criminal accomplice in violating the trust of the American people—and in violating both U.S. and international law.

If you do not know this truth about the wars, Madam Speaker, you must learn its details and embrace it, and then you must seek with dispatch and justice to impeach George Bush and Richard Cheney. More

Susan does Dallas. Customs, that is.

susan — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:01:08 -0600

And now, something totally different.
Hola mes amigos, just back from Costa Rica, where I hiked and birded and swam and sweated in the rainforest of the Osa Penninsula. No internet, no phones, and only dim solar lights which petered out by 9 pm. Not saying I was roughing it, as I wasn't, but it was a head-spinning change from the razor-sharp cold of Minnesota -- and the dull thuggery of Bush world.

For a day or two I was a quivering junky, detoxing from this nasty internet habit, and then I gave in to the seduction of life without the Need to Know. Or at least the need to know details of the latest arms deals with the Saudis and Israelis. No good gonna come from that Devil's pact.

And I tell you, I was a quivering wreck being in a country that has set aside one-third of its land for preservation and has no military. How can they get by without it? And boarding a plane with no security checks? Don't they know about the axis of evil? Nevermind.
The trip was a joyous lark. Returning to Minnesota, via Dallas, was not.
(Yeah, I'm getting to the part about customs. Read on.)

Staying Alive -- and warm.

susan — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:12:53 -0600

Brrrrr. Here's a post to cover up the long one below about customs in Dallas -- and to get the tacky Debby Does Dallas poster off the top billing. Sorry about that.

Two toasty indoor recommendations if the national pond hockey tournament taking place on a Minneapolis lake leaves you cold. (The temperature here just nudged up to 4 frigid degrees.)
Here they are.

Justice for Sale

susan — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 01:07:13 -0600

West Virginia Chief Justice Elliott Maynard -- would you romp on the Riviera with this man?
More.

So, like, anyone have boundaries?

barbara — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:35:01 -0600

barbara writes

Did you know that Heath Ledger died? Front page news. For two days. So far.

Now, wait! Before you come after me with torches burning and pitchforks brandished, let me say that far as I know, Heath Ledger was a swell guy. "Far as I know" because: (a) I’m one of the three Americans who didn’t see “Brokeback Mountain.” I live with one of the others, and he doesn’t much care for movies. (b) I don’t watch television. (c) I don’t read People. Don't miss the rest!

ROUT! BLOW OUT!

susan — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:09:36 -0600

Well, take that, newspaper of record. So much for the NYTimes' endorsement of Hillary, at least as it played out in S. Carolina. Then again, the NYTimes probably has as much clout in Scar-y-lina as the Clotheslineblog does in NYC. Or in Minneapolis. Or on my block . . .
That Obama won is no surprise, but the margin of his victory, well, wow. He gave Hillary a thumpin' as he would say, and that was more than just black voters turning out. He won over 50% of the white voters under 29, totally unexpected.

Gotta wonder, what was the Oprah effect? What was the Bill effect? I'm not even a Clinton hater, but I think Bill has overstepped. And instead of hearing from Hillary after the defeat, we heard from Bill in Missouri, congratulating Obama. (And referring to his "post-political life." Right.) Well, plenty of jabbering on CNN, they can figure that out. And Donna Brazille says this isn't about race, it's about young v. old. It's generational. And Kennedy-esque -- complete with an endorsement in tomorrow's Times by Caroline Kennedy

I love seeing Obama win, but I'm not sanguine about our chances in November with either candidate. Oops, he's on stage now in Columbia, SC. Here comes a speech, I'm outta here. More on November, and a McCain/Pawlenty ticket, later.

Don't Start Thinkin' About Tomorrow

susan — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:26:17 -0600

Just relish today.

First was last night's huge win and the record turn out, then Caroline Kennedy's endorsement, as sweet and straight-foward as silk billowing off a bolt, and now Ted Kennedy making it a hat trick. Does a hat trick have something to do with the number three? How about a trifecta? Whatever, what an exhilerating 24 hours it's been.

But, can we beat the Republicans in November? In some way I worry that we have a bigger problem than they do.
Read why.

Where have I seen this before?

barbara — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:38:02 -0600

barbara says

I hope Susan is right (see her post below). I, too, hope we can win in November. But now that John Edwards is being airily and summarily dismissed (sorry, Edwards—poof!), I have a whole new problem.

All of us who believe Edwards represents the best hope for this country have a serious problem. We can remain loyal to the man in whom we believe, period. Or we can play variations of the “wait and see” game. Or we can launch a pre-emptive strike, abandon our candidate, suck it up and pretend to embrace one of the current front-runners.

Where have I seen this before?

Oh. I know. It happened when people far wiser than I said, “Howard Dean is toast. John Kerry is the real deal.” Now I will not dispute Kerry’s military valor, post-military valor, nor even his potential fitness for the presidency. Turns out Kerry was a total washout as a candidate. I worked my butt off trying to warm to him, to be supportive of him. Shook his limp hand, took measure of the man (to the extent one can take measure of someone who does not make eye contact) and realized it was going to be an ugly uphill battle. Even so, he almost won the thing. Operative word: Almost. He didn’t. Read on.

Ah, John, some of us hate to see you go

barbara — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:29:24 -0600

barbara says

John Edwards will withdraw from the presidential race today. Reportedly it will happen in New Orleans, where he announced his candidacy. The media and the pollsters and the Clinton machine have won. America has lost. Elizabeth will be disconsolate, but I am guessing that her illness is part of the equation. You'll be hearing about this all day, everywhere. Just felt obliged to play taps for my man's candidacy.

Read on to see what one Obama supporter has to say about Edwards' withdrawal.

Hillary's no Helmsley

susan — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:11:30 -0600

Rumor mill saying that Obama offered Edwards AG post in exchange for his support. Fine by me.
But lest we jump too far ahead . . .
Read Tom Hayden on HuffPost about why he supports Obama. He does it without bashing Hillary, and I wish the rest of the left would follow his lead.
There are specific things to call her out on, yes, but feels to me like the Repubs must be just creaming their -- cupcakes with all of us spewing out their hate-filled manufactured lines for them. When lefties gleefully send me WSJ editorials saying, "The Dems finally see what we've known about the Clintons all along . . ." it feels like we're all slurping Rove's KoolAid now.
More.

Time to get in line

barbara — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 07:21:23 -0600

barbara says

Time for straight talk. Why? Because some of us are tired of being Hillary pilloried. We are being brow-beaten for speaking our truth. Accused of being mean. We are told that in the interest of party unity, we must go to our rooms and not come out until we can behave. Okey dokey.

I've taken issue with Hillary Clinton, sometimes publicly. For years, I have struggled with my aversion to her. I don’t much like that about myself. Historically, I have to be crossed hugely and multiple times before I give way to mistrust and that shivery thing that runs up my spine. But the fact is, I find Hillary Clinton immensely off-putting. More.