A collection of insightful ruminations, reflections, and rants on the events of the day (with the exception of the weekend). We'll collect a week's worth here and then archive them. Come visit each weekday to see what's pushing Barbara's buttons.

October 8, 2004

The fact that Bush et al. are distorting Kerry's statement on "global test" is primarily because they don't have enough brain power to assimilate what John Kerry really had to say. It's like a child who hears the word candy, thinks of sweet, and all they can say is eat, eat, eat! Bush's distortion is the result of an underdeveloped brain working at the capacity level of a 3 year old, which is how he reacts to most everything in his world. Egocentric in its purest form is terminology that begins to describe George Bush. Then comes narcissistic, self-indulgent, sociopathic, sadistic, irresponsible, weird, arrogant, furtive, rude, crude, and downright nasty!

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Why wouldn't John Kerry, like the rest of America believe he could trust the president to tell the truth? Who would have thought the president of the United States would lie to the Congress and the American people in order to pre-emptively invade Iraq for personal gain? Who really wanted to believe that the president would have such little regard for human life as to deliberately bring "shock and awe" down on innocent people, knowing the collateral damage would be devastating, just to prove he's a better man than his Poppy? Who in their right mind would not have been supportive of Bush, after he and his administration told us we were in danger of another terrorist attack? No, John Kerry doesn't have a problem, but George Bush certainly does, now that America knows his desire was personal and his motives were trumped up!

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Just plain common sense tells us that more troops on the ground to win the peace would have been wiser than what actually happened, thanks to the Bush nincompoop decision to go to war without a plan for peace. The fact that John Kerry voted against the $87 billion dollars has nothing to do with the troops being rushed to war in the first place without proper equipment, that not enough troops were sent to do the job in the aftermath, and that a whole lot of that $87 billion hasn't even been spent on the effort. How much of that $87 billion went to aid the troops and their effort, how much actually went directly into Halliburton's coffers? And now, America must figure out what John Kerry knew when he voted against the funds. HOW IN HELL ARE OUR CHILDREN GOING TO PAY FOR IT?

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Just wondering, has anyone has given thought to the fact that Halliburton is using profits, made off the American taxpayers for the Iraqi war effort, to pay fines for scamming the public and gouging taxpayers? Nice work if you can get it, you pay me so I can pay the fines for deceiving you in the beginning, and then I am allowed to continue scamming you out of your money! Only in Bush's America could something this ridiculous be happening!

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October 7, 2004

Bush and Cheney have absolutely no record to stand on. They have bungled the economy, they have bungled the war on terror, they have bungled Iraq, so in order to maintain the illusion of strong leadership they have resorted to outright lying to the American people. Wake up people, George Bush is taking this country down the drain with his lies, and if we don't stop him in his tracks we will not recognize our America in 4 more years!

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The current mantra of the Bush/Cheney campaign---If at first you don't succeed, then lie, lie, and lie again! Because if the American public knows the truth, we'd be toast! And the irony is---these liars are running on conservative values!

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"...the Bush administration had several opportunities to bomb Zarqawi's camp well before the war. On at least two occasions the U.S. military drew up plans for an attack. But the White House rejected the proposals -- mainly because shutting down Zarqawi's operation would have removed a key rationale for invading Iraq. This was a jaw-dropping bit of cynicism: Bush sold, and continues to sell, the war in Iraq as a major campaign in the global war on terrorism, yet he repeatedly passed up the chance to neutralize or kill one of the most dangerous terrorists (Zarqawi has spent much of his time lately chopping off the heads of foreign contractors) for fear of weakening the case for war." And Bush claims he is a strong leader who can make you safer!

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Where are all those calls for impeachment, where is all that Repuglican self-righteous now???? I vaguely remember something about, "It's not about the sex, it's about the lies," having been the mantra of the Repuglican party a few years back. Well guys, it's not about the WAR, it's about the lies that were told to wage that war, and unfortunately for American soldiers and innocent Iraqi citizens, it's become about the thousands of graves resulting from those lies! If ever there was a time for pious justice, it's now, before we have to bury another family's loved one!

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"...Bremer cut him off. 'The president told me that de-Baathification comes before the immediate needs of the Iraqi people.'" This says it all if you thought Bush was compassionately conservative. Negating humanity to obtain a personally profitable goal is not a quality of leadership, it only demonstrates the weakness of an immature personality seeking to satiate a diabolical ego.

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The most telling example of a bug in his ear was when he was asked during a press conference on April 13, 2004, what was the biggest mistake he had made? His answer...BUSH: Hmm. I wish you had given me this written question ahead of time so I could plan for it. You know I just uh… BUSH: I'm sure something will pop into my head here … In the midst of this press conference… (Note from me--Bush was apparently cuing the prompter that he didn't have an answer to the question.) BUSH: …with all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer… but it hadn't yet. Apparently his prompter either didn't hear the question or didn't want Bush to admit to making a mistake!

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The Bush administration's rationale, that it doesn't matter how we got there, it only matters that Saddam is no longer in power, just doesn't wash. It reminds me of the cops arresting a suspected murderer and then planting the evidence to substantiate their case, the rationale being the only thing that matters is the fact that he's in jail! We all know that criminal activity is not the way to solve crimes, it only makes criminals of the so-called good guys, and that is not the American way of eliciting justice.

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October 6, 2004

My grandmother used to say, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," and that's exactly where Bush and his administration have taken us, into the hell of war! And to George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld, I say, the excuse "I simply don't know" isn't good enough, given the death and destruction you are responsible for causing by rushing into a pre-emptive war!

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If the Edwards/Cheney debate is judged on who lied the most, then without a doubt Cheney won, but if the spinners want to judge the debate on style and substance then Edwards was the clear winner. One of the most glaring lies Cheney managed to spew from the corner of his scowling mouth was, "I have not suggested there is a connection between Iraq and 9/11."

The facts don't support his statement:

"His regime has had high-level contacts with al Qaeda going back a decade and has provided training to al Qaeda terrorists," Cheney, 12/2/02. "His regime aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda. He could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against us," Cheney, 1/30/03. "I think there's overwhelming evidence that there was a connection between al Qaeda and the Iraqi government," Cheney, 1/22/04. "There's been enormous confusion over the Iraq and al Qaeda connection. First of all, on the question of - of whether or not there was any kind of a relationship, there was a relationship. It's been testified to. The evidence is overwhelming. It goes back to the early '90s....There's clearly been a relationship," Cheney, 6/17/04. Of course one could argue over the meaning of what suggestion is, err, the difference between suggestion and deliberate declarations of downright lies!

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And they wonder why the comparison to Hitler! Click your heels, raise your hand, and salute the monkey, that's what life in these United States has become---the Bush administration is muzzling the press, the Bushies are taking steps to stop the American people from being made aware of the mess in Iraq. They want us to hear good news only, even if it's bogus. They know if the public is told the truth then it's good-bye George, and they aren't ready to cede power. They know that if they lose the power of the White House someone may get enough cajones to bring criminal charges for the lies that have been told in order to gain support for a pre-emptive war.

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I am overwhelmed with sadness when I think of the over 1000 American soldiers who are dead, and the countless numbers of innocent children and Iraqi citizens who have died as a result of Bush's war in Iraq. I can't help but wonder how the little boy, whose family was killed and his arms blown away because of Bush's bombs, how's he doing? I can't help but wonder had Al Gore been inaugurated, would he have taken a month-long vacation, would he have ignored the PDB on August the 6th, would the terrorists have been successful on 9-11? I think not, I believe Al Gore would have been all over the warnings, I believe he would have demanded a thorough investigation with warnings out for the airlines and all public transport. I believe he would have put every resource in the United States into finding out what the Al Qaeda plan was, and I believe Al Gore would have stopped Osama in his tracks, before the attacks culminated in the deaths of 3000 people. I don't think Al Gore would have remained seated for 7 minutes in a classroom reading My Pet Goat while Americans were dying, because that's the difference between a man who has what it takes to be President and who really cares, and the empty facade who was attempting to look presidential while actively searching for a reason to pre-emptively invade Iraq.

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This from Josh Marshall: "...during this 'philosophical' phase of Cheney's performance when I couldn't help but think: 'I just don't know if this guy's heart is really in it. I'm not sure they really want to win.' He was listless. It was like Cheney checked out of the debate about a half hour before Edwards did." I was wondering why Bush/Cheney, the Repuglicans and the talking heads have been so kind to the Dems by readily agreeing that Kerry and now Edwards did very well in the debates. What could possibly have changed them from vile and nasty to grudgingly agreeable? Could they possibly realize that they've dug a hole that's impossible to get out of? Are they hoping for a loss so the quagmire and obvious terrorist build-up cannot be attributed to the Repuglican party? Do they realize now that what Poppy said at the end of the first Gulf War about the impossibilities in Iraq is true? Is this their way to CYA? I wonder???

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October 5, 2004

They have to lie about John Kerry, because they cannot tell the truth about George Bush!

Dan Bartlett, White House Communications Director Misleading the Public About John Kerry's Position on the Iraq War: “Senator Kerry drew very similar conclusions as the president did before the war, calling Saddam Hussein an imminent threat, saying he was a part of the war on terror.” [CBS News, Face the Nation, 10/3/04]

THE TRUTH -- John Kerry Did Not Say Saddam Was an Imminent Threat

John Kerry: Vote to Disarm Iraq If We Cannot Accomplish Through New, Tough Weapons Inspections. “Let me be clear, the vote I will give to the President is for one reason and one reason only: To disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, if we cannot accomplish that objective through new, tough weapons inspections in joint concert with our allies. In giving the President this authority, I expect him to fulfill the commitments he has made to the American people in recent days to work with the United Nations Security Council to adopt a new resolution setting out tough and immediate inspection requirements, and to act with our allies at our side if we have to disarm Saddam Hussein by force.” [Kerry statement, Congressional Record, 10/9/02]

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Reality is that George Bush is an embarrassment to the presidency of the United States. His performance in the debate was without a doubt one of the most embarrassing performances the world has ever witnessed from an American president. It was an example of lowering the values of what one can expect from a president to accommodate the imbecile who occupies the office because the Supreme Court apparently thought they owed Poppy a favor. The entire country now, must bear this shameful burden.

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My grandmother used to say, "If wishes were horses then beggars would ride," and I say to George Bush, just because you wish democracy to be on the horizon and say Iraq is stabilized, doesn't make it so. Maybe in your close-knit circle just because you've said it, they all click heels and utter Heil, but the rest of us know that you are spinning the truth in that little brain of yours and the truth does not match your words. Iraq is a quagmire, where innocent children are being injured and are dying, all because you chose to preemptively invade their country. There were no WMDs, they were no "nucular" weapons, reality finds Iraq with a whole lot of graves due to an unnecessary war.

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In my opinion I would think it is more demoralizing to the troops, that Bush and the Repuglican party are lying to the American people by portraying Iraq as a positively happy place, than John Kerry's insistence on finding solutions to the real problems that exist, because Bush rushed them into an unnecessary war. When you find yourself in an environment where you don't know who the enemy is because Bush did not have a viable plan or enough troops to win the peace, it has to be the most chaotic and confusing situation a military man or woman could find themselves in. While the Repugs may think this is a good argument against John Kerry and the Democrats, in reality it is nothing more than one of those juvenile inane talking points that some lunkhead unthinking Repuglican dreamed up in another of their moments of madness.

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It's a sad day when the press, questioning the National Security Advisor, has to ask what the president meant in statements he made in a debate. "BLITZER: I will talk about another statement the president made, and I want your explanation of what he meant by this." Surely it's not too much to expect the president of the United States to be articulate enough that his statements do not need explanation!

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Go figure---Martha Stewart is sent to jail for 5 months because she told a lie that hurt no one, zilch, nada, no one, while George Bush is running for election to the highest office in the land after telling multiple lies and waging a pre-emptive war where more than 1000 American troops and countless of innocent Iraqis have died! Only in America could an imbecile be rewarded for that kind of injustice.

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It's amazing, the family ties that bind---John Thomas (Tom) Schieffer nominated as Ambassador to Australia by George Bush was also an investor on the Rangers baseball team and worked as Partner-in-Charge of Ballpark Development with Bush down in Texas. Ambassador Schieffer is also brother to Chief Washington Correspondent and host of Face the Nation for CBS News, Bob Schieffer. You don't think Bob would give any special consideration to his brother's association with Bush when he moderates the third and final presidential debate, do you???

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When questioned about an Al-Qaeda/Saddam Hussein connection, Donald Rumsfeld said, "To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong hard evidence that links the two." You don't suppose he is setting the stage so that somewhere down the road they can say, we never said there was a connection, just like they said, "Iraq was an imminent threat," and later claimed never having said it? Face it America, we have a bunch of guys in office with neither conscience nor scruples, they'll lie at the drop of a hat and then claim they never did. Kinda reminds one of a wayward juvenile who challenges authority after committing a crime by claiming it never happened.

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One doesn't have to wonder why a newly released document, by the White House, notifying Bush of a promotion in the National Guard, wasn't pre-released by Rove to Reed to give to MacDougald for a detailed authenticity analysis, because "This document...was typed more than a year before the first CBS memos. And like the CBS memos, this document uses a proportionately spaced font and has the characteristics of a document produced on contemporary computers using Microsoft Word. Proportionately spaced fonts, in which characters had different widths, replaced older typewriter fonts in which all the characters were of the same width." Could this document be a forgery also, or could it prove the CBS documents were not forgeries???

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Has anyone ever given a thought as to why Saddam maintained the illusion of possessing WMDs? Could it possibly have been to prevent exactly what's happening in Iraq today? Could it have been to prevent terrorists and insurgents from overrunning the country? Could it have been to prevent larger stronger nations from invading Iraq? Given he had been involved in long-standing wars with his neighbors, the first Gulf War, and years of sanctions, perhaps illusion was the only defense he had left in his arsenal.

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Duval County in the State of Florida is Repuglican dominated. Way back, even before the investigations, when it was first reported that votes had been invalidated in Duval County, I said those votes would be found to be from predominantly African-American precincts because I know, that's how the good ole boys take care of bidness! And the revelations of Election 2000 will do nothing to stop them in 2004, after all, these guys have been operating since voting became a right in these United States. Election results have always been a guarantee for those who know how to thwart the system. Duval County will only be more of the same come November 2004!

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"RICE: ...And, Wolf, if you're a policy-maker, you are going to be certain that you're not wrong on the short side, that you're not wrong in underestimating. Because, after all, if you underestimate the nuclear threat of a tyrant, you make a really big mistake...." And boy did you guys make a really big mistake in underestimating Saddam's imminent threat capability---you took the United States into a war based on lies, innuendo, mistaken assumptions, and one man's desire to outdo his Poppy. Innocent people including children are dead, American soldiers are dead, Iraq is a quagmire, and the terrorists are growing in numbers. The biggest mistake of all was made by the imbecile who threw caution to the winds and made the decision to wage an entirely unnecessary pre-emptive war.

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Cheney, and the current administration, who took the biggest surplus the country has ever had and turned it into the biggest deficit, are better for the economy than the Democrats? That they would believe these same guys who waged a pre-emptive war, causing the death and destruction of countless numbers of innocent Iraqis including children, who never had anything to do with terrorism, could make the world safer is beyond my comprehension. W really does stand for Wrong---Wrong for the economy, wrong for security, and wrong for America.

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How many members of the Bush administration have to come forward to tell us how Bush has mis-managed the war in Iraq before America says "YOUR FIRED!"? How many times does he have to be proven to have lied before he's told, "YOUR FIRED!"? How much damage must he to do to America, and because we never hired you in the first place, before we tell him, "YOUR FIRED!"!!!!

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October 4, 2004

Well folks, Bush looked and acted like a dork and that's the best I can say for him in the debates Thursday night!

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Any hint of impropriety in the machination of touch screen voting should be enough to stop it in its tracks! If the electorate cannot trust their vote to be counted accurately then the state should do everything possible to eliminate the technology in question. If a consumer buys faulty equipment, then the consumer has a right to return that equipment for a full refund. If states were to return the questionable Diebold voting machines and ask for a full refund, you can bet your bippy that the Diebold people would sooner protect their bank accounts than support any one man for president, because that is really the Repuglican way!!

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Again, when George Bush and the Repuglicans use the "took the fight to the terrorists, instead of fighting in the streets of America" crap to justify Bush's pre-emptive war in Iraq, all I can think of is---anyone who professes to be a good Christian and says something like this should be ashamed and excommunicated from any religion that harbors such idiots. When terrorists kill innocent men, women, and CHILDREN anywhere, it is an intolerable horrific atrocity and should never be condoned no matter the reason. Think how you would feel if the Iraqis were saying better the war take place in the streets of America where the man who started it all lives, and think how we would feel if our children were being bombed on a daily basis, keep in mind that Bush in essence is telling them "it's alright that your children are being killed, as long as it isn't happening in America"!