Support BuzzFlash Get a copy of click image MORE BuzzFlash INTERVIEWS WORLD MEDIA WATCH P.M. CARPENTER MAUREEN FARRELL BARBARA'S DAILY BUZZ SOUTHERN STYLE CARTOONS THE ANGRY LIBERAL EDITORIALS CONTRIBUTORS MAILBAG PERSPECTIVES ANALYSIS NEWS ALERTS LINK ARCHIVES SEARCH ABOUT FAQ

Important Note: Because we can't always determine your intentions, we need to ask a favor of you when you send us email. If you DO NOT WANT YOUR EMAIL PUBLISHED in the Mailbag or in the Contributors section, please write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the Subject line or at the top of your email. That way we'll know it's just a comment to BuzzFlash. Additionally, if you submit a mailbag item and DO NOT WANT YOUR NAME associated with your submission, sign your email, "A BuzzFlash Reader." If you send email unsigned, we will post your name with your submission, or, if that's not available, your email name (not the full address, just what's on the left side of the email address). Please try and keep your word count under 400. We can only post a small percentage of what is sent to us. The opinions expressed in the Mailbag are not necessarily those of BuzzFlash. Thanks again for your email and your patience.

Subj: Just Wondering

Dear Buzz,

Just wondering why Dem candidates are expected to provide complete solutions for US problems while our Prez continually staggers from one direction to another (waffles*) until his poll numbers stabilize. (*Surely you remember the word "waffles" circa 1991.)

Just wondering why no one warned us to "watch your wallet" with this Prez. (This expression was also popular during 1991.)

Just wondering why all of our Dems have great communication skills while our Prez began his current term seemingly unable to formulate or express a complete thought.

Just wondering how voters in a country such as the US could elect a leader with such poor communications skills.

Just wondering why our Dems are expected to provide acceptable replies to questions of perceived past inadequacies/misstatements while our Prez, and now Ahnald too, get away with referring to past personal unpleasantries as history no longer worthy of comment.

Just wondering why our Prez tells us all to say what we think 'cause we are in a democracy, but if he really doesn't like our opinion, (Wilson, O'Neill come to mind), you, or someone you love, is sorry you said anything.

Just wondering why he thinks he's so Christ-like when he would not meet with elders of his own church.

Just wondering ... aw heck, what does it matter what I wonder?

Pamela of the Poconos

Subj: Republican Flexibility

BuzzFlash,

The great thing about Republican principles is that they are so flexible:

They believe that greed and free enterprise can solve all problems and then they propose dumping hundreds of billions of dollars on NASA to go to Mars. Why not let free enterprise do it ? The principle doesn't apply in this case.

They say the tax code is too complicated and then they propose manipulating the tax code further to solve all problems from healthcare to pollution. Why not find other solutions ? The principle doesn't apply in this case.

They say they believe in a balanced budget and then increase spending and cut taxes to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars. How can they do this ? The principle doesn't apply in this case.

They say you can't solve problems by dumping money on them, and then they propose dumping billions on Star Wars, a program that most scientists say is completely flawed. Will this make it work ? It doesn't matter, we will deploy it anyway !!

Larry,
Maryland

Can we outsource Bush and his administration to Mars.....just asking.

Jocelyn

Subj: Deficit Not Big Enough?

Administration officials say they are planning an extensive election-year initiative to promote marriage, especially among low-income couples, and they are weighing whether President Bush should promote the plan next week in his State of the Union address.

For months, administration officials have worked with conservative groups on the proposal, which would provide at least $1.5 billion for training to help couples develop interpersonal skills that sustain "healthy marriages."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/14/politics/campaigns/14MARR.html

(Does that include brother Neil Bush and his hookers? And guess where this money will go? That's right, to conservative churches and groups, with some change tossed to black churches as a fig leaf.)

Darius

Subj: Dennis Miller

Dennis Miller has sold out because, let's face it, he's a hack. He can't sell his tired old act to HBO or award shows anymore and he's not smart enough to change. So in order to get a "real job" on mainstream media he had to change his politics. Really, in 2001 he was quoted as saying (among many other things):

"And on Monday, movers went to the Governor's Mansion in Austin, Texas to transfer Bush's belongings to Washington. The move itself took very little time once workers discovered that Bush had nothing upstairs."

"Now, I don't want to get off on a rant here, but as a comedian, with George W. Bush coming into office, I feel like the owner of a hardware store before a hurricane. I hate to see it coming but I have to admit it's good for business."

"I'll take my shots at Dubya, but I actually have high hopes for the next four years. I see George W. Bush working hard to keep the ambitions of big business and the military in check, and ensure that even the lowest job pays a dignified wage. I believe he'll erase the animus that has divided Washington, and bring both sides of the aisle together. I also happen to believe dogs can talk if you touch them in the right spot, and everyone watching me is happy with their body. "

That really doesn't mean he's liberal as all comedians took shots at W, but now Miler has gone so far the other way. He defends the president like he's Bush's prison bitch. It's obvious that the conservatives and Miller are using each other...Miller gets an actual paying job where he can use his erudite sounding witticisms, and the conservatives get a so called ex-liberal convert to parade in front of America (on the "liberal media") and force feed stories.

Trust me, Dennis, they are laughing at you much more than they are with you. You ARE their prison bitch ("Dance for me!"). You have always been there for the buying, were never really that funny to begin with (really, did you think those staged one-liner counters to Al Michaels on MNF had ANYBODY fooled?), and have obviously depended mostly on others for material, as you are now. And when the tide turns, you will have burned so many bridges, and faded so far away, that the only work you will get is opening up for Linda Tripp at Open Mic night at the Waco iHop. Now THAT'S funny.

Jamison

Subj: Demand Scalia recuse self from Cheney suit

This is an online (and offline) campaign BEGGING to happen (i.e., demand Scalia recuse himself now). If Scalia doesn't recuse himself, he's violating federal law (see story below), and I suspect that's an impeachable offense for a Supreme Court justice. This also calls into question Scalia's role, and impartiality, in Bush v Gore. And it again gives legs to the Cheney-Halliburton story, at a time when the French are talking about indicting Cheney over his Halliburton ties. How many different press angles do they need to hand us here, folks? Ten bucks says we get a bunch of press releases from the liberal groups handling these issues, and that's it.

JOHN

* * *

Trip With Cheney Puts Ethics Spotlight on Scalia

January 17, 2004

By David G. Savage, Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (news - web sites) spent part of last week duck hunting together at a private camp in southern Louisiana just three weeks after the court agreed to take up the vice president's appeal in lawsuits over his handling of the administration's energy task force.

Subj: Nazis??

BuzzFlash,

Brown Shirt Republicans = Nazi???

We two senior citizens of this USA, remember Nazi youth group. This sounds so familiar to the days of hitler. Shame, shame on them.

*THOSE WHO FORGET THE PAST ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT THE PAST.*

Hitler was defeated, so was his Young brown shirts. Take heed New republican brown shirts.

Mr. and Mrs. Senior citizens, ( war vet.) BuzzFlash readers, and supporters.

Subj: Scalia Opus Dei? You mean like Rupert Murdoch?

The question is whether Scalia's understanding of the Constitution could be seriously maligned by his involvement in a religious cult. For this we need to determine whether his ability to arrive at an impartial rendering of the law is impaired by his commitment to a radical orthodoxy. As clever as Scalia's rulings are, they are entirely predictable, never veering from his narrow perspective. This implies that rather than being the result of a reasoned deliberation of the law, they are nothing more than the logical extension of a particular dogma.This guarantees that his rulings will be an upshot of his religious affectations instead of an unbiased reading of the facts. We see this as an illustration of his judgment being overshadowed by a competing ethic; an ethic that disparages our fundamental understanding of the law.

-- "Scalia and Opus Dei"; Radicals on the High Court, Counterpunch

Worth bringing to the attention of Rep. Henry Waxman.

J.

Subj: Drunken Pilot on Rampage

Dear BuzzFlash,

I am surprised you haven't jumped on a story aired by CBS Friday night. CBS reported that a drunken Florida pilot went on a four hour spree, repeatedly violating restricting flight spaces, buzzing airport control towers, and forcing one flight to take evasive action to avoid hitting him.

The story reported that a police chopper was finally scrambled to track him, but the spree did not come to an end until the pilot landed with almost empty fuel tanks. There were no, repeat no, military jets scrambled to chase the errant plane - in fact, no indications that the FAA protocol for dealing with such instances was activated. Furthermore, I have seen no further discussion of the incident in the press since then.

The incident leaves me with some troubling questions:

1. With all our vaunted concern with security, especially concerning airplanes, how can a drunken pilot wander the skies for 4 HOURS without red flags going up at the FAA and NORAD?

2. Why is this not a BIG issue for the press or, for that matter, for the people like me that saw that broadcast? It points out that NOTHING has been done to remedy the FAA and military protocols that would prevent another 911.

For all the lip service given to "homeland security" it seems that no- one really cares. Until the next time . . .

Jim Palmer

Subj: "Bubble Boy"

Hi, Love the site, I recommend it to everyone. Your "headlines" are the best... Here's a headline-suggestion: You should start referring to our Boy King as:

"bubble boy" especially in stories about how he is PROTECTED from protestors (and newspapers and reality, etc.)... imagine how the wingnuts would recoil!!!

But it's so true! That's all... Thanks!

Keep Saving Our Country,

Max

Subj: Check out FOXNews.com

Two months later, Scalia and Cheney joined Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and others for foie gras, lamb and crab cakes at a restaurant on Maryland's Eastern Shore, according to accounts of the dinner in The Star Democrat of Easton, Md., and The Daily Times of Salisbury, Md.

The court agreed to hear the case in December. Earlier this month, Cheney and Scalia spent several days in south Louisiana on a duck hunting trip.

From "Scalia, Cheney Socializing Raises Eyebrows"

These assholes just continue to thumb their noses at the American people, the Constitution, the law and just plain ol' common decency.

I don't get it, I just don't.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subj: Right Wing Cancer . . .

Hi there,

A link on your current page reads "Right Wing Cancer Spreads to Canada". It's about the candidacy of Belinda Stronach for the newly-formed Conservative Party of Canada.

I would submit that Canada has long had a right wing - that kind of "cancer" is nothing new. What is new, according to Linda McQuaig, is that a candidate for national office should have so little knowledge of, or experience in, politics.

So call it the "ignorance cancer" in Canadian politics. Whether it really spread to Canada from the United States is another question. Personally I think that a few Canadians have initiated this cancer all on their own.

Sincerely,

Greg Meadows

Subj: Bush/Hitler

Why is the Bush/Hitler comparison so distasteful to most conservatives? After all, last spring, Rush said that congressional Democrats were a bigger threat to national security than terrorists. Why is it okay to say that?

Brit

Hi Buzz,

Oh, please thank Karen Webb for her My Scott's better than Your Scott piece. It made me roll. This is what happens when they let him out on his own, unscripted. He should really be kept in a cage.

I really need the laugh. Thanks Buzz and Karen.

Barbara in NYC

"Justice Scalia" is an oxymoron.

When confronted with concerns that he had a potential conflict of interest and should not have had dinner and gone on a hunting trip with Dick Cheney while the Supreme Court was involved in a case about the vice president's energy task force, Justice Antonin Scalia responded "I do not think my impartiality could reasonably be questioned.''

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Cheney-Scalia.html

What is the basis for Scalia's belief?

Does he believe he is impartial? No, he knows he's not.

Does he believe that ANYBODY else thinks he is impartial? If so, he's a fool because rank hypocrisy was exposed for the world to see in the Bush v. Gore case. Whatever he is, Scalia is no fool.

Or is Scalia taking a page from the Bush Administration's post-9/11 playbook and imperiously dismissing anyone who questions him? Certainly, if you have the power to impose "Free Speech" Zones, it is reasonable to believe that nobody can question you because they will never be within earshot.

Scot A. Griffin

Subj: Patriot Act

Perhaps you have seen people who oppose the Patriot Act being challenged on the pundit shows to " name a single instance" where someone's liberties have been trounced.

This challenge has always been met with silence or with generalities about what "might" happen.

So...it was with great interest that I read an article in the February 2004 issue of Vanity Fair about John Ashcroft.

The following is from that article by Judy Bachrach:

...Since 9/11 more than 18,000 anti-terrorism subpoenas and search warrants have been issued.

Last May, Ashcroft's people acknowledged that they had sought 248 times to delay notifying a target of investigation. Moreover, now, as Viet Dinh (the chief architect of the Patriot Act) tells me, you don't really have to be a suspected foreign agent to have your life examined by law-enforcement officials, just perhaps the possessor, he says, of some "evidence relating to an investigation" on terrorism.

The government may seize business records and other information by seeking an order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a body that sits in secret and where the standards of proof are lower than in criminal court. Probable cause does not apply. And as for the search itself, Dinh adds, "There is a provision to make it confidential."

Meaning a gag order, I say.

"Exactly," says Dinh.

Meaning if you've been searched, you can't even call your local congressman to complain?

"Exactly."

Paula

Subj: Great Scott

Now we know why there are no women accusing Bush of sexual harassment...

Brooklyn Brandy

Subj: A Naturalized American Thoughts about Bush

I - still - do not know much about the underpinning of American political system. I came to this great country not too long ago - even though fourteen years might seem a long time, - as a political refugee, from a former east European communist country of which most of this' outstanding site regular readers have most likely heard (Romania) - I doubt that the rest of Americans have (given their well known ignorance). Knowing first hand how it feels to live in a totalitarian regime where individual freedoms are nonexistent, and democracy is just an empty word, I became increasingly worried about where the actual Bush administration is leading our country (behind the "pretext" of fighting terrorism). Horrified by the real possibility to live again in a country in which the political landscape has even a slight resemblance to the one my native country use to have, I starting trying to make as many of my American friends and acquaintances aware of what's really going on, noticing that most of them are either misinformed or they just do not care - and I believe, if we want this country to remain the great one we all love and admire, they should. And I found out that a little analogy might hit the right string and, at least for some, make them have a second thought about seeing Bush as the great president we know he is not. Here we go.

We elect the president and also we pay his salary (through our taxes). So, more or less he is an employee hired and paid by us who, according to this logic, are his boss. Now ask every business owner this: "What would you do if you hire somebody that you are suppose to trust, give him almost unlimited power, and find out that he lied to you in order to convince you to send your kids to fight and die in a war that only himself (your employee) and his friends would profit, and on top of that would bring your business to the verge of bankruptcy. Would you still keep him on your company's payroll, or fire him on the spot and bring him to justice?"

CD.

Subj: "MoveOn is Socialist" meme apparently Rovian invention

I heard about MoveOn's anti-Bush commercial, and as a Libertarian who hates Bush's borrow-and-spend Big Government agenda, I of course was interested in seeing what the commercial was like. It turned out to be an okay commercial, that criticized Bush's borrow-and-spend export-our-good-jobs-overseas Big Government agenda quite well. MoveOn asked for donations to air the commercial, so I was about to click on the "Donate" button when I asked myself: "Who am I about to donate to?!"

So I did a swift Google search for MoveOn, and found that most of the results were to blogs that mentioned MoveOn's "socialist and communist ties". That was alarming, since as a Libertarian I don't generally support socialist and communist organizations. I went to numerous of those links, and learned that various Socialist and Communist web sites have web links to MoveOn's site (but MoveOn's site doesn't have web links to their sites) and that MoveOn's agenda as described on MoveOn's web site was "socialist". I examined MoveOn's web site and found no socialist agenda, so I contacted the operator of one of these blogs that had mentioned MoveOn's Socialist and Communist ties, and asked him exactly what those socialist and communist ties were, explaining that I would not want to donate to a Socialist or Communist organization.

What I got back was a Rovian talking point list of why I should vote for George W. Bush, and a promise "I have a list of those links somewhere, I'll get it back to you." I replied back that I was not interested in voting for a Big Government statist lackey like George W. Bush, especially not one that was putting our nation in danger by fighting two wars at once (Afghanistan/al-Qaeda and Iraq) and leaving no boots left in case some hostile power decided to start a third war with us, and please do forward the info about MoveOn, because I wouldn't want to support a Socialist organization.

The reply I got back: This right-wing blog is actually being operated by a Republican operative, who boasts about how he has personally met George W. Bush and Paul Wolfowitz. He gave me the name and phone number of someone in the administration who says that gosh darn it, everything is just fine with our military never mind all the worn out equipment being used for occupation duty (which it was not designed for -- M1A1 tanks and M2 Bradleys were designed to destroy enemy armies, not patrol villages) and the thousands of fighting men and women who've come back in pine boxes or missing arms or legs, and never mind that all of our prepositioned war-fighting equipment in the Middle East is about to end up in Kuwait being refurbished because our soldiers have literally flown the blades off their helicopter turbines and worn the treads off their tanks, leaving nothing if Pakistan blows up... gosh, given my years of study of military history and military science, I felt all better because one person in the Bush administration said everything was all fine! (Yeah right).

I replied back that as a John McCain supporter, who witnessed the Busheviks' slander on McCain in South Carolina (where they called people telling them about the illegitimate black daughter that McCain supposedly fathered -- who is actually adopted from Bangladesh), I viewed the Bushevik administration as an administration of men with no honor and no morals, and that I would vote for a rock if a rock ran against Bush. And that while I was a Clark supporter because I thought Clark had the experience to get us out of Bush's disaster in Iraq, if Dean won I'd hold my nose and vote for him, because Bush was an ongoing disaster and nobody could be worse. And that since he apparently could not come up with any Socialist or Communist ties to MoveOn, I was sending MoveOn a hefty contribution as well as making sure that General Clark got the maximum amount from me.

For some reason I never got a reply to that one :-).

Anyhow: It seems obvious that the "MoveOn is socialist/communist" meme is coming from the Bushevik regime, and is being propagated using paid Bushevik operatives who circulate it via blogs, letters to the editor, etc. After three times of asking this Republican operative if he could give me a list of those socialist/communist ties, he still could not give me such a list. All I can conclude is that this list appears to be about as real as the little black daughter that John McCain fathered out of wedlock with a black woman -- i.e., it exists only in the demented mind of Karl Rove, as a slander to be used against someone he fears.

Eric Lee Green
http://news.badtux.net/

Subj: Halliburton Contract with NASA

Not making this up -- Halliburton is working with NASA on advanced concepts for drilling on Mars. Ostensibly for water exploration, but who knows? And who's going to check on them? Maybe Halliburton whispered in George's ear that they want to go to Mars now and that's the real reason behind the push to colonize Mars. Are there any records of high-level planning meetings between NASA and Halliburton? Let's see them.

"If there is life on Mars, it would probably be microorganisms in water deep below the surface of the planet. Dr. Geoffrey Briggs, director, Center for Mars Exploration at the NASA Ames Center, told “Meet Alaska”that NASA is looking at ways to drill on Mars to look for water —and the life it might contain.

Briggs said NASA has been working with Halliburton, Shell, Baker-Hughes and the Los Alamos National Laboratory to identify drilling technologies that might work on Mars."

More at: http://www.petroleumnews.com/pnarch/010228-49.html

Roma

Dear BuzzFlash,

With such poor judgment, Scalia (now caught in the hen…er duck…house with Cheney and Rumsfeld) should step down from the Supreme Court or face impeachment. Judges, especially Supreme Court Justices, should be above reproach. Scalia probably thinks that means that they can’t be touched. Get this guy and his lame ducks out of there ASAP.

"Cheney Hunting Trip With Scalia Raises Impartiality Questions"

Keep up your good work, BuzzFlash.

Margaret Waid

For anyone interested... I thought it would make an interesting article to share with the readers in very plain fact what the US government has accomplished in Iraq. I cannot figure out one thing. Acknowledging Hussein is gone (which the US had no justification for in the first place-- i.e. it wasn't our problem) Please can anyone tell me what they have done that is good? It took Saddam around 6 months to restore electricity after the first Gulf War. And in regard to Bremer... Can anyone tell me what the fuck he has accomplished in the way of anything remotely resembling a democracy?

My point is, I cannot figure out what they are doing over there... Maybe someone can help me with this.

Sincerely,

Dr. Steve Smith

Subj: Just a reminder for the primaries / caucuses

Just wanted to add my 2 cents about the primaries / caucuses and what main quality a potential Democratic nominee must have to beat Bush. My biggest concern is how our nominee will behave when Bush pulls another one of his staged surprises in Sept / Oct / Nov of 2004, flipping the discussion and making it "politically incorrect" for Democrats to say what needs to be said to win.

When I listen today to the nominees, they are all bashing both Bush and their fellow Democrats. But when the pressure was on a couple of years ago, some of these same Democrats found it safer to bash only their fellow Democrats than to bash and stand up to Bush. The pressure will be on again in fall of 04 (Rove will make SURE of that) and the question is whether our nominee will have the cahones to call Rove et all on the carpet and call the staged surprise for what it will surely be ... a staged political stunt designed to silence Democrats.

I have my own opinions about who that candidate should be, but I feel there are at least a couple of people in the running who have shown a solid spine of steel and who will be able to stand firm against Bush. Then there are Democratic candidates who appear to be more swayed by the political winds and who find it easier to attack their fellow Democrats than Bush at times of intense pressure. Right now, it's PC for Democrats to attack Bush, but what happens when that inevitable surprise rolls around in Fall 04? Has the nominee already shown he can stand up to Bush when it's not PC? Has the nominee shown he's not afraid to say just how ruthless the Bushies are? As Krugman says, does the nominee "get it"?

Make no mistake about it ... our nominee had better have a spine of steel if he is to beat Bush. I hope when Democrats vote / caucus, everyone will consider the fact that there DEFINITELY WILL BE a Rove-engineered surprise the nominee will have to contend with and that nominee CANNOT WAFFLE if they are to beat Bush.

Just my two cents.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subj: CNN Poll- Bush LOSING to the Dem candidate!

In the latest CNN/NYT poll Bush is losing to the Dem candidate by 43% to 45%

So much for every pundit on cable tv saying all the Dems are 'unelectable'!

This is great news for all Dems .. WooHoo!

The Bush baby may get a bump from the state of the union speech, but remember how much he lied in his SOTU speech last year? .. what reason do American voters have to believe he is not full of lies this time too?

If the Washington Dems were smart (I can dream can't I?) they would pound this issue to the public in the days after the SOTU.

It would be so easy, just repeat over and over ... "Bush has lied so many times before, how can we believe anything he says now?"

For an incumbent prez to poll under 50% in an election year is a disaster, and while its good news for Dems we cant let up for a second.. these people lie, cheat, and steal elections for a living.

Talk to your friends, talk to your family and neighbors, contact your local Dem party, go to Meetup.com and attend a candidate meeting. If we keep the momentum up we can and will win.

Check it out here: http://www.pollingreport.com/wh04gen.htm (it's the second one from the top)

Best!

Kelley

Subj: The Sorry State of the Union--2004

To BuzzFlash, 1/19/04

"Surprise, Surprise, George Bush Lies"

On Jan. 20, in Louisville Kentucky, local groups will hold a press conference in the Rotunda of the County Courthouse to detail The Sorry State of the Union--2004. Please encourage all readers in all cities & communities to do the same. One year ago, George W. Bush used his State of the Union Address to lie about WMD in Iraq and Saddam Hussein's supposed link to 9/11, as a way to win support for his inevitable war. The billions upon billions of dollars wasted on Bush's war will be added to his record budget deficit. Why should anyone believe anything Bush tells us Tuesday night?

Judy Munro-Leighton

Subj: Free Speech or Speech Free?

Any time Bush goes out in public the police remove all the protesters to "Free Speech Zones" - which are in a location where they can not be heard. These are not really "Free Speech Zones" but rather they create " Speech Free Zones" around Bush where free speech is prohibited.

I ask the question - can we really call America a free country when the right to speak is prohibited any place the president goes? Who would have thought that our liberties would be so suppressed and that Americans would stand by - doing nothing - and allow it to happen. Americans are unwilling to fight for the freedom to speak. Lady Liberty is dead - and Bush spits on her grave.

Marc Perkel
San Francisco, CA.

Subj: Peacekeeping, American Style

If you're yearning for some reality tv tonight, download the following footage of Apache helicopters' " exterminations." The download takes a minute, requires a bit of patience. Then, though, it should be distributed.

http://www.thecia.net/users/stewarte/apachehit.mpg

Last chance to plan any kind of support trip to Georgia for the SOA protesters' trial 01-26 (many days, as there are 86 defendants).

Lisa

Subj: Geez, this is sweet . . .

"George McGovern's good name is often summoned by Republicans when describing a wing of our party that protests war, is wary of American might, and seeks to keep us clear of conflict. His antithesis, in Republican mythology, is Ronald Reagan - an actor who played a cowboy who played a president. Now, I'm sure that Ronnie was a good American and loved his country, but he never left Culver City during World War II. George McGovern, on the other hand, wasn't just a war hero - he was maybe one of the greatest heroes of World War II. As a bomber pilot, McGovern flew 35 missions, brought his damaged plane home safely every time, was awarded one Distinguished Flying Cross and nominated for another. He was so accurate that his squadron effectively closed down the oil refineries in Eastern Europe & Germany, essentially grounding the German air force. Heck, Stephen Ambrose wrote a book about what a hero he was (The Wild Blue: The men and boys who flew the B-24s over Germany) and said that he can't imagine we would have won the war without McGovern's 455th Bomber Group. George McGovern earned the right to say whatever he damned well wanted about the direction of America - and it should be a source of pride to our party when he said, 'the highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher standard.'"

-James Carville, Had Enough

A BuzzFlash Reader

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE JANUARY 20, 2004 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG.