There's no better companion piece to Greg Palast's writings on the way that the Bush Republicans have been stealing elections -- and are working still on 2008 (think about the U.S. Attorneys replaced and that the Bush loyalists are now in position to launch ginned up charges of voter fraud against the Democrats come the election) -- than the new expanded paperback edition of Mark Crispin Miller's "Fooled Again: The Real Case for Electoral Reform."

The paperback version, just being released, has more than 100 pages of new material by Miller, including commentary critical of progressive publications for so easily conceding the 2004 election as an "honest" loss. Miller, whom we know pretty well, is as impassioned as Palast about what the Republicans have done and are doing to steal elections. Neither of them can understand how the Democrats continue to go like sheep to the slaughter, even though the evidence of voter suppression and electric voting machine "irregularities" is staring them in the face.

Miller sent an e-mail around to his personal list about the new expanded paperback edition of "Fooled Again," and we will share some of his thoughts about the book with BuzzFlash readers:

"This version of the book includes a vast new afterword, which tells a most important story. First of all, it is a detailed history of the US press's bizarre response to the whole subject of election fraud--especially bizarre, as it was the leftist press that did the most destructive work of all. Here I deal specifically with Mother Jones, The Nation, TomPaine.com and Salon, all of which helped propagate the myth that there has been "no evidence" of theft or fraud in the 2004 election. As I make clear in this version of the book, I don't believe that this was a conspiracy, but something subtler and more innocent--and yet, therefore, more dangerous than any conscious plot. Here I deal not just with the reception of my book, but with the silence toward, and/or derision of, the writings of Steve Freeman, Bob Fitrakis, Harvey Wasserman, Steve Rosenfeld, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Greg Palast, Brad Friedman, Paul Lehto, Jonathan Simon, David Moore and others who have tried to spread the word.

Secondly, the paperback edition lays out the abundant evidence of fraud in the 2006 elections, which were reportedly as crooked as the process two years earlier. That the Democrats apparently picked up some 29 House seats has been used, by some, to argue that the voting system is as sound as the proverbial dollar. In fact, there is an ever-growing body of strong evidence--evidence of many kinds--that the Democrats did a whole lot better than they think, winning a veto-proof House majority, and also taking back the Senate. In short, the GOP was all but wiped out in 2006. That party's dead, but it refuses to lie down, and the illusion that it's still alive is based entirely on election fraud, as many of the victories that it appeared to "win" are highly dubious, to say the least.

The appearance of this book could not be timelier. The US Attorney scandal has been making it quite clear that this regime is, finally, all about election fraud: the only way that they could ever possibly prevail, as their agenda is far too extreme for the American majority. Without a massive program of election fraud and vote suppression (and plenty of compliance by "the liberal media," and, no less, the acquiescence of the Democrats), such a party never could have won the votes of more than a minority, however zealous that minority may be.

And yet the link between this scandal and the process of election fraud has been suppressed (for reasons that I deal with in the paperback of Fooled Again). We keep on hearing smart and admirable people coming up with reasons why "John Kerry lost"--credible and even edifying reasons, but utterly beside the point, as Kerry didn't lose. While it is true that his campaign was managed idiotically, and true too that the Democrats are highly compromised and all too often cowardly, the fact is that we voted to get rid of Bush, and voted thus despite our general lukewarmness toward the other party and its presidential drive.

It is also crucial that we get the point ASAP because the House is set to pass Rush Holt's e-voting reform bill, HR 811: a piece of legislation comfortably "bipartisan" in its appeal--and, for that very reason, not a real solution to what's ailing this democracy. Although often hailed as a necessary "first step," HR 811, as it stands right now, will only make our situation worse. It will leave the voting system largely as it is today, except with "paper trails," which will finally not prevent more electronic fraud (while sustaining the illusion that our votes are more secure).

It's time for us, at last, to stop blaming ourselves for Bush's reign, because We the People never voted for him. It's time, at last, for real reform of the election system; and that depends on an honest national discussion of the truth about what Bush & Co. has really done to this democracy. I urge you, therefore, to read this new edition of my book, and to help me spread the word about it."

Miller is a man with a mission. You should lend him your ear, if you haven't already.