Here’s a useful primer. Not much there.
WHY NO FOLLOW-UP? John Ellis asks an important question. Why has there been no major follow-up to the ABC News story of massive bribes from Saddam to Western and non-Western Saddamites? Even a French priest was in on the act. And, of course, our old friend, George Galloway. So where’s the outrage? And where are the follow-ups?
THE OTHER OPTION: One thing seems to me to have gotten a little lost in the debate over Bush and Kerry/Dean/Edwards. This election is not going to be simply about which one of these candidates you believe in, trust more, agree with more, and so on. The broader question is: given that the House and Senate are almost certainly going to stay Republican, do you want one-party government or divided government? Recent history suggests that the best option for people of my polyglot persuasion is a Republican Congress and a moderate Democrat in the White House. With any luck, you get gridlock, the Congress restrains spending, and you don’t get wackos on the courts. The big exception this time around, of course, is war. Can we trust a Democratic president to defend the country adequately enough? Toughie. So far, none of the Dems has even begun to make the sale to my satisfaction. But, again, that has to be weighed against whether the country can live with bankrupt big government Nixonism as a price for national security. Second toughie.
IN DEFENSE OF BUSH: “I am as conservative as can be. Not a paleo, not a neo, but bedrock social and fiscal conservative Catholic. I read your piece and numerous other wailing articles about Bush’s non-conservatism and have the following comments:
GWB is not Reagan. He did not campaign on the “goverment isn’t the solution, it’s the problem” platform. He did, however, campaign on his ability to form bi-partisan agreements to address problems. He stressed this over and over in 2000. He also said he would get a Medicare drug benefit passed (which congress had been jaw-boning for 15 years), address illegal immigration with a no-amnesty worker program, appoint constitutionalist judges, push for a ban on partial birth abortion, not pass additional gun restrictions, allow faith based groups to be eligible for federal funds, hold Saddam and other rogues accountable, pursue missile defenses, modernize NASA, restore dignified behavior to the White House, require testing for students, and have across the board tax cuts.
On each and every one of these issues, he has either achieved legislation or is currently working towards the stated goal. Considering he inherited a tanking stock market, corporate scandals, Clinton’s phony economic forecasts, and a recession; its a damn miracle that he was able to stick to his agenda as well as he has. Many conservatives are bitching and moaning about some of the legislation, some of the compromises, and lack of spending control; and some criticism is definitely warranted. But one cannot bitch about the agenda, since he laid it out on the table as clear as day when campaigning.” – More feedback on the Letters Page.
A NEW DATING SITE: For political wonks.
GOOD ADVICE FOR KERRY: From Ruy Teixeira. Drop the faux-populism. Learn something from Clinton.
The Dish 