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Stem Cell Rift in GOP
 Sen. Frist: "If your daughter has diabetes or your dad has Parkinson's, if your sister has a spinal cord injury, your views will be swayed more powerfully than you can imagine by the hope that cure will be found in these magnificent cells recently discovered that today only originate in an embryo.
As a physician, one should give hope, but never false hope. Policymakers, similarly, should not overpromise and give false hope to those suffering from disease."
"We must be careful to always stay within clear and comprehensive ethical and moral guidelines. The soul of our civilization and the conscience of our nation demand it. Cure today may be just a theory, a hope, a dream, but the promise is powerful enough that I believe this research deserves our increased energy and focus."
"Embryonic stem cell research must be supported. It's time for a modified policy, the right policy for this moment in time."
- Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, MD
This is a huge announcement which was buried last Friday. The issue of stem cell research has the potential to divide the Republican Party deeply between those who believe in the potential progress of science and those whose religious interpretations leave them out of the American mainstream on issue after issue . I hope Democrats actively support Senator Frist's desire to move stem cell research forward.
What's in a name?
 Do you want the good news or the bad news first?
O.K...the good news is that the 'War on Terror' is over [roars of applause].
The bad news?
Well, the bad news is that...it's just got a new name.
Do you remember when Puff Daddy became P. Diddy?
Well, it's like that, I guess.
(Same product, new packaging.)
Today at the BBC: New name for 'war on terror'
 It explains that the phrase 'War on Terror' is in need of an extreme make-over (see above). Turns out people aren't so fond of the term anymore.
Late Wednesday, the White House described the phrase as "totally played-out." There has been no word yet on the new face they will slap on this mess in Iraq. But it is sure to provide a "broader perspective to the evolving nature of the struggle" (see right).
So fellow patriots, I urge you to submit at least one idea in the comments section. Once a respectable list is compiled, I will promptly forward them to President Bush for consideration. Go crazy.
Hillary’s Common Sense
Red Thursday columnist Jeff Gandee returns from Columbus, OH
 It isn’t exactly news that Hillary is rumored to have presidential aspirations. The press has been following her like a lost puppy, drooling over her every utterance. Polls have her winning the democratic primary, and still other polls have her winning the 2008 presidential election, and becoming the first female president. That is probably why she has been shifting to the right lately; many experts agree that for her to win, she needs to follow in the populist footsteps of her husband. Speaking at the DLC convention this week she attempted to flirt with moderates by reaching out towards the “sensible center.”
This author would like to know just what Hillary means by “sensible center.” One can only guess that she is talking about the notorious “swing voters” of the last presidential election. The voters who were so sensible, that even after months of debates, speeches, news stories, book releases, and even an award winning “documentary”, still could not make up their minds over who to vote for in the election. I have not had the privilege of actually meeting one of these voters, but I’m sure they radiate good sense.
Hillary wants to take a tough stand against terrorism; she has made that quite clear calling for a, "unified coherent strategy focused on eliminating terrorists wherever we find them." Why, that is brilliant! I doubt that the “sensible center” interrupted “Will and Grace” to actually hear this speech, but I’m sure they would agree that her terror strategy is entirely sensible.
This morning Hillary has plans to call an inquiry over Grand Theft Auto, and the “Hot Coffee” modification. “Hot Coffee” is the name for a code you can enter during game play that shows “Hardcore” sex acts. “Hardcore” meaning that the participants in these sex acts are unclothed, and while you may not be able to see any private parts, they are doing it –gasp! - doggy-style. What the media has failed to mention is that in order to enter the “hot coffee” code, one must download a modification to the game over the internet, a modification that wasn’t developed by the makers of GTA. Although it is far easier to download actual hard-core porn, with real people, doing far more graphic things than doggy-style, I think the “sensible center” would agree that this is very important government business and all allegations should be thoroughly investigated- as soon as the steroid inquiries are over with, that is.
I find it funny that Hillary would find the very people who decided the election for Bush suddenly so sensible. It will be fun to watch her continue to woo them in the months (years!) leading up to the election. I ‘m already predicting some above average poll numbers for Ralph Nader, as well as the Green Party. When she’s through talking, only the “sensible” will share any common ground with Hillary.
Karl Rove Is Having An Affair?
As if Karl Rove doesn't have enough to worry about these days... 
"For years, political insiders in the Lone Star State have whispered about Rove's close friendship with lobbyist Karen Johnson, a never-married, forty-something GOP loyalist from Austin, Texas. The two first became close when Johnson sat on the board of then-Governor George W. Bush's Business Council over a decade ago."
"Their friendship reportedly deepened after Bush appointed Johnson, a little-known spokesperson for the Texas Good Roads Association, to a seat on his Transportation Department transition team in 2000. The plum appointment enabled Johnson's lobbying firm, Infrastructure Solutions, to snare such high-paying clients as Aetna and the City of Laredo. Sources say Johnson now frequently travels between Washington D.C. and Austin, where she frequently appears at Rove's side at parties and unofficial functions."
"Although there is no evidence that their relationship is anything but professional, the close association between the married White House aide and the comely lobbyist has long raised eyebrows in conservative Texas circles. Asked about the pair, a prominent political journalist who has written extensively about Rove says, I've heard the stories, but I would never write about Karl and Karen. If you want to keep your job as a reporter in Texas, you make believe you don't see them together." - Full article at Radar OnlineChief Source Research: her online bio and political contributions - I share this story because it will likely be all over the internet. I want our readers to be informed. Unrelated, but really interesting: Pre-interview tape of Carl Cameron of Fox "News" and then Governor Bush. Click here for the video.
Union Split: When was the last time the Unions made the news? It was probably the 1980's when Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. Hopefully these splits in the Unions will revitalize the movement. I say this for two reasons. First, unions are a big part of the base of my party and do a lot for our candidates. Almost every Democrat who runs for office will have some function of their campaign run out of a union building. They also give a sizeable amount of money and provide a lot of the muscle behind get out the vote efforts. Second, the issues unions fight for are the same issues that are part of what make me a Democrat. A living wage, work place safety, health care, child care, and general worker's rights are all issues that Democrats can win on if we would just do a better job of communicating our message. As Harry Truman said, if you want to live like a Republican, than you have to vote for a Democrat.
Paul Hackett: I added a link to Paul Hackett for Congress to our right hand side bar. He is a Democrat running for OH-2, which is Rob Portman's old district just north of Cincinnati. Portman was nominated by President Bush to be the U.S. Trade Representative and there is a special election this fall for the open seat. Hackett would be the first Iraq war veteran elected to Congress and I'm so glad he is a Democrat. Check out his site.
China: "Suicide is the number one cause of death among people ages 18-35." Can you imagine more of our peers dying from suicide than any other cause? In the United States, it is the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds with the overwhelming majority being male. Unrelated, but interesting.
Democrat ideas are mainstream:
 
Liberal Television
Current T.V. is a new television channel set to hit the airwaves next week. As reported in The New York Times, "Current aspires to be a channel unlike any other. Aimed squarely at people between the ages of 18 and 34, an elusive demographic that advertisers covet, the channel will rely for much of its content on submissions, both raw and edited, from viewers."
 The channel is co-founded by Al Gore. You may remember him as the top vote getter in 2000. The channel's CEO is Joel Hyatt. You may remember him running for Senate in Ohio in 1994 or from his T.V. commercials for his law firm based in Cleveland. Notable investors include Richard Blum (Diane Feinstein's husband) and Bradley Whitford from The West Wing and Happy Gilmore.
I suspect this channel will have the kind of A.D.D. friendly political programming that our generation requires sandwiched in between ads for Mountain Dew, Trojan Condoms and Right Guard Extreme deodorant. Although, it will be entertaining to get my update on the John Roberts Supreme Court nomination or the effect of China's currency on global trade from some anchor in a tube top or a Lakers jersey. Here's a sample of the vision of the channel: "There's plenty to watch on TV, but as a viewer, you don't have much chance to influence or contribute to what you see. This medium - the most powerful, riveting one we have - is still a narrow vision of reality rolled out in predictable 30-minute chunks. It's still a fortress of an old-school, one-way world."
"If you're not Liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not Conservative when you're 35, you have no brain." Cute saying. Those of us twenty somethings who are interested in politics like to think about issues and will only watch a show or channel loaded with information. Current needs to cater to our brain and provide the kind of indepth content that the other 24-hour news networks are missing. (see The Daily Show) I hope this new channel does well and I will review it in greater detail next week.
Welcome to the Tropics!
 Today at the BBC:
'25,000 civilians' killed in Iraq
The headline is based on a newly released study called:
The Dossier on Civilian Casualties in Iraq 2003-2005
Besides the expected tragic numbers, there are some shocking revelations:
#1: "37% of all non-combatant deaths were caused by the US-led coalition. Insurgents are said to have caused 9% of the deaths, while post-invasion criminal violence was responsible for another 36%."
#2: "The number of civilians who have died has almost doubled in the second year from the first."(Invasion: 7,299. First year post-invasion: 6,215. Second year post-invasion: 11,351)
However, the part of the article that most caught my attention was this:
"Human rights groups say the occupying powers in Iraq have failed in their duty to catalogue the deaths of civilians. But the US and Britain say the chaos of war-torn Iraq has made it impossible to get accurate information."
Come again!?! Hold on...let me clean out my ears cause I thought I heard the word chaos. Because after 2 years, nearly 2000 coalition deaths and $180,000,000, I would hope that chaos would not be a word I would be hearing.
Oh, you have to love these spin doctors! When the report came out a few months back showing that incidents of global terrorism had sky-rocketed, they said that the increase was due to our increased efficiency in recording attacks!!! Last month Cheney uses the words 'enormous success' to describe the war in Iraq. Then when human rights group demand that the military count Iraqi civilian casualties the White House responds that it isn't reasonable to expect them to keep track of every Joe, Dick and Tom who gets blown-up in the streets amid such chaos.
Bravo! Another accountability bullet dodged.
Speaking of that bastard Cheney, I was just reading the interview that he did with Wolf Blitzer on June 24th. When Blitz questioned the treatment of inmates at Guantanamo Bay. Cheney replied: "They're living in the tropics. They're well fed. They've got everything they could possibly want."
If I stumble onto a genie's lamp this afternoon, my three wishes will go something like this:
(1) An exit strategy that works for our troops and the Iraqi people.
(2) The ability to turn invisible.
(3) Dick Cheney sweating his ass off, locked in a tiny cage in Cuba with a sign around his neck that reads, "Welcome to the Tropics, B*tch!"
New Attacks in the Tube Stations
 British Security has evacuated three subway stations after explosions and are investigating an "incident" on a bus. Listen to BBC Radio for updates.
l - Scotland Yard confirmed three incidents on the subway and one on the bus. Police are backing the public far away from these three sites for fear of unexploded devices going off. No reported casualities.
l - Speculation on BBC Radio Show "Five Live" is that there were bombs on at least two trains. People heard loud blasts, but no explosions. They are suggesting that the bombs blasting caps may have gone off, but not the bomb itself. There is supposedly an unexploded device in Shepard's Bush.
On the top deck of the #26 bus, the windows were blown out. They are describing it as a "nail bomb" which is a crude explosive packed with shards of steel.
Crossing the Line
No time to comment on Supreme Court nominee. I am sure he is terrible, and I will explain more later. However, I do have some thoughts on the weather. This is going to be my first full summer in Arizona. I was here last August, which was pretty hot/bad. Well, its pretty bad now. It's been 115 for a few weeks now, and 13 people have died. But still, I have contended to everyone its not that bad. Just stay inside, mostly, and its  tolerable, especially when you remember that its 70 all winter long.
Well, that was then. Now its getting humid, too. That just crosses the line. Yesterday was so bad, and I was only outside for about 15 minutes total. I needed like 6 glasses of water. Then there is just a random hour every night where the wind kicks up to about 70 MPH, and you just presume something will be flying through your window at any moment.
Related to line crossing, I say any illegal that is willing to try to cross now, with all this heat, gets legal status, if they can survive. I was wondering, too, if the minutemen (the a-hole border group) are still out. I'd bet they are still out at the border, because the idea of shooting a person of color will keep them hydrated.
The History of the Roves
 Ever wonder exactly how the Karl Roves of history came to be?
Did they evolve from Neanderthals, Cro Magnon man (like you and I), or are they the product of genetic mutation (like Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)?
Well the anthropologist in you can finally stop racking his/her brain. The answers lie in this book: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond.
Here is the blurb at Wikipedia:
"Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies is a 1997 book by Jared Diamond, professor of physiology at UCLA. It won the Pulitzer Prize for 1998...According to the author, "An alternative title would be: A short history about everyone for the last 13,000 years." But the book is not merely an account of the past; it attempts to explain why Western civilization, as a whole, has survived and conquered others..."
Although the beginning of the book (about the history of food production) is slow and drawn out at times, once the book gets into the history of germs, writing, technology and government it is impossible to put down.
To get back to the Rove thing...Diamond illustrates that all human societies in history can be grouped in 5 broad categories: bands, tribes, chiefdoms, states and empires. He then goes into a great explanation of why/how bands evolve into tribes, tribes into chiefdoms and so forth.
One of the key players in the process is an individual called the Kleptocrat, the smooth talker who figured out how to talk his peers into handing over the fruits of their labor using charismatic fear-mongering and god-talk as justification. Sound familiar?
So pick up the book and know thy enemy.
Supreme Court Announcement
President Bush will announce his pick for the next Supreme Court nominee at 9:00 EST. Join us for the post announcement discussion.
Leak on Air Force One
I want to apologize to some of our readers who feel we have not spend enough time on the Karl Rove scandal that continues to grow more insidious and incestuous with each passing day. The scope of this scandal continues to expand with the White House continuing not to comment.
Technically, Rove was in charge of politics, not "communications." But, as he saw it, the two were one and the same and he used his heavyweight status to push the message machine run by his Texas protege and friend, Dan Bartlett. Press Secretary Ari Fleischer was sent out to trash the Wilson op-ed. "Zero, nada, nothing new here," he said. Then, on a long Bush trip to Africa, Fleischer and Bartlett prompted clusters of reporters to look into the bureaucratic origins of the Wilson trip. How did the spin doctors know to cast that lure? One possible explanation: some aides may have read the State Department intel memo, which Powell had brought with him aboard Air Force One. - Michael Isikoff, Newsweek
 ABCNews.com
Tumble: Yes. Pop: No.
(All technical difficulties have been sorted! The yellow text was garbled or missing from the original post. Thank you for you patience, I'm on the road and posting from random, two-bit internet cafes with mixed results.)
This month wouldn't be complete without my take on this whole Karl Rove thing. Everyone is talking about it and I don't think I can get around it...so here goes:
Rove is like Osama. Even if you get the guy, they'll just replace him.
 It seems to me that when the masses are disenfranchised or full of fear these wolves in sheep's clothing always appear at the podium pointing their bony finger at some great evil just over the horizon. When the people turn to look they swipe the crown jewels (money & power (money=power?)) Opportunists like Osama and Rove will always walk among us.I am not saying that bringing these two to justice shouldn't be our priority (PS to me, justice is putting em both in a cement tumbler full of broken glass and leaving it to tumble until Y3K) The point is, others will inevitably step forward to fill their neatly polished shoes/ scuffed sandals.The real problem, as I see it, is much tougher to tackle, it lies with the education-values of the people who march behind them in the name of freedom, holy war, progress, whatever. This is not about liberals and conservatives or Muslims and Christians. It is, as it always has been, about educated exploiting uneducated. Haves exploiting have-nots.
So I ask you, dear reader: If Rove ends up sporting an orange jumpsuit will our nation take a significant step in the right direction or will some one else pick up the same soiled reigns before Rove's head hits the basket? Is it really something worth celebrating that after 5-6-10? years of getting royally and obviously screwed that we finally got the guy fired? And what if he doesn't get canned? What will we celebrate then? That there is nowhere to go but up?
Sorry people, it's just that I have trouble getting excited these days about winning the battle and losing the war. I say, the left needs to make public education plank number one in their platform. Unequivocally priority number one. Because sadly today it feels like our focus is trying to catch the Roves red-handed and tattle on em to a bunch of people who could care less cause they 'don't follow politics,' are Roves themselves or hate gays too much to think straight.
No wonder we're losing.
I'll be happy if Rove gets a karma back-hand, but I'm not poppin the cork on the champagne just yet. I reckon, America's darkest days (and worst Roves) still lie ahead. So if the axe does miraculously fall, please contain yourselves.
More Evidence: Rove was the Source
 Matt Cooper: Rove was first source on CIA leak, but did not say Plame's name explicitly. Cooper was one of the two reporters that were ordered to jail (Cooper finally agreed to testify, to avoid serving the time). Okay, I've said this before, saying "the wife of Joe Wilson is a CIA operative" is the same as saying Valerie Plame is an operative. A simple google search, at that time, would easily reveal the name of Wilson's wife: Valerie Plame. That is the end "there were other leakers" talk. Then there is the "she was not undercover" talk. Then why is an independent investigator been after this for 2 years? There is no way this investigation would be still continuing. That is the end of that discussion. I guess all they have left is to attack Matt Cooper's credibility. They will say "Cooper is a left-wing hack." Really? Why would Rove confide in him, if that were the case. So there goes that theory. I am sure they will find something else to claim, but at some point their little game is going to end. All I fear now is that the Supreme Court nomination stuff may trump the Rove headlines.
Priorities - A Short Video Clip
Weekend Stories
Bush: Protecting mass transit is a local problem. This is unbelievable. Chertoff, Bush's head of Homeland Security, says its not their job to secure mass transit. So if the NYC subway system is attacked, just like London, its not their fault, its a state's issue. The very same states that all have massively overstretched budgets. How can anyone honestly feel they make us safer?
China: We will NUKE the US. Okay, their top General really says they will if we intervene in a dispute with Taiwan. We have vowed we will intervene. Hmmm. Worst Coach Ever: A T-ball coach allegedly paid a kid $25 to hurt a fellow 8-year old mentally disabled teammate. "The coach was very competitive."
 Worst Interview Ever: Finally, a sample of the hard-hitting journalism at FOXNews. Neil Cavuto (pictured) was very fortunate to get an interview with President Bush about a month ago. Its a little outdated, but still a great example of the quality 'journalism' you get at FOX......the discussion was Social Security.
CAVUTO: The news channels then hear what you're saying, and then later on, we have this Michael Jackson update. I mean, his trial and his ongoing saga has gripped the nation for the past four-and-a-half, five months as you've been on this campaign.
CAVUTO: I know this is a little outlandish, Mr. President…
BUSH: No, that's all right, Neil.
CAVUTO: Do you think that the focus on Michael Jackson has hurt you? Howard Dean: I agree with Bush. About what? This Bush comment: "I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious of traitors."
New Rove Defense: 'I am ignorant'
There is a new report based on someone that is criminally leaking the anonymous Grand Jury testimony of Rove. This person says Rove testified that he learned Plame's name from Novak. Basically, Rove is just claiming ingnorance. 
Now, this is the most powerful man in the Bush administration. This is the man who orchestrated two historic Presidential victories for a guy that believes there are "internets." Anyone with a bit of appreciation for Rove, will never believe that he was clueless about Joe Wilson. Bush calls Rove "boy genius." This guy knows everything. Rove probably knew when John Kerry took a crap. Now we are expected to believe Rove was ignorant on the life of Joe Wilson. Nonsense.
Related: Bush was seen walking side by side with Rove. A clear sign of support. Sick.
Bea Arthur Can't Be Wrong
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Kyle, 
