Al-Qaeda sweep worries Pakistan press

As Pakistani forces launch a new offensive against al-Qaeda and Taleban suspects in the border area with Afghanistan, Pakistani papers worry about possible US involvement and potential consequences for the population.

Bush Takes Aim at His Democratic Challengers
By Edwin Chen and Maura Reynolds
Times Staff Writers

February 24, 2004

WASHINGTON — Moving to seize the political offensive, President Bush on Monday delivered a direct attack on the Democrats trying to unseat him, saying they had offered no policies that would win the war on terrorism or expand the economy.

"So far all we hear is a lot of old bitterness and partisan anger," Bush said. "Anger is not an agenda for the future of America."

In one of the most partisan speeches of his presidency, Bush burnished the two pillars of his reelection bid so far: that he is a decisive "wartime president" who will not relent in the war against terrorism, and that he remains deeply engaged in the task of creating new jobs. But for the first time, Bush also criticized what he said were the failings of the Democrats competing for the nomination to challenge him in the November election.

Voters, Bush said, would have "a very clear choice" between his vision of "an America that leads the world with strength and confidence or an America that is uncertain in the face of danger."

Contrasting his tax cuts with proposals from the Democratic candidates, Bush warned: "Listen closely, because there's a theme. Every promise will increase the power of politicians and bureaucrats over your income, over your retirement, over your healthcare and over your life. It's the same old Washington mind-set: They'll give the orders, and you'll pay the bills."

The address, to a receptive audience of Republican governors and donors at a Washington convention center, marked a decision by Bush and his reelection team to move onto an aggressive campaign footing even before Democrats had chosen their nominee.

Next week, the Bush campaign will air its first television advertisements, another signal that Bush is willing to show himself as a partisan candidate as well as a president.

Ralph Nader has made many great contributions to America over 40 years. But if George W. Bush is re-elected, the health, safety, consumer, environmental, and open government provisions Ralph Nader has fought for will be undermined. George Bush's right-wing appointees will still be serving as judges fifty years from now, and our Constitution will be shredded. It will be government by, of, and for, the corporations - exactly what Ralph Nader has struggled against.

Those who truly want America's leaders to stand up to the corporate special interests and build a better country for working people should recognize that, in 2004, a vote for Ralph Nader is, plain and simple, a vote to re-elect George W. Bush. I hope that Ralph Nader will withdraw his candidacy in the best interests of the country we hope to become.

Many of my supporters urged me to run as an independent, but I judged it the wrong thing to do. There is still time for Ralph Nader to stand with those in the Democratic Party who are building a progressive coalition to defeat George W. Bush. But time is running out. We can win only if we are united.

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Feb. 19-20, 2004. N=873 registered voters nationwide. MoE ± 4.

"Next, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the following people in politics. If I mention someone you had never heard of before this interview, just tell me. What about George W. Bush? Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of him -- or had you never heard of him before this interview?"

Favorable 49%
Unfavorable 47%
Don't Know 4%

Her name is Mavanee Bear; at the time, she went by Nee Hudson.

“I dated George Bush, Jr., all summer long,” she wrote to a friend in the spring of 1974, after Bush had gone up North to attend Harvard Business School. “He swears he will never again take an active part in politics—Ho Ho—Tell me if you believe that please?”

Reached by phone last week at her law office, in Birmingham, Bear groaned at the memory, then good-naturedly tried to fill in the picture of Bush’s life during and after that controversial year.

Gov. Backs Idea of Foreign-Born U.S. President
Schwarzenegger doesn't rule out bid for higher office on 'Meet the Press.' He was in D.C. for governors meeting and a White House dinner.

WASHINGTON — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, here for a meeting with his fellow governors, told a national television audience Sunday that the U.S. Constitution should be amended so he and other foreign-born Americans would be eligible for the presidency.

The appearance, on NBC's "Meet the Press," kicked off a whirlwind day during which California's governor was the star — and sometimes the entertainment — at events from a lunch at National Governors Assn. meetings to a dinner at the White House.

"Wait a minute," declared Schwarzenegger as photographers prepared to snap a picture of all 50 state chief executives. "A lot of these guys need makeup!"

Asked by "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert about a constitutional amendment proposed by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that would allow immigrants to run for president, Schwarzenegger said: "I think that there's so many people here in this country that are now from overseas, that are immigrants, that are doing such a terrific job with the work, bringing businesses here and all this, that there's no reason why not.

"Look at the kind of contribution people like Henry Kissinger has made; Madeleine Albright," he said, citing two former secretaries of state. "There's many, many, many people here that have worked within the government and have done an extraordinary job and not have been born in America."

Pressed by Russert on whether he would try to become president if the amendment were adopted, Schwarzenegger at first joked that he would run if he received the support of actor Sylvester Stallone.

He eventually stopped well short of a denial, saying he had "no idea" if he would run.

Sunday's announcement by Ralph Nader that he will run for president as an independent in 2004 was described by Republicans as unimportant and by Democrats as "very unfortunate."

Rifts Show at State GOP Event
Anger over illegal immigration and high spending shakes up the convention. Bush and Schwarzenegger are heavily criticized.

BURLINGAME, Calif. — An uproar over illegal immigration roiled the state Republican convention on Saturday as party leaders struggled to keep the rank and file united behind Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Bush.

Hundreds of GOP loyalists booed the president at a rally where U.S. Senate hopeful Howard Kaloogian and his allies denounced Bush's plan to give temporary legal status to undocumented workers.

"Enough is enough!" the crowd shouted. "Enough is enough!"

A Kaloogian supporter, Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, told the crowd he knew a gynecologist who surveyed patients about the plan and found it rated "right below genital herpes."

Schwarzenegger fared no better than Bush. Even staunch allies of the governor distanced themselves from his effort to strike a deal with Democrats on a bill to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista warned that the move would "empower criminal aliens."

The first half of the show consisted of non-Smile material. Though Wilson's voice may be somewhat cracked - and his memory for lyrics assisted by prompter screens - he came visibly more to life with each classic, particularly California Girls and a heart-breaking God Only Knows.

Nothing, though, could prepare us for the second half. From the opening of Heroes and Villains, Wilson was a transformed man. Though still reading his lyrics, he sat taller, sang louder and waved his arms about to conduct the band. The atmosphere was truly electric, and the music echoed everything from Philip Glass to Kurt Weill to Chuck Berry.

It's nigh impossible to pick out songs, as it was all a glorious, tangled symphony of celebration and sadness - though the comical Vegetables and a transcendent Good Vibrations were incredible.

All right, Wilson did seem a man apart from the stage around him, but the glory of late Beach Boys was always the contrast between the fragility of his voice and his songs and arrangements.

Last night we witnessed that and so, so much more. Leonard Bernstein said Brian Wilson was one of the greatest composers of the 20th century: he was not wrong.

Senator Blasts Kerry's Military Voting

ATLANTA - A leading Georgia Republican, speaking for President Bush (news - web sites)'s re-election campaign, predicted trouble for John Kerry (news - web sites) in the state's primary next month.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss contended that Kerry, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has a weak voting record on military affairs.

A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts senator called Chambliss an attack dog for Bush and encouraged anybody who wants to debate Kerry's military record to "bring it on," a slogan of the Kerry campaign.

Chambliss said in a conference call arranged by the Bush campaign: "When you have a 32-year history of voting to cut defense programs and cut defense systems, folks in Georgia are going to look beyond what he says and look at his voting record."

Former Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam and was defeated by Chambliss in a bitter campaign Senate two years ago, slammed Chambliss for the attack:

"For Saxby Chambliss, who got out of going to Vietnam because of a trick knee, to attack John Kerry as weak on the defense of our nation is like a mackerel in the moonlight that both shines and stinks."

I say we're in for a terrific two weeks if both Kerry and John Edwards do the issue stuff they're both well-placed to do. Kerry has a strong, well-thought-out health-care plan, and he should make it his signature issue -- and put some passion into it, if he's got any. Edwards, with his populist riff, is perfectly placed to take on globalization directly.

I recommend that everyone take another look at John Edwards, especially if you wrote him off as too pretty and too light the first time you saw him. I did, too, and I was wrong: I know for a fact he's a much better candidate than he was a year ago. Ever since his speech at Georgetown University last summer, Edwards has shown he knows how to take that old time populist gospel and update it for the 21st century. Of course, the Bushies keep making that easier for him.

Meanwhile, the punditry is busy cranking out mostly pro forma hail-and-farewells to my man Howard Dean. I hate whining and life is not fair, but I still think a whole lot of people who should have known better freaked out over Dean, treating a mostly mild-mannered, perfectly sensible and quite cheerful fellow as some kind of anti-establishment antichrist. I mean, he was governor of Vermont for 10 years, not Lenin.

But he did tap into some real political anger, and look how many people turn out to be just scared to death of that. This is not the fake, pumped-up indignation of Rush Limbaugh's dittoheads over gay marriage -- now there's something that'll cost you your job -- but real anger about being lied to over war.

What was so scary about Howard Dean? Could it be because he (and some very bright young people who worked with him) found this way to raise real money in small amounts from regular people, and that just threatened the hell out of a lot of big corporate special interests? And out of an entire political establishment that is entirely too comfortable with the incestuous relationship between big money and politics? For just a moment in time, Dean was ahead of the pack -- and no one owned him. Go back and look at whom that scared.

Sure, Dean self-destructed to some extent. He now does a very funny imitation of his own "scream speech," delivered in a quiet monotone and ending with a mild, deadpan, "Yahoo." (Come to think of it, he should have done that riff on Leno the night after he made the speech: We all have great ideas when it's too late.)

I'm not crazy about anger as a motivating force in politics -- but didn't someone need to point out that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes? Didn't someone need to say that we were led into war under false pretences? Imagine an entire campaign in which all the candidates ignored that because they were all complicit in it.

I think we owe Howard Dean more than a, "Gee thanks for participating in our noble political system." Personally, I'd like to say, "Gee, thanks for helping keep democracy alive when it looked fairly dicey."

Mark Steyn not only endorsed her slurs against Cleland but added his own. According to him, the former Georgia senator was "no hero" but instead "a beneficiary of the medal inflation that tends to accompany unpopular wars." As a Canadian "humorist" and former disc jockey, Steyn obviously possesses the expertise needed to form such harsh judgments. He scolds Cleland for being "happy to be passed off as a hero wounded in battle because that makes him a more valuable mascot to the [John Kerry] campaign."

Ugly, eh? It's hard to understand why the Chicago Sun-Times would import such vicious nonsense about an American hero.

Neither of Cleland's critics told the truth about him. Both misuse the modest remarks he has made in the past about his wartime experience to try to damage his reputation. He was indeed racked with self-doubt and depression after the accident that cost him his limbs. But that doesn't change the truth about who he is and what he did before that terrible day. He earned the decorations that these two termites now disparage.

Cleland defended his honor on cable television, where he told "Hardball" host Chris Matthews: "I volunteered for a combat mission with the 1st Air Calvary division going in to break the siege at Khe Sanh, and if that isn't a combat mission, you ought to ask some of the people that were there and the 200 guys that were killed in that mission."

According to U.S. Army General Order 4361, dated June 9, 1968, Cleland's conduct during that siege was extraordinarily courageous. Let Coulter or Steyn find a witness who will contradict this Army citation, most recently quoted on the Senate floor last December by that new conservative idol, Sen. Zell Miller himself.

The full text, which cannot be reproduced widely enough, reads as follows:

"Awarded: Silver Star; Date Action: 4 April 1968; Theater: Republic of Vietnam

"Action: For gallantry in action while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. Captain Cleland distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous action on 4 April 1968, while serving as communications officer of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Calvary during an enemy attack near Khe Sanh, Republic of Vietnam.

"When the battalion command post came under a heavy enemy rocket and mortar attack, Capt. Cleland, disregarding his own safety, exposed himself to the rocket barrage as he left his covered position to administer first aid to his wounded comrades. He then assisted in moving the injured personnel to covered positions. Continuing to expose himself, Capt. Cleland organized his men into a work party to repair the battalion communications equipment which had been damaged by enemy fire. His gallant action is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

"Authority: By direction of the President, under the provisions of the Act of Congress, approved 9 July 1968."

What Coulter and Steyn did to Cleland by obscuring the truth about his war record is truly despicable. Neither of them would be worthy to shine his shoes -- if only he still needed them.

KNX, KFWB ban live news
Answering parent Viacom's edict, L.A.'s newsradio leaders will record interviews, won't air calls until delay equipment is installed.

Live news is now a dead issue on L.A.'s two most prominent news radio stations.

In the latest ripple from the continuing crackdown on profanity and sexuality in broadcasts, CBS/Infinity stations KNX-AM (1070) and KFWB-AM (980) have instituted a delay on live newscasts, and banished live interviews and phone calls. The delay is reportedly seven seconds, although station management would not confirm the exact length.

The unprecedented policy shift for straight news programs was made Thursday in response to an edict from Viacom President Mel Karmazin. Viacom owns Infinity and CBS Radio.

"Nothing is live anymore, effective immediately," said Pat Duffy, vice president and marketing manager of Los Angeles News Stations, which operates KNX and KFWB.

The action marks the first time the two stations have instituted measures to ensure that offending words are not aired. The decision comes a few days after Karmazin held a conference call with all of the general managers in Infinity's radio division, during which he said that obscenity on the airwaves would not be tolerated and indicated that violators would be fired.

An internal memo bulletin issued Thursday by David G. Hall, vice president of AM programming for the two Los Angeles stations, said, "There are to be NO LIVE INTERVIEWS on KNX and KFWB that do not involve our own anchors, reporters, traffic and weather services and networks.... ALL interviews are to be pre-recorded, and we will not be able to take live telephone calls on the air. We expect to have to do this until next week, when we can have digital delay equipment installed at both radio stations."

The delay will also affect KNX's weekend shows "Food News With Melinda Lee" and "Jeff Levy on Computers," as well as KFWB's broadcast of Dodger games and the "Dodgertalk" news shows.

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Feb. 18-19, 2004. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ± 3.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the job George W. Bush is doing as president?" (2/4-2/5 in parenthesis)

Approve: 48% (53%)
Disapprove: 41% (41%)
Don't Know: 11% (6%)

"If the election for president of the United States were held today, for whom would you vote if the candidates were Republican George W. Bush and Democrat [see below]?"

Bush 45% (47%)
Kerry 45% (43%)
Not Sure 9% (9%)

Bush 46% (50%)
Edwards 41% (37%)
Not Sure 11% (11%)

Daschle satisfied with war progress
By Denise Ross, Journal Staff Writer

PIERRE - Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., on Thursday praised the Bush administration's war and nation-building work in Iraq and said he has no serious concerns about the lack of weapons of mass destruction.

Daschle told state chamber of commerce representatives meeting in the South Dakota capital that he is satisfied with the way things are going in Iraq.

"I give the effort overall real credit," Daschle said. "It is a good thing Saddam Hussein is no longer in power. It is a good thing we are democratizing the country."

He said he is not upset about the debate over pre-war intelligence on weapons of mass destruction, an issue that has dogged President Bush as Democratic presidential contenders have slogged through the primary season.

"We can argue about the WMD and what we should have known," Daschle, the Senate minority leader, said.

As Clement bantered with the audience, one Republican gadfly noted that they defeated former Vice President Walter Mondale in that race, adding: "We had to kill off Wellstone to get it." He was referring to the death in a plane crash of Sen. Paul Wellstone and his family before the election. An audio tape captures laughter. But both Clement and Danielle Fowles, acting chairwoman of the club, said they did not hear that comment and believe the laughter was just a continuation of the ongoing banter.

Wealthy Candidates Tout Populist Message

WASHINGTON — John Edwards and John Kerry are trying to appeal to the common man with their populist notions and messages on the campaign trail, but the two multi-millionaires don't live like most Americans.

The top Democratic presidential hopefuls both own mansions in tony Georgetown, the Washington, D.C., neighborhood known for its prime real estate and high-end fashion boutiques.

On one historic cobblestone street lives Edwards, whose 184-year-old, 13-room home is valued at $3.8 million. About a block away is the residence where Kerry lives, a 104-year-old, four-story home with 23 rooms that is conservatively estimated to be worth $4.3 million.

Kerry's home isn't really his own, however. Technically, it belongs to his wife, ketchup heiress Teresa Heinz. Kerry does own half a home he shares with Heinz in Boston's Beacon Hill. He mortgaged his half of it a couple months ago for $6.4 million — money he used to keep him in the race when the prospect of his presidential bid was looking much bleaker.

Murdoch, Keith Rupert
72 , inherited and growing
Source: Media/Entertainment, News Corp. (quote, executives, news)

Net Worth: $7.2 billion
Hometown: New York , NY

Marital Status: married , 6 children , 2 divorces

Undergraduate: Oxford University, Bachelor of Arts / Science
Graduate: Oxford University, Masters of Arts

Started with one newspaper in Adelaide, Australia. Now a titan in television (35 stations, Fox Network), movies (Twentieth Century Fox), newspapers (New York Post, U.K.'s Sun). Operating income up 25% this year, led by strong showing in television (Joe Millionaire, American Idol) and DVD sales. "Fair and balanced" Fox News Channel (host to Forbes on Fox) defied critics with solid lead over rival CNN. Expanding already vast empire with pending $6.6 billion purchase of 34% stake in satellite service DirecTV from General Motors. Sprightly septuagenarian shows no signs of retiring; fathered sixth child this year with wife, Wendi.

FEC decides many anti-Bush groups will face regulation
It delays setting restrictions on how to spend soft money

Washington -- The Federal Election Commission decided Wednesday that many of the political committees raising so-called soft money to campaign against President Bush this year are subject to regulation, but it postponed deciding how tough the restrictions should be.

The FEC voted 4-2 to warn Americans for a Better Country that activities that "promote, attack, support or oppose" a federal candidate must be paid for with hard money, a type of political donation that, unlike soft money, has tight restrictions on sources and amounts. This is a broader standard than used in the past. Activities that benefit a mix of federal, state and local candidates are to be paid for with a mix of hard and soft money, the commission determined.

Interpretations of Wednesday's action varied radically.

Ellen Weintraub, FEC vice chair, said the decision should not severely constrain those seeking to raise and spend soft money, which is not subject to limits and can come from unions and corporations as well as individuals. "I don't think sophisticated political actors would have a hard time figuring out how to work within this framework," she said.

Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie, in contrast, said the ruling will put out of business "groups like America Coming Together (ACT), The Media Fund, Partnership for America's Families and the MoveOn.org Voter Fund." All are pro-Democratic groups organized under Section 527 of the tax code.

Out to Pasture

Many of you have written us since our return in January to comment about our relatively infrequent updates. We have published new material as often as possible since then, but generally that has meant new issues weekly or semi-weekly, as opposed to daily or several times per week as in the past.

We appreciate your feedback, and agree that much more frequent and consistent updates are necessary for this site to be effective for our purposes in producing it as well as for many of our readers' purposes in visiting.

Therefore, we will be putting the Horse out to pasture again until it becomes possible to update at shorter and more regular intervals.

In the meantime, if you're a frequent visitor to MWO, we hope you'll dedicate that time to contacting at least one media whore per day, or one ethical and professional journalist (and their news organizations) with your comments.

But the "share your ideas" link has its drawbacks too. Along with cheerleading, it gives an outlet for supporters to air their gripes about the candidate. That, in turn, can offer a one-stop shop for both critics and reporters looking for signs of trouble in the campaign. One Kerry watcher last week posted this: "Please stop repeating, after a short pause, the first few words of every other sentence in your speechs [sic]. It is very irritating." Wrote another: "Just a few thoughts, since you asked. First, the wife has to look interested and engage the audience."

Dean's blog came back to bite him after Iowa. Usually filled with notes praising the candidate, the site was suddenly jammed with Deaniacs openly worrying about his "dinosauric yells." On Edwards' website, supporters are often more candid than the upbeat candidate himself. "It is hard to watch the JRE campaign continuing to spin these second-place finishes," wrote one.

"We want to see the race, not Bush!" shouted someone in the crowd.

"Why didn't that SOB stay in Washington?" screamed Doug Shelby, the loudest of the voices.

This is Bush's base?

Overhead, Lee Greenwood sang "God Bless the USA." The crowd started chanting obscenities.

After LeAnn Rimes sang the national anthem, the crowd above the grandstands started cheering; those below booed.

Then Bush's motorcade drove by. One middle finger went up in the crowd, then another, and soon they were everywhere.

As the crowd scattered to their seats, one of the few black fans I spotted at the racetrack ran by and saw me scribbling in my notepad. "Writing for a newspaper?" she asked. Before I could respond, she shouted, "Tell them Bush sucks!" Then she disappeared back into the fray.

Outrage Where It's Due

Local, national and international news over the long holiday weekend offered plenty of reasons to be furious about society's failings. Consider:

• When his watchful parents allowed Gregory Gabriel, 12, to sleep over with friends for the first time ever, the gregarious youngster with the name of an angel sneaked out to go to a party — and died in indiscriminate gunfire. That an adolescent caper could turn into a death sentence is a terribly real fear for parents in South Los Angeles, which consistently leads the city in homicides.

• The decapitated body of Glenda Vittimberga, a 37-year-old associate professor at Cal State Los Angeles, was found in her Pasadena home early Monday after what police understatedly called a "domestic dispute." Her ex-boyfriend later killed himself by stepping in front of a big rig on Interstate 15. These unusually horrific details mask an all-too-usual deed: According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, an act of domestic violence occurs every 18 seconds in the United States.

• Cardinal Roger M. Mahony released the names of 244 priests, deacons, brothers and seminarians who have been accused of molesting 656 minors in the Los Angeles Archdiocese since 1931. His report comes weeks before the National Review Board of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is scheduled to release a study of sexual abuse nationwide, which is expected to report that more than 11,000 people accused 4,450 priests of sexual abuse from 1950 through 2002.

• The California Youth Authority is running a graduate school for criminals, according to reports on the state's youth penal system, housing young offenders in barbaric steel cages and releasing them in worse shape than when they came in. More than half of those paroled return to jail.

• The bitter California supermarket strike dragged into a fifth month, leaving striking and locked-out workers facing evictions from their homes, even the prospect of giving up children to relatives or former spouses. Dismayed shoppers suffer in lesser ways.

• California's economy is not rebounding as hoped, more bad news for an already dismal state budget.

And we haven't even gotten to Iraq, North Korea or Haiti.

Does San Francisco's gay marriage-fest belong on this list? Oh, please. Practically speaking, it's hard to say how much Mayor Gavin Newsom's provocative decision to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples will advance the rights of gays and lesbians. But clearly those who claim that it signals the end of civilization need to get their outrage odometers adjusted.

Top Democrats lead Bush in poll

WASHINGTON (USATODAY.com) — Democrat John Kerry holds his largest lead yet over President Bush in a head-to-head match-up among likely voters, a new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll concludes, and rival John Edwards also holds a double-digit lead over the president.
The poll, taken Feb. 16-17, indicates that if the election were held today, Kerry would be chosen by 55% of likely voters, compared to 43% for Bush. In the last polling, Feb. 6-8, Bush held a 49-48 advantage.

Edwards, Kerry's sole remaining major rival for the Democratic nomination, holds a 54%-44% advantage, the poll indicates. The question has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Democrat Ben Chandler wins special election to fill vacant House seat in Kentucky

Soundly defeated in last year's governor's race, former state attorney general Ben Chandler on Tuesday easily won the House seat of the man who beat him, ending a long Democratic losing streak in congressional special elections.

Chandler, scion of one of Kentucky's most prominent political families, defeated Republican Alice Forgy Kerr. He will fill the remainder of Gov. Ernie Fletcher's term in the central Kentucky district that includes Lexington and the state capital of Frankfort.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Chandler had 84,545 votes, or 55 percent. Kerr had 65,774 votes or 43 percent. A third-party candidate trailed. Turnout among the district's 441,931 registered voters was 34 percent.

Dean has transformed the meaning of "electability." Historian and journalist Rick Perlstein perceptively writes in the Village Voice that "thanks to Dean, the definition has changed from the last time it was so ubiquitously heard: In the 1990s, when the word was enough to give any dyed-in-the-wool liberal a shudder, it served as a stand-in for 'politically skilled but ideologically timid.' Now, it means both 'politically skilled' and 'eager to kick George Walker Bush's ass.'"

That is why we owe Howard Dean our gratitude.

At least they didn't shoot Howard Dean. Usually, when an American political figure speaks truth to power, he ends up conveniently dead. RFK, Malcolm X, some say Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone: all martyrs to the quaint ideal of telling it as it is as loudly as possible. Like them, Dean scared the establishment. His aggressive style roused youngsters whom aging Boomers prefer to see somnolent. His populist Internet-based fundraising freed him from the corporate donors whose influence keeps the citizens of the world's richest nation living under a Third World system of social protections. Al Gore's endorsement transformed a candidate who came out of nowhere (Vermont) into a genuine threat to the southern conservatives who have hijacked the Democratic Party since 1992. Dean was a pro-business moderate, yet he stood poised to radically transform both his party and the American political system.

Of course he had to go.

...One indignity followed another--all because, God forbid, the guy got a tad rambunctious. "Is Dean Too Angry?" headlines spread across the nation. DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe, who refused to run interference for Dean when he was leading the pack, stepped into the fray to protect Kerry. "Democrats are still so angry about Al Gore's loss in 2000 and the Iraq war that they simply will not stand for intramural squabbling," the New York Times quoted McAuliffe on February 17. "I'd much rather have a unified party with money in the bank." (He was singing a different tune in December.)

Explosion hits Iraqi school

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- An explosion on Monday in a corner of the crowded playground of an elementary school for boys in northern Baghdad killed at least one child and injured at least three.

The U.S. military said the explosion was caused by a homemade bomb, but a member of the Baghdad police bomb squad said the explosion was caused when an old grenade buried in some trash detonated as the trash was being incinerated. He said the second bomb was far from the school, near a hospital. The Iraqi police have said that one child was killed, not two, and that four were injured.

"Whoever is spreading these rumors and allegations does not know me," [Alexandra] Polier said, appealing to the media to respect her privacy and the privacy of her fiance and his family.

Polier also took issue with reports that referred to her as a former Kerry intern.

"I never interned or worked for John Kerry," she told AP over the phone.

In a separate statement, Polier's parents, Terry and Donna Polier of Malvern, Pa., dismissed the "completely false and unsubstantiated" allegations about their daughter.

"We love and support her 100 percent and these unfounded rumors are hurtful to our entire family," the statement said. "We appreciate the way Senator Kerry has handled the situation, and intend on voting for him for president of the United States."

White House Press Secretary Lashes Out at Reporter: “There’s a Difference Between Trashy Rumors and Journalism”

Scott McClellan finally lost it Friday, according to White House reporters. He doesn’t see it that way.

The White House press secretary had kept his cool all week as reporters pounced on him about President George Bush’s 1970s service in the National Guard. Facing perhaps his toughest week as press secretary, McClellan got testy Tuesday under questioning by CBS correspondent John Roberts during the televised briefing. He then blew up at old pro Helen Thomas during the private “gaggle” for reporters on Friday.

Thomas had gotten a tip that Bush might have been absent from duty in Alabama because he was performing court-ordered community service in Texas in 1972. She asked McClellan if that was accurate.

According to reporters in the press room, McClellan got red-faced and became so angry, it looked to some as if he were ready to pounce. He characterized the question as coming from “gutter politics.”

Thomas, who has covered every president since Dwight Eisenhower and now writes a column for Hearst, was not fazed. “I think they are getting pretty nervous about this,” she said Friday afternoon. “I’ve learned over the years that when you put out records, it often leads to more questions.”

Some questions are out of bounds, McClellan told The Washingtonian: “Helen was asking about trashy rumors. There’s a difference between trashy rumors and journalism. I will not dignify them from the podium.”

And he says he’ll try not to lose his cool. “I hope to keep a smile on my face,” he said.

On Sept. 11, opportunity struck.

On Sept. 15, according to author Bob Woodward, Paul Wolfowitz spoke up in the War Cabinet to urge that Afghanistan be put on a back burner and an attack be mounted at once on Iraq, though Iraq had had nothing to do with 9-11. Why Iraq? Said Wolfowitz, because it is "doable."

On Sept. 20, 40 neoconservatives in an open letter demanded that Bush remove Saddam from power, "even if evidence does not link Iraq directly to the (9-11) attack." Failure to do so, they warned the president, "would constitute an early and perhaps decisive surrender in the war on international terrorism."

While Bush had taken office as a traditional conservative skeptical of "nation-building" and calling for a more "humble" foreign policy, after 9-11, he was captured by the neocons and converted to an agenda they had worked up years before. Suddenly, he sounded just like them, threatening wars on "axis-of-evil" nations that had nothing to do with 9-11.

And here is where Bush's present crisis was created.

Though he had internalized the neoconservative agenda for war, he had no rationale, no justification, no casus belli. Iraq had not threatened or attacked us.

Enter the WMD. Neoconservatives pressed on Bush the idea that Iraq must still have weapons of mass destruction and must be working on nuclear weapons. And as Saddam was a figure of such irrationality – i.e., a madman – he would readily give an atom bomb to Al Qaeda. An American city could be incinerated.

Therefore, Saddam had to be destroyed. Bush bought it.

The problem, however, was this: While there is much evidence Saddam is evil, there is no evidence he was insane. He had not used his WMD in 1991, when he had them. For he was not a fool. He knew that would mean his end. Why would he then build a horror weapon now, give it to a terrorist and risk the annihilation of his regime, family, legacy and himself, a fate he had narrowly escaped in 1991?

Made no sense – and there was no hard evidence on the WMD.

Thus, when the CIA was unable to come up with hard evidence that Saddam still had WMD, or was building nuclear weapons, neocon insiders sifted the intelligence, cherry-picked it, presented tidbits to the media as unvarnished truth, and persuaded Powell and the president to rely on it to make the case to Congress, the country and the world. Powell and the president did.

Iraqis want to try Saddam without POW status

KUWAIT (Reuters) - The U.S.-backed Iraqi Governing Council will ask the United States to hand over Saddam Hussein and to remove his status as a prisoner of war when Iraqis take over power on June 30, Iraq's foreign minister says.

"Yes, we will demand changing his status and handing him over to Iraqi justice to put him on trial," Hoshiyar Zebari said on Sunday in response to a question at a news conference after a two-day summit in Kuwait by Iraq and neighbouring states.

"In fact, our agreement with the United States and the coalition forces is that when we as Iraqis are ready, especially after June 30, after the return of sovereignty and authority to the interim Iraqi government, we will demand changing Saddam's prisoner of war status."

McCain Fights Old Foe Who Now Fights Kerry

Senator John McCain came to the defense of a fellow Vietnam War veteran, Senator John Kerry, on Friday by attacking the credibility of a North Carolina veteran who has dedicated himself to defeating Mr. Kerry in his campaign for president.

Mr. McCain, an Arizona Republican, called the man, Ted Sampley, "one of the most despicable people I have ever had the misfortune to encounter."

Mr. Sampley, a businessman from Kinston, N.C., has gained some attention in recent days for operating a Web site devoted to attacking Mr. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, for his opposition to the war in Vietnam after his military service. The Web site, www.vietnamveteransagainstjohn kerry.com, includes pictures from the 1970's showing Mr. Kerry at antiwar protests. One shows Mr. Kerry at a rally, sitting several rows behind Jane Fonda, who was so outspoken against the war that she was labeled a Communist by her political opponents.

In response to Mr. McCain's remarks about him, Mr. Sampley said in a telephone interview: "It's not the first time he said that. That's his opinion. It's unbecoming of a senator to say things like that, but I'm fair game just like he is."

In 1993, Mr. Sampley was convicted of misdemeanor assault and sentenced to 180 days' probation for attacking a legislative aide to Mr. McCain.

Max Cleland should stop allowing Democrats to portray him as a war hero who lost his limbs taking enemy fire on the battlefields of Vietnam.

Cleland lost three limbs in an accident during a routine noncombat mission where he was about to drink beer with friends. He saw a grenade on the ground and picked it up. He could have done that at Fort Dix. In fact, Cleland could have dropped a grenade on his foot as a National Guardsman –- or what Cleland sneeringly calls "weekend warriors." Luckily for Cleland's political career and current pomposity about Bush, he happened to do it while in Vietnam.

There is more than a whiff of dishonesty in how Cleland is presented to the American people. Terry McAuliffe goes around saying, "Max Cleland, a triple amputee who left three limbs on the battlefield of Vietnam," was thrown out of office because Republicans "had the audacity to call Max Cleland unpatriotic." Mr. Cleland, a word of advice: When a slimy weasel like Terry McAuliffe is vouching for your combat record, it's time to sound "retreat" on that subject.

Needless to say, no one ever challenged Cleland's "patriotism." His performance in the Senate was the issue, which should not have come as a bolt out of the blue inasmuch as he was running for re-election to the Senate. Sen. Cleland had refused to vote for the Homeland Security bill unless it was chock-full of pro-union perks that would have jeopardized national security. ("OH MY GOD! A HIJACKED PLANE IS HEADED FOR THE WHITE HOUSE!" "Sorry, I'm on my break. Please call back in two hours.")

...the 8/1/99 Esquire Magazine notes: "Cleland lost two legs and an arm in Vietnam when a grenade accidentally detonated after he and another soldier jumped off a helicopter in a combat zone."

Peter Carlson of the Washington Post also wrote:

"On April 8, 1968, during the siege of Khe Sanh, he stepped off a helicopter and saw a grenade at his feet. He thought he'd dropped it. He was wrong. When he reached down to pick it up, it exploded, ripping off both legs and his right hand. He was 25."

He returned home to Georgia in December 1969. "I had no job, no girlfriend, no car, no hope," he says. "I figured this is a good time to run for the state Senate. And politics became my therapy, forcing me to get out of the house and be seen."

In 1970, at 28, he became the youngest person ever elected to the Georgia Senate. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed him to head the Veterans Administration. In 1982, he was elected as Georgia's secretary of state. In 1996 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating businessman Guy Millner in a very close race."

My War
By LARRY DAVID

LOS ANGELES

I couldn't be happier that President Bush has stood up for having served in the National Guard, because I can finally put an end to all those who questioned my motives for enlisting in the Army Reserve at the height of the Vietnam War. I can't tell you how many people thought I had signed up just to avoid going to Vietnam. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, I was itching to go over there. I was just out of college and, let's face it, you can't buy that kind of adventure. More important, I wanted to do my part in saving that tiny country from the scourge of Communism. We had to draw the line somewhere, and if not me, then who?

But I also knew that our country was being torn asunder by opposition to the war. Who would be here to defend the homeland against civil unrest? Or what if some national emergency should arise? We needed well-trained men on the ready to deal with any situation. It began to dawn on me that perhaps my country needed me more at home than overseas. Sure, being a reservist wasn't as glamorous, but I was the one who had to look at myself in the mirror.

Even though the National Guard and Army Reserve see combat today, it rankles me that people assume it was some kind of waltz in the park back then. If only. Once a month, for an entire weekend — I'm talking eight hours Saturday and Sunday — we would meet in a dank, cold airplane hangar. The temperature in that hangar would sometimes get down to 40 degrees, and very often I had to put on long underwear, which was so restrictive I suffered from an acute vascular disorder for days afterward. Our captain was a strict disciplinarian who wouldn't think twice about not letting us wear sneakers or breaking up a poker game if he was in ill humor. Once, they took us into the woods and dropped us off with nothing but compasses and our wits. One wrong move and I could've wound up on Queens Boulevard. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to find my way out of there and back to the hangar. Some of my buddies did not fare as well and had to call their parents to come and get them.

Then in the summer we would go away to camp for two weeks. It felt more like three. I wondered if I'd ever see my parakeet again. We slept on cots and ate in the International House of Pancakes. I learned the first night that IHOP's not the place to order fish. When the two weeks were up, I came home a changed man. I would often burst into tears for no apparent reason and suffered recurring nightmares about drowning in blueberry syrup. If I hadn't been so strapped for cash, I would've sought the aid of a psychiatrist.

In those days, reserve duty lasted for six years, which, I might add, was three times as long as service in the regular army, although to be perfectly honest, I was unable to fulfill my entire obligation because I was taking acting classes and they said I could skip my last year. I'll always be eternally grateful to the Pentagon for allowing me to pursue my dreams.

Still, after all this time, whenever I've mentioned my service in the Reserve during Vietnam, it's been met with sneers and derision. But now, thanks to President Bush, I can stand up proudly alongside him and all the other guys who guarded the home front. Finally, we no longer have to be embarrassed about our contribution during those very trying years.

Larry David, who served in the Army Reserve in the 1970's, appears in the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

There is no evidence to support the claims.

Bush's Campaign More Aggressive in Coming Weeks

President Bush's political advisers are completing plans for a more aggressive stage of his re-election campaign, seeking to discredit Senator John Kerry and promote Mr. Bush's record and character with television advertisements and a more visible role for the president himself, aides and Republican officials said.

With Mr. Kerry having emerged as the almost certain Democratic nominee, Mr. Bush has told associates he wants to get more assertive in drawing sharp distinctions with Democrats and defending his tenure as he travels the nation.

The planned shift in Republican strategy, to be executed in coming weeks, comes amid anxiety among Republicans about the president's declining poll numbers, uncharacteristic missteps by a usually assured White House and the torrent of criticism of Mr. Bush from an energized Democratic Party that appears to be unifying around Mr. Kerry.

" `Get going' is the operative term," said Thomas Rath, a New Hampshire Republican leader who is close to the White House. "You've had a couple of weeks where the free media has not been what it should be. There's a need for an antidote."

A 1971 evaluation described Bush as "an exceptionally fine young officer" with "sound judgment" who "is mature beyond his age and experience level." Bush "is a natural leader but he is also a good follower of military discipline," it said. A 1970 letter recommending him for a promotion from second to first lieutenant called him "a dynamic outstanding young officer" who "clearly stands out as a top notch fighter interceptor pilot." Bush, it said, "is a tenacious competitor and an aggressive pilot."

But the tone of Bush's military file changed abruptly, and with no documented explanation, in May 1972, when Bush sought to transfer to Alabama. That began a period of months in which, the documents suggest, Bush did not actively pursue Guard service and the Guard did not actively pursue him.

For Bush's fifth year in the Guard, May 1972 to May 1973, Bush earned a total of 41 "points" for his service and was granted another 15 "gratuitous" points by his superiors, bringing him above the 50-point minimum requirement for the year. There are no records showing he participated in any Guard activities from May 1972 through the end of October 1972.

Just something that came up on the local Milwaukee wingnut radio today. WTMJ's conservative jock, Jeff Wagner was insisting that his listenership get out and vote for Dean, believing that he's the weakest candidate against Bush. It's an open primary, so not technically against the rules, but could you imagine the stink if it was the other way around?

ABC News/Washington Post Poll Feb. 10-11, 2004. N=1,003 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3. Fieldwork by TNS Intersearch.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?" (Last month in parenthesis)

Approve: 50% (58%)
Disapprove: 47% (40%)
Don't Know: 2% (2%)

Q I'd like to come back to the records one more time, if I could. Forgive me if I'm beating a horse that you would rather see depart this world. (Laughter.) But the President, in his --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think most of the American people believe that this issue has kind of run its course.

Q The President, in his interview on Sunday, was asked the first question about possible release of records, the first question about possible release. He was asked, when there were questions about Senator John McCain's record, Wesley Clark's record, they authorized the release of their entire file. The President was asked, would he do that? And he replied, "Yeah." So why is the President reneging on that pledge?

MR. McCLELLAN: John, do you want to continue on and go through the rest of that questioning?

Q Because that was the first question to which he answered in the affirmative -- don't try to parse it out.

MR. McCLELLAN: John, here's the question, quote from Tim Russert. "But you will allow pay stubs, tax records" --

Q Let's go with the first question. You're parsing.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I think you are, because the issue that Tim Russert raised was whether or not he had served while he was in Alabama.

Q Read the first question, Scott.

MR. McCLELLAN: "But you will allow pay stubs, tax records, anything to show that you were serving during that period." "Yes. If we still have them." We have provided you with that information, and we will continue to.

Q Read the first question.

MR. McCLELLAN: I just -- you read the first question. I read this question. It was the --

Q Right. It was the very first question --

MR. McCLELLAN: The context of this discussion --

Q The very first question, when he said, "entire record," the President said, "Yeah."

MR. McCLELLAN: Oh, John, let's look at the context of the discussion. The context of the discussion was clear about whether or not he had served while he was in Alabama. It was very clear.

Q The first question was about entire --

MR. McCLELLAN: We can agree to disagree on this issue, but I think it was very --

Q We're going to end up on the Daily Show again with this one.

"...on three different occasions John Kerry so annoyed the communists that they shot him. It would be difficult to paint him as a communist."

- Paul Begala on the photo of Kerry and Jane Fonda now circulating among wingnuts

W left Guard unit too soon
'Bama-bound without OK from Texas

George W. Bush left his Texas Air National Guard assignment and moved to Alabama in 1972 even though the Air Force denied his request for a transfer, according to his military records.

In fact, Bush, did not even ask for an official transfer until nine days after he moved to Alabama in May 1972.

The Air Force quickly rejected Bush's request, saying the fighter pilot was "ineligible" to move to the Alabama unit Bush wanted - a squadron of postal handlers.

Nevertheless, Bush stayed in Alabama until his Texas commanders finally gave him written authorization five months later to train there.

Q Thank you. Let me follow on John's question. Since we're quoting people --

MR. McCLELLAN: You're quoting John?

Q No, no. Following up on his question, since we're quoting people. In 1992, John Kerry stood on the Senate floor and said, "I am saddened by the fact that Vietnam has yet again been inserting into the campaign and that it has been inserted in what I feel to be the worst possible way." And he went on to say later on, "We do not need to divide America over who served and how." Are you going -- is this White House and this candidate, President Bush, going to hold him to those remarks and put an end to this now?

MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, this President is focused on our nation's priorities. He is focused on confronting the threats that we face, as I spoke about earlier. And he's going to be talking more about that this afternoon. Obviously, there continues to be a Democratic primary going on, and the Democrats will select their nominee. And I think the American people, right now, want this White House to continue to do what it is doing, which is focusing on their priorities. Like I said, we are some nine months out from election day. There's going to be plenty of time to -- plenty of time --

Q Don't you regard his statements from his --

MR. McCLELLAN: Hold on. There's going to be plenty of time to talk about --

Q -- likely challenger to be the end of this all?

MR. McCLELLAN: There's going to be plenty of time to talk about the choices we face and the statements people have made. The President certainly is someone who does what he says he is going to do and someone who means what he says. And I think that's reflected in the actions he takes.

Q Is he offended by the accusations and insinuations from people who have never served in the military? And especially from leaders of a party who nominated a candidate in 1992 and 1996 that avoided military service altogether?

MR. McCLELLAN: I would just say, again, that it is sad to see some stoop to this level, to say anything or try to do anything for political gain. The American people deserve better.

Q Since there have been so many questions about what the President was doing over 30 years ago, what is it that he did after his honorable discharge from the National Guard? Did he make speeches alongside Jane Fonda, denouncing America's racist war in Vietnam? Did he testify before Congress that American troops committed war crimes in Vietnam? And did he throw somebody else's medals at the White House to protest a war America was still fighting? What was he doing after he was honorably discharged?

MR. McCLELLAN: We've already commented on some of his views relating back to that period the other day. And, obviously, this was a time period also when he was going to get his MBA at Harvard. But the President was certainly proud to serve in the National Guard.

Q And would the White House consider those actions by Senator Kerry, that Jeff mentions fair game in the political season?

MR. McCLELLAN: Terry, I think -- I know that that's a way to try to draw us into a Democratic primary that is ongoing.

Q You're there, my friend.

Bush proposes steps to halt WMD proliferation
Says such weapons are 'the greatest threat to humanity today'

WASHINGTON (CNN) --President Bush offered several proposals Wednesday to halt the proliferation of unconventional weapons, saying the world must confront the dangers of the post-September 11 world "with open eyes and unbending purpose."

"The greatest threat before humanity today is the possibility of secret and sudden attack with chemical or biological or radiological or nuclear weapons," he said a speech at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington.

Bush focused on two sources of the spread of weapons of mass destruction -- so-called "rogue nations" and black market operatives motivated by "greed, or fanaticism or both."

"Our message to proliferators must be consistent and must be clear: We will find you, and we're not going to rest until you're stopped."

The speech came as Bush faces criticism because no prohibited unconventional weapons have been found in Iraq. The threat of those weapons was the administration's justification for going to war.

Dubya in 'Bama
'God's Gift to Women'

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In Alabama, where George W. Bush supposedly was slaving away on Winton "Red" Blount's 1972 U.S. Senate campaign in lieu of National Guard duty, he is remembered by a Blount son as a smartass...

"WHERE THE F*CK HAVE YOU BEEN!?!"

- Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, to the White House Press Corps after their performance at today's briefing

Donors to group that ran anti-Dean ads include unions, ex-Sen. Torricelli

A group that ran an ad using a picture of Osama bin Laden to portray Howard Dean as unqualified to fight terror was financed by donors who included labor unions, former Democratic Sen. Bob Torricelli and at least two of Dean's own donors.

Americans for Jobs, Healthcare and Progressive Values ran at least three ads in December against then-Democratic presidential front-runner Dean in early-voting states, a finance report the group provided Tuesday to The Associated Press showed.

"We did more with $600,000 than Howard Dean did with $41 million," said David Jones, the group's treasurer and a Democratic fund-raising consultant, referring to the Democratic record campaign fund Dean raised and largely spent last year.

Jones' effort drew some big donors, including two who gave $100,000 each.

They are Slim-Fast Foods tycoon S. Daniel Abraham of Florida, who also contributed $2,000 to Dean and several other Democratic hopefuls; and Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network LLC, a New York-based sports cable channel that televises Yankee games. The YES Network's chief executive, Leo Hindery, contributed $2,000 to then-Dean rival Rep. Dick Gephardt, who dropped out of the race after finishing fourth in Iowa.

Abraham wasn't the only Dean donor who gave to the group. California attorney Ken Ziffren gave $5,000 to the Jones group and $2,000 each to the campaigns of Dean, Gephardt and John Kerry. Abraham and Ziffren did not immediately respond to messages left at their offices seeking comment.

Former New Jersey Sen. Torricelli, currently raising money for front-runner Kerry, donated $50,000 from his Senate campaign fund to Jones' group.

Clark to end presidential bid

(CNN) --Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark will end his Democratic Party presidential campaign, aides said late Tuesday.

The one-time NATO supreme commander will travel to Arkansas to make the announcement in his home state, they told CNN.

Bush blesses outsourcing to India

WASHINGTON: President Bush and his administration have reiterated their commitment to free trade , including explicitly backing the idea of outsourcing to countries such as India .

In his 412-page "Economic Report of the President" transmitted to the Congress on Monday, Bush presented an upbeat prospect for the US economy this year, including creation of 2.6 million jobs and a 4 per cent growth.

But as far as India is concerned, one particular paragraph in the voluminous report will provide great reassurance to a section of the economy. It pertains to outsourcing , the hot button topic of the day, and here is the Bush mantra on the subject in Chapter 12 titled "International Trade and Cooperation."

Specifically referring to India as an example of an outsourcing destination, the Bush report says "when a good or service is produced more cheaply abroad, it makes more sense to import it than to make or provide it domestically."

Bush's Political Base Seems Restive, Anxious

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some of George W. Bush's conservative political supporters are increasingly restive and anxious about the president's economic policies as well as his attempts to justify the war against Iraq.

Popular conservative television news anchor Bill O'Reilly, usually an outspoken Bush loyalist, said on Tuesday he was now skeptical about the Bush administration and apologized to viewers for supporting prewar claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

"I was wrong. I am not pleased about it at all and I think all Americans should be concerned about this," O'Reilly said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America."

Pollster John Zogby said Bush was on the defensive with some polls showing him slightly behind Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, his probable Democratic opponent in the Nov. 2 presidential election.

"The president is on the ropes right now. The question is, how will he adjust? Right now, the issues are not in his favor. Many Americans still think the economy is poor and his rationale for the Iraq war seems a little thin," he said.

"Bush's greatest asset was his unimpeachable integrity in the eyes of most Americans. But with no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, that integrity has been chipped away and right now some large lumps are falling off it," Zogby said.

Civilian deaths in “noble” Iraq mission pass 10,000

As many as 10,000 non-combatant civilian deaths during 2003 have been reliably reported so far as a result of the US/UK-led invasion and occupation of Iraq . These reports provide figures which range between a minimum of 8,235 and a maximum of 10,079 as of Saturday 7th February 2004.

Activist group resists handing over list

DES MOINES, Iowa -- An activist group asked a federal court Monday to block a judge's subpoena ordering Drake University to turn over names of its local members and others who took part in an anti-war gathering.

The judge's subpoena, linked to a grand jury probe, seeks records relating to the Drake chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, including names of officers. It also orders the university to turn over records about a Nov. 15 forum for anti-war activists.

The forum offered sessions on the war in Iraq and nonviolence training for those planning to participate in a protest the following day at the Iowa National Guard headquarters at Camp Dodge in Johnston.

Bruce Nestor, an attorney for the lawyer's group, wrote that the subpoena "has no purpose or effect other than to harass and intimidate persons engaged in constitutionally protected advocacy and expression."

Northwestern escapes DOJ subpoena

A move by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to subpoena the medical records of 40 patients who received so-called partial-birth abortions at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago was halted—at least temporarily—when a Chicago federal judge quashed the information request.

The ruling is the first in a series of subpoenas by the U.S. Justice Department seeking the medical records of patients from seven physicians and at least five hospitals, Crain's sister publication Modern Healthcare has learned. Besides Northwestern, Mr. Ashcroft is seeking patient records from University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers in Ann Arbor; Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, owned by Tenet Healthcare Corp.; Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital both of which are part of the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System; and an unidentified San Francisco-area hospital.

Howard Dean: Campaign will Continue Beyond Wisconsin

Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean changed his story again, saying Wisconsin is no longer the end of the road for his campaign.

"It's not going to be the end of the line," he told Action 2 News during a campaign appearance at U.W.-Green Bay, "but there better be a win in Wisconsin."

Dean made a bold statement last week in an e-mail to supporters that it was do or die in Wisconsin's February 17th primary. Without a win here, he said, he would drop out of the race.

Monday, Dean changed his mind. He addressed a crowd of about 300 people at UWGB, repeating how important Wisconsin's votes are to his future. But after his speech, in a one-on-one interview with Action 2 News reporter Sarah Thomsen, Dean said he will not give up even if he loses here a week from Tuesday.

"It's critical," he emphasized. "We want to win here and we're going to have to win here."

That was Dean's answer to the first question in our interview, and it's the same response he's given since last week's e-mail. But when pressed on his fate after Wisconsin's primary, he conceded.

"Would you drop out of this campaign if there's not a win in Wisconsin?" we asked.

"No," Dean answered.

"You'll stay in it?"

"Yep."

"In it for the long haul?"

"Yep."

"I call upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace: to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete."

- President Ronald Reagan, Address to the Nation, March 23, 1983

"I'm a war president. I make decisions here in the Oval Office in foreign policy matters with war on my mind."

- Bush on Meet The Press yesterday

In fresh violence, insurgents attacked separate U.S. Army convoys with explosives, killing one soldier and wounding three others, witnesses said. The soldier was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near Mahmudiyah, 20 miles south of Baghdad, a military spokesman said. No other details were available.

Howard and Me
by Paul Teetor

It started last summer when I heard a Fox News TV commentator call Howard Dean “a far left radical, almost a socialist.”

It got stronger last fall when I saw a cartoon in the LA Times depicting Dean committing suicide with a gun made of his “lies, distortions and misstatements.”

It really took hold after the Iowa Caucuses, when Dean’s “I Have a Scream” speech became Number 1 with a bullet in the media echo chamber.

This Dean guy from Vermont must be a dangerous dingbat, a Volvo driving, sushi eating, latte drinking, Barbara Streisand loving weirdo in desperate need of anger management. A chump candidate made to order for President George W. Bush to roll over on his way to a landslide next fall.

Dean looked like Michael Dukakis 2.0 – more liberal, more outspoken, more dangerous to national security, and even shorter than the 1988 Democratic nominee. Even God recently predicted that Bush would beat Dean in a “blowout,” according to noted political pundit Pat Robertson. He didn’t mention if God thinks it will cleanse the historical taint of Bush’s 2000 Presidential Selection.

Dean was being defined – and defamed - for the nation while he was still struggling to define himself locally in places like Boone, Iowa and Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.

To many of us who watched Dean up close in Vermont, the national portrait of the candidate -- ideological, emotionally out of control, hysterically liberal -- was all but unrecognizable.

By all knowledgeable accounts Dean is a known quantity with a track record of philosophical centrism and fiscal discipline. But somehow the Fox analysts and Republican-friendly news organizations – The Washington Times, New York Post and MSNBC, among others -- have transformed Dean’s less-than-perfect personality quirks and speak-before-you-think verbal gaffes into an image so radical it’s laughable even to his Vermont enemies.

CNN says it overplayed Dean's Iowa scream

NEW YORK -- It probably means little now to Howard Dean, but CNN's top executive believes his network overplayed the infamous clip of Dean's "scream" after the Iowa caucuses.

"It was a big story, but the challenge in a 24-hour news network is that you try to keep all of your different viewers throughout the day informed without overdoing it," said Princell Hair, CNN's general manager.

...the cable and broadcast news networks aired Dean's Iowa exclamation 633 times - and that doesn't include local news or talk shows - in the four days after it was made, according to the Hotline, a Washington-based newsletter.

Bat saliva 'aids stroke victims'

VAMPIRE bat saliva could provide a successful clot-busting treatment for stroke victims, Australian, European and US researchers have found.

Emergency stroke treatment requires rapid dissolving of the clots in brain arteries which cause about 80 per cent of all strokes, but many patients delay seeking treatment.

New data released today suggests a protein copied from vampire bat saliva could be an effective clot-buster for longer after a stroke than conventional treatment.

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Feb. 5-6, 2004. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?" (Last week in parenthesis)

Approve: 48% (49%)
Disapprove: 45% (44%)
Don't Know: 7% (7%)

"Suppose the next general election for president were being held TODAY and you had to choose between George W. Bush, the Republican, and [see below], the Democrat -- who would you vote for?"

Kerry: 50% (48%)
Bush: 45% (46%)

Bush: 49% (49%)
Edwards: 44% (44%)

Bush: 50% (52%)
Dean: 44% (40%)

"Now I'm going to name six Democrats in the race for president. After I read you their names, tell me which ONE you would most like to see nominated as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate this year. Here are the choices . . . ."

Kerry: 48% (45%)
Dean: 13% (14%)
Edwards: 10% (11%)
Clark: 9% (5%)

Shooting From the Hip, Dean Drew Fire
By Matea Gold and Mark Z. Barabak

The day after Saddam Hussein was caught in his spider hole, Howard Dean stepped before a crush of TV cameras to offer a statesmanlike appraisal.

It was "not a day to talk about politics," the former Vermont governor said that muggy December morning in Palm Beach, Fla. He saluted the military and called it "a great day" for the Bush administration.

Fewer than 24 hours later, however, Dean's tone shifted — and along with it the fortunes of his high-flying campaign.

As his caravan motored to a Los Angeles hotel, Dean penciled a new line into the foreign policy address he was about to give. He had labored for months over the speech, helped by a team of eminent advisors that included former Vice President Al Gore.

But that one line inserted on the spur of the moment, an assertion that Hussein's capture had not made America safer, dominated the headlines and reverberated in the Democratic presidential campaign for weeks.

The statement was the kind of off-the-cuff observation that had long endeared Dean to legions of disaffected Democrats. But to many just tuning in to the presidential contest, it seemed wrong, and even a little reckless.

Although it was unclear at the time — and the truth of Dean's statement can still be debated — the comment marked the beginning of his descent from front-runner to the straits he finds himself in today.

"I think it sent shock waves," said Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida. "It was just too out there for a lot of people … and Dean's believability index started slipping."

Regional Terrorist Groups Pose Growing Threat, Experts Warn

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Feb. 7 — The landscape of the terrorist threat has shifted, many intelligence officials around the world say, with more than a dozen regional militant Islamic groups showing signs of growing strength and broader ambitions, even as the operational power of Al Qaeda appears diminished.

Some of the militant groups, with roots from Southeast Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus to North Africa and Europe, are believed to be loosely affiliated with Al Qaeda, the officials say. But other groups follow their own agenda, merely drawing inspiration from Osama bin Laden's periodic taped messages calling for attacks against the United States and its allies, the officials say.

The smaller groups have shown resilience in resisting the efforts against terrorism led by the United States, officials said, by establishing terrorist training camps in Kashmir, the Philippines and West Africa, filling the void left by the destruction of Al Qaeda's camps in Afghanistan. But what is also worrisome to counterterrorism officials is evidence that like Al Qaeda, some of them are setting their sights beyond the regional causes that inspired them.

Sure, it's Bush, but unless it's a president in the final throes of something like Watergate, it's the office that demands some respect and deference. He couldn't badger Bush with followups or cut Bush off in mid-ramble without appearing profoundly disrespectful and having the switchboard light up with raging Republicans. I think Russert gave the viewers credit for enough intelligence to recognize when Bush was avoiding the tough questions.

Bush Is Set to Strike Back at Democrats
With his approval rating falling, the president and the GOP will speak out on the war in Iraq, his military service and his rivals' records.

WASHINGTON - President Bush is going on the offensive.

The president has just had one of the worst months of his presidency, with his approval rating skidding below 50% in the Gallup Poll for the first time. His administration is under new scrutiny over its decision to go to war in Iraq. Even his past service in the National Guard has come under attack as a Vietnam War hero leads the Democratic presidential pack.

Now, after holding their fire for much of the month, Bush and his aides are setting in motion a new strategy to try to turn the slide around.

For the president, January's bad news was unrelenting. Testimony by his former chief weapons inspector cast deep doubt on the rationale for Bush's signature issue, the war against Iraq, and he was forced to agree to set up an independent commission to investigate.

Kerry quickly took the lead in the race for the Democratic nomination, and much of the party fell in behind him, focusing their attacks on Bush rather than on one another.

And that wasn't all. Bush's annual State of the Union address got tepid reviews. Critics lambasted the president for raising the cost estimate for his Medicare reform plan by $130 billion and proposing a 2005 budget with record deficits. And Democrats revived an issue that Bush had hoped was laid to rest in 2000: the question of whether he failed to fulfill his duties as a National Guardsman in the 1970s.

"There was a confluence of events over the last month that in large part we knew were going to happen. And the Democrats had the stage all to themselves," said White House communications director Dan Bartlett.

Powell later accused critics of politicizing the U.S. failure to find weapons of mass destruction said it is getting on his nerves.

"Yeah, it does get on your nerves when you see people trying to use this for straightforward political purposes," Powell told Fox television.

Gray Davis made treks to New York, hat in hand. He'd have flown to the moon if he thought there was a banquet hall up there. But the whole point of electing Arnold Schwarzenegger was to terminate that kind of pathetic grubbing, not to mention the pandering to donors.

Now Arnold turns out to be Davis on steroids, times a thousand...

If I were to bang out a column every time he was careless with the truth, I'd have to write every day and sleep on a cot in the office.

...the event is being hosted at the Trump Tower home of Robert Wood Johnson IV, of the Johnson & Johnson family.

That company and other pharmaceuticals are lobbying against bulk purchasing of drugs, a practice that would save taxpayers money but cost the drug companies.

And Schwarzenegger declared this consumer protection week in California, [which] takes the irony one step further.

Pharmaceutical companies owe California $1.3 billion in rebates on drug purchases for Medi-Cal patients going back 10 years, says a new federal audit cited by the Orange County Register.

You'd think a governor who kept promising to audit everything in sight would have found such an obvious screw-up. But this kind of lapse is to be expected when you spend so much time at political fundraisers.

[Jamie Court, of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights] says if the governor cracked down on his buddies in the drug industry, he'd have that $1.3 billion in hand and could nix proposed healthcare funding cuts of more than $900 million.

Sure, but don't expect me to scold Arnold for every glib contradiction. As long as he sticks with the Hollywood hustle, I've got more in the bank than Donald Trump.

A judge says he illegally funded his campaign, and Schwarzenegger calls the ruling fantastic.

He blows a kiss to cities, then backhands them.

He plans to have himself investigated, then drops the case.

Associated Press poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. Feb. 2-4, 2004. Asked of registered voters nationwide (from a total sample of 1,000 adults). (Data from 11/03 and earlier co-sponsored by Cook Political Report.)

"Overall, do you approve, disapprove or have mixed feelings about the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?" If "mixed feelings" or not sure: "If you had to choose, do you lean more toward approve or disapprove?"

Approve: 47% (down from 56% last month)
Disapprove: 50% (42%)

[Howard Dean] did serve one critical role -- he helped the party find its voice again. It was lost. Now it's back. I cringe at what might've been had Dean not entered the race. For that, every Democrat should be grateful, even the ABD crowd.

Me, I'll sit back and enjoy this newfound feistiness from our elected Dems. Investigations abound, and we're not settling for sacrificial lambs anymore. Nothing less than indictments will suffice. The Senate hacking scandal. 9-11 commission. Iraq intelligence "failures". Plame Affair. Investigations of Cheney's Halliburton. Cheney's energy task force. And so on.

The dam is sprouting leaks, and they're scrambling to plug the holes. They will whitewash most of these investigations, but the dam won't hold for long. Something will get through and bring the whole thing down.

The fiscal 2005 budget report admits that this year's expected $521 billion deficit belies the rosy forecasts of 2001. But the report offers an explanation: stuff happens. "Today's budget deficits are the unavoidable result of the revenue erosion from the stock market collapse that began in early 2000, an economy recovering from recession and a nation confronting serious security threats." Sure, the administration was wrong — but so was everyone.

The trouble is that accepting that excuse requires forgetting a lot of recent history. By February 2002, when the administration released its fiscal 2003 budget, all of the bad news — the bursting of the bubble, the recession, and, yes, 9/11 — had already happened. Yet that budget projected only a $14 billion deficit this year, and a return to surpluses next year. Why did that forecast turn out so wrong? Because administration officials fudged the facts, as usual.

I'd like to think that the administration's crass efforts to rewrite history will backfire, that the media and the informed public won't let officials get away with this. Have we finally had enough?

This coming Sunday, the president will reportedly appear on "Meet the Press." That decision may well reflect Karl Rove's confidence that Russert isn't really so goddamned tough, especially not on Republicans. If so, Rove would be in rare agreement with many of Russert's critics on the left.

Knowing Russert, I think he would hate to confirm such nasty suspicions when he interviews George W. Bush (although he would also hasten to plead that some partisans on both sides are never satisfied, etc.). Let's help him with a few questions (and follow-ups) that nobody could call softballs:

1. Given the controversy about your attendance record during your National Guard service, Mr. President, perhaps the best way to resolve matters would be to authorize the release of all of your military records, including pay stubs, Social Security records and so-called retirement-points records. Will you do that? If not, why not, and how can the American people believe that you actually fulfilled your service obligations as everyone else in the Guard was required to do?

2. Mr. President, on page 54 of your autobiography, "A Charge to Keep," you wrote: "I continued flying with my unit for the next several years." But the truth is that you quit flying after less than two years, despite fighter training that cost the taxpayers almost a million dollars. Did your superiors approve your decision to quit flying, or did you just quit on your own? Weren't you suspended from flying in August 1972 after you failed to take a required physical exam? Why didn't you take that physical?

3. Mr. President, I'd like to ask you about the now-famous "mission accomplished" speech you gave on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln outside San Diego last May. You landed on the carrier in a flight suit -- a piece of videotape shown around the world. [Roll tape.] A lot of your critics were appalled by that image. Here's a man who never fought in a war, never saw the danger and horrors of real combat, dressing up like a soldier and proclaiming a victory that, as it turned out, we were far from accomplishing. As you look back on it, has it ever occurred to you, that Eisenhower, who won D-day, never dressed in uniform when he was president; John F. Kennedy, who was a genuine war hero, never dressed in uniform either. Was there something disrespectful to the military in a costume stunt like that? Your thoughts, sir.

4. You have blamed the rapidly rising, unsustainable federal deficits on "out-of-control" domestic spending. But Mr. President, the plain fact, according to every nonpartisan analyst, is that your tax cuts are responsible for a far greater percentage of present and future deficits than spending. Your current budget proposal cuts billions in programs for children and veterans. Wouldn't it be more compassionate -- and more responsible -- to rescind some of the tax breaks for the very wealthiest Americans?

5. Sir, with respect, most economists say that the tax cuts are responsible for no more than 20 percent of the recent economic growth, and that the recession could have been addressed with a short-term stimulus primarily aimed at middle- and working-class tax payers, rather than long-term tax cuts tilted toward the wealthiest 1 percent of taxpayers. These long-term tax cuts for the wealthy are the major cause for these massive structural deficits that we now have and the complete inability to fund some of these programs for children, the elderly and veterans. How does that reflect responsible Republicanism or compassionate conservatism?

Cheney's Staff Focus of Probe

Federal law-enforcement officials said that they have developed hard evidence of possible criminal misconduct by two employees of Vice President Dick Cheney's office related to the unlawful exposure of a CIA officer's identity last year. The investigation, which is continuing, could lead to indictments, a Justice Department official said.

According to these sources, John Hannah and Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, were the two Cheney employees. "We believe that Hannah was the major player in this," one federal law-enforcement officer said. Calls to the vice president's office were not returned, nor did Hannah and Libby return calls.

Tickets to Schwarzenegger Fundraiser in New York Will Cost Up to $500,000

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is taking his fundraising machine to Manhattan for a dinner with a top price tag of $500,000 a plate.

The event is to help pay for the governor's campaign promoting two measures on the March 2 ballot.

The minimum donation for admission is $50,000. But the price goes up to $500,000 — a level that surprises even longtime critics of California's campaign finance system. Those who give $500,000 will be dubbed "California Recovery Team Chair."

Organized with the help of New York Gov. George Pataki, the event will take place Feb. 24 at the Central Park West home of Robert Wood Johnson IV, heir to the Johnson & Johnson Co. fortune, owner of the New York Jets football team and a major GOP donor. The invitation offers a "private dinner" with Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger is campaigning for Proposition 57, a $15-billion bond proposal to restructure California's budget debt, and Proposition 58, a companion measure intended to curb state spending.

California's celebrity governor, a major fundraising draw, has more than $1 million in an account to pay for the twin campaigns and is seeking $8 million or more.

Massachusetts Grants Gays Right to Marry

BOSTON — The highest court in Massachusetts, clarifying its stand on gay unions, ruled Wednesday that same-sex couples were entitled to marry, beginning as early as May 17.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruling makes Massachusetts the first state to grant the full rights of marriage to gay and lesbian couples. In clear and forthright terms, the court declared that civil unions or other marriage-like institutions would not meet the state's constitutional standards.

"The history of our nation has demonstrated that separate is seldom, if ever, equal," the court ruled. Three of the seven justices dissented.

The landmark ruling comes as states across the country are considering constitutional amendments to keep gays from marrying and are passing statutes to protect the union between a man and a woman.

The issue is likely to be troublesome for Democrats in this year's presidential race. The current front-runner, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry, long has opposed gay marriage but advocates full legal protection for same-sex couples. The controversy may remind conservative voters that he comes from a liberal state. Kerry did not comment on the court's action.

Canadians to Bush: Hope You Lose, Eh
According to a new poll, only 15 per cent of us would vote for the President

MAYBE IT'S THAT SMUG LITTLE SMILE. His penchant for fantastically expensive military photo-ops. Or the swaggering, belt-hitching walk that cries out for a pair of swinging saloon doors. And though, God knows, we have too many of our own syntactically challenged politicians to be casting stones, shouldn't the leader of the free world know that "misunderestimate" isn't a word? Yes, we're cavilling, but clearly there is something about George W. Bush that gets under the skin of Canadians.

Only 15 per cent, according to an exclusive new Maclean's poll, would definitely cast a ballot for Bush if they had the opportunity. And if Americans remain almost evenly divided -- some 50 per cent approve of his performance in the White House and he's running neck and neck with his likely Democratic challengers -- there is no such dithering on this side of the border. Just 12 per cent of us feel Canada is better off since he took office, and only a third of respondents will admit to liking the world's most powerful man, even just a little bit.

Another Halliburton Probe

The Justice Department has opened up an inquiry into whether Halliburton Co. was involved in the payment of $180 million in possible kickbacks to obtain contracts to build a natural gas plant in Nigeria during a period in the late 1990’s when Vice President Dick Cheney was chairman of the company, Newsweek has learned.

White House says questions about Bush's military service represent election-year politics

Bush spent most of his time in the Guard based near Houston, but in May 1972 he received a three-month assignment in Alabama so he could work on a political campaign.

While serving as political director of the Senate campaign of Winton "Red" Blount, a family friend, he was ordered to report for duty at the 187th Tactical Recon Unit in Montgomery, Ala. The 187th did not fly F-102s, so Bush did not go to the base as a pilot. After missing a required physical exam and being out of the cockpit so long, he lost his flight credentials in Alabama.

Retired Gen. William Turnipseed, a commander at the base, said during the 2000 campaign he never saw Bush appear for duty. Bush, however, says he remembers meeting Turnipseed and performing drills at the base.

Bush's campaign staff searched for records that would show he was actually there, but concluded none of those records survived.

President Bush echoed the words of the famous British prime minister [Winston Churchill], saying the United States is snaring terrorists in a "closing net of doom."

The flap over missing weapons of mass destruction is really beside the point because virtually every intelligence agency in the Western world thought the weapons were there, as did the U.N. inspections team. Moreover, Saddam Hussein was given four months to prove he had destroyed the weapons that U.N. inspectors had already established that he possessed. These included thousands of tons of nerve gas, anthrax and other chemical and biological goodies. What became of these? No one knows.

Yet 80 percent of New Hampshire Democrats voted for candidates who are attacking the president's decision.

“Obviously, he’ll be caught between now and the election."
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on the prospects of capturing bin Laden

FCC Eyes Entire Super Bowl Halftime Show

WASHINGTON (Hollywood Reporter) - The breast-baring incident during the Super Bowl halftime show is just the tip of the iceberg as the FCC is investigating the entire show for violating the nation's broadcast indecency regulations.

FCC chairman Michael Powell said Tuesday on ABC News' "Good Morning America" that he had instructed the commission's enforcement bureau to look into the lewd nature of the entire halftime show. He also raised the specter of making any fine for the incident apply to all of CBS' affiliates.

"Everybody is focusing on the finale, but a lot of what we heard in terms of the complaints and the breadth of the investigation is a little broader than just that incident," he said. "I personally was offended by the entire production, and I think that most of the complaints we have received are much broader than just the final incident."

The chief of the FCC's enforcement bureau, David Solomon, has put the investigation on the fast track after Powell ordered the investigation, a spokesman said.

"We won the non-New England part of New Hampshire!"

The president ignored veterans in the State of the Union Address and with today's release of his 2005 budget, it is further evident that veterans are no longer a priority with this administration. We look to Congress to reject the president's inadequate proposal and to provide a budget that fully acknowledges the debt our nation owes its veterans.

This funding package is a disgrace and a sham.

This deplorable budget will do nothing to alleviate the many thousands of veterans who are waiting six months or more for basic health care appointments with VA. Instead, the budget seeks to drive veterans from the system by realigning funding, charging enrollment fees for access and more than doubling the prescription drug copayment. This is inexcusable, especially when no member of this administration or Congress would wait this long for their health care.

What the administration is proposing for veterans is a shell game. Veterans are being asked to pay for their own health care to make up for shortages in the budget. We are adamantly opposed to charging veterans an enrollment fee and we are opposed to increasing payments that veterans make for prescriptions and for other health care services, especially when millions of this nation's veterans are already locked out of the system. To ask this nation's veterans to subsidize their health care is outrageous. They have already paid for their health care with their sweat and with their blood.

- VFW Commander-in-Chief Edward S. Banas Sr. from the official VFW website

Tide turning on Bush flashdance

The mainstream media tide is starting to turn against the Bushites. The formerly compliant press corps is starting to mobilize, in the realization that its mission is not to propagandize for the administration but to keep watch over it. Finally — but more than a year too late for the dead and mutilated.

Last week, editorialists at most of the top American newspapers demanded a probe into the reasons for war. Some even came out and said that citizens had been "deceived".

What took so long? Did they have to wait for Democratic presidential contenders to find their courage and tongues first? Or did they really need to hear David Kay, the U.S.'s former chief weapons inspector, describe last month how all the intelligence demonstrating that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had WMDs was wrong — and how any information that suggested he had no real firepower was ignored or rejected?

Now it's up to the media to hold the administration's feet to the fire and emphasize that, if Bush himself is "putting together a independent bipartisan commission" — which he is — then it won't be so independent.

They should ask why CIA director George Tenet remains in the job, surviving the agency's failure to prevent 9/11 or get Osama Bin Laden. Tenet, despite being appointed by Clinton, has very close ties with Bush, both senior and junior. Who is protecting whom here?

The media should also ensure that the blame doesn't fall completely on the CIA since there's plenty of evidence that the Bush administration heard only what it wanted to, and ignored anything contradicting its contention that Iraq had nuclear and deadly capabilities. (For a look at that evidence — and the administration's lies — check out http://www.americanprogress.org.)

The media must also remind citizens that the White House has consistently undermined the 9/11 Independent Commission, which is investigating the tragedy that Bush used to justify later foreign aggressions. But coverage of the commission has been scandalously scanty.

There should be a huge outcry over how the White House has refused to extend the commission's deadline, which the 9/11 families say will result in an incomplete investigation. In fact, Newsweek reports, the administration will only grant an extension if the deadline is moved beyond the November election.

Last year, the U.S. media acted as Bush's cheerleaders and half-time entertainment.

In this critical election year, it's time for the naked truth.

Karzai: 10 Civilians Died in U.S. Attack
By STEPHEN GRAHAM
Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Afghan president on Saturday said a U.S. air strike this month killed 10 civilians, including women and children, contradicting American military reports that claimed the casualties were Taliban militants.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said an arms dump blast that killed eight soldiers appeared to have been an accident.

The bloody events highlighted the pitfalls of the U.S. mission to defeat an escalating insurgency by supporters of the former ruling Taliban and al-Qaida that threatens summer elections.

President Hamid Karzai said an Interior Ministry report had found that the Jan. 17 air strike on a village killed 10 civilians -- despite the U.S. military's declaration that five Taliban militants and no civilians died.

"There are casualties unfortunately, according to the report that I have received, of civilians, of children and men and women," Karzai told reporters at his palace in the capital Kabul.

On Saturday, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty said the Americans took the concerns of the Afghan government "very seriously," and that a review of its report was underway.

Dean Calls FCC Probe of Breast Incident 'Silly'

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Sometimes a breast is just a breast.

Howard Dean, a physician and a Democratic presidential candidate, on Monday dismissed as "silly" a government inquiry into whether indecency rules were broken during the broadcast of the Super Bowl halftime show when pop diva Janet Jackson's bodice was ripped to expose her right breast.

"I find that to be a bit of a flap about nothing," the former Vermont governor said. "I'm probably affected in some ways by the fact that I'm a doctor, so it's not exactly an unusual phenomenon for me."

"I don't find it terribly shocking relative to some of the things you can find on standard cable television," he added. "I think the FCC probably has a lot of other things they should be pursuing."

I am pleased to announce after a brief delay that we will pay our staff immediately and honor our commitment to make our payroll moving forward in the campaign. We have also decided to use our resources to build strong organizations in Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine and Washington in addition to an aggressive advertising campaign in Wisconsin.

Joe Browne, the NFL's vice president of communications and government affairs, said..."We expressed our concerns to MTV all during the preparations for the game and we had assurances that the entertainment would be appropriate to all aspects of our audience. We are extremely disappointed and feel consistently let down in that we believe the show was inappropriate for our audience and embarrassing to us and to our fans."

Income soars 92% for ChevronTexaco

ChevronTexaco, the second-biggest oil and gas company in the US, on Friday said its fourth-quarter net income soared 92 per cent to $1.7bn, or $1.63 per share, mainly because of rising energy prices.

The results were in line with the vast improvements also reported by ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, the other US majors, as the industry benefited from the 11 per cent rise in oil prices and 16 per cent increase in gas prices amid the Iraq conflict, as well as growing demand for energy and falling inventories.

...Gore never had an oil tanker named after him.

That's an honor reserved for George W. Bush's senior national security adviser, Condoleeza [sic] Rice. Yes, it's true that Chevron has named one of its big tankers after her.

Rice serves on the board of Chevron.

Satire gets sidelined as Dennis Miller's show has an identity crisis

Miller's jokes have always been as snappy and spontaneous as a valedictory speech, but they now require a five-minute explanation: His withering scorn will be reserved henceforth exclusively for Democrats, people he finds physically unattractive and their unholy amalgam, Dennis Kucinich.

"I guess you've heard I'm not nearly as liberal as I used to be," Miller said last Monday night, as he launched into a remarkable Howard Beale-ish, mad-as-hell-style diatribe, which followed a bit with a chimp. "I still consider myself a liberal to the extent that I really do believe in someone's right to think and act as conservatively as they want to."

Cute. But, seriously, Miller has chosen to exercise this right by giving President Bush what he himself called "a pass." ("I like him," Miller told the Associated Press last week. "I take care of my friends.") By this he means there will be no criticism of the president on his show — which, due to an overwhelming lack of jokes, a rather somber set, and long, fawning interviews with prominent political figures, looks a lot like ... a real news show.

The decision is also baffling in light of Miller's other stated goal: namely, to "convey just how insane the public discourse has become in this country."

Miller makes up for his intellectual leanings (for which he basically apologized to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who assured him that he "communicates very well") with tricks like the "Dean scream button," a handy buzzer that emits the shriek heard 'round the world every time he punches it.

Last week, the sincere people consisted of Schwarzenegger (returning the campaign-stumping favor by appearing on episode one), former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Sen. John McCain. Needless to say, Miller's fawning interview style made Jiminy Glick look like Mike Wallace.

"I am outraged at what I saw during the halftime show of the Super Bowl," FCC Chairman Michael Powell said in a statement. "Like millions of Americans, my family and I gathered around the television for a celebration. Instead, that celebration was tainted by a classless, crass and deplorable stunt. Our nation's children, parents and citizens deserve better."

Bush, Blair, EU among nominees for 2004 Nobel Peace Prize

By Doug Mellgren
ASSOCIATED PRESS
6:55 a.m. February 1, 2004

OSLO, Norway – President George Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the European Union were among known nominees for the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize as the nomination deadline expired Sunday.

Bush 2004 Campaign Pledges To Restore Honor And Dignity To The White House

BOSTON—Addressing guests at a $2,000-a-plate fundraiser, George W. Bush pledged Monday that, if re-elected in November, he and running mate Dick Cheney will "restore honor and dignity to the White House."

"After years of false statements and empty promises, it's time for big changes in Washington," Bush said. "We need a president who will finally stand up and fight against the lies and corruption. It's time to renew the faith the people once had in the White House. If elected, I pledge to usher in a new era of integrity inside the Oval Office."

Bush told the crowd that, if given the opportunity, he would work to reestablish the goodwill of the American people "from the very first hour of the very first day" of his second term.

Bush said the soaring national debt and the lengthy war in Iraq have shaken Americans' faith in the highest levels of government.

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Jan. 29-30, 2004. N=467 registered Democrats and independents who lean Democratic nationwide. MoE ± 5.

"Now I'm going to name seven Democrats in the race for president. After I read you their names, tell me which ONE you would most like to see nominated as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate this year."

1/29-30
Kerry: 45%
Dean: 14%
Edwards: 11%
Clark: 5%
Lieberman: 5%
Sharpton 2%
Kucinich: 1%

1/22-23
Kerry: 30%
Dean: 12%
Edwards: 13%
Clark: 12%
Lieberman: 7%
Sharpton 6%
Kucinich: 3%

1/8-9
Kerry: 11%
Dean: 24%
Edwards: 3%
Clark: 12%
Lieberman: 7%
Sharpton 5%
Kucinich: 3%

12/18-19
Kerry: 6%
Dean: 26%
Edwards: 5%
Clark: 15%
Lieberman: 7%
Sharpton 7%
Kucinich: 1%

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Jan. 29-30, 2004. N=1,259 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?"

Approve: 49%
Disapprove: 44%
Don't Know: 7%

WASHINGTON: Taliban turned down over 30 requests to expel Osama

Afghanistan’s former Taliban rulers rebuffed more than 30 US requests to expel Osama bin Laden between 1996 and just before the Sept 11 attacks in 2001, newly declassified official documents revealed yesterday.

A long list of official contacts summarised by the declassified State Department document showed that Taliban leader Mullah Omar expressed interest in a confidential dialogue with Washington over the alQaeda mastermind.

He also suggested Osama be tried by a panel of Islamic scholars or that his movements be monitored by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference or the United Nations.

The State Department documents show most of the approaches to the Islamic militia took place under the administration of President Bill Clinton.

Only three meetings or conversations detailed in the document, obtained and released by George Washington University's National Security archive, took place after President George W. Bush's inauguration in January 2001.

Saddam wouldn't tell truth

WASHINGTON - The White House conceded yesterday that maybe Saddam Hussein didn't have weapons of mass destruction, but said he should have told the U.S. if he wanted to avoid an invasion.

"Saddam Hussein had every opportunity to help us understand his WMD programs, and if he had destroyed anything, to tell the world that he had destroyed them," national security adviser Condoleezza Rice told ABC's "Good Morning America."

"Instead, he remained secretive. He allowed the world to continue to wonder if he was sitting there with botulinum toxin and anthrax," she said.

The Bush administration will ask Congress to boost spending on missile defense by $1.2 billion next year and nearly double funding to modernize the Army in the $401.7 billion U.S. military budget for 2005, according to Pentagon documents released on Friday.

The defense plan is part of a proposed $2.3 trillion federal budget President Bush will send to lawmakers on Monday. It includes a 7 percent increase in defense spending over the current level of $375 billion.

Dean currently leads the Democratic delegate count with 113. Kerry, the front-runner in the race with his strong victories in New Hampshire and Iowa, has 94 delegates. To win the Democratic nomination, a candidate must have at least 2,161 delegates.

Kerry in the crosshairs

WASHINGTON (CNN) --Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie delivers another broadside against John Kerry today at the RNC winter meeting in Washington. We can summarize it in a single tried and true phrase: "soft on defense."

The decomposing remains of a 60-ton sperm whale exploded on a busy Taiwan street, showering nearby cars and shops with blood and organs and stopping traffic for hours, local newspapers said. The 56-foot dead whale had been on a truck headed for an autopsy at a university earlier this week, when gases from internal decay caused its entrails to explode in the southern city of Tainan.

The whale had died after it was beached on the southwestern coast of the island.

Washington expects to nab Osama 'in the next year'

(replaces defunct video clip)

Democrats are Dittoheads who will do whatever the Political Opinion Complex tells them to do.

The dismal fifth-place showing by Senator Joseph Lieberman in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday serves as both reminder and motivator to the other Democratic presidential candidates on what it will take to win in November. The real fight is between those who want only to win back the White House and those who also want to build a new political movement — one that rivals the conservative movement that has given Republicans their dominant position in American politics.

...the Democratic Party has had no analogous movement to animate it. Instead, every four years party loyalists throw themselves behind a presidential candidate who they believe will deliver them from the rising conservative tide. After the election, they go back to whatever they were doing before. Issues rise and fall, depending on which interests are threatened and when. They can even divide Democrats, as each advocacy group scrambles after the same set of liberal donors and competes for the limited attention of the news media.

As a result, Democrats have been undisciplined, intimidated or just plain silent. One hears few liberal Democratic phrases that are repeated with any regularity. In addition, there is no consistent Democratic world view or ideology. Most Congressional Democrats raise their own money, do their own polls and vote every which way. Democrats have little or no clear identity except by reference to what conservatives say about them.

Self-styled Democratic centrists, like those who inhabit the Democratic Leadership Council, attribute the party's difficulties to a failure to respond to an electorate grown more conservative, upscale and suburban. This is nonsense. The biggest losses for Democrats since 1980 have not been among suburban voters but among America's giant middle and working classes — especially white workers without four-year college degrees, once part of the old Democratic base. Not incidentally, these are the same people who have lost the most economic ground over the last quarter-century.

It is unfortunate, but the number one quality of a president in these times needs to be Teflon. Reagan was Teflon, Bush Sr. was not, Clinton was (except for the whole blow job thing) and Bush is. Dean? The guy is Velcro mixed with fly paper, dripping with super glue.

Like charisma, Teflon-ness is something that is hard to define or learn. In many cases, you were either born with it or you were not. I have no idea why things don't stick to Bush, but they just don't.

I know that to Dean fans, he could spit on the Pope, and still raise money. But to everyone else things just stick to him. His comment about the US not being safer after Saddam's capture was true, but it hurt him. His comment that Osama should receive a fair trial was true, but it killed him.

I heard a commentator say something interesting. Had Reagan, Bush Sr. or Clinton said that Potato ended with an 'e', it would have gone unnoticed. But people were looking for a metaphor to define someone they doubted, and this became his defining moment. Dean is not running a campaign but a movement, and movements are driven by passion and too much passion scares people. I think the Iowa speech was the metaphor people were looking for to define their opinions about Dean, even if the clip shown on the news was taken out of context.

So like him or hate him, stuff sticks to him, which has ended up being his largest liability.

Bomber Kills Three Outside Baghdad Hotel

BAGHDAD, Iraq Jan. 28 — A suicide bomber blew up a van disguised as an ambulance in front of a hotel Wednesday after speeding through a security barrier in the heart of Baghdad, killing three people including a South African and injuring 17.

Iraq becoming al-Qaeda breeding ground

BERLIN - Iraq threatens to become a breeding ground for al- Qaeda terrorists, Germany's spy chief has warned. Al-Qaeda is taking advantage of anti-American sentiment in Iraq, said August Hanning, head of Germany's BND intelligence service in a speech at a security conference in Berlin this week.

Ex-Iraq inspector: Prewar intelligence failure 'disturbing'

The former top U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq on Wednesday blamed intelligence failures for the apparently incorrect conclusion that Saddam Hussein possessed large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction before the U.S.-led invasion.

David Kay, who resigned last week as leader of the Iraq Survey Group searching for banned weapons, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he believed a "fundamental analysis of how we got here" is needed to ensure the best possible intelligence in the future.

Kay told the senators that the intelligence he had seen before the war indicated Saddam had banned weapons and that France and Germany -- countries that had opposed the war -- had stated that the Iraqi dictator possessed such weapons.

"It turns out we were all wrong, and that is most disturbing," Kay said.

- Get an anti-Virus program (Norton's the best)
- NEVER open e-mails with just "hi" in the subject field
- NEVER open e-mails whose subject starts with RE: followed by a subject you never initiated
- If you use Outlook or Outlook Express, DO NOT use the preview pane. This is as good as opening whatever e-mail you've highlighted
- When in doubt, delete, don't open

Returning female GIs report rapes, poor care

Female troops serving in the Iraq war are reporting an insidious enemy in their own camps: fellow American soldiers who sexually assault them.

At least 37 female service members have sought sexual-trauma counseling and other assistance from civilian rape crisis organizations after returning from war duty in Iraq, Kuwait and other overseas stations, The Denver Post has learned. The women, ranging from enlisted soldiers to officers, have reported poor medical treatment, lack of counseling and incomplete criminal investigations by military officials. Some say they were threatened with punishment after reporting assaults.

The Pentagon did not respond to repeated requests for information about the number of sexual assault reports during the conflict. Defense officials would say only that they will not tolerate sexual assault in their ranks.

What neither Blair nor Bush nor Cheney has answered is Kay's admission that the U.N. inspections regime after the first Gulf War had disarmed Iraq. The implication is that continued inspections would have prevented Saddam from resuming production of chemical and biological weapons -- as well as the nuclear weapons that he never had and probably could never have built -- without hundreds of American and thousands of Iraqi lives lost. Kay's parting comments offer a clue to the final gambit that will be employed the White House and Downing Street. Having spun the cautious findings of professional analysts to accommodate their war agenda, the Bush and Blair governments will try to blame "bad intelligence." Just don't expect the intelligence agencies to accept that damning verdict without a response that could damage those dishonest politicians.

As Lieberman headed for his getaway car, I asked him if he supported an idea that I have long advocated; namely, moving the New Hampshire primary to a warmer place, such as Jamaica. Lieberman laughed and called this ''an outrageous idea.'' He accused me of trying to trick him into saying something damaging on camera right before the New Hampshire primary.

I swear I wasn't. The simple truth is that, from a strictly climatic standpoint, New Hampshire is the worst possible location for the New Hampshire primary. We should move the whole thing, voters and all, to the Caribbean. I suspect many New Hampshire residents are in the Caribbean right now, watching the primary coverage on TV and howling with laughter. ("Look, honey! Joe Lieberman is ringing OUR DOORBELL!'')

Two CNN employees killed in Iraq ambush

Two CNN employees have been killed in an ambush in Iraq, the international television news organisation says.

"Two of our colleagues were killed in an ambush on the outskirts of Baghdad," a presenter said on air. One was a driver and the other a translator/producer.

Killings Continues as Annan Commits UN to Iraq

Twin roadside bombings west of Baghdad killed three American soldiers and two Iraqis today just as the UN chief said he was ready to send in a team to assess prospects for early elections.

FACT: A veteran journalist told me that, of the Democratic candidates, Howard Dean is by far the best pancake flipper. The worst is Gen. Wesley Clark. ''He doesn't flip at all!'' the journalist told me, genuinely outraged. "He just slides the pancakes around.''

David Kay, now seeking Iraqi weapons of mass destruction for the Pentagon, has privately reported successes that are planned to be revealed to the public in mid-September.

Kay has told his superiors he has found substantial evidence of biological weapons in Iraq, plus considerable missile development.

"I don't think they exist," Kay said of Iraq's weapons after nine months of searching.

"We have to remember that this view of Iraq was held during the Clinton administration and didn't change in the Bush administration," said Kay.

The three-day rolling average has Kerry with 28 percent to Dean’s 25 percent in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, cutting four points from Kerry's Sunday lead. Factoring in the poll's four-point margin of error places the Massachusetts senator and the former Vermont governor in a statistical tie.

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark is in third place with 11 percent, followed by North Carolina Sen. John Edwards with 10 percent. Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman polled at 9 percent.

Up to one in five of the American military personnel in Iraq will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, say senior forces' medical staff dealing with the psychiatric fallout of the war.

This revelation follows the disclosure last month that more than 600 US servicemen and women have been evacuated from the country for psychiatric reasons since the conflict started last March.

At least 22 US soldiers have killed themselves - a rate considered abnormally high - mostly since President George Bush declared an end to major combat on 1 May last year...

Dean: Iraqi Standard of Living Worse Now
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean said Sunday that the standard of living for Iraqis is a "whole lot worse" since Saddam Hussein's removal from power in last year's American-led invasion.

Lieberman said he is seeing a "Joe-mentum" in New Hampshire following Thursday night's debate and polls have reflected that he maybe right.

Dean is trying desperately to soften his image by wearing suits, smiling, no longer ending speeches by breaking boards with his forehead, etc. But these measures may be too late, as almost all the experts now predict that Kerry will win in New Hampshire, which probably means he won't.

Investor Martin J. Whitman first came to Syracuse University just after World War II, under the G.I. Bill of Rights, a federal program conceived when the country was running deficits that Whitman says was a good use of taxpayer money.

Whitman, Class of '49 and nearly 80, was back in Syracuse on Thursday, in a building with his name on it and in an economy newly stung with word of extensive layoffs at Kodak and a deepening federal deficit.

The U.S. economy in one Whitman word?

"Sucks," said Whitman, known as a straight shooter.

So what's the first step to right it?

"The biggest thing we have to do about it is get rid of the Republicans," said Whitman. "It's just a disaster. I'm more a use-of-proceeds person than I am a deficit person.

"Deficits can be very, very constructive if the funds so raised are used in a productive manner, such as what brought me to Syracuse in the first place: the G.I. Bill of Rights. But when you piss the money away in useless wars and ill-conceived tax cuts, you're headed toward becoming a banana republic.

"The people there are just interested in trying to make the economy look good for the next election, but they're not interested in the Draconian long-term consequences."

Failure to find WMD in Iraq points to intelligence failure, Kay says

Independents wooed as N.H. race tightens

In the MSNBC/Zogby Reuters tracking poll released Sunday and covering Thursday through Saturday, Sen. John Kerry held a 30-23 percent lead over his closest rival, Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont.

The seven-point margin for Kerry in the three-day period was down two percentage points from the previous day's numbers. "Dean had another good polling day, actually bouncing back to 25 points on Saturday, compared to Kerry's 28," pollster John Zogby said. "Undecideds climbed slightly on Saturday, indicating a shift may be taking place."

KB Toys Seeks Chapter 11 Protection

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - KB Toys Inc. became the second major casualty of this past holiday's toy price wars, filing Wednesday for bankruptcy protection and announcing it will close up to 500 stores and cut its work force.

The Politics of Prayer
As Democrats abandon traditional values and religion, their core voters are slipping away
Could 2004 be 1928 all over again?

Not since the 1928 elections have the Republicans retained control of both Congress and the White House. Now that 76-year-old record may be about to fall: President Bush is looking stronger...