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Election 2000

Secretary of State Colin Powell declared that the recent election was not legitimate, according to the Associated Press. Powell is certainly right, but who thought that he would ever admit it?

Wait, Powell was referring to the Ukraine election, not the U. S. election. Evidently the Ukraine election did not go any better than the last two U. S. elections. G. W. Bush is in office now only because the Supreme Court put him there in 2000.

Starting a war for bogus reasons and defying the Geneva Convention rules did not get him impeached for war crimes. Incredibly, it gained him four more years to wreak havoc upon the world.

Powell said "If the Ukrainian government does not act immediately and responsibly there will be consequences for our relationship, for Ukraine's hopes for a Euro-Atlantic integration and for individuals responsible for perpetrating fraud."

The Ukrainian Supreme Court can solve all the problems by ensuring that their man gets in power. The “selected” leader can then start a few wars to guarantee that he remains in power. The United States has set an election example for the world.

Powell said he urged outgoing Ukraine President Leonid Kuchma not to crack down on demonstrators. But G. W. Bush has U. S. protestors put in wire cages that are out of sight when he makes an appearance. The cages are called “free speech zones.”

Powell said "We cannot accept this result as legitimate, because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse."

Did Diebold make their voting machines also? BlackBoxVoting.org has published quite a bit of information on how easily these machines can be rigged. Ralph Nader proposes to audit Diebold machines in New Hampshire. The U. S. continues to examine the elections of other countries, yet has a voting machine stuck in its own eye.

Powell is getting a lot of press since it was announced that he is leaving the Bush administration. He is one of the few who gave good advice to G. W. Bush. But Powell was drowned out by the warmongers.

Powell forever lost all credibility when he lied to the United Nations, while promoting the Iraq war for Bush. It was all for nothing anyway. The UN saw through the lies and refused to support the war. But G. W. Bush did not let the lack of UN support stop him from invading and occupying Iraq.

Americans pay every day for that mistake. They pay in lives and billions of dollars squandered. The Iraqi citizens are paying dearly for the attempt of one man to acquire “political capital.”

The American election process always has been, and continues to be, a gamble. A candidate may beat his opponent, but get beaten by the process. One city council race was decided the old fashioned way, by actual gambling, according to the Associated Press.

The Florida race between G.P. Sloan, 77, and Richard Flynn, 75, was tied. A coin toss elected Mr. Sloan as city council member. Mr. Flynn would have accepted other alternatives. He said "I would just as soon shoot an eight-ball or shoot balls from the foul line or have a game of hearts."

This method could also beat the current process of electing the president. Just think of the time and money that would be saved. It would beat the Supreme Court overriding the will of the people. There would be no more moronic campaign ads and no need to beg for hundreds of millions of dollars!

Gambling for the presidency could produce something not see in America for some time – an honest election.

The entire state of North Carolina may hold another election, according to The Charlotte Observer. Over 4,500 votes have been lost in one county. Under the right conditions, a new statewide election could be triggered.

The law reads: "The new election shall be held in the entire jurisdiction in which the original election was held."

The country had four years to get the voting process fixed since the previous election theft. It is clear that there is an interest by some that the process never be fixed.

About 500 people marched in Seattle Saturday, protesting G. W. Bush and his Iraq war, according to KOMO News. John Kerry conceded the election almost as fast as Al Gore did in 2000. And just as in 2000, the reports of election irregularities are beginning to come out.

In 2000, Al Gore prematurely conceded the election and had to call Bush to take the concession back! When he smelled a rat in Florida, he wanted the votes recounted. The Florida Supreme Court ruled that the votes should be recounted. The U. S. Supreme Court ruled that G. W. Bush should get a free pass to the White House.

The Seattle protest was organized by the group Not in Our Name. The protestors want American troops pulled out of Iraq. Millions protested Bush’s plan to attack Iraq, prior to the war. Bush ignored all calls for rationality and pursued his one man war.

Observer Kellen Williams said "I think that people take for granted the fundamental right we have as Americans to express our opinion. That's the great thing about America."

Another protest is scheduled for January 20.

The Seattle Times reported that there were no arrests.

Margo Heights said "I'm here to make it clear that Bush does not have a mandate for his whole program of repression. And together with other people, we will carve out a way to stop the war and stop the direction of this whole course. It's important to remember that the Vietnam War ended in the term of a war president because of a combination of the Vietnam people and the movement here in this country. We also feel strongly about not letting a generation of youth be sent to kill."

Lt. Cmdr. John Oliveira, 39 is an inactive Navy reservist who served in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2002 and in Iraq last year. He resigned after 16½ years on active duty because he started to question why the United States was going into Iraq. He said "It's pretty baffling that Iraq is more unsecure today under our leadership than under a dictatorship. We failed to make the commitment to the peace process."

Lt. Oliveira used to be a public-affairs officer. He added "I had to stand in front of the American people every day and tell them how important the Iraq mission was when I didn't believe in any of it. If we're going to put American lives on the line, it needs to be for something worthwhile."

Rachel Hooton, 24, complained about the Patriot Act. She said "We're fighting for civil liberties because that's part of the Constitution. If we have to go after the terrorists, make sure we go after the right countries. Catch the terrorists, don't murder innocent civilians."

Todd Boyle, 52, carried a 4-by-7-foot sign, "U.S. Out of Iraq Now!" He said "There were no weapons of mass destruction and there was no al-Qaida connection, so this war was based on lies."

Jessica Davis, 22, said "I'm here to march for peace and just get our point across. We want to get out of Iraq, get our troops back and help rebuild people's lives over there that we've destroyed. And I hope that the Iraqi people and the Middle East people see that not all Americans support the war over there."

After suffering four long years of G. W. Bush, some Americans have no intention of enduring another four years, according to Reuters. The visits to Canada's main immigration Web site by U.S. citizens has jumped six-fold since the presidential election!

Maria Iadinardi, immigration ministry spokeswoman, said "When we looked at the first day after the election, November 3, our Web site hit a new high, almost double the previous record high."

115,016 US citizens visited www.cic.gc.ca on Wednesday.

There has been much speculation about an election “October Surprise.” Many felt that Osama bin Laden was on the verge of being captured. It was thought that he would be captured and displayed as a trophy, right before the election. G. W. Bush would stage another photo op, take all the credit, and be swept back into office. Bush could arrive for the photo op in a submarine, wearing a wet suit.

Bush once vowed to bring in bin Laden dead or alive. Later, he said that he did not think about bin Laden much anymore.

Even if Osama bin Laden had been captured, it would not have erased the multitude of blunders made by G. W. Bush. Osama bin Laden did appear in the news. But it was to thumb his nose at G. W. Bush. He went so far as to thank Bush for wasting time listening to the pet goat story while America was under attack. With no American leader to respond, the terrorist had extra time to successfully complete their mission of destruction.

G. W. Bush had his priorities. First, hear the exciting conclusion of the pet goat story. Second, defend America. Only, defending America was not even second on the list.

After being prompted by his aids, Bush sprang into action. He got into the limousine and sped off toward the airport – only in the wrong direction. Once he was abroad Air Force One, he flew off - into hiding for a long period of time.

Heck, as slow as Bush was to respond, the terrorists did not even have to use jets. They could have used attack camels, with time to spare!

And then there is the matter of letting munitions in Iraq fall into the hands of terrorists. If the Bush mission was to arm terrorist and create a bloodbath, he did a great job. Bush may view the bin Laden video as welcomed relief from the media coverage of the missing explosives.

The Bush administration tried its usual tactic of bullying the media into submission. But wonder of wonders, the media did not back off. The more the Bush administration tried to explain away the facts, the more it fanned the flames.

The October Surprise came and it was a doozy!

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has endorsed John Kerry and is campaigning for him, according to the Pioneer Press. Mr. Ventura spoke at three Minnesota colleges on Thursday. The former pro wrestler gave G. W. Bush the following body slams:

On G. W. Bush’s National Guard service: "If I were to serve that way in the United States Navy, I firmly believe I would never have gotten an honorable discharge, because that was not serving with honor, when you don't show up…I would have probably ended up in the Portsmouth naval prison."

On the Iraq war: "A true leader should never ask you to do anything that he or she would not do. And in the case of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, they are asking all of you young people today to do something that neither of them was willing to do when it was their turn to do it… We didn't have the borders sealed because they didn't use enough manpower. And why didn't they use manpower? Because you've got chicken hawks running the war, instead of the military."

On the budget deficit: "You should not cut taxes without cutting spending. George Bush has done the opposite. … It's credit-card spending, people."

On deploying the National Guard overseas: "This is the most flagrant misuse of the National Guard that I've ever seen.”

On mixing government and religion: "I believe that a president has to have an extremely clear, clear vision of the separation of church and state. … It doesn't mean you can't have religious beliefs. You certainly can. But you must be able to distinguish and separate your beliefs from your job. That to me is where President Bush falls short."

The New York Times reported that Ralph Nader vowed Thursday to remain in the presidential race. How ironic that the greatest consumer advocate of all time has become public enemy number one. His 2000 third party campaign is part of the reason that G. W. Bush was able to slip into the White House. The results were tragic for the American people and the world. It is unbelievable that Mr. Nader is doing exactly the same thing in 2004!

The greatest irony is that Ralph Nader is the best presidential candidate. But he has zero chance of winning the election, pulling about one percent in the polls. By stubbornly remaining in the election, he is giving G. W. Bush another opportunity to sneak back into office.

Mr. Nader has identified G. W. Bush as "a chicken hawk, draft-dodging, messianic militarist presiding over a no-fault government." But his own messianic candidacy is once again helping G. W. Bush.

Winona LaDuke, Mr. Nader’s 2000 running mate, has even endorsed Senator John Kerry.

Mr. Nader said "We will stay in the race I will never betray our volunteers and our staff."

Translation: “I will never betray my ego.”

In 2000 Mr. Nader said it did not matter if Al Gore or G. W. Bush won the election because they were both bad choices. He was wrong then and he is wrong now.

It is inconceivable that Al Gore could have made all the mistakes that G. W. Bush has made. The 9/11 terrorist attack may have never occurred if Al Gore had been president. Osama bin Laden’s call for jihad against the United States was in direct response to military adventures by G. W. Bush’s father. Al Gore was not perceived as having a vendetta against Muslims. It is very possible that Al Gore could have presided over four years of peace, prosperity, and a balanced budget.

Ralph Nader was right that neither Al Gore nor John Kerry is a perfect candidate. Presidential candidates are human; there never will be a perfect candidate! It is admirable that Ralph Nader is unwilling to compromise his principles. But politics is all about compromise. The candidate who absolutely refuses to compromise on any issue is doomed.

Elections have never been an opportunity to elect the perfect candidate. Elections will always be an opportunity to elect the candidate who will do the least amount of damage to the country and the world.

If G. W. Bush prevails, things can only get worse. It is time to give John Kerry a chance.

G. W. Bush predicted to Pat Robertson that there would be no casualties in the Iraq war, according to CNN. Pat Robertson, U.S. Christian Coalition founder, said Tuesday that he advised Bush to prepare Americans for the likelihood of casualties if he invaded Iraq.

On the "Paula Zahn Now" show, Mr. Robertson talked about cocksure Bush was about the war. He said "You remember Mark Twain said, 'He looks like a contented Christian with four aces.' I mean he was just sitting there like, 'I'm on top of the world.' And I warned him about this war. I had deep misgivings about this war, deep misgivings. And I was trying to say, 'Mr. President, you had better prepare the American people for casualties.' "

Mr. Robertson said G. W. Bush’s reply was "Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties."

Bush’s casualty prediction appears to keep shifting with the political winds. The Daily Mislead reported that On Feb. 8th, 2004, Tim Russert asked President Bush: "Are you surprised by the level and intensity of resistance?" Bush replied, "No. I'm not."

Mr. Robertson said that he wishes Bush would admit to mistakes made. He said "I mean, the Lord told me it was going to be A, a disaster, and B, messy. I warned him about casualties."

G. W. Bush was always certain about the war, but he certainly was not right about it. All of his assumptions proved to be flawed, including the belief in mythical weapons of mass destruction. Zero casualties turned into 1,100 US troops dead, 8,000 wounded, and counting.

Pat Robertson said that God warned him that an Iraq war would be a “disaster” and “messy.” Yet Bush implied that God told him to attack Iraq. Then Bush predicted zero casualties!

There is an explanation that would clear up the discrepancy. It has been suggested that Bush’s god is really his political handler, Carl Rove.

Debate Charges Fly

Trying to ignore the elephant in the room can be so exhausting. Trying to avoid any mention of the obvious day after day is a heavy burden. Eventually someone will let the cat out of the bag. This time it was Senator Joe Biden, according to The News Journal.

Tuesday, the senator blasted the Bush administration policies that hurt retirees and working-class Americans. On G. W. Bush’s drug policies and their impact on consumers, Sen. Biden said "He is brain dead."

The assessment of G. W. Bush drew loud applause at the UAW Local 435 union hall in Cranston Heights, Delaware. Some Republicans are in a tizzy, but Sen. Biden deserves credit for the restraint shown. He reserved his brain dead comments to Bush’s drug policies. A less genteel senator may have said that G. W. Bush is brain dead – PERIOD.

Bill Wasik, Local 435's vice president, said "The senator wasn't talking the political talk, he was pretty straightforward. That's what we wanted and that's what we got, straight talk. Basically, the senator said that the Bush administration isn't listening to the working men and women, and that's true."

On the Iraq war, Mr. Wasik said "It's a quagmire. We support our troops, of course, but we know now that the war in Iraq didn't turn out to be what they said it was going to be about. I think that the war should be in Afghanistan. That's where the terrorists are, not in Iraq."

It sounds like this crowd is tired of ignoring the herd of elephants in the room!

Although G. W. Bush does not want to talk about a military draft in an election year, the backdoor draft is real. Many Americans have been killed in the Bush war that should have never been sent to Iraq. Iraq has turned into a tar pit; once soldiers get there, they are stuck.

People were lured into the National Guard, with the expectation of serving a few weekends per year. The Guard members are no longer just used for national disasters. Many members are on active duty in Iraq. Not only that, but when their time is up, they do not always get to leave Iraq. People do not always get to leave the military when their time is up.

The New Jersey Star-Ledger reported that soldiers over 50 are also being deployed to Iraq. Charles Thomas, a 58-year-old Army National Guard command sergeant major is being shipped to Iraq.

He said "My words to my wife were, 'Everyone will have to go to Iraq before I get called.' "

His wife, Jeanette Thomas , said "He's put in so many years. My first thoughts were, 'Why don't they send someone else?' "

Kristen Thomas-Graichen, his 32-year-old daughter, said "I cry every night over it. This is something a military family is used to, but this time, it's frightening. The playing field in Iraq is frightening. He has served his country, but at the same time, they can't do without his experience and knowledge."

All military personnel knew that there was a chance that they would be sent to war. But they had the right to expect to only be sent to war for legitimate reasons. They had the right to expect the rules not to continuously change to their disadvantage.

It is an all volunteer military, but people are getting more than they volunteered for. The backdoor draft is more dishonest than outright military conscription.

(9/21/2004) This is a Big Time for America. It's not just another election, not merely about a list of issues – even though some of those issues are huge, including the deliberate downsizing of our middle class and the deadly war of lies in Iraq.

What's at stake on November 2nd is the very idea of America itself – the historic idea that we might actually build a society based on our egalitarian ideals of economic fairness, social justice, and equal opportunity for all. The moneyed elites – presently working through BushCheneyAshcroftRumsfeld & Company – have decided that America should no longer bother pursuing egalitarianism. They are asserting a new ethic of privilege, declaring that the role of government is to take care of the good fortunes of the few...and not worry about the well-being of the many. In their view, they're the top dogs and the rest of us are just a bunch of fire hydrants.

Wielding their administrative blow-torches and legislative monkey-wrenches, they are jerry-rigging America's rules so that money and power flow uphill, out of our neighborhoods into their corporate suites and offshore bank accounts. They're seizing control of every decision that affects our lives – from wages to taxation, from what's in your dinner to what's in your daily news feed, from who goes to college to who goes to war.

They're turning our America – our democracy – into their America of plutocracy and autocracy.

As I travel around the country, I find that most people are aware that something fundamental has gone wrong, that this is not the America they thought they were born into. I recently saw an old pickup truck with a bumpersticker that asked: "Where are we going? And what am I doing in this handbasket?" People know that we're being led down some rabbit trail, off of America's true path toward egalitarianism.

I believe we're in another one of those "When-in-the-course-of-human-events" moments that Jefferson wrote about. It's a Big Time for America – time to take our country back.

In the VP debate, Dick Cheney tried to get some political mileage out of once belonging to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). From the press release below, IBEW is not too happy with Cheney trying to ride on its coattails. IBEW recognizes that Cheney is no friend to labor unions and he is no friend to working Americans.

In the October 5 debate between the vice presidential candidates, incumbent Vice President Richard Cheney noted that he had once carried a ticket in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. This happened during his stint on a utility line crew in Wyoming.

We suspect that the vice president likes to raise his old connection with us because he knows that the workers who have stood together as part of the IBEW and other unions have done more to raise the standard of living in this nation than any other movement in our nation’s history. The card that the vice president carried was his ticket to decent wages and benefits for the fruits of his labor. Undoubtedly, the money he earned as a union worker helped him achieve his goals in life, as it has done for so many other IBEW members since 1891. It’s too bad that the vice president now wants to pull up the ladder and deny that same opportunity to others.

We wish we had done a better job instilling these union values and principles in the young Dick Cheney when we had the chance. Perhaps then he would not so relentlessly pursue policies that have caused catastrophic job losses and inflicted tremendous pain on countless working families.

Seldom a day passes without some group asking people to write to G. W. Bush about some injustice he has sponsored. After almost four years, it seems that they would have caught on to the Bush game.

The Bush injustices suffered by soldiers, citizens and workers are not mere oversights. They are not inadvertent mistakes. They are not unintended consequences.

The injustices are always cold, calculated actions to maximize corporate profits. G. W. Bush is not a complicated man. He is a very simple man. He can be seen through like a glass of water. He lives to serve his corporate masters. He does not care what price the country must pay for his actions.

The national suffering under G. W. Bush is only beginning. If he is allowed another term in office, the damage to America will be incalculable.

The Employee Advocate encourages citizens and employees to write their elected officials – when there is any chance that they might listen. G. W. Bush has proven over and over that he simply does not care what the American citizens think about anything.

In the case of G. W. Bush, writing is a complete waste of time. Instead, use your time and resources to help defeat him in the upcoming election. It is the only hope of avoiding four more years of even bigger disasters.

As painful as it may be to some, party affiliations must be disregarded. The Bush cancer must come out for the sake of America and the world!

One has to admit that this is a most exciting election year. New voters are coming out of the woodwork to get registered. Even the VP debate was far from dull.

Dick Polman wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer: "They threw everything at each other except the kitchen sink. Then they threw the kitchen sink.”

VP Dick Cheney made a few bogus statements that were quickly challenged. Elizabeth Edwards challenged Cheney moments after the debate on when he first met her husband. Cheney said that Tuesday night was the first time that he had met John Edwards.

The remark was intended as a barb about Edwards’ Senate attendance record. But according to AP and NBC News report, Cheney and Edwards have attended functions together on at least three other occasions!

On Jan. 8, 2003, they met when the North Carolina senator accompanied Elizabeth Dole to her swearing-in by Cheney as a North Carolina senator.

NBC's "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert confirmed that the two met on April 8, 2001. Cheney and Edwards met off-camera during a taping of "Meet the Press," and shook hands.

On Feb. 1, 2001, the vice president thanked Edwards by name at a Senate prayer breakfast and even sat beside him!

In view of these prior meetings, how can Cheney’s statement be explained? It’s really simple. Cheney was never was one to let the truth get in the way of a good sound-byte.

John Edwards told supporters it was just another example of Cheney "still not being straight with the American people."

Sen. Patrick Leahy said that when Cheney visits the Senate, he only meets with Republicans.

Peter Wallsten wrote in the Los Angeles Times: "Although Cheney is the Senate's presiding officer, he actually sits in the chamber only on rare occasions, such as to break a tie vote and to swear in new senators. He does attend the GOP senators' weekly luncheons to discuss party strategy. But only Republicans attend, and Cheney usually breezes into the building, goes to the meeting, then leaves without hobnobbing with Democrats."

People will continue to debate the debate. But only one group really matters – the undecided voters. A CBS News poll found that 41 percent picked Edwards as the winner. 28 percent picked Cheney.

The Bush Campaign is taking the North Carolina vote for granted, according to The Charlotte Observer. Field staffers are being pulled out of the state.

Kerry spokeswoman Ashley Turton said the development was "yet another example of the Bush arrogance… taking North Carolina voters for granted."

Democrats maintain that Al Gore won the debates in 2000, but lost the debate spin afterwards. A variety of polls named John Kerry as the winner of the first 2004 presidential debate. Not willing to concede defeat, some Republicans have charged that John Kerry used a cheat sheet, according to The Drudge Report.

Did you think that the Democrats would take that lying down? Now a charge has been made that G. W. Bush was coached by handler Carl Rove through an earpiece, according to www.axisoflogic.com. During the debate Bush said "now let me finish," but no one had interrupted him and he had time left. More precisely, no one interrupted him that the audience could hear.

Come to think of it, Bush did do a lot of pausing during the debate. Even so, the Employee Advocate is willing to give Bush the benefit of the doubt. Certainly no one would want this election to turn ugly at this point.

Maybe Bush was not talking to Carl Rove at all. Bush may have been admonishing God not to interrupt him during the debate. Or, he may have simply responded to one of the other voices in his head.

There have been many charges that Fox News is biased towards the Bush campaign. These charges are apparently more than just opinions, according to an Associated Press report. Fox actually posted phony statements on its Web site and attributed them to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

Fox News pulled the fake statements and apologized Friday. Carl Cameron was the offending reporter who fabricated the quotes. Cameron covers the Kerry campaign. From this incident, is it possible that the reporter assigned to cover the Kerry campaign is biased against Kerry? What other conclusion is there?

This incident certainly lends credence to the many charges of biased reporting by Fox News. Fox spokesman Paul Schur said "Carl made a stupid mistake which he regrets. And he has been reprimanded for his lapse in judgment. It was a poor attempt at humor."

Kerry spokesman David Wade said: "America would be stronger if only George Bush could admit his mistakes as easily."

Cameron has been a political reporter for Fox News since 1996. There was no word on what his job might be next week, if any.

It is standard practice for a politician to stress his strong points and to point out the weak points of his opponent. There is nothing unusual or sinister about this tactic, as long as the facts are not distorted too much.

But the campaign of G. W. Bush uses the unusual approach of stressing his weakest points! Bush chooses to make issues of the areas where he is the very weakest. The Bush campaign has been compared to an “Alice in Wonderland” world, and rightly so.

The thread of preemptive strike has played throughout the Bush term and is playing in his reelection campaign. The trick is to make his weakest points appear to be strengths. To give the devil his due, Bush has managed to mesmerize about half of the electorate with this ploy.

Playing up one’s own weaknesses sort of makes sense, from a strictly preemptive strike mind set. Bush establishes the political high ground by proclaiming that a condition is so. It makes no difference that the proclamation is sheer fantasy. His opponent is left on the other side of the issue by default. His opponent then has the burden of proving that the Bush view of reality is bogus.

Bush knows that a large percentage of the population will believe anything that they hear repeated often enough. So he grinds in, pounding the same message over and over and over. Millions of dollars are spent repeating the same message. Using federal resources, the message is further repeated at no cost to the Bush campaign. Taxpayers are funding their own brainwashing!

For months the message has been pounded in that America is safer with Bush, America is safer without Saddam Hussein, Bush is a strong leader, Bush will wipe out terrorism, Bush is a very moral person. Dick Cheney even said that if Bush is not reelected, to expect another terrorist attack in America! The problem is that these messages attempt to transform Bush’s most significant flaws into selling points. Bush is definitely selling the sizzle because there is no steak.

It is a very interesting strategy. By declaring that all of his failures are successes, he attempts to leave his opponent no opening for attack. By saying that these things are so, Bush has seized the initiative and now has inertia on his side.

It has proven to be a brilliant strategy. Without one substantial accomplishment to stand on, the Bush campaign was free to try any desperate measure. It pulled one out of its hat, and it is working surprising well. That is, of course, overlooking the fact that his whole campaign is based on fabrication and wishful thinking.

Has Dick Cheney forgotten that the 9/11 attack happened on the Bush watch? It is a matter of record that Bush had absolutely no interest in potential terrorist attacks – until after 9/11. Bush has tried to turn his greatest failure of all into his greatest strength. Bush dropped the ball or there would have never been a terrorist attack on 9/11. It was more as if the terrorist ball hit Bush in the head and knocked him out!

Bush appeared petrified when informed of the attack. And he must have been because he made no effort to take any countermeasures. Maybe he was caught up in the story of the pet goat and could not tear himself away from it. Since he admitted that he does not read on his own, maybe he did not want to miss having the story read to him by schoolchildren. Then again, maybe Bush was not going to let a terrorist attack interrupt a perfectly good photo op.

His aides had to prompt Bush into taking some action - any action. He finally got up out of his chair. This is the same G. W. Bush that proclaims himself the be a war president.

After the attack, Bush got lost for a while. The country was on autopilot. The rhetoric about Bush being a strong leader is a myth. When a strong leader was needed, Bush was hiding out.

Once Bush got his bearings, he attacked the wrong country! It has been well proven that Iraq had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack. General Tommy Franks has said that Bush actually drew military resources from Afghanistan to attack Iraq. Bush clearly does not have a military mind, but he still claims the title of “war president.” To be fair, Bush once admitted that he is not likely to actually win any wars. But his handlers quickly made him flip flop on that statement.

Bush cannot say that no one warned him that attacking Iraq would be a mistake. Bush’s warmongering intentions were so transparent that, worldwide, millions of people protested the attack before it happened! Never has anyone had so much warning not to do something stupid. Bush ignored every call for reason. He even ignored the United Nations.

One bogus reason after another was given for attacking Iraq. Bush claimed the Iraq would not disarm. But Iraq was already disarmed, other that conventional weapons. The limited range weapons in Iraq posed zero threat to America. Bush then claimed that Saddam Hussein would not allow weapons inspections. But Bush ran the weapons inspectors out of Iraq so he could attack!

Saddam Hussein was destroying missiles up until the attack! These missiles were on the borderline of exceeding the range limit imposed upon Iraq. They posed no threat to the United States. Saddam Hussein finally said that he was going to stop destroying the missiles if Bush was going to attack anyway!

A few sane people were trying to avert the impending bloodshed. If was asked if Iraq would be spared if Saddam Hussein gave up power. Bush said that this was not good enough, that he had to leave his country. Bush kept adding to his demands. Not only must Saddam Hussein abdicate power, he must leave his country and his family had to leave the country also! Saddam Hussein came to realize that he was the one dealing with a madman!

Bush’s popularity soared after the attack in Afghanistan. Maybe he thought that this was too easy and he wanted even more glory. What if he invaded Iraq and finished what his daddy started? What a war president he would be! He would undoubtedly be swept back into office by a landslide. Heck, the Supreme Court would not even be needed.

Daddy Bush was extremely popular after his attack of Iraq. Reelection seemed inevitable. His popularity proved to be fleeting and he became a “one-termer.” G. W. Bush tried hard not to repeat any mistakes made by his father. But he broke new ground and made unprecedented mistakes. Daddy Bush had sense enough not to go into Baghdad. He knew that he could go in, but could never get out again. In trying to “fix” his father’s perceived mistake, G. W. Bush made the mother of all military blunders. G. W. Bush invaded Baghdad, and for bogus reasons.

That was the biggest mistake of G. W. Bush’s life. But he is touting it as his greatest accomplishment. The most amazing part is that a lot of people are buying it.

America is definitely not safer from terrorist attack because of Bush. No one has done more to recruit anti-American terrorists than G. W. Bush.

America is not safer without Saddam Husein in power. He served the important function of providing stability to the most volatile of regions, and he did a better job than G. W. Bush. Yes, America would be better off if Saddam Husein was still in power and G. W. Bush was not!

As far as morality goes, look no farther than Guantanamo Bay or Abu Ghraib prison. America has never been more universally despised. This is another gift from the “war president.”

The world was on our side after the 9/11 attack. In short order, Bush turned good will to hatred. Speaking of transformations, what about the budget surplus? You know, the surplus that existed prior to G. W. Bush being selected to occupy the White House. The surplus is now called a deficit.

Bush is really a magician. He turns goodwill to loathing, a surplus to a deficit, and weakness into a selling point. His greatest act will be to make himself disappear.

The “found” files of G. W. Bush’s service record provide new information, according to CBS News. The story is different than the White House version.

There is a memo that documents a direct order for Bush to take "an annual physical examination."

There is another memo documenting a phone conversation between Bush and his commander. They "discussed options of how Bush can get out of coming to drill from now through November…he may not have time."

Bush was grounded by Col. Killian on August 1, 1972 for failure to perform to U.S. Air Force/Texas Air National Guard standards and for failure to take his annual physical as ordered.

It appears that a year later Col. Killian was pressured to “revise” his assessment of Bush. He did not bow to the pressure.

Col. Killian wrote a memo, appropriately titled: “CYA.” He documented being pressured by higher authorities to give Bush a favorable yearly evaluation - to sugarcoat it. To Col. Killian’s credit, he refused to lie for Bush. He said "I'm having trouble running interference and doing my job."

Larry Korb, former assistant Secretary of Defense, said "Essentially, Bush gamed the system to avoid serving his country the way that most of his contemporaries had to."

Bush was not ordered to take enemy fire; he was ordered only to take a physical. Bush disobeyed the order and was grounded. He was grounded for disobeying orders and failure to perform to standards. G. W. Bush now bills himself as a “war president.”

The irony of this situation is so great that it seems like a movie plot. Bush dodged Vietnam by questionable service in the National Guard. Dick Cheney dodged Vietnam by obtaining five deferrals. Yet Cheney has the audacity to question the service of Senator John Kerry in Vietnam.

From the illegal, preemptive attack and occupation of Iraq, we know that Bush and Cheney like to strike first. Evidently they thought that if they drew enough attention to John Kerry's war involvement, their own "aggressive avoidance" of the war would escape unnoticed. Nice try.

The number of American deaths in Iraq has now reached one thousand. Bush and Cheney went through many contortions to keep themselves out of war. Yet they wove many fabrications to ensure that their fellow Americans would die in war.

The only Americans that Bush and Cheney successfully kept out of war remain - Bush and Cheney!

The Bush campaign, always on the lookout for an useful idiot, latched onto Democratic Sen. Zell Miller. The Democrats are finding Zell Miller to be an useless idiot. Zell was the keynote speaker at the Republican convention.

Paul Krugman’s article, “Feel the Hate,” in The New York Times told of Zell’s convention antics. Mr. Krugman has consistently exposed the Bush administration’s many failures.

When "Mad Dog Miller" was unleashed and allowed to run onto the stage, he growled and howled. But in the end, his biggest contribution may have been embarrassment to the Bush administration.

Zell’s ranting has drawn such a backlash that the Republicans may also be regarding him as an useless idiot. Even Republican loose cannon, Sen. John McCain, could not condone all of Zell’s ravings, according to NBC News.

The Los Angeles Times reported that McCain said of Zell's speech "I think it backfires."

A senior White House official backpedaled by saying "Miller was speaking on behalf of himself."

Laura Bush tried to control Zell's damage by saying “I don't know that we share that point of view.”

Zell's speech may have accomplished one thing. It kept V. P. Dick Cheney from looking like the biggest oaf at the convention. And that was no small accomplishment.

One cannot blame the Bush administration for distancing itself from Zell Miller. It has no shortage of political buffoons already. The last thing it needs is worn baggage from the Democratic party. Another political liability is not needed.

Zell and his wife were on a list of dignitaries who would be sitting in the first family's box during the president's acceptance speech on Thursday. They were both scrubbed from the list a few hours after Laura Bush made her comments.

In the same hall, 12 years earlier, Zell made comments about G. W. Bush’s father: "a timid man who hears only the voices of caution and the status quo" and a "commander-in-chief [who] talks like Dirty Harry but acts like Barney Fife."

For an encore, Zell wanted to challenge an interviewer to a duel! It was a remote interview. Zell told Chris Matthews "I wish I was over there, where I could get a little closer up into your face...cancel this interview...I wish we lived in the day when you could challenge a person to a duel." The show was MSNBC's "Hardball." One has to admit that a duel is about as hardball as it gets!

Zell will retire from the Senate in January. It is doubtful that the Democrats will miss him and the Republicans have snubbed him. Zell Miller is a politician without a party. Perhaps Ralph Nader can find a spot for him. Better yet, he can go back to Georgia and suck on a corn cob.

The Nation reported that, at the Republican convention, Laura Bush said "My husband didn't want to go to war."

That is undoubtedly a true statement. Provided, she was referring to the Vietnam war!

It is also true that Bush did not want to go to war in Iraq. Understand, Bush did not want to go to war. However, he made every manipulation possible to send other Americans to war in Iraq. Bush was content to remain on the sidelines and shout “Bring them on!” and pose under “Mission Accomplished” banners.

Bush was a cheerleader in college. And, he still is.

As better men and women die, Bush cheers them on: “Oil…Oil…Oil!”

Sunday marked the New York City protest march against G. W. Bush and his war, according to the Associated Press. As the American death toll in Iraq climbs toward 1,000, marchers carried 1,000 flag-draped coffins through the streets of Manhattan.

The crowd was estimated to be between 120,000 and 500,000. Everyone agreed that it was the largest U.S. political convention protest ever.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said "There's been a few minor arrests. It has been peaceful."

Alan Zelenki of Eugene, Ore., said "I hope this shows the world that they're not alone in their hatred of George Bush."

Sidney Tarrow, a professor of government and sociology at Cornell University, said "I can't remember anything this big in history."

A former speaker of the Texas House, Ben Barnes, said he is ashamed of getting G. W. Bush into the National Guard, according to The New York Times.

In a video clip, Mr. Barns said: "I walked through the Vietnam Memorial the other day and I looked at the names of people who died in Vietnam and I became more ashamed of myself than I've ever been because the worst thing I did was get a lot of wealthy supporters and a lot of people who had family names of importance into the Guard and I'm very sorry about that and I apologize to you and the voters of Texas."

Video: Apology for getting Bush into the National Guard

It is almost becoming a trend that some people’s final wish is to ensure that G. W. Bush is defeated in 2004. That was the wish of a Florida lady who passed away Monday, according to Local 10 News.

The death notice of Joan Abbey appeared in the Miami Herald, with this statement:

"You can honor Joan's values by voting against George Bush and contributing to a liberal or Democratic cause."

Tillie Shapiro, Abbey's sister, said "She was just a caring person … She cared about people, and people who were disadvantaged… It was her essence. It was her core value to try to see this country become a better place and become a more just society. And I think that was the last word she'd want to leave."

Martin Shapiro, Abbey's nephew, said "What she cared most about was improving circumstances in this country... getting rid of George Bush and making this a better country for all people."

You will always get the truth at a person’s death bed. Many truly believe that the best way to help America and the world is to get G. W. Bush out of office. Amen.

Fighting Bush Beyond the Grave