As soon as I saw photos of famed protestor Cindy Sheehan sitting inside an empty tent, apparently waiting for people to come to her book signing, I knew something wasn't right. I knew people who went to the book signing that day, and they claimed there were many other people there. So why did the Associate Press and Reuters show a photo of Sheehan in an empty tent, with a caption that noted she was "waiting for people to arrive"? The pictures were picked up by the Drudge Report and other conservative blogs, which spread the rumor that the book signing was a flop. Now Sheehan has struck back, claiming that the signing was a success, and the photos deceived the public. AP photographer Evan Vucci, who took the pictures, defended them and the caption. He claims that people were brought into the tent in small groups to have their books signed, so saying that Sheehan was waiting for people to arrive was accurate. While this is technically true, it is certainly twisting words to create the illusion that the signing was a flop. If Vucci still believes this is the most accurate way to portray news events, maybe he shouldn't be working as a news photographer anymore. Or maybe he can get a job working at Fox News.
Cindy Sheehan Claims Photos Falsely Implied Her Book Signing was a Flop

That's not a typo in the headline. An elected politician in this country has an approval rating in single digits. Republican Governor Bob Taft has seen his administration embroiled in scandals, and pled guilty to misdemeanor ethics charges for failing to report various gifts to state officials. These are the lowest approval ratings pollster Zogby has ever seen. Only one other politician has had Zogby approval ratings dip below 10%, and that following a bribery scandal in Illinois. A spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party said he didn't put much stock in the poll results, but added that the Democrats were a party in disarray. Even so, it would appear that even a newly formed Taliban Party could beat Bob Taft in the next election. Of course, maybe the poll results are off. The margin of error was 3%, but who's to say the staticians didn't really mean 50%?
- toledoblade.com -

I've posted this in my car blog (see url on right side), but I thought I should post it here as well, due to the obvious political angle.

Just in case you needed more evidence that the oil companies have completely hijacked the federal government, the US Chamber of Commerce is recommending taxing hybrid drivers (and only hybrid drivers) for each mile that they drive. They will use these funds towards highway repairs. They claim that hybrid drivers are bringing down revenues from gasoline taxes, which are the main source of highway repair funds. This is true, but it also exposes a major flaw in the entire conservative philosophy.
We should be encouraging drivers to purchase hybrid cars. They are less harmful to our environment, and they reduce our country's dependence on foreign oil. Instead, we have a system that relies heavily on a gasoline tax, which requires people to purchase a lot of gasoline to work. So what is the solution? Increase the gasoline tax, and also the tax on new car purchases. The increase in the gasoline tax will make up for revenue shortages in the short run (at least until the majority of Americans purchase hybrid vehicles), and the tax on new car purchases will provide revenue for the future. The best system would be to localize highway repair costs, but the federal government will never go for this, because they hang highway funds over states heads to get them to recognize federal laws, even when state laws disagree with the federal law (ie - some states have legalized medicinal marijuana, but the federal government still requires enforcement of federal laws in those states, or they'll cut off highway funds).
KCBS.com

Abu Al-Zarqawi (you can call him "Al") has been killed during a firefight in Iraq, according to reports that have not been confirmed and could just be an attempt to make up for a slow news day. Al-Zarqawi has been the leader of the Iraqi resistance, with the backing of Al Qaeda. There are also some conflicting reports indicating that there was no firefight, but rather just a bunch of Al Qaeda in Iraq operatives just blowing themselves up. This would be consistant with other reports from Iraq courtesy of the US government, which tend to include a little pro-US "John Wayne" hero-like spin. The capture of Saddam Hussein report originally claimed he was found cowering in a "spider hole." It was later revealed that he fought single-handedly with a pistol against US troops before eventually turning himself in. There was also the female soldier who was rescued from captivity after being wounded in a firefight. It was later revealed that her platoon took a wrong turn, got in a car accident, and she was taken to a friendly hospital, which gladly turned her over to US troops when they were able to come back for her. There are other good examples, but it's much easier just to tell you to watch the middle of Full Metal Jacket, when Private Joker is working as a journalist for Stars and Stripes. I think that sub-plot is even more accurate today than it was during Vietnam.
ABC News: Al-Zarqawi May Be Among Dead in Iraq Fight

Here's an interesting little blip that came across the wire today: Donald Rumsfeld didn't advocate the invasion of Iraq, but he was never asked. Colin Powell, the Secretary of State at the time, has also said he was not asked for his opinion on invading Iraq. This means both the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State were never asked whether it was a good idea to invade Iraq. These are the two men who should have been at the forefront on these kinds of decisions, and they were not even consulted! Apparently the president and his staff made the decision on their own, despite a total lack of foreign policy experience. President Bush had only travelled to two other countries in his entire life prior to being elected president, and he was THE man making one of the most important foreign policy decisions this nation has faced in the past 35 years. It is hard to come up with words to describe just how messed up that is. Dereliction of duty is one term that comes to mind. Counting his stint in the Texas Air National Guard, this is really the second time that term has been associated with his name. Perhaps someone should tell him what it means.
AMERICAblog: Because a great nation deserves the truth

Here's a great piece of writing by Cyn Collins. It really gets to the heart of right-wing politics in Minnesota, and it's quite frightening. They focus most of their efforts on the 3 G's - Guns, God, and Gays. They also believe illegal immigration is one of the biggest problems America faces. They want to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and they go out of their way to make up figures to justify it. Politicians are never far from a good lie, but in this case they are lying to themselves in private meetings. It's one thing to try to convince the public that a "in a 2000-acre plot of land (in ANWR), estimated, there's enough oil to match 30 years of oil supply from Saudi Arabia." It is quite another when they use those ridiculous figures in a private meeting with other republicans. Of course, any scientist, even those hired by the current administration, will tell us that the oil in ANWR would only supply a small fraction of the oil we use each year.

So why are republicans in Minnesota so focused on issues that mean very little to them? Why do they lie, even to themselves? I'll tell you why. It's part of subtle brainwashing technique favored by such infamous leaders as Stalin and Hitler. Take a side on an issue, and go on the offensive in favor of that side of the issue. If you have trouble coming up with enough favorable points for your side, make them up. Stick to the lie. Build up lies on top of each other, making the earlier lies more believable, and thus the expectation that the later lies could be made believable. Manipulate the public into thinking God is on your side of the issue. Stick to the lies. Make people feel threatened by the opposing side of the issue. Stick to the lies. If another issue threatens your ability to continue pushing your position (such as criminal conviction - handcuffs are the new fashion accessory for many republicans), add more lies. Make people afraid to oppose your side. Stick to the lies.
Pulse of the Twin Cities - Locally Grown Alternative Newspaper

As a follow-up to the story I reported on the other day, Bob Woodward will testify before a grand jury regarding what he knew about the White House leaking information on Valerie Plame, and when he knew it. This testimony could lead to new indictments from Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, because Woodward has indicated that he received information from a White House source who is not named Rove or Libby.
Daily Kos: Fitzgerald Expected to Present Woodward Evidence To New Grand Jury

Bob Woodward, the journalist famed for bringing down Nixon with his reporting of the Watergate scandal, was told about Valerie Plame's identity nearly a month before it came out in an article by Robert Novak. He was told by a senior administration official who is not Karl Rove or Scooter Libby. Woodward has been critical of the Fitzgerald investigation, because it has had some serious implications on the ability of journalists to gather information from confidential sources.

With this latest news, and better picture of the White House's involvement in the Plame affair has been painted. It is clear now that Scooter Libby did not act on his own, and neither did Karl Rove (although he has not been indicted as of yet anyway). This almost certainly involved a team of people in the White House working hard to out Plame to as many news sources as possible, hoping that one would actually print it. They knew that almost no legitimate reporter would reveal the name of a CIA operative, but they probably also knew that Robert Novak is not a legitimate reporter. He's a republican puppet and an old man with little to lose. Sure, the story blew up and he eventually lost his day job on Crossfire, but I'm sure he was getting tired of James Carville making him eat his own waste products day-in and day-out anyway.
Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall November 15, 2005 11:17 PM

Here's a scenario that's been running through my mind for some time, and I think it's starting to make a lot of sense. Remember back to 2002. We were in Afghanistan, slowly winning the war over the Taliban and al Qaeda. By 2003, the US had shifted its focus to Iraq. What if captured members of al Qaeda misled interrogators into believing they were connected to Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq in order to get some of the US troops out of Afghanistan? It's a believable enough scenario, made even more so when you read this article I've linked to. Apparently, a top al Qaeda operative made statements connecting al Qaeda to Iraq after he had been captured. This played a major role in the push towards a war in Iraq. Even the al Qaeda operative probably never suspected that the Bush administration would go out of its way to fabricate a link between al Qaeda and Iraq, making the war in Iraq more and more likely to happen.
2002 report doubted Iraq-al Qaeda informer

President Bush's approval ratings have reached a new low, and he is beginning to approach Nixon levels of disapproval. His presidential career is eerily similar to Tricky Dick's. Both had vice president's in serious legal trouble, with Nixon's Agnew resigning before Nixon. Dick Cheney is facing a criminal investigation into his role in leaking the name of a CIA operative and news stories today indicate he has been linked to the prison torture scandal.
A Tiny Revolution: Bush And Nixon Battle It Out

It looks like one way or another, Vice President Dick Cheney is going down at the hands of a chief of staff. Colin Powell's former chief of staff Lawrence Wilkerson says there is hard evidence, in the form of written documents, that link Dick Cheney to the torture procedures carried out by interrogators and US soldiers in Iraqi prisons. If these documents can be exposed before the White House can destroy them, this could be the end of Dick Cheney's political career.
Daily Kos: State of the Nation

The state of Vermont has a new movement on its hands. A group of Vermonters have started a secession movement with the slogan "Regime change begins at home." Many in Vermont have become frustrated with national politics over the last few years. Vermont's politicians continually disagree with those in Washington, and they are getting tired of being right all the time on the important issues, such as the war in Iraq (former Governor Howard Dean was one of the few politicians who spoke out against the war), taxes, campaign finance reform, etc. When Vermont's elected officials vote on these issues, they are usually beaten by an overwhelming majority. Their contrarian views are lampooned in the press, until a year or so later, when evidence suggests they were right. I support Vermont's secession goals, and I wish them luck. If they are looking for another country to join up with, I suggest Canada. Canada is clean, safe, and friendly, and no, I do not live there. I have been to Canada twice, and it was wonderful each time. Vermont should also know that the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is way better than the American side. We will miss you, Vermont, but I hope you'll still give us advice even when you're gone. Maybe someday we'll get some politicians who will listen.
In Vermont, a revolution to secede has devotees - The Boston Globe

Here's a bit of Washington hypocrisy for you. GOP Senator Kay Bailey is saying that she hopes one of these indictments from special investigator Patrick Fitzgerald is for a "real crime" and not some "perjury technicality." I guess perjury is now just a technicality, but it was a very serious crime back when Bill Clinton was in trouble. Back then, GOP leaders scrutinized every word Clinton said under oath in an attempt to show he told a lie. In the end, nobody could prove anything, because Clinton had out-manuevered the team of Ken Starr's lawyers. He had managed to manipulate the questioning from past tense to present tense, so when he said "there is no relationship with Monica Lewinsky" he was actually telling the truth. The Starr team felt their use of the word "is" meant "does this relationship exist ever, in the history of time." Of course, Clinton was never charged with a crime relating to the Lewinksy ordeal. He never had to be pardoned by his predecessor. Now the GOP is saying perjury is just a technicality. Do they wonder why people lie during testimony? Did they consider that the lies could be covering up a "real crime"? Of course not, because it's GOP members who are in hot water here. When they commit perjury, it's because the prosecutor tricked them, because he doesn't have enough evidence to get indictments for real crimes. When Democrats commit perjury, it's a felony offense, and they deserve time in prison.
GOP Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison Thinks Perjury Is A "Technicality"... | The Huffington Post

Ex-FEMA Chief Michael Brown has been criticized for his handling of the response to Hurricane Katrina. He claimed it was everyone's fault but his own. The mayor should have done more, the governor should have done more, the people working under him were slacking, the list goes on and on. People in the media researched Brown's background, and found that he was only the FEMA chief because he was a close friend of President Bush's. He was about as unqualified as a person could be for that job.

Now that I've covered the background story, let's get to today's news. A House panel investigating the atrocious response to Hurricane Katrina has revealed 23 pages of internal emails from Brown to his associates. What was Brown worried about most during the days following Katrina's strike on New Orleans? The way he looked on TV. He asked questions about his outfit, and one of his aides responded with a tip: he should roll up his sleeves when seen on TV, to make it look like he was getting down in the muck to help those thousands of people get out of New Orleans. In some later broadcasts you can see he took this advice, even though he was barely in New Orleans and had no idea what was going on with the rescue response. When one reporter asked him what he was going to do with the thousands of people who had packed into a convention center, he said he had not been told that there was anyone in the convention center. It had been reported on TV for the 2 previous days that many people were in the convention center. Apparently he needed to watch more TV coverage of the rescue effort, and less TV coverage of himself looking like an idiot.
NBC5.com - News - E-Mails Portray Ex-FEMA Chief As Image Conscious

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will make nearly $1 million on the recent bird flu scare, thanks to his stake in Gilead, a drug developer. Rumsfeld was named chairman of Gilead in 1997.
Bird Flu Hoax Makes Donald Rumsfeld $1 Million Richer

The FEC performed a standard audit on the Elizabeth Dole 2002 campaign, and they found over $80,000 in illegal contributions. They notified Dole of their findings, and told her the contributions need to be repaid. Dole responded with a resounding "no," claiming that the funds were not illegal. Since Dole is a republican politician, and republicans currently control all branches of government, it is unlikely that a government agency has the power to overturn Dole's decision.
Daily Kos: State of the Nation

The White House is hinting that it will be sending more troops to Iraq, saying that it will just be temporary to provide extra security during Iraq's December elections. There was also a time when the White House told us the invasion of Iraq would be quick, and the people would embrace us, overthrow Saddam's regime, and form a new government on its own. No problems at all. We'd probably only have a few loses (planes do crash every once in a while). What was that number we passed the other day? 2,000 American soldiers gone? And the updated number is now 2026? And 26,000 innocent Iraqi civilians are dead? Oh man, this president would have a lot of questions to answer if we would just stop electing republicans willing to protect him at all costs.
CNN.com - Rumsfeld hints at more troops in Iraq - Nov 1, 2005

Conservative schill Ann Coulter is at it again, this time claiming that the resignation of Harriet Miers demonstrated the power of the conservative movement. No, the resignation in no way diminished the Bush administration, it affirmed the power that conservatives have in always making the right choice. It was a great victory for Bush. He was testing us, in the same way God tested Jonah. All hail the new Almighty God: conservatism. Sorry, Ann Coulter is so convincing with her arguments, I tend to get carried away.

Speaking of Anny, did anyone see her on Fox News last week? Someone made a great point that made the president look like an idiot (as if he needs help). What was Ann's response? She brought up the time Ted Kennedy drove off that bridge and that woman who was in the car with him died. Ann, that was 30 years ago. When you respond to a serious remark with "what about that time Ted drove off the bridge..." you sound like a 4-year-old. Is that the best attack you have on liberals? Ted Kennedy made a serious mistake 30 years ago. There isn't anything more current you can use against them? No issues you can debate? Apparently not, because she's still ranting about the Ted Kennedy thing, even though she hadn't even reached puberty yet when that happened.
Coulter: Miers withdrawal "demonstrates that th ... [Media Matters]

President Dumbo has asked congress for $7.1 billion to defend the country against the avian flu. He insisted that the money be given in $20 bills, unmarked, with non-consecutive serial numbers. The bills should be wrapped in $10,000 bundles and placed in unmarked bags or suitcases. Place the bags in the trunks of the presidential motorcade limos. If anyone approaches the drivers seat or side doors, or if loading the bags takes more than 45 seconds, Bushy will open up the nuclear football and explore his options.

Seriously though, does it really cost over $200 apiece for every man, woman, and child in America to have drugs stockpiled for them by the government? Is it a coincidence that the president always seems to have close friends at all the corporations that get "emergency" no-bid contracts from the US government?
Top News Article | Reuters.com

The man Dick Cheney replaced Scooter Libby with as his national security adviser is the same man an Iraqi exile group fed false information to in order to get the Bush administration to attack Iraq. The information was fed to John Hannah, who gave it to the administration as fact. After the invasion of Iraq, it was discovered that the weapons of mass destruction that Saddam Hussein had allegedly been hoarding did not exist. The information about them was created by exile groups who wanted the Hussein regime stripped of its power. The White House helped by going out of its way to create and publicize false information.
KR Washington Bureau | 10/31/2005 | Cheney's new security adviser linked to bogus information on Iraq

Democratic Senator Harry Reid invoked the rarely used rule 21 to call for a closed-door senate session today. Topics to be discussed will include pre-war intelligence and the leak of CIA intelligence from within the White House. Clearly the Democrats are getting fed-up at the way these issues are being ignored and brushed under the carpet. They are taking these issues very seriously, and making sure everyone understands how they are related. The evidence seems to show that the White House manipulated intelligence prior to the invasion of Iraq, in some cases just making it up as they went along. They then went on the offensive against any officials who exposed the manipulated or fraudulent intelligence. In the case of Joe Wilson, who presented evidence that showed the White House had made up a story about Saddam Hussein attempting to buy uranium from foreign countries, the White House struck back by exposing his wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA operative.

Exposing a CIA agent not puts them at risk, but also those that they work with. Valerie Plame worked for a business set up by the CIA. In other words, it was a fake business. When she was exposed, the business she worked for was also exposed, and deductive reasoning allowed everyone who worked at that business to be exposed as a possible CIA operative (and most of them were). These issues are not coming out in the mainstream press, and the Republican-led congress is ignoring these very serious issues. It would not be hard to argue that the scandal we have on our hands today is much more serious than Watergate. That was just a president being involved in a minor robbery of information from a political enemy. This is a White House which commits systematic treason to discourage anyone from defying them.
BREITBART.COM - Just The News