October 6, 2004

So far we've had one Presidential and one Vice-Presidential debate. The Democrats are pumped. I think that they misunderestimate the power of one of the greatest forces on earth, bullshit. The stuff really sticks. If the Democrats can overcome that, there really is hope.

So Far We've Heard These Examples

• From Bush: "We've upheld the doctrine that said if you harbor a terrorist, you're equally as guilty as the terrorist." "The A.Q. Khan network has been brought to justice." Brought to justice? Khan was a scientist working for the government of Pakistan, also distributing nuclear technology to North Korea, Libya, Iran, etc, and he's been pardoned by the government of Pakistan. That's justice? No one from the U.S. even had access to ask him any questions. The U.S supported Pakistan's pardon of Khan, saying that it was their internal matter. Justice? If terrorism is a crime against the people of the world, howcome Pakistan gets to pardon him? He wasn't doing anything that would hurt Pakistan and Pakistan is harboring him. Of course, no one believes that Khan could have done what he did without the full knowledge of the government of Pakistan, and the government of Pakistan is an ally of Bush. Not one member of the AQ Khan network has been prosecuted anywhere by anyone. Go figure.

• Bush: "I had the honor of visiting with Prime Minister Allawi. He's a strong, courageous leader." In the 1990's, Allawi formed an anti-Sadaam terrorist group that bombed a movie theater and a schoolbus, killing children. Sydney Morning Herald: "Iyad Allawi, the new Prime Minister of Iraq, pulled a pistol and executed as many as six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station ... according to two people who allege they witnessed the killings. They say the prisoners - handcuffed and blindfolded - were lined up against a wall in a courtyard adjacent to the maximum-security cell block in which they were held." Summary execution of a suspect without a trial is a serious crime against humanity according to recognized international law.

• Bush: "We've got 1,000 extra border patrol on the southern border; want 1,000 on the northern border." Did he really say "want?" He has moved border patrol to the northern border. Like 20 border patrol officers added to a 2-person office in the middle of nowhere with no additional space and no additional vehicles. Twenty well-trained professionals with nothing to do but play cards all day.

• Bush: "We've also changed the culture of the FBI to have counterterrorism as its number one priority." Like Aschcroft's 2001 FBI budget asking for increases in more than 50 FBI programs, none related to counterterrorism.

• Bush: "We've got 100,000 trained now." An bit of an exaggeration. The number with any training is about half that. The number trained and working is about 8,000.

• Bush: "What's he say to Alexander Kwasniewski of Poland?" A good choice. Poland didn't send any troops to Iraq until a couple months after the "Mission Accomplished" speech. And they are pulling out of the coalition of the whatever now. And Kwasniewski has said that Bush misled him on WMD.

• Bush: "I understand that we must find al Qaeda wherever they hide." But Pakistan has made an arrangement with pro al Qaeda factions in certain regions of Pakistan, promising not to hunt for al Qaeda there. So it's more like "wherever they hide, except for certain parts of Pakistan." So, where to you think bin Laden is hiding out, anyway?

• Bush: "One of his campaign people alleged that Prime Minister Allawi was like a puppet." Let's see, the White House wrote Allawi's speech to Congress. What does that make him? You're right, puppet is not quite the right word.

• Bush: "Look at Libya. Libya was a threat. Libya is now peacefully dismantling its weapons programs." The UN sanctions worked!

• Bush: "The minute we have bilateral talks, the six-party talks will unwind." "I can't tell you how big a mistake I think that is, to have bilateral talks with North Korea. It's precisely what Kim Jong Il wants. It will cause the six-party talks to evaporate. It will mean that China no longer is involved in convincing, along with us, for Kim Jong Il to get rid of his weapons." So, why did China ask the US to resume bilateral talks to persuade Kim Jong Il to get rid of his weapons???

• Cheney says that the U.S. was going to bring democracy to Iraq just as it had brought democracy to El Salvador back in the 1980's. A disgrace. The U.S. poured billions of dollars into El Salvador to support one side of the 'democratic process', the side that ran death squads and practiced mass murder, including killings of priests and nuns. Simultaneously, the U.S was attacking the democratically-elected government of nearby Nicaragua, with money raised by ignoring the democratically-mandated prohibition by the U.S. Congress of funding for the contras. The Republicans took arms that were supposed to defend U.S. troops and gave them to Iran so that they could undermine democracy in Central America. The right wing won El Salvador by slaughtering its opposition and chasing 750,000 out of the country. The U.S. helped by letting the people know that their reward for electing populists would be economic reprisals by the U.S. at a minimum, and a war, as in Nicaragua as a likely follow-up.

• Cheney says that he went to the Capitol every Tuesday to preside to make people think that he should have met Edwards if Edwards was in the Senate. Cheney normally presides over the Republican luncheon each Tuesday. He doesn't meet Democrats when he's there.

• Cheney said that he had never met Edwards. They appeared on the same "Meet the Press" program and shook hands on TV for all to see.

• Cheney: "But let's look at what we know about Mr. Zarqawi. We know he was running a terrorist camp, training terrorists in Afghanistan prior to 9/11. We know that when we went into Afghanistan that he then migrated to Baghdad. He set up shop in Baghdad, where he oversaw the poisons facility up at Khurmal (ph), where the terrorists were developing ricin and other deadly substances to use." No Dick, wrong again. The poisons facility was in the part of Iraq controlled by the Kurds (our allies, you remember). There Zarqawi was out of reach of Hussein on account of the US enforced no-fly zones.

• Cheney: "He paid $25,000 to the families of suicide bombers." Less than half of what the Saudi Ambassador's wife sent to those connected with the 9/11 hijackers.

• Cheney: "I have not suggested there's a connection between Iraq and 9/11." Bullshit. Cheney kept beating the drum about the meeting in Prague between al Qaeda and Iraqi agents after the whole world knew it never happened.

• And Edwards got in on the action himself:"No state for the last 200 years has ever had to recognize another state's marriage." IANAL, but that's not what we learn in Constitutional Law class: "Article IV Section 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state." Imagine what a mess it would make if any state could veto or ignore lawful marriages, divorces, adoptions, or contracts of other kinds, entered into in other states. Come on, John. That's not your idea of a good time, is it?