The linked article is a balanced article on Kerry's beliefs regarding foreign policy, and his record. I recommend a look -- it's fairly short. For those of us who believe the Bush doctrine has failed, it's informative to get to know the alternative. From the Washington Post : In Senate debates and media interviews over the years, John F. Kerry has repeatedly returned to three axioms on the use of military force: Win as much allied support as possible before going to war, listen to advi...

There's been lot's of JoeUser buzz about dirty tricks, as we near the election. Tempers are high, and I think we'll all be relieved when the election has passed. And I guess any following fights between the parties regarding recounts, hanging chads, voter intimidation, and voting of the dead. Mrs. blogic's parents live in Pennsylvania, and have had their Kerry signs stolen several times. We've traveled to PA several times, mainly to register voters, and the excitement there is palpable....

The title is from an really interesting article the Guardian is running, on the role of faith in the Bush campaign. Not so much faith in God, as faith in George Bush. I strongly recommend taking a look at it. To me, it sometimes seems that some Bush supporters have an absolute confidence in their rightness that I can't even imagine feeling about my own opinions. Anyway, check it out : First among these taboos is the military. No politician can utter a word that seems to question th...

This is a followup to an earlier post that linked to an article condemning the way the Bush administration responded (or didn't respond) when it learned there be a problem with the production of this year's flu vaccine. While that post was focused on what has happened over the last few months, some of the readers understandably wanted to talk about the deeper issues that have developed over years. Some of the Bush supporters have argued that the shortage is Clinton's fault. I hav...

This is from the Telegraph: If the US marines and Iraqi national guardsmen living at the Karmah military barracks near Fallujah talk at all, they speak through the bars of a small window. [snip] The sinister atmosphere at Karmah barracks is not difficult to understand. The marines are convinced that many, perhaps most, of the 140 members of the Iraqi National Guard (ING) they share the camp with are double agents working on behalf of the insurgents holding Fallujah. [snip] "We...

This is funny. It's from WhoIsLying , and starts by quoting the NY Times: In "Without a Doubt", New York Times , Oct. 16, 2004, Ron Suskind quoted a “senior advisor to Bush” who said people like Suskind were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' He continued: BUSH: You see, I would define the reality-based community as those who rely on observation -- academics, journalists, researchers… pe...

The following was written by Glen Stassen, a professor of Christian Ethics: I am a Christian ethicist, and trained in statistical analysis. I am consistently pro-life. My son David is one witness. For my family, "pro-life" is personal. My wife caught rubella in the eighth week of her pregnancy. We decided not to terminate, to love and raise our baby. David is legally blind and severely handicapped; he also is a blessing to us and to the world. [snip] Abortion was decreasing. When Pres...

Bush supporters have tried to argue that the Bush administration bears no responsiblity for this year's critical shortage of flu vaccine. This is from Medical News Today : Last August UK officials, with the same information the US officials had, decided something had to be done in case the Chiron supplies, 14% of UK supplies, went belly up . The US officials decided to believe Chiron and gamble 48% of their supplies on an assurance that everything would turn out fine despite some worryin...

This piece is by Scott McConnell, one of the founders of The American Conservative : To the surprise of virtually everyone, Bush has turned into an important president, and in many ways the most radical America has had since the 19th century. Because he is the leader of America’s conservative party, he has become the Left’s perfect foil—its dream candidate. The libertarian writer Lew Rockwell has mischievously noted parallels between Bush and Russia’s last tsar, Nicholas II: both gained of...

The popularity of Air America Radio reveals the true strength of the Left. From the New York Post : October 19, 2004 -- CRITICS said it wouldn't happen — but all-lib eral WLIB is seriously challenging talk-radio rivals WABC and WOR. According to Arbitron ratings released yesterday, WLIB thrashed WOR and nipped at the heels of top-dog WABC among the 25- to 54-year-old listeners advertisers chase. During midday, when both stations roll out their top guns — WABC's Rush Limbaugh vs. ...

I'm always surprised at how many people use free market theory to argue against taxing the rich more than the poor. These taxation haters scoff at economists who argue that since the wealthy benefit most from civil society, the wealthy should contribute the most to the body that maintains the infrastructure of civil society: the government. The idea that the wealthy don't owe a debt to the government, and the poor, for their wealth is a modern one. I find the modern conservati...

With only two weeks left before the election, both campaigns seem to be drifting. Bush is slightly up in national polls, but Kerry appears to be slighly ahead in the swing states, and hence the electoral vote count. The last two days haven't been dominated by any single issue, and the first candidate to craft an attack with teeth will be in a stronger position next week. The Bush campaign has been hammering on the Mary Cheney story, but I think that's probably a mistake on their pa...

From the Associated Press : BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. Army Reserve soldiers who refused orders to drive a dangerous route were members of one of a few supply units whose trucks are still unarmored, their commanding general said Sunday. The soldiers, now under investigation, had previously focused on local missions in safer parts of southern Iraq and had never driven a convoy north along the attack-prone roads passing through Baghdad. "Not all of their trucks are completely armored. In ...

We're off to Allentown, PA. We're going to spend the day trying to boost turnout in some of the city's less lively quarters. We're going to need every vote we can get this year in Pennsylvania, and that means we've got to break the Republican's unfair manipulation of their "living" majority. I know some of the Bush supporters will try to spin this. They'll claim that it's too late to register voters in Pennsylvania. They'll mislead you by asking if you really want to be in a pa...

I'm sympathetic to the neo-conservative vision. It's a liberal idea -- something that could have been suggested by the Left of the pre-Vietnam War era. The neo conservative vision is sweeping: Democracy spread around the globe, civil liberties established in every nation, decisions made by presidents and parliaments. There would be no more pariah states, embargoes would end, and trade ships would connect the cities of the world. I'm attracted to that vision -- even if I'm not s...