Everyones's favorite judge/landscaper was just on Hannity. Hannity had been spinning the last two-hours laying the groundwork for the Bush Bros. cover suggesting that Jeb would be arrested if he walked right in and took custody of Terri. Then along comes Moore--a real wacko and not just someone who counts on wackos for power--calling Jeb out to defy the courts--just as he had--and fullfill his oath to defend the Constitution. It was awesome. A twelve -year-old boy was arrested yesterday for trying to sneak in a slurpee. If he has the guts why won't Jeb Bush or his brother act with similar conviction. Moore talked of a need for a constitutional showdown. I think we've got one.

By the way, there was just a press conference where the same call for Jeb to save the day. This press-conference was not run on Fox and it has yet to be mentioned. Live by the sword. Die by the sword.

I think surreal is a very overused but just now I heard William Krystal on fox criticize Putin on his relationship with the press. Mocking Putin for showing a bold willingness to take questions from the Russian press, Krystal noted that Russian reporters are hardly the Real Journalists like the ones we have in America. Suggesting that the reporter was little more than an arm of the Government, Krystal scoffed at the suggestion that this consituted a real willingness to deal with the press. This he did with that Eddie Haskel, "dad can I borrow the car," grin on his face. I've heard enough. I'm submitting my resume to Talon.

It's a simple proposition. Yes, I am proud that the Iraqi election went well. I am not interested in debating the particulars of this statement as for on this day, Sunday that is, a very remarkable thing did happen. People who had come to accept that they would never have a say in the destiny of their country felt the jolt of democracy. The mute found a voice and as a Democrat, a true Democrat, who believes in democracy as I believe in my mother and my father as I believe in beauty and truth as I believe in the ultimate success of humanity over cynicism, irony and realism, I feel the same tinge I felt as I watched people pop champage and straddle the Berlin wall back in '89.

I love this shit. I love people and I love watching them do as free people do. I am not going to deny myself this giddy mood just because I know what a total frigging nut my President is. So there. Iraqi's Rule. It takes a badass to vote when there are bombs involved and I would love to know what the result would have been here had the the conditions been similar back in November. Personally, I think, given the same circumstances John Kerry would have won in a landslide.

I can't see Sean Hannity voting if there was a relative chance that his nuts would have been blown off. Limbaugh? Forget about it. I can see the piss on his pants. I mean, come on, you tell me W. would have even considered punching his own name in the face of the threats thrown around Mosul. If so, I'll eat this martini glass full of cigarette butts sitting next to my keyboard.

But I'll tell you who would have risked it: Democrats. It's who we are. It's what we believe in. Because let's not forget that a vote leads to one thing and one thing only and it's the one thing in which all Democrats believe. Government.

We believe in Government. We believe that Government makes people's lives better. We believe that Government can prevent suffering, can prevent oppression and can prevent the weak from being devoured by the strong. Government protects, Government ensures and finally Government cares. Republicans believe in no Government. How exactly do they reconcile all this?

It's a little weird to me that it took the happenstance of the blunder of the least favorite President of my life to remind me why I am a Democrat. But as Linda Ellerby (where the hell is she now? Talk about your Liberal media?) said, "and so it goes."

And yet, with that all said, I know why I feel that dull sting. It's because we were lied to. Instead of having the balls to sell his dream on us unadorned by mushroom clouds and apocalyptic mumblings around the dial of Sunday morning TV, W. decided to take the easy road. Fear, lies and W.M.D. So while I watch the burgeoning possibility of Democracy in Iraq, I know it came at the cost of the one we have here at home. And it's on those terms that, unfortunately, I am forced to ponder the worth.    

A few key elements of Bush's Soc. Sec. Scampaign are beginning to creep out of the muck.

1) Moral Obligation: Bush used this today in his radio address. It appears he is going right back to the well. This makes sense and even more sense when you consider the focus of ConMedia on the significance of the moral crowd in the months since the election. These guys sure know how to work together.

This is backed up by:

2) Big Box Stores: I read with interest the NYTs article on the dasterdly directives coming from the Administration that Soc. Sec. employees are to repeat the "fact" that Soc. Sec. will be "exhausted" by 2042. Tucked in this article was an encouragement that these lost souls repeat this mantra in places like "Big-Box stores". In other words corner the poor people at Wal-Mart and shout "exhausted!" and "2042" till they get it.

They're calling their shot on this one. Sell it straight to the 700 Club crowd as a moral obligation and hang us with it in '06. And I wonder if they even care that we know. I think they think they are just that good.  

I asked Chris for some space to write here because as a member of Ginny Schrader's staff I am in debt to Chris and to all of those who were inspired to contribute to Ginny's campaign.

With the help and vision of people like Chris and Stephen Yellin and through the excitement of all you who personally invested yourselves in our campaign, we didn't just raise nearly $40,000 in the first hours after Jim Greenwood told us he was stepping down, we were given our first footing into legitimacy. It made it a whole lost easier to talk to reporters when I could brag about how much we had raised in such a short time. As Chris, Stephen and many of you will remember, the days following July 19 were dicey ones for Ginny. And those of us who had been there during the quixotic prelude to Ginny Schrader, Blogosphere Phenomenon, were fighting  the rumblings we felt, while never actually hearing, regarding Ginny's remaining in the race.

If the notion of competing in each and every seat ever needed an exclamation point, Ginny Schrader is it. Not too many people know that the guy who Ginny beat in the primary was a pro-life Republican who had lost to Greenwood in at least two previous primaries. This time around, it was his plan to Trojan Horse the Democratic party so he could challenge the pro-choice Greenwood from the right. Had Ginny not been there, this guy would have been the Democratic nominee in a top-ten race. Sure, they could have tried to get him out. But I heard stories about this guy. It would not have been pretty.

And this is what a Congressional district was almost reduced to--a district with a 53% Democratic performance rating and gaining in registration. A gob of Democratic votes had recently been carved into the district in an attempt to make the 13th more competitive for Republicans. It was expected that Greenwood could absorb those votes, but how about someone else?

And yet Ginny Schrader was the only real Democrat to step to the plate ensuring that the Eighth District of Pennsylvania would not go down without a fight. And she is for the things that we are for and she makes no bones about it. And sure, maybe with some digging, they could have found a replacement, someone with higher name ID, maybe someone who could self-finance and boy wouldn't that have been great?

But we knew that wasn't right and most of you knew that too. And when another five-thousand came raining in moments after a DCCC spokesperson gave a "no comment" to a reporter for The Hill we laughed our butts off.

Like I said, NO ONE, ever asked us to step aside. And this is to everyone's credit. We must compete in every seat, in every state including the old CSA and those candidates, many of them, like Ginny, just regular people with a lot of guts, deserve everything we can put behind them.

And in return we get a voice in the process. Which is why I would like to hear everything you have to say, ask or curse about Ginny's race. One thing we know is that unlike the Republicans, we do not have a Centralized Strategic Brain from which our political strategy exudes. No larva laden queen is tapped into our nervous system. And of course we all know this is a very good thing. But maybe technology can provide us with a suitable prosthetic so that we might get this sucker on the same page in time for '06.