Barney's White House

Still resting

2004-12-15T09:46:00.000-05:00

Hey, all:

I'm still here. Just resting. Gearing up for the New Year.

Plus, I'm worn out, having to schlep all of Condi's stuff into Powell's office.

Be back soon.

Love,

Barney

More Rove ... this time on Meet the Press with Russert

2004-11-08T10:59:00.000-05:00

I didn't get my usual morning walk to the Mall Sunday because Rove was off showboating. I'm going to chew his loafers. He was on "Meet the Press," explaining his architect ways:

MR. RUSSERT: We asked the people leaving the voting booth why they voted for a certain candidate, what was the most important issue, and here is what we found. Moral values--22 percent said that was the most important issue. They sided with the president, 80 to 18. Those who said the economy and jobs--20 percent sided with John Kerry; same number, 80-18. Terrorism--19 percent of the voters, they sided with George W. Bush, 86-14. Iraq--15 percent opted for John Kerry; those who thought Iraq was the most important issue. And health care also overwhelmingly for John Kerry. When you read or see or hear moral values, what does that mean?

MR. ROVE: Well, I think it's people who are concerned about the coarseness of our culture, about what they see on the television sets, what they see in the movies, what they read in the newspapers, how they see the values of the country, what they see as the future for our country.

Later, Rove told Russert why he was so comfortable telling Georgie he couldn't, wouldn't lose, by relating his favorite movie quote:

You ask me if I have a God complex. Let me tell you something: I am God.

Hughes and I just roll our eyes. ... Pat Robertson just kneels and drools from the side of his mouth. I lick him to make sure he's OK.

Rove: The architect

2004-11-07T19:21:00.000-05:00

If I hear one more time that Rove is the "architect" I think I'm going to barf in the rose garden. It's going to his head. From the Washington Post:

John Weaver, a strategist for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who ended a longtime feud with Rove this year when Bush sought McCain's help, said Rove has moved closer to the goal of creating a Republican majority not by seeking one big realigning election, but by recognizing that political change often is incremental and using every election to get a little bit closer.

"He gets three feet here, three feet there, constantly eroding the other side and grabbing turf," Weaver said. "He has proved his point that you can expand the base, and not just among white males, without drifting or modifying either language or policy. I'm not sure it would work with any other candidate, at any other time. But it worked, and he proved the skeptics wrong."

Rove's assessment is that the 2004 election pushed the country away from deadlock, where it had come to rest after the disputed election four years ago. "We now clearly are not the country that was 49-49," he said. "We're now at 51-48 and may be trending to 51-47. It is incremental but small, persistent change. We saw it in 2002, and we saw it again this year. . . . It tells me we may be seeing part of a rolling realignment."

Blah, blah, blah.

The part that didn't get in (OK, so I was eavesdropping in the limo when he was talking to Balz:

We're on our way to a Gideon Bible in every house. A portrait of Pat Robertson in every living room. Amen.

Well, know this. Rove was nervous when those first exits came in. He sent out some resumes before Fox and NBC called Ohio. Among his opportunities:

Vatican chief of staff (where he was going to install Southern Baptist as the new religion)

Head marketer, 700 Club

Editor in chief, Focus on the Family

Miss Beazley comes to town

2004-11-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

OK, you've all heard the news:

President Bush and the first lady are
welcoming a new addition to the family: a Scottish terrier puppy named Miss Beazley.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the puppy is Bush's birthday gift to his wife, Laura, who turned 58 on Thursday.

Born Oct. 28, Miss Beazley will arrive at the White House just before the Christmas holiday, McClellan said.

But let's get this straight. I'm still top dog.

Ashcroft and Powell may be leaving. But I'm not going anywhere.

Exit polls: Rigged and leaked to help Kerry?

2004-11-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

There are theories floating everywhere about the early exit polls that showed Kerry crushing Georgie everywhere - Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Guam, Mars, India, Pluto. At Political Animal, Kevin Drum keeps hearing that, "We wuz robbed!!" The one at Redstate:

The exit polling scam theories from this past Tuesday might be wrapped up in paranoia, but I doubt it. Both Dick Morris and Michael Barone think the Exit Polls were rigged to make Bush look bad, get the Republicans depressed, and supress the Republican turnout -- much like what happened in the panhandle of Florida when the media called Florida for Gore while the panhandle was still voting.

I think there's another explantion: Rove showed me some of the exit poll questions:

Ohio: If you're unemployed and Kerry gave everyone Big Macs for dinner and Bush gave away used enemas, who would you vote for?

Florida: If you're on Medicare and Kerry gave everyone free health insurance and Bush took your prescription drug money to play the lottery, who would you vote for?

Pennsylvania: If you have teenage children and Kerry gave them military deferments and Bush gave them M-16s and free apartments in Baghdad, who would you vote for?

[Related]

In defense of exit polls [via Political Wire]

Rove, Card, Rice Scrambled To Nix Exit Poll Scare [U.S. News]

Exit polls were right [Kevin Drum]

NEP report [Mystery Pollster]

Mitofsky on NewsHour [Mystery Pollster]

Exit poll fever [Washington Monthly]

CNN: Writing about Dubya in HTML

2004-11-04T11:10:00.000-05:00

CNN should come decript ciphers - or write them - for Rummy. Over at Wizbangblog, they've found some double-secret Fourth Estate code:

CNN Calls W Asshole
It used to be if you went to this Netscape/CNN page and right clicked on the image of George and Laura Bush you would see this filename (path snipped): asshole.jpg

Now they have changed the graphic file name to: georgelaura135.jpg

But they did not delete the old picture from the server [asshole.jpg]

Originally spotted by conelrad and left in the comments.

I mentioned this to Condi. She gave it to some codecrackers who found other tidbits:

Picture of John Kerry: monstermash.jpg

Picture of Alexandra Kerry: seethrumama.jpg

Picture of Collin Powell: chocolatethunder.jpg

Picture of John Ashcroft: porkrindvein.jpg

Picture of Dick Cheney: lordvader.jpg

Picture of John Edwards: v05formen.jpg

Youth vote? What youth vote?

2004-11-04T11:03:00.000-05:00

Georgie will probably kick me for bringing him up, but I couldn't help but notice Michael Moore's glee on Election Day:

P.S. To the millions of 18 to 29-year-olds I've met or seen on this tour, I truly believe YOU are the ones who are going to make the difference today.

Yep, they were:

One thing that does seem very clear tonight -- at least if what I'm hearing from the exits is true -- is that the much-ballyhooed youth vote simply did not show up. Simple as that.

I asked Jenna about it. She said they were all at a Rave at the Reagan Building.

Nervous night

2004-11-04T10:54:00.000-05:00

I guess my cameo didn't go over very well.

Fox News was on the TV, and Bush asked the family dog, Barney, to speak his mind. When Barney didn't, the President stepped in to pronounce himself certain that he would win a second term.

"I believe I will win, thank you very much," he said.

Call it nerves. Or that Rove had dropped one of his Paxils into my water dish.

Exit polls: First wave

2004-11-02T14:33:00.000-05:00

Slate says it'll have exit poll numbers. Drudge, his hat and his siren claim that the first wave is causing excitement for Kerry.

There's some guidance as to why some places are publishing them and what they mean:

These early exit poll numbers do not divine the name of the winner. Instead, regard these numbers as a sportswriter does the line scores from the fourth inning of a baseball game. The leading team might win the game, but then again it might not. But having the early data in front of him helps the sportswriter plot the story he thinks he'll need to write at game's end.

Update: Kos has these exit numbers.

Tue Nov 2nd, 2004 at 18:03:32 GMT

Jerome over at MyDD gets the big scoop
on the 2 p.m. VNS numbers:

AZ CO LA PA OH FL MI NM MN WI IA NH
Kerry 45 48 42 60 52 51 51 50 58 52 49 57
Bush 55 51 57 40 48 48 47 48 40 43 49 41

In 2000, the early numbers favored Bush. In 2002, exit polling was terribly innacurate. Exit polling also doesn't account for absentee and early ballots. And it's still early in the day. PA and MN will be much closer than these number indicate.

So please, please take with a giant grain of sand.

GOTV!

Bush: Internal polling

2004-11-02T11:35:00.000-05:00

Rove just showed me some internal national polling. We're up by 3, he tells me. Other findings. ...

Stronger leader:
Bush: 53 Kerry: 44

Better vision for the country:
Bush: 48 Kerry: 48

Better daughters to mudwrestle:
Kerry: 51 Bush: 47

Looks great
in Spandex:
Kerry: 59 Bush: 36

Would love to eat a Big Mac with:
Clinton: 72 Bush: 20 Kerry: 3 (brie, instead)

[Related]

Dem pollster: Bush up 3 points (via CaptainsQuartersBlog)

What you should know about exit polls (via Mystery Poller)

Drudge: Philly poll watchers found 2000 votes on machines before balloting opened

2004-11-02T10:16:00.000-05:00

Oh, that Drudge. He's SCREAMING that there's possible vote fraud ALREADY in Philadelphia:

Before voting even began in Philadelphia -- poll watchers found nearly 2000 votes already planted on machines scattered throughout the city... One incident occurred at the SALVATION ARMY, 2601 N. 11th St., Philadelphia, Pa: Ward 37, division 8... pollwatchers uncovered 4 machines with planted votes; one with over 200 and one with nearly 500... A second location, 1901 W. Girard Ave., Berean Institute, Philadelphia, Pa, had 300+ votes already on 2 machines at start of day... INCIDENT: 292 votes on machine at start of day; WARD/DIVISION: 7/7: ADDRESS: 122 W. Erie Ave., Roberto Clemente School, Philadelphia, Pa.; INCIDENT: 456 votes on machine at start of day; WARD/DIVISION: 12/3; ADDRESS: 5657 Chew Ave., storefront, Philadelphia, Pa... A gun was purposely made visible to scare poll watchers at Ward 30, division 11, at 905 S. 20th St., Grand Court. Police were called and surrounded the location... Developing...

What did you think Bruce Springstein was dropping off there? Concert tickets?

[Related]

Voter fraud (via Powerlineblog)

Poll workers on the lookout for problems

Liars, liars. ... (Talking Points Memo)

Update (10:33 a.m.) - Fox News reports Pa. GOP wants machines impounded, files complaint (no link yet).

Update (11:28 a.m.) - Fox News and CNN report that the local DA say the votes are actually counts of lifetime ballots on the machine, like a speedometer, I suppose. Gotta run. I'm going to miss my ride to downtown Columbus, Ohio. ...

Electoral college count

2004-11-02T09:09:00.000-05:00

Bush: 0
Kerry: 0
Not yet assigned: 538

Bush states:
Kerry states:

Those are the numbers Rove has scrawled on his hand so far. (Actually, his whole hand is red, but I'm not sure why. ...)

You need different info?
Try here at the uselectionatlas.org

Turnout, weather and Rove's plea for rain

2004-11-02T08:59:00.000-05:00

It's all about turnout. True, true.

There's comment about that at Command Post:

It's all about turnout and weather affects turnout. So here are the forecasts for the key battleground states we identified yesterday.

There's also a mention of that at the Political Wire:

Weather can affect voter turnout, so it might be handy to know what the current forecast is for your area and what the road conditions are.

** Florida: Showers in the panhandle region, cloudy elsewhere.
** Ohio: Thunderstorms and rain across the state.
** Pennsylvania: Showers across most of the state.

There's an explanation for it.

Since Pat Robertson is off the team now, Rove talked directly with God. Rain on the Dems, sunny skies for the GOP. And just in case: We've got a NASA cloud seeder circling over Detroit.

Bush just voted in Crawford

2004-11-02T08:48:00.000-05:00

Georgie just voted in Crawford.

"I think it'll be me," he told reporters.

I'm nervous. I'm going to get Rove to take me behind the firehouse. ... I think it's going to be close. Hughes tells me to be calm.

Rehnquist: Recuperating. ... watching

2004-11-02T08:46:00.000-05:00

I've been on Air Force One all day, so I'm just getting to some things.

Like this from Supreme Court justice William Rehnquist:

"I underwent a tracheotomy nine days ago and, at the suggestion of my doctors, am continuing to recuperate at home. According to my doctors, my plan to return to the office today was too optimistic. I am continuing to take radiation and chemotherapy treatments on an outpatient basis.

"While at home, I am working on court matters, including opinions for cases already argued. I am, and will continue to be, in close contact with my colleagues, my law clerks, and members of the Supreme Court staff."

He went on to say: "I'll be watching returns on Fox the rest of the day. If it gets close, I'll be in the court bright and early Wednesday."

Election winner: When will we know?

2004-11-01T21:42:00.000-05:00

Over at Election Law, they ask: Will We Know Who the Next President is by Wednesday?

Rove tells me this: We'll know when he's ready for everybody to know.

[Related]

Political Wire says It's Dead Even

Tick, tock, tick, tock

2004-11-01T13:03:00.000-05:00

It's hard to get a signal on Georgie's PDA and the batteries are about to die. Between campaign stops, I haven't had time to write. Rove suggested I write this 1,000 times and post it: Kerry is a Massachusetts liberal. I prefer: Send 1,000 dog biscuits. Rove has no sense of priority.

bin Laden video: Another 12 minutes not shown on TV

2004-10-31T21:02:00.000-05:00

The bin Laden tape apparently had another 12 minutes on it, according to Wizbangblog , the New York Post and others - stuff no one has shown on TV:

Officials said that in the 18-minute long tape - of which only six minutes were aired on the al-Jazeera Arab television network in the Middle East on Friday - bin Laden bemoans the recent democratic elections in Afghanistan and the lack of violence involved with it.

On the tape, bin Laden also says his terror organization has been hurt by the U.S. military's unrelenting manhunt for him and his cohorts on the Afghan-Pakistani border.

A portion of the left-out footage includes a tirade aimed at President Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, claiming the war in Iraq is purely over oil.

I would have loved to see it. But Jenna taped the Real World over the White House copy.

New York Times poll: It's close, blah, blah, blah. ...

2004-10-31T20:41:00.000-05:00

A poll by the New York Times told us what everybody knows. It's close:

The poll also signaled the problems either Mr. Bush or Mr. Kerry will have in trying to govern such a divided nation after this election.: 52 percent said they were "scared" or "concerned" about what President Bush would do if re-elected; 54 percent said they were scared or concerned about what Mr. Kerry would do if he were elected.

Notably, no one indicated fear about what Rove would do. That's what I'd be ... Owww! Hey, Karl, just kidding. Would you stop kicking??!!!

The Dead: The ultimate swing voters

2004-10-31T14:52:00.000-05:00

Command Post reports, via AP, that the dead may have an impact on the election.

In what would be her last conscious act, 90-year-old Trixie Porter gripped a pen in her weak, trembling hand, checked the candidates of her choice and scrawled a squiggled signature on her absentee ballot.

Within an hour, the petite woman who had been suffering from heart problems lay back in her hospital bed, closed her eyes and never woke up. Her ballot arrived at her local elections board two days later, Oct. 5 — the day she died.

“We commented that day that it probably won’t count,” said daughter Cheryl McConnell. “But she went to her grave not knowing any different. It counted with her.

I didn't think anything of this. ... until I saw Buddy Clinton was registered in Ohio - 16,521 times!

Michael Moore plans to film voters in Ohio, Florida

2004-10-31T11:46:00.000-05:00

Poliblog via the AP notes that Michael Moore will have his cameras rolling at polling places:

AP: Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore plans to have hundreds of cameras outside polling places in Ohio and Florida on Election Day to watch for attempts to suppress voter turnout.

Poliblog: Certainly Mr. Moore is a premiere journalist and will no doubt capture only the more honest portrayal of the events in question.

Me? I want to bite down hard on his ankle - though I don't think I could get my mouth around the whole thing.

Update: Moore sighs in an email. [SISU blog]

Fox News poll: Close for Bush

2004-10-31T10:59:00.000-05:00

Our friends at Fox say it's close:

With less than a week remaining in the race for the White House, incumbent George W. Bush leads Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry by 47 percent to 45 percent among likely voters, according to a FOX News poll released Saturday. The president’s lead is well within the poll’s margin of error.

Granted. But just wait till O'Reilly promises everybody falafels.

Update: New Fox poll: 46-46.

Update: Even at Fox, too close to call. [Pacific Views]

Addition: Mason Dixon looks good for Bush [Captains Quarters Blog]

Addition: Daily tracking polls tied [Command Post]

Update: Um, hey, Rove, where are the falafels?

Kerry: There with BoSox in '86 ...

2004-10-26T08:04:00.000-04:00

John Kerry says he was there when the Red Sox blew it in 1986:

According to an ESPN interview, Sen. John Kerry claimed to be just "30 yards away" from Bill Buckner's infamous error in game 6 of the 1986 World Series. That fateful game was held at Shea Stadium in New York on October 25, 1986.

However, thanks to a sleuthing Political Wire reader, a Boston Globe article (from the archive ) says Kerry was in Boston that night at a banquet:

After refilling my water bowl and letting me read her copy of the Post this morning, Hughes gave me a list of other events Kerry says he saw in person:

Bobby Thompson's home run
First modern Olympics in Athens (1896)
Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon
Titanic sinking
Filming of "Forrest Gump"

[Related] The Real John Kerry (Wizbang)

Is that a bulge in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?

2004-10-26T07:27:00.000-04:00

So, Georgie finally came clean.

On ABC's "Good Morning America" Tuesday morning, Charlie Gibson asked: What the hell was that bulge?
Georgie: I'm embarrassed to say it was a poorly tailored shirt.

At first, he said Hughes rigged up a radio transmitter. Then he said he was just kidding, because if it really could be done, he could have used it. ...

NBC: Explosives already missing when troops arrived

2004-10-26T07:18:00.000-04:00

So, what happened to those missing explosives? NBC says they were gone by the time troops got there.

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of 380 tons of powerful explosives from a storage depot in Iraq has taken a new twist, after a network embedded with the U.S. military during the invasion of Iraq reported that the material had already vanished by the time American troops arrived.

NBC News reported that on April 10, 2003, its crew was embedded with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division when troops arrived at the Al Qaqaa storage facility south of Baghdad.

While the troops found large stockpiles of conventional explosives, they did not find HMX or RDX, the types of powerful explosives that reportedly went missing, according to NBC.

Funny. This is exactly the script I saw Rove write on a napkin and in Andrea Mitchell's purse when she came over for lunch yesterday with Greenspan.

Of course, Talking Points Memo dumps all over the theory (the NBC report, not Rove planting a napkin on Mitchell)

Missing explosives. ... looney, looney, looney

2004-10-25T17:21:00.000-04:00

This is from McClellan’s press gaggle today on Air Force One:

Q The Kerry campaign is hitting you on this story in the New York Times today that a large cache of explosives have gone missing. Is there anything you could have done about that?

I couldn’t quite hear his answer, because Condi kept playing the Ashlee Simpson video from Saturday Night Live. From what I could make out, Scottie said:

We had Wile E. Coyote in charge of munitions. He’s had much experience handling large stores of explosives and anvils. We’ve learned our lesson, though. Next time we’re going with Yosemite Sam.

October surprise - Rehnquist in the hospital

2004-10-25T13:11:00.000-04:00

Rove is very upset about this.

Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist hospitalized for treatment of thyroid cancer, senior government officials tell CNN.

Rove figures Carville had something to do with this. Rehnquist is our failsafe for victory. Ow!. What to do now? Butterfly ballot in Florida? Pictures of Teresa Heinz Kerry in Ohio? Plan to keep Social Security solvent? Hughes is going nuts. I may need to go for a walk in the rose garden.

Update: Reporters Go Nuts!
Update2 :Supreme Court press release
Update3:Predicting the October surprise

PowerlineBlog: Newspaper preparing October surprise for John Kerry

2004-10-23T16:46:00.000-04:00

I was asking Rove what an October surprise is: "Halloween on a Sunday," he said.

I meant, what would be an October surprise for Kerry.

"That a Democrat still has a shot to win in October."

Rove is such is smart ass, sometimes (which is why I put a dead goose in his sock drawer with a note: "Love, JKerry" )

Still, Powerline Blog says there's an October surprise brewing for Kerry.

a major newspaper will break a front-page story Monday morning that could create a serious problem for the Kerry campaign.

UPDATE: Redstate.org has some theories as to what's going to break.

It's about Kerry and Tora Bora!

It's about Kerry's malfeasance as a prosecutor!

It's about Kerry's poor grasp of military affairs!

It's a sinister diversion by Darth Krempasky!

It's about Kerry's dishonorable discharge!

It's a classic case of FUD!

It's about Kerry lying about war crimes!

It's about Kerry's European divorce!

My sources say: Kerry ate dog in Vietnam!!!

Dogs rule. Pack of wolves not far behind

2004-10-22T15:13:00.000-04:00

Finally, some notice for me from an editorial writer.

IF OUR DOGS could bark out something comprehensible, many U.S. canines might say Scottish terrier Barney Bush lives an enviable existence. Raised with a silver bone, Barney probably eats only the best vittles, sleeps in luxurious digs, gets scratched behind his delicately groomed ears by the most famous and powerful people in the world and gives tours on the Web of his pad.

It’s mostly true. Rove keeps my bowl full of Eukanuba. Hughes always scratches me behind the ears. I don’t , however, have a silver bone. I prefer to chew on poll results from Pennsylvania. ... at least I don't let O'Reilly soap my back.

But I give back, too. Where do you think the wolf ad came from?

UPDATE: Now the Dems have an ostrich and an eagle on the loose. Anything but Fifi. ...

Ken Mehlman: dogging it

2004-10-21T21:50:00.000-04:00

I really could be funnier than Triumph the insult dog. ...

A game Ken Mehlman fields the question, "If George Bush took a dump on stage tonight, how would you spin that? Would you say, 'The President looked comfortable up there?'" These and many other highlights ("Can you spin a woman into thinking you don't look gross in the shower?" "If you're going to be anti gay marriage, you're going to have to take that pole out of your ass.") from Triumph's trip to Spin Alley, a.k.a. "Poop Valhalla."

... but Rove wants me to play it straight.

GOP likes s-e-x

2004-10-18T13:09:00.000-04:00

Here's a blockbuster from ABC News: People like sex - especially the GOP. (I just tried to ask Rove about it, and he threw a Bible at me).

American Sex Lives 2004, a new "Primetime Live" sex poll conducted in conjunction with the ABC News Polling Unit, is among the most comprehensive surveys of its kind in decades and establishes a new, detailed picture of sex attitudes and behavior in America today.

Among the factors that impact the survey results is that more men identify themselves as Republicans and men are more likely to say they are sexually satisfied and enjoy sex "a great deal." Also, Democrats are more likely to be women; and the poll results show that women are more likely to fake orgasms.

And, apparently, Bill O'Reilly is more satisfied than most - on the phone and in the shower.

"Cheap, tawdry political trick"

2004-10-14T13:23:00.000-04:00

Cheney's wife is hopping mad:

At a post-debate rally in Pittsburgh, Lynne Cheney expressed irritation at Sen. John Kerry's deliberate reference to her daughter Mary's sexual preference:

"The only thing I can conclude is he is not a good man. I'm speaking as a mom," Mrs. Cheney said. "What a cheap and tawdry political trick."

But this is that happened backstage in Tempe: Ironically, Dick Cheney won "Debate Bingo," when Kerry said "lesbian."

Tempe - Liveblogging

2004-10-13T20:25:00.000-04:00

Liveblogging - Tempe, Ariz., presidential debate

8:26 p.m. - Testing, testing. This is a test.

8:29 p.m. - Thank god O'Reilly isn't here. I don't want to know what it's like to be "petted" by him.

8:42 p.m. - Janet Brown, CPD exec director is talking to everyone. Her earrings are bigger than my collar.

9:06 p.m. - Schieffer: Will we ever be safe? ... JK: Yes. We need to check cargo holds, fire houses, strip clubs, package stores. ... Georgie: Afghan people voted - and there were no complaints from Dade or Broward.

9:13 p.m. - Flu shots? Flu shots? ... Rove just had a shot of Jack Daniels. Yum.

9:23 p.m. - JK: Anybody can play with votes. I voted for tax cuts BUNCHES of times. ... Do you know how much tax Teresa has to pay every second?

9:28 p.m. - JK: We're all God's children (Democrats believe in God? Hey, Rove, is that true?). ... and, by the way, Dick Cheney's daughter is a LESBIAN!!!

9:36 p.m. - Schieffer: Whose fault is it that health care costs so much? JK: Bush won't let you get cheap drugs from Canada. .... Georgie: JK has no record of leadership. He's a liberal, liberal, liberal (Rove is backstage here pumping his fists). ... JK: Bush is a liar.

9:45 p.m. - Schieffer: Where will you get the money to pay for your retirement savings plan? ... Georgie: Halliburton, maybe? .... JK: Teresa?

9:52 p.m. - Schieffer: 8,000 people cross the border illegally everyday. What do you think about it? .... Georgie: Get a worker card. Kinda like a hall pass. Let's not have amnesty. ...

9:57 p.m. - Sschieffer: Raise minimum wage? ... JK: I'd raise it to $7 an hour - and get 9.2 million more votes. Of course I'll raise it. ... Georgie: Let's have more homework and tests. Really, that's a jobs program. ... Have I mentioned? JK is a liberal. LIBERAL!!!!!

10:01 p.m. - Rove is making sure Georgie's wire is plugged in (Rove: Liberal, liberal, liberal).

10:10 p.m. - JK: I've got guns. Did I mention I'm a hunter. I LOVE guns. Did all you hunters in Ohio and Wisconsin and Florida hear me?

10:13 p.m. - Georgie: I love the Black Congressional Caucus. ... Did you hear that down in Florida? Ohio?. ... If Jesse Jackson were on the stage, I'd kiss him on the lips.

10:16 p.m. - Schieffer: How important is faith to you, Mr. President? ... Georgie: We're all Americans and can worship as we wish - even Catholics. ... JK: I believe in God, too. God, God, God. ... Did you hear me in rural Iowa? The West Virginia mountains?

10:21 p.m. - Schieffer: What happened to all the love after 9/11? ... JK: It was cool when Daschle hugged Bush. It gave me a warm fuzzy. ... Georgie: Did I mention No Child Left Behind? Ted Kennedy? And why does he keep brining up McCain? Damn, I forgot to say his name. I think my wire is going dead.

10:24 p.m.. - Schieffer: What did you learn from being married to strong women? ... Georgie: "To listen to them. ... to stand up straight and not scowl." [Full disclosure: He was talking about Hughes. ... Ow, Rove just hit me with his shoe.]. ... JK: We all married up - me especially. Damn, I am a rich fool.

Sinclair bashing

2004-10-11T22:05:00.000-04:00

Josh Marshall rips Sinclair Broadcasting:

I had been thinking about a post that would put in stark terms what is going on with this Sinclair Broadcasting stunt, noting how it amounts to a massive in-kind contribution from Sinclair to the Bush-Cheney campaign to pay for the broadcast of an hourlong Swift Boat ad ("Stolen Honor") smack down in the middle of primetime broadcasting on local network television channels across the country.

So far no one's reported on the in-kind contribution I've enjoyed the most: All the Scooby-Doo reruns I want - when I can get the TV away from Georgie.

Nagourney hits the spot

2004-10-11T21:06:00.000-04:00

I love Adam Nagourney. Every time he writes something, I get a fresh copy of the NYT on the Oval Office rug. You go, Adam!

Liveblogging - St. Louis

2004-10-08T20:52:00.000-04:00

10:35 P.M. - Georgie closing: Who can lead? Who can get things done? We've been through wars and corporate scandals. We'll not rest till we're safe. There's more work to be done. ... I'm going to go home and scowl now. ... Good night.....

10:34 p.m. - JK closing: We're going to hunt down and kill the terrorists. We're going to train Iraqis. At home, the middle class is squeezed. We need to elevate our schools. America's best days are ahead of us. ... and how 'bout them Red Sox?

10:28 p.m. - Q: to Georgie: Name 3 mistakes you've made ... Getting Saddam was no mistake. ... Um. ... Letting Michael Moore make a movie. ... Um, oh, yeah, made some bad appointments, not going to tell you who, though. It would piss off Powell too much. ..

10:25 p.m. - Georgie: I have no idea what Kerry just said. ... But, this I know. Every pregnancy I protect is a potential GOP voter in 18 years.

10:23 p.m. - Q: to JK - Abortion as murder, and tax dollars for that? ... JK: Religion is big for me. It's guided me through a war.... did I tell you I've won three purple hearts?

10:20 p.m. - Q: to Georgie on Supreme Court picks? ... Georgie: No one who said you couldn't say "one nation under God. ..." .... Or anyone who said I don't have the sense of a turnip. ... JK: I like someone like Potter Stewart. ... (backstage, Britney Spears says she didn't know Harry Potter was a judge, just thought he was a wizard).

10: 18 p.m. - Georgie again: I balance science and ethics. ... is that right, Rove?

10:17 p.m. - JK rebuts: He's waffling. Let me tell you - I know waffling when I see it.

10:16 p.m. - Georgie answers (and this man on the edge of the stage is trying to borrow my biology book). ...

10:13 p.m. - Q: to JK - Why have stem cell research on embyros? ... (OMGosh, let me find my biology book). ... Chris Reaves is a friend of mine. I told him he NEVER should have made Superman II. Stem cells might have helped him come to his senses.

10:10 p.m. - Hey, Rove, can I have some kibble? (Hey, who are you talking to in that microphone?)

10:08 p.m. - Taxes, taxes, taxes. ... I'm getting sleepy. Isn't that what H&R Block for? ...

10:02 p.m. - Q: to Georgie - how good are you on the environment? ... Georgie: "I guess you'd say I'm a good steward of the land." ... Excellent. I mean, he won't even let me poop in the Rose Garden anymore. (Occasionally, though, I pee in Cheney's office - mostly in his Darth Vader mask).

9:57 p.m. - JK: I'm not going to cut taxes on those who make less than $200,000. ... Sorry, Charlie (Gibson). You're going to pay. That comely Diane Sawyer, too.

9:56 p.m. - JK: "No Lobbyist Left Behind bill." ... Rove is NOT LAUGHING. ...

9:53 p.m. - Gibson asks how either is going to cut the deficit. ... Georgie: Stock market was in correction, a long time. ... Why, I only had a zinc spoon in my mouth.

9:49 p.m. - Q: to Georgie - haven't vetoed a spending bill by GOP House and Senate. ... Georgie: We had a deficit. ... and we're at war. ... and I had to spend it, before Kerry wiped us out spending on hair cuts and European ties. ... And I gave everyone a tax cut. ... Did you hear me? TAX CUT!!!!!

9:48 p.m. - JK: you can't use labels. ... stick and stones. Ha!

9:47 p.m. - Georgie: He's liberal, liberal, liberal.

9:42 p.m. - Georgie rebuts: If they're safe, they're coming. ... Yup. Just look at Michael J. Fox.

9:40 p.m. - JK: Four years ago, he was asked the same question. Four years ago. ... The pres. just didn't level with you. (Georgie's writing again: ... uh-oh, starts with F, ends with U. ... OMG, is that Cheney wearing a Georgie mask?

9:39 p.m. - Q: to Georgie - why no inexpensive drugs from Canada? ... Georgie: I want to make sure it cures you, doesn't kill you. ...Yes, like Labatts.

9:36 p.m. - Hughes is daring Georgie to say BOTOX!!!!! as loud as he can. ... Wrong war, wrong place, wrong time. ... Guess Georgie didn't get the sign.

9:24 p.m. - Randy asks about Iran and nukes (Oh, please, Georgie, it's IRAN, not Duran Duran ... Hey, why is Rove turning pale again? Rove, you OK?). ... JK is talking about yellow cake. Yum. ...

9:21 p.m. - JK answers "Nicky". ... Georgie is writing again: "Bring ... it. ... on. ... I'll ....kick ... your a ...." Oh, he just stood up. He's talking about Tommy Franks. Great! He remembered he was a general!

9:17 p.m. - Georgie: "I talk to Tony Blair all the time." Yes! Great! That's true. They talked the other day: "Hey, that Liz Hurley's a looker, isn't she?"

9:14 - Oooh, Georgie's writing something. ... smiley face, smiley face, tic-tac-toe. ...

9:11 p.m. - Kerry responds on WMDs. ... Where's my chew toy? ... Uh-oh, global test. ... do you take that with a No. 2 pencil?

9:08 p.m. - Q: to Georgie - what about those WMDs? -- OMG. ... scrowl, Georgie. Talk about JK's orange tan. Ask Charlie if we can have a Wolfgang Puck cookbook. ... (Hey, Rove, what's wrong? Why so pale? ...)

9:06 p.m. - Georgie responds on JK wishy-washiness: Damn straight he is ... Next question?

9:04 p.m. - Q: to JK - You're too wishy-washy. ... Yes, ski-boarding one week, wind-surfing the next. Ha!

8:52 p.m. - Testing. Testing. Charlie Gibson is testing the mic. He's already spent 5 minutes talking about the Red Sox beating the Angels.

Technical test

2004-10-08T20:34:00.000-04:00

St. Louis - Testing Georgie's PDA. Is this working?
Oh, shoot. I got fur in the keys. ...

Debate surrogates: No Barney?

2004-10-08T20:25:00.000-04:00

C’mon, Rove. What gives?

Here’s the list Rove emailed out right after he walked me around Washington University. It’s all the advisers and surrogates talking for Georgie after the debate tonight. See any problem?

The Honorable Karl Rove Advisor to President Bush

The Honorable Dan Bartlett Advisor to President Bush

Governor Marc Racicot-- Bush-Cheney 2004 Campaign Chairman

Ken MehlmanBush-Cheney 2004 Campaign Manager

Matthew Dowd Bush-Cheney 2004 Chief Strategist

Nicolle DevenishBush-Cheney 2004 Communications Director

Steve SchmidtBush-Cheney 2004 Deputy Communications Director

Mark WallaceBush-Cheney 2004 Deputy Campaign Manager

Tucker EskewSenior Advisor to Bush-Cheney 2004

Ed GillespieRNC Chairman

Ann WagnerRNC Co-Chairman and MissouriStateChairwoman

Other Surrogates

Gov. George Pataki Governor of New York

Ron Silver Actor

Rosario MarinFormer Treasurer of the United States

Joseph Joe Goletz --Owner, Goletz Financial* (Kirtland, Ohio) (Health Savings Account Beneficiary)

Gary Brown --Warehouse Supervisor, SRC Automotive* (Tax Family)

Wayne Lamb --President, Sedalia Steel Supply, Inc.* (Sedalia, Missouri) (Small Business Owner)

Wanda Blackmore --Senior (Kansas City, Missouri) (Senior with Prescription Drug Card)

Where am I?

You put RON SILVER on the list?

What next, Rob Lowe analyzes State of the Union speeches?

PETA is going to get a letter. This is abuse.

†

Is that a bulge in your pocket, Mr. President, or are you just glad to see me?

2004-10-08T16:19:00.000-04:00

Salon, among others, is asking what Georgie had behind his back in Debate No. 1.

Was President Bush literally channeling Karl Rove in his first debate with John Kerry? That's the latest rumor flooding the Internet, unleashed last week in the wake of an image caught by a television camera during the Miami debate. The image shows a large solid object between Bush's shoulder blades as he leans over the lectern and faces moderator Jim Lehrer.

This had nothing to do with Rove. It's my favorite pull toy. Instead of prepping just before he went on stage, Georgie was playing with me. He had to store it somewhere. ...

(Um, does this put me in communications or make me a surrogate?)

Debate liveblogging! Liveblogging!

2004-10-08T14:58:00.000-04:00

St. Louis - Rove said I could give liveblogging a try.

While Georgie's out on stage, I'm going to use his PDA. Or is this a Game Boy?

Networks and debates: feed them soundbites and prunes

2004-10-08T14:56:00.000-04:00

This is CNN's take on the debates and what networks get:

There is some payoff for the networks. Like the Olympics, the debates attract irregular viewers.

I got this tip for irregular viewers from Cheney: Have them eat prunes. He puts some in my kibble every once in a while.

Debates don't matter?

2004-10-08T14:49:00.000-04:00

Debates don't matter? They're scripted? That's what PBS says:

They've been dubbed the Super Bowl of politics. At no other time during a campaign do so many millions of Americans focus on the choice before them. Debates can make or break a candidate.

George Farah thinks he knows what's happening.

When you have stultified debates that produce scripted sound bites rather than authentic discussion, the American people are gonna turn off their television sets.

Farah founded a nonpartisan organization called Open Debates. He says Americans are not getting the presidential debates we deserve.

The American people want to hear and see popular candidates discuss the important issues in an unscripted manner. That's what's at stake. Whether or not we're gonna have the right to witness an important conversation.

This is not AT ALL what Rove told me. He said it was more like the "Wizard of Oz." Georgie was the big green, scary blob on screen and Rove is the guy behind the curtain. Of course, the means I'm Toto.

Surrogate or communications? Ask Rove

2004-10-07T16:53:00.000-04:00

Adam Nagourney from the NYT had this campaign email posted at his "private" blog.

TO: BC’04 Surrogates
FROM: BC’04 Communication
RE: Talking Points
We will be sending more talking points later this evening, but the decisive line by Vice President Cheney during the debate was the following:

“So they, in effect, decided they would cast an anti-war vote, and they voted against the troops. Now, if they couldn’t stand up to the pressures that Howard Dean represented, how can we expect them to standup to Al Qaeda?”

I can't remember — am I in communications or a surrogate? I need to ask Rove — again.

Making faces, turning blue

2004-10-07T15:13:00.000-04:00

This is why Georgie was making faces last week:

Electoral-Vote.com has been hacked by someone who eliminated all Republican votes, producing a totally blue projected map.

I wasn't hacking I thought I was just buying 538 bags of Eukanuba dog food online. Oops.

Political analysis: gone to the dogs

2004-10-07T09:34:00.000-04:00

This is what CNN, um, analyst, Mo Rocca said about me.

The Scottie is likable, feisty, a little rash. It urinates on itself uncontrollably at times, and yet it's forgiven over and over again. Although we'll see how much can be forgiven on Nov. 2.

Let's set the record straight. I wasn't urinating on myself. I was asked to comment on the Kerry tax plan.

Mo also talked about Kerry's German sheperd. Now, this makes sense

A male dog named Kim and, worse yet, it's spelled C-Y-M? I mean, that's just not going to play in swing states like Missouri. Or Michigan? Hello, not! In the rust belt, do you think anyone's going to go for a male dog named Cym? To me, that's got wacky billionairess written all over it. It's got Teresa's paw prints.

Just let that sissy dog into a Red state and see what happens.

Busy, busy, busy

2004-10-07T09:26:00.000-04:00

Sorry, folks. I've been away for awhile.

I'm in debate prep now. I'm going to see if I can make Georgie make a face in front of the camera. I'm going to roll around on the ground then bark, "Flip, flop!!"

R&R

2004-09-22T08:59:00.000-04:00

I'm still on hiatus. I'll be back soon, though.

Barney

NRO: We'd Rather have no Schieffer at prez. debates

2004-09-14T22:56:00.000-04:00

Over at the NRO, they think Bob Schieffer suffers from guilt by association (I asked Rove what that meant, as he was rummaging through a roll of the Texas Air National Guard while he walked me. He cringed and shoved me into a rose bush.

Schieffer should be replaced by someone from some other organization. This is not to say that Schieffer himself is not a decent guy or a professional, nor it is to suggest that he personally had any role in the National Guard story. But the CBS controversy is about more than one stubborn icon, Dan Rather. The credibility of the entirety of CBS News is at stake. If outsiders are being stonewalled, it is up to insiders who care about the reputation of CBS to step up — insiders like Schieffer.

And they better not bring on Walter Cronkite, either.

Lock and load

2004-09-14T10:08:00.000-04:00

I did some shopping the other day. This is in Rumsfeld's living room.

Rescuing Rather

2004-09-14T09:36:00.000-04:00

It looks like Rather needs some help. I'm going to help him put out his fire.

[RELATED]

Rather defends himself

CBS expert says he didn't authenticate papers (Washington Post - registration)

Rather defends himself: CBS promotes authentication

2004-09-13T20:20:00.000-04:00

I slept most of the day. Had some White House dog biscuits for snack. Yummy.

Rove came over to play a game of Go Fish. While he was here he dropped off a transcript he said he made from the TiVo in his limo. And here I was thinking he was watching NFL games.

I've promised Dan Rather a set of White House pooper scoopers. But he insists on continuing to mess himself.

Dan Rather: AT A DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY, THE

SHOTS BEING FIRED BY RETIRED MILITARY MEN WERE AIMED DIRECTLY AT PRESIDENT BUSH'S NATIONAL GUARD SERVICE.

McPeak: "OFFICIAL RECORDS SHOW THAT HE SKIPPED A PHYSICAL AND WAS

GROUNDED. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO FORGET YOUR ANNUAL PHYSICAL? I

TOOK 37 OF 'EM IN A ROW."

Rather: THERE HAS ALSO BEEN CRITICISM OF THE NEW DOCUMENTS OBTAINED BY

CBS, BUT CBS USED SEVERAL TECHNIQUES TO MAKE SURE THESE PAPERS SHOULD BE

TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

TALKING TO HANDWRITING AND DOCUMENT ANALYSTS AND OTHER EXPERTS WHO STRONGLY INSIST THAT THE DOCUMENTS COULD HAVE BEEN CREATED IN THE 70S.

Bill Glennon, Technical Consultant: "EVERYTHING THAT'S IN THOSE DOCUMENTS, THAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING CAN'T BE DON, AS YOU SAID, 32 YEARS AGO, IS JUST TOTALLY FALSE. NOT TRUE. PROPORTIONAL SPACING WAS AVAILABLE. SUPERSCRIPTS WERE AVAILABLE AS A CUSTOM FEATURE. PROPORATIONAL SPACING BETWEEN LINES WAS AVAILABLE. YOU CAN ORDER THAT ANY WAY YOU'D LIKE."

Rather: RICHARD KATZ, A SOFTWARE DESIGNER, FOUND SOME OTHER INDICATIONS IN THE DOCUMENTS. HE NOTED THAT THE LETTER "L" IS USED IN THOSE DOCUMENTS, INSTEAD OF THE NUMERAL "ONE." THAT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO REPRODUCE ON A COMPUTER TODAY.

Katz: "IF YOU WERE DOING THIS A WEEK AGO OR A MONTH AG, ON A NORMALLASER JET PRINTER, IT WOULDN'T WORK. YOU JUST COULDN'T. THE FONT JUST WOULDN'T BE AVAILABLE TO YOU."

Rather: KATZ ALSO NOTED THAT THE DOCUMENTS HAVE BOTH THE SO-CALLED SUPERSCRIPT "TH" AND A REGULAR-SIZED "TH" THAT WOULD BE COMMON ON A TYPEWRITER, NOT A COMPUTER.

Katz: "THERE'S ONE DOCUMENT FROM MAY 1972 THAT CONTAINS A NORMAL"TH" ON THE TOP. TO PRODUCE THAT IN MICROSOFT WORD, YOU WOULD HAV E TO GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO TYPE THE LETTERS AND THEN TURN THE "TH" SETTING OFF, OR BACK UP AND THEN TYPE IT AGAIN."

Rather: CBS ALSO RELIED ON AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONTENTS OF THE DOCUMENTS THEMSELVES TO DETERMINE THEIR AUTHENTICITY.

THE NEW PAPERS ARE IN LINE WITH WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S

SERVICE ASSIGNMENTS AND DATES.

FOR INSTANCE, THE OFFICIAL RECORD SHOWS THAT MR. BUSH WAS SUSPENDED

FROM FLYING ON AUGUST 1ST, 1972. THAT DATE MATCHES THE ONE ON A MEMO, GIVEN TO CBS NEWS, ORDERING THAT MR. BUSH BE SUSPENDED.

AND SMALL DETAILS ADD UP...

F-101 TAKING OFF

Rather: SHORTLY AFTER 60 MINUTES BROADCAST THE NEW DOCUMENTS LAST WEEK.,

USATODAY OBTAINED ANOTHER NEW DOCUMENT....

IN THE MEMO DATED FEBRUARY 2, 1972... COLONEL KILLIAN ASKED TO BE

"UPDATED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ON FLIGHT CERTIFICATIONS... SPECIFICALLY

BUSH."

THAT COULD BE IN LINE WITH WHAT DOCUMENTS RELEASED BY THE WHITE HOUSE

LAST WEEK SHOW.... THAT IN THE SPRING OF 1972, MR. BUSH STOPPED

EXCLUSIVELY FLYING THE F-102... AND DROPPED BACK TO PILOTING A TRAINING

PLANE.... PART OF A PROGRAM TO MAINTAIN HIS FLIGHT CERTIFICATION.

Rather: CBS News asked the White House today to answer a number of questions:

--Did a friend of the Bush family use his influence with the Texas House Spearker to get George W. Bush into the National Guard?

--Did Lieutenant Bush refuse an order to take a required physical?

--Was he suspended for failing to perform up to standards?

--And did he, in fact, complete his commitment to the guard?

In reply, a White House spokesman told CBS News: "As you know, we have repeatedly addressed these issues."

These direct questions have not been fully, completely answered.

The Bush-Cheney campaign always points out the President received an honorable discharge.

What's in the "60 Minutes" report, CBS believes to be true and believes the documents are authentic.

Poll bias or CBS document?

2004-09-11T16:11:00.000-04:00

I know this is old news. It's from Sept. 2. I just found it in the clipping service. Apparently:

A new Presidential Dog Poll, sponsored by the American Kennel Club, finds that dog owners likely to vote in the 2004 presidential election prefer a German shepherd serve as the First Dog over a Scottish terrier.

But, here's where a clear case of bias comes in:

Those polled were not told that U.S. Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic nominee, owns a German shepherd, and President Bush, the Republican nominee, owns a Scottish terrier.

It's possible the results just came out of the CBS Microsoft Word Forger. I'll check with Dan Rather and see if he thinks these are authentic.

CNN: Rather stands by story

2004-09-10T13:20:00.000-04:00

I was in my West Wing doghouse and just saw this on my flatscreen TV while watching CNN. It's Dan Rather, talking about allegedly faked documents:

“I know that this story is true. I believe the witnesses and the documents are authentic,” Rather said. “We wouldn't have gone to air if they had not been. There isn't going to be an. ... apology. Not even discused, nor should it be.”

Earlier pooper scooper offer still stands.

UPDATE (Sept. 10, 2004) — From "Wolf Blizter Reports" on CNN. Quickie transcripts (a dog can only type so fast).

"I want to emphasize: I stand by my president. We are in a time of war, and I stand behind my president. There is not joy in reporting such a story, but my job as a journalist is not to be afraid, and when we come with facts, and legitimate questions supported by witnesses and documents that we believe to be authentic, to raise those questions no matter how unpleasant they are."

"They [the White House] have not answered the question of did or did the president not obey or obey an order? Was he or was he not suspended for failure to meet performance standards of the Air Force? If he didn't take the physical, why didn't he take the physical?"

"The story is true. The story is true. The questions raised in the story are serious and legitimate questions."

Dan Rather, CBS anchor

"[Rather] is in a postion where he needs to answer where he got this information ... the question is whether Dan Rather is working as an arm of the Kerry campaign."

Ben Ginsberg,
former attorney, Bush-Cheney campaign

"[Rather] makes a very compelling case that these documents are real."

Howard Wolfson
DNC adviser

A Rather embarrassing report?

2004-09-10T09:55:00.000-04:00

Dan Rather

Look. I'm not perfect. Just ask the janitors who have to clean up the Oval Office (hey, when a dog's gotta go, a dog's gotta go. Rove should be more prompt).Anyway, who's in the doghouse now?

Faked National Guard reports? Next thing you know, Kerry will make up a personality by hiring a glib pr specialist (Hold on, Hughes is yelling something to me. ... Oh, that's what Carville, Lockhart and McCurry are there for? Never mind).

But back to the other fakery at hand. About that 60 Minutes report, The Washington Post (registration required) and others report:

Documents unearthed by CBS News that raise doubts about whether President Bush fulfilled his obligations to the Texas Air National Guard include several features suggesting that they were generated by a computer or word processor rather than a Vietnam War-era typewriter, experts said yesterday.

Experts consulted by a range of news organizations pointed out typographical and formatting questions about four documents as they considered the possibility that they were forged. The widow of the National Guard officer whose signature is on the bottom of the documents also disputed their authenticity.The documents, which were shown Wednesday night on "60 Minutes II," bear dates from 1972 and 1973 and include an order for Bush to report for his annual physical exam and a discussion of how he could get out of "coming to drill."

The dispute over the documents' authenticity came as Democrats stepped up their criticism of Bush's service with the National Guard between 1968 and 1973. The Democratic National Committee sought to fuel the controversy yesterday by holding a news conference at which Sen. Tom Harkin (Iowa) pointed to the documents as a fresh indictment of Bush's credibility.

CBS News released a statement yesterday standing by its reporting, saying that each of the documents "was thoroughly vetted by independent experts and we are convinced of their authenticity." The statement added that CBS reporters had verified the documents by talking to unidentified people who saw them "at the time they were written."

Shall I send a pooper scooper to the network?

[RELATED]

(ABCNews) False documentation?

(RedState.org) Rathergate

(MyDD.com) A Planted Forgery?

(RealClearpolitics.com) CBS News exposed?

(Politicalwire.com) Are the 60 minutes memos fake?

Zell Redux: Pell Mell reaction

2004-09-09T17:44:00.000-04:00

There's still chattering about "Mad as Hell" Zell and his RNC keynote.

For instance, over at RealClearPolitics, there's bemusement about the level of talk - online and off - about the fire and brimstone. (Rove thought it was too soft. He told me that when he took me for a walk the other day in Missouri. Me, I wondered whether he had had a rabies shot. He was frothing!).

Say what you will about Miller's speech, but at least he was attacking Kerry's record. The bottom line is that over the course of his career as a United States Senator, John Kerry has had to face a number of up or down votes on security-related matters (including the vote for the $87 billion to fund the troops and the reconstruction in Iraq) and he has to live with the consequences of those votes.

But he was an attack dog. What did you expect?

That he was drugged or something? (Oh, yeah, that's what Carville says.)

Assault weapons : Every dog has his day

2004-09-09T17:06:00.000-04:00

Guns don't kill people. Dogs do.

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A man who was trying to shoot seven puppies was shot himself when one of the dogs made the .38-caliber revolver discharge, deputies said.

Some stories have happy endings. I'm going to go out and buy an assault weapon now.

Beat the Drum slowly: National Guard at attention

2004-09-08T21:38:00.000-04:00

I knew there was something I forgot to eat. (Hughes just gave me a bowl of warm milk and told me not to worry. She said she'd take care of everything in the morning.)

According to CBS News , here's a summary of the four new documents they've uncovered:

** A direct order to Bush to take a physical examination in 1972. Physical exams are an annual requirement for pilots.
** A 1972 memo that refers to a phone call from Bush in which he and Killian "discussed options of how Bush can get out of coming to drill from now through November" because "he may not have time." This was presumably in preparation for Bush's departure for Alabama that year, but is nonetheless damning since there's no reason that working on a Senate campaign should have prevented him from showing up for drills one weekend per month.
** A 1972 order grounding Bush. This order refers not just to Bush's failure to take a physical, but also to "failure to perform to (USAF/TexANG) standards."
** A 1973 memo titled "CYA" in which Killian talks about being pressured to give Bush a favorable yearly evaluation. He refuses, saying, "I'm having trouble running interference and doing my job."

This story is a perfect demonstration of the difference between the Swift Boat controversy and the National Guard controversy. Both are tales from long ago and both are related to Vietnam, but the documentary evidence in the two cases is like night and day. In the Swift Boat case, practically every new piece of documentary evidence indicates that Kerry's accusers are lying. Conversely, in the National Guard case, practically every new piece of documentary evidence provides additional confirmation that the charges against Bush are true.

Gulp!

Maybe nobody will notice. Drudge is focused on a hurricane (145 mph blow job), while CNN is hot after Genesis, which Rush says is a metaphor for the Kerry campaign.

See? Maybe I have nothing to worry about at all.

[RELATED]

"Watch Ben Barnes" (BurntOrangeReport)

Technical problems - what's new?

2004-09-08T13:45:00.000-04:00

Sorry, all. Having some computer problems. Spilled my water dish into the keyboard.

Again, Rove isn't helping.

Will be posting soon.

Physician: Heal thyself, love thy women

2004-09-07T18:11:00.000-04:00

This is Tagean Goddard's quote of the day:

"We've got an issue in America. Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."

- Georgie, in Popular Bluff, Mo., today

As Rove explained it to me, this is exactly the demographic we were going for with the twins. Practicing. Love. Women. It's an untapped group.

Though, I gotta say. It's probably illegal in Alabama.

[RELATED]

Polls: Bush internals

If guns were outlawed, only Zell Miller - and Kerry - would have guns

2004-09-07T11:52:00.000-04:00

Was finishing up a bowl of Eukanuba this morning, when this occurred to me:

It seems that Zell Miller — the dueler, not the U.S. Senator from Georgia — has had a profound effect on John Kerry. Be careful when Kerry calls "shotgun." He means it.

At politics1.com, Corey had this to say:

John Kerry hit a new low when he was given a gun as a gift by a supporter and he said that he appreciated the gift but he could not take it to the debates with him.

What????

Is that some kind of sick joke? Why would John Kerry even bring up the possibility of bringing a gun with him when he meets the President face to face. That sounds like a serious political gaffe and he owes America an explanation and probably an apology to the President. This is a little more serious than Zell Miller challenging Chris Matthews to a duel as Matthews is not the President of the United States.

Can't we conduct our elections without one candidate hinting at gunplay? How long until the mainstream media picks up on this? Will this turn into a distraction for the Kerry campaign?

Goodbye.

Corey | Email | Homepage | 09.07.04 - 11:25 am

Another reference - and a picture - is at this link, where Kerry received a rifle in Racine, Wisc., and said: "I thank you for the gift, but I can't take it to the debate with me."

But what if Zell had challenged Chris Matthews to karaoke? Perhaps JK would bring his guitar to the debates, not a firearm.

Polls: Bush internals

2004-09-06T17:09:00.000-04:00

Everybody wants to talk about polls. CNN. Fox. Instapundit. Kos.

I was trying to get Card to give me my afternoon kibble and all he wanted to know: What's the bounce today? Is Kerry the next Dukakis? Rove, are you gonna eat that cheeseburger?

Over at Talking Points Memo, they're talking about this:

Note on polls: as of the day after the convention I'm told by what I believe to be reliable sources that the internal polls of both campaigns had President Bush up roughly four points on John Kerry.

Getting straight-up info on what each campaigns' own polls are telling them is inherently difficult. And I want to make clear that I have not seen the data with my own eyes. But I have heard this from sources (for each side) which I believe to be reliable. And I'm passing the information on on that caveat-ed basis.

Well, on our way to Missouri today, I was sitting next to Mehlman on the plane and he had a copy of our internals. This is what they said:

Category*Bush*Kerry*Other*Comments

Angry white guys * 80%*9%*11% Nader (or in therapy) * Nutty Zell Miller made Cheney look like Bob Newhart

Horny white guys* 45%*45%*10% (in SF) liked Ron Reagan Jr.* Some liked twins. Some wanted to be hamster owned by Kerry girls

Rogaine users* 2%*90% *8% Nader (Grecian formula bloc) *Cheney should wear a piece. Or a hat.

Dog owners*97% *3%*0%*Barney RNC video a hit in swing states

Yes, we’re winning.

But no one wants to tell the REAL reason.

Sigh.

Update - USA Today now has Bush up by 7 points.

As the campaign enters its last eight weeks, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday shows Bush at 52%, Kerry at 45% and independent candidate Ralph Nader at 1% among likely voters. Before the convention, Bush led Kerry by 2 percentage points.

Update (Sept. 7, 2004) — Matthew Yglesias crackswise about polls:

Panic Time!

Man that John Kerry sure is toast....

02:40 PM | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

Yglesias notes the Rasmussen tracking reporting , which shows the race tied.

Tuesday September 07, 2004--The Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll shows President George W. Bush with 47% of the vote and Senator John Kerry with 47%. The Tracking Poll is updated daily by noon Eastern.

Our latest Electoral College projection shows Bush leading 213-175. Neither man can count on the 270 Electoral Votes needed for victory (150 Electoral Votes remain in the Toss-Up category). In Missouri, it's Bush 48% Kerry 42%. Polls released yesterday for New Jersey and Michigan show both states getting a bit closer. It's tied in Minnesota while Kerry holds an eight-point lead in California.

Technical problems: Testing Haloscan trackback

2004-09-06T11:46:00.000-04:00

Having some technical issues here. Trying to work them out. As they say at NASA, testing, testing, testing. This is only a test.

Rove doesn't know anything about computers, and all the NSA guys are busy. I'd ask Georgie, but, well, you know...

So, I'm trying to install Haloscan commenting and trackback. For some reason, I can't get the Trackback feature to work. I've been chewing my paws all day to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I can track back OTHER sites by my Trackback for others to ping here isn't showing up?

What's a dog to do?

I haven't had this much frustration since I tried taping the Westminster Dog Show, only to have Condi erase it with her taping of the Victoria's Secret Lingerie show.

Can anybody teach an old - well, not so old - dog a new (computer) trick?

Many thanks.

Barney

UPDATE (Sept. 8, 2004) - Success! With no help from Rove, I finally got Trackback to work. Thanks to Bill at inbillsworld.blogspot.com for useful advice.

Charge: I ate National Guard records

2004-09-06T11:08:00.000-04:00

OMG!

There's so much indignity in this suggestion (and from Bark Bark Woof Woof, no less. That's a dog on dog crime - though less violent than Dem on Dem, which, according to Zell Miller, includes dueling):

And my oh my, there are some records missing from Bush's National Guard file. You think maybe Barney ate them?

Ate them? Never. Shred them? More likely. Ollie left me Fawn Hall's number - and an account at Shredders R US.

The last time I ate paperwork it said "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US." Tenet did NOT like that. Neither did Condi. Tenet locked me in Cheney's bunker for three days after that.

I told my Georgie I was going to call PETA. He told me to layoff, and he'd take care of it. You'll notice, Tenet doesn't work here any more (though I'm glad I get to use his laptop).

Drudge: Clinton tells Kerry to stop talking about Vietnam

2004-09-05T22:55:00.000-04:00

OK, I know this is from Drudge, so there's a 50-50 chance it's right. Well, maybe 40-60. Or is it 20-80?

Anyway, the Drudgeman claims Clinton spoke to Kerry for 90 minutes Saturday night.

Here' an interesting tidbit: He says Carville and Begala will play prominent roles in the campaign. (Now, they groomed Zell, right? Does that mean they'll have Kerry challenge Georgie to a duel? Can you imagine? Kerry will be saying, in French, I surrender, while Georgie is asking Rumsfeld, Which one's the trigger again?)

So, what does that mean for CNN? Will Carville and Begala still be hosts on Crossfire? (I was asking McClellan that. He didn't seem to know. I bet Rushie goes nuts about this on his show. Maybe he can get some insight from Daryn Kagan. They're dating, ya know).

Anyway, this is what Drudge was "developing" at about 11:04 p.m. (Sorry. No permalink).

Bill Clinton spoke with John Kerry from his hospital bed on Saturday night in a 90-minute conversation in which he offered Kerry detailed advice on how to reinvigorate his candidacy... Clinton told Kerry that he should move away from talking about Vietnam... Clinton aides who are expected to play an increasingly prominent role in Kerry campaign are James Carville, Paul Begala and Stanley Greenberg... Developing...

UPDATE: NY Times has the story here (registration):

Kerry Enlisting Clinton Aides in Effort to Refocus Campaign
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and DAVID M. HALBFINGER
Former President Bill Clinton, in a 90-minute telephone conversation from his hospital room, offered detailed advice on Saturday night on how to reinvigorate his candidacy, as Mr. Kerry enlisted more Clinton advisers to help shape his strategy and message for the remainder of the campaign.

In an expansive conversation, Mr. Clinton, who is awaiting heart surgery, told Mr. Kerry that he should move away from talking about Vietnam, which had been the central theme of his candidacy, and focus instead on drawing contrasts with on job creation and health care policies, officials with knowledge of the conversation said.

The conversation and the recruitment of old Clinton hands came amid rising concern among Democrats about the state of Mr. Kerry's campaign and criticism that he had been too slow to respond to attacks on his military record or to engage Mr. Bush on domestic policy. Among the better-known former Clinton aides who are expected to play an increasingly prominent role are James Carville, Paul Begala and Stanley Greenberg, campaign aides said.

Mr. Kerry's aides emphasized that this was an expansion of the staff for the fall campaign and did not represent another upheaval of the Kerry campaign. Still, several Democrats outside the campaign said the influence of Mr. Clinton and his advisers could be seen over the past few days in Mr. Kerry's attacks on Mr. Bush's domestic policies. They said the Clinton team had been pressing Mr. Kerry to turn up the intensity of his attacks on those policies after a month spent largely avoiding engaging the president.
The installation of former Clinton lieutenants is creating two distinct camps at Mr. Kerry's campaign headquarters on McPherson Square in downtown Washington.

Karen Hughes: Mad as Zell and not going to take it anymore

2004-09-04T21:48:00.000-04:00

I've been watching football all day in the Air Force One Situation Room, so I forgot to post this earlier.

Hughes was tossing my rubber bone and playing, soon after Clinton went to the hospital on Friday. I was telling her how much I adored Clinton's dog, Buddy, and how sad I was when he died. I wistfully said something like, "It'd be nice if Georgie wished Clinton well."

Hughes said it was brilliant. We were campaigning in West Allis, Wisc., and I was on the campaign bus. Hughes dropped me a brick of Wisconsin cheddar and ran to the back of the bus to tell Rove. He loved it, too.

A few minutes later, Georgie told the crowd about Clinton and his upcoming heart bypass surgery. Georgie said everyone should send him "best wishes for a swift and speedy recovery. ... He's is in our thoughts and prayers."

It was great! It went out on CNN and Fox. Hughes loved it, and we started playing Go Fish.

Well, it wasn't five minutes later, while Hughes was scanning the wire with her Blackberry, when she burst out of the bus, screaming blooding murder, and bolted for the press tent. (She usually only gets like that when Georgie says "Nuke-You-Ler.")

"They didn't boo," she yelled at the AP writer, who began cowering the same way McClellan does every time Rumsfeld comes over for dinner. Where you and I in the same rally? What is this crap?"

Beaten to a pulp, AP admitted its boo-boo.

It's all understandable, mind you. You can't spell Associated Press without ass.

[RELATED]

Do Bush Supporters Want Bill Clinton to die?BURNTORANGE REPORT

Clinton's heart (Postrel)

Clinton's heart II (Bark Bark Woof Woof)

Broccoli, not red meat

2004-09-04T17:30:00.000-04:00

Bush cuts down the middle on broccoli question

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, United States (AFP) - Facing a issue that once tripped up his father, US President George W. Bush told adoring supporters that he likes broccoli. Part of it, anyway.

"It's okay. I'm not nearly as turned off by it as (was) my dad," former president George Bush (news - web sites), he said at a campaign rally in this crucial state.

"If you want to get into it, I kind of like the top of the broccoli," but not the rest, he told a packed high school sports arena that had roared with laugher moments earlier when a young woman asked his view of the vegetable.

Former president George Bush had drawn criticism from nutritionists and angered broccoli growers for his famous disdain for the vegetable -- including a pledge at a 1990 press conference that he would never eat any again.

Campaign aides laughed off mock-serious questions about whether the younger Bush was trying to have it both ways in an election year.

41 just knew this was going to come up for Georgie - and Rove told him how to handle it, and he did great. Oh, and I just know the person who asked this was planted by Cahill. Swift Boats is getting them nowhere, so try produce.

(The thing is, um, can you guess who gets the REST of the broccoli? Yum).

Bounce no fluke: Newsweek has Georgie up by 11 points

2004-09-04T15:27:00.000-04:00

Georgie is just ecstatic over this. We're going to play Frisbee in a minute.

I love a good bounce - and so does Georgie. It seems the Time poll wasn't a fluke after all. Is all this just a dream? Can't wait to see what the polls are like next week.

WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Brian Braiker
Newsweek
Updated: 1:35 p.m. ET Sept. 4, 2004
Sept. 4 - Coming out of the Republican National Convention in New York, President George W. Bush now holds a 11-point lead over Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry (52 percent to 41 percent) in a three-way race, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. The poll was taken over two nights, both before and after Bush’s acceptance speech. Respondents who were queried only on Friday, after Bush’s speech, gave the Republican a 16-point lead over Kerry.

Over at Kos, they think it's close. (Rove just fell out of his chair and is laughing uncontrollably reading this post. Karl, get a grip. And throw me that chew toy).
Details will follow, but Time now has some company. Since one can't really dissect the poll without internals, it seems fair to accept that Bush has gotten some bounce, that it's likely soft, and as to how much it all means... likely very little. If it hasn't been said enough this weekend, it'll take until next week to sort it all out. Even so, the race remains close, winnable, and about to get even more intense than it's been.
Some people are so upset, that they're ready to move to France.

Well, I've got to go. Georgie's got the Frisbee.

[RELATED]

Yes! A lead in the polls!

Do Bushies want Clinton to die?

2004-09-03T21:16:00.000-04:00

I was eating dinner on Air Force One while Georgie campaigned here in Cedar Rapids. (Condi cut up some steak for me. It was, naturally Iowa steak. It was cooked just right. Beautiful brown color, great black grill marks, pink on the inside. Gosh, if Cheney had served it, it would have been just raw, red meat. I like red meat, just not so raw).

Anyway, I was surfing the net on Tenet's old computer (wow, the things you find in those PDBs. And all those pictures of bin Ladin in panties. I guess it's some kind of CIA disguise) and found this question posed back in Texas: Do Bush Supporters Want Bill Clinton to die?

They're kidding, right? I like BC - especially his dog.

Now, I never met Buddy, but I was jealous of him growing up. Buddy went everywhere. He was a great first dog. I was very sorry when he died. Dogs are like that. Loyal. Socks, though, is another story. I always hoped Reno would step on him or that he'd get caught in the chopper blades of Marine One.

I'd never boo BC. I wish I could go to McDonald's as often as he does, though. Purina five times a week is a little dry. Just like Kerry.

Finally! Someone sees the reason for the bump

2004-09-03T17:31:00.000-04:00

Now this is what I'm talking about. Hey, Hughes, come read this - oh, and scratch me behind the ears. ... oh, that's great thanks.

9:14: Barney - He's always good for votes. Cute dogs are always good for votes. Even anklebiters like Barney.

This Discount Blogger knows value when he sees it.

[RELATED]

Politics - Gone to the Blogs! Me!

More on our poll leads - doggone it!

2004-09-03T17:12:00.000-04:00

Still, no one will credit by RNC video. Even Rove is in denial. While he was changing my water bowl, he kept claiming it was Crazy Zell. “Zell made Bush and Cheney look like the voice of reason," Rove told me.

Ugh. I think I'm going to leave a little surprise in his lambskin loafers.

At Command Post, they're saying this:

Times: Bush Opens Double Digit Lead
03:49 PM EDT | Posted By Alan

At Talking Points Memo, they're saying this:

Time Magazine's poll of likely voters, conducted over the course of the convention: Bush 52%, Kerry 41%, Nader 3%. Zogby, over the same period and also of likely voters, Bush 46%, Kerry 44%. ARG, covering through Wednesday Sept. 1st, also among likely voters, Bush 48%, Kerry 47%

[RELATED]

Politics - Gone to the Blogs! Me!

Yes! A lead in the polls!

2004-09-03T15:59:00.000-04:00

I'm convinced. This must be because of my RNC video.

Campaign 2004: Bush Opens Double-Digit Lead
TIME Poll: Among likely voters, 52% would vote for President George Bush, while 41% would vote for John Kerry and 3% would vote for Ralph Nader

New York: For the first time since the Presidential race became a two person contest last spring, there is a clear leader, the latest TIME poll shows. If the 2004 election for President were held today, 52% of likely voters surveyed would vote for President George W. Bush, 41% would vote for Democratic nominee John Kerry, and 3% would vote for Ralph Nader, according to a new TIME poll conducted from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2. Poll results are available on TIME.com and will appear in the upcoming issue of TIME magazine, on newsstands Monday, Sept. 6.

Bush speech - broken embargo

2004-09-02T22:54:00.000-04:00

Oooh, this guy Kos spits on speech embargoes. He printed all of Georgie's, even before Georgie went on TV.

Some, people, like this Red State guy , doesn't think it's so hot. It gives us bloggers a bad name, he says.

Me, I eat them. The speeches, not the embargoes. Peggy Noonan just HATES that. White House paper is so tasty and full of fiber. Cheney should try it. It'll lower his cholesterol.

Georgie's speech - where was I?

2004-09-02T22:15:00.000-04:00

Really, would it have been SO far off message to mention me?

Everyone ELSE got some pub. Karl Rove PROMISED me he'd try to work me in. God, even Cheney got in. My approval rating is SOOOO much higher than his.

I am grateful to share my walk in life with Laura Bush.APPAUSE Americans have come to see the goodness and kindness and strength I first saw 26 years ago, and we love our first lady.
I am a fortunate father of two spirited, intelligent and lovely young women. I am blessed with a sister and brothers who are also my closest friends. And I will always be the proud and grateful son of George and Barbara Bush.

Zell - over the top, over the cliff

2004-09-02T17:18:00.000-04:00

Oh, my. I nearly spit out my kibble reading Zell's reviews today. Seems like he might get an appointment in the new administration: Ambassador to Bellvue Mental Hospital. (Once they let him in, he can be president, king and queen).

I guess Howard Dean will be playing him in the movie version of the RNC. Or Christopher Lloyd, the mad scientist from Back to the Future.

Georgie's laughing his head off. Apparently ( I overheard this when Rove was here earlier refilling my water bowl), Zell was part of the plan. When Georgie speaks tonight, he will, by comparison, sound like Ray Romano. Zell was Norma Rae.

I'm just happy no one has slammed by RNC video with such vitriol. Whew!

The Hotline (I was reading over Card's shoulder) today compiled a list of of the Zell reaction :

  Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), on Miller: "That's the most vicious speech I've ever heard at any convention. I half expected him to wield an ax. It was over the top" (Hunt, WSJ.com, 9/2).
      DNC spokesperson Jano Cabrera likened Miller to an "angry, rapid elephant": "Though three years ago he called John Kerry a friend, one of the greatest leaders of our time and an authentic hero, tonight, for political and personal gain, he adopted the smear tactic refrains of the Bush administration" (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/2).
      NPR's Liasson: "Who would have thought that the harshest face, the angriest face of the Republican convention would belong to a Democrat?" (FNC, 9/1).
      Univ. of GA's Charles Bullock said Miller "may see himself as something in the role of Old Testament prophet. Those were angry men too" (Houston Chronicle, 9/2).
      ABC's Stephanopoulos: "I wonder if it was smart to have him out there in such a hot fashion. As he was talking I was getting e-mails saying 'this reminds me of Houston in 1992.' ... Now Zell Miller is no Pat Buchanan but it was a very, very hot speech. Not likely to convince ... many of the unconvinced" (9/1).
      New York Times' Brooks: "It was prosecution night and Zell Miller delivered a stem winder that was like Harry Truman giving 'em hell" ("Nightline," ABC, 9/1).
      CBS' Rather: "Miller came out to stronger stroke passions, stirring delegates to boo at John Kerry's name" (9/1).
      New Republic's Cohn writes, "In an address originally billed as a critique of John Kerry's national security credentials, Miller essentially branded the Democrats as traitors because they haven't fallen in line with President Bush on all matters of national security. It was one of the most vile political speeches in recent American history, every bit as offensive as Pat Buchanan's infamous call in 1992 for 'religious war' and, perhaps, a little more disturbing. Buchanan's speech, after all, was an assault on decency. Last night Miller declared war on democracy" (9/2).
      FNC's Kondracke: "I thought that Zell Miller went over the line into demagoguery, frankly, when he implied that the Democrats are defaming American troops and have been doing so during the Cold War and the Korean War by declaring them to be occupiers and not liberators. That is something that the Democrats have not done" (9/1).
      NBC's Russert: "It's one of the strongest worded speeches I've ever heard at a convention" (9/1).
      CNN's Greenfield: "It's kind of a throwback to the kind of speeches that were routine at conventions decades ago, when ... the keynoter, which is what Zell Miller was, was supposed to come out and basically beat the other party upside the head" ("NewsNight," 9/1).
      Time's Klein: "I have been doing this for a fair number of years, and I don't think I've ever seen anything as angry or as ugly as Miller's speech" ("NewsNight," CNN, 9/1).
      Ex-WH adviser David Gergen: "I was reminded that Zell Miller began his career by working for Lester Maddox, a man of hate. And he unfortunately capped his career tonight by sounding like Lester Maddox" ("LKL," CNN, 9/1).
      NBC's Mitchell: "Zell Miller's speech was a red meat speech, in fact, a raw meat speech, which, in fact, misstates a lot of Kerry's record, but draws very tough conclusions" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 9/1).
      NBC's Gregory: "I was speaking to the governor of New Hampshire, to Governor Benson, who was saying particularly about Zell Miller's speech, that, yes, it might have been tough. It even seemed over the top. But it's the kind of thing that's really going to motivate not just the base, but the workers in these states, in these swing states that have to get out that vote. That's what is going to decide the election. Those kinds of speeches have got people pumped now" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 9/1).
      GOP-turned Independent Sen. Jim Jeffords: "This convention has portrayed the president as inclusive and moderate, as someone who respects varying points of view, as someone who is willing to compromise and find common ground. Sadly, that is not the president I have come to know. If this were an Olympic sport, the president and his handlers would win the gold medal for political gymnastics. They say one thing and do another" (Hulse, New York Times, 9/2).

Zell Miller: Yesterday's Democrat, today's Aaron Burr

2004-09-02T14:00:00.000-04:00

I think Zell is the posterboy for 24-hour waiting periods for handguns. He was about to go Aaron Burr on Chris Matthews at MSNBC last night.

Can’t we all just get along?

In the first fifteen minutes of shared downtime we’ve had since a photo shoot we did last spring, Chris Matthews and I ran into one another smack dab in the middle of Broadway yesterday and, as the old time throng swept past us into Herald Square, we had our usual conversation: politics, movies, a little sports, television executives— all of it punctuated with his laugh (“Ha!”) and mine (“Huh!”).

The process is simple and productive: Give Chris a straight answer, let him talk, pick up your point when he’s stopped talking, share the oxygen with him, and everything’ll be just fine.

Seven hours later, Senator Zell Miller goes all Aaron Burr on him and fantasizes about challenging him to a duel.

Here’s a man who in a historical-blink-of-an-eye ago was calling John Kerry a hero and swearing the Republicans had ‘sold the country out,’ fresh off a fear-mongering speech that made his '92 keynote for Bill Clinton sound like a schoolmarm talking to a bankruptcy referee, and Miller gets mad at Matthews?

I think Zig-Zag needs a Zoloft. I'm going to check Rumsfeld's briefcase and see if there's one there.

Zell Miller. Occupied. Liberated. Maybe liquored.

2004-09-01T23:29:00.000-04:00

I agree with Cheney. I'm so glad Zell's on our side.

OMG! If I peed on HIS carpet, he'd smack me with his pill box. I just know it's bigger and thicker than a rolled up newspaper. Just how many medications must that mountain man be on? Oooh, he's angry.

But all that red meat. Mmmmmm. Tasty. I love meat - even more than Georgie's loafers or Condi's purse (she hates it when I nibble on all the top secret stuff).

Motivated more by partisan politics than by national security, today's Democratic leaders see America as an occupier, not a liberator.

And nothing makes this Marine madder than someone calling American troops occupiers rather than liberators.

Tell that to the one-half of Europe that was freed because Franklin Roosevelt led an army of liberators, not occupiers.

Tell that to the lower half of the Korean Peninsula that is free because Dwight Eisenhower commanded an army of liberators, not occupiers.

Tell that to the half a billion men, women and children who are free today from the Baltics to the Crimea, from Poland to Siberia, because Ronald Reagan rebuilt a military of liberators, not occupiers.

Never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the American soldier. And, our soldiers don't just give freedom abroad, they preserve it for us here at home.

The whole thing can be found here.

My RNC video. Press!

2004-09-01T22:53:00.000-04:00

My video is getting pub. Here's an AP story posted in San Jose. I might need to get a publicity staff.

Wait, that's what Rove and McClellan do.

===

Posted on Wed, Sep. 01, 2004

Barney the Dog Big Hit in GOP Video

JENNIFER LEBOVICH
Associated Press

NEW YORK - The presidential pup made his convention debut Wednesday night in a spoof on the movie "Rocky," showing the pooch hitting the campaign trail.

Delegates saw a video that opened with White House advisers Karl Rove and Andy Card in a heated debate about how to improve President Bush's poll numbers among an important bloc - dogs. They decide to enlist the help of Barney, the first family's black Scottish terrier.

"We need to go to Michigan and Ohio and Iowa and Minnesota and West Virginia and Texas," Rove rattles off the list, a concerned tone in his voice, "and Oklahoma and Washington and Maine and Maryland. ..."

Card, one of many senior advisers to appear in the video, uses a bag of dog treats to coax the pooch away from watching cartoons on TV, exhorting him to "get every vote you can get. You're the one who can do it."

Girlie Men Dogma and Al Franken

2004-09-01T22:43:00.000-04:00

I think I like this post simply because I like the word dogma. .

Oh, it talks about Karma, too. It suggests what a hoot it would be if Al Franken created the phrase "Girlie Men" while he was at SNL.

I wonder what kind of dog Franken has? I might not agree with Franken's politics, but he's someone I can see hanging out with at the water bowl or taking a whiz on the fire hydrant.

Politics - Gone to the Dogs! Me! At the RNC!

2004-09-01T21:02:00.000-04:00

Did you see me? I was in an RNC video.

I thought Rove was pulling my chain when he said he was going to show a video of me at the RNC.

(Though, as someone reminded, me, I wonder what Al Jazeera thought of this. I hope it didn't remind them why they hate America. First air-headed sluts stump for Bush, then a black Scottish Terrier. If there is some animosity, let me remind them that the infidel is Rove).

But back to my video.

I'm laying on my favorite White House couch. Card cozies up to me.

“Barney, we want to put you on the campaign trail,” Card says. “ We want you to go state by state, house by house. We need every vote, and you’re the one to get it.”

Of course, I'm taking it all in when Rove says,"Get a good night sleep. And remember Barney. Let’s win. Let’s win.”

Then I start dreaming. There's Fifi, John Kerry's dog. She's at a podium and we're debating. There's McClellan at another podium, asking questions.

“First question. What is your plan on the economy, Fifi?”

“Raise taxes on everyone!!!”

“Barney, same question for you.”

"Make the tax cuts permanent!!!

Then I go to the kitchen. Karen Hughes is there, and she cracks me an egg. (Yummy!)

“It’s a tough world out there,” she tells me. “ You need some raw meat, a lot of protein. …the most important instructions are stay on message.”

It just goes to show. Be careful what you ask for.

More Jen bashing

2004-09-01T19:41:00.000-04:00

See? This Wonkette person knows what I'm talking about. The whole thing with Jen giving a bad speech last night is NOTHING like this: Now this is the Bush spawn on drugs.

(An aside: And from what I read on this page, this Wonkette person enjoys it in the rear, too. Santorum needs to read some Wonkette.)

... Oh, gotta go again. My RNC film is about to run...

Rick Santorum - about to speak

2004-09-01T19:36:00.000-04:00

I'll be back soon. Rick Santorum is about to speak.

I've got to go watch. He's always talking about doing it doggie-style. I love that.

(Well, I'm not sure HE likes it. But he doesn't want ANYONE to do that. He doesn't know what he's missing).

Barb and Jen bashing: Twin killing

2004-09-01T19:26:00.000-04:00

OMG!

This guy Kos did NOT like Barb and Jen last night.

Ewwww....

BARBARA: And we had a hamster, too. Let's just say ours didn't make it.

What would he have thought if he knew I ATE the hamster?

Really, were they that bad? I mean, I've seen Jen flat out wasted, and she's WAY more incomprehensible than she was last night. I mean, last night she was upright.

McAuliffe at the RNC, but not me?!

2004-09-01T19:13:00.000-04:00

OK, I don't get it. I've pleaded with Georgie to let me go to NYC early. Instead, he schleps me all over Tennessee and Ohio. Ugh.

But then I see this Terry McAuliffe gets into the Garden and not me? AND he gets interviewed?

It's just not fair!

Next thing you'll tell me is that Hillary gets into MSG.

What?! I can't believe it. .... Powell just told me she DID get in.

Well, maybe Thursday. I'd love to get on stage.

But I'm sure Rove's just going to carry me around while he mouths the words to Georgie - like he always does.

Still, a dog can dream. ...

Barney at the RNC

2004-09-01T18:30:00.000-04:00

I haven't been this excited since I got to eat some of my own poop in Crawford.

First, Jenna mentions me during the convention yesterday. Great! (What Barbara didn't mention about the hamster: I ate it. I'm glad she didn't. Secret Service would have beaten the crap out of me).

Then Andy Card mentions me today:

Understand that the president cannot meet his responsibilities alone. He has a loving wife and loving daughters and they contribute so much to the president's ability to meet his obligations. He has a wonderful dog, Barney, that likes to visit the Oval Office a lot. And he contributes to the president's ability to meet his obligations.

If we lose the election, I've got to turn some of this p.r. into endorsements. Purina, maybe. Or Eukanuba.