North Star Politics

Lets pray this works out okay.

Yesterday, Republican Minnesota posted about Cindy Sheehan's "attacks" against John McCain.

Now, I know that Sen. McCain may not be everyone’s favorite Republican (read: RINO), but he did fight for our country and spend years at the “Hanoi Hilton,” and we must respect that.

Republicans, as any reader of the news will know, are the champions of attacking and slandering veterans. The cases of this are too numerous to count; if you're a veteran who disagrees with the Republican, neoconservative agenda, you no longer deserve to be considered a veteran, because you are a traitor.

I left the following comment over at RMand haven't received a response.

Did you and do you support Republican smearing of veterans Max Cleland, John Kerry, Paul Hackett, and many others who stood against the War in Iraq? Do you stand with those who questioned their patriotism, their loyalty, and their competence?

Hypocrisy, more than anything else, distingushes a modern Republican from everybody else. Until I hear where RM stands on the slandering of the service of great Americans, I'll count him along with famous Republican hypocrites such as Tom DeLay, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O'Reilly.

Good way to drum up some support in the media, Tommy Boy.

Also, is anybody really surprised at this? Democrats can't get elected and Republicans can't govern. Republicans, given the chance to do pretty much whatever the hell they want in our government, have failed and failed spectacularly. The American people have seen their plans for this country and have said, clearly as can be, "no thank you." It's been proven over and over in Terri Schiavo, social security, Iraq, John Bolton, and a million other issues. It's going to hurt them in 2006 and it will hurt them in 2008.

Could Randy Kelly be dropping out?

Maybe he's just deciding that he doesn't like his odds in the St. Paul mayoral election and is switching to Minneapolis.

Everybody really seems to be pushing for a special session. I'm not convinced.

I'm as big a fan of Minnesota sports as they come, but I don't like the idea of handing taxpayer money over to Carl Pohlad (78th richest American) and Ziggy Wilf. Why may this still happen, even though a majority of Minnesotans apparently agree with me?

The first 2005 special session.

Legislators are still reeling from the 2005 special session which, unless something changes, may cost many their seats. A second, sports-oriented special session will shake things up and may make the electorate forget - or perhaps forgive - the first special session. Many legislators, consequently, probably feel like they need this. Stadium supporters, though perhaps a minority, are very passionate and extremely vocal, and many's votes will probably depend on support for their teams, making them an important group of voters to please right now. Legislators - caught between spending taxpayers' money responsibly (at least in the case of the DFL) and the public's hunger for a new stadium - are caught in a bind. Only time will tell what happens, but it's worth noting that however things end up, it's motivated in part by a healthy dollop of self-interest on the part of legislators, leadership, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

...the moment we've all been waiting for.

This is where it all begins to unravel.

I can't say I'm shocked that a member of Pawlenty's campaign staff is corrupt. I think that nearly every Republican out there has got some dirt just waiting to be found.

Pres. Bush wants to make it easier for the military to operate on U.S. soil.

Without knowing the details, my first reaction to this is entirely negative. We've already allowed far too many civil liberties to be taken away; removing a barrier like the Posse Comitatus Act can only hurt more. This is just another of Bush's desperate attempts to drum up some support among an angry electorate, but it won't work. Here's why.

Gene Healy, a senior editor at the conservative Cato Institute, said Bush risks undermining "a fundamental principle of American law" by tinkering with the Posse Comitatus Act.

And later,

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican, told The Associated Press he would not favor expanding the federal government's disaster response role.

Bush's ideas won't even fly among his most ardent supporters. This is a Presidency going down in flames.

If this isn't criminal, it should be.

(Via AMERICAblog)

I sometimes wonder if folks like those over at The Worst Blog In The World (PowerLyin) really believe what they write. I often read posts at both left- and right-wing sites with a lot of skepticism, but I'm always amazed by what I find when I head over there. Hindrocket, Big Trunk, and Deacon all seem to be just amazingly out of touch. I'm not just talking about their political awareness, which seems to be inconsistent at best, but also their connection with the real world. The Powerliars are among that group of people who see themselves as constantly under attack from just about everything, despite the indisputable fact that people who share their beliefs dominate this country. But it's always the liberals - the bad, powerful liberals who are destroying America in a million little ways, and the small, noble band of conservatives who will fight the good fight to make this country great.

As long as it doesn't mean, God forbid, actually fighting.

It almost makes me glad that MDE is around.

AmericaBLOG has recently had several open threads poking fun at the President's supposed return to alcoholism. I object to these.

Pres. Bush, as many know, has struggled with addiction (in this case, alcoholism) in the past. To me, that's not something to make fun of in general (Rush Limbaugh, a man who hypocritically lambasted drug users, is a rare exception). I think Bush is a horrific president and probably not exactly a great guy, either, but I think he should be praised for getting and staying dry. Many lives have been destroyed by not doing so. A recent National Enquirer article, however, reports Bush has begun drinking again, a very serious issue for a recovering alcoholic. Since, AmericaBLOG has been taking cheap shots at him, doing things like suggesting drinks. The tone of these posts has been slightly maniacal and more than slightly gleeful.

The proprietors of AmericaBLOG don't seem to recognize the seriousness of this subject. If the President really has begun drinking again, it's a problem with implications for national security, among other things. I don't believe what the Enquirer says; it's not exactly a reputable source for news of any kind. Most of us would be beyond livid if Republicans were taking Enquirer stories at face value. It's a question, however, that may warrant serious questions by real papers. This topic is too important for anything else.