] People need leaders who level with them about failures
] and difficulties in wartime - not gauzy North
] Korean-style biopics about the invincibility of the Great
] Leader. But then this war, vital as it is, has been
] exploited by the Bushies for political purposes since it
] began. How else to explain the "Mission Accomplished"
] photo-op or the bare-knuckled 2002 Congressional
] campaign? Some on the left would have politicized this
] war under any circumstances. But others might have
] rallied to a war that was conducted with less hardball
] domestic politics. In this, Bush is, of course, the
] opposite of Churchill, who brought in opposition leaders
] to play key roles in his war-cabinet.

www.AndrewSullivan.com - Daily Dish

] The dumbing down of the public discourse follows as the
] day the night, and so it comes as no surprise that both
] candidates in this year's presidential election present
] themselves as embodiments of what they call "values"
] rather than as the proponents of an idea.

Tentacles of Rage: The Republican propaganda mill, a brief history LEWIS H LAPHAM / Harpers Magazine v.309, n.1852, September 2004 1sep04

] What's the difference between the protesters outside the
] Republican convention and the delegates inside? There are
] many, of course, but one will ultimately skew American
] politics and the culture wars in the Republicans' favor,
] regardless of who has God or reason on her side. It's the
] divide between who is having children and who isn't.

Political Victory: From Here to Maternity (washingtonpost.com)

] POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (Reuters) - President Bush
] offered an unexpected reason on Monday for
] cracking down on frivolous medical lawsuits: "Too many
] OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all
] across this country."

Yahoo! News - Bush: OB-GYNs Kept from 'Practicing Their Love'

] In a fresh blow to John Kerry's flagging presidential
] campaign, the Pentagon has ordered an official
] investigation into the awards of the Democratic senator's
] five Vietnam War decorations.

This is about as dirty as it gets.

Telegraph | News | Pentagon to check Kerry war record

] "We're at the height of the Roman Empire for the
] Republican Party," Graham said, predicting a Bush
] reelection and expanded majorities in the House and the
] Senate. "But the tide slowly but surely goes out."

That's Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

Some Republicans Predict Upheaval Within the Party (washingtonpost.com)

] Former Viet Cong soldier Duong Hoang Sinh remembers them
] well -- the one time he tangled with three Swift
] boats, the Americans killed all the insurgents in his
] unit except two.
]
] Although Sinh had never heard of Kerry, he had a strong
] opinion about the debate surrounding the candidate's
] Vietnam War record as a U.S. Navy Swift boat commander:
] Kerry must have had guts to troll the Mekong Delta's
] spider web of rivers and narrow canals knowing that Viet
] Cong like himself were waiting to pick him off.

Viet Cong Vets Puzzled Over Attacks on Kerry

The conservative MoveOnForAmerica.org plans to blast battleground states with anti-John Kerry ads until Election Day.

You know, I have no problem with 527 group attack ads, although I do wish the media would more prominently evaluate the truth of the ads, instead of just churning out more of the "he say, she says" crap.

But I do have a problem with intentionally choosing a group name with the sole purpose of confusing voters. That's the same kind of underhanded tactic that's dominated the last month, and shows a real contempt for Americans.

Yahoo! News - New Group to Launch Anti-Kerry Ads

] After gauging the harsh reaction from Democrats and
] Republicans alike to Sen. Zell Miller's keynote
] address at the Republican National Convention, the Bush
] campaign -- led by the first lady -- backed away
] Thursday from Miller's -- savage attack on Democratic
] presidential nominee John Kerry, insisting that the
] estranged Democrat was speaking only for himself.

Zell Miller was the featured keynote speaker at the convention, but now we're supposed to believe he was only speaking for himself?

For those who haven't been following this, Miller went on to all but challenge Chris Matthews to a duel, which has led to days of references, between my wife and I, to the "tomacco" Simpsons episode which also features Homer challenging everyone to duels.

MSNBC - GOP backs away from Miller's blast

] In a ferocious counterattack after a week of GOP
] convention-week criticism, [Kerry] called the wartime
] commander in chief and Vice President Dick Cheney unfit
] to lead the nation.
]
] "I'm not going to have my commitment to defend this
] country questioned by those who have refused to serve
] when they could have and by those who have misled the
] nation into Iraq," he said at a midnight rally in Ohio
] less than an hour after the president concluded his own
] remarks.
]
] Kerry won five military medals in the Vietnam War; Bush
] was stateside in the National Guard and Cheney's five
] draft-era deferments kept him out of the service.

Finally, Kerry strikes back.

Bush says 'we will prevail' over terrorism; Kerry calls president unfit to lead