If you dare to say these things, you're accused -- as Kerry now stands accused by Cheney and Miller -- of defaming America and refusing "to support American troops in combat." You're contrasted to a president who "is unashamed of his belief that God is not indifferent to America." You're derided, in Cheney's words, for trying to show al-Qaida "our softer side." Your Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts are no match for the vice president's five draft deferments.

This is really a very good piece. I sometimes find Saletan a little pollyannaish in his political thinking, but this hits some really important points.

Three blocks away from me, in Union Square park, there are signs up reading "Support Our Troops: Bring Them Home". This is how the Left must respond to the efforts of Bush to paint us as anti-American. There's nothing more American than wanting to protect the lives of American boys (and girls) from deaths in a war that's distraction from fighting our real enemies: the terrorists who flew planes into the towers that were not two miles from where I sit now.

There's nothing more American than allowing doctors to study ways to protect our elderly loved ones from succumbing to the horrible disease of Alzheimer's. George Bush should be ashamed that he ignored Nancy Reagan's pleas to give hope to the final years of her husband's life.

There's nothing more American than wanting to protect the Blue Ridge Mountains from the desolation caused by unchecked coal mining, where mountains are flattened, and the grimy runoff is allowed to to creep up the once green valley walls. All this because the Bush administration has redefined this black sludge as "fill" instead of "waste". This is a desecration of the legacy of Republican President Teddy Roosevelt, a true conservationist who knew that a "Conservative" tries to preserve what's good about our nation, for future generations.

Imperial President - Opposing Bush becomes unpatriotic. By William Saletan

So, to sum up: CNN says Log Cabin Republicans cannot run an ad that accurately depicts signs carried by a publicity-savvy hate-monger. But the network has agreed to run (and give near-constant free airtime to) a series of ads by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that smear Senator John Kerry.

CNN rejected Log Cabin Republicans ad urging in ... [Media Matters for America]

Workers sprucing up the 156-year-old statue were told to reduce the size of Copper John's crotch.

I really want to see the before/after photos of this. Man, you know that statue's not going to get much play anymore.

Soldier's statue hit below the belt as New York state makes unkindest cut of all | CP

“I’m happy and proud that I can get Turkey in the record book even if it’s for milk squirting,” said the 28-year-old in Istanbul.

That can't feel good.

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Turkish Squirt Sets World Record

Vetiver is not only cheap to grow but resistant to pests and disease. The grass soaks up pollutants and improves crop yields. What's more, it can grow in any kind of soil on any kind of slope in just about any tropical region that is free of freezing temperatures.

Okay, I've read a number of articles about kudzu. Am I the only person who thinks this sounds like a potential Big Mistake.

Grass Grows 13-Foot Roots of 'Steel'

Why not? Let's start with that Humphrey-Nixon story. It conveys that Schwarzenegger's understanding of the two parties is frozen in 1968. That's a long time ago. Both parties have changed a lot. The Democrats under Bill Clinton rediscovered a centrist philosophy they had abandoned. They became more attentive to public safety and more friendly to free enterprise. The Republican Party also shifted—not to the center, but to the right. If you liked where Nixon stood in the late 1960s and early 1970s, you're more likely to find similar policies 30 years later not in the administration of George W. Bush, but in the administration of Bill Clinton and possibly the administration of John Kerry.

Judgment Day - Yes on Schwarzenegger. No on Bush. By William Saletan

] Web sites that reunite and reignite old lovers are
] helping push up England's divorce rates, according to a
] counselling service.

Note to self: Don't mention website to the wife.

Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage

When the Democrats held their convention in Boston, Mr. Kerry's advisers made a point of saying they were instructing speakers to refrain from going after Mr. Bush, a strategy that some Democrats questioned as the memory of Mr. Kerry's convention faded and polls showed Mr. Bush back on the rise. By contrast, Mr. Bush's aides said they were determined to use this week tearing down Mr. Kerry, in the calculation that Mr. Bush almost certainly cannot win unless voters are convinced that they cannot vote for Mr. Kerry.

The double standard here makes my head spin. If Kerry goes negative, he's portrayed as desperate and hateful. If Bush goes negative, he "hates to do it" and is bringing facts to the voter.

An article well worth reading.

News Analysis: Loves Dogs, Hates Kerry: A Two-Prong Campaign Tactic

"and you know how it is at the ranch..."

Very funny.

Da RNC Yo!

The poll question asked: "Did Rudy Giuliani's speech reassure you or move you to support the Bush-Cheney ticket?" The two response choices were: (1) "Reassure"; and (2) "Move you to support."

Reality become like an Onion joke.

MSNBC poll offered two 'choices,' both assuming support for Bush-Cheney