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It looks like Jim Webb will be practically ubiquitous the next few days as he promotes his new book, out Monday.
Sun, May 18: Meet the Press (NBC)
Mon, May 19: CBS Early Morning
Mon, May 19: Fresh Air (NPR)
Mon, May 19: Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
Tues, May 20: Countdown with Keith Olbermann (MSNBC)
Tues, May 20: Lou Dobbs (CNN)
Also, I'll have a review of the book on Monday. For now, since I heard some idiot on the radio this morning claiming that Barack Obama wasn't "patriotic" because he didn't routinely wear a flag pin, I'll leave you with this quote from page 155 of "A Time to Fight": "It seemed that every lapel now sported an American flag pin, as if this conscious display were mandatory to ward of accusations of disloyalty."
By the way, Jim Webb -- Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Stars, purple hearts, etc. -- does NOT wear a flag pin. According to John McCain and George W. Bush, he must not be "patriotic." Oh, and Jim Webb thinks we should negotiate with Iran. He must be an "appeaser" too. Yeah, that's how I always thought of war hero and American patriot Jim Webb, an unpatriotic "appeaser." And George W. Bush the "chickenhawk?" Oh, he's a superpatriot who would never EVER talk to anyone he didn't like. Only people like this and this.
As usual, George W. Bush is doing a "heckuva job." This time, it's his pathetic, demeaning groveling and begging to the Saudis on oil prices. Believe it or not, this groveling even includes an offer to "help [Saudi Arabia] in developing peaceful nuclear energy." Wait a minute, the country that supplied 15 of 19 hijackers on 9/11 -- not to mention Osama bin Laden himself -- and which finances anti-western, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic fundamentalist "madrasas" all over the world gets nuclear assistance from the United States? And the Saudis give us...what exactly? Well, this morning they told Bush where to shove the oil pump, essentially.
...Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producer, does not see enough demand from customers to increase oil production, the White House said Friday morning. President Bush was in the oil-rich Gulf kingdom in part to lobby for an increase in crude output.
As if on cue, oil prices "surged more than $3 Friday, shattering a previous record in a spike near $128 a barrel, as prices at the pump pushed to new highs of their own."
And, as if all that wasn't enough, Goldman Sachs increased its forecast for light, sweet crude (West Texas Intermediate) during the second half of this year by $34 per barrel, to $141 per barrel. That would add around 80 cents per gallon at the gasoline pump, so get ready for $4.50 per gallon later this year if Goldman Sachs is correct. Oh, and enjoy the Bush-McSame economy! :)
P.S. USA Today nails it on oil prices. In short, "As gratifying as it is to point fingers elsewhere, the mirror is the main place to look for the reasons that oil prices are hovering around $125 a barrel."
I received this photo, along with the explanation below, from a reader. It's nice to know that Lt. Governor Bill Bolling has his priorities right -- hair over hardhats! :)
Here is a photograph of when Bill Bolling visited Clintwood a couple of weeks ago. Bolling showed up for a groundbreaking for a new building that he had absolutely nothing to do with. The best part, though, was when they offered him a hard hat he declined because he did not want to mess up his hair.
Today's Washington Post brings us an article that ostensibly might raise some questions about Gerry Connolly, his supposed opposition to the Iraq war, and his employment at SAIC. Only one problem: it doesn't actually do any of that, except very briefly, followed by the use of multiple column inches applied to slamming the entire issue. That's right, this is a typical Amy Gardner-penned, pro-Connolly/Davis love fest. Here's a breakdown/deconstruction of the article, paragraph by paragraph, to explain exactly what I'm saying.
1. Headline: the word "complicates" is pretty much neutral, doesn't really tell us anything.
2. The subheading says "Antiwar Democrat Running for Congress," presumably referring to Connolly and agreeing with his argument that he's opposed the war since the start. Is this a straight "news" article or an editorial? Very confusing.
3. First paragraph quotes a Connolly campaign flier attacking the "Bush-Cheney Defense Department."
4. The second paragraph raises the question of SAIC -- ok, maybe something interesting coming now?
5. The third paragraph immediately dismisses any Connolly involvement in "SAIC's more controversial contracts," explaining that Connolly's job was all about "community activities and charitable events." Wait, if that's the case, what's the point of this article again?
Oil investor T. Boone Pickens' Mesa Power LLP said on Thursday it ordered 667 wind turbines from General Electric Co as part of the $2 billion first phase of a planned Texas wind farm. It said the turbine order was the world's largest for a single-site wind power development.
The 667 turbines are capable of generating 1,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 300,000 average U.S. homes, Mesa said in a release. The four-phase Pampa Wind Project would be the world's largest wind energy generator, with more than 4,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for 1.3 million homes, when completed in 2014, Mesa said.
OK, so let's compare the planned energy investments for Virginia and Texas:
Virginia: $1.8 billion for a 585 megawatt coal-fired facility in Wise County. Short-term jobs during construction: 800. Long-term jobs during operation: 75. Estimated increase in operation costs if carbon capture and storage becomes viable: 30-60%. Without CCS, estimated annual cost of carbon permits in 2030 for 5.4 million tons of C02: $108 million.
Texas: $2 billion for a 1,000 megawatt wind power facility. For full 4,000 megawatt facility, short-term jobs during construction: 1,500 jobs. Long-term jobs during operation: 720. Added cost of operation under climate legislation limiting carbon emissions: $0.
It's not too late to make the smart investment. Tell Gov. Kaine to make thoughtful appointments to the Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board as it reviews permits for polluting facilities such as the proposed Wise County plant and the Mirant plant in Alexandria.
This is great news, especially if you support the troops like most of us do. Wait a minute, you mean there are people out there who don't support the troops? Like maybe the 159 Republicans who voted "nay" on the GI Bill today? People like Tom Davis and Frank Wolf and Virgil Goode and Thelma Drake and Bob Goodlatte and Rob Wittman and Randy Forbes and Eric Cantor? Gee, I could have sworn that these were the people who support the troopswartroopswar troops the most. Hmmm.
WEBB'S POST-9/11 GI BILL WINS BIPARTISAN VICTORY IN HOUSE, MOVES TO SENATE
Veterans of the Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan One Step Closer to Realizing Comprehensive Educational Benefits for their Service
Washington, DC-The House of Representatives today passed a historic provision to provide post-9/11 veterans with comprehensive educational benefits, introduced by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) seventeen months ago on his first day in office. The measure-cosponsored by Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), John Warner (R-VA) and a strong bipartisan majority of their colleagues-is expected to receive another successful vote next week when the Iraq War emergency supplemental spending bill is introduced in the Senate.
The instantly famous Tom Davis memo is now available. Enjoy it, including Davis' constant misspellings of the Democratic presidential nominee as "B-A-R-R-A-C-K."
Memorandum
To: Republican Leadership
From: Tom Davis
Re: Where We Stand Today
The loss of three straight special elections, in once solidly Republican districts cannot be explained simply by "bad candidates", or by being out-organized. They are canaries in the coal mine, warning of far greater losses in the fall, if steps are not taken to remedy the current climate.
These races were not in New Jersey or New England, where Republican erosion has taken place over the last decade. They were in the heart of the Bible Belt, the social conservative core of our coalition. These are areas John McCain will win easily, in November, but a Congressional GOP brand tied to George Bush is struggling.
It's pretty bad when even Pat Buchanan thinks George W. Bush is nuts.
UPDATE: McCain doesn't know that the Reagan Administration negotiated with the mullahs of Iran? He's forgotten Oliver North, John Poindexter, the "cake shaped like a key," etc? The Iran-Contra scandal? Well, alrighty then!
For anyone who cares about the equality - NOT "special rights," as the right wing likes to claim - of all Americans, this is great news.
The California Supreme Court ruled today that same-sex couples should be permitted to marry, rejecting state marriage laws as discriminatory.
The state high court's 4-3 ruling was unlikely to end the debate over gay matrimony in California. A group has circulated petitions for a November ballot initiative that would amend the state Constitution to block same-sex marriage, while the Legislature has twice passed bills to authorize gay marriage. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed both.
And kudos to Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the best governors in the country of EITHER party, who issued the following statement:
I respect the court's decision, and as governor, I will uphold its ruling. Also, as I have said in the past, I will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling.
Again, it was a great day in California. Now, what about the rest of the country? Hello, Virginia?
I just received the results of a new 2nd CD poll by Bennett, Petts & Normington. The bottom line of it is that Rep. Thelma Drake is in big, big trouble. Check out some of these findings:
*Drake has 95% name recognition, but only 40% would vote to re-elect her. In short, almost all 2nd CD voters know Thelma Drake, yet they want to get rid of her. That's not what you want to hear when you're an incumbent, that's for sure.
*Glenn Nye, her Democratic opponent, has only 9% name recognition yet trails Drake by just 48%-32%.
*All that's not bad, but THIS is stunning!
After voters are presented with a profile of Nye as a Foreign Service Officer who rescued American hostages with a message of commonsense economics and bipartisanship and one of Drake that highlights her local roots with a message of being pro-military and anti-taxes, Nye pulls into a statistical tie (45% to 47%). After a positive exchange, Drake fails to gain even a single vote. Her growth potential is severely limited.
*But wait, it gets even WORSE for Thelma Drake: "After an exchange of negative statements about both candidates, Nye pulls into the lead, 49%
to 40%, against Drake." Whoops!
Finally, as if all that isn't bad enough news for Thelma, check out these bullet points from the poll:
This poll sampled African Americans at 10% of the electorate-typical for VA-02. With
Barack Obama at the top of the ticket, turnout among this core group is likely to increase, benefiting Glenn Nye.
• This poll sampled voters under age 45 at 33% of the electorate-again, typical for VA-02. These voters have much lower ratings of Drake and move more quickly to Nye. With Barack Obama at the top of the ticket, turnout among this core group is likely to increase, benefiting Glenn Nye.
• The National Republican Campaign Committee independent expenditure spent over $1.3M to defeat Phil Kellam. As of the end of March, the NRCC had just $7.2 million cash on hand. They are simply in no position to repeat that kind of spending.
• In three special elections in the last few months (IL-14, LA-06 and MS-01), Democrats have picked up seats in heavily Republican congressional districts. The wave from 2006 is accelerating in 2008 and VA-02 is a top target.
In sum, Thelma Drake is in big, big trouble. Please support Glenn Nye in any way you can, and let's turn the 2nd CD "blue" this year. It's long past time.
John McCain's mentor, leader, and spiritual adviser, President George W. Bush today failed the final leadership test when he invoked the Nazis as a political gimmick against Barack Obama.
Quoth the most hated and failed president in US History:
"As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American Senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."
It takes an astonishing lack of common decency to try to draw this kind of parallel, especially when the original Bush fortune was apparently made in collusion with the Nazis and Bush's own Grandfather may have worked with Nazi's to overthrow FDR. But a coward like W must project his own guilt upon the world outside of him, else face the gnawing pain of the reality he has created.
Obama dispenses with the fading, failed president's desperate cowardice with aplomb and well-practiced skill:
"It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 6Oth anniversary of Israel's independence to launch a false political attack. It is time to turn the page on eight years of policies that have strengthened Iran and failed to secure America or our ally Israel."
"Instead of tough talk and no action, we need to do what Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan did and use all elements of American power -- including tough, principled, and direct diplomacy -- to pressure countries like Iran and Syria. George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists, and the President's extraordinary politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure the American people or our stalwart ally Israel."
John McCain's addle-brained "Hamas" smear against Obama is further proof that regardless of how much he tries to distance himself from his spiritual brother, George W. Bush, a McCain presidency would be more of the same; a third term for America's worst president.
UPDATE: J. Sidney McSame parrots his master's idiocy, but with gutless, paranoid flair:
below the fold...
Thank you John Edwards, for your advocacy on behalf of hard working Americans. Thank you for the campaign you ran against the way business is currently done in Washington, DC. And thank you for your endorsement of Barack Obama, the next president of the United States.
P.S. I hope to see you as Attorney General in the Obama administration, helping to correct the outrages -- torture, civil liberties infringed, presidential power out of control, corporations run amok -- we've seen under John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales and Michael Mukasey.
"This election is about taking down these walls that divide us, so that we can see what's possible...that one America that we can build together. Barack Obama understand that to his core." - John Edwards
Marc Fisher is a great writer and a highly perceptive analyst. Today, he nails it once again, this time on Virginia's transportation mess and Gov. Kaine's plan to deal with it.
First, Fisher dismisses the idea of raising the sales tax in northern Virginia to pay for transportation infrastructure:
Six years ago, Northern Virginia voters weighed the pain of sitting in traffic against the bite that would result from a half-cent local sales tax increase to pay for transportation improvements. By a clear majority, they said, Thanks, but no thanks.
Now, Gov. Tim Kaine has measured the reality of clogged roads against the message voters sent in 2002. And he's decided that what Northern Virginia needs this time is double the sales tax increase that voters rejected six years ago. Oh, and this time, we won't bother with the messy business of asking voters for their opinion.
Pretty funny, but sadly it's oh-so-true. People in northern Virginia may hate gridlock, but many of them also hate increasing sprawl. They may hit sitting in traffic, but many of them also hate paying extra sales taxes as a means of raising money to deal with it. I haven't seen any recent polling on the issue, but I'd be surprised if things had changed much since 2002 on this subject (maybe more frustration on traffic, but also on sprawl?).
Side note: speaking of sprawl, I had the "pleasure" of driving out I-66 to Haymarket last night around 6 pm, and it was not a pleasant experience. It's not that the traffic was so bad, necessarily, although there was plenty of that. But the sight of ugly, sprawling development -- level all the trees, put up townhouses and McMansions with no regard to the environment, to transportation infrastructure, or to anything else -- makes me ill. The classic exurban/sprawl pattern of development, one fueled -- literally and figuratively -- over the years by government policies that directly and indirectly encouraged sprawl, "white flight," artificially low energy and utility costs, and conscious urban neglect.
Watch this space for photos and updates from Bruce & Beth Roemmelt's meet and greet for Creigh Deeds tonight on Bull Run Mountain!
8:00 PM UPDATE: See below for photos! (Click to "embiggen".)
UPDATE by Lowell: Eric should have more photos later. For now, here are a few notes. Virginia's next Governor and Lt. Governor? Stay tuned...UPDATE by Eric: More photos scattered around. ** We're having some technical difficulties with Adam's photos, so I've moved them to the end of this post. Adam realizes he needs a better camera. Please scroll down to his photos (if they're working) ** Bruce Roemmelt introduced Creigh as a "friend of mine." Bruce said that he makes decisions on a gut basis, and when Creigh announced his gut told him to go with Creigh. Bruce mentioned that a senior Virginia Democrat had called him and asked him what he was doing endorsing Creigh, and he said, "I'm sorry, I'm loyal." Jon Bowerbank spoke for a few minutes, said that he had filed for lieutenant governor and would be running. Jon introduced himself as a Fortune 10 company businessman, married with three children (including a sophomore at Virginia Tech), and an at-large member of the Russell County board of supervisors. Jon talked about working in the natural gas business, learning hard lessons, bringing a business approach to Virginia government. Jon also mentioned that he was an immigrant from England who had lived here since 1994. He talked about an oak tree on his property in Russell County, how it will be there long after he's gone, and how it's his "time to give something back."
I have no idea whom Obama will consider. Nor do I know for certain that Webb would consider an offer if made, although I believe that he might well.
And before I start, I will disclose that (a) I was on the edge of the group that persuaded him to run for the Senate (although I played little part in the actual persuasion; (b) before the primary I had a conversation with a key advisor that if Jim were to win the Senate seat he would be on people's VP list; (c) Some of what I am going to write here I have actually discussed with the Senator, and he did not cut me off; (d) I am not personally close with the Senator - there are things with which I disagree, but overall I consider him to have as much integrity and intelligence as any elected official I have ever known, and that combination by itself would be sufficient for me to strongly advocate his being considered for VP.
So if you care what I think, please keep reading below the fold. If you don't, if you have mentally rejected Jim Webb because (a) he was once a Republican, or (b) he voted the wrong way on some particular issue (FISA, Immigration, etc), or you think because of a headline on an article written decades ago he is a sexist, then I URGE you to keep reading because you really do not understand the man.
Over at the Huffington Post, national blogger Howie Klein has weighed in with his views on Gerry Connolly. And they're not pretty.
As the Washington Post has pointed out, Leslie's opponent, Gerry Connolly, basically a Zell Miller/Joe Lieberman type Democrat, is trying to trick voters into thinking he's suddenly a progressive, just the way Lieberman persuaded Connecticut voters in 2006 that he had seen the light and had suddenly become anti-war. Let's go over why Connolly is such a terrible choice for grassroots and progressive Democrats.
First off, Connolly's record conforms to the worst stereotypes of the corporate Democrat and threatens to cost the party a long-awaited takeover. Connolly has been mired in questions about his employment with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), one of the worst of the major defense contractors, his cozy relationship with business developers and his general affinity for what most of us would call pay to play politics.
Connolly's most egregious offenses against the progressive agenda are only recently coming to light, largely due to his own hypocrisy on the Iraq war. Connolly, who was a proud "moderate" until the moment he declared for the House, has taken to touting his anti-war credentials by claiming that he's "been against the Iraq war from the beginning" and that he plans to "hold CEOs criminally accountable for wasting taxpayer's dollars."
[...]
Gerry Connolly is running for Congress claiming that he plans to "hold CEOs accountable for wasting tax payers dollars" all while working for a company that made the case for the Bush Regime to attack Iraq and that has been accused of cheating taxpayers out of millions of dollars related to defense contracts.
Look, let's be clear about something here: there is NOTHING WRONG in my opinion with working for SAIC. There are thousands of fine people who work there, and anyone who says otherwise is simply wrong. Hell, my own brother used to work there; I also worked with a bunch of SAIC people when I was at the Energy Department, and they were great folks. Anyway, I just wanted to say that because some Connolly supporters seem to think that if we mention Connolly's hypocrisy in claiming to have been against the Iraq war from the beginning (no evidence whatsoever that he was, of course), we must hate SAIC or something. That's utterly ridiculous, an intentional distraction by the Connolly campaign from the real issue, which is...
...Gerry Connolly's own possible conflicts of interest and hypocrisy on the Iraq War. The fact is, Gerry Connolly is running to represent the 11th CD in Congress. Why would it be inappropriate in any way, shape, or form for him to answer questions about whether or not he has any possible conflicts of interest with regard to the Iraq war? And why would it be inappropriate in any way, shape, or form to ask what evidence Connolly has that he was "against the Iraq war from the beginning," as he keeps claiming? And no, attacking the messengers -- whoever they may be -- is not a serious response.
By the way, the last time I checked, we didn't live in a monarchy and Gerry Connolly was not king. To the contrary, this is a representative democracy and Gerry Connolly is running to be the peoples' representative in Congress. Why, then, shouldn't the people be able to ask him serious questions pertaining to one of the most pressing issues of our time, the Iraq war? Hmmmm.
I just received this; good news for anyone who cares about a woman's right to control her own body.
NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC Endorses Senator Barack Obama for President
Washington, D.C. - NARAL Pro-Choice America, the political leader of the pro-choice movement with more than one million member activists in all 50 states, today announced that its political action committee is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president.
"There are few more tireless defenders of women's rights in this country than NARAL Pro-Choice America and I'm proud to accept their support," Sen. Obama said. "For decades, they have worked in the courthouse, in the legislature, and in the streets to make sure that women have the right to choose. This is a fundamental civil right that I've fought to protect in Illinois and in Washington, that's being threatened by Senator McCain, and that I'll be fighting in the months ahead to make secure today, tomorrow, and always."
As usual, George W. Bush is doing a "heckuva job." This time, it's his pathetic, demeaning 
Today's Washington Post brings us 
This is great news, especially if you support the troops like most of us do. Wait a minute, you mean there are people out there who don't support the troops? Like maybe the 
The instantly famous Tom Davis memo is 
For anyone who cares about the equality - NOT "special rights," as the right wing likes to claim - of all Americans, 
I just received the results of a new 2nd CD poll by Bennett, Petts & Normington. The bottom line of it is that Rep. Thelma Drake is in big, big trouble. Check out some of these findings:
John McCain's mentor, leader, and spiritual adviser, President George W. Bush today failed the final leadership test when he invoked the Nazis as a political gimmick against Barack Obama.
Rumors are 
Over at the 
I just received this; good news for anyone who cares about a woman's right to control her own body.
