BushCo: Slime Bags

In the aftermath of the Richard Clarke book and interview BushCo has done nothing but point fingers at Clinton, at Clarke, and everyone they can, as long as it is not in the mirror. How can anyone say this is the way a "straight shooting" administration out to set a new tone in Washington. Kevin Drum calls it Panic, and I agree, but I don't see this behavior as anything new: See O'Neil and Wilson.

With the VP doing what I call lying about Clarke and NSA Rice doing her best to diss Clarke. More from Drum and TPM.

Failing of Journalists

Here is another news story about Gay Marriage, this time here in Ohio. The story does a good job of setting up a gay couple who are out to sue the local government. The motives of the Gay couple are discussed: getting turned down for a license will be the grounds for the lawsuit. The also story gets the opposite opinion from a minister and councilman from the Cleveland area who opposes Gay Marriage. Why do we not see printed motives for WHY this man opposes homosexual marriage? Why not at least stated that he opposes it because of his religion, which is what I would guess he would say. There may be other reasons he would try to state, but we don't read about those at all.

In most stories on Gay Marriage, we don't get details as to why people oppose Gay Marriage. We sometimes get generalities, but no details as to WHY they think Gay Marriage is bad. I blame this on the journalists and their editors. Either journalists are not asking the questions and not pressing for detailed answers or the editors are gutless to print them. Why would they be gutless? Well, in my opinion the only reasons to think Gay Marriage will harm anyone are mythical beliefs based on bigoted views about homosexuality. That conflict is not something newspapers want to address directly in news stories. The Peter Bronsons can address it, without giving details either, but reporters can't print it. Why the failing of the public interest?

Have You No Shame?

The White House's Condy Rice was on CNN this morning and made sure everyone knew Clarke was terrorism Czar when the USS Cole was bombed and the African Embassies were bombed. She said that at least twice during the interview. What a way to BLAME someone for terrorism. If Ms. Rice is going to remind people that Dick Clarke was terrorism Czar when the USS Cole was bombed, I think people should remember she was the NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR when the WTC was destroyed. It was shameful to hear her play the game of shifting the blame to Clarke. I am sure BushCo's surrogates will be out in force on this, but this is shameful.

Calm Before the Storm?

The Cleveland Plain-Dealer has a story on Cincinnati's Citizen Complaint Authority and brings up the test it faces, along with the city government overall, to what will happen in the aftermath of the Nathaniel Jones case. Most opinion after the event concluded, correctly, that the police handled themselves within their procedures. No one will likely face charges from Prosecutor Mike Allen.

What is left open is who from the Fire Department will be disciplined. What is also open is the reaction Allen's announcement will make in the black community. I think the activists expect to hear what they don't want to here, but I think in this case the overall community understands that this man was high on drugs and died tragically, but not the result of criminal negligence.

StormTrooper

Hamilton County's Darth Vader has issued a fatwa against Gay Marriage. It appears that Homosexual Marriage would get more of a response than a real crime like Theft:

San Francisco has Rice-A-Roni, the Golden Gate and gay weddings. Cincinnati has cheese coneys, the Big Mac and Sheriff Si Leis - who will make sure cable cars will climb Carew Tower before there are gay weddings on the steps at City Hall.

"I would make an arrest," Leis said. "By law, you can't have a male marry a male or a female marry a female." He said same-sex marriage is a misdemeanor, with a $500 fine and six months in jail.

"It's an outrage. It destroys the very fiber of our country. I don't understand why they're afraid to do something about it" in San Francisco.

As with his theocratic crusade against porn, Leis seems to poised to allow real crimes with real victims to go unpunished. Si Leis is responsible for police protection in this area of Hamilton County: Anderson Township, Colerain Township, Columbia Township, Crosby Township, Green Township, Harrison Township, Miami Township, SycamoreTownship, Symmes Township, Whitewater Township, and the Village of North Bend. According to his department's own website those areas represent over 200,000 residents. How many crimes are still open in those areas? Has Leis's deputies solved every single theft? How about ever Assault, Rape or even Domestic Violence cases? Until he solves those, maybe he cannot worry about wasting his deputies valuable patrol time by worrying about laws that matter to him more than other laws. Based on his own stats, he has not done that, but has the time to be interviewed on Gay Marriage and politics.

It amazed me that Bronson would write such a column. I mean I know Bronson sees Leis as an "Angel doing 'God's' will" and all (note the hyperbole), but wouldn't he want to tout Leis's ability to protect people from real crimes that actually hurt someone? I mean of all "crimes" to use as Leis' crowning achievement, why use enforcement of the anti-homosexual DOMA, when one could use scarce resources to enforce crimes that will actually impact people's lives? Well, it is an election year and we know Peter Bronson has to froth up the mouths of the good old boys at his bible club. Getting out the paleo-con vote is a very messy business.

What makes me nervous is Leis and Bronson's call for a "Metro" government, which really means making the entire county into one municipality. The motivation for this is the assumption that the GOP and fascists like Leis could then rule the City with an iron fist. Leis could drive out the "liberals" who dare not push his theocratic stances, like those down in Tennessee. Now, what I don't understand is how Leis really thinks merging the city together with the inner suburbs will really change government? At this point the GOP has been abandoning the city, and Bronson regularly bashes downtown and the city every chance he gets.

Wes Flinn also comments on this column and mentions a key point, Simon Leis basically threatened to arrest the Mayor. Now, by law, he would have the right to in the case of marrying a same sex couple, but should it not be examined as a totally uncalled for public comment? Leis sounds like a warlord when he declares that he is the law and he will be the one who judges the guilty. Again, some hyperbole, but his tone is just so warlike. He sounds like he is trying to be Rameses to Luken?s Moses. I would call him Nottingham to Luken?s Robin Hood, if Luken had the courage to defy the ?law.?

For the Record, if Leis is Darth Vader, I want to be Han Solo. Han gets more "chicks."

Bad Journalism From the Enquirer Editorial Page

It appears that the Cincinnati Enquirer Editorial Page writers don't read the Drudge Report much. I have to admit I don't either, but most major blogs linked to the Drudge story that reported the email from Boston Globe Reporter who corrected his transcription of what Kerry said and correct a word that was fairly important:

BOSTON GLOBE reporter's email correction:

Subject: FW: Senator Kerry's remark at fundraiser about foreign leaders wanting him to beat Bush

Poolers,

Given the growing attention to Senator Kerry's remark at the Fla. fundraiser about foreign leaders wanting him to beat Bush, and Kerry's subsequent statements that he'd merely "heard from" leaders, I went back to my recording of the event to re-confirm his remarks and put them in context. I wanted to provide that for all of you as well as CORRECT the record on a key word that I mistranscribed.

When Kerry concluded his stump to the Florida fundraisers and donors, Milton Ferrell, Kerry's Florida finance chair, piped up:

MILTON FERRELL: "This is more than just the 50 states. You travel around outside the states, the people are still [inaudible] Europeans and elsewhere, they're counting on the American people. They hate Bush, but they know we're going to get rid of him. They're counting on us. [inaudible] It's a lot more than just [inaudible]-"

KERRY: "I've been hearing it, I'll tell ya. The news, the coverage in other countries, the news in other places. I've met more leaders who can't go out and say it all publicly, but boy they look at you and say, you gotta win this, you gotta beat this guy, we need a new policy, things like that. So there is enormous energy out there. Tell them, whereever they can find an American abroad, they can contribute," a reference to donations, prompting laughter from the crowd.

Transcribing on the bus in Florida, and again on the plane ride to Tampa, I heard "foreign leaders" rather than "more leaders." Listening to the audio recorder now, in the quiet of my house, I hear "more leaders" and I am certian that "more leaders" is what Senator Kerry said. I am very sorry for this screw-up, and please feel free to hold me accountable to your editors and higher-ups.

-- Patrick

Josh Marshall, who I regularly read, also reported this and adds:

Late Monday, Boston Globe reporter Patrick Healy, who filed the pool report that included the quote in question, announced that he’d gotten it wrong. Kerry said “more leaders,” not “foreign leaders.” Still, the context shows pretty clearly that foreign leaders of some sort were the folks Kerry was talking about. And in the week since the quotation was first reported, he’s never denied that this was what he meant.

Josh reports that the context makes "foreign leaders" seem to be what Kerry meant, which may be true.
Marshall's point that what Kerry said was foolish. I would not say foolish, but rather careless. If he had not
referred to leaders and instead referred to the people around the world, he would have be not only correct, but less open to criticism.

Where the Enquirer fails is in using the wrong quote from Kerry. The Drudge story came out last Monday. One might think they would have gotten word about it by now. It is no surprise that Bush is not using it correctly and is running with "foreign." That tactic creates a subtext of Kerry as a "foreigner" and plays up Bush's Jingoistic message to his base.

Who does the Enquirer think Gerhard Schroeder really wants to win the election?

Several foreign leaders, including Germany's Gerhard Schroeder, have denied even talking to Kerry, let alone "endorsing" him.

Why do you think Kerry said, "...who can't go out and say it all publicly," in the quote above? Gee I wonder why foreign leaders are not out there endorsing Kerry publicly, you don't think that directly interfering in the politics of another country is just slightly viewed poorly by most people?

What is funny about this whole thing is the big deal Bush is making about this. Every GOP is running with this issue. Well, I say issue and I don't really mean it. It is not an "issue" in the sense that for instance the Iraq War or Gay Marriage is and issue. If Bush wants to attack Kerry on his Tax policy or Foreign Policy and play games of gotcha on what he said, I will bitch about the details, but not about tactics.

It would be nice for the Enquirer to not play willing partner in this game of meaningless word games. If Kerry words impacted US policy or Law or his vote in the Senate, then have at him.

Where words matter is in policy and how the public is informed about that policy, which is why bashing BushCo for lying about the threat Iraq posed and about misrepresenting the evidence on WMD. That would be the real thing when it comes to holding people accountable for what they said. I don't expect the Enquirer to do that. That would mean challenging BushCo, and I think the local BushCo faithful would "riot" if they did.

Naming names is what Cheney and Powel have been calling on Kerry to do about foreign leaders. What is ironic is that Cheney has refused to name the names of those on his Energy task force, and Bush has refused to easily find out the names of those who leaked the name of a CIA operative to Bob Novak. So not naming names seems to be something BushCo knows something about.

UPDATE: Meet the Press' Tim Russert seemed to be able to get the quote right:

MR. RUSSERT: John Kerry is now taking some heat for these words: "I've met more leaders who can't go out and say it"--"pubicly, but boy they look at you and say, you gotta win this, you gotta beat this guy, we need a new policy."

Now, compared to what the Enquirer reported today:

John Kerry may not have a lock on the U.S. electorate, but apparently he's won over the mighty overseas. Just ask him: "I've met with foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly, but, boy, they look at you and say: 'You've got to win this.' "

A fine point, but one that would not have gotten the play if the original reporter had transcribed things correctly.

The True Story...

Mayor Charlie Luken, who I think earned his nickname "Chaz" with this one, has sent a letter to the production company of MTV's "The Real World>"

Yes, that "Real World."

You are not dreaming, the Mayor is making an attempt to get the television show to locate it's next show right here in Cincinnati. The current filming was set to begin in Philadelphia, but shut down because of union protests.

Can you picture a house in Mt. Adams or a building in OTR transformed into a lush loft and laced with cameras? Can you picturing walking down Main Street watching a bunch of ego ridden twenty-somethings with too much time and money to waste being followed by a camera crew? Can you picture the constant protest Nate Livingston and other Boycott B people would unleash on the house? It would likely look like a vigil at times.

What I would want to see would be an all Cincinnati Media Real World. Here is my Caste:

Kathy Y. Wilson - Kathy would surely be offended if she was asked to be on the show. She however would be just as offended if she was not asked to be on the show.

Peter Bronson - Peter would be just as offended as Kathy if not asked to be on the show, he is after all on his crusade of ideological inclusion. We do after all need our token theocrat for the group.

Jay Love - Jay gets on because he has to represent the male Gen Xer's. He also knows how it is to have a rich father, so he might fit into "The Real World's" target market.

Bill Cunningham - We could not afford to forget the biggest local media-whore in town. Who else is going to go nake in the hot tub?

Ken Broo - Ok, one jock, or rather a wanna be jock. Cunningham does double in this role as well.

Tricia Macke - There has to be at least one blond female. Cunningham and Bronson need someone to stare at after all.

Wendy Walker - Well, you need a brunette too, and Wendy has a news background to fit in with the rest of the gang.

Runners up: Jim Knippenberg, Wildwman Walker, Gary Burbank, Maggie Downs, Greg Korte, and Emanuel Livingston.


This is the true story,
[TRUE STORAY],
of seven strangers,
picked to live in a house
to find out what happens when people stop being polite
and start getting real.
The Real World! - Zinzinnati?

Unfortunately, people down in Austin, Texas think they are really in the running for "The Real World." I will not hold my breath for this happening here in Cincinnati, but is something fun to speculate about. It would make for a great show. I would actually watch it, even if I did not live here.