BAGnewsNotes

The Terror At Home

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Character Adjustment

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I Thought You Had The Gameplan!

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The Iraqi Elections: Not A Moment Too Sunni

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Talk about getting on the Bush bandwagon! 

In today's NYTimes, the headline and lead story left the impression that Iraqi participation in the election was resoundingly strong across the board. The number they offered (in the third paragraph of the lead column) was that Sunni participation might have reached 40%.  Oh, the pleasures of relying on the wishful thinking of Adnan Pachachi and visual accounts of Western reporters on military patrols through ill-disposed Arab neighborhoods.

Other sources, it seemed, felt compelled to let facts interfere with the euphoria. 

In Anbar Provence, for example, the heart of the Sunni population and the location of both Ramadi and Fallujah, the L.A. Times reported that less than 20,000 out of as many as 250,000 eligible voters actually voted.  According to the Times, voting was "almost nonexistent" in the other Sunni provinces of Salahuddin, Nineveh and Diyala. In Baqubah, which is north of Baghdad and has a population of 300,000, that city counted 17,000 people as voting.

Unofficial tallies indicated that 1,700 people voted in Ramadi, which the LA paper reminded is home to 400,000 residents.  They reported that 8,000 voted in Fallouja, which has (or, at least, had) a population 200,000 people. (Apparently, the voters of Fallujah were not facing much of a security threat either, given that polling places were set up at the large relief centers that now distribute food, water and cash to people whose homes were destroyed in the "liberation" of the city.)

And, what of the northern city of Mosul?  This is where the U.S. military had been conducting intensive raids to help insure a successful election.  (It's also the location of the graffiti wars, the military electioneering and the military "home drop-ins" I've been following.)  In spite of the statement by Army Maj. David Spencer, intelligence officer with the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, that "people were coming out in droves," the LA Times reported that only about 54,000 voters showed up to vote in a city of 1.8 million.  That's about 3%.

If the goal of this exercise was to bring democracy to Iraq through a representative election, why all the celebrating?  Oh yeah.  It's because, after promising the world and the American people a legitimate outcome, the Administration saw it couldn't deliver and  campaigned for lower expectations.

Apparently, they won that initiative too. 

(It's Always Love At The Beginning)

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More Washington Non Scents

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In watching Condi's confirmation hearings, I kept wondering: When did "contempt of congress" switch from being a governmental offense to part of a job description?

Feathering the Nest

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Just Tell Us Where It Hurts

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(In the Bush/Rove language dictionary, is "election" the translation for democracy?)

From Racks To Riches

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"Family Matters In A Lot Of Places"

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Before concluding the White House has completely succumbed to altruism, consider all the fabulous new material Rove now has to work with.  It looks like one part of the agenda might involve the advance of the Bush dynasty.  Although Governor Bush has said he wasn't considering the top job, the Asian crisis provides the perfect backdrop to showcase the non-candidate.  Certainly, Tuesday's front page story in the NYTimes provided ample assistance. 

More than halfway through the article, you come upon this:

For Jeb Bush, 51, who is a possible contender for the presidency in 2008 or later, the trip is a first major turn on the international stage. The governor, who oversaw Florida's response to four hurricanes in August and September, suggested that his presence on the trip, as not only an American official but also as the president's brother, would send a powerful message of sympathy.

"I think family matters in a lot of places, just as it does in the United States," the governor said. He recalled in 1988 being asked by his father, then the president-elect, to travel to Armenia after an earthquake there cost more than 25,000 lives.

"We went, and it made a big difference that a family member would go - this was on Christmas Eve - go to a far-off place," Mr. Bush said.

(...Somehow, I only counted three references to the word "president.")

$35 Million Before Breakfast

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The fact President Bush didn't respond to the devastation in Asia until the forth day couldn't have been more telling.  And, if you were following closely, you'd have noticed he only did so "that quickly" because the U.S. was beginning to draw criticism for not offering enough resources--let alone, attention.

If you have a chance to see the press briefing that morning, it makes for interesting viewing.  When the barely put together Bush finally stepped in front of the cameras, his "expression of concern" was read straight off a piece of paper.  The self-billed "compassionate conservative" had no trouble marshalling emotion, however, to heap scorn on a U.N. official for daring to criticize us.  ...By the way, it took just a few hours for the $35 million dollars Bush offered to turn into another embarrassment -- an amount eclipsed by the pledges of many smaller countries.  As Senator Leahy added: "We spend $35 million in Iraq before breakfast."

Perhaps Bush was just caught off guard.  Maybe he was tired from all that Presidential "hard work."  Or, maybe he is was just distracted by his "war on terrorism."  Still, this suggestion doesn't wash, since they country hardest hit by the disaster, Indonesia, is the world's most populous Islamic one.  On the other hand, it might be that the President doesn't really take notice unless the tsunamis are of the political variety.

Paving the Way

I give a lot of credit to the NYTimes this week. After a story on Tuesday exploring problems with the viability of the Iraqi defense forces, they followed up on Wednesday with an unvarnished account of the destruction in Fallujah, and the obstacles involved in a truly legitimate reconstruction effort.

In contrast to the idealized stories that fill the papers and pc screens these days, both articles were refreshingly pragmatic.

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Red Light State District

People have been sending me so many examples of the right wing's current preoccupation with sex, it gave me the excuse to create my own version of the 2004 electoral map.

Instead of compiling links to salacious material being trumpeted by various "family values" coalitions, I'm just directing you to this excellent column by Frank Rich. (Link.)

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Won't Float In a Parade

Happy Thanksgiving to all my visitor and readers. I can't tell you how appreciative I've been for all the insights and encouragement as the site finds its voice.

I'm going to be off for a few days to give my eyes, brain, hands, patient family, computer, camera and drawing pad a short rest. Then, I'll be back on Monday to break down more pictures with you.

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...And You Thought Bush Didn't Believe in Cloning

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The New Lightweight Bush Administration

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The rats aren't jumping ship, they're being pushed.

With the Powell-for-Rice swap, there is now a clear pattern emerging. Bush is removing anyone who could be tagged with problematic policies, or who can cast a shadow longer than his own. Instead, he is mostly putting in place long time associates who are discernibly weaker than himself and completely subservient. Welcome to the Stepford White House!

Personally, it's going to be painful to watch the rough-edged Peter Principle poster child, Condi Rice, try to play Secretary of State. For a preview, you can see a clip of her testimony before the 9/11 commission here.

(clip source: Eschaton)

The Senate's New (Dis)Order

Apparently, James Dobson, founder of the Christian organization "Focus on the Family," wants Arlen Spector blocked from taking over the Senate Judiciary Committee (CNN). According to dailyKos, Dobson is now the most powerful fundamentalist force in the country, and he's looking to flex some muscle on this one (link).

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Hook, Line and Turnstile

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Two years ago, Mayor Bloomberg first pitched his proposal to sell naming rights to the city’s parks—public sanctuaries that belong to all New Yorkers. More recently, the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has joined the bandwagon with the hopes of selling sponsorships for New York City bridges, subway stations and other public services.

For background about the sale of naming rights and the commercialization of cities, see Commercial Alert's "City for Sale" page here.

(copy: commercialalert.org)

On Drugs

It's bad enough they:

...have taken over the FDA
...are pumping kids full of antidepressants
...are pushing branded allergy medicines that are less effective than inexpensive products sold over-the-counter
...have all but overrun (or bought off) doctors by marketing directly to consumers...

...Now, they're getting into political advertising...?

Been There, Done That

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Bush Presses On

Legendary mime Marcel Marceau waves to photographers after a press conference Wednesday Nov. 3, 2004, in Mexico City.

Legendary mime President George W. Bush waves to photographers during a press conference at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Thursday Nov. 4, 2004.

I just finished reading Newsweek's special "behind the scenes" account of the presidential campaign. One thing it brought into sharp focus was how obstinate, irritable and unapproachable Bush was throughout.

Now, the administration is propagating the fantasy notion that Bush intends to "reach out." As if this compassionate mumbo-jumbo held any water at all, Bush basically proved otherwise in a bully session (disguised as a press conference) with reporters on Friday.

With Bush's response to the first question ("Now that I've got the will of the people at my back, I'm going to start enforcing the one-question rule"), he not only sought to impose a seemingly arbitrary restriction on the reporters, but seemed to do so for the need to show who's boss. (As if the election victory didn't seem to do the trick!)

On the immediate next question, Bush kept up the pettiness, taking the reporter to task:

"Again, he violated the one-question rule right off the bat. Obviously, you didn't listen to the will of the people."

A few moments later, Bush was asked about his Social Security agenda. In framing the question, the reporter mentioned accusations that Bush might try and privatize the system. Strangely, Bush proceeded to defend himself against a criticism that wasn't made. With a couple bitter comments about whether people, including the press, had been paying attention to him on the subject, Bush seemed to telegraph a concern that his interest in reforming Social Security was a recent development.

"Well, first, I made Social Security an issue -- for those of you who had to suffer through my speeches on a daily basis; for those of you who actually listened to my speeches on a daily basis -- you might remember, every speech I talked about the duty of an American President to lead."

Then, there was more skirmishing about violating the new "no follow-up question" rule. Bush emphasized to a reporter who tried to ask a follow up question that the previous reporter was "a sensitive guy" and it might hurt his feelings if the current reporter was allowed a second question.

(Could Bush have been projecting his own propensity for hurt feelings and oversensitivity to perceived slight?)

Then, Bush was asked about possible changes in the White House staff. As if second term turnover wasn't a completely routine phenomenon, Bush took the question as some kind of invasion. Bush answered:

"The post-election euphoria did not last very long here at the press conference."

In a protracted answer, basically saying he hadn't decided what he was going to do, Bush seemed a little too interested (and, a bit paranoid) about keeping White House business private. In a strange passage, he referred to cautioning his staff about speculating about personnel changes. He then restated that caution by saying he had actually warned them on it.

"And I fully understand we're about to head into the period of intense speculation as to who's going to stay and who's not going to stay, and I assured them that -- today I warned them of the speculative period."

Strangely satisfied that he had answered the question without being tricked into tipping his hand, Bush complementing the reporter for "a nice try."

But Bush still couldn't let the subject go. He then launched into a long passage about the kind of people he has surrounded himself with, emphasizing that he had chosen staff people who had not been intimidated in confronting him. (This is in contrast to statements from his staff, just before the election, saying that most of them wouldn't dare tell Bush something he wouldn't want to hear. ) He then mentioned that his staff had often engaged in vigorous debates on the issues, seemingly adding the segue just to throw in a jab about how the press has seemingly taken "delight in reporting (those debates)."

Bush was then asked about whether he would try and act in a bipartisan manner. Here, he immediately became defensive. With a slight air of contempt, he asked the reporter: "Do you remember the No Child Left Behind Act?"

Then, as if instructing the newsperson on how he needed to think about Bush's bipartisan intentions, Bush added: "(T)hat's the model I'd look at, if I were you".

As the meeting wore on (as the Newsweek report also noted), Bush demonstrated less energy and patience to enforce his better behavior. When he was asked a second time about his willingness to work with the Democrats in Congress, his reply was sort of weird. (The more threatening or accusatory comments are in bold.)

I'm optimistic. You covered me when I was the governor of Texas. I told you that I was going to do that as a governor. There was probably skepticism in your beady eyes there. (Laughter.) But you might remember -- you might remember, we did -- we were able to accomplish a lot by -- and Washington is different from Austin, no question about it. Washington -- one of the disappointments of being here in Washington is how bitter this town can become and how divisive. I'm not blaming one party or the other. It's just the reality of Washington, D.C., sometimes exacerbated by you, because it's great sport. It's really -- it's entertaining for some. It also makes is difficult to govern at times.

It has been noted over and over during Bush's first term that he has shaped (or suppressed) press coverage through intimidation. When discussed in general, there has been a healthy debate as to whether Bush has done so. In a close reading of one press conference, however, Bush's parting words are illuminating. Before walking away, Bush added the following:

Listen, thank you all. I look forward to working with you. ...I've got a question for you. How many of you are going to be here for a second term? Please raise your hand. (Laughter.) ... Good. Gosh, we're going to have a lot of fun, then.

Now, you could say Bush was simply affirming that he and the press corp would be sharing one boat for the next four years. On the other hand, you could say the President was also warning each reporter in the room not to automatically count on being around for the duration.

(image source: YahooNews --AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
(image source: YahooNews --AFP/Stephen Jaffe)

Working Capital

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(by vawolf, via MyDD, via DailyKos):

>>1% more than 50% is not a mandate but a bare, thin, majority.

>>This was the largest number of people who have ever voted AGAINST a president.

>>At 80% approval after 9-11 and guaranteed a landslide election by prognosticators 2 years ago, only half the country supported Bush.

>>Assuming Bush wins New Mexico and Iowa, he will have gotten the lowest percentage of electoral votes (54%) of any incumbent running for reelection since Wilson. If those two states should swing Kerry's way (NM might), it'll be even lower.

>>Bush will have won with the lowest percentage of the popular vote (51%) of any incumbent running for reelection since Truman (when a viable third party candidate wasn't involved).

>>Bush will have won the three states that put him over 270 (OH, NM and IA--assuming the last two go his way) by only 161,989 (not counting the provisional ballots, absentee, etc.).

From the Cruel to the Unusual

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Okay, turning to the Senate, we now have a whole crop of Republicans who are either certifiably crazy -- or who hold such hateful or prejudiced views that they might as well be.

In Kentucky, we have Jim Bunning, who has been experiencing paranoid delusions. Mr. Bunning recently mistook his opponent, Daniel Mongiardo, for one of Saddam Hussein's sons, and also accused Mongiardo of beating up his wife. (Even nuttier, though, is the fact he doesn't read the papers and stays informed exclusively through Fox News.)

Then, there is Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who assumes that being the daughter of the previous senator makes her qualified to succeed him.

In Florida, Mel Martinez --who opposes abortion rights and minimum wage increases--accused one of his primary opponents of siding with "the radical homosexual lobby."

Jim DeMint, in South Carolina, feels that gays and unmarried pregnant women shouldn't be allowed to teach in a classroom. DeMint, by the way, is in favor of outlawing abortion even in cases of rape or incest.

Finally, new Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn performed sterilizations on women without their consent, and thinks blacks are genetically inferior. He calls treaties between the U.S. and Indian nations "a joke", complains about "rampant" lesbianism in Oklahoma public schools, and advocates the death penalty for doctors who perform abortions.

Welcome to Bush World!

About Face

I have only two words to say:

Civil Disobedience.

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Retail Politics

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Apparently, corporate America is putting it's mouth where it's money is. Last week, it was Sinclair. Now Walmart weighs in (press release). Is Diebold next to be heard from?

(source: lostremote.com)

Kerry Victory in the Bag?

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There have been a number of stories recently about how badly the polls failed to predict Gore's (popular vote) victory four years ago. In most cases, the last set of 2000 numbers showed Bush with a lead of between 3-5%.

Also, MyDD has a piece this morning about how CBS and the NYTimes have decided not to release their latest poll numbers from Florida because it shows Kerry with a substantial lead, causing the pollsters to doubt their own results.

Finally, there is a new piece of conventional polling wisdom floating around the last few days explaining why Bush is in trouble because, in most polls, he's under 50%.

No Sequel for the Wizards of (Shocks And) Awes

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Planning Like Mad

The only thing worse than not finding the WMD we thought we knew about ...is losing the only WMD that we actually did know about.

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Oct 27, 2004 in BAGnews/Misadventures Abroad, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Oct 25, 2004

Fact Checking The Forest

You've seen the original (see "Wolves.") You've seen a parody or two. But let's not be fooled as to who the real wolves are.

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(Oh yeah, here's the fact check.)

(parody source: Jillian)

Oct 25, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Oct 21, 2004

Bush's Last At Bat

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How politicized have things gotten? Check out this post.

Oct 21, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Oct 19, 2004

Endorsement Season: Score One For Guy In The Poorly Tailored Suit

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Oct 17, 2004

The Aftermath

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Oct 14, 2004

Meanwhile, Back In Reality....

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Oct 14, 2004 in BAGnews/Misadventures Abroad, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Debate #3: Desert Scorn (Unfortunately -- Because He's Got Nothing New To Say --The Story Is Still His Face)

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Oct 14, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

From All Indications, the Frontline of "BulgeGate" Has Spread To Iraq

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Oct 14, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Oct 13, 2004

The Latest on "BulgeGate"

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Oct 08, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Multipronged Approach

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With the suggestion that life imitates art (think: Manchurian Candidate), there was a lot of internet buzz this week about how George Bush supposedly receives talking points through an earpiece. As evidence for this, various sites posted photos allegedly showing an electronic device showing through Bush's suit jacket. Also cited as evidence was the fact that Bush uttered the statement: "Let me finish" at a point in the first Presidential debate when neither Jim Lehrer nor John Kerry were talking.

Even if the story is utterly false, however (which I assume it is), what is relevant about the rumor is how well it fits. George Bush might not be remotely controlled in a literal or physical sense, but what is wildly obvious is how tightly he's programmed.

10.11.04 UPDATE: Thanks for the feedback on my previous comments. Given the White House hasn't disputed the story, and the pictures don't appear to be doctored, I rescind my skepticism. In fact, I'm even working up another BAG on the story....

Oct 08, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:General, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Oct 07, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Seconds Helping

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As I noted earlier this week regarding the 1st Presidential debate, many analysts perceived the President as "tired." Perhaps I'm perseverating, but I had the same impression watching the Vice President. Although Cheney is older than Edwards, he's not that much older. However, he looked, at points, like he could barely get through it.

My sense is that George and Dick have become war weary.

Oct 07, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Oct 05, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Masking Weakness

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Oct 05, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Oct 01, 2004

Latest BAGnews (Debate) Cartoon: So That's Why It's A Quagmire!

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Oct 01, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sep 30, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: The public eagerly anticipates the "Joint News Conference of the Century."

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Sep 30, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Sep 22, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: James Baker Successfully Neutralizes October 8th Town Hall Format

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New York Times Debate Update (here).
----------------
9.26.04 Further Update:

There is a report this morning that the first debate, scheduled for Thursday, might be cancelled because the election commission is hesitant to sign off the terms of the "side agreement" between the two campaigns. (Or, should we say, the agreement imposed by the Bush campaign on the commission and the Kerry team?) (via command-post.org)

Sep 22, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sep 16, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Imagining What's In The Margins

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Why not Karl?

If most key players concede Killian found Bush at fault, even if these specific memos are discredited, where's the motive for the forgery? Maybe what we're seeing here is a classic "misdirection" play. As FAIR's advisory points out, evidence that Bush used family influence and shortchanged his commitment is becoming more and more obvious. Maybe this was the perfect distraction.

(By the way, how's that Valerie Plame investigation going...?)

--------------------
Bloggers Note: I actually had some qualms about this cartoon, until I saw where the White House spokesman accused the Kerry campaign of being behind the documents.

Sep 16, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Sep 13, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: These Days, One Can Never Be Too Prepared

Maybe I've got to stop reading those polls for a week or so.

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Sep 13, 2004 in BAGannouncements, BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Sep 09, 2004

"W" is (Almost the Middle of) My Middle Name

I suppose I was about seven months premature on this story.

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Sep 09, 2004 in BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Caught With That Silver Spoon In His Mouth (or: "We Worked it Out With the Military")

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It's quite possible we will look back on this week as the turning point in the cover-up of George Bush's military record. As the article in today's NYTimes elaborates, confirmatory evidence has emerged which indicates Bush not only lied about the use of family influence, but also whether he actually fulfilled his National Guard obligations.

It's not that the President looked so innocent prior to this week, however. For example, way back in February, Bush appeared on "Meet the Press" to discuss his justification for going to war. In the course of the interview, Tim Russert asked Bush about allegations that he failed to report for part of his guard duty.

Here's the exchange between Bush and Tim Russert on the "failure to report" issue:

RUSSERT: The Boston Globe and the Associated Press have gone through some of their records and said there's no evidence that you reported to duty in Alabama during the summer and fall of 1972.

BUSH: Yes, they're -- they're just wrong. There may be no evidence, but I did report. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been honorably discharged.

RUSSERT: When allegations were made about John McCain or Wesley Clark on their military records, they opened up their entire files. Would you agree to do that?

BUSH: Yes. Listen, these files have been -- I mean, people have been looking for these files for a long period of time, trust me, and starting in the 1994 campaign for governor. And I can assure you in the year 2000 people were looking for those files, as well. Probably you were.

And absolutely, I mean, I...

RUSSERT: But you will allow pay stubs, tax records, anything to show that you were serving during that period?

BUSH: Yes. If we still have them, but I -- you know, the records are kept in Colorado, as I understand, and they scoured the records.

Before the disclosures of this past week, Bush was able to rest on (or hide behind) what was commonly recognized as an inconclusive paper trail. If you notice, however, Bush spends less energy denying or countering the charges than he does reiterating his confidence that nobody is going to find any incriminating evidence.

Still later in the interview, Russert touched on another aspect of Bush's military service, concerning whether Bush used family connections to cut short his commitment. Interestingly, this issue has earned relatively little attention as compared to the issue of Bush's attendance record:

RUSSERT: You were allowed to leave eight months before your term expired. Was there a reason?

BUSH: Right. Well, I was going to Harvard Business School and we worked it out with the military.

Personally, I find this to be the most incriminating statement Bush has made to date. In asking the question, Russert does not lead Bush in any particular direction. Perhaps because special privilege is second nature to him, however, Bush offers an unqualified admission that a special arrangement was made.

Sep 09, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Sep 08, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: (Reality) Check

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The news that the U.S. and Allawi are not in control of Iraq keeps getting reported over and over again... as if nobody wants to believe it. It sounds, however, like anxiety is setting in among military and government planners that the election, promised for January, might have to exclude many larger Iraqi cities.

Sep 08, 2004 in BAGnews/Misadventures Abroad, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Sep 07, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Your Keynote Eats Kitty Litter!

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Sep 07, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Sep 06, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Torpedo Season

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Sep 06, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Sep 01, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Land of Opportunity

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If you follow Arnold, you know there's nothing he does that isn't highly calculated. The "immigrants are true Americans" pitch was not only perfect "RNC night two" material, it was the official kick off of his campaign to give the foreign born claiming rights to the West Lawn.

Sep 01, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:General, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Aug 17, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Disasters Natural and Man Made

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Aug 13, 2004

The Official Games of the 43rd U.S. Presidency -- (with apologies to the Olympic shooting competition)

Here's our latest Olympic-inspired Presidential Games icon. It raises the possibility that the siege mentality that grips the country is as much a product of the Bush administration as anything else.

It sounds like the media is (finally) catching on to the idea. Besides the recent front page article in the Washington Post admitting they gave Bush a free pass on the war, Mickey Kaus had a piece this morning on "Day To Day" suggesting that Bush is wearing people out, and that a vote for Kerry is becoming a vote for ending perpetual war.

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Aug 12, 2004

The Official Games of the 43rd U.S. Presidency -- (with apologies to the Olympic badminton competition)

The games begin tonight, but (as usual) BAGnews has had a couple days head start. For today's featured event, we focus on those scandalous dopes in the administration and their false start with Medicare reform.

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Aug 12, 2004 in BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Official Games of the 43rd U.S. Presidency -- (with apologies to the Olympic rhythmic gymnastic competition)

Here's our latest Olympic-inspired Presidential Games icon. Isn't it time the Bush administration won world recognition for its artistry in gyrating around the facts?

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Aug 12, 2004 in BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Aug 11, 2004

The Official Games of the 43rd U.S. Presidency -- (with apologies to the Olympic wrestling competition)

Our continuing coverage of the administration's not-quite Olympian efforts at governing. Today's event: Diplomacy.

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Aug 11, 2004 in BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Aug 10, 2004

The Official Games of the 43rd U.S. Presidency -- (with apologies to the Olympic Basketball competition)

It's clear the administration has been having a ball rewriting the rules of governance while making a game out of the constitution. In honor of their sporting ways, we will be adapting the official pictograms of various events throughout the Athens Games to commemorate the highlights (or, better yet, "lowlights") of team Bush's presidential exercise.

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Aug 10, 2004 in BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Aug 04, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Flipper Makes Splash at the White House

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Aug 04, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Duct Tape All Over Again

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Aug 04, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/War On tErrorism, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Aug 02, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Allawi at High Noon

The story that Iyad Allawi, the newly installed Iraqi Prime Minister, had executed up to six insurgents in cold blood, was first reported around July 16th. The account, written by a respected journalist, Paul McGeough, in the Sydney Morning Herald, was based on information from two independent corroborating witnesses. (The original article is reproduced here at counterpunch.org.)

In a radio interview, Mr. McGeough, himself, predicted little would come of the story. He felt that it required extensive follow-up investigation, and was likely far too sensitive a subject for most media to pursue.

If you do a search on the most obvious attributes of the situation, you'll find most reports coming out of Australia (or the American far left). Of the few mentions I found in the American press, the story was framed in the context of "urban legend," or as a rumor planted by Allawi himself to reinforce his own "no nonsense" reputation.

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Aug 02, 2004 in BAGnews/Misadventures Abroad, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jul 30, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Boston Wrap Up

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Jul 30, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jul 28, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon/Convention Edition: Who's Who (...vs. Who Was Who)

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Jul 28, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Jul 15, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Pulling Out all the Schnapps

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Jul 15, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jul 12, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Bush Takes the Mittens Off

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So the sparring last week over the Edwards V.P. selection basically ended in a draw: President Bush attacked Edwards for his lack of experience (six years in the Senate), and Kerry responded with the fact that Bush only had six years of elected experience before he won the Presidency.

There are a couple other facts bouncing around that I like: One is that Dan Quayle had 12 years of Senate experience when Bush 41 tapped him for V.P., but it's generally acknowledged he had nowhere near Edward's stature. Also, Cheney wasn't Bush's first choice in 2000. McCain was, but he turned Bush down.

Jul 12, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Jun 30, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: Let Freedom Ring!

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If there was a greater distinction between globalization and corporatization, I would probably be happy to call myself a globalist. Unfortunately, the western model of the nation state has become pretty much synonymous with (or, subservient to) the corporate state. This is one of the main reasons for the tension between the western and the Islamic world. In our version, we bow three times a day in the direction of the market.

With these distinctions never very far from my mind, I was somewhat aghast to read the piece in this weekend's NYTimes Week in Review by David Sanger titled: "Looking at the Costs if Iraq Goes Up in Smoke." I have to quote the last two paragraphs:

But over the next five years, the real test of strategic success or failure may not lie in democratic elections; it took the Philippines and South Korea decades to get to that moment, even with American troops based in the country. The real test may be Starbucks.

Will Baghdad - or Falluja or Najaf - be peaceful and prosperous enough one day for Iraqis to sip a cappuccino on the sidewalk without fear of losing a limb or worse? Starbucks thrives in lots of places that do not enjoy American-style freedoms. But it depends on security and a rising middle class that wants a wireless hot spot more than it wants a religious war. There are 10 in Beirut, the Baghdad of the 80's. In the end, the Bush administration would take that outcome, happily.

Wow! Don't you get that the willingness to substitute democracy for cappuccinos and a wireless hot spot is the main reason for the conflict in the first place.

Jun 30, 2004 in BAGnews/CommercialismWatch, BAGnews/War On tErrorism, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Jun 24, 2004

Big Day Approaches

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Jun 24, 2004 in BAGnews/War On tErrorism, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jun 17, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: (Out Of) Control Tower

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Jun 17, 2004 in BAGnews/War On tErrorism, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jun 16, 2004

Getting A Handle On The Economy

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What Steve Roach at Morgan Stanley had to about politics and interest rates (complete comments):

"Hans Tietmeyer [former president of the Deutsche Bundesbank] went out of his way to venture into perhaps the most delicate and important aspect of monetary policy — political independence.  Fiercely independent in his own right, he maintained that central banks should not even be located in the same city as the seat of government.  The monetary authorities need to be removed totally from the political debate.  In this vein, he was clearly worried about the political pressures currently bearing down on America's Federal Reserve in this election year.  He framed his concerns in the context of a simple but powerful counter-factual example: He was reasonably certain that if there were not an election looming in the US, the decisions to tighten would have already been made.  Some of the most difficult moments in economic history have been accompanied by the politicization of central banking.  As I saw it, Hans Tietmeyer was sounding the alarm in that regard."

(thanks to eric at umass)

Jun 16, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Politics:General, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jun 08, 2004

The BAGnews Cartoon: The Lord And The Flies

White House preparing for memorial speech like it's the Super Bowl.

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Jun 08, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:General, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Jun 06, 2004

BAGnews Cartoon: As Compared To Reagan

Is the tremendous fawning over Ronald Reagan just nostalgia, or is there more to it? During the last presidential campaign, the Bush people did their best to foster a comparison between Bush Jr. and the Gipper. Perhaps the strong reaction to Reagan's death this week is as much a denial of present circumstances as anything else. While Reagan's passing helps to temporarily distract attention from Bush's troubles, the strong reaction to it only highlights how little stature Bush has in comparison.

I am disappointed that the media is doing such a soft shoe in recollecting Reagan. His voodoo economics (a philosophy Bush has replicated) did severe damage to the country. The defeat of communism had had to do with various factors, including Gorbachev's emergence; it was not simply the result of our military build-up. And, Reagan's penchant for covert operations and destabilization of governments might have also served as a blue print for this current bunch.

Regardless how out of touch he was and how much I might of disagreed with him, however, there are a number of things that can be said for Reagan. Regardless of its simplicity, Reagan had an ideology. Bush, on the other hand, never gets beyond semantics. And Reagan was a truly amiable, unselfconscious person whereas Bush is all subterfuge.

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Jun 06, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:General, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jun 04, 2004

BAGnews Cartoon: Dispensing With Authority

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You have to appreciate Lakhdar Brahimi's undiplomatic candor. (It's the same manner Han Blix displayed in the run-up to the war.) In a political situation characterized by duplicity, here is the (supposedly) key player in the "transfer of power" matter-of-factly referring to Paul Bremer as "the dictator of Iraq."

Here's where to find the audio of Brahimi's NPR interview in which he discusses the Bremer comment, as well as how things played out last week in Baghdad.

Jun 04, 2004 in BAGnews/Misadventures Abroad, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 28, 2004

You Break It, You Fix It

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May 28, 2004 in BAGnews/War On tErrorism, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 24, 2004

Straying The Course

On Monday, President Bush begins his first in a series of six weekly speeches on Iraq. According to an aid, he plans to help set "rational expectations for what we'll see over the next weeks and months in Iraq."

...Including much less of us.

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May 24, 2004 in BAGnews/Misadventures Abroad, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 19, 2004

The Cambone's Connected To The Scandalbone

What's incredible is not that the Pentagon is denying any high level role in the intelligence scandal, it's that their whole strategy has become so transparent.

Of course, Sy Hersh has been the lead flack catcher. (Sadly, the NPR profile I heard on him today seemed to go out of its way to make him look bad. Even more sadly, the best they could do was play up his personality flaws, highlight an instance when he retracted content just before a deadline, and describe a book he wrote as "dark.")

If you've been off the planet for a week or so, you wouldn't of heard about Steve Cambone, the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. Hersh has drawn a circle around Cambone and his role in the torture policy by tapping information from CIA and Defense sources. On the other hand, Jason Vest has written a piece in The Nation, along with a follow up piece, which basically exposes Cambone solely through unsuspecting public statements and actions.

What I'm starting to find refreshing is that the Bush Administration is so blatantly arrogant, no one even thinks to try and cover up.

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May 19, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:General, BAGnews/War On tErrorism, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 14, 2004

BAGnews Cartoon: Oh, For The Good Old Days

What was that about restoring honor and dignity to the White House?

I was surprised to find this link in which The Guardian endorsed Bush for President. ...I thought they were so liberal. Anyway, it's pretty hilarious.

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May 14, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:General, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

May 12, 2004

Dick, We're Not In Analog, Anymore!

In a wonderful opinion piece in Monday's NYTimes entitled "Tourists and Torturers," Luc Sante discusses the meaning of the Abu Ghraib photographs. In contrast to the conventional buzz comparing them to My Lai, Sante sees them as trophy shots, more comparable to pictures of early 20th century lynchings.

(By the way, I gladly borrowed from Sante's analogy between Nixon's tape meltdown and Bush's digital disaster.)

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May 12, 2004 in BAGnews/MediaWatch, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 07, 2004

Latest BAGnews Cartoon: The Buck Stops Here ...Or Here ...Or Maybe Over There

What Al Queda PDB? What memo about prison abuse?

(I guess Paul O'Neill's accusation about Bush being disengaged is looking pretty good right now.)

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May 07, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:General, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 05, 2004

The BAGnews Cartoon: Better Democracy Through Illusion

(This cartoon looked a lot more Escher-like before it ended up on the bag.)

That being said, it's getting very tiresome hearing how each occupation-inspired act of abuse, arrogance or cultural indiscretion is somehow an isolated incident. Instead (as has been painfully clear to the Iraqi's for sometime), our fundamental ignorance and insensitivity has been nothing if not remarkably consistent.

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May 05, 2004 in BAGnews/Misadventures Abroad, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Apr 29, 2004

Enter The Meatrix

In case you we're unaware of the danger of factory farms...

(Click)

If that's not enough beef for you, also check out our "Conservatives Most Wanted" cartoon targeting the Director of the Agriculture Department.

Apr 29, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent, Worthy Links: Protest | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Circus That Is Iraq

In a wonderfully creative and humanitarian act, a group of activists and performers have taken a circus to Iraq. According to their website, circus2iraq.org, members of the troupe have also performed and run circus skills workshops in the middle of war in Bosnia, Serbia and East Timor. Click here for the photo gallery.

By the way, I found out about this at Rene Amini's luxomatic, a very good blog.

Apr 29, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent, Worthy Links: News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Apr 25, 2004

Second Skin

Having based their campaign strategy on a quiet transfer of power in Iraq, Rove and Co. have had to make a few adjustments. Showing himself to be a real player, Bush is now gambling on the hope that the public will rally around the Chief if things really deteriorate. With his steady poll numbers of late, there might be something to the strategy.

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Apr 25, 2004 in BAGnews/War On tErrorism, BAGnews/Most Recent, Worthy Links: Protest | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Apr 23, 2004

Head Of His Class

Apparently, the mastermind of U.S. Iraq policy was "too busy" this week to attend a hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Committee has hardly met in the last six months, and is only now starting to ask some hard questions about where we're headed.

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Apr 23, 2004 in BAGnews/War On tErrorism, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Apr 15, 2004

L.A. For Sale

If the L.A. City Council is successful in selling off naming rights to the city, you would hope they would do it right by making City Hall the first stop in the campaign.

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Apr 15, 2004 in BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Mar 23, 2004

George of Jerusalem

While it's clear all roads dealing with Arab extremism run through Jerusalem, whoever drew up the Bush administration's road map swapped-in Baghdad instead. Still, three years after taking office, the stance the Administration has taken on the Arab-Israeli remains firmly planted and clearly spelled out.

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Mar 23, 2004 in BAGnews/Misadventures Abroad, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Mar 22, 2004

Brand LAX

For the past year or so, I have been supplying images to my friends at Commercial Alert. CA has been fighting to keep corporations from exerting undue influence on our culture --particularly through advertising-- at the expense of municipalities, schools and children.

The sale of city-wide branding rights has been one of CA's biggest issues. Last year, CA fought decayed-tooth-and-nail to stop Snapple's sponsorship deal with New York City. As part of the package, Snapple's sugared beverages gained a major foothold in N.Y. City schools.

This year, the battleground has moved to L.A. At the local level, the spoils are pretty basic. Besides the distribution of junk food, the struggle is over the commercial control of physical and mental space.

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Mar 22, 2004 in BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Mar 15, 2004

President of La Mancha

"This is my quest, to follow that star ...
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far ...
To fight for the right, without question or pause ...
To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause ..."

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Mar 15, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:General, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Mar 11, 2004

Man Overboard

...First the Independents left.
...Then, the Republicans left.
...Finally, the rats left.

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Mar 11, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Mar 08, 2004

Milking 9/11

Even though I created this cartoon two years ago (right after the one year anniversary of September 11), I felt it was fair game to run as President Bush's new tv commercials have commenced a whole new "milking" cycle.

(Just as an aside, the cartoon has been, far and away, my most popular. For some reason, it's huge in the Netherlands.)

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Mar 08, 2004 in BAGnews/Politics:General, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Labeling The Bush Ads

In honor of what the Republican's claim was just a "palate cleanser," we provide nutritional information for President Bush's first 3 television commercials.

The major controversy around the ads centered on their use of 9/11 footage (an event Bush needs to claim for himself, or he can forget about any more dinners at the White House).

To us, however, the most significant thing about the ads are how completely trifling they are. The response from FactCheck.org was: No facts to check!

(...Except for the claim that the recession started on Clinton's watch, when the official word is that it didn't start until after the Bush party was seated.)

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Mar 08, 2004 in BAGnews/MediaWatch, BAGnews/Politics:Campaign 2004, BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Mar 05, 2004

Martha Stewart Sends Her Regrets

She fought the law ...but the law won.

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Mar 05, 2004 in BAGnews/Most Recent | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack