Elephant In Exile

Waiting in Vain?

Hey! I'm 'working' from home today. A landscaper is supposed to come an install a yard for me today to replace my decorative dirt patch. Funny thing is though that I haven't heard from the contractor since his first visit more than two weeks ago. Any bets on if he shows up?

We have nothing to fear, but...everything

What strikes me about the latest reported terror alert is how the govenrment is missing a great opportunity to engage the public in the war on terrorism. The latest alleged alert indicated that an attack can come between now and the inauguration. How nice. It totallly lends itself to the argument that we shouldn't change Captians during these troubled times. But there's a better way to handle these alerts. Rather than stirring the pot and let us all know that we should be afraid it'd be better if the administration engaged the public in the efforts.

I'd love to hear one of the fear mongers say something like, "We have data that indicates terrorists may be planning an attack in the next few months. We ask that the public be vigilant, alert and prepared, but not afraid. Working together we can identify and prevent such attacks." But no. We get oddly timed announcements that 'aren't based on any new data' other than the fact that these folks hate us, which we already know.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040921-121158-2444r.htm

Sake Club, Indique worth the trip

Woodley Park's newest addition to restaurant row is a fine and fun mix of Asian flavors. Sake Club sits on Connecticut Avenue directly across from the Woodley Park Metro and is welcome addition to the clutch of cafes along this strech of Conn. Ave.

Sake Club specializes in Sushi, Japanese cuisine with a dash of Korean dishes thrown in. The service is impeccable, the atmosphere exoticm, yet comfortable and the food is delicious. My last foray to the Sake Club I ordered Bibimpop a Korean dish of pickled vegetables served on a bed of rice and a side order of roasted pork. Both were excellent.

Indique, up the street in Cleveland Park, finally delivers creative and delicious Indian food to DC. Located near the Cleveland Park Metro, Indique fills the tables on weekends with its superb offering of Indian (and Sri Lankan) dishes. Tried of gloppy vindaloo, Indique will cure what ails you with roasted chunks of lamb served in a spicy, yet delicate vindaloo sauce. There tandori lamb chops steal the show and unlike a lot of Asian or South Asian restaurants, Indique offers a wonderful selection of desserts.

http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profiles/indique.html

Kerry to hit Bush on Iraq

Gee John, do you think there's anything to criticize here that most of us haven't already picked up on. The issue isn't that we aren't facing any challenges in Iraq, the issue is what would you do different and how would it be better. Criticizing the President, albeit justified, isn't going beyond what many republican and democratic voters have been doing amongst themselves for the past year or so. The issue is how would things be different under a Kerry Administration. If JFK could articulate that and provide a clear alternative his poll numbers would grow. But despite all the opportunities to provide an alternative vision for our country, the Kerry-Edwards campaign can't seem to break through. Too bad.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/19/kerry.bush.iraq/index.html

Friends in High Places

On Saturday I attended a birthday dinner for a good friend of mine at Indique in Cleveland Park. (Great food by the way). Anyway, attending were a senior advisor to the treasury secretary, counsel to a Midwestern Senator, an Aging committee staffer and a Chief of Staff/attorney from DOJ's criminal division and thier husbands

Britany Spears Marries for the Second Time This Year.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/19/spears.marriage.reut/index.html

Same-sex marriage ban approved in Louisiana

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/19/louisiana.same.sex.marriage.ap/index.html

Avoidance?

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around why this years election seems more shrill than most and why the focus appears to be on such ancillary topics like what Bush and Kerry did more than 30 years ago. Could it be perhaps that we are all collectively aware of the challenges we face in the next four years and in some effort at avoidance - like our grandmother whisper cancer when asked about the loss of her dear friend - we choose to deal with these 'less filling v. taste great issues'?

I don't think anyone would dispute the fact the we as a nation face a challenge as great as the cold war when it comes to combating religious fundamentalism in the middle east. (or for that matter here at home). We may think that Iraq wasn't worth it, but know that we can't walk away now and leave the populace to face another slaughter as they did when we abandoned them after the first Gulf War. Then there's North Korea and Iran, two countries that appear to be much father along on the WMD road than Iraq ever was. Could we stand back and let Iran and N. Korea go nuclear (if they haven't already)? And if not how would we scrape up the man power to go after them?

On the home front there are many daunting challenges as well. Federal spending is out of control and we're going into debt at a rate approaching 1/2 a trillion dollars a year -at a time we need to be preparing for the retiring baby boomers. How do provide expanded programs like Bush's "Ownership Society" or reform social security when the government is spending 20% more than it takes in?

It'd be nice if the media focused on those issues and us as voters new as much about social security, intelligence, or drug costs as we now know about type faces and 'th's. (Just venting).

A little of this, A little of that

Archemedes Screwed?

I caught this show on Nova this week. Fascinating. Seems that Greek Mathematician Archemedes had developed a form of calculus almost 1,200 years before Newton and Leibniz. Unfortunately the only copy of his treatise was earased in the middle ages so that the parchement could be reused for a prayer book. Perhaps if it had survied we'd now be advanced enough so that I could be driving my long desired Jeston's hover car?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/archimedes/


Media Notes: Washington Post
Is Kerry the comeback kid? Is the race suddenly close? Is Bush blowing the lead?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/nation/columns/kurtzhoward/

Getting back together is so hard
Fifteen years after the Wall came down, there are still two Germanies

http://economist.com/world/europe/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3204021

In Moderation:
Comparing the Republican Party to its Platform

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?040913ta_talk_hertzberg

Revision Thing
A history of the Iraq war, told entirely in lies

http://www.harpers.org/RevisionThing.html

Bush Ascending, but Electorate is Still Volatile

Elephant has said many times that he hasn't seen a president so unworthy of re-election in his lifetime than George Bush. Not that Kerry grabs my attention or passion, just that Bush has moved so far from the traditional GOP principles on spending, foreign intervention, interference of government in our personal lives, etc. that I just can't vote for him despite the fact that my career has been built around working for Republicans or Republican causes.

This has gotten me thinking about all the confusing poll numbers that are sloshing around in the so-called media. Is Bush up by 13% or is the race even? Elephant splits the baby and says that both are true. (Yes, how John Kerry of me). But think about it. First, there are a huge number of voters and moderate republicans that are terribly concerned about Bush's policies. We don't like the runaway spending, we're confused and feel betrayed by Iraq (and frustrated by the seemingly deep disconnect between Bush's reality and the progress on the ground) and we're concerned about terrorism. On the other hand we've got John Kerry, who for over a month now has been knocked off message by the swift boat veteran ads and has yet to spell out a coherent message on his vision for America. (at least one that resonates with the media).

So, one day we're all rooting for Bush, then facts on the ground in Iraq slap us in the face and we take a step back. Thus the numbers go up, then down, then up again. Truth is that Kerry tends to come around in the home stretch. If you remember he was written off a dead before the Iowa caucuses only to rise like Lazarus to victory. The Bush campaign, if it gets caught up in the hubris of its reported lead risks forcing the story of Kerry as the comeback kid.

Bush's advantage right now is during the Swift Boat mess, he got a chance to spell out an agenda for the next four years. It's an awful agenda from Elephant's point of view, but its an agenda nonetheless which is more than most people can see from Kerry-Edwards. But that could change with the debates and the numbers will again shift. Until then it's still an open race with an advantage going to Bush.

Sorry about the lack of posting, Blogger.com kept crashing during my usual morning postings. Seems to be working now.

Father Stages Campaign Attack

Geesh people, could we be more dramatic about things. Drudge reported that a little girl at a Bush rally had her Bush-Cheney sign ripped from her hands. He includes a nice picutre of the girl crying. Damn those Democratic Thugs! But wait! It turns out that the alleged perpetrator is the guys own son and that he's been staging these things at least since 1996. Leave it to the blogosphere to uncover what big media misses.

The drudge story
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040917-010155-8041r.htm

The Bogus Assault -- Father Freeper of the Year (should buckhead not be able to serve)
http://rising-hegemon.blogspot.com/2004/09/bogus-assault-father-freeper-of-year.html

Hey All, I just lost three long postings due to problems with Blogger. I'll rewrite them and try to post them over lunch.

Dan Rather Mucks It Up

Dan Rather is quoted today as saying that the media should still look into Bush's 'missing' year of guard service despite the fact that he now has doubts about the authenticity of the memos critical of Bush he exposed last week. Thanks Dan!

Of course it will be much harder now for any media outlet to put out a story on Bush's potential AWOL-ness during his guard service because of the hack job Rather and CBS did in handling the suspect memorandum. Rather's lapses have given the Republican machine ammo to further the myth of the liberal media elite and cast doubt on even the most accurately researched story.

Sadly, there still remains a question as to Bush's service record that now won't get answered as attention shifts to "Rathergate". As a national network newscast CBS has the obligation to research stories, especially ones that could classify as a 'journalist's wet dream'. Rather and CBS have let the public down and heads should role, including Rather's.

I'm not joining the chorus of Bush backers attacking Rather for being critical of Bush or part of a mcuh larger conspiracy, but I am attacking Rather for doing such a hack job and handing Bush a plateful of public sympathy.

I mean why do they pay you and your staff the big bucks if you can't even do your homework?
Time to change the frequency Kenneth.

Where's the leadership?

Have you noticed that anytime there's some controversy surrounding an issue or a member of the Bush administration that person disappears publicly and the issue is not discussed? We really haven't seen Donald Rumsfeld since the Iraqi prison scandal broke, Condi's been MIA since the controversy over her testifying before the 9/11 commission, and as discussed below, Bush broke is commitment to us to provide a road map on Iraq. Is the administration just hoping that the voters don't notice Iraq is not going the direction it needs to?

I've refrained from blogging on the situation on the ground in Iraq as the media seemed to be putting the situation under a magnifying glass from the get go. (Kind of like how the local news has reporters on the street complaining about the lack of plowed roads only 10 minutes into a massive snow storm). Bet now that we're more than a year out from 'Mission Accomplished,' things don't seem any better and in fact seem to be slowly unraveling.

Green Zone is ‘no longer totally secure’
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/e0214956-074f-11d9-9672-00000e2511c8.html

Bush abandons plans to provide vision on Iraq:

Back in May, President Bush announced that he was giving a series of 5 speeches to outline the reasons the U.S. was in Iraq and provide a vision for its future. Be gave one speech to a group of military officers before abandoning this endeavor. Meanwhile, despite rightfully committing $18 billion for Iraqi reconstruction, we've only spent about $1 billion due to the continued unrest and danger posed by the security situation for contractors. Meanwhile the leadership is quietly moving $3 Billion from the reconstruction fund to spend on security. Do we have a plan to deal with the situation in Iraq? Why isn't the media asking any tough questions? Why has Bush, whose supporters liken him to Churchill (yes, try not to choke on that one), not kept up the effort to boost the public moral on our mission as so many of our men and women are dying? A reasonable person may start to conclude that there is no vision, plan or purpose to this war.

US debates military strikes on 'nuclear Iran'

Well, we haven't finished the job in Iran and our military is stretched thin as it is, so now what do we do about a Islamo-fascist country that may actually be really close to getting the bomb? Our options seem to be limited from a military readiness standpoint as we seem to have invaded the wrong country and have a lot of work left to do there.

It begs the question, with out military devoting so much of its resources to Iraq, can we fight another battle with Iran before they get the bomb? If not then is it true that by invading Iraq, we've become less safe?

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/eed88be8-0741-11d9-9672-00000e2511c8.html

US debates military strikes on 'nuclear Iran'

Well, we haven't finished the job in Iran and our military is stretched thin as it is, so now what do we do about a Islamo-fascist country that may actually be really close to getting the bomb? Our options seem to be limited from a military readiness standpoint as we seem to have invaded the wrong country and have a lot of work left to do there.

It begs the question, with out military devoting so much of its resources to Iraq, can we fight another battle with Iran before they get the bomb? If not then is it true that by invading Iraq, we've become less safe?

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/eed88be8-0741-11d9-9672-00000e2511c8.html

Despite the Press, It's not Over

John Kerry doesn't excite the elephant. But from my perspective, no president in my lifetime has squandered such opportunity as Bush. From Terrorism to government spending, there was so much opportunity wasted.

The press has made much of the Bush Bounce, but some sources (Zogby, Fox, etc.) have noted that statistically the bounce isn't more than a couple of percentage points. Kerrys relative silence could be compared to his initial primary run where he seemed all but dead only to rise to victory. Could Kerry be playing Bush's game of lowering expectations only to emerge in the debates as the Lazarus candidate? Just thinking out loud

Travel before its too late!

Elephant just booked three flights for business trips yesterday. Flight to NCY- $111 roundtrip, DC to Phoenix-$225 and DC to Houston - $220. Geesh, I'm soo loving the competition in the airline industry right now. In addition, flights back to see my family in the Midwest was dropped since Independence Air entered the market. The formerly $400 flights have plummeted to $140 and sometimes less. Hurray!

Of course the airline industry seems to be pricing itself into bankruptcy and at some point will regain the upper hand in pricing, so travel now my friends.

The Sims - 2

I've always been a big fan of Will Wright computer games. I can still get lost for hours (usually while stuck in an airport) playing Sim City 4 or the Sims. The best part of both games is that they are non-linear and have no real goal or endpoint but rather focus on a constant evolution and growth of either a city or a person. Fun, fun, fun (in a nerdy way I guess).

But with the news focused on the bad events in Iraq, the joke of a presidential election and now with Marion "The B*tch Set Me Up" Barry back in office, I think I may retreat into a make believe world for a while.

Play a larger game of artificial life in the new 'Sims 2'

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/games/2004-09-14-sims2_x.htm

When it Comes to the Kerry/Bush Vietnam Stories, the Details Don't Matter

In fact, Elephant thinks the stories don't matter at all. I mean, probably about 1/2 the country and just about every reader of this blog wasn't around when these things allegedly had to take place. Do we care about the now infamous 'th' superscripts? Do the authenticity or fakery of the memos answer the still unanswered questions about Bush's missing year of service? And as for Kerry, he went to Vietnam, perhaps in search of glory to use to further an aspiring political career. So what!

My father put it to me best, "Kerry went, Bush didn't." Even more insightful is that 30 years ago we lived in a different era, a time of cultural change and government irresponsibility (ok maybe not too different). Some of Kerry's harshest critics never served and took advantage of the many deferments available to get out of going to Vietnam. And whose to say that many of Bush's critics didn't do, or wouldn't have taken advantage of the situation like Bush? Elephant's just glad he wasn't anywhere close to having to deal with such questions and as a result cares more about the future of our country, than our past.

Casting Further Doubt

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/Investigation/bush_guard_documents_040914.html

Barry's Back

Well, with all the ugliness in politics at the presidential level it seems fitting the the voters of Ward 8 in Washington, DC have decided to return our former crack smoking mayor to the city council. A sad development for a city that has made great strides in the years since Marion Barry left office. As a new homeowner in the city, I hope that this doesn't mark a return to the horrible failure of his former mayorship.

Barry In, 3 D.C. Council Incumbents Out
Ex-Mayor Ousts Allen; Chavous, Brazil Also Lose

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21623-2004Sep14.html

The Joys of Big City bureaucracy

Just thought I'd chime in with an update on my attempts to get a building permit for a new fence at my house. This morning I headed over to the DC permit office to get a building permit so I can construct a fence at my new house. The old, four foot high chain link fence dates to the 1940s and I'd like to replace it with a more decorative wood privacy fence.

Last night I downloaded the permit application from the DC government website. Good so far. The permit requires that an applicant submit a survey of the lot. I have a survey that came with the closing documents of the house, but it indicates that I can't use if for a fence permit application - go figure. So, my limited goal today was to get a copy of the plat and submit my permit application. Here's what transpired.

Trying to be savvy, I headed for the permit office first and grabbed a number (88). Then I went around the corner to get a copy of the survey plat (which I already have, but must pay another $30 for a new copy). I fill out the application for the plat and they give me a receipt to take to a different floor to pay. I do this (The cashiers were actually very nice). So, with my receipt I head back upstairs to give the receipt to the survey clerk. She informs me that it will take 7 to 10 business days to get a copy of the plat - again even though the survey book was right there on the counter and despite the fact that I already have a copy of the survey.

So, I go back in the permit line. Unfortunately, I've missed my number and they are on 91. So I get a new number 103. After waiting about 40 minutes, they were still on number 91, so I left.
I'm now trying to reach the landscaping contractor to push back the install date for my fence which was scheduled for next week. Oh Joy!

Good Fences make Great Neighbors

Well, Elephant's slowly settling in to the new digs and gradually it is starting to feel like home. Having a contractor replace the rusted out chain link fence in the back yard with a wooden privacy fence which of course requires a city permit. So, I've downloaded the permit, gotten my neighbors to sign off on it and now need to obtain a survey diagram of the yard so I can draw in where the fence goes. Ironically the survey diagram that came with my closing a few weeks ago states in large text, "Not to be used for fence permits". Alas! So today I'll spend my lunch hour at the permit office paying the fee to get a permit and now a survey map. The contract is coming in a week, any bets on how long the permits take?

Category Five Hurricane Like Ivan could destroy the Big Easy

Well, the resident's of Florida must be relieved that monster hurricane Ivan is headed more West and looks likely to spare the state. But from Pensacola to New Orleans people are preparing for a storm that could be potentially bigger the devastating hurricane Andrew of 1992.

As the storm track moves steadily West, I remembered a show I saw on the Discovery channel about how a monster storm could flood New Orleans to a depth of 20 feet or more. This of course is because the Big Easy sits in a bowl like depression between Lake Pontchatrain and the Mississippi River and parts of the city are well below sea level.

Let's hope that Ivan decides to go elsewhere.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2000/wnoflood.htm

$3 Trillion Price Tag Left Out As Bush Details His Agenda

After President Bush's acceptance speech at the GOP convention, Elephant did a quick tally of the programs announced by the President and including only his healthcare and social security programs, came up with a total of $1.2 trillion dollars. Well, it seems like at least some parts of the press aren't asleep at the switch. The Washington Post did its own tally and came up with these figures:

Spending proposals by Bush= $3 Trillion
Spending proposals by Kerry = $2 Trillion

The Republican's under Bush have destroyed thier reputation on fiscal conservatism. It's laughable to hear Bush's stump speeches go after Kerry on spending when he himself has grown government spending at a rate not seen since the "Great Society" programs on the 1960s. This is not a conservative agenda, and sadly under Bush the Republican party is morphing into a free spending, borderline radical right socail party.

What is a reasonably minded voter to do?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18876-2004Sep13.html

Fall is peak travel time for Elephant at his day job. In fact, I have multiple trips to NYC coming up in October. Traditionally, I would take the USAirways shuttle from National to LaGuardia, but now I rethinking that. With USAirways in its second bankruptcy in as many years, one wonders how much longer it can keep flying or if it will even be able to find anyone foolish enough to provide additional funding to them? Goodbye USAirways......

http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/13/news/fortune500/usair_customers/index.htm?cnn=yes

The Ayatollah Wants the Bomb.

What's the difference between Iraq and Iran....The "Q" stands for 'quagmire' and the "N" stands for nuclear. Seriously though, while we've now committed our forces to see Iraq to the end, one wonders why we are there in the first place? Yes, I know the administration keeps saying its the WMD issue, but it seems to me that if WMD really were the issue, shouldn't we be doing something about North Korea or Iran? I mean after all these two countries appear to be much father along on the nuclear curve than Iraq ever was. But alas, we really can't go after them can we as our armed forces are tied up in Iraq and it doesn't appear that we have the resources to back up our threats elsewhere in the world.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=582305&section=news

Mission Still Not Accomplished

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040920-695820,00.html?cnn=yes

But What About the Next Four Years?

Oh the drama! Does any rational voter really care about what Bush or Kerry did more than 30 years ago (before most of the readers of this blog were even born?). More Vietnam drama this week as the Bush 'memos' were released and the media, rather than do its own investigating argued back and forth between the Kerry camp talking points and the Bush talking points. There are so, so many other important issues both candidates need to address like:

Iraq - Why are we there again? What's our plan? How long and how much more $ and lives?

The Deficit - Bush's big government is bankrupting the Treasury and baby boomer retirement is looming.

The Economy - The tech boom is over, what's next? Will my job be going to India or China?

Social Security - 50 Million Baby Boomers, no plan.

Civil Rights - Gay Marriage, Abortion, privacy, Patriot Act . . . Shouldn't the government be out of our personal lives?

Trade - What ever happened to free trade?

From Elephant's perspective, so far, neither of the two major candidates have demonstrated the leadership or vision that would get me to vote for them. Hopefully, someone will rise above the split.

Mushroom Cloud 2.5 Miles in Diameter 'not nuclear'?

Hmmm, have our intelligence agencies missed another one? Reports this weekend stated that,

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said a mushroom cloud up to 4 km (2.5 miles) in diameter was seen after the blast in an area near missile bases in Ryanggang province in the remote northeast near the border with China.

Elephant's knowledge of explosions doesn't run too deep. Do any EOTE readers have any knowldege of what could cause a blast soo large?

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=1&u=/nm/20040912/ts_nm/korea_north_dc

Elephant Recalls 9/11

Like most people in Washington, DC or New York on the morning of 9/11/01, I'm haunted by the fact that it was the perfect morning. Cool, sunny and the sky was a brilliant shade of blue. I was putting on my tie to head downtown for a job interview with a large trade association when the Today show cut to footage of a gaping hole in the side of one of the World Trade Center Towers. The affable Katie Curic reported that a small commuter plane had hit the tower, but the firery hole dwarfed the helicopters that were flying past it.

I switched off the TV and jumped on the metro to get to the interview. Meanwhile the second plane had hit. Arriving at the interview the flat panel TV in the lobby was reporting the attack. Not knowing what to do, the HR staff and I continued with the preliminaries of the interview and they shuffled me off to talk the government relations VP. While we chatted, a large plume of smoke appeared in the sky across the Mall. The secretary came in, tears in her eyes and noted that the Pentagon had been hit and the city was being evacuated. The interview closed at this point and I went out into the streets.

Rumors were rampant that Washington Monument was on fire (I looked up and noted it wasn't) and that the USA Today Building and State Department had been hit too. People were pouring out of offices and cars were lined up to get out of the city. Still everything remained quiet and the sky remained hauntingly blue. Most of the police seemed to be engaged in protecting and evacuating members of Congress and the Adminstration and near the corner of 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue, a homeless man directed traffic. I stopped for a cigarette infront of the FBI building and then re-evaluated my choice of a resting place. An F-16 fighter jet roared over the street and banked left toward the Pentagon.

I caught up with some colleagues who heard reports that the metro had been shut down (it hadn't), so we ducked into the District Chop house to grab drinks and discuss what was happening. The thing that stands out in my mind is how little we saw or heard from the President that day. As political animals we kept commenting on how important it was that he speak to a shocked nation. We heard from the Taliban before "W" made some feeble comments on the fact that we'd 'apparently' been attacked. (Really, do you think so?!). Thank goodness for Rudy Giuliani, his stoicism and compassion filled the vacuum left by Bush.

We finished our drinks, left a hefty tip for the staff and retreated to our homes passing several humvees. At home, friends gathered to watch the horrifying news on TV.

The next morning I had to drive out to Tyson's Corner for a CLE course. As I approached the memorial bridge you could still see the smoke pouring out of the Pentagon. Some one had draped a flag across on overpass on I-66 and seeing it, I got way choked up.

Well Friday is here and Elephant's motivation for work is plummeting like some many NASA spacecraft. Hope everyone has a great weekend and for our friends in Florida we hope Ivan decides to head out to sea.

Rail Ridership Hits New Highs
Reagan Funeral, Return Of Tourism Lift Metro

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9933-2004Sep9.html

Dreamless woman remains healthy
A woman who stopped dreaming after a stroke is helping researchers unravel the mysteries of sleep.

http://www.nature.com/news/2004/040906/full/040906-16.html

TheWilderness Campaign
Al Gore lives on a street in Nashville.

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040913fa_fact

Semper Sensitive
From a handout that accompanies a weeklong course on Iraq’s customs and history given to U.S. Marines as part of their training. The course, devised by the Marine Corps Division Schools, was introduced last September with the intention of improving relations between Iraqis and U.S. forces.

http://www.harpers.org/SemperSensitive.html

Godzilla vs. Mothra: The Prequel

http://www.discover.com/web-exclusives/godzilla-vs-mothra0830/

So I'm part of the nostalgia market?

I think I may still have a callus from those damned joysticks. For Chirstmas 1981 Elephant and his two brothers got an Atari 2600 as a present. Hours of playing Combat, Astroids, Missle Command and of course Pitfall. How primative by todays standards, but so much fun at the time.

What was your favorite Atari game?


Atari hits gamers with blasts from past

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/fun.games/09/08/bc.na.tec.us.games.atari.ap/index.html

Will Bush Draw a Line in the Sand on Spending?

Sadly no. Rather than veto one of many spending bills that are loaded with Republican pork, he'll threaten a veto to protect the new Fair Labor Standards Act overtime exemptions. Sad. Sadder is that Bush is providing all these openings and Kerry can't seem to exploit them.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,131825,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,131825,00.html

It Still Feels Like I'm House Sitting

Ok, so I just turned off the Real World and left the basement TV room, headed up to the den to start writing this. The new house is great. Its' much bigger than my old flat and has a big yard that I've enjoyed tinkering around in. I guess I'm feeling kind of grown up, living in this nice place and reaping the rewards for the long nights and days of law school. There is something to be said about living in a smaller downtown flat though, mostly that pretty much everything you need is within arms reach. Here it seems like everything I need is on a different floor. Poor me! It's not the house that's this issue it's the change of environment. It'll pass, but in the meantime it feels like I'm house sitting.

Spending Like There's No Tomorrow

Republican's are for accountable government and fiscal responsibility, or at least they were. When Elephant landed in DC ten years ago he arrived on the heels of a revolution and was proud to be part of it. Republican's took the majority for the first time in a generation by promising to make government live within its means and with a little help from their confrontations with President Clinton they achieved it. But now the only person talking about returning to a pay-go policy is a democrat. Sigh.....

President Bush is many things, but when it comes to the role and size of government, he is not a conservative.

Red ink turns invisible


http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-09-08-our-view_x.htm

Elephant Skips Reception with Cheney

Oddly, Elephant doesn't have the same level of dissapointment with Dick Cheney as he does with George Bush. Why? I don't know, but maybe it's because Cheney, like Elephant is a DC career operative or maybe its because he was White House Chief of Staff when he was the same age as the Elephant is today. But regardless, Cheney drank the Kool-Aid on Iraq and did not appear with Mary on the stage at the Republican convention. So, Dick Cheney, Elephant and cocktails probably wasn't a good mix, so I skipped the event.

My Most Played Songs For the Week Ending September 10, 2004

Hmmm...figure this out. A little hip-hop, classics, latin jazz and cheesy 80s.

1) Golden - Jill Scott
2) Welcome Back- Mase
3) Thorn in my Side- Eurythmics
4) Policy of Truth - Depeche Mode
5) Hit - The Sugar Cubes
6) Soul Sauce - Cal Tjader
7) Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm
8) Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley (Oh the Shame!)
9) Not Enough Time - INXS
10) She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult

Bush Criticizes Kerry's Support of Bush Spending Proposal!

Elephant is not high on George Bush because he doesn't act like a republican. Spend, Spend, Spend. But I laughed out loud today when I saw the Kerry Spending Calculator on the GOP website. They criticize Kerry for supporting the president's proposal to spend $500 million on faith based charities.

"* Provide New Funding For Faith-Based Charities, $550 Million?"

Here's the link. Yes, Kerry's proposed a lot, but even if you believe the GOP figures it's still far less than the $2 trillion plus Bush has put us in the hole! And if you examine the list closely you'll see a lot of programs supported by Mr. Bush. One word, shameless!


http://www.gop.com/BigSpender/default.asp

Blogger Refuses To Post All Day

Sorry about the interruption. It couldn't have happened at a worse time. Readership is growing and blogger won't let me post from the office. It seems things are back up and running, again sorry for the lack of postings.

Spoilers

Just found out that the Vice President will be at a small cocktail party I'm attending tonight. All I can say is thank goodness I don't drink as it would probably loosen my tongue in ways that would land me in Gitmo. Don't know if I'll attend now, but would love to ask Mr. Cheney why his daughter Mary didn't appear on the dias at the close of the GOP convention. I'll keep you posted.

The Battle to Rebuild the WTC

Last night Frontline ran a show about the battle to rebuild ground zero. It was fascinating. Politics and power at its worst. On one side there is Daniel Libeskind and Governor Pataki with a coherent and imaginative vision for the site and on the other side is Larry Silvertien and David Childs with the insurance money to rebuild.

Despite winning the competition to build the new towers, Silverstien and Childs basically told Libeskind to go to hell and they'd do their own thing. Pataki intervened and the result is the compromise freedom tower. A fascinating story and interesting topic as we approach this third anniversary of the towers destruction.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sacred/

Swazi King Wants Teen Beauty Queen for Bride?

How long before our leaders host dances of 20,000 virgins so Bush, Robertson and Santorum can pick thier next bride? I mean the Bible does condone polygamy.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=573&e=9&u=/nm/20040907/od_nm/swaziland_bride_dc

Will they last through 2004?

With the way things are going for the 'legacy' airlines (United, Delta, Northwest, Continental, USAir, etc.) it looks like a few of them won't be around in a year or so. I guess we'll all be flying Southwest...ugh.


http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztravel/2004-09-07-usairways-pilots_x.htm

Cheney: Kerry win risks terror attack

Uh, yeah, cause Bush-Cheney have done such a good job holding our intelligence community accountable for their failures on 9/11 and in Iraq. How many people were fired? Oh, yes...NONE!

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/07/cheney.terror/index.html

Keyes Says Christ Would Not Vote For Obama

Alan is right of course. Jesus, as a man of Middle-Eastern extraction couldn't vote because he would be detained by the Justice Department for immigration violation.

http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3712293/detail.html

1,000 American soldiers did their job and went to Iraq and I still am asking, why are we there?
While these young people did their job and went to fight, our job is to ask questions and hold our leaders accountable for their sacrifice. I'm still waiting for answers.

http://www.militarycity.com/valor/honor.html

Swift Boat Veteran's for Truth Spawns Texan's for Truth.

Let those without sin cast the first stone I like to say. Of course that's right before I start chucking stones left and right. Bush's camp started the fight over the Vietnam issue, now it looks like it's coming back at him.

http://texansfortruth.com/

Of course my favorite is Cheerleaders for Truth. Yes, folks, George Bush as a male cheerleader.

http://www.cheerleadersfortruth.com/

Take the Geography Quiz:

Just in case you're not quite ready to go back to work after a long holiday weekend, here's a little quiz to get you going.

http://www.geographyolympics.com/challenge.php

The Elephant Volunteers:

While I've strived to give back to the community most of my contributions have been in the form of checks to such worth charities as Christian Children's Fund or material goods given to Good Will. But last night the Elephant got an offer he couldn't refuse- to be a volunteer 'socializer' for the local animal rescue league-a no kill shelter that takes in stray dogs and cats. They need volunteers to come in and walk and play with the animals. Elephant loves pets, especially dogs, but his schedule is not conducive to adopting a pet companion, so I hope this is the next best thing. I'll keep you posted.

Post Picks Up on Bush's Liberal Spending Proposals:

Far From Great, Bush's 'Ownership Society' Could Cost Americans in Unseen Ways

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1063-2004Sep6.html

Again, this is NOT a conservative policy agenda.

GOP says: John Kerry= antiwar coward who hyped his record and got medals for killing kids in Vietnam and hung out with Jane Fonda when he got back.

Kitty Kelly says: George W Bush was a draft dodging coke head who did drugs at Camp David while Laura toked up behind the shed.

Elephant Says: I'm so proud at the level of political discourse in our country as we prepare to elect our next leader!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/tm_objectid=14609301&method=full&siteid=50143&headline=bush--took-cocaine-at-camp-david--name_page.html

Stage set for showdown as U.S. Congress returns

Yup, hide the kids, Congress is back in town. With only a month remaining in the 108th Congress, and no budget and only one of two of the thirteen spending bills passed you'd think they'd focus on things like spending, national security, and the economy. You'd think! But no, the revolution demands action on issues of utmost importance like a Constitutional Amendment to Ban Flag desecration, gay marriage and abortion. Another year, another record level of spending and policy drift.

http://www.iht.com/articles/537538.html

This is getting wierd

More talk about yet another hurrican hitting Florida?! Even Elephant knows that this is getting tired. I watched yet another storm pass directly over my parents winter home in central Florida yesterday...no word yet on any damage. Perhaps Florida just likes attention? I mean Elian, the 2000 election, now the potential for three hurricane's in four weeks? Geesh! Seriously though, my thoughts are with all the Floridians during these trying times....I'm thinking Arizona may be a better retirement locale.

The Pundits are Wrong

Gee the above statement doesn't even seem like a gamble these days. The pundacracy is notoriously wrong on things political. The initial polling seems to indicate a huge bounce for Bush. But, these polls are troubling for two reasons, first, they were conducted during the convention (leaving room for the 'halo' effect) and second they are national polls. Elephant's experience is that polling done during an event like the convention merely tests people's awareness of the event. As time passes and some of the proposals or speeches sink in, the numbers shift as the voting public absorbs the impact of what has been proposed.

I think the President gave a good-ish speech by his standards. It was way to jingoistic and conservative for Elephant and filled with the biggest set of new spending proposals since LBJ's Great Society. I understand why people may like President Bush for his social conservatism and even his war footing, but I cannot understand how people continue to say that he is a conservative with all this crazy spending.

That's all for now! But from the Elephant's standpoint this race is still wide open!

Elephant!

Celebrating Hard Work by not Working

Ahhh America. Land of the free, home of the Swift boat vets. Elephant is celebrating this day of labor by not working. Hurray! Actually, I'm working on the new house, finishing up unpacking the last set of boxes. Too damp to work on the yard, so maybe latter I'll try adding up the projected cost of all those spending programs Bush talked about at the convention.

Yesterday, I was at Potmac Mills, a hideous and massive discount mall about 30 miles south of DC. Elephant needed some supplies for the new home. Anyway, organized in the parking lot of this massive mall complex was about 15 electric trucks and several semis awaiting orders to roll out to storm ravaged Florida. I thought it was amazing that the utility companies were so organized and preemptive in thier preparations for the storm. Looks like they'll have their work cut out for them, reports have 1.6 million people without power and the storm is just starting. A lot of people complain that it takes a long time to get electric hooked up, but think about it, if the electric company has to restore 1.6 million connections, it's bound to take some time. Elephant also heard that Homeland Security has been consulting with the utilities twice a day for the last week preparing for the storm. Hope all you Floridians are safe!

Running Tally on President's Spending Proposals at $1.2 Trillion

Elephant is curious about the cost of President Bush's spending proposals from last night's speech. Using the President's own website and only including the health care proposals and Social Security Reform, the total new spending is at $1.2 trillion dollars. The true number is likely to be much, much higher. I'll keep you posted as I search for government reports that detail costs for these programs. As it stands now, the 'conservative' President just proposed increasing government spending by at least 50%! And I should be worried about Kerry? I don't think so.

Tax Code:

Tax cuts were just the beginning: the President is signalling a far more radical agenda. And Silly Elephant was counting on that mortgage interest deduction!

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040906fa_fact


Higher Goals
Republicans learn to stop worrying and love Leviathan

http://www.reason.com/sullum/090304.shtml

I did it my way—and I’ll do it again

George Bush accepted the Republican nomination for the presidency on Thursday night. He defended his record, and promised much the same in his second term. John Kerry was quick to respond with a speech that suggests the campaign is about to get even nastier

http://economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3168816


Perpetual motion
For much of the 20th century, carmaking was the “industry of industries�. Now it has to reinvent itself, says Iain Carson

http://economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_id=3127302

Elephant's Parents Winter Getway Set for A Double Strike

When hurricane Charley swept across the Florida penninsula, Elephant noticed the eye of the storm passed directly over the town where his folks have a winter home (think trailer) in the sunshine state. He called his parents and together we watched the radar track the ferocious center as it passed over their town. Now Frances has its sights set on Winter Haven. It's unlikely that the trailer will survive another direct strike. My thoughts are with their neighbors and citizens of Florida. (As snow birds, my parents summer in norther Michigan so they aren't directly threatened.)

http://www.local6.com/weather/3702184/detail.html

Good Luck Florida!

Strong Vision, Even if it is Wrong, Will Play Well

Bush comes out of the convention in a strong position. Despite a vision that alienates the Elephant it was a strong, clear vision. That coupled with goodish economic news (144,000 jobs created) will certainly give an electoral advantage to Bush. But any lead he gets is not insurmountable, as I mentioned his goal to reform pensions, social security and health care leave him vulnerable to attacks on dismantling what little safety net we have in the U.S. Kerry needs to leverage that and perform well in debates to reverse this.

Kerry gets an opening

President Bush opened up several policy proposals that will provide John Kerry the opportunity to score votes amongst moderates, seniors and fiscal conservatives. First, his proposal to partially privatize socail security will not play well with seniors. Polls consistently show that voters don't trust republicans on social security and Seniors rule the voting both in Florida. It's winnable if Kerry exploits this. Also, Bush's call for a constitutional amendment to ban abortion, gay marriage and to dismantle the separation between church and state makes him vulnerable.

Arch conservatives like Bob Barr, and even Dick Cheney support letting states continue their historic role in regulating marriage. Educated women, a hugely important voting block will likely abandon Bush on the abortion issue and libertarians and moderates will become itchy on the merging of church and states.

Kerry needs to attack on these issues and lay out an alternate agenda rather than continue to focus on the Swiftboat issue.

Goodbye Republicanism, Hello Theocratic-Socialism

I was saguine about Bush's speech last night, and was left both disappointed and unsettled. Classic conservatism as we know it in the Republican Party is dead. Fiscal prudence, gone, libertarian respect for individuals bowed to the whims of the religious right, and endless proposals to expand government. This is not conservatism, but a new ideology that mixes massive expansion in government spending and intervention with far right religious dogma. I have so much I want to say about this, but I think Andrew Sullivan covers it best on his blog this morning and in a way much better than I could have written. Please read it, I think it is well written and really captures the feeling of us moderates.

THE END OF CONSERVATISM: But conservatism as we have known it is now over. People like me who became conservatives because of the appeal of smaller government and more domestic freedom are now marginalized in a big-government party, bent on using the power of the state to direct people's lives, give them meaning and protect them from all dangers. Just remember all that Bush promised last night: an astonishingly expensive bid to spend much more money to help people in ways that conservatives once abjured. He pledged to provide record levels of education funding, colleges and healthcare centers in poor towns, more Pell grants, seven million more affordable homes, expensive new HSAs, and a phenomenally expensive bid to reform the social security system. I look forward to someone adding it all up, but it's easily in the trillions. And Bush's astonishing achievement is to make the case for all this new spending, at a time of chronic debt (created in large part by his profligate party), while pegging his opponent as the "tax-and-spend" candidate. The chutzpah is amazing. At this point, however, it isn't just chutzpah. It's deception. To propose all this knowing full well that we cannot even begin to afford it is irresponsible in the deepest degree. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the only difference between Republicans and Democrats now is that the Bush Republicans believe in Big Insolvent Government and the Kerry Democrats believe in Big Solvent Government. By any measure, that makes Kerry - especially as he has endorsed the critical pay-as-you-go rule on domestic spending - easily the choice for fiscal conservatives. It was also jaw-dropping to hear this president speak about tax reform. Bush? He has done more to lard up the tax code with special breaks and new loopholes than any recent president. On this issue - on which I couldn't agree more - I have to say I don't believe him. Tax reform goes against the grain of everything this president has done so far. Why would he change now?

http://www.andrewsullivan.com

Elephant will not be voting for Bush.

2004 is soo yesterday

Bush or Kerry, kind of like choosing between leprosy or clamidia. It just dawned on me today that the list of candidates for the Republican nomination in 2008 consists almost entirely of moderate republicans (i.e. real, good republicans) Think about it, Rudy, McCain, Pataki, Hagel. Oh yes there's talk about Frist running, but he's got about as much personality as a wet sock and looks kind of like Lurch. Santorum is very personable, but ultra, ultra conservative in a way that I hope isn't mainstream in 2008.(Plus that whole 'santorum' thing...ick...if you don't know, don't ask)

So, while I'm saddened by the choices this round, I'm hopeful that the party of Lincoln will be heading back to its libertarian roots in the near future.

In the mean time, I volunteered for Hagel 2008 today.

Daily Hits Continue to Climb!

Special thanks to Midgie, Donkey, and "B" in Canada for being such loyal readers. Today EOTE saw a record number of hits on our quasi-scoop regarding Zell Miller's praising of Kerry in 2001. Truth be told, liberal blogger (and way, way over the top liberal) Atrios found it first, but EOTE readers are better connected and got the literati folks to look at it. Anyway, rumor has it that none other than the First Lady of Billings Montana is reading our blog! Thanks "J". I promise not to talk about the Great Montana Sparkler Scandal. Also, greetings to our loyal reader in Singapore!

Again, Thanksto all for your readership.

I knew he looked familiar!

I was totally thinking that Zell Miller looked like the Emperor from Star Wars, but in the hyper fast world of the blog, someone beat me to it! It's funny because it's true...

If you listen closely you can hear Zell say, "Soon the Rebellion will be crushed and young Skywalker will be one of us!".....

http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/04/09/ana04017.html

EOTE loyal reader Donkey liked the Zell Miller flip-flop posting so much he circulated it to the press and sent it to the Kerry Campaign (Suprisingly they were unaware of it). Anyway, if this starts hitting the press over the next few days remember you heard it here first....unless of course you read the blog I found it on.....(wink)

Also, just finished a long interview with the New York Times on freedom of association rights. Will let you know when it runs.

Contract With America Overlooked at Convention

Four years later and $2 trillion more in debt, I long for the days when the Republicans stood for fiscal prudence and accountability. Alas, those days are gone.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,131142,00.html

Firebrand Conservative Tries to Take GOP Back to Its Principles

Bob Barr is probably best remembered for his role as an impeachment manager during the Senate trial of Bill Clinton. He was a firebrand conservative cut from Dixiecrat fabric. Despite his rhetoric, he's actually a quite and thoughtful politician. As a Congressman, he'd meet with and listen to just about anyone with ties to his district and give them a fair hearing. (At least from Elephant's experience with his office). Although he came across as dogmatic on the floor of the house, he seemed to be quite open to a pursausive and sound argument.

For those reasons, I liked Bob Barr when he was in Congress. But I find myself liking him more and more as a retired Congressman. A man of apparent principle, he opposes FMA because it flies in the face of years of Republican support of states rights and limited government. Now he takes a stand against the ever growing power of federal law enforcement. He's right, these used to be long held republican principles, one's that I strongly agree with.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,131209,00.html

A Real Test for Preemption

Like it or not, George Bush took a tough stand by invading Iraq to prevent any of its 'alleged' weapons of mass destruction from falling into terrorist hands. It will be interesting to see how he handles the apparently iminent acquisition of nuclear weapons by Iran, a country that exports and finances terrorism on a scale much grander than Iraq could have ever hoped for. After all, we let North Korea slip through the cracks and acquire WMD.

http://http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-09-01-iran_x.htm

Metro to Prepare Riders for Terror

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure says the Elephant. So, I guess it's a good thing that Metro is doing its best to be prepared. I just wish they'd put as much effort in to maintaining the metro system and making sure the trains run on time too.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54436-2004Sep1.html

We've surpassed the 1,000 readers mark. Thank you for your continued readership.