PlameGate Nuggets

This story is greating a lot of attention and I just wanted to toss some neat links in this post.

Wikipedia has a comprehensive entry covering the story, including pictures (of Valerie) and excellent references.

If you don't have much time but want a gist of the situation, David Korn's post is a good one.

Just in case you don't know much about Rove (aka, Turd Blossom), this is a good refresher. And if this fascinates you, check out his "mug" shots!

Then for fun, there's this hilarious memo to support Karl Rove!

I'll keep updating this entry with any other interesting nuggets I find on PlameGate.

Criminals and Certified Village Idiots

Well a lot of things have happened in the last week - we have finally validated our educated itch that Karl Rove was the informant who revealed Valerie Plame and that we have a certified idiot, in the form of Rick Santorum, in the Senate.

I am aghast at Santorum's insanity ... just look at this article from Washington Post. And then I thoroughly enjoyed Hillary Clinton's joust with him in the Capitol alleys. This is political satire at its best!

Now about the honorable Mr. Rove, I am amazed how brazen the administration is in keeping him around and maintaining a petulant silence. If they are worth any grain of salt, he should be fired and then indicted on federal conspiracy and treason. I would hope some independent, stalwart news organization, like Washington Post, would run a simple top-page corner column on their newspaper with a countdown (in days) and a title "Treacherer still in White House - 3 days" ... and keep updating the column with the latest updates. This would help expedite the process and draw national attention.

Crawling out of the Election rubble

Well the 2004 Presidential elections are over and am completely crestfallen with the results ... needed some time to recuperate and feel well enough to start anew.

Will be posting more detailed posts in the upcoming days. But for now a couple of general random nuggets:

I was thinking about the Iraq strategy by Bush and the neo-cons. Perhaps their idea was to move the terror frontline away from the U.S. shores to some land which they didn't care about.

Iraq seemed to be an ideal pick - they have oil ($$$, this is important since big companies need to back most initiatives) , it's situated between some of the most radical Islamic nations (providing a test bed for neo-con theories to democratize Middle-East, hence Administration & Pentagon thumbs-up) and then there's this tyrant Saddam (who can bring visceral reactions in most Americans and fodder for their general support).

Well we know how it all is panning out - around 1800 U.S. troops dead and countless injured and billions drained. And there's no end in sight. Bush, Wolfowitz et. al got it all wrong - theories don't work, they should have known. They should have heeded the practical advise from others in the administration and leaders of other nations.

In this quaqmire, it's virtually impossible to extricate the U.S. Army without a major civil war triggering off in Iraq which would most likely spill into the surrounding regions. It will be 100 folds more dangerous to U.S. interests and cause a tsunami in geo-politics. So, the U.S. Army needs to stay in Iraq but I don't know how long we Americans can bear the disturbing news and pictures. It's going to be a Mexican standoff (can you hear the music from the spaghetti western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) ... and I think U.S. will be at the losing end (because it's virtually impossible to uproot terrorism and the Islamic variety is a rather persistent and socio-pathic one).

Maybe, the Democrats are the smart ones. They realize the lose-lose situation early on and want to pull out of there soon. I knew this would be the 21st century Vietnam from the day the neo-cons were sabre rattling in late 2001.

Wish I'd a crystal ball to gaze and forecast the events which will unfold. My best wishes with the families of brave soldiers out there ... I can't think of what pain and angst they must be enduring.

Anyhow, on a lighter note ... I just saw the 1982 movie "DeathTrap" directed by Sidney Lumet with neat performances by Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve and Dyan Cannon. The script was brilliantly executed and I so wish to watch the play by Ira Levin. If you haven't seen it, it's definitely a must watch.

Well I'm ready to rest on this rubble a bit ... the air still smells like evangelical spirit. Have to hold my air till 2006 and then hopefully breathe easy in 2008!

There's Nothing About Mary

As the final lap approaches, the Rove machinery is engaged in tactically maneuvering the public eye from the REAL issues to the hypocritical indignancy and false outrage about Kerry's reference to Mary Cheney during the 3rd debate.

Debating Bush, Kerry referred to Mary Cheney when asked whether homosexuality is a choice. “We’re all God’s children,” he said. “And I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney’s daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she’s being who she was. She’s being who she was born as. I think if you talk to anybody, it’s not a choice.”

Bush said he didn’t know if it was a choice or not - what a moronic statement! But no one is talking about that. Kerry was well within bounds, particularly given that Cheney has also talked about his daughter when discussing gay issues.

Talk about flip-flop: during the VP debate, Edwards made a long reference to Cheney's lesbian daugher and Cheney responded graciously and expressed his thanks. Well Kerry does the same thing and all walls of human decency breaks loose?

All I can do is to flip the bird at Cheney's chihuahua-faced wife as she calls Kerry a "a bad man", "a tawdry political trick". Liz Edwards, responded in a more politically correct fashion to Mrs. Cheney, "She's overreacted to this and treated it as if it's shameful to have this discussion ... I think that it indicates a certain amount of shame with respect to her daughter's sexual preferences." Liz had it so right.

I agree Kerry might have tried to tactically wedge an ideological divide in the GOP ultra-conservative base. But the GOP whipping up a tempest clearly is an attempt to distract attention from Dubya's lies and pathetic record. Stop fooling the country and get on with the REAL issues.

In an awkward segue, watched the "Thin Red Line" last night - a superb movie war movie, poetically rendered by Terrence Malick. The lyrical cinematography, Hans Zimmer soundtrack and an excellent who's who cast synergize together and de-romanticizes war; brings the lurking personal terror and reality of it in the forefront. The only improvement I would suggest - rigor in the editing room to make the the movie more taut. A must watch though - looking forward to watch other Malick movies like "Bad Lands" and "Days of Heaven".

Keep it real!

Robin Williams on Tonight Show

It is always a blast to see Robin Williams - he was on the Tonight Show yesterday. He just takes over the segment; Jay can only sit back and join the audience. Some of the notable Robinisms were (paraphrasing them):

• Of late, Bush has been drawing comparisons to Churchill as a wartime leader ... it's like comparing Carrot Top to Mark Twain!
• Bush talks about being a compassionate conservative. What does this term mean ... does such a thing really exist? It's like having a Volvo with a gun rack!
• Glad they didn't talk too much about Vietnam during the debates. Yeah ... Bush was in the same National Guard unit as Big Foot. Can't recall anyone really seeing them.

With 2 minutes remaining, Jay asked Robin about Chris Reeve (they were very close and roomed together in the early days). Robin shared some humorous anecdotes, but at the end he said, "I am glad that he is flying again ... that he has left that body which had held him captive" ... and then Robin just choked and teared up. Jay had to jump in to close the segment. You could just feel Robin's tragic loss of a close friend.

On a lighter note, one of my all time favorite Robin performance was when he visited the "Inside the Actor's Studio" and James Lipton. They have a 2+ hour tape of the session - be prepared to have sore and achy ribs.

Obama Where Art Thou?

Was reading news about Barack Obama - how he has fueled hope in Illinois. People from all walks of life - progressives, liberals, conservatives, Bible thumpers, rich, poor, urban, rural - are simply spellbound by his soul stirring vision.

I remember watching him for the first time as he delivered the keynote during the Democratic Convention. My eyes were teary, my soul tingled and I knew immediately - this man is special, I am witnessing history. If you haven't seen it - you can always replay it. The most stunning phrase (among the many) was "the audacity of hope" - how sublime and inspirational.

Compare this to the lunacy unveiled by Zeil Miller as the keynote during the GOP Convention. Shows a stark contrast of what's at stake on Nov 2nd, 2004. Undecided voters, if this comparison doesn't help you - nothing will! These are keynotes - they are supposed to represent the core beliefs of the two parties, the two campaigns.

Obama definitely has his senatorial race wrapped up. There's no way, Keyes will even make a dent. Keyes is a scary, evangelical mutation - he makes Rush Limbaugh and Pat Buchanan look like a bunch of altar boys at a steamy orgy.

Obama, since you have virtually sealed your position as the 5th African-American senator in US history, could you please campaign along with Kerry at key battle ground states and ensure that the critical electoral colleges are colored blue? We need change, we need to bring back trust, regain our confidence, restore our pride and revive our dreams. We need your help - help to re-ignite the weary and dying beacon of hope shining on the Star Spangled Banner.

Thank you Obama!

3rd Debate Meanderings!

Don't know which embarrasses me more - that we have a toilet paper named Bush who leads this country or that there are nearly ~45% mindless followers (most likely, Fox News aficionados) willing to follow the paper down the drain?

Watch the debate in mute, it looks like a SNL parody - where a heckler usurped the podium and is making uneasy faces and gestures with a well-poised, gentlemanly Kerry. And when you turn up the volume, the difference gets clearer - Kerry has a much better message.

Think about the leaders in the world - they probably share the same viewpoint and would obviously not want to collaborate with Bush. He made a comment last night about "not being very comfortable with English" ... effective use of the language is so, so crucial for negotiations. Yes, Americans can tend to forgive this shortcoming but foreign leaders won't subscribe to this sentiment. Bush will NEVER be able to foster REAL alliances.

I was just watching the morning news and saw McCain and Bush on a train. I held McCain in high esteem for a while ... but seeing him start licking Dubya's "Hershey Way" is just pathetic. Have some mettle, have some conviction ... have something which doesn't make you squirm in your personal moments. Don't let your political aspirations and ambition toss all that into thin air.

On that same vein, I get disappointed everytime Kerry refers to him as a friend - Kerry probably does it to reach out to the moderate Republicans (who are usually McCain backers). Kerry, I understand you like McCain (you still drag around the Vietnam-umbilical cord which you think still ties you both) ... but see the reality - it's nipped at the other end. Stop touting his name, especially when it's usually thwarted by McCain publicly. It's simple ... when you embrace someone without integrity, you also don't have integrity. McCain has no integrity.

Let there be Blog!

Let's start with a simple posting ... sort of lay out the doormat to my blog lair. Excited to be part of this bloggosphere and shed some light into the philolover's lair.