Welcome, Alex!

My friend, Alex, has entered the blogsphere. His blog is called the Bluegrass Democrat and has been added to my blogroll now. Kentuckians are blogging away but the Kentucky Democratic Party has no blog on their site.

Kerik has two affairs, McCain says No to Rumsfeld

Bernard Kerik has two affairs at the same time, sources say. Bush campaigned on religious and moral values. In this day and age, extramarital affairs go against the law. George, you should be ashamed of yourself!

Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik conducted two extramarital affairs simultaneously, using a secret Battery Park City apartment for the passionate liaisons, the New York Daily News has learned.

The first relationship, spanning nearly a decade, was with city Correction Officer Jeannette Pinero; the second was with famed publishing titan Judith Regan.

His affair with Regan, the stunningly attractive head of her own book publishing company, lasted for almost a year.

Dramatically, each woman learned of the existence of the other after Pinero discovered a love note left by Regan in the apartment.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani apologizes to the President for Kerik. I did not think such things were necessary considering Mayor Guiliani PASSED on the job after being the first choice.

Maverick Arizona Senator John McCain has expressed a vote of no confidence in Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld.

U.S. Sen. John McCain said Monday that he has "no confidence" in Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, citing Rumsfeld's handling of the war in Iraq and the failure to send more troops.

McCain, speaking to The Associated Press in an hourlong interview, said his comments were not a call for Rumsfeld's resignation, explaining that President Bush "can have the team that he wants around him."

"I have strenuously argued for larger troop numbers in Iraq, including the right kind of troops — linguists, special forces, civil affairs, etc.," said McCain, R-Ariz. "There are very strong differences of opinion between myself and Secretary Rumsfeld on that issue."

McCain, a decorated Navy veteran and former Vietnam prisoner of war, is a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which has oversight of military operations and considerable influence over the Pentagon budget.

This comes just one day after Senator Chuck Hagel expressed his yesterday on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer.

Help Virginia Woodward!

The following was sent out by Change for Kentucky and it deals with Virginia Woodward. It is important for the party to take the seat that is legally ours. I am not doing a blockquote this time as it is lengthy:
Change for Kentucky

Just $155 TO GO...!!

Two weeks ago, we sent out a call to help our Dean Dozen candidate Virginia Woodward. She is in the fight of her political life, as the right-wing Republicans in the KY Senate continue to disregard and circumvent the Kentucky Constitution to get their way.

Last week, Senate President David Williams announced his decision to interpret the rules of the Kentucky Senate HIS way and made clear his intention to seat Virginia's opponent, Dana Seum Stephenson, instead of Virginia in the 37th District Senate seat. The Re'thug'licans are shameless in their power grab. They could care less about the KY Constitution, the Rule of Law or honest elections and candidates. They want to win, and their strategy is to wear Virginia down by pushing this crisis to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Virginia needs all our support to fight this. Democracy for America has already shown its support of Virginia's cause by donating $2000 to her Democratic Party Defense Fund. We are in the middle of *our* goal to raise an additional $1000 to help Virginia's cause.

We sent this message out only to the core, committed Change for Kentucky members, like you. So far, you've stepped up and pledged $845 in just 16 days, /with an average contribution less than $35.00. We have just $155 to go!

Please FILL THE STOCKING and pledge for Virginia. If just 15 people pledge $10, we can write our check THIS WEEK, ahead of schedule.

Fill the stocking! Help Virginia fight!!
--The Change for Kentucky Team

P.S. The internet has been abuzz lately with conversation about the direction of the DNC, and how grassroots supporters like us can change the party. Wouldn't this be a great way to send a clear message?? What other grassroots organization raised $3000 for Virginia Woodward since July, with another $1000 to go??

Pledge for Virginia!

Our online donation system is set up through PayPal. You *DO NOT* have to have a PayPal account to contribute online.

If you would like to contribute via the U.S. Mail, please send your check to:

Change for Kentucky
P.O. Box 652
Lexington, KY 40588

Paid for by Change for Kentucky. Contributions to Change for Kentucky
are not tax-deductible for Federal income tax purposes.

Simon Rosenberg for DNC Chairman

Since this past November, I have begun advocating for a 50 state strategy and it appears I am not the only one. The following comes from Simon Rosenberg's speech to the ASDS:

I don’t have all the answers for what we need to but I do have some thoughts.

We need a fifty state strategy. If we are to be a national Party, we must fight in every state, every county, every town and every parish.

We need a new partnership between the national and state parties. Together we can craft a new modern strategy that allows the national party to better learn from all of you, respects your knowledge of your states, and makes a solemn commitment to rebuild and modernize your parties from the ground up.

Fritz Hollings

This comes via Kevin Hayden at The American Street and I think it hits the ball on the mark. It was from when retiring Senator Fritz Hollings appeared on 60 Minutes.

“We had a sweetheart deal with the National Democratic Party. ‘We’ll go along with all your programs, if you’ll go along with our segregation.’ But once that Civil Rights Bill passed in 1964, then Lyndon friend became Lyndon the enemy,” says Hollings.

“And now, the Republican party is white, and the Democratic party is the majority black, I would say [in South Carolina]. And in Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia. You can just go right across the spectrum.”

“What are you saying? That all of these folks that keep voting Republican are racist,” asks Wallace.

“Not quite. They are conservative. They honestly don’t believe in government, like we do in the Democratic Party,” says Hollings, laughing.

“We believe in feeding the hungry, and housing the homeless, and educating the uninformed and everything else like that. They believe in private education, a privatized Social Security, privatized energy policy – privatize, privatize. They don’t believe in ‘We the people’ in order to form a more perfect union.”

Retiring Senator Fritz Hollings still believes in Roosevelt's New Deal, Kennedy's New Frontier, and Johnson's Great Society. Even if you disagree with his votes, as some did, Kevin points out that he did not sell out like others.

I had always thought that Sen. Hollings was a conservative Democrat; it turns out he he is a Moderate-to-Liberal like many of us towards the center.

In administrative news, President Bush has selected Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Michael Leavitt to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services. How those two go together are beyond me. Before joining the administration, Secretary-designate Leavitt served as Governor of Utah before being named to the EPA.

Is it just me or does Bush try and surround him with former Governors because they have executive experience? With exceptions of a few, most of his cabinet members served as Governors.

A Hazy Shade of Winter

Seth Meyers will be taking the job of NBC anchor Brian Williams on Saturday Night Live. There was a Brokaw sketch this past weekend that was cut from the live show.
John McCain running in 2008? He would be as old as the late President Ronald Reagan on January 20, 2009. Others being talked about for the GOP nomination: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee; Senators Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, George Allen of Virginia and Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania; former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani , and Governors Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and George Pataki of New York.
Instead of focusing the anger towards the DLC, focus it towards ousting Senator Mitch McConnell, Congressman Crooked Delay, or Senator Rick "Gays should not sleep together" Santorum. McConnell will try and work hard to get Ernie Fletcher re-elected as Fletcher might very well be running for President. The best things that the Kentucky Democratic Party has going are Congressman Ben Chandler and State Treasurer Jonathan Miller.
The Utopianist has placed five steps to winning midterms on his blog. Read it as it is very insiteful. Of course, there is Max Burns and his New Democratic Plan. That one is another fine read as well. If that's not enough, you can always head to Ron Gunzberger's Politics1.com.
Senator-elect Ken Salazar and Congressman-elect John Salazar are rooming together now that they are elected to represent their state or congressional district on Capitol Hill.
Until Next time, some words from The Honorable Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy

The work goes on, the cause continues, and the dream shall never die.

Chuck Hagel speaks out against Rumsfeld

Senator Chuck Hagel appeared on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer early this afternoon. He did not have positive things to say about Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld answers his own questions. I don't get that idea. Senator Joe Biden of Delaware was also on the show. Directly from the transcript:

BLITZER: What about you, Senator Biden? There has been a lot of speculation about a lot of names, including one Democratic senator, Joe Lieberman, a friend from Connecticut. What do you think?
BIDEN: Joe would be great. But I would like to find a Republican from a blue state. Maybe we could pick up a seat (LAUGHTER). I shouldn't be so facetious. But all kidding aside, Joe would be great. I agree with Senator Hagel. And I think this is an important point to emphasize: Up until now, we have thought of the homeland security as sort of the local cop. The truth of the matter is, the guy who is heading -- or woman who heads Homeland Security Department has to have a clear understanding of American foreign policy, has to be able to sit at the Cabinet table and be able to have his or her view heard along with the secretary of state and the secretary of defense. We have put an incredibly large number of people under that office. We have given it a wide, wide area of responsibility. And it has been a stepchild up to now. So, I hope whomever it is has a broader portfolio than just merely being a first-rate law enforcement officer, as Bernie Kerik was.

I am reposting this part of the transcript in full. Sen. Chuck Hagel expresses a vote of no confidence in Secy. Rumsfeld.

HAGEL: Well, I have always believed that if you want to know what's going on in the Army, go to the guys who really fight and the guys who lead and are the backbone of the Army, and they're the noncommissioned officers. And that's exactly what I did do. Joe is correct.
But beyond that, a couple observations.
One, Secretary Rumsfeld's response to this young soldier -- that soldier and those men and women there deserved a far better answer from their secretary of defense than a flippant comment. That might work in a news room where you can be cute with the television audience but not when you're putting these men and women in harm's way, who will be wounded, some, some will be killed.
And I wonder what the parents thought. I wonder what the parents thought, the parents who have men and women over there, sons and daughter who are fighting. I don't think they appreciated that answer.
Enough about that. What we've got here...
BLITZER: Well, let me interrupt you, Senator Hagel.
HAGEL: Yes?
BLITZER: Let me interrupt you, Senator Hagel, because it sounds to me like you're expressing a vote of no confidence in the defense secretary.
HAGEL: Well, the secretary of defense reports to the president of the United States. I've had my differences with this secretary of defense, and I have been very clear on it.
I don't like the way he has done some things. I think they have been irresponsible. I don't like the way we went into Iraq. We didn't go into Iraq with enough troops. He's dismissed his general officers. He's dismissed all outside influence. He's dismissed outside counsel and advice. And he's dismissed a lot of inside counsel and advice from men and women who have been in military uniforms for 25 and 30 years.
One of the reasons we've got this problem, Wolf, in my opinion, is that we were unprepared for what we were going to face, what we are facing, in a post-Saddam Iraq. And this is just one more manifestation of the problem.
Listen, when I talk to these young troops that come back from Nebraska, National Guard Reserves, active duty, and I sit down with them alone in a room and no one there, no cameras, I ask them -- I was hearing some of these same things over the last year: not the right kind of weaponry, personal body armor they didn't have. They didn't have armor for their vehicles.
But yet too many of our leaders in this administration were going around the country telling and reassuring Americans our troops had everything they wanted. Certainly the Congress was passing a lot of money to make sure they had everything they wanted.
So there are a lot of pieces in this.
I do think there is some good news. I do think the military is working to resolve these issues. I do think we are putting more armor on those vehicles and we are getting the personal armor to these troops and the weapons.
But it goes beyond that, Wolf.
BIDEN: Hey, Wolf, can I make one...
BLITZER: I want to take a quick break, Senators. Hold on one second.
BIDEN: OK.
BLITZER: But very briefly to you, Senator Hagel, were you disappointed that the president asked Rumsfeld to stay on?
HAGEL: The president's decision is his decision. He will live with that decision. He'll have to defend that decision. And that's all I want to say about it.

In other news, I keep getting flame mail saying that I have gone GOP-Lite or Bush-Lite. That is simply not the case. I am what I am. A loyal Democrat who hopes the party wakes up and realizes that Howard Dean is not the answer. Here's why (from a comment in Mydd.com:

DNC Committee person friend of mine:
"I hate the Deaniacs!!! I checked the number that I had listed with the DNC, and the voicemail was full with 30 messages from people I didn't know telling me to vote for Dean."
DNC people are pissed that they'll have to clean out their voicemails, email, and snailmail boxes of junk mail advocating for Dean. While from an advocate perspective, it may seem innocuous, multiply it by a 1000 and you can see why people are pissed.

Open Thread

I have finals Monday and Tuesday that I have to study for.

In the mean time, check this out! It comes from Ellen Dana Nagler at The Blogging of a President.

In the meantime, I hope to have some updates tonight. American Dreams is not on so I don't have my usual Sunday evening prime-time. It's the best show you're not watching if you do not already watch it. It has interesting parallels between Vietnam and Iraq.

I meant to wake up in time for Face the Nation but I was talking to Seth Tanners of CDA til almost three in the morning.

Until next time...

2008 will be Bayh's best shot

2008 could be Bayh's best bet. Russ Pulliam, the associate editor of the Indianapolis Star wrote a great article on Sen. Bayh.

Bayh's credentials include his moderate to conservative views as well as a record of election success in a Republican-dominated Midwestern state. He won his recent Senate race by a record-setting 1,496,512 votes. Republican George Bush carried the state by a few less than that, 1,477,704 votes.
Democrats are puzzled over why they can't win the red, or conservative, sections of the country. They are likely to take note of how Bayh has never lost a race in a very red state that last went for a Democrat for president in the Lyndon Johnson landslide of 1964.
The hardest part of a presidential run for Bayh, however, could be his party's primaries. The primaries tend to attract liberal activists, screening out centrist candidates like Bayh. But political scientist Larry Sabato thinks Bayh could gain an advantage in a field of more liberal candidates if he is the only moderate to conservative.
"Bayh's path to victory is to say, 'Are you tired of losing?' says Sabato, who runs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. "Evan Bayh will never scare anyone. A lot of Democrats do that. They scare people across the country in red states on the social and cultural issues. Those Democrats represent to them too much change in a liberal direction."

I am tired of losing and I woke up one day and realized that if we want to win we run Senator Evan Bayh for President in 2008. Here is what people are saying:

"To the Indiana Democrats he is the modern-day Moses," says former House Speaker John Gregg, D-Vincennes. "To the national Democrats he can also be a modern-day Moses. He will be the emerging moderate."
Another potential centrist candidate is Sen. John Edwards, the losing vice presidential candidate. But Gregg thinks he has two handicaps. "John Edwards lost his own state," Gregg notes of the recent election. "He's a trial lawyer, and that's something he will be beat over the head about."
State Rep. Bill Crawford, D-Indianapolis, suggests the results of the 2004 election will favor Bayh. "I think between now and 2008 that there's going to be a recognition in the party that we don't need to put an Eastern establishment liberal on the ticket," Crawford says. "You've got to have someone who can appeal to people in the red states."
Mayor Bart Peterson agrees. "I don't think the door could be open any wider than it is to him at this point," he says.
Republicans from Indiana also see strengths in Bayh. "He's well spoken," says state Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis. "He's a two-term governor. That seems to be one of the protocols for president now."
State Sen. Murray Clark, R-Indianapolis, thinks Bayh would be a stronger candidate than the more liberal Democrat who leads in the polls, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York. "As a Republican, I'd rather us run against Hillary than Evan Bayh," he says.

Simon and Garfunkel once said "song for the asking." I say to Senator Evan Bayh, the nomination is yours for the taking. Once the Democratic bases realize we win with moderates, Bayh will eventually emerge as the frontrunner.

New Donkey on Reform

Ed Kilgore writes it best. Plain, simple, and to the point. I hope he's read my emails.

Quote of the Week: Jeremiah's Rant

This weeks quote of the week comes from Jeremiah Brewer--who's website is linked on my blogroll:

(1) Bill O'Reilly and Dick Morris on The Factor yesterday made light of John Edwards being on Larry King Live. They said how no one would watch him and no one cares what he thinks anymore.

John and ELIZABETH Edwards appeared on Larry King Live to talk about her battle with cancer. She's going to undergo a lumpectomy followed by 6 weeks of chemotherapy. That's the extent of what they discussed.

So Bill O'Reilly and Dick Morris are brainless, d***less, adulterous mofo's.

(2) Al From appeared on a panel discussing the future of the Democratic Party with Stu Rothenberg and some token liberal. From was seriously frustrated with some of the questions, particularly those about trying to supporting Muslims, and fear brought on by 9-11, and how it was unnecessary. And I agree that Al From should have been frustrated.

It's time to purge the party. Liberals, get the fuck out if you can't deal with a centrist candidate for president. It's better to lose some dreaming liberals, and gain independents, the middle class, moderate Republicans, and McCain-like rebel Republicans.

(3) I can understand if you don't want to support John Edwards in the 2008 primary (assuming he runs which is likely). But the "spotlight - how will he stay in it?" question is not a valid excuse. People will know who he is more than those in public office now or the supposedly in the "spotlight" like Bayh, Warner, Vilsack, Biden, etc., etc.

(4) If Hillary Clinton is the nominee, she will lose. It is that simple.

(5) Howard Dean's statement about either being DNC Chair or he'll be a candidate makes me laugh. Howard, your ego is bigger than Ralph Nader. Thanks for contributing to the Democratic Party's continual losses!

(6) A friendly warning to the Republican Party: you're riding high now, so certainly enjoy it. But your alliance with the Religious Right while profitable now, will be your undoing. A few GOPers like McCain and Hagel already know this. Just a word of caution, take it for what it's worth.

JBrew, I could not agree with you more. However, it is important for Elizabeth Edwards to get better before Sen. Edwards decides to run in 2008. He's already set to be in New Hampshire in February. Sen. Bayh will work on charisma and name recognition over the next few years.

Another Case for Evan Bayh and other news

Forgive me for the lengthy post, I have to cover a day's worth of political news and what not. This is the latest of messages from Bill on the Evan Bayh in 2008 listserv. It is worth the read and I have decided to publish it in full with permission from the author.

I probably wasn't too clear in my message.
Let me try again.
I'm referring to party members who are reluctant to compromise in order to get a Democratic president, and even though conventional wisdom shows that a strong liberal probably could NOT at this time get elected nationwide, I feel that, in order to get a Democratic president in 2008, we need to realize that WITHOUT giving up any liberal principles..
I know that I HAVEN'T..
in my case I am willing to support a candidate that is not a "match" for me philosophically, but COMES CLOSE ENOUGH (as Bayh is) so we can get a Democratic administration back in the Executive branch.
Me picking the most liberal elected Democratic officeholder out there and supporting them with no realistic hope of winning I don't think is in my best interest.
This is exactly the problem our party faced in 1976 and 1992 when our nominees (Carter and Clinton) were much more "to the right" than myself or other liberal Democrats.
But we were willing to support those two as our nominees because we wanted to win, and THEY were able to do that, whereas liberal candidates such as Frank Church in 1976 and Tom Harkin in 1992 were not.
Let me make this clear.
I do not want our party to abandon the liberal principles it has stood for.
But this is the "field" in which we have to play in..
the electorate is NOT as liberal as I want it to be, I truly long for the days of the Great Society and The War On Poverty, but that's NOT where the electorate is right now...
so in order for us to win, we have to find a "player" on our "bench" WHO CAN.
I'll be the first to admit it.
Evan is gonna have a tough time to win Democratic primaries because the Democrat voters who traditionally dominate the primaries are, like me, left of center.
But when we start to see Bayh WIN, such as in Iowa and New Hamphire, that is when I HOPE that liberals, like myself, can SEE that we just might have a winner who can win nationwide, and therefore BACK HIM, EVEN THOUGH HE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN OUR FIRST CHOICE If Evan Bayh does NOT do well in Iowa and NH, well, then, all of us here just might end up out of our "volunteer job" here, and start looking for another candidate.
But I don't think that will happen.
Too much of what it seems the American people WANT, they can GET with Evan Bayh..
...a Democrat, someeone who knows how to govern, a scandal-free private life, a family man from the heartland with HEARTLAND VALUES, and a candidate who HAS BEEN PROVEN TO WIN OVER REPUBLICANS year after year after year.
Again, to all liberal democrats:
as George McGovern said in 1984 "Don't throw away your conscience," and as Ted Kennedy said in 1980 "The work goes on, the cause continues, and the dream shall never die,"...we SHOULD hang on to our liberal principles, but by backing Evan Bayh we are NOT, repeat NOT, selling out.
An electable Bayh in the White House is better for our country than an UNELECTABLE LIBERAL, even if that liberal is closer to our hearts and liberal philosophy.
And yes, I know that Evan Bayh is NOT his father...
but BECAUSE of WHO Evan IS and that he IS Birch's son, make me feel more TRUSTING toward him than if he was just another centrist without that liberal name.
Same thing with the Kennedy family...
I would most certainly support a Kennedy family member (except Schwarzenegger) just because THEY ARE a member of that family...it's like the Kennedy name is like a brand I can trust.
This is going to be a long four years.
In the end in 2008, we will ALL back our nominee whether it is Bayh or not.
But for now, I ask all members here to check out Evan head to toe and see if you see what I see.
The RIGHT man for THESE TIMES.
I hope Bayh wins in Iowa and NH because if he does, he'll be unstoppable.
But until then let's all relax and watch what Bayh does between now and then.
See if he becomes more passionate.
See if he DOES get behind an issue that ordinary folks can relate to.
I hope I clarified what I had said briefly this morning in the earlier message.
There is nothing wrong with a liberal HOLDING OUT for their "soulmate candidate" to emerge...but if there DOES happen to be a less liberal candidate WHO HAS A BETTER CHANCE OF WINNING, then to me it makes more sense to go with the winner...and I think that winner is Evan Bayh.
BiLL

Bill, I definitely give that one a ^5, that's a high five. While I am not a fan of carpetbagging senators, I most certainly am a fan of the Kennedy clan, including the late Senator Robert Francis Kennedy. I've always been a Kennedy fan, always have been, always will be.
I do believe that the progressive wing of the party needs to wake up and realize this. A Blue State Democrat will not cut it in the South and Midwest. Evan Bayh is our guy. Retiring Sen. Edwards will have to do something to stay in the spotlight, and let's face it, no losing VP candidate since President Franklin D. Roosevelt has recieved the Democratic Party's nomination for President during the next election (Sorry Demogog).
I live in a red state so I am looking at the whole picture here and thinking strategically. I think Sen. Evan Bayh stands the best chance of getting elected to the Presidency as I believe Kentucky State Treasurer Jonathan Miller does the Governorship (as bad as Ernie's ratings our, we will win!). If I did not think they had a chance, I would not back them, but I believe that they have a chance.
I just don't see Sen. Clinton getting elected as she is too polarizing. I think Sen. Edwards will need more experience, at least executive. Gov. Vilsack has a state that signed into law English as the official language under his watch. Gov. Warner will probably run for the 2008 Senate seat when Sen. John Warner steps down. Past history has shown that we cannot win with liberals, only with moderates. Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton, were all moderates. The Kennedy/Johnson ticket was the last time we had two sitting Senators on the ticket until 2004 with Kerry/Edwards. However, since then, we have only elected Southern governors who fall in the right of the party. We can only win with moderates as history will show.
In political news, Jerry Springer is starting a new radio show in which he will broadcast from both Chicago and Cincinnati. Maybe he will accept an engagement to speak here in the Northern Kentucky area as we are not that far away. Springer considered running the US Senate in 2000 and 2004. He was former Mayor of Cincinnati and ran for Governor in 1982. Maybe once the Kentucky Democrat starts picking up more steam, I'll be a guess on the show. I'll call in for sure. I called in the first day of former Congressman Mike Ward's radio show on 1080.
Late last night, the AP reported that Secretary-Designate Bernard Kerik has withdrawn his name from consideration for DHS Chief.

Bush's nomination of Kerik quickly proved controversial. News reports in recent days focused on revelations that Kerik had made millions of dollars a stun gun company that sold weapons to the Homeland Security Department and which wants more business. The White House had said that Kerik would avoid any conflicts of interest.
Records filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission show Kerik made $6.2 million by exercising stock options he received from Taser International. He has been a consultant for the company and still serves on its board of directors, although the company and the White House said he planned to sever the relationship.

The AP reports the following people are speculated to get the job now:

Among those mentioned as possible candidates before Kerik was chosen were Joe Allbaugh, a former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Mike Leavitt and White House homeland security adviser Fran Townsend.
Others believed to be interested in the job include Asa Hutchinson, Homeland Security undersecretary for border and transportation security.

The late Senator Strom Thurmond is back in the spotlight as his biracial daughter Essie Mae Washington-Williams is releasing a book titled "Dear Senator." As you recall, she went public last year with the announcement.
Michael Collins of the Cincinnati Post reports that the Democratic Party sees a ray of hope. Here's a brief excerpt with a quote from friend and mentor Jonathan Miller:

On Jan. 15, Kentucky Democrats will choose a new leader. In the past, the governor dictated the party chairman. But now that the sitting governor is a Republican, Democrats are trying something different. In an effort to rejuvenate the party, they are seeking input from grass-roots activists about who their new chairman should be and the overall direction the party should take.
"The Republicans have for the last two or three decades done an effective job of telling Kentuckians they are the party of good moral values," said state Treasurer Jonathan Miller, one of the commonwealth's top elected Democrats.
"People are obviously frustrated with the last couple of elections. But there is a lot of hope out there that if we are able to do a better job of articulating our message, we can start winning."

If the Kentucky Democratic Party is reading this, I'll throw in my two cents for either Jerry Abramson, Jack Conway, Robert E. Sanders, or if it is legal under party by-laws, Jonathan Miller. Also, any chance that we can get an annual state party convention like other states have? If the Democratic National Committee members read this, how about putting southern states as the first primaries in the nation. You don't win the election without Kentucky!
In sports news, the Kentucky Wildcats started out bad but than picked up against the Indiana Hoosiers. Kentucky had a big run during the first half and finished the first half with a 33-24 lead. The University of Kentucky Wildcats finished the game with a 78-53 victory over the Indiana University Hoosiers. The Hoosiers resorted to fouling in the last five minutes even though they had clearly lossed. My father knows Tom Eades, one of the officials in the Southeastern Conference. The Florida Gators did not do as well as I hoped with a 4 point loss to the hated Louisville Cardinals. I will be in Lexington for the South Carolina game in Rupp Arena.
Back to political news, the The USS Arizona memorial is slowly sinking! Perhaps this may be a result of global warming? Regardless, this is a priority!
Ousted Senator Tom Daschle is pondering his future according to the Associated Press.

Tom Daschle says he might consider writing, lecturing or teaching now that his Nov. 2 election loss has cost him his Senate seat and the job of Senate minority leader.
"I do want to affiliate in some way professionally with public policy," Daschle said Saturday in a telephone interview from his Washington home, where he was helping baby-sit his two grandchildren. "I'm also looking at the investment world."

Such an interesting day, wasn't it?

The 2004 Presidential Primary: Where are They Now?

CBS News reports the future of many of the primary contenders in the presidential election for the Democrats. Some were left off but I shall summarize.

John Kerry
--Returning to the US Senate but keeping options open in 2008.
--Starting a new PAC.

John Edwards
--Being wooed by law schools in North Carolina to teach.
--Headlining the 100 Club Dinner in New Hampshire on February 5, 2005.

Howard Dean
--Vying for the DNC Chairmanship.
--Currently chairs Democracy for America.

Richard Gephardt
--Retiring from Congress but still deciding what to do now.

Wesley Clark
--Currently in the private sector.
--EDITOR'S NOTE: Potential contender in 2006 for the Arkansas Governorship.

Al Sharpton
--Set to host "I Hate My Job."

Carol Mosely Braun
--Currently involved in Democratic politics.
--Has not ruled a political return

Dennis Kucinich
--Re-elected to Congress.

Not mentioned in the article:
Joe Lieberman
--Up for re-election in 2006.

Bob Graham
--Set to teach at Harvard for the next year.

Bill O'Reilly is an...

Bill O'Reilly of Fox News did it again!! After telling a Jewish caller to go back to Israel, he is now calling the ADL executive director, Abraham Foxman, a "nut job." The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reports the following:

O’Reilly to Foxman: Nuts to you
Bill O’Reilly called the Anti-Defamation League an “extremist group” and its national director a “nut.”

The ADL had written the Fox network commentator this week after he told a caller on his radio show to “go to Israel” if he was offended by attempts to convert American Jews to Christianity and to celebrate Christmas in U.S. schools.

“Jews and other religious minorities are part of America’s great tradition of religious freedom,” ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said in the letter. “The discomfort with proselytizing, or the intrusion of Christian teachings in public schools, is a very legitimate concern.” The ADL said such comments play into anti-Semitic canards, and expressed the hope that O’Reilly would “be more sensitive.”

Discussing the letter Thursday on his radio show, O’Reilly called the ADL “an extremist group which finds offense in pretty much everything,” and said Foxman was “just a nut.”

Bill, I expected better out of you. You go on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart saying you are undecided for the 2004 election. You are being dishonest and not straight-forward with the American people. You claim to be an independent, that's a lie! So should Jon Stewart or myself go back to Israel? I'm not so sure. They have better security over there but they also deal with more terrorism that the United States has on United States soil!
Bill O'Reilly, you are nothing more than a pawn in King George's court! My college has an annual fall lecture with debates of big-name stars in politics. Next year, I want to see Air America commentator and future Minnesota Senator Al Franken debate you! We all know Franken could win easily!
Israel may be a Jewish state but many of its citizens live in harmony among the different faiths. Many Palestinians decide to live within the Israel borders instead of the West Bank or Gaza Strip because of the better services offered.
America was founded on the basis of religious freedom and that's why I like Rhode Island founder Roger Williams. There is a statute of him outside of the Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) headquarters because of his belief in religious freedom and TOLERATION.

Summary of today's debate on the future

I just finished watching the debate on the future of the Democratic Party with Robert Borosage, Al From and Stuart Rothenberg. They brought up good points.
Al From is not backing a particular candidate for chairman. He thinks they should be a great fundraiser and not the spokesperson for the party...leave that to the elected officials.
Robert Borosage wants David Bonior who has not thrown his hat into the ring.
Political reporter Stuart Rothenberg wants someone that will return is calls.
All of them think that Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton of New York will run but many think she is polarizing.

Chris Heinz for Senate 2006

Rick Santorum has got to be ousted from the United States Senate. True, Rep. Hoeffel might take a second shot at the race but look at North Carolina and what happened with President Clinton's former Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles.
I think, after reading some speculation, that Chris Heinz would make a great candidate for the United States Senate. He's got the money, the name, and the charisma. He's a lot better than Rep. Hoeffel.
I am going to compile a FAQ section for the Kentucky Democrat so start sending your emails to the address on the sidebar.
"This party needs to be the party of John Kennedy and not Michael Moore."--Al From in today's debate on the party's future.

The OC

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports in the Buzz that:

One of "The O.C.'s" characters is about to come out of the closet. Marissa, played by Mischa Barton, 18, will enter a lesbian relationship on the Fox series early next year.
"Marissa is at a point in her life where she's trying to find herself and her true identity," series creator Josh Schwartz told Out.com.

I guess we know who will not be watching the show.
In other news, Senator Daschle's South Dakota offices close today.
Retiring Congressman Richard "Dick" Gephardt was honored last night in St. Louis, Missouri.

Gephardt, Missouri's most powerful Democrat, easily shed tears of laughter with family and friends while watching old newscasts this week of his younger, less-emotive self.
He followed up Thursday night with tears of gratitude and nostalgia while listening to the parade of praise from some of the nation's biggest names - including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., August A. Busch III and IV and singer Michael Bolton - who showed up by video or in person to bid him farewell.

The congressman receieved much praise last night.

Clinton, featured in the video, said Gephardt deserved "the lion's share of credit" for Congress' one-vote passage of the 1993 tax package. Democrats say that plan revitalized the nation's economy, briefly erased federal budget deficits - and contributed to the Republican takeover of Congress a year later.
McCain lauded his character: "Dick Gephardt's word you can take to the bank."
Broadcaster Bob Costas, who narrated the video, summed up the evening's sentiment by calling Gephardt "the best president America never had." Commentator Paul Begala, a former aide who was master of ceremonies, praised Gephardt as one "who embodies integrity."

While much of the ceremony did honor the retiring Congressman and former presidential candidate, the money raised will go into the formation of the Richard A. Gephardt Institute of Public Service at Washington University of St. Louis. Maybe he'll have a public email address now? I hope so.
While I am an Indianapolis Colts fan, you might want to know that Rep. Gephardt is a reason for the Rams moving to St. Louis.

Gephardt and his staff also spearheaded the effort a decade ago that persuaded the Rams football team to move to St. Louis from California.
As he mulls over his future, Gephardt said, he's focusing on his family more than finances. He is taking his time reviewing a number of offers from law and investment firms. He expects to continue traveling, as he makes speeches to various groups and participates as a new board member with the National Endowment for Democracy.
He expects to continue to maintain homes in suburban St. Louis and Washington and shuttle back and forth.

I am watching the debate on C-SPAN on the future of the Democratic Party. It is very interesting.
President Bush has asked Treasury Deputy Secretary Samuel Bodman to serve as Secretary of Energy.

Check this out

Terry Mitchell writes that:

Many Democrats may see Evan Bayh as just the candidate they need in the wake of Kerry's recent loss. He is a strong Democrat from a solidly "red" state, i.e., he was overwhelmingly elected to a second term as senator even as George W. Bush overwhelmingly carried his state in the presidential election (as all Republican candidates have in recent presidential elections). Bayh had previously served two terms as governor of Indiana. He is one of the leaders of the moderate Democrat movement. His father, Birch Bayh, was also a U.S. Senator and ran in the Democratic primaries for president in 1976, but was defeated by Jimmy Carter. Bayh is my dark horse pick to take the nomination. The only negative about him is that he seems to have a smirk on his face all the time and looks like he belongs on a TV show like Saturday Night Live!

Terry, aside from the SNL idea, you are exactly right and he will get the nomination. I know a good candidate when I see one!
Moveon.org is the latest grassroots movement to try and decide who the next DNC Chairman will be. The party does not work this way. Moveon thinks that they own the party. Hello? Do you not notice the many Democrats that are in the Midwest and South? Liberal just doesn't cut here. I say: "Keep the Base, Take the Center!" You want to alienate the south? Choose Dean. You want to back our country? Choose Simon Rosenberg. Grassroots does not decide the chairmanship. It will be Simon Rosenberg, not Governor Dean.
John Edwards was on Larry King Live last night. The AP reports:

Elizabeth Edwards has lost a lot of her hair, which her young children find funny, and has received notes of encouragement from President Bush and first lady Laura Bush as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer.

Will Senator Edwards run for office again or return to law?

Asked about his future, Sen. Edwards said it was unlikely he would return to his law practice, since he and his wife prefer public service. Asked about running for president again, Edwards said, "That's a decision we'll have to make down the road and we have other priorities right now."
Mrs. Edwards said her husband has "a unique and powerful voice and I think that it's a voice that we need on the national stage."

Yes, Sen. Edwards is very charismatic but I must point out from Terry Mitchell again that

However, the biggest obstacle for him will be his status as a vice presidential nominee on a losing ticket. Candidates in both parties who lose in their bid for vice president, without having first won, have great difficulty getting a presidential nomination. For example, Joe Lieberman's campaign crashed and burned after the New Hampshire Primary in January. Before this year, Sargent Shriver (in 1976) and Edmund Muskie (in 1972) were the last failed vice presidential nominees to seek the Democratic presidential nomination and they were both rejected as well. On the Republican side, Bob Dole was finally able to capture his party's nomination in 1996 after a failed bid for vice president in 1976. However, even he was turned away in his first two attempts (1980 and 1988).

Bayh urges more armored vehicles.

"I can only hope the government will listen more to our soldiers than they do to members of the Senate, because this is something that needs to get done," Bayh, D-Ind., said in a telephone news conference. "We've got a moral responsibility to provide our troops with the equipment they need to accomplish their mission and protect their security.
"Unfortunately, it's a responsibility that too often in Iraq has not been met," he said.

Is this a sign that Senator Evan Bayh will be running in 2008? I sure hope so since I am leading up a campaign to Draft Bayh 2008! The National Bayh Network is set up and running on Yahoo! Groups.

Simon Rosenberg on Inside Politics

According to the NDN blog:

NDN President Simon Rosenberg will be a guest on CNN's Inside Politics with Judy Woodruff, tomorrow at 4:00 pm EDT. Simon will be addressing his potential candidacy for DNC Chair and discuss his strategy and vision for a stronger, more dynamic and effective 21st Century Democratic Party.

Simon is the obvious choice in my opinion.
In other news, it appears that Colin Powell will not run for office.

Asked about a poll that shows him favored in a hypothetical matchup for the governor's race, Powell said, "I'm not going to be running for office even in my beloved home state of New York, as flattering as that poll might be."

Eliot Spitzer is now unbeatable. We now have seen what the cabinet will look like for the second term. The AP reports that Jim Nicholson has been tapped as the next Secretary of Veteran's Affairs unlike John O'Neill as the Kentucky Democrat (myself) predicted yesterday. Nicholson is currently the Ambassador to the Vatican and former RNC Chairman. Bush has also asked Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta (the only Democrat in the cabinet), Interior Secretary Gale Norton, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao (Kentucky US Senator Mitch McConnell's wife) to stay in their posts.
Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson was on the attack today according to Ruth Conniff's "The Word from Washington in The Progressive:?

One of Reid's colleagues, Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, had this to say about the new minority leader, who is taking over from Karl Rove's drive-by victim Tom Daschle: "When the conservative talk show hosts start saying bad things about Harry Reid, it will be like attacking Mr. Rogers."

It is pretty sad that the Kerry campaign only paid Al Sharpton to campaign for him and did not compensate the other primary candidates. Evidently, Sharpton wanted to be paid for traveling and consulting fees.
In school news, I am set to go home on Tuesday for Winter Break as I am exempted from a final for having perfect attendence. Aren't incentives nice?
I keep getting asked if I am writing on behalf of the Kentucky Democratic Party. The answer to that is no. This is a personal blog although I do know several elected officials.

White House wants Commandments

The AP is reporting that the White House backs the Ten Commandments displays on Government Property.

The Bush administration on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to allow Ten Commandments displays on government property, adding a federal view on a major church-state case that justices will deal with early next year.

The government has weighed in before in religion cases at the high court, including one earlier this year that challenged the words "under God" in the classroom recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

The government supported a California school district in that case. Now, it is backing two Kentucky counties that had framed copies of the Ten Commandments in their courthouses....The Supreme Court banned the posting of Ten Commandments in public schools in 1980.

I am a very religous person and I abide by not just the 10 Commandments but 613 positive and negative mitzvot. Also, it is interesting to note this article on the Ten Commandments controversy. I have copied it here in full:

In the United States, a controversy has persisted for many years regarding the placement of the "Ten Commandments" in public schools and public buildings. But one critical question seems to have escaped most of the public dialog on the subject: Whose "Ten Commandments" should we post?

The general perception in this country is that the "Ten Commandments" are part of the common religious heritage of Judaism, Catholicism and Protestantism, part of the sacred scriptures that we all share, and should not be controversial. But most people involved in the debate seem to have missed the fact that these three religions divide up the commandments in different ways! Judaism, unlike Catholicism and Protestantism, considers "I am the L-rd, your G-d" to be the first "commandment." Catholicism, unlike Judaism and Protestantism, considers coveting property to be separate from coveting a spouse. Protestantism, unlike Judaism and Catholicism, considers the prohibition against idolatry to be separate from the prohibition against worshipping other gods. No two religions agree on a single list. So whose list should we post?

And once we decide on a list, what translation should we post? Should Judaism's sixth declaration be rendered as "Thou shalt not kill" as in the popular KJV translation, or as "Thou shalt not murder," which is a bit closer to the connotations of the original Hebrew though still not entirely accurate?

These may seem like trivial differences to some, but they are serious issues to those of us who take these words seriously. When a government agency chooses one version over another, it implicitly chooses one religion over another, something that the First Amendment prohibits. This is the heart of the controversy.

But there is an additional issue in this controversy that is of concern from a Jewish perspective. In Talmudic times, the rabbis consciously made a decision to exclude daily recitation of the Aseret ha-Dibrot from the liturgy because excessive emphasis on these statements might lead people to mistakenly believe that these were the only mitzvot or the most important mitzvot, and neglect the other 603. By posting these words prominently and referring to them as "The Ten Commandments," (as if there weren't any others, which is what many people think) schools and public buildings may be teaching a message that Judaism specifically and consciously rejected.

This is truly where the controversy lies. I only know one version, and that is the Jewish one. Here is the Jewish version:

1. "I am Hashem, your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. You shall not recognize the gods of others in My presence." (Shemot 20,2)
2. "You shall not make a carved image nor any likeness of that which is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the water beneath the earth. You shall not prostrate yourself before them nor worship them, for I am Hashem your G-d - a jealous G-d, Who visits the sin of fathers on children to the third and fourth generations, for My enemies; but Who shows kindness for thousands [of generations] to those who love Me and observe My commandments." (Shemot 20:4-6)
3. "You shall not take the name of Hashem, your G-d, in vain, for Hashem will not absolve anyone who takes His Name in vain." (Shemot 20:7)
4. "Remember the Day of Shabbat to sanctify it. Six days shall you work and accomplish all your work; but the seventh day is Shabbat to Hashem, your G-d; you shall not do any work - you, your son, your daughter, your slave, your maidservant, your animal, and your convert within your gates - for in six days Hashem made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, Hashem blessed the Day of Shabbat and sanctified it." (Shemot 20:8-11)
5. "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days will be lengthened upon the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you." (Shemot 20:12)
6. "You shall not murder!" (Shemot 20:13)
7. "You shall not commit adultery!" (Shemot 20:13)
8. "You shall not steal!" (Shemot 20:13)
9. "You shall not bear false witness against your fellow!" (Shemot 20:13)
10. "You shall not covet your fellow's house. You shall not covet your fellow's wife, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your fellow!" (Shemot 20:14)

For commentary, please check out this page by the the Orthodox Union.

Principi exits cabinet

The AP reports that:

Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi told his staff he was resigning, a senior administration official said. Principi is the ninth member of Bush's 15-person Cabinet to leave. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a decorated Vietnam veteran.

Anyone else think that John O'Neill will get it?

The UK Wildcats take on Morehead State tonight in Rupp Arena. It should be an easy victory.

Before I head off to dinner, I thought I would place a tribute to the late Beatle John Lennon, would would probbaly have been elected to Congress or the Senate had he still been alive.

This picture was on the Kerry campaign website during the summer.

As John Lennon once said: Give Peace a Chance and All You Need is Love.

Birth: Oct. 9, 1940
Death: Dec. 8, 1980

Spitzer 2006 leads Pataki

The AP reports a huge double-digit lead for Eliot Spitzer in his campaign for Governor.

The poll was conducted even before Spitzer announced Tuesday that he would run for governor, a move that generally gives a candidate at least a temporary boost in the polls.

Spitzer led Pataki 50 percent to 38 percent in the poll by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Pataki also would lose to carpetbagging Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton.

New Donkey on Dean's speech

Howard Dean recently gave a speech dealing with the future of the Democratic party. On another note, I missed the op-ed it the WSJ by Al From and Bruce Reed of the DLC. Anyone have it? Email it please. Here is what the New Donkey had to say:

Wednesday, December 08, 2004
The Dean Shadow Box
Today former Gov. Howard Dean gave his big speech in Washington on the future of the Democratic Party, presumably as the first public shot in his campaign to become chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

He said Democrats should compete in all 50 states. That's right.

He said Democrats should proudly proclaim their values. That's right, too.

He said grassroots organizing and small-donor fundraising will help Democrats win. Yep, no doubt about it.

He said Democrats should stand for universal access to health care, fiscal responsibility, strong public schools, retirement security, a strong national defense, and above all, an agenda of reform, reform, reform. I couldn't agree more.

But before he said all those things I agree with, he did an odd bit of shadow-boxing:

"Here in Washington, it seems that after every losing election, there's a consensus reached among decision-makers that the way to win is to be more like Republicans.... if we accept that philosophy this time around, another Democrat will be standing here in four years giving this same speech. We cannot win by being 'Republican-lite.' We've tried it; it doesn't work."

Maybe I've spent too much time travelling around those states Governor Dean says we're going to take back, but I haven't heard anybody arguing that we should "be more like Republicans." Who is Dean talking about? Zell Miller?

And who, exactly, tried "Republican-lite" and lost a presidential election? Is he talking about his friend Al Gore, who endorsed his candidacy in 2004? Is that his take on John Kerry's campaign? On one occasion during the nomination contest, and more notably in his recent book, Dean pretty much accused Bill Clinton of the "Republican-lite" heresy. But even if you buy that notion, which would offend most rank-and-file Democrats coast-to-coast, Clinton kinda won, didn't he? Twice.

I understand why the Doctor needed an intra-party dust-up for his primary campaign, but it might be time for him to throw out that stock speech and focus on the future. If there are specific matters of principle, strategy or policy we need to fight about, let's get specific about it. But if we don't need to fight, let's unite.

Right on, guys!

Dick Clark suffers mild stroke

BURBANK, Calif. - "American Bandstand" icon Dick Clark was hospitalized this week after suffering a mild stroke.

Clark, who turned 75 on Nov. 30, suffered the stroke this week, publicist Paul Shefrin said Wednesday, declining to give any details. He would only say Clark had been hospitalized in the Los Angeles area.

The entertainer, who went from hosting "American Bandstand" to game shows and producing awards ceremonies, is scheduled to host ABC's "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve 2005" and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2005" on Dec. 31. It will be his 33rd year welcoming in the new year.

"The doctors tell me I should be back in the swing of things before too long so I'm hopeful to be able to make it to Times Square to help lead the country in ringing in the new year once again," Clark said in a statement Wednesday.

Shefrin would only say Clark "is recuperating" and that there's no cause for alarm. Clark disclosed last year that he has diabetes.

Clark produces the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

Please keep Dick Clark in your thoughts and prayers. American Dreams is one of my favorite shows as is Rockin' Eve.

Snow Stays

Bush has asked Treasury Secretary John Snow to stay according to Yahoo News.

I guess President didn't know who to replace Andy Card with as Chief of Staff.

Joe Biden for President in 2008?

Show Quote of The Day
December 8, 2004
Imus asks Delaware Senator Joe Biden if he plans to run for the presidency in four years and Biden replies, "I am going to proceed as if I am going to run. Here is the bottom line for me. Two years from now I don't want to do this for the exercise. I'm pretty certain about what I think needs to be done but I am not sure that the country is where I am. They might not think what I think needs to be done and should be done. I'm not about at this stage of the game compromise on what I think has to be done. I'm prepared to compromise on a lot of things but there are certain basic fundamental things and I'm not sure that my party will be ready for me or the country will be ready for me, but we are going to find out."

This was on the front page of Imus in the Morning. It will be very interesting to see who runs. I did hear that he has some baggage though. So will Joe Biden run for President? I like the guy but I don't think we should run someone that lives in a blue state. My money is on Evan Bayh for President in 2008. Coming close is Mark Warner, the Governor of my neighboring state, Virginia.

Crisis Resolved

G-d works in mysterious ways. I never made it to BP or Perkins. I ran into a fellow dem that happened to have an extra lighter. It is idiot-proof and I made sure to work it first.

I'm going to be posting again on Daily Kos but more sporadically then before. I just don't like the fact that I, a progressive centrist and student member of the Democratic Leadership Council, is being treated for standing up for political mentor Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut. It gets frustrating continually getting attacked by members of my own party. Please do your Democratic duty to support Senator Lieberman

I've became aware that there is another site mentioning how I am being treated on Kos, does anyone know which one? I'm interested in knowing what it says...

Scalia To Synagogue - Jews Are Safer With Christians In Charge 12. Yea, right. I tend to doubt that. We were safer with President William Jefferson Clinton.

In other news, the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) has sent out the following in their latest email. Please read carefully.

Conservative FOX News Channel host Bill O'Reilly has once again put his foot squarely in his mouth. On December 3rd, "Media Matters" reports that O'Reilly told a Jewish radio show caller who was concerned about observance of Christmas in public schools, "Come on, [caller] -- if you are really offended, you gotta go to Israel then."

Media Matters notes that the caller was concerned about "Christmas going into schools," and the caller explained that he "grew up with a resentment because I felt that people were trying to convert me to Christianity." According to Media Matters, "O'Reilly told the caller that America is 'a predominantly Christian nation' and that 'if you are really offended, you gotta go to Israel.' O'Reilly labeled the caller's concerns 'an affront to the majority' and insisted that 'the majority can be insulted, too.'" Please click here to read the story.

Bush gives $20 Million to Palestinians to Pay Israelis Interesting. I thought we were not giving them aid.

More on Eliot Spitzer

I can't stop this now, can I? I know when I see a guy with potential. This guy, like both Evan Bayh and Jonathan Miller, show lots of potential. I had assumed that Eliot Spitzer was Jewish and was I right? You bet! Here is a story from the Washington Post:

Born privileged, Spitzer grew up in Riverdale, an aspiring northern corner of the Bronx. He attended an elite private school, then Princeton University and Harvard Law School. His father, developer Bernard Spitzer, was a self-made man, the son of Jewish immigrants who grew up in a cold-water apartment and put himself through school. He and his wife, Anne, an English literature professor, instilled in their three children both respect for the American system that allowed such a rise and the desire to improve it.

While at Harvard, he worked for law professor Alan M. Dershowitz, who describes Spitzer as "the quiet one, the behind-the-scenes guy, the library guy. It's amazing how he's blossomed."

Now Spitzer is an accomplished public speaker who leavens his thirst for intellectual combat with a self-deprecating sense of humor. He'll quote Homer Simpson and Daniel Patrick Moynihan minutes apart in the same speech. His Manhattan office is filled with photographs. Dozens feature his wife, Silda Wall, a former law school classmate, and their three daughters, and Spitzer says he is intrigued by what his visitors say about the others. Many ask about the courtroom sketch of him during the Gambino trial. Others notice Teddy Roosevelt, the New York-born president famous for busting corporate monopolies. But almost no one from Manhattan recognizes NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, whom Spitzer met through his brother-in-law.

Pretty interesting, eh? Eliot Spitzer wrote a piece for the New Republic arguing that the election was not decided on values but on Bush's economic message. Go check it out!

I think I am going to go to Perkins or BP and see if they have matches.

[UPDATE 3/12/08]: This post has led to many hits since the news broke about his involvement with well, you know. Just because he did something bad does not mean that you should be leaving anti-Semitic comments. Treat others the way you wish to be treated. Jewish or not, when I posted this in 2004, Spitzer was on my short list of future presidential candidates.

A Chanukah Crisis

Unless something miraculously happens in the next few hours, these next 8 days will be the most frustrating days.
If anyone here is in the Northern KY area and would like to donate to the "Help me celebrate Chanukah by dropping off matches at my on-campus apartment because the lighter I bought is not working," please let me know in a private reply.

Some Bayh things

From the Decatur Daily Democrat:

"Here in this 'conservative Republican' state, a moderate Democrat - Evan Bayh - holds the record in two categories. His 1,488,782 votes over Marvin Scott in the 2004 U.S. Senate race breaks the record of U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, who had 1,430,525 votes in 1988."

Pretty impressive, eh? Senator Evan Bayh holds the record in Indiana!
The Washington Post reports:

"Sen. Evan Bayh, a fellow Hoosier, a friend of Mellencamp's since 1988 and a buzzed-about possibility for the Democratic ticket in 2008, says the keys to the singer's status as an Indiana favorite son are his 'authenticity' and his ability to 'bring people together across political divides.'

'I think we both stand for the forgotten middle man,' says Bayh. 'We don't put on airs, and I think the people like that about us.'"

Some weird searches

I looked at the referrals and here are some of the searches of people that end up at the Kentucky Democrat:
carlos guitierrez (Google)
draft bayh 2008 (MSN)
"a look ahead to 2008" (Google)
"barak obama" transcript letterman (Google)
"Bayh + Warner 2008" (Google)
"Hilary Clinton" 2008 "bumper sticker" (Google)
"no shame in being a liberal (Google)
Bayh in 2008 (Yahoo)
Carlos Guitierrez (Google)
carlos guitierrez (AOL)
evan bayh hillary clinton bill richardson 2008 (Yahoo)
Houston plane crash beltway November 22 (Google)
http://kydem.blogspot.com (Google)
jet place inc. gulfstream II g-1159a (Yahoo)
kentucky democrat senate caucus (Yahoo)

Also, I've noticed some recommendations/testimonials on other sites. Here's what they had to say:
Greg's Opinion writes:

The Kentucky Democrat is another DLCnic who's discovered that DailyKOS is not quite the place for him. Kudos. Welcome to the club

Campaign and Elections lists the Kentucky Democrat in their directory. They write:

Although this blog's tagline says it follows Kentucky politics, its scope is much wider. It considers which candidates will be running in upcoming campaigns and other issues of national concern

Basie! writes:

Check out this enjoyable new blog entitled The Kentucky Democrat.

Any other testimonials out there that I am missing?

Presidents and the Jews

I got this in my email today so I thought I would share:

U. S. Presidents and the Jews
Even if you only "skim" this list, please go all the way to the last couple of names!!
GEORGE WASHINGTON was the first President to write to a Synagogue. In 1790 he addressed separate letters to the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, and to Mikve Israel Congregation in Savannah, Georgia, and a joint letter to Congregation Beth Shalom, Richmond, Virginia, Mikve Israel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Beth Elohim Synagogue, Charleston, South Carolina and to Shearith Israel, New York.
THOMAS JEFFERSON was the first President to appoint a Jew to a Federal post. In 1801 he named Reuben Getting of Baltimore as US Marshall for Maryland.
JAMES MADISON was the first President to appoint a Jew to a diplomatic post. He sent Mordecai M. Noah to Tunis from 1813 to 1816.
MARTIN VAN BUREN was the first President to order an American Consul to intervene on behalf of Jews abroad. In 1840 he instructed the U.S. Consul in Alexandria, Egypt to use his good offices to protect the Jews of Damascus, Syria, who were under attack because of a false blood ritual accusation.
JOHN TYLER was the first President to nominate a U.S. Consul to Palestine. Warder Cresson, a Quaker convert to Judaism, who established a pioneer Zionist colony, received the appointment in 1844.
FRANKLIN PIERCE was the first and probably the only President whose name appears on the charter of a Synagogue. Pierce signed the Act of Congress in 1857 that amended the laws of the District of Columbia to enable the incorporation of the city's first Synagogue, the Washington Hebrew Congregation.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN was the first President to make it possible for Rabbis to serve as military chaplains. He did this by signing the 1862 Act of Congress which changed the law that had previously barred all but Christian clergymen from the chaplaincy. Lincoln was also the first, and happily the only President who was called upon to revoke an official act of Anti-Semitism by the U.S. Government. It was Lincoln who cancelled General Ulysses S. Grant's "Order No. 11" expelling all Jews from Tennessee from the District controlled by his armies during the Civil War.
ULYSSES S. GRANT was the first President to attend a Synagogue service while in office. When Adas Israel Congregation in Washington D.C. was dedicated in 1876, Grant and all members of his Cabinet were present.
RUTHERFORD B. HAYES was the first President to designate a Jewish Ambassador for the stated purpose of fighting Anti-Semitism. In 1870, he named Benjamin Peyote Consul-General to Rumania. Hays also was the first President to assure a civil service employee her right to work for the Federal Government and yet observe the Sabbath. He ordered the employment of a Jewish woman who had been denied a position in the Department of the Interior because of her refusal to work on Saturday.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT was the first President to appoint a Jew to a presidential cabinet. In 1906 he named Oscar S. Straus Secretary of Commerce and Labor. Theodore Roosevelt was also the first President to contribute his own funds to a Jewish cause. In 1919, when he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts while President to settle the Russo-Japanese War, Roosevelt contributed part of his prize to the National Jewish Welfare Board.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT was the first President to attend a Seder whi le in office. In 1912, when he visited Providence, Rhode Island, he participated in the family Seder of Colonel Harry Cutler, first president of the National Jewish Welfare Board.
WOODROW WILSON was the first President to nominate a Jew, Louis Dembitz Brandeis, to the United States Supreme Court. Standing firm against great pressure to withdraw the nomination. Confirmation was finally voted by the Senate on June 1, 1916. Wilson was also the first President to publicly endorse a national Jewish philanthropic campaign. In a letter to Jacob Schiff, on November 22, 1917, Wilson called for wide support of the United Jewish Relief Campaign which was raising funds for European War relief.
WARREN HARDING was the first President to sign a Joint Congressional Resolution endorsing the Balfour Declaration and the Palestine Mandate supporting the establishment in Palestine of a national Jewish home for the Jewish people.
CALVIN COOLIDGE was the first President to participate in the edication of a Jewish community institution that was not a house of worship. On May 3, 1925 he helped dedicate the cornerstone of the Washington, D.C. Jewish Community Center.
HARRY S. TRUMAN, on May 14, 1948, just eleven minutes after Israel's proclamation of independence, was the first Head of a Government to announce to the press that "the United Stated recognizes the provisional Government as the de facto authority of the new State of Israel." Truman was also the first U.S. President to receive a President of Israel at the White House, Chaim Weisman, in 1948 and an Ambassador from Israel - Eliahu Elath in1948. With Israel staggering under the burdens of mass immigration in 1951-1952, President Truman obtained from Congress close to $140 million in loans and grants.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER was the first President to participate in a coast-to-coast TV program sponsored by a Jewish organization. It was a network show in 1954 celebrating the 300th anniversary of the American Jewish community. On this occasion he said that it was one of the enduring satisfactions of his life that he was privileged to lead the forces of the free world which finally crushed the brutal regime in Germany, freeing the remnant of Jews for a new life and hope in Israel.
JOHN F. KENNEDY named two Jews to his cabinet - Abraham Ribicoff as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, and Arthur Goldberg as Secretary of Labor. Kennedy was the only President for whom a national Jewish Award was named. The annual peace award of the Synagogue Council of America was re-named the John F. Kennedy Peace Award after his assassination in 1963.
JIMMY CARTER, in a number of impassioned speeches, stated his concern for human rights and stressed the right of Russian Jews to emigrate. He is credited with being the person responsible for the Camp David Accords.
GEORGE H. W. BUSH in 1985, as Vice President, had played a personal role in "Operation Joshua," the airlift which brought 10,000 Jews out of Ethiopia directly to resettlement in Israel. Then, again in 1991, when Bush was President, American help played a critical role in "Operation Solomon," the escape of 14,000 more Ethiopian Jews. Most dramatically, Bush got the U.N. to revoke its 1975 "Zionism is Racism" resolution.
BILL CLINTON appointed more Jews to his cabinet than all of the previous presidents put together.
GEORGE W. BUSH is the first President since Herbert Hoover who has no Jews in his cabinet at all.

The following email is from Atty. General Spitzer, who might someday join the above list:

Dear Friend,
On Tuesday, December 7th, I will be posting an announcement about my political future on my website, www.spitzer2006.com.

I encourage you to visit the site after mid-day and, as always, I welcome your comments and support.

Best,
Eliot

I'm going to follow this race very close. Jerome Armstrong lists the latest news on DNC Chairman contenders at MyDD.com.

It's Official: Eliot Spitzer in 2006

The time has finally come, Political Wire reports that Spitzer is going to announce today:

"There will be no confetti, but Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is expected to announce his candidacy in the 2006 race for governor today in phone calls and E-mails to key election watchers," the New York Daily News reports.

"Sources said Spitzer, considered the Democratic front-runner in the race, will make a splashier announcement in the fall, when the gubernatorial contest begins in earnest."

An announcement is also expected on Spitzer's new campaign website later today.

You can visit Eliot Spitzer's campaign site here.

Have a Happy Chanukah

Well, Chanukah starts tomorrow night on the 24th day of Kislev. I thought I would share one of my favorite jokes. Keep in mind that Chanukah is a minor holiday so I will be on the PC except for on Shabbat. For some Jewish humor that has been circulating the net:
Now, if anyone asks you what the difference is between Christmas and Chanukah you will know what to answer!.
1. Christmas is one day, same day every year, December 25. Jews also love December 25th. It's another paid day off work. We go to movies and out for Chinese food and Israeli dancing. Chanukah is 8 days. It starts the evening of the 24th of Kislev, whenever that falls. No one is ever sure. Jews never know until a non-Jewish friend asks when Chanukah starts, forcing us to consult a calendar so we don't look like idiots. We all have the same calendar, provided free with a donation from either the World Jewish Congress, the kosher butcher, or the local Jewish funeral home.
2. Christmas is a major holiday. Chanukah is a minor holiday with the same theme as most Jewish holidays. They tried to kill us, we survived, let's eat.
3. Christians get wonderful presents such as jewelry, perfume, stereos...Jews get practical presents such as underwear, socks, or the collected works of the Rambam, which looks impressive on the bookshelf.
4. There is only one way to spell Christmas. No one can decide how to spell Chanukah, Chanukkah, Chanukka, Channukah, Hanukah, Hannukah, etc.
5. Christmas is a time of great pressure for husbands and boyfriends. Their partners expect special gifts. Jewish men are relieved of that burden. No one expects a diamond ring on Chanukah.
6. Christmas brings enormous electric bills. Candles are used for Chanukah. Not only are we spared enormous electric bills, but we get to feel good about not contributing to the energy crisis.
7. Christmas carols are beautiful...Silent Night, Come All Ye Faithful.... Chanukah songs are about dreidels made from clay or having a party and dancing the hora. Of course, we are secretly pleased that many of the beautiful carols were composed and written by our tribal brethren. And don't Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond sing them beautifully?
8. A home preparing for Christmas smells wonderful. The sweet smell of cookies and cakes baking. Happy people are gathered around in festive moods. A home preparing for Chanukah smells of oil, potatoes, and onions. The home, as always, is full of loud people all talking at once.
9. Women have fun baking Christmas cookies. Women burn their eyes and cut their hands grating potatoes and onions for latkas on Chanukah. Another reminder of our suffering through the ages.
10. Parents must deliver gifts to their children during Christmas. Jewish parents have no qualms about withholding a gift on any of the eight nights.
11. The players in the Christmas story have easy to pronounce names such as Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. The players in the Chanukah story are Antiochus, Judah Maccabee, and Matta whatever. No one can spell it or pronounce it. On the plus side, we can tell our friends anything and they believe we are wonderfully versed in our history.
12. Many Christians believe in the virgin birth. Jews think, "Joseph, Bubela, snap out of it. Your woman is pregnant, you didn't sleep with her, and now you want to blame G-d. Here's the number of my shrink".
13. In recent years, Christmas has become more and more commercialized. The same holds true for Chanukah, even though it is a minor holiday. It makes sense. How could we market a major holiday such as Yom Kippur? Forget about celebrating. Think observing. Come to synagogue, starve yourself for 27 hours, become one with your dehydrated soul, beat your chest, confess your sins, a guaranteed good time for you and your family. Tickets a mere $200 per person.
Better stick with Chanukah!

I am watching the Daily Show. They commented on the month of December and the separation of religion and state. December 25th is a federal holiday but just a day of movies and listening to CD's for me--except it falls on Saturday so that means davening at synogogue instead of the usual brunch! Also, tomorrow night is the 63rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor which triggered our entrance into WW2, a war in which we should have entered sooner!

Meet Chuck Schumer

This was on the DSCC site!

Senator Chuck Schumer: Winning Elections Since 1974
December 05, 2004

Senator Schumer has been running in, and winning campaigns for public office since he graduated from Harvard Law School in 1974. With three decades of campaign experience, this Senator from New York knows how to get Democrats elected. In his own re-election bid this year, he posted the largest margin of victory (41% lead over his opponent) in the history of New York Senate races. Senator Schumer will be bringing his deft political, fundraising and campaigning skills to the DSCC as the incoming Chair. One can only imagine what he has in store for the 2006 election cycle. Republicans, look out!

I had the chance to see Senator Schumer back when he was in Cincinnati for the Jews for Kerry event. Such a nice man but his flight left early so I never got my picture or autograph with him. I am glad he is staying in the Senate. The last thing we need is a divided primary...pitting Jew against Jew (ok, that was for laughs).

The end of Daily Kos?

Well, since moderates are not liked by the Kossacks, and I am no longer welcome there, I have decided remove the Daily Kos from my blogroll.

They are calling for Joe to be ousted in the 2006 primary. What is this world coming to?

UPDATE: I may have overreacted but I am very passionate in the defending of politicians that I respect and admire. I'll be back on Kos after the break but I wish more moderates would post there so it feels like I'm not the only one. No wing should shun the other wing. I have nothing against the DFA. Most people don't even know what the DLC is. Look what happened to Arlen Specter!

Rankings

This list comes from Demogog (JBrew), a regular blogger at Politics1:

(10) Joe Biden
(9) Rod Blagojevich
(8) Brad Henry
(7) Bill Richardson
(6) Evan Bayh
(5) Mark Warner
(4) Kathleen Sebelius
(3) Ben Nelson
(2) Barack Obama
(1) John Edwards

Sen. Obama is not running. Also, I ran across JBrew's web page and it is now in the blogroll (when blogroll is working correctly)

Clinton in 2008? Obama to retire?

Political Wire is reporting that Hilary Clinton is beginning to assemble her campaign team for relection.

"Already the leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has assembled a small, ethnically diverse stable of advisers dominated by women to chart her political course over the next four years," Roll Call reports.

"All of these individuals and their actions are centered in the short term on Clinton's re-election bid in 2006."

I still believe that Evan Bayh is our guy. Hilary is too polarizing to win in November.

Political Wire is also reporting that Ben Nelson was considered for a cabinet position. However, I don't see a Democrat going unless they want to ruin their political career.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) "rebuffed solicitations by at least two senior Republican senators to switch parties following the November elections at about the same time the White House was courting him to be the next Agriculture secretary," Roll Call reports.

This just in. Treasury Secretary John Snow is going to be replaced.

Sunday, an adviser to the White House privately told the New York Times that "a firm decision had been made to replace Mr Snow as soon as Mr Bush could settle on a successor."

Among those being considered are Card; Gerald Parsky, a wealthy lawyer and venture capitalist who served as an assistant treasury secretary under president Gerald Ford; and former Texas senator Phil Gramm, the Times said.

Secretary Card headed up the Transportation department for Bush's dad.

For some Barack Obama humor, click here now.

"I figure there's nowhere to go from here but down," he said. "So tonight, I'm announcing my retirement from the United States Senate."

In the same self-deprecating vein, he also raised up a mock National Enquirer headline declaring: "Obama's shocking secret. He's Strom Thurmond's Love Child."

He added, "I'm so overexposed that I make Paris Hilton look like a recluse."

Noting that The Boston Globe saw their joint appearance at the dinner as a kickoff for the 2008 presidential election, Romney quipped: "That's ridiculous. That began on Nov. 3."

The governor joked that one potential GOP rival, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, would be too old in 2008, and Vice President Dick Cheney would be ineligible because by then he would have run the country for eight years.

Obama also used the word "ridiculous" in response to speculation that he will run for president in 2008. He mockingly encouraged Romney to "go for it" four years from now.

"I hear that Massachusetts is a great launching pad," he said, referring to Sen. John Kerry's loss this year.

"It's not easy signing autographs and saying no to 2008 a thousand times a day," Obama said. "The president said it was hard work doing that kind of stuff."

He said he and President Bush have a lot in common--they both graduated from Ivy League schools, married above their station and beat Alan Keyes.

The senator-elect teased about his big victory over Keyes, saying that he received 70 percent of the vote statewide "and 102 percent in Chicago. Our voting system is so advanced that the folks in Florida are coming up to study it and see what they can learn."

He said Illinois and Chicago were progressive and ahead of the times. Referring to the fact that House Republicans had passed a rule allowing leaders to stay in their jobs even if indicted, he said, "We had that years ago" in Illinois.

In other news, John Kerry is starting a new leadership PAC and it is going to be headed John Geisser. Read here.

The PAC, which has yet to be named, will be based in Boston and headed by John Giesser, a lawyer and former chief operating officer of the City Year community service program.

Giesser is also a veteran political strategist who assisted Kerry with his 1996 reelection race and served as the number two general election strategist at the Democratic National Committee during the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. He formerly worked at the Dewey Square Group, a Boston political consulting firm, and is a close ally of both Michael Whouley and John Sasso, two veteran strategists who headed the DNC's general election efforts at various points in the 2004 campaign.

More updates to come later.

What happened to Gov. Gray Davis?

The AP reports that former California Governor Gray Davis has returned to practicing law. I did hear that he was switching jobs with Arnold but I guess Gray is not the type for Hollywood. He is currently practicing at the firm of Loeb and Loeb, who's clients range "from Anheuser-Busch to the Beastie Boys in copyright infringement cases, and represented financial institutions including AIG and UBS."

As to politics, former Gov. Davis (D-CA) remarks, " "A lot of positive things happened, but that chapter of my life is over." Time will only tell before he answers my email.

Continuing with the subject of retired politicians, the University of North Carolina is courting Senator and Mrs. Edwards to teach at the law school according to the Greenville News Record.

Law school Dean Gene Nichol said he sent a letter two weeks ago to Edwards and his wife, asking that they consider any association with the school. Nichol also asked Elizabeth Edwards to consider working with the law school in some capacity.

If that is the case that he does go teach at UNC, he will probably have a public email address and I will finally get his autograph!

Welcome

The Kentucky Democrat would like to welcome Scott, who authors The Vent as a guest contributor.

What could have been

This is my final blog entry on this year's election. Here are who I thought would have made the cabinet:
My Kerry Cabinet:
POSITION and MY GUESS
VP-Edwards
Secretary of State--George Mitchell
Secretary of the Treasury--Jim Johnson
Secretary of Defense--Wesley Clark
Attorney General--Eliot Spitzer
Secretary of the Interior--Gary Locke
Secretary of Agriculture--Tom Harkin
Secretary of Commerce--Jim Blanchard
Secretary of Labor--Dick Gephardt
Secretary of HHS--Howard Dean
Secretary of HUD--Jan Schakowsky
Secretary of Transportation--Bob Menendez
Secretary of Energy--Bob Graham
Secretary of Education Jeanne Shaheen
Secretary of Veteran's Affairs--Max Cleland
Secretary of Homeland Security--Gary Hart

if anyone knows how to make this column wider, please comment!

Pat Tillman killed by his own people

I was sent this in an email:

Report: Tillman's Final Minutes a Horror
33 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The last minutes of Pat Tillman's life were a horror of misdirected machine-gun fire and signals to firing colleagues that were misunderstood as hostile acts, according to an account published Sunday of the death of the NFL player-turned-soldier.

It took the Army a month to change the record to show that Tillman, the Arizona Cardinals defensive back who gave up a $3.6 million contract to become an Army Ranger, was killed last April not by Afghan guerrillas but by his Ranger colleagues.

Even then, the statement by Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensinger Jr., head of the Army's Special Operations Command, gave few specifics of the corporal's death and implied that he was trying to suppress enemy fire when he "probably died as a result of friendly fire."

The Washington Post on Sunday, in the first article of a two-part series, published what it described as the first full telling of how and why Tillman died. The newspaper said it had access to "dozens of witness statements, e-mails, investigation findings, logbooks, maps and photographs."

A series of mishaps and missteps began the chain of events that resulted in Tillman's death in eastern Afghanistan (news - web sites), the newspaper said. A Humvee broke down, which led to the splitting up of his platoon.

The segment of the platoon with Tillman, Serial One, passed through a canyon and was near its north rim. The other segment, Serial Two, changed its plans because of poor roads and followed the same route into the canyon. It came under fire from Afghan Taliban fighters.

Men in Serial One heard an explosion that preceded the attack, and Tillman and two other fire team leaders were ordered to head toward the attackers, the Post said. The canyon's walls prevented them from radioing their positions to their colleagues, just as Serial Two had not radioed its change in plans.

Tillman's group moved toward the north-south ridge to face the canyon, and Tillman took another Ranger and an Afghan ally down the slope.

"As they pulled alongside the ridge, the gunners poured an undisciplined barrage of hundreds of rounds into the area Tillman and other members of Serial One had taken up positions," the Post said Army investigators concluded. It said the gunner handling the platoon's only .50-caliber machine gun fired every round he had.

The first to die was the Afghan, whom the Americans in the canyon mistook for a Taliban fighter.

Under fire, Tillman and almost a dozen others on the ridge "shouted, they waved their arms, and they screamed some more," the Post said.

"Then Tillman `came up with the idea to let a smoke grenade go.' As its thick smoke unfurled, `This stopped the friendly contact for a few moments,'" a Ranger was quoted as saying.

Assuming the friendly fire had stopped, the Ranger said, he and his comrades emerged and talked with each other, the Post reported.

"Suddenly, he saw the attacking Humvee move into `a better position to fire on us.' He heard a new machine gun burst and hit the ground, praying, as Pat Tillman fell," the Post reported.

The Ranger said Tillman had repeatedly screamed out his name and shouted for the shooting to stop, the Post said. He and others waved their arms, only attracting more fire. Tillman was shot repeatedly by rifles, finally succumbing to the machine gun.

Early in the firing, the Post said, the driver of one of the Serial Two vehicles pulled out of the canyon and recognized the parked U.S. Army vehicles in front of him. "The driver shouted twice: `We have friendlies on top!' ... Then he yelled several more times to cease fire, he recalled.

"`No one heard me.'"

Pat Tilman gave up his football career for the armed forces. He took a pay cut and sometimes not given the respect he deserves. My grandfathers served in the what Tom Brokaw dubbed "Greatest Generation" during WW2. I almost enlisted after 9/11 but lost the fire during the push for war with Iraq. It doesn't matter whether you supported the war or not, you must respect those that serve our country. I know I support the troops. I supported going into Afghanistan. I applauded Senator Joe Lieberman when he called for Hussein to be removed. I was against going to war the way Bush did. He by-passed the United Nations all-together!

The Kentucky Democrat is picking up steam nationwide. Please continue to visit!