At my desk before 9am, in time to pass on a DNC missive passed on by DWT: Howard Dean socks it to Chimpy the Snoop (or is it Snoopy the Chimp?)

Not that anyone should care, but on Day Two of the NYC transit strike I ventured out into the sub-freezing cold and actually got to work via my "backup plan"! Left home shortly after 7:10am and was at my desk at 8:40, at a cost of only $4, roughly two and a half times my normal commute. (Exercise gained hiking for an hour through frigid morning cold: priceless.) I've bought tickets for three more such trips.

In the morning e-mail I found this post from DWT as he passed through Madrid. I'm sure he would want to share it. (Of course I may find that he already has!)

You know, if Governor Dean keeps this up, in time the mainstream media will have to start acknowledging that he's our only major political figure who always speaks to the point and always make sense.

Won't they?

K


In a message dated 12/20/05 4:39:23 PM, EakesP@dnc.org writes:


Washington, DC - Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today issued a radio actuality on the recently discovered program President Bush authorized to spy on Americans. In the actuality, Dean highlights the fact that "the Bush Administration's secret program to spy on the American people reminds Americans of the abuse of power during the dark days of President Nixon and Vice President Agnew," and calls on President Bush to be "truthful with the American people."

The actuality contrasts the latest revelations of abuse of power coming from the Bush Administration with contradictory statements the President made one year ago when he said that a wiretap "requires a court order" and assured that nothing had changed.

To listen to the audio, click on the link below:

http://a9.g.akamai.net/7/9/8082/v001/democratic1.download.akamai.com/8082/audio/20051220_Dean_Audio.mp3


"Democrats are serious about fighting terrorists, and the American people deserve a President and Vice President who understand that we can protect our liberty and our freedom AND keep America safe.

"President Bush's secret program to spy on the American people reminds Americans of the abuse of power during the dark days of President Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew. Why is it that President Bush went in front of the American people and said that a wiretap 'requires a court order,' after having approved a wiretap program without a court order two years earlier.

"From paying journalists to write positive stories, to allowing lobbyists like Jack Abramoff to peddle influence, to leaking the
identity of a covert CIA operative in a time of war, the Republican Party's culture of corruption has to end now.

"The President claims Congress had the same intelligence in the run up to the Iraq War, but that turned out not to be true. The President claims that leaders in Congress were briefed about the program to spy on the American people, but that turned out not to be true either. It's time for the President to be truthful with the American people.

"And while the President yesterday called the leak of his secret program to spy on the American people 'shameful' he hasn't applied the same standards to denounce the leaking of a CIA Agent's identity in a time of war.

"How can President Bush call the spy program leak shameful, while Karl Rove is still on the White House payroll, and still has his top secret security clearance?

"What's really shameful is the double standard. This is an abuse of power. It's un-American, and it's unacceptable.

"Americans need a President who will keep them safe and enforce the law; we don't need a big brother.

"Together, America can do better."

BUSH THEN AND NOW:

THEN

Bush: Wiretaps "Require a Court Order." "Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution." [President Bush, 4/20/04, http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040420-2.html ]

To listen to this audio, click here:

http://a9.g.akamai.net/7/9/8082/v001/democratic1.download.akamai.com/8082/audio/20051220_Bush_2004_Wiretapcomment.mp3


NOW

Bush: I Authorized Secret Wiretap Program Without Going Through the Courts. "To save American lives, we must be able to act fast and to detect these conversations so we can prevent new attacks. So, consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution, I authorized the interception of international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations. ...This program has targeted those with known links to al Qaeda. I've reauthorized this program more than 30
times since the September the 11th attacks, and I intend to do so for so long as our nation is -- for so long as the nation faces the continuing threat of an enemy that wants to kill American citizens." [President Bush, 12/19/05,
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051219-2.html ]