BIDEN MAY BE MORE THAN READY TO DO BUSH'S BIDDING AND PARROT GOP TALKING POINTS, BUT RUSS WARNER ISN'T BUYING INTO THAT SPIN

front: Jane Hamsher, Russ Warner, Howie; back: Dave, D-Day, Todd Beeton, Lucas Gardner

There's a great deal of anxiety among Democrats right now. They seem nervous about the Bush Regime's ability to turn public opinion against them by questioning their patriotism. Public opinion is fickle so we'll see. And I guess for a lot of them they worry about... their jobs and their careers. Someone's got to worry about America. And our values-- democratic and Democratic. By letting Bush get away with stealing 2 elections did we forfeit our birthright. Did anyone riot in the street? I didn't. Why should any Democratic official show any backbone when we didn't?

Sigh.

Today Jane, Irwing and I went to a little party for Russ Warner. There were some other bloggers friends of ours there too, as well as some of Russ' grassroots supporters and some local activists. It was very pleasant. I told Russ that I knew that David Dreier, the rubber stamp Republican abomination he's running against is not just supporting Bush's policy of escalation in Iraq, but that he was busy working on wavering Republicans to toe the line and vote for Bush's request of another $50 billion. I asked Russ how he would be different.

He talked about his son Greg, back from 17 months serving in the army in Iraq, currently at West Point. And he talked about how he feels history will judge the Bush Regime to be one of the two most divisive in the history of our country-- the other being the "president" who is most like Bush, Jefferson Davis. And in the end Russ said what I had hoped I would hear-- that if he were in Congress he would vote no on Bush's $50 billion supplemental and that this war is doing to us exactly what bin-Laden wanted it to do, exactly what bin-Laden did to the Soviet Union. He bled them and he's bleeding us. Russ and his family feel strongly about protecting America-- much more than about empty, stubborn and ignorant rhetoric. His opponent is a party hack who lets Bush and Cheney do the thinking. David Dreier says whatever he feels his moderate suburban district wants to hear and then he goes back to Washington and votes the way Cheney tells him to-- on everything. Look at that horrible voting record-- utterly disrespectful of his constituents, who are hardly a bunch of yahoos from some backward, low info area.

If you like Dreier's voting record or if you just dig the idea of someone in Congress whose entire being is based on a lie and who is so far gone he doesn't know up from down or true from false, then David Dreier is your kind of guy. If, on the other hand, you like how Russ Warner handled the question I asked him about the war, consider giving him a hand taking on one of the most well-healed Republican con-artists in the business. Russ' Blue America page is open and happy to accept any contributions, big or small.