Why Federal Judges Matter

The Republicans get it, the president appoints federal judges for a lifetime. 10 trillion in debt, who cares. Endless war, no biggie. No substantive law, all is forgiven.

Federal judges and the Supreme Court - Thanks, W!!

Karl Rove is Right

Rove is no idiot - he's responsible for the horrible public opinion about Bush and Republicans - but he's no idiot.

Rove is right - picking Palin is a brillant political move. Rove got Bush elected by dividing our nation with religion and guns. Palin is a member of the Assembly of God. The Assembly of God is a far right denomination headquartered in Springfield, Missouri (swing state) and has produced folks like John Ashcroft. The far religious right is a key to achieving Rove's dream of a permanent Republican majority. Palin is also a life-time NRA member and those fine folks need to be engaged to not have good government, but to have the Rove/Bush/McSame dream of a permanent Republican majority.

Let's be real honest - no NRA member lost a gun in the Clinton administration. A little more honesty - Bush and the Republicans controlled all three branches of the government and didn't pass a single bit of legislation on abortion. This isn't about Hillary voters, its only about firing up the base.

Un-American

Let's face it, telling lies about a person's patriotism is wholly Un-American.

Here's the lie:

Hello everyone,

As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to 'The War Zone'. I wanted to share with you what happened. He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram.

As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service.

So really he was just here to make a showing for the American's back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you.

I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States. I just don't understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.

If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.

In service,
CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier

Here's the truth:

"After checking my sources, the information that was put out in my email was wrong.

Kuddos to Snopes.com for finding and reporting the truth. Bush/Cheney/Rove started this unpatriotic crap with the swift boat attacks. All of us agree that America is the greatest country on earth. Let's talk about how to improve life for our citizens, not to tell lies or use fear and lies to bring out the worst in our country.

Viagra or Birth Control

Where did John "McBush" McCain's independent streak go?

Bush's Legacy

President Bush leaves a legacy - trillion dollar debt, a never-ending war, corruption, a damaged Constitution, the Abramoff scandal. McCain seeks to continue on this legacy for a 3rd term. Some folks in San Fransisco want to honor that legacy.


US News: San Francisco to vote on naming sewage plant after President Bush
By DPA, Jul 18, 2008, 4:43 GMT

San Francisco - Activists in San Francisco have secured sufficient support to put on the November election ballot an initiative to rename a local sewage plant in 'honour' of President George W Bush.

The Bush critics succeeded in collecting more than 12,000 signatures for renaming the sewerage plant, and an election committee confirmed it, the San Francisco Chronicle said Thursday.

San Francisco voters are to give their approval to change the name of the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant to the George W Bush Sewage Plant in November.

A Bush sewerage plant would 'prompt people to ask why,' organizer Brian McConnel, said. 'And they can discuss the Iraq war and everything that led to it.'

'People want to forget bad moments of history, and this is our way of making sure that doesn't happen,' he said.

McConnell and his helpers campaigned with loud, patriotic music and lots of US flags. They said they were determined to keep fighting for votes until November

The United States has statues, libraries, airports and streets named after former presidents. The satirically-named sewage plant memorial for Bush, who leaves office in January, stands good chances of success.

In 2006, 58 per cent of San Francisco voters supported a local initiative to impeach Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney.

BARNES: Kick Graves out With Bush

You couldn't buy this kind of press from the St. Joe News:

Democratic congressional candidate Kay Barnes came to St. Joseph Tuesday night with a set of directions for Republican officeholders: President Bush is headed for the door, and incumbent Rep. Sam Graves should go with him.

The challenger for the Missouri 6th District seat spoke to more than 40 local supporters at the opening of her St. Joseph campaign office.

A native of St. Joseph and graduate of Central High School, Ms. Barnes recited a list of economic ills — rising food and gas prices, increasing health care premiums, escalating unemployment numbers — as an indication of the nation gone astray.

She asked if Americans had better lives now than when Mr. Bush and Mr. Graves took office in 2001.

“I’m willing to bet that very few of us would be able to give a very resounding ‘yes’ or even a very weak ‘yes,’” she said.

She accused the Bush administration of presiding over years when record budget surpluses became record deficits, when pork-barrel projects doubled in number and when five million more illegal immigrants entered the United States.

The Democrat said the Iraq war cost the 6th District more than $1 billion.

“Just think what even a part of $1 billion could do ... to improve the lives of people in Northwest Missouri,” she said.

Ms. Barnes cited British statesman Winston Churchill’s assessment that Americans can be counted on to do the right thing ... “after they’ve tried everything else.” In this election, she said, voters are ready for a new direction.

“The good news is that Americans know how to make change when it is necessary,” she said. “We have to make the change in Northwest Missouri.”

Though most of her speech aimed at Republicans, Ms. Barnes has an opponent in the Aug. 5 Democratic primary, though Ali Allon Sherkat of Riverside, Mo., has done little campaigning.

Mr. Graves, unopposed in the primary, is seeking his fifth term in the U.S. House. Dave Browning of Oak Grove is the lone Libertarian in the race.

St. Joe Abandons Graves

Buchanan County / St. Joe - one of the 3 most populous counties in the 6th district -(the other two are Clay and Platte and all three voted for Sen. McCaskill, Auditor Montee and for stem cell research) is abandoning Congressman Graves.

The St. Joseph News ran a poll on Congressman Graves racist attacks on Mayor KAY (not Gay) Barnes. Here is the result:

Are Sam Graves' attack ads on Kay Barnes fair game? Response Percent

Yes. No one said politics was nice. 34%
No. The ads are shameless and misleading. 65%

The letters to the editor are also telling, like this one from the Rev. Chases Peoples:

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Graves should issue apology for imagery in attack ad

Sam Graves’ TV ad attacking Kay Barnes for “San Francisco values” may be off the air for the moment, but the racist and homophobic images used in it remain in our area’s consciousness. I have no objection to Graves attacking Barnes for having a fundraiser with Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco or for any other issue he may want to raise. I do, however, object strenuously to the way he went about it in this ad, which demeans people who are African-American and/or gay and lesbian.

The ad displays a picture of three people dancing and drinking — an African-American female, an African-American male and a Caucasian female — in what I guess is supposed to be stereotypical gay attire (although my gay friends rarely seem to wear mesh tank-top and cowboy hat combinations). While this image plays, the announcer mentions that “San Francisco values” include support for gay marriage and other stances. It seems fair to me for Graves to attack Barnes for her positions — whatever they may or may not be — but what I object to is the imagery.

Nothing that gets into political commercials is by accident, especially when it comes to people of minority ethnicity and/or sexual orientation. One needs only to think of the Willie Horton ad in 1988 or the ads run against Harold Ford Jr. in 2006 to realize that images of African-Americans in political ads are routinely used to arouse prejudice in white voters. The list of negative portrayals of gay and lesbian people in political ads is an even longer one. Graves’ ad falls right in line with this tradition of dehumanizing and stereotyping a minority to appeal to voters’ worst fears and biases.

I think it is fair to ask why the ad depicted not one, but two African-Americans in a manner that implies a hedonistic lifestyle. Why not an African-American, a Hispanic-American and a Caucasian-American? Why not three Caucasians? The inclusion of two African-Americans seems intended to provoke a certain kind of reaction in a majority white district. Furthermore, the evocation of the gay boogeyman also seems intended to incite prejudice in a district where most homosexuals by necessity must keep their orientations below the radar. It’s not a new tactic, but an old one: play to the majority’s fears about the minority. Unfortunately, we have too many examples of that kind of tactic not only helping win political races, but also reinforcing systemic prejudice.

I call upon Sam Graves to apologize for the imagery used in the ad, and I hope that people in Northwest Missouri of every political party will reject the dehumanization of minorities for political gain.

The Rev. Chase Peeples,
St. Joseph

People are sick of the Graves/Roe/Bush/Rove attack machine. They are sick of congressmen who take money from oil companies and then vote them tax breaks for exploring for oil. Graves' nastiness does not breed loyalty; just ask Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo) who can't distance himself from Graves fast enough.

Barnes Race in 6th Upgraded by Cook

Kay Barnes race for Congress in Missouri's 6th District has just been upgraded as one of the top races in the entire nation.

Charlie Cook, and before that Stu Rothenberg, have pointed out this is one of the top races to watch. 85% of the districts are safe for incumbents (whether R or D). There are very few, maybe as few as 10, where an incumbent has a chance of being knocked off. Congressman Graves way be the most vulnerable incumbent in the entire nation.

#1 - Graves is in the pocket of Big Oil. With $4 per gallon of gas, that ain't gonna fly with the rural tractor drivers.

#2 - he's attached at the hips (and pocket book) with Bush/Cheney. Graves is the only Congressman in the entire nation to have fundraisers thrown by both Bush and Cheney.

#3 - Kay is a great leader. She is originally from St. Joe. This district includes Clay and Platte Counties, where the voters are used to her successful leadership. The 6th voted for Sen. McCaskill (D), Auditor Montee (D) and to support stem cell research. Democratic state representatives have been winning in Northwest Missouri and the areas North of the Missouri River, but still in Kansas City, are electing Democratic city council people.

The common sense voters in Clay, Platte, Eastern Jackson and Buchanan Counties will vote for Kay Barnes

Bush + McCain = McBush

Want to know the differences between Bush and McCain? Take the Bush/McCain Challenge. The first question - Who said "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned"?

Republicans gave us high gas prices

Cheney had secret oil policy meetings, Bush gave tax breaks to oil companies, all while oil companies are experiencing the greatest profits in the history of man kind. Congressman like Sam Graves voted with the Bush Administration almost 100% of the time and is taking donations from oil companies. No wonder we need a new $5 bill

BARNES to Graves: Answer One Little Question

BARNES TO GRAVES: "IN ECONOMIC TIMES LIKE THESE, JUST ANSWER ONE QUESTION"

Kay Barnes, 6th District Congressional Candidate, called on incumbent Congressman Sam Graves to answer one simple question.

Barnes asked, "Congressman Graves, do you agree with President Bush's statement yesterday that the United States is not in a recession. Or do you agree with the 74% of Americans who believe we are in a recession?"

CNN reported yesterday:
"President Bush denied Tuesday that the United States' economy is in recession, calling it instead a 'slowdown'."

CNN reported in March:
"Seventy-four percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey say the economy has entered a recession."

Here's betting that Graves/Roe won't disagree with the Bush/Cheney machine. Graves has been their water boy for the last seven years, he's not going to start slapping the hand that feeds him now. Since Graves is the only congressman in America to get a fundraiser by both Bush and Cheney - the economy is just fine in the Graves world (especially with the Graves family getting all those fee offices from Blunt).

Kay Kicks Butt

Here's an email I got from Mayor Kay Barnes Chief of Staff, Corey Platt:

Yesterday, something incredible happened. Our campaign reported virtually the same amount of money raised for the first fundraising quarter as Congressman Graves. This is the same quarter that Congressman Graves had George Bush in town to raise money for his struggling campaign. Many of you answered the call to stand up to the Bush/Graves money machine, and your voices were heard.

Kay Barnes has taken away the incumbent advantage from Congressman Sam Graves. Having raised the same amount of money, in a quarter that should have been Graves' easiest, shows that Kay is in the driver's seat. This past quarter, Kay reported raising $402,068, her highest total to date, bringing her total raised in only 10 months to more than $1.4 million and our cash on hand to over $950,000.

In just the first three months of this year, over 1,100 individuals contributed to Kay's campaign. Compare that to just 137 people who contributed to Congressman Graves-- I'm not joking; Kay has ten times more donors than the incumbent Congressman. It is now more clear than ever that Congressman Graves is relying on his special interest friends to send him back to Washington, including another $5,000 this quarter from Exxon. Luckily, we have over 4,000 people who have joined Kay and donated to the campaign. There is no way that Congressman Graves, George Bush and Exxon Mobil can compete with all of you.

Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do. I'm honored to be working with all of you.

Corey Platt
Campaign Manager
Kay for Congress

This is a huge deal. Taking on an incumbent is hard work. Graves/Roe is the only campaign in the entire nation to have both Cheney and Bush do fundraisers.

Let's be real honest, Kay Barnes for Congress could be the final nail in the coffin for Congressman Graves/Roe. Graves took this spot from a Democrat and then used it as a spring board to 1) build Jeff Roe's company and 2) run the Democrats out of office in Northwest Missouri. Well, folks in that part of the state have had enough.

Sen. Claire McCaskill and State Auditor Susan Montee had great performance in the 6th District. Other things are happening, like Sandra Aust being a strong candidate for state senate in the Clay County area. How about Rep. Ryan Silvey (R) being in bad shape with a very strong Josh Reed running the best grass roots campaign for a house seat in the entire state.

Up and down the ticket, Democrats are looking great in the northland and Kay Barnes is going to win.

"Supreme Court Inc."

The right wing gets it - if you want to keep unconstitutional laws in force, you have to pack the Supreme Court.

Folks like the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights have recognized the successful efforts of the Bush administration to pack all levels of the federal judiciary with right wing judges. The current Supreme Court has taken bites out of almost every constitutional principle that has come before it and even Time Magazine has noted that the Robert's Court is pro-business.

All this cheery news of the right wing high-jacking the federal courts gets even more gloomy when reading "Supreme Court, Inc." by the NY Times. The Times article highlights how cheery the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been with the Robert's Court's pro-business/anti-consumer decisions.

"Ever since John Roberts was appointed chief justice in 2005, the court has seemed only more receptive to business concerns. Forty percent of the cases the court heard last term involved business interests, up from around 30 percent in recent years. While the Rehnquist Court heard less than one antitrust decision a year, on average, between 1988 and 2003, the Roberts Court has heard seven in its first two terms — and all of them were decided in favor of the corporate defendants."

The next U.S. President will likely appoint 3 U.S. Supreme Court judges!! President Bush has rewarded his most loyal supporters - the religious right wing - with appointments of justices that will erode civil liberties. Bush has rewarded his most loyal contributors - Chamber of Commerce folks - with justices who disregard consumers in favor of corporations. And, Bush has done it intelligently - pick the young guys. A life time appointment is all the more meaningful since Alito and Roberts will be there for 40 years.

Democrats can have have 3 life time picks or they can allow McCain to pick the new justices. McCain is already sucking up to the extreme right wing promising to pick more Scalia and Thomas-like justices. If there is a civil liberty that you like, get united around a Democratic candidate for President now!

Barnes Added to Top Races in the Country

We all knew Mayor Kay Barnes was going to run one of the top races in the nation. According to this Roll Call Article, the DCCC has determined the same. Of course President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney already knew that Graves was the most vulnerable incumbent in the nation, why else would Graves be the only Congressman in the country to have fundraisers with the President and the VP?

DCCC Expands Its ‘Red to Blue’ Program
March 12, 2008
By David M. Drucker,
Roll Call Staff
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is scheduled today to unveil the next slate of candidates it has chosen to participate in “Red to Blue,” a fundraising and infrastructure program that focuses on flipping Republican-held House seats. While the first batch of candidates — unveiled in January — are running in 11 Republican-held open districts, this second group includes 13 Democrats who are set to challenge GOP incumbents this fall. The DCCC’s national network of donors is encouraged to contribute to Red to Blue candidates, as are sitting House Democrats, with the committee providing strategic advice and infrastructure reinforcements directly to the participants’ campaigns.

“These candidates have come out of the gate strong, and the Red to Blue program will give them the financial and structural edge to be even more competitive in November,” DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) said. Julie Shutley, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, did not appear all that concerned, referring to the DCCC’s latest group of Red to Blue candidates as “fatally flawed and doomed to failure no matter how much money they spend on their campaigns. In fact, four of the 13 Democrats selected for the second round of Red to Blue lost their House bids in 2006, arguably the best environment for the Democratic Party in a generation.”

The 13 new Red to Blue participants include former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes, challenging Rep. Sam Graves (R) in Missouri’s 6th district; former Senate aide Anne Barth, challenging Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R) in West Virginia’s 2nd; 2006 nominee Darcy Burner, seeking a rematch with Rep. Dave Reichert (R) in Washington’s 8th; and Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Robert Daskas, challenging Rep. Jon Porter (R) in Nevada’s 3rd.

Additional participants include Ohio state Rep. Steve Driehaus, challenging Rep. Steve Chabot (R) in Ohio’s 1st; Greenwich Democratic Party Chairman Jim Himes, challenging Rep. Christopher Shays (R) in Connecticut’s 4th; 2006 nominee Christine Jennings, challenging Rep. Vern Buchanan (R) in Florida’s 13th; 2006 nominee Larry Kissell, challenging Rep. Robin Hayes (R) in North Carolina’s 8th; and former state Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, who is competing for the Democratic nomination and the right to challenge Rep. Tom Feeney (R) in Florida’s 24th.

Also added to Red to Blue were 2006 nominee Eric Massa, challenging Rep. Randy Kuhl (R) in New York’s 29th; former Michigan Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters, challenging Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R) in Michigan’s 9th; state Sen. Mark Schauer, challenging Rep. Tim Walberg (R) in Michigan’s 7th; and marketing executive Dan Seals, challenging Rep. Mark Kirk (R) in Illinois’ 10th.

The DCCC credits Red to Blue with raising $22.6 million for 56 campaigns during the 2006 cycle, an increase of $15.1 million over what was spent in the 2004 cycle, when 27 Democratic House candidates benefited from Red to Blue at an average clip of $250,000 per campaign. The infrastructure and strategy component of the program is lauded for stabilizing the campaigns of several 2006 House Democratic candidates, ensuring they could capitalize at the ballot box on a political environment that favored the Democrats, and helped the party take control of Congress for the first time in a dozen years.

Democratic Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), Artur Davis (Ala.) and Bruce Braley (Iowa) are co-chairmen of the Red to Blue program this cycle. The DCCC continues to maintain a significant financial edge over the NRCC, and this advantage could come in handy as House Democrats seek to expand their 17-seat majority. As of Jan. 31, the DCCC possessed a hefty $30 million lead over the NRCC in cash on hand, having outraised the Republican committee by $18 million since the beginning of the election cycle.

But Republicans are clearly banking on money not being everything. “With the weight of the Democrat Congress’ approval ratings and the Democrat majority’s lack of accomplishments on their backs, these challengers are going to be facing a steep uphill climb,” Shutley said. “Our Republican incumbents are battle tested.”

Evolution or Intelligent Design

Bush Wins War on English

Why we really need either Obama or Clinton -

"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorize himself."

George W. Bush, Grand Rapids, Michigan, January 29, 2003.

Best Friends Forever: Bush/Cheney/Graves

Quick Quiz - who is the only Congressman to have BOTH president Bush and Vice President Cheney host fundraisers? Nope, not felon Tom Delay. Nope, not arm twister Roy Blunt. It is our very own Congressman Graves.

Graves hitched his wagon to Bush/Cheney and is in for the ride of his life. Graves stuck with the hugely unpopular administration 95% of the votes. For a great video detailing the BFF relationship, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJQ0zCL31BU

Why Medical Malpractice Premiums Are So High

President George Bush has a hard speaking English. Remember this good one from right here in Missouri:

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." George W. Bush, Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Sept. 6, 2004.

I'm sure the OB's spouses don't appreciate this kind of love around.

Commander-is-AWOL

Three great Democratic candidates - all on the same message. Boy howdy, it is a great time to be a progressive. The messages coming from Huckabee (supported by Jeff Roe, Sen. Bartle and Rep. Yates), Romney (supported by Gov. Matt Blunt), Guilani (supported by Sen. Bond) and McCain are dividing Republicans. They can't even agree that pharmacy companies are bad for making horrific profits off Americans while selling drugs cheaper in Canada while moving all the intellectual property assets to Jamaica to avoid taxes.

Remember this great quote by Bush - "I'm the commander - see, I don't need to explain - I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president." - George W. Bush, Washington Post, Nov. 20, 2002.

Any one of the Democratic candidates will be just fine as a replacement to the current occupant.

Bush in History

In 408 days, the Bush presidency will end. (That is, barring some wild Cheney/Rove spasm of historical exceptionalism, on a scale beyond even the Supreme Court appointment that marked the beginning of the regime.) And, we will blink in the dawn of a new era, wondering what in the hell that was about. And the Bush regime will begin to be placed into historical context.

Ironically, the proverb "History is written by the victors" has many attributions, reflecting the uncertainty and even falsity of much we accept as "history". A few more colossal military screw-ups, and our greatest President may have been recorded as the final and most inept President of the formerly United States. "What if" games can lead to all kinds of altered visions, with history's villains triumphant, and history's heroes vilified.

But the process of assessing presidents in the popular mind is far less binary. Nixon has become a paranoid, flawed master of foreign policy. Reagan is widely viewed as a dim-witted simpleton with a sunny smile who surrounded himself with corrupt thugs (though a few hold-outs still remember him as "morning in America"). Kennedy, well, heck, you can't even mention him in some circles without genuflecting, though serious study reveals a far less saintly Jack.

A common theme in presidential assessments is that truly negative views cannot hold. As Americans, we cannot stomach the thought that one of our leaders was actually a bad person. As noted above, even Nixon, who resigned when he hit the depths of disapproval to which Bush has sunk, has gained a more generous stature than anyone thought possible when he left office. At the time, he was a slimy, despicable crook, but now he has risen to a competent president with a flair for talking with the Chinese, whose fatal flaw was too much concern about being reelected.

The truth is that W needs an upgrade in reputation. The truth is, grade school students in 2050 aren't going to look at the large sheet of oval portraits, focus on Bush (he may attract attention for being the last in that consecutive string of white males) and learn what really happened. No teacher is going to stand there and say "At the turn of the Century, Democrats fell under the control of a bunch of incompetent, gutless party leaders, and the Republicans fell under the spell of the Christian right, and the voters elected Gore, but the Supreme Court preferred Bush, the war-criminal, who soon launched one understandable war and then one inexcusable, evil debacle that destroyed our country's standing in the world."

America in 2050 will not believe how bad Bush has been. We, as a country, need to believe that our path has been righteous, and always toward the light. We even gloss over the Spanish-American War these days, as a 6 month adventure in helping other countries gain their independence from Old Europe. In a few more years, the Bay of Pigs will either drop entirely out of mainstream history books, or be upgraded to a valiant effort that inspired the Cubans to hold on for another 50 years until Castro died.

My imagination fails me as to how we can remake W, though. He launched a brutal, bloody war against a country that had not attacked us and posed no threat to us, reprising the role of Hirohito. He gave us secret prisons and people "disappearing", ripping a page out of what we had thought was Stalin's playbook. He made us torturers, and rendered the Geneva Conventions "quaint", drawing from the Pol Pot genre. He accepted a presidency that wasn't his to accept, in the best tradition of tin-horn third-world "presidents". He played guitar while New Orleans drowned, like a modern-era Nero. How do we cobble together an acceptable portrait out of this historical Frankenstein of ill-chosen parts?

My suspicion and hope is that Bush will be remembered in the manner of Lyndon Johnson - a kind of forgotten war-time president whose focus was on a war he couldn't win or end. We'll have to forget that, unlike Johnson, Bush started his war, and chose it with an eagerness that led him to skew intelligence. We'll have to forget a whole lot about Bush.

It's going to be a slow, painful process to forget about Bush. Forgiveness of the person, of course, is going to be beyond the ability of many of us, but fixing what he has done to us will be difficult enough that it will provide plenty of distractions.

Some will read this and complain that it's not fair that Bush will get off lightly for his misdeeds. I agree - he's a war-criminal and an uncaring leader serving the interests of the wealthy. But history has never been a fair and just narrative. It's about creating a story we can live with. America will not be able to live with the truth of George W. Bush. In 408 days, we must begin to reinvent him.