Team America

Spying, Failing, Thumbing

2006-01-25T11:29:00.000-05:00

As the Bush Administration attempts to extend its spying on U.S. citizens through Wed search engines like Google (see "Google and Privacy" and "Forgot What You Searched For? Google Didn't" in The Washington Post) and whispers admission that Iraq Reconstructon is failing (see "Iraq Rebuilding Badly Hobbled, U.S. Report Finds"), it seems eager to expand the Global War on Terror from Afghanistan and Iraq to Iran (see "The Gulf Between Us" in The New York Times) but clearly disinterested in defending American lives here at home (see "White House Got Early Warning on Katrina").

Seems like the boy has a vision, but not for Team America...

Bob Novak Says Bush Knows Plame Leaker

2005-12-16T09:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, The Washington Post refocused the nation's attention on the main issue in PlameGate: who is responsible for naming Plame to Robert Novak for his article?

A rat jumping from a sinking ship, Novak told guests at a luncheon of the John Locke Foundation down in Raleigh, N.C:

I'm confident the president knows who the source is.

I'd be amazed if he doesn't.

So I say, don't bug me. Don't bug Bob Woodward. Bug the president as to whether he should reveal who the source is.

Now we're getting somewhere!

Only, could someone please clarify: why are other reporters getting heat from Justice but not Novak? Is that animal more equal than others -- or does the special prosecutor have something special in store for Novak -- something a little juicier than Judy Miller's little vacation?

Cheney Replaces Scooter with Sulu

2005-10-30T21:55:00.000-05:00

In a surprise move, U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney has replaced Lewis "Scooter" Libby with George "Sulu" Takei, the Star Trek star who recently confessed to Frontiers Magazine that he was gay, after a lifetime (68 years) of silence and secrecy, according to the irrefutable Unconfirmed Sources -- click here to read the full article.

Frist Followed HCA Stock: Washington Post

2005-10-24T10:35:00.000-04:00

According to today's Washington Post, Senator Frist was indeed aware of his HCA stock portfolio in blind trust -- see article.

Johnny-Come-Lately's: Scowcroft and Wilkerson

2005-10-24T07:27:00.000-04:00

Later today, Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft will join the ranks of earlier critics (retired Gen. Anthony Zinni, former US Secretary Treasurer Paul O'Neill and former US Counter-Terrorism czar Richard Clarke) and last week's newcomer ret. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson in denouncing US President George W. Bush and his neocon cabinet, according to WashingtonNote, the personal website of Steve Clemons, Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation.

US Department of State veteran diplomat Robin Raphael also came out of the closet this past week (see UPI).

Why are Scowcroft and Wilkerson so late to join the party? Why don't they say something new? The answer is: politics. Mr. Bush's post-9/11 honeymoon is over and the wolves are out to gobble up his moon -- but no sooner, with no sacrifice like resignations of protest, not like some lesser-knowns who have really taken it on the chin earlier in the game -- like former US ambassador Joseph Wilson.

This is not to belittle the efforts of General Scowcroft, Colonel Wilkerson, or others. After all, General Scowcroft did go public with his opposition to the war in the Fall of 2002 (see Wall Street Journal). Americans should consider, however, how much of such recent efforts are goodwill, how much prudent timing, and how much politics.

Scowcroft articles:
New Yorker
Wall Street Journal

Wilkerson articles:
Financial Times
United Press International
Bloomberg
The Guardian (UK)
New York Times
Washington Post Op-Ed by Rob Malley

Democratic Void: Economist

2005-10-23T17:49:00.000-04:00

While the Republicans flounder amidst Plamegate (see previous post) and associated scandales of Bush 43's second term, the Democrats have little or nothing to say in response, as The Economist notes clearly in a recent article entitled "Hold the champagne."

Republican Scandals: Times of London

2005-10-23T17:45:00.000-04:00

Excellent summary of where things stand in Washington in today's Times of London -- no, not TIME -- entitled "Prosecutor closes in on Bush ‘brain’."

Valerie Plame-Karl Rove Timeline

2005-07-16T10:09:00.000-04:00

Today's New York Times provides an excellenct timeline on the Valerie Plame-Karl Rove Case:

(Just click on the images to go to the NYT page.)

Karl Rove's America

2005-07-15T07:26:00.000-04:00

Be sure to ready Paul Krugman's Op-Ed this morning about "Karl Rove's America" -- click here. Here is an excerpt:

What Mr. Rove understood, long before the rest of us, is that we're not living in the America of the past, where even partisans sometimes changed their views when faced with the facts. Instead, we're living in a country in which there is no longer such a thing as nonpolitical truth. In particular, there are now few, if any, limits to what conservative politicians can get away with: the faithful will follow the twists and turns of the party line with a loyalty that would have pleased the Comintern.

Funny, when I saw the title of Ambassador Joseph Wilson's book, The Politics of Truth, I thought it was overwrought: now, seeing a professional writer use it a bit better, it seems just right...

Patrick Seale: US Cannot Win in Iraq

2005-07-05T20:23:00.000-04:00

Veteran Middle East analyst Patrick Seale commented in last week's Daily Star (Lebanon) that "America is facing the real possibility of defeat in Iraq." According to Mr. Seale, the insurgency continues unabated, while sectarian violence rises, overseen by over-extended US troops and unprepared Iraqi troops. U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel told U.S. News & World Report just the day before, "The reality is, we're losing in Iraq." Earlier last month, former CIA director John M. Deutch, called for American troops to pull out of Iraq "as soon as possible."

He even compared US withdrawal from Iraq to Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Seale's bottom line? "Occupation breeds insurrection."

Click here to read the full article.

Iraq War Was Precluded: UN Negotiation Charade

2005-06-28T08:18:00.000-04:00

Today's Washington Post has an article "From Memos, Insights Into Ally's Doubts On Iraq War: British Advisers Foresaw Variety of Risks, Problems" which analyzes more of the eight memos released to the public by British journalist Michael Smith in which British officials cast doubt upon the American plan to invade Iraq.

On March 25, 2002, two weeks before Blair met with Bush in Crawford, TX, back in the spring of 2002, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw wrote, "The rewards from your visit to Crawford will be few. The risks are high, both for you and for the Government."

Ten days before Straw, on March 14, 2002, David Manning, Blair's chief foreign policy adviser at the time, wrote to the prime minister, "I think there is a real risk that the administration underestimates the difficulties. They may agree that failure isn't an option, but this does not mean they will necessarily avoid it."

Reporter Glen Frankel continues,

Critics of the Bush administration contend the documents -- including the now-famous Downing Street Memo of July 23, 2002 -- constitute proof that Bush made the decision to go to war at least eight months before it began, and that the subsequent diplomatic campaign at the United Nations was a charade, designed to convince the public that war was necessary, rather than an attempt to resolve the crisis peacefully. They contend the documents have not received the attention they deserve.

(Click here to read the full article.)

Thomas Friedman: Run, Dick, Run

2005-06-22T15:33:00.000-04:00

In "Run, Dick, Run," which ran in today's New York Times, columnist Thomas Friedman provides more insightful analysis than of late into an important, as-yet undiscussed facet of Republican Party politics: the (apparent) lack of a successor for US President George W. Bush.

(Click here to read the full article.)

Cheney Girls Mine America

2005-05-31T09:20:00.000-04:00

The New York Times is running a story this morning called "Weaned on Politics, Cheney Daughters Find a Place at the Table," by Todd S. Purdum, that reports on the gains of the family of US Vice President Richard B. Cheney

"Older sister Liz is the first deputy assistant secretary of state ever to have her own Secret Service detail" -- and whose office happens to be Near Eastern Affairs, (re)hired in February 2005 ahead of her boss, Assistant Secretary C. David Welch, whose tour of Egypt ended in March 2005. The same month (March), her husband, Philip J. Perry, was made be general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security. Liz earns $149K, Phil $140K.

Younger sister Margaret ("Mary") Cheney helped to launch Simon and Schuster's new Threshhold imprint with a book deal with a $1 million advance.

Click here to read the full article.

American Gulag: Bad Gulash?

2005-05-26T10:47:00.000-04:00

Click here to read article on superchefblog.

Tsunami Update 1: US Ex-Presidents Lead Funding

2005-01-03T19:19:00.000-05:00

Visit superchefblog for Tsunami updates:

- Tsunami Update 4: US Ex-Presidents Lead Funding

- Tsunami Update 3: Christmas Island

- New Year's Resolution: Eat Well, Help Others

- Tsunami Update 2: Race Against More Death

- Tsunami Update 1: Foodies Help

- 2004 Tsunami: How Foodies Can Help

Help Tsunami Victims

2004-12-29T18:56:00.000-05:00

Political comments are forthcoming: for now, please donate money to your favorite aid agency to help victims of the 2004 Tsunami.

For details, link to and read "2004 Tsunami: How Foodies Can Help.

Forward the link http://www.superchefblog.com/2004/12/2004-tsunami-how-foodies-can-help.html. There are links to numerous agencies as well as summary news and many many more links.

Smallbites has already created a link and forwarded the word by email.

Five Easy Pieces? Democratic Reform

2004-12-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

Political consultant for California's Assembly Democrats and also a UPI contributor Patrick Reddy has offered five ideas to reform the Democratic Party's platform in a recent article because "Democrats need some new thinking," especially if they plan to unseat Republican incumbents.

He proposes reform in Welfare, Healthcare, Taxes, Pensions, and Immigration, which share between them the common theme that individual security at less cost than the Great Society programs of the 1960s.

Among other suggestions, he also proposes that Democrats learn to speak "Middle American" better.

(Click here to read the full article.)

Whittaker Chambers Warns Democrats

2004-11-09T17:25:00.000-05:00

In today's Washington Times, national columnist Paul Greenberg wrote:

The Democrats don't have to change. They can just sit back and let the red states turn redder, and lose the next three or four presidential elections. They can just drift to port until they become a cozy little club. They can meet every four years at their national convention to exchange clever repartee and inside jokes, congratulating themselves on their own ideological purity and general sophistication. Much like Taft Republicans in the GOP's dark age.

It seems that Greenberg seeks a more formidable adversary -- and so he kindly passed on the observations of Whittaker Chambers to Bill Buckley:

If Republicans can not get some grip on the actual world we live in and from it generalize and actively promote a program that means something to masses of people -- why, somebody else will. There will be nothing left to argue. The voters will simply vote Republicans into singularity.

Greenberg continues:

Substitute "Democrats" for Republicans in Chambers' warning, and you have the challenge confronting Democrats today... The future of the Democratic Party, if it is to have one, lies not with the Howard Deans and Michael Moores, or even with the only vaguely defined John Kerrys and John Edwardses, but with bright young comers like Barack Obama. He's the next U.S. senator from Illinois and a natural conciliator. Someone who is rooted in his faith, dedicated to building community, and who can even work with Republicans to achieve sensible reforms.

Thank you, Mr. Greenberg, for the best summary to date on last week's national elections.

Election Maps

2004-11-02T15:49:00.000-05:00

Here are some amazing election maps, for your convenience today -- just click on the logo to see:

The Economist Endorses Kerry

2004-10-29T08:21:00.000-04:00

The Economist, bastion of conservative British thought, has finally weighed in on the US presidential elections and admitted, "We think American readers should vote for John Kerry on November 2nd... On balance, our instinct is towards change rather than continuity: Mr. Kerry, not Mr. Bush." After that, they spell out "the case against George Bush."

(Click here to read the full article.)

Clinton For Kerry: Join Us in Comeback Country

2004-10-25T18:45:00.000-04:00

Bill Clinton joined Democratic candidate for president John Kerry in Philadelphia today and spoke before a rowdy crowd of 10,000 supporters. "If this isn't good for my heart, I don't know what is," he said.

"From time to time, I've been called the Comeback Kid," Clinton said. "In eight days, John Kerry is going to make America the comeback country.

Kerry followed with thunder in the wake of the New York Times report that American forces had lost 380 tons of highly explosive weapons in Iraq. "George W Bush has failed the test as commander-in-chief," he thundered. He told the crowd that he was impatient to relieve the president as commander-in-chief.

"Comeback" and "relief" -- these are sports terms appropriate to Team America's concept and terminology. It's time for Team America to vote in their relief coach, John Kerry.

Kerry Scores Big on Newspaper Super Sunday

2004-10-24T10:36:00.000-04:00

According to Greg Mitchell, editor of Editor & Publisher" industry magazine, Democratic candidate John Kerry made "huge gains" in endorsements from newspapers around the country, including 23 papers that supported Republican opponent George W. Bush. In all, that leaves Kerry ahead of Bush 85-68 endorsements according to Editor & Publisher, with circulations of 12.8 million to 8.5 million.

Bush kept ahold of Ohio's Columbus Dispatch, but Kerry has now won all major Florida newspapers including the taking of The Orlando Sentinel, which supported Bush in 2000. The Detroit News, always a Republican endorsers, is sitting out this election, as is the The New Orleans Times-Picayune. Other defectors for Kerry from the 2000 Bush camp include The Chicago Sun-Times and The Los Angeles Daily News. Even the Columbus Dispatch, while backing Bush, wrote that they were "less than enthused about the choices." Another loss for Kerry was The Denver Post, which supported Gore in 2000.

Click here to read further details, including the names of many newspapers.

Boston Globe Endorses Kerry

2004-10-24T10:25:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, The Boston Globe endorsed Democratic candidate John Kerry for president. They quoted him from 1997 saying prophetically, "We should be the natural leaders of a world coalition against crime, but we have yet to recognize the `new crime's' scale and sophistication." They cited also his support for the environment and energy independence as their three main points to highlight Kerry's core strengths: "an ability to see complex problems in new, often prescient, ways and a willingness to seek collaborative solutions."

Click here to read the full editorial.

New York Times Endorses Kerry

2004-10-24T10:10:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, The New York Times Magazine stated that "we enthusiastically endorse John Kerry for president."

First, they ran Ron Suskind's commentary entitled "Without a Doubt," which details to the public "what Bush's top deputies -- from cabinet members like Paul O'Neill, Christine Todd Whitman and Colin Powell to generals fighting in Iraq -- have been told for years when they requested explanations for many of the president's decisions, policies that often seemed to collide with accepted facts. The president would say that he relied on his 'gut' or his 'instinct' to guide the ship of state, and then he 'prayed over it'..."

On the one hand there is an inherent conflict. Suskind continues, "This is one key feature of the faith-based presidency: open dialogue, based on facts, is not seen as something of inherent value. It may, in fact, create doubt, which undercuts faith. It could result in a loss of confidence in the decision-maker and, just as important, by the decision-maker... The circle around Bush is the tightest around any president in the modern era, and 'it's both exclusive and exclusionary,' Christopher DeMuth, president of the American Enterprise Institute, the neoconservative policy group, told me. 'It's a too tightly managed decision-making process. When they make decisions, a very small number of people are in the room, and it has a certain effect of constricting the range of alternatives being offered.'

Suskind delved even deeper into the heart of the matter and heard from a White House Communications officer about the Bush White House calls "the reality-based community'' who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality... That's not the way the world really works anymore. We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."

Jim Wallis of the Sojourners told Suskind that when faith is used to "certify our righteousness -- that can be a dangerous thing. Then it pushes self-criticism aside. There's no reflection... Real faith, you see, leads us to deeper reflection and not -- not ever -- to the thing we as humans so very much want. Easy certainty."

Where even Suskind will not go is the further degree that loyal subject will go: to cheat on their analytical homework by finding facts to support desired, predetermined conclusions -- such as the special information closed pipeline of information around the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). He does not delve into the advantages Bush loyalists are taking. He does not delve into Iraq reconstruction contracts, lack of adequate protection or services for regular and reservist soldiers, or tax cuts for the rich. Nor does he enter the realm where PBS went in The Choice 2004. (Click here to videostream.) In particular, New Yorker political columnist Nicholas Lehman address the "dirty campaigning", also discussed in Part IV and V of the show.

Second, in an Editorial endorsing John Kerry, the Times said, "There is no denying that this race is mainly about Mr. Bush's disastrous tenure" despite the fact that lately, particularly during the presidential debates, "we have come to know Mr. Kerry as more than just an alternative to the status quo. We like what we've seen. He has qualities that could be the basis for a great chief executive, not just a modest improvement on the incumbent." They praise him for his bi-partisan abilities, his strong defense of human rights, his support for stem cell research, his upholding of the separation of church and state, and his national health coverage plan. They applaud his ideas on energy, global warming, and oil dependency.

Although the phrase is still absent in these as so many other supporters, they praise him for his "good neighbor" policy.

Superman Endorses Kerry

2004-10-24T09:47:00.000-04:00

Just days after her husband's death on October 10, Dana Reeve, wife of Superman star Christopher Reeve, came out of private mourning at a campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio, to endores Democratic candidate John Kerry for president, AP reported.

"My inclination would be to remain private for a good long while,'' Dana Reeve said, "but I came here today in support of John Kerry because this is so important. This is what Chris wanted." (Read Dana Reeve's full speech online.)

The Reeves have advocated embryonic stem cells ever since Christopher Reeve was rendered paraplegic after a horse-riding accident in 1995. (Read bios for Christopher online by the BBC, The New York Times, CBS, MSNBC, and CNN.

"His heart was full of hope, and he imagined living in a world where politics would never get in the way of hope,'' Dana said.

Reeve called and left John Kerry a phone message the day before his death in which he thanked him for his support of medical research.

At the rally, John Kerry reaffirmed his support for scientific innovation, which George W. Bush rejects on behalf of special interests. "He has an extreme political agenda that slows instead of advances science," according to Kerry.

Washington Post Endorses Kerry

2004-10-24T09:25:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post formally endorsed Democratic candidate Senator John Kerry for president in their lead editorial today.

While the Post confessed that they do not share the passion or confidence of the much of our divided nation in either candidate, "On balance, though, we believe Mr. Kerry, with his promise of resoluteness tempered by wisdom and open-mindedness, has staked a stronger claim on the nation's trust to lead for the next four years."

Click here to read the full editorial.

The "N" Word: "N" is for "Neo-Con"

2004-10-16T19:17:00.000-04:00

Back in the 1960s, Lenny Bruce scoffed at US President Lyndon Baines Johnson for his "n" word. "It's 'KNEE-grow,' Lyndon. Come on, try it again - 'KNEE-grow'."

Four decades later, I have an "n" word which Democratic candidate for president Senator John F. Kerry needs to say: knee-oh-con. Come on, try it, John -- time is running short: KNEE-oh-con.

NEO-CONSERVATIVE -- definition: to believe in denial, plausible or not.

Action Plan up to January 23, 2005

2004-09-30T23:03:00.000-04:00

Between today, October 1, 2004, and the first day of the next presidency, which commences on Monday, January 23, 2005, Team America can begin to reshape the course of American politics and the presidency. Particularly since the outcome of November 2 may be highly contentious and litigious, Team America needs to be ready to move strongly into the presidency on January 23 -- and, having planned for the presidency, can project that readiness backward to October 1 onwards.

Between October 1 and Election Day on November 2, Team America's presidential candidate, John Kerry needs to accomplish two things and make them known to the American public:

1. He needs to set all major policies -- strategy. When a country is at war, as the USA is in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is no time for the "transition" of the presidency. November 3 to January 22 needs to be spent preparing for implementation. That implementation needs to begin on January 23, 2005.

2. Therefore, John Kerry needs to select his Cabinet by November 2. For the public, Team America could announce as early as possible after October 1 the formation of a traditional "transition team" to select the president's cabinet. The target date for the Cabinet's announcement would be Monday, October 25 -- on which date could be announced formation of a special, even "secret team" devoted to presidential strategy, which had already formulated the basic strategy of the next presidency. These announcements should produced a sudden spike of confidence in the entire American public, just in time for the vote seven (7) days later.

Upon winning on November 2, Team America's president and cabinet would be ready to prepare not to begin making choises but to prepare for a series of action to be enacted effective January 23, 2005.

On January 23, 2005, at noon, President John Kerry would make a nationally (i.e., global) televised statement, analogous to President Georget W. Bush's speech on "Operation Iraqi Freedom" of March 19, 2003, which should even being with the same opening words: "My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of..."

Inaugration Day on Thursday, January 20, 2005, will be, appropriately, a public show that John Kerry has assumed the mantle of the presidency, but in these times of crisis, he needs to begin acting as president on January 21, 2005, in order to prove immediately to all people that a new president is in the White House, one who is a not only a clear thinker but doer, one who is ready to execute a well planned strategy, and one who is embarking on a new course for America in both domestic and foreign policies.

Some of these actions must include unilateral foreign policy actions -- but privately announced to all current US foreign allies, so that in strength America will "apologize" via course correction, just as America has (for all practical purposes) acted unilaterally of late, particularly in the action which most of the world regards as the "invasion" and now "occupation" of Iraq.

As a whole, this action plan will accomplish three major objectives for the Kerry/Edwards campaign:
1. Keep the Kerry/Edwards team focused on the goal of presidency
2. Leverage the goal into something which Team America can vote for on November 2
3. Keep the "transition period" focused on the goal during highly likely voting contention

The campaign messages by mid-October can shift into some of the new language (and images) Team America sports-oriented language, phrases, and slogans:
- Words like "win," "slam-dunk," "sure-fire"
- Phrases like "play to win," "join Team America," "off the bench"
- Slogans like "Join Team America," "Don't just be American: do American -- come play for Team America," "Make yourself heard. Join Team America"

Republicans tapped into the strong Team America spirit by rallying Americans behind George W. Bush as commander in chief during war and continue to maximize this position, particularly with the "stay the course" phrase to keep Americans behind Georget W. Bush in the Iraq War. Team America needs to make a deeper, more fundamental claim on this turf, recasting the president as coach not captain, and having him orchestrate the very serious, highly competitive games which challenge the USA: containment of Weapons of Mass Destruction, the use of American military power, international trade, jobs, health, environment... Team America needs to make sure all Americans understand the president as coach of the most powerful but also the most prudent nation on earth -- and that on January 21, 2005, President John Kerry will begin to right the "wrong course" upon which George W. Bush has set America.

Who leads Team America?

2004-09-30T08:15:00.000-04:00

Who leads Team America?

Don't say, "The Captain!"! A captain leads field players.

We're not looking for "Captain America"!

Think again.

The Coach.

The Coach directs field players. The Coach directs the captain. The Coach leads the team.

Compared to the Coach, a captain is someone who may -- one day -- have enough experience to lead the team. The Coach has both the brains and brawn to lead: s/he is thinker and doer. A captain executes tactics: the Coach outlines the strategy.

When George W. Bush jetted onto USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, to stand before a banner declaring "Mission Accomplished" and to announce "major combat operations in Iraq have ended," he let Americans know who was boss -- only we don't have political "bosses" in America (except the occasional glitch, like Tammany Hall). George W. Bush is no flyboy -- he cannot properly demonstrate that he even fufilled reserve duty as such. No doubt, George W. Bush wants to be a captain. He's been acting like a captain. Problem is, the president is not a captain: the president is a coach.

It gets worse. When George W. Bush announced "major combat operations in Iraq have ended," he could not have been more wrong.

And it gets still worse, because Georget W. Bush is not leader enough to admit that he was wrong. Americans started to know early on -- papers were being published publicly by US military experts (see August 15, 2003, paper "The Sunni Insurgency in Iraq" by Dr. Ahmed S. Hashim of the US Naval War College) -- that the Iraq War was bogging down into a Viet Nam. But to this date, George W. Bush cannot admit he was wrong. He would rather "stay the course" -- even if that course is a one-way road to hell -- a one-way road to hell for America, not for him, because he will not lose his millions, he will not be judged for his actions before a court of law, and he will not lose sons or daughters, nephews or nieces in this destructive, unfruitful war.

John Kerry has already been a captain, in time of war. After completing his education at one of our country's finest universities, Yale, John Kerry enlisted and served 1966-1969 in the US Navy, serving two tours of duty in Viet Nam and reaching the rank of lieutenant. (Personal naval records are available here online, in PDF format.)

For his service in the Viet Nam War, John Kerry was awarded three Purple Hearts. The Purple Heart was created by General George Washington for "outstanding valor and merit" and revived in 1932 for combat soldiers "wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy."

After Viet Nam, John Kerry served his country again, this time in government. From 1984 to the present, he has been a US senator from the state of Massachusetts. He is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation's Sub-Commitee on Oceans, Fisheries, and the Environment, and ranking member on the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations' Sub-Committee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs -- among others. Sound complicated already? Thank God, John Kerry was a serious Yale student!

Between combat and government service, John Kerry performed the least thanked and most courageous civic duty of all: he publicly dissented. Dissent was once a great American tradition, made most famous in pre-Revolutionary War times by Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense (click here to read the third edition). In the process, he joined (VVAW) and later co-founded Vietnam Veterans of America.

John Kerry has accumulated enough experience to have the wisdom to change course:
- He came back from Viet Nam opposed to the war; over time, he decided to improve matters not by opposition but by changing from within: is that a flip-flop, Mr. Bush (Mr. Cheney, Mr. Rove)?
- As more factual information about Iraq came to light, he changed his outlook and strategy for Iraq: is that a flip-flop, Mr. Bush (Mr. Cheney, Mr. Rove)?

John Kerry is a doer and thinker. He is a man with experience and wisdom. With your minimal support -- with your vote -- you can empower a courageous American to further serve his country. John Kerry has the presence of mind and experience in action to know when it's time to push on ahead, when it's time to regroup, and when, if it becomes necessary, it's time to call it quits and move on elsewhere. These are presidential qualities. George Washington had them. Thomas Jefferson had them. Abraham Lincoln had them. Woodrow Wilson had them -- and pulled US troops out of Mexico. Franklin Delano Roosevelt had them -- and pulled US forces out of Haiti. Richard Nixon had them -- and pulled US troops out of Viet Nam (and later resigned as president in the face of his own personal defeat). Ronald Reagan had them -- and pulled US forces out of Lebanon. Bill Clinton had them -- and pulled US forces out of Somalia. With your support, John Kerry will make great decisions -- and help make this country loved as well as respected around the world once again. America can once again become a "good neighbor" to all.

Now, how do we get there by November 2 -- and January 23?

What is Team America?

2004-09-30T08:02:00.000-04:00

Team America is the citizenry of the United States of America.

Team America is you and everyone around.

The question is: are you playing? Are you playing -- for Team America?

Because there is no bench for Team America. To sit out is to admit loss and defeat before a game has even begun.

How doe you play?

You vote. That simple. The Democracy of these greated united states grants the right to vote to all registered citizens. You can vote on at least three levels of government: local, state, and federal. Don't think of voting as a burden: do not think of voting as a right. Voting is a privilege, hard-won by the founders of this country and hard-maintained by their successors. Today, you are their successors. It is your privilege to maintain our great nation. If you simply vote, you add your two cents worth. You speak. You count. When nearly three hundred million Americans speak, directly or through voting family members or friends, we are a force to be reckoned with.

Join the stars of America. One star alone in the vast sky of night is lonely: a myriad of stars is splendor. Shine. Vote.

And, when you vote, you will find yourself strong -- strong because your voice becomes one of many that form a larger, unified chorus. Like a classical Greek play, a chorus directs the protagonists, the heroes of any play.

Next question is, what should Team America's leadership look like? Come see one vision...

Why do we need Team America?

2004-09-29T07:52:00.000-04:00

The Republican Party has spent more than half a century in building itself up. They have built up a pantheon of party philosophers such as Russell Kirk and have been supported by such steady powerhouses as National Review's founder William F. Buckley, Jr.. Recently, however, the party of American Conservatives has devolved into "Neo-Conservatism."

Concurrently, the Democratic Party has been coming apart at the seams -- since the heyday of the New Deal of the 1930s under US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). Whereas Republicans today have a "best practice" guide of party principles coupled with a party discipline that keeps most if not all members closely within the party line, Democrats currently exhibit no such unity or cohesion. This devolution was perhaps best exhibited recently by the DNC slogan "Anybody But Bush" or "ABB" (see Naomi Klein's article "Anybody but Bush - and then let's get back to work") -- the very notion of "anybody" translates effectively into somebody and even "nobody" -- nobody special. Is that who John Kerry is -- just "anybody but Bush"?

For these and other reasons, it is high time that Democrats find a unifying theme and message, for themselves and for all Americans. The theme presented on this blog is "Team America."