Jesus Tapdancing Christ, do these people have no shame whatsoever?

When Catherine Herold received mail from the Ohio Republican Party earlier this year, she refused it. The longtime Barberton Democrat wanted no part of the mailing and figured that by refusing it, the GOP would have to pay the return postage. What she didn’t count on was the returned mail being used to challenge the validity of her voter registration.

The GOP is unapologetic:

The angry voters had the Republicans on the defensive. “Why’d you do it?” one challenged voter shouted out at [Howard] Calhoun [one of the four challengers]. “Who the hell are you?” the man asked. “What the hell do you care?” replied Calhoun, an attorney. After the hearing, Calhoun said he felt the challenges were legitimate.

If you think that reducing voter turnout helps your cause, you’ve got a problem. If you try to quash legitimate voter registrations, you’re just about as far from the ideals this country is supposed to be about as you can be, and I wouldn’t cross the street to piss on you if you were on fire, you evil goatfucking jackasses.

The Economist and American Conservative have both endorsed John Kerry.

The Medium Lobster endorses George Bush:

When it comes to the war on terror, America cannot afford to have the wrong man at the helm. The leader of the free world must understand that this clash of civilizations is, above all things, a war of concepts, and he must have the strength and the purity to embrace the boldest possible vision. Now more than ever, America needs a man of ideas in the Oval Office. George W. Bush is that man. For his administration had not only embraced ideas, it exists, in a sense, only as an idea. It has so rapidly and so readily embraced the boldest of ideas that it has transcended the need for real actions, real plans, real accomplishments, and reality itself. Any leader could have made the war on terror into a tedious, ongoing struggle to unearth and uproot a multi-tentacled terrorist organization while attempting to heal the rifts between the Muslim world and the West. But George Bush didn’t just see the task: he saw the grand idea behind the task, and better still, the vague abstractions behind the grand idea. And he was willing to fight those vague abstractions. Terror, weapons of mass destruction – they may not have been really in Iraq, but the idea of them most certainly was. And that was an idea the world’s only superpower had to confront with real troops.

Giblets, of course, endorses Giblets.

One candidate is taking Giblets – and the threat of Giblets – seriously. One candidate knows that if Giblets’s rivals are elected president he could transform into a pack of ravenous wolves and eat your children. And that candidate is Giblets.

Fafnir, though, endorses a gila monster, but not without real deliberation:

It is a confusin an frightenin time to be America. Because a 9/11 an these Times Of Change. “Oh no!” says America. “I’m so confused who do I voooote for!” You need steady leadership in times a change America. The steady leadership of a big ol dog. Some other candidates say they are steady but are they really? Or are they just suspiciously french an ketchupy? “Sacre bleu, vive le France,” say some other candidates. “Ceci n’est pas une pipe.” Well always know where a big ol dog stands on hard issues like terror!” “HRARRGL HRAARRGL GRRRAAARRRGL,” says a big ol dog bitin an spittin an growlin at terror. The dog is also tough on other dogs, postal workers, small children, plants an stuff that looks like plants.

Well, actually, it’s Atrios quoting Wesley calling attention to what George said, but it’s still pretty fucking fine:

Today George W. Bush made a very compelling and thoughtful argument for why he should not be reelected. In his own words, he told the American people that ÒÉa political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts is not a person you want as your Commander in Chief. President Bush couldnÕt be more right. He jumped to conclusions about any connection between Saddam Hussein and 911. He jumped to conclusions about weapons of mass destruction. He jumped to conclusions about the mission being accomplished. He jumped to conclusions about how we had enough troops on the ground to win the peace. And because he jumped to conclusions, terrorists and insurgents in Iraq may very well have their hands on powerful explosives to attack our troops, we are stuck in Iraq without a plan to win the peace, and Americans are less safe both at home and abroad. By doing all these things, he broke faith with our men and women in uniform. He has let them down. George W. Bush is unfit to be our Commander in Chief.

Amnesty International’s more than a little disturbed about our human rights record of late:

LONDON (Reuters) – The United States has failed to guard against torture and inhuman behavior since launching its “war on terror” after Sept. 11, 2001, Amnesty International said Wednesday in a report just days before the U.S. election. The rights group called on President Bush and his Democratic challenger John Kerry to promise to take prompt action to address the issue head on if elected on Nov. 2. It condemned Bush’s response to the 2001 attacks on U.S. cities, saying it had resulted in an “iconography of torture, cruelty and degradation.” Amnesty’s report accused Washington of stepping onto a “well-trodden path of violating basic rights in the name of national security or ‘military necessity’.” “The war mentality the government has adopted has not been matched with a commitment to the laws of war and it has discarded fundamental human rights principles along the way,” it said. At best, Washington was guilty of setting conditions for torture and cruel treatment by lowering safeguards and failing to respond adequately to allegations of abuse, it said. At worst, it had authorized interrogation techniques which flouted its international obligation to reject torture and ill-treatment under any circumstances.

Say, how about that “shining city on a hill” thing again?

Relative to population, it turns out our votes in Texas are only worth about 0.8 votes, while folks in tiny states like Wyoming are worth better than 3. Check out this analysis of the Electoral College system for more. It’s interesting — and a bit disturbing, particularly if you think in terms of “one man, one vote” — no matter what your politics.

Have a look at his video for Mosh. (Big Quicktime file, but worth it.)

Thomas Schaller believes in our president. Here’s a sample:

I believe in President George W. Bush. I’ve always believed him. I believe the president invaded Iraq to secure liberty and democracy for the Iraqi people. I believe he had compelling evidence that Iraq was a significant threat to America and the world, and presented that evidence in a complete and balanced manner. Like 42 percent of Americans — and 62 percent of Republicans — I believe Saddam Hussein was involved in the September 11 attacks. I believe we have enough troops on the ground in Iraq to ensure stability. I believe the rising American fatality rates, the rising casualty rates, and the rising American share of those coalition fatalities and casualties testify to the undeniable progress we’re making there. I believe it is inappropriate and traitorous, however, for the media to broadcast pictures of American flag-draped caskets returning from Iraq. I believed then-candidate Bush when he said during the 2000 campaign that America should not nation-build, and believe him now when he says our nation was divinely chosen for this task. I believe, as the president claims, that “free societies are peaceful societies,” but that the political and civil rights in oppressive, undemocratic countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are exempt from this standard. I believe Iraqis view Americans as liberators, and that once this swift, cheap war concludes the world will be more stable, our allies more cooperative, and our enemies fewer and less threatening.

There’s more. Enjoy.

There’s apparently a plan to keep blacks from voting in some heavily Democratic districts in Florida. Lovely. The BBC has more, lest ye think it’s just Kos whining again.

MNFTIU weighs on on the missing explosives.

George Bush appeared at a Wisconsin high school today. Students were told they could not wear any pro-Kerry items — buttons, t-shirts, whatever — or they would be expelled.

Foreign Policy magazine has the answer: 21. In handy chart form, too!

From this NYT story:

Republican Party officials in Ohio took formal steps yesterday to place thousands of recruits inside polling places on Election Day to challenge the qualifications of voters they suspect are not eligible to cast ballots. Party officials say their effort is necessary to guard against fraud arising from aggressive moves by the Democrats to register tens of thousands of new voters in Ohio, seen as one of the most pivotal battlegrounds in the Nov. 2 elections. Election officials in other swing states, from Arizona to Wisconsin and Florida, say they are bracing for similar efforts by Republicans to challenge new voters at polling places, reflecting months of disputes over voting procedures and the anticipation of an election as close as the one in 2000. Ohio election officials said they had never seen so large a drive to prepare for Election Day challenges. They said they were scrambling yesterday to be ready for disruptions in the voting process as well as alarm and complaints among voters. Some officials said they worried that the challenges could discourage or even frighten others waiting to vote.

What’s perhaps most disturbing is the assumption that the GOP needs to defend itself against more people voting.

Republican? Horny? Lonely? We’ve got just the thing.

Courtesy of Joi Ito.

Fafblog deconstructs our national priorities. Go. Read. Trust us.

Ashcroft stooge and torture buff John Yoo explains why his “what can we get away with” torture memo was justified and necessary.

Whatever, John.

Read it.

The present Republican president has led us into an unjustified war — based on misguided and blatantly false misrepresentations of the threat of weapons of mass destruction. The terror seat was Afghanistan. Iraq had no connection to these acts of terror and was not a serious threat to the United States, as this president claimed, and there was no relation, it’s now obvious, to any serious weaponry. Although Saddam Hussein is a frightful tyrant, he posed no threat to the United States when we entered the war. George W. Bush’s arrogant actions to jump into Iraq when he had no plan how to get out have alienated the United States from our most trusted allies and weakened us immeasurably around the world.

A PIPA survey found that Bush supporters are as a rule poorly informed about world events and the administration’s own positions, while Kerry boosters fare much better.

Guess who’s back on the campaign trail?

The CIA is sitting on their 9/11 responsibilty analysis until after the election. Gee, I wonder why?

“The agency directorate is basically sitting on the report until after the election,” the official continued. “No previous director of CIA has ever tried to stop the inspector general from releasing a report to the Congress, in this case a report requested by Congress.” None of this should surprise us given the Bush administration’s great determination since 9/11 to resist any serious investigation into how the security of this nation was so easily breached. In Bush’s much ballyhooed war on terror, ignorance has been bliss. The president fought against the creation of the Sept. 11 commission, for example, agreeing only after enormous political pressure was applied by a grass-roots movement led by the families of those slain. And then Bush refused to testify to the commission under oath, or on the record. Instead he deigned only to chat with the commission members, with Vice President Dick Cheney present, in a White House meeting in which commission members were not allowed to take notes. All in all, strange behavior for a man who seeks reelection to the top office in the land based on his handling of the so-called war on terror.

From the LA Times (reg required), via BoingBoing. No-reg version of story here.