Sunday, September 3, 2000 -- NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (AmpolNS) -- Here's an interesting tidbit that was buried in the Friday edition of USA Today:

Friction grows as Bush sheds media pool precedent
By Martha T. Moore
USA TODAY

A dispute is simmering on George W. Bush's campaign plane between reporters who want to accompany the candidate everywhere and a candidate who doesn't want them along.

...However, Bush also disappears from the media's sight for hours at a time almost every day. Unlike past candidates and his opponent, Vice President Gore, Bush does not travel everywhere with a ''pool'' -- a small, rotating group of nine reporters, TV crews and photographers who stay close to the candidate and share the information with the rest of the press corps.

...Prompted by discontent among reporters traveling with Bush, news organizations have begun complaining to campaign staff. 

''At a time of 24-hour news, and at a time when there's a certain accepted extent to which those running for office turn their lives over to public interest, that requires physical proximity pretty much around the clock,'' says Mark Halperin, ABC News political director. 

Well, well, well -- those geniuses on Team Bush have managed to rile the Celebrity Press Corps.  You'd think that they would have learned the lessons of history.  Remember how torqued the spoiled press elite were when Clinton's staff began cutting access to areas of the White House that were formerly a journalistic grazing ground back when Judas Maximus George Stephanopoulos was still Bill's gatekeeper?

You have to laugh -- what a time for Bush's handlers to shoot ol' Dubya in the foot!  Well, given the poll numbers, maybe Bush does need the alone time -- with a tumbler of the stuff he was drinking in that wedding video from 1992 now posted to thesmokinggun.com!

Here's this week's installment of that pathetic comedy known as the Sunday morning political chat shows:

Fox Schmooze Sunday
Tony forced to bury presidential campaign as secondary issue

Issue one was the role of religion in public discourse, and Tony Snow welcomed the ACLU's Nadine Strossen and virtues Führer Bill Bennett.

Much to our astonishment, Tony's first question was about Bill Clinton's contemplation of booting the Boy Scouts from public lands for discrimination against gays.  Strossen brought up the issue of problems the government would face in allowing a discriminatory group to use public land.  Naturally, Bennett came out on the Scouting organization's side -- and brought up the Lewinsky scandal indirectly by saying that Clinton should resign as honorary President of the Boy Scouts "for other reasons" than being against discrimination.

Way to go, Bill!  Keep bringing up your obsession with Clinton's pants.  It reminds the vast majority of Americans how obsessed the GOP was with bringing down Clinton by any means -- and thereby nullifying the people's DOUBLE decision to send Clinton to the Oval Office.  It'll also help the Bush Campaign melt down faster.

When Strossen called him on the issue of the President being honorary chairman of a discriminatory organization, Bennett huffed and puffed about where the "Clinton-Gore Administration really stands on the issue."

Well, Bill, here's where they really stand on the issue: they stand in front of their television sets watching Tony Snow bait you with this issue, then see you fall for it.  And they laugh -- laugh long and hard at your "virtuous" hypocrisy. 

Tony then asked about those churches that oppose Clinton politically -- and the possibility of being denied tax-exempt status.  Hey, Tony, when they engage in politicking we say they should pay TRIPLE taxes!  Strossen discussed state laws and executive orders that specifically focus on discrimination -- and that most Americans feel that it makes no sense to discriminate based on sexual preference.  Bennett muttered "chick your polls on the Boy Scouts."

Which right-wing-slanted polls, Billy-Bob?  Check the latest statistics on the number of Eagle scouts who have returned their treasured badges in protest of Scouting's not-so-cloaked discrimination.

Talk turned to public prayer at high school football games -- Bennett claimed that these "clever" people in Texas found a way to pray in public.

But Bill, those schools are subsidized by federal and state tax money.  And in truth, we have no problem with these silly, ostentatious, showoffy pre-game prayers -- but only IF everyone present is an Evangelical neo-fascist and IF these schools are prepared to give back four years' worth of state and federal subsidies in full.

Tony looked a little embarrassed during the whole segment.  One thing's clear: with Bush foundering in the polls and his campaign in a shambles, Roger Ailes does NOT want to discuss the campaign.

In fact, issue two focused on health issues.  The guest was the articulate, fast-on-her-feet Donna Shalala, Health and Human Services Secretary.

Question one: "Are pharma companies gouging prices?"  Shalala did not say yes or no but instead said that the government should help the elderly pay for drugs, and recounted the issue of many elderly not taking all their drugs.  A plan to aid the elderly would have to be phased in over a few years, she said, but it's possible that a phase-in could be accelerated.  Shalala predicted that seniors would take up the program at near 100% -- and that the GOP plan has a big problem in the form of a deductible.  Upon fully phasing in, the federal match would be $2500/year plus catastrophic pharma costs.

Tony asked a surprising number of questions about when aspects of the plan would phase in -- was he trying to make the plan sound confusing?   If so, he didn't succeed -- when it comes to policy, Shalala is Ms. Clarity.  Tony tried to get Shalala to say that she didn't like HMOs (and that Gore said he didn't).  Shalala turned the tables -- saying that the Clinton-Gore-supported plan gives HMOs a chance to be truly competitive, perhaps even waiving premiums for seniors.

Tony then tried playing the numbers game with Medicaid for kids -- but Shalala set him straight.

Tony asked about Gore having so many programs -- "how does a person keep them straight?"  This was a shot at depicting Gore -- and Shalala -- as :"big government liberals."  Shalala again turned the tables, talking about modernization of an antiquated government plan and an end to patients having to waste their energy on bureaucracy and appeals.

Yes, Tony -- as usual -- was his conservative self.  But he knows Shalala is fast on her feet and a great interview, so he made the most of mixing it up with her.  The segment was as interesting and informative as the Bennett-Strossen segment was superfluous and shallow -- and the best of the entire sorry Sunday lineup.

Tony's next guest: Ralph Nader, on no doubt to try to draw votes from Gore.  Nader came out swinging as he slammed Lieberman as a big corporate Democrat taking money from defense companies and the insurance industries.

Mind you, Millionaire Nader is one to talk.

Jeff Birnbaum asked if Nader supports higher income taxes, and Nader said he is against corporate tax loopholes.  Juan Williams said Gore's numbers are way up, Nader's are down.  Nader said he's experiencing a bounce in California (was he talking about his personal worth or his poll numbers?) -- and was drawing young voters.

We say that latter point's good -- they'll waste their vote on Nader and hopefully learn from the experience.

Brit Hume asked about who was advising Nader. Nader said -- we're not making this up -- newspapers AND HIS BROKER!  Now THAT'S candor!  Hume asked Nader about whether he had a conflict owning so many high-tech stocks, specifically focusing on 3Com or Cisco -- and Hume, like an idiot, called them SOFTWARE companies!  

We know Brit Hume has a bad attitude, but rarely is he so explicit as to how factually challenged he actually is!

The panel had a few laughs about the presidential debate commission.  Nader said that unions and organizations supporting minorities could also run debates.

Right, Malph -- but who would watch?   And who would accept an invitation knowing that maybe six people will tune in on Public Access Channel K?

Nader said that speculative stock transactions and polluters should be taxed.  Hume seemed disturbed by the former proposal and pushed Nader on the issue -- and Nader said he was focusing on derivative transactions that would hit the rich.  "I want less speculation, Greenspan wants less speculation."

Panel time!  Newsweek puts Gore 10 points ahead of Bush -- and Hume said that it's looking like 1988, where Bush emerged from the Reagan shadow after the election.

This is a pretty significant declaration -- Hume is one of the movers and shakers at FOX News, and this confirms that FOX knows that Bush is in some deep brown sauce and is downplaying Gore's lead by mentioning it at the top of panel time -- then quickly changing subjects.

Jeff Birnbaum said that he approached the poll with a bit of caution, and Juan said "that poll should be ignored" -- but it is not being ignored by the Bush campaign with their "slash and attack" ad.

Naturally, FOX News played the now-infamous ad.  Juan said the ad was about personality -- meaning NOT substance.  Gore, he added, is "beating [Bush] over the head with the prescription drug program."

The panel pointedly predicted an ugly campaign -- perhaps they know that the dirt, and we mean the nasty and damaging dirt, is about to emerge on Bush.

There was talk about "Bush coming out on the side of the rich" -- but no use of the word "class warfare" by the panel.  Hmmm... the term seems to have disappeared from the Bush camp, too -- another backfire.

Talk turned to Congress returning to session, and possible minimum wage and prescription drug bills passing.  Nobody talked about the fact that Clinton has turned out to be no lame duck.  Birnbaum said the Dems don't want the bills to pass -- but Hume said that the big question is how big "the Republican cave" would be.

Missile defense and military readiness was touched on.  Juan called Clinton "Pontius Pilate" for "washing his hands" of the missile defense decision.  Hume, a pro-boondoggle champion, said Clinton did it to placate Russia.  Birnbaum said that Clinton would have been irresponsible to decide given recent failed tests.

Finally, Geraldo Rivera may run for mayor in New York.  Juan called it "ego unbounded."  Birnbaum called it publicity.  Hume said he does a political show -- and badly wants him to run!

Unbelievable -- we actually AGREE with Brit Hume!

We tuned out for the final segment, something to do with football.

The McLaugh-In Group
Sunday Morning "Pope" John Propositions His Panel of Fools

Issue one: Voucher venture!  John dissed California high school students as he praised Proposition 38, and characterized California schools as failed, violent and a failure again.  John parroted some guy named Draper who is pushing the voucher prop, and even quoted the organized opposition by the PTA in a  less snide manner than we expected.

Michael Barone slammed the "teachers' union" as he praised charter schools and home schooling (you'll never hear him talk about corrupt charter schools that close up shop with practically no notice).  Eleanor said that giving $4000 a year to people who can already afford private schools makes no sense.  Tony tried to make it sound like he was taking the middle ground -- but clearly likes the idea, touting support for vouchers in black and Hispanic communities.

Yeah, Tony -- wish 'em luck actually getting their kids into private schools.

Jim Warren talked about "the success" of charter schools.  By what measure, Jim?  Eleanor said that it defends on how you frame the issue., again citing the fact that people who can afford private schools will get the money.

Will it pass?
Mike: No
Eleanor: No
Tony: It will sweep by
Jim: No
John: Yes

Issue two: death with dignity.  John discussed states legalizing assisted suicide -- and flogged fears of a "wave of private killings."  John did mention an article in JAMA that lambasted "lingering death."  Tony said that the once inadmissible question -- suicide -- was now acceptable among baby boomers.  John: "They have personal trainers for their life -- will they have personal trainers for their death?... Funeral directors will hand out their DNA to mourners."  Looks like John's off the lithium again...

Will it pass?
Mike: Yes
Eleanor: Yes
Tony: Yes
Jim: No
John: Yes

Issue three -- what are drug offenders gonna do in California?  A new proposition in California would make nonviolent offenders guilty of possession only go to drug treatment.  John said that the price of drug offenders not going to jail and continuing to commit crimes was too high.  There was a bit of babbling about the success of treatment programs.

Will it pass?
Mike: No
Eleanor: Yes
Tony: No
Jim: No
John: No

Issue four: referenda galore -- initiatives that put controversial initiatives on the ballot.  John gave some of the pros (purifies lawmaking, bypasses partisan gridlock) and con ("money talks", minority wronged, legislature ignored).  Barone thinks that in California overlooks their legislature.  Well, no kidding, Mike -- when the right wing can't buy and pay for the legislature, they try stunts like Prop 204!

Final mealy-mouthed forecasts!
Michael: Conservative Berlusconi wins in Italy
Eleanor: Michigan school voucher initiative, sponsored by a right-wing Amway exec, fails
Tony (barely understandable because he was talking so quickly): GOP Congress struggles with the President
Jim: Conservatives go DOWN in Italy
John: Milosevic wins Yugoslavian elections (you wish, John -- you love that little fascist).

Deface the Nation
Borger Talks Legislation, Religion

Bob Schieffer was on vacation -- Gloria Borger was in the anchor seat.

Guest one -- White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, to talk legislation.  What is the number one legislative priority?  Podesta said that there were a number of things that needed to be done and cited fiscal responsibility, and predicted that an increase in the minimum wage would pass -- an important prediction -- and also talked about trade with China and prescription drug benefits for Medicare.  Borger quoted Trent Lott saying that Clinton was engineering a train wreck -- and Podesta nearly laughed as he recounted Lott's engineering a failed government shutdown.  Podesta said that President Clinton and Hastert had some productive talks during the Colombia visit this week, and forecast a scaled back "tax package."

Borger then cited Clinton's veto of the estate tax; Podesta forecast a sustainment of the veto, then brought up other tax cuts for the middle class.  he criticized the GOP drug benefit bill as a pro-insurance-industry scheme that would fail, and scoffed at the Bush plan.  Does the White House have the votes to pass a Patient's Bill of Rights?  Podesta said that with Zell Miller in the Senate, there would be a 50-50 vote -- and Gore would pass it.

How active should Clinton be in the Gore campaign?  Podesta said that Clinton has been asked to help in congressional races, but that Gore in so many words is running his own show doing a great job and doesn't need Clinton's help.

And that's worth contemplating -- Gore's assertion that he's his own man not only is supported by Clinton, but is to Clinton's advantage in the current effort to pass his legislative priorities.

Next up: ADL exec Abraham Foxman, Bill Bennett and presidential historian Douglas Brinkley.  The issue: religion in the political campaign.

Gee, isn't it odd -- since the Democrats have seized the "faith" and "God" issues and have a candidate not afraid to talk about his own faith -- that suddenly religion in political campaigns has become a "controversial" issue?  That the ADL issued its boilerplate admonition to Lieberman -- practically the same one issued to republicans and some democrats -- and it's a big controversy?  Are we to think it's OK if the GOP talks religion and a sin if a Democrat talks his faith?  Or is this some form of stealth anti-Semitism?

Or is it both?

Borger asked Foxman about the letter he wrote to Lieberman about refraining from religious talk on the campaign trail.  Foxman said that faith has been brought into the policy arena -- and it does not belong there.  Bill Bennett first saluted Foxman for his "consistency" -- then stupidly said that what Lieberman said was not defamation as he assailed popular culture corrupting our youth.  Brinkley said that it was not unusual for politicians to talk faith, citing "In God We Trust" (huh?) and Jimmy Carter's having been openly "born again".  Brinkley also aid that the one-tenth of Americans who do not believe in God should not be labeled as non-moral.

The entire segment got boring -- and irrelevant -- quite quickly and stayed so until Borger asked Foxman if the entire issue cheapened political discourse.  Foxman cited Jesse Jackson as a politician who talks issues and not faith in his political role.  He said that Bush citing Jesus as his political philosopher cheapens religion!

Brinkley noted wryly that Gore is ahead in the polls, and here they were talking about faith in the campaign instead of the "Buddhist temple scandal."  

Bravo, Doug!  It's about time SOMEONE called the producers of these shows and their decisions on which "issues" to "feature" on Sunday mornings!  But "scandal?"  What scandal?  You mean the scandal over the press continually lying about the event Gore and elected REPUBLICAN officials attended a meet-and-greet event together at the Hsi Lai Temple?  The scandal of falsely calling it a "fundraiser?"  Or the scandal over right-wingers like "Daddy" Dan Burton trying to find any way to tie Gore to campaign fund shenanigans using the event?

We ignored Bennett's snide, cheap-shot comments about Bill Clinton.  We wonder when the GOP is going to put pressure on the networks NOT to invite Bennett on their shows during this election cycle -- he keeps bringing up Bill Clinton, and it does NOT work to the Republicans' advantage.

Borger allowed the discussion to descent into the absurd, asking if the president should be a moral leader of the nation.  Jeez -- when are they going to start talking truth -- that most Americans want a tough, even Machiavellian, leader in the White House to keep America secure, make average Janes and Joes more prosperous, and keep the business environment prosperous without compromising the rights, health or safety of Americans?  Only narrow-minded Evangelical Bible-thumping fascists want a "moral" President -- with the morals defined by Pat Robertson.

It's worth noting that there was a near-complete absence of any discussion of the presidential campaign outside of the God question -- and the meltdown of the Bush campaign.

Eat the Press
Campaign Committee Pashas Face Off With at Tim

The chiefs of the Democrat and Republican Congressional Campaign Committees and the Chiefs of the Senatorial Campaign Committees squared off against each other -- and Tim Russert was all-too-obviously on the GOP side, letting loose with remarks like this one to Patrick Kennedy:

"How can you possibly win control of the House?!"

Bob "The Torch" Torricelli laid out how it might be possible that the Democrats will control the Senate. The GOP figureheads basically laughed.

But Republicans know -- through their own polls, and ours -- that they are about to lose control of the House, almost definitely. The Senate will be a bigger challenge -- but Torricelli has collected more money that the GOP to fight the fight in November.

Kennedy hit hard on prescription drugs, social security and health care, calling the GOP bills filed recently to ruse the people "Sham Bills."

The lying Republicans on the panel said that they just passed the patient's bill of rights.

Sure -- a watered- down, do- nothing bill. The GOP now have a bill written by the drug companies which will do little or nothing except pay the same high prices to the pharmaceutical industry -- from your pockets -- and nothing from theirs.

Lincoln Chafee's (GOP) ad says that he voted AGAINST the sham GOP drug and health care rights!  So Mitch McConnell said (and we laughed loudly) "all politics is local, Tim."

Sure, here is a powerful and respected Republican calling his own party's bills bullshit! And he is right, and he may win the seat because of his honesty. Chafee is acknowledging that his own party is a fraud.

Torricelli, who talks like a street punk who just read a thesaurus, knocked Clinton and said that Chafee ad is straight out of the Clinton playbook! But he is off base, inasmuch as Chafee's ad is honest. 

Torricelli -- another turd in the back pocket of the rich -- voted with the GOP on the estate tax (the so-called "Death Tax") and the Marriage Penalty.

McConnell pointed out that Torricelli is not bashing the Drug Companies.  Well, no kidding, Mitchy-Lou, because most of them are headquartered in New Jersey. Ha, ha, ha -- "The Torch" said "No I'm not!" What a floozy!

Tim claimed that the GOP said that "we" are not going to have a government shutdown. Of course not, Tim! That would spell doom for the GOP -- again. So they will give the President what he wants, which is best for the elderly and the poor in this nation. McConnell said that this is a "manufactured crisis..." and that this time it does not work. He said that Governor Bush is right -- Clinton and Gore have wasted their eight years -- they want an issue, not an achievement, and if they try this again, it will guarantee the election of George DumbBellYou Bush!

McConnell sounded almost as delusional as John McLaughlin.  The truth is that the Democrats have been trying to pass drug bills that help the poor and elderly and promote better and more substantial health care for the last seven years. It was and is the Republicans, in the back pocket of and bought off by the pharma companies and their sleazy lobbyists, that have been blocking these bills for 15 sessions of Congress.

FIFTEEN!!  That's thirty years.

And they've trying to do the same thing for the minimum wage. The idiot McConnell said the Democrats want to give Bill Gate's father free drugs. "We don't."

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. What a jerk. Bill Gates' father is wealthy on his own, and would never apply for Medicare. This is the BIG LIE. No wealthy American applies for Medicare -- they wouldn't think of such a thing -- yet the GOP backed by these very elite claim that they do, and that's why the won't pass the President's bill. Well, how about that logic? The GOP is saying that Americans do not enjoy the equal protection clause of the Constitution, that if they meet the legislative test, they get the service. Would McConnell say that the upper class was not entitled to Medicare at all? We didn't see him vote that way -- because he knew he would be out on his ass if he did. 

Patrick Kennedy said that the entire GOP House ad pool are lies -- and he is correct. The GOP voted against health care, the Patient's Bill of Rights, and voted for the abolition of the Department of Education. Now they are running ads that say THIS IS WHAT THEY STAND FOR!

Torricelli said that Rick Lazio is not ready for the Senate stage. McConnell all but said that Gore has no coattails for Hillary Clinton. 

The idiot Russert asked them all who will maintain control. What a moron. Did he expect either side to say they were going to lose?

Clarence Page said that this is the end of stupid questions and on to an examination of the issues. Swinelet Lisa Myers said something.  We ignored it.  William Kristol -- our favorite conservative -- admitted that Bush is way behind and remarked that "little Hitler" Spencer Abraham is up 7 points against Debbie Stabenow while Bush is down 3%. Kristol hates Bush, and it was obvious.

Lisa the Oinker tried to save Bush, whom she has been following around all year. She thinks that Bush's BS -- when he picks the ONE family who might benefit under his stupid plans -- is great.

Sure, but the people know this is hoodwinkism.

Russert -- TRUE TO FORM -- shows the complete GOP attack ad so full of lies, implied and explicit, about Gore. He wanted to give them a free national ad -- and he did. He constantly does this. Let's see if he shows an entire ad for the Democrats...

Russert then got even worse on Gore, telling us that his GOP friends told him they should have been running this ad in JUNE!!  Russert sounded as if he agreed. Kristol urged Bush to settle on the "REAL" horrors of the Clinton Administration -- the coffees, the use of the White House, the Chinese Temple.

Ha, ha, ha, ha -- why? Reagan and Nixon did worse -- far worse. And most of the US Senate, as Kristol well knows, does worse than that.

Lisa thinks that the line -- "They've been in office for seven years, why haven't they passed a prescription drugs law?" -- will carry weight.  Well, you little oinker, the reason is that Gore is able to bring out the voting record of the GOP, which slammed down every attempt by the White House and Congressional Democrats to deliver on health care and pharmaceuticals.

THEN Lisa said that the RNC ads pulled for being lies were TRUE, and that Gore has a problem telling the truth. Lisa Myers, all 500 pounds of her, was featured in those ads and the ad is called "the Lisa Meyers Ad" by the GOP and the "Oinker Ad" by the DNC.

Russert then turned to the subject of THE JEW. He talked about the Anti- Defamation League writing Lieberman a letter last week that admonished him for talking about religion "too much." He turned to black journalist Clarence Page to comment first on this. Clarence said that Lieberman has been given a pass, not like Bush when he mentioned Jesus as his "guide."

Tim, of course, is another slob who thinks Christian right wingers are cool. That's why he is almost joined at the hip with Neo-Nazi William Bennett -- the most ill-educated "intellectual" we know.  Because he is a Catholic (who thinks he is going to heaven yet breaks his faith almost constantly by lying to the people on national television), Tim is happy to pin Lieberman as perhaps being TOO JEWISH, as the moronic David Broder remarks today.

Kristol said he won't be surprised if Bush calls for a debate next week to try and save himself. But the biggest joke will be when Bush announces his prescription plan for seniors and the poor. That ought to be something. 

Either Bush is going to crucify his financiers -- the U.S. and FOREIGN pharmaceutical industry -- or he is going to screw senior citizens and poor Americans, even middle-class Americans who can't afford to pay 40 thousand dollars a year to stay alive.

Russert showed a clip of Ted Kennedy some 100 years ago. Boring.

This Weak
With Cocky Robot

Cokie opens the show with a discussion of TIRES!!!!! What the heck does this have to do with politics? This has to do with BUSINESS moron. Just because you bring on our pal Rodney Slater, this is not a political subject matter. Why not talk to Ford and Firestone? They are the corporate criminals here. Slater said he is not trying to point fingers -- so what IS he doing? The nutball should be pointing fingers! These two companies -- or at least one of them -- killed nearly 100 people, and recalled the same tires in other nations along with Ford. What is in the wings of course is that the Ford SUV -- too quick to come to market -- may have been badly designed, overloading the tires, and that Ford was telling customers to DEFLATE the tires which makes them, naturally, unstable.

Slater is prepared to take action against Ford and Firestone. Who would buy Firestone tires anyway -- unless they were forced to? Firestone have never had a reputation for making great tires -- they have had separation problems for decades, and Mercedes Benz won't even put them on their cars. All one has to do is look to Old Man Firestone -- a notorious robber baron and greedy Republican -- to guess what might be up.

Cokie then welcomed arch-criminal Pat Robertson to the set. Robertson said that Lieberman is right in the mainstream. But what about secular and moral people? Robertson then said that a tiny tiny minority say they don't believe in God.

Yes, but that does not mean they want turds like Robertson running the country in the name of Jesus -- a name he takes in vain every day. Pat Robertson, a man who leeches off the poor, insane and stupid by asking them for money, gets his credibility from the politicians he hangs out with who grovel at Pat's altar for the votes of his idiot flock. You never see a corporate leader hanging with Robertson. CEOs don't hang with criminals -- unfortunately, pols do.

Why is Cocky devoting 15 minutes to this crook? Why, to get her numbers up! The 700 Club and other Robertson owned television programs, networks and radio shows tell their listening audience that Pat Boy will be on television. Then they all tune in and drive up the This Weak ratings. So Cocky ain't so dumb -- she is just dishonest for not asking this slob how he gets his money.

Robertson claimed we are a very religious people.

Then Cocky greeted Abe Foxman, the creep who said that Joe Lieberman was preaching too much and mixing politics with God. Who cares? God, Schmod, Buddha or the Devil. Someone always has faith in or believes in something or someone. The GOP believes in money -- and they find all kinds of convoluted ways to say that Jesus was pro-money as well. Jews believe in money and education -- and they put their money where their mouths are. Born-again Christians are people so evil that in order to be able to sleep, they confess their sins, dance around with snakes, talk in tongues and do whatever the preacher tells them to rid themselves of destructive guilt -- guilt that is killing them. It works because Jesus is very forgiving -- and the criminal, drunk, or baby raper is off the hook when he passes the guilt to God. That's why holy rollers are more popular than ever.

Then Foxman began to argue about the Constitution. What a joke! What is the ADL doing interfering with Lieberman? They have no right. The Anti-Defamation League fights defamation of Jews and others for being who or what they are. They are not constitutional lawyers. Get out -- and especially you, Robertson, defender of the founding slaveholders.

Cocky can't get the good guests, though. She discussed the campaigns with Senator Bill Frist (a doctor and nice-guy GOP nobody who is selling out his patients to the drug companies) and Senator John Edwards, a short -timer for the Democrats.

Frist called Gore's month-old rise "a bump" -- but this is not a bump. This is the people seeing Bush as a drunk, an abuser, a punk, a drug user, and a liar.

Cocky asked about "the" ad. Frist claimed this ad is a response to the anti-Bush ads run by others.

Boy, is he is a liar. The truth is that the GOP is splitting apart. The RNC wants to fire all the Bush Texas insiders -- including the two losers Karl Rove and spin bitch-queen Karen Hughes, who would say Bush was Jesus even as he was vomiting his last four martinis onto her lap.

But the RNC is no better off than the Bush team. Their Washington operation is populated by imbeciles like Mel Sembler -- a sort of construction crook who has so much secretarial protection that he can't even speak to himself -- and Larry Purpuro -- an ass-kisser who knows nothing about the Internet, yet is rewarding the sons of big givers with RNC million-dollar contracts to create one Internet site after another for the GOP, none of which have any impact whatsoever. And at the top of the food chain is greaseball Jim Nicholson, the Chairman who looks more like the President of a local Chauffeur's union and has his hair cut in a time warp -- where Kooky from 77 Sunset Strip got his locks chopped.

So who is going to lead whom? Will it be the Bush people, who are abso-fracklin-lutely convinced that they are smart because they delivered the Austin Governor's Mansion to Bush -- when they didn't? Daddy did, with a few phone calls and his secret files from his days heading the CIA. Or will it be the incompetents put in place by Newt, who are dumber than a wasp in an iceberg.

Frist and Edwards sound like two southern boy hucksters. The accents are too much -- more like Mississippi than the mid-Atlantic South. Frist said he and cheater-on-his-wife John Breaux are going to "work together on drugs for seniors." Oh, God. What a duo! A doctor who supports drug companies and a Louisiana pol who bought his way into the Senate using other people's money -- just like Cocky's parents.

Jesse Jackson and George Will (who Jackson calls "Wills" -- ha, ha, ha, ha -- purposely) were next. Will thinks voucher schools are great -- Jackson knows this is an empty promise. Will said vouchers are a way to create competition to make public schools better. Jackson said that no one is going to wire the schools in Podunk Hell, USA. Then he likens it to George Will drinking Evian water -- then Will falls for it and lies, saying he is drinking DC tap water. How the hell does he know what he is drinking? Did he go and get his own water glass? No, some brown-noser at the ABC News studios fetched it for him -- ice cold and FRENCH.!!!!

Will kept saying he loves vouchers. He talks about Michigan's plan. Jackson said he wants to know if we are going to educate all 53 million children in school today -- and not just educate those who have the money. Jackson tells of the bills that Trent Lott -- the Senate Majority leader who presides over the number 50 state in education -- killed every school bill in the Senate, including the ones that would have wired the schools in Mississippi for the Internet, because Lott wanted to keep the poor (meaning the poor blacks) down and dumb. Most white children in Mississippi go to private and Church-financed schools.

Will looked like an idiot when he told the audience that Jackson's kids went to the best private shocks in Washington. So did Will's kids. Jackson said "That's right" (stupid honky) but they went because they had parents like ME with the wherewithal and willingness to pay that tuition bill -- they did not go on public dole!

Will again closed with his devil's tail between his legs.

Scam and Staph were out today -- on vacation of course. Staph was on Fire Island with the boys and Scam was in the Hamptons tanning his bald pate.

Linda Douglass (who we suspect is really Donna Douglas from The Beverly Hillbillies going under a slightly modified name) and Derek McGinty (ABC's token black pundit who is smarter than the entire This Weak panel combined) joined Cocky on the panel. Derek made Cocky and Linda look even dumber than they are.

Will said that people didn't like Al Gore -- but now they like him. Huh? McGinty said that Bush is nice until he has to be the Nazi he is. Linda Douglass said -- BUT IT WORKS!!!!

Who is Linda Douglass anyway? Since when does she count on the subject of national and international politics? She doesn't. They might as well have Britney Spears on.

The conversation broke down to nothing but little quips. Stupid ones at that.

By the way, Cocky -- you ignoramus -- Cheney did not give up $3 million in stock options, he will get that money -- believe us. First of all, he will not be elected. Second, there is a clause in his latest arrangements with Halliburton.

Will said that Gore is genuflecting to the ABM Treaty, a treaty that is 28 years old, and made with a defunct government.

But Russia does not think the treaty is defunct and neither does our government or our President. It is little turds like Will that have to be exposed when they lie like this.

This entire Star Wars hoax that Bush is pushing is a payoff he wants to get for his warhead- and delivery-system-manufacturing friends. Screw them. North Korea is not going to launch warheads at the U.S.. China has never said it is the enemy of the U.S. and really has little interest in us unless we stop it from taking back Taiwan. Screw Taiwan. Let's take the trillion Star Wars dollars and spend it on young children with no health care.

CNN Lame Edition

We caught a little of Wolf Blitzer's chatfest on CNN -- and were glad to see Orrin Hatch as one of Wolf's first guests.  We did not agree with Hatch at all -- he spent most of his time slamming the Democrat bill to cover prescription drugs on Medicare.  He had a vigorous shouting match with Sen. Pat Leahy over Gore's plans for Medicare reform.  It was all the stuff you would expect to hear -- but we've missed the energetic Orrin Hatch on the Sunday morning circuit since his failed run for the GOP nomination.

Wolf asked Orrin if Clinton and Gore are more interested in a government shutdown than legislative victories.  Huh?  There Wolf goes again -- making way-out assumptions worthy of Matt Drudge.  Orrin Hatch focused on balancing the budget, claiming first that the GOP balanced the budget and that Democrats act like "money grows on trees."  Leahy retorted that Democrats balanced the budget -- and said that Wall Street reacted with the late '90s boom!

Following the break, Wolf asked a question avoided by other Sunday prognosticators -- how important is the Supreme Court as a political issue?  Hatch tried to play it down, and ended his rant by talking about Clinton's comments on the Boy Scouts!  Leahy looks at the court as a big issue -- and a manifestation of the reproductive rights issue.  Hatch said that there are six justices upheld Roe v. Wade, then cited a misleading article claiming that Bush has named "moderates" to the Texas courts.  Quotas and "federalism" (code for giving rights to redneck Southern states) Hatch claimed, would be the issues.

The Gore bounce continues... but you'd hardly notice

Gore's continued strong polling numbers were not issue one -- the Sunday shows hid behind Medicare reform and religion on the campaign trail and avoided the awful truth: the Bush campaign is in complete disarray; the negative ads Team Bush has gotten behind are not working; Gore's message is getting heard.

This is bad news for the press, who invested so much of their time, energy and credibility in tearing down Clinton and, by extension, Gore. It didn't work in '98, and it isn't working now.

Of course, if Gore's polling numbers drop a couple points, look for the press to start crowing that Gore is slipping, fumbling, in a free fall.

You can take that to the bank!