American Politics Journal -- Pundit Pap

Flush twice... it's a long way to Sally Quinn's place...

Pundit Pap
for December 8, 2002
by JJ Balzer

Dec. 8, 2002 -- NEW YORK (APJP) -- Three hot pieces of political news dominated the weekend.

Story number one was Mary Landrieu's defeat of Susan Tyrrell in the US Senate runoff election in Louisiana. The press was trying to make this race look too close to call (read: promote Tyrrell's hopes of unseating incumbent Landrieu), but the truth is that the most reliable internal polling showed that Tyrrell didn't come much closer than the final margin of victory: four percent.

And watching the coverage as the news broke early this morning was quite a sight to behold. On CNN, Candy Crowley and a couple of their third-stringers looked sullen over Landrieu's victory; we even slummed and took a peek at FAUX News Channel, where Carl Cameron looked shocked and on the verge of tears. In an effort not to rub salt in their oh-so-fair-and-fascist viewers' wounds, FAUX didn't broadcast Tyrrell's short concession speech.

Story number two was, of course, Trent Lott's open endorsement of segregation during a 100th birthday salute to Strom Thurmond. Tamara Baker has all the details for those of you who missed the story. Story three was "Night of the Long Pretzels" at the White House as Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and chief economic advisor Larry Lindsey were shown the door in a de facto admission that Smirk-o-nomics is a pathetic failure.

So naturally, the Sunday shows mostly led with Iraq.

Here's the ugly mess:

McLaugh-In!
O'Kneel before the Bellowing Pope of Punditry!

Issue one: O'Neill's long day's journey into night!

John read Paul's terse four-sentence resignation letter, then pontificated about Dick Cheney having been the one to break the news to O'Neill that he had to resign. His Welchian Holiness speared us a long narrative of O'Neill's fumbles and failures -- unfortunate, really, but not surprising, as they show just how out of touch the Smirk Regime is with the nation -- and even Wall Street!

Pat Buchanan called the O'Neill-Lindsey resignations "Breaker Morant" -- two good soldiers "taking the bullet for the empire" (an unintentionally telling and ironic choice of words -- Junior's "imperial Presidency" makes Nixon's look like a real democracy by comparison).

Eleanor Clift said that everyone know O'Neill and Lindsey had "a date with the executioner" -- except O'Neill and Lindsey themselves! She added that politics dictated that the two be sacked after elections, and they were "not on board with the administration's policies" (which only goes to show that perhaps we were a little rough on both Lindsey and O'Neill, who publicly pushed Dumbya's spin on the Sunday spin circuit but were not afraid to tell the business press that they disagree with many points of Little George's domestic policy -- or, more accurately, lack thereof).

Tony "The Moonie" Blankley said O'Neill had (God bless him) said that he was not for tax cuts, but added that the resignations triggered a 100-point increase in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, clearly trying to tie the two together as a cause-and-effect (truth is, the market rally was caused by the hope that the Imbecile Prince may have to push his economic policy to the middle and his "Night of the Long Knives" (see above re. the pretzels, Tony) is a de facto acknowledgment that he has failed and needs to address the issue). He then stuck his foot in the brown sauce, declaring a 100-point gain in a volatile up-and-down market as a "rally".

John called O'Neill "classy", and Jay Carney said he was not a good fit for the lockstep Smirk Team because he spoke his mind. The panel pretty much thinks that Secretary of State Powell is "untouchable."

John then turned to the dreadful current economic situation -- and continued corporate scandals. Tony tried to push the notion that in private, many in the Cabinet are not yes men but will publicly shill for El Smirko. Pat said that Smirk needs someone to sell the tax cut )come on, Pat -- it's not selling anymore, and the only people who need to be "sold" on it are the ones who embraced it but now realize it is not only failing to stimulate the economy but busting the budget and paving the way for long-term deficits). John quoted the Financial Times making much of O'Neill criticizing tax cuts. Eleanor said Wall Street knew O'Neill's comments were "ultimately irrelevant" (well, not really -- they certainly would be relevant to Rove and the Frat-boy-in-chief) and the firing implies that O'Neill and Lindsey were doing something wrong.

Are you sorry to see O'Neill go?
Pat: It's a "necessary hit" (hit? well, the Bushes are sort of reminiscent of the Sopranos).
Eleanor: I loved his hits on George W.
Tony: I'm not sorry to see him go.
Jay: Yes.
John: He was refreshing and honest (John should've added, "...so you just knew he'd never survive the full fur-year term").

Issue two: Democrats attack conservative-controlled media! (Horrors! How dare they?) John reported that Clinton addressed the "centrist" DLC (he should have more accurately identified the Democratic Leadership Council as a business- and commerce-oriented faction of the party), saying that the GOP has a bellicose right-wing press, and the mainstream press is docile; right-wingers attack "with no penalty." (And Clinton is absolutely right -- but should have gone further, adding that the "mainstream" press legitimize neo-fascists -- for example, Judy "Thousands in plastic surgery?" Woodruff using the Drudge Report to further a FALSE story about John Kerry's haircut, or Howie Kurtz giving Rush Limbaugh an open forum to attack Tom Daschle).

John said that Clinton was "echoing" Tom Daschle, who (as noted above) specifically criticized Rush Limbaugh, and added tat Al Gore singled out The Washington Times and FOX News as part of a "fifth column."

Tony, who works for the Moonie Times, called it "whining" and "laughable" (but consider this: as one of the most laughable whiners at the Washington Times, he has a stake in deflecting these attacks by trying to pin the trait on someone else). John asked which audience Clinton and Gore are trying to energize -- Jay Carney said they are trying to energize media critics, and added FOX News IS a conservative network (but neither caught the real point -- this seems to be the beginning of the Democrats putting scrutiny on the media as a "fifth column" for businesses that already buy access to government). Carney also disappointed by saying that FOX News "is not responsible" for Democrat losses (that is not the point, Jay -- the point is that FOX is biased in their coverage, emphasizing a negative image of Democrats while concealing news damaging to the Texas Dauphin and his gang). Pat railed against "liberals" Jennings, Rather and Brokaw (we did everything we could to stifle loud laughter). Eleanor said there is a right-wing talking point apparatus that feeds the hard-right grass roots. Tony claimed that talk radio has an "appealing" message (namely, racism, xenophobia, and selling out to business and military-industrial interests -- just like Hitler's "appealing" message to Germany's equivalent of the rust, corn and Bible belts back in the early 1930s).

John tried to poll the panel on Democrat "whining" on a scale of 1 to 10. We'll skip the results, instead asking our New York panel about the level of whining by Limbaugh:
JJ: 8 -- he had other issues to address on his ridiculous show this week.
Donna: 7 -- he hid behind his boilerplate excuse the he's an "entertainer"
Dave Gonzo: 11 -- did you see that interview with Kurtz? He whined like a sore loser, man!

John said that Daschle said Limbaugh incites threats -- and Tony said that it's ridiculous because -- catch this -- Daschle won't reveal the evidence (well, of course he's not going to reveal evidence in an ongoing law enforcement investigation, Tony -- and why aren't you bringing up rumors that surfaced late this week that there has been at least one arrest made in connection with alleged threats against a certain Democrat Senator's family?).

Issue three: rate UN Weapons Inspector Hans Blix! Annan says he's doing a good job, Bush criticized it. Eleanor asked why Bush is sabotaging Blix with a preemptive declaration of failure. Pat called it a sort of good-cop-bad-cop game; Jay said that the appearance of a cooperative Saddam hurts the possibility of a coalition, and that is why the fact that coalition forces are being shot at by Iraqi forces during fly-overs in the "no-fly zone" is being mentioned frequently by Smirk. Tony called Annan a buddy of third-world dictators (well, gosh Tony -- remember Noriega? King Fahd? Somoza? -- that means Reagan, Bush Daddy and Annan all have something in common!).

Pat said the question is whether or not Smirk will go to war and whether or not Saddam will do something to avert war. Eleanor said that an invasion of Iraq will only work if the world supports us.

Is there reason for war with the release of the report?

Pat: Saddam wants action by the UN pushed to February or March.
Eleanor: The report is no pretext.
Tony: The report will trigger diplomatic scrambling.
Jay: Tony's right.
John: it's too close to call.

Finally -- prediction prattle!

Pat: Watch for a report of a major Saudi gift scandal involving world leaders.
Eleanor: Bush will never criticize demagogue, Muslim-bashing televangelists Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson or Franklin Graham by name.
Tony: France will support a US move against Iraq -- including military action.
Jay: Glenn Hubbard will be the next member of the Smirk economic team to be ousted.
John: During the State of the Union, Smirk will call for a ban of "partial birth abortion." (Even though the medical community recognizes no such procedure, John?).

-- JJ Balzer

Meet the Press
Iraq 'em up, it's game time!

Tim Russert's first topic for debate: are Iraqi claims of no WMD's credible? Plus! Democrats "held on" to Louisiana (translation: gosh, we expected Terrell to win on Smirky's coattails, but that troublesome blonde hung on! horrors!). And Bush FIRES his economic team translation: the Doofus-in-chief is SOOOO decisive and "Presidentiable" by taking such drastic action -- never mind that it's well after elections and essentially underscores his failure to have ANY coherent domestic agenda).

Tim first turned to NBC correspondent Ron Allen, who said that the Iraqi report will document much about their "dual-use" capabilities. Tim cued Ron to talk about even more UN inspectors having just arrived in Iraq; Ron said they were there to check into specific questions the US has. Do Iraqis think there will be a war? Ron said they are trying to prevent a war, but believe the US will find a pretext to attack. Tim brought up Saddam Hussein's apology for the invasion and occupation of Kuwait; Ron called it "stunning," also adding that the minister who read the apology explained that one underlying issue was that Kuwait was stealing oil.

Tim's first guest was former U.N. weapons inspector David Kay. The entire segment seemed engineered to argue that Chimpy McSmirkster is already justified in "taking out" Saddam. Here is the shorthand, unspun, unsubtle "what was really sad" exchange:

Tim: The Iraqis say they have no weapons of mass destruction. Yeah, right. Is that anywhere near credible?
Kay: No. Doesn't pass the laugh test.
Tim: Help me here. We're pushing a point of view. Gimme some ammo. Y'know, like what "happened" when you were there?
Kay: They said they had no WMD programs, but they were enriching uranium -- I know, that doesn't constitute having The Big One, but it sure sounds impressive -- and you bet they had produced botulinum and anthrax, and their chemical weapons included advanced nerve agents.
Tim: If you hadn't personally stopped Saddam, what would he have now?
Kay: Around 20 nukes.
Tim: So how do we respond to this document dump?
Kay: After looking, Smirk has to cook up and lay out his case, and the inspectors can't play "Where's Waldo". But they will, and we'll use that as an excuse too.
Tim: During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy made the case with pictures. Should the Chimp do the same, even if the pix don't exactly show ICBMs that could hit Crawford, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Lynchburg and other centers of the Smirk Regime's support?
Kay: Yes. So should Tony Blair in the UK. Saddam runs an advanced deception program that makes Karl Rove jealous! His tactics foil conventional inspections. And we'll argue that inspection is a dead-end trap, just more foot-dragging from Saddam. Smirk needs to fabricate a strong case from little pieces -- even if they have little to do with each other. And by golly, our economic sanctions are not the problem, even if they have contributed to the deaths of thousands and thousands of Iraqi civilians.

We're not kidding -- that's the way the entire exchange played out.

Tim then turned to two favorite guests of his: Senators Joe Biden and Chuck Hagel, who have been in northern Iraq talking with the leaders of anti-Saddam forces, including the Kurds. This exchange, while condensed, requires a little less "translation" -- it's obvious that both senators know now is the time for diplomacy, and had a good deal to report from their own observations. And while we do not often agree with Hagel, in many respects he's one of the few Republicans who seems to have his head screwed on right.

Tim: You've met with the Kurds. Where are we?
Biden: Isn't it obvious, Tim? We have to look at the documents and then decide what intelligence data we give the inspectors.
Hagel: We are on a responsible course, guided by His Fraudulence. Who knows what will trigger a war? Smirk'll take his time, using diplomacy.
Tim: What did the Kurds tell you?
Biden: They've tamped down their infighting -- they're united. They've run the north of Iraq for ten years, setting up hospitals and schools, and their neighbors should not fear that they want independence -- but they want Saddam out. He used chemical weapons on them.
Tim: Who can the US rely on if we take on Saddam?
Hagel: Surprisingly, Syria. They voted in favor if the UN resolution to inspect and hold Iraq to account. If Shrub keeps "showing determination", he'll get plenty of support.
Tim: If there is in fact a material breach and if France says "Give them another chance," will Smirk act anyway?
Biden: I doubt it.
Tim: Do the Kurds think war is inevitable?
Biden: The Kurds ask us that same question -- and it all depends on how Snippy arrives at his decision to go to war.
Tim: Saudis are saying that Zionists committed 9-11 -- what do you plan to say to them?
Biden: It's irresponsible. They'd best cut the nonsense and starting act like a mature nation. They know they need us as much as we need them. "It is time to stop this foolishness."
Hagel: Joe nailed it. They're good allies, but enough of the inflammatory rhetoric.
Biden: If we go military , we are locked into Iraq for the long term to maintain order and unity there. Long term. It will take considerable effort, money and time -- and Americans still are not clear on that.

The next segment focused on Landrieu's victory, and Tim and his merrie band of stealth conservatives seemed a bit stung that Prince George's handpicked candidate, Susan Tyrrell, lost. Tim prompted Norah O'Donnell to comment on Landrieu tipping her hat to black voters (oh -- so THAT will be the GOP spin: Dems bought off the black vote again -- on the other hand, maybe it was something Trent Lott said), but O'Donnell said that visits by Smirk and Big Time Dick backfired (and that comment won't go over well in the West Wing -- look for O'Donnell to become the next Karl Rove un-person); she also made Tim-meh look bad when she remained him that Landrieu did well among white voters in the north of the state. Tim brought up Homeland Security -- and its evaporation as an issue; Norah said that people see this as the first election of 2004, Landrieu has said that this proves moderate Democrats can win in the South, and she used the economy and sugar trade as winning issues. She ended by calling it a surprise victory -- but here's the truth: inside poll numbers showed that Terrell NEVER overtook Landrieu, and Landrieu's 4% margin of victory was in line with Thursday and Friday party polls.

Then came one of the worst Eat the Press round table segments we've seen in quite a while. We ignored Tim's initial exchange with stealth GOP shill David Broder from DC's other right-wing paper, the Washington Post. His analysis of the Landrieu win was in terms of Junior and his Administration. Tim also had Bob "The Vampire" Novak on board, who had to concede that the GOP has always had trouble in Louisiana -- and admitted he thought Susan Terrell did terribly in her Eat the Press debate with Landrieu! In one of the weirdest segues, Tim used a thirty-five year old clip of Novak questioning legendary Louisiana senator Russell Long to set up Joe "Anonymous and Irrelevant" Klein about race as an issue -- as if there were NO changes in the last 35 years! Tim conceded that Democrats are keeping Smirk's dreadful economics alive as an issue (and sure didn't sound too happy about it) before asking Nixon apologist William "Satire" Safire something which we summarily ignored. Klein tried to bash Democrats for pushing for a Homeland Security Department -- then opposing it.

Well, no kidding, Joe Bob. They wanted a real department that would break down the interagency Chinese walls -- but the Chimp decided to turn it into a patronage mill with no civil service protections, a de facto political department. God help us all.

Tim then turned to Trent Lott's unconscionably racist salute to Thurmond on his 100th birthday -- then said that Jesse Jackson labeled Lott a "segregationist" in a call this morning to NBC as he called for his resignation as Majority Leader. Broder made a longwinded answer before saying Lott blew it. Novak said this was just Lott winging it at a birthday party -- it was no big sin, and it's ridiculous for Jackson to call for his resignation.

Wow! We can't wait for Bob to say that Rick Kahn asking Democrats to support Wellstone's positions at a public memorial tribute to Wellstone as no major sin. Klein skewered Novak for in effect blaming the media. Novak kept whining, "But it was his birthday!"

The rest of the debate was pretty boring -- Novak and Safire tried to push thrice-failed "supply-side" theory.

Following a break, Tim turned to Safire for hard-hitting analysis of Iraq's release of thousands of pages of documents. Through convoluted illogic, Safire said that there will be a war. But Novak was right -- he said Smirk never wanted inspections but rather regime change, so his only hope is to somehow find weapons of mass destruction, and His Illegitimacy is hell-bent on going to war. Klein said it's more important to take on terror networks than Saddam. Broder said he is "less cynical" (read: more doctrinaire) than Novak.

There was typically dismissive speculation about which Democrats will run for President in 2004. Safire even mispronounced "Gebhardt" -- before he jokingly said Gary Hart will win New Hampshire. Novak labeled Democrats as "inconsistent"; Klein said right now it's a Gore waiting game, and John Edwards has a lot to think about.

You have to wonder why viewers tolerate this sort of sorry, superficial excuse for political analysis and insight.

-- JJ Balzer

This Bleak
Little George Tries to "Russert" Al

December 9, 2002 -- MOLINE (APJP) -- Little George, fearing for his pundit life and with an eye towards being Russert Jr., tried to be tough with Al Gore.

How do pundits do this? By regurgitating RNC spin with an eye towards a pat on the head. Will the right still attack Stephy? Of course they will -- anything short of physically attacking a Dem candidate with a blunt object will always be seen "liberal bias". Witness how pundits and "journalists" run before the Republican lash.

After all, not long after he was elevated to the highest reaches of government by riding Bill Clinton's bandwagon, Stephy was among the first to do a quick right turn and stab his former mentor in the back when he was down, placing him at the front of a vanguard running to cash in and be used by the right at the very time his boss was the victim of one of the most horrendous smear and lie campaigns ever perpetrated on anyone in history.

But George knew something that would get him bigger bucks than his self-serving tell-all book: he was more useful to the guys with the big money as a former right hand lieutenant to Clinton who was willing to bash him on television. Stephanopoulos cashed in big time by being a tool of the right. He hasn't been as bad as some, but his sheer disloyalty and whoring for cash should place him squarely in the league of any other media hack.

Stephanopoulos' task is to try to beat Tim Russert in the ratings, something his pathetic predecessors failed at miserably. And just as clearly today, he aims to accomplish this by BEING Tim Russert. His style today aped Fat Tim's style, wherein he tries to appear tough and on top of things by interrupting constantly with apparent evidence of contradictions, inconsistencies, or flip-flops in the (Democrat) guest's answers, even though a child could see that there is none. But hey, it plays well to ditto-heads and also elicits nods of approval in the boardrooms.

Strangely, This Bleak introduced Al Gore, but after introducing him went to this no-news report that the Iraqis have turned over a ton of reports. After informing us of exactly nothing, but showing lots of clips of THE EVIL ONE and discussion of how EVIL he is (just to be clear, we're referring to Saddam Hussein), we finally go back to Al Gore. (This suggests that the war and George "C Movie Cowboy" Bush is far more important than Al Gore. It also covers them from being screamed at for devoting a lot of time to an actual Democrat contender for the presidency when they're expected to be doing solid wall-to-wall war cheerleading.)

Steph led off by asking Gore if he believed the declaration just issued by Saddam Hussein. (As if Gore would say, "Sure, he has an honest face, why not?") Gore began his tortured and difficult attempt to have it both ways. He said of course he doesn't believe Saddam, but -- then made some slight detour from the Bush position, whatever it might be at the moment. This is the pattern that he followed the entire show.

Steph did the Russert "throw up the graphics and read some supposedly damning quote" thing with something Gore had said years ago in support of Bush fossil's Gulf War adventure. Gore had said that we know that Saddam was trying to produce biological and chemical weapons and that we should go in and stop him. What about that, Steph wanted to know, adding, "You said then that we should attack Saddam because he was trying to produce weapons of mass destruction, and now we know he has them by your own admission. Why shouldn't we invade this time?"

That was a valid question, and Al did a pretty good job laying out the distinction in two points. One, that our nation was attacked by Al Qaeda, NOT by Saddam Hussein. This point should have carried great weight. It's a VERY important distinction, but Stephy, not even listening, much less caring about what Gore had just said, jumped in a la Russert, yipping, "But there were many terror attacks during the 90's!" As if this was a "gotcha" type of thing. What a wad!

What the hell do the terror attacks in the 90's have to do with this situation we currently face? That's right! ZERO, ZIP, NADA. It's like Stephy asked the question, having planned for Gore to answer in some expected way and then he'd spring this thing on him and really look good. And, like an over-excited teen with his first woman, Little Steph got a little too excited, jumped the gun, and went off too soon. He didn't even listen to Gore's answer, and in his haste, sprung the non-gotcha gotcha. These guys are morons.

Gore calmly explained to this boy that September 11th was a little different than a handful of embassy attacks, the first World Trade Center bombing (for which the perpetrators were caught and convicted), and the USS Cole attack. Evidently, the right -- and, by extension, Stephy -- doesn't quite get the difference between those incidents and an attack on three targets that resulted in billions of dollars in damage and thousands of lives. Also, with the exception of the first World Trade Center bombing, the others were attacks against US government installations, as well as being abroad. Since, in the mind-set of the right, lawless terrorism is defined as attacks on civilian targets, these must have been "legitimate".

After schooling Stephy, Gore made perhaps one of his most strong statements, and one that I can't wait for the right to try to deny. He said that the World Trade Center was attacked by Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, and that there has simply been no evidence presented to back up the assertion that Iraq and Al Qaeda were one and the same, as the Bushniks have been trying mightily to get us to buy. Al said, "It appears not to be true."

Wow! Finally, someone actually calling a lie a lie! Will wonders never cease?

But could you possibly find a more tepid, weak-kneed, lily-livered way of stating the obvious? Even the front-runner for the chance at challenging this fraud currently in office can only muster "it appears not to be true." Hey Al, out here, we have a word for "not appearing to be true." It's called a LIE. But hey, maybe Al's getting a little shaky about flying these days and doesn't want to offend the Bush mob too much.

Gore then tried to straddle the fence by saying that we have to continue the course we're on with the UN, basically endorsing Bush's actions to date. He then started to bring up the point he's been making lately that we're losing focus on Al Qaeda in our rush to get a war on with Iraq. But Stephy got him to veer back to saying that IF we found some banned weapons in Iraq, then we'd be justified in using military force to take it out, and that he'd be behind that if it happened. UGH.

Well, there goes his ability to ever oppose any military invasion by Bush. All they have to do, and will likely do, is to gin up some phony "breech" of an agreement and Bush has got his war, and Gore is completely neutralized.

Poor Al is all over the map. Most of his statements are, of course, correct and well-reasoned; however, it will NEVER cut through to most people, and only leaves him sounding mealy-mouthed and wide open to right wing attacks for being wishy-washy. Remember, the right thrives on a black/white theory of the world, where you don't have to think, it's either right or wrong, no gray areas. And their idea of "right" is the sort of mythological tough-guy, sports/John Wayne rugged individual, whose philosophy is, "We can kick anyone's ass so we don't have to be right" - the very kind of crap that hasn't worked for decades, and really never was the best way to deal with things.

This type of thinking is so 19th century that it appeals to all the scared silly little macho men that like to imagine it's still the days of the Wild West because they just can't cope with this modern world that's a bit more complex than a 1950's western. So they'll pound Gore to death for trying to actually explain the nuances of the differences between his views and War Boy's by attacking him as some egg-headed "librul" who wants to do things too "fancy" and hard to understand, so let's not listen to him and make fun of him instead.

But Al has made his own bed. When you try to agree with Bush and disagree at the same time, you're going to have some problems. Steph then played a clip from ABC World News Tonight showing Al reciting the pat case against Saddam regarding his gassing his own people, etc. etc. Once again, Al's trying to establish that he's not a "wimp" when it comes to the use of the military to get what we want. It's the right that has forced him to try to appear pro-war, and his doing so has come back to bite him in the ass.

Quite frankly, it's painful to watch Gore anymore. He's managed to leave himself a swath of rhetorical territory about 3 inches wide on which to tread. This is not good. And add to that the fact that he's NOT adept of putting things plainly and in overly simplistic phrases like the morons that the right panders to prefer, and you have a very bad mix.

Of course, Steph dredged up the RNC (Republican National Committee) spin point that Gore had somehow flip-flopped on his views towards the use of force on Iraq, since he was for the invasion of Iraq under Bush fossil.

Of course, his views now are not contradictory to his views then. He tried to articulate it, and was perhaps TOO articulate in doing so. He sensibly thinks that the way the Bush Brat went about getting his war on was reckless, rash, and tried to arrogantly side-step a couple pretty important steps before dragging a country into war, namely, explaining things to the public in a BELIEVABLE way, and making a strong case that Americans and their allies trust and feel is a just cause, thus being something they can stand in clear support of.

Gore kept trying to get this point across to an apparently clueless Stephanopoulos, though he was weaker than circus lemonade in doing so. Gore made the valid point that what he objects to is the Bushies racing off thumping their chests and crying for blood into Afghanistan, then, like a child with ADD, getting bored and deciding to go try something else.

He doesn't agree with Smirk and his shallow greedy advisors waging a war against a noun (terra), then, when the spoiled brat Bush finally figured out that this won't give him his expected instant glorification and the adoration of a grateful world and nation, and after it finally dawned on this shallow dim-wit that it was a stupid-ass idea in the first place and could not possibly be "won" (no matter how much he told us it didn't matter how long it took), his ancient Cold War retainers got him all cheered up by dusting off their long standing lust to take over Iraq.

Of course, Bush, being a vapid nimrod, bought the idea. After all, it would mean a LOT of money for him and his pals, and (in his mind) make him a great historical leader and champion of freedom and hero to the greedy billionaires that are "his kind" everywhere. And the best part, it was actually a concrete THING to war against, not some vague concept. Someone could actually TELL if we won or not, and not only that, but (they all tell him) it will be a cakewalk.

So this is where we find ourselves. And Al Gore, rightly, thinks it's pretty stupid and dangerous. But for whatever reason, he simply is too mild and is still in the thrall of Bush's mile wide and 1/4 inch deep popularity. He criticizes Bush like an overly polite person goes about trying to tell someone they have bad breath. It just doesn't cut it.

Gore laid out his position that we shouldn't focus on Iraq until we're done fighting against the real enemy, namely Al Qaeda. By losing focus on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, we're leaving ourselves in grave danger. In other words, we've got larger fish to fry than Saddam Hussein at this time, and to devote enormous resources to Iraq means taking them away from where they're really needed.

This is a perfectly valid position, and should be apparent to anyone with an IQ higher than their hat size, but it's weak and unfortunately will never get any traction. You can't argue against the Bush's little manufactured war with Iraq and then in the same breath say we have to continue doing exactly what we're doing and that if we find any evidence at all, that was should rush in with military force -- even if we have to do it without UN sanctions! What position is that? You can't fault the Bush style war mongering and then appear to whole-heartedly endorse it in the next breath. If there's any distinction there at all, it's a distinction without a difference.

As much as it serves as ankle biting against the administration, hey, I'm all for it. Anything that slows down the wrong-headed Bush juggernaut is a service to the country and the world. However, it's not the thing to hang your hat on if you're planning on challenging Bush for president.

Steph continued his faux-Russert attack on Gore, challenging him to say whether he believes that the Bushies are using war for political purposes. Seriously, is there ANYONE that actually thinks they're NOT? (I'm talking about people who don't make a rattling noise when they shake their heads.) Yet such is the bizarre through-the-looking-glass political atmosphere that Gore WUSSED out and said, "You know, I hate to think that they're using this war for political purposes because that would be so serious, and you can't tell what's in people's hearts." UGH! For the love of Pete, why not just say YES, and take the heat. Let them prove they're not! They couldn't! But Gore knows that even stating something this obvious would arouse the typical right wing storm against him.

Steph then flashed up some misleading chart showing the proposed Bush tax cuts for the very wealthy. This is an issue that Gore has been tepidly trying to inch out on. He should be just flatly blasting the ruinous Bush tax cuts, period. Yet he's only willing to pussyfoot around and say he doesn't want to enact the cuts that haven't been instituted yet.

This is another issue where the Republicans have the Democrats locked in a tar pit. The Dems are completely immobilized. Why? Because there are so many accounting gimmicks and shams and frauds contained in the tax cuts that the right can easily keep lying and throwing out differing figures at Dems and force them to endlessly go through arcane details that prove how the Bush cuts are nothing more than class warfare AGAINST the poor AND middle class.

No Dem can explain it in a nice little sound byte. Al Gore knows it inside and out, but he's unable to explain it adequately on these shows. Why? First of all, it requires more than 10 seconds, and that's all he'll EVER get, if that. Every single pundit or host will be constitutionally incapable of allowing him to speak any longer than that without butting in to try to inject themselves into things. They simply CAN NOT sit still and let someone explain a subject, even when they know that it will require perhaps the unheard of time of 30 seconds to do so properly. You will NEVER see Al Gore allowed to speak for that length of time. The only way he could effectively lay it out to the American people is if he bought airtime ala Ross Perot and did it that way.

Then came yet another example of an Alice in Wonderland media moment. George, in a further display of Russert envy, flashed up some further graphics showing the American Nurses Association's suggested health care proposal! Evidently, ABC is incapable of spending the short time it would take to find out what Gore's ACTUAL proposals are and figured that someone else plan would due. Outrageous.

Gore, to his credit, quickly pointed out that it wasn't his plan. Steph got him to concede however that he was for all the benefits it called for. Then, despite the fact that he was putting up someone ELSE'S proposal for a health care plan, George then went on to cite yet another group's analysis of this nursing organization's plan and it's cost, then expected Gore to defend it as if it was his own plan!

What in the wide, wide, world of sports is going on here? "Oh well, we know this isn't what you're proposing or supporting, and we know that you probably haven't even read this report or even know about it, but what the hell, it's close enough for us, so let's hear you defend it and explain it as if it were your own."

Steph then recited the RNC complaint that Gore has no economic plan and can only criticize, trying to challenge Gore to lay out an alternate approach to reversing the horrid and swift damage that the Dunce in D.C. has done to our economy. This should be like shooting fish in a barrel. The Frat Brat Bush was handed a silk purse and turned it into a sow's ear in record time. He's so vulnerable on this issue it's laughable, but yet no Dem seems to have a clue how to capitalize on it. This is because they're SCARED to be labeled with those nasty terms the right will surely pin on them.

What's needed is someone like John Kerry, who when confronted by Tim Russert interrupting one of Kerry's answers with a "But the White House says..." replied, "I don't care what they think!"

More of that! Every day, and several times a day. That's the only way any tide will turn around here.

Perhaps I'm too harsh with Big Al. Maybe if he spoke out more forcefully he'd get annihilated. But something tells me that he'd have so many people SO damn grateful, that he'd be overwhelmed with popular support. Sure, the press would maul him, but I'm certain that even those that have been meekly going with the flow and supporting Bush would be greatly relived that someone had finally voiced their gut feelings.

I've gone too long to discuss the round table discussion that followed the Gore interview, but we'll all hear about the spin after the pundits get their marching orders from the RNC tomorrow.

-- Dash Riprock

Dash Riprock is a free-lance smart aleck based in the Farm Implement Capital of the World. He wishes he could learn how to write, and feels a great boiling impotence in the face of the right wing decimation of peace, prosperity, and freedom. You can contact him at dashriprockapj@hotmail.com You'll be glad you did. (Maybe.)

JJ Balzer is a former television news producer. He lives in New York City.