Scoreboard update: Bush Opens Double-Digit Lead

"For the first time since the Presidential race became a two person contest last spring, there is a clear leader, the latest TIME poll shows. If the 2004 election for President were held today, 52% of likely voters surveyed would vote for President George W. Bush, 41% would vote for Democratic nominee John Kerry, and 3% would vote for Ralph Nader, according to a new TIME poll conducted from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2."

LOL! Wizbang asks,

"What the hell does that even mean?"

The Washington Post is connecting dots between birth rates and election results...

"Over the past decade, fertility rates among all major American ethnic groups have either remained low or fallen dramatically. Between 1990 and 2002 fertility declined 14 percent among Mexican Americans and 24 percent among Puerto Ricans. African Americans, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, now have a lower average fertility rate than whites, and they are no longer producing enough children to replace their population. But one big difference in fertility rates remains: Conservative, religiously minded Americans are putting far more of their genes into the future than their liberal, secular counterparts."

Are we seeing a form of 'natural selection' at work? James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal calls it the Roe effect.

Ouch! This from the Washington Times via The Mudville Gazzette...

"A photo of Mr. Kerry meeting with Vietnamese communist leaders in 1983 hangs in the War Remnants Museum, which used to be called the 'War Crimes Museum,' in Ho Chi Minh City. According to best-selling book 'Unfit for Command,' that wing honors Americans who helped the North Vietnamese communists chase Americans from the South.

Hmm. Apparently nation rebuilding isn't so easy.

"We have swept away Hitlerism, but a great many Europeans feel that the cure has been worse than the disease."

Dan Gillmor worries,

"The Swift Boat smear campaign remains successful on despite the mainstream media's exhaustive coverage debunking its credibility. Why? Because the right-wing mediasphere of blogs, talk radio, Fox and other outlets has given it legs, and because mainstream media have done far too much of the usual he-said, he-responded faux-objective coverage."

I worry why the mainstream media is onyl looking to debunk the swifties and not objectively looking into the validity of their claims.

Is John Kerry losing control? First he says Vice-President Cheney called him 'unfit to lead this nation' (correct IMO, but the Swifties are the ones using those words, not the VP). Then Kerry in his midnight madness rally, which is in itself a sign of desperation and disrespect (although in politics respect really doesn't apply much anymore), again brought Vietnam into play saying,

"I guess I'll leave it up to the voters whether five deferments makes someone more qualified to defend this nation than two tours of duty."

Well, to be completely up front, Kerry should include his attempt at receiving a deferment (which was denied), but what intrigues me most is why John Kerry running against Dick Cheney instead of George W. Bush?

The Belmont Club gives good insight here,

"The reigning champion, the Mainstream Media, has been forced against all odds to accept the challenge of an upstart over the coverage of the Swiftvets controversy."

Christopher Lydon asks,

"is it too late to frame this election game of 2004 as a choice: Empire or Republic?"

Vodkapundit has a list of military programs John Kerry voted to cancel throughout his time as a senator. Kerry must have been planning his 'sensitive' defense initiative.

New media player

Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 is ready.

The Longest Yard

Greg's Schmitz over at Yahoo! Movies has a preview of the remake of The Longest Yard. Adam Sandler will play Paul Crewe, the reluctant quarterback played by Burt Reynolds in the original movie. Additional cast members include Reynolds (coach Nate Scarboro this time around), Chris Rock, Brian Bosworth and Bill Goldberg. This will one to see in the summer of 2005!

Microsoft Productivity

Hmm. Will Halo 2 impact productivity in Redmond?

It is almost Saturday night in Death Valley!

Where in the world is Dave Winer?

Dave was all over the DNC. But instead of giving the RNC equal time, Dave fled to Canada.

527's and double standards

washingtonpost.com: The former chief outside counsel to President Bush's campaign asks why the media doesn't scrutinize John Kerry's lawyers and advisers? Hmm. Good question.

Godzilla vs. the 'Blogosphere'

Glenn Reynolds comments in the Wall Street Journal on our first 'blogged' presidential election.

Must be lacking his daily affirmation

Stuart Smalley, where are you!?

Another salvo

Swifties launch ad #4, see it here.

Election year undercard feature race

Daschle v. Thune: New Poll: Thune 50%, Daschle 48%

John Robb asks a question

John Robb asks if this plan will work? My answer is, yes and no. Some of this is already underway in Iraq (i.e. the training and planning). So Kerry must like what the President is doing. But any plan that calls for NATO to take any sort of responsibility and provide accountability is doomed to fail. That is something the President realized long ago.

Convention bounces

Dick Morris has his flaws, but he is fairly adept at predicting the political landscape. I hope he is on the mark this time.

Bad taste

I agree with Ace, purple heart bandaids are in bad taste. Too many men and women have earned purple hearts to have people mock the medal because they believe, rightly or wrongly, that John Kerry didn't deserve one or more of his purple hearts.

LOL - Bush is a lightweight

Pleasure Boat Captains for Truth has been formed to counter the deliberate misrepresentation of George W. Bush's drinking record. We seek to portray him as he was, and still is: a "lightweight."

Don't be economic girlie men!

My fellow immigrants, my fellow Americans, how do you know if you are a Republican? I'll tell you how...

Tigers available via satellite this season

LSUsports.net: "LSU, Sirius Reach Agreement on Sports Broadcast Package"

Every Week a Season

LSUsports.net: College football fans from across the country will get an inside look of what it's like to be part of the LSU football team with the release of a book titled "Every Week A Season: A Journey Inside Big-Time College Football".

Election year Catch 22: Guardsman/Politician

Mudville Gazette:

"My goal is to actually be of service, not just to hold onto my position..."

A US Infantry Company Just Came Through Here...

Perry on Politics has a flyer John Kerry and his band of brothers handed out in the 70's.

Poor Florida

Frances is bearing down on the sunshine state.

Hello World!

This is the mandatory first post, "Hello World!"