Finally got around to watching this behemoth of a Frontline last night, and I'd very highly recommend it. (You can even watch it online, if you're willing to sit in front of your computer for four hours.) It runs from just after September 11th until just before the surge (or what Condoleezza Rice called the "Clear, Hold, Build" strategy, when she proposed it in 2005), and it's fascinating. In case you don't have time to sit through it, though, I've assembled a Cliff's Notes version below:

These people...	...came off as...
Colin Powell, Richard Armitage, Jay Garner	reasonably competent, but out of the loop
Condi Rice, George Tenet, Tommy Franks	semi-willing pawns
Philip Zelikow	having a comically deep voice
Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz	scary; crazy (like a fox?)
Cofer Black, Ahmed Chalabi	crazy (like a crazy person)
L. Paul Bremer	borderline developmentally disabled
George W. Bush	a terrible, terrible speaker; not a very good president*

Good times.

* - Had to get his own box, because he is the president. Do not assume that means he didn't fit into any of the other categories.

Scandal!

(Odds more people care about this than about the fact that McCain hasn't bothered to learn the difference between Shia and Sunni Islam: middling-to-high.)

DNC fundraising email:

A recent report by the Associated Press has revealed that the Republican National Committee is pulling together a joint fund with John McCain called the "Victory Committee." Its goal is to raise $120 million -- which they're sure to spend trying to destroy our candidates.

We've seen this before -- we know they're already launching attacks on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And while they're tearing them down, they'll try to spin John McCain to the American people.

It's a $120 million makeover fund, designed to make everyone forget about the last eight years of John McCain, George Bush, the war, the economy, Katrina, and a stunning lack of competency.

...

"So please join us in decrying this admittedly-legal exploitation of the campaign finance laws"?

"We, on the other hand, will be taking the high road and simply pursuing that lawsuit that we filed the other day"?

"Just wanted to let you know"?

That's why I'm making an urgent request for you to help us with a contribution today -- we have to keep up. They've got a head start, but we can stay competitive if you make a contribution right now.

Ah. Right.

As I've said before: at the end of the day, I don't really have a problem with this kind of thing. But it sure feels slimy.

Robert Reich goes green-mode:

Are Americans who have been left behind frustrated? Of course. And their frustrations, their anger and, yes, sometimes their bitterness, have been used since then -- by demagogues, by nationalists and xenophobes, by radical conservatives, by political nuts and fanatical fruitcakes – to blame immigrants and foreign traders, to blame blacks and the poor, to blame "liberal elites," to blame anyone and anything.

Rather than counter all this, the American media have wallowed in it. Some, like Fox News and talk radio, have given the haters and blamers their very own megaphones. The rest have merely "reported on" it. Instead of focusing on how to get Americans good jobs again; instead of admitting too many of our schools are failing and our kids are falling behind their contemporaries in Europe, Japan, and even China; instead of showing why we need a more progressive tax system to finance better schools and access to health care, and green technologies that might create new manufacturing jobs, our national discussion has been mired in the old politics.

Jon Stewart, on Barack Obama the flaming elitist:

You know... I hear what you're all saying, but doesn't "elite" mean good? Is that not something we're looking for in a president anymore? You know what, candidates? Come with me [to Camera 3].

I know "elite" is a bad word in politics, and you want to go bowling and throw back a few beers. But the job you're applying for? If you get it, and it goes well... they might carve your head into a mountain. If you don't actually think you're better than us, then what the fuck are you doing?

Update: Hunter:

Where did we get this notion that the President of the United States should be a drinking buddy? Where did we get the notion that the strongest nation on earth should be led by a folksy, easy-to-like drunk? I don't mean where did the country get this notion, I mean when did the media decide that this was a valid measure of a leader, something worth endlessly discussing, and analyzing, and tittering over? When facing down the leader of a rogue nation in a series of intense negotiations, I don't want the guy shooting pool at the corner bar, I want someone with a head for the job, for God's sake, and I don't give a rats ass if he likes buffalo wings, or bowling, or can smash an empty beer can on his head. ...

Yes, there are uninformed, dull-witted voters in the world, people who will decide who to vote for based on choice of beer. But why -- why, in the name of all that is holy, and several things that are not -- would the political media itself, presumably the group of people most informed about the actual issues of governance riding on each election, choose to celebrate that lack of substantive information and instead wallow in the meaningless?

By my count, that's seven Nepals in under two minutes. No wonder Stephen Hadley doesn't think the president should boycott the Opening Ceremony; he's not even aware there's a country called Tibet.

"Dear Hillary,

I'm takin' it to the next level.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama"



(Via On Call, Wonkette, AMERICAblog, etc.)

The McCain campaign finance imbroglio (that's right, "imbroglio") is about to enter Round Two. (Though, as Jonathan Singer puts it, "Will this suit finally shame reporters into covering this issue correctly? It should, but to tell you the truth, I'm not holding my breath...")

Remember that one time, how John Kerry pretended to be a hunter and a gun-lover, and then he won the election? That time was awesome.

Also: Hillary Clinton loves America. Barack Obama probably doesn't even know how to pronounce America.

AMERICAblog's A.J. Rossmiller makes a great point on McCain:

His lack of knowledge of the political dynamics of a war we're now five years (and 4,000 lives) into is embarrassing, especially considering he's running on that as his main strength. I mean, even if he didn't know it before, shouldn't he, y'know, take the time to learn it now?? And if not, shouldn't the press occasionally mention the fact that he appears to have no idea what he's talking about?

No. The press should not. Partly because, to quote Hunter, "the media just doesn't expect [McCain] not to say false things, especially on his self-declared strong point, foreign policy." And partly because... well, you know, it's, like, really hard, and stuff. Sunnis... Shiites... they all look the same to me.

So, really, does this make any sense to anyone?

Flash-forward several months and Webb and Hagel's vision (after months of consideration) is on the cusp of codification. The 21st Century G.I. Bill may be included in the language of the next Iraq war supplemental. And while, if considered separately, it could require 60 votes for passage, more than 50 Senators -- including many Republicans -- have already signed on as co-sponsors.

And yet, surprisingly, one of those Senators who has not yet offered his support is John McCain. How could a veteran of Vietnam and someone widely touted as Congress' foremost champions of veterans' affairs not sign on to a largely bipartisan, uncontroversial measure? (Both Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are co-sponsors).

Seriously, with what constituency is that going to win points? 53 cosponsors, this bill has. How is McCain not one of them? (Wesley Clark and Jon Solz wonder the same thing.)

(Via The Carpetbagger Report, via TAPPED.)

This would be pretty great:

Comedian John Cleese has a crush on Obama - and he wants to be the White House hopeful's speechwriter.

The legendary British funnyman, known for his hilarity in the groundbreaking "Monty Python" TV series and movies, told a British newspaper that his comedic chops could help the Democrat capture the Oval Office.

(Via TAPPED.)