Out with good prescription drug coverage, in with the free market:
Heard on the radio:
Are you a prescription plan member who uses Clarinex®, Zyrtec®, or Allegra® for allergy relief? Then you should know that many plans are changing the coverage level on your nasal allergy medicine, which might cost you more money. Don't let nasal allergy relief cost you more this year. Just ask your doctor about Flonase® - fluticasone propionate nasal spray 50 micrograms. Flonase® is approved to relieve the nasal symptoms from pollen, dust mites, pet dander, pollution, smoke, and strong odors - more triggers than any leading allergy medicine. Comprable efficacy and safety among Flonase® and these products has not been established. For best results use Flonase® daily. Maximum relief may take several days and results may vary. Side effects are generally mild and may include headache, nosebleed, or sore throat. To learn more about Flonase® see our ad in Fitness magazine, visit www.flonase.com, or call 1-800-FLONASE. If the co-payment for your allergy medicine is costing you more money, ask your doctor if Flonase® is right for you. All it takes is Flonase®.
To hear the commercial, get it here (460k .wav file, 8khz sample, 8-bit, mono).
We took a look at ABC's Nightline yesterday. The topic? Democrats complaining about Bush's aircraft carrier landing & speech. We watched the whole thing (and taped it and watched it again). There was no mention of Bush's Texas Air National Guard "service". [Sorry, but no transcripts or summaries available.]
Regarding the Air National Guard we are delighted to note that Orcinus shares our view. Over there, we read:
... what we know about his record now should be considered a scandal ...
Why did Mr. Bush abandon his commitment to his country during wartime?
That last quote is the most succinct expression of the charge against Bush (and we wish we had thought of it.) Give it some exposure, everybody.
The day that Bush landed on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was also the National Day of Prayer. In the morning, Bush made a short appearance in the East Room and spoke to the guests.
This combination of faith and flying has enthralled many Christians (just listen to Christian radio - it's one of their hot topics lately).
We got pretty excited over the looting of the Baghdad Museum last month, and still think that the administration didn't give a rat's ass about it, but there are now stories coming out indicating that the damage wasn't as great as initially reported. From the Chicago Tribune:
The vast majority of antiquities feared stolen or broken have been found inside the National Museum in Baghdad, according to American investigators who compiled an inventory over the weekend of the ransacked galleries.
A total of 38 pieces, not tens of thousands, are now believed to be missing. Among them is a display of Babylonian cuneiform tablets that accounts for nine missing items.
[...]
The inventory, compiled by a military and civilian team headed by Marine Col. Matthew Bogdanos, rejects reports that Iraq's renowned treasures of civilization--up to 170,000 artifacts--had been lost during the U.S.-led war against Iraq. It also raises questions about why any of the artifacts were reported missing. ...
Unfortunately however, both the National Library and a repository of ancient Korans did burn to the ground, so those losses remain. And regarding the Baghdad Museum, there was damage to the inside as photos attest, so we'll have to wait to see if the "good news" about limited theft and vandalism is correct.
In the wake of Bush's fighter pilot-like stunt on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, there has been renewed interest in charges that he was AWOL from the Air National Guard during his 6 year term of service. We think that Bush did bug-out, but proving that is difficult. There don't appear to be any records that would indicate when he (or anybody else) showed up for duty. If there are, that would clear up the matter, but until that happens we are left with personal recollections. Those recollections are of the "I don't remember seeing Bush at the base" variety, which makes it likely - but not definitive - that Bush was AWOL.
But while everybody is focusing on the AWOL charge, they've skipped over an issue that is proven, cannot be denied, and for which there is documentary evidence.
During Bush's 6 year Air National Guard service:
[05/1968 - 07/1970] Bush took two years of training to become a fighter pilot.
[07/1970 - 05/1972] Bush flew for 2 years.
[08/1972 - 08/1974] Grounded for "failing to accomplish annual medical examination" and never did anything during his final 2 years re-establish his ability to fly.
There's your indisputable issue: We've got the document where he was grounded. Nobody denies it. Nobody denies that Bush failed to become "flyable" after that. That's inexcusable, especially since it appears that "failing to accomplish" the medical examination meant "failing to take" a medical examination.
THE CHARGE: Because Bush ignored fighter pilot regulations he was grounded for the last two years of his duty.
He was trained by the United States for military service, but then made it impossible for him to fulfill his obligation to the country. Bush squandered the time and expense of his traing - somebody else should have gotten that coveted National Guard slot and served with distinction. Or will Bush-supporters argue that working for the political campaign of Winton Blount was more important than serving one's country?
The latest news is that Dick "Dick" Cheney has agreed to run with Bush in 2004. This is a moment to remember how conservative Cheney really is. For most people, Cheney was the Secretary of Defense in the 1st Bush administration - with no strong political profile. But when he was a congressman from Wyoming, he established a very conservative voting record. The site bush-cheney.net - a DNC operation from 2000 - has the information about him. In particular his voting record. Check it out.
So how does Mr. Chalabi get to have access to those papers? Must be something Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and Perle wanted.
Also, as Matthew Yglesias points out, having the exiles control the selection of non-exiles means that the assembly will pretty much be an exile creation, which doesn't bode well for stability.
UPDATE: In April we posted a diagram showing Chalabi and his brothers' problems over financial matters. Problems that resulted in convictions and jail time.
We reprint the diagram of key elements of Powell's presentation to the United Nations Security Council on 05 February 2003. Looking at it again, and especially in light of what we now know about the competence and focus of Iraq's military, it doesn't appear to be much of a threat to the United States - even if everything Powell claimed was true. That's even more the case since nothing has been found yet - except for that miserable little drone and a few terrorist thugs hiding out in Baghdad.
[A caller] sneered at Bush taking a jet instead of a helicopter. The Lincoln was too far away for a chopper. They could've moved it, but no matter what Bush did, liberals would have criticized him.
The truth:
The Lincoln was not too far away for a chopper.
They did move it. (In various ways: slowed it down prior to landing; sailed to minimize cross-winds during speech)
The most recurring criticism I heard of the president was the uniform, that you recall during the 2000 campaign, questions he was missing from the meetings in Alabama when he went to work on a political campaign there, didn't show up for reserve meetings.
Jesus' General (aka patriotboy) has created some inspiring "holy cards". Only 4 so far, but all are quality. Check them out here. Our favorite: Sen. Santorum.
The Daily Howler posted an excellent commentary on Saturday about Chris Matthews’ Hardball of 01 May 2003. We didn’t watch the show, but did take a look at the transcript. It’s truly amazing how Matthews is in thrall to Bush. For those who don’t want to bother reading the lengthy transcript, we present the following quotes by Chris: (emphasis added)
What’s the importance of the president’s amazing display of leadership tonight?
And that’s the president looking very much like a jet, you know, a high-flying jet star. A guy who is a jet pilot. Has been in the past when he was younger, obviously. What does that image mean to the American people, a guy who can actually get into a super sonic plane, and actually fly in an unpressurized cabin, like an actual jet pilot?
He won the war. He was an effective commander. Everybody recognizes that, I believe, except a few critics.
... Bob Dornan. Bob, your joining us. I can’t think of a better guy off the on the panel, a man who has flown those jet fighter. Tell me about what you feel when you see your commander-in-chief in the uniform and equipped to fly a plane like the F-18.
Here’s a president who’s really non-verbal. He’s like Eisenhower. He looks great in a military uniform. He looks great in that cowboy costume he wears when he goes west. I remember him standing at that fence with Colin Powell. Was the best picture in the 2000 campaign.
Ann Coulter, you’re the first to speak tonight on the buzz. The president’s performance tonight, redolent of the best of Reagan-what do you think?
The president there-look at this guy! We’re watching him. He looks like he flew the plane. He only flew it as a passenger, but he’s flown...
He looks for real. What is about it the commander-in-chief role, the hat that he does wear, that makes him-I mean, he seems like-he didn’t fight in a war, but he looks like he does.
Look at this guy!
And on MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olberman, there was this by Matthews:
... it’s a statement. It’s saying to the Democratic Party or anyone else who wants to challenge this man for a full eight-year presidency, Try to do this. Look at me. Do you really think you’ve got a guy in your casting studio, your casting director can come up with, who can match what I did today?
Imagine Joe Lieberman in this costume, or even John Kerry. Nobody looks right in the role Bush has set for the presidency-commander-in-chief, medium height, medium build, looks good in a jet pilot’s costume-or uniform, rather-has a certain swagger, not too literary, certainly not too verbal, but a guy who speaks plainly and wins wars.
... he is who he is. He didn’t make himself. He didn’t design himself as a softspoken, simple-vocabulary kind of guy. That’s who he is. George W. Bush doesn’t speak in a complicated fashion. He’s a very basic, clear-thinking guy who goes to bed at 9:30 with his wife. He’s not complicated. He’s not a problem. He is George W. Bush. And I think the beauty of the guy’s presidency is it’s so custom-made for him.
This guy has designed the presidency as the commander-in-chief’s job. And I think, obviously, September 11 has made that possible.
[OLBERMANN: ... about his experience in the Air National Guard. It did ... bring back that “Boston Globe” report from 2000 that Mr. Bush did not exactly finish that tour with the Texas Air National Guard.] I mean, there’s a hopeless case! Give me a break! Those guys love to begrudge. ... They know what they’re doing, and they have a lot of fun going after this Republican from Texas.
We’re proud of our president. Americans love having a guy as president, a guy who has a little swagger, who’s physical, who’s not a complicated guy like Clinton or even like Dukakis or Mondale, all those guys, McGovern. They want a guy who’s president. Women like a guy who’s president. Check it out. The women like this war. I think we like having a hero as our president. It’s simple.
Howler was too nice in our opinion. What Matthews said was pure crap.
You know, thinking it over, and considering the Michael Savage hire, we now conclude that MSNBC is an explicitly conservative political cable network - like Fox News.
Bush quoted from the bible when he made his speech on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. While the words were from Isiah 61:1, we note that they were also spoken by Jesus (when he was reading from Isiah). Christians "in the know", would appreciate this - especially since it is used by Jesus to justify his own status as a savior. Also, for some Christians, the words spoken by Jesus are held in special regard and there are editions of the bible, red-letter versions, where the words attributed to Jesus are printed in red.
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners
The Sovereign Lord has filled me with his Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me To bring good news to the poor, To heal the broken-hearted, To announce release to captives And freedom to those in prison.
Jesus speaking in LUKE 4:18
Background: Jesus has just spent 40 days in the wilderness, tempted by Satan.
"Then Jesus returned to Galilee, and the power of the Holy Spirit was with him. The news about him spread throughout all that territory. He taught in the synagogues and was praised by everyone. Then Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath he went as usual to the synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written, " - (Today's English Version aka Good News)
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed
"Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him, as he said to them, "This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read." They were all well impressed with him and marveled at the eloquent words that he spoke." - (Today's English Version aka Good News)
