I've been thinking about the Iraq plan that Clinton announced yesterday. I don't know all of the specifics, but in its broad outlines there are two major components: 1) Stop funding the various Iraqi institutions unless they achieve certain objectives (this we'll call the stop funding Shiite death squads component). 2) Cap the number of American service personnel in Iraq at where it was January 1. She's also going to co-sponsor the non-binding resolution opposing the escalation, but her plan is basically the same with or without that resolution.

So a few days ago Dick Cheney came to Washington State to campaign for state candidates. The next day, Dave Reichert, the incumbant first term Congressman in the 8th announced his re-election. And he made a lame joke about how Cheney wasn't popular. "[Cheney] offered to campaign for my opponent!" Well his opponent decided that was so funny, that she wrote Dick Cheney a letter taking him up on that. On the flip:

Something's been bugging me about the FBI conducting surveillance on the Quakers, PETA and the Catholic Workers. And it isn't just the civil rights problems. No, what stuck in my craw was the fact that in 2001, George W. Bush has quoted Dorothy Day, the co-founder of the  Catholic Workers in a commencement speech at Notre Dame in what was at the time a lame assed attempt to sell his faith based program.

Paul Berendt has just stepped down from the Charimanship of the Washington State Democratic Party. He's out come January 28. A copy of his letter and some discussion of who we might want to replace him after the break.

The Times printed (second to last) a better version of my letter than the one I sent them. Basically a few days ago they had someone from a local rightwing think tank write about how wonderful Seattle blogging was. He went to a convention put together by a conservative local blogger and was shocked to find only conservatives. Anyway, below the cut is the letter the Times ran and more words.

It's aparently Poverty in America Awareness Month in the Catholic Church. The Seattle Archdiocese paper has an editorial dealing with poverty in general, and social security specifically. I thought the social security bits were interesting in light of how there is no crisis.

I apologize, this is a few days old, but I haven't seen it anywhere else. The Spokane Diocese has a newspaper where the bishop has a collumn. Anyway, this week he wrote about the contraversy. And FWIW, he's the vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, so he isn't too out of line.

You all remember in his press conference when Bush was asked about his mistakes and couldn't seem to think of any. Well the DNC has a new ad that features some of his mistakes. While Bush is stammering, trying to think of some mistake he's made, text pops up on the screen. "Bring 'em on" "Mission Acomplished" ect.

I'd prefer to have seen more substinative policy criticism, something along the lines of "Not going through the UN" "Lying about WMD" but this is still pretty good.

I was hoping for a nod to Clark, but this isn't unexpected. They are probably the only newspaper endorsement in the Seattle area that will sway voters one way or the other. Althought they probably have more sway at the bottom of the ticket than the president.

Talk the debate here until Kos puts up something on the main page.

Interesting article on the two John F. Kerrys. The dull John Forbes Kerry, and the fun exciting John Fucking Kerry. I hope if Kerry's the nominee, we can keep the later.

Today Bush announced that he would launch a new space initative to go back to the moon. A few weeks ago he proposed a new imigration policy. But if he was serious about these wouldn't he first mention them in the state of the union?

I hadn't seen it before, and I didn't see a diary.

Holy cow. No audio (well music, but no voices) and it's a list of the names of the dead that go by really fast. There are pictures of flag draped cofins. It complains that we can't memorialize the dead. And it says lays the claim that there was no reason to go to war.

http://www.kucinich.us/dk.html

This wasn't a suprise, but now its official. Our vanity primary won't go on. We'll still be cacusing on Feb. 7.

I thought I'd just say how I'm voting for the local stuff on the November ballott, in suburban Washington state, and add my snarky coments where appropriate.

I-841- No-
It's an attempt to repeal the state ergonomics rules. The TV and radio adds for it have been slick as heck. If it passes we can ceed our claim to be some liberal state.

House Joint Resolution 4206- Aprove-
I don't really understand it but as a PCO whose had to replace state folks mid term I can't imagine the new system will be more conveluted.

King County Charter Amendment 1- Yes-
This dealt with a bianual budget instead of an anual budget, it seems like a good idea because the budget is so insanely contensious, that its good to only do it half as much. Also my State Rep (Marlyn Chase) wrote the no position and she's one of my least favorite Democrats, so while I voted for her for the legislature, her opposition to this would be reason enough for me to vote for it.

County Assessor- Scott Noble (D)-
The only partisan race, this one was easy enough.

Court of apeals- There was only one judgeship on my ballot, and it was unopposed so I left it blank.

Port of Seattle Pos 2- Bob Edwards (NP)
Pos 5- Alec Fisken (NP)
I just voted with the Stranger on these. http://thestranger.com/2003-10-23/city.html

City of Lake Forest Park- Mayor- Dave Hutchinson (NP)-
I like both of the people running for mayor, but I've bristled against Armanini recently on the Burke-Guillman Trail. She's sided with property owners in trying to enforce stop signs along the trail. This is retarded as there are stop signs in the middle of the trail that only open to driveways. If these ever get enforced, it'll mean fines for basically everyone who uses the trail, and make it a bigger pain to get to the city without driving. She's been pretty good in most issues, though. Dave Hutchinson has been awesome, especially on the Environment, he stewarded 3 new parks durring his term, and Animal Acers and Lyon Creek parks are awesome.

City Council Pos. 2- Roger G Olstad (NP)-
This man is the most environmentally friendly person I've been able to vote for up and down the ballot ever. He helped get the aformentioned parks into existance, and has a great record as a member of the EQC. He fancys himself an independant, but he still sides with the right side most of the time.

Pos 4- blank
Pos 6- blank
Will someone please run a write in campaign against these people?

Shoreline School District-
Position 1- Mike Jacobs (NP)
Position 4- Kellie Swenson (Write in)
Position 5- Sherry Marlin (NP)

Shoreline Water District
Position 3- Charolett Haines (NP)
She's unopposed but shes fine.

Northshore Fire District Position 3- Ron Gehrke (NP)
Position 5- David Maehren (NP)-
The Republicans doorbelled for his opponant, so even if I didn't like Maehren, I'd still give him the nod to nip a potential Republican candidate's dreams of higher office in the bud.

For those of you who don't know, 841 is an initative on the ballot this November that basically scraps the state egronomic rules. Any way the ads for the group are slick as hell. The group called themselves something like "Workers Against Job Killing Rules." So I guess that isn't too suprising but it pisses me off. But I guess Big Buisness Owners Who Don't Care if You Get Carpol Tunel Syndrome would be too much to ask them to call themselves.

Anyway I tried to find the ad, but it wasn't on their web page http://www.yes841.com/. Also the state party's page doesn't seem to have anything about the election that I could find. http://www.wa-democrats.org Of course I might just be looking in the wrong place. Does anyone know if the no campaign is going to run ads, because some absentee ballots have already been sent out, so we have to start confronting the lies now.