Let’s get this straight, Condoleeza Rice is going to testify (NYTimes), in public and under oath. That’s great news and about time.

On the flip side, the GOP is making so that anyone who criticizes the federal government must register as a political committee. Scary.

While our sons and daughters are fighting in a foreign land, the President cracks jokes about it: “Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere”. Har, har, har. (Yahoo! story)

And….

“Your government failed you,” he said. “Those entrusted with protecting you failed you. And I failed you. We tried hard. But that doesn’t matter, because we failed. And for that failure, I would ask, once all the facts are out, for your understanding and for your forgiveness.”: Richard Clarke, in testimony before the 9/11 commission. (NYTimes story)

How can anyone vote for Bush? How can you not vote?

I was in an emergency waiting room for a loved one this afternoon. She thought she had a stroke, but everything looks ok so far thank God. We will know more tomorrow after more tests are done.

I had a long stint in the waiting room that coincided with Clarke’s testimony playing on a TV. I came away further pissed off at how the Bush administration flails at his character instead of answering the important concerns he has brought up. Two of the Republicans on the board, instead of asking hard questions, made insinuations into his motives and morals.

Folks – when people attack the messenger instead of the message – they are attempting to hide you from the truth.

Fred Kaplan, a journalist for Slate who had been stiffed by Clark 15 years ago and hasn’t spoken to him since says he’s telling the truth. How he handled the stand made me further believe it. He comes off as a true public servant.

Where are you Condi? If you had any honor – you would be on the stand. If you loved your country, you would be on the stand. Instead, it’s obvious you value your loyalty to the President over that of the American people.

“Ultimately, you?re answerable to We the People, not President Bush, Condi. We the People want to know what the hell went on ? not what you think of Mr. Clarke.”: dangerousmeta says it better.

People will be talking about the Richard Clark interview (CBS) for a long time to come. It was more devastating to Bush then anything that MoveOn or anyone else has produced. I wish we could impeach politicians for lack of vision and negligence. But since we can’t, there is only one thing to do: vote them out.

I know Talking Points Memo is all over this (via Rafe Colburn), but I want to pass on the same quote as him too:

“We had a terrorist organization that was going after us! Al Qaeda. That should have been the first item on the agenda. And it was pushed back and back and back for months.

“There’s a lot of blame to go around, and I probably deserve some blame, too. But on January 24th, 2001, I wrote a memo to Condoleezza Rice asking for, urgently — underlined urgently — a Cabinet-level meeting to deal with the impending al Qaeda attack. And that urgent memo– wasn’t acted on.

“I blame the entire Bush leadership for continuing to work on Cold War issues when they back in power in 2001. It was as though they were preserved in amber from when they left office eight years earlier. They came back. They wanted to work on the same issues right away: Iraq, Star Wars. Not new issues, the new threats that had developed over the preceding eight years.”

Clarke finally got his meeting about al Qaeda in April, three months after his urgent request. But it wasn’t with the president or cabinet. It was with the second-in-command in each relevant department.

For the Pentagon, it was Paul Wolfowitz.

Clarke relates, “I began saying, ‘We have to deal with bin Laden; we have to deal with al Qaeda.’ Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, said, ‘No, no, no. We don’t have to deal with al Qaeda. Why are we talking about that little guy? We have to talk about Iraqi terrorism against the United States.’

“And I said, ‘Paul, there hasn’t been any Iraqi terrorism against the United States in eight years!’ And I turned to the deputy director of the CIA and said, ‘Isn’t that right?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, that’s right. There is no Iraqi terrorism against the United States.”

Clarke went on to add, “There’s absolutely no evidence that Iraq was supporting al Qaeda, ever.”

More over at Oliver Willis’s.

Looks like tonight’s report is going to be huge.

A person who I know, who shall remain nameless, told me not to blame her for the current mess in Washington – she didn’t vote – and has no plans to either. Why vote and get involved when it’s always the lesser of the two evils? I asked if she thought we’d be in Iraq if Gore was President. The answer from others around us was a solid no. I said that whenever we choose not to vote – we make an implicit vote for the most powerful, intrenched candidate. Things became kinda heated. And it was agreed to simply not talk about politics. Very disappointing.

Over heard in this Metafilter thread and very applicable:

Democracy does not ‘take root’ (or ‘flourish’ or ‘grow’ for that matter).

…Democracy is viable only so long as the general public demands it.

As soon as the public ceases to be active/activist, democracy is destroyed by the power-seekers. These power-seekers will manipulate the laws, the media, and the political process to work in their favour. The end result is inevitable: democracy is destroyed in practice, if not in name.

If you desire a democratic government, you must participate in a meaningful, deliberate, and active manner.

The only way to get the government to take notice is to vote. Besides, the difference between the lessor of two evils can be a great one. It’s the difference that counts. Whatever your preference… get involved.

Is there a more honorable, principaled politican in Washington (Washington Post)? I don’t think so.

This aging Gen-Xer is getting involved beyond my vote. Click and contribute folks. The GOP war chest is huge and in order to get out the message – it sadly costs money. Let the money come from you.

I’d like to ask other webloggers to get involved. Click here to get an account so that you can host the button to help. It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s the very least we can do besides our punditry. I hate the influence money has on politics – actually I hate the influence advertising has on the public – it costs major money and that buys influence. Let’s take that back. One site at a time. One audience at at a time. One community at a time. One American at a time.

Thanks to Oliver Willis for the help.

Spain has announced five arrests (Yahoo!).

My prayers to the many who have been hurt by these cowardly bastards.