The post-debate flash Gallup poll has good news for Kerry, but favors the President overall. USA Today flash Gallup poll

Pumpkin alert.

I once dated a woman with ample...assets whose ancestry was Portugese. She was quite a bit smarter than the women in this story. Telegraph of the UK

C-BS propagates a moonbat-created rumor. HR 161 is authored and co-sponsored by Democrats in the House, including Rangel and McDermott. RatherBiased.com | News | CBS Promotes Draft Hoax

Sorry, "Leon", but this is not your best side.

James Taranto discovers that Kerry is channeling Walter from "The Big Lebowski". OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today

Jimmuh Cartah decides to lead the moonbat parade this year.

I'm not in favor of a poll tax or anything like it. I do believe that the country deserves to have its future decided by citizens who know how to vote, at least. BBC NEWS: Carter fears Florida vote trouble

Ah, the ability of seismologists to couch alarming news in carefully worded warnings. Apparently, "there's an increased likelihood of a hazardous event at Mount St. Helens due to recent changes in the mountain's seismic activity". komo news: St. Helens Quakes Could Lead To 'Hazardous Event'

Another example of the campaign that can't shoot straight, even when the questions are softballs. (hat tip: InstaPundit) The New York Times: No Assault Rifle for Kerry, After All

Update: the invaluable Michelle fisks the story and the Kerry campaign thoroughly.

As Wilfred Brimley might say, "The First Amendment don't say that!" The NYT claims protection that doesn't exist. The New York Times (editorial): A Leak Probe Gone Awry

Portentous speculation in such serious tones about Rather's demise. Hey, CBS! Stick a fork in him. He's done. The New York Times: CBS Tries to Clear Up Signals on Future of 'Evening News'

A very interesting account of a onetime Kerry supporter's change of heart. Althouse: How Kerry Lost Me

Agnew had plenty of faults, but somewhere out there, he may be laughing at the comeuppance of the "nattering nabobs". The Weekly Standard: Dan Rather's Day of Reckoning

The Maryville, TN Daily Times comes through again.



Dolly Parton recreates her pose on the new nose art decorating a KC-135E air refueling tanker Friday at McGhee Tyson Air Base as base commander Col. Timothy Dearing looks on. Photo by Wes Hope, but Col. Dearing is undoubtedly a lot happier.


More here.

This creature puts the "pale" in paleontology. Long-necked sea monster resurfaces after 230 million years

Ed Morrisey Jr. is not only the man who swore George Bush into the Texas Air National Guard, he still praises him now and manages to spank Jimmy Carter in the same interview with his hometown paper. thedailytimes.com: Man who swore Bush into Air Guard speaks out

So many interesting connections between Saddam and nuclear weapons experts or suppliers.
Ramanna: the Indian Saddam wanted so badly - The Times of India

I hope that this is made available somehow, either on TV or DVD. ABCNEWS.com : 'Lost' Episode of 'Honeymooners' Found

I look forward to reading this book. The Australian: Iraqi scientist buried nuke documents in garden [September 24, 2004]

If this turns out to be true, then all that I can say is, "Sausage, meet grinder." Burkett vs. CBS vs. Lockhart vs. Kerry campaign vs. DNC in a death match. I'll bring the popcorn. INDC Journal: Burkett Turns on Kerry Campaign, Dan Rather

Everything old is new again. Back at Raychem, we used to laugh about how much the bandwidth of an airplane full of 6250 bpi tape exceeded that of any network. Though the medium has changed, the statement holds up. The New York Times: From Storage, a New Fashion

Poor Kerry. Even his own hometown rag is losing faith in him, and giving him poor advice to boot. Boston Globe: The ghost following Kerry

I guess we should consider the source before taking this too seriously. Scotsman News: Sweet Discovery at Centre of Milky Way

I'm sure that the NEA, the WEA, and the Kerry campaign are proud of this glaring example of hypocrisy. Public schools no place for teachers' kids - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - September 22, 2004

CBS News, are you that smart? ProfessorBainbridge.com: CBS Names Independent Panel

Another example of Kerry's desperation--telling deliberate lies. Betsy's Page outs the origin of the bill in an e-mail sent to college students concerning HR 163 which was introduced by prominent Democrats like Charlie Rangel, Jim McDermott, John Conyers, and John Lewis. Yahoo! News: Kerry Says Draft Likely to Return Under Bush

"The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war," says retired TexANG Col. Walter Staudt. The Herald-Zeitung

Well, this is going to be hard to explain to Dad, the deputy sheriff At 205 MPH, Speed Thrills - September 24, 2004

This completely blows. USA NETWORK: Monk--Monk News

I definitely enjoyed this comparison of clarity versus nuance, and whether complexity automatically guarantees greater intelligence.

One of the best parts deals with nuclear waste disposal policy:

"Bush, though, is the complex one on Nevada's Yucca Mountain. That's where the federal government has agreed to deposit nuclear waste.

Kerry wants to drop Yucca. He says transporting the waste from nuclear plants to the site could be dangerous and that the site might not be absolutely safe. Has he considered that nuclear wastes have been safely and carefully transported in this nation for decades without incident? Does he realize that wherever the wastes are sent, they will have to be transported? Is he aware that the wastes pose many times the danger in the 39 states where they now reside than they would in an underground site that has been studied for 20 years, and that it might well take another 20 years to find another site that comes close to being as sound?"

William Safire reminds us that Rathergate may involve criminal acts, and that CBS and its corporate parent owe us an investigation and an explanation The New York Times: First, Find the Forger

And as Drudge reports, it's going to involve a court on some level, if only on a libel charge.

Russ Meyer, the man who brought us such landmark movies as "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!", passed away.

He also brought us this one

Nice editorial on Rathergate from my old hometown paper. Macon Telegraph: Ignoring the basic rules

The 60 Minutes Sunday crew disassociates themselves from Rathergate:

"I think it is safe to say that the overwhelming feeling among correspondents and producers on the Sunday program is that we would not have made the same mistakes," correspondent Steve Kroft said. He added: "It's hard to know at this point exactly what went wrong, because the Wednesday show is an entirely separate broadcast with entirely different people, and brand-new management. But something clearly went wrong with the process."

The Boston Globe reports on CBS' foibles, but not its own. Boston Globe: CBS says it's sorry for story on Bush

The USA Today reports today that Bill Burkett claims his source was Lucy Ramirez of Houston. The story indicates that she hasn't yet been reached. If she exists, what connection does she have to the players in this drama? USATODAY: CBS backs off Guard story

Just when you think that CBS black eye can't turn any more ugly, something like this turns up. USATODAY: CBS arranged for meeting with Lockhart

Well! CBS producer Mary Mapes called Joe Lockhart to ask him to call Bill Burkett. "She basically said there's a guy who is being helpful on the story who wants to talk to you," Lockhart said, adding that it was common knowledge that CBS was working on a story raising questions about Bush's Guard service. Mapes told him there were some records "that might move the story forward. She didn't tell me what they said."

Well, well, well.

Yahoo! News - Kerry Aide Talked to Retired Guard Officer

Indeed, at CBS News the question is, "Where was everybody's judgment on that last day?" The New York Times: CBS News Concludes It Was Misled on National Guard Memos, Network Officials Say

Headline on the Drudge Report: "CBS News Concludes It Was Misled on National Guard Memos, Network Officials Say."

Drudge goes on to say that "After days of expressing confidence about the documents used in a 60 MINUTES report that raised new questions about President Bush's National Guard service, CBS News officials have grave doubts about the authenticity of the material, network officials said last night, the NEW YORK TIMES is reporting in Monday runs. Developing... "

Dandy Don, clear your throat and get ready to sing.

One wonders whether the Kerry campaign will continue to let his family campaign for him after this gaffe down under.

A snippy Dan Rather returns to Dallas, and is captured for a comment by Fox News (hat tip: Johnny Dollar) 'Do You Feel Like You Were Duped?'

Beretta92fs. You're good. Almost as good as a Sig
but are cheaper. Thats why the US military
chose you. You're kinda scary.


What handgun are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Via Instapundit, this could be considered the "abridged" version of Unfit for Command. Admiral Roy Hoffman on the grand deception by John Kerry

This is a surprising outgrowth of Rathergate. I didn't hear Maloney's broadcast, although I live in the Seattle area. I wonder if Mary Mapes did? AP Wire | 09/18/2004 | Host Says Rather Criticism Got Him Fired

Does Robert Fisk earn a royalty every time the technique that bears his name hits the mark? Perhaps he develops a well deserved headache like this guy gets--and frankly, gives--from those annoying dot com loan commercials.

Antimedia at Media Lies fisks the LA Times here.

CBS continues to flail about, now repeating the tinfoil hat brigade's baseless claim that because "Buckhead" posted his guess that the now discredited Bush documents were in fact forgeries, and that the Republicans are somehow behind it all. CBS News: Bush Guard Docs Flap Marches On

I'd say that CBS' "story" resembles the plot of a Bugs Bunny cartoon except that I believe it would insult Bugs Bunny. Why, it's shocking, shocking I say to learn that REPUBLICANS post comments on REPUBLICAN WEBSITES. Oh, what a scandal!

CBS forgets to mention that experts it hired--but did not listen to--raised questions about the documents before the story aired. http://www.dailyrecycler.com/blog/2004/09/hey-hey-hey-goodbye.html

The invaluable Charles Johnson's Little Green Footballs passes along the judgment of a former IBM Selectric Composer expert on the capability and facility of that machine for the task of producing the forged documents. http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=12694_Composer_Theory_in_Advanced_State_of_Decomposition

CBS' chief remaining "document expert", Mrs. Knox, said that she used an Olivetti machine. I'm still waiting for a news organization to establish the types of machines in use by the TexANG during that period and their capabilities. We can already guess that the answer won't make Dan Rather very happy.

William F. Buckley lays into Rathergate with his usual panache National Review's Buckley says Rathergate is much ado about nothing.

From Corante, we have a very good summary and timeline of the scandal that takes us up to today's insignificant document release and the interesting connection between Burkett, the DNC and Max Cleland.

A connection between Max Cleland, the DNC and retired Lt. Col. Bill Burkett, the most likely candidate to be named the source of the now discredited CBS documents, may exist according to the Washington Post Parallels Drawn Between CBS Memos, Texan's Postings

Another sign that the Navy is slowly beginning to confirm some of the Swifties claims about Kerry's records. Navy Contradicts Kerry on Release of Military Records -- 09/16/2004

Apparently we have a "new journalism"

The documents and CBS' own pathetic efforts to line up "experts" to defend their authenticity have been so thoroughly destroyed that they could be referred to in an imaginary headline as "CBS' offer of news division for MOAB testing deemed success". Now we are told, paraphrasing the report that Brit Hume just gave on Fox News' Special Report, that CBS has interviewed Killian's 81-year old former secretary, an admitted partisan for Kerry, and found that she, too, is willing to put words in the mouth of a man who died 20 years ago and say that while the documents are obvious forgeries, somehow the spirit of them is true.

Well, at least CBS has found an "expert" that it will put on the air to debunk the documents.

However, instead of drawing back to report on itself, and how it was mislead and why, CBS plows on. It takes the word of partisans who have been disavowed--the secretary by Killian's family and some of his fellow Guardsmen--and Barnes who has been outed by his deposition in a Texas Gtech trial and his own daughter. No admission that the family was right--as were the blogosphere and some of the MSM elements who saw through the forgeries.

The comparisons to CBS reporting on the "flawed" WMD intelligence and CBS' stonewalling on the forged documents are enough to make one double over with laughter. I love Scrappleface's headline quoting Tenet as telling Rather that the documents are a "slam dunk".

If this stonewalling continues--in the face of overwhelming fact and the founding tenets of journalism after the days of the "yellow sheets"--after the evening news and 60 Minutes II tonight, we'll have a new nickname for Dan: Richard Milhouse Rather.

Update: Instapundit found this excellent take on CBS' public statements on the scandal.

This is dynamite, as though Rathergate hasn't already had its share of earth shaking revalations about the sad state of "CBS News" Captain's Quarters: CBS ignores its own experts' cautions

The ingenuity of our soldiers is a thing to behold. Seriously, this is very, very funny, especially the song on page 8.

RatherBiased.com | News | CBS Asks Anti-Bush Group for Help With Story.

If this is true, it certainly adds to the evidence that CBS enjoys a close relationship with those who oppose the President RatherBiased.com | News | CBS Asks Anti-Bush Group for Help With Story.

Cirque du Kerry--la danse acrobatique Taking Kerry's Flip-Flops Seriously

I suspected as much. The comments on this post offer some very valuable insights as well. Froggy Ruminations: Doubling Special Ops?

More WMD news from the U.N. that isn't fit to print in the old media. According to this report, the Iraqis shipped WMD-related materials out of the country before the war.

Drat! No smoking gun here. However, this may be one. As Bugs would say, what a maroon.

This is funny, and almost true.

A fair review of Kerry's stance on national defense, since it quotes Lurch extensively.

Good grief! From NewsMax.com: Brinkley hedges over Kerry's veracity.

Interesting reading. The man with the third name down will apparantly appear on the 9/5/04 edition of 60 Minutes.

Perhaps there will be more domestic employment and less immigration after the Halliburton engineers help get this great find south of the border moving.

I want one.

Personally, I thought it was a great speech. Much better than this one. And this can only be regarded as the pathetic rant of a desperate man.

The Chinese are free to act sanely in respect to their energy production plans and power plant construction in order to provide for growth in their population and industrial output. Contrast this with the US domestic record over the past 20 or so years, thanks to the restrictions imposed by our domestic enviro-wackos.

Having just been forced to buy a new washing machine, I'm somewhat distressed to discover that they populate the wilderness freely. Well, perhaps not inexpensively.

Is the truth out there?

Kerry is in a beehive that is swarming over his national security credentials, and the bees aren't finding any honey.