Apparently, several GOP candidates are considering General Tommy Franks as their choice for Vice President.  In some ways it’s a very good choice.  After all, Republicans love their war generals; however, General Franks is no Dwight D. Eisenhower.  General Franks may take credit for taking down Saddam Hussein, but he also left the debacle that is Iraq today.  He may be a staunch Republican, a Texan, a Southern charmer, and an eloquent speaker, but that doesn’t mean Americans are going to vote for his ticket.  Any Dem VP candidate with a backbone should be able to take this man down a peg or two.  General Wesley Clark immediately comes to mind.  he is an  equally, if not better, speaker; he’s also a southerner; and unlike General Franks he helped win a war.

You know, I thought the Clinton administration had a revolving door but the Bush administration just might outdo ol’ Bill.  Oh, I can’t say I’m sorry to see Gonzales go.  The man never meant a constitutional amendment he didn’t want to circumvent.

Well, the answer to that question is both, and a whole lot in between. Ever since George W. Bush entered the White House there has been news story after commentary after article about how America was becoming a Conservative nation. I’ve called bullshit on that from the beginning. Bush barely won his first time and I think if Al Gore had been a better candidate (and I’m a Gore fan) I don’t think we would have had the Florida fiasco. Then came September 11, 2001, and all of America rightly stood with their Commander-in-Chief. Then came the 2004 election in which John Kerry ran a crappy campaign and Bush won again. None of which meant this nation was becoming more Conservative.

America is a large country with an eclectic mix of people who politics, more often than not, fall squarely in the middle. I would even say it’s slightly center-right, but certain not Conservative. At least not the brand of Conservatism handed out by the religious right, neo-conservatives, and by extension their man George W. Bush. Nor is America a Liberal nation, at least not in the sense that Fox news defines Liberalism. Unfortunately, as long as we have Rupert Murdoch’s well-paid loud-mouths and a compliant media that is fright to piss them off the idea that America is a Conservative nation will not go away — even if Karl Rove does.

The more I read about Michelle Obama, wife of the president candidate, the more I like her.  Whenever she speaks it’s strong and intelligent, but at the same time not off-putting as Hillary Clinton could sometimes be during the Clinton presidential campaigns.  Senator Obama himself says his wife is smarter, stronger, and a better speaker and neither he nor the campaign try to hide this fact.  There seems to be no attempt to keep Mrs. Obama in the background or to make her into this wholesome housewife, and I really like that.  It’s  a nice change of pace and another reason I like Barak Obama.

In what I think is a very stupid and questionable decision, bookseller Barnes and Noble has decided they will not sell O. J. Simpson’s “fictionalized” account of how his wife was killed.  Why do I think this is a stupid decision on the part of B&N? Because when booksellers start making decisions about what they will or will not sell based on content it becomes a slippery slop towards censorship; and no, I do not believe their lame excuse of no maket for the book.  As disgusting as this book might be,  market is there for it.  In the end, that’s a decision for the cosumer, not B&N — or any bookseller.

If they won’t sell Simpson’s book because there isn’t a market for it, why does B&N stock The Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion?  It’s a shining example of racist propaganda, for more damaging than anything Simpson has to say, but B&N sees no issue with selling that book.  Hypocrites!

In it’s own listing for Protocols, Amazon.com states,

“Should Amazon.com sell The Protocols and other controversial works? As a bookseller, Amazon.com strongly believes that providing open access to written speech, no matter how hateful or ugly, is one of the most important things we do. It’s a service that the United States Constitution protects, and one that follows a long tradition of booksellers serving as guardians of free expression in our society.

<snip>

Nevertheless, Amazon.com believes it is censorship not to sell certain books because we believe their message repugnant, and we would be rightly criticized if we did so. Therefore, we will continue to make this book and other controversial works available in the United States and everywhere else, except where they are prohibited by law.

Furthermore, because we strongly believe that the appropriate response to repugnant speech is not censorship, but more speech, we will continue to allow readers, authors, and publishers to express their views about the books and other products we offer on our Web site.”

That is how you deal with something like Simpson’s book.

This op-ed by seven members of the 82nd Airborne recently home from Iraq lays bare the disaster that continues to be George W. Bush’s Iraq.  How long will it be before Rupert Murdoch’s well-paid morons start calling them traitors?

Karl Rove is leaving the Bush White House.  It doesn’t mean a damn thing in terms of how this administration operates, but I say good riddance.  This man has done more to hurt this country than almost any other person in this administration and having him gone is a win-win.

There could actually be a worldwide shortage of chapagne!  What will Paris Hilton and Donal Trump do?

I am a huge fan of the Food Network.  When I have nothing better to do I’m often tuned into a few of my favorite cooking hosts:  Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, and Bobby Flay to name a few.  My absolute favorite, however, is Giada De Laurentiis’ Everyday Italian.  I love Italian food; it’s been the downfall of many a diet for me, but if I’m being honest I have to say that I enjoy looking at Giada much more than I enjoy her Italian food.  She has this penchant for wear low-cut revealing tops that totally distract from what she’s cooking.  She’s also hot and I can’t believe her goofy looking husband got a hot woman like Giada to marry him!  Well, I just might have a new favorite in Ingrid Hoffman, Food Network’s newest host and her show Simply Delicioso.  The new series brings a much need Latin flavor to the network and best of all Ingrid wear tops that even more low cut!  Yeah, I’m a sexist pig, but like I said, I’m OK with that.  The ladies are hot!

Does Rudy Giuliani have anything else to offer as a presidential candidate other than the fact that he was mayor of New York City on September 11, 2001?  Apparently not.  Now he’s trying to make himself more important than the men and women who put their lives on hold in the days following the terrorist attacks.  Sad.  And pathetic.