Howling Latina

One more time, Virginians got to see first-hand how the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree.

Taking a cue from our junior senator is the latest incident of bullying tactics courtesy of Allen's batwing supporters.

You see, during a public forum, a University of Virginia law student and former Marine tried to pose a legitimate question of Allen about his sealed divorce record and secret police incident but instead of an answer, Allen's henchment jumped up, tackled him, dragged him off and then for good measure, slammed him to the floor.

The incident was auspiciously caught on tape and the defense by Allen boosters that the other guy started the rukus is belied by the evidence. A few desperate bloggers have even tried to claim that Mike Stark was a "serial" troublemaker and got his just desserts.

The Warped View writes:

Serial campaign disruptor Mike Stark has issued a letter in which he says: Earlier today at a public event, I was attempting to ask Senator Allen a question about his sealed divorce record and his arrest in the 1970s, both of which are in the public domain.

The goober senator's former wife has also come to Allen's defense, characterizing the question as "a baseless, cheap shot." Maybe so...but not as cheap a shot as the one Allen's trolls administered to poor Stark when they assaulted him.

In trying to frame the bullying, Warped View had the audacity to dismiss the facts and ask, "Why does Webb condone this behavior?" Well, the more seminal question is why do Allen followers think it's perfectly legitimate to use violence against an opponent to quelch a query?

Last time Howling Latina checked, it's a free country where folks are allowed to pose questions to public officials without the prospect of bodily injury. The only "serial" thing going on is Allen's penchant for bullying. It's a recurring theme throughout his entire private and public life with a few of the latest highlights by way of Macacasville and now slam-and-run.

What's Allen's next plan for Webb supporters? A friendly tour at Guantanamo?

In an e-mail interview, Bob Geiger of Huffunton Post reports that Stark plans to file suit.

"George Allen, at any time, could have stopped the fray. All he had to do was say, 'This is not how my campaign is run. Take your hands off that man.' He could have ignored my questions. Instead he and his thugs chose violence. That is not the America I love."

His fan club wants us to think that it's totally appropriate for them to clobber an opponent but beyond the pale for that opponent to pose a question during a campaign rally.

Yep, that sounds about right...insanely convoluted GOP logic for your afternoon delight.

In the latest poll, Virginia Beach Commissioner of Revenue has taken the lead in his race against Rep. Thelma Drake, R-Va., the Virginian-Pilot reports.

In a joint venture by RT Strategies and Constituent Dynamics, two polling companies, the Majority Watch polled voters in Virginia's 2nd Congressional Distirct between Oct. 24 and Oct. 26.

Fifty percent of respondents support Kellam and 45 percent support Drake.

The 2nd District is is one of the key battleground territories for Democrats in their struggle to win back the House. As late as August, Kellam led the race by 8 points, but Drake mounted a smear-laden comeback and had regained the lead.

With only seven days before Election Day, this is very good news for Kellam, good news for Democrats and very good news for Virginians.

Stay the course in Iraq and Pres. George Bush's disastrous administration policies will see their well-deserved collapse and demise when Americans throw Drake and her GOP cronies out in seven little days.

Howling Latina rarely uses salty language in her blog. However, when she reads a post from GOP blowhard maligning the good name of the stellar Democratic Senate candidate running in Virginia, war hero and author, former Secretary of Navy Jim Webb, she's apt to lose her cool.

A certain conservative blogger has now been going around posting about my potty mouth. Well, it's not like conservatives have never used language that is even more offensive. You know, like wish HL dead because she had the audacity to question statements from a known chronic liar.

The original story that caused the malicious outburst simply discussed the mysterious Sen. George Allen warrant that he tried to explain away with a fishy fish story; here's the love note left in a comment.

Anonymous writes: "Why do you bother living! Eat shit and kill yourself.PS-you suck big time!!!!!"

Oh such genteel words from friends of Sen. George Macacawitz.

Yep, General Grievious Pot, keep calling the kettle black. It's what you Republicans love to do; project your sins outward and try to avoid acountability for all that you "Cheney-up."

After Sen. George Allen made a federal case of Jim Webb's work of fiction, Howling Latina harkens back to the warrants issued to the goober senator back in 1974.

TPM Cafe has confirmed with Albemarle Circuit Court in Virginia that a George Felix Allen was issued a warrant and the image shown is indeed a "real court recor[d]." The picture initially appeared in a DailyKos post and has subsequently made the rounds on the Internet.

Allen asserted yesterday that his "record as a United States senator [was] an open book." But in spite of his fish explanation, it looks like Allen still has 'some esplainin' to do about the incident.

For starters, let's not split hairs and restrict what the meaning of "record" is to a measly six years. For the purpose of squashing a charge, a person's record means "to set down in writing, for the purpose of evidence" something that either refutes or confirms a charge; the last six years hardly explain anything.

Fork it, over, you forked-tongue goober; voters have the right to know what legal matter(s) forced you to appear in court during your college years; particularly since someone has accused you of stuffing a deer's head inside a black person's mailbox within the neighboring time frame.

Oh, and let's see your divorce record, too; surely the champion of women's rights would welcome the opportunity to squelch any nasty rumor about spitting yens and spousal abuse, right?!? Or maybe not -- if rumors are true

Steamed about sexual passages in fiction?

Not too worry, George Allen and his GOP friends have been happily taking money from a gay movie mogul to protect the " littluns" from smut and advance GOP family values across America.

Joshua Micah Marshall of Talking Points Memo reports:

It turns out that the Republican National Committee is a regular recipient of political contributions from Nicholas T. T. Boyias, the owner and CEO of Marina Pacific Distributors, one of the largest producers and distributors of gay porn in the United States....Some recent releases include "Fire in the Hole", "Flesh and Boners", even a "Velvet Mafia" series.

So dear Virginia dupes, every time you hear an Allen ad sponsored by the National Republican National Committee that attacks Webb and his character, give your loyal and royal thanks to gay porn "king" Boyias for your valuable information.

On the basis of run-away federal deficits, tax cuts for the uber-rich and corruption in Congress by way of Abramoff and Foley, the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, the hometown paper of Rep. Jo Ann Davis, has endorsed Jim Webb for the Senate and Shawn O'Donnell for Congress in the 1st District.

Here are their reasons:

[A]fter raising the debt ceiling to $9 trillion and waging a war with a price tag of $378 billion and counting, Republicans are having a hard time holding onto that ideological high ground.

[...]

[I]n recent years, they haven’t had anyone to point to but themselves. Except for a brief period in the Senate, both houses of Congress have been firmly in the hands of the Republican Party throughout the current Bush Administration. And, from 2000 to 2005, gross federal debt skyrocketed over 40 percent—from $5.6 trillion to $7.9 trillion—according to figures from the Office of Management and Budget.

In 1994, Republicans swept into the office "to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives," according to their Contract With America. A dozen years later, in addition to leaving generations of the American people with this enormous economic burden, the Republican Congress has been dodging scandals from Rep. Mark Foley’s questionable conduct with an underage Congressional page to lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s influence peddling.

Promises made, promises broken; and the hits just keep on coming.

With the exception of the Los Angeles Times poll, the majority of surveys show the race between Sen. George Allen and Jim Webb a statistical dead heat with the nudge going to Allen.

So why do political analysts like Dan Balz and Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post continue to rate Virginia a toss-up in the Senate race?!?

In thinking about the last few statewide races, the striking parallel for Howling Latina is media endorsements. When both Warner and Kaine won their respective governors' race, the Washington Post, Roanoke Times, Daily Press, Free Lance-Star, Daily News Leader and other smaller newspapers throughout the commonwealth lined up to endorse them.

Of course, Times-Dispatch and Washington Times supported their opponents. But even if the most qualified Democratic candidate, ever (you know, like Jim Webb), were to run against Daffy Duck in a contest, both newspapers would find an excuse why they were endorsing Miss Duck instead.

Nevertheless, if media endorsements echo '01 and '05 and Webb wins his equal share, Howling Latina predicts Allen will lose; and he can then realize his long-standing dream of life in Iowa, South Carolina, California or wherever his goober racists racist heart takes him in shame.

Quack, quack...







Update: Roanoke Times has endorsed Al Weed. H/T to Waldo Jaquith. Get ready to cry a river when they endorse Webb, Warped View.

After searching op-eds in the Roanoke Times, Howling Latina feels confident, to the point of near certainty, that Times will pen a scathing rebuke of Sen. George "Macaca" Allen tomorrow and endorse Jim Webb.

And for folks who've been wondering why Allen attacked Webb's character on the flimsy notion that fiction mirrors reality, dollars to a donut the Allen campaign suspected a Webb endorsement from Times is imminent -- based exactly on the strength of Webb's moral fibre and national security gravitas, the very two issues Allen thought he would have on his side of the playing field.

Allen couldn't very well attack Webb on national security because he and Bush have made a colossal mess out of the Middle East, so to soften the blow of a Webb Times endorsement and counter favorable Webb press from here until Nov. 7, Allen opted to throw a last minute flee-flicker to try to save his sorry dumb racist ass.

Indeed, there probably will be other endorsements this Sunday, maybe even from Daily Press. For HL, the tell-tale sign that Allen was in deep political macaca was when Times Community Newspapers and Virginian-Pilot endorsed the eminently qualified Webb.

Let's face it, Allen's paltry credentials are almost an insult when compared to Webb's lofty and senatorial stature.

The latest media hysteria about Webb's writings couldn't have come at a better time for Democrats, especially since Webb today gave the Democratic response to Pres. George Bush's radio address and now his anti-Iraqi War message will have even longer legs.

Essentially what this means is that Webb received even more media buzz thanks to his clueless opponent, Sen. George "Macaca" Allen; for as any fair-minded person knows, Allen claims that fiction mirrors reality is beyond the pale of common logic and decency.

GOP talking points notwithstanding, the most damning message from Webb's radio address is being reported across the land.

Bush-Allen "incompetence" has "undercut the fight against terrorism" and any military options the U.S. might have had against Korea and Iran. If voters want change, they need to throw the Republican bums out.

The only remedy to a series of Iraq policy failures by President Bush is a Democratic takeover of Congress in the Nov. 7 election, Virginia Senate candidate Jim Webb said Saturday.

[...]

"A Democratic Congress will demand from day one that the president find a real way forward in Iraq. We'll work with the administration and other Republicans to develop a concrete plan, but none of us are ready to settle for empty rhetoric, or the same old unacceptable results," Webb said.

Voters get it; and no amount of spinning and dissembling by Allen and his minions are going to trump the war. October has been one of the deadliest months since Bush decided to invade Iraq. This election is about accountability for the folks who screwed everything up.

Today the Virginian-Pilot headlines Allen's depraved half-baked attack on Webb's writings and frames it as an "Allen tactic called high-risk" by media pundits and political analysts..

Howling Latina would also add that the latest Allen gambit is fatuously hare-brained.

This morning readers of the Washington Post learned that Allen had been trying to get the media to talk about Webb's novels on background but no one would bite. Only after Allen publicly attacked Webb did the story see the light of day.

It's called accountability, folks.

Like the U-tube video of Allen verbally assaulting a young man of color, voters can now see first-hand what a mean-spirited, empty suit they have in Congress in their junior senator who shamelessly attacks a war hero author.

Voters can express their outrage by sending the clear and unmistakable message to sleazy political consultants and public officials on Nov. 7. Baselessly smearing an opponent is a sure way to lose an election; and when Webb wins on Election Day and an astounded Allen in all his canned meanness is ignobly sent packing, nation and Virginia will be better for it.

In the meantime, readers please tell Virginian-Pilot that Webb's novels are not fair game for criticism in his bid for a U.S. Senate seat right here.

Out of 742 votes so far, 58.63 agree with Howling Latina that Goober Allen is out of bounds in linking Webb's unassailable record and character to his fictional characters.

Only 40.3 percent think Webb's literature is fair game; but from the comments on the site, it looks like Allen's verbal shot across the political schema has terribly backfired and swayed undecided voters to now vote for Webb.

Way to go, soon-to-be former senator!

The final debate in the "Meet the Press Debate Series" on NBC will be tomorrow. Democratic Rep. Ben Cardin of Maryland will go against Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele; both are vying for the open Senate seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Paul Sarbanes.

Unlike some Sundays, this debate will run the entire program hour.

If you would like a transcript of prior debates, including Allen-Webb, Santorum-Casey, DeWine-Brown, Talent-McCaskill, Kennedy-Klobuchar, link here. You can also watch the archived videos here.

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire reports that at least one newshound was on the west coast sniffing around to see what was inside Allen's sealed divorce records; he writes:

A very reputable political reporter tells me this isn't from Democratic opposition research and that it's probably coming out because many feel Allen "crossed the line" when he started talking about Jim Webb's novels.

I'm told divorce records are usually sealed for two reasons: (a) to protect kids, and (b) to protect large financial fortunes. Neither situation applies in Allen's case, so the suspicion is that it's something not very nice.

Josh Marshall of Talking Points has more on the subject.

The Allen campaign refuses to return our calls asking whether Sen. Allen will release his sealed divorce records...one major national daily had a reporter in LA for at least a week trying to nail down the story. It’s what every Washington insider is talking about: what’s inside those sealed records down in Albemarle County.

Howling Latina has always believed that if you live by the sword, you'll also die by the sword. This stupid idea of demagoguing Webb because he wrote a fictionalized account of what he may have actually witnessed in 'Nam looks more and more like the backfiring blast of the Bob Corker and Jerry Kilgore variety.

A loser. And now reporters are hot on the trail to learn what exactly is inside those pesky files and what Allen is trying to hide THIS TIME. So much cloak and dagger from the guy who insists on telling us all how well we know him.

As every political pundit under the sun has pointed out, Allen's campaign is so desperate that they've been reduced to tossing the kitchen sink from their campaign headquarters -- in the hope they might hit SOMETHING!

Of course, like good little trolls, Virginia conservative bloggers have once again proven that they've been lobotomized by GOP ideology and apparently don't have a brain cell left inside their aping head.

This evening, Tucker Carlson slapped Ed Gillespie on his show and basically laughed at him when he tried to spin the latest bullshit about how Webb's fiction is the sure tell-tale sign of his base nature and character.

Oh yes, Howling Latina is beaming with joy that the issue of Webb's fiction has been raised by Allen's minions. This way, Virginians can see how bereft of stature and substance their junior goober senator is, to the extend that he's attacking Webb for his literary work of fiction because gosh, he's just so damn squeaky clean.

WAH, Ha, ha, ha.

Is there yet another skeleton in Sen. George Allen's closet? You know, right next to his Civil War uniforn, Confederate flag and noose?!?

While watching "Hardball," Howling Latina's sharp ears caught a very interesting comment. Allen has steadfastly refused to open his divorce file to reporters.

Hmmm, what damning evidence do these files behold?

We know from his sister that Allen was a big bully in his youth; and we know from Spring, Virginia that he remains one to date.

The family of generational secrets appears to have yet one additional secret to keep.

The Washington Post today endorsed Jeanette Rishell, the Democratic candidate to replace the late Republican Del. Harry J. Parrish in the 50th District over her Republican opponent, Jackson H. Miller.

Transportation leads the list of concerns for Northern Virginians; but GOP leaders in the House have consistently blocked Gov. Tim Kaine's efforts to find new sources of revenue and relieve the chronic congestion commuters face each day on their way to work.

Rishell strongly supports a dedicated stream of monies to solve the dilemna. Her opponent, on the other hand, believes on "staying the course" with his fellow GOPers in Richmond and talking and wishing the problem away.

Bromides for consumption is not a solution; and as Northern Virginians face ever-increasing traffic on the highways and longer commutes each morning and evening, they should hold the party responsible for gridlock accountable.

On this supremely important issue, Rishell is commited to keeping Virginians moving forward; and she is unquestionably the worthier candidate.

Talk about a bunch of dumb shits.

Ooh, Drudge is talking about it, so let's parrot the nonsense.

Do any of you have an authentic brain cell inside your regurgitating talking point head?

I mean, who besides a rabid nutwing gives a shit about a fictionalized account when Americans are dying daily in a real life horror show and this stupid administration has no exit strategy but stay the course?!?

Oh yes, try to switch the subject. But voters don't really give a rat's ass about what Jim Webb wrote about in a book; that's why it's called fiction, you dumb shits.

As for Not Larry Sabato becoming a little unhinged, who can blame him? It has to be troubling to learn that a whole group of clueless people can blather on and on about some meaningless issue and try to distract from the real issues of the campaign season. Only the cognitive challenged would fall for something so obvious.

Give mankind a little more credit, will you? Howling Latina knows your Senate Majority Leader asked you not to talk about Iraq. But the number one issue on voter's mind is Iraq, you stupid idiots, not some story line about some old book.

That's spelled I-R-A-Q; your worst nightmare. Now be good little trolls and go Cheney-yourself; every last one of you.

Howling Latina received an e-mail from a relative who is an appointed official with the Justice Department in the Bush administration and the word is that Castro is breathing his last few breaths.

Otto J. Reich, assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere and later in the National Security Council under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2004 writes in National Review online:

This time the rumors are real: Castro is dying of stomach cancer. He may have already died, even before the funeral preparations were finished, so the n ews is not out. Confirmation of the terminal illness comes from the usual sources but in a non-conventional manner. The Cuban government has been summoning to Havana representatives of the major international media to negotiate the best seats, camera angles, and interviews with the despot’s political survivors, and to inform them of the ground rules for coverage of the state funeral.

Apparently, National Review has a problem that folks from Argentina, Montoneros, Uruguay, Nicaragua, Salvador, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Guatemala, Angola, Ethiopia, Palestine, Syria and Vietnam will be invited to the funeral.

Howling Latina thinks that Cubans should be allowed to invite whoever the hell they want to; and if every third world tyrant leader and past militant fighter attend the funeral, what business is it of the United States?!?

Moreover, when National Review mentions rogue military intervention by Cubans in the past, their support of South Africa's noble struggle against apartheid in the 90s is mysteriously left off.

Yet from this story thread, it is eminently obvious that evildoers can and often do advance a just cause or two. For the faithful, scripture tells us that God often uses what is meant for evil to advance His purposes on earth. So it is folly to link every Cuban military adventure against colonialism and Western interests as inherently evil.

The world is not black or white; it's more nuanced; and as venal as Castro is and was, may he nonethelss find peace in his ultimate resting place.

Anything to steer the public away from the Iraqi Horror Show.

As one might expect, Virginia GOP blowhards are busy blogging about the recent New Jersey ruling on civil rights for gays.

Well, that's nice...but what does that have to do with the state of affairs in our country?!?

Howling Latina can't seen to recall reading any news story about some gay couple costing American taxpayers billions upon billions of dollars and thousands of American lives. So please tell us who we should hold accountable, some judge in New Jersey about a meaningless ruling or the majority of Republicans in Congress?!?

Today the Washington Post reports that five more American soldiers were killed in Iraq because of Bush's historic comma. The latest casualties bring the total dead to 96, making October 2006 the "fourth deadliest month for U.S. troops in the 3-1/2 year war."

Now, how stupid do Republicans think Virginia voters are? Like a laser beam, voters are focused on the number one national problem: Bush-Allen's disastrous "stay the course" war policies that are mortgaging the future of our children and costing horrific sorrow to the families fighting in their ill-advised war of choice.

Where are Frank Wolf and Tom Davis?

Howling Latina would think that with less than two weeks away from Election Day and Northern Virginia pivotal to Sen. George Allen's chances of winning his tight Senate race against former Secretary of Navy Jim Webb, Republican Reps. Frank Wolf and Tom Davis would be by Allen's side cheering him on and publicly embracing him.

After all, they've been in Congress for a very, very long time and surely they have goodwill to spare in Northern Virginia to help out a fellow GOPer in his time of need.

But...a quick glance at local news and it looks like it's every man for himself. No reported public event for their struggling brethren; and nope, nothing on their respective Web sites, either.

Hmmm, it looks like the popular senator is a tad too toxic for Northern Virginia sensibilities and the remaining two amigos of the happy trio.

Oh well, here's a picture of the goober senator chomping down watermelon with a good ol' boy.

The Washington Post front-pages Sen. George Allen's racist history timeline.

The story recounts Allen's use of the N-word during high-school and college, his not credible denial, macaca-gate and finally, how folks from Allen's past said the macaca tape showed "a distressingly familiar, coldly taunting hatred" they'd seen before.

"I saw how he looked, that attitude of condescension and superiority," said Ed Sabornie, a former Virginia player and now a professor of special education at North Carolina State University.

"That rang a bell for me."

The Post reports that in late 1970s, Allen supported a segregationist Democrat for attorney general against the Republican candidate and ultimate winner, J. Marshall Coleman; and of course, when Allen was a state legislator in 1984, he staunchly opposed "a holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr."

Go figure?!?

The article is must-read news for Virginians; and the lens every voter should look through before casting their decisive vote in 12 days.

No matter how many trips to Mecca Allen takes to trump his racist past, a leopard can never change his spots. The overwhelming record shows that Allen has a long lenghthy racist history; and the Macaca incident in Break this past summer was only the latest public confirmation.

Times Community newspapers, publisher of the Fauquier Times-Democrat in Fauquier County, Clarke Times-Courier in Clarke County, Fairfax County Times in Fairfax County, Loudoun Times- Mirror in Loudoun County, Gainesville Times in Prince William County, Rappahannock News in Rappahannock County, Culpeper Citizen in Culpeper County and Alexandria Times in Alexandria, Virginia has endorsed Jim Webb.

"Jim Webb has the courage and integrity to ask the right questions," Times tells readers, and "[h]is leadership, record and fresh outlook give him the clear edge" over Allen.

Sen. Allen's numerous gaffes and record prove the time is right for a change. Democratic challenger Jim Webb offers independent thinking, dogged determination and strong military experience.

Webb rightfully questions President Bush's Iraq war policy. Back in 2002, he warned that that the war in Iraq meant the U.S. would be mired in a long-term commitment without any escape plan. Instead of Allen's "stay the course" plan, Webb wants to involve Iraq's neighbors in the process of solidifying that country through a strategic, diplomatic solution.

There are vast differences between the candidates. Webb stands out because of his commitment to stand up for average Virginians. He opposes raising taxes that would impact a broad range of Americans. He supports President Bush's plan to reduce taxes on small and mid-sized estates, but rightfully supports higher taxes on multi-million dollar estates. And he wants to examine the loopholes built into the corporate tax code and increase the state's minimum wage, which has remained at $5.15 since 1997.

Indeed!

Howling Latina has privately wondered if the publisher's strong endorsement of Gov. Tim Kaine last fall might have been responsible for his surprising win in Loudoun and Prince William Counties; it certainly didn't help Kilgore, that's for sure.

No matter. Times- Community endorsement of Webb is yet one more feather in his quickly filling cap to beat back the lies and spin from the Allen campaign team and win on Nov. 7. .

The Los Angeles Times reports that Jim Webb leads Sen. George Allen in the Virginia Senate race 47 percent to 44 percent.

No, this is not one of Howling Latina's famous typos.

According to the news article, the latest Times/Bloomberg poll showed that among likely voters, Democrats lead in Ohio, New Jersey and Virginia. Republicans narrowly lead in Missouri and Tennessee.

Folks, what this means is that a Democratic Senate majority is very much in play with only two weeks to go.

H/T to Raising Kaine.

That's right, GOP nutwings, the headline for this post is a direct quote from a CNN interview with former Defense Secretary William Cohen, a staunch Republican, when commenting about the racist ad currently running in Tennessee.

The ad, as Cohen says, is a "very serious appeal to a racist sentiment." No ifs, ands or buts.

In the commercial, a blonde naked woman in a husky, breathless voice beckons Rep. Harold Ford, D-TN., to call her; you know, for some hanky-panky of the sexual and electoral type.

Well, nothing gets the gander of a good ol' boys from the South than the thought of his white woman being defiled by the wild beast of his historic nightmare: a male mulatto in all his man-ness and all his glory.

And as everyone knows, Ford is an African-American who is running for the open Senate seat in Tennesee. The horror and temerity of it all. Except for one teeny little GOP problem, 16.8 percent of the population in Tennessee is black.

Next time one of you fatuous GOPers tries to tell Howling Latina that racism is dead; and the new South has amended her ways, please refer to the latest Bob Corker campaign ad; and then brush up on the North Carolina smear campaign against Harvey Gantt a little over a decade ago.

Indeed, the more things try to change, the more that folks who might end up on the losing end of a political power struggle smear, besmirch, tar and feather their opponents with outrageous discourse such as this one.

Let's face it, a vote for any Republican who has used race to set himself apart and appeal to his racist base, such as Jesse Helms, Bob Corker and yes, George Felix Allen, is a vote to protect the status quo and preserve racial inequality.

Folks, it's that simple; don't try to lie and deny that it's anything else; at least be honest to yourself.

No shenanigans this time around.

The Richmond Tmes-Dispatch reports that the American Civil Liberties Union has asked the U.S. Justice Department to send election observers to Chesterfield County in Virginia.

With justification, the ACLU has accused the county of "actions" explicitly designed to "discourage minority voters."

Kent Willis, director of the ACLU, cited four incidents over the past two years, including a new allegation that the registrar, Lawrence C. Haake III, refused to issue an absentee ballot to a registered voter because the prospective voter would not give his Social Security number.

Cynthia Magnuson, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department, said the department has received the letter from Willis. It does not disclose which localities it will monitor until 24 hours before an election, she said.

Of course, Judge Roy Bean Haake proclaims that his only interest in having gunned sheriffs patrol the precincts in '04 was to ensure there were no disturbances during a heavier than usual voter turnout. But...

Willis also said that in the same presidential election, county election officials misinformed voters that they must show identification to vote. If voters don't have identification, they are allowed to cast a provisional ballot after signing an affidavit that they are who they say they are.

The State Board of Elections has already confirmed that Social Security numbers were not required to vote. Haake, however, "disagrees with the State Board of Election's interpretation of the law on Social Security numbers."

In fact, he's totally defiant. ""The state board deals in abstract concepts, and we deal in realities," Haake is quoted by Times-Dispatch.

Hmm, it looks like the federal government is gonna have do some some serious butt whipping to get the folks in Chesterfield County to obey the laws -- just like the rest of us.

Many Virginians were shocked when they read that Sen. George Felix Allen, Jr., was flip-flopping on the Iraqi War.

After all, this is a solid man of purpose; the steadfast, "principled" former governor and senator who voters know because everything he says, he absolutely means.

To borrow a phrase from my blogging brethren at Raising Kaine, oh really?

A walk down history lane reveals something entirely different. Allen has flip-flopped before; in fact, his "principled" pronouncements have been war casualties during hotly-contested campaigns.

Today the Washington Post notes that a mere month ago Allen was staunchly defending Bush's War. Apparently all that talk about staying the course, well, forget it about it. This close to Nov. 7, he's now got an election to steal, er, win.

Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) has been changing his tone on the war in Iraq in recent days as he tries to fend off a challenge from Democrat James Webb, who opposed the invasion even before it started.

Allen has been one of President Bush's strongest defenders of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, telling audiences that progress is being made and victory is around the corner. "Staying the course means that we don't tuck tail and run, that we don't retreat, that we don't surrender," Allen said a month ago in a debate with Webb on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Yes, "[m]istakes have been made," Allen readily admits to the media, "and progress has been far too slow."

But tell us, dear goober senator, just exactly who made these mistakes????? It's not like they happened in a vacuum. Oh, that's right, the White House and the rubberstamp GOP Congress who refused to do any oversight and framed any Democrat who questioned the administration as fiends "giving aid and comfort to the enemy."

When Allen was just a congressional pup being weaned off his famous father's tit, one of Allen's first vote in Congress was to support Democratic efforts to strike down Bush I's abortion "gag rule," a federal law that prohibited anyone from mentioning abortion at taxpayer-funded clinics.
Yet today, Allen touts himself as a committed pro-life candidate. OntheIssues, a Web site dedicated to providing the stances of every political leader, pronounced Allen as a strong enemy of a woman's right to choose. In fact, Allen now has a 100 percent pro-life voting record.

Moreover, State Sen. Benjamin Lambert's endorsement notwithstanding, Allen's newfound diversity mind-set is one huge flip-flop from his past record.

Everyone knows that in Allen opposed the Martin Luther King Holiday; and yes, he kept Confederate imagery in his office while governor, but it was only to honor Southern heritage, which he had absolutely no claim to being from California and "passing" as a gentile.

Indeed, during the debate on whether women should be admitted to all-male Virginia Military Institute, Allen lashed out at those who would sully "the future of educational diversity" by insisting women be allowed to attend.

But even more recently, Allen voted in 2000 against a bill that would have required companies to level the playing field for minorities; the good ol' boys network was safe from the meddling federal scumbags.

Howling Latina is simply amazed that Allen has had the sheer gall to accuse Webb of being insensitive to women and minorities; and that GOP drones have had the balls to parrot his lying talking points.

Well, here are a few quotes from Allen during the dispute as to whether women should be admitted to VMI or not as reported by the Washington Post on May 24, 1994.

[F]ighting an "opponent ... possessed of vastly superior resources and numbers," [Allen]compared VMI's efforts to remain all-male to the stand by cadets against Union troops during a Civil War battle at nearby New Market.

He pledged to "stand up to the arrogant, meddling federal bureaucrats whenever Virginia's rights and prerogatives are threatened."

He described that as "the traditional American values and virtues of moral character, personal discipline, self-reliance and an unabashed and unashamed love of home, state and country, and the willingness to fight to defend them."

In Allen's upside world, ignorance is strength, freedom is slavery and war is peace. Banning women from VMI was virtuous; decorating his house and office with symbols of slavery was strength; and the preemptive war in Iraq that has cost hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries was freedom on the march.

Yep, this is the guy everyone should vote for. Virginia's racist fighting dude ranch hero.

Wah, hah, hah, hah.

It looks like the Republicans are out of politicals bullets and have been reduced to firing blanks.

The media is giving wide coverage to the nonexisting Republican ad buy that shows Osama bin Laden in all his evilness with the words "these are the stakes." They're trying to scare voters to keep the GOP in power.

To CNN's credit, they refused to show the full ad. No $$$, no pony for the show!

As Dana Milbank of the Washington Post pointed out to Chris Matthews on "Hardball" last night, the campaign ad was a measly ad buy. GOPers were hoping to create buzz and free media play.

In the meantime, AOL posted a poll asking readers whether the GOP ad will make them "more or less likely to vote for Republicans?"

A whopping 67 percent said less likely; only a mere 33 percent said more likely; and we know these folks are going to vote for Republicans even if it's the last thing they do as the political Titanic overwhelms and sinks their fun little SeaDoos.

Enjoy the ride; you've got less than three weeks. Yep, time is up, folks. For the GOP, it's all over but the soon-to-come crying.

In a last ditch effort to bolster his reelection chances, Sen. George Felix Macacawitz, Jr., is doing a little backpedaling on the Iraqi War.

Looks like he got a whole new set of talking points from the White House.

ABC News reports:

Republican Sen. George Allen called for "changes in tactics" in how the U.S. is fighting the Iraq war on Friday as he continued to face questions about his morphing position on the war.

"The situation there is one that needs adjustments, that needs changes in tactics. We need to adapt to the situation on the ground," Allen said at a campaign event Friday morning with GOP leaders of the state legislature.

Well, Senor Macacawitz, it's a little too late to save your dumb ass. Folks like Jim Webb and Rep. John Murtha were saying that the United States had to rethink their military strategy late last year before an added 607 American soldiers lost their lives; and oh yea, people like you were calling them traitors.

For a very long time, everyone has known that the U.S. had to "change" their losing "tactics." And now you want Americans to trust the very same folks who got us into this hopeless mess to find a way out of this quaqmire?!?

As ABC News notes, Allen only "began shifting his public position on the unpopular war two weeks ago after fellow Virginia Sen. John Warner, a five-term moderate and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, returned from an Iraq visit saying the war was 'drifting sideways,' with Iraq's fledgling government unable to disarm its deadly sectarian militias."

Oops, so sorry. My bad...no problem....just a little correction...give me another chance to screw up.

Not on the lives of the poor guys and gals over in Iraq fighting and dying because of stupid arrogant people like you, Sen. George Allen, Racist-VA., and your GOP cronies and White House toadies.

Webb has "couched the coming election as 'a choice between those who have power and those who will stand up to power.'"

Indeed, Americans have had ENOUGH. No MAS!

Raising Kaine has posted a list with the top 10 reasons Virginians should vote for Jim Webb on Nov. 7.

In the spirit of the calendar, Howling Latina would now like to throw her top 10 reasons why any sane Virginian should choose Webb over Allen on Election Day.

#1- He was prescient about the war in Iraq months before Bush decided to invade a sovereign country.

#2- He will oversee the Executive Branch to ensure no more catastrophes and ill-conceived forays that have shed the blood of thousands of American soldiers, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, cost billions upon billions of dollars to American taxpayers and rendered the Middle East situation considerably worst than even one day after 9/11.

#3- He is a more authentic, truthful person. Bush-Allen are a pair of unapologetic chronic liars who try to rewrite history and think American voters will swallow their lies as long as they are "framed" with the appropriate candy-cane "packaging" that are optical illusions meant to deceive.

#4- He will do more for the working and middle class interests (as opposed to megabuck corporate donors).

#5- He will take the nation back to what used to be a core Republican principle -- geting the government out of our lives -- in this instance, our private bedrooms.

#6- He will be a valuable and experienced voice in the Senate who'll immediately make a difference. If rumors are accurate of an imminent Warner retirement, does Virginia really want Sen. Felix Allen Macawitz, Jr. to be the senior Senate representative for the commonwealth?

#7- He's not Bush-Allen; he is principled, as his life story clearly shows.

#8- He's smarter than Bush-Allen, as once again his life story shows.

#9- He's not a racist like Allen who has made a career out of segregating groups into "us" versus "outsiders."

#10-And finally, does any sane person outside the most rabid Republican really think that if Webb were the GOP candidate, the Republicans wouldn't be touting him as the Second Coming of the Messiah? It's obvious Webb is the best man for the job, as the Washington Post wrote this week when they unconditionally endorsed him.

Every now and then a new rumor pops up that Bush fell off the wagon and is drinking again as reported by the eminent National Examiner via Buzz Flash. Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson now has the absolute condemning proof.

Of course, there have always been more than a few whispers around the water cooler about Bush's sobriety, such as noted in these few past posts on the subject.

But hell, with the country going to hell in the Iraqi Express, like Robin Williams implores, Please, Mr. President, "[s]tart drinking again!" Do it for your country; it can't get any worst and maybe, just maybe, things will improve with you safely too inebriated to make any more dumb wrong moves.

The Rothenberg Political Report has Democrats winning at least four Senate seats in the midterm elections.

Currently, there are also four toss-ups, three Republican incumbents; and yes, read it and weep, you Virginia GOP nutwings, the toss-ups include George Allen's safe seat that was supposed to assure his triumphant run for president in '08.

Joining Virginia is Missouri with incumbent Republican Sen. Jim Talent in a deadheat with Democratic State Auditor Claire McCaskill, Tennesee's open seat to replace Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist with Republican Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker going against Democratic Rep. Harold Ford and New Jersey with incumbent Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez challenged by Tom Kean, Jr.

But...forget New Jersey; the way the political tea leaves appear to be aligning, Howling Latina is almost certain that her fellow "Cubanito" will survive Señor Junior.

Sen. Barack Obama will headline "Meet the Press" this Sunday.

Russert will no doubt try to divine whether Obama is going to run for the roses in '08 as well as Obama's take on the midterm elections of less than three weeks. Obama is the author of "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream."

Afterwards, it's political pundit week.

Russert will be talking to national political pundits and soothsayers to learn what the conventional wisdom holds for the upcoming elections.

David Broder, columnist of The Washington Post, Charlie cook, editor and publisher of Cook Political Report, John Hardwood, chief Washington correspondent of the Wall Street Journal and Darth Novak, syndicated columnist of Chicago Sun-Times and all-around media blowhard will join Russert in a roundtable of pre-election analysis.

During the last few weeks. Russert has held a series of debates between Senate candidates from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Missouri and Minnesota. You can watch the debates here or obtain the transcripts here.

Next week will be the final debate in the series between Democratic Maryland. Rep. Ben Cardin of Maryland against Republican Lt. Governor Michael Steele for the open seat of retiring Democratic Senator Paul Sarbanes.

Does the media just make things up?

Tucked inside the story about the recent Washington Post endorsement of the eminently qualified Jim Webb for senator in his race against the do-nothing racist Republican incumbent, Sen. George Felix Allen, Jr., NBC-4 writes, "The Washington Post has a tradition of endorsing Democratic candidates and can be a huge turnoff to Republicans."

Oh really?!?

Well you sure could've fooled Howling Latina. Especially since she actually thought the Post recently endorsed Republic Reps. Frank Wolf and Tom Davis against their Democratic challengers.

¡Qué persona mas estúpida!

Here's the Virginia forecast, according to the Washington Post on the fated Feb. 15, 1973 when Sen. George Felix Allen claims he was fishing without a license.

Thursday, Feb. 15, 1973 - Cloudy, high in the upper 30s and low 40s, low in the 20s. Chance of rain is 40 percent today, 10 percent tonight. Temperature range 23-42.

Hmmm, so let's see....Allen went fishing on a day with nearly a 50-50 chance of rain and temperature in the 30s.

In the meantime, SWAC girl tried to tell Howling Latina that February was the absolute perfect weather month for trout fishing in Virginia. But a little google action, and voila, yep, another lie by a GOP blowhard.

It looks like perfect trout season is in the spring -- not in the dead of winter.

Qué mentirosa! (That's liar in Spanish)

According to e-Pluribus Media, the commonwealth of Virginia issued an arrest warrant for Sen. George Felix Allen in 1974.

Not Larry Sabato earlier wrote that Allen insisted the warrant was simply a little incident about a "fishing license violation." No biggie.

Well, Howling Latina doesn't know what the exact temperature was on February 15, 1973, the date of the legal infraction but...if she were a betting person, she'd bet the farm she doesn't own that if Allen went fishing, he was the only fool in the entire state to have done so on that day.

Here are the Virginia temperatures for February (°F) from 1982 to 2002:

1982 - 38.2
1983 - 36.3
1984 - 41.7
1985 - 36.6
1986 - 38.1
1987 - 35.3
1988 - 36.2
1989 - 37.4
1990 - 44.7
1991 - 41.4
1992 - 40.7
1993 - 35.3
1994 - 37.6
1995 - 34.7
1996 - 36.0
1997 - 41.6
1998 - 41.6
1999 - 40.0
2000 - 41.4
2001 - 41.2

Let's face it, frosty February ain't exactly fishing weather, now is it?!?

Salon.com reported last month that a former college football teammate of Sen. George Felix Allen accused the junior senator not only of repeatedly using the "N-word," but severing the head of a deer and stuffing it in a large mailbox in a black neighborhood.

Follow-up news stories noted that police records showed no old reports of a deer inside a mailbox; and "two Louisa County sheriff's deputies who were on the force in the early '70s said that they recall no complaints about severed animal heads."

Not Larry Sabato today writes that Allen was served with a mysterious warrant around the same time frame as the alleged deer incident; moreover, there was a criminal hearing in 1973.

Now, probably this is simply an unlucky coincidence in timing. Allen claims the warrant was for an expired fishing license, the warrant was from Albermarle County and according to news reports, the deer-in-the-mailbox episode took place in Louisa County.

However, the "fishy" part of the story is that records of the incident have been destroyed; and Allen, after all, was the state executive in the commonwealth as governor from 1994 to 1998 -- plenty of time for things to find their way to "getting" lost.

Before Virginians discount the latest in a series of incidents, Allen needs to provide more proof than his mere say-so; it's not like Allen is brimming with credibility in Virginia.

When Chris Wallace of FOX News asked former Pres. Bill Clinton why he failed to retaliate against the U.S.S. Cole attack, even though the CIA did not definitively confirm Al-Qaeda was responsible until 2001, he couched his question with, “I got a lot of e-mail from viewers” so my question is legitimate.

Well, let's show Mr. Wallace some love and ask him to pose the same query to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice this Sunday.

Think Progress has a link; please click and send. Twelve thousand have already sent e-mails.

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton will be interviewed by Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" this Sunday.

The topic du jour will be this past week's nuclear devise test by North Korea, and how the United Nations might respond. Hopefully, Russert will also ask Bolton how White House policies have failed to contain Kim Jong-II's nuclear ambitions.

Bush toadies claim it's all Clinton's fault; you see, when Clinton was president, North Korea was cheating. Oh, that's right, with Bush, they're not cheating. They might be openly and blatantly telling the United States to kiss their Asian nuclear butt but...that's a total different thing; and much more preferable in Bush's upside down world of alternative reality.

Russert will continue to host debates between Senate candidates. This week Rep. Mark Kennedy, R-MN., will face Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic Senate candidate.

This is an open race in Minnesota that was vacated when Democratic Sen. Mark Dayton decided to retire; and the debate should be a lively one!

It looks like closeted gays are not the only Republicans being exposed by the media.

In a must-read article by Bloomberg News, Allen is once against exposed as a lying politician who will say anything to justify the indefensible and hoodwink his constituents.

Remember those stock options Allen received when he left Xybernaut to take his oath of office and he characterized as worthless?!? Well, surprise, SURPRISE. It turns out Allen was lying.

Stock options that Senator George Allen described as worthless were worth as much as $1.1 million at one point, according to a review of Senate disclosure forms and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

The records appear to contradict remarks he made to the Associated Press. ``I got paid in stock options which were worthless,'' AP quoted him as saying.

Oops...

Legislators are required to disclose all stock options in companies with business before Congress, Allen failed to do so.

In the meantime, Allen happily advanced legislation that benefited Xybernaut. "Allen wrote a letter to the U.S. Army on Xybernaut's behalf in December 2001." Two years later, the "U.S. Defense Department announced $2.13 million in contracts to buy the company's wearable computers." And...

In the Senate, Allen opposed an accounting rule change that requires companies to list options as an expense on their financial reports. Allen co-sponsored a measure to block the rule change and in a hearing that year linked the awarding of stock options to increasing the security of U.S. troops in Iraq.

He said stock options make investments in technology companies more attractive, leading to innovations that helped make ``it safer for our men and women in uniform.''

Oh yes, it's always for the children and our men in uniform, according to the shameless prevaricator.

Indeed, it's too bad the issue never came up during last night's debate. Thankfully, the fourth estate in Virginia is reporting and informing voters. "Allen's Lapses Keep on Coming, "The Roanoke Times headlines this morning.

The language is clear. Allen was supposed to report his holdings. They might have been worthless on the filing date, but that could have changed at the whim of the stock market. A government contract here or well-placed help there might have done the trick.

Some of the companies with which Allen had stock options actively sought government contracts, and he intervened on behalf of one in a dispute with the Army.

Of course, we've also learned that the options weren't always worthless.

Now, is there anyone but the most radical wingnuts who still think Allen deserves to be reelected when a stellar alternative is available to serve all the people?

I didn't think so!

Howling Latina is just so darn proud of Jim Webb; and is counting the days until Nov. 7th to wave goodbye to the phony goober once and for all.

In tonights debate, Allen came across like the peevish small-minded man that he is, repeatedly asking Webb some dumb ass question that had absolutely no bearing on the over-arching issue of who the best man is to lead Virginia forward and far, far away from Bush's disastrous policies.

Every viewer knew that Allen had memorized the magical number of Virginians who'd benefited from Bush's tax give-away to the rich; and of course, this meaningless 3 million figure quoted by Allen includes every person who received as little as a dollar.

Indeed, the $2000 savings quoted by Allen is excessively skewed by the mammoth tax savings to the uber-rich. A more honest number is the median, the half-way point between the top and bottom in the tax pardigm.

For example, if out of 25 million Virginia workers 24,990,000 receive $1 and the remaining 10000 each receive $100 million, well, one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to discern that the statistical average figure wouldn't exactly represent an accurate sketch of the extent the "average" Virginian benefited from Bush's tax cut.

Elementary, dear folks, elementary.

During the entire 60 minutes, Allen sounded scripted, every forced smile, concoted, every word a talking point. On the other hand, Webb came across as honest, deliberative, authentic and knowledgeable.

HL thinks Allen and his cronies are going to be mighty surprised when they wake up Nov. 8 and learn the junior senator got the boot by a few "real" Virginians.

Webb is the absolute best challenger running against an incumbent in '06; and ideology aside, Webb deserves to win on merit alone.

James Webb verbally slapped Sen. George Allen but good, according to Daily Press.

"If you've been in the Senate for six years and the only thing you can run in your ads is an education act (National Innovation Act) that's not even law - if that's all you can do, plus this article on a position I took 27 years ago, people ought to think about that," he said Saturday about the campaign of Sen. George Allen. Allen is trying to fend off a charge by Webb, his Democratic challenger, in the Nov. 7 election.

Allen's Senate record is indeed paltry. Howling Latina thinks a major reason is because the Senate Republican leadership pegged Allen as a lightweight and then relegated him to keeping the bench warm.

By electing Webb, Virginians will have rwo effective leaders in Congress; and after only one term, Allen's meager accomplishments will pale to Webb's by comparison.

Howling Latina has noted before that she is not infallible; and gasp, yes, sometimes she might misspell a word or two. Hopefully, she'll eventually find the error and correct it.

In like manner, when she finds an honest mistake by one of her friends on the either side of the political spectrum, no biggie, as she's earlier written. She doesn't gloat or insult; and no public lashing, either.

But some anal retentive types, like James Young of Skeptical Observer will relentlessly harp on and on about a misspelled word as if 3000 soldiers had died as a result.

Well, HL hopes people read her posts because they find them informative, humorous, irreverant, whatever! But please, if you're going to hold HL accountable for some idiotic misspelled word, share your hypercritical comments only with someone worthy of your towering intellect.

After all, why waste your talents reading garbage? HL is way too ignorant to make a logical argument.

The New York Times reports of a list with names of senior Congressional aides who are gay; it has been dubbed The List and it's currently circulating around media newsrooms and the nation's capital.

[A] group of gay activists, angered by what they see as hypocrisy by gay Republicans, have begun circulating a document known as The List, a roster of gay Congressional staff members and their Republican bosses.

David Corn confirms that he's seen the list and without naming aides, no surprise that staff members from Sen. George Allen's Senate office are on the list. Previously, it had been widely reported that Allen's office was swarming with gays at senior level positions.

Corn writes:

What's interesting about The List--which includes nine chiefs of staffs, two press secretaries, and two directors of communications--is that (if it's accurate) it shows that some of the religious right's favorite representatives and senators have gay staffers helping them advance their political careers and agendas. These include Representative Katherine Harris and Henry Hyde and Senators Bill Frist, George Allen, Mitch McConnell and Rick Santorum. Should we salute these legislators for being open-minded enough to have such tolerant hiring practices? After all, Santorum in a 2003 AP interview compared homosexuality to bestiality, incest and polygamy. It would be rather big of Santorum to employ a fellow who engages in activity akin to such horrors. That is, if Santorum knows about his orientation.

Oh, make no mistake about it, who better to frame homophobia and the gay "issue" than someone who is gay himself?

Besides, it's a nifty little way to absolve the sins of bigotry with the blood of an overworked staff member. Employ a few gays who will work their asses off and then you can claim what a magnimous swell guy you are for bringing an "untouchable" into the bosom of your office.

Yo, General Grievous' Dog, you're barking up the wrong tree.

Just because Bruce Li either chooses not to grasp or perhaps doesn't understand the huge differences between an economic system like socialism and communism, a form of government, doesn't give any person the right to cast aspersions at Howling Latina by calling her a Communist, a slur she finds especially offensive because of her Cuban-American heritage.

Be that as it may, let's go to the dictionary and see how socialism and communism are defined by Oxford.

Socialism - A theory or policy of social organization which aims at or advocates the ownership and control of the means of production, capital, land, property, etc., by the community as a whole, and their administration or distribution in the interests of all.

Communism - A theory which advocates a state of society in which there should be no private ownership, all property being vested in the community and labour organized for the common benefit of all members; the professed principle being that each should work according to his capacity, and receive according to his wants.

You see, one is voluntary, the other is totalitarian and compulsory. As someone writes, "Instead of wanting to take away people’s private property, socialists want more people to have more private property than ever before."

With only a little research, any honest person can find that during the last century, Democratic nations have been replete with elected Socialist officials. Of course, Mr. Bruce Li only mentions the names of Stalin, Mao, etc., to make his spurious argument and point.

Well, how about the German Social Democratic Party; or the Labour Party in Britain; or the Socialist Labor Party of America and Eugene V. Debbs in the United States?

[Many] Western European socialist parties won major electoral gains in the immediate postwar years. Most notably, in Britain, the Labour party under Ramsay MacDonald [who] was in power for ten months in 1924 and again from 1929 to 1931.

In fact, "[t]hroughout much of the interwar period, socialist and Communist parties were in continuous conflict. Socialists condemned communists as agents of the Soviet Union, while communists condemned socialists as betrayers of the working class."

Today the Washington Post front-pages Spain's socialist government with a special feature on Vice President Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega and her climb to the top of the political paradigm in the previously male-oriented Machismo culture of her country.

Ultimately, HL goes back to theorical academic work. Indeed, how many university students have studied sociology, government, rhetoric, political science, law, philosophy, even literature without coming across good ol' Marx?

Blaming Marx and Engels for Stalin and Mao is equal to blaming Jesus for the Crusades and the Inquisition.

As Steve Gilliard of The News Blog points out in a recent post, at least the Catholic Church tried to do something about the stench of priest molesting young boys, even if it was a bust.

The Catholic Church tried to treat their pedophiles, they tried to do something, even if what happened was a complete and total failure. Not Congress. They are pretending this isn't as ugly as things are. Dobson is lying to his flock. He's a shrink. He knows the odds of Foley [molesting] kids are higher than seeing a Mercedes in the parking lot of a megachurch. Yet, like so many cowards, he would rather hide behind a lie, a lie he knows is a lie, than deal with the truth.

James Dobson of "Focus on the Family" was shockingly calm about the sexual scandal coming out of the Republican side of the aisle. It was just boys "pranking" with Rep. Mark Foley, R-FL., that's all, he tries to tell us.

Via Digby of Hullabaloo, here are Dobson's disturbing words:

As it turns out, Mr. Foley has had illicit sex with no one that we know of, and the whole thing turned out to be what some people are now saying was a -- sort of a joke by the boy and some of the other pages ... By midafternoon yesterday, a rumor emerged that in fact Mark Foley had been pranked by the House pages. It is the first plausible thing I've heard in seven days...

For some who may not remember, Dobson is the guy who went ballistic when Sponge Bob was shown "holding hands with Big Bird on a video about tolerance." Yes, he deemed it "shocking[ly] homosexual brainwashing." Yet as Digby observes, "[e]xchanging lewd e-mails with Republican congressman [apparently] is good clean fun."

From here on out, Dobson should have absolutely zero credibility with faithful followers of the Spirit. The Bible states that only one sin is unforgivable -- blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. And indeed, Dobson words condemn him as a false prophet leading his entrusted flock infernally astray with evil lies.

"He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. " And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come." (Matthews 12: 30-32)

This is not a stroke of genius by Howling Latina; and she can't remember where she first read about it but...

After reading the gloating post by The Ward View on how low gas prices are in the swing state of Virginia, she decided to take a stroll down the blogosphere and compare gas prices in Virginia against gas prices in some crimson red state, like say Utah.

Well, here's the apparent ugly truth. The poor saps who live in states that support the Bush administration pay higher prices for fuel. Unvarnished loyalty has a hidden gas tax.

Indeed while some areas in Virginia are paying as low as $1.79 per gallon, travel only a few miles south to North Carolina and the lowest price is $1.99 The lowest price for folks in Utah is $2.40 in Salt Lake City while in Ohio, consumers can purchase gasoline for under $2.00 a gallon. People from Missouri pay as little as $1.90 per gallon; travel a few miles west to Arkansas and it's $1.96; or a few miles north to Kansas, and it's $1.97.

Read it and weep; and then try to convince the rest of the country that the White House hasn't manipulated fuel prices to try to win advantage only days before Election Day. Americans may be fueling up, but they ain't buying the GOP spin that market forces have caused the sudden drop in gas prices.

While GOP legislators busy themselves with bills that give tax breaks to corporate bigwigs and the uber-rich, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has vowed to cut the interest rate of students by half when Democrats take over the House.

Here's soon-to-be Speaker Pelosi's agenda for the nation.

Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation."

Enact all the recommendations made by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, maybe in one step. Cut the interest rate on student loans in half. Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.

But that ain't all. Pelosi also wants to "[b]roaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds."

"We believe in the marketplace," Pelosi said of Democrats..."They have only rewarded wealth, not work."

Now ain't that the noble truth!

And to all those whiny progressives who were carping about Pelosi's leadership only a few months ago, just grab a piece of humble pie and eat it with an extra slice of fried crow.

It seems as if it were only yesterday; twelve years ago conservative Republicans batwings were scheming of ways to boot Sen. John Warner from the Republican Party.

You know, like they tried to do to State Sen. Russ Potts.

And what were Warner's sins? Apparently having a few independent brain cells inside his head and using them.

You see, Warner had refused to endorse Ollie North for the Senate seat in 1994; and he'd also refused to endorse Mike Farris for lieutenant governor the prior year.

Sen. George Felix Allen strongly supported both. Farris "was obviously my candidate for lieutenant governor last year," Allen is quoted saying by The Roanoke Times in 1994, "and I disagree[d] with him about Ollie North.''

This is the same Ollie North who shamed and disgraced the Reagan White House with his illegal shenanigans; and the same Michael Farrell, father of 11 children, home school activist, religious right extraordinaire and chairman of the Madison Project, a grassroots community that raises $$$ for other likeminded religious wingnuts.

Hmmm, so if George Allen had won the day, Virginians would have had a convicted felon as their senator and a rabid religious fanatic as their lieutenant governor.

Allen was wrong in the past; and he is wrong TODAY!

In an earlier column this year, The Virginian-Pilot noted that "in 2004, when the state was debating a major tax hike, Warner sided with then-Democratic Gov. Mark Warner and centrist Senate Republicans in backing a tax increase for education, health care and public safety."

But not Allen.

[W]hen the GOP senators showed up in Richmond during a tax fight over transportation funding, Warner outlined the cost of not coming up with a larger state transportation budget: lost federal funds.

No siree not Allen; he sided with the intransigent obstructionist right wingers, of course.

And then last December there were three motions in the Senate: one was to "protect Medicaid from cuts, another was to protect food stamps from cuts, and...a third was to exclude the temporary assistance for needy families from the budget" the Roanoke Times reported last winter.

In all three of these, our senior senator, John Warner, voted in favor of protecting these programs that enable people to lift themselves out of poverty.

It seems Allen has a long history of endorsing every lamebrained idea and position by the radical GOP wing faction. It is either for political expediency, stupidity or BOTH!

Right now there's a "26-point gap" separating Warner from Allen in the liberal-conservative continium, with "Warner closer to the center," even if it's to the right.

Let's face it. Allen does not represent "real" Virginians; he's too radical; we are not a band of rabid wingnuts.

Staying the course in Iraq and rubber stamping every disastrous Republican bill out of Congress and every policy out of the White House affirms that Allen is outside of mainstream Virginia values.

In the past, Allen has supported a felon and a zealot; and today he supports a dunce and the culture of corruption in Congress.

What a cruel, cruel sick joke. Now, does any truthful person out there really believe that Warner would still be supporting Allen over Webb if they were both Republicans?!?

Look for Bishop Gerald O. Glenn to retract his recent endorsement.

Daily Press reports that Glenn endorsed Sen. George Allen over Jim Webb with one huge caveat.

Glenn...said that the endorsement could be affected if the senator continues to run attack ads against his Democratic opponent, Jim Webb.

A half-hour later, the Allen campaign unveiled a new 30-second ad in which former Naval Academy student Janice Buxbaum criticized Webb for a magazine article he wrote 27 years ago decrying women's presence at Annapolis.

"I saw that ad and it concerned me," Glenn said later Friday. "I still endorse him ... but if he doesn't pull those ads, it's going to be hard for me to tell people that they need to forgive for what he did 30 years ago.

"The reason I endorsed him was because I thought he was being unfairly attacked about things that might have happened back then. How can I tell people that they should forgive if he attacks his opponent about something that happened to him 27 years ago?"

Olé!

And a lie to boot, too. This is the same Janice Buxbaum who complains about being misquoted in a 1979 magazine article by Webb where her name never appeared.

In the latest Gallup poll, Allen is in a statistical tie with Webb. Forty-eight percent of Virginians support Allen, 45 percent support Webb and 2 percent support the independent candidate. The poll has a 5 percent margin of error.

An "F" for the idiots!

During the last few days, radical conservative bloggers have been ranting and raving because Webb referenced in his text one of the most heralded authors of a cannon used by sociologists, economists, rhetoricians, political scientists and other social scientists.

These dunces apparently have never heard the notion that canons transcend time and space; and are useful to social theorists, scientists and serious observers of modern culture and government because they hold underlying "truths" that are evident in contemporary societies.

If it were up to this merry band of dunces, books that don't comport to their neocon ideal would be burned, to save the children that their leaders have been sexually ravaging, of course.

Meanwhile, back at the lying dude ranch, the Associated Press via Daily Press reports that a "U.S. Naval Academy graduate contends in a new ad for Republican Sen. George Allen that Allen's Democratic challenger, Jim Webb, misquoted her in a magazine article he authored in 1979."

Only one weeny, teeny, little problem. "[H]er name never appeared in the article."

Buxbaum [also] has no copy of the draft nor the waiver she claims she refused to sign. Nor could she cite specific misquotes or characterizations in the story that she believes came from her.

BUSTED! again!

Conservative blowhards are trying to get Pres. George W. Bush to weigh in the Macaca brouhaha in Virginia and were shut down.

WorldNetDaily reports that Bush is not "taking sides or expressing opinions on how Sen. George Allen, R-Va., is being treated by editorialists in the flap over a comment he made at a rally."

"The president not only does not do book reviews, he doesn't do newspaper reviews," Bush spokesman Tony Snow told WND in a press briefing at the White House.

Oh boy, Georgie, you're all alone on this ONE!

Today, the aircraft carrier built by Northrop Grumman and named for our 41st president, George H.W. Bush will be christened in Newport News, The Virginian-Pilot reports.

President George W. Bush will give the keynote address in this great honor to his father.

Howling Latina can just picture Junior boiling with envy, hunger and rage as his one-term father heaps the accolades that in his delusional mind rightly belong to him.

Indeed, chances are slim to none that any future aircraft missile will be named after Dubya. The only distinction history will likely bestow on Junior is the inscription, "worst president in the history of America."

Jolly, jolly!

"Meet the Press" will be interviewing Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Bob Woodward about his new book, "State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III."

Unfortunately, with Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) sucking all the air out of national news, Woodward's book has not received the hyper media attention the book warrants. Slate magazine has dubbed it "the hottest book in the country right now."

This Sunday, Tim Russert will also be moderating a debate between Republican Sen. Jim Talent of Missouiri and his challenger, State Auditor Claire McCaskill. The race is statistically tied.

On previous shows, "Meet the Press" was the host of debates between Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia and challenger former Navy Secretary Jim Webb, Republican Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and challenger State Treasurer Bob Casey and Republican Sen. Mike DeWine of Ohio and challenger Rep. Sherrod Brown.

If you would like to watch any of the previous debates on netcast, click here; for a transcript, click here.

Truer words have never been spoken: "George Allen? He's the nearest nothing ever been in this country. He's a big old fake, that's all."

In a very supportive article, The Nation profiles Jim Webb; and an old coal miner from Southwest Virginia has that one great quote that nails Sen. George Felix Macawitz to the wall. All hat, no cattle!

This Labor Day, Jim Webb skipped the pilgrimage to Buena Vista and the Laborfest Parade; he was off to see his son to Iraq instead. But here is what one of the "real" Virginians who saw Allen during the parade had to say about his phony cowboy charade.

"Everybody had heard where Webb was that day, and why," recalls Charley Conrad. "So people are standing there watching the parade, and what do they see coming down the street but George Felix Allen, in a big white ten-gallon hat and those fancy boots he always wears, grinning and waving from atop a brown-and-white horse called--I'm not kidding--Bubba. And all I could think was, I sure hope people are paying attention."

When Virginia voters compare the Allen and Webb records in the privacy of their voting booth, only the most rabid of partisans would choose Allen over Webb.

Bush's war is no more popular in predominantly white southwest Virginia--at least not on a recent Saturday in Castlewood, where hundreds gathered for the annual fish fry and political rally of the United Mine Workers' local. "We think it's useless," says Jimmy Taylor, a young truck driver. "Why send more people in to get killed?" Taylor's girlfriend, Brittany Brading, agrees. "Bush is sending all this money to Iraq when people are homeless and hungry here. It's disgusting."

Tonight in the "The Situation Room," Webb smacked poor ol' Wolf for bringing up peripheral issues about Foley, macaca and women when the big elephant in the room is lack of accountability within the White House and the war in Iraq.

Let's face it, Republican legislators have given every key to the doors of the capitol to the Bush administration.

A conservative blogger recently posted a picture of Sens. George Allen and John Warner together and declared them a "team."

Well, before we go around heralding any new team, perhaps one should make sure of a few pesky facts.

Sure, Warner is a Republican; and as a faithful Republican, proper lip service to George Allen must be paid. But...let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

When Ollie North was running for the Virginia Senate seat against former Democratic Sen. Chuck Robb and John Warner was trying desperately to derail the North nomination, who did Warner call?!?

It sure as hell wasn't George Felix Allen, Jr., that's for damn sure!

No siree. It was Vietnam war hero, famous author, journalist, former Reagan Navy Secretary Jim Webb that Warner asked to run.

So before one goes around casting "aspersions," a little political history is worth a thousand lies.

By the bye folks, did you know that only a year ago Sen. John McCain was calling Jim Webb one of his "oldest friends"?

Yep, the enduring friendships between Webb and more than a few Republicans surpasses party labels. Long-term friendships Goober Allen can only dream about.

Just like the GOP leadership enabled Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla, to continue to prey on young interns and initially tried to spin his criminal outrage as nothing more than an innocent e-mail between a mentor and his bosom protege, and equal to Pres. George Bush outrageous claim that almost 3000 American lost lives, 20000 maimed and over $300 billion dollars squandered is nothing more than a simple comma in the annals of history, Republican apologists have taken to the air waves and news columns to profess that George Allen is not a racist because...you see, he says he's not; and besides, he's won two Virginia statewide elections.

Hey, Sen. Trent Lott has also won a boatload of elections in Mississippi, but would any honest person try to rest his or her argument on whether Lott was/is a racist or not on how many elections he's won in the past?!?

In other words, what does winning elections have to do with being a racist or not?!? Didn't David Duke win a few elections as a Klan member?!?

The latest apologist is Star Parker, the black face of conservative Christian rantings on WorldNetDaily and Townhall.com who has inked a financially prosperous niche by spouting her fatuous sentiments at Scripps Howard News Service.

[A]fter 25 years in state politics, including a term as governor prior to being elected to the Senate, allegations emerge that the Republican uttered, years ago, the racist n-word when he was a college football player.

According to another allegation, back in those same days the future governor and senator stuffed a severed deer's head into the mailbox of a black household.

Well Ms. Parker, "back in the day," accepting your term, if someone had killed someone, oh hell, just even stolen their car, time wouldn't exactly wash away the sin, would it? The law, as legislated by Sen. George "No Parole" Allen would demand the full weight of the law, no ifs, ands or buts.

Besides, in light of blessed assurances by GOPers from Jack Abramoff to Duke Cunningham, Ney and now Foley, don't you think it would be prudent to find out whether Allen actually was/is a racist before we absolve him?!?

Dredging up aspersions to question an opponent's character is now a common part of this sleazy business. It doesn't matter whether there is truth to allegations or not. Once an aspersion is made, even if it is never substantiated, the public perception of a man or woman is forever impacted.

Even when incontrovertible evidence is brought to bear that the allegations are pure garbage, the shadow of the allegations remains.

Indeed, "dredging" old "aspersions" and bringing them to the light to see if there is anything there behind the allegations is exactly what this election should be about; and to date, no "evidence" exists that""incontrovertibly"absolves Allen.

If anything, Allen's racist past and questionable assertions that defy basic logic such as not knowing what "macaca" meant, not knowing that he was Jewish, claiming he has never, ever used the N-word and then doing a little backtracking. point to Allen being a dissembling racist.