And I just donated to his campaign the other day.

99% Dennis Kucinich
96% Mike Gravel
81% John Edwards
79% Joe Biden
78% Chris Dodd
77% Barack Obama
74% Hillary Clinton
71% Bill Richardson
27% Rudy Giuliani
25% Ron Paul
18% John McCain
13% Mike Huckabee
12% Mitt Romney
9% Tom Tancredo
4% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

If Edwards wins, I will be ecstatic.
If Obama wins, I will be very happy and supportive.
If Hillary wins, I will very disappointed but begrudgingly supportive.

Today, President Bush delivered what was billed as a major address on Iraq. Instead, unfortunately, it was just more of the same "stay the course" rhetoric, moving us no closer to a resolution of the conflict.

We've all been waiting for many months for President Bush to come clean with the American people about the war in Iraq. But clearly, the President still fails to see and confront the truth:

1. President Bush refuses to acknowledge that the Iraq war has nothing to do with the 9/11 attack on our country by al Qaeda, and it has diverted us from our appropriate response to that attack which was to go into Afghanistan and hunt Osama bin Laden.

2. He refuses to acknowledge the fact that our long term presence in Iraq is fueling the very insurgency that he vows to end.

3. President Bush refuses to acknowledge that any mistakes were made and that this war was based on false pretenses.

4. He ignores the tremendous financial burden on our citizens, and he completely ignores the thousands of wounded that need to hear that they will not be forgotten and that they will receive the care they need.

5. President Bush even refuses to acknowledge that Iraqi government officials believe that we can withdraw within a two-year time frame, while continuing to demean those members of Congress who disagree with him.

Today President Bush squandered yet another opportunity to level with the American people and bring the country together around a unified effort to end the war in Iraq. Instead, the President used this speech to lash out in a very personal way against those who believe the best strategy for success is an accelerated training of Iraqi security forces and a drawdown of American troops, starting with the National Guard. Once we clearly state that we do not intend to stay in Iraq forever, the insurgency will be diminished and our brave men and women can begin to come home.

The President's failure to address the concerns of the American people and the Congress is a devastating blow to everyone who hoped to hear the President articulate a clear mission and a projection of when our troops can return home.

With American confidence in his handling of the war in Iraq at an all-time low, when will President Bush get the message? It's up to us to keep standing up and speaking out until he does.

In Friendship,

Barbara Boxer

I often take wisdom where ever I can find it. In this case, an idea came to me from that best of SciFi shows, "Battlestar Galactica".

It has occurred to me why Progressives are losing these kinds of battles and how we need to start winning them. Babies. We need to start making babies. If we are to survive as a species, we need more babies. The Cylons...er conservatives are taking over the world.

Of course, this goes against every principle Progressives stand for. Progressive people tend to have fewer children if at all. This is primarily because we educate ourselves about birth control and reproductive freedom. We are more concientious about population control and managing our natural resources. For the most part, children tend to follow in the same political footsteps as their parents. There are always exceptions, but point out to me one person you know whose parents are progressive and their children are neo-cons.

Neo-cons want to abolish abortion. They have clinics and "counselors" who talk young women out of having abortions. They refuse to teach responsible birth control and insist on abstinence. They stick their heads in the sand about our environment, so they have no qualms about over-taxing our natural resources with more children. They are fruitful and produce children who, for the most part, think like they do.

It is more likely that neo-con children will become Progressive than the other way around but that is an uphill battle. We have to spend a lot of effort convincing them that what their parents taught them is wrong. If you have ever argued with one of them, you know how stressful it can be. It can be very draining. Whereas making babies is fun. We all love to practice at it. We all enjoy doing it. Let's just do it a little more. Let's throw caution to the wind. We need to expand our population. The Democratic Party can start a new Patriotic Baby Making Campaign. We can give new meaning to the term Blue Baby. Save our country. Have more sex.

In the end, it's a numbers game, folks. If we are going to win at the polls, we need to start having more children. We need to teach these children to vote Progressive and think Progressive. Or, you can do like I did; I married a conservative, had his baby and then divorced him. That basically trumps his vote. He doesn't plan on having any more children. I not only have replaced my Progressive vote, I have taken out any potential conservative votes in the future. It is the least I can do for my country.

You may commence with the flogging.

I received this email from the Democratic Party and I'm passing it on. I set up my monthly Bond for $10.00. You can set yours up for whatever amount you want. The Letter:

Dear Melanie,

House Republican Leader Tom DeLay and two associates were indicted today for criminal conspiracy.

Specifically, the charge is conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws. The indictment is another stark reminder that Republicans have a lucrative money-for-influence machine that will do anything -- including breaking the law -- to funnel corporate and special interest money into their party in huge amounts.

People ask what the difference is between the two parties, and this indictment gives one clear answer.

Republicans are committed to pushing the legal limits to collect checks from special interests who want to use government for their own narrow purposes. Democrats are committed to funding our party with contributions from ordinary Americans so that when we take power, the government will represent the people.

You can make your personal commitment to changing the culture of corruption by getting your Democracy Bond -- a monthly commitment to contribute to the Democratic Party:

http://www.democrats.org/democracybonds

The Republican Party raises $10 million a month in huge checks from special interests who know they will get a return on their investment in the form of government giveaways and special privileges.

Even though committed small donors have revolutionized the way campaigns and organizations on our side raise money, the fact is that the Republican National Committee raises twice as much as the Democratic National Committee.

We will never compete with the money Republicans like DeLay can collect through conspiracy and corruption. That's why every single committed Democrat needs to make the Democracy Bond commitment:

http://www.democrats.org/democracybonds

The only way we will close the gap will be with a million people giving $20 a month.

A million people sounds like a lot -- and it is. But tens of millions of us already put so much of ourselves into the political process -- talking to friends, knocking on doors for candidates, writing letters to the editor of our local papers, and making contributions from time to time.

But we will only create lasting change if that sense of obligation and responsibility becomes a regular part of our lives.

That's the idea behind Democracy Bonds. We are building a community of people committed to a stable, healthy Democratic Party not just for this month or even this election cycle, but for the next generation. Join the Democracy Bond community now:

http://www.democrats.org/democracybonds

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Governor Dean directed us to halt fundraising and divert staff resources to the relief effort. He asked you to contribute to the Red Cross, and staff members were deployed to the Gulf region.

The 24,819 Democracy Bond holders who provide financial stability for our party through their monthly contributions made that possible.

I cannot overstate how important the Democracy Bonds program is to the future of our party. This community of ordinary Americans committed to contributing whatever they can afford defines who we are as a party. If you haven't yet, please join now:

http://www.democrats.org/democracybonds

The indictment of Tom DeLay is just the tip of the iceberg.

This isn't just about clean campaign financing -- it's about who controls our government. This culture of corruption has dangerous consequences -- the Republican administration has shown us all too clearly what happens when political cronies occupy critical positions of power.

It's time for ordinary people -- whose money is wasted and whose safety is jeopardized by corruption -- to stand up and say, "Enough."

Let's stand together.

Thank you,
Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee

P.S. Get the full story and latest news on the DeLay indictment:

http://www.democrats.org/delayscandal

I have a new toy *grin* that will allow me to live blog through the Hurricane, but most importantly keep the Blender going. I have a Black and Decker 750 Watt Power Converter. *love...love...love* I should be able to keep the DSL Modem and laptop going once the power is out with over 600 Watts to spare for the Blender and a Box Fan. However, I cannot tell a lie. The means by which I acquired this converter are less than honorable. They are downright hypocritical. The local Auto Parts had one 400 Watt and a few 200 Watt converters. I really wanted to have the extra wattage, so I risked going elsewhere to acquire my converter. I went to...*choke* Walmart. *cringe* At this point, it was the only place in the area carrying them, and I'm already down a quarter tank in fuel. I had to find it somewhere before there would be no more left anywhere.

*hanging head* I feel dirty.

Who would have thought that Whole Foods would have such a bad rating on Labor & Human Rights.

But, if you are like me and can't afford Whole Foods, you can feel confident shopping your Blue Dollars at H.E.B.. While not entirely Blue, they are the Bluest of the Grocery chains.