I’ve read on some local Greensboro blogs that GOP presidential hopefuls Rudy Giuliani and to a “lesser extent” Fred Thompson are pretty much unbeatable. Wow, evidently one of these two men will be the next President of the United States, no ifs, ands or buts about it. I guess us scamps on the left should just pack it in now, huh? I mean why wait a whole year wasting time raising funds, holding primaries and actually listening to people’s concerns when Fred and Rudy are guaranteed shoe-ins? And just imagine the political juggernaut they’d be if they combined forces into one, super-duper conservative über-candidate! No one would have to bother going to the voting booth again until at least 2020, or whenever their conjoined pacemaker finally gave out… whichever came first.

The funny part is however, someone might want to clue these two, old white men in on the assessment. The way the headlines have been flying lately, you’d think they were trying to sabotage the “irresistible force” that their respective campaigns represent. What with all the staff departures, questionable associations and lackluster fundraising going on, maybe the Democrats should just admit defeat now and save us all months of pain and suffering. Naaaaah! I say let’s find out just how unbeatable “Frudy” really is. Yeah, let’s.

UPDATE: Freddo’s so-called “campaign” is in worse shape than was originally thought. Seems as though there is a bit of confusion about who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes. Mr. Unbeatable himself, or his bewitching wife.

Today the White House released its “Initial Benchmark Assessment Report” regarding the situation in Iraq and whether or not progress is being made there. Unsurprisingly, Bush says things are going just great. Although less than half of the benchmarks were rated by Bush as “satisfactory”, they are touting it as a sign of real change in Iraq. Think Progress has the truth about these claims, if you care to read it.

In the meantime, one benchmark no one is talking about is the fact that Osama Bin Laden remains at large. Yes, the man who financed, planned, organized and who is ultimately responsible for the deaths of over 3,000 Americans on September 11th, remains free. America is without a doubt, the strongest, most capable nation on Earth, but apparently, the combined intelligence forces of the CIA, NSA and FBI can’t find this one guy hiding in a cave somewhere in Pakistan. Yep, a man who needs constant medical attention, and who releases videos more frequently than Lindsay Lohan, has somehow eluded capture for almost six years. I’d be pissed too.

Now come reports from Bush’s own government that al Qaeda has regained strength and just might be planning a summer attack. All this while brave men and women fight and die in a country that had nothing to do with Bin Laden’s monsterous attacks. As we move towards the sixth anniversary of 9/11, we should all keep in mind who has truly failed their oath to serve, protect, and defend America against its enemies. We need change. Soon.

This is a story about two men, one a former VP of the United States, and the other the current Vice President of the United States. Although their position of power gives them commonality, there are no two individuals in government who are so diametrically opposed than Al Gore and Dick Cheney. One fights to protect environment, the other fights to rape it. One realizes that it’s possible to work for change to make a better world for our children, the other can’t see beyond the narrow confines of the Middle East. In every way, these two men respectively represent the heart of the progressive and conservative movements, and I find it absolutely fascinating.

When Al Gore lost to George W. Bush in the 2000 election, many in Washington, and indeed around the country, wrote him off as just a footnote of the Clinton era. The man was perceived as a boring, know-it-all who was prone to wild claims. In contrast, Dick Cheney had been an intergral part of the first Bush administration and when W. came to power, Cheney was seen as the man who would help the administration compensate for Bush’s lack of foreign policy experience. Cheney lent Bush credibility, and many in the GOP thought he would be one of the most admired VP’s in American history.

Time changes all things.

Today, Al Gore is the one who is widely admired and respected, not only in America, but around the globe. He started teaching, devoted himself to the problem of global warming, wrote a best-selling book and won an Oscar for his work on An Inconvenient Truth. Where ever he goes, he attracts huge crowds who draw strength and hope from this self-professed “geek with a slide show” and they secretly hope that he will decide to run for President again.

Dick Cheney has spent the last seven years in the Bush administration amid firestorms that he, himself helped to create. He has been deeply involved with some of the most egregious acts of government in recent memory, including the death of Habeas Corpus, illegal domestic wiretapping, leaking classified CIA identities and avoiding oversight whenever and however possible. Cheney’s popularity is even lower than that of the President himself, and now those in his own party seem to have had enough of him. Whispers of impeachment have resurfaced as well, although I doubt they will solidify.

This weekend, the Live Earth concerts were performed on all seven continents and drew the attention of over 2 billion people to the ever-growing problem of the climate crisis. Thanks to Gore’s involvement, this concert series was the greenest ever produced and involved dozens of artists performing for hundreds of thousands of people. Gore intends the Live Earth concerts to kick off a 3-5 year campaign to help fight global warming and judging by the enthusiasm that was generated online and in cities around the world, I’d say he’s off to an excellent start. People are ready to act, and Al has given them the rallying point they are so desperately searching for.

Al Gore and Dick Cheney have made decisions that effected all of our lives. Some say that Gore did not do enough while in office for the environment. I wasn’t paying attention to politics back in the 90’s, so I can’t speak to this criticism. I do pay attention now however, and what I see in Gore’s post-government service gives me hope for our country and our world. Watching Cheney makes me sorry for the conservative movement. His supporters believe that might always makes right, and liberty must be sacrificed for security. Terrorism is indeed one of the most pressing problems of this generation, but Cheney, Rumsfeld and Bush’s reaction to it has made us less secure, globally isolated and exhausted our military and treasure. History will eventually write the final chapters for these two men, but I think many of us can already see who will be required reading, and who will be just another footnote.

Digg It!

Big news today that W. has commuted the sentence of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby to effectively cleanse him of any punishment regarding his obstruction of justice in the Valarie Plame affair. I’m not going to say much about this, since others have said it so well. But I do want to offer some particularly poignant historical quotes that we should all ruminate over as this episode plays through the summer:

“I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious of traitors.” – George H. W. Bush / 4.26.99

And then there is this gem right after the Plame investigation was opened:

“If there’s a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is . . . If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of.” – George W. Bush / 9.30.03

And from the President’s official statement made earlier today:

“The Constitution gives the President the power of clemency to be used when he deems it to be warranted. It is my judgment that a commutation of the prison term in Mr. Libby’s case is an appropriate exercise of this power.” – George W. Bush / 7.2.07

I have to say I pretty much called this back in March. My timing was off, and even though W. let the fine and sentence stand, there will be no real punishment. His fine will be paid from money raised by his friend Dick, along with a cushy position somewhere the Carlyle Group or other Bush related firm, I’m sure. So with this, Bush firmly cements his place as worst President ever, and more brave men and women will die in Iraq for a war that might have been avoided if Joe Wilson had been allowed to speak freely. So sad.