Day: November 8, 2005

But I did.

Michele Catalano has shut down ‘A Small Victory’. She’s going to do other things now…like write a book. That’s cool. I’ll miss the music surveys though, and her unique perspective on life ‘stuff’.

Good luck Michele.

Former CBS News producer Mary Mapes, angry and unrepentant as ever, still hasn’t learned anything.

In her first interview since being fired, former CBS News producer Mary Mapes maintains that her controversial “60 Minutes II” story on President Bush’s National Guard service was “true” and that “no one has proved that the documents were not authentic.”

Mapes says she is continuing to investigate the source of the controversial documents whose authenticity was seriously questioned by the CBS panel.

And just as soon as O.J. hunts down and captures the real murderer of his ex-wife Nicole and her buddy Ron, Mary will follow suit with the results of her tireless quest to find the actual source of the Rathergate documents.

Of course there is that problem of the average human life span being only 77 years, but hey.

The French are upset at the way the world’s media characterize the rioting. Well, boo-hoo.

A barrage of critical world media reporting on the violence in its rundown suburbs is rubbing nerves raw in France, which is more used to hearing praise for its food, its countryside and its opposition to the Iraq war.

In tones ranging from outrage to rueful agreement, French media are now reporting daily on the harsh terms that foreign television stations and newspapers choose to describe the unrest among France’s angry youths of Arab and African origin.

France laughed off “freedom fries” — as French fries were renamed in Washington — and other anti-French sentiment in the United States at the start of the Iraq war in 2003, but its reaction to the riot reporting carries a between-the-lines admission of hurt pride.

“From Italy to South Africa, Poland to China, from CNN to al-Jazeera, the newspaper headlines and television commentaries set against a background of blazing cars are really hyping it up,” the popular daily Le Parisien complained.

The Foreign Ministry has criticised some foreign reports as excessive and at least one cabinet member, Labour Minister Jean-Louis Borloo, has hinted the critical reporting was meant to hit back at France for opposing the U.S.-led Iraq war.

Heh, that’s a good one. The U.S. somehow controls the world media and can influence it to write negative sounding (albeit accurate) headlines in order to punish France.

If only.

If there was ever a reason to arrest someone…

Thomas DeFrank writes in today’s NY Daily News that the relationship between George W. Bush and Dick Cheney is tenuous, at best. Don’t believe it.

The CIA leak scandal has peeled back the veil on the most closely held White House secret of all: the subtle but unmistakable erosion in the bond between President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

Multiple sources close to Bush told the Daily News that while the vice president remains his boss’ valued political partner and counselor, his clout has lessened – primarily as a result of issues arising from the Iraq war.

“The relationship is not what it was,” a presidential counselor said. “There has been some distance for some time.”

This is exactly what the Democrats want moderates and leftward leaning Republicans to believe. They’re counting on a ‘snowball’ effect in order to bring just enough doubt into the thinking of swing voters (if there is still such a thing). Their goal, of course, is to propagate a notion that the GOP is on the brink of destruction, and that voters will regret reelecting Republicans in 2006, and extending our stay in the White House past 2008.

Meanwhile, has anyone heard any new ideas from the Democrats?

As far as I’m concerned, they can keep up this effort. Go ahead lefties – use the willing media to push the lie that George and Dick are enemies. Use Democratic ‘consultants’ to regurgitate talking point after talking point about how George and Laura are ‘on the rocks’ (a rumor that I’m betting will surface sometime soon). Exhaust all your resources to dish the dirt. It won’t bring you power. It won’t get you elected.

As long as Republicans can lead the dialog on solutions to today’s problems and ideas for tomorrow’s problems, we’ll stay in the majority, and we’ll stay in the White House. Americans want leaders who work at moving forward. They don’t want a party who’s primary objective is to relive the ‘90’s.

Blogs for Bush is two years old today. Go over and send your well wishes to Matt and the gang.