Nation-Building

At Dean's World, I've posted a lengthy essay on the need to de-legitimize bin Laden and the jihadi movement by demonstrating their lack of credentials to issue fatwa. It's actually an updated version of an essay I posted in 2002. To centralize discussion on the topic, I won't repost it here - go check out Dean's World and take a look.

Congressman Jim Moran is an ethical embarrrassment. I've strongly criticized Howard Dean in the past for his relations with Rep. Moran. via Glenn today comes more evidence that this politician puts politics ahead of principle: At a recent gathering for Democrats, Congressman Jim Moran (unfortunately, my congressman) promised to bring home more bacon if the Democrats re-capture the House and he gets re-elected. And he isn’t shy about admitting it. Here’s what Moran said according to a report in the Arlington Sun-Gazette: “When I become chairman [of a House appropriations subcommittee], I’m going to earmark the s—t out of it,” Moran buoyantly told a crowd of 450 attending the event.” Hopefully a reform-minded primary challenger will emerge, and if one does, I hope that they will earn the netroots' support.

You know, this is almost becoming entertaining. This time it's Glenn Beck, right-wing radio-talk show host: See, when you take a little bit of truth and then you mix it with untruth, or your theory, that's where you get people to believe. You know? It's like Hitler. Hitler said a little bit of truth, and then he mixed in "and it's the Jews' fault." That's where things get a little troublesome, and that's exactly what's happening." ( audio available also ) You know, they did it to Howard Dean , too.

Anna of Annatopia blog and myDD (and Dean Nation alum) is running for a position on the State Resolutions Committee of the Texas Democratic Party. This is great news, not only because it is essential that more politically active and informed people take part in local politics, but also because breaking the stronghold of any political party on a given state is healthy for our democracy. Especially when that party is the completely insane Texas GOP . Anna writes of her rationale:   The time has come to redefine the Democratic Party. We must clearly articulate our values in language that cannot be misunderstood. I support the concept of "framing" and would like to help advance this concept within the state party. As defined by the Rockridge Institute, framing is "telling the truth as we see it - telling it forcefully, straightforwardly, articulately, with moral conviction and without hesitation. The language must fit the conceptual reframing -- a reframing from the pe...

President Bush has laid down the gauntlet before Iran. If Iran should proceed with its development of nuclear technology, specifically the enrichment of uranium, there will be consequences. The President says that Iran has "weeks not months" to issue a reply to a recent diplomatic proposal from the United States and European allies. Read on:   The most recent proposal offered terms shockingly similar to those agreed to by North Korea early in the Clinton years. Republicans have routinely criticized that proposal and the Clinton administration for North Korea's failure to comply with the terms of the agreement. Charles R. Smith of the right-wing outlet NewsMax.com referred to the North Korea agreement as a "soft-line appeasement policy." If a similar proposal was characterized in such a way when the Clinton administration offered it to the North Koreans, why would the Republicans in the Bush administration offer a similar one today to the Iranians? The chief rea...

This blog originally launched in August of 2002 when I discovered a then-unknown candidate, Howard Dean, running for President in 2004. Just a year later, this blog was already at the center of the campaign, with Joe Trippi reading daily. We had some amazing successes, including raising over $40,000 for the campaign as a community, bringing Meetups to prominence, and building a genuine community that was no mere echo-chamber of boosterism. That community has long since dispersed, it's rationale for existing over. Sites like Dailykos.com and myDD.com are far more important in promoting the agenda of Democratic politics. It is worth noting that I am not a Democrat, however. Therefore, after the campaign, my interest in purely partisan objectives waned. I have been arguing for something called "purple politics" for some time now. In a nutshell, I think that the dichotomy of our political system is artificial, sustained by the self-interest of the pundit class and the apat...

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is dead. But the battle to finally and completely defeat the al-Qaeda terrorists in Iraq has only just begun. It is what we do now from this point forward that will determine whether or not we can win this war and leave Iraq a peaceful and secure country. Read on:   We were able to kill Zarqawi because we received information from within the Iraqi al-Qaeda network and the kingdom of Jordan. National security think tank Stratfor in Austin, Texas, argues that Zarqawi had been given up by Sunni leaders in exchange for a more favorable political arrangement. Stratfor analysts had this to say: By providing precise intelligence on al-Zarqawi's location, it appears that Iraq's Sunni political leadership has demonstrated the willingness to deliver on a U.S.-brokered deal to solidify the political arrangement in Iraq. There is no doubt that this could represent the beginning of a turning point in Iraq. If Sunni leaders have decided to break away from even tacit sup...