(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by Bryan)

Those gun-toting fascist liberals were at it again, promoting free speech and not turning people away from their rallies due to race or political affiliation. A handful of Republicans have been spotted over the past few days at Kerry events, carrying signs that read 'Flush the Two Johns' and 'Waffles are for Breakfast, not for President'.

The Waffler, a credible source named Brian who allegedly attended a Milwaukee rally last evening and held the purposefully hunger-inducing Waffle sign, told Rush Limbaugh earlier today that they were not confrontational with anyone. ‘Again, we were not confrontational with anyone,' Brian recalled, ‘but we did have several of these compassionate liberals ask us if we wanted to have our legs broken.'

While all the conservatives were left physically unscathed, thank goodness, it is the notion of this quiet threat that troubled me most. I would have thought the conservatives, who are now used to hearing compassionless and inane questions at rallies, the kind that end in, ‘Which boat did you come over on?' and ‘Will you sign your name here, for privacy's sake?' would be ready for some back and forth, some good ol' trash swapping. Yet the idle threats seemed not to deter Brian, who remained aggressive in his freedom, and passive with his tongue.

From the Rush transcript:

Other GOP members could not contain their freedom of restraint, and despite continued intimidation by the liberal extremists, began to chant ‘Four more years! Four more years!' Yet it was the Kerry camp that would ultimately have the last word, and the first overplayed sound byte. It was Mr. Kerry's wife, Mrs. Kerry, who turned the crowd against the protestors, crying, “They want four more years of hell! Three more months! Three more months!”

Later, to democratic cheers, John Kerry took his turn on the podium, and turned lemons into a lemon juicer. ‘These guys have to get megaphones and they want to drown out people in America. We don't want to be drowned out. We got our individual voices and we're going to speak for America. I want to thank George Bush for sending the goons here tonight to excite us to do a little more work.'

(The Kerry campaign could not be reached for comment, but Sean Astin's publicist confirmed that in fact Goons was in no way a pop-culture reference to Astin's 1985 hit, 'The Goonies'. When pressed, his publicist did concede that John Kerry bore a slight resemblance to heartthrob Josh Brolin, but declined to publicly endorse either candidate.)

Despite a ripper of an opening, the remainder of the evening was fairly uneventful. There was no mid-game breakout, no Republican vs. Democrat smackdown, and no one was served in the political dance-off, save the Constitution. It was all policy issues, state of the union chatter, plans for America's future, blah bidi blah blah. At the end of the long rally, all attendees must have felt something missing. If only both sides could have sat down that evening over a good plate of waffles and hashed it all out. I know they're only for breakfast, but...

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by Johnhp)

The Republican party of Illinois has just admitted they can't field a candidate from Illinois. They are on the verge of inviting Alan Keyes to lose in November against Barak Obama. Obama had a 20 point lead over Jack Ryan before the latter dropped out of the Illinois Senate race.

You may have heard the story. Mr. Ryan allegedly asked his wife to perform oral sex on him in front of people at a sex club. When she tearfully refused he reportedly told her that she was ruining his mood. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh compassionate conservatism.

At any rate the Republicans have yet to field a candidate. They tried to get Mike Ditka to run but he didn't. Today they interviewes a dozen or so people for the job. One of those, Alan Keyes of Maryland. i hope Keyes stays out. i couldn't care less that he is from maryland. Our constitution allows for him to become a resident of the state any time up to and including the day of the election.

i have my heart set on the choice of another candidate. Daniel R. Vovak. He is new to Illinois (only lived here for a week), but he has something none of the other candidates have. No, not a chance to win; NONE of them have that. Mr. Vovak wears a powdered wig and lives in his Mustang convertable (he calls it "Air Ford One"). i can see the debates now...

If you are all as interested as i am in seeing something like this, please send emails of support for Mr. Vovak to the Chair of the Illinois GOP. Her name is Judy Baar Topinka. chairman@ilgop.org

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by Johnhp)

Howard Dean was placed in the echo chamber by the right (yet again) this week. They are now claiming that he said the Tom "kiss your sweet ass goodbye" Ridge raised terror alerts on a purley political basis.

The folks over at SkewedRepublic have gotten their panties into a serious twist over this suggesting that Gov. Dean "says there is no terror alert that the Bush administration is just using a fear facter because the Bush campaign is in trouble and this is a last ditch effort to win votes!!!"

In fact, the one Skewed who pinted out that such a take was in error was ignored.

One other kook of note also makes the claim that "Screamin' Dean" was all over the news channels saying that the NYC terror alert was nothing more than a political ploy by the Bush administration to keep the voters afraid."

Those of us who saw the interview are completely shocked:

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by Johnhp)

Yesterday, Mr. Bush made some remarks on terror. For the last few months he has been saying that his reckless Iraq policy has made Americans safer. yesterday he sang a different tune.

"Today, because America has acted and because America has led, the forces of terror and tyranny have suffered defeat after defeat, and America and the world are safer."

Apparently no one had explained to him that since the Iraq invasion, the ranks of al Qaeda have swelled, there have been increased terrorist acts including bombings in Africa, Eirope, the Middle East, and Asia. Maybe he should call that Powell guy and ask him about state department numbers on terrorism since the invasion. Facts are stubborn things. Apparently, ignorance is more stubborn.

At the same time Mr. Bush was making the statements about America being safer Tom Ridge was running around saying that al Qaeda had us in its sites.

"We lack precise knowledge about time, place and method of attack. But along with the CIA, FBI and other agencies, we are actively working to gain that knowledge."

This knowlege was about plans to carry out large-scale terrorist attacks in the United States in the near future. Apparently for Mr. Bush, large scale attacks in the near future are some reason to feel safe. nevertheless, Bush has recently been convinced to come over to the side of the rest of his cabinet:

"We are a nation in danger."

Wow. We are either safer but in danger or Bush has flip flopped.

I'll be out battling the forces of evil on the road for the next week or two. I hope to check in here when and if possible, but in the meantime, please welcome first-time Guest Bloggers, Jaime, Johnhp and Bryan to the BRAD BLOG! See their items as they roll in below this one. I'll leave it to them if they wish to introduce themselves, or just pick up where I left off, saving the world, and causing mayhem however possible. Keep 'em honest. Thanks as always for your support, and keep spreading the good word (the "Email it to Someone!" link at the bottom of each item works great!)

See this previous item. Then read this:

Just so you're not confused...remember, "America is safer now" and yet "We are a nation in danger". Threats are "imminent and real", but think about that during your August vacation. Also..."I am a war President" and "I am a peace President".

Got that? Confused? Good, that's just where we want you. Happy and not afraid and angry and terrified.

Now go out, enjoy the summer by vacationing with your families and shop, and buy duct tape and be aware of your surroundings at all times. The threat is real though the terror alert color will not be changed. Have a nice/horrible day.

(We're Bush-Cheney '04, and we approve of this mixed message.)

The Democratic radio address Saturday was given by a Retired General and Bush 2000 supporter...

When both the "Solid South" and the Military are falling away from a Republican "President", one needn't be Miss Cleo in order to connect the dots.

I had planned a review of the various failed strategies of the Bush-Cheney Campaign, and a look at what is left for them to try. I hope to do just that before leaving town shortly.

But by way of a preview, Atrios hit upon the lynchpin of a very dark and dangerous truth. There is only one way for Bush-Cheney right now to eke out a win (short of Kerry imploding of his own volition). In the attempt to do so, I'm sad to say, they'll be manipulating and preying upon the fears of the American people between now and November in every subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, way possible.

Here's a perfect example of their only "hope". And it's a dark, cynical, and dangerous one indeed...

Today's "terror alert", coming as it did earlier enough to make it onto the Sunday News Programs after a universally lauded DNC Convention, along with the announced arrest in Pakistan last Thursday (on the morning of Kerry's big speech) of one of the African Embassy bombers who had been captured the previous Sunday (but the announcement waited as requested until "'twenty-six, twenty-seven, or twenty-eight July'--the first three days of the Democratic National Convention in Boston") shows that the Bush Leaguers are not ashamed in the least to play this card. Ridge's phrasing above demonstrates that clearly.

This is not the stuff of conspiracy theorists. This is the stuff of subtle, shrewd and cynical manipulation of the very real fears of the American people.

While such tactics should be out of bounds at all times --- and from both parties in this country --- Bush-Cheney has such a dreadful "record of achievement" to draw from, and their other hopes of dividing and conquering have amounted to little more than $100 million down the drain, this sort of insidiously subtle parasitism may well be the only prayer they have left. Clearly they are not above the moral dishonesty required to exploit such a cynical tactic for all they can.