The Rightwing Extremist-controlled "Conventional Wisdom" will tell you that the recent Senate Intelligence Report on the WMD fiasco sited "no evidence" of the Bush Administration pressuring the CIA to sex up their intelligence.

Well...the truth (for those who are interested in such a thing) is that this report was specifically meant to deal only with the CIA's failures. The report on the Administration's culpability in it all was --- by agreement between Senate Republicans and the White House --- set to come out only after the November election. So hopefully Dubya can look forward to reading that one from Crawford. It's only the American Electorate who once again get the shaft and will go to the polls without all the info they might have been able to use to make an informed vote.

But David Corn in The Nation finds the goods in this report anyway. Where the "National Intelligence Estimate" had one thing to say about the WMD's, the Bush Administration routinely upped the rhetorical ante when they spoke to Americans about it. Here's an example from deep within the report (deep enough that the Mainstream Media couldn't be bothered with it):

Mr. and Mrs. America (Mom and Dad): You were being lied to. Whether you like to hear that or not. Face it. Do the right thing, don't vote to put such a man back in the White House this November. Your country deserves so much more.

Corn also asks this on-the-money question:

Of course they do. As do we. But of course, in Bush's America, we're supposed to believe that we're not deserving of such consideration. Get with the program, Corn! You Freedom Hater!

From Andy Borowitz in the NY Times. Read the rest of the questions, including those for John Edwards here.

Uniting, not dividing...Available on Frisbee or T-Shirt...And don't miss the "tone-changing" fine print at the bottom...

So mean-spirited. Yet so funny. What's a blogger to do?

Post it...

Since I'm still in catch-up mode, you'll perhaps be pleased that I don't have enough time for all these items that have popped up over the past few days.

Each of them --- were this the Clinton Era --- would have prompted days, weeks and months of damning debate and criticism of the Democratic President in the Mainstream "Liberal" and Rightwing Extremist Media...and likely extended Ken Starr's investigation until they found something "impeachable".

But that was then and this is now. What a difference a political party and a stolen election makes.

So the following items are hardly noticed in the passing torrent of endless news cycles, who's fascinatin' rhythms are determined by Fox and Drudge, and dutifully followed by the rest of the mainstream "Liberal" media.

Sure, they occassionally stop to focus on important news stories, like the GOP revelation that John Edwards is a "Disingenuous, Unaccomplished Liberal Trial Lawyer", but other than that, the M.O. is keep moving as fast as possible, so nobody will notice what a disaster this Administration has wrought.

Here's just a few examples of what would have been BLOCKBUSTERS in the Day of Clinton. Sadly, I've got little more time than to simply list them quickly with a few pointers where you can get more info if you're interested. If you're a Bush supporter, however, you probably aren't.

Years worth of Indepent Council-worthy investigation. If this was 1996. Such as it's 2004, however, you probably barely noticed most of these stories, all from just the last three days or so. Mission accomplished.

Still catching up on much from while I was gone. Here's an exchange from The Daily Show with Stephen Colbert in the anchor seat while Jon Stewart was away having a baby.

Colbert asks Rob Corddry about the choice of Edwards for Veep:

...And as to how things will go for the John/John duo from here...

So many Republicans acting like idiots on video, so little time.

This time it's former LA Mayor, now CA Education Commissioner, Richard Riordan's turn. The GOP Genius this time tells a six-year old girl that her name, Isis, which she told him means "an Egyptian Goddess" actually means "stupid, dirty girl". Brilliant.

And once again, the good folks at The Smoking Gun have the video to prove it. Unbelievable.

Catching up on so much I missed while enjoying my self-imposed media blackout over the past week.

While further delaying my return to battle this morning during a slow drive to the local Starbucks and listening to Rush, it occured to me how ironically hypocritical was the fact that those who continue to bash Fahrenheit 9/11 continue to be the ones who still haven't bothered to see it even two weeks after it's opened.

Folks like Rush and so many other Rightwing Sychophantic Jackasses in the Blogosphere remain "proud" of the fact they are clever enough to have no clue what the movie actually says even while they are all too happy to continue their foolishly fruitless and hollow efforts to discredit it. (To date, I've not heard a single discredited fact from F9/11 --- if you have one, please enlighten me.)

Then there is the Silent Minority of intellectually honest Republicans and/or Conservatives that we do our best to highlight here on The BRAD BLOG. As if to show that there is still hope for America.

Navarrette is on the opposite side of the political fence, but he refreshingly alludes to the hypocrisy of blind rightwing partisanship. Teddy is also across the aisle (though not on everything), but calls it like it is for the good of his now former party (the GOP) and his country. And Cobelt's interview demonstrates that there are still some in the Media with the ability to hold our Government Officials (Elected, Selected or Appointed) accountable for their actions. That's precisely what members of the Media should be doing whether I agree with them politically or not.

(Speaking of which, if you need further proof of that last thought on the Mainstream Media's pathetic failure to do their job, just ask some of the estimated 10,000 victims --- in 2003 alone --- of genocide, torture, massacre and rape in the Sudan. I realize that the United States of America has killed more innocent civilians in Iraq over that same period, but none the less, I'm still waiting for the outrage from all the Bush Brown-Nosers turned "Indignant Humanitarians". What about those "mass graves" in Sudan? The ones that were actually dug and filled on Bush's watch? Oh, well. At least we removed toothless tiger Saddam at the cost of only 1,000+ US deaths, 24,600+ US military medical evacuations and 17,300+ Iraqi civilian causalities. And still counting.)

As if the video of Attorney General, John Ashcroft singing wasn't scary enough, now it seems to be Secretary of State, Colin Powell's turn as he turns "Village Person" in Jakarta. Here's the latest embarrassing video courtesy of AP.

Someone please kill me when Darth Cheney breaks out with "My Way" for the troops in Tikrit.

After Enron's collapse in 2001, Boy George acted as if he barely knew Ken Lay. "He was a supporter of Ann Richards in my run in 1994," said the Acting "President" (referring to Dubya there, not Darth Cheney) to the media at the time.

Never mind that Lay gave three times as much money to Dubya's candidacy during the time that he was "a supporter of Ann Richards".

Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act and the good folks at The Smoking Gun, many of the personal correspondence between close personal friend Ken Lay and the Misleader-in-Chief have finally been yanked out of the protective hands of the Bush Family Thugs down in Austin.

Here's just one of many notes, some very personal, others giving specific directions on which policies George W. Bush's number one contributor would like him to support.

Yes, they hardly knew each other.

In the meantime, though Lay has been indicted on 11 criminal counts, none of those counts deal with the theft of billions of American dollars through chicanery via "deregulation" of the energy industry. Some $71 Billion was bilked out of California alone in the Deregulation/"Energy Crisis" Hoax, as this report at www.ConsumerWatchdog.org scrupulously details. And the people of California are still waiting for the nearly $9 Billion in refunds from Enron that is being conveniently blocked by George W. and his Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that is supposed to keep this sort of thing from happening in the first place.

With Bush's FERC Commissioner being a personally hand-picked selection of that same "supporter of Ann Richards" however, California may be waiting for some time to see any of that stolen money back in our coffers. As well, the Bush Energy Plan (written in large part by Lay and other Enron Employees) still calls for the same type of energy deregulation across the country that worked so well in California. One of the many Smoking Gun Letters has Lay summing it up nicely for his 'Manchurian Candidate': "Deregulation is not the risk. Delay is."

Perhaps something will change sometime around January 21 of next year for some reason. It's the campaign contributions, Stupid.

Well, we've returned from the peacefully chilly heights of camping in the mountains at 10,000 feet and gambling in the 105 degree heat of the desert. God Bless America.

No doubt I'll have more to say on the above soon. As well as on much of what I've gleefully missed over some of the past seven glorious days as I slowly return to speed. I say "slowly" because, unlike most on the other side of the political table, I enjoy actually forming my own opinions on things based on actual source material rather than simply retyping "opinions" as heard by the Political Dogma Masters at the top of the Echo Chamber Food Chain. But maybe that's just me.

So such things do take time. I'm sure BRAD BLOGGERS (some of them anyway) will understand.

This one observation however --- Days in the mountains with neither TV, Radio, Newspapers or Internet are blissful. Days in the dry desert with only quick glances at CNN and MSNBC and the occassional USA Today front page headline offer a gentle re-entrance to Modern Day America.

Flipping on FOX NEWS, however, upon returning home displays a whole new world!

For one, it's good to learn that the War in Iraq is finally over! Phew! That was scary for a while! And I didn't know that the Oil For Food "Scandal" at the UN is now by far the greatest issue rocking Americans today! Neither had I realized what an evil, incompetent, soulless, ambulance chasing, flip-flopping hypocrite that John Edwards scoundrel really is! And if I had known how close we now are to imminent war with those communist Freedom Haters in Canada and France, I might have stayed home to protect my personal property!

Fortunately though, I re-entered "America" in time to learn that my days without the media in the mountains were little more than blissful ignorance. Al-Qaeda may be striking me and my family with a "spectacular attack" at any moment!!!

While I was all set to support Anybody But Bush for President, thankfully I've been re-reminded upon my return --- oddly, as if like clockwork --- that I should be very VERY afraid of my impending Death by Terror! And not a moment too soon!!! Another day in the mountains without FOX and I might have been a goner!!!

With such an imminent and horrible attack scheduled to happen at any moment, perhaps it's best after all to vote for George W. Bush this year. At least he has kept me completely unharmed (so far!) from both the Freedom Haters and Saddam Hussein for almost three years straight! For that, he deserves our unquestioning support and unconditional thanks! I've also gotten some great bargains at the local mall during that time!

Oh, if only I could kiss him deeply on his manly full unwaivering lips and massage his strong evil fighting morally clear shoulders to show him thanks! But alas, that wouldn't be enough!

In any case, I, for one, once again realize how lucky I am to still simply be alive. Thanks to one Uniting-Not-Dividing, Honor-and-Dignity-to-the-Whitehouse-Restoring, Tone-Changing, Legitimately-Elected, Unwaivering-in-the-Face-of-Evil, Do-Gooding, Selected-by-God Leader of the Greatest Country on Earth by the name of George W. Bush! Thank you, Mr. "President"!

P.S. Got a very quick look at some of the Comments that have be posted over the past week. Good stuff! Looking forward to doing a bit of Commenting on some of those Comments myself in the coming days!

P.P.S. Congratulations to the people of Dallas! For making Fahrenheit 9/11 their number one film choice on it's opening weekend by huge numbers! The biggest Documentary in Texas history! And in only three days! And kudos to Dallasites for continuing to turn out for F9/11 the following week in equally impressive numbers! (Numbers that dropped off much less significantly even than Spider-Man 2 did in Dallas theaters over the very same days!) Perhaps everyone in Dallas isn't the backwards, backwater, deluded, bible-thumping, Fake Conservative moron that the state's most famous son (of late) and his blindly faithful and blissfully ignorant supporters would make one believe! Go Big D!