SPECIAL EDITION

When I started this blog, I decided to leave the greater political punditry to those more well versed on the machinations of the Beltway and focus only on the drug war. However, presidential politics had already seeped into the war for drug policy reform this week, and this being such a huge event, it seems impossible for me not to weigh in on Saddam's capture.

I saw it first on the instapundit. It's incomprehensible to me how this Reynolds guy could have such reasonable views on some issues and still be such a Bush cheerleader, but interestingly it was the same Andrew Sullivan post that really pissed off both myself and BigLeftOutside today. Giordano of course, shreds Sullivan's illogic into disposable pieces with his usual surgical skill. I read it before I went to the day job and shot off this more emotional response.

Allow me to nominate myself for a Galloway award
To: andrew@andrewsullivan.com


So we caught Saddam. Big whoop. I notice none of you warmongers remember that George Bush declared him inconsequential to the war months ago. Now it's a big deal?

In light of the news released by the Air Force the same day that they had just passed the million mark on troops moved during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think we should be embarassed that it took a huge military presence and billions of dollars worth of smart bombs to take down one limping dictator armed with the equivalent of pop guns.

We've decimated the infrastructure of two countries and killed thousands of innocent civilians in order to "free them" from this man and the ones that managed to live are still scraping through the rubble to survive.

Sure Saddam was evil and cruel and I'm glad he won't be able to torture the citizens of Iraq anymore. Tell me this means the war is over and our brave soldiers can come home now and then I'll cheer. As it stands now, all I see is one more news item of mass distraction to draw attention away from the Bush administration's gleeful distribution of the spoils of war as they divvy up the reconstruction contracts to their corporate cronies.

I've refined my thoughts since I wrote that at 7:30 am (not my best hour) but I think I'll let those raw thoughts stand except to say this. Yes I'm glad for whatever peace of mind and joy it brings to people that this monster is in custody however, I think what my country did to this population under the polices of both Bush administrations was just as monstrous, if not almost certainly worse.



PEERLESS MISLEADER

One last thing I'll say about the Saddam thing is that my initial reaction was surprise, immediately followed by suspicion. Very convenient timing, particularly in light of these Bush fundraising letters going around. Last week they sent one that I unfortunately lost in a deleting spree. Fortunately, DRCnet summed it up well. The Bush team attacked George Soros and Peter Lewis directly for supporting both drug policy reform and a regime change.

Resorting to their usual lies, the Bush-Cheney letter alleged Lewis is "an ardent advocate of hard drugs."

However, the folks at DRC actually know Peter.

Lewis, who has contributed millions of dollars to drug reform, last year put most of his money into marijuana-related projects. He is known as a marijuana consumer, having been famously arrested in New Zealand for pot possession. But while he has advocated changes in drug laws, and not only for marijuana, he has never, as far as DRCNet knows, been "an ardent advocate of hard drugs."

Of course he's not, he advocates for a plant, not drugs. The good news is that the citizen based computer activism model these two are funding is working so well, it's got the Bush-Cheney team running scared and they now seek to co-opt it. You can't get these letters from their site but this week's appeal arrived at HQ today so we're going to print it in full.

Ken Mehlman
Campaign Manager
Bush-Cheney '04

December 14, 2003

Dear XXXXXX,

I hope you received our previous emails about Democrat plans to spend $400 million on vicious attacks to defeat President Bush. Help us overcome the Democrats' liberal billionaire by making your contribution and emailing five friends today!

http://www.GeorgeWBush.com/Grassroots/

In the last several days:

* Antiwar comedians gathered in New York to raise millions in campaign cash and make angry x-rated personal attacks on the President.
* Liberal actors held a "Bush hating" event in Hollywood where they plotted to defeat the President.
* The Washington Post reported that 40 liberal groups "plan to fund get-out-the-vote efforts and television issue ads."
* Liberal billionaire George Soros, who has compared President Bush to the Nazis and said that defeating him is "the central focus of his life," will now spend $25 million in special interest money in attacking him!

You are all that stands in their way. And the President needs your
help! Will you help by sending the Bush re-election campaign $25, $50, $75, $100 or whatever you can afford today?

You can give by using our secure online contribution page at:

http://www.GeorgeWBush.com/Grassroots/

Or by calling the President's campaign at 1-800-531-6789.

Please also help by forwarding this email to your friends, family and neighbors. The President needs 450,000 grassroots contributors to join his campaign by December 31st. Will you support him in reaching this goal by forwarding this email to five friends today?

We can overcome the Democrats and their angry, rage-filled attacks if we continue to build the largest grassroots campaign in history, and if we spread the president's message of hope and prosperity, strength and security, and compassion and freedom ...

http://www.GeorgeWBush.com/Grassroots/

Thank you for your hard work and support on behalf of the President and his re-election campaign.

Sincerely,

Ken Mehlman
Campaign Manager
Bush-Cheney '04

P.S. We must leave nothing to chance and the hundreds of millions the other side will spend could hurt. We need your help today! Make your contribution using our secure online contribution page at:

http://www.GeorgeWBush.com/Grassroots/

By the way if you access the link it takes you to a very secure site. There's so many questions, I think you might need a security clearance to donate.

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KUCINICH HAPPENS

I'm going to end this tonight with our official endorsement for the presidential race. I've been on this bandwagon practically from the first day he declared. I have his sticker on my window and I'm sticking with Dennis Kucinich all the way to the White House.

I like his policies from his idea for a Department of Peace, all the way to his stance on prison reform,

"Non-violent marijuana users comprise the bulk of the half-million Americans imprisoned for drug violations, and many frequently serve longer sentences than do those convicted of violent crimes," Kucinich states on his website. "The rationale for continuing these draconian policies is unclear. Statistical evidence shows that marijuana use follows a pattern very similar to that of alcohol. Most marijuana users do so responsibly, in a safe, recreational context.

and last word goes to his "Marijuana Decriminalization" position

"Current drug policy ... regards all users as abusers, and the result has been the creation of an unnecessary class of lawbreakers. A Kucinich administration would reject the current paradigm of 'all use is abuse' in favor of a drug policy that sets reasonable boundaries for marijuana use by establishing guidelines similar to those already in place for alcohol."

Don't discount Dennis. It's like being a Mets fan, if you believe, anything can happen.

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