Big Blue Wave - District 20 Democrats
District 20 Democrats gathered in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland this morning to show support for Martin O'Malley and Ben Cardin, Maryland's Democratic candidates for governor and the U.S. Senate. We got a lot of support from drivers honking their horns and giving us "thumbs up" signs. (More photos here.) The "Big Blue Wave" event organizers included Malvana Valdez and State Senator-to-be Jamie Raskin; it got its name from something Congressman Van Hollen said last weekend -- a big blue wave crashing south from Baltimore will meet ours crashing north from Montgomery County and Prince George's County on Election Day.

Afterwards many of us joined the first of several weekend "get out the vote" (GOTV) canvasses in District 20. Those canvasses are being run out of the Raskin campaign office at the "Electric Maid" storefront (268 Carroll Street), just up the street from the Takoma Metro Station. The Maryland elections are shaping up as close ones -- GOTV work will be critical! If you'd like to help out this weekend, Monday, or Tuesday, contact mocogotv@gmail.com.


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UPDATE, 11/5: Two photos from the event were picked up by "USAVotes" at an interesting service called "NowPublic," which describes itself as "a participatory news network which mobilizes an army of reporters to cover the events that define our world. In twelve short months, the company has become one of the fastest growing news organizations with over 31,000 reporters in 130 countries." posted by Thomas Nephew at 3:16:00 PM -- |    

 
Final throes
Pentagon Widens Its Battle to Shape News of Iraq War (David Cloud and Thom Shanker, New York Times):

The Pentagon is reorganizing its public affairs operation in an attempt to influence news coverage, amid internal frustration at the tone and substance of reporting on Iraq and on Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

The expanded office, which was first described by department officials in an informal press briefing on Monday, features a "rapid response unit" to react to news reports. It is also stepping up efforts to arrange appearances by department officials on talk radio and cable television, and to recruit "surrogates" who are not on the department’s payroll to defend its policies.

I hope this doesn't make me an enemy combatant, but that's not really what I want the Pentagon to be doing with my tax dollars and (supposedly) on my behalf.

It looks like if anything is in its final throes in Iraq, it's U.S. policy there. It seems to be more about bamboozling the home audience than about achieving anything in that country -- or even knowing what it wants to achieve. All the "rapid response" public relations in the world won't fix what's really wrong, and spending any time at all on that as Iraq burns illustrates that the civilian leadership at the Pentagon is at their wits' end.

We should get out of Iraq. For one pretty persuasive take on how to do that, see the (provocatively titled) How to cut and run, by General William E. Odom, who argues a quick exit may be the only way to cut losses and salvage anything:

It is beyond U.S. power to prevent bloody sectarian violence in Iraq, the growing influence of Iran throughout the region, the probable spread of Sunni-Shiite strife to neighboring Arab states, the eventual rise to power of the anti-American cleric Muqtada Sadr or some other anti-American leader in Baghdad, and the spread of instability beyond Iraq. All of these things and more became unavoidable the day that U.S. forces invaded.

Odom argues that rapid troop withdrawal will have a "sobering effect" on all the parties in Iraq. He also favors an accommodation with Iran, up to and including dropping objections to their becoming a nuclear power.

For another point of view on how to get out, have a look at congressional testimony by James Fieron, an expert on civil wars, summed up as "Troops out, slowly" by Henry Farrell. Marc Lynch says Fearon "sees one of the roles for America's continued military presence as giving the time to 'allow populations to sort themselves out and form defensible lines that would lessen the odds of sudden, systematic campaigns of sectarian terror in mixed neighborhoods.'" I lean towards Odom.


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NOTE: Odom article via Jim Henley. posted by Thomas Nephew at 1:33:00 AM -- |    

 
Heh. Indeed.
George Bush (11/1, AP): The good thing about Vice President Cheney's advice is, you don't read about it in the newspaper after he gives it. T.A. Frank ("Showdown 06") noticed that invites the question what the bad thing about Cheney's advice is, and asked for suggestions. I'd have picked "...you get stuck in Iraq" but they're all good.

More T.A. Frank, on the New York Times headline "Bush Works to Solidify Base With a Defense of Rumsfeld": Talk about a solidified base! Boil it down to people who still love Rummy and the image that comes to mind is that of a pot left accidentally on a burner, leaving only a strange, ugly clump. "You'll never pry me loose," it says. "I'm your base."

Roy Edroso ("alicublog"): I have speculated more than once that many National Review articles are written on a bet -- you know: Hey, Lowry, two large says you can't write a thousand words on how a billion-and-a-half dollars for marriage lessons is "conservative"!

Ann Althouse on the election: It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I'd like to see the Democratic Party become centrist. If they win because they found moderates to run in key districts, I think they'll have a special obligation to please people like me. I'm going to hold them to the bargain.
As Edroso asks: What bargain? Who are you?

James Wolcott, on the recent White House pow wow with conservative radio hosts: Much has been made of the "eerie" confidence of Bush and Rove going into the midterms, but this recent charm offensive intended to keep conservative pundits from wandering off the reservation isn't a sign of vigor; these aren't the people who would normally need wooing at this late date. Yet there Bush was in a roomful of conservative talkshow hosts, including such useless loads as Mike Gallagher and Michael Medved, their very presence an affront to anyone's dignity other than Bush's.
(Via Mike "Useless Load" Gallagher.)

Comments at Will Bunch's post about the Iraqi document web portal fiasco:
How on earth could the Bush administration be expected to know there was dangerous information in those documents?
.....Posted by: howard at November 3, 2006 8:27 AM
Well, Howard. They don't do science and they don't read.
.....Posted by: Salvatore M. Napoli at November 3, 2006 8:33 AM

Have you had enough?



PS: I realize this is a pretty lightweight post following the Alyssa Peterson post below, but nothing could have measured up to her story anyway. I profoundly admire her refusal to go along with what she witnessed. And I wish she were alive to read that from myself and doubtless many hundreds more. posted by Thomas Nephew at 11:29:00 PM -- |    

 
Alyssa Peterson, R.I.P.
From Flagstaff, Arizona, this KNAU report:

According to the Army's investigation into her death, obtained by a KNAU reporter through the Freedom of Information Act, Peterson objected to the interrogation techniques used on prisoners. She refused to participate after only two nights working in the unit known as the cage. Army spokespersons for her unit have refused to describe the interrogation techniques Alyssa objected to. They say all records of those techniques have now been destroyed.

Instead she was assigned to the base gate, where she monitored Iraqi guards. She was sent to suicide prevention training. But on the night of September 15th, 2003, Army investigators concluded she shot and killed herself with her service rifle.

She shouldn't be dead, they shouldn't be free.


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NOTES: Via Amanda Marcotte ("Pandagon") and Roxanne ("Rox Populi"). Crossposted at "Never in Our Names."
UPDATE, 11/2: There's an Arizona Republic article from 2003 about Ms. Peterson. There are also tributes to Alyssa Peterson at the Fallen Heroes Memorial web site, from friends, family and visitors. I'm guessing many but not all of them are from before this aspect of her story became known; one is from her father and begins "Hi my favorite soldier." It's probably needless to say, but I ask that you be extremely considerate if you leave a message there; not everything is about politics and not everyone shares yours or mine.
UPDATE, 11/2: KNAU has issued an unnecessary 'correction' that the Army report "does not conclude that those objections [to interrogation techniques] were related to her suicide." They've also pulled the original story and .MP3 file, which seems unusual to me. I'd like a look at that Army investigative report myself now. Using the "Feedback" link on the bottom left of the correction page, I've asked KNAU to reconsider retracting the text and audio story, and to provide the FOIA documents.
FINAL UPDATE of 11/2: More at Editor and Publisher, via a Steve Benen mini-report item.
UPDATE, 11/6: Scott Horton ("Balkinization") has more: To the Memory of Alyssa Peterson posted by Thomas Nephew at 10:54:00 PM -- |    

 
As Iraqis stand up, we'll stand down ...search for U.S. soldier
The soldier's name is Ahmed al-Taie, according to reports sourced to Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki; according to the BBC, he's an "American of Iraqi descent working as a translator for the US military."

The New York Times' Michael Luo and Qais Mizher report that "people who said they were the missing soldier’s in-laws said he and his immediate family, Sunnis from the capital’s Adhamiya neighborhood, had fled to the United States before the fall of Saddam Hussein." Al-Taie had apparently married a 26 year old Iraqi woman, which is against military regulations -- for good reason, as this case makes clear -- but which still leaves an American soldier at the mercy of one Abu Rami, who

had been living in the abandoned Ministry of Defense building just up the street that is now inhabited by squatters, residents said. Members of the Mahdi Army, a force that answers to the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, are known to patrol that building as well as a squalid former air force base across the street that has also become a large encampment for the homeless.

But now the full scale search for al-Taie by the U.S. military has been scaled back -- at the behest of Prime Minister al-Maliki. The New York Times' Kirk Semple reports:

The order by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to lift the week-old blockade of Sadr City was one of the most overt expressions of self-determination by Iraqi leaders in the 3 1/2 -year-old U.S. occupation. It followed two weeks of increasingly pointed exchanges between Iraqi and U.S. officials, as well as a video conference between Maliki and President Bush on Saturday.

The Washington Post says a military spokesman claims the lifting of the blockade

"...does not stop our search for the soldier. We're dead serious about getting him back, and that won't stop because of these checkpoints." He said at least seven U.S. troops had been injured in the search for the missing American.

Sure, lifting the blockade doesn't stop the search -- but it can't have helped, either. But never mind all that. John Kerry flubbed a joke, so he's the real threat to American soldiers. posted by Thomas Nephew at 7:14:00 PM -- |    

 
Hubble telescope repair mission in 2008
Greenbelt, Maryland's Goddard Space Flight Center will be at work with the Hubble through about 2013; NASA has decided to repair the Hubble space telescope after all. The Washington Post's Marc Kaufman reports:

NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin said yesterday that his 18-month review concluded that the mission could be safely accomplished. His announcement, made at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, home to much of the Hubble workforce, was met with an eruption of joy. [...]

Marylanders can also note that the Hubble project has generated an estimated 1000 jobs in the state, and brought expertise to the area that can't hurt in the future.

The telescope needs work because gyroscopes and batteries are wearing out, but the repair mission was also worrisome because the International Space Station would be out of reach as a safe haven for astronauts if problems develop with the shuttle. The plan now is to have a second shuttle ready for launch in case it's needed to rescue the repair crew.

This kind of mission has always been part of the plan for Hubble:

The true beauty of Hubble lies in its ability to be serviced and improved as technology advances. From the outset, Hubble was designed to be visited and upgraded over the years by NASA astronauts. There have been four servicing missions so far -- designated SM1, SM2, SM3A and SM3B. The new mission is designated SM4.

With each servicing mission, Hubble’s overall performance has been greatly enhanced. The observatory today is tremendously more powerful than when it launched in 1990, and after the next mission, Hubble will be at its peak, performing anywhere from 10 to 100 times better in various areas.

Thus, this seems like a very good use for the space shuttle -- earth orbit missions furthering exploratory science that can't be done any other way.

Meanwhile, a number of new space telescopes are planned for the near future, including ESA's Herschel Space Observatory (2008) and NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (2013); both are planned to inhabit the Sun-Earth L2 point, a gravitationally stable place to "park" a satellite and shield it from the Sun. At about 1.5 million km these will be about 4 times further away than the moon, so I'm guessing these space telescopes will be beyond the reach of manned repair/upgrade missions for the foreseeable future. posted by Thomas Nephew at 12:15:00 PM -- |    

 
If that's partisan... which party is Joe?
The Lieberman Senate campaign accuses the New York Times of a "clear partisan agenda" -- for its endorsement of Ned Lamont. (Via Lindsay Beyerstein and a commenter.)

Publius ("Legal Fiction") may or may not be right that Democratic Party leaders are just rationally hedging their bets by not getting behind Lamont at this point, and that Lamont may have blown it by taking it too easy after his primary win.

But they should be aware what they're letting themselves in for; Lieberman will be the new American Heritage Dictionary illustration of "Democrat in Name Only," a guy who can't even decide whether Democrats retaking the House of Representatives is a good thing. He'll be the kind of poisonous ally you have to watch more closely than you do your enemies; even if he gets his seniority back, I think he's likely to switch parties at the drop of a hat.

And they should count the cost -- both in Connecticut and beyond -- of stiffing Connecticut Democrats who voted for Lamont in the primary election. It may be realpolitik, but it's not solidarity with or respect for their own rank and file, and that should cost them down the road. If Lamont wins despite everything, he won't owe them a thing; in fact, he might do himself some good by pointing that out ahead of time.


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UPDATE, 10/31: Via Steve Benen, a case in point: Lieberman gets campaign help from Susan Collins (R-ME) -- who would be chair of the Homeland Security committee he vice-chairs. What kind of opposition will he put up? posted by Thomas Nephew at 1:00:00 AM -- |    

 
Democratic voters: they've gone country
A little something for GOP stalwarts to ponder, courtesy of the Center for Rural Strategies:

The rural vote has shifted in favor of Democratic congressional candidates in the last month, indicating Republicans are losing ground with a key constituency, according to the Center for Rural Strategies Poll.

The poll of rural voters in 41 contested congressional districts found that likely voters preferred Democratic candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives by a margin of 13 points, 52 percent to 39 percent. In mid-September, the same population of voters was evenly split between the two parties at 45 percent each.*

(Via mcjoan at Daily Kos and Sifu Tweety at The Poor Man Institute.) This seems of a piece with recent observations here on southern and so-called "Wal-Mart" voters. It probably sounds pretty good to Jim Webb over in Virginia and Harold Ford down in Tennessee, too.

And it makes me think Josh Marshall might be right about why Karl Rove is allegedly so confident about the election: when you've got nothing, bluffing is your last option.


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* "The poll was conducted Oct. 22-24 among 500 likely voters living in rural parts of 41 contested congressional districts and six states with competitive Senate races. The margin of error is 4.4 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. The sample size is smaller for House and Senate preference questions (293 and 314 respectively), resulting in a margin of error for those questions of 5.7 and 5.5 percent respectively." Also, respondents were asked about specific, named Democratic and Republican candidates, not generic ones. posted by Thomas Nephew at 12:21:00 AM -- |    

 
Healthcare for veterans petition
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) organization hopes you'll sign on to their "Healthcare for Our Heroes" petition urging Congress to fully fund veterans' healthcare and benefits:

The men and women who fight for our freedom and safety should NOT have to fight to get the healthcare they deserve. More than 20,000 brave soldiers have been injured while serving in the current war on terror. Despite the sacrifices these men and women have made for our country, Congress recently tried to slash the budget for the VA’s traumatic brain injury care and research centers. Congress needs to know that anything short of fully funded healthcare and benefits for our veterans is unacceptable. Especially when VA claims backlogs have reached a record high of over 800,000!

Our veterans have earned the right to high quality healthcare. Sign the Healthcare for Our Heroes Petition to demand that Congress hold up its end of the bargain and provide full funding for veterans’ healthcare and benefits.

I mentioned the traumatic brain injury budget cut back in August. The Republican led Congress apparently believes it can throw wounded soldiers out with the trash; don't let them get away with it. Whatever you think of the VFW's other positions on defense issues, this is a petition I think most of us can get behind.

While you're at it, consider donating to another good VFW initiative, Operation Uplink, which provides phone cards to active-duty military personnel and hospitalized veterans so they can call home on your dime and not their own. posted by Thomas Nephew at 12:30:00 PM -- |    

 
Department of Yankee ingenuity
From the New York Times article "Report Says Iraq Contractor Is Hiding Data From U.S.," by James Glanz and Floyd Norris:

A Halliburton subsidiary that has been subjected to numerous investigations for billions of dollars in contracts it received for work in Iraq has systematically misused federal rules to withhold basic information on its practices from American officials, a federal oversight agency said yesterday. [...]

The oversight agency, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, said KBR had refused to disclose information as basic as how many people are fed each day in its dining facilities and how many gallons of fuel are delivered to foreign embassies in Iraq, claiming that the data was proprietary, meaning it would unfairly help its business competitors.

So the United States outsources a function of the military and the State Department to a private company -- and then can't find out what that company is doing!? KBR should be fired and barred from future government work -- as should those who hired it in the first place. Via MediaBloodhound and Avedon Carol ("The Sideshow").

Lest I forget, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction is Stuart W. Bowen, Jr. -- a.k.a. one of the last honest Republicans.


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UPDATE, 11/3: Solved that problem -- Bowen just got his pink slip. Via Avedon Carol ("The Sideshow") posted by Thomas Nephew at 12:15:00 PM -- |    

 
Maryland District 20: a report from the field and the barbecue
I went out canvassing once again this weekend, this time on more familiar ground -- good old Maryland District 20, as advertised here on Wednesday. Although my friend Brett couldn't make it this time (get well soon!) a fair number of other people did: instead of the hoped for 100 people, around 200 people reported for duty at Heather Mizeur's house this morning -- and that despite the threat of rain, which thankfully didn't materialize.

The Democratic Party in this area is still sticking to targeting "sometime Democratic voters" -- people who haven't always voted over the past several elections. That turns out to be a fairly scarce group in District 20, and given the great number of volunteers, I wound up with a relative handful of households to canvass on my walking list, around 2 dozen maybe. As the volunteer surplus dawned on the organizers, it was decided we'd also "lit drop" nearby houses regardless of whether they were targeted by the walking lists.

As usual, I got mostly "absolutely" type responses if anyone was home; I did get one "undecided" answer from an older black gentleman, but I couldn't draw him out to learn whether that was out of old school reticence or some leanings towards Steele.

I'm most concerned now about the Cardin Senate campaign. No matter what I think of them, Steele has put out some well-received, cheery ads that portray him as a nice, can do guy. Also, despite the odds being good that pro big business, pro-war, pro-life, anti-stem cell research Steele would support Bush to the hilt if elected, I have the impression a not insignificant chunk of black voters may switch sides for a favorite son.*

Meanwhile, it seems to me Cardin is running a stolid, workmanlike campaign-by-the-numbers which may suffice -- but which may not. The well-regarded Cook Political Report moved this race from "leaning Democratic" to "Tossup" on the 27th; that had one campaign staffer I talked with a bit worried. On the other hand, Cardin's own numbers and a Washington Post poll as of the 26th and released today have him well ahead (Post: Cardin 54%, Steele 43%, Zeese 1%); on yet some other hand, I've heard the Republican Party is dumping a significant amount of cash on this race, indicating they think they have a shot.

So at the barbecue following the canvass -- a signature Heather Mizeur touch: campaign hard, then enjoy** yourself -- the word was to not let up in the final days of the campaign. The winning District 20 candidates were there: the so-called "3 H's" (Hucker, Hixson, and Heather Mizeur), and Jamie Raskin, as were Mark Elrich, Peter Franchot, and some state and national heavy hitters, including Lt. Governor candidate Anthony Brown and our congressman Chris Van Hollen, who gave a great speech; he's part of the "Red to Blue" Democratic effort and allowed as how they're doing better than they thought they would a year ago.

Albert Wynn
The most interesting visitor to me was Albert Wynn (D-MD-4), a Prince George's County congressman who has a reputation for playing political hardball and not shying away from favors for and donations from corporations any more than he has to -- he supported the execrable bankruptcy bill in 2005. He arrived with an entourage and even some advance work -- someone, a staffer I suppose, handing out stickers to one and all. They were generally accepted; no use crying over Donna Edwards at this point, I guess, that's done.

Anyway, M., a fellow canvasser, grasped the nettle, went right up to Rep. Wynn, and urged him to part with some of his campaign treasury cash for the greater Democratic good; the so-called "use it or lose it" idea, described here a week ago, is that Democrats like Wynn without significant opposition can afford to contribute some of their reserves to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) or selected congressional candidates and help retake the House.

I took heart and followed suit. Saying I was aware of all the hard work Wynn has been doing for the Democratic Party, I said I still hoped he'd part with some of his campaign treasury's reserves to help more Democrats get elected.

And he said he would! I didn't press the 30% target that Chris Bowers at MyDD is suggesting, so I don't know if I ought to hang up a "Mission Accomplished" banner just yet, but it was a good moment.

In his own remarks later on, Wynn said he was particularly encouraged about Democratic prospects, and offered two anecdotes to explain why. The first was simply that he had recently attended a fundraiser for ex-Congressman Mark Foley's Democratic opponent in Florida -- a good guy, he said, with a chance for a seat Democrats had never expected to win.

The second anecdote was either encouraging or ironic, depending on whether you're an optimist or a pessimist: Wynn told of meeting someone fundraising on a D.C. street for the Democrats. He said words to the effect that "Here was a woman all but begging for money on the street for Democrats." It seemed like the perfect time to announce he was going to contribute more of his own funds to that cause. But instead he just said that's when he realized how badly Democrats wanted to win this time. Still, as an optimist, I hope that means he'll kick in some more of his own cash on hand, too.

Whatever Wynn does, the incredible volunteer turnout on Saturday was a good sign for Election Day, I think. I hope anyone in the area reading this will join in over the next 10 days at phonebanks, in campaign offices, canvassing door to door, or working precincts on Election Day to help make sure Maryland Democrats hold up our end in what promises to be a historic election.


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* UPDATE, 10/30: But the Washington Post poll lays worries of black crossover vote to rest: "Steele has support from 14 percent of black voters, not significantly higher than the support [Maryland's Republican governor] Ehrlich is receiving, the poll shows." For his part, Cardin polls 81% of black Maryland voters. I was going to say you can't ask for lower than 14%, but it's more than double Bush's 6% approval rating among Maryland African Americans, and Kerry got 89% in 2004. Still, at these levels of support, it's on Maryland's nonblack voters to make sure Cardin's elected, not its black ones. EDIT, 10/30: added this footnote and the Albert Wynn subheading.
** Incidentally, if the words barbecue and Czapanskiy (District 20 Democratic Committee) occur in the same e-mail, you'd be a fool not to go next time. Three words: venison, chili, superb. If you don't go, that's fine too: more for me. posted by Thomas Nephew at 1:22:00 AM -- |