Day: November 8, 2006

Bush has nominated former CIA chief Robert Gates to replace Rumsfeld.

You can read about Gates here, in Chapter 16 of Independent Counsel’s report on Iran/Contra.

The Conclusion of the Independent Counsel, quoted from the chapter:

“Independent Counsel found insufficient evidence to warrant charging Robert Gates with a crime for his role in the Iran/contra affair. Like those of many other Iran/contra figures, the statements of Gates often seemed scripted and less than candid. Nevertheless, given the complex nature of the activities and Gates’s apparent lack of direct participation, a jury could find the evidence left a reasonable doubt that Gates either obstructed official inquiries or that his two demonstrably incorrect statements were deliberate lies.”

There’s your new SecDef, America.

The birthday present that I ordered for you just arrived:

Donald Rumsfeld is stepping down.

….did I get the size and color right? :)

Here’s something that pisses me off:

In the Viriginia Senate race, Webb’s lead over Allen is more than 10x the margin that Bush had over Gore in Florida when the 2000 presidential race was called for Bush by FOX News president Roger Ailes in 2000.

In the Montana Senate race, Tester’s lead over Burns is more than double Bush’s eventual victory margin in Florida in 2000.

When will the media stop repeating the whole “too close to call” thing and simply start acknowledging that the Democrats have taken the Senate as well as the House?

There’s the difference between Republicans and Democrats, right there. Karl Rove would have had the spinners all over the media, painting the races as a done deal, and the trailing candidates as sore losers. He would have had every Republican on television talking about the races in the past tense, and already making announcements about the plans of the new Congress.

….and he would have done it 12 hours ago.

Why the hell do the Dems have to be so goddamned polite about this? Every hour that passes that they don’t claim the mental real estate of total victory in the minds of the American people, the easier it will be for post-election shenanigans to be pulled off. The Democrats need to get on the “we won” Meme, and spread it. NOW.