Play "Fantasy Congress"

New League, Teams Available

As in other fantasy sports, you – the Citizen – draft a team of real-life legislators from the U.S. Congress and score points for your team’s successes.....more

Fantasy Congress?

Bush faces storm of protest in Indonesia

Far from the smiles and happy waves he saw from his armored limousine at his previous stop in Vietnam, the US president faced intense opposition and even calls for his blood from Indonesian Muslims angry over the Iraq war and the US military presence in Afghanistan.....more

Neocons blame Bush for Iraq fiasco

So much for their calamitous "Project for A New American Century," which laid out the agenda to transform several Arab nations to their liking. It also meant sending Americans to kill and die for reasons yet to be explained by the president....more

Project for the OLD American Century

Don't say we didn't warn ya!

Here we go. The election is over, and George knows he can count on Lapdog Lieberman's vote when this bill comes up before the Senate. Joe already made it clear how he'd vote when he said yesterday that we MUST stay the course in Iraq.Which would mean (if you're keeping score at home) that the Senate will be divided 50-50 on the bill, giving Dick Cheney the tie-breaking vote......more

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

The New Democratic Party

Howard Dean Defends 50-State Strategy
Democratic chairman Howard Dean on Friday took a swipe at Washington critics who questioned his strategy of spending money in all 50 states, dismissing them as the "old Democratic Party." "It was a great win for what I call the new Democratic Party," Dean said in a speech to the Association of State Democratic Chairs. "This is the new Democratic Party. The old Democratic Party is back there in Washington, sometimes they still complain a little bit.".......more

Putnam Wants To Know: Where Were The Rednecks?

“White rednecks” who “didn’t show up to vote for us” partly cost GOPers their cong. majorities, Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) told fellow Republicans today......more

Camera Phones Focus on Police Use of Force in L.A.

Some Los Angeles grass-roots groups are training citizens to use cameras, video cell phones and the speed and Internet sites like YouTube to get their voices, and pictures, heard. "We urge everyone to have a camera on them at all times so if anything happens it can be documented. The concept of patrolling the police is something we are trying to push as a form of direct action," said Sherman Austin, a founder of Cop Watch L.A., which launched its Web site three months ago......more

"People like the concept of honor", From Daily Bruin

Let's hope the Democrats aren't the wimps in power they were out of power

What Democrats need to do is spend the next two years crushing their opponents like bugs. It’s not about mercy, it’s not about manners, it’s about three fundamental goals: limiting the damage the Bush administration can do, passing whatever legislation they can in the short term to help the American public and laying the foundation for future progressive victories......more

The Ugly Bile and Extremism that Fuels much of the Right-Wing Blogosphere

Is a story waiting to be written. This week, for instance, it was revealed that the individual who sent white powder to Keith Olbermann, Nancy Pelosi and others was an active Free Republic poster and an avid fan of Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham. The intense hate-mongering which is offered up in much of the right-wing blogosphere on a daily basis is the primary or even exclusive information diet for many people, and that is going to have consequences. Shouldn't they be examined?.....more

Puta Of The Week: James Carville
"I would describe his leadership as 'Rumsfeldian,' " said Carville.

Asked whether Dean should go, he added, "In a word, yes." He even compared the party to the Battle of Gettysburg, where the winning Union Army didn't chase the Confederate Army and end the war quickly......more

More From "Fire Dog Lake"....here
Dean on Carville: “This is some kind inside the beltway silliness.”......more

Howard Dean for President

Come on, join the bandwagon for Howard Dean for president. OK, the crowd so far is small, but once he starts to get the credit he deserves for last week's Democratic takeover of the House and Senate and major gains in statehouses and state legislatures, the bandwagon will be off and running.....here

Senate to investigate rendition abuses

Abuses carried out under the CIA's secret programme of extraordinary rendition are to be investigated by one of the Senate's most powerful committees, it emerged today.
The new chairman of the Senate armed services committee, the Democratic senator Carl Levin, revealed that he was "not comfortable" with the rendition system and said it was making the US less secure......more

The election's real winners - us

Finally, it was Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who really won Tuesday with his 50-state strategy. While others in his party wanted to spend money on candidates, Dean insisted on rebuilding the party's infrastructure......more

As one insider put it to me: "Dean's greatest weakness (stubbornness)
became his greatest strength."

Murtha and the FBI: The Director's Cut
Murtha Calls Ethics Reform "Total Crap"

Story And Video....here
Also Check Out "Murtha and ABSCAM: What Really Happened.....here

"eerie, Zen-like calm" had fallen over GOP operatives

In other words, Bush's presidency was in shambles (think Jimmy Carter, circa 1979), yet Time eagerly passed along the transparent spin about how Republican chances were "getting better by the day." Those kinds of simplistic campaign talking points worked wonders with right-wing bloggers and radio talk show hosts who excitedly repeated them as a way to calm their nerves during the campaign homestretch. But Time?......more

America awakes from a corrupt and incompetent nightmare

Finally, yes finally, it seems that America has woken from its slumber. After more than a decade, the hegemony of the right - and not just any old right, but a deeply arrogant, corrupt and incompetent right - appears to be over.....more

Corporate Propaganda (VNR) Still On the News:
Study Finds Local StationsOverwhelmingly Fail to Disclose VNRs

A new study by the Center for Media and Democracy says Americans are still being shown corporate public relations videos disguised as news reports on newscasts across the country.....more

Bill Maher's Farewell Douche Bags

George the Duck
Will Bush the sequel be just as lame?

In the view of many on the right, Bush isn't just a lame duck, but a Roboduk – a motorized decoy despised by purists. By constantly spinning their wings to seem authentic, Roboduks lure real ones to an untimely, unsporting, and unethical demise -- just like the Republican Congress.....more

New Board Members Favor Mass Transit Agenda

During this election season mass transit and specifically light rail figured predominantly in nearly every debate and questionnaire put to all the candidates. We need to be honest, in most cases the strongest advocates for light rail did not win this time around.....more

A Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives
Michael Moore

I know you are dismayed and disheartened at the results of last week's election. You're worried that the country is heading toward a very bad place you don't want it to go. Your 12-year Republican Revolution has ended with so much yet to do, so many promises left unfulfilled. You are in a funk, and I understand.....here

DU: Top 10 Conservative Idiots, No. 268
Hate Mailbag Special......here

Tampa Taxi Shots Closing Down Because Of Me
click here

Here is my 15 minutes, I want to apologie to all the Tampa Blab readers for all the Howard Dean posts the last few days. With all the good news coming out about Dr. Dean, i might have gone overboard. The regurgitated Salon article Mr. Fasano is talking about
Howard Dean,vindicated is a excellent piece by Joe Conason at Salon.com.
"Watching The Right Wing"? I cannot do Ronda Storms everyday.
As far as being original, i am not a writer, i am a reader. I did not start my blog for Tampa Blab or to get quoted in the ST. Pete Times. I started it for myself. The Stogie is a political blog, i'll leave the dribble to Mr. Fasano. If he doesnt want to read about Dr. Dean's insanity, dont click. As far as getting all the ball licking activity, that is beyond my control. I am not trying to dominate anything. Maybe Mr. Fasano is a little upset because his side lost. I dont hear him saying anything when "Right Wing Howler" or "HCCC" hog the Blab.
I thought there was room for both of us, i guess i was wrong. sorry to see you go.

PS" Your post of us winning the Vietnam war did it for me. Stay vigilant for those terrorist on Kennedy Blvd.

PEACE

Civic group to file suit vs Rumsfeld

An association of lawyers defending detainees held at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said Friday it will be filing suit against outgoing US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for his alleged role in sanctioning torture.....more

Dean promises respect for all

"We won in places that some thought we couldn't," Dean said. "We earned the votes of people who may not have voted for a Democrat in a long time ... We also reached out to all Americans, regardless of party or religious affiliation, and we talked about the values and beliefs that we share as Americans."......more

US soldiers become citizens

US soldiers take an oath of citizenship during a naturalization ceremony held in one of ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's former palaces. US commanders in Iraq marked today by presiding over the naturalization of 75 soldiers from 33 different countries......more

Commemorating Veterans Day
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today issued the following statement commemorating Veteran's Day:

"Today, Americans are united in honoring the almost 27 million veterans of our country's Armed Forces. For generations, Americans of all backgrounds, from all across the country have answered the call to service. They and their families have made great sacrifices in defense of our freedoms, serving with honor and distinction. This year's commemoration, like others in recent years, takes on added significance, as our nation continues to ask so much of the brave men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have answered the call, displaying great skill and courage, and demonstrating a commitment to American that makes us all proud. We are all deeply indebted to them, and the brave soldiers who have served before them......more