Democratic optimism and Republican pessimism

I have just run across an interesting political blog by Ed Fitzgerald. It's called Unfutz. Here's a link his post It's all over but the shouting.
And here are links to the posts he cites:

Zogby Battleground States poll results for May [Wall Street Journal]

A Kerry Landslide?; Why the next election won't be close. By Chuck Todd [Washington Monthly]

Kerry will win huge [mydd.com - who are they?]
Instead of the conventional wisdom that this is going to be a very close, nail-biter of an election, this poll and these articles are pointing to a John Kerry landslide. The swing states are swinging decisively toward Kerry.

Before we rest on our laurels, remember that many things can change between now and November . . . [capture or killing of bin Laden, terrorist attacks, voting machine hacks, 'October surprise', etc. . .]

Also at Unfutz, I saw a link to Ariana Huffington's New Contract For A Better America, from her new book, Fanatics and Fools. [Fanatics are Republicans, Fools are Democrats.] Here are the major points:

1. ACHIEVE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

2. PRESCRIBE A CURE FOR THE HEALTH CARE EPIDEMIC

3. TREAT LOST JOBS AS A SOCIAL CALAMITY, NOT A LAGGING ECONOMIC INDICATOR

4. TRULY LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND

5. BREAK DOWN BARRIERS AND CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN EDUCATION

6. CALL A TRUCE IN THE DRUG WAR

7. SECURE THE HOMELAND FIRST

8. BE A LEADER, NOT A BULLY

9. RESTORE INTEGRITY TO THE POLITICAL PROCESS

10. PUT PEOPLE ABOVE CORPORATE PROFITS

If John Kerry and the Democratic Party were to run on this contract or something like it, they should be able to attract many 'swing voters.'

Back to President Bush's failure in Iraq: Here are the 10 mistakes we made in Iraq, according to Gen. Anthony Zinni, USMC (Ret.) He gave a speech at the Center for Defense Information Board of Directors Dinner on May 12, 2004. A summary of the 10 mistakes:

1. Misjudging the success of containment.

2. The strategy was flawed; the Middle East situation will best be improved by starting with the Israel/Palestine problem.

3. We created a false rationale for going in to get public support.

4. We failed to internationalize the effort.

5. We underestimated the task.

6. Propping up and trusting the Iraqi exiles. [this speech was before Chalabi's 'official downfall!']

7. Lack of planning.

8. Insufficiency of military forces on the ground.

9. The ad hoc organization (the CPA) we threw in there.

10. A series of bad decisions on the ground (de-Baathification, disbanding the Iraqi army, inablity to connect with local leaders.)

Read the whole speech. Zinni is not ready to cut and run, but he's getting close. I feel that we have a responsibility to minimize chaos and disorder during the transition to self-governance; we have a moral obligation to restore Iraq.


While writing about Zinni and Iraq, here's a post by 'ProfessorBainbridge': Uh oh, Bush may be in trouble if he's losing the support of hawkish writer Tom Clancy.

And to wrap up today's links, a neo-con writer from the Weekly Standard criticizes Bush the flip flopper.

Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth." --John 17:17-19

[note: the sanctification Jesus is talking about isn't merely outward piety; we are to be consecrated so that the divine reality can fill our lives. [Paraphrased from Sacred Space.]