"Undermining my electoral viability since 2001."

I'd Hit That Third Party

From the New Republic via the Political Wire:

"This isn't the first time that Bloomberg has privately flirted with a 2008 bid. But what makes a Bloomberg candidacy look increasingly real is that he has also begun to think about the mechanics of running. New York p.r. eminence Howard Rubenstein recalls Bloomberg putting a price tag on his Oval Office ambition at a dinner party in April: 'I could easily put up half a billion,' the mayor had said, naming a figure over one-third higher than the Bush campaign's spending in 2004."

"Bloomberg has suggested that, if he runs, it would be on a new party line of his own creation. No cold days in Iowa, no small rooms in New Hampshire. He could afford, like Ross Perot, to set up a petition drive to secure ballot status in late 2007 after the Republican and Democratic candidates were clear... Playing to his strengths as a technocrat, he would run on competence and nonpartisan management -- the style, over the substance, of his politics."

I would add that Bloomberg is viable (or "dangerous," depending on how you look at it) also because he's very well-versed in information technology. His fortune was built on providing services we now take for granted as part of the internet to the financial sector as much as 20 years ago. His chief accomplishment as Mayor was implementing 311, a catch-all service number for the city. It's been a rousing success in an otherwise bland/middling (or, to spin it brightly, "competant") term in office.

Assuming he'd take that kind of savvy into his campaign, he'd probably have a fairly sophisticated communications strategy; at least as innovative as Perot's infomercial timeblock buys were in '92. This plus a huge potential war chest would make him viable enough to steer the national debate.

My guess is he probably won't, but somebody might. Assuming neither party produces a nominee who breaks with the status quo, the opportunity will be there to make a splash. Lots of people pretty generally upset with things, looking for alternatives...

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War Is Hell

No One Is Exempt:

Early reports indicate that soldiers may have raped a woman, burned her body and killed the woman's family in a "crime of opportunity,", the news agency reported, citing an unnamed American official. The A.P. recently had a reporter embedded with the 502nd Infantry Regiment.

Earlier this month, two soldiers from the same unit were abducted while guarding a traffic control point in the town of Yusufiya, and were killed by insurgents. Their mutilated bodies were found along a booby-trapped road, after the American military deployed 8,000 American and Iraqi troops into the area in a search-and-rescue operation that was perhaps the largest of the war so far. A third soldier was killed in Yusufiya at the time of the ambush.

Though it appears the killing of the Iraqi family was unrelated to the Yusifya ambush, the March incident came to light when a soldier felt compelled to report it after the discovery of the bodies of his kidnapped comrades, the Associated Press reported. One soldier has been arrested, and four have had their weapons taken away and are confined to their base in Mahmudiya.

The most dangerous part of that whole "greeted as liberators" schtick and the puffing up of American Exceptionalism during the run up to the invasion is that it obscured the central fucking fact: that war is hell, and no party in the fray can remain above it.

This is why you don't want to have wars of choice.

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Portable Folk Band

Via Farsheed (midnightparking.com), I discover the Portable Folk Band.

Lovin' this track. There are more available from archive.org on the band's site (clicky above).

Or maybe you'd rather see Connie Chung:

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Portable Folk Band

Via Farsheed (midnightparking.com), I discover the Portable Folk Band.

Lovin' this track. There are more available from archive.org on the band's site (clicky above).

Or maybe you'd rather see Connie Chung:

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Can Someone Explain?

(UPDATED below) I'm ignorant on a lot of things Israeli/Palestinean, but I was reading about this poor kidnapped kid and trying to figure out what the heck is going on. The reports are kind of confusing, and I wonder if not missing some critical subtext.

So, Gilad Shalit is serving his stint in the IDF, and his checkpoint was attacked by Palestineans. No article seems to mention which specific groups were involved, but apparently in response the IDF has arrested a number of ministers in the Palestinean government, presumably most or all of them Hamas. Now, Hamas has been involved in all sorts of ugly violence over the years, but no one seems to be claiming that they're holding onto the kid.

Is this just how business gets done these days in the Middle East? One would think that with the proximity and history between the Israelis and Palestineans the IDF would be able to decyper the situation and target people who are more directly responsible. I mean, this seems almost as dense as our handling of sectarian issues in Iraq, but at least we're half a world away (although that's still no excuse).

Anyway, it seems like I'm missing something. Anyone care to put a lightbulb over my head?

UPDATE: I see now that the kidnappers are identified as "identified with Hamas" and that also "Hamas may be willing to release the solder," so clearly they're in control. Still, seems odd. Like, was this a freelance kidnapping, or was it planned? Did the abductors think they'd get a promotion for showing initiative, or were they acting on orders? Murky.

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Progress

Got a bike! Surly cross-check, black, 60cm. Oh baby.

I got the call from the shop after finishing a return to the Gym, and I don't have the arm control to really give it a whirl, but tomorrow is another day.

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Gym Proof

Well, as it's a subject I'll wax wistful on from time to time, more than one person has asked if I'm actually ever going to the gym again. Indeed I am. Kells works down at the community pool, which has a small workout room that's got everything I need, and last night I went down to check in out. Mark came along to do a little water-based physical therapy for his shoulder/arm.

Proof:

No in-room shots, as it's considered somewhat gauche to bring your digital camera to the pool. If I keep this up though there'll be plenty of narcicism to go around, fear you not.

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A Quick Tour

Quick tour of the area:


Get this video and more at MySpace.com

I don't like YouTube's pixelization of everything -- see the original here -- and will be looking for other services to host some video. Any recommendations? (Update: now using MySpace, which takes a fucking ice-age to process)

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Whiskey Bar: The Swiftboating of Kos

Billmon:

I mean, the idea that Kos could use his influence, such as it is, to intimidate Left Blogostan into a quivering reign of fear is simply laughable -- a paranoid fantasy that wandered away from Free Republic.com and was adopted by some silly little Ivy League boys who've decided they like how Karl Rove plays the game and want to get in on the fun.

It gets even better. I love me some Billmon.

I've been watching this little wannabe scandal with some amusement. I'm sure it's not fun for Kos and Jerome (and Steve Gillard, who had fake emails printed in his name), and I know it sucks for Matt who had to shut down his email list as a result of all this, but I can't get it up to care.

In fact, I don't think anyone outside the political media establishment cares about this; so I say fuck 'em. I know there are a lot of people trying to play/change that game, and I respect the hell out of that, but really... The future's out here where the people live. At some point you've got to be able to write off those half-bright power-geeks. Keep building your organization (which is made out of people, not pages in The New Republic) and good things will continue to happen.

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Signs of the Times

I just deleted all my pr0n (that's pornography to you, mom) to make room for deadwood and my own goofball video editing (non-pornographic).

So yeah, maybe that's also a good thing. I've never been one to have that shame-based binge/purge relationship with porno, but I do think it can make the mind's eye lazy. It's like an erotic crutch. On the other hand, reaching into the realm of your own experience for fantasty purposes has always seemed like a potential liability to me. One you start imagining things, the odds are you'll want to do them -- visualize your success and all that.

I think I'll cut this blog post off now.

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