11.26.2003

Beating Bush beyond the grave: Remember how Sally Baron, a 71-year old Wisconsinite who died in August, requested in her obituary that memorial donations "be made to any organization working for the removal of President Bush"? On October 2, another such obituary appeared, honoring 81-year-old Louisiana resident Gertrude Jones. As Snopes' Urban Legends page reports, a guest book has been set up on Gertrude's behalf--with entries as recent as today--filled with 17 pages of comments, including more than a few by mourners who've been inspired to donate to the Democratic Party.

Nixonian tactics? An aide to Republican Orrin Hatch has been busted for hacking into computers in the offices of Democratic Senators Edward Kennedy and Dick Durbin. Hatch launched an investigation when the senators reported the thefts of memos from their servers. Plus, the Washington Post on The Nixon in Bush.

Humanitarianism? Norwegian soldiers serving in Iraq are baffled by politicians who call their efforts a "humanitarian mission." Didrik Coucheron of the BFO, an officers' organization: "Anyone can see that a uniformed soldier with a helmet, shrapnel vest and an AG3 across his stomach is a soldier and not a humanitarian construction worker."

Draft? If Bush is reelected, will he reinstate the draft?

Nobel prizewinner Jimmy Carter on Bush's unilateral attack on Iraq: "I thought it was a serious mistake, maybe the worst mistake in foreign policy that our country’s made in many years. But now we are there, we have to support our troops there and pray that we can cut down on our casualties.”

As my friend Jim says, "The Left needs its billionaires." We've got it in George Soros. Joe Conason looks into Conservatives' ire at Soros' ample funding of democratic causes. Plus: a rightwing perspective on the man and his Open Society Institute.

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