Tactics Ammunition Drudge This! Articles Archive Policy Archive Weblog Archive Cons With Cons Search This Site
An Evolution has begun. Politicalstrategy.org has officially closed down. Look for DailyNewsOnline.com to rise from the ashes, a powerful new site you won't want to miss. Click here to find out more! Click here to join the mailing list and be notified when the DailyNewsOnline is launched!
[However, Kennedy adjusted the numbers to account for undecided black voters, who overwhelmingly vote for Democrats, and said the runoff election currently stands in Blanco's favor. With that adjustment, Blanco would get 53 percent of the vote, compared to Jindal's 47 percent]
Republican Primary Trial Heat (among Republican voters): Cecil Underwood 30% Robin Capehart 8% Sarah Minear 8% Dan Moore 3% Monty Warner 3% Doug McKinney 2% Other 3% Undecided 43%
Democratic Primary Trial Heat (among Democratic voters): Joe Manchin 46% Darrell McGraw 11% John Perdue 5% Jim Humphreys 4% Lloyd Jackson 3% Jim Lees 3% Spike Maynard 2% Robin Davis 2% Other 1% Undecided 25%
"Generally speaking, would you say things in this country are heading in the right direction, or are they off on the wrong track?"
Right Track: 38% (42%) Wrong Track: 50% (44%)
* * * * *
Ipsos-Reid 9/16 - 18
"Generally speaking, would you say things in this country are heading in the right direction, or are they off on the wrong track?"
Right Track: 37% (39%) Wrong Track: 57% (56%)
* * * * *
Fox News 9/23 - 24
Who should control congress?
Democrats 41% Republicans 36% Neither/Unsure 23%
* * * * *
Democracy Corps 9/14
Who should control congress?
Democrats 47% Republicans 42% Neither 1% (unch) Not sure 11%
Friday, May 16, 2003
Morality in America: What About Bush?
Thanks to the grand hypocrisy of Bill "one-armed-bandit" Bennett, the issue of yours and my personal lives are centered squarely in the national spotlight. Thus, the Gallup Organization found it their duty to discover just how we should be conducting ourselves to remain in accordance with "big brother" Bill. Thanks Gallup.
They asked a bunch of people whether they thought various behaviors were either 'morally acceptable' or 'morally wrong'. The results:
Sex between an unmarried man and woman ~ 58% ~ 41%
Medical research using stem cells from human embryos ~ 54% ~ 38%
Having a baby outside of marriage ~ 51% ~ 46%
Doctor-assisted suicide ~ 45% ~ 49%
Homosexual behavior ~ 44% ~ 52%
Abortion ~ 37% ~ 53%
Cloning animals ~ 29% ~ 68%
Suicide ~ 14% ~ 81%
Cloning humans ~ 8% ~ 90%
Polygamy ~ 7% ~ 92%
Married men and women having an affair ~ 6% ~ 93%
So this is what we're dealing with…
1) Kill the dirty bastard criminal, but don't you dare be gay. Got it? 2) Rip-up the little furry critters so you can flaunt that smelly stole, but don't you dare have sex with another unmarried, consenting adult. 3) Layer that cancer-causing skin product on the chimps but don't you dare clone that sheep.
These are the guidelines for a moral life. Be well and prosper.
But wait! I think they left out a few actions that perhaps the public would like to consider. Indeed, how do you think the American public would assess these fine actions in terms of morality? ~ Lying to create war ~ First Strike Precedent ~ Insider Trading ~ Incorporating offshore to avoid taxes ~ Stealing other sovereignty's natural resources ~ Dealing with the enemy ~ Taxpayer funded self-promotion ~ Puppet leadership ~ Warmongering ~ Driving While Intoxicated ~ Lying to the nation ~ Going AWOL from the National Guard ~ Cronyism ~ Nepotism ~ Lying, Lying, LYING!
Bush Tax-Cut Plan Prevails in Senate (WSJ) Three Democrats joined 48 Republicans to pass a Senate economic package that temporarily repeal all stock-dividend taxes, a symbolic victory for President Bush and a potential boon to investors and the stock market. The bill also includes various family and individual breaks and a small-business investment incentive. In a victory for big business, lawmakers also amended the legislation to offer U.S. multinationals a one-year window to repatriate profits from abroad at a reduced tax rate of 5.25%, instead of the current 35% rate. Sen. Ben Nelson (D., Neb.) threw his support behind the bill in exchange for $20 billion of aid for ailing states. Sen. Zell Miller (D., Ga.) already had signed on. Rejection of the repeal plan by Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island created a 50-50 tie that was broken by Vice President Dick Cheney, who was called in to preside over the Senate for such an eventuality. Another Democrat, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, crossed over to support the final version of the bill. Under the Senate legislation, investors can exclude 50% of dividend income from taxes this year and 100% of such income in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The tax would be reinstated in full in 2007. The Senate vote doesn't end the tax debate. The real showdown will come when the Senate and House of Representatives try to hammer out a compromise. Those talks could start next week and may stretch well into June.
US accuses Iran of stockpiling chemical arms (UK Guardian) Iran, already accused by the Bush administration of hiding attempts to build a nuclear bomb, faces fresh allegations about its chemical and biological weapons programmes. Washington is now accusing Tehran of stockpiling nerve agents and pursuing a chemical weapons programme, while an Iranian resistance group yesterday alleged that Iran has an aggressive bio-weapons effort under way. Washington also accused Iran of stockpiling blister, blood and choking agents and some nerve agents, US diplomat Stephen Rademaker said in a statement obtained by the Guardian.
Russia Calls for Nuclear Checks on Iran (Associated Press) Russia gave the strongest signal yet Thursday that it shares U.S. concerns over Iran's nuclear program, calling for tighter international controls to make sure Tehran doesn't develop atomic weapons. Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov said Russia would like Iran to sign an agreement with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to put its nuclear facilities under close watch and make sure they aren't used as a cover for a nuclear weapons program. Mamedov said Moscow still trusts Iran's assurances that its nuclear program is peaceful. But, Mamedov added, "we have questions that we are putting to the Iranian side, and we hope they will be answered."
France to Monitor U.S. Media for Untruths (Reuters) France, which led opposition to the Iraq war, has instructed its diplomats to monitor U.S. media for signs of an orchestrated campaign of misinformation to discredit it, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Paris has angrily denied articles alleging collusion with the fallen regime of Saddam Hussein, including a recent report in the Washington Times that it issued passports to fleeing Iraqi officials wanted by the United States. "As part of the campaign of explanation we are undertaking in the United States, we have decided to count the untrue accusations which have appeared in the U.S. press and which have deeply shocked the French," spokeswoman Marie Masdupuy said.
U.S. Plans to Require Interviews For Almost All Visa Applicants (WSJ) In a major policy change, the State Department plans to conduct face-to-face interviews with almost everyone seeking a visa to enter the U.S. The change, details of which are still being worked out, is designed to plug holes in antiterrorism efforts and address congressional criticism of lax consular operations abroad. Administration officials said they don't track the percentage of applicants interviewed. But they say it is far less than 100%, with fewer than half the applicants being questioned in countries that have relatively high standards of living and are deemed unlikely to produce many illegal immigrants or terrorists, such as South Korea. Under the new policy, "you're probably going to be looking at 90% of the cases being interviewed," said Stuart Patt, a State Department spokesman.
U.S.: Bin Laden behind bombing (NBC NEWS) Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden appears to have personally ordered the truck bomb attacks in Saudi Arabia that killed 34 people this week, including eight Americans, U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials told NBC News on Thursday. THE OFFICIALS, who spoke to NBC News only on condition of anonymity, said they believed bin Laden approved the plans for the assault in Riyadh several months ago and gave the final go-ahead within the past few weeks. They said the role played by bin Laden was a strong signal that he remained in control of al-Qaida from his presumed hiding place in the lawless "no man's land" along the Afghan-Pakistani border. U.S. officials identified six countries as likely targets for imminent al-Qaida attacks: Liberia, where the network has been tied to the so-called "blood diamond" trade; Somalia, where post-civil war chaos gives foreign operatives essentially free rein; Indonesia and Malaysia, where radical Muslim Jemaah Islamiyah rebels are believed to have close ties with bin Laden's network; Saudi Arabia; and Kenya.
Documents Found in Riyadh RaidSuggest al Qaeda's Role in Attacks (WSJ) A week before three explosions killed more than 30 people in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh, Saudi police chased a suspicious car through the city's streets. Its occupants escaped after a shootout. But inside their abandoned car, police officers found explosives and documents that led them to an apartment used by the fugitives.Among the documents: The name of Abdulrahman Mansour Jabarah, an alleged al Qaeda operative handpicked by the group's jailed strategist, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. His suspected involvement in the subsequent attacks is evidence of the organization's capabilities despite Mr. Mohammed's arrest in March, say intelligence officials based in Asia.According to interrogation reports of al Qaeda suspects seen by The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Jabarah trained in Afghanistan with al Qaeda before Mr. Mohammed dispatched him to the Middle East in 2002. Before his arrest in northern Pakistan in March, Mr. Mohammed had prepared a network of operatives stretching from Southeast Asia to the Middle East to carry out his plans, according to intelligence officials.
An Evolution has begun. Politicalstrategy.org has officially closed down. Look for DailyNewsOnline.com to rise from the ashes, a powerful new site you won't want to miss. Click here to find out more! Click here to join the mailing list and be notified when the DailyNewsOnline is launched!
Sun Tzu Files 
and 
indicate whether the poll numbers are up or down from the previous poll. Incumbents are in italics. (prior results in '()')