What is Happening to the NY Times? Not One Single Word About McClellan's Bush Bombshell

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McLellan caused quite a ruckus Tuesday with the startling (but certainly not surprising) revelation that his former bosses instructed him to outright lie to the American public over the Valerie Plame CIA leak case.

In his book "What Happened," due out in April, McClellan accuses the Busheviks of orchestrating a campaign of lies and deception over the Plame case. Consider this explosive excerpt:

"I stood at the White House briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby," McClellan wrote. "There was one problem. It was not true. I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the president's chief of staff and the president himself." At the time, the chief of staff was Andy Card.

Let's take a minute for some quick background: The Busheviks lied about Iraq's alleged WMD arsenal in the run-up to the invasion. They also claimed that Niger was selling Yellowcake uranium to Saddam Hussein. They sent Ambassador Joe Wilson to Africa in '02 to investigate. He came back and reported that he found nothing to substantiate this claim. Despite this finding, Bush re-stated the claim in his January '03 State of the Union Address to bolster his case for war. Angered by this blatant lie, Wilson wrote an op-ed piece in July '03 titled "What I Didn't Find in Africa." This pissed off the Bushies, and in a criminal act of retaliation they revealed the identity of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, who at the time was a covert CIA operative. And then they told former Cheney chief of staff Scooter Libby to lie about it all during special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's CIA leak investigation. And then, as payback for his cover up, Bush commuted Libby's sentence after he was convicted of obstruction of justice, perjury and lying to investigators. And now it's being revealed by McClellan that he was instructed by his bosses--including the president and vice president--to stand before the media and voters and lie about it all as further protection against the erupting scandal.

Wow. Bush and Cheney shouldn't just be impeached...they should go to jail. Which is exactly where you or I'd be if we manufactured WMD evidence, outed a covert CIA agent as revenge against her whistle-blowing husband, and then obstructed justice with more lies and a criminal cover up.

But where the hell is the NY Times on this story? Nowhere. Incredibly, not one solitary word in Wednesday's newspaper. This is a huge bombshell with monumental ramifications--criminal behavior on the part of Bush, Cheney, Rove, Libby, Card-- which could and should finally take down this corrupt, disgraceful administration. Could be the biggest political scandal since Watergate. And how is it covered by the Times? It's not. I'm starting to think this once relevant newspaper must be secretly owned by Rupert Murdoch.

Where is the firebrand journalism that the venerable Washington Post demonstrated back in the 70's in serving to take down the corrupt Nixon administration? How is it possible that a story this important goes unreported in the NY Times? It's a sad commentary on the mainstream media overall. They've given this corrupt, criminal administration a virtual pass since it stepped inside the White House in 2000. It's allowed the Busheviks to lie, cheat, deceive, steal and bully with impunity. All you need to do is watch a Bush press conference in the White House press room to see just how neutered the press is. Bush is nasty, condescending, unrevealing, taunting and cavalier as he side-steps the issues and offers inane muck instead. And the press allows it. You can see the fear in their eyes, hoping that Bush doesn't publicly ridicule them, as he has done so often when he hears a tough question he doesn't particularly like. The media ought to be ashamed of itself. And now the Times seems to have joined this pathetic group.


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be released November 27. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

NY Times Reports Big Progress in Baghdad. What Kind of Objective Crap is That!?

In it's huge front page story Tuesday, the NY Times, that venerable bastion of alleged left-wing media bias, practically gushed with excitement and enthusiasm for the progress reportedly being made in this city, the heart and capital of Iraq. Certainly would appear to confirm that the Bush "surge"--30,000 additional U.S. troops deployed to Baghdad five months ago--is working. Here's a little snippet from the Times' story:


..."The security improvements in most neighborhoods are real. Days now pass without a car bomb, after a high of 44 in the city in February. The number of bodies appearing on Baghdad’s streets has plummeted to about 5 a day, from as many as 35 eight months ago, and suicide bombings across Iraq fell to 16 in October, half the number of last summer and down sharply from a recent peak of 59 in March, the American military says. As a result, for the first time in nearly two years, people are moving with freedom around much of this city. In more than 50 interviews across Baghdad, it became clear that while there were still no-go zones, more Iraqis now drive between Sunni and Shiite areas for work, shopping or school, a few even after dark. In the most stable neighborhoods of Baghdad, some secular women are also dressing as they wish. Wedding bands are playing in public again, and at a handful of once shuttered liquor stores customers now line up outside in a collective rebuke to religious vigilantes from the Shiite Mahdi Army."

But wait, isn't the NY Times supposed to be a pawn of the left? A biased, radical fringe rag that never gets it right, especially when partisan politics is involved? Don't the Repugs always summarily dismiss anything written there as nonobjective, liberal trash? "Oh, you read it in the Times," they say mockingly. "The Times slants everything to the left," they taunt. "The Times literally makes things up to support the Democratic agenda," they incredulously claim.

But I bet they love the Times today! Oh, you can bet the Busheviks and the right-wing spin-monkeys like Sean Insanity and Rush Limp-baugh are gonna have a field day today with this one. "Bush is/was right," they'll say. "We're now winning the war in Iraq," they'll boast. "See, it's even in the NY Times!," they'll beam. These lying hypocrites will put the Times on a virtual pedestal today, but for one day only. You can bet your lefty ass that the nanosecond the paper reports something they don't like, the Times will no longer be this great source of truth, and instead will once again return to being a disgraceful puppet of the left.

A Message to My Readers...

Many of my readers have written to me wondering why I've been writing so infrequently these days. It's simple. I've been crazy busy putting together the Adrienne Shelly Foundation's inaugural fundraising gala and Ebay auction, both of which are tomorrow night (Monday Nov 12). The gala is in NYC, and will feature music by Alanis Morissette, and a reading of Adrienne's script THE MORGAN STORIES, featuring Edie Falco, Matt Dillon, Mary-Louise Parker, Ally Sheedy, Gina Gershon, Jason Patric and others. The auction runs through next Sunday. I've also been busy producing SERIOUS MOONLIGHT, a script Adrienne wrote after WAITRESS, which is directed by Cheryl Hines and shoots in LA in 3 weeks. We will soon be announcing an amazing cast. As for politics, my Republican pals will be pleased to know that in just another week or two I will be able to get back to much more frequent writing. I know how much you guys miss me when I'm gone. And to my terrific Lib loyalists, who've always stood by me patiently during this past year of tragedy, thanks for the support...and see ya soon.
Andy

......TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE for the November 12 inaugural Adrienne Shelly Foundation Fundraising Gala at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to purchase tickets, please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Our very exciting Ebay Auction includes about 25 celebrity items and experiences like walk-ons and set visits to your favorite TV shows (Jon Stewart, Ellen, Rachel Ray), lunch with various celebs (Edie Falco, Paul Rudd, Cheryl Hines, Rosanna Arquette, etc), celeb-autographed items, Sundance Film Fest VIP passes, and concert tickets with meet & greet (Maroon 5). Click here for more items and auction details.

Repug ChickenHawks Step Up the Tough-Guy Talk on Iran. But Will They Send Their Sons and Daughters this Time?

To listen to President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the leading Republican presidential contenders for 2008 you’d think these guys actually believe they know what the hell they’re talking about when it comes to foreign policy and military matters. But after having been one-bazillion percent wrong on just about every detail leading up to the Iraq invasion and the ensuing occupation, here they go yet again, this time beating their reckless, delusional war drums over Tehran. Will they ever learn? Or more importantly, will we?

In the past week, the draft-dodging Bush chillingly warned that a confrontation with Iran over WMD could drag us all into WWIII, while his snake-oil salesman Cheney chomped his venomous teeth into yet another macho man-wannabe warning to "the world’s most active state sponsor of terrorism" that it faces "serious consequences" if it builds its nuclear arsenal. "We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," snarled Dr. Evil. Just like we took care of Saddam’s deadly WMD arsenal, right Dick?

And then there are the ’08 hopefuls, all jockeying for position in the "I’m the toughest tough guy” contest. Hoping to win first-prize, former NYC Mayor and front runner Rudy Julie-Annie has said "it’s a promise, not a threat" that the U.S. will do whatever necessary, including using military force, to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. And one-upping the cross-dressing hawk was former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who on Thursday, claiming the threat from Iran as so grave, said he’d be willing to use a military blockade or "bombardment of some kind" to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. I’d love to ask the war-mongering, God-fearing, uber-patriot Romney if the threat is so grave that he’d urge his five privileged Ralph Lauren model look-alike sons to suit up and take arms to defend America, or is he suggesting that as with Iraq only our sons and daughters fight this fight too. If the mainstream media had an ounce of balls in that empty sack of theirs they’d ask him--and the rest of these Princes of Deferment--that very question every time they even remotely ratchet up the "let’s invade Iran" rhetoric. But they won’t. And I suppose the self-righteous Stormin’ Mormon will be allowed instead to continue espousing his nonsensical claim that his red-blooded, able-bodied, square-jawed Anglo-Saxon prodigies are serving this great nation by helping out his chicken hawk dad on the campaign trail.

It’s time for Americans to wake up and smell the $4 Starbucks coffee. Are we going to stop these irresponsible maniacs from leading America down another lethal road of more hatred, more bloodshed and more chaos? Ya know the old expression, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. These dangerous old men--overgrown ‘tweens who never got over playing army--are fucking with real human lives here. So, what are we gonna do about the "mushroom cloud" gang this time?


On another subject......TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE for the November 12 inaugural Adrienne Shelly Foundation Fundraising Gala at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. There will be a musical performance by Alanis Morissette, followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Alanis Morissette, Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Matt Dillon, Ally Sheedy, Mary Louise Parker, Gina Gershon and others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to purchase tickets, please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

And look for our very exciting Ebay Auction which begins November 12th and includes about 25 celebrity items and experiences like walk-ons and set visits to your favorite TV shows (Jon Stewart, Ellen, Rachel Ray), lunch with various celebs (Edie Falco, Paul Rudd, Cheryl Hines, Rosanna Arquette, etc), celeb-autographed items, Sundance Film Fest VIP passes, and concert tickets with meet & greet (Maroon 5). Click here for mroe items and auction details.

Soul-Selling Repugs Continue to Pander to Shrinking Evangelical Base

Forget that we're embroiled in a disastrous war that's killed almost 4000 U.S. soldiers. Forget that the economy still struggles with anemic job creation and consumer confidence, record debt, inflation concerns, skyrocketing fuel costs, weak housing and credit markets, and fears of recession. Forget that 45-million Americans are without health insurance. Forget that our public education system is in shambles. Forget that so many God-fearing "values" Repugs have been rocked by salacious scandal. Because according to evangelicals, the most pressing problems in America today remain whether or not two homosexuals should marry, or whether a woman should have the legal right to an abortion. Or whether a bunch of testosterone-starved neanderthals should have the right to play with firearms. Guns, God and gays. Despite a nation in crisis, it's all these narrow-minded religious fanatics have ever been concerned with, and it's all they ever will . And the pack of GOP presidential hopefuls has been literally tripping over each other in pandering to these right-wing extremists in a bid for their 2008 support. It's a pathetic sight to see.

These flip-flopping opportunists are selling their souls to the devil for a few votes. If you listen to Mitt Romney, Rudy Julie-Annie, Fred Thompson and John McCain, you'd think all they do is sit around in church all day. At the Values Voters Summit in Washington last week, the candidates shamelessly dropped their drawers to appear more fanatical than the next. They couldn't have sounded more right-wing extremist if they tried. And to some people, it apparently worked. The NY Times on Saturday quoted Merrily Crowe, an evangelical from Tennessee, who was moved by McCain's emotional, Jesus-coated Vietnam anecdote about compassionate prison guards and crosses. Prior to McCain's hallelujah performance, Crowe had ruled him out because of ideological differences. "When I listened to him, the thought occurred to me for the first time that I'd consider voting for him," Crowe said. Sure, all it takes for some of these lost souls is one little tear-jerker about a crucifix in the ground and they're quick to toss out every socio-economic issue they stand for. Jesus saves.....

Thankfully, the statistics show that the evangelical movement is much smaller and less influential than in '04 and '00 and getting smaller every day. To be sure, that they are on the verge of splitting from the GOP and considering propping up a 3rd party candidate is a solid indication of this trend. But no ones's apparently told the pack of '08 Repugs. Guns, God and gays. They love the way it sounds. It's like a drug to them. They just can't help themselves from pandering to this radical fringe no matter how insignificant and obsolete it's become. They remain, simply and somewhat surprisingly, utterly out of touch with most of America. And that's a great thing for the Democrats in '08.


On another subject......we will begin selling tickets later this week for the November 12 inaugural Adrienne Shelly Foundation Fundraising Gala at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. There will be a musical performance by Alanis Morissette, followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Alanis Morissette, Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Matt Dillon, Ally Sheedy, Mary Louise Parker, Gina Gershon and others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to purchase tickets, please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

"Run Gore Run!" Campaign Starts Today

A brilliant idea came to me from my good friend and fellow Al Gore supporter Julie out in Los Angeles. Ask any Democrat whether or not they want former vice president Al Gore to run for president in 2008 and you'll get an emphatic 'yes.' Last week the organization DraftGore.com took a full page ad in the NY Times issuing an impassioned plea for The Goracle to enter the race, a subject I went on MSNBC's Hardball to discuss. Also that week Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless, 30-year effort to address the growing threat from global warming. Can his resume get any more attractive? He is the most qualified individual in the Democratic Party, by far, and he should be president.

Well, it's time to take the "draft" movement one step further. It's time for each and every one of to take action. If you want Gore to run, SCREAM IT the best way you can. Put a large "Run Gore Run" sign(s) in your window. How great would it be for Al to see these signs everywhere he went, in every city, every town. An impassioned plea directly from the people themselves.

Display your signs as soon as possible. And forward this to all of your Democratic friends. And tell them to forward it to their friends. Let's get millions of homes across America to deliver the loudest, most personal message we can to the only candidate who can lead our great nation out of this domestic and international crisis.

And by the way...
To all those Republicans who mock Gore and discount the threat from global warming...if you can do me a favor and help us locate Autumn that would be great. Seems like Summer doesn't own a calendar. Almost November here in NYC and still pushing 80.

Ostroy to Discuss DraftGore.com Ad on Friday's "Hardball with Chris Matthews"

On Wednesday DraftGore.com took a full page ad in the New York Times with the headline "An Open Letter to Al Gore" in which the organization issued an impassioned plea to the former vice president to enter the 2008 presidential election:

..."Mr. Vice President, there are times for politicians and times for heroes. America and the Earth need a hero right now, someone who will transcend politics
as usual and bring real hope to our country and to the world. Please rise to this challenge, or you and millions of us will live forever wondering what might have been."

The ad, as expected, has garnered a great deal of media attention. As someone who's frequently written about the prospect of a Gore campaign, I've been asked by DraftGore.com founder Monica Friedlander to represent them on the MSNBC program "Hardball with Chris Matthews." I'm scheduled to appear today (Friday 10/12), but as always these things can change last minute. "Hardball" airs live on MSNBC at 5PM EST and is repeated at 7PM EST.

Tune in if you can....

Limbaugh Says “Liberals Hate this Country.” It’s time to Boycott His Advertisers & Get Him Off the Air

On his syndicated radio program Monday, right-wing blow-hard Rush Limbaugh once again attacked the patriotism of his detractors by making the outrageous, infuriating and egregious claim that "liberals hate this country." His rant came in defense against the threat of a Congressional investigation initiated by Rep. Henry Waxman (CA) into the questionable broadcasting practices of this big, fat hypocritical liar and his conservative cohorts like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin.

Let’s get something straight. I am a proud, card-carrying member of the Liberal tribe and I do not hate America. To the contrary, I love my country, respect and support the military, and can be as hawkish as Sen. John McCain (AZ) when our nation is threatened. Like most Democrats, I fully supported the invasion of Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks, and I’d use aggressive military force in a heartbeat to hunt down and kill our enemies again. How dare Limbaugh attack and deny my love of country, my patriotism, my willingness to use force if need be to defend America. How dare he, as he has done again last week to much controversy, attack and slander certain soldiers as "fake" simply because they had the courage to criticize Bush’s fiasco in Iraq. You wanna talk "fake," Rush? Fake is sitting behind a microphone in some cushy air-conditioned studio ranting and raving like John Wayne when those with real bravery and courage are fighting and dying thousands of miles away in the excrutiating desert heat. Tell us again, Rush, what branch of the U.S. Armed Services you served in? Exactly.

It’s time for this polarizing, incendiary partisan rhetoric to come to a grinding halt. I believe I speak for most Americans when I say enough is enough. We’re sick and tired of this bloviating, drug-addicted chickenhawk slandering anyone who dares disagree with his irrational, ideological demagoguery and the reckless policies of his utterly inept party. No one is off-limits to this creton, not servicemen and women, minorities or the handicapped. He is a rapacious, unapologetic bully; a colossal ignoramus who exists only to spread lies and deception in his unflinching, maniacal loyalty to Bush and the Repugs. It’s time to take him down, now.

As such, I am urging Democrats everywhere to boycott the goods and services of the advertisers and sponsors of The Rush Limbaugh Show, broadcast daily by Clear Channel Communications. Below is a partial list of companies, according to Gun Toting Liberal, who could use a threat or two from us America-loving libs:

Bose Wave Radio 508-766-7781

Lending Tree (704) 541-5351

Overstock.com
1-800-989-0135
otherinfo@overstock.com

eharmony
300 N. Lake Ave., Suite 1111
Pasadena, CA 91101
media@eharmony.com
626.795.4814
FAX 626.585.4040

Inverness Medical (maker of stresstabs)
51 Sawyer Road
Waltham, MA 02021
1-800-899-7353 weekdays, 8 am. - 6 p.m. (Eastern Time.)

Onstar
1-800-947-AUTO

Hotwire Corporate Headquarters
333 Market Street, Suite 100
San Francisco, CA 94105
advertising@hotwire.com
1-877-HOTWIRE (468-9473)
415-343-8400

Sleep Number Bed
1-800-438-2233

Oreck Upright Vacuum Cleaners
Oreck Corporation
100 Plantation Road
New Orleans, Louisiana 70123
Online contact form
1-800-289-5888

Mid-West Life Insurance Company of Tennessee
9151 Grapevine Hwy.
North Richland Hills, TX 76180
Phone (800) 733-1110
(web banner ads on rushlimbaugh.com)

AutoZone Inc.
P.O. Box 2198
Memphis, TN 38101
Phone (901) 495-7185
Fax (901) 495-8374
investor.relations@autozone.co m

UPDATED - Citracal - Mission Pharmacal
Bennett Kennedy - Citracal Product Manager
Mission Pharmacal
P.O. Box 786099
San Antonio, TX 78278-6099
Phone:(800) 531-3333

Avacor (hair loss treatment)
(customer comments email)
comments@avacorusa.com

Life Quotes, Inc.
32045 Castle Court
Evergreen, CO 80439
1-800-670-5433
info@lifequotes.com.au

Select Comfort Corporation
6105 Trenton Lane N
Minneapolis, MN 55442
Phone: 763-551-7000
Fax: 763-551-7826
investorrelations@selectcomfor t.com

Pfizer Inc
235 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017
212-733-2323

It’s time to hit these companies where it hurts most: in the pocketbook. Liberals, wake up! Boycotts are not the exclusive weapon of evangelicals and conservatives. We have the power to influence corporate America as well. And while you’re at it, send the following letter: I can no longer in good conscience do business with a company that financially supports Rush Limbaugh, a shameless partisan hack who has offended me and tens of millions of Democrats (and consumers of your products) with his constant, irresponsible and reprehensible accusation that I “hate my country.” I will not buy your products again until you pull your advertising from his radio program.

Rush Limbaugh is a disgusting, despicable, morally repugnant hate-monger. Let’s boycott this Neanderthal and do what we can to toss him off the airwaves.


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

On November 12 in NYC we will be holding our first annual Fundraising Gala, with a musical performance by Alanis Morissette followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Matt Dillon, Ally Sheedy and many others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to sign up to receive details about the November benefit please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be available in November. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

Is Obama "Fizzling?" Is Gore Getting Ready to Announce?

Back in early June I was at a function with Bill Clinton and asked him if he thought Al Gore was going to run for president in '08. "I don't know, he could. Someone's got to fizzle," he said. "If someone fizzles, then yeah he could enter the race. He's got plenty of money, his own money, to do it." He added that Gore has the kind of personal wealth to be able to wait until the last stages of the campaign before he'd enter the race.

Well hold onto your seats, kids. Clinton's prescience is beginning to surface. A new ABC News/Wall Street Journal Poll Wednesday showed New York Sen. Hillary Clinton with a commanding 53%-20% lead over Barack Obama, the junior Senator from Illinois. For the first time, Clinton now has the support of a majority of Democrats. Compounding this problem for Obama is the Q3 fundraising data released Tuesday showing an alarming 40% drop in cash raised from Q2, to $19 million from $31 million. Clinton meanwhile has steadily increased her funds each quarter, from $20 million in Q1, $21 in Q2 and $22 million since July.

If this doesn't qualify for "fizzling" I don't know what does. And if there ever was a more opportune time for the former veep to toss his hat into the ring, this is it. Consider this: the January Iowa caucus is right around the corner. Iowans are rabidly anti-war. Sen. Clinton voted to authorize the war, and has basically marched in lock-step with President Bush and the Republicans on this issue ever since. We all know Gore's position then and now on Iraq. Iowans would lap up his candidacy like a stray cat at a bowl of milk. With Obama losing steam fast, Gore could waltz right into this contest and be the giant-slayer whose unparalleled credentials, popularity and rightful claim to the White House could literally deflate the Clinton bubble overnight.

It's October. It's time. Could an announcement be right around the corner?


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

On November 12 in NYC we will be holding our first annual Fundraising Gala, with a musical performance by Alanis Morissette followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Matt Dillon, Ally Sheedy and many others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to sign up to receive details about the November benefit please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be available in November. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

"Childrens Do Learn." Is this Our President or Ali G?

In an effort last week to prove that his No Child Left Behind education bill is working, President Bush, citing recently released improved math test scores, declared, "Childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured"...thus finally answering his own 2001 question, "Is our children learning?

It's pretty sad when, by comparison, both Buckwheat and Ali G are the great communicators. Both have a better command of the English language than our grammatically-challenged president. Just when I think this colossal dunce cannot possibly embarrass us any more he offers up another of his legendary malapropisms.

"Yo, check it....me Laura and me does fink dat childrens need dem teachers to, like, stop chekin out their l'ittle behinds. Dats sick, you know? No childs left behind, or da right one for dat matter, aint nuffin to be messed wif. Booyakasha...."


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

On November 12 in NYC we will be holding our first annual Fundraising Gala, with a musical performance by Alanis Morissette followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Matt Dillon, Ally Sheedy and many others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to sign up to receive details about the November benefit please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be available in November. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

What Does Post-Presidency Look Like for George Bush? Will Anyone Actually Pay this Nitwit to Speak?

Normally when a president exits the White House for the very last time they soon embark on a lucrative speaking career. Corporations both here and abroad pay very hefty fees to hear the proverbial wit and wisdom of our former leaders once they've moved on to greener pastures (pun intended). Bill Clinton, one of the most brilliant politicians ever, commands upwards of $250,000-$350,000 per speech. His predecessor, George H.W. Bush, as much as $150,000 per. In fact, Clinton has grossed about $40-million in the past six years.

Which brings us to George W. Bush, the current occupant of the White House, who has fifteen months to go before he hits the lecture circuit. Bush is anxiously awaiting the day when he can "replenish the ol’ coffers," as he put it in Robert Draper’s Bush-presidency book "Dead Certain."

“I don’t know what my dad gets, but it’s more than 50, 75 thousand dollars a speech. Clinton’s making a lot of money."

That's right, George. Clinton does make a lot of dough. That doesn't mean you're going to. I mean, honestly folks, who in their right mind would pay good money to hear him speak? He could care less about the issues on a micro level; he's extremely limited and has the curiosity and attention-span of a 10-year-old; is narrow-minded; and can't string two intelligent, coherent sentences together without the bail-out of a TelePrompTer. Just what the heck would he speak about anyway? His successful military strategy? His deft handling of matters economic...like how to balance a budget and minimize debt? How to win friends and influence people through skillful diplomacy? How to attract the best and brightest and most ethical staff? If it wasn't so pathetic it'd be funny.

Perhaps some far away land like Dubai or Sri Lanka might someday need some lessons in clearing brush, in which case George is their boy. And probably at a cool $5K per....


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

On November 12 in NYC we will be holding our first annual Fundraising Gala, with a musical performance by Alanis Morissette followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Matt Dillon, Ally Sheedy and many others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to sign up to receive details about the November benefit please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be available in November. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

Bush the Hypocrite Gets Another Free Pass from Mainstream Media

At his press conference Thursday, our very sanctimonious, hypocritical President Bush responded to a reporter's question about last week's controversial MoveOn.org "General Betray Us" with:

"I thought that the ad was disgusting. I felt like the ad was an attack, not only on Gen. Petraeus, but on the U.S. military. And I was disappointed that not more leaders in the Democrat Party spoke out strongly against that kind of ad. That leads me to come to this conclusion: that most Democrats are afraid of irritating a left-wing group like MoveOn.org -- are more afraid of irritating them than they are of irritating the United States military. That was a sorry deal. And it's one thing to attack me. It's another thing to attack somebody like Gen. Petraeus."

MoveOn's executive director, Eli Pariser, fired back. "What's disgusting is that the president has more interest in political attacks than developing an exit strategy to get our troops out of Iraq and end this awful war. The president has no credibility on Iraq: He lied repeatedly to the American people to get us into the war. Most Americans oppose the war and want us to get out."

Pariser's only half right. What's really disgusting is how every single reporter from the nation's most prestigious newspapers and radio/TV networks just sat there as Bush did what he does best: bullshit. Not one of them asked the obvious follow up question:

"Mr. President, were you as disgusted by the 2004 Swift Boat ads which vilified Sen. John Kerry and relentlessly disparaged his heroic military service? If so, how come you did not speak out so vociferously about them? And if you weren't, please explain the distinction between the Swift Boat ads--created and funded by your party--and the MoveOn ad?

The members of the press corp have no balls, plain and simple. They are nothing but scared stooges who for some strange reason, despite Bush's abysmal 29% approval rating, still quiver in his presence. I suspect they see him as so irrational and petulant that they don't want to reap his wicked wrath on national TV. So they continue to sit there and let this self-righteous, arrogant liar regurgitate his partisan rhetoric with impunity. That's what's disgusting. A shameful display of cowardice. Under Bush, the free media has, sadly, been neutered.


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

On November 12 in NYC we will be holding our first annual Fundraising Gala, with a musical performance by Alanis Morissette followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Matt Dillon, Ally Sheedy and many others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to sign up to receive details about the November benefit please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be available in November. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

Thoughts on O.J. Simpson

On June 12, 1994 football legend O.J. Simpson's wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman were brutally murdered in the entrance way to her Brentwood, CA condo. Simpson was subsequently arrested and charged with the double-homicide, in one of the most sensational, highly publicized murder trials in American history. And in what is now a legendary case of prosecutorial ineptitude, juxtaposed with sheer defense-team brilliance, Simpson was astonishingly found not-guilty in the biggest travesty of justice ever.

I don't typically write about subjects non-political, but I am compelled to do so today. The brutal, savage murder of a spouse is, sadly, something I know all about first-hand. Back in '95, I remember watching tv in a crowded bar as the verdict was delivered. And I stood with about 150 people in stunned silence as the words "not-guilty" were read twice. I remember feeling sick to my stomach. Physical ill. And I will never forget the look on the other patrons' faces as we all quietly stared at each other in utter disbelief. A murderous beast had just been given a free ticket back into society. This monster, O.J. Simpson, had literally gotten away with murder. It was appalling. He was later found guilty of wrongful death in a civil trial.

In the years since, this animal flaunted his freedom in our collective faces as he travelled, played golf and relished in life's pleasures that Nicole and Ron can no longer enjoy thanks to his murderous hands. And through bizarre statements and interviews, he would frequently maintain his innocence with bravado and arrogance. He would also go on to write a book, "If I Did It," in which he brazenly describes the murders in chilling detail from the eyes and mind of someone who we're told didn't do it but who is creative enough to image how the real killer did . Could this cretin be any more offensive?

And now the former athlete, actor and still-savage murderer has been arrested again on multiple felony charges in yet another bizarre, twisted crime: an alleged armed robbery of sports memorabilia collectors in a Las Vegas hotel room. Witnesses say an enraged Simpson barged into the room with a posse of thugs, guns ablaze, and made off with both O.J. and non-O.J-related merchandise. He's being held without bail and charged with two counts of robbery with use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and coercion. He faces three to 35 years for each count.

O.J.'s new arrest touches many raw nerves. I for one am tired of his arrogance and his assumption that he gets to commit violent acts with impunity. I'm angry that this homicidal maniac got off Scot-free 13 years ago. I'm angry that his brutish, selfish, senseless actions took two children away from their mother, and a wonderful, loving son away from his family. I'm angry that our criminal justice system failed us miserably back then and allowed a murderous monster to live amongst us. And mock us. I'm not shocked though of his latest outburst. The criminal beast that is O.J. Simpson is O.J. at the core. Nicole and Ron's murder simply brought to light his violent history and the criminality that raged in him his whole life. The many 911 calls and photos over the years of a battered Nicole prior to her senseless death is proof of that. But he was smart. He had us duped with his big friendly grin, his Hertz commercials, his heroic movie roles and of course his iconic football career. But once a monster, always a monster.

And now we have that familiar image of the fallen star being lead away in handcuffs for yet another crime for which he'd like us to believe he is once again the victim. He was merely conducting "a self-imposed sting operation," he claims. Just like he was going to hunt down and find the "real" killers after the 1994 murders. The latest defense is just more of the same delusion from this crazed assassin.

There's a lot at stake here for society now. Will Simpson merely hire another Johhny Cochran-like genius to confuse the hell out of a jury so he can get back to the golf course? Will the prosecution be able to find a jury that can be impartial given Simpson's monumental infamy? Will Simpson face an Al Capone-like fate and spend the rest of his life in jail for something not nearly as heinous as his notorious master crimes? But does it all matter? Aren't we all just simply damned lucky to have this second chance at justice, which could result in the Goldmans and the Browns and the rest of us getting to see this vicious animal rot in prison until his own death? Let's hope justice gets served this time around.


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

On November 12 in NYC we will be holding our first annual Fundraising Gala, with a musical performance by Alanis Morissette followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Ally Sheedy and many others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to sign up to receive details about the November benefit please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be available in November. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

I've Got Two Words for the Outraged Repugs Who Condemn the MoveOn Ad: "Swift Boat"

Back in the Spring of 2004, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT) went public, declaring its mission to essentially destroy the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry (MA) through a series of venomous attack ads, web site smear campaigns and slanderous public statements with the singular focus of disparaging Kerry's patriotism and military record. Funded by such hardline rightwingers as Bob Perry, Sam Fox and former House Majority Leader Tom Delay, they charged--using a despicable bunch of lying sailors who allegedly served with Kerry on the swift boats he commanded in Vietnam--that he lied about his length of duty and the nature of his injuries which resulted in his receiving three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star. It was a disgusting display of the Republicans' ravenous appetite for power. That Kerry stood up to defend his country--enlisting for two tours of duty, leading dangerous patrols down the deadly Mekong Delta--and was a highly decorated war hero was of little matter to these front-stabbing, amoral chickenhawks. It was partisan politics at its absolute worst.

Of course, the charges were baseless and completely fabricated. In September 2004, upon completion of his review of the claims, Vice Admiral Ronald A. Route, the Navy inspector general, stated in a memo to Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England:

"Our examination found that existing documentation regarding the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals indicates the awards approval process was properly followed. In particular, the senior officers who awarded the medals were properly delegated authority to do so. In addition, we found that they correctly followed the procedures in place at the time for approving these awards."

Yet while all the bashing was taking place, neither President Bush, VP Cheney, the Republican leadership in the House and Senate, or prominent figures in the conservative media condemned the attacks. Only Arizona Sen. John McCain, himself a decorated war hero and renowned Vietnam prisoner of war, publicly criticized the smear campaign.

To be sure, the powers that be in the GOP were downright giddy over the effect the attacks were having on Kerry's campaign. It put him constantly on the defensive, and served as a major dstraction away from the pertinent issues of the campaign. And their comrades in the lock-stepping right-wing media ran with it. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and others did their Fourth Estate best to villify this undesputable war hero.

Now cut to September 10, 2007, the day that the liberal political group Moveon.org took a full-page ad in the New York Times asking in a headline, "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?" and accusing the top US military commander in Iraq of "cooking the books for the White House." This was in advance of the Congressional testimony on the war that Petraeus was to provide that day. The ad, as expected, created a veritable shitstorm in Republican circles. A sampling of this righteous outrage:

'08 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney called the ad "outrageous" and said of the General: "Like the men he commands, he is risking his life to protect our freedoms here at home. We should not prejudge him or his testimony, or give him anything less than the full respect he deserves."

Another '08 candidate Fred Thompson: "This is the group that funds the Democratic Party. I call upon the Democratic Party and all of the Democratic candidates for president to repudiate the libel of this patriotic American."

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) who introduced a resolution on Monday condemning the ad: "The despicable attack MoveOn.org launched against General Petraeus today should be condemned by all Members of Congress, including the Democratic leadership...I urge Members on both sides of the aisle to join in support of this resolution so the House speaks with one voice rejecting the character assassination tactics employed by this extremist group."

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader: "I resent the comments of those who have sat comfortably in their air-conditioned offices, thousands of miles away from the firefights and the roadside bombs, and tried their Washington best in recent days to impugn the general’s good name."

House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (MO): "Enough is enough. Moveon.org has gone too far with an ad that attacks one of our nation's finest generals."

Florida Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: "I offer my colleagues the opportunity to use this hearing to distance themselves from the despicable ad that was published today calling into question the patriotism of General Petraeus."

Rep. John Carter, Texas Republican: a "shameful, disrespectful attack.

Chickenhawk conservative Fox News spinhead Sean Hannity: "I see a hero being slandered, an American war hero being slandered...I'm a fan of the military. I love, I respect the hard work and the fact that these guys put their lives on the line for us and our liberties and they're doing what their country asks them to do."

And the biggest chickenhawk faux-hero/patriot of them all, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the GOP frontrunner for '08, placed his own ad in The New York Times on Friday rebutting the ad and attacking "the Democrats' orchestrated attacks on General Petraeus."

All of these comments could have been said in noble defense of Kerry back in '04 (and of Max Cleland and John Murtha, who've also had their military records gutted by these ravenous right wing chickenhawks) but they weren't. Where was the chorus of outrage then? Why was Kerry's record not off-limits to such reprehensible political chicanery, but Petraeus' military service is supposedly sacred? The double-standard established by these morally repugnant operatives will no longer be tolerated. MoveOn.org demonstrated that earlier this week. And I say, bravo baby. Keep 'em coming. How about an ad with the various publicly-available pics of Rudy Julie-Annie in drag, and headlined: "Is this the Commander-in-Chief You Want Leading the Fight Against Terrorists?"

Wah, wah, wah. These "outraged" Republicans are nothing but a bunch a whiny, petulant, spoiled little hypocritical partisan hacks who live by the mantra "do as we say, not as we do," getting their panties in a snit whenever they experience the Democrats' mantra: what goes around comes around.


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

On November 12 in NYC we will be holding our first annual Fundraising Gala, with a musical performance by Alanis Morissette followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Ally Sheedy and many others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to sign up to receive details about the November benefit please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be available in November. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

Bush Delivers Smoke & Mirrors Propaganda Speech

Back in November, by an overwhelming majority, U.S. voters sent a loud message to Congress and President Bush that they wanted an end to the military fiasco in Iraq. Recently, polls consistency have shown that an overwhelming majority of Iraqi citizens want the U.S. out of their country. And while the masses have spoken, our dangerous, delusional war-mongering psycho-in-chief went before the nation Thursday night to announce his latest hair-brained scheme: to create an enduring relationship and permanent military presence in the war-ravaged Middle Eastern country. Instead of talking about ultimately bringing the troops home and ending our occupation, Bush essentially promised never to leave, Korea-style. I truly think the man has lost his mind. In his desperation to salvage his legacy--inextricably tied to this debacle--he's becoming more stubborn, more delusional and more dangerous than ever. He also seems to be attempting to run out the clock, leaving the war for the next poor sucker to deal with.

It's infuriating how Bush has now painted a picture of two great Democracies--America and Iraq--standing up side by side to battle the brutal enemy that threatens to destroy them both: Al Qaeda. For Pete's sake, Iraq is no ally; no friend of the U.S. The fact is, the Iraqi government is closer in ties ideologically to Iran (remember the "Axis of Evil?") than it is to us. For Bush to imply that Iraq is aligned with us in this great battle for the Middle East is a despicable distortion of the realities on the ground.

We also heard how the infamous "surge" is working, but what does that actually mean anyway? Does anyone really doubt that more firepower from the greatest military force in the world could not succeed on some level in overpowering the enemy in a few select regions? (i.e Anbar, Baghdad) But it's only temporary. And it has not resulted in effecting any appreciable political progress there. And until there's political change in that country our military might is only as effective as we remain there. And that's exactly Bush's strategy. He has absolutely no vision or plan for the future in terms of how to truly achieve "victory" (whatever that means), bring our troops home and end the occupation. So he simply perpetuates the war. The longer he keeps it going, the longer he can dupe Americans and pretend that we're making progress; just keep the damned thing going so we never have to leave and face the inevitable.

To be sure, Bush is a pathological liar. He's been lying since 2002 when he first laid the groundwork for this neocon disaster. And he's continuously lied every step along the way since. He's lied over the reasons for war, the progress of the war, his plan for perpetrating the war, his horizon for the war, his justifications for the surge, his assessments of the threats and who the enemy is, and just about everything else. Thursday night was no different.

The president made his speech all about Al Qaeda, which is not the enemy we're fighting, although he'd sure as hell like all of us to believe that garbage again. Just listen to the rhetoric from his latest speech, the same smoke and mirrors from 2002:

If we pulled out of Iraq, "extremists would be emboldened"...and "gain 'nukular' weapons and dominate the region"...it'd be a "humanitarian nightmare"...it would
"leave our children to face a far more dangerous world"...that these "dangers can reach our cities, and kill our people"...and that "al Qaeda can gain new recruits, and new sanctuaries"..and that we "must defeat al Qaeda"...."liberating your country from terrorists and death squads...." and that to Americans, "the violent extremists who are targeting Iraq are also targeting you." He mentioned al Qaeda 12 times. Al Qaeda, al Qaeda, al Qaeda. Blah, blah, blah. Enough with this irresponsible, reprehensible deception...the incessant morphing of Iraq into al Qaeda. The reason why Iraq cannot sustain a true Democracy is because the Iraqis themselves don't seem to want it, and are killing each other daily in relentless sectarian violence. It's Sunni/Shiite violence which has paralyzed that nation, not al Qaeda.

"The success of a free Iraq is critical to the security of the United States," Bush said. "A free Iraq will deny al Qaeda a safe haven." But what about Gen. David Petraeus' Congressional testimony this week in which he confessed that we may not be any safer here at home as a result of the war? Doesn't faze Bush one bit. Remember, this is a guy who earlier this week said "We're Kicking Ass" in Iraq. If we're really kicking so much ass, how come we're no closer toward a U.S. style democracy, and how come instead of pulling out a majority of our troops Bush is now talking about keeping them there forever? Congress, the media and American voters should be outraged, and should be demanding answers.

The war is a miserable failure, which is why Bush has changed the mission almost non-stop since the invasion. Consider this trail:

From the day of the invasion in March 2003: "There's a game plan, a strategy, to rid the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein and rid his country of Weapons of Mass Destruction...and we're on plan.

May 1, 2003: "Major combat operations have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed....."

Two years later: "We will never accept anything less than complete victory.....we will complete our mission in Iraq...and leave behind a democracy that can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself.

Last year: "Our mission is to help the elected government in Iraq defeat common enemies. To bring peace and stability to Iraq and make our nation more secure. Our goals are unchanging. We are flexible in our methods to achieving those goals.

Then May 2, 2007: "Either we'll succeed, or we won't succeed. And the definition of success, as I've described, is, ya know, sectarian violence down."

June 28: "It's a new mission, David Petraeus is in Iraq carrying it out. It's goal is to help the Iraqis make progress toward reconciliation. To build a free nation that respects the rights of its people, upholds the rule of law, and is an ally against the extremists in this war."

WMD, bin Laden/al Qaeda connections, Democracy, humanitarian causes, stemming sectarian violence...this war has had more freakin' "missions" than the Franciscan Church.

Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies, lies.....makes me sick. In his speech Thursday night Bush referred to the "coalition" of "36 countries" fighting al Qaeda and the enemy. I rest my case...

Petraeus Drops Bombshell: Doesn't Know if Iraq War's Making America Safer

In his second day of testimony before Congress Tuesday, Gen. David Petraeus made perhaps the most incredible statement by a U.S. military commander since the war began in March 2003. Under intense questioning on the Hill over the war's progress or lack thereof, Petraeus buckled when asked by Republican Sen. John Warner (VA) whether the war has made the United States more secure:

Warner: "Are you able to say at this time, if we continue, what you have laid before the Congress here as a strategy, do you feel that that is making America safer?"

Petraeus: "Sir, I believe that this is indeed the best course of action to achieve our objections in Iraq."

Warner: (sternly) "Does that make America safer?"

Petraeus: "Sir, I don't know actually. I have not sat down and sorted out in my own mind what I have focused on and been riveted on is how to accomplish the mission of the multi-national force in Iraq."

Holy shit! Did we just hear that correctly? What an unbelievably damning confession. Think about the magnitude of his statement. The General who commands the multi-national force in Iraq cannot say whether or not this immensely costly war is actually making us safer? That 4 1/2 years of battle, 3800 dead U.S. soldiers and $500 billion spent may have been for nothing? I'm astounded. Speechless. Give him credit at least for being honest. And for being focused on successfully doing the job he's paid to do. And also give him the most credit for not allowing our cowardly and delusional president to successfully hide behind his general, who he had hoped would do his selling of the war and, thus, his dirty-work.

Despite all this, and not to his credit, the General still believes we should continue fighting a war whose mission he himself is unsure of. That we should continue to keep sending our young men and women to die quite possibly for nothing. This is an absolute travesty, and an irresponsible, reprehensible use--or misuse--of our troops. After today's testimony, I wonder just how much more insane this military debacle can get.

One thing's certain: President Bush was probably cringing while listening to his General declare that our soldiers might very well be dying in vain. That kind of brutal honesty--a virtue foreign to Bush--surely won't help him with his smoke and mirrors speech to the nation Thursday evening. And it'll be interesting to see how the Busheviks attempt damage control over the next 24 hours. I suspect the spin-machine will be in high gear...

Bush Says "We're Kicking Ass" in Iraq. This Maniac is More Delusional Than Ever

The long-awaited, but highly predictable Iraq war assessment from Gen. David Petraeus arrived in Washington Monday in his 6 1/2 hours of testimony before Congress. And guess what? We need to stay in Iraq, indefinitely. And President Bush's troop "surge" is a success despite being "uneven" (whatever the heck that contradiction means). Surprise, surprise. The major takeaway: he recommended a pullback of 30,000 troops by next Summer, but warned that a quicker, more extensive troop withdrawal would have grave consequences.

Let's give the General a bit of credit. His testimony could've been a helluva lot more partisan and one-sided. While trying to support his boss's mission, his testimony was somewhat "uneven" in and of itself. Yet groups like Moveon.org, which took a $70,000 full-page NY Times ad yesterday with the header "Gen. Betray Us," charge that Petraeus' testimony is laden with inaccuracies, lies and calculated cherry-picking of statistics (remind me again....if an Iraqi gets shot in the front of the head it is counted as a sectarian-related death or not?)

But the facts on the ground in Iraq, and the testimony of Petraeus, did not stop our maniacal, war-mongering president from taking his Lies and Delusion Tour to Australia:

"We're kicking ass," Bush said to Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile, according the Sydney Morning Herald, after Vaile asked about Bush's recent trip to Iraq. The White House later confirmed the statement.

Can you believe that? Kicking Ass? What is this fool smoking? Bush is a pathological liar, whose lack of intelligence and curiosity, and whose mounting lies, deceptions and delusions, make him more of a threat to our security and to world peace than any terrorist. He is an embarrassment to our great nation, and is woefully unprepared and ill-equipped to lead. He should be impeached. Where are the Democrats!??

So, while Petraeus confuses lawmakers this week with warnings and progress reports, we can now add "We're kicking Ass" to "Mission Accomplished" and "Bring it On" in Bush's "Greatest Bloopers & Blunders" collection.

By the way, it should be noted, ever since the surge strategy was hatched in January, it was always the plan to draw down the 30,000 troops by next Summer. For Petraues and the Busheviks to now be portraying this pullback as a sign of progress is an absolute misrepresentation of the facts.

On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

On November 12 in NYC we will be holding our first annual Fundraising Gala, with a musical performance by Alanis Morissette followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Ally Sheedy and many others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to sign up to receive details about the November benefit please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be available in November. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

Let's Get Al Gore a MetroCard

All week long, right-wing spinhead Sean Hannity's been manically promoting his Sunday evening television show, Hannity's America, with promises of "exclusive footage of Al Gore getting of his private jet." This is presumably to prove that Gore's a hypocrite; how could the global-warming guru truly be so concerned with the environment if he squanders so much of our precious energy resources while also polluting the air, right?

Apparently, Hannity has yet to figure out that world leaders use private jets. Perhaps Hannity would like Gore to take the subway? Yeah, that's a great idea! As he's trying to save the planet, he can stand with me on the No. 1 train platform for 20 minutes, sweating like a pig in the sweltering heat, wasting time, on his way to his next stop. Better yet, next time he chairs some silly climate control forum in Europe or something, or the next time he's scheduled to meet some foreign president or prime minister, he could take the "train to the plane" and wait for his Continental coach flight with me and all the other weary road warriors. And also like me, he can watch his flights endlessly delayed and/or cancelled, and perhaps he'll arrive at his destination, like me, several hours after schedule...if at all. And then when he arrives at his destination airport he can join me for a half hour in the cab line. And if he's lucky, he might just even make his meetings. Yeah, I think this is a terrific plan for fuel-efficiency. The only problem is, it's not very efficient for time-management. I won't even get into the security issues....

For narrow-minded conservative hacks like Hannity to suggest that powerful and influential world figures like Gore should travel commercially shows either extreme naivete or pathetic partisan bashing. I feel embarrassed for him. Gore's mission is to educate billions around the globe about climate control and help bring about change. If using extra fuel on a private jet is the price we have to pay for Gore's efforts and what they've yielded in terms of showcasing this very important issue on the world stage, then that's a cost-benefit analysis with a very positive conclusion.

Now if we really want to talk about cutting down on waste, we can start with Hannity's radio and television programs. Talk about polluting the air....


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

On November 12 in NYC we will be holding our first annual Fundraising Gala, with a musical performance by Alanis Morissette followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Ally Sheedy and many others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to sign up to receive details about the November benefit please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be available in November. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

Gore Speaks Out on 2000 Election. Would Tipper Support Another Run at White House?

Hard to believe it's post-Labor Day already, and that means we're on serious Gore-Watch. Twenty-six days and counting until October, the time frame for which I believe the former veep will toss his hat into the '08 ring. I'm holding firm on this prediction, especially as I believe Illinois' Sen. Barack Obama is "fizzling," to use the phrasing of former prez Bill Clinton during a recent chat I had with him. The turf is ripe for a Gore candidacy, and I'm still betting the farm we'll hear from him on this soon.

In the current issue of Vanity Fair, Gore speaks out for the first time about the effect the press had on him and on the 2000 presidential election. He doesn't blame the media for his loss, he told contributing editor Evgenia Peretz, taking responsibility for his communication shortcomings and his inability to build a rapport with voters.

"Modern politics seems to require and reward some capacities that I don't think I have in abundance such as a tolerance for spin rather than an honest discussion of substance," Gore said. "Apparently, it comes easily for some people, but not for me." Asked to comment about his high-profile behavior at the 2000 debates--behavior that many say ruined his chances of becoming president--Gore told Peretz: "The sighs, the sighs, the sighs. Within 18 hours, they had turned perception around to where the entire story was about me sighing. And that's scary. That's scary."

Tipper Gore told Peretz that following the loss, "we were roadkill it took a long time to pick ourselves up from what happened." As for whether her hubby plans to enter the race, she said that Al has not given any indication that he's running, but that she'd support a decision to do so....and that they'd play it a bit smarter this time around given what they learned from 2000.

With NY Senator Hillary Clinton consistently pulling ahead in the polls, Gore must be eyeballing the landscape and wondering if this is not his date with destiny. Stay tuned....


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

On November 12 in NYC we will be holding our first annual Fundraising Gala, with a musical performance by Alanis Morissette followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Ally Sheedy and many others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to sign up to receive details about the November benefit please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be available in November. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

"I'm Not Gay! No Really! I'm Serious!"

Has America become so homophobic that a well-respected Western conservative U.S. Senator can't go into a public mensroom stall and play footsie and hand jive with another man without being accused of being gay? Just exactly what kind of sick witch hunt is this?

Idaho's Sen. larry Craig was arrested back in June for disorderly conduct in a Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport bathroom, charged with soliciting sex from an undercover male officer. The case became public earlier this week when Craig, who first pleaded guilty, reversed himself and declared "I'm not gay...I never have been...I don't do these kind of things." Of course he's not gay! He's vehemently opposed gay rights on so many levels it'd be utterly hypocritical of him to all of a sudden be gay. I ask incredulously, how could a prominent Republican with the following voting record be a homosexual?:

* Voted YES on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006)
* Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
* Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
* Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
* Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation. (Sep 1996)

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you ain't gonna fool this blogger. Besides, everyone knows that it's very common and highly acceptable for men to strike up conversations with strangers while standing at the urinal...or when perched on the old porcelain. It's what we do. For Pete's Sake, we practically go to the bathroom together...just like women.

If you ask me, it was a set up, plain and simple. Entrapment. And it's gonna make me solidly rethink my own 100% heterosexual manly desires to reach under the stall to share a highly testosteroned-fueled bonding moment with one of my brethren. Yes, these are very scary times we live in, my 100% women-loving buddies. I say to all of you undeniably straight brothers out there, it's time to hide your Liza records....


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute.

On November 12 in NYC we will be holding our first annual Fundraising Gala, with a musical performance by Alanis Morissette followed by a celebrity reading of Adrienne's script "The Morgan Stories," featuring Paul Rudd, Edie Falco, Ally Sheedy and many others. To learn more about our mission, to make a tax-deductible donation, and to sign up to receive details about the November benefit please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed $19-million domestically and almost $1-million internationally. The DVD will be available in November. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/

Gore Says He May Re-Enter Politics Again

Former vice president Al Gore told reporters during a forum in Singapore this week that he may return to politics someday but that he has no plans to run for president in 2008, according to The Associated Press. Gore has repeatedly denied he has '08 ambitions, but then again, he's also fairly emphatically stated in the past that he was done with politics altogether.

"I may re-enter politics at some point in the future because I'm only 59 years old," Gore said. But more telling: "There is no single candidate that is putting forward a comprehensive argument about the environment or making climate change a priority," he said.

Can this finally be a concrete sign that Gore's taking the initial steps back into the political scene so as to set the stage for a surprise announcement early this Fall? Will we soon here Gore say something like: "Yes, it's true. A couple of months ago, I stated that I might someday enter politics again but not the presidential race in '08. But I have now come to the conclusion that I can indeed make the biggest contribution to our great country, and have the greatest impact on the issues I hold near and dear to me--climate control and putting an end to the Iraq war--if I seek the highest job in the land."

Stay tuned. Could get real interesting from here.....


On another note, we could use your help at The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We are a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of assisting women filmmakers. Adrienne was brutally killed in NYC on November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; the Independent Feature Project; the Nantucket Film Festival; and the Sundance Institute. To learn more about our mission and to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit our website. Every contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, allows us to help others, and creates something positive out of this tragedy.

Adrienne's film "Waitress" opened in theatres May 2nd to rave reviews from the NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Ebert & Roeper ("Two Thumbs Up"), Leonard Maltin and others, and has so far grossed over $18-million domestically. It opens internationally in August. It's a truly wonderful film that you're sure to love. A link to the trailer is below. Enjoy.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/waitress/trailer/