previous issue July 9

Will the Democrats Ever Learn? by Robert Parry A popular Washington saying holds that “politics is about the future, not the past.” Regrettably, that often translates into sweeping serious wrongdoing under the rug in the name of “looking to the future” — a mistake the Democrats appear poised to make again in approving a new wiretapping law. What infuriates the Democratic “base” and many other Americans about this “compromise” bill is not only that it grants the President powers beyond the narrow technological fixes that were initially cited, but that it sanctions a cover-up of George W. Bush’s past abuses of power. If the Democratic leaders push through this legislation, with retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies that aided Bush’s warrantless wiretaps, the one remaining door for discovering the truth about Bush’s program may be slammed shut for good. Why Were We in Vietnam? by Harold Meyerson Doing business in China is beginning to cost real money. Not that Chinese workers are buying second homes or anything like that: Their average wage is still a little short of a dollar an hour. But so many Chinese have now left their villages for the factories that the once bottomless pool of new young workers is beginning to run dry, and the wages of assembly-line employees are rising 10 percent a year. Worse yet, new labor laws are making it harder for employers to cheat their workers out of their wages and benefits. Many American businesses that do their manufacturing in China had warned against those laws; the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai had flatly opposed them. But the good old days of Maoist labor discipline, when the government could send tens of millions of skilled workers down to the farms to be toughened up and periodically tortured, are gone. Mao's heirs, though not above a touch of torture here and there just to keep the system humming along, are concerned, as he was not, with achieving social harmony, even if that means compelling employers to sign, and honor, contracts with their employees. “Progressives for Obama” Fool Themselves by Glen Ford The “Progressives for Obama” project was always doomed, largely because the candidate was determined to pull the rug from under it at his earliest opportunity. That time has arrived, in such dramatic fashion that even the corporate media recognize that Obama’s sharp Right turns are irreversible and much more clearly reflect his essential political nature. Obama chuckled last week at the very thought of having been "tagged as being on the Left" - and then unceremoniously jettisoned those Leftists that had taken it upon themselves to claim him as one of their own. Bar-Echo Chamber The latest addition to Slate's dictionary of Obamaisms by Chris Wilson Since Slate first launched its Encyclopedia Baracktannica in February, more than 800 readers have written in with their own Obamaisms, from "Barack Ness Monster" to "Post-Baracalyptic." Satire: Belief You Can Change The Triumph of Faith-Based Politics by Ted Rall I believe in John McCain. Which is why I don't believe him. When John McCain said he wanted to stay in Iraq 100 years, he didn't mean it. He just said it to get elected. Satire: McCain Issues Top 10 Funniest Ways to Kill Iranians by Andy Borowitz Citing what he called the "overwhelmingly positive response to my jokes about killing Iranians," presumptive G.O.P. presidential nominee John McCain issued today a list of his favorite humorous remarks on the subject. The list ends with what Sen. McCain dubs the number one funniest way to kill Iranians: "Vote for me."

Today's Quote:

"If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin."

- Samuel Adams

Editor's Notes & Rants:

John McCain says he doesn't care if Iraqi PM Maliki wants a timetable for withdrawal. He's running for Emperor, not negotiator.

Do you want 19th century stupidity in a 21st century leader? McCain proves once again that he considers the Iranian people, not the government, to be "the enemy."

Burn the evidence. McCain's wack-job "spiritual advisor" John Hagee orders YouTube to remove all record of his racist rants.

Is there only one patriotic Congressman left in America? Today Dennis Kucinich will introduce a single article of impeachment, for lying the country into war. [Plain Dealer] I can already see the treasonous Dems slithering back into their dens to protect the guilty. The precident they are setting will doom America.

Don't even think about not supporting the NeoFascist Agenda! Feds to use top-secret weapons to prevent any dissent at both party conventions this fall.

Obama says he hasn't moved to the center. Duh. He's always been there, all that nonsense about him being such a liberal just just crap Rush Limbaugh pulled out of his fat ass, and the GOPbots have been mindlessly parroting ever since.

John Edwards says he'd consider accepting VP slot. That might be the only way progressives would consider voting for Obama at this point.

AG Mukasey refuses to hold accountable officials who politicized Justice Department honors program.