Now, what were you saying about family values? --
Bush's wingnut Catholic advisor, Deal Hudson, resigns over a little sexual misconduct. The Revealer has more.

While the resolute president flip-flops on the assault weapons ban --
Both Nicholas Kristoff and the Newsday editorial page explain why it cannot be allowed to expire. While you're at it, look back at what Arianna wrote earlier this year: "...Bush is feigning support for the measure while effectively ensuring its demise. The reason is as simple as it is craven: It’s all about placating the NRA, which has promised to withhold its presidential endorsement until after the assault weapons ban has expired."

Parting shots --
from an outgoing Republican who thinks the war in Iraq was unjustified.

Mr. President, your base is leaking --
David Broder last week, George Will this week... With conservative friends like these, no wonder Bush is trying to look moderate.

"Nuance" trumps groupthink --
Good column by Fareed Zakaria on the practicality of Kerry's Iraq position compared to Bush's. I like what he pulls from a book by Larry Bossidy:

Bossidy has written a book titled "Execution," which is worth reading in this context. Almost every requirement he lays out was ignored by the Bush administration in its occupation of Iraq. One important example: "You cannot have an execution culture without robust dialogue -- one that brings reality to the surface through openness, candor and informality," Bossidy writes. "Robust dialogue starts when people go in with open minds. You cannot set realistic goals until you've debated the assumptions behind them."

Jerry Long is more pointed, stating that nuance beats delusion.

How chicken hawks campaign against veterans --
It's all here (I actually saw it here first, but was irritated by the smattering of orphaned punctuation marks.)

States are taking on global warming --
Interesting strategy. (And global warming might cause earthquakes?)

Just how effective has that slimey Swift Boat Ad been? --
Apparently it's working on undecided voters, which is a shame since it can be so easily refuted. WaPo has even more. Eric Alterman says something worth remembering:

"The people in the Bush administration are competent in only one thing: smearing their opponents and intimidating the media into passing along their falsehoods unedited. Now that John McCain, like Colin Powell before him, has sacrificed his leverage together with his reputation for honesty by running interference for this bunch, there will certainly be more—and worse—to come. The Kerry campaign had better find a way to deal with it for if the past two elections demonstrate anything it all, it’s that this works."

Kerry is finally hitting back.

Does the Iraqi soccer team endorse Bush? --
You would be excused for thinking so, given their prominence in campaign ads. But (via Daily Kos) the players have something to say about it:

Ahmed Manajid, who played as a midfielder on Wednesday, had an even stronger response when asked about Bush's TV advertisement. "How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women?" Manajid told me. "He has committed so many crimes."
[---]
"My problems are not with the American people," says Iraqi soccer coach Adnan Hamad. "They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything. The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the [national] stadium and there are shootings on the road?"

Rumsfeld gets off easy, again --
OK, sure, it was more than a few bad apples, but nosiree, nobody in the administration authorized the torture of Iraqi prisoners.

John McCain, Sycophant --
I used to admire John McCain; he seemed to stick to his rather moderate and reasoned principles. I hoped John Kerry wasn't really courting him for a running mate, but I respected the guy. Now, everytime McCain stumps for Bush, he diminishes himself. What's up with this, anyway? Are the Bushies testing his VP appeal? Because, you know, Cheney might be in jail during the next four years, and stories like this don't help Condi's chances.

Remember bin Laden? --
I was following links about the expected October Surprise, leading to this item, about which a commenter said, "The capture of Bin Laden in late October will be our version of the Reichstag fire." Embarrassed that I did not immediately grasp the reference (I love history, but I don't remember it), I googled this. Ah! NOW I understand!