Nice Goin', Asshole

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Clackamas County puts Alfred French on leave after he says he misled his supervisor about an extramarital affair

Friday, August 27, 2004

STEPHEN BEAVEN

Clackamas County prosecutor Alfred French, who called Sen. John Kerry a liar in a political commercial, acknowledged Thursday that he lied to his boss when confronted about an extramarital affair with a colleague.Hours later, the Clackamas County district attorney's office said French had been placed on a 30-day paid leave while it conducts an investigation into his conduct.

French's former boss, James O'Leary, said he asked French about the rumored affair with a secretary about 10 years ago, but French denied it. O'Leary said he would have fired French if he'd admitted the relationship because it violated office policy.

French, who said he served in the same military unit with Kerry for two months in 1969, has come under intense scrutiny in the past week as the anti-Kerry ad has become a central issue in the presidential campaign. Suddenly, the well-respected Oregon prosecutor found himself the target of questions about his own credibility and the truthfulness of his statements against Kerry.

French's affidavit supporting the ad accused Kerry of exaggerating his war record, yet French conceded that he was relying on the account of war buddies, not what he witnessed. Since then, he's faced pickets outside his office and complaints of unethical conduct to the state bar.

As a sidenote, who names their kid Stephen Beaven?

Commercial Troubles

So the Bush campaign is obviously struggling to find any accomplishments to highlight in their commercials. They've got the swiftboat liars doing some of the dirty work and if any of you have watched the olympics, you've seen the terrible ad highlighting the two new "democracies" at the games. Unfortunately, the Iraqi soccer team was pretty pissed.

Midfielder Salih Sadir said that the Iraqi team - which won its group stage in Greece - was furious that it had been used in Bush's re-election campaign ads.

"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," Sadir said .

One player accused the U.S. President of committing "many crimes", and another said he would be fighting U.S. occupation troops if he were not at the Olympic Games in Athens.

Did you hear that Bush? If he wasn't playing soccer he'd be in Iraq fighting against our kids over there. But that's not all, now the olympic committee is criticizing the ad and calling for the ad to be removed. Why not just campaign on the issues Georgie Boy??? Oh, that's right, then you're totally fucked.

More Shenannigans

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African American leaders from across the country are voicing their support for President Bush. Join the African American Team to show your support today!

It really says that, so I thought I'd better join up! I figure they've got so many African American leaders that they could use a Dutch/Irish whiteboy from the Northwest, just to keep it real.

Wow

Is all I have to say about Christopher Allbritton's latest reports from Najaf. Go check it out.

Shenannigans

I was just surfing the BC'04 site and found something rather interesting. Under the "5 ways to help right now" section, #4 is "vote early for George W. Bush." Link

This election could be as close as 2000, and there is nothing more important you can do to help reelect President Bush than make sure that you and those that support President Bush cast their vote. If you are a registered voter, you may be eligible to cast your vote early by mail or in person.

Not my emphasis.

Gee, I wonder why that is so important?

Fucking Asshole

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Less than a half-hour before the 5 p.m. deadline, Nader supporters gave the state what officials later said were 18,186 signatures. That's well over the 15,306 they need.

But the fight may not be over. Although county elections workers have verified the signatures, state Elections Division officials said they will scrutinize the petition sheets again after claims of fraud. And a union that has investigated the petition drive said it might mount legal challenges.

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For all the infighting over Nader's presence on the ballot, a poll released Tuesday suggested he may not have much effect on the presidential race in Oregon. The survey shows Kerry leading Bush by 54 percent to 43 percent and Nader with 1.5 percent.

I think the fact that Nader has been exposed as a Republican stooge, and the desire to beat Bush has overwhelmed even the most idealistic Nader supporters, at least here in Oregon.

I still want those signatures checked, just to fuck with him.

Hammer of the Gods


Link

The former Led Zeppelin guitarist cast his hand prints in cement Monday as the first music legend to feature on London's reply to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Fitting.

Jack McCoy would NEVER!!!
What about this isn't perjury?

Before recording the ad, French signed an affidavit that said: "I am able to swear, as I do hereby swear, that all facts and statements contained in this affidavit are true and correct and within my personal knowledge and belief..."

In an interview with The Oregonian newspaper last week, French said he relied on the accounts of three other veterans in making the statement about Kerry and did not personally witness the events. French did not return two messages left at his office Monday...

District Attorney John Foote released a statement Monday chiding French for bringing unwanted publicity to the suburban county's office, but stood by his employee.

"I do not personally share the opinions expressed by our prosecutor," Foote wrote. "However, all of our employees have the right to their own opinions on these subjects and to express their opinions on their own time."

Once he signed an affidavit the "right to his opinion" was replaced by an obligation (or legal requirement) to tell the truth. This guy is a D.A. He knows how it works. Someone please clarify: WHY ISN'T THIS PERJURY???? Adam Schiff would never let this fly.

Pat Buchannan is Making Sense

No, really. Link

So it appears that the decisive test of the Bush Doctrine will come in Iran. And that test is probably not far off.


The Israelis have reportedly practiced strikes on Iran by crossing Turkish airspace and have special forces in the Kurdish regions of Iraq. There are rumors Sharon has told the White House that if we do not effect the nuclear castration of Iran, Israel will do the surgery herself, because she cannot live under the cloud of an atomic bomb in the possession of the patrons of Hezbollah.


Enter the "cakewalk" neoconservatives. Though disastrously wrong about Iraq's receptivity to U.S.-imposed democracy, and though they face disgrace and oblivion if Bush loses, they have one last card to play: That is to have America widen her wars with Afghanistan and Iraq with a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. For the neoconservatives, Iraq was simply Phase II of "World War IV" for imperial domination of the Middle East and serial destruction of the regimes in Iraq, Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.


The neocons have not abandoned this imperial project. Nor has Bush removed a single one from power, though they may yet cost him his presidency. And the neoconservative commentariat is again beating the drums for war – this time on Iran.


This is their hole card. If they can ignite a new war, the country may forget how they bungled the old war. In escalation lies vindication.

I know Pat hates the neocons for different reasons than I do. Mainly, he longs for a more traditional, caveman conservative movement. But you know what they say about politics and bedfellows. Welcome aboard Pat, hop in the bed and just close your eyes... it all feels the same.

Muqtada Lars-sadr

Venomous ranting. Religious Fervor. Maniacal senses of self-importance. Absolute intolerance of differing viewpoints…

Am I the first to notice the striking resemblance between the jowly al-Sadr and the rotten-toothed Lars Larson. What? It’s the other way around? Sorry about that, it happens a lot.

Whatever the case, I’ve gotta call similarities on wind-filled assbags like
I see em.

guest post by mcgeggy

What a Dud

When dubya came to Portland on Aug. 13, he was greeted at the airport by former Trailblazer Chris Dudley. Dudley, whose foundation helps children with insulin deficiency health problems, was honored to learn that Pres. Bush himself would present this year's Freedom Corps award to his foundation in person.

Dudley had to make special preparations to excuse himself from the final day of his Dudley Foundation camp; recording a video explaining to the kids that he couldn't be there because the President was recognizing them for a special award.

As it turns out, the only honor available that day was "getting" to be used as a photo opportunity by the Bushy camp. Karl Rove wanted a beloved local hero to meet the prez in town, so all the local media could print that special Kodak moment. They concocted the story about the presentation. Instead, expect 4-6 weeks delivery, probably C.O.D.

"Hi."

Not so fast, Karl.

The Iraqi soccer team are apparently not fans of Bush. Link

US media has touted the success of Iraq's under-23 team as it beat Portugal 4-2 and Costa Rica 2-0 and sailed through to the quarterfinals.

However, the sudden interest in the team - particularly from the US Republican re-election campaign platform - has irked some of its members.

"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," Iraqi player Salih Sadir told SI.com.

"He can find another way to advertise himself."

Sadir has so far scored two goals for the team.

But some players went further: substitute Ahmad Manajid, who played as a midfielder in Wednesday's match against Morocco (1-2) told the monthly sports magazine "How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women?"

"He has committed so many crimes."

Defending Iraq

Manajid went on to say "I want to defend my home. If a stranger invades America and the people resist, does that mean they are terrorists?"

"Everyone [in Falluja] has been labelled a terrorist. These are all lies. Falluja people are some of the best people in Iraq."

According to Sports Illustrated, one of Manajid's cousin was a resistance fighter who was killed by US occupation forces. He allegedly told SI.com that he would have become a resistance fighter had he not been on the Olympic team.