How can Springsteen, even with "Born in the USA" and "Streets of Philadelphia" hope to compete when he's up against material like "Tuti Fruiti"? How can three gorgeous Dixie Chicks in sexy outfits hope to compete with a 70-year old guy in matching white buck shoes and belt with a good hair weave? But that's what Kerry's musicians are up against: Pat Boone, who is now stumping for Bush. But age and the pressure may be taking its toll on Boone already:.the title of this press release suggests Boone may be confusing himself with Tammy Wynette "Pat Boone Says Musicians Should Stand by their Man." "Let Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews do a concert tour for their guy, I'll do some for mine. I've always been a staunch supporter of freedom of speech, even backing Eminem a while ago when he was under fire."declares Boone, who led the fight to insist that all Americans be forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance his way.

Ralph Nader is becoming as delusional as his number one backer, G.W. Bush. Last weekend, Nader kept babbling about how his candidacy is only hurting Bush. Yet not one poll has yet shown this to be true. And now, in Florida, it's Election 2000 all over again. USA Today: "Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry are locked in a very close race in their battle for the 27 electoral votes in Florida. Bush and Kerry had the backing of 43% apiece in a three-way matchup with independent Ralph Nader, who had the support of 5% Without Nader, Kerry had 46% and Bush 44%, within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Once a Repug, always a Repug, and that means being owned by corporations and hiding the truth beneath front groups. Arnold is no exception. US Newswire: "Eleven board members of the California Healthcare Institute (CHI) -- which provided seed money to the pharmaceutical industry front group "CURES" -- have contributed a total of $559,636 to Governor Schwarzenegger.CHI and the industry front group, purporting to represent patients, are lobbying legislators to oppose five drug reform bills to be voted on in the state Assembly today. Schwarzenegger's covert prescription drug army is charged with killing drug reform proposals so that the Governor does not have to face the public scrutiny of opposing the same kind of populist support that swept him into office," said Jerry Flanagan of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. "To keep his promises to be the Governor for the people, Schwarzenegger should either promise to sign the bills or return the campaign contributions."

Bush's "domestic policy comes down to one disastrous fact: his insistence on huge tax cuts for the wealthy has robbed the country of the money it needs to address its problems and has threatened its long-term economic security. Everything else is beside the point... The idea that the cuts are a rough tool to shrink the federal government seems increasingly ludicrous, given the Republican Congress's determination to pork up every bill with new spending plans. There are only two reasons why Mr. Bush could be so determined to do the wrong thing: because his Congressional majorities mean that he probably can, and because the wealthy donors helping to underwrite his campaign expect that he will... It is a cruel hoax to pretend that Washington can afford to do anything new, even with the modest grab bag of small new initiatives and familiar retreads suggested by Bush. In that context, his decision to re-endorse the Social Security overhaul plan from his last campaign was terrifying."

Conventional Wisdom -- Weapons of Mass Distraction Edition -- Roadmap to Mideast peace is full of twists, land mines and potholes. Meanwhile the president can't even stay on his Segway scooter.

"Dear Horse: She died for her country. These are supposed to be words of solace, of comfort. And indeed there is a nobility to a sacrifice like that. It can help to cushion the blow. And if you could manage to believe it in this case, you would be able to sleep a lot better than I have been able to recently. Because no matter how I look at this thing I can't convince myself that these brave people are really dying for their country. I understand their desire, their need to believe this. But in reality, these folks are dying in the service of a grandiose scheme for world domination cooked up in the brains of greasy little f**k-wads like Richard Perle and William Kristol, as well as the Mayberry Machiavelli who seized on the chance to cash in a national tragedy to assure the re-election of the most incompetent chief executive of the twentieth century."

James Carroll writes: "Look at what America has become. We are moving on steel treads across a harsh landscape as a creature of destruction, kicking up clouds of unreality through which we see illusions of our efficiency and virtue... Americans overwhelmingly support this war - but do we understand it? [Set aside abstractions and focus on the physical effects of our bombing. If Washington were the target of a 'shock and awe' campaign, the US Capitol would now be rubble, and the White House a smoldering ruin - along with Camp David and the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas.] Such is a 'limited' campaign, targets chosen 'humanely' according to a strategy of 'decapitation.' We can leave until later the question of who and how many are dead and wounded. And what, exactly, would justify such destruction? [If our nation were on the receiving end,] we would see 'shock and awe' for exactly what it is - terrorism pure and simple."

John Pilger reports: "Today is a day of shame for the British military as it declares the Iraqi city of Basra, with a stricken population of 600,000, a 'military target'... Having destroyed its water and power supplies, cut off food supply routes and having failed to crack its human defences, [Blair and Bush are now preparing to lay siege to Iraq's second city which is more than 40 per cent children. Here is an impoverished country under attack by a superpower, the United States, and its 'coalition' accomplice, Britain, which boasts one of the world's best 'professional' armies. Believing their own propaganda, the military brass has been stunned by the Iraqi resistance. The truth is that the Iraqis are fighting like lions to defend not a tyrant but their homeland.] The historical comparison Tony Blair and his propagandists fear is that of the British defending themselves against invasion. That happened 60 years ago and now 'we' are the rapacious invaders."

George Soros writes: "Iraq is the first instance in which the Bush doctrine is being applied, and it is provoking an allergic reaction. The doctrine is built on two pillars: First, the United States will do everything in its power to maintain unquestioned military supremacy; second, it arrogates the right to preemptive action. These pillars support two classes of sovereignty: American sovereignty, which takes precedence over international treaties; and the sovereignty of all other states, which is subject to the Bush doctrine. This is reminiscent of George Orwell's Animal Farm: All animals are equal but some are more equal than others."

We live in strange times. One of the strongest and clearest voices against the insane Bush neoconservative war party is Pat Buchanan. The Bushies not only hijacked the election and America, they hijacked their own party: "Whose War?A neoconservative clique seeks to ensnare our country in a series of wars that are not in America's interest." --by Patrick J. Buchanan.

In an exclusive investigative report from Warwick, RI, Mike Hammerschlag writes: "The worst US fire in a quarter century ripped through an aging ramshackle bar 3 miles from my home, immolating 97 souls and savaging the lives of hundreds of others. About 340 people were in the crowded low-ceilinged club when the headliner band ignited fireworks. 'If I knew they were going to do that, I would have been scared,' said a trapped patron. The wall behind the band, hit by a raft of sparkler sparks, was covered by foam rubber sheets pressed into the shape of repeating egg cartons - a standard acoustical dampening material, but this stuff was incredibly flammable and could have been ignited by a cigarette, a tossed match. It was 'the lowest grade, the cheapest stuff'; 2 1/2"' thick packing foam worth $575 for 25 sheets of 3'x7' size installed in June 2000. Flame retardant foam would have cost double, or about $6 per fatality."

Bush Tells California: "Drop Dead for All I Care, After All You Didn't Vote For Me And We Bushes Get Even": To the Rest of The Nation, He Says "Screw You If You Don't Like My Exteme Right Wing Cabinet" In a "candid" conversation with apologist "jounalist" Britt Hume, Dubya told it like it is: Support me or I won't give a crap about you.

Who Does Bush Select to Head the Energy Department? Why Not a Man Who Tried to Kill the Agency? Smart Thinking There W. Of Course, we are facing a winter energy crisis right now and probably need someone who recognizes the need for an energy department. But that would be a little slick, huh? Spencer Abraham,the Energy Department Secretary nominee, joins John Ashcroft in the club of recently defeated senators who Bush picked up out of the dust bin to serve the country. That's Bush's compassionate conservatism for you. He's always on the lookout for hiring the unemployed.

GOP Congressmen are Split Over Who Will Head the Powerful Ways and Means Committee: Phil Crane, a recovering alcoholic, or Bill Thomas, accused by his hometown paper of adultery with a high-powered drug company lobbyist. A battler with the bottle or a man who slept with the head lobbyist for the industry that he monitors. (We got it from the Bakersfield Californian who published the charges this summer, in case you think we're making this up), now that's a tough choice. This MSNBC article doesn't get into the dirty details, because the Democrats didn't bother to make a deal of Congressman Bill Thomas's dalliance with the leading drug company hired hand. So it's pretty much a dead issue now. Ain't integrity grand?

Well, Jeb is now saying that if Gore somehow gets the votes that he deserves, the Florida Governor will sign a bill declaring bro' Dubya the winner of the Florida election. Those Bush brothers sure now how to rig the game. That's what they call "gentlemen's rules" in Bush country.

The NAACP supporting George W. That's what some Bush dirty pranksters are up to it seems. Black voters in Virginia and Michigan received calls allegedly from the NAACP telling them to vote for Bush. Oh sure, and Jerry Falwell has endorsed Al Gore. Right, uh-huh.

Will union members really be influenced by the NRA propoganda? Will they give in to baseless fears about their guns? It might just happen. Blue collar males willing to vote for their guns over their wallets. Pity their poor families when Bush starts stealing the food of their table with a tax break for the rich.

In endorsing Gore, the New York Times went out of its way to say nice things about Dubya. Are they hedging their bets in case Bush wins and they want access to his administration? Or are they truly blind to Dubya's sophomoric lying and flaws? It takes one of our readers to take on the esteemed paper of record.

Gore is losing a bit in the polls nationally, but gaining in key states. The possibility that Al could win the electoral vote but lose the popular vote is becoming a bit more real. Let's hope he wins both. Otherwise this nation is going to have its undies in a bunch for sometime to come.

Nader appears to be relatively indifferent about the fate of Roe V. Wade, as he is about many non-corporate corruption issues. So NARAL has launched an ad campaign to let Americans know that voting for Nader is a vote for endangering a woman's choice. See the news release and the ad itself.

Last week, Democrats.com doubled a $1000 reward offered by a a group of Alabama Vietnam veterans for proof that Bush reported for duty in Alabama in 1972, as he repeatedly said he did. No one has yet claimed that reward. Now there's another $2000 reward - this time for proof that Bush reported for duty in Texas any time between May 1972 and July 1973. Again, Bush insists he reported for duty during this period. But the facts show otherwise. This reward is being advertised in newspapers across the country. It's time the media noticed that George W. Bush was both AWOL and a liar.

Bring on Bill. Campaigning in Virginia for Charles Robb, the President was also helping out the Gore/Lieberman ticket by boosting black voter turnout. Let the big dog loose!

George W. took the day off on Sunday, which is consistent with his leisurely style of running the state of Texas. The NYT recently reported that he takes two hour lunch breaks and wraps a day (of photo opportunities and 15-minute death penalty considerations)up by 5 pm. Meanwhile, Gore shored up black support in Michigan and Lieberman finally called into question Bush's ability to lead. Let's hope that it's not too little, too late.

We have a plethora of pundits in the lofty world of American journalism. But in this election, most have then seem to have swallowed hook, line and sinker the Bush fantastic fantasy campaign. It took America's best known movie critic to say the emperor is wearing no clothes.

Why don't we know the truth about George Bush's past? Demand answers from the media TODAY!

According to Moveon.org, "It now looks like Nader will cost Gore the presidency. In key swing states -- Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Maine, New Mexico -- Nader has garnered enough support to throw the electoral votes to Bush. And those votes could very likely make the difference." Read the full letter to learn what YOU can do to avoid a repeat of 1980, when John Anderson siphoned enough votes from Jimmy Carter to elect Ronald Reagan. Old-timers remember this produced a massive recession, added $3 trillion to the national debt, and pushed America far to the right.

The guy only wants to be president for two reasons: to get back at Clinton and to show his parents that he's better than his brother Jeb. He would be much happier greeting fans at baseball games. It also suits his casual attitude toward work. So let's create the poition of minor league baseball commissioner for George W. (Hey, we don't want to let him fun the major leagues. Baseball is too important of an American tradition for Dubya to head the show.)

What's a few trillion dollars off of budget here and there? Bush doesn't think much of it. That's why he has proposed a social security plan that kind of plays fast and loose with a trillion dollars either way. Hey, the guy loves "fuzzy math," what can we say?

If the election were held now, Gore would probably win and the Democrats would control the House of Representatives. That's the good news coming from the latest Reuters/MSNBC tracking poll. Also worthy of note: Nader has gained a bit in the last few days, now up to 6 percent. That could hurt Gore in hotly contested states.

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Isn't life grand. The Sunshine State was supposed to be a cakewalk for George W. What with brother Jeb, allegedly the younger but smarter one, being the Governor and all. But some GOP stalwarts are grousing that bro' Jeb isn't going all out for his sibling. Seniors are also a bit concerned about Dubya's commitment to Medicare and Social Security. And let's not forget that Joe Lieberman is a vote magnet to the retired Jewish northerners who now call Florida their home. Poor George W. It wasn't supposed to be this hard for the prodigal son.