Seems the woman who was the subject of the Kerry affair rumors has gone on record denying the allegation as utterly false. An additional statement by her parents cast doubt upon the comments attributed to her father characterizing Kerry as a "slimeball." The Drudge Report, intent on getting all the mileage it can out of this patently false story is still pumping it, claiming major investigations are underway by the Washington Post, NY Times, etc. These investigations are taking place nowhere beyond the confines of Drudge's sleazy, lowbrow mind.

No doubt the CableSpews programs are disappointed by the failure of this story to mature into full blown scandal.

Alas! Back to Michael Bryant, er, Kobe Jackson...whatever.

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An interesting selection of quoted presidents. Consider these quotes in the context of todays' political landscape, and try to imagine who would and would not be elected. :)

Also, read Joe Conason's piece in Salon concerning the rumors about John Kerry. By the way, the day pass, watch-the-ad to read Salon's content is a really good deal. The ads are quick and painless, and some of the stuff on the other side is actually worth reading.

Today's music gem is The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta.

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I'll spare you the link to Matt Drudge's "world exclusive" on the rumored affair John Kerry is said to have carried on with an intern. Suffice to say the air of the World Weekly News is all over the Drudge Report, specifically about this "story," which has no legs thus far. All I've been able to find beyond the Drudge sludge is a mention of a friend of the girl and her parents. The former tells a vague and possibly lurid tale, but nothing at all specific. Her parents reference a phone call said to have taken place between their daughter and Kerry about coming to work on one of his senate campaigns. The girl's father has some harsh words for Kerry, describing him as a "slime ball" without any mention at all of what he is supposed to have done to earn that moniker.

In other words, there is nothing here, not until the girl herself, said to have "fled to Africa" appears to make the accusation publicly. I honestly doubt that will come to pass. It would be highly illuminating to see who got this brushfire started - it may *not* be the Shrubites warming up for the coming campaign. Much as they fear a Kerry nomination, it is quite possible one of the other Democratic campaigns unearthed what little there is to this and aired it out, feeding Drudge, well-known for posting anything even mildly salacious about almost anyone, regardless of facts. He was one of the outlets that funneled the Arkansas Project's Clinton tales to a mainstream media hungry to scoop one another on their 24 hour-a-day shoutcasts.

Kerry does not suit me as the candidate to face off against Shrub and his Nixon/Reagan/Bushdaddy retreads, but I'll hold my nose and vote for him because this election really matters. As I have been for the last several elections, I am of two minds about the way this country is run. On the one hand, both parties are utterly compromised by the rich interests that fund their campaigns, give plum positions to spouses, sons, and daughters, and punish them when they stray by flooding their opponents in cash. Voting for either is to split hairs, choosing one wing of the Big Business Party over the other, often based on media analysis of the candidates looks or demeanor. In this scenario, voting for the radical Shrubites is different from the Democrats only by degree, not substance. Think of the Clinton years, where nasty legislation punishing poor people, blessing massive mergers, and sinking national health care were signed into law. Gore was more of the same, and so is Kerry, who knew better about the Iraq war but voted for it to retain political cover.

On the other hand, the Shrubite administration is comprised of many of the old time cold warriors and radical tax cutters from previous Republican administrations, people who have felt for a long time that there is much unfinished business from those days. In Shrub they found a dim-witted glad hander who would be the lying public face reassuring the population that he was earnest, and that all of his decisions had our best interests at heart. Those with their hands on the strings have a Republican Congress ready and willing to cede all of their powers to the Presidency, and they have done so with pleasurable ease. Thus the enormous tax cut gifts to their rich friends and business interests, sweetheart legislation for the energy and pharmaceutical industries, and the destruction of social programs through the slash and burn defunding technique made famous by Newt Gingrich and John Kasich. If you don't know who those two are, find out.

In this more terrifying picture, Wolfowitz and company will remake the Middle East into a giant oil field fit for our consumption. Note where the newest permanent military installations were built - both the Afghan disaster and the Iraq invasion are, and have always been, about oil. It is little noticed but not secret that the Shrubites are pursuing an "energy security" policy which they consider to be paramount. Fulfillment of this policy includes wars at home and abroad. Here, against the poor soaking up dollars better suited for Halliburton and Booz, Allen, Hamilton; against children in dire need of a decent education, and the sick, literally dying for lack of health care coverage. Wars abroad will alter the balance of power in key oil-bearing regions, propping up nasty regimes while our military acts as armed stewards of the great black gold treasure troves hidden beneath other people's lands.

In the latter case, defeating Bush outweighs the paid pandering Kerry has done during his Senate tenure.

Judging by the above, it is easy to see where I've come down this time around.