Thank you for calling attention to FL-13.  Regardless of the outcome of this race, it makes a dramatic statement against paperless voting.  I hope that our new Congress will address this issue so that Americans can be confident in their elections again.

The numbers listed for the WY-AL race are incorrect according to CNN.  Trauner (D) is trailing Cubin by 970 votes (93,197 vs 92,227), not the 18,336 that you list.

Thanks for pointing out the typo on Trauner vote numbers.  Looks like they accidentally copied the number from Burner who appears right above Trauner. 

All fixed.

To Battlebob,

George McGovern is the first person I ever voted for - and I canvassed here in NJ. I heard him speak about his plan on one of the radio shows and thought some of the ideas interesting and they could lead to regaining some respect in that area of the world. But, I am not sure how that plan would actually deal with the political and military issues.

I prefer the Kerry/Feingold plan that 13 Senators backed last July. This is a serious plan that included having a serious regional summit to find a political solution leveraging the desires of all the neighbors for a stable Iraq. It retained an over the horizon force that could deal with Al Qaeda or other terrorists. It would also get the troops out from the middle of a civil war.

When it was debated in the Senate, Senator Warner thought its time had not come, but was positive about it being a thoughtful plan. Here is a link explaining Kerry/Feingold:

http://www.johnkerry.com/initiatives/kerry_feingold/

Karennj,
I remember the plan well and it was as specific as possible at the time.
A summit of all stakeholders is necessary.
But it was impossible for JK to put a lot of details in as they would be targets by Bush.
What I like about McGovern’s plan is by putting hard figures he is able to show how little it will cost to get us out of there.
It demands active engagement with a lot of countries that are not very friendly now.

The Repubs are twisting Kerry’s words by saying a phased withdraw is impossible because as we pull troops out, the violence against the remaining troops goes up.  They ignore the fact that in some areas - mainly in the south - where troops have been removed, the fighting has died down as local militias are taking over.

People are people.  no one wants a bunch of murderers running around.  If given the option, the locals will deal with the local thugs.

The troops from the region would only come as the result of a summit.

Neither plan mentions partitions whch would divide Iraq into the Turkey part, the Iran part and the oil-less part.

My concern is to insure the country is rebuilt to where it was before the invasion.

We owe the people that.

Results are in, and once again Idaho has proven to be a representative monopoly.  I was looking forward to e-mailing a democratic victor in my state, but alas....yet again, there is non.  However, I am very pleased to see the chance for real competition in Washington D.C.  I hope Democrats will use this opportunity to force meaningful debate on Iraq, the economy, and education to name a few.  Go after them, Democrats have been given a chance to make the positive possible again, don’t waste it.

Probus,
Very troubling, though--sigh--not surprising to read about Hayworth’s refusal to concede. As an ex-Arizonan, I know that thug/second-rate sportscaster Hayworth all too well, and this latest maneuver of his is typical Hayworth behavior. Of all the Congressional races that brought a smile to my face, Mitchell’s victory is the one that brought me the most joy. I hope this is resolved quickly, so that Mitchell can start his term in proper fashion.

We lived in Phoenix from the 60’s thru 2005 - except for a 7 year stretch in Florida - and developed a real contempt for JD Hayworth.
He was always the Repub mouthpiece and would support any position the Repub leadership told him to take.  He is a mean-spirited, repulsive person and his defeat and current struggles brings wide smiles to our faces.  JD curried favor by being a money-making machine for the party and riding the wave of hate and smear that served Repubs so well.
He was one of the many who took money from Abramhoff.

His only saving grace is we both took our cats to the same vet.  When he was a sportscaster, he was a friendly, smiling oaf.
When he got his taste of power, he became a gold plated jerk.

This is a funny story.

I was listening to the Stephanie Miller Show and Major Paul Hackett called in. 

Major Hackett was relaying his voting experience on Tuesday.  As many might now he lives in a small town outside Cincinnatti, Ohio. 

It’s a small town!  Anyone who lives in a small town knows everyone knows everyone in a small town.

So there he was in line trying to vote.

His license is registered with his work address and his work phone number.  And the voting clerk recognised him and knew who he was yet she would not let him vote until he proved to her that he lived where he lived.

So he went out to his car to look for some proof to show his neighbor.  Would he be able to vote?

His credit cards were no use.  His license was no use.  Yet hidden in a secret compartment was his Kerry support coupon that had his name and address.

And that’s how Paul Hackett got to vote.

On some lighter notes,

GREAT story on Paul Hacket, Tia

When I first posted this morning, the only thread was the last one so a repeat. Kerry bloggers, come by The Democratic Daily today and wish Pamela Leavey a Happy Fiftieth Birthday!

To John Kerry and his Democrat colleagues such as Barack Omaba, Hillary Clinton and to all the new Democrat candidates elected like Joe Sestak,
Congratulations.

As an interested Australian citizen who has been on John Kerry’s mailing list for over one year Ive been watching the campaign unfold and your national mid term elections unfold.

This result of the American people voting the Democrats into the House of Reps & to the Senate is such a great result just not for your country but for mine, Australia.

As of USA close allies on a number of fronts both military and diplomatic, most Australians have been concern for a long time that our American allies and friends were heading down a dangerous path under Bush & Rumsfeld, just as we here know our leader John Howard has lead us down the same wrong path.

You have made a great correction in policy for a better future for your country USA and for mine, Australia with this great victory for the democratic process.

Now it’s our turn with Australia’s national elections due within 12 months.
My hope is for a landslide victory by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) lead by Kim Beasley.
As a thirty year activate member of the ALP, the next elections is about the most important in last 20 years given some of the problems facing our countries, the IRAQ war and Global Climate change.

Finally if all of us forget the lessons of history we will fail. So here are some quotes from our respective pasts as a guide for the road ahead:

1. A two quotes from the history of the USA:

-"If the choice is between a free press and a Government, give me a free press”
and
-"the care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government”
= Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President and drafter of the words of ‘the American Declaration of Independence’. 

Finally two quotes for Australia’s past:

‘We have a great objective - our light on the hill - which we aim to reach by working for the betterment of mankind”
and
‘It has been said that I hate the banks. The only things I hate are the want, misery and insecurity of any people in any country”
= Joseph Benedict Chifley, Australian wartime leader and Prime Minister 1945-1949.

God bless both our countries, our respective leaders and that we will continue to stand together for the common good of mankind and its future.

regards

Richard Smolenski
Sydney, Australia