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So Petraeus and Crocker have reported, President Bush has spoken to the nation, and the congressional war debate is slated to begin in earnest next week. Since the Democrats seem to be incapable of staying "on message" the way Republicans effortlessly manage to do, I'd like to steal a page from the Republican playbook. It's an idea whose time has come: Democratic talking points.
. . . Starting with the good news, the ACLU has won a legal victory (again) with a ruling by a judge who has actually read the First and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution. The ruling bans the federal government from issuing "National Security Letters" (NSLs) which are, in essence, a power usually reserved for royalty (I've actually written about this many times in the past). The FBI issued NSLs to avoid the pesky process of actually getting a warrant before searching or seizing evidence. The judge threw this mockery of the Constitution on the ashheap of history. Of course, the Bush Administration will probably appeal all the way up to the Supreme Court, so stay tuned.
Republicans, thankfully, are doing a good job of self-destructing on their own. This will serve to depress their base in the primaries and the election next year. But Democrats should be warned that their own base will likely desert them if they can't manage to win a few fights in Congress.
Democrats have proven that they can intelligently frame an issue about a place nobody visits, since they have consistently shut down Republican efforts to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). When people hear ANWR, they think of caribou. There's a reason they do, and that reason is because Democrats successfully framed the issue (for once). Protecting streams for fishing is another image they could be just as successfully utilizing to show the American public the face of the Republican Party, up close and personal.
It isn't all that often that a political tactician at Karl Rove's level gives you a sneak preview of their campaign strategy, but that's exactly what happened on Meet The Press yesterday. Democratic candidates should marshal their arguments against these talking points, because they're going to need them next year.
Almost without exception, whenever space ships (large or small) are shown in space, the viewer is put at a distance, listening to engines rumble, weapons PING or ZAP or CHOW-CHOW-CHOW, and explosions satisfyingly go BOOM! This needs to end.
Who would you like to see host a debate? Jews? Muslims? Mormons? Atheists? People who love Barry Bonds? Pickup truck owners? Prius owners? Surfers? Eagle Scouts? Medical marijuana patients? People who bought Paris Hilton's CD? People who bought K-Fed's CD? Snowmobile owners? Amateur pilots? Polygamists? Conspiracy theorists (man, wouldn't that make for good television!)? People who work in Starbucks? People who work in WalMart? People who don't work? People who make the minimum wage? Hedge fund managers? CEOs? Strippers? Waitresses? Flight attendants?
About the Filmmaker | Reprint Policy
This is an experiment in multimedia. If the above video player doesn't work, you can access this video at the YouTube site.
The Democratic debate would obviously be a race for second place, since Bill Clinton would wipe the floor with the entire field. Love him or hate him, you've got to admit Bill Clinton is one of the best politicians ever in the "debate" category. He would not only outshine everyone else, he would enjoy the hell out of himself while doing so.
This letter was written by Norm Kent, who sits on the Board of Directors of NORML.
Media coverage of the letter has been sparse, to date. There have been a few stories in the local Minnesota press, and one on AirAmerica Minnesota's website, but I feel this needs wider attention.