The Kudzu Files

The Valerie Plame Affair

It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out. It's looking pretty obvious at this point that somebody within the Administration revealed Valerie Plame as a CIA operative. Why really doesn't matter - the fact that they did should be enough for Americans to demand full accountability from the White House. This isn't just bad behavior, this is a major violation both of Federal law and of the protection of our intelligence community. Will the arrogance of the Bush Administration cause them to justify this in that smug manner that has characterized so many of their decisions? Will all those Stepford Republicans once again rally 'round, because if a Republican did it, it must be a Good Thing?

The Treehouse Saga

TO read about one of the most absurd, misguided applications of city government I've ever seen, check out this website about a wonderful treehouse
in Clinton, MS. Surely Clinton has more pressing problems than this.

Democratic Candidate Analysis Update

Gen. Wesley Clark's formal entry has once again scrambled the race for the Democratic nomination. I think the candidates hurt the most are John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, and Howard Dean. But I think it may alter the dynamics more than that.

Howard Dean: He's been making a strong showing in Iowa, and leading in New Hampshire, much to John Kerry's chagrin. But some of his appeal was being the "outside Washington" candidate, and now Wesley Clark is challenging for some of those people. There's also the Dean had become the target for the rest of the Democratic campaigns; now Clark will draw some of that attention. And Clark is making a hard play for the anti-war faction. Given that many within the Democratic establishment want an alternative to Dean, Clark is a major problem for Howard Dean. Odds 10-1

John Kerry: His big play was as a defense Democrat. Clark just trumped him. Kerry's sparked no excitement among any group of likely Democratic voters, and is now faced with a potential 3rd place finish in New Hampshire. He's the big loser with Clark's entry. Odds: 20-1

John Edwards: He's has surprisingly picked up the pace a notch, and while he's not a hot property, and still hanging around 5-8% in most polls, the fact that he isn't droping any longer counts for something. Odds: 50-1

Richard Gephardt: I've got this feeling that Gephardt may actually pick up some speed. With Clark breaking the Dean fascination, and Bush looking possibly beatable, hard-core Democratic issues may begin to rise in the minds of the voters, and Gephardt is a clear winner when that happens. Odds: 15-1

Bob Graham: It's getting harder to see Graham as a viable candidate. Not because of anything he's done or not done, but because his strength in the South, which was realistically his only hope, will now be divided with Clark and Edwards. And Clark will appear as a better VP possibility, too. Odds: 75-1.

Joe Lieberman: Lieberman is fading fast. His positions aren't playing well among Iowans, New Hampshire is probably out, and he won't get much support in South Carolina. I wouldn't be surprised to see him officially out of the race by March. Odds: 25-1

Wesley Clark: It's still impossible to say whether his support is deep-seated, or just "new guy" stuff. He needs to avoid a major mis-step and fend off attacks from other candidates while his campaign jells. But he already seems to have a legitimacy that the other candidates have thus far lacked. Odds 12-1

Living With Books

Someone once asked me (an adult person, BTW) why I went to the library. I wasn't sure how to answer. I mean, beyond the obvious - to get books - how do you answer a question like that? What they were really asking was, why do you read books? My response should have been (but probably wasn't), "Why don't you?" I've always read. I'm often reading on more than one book at a time. I always have a stack by the bed. And I read books on many, many topics, although history and science are probably my most-often read books. So, I thought I would begin offering a few recommendations from time to time.

Here's a few:

A World Lit Only By Fire, by William Manchester - a history of the period from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance
Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood Of 1927 And How It Changed America, by John Barry - a fascinating read on not just the flood, but flood controls efforts on the Mississippi back to the 1800s and the society along the river
Sarum, Edward Rutherford - "the Novel of England", it traces the story of a place - the Salisbury Plain - from the Ice Age forward

More later....

What Makes Bush-haters So Mad?

Jim asks; I'll answer, somewhat. And I won't even bring up the hijacked election. Let's start with the energy policy. The Bush administration refuses to even say who was consulted in the development of this policy. They refuse to release any details of the meetings Cheney had with this mysterious group. What seems to be evident is that the Bush energy plan consistes of two things: drill and drill some more. Energy isn't the biggest reason for the distrust and dislike of the Bushies, but it was one of the earliest examples of what has become a trend: the lack of accountability and closed-door modus operandi of this administration.

Yes, our military was victorious in campaigns against two lethal, but much less powerful, enemies. But what of the aftermath? Particularly with Iraq, Bush has squandered the international goodwill that was garnered by the 9/11 attacks, precisely because of his unilateral decision to invade, in the face of very questionable intelligence and against the advice and positions of much of the world. Now, we have a borderline quagmire in Iraq and a detoriating situation in Afghanistan, and he seems surpised that the rest of the world isn't rushing in to help stabilize the country. And we're being asked to write yet another blank check to rebuild Iraqi infrastructure, when so many infrastructure needs in this country are ignored. He has taken budget surpluses and made them into record deficits, by forcing through tax cuts that polls showed the American people did not want, especially if those cuts would mean greater deficits. John Ashcroft's Justice Department has covered over the rights of many people with the same ease they covered statues. And over all this, the administration has operated with a smug arrogance, vilifying those who oppose Bush policies as un-American at best. And they wonder why people are mad? I wonder why it took so long! It's like there are millions of Stepford voters out there, entranced while they mumble "Bush good!" So Jim, I hope you really do like Bush, because you'll be paying, literally, for his policies for years to come. David Stockman came to understand the lie that has been Republican fiscal policy for 25 years; how high will the deficits have to go before the public calls this administration on it?

Democratic candidate update

I'm updating my analysis of the Democratic candidates. I think Dean is at 5-1 now. Kerry's fallen to around 15-1. He just seems to have lost momentum, and can't seem to get the wheels rolling. Although earlier I didn't give him much chance, I've got this feeling that Richard Gephardt may make a move upwards. I'm thinking he may have as good a chance as Kerry at this point.

Early Morning Walkin'

I've started getting up earlier, so I could get my walk in earlier. I'd been waking up around 5:30 anyway many days, so I decided tos et the alarm for 5:40 and do it every day. So now, I'm usually out the door by 6:15, after making sure Janet and Kristen are at least moving around, if not fully awake. That's only about 20 minutes earlier than before, but the world is different. That 20 minutes puts me out there before even most of the early risers are headed for work, and the sun's not up yet, although the sky is light. My usual path takes me to the back of the neighborhood and across to the elementary schools behind us.

I walk along a drive that has the schools on one side and an open area bounded by woods on the other. Most mornings, there's a flock of geese working over the grass, looking for whatever geese look for early in the morning. This morning, there was another visitor out early - a large doe bounding along, about 20 feet out from the woods. This isn't the first time I've seen deer in Madison; indeed, I see them often. Once a large buck with a full antler spread nearly ran over me on my morning walk, during the pre-dawn winter darkness. Another time, I counted 6 in a group. What made this mornign different was being to watch this doe as she gracefully leaped across the wet grass, at one point clearing a ditch with a jump that was easily 20 feet long. If she was aware of me, she gave no sign. I'm afraid with the last wooded areas in Madison beginning to give way to subdivisions, I won't be seeing deer much longer. I'll miss them.

A Different Type Of August

Typically, by the end of August, the landscape, the grass, the trees, the shrubs, look tired. Worn out by the unrelenting heat, and the lack of rain, there's a withered feel to the world. Summer is a lingering furnace that bakes the enthusiasm out of everything. This year is different, though.

While it's been hot, it hasn't been that smothering, walking-through-a-hot-wet-sponge feeling. And we've gotten more rain than than normal this summer. So the grass is still green and full, instead of browning and thin. And with the first cool front of the season due later this week, we may miss that phase entirely. On the other hand, some of the leaves on my tulip poplars are already falling. This is 5-6 weeks earlier than normal. An early fall? Or just a kinder. gentler September?