Meet the new chair of the DNC, Howard Dean! Now maybe the Dems will, oh, I don’t know, get some backbone again and not be Republican Lite like they’ve been for the last several years.

“Today will be the beginning of the reemergence of the Democratic Party,” Dean told DNC members immediately after his election. “The first thing we have to do is stand up for what we believe in.”

Indeed.

In other news, Iraqi election results should be in tomorrow.

Florida couple wanted for torturing five children.

Yet, our government just confirmed a man as our new Attorney General who condones this very thing at places like Guantanamo Bay.

To those of you who supported his confirmation yet condemn the Florida couple for what they’ve done to those five children? You need to take a good long look in the mirror, because your hypocrisy is absolutely astounding. If you’re against the torture that was inflicted on those five children, you damn well should be against appointing someone to the Cabinet who sees nothing wrong with it.

“But he doesn’t support torturing our own!”

So what? Torture is torture, no matter who is the subject of that torture–be it an American or an Iraqi. If you hold the sort of attitude that condones the torture of anyone, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

In my view, this entire country–especially those who supported Gonzales’s appointment–ought to be ashamed.

An excellent op-ed on Gonzales’s confirmation. “Mr. Gonzales was a bad choice for attorney general because of his record, not his ethnic background.” (Emphasis mine.)

Excerpts from SOTU 2k5 || Full text

I’m just going to debunk the former for now. Unless I see something more in the full text later on.

Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy,

Huh? I see a big deficit!

with more Americans going back to work,

Wasn’t there a net loss of a million jobs last year?

with our nation an active force for good in the world -

That depends on who you ask.

the state of our union is confident and strong.

Or it’s as divided as ever.

In the past four years, we have provided tax relief to every person who pays income taxes,

Especially those among the wealthiest one to two percent.

overcome a recession,

Which this current administration created but doesn’t want to take the responsibility for.

opened up new markets abroad,

Where? (No, really!)

prosecuted corporate criminals,

Whose names aren’t Ken Lay. ;)

…and in the last year alone, the United States has added 2.3 million new jobs…

Once again, I mention the net loss of over one million jobs.

Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage.

For the good of which families? Which children? What sort of society?

All of the eleven states that outlawed gay marriage in November have a high divorce rate. Heck, half of the people in this country alone are divorced.

Conventional marriage is not in trouble, due to gay couples wanting to profess their love for and commitment to each other. Coventional marriage is in trouble because of its own lumps and bumps. How about let’s fix what’s wrong with conventional marriage first, before even thinking of discussing gay marriage.

The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else.

So what are you trying to do in Iraq (elections notwithstanding)?

That is one of the main differences between us and our enemies. They seek to impose and expand an empire of oppression, in which a tiny group of brutal, self-appointed rulers control every aspect of every life.

So what are you accomplishing in Iraq by continuing to occupy it? The interim PM was handpicked by you guys!

Our aim is to build and preserve a community of free and independent nations, with governments that answer to their citizens, and reflect their own cultures. And because democracies respect their own people and their neighbours, the advance of freedom will lead to peace.

Can we try that here in the States? ;)

Today, Iran remains the world’s primary state sponsor of terror - pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve…

To the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.

If that’s not a clue to something happening over there soon,…

Our generational commitment to the advance of freedom, especially in the Middle East, is now being tested and honoured in Iraq. That country is a vital front in the war on terror, which is why the terrorists have chosen to make a stand there… We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own liberty - as they showed the world last Sunday.

The terrorists and insurgents are violently opposed to democracy, and will continue to attack it. Yet the terrorists’ most powerful myth is being destroyed… And the whole world now knows that a small group of extremists will not overturn the will of the Iraqi people.

No, the insurgents–in my view–aren’t opposed to democracy. They’re opposed to the US occupation. All they want is for their country to be left alone.

* * * * *

I did catch a small glimpse near the beginning. At one point I saw Dick Cheney sitting behind GWB with a Beavis- or Butthead-like smirk on his face.

Here’s one picture; you can see the Veep grinning in the background. He almost looks like he’s laughing like a schoolboy! “Hahahaha! You tell ‘em, George!”

Okay; I’m shutting up for now. :)