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Activism

Generation DFA is an ambitious program launched by Democracy for America. Its goal is to involve more young liberals in the political process. Generation DFA has a threefold mission: Create healthy communities at home, put in place a moral foreign policy abroad, and become an organization to take our country back. To do this, they will need our help. So what are you waiting for? Join Generation DFA here, and let's make the U.S. a county of the people, by the people, and for the people once again!

News

Democrats Challenge GOP on Ethics. Democrats on the offensive? No, this isn't Bizarro world. It's Howard Dean getting the party more focused. Democrats have run advertisements in the home districts of six GOP Representatives, all focusing on ethics. With the large number of Republicans being linked to ethics problems, Democrats are in a perfect position to capitalize by reminding and reminding and reminding the voters in those constituencies exactly who they have in office. Now, let's see if Democrats can keep this up for the next 16 months.

U.S. Reports Major Increase in Worldwide Terrorism. Have you felt safer since 9/11? Do you think that the War in Iraq is actually curbing international terrorism? The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), back in April of this year, released a number of 651 "significant" terrorist attacks that occured in 2004. Apparently, that number is wrong, as the NCTC has revised that number to be 3,192. 3,192! NCTC splits hairs about why the number is so much higher, but the bottom line is that we were misled. Again. It's interesting how terrorism dwindled through Clinton's presidency, and then bottommed out in 2000, before showing a big resurgence starting in 2001, and growing since then. Coincidence?

U.S. Evangelicals Boost Green Lobby. What happens when you promise the world to everyone? You get burned. Case in point, Bush. Bush courted both big business and evangelicals in the 2004 election. Now, Bush's environmental "policy" is at odds with evangelicals, who want more done to safeguard the environment. But that would mean making policy that goes against big business, so what to do? This is extremely prevalent, as the G-8 summit is seeing Tony Blair trying to work out a plan for global warming, and Bush saying "no thanks." When we are forced to wonder what happened to our environment, and global temperatures continue to rise, we'll be able to look back on the Bush era and see exactly why.

Editorials

World-Herald Paves Way for Persecution. In a little known, little seen story, there is an important court case going on in Nebraska: "ACLU Nebraska and John Doe v. the City of Plattsmouth." John Doe, in this case, is a citizen who has attempted to remain anonymous. The case is one of many in the U.S. that challenges the constitutionality of displays of the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments on public property. Only, he's no longer anonymous. Last Sunday, the Omaha World-Herald revealed, in a front page story, the identity of John Doe. But it wasn't just his identity. They revealed his car, license plate number, where he works, and his house. Why would the newspaper do this? In the name of good journalism? Nah. They did it because they've been fighting with the ACLU to get John Doe's name, with no success. So, now that they actually have it, they exploit it. What's even more frustrating, though, is that, in the same edition of the newspaper, the lead editorial had "the audacity to demand a federal shield law that protects the identity of anonymous sources in the press," according to Kyle Michaelis. Was it an intentional step by the paper? If so, it was highly hypocritical. But to "out" the identity of someone in an anonymous court case on page 1, and then demand that anonymous sources of the press be held safe is just absurd.

Let's get on with the Novak/Plame case. Despite the Bush Administration's secret wishes, federal prosecutors and grand juries don't just forget about leaks that out the identity of secret agents, and neither do we, especially when they're done for petty political revenge. Unfortunately, the press might just forget about covering the story, and so Nieman Watchdog is here to prod them along with some questions they might be interested in asking. We need answers from Miller and Cooper, as well as from Bush, who has claimed to want to get to the bottom of this case. Really, Mr. President? Well, why haven't you yet? Furthermore, we want answers from Bob Novak, a Pathetic, Unethical, Unpatriotic Hack. This isn't about vengeance - this is about justice, and making sure that our government agents maintain their cover as they gather information to ensure our safety.

Roaring Back. Look, the last thing that needs to happen is for the horrendous London attacks from yesterday to become politicized. But, alas, we're too late; they already have been. Pundits are already talking about London's resolve, and possible retaliation. But Digby, as usual, dissects this foolish thinking: We don't even know who to attack. As he says, "We might need to rethink the "retaliation" against uninvolved parties plan." Maybe we should realize that if our current approach isn't working, we need to try another one. We're still looking for answers, trying to determine the perpetrators of this cowardly attack. But when we find them, then what? Digby suggests "we really, really need to shut down the bloodlust right now and start thinking." Thinking? What, are you crazy, Digby?

Activism

You Have the Need to Know. Psssst, pass it on: one of Washington's best-kept secrets is that your Representative works for you. One of the main reasons our whole system is such a mess today is because most people tend to have a laissez-faire relationship with those who have been elected to represent them. Stepping into that gap has paid off in spades for big-money lobbyists, who now have more of your Representative's time and attention than you do. You can help correct that balance using the tools at Congress.org, which provide many ways to both keep track of what your representatives are doing and to get in touch with them to tell them what you think. One of the best tools there is the MegaVote newsletter, which will email you once a week with how your Senators and Congressmen are voting. There are also search and contact tools, as well as information on how Congress works and a Soapbox area for you to speak your piece. Getting involved can start as simply as keeping track of what your representatives are up to, and letting them know what you think. If you don't, who will?

News

Campaign Veterans Run Anti-Wal-Mart Effort. Every now and then, Wal-Mart surfaces in the news, usually some story about how they don't pay their workers enough, or allow them to form workers' unions, or give them adequate health care. Now, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union is working with strategists from the Howard Dean and Wesley Clark campaigns to wage a campaign of their own: convincing people not to spend money at Wal-Mart. “We need a broad social movement to change this company,” says former Dean campaign political director Paul Blank. The union is counting on tactics like petition drives and grassroots house parties to help them get the word out. Wal-Mart's response is that it provides people a way out of poverty, by offering competitive wages, retirement benefits, and a stock purchase plan. Senator Ted Kennedy, promoting his bill which would identify companies with fifty or more employees whose workers receive taxpayer-funded health benefits, said recently that while public money is subsidizing health benefits for some Wal-Mart workers, the company is showing record profits that its executives distribute among themselves and their shareholders.

EPA Seeks to OK Pesticide Tests on Humans. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed rules that would allow it to accept some pesticide studies involving children, pregnant women, and newborns. These rules also state it would not establish an independent ethics review board to scrutinize human studies on the grounds that this would "unnecessarily confine EPA's discretion." In 1998, President Clinton issued a moratorium on using human testing in pesticide applications, but under the Bush administration such tests are being accepted on a case-by-case basis while new standards are crafted. This testing is performed on humans to determine at what point the chemicals become toxic, but the rules may also allow tests on prisoners, who are potentially vulnerable to coercion, and omit some provisions that would impose more stringent ethical limits on such studies.

Prewar Findings Worried Analysts. An oldie-but-goodie: four days before President Bush gave his January 24, 2003 State of the Union address, National Security Council staff were still trying to find evidence to support the administration's claims that Saddam Hussein had chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons programs. Almost every major piece of prewar intelligence touted by Bush and then-Secretary of State Colin Powell was being questioned internally by U.S. intelligence analysts during the run-up to war. The yellow cake uranium from Niger, the mobile weapons labs, the weapons of mass destruction, even Iraq's connection to Al Qaeda and September 11th: All false, every single bit of it constructed from shaky sources and unconfirmed reports in support of the war Bush was determined to have at any cost. This is why the Downing Street Memos are important, because they contain the statement by the head of British Intelligence to Prime Minister Blair that the Bush administration was determined to proceed with the Iraq war, and that the intelligence and facts were being twisted into shape to provide a legal justification for an illegal and unjustifiable war.

Editorials

The Day After the Fireworks. Ahhhh, July 4th. Hot dogs, fireworks, parties, flags; all ways in which we commemorate the birth of our country and its victory over the forces of tyrannical oppression. But what about all the other days of the year? Does our nation's current leadership uphold the lofty ideals on which it was founded? War is sometimes a necessity but always a tragedy, and while no-one would question the patriotism of the troops fighting in Iraq there still remain serious questions about the justifications with which those troops have been deployed. As yet another Independence Day fades behind us, take a moment to think about what we've just celebrated, and what those who fought and died to give us our freedom might think about how things are going today. Does our flag today stand for the same things theirs did then? Or are we simply nearing the tail end of a grand curve bringing us back to the very things the Founding Fathers were so desperate to deliver us from?

Rumsfeld Has Until July 11 to Produce Iraq Benchmarks. President Bush scoffs at setting a timetable for US involvement in Iraq. It would simply embolden the insurgents, he says, letting them know that we're only willing to go so far. However, hundreds of billions of dollars are being spent (and, in some cases, simply lost) in Iraq, while mandates like No Child Left Behind remain unfunded and the Office of Homeland Security is still unable to completely secure our own borders and internal services. Congress continues to provide funding for Iraq, and military contractors continue to reap the primary benefits in lucrative reconstruction and security contracts while the Iraqi people are not allowed to participate in rebuilding their own country. Unfortunately for Bush, a provision in the May defense spending bill passed by Congress requires Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to send Capitol Hill a "comprehensive set of performance indicators and measures of stability and security" by July 11th - now only four days away. Bush continues to denounce any talk of a deadline for withdrawal of US and coalition forces, and there is currently no yardstick for measuring what success consists of and no way to determine when it has been achieved. In fact, the Bush administration refuses to provide even accountability for establishing a strategy to achieve this as-yet-unmeasurable success, ensuring only that the War in Iraq will continue indefinitely; perhaps as long as there's a profit to be made.

The Price of Polarization. In his first Presidential campaign, George Bush ran on a promise to bring a sense of unity to Washington and the nation. Instead, we end up more divided than any time in recent memory. While Bush deplores the "lack of civility" seen in today's Washington, his own party leadership reinforces the division by promoting a stance based in absolutes: You are either with them or against them. Democrats are forced into the role of opposition party, partly because the only reasonable response to this administration's policies is opposition but also because there is no room for debate in a Republican-controlled White House and Congress. Vice President Dick Cheney famously said "Go fuck yourself" to Senator Lahey, on the Senate floor no less, and later said that it "felt good" and he wouldn't apologize. So much for Bush's claims that Republicans aren't the party of "if it feels good, do it." As a side note, it's somewhat ironic that this exchange took place the same day the Senate passed, by 99 to 1 vote, legislation described as the "Defense of Decency Act."

Activism

Outraged Moderates Thad Anderson has created a political blog for people who like to consider issues from more than one point of view and are fed up with how infrequently it's happening these days. Of particular interest are the Four Things Americas Agrees On, discussing issues that underlie everything we face today as a nation, and the Download for Democracy section, which is a both a thorough how-to covering distribution of public documents via Peer-to-Peer networks as well as an extensive archive of documents in the site's Government Document Library. There's also a decent selection of quotes from various public and political figures, and even a cafepress store if you like what you see and want to show your support.

News

Valerie Plame Update. More big news in the Valerie Plame case? Looks like there might be. Last week the US Supreme Court refused to hear the case of two reporters who are appealing the civil contempt they've been charged with after refusing to reveal the identity of their source, which outed then-active CIA Agent Valerie Plame and ruined her career. Intentionally blowing the cover of a CIA agent is, in fact, treason - and after Time magazine then agreed to reveal its documents pertaining to the story, MSNBC political analyst Lawrence O'Donnell stated in a taping of the McLaughlin Group that the documents would finger Karl Rove as the so-far-unnamed source. Whether this generates any heat is anybody's guess, but if it does turn out to be Rove the real question will be: Does he walk away free?

C. Boyden Gray: Activist Analyst Fox News "Supreme Court Analyst" C. Boyden Gray wants to make sure that Bush's nominee to replace the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor is not "vilified by the left." He's so concerned about protecting whomever this ends up being that he's the founder and chairman of a group called "Committee for Justice," which works to build public support for Bush's judicial nominations. The thing is, the Committee for Justice and Gray's involvement in it wasn't mentioned by Gray or host Linda Vester when he said on her show that it is "our job" to protect Bush's nominee. Never mind the fact that he consulted with Karl Rove in founding it, which doesn't exactly lend it much credibility with the left that Gray is so anxious to protect the courts against. Make sure you watch the clip; as a side note, it's funny how Fox quite literally drapes itself in the flag.

House Majority Whip Exerts Influence by Way of K Street If you're still waiting to see whether the hammer will fall on Tom DeLay over his shaky grasp of basic ethics, you might be interested in what Roy Blunt has been getting up to. As the House Majority Whip, Blunt is second in line only to DeLay himself, and he's built up an organization of congressional leaders and Washington corporate interests that has delivered to the GOP more than 50 consecutive legislative victories. So far undefeated and operating largely outside the public spotlight, Blunt's organization seems a natural to succeed DeLay's own if DeLay should find himself sinking faster than he can bail. In 2004, Blunt's lobbying efforts resulted in the passage of a bill that eliminated business export tax breaks which were in violation of international agreements by the World Trade Organization. In order to overcome Republicans' opposition to eliminating these illegal tax breaks, which would result in billions of dollars in losses to companies operating in their districts, manufacturing companies got a three-percentage-point corporate tax cut and suddenly opposition to the bill evaporated.

Editorials

2006's Most Important Senate Race David Sirota's latest column in the Huffington Post makes the case that the most important US Senate race in 2006 is not the one you might think. As much as we should work to send Katherine Harris and Rick Santorum off with a lovely home version of DC Monopoly, Sirota argues that Congressman Bernie Sanders would be the perfect replacement when Vermont's Jim Jeffords retires next year. Sanders is currently the target of a well-funded GOP and Big Business effort to defeat his campaign, and has refused to accept corporate PAC money to run for office. The column contains lots of background info on Sanders and his record as a strong progressive, as well as lots of left/right infighting in the comments down the page.

Science Fiction Someone once said that you're entitled your own opinion, but you're not entitled to your own facts. They've obviously never met the Bush Administration, or its single-minded pursuit of profit at the expense of anything that stands in the way of profit. This LA Times editorial reports on yet another instance of facts being fixed around policy: Cattle grazing. A government biologist and a hydrologist complained that their report, indicating that cattle grazing in wildlands had a "significant adverse impact" on wildlife, was released with that passage changed to state it was "beneficial to animals." Bush then used the report to justify relaxing rules concerning cattle grazing on public lands ... yet another example of how the Bush administration doesn't allow reality to alter its steadfast course and resolute leadership.

They are more like our enemy, Part II Markos Moulitsas runs down a long list of issues to demonstrate how the American Right (aka American Taliban) have more in common with the real Taliban than with the American Left. Some of the comparisons (submitted by Daily Kos readers) feel a little squeezed in, but in reality he makes a very valid point: Both regimes act from an attitude of intolerance and conquest. For Bush and his followers, you truly are either with them or against them. There is no nuance (except to explain why none of them are truly responsible for anything awful), there is no compromise, there is no true debate. This attitude is still arguably in the minority as far as the US population goes, but a political majority who take it very seriously control both the Executive and Legislative branches, and are chomping at the bit to control or dismantle the Judicial.

Activism

Save the Court. With the Supreme Court battle getting underway, we all know that this is going to be a very volatile process, despite the rhetoric. Save the Court was created to network volunteers to organize to oppose a Bush nomination that would be too extreme, too right-wing, and too unconscionable. Sign up today, and help ensure the integrity of the Supreme Court!

News

United Church of Christ Backs Same-Sex Marriage. It took awhile, but the religious non-right has finally begun to exert themselves. First there was CAP, which we talked about last week. Now, the United Church of Christ becomes the first "mainline Christian denomination" to ratify a stance that is pro same-sex marriage. This gives us hope that we're not all running backwards to the 1890's. Still, it's going to take quite a bit more than one vote of 800 people to bring tolerance back to America (and isn't that the worst part?).

From Memos, Insights Into Ally's Doubts On Iraq War. It's clear that, if you look beyond the original Downing Street Memo, and look at the other five documents that were discovered with it, you'll see that England was highly doubtful about the war. The memos show that England believed that the U.S. going to war was simply a question of when, not if. The memos show that England was concerned about the intelligence, public support and logistics of going to war. But most importantly, the memos show that England could not dissuade Bush from going to war. Anyone else still believe that there was no prior plan to do so?

Group to Ask Clerics to Tell Sunnis to Vote. The Sunni Endowment has called upon Sunnis all over Iraq to register themselves for Iraq's next election, emphasizing the need to be a part of the process. The head of the group, Adnan al-Dulaimi, called on Sunnis to stop the insurgency now, because it isn't helping Iraq. Hey, what do you know? Diplomacy with the insurgents! Maybe Bush should take a page out of al-Dulaimi's book, and stop trying to kill the people we're attempting to "liberate."

Editorials

Damned Liberal Media. As John Cole writes, Republican Senators are on the warpath, blasting the "liberal media" for giving " unfavorable depictions of the Iraq war." There are favorable depictions? See the sunny Sunnis! Work on your tan! Exercise daily dodging bullets! Senators James Inhofe (R-OK) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) both had excuses for the failing recruitment numbers, including the "liberal media bias". Don't these Senators know that FOX News is the highest rated news channel on cable? As Cole writes, blaming the media for low recruitment numbers is asinine. If the Army was more serious about outfitting the soldiers we have, and spending the appropriate capital on resources (instead of a failed missile defense shield), the Army might not find itself in such dire straits.

Crude Courage. Some time in the next 15 years, the world's demand for oil will be higher than the supply. At that point, we'll look back at paying $2.40 for a gallon of gas wistfully, and say to ourselves, "Remember when gas was less than $3.00 a gallon?" David Ignatius writes that now is the time for Bush to look at creating better fuel efficiency, reward those who purchase hybrid cars, and explore other methods of transportation. Of course, Bush won't, so Ignatius hopes that Democrats might jump up. Unfortunately, given their lack of clout on the Capitol, any action would probably be useless. Yet it needs to happen, and soon, before it costs more to fill up your car with gas than it does to purchase skybox seats for the Washington Redskins.

Your Land Is My Land. John Tierney on the Supreme Court's recent decision to allow eminent domain for a "better use." He notes that Sandra Day O'Connor voted against this, citing the Bill of Rights. But the majority ruled in favor, and that opens the door to many more complicated problems. Tierney writes about what's happened in his native Pittsburgh, with eminent domain being thrown around left and right, and the poor results that followed. Tierney's discussion lends much credence to the idea that, just because a government thinks that something is more "economically safe," it rarely works out that way.

Activism

The Progressive Legislative Action Network's (PLAN) mission is to drive public policy debates and change the political landscape in the United States by focusing on attainable and progressive state level actions. It will do so by providing coordinated research support for a network of State legislators, their staff's and constituencies, in order to equip them with coherent logistical and strategic advocacy tools necessary for advancing key progressive economic and social policies. This year, PLAN's national conference will take place on Tuesday, August 16, 2005, in Seattle, Washington. Senator John Edwards is scheduled to speak, and now that he's not under John Kerry's shadow, he's becoming a much more important force. If you're going to be in the area, we encourage you to register for the conference. You can also check out PLAN's blog here.

News

A Little More Skepticism Please. Atrios has the almost-story of the week. When the Supreme Court decided last week to not rule on the Valerie Plame case, Matthew Cooper and Judith Miller went back to District Court. Time Magazine decided to turn over Cooper's notes, which would go a long ways to showing who leaked Plame's name. Guess who the big name is? If you guessed Karl Rove, you'd be correct. Although Rove's lawyer denies that Rove leaked the name, it only makes sense. Rove is linked to this somehow, and it's pure hypocrisy for the administration to demand answers on how Plame's name was leaked when it began in-house. Kudos to Lawrence O'Donnell for staying so close to this story.

In the Center, Hers Was the Vote That Counted. Charles Lane has an excellent analysis of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's role in the Supreme Court, and how her departure leaves "a hole in the center of the country." Regardless of the fact that O'Connor was nominated as a conservative, she has maintained a steady course of actually...gasp...ruling by the Constitution, and not her morals. O'Connor was frequently the deciding vote in a Supreme Court that was divided 4-4 more often than not. Now that she's going, it's extremely critical that we nominate someone who will not be guided by morals, but by law. The Washington Post has a listing of the potential nominees here. Speculation runs wild that Alberto Gonzales is at the top of Bush's wish list, but conservatives don't want him, and neither do we. A Supreme Court Justice who condones torture? We'll pass, thanks.

Review Finds AIDS Agency 'Troubled'. Dr. Jonathan Fishbein had been hired by the National Institutes of Health in 2003 to improve the safety of its AIDS research. In addition to his research, Fishbein raised several questions about the agency's conduct, specifically sexual harassment and maintaining a hostile workplace, labeling himself a whistleblower in the process. Although NIH has corroborated many of Fishbein's allegations, the agency still fired Fishbein. This action has many Republican and Democratic Senators up in arms, who see FIshbein's firing as an example of "whistleblower punishment." An internal NIH report from 2004 shows that it would be considered dicey to fire Fishbein, and that no documentation had been given to him to substantiate NIH's claims of "poor performance." It's becoming clearer now that Fishbein's firing is an example of a bigger issue - the ability of the AIDS agency to effectively conduct themselves. It's astounding that, in this day and age, government agencies and corporations still believe that they can commit this kind of absurd behavior and get away with it. Then again, they have no reason not to, as this administration has done nothing to protect whistleblowers. The point that Fishbein is a respected scientist is moot - his dismissal sends a clear message to others in the same situation that, if they do the same, no one will protect them.

Editorials

America Held Hostage. Paul Krugman on the biggest foreign problem America currently faces - Iraq. Bush has painted a picture of Iraq as a place we need to stay and keep fighting, even though, for the first time, the majority of Americans believe that Bush misled the U.S. into war. Krugman is of the mindset that we cannot afford to continue to stay in Iraq, and although it isn't the "moral" thing to do, we, as Americans, need to, at the very least, demand a timetable for our withdrawal from Iraq. Krugman gives three reasons for doing so. The war is helping terrorists, the "clear victory" we were promised will never happen, and a time limit will do far more good than harm. The coalition is shrinking. There aren't any more troops to send. We're far from winning, and the insurgency is not even close to its "last throes." Bush claims that a timetable sends the message to our troops, that we need them to know that we are committed to finishing the mission. But we're not equipping our troops, and the insurgency is not fighting a conventional war. Our presence in Iraq is making America less safe, and it's time to leave.

Why the Public Believes Dems Stand for Nothing. Is it better to appear to stand for nothing, or to stand for the wrong thing? Looking at the data David Sirota has compiled, 56% of Americans think that America is heading in the wrong direction. But more voters have positive feelings about Republicans than Democrats (43%-38%). Certainly some of that can be contributed to the fact that Democrats have not had any opportunities to introduce and then debate any legislation of substance. Aside from Howard Dean, Americans find it hard to relate to Democratic leadership. Oh, and lest we forget, as we've been saying since last November, Democrats still have no message. Sirota has compiled an extensive list of Democratic blunders, including voting for the energy bill, the Estate Tax, Condi Rice and bankruptcy, that send the message to the American voters of "We care about you, don't pay attention to how we vote." Sure, Democrats have been (mostly) united against Social Security, the Patriot Act, and a few others, but it's not nearly enough. We don't want to see clip after clip of Ted Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA) or Joe Lieberman (D-CT) debating for the party. We want to see Barak Obama (D-IL), John Conyers (D-MI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and other Democrats not from the Northeast making cases that Democrats are still the party of "the remaining 99%." Sirota concludes that it's not about a "liberal" agenda; it's about convictions. "It is about actually making principles dictate policy decisions." What are we waiting for?

A Livable Shade of Green. Bush pulled out of the Kyoto Accords because, in his words, the cost to America would be too great. He'll say the same thing this week at the G-8 Summit. Only, we're not entirely sure how it would cost us too much. We've written before about how individual companies have already, voluntarily, lowered their emissions without cutting jobs or raising costs. Still, the skeptical might say that one or two companies aren't indicative of the whole system. Now, Nicholas Kristoff writes about Portland, OR, America's "environmental laboratory," where emissions have dropped to 1990 levels (which are the same levels as the Kyoto Accords would have required). Only, Portland hasn't suffered financially. In fact, with less tax money spent on energy, more convenient transportation, a greener city, and expertise that is being disseminated to other cities across the world, Portland is proving Bush dead wrong. City incentives for public transit and non-mechanized transportation have increased both, and lowered carbon emissions. Portland also offers financial incentives to anyone constructing a "green building" with built-in energy efficiency. Portland's vast turnaround is nothing short of incredible, and should be a model to Bushco as to how we can cut down emissions in this country. Of course, as long as he maintains that it will cost "too much," but not show proof, he sends the message to the rest of the world that he just doesn't care. Couple that with his desire to remove all Amtrak funding, and it's easy to see where Bush's priorities lie.