Republicans are increasingly "standing" for a police state.

* via xymphora: "Qatari oil minister Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiya on the price of oil: “If you can stop the politicians from making negative statements, I am sure you will see almost 15 dollars disappear from the price.”

* digby: "In my mind, if Democrats don't stand for the Bill of Rights then they stand for nothing. It's the foundation upon which everything else we do is built.
So, as we go into this election season and we see the shrieking harpies like Bill Bennett and Tony Blankley agitating for the government to repress dissent, I hope the party keeps in mind that while braying about national defense, Republicans are increasingly "standing" for a police state. If we don't defend the constitution then who the hell will?"

* "During a BloggingHeads.tv appearance with Robert Wright, Fukuyama says of Bill Kristol and his circle at The Weekly Standard that during the 1990s "There was actually a deliberate search for an enemy because they felt that the Republican Party didn't do as well" when foreign policy wasn't on the issue agenda. The obvious candidates were either China or something relating to Islamic fundamentalism and, as Fukuyama notes, what they came up with was China. Then 9/11 changed things around, at least for a few years. I think this is very telling, and reveals a great deal about the mentality that's been guiding America's foreign policy during the Bush years." (link)

* digby: "Can someone explain to me why it's assumed that Mary McCarthy leaked information for partisan reasons (because she gave money to the Kerry campaign) while her boss Porter Goss, who was a Republican congressman until a year and a half ago, is not assumed to have fired her for partisan reasons?"

* "Joining Illinois, California has become the second state in which a proposal to impeach President Bush has been introduced in the state legislature. And this one includes Cheney as well. California Assemblyman Paul Koretz of Los Angeles (where the LA Times has now called for Cheney's resignation) has submitted amendments to Assembly Joint Resolution No. 39, calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney. The amendments reference Section 603 of Jefferson's Manual of the Rules of the United States House of Representatives, which allows federal impeachment proceedings to be initiated by joint resolution of a state legislature." (link)

* rimone: "naturally, i’m awaiting the inevitable swift-boating or character assassination or whatever of Tyler Drumheller (beginning with ‘why does the CIA hate US?’), as well as the inevitable discrediting of CBS News (e.g., ‘the organisation that faked documents showing the preznit was AWOL from Tang’) cause as everyone should know by now, it’s gonna be coming to a local media outlet or political site near you"

* c&l have (some of) the tyler video