Ohio, Republicans, and Voter Registration Fraud:

Republicans, especially in Ohio, have been complaining greatly about voter registration fraud. The truth is that regardless of how much or little voter registration fraud has occurred in Ohio, none of it has affected the outcomes of the past two elections. The New York Times reports the following:

Mr. Ney, the Ohio congressman, cited news media reports of “thousands” of cases of voter registration fraud being investigated by local officials. But a separate study last year by the League of Women Voters found that voter registration fraud did not necessarily result in fraud at the polls. Out of 9,078,728 votes cast in Ohio in 2002 and 2004, the report said, only four ballots were fraudulent, according to statistics provided by officials from the state’s 88 county boards of elections. (Emphasis added by me.)

In other words, all of the complaints made by Republicans in Ohio (the wanna be northern Florida state) amounts to little more than Republican class war fare. And, oh yeah, the guy who runs voter registration in Ohio is also the guy who wants to be the next Republican governor of the state. He happens to be 11 points behind in the polls at the moment. Could it be that Ohio Republicans are planning on stealing yet another election? Surely not!

Bush Vacations at Crawford Ranch:

El Presidente is off to the ranch again this August, but unlike last year, he plans to stay for only ten days. Last year he spent the month on his 1,600 acre spread (purchased with daddy's money), while New Orleans drowned in a hurricane.

This year there are more serious problems facing our commander in chief: the November elections. The Republicans may end up struggling to hold onto their majorities in both houses, along with a few governorships, what with the war for oil gone seriously awry and the overwhelming number of scandals that have beset their besotted leadership.

The New York Times reports that

Mark Knoller of CBS News, whose statistics on presidential trips to Crawford are so comprehensive that the White House refers inquiries to him, said the current visit was Mr. Bush’s 59th trip to his ranch since taking office; as of Saturday, he had spent all or part of 384 days there.

While the rest of America is working longer hours for less pay, El Presidente has taken more than a year of vacation during his six years in office.


Hiroshima:

Sixty-one years ago today, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan, becoming the only country to ever use nuclear weapons against an enemy in war. The debate over the rational of this act has not and will never be resolved.