cwsox

this is an example of lunacy Michigan cheated its way? Yes, we had violations in 91-92 (how many years ago is that) and forfeited titles, money, wins, records, fired those needed to be fired, did probation and sanctions and how did any of those actions during the Fab 5 first 2 years get Michigan into the NIT in 2004? Please explain that one. Michigan didn't suck. We definately did not earn in any way an NCAA bid but got what we did earn, an NIT bid, and have done wonders with it. That makes for a nice season and a step in the right direction for next year. Illinois this season: 11-19 Luther Head, Richasrd McBride, Aaron Spears hit with 4 game suspension for their role in an off-campus break in. 1-6 Luther Head arrested for driving on suspended license big deals? No. It is sad that every program at every school has these little affairs. So I am not bashing the Illini for these things, every one deals with them. But to say that things that happend 12 years ago at Michigan means for our 2004 NIT appearance is ludicrous. Note the person who posted this is not a Big 10 person. That says something again about the Big 10 that I like.

Ex-Bush Aide Criticizes President, and GOP Lawmakers Come to Senator's Defense By Jim VandeHei Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, March 23, 2004; Page A06 Sen. John F. Kerry's presidential campaign is getting an unexpected boost from an unlikely bunch: former Bush administration officials and congressional Republicans. In the past week, GOP Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.) have broken ranks and defended Kerry against President Bush's assertion that the Massachusetts senator is weak on national defense. Over the weekend, Richard A. Clarke, Bush's former counterterrorism coordinator, said Bush focused too little attention on al Qaeda before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and too much on Iraq afterward. Clarke detailed his allegations in a book released yesterday. In it, he echoes criticism of Bush's judgment and fixation on Iraq that were leveled by former Treasury secretary Paul H. O'Neill in his book, which was published in January. Together, McCain, Hagel, Clarke and O'Neill, wittingly or not, are helping Kerry undercut Bush's chief reelection message: that America is safer with this president in charge, GOP and Democratic strategists say. Republicans are unintentionally assisting Kerry on the domestic front, too. Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and other congressional conservatives are accusing Bush of driving up deficits, a top Kerry campaign message, and misleading the country about the cost of the new Medicare law, another Kerry target. Kerry's campaign is circulating Flake's recent remark that Congress would not have passed the Bush Medicare law if members had been told of its projected cost. The Office of Management and Budget estimated the law would cost about $130 billion more than advertised, but those numbers were kept secret until well after the House passed the legislation by one vote. The flap over the Medicare number threatens to turn the law into a campaign liability for Bush. Yesterday, Bush's new assault on Kerry's spending for his proposals prompted Democrats to highlight the large number of Republicans and conservative groups that have chided the president for his record-setting spending. Although Kerry's aides privately admit the Democratic candidate cannot fulfill all of his campaign promises and still reduce the deficit by half as promised, they say the Bush campaign relies on questionable assumptions to back up its contention that Kerry will spend $1 trillion more than he will save over the next decade. Some Bush campaign officials privately fumed about the GOP comments as party strategists expressed concern. "Bush has some clear enemies that were part of his team," said GOP strategist Scott Reed. "It hurts Bush temporarily, but, while these are distractions, Kerry still has a long way to go to get into the game." For Bush, who rarely ran into criticism from within his party during his first three years in office, the timing and tone of these GOP defections are undercutting his reelection message just as the presidential campaign is heating up. "Even Republicans can't defend what the Bush-Cheney campaign says or does, particularly when the president is caught red-handed misleading America on the true cost of the war and covering up the real cost of his Medicare giveaway plan," said Stephanie Cutter, a Kerry spokeswoman. For Kerry, the comments are a fortuitous distraction from what many Democrats described as an otherwise rough and uneven beginning to his general election campaign. Before hitting the slopes of Idaho for a vacation, Kerry appeared defensive and somewhat error-prone, several Democrats said, pointing to his comment that he voted for the $87 billion for Iraq before voting against it. The Bush campaign promptly included Kerry's comment in an ad to help make the point that the Democratic nominee is too indecisive to lead the nation at a time of war and terrorist threats. To be sure, Kerry has faced criticism from within his party: Several congressional Democrats have said they do not want to campaign for reelection alongside the Massachusetts senator because his positions on guns and other social issues might not play well in conservative regions. But the criticism has gone largely unnoticed and has not become a campaign issue. Kerry, who cruised through the nominating process with scant damage by historical measures, appeared rattled last week by Bush's attacks on national defense and terrorism -- until McCain stepped in and stepped on the Bush-Cheney message. McCain, who ran against Bush in the GOP primary four years ago, said on NBC's "Today" show that he does "not believe that [Kerry] is, quote, weak on national defense." On Sunday, Hagel, a maverick Republican with a reputation similar to McCain's for speaking his mind, criticized the Bush campaign ad that called Kerry "weak on defense." Speaking on ABC's "This Week," Hagel said: "The facts just don't measure [up to] the rhetoric." He said it is unfair to isolate one or two votes over a 19-year career to make such a sweeping assessment of Kerry. "You can . . . take any of us, and pick out the different votes, and then try to manufacture something around it," he said. Grover Norquist, a GOP lobbyist close to the White House, said, "McCain is just full of bitterness. Hagel is McCain's only friend in the Senate." Steve Schmidt, a Bush campaign spokesman, said the president remains "comfortable" with his assessment of Kerry, despite the brush- backs from fellow Republicans. "We will continue to make that argument throughout the campaign," he said. While McCain and Hagel provided Kerry short-term cover, Clarke's comments could prove more damaging to Bush in the long run, Republican and Democratic strategists said. Clarke, who had a front-row seat to White House deliberations over al Qaeda and Iraq, is making the same case Kerry is -- that Bush could have done more to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks and should have done more to hunt down Osama bin Laden. A top GOP strategist, who insisted on anonymity because he represents clients with interests before the Bush administration, said Clarke's comment also built Kerry's case that Bush may have something to hide. In a broader context, Clarke sounded concerns expressed by O'Neill and John J. DiIulio Jr., the former head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives: that Bush is running an insulated White House driven by conservative ideology and politics. DiIulio, the first former Bush official to publicly criticize the president, said in a 2002 magazine interview that "it's the reign of the Mayberry Machiavellis."

thanks for posting that I get very good vibes from this guy relating to our future

There will be at least 3 Supreme Court appointments and perhaps up to 5 in the next 4 years. I do not want G W Bush to make any of those. I trust any Democrat to make better choices that Bush. Kerry has been a Senator for 4 terms. His record is not perfect. No one is perfect. Everything he has done in his adult life (and I remember him very well from the early 70s) gives me every confidence that whether I agree with him or not on particulars, I trust his total thought process and I keenly respect his knowledge and intelligence. That his best friend in the Senate is John McCain says something wonderful about his ability to transcend partisan and emotional distances - they did not start off as friends and worked together brilliantly on the POW issue. There is nothing wrong with anyone but Bush. Everyone has their place where they do that. I believe that any Democratic nominee would have better than Bush. I embrace the concept of any Democrat than Bush and I don't buy that that is not a legitimate choice. I am not talking about anyone off the street, but anyone who would have actually gotten the nomination would be someone in public life who would be better than what we have, much much better. I also embrace that Kerry is going to do a far better job in every sphere that is important to this country, from the economic to national security to not being a divider to court appointments to the environment to you name the issue.

don't tell bmr...

no, it turned out there was no reason to go that evening and I know what you mean you s.o.b. but in that context it was make your move now or I am going home, you with your mind in the gutter

just want to point out no Michigan fan was here bashing the Illini in this thread although I know as a native of Illinois exactly what SuperSeve and Danman and others mean when they talk about Illini fan arrogance because I pull for all Big 10 teams in all playoffs and bowl games, etc. someday Illini fans might figure out why everyone else in the Big 10 hates them All I know is that I was hoping Illinois would have won the other night because of Big 10 solidarity

Bulls***. It is political policy. It is also not true that the cost of war is not being hidden as you claim. You call the White House or the Pentagon and get the Iraqi casualty figures. They aren't releasing them. Just as the US casualty figures have been downplayed. Bob, I don't like fighting with you. You are a good guy. I just want to acknowledge that, as nothing here is personal.

that smirking symbol pisses me off in this context so does your usage of the term "Bush haters" for the record, I despise this current administratuon for all its lies and evil and division of America but to toss around ther term "Bush hater" implies some type of political superiorty on your part which is odd considering all the Kerry hating and Clinton hating and Democratic Party hating we see here so don't be so smug I refer you to Jerry's website and read his positions and those are all the reasons I am voting for Kerry and yes indeed I would vote for any Democrat over Bush and the reasons for the various candidates and against Bush have all been posted here for months (and since September 2002) and are in the archives

what have you read? as Apu points out, such was the stuff of Rambo movies but it wasn't true. He cited the seminal book on that subject before I could but here is a link what was real the troops in Nam were our brothers (mostly, fewer sisters then), our friends, our selves. No one had a problem with draftees doing what they had to do, which was get indicted and serve. We wanted to bring them home. Apu said the rest better than I can.

I agree but someone mentioned Vidro and I always liked his play

tell him to check his PMs too

Thanks, I was one of the first posters to join here, happened to see RPS at USCF and he told me about soxtalk which had just started and he said this is where to get away from s*** like that I know a few folks think I get a little strong on some stuff that I consider hateful and I always worry about that but when I look at whitesox.com tonight I can hear RPS telling me "get away from the trolls and the hate." In a very real way everything I do here is a thanks and tribute to RPS (then known as credefan or MikeSouth or whipwreck or some such thing.... ) and it was a real appreciated honor to get asked by the folks here to be an admin and mod and you know they must have all been smokin' something when they asked me!

that takes the joy out of today I am a teeny tiny tad bit older than you by 10 years and I remember Jan & Dean well my best friend in grammar school was a huge fan of theirs and I promised him that if I ever got to be the Saturday night Art Roberts guest D.J. on WLS (there was only WLS then) I would play Jan & Dean as my pick after I played the top 3 requests of the night (since I assumed quite rightly for a long time that all 3 top requests would be by the Beatles)

not that it matters, but one of my first sexual encounters had to do with Badfinger, and it was me doing the singing... "if you want it, here it is, come and get, better hurry cuz its going fast..." Never had Electronic Music in any form so I am looking forward to hearing it Wonderwall is so in my heart and head, I hadn't listened to it in maybe 17-20 years - really - my ex took the last working turntable I had - and the first time I played it on cd I was humming and singing right along like I had memorized it the day before - some music just gets in your soul

hasn't been a good site in a long time but still... Some troll filled with hate and malice has had a busy day it is a damn shame

"yella" is not John Kerry. I disagreed with his vote on that matter. I am not totally happy with it yet. "Yella" might be lying in the State of the Union address and elsewhere about things that Bush knew were not true, that his own people advised against saying, and he said them anyway to build a case for war - such as the fsabricated nuclear fuel rods - and then "yella" would be outing a CIA officer because her husband criticized the administration over that issue. And the time line of that vote was that there were still claims that the US would go back to the UN which the adminsutrationwas to "yella" to do. Remember the vow to have "an up or down" vote? But the yella Bush administration never kept their public promise to go back for that second up or down vote because they knew they would lose badly. And that is as "yella" as it comes.

If you believe that, go right ahead. With all the survelliance of Iraq by sattelite, air, and all the other means, if you think that all these supposed WOMD were trucked or in any way transported across the border and no one noticed, everyone in the current administration should be jailed. How many Reagan appointed public officials saying what O'Neil and Clarke are saying do you need? I respectfully suggest a tour of Hans Blix' new book would be helpful.

1. I cannot agree on that. The thrust of your argument is that showing all of reality is bad politics. That is so. That becomes immoral to me. The political should not be ranked as the priorty over truth and full disclosure. 2. And to that, I totally disagree. The war was not supported. The political and military leadership was ot supported. The troops were. Who do you think "the troops" were? They were my friends and my buds and people just like them. Amazing perhaps to you is that I was very close to many people who served in that era, who served in Nam, some never came back, those that did, I am friends with to this day with my passion against that war and the current joke. "Support the troops, they weren't supported then" is a political spin (and total lie) to silence dissent. As the father of a current troop, trust me that he is smart enough to know that troops die and the reality being presented to the American public will not effect his morale. The very real problems with morale in those currently serving overseas has everything to do with the reality not being presented. The current suicide rate of active duty troops is 4 times higher than it has ever been and that is with the current PR spin to hide reality. Every day the Tribune prints the biographies of 1-4 of the American service personnel whose lives have been lost in Iraq and/or Afghanistan, with the pictures of 1 or more of those killed in action. I read those very seriously every day, knowing full well it could be my own son some day. He is a big boy and he enlisted and I bless him for his choosing in hood conscience with all knowledge a path that he thinks is right, alol I ever asked of him. Hiding the caskets, hiding the cost of war is to me (in words you will not like) part of the moral bankruptcy of this era and this administration. It is the same as in the economic policy- spend and spend and never count the cost. And so in war - spend and spend and never acknowledge or admit the cost. Advocate the policies one wants but be fully honest about what the cost of everything is. Hide the cost for "morale" problems or political concerns and that says everything about where real values are. Again: advocate the policies one wants but be fully honest about what the cost of everything is.

I agree with this too. I do not believe that Bush WANTED September 11th to happen. I believe they were negligent in nationa;l security areas and I believe they have mishandled things since but as to wanting it, that is the province of the conspuracy theorists of whatever stripe.

welcome to soxtalk! so Mr Dylan, why did you skip the Concert for George? Tom Petty sang your part on Handle with Care better than you did what will WSC offer that will be an enhancement to our soxtalk and futuresox (and wsi) experience? I ask for real, sincere - no site can be whole and everything witnin itself, so what are you offering to enhance our Sox cyber life?

Just ordered the last cd that I need to have everything that he ever did that is on dvd and cd found a special deal on Electronic Music that was so good I am getting a second Wonderwall to save for the future:headbang I now have all the George Harrison, and the Beatles, all the Janis Joplin, all the Eminem, and all the Joni Mitchell official album releases (and a lot of unofficial releases) (plus a wonderful selection of full and complete operas). Cannot figure out why I cannot save enough money to buy a bigger cardboard box to live in

I never kid, my friend, on things of this importance. Did you read the link I gave? You remember the foiled attempts at LAX and other places for 1-1-2000? Facts are so troublesome, yes, when they interrupt the spin.

he was a casualty of being a very mediocre major league player