[Liberation News Service]: Countdown to Electoral Uprising -- 9 Days to Go -- Arkansas is in play, 28 newspapers that endorsed Bush in '00 have endorsed JFK, will the US attack Iran before Nov. 2?

[richard power]

There are only 9 days to go until the national
referendum on the CHARACTER, COMPETENCE and
CREDIBILITY of the _resident and the VICE
_resident…Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mekong Delta) is
drawing huge crowds (10,000 in Pueblo, CO, 12,000 in
Reno, NV and 30,000 in Minneapolis, MN). Kerry-Edwards
has won the editorial endorsement of 28 newspapers
that had endorsed Bush-Cheney in 2000, most of them in
formerly red now red, white and blue states.
Furthermore, JFK has erased the Bush-Cheney lead in
Arkansas…Yes, there is an Electoral Uprising coming…
Here are FOUR very important pieces, including some
disturbing (and credible) rumors about a pre-election
strike on Iran to overturn the Kerry juggernaut.
Please read them and share them with others. Please
vote and encourage others to vote. Please remember
that the major network and cable news organizations do
not want to inform you about this election, they want
to DISinform you…
The US regimestream news media has been a full partner
in a Triad of shared special interest (i.e. energy,
weapons, media, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, tobacco,
etc.) with the Bush Cabal and its
wholly-owned-subsidiary-formerly-known-as-the-Republican-Party.
 “Let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting
late.”
If enough of us vote they cannot steal it again. There
is very little time left for the US regimestream news
media to tack back toward reality. There is an
Electoral Uprising coming. Unless, of course, the Bush
cabal orders a military strike on Iraq, then the US
regimestream news media will drown out campaign and
the election all together in a return to triumphalist
shilling for the neo-con wet dreamers and their Three
Stooges Reich.

David Robinson, Arkansas News Bureau:  Sen. John Kerry
has pulled even with President Bush in Arkansas after
being down 9 points, according to a new poll for the
Arkansas News Bureau and Stephens Media Group.
Kerry, a Democrat, and the Republican Bush each
received 48 percent support from likely voters
surveyed Monday through Wednesday by Opinion Research
Associates of Little Rock. A poll two weeks earlier
gave Bush a 52 percent to 43 percent lead, just within
the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 4.5
percentage points…
"It suggests to me that Kerry may have some momentum,
now," said Ernest Oakleaf, who owns Opinion Research
with his wife, Zoe…
Kerry gained ground in the second poll among
independents, women and voters with higher incomes.
But Bush's lead remained dominate with higher income
voters, whites and males, according to the poll…
"It looks like a surge for Kerry," said Hal Bass,
political science professor at Ouachita Baptist
University in Arkadelphia. "It appears to be a delayed
reaction to Kerry's strong showing in the debates,
which may have given some assurance that he is up to
the job."
Andrew Dowdle, an assistant professor of political
science at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville,
said most polls showed that Kerry won the first and
third debates. Other factors include mixed economic
news and continuing uncertainty in Iraq, Dowdle said…
-In the first poll Bush led among independent voters,
69 percent to 22 percent. But Kerry has closed the
gap, with Bush now leading 54 percent to 39 percent,
meaning his 47-point margin among independents is now
15 points. 
-The percentage of women supporting Kerry grew by 6
points, to 53 percent, while women's support of Bush
dropped from 47 percent to 42 percent, further
widening the gender gap.
-Support for Kerry in southern Arkansas' 4th
Congressional District grew by 9 percentage points
from the first poll to the second. In the first poll,
Bush had a 56 percent to 39 percent lead in the
largely Democratic district, but he trails Kerry in
the second poll 48 percent to 46 percent.
-Kerry's favorable rating went from 48 percent to 53
percent and Bush's favorable rating dropped from 55
percent to 51 percent.
The late move toward Kerry among independents may be
signaling what typically happens to incumbent
presidents on Election Day, political scientists said.
"Undecideds break for the challenger," said Janine
Parry, associate professor of political science at the
University of Arkansas and director of the
university's annual Arkansas Poll…
-Kerry, who did not win any age-group category in the
first poll, now leads among those 25-35 and the
65-plus age groups.

Greg Mitchell, Editors & Publishers: New York Senator
John Kerry continued his raid on newspapers that
backed President George W. Bush in 2000, grabbing 17
new "flip-flops," as well as The Washington Post. He
has now won over at least 28 papers that went for Bush
in 2000, while Bush has only earned two Gore papers.
However, Bush got a real prize in Ohio, the Columbus
Dispatch. 
Kerry now leads Bush 112-69 in endorsements in E&P's
exclusive tally, and by about 14.4 million to 8.6
million in the circulation of backing papers. 
And more setbacks for Bush: The Detroit News, which
has never endorsed a Democrat, and backed Bush in
2000, announced that it would sit out the 2004
election, not happy with either candidate. The New
Orleans Times-Picayune, another Bush fan from 2000,
said the same thing today in an editorial titled "No
One to Champion." A third Bush backer in 2000, the
Harrisburg Patriot-News, also declared neutrality
today. 
In gaining the Orlando Sentinel (one of the switches
from Bush), Kerry completed a sweep of major papers in
top swing state, Florida. 
The Chicago Sun-Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, and
the Memphis Commercial-Appeal were among the 17 papers
which backed Bush in 2000 but today chose Kerry.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial: Four years ago Al
Gore won the popular vote and George Bush, after a
Supreme Court decision, became president. The new
chief executive promised to be a uniter, not divider.
So much for that pledge. 
It gets worse. Since 2001, the incumbent has been
lacking on foreign policy, national security, the
economy, safeguarding constitutional rights and
maintaining credibility at home and abroad. In all of
these categories, the Post-Gazette believes the United
States needs a fresh start and that John Kerry can
provide such leadership. A President Kerry will make
the country safer because he will not take his eye off
Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. A President Kerry will
look after the workers of America because he is
concerned about both the haves and the have-nots.
George W. Bush's approach to the economy has been to
take care of the rich, his political base; give the
companies run by his campaign contributors free rein;
and tell other Americans that his policies will
improve their situation, eventually. 
Another key consideration is which candidate would
strike the better balance between taking the necessary
steps to keep America safe and preserving the sacred
ground of America's freedoms. On that and the related
question of who would appoint more broad-minded
Supreme Court justices, the answer is John Kerry. The
re-election of Mr. Bush, and the possible continuation
of a Republican Congress, accompanied by a Supreme
Court stuffed with Bush appointees, would result in
the three branches of government controlled by
like-minded people. Say farewell to independence,
diversity and the multiplicity of viewpoints in public
policy that make America strong. Fortunately, the
Kerry movement is gathering steam. He is stronger in
Pennsylvania and gaining with our neighbors in West
Virginia, where more voters are coming to believe he
is the better choice on jobs, health care and homeland
security. Even newspapers that endorsed George W. Bush
four years ago have changed their minds in 2004; the
Seattle Times and The Oregonian of Portland switched
to the Democrat this time, while the Tampa Tribune
backed away from Mr. Bush and made no endorsement.
There is no doubt that Americans have gone from a
generally happy time in the 1990s to four years of
deficit, discord and disappointment. We would pose the
same question that President Reagan asked famously in
the heat of his own campaign: Are you better off now
than you were four years ago? Relatively few, we
think, would answer that with "yes." If your answer is
"no" or "not sure," then we have a president for you.
The Post-Gazette enthusiastically endorses John Kerry.
It's definitely time for a fresh start. 
Wayne Madsen, www.informationclearinghouse.info:
According to White House and Washington Beltway
insiders, the Bush administration, worried that it
could lose the presidential election to Senator John
F. Kerry, has initiated plans to launch a military
strike on Iran's top Islamic leadership, its nuclear
reactor at Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, and key
nuclear targets throughout the country, including the
main underground research site at Natanz in central
Iran and another in Isfahan. Targets of the planned
U.S. attack reportedly include mosques in Tehran, Qom,
and Isfahan known by the U.S. to headquarter Iran's
top mullahs.
The Iran attack plan was reportedly drawn up after
internal polling indicated that if the Bush
administration launched a so-called anti-terrorist
attack on Iran some two weeks before the election,
Bush would be assured of a landslide win against
Kerry. Reports of a pre-emptive strike on Iran come
amid concerns by a number of political observers that
the Bush administration would concoct an "October
Surprise" to influence the outcome of the presidential
election.
According to White House sources, the USS John F.
Kennedy was deployed to the Arabian Sea to coordinate
the attack on Iran. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
discussed the Kennedy's role in the planned attack on
Iran when he visited the ship in the Arabian Sea on
October 9. Rumsfeld and defense ministers of U.S.
coalition partners…America's primary ally in Iraq, the
United Kingdom, did not attend the planning session
because it reportedly disagrees with a military strike
on Iran. London also suspects the U.S. wants to move
British troops from Basra in southern Iraq to the
Baghdad area to help put down an expected surge in
Sh'ia violence in Sadr City and other Sh'ia areas in
central Iraq when the U.S. attacks Iran as well as
clear the way for a U.S. military strike across the
Iraqi-Iranian border aimed at securing the huge
Iranian oil installations in Abadan. U.S. allies South
Korea, Australia, Kuwait, Jordan, Italy, Netherlands,
and Japan were also left out of the USS John F.
Kennedy planning discussions because of their reported
opposition to any strike on Iran.
In addition, Israel has been supplied by the United
States with 500 "bunker buster" bombs. According to
White House sources, the Israeli Air Force will attack
Iran's nuclear facility at Bushehr with the U.S.
bunker busters…
Morale aboard the USS John F. Kennedy is at an
all-time low, something that must be attributable to
the knowledge that the ship will be involved in an
extension of U.S. military actions in the Persian Gulf
region. The Commanding Officer of an F-14 Tomcat
squadron was relieved of command for a reported shore
leave "indiscretion" in Dubai and two months ago the
Kennedy's commanding officer was relieved for cause…
White House sources also claimed they are "terrified"
that Bush wants to start a dangerous war with Iran
prior to the election and fear that such a move will
trigger dire consequences for the entire world.

Support Our Troops, Save the US Constitution,
Repudiate the 9/11 Cover-Up and the Iraq War Lies,
Restore Fiscal Responsibility in the White House,
Thwart the Theft of a Second Presidential Election,
Save the Environment, Break the Corporatist
Stranglehold on the US Mainstream News Media, Rescue
the US Supreme Court from Right-Wing Radicals, Cleanse
the White House of the Chicken Hawk Coup and Its
War-Profiteering Cronies, Show Up for Democracy in
2004: Defeat the Triad, Defeat Bush (again!)



http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/10/24/News/306446.html

Copyright © Arkansas News Bureau, 2003 - 2004 
Women, independents help Kerry erase 9-point deficit 
Sunday, Oct 24, 2004 

By David Robinson
Arkansas News Bureau 
LITTLE ROCK - Sen. John Kerry has pulled even with
President Bush in Arkansas after being down 9 points,
according to a new poll for the Arkansas News Bureau
and Stephens Media Group.

Kerry, a Democrat, and the Republican Bush each
received 48 percent support from likely voters
surveyed Monday through Wednesday by Opinion Research
Associates of Little Rock. A poll two weeks earlier
gave Bush a 52 percent to 43 percent lead, just within
the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 4.5
percentage points.

Populist Party candidate Ralph Nader got 1 percent in
the new poll, and 3 percent were undecided.

"It suggests to me that Kerry may have some momentum,
now," said Ernest Oakleaf, who owns Opinion Research
with his wife, Zoe.

"Beautiful," said John Emekli, Arkansas spokesman for
the Kerry-John Edwards campaign. Emekli had disputed
the first poll's results because other polls had shown
the race to be closer. 

Republicans remain confident that while the race may
be close, Bush will win Arkansas' six electoral votes,
said Mitchell Lowe, executive director of the
Bush-Dick Cheney Arkansas campaign.

Oakleaf noted that the first Arkansas News Bureau
poll, conducted Oct. 4-6, followed the first of three
presidential debates, and the second poll came after
all three.

Kerry gained ground in the second poll among
independents, women and voters with higher incomes.
But Bush's lead remained dominate with higher income
voters, whites and males, according to the poll.

Political scientists around Arkansas also cited the
debates as critical to the change.

Other polls in the last two weeks also have shown a
tightening race, suggesting a trend that tracks
national surveys. 

"It looks like a surge for Kerry," said Hal Bass,
political science professor at Ouachita Baptist
University in Arkadelphia. "It appears to be a delayed
reaction to Kerry's strong showing in the debates,
which may have given some assurance that he is up to
the job."

Andrew Dowdle, an assistant professor of political
science at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville,
said most polls showed that Kerry won the first and
third debates. Other factors include mixed economic
news and continuing uncertainty in Iraq, Dowdle said.

Opinion Research surveyed 500 people likely to vote in
the Nov. 2 election - 125 from each of Arkansas' four
congressional districts.

Four factors stand out when comparing the two polls:

-In the first poll Bush led among independent voters,
69 percent to 22 percent. But Kerry has closed the
gap, with Bush now leading 54 percent to 39 percent,
meaning his 47-point margin among independents is now
15 points. 

-The percentage of women supporting Kerry grew by 6
points, to 53 percent, while women's support of Bush
dropped from 47 percent to 42 percent, further
widening the gender gap.

-Support for Kerry in southern Arkansas' 4th
Congressional District grew by 9 percentage points
from the first poll to the second. In the first poll,
Bush had a 56 percent to 39 percent lead in the
largely Democratic district, but he trails Kerry in
the second poll 48 percent to 46 percent.

-Kerry's favorable rating went from 48 percent to 53
percent and Bush's favorable rating dropped from 55
percent to 51 percent.

The late move toward Kerry among independents may be
signaling what typically happens to incumbent
presidents on Election Day, political scientists said.

"Undecideds break for the challenger," said Janine
Parry, associate professor of political science at the
University of Arkansas and director of the
university's annual Arkansas Poll.

"It suggests that that process may already be
happening."

She said it's not a stretch to assume that undecided
voters are independents.

Averaged over several election cycles, the incumbent's
vote will be slightly more than 1 percentage point
less than their final polling numbers. The challenger
will get an average of four points more than their
final polling numbers, Parry said.

The second poll showed 3 percent of voters are
undecided compared to 5 percent in the first poll.

"History would suggest that the president is going to
do slightly worse than the polls would tell us, and
Kerry will do significantly better than the polls,"
Parry said, adding that some analysts argue that the
historical reference may be no good given the Sept.
11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the Iraq war.

Dowdle said that while the shift reflected in the poll
is good news for Kerry, independent voters are more
volatile and could shift back to Bush by Election Day.

Parry and Dowdle said the wide swing in the 4th
District's results from the first to the second poll
may be due to a statistical glitch in either poll.
That's possible because only 125 people in each
congressional district are surveyed, which increases
the margin of error.

Dowdle, who specializes in presidential campaigns and
elections, said the second poll appears to be more on
track given the largely Democratic 4th District.

Oakleaf was surprised that southern Arkansas was so
strongly behind Bush in the first poll, but at the
time he and political scientists had chalked it up to
a cultural disconnect between those voters and Kerry.

Other demographics:

-Bush leads in central Arkansas' 2nd Congressional
District 49 percent to 47 percent, and Northwest
Arkansas' 3rd district 53 percent to 45 percent. Kerry
leads in eastern Arkansas' 1st District 51-46 and the
4th District, 48-46.

-Among those identifying themselves as liberals, 24
percent would vote for Bush and 75 percent for Kerry.
Moderates support Kerry 61 percent to 33 percent and
conservatives support Bush 67 percent to 30 percent.

-Kerry gets more support among households earning
under $50,000 a year while Bush leads among those
earning above that amount.

For those earning between 30,000 and $40,000, Kerry
leads 58 percent to 39 percent and for those earning
between $40,000 and $50,000, he leads 54-44.

Among households earning $50,000 to $75,000 a year,
Bush leads 64 percent to 36 percent, and for those
earning more than $75,000 his lead is 62 percent to 38
percent.

-By race, Bush leads among whites 53 percent to 43
percent. Among blacks, Kerry leads 87 percent to 12
percent. 

-By education, Bush leads among those with more
education, although for college graduates, Bush has
only a 49 percent to 48 percent advantage.

-Kerry, who did not win any age-group category in the
first poll, now leads among those 25-35 and the
65-plus age groups.

Other Arkansas polls have shown the race to be
tightening.

A Zogby International poll by the Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette on Oct. 14 showed Bush with 46.2
percent, and Kerry with 44.6 percent, a statistical
tie.

A Survey USA poll on Oct. 17 showed Bush leading 51
percent to 46 percent, within the margin of error. 

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000683265
Daily Endorsement Tally: On 'Super Sunday,' Kerry
Makes Huge Gains 

By Greg Mitchell 

Published: October 23, 2004 updated continually 
New York Senator John Kerry continued his raid on
newspapers that backed President George W. Bush in
2000, grabbing 17 new "flip-flops," as well as The
Washington Post. He has now won over at least 28
papers that went for Bush in 2000, while Bush has only
earned two Gore papers.

However, Bush got a real prize in Ohio, the Columbus
Dispatch. 

Kerry now leads Bush 112-69 in endorsements in E&P's
exclusive tally, and by about 14.4 million to 8.6
million in the circulation of backing papers. 

And more setbacks for Bush: The Detroit News, which
has never endorsed a Democrat, and backed Bush in
2000, announced that it would sit out the 2004
election, not happy with either candidate. The New
Orleans Times-Picayune, another Bush fan from 2000,
said the same thing today in an editorial titled "No
One to Champion." A third Bush backer in 2000, the
Harrisburg Patriot-News, also declared neutrality
today. 

In gaining the Orlando Sentinel (one of the switches
from Bush), Kerry completed a sweep of major papers in
top swing state, Florida. 

The Chicago Sun-Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, and
the Memphis Commercial-Appeal were among the 17 papers
which backed Bush in 2000 but today chose Kerry. 

But Bush gained the key Columbus, Ohio, paper. In an
editorial it revealed it was "less than enthused about
the choices." It said it was troubled by Bush's fiscal
policies and the war in Iraq but said that neither
Kerry's Senate record nor "his shifting positions
during the presidential campaign inspire confidence
that he would provide the strong, resolute leadership
America desperately needs." 

Bush also picked up the Houston Chronicle and Denver
Post, the latter in a switch from Gore in 2000.
William Dean Singleton, now the publisher of that
paper, is known as a strong Bush supporter. His
MediaNews Group also owns the L.A. Daily News, which
Singleton allowed to go for Kerry. 

KERRY SWITCHES: Besides those already mentioned, Kerry
grabbed 13 other papers from the Bush 2000 column,
with the endorsement of the Allentown (Pa.) Morning
Call; the Stamford (Ct.) Advocate; the Journal News
(White Plains, N.Y.); the Quad City Times in
Davenport, Iowa; The Rockford (Ill.) Register-Star,
the Contra Costa (Ca.) Times; Iowa City Press-Citizen;
Worcester (Ma.) Telegram & Gazette; the Ventura County
(Ca.) Star; the Wausau (Wi.) Daily Herald; the
Billings (Mt.) Gazette; Walla Walla (Wa.)
Union-Bulletin; and the Bangor (Maine) Daily News.

OTHER KERRY PICKUPS: Kerry also gained the backing of
the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Centre Daily Times in
hotly-contested Pennsylvania; the Bergen Record,
Newark Star-Ledger, The Times of Trenton and
Gloucester County Times in surprisingly close New
Jersey; the Toledo Blade in Ohio; the Raleigh News &
Observer and Asheville Citizen Times in North
Carolina; Newsday, the Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle, the Buffalo News and Glens Falls Post-Star
in New York; the Des Moines (Iowa) Register;
Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal; Las Vegas Sun and
the Reno Gazette-Journal in Nevada; the Daily
Southtown in Illinois; Hampton Roads (Va.)Daily Press;
the Nashville Tennesean; Santa Fe New Mexican; The
Journal Times in Racine, Wisconsin; the Bismarck
(N.D.) Tribune, The Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne,
Indiana; the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph; the Waco
Tribune-Herald and Lufkin Daily News in Texas; The
Coloradan in Ft. Collins; the Decatur (Ala.), Daily;
Kennebec (Me.) Journal; The Republican in Mass.;
Durango (Colo.) Herald; Lansing State Journal in
Michigan; the Portsmouth Herald and Nashua Telegraph
in New Hampshire; the Hutchinson News (Kansas). 

BUSH BACKING: Bush, however, retained the Austin
American-Statesman and Houston Chronicle in his home
Texas; the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Post;
the Hartford (Ct.) Courant; Long Beach (Ca.)
Press-Telegram; Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; the
Chronicle of Centralia, Wash.; the Express-Times of
Easton, Pa.; Bowling Green (Oh.) Daily News; The
Ledger of Lakeland, Fla.; the Enterprise-Record of
Mocksville, N.C.; the Daily News-Record in
Harrisonburg, Va., the Fargo (ND) Forum. 

The New York Daily News appeared to endorse Kerry
today but it was hard to tell: It did nothing but bash
Bush for several paragraphs without once mentioning
his opponent's name.

Meanwhile, E&P has learned from several sources at the
Cleveland Plain Dealer that the paper's nine-person
editorial board decided earlier this week that it
wanted to endorse Kerry but Publisher Alex Machaskee,
who has final say, has decided on Bush. The paper
backed Bush in 2000. 

This has caused consternation in some quarters at the
Plain Dealer, with sources telling E&P that the
endorsement editorial, which was expected to run
Sunday, was put off. One editor told E&P that some at
the paper at pushing for, at least, a dissenting
pro-Kerry column. 

Special thanks to Teresa LaLoggia and dozens of others
for sending along the latest endorsements. 

Here is our updated chart, state by state. You will
find many circulation numbers and an indication of who
the paper backed in 2000, Bush or Gore (if we know
it). However, for papers that endorsed this weekend,
we have not yet entered circulation figures. This will
be done on Monday.

**JOHN KERRY

ALABAMA 
The Anniston Star (G): 26,527 
Decatur Daily (G)

ARIZONA 
Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) (G): 109,592 

CALIFORNIA 
San Francisco Chronicle (G): 501,135 
The Sacramento Bee (G): 303,841 
San Jose Mercury News (G): 279,539 
The Fresno Bee (G): 166,531 
The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa) (G): 89,384 
The Modesto Bee (G): 87,366 
Merced Sun-Star: 17,247 
Los Angeles Daily News (B):
Contra Costa Times (B): 
Ventura County Star (B): 

COLORADO 
Daily Camera (Boulder) (B): 33,419 
The Coloradoan (Ft. Collins)
Durango Herald

CONNECTICUT 
The Day (New London) (B): 39,553 
Stamford Advocate (B): 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The Washington Post

FLORIDA 
St. Petersburg Times (G): 358,502 
The Miami Herald (G): 325,032 
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale) (G):
268,927 
The Palm Beach Post (G): 181,727 
Daytona Beach News-Journal (G): 112,945 
Florida Today (Melbourne) (G): 90,877 
Bradenton Herald (B): 52,163 
Orlando Sentinel (B): 

GEORGIA 
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 418,323 
Macon Telegraph

HAWAII 
The Honolulu Advertiser (G): 145,943 

ILLINOIS 
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights) (B): 150,794 
Chicago Sun-Times (B)
Rockford Register-Star (B): 
Daily Southtown 

INDIANA
The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne) (G): 61,205

IOWA 
The Hawk Eye (Burlington) (G): 19,000 
Quad City Times (Davenport) (B):
Iowa City Pres-Citizen
Des Moines Register (G)

KANSAS
Hutchinson News

KENTUCKY 
Lexington Herald-Leader (G): 122,748 
Louisville Courier-Journal (G): 

MAINE 
Portland Press Herald (G): 73,211 
Bangor Daily News (B): 
Kennebec Journal

MASSACHUSETTS 
The Boston Globe (G): 452,109 
The Standard-Times (New Bedford): 35,299 
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (B): 
The Republican

MICHIGAN 
Detroit Free Press (G): 354,581 
The Muskegon Chronicle (B): 46,505 
Battle Creek Enquirer: 24,831 
The Argus-Press (Owosso): 11,438 
Lansing State Journal

MINNESOTA 
Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (G): 377,058 
Duluth News Tribune: 45,688 
The Free Press (Mankato): 21,591 

MISSOURI 
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (G): 281,198 
The Kansas City Star (G): 269,188 
Columbia Daily Tribune (B): 18,874 

MONTANA
Billings Gazette (B): 

NEVADA 
Nevada Appeal (Carson City): 15,296 
Las Vegas Sun (G)
Reno Gazette-Journal

NEW HAMPSHIRE 
Concord Monitor (G): 19,984 
Portsmouth Herald
Nashua Telegraph

NEW JERSEY
Bergen Record (G):
Star-Ledger (Newark) (G): 
The Times (Trenton)
Gloucester County times

NEW MEXICO 
The Albuquerque Tribune (B): 13,536 
Santa Fe New Mexican (G)

NEW YORK 
The New York Times (G): 1,133,763 
Newsday (G):
The Journal-News (White Plains) (B): 
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle (G):
Buffalo News (G): 
Glens Falls Post-Star

NORTH CAROLINA 
The Charlotte Observer (G): 231,369 
The Daily Reflector (Greenville): 25,777 
Raleigh News & Observer (G)
Asheville Citizen-Times

NORTH DAKOTA 
Grand Forks Herald (G): 32,385 
Bismarck Tribune

OHIO 
Dayton Daily News (G): 183,175 
Akron Beacon Journal (G): 139,220 
Toledo Blade (G): 

OREGON 
The Oregonian (Portland) (B): 342,040 
Mail Tribune (Medford): 35,524 
The Register-Guard (Eugene) (G): 72,411 
Statesman Journal (Salem): 56,298 
East Oregonian (Pendleton): 10,236 
The Daily Astorian (Astoria): 8,429 

PENNSYLVANIA 
The Philadelphia Inquirer (G): 387,692 
The Philadelphia Daily News (G): 139,983 
Allentown Morning-Call (B): 
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (G)
Centre Daily Times

TENNESSEE 
The Jackson Sun (G): 35,561 
Memphis Commercial-Appeal (B): 
The Tennessean (Nashville)

TEXAS
Waco Tribune-Herald
Lufkin Daily News

VIRGINIA 
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) (G): 201,473 
The Roanoke Times: 100,447 
Hampton Roads Daily Press

WASHINGTON 
The Seattle Times (B): 237,303 
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (G): 150,901 
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin (B): 

WISCONSIN
Wausau Daily Herald (B): 
The Journal Times (Racine)

WEST VIRGINIA 
Charleston Gazette (G): 49,529 


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04298/400315.stm

Editorial: Kerry for president / The damage by Bush
demands a fresh start
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Four years ago Al Gore won the popular vote and George
Bush, after a Supreme Court decision, became
president. The new chief executive promised to be a
uniter, not divider. So much for that pledge. 
It gets worse. Since 2001, the incumbent has been
lacking on foreign policy, national security, the
economy, safeguarding constitutional rights and
maintaining credibility at home and abroad. 
In all of these categories, the Post-Gazette believes
the United States needs a fresh start and that John
Kerry can provide such leadership. A President Kerry
will make the country safer because he will not take
his eye off Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. A President
Kerry will look after the workers of America because
he is concerned about both the haves and the
have-nots. 
George W. Bush's approach to the economy has been to
take care of the rich, his political base; give the
companies run by his campaign contributors free rein;
and tell other Americans that his policies will
improve their situation, eventually. 
The well-to-do continue to get monster tax cuts and
will get more if he is re-elected; the middle class
get token savings. The economy has bled jobs during
this administration; not enough have been created to
outweigh the 1 million that have been lost; the
outsourcing of American work overseas has proceeded
without discouragement. 
Sen. Kerry, as a Democrat and because of his strong
labor ties, will certainly be more responsive to
Americans' need for work. As president, Mr. Kerry will
also be more likely than Mr. Bush to rein in the
catastrophic deficit that has raged in the past four
years. A Republican-controlled White House and
Congress have managed to erase the budget surpluses of
the Clinton era, which could have put Social Security
and Medicare on sound footing for years to come.
Instead, Mr. Bush and his policies have driven the
U.S. government trillions of dollars deeper in the
hole, all in a few short years. 
Voters should reject the notion that the current
administration "inherited" a bad economy or was the
victim on 9/11 of previous White House policies. The
state in which this nation finds itself can be traced
to a single misfortune: four years of the Bush
administration. 
One thing that's clear is the relationship between the
American economy and its situation in the world. Look
at the price of gasoline, now at the painful threshold
of $2 a gallon. Mr. Bush's foreign policy -- making
war on Iraq, doing little to seek peace in the Middle
East and rattling the nerves of oil-producing
countries -- has undoubtedly boosted the cost of gas
and fuel oil to all Americans. 
A President Kerry would change all that. George Bush
sneers at him for his promise to draw other nations
into America's decision-making process. At the same
time, it is clear that the United States will not gain
the help of others in pursuing America's interests if
it remains contemptuous of their views on matters of
common interest. America has always worked best with
allies. 
Another key consideration is which candidate would
strike the better balance between taking the necessary
steps to keep America safe and preserving the sacred
ground of America's freedoms. On that and the related
question of who would appoint more broad-minded
Supreme Court justices, the answer is John Kerry. The
re-election of Mr. Bush, and the possible continuation
of a Republican Congress, accompanied by a Supreme
Court stuffed with Bush appointees, would result in
the three branches of government controlled by
like-minded people. Say farewell to independence,
diversity and the multiplicity of viewpoints in public
policy that make America strong. 
Fortunately, the Kerry movement is gathering steam. He
is stronger in Pennsylvania and gaining with our
neighbors in West Virginia, where more voters are
coming to believe he is the better choice on jobs,
health care and homeland security. Even newspapers
that endorsed George W. Bush four years ago have
changed their minds in 2004; the Seattle Times and The
Oregonian of Portland switched to the Democrat this
time, while the Tampa Tribune backed away from Mr.
Bush and made no endorsement. 
There is no doubt that Americans have gone from a
generally happy time in the 1990s to four years of
deficit, discord and disappointment. We would pose the
same question that President Reagan asked famously in
the heat of his own campaign: Are you better off now
than you were four years ago? 
Relatively few, we think, would answer that with
"yes." If your answer is "no" or "not sure," then we
have a president for you. The Post-Gazette
enthusiastically endorses John Kerry. It's definitely
time for a fresh start. 

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7113.htm

A Bush pre-election strike on Iran 'imminent'
White House insider report "October Surprise" imminent

By Wayne Madsen
10/20/04 "Lebanon Wire" -- According to White House
and Washington Beltway insiders, the Bush
administration, worried that it could lose the
presidential election to Senator John F. Kerry, has
initiated plans to launch a military strike on Iran's
top Islamic leadership, its nuclear reactor at Bushehr
on the Persian Gulf, and key nuclear targets
throughout the country, including the main underground
research site at Natanz in central Iran and another in
Isfahan. Targets of the planned U.S. attack reportedly
include mosques in Tehran, Qom, and Isfahan known by
the U.S. to headquarter Iran's top mullahs.
The Iran attack plan was reportedly drawn up after
internal polling indicated that if the Bush
administration launched a so-called anti-terrorist
attack on Iran some two weeks before the election,
Bush would be assured of a landslide win against
Kerry. Reports of a pre-emptive strike on Iran come
amid concerns by a number of political observers that
the Bush administration would concoct an "October
Surprise" to influence the outcome of the presidential
election.
According to White House sources, the USS John F.
Kennedy was deployed to the Arabian Sea to coordinate
the attack on Iran. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
discussed the Kennedy's role in the planned attack on
Iran when he visited the ship in the Arabian Sea on
October 9. Rumsfeld and defense ministers of U.S.
coalition partners, including those of Albania,
Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Iraq, Latvia,
Lithuania, Macedonia, Mongolia, Poland, Qatar,
Romania, and Ukraine briefly discussed a very "top
level" view of potential dual-track military
operations in Iran and Iraq in a special "war room"
set up on board the aircraft carrier. America's
primary ally in Iraq, the United Kingdom, did not
attend the planning session because it reportedly
disagrees with a military strike on Iran. London also
suspects the U.S. wants to move British troops from
Basra in southern Iraq to the Baghdad area to help put
down an expected surge in Sh'ia violence in Sadr City
and other Sh'ia areas in central Iraq when the U.S.
attacks Iran as well as clear the way for a U.S.
military strike across the Iraqi-Iranian border aimed
at securing the huge Iranian oil installations in
Abadan. U.S. allies South Korea, Australia, Kuwait,
Jordan, Italy, Netherlands, and Japan were also left
out of the USS John F. Kennedy planning discussions
because of their reported opposition to any strike on
Iran.
In addition, Israel has been supplied by the United
States with 500 "bunker buster" bombs. According to
White House sources, the Israeli Air Force will attack
Iran's nuclear facility at Bushehr with the U.S.
bunker busters.The joint U.S.-Israeli pre-emptive
military move against Iran reportedly was crafted by
the same neo-conservative grouping in the Pentagon and
Vice President Dick Cheney's office that engineered
the invasion of Iraq.
Morale aboard the USS John F. Kennedy is at an
all-time low, something that must be attributable to
the knowledge that the ship will be involved in an
extension of U.S. military actions in the Persian Gulf
region. The Commanding Officer of an F-14 Tomcat
squadron was relieved of command for a reported shore
leave "indiscretion" in Dubai and two months ago the
Kennedy's commanding officer was relieved for cause.
The White House leak about the planned attack on Iran
was hastened by concerns that Russian technicians
present at Bushehr could be killed in an attack, thus
resulting in a wider nuclear confrontation between
Washington and Moscow. International Atomic Energy
Agency representatives are also present at the Bushehr
facility. In addition, an immediate Iranian Shahab
ballistic missile attack against Israel would also
further destabilize the Middle East. The White House
leaks about the pre-emptive strike may have been
prompted by warnings from the CIA and the Defense
Intelligence Agency that an attack on Iran will
escalate out of control. Intelligence circles report
that both intelligence agencies are in open revolt
against the Bush White House.
White House sources also claimed they are "terrified"
that Bush wants to start a dangerous war with Iran
prior to the election and fear that such a move will
trigger dire consequences for the entire world.
Wayne Madsen is a Washington, DC-based investigative
journalist and columnist. He served in the National
Security Council (NSA) during the Reagan
Administration and wrote the introduction to Forbidden
Truth. He is the co-author, with john Stanton of
"America's Nightmare: The Presidency of George Bush
II." His forthcoming book is titled: "jaded Tasks: Big
Oil, Black Ops, and Brass Plates." Madsen can be
reached at Wmadsen777 at aol.com

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