So hopefully, with this article, we can put this whole Swiftboat Veterans for Truth debacle to sleep. 'Crank out the sodium phenobarbital, this little puppy's going to doggy-heaven.

Or is he? Turns out we can't put Fido to sleep after all. Because the Bush Administration still refuses to condemn these "independent" ads. It's not like you can blame them, I guess - regardless of the truth these ads help dubya, and he'll cling to any help he can get. But it's undeniably, unavoidably low - liberal or conservative, how can you support a campaign like this? I don't mean to imply that campaigns on the left haven't had their ethically-challenged moments as well, but still, this just takes the cake. It's like Tom DeLay abusing his position as Speaker of the House to gerrymander Texas. How can you seriously pull for these guys? Again...I guess that's why I'm not a conservative. The chutzpah!

Newly-discredited swiftboat captain Thurlow, who fought tooth-and-nail to keep his military records sealed (sound familiar?) because - interestingly enough - he was worried their release could be used by Kerry supporters to discredit him, has this gem of a quote after being read the official record of the disputed battle in question:

"My personal feeling was always that I got the award for coming to the rescue of the boat that was mined. This casts doubt on anybody's awards. It is sickening and disgusting."

so let me get this straight:

1. You were awarded the bronze star over 30 years ago. You were never aware of the exact account of why you were awarded this star?

2. Or, if you were aware, you didn't feel the need to make a fuss over your perceived discrepancy? Instead, you go along with the pomp and ceremony, waiting 35 years until another swiftboat captain awarded the same star from the same battle runs for president?

3. A guy you're pissed at because he spoke up when hearing inaccurate accounts of the Vietnam War, that contradicted what he personally saw in the field?

4. *And* if he was awarded a star, this throws into question anybody in the military who was ever awarded a star or medal??

Jesus...that's a whole lot to digest.

Well, maybe Bush refusing to condemn the ads will backfire - maybe some conservatives will recognize how low this is and finally walk away from the table, shaking their heads. But I'm not optimistic. To back Bush this late in the game, you've already demonstrated a capacity to believe just about anything.

In the meantime, I'm celebrating by eating delicious Vietnamese take-out for lunch. I got the combo #8 from Le Saigon. Mmmm.

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I'm also starting a new segment, which'll probably run for the next coupla weeks: Things I'm Gonna Miss. This includes the smaller details about life in SoCal, (not the obvious "Friends, Girlfriend and Family" spiel)

Today's entry: Dolphins. While surfing at El Porto this morning, there was a pair of flippers out there playing and eating their breakfast. This is not a rare sight - they're seen all over the bay. But goddamn if I didn't feel sad this morning realizing there's no such thing as a freshwater dolphin.

...Why not? Wouldn't the Midwest enjoy a dolphin or two in their Great Lakes? We can genetically alter corn for the fructose industry. We can clone sheep. We can't create a freshwater dolphin?? C'mon, where are our priorities? It's all about stem-cell research, people! We need to get someone on this stat!