According to an article at http://www.rawstory.com, a former McCain advisor and "leading cyber-security expert" has said that there is new evidence that Diebold tampered with the 2002 Senate and Gubernatorial races in Georgia.  The full story can be found here.

I was going to go a whole different way with this diary, but, given some of the responses to my first diary on this subject (which was really more of a rant on those who couldn't wait to yell "extraordinary claim" or "conspiracy theory"), I decided to go back and revisit the election fraud issue itself.

First, for the FAQ on "extraordinary claims":

Diaries on certain topics are likely to generate angry responses. Most of these topics fall under the general heading of "conspiracy theories", e.g., "JFK was killed by Martians". The rule for posting such diaries is "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". The more extreme the claim, the higher the burden of proof that commenters will demand. If you can't provide evidence to back up your claim, it is best not to post the diary. This guideline also applies to recommending extraordinary-claims diaries. If a diary makes an extreme claim with little or no evidence to back up that claim, it shouldn't be recommended, no matter what that claim is.

Now... follow me over the flip...

Because dailykos was started as the Bush administration was preparing to send this country to war, I've decided my first diary entry will start with my own story from that time.

In August 2002, I began my third year of college. One of my courses was Politics of West Asia, and for this class I was required to keep up with all stories relevant to this region in the New York Times. At the beginning of the semester, I opened my Times every day and inevitably found an update of the US operations in Afghanistan.

At some point in September, I started noticing a change in the Times' stories. The coverage of Afghanistan was now on page 2, 3, 4...and on the front page appeared strange articles about Iraq. I say "strange" because they often did not follow the normal Times protocol of having front page stories cover distinct and recent events. Iraq was not complying with the UN Security Council Resolutions—just as it hadn't for years. Sometimes based on vague White House statements, these articles otherwise did not seem to describe any new developments, but had the effect of replacing "Afghanistan" with "Iraq" in the top news items in newspapers around the country.

What happened in Georgia in 2002?
http://rawstory.com//news/2008/Cyber...

Some critics of electronic voting raised questions about the 2002 Georgia race even at the time. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, who was five percentage points ahead of Republican challenger Saxby Chambliss in polls taken a week before the vote, lost 53% to 46%. Incumbent Democratic Governor Roy Barnes, who led challenger Sonny Perdue in the polls by eleven points, lost 51% to 46%. However, because the Diebold machines used throughout the state provided no paper trail, it was impossible to ask for a recount in either case.

From time to time we need to recognize and honor the members of Congress who voted in 2002 to prevent the Bush Administration's hasty rush to "shock and awe"  and the subsequent occupation Iraq.

The vote on Joint Resolution 114 was taken on October 11, 2002. It passed the Senate by a vote of 77 to 23 and the House of Representatives by a vote of 296 to 133.

In the end, 156 members of Congress had enough information and personal wisdom to make the correct decision for our nation and the world community. The list of these 156 heroic men and women is presented below the fold:

If you're like me, it can be hard to get fired up about anything John McCain says, but earlier this evening I spent twenty-something minutes watching John McCain's October, 2002 Senate floor speech in favor of launching a preemptive war against Iraq.

Here's a video highlighting key parts of the speech, which you can read here. The video is a bit over seven minutes long, but if you've got time it's worth watching, and sending to a friend. I've also posted some thoughts and essential quotes from the speech below the video.

Links: YouTube | jedreport.com

Four years ago finding anyone willing to publicly admit to being a Democrat was a rather formidable exercise here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.  Republicans controlled state government, with Gov. Craig Benson flitting about the state in his uniquely plated Hummer, a suitable symbol of his disdain for the people of New Hampshire and their fundamental ideals.

Senator Rob (I can’t hear you, and even if I could I wouldn’t listen so just shut up and go away!) Boyce of Alton, whose most memorable legislative initiative was an attempt to make it legal for high school students to bring firearms to school, was cruising to an easy November victory over a far more qualified and energetic Democratic candidate, Beth Arsenault of Laconia.

And here in Laconia, all five of its seats in the New Hampshire House of Representatives were easily captured by a covey of stalwart Republicans more known for their longevity of service than for advocating for their constituents.

Sure this is late, but I've been traveling and offline for weeks:

I urge Obama supporters to thank Senator Robert Byrd for endorsing Obama.

I realize most DKos readers are for Obama, but I'm not yet taking a break from trying to convince actual voters to support him.  So if you agree with my theme below, and know people in the remaining primary states, share this with them:

Obama knew it would be hard to get out of Iraq; it's part of why he opposed going in! FORTUNATELY,

             The Associated Press says that patriotic Pennsylvania want the next President to get the U.S. out of Iraq, but responsibly:  

To get out of Iraq safely and responsibly, we're going to need help from other countries.  Because he did not help enable the war to start, and in fact spoke out against it even starting, Obama is the most likely to command international goodwill and recruit that help.

"I think you'll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say," she [Clinton] said. "He’s never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002."

The question I've been asking myself is a simple one: how many Democratic primary voters have actually read Obama's 2002 Iraq speech in full?  Have you, kind reader, read his speech in full?  Have you passed on the full text of his speech to others?  Have you printed it out and passed it along?

In this diary I present a flashback to Obama's Iraq speech from 2002, and dissect his speech into parts to see how his campaign philosophy and platform can be traced to his 926 words from October 2, 2002.

If you haven't read Obama's Iraq war speech before, or haven't read it recently, please take two minutes and read it now (below).

Like many, I am terribly frustrated and angered by Hillary Clinton’s decision to effectively endorse John McCain foreign policy credentials over those of her party colleague, and nomination front-runner, Barack Obama.

It is especially frustrating to me because I remember with great clarity those days in 2002, when I desperately hoped that someone from that small group of Democrats with a truly national profile would speak in opposition with clarity, and help lead the party to a position of opposition.

We got that leadership from Al Gore, unfortunately, less than 2 years from the controversial Florida recount, he wasn’t given the serious attention he deserved at that time.

Hillary Clinton, on the other hand – as the party’s best known and most visible elected official at that time – could have made a difference.

I believe it’s time for Obama to make that explicit case.  Thoughts on how after the jump:

Speaking of partying like it's 2002, the DSCC dug up this ad run against Republican ghoul Steve Kirby by one of his fellow Republicans in the GOP gubernatorial primary:

Interesting backstory -- this ad ended up flopping. The claims were so outlandish, that people thought for sure that they were exaggerated or completely fabricated. It was hard to truly believe the extent of Kirby's moral depravity.

Too bad the ad was 100 percent completely true.

Kirby/Olivo 2012!

"...I simply can't side with somebody who participated,
whether willingly or unknowingly, as she claims,
in something that has been so evil."

-- Michael Moore on Larry King Live

CNN Video

Developments in the 'war on terror' and the then-coming war against Iraq, as reflected in the news published six years ago, January 27,2002.

Mr.Barack Obama has been lionized by many bloggers as a very courageous and principled individual who stood against the tide of Iraq war and protested in October 2002. In fact he has told us many times during his campaign that his decision to speak out proved that he has superior judgment. This prompted me to take a closer look at the facts as they existed in 2002

When I explain why I support Senator Obama for president, I typically mention his pre-war opposition to invading Iraq in 2003. To that, many smart people reply, "yeah, but that's really an issue from the past. I'm more interested in what a candidate will do in the future."

Now, Senator Obama himself has suggested many times that his opposition to invading Iraq shows that he has good judgment, which would serve him well in the future as President. But there's more than that.

Barack Obama opposed this war before it even began.

Judgment Matters.