BUZZFLASH MAILBAG

Subject: 2600+

The U.S. troop fatality count has quietly passed 2600 this month. The mainstream media showed great discretion in not mentioning it in favor of endless discussion of a little girl who has been dead for 10 years.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

As they've said, Republicans are trying to make national security their main issue for the upcoming midterm elections. Unfortunately for them, they've been failing miserably on security for years. Accordingly, a recent video advertisement posted on the Republican Party's website, "A Safer America," seems more like a sad, desperate parody of this administration than a reasoned attack on Democrats.

NEWS RELEASE

News from the Democratic National Committee:

Bush Renounces Smears, But Will Cheney, Rove and Mehlman Follow?

BARBARA'S DAILY BUZZFLASH MINUTE

Husbands and fathers gave their lives for this country, and now that they are no longer around to fight for their families, the chickenhawk, arm-chair warriors step in and confiscate the Military Widows Survivor Benefits! How's that for "supporting the troops"? When George and Dick said, "Help is on the way," military men and women didn't know it meant eliminating a soldier's death benefits!

President Insists That Leaving Iraq Now Would Be A Disaster

by Tony Peyser

Bush also said the war has become
A strain on the national psyche
And privately may even conclude,
"It's the reason people don't like me."

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Michael Winship

Early last Wednesday morning, along a roadside, insurgents detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) as a United States Army Humvee passed. The vehicle lurched and stopped, smoke and fire pouring from the wreckage. A crowd of Iraqis gathered as ambulances arrived to take away the dead and wounded.

"Oh my God, where's my leg?" one soldier screamed from a stretcher. "I can't feel it anywhere. Somebody help me!"

BUZZFLASH MAILBAG

This is Part 2 of the August 21, 2006 BuzzFlash Mailbag. Click here for Part 1.

Subject: America the Titanic

I'm a disciple of certain movies, particularly those which demonstrate the admirable qualities of man. And especially films that are based on a true story. So tonight when ABC broadcast "Apollo 13," I was on board for the flight. Many of us are old enough to remember the event as it occurred. It wasn't long after the televised moon landing that Jim Lovell and his crew faced the difficulty of a major malfunction in space, thousands of miles from Earth. They lost their chance to walk on the moon, but they showed courage and determination in the face of short survival odds.

One Man's Opinion On One Word Often Heard In Recent Press Conferences

by Tony Peyser

Whenever the president says "robust"
It means that things will soon go bust.

MS. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON

BuzzFlash,

Well, maybe Lieberman got some supportive advice from Hillary Clinton about what script to use ... so far, she's escaped scrutiny. Of course, it's like déjà vu all over again, or the reality is that the media, prompted by the Bush GOP, again will try to choose who runs against the GOP.