This whole experience with has been an incredible grassroots political adventure for me. I love everything about it-- especially the teamwork. I've always reveled in the team spirit; it's so all-American.

This one started very organically when Firedoglake community member Tummy Yum, who I had never met or spoken to, showed up in June at we were doing for fellow Tarheel Larry Kissell. Tommy, like so many FDL members, contributed some money for Kissell at our ActBlue Page and since he was one of the first 30 to do so that day, he won an Eric Clapton CD. When he got it in the mail he wrote back and thanked me and introduced himself and said he wanted to do more to help clean up the horrible mess Bush has made of our country.

This led to a flurry of e-mails and, not long after, the song, based on an old Squirrel Nut Zippers song, "Put A Lid On It," that Tommy had written when he was in that band, was recorded by Tommy, his old amigo from SNZs, Ken Mosher, and Rickie Lee Jones. All the musicians and producers and engineers were totally cooperative and no one thought of anything except for doing a great job-- and stopping the Bush Regime while there's still time.

Even the studio time was donated!

Irwing, a 17 year old who got inspired by Robert Greenwald's new film, , ran home right after seeing a screening of the movie and put up a for the song. And then Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars and Down With Tyranny community members started getting involved. Christine, one of the most accomplished publicists in the whole country volunteered to do the press; what a relief to not have to explain anything to the person who will be representing the project to the media!

And then Jane warned me what a nightmare it could be figuring out which radio stations were most appropriate in each market in, as if by magic, a few hours later, Jacquie e-mailed me and offered to help, being a former media buyer, with the spot placement!

Yesterday, for the first time, I spoke with Mike McIntee, the genius behind the animated clips for the song. Mike is a supporter of Coleen Rowley and he loved the song and put together the clip in his spare time!

After people saw the Coleen clip, they started asking Mike to do 'em for other Blue America candidates. Yesterday, John debuted the first of the 60-second customized videos to be ready. Starting today we're rolling out clips for several of the Blue America candidates.

Last Saturday, everyone was so impressed with Roger Sharpe that we turned around a customized clip for North Carolina bloggers today. Blue America world premiere:



Meanwhile, Star A. Decise over at the main blog in Connecticut's 5th congressional district, , has started his own fund-raising efforts to get "Time To Throw Nancy Johnson Out" on the local radio stations. And our pals at Say No To Pombo revved up a new to host the song for CA-11 voters.

People keep coming up with ideas and proposals and it's just absolutely amazing to me. I mean yesterday I saw that student supporters of Roger Sharpe at put the song up at their school's Young Democrats website.

Air America hosts have been playing the song and even music djs at stations around the country who understand the importance of throwing the rascals out have started playing it where they can.

Then today I was informed that the music was one of the top 10 most podcasted songs in the country. And the big guns don't hit until today when iTunes and all of the other commercial download services start offering "Have You Had Enough?" for free (as eMusic already started doing last week).

As I write this just over $5,000, between ActBlue and our Blue America post office box, has been collected to get our customized 60-second spots on the air. Our good friends at MoveOn tell me it takes around $20,000 to "move numbers." I know we're not going to have enough money to put into every worthy raise of the Blue America candidates-- and we won't make a final decision for a few weeks, when we can access if any of the races are close enough that a little help might push them over the finish-line.

But we want to get some imput from community members about which candidates you've met at our chats seem most deserving. I'd also like to ask anyone who can afford to, to please consider putting some money into the . The PAC is used 100% for putting the song on the air and whatever gets collected there doesn't go to any candidates, just to the radio stations.

Anyone who doesn't use Blue America, can send a check to Blue America PAC. P.O.

Box 27201, L.A., CA 90027.

And, oh by the way, from People For the American Way at a dinner/party in L.A. on October 10-- just about a month from now.

Green Day is one of my favorite bands in the world and I can't wait to go. And what makes it even more exciting is that Ambassador Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame will be speaking. What a party!

You want to go? I have an extra pair of tickets-- one for you and one for whomever you want to bring with you. And so easy to win 'em!

Just lend a help out at the Blue America PAC today-- this is a one day offer which ends at 12 midnight Pacific Time. Right after midnight I'm going to put all the names of all today's donors in a brown paper bag and when I see Jane in a couple of days I'm going to ask her to pick one name at random. We'll announce the winner here at DWT.

Oh, and if you know any Green Day fans...

can you let them know too?

Okay, people who write letters to the NYT aren't "regular" folks.

But if you lie to them, and they figure it out, do they not get really pissed off?

It's not happening as much as we might wish, but it is happening: Americans tumbling to the fact that the Bush administration's case for the invasion of Iraq was based on lies--and rising up in something like holy wrath. Of course someone who writes a letter to the editor of the New York Times isn't the "average" American targeted by Karl Rove, but you have to start somewhere.

I'm thinking primarily of , but I've included the second one as well because, well, it's a pretty sensible letter.

September 12, 2006
The Iraq-9/11 Connection That Wasn't

To the Editor:

Re "C.I.

A. Said to Find No Hussein Link to Terror Chief" (front page, Sept. 9):

Though the Senate Intelligence Committee report comes too late to save the lives of 2,600 American service members and thousands of Iraqis, Americans now see how President Bush and his administration exploited our fear after 9/11.

Instead of committing our resources and military to rout Al Qaeda, the Bush administration lied to get Congress and the public to support the invasion of Iraq.

My thinking was distorted by the horrible events of 9/11, and in March 2003 I believed the administration's rhetoric of good (United States) versus evil (Iraq) and joined pro-war demonstrations. Across the street from me stood the antiwar protesters.

Now, with another presidential election in two years, President Bush again justifies his "stay the course" policy in Iraq while solidifying the vote for another Republican president by preaching the terrors of the "axis of evil" to evoke fear in American voters.

But after reading the Senate's report, I'm crossing the street and voting for any candidate who will get us out of Iraq.

HELEN TACKETT
Fullerton, Calif.

, Sept. 9, 2006

•

To the Editor:

Re "With All Deliberate Foot-Dragging" (editorial, Sept. 9):

I commend your editorial about the new Senate intelligence report, but I disagree about what you say is the "big point":

"Did Mr.

Bush and his aides knowingly hype the intelligence on Iraq and deliberately mislead Americans into war?''

American voters are smart enough to realize that the report inevitably leads to one of two conclusions: the Bush administration is either grossly incompetent, or that it deliberately and knowingly hyped the intelligence.

Exactly which conclusion--incompetence or "sexing up" intelligence--is irrelevant.

Unfortunately, Congress believed the administration's tall tales, financed the war and watched the administration trample our civil liberties and the Geneva Conventions.

It is to be hoped that voters will use the November Congressional elections to send a clear message: You're fired.

NATHAN P.

LETTS
Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 9, 2006

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