Z02 - Ain't It Beautiful

Riker Hill/IDN/Alliance Entertainment Corporation

Ain't It Beautiful is Z02's second release to date, and they essentially have their work cut out for them. Already having toured with both KISS and Poison, this Brooklyn based trio are bringing back hard rock, for better or for worse. They have the haircuts, the attitudes, and deffinitly the attire. This is their first release on Riker HIll, and have been touring in support ever since its August release.
Z02 are compaired to STP, Aerosmith, and Led Zepplin. The critics have it right. Their sound is right out of arena rock. I can almost see the pyro-technics going on during each song. Incredibly glamorized rock, upbeat rock hits, and the mandatory ballad are all present in this release. They also seem to incorporate an element of Black Sabbath-esq stoner rock, which automatically give them an A in my book.

Cowboy Troy - Black in the Saddle

Warner Bros/Ray Baw

To be honest, I don't know what to make of this. And I don't think many people will. Where the 90's gave us the fusion of hip hop into rock, this seems to be the other way around. It infuses hip-hop with what seems to be metal, hard rock, and country. Simultaneously. Troy is a Texas local, which definitely shows in the extensive country influence in his music. He has actually labeled the music ÒHick-HopÓ, which is quite suiting. He's released 3 albums and an EP before Black in the Saddle, along with cohosting the fifth season of Nashville Star with Jewel.
The album is...strange. I think I like it. Yeah, I do. It's sort of strange, like seeing something so out of place it takes your brain a few minutes to comprehend. But once it does, it quite impressive. He really is doing something completely different. Cameo's on the album include the singer of Avenged Sevenfold and J. Money. While usually I would be hesitant to put a metal singer on a hip hop album, this somehow makes perfect sense. While I won't deny that it is still hard to understand, it's amazing to see something so original come out in the year 2007.

Ani DiFranco - Canon Double CD

Righteous Babe

Love her or hate her, this is Ani. Folk singer, rock-star, activist, womyn. These are mere pieces to the legend that she is. her cult following has been around for almost 17 years now, since the release of her first self-titled album. She has done more work than one could possibly imagine. It feels like every few weeks I hear about a benifit show she is playing for one facet of women's rights or human rights. She is incharge of Righteous Babe, which is her brainchild. Righteous Babe not only releases her music, but a pleathra of other singer/singer songwriters. She adresses topics in her lyrics that most artist would never touch. She is the deffinition of an empowered woman.
This cd is her first real collection (double) CD, including a few newly recorded tracks. So this is nothing really new. If you've heard anything of DiFranco before, this is pretty straight forward (well, as straight forward musically as you get with her). Unbelievable guitar playing, outstanding singing, and even more beautiful lyrics to marry them together. The packaging is really something to oggle over itself: a double digi-pack with a long insert with lyrics and poetry and pictures, and (my personal favorite), two stencils of doves, which seem to be the theme for this album. This comes out with support from her newly released book of poetry, entitled "Verses". There isn't much I could say that hasn't been said about this magical woman already. This is Ani. Beggining to end.

Ted Nugent - Love Grenade

Eagle Rock

The ego has landed. Again. Ted Nugent has now released his 32nd record to date. He has been at it, I kid you not, 40 years now. Its unbelievable. I cannot how someone can release that much music, but then again, that's just me. Nugent is pissed. Not that that's new, but still. He is. He's virtually a pop celebrity at this point, and for just reason. He started at the age of 19 with the Ted Nugent Band, and then moved on to the Damn Yankees, and now back with his solo project. Unbelievable. The man is a machine.
Rock machine. That's what I meant. The man can rock. This album is incredibly straight forward, and does not screw around. Blatent lyrics about hate and womanizing, Nugent pulls his well-renouned personal flair to his music. It's amazing that someone, at his age, could still be doing what it is he's doing. One of my favorite tracks is the track "Funk U" (which I'm pretty positive is a euphanism for the less socially appropriate term), which is just an eruption of anger. The artwork is really awesome, keeping the theme of hand grenade in just about every photo (even the live ones). This man is rocking, and I could not imagine him ever stopping. The cockroaches and Nugent will be around long after we are gone.

EDITORS NOTE: Nugent far right political views regarding hunters rights, the criminal justice system, the environment, and immigration cover his public profile.

Garrison Keillor - When I Get Home: Songs

HighBridge/Prarie Grand

Garrison Keillor is a straight-up country-folk legend. He was a hit on Prarie Home Companion radioshow (yes technology-age, there was a radioshow before the movie). He's been on countless albums in the past, but rarely is he on his own solo album. He has released countless amounts of books and essays on every topic imaginable (along with a quite controversial one on gay marriage).
This is, musically, just what I need more of in my life. Very straight forward and bold, not very intrusive, and incredibly calming. His voice is rather low, which is great for country-folk. The banjo work on here is impecible. On the back of the CD is a quote of his which is, essentially, his press release for the album. It sums up everything you really need to know: "I carry this solemn mug around in public to encourage strangers to mind their manners, but when I get home I am glad to make faces, quack like a duck, dnace a little dance, and even sing a little. For many years now I have felt at home on the radio. These are some of the songs."

Lizzy Borden - Appointment With Death

Metal Blade

You say you like guitar solo's? Not as much as the members of Lizzy Borden, I assure you. Spanning an almost 25 year career, Lizzy Borden falls into the category which is now being affectionatly called "Fantasy Metal" along side such bands as Rhapsody and DragonForce. Though, in Lizzy Borden's defense, they were probably doing this when the member of both bands were still in diapers. Making their home with Metal Blade records, the new album is a concept album about the most metal of all topics: death. Yes. Another metal album about death.
The album is 11 tracks in almost an hour. Not that it is a bad thing, but essentially song structure revolve around guitar solos. And not just your high school rock band solos: this is monsterous shredding with the intent of killing someone. Probably Death himself. Or maybe the crap that has been posing as metal for the last 20 or so years. Either way, this is really intense. And might I add, it has the obligatory ballad? For fans of Iron Maiden, or anything else loud and metal for that matter.

Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - Lifeline

Cd, DVD, and Photographic Diary. Virgin/Capitol/EMI

Blues guitar prodigy Ben Harper returns with his band for what will certainly be a fan-favorite. Southern California native, Harper started playing guitar at young age, specializing in slide guitar. He released his first album at the age of 23, and from there the roads have been paved with gold. He's released 11 albums (including multiple live albums) and has created a cult following for himself across the United States. He's been becoming more and more politically active over the years, having taken part in the Moveon.org tour attempting to encourage voting and getting Republican's out of the majority, and recorded a song for a benefit album for political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi.
This album, as stated in the first sentence, is great for newcomers and die-hards alike. Complete with the new recordings, a DVD of the making of the album, and a beautifully collected photo journal of the recording process, this album is made for collectors. The music is typical harper: quite, soleful vocals with impressive guitar playing and well constructed songs. His band is as tight as ever, and the man hasn't lost any of his flair over the years. If pop-soul interests you at all, I highly suggest this album.

Crystal Gayle - Greatest Hits

Capitol Nashville/EMI

Crystal Gayle has just released her newest collection, Greatest Hits. She has achieved numerous awards, along with scoring 16 Billboard #1's. And this album is released just in time, since this year marks the 30th anniversary of Grammy-winning "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", her acclaimed "biggest single to date". She was known for her floor-length hair, and unbeatable voice. Little known fact for those out there: she is the sister of Superstar Loretta Lynn ("The Coalminers Daughter").
The CD contains no new tracks, but is a great for those who aren't too familiar, and even those who want the best of her best. Pop-influenced country, with very serine female vocals, the music was meant for driving. For the cowboys and cowgirls in all of us.

Shelton's Single of the Week: "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,"

Ari Hest - The Break-In

redink/Columbia/Sony BMG

"Everything is going to be okay". This is Ari Hest's description of this album. While most of the time I beg to differ in the grand scheme of life, this recording certainly gives that impression. Socal local, this is Hest's first offical studio release. He has released two albums previous to this one, both of which recorded entirely in Apple Garageband, which is nothing short of amazing. The idea of one being able to get a record deal without spending anymore money than one would on a laptop. He recorded this new record in a converted garage-studio, which ended up sounding superb.
His voice is really the first thing that stands out here: deep, emotional, and a little gravely at points. Mixed high, and for good reason. It really is the backbone to this album. The Break-In, as I said, is about hope. Lyrics like "I will set fire to your heart/I;m going to burn your heart/I'm going to fan the flames/The inferno inspires like none before" are typical lyrics throughout. Sort of Low-influenced country pop songs. Incredible first official album. Hopefully there will be more to come.

Halfway To Hazard - Self-Titled

StyleSonic/Mercury/Universal

"It's like throwing music and firecrackers into a blender, and what pours out is Halway to Hazard" says the band. This is their first major label release, and seem to be not only hits in the audience sector, but also within the suits themselves. They were signed immediately after being seen live, and since then have been touring and writing for this album. Kentucky locals, they have been lifelong friends whom finally started making music together. Thank God.
I would have to say this is halfway between rock and roll and country. Parts will be purely one, and then purely the other. And the a combination of the two. Self-proclaimed country boys with strong voices, the album is pretty typical country personoas: songs about heartbreak and whiskey. Which I can relate to. This is pretty straight forward. Two friends with a dream of stardom. Well, they got it. Check out their single "Daisy" on any country radiostation!

Jan Shapiro - Back To Basics

Disc Makers

Never heard of Jan Shapiro? Not surprising, but you probably will. Back in the day she was a preformer at the Boston Globe Jazz Festival and released two, fairly reclusive CD's in the 80's. Now is her hayday, and just in time. I thought I was going to loose it waiting for a jazz album to pop up. And why should we give her a chance? Well, talent for starters. The reason she took so long to record another album is that she is that, until recently, was the chair of the vocal department at Berklee School of Music. Yes, that one college that has one of the best music programs in the world.
While Shapiro is in the spotlight, her band isn't just along for the ride. What really pops out to me is the piano playing. Maybe I'm just a sucker for jazz standards, but it really is the first thing that I hear. With a very lounge-jazz sort of slow tempo-ed drum beat, I could only imagine this in a smokey bar, with a glass of pricey wine in one hand and a cigarrette in the other.

Shelton's Second Single of the Week: "Our Love Is Here To Stay,"

Robbie Fulks - Revenge! Double CD

Yep Roc/Redeye

To be perfectly honest, I had never heard of Robbie Fulks before this record got put into my hand. The cover was amusing to me, having a crazed man with a rope staring into the distance and "Revenge!" written in old horror movie writing across it. I had no idea what to expect. And I'm still not sure if I get what it is that's going on here...but I think I like it. It's been quite a night for surprises. Fulks has been at it for 10 years, making music and being renouned for his live show. Since I haven't actually seen him live, I couldn't tell you for certain, but what I can tell you is this live album is really, really fun.
Fun, and funny. Not in the "laughing at you" way, but incredibly sarcastic to the point where I can't tell if this is a parody record or not. The intro track is Fulks talking to his record executive, who told him to make a record for really cheap. Meaning a live record. These songs are, truely, some of the best alternative-country I have ever heard. Catchy and not annoyingly cheesey, upbeat but not painful optimistic, and not even country enough to fit the stereotypes. This is great. I think my first piece of homework for the weekend is to hear a non-live record by this fantastic songwriter.

Various Artists - Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: Black American Freedom Songs 1960-1966

Double CD Smithsonian Folkways

The right to vote. The ability to live equally with one's own neighbor. The ability to feed one's family and live comfortably. The very right to sit on a bus wherever one damn pleases. Freedom. These were just pieces of the 1960's Civil Rights movement. This was simultaneously one of the most beautiful and horrifying moments in history of the United States. Things were changing, and everyone knew it. People of color, primarily African Americans, were making headway towards the further-than-reach dream of National equality, between all races and creeds. It horrified the white dominant class. It made politicians run higher into the hills and swallow the racist pride that got them their positions of power and begin to listen to this silenced population. At the end, people of color got laws to keep them safe. They got a society that, for the most part, believed that they looked down upon racism. To cope, to rally, or just to rejoice in pride, a beautiful list of songs became popular during this time. A good portion of these songs are collected in Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: Black American Freedom Songs 1960-1966.
This is, undeniably, one of the best and emotionally moving releases I have seen in a long time. Every song tells a story, whether it be the dreams of freedom, rallying songs, or just prayers to God. All of the songs sound as if they were recorded live, which for me, hits a personal note. You can literally hear the hope and emotion pouring through all of these tracks. The packaging stands on its own. It comes with a booklet, which reads more like a political essay rather than album packaging. It talks about the era, the contemporary struggles of the time, and extensive explanations of all the songs, including why the track was sung and by who and any other special circumstances to go along. A double CD, this is packed with more soul than any new recording can ever have.
And I could not end this essay without a short personal interjection. While it would be nice and easy to think of the civil rights movement as unneeded today, it is the furthest from. Racism exists today, almost as damagingly as it did then. Segregation, while unofficial, still exists in the form of ghettos and redlining of housing developments. People of color have the right to vote, but for which racist politician? People of color may not be arrested strictly for disavowing segregation signs, but they sure as hell are beaten by police for being alive. The Jena 6, Mumia Abu-Jamal, and New Orleans continues to happen, time after time, in this country. Please. Look into it. Challenge yourself. And do everything in your living power to end the oppression of all.

Straylight Run - The Needles The Space

Universal Republic

Straylight Run's sophmore album The Needles The Space is a taste of where indie rock is going today. The cut and dry 4 chord pop songs of the old have been replaced with a much more dynamic, and interesting, sound. Straylight Run released one self-titled album previous to this, which has sold over two-hundred thousand copies to date. They have shared the stage with such outstanding bands as Sparta, Say Anything, Motion City Soundtrack, and Minus The Bear, along with a Warped Tour Mainstage tour this past summer.
Straylight Run consists of John Nolan on guitar and vocals, Michelle DaRosa singing and playing keyboards, Shaun Cooper playing bass, and Will Noon on drums. Somehow they make it sound closer to a full ensemble rather than a band who could probably fit into my living room. They do the male-female vocals thing really, really well. Lots of start and stops, lots of time changes, and, as I said earlier, lots of dynamics. The production must have taken months, because it is drenched in the sort of production that I can never get enough of. This is a solid indie-pop album.

Autumn - Sugarcane

Crystal Clear

This is Autumn's first release to date. She just got finished with a U.S. tour in support of this release. She is a radio personality on the "JB & Sandy" morning show on Austin's MIX 94.7, so she is not shy of the spotlight. Infact, her three siblings are all involved in the entertainment industry, amazingly enough.
Sugarcane consists of 6 originals from Autumn, and 6 arrangements by previously released writers (including Bruce Robinson, Patty Griffin, and Walt Wilkins). My favorite track on the album, which is actually the oddity, is a reggae track with the albums namesake "Sugarcane". She has a great voice, and well written songs. With her reputation already out there, I believe this won't be the last of her.

Marques Houston - Veteran

Tug/Universal Motown

Remember that 90's r&b group Immature? This is Houston 5 years post-mortum of the group. And to be honest, its probably for the best. While boyband r&b groups were big for a while, it is most certainly for the best that it is over. This is his third album, following MH and Naked. He has an acting career under his belt, staring in Nickalodeon's Good Burger, and staring in hit dance movie You God Served (along with You Got Served 2., which will be in theaters in the not to distant future).
The album seems to deal a lot with manhood, and the growing up into the shoes that fit, so to speak. The intro track is a fairly emotional sample of a child talking to his mother, and then going into fast paced, almost gangster rap beats. He is quite religious, which accounts for the lack of violence and negative topics that were the keypoint of Immature. He has an impressive voice, and the beats remind me a lot of R. Kelly. There is something really refressing about seeing people singing what feels like genuine love songs for a change.

DJ Encore - Unique

Koch/Twisted Group

Andreas Hemmeth, aka DJ Encore, is slowly, but surely, making his act a huge sensation. These are the songs that will be in teen movies in a year. Mark my words. Hemmeth has been at it since 2001. when his song ÒI See Right Through YouÓ became the theme to Big Brother Denmark. The song became a hit, on and off the show, and created a demand for DJ Encore throughout the world. Since then, hes gone back and forth between his home in Europe and the U.S., taking award after award in his wake.
This new album does not upset this trend. The opening track, ÒYou Can Walk On WaterÓ, probably one of the best on the album, is almost impossible to not start dancing to. Honestly. I almost busted out of my chair with a groove before I realized how awkward that may be. If I had no self control, probably. DJ Encore teamed up on this album with Swedish singer Johanna Stedt, who has a voice that can only make this dance music better. Trancy-Pop music at its finest.

Frankel - Lullaby for the Passersby

Red Rockets Glare Recordsa

In October of 2003, the world lost one of the most renouned song-writers of this generation: Elliot Smith. To compensate for the loss of a hero, the indie-rock music world created, essentially, a scene of Smith-imitators. And to be honest, I don't mind. Frankel, while in the genre of Smith-rock, is not something to pass off as a clone. Rather, it is the beginning of a new generation of indie-folk. Michael Orendy, who is Frankel, released Lullaby for the Passerby this year. He's making a name for himself, and good reasons. His first release, which was nothing more than demoed lo-fi recordings, put his name out there a few years ago, and led way to this magnificent release.
Composed of simultaneously up-beat and haunting melodies, Lullaby for the Passerby keeps a pretty constant theme without getting drab or boring. The instrumentation is that of a folk record: acoustic guitar, bass, drums, and pedal steel (which I might add, is incredible on this recording). He manages to make every song sound unique from the last, and adds little production quarks that really do make the record. For fans of Elliot Smith, Bright Eyes, and even Wilco. Keep an eye out for this man in the future.
***So Nice, Gotta Do It Up Twice (Created by the Original NYC DJ, Jocko, 1955)***

Big & Rich - Between Raising Hell And Amazing Grace

Warner Bros

Cowboy hats and Flying-V metal guitars. All that I can say about this. Well, not all. But thats all I really need to say. You know what I mean. A band that combines sort of stadium rock with Texan Country is something worth mentioning. This is their third album to date, and seeming to up their production and profits each album consecutively. Lots of banjo and pedal steel, along with rock-esq guitar lead lines, this is something quite original. The highlight of the album is most certainly "Please Man", featuring Foogee's own Wyclef Jean. Reggae-country with toasting?

Marc Broussard - S.O.S.: Save Our Soul

Vanguard

So I sat her, listening to this record for a few tracks before I caught the pun in the title. Not that this is the best part of the record, far from it. It just sets the mood for what this is: a soul revival record. Marc Broussard is busting out what is essentially the best of the best: Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues", Al Green's "Love And Happiness", and Frederick Knight's "Let The Music Get Down In Your Soul", just to name a few. This album almost makes me believe that soul might not be dead. Almost.

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Roots, Rock, Remixed

Rockr/Tuff Gong/Quango

So, before I go begin, I'm just going to explain what exactly this is. Years and years after its incantation, after the wear and tear of time against crude analoge recordings, after a lifetime of the same, unchanging tracks, this is the beggining. Or ending, depending on your conservative die-hard-fandom to the god of reggae. Yes, they have re-recorded the entire album at top quality and, essentially, just layered Marley's vocals on top. To be perfectly honest, I like these more than the originals. Much more clear, and possibly more interesting backing music, Roots, Rock, Remixed is a step in the right direction of the possibilites of refurbishing music. Perhaps the Exploading Hearts or Joe Hill next?
Producer's on this album is sort of a "whose who" of dub remixes. Afrodisiac Sound System, Yes King, and DJ Spoky are just a few on this album. Yes, I've decided: I like this better than the original. I might go into a short history of the mythological figure of Marley. The man who united Jamacia. The man who revolutionized a genre to the point that not a single individual has ever had the ability to rival. But I know you all hit the pipe at least once in your life, so you know it all already.

CHORUS
So welcome, welcome, emigrante, to my country,
welcome home./ Welcome, welcome, emigrante,
to the country that I love. / I am proud, I am
proud, I am proud of my forefathers / And I say
they built this country / For they came from far
away to a land they did not know / The same way
you do, my friends

Chorus

I am proud, I am proud, I am proud of my
forefathers / And I sing about their courage / For
the spoke a foreign language and they labored
with their hands / The same way
you do my friends

Chorus

I am proud, I am proud, I am proud of my
forefathers / And I sing about their patience / For the
work they did was lowly and they dirtied up their
clothes / And they spoke a foreign language and
they labored with their hands / And they came
from far away to a land they did not know / The
same way you do, my Friends.

Chorus (x2)

EDITORS NOTE: This song goes out to CNN's Lou Dobbs, who has insulted Latino individuals in a Right Wing/Fascist style. The man reminds me of Adolf Hitler who put 6 million Jews and many other "threats" into the gas chamber, and scared all of Germany to the point where World War 2 was the "right" thing to do.

Political Article: Madness as Method By: Maureen Dowd Back To Top Dick Cheney's craziness used to influence foreign policy. Now it is foreign policy. He may have lost his buddy in belligerence, Rummy. He may have tapped out the military in Iraq. He may not be able to persuade Congress so easily anymore - except for Hillary - to issue warlike resolutions. He can't cow Condi into supporting his bullying as he once did, and Bob Gates is doing his best to instill some common sense. Besides, Cheney is running out of time to wreak global havoc; he's working for a president who is spending his waning days on the job trying to prevent children from getting health insurance. But the vice president may have hit on a devious tactic used by his old boss Richard Nixon. President Nixon and Henry Kissinger liked to use madness as a method. In 1969, Nixon told Kissinger to caution the Soviet ambassador that Nixon was "out of control" on Indochina, and could do something drastic. Three months earlier, as Anthony Summers wrote in "The Arrogance of Power: The Secret World of Richard Nixon," "Kissinger had sent that very same message by proxy when he instructed Len Garment, about to leave on a trip to Moscow, to give the Soviets 'the impression that Nixon is somewhat "crazy" - immensely intelligent, well organized and experienced to be sure, but at moments of stress or personal challenge unpredictable and capable of the bloodiest brutality.' Garment carried out the mission, telling a senior Brezhnev adviser that Nixon was 'a dramatically disjointed personality...more than a little paranoid...when necessary, a cold-hearted butcher.'" All of which, his aides later reflected, was kind of true. Cheney seems to enjoy giving the impression that he is loony enough to pull off an attack on Iran before leaving office - even if he has to do it alone, like Slim Pickens riding the bomb down in ÒDr. StrangeloveÓ to the sentimental tune of ÒWeÕll Meet Again.Ó He has even begun referring to his nickname, Darth Vader, noting that it Òis one of the nicer things IÕve been called recently.Ó Darth shook his fist against Iran again on Sunday, calling Tehran Òthe worldÕs most active state sponsor of terrorÓ and vowing Òserious consequences.Ó Yet the administrationÕs policy in northern Iraq is another adventure in hypocrisy, according to a story yesterday by The TimesÕs Richard Oppel. The administration expresses solidarity with Turkey and tries to negotiate when Kurdish militants make raids against the Turks. But when Kurdish guerrillas stalk and kill Iranian forces, Òthe Americans offer Iran little sympathy.Ó ÒTehran even says Washington aids the Iranian guerrillas, a charge the United States denies,Ó Oppel writes. The neocons who have their heart set on bombing Iran to stop IÕm-a-Dinner-Jacket and the mullahs from getting nuclear capability were thrilled and emboldened by the placid reaction to the Israeli air strike on Syria. The hawks are pounding the drums on Iran as they once did on Iraq, acting as if the hourglass is running out and we have to act immediately or, as the president apocalyptically suggested last week, we could be facing World War III. Or World War IV, as Norman Podhoretz, a neocon who is a top Giuliani adviser, says. Podhoretz urges bombing Iran Òas soon as it is logistically possibleÓ and likened Ahmadinejad to Hitler, as Poppy Bush did with Saddam. Rudy is using his more martial attitude toward Iran as a weapon against Hillary, painting her as a delicate ditherer on the topic, and Obama is using his more diplomatic attitude toward Iran as a weapon against Hillary, painting her as a triangulator and a two-time administration patsy. In his new book, the former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton scornfully accuses Colin Powell, and later Condi Rice, of appeasing Iran, including some carrots to get them to cease their nuclear plans. A top Bush 41 national security official told me shortly after Bush 43 got under way that the younger Bush teamÕs foreign policy was dangerous because it was so Òblack and white,Ó so dependent on Òbogymen.Ó President Bush has settled on his new bogyman, once more ignoring the obvious choice of Osama. Yesterday, he defended his plans to build a missile defense system in Europe by raising the specter of IranÕs nuclear ambitions. Hit with sticks, the bogyman responded with sticks. He said that Iran will not negotiate with anyone about its right to nuclear technology. As Pat Buchanan noted on ÒHardball,Ó ÒCheney and Bush are laying down markers for themselves which theyÕre going to have to meet. I donÕt see how É Bush and Cheney can avoid attacking Iran and retaining their credibility going out of office.Ó In other words, once our cowboys have talked their crazy talk, they have to walk their crazy walk.

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