Was anyone else disoriented by this cheery illustration of a smiling Howard Dean? I am neither for nor against Dean, but he does seem awfully crochety. In this picture, he looked so happy, I thought it was supposed to be a picture of Wesley Clark, who is always smiling, though for perhaps less reason.

But back to substance, not style. (Dedicated readers are wondering: "What does she mean, 'back to'?") I have been wondering if anyone has compiled a list of how those 2004 presidential candidates who are currently congressmen have voted on some of the more noxious bills the Bush administration has rammed through. The Bush administration likely didn't get where it is today without some congressional rolling-over, and if any of these guys were responsible, I want to know. I think voting records make a better basis for elimination of candidates than sweater choice at this point. (This doesn't help with non-congressional outliers like Clark and Dean, but you've got to start somewhere.)

A few places to find voting records:
The Global Stewards, an environmental group, links to Congressional voting record scorecard information for environmental, labor rights, civil rights, animal rights, and war-related issues.

The NOW-PACS page focuses on women's issues.

The ACLU has a pretty good site, as does Public Citizen.

To really do this right, I would need a more comprehensive knowledge of the key bills (names, sessions of congress, etc.). This could be a lot of work, but hey, it's amazing how much time on your schedule opens up when you've got a broken finger.