The DNC and U.S.-Iraq withdrawal agreement timing: an amazing coincidence!

Condoleeza Rice. So on August 21, four days before the start of the Democratic National Convention, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice says the United States and Iraq have agreed that timetables should be set for U.S. troop withdrawl from the wartorn country, and major news agencies are reporting the target…

Why is the DNC dissing Al Franken?

Al Franken. Recently announced Democratic National Convention speakers such as Jimmy Carter, Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy share at least one characteristic in common: They’re not very funny. Meanwhile, someone who has coaxed a laugh or two in his day, and who’s planning to be in Denver for the DNC…

Upcoming DNC roundtable: lotsa ugly politicians and a smokin’ hot celeb

Saving humanity one sexy photo at a time. Listen to this lineup for an August 27 roundtable discussion at Boettcher Concert Hall on the topic of “Combating Global Poverty,” as announced by the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee: Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State and co-chair of the Commission on…

Denver Police receive 50 unmarked vans for the DNC

On Monday, the fenced lot in front of the Denver Police Academy at 8895 Montview Boulevard was empty. On Wednesday it was filled with 50-or-so large vans with license plates ranging from California, Nevada and Florida. None of them were marked as police vehicles, but don’t be surprised if they’re…

And the recipient of the first DNC protest is … Nancy Pelosi!

“You stop that protesting right now or I will turn this press conference around!” This email just came from Westword Editorial Operations Manager Jane Le: I attended the Nancy Pelosi book signing at the Tattered Cover yesterday, and there were PROTESTERS there. The first one was whisked away so quickly…

A happy twist in our Obama ticketing saga

Can’t wait to see the glass elevator. In the last week or so, I’ve ranted in this space not once but twice about my entire family being rejected for Barack Obama acceptance speech tickets. And given that the tickets were handed out this past weekend with much hoopla, the last…

Welcome to Denver!

Ten things you should know before you step out into one of this city’s 300 annual days of sunshine. 1) John Denver is not from Denver — so don’t blame us for “Rocky Mountain High.” In fact, the former Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. never even lived in Denver, although he…

Take Ten, Colorado

When Colorado became the 38th state in the Union, in 1876, a New York newspaper wrote, “There is something repulsive in the idea that a few handfuls of miners and reckless bushwackers should have the same representation in the Senate as Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York.” On the eve of…

The Gang’s All Beer

Colorado makes more beer than any other state (23.4 million barrels), has the highest per capita number of craft breweries (92), and is home to both the biggest beer bash of the year (the Great American Beer Festival) and the largest single brewing facility in the nation (Coors). Oh, and…

Souvenirs of South Park

Lots of states claim to be home to the mythical Springfield of Simpsons fame, but only Colorado can brag that it’s the site of that other great cartoon capital of the world: South Park, the setting of the subversively impertinent Comedy Central animated series of the same name. South Park’s…

Welcome to Collywood

As the folks at the Colorado Film Commission will tell you, our fair state offers an incredible variety of potential movie locations: mountains, deserts, farmland, big cities, little towns and so on. And even though we don’t offer Hollywood types — many of whom spend their leisure time at such…

Conspiracy to Have Fun

Thinking of checking out Colorado’s gorgeous scenery this summer? Maybe some mountain lakes? Elk? A raging river or three? Go ahead. Have fun. That’s exactly the type of thing THEY want you to do. They being the pleasant little folk known as the CIA, the Illuminati, the corporate/alien overlords and/or…

DNC Orientation Video: Because you can’t get drunk from hope alone

The Democratic National Convention is almost upon us, so Adam Cayton-Holland, Westword’s resident fake drunk cowboy, and his friends at Wrist Deep Productions, have put together a handy DNC Orientation Video. It should probably used by the city to help make conventioneers, GOP spies, and business-savvy strippers feel welcome. But…

Secret DNC jail “Gitmo on the Platte” has a secret escape tunnel!

Another amusing/terrifying item I noticed in the amusing/terrifying Denver Auditor’s report I read after my amusing/terrifying experience getting chased by a black truck after taking unauthorized photos of Gitmo on the Platte: there’s a secret tunnel that leads outside the (once) secret DNC protester prison. It’ll be just like that…

Coke and Pepsi bring Democrats together

Pepsi may get the glory during the Democratic National Convention when the Pepsi Center takes center stage, but Coke will be cleaning up The Can. Last week, Coca-Cola became the “Official Recycling Provider” for the DNC – which means the company will send its employees to Denver with stolen grocery…

Obama versus the Denver Broncos at Invesco

The Denver Broncos took on the Dallas Cowboys at Invesco Field on Saturday. It was the second of four pre-season games. Not that it matters, but the Broncos won. More than 60,000 people were there (in spite of the rain), which is good for a game that doesn’t count. But…

Before he hits Denver, Ralph Nader defends his candidacy — again

As Ralph Nader continues his fifth campaign for the presidency, he joins an elite club of independent mainstays—Gus Hall for the U.S. Communist Party (4 runs), Howard Phillips for the Constitution Party (3 runs), Norman Thomas for the Socialist Party (6 runs). Nader’s message, like his rumpled suits, has changed…

An update on our Obama speech rejection letter

And stay out! In an August 15 blog about my wife being rejected for Barack Obama acceptance-speech tickets despite having registered for them within fifteen minutes of former Denver mayor Federico Peña announcing, “It’s first come, first served,” I promised to eat some of my accusatory words if more positive…

Did Fox News darken Barack Obama?

Barack Obama in an image from Fox News (above) and his own website. During one of my regular surfing expeditions through the Internet, I came upon the photo of Barack Obama above, which appeared on a Fox News election page ranking the net’s list of the top eleven conventions in…

Denver International Airport gets ready for its close-up

Land here, Dems. I just made a fast trip out of DIA, which has been spruced up in anticipation of the hordes of politicos and pundits heading to town this weekend. Acres of carpet have been replaced (and recycled in the greenest way possible), the gift stores are stocked with…