Editor at Large

Sweet, sad irony

2009-06-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

Pat Buchanan hosted a conference recently to discuss how Republicans can regain a majority in America. During one discussion, panelists suggested supporting English-only initiatives as a prime way of attracting "working class white Democrats." The panelists also suggested that, without English as the official language, President Obama would force Americans to speak Spanish.

One salient feature of the event was the banner hanging over the English-only advocates. The word "conference" was spelled “Conferenece.”

Source

Proud to be a right-wing extremist

2009-06-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

Incredible. They still think this is funny.

Presented without comment...

2009-04-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

(h/t to Tom Tomorrow, www.thismodernworld.com)

Roger Ebert eviscerates Bill O'Reilly

2009-04-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

Read the whole, wonderful thing.

Be...all that you can be...

2009-04-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

...unless you have PTSD:

Last month, the Air Force Times reported that "as many as 300,000 troops had PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] and received inadequate care." The Department of Veterans Affairs noted at the time that only "about half of all disability claims for PTSD are approved." It appears now that the Army's neglect of soldiers with symptoms of PTSD -- including nightmares, flashbacks, and "an inability to think clearly or remember things well, which makes performing basic daily takes difficult" -- is by design. An audio tape acquired by Salon provides evidence that "the military does not want veterans to be diagnosed with PTSD" because treating the condition is too expensive. Secretly recording a conversation with his doctor, a soldier asked why he had been diagnosed with an "anxiety disorder" rather than PTSD. "I will tell you something confidentially that I would have to deny if it were ever public," psychologist Douglas McNinch told the patient. "Not only myself, but all the clinicians up here are being pressured to not diagnose PTSD and diagnose anxiety disorder." McNinch added, "Unfortunately, yours has not been the only case. ... I and other [doctors] are under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD. It's not fair. I think it's a horrible way to treat soldiers." Salon reports that "after the Army became aware of the tape, the Senate Armed Services Committee declined to investigate its implications." The Army has conducted an internal investigation but "cleared itself of any wrongdoing."

Source.

If you can't beat 'em, kill 'em

2009-04-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

The "right to bear arms" has become the right for madmen to buy guns and use them on innocent people.

Last Friday, New York Times columnist Charles Blow warned of the escalating rhetoric of right-wingers like Chuck Norris, Michele Bachmann, Glenn Beck, and others: "They're apocalyptic. They feel isolated, angry, betrayed and besieged. And some of their 'leaders' seem to be trying to mold them into militias." In fact, the FBI says there were 1.2 million more requests for background checks of potential gun buyers from November to February than there were in the same four months of last year.

On Saturday, in Pittsburgh, a man who said he was afraid of "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon" shot and killed three police officers who were responding to a domestic disturbance call.

Never mind that Obama has never even threatened to ban guns and is, in fact, working to restore most of the rights Bush stole from us...but it's useless to try talking sense to people with red in their eyes...

Gay marriage? In Iowa?

2009-04-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

Wow. It must be very, very cold in hell today.

I like how the Iowa Supreme Court put it:

We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any important governmental objective. [Iowa lawmakers have] excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification. [To issue any other decision] would be an abdication of our constitutional duty.

Damn, er, straight.

Michael Steele for president!

2009-03-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

So Michael Steele planned that whole Limbaugh spat thing.

Wow.

And now he's thinking about running for president.

Wow.

I guess it's all part of his “strategy”...or something.

Steele/Jindal 2012!

An AIG insider's perspective

2009-03-25T08:41:00.001-07:00

Apparently, not all AIG executives are evil, greedy monsters who deserve to die by immolation and defenestration. Some of them are actually honest, hard-working family guys who had nothing to do with AIG's meltdown--and, yes, totally deserved their million-dollar bonuses.

Or at least that's what the author of this letter would have us believe.

Update: Matt Taibbi thoroughly and convincingly discredits every one of Jake DeSantis's arguments.

GOP to Cheney: Stuff it

2009-03-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Some Republicans are not keeping quiet about Dick Cheney's apparent inability to keep quiet.

In response to Cheney's recent fear-mongering and Obama-bashing on TV and radio talk shows, Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk (R) said, “I would just encourage everybody who has left office to follow the tradition of the Founding Fathers — to write your memoirs, but to refrain from [criticizing].”

And Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) had this to say: “We should focus on the people that will lead us tomorrow, not the people who led us yesterday. With all due respect to former Vice President Cheney, he represents what’s behind us, not what’s ahead of us.”

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) opted for subtlety in his admonishment: "What gets a majority back is deeds, not words.”

President Obama also had a few choice words for Cheney during his interview Sunday night on 60 Minutes: “I fundamentally disagree with Dick Cheney...I think that Vice President Cheney has been at the head of a movement whose notion is somehow that we can’t reconcile our core values, our Constitution, our belief that we don’t torture, with our national-security interests. I think he’s drawing the wrong lesson from history. The facts don’t bear him out.”

Well, Dick Cheney never did let facts get in his way, and I'm betting he won't let a few whacks on his head get in his way, either. We'll be hearing more from this mole.

Source.

The Decider is writing a book about...his decisions

2009-03-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

Presumably, the book George W. Bush has agreed to write for Crown (apropos) Publishers, Decision Points, will reveal the thinking behind some of his bad decisions. But first he would have to admit that he actually made some...

More.

Limbaugh defends AIG

2009-03-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

Wow. Just when you think Rush has sunk to a new low, he sinks even further. But that has become his shtick, hasn't it? Say whatever you can to generate the most controversy--the most publicity--and let the truth be damned.

A lynch mob is expanding: the peasants with their pitchforks surrounding the corporate headquarters of AIG, demanding heads. Death threats are pouring in. All of this being ginned up by the Obama administration. ...how do you get to the point where you're going to bail out the company, but you don't want the employees to get paid?

Uh, hello, Rush? The employees were already getting paid--quite handsomely. We're talking about $1 million + bonuses here. For failing.

But then, you get paid an obscene amount for failing to make any sense, so of course you're going to defend the practice.

They should have listened to Ron Wyden

2009-03-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden says the fiasco with AIG's bonuses could have been avoided if Obama and Congress had backed legislation that he and Sen. Olympia Snowe introduced more than a month ago. Their provision would have forced bailout recipients to cap bonuses at $100,000, with any amount above that being taxed at 35 percent. The language made it through the Senate, but during conference committee with the House it was inexplicably removed.

More.

Flush Rush

2009-03-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

Had about enough of Rush Limbaugh? Me, too. That's why I made this.

Jim Cramer confesses to SEC violations

2009-03-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

In an interview taped in 2006, "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer reveals how he manipulated the stock market when he was a hedge fund manager. The only question left now is, will CNBC drop his show before or after the SEC brings charges against him?

Meanwhile, bless Jon Stewart.

Bobby Jindal, exorcist

2009-02-26T08:47:00.000-08:00

This guy is scary. Not only did he change his name to Bobby (from Piyush) after watching The Brady Bunch, and then convert to Catholicism after watching an old movie about Christ, he claims to have performed an exorcism while in college.

Rush, he's all yours!

Did anyone like Jindal's speech?

2009-02-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

Sure, Paul Krugman hated Bobby "Almost Obama" Jindal's Republican response to Obama's address last night. "The intellectual incoherence is stunning," Krugman said. "Basically, the political philosophy of the GOP right now seems to consist of snickering at stuff that they think sounds funny. The party of ideas has become the party of Beavis and Butthead."

But even stalwart conservative David Brooks didn't have anything nice to say about Jindal's speech. He called it "stale," "a disaster," "a form of nihilism," "insane," and "unfortunate."

But my favorite comment came from a Democratic strategist, who said, "After watching Jindal, I'd pay a lot of money to be back watching a Palin speech."

Palin and Jindal 2012!

Source

Who would pay to hear this moron "speak"?

2009-02-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

At a time when most people would pay billions in bailout funds to get Bush to shut up and go away, a Canadian organization has inexplicably hired him to "speak." But the event, happening on March 17 in Calgary, will be closed to the media--just like most of Bush's "speeches" when he was "president."

The event, euphemistically called “A Conversation with George W. Bush” (not even a schizoid proctologist would converse with such an a-hole), will be Bush’s first "speech" since being released on his own recognizance. The group that hired him, tinePublic, plans to charge a mere $4,000 per table of 10. That's $400 a head (or butt, or butthead) for the privilege of hearing Bush's alleged brain make fart noises through his mouth.

Will there be any protests? Yep. At least one group of Calgarians is planning to let Bush know he’s about as welcome as redness and swelling on the genitals. Bush's last visit to Calgary, in 2002, also provoked protests. In fact, the only time Bush hasn't sparked a protest is when he was leaving.

Get your tickets now, before Karl Rove snaps 'em all up!

Source

Why is this guy on trial and not Bush?

2009-02-19T09:03:00.000-08:00

Muntadher al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist on trial for throwing his shoes at President Bush, said it was Bush's "bloodless and soulless smile" and his joking banter that provoked him.

Most Americans can relate to that.

"I could only see Bush and feel the blood of the innocents flow under his feet," al-Zaidi said, "as he was smiling that smile...At that moment, I felt this is the man who killed our nation...the main murderer and the main person responsible for killing our nation."

Al-Zaidi said he had no intention of killing Bush. "I was expressing my inner feelings and those of all the Iraqi people from east to west and north to south and the feelings of hatred they hold for him."

Al-Zaidi told the judge that he had wanted to humiliate Bush in the past, and that at the news conference, as Bush was listing the "gains" made in Iraq, al-Zaidi was thinking about the millions of civilians who had been killed, widowed, or displaced. He talked about the sanctity of mosques being violated, the rape of women, and daily humiliations.

"I don't know what accomplishments he was talking about," al-Zaidi said. "The accomplishments I could see were the more than 1 million martyrs and a sea of blood. There are more than 5 million Iraqi orphans because of the occupation...more than a million widows and more than 3 million displaced because of the occupation."

If it's a trial by a jury of peers, al-Zaidi should get off scot-free. When he entered the courthouse, the crowd gathered outside applauded and cheered and a woman shouted, "You hero!"

Source

Oh no! We're running out of rich people!

2009-02-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

Well, so says the fact-challenged, delusional, paranoid, conspiracy theorist Michele Bachmann, anyway.

Why do Republicans hate facts?

2009-02-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

Lately, it seems, not a day goes by without some prominent Republican misstating, misrepresenting, distorting, or flat-out lying about the facts.

Why do Republicans hate facts so much? What did facts ever do to them--besides invalidate virtually everything they believe?

George W. Bush is dead!

2009-02-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

...but only in a parallel universe.

Mike Huckabee endorses stimulus package

2009-02-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

By stating that the stimulus package is "anti-religious," Mike Huckabee has given the package its best endorsement yet.

But...who would eat any of these?

2009-02-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

Ben & Jerry created "Yes Pecan!" ice cream flavor for Obama. For George W. they asked for suggestions from the public. Here are some of their favorite responses:

- Grape Depression

- The Housing Crunch

- Abu Grape

- Cluster Fudge

- Nut'n Accomplished

- Iraqi Road

- Chock 'n Awe

- WireTapioca

- imPeach Cobbler

- Guantanmallow

- imPeachMint

- Heck of a Job, Brownie!

- NeoconPolitan

- RockyRoad to Fascism

- The Reese's-cession

- Cookie D'oh!

- Nougalar Proliferation

- Death by Chocolate... and Torture

- Freedom Vanilla Ice Cream

- Chocolate Chip On My Shoulder

- Credit Crunch

- Mission Pecanplished

- Country Pumpkin

- Chunky Monkey in Chief

- WMD-licious

- Chocolate Chimp

- Bloody Sundae

- Caramel Preemptive Stripe

- I broke the law and am responsible for the deaths of
thousands . . . with nuts

We can't afford a bipartisan stimulus package

2009-02-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the U.S. will need an infusion of $2.9 trillion over the next three years just to keep us afloat. So Obama's original $800 billion stimulus plan was inadequate to begin with, and now it has been rendered almost completely useless by the so-called "bipartisan" Senate agreement.

It appears that Republicans are trying to force enough compromises in the stimulus bill to make it doomed to failure, and then they can vote against it and exploit "the Democrats' failed economy" in the next elections.

President Obama, we can't afford this kind of "bipartisanship." Produce a stimulus plan that will work, and stop asking for input or blessings from those who want to destroy you and our country.

Palin/Limbaugh 2012!

2009-02-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh can't seem to keep their ugly mugs out of the news. I wonder what they're gunning for?

Hey Republicans, stop acting like Microsoft

2009-02-04T14:32:00.000-08:00

Apple created the Macintosh...Microsoft tried to copy them with Windows.
Apple created iTunes and the iPod...Microsoft tried to copy them with the MSN Music Store and the Zune.

Likewise:
Hillary Clinton ran for president...the Republicans ran Sarah Palin.
Barack Obama was elected president...the Republicans elected Michael Steele.

Not wanting to be called copycats, however, the Republicans are now trying to do something truly innovative: voting "No" on every idea the Democrats come up with.

Sounds like anti-trust to me...

How about one that says "Ex-thinker"?

2009-02-04T11:39:00.001-08:00

(That last T-shirt falls under the category of "too much information")

The Kristol ball, wrong again

2009-02-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

Bill Kristol, who has a history of being wrong every time he opens his mouth, says Republican senators should defeat Obama's stimulus package so that defeating Obama's impending health care plan will be even easier.

If only the universe were required to issue retractions on its mistakes...

Source

Bush's smirk vs. Obama's appropriate facial expressions

2009-02-02T14:19:00.000-08:00

Remember how George W. Bush would smirk or grin when he should have been looking sober, such as when talking about the war or the economy?

Compare that with the expressions on Barack Obama's face when dealing with serious issues, such as Tom Daschle's tax problems.

Isn't it nice to have a president whose face is an appropriate reflection of the situation, rather that a twisted, discordant mockery?

Source of Bush montage: The Brad Blog

Giuliani: Wall Street bonuses trickle down!

2009-01-30T14:59:00.000-08:00

Rudy Giuliani warns that cutting corporate bonuses will lead to cutting jobs. He adds that when he was mayor of New York City, he based the city budget in part on Wall Street bonuses.

"If you somehow take that bonus out of the economy, it really will create unemployment," Giuliani said on CNN's "American Morning." "It means less spending in restaurants, less spending in department stores, so everything has an impact."

Lemme see...where have we heard this before?

An even better question: Where has this theory actually worked before?

Answer: Nowhere.

Here's a better idea, Mr. Giuliani: Take those fatcats' billions, give the money to the workers who helped make them rich, and let the workers do with it as they choose. Who knows, maybe they'll choose to spend some of the money and it will eventually trickle up?

Source

Craig Robinson is writing a book

2009-01-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

Craig Robinson, brother of Michelle Obama (and coach of the Oregon State University men's basketball team) is writing a book called A Game of Character. Part tribute to his family and part inspirational guide, the book will be published in 2010 by Gotham Books.

Even though the book has not yet been written, let alone published, it has already sold more copies than did Joe the Plumber's book, Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream, which is in its eight week on the New York Times Worstseller List.

Source

How Obama uses touch

2009-01-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

Politico has a very interesting article on the different ways Obama will touch people while speaking with them--a light squeeze, a firm pat, etc.--to convey different meanings and perhaps motivate behavior changes. People who have been on the receiving end of an Obama talk/touch say he's quite good at delivering his message.

So we have a president who intuitively knows and uses Nuero-Linguistic Programming...which could come in handy when dealing with some of the more obstinate heads of state.

Mission accomplished!

2009-01-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

Obama is finally president, and just in case it hasn't quite sunk in for you yet, check this out.

Wasn't it great watching ex-President Bush take off in that helicopter and head back to Texas? I'm probably going to replay that scene in my head a thousand times over the next couple of weeks.

Yes, we did!

Well, at least one country liked him

2009-01-19T13:26:00.000-08:00

Now that Bush is leaving, journalists here and abroad are free to express how they really feel about the ex-prez. The consensus: Bush was a colossal failure. Unless you live in Israel.

Karl Rove will personally deliver your farewell message to President Bush!

2009-01-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

Now's your chance to say everything you've been wanting to say to President Bush for the past eight years...and Karl Rove (aka Turd Blossom, aka Bush's Brain) will personally deliver your note to the prez on January 20.

In Rove's own words (on his Twitter site):

Send a farewell letter to President Bush—Email gwbfarewell@gmail.com [no attachments] and I’ll give him your note on January 20.

The deadline for messages to President Bush is 6 p.m. Eastern time, January 19.

Naturally, Rove will deliver only what he considers to be positive messages to his old pal and fantasy boy toy, so if you have something negative to say, get creative and try to couch it in positive terms, e.g.:

Dear President Bush,

I don't care what most of the country and most of the world and probably most of the universe says, you were a fabulous president. I mean, you kept us safe ever since September 11. Who cares if you didn't keep us safe ON September 11--we've been safe ever since! OK, so the soldiers you sent to Iraq and Afghanistan weren't safe, but they kept us safe by keeping the fight "over there"!

And so what if we've been in a recession for the past year or so? For the previous 7 years, we were only in a steady downward spiral, careening inexorably toward a recession. You held it at bay for as long as you possibly could--considering everything you did that precipitated it!

But the main reason I think you were the best president, Mr. Bush, is that you kept Social Security from becoming privatized. Man oh man, can you even wrap your mind around what might have happened if our Social Security were funded by the stock market? Thanks to your efforts, Mr. Bush, we REALLY dodged a bullet there (unlike the poor guy Cheney shot in the face)!

Speaking of dodging bullets, I hope you have the best retirement ever, with as few "untoward incidents" as possible. With all the Bush-bashing kooks out there, you never know what might happen to our beloved ex-president. Stay low, and stay out of sight!

Sincerely yours,

EAL

Well, what are you waiting for...write that letter and send it to Karl!

Source

Should Bush be prosecuted?

2009-01-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

The answer, according to Paul Krugman, is yes.

Sarah Palin, victim

2009-01-14T16:07:00.000-08:00

Jon Stewart's mockery of Sarah Palin is hilarious, but it's also a little disturbing. The once-proud "hockey mom" and vice-presidential candidate seems to have been reduced to a whining, moaning, finger-pointing caricature of her former self--which, of course, was a caricature to begin with.

Still, does Sarah Palin deserve this kind of treatment?

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Blamey Whinehouse

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Well, yes. If she wants to be seen as a victim, then Jon Stewart has every right to victimize her.

Bush's mistakes vs America's disappointments

2009-01-13T09:19:00.000-08:00

23/6.com schools President Bush on the difference between a mistake and a disappointment. (Click to enlarge.)

Bush worries about his reflection

2009-01-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

In his final news conference yesterday, President Bush said:

I don’t see how I can get back home in Texas and look in the mirror and be proud of what I see, if I allowed the loud voices, the loud critics to prevent me from doing what I thought was necessary to protect this country.

Well, exactly, Mr. Bush. How will you look at yourself in the mirror and be proud?

How will you sleep at night?

Source

Krugman: Obama's economic plan too conservative

2009-01-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

In today's NY Times, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman writes that Obama's economic plan "isn’t as strong as his language about the economic threat. In fact, it falls well short of what’s needed."

Obama needs to stop trying to appease the Republican minority in Congress and start taking advantage of his Democratic majority. Yes, that's exactly what Bush did for eight years with his Republican majority, but it may be the only way to get the pendulum dislodged and started swinging in the other direction.

Source

More insights into who Rick Warren really is

2009-01-08T08:39:00.000-08:00

Hey Mr. Obama, could you please tell us again why you think Rick Warren is a good guy?

Sneak preview: Laura Bush's memoir

2009-01-06T13:01:00.000-08:00

Somehow, the investigative reporters over at 23/6.com got hold of the proposed contents page of Laura Bush's highly anticipated memoir.

Okay, anticipated.

Put down your coffee and take a look. (Rub some Vimax on the image to enlarge it.)

Ann Coulter: goofy, sophomoric victim

2009-01-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes, I know: Ann Coulter is just an entertainer, like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity. But still, millions of people actually take her seriously. Even when they see her on TV, making a total fool of herself...

Watch CBS Videos Online

Why is this woman even allowed to speak, let alone speak on TV? I liked her better when her jaw was wired shut.

Chip the Tragic Racist

2008-12-30T16:29:00.000-08:00

(Sung to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon")

Chip the tragic racist
mailed a CD
to everyone on his Christmas list
including the RNC

Little Chippy Saltsman
loved to be a cock
and so one song on his CD
made fun of black Barack

Some said they were "disgusted"
and others said "Big deal!
Barack the Magic Negro is
free speech, so let's get real." Oh!

Chip the tragic racist
mailed a CD
to everyone on his Christmas list
including the RNC

Racists are forever
no matter how we hope
just when we think change is finally here
along comes another dope

But one day it might happen
ignorance will come no more
and people like Chip Saltsman
will stop being such a boor...Oh!

(Repeat chorus ad nauseam)

Rick Warren takes another baby step

2008-12-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

Until yesterday, the Web site for the Rev. Rick Warren's Saddleback Church stated that "someone unwilling to repent for their homosexual lifestyle would not be accepted as a member at Saddleback" (see screenshot below). Now that language is gone.

Is Rick Warren finally getting it? Or is he just trying to be more politically correct, as inauguration day nears?

Source

Ya think?

2008-12-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

It's about time someone said this:

In elevating to a level of demiworship people with big bucks, we have been destroying the values of our future generation. We need a total rethinking of who the heroes are, who the role models are, who we should be honoring.

--Rabbi Benjamin Blech, professor of philosophy of law at Yeshiva University, on the downfall of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff

Warren changes his tune...sort of

2008-12-22T16:44:00.000-08:00

Lesbian singer/songwriter Melissa Etheridge says Rick Warren called her last night and told her that he "regretted his choice of words in his video message to his congregation about proposition 8 when he mentioned pedophiles and those who commit incest." (See the video in my previous post.)

Warren also told Etheridge that "as a Christian he believed in equal rights for everyone" and that "every loving relationship should have equal protection."

But...Warren also told Etheridge that he "didn't want to see marriage redefined as anything other than between a man and a woman."

So, Pastor Warren, what term would you suggest for those "equal rights" and "equal protection" you mentioned, if "marriage" is off limits?

Source

Rick Warren, hate criminal

2008-12-22T09:50:00.000-08:00

I didn't fully understand the uproar over Rick Warren until I saw this video.

This man is not only a colossal bigot, hate-monger, and ignoramus (he knows nothing about religion, history, politics, math, science, sex, life, or love), but he's a terrible speaker to boot. Why is this man even being considered for a role in the inauguration?

Bush, whacked (almost)

2008-12-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't already seen it 50 times:

Yes, the video is peculiar—and kind of poignant. Here was this angry Iraqi, desperate to express his rage and contempt toward a man who had terminated or ruined hundreds of thousands of his fellow citizens’ lives and wrecked his country, and when he finally, finally--after years of waiting to do so--had the opportunity to make his feelings known . . . get some semblance of revenge . . . and maybe experience a flicker of justice . . . he missed.

And he missed despite his excellent aim. In fact, it looks like the only reason he missed is because Bush had received extensive training in how to duck, in case just such an event should occur. Ponder that for a moment.

It was interesting, too, how half-assed al-Maliki’s reaction was--he barely lifted a finger to deflect the second shoe. Tired, or complicit?

Oh God, Obama, no!

2008-12-18T08:21:00.000-08:00

The honeymoon is over. Obama has made his first big, ugly mistake.

UPDATE: The Obama team's defense of his choice:

• This will be the most open, accessible, and inclusive Inauguration in American history.

• In keeping with the spirit of unity and common purpose this Inauguration will reflect, the President-elect and Vice President-elect have chosen some of the world's most gifted artists and people with broad appeal to participate in the inaugural ceremonies.

• Pastor Rick Warren has a long history of activism on behalf of the disadvantaged and the downtrodden. He's devoted his life to performing good works for the poor and leads the evangelical movement in addressing the global HIV/AIDS crisis. In fact, the President-elect recently addressed Rick Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health to salute Warren's leadership in the struggle against HIV/AIDS and pledge his support to the effort in the years ahead.

• The President-elect disagrees with Pastor Warren on issues that affect the LGBT community. They disagree on other issues as well. But what's important is that they agree on many issues vital to the pursuit of social justice, including poverty relief and moving toward a sustainable planet; and they share a commitment to renewing America's promise by expanding opportunity at home and restoring our moral leadership abroad.

• As he's said again and again, the President-elect is committed to bringing together all sides of the faith discussion in search of common ground. That's the only way we'll be able to unite this country with the resolve and common purpose necessary to solve the challenges we face.

• The Inauguration will also involve Reverend Joseph Lowery, who will be delivering the official benediction at the Inauguration. Reverend Lowery is a giant of the civil rights movement who boasts a proudly progressive record on LGBT issues. He has been a leader in the struggle for civil rights for all Americans, gay or straight.

• And for the very first time, there will be a group representing the interests of LGBT Americans participating in the Inaugural Parade.

Source

The repentant Bill Ayers

2008-12-08T08:58:00.001-08:00

William Ayers, the former "terrorist," sounds like someone I wouldn't mind palling around with.

Not that this is news....

2008-12-04T11:16:00.000-08:00

According to a major study done by the University of Maryland, the more commercial television news you watch, the more wrong you are likely to be about key elements of the Iraq War and its aftermath. The study also found that the more you watch Fox News, in particular, the more likely it is that your perceptions about the war are wrong.

Among the other results of the study:

• Forty-eight percent of the public believe US troops found evidence of close pre-war links between Iraq and the al-Qaeda terrorist group; 22 percent thought troops found weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq; and 25 percent believed that world public opinion favored Washington's going to war with Iraq. All three are misperceptions.

• The more misperceptions held by the respondent, the more likely it was that s/he both supported the war and depended on commercial television for news about it.

• Sixty percent of the people surveyed held at least one of the three misperceptions through September. Thirty percent of respondents had none of those misperceptions.

• The percentage of people holding the misperceptions rose slightly over the last three months. In July, for example, polls found that 45 percent of the public believed US forces had found "clear evidence in Iraq that Hussein was working closely with al-Qaeda". In September, 49 percent believed that.

• Likewise, those who believed troops had found WMD in Iraq jumped from 21 percent in July to 24 percent in September. One in five respondents said they believed that Iraq had actually used chemical or biological weapons during the war.

• There was a high correlation between respondents with the most misperceptions and their support for the decision to go to war. Only 23 percent of those who held none of the three misperceptions supported the war, while 53 percent who held one misperception did so. Of those who believe that both WMDs and evidence of al-Qaeda ties have been found in Iraq and that world opinion backed the United States, a whopping 86 percent said they supported war.

• Among those who believed that Washington had found clear evidence of close ties between Hussein and al-Qaeda, two-thirds held the view that going to war was the best thing to do. Only 29 percent felt that way among those who did not believe that such evidence had been found.

• Republicans were substantially "more likely" to hold misperceptions than Democrats.

• The average frequency of misperceptions among respondents who planned to vote for Bush was 45 percent, while among those who plan to vote for a hypothetical Democrat candidate, the frequency averaged only 17 percent.

• When asked "Has the US found clear evidence Saddam Hussein was working closely with al-Qaeda"? 68 percent of Bush supporters replied affirmatively. By contrast, two of every three Democrat-backers said no.

• For each of the three misperceptions, the study found enormous differences between the viewers of Fox, who held the most misperceptions, and NPR/PBS, who held the fewest by far. Eighty percent of Fox viewers were found to hold at least one misperception, compared to 23 percent of NPR/PBS consumers. All the other media fell in between. CBS ranked right behind Fox with a 71 percent score, while CNN and NBC tied as the best-performing commercial broadcast audience at 55 percent. Forty-seven percent of print media readers held at least one misperception.

• As to the number of misconceptions held by their audiences, Fox far outscored all of its rivals. A whopping 45 percent of its viewers believed all three misperceptions, while the other commercial networks scored between 12 percent and 16 percent. Only nine percent of readers believed all three, while only four percent of the NPR/PBS audience did.

• Seventy-eight percent of Bush supporters who watch Fox News said they thought the United States had found evidence of a direct link to al-Qaeda, while 50 percent of Bush supporters who rely on NPR/PBS thought so.

• Conversely, 48 percent of Fox viewers who said they would support a Democrat believed that such evidence had been found. But none of the Democrat-backers who relied on NPR/PBS believed it.

• The study also debunked the notion that misperceptions were due mainly to the lack of exposure to news. Among Bush supporters, those who said they follow the news "very closely" were found more likely to hold misperceptions. Those Bush supporters, on the other hand, who say they follow the news "somewhat closely" or "not closely at all" held fewer misperceptions. Conversely, those Democratic supporters who said they did not follow the news very closely were found to be twice as likely to hold misperceptions as those who said they did.

Source

Update: ornament won't be hung after all

2008-12-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

Apparently, someone at the White House actually looked at the "Impeach Bush" Christmas tree ornament and decided against hanging it. Sally McDonough, Laura Bush's spokeswoman, said, "It's inappropriate and it's not being hung. We reviewed the ornament along with all the [other] ornaments, and Mrs. Bush deemed it inappropriate for the holiday tree."

Deborah Lawrence, the artist who created the ornament, responded, "Oh, dear. This doesn't really surprise me. But it's disappointing that I won't get to see it on the tree."

Source

Bush repents...sort of

2008-12-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

In an interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson, Bush finally said he was sorry - sort of - for some of the messes he's made.

On Iraq:

I think I was unprepared for war. In other words, I didn't campaign and say, "Please vote for me, I'll be able to handle an attack." In other words, I didn't anticipate war. Presidents - one of the things about the modern presidency is that the unexpected will happen.

Uh, yeah, especially if you make it happen.

On the economic crisis:

I'm sorry it's happening, of course. Obviously I don't like the idea of people losing jobs, or being worried about their 401(k)s. On the other hand, the American people got to know that we will safeguard the system. I mean, we're in. And if we need to be in more, we will.

So...bring it on?

On helping to lose the election for McCain:

I think it was a repudiation of Republicans. And I'm sure some people voted for Barack Obama because of me. I think most people voted for Barack Obama because they decided they wanted him to be in their living room for the next four years explaining policy.

Yeah, and it'll take at least four years to clear the stench out of our living rooms...

Source

"Impeach Bush" Christmas ornament hanging on White House tree

2008-12-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

Seattle artist Deborah Lawrence says that when she received an invitation to design a Christmas ornament for the White House tree, "I was at first nauseated, then realized it was an opportunity."

She took advantage of that opportunity to make a political statement, and now her "Impeach Bush" ornament is miraculously hanging from the White House Christmas tree.

The rest.

McCain, running on empty, takes on Jackson Browne

2008-11-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

John McCain used several popular rock songs to help defibrillate supporters during his campaign, but the only hearts he got thumping were those of the songwriters and performers. Almost all of them had their lawyers send McCain "cease and desist" letters, and at least one artist - Jackson Browne - sued. McCain had used Browne's song "Running on Empty" to accompany his "Drill, baby, drill" campaign theme.

In response to the suit, McCain's lawyers claim that Browne was just trying to get publicity for his new album, which came out in September. They also claim that McCain had the right to use the tune whenever and wherever he wanted to because he was running for president - not trying to make a profit off the song.

The self-promotion angle will be a tough one to prove in court, but if McCain's lawyers can sway jurors on the "political speech as public interest" claim, they may set a precedent that will make any song fair game for any political campaign.

Which means in 2012 you may hear "American Idiot" playing at Sarah Palin rallies.

Source

Really? They should be shot?

2008-11-19T10:45:00.000-08:00

Wow. Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus thinks retailers who don't support his political agenda should be shot:

"If a retailer has not gotten involved with this, if he has not spent money on this election, if he has not sent money to Norm Coleman and these other guys, [they] should be shot; should be thrown out of their goddamn jobs."

That seems a bit extreme. But then, maybe it makes sense as a business model: shooting or firing all those retailers would certainly decrease Home Depot's competition.

Hey, maybe W will help with the shooting...

Source

Joe the Bummer signs a book deal

2008-11-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

Joe the Bummer, aka Samuel Wurzelbacher, has signed a book deal. His book, which will be co-written with novelist Thomas Tabback, will be called "Joe the Plumber -- Fighting for the American Dream." The word "for" is apparently not intended as a joke.

The book will be released by Pearlgate Publishing on December 1, 2008. Yes, that's two weeks from now. Apparently, plumbers with no plumbing license and a washed-up political career not only have lots of time on their hands but are very fast writers. Unless Joe plans to just dictate and let Mr. Tabback, the novelist, do the actual writing.

Nah. Joe has more integrity than that, doesn't he? And he can articulate himself just fine, can't he?

Glaring evidence of Joe's integriticity, his articulacity, and his sensation of humor can be seen in this excerpt from his recent interview with Fox Noise:

I am not going to a conglomerate. That way we actually can get the economy jump started. Like there is five publishing companies in Michigan. There's a couple down in Texas. They are small ones that can handle like 10 or 15,000 copies. I can go to a big one that could handle a million or two. But they don't need the help. They are already rich. So that's spreading the wealth to me.

Ha ha ha ha. Get it? Spreading the wealth? That Joe - always the jokester.

Hey, if enough people buy Joe's book, maybe he'll be able to pay off his tax lien!

Source

And Alaska is a country, too

2008-11-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

Guess why Sarah Palin got confused as to whether Africa was a country or a continent.

Hint: it has something to do with Alaska.

Give up? Okay, here it is, in Palin's own words:

My concern has been the atrocities there in Darfur and the relevance to me with that issue as we spoke about Africa and some of the countries there that were kind of the people succumbing to the dictators and the corruption of some collapsed governments on the continent, the relevance was Alaska’s investment in Darfur with some of our permanent fund dollars.

Okay, then.

Tina Fey, are you on this?

Source

A reality check on Obama's win

2008-11-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

In his latest column, "No We Didn't," Ted Rall says exactly what I've been thinking about Obama's win. We ain't out of the woods yet, folks - not by a long shot.

Mr. Bush no longer resides here

2008-11-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

One sunny day in 2009 an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he'd been sitting on a park bench.

He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush."

The Marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here."

The old man said, "Okay" and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush."

The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here."

The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush."

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I've
told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?"

The old man looked at the Marine and said, "Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it."

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow."

Bush's approval rating now 20 percent

2008-11-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

A CBS News poll finds that President Bush's approval rating is now at 20 percent - the lowest ever recorded for a U.S. president.

Poor old W, having to slouch around the White House for two more months in his GI Joe jammies, his face all long and mopey, no trace of the cocksure smirk that's nauseated the entire world for the past eight years...

It's an image that I unabashedly relish.

Palin gets pranked

2008-11-04T09:45:00.000-08:00

This kind of thing almost makes me feel sorry for Sarah Palin. After all, being human means being gullible, to some extent, and people who take advantage of other people's gullibility are no heroes. But this woman is a candidate for vice president of the United States, for God's sake...why couldn't someone on her crackpot campaign staff have screened the caller for authenticity?

I laughed at this, but I didn't feel good about laughing. How about you?

Notorious Quebec comedy duo talks politics in prank call to Sarah Palin

MONTREAL -- A Quebec comedy duo notorious for prank calls to celebrities and heads of state has reached Sarah Palin, convincing the Republican vice-presidential nominee she was speaking with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

In the interview, which lasts about six minutes, Palin and the pranksters discuss politics, pundits, and the dangers of hunting with current vice-president Dick Cheney.

The Masked Avengers, who have a regular show on Montreal radio station CKOI, intend to air the full interview on the eve of the U.S. elections.

The well-known duo of Sebastien Trudel and Marc-Antoine Audette have also tricked Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and French president Jacques Chirac.

The call to Chirac was rated by the BBC as one of the top 30 best moments in radio history of all time.

Following is the transcript of the phone call posted by Jake Tapper at http://abcnews.blogs.com/

GOV. SARAH PALIN: This is Sarah.

MASKED AVENGERS: Ah, yeah, Gov. Palin.

GOV. PALIN: Helloooo!

MASKED AVENGERS: Just hold on for President Sarkozy, one moment.

GOV. PALIN: Oh, it's not him yet, they're saying. I always do that!

MASKED AVENGERS: Yes, hello, Gov. Palin...

GOV. PALIN: Hello, this is Sarah, how are you?

MASKED AVENGERS: Fine, and you? This is Nicolas Sarkozy speaking, how are you?

[Note: Sarkozy does not speak fluent English.]

GOV. PALIN: Oh, so good, it's so good to hear you. Thank you for calling us.

MASKED AVENGERS: Oh, it's a pleasure.

GOV. PALIN: Thank you sir, we have such great respect for you, John McCain and I. We love you and thank you for taking a few minutes to talk to me.

MASKED AVENGERS: I follow your campaigns closely with my special American adviser Johnny Hallyday, you know?

[Note: Hallyday is a French singer and actor.]

GOV. PALIN: Yes, good.

MASKED AVENGERS: Excellent. Are you confident?

GOV. PALIN: Very confident and we're thankful that polls are showing that the race is tightening and --

MASKED AVENGERS: Well I know very well that the campaign can be exhausting. How do you feel right now, my dear?

GOV. PALIN: I feel so good. I feel like we're in a marathon and at the very end of the marathon you get your second wind and you plow to the finish.

MASKED AVENGERS: You see, I got elected in France because I'm real and you seem to be someone who's real, as well.

GOV. PALIN: Yes, yeah. Nicolas, we so appreciate this opportunity.

MASKED AVENGERS: You know I see you as a president one day, you too.

GOV. PALIN: (laughing) Maybe in eight years.

MASKED AVENGERS: Well, I hope for you. You know, we have a lot in common because personally one of my favorite activities is to hunt, too.

GOV. PALIN: Oh, very good. We should go hunting together.

MASKED AVENGERS: Exactly, we could go try hunting by helicopter like you did. I never did that. Like we say in French, on pourrait tuer des bebe phoques, aussi.

[Translation: We could also kill some baby seals.]

GOV. PALIN: Well, I think we could have a lot of fun together as we're getting work done. We can kill two birds with one stone that way.

MASKED AVENGERS: I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm, take away life, that is so fun. I'd really love to go, as long as we don't bring along Vice-President Cheney. (Laughs.)

GOV. PALIN: No, I'll be a careful shot, yes.

MASKED AVENGERS: Yes, you know we have a lot in common also, because except from my house I can see Belgium. That's kind of less interesting than you.

GOV. PALIN: Well, see, we're right next door to different countries that we all need to be working with, yes.

MASKED AVENGERS: Some people said in the last days and I thought that was mean that you weren't experienced enough in foreign relations and you know that's completely false. That's the thing that I said to my great friend, the prime minister of Canada Stef Carse.

[Note: That is not the name of the prime minister of Canada. The prime minster of Canada, since January 2006, is Stephen Harper. THIS is Stef Carse.]

GOV. PALIN: Well, he's doin' fine, too, and yeah, when you come into a position underestimated it gives you an opportunity to prove the pundits and the critics wrong. You work that much harder --

MASKED AVENGERS: I was wondering because you are so next to him, one of my good friends, the prime minister of Quebec, Mr. Richard Z. Sirois, have you met him recently? Did he come to one of your rallies?

[Note: There is no prime minister of Quebec, though there is a premier. His name is Jean Charest. Sirois is a Canadian humorist.]

GOV. PALIN: I haven't seen him at one of the rallies but it's been great working with the Canadian officials. I know as governor we have a great co-operative effort there as we work on all of our resource development projects. You know, I look forward to working with you and getting to meet you personally and your beautiful wife. Oh my goodness, you've added a lot of energy to your country with um, with that beautiful family of yours.

MASKED AVENGERS: Thank you very much. You know my wife Carla would love to meet you, you know, even though you know she was a bit jealous that I was supposed to speak to you today. (Laughs.)

GOV. PALIN: Well, give her a big hug for me.

MASKED AVENGERS: You know my wife is a popular singer and a former top model and she's so hot in bed. She even wrote a song for you.

GOV. PALIN: Oh my goodness, I didn't know that.

MASKED AVENGERS: Yes, in French it's called de rouge a levre sur un cochon, or if you prefer in English, Joe the Plumber...(singing) it's his life, Joe the Plumber.

[Translation: Lipstick for a pig.]

GOV. PALIN: Maybe she understands some of the unfair criticism but I bet you she is such a hard worker, too, and she realizes you just plow through that criticism.

MASKED AVENGERS: I just want to be sure. That phenomenon Joe the Plumber. That's not your husband, right?

GOV. PALIN: That's not my husband but he's a normal American who just works hard and doesn't want government to take his money.

MASKED AVENGERS: Yes, yes, I understand we have the equivalent of the Joe the Plumber in France. It's called Marcel, the guy with bread under his armpit, oui.

GOV. PALIN: Right, that's what it's all about, the middle class and government needing to work for them. You're a very good example for us here.

MASKED AVENGERS: I see a bit about NBC, even Fox News wasn't an ally, an ally, sorry as much as usual.

GOV. PALIN: Yeah, that's what we're up against.

MASKED AVENGERS: Gov. Palin, I love the documentary they made on your life. You know Hustler's Nailin' Paylin?

[Note: Nailin' Paylin is a pornographic movie.]

GOV. PALIN: Ohh, good, thank you, yes.

MASKED AVENGERS: That was really edgy.

GOV. PALIN: Well, good.

MASKED AVENGERS: I really loved you and I must say something also, so governor, you've been pranked by the Masked Avengers. We are two comedians from Montreal.

GOV. PALIN: Ohhh, have we been pranked? And what radio station is this?

MASKED AVENGERS: This is for CKOI in Montreal.

GOV. PALIN: In Montreal? Tell me the radio station call letters.

MASKED AVENGERS: CK...hello?...

Yet another awkward McCain moment

2008-10-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

John McCain just can't seem to get his brain in sync with reality. How is it that 44% of Americans still think this senile old shell would make a good president? Did they not hear McCain call them "My fellow prisoners"? Do they not notice the anger in his eyes, his voice, his gestures? Do they not see his face twitch every time he lies to them?

Senator McCain, since your supporters won't tell you, I guess I'll have to: It's over. Not even Joe the Plumber can unclog your pipes--especially when he doesn't bother to show up at your rallies. That has to be embarrassing. Take my advice and save yourself any further embarrassment...concede the election and check into a nursing home. With your millions, you should be able to afford the best in PTSD therapy and dementia treatment.

If you don't vote, these people will win

2008-10-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

How to deal with stolen lawn signs

2008-10-28T14:58:00.001-07:00

Palin caught wearing Democratic scarf

2008-10-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

You'd think for $150,000 they could at least find a scarf with elephants on it instead of donkeys.

You'd also think Sarah Palin and her handlers would be more careful.

But maybe this is just another weird McCain campaign strategy, designed to subliminally motivate people to vote for...a jackass?

McCain agrees: western Pennsylvania is racist

2008-10-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

At least when Joe Biden says something questionable, it can be interpreted more than one way.

When John McCain says something questionable, however, there is only one way to interpret it: the man has lost his marbles.

Gays for McCain

2008-10-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

McCain isn't for gays, but apparently some gays are for McCain.

Or are they?

How McCain's own typos derailed his Straight Talk Express

2008-10-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

An astute observation from political commentator Erin Wenz:

You know how you sometimes go to type an e-mail and you accidentally shift the position of your fingers to the right or left by one set of keys? You intend to type "Now is the time," and it comes out "Mpeod yjr yo,r"?

That's the whole McCain campaign - their fingers are on the wrong keys. They get an evangelist on the ticket to fire up the base, and it turns out she's ethically challenged, has an unmarried pregnant daughter whose boyfriend is basically a thug, and she doesn't know Siberia from Serbia.

McCain parachutes into Washington to rescue the country's economy and ends up doing nothing but having dinner at the Liebermans'. They make an issue of Bill Ayers, and they go down in the polls.

And finally, this thing with Joe the Plumber is too funny. They try to connect with the Common Man, and expose the poor doofus for plumbing without a license!

I wish we could have the election tomorrow and put McCain out of his misery.

...and put the rest of us out of our misery, too!

Geezer/Gidget '08!

2008-10-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

First Carter, then Gore, now Krugman

2008-10-16T09:41:00.001-07:00

Isn't it interesting how all these libruls who've been warning us for years about the Bush Doctrine, climate change, oil, and economic collapse keep winning Nobel Prizes?

Yeah, yeah, I know: the Nobel committee is also a bunch of libruls.

The real McCain

2008-10-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

The best caption for this weird photo wins an all-expenses-paid trip to Candy Mountain.

Who's "palling around" with terrorists?

2008-10-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Todd and Sarah Palin are.

What's wrong with John McCain?

2008-10-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

Is he a conservative with liberal leanings, or is he a liberal with conservative leanings? Is he a war hero, or is he just one of hundreds of American soldiers who were unlucky enough to be captured by the enemy - after dropping dozens of bombs on innocent civilians? Is he a bright, caring public servant whose hot temper reflects his passion for helping his fellow Americans, or is he a spoiled brat with post-traumatic stress disorder?

Is he really a maverick, or is he just a rogue?

It seems weirdly easy for just about anyone, liberal or conservative, to come up with things that are wrong with John McCain. What's hard is coming up with things that are right with him. If you happen to know any, please drop me a line. Meanwhile, here's a partial list of things that people on both sides of the political aisle agree are wrong with John McCain.

The truth about Obama's record

2008-10-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

John McCain and Sarah Palin often ridicule Barack Obama's past experience as a community organizer, as if volunteering one's time to help improve one's community is a laughable waste of time. They also scoff at Obama's brief tenure as a senator, implying that he hasn't been in the job long enough to accomplish anything of value.

The truth is, in three short years as a senator, Barack Obama has:
• sponsored or co-sponsored 570 bills
• sponsored or co-sponsored 15 bills that have become law
• introduced amendments to 50 bills, of which 16 were adopted by the Senate

Most of his legislative efforts have been in the areas of:
• energy efficiency and climate change (25 bills)
• health care (21 bills) and public health (20 bills)
• consumer protection/labor (14 bills)
• the needs of veterans and the armed forces (13 bills)
• Congressional ethics and accountability (12 bills)
• foreign policy (10 bills)
• voting and elections (9 bills)
• education (7 bills)
• Hurricane Katrina relief (6 bills)
• the environment (5 bills)
• homeland security (4 bills)
• discrimination (4 bills)

Also, just to dispel rumors to the contrary (promulgated by Mr. and Ms. "Country First"), Obama will not raise your taxes, unless you make more than $250,000 a year. If you make between $150,000 and $250,000, your taxes will stay the same; if you make less than $150,000, your taxes will decrease.

So...what is Sarah Palin winking about?

The void behind Sarah Palin's facade

2008-10-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

That wasn't a debate; it was a regurgitation. A binge followed by a purge.

Sarah Palin was very well coached and very well rehearsed, and she did an admirable job of remembering and reciting most of her campaign's talking points - all while smiling and winking and being cute, you betcha.

But was she vice presidential?

No, she was Sarah Palin - a walking, talking, beauty-pageant Barbie, programmed by men to play men's games, fulfill men's fantasies, and embody men's perverse, paranoid, patriarchal, misogynistic worldview. She is still that 20-year-old beauty-pageant contestant in a swimsuit, strutting self-assuredly across the stage, turning this way and that to let the salivating boys and wide-eyed girls gaze at her breasts, her hips, her butt, her legs.

Men who say they like her mean they like fantasizing about having sex with her.

Women who say they like her don't understand who she really is or what she really represents.

I hope they figure it out before November 4th.

Meanwhile, here's an inside peek at the void behind Sarah Palin's facade.

Polls say Obama won debate

2008-09-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey shows that registered voters who watched the debate preferred Obama over McCain, 49 to 44 percent.

A USA TODAY/Gallup poll that asked "Which candidate offered the best proposals to solve the country's problems?" picked Obama over McCain 52 to 35 percent.

For those who missed the debate, 236.com has a 1-minute CliffsNotes version for you:

Palin channels Miss Teen South Carolina - again

2008-09-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

Bet you didn't know that the $700 billion bailout is all about "the health care reform that is needed to shore up the economy"...

Obama effigy found hanging at private Oregon university

2008-09-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

A custodial crew at George Fox University - a Christian university in Newberg, Oregon - found a life-size cardboard cutout of Barack Obama hanging from a tree Tuesday morning.

University President Robin Baker urged students to show that the incident has no place in Christian ideals. "We absolutely cannot hate those around us and say we love God," he said Wednesday. "It is not possible. Yesterday was not a good example of what it means to follow Jesus."

But as a commenter responding to the story in The Oregonian noted:

Is this really surprising? George Fox is proudly intolerant, asking its students, faculty, and staff to take a loyalty oath proclaiming their opposition to homosexuality. You can't welcome intolerant people to your campus and then expect to them to be tolerant in every *other* aspect of their lives. Play with fire, and get burned. Stock your campus with intolerant people, and--surprise!--they will act intolerant. (DaveJ2007)

Source

Was Palin wearing a swimsuit when she said this?

2008-09-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

In an interview with Katie Couric scheduled to air on CBS tonight, Sarah Palin was asked whether “there’s a risk of a Great Depression” if the $700 billion government bailout fails to pass.

Palin's reply:

“Unfortunately, that is the road that America may find itself on, not necessarily this as it’s been proposed has to pass or we're going to find ourselves in another Great Depression, but there has got to be action taken, bipartisan effort; Congress not pointing fingers at this point at one another, but finding the solution to this, taking action, and being serious about the reforms on Wall Street that are needed.”

Source.

Dear Senator Biden: Keep your mouth shut

2008-09-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

Joe Biden can't seem to open his mouth without saying something inflammatory, embarrassing, untrue, or just plain stupid.

Maybe Obama would be better off with Hillary...what do you think?

Was it "positive thinking" that created the financial crisis?

2008-09-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

In an op-ed in today's NY Times, Barbara Ehrenreich says, "Greed — and its crafty sibling, speculation — are the designated culprits for the financial crisis. But another, much admired, habit of mind should get its share of the blame: the delusional optimism of mainstream, all-American, positive thinking.

More.

How to solve the financial crisis

2008-09-23T10:04:00.001-07:00

Ted Rall offers some suggestions that just might work:

1. Declare a Bank Holiday. As FDR did in 1933, Bush should shut down the financial system--banks, stock and currency exchanges--for a week or so to avoid panic selling, cool down market volatility, and give Congress time to craft carefully considered legislation rather than the spend-a-thon slapped together over the last Black Weekend. It bodes ill that liberals and conservatives alike have so little faith in the plan. Take some time; get it right.

2. Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act. The current mortgage meltdown couldn't have happened without Senator Phil Gramm, now a key economic advisor to John McCain. In 1999 Gramm led the repeal of the Depression-era legislation that had separated commercial from investment banks, allowing Citigroup and other companies to sell mortgage-backed securities that blurred the line between Main Street and Wall Street. Let the financiers handle derivatives, structured investment vehicles, and other arcane financial instruments. Banking should return to its dull, staid roots as a business that pays interest on deposits and collects interest on loans without imperiling those deposits.

3. Bail out homeowners, not lenders. Stop doling out hundreds of billions, even trillions, of dollars, to a few banks and issue the cash to the disaggregated tens of millions of Americans who will spend the money and stimulate the economy instead. Which brings us to…

4. Abolish predatory interest rates. Millions of people in danger of losing their homes would not be in trouble if their banks weren't charging usurious interest rates. Every primary homeowner should be automatically refinanced to a floating 30-year mortgage, with the interest rate set at 1/4 percent point above the fed funds borrowing rate. Similarly, all consumer credit card debt should be refinanced to prime plus 1/4. The same goes for student loans. Secondary and vacation homes don't qualify. Unemployed homeowners can apply for hardship deferrals, allowing them to skip mortgage payments until they find a job. Payday loans ought to fall under similar guidelines. In Utah, the average interest rate on payday loans is 521 percent! Of course, reforms will cut deeply into lenders' earnings. Many banks would be at risk of going under, which is why…

5. Banks that fail should be nationalized. As should investment banks and any other institution that needs federal taxpayer money to avoid failure. If we the people fund 'em, we the people own 'em. If and when the economy recovers, the Treasury collects the spoils and cuts our taxes.

6. Withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, and slash defense spending. Christopher Whalen, managing director of Institutional Risk Analytics, tells USA Today the government may have to cover $1.4 trillion in bad mortgage debt. That's a lot of money, but I have good news: we can get it. In 2007, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq would cost at least $2.4 trillion through the next decade--even more if Obama or McCain keep their pledges to send more troops to Afghanistan next year. Cutting our losses and cutting the $515 billion a year Defense Department appropriations budget would help finance the clean-up of the mortgage meltdown.

George Will: "McCain Loses His Head"

2008-09-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

When conservative stalwart George Will thinks something is awry with a fellow conservative, we should probably listen.

Palin is losing her luster

2008-09-18T09:27:00.001-07:00

According to a Research 2000 poll, Sarah Palin's superstar sheen is starting to fade. On Sept. 11, 52 percent approved of her and 35 percent disapproved; on Sept. 18, only 42 percent approved while 46 percent disapproved.

So in just one week, Palin's approval ratio went from a plus 17 (52 : 35) to a minus 4 (42 : 46) - a 21-point collapse.

At that rate, her approval rating by election day will be approximately zero.

Source

How Bush and McCain bankrupted the U.S.

2008-09-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

As recently as a few months ago, when it was already clear that the financial markets were in turmoil, Bush was trying to continue his do-nothing economics. "The President's hands-off attitude is reminiscent of Herbert Hoover in 1929 and 1930," Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said in March. Last year, Bush was telling reporters that he wasn't very good at economics since he received only a "B in Econ 101" (in reality, he received the equivalent of a C-). However, this hands-off approach is what has propelled the current financial crisis. According to the Washington Post, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike "said the crisis is in part a result of insufficient government regulation on Wall Street." "Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke need to face squarely the vast array of mistakes made by the Bush administration's financial regulators over the past eight years," notes Jakabovics. Last year, instead of aggressive measures to help home mortgage borrowers, lenders, and investors work out payment problems with federal supervision, the Bush administration embraced Paulson's "voluntary debt workout plan, called Hope Now, which (let's be frank) failed to help homeowners or the larger home mortgage marketplace," Andrew Jakobovics of the Center for American Progress observed.

McCain often says he tries to model himself after President Teddy Roosevelt, but Herbert Hoover might be a better comparison. Over the past year, McCain has described the economy's fundamentals as "strong" at least 18 times. He said it most recently on Black Monday: "Our economy--I think still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong." His rhetoric echoes what Hoover said on Oct. 25, 1929, a day after what is now known as Black Thursday: "The fundamental business of the country, that is the production and distribution of commodities, is on a sound and prosperous basis." McCain is now trying to portray himself as a financial wizard, someone who believes "in excess government regulation" and "warned" federal officials of a potential subprime mortgage crisis as far back as two years ago. In reality, McCain has been clueless about the economy. "I'd like to tell you that I did anticipate it," McCain said in November 2007 of the financial crisis, "but I have to give you straight talk: I did not." In fact, he has been a leading advocate of deregulation. New York Times columnist and Princeton economics professor Paul Krugman has pinpointed Phil Gramm as one of the architects of the current financial crisis and the "odds-on favorite to be the Treasury Secretary" in a McCain administration. Gramm orchestrated the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999, which "destroyed the Depression-era barrier to the merger of stockbrokers, banks and insurance companies." He also pushed the Commodity Futures Modernization Act in 2000, which made legal "the mortgage swaps distancing the originator of the loan from the ultimate collector." The Nation writes that "those two acts effectively ended significant regulation of the financial community."

Source

Anti-Palin rally in Alaska is biggest ever

2008-09-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

Over 1,400 people showed up at this anti-Palin rally in Anchorage—apparently a new record for a rally of any kind in Alaska. Here are some of the protestors' signs.

OMG, ROTFLMAO..."Obama Waffles"!

2008-09-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

Those "Values Voters" sure do have a great sense of humor, don't they?

Sarah Palin's reading list

2008-09-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

In her acceptance speech for the VP nomination, Palin quoted fascist writer Westbrook Pegler on the moral superiority of small towns. Palin either didn't know or didn't care that Pegler is also an avowed racist who once suggested that Robert F. Kennedy should be assassinated. When Kennedy was contemplating his own run for the presidency in 1965, Pegler expressed his fervent hope that "some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his [Kennedy's] spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow flies."

As Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., notes, "It might be worth asking Governor Palin for a tally of the other favorites from her reading list."

Source

Songwriters ask McCain-Palin to "cease and desist"

2008-09-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

This campaign season, Republicans have been using a lot of songs from artists who wouldn't have given permission if asked, and some who have spoken up to ask that their songs not be used in the future.

Here's the No-Thanks-GOP playlist so far.

Van Halen - "Right Now"
Van Halen management says the band had no idea McCain was planning on using "Right Now" during his big entrance in Ohio. "Permission was not sought or granted nor would it have been given."

Jackson Browne - "Running on Empty"
(Already mentioned in a previous post)

Heart - "Barracuda"
Ann and Nancy Wilson condemned the usage, adding that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease-and-desist notice to the McCain-Palin campaign, according to CNN. "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music," the group said in a statement.

Orleans - "Still the One"
Proving that campaign vetting should extend beyond vice presidential contenders (or those vetting the potential veeps), McCain sparked the ire of the song's co-writer, the founding member of Orleans and current New York congressman, John Hall.

Frankie Valli - "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You"
Warner Music Group (WMG) appears to have demanded that YouTube remove "Obama Love," a montage of press fawning over Sen. Barack Obama that had been posted on Sen. John McCain's official YouTube channel. "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Warner Music Group," says a message on YouTube.

Source

Levi Johnston: "I don't want kids"

2008-09-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Before Levi Johnston's MySpace site was mysteriously removed (at the behest of a certain presidential campaign, no doubt), it contained some interesting quotes from Mr. Johnston:

"I'm a f---in' redneck."
"I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing."
[If anyone messes with me,] "I'll kick ass."
And on the part where it asks about children, he wrote, "I don't want kids."

So poor Bristol Palin is stuck with an adolescent jerk who doesn't care for children, wants to kick ass, likes to hang out with the boys, and is a redneck.

Like mother, like daughter?

What McCain said to Levi Johnston

2008-09-03T14:50:00.001-07:00

In case you don't know him by name yet, Levi Johnston is the designated father of Bristol Palin's baby. Who is Bristol Palin? She's Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter. Who is Sarah Palin? She's John McCain's running mate (see my previous post, "What's wrong with Sarah Palin?").

McCain was there to greet Levi and Bristol when they arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota, today. Why are they in St. Paul? Because Mrs. Palin is giving her big "Who am I?" speech tonight, and apparently her kids and their sex partners need to be there to help show us who Mrs. Palin is.

Anyway, in this photo McCain is saying something, rather emphatically, to Ms. Palin's sex partner - er, Mr. Johnston. What do you think he's saying?

"Don't worry, Levi, when I'm president I'll hire you both as interns."

What's wrong with Sarah Palin?

2008-09-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

The main thing that's wrong with Sarah Palin is that there doesn't seem to be anything right with her. But we'll let John McCain worry about that. Meanwhile, here's a sampler of the ever-growing list of what exactly is wrong with Sarah Palin.

1. She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.

2. She is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.

3. She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000.

4. She thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.

5. She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.

6. She supports McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy.

7. McCain met Sarah Palin once at a meeting; then they spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president; and then he offered her the position.

8. Her appearance on a morning "shock jock" radio show earlier this year was described by the Anchorage Daily News as "plain and simple one of the most unprofessional, childish and inexcusable performances I've ever seen from a politician."

9. Palin supports gunning down wolves from airplanes.

10. She took an unnecessary risk with the health of her own child.

11. She supports failed abstinence-only programs.

12. She is under investigation for allegedly abusing her power as governor to help her sister in a messy divorce.

13. She lied about her plans for the "Bridge to Nowhere."

14. She has big money ties to Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who has been indicted for political corruption.

15. She exploits her son's Iraq service for political gain.

16. During her time as mayor, Palin drove a town deep into debt.

17. She tried to ban books from her local library.

18. She slashed funding for teen moms (ironic, isn't it?).

19. She thinks the war in Iraq is "a task that is from God."

20. She failed at running a car wash.

Stay tuned for more...

McCain friend and fellow POW: Keep him away from the red button

2008-08-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Phillip Butler, Ph.D., who was a friend and fellow POW of John McCain's, says:

I can verify that John has an infamous reputation for being a hot head. He has a quick and explosive temper that many have experienced first hand. Folks, quite honestly that is not the finger I want next to that red button.

More.

McCain campaign's ethics are running on empty

2008-08-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

And Jackson Browne is suing.

Hate-mongers get their way

2008-07-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Police found several right-wing books inside the home of the guy who shot two people to death in a Tennessee Unitarian church because he was angry at "liberals and gays." Among them: Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder by Michael Savage, Let Freedom Ring by Sean Hannity, and The O'Reilly Factor by Bill O'Reilly.

What's that old saying about the company you keep?

Source

John McCain, music pirate

2008-07-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Poor John McCain. Musicians don't seem to want him using their songs. So what does he do? He tries using their songs without permission.

Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?

Worst. Poster. Ever.

2008-07-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

Was the person who designed this serious?

This is so bad on so many levels, it leaves one sputtering for adjectives.

McCain uber alles!

Source.