Set your TiVo now for two fantastic movies on Sundance next Monday

I've been pimping the movie Sir! No Sir! for quite a while now - I even have the DVD at home, but we just haven't gotten around to watching it yet.

The Sundance Channel is showing Sir! No Sir! on Monday, May 7 at 9 p.m., followed by The Ground Truth. Both movies are apropos in many ways to our situation in Iraq. Click on both links to go to the movies' Websites.

Sir! No Sir! has been getting a lot of attention, but The Ground Truth a bit less so, but the latter is getting fantastic reviews.

Next Monday is your chance to see both movies for free - set your recording devices.

Here are the trailers...

Sir! No Sir!

The Ground Truth

Lewis Black on those #@!$%#$@!! queers

WARNING: This one is not for work, or for playing around the kids.

This clip is raw, but it makes such a good point that I had to share it.

Lewis Black is one of my favorite political comedians going. He's at the top of his game right now. I found a whole bunch of his clips on YouTube tonight, and they're great, but a friend of mine posted this on MySpace today, and I wanted to share it, because it's right on about gay marriage.

I too find it offensive that Republicans think that gay marriage is some sort of threat. It's a complete joke - the "sanctity of marriage." How about "the sanctimoniousness of the marriage issue."

This clip is just a bit older, because he mentions Rick Santorum, who I'm still elated no longer is in the Senate because of his Bush-rubber-stamp, insensitive, intolerant policies and political views.

Looking back now, it's patently absurd how the press, the electorate, and yes, Democrats let Repubes frame the debate and what issues were important in '04 and '06. I hope it never happens again.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - if gay marriage were on a ballot today, I wouldn't hesitate for a nanosecond to cast a "Yes" vote.

I read somewhere once that "there's nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come."

If that doesn't describe the gay rights movement, I don't know what does.

O'Reilly & Coulter - a funny, moronic chat

This is a very funny interview. Two of the most vile, despicable blowhards on the far right, actually fighting with each other.

I loved how BOR was leeeeading Coulter with questions, and she just wouldn't play along.

I find it pathetic and sad that Coulter is right about her book sales - every time she says something stupid, it gets publicity and her book sales incvrease. Until the public stops paying attention to people like her (fat chance), she'll continue her tried-and-true method of mug and plug: mug a group of victims or people who DARE to disagree with her political views, then plug your book.

Cha-ching.

Until the public stops buying, Coulter will keep up her absurd rhetoric.

So long April - I'm happy you're going

April 30 is such a crappy day in history - my car accident today just makes it a little more so for me personally.

Sixty two years ago today, nearly 20 feet below the fighting, death and mayhem on the streets of Berlin, Adolf Hitler killed himself, along with his wife of mere hours, Eva Braun, in the Führerbunker. (Above, is a 2005 picture of the site of the Hitler's bunker.)

Unfortunately, the more I read about World War II, the more some dates just stick in my mind, and April 30 has always been one of them. Maybe it should be just a bit of a happier day, memory wise, because Hitler finally ended his unspeakable horror on the German people, and most of Europe. (At left is the first Time Magazine cover after Hitler's death.)

I'm constantly decrying the use of analogies with Nazi Germany, but after thinking about this for a long time, I've come to the conclusion that there's a rational explanation for it - Nazi Germany one of humankind's darkest hours, so any war or genocide is going to be compared to it.

I still think it's overused, but, to a certain extent, I understand it.

Today also marks the fall of Saigon, the capitol of South Vietnam. I just can't help compare Vietnam and Iraq - both civil wars, the difficulty in Americans figuring out who the enemy is, and politicians from both political parties not wanting to admit defeat. In the meantime, the situation grows worse, and more people die. For nothing.

I can't tell you how sad and sorry it is to me that my generation is now having its own Vietnam. I really would have thought that the baby boomers, whose generation fought that war, would have learned the lessons of a stupid, misguided, unjust war, which was started on false pretenses (The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, and WMDs). Of course, I don't include the current leadership of this administration, which doesn't know thing one about combat. Most importantly, both are civil wars, which we have no business being a part of.

I really hope this madness and killing end soon.

It's now up to Bush to determine how long this will go on, and it will go on until the neocons in Congress turn on him.

What are they waiting for?

Just another manic-depressing Monday

Well, today began like any other - cranky to be awake, a long drive ahead, a million things to do before leaving for work. No worries - tomorrow's May 1, right? I'd like to think that was my attitude as I got ready for work, and most of you will think I'm just saying this now, but I had a premonition that today was going to go badly. Nothing specific, but every once in a while, have you ever almost smelled a tremendously !@#$%$#@&!! day coming?

It didn't take long for my premonition to come true. First, I-476 (a.k.a. the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike) had a major accident in the southbound lanes, which resulted in the shut down of the northbound lanes. Greeeeat.

For those of you not from PA or not familiar with I-476, it's a two-lane bottleneck for the entire 36-mile stretch that I travel it (and it's two lanes each way for much longer than that). Translation: if there's an accident, you'd better hope you have satellite radio, an iPod or a good book, because you are going nowhere.

Anyway, I got rerouted around that disaster this morning, and I was on schedule to be JUST on time for my 11 a.m. class.

Until a very slow-moving 18-wheeler decided that 50 in the passing lane was a good idea. After waiting patiently for him to get over (I'm used to this, since I commute so much), I broke right to see if the coast was clear which it was. The truck had no business being in the passing lane. Since I was running late, I decided to pass on the right, which I know is illegal, but so is hanging in the passing lane. So, call that one a draw.

For reasons only the genius driving the truck knows, he decided to come into my lane when I was about 1/3 of the way past him. The realist in me thinks the driver did it on purpose - I've had more than a few 18-wheelers take perverse pleasure in intentionally swerving toward cars.

Well, there was no way to avoid a crash. It was either hit the truck, or the shoulder and guardrail.

Guardrail it was.

It could have been a great deal worse - the guardrail saved my car from plunging over a pretty steep hill and into God only knows what.

A state police officer who happened to be sitting on the ramp below heard a boom and quickly came to the scene. He was cool, nice and helpful. Although he seemed to take the side of the trucker just a bit when I explained what happened, which irked me a bit, but whatever. I didn't get the license number of the truck, and of course he didn't stop.

The cop helped me change my tire, and luckily, my car is drivable, so it could have been much worse.

Hey, forget the car - I was wearing my seat belt and I was okay - just a bit of a sore neck, but I've been having neck issues for months now.

Anyway, this trucker has some bad karma now, and it's my sincere hope it comes back to bite him in the fuel injector. Nothing horrific - a $500 dollar speeding ticket, or maybe catching gonorrhea from one a lot lizard at a truck stop (my bro used to work at a truck stop, so I've heard the lingo).

Do I wish I could get ahold of the trucker who did this, just like the idiot(s) who smashed my car window last week?

That's a big 10-4, good buddy.

Top pic via Google Search. It's not our cat, but it could be!

Some Sunday comics, a bit late

So, Toyota is now the global king. The only amazing thing is that it took so long. I sure hope GM can turn it around, but the company is hamstrung by the astronomical costs of its pension and medical care costs.

I'll discuss the Pat Tillman fiasco in a separate post, but in short, it's one of the most disgraceful chapters in U.S. military history. At this point, I can't say I'm surprised, though - nothing from this administration surprises me anymore. Aside from Tillman's death, the most tragic thing about the whole incident is that no one will be held responsible for it. I'm not even talking so much about the friendly fire, which is a tragedy, but the cover-up and the lying by the U.S. government to the Tillman family. However, like Abu Ghraib and Haditha, it's unlikely that anyone within the highest reaches of the Pentagon or the Bush administration will be held responsible.

The $400 John Edwards haircut is an embarrassment to him and his campaign, but the press coverage about this whole thing has been nothing short of amazing.

I'm not defending it - it's inexcusable. Anyone who was going to donate money to his campaign will probably be thinking twice. Had he paid for it himself, it would not have been disclosed. What was Edwards thinking? The answer is, he wasn't, because if he was, he would not have put this on the campaign books. You know what, though? Each and every campaign, and candidate, has these skeletons in his or her closet.

Anyone catch the stories about Rudy Giuliani and all of this rock-star like demands when he makes a campaign appearance? You probably didn't, because it got virtually no mainstream media coverage.

In addition to his $100,000 speaking fee, during his private speaking tours, he requires to be shuttled to and from speaking events in a Gulfstream IV private jet. You can read more about his demands Here and at the Smoking Gun, which obtained a copy of a Giuliani contract. Evidently, Oklahoma State released one of his contracts, sick of his unusually high demands.

Anyone want to argue that he's not using any campaign cash improperly? C'mon, they all are, without question. I have a hard time believing that a guy like Rudy, who's used to first-class treatment in every way, is all of a sudden going to be flying commercial.

During the 2000 campaign, it was revealed that then-candidate George W. Bush spent over $100 a minute.

Or, how about John McCain's all-expenses-paid trip to Iraq, so he could try and end his embarrassment stemming from his disastrous appearance on CNN just days before, where he blithely chided Wolf Blitzer for not knowing the facts on Iraq.

Again, I'm not saying that Edwards' behavior should be excused. It shouldn't. He won't get a dime out of me, even if he becomes the nominee. But, my point is all of the presidential candidates undoubtedly have lavish expenses. That doesn't make it right, either, but to single out Edwards is laughable.

You have to be able to read Spanish to know where this cartoon is coming from, and this one is right on. (It reads, "Why all the violence?")

I'm happy that finally, someone is actually going to take the time to examine all of this actions in a legal way. (Of course we know his work isn't always respectful, but that doesn't make it illegal. But, the likelihood that he did something illegal is all but certain, in my mind.)

Boris Yeltsin will be remembered as the first democratically elected president in Russian history. He probably was the right man at the right time. Like all leaders, he had his flaws, but, unlike Mikhail Gorbachev, who wanted to reform the communist party, Yeltsin wanted it abolished. Yeltsin took Russia toward democracy, and Vladimir Putin is taking Russia away from it.

Speaks for itself.

Speaks for itself, Part II.

How many people thought that Sheryl Crow was actually serious in suggesting we should all wipe with one sheet of toilet paper? Many in the mainstream media did. I don't know I'd want to shake her hand without a latex glove on, but I took it as the joke it was when it first starting making the rounds of the MSM.

Yep, this is about right. I find it absurd and preposterous that five Catholic men on the Supreme Court are imposing their beliefs on every woman in America. What's more, if my wife's life is in danger if she were to become pregnant, she can't have an abortion after a certain amount of time has elapsed. Or, if the baby is afflicted with a certain fatal birth defect or disorder, the pregnancy can't be ended. That's how I interpret it, and it sickens me.

Oh, and Partial-Birth Abortion is a euphemism coined by the Pro-Life movement - it's a non-medical term for Intact Dilation and Extraction.

The Supreme Court's decision sickens me and the pic at right illustrates exactly how I feel about the Supreme Court and its horrific decision. I can't think of a better reason to vote Democrat in 2008 - Roe v. Wade has never been more in jeopardy than it is right now, along with many other civil liberties and rights with the George W. Bush-stocked Supreme Court.

What's more, people should look into exactly what the procedure is, and more importantly, how often it is (was) used. According to the Guttenmacher Institute, the procedure has had a very low rate of usage, representing 0.17 percent (2,232 of 1,313,000 abortions) of all abortions performed in the U.S. in 2000.

A rough Monday looms for Bay Area drivers

As I drive to work tomorrow, I can take heart in the fact that tens of thousands of people are going to have a morning commute worlds worse than mine is going to be.

These are pictures of a section of freeway that funnels traffic onto the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge burning white hot early this morning after a gasoline tanker truck overturned and caught fire.

Talk about lucky - the driver, who suffered second-degree burns, walked away from the accident and hailed a taxi to a local hospital. The LA Times didn't say whether the drive was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, but I'm sure he didn't really care after walking away from that disaster.

From the LA Times:

The California Highway Patrol said the truck crashed on the interchange from westbound Interstate 80 to southbound Interstate 880, which carries traffic from Berkeley and Vallejo south toward San Jose. The CHP said intense flames and heat from the fire caused the overhead connector from eastbound Interstate 80 to eastbound 580, which carries traffic from San Francisco into East Bay, to fall onto the interchange.

Officials encouraged motorists to carpool, find alternative routes around the closure and take public transportation. The Bay Area Rapid Transit District announced that it would be running longer trains Monday and increase its capacity by 50% to help relieve increased traffic congestion.

I'm always whining and complaining about I-76 (known locally as the Schuylkill Expressway, and no, President Bush probably can't pronounce it), the major artery that connects Philadelphia to the suburbs. The special challenge with this highway is that there is no way to expand it but up, and that will almost certainly never happen.

A few years back, I wrote PENNDOT and proposed doing just that - decking I-76 to double the highway's capacity. Finally, I received a tart reply from Roger A. Madigan (R), the chairman of the Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee, which said that building a 15-mile bridge from King of Prussia to Philadelphia just wasn't going to happen.

Anyway, maybe it's a good thing PENNDOT doesn't fix I-76 with a deck, because I've always had a phobia about traveling on the bottom part of a decked highway, and through traffic tunnels, because of accidents like these.

I could certainly get over it, though, if my commute time were cut considerably by a congestion-free highway, regardless of the number of decks. I just want highway fixed. I think it's time to begin writing letters again.

Top Photo: AP/Bryan Carmodi
Bottom Photo: AP/The Oakland Tribune, Noah Berger

Latest Doonesbury

[Click image for larger view]

A good "round up" of the presidential candidates, as only Gary Trudeau can tell it. For a complete roundup of arguably the best political comic strip (including all 35 years of archives), get your daily dose of Doonesbury at Slate.

A Tenet teaser for Sunday night

This is a short excerpt of a 60 Minutes interview with former CIA Director George Tenet that will air tomorrow night.

I've already written that I can't wait to read the man's book, and I'm looking forward to it more and more with each passing excerpt and story that appears about it in the press.

Tenet's book and all of the publicity surrounding it has got to be very embarrassing for the Bush White House, if for no other reason than Bush's decision to decorate him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a civilian can earn.

I guess I have to give Tenet a little credit there, then, because that gives him some cover when the administration will no doubt try to smear him. However, Tenet deserves some scorn for that, too; he didn't have to accept the award.

"Okay, you've got your medal, so mum's the word, okay?"

Tenet deserves more than a little blame for 9-11 happening on his watch. Many have called it the greatest intelligence failure in history, and I'd have to agree; the only other thing that even comes close is the attack on Pearl Harbor. But again, it will be interesting to see how the Bush White House spins that one, because it can't blame Tenet for 9-11 without Bush taking some of that same heat. It's probably not a very pleasant weekend to be around the president. Boo hoo. It's not a pleasant weekend to be in Iraq, either.

Speaking of Iraq, Tenet's take on who's responsible for another brilliant intel failure - that of Iraq's phantom WMDs - should make for good reading. There's evidence aplenty that Tenet was being leaned on to provide the "intelligence" surrounding Iraq's "weapons of mass destruction." Other books and many other former administration officials have outlined that Bush decided to go to war, then he went to find the intelligence to back up his decision. Richard Clark and Paul O'Neill have both outlined that in detail in their respective books, and Bob Woodward has done it in multiple books, pieces and interviews.

Tenet's much-anticipated book, At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA, goes on sale Monday.

I have to get this one - it's my #1 must-read of the summer.

I'll bring you the 60 Minutes interview when I can get footage of it early next week.

Surprise! Faux News reports faux news

Yesterday I found one of the funniest stories I've read in a long time. Evidently, Fox News has been busted for reporting fake news. I know how hard that is to believe, but yes, Fox News actually reports things that aren't true.

The network picked up a story from a Website called Associated Content, a parody site in the spirit of The Onion.

The site spoofed a real story about students leaving a slice of ham next to a group of Somalian Muslim middle school students. The story was picked up by the mainstream media, and Associated Content did a spoof on it (click Here).

Some genius at Fox thought the spoof was the real story, and the network reported it that way.

Think Progress has the rest of the story.

You gotta love Fox - putting the faux in faux news since 1996.

Dopes.

Logo from Faux News Channel

Gary Hart to Rudy: zip it

I don't like to copy/paste whole articles or letters, but this one is not very long, and I believe this one is important and hard hitting enough to bring it all to you.

The following is a letter from former Colorado Senator Gary Hart to GOP Presidential Candidate Rudy Giuliani. I read it on HuffPo a little while ago. Honestly, it's just another reason to love The Huffington Post - it's one of the best liberal blogs on the Internet.

Anyway, here it is. I've highlighted a few passages I feel are particularly strong.

Dear Mayor Giuliani:

Since you have based your presidential campaign almost exclusively on your reaction to terrorist attacks on New York City, and since you have recently accused Democrats of being on the defense against terrorism and therefore guilty of inviting more casualties, I have one question for you: Where were you on terrorism between January 31, 2001, and September 11th?

The first date was when the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century issued its final report warning, as did its previous reports, of the danger of terrorist attacks on America. The George W. Bush administration did nothing about these warnings and we lost 3,000 American lives. What did you do during those critical eight months? Where were you? Were you on the defensive, or were you even paying attention?

Before you qualify to criticize Democrats, Mr. Giuliani, you must account for your preparation of your city for these clearly predicted attacks. Tell us, please, what steps you took to make your city safer.

Until you do, then I strongly suggest you should keep your mouth shut about Democrats and terrorism.

You have not qualified [sic] to criticize others, let alone be president of the United States.

Gary Hart
(co-chair, U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century)

P.S. You might ask these same questions of George W. Bush while you are trying to find a better reason to run for president.

Not bad. This is a sound, valid criticism of Rudy Giuliani about 9-11.

I don't think that Giuliani could have prevented two airplanes from flying into both WTC towers on 9-11. For that, I blame the federal government and the president whose boots Rudy never misses a chance to lick - George W. Bush.

But, there's plenty of room to criticize Rudy, too. For instance, after it was recommended that NYC's emergency response center be put underground, why did he have it put in the World Trade Center anyway? (Especially in the aftermath of the 1993 bombing of the WTC complex.)

And, why didn't Giuliani take steps to improve and coordinate the city's various departments' response to a terrorist attack? It's well-documented that the radio system used by both the FDNY and NYPD were less-than-first-rate on 9-11.

We'll never know, but perhaps a better response would have resulted in fewer than the 343 firefighters lost when both towers collapsed. What's more, once the south tower collapsed, a more coordinated response may have saved more lives before the north tower collapsed.

I know what some might think - why go back and look at all of those things now? My response to that valid question is that Giuliani is cavorting from coast-to-coast, bragging and preening about his 9-11 leadership skills, so his actions as mayor leading up to and during 9-11 bear scrutiny. Republicans and Giuliani cannot have it both ways - if he's going to run on 9-11, he'd better be prepared to answer questions about some decisions that were made before, during and immediately after 9-11, all on his watch.

Does this line of thinking sound familiar? It should - it's precisely how Republicans justified their attacks on John Kerry in 2004. I certainly hope that Democrats (and organizations associated with the DemocratIC party) don't Swiftboat Giuliani like Republicans did to Kerry, but if Rudy is going to run as the "9-11 candidate," then his record should be examined and discussed.

And in light of his arrogant, inexcusable comments last week, he'd better be ready.

Sitting on (melting) ice to make a statement about global warming

I found this picture yesterday on one of my favorite new Websites, t r u t h o u t.

(At Left) Yesterday, climate activists Lesley Butler, left, and Rob Bell sunbathed on the edge of a frozen fjord in the Norwegian Arctic town of Longyearbyen, in a demonstration to draw attention to global warming.

The picture was accompanied by a story that had some startling and worrying facts about global warming. I will write about those articles a bit later, but you can find them Here.

Photo: Francois Lenoir/Reuters via t r u t h o u t

Best protest sign ever

I forgot to post this pic the day I found it - things get easily lost on my computer desktop. I have a nasty habit of not keeping it organized, and with our new 24" screen, it's just a bigger desktop to neglect.

The protester's sign marked the number of times Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified that he "didn't recall" an event or fact during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on April 19, 2007, about the controversial dismissal of eight U. S. attorneys.

Imagine how busy this guy would have been with the same sign with President Reagan's many utterances of "I don't recall" during the Iran-Contra Scandal.

Anyway, well done - I love it that this guy thought to do that.

AP Photo/Dennis Cook

Broder embodies what's wrong at WaPo

Today's Washington Post, is a newspaper with amazing ability, yet one with an equally amazing amount of contradictions.

Very seldom do I read a newspaper column where I nearly jump out of my chair with outrage. Yesterday was one of those days. In a Thursday column (which I heard about yesterday), long-time WaPo political columnist David S. Broder wrote a piece, The Democrats' Gonzales, which almost defies description.

He begins his column with this whopper:

Here's a Washington political riddle where you fill in the blanks: As Alberto Gonzales is to the Republicans, Blank Blank is to the Democrats -- a continuing embarrassment thanks to his amateurish performance.

If you answered "Harry Reid," give yourself an A. And join the long list of senators of both parties who are ready for these two springtime exhibitions of ineptitude to end.

To suggest that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is even on the same planet of incompetence and obfuscation as Alberto Gonzales is as asinine a comment as I've ever read from a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist.

To briefly compare...

Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, this past week became the first political leader in Washington with enough moxie to publicly conclude what a majority of the American people did months (if not years) ago - that the war is lost.

On the other hand, we have Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who has more controversy surrounding him than... Karl Rove. Oops.

From claiming that there is no constitutional right to habeas corpus (see video below), his involvement in the firing of U.S. Attorneys, and his alleged involvement in the NSA warrantless wiretapping and domestic eavesdropping, to compare Reid to Gonzo is just absurd.

Concerning the NSA eavesdropping controversy, we'll never know the truth, or Gonzo's role, because the investigation was abruptly shut down after President Bush denied investigators the required security clearances to conduct their investigation.

But, perhaps nothing Gonzales has done is more controversial, or has had more far-reaching implications than his 2002 memorandum to Bush opining the Geneva Conventions were "outdated." From WaPo:

Gonzales is perhaps best known for a controversial January 2002 memorandum to the president in which he argued that Geneva Convention proscriptions on torture did not apply to Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners, and that the conventions are, in fact, "obsolete."

Many reason that this memo, at least indirectly, led to the prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib.

What's more, the Bush administration's blithe dismissal of the Geneva Conventions has done more to damage the reputation of the United States than perhaps anything other than our ill-fated invasion of Iraq.

And Broder compares Alberto Gonzales to Harry Reid?

I think Katharine Graham just rolled over in her grave.

Hey David, I've got a little something for you...

Think petitions don't matter? Watch this...

This is proof positive that petitions really can make a difference. I'm glad the leadership of the Democratic Party woke up and realizing that Fox does not deserve equal billing with the rest of the news networks.

Fox is free to peddle its propaganda, but that doesn't obligate any Democrat to participate.

I've read plenty about Republicans' decrying the cancellation, but where were these same people when Bush and Cheney were calling a New York Times reporter a "major league asshole" (caught on camera) or when Cheney banished an NYT reporter from Air Force Two over the paper's coverage?

Fox is merely getting what it deserves. The "network" has already made sport out of trashing and smearing Democrats in this young campaign. Anyone remember the phony Barack Obama Madrassa story?

Bravo to MoveOn and to everyone who signed the petition. Let's hope that Howard Dean and the Democrats have used up their "stupid move" for the year.

Stewart mocks Bush mocking a real dancer

Okay, one more Daily Show clip. This one's about Bush gettin' his groove on, perhaps to free his mind from clutter surrounding the tragedy, death and destruction he's wrought on the Middle East.

I can't get enough of watching the president make a total ass out of himself. I guess I should give him a few props, though, because it takes a pair to put yourself out there like that. But, maybe he should have practiced his moves in front of a mirror before subjecting us all to that horrific display.

Stewart spot on about VT Massacre coverage

It's pretty ironic that Jon Stewart ponders, "Is there anyone who has a coherent point" to make about the Virginia Tech Massacre, when he's one of the few who actually has anything coherent to say on the tragedy.

As usual, Sean Insanity shines in the face of another tragedy. Evidently, the people who were trying to score political points so soon after Virginia Tech "sicken him." Good call, Sean. Feel free to go ahead and condemn Judas John McCain, who didn't even bother to wait to leave the airport following the tragedy before reinforcing his belief that "we all have the right to bear arms."

All I've heard about in the nearly two weeks since the tragedy is how the Democrats have "avoided the issue." Most talking heads soo sagely opine that it's because "Gore tried to take on the gun lobby in 2000" that he lost the election. I guess I just missed something then, like Bush v. Gore, when the Supreme Court stopped the Florida recounts and handed Bush the presidency.

Repubes constantly complain that Democrats just won't let go of the 2000 election, yet they continuously bring it up, too. Let's face it - the 2000 election is a political travesty that will sit alongside other infamous political scandals in history - Iran-Contra, Watergate, the Clinton Impeachment, the War in Iraq, and on an on.

Anyway, my theory as to why the Democrats avoided the gun issue before the bodies were cold - perhaps they just wanted to show a little decency? That may be wrong, and I'm not completely discounting the fact that there may have been some political calculations involved, but when I turned on the TV or went to media Websites in the days following the tragedy, it wasn't Democrats I saw pathetically preening before the cameras for a few votes from gun owners who vote.

Anyway, well done, Mr. Stewart.

Here's wishing DeLay would go away

I have been following politics for a quarter century, and I can't think of anyone who's a more detestable, vile human being than Tom DeLay. And he's really not worth any more time than that.

Someone in the video above, I think it was Tucker Carlson, mentioned that this DeLay rant was little more than a Mann Coulter moment. How true that is. Lest we forget, the soon-to-be jailbird has a book to sell, and he now must continuously ratchet up his rhetoric to get any press. He now is the one thing that all politicians and celebrities dread...

Totally irrelevant.

Montana gone wild! Next up - a playground fight after school

I wouldn't even really care about this, but I thought I'd bring it to you because 1. it shows the death of decency in our politics, and 2. Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer appeared on Real Time With Bill Maher last Friday, and I really liked his attitude, confidence and manner. However, it looks like Montana House Majority Leader Michael Lange, a Republican, doesn't share those sentiments.

In the video clip above, Lange's message for Schweitzer: "My message to the governor is to stick it up your ass."

Nice.

A Bush veto advertisement

This ad will start running in Washington, D.C. this weekend in response to President Bush's certain veto of the war funding bill that just passed both houses of Congress. When Bush vetoes this bill, it will prove once and for all that we have a president who will let Americans and Iraqis die to try to prove a political point. It's tragic that we have so few political leaders in our nation who will admit to a mistake.


Video from Americans United for Change via C&L

Blue Man Group global warming advert

I'm not a fan of the group, but I like this ad.

Live blogging the Dem debate

I just got home, and I didn't DVR the first 1/2 hour, but here we go - with commercials I will catch up with the live broadcast in a bit.

7:27: Dennis Kucinich has some pretty tough talk about Iraq - "apologies aren't enough." He's right. Coming from a man who introduced a resolution to impeach Cheney yesterday, that's not a surprise.

7:29: Ouch. Brian Williams, the NBC moderator, hits Joe Biden below the belt by bringing up his gaffes and also alluding to his previous scandal of plagiarism in 1988. Biden's response to Williams question about being articulate and able to speak with authority and clarity (I'm paraphrasing): "Yes." Love the awkward silence. Biden handled it as good as he could.

7:30: Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel is coming out swinging - he sounds like the desperate candidate he is.

7:39: Williams asks the candidates about a model Supreme Court justice. Bill Richardson names someone that probably no one in American has ever heard of, and Williams retorts, "how about someone among the living." This simply reaffirms my preconceived notion that Williams is a real moron, and I'm being nice.

7:42: Bill Richardson is handling a question on guns with aplomb. I love his entire answers. Access to mental health is a crisis that is never covered in the press. And I like the fact he wants instant background checks, which we desperately need.

7:44: Biden is talking about the gun show loophole. It's inexcusable that this loophole still exists.

7:44: Now Edwards gets a chance to talk about his health care plan, and he's doing it. He wants to roll back the Bush tax cuts for people who make over $200,000 per year. I notice that Edwards did not mention how he wants to crack down on individual tax cheats. (I heard him mention that on MTP a month or so ago. Go after the corporate tax cheats, John.

7:46: Barack Obama is getting his chance now. The guy's well-spoken, and he "looks" presidential. I hate it when people say that, I'll confess, but he just does. I like his message about health care, too. So far, I love the Edwards and Obama plans, even though they've painted broad strokes.

7:48: This is the second time I've heard Hillary talk about what she did when her husband was president. C'mon, look to the future. We all know you were first lady for eight years. Get on with it.

7:50: Richardson takes a notable anti-tax stance. "As Democrats I hope we don't always think of new taxes to pay for programs." Right you are, Bill. He also wants to focus on prevention. It's about time someone says that - prevention is typically not mentioned. "Re-establish the doctor-patient relationship."

7:51: Uh oh, a Confederate Flag question for Biden via e-mail. Biden handles the question effectively - "why not come here to show off a black college."

7:51: Same question for Obama, and in 10 seconds he's off that topic after saying "the flag should be put in a museum," and that's all that needed to be said.

7:53: Now a question about "your biggest mistake." I love all the answers - Biden - "overestimating this administration"; Edwards - "this war"; Hillary - "I don't have enough time to talk about all of the mistakes I've made," but nothing on Iraq, again; Richardson - "I've made a lot of mistakes, and I'm not perfect."

Okay, I guess I'm not going to catch up, because there are no commercials - I'm about a 1/2 hour behind, but still going forward.

7:56: Dodd gives an interesting response to drug testing for welfare recipients - he's not in favor of it. Neither am I.

7:57: Edwards' response to a question about oil - "We ought to ask Americans to be passionate about something other than war." Well said. He believes in conservation. Easier said than done, Senator. The government needs to give us those tools, and I'm talking about mass transit here.

7:59: I love Richardson's response as to what he would do in his first day in the Oval Office - end the war, have an Apollo-like program on climate change and getting us off of foreign oil. Bravo.

8:01: Obama's talking about China - "China is neither our enemy, nor our friend." That's about right. A follow-up question about Israel - Obama handles it pretty well, clarifying his thoughts on Israel and the Palestinians.

8:02: Gravel just sounds angry. He needs to breathe and calm down. He seems to be pretty upset that he's not being treated as one of the major candidates. Maybe it's because he's angry? I don't know.

8:05: Richardson is talking about Russia. He give a Bush-like pronunciation of NOOQULUR. Okay, he's working the boards and he snags a rebound: "Being stubborn is not a foreign policy" and "Power without diplomacy is blind." He's impressing me all the way around - he's got Veep written all over him if he doesn't get the nomination. He gets in a word about Africa, too: "Why doesn't America care about Africa?" A good question.

8:08: Hillary is taking on a question about Homeland Security and it's her best answer yet. "There's a disconnect between the rhetoric and the reality. We haven't secured our borders, ports or mass transit systems. [...] This administration has tried to hype the fear, without delivering on the promise to make America safer." Now THAT'S a slam dunk, Mrs. Clinton.

8:10: Sen. Chris Dodd has the best-sounding voice. I know, totally irrelevant, but he's the antonym of Joe Lieberman, who has the worst voice of any politician I've ever heard (with a nod to Mike Dukakis and Ronald Reagan).

8:11: Obama handles a question about a terrorist attack in a curious way. He talks about responding to the victims and manages to get in a Hurricane Katrina mention. Not bad, but where's the beef? Okay, now he's getting it - he's stressing diplomacy, but where's the tough talk? It's unfortunate, but the reality is that much of America likes Bush's idiotic "Wanted: Dead or Alive" talk.

8:13: "We have more tools available to us than bombs," says Edwards in response to the same question.

8:14: Clinton mentions AGAIN that she's a Senator. Am I being too picky by writing "shut up about it, Hill!" We know you are. You don't need to have your resume on the tip of your tongue every minute. She winds it up with very tough talk about Osama bin Laden, though.

8:16: Williams asks all the candidates if they will support Kucinich's effort to impeach Cheney. I'm going to write a whole lot more about this later tonight. I give him a great deal of credit for having the balls to hang himself out there like that. I think it's a bit early - let Congress keep building the case, but I applaud Kucinich. I thought that was going to be the question and moment of the night, but Williams lets it go.

8:18: "A Manhattan Project-like effort for energy independence," says Biden. Yes, we do. And only a Democrat is going to deliver on it.

8:20: Richardson gives one of the best answers of the night about an attack on two of our cities at the same time. He answers that he would use force, and he's pretty emphatic about it. Bravo. Richardson strikes me as really polished. I think he's the party's best-kept secret.

8:21: I really dislike Gravel. I support his right to be up on stage, but he's just bitter. The bad part about it all is that the guy's got good ideas, but he needs to moderate his delivery.

8:23: Obama handles an environment question as Super Dad - mentioning his two kids. Like Gravel right before him, he swerves away from a question on the environment and talks terrorism. It's pretty clear the Dems want to set the table on the terrorism debate.

8:24: Obama and Kucinich are getting testy with one another over Iran. Not sure how I feel about this, because I don't know all of the ins and outs of Iran, but I'm certainly not in favor of a war with Iran, until we absolutely have to, and I hope that day never comes.

8:27: Edwards give a Bill Clinton-like pause before answering a question about who his moral leader is. I was getting nervous for him, but then he comes back with his Lord, his wife and his parents.

8:28: Hillary on Wal Mart: a mixed bag. Okay, she turns it to this administration and corporate America. She's not actually really answering the question, but I still like how she answered the question.

8:29: Biden sounds pretty good in response to a question of "is there a winner on this stage." He responds, "You bet, I see a bunch of winners on this stage." He's right.

###

It's over - not a bad debate, but this is just a preview of a long campaign to come.

No one really took it tonight, but I think Richardson had very pointed answers that were well thought out.

Obama, Clinton, Biden, Edwards and Richardson all sounded the best to me.

Dodd isn't bad, but there just seems to be something missing. I know that's not deep analysis, but he has the look of a cabinet member of a Democratic administration. Kucinich has a lot of courage, but he just can't seem to gain traction. And I don't know that he got much tonight. Gravel needs to turn his frown upside down. He sounds desperate, angry and combative..

The Republican candidates are up next Thursday, and if all goes well, I will live blog that one, too.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The candidates prepare for first big debate

This one caught me by surprise, since I've had such a busy week. I almost forgot that the first big debate among the Democratic Presidential Candidates is tonight. Naturally, I'll be watching every second, but I'm probably going to miss the beginning. I commute about an hour-and-a-half each way to my job, and I've got an appointment after work.

As soon as I do get home, I'll live blog the last half of the debate and offer my thoughts as the candidates take their turns in the spotlight.

I don't have any preconceived notions about how tonight will go, other than to say that Iraq will be the BIG topic, no doubt, considering recent events, including the Senate's passing of a bill today requiring a troop withdraw. Bush will probably veto it before dinner.

I found a thought-provoking article on Yahoo! a little while ago, which talk about Lowered Expectations (cue the Saturday Night Live music) of the candidates. It's the old compare/contrast rule - if candidates' expectations are lowered going in, and certain candidates do well, then those candidates are perceived to have done a better job debating than their opponents.

Anyway, it's a good piece - find it Here.

Telling poll numbers from NBC's Russert

Speaking of the War in Iraq, last night on NBC News, Tim Russert had some pretty interesting poll results. They are indeed very telling.

I find Russert's comments on Rudy Giuliani spot on, too. Rudy is trying to take control of the issue of terrorism. Interesting how he thinks he's going to do that - he was mayor of New York City during 9-11. Okay, so that makes him qualified to lead the United States for the next four years as we battle worldwide terrorism?

People who honestly believe that Rudy would make a great leader and that he's qualified to be president really don't know much about him, or are wooed by Giuliani's slick campaign of sound bites and arrogance. His comments a few days ago about Democrats and their ability to fight the War on Terrorism may have sealed his fate - how many Democrats are going to jump across the political divide and vote for him now? I'd stay home before I'd vote for him, and I've never missed a vote in a presidential election.

House passes Iraq & Afghanistan funding; WITH a deadline

The House has passed an appropriation bill that funds the troops, but requires the troops begin coming home by Oct. 1. The Senate will almost certainly pass an identical bill today.

Coming soon to a political theater near you: a Bush veto, with political props in the background (probably some hawkish veteran Repubes).

Well, you'll have your "clean bill," Mr. President - no pork, no b.s. The only thing that it does have is a timetable for withdraw, which a vast majority of Americans overwhelmingly support. The rest is up to you.

From The New York Times:

Only hours after Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander in Iraq, told lawmakers he needed more time to gauge the effectiveness of a troop buildup there, the House voted 218 to 208 to pass a measure that sought the removal of most combat forces by next spring. Mr. Bush has said unequivocally and repeatedly that he will veto it.

"Last fall, the American people voted for a new direction in Iraq," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California. "They made it clear that our troops must be given all they need to do their jobs, but that our troops must be brought home responsibly, safely, and soon."

Republicans accused Democrats of establishing a "date certain" for America's defeat in Iraq and capitulating to terrorism.

"This bill is nothing short of a cut and run in the fight against Al Qaeda," said Representative Harold Rogers, Republican of Kentucky.

On the final vote, 216 Democrats and 2 Republicans supported the bill; 195 Republicans and 13 Democrats opposed it.

Rogers' quote would be noteworthy, but it's become boilerplate for most GOPers - "the Democrats are the party of cut and run," blah blah blah. Republicans tried that last fall, and it fell flat.

This is what Democrats were put in charge of Congress to do, and they're doing it. Bravo.

Your move, Dubya.

McCain on The Daily Show

In case you missed it, here's Sen. John McCain's appearance on The Daily Show the other night. Frankly, I find it amazing that McCain, despite all of his recent gaffes, is finally formally declaring that he is running for president. Maybe he just thinks we'll forget about his Baghdad stroll (we won't), or his stupid "Bomb Iran" riff (we won't), or his shameless pandering to the radical religious right (we won't), or his incessant flip-flopping on a wide variety of issues (wait for it...

wait...

Yes, you guessed it - we won't.)

Anyway, take a look at his not-so-great performance from the other night - above is Part I, below is Part II. What a Judas. I really wish we could have John McCain circa 2000 back again - now there's a man I'd consider voting for.

The Latest "Bush vs. Bush"

Bush vs. Bush is a recurring feature on The Daily Show, and this one is as good as any that Jon Stewart has done.

I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again - I love it when our political leaders can't run from the video tape. Dubya's administration, perhaps more than any before it, probably finds it decidedly inconvenient that there are people like Jon Stewart and David Brock around, who gleefully dig up footage of Bush and Cheney contradicting themselves.

The Democratic Super Friends

If you're not in Generation X, you may not truly appreciate this.

It's a modern-day version of The Super Friends, a cartoon I never missed on Saturday mornings when I was growing up.

I just watched this three times in a row. It's awesome. So far in this young presidential campaign, this is my favorite parody video.

So, white men really CAN dance

Brace yourself - it's President Bush trying to look hip, dancing to commemorate Malaria Week, an effort to try and eliminate the disease worldwide.

The way Bush dances, you'd think he was at a Dysentery Week event.

BYU students say no to Dick

I've been following this story with great interest. If it were up to the arrogant morons at Brigham Young University, free speech would only apply happen at public universities in America, or perhaps not at all.

More than a few of BYU's students are very upset at the university's invitation of Dick Cheney to be this spring's commencement speaker. People who are adamantly opposed to Cheney's appearance (which is today, by the way) are having an event of their own - Ralph Nader is speaking at an alternate event today (off campus, of course).

I always laugh at private universities requiring students to "ask permission" to protest. If you ask permission, it's not a protest, people.

Lots of interesting things about the footage above. The fat guy who touched the student - if he had touched me, I immediately would have had him arrested for assault.

At the end of the vid, I got a kick out of BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson, who, in so many words, tells the inquiring student to go screw himself.

I'm not a particularly huge fan of Nader, but I like and admire him a whole lot more than Dick Cheney. So, I'm happy for BYU students that they are having a counterweight of sorts to Dick.

Call me old-fashioned, but I thought that college campuses are a place of expression and free thinking (with some sensible limits). Evidently, that idea is dead on BYU's campus.

Pathetic and sad.

Unity '08 - a great idea - take a look

I don't know too much about Unity '08, but on first glance I really like the idea. Above is a 22-minute clip of Sam Waterston talking about the virtues of being a moderate. I really like a great deal of what he has to say, and I'll confess that I like the man so much as an actor, that taints my opinion a bit, too.

Many of you may not believe it, but I'm not automatically a liberal on every issue, and socially, I tend to have a few shades of conservatism.

But, most importantly, I really hope to see a major third party in this country in my lifetime. I'm skeptical that it'll happen, but I know that doing nothing will insure that it won't.

Take a half hour when you have time and listen to Waterston, and visit the Unity '08 Website to sign up to become a delegate.

What's worse? Hide the women & children

Remember these two dopes? Fellow Gen-Xers can't forget them. Go ahead, admit it - you tap your feet as you watch. They are pretty laughable to look at now though, eh? Those outfits were killer.

Anyway, what's worse, the video at top, or this photo? ...

JJ "Dynoooomite!" Walker and Mann Coulter. I was going to make about five different jokes about this picture along the lines of "who has the bigger Adam's Apple?" but I decided against it.

I would like to know why JJ is licking his lips. Hopefully, it's because he's thinking about what he's going to have for lunch. I'd better quit now before this really goes downhill.

A quick note about the new format

FYI - If you are having trouble viewing CMB with the new two-column format, here's a quick tip that can help you view it better (without the center column being scrunched into a tiny space): close your Bookmarks (Favorites) on the left side of your browser window. That will allow you to pick up some real estate.

Other than that, there's not too much I can do to help, other than to politely suggest you upgrade your monitor. Stats show that less than 10 percent of Internet users are using 800 x 600 monitors. I'm spoiled - I have a 24" flat screen, but even a 17" screen (with favorites closed) will allow you to view CMB in a readable format.

If all else fails, you can subscribe to CMB via a feed, or get the daily e-mail. (However, the one drawback in getting my latest posts e-mailed to you is that many pictures do not come through accurately, and videos cannot be viewed. Regular readers know that I include lots of video on the site.)

Hope you like the new layout, and as usual, I'd love to hear from you. Drop me a line at: rjphoto71@yahoo.com and let me know your thoughts.

Cheers,
RJ

Olbermann's Special Comment on Rudy

I just found video of Keith Olbermann taking Giuliani's head off in response to the mayor's comments yesterday. (I've written at length about those comments in the post immediately below this one, so I won't repeat myself here.) Major kudos to Crooks and Liars for getting this footage up so quickly tonight. C&L is always on top of things, and along with HuffPo, is my favorite liberal site on the Internet.

I can't say it enough - I'm grateful for voices like Olbermann's. There are far too few of them in the media, but progressives and liberals are slowly but surely gaining precious ground.

As for Olbermann's Special Comment above, I really can't add anything to what he says in any sage way, but I found one particular passage interesting, and it's the first time I'm hearing it in this very young presidential campaign:

This is not the mere politicizing of Iraq, nor the vague mumbled epithets about Democratic "softness" from a delusional vice president.

This is casualties on a partisan basis — of the naked assertion that Mr. Giuliani's party knows all and will save those who have voted for it — and to hell with everybody else.

And that he, with no foreign policy experience whatsoever, is somehow the messiah-of-the-moment.

[...]

Which party held the presidency on Sept. 11, 2001, Mr. Giuliani?

Which party held the mayoralty of New York on that date, Mr. Giuliani?

Which party assured New Yorkers that the air was safe and the remains of the dead recovered and not being used to fill potholes, Mr. Giuliani?

Which party wanted what the terrorists wanted — the postponement of elections — and to whose personal advantage would that have redounded, Mr. Giuliani?

Which mayor of New York was elected eight months after the first attack on the World Trade Center, yet did not emphasize counter-terror in the same city for the next eight years, Mr. Giuliani? [Emphasis Mine]

It still amazes me, after almost six years, that President Bush, and now, Rudy Giuliani get NO heat for 9-11 happening on their watch. I freely admit there's plenty of blame to go around, Democrats included, but what about Rudy's planning (or lack thereof) in the wake of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing?

And for those of you who think that link of inquiry is unfair, scroll down and read what Giuliani said yesterday (or watch the video above, again). If he's going to cavort around the country, arrogantly claiming that he can keep the country safer than any other presidential candidate, his record as mayor of New York is going to come under a whole lot closer scrutiny, and rightfully so.

In the end, I think Giuliani will have desperately overplayed his hand, if he hasn't already.

America's Hater: if a Dem wins in '08, Duck!

Update: I found a more accurate, complete account of what Rudy blabbered yesterday about a Democrat winning the White House in 2008 and what the consequences of that would be for America in our War on Terrorism. (Scroll down to read Rudy's quotes.)

The more I think about this, the angrier I get. Giuliani's comments are beyond stupid, moronic and short sighted, and in my view, they really show the man's true colors. What's more, this is what many New Yorkers thought of him up until September 10, 2001. Thanks for the flashback, Mr. Mayor.

What makes me angriest of all, though, is that Repubes will paint it this way: "Yea, Giuliani said that, but both sides do it. I hear Democrats say stuff like that all the time." I'm not exaggerating. I personally know many Republicans, and that's how this comment will be spun.

No. A thousand times no. I defy anyone to find quotes like this coming from any of the current DemocratIC presidential candidates. Hey, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong, and I'll admit it, on this blog, but I follow the news pretty closely, and I'm yet to see anything even approaching this from the Democrats in the race.

Actually, ever since 9-11 and the immediate aftermath, this kind of language is for more pervasive on the right than it is on the left. The examples are too numerous to mention, but Dick Cheney has been the orator of dozens of lines just like Rudy's. Liddy "Dipshiddy" Dole, a GOP Senator from North Carolina, said something very similar about Democrats two days before the '06 election on Meet the Press. Click Here to view that laugh parade.

Sick, pathetic, sad, demented, and not even really worthy of a response are just a few of the thoughts that are in my head as I reread Giuliani's comments. But, the problem is, if Democrats don't respond, they get painted as a bunch of pussies who have no backbone. (And if they didn't respond to THIS, I'd be leading those charges.) Thankfully, Barack Obama wasn't going to take those comments lying down, and he issued a swift and almost immediate response to Rudy's stupidity.

Anyway, Keith Olbermann had a special comment tonight on Giuliani, and when I find video of that, I'll bring it to you post-haste. It's a barn-burner - KO is just about foaming at the mouth, he's so angry. But, more than anything, his words do the job better than any Bill O'Reilly-pseudo outrage ever could. My original post follows, with Rudy's revised quotations...

###

I had really hoped that the 2008 election would signal a return to decency in our politics, or that the race would at the very least maintain a level of decency. Well, Repubes are doing the best they can to dash the hopes of people like me.

Yesterday, Rudy Giuliani descended into the political gutter by stating, in no uncertain terms, that if the Democrats win in 2008, all of America has plenty to fear.

First, Rudy began by patting himself on the back, something he's becoming better and better at these days. From Politico.com:

"If any Republican is elected president - and I think obviously I would be the best at this - we will remain on offense and will anticipate what [the terrorists] will do and try to stop them before they do it."

[...]

"But the question is how long will it take and how many casualties will we have," Giuliani said. "If we are on defense (with a Democratic president), we will have more losses and it will go on longer."

"I listen a little to the Democrats, and if one of them gets elected, we are going on defense," Giuliani continued. "We will wave the white flag on Iraq. We will cut back on the Patriot Act, electronic surveillance, interrogation and we will be back to our pre-Sept. 11 attitude of defense."

He added: "The Democrats do not understand the full nature and scope of the terrorist war against us."

[...]

"Never, ever again will this country ever be on defense waiting for [terrorists] to attack us if I have anything to say about it. And make no mistake, the Democrats want to put us back on defense!" [Emphasis in original]

What an asinine, patently absurd thing to say.

I can't help but wonder what went through his mind when he went on so moronic and idiotic of a diatribe. I guess the fact that just about every Democrat running for the nomination is calling for our troops to be withdrawn from Iraq angers Giuliani. I'm sure Rudy's comments are based in no small part on Dems' opposition to the war.

To his credit, Barack Obama wasted no time answering the bell, refusing to let Giuliani's comments go unanswered (with a hat tip to Al Gore and John Kerry, who both learned the hard lesson of the price of not immediately hitting back when going up against the Republican slime machine). ...

"Rudy Giuliani today has taken the politics of fear to a new low and I believe Americans are ready to reject those kind of politics," Obama said in a statement. "America's mayor should know that when it comes to 9-11 and fighting terrorists, America is united. We know we can win this war based on shared purpose, not the same divisive politics that question your patriotism if you dare to question failed policies that have made us less secure."

Very well said.

Just wondering how the right is treating this comment? Probably like they treat Osama bin Laden - like it doesn't exist. I've got a 20 that says BOR fails to even mention it on his soap opera tonight.

Try to imagine this - a Democrat saying the same thing about a Republican if the roles and situations were reversed. It's tough to overstate what GOP drama queens Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, BOR and Limbaugh would do.

Giuliani ought to be ashamed of himself. But, when you have no shame, that's a tall task. This is the same guy who let his second wife know they were getting a divorce at a freakin' press conference.

Firecracker! Firecracker! Kill me now!

That's the cheer I was singing after looking at this train wreck. People who parody Michelle Malkin (is she even worthy of that?) are downright despondent tonight, because this video cannot be beat.

Seriously, this is the stupidest thing I've ever seen on the Internet.

EVER.

It's so bad it hurts.

There are young horny male Repubes all over the country tonight who...

Oh, nevermind. I'm not even going to go there.

What is understood, needn't be discussed.

Malkin and Ann Coulter are busy racing each other to the bottom of right-wing politics. It seems as if they are trying to outdo one another. I just pray that Coulter doesn't decide to don any sort of skimpy outfit - that would be just too much to take.

This is barely worth responding to, but I'll say this - if there's any loser in any debate about the War in Iraq, try these three on for size: Bush, Dick and Don. These three had over four years to win the war (okay, almost four for Rummy) and haven't accomplished a damn thing, 3,200+ American lives and $600 billion later.

And now Repubes want to paint Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as a loser because he says the obvious, that "the war is lost"?!?

Preposterous.

Hat tip to my friend Lisa who e-mailed me this video - Bravo, Lisa, although I now need to carve out my eyes with a spoon and puncture both ear drums. Actually, I don't know whether to praise Lisa or yell at her for putting this truly disturbing visual in my head.

It disturbed me so much, naturally, I had to bring it to you. You're welcome. :D

Video via Eschaton