A co-worker has just sent around great pictures of her 1-month-old. Behold:

Morality On Parade

I suspect that my lifelong tendencies toward both cranky cynicism and hopeless idealism accounts significantly for what must appear to many to be symptoms of schizophrenia. Nevertheless, I have never had the slightest problem with the co-existence of science and religion; I see nothing mutually exclusive about either and I don't have much difficulty distinguishing between the two. Still, I very much enjoy P.Z. Myers' smackdown of the phony "science" of creationism, even if I don't fully buy his take that "greater science literacy leads to an erosion of religion."

I should give a "H/T" to someone for this very good editorial by Ezra Klein about prison rape but I don't remember who pointed me to it. Money quote:

Morally, our tacit acceptance of violence within prisons is grotesque. But it's also counterproductive. Research by economists Jesse Shapiro and Keith Chen suggests that violent prisons make prisoners more violent after they leave. When your choice is between the trauma of hardening yourself so no one will touch you or the trauma of prostituting yourself so you're protected from attack, either path leads away from rehabilitation and psychological adjustment.

And we, as a society, endure the consequences -- both because it leads ex-cons to commit more crime on the streets and because more of them end up back to jail. A recent report released by the Pew Center on the States revealed that more than one in 100 Americans is now behind bars. California alone spends $8.8 billion a year on its imprisoned population -- a 216% increase over what it paid 20 years ago, even after adjusting for inflation.

That's money, of course, that can't be spent on schools, on job training, on wage supports and drug treatment. Money, in other words, that can't be spent on all the priorities that keep people out of prison. Money that's spent instead on housing prisoners in a violent, brutal and counterproductive atmosphere. And there's nothing funny about that.

This really is an excellent editorial, and I should probably point out that I also have a propensity for making jokes when I'm uncomfortable about something, a tendency which has gotten me in no end of trouble, so I found this article to be a good reminder that this is something I need to keep working on.

Jill addresses the Virgin Club at Harvard (#5 is my favorite) and so does TBogg, both with typical elan, but the comments at TBogg's should not be missed. And Amanda has written yet another great post, this one about cohabitation.

So what's new in your part of town?

A Busy Weekend

Beginning with Saturday morning when I attended the Kendall County Democratic Convention for the purpose of participating in the election of our delegates to the state convention in June. It was astounding to see so many Kendall County Democrats gathered together in one room! Here's a good run down of the action, with pictures. We selected 3 delegates and alternates for Hillary Clinton, and four delegates and alternates for Barack Obama, which is the group you see in the last picture of that post. But the highlight of the event for me was getting to meet capconundrum who was kind enough to introduce himself to me! I am so grateful to all who stop by here, and especially those who leave comments, it's a real treat to be able to actually thank one of you in person. Tip o' the hat to you, cap!

The rest of the weekend has been taken up with kids, friends, chores - the usual, and I'm just now getting around to cruising the web to see what's been going on. Seems to be pretty much more of the same, but I did find a couple of good posts over at Rootless Companion, this one about who got it right about Iraq, and this great-looking recipe. "D" at LG&M comments on McCain's "American" ad, and one of my favorite SadlyNo! guys, Leonard Pierce, channels Jambi, who I miss a lot.

All you need is love, Love - Love is all you need...

I actually am fairly confident that we Democrats are going to come together quickly and unify behind whoever the nominee ends up being. I mean, if these guys can do it.........:



These next two are from the ever-wonderful Stuff On My Cat:



Overcoming all obstacles:

I call them "lies"...

...which is what Nancy Pelosi means when she says, "The President is wrong and he knows it." Behold.

Meanwhile, for the Not-Lies or, as some might call it "Truth" and/or "Reality", there is a good entry over at Crooks and Liars today - especially this link which is at the end.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,

To dday at Hullabaloo who ended this fine post with this (emphasis mine):

That issue looks to be in a stalemate for now. What is far more revealing in this story is how utterly shameless this crew, which should have a restraining order barring them from coming within 100 yards of Washington, has always been. A responsible media would be churning out story after story about the breathtaking state of lawlessness inside the White House, viewing it in historical context and talking about the pall they've cast over our nation. As it is, everybody wants to forget it. But that would be a crucial mistake. There should be no binding up of wounds and moving on for the sake of the nation. In fact, for the sake of the nation we must do just the opposite: have a full recounting of the facts and a full prison cell for everyone who participated in this wreck.

Signs of Success

I forgot to bring my lunch to work today which just goes to show you that the surge is working!

More Good News from the We-Create-Our-Own-Reality set.

More Republican "Reality": John McCain despises war, and Operation Dancing Bunnies will pay for itself.

Things To Read While You're Waiting on "Hold"

Have you ever been on hold so long you forgot who you were calling and why? You haven't? Oh, okay then. Never mind.

If you're on hold for someone like your insurance adjuster, you can work yourself up into a frothy blithering rage by reading about wingnuts from that old, reliable outrage-stoker, Glenn Greenwald who has been on a fabulous tear lately about our so-called "liberal" media. Great stuff here, here and here. Especially don't miss this link which appears in UPDATE II of that second post, and shows an ad that was taken out in the NY Times in opposition to the military invasion of Iraq in September of '02. If that doesn't get you to snarl like Dick Cheney when whoever you're waiting for comes back on the line, then by all means read this and this and this which ought to do the trick.

On a less infuriating note, have you been following the exploits of P.Z. Myers who got expelled from "Expelled"? It's a great story which you can read about over at his blog Pharyngula and where I found this overview of that Creationist drivel. Hilarious, I highly recommend it.

Amanda has written a really thoughtful post about harrassment and bullying.

And, finally, Jill over at Feministe pointed us to this which I think I'm going to have to send to my son who has this idea that feminists are all raving lunatics like his mom:

Oh my, what it means to me!

This song hit the airwaves in 1967 and I probably heard it for the first time in 1968 when I was fourteen. This was at the apex of the largest civil rights movement our country has ever experienced: Women were burning their bras, students were taking to the streets demonstrating against the war in Vietnam, blacks were raising their fists, and everybody - I mean everybody - was getting stoned. And then along comes Aretha with that song and that voice! Man I tell you, it was heady stuff for a preppy little whitey like me, and I've never been the same since! Heh!

Oh dear heavens, please make it stop.

Wolcott:

Flying Mane, Crouching Beaver

I'm sure she means well in her own addled way, but I don't think Erica Jong advances the political dialogue when she casts Obama as a self-besotted stallion and Hillary Clinton as an industrious beaver.

I think it might be time for a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Have I mentioned that it's 'Retha's birthday?

The Way We Were Are

TBogg sez Bring it on.

See also: Digby - this is one of the best posts I've ever read by Digby, which is saying a lot, and Dave Niewert, who has written extensively and well on the topic of race relations in America. Go here and read any, or better all, of his last four posts.

All Aretha, All Day - wheeee!

Oh, the burden

Steve Benen:

There are quite a few oddities here. First, the notion that Bush “carries the biggest burden” is part of a series of arguments about how the poor president deserves sympathy for sending U.S. troops into Iraq. Last year, for example, Laura Bush said “no one suffers more” than the president when it comes to the war. Shortly thereafter, Cheney, in response to a question about troop casualties, said, “Obviously, the President bears the major part of the burden.”

Does the Bush gang really think we should pity the president, who arguably couldn’t have handled this war any worse if he tried, because his conscience is weighing on him? Maybe some would consider sympathy if they thought he needed it — Bush told a reporter not too long ago, “I must tell you, I’m sleeping a lot better than people would assume.”

For the guy carrying the “biggest burden,” the president seems surprisingly unperturbed.

Happy Birthday to the Queen of Soul

Yes, I am old enough to remember this..

...and it is hysterical. SNL used to be really, really funny.

4000 Dead

and counting.

UPDATE: And furthermore, McCain's "gaffe" was no gaffe. It was a deliberate, outright lie, as much so as the "everyone-thought-Saddam-had-WMDs" rationale that the neocons used to go to war against Iraq. That's right. These assholes lied, they are still lying, and the deaths of 4000 American soldiers is only the tip of the iceburg of death and destruction that they have wrought as a result. Bastards.

That'll do it!

From Internet Weekly:

Cheney Detonates Atomic Grenade To Jump Start Peace Process

GAZA STRIP (IWR Satire) - A clearly frustrated Vice President Cheney today took an atomic grenade from his briefcase, pulled out the pin, and then pitched the bomb into the desert where it exploded and scared the fertilizer out of everybody. An angry Cheney then shouted: "Have I got your goddamn attention now, you Middle East bastards!". The Israeli and Palestinian diplomats present ran like bats out of hell from the scene and the rest of the peace meetings were then cancelled for the day.

Don't Mess With Unka Dick!

I do not hate Hillary Clinton.

Quite the contrary - I like her a lot. I think she is smart and very capable, and would be an infinitely better President than John McCain, hands down. But this is the sort of thing that contributes to my certainty that she is not who I would prefer. As much as I would love to have a woman President, Hillary's being a woman is not enough of a characteristic to overcome the fact that there seem to be some important things that she just does not get. Furthermore, I think Barack Obama has the potential for being an outstanding President of historic proportions. I would really, really like for Hillary to step down, and soon, though I think I understand how hard this would be for her to do. I'm concerned about the money and energy being wasted on this inter-Party squabbling, when we are going to need every bit of it for the general fight against McCain. (UPDATE: considering crap like this.) I very much want to see her as not the power-hungry lunatic that her detractors make her out to be, but as the smart and gracious politician who understands the need to put Party objectives above personal gratification that I've always believed her to be. I hope she won't disappoint.

Peep Shows

There's the big one here, and a couple others that may have passed under your radar here and here. H/T for those second two to Mark of the Beast. Happy Peepster, everyone!

UPDATE: Scott picks his favorite and gives it a great title!

In Which I Cheer Myself Right On Up

The hat alone would do it!

This is for you, Bill

Greenwald gives a good whupping to warmongers who are attempting to salvage their shredded credibility and he points us to this excellent post by Arthur Silber.

UPDATE: Oh dear God. After I posted, I went and read Silber's latest entry. I must confess to short-circuited emotional shutdown when I read these kinds of warnings. Among his significant points, he revisits this essential question:

I discussed the cultural background and significance of Andrew Meyer's desperate question to John Kerry: "[W]hy, if Kerry is so concerned about Iran, isn't Kerry urging impeachment of Bush now, before he can order an attack on Iran? Meyer pointed out that Clinton was impeached for a blowjob, for God's sake. Shouldn't Bush be impeached now, before another monstrous crime is committed -- and before a possible world war is begun?"

and I feel myself go entirely limp with despair.

UPDATE 2: Atrios too. And, speaking of impeachment, shouldn't this be getting some attention? Goddammit. Time for me to go out and dig in the garden!

UPDATE 3: Okay, now I feel somewhat better. Especially after reading this.

In Which I Go Short

Shorter TexasFred:*

"Yeah I'm a racist - so? Everybody is! That has nothing - nothing, I tell you! - to do with the fact that I am all over this Wright hoopla like a turkey buzzard on roadkill."

*"Shorter" concept apparently created by Daniel Davies and perfected by Elton Beard, but discovered by me at Sadly, No!

And Mike, I am not forgetting that YOU introduced me to this specimen. I owe you, buddy - consider yourself warned!

UPDATE: And yes, this is pretty damn funny.

In keeping with the theme of the day

Saying goodbye to Paul Scofield:

Grounded

Our once-but-no-more BFF Bill had the most endearing habit: He would take press releases from the Pentagon (yes, that bastion of straight shooting truthiness) and post them verbatim on his blog under the rubric of Good News on Iraq! These could never be challenged because, you see, they were Straight from the horse's mouth - or something like that. If one attempted to point out the Pentagon's long history of bullshittery, well, one was met with a string of outraged invective along the lines of Why do you Hate America or How Dare You insult our troops - you know the line. Of course, one of the arguments they (Bill and his cohorts) would pull out of their asses put forth was that their information came from those who were "on the ground" in Iraq and since we war naysayers weren't "on the ground" we obviously didn't know what we were talking about. Really, it was almost sweet in its trusting stupidity, but I mustn't let nostalgia blur my recall of how things really went down over there in wingnuttia - We all know what would happen when any particular account that challenged the We're-Winning-'Cause-We're-So-Great narrative from on the ground reared it's contrarian head. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but think of Bill this morning (and it does appear that he is toying with the idea of starting to blog again - stay tuned!) when I read this account from on the ground in Iraq.

We've got a train to catch

I've had this song running through my head for weeks now, especially since Obama's great speech on race the other day. I really believe, like hilzoy, that once we get into the general election, Obama will blow McCain out of the water. There's just no comparison - he makes McCain look like yesterday's news. Anyway, I went searching for the song on der YouTubes and found, to no surprise, that someone else had made the same song connection, so I posted it here. I prefer these two musical versions, but the video was right on this one. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Donna reminds us that you can never go wrong with Sam Cooke.

Great minds and all

I think Scott has been reading my blog. Heh!

"A Serious Problem"

So one of McCain's "senior advisors" has publicly declared that the religious right is a serious problem. No kidding. Shades of Claude Rains claiming that he is "Shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here!" as a waiter comes up to hand him his winnings. Needless to say, Mr. Senior Advisor did not elaborate on just what he meant by "serious problem" and one might be more interested to know whether or not his advisee agrees with him on this point, considering his enthusiastic endorsement from the likes of John Hagee and Rod Parsley who McCain refers to as his "spiritual advisor."

A Responsible Plan

On this day which is being commemorated as the fifth anniversary of the day we blundered into Iraq, I have never been more proud to be a Democrat. Not only do our two fine candidates for President both far outshine anything that the broken Republican brand has put forth, but representatives of our Party have put together a plan that is sweeping and intelligent, and a stark contrast to the mendacious tomfoolery that the Republicans and the Bush administration have been peddling these last 5 years. I urge you to go read it and sign on your support. It is the perfect way to mark this infamous day.

UPDATE: Good reading, appropriate for today.

Do check out the comments over at the blogswarm.

Compare and Contrast

Barack Obama delivered a whale of a speech yesterday, one that I believe will be read and recited in classrooms for generations to come alongside Lincoln's and JFK's Inaugural Addresses, and MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech. And guess what - he wrote it himself, in two days. Wrote. It. Himself. Raise your hand now if you would like to hear George W. Bush stand up on the steps of the White House and deliver a speech that he himself wrote. I know I would! If only to see how many pages out of his Big Chief tablet he would use.


UPDATE: Response from the right has been predictable. But this catch from Maha is too rich to pass up. Jonathan Martin at Politico thinks Obama has made himself an easy target, and quotes none other than Rick Wilson to bolster his case:

“It was a speech written to mau-mau the New York Times editorial board, the network production people and the media into submission. Beautifully calibrated but deeply dishonest,” said GOP media consultant Rick Wilson, who crafted the 2002 ad tying then-Sen. Max Cleland to Osama bin Laden. “Not good enough.”

Got that? "Beautifully calibrated but deeply dishonest," says the man who participated in the "mau-mauing" of Max Cleland, and you remember who he is, don't you.

Spark

While contemplating my own jadedness/cynicism/pessimism/curmudgeonliness/general overall orneriness, I was reminded of this song that I came across whilst browsing Ye Olde YouTubes. This song was huge for me back in the day, and spoke to me of disillusionment and betrayal. I was glad to find this version, with the long instrumental intact and with pretty good sound quality. It's a great song:

No Shame

These guys have completely given up on the notion of shame. It’s kind of sad to watch.

More here.

And Atrios makes a good catch. And dday calls a spade a spade.

A sigh echoes through the blogosphere.

Speech from the man who should be president. And a good response. Mike posts a video and provides more good commentary.

Our pal, heydave, sent me an email suggestion because he's on the road and for some reason is having difficulty logging on to leave it in the comments. It's a doozy, though, and I didn't want the rest of you to miss it - I love that he thinks I'm not jaded enough!

You're not jaded enough: I want to see the chimpster sent to Baghdad, wearing an orange jump suit like common thugs, working a broom until the mess is cleaned up.

Pitch Perfect

Priceless. I can't type anymore - laughing too hard.

Iceburg ahead! Turn this ship around!

To even imagine that this is possible does my poor old cynical heart good.

Glory Be, here's more.

A Lesson in Linguistics

Relationships are hard. "L"s are really hard.

Note to Freewheel: Take it from me, "cluelessness" is not such a big deal, since it's a trait most of us share. Narcissism is the killer, and you are blessedly free of that! Spirited genius wife is a lucky gal, and I bet she knows it!

No one could have known

Gosh, who could have foreseen that massive deregulation, huge tax cuts for the wealthy, and a multi-trillion dollar boondoggle war could possibly have a negative effect on our economy?

Krugman (H/T digby):

I used to think that the major issues facing the next president would be how to get out of Iraq and what to do about health care. At this point, however, I suspect that the biggest problem for the next administration will be figuring out which parts of the financial system to bail out, how to pay the cleanup bills and how to explain what it’s doing to an angry public.

Methinks a levee is about to break....

Okay, in other news...

Here is a good point to be made about the Wright "controversy" to which I would just add that, in the interest of the all-important Balance, we should also hear much more about Mr. McCain's "spiritual advisor" who is this guy.

And Greenwald's optimism is a little less guarded.

Saturday Morning's Opinion

You know, the sheer assholiness of our little Deciderater-In-Chief is simply beyond the pale. If you have an iron stomach, you can watch a video of that second example here. The man should be locked up forever for being not just a destroyer-of-all-things crook, but also for being the most obnoxiously stupid human being on the face of the earth. The man gloats about being stupid. He's fucking proud of it. Gah. I'm going out to chop wood.

You don't say!

From Blue Texan at Firedoglake:

Petraeus Admits The Surge Has Failed
By: Blue Texan Friday March 14, 2008 7:00 am

Proconsul Petraeus, Who We Must Never Question, on the Bush/McCain Surge:

Iraqi leaders have failed to take advantage of a reduction in violence to make adequate progress toward resolving their political differences, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Thursday.

Did you get that? Failed.

Petraeus, who is preparing to testify to Congress next month on the Iraq war, said in an interview that "no one" in the U.S. and Iraqi governments "feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation," or in the provision of basic public services.

No one, except of course, for St. McCain and the war cheerleaders.

Just as a reminder, here's Bush 14 months ago:

I've made it clear to the Prime Minister and Iraq's other leaders that America's commitment is not open-ended. If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people -- and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people. Now is the time to act.

Since that speech, 1034 Americans have been killed in Iraq.

Wow, what a great guy to learn truthiness from, right Karl?

Well, that expains it.

Earlier this week, Karl Rove appeared on the Charlie Rose Show, where he was asked about his mentors. Rove replied that he learned how to be loyal and trustworthy and honest and straightforward from George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

H/T Shakesville

That's what I want

H/T Blue Gal at Crooks and Liars who h/t'd some other guys.

UPDATE: The Unapologetic Mexican:

We need to begin thinking of the world and each other and property and punishment differently. And we need to start reframing crime, for one thing. And we need some justice. When mothers are being dropped in a cell and forgotten and men with hundreds (thousands) of deaths on their heads are tap dancing on TV, I see none.

Amen!

Morning Brew

When listening to the screechings of rightwingers, it's always instructive to connect the dots, which admittedly can leave you feeling a bit like this:



UPDATE: Blue Texan at Firedoglake.

Cautious Optimism

Old farty Democrats like me have been burned so many times that it is pretty nigh impossible to talk about positive trends and signs of hope without a heaping dose of YeahBut thrown in, just for good measure. Still, I'm jumping on the Obama Train with all that "Hope" and "Change" and "Yes We Can" hoopla, and I have taken to spouting off predictions of a blowout this fall, even if I do keep my fingers crossed behind my back. Last time I had this much fun was watching Bill Clinton run circles around Newt Gingrich's Contract On America and, well, never mind.

Still, we take our good news happily and in whatever small doses it may come. Now, Glenn Greenwald seems far too young to be as jaded as he seems, but then that's the price one pays for caring about the Constitution and being a close observer of George W. Bush and his administration. So when he writes a post that expresses even a small measure of well-guarded optimism, it is something to take notice of.

Okay, on to the resignation of Admiral Fallon, which has greatly alarmed many progressives, such as myself who - with some justification - thought that he may have been all that stood between the Bush administration and an imminent attack on Iran. So when I read this over at Informed Comment, a site that I have come to rely on for some sane perspective on our involvement in the Middle East, I can't help but breathe a cautious sigh of relief:

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates denied Tuesday that the abrupt resignation of Admiral William Fallon as CENTCOM commander indicates an imminent war against Iran. I think Gates's denial is credible. There is no sign of an American war on Iran, which would involve key positioning of warships, materiel and troops. There is no congressional mandate for such a thing, despite the non-binding Kyl-Lieberman resolution in the senate. A provocation is not out of the question, but it would be a risky move in an election year and could easily backfire on the Republican Party (ask Aznar in Spain).

My guess is that the real reason for moving Fallon out is not Iran but Iraq, and that he is being made to step down for the same reason that Donald Rumsfeld was. He does not agree with the long-term troop escalation or 'surge' in Iraq. He doesn't believe that counter-insurgency will work in Iraq in the medium term. And as an admiral, he has his eye on potential trouble spots such as Taiwan and North Korea, and is frustrated that the hands of the US are tied as long as it is bogged down in the Iraq quagmire.

Having such a big dissenter as CENTCOM commander is inconvenient for the Republican Party at a time when John McCain is admitting that if he fails to convince the American people that the surge is succeeding, he will lose the presidency. That is, Fallon may have run afoul not of Cheney on Iran but McCain on Iraq. This may be Bush's first favor to the Republican nominee, who after all had a career as a naval officer himself.

"Yeah, but..but...but.." we cynics sputter...We know how badly the neocons are chomping at the bit for an attack on Iran, and we know that they are nuts. And we certainly know that they have every reason to believe that they can get away with pretty much any outrageous behavior they put their puny little minds to. Why wouldn't they? Still, I'm prepared to grab onto whatever small shred of hope that Professor Cole is holding out for me. Dear God, PLEASE let him be right.

UPDATE: Digby. Read and weep.

Antidote

If you've spent too much time lately slogging through pig troughs and need some fresh air, I have some suggestions:

Juan Cole has posted an excellent guest editorial by one William R. Polk.

My new BFFs over at my new favorite blog, Cab Drollery (is that a great name or WHAT?), Ruth and Diane both have great posts up today.

The Beast We Have Become

John Cole nails a comparison:

Again, I am not letting Spitzer off the hook for being an abusive prosecutor and a first-class hypocrite (and I am so sick and tired of these assholes dragging their poor wives onto the podium after they get busted). Eliot Spitzer is losing his job, Bush is still in office and Don Rumsfeld is probably scheduling a book tour.

To me, that is criminal.

Last week, our President vetoed a bill that would have outlawed torture. Torture. That this is just a drop in the bucket of the countless outrages committed by this administration such that this is barely a blip on the radar screen of our public consciousness and that this man STILL holds sway in our country's highest office, not only NOT diffusing but ACTIVELY ENCOURAGING the panic-stricken, bed-wetting ignorance of bottom-feeding discourse such as this tells us what we need to know about ourselves.

P.S. Once again, I want to commend our friend Mike for his valiant efforts to bring some sanity into a realm where little has existed before. It is a task that I find too often overwhelming.

Spitzer

Weighing in on the Top Story of the Day, I must start out by noting that TBogg came up with the best blog post title:

Horton Hires A Ho

Damn. Can't top that one.

"Watertiger" over at Firedoglake expresses what I and, I suspect, many others feel:

That being said, as a resident of New York and someone who voted for Mr. Spitzer, I have a question for him: what the HELL were you thinking? You were the Attorney General, for crissakes, the self-righteous bulldog who chased down white collar criminals and prosecuted them. Successfully. You made yourself a whole lot of enemies on Wall Street who would kick up their well-polished heels if you were publicly scandalized. You won the Governor's mansion running on your record at the AG's office. Oh, did I mention the enemies you made on Wall Street? Buzz was that you were probably going to run for President in the near future, even though your track record of late was taking a beating.

And you threw it away on a high-priced hooker. I don't give a shit if she had a Ph.D. in economics and was counseling you on the hidden pitfalls of NAFTA while she stuck a ball gag in your mouth and flagellated you with a cat o' nine tails. I don't even care that you had sex with a hooker, although your wife is probably a little perturbed to be the last to know about your tryst with one of the Emperors Club's finest and your kids are now a little fuzzy on the whole "personal morality" issue. I just can't believe how stupid you were. If this was a trap set by the Wall Street-financed Republican smear machine, then you walked right into it with your penis leading the way.

Let's consider another angle, too, Mr. Spitzer. Thanks to your testosterone-driven madness, our Lieutenant Governor will have to step up if you decide to step aside. You understand what that means, right? It means that you've just made it that much more difficult for the Democrats to retake the Senate majority, which is tantalizingly within reach for the first time in over 40 years. Because you couldn't keep it in your pants.

What is it with moralistic politicians and sex? How do we differentiate Spitzer from the Dapper Diaperman, David Vitter? Or Larry Craig, Baron of the Bathroom Stall? So the Emperors Club prostitutes have college and graduate degrees -- so do a lot of lobbyists.

I call it a Clinton flashback, because of course this is exactly how I felt upon learning about the Lewinsky episode. Jesus H. Christ-in-a-boat, don't we have our hands full enough trying to cope with the overwhelming shitload of rightwing CRAP in this country, do we have to MAKE IT EASY for them to do what they do? MUST we hand them victories on a silver platter??? That said, there is - naturally, and just like the Clinton impeachment - much that doesn't pass the "smell test" about this investigation and which bears further scrutiny. See this post and this one. In all, I found this post hit just the right note, though I take minor exception to her use of the term "Nixonian hubris". I believe there is a new standard for hubris, set by this guy:

They Lie.

Big, fat, in-your-face, unmitigated lies. And guess what - I know this will shock you - they've been doing this for years and years! George Bush has been doing it all his life, Karl Rove has certainly been doing it for at least as long as he has been involved in politics. Now, here's the thing: It wouldn't be so bad, this lying of theirs, if we had any kind of forum in place in this country where their egregious and destructive lying could be credibly and objectively exposed. Which is what the mainstream press is supposed to do. But they don't. Blogs are stepping in to fill this void, but of course they are met with the same kind of derision that Greenwald talks about with regard to his book, by those same serial enablers who have been paving the way for the worst abuses by the Worst President of the Worst Administration in our country's history. Thanks to them, we have "serious" pundits on the national stage asking if Obama is "man enough" to be president, not to mention a whole host of lesser fools mocking Democrats for being "soft on terror." This is the sort of thing that makes me impatient to get past the milestone of the first woman or black president, and move on to the first openly gay president. I can't wait. Anyway, all of this ranting is by way of pointing out this great post (H/T Balkinization) which documents and dispenses with a number of rightwing lies regarding FISA. It's good, check it out. Rant over.

Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame

The Dave Clark Five:

The Ventures:


Because, for the moment, it's better than talking about politics, which is too damn depressing. And yes, I am not including Madonna or John Mellencamp. Because I don't want to.

Some of those Bush policies they'll be promoting in his new Liberry at SMU

Government regulation is inherently Bad.

Torture is Good.

And there is absolutely nothing that is out of bounds for Republicans to do to attain and to keep power.

Another reason to impeach the SOB

"D" over at LG&M imagines the new Bush "Library" reminding us that:

What's truly jaw-dropping about SMU's decision, though, is that the library comes with an affiliated "institution" whose openly partisan mission will be to continue promoting the "ideas and views" of George W. Bush. The institution will be sited on SMU's campus but will not actually be under the control of the university itself.

Then of course there's this and this and this. As Atrios likes to say, Document the atrocities.

Time for a little pick-me-up...

This picture of Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan, has surfaced. Here is the AP story about it in our local paper. The story of these two incredible women is indeed inspiring, and brings to mind the wonderful play and film about them called "The Miracle Worker" which featured stunning performances by Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft. If you haven't seen it, rent it today!

Our gal-pal, Donna "hussein" has an inspiring story of her own. Is this a great country, or WHAT!!

We here in Texas have to take our happiness where we can find it, doncha know, because, true-to-form, our Legislature is busy attempting to make sure that certain avenues remain forever, ahem, cut off.

Well I'm glad THAT'S over...

Actually, as I said, my experience was pretty easy, and that seems to be the case with most of my neighbors as well, though there were others who had a terrible time, and some who just had a time. Here are some numbers from Kendall County, where I live (we are about 30 miles NW of San Antonio):

...........................Early voting.........Total Votes

John McCain..................1,884................3,506

Hillary Clinton................589...............1,294

Barack Obama...................791...............1,577

Then there's this from the San Antonio paper:

Primary Caucus
Vote...Delegates.....Vote..Delegates
Obama.....1,354,553...14......20,209...0
Clinton...1,452,776...25......18,689...0

which confuses the hell out of me. Like I said before and will doubtless say many more times, November can't get here soon enough!

UPDATE: That chart from the SA paper did not come out like it was supposed to! So just ignore it. That's what I do!

UPDATE II: Mike and John both point out that not only should I be exhausted, I should also be horribly depressed, which of course I am. I figure that just goes without saying.

I Just Two-Stepped for Obama

Well, that didn't take long! Ah, the advantages of life in a small town. But, man, I gotta tell ya, it has been a long time since Kendall County has seen this much activity by Democrats! I even had to wait in line, which is unheard of. From what I could tell from the conversation I heard, the buttons I saw, and the forms I saw checked off on the table where I signed my second ballot (if that's what it's called) Obama seemed to carry the day in my neck of the woods. So, all that's left now is the waiting....

The Blow Me Provision

Dear God in heaven just shoot me now.

Every second that goes by that this insufferable little pig remains unindicted is a step closer to the point of no return for our country. I do not see anything from either Clinton or Obama that tells me either one of them has what it takes, or is willing to do what is necessary to fix this.

UPDATE: I see that I'm not the only one with a gloomy outlook.

Down to the wire.....

The weather is beautiful in Texas today......

Still here, just barely!

As I pull myself back from the brink of death, it has taken me quite awhile to catch up on my email and perusals of the daily news. While I'm trying to figure out which travesty to write about - Hageegate? telecom immunity? WaPo misogyny? - I thought I would share one delightful email someone sent me, and while I can't reprint it here on my blog, I did check it out at Snopes here for your edification. Tip #4 might be my favorite. Barbara O'Brien over at Majablog likes to remind us that this is precisely the kind of thing that the 60's were a reaction to. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to tomorrow night and attending my first ever caucus! Good times! (cough, hack, cough....)