In memoriam

I found out today that a good friend of mine was killed in a car accident while traveling in Moscow. She was bright and witty and well-spoken - a professor who specialized in British literature. She also browsed our little blog here from time to time and marched as one of the "Billionaires for Bush," a satirical group which pointed out the gross inequities in Bush's financial plans. She was 34.

Goodbye Lana, you will be missed.

What do you think?

From The Onion:

Congress Approves Surveillance Measures

The Democratic-controlled House passed a bill that will allow wide-ranging domestic and foreign eavesdropping that would be authorized by a secret court. What do you think?

Ed Albaugh, Elevator Repairman
"You won't need to eavesdrop to hear this: I voted for you assholes because you said you were against shit like this."

Hey Steve, did you ever notice that Dennis spelled backwards is "Sinned"?

Taking his rubber stamp and going home - Dennis Hastert, not seeking re-election in 2008.

Hat tip to David Corn--and F. Scott Fitzgerald

In his column today, David Corn of The Nation makes a nice literary reference to W and Rove, conjuring up this one from The Great Gatsby:

It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy -- they smashed up things and then retreated into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made ....

Congrats, Varmint Hunter!

So Mitt, our favorite varmint hunter who equates his kids crossing Iowa in an RV with military service and then says that he "misspoke," "wins" the Iowa "straw poll," edging people you've never heard of.

Let's see--the Iowa "straw poll" costs $35 to participate in (it is a fundraiser for the Iowa GOP), you have to be there in person in Ames and Eva Braun Laura Ingraham is the moderator, and we have what the Iowa GOP says is "the most important event on the 2007 calendar for the Republican candidates seeking the Republican nomination for President." Seriously.

I am torn on this. I look around and see debacle after debacle, I remember the Family Guy line of the "two symbols of the Republican Party: an elephant, and a fat white guy who is threatened by change," and think we can't lose, and then one word comes to mind--Diebold.

On the Turd, Part Deux

I really have been struggling to get my head around this one.

First of all, with all due respect to my family--NOBODY wants to spend more time with their family! (and read about Rove's family, odd this comes when a kid is leaving for college)

Der Chimpenfuhrer will protect him to his dying breath, trying to promote a narrowly-drawn privilege crafted by the courts for national security purposes into allowing Goodfellas in Washington.

Rove and Bush are already toxic for GOP hopefuls.

My only thought? We all know the media is (are) lazy and stupid. Note how quickly so many reports seized on the New York Times (you know, the LIBERAL NYT, the paper that let Judy Miller cheerlead us into war) piece by Brookings Institute writers Michael O’Hanlon and Ken Pollack (Ken Pollack, who wrote The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq--yeah, he's a good source) Note a teeny presidential approval rating bump. Note America's short attention span.

But still-I don't get it.

Taking an early lead

I haven't talked much about the 2008 Presidential election yet, because it's too damned early. I have my opinions, of course, but I'm in no rush to get hip-deep in that race yet.

On the other hand, one sure way to win my support is to insult Karl Rove. John Edwards' statement about Rove's announced resignation:

"Goodbye, good riddance.”

h/t CNN.com's Political Ticker

Turd Blossom to resign

Anyone who believes he'll just fade into that Good Night is welcome to continue living in the land of make-believe, but Karl Rove is resigning at the end of August.