February 28, 2007

February 27, 2007

Global

Ok so wall street took a pretty massive hit today and I'm no economist but I think it had something to do with the price of tea in China.

Boom

Ok so the Talaban tried to blow-up the Vice President today:

A suicide bomber attacked the entrance to the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan Tuesday during a visit by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, killing up to 23 people and wounding 20 more.

The Taliban claimed responsibility and said Cheney was the target.


Now this event rightly calls for a super-freak-out by the news media. Maybe they can spend some time on the fact that the Taliban is gaining strength and Afghanistan is again a Breeding Ground For Terror.

February 26, 2007

Technical Advances


Behold a great step forward.

I clicked this photo with my cell phone, e-mailed it to myself and then posted it to the blog. The hardest thing was typing in my e-mail address on a cell phone keyboard. The things we can do.

Monday Morning Must Reads

SEYMOUR HERSH on US Middle East Policy. Its worse than you think.

Glenn Greenwald on Joe Lieberman. Just as bad as you think.

February 25, 2007

Everything You Want

Justice is for Marty and The Departed.

Justice for Al Gore. Best Song Too.

Good montages and bad interpretive dance.

Everything you want from an Academy Awards ceremony in one neat little four hour(!) package.

Tom Petty Day

You Don't Know How It Feels

Can't find a version where they let him say "joint" but pretty trippy anyway.

February 23, 2007

Action

Now for a real move. Senate Dems are moving to repeal the 2002 resolution authorizing the war in Iraq.

As John Kerry says "I've had enough of nonbinding"

The new framework would set a goal for withdrawing combat brigades by March 31, 2008, the same timetable established by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. Once the combat phase ends, troops would be restricted to assisting Iraqis with training, border security and counterterrorism.


Now for a real fight. Vote to bring the troops home or face the voters.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) pointed out that Democrats still have public opinion strongly on their side and that a vote on any plan would place Republicans in more jeopardy than Democrats. A new, more restrictive authorization for the war also is gaining serious consideration in the House, Emanuel noted.

February 22, 2007

A Prince

The only time I'm a Republican is when we talk about Republicanism, i.e. getting rid of monarchys.

But British royalty, whatever their flaws, do their duty. Our children of privilege don't.

Proof

Look the right-wing can try and put together all the bs polls they want to try and make the Iraq war look less unpopular than it actually is.

But we just had an election where the GOP took it on the chin. That is proof positive that not only is war unpopular, but that unpopularity is having a drastic impact on the electoral fortunes of the President's political party. Every cycle we have a bunch of polls that say a lot of stuff and then the election tells us what is really going on. And what's really going on is that Iraq is killing the GOP.

So if we remain in Iraq and condition do not improve, the GOP is going to be crushed in 2008. You don't need polls to determine that result. Just look at how people actually voted.

February 21, 2007

The Next Battlefield

The next presidential battlefield are the social networking sites. You can track the results over at techPresident, a site that seems to be run by a delightful combination of tech political nerds.

Obama is dominate in the MySpace friend count contest, with over 44,000 friends. Hillary is a distant second with over 23,000.

The GOP is just not competitive in this race McCain has just 1,300 friends and Giuliani just 651.

This of course is a sign of Inevitable Democratic Victory.

UPDATE: Similar Democratic dominance in the use of YouTube.

Brits Going Home

Tony Blair is declaring victory and going home.

This of course is being spun by the administration as both a sign of great progress in Iraq and a key reason why we must send more troops to Iraq and not less.

Don't ask why it means this, it just does.

February 20, 2007

Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain would have been 40 today.

This unplugged cover of Leadbelly's Where did you sleep last night blew my mind back then and still blows my mind today.

Polls that make you go Hmmmm.

With Clinton and Obama in the race a lot of ink will be spilt on the whole "is America ready for a Black guy/women to be President?" question.

But as this poll from Gallup reveals, the American people have a lot more issues with Mormons, Guys who are 72 years old and guys on thier third marrage that black guys or women when it comes to running for President.

And hey, wouldn't you know, the GOP feature a Mormom, A 72 year old and a guy who is currently on his 3rd wife.

Pay Attention!

To the man behind the curtain.

Will the Scooter Libby trial finally shine the hot light of justice on Dick Cheney?

From the National Journal:


If Libby is found guilty, investigators are likely to probe further to determine if Libby devised what they consider a cover story in an effort to shield Cheney.


Convict 'em, flip 'em, and move up the food chain.

February 19, 2007

Brace Yourself

LGM points out the coming wave of conservatives attempting to blame the damn liberals for defeat in Iraq:

After four years of disastrous ineptitude during which Reynolds et al happily watched the Bush administration destroy America's standing in the world and wage the most incompetent conflict since the War of 1812, they've decided that opposition to the trivial escalation provided by the Surge is the final necessary indicator of treason in the Democratic Party.


Look at how desperate the rhetoric is getting. A non-binding resolution opposing a relatively is now treason. Treason. I for one am tired of this rhetorical crap. If you're serious about liberals being traitors, go ahead and arrest me. Put me on trial, get the 2 witnesses that the Constitution requires and execute me. Otherwise, shut the hell up about liberal traitors.

February 18, 2007

Salute

In tribute to Robert Adler I shall lie on my couch and flip channels.

Thank you Mr Adler. I am a larger man, thanks to you.

February 17, 2007

YouTube of the Day

Kevin Smith talks about his involvement in the Superman Movie project. Profanity ahead.

February 16, 2007

Instinct

Turns out we have a natural instinct not to kiss your sister. Its' not Freud, its evolution.

Oddly enough, this instinct apparently does not exist in Jedi Knights.

February 15, 2007

Oh Dear

Conservative attempt to be funny al la The Daily Show found here. Yes, I know I usually embed the YouTube video on the site, but this does meet Craigorian Chant's high standards. In fact, its really, really bad.

February 14, 2007

He's in

Frankin is Is In!

Hearts for Everyone

I would like to take this opportunity, on Valentines day to declare that I am, in fact, the father of Anna Nicole's baby.

The question of the day shall be - Who is the hottest Disney princess of them all?

I myself go with Jasmine from Aladdin (mmmm exotic cartoon babe of the East) although Esmeralda from Hunchback is just smoking hot, even if she's not technically a princess.

February 13, 2007

Doing the Deal

Looks like we just did a deal with North Korea on nukes. Basically we just bribed the crap of this poor, dangerous little County for them to stop their nuclear program. Which is all we could do. For six years the Bush administration acted tough and a little crazy in an effort to stare down NK on the nuke issue. But North Korea had the advantage of being actually crazy, so that was never going to work. North Korea starves its own people rather than open up to the world and war with North Korea is such a bad idea even Bush knows it.

So in the end Bush did what Clinton did: pay North Korea off. Only now North Korea has built nuclear weapons. Good job guys.

Go see Lawyers Guns and Money for more.

March of the Dolphins

Dolphins continue to take over more and more of our National Security.

Not sure if this is a good idea.

February 12, 2007

Decide!

The New Hampshire Primary is less than a year away and I haven't made up my mind yet.

Homework, Homework.

Read this and this on Obama and start thinking. Hmmmmm.

Oh and When Obama's President, We're Bombing Australia.

Morning!

Chicks!

Obama!

War?

February 11, 2007

Giving the People What They Want

Barenaked Ladies covering Bruce Cockburn's Lovers in a Dangerous Time.

February 10, 2007

Weekend Music Pick

Regina Spektor - Fidelity

Strangely compelling little ditty.

February 9, 2007

Steps

Ok, You have to handle this in two steps.

First, read the tastefully named Craig Unger in Vanity Fair, laying out the possibility that the Bush Administration is going to get us into a disastrous war in Iran to go with the current disaster in Iraq.

Get really upset.

Next go to Let's Be Friends, and let the cuteness wash over you, so that you are calm and collected enough to get though the day.

February 8, 2007

Oh Anna

A great loss to fans of "pneumatic blondes" everywhere.

Her marry-a-guy-who's-80-something-and-fight-for-his-money-all-the-way-to-the-Supreme Court saga captured the hearts of millions.

Tragic.

Previous Chant coverage of the Anna saga can be found here and here

Falure is, In Fact, An Option

So the Pentagon is planing for the Surge to fail. Good to know that somebody is in touch with reality, despite all the happy talk.

We can fail in Iraq. It will not be pretty, but it will not be the end of the Republic.

Furthur, we all know this.

Go read The Garance.

February 7, 2007

Da-Dunt!

NBC bigfoot Tim Russert to testify at Libby trial today. This is your big Law and Order moment (how do you spell that sound effect they use?) Keep track here.

Can't all be Right

Rudy - "I'm in this to win" still yet another person who thinks they can be President.

Rudy will be fun, but who we really want is Savage.

February 5, 2007

Game Off

Ok, for a moment there I thought the game was going to be more interesting than the commercials. Touchdown runback on the opening kickoff, about 13 fumbles in the first quarter alone, and then...The Colts got ahead and stayed ahead. Hmmmmm.

I found the commercials rather uninspiring as well. The Robert Goule/mixed nuts thing was funny/surreal, as was the anti-Grand Theft Auto ad from Coke. I was looking for the just plan funny. Dorito's effort came close, but there was just no "bingo" moment for me.

The VoteVets ad sure had some punch, though.

Oh, and I'm with Sacha Zimmerman in calling the GM fired and suicidal robot ad amazingly bad. Disturbing just on its own. Tragically bad when you know that GM layed off 30,000 people this year. What exactly is GM trying to say here? We fire our workers and drive them to suicide, all in our effort to bring you a good car?

February 4, 2007

Ready For Some Football?

Superbowl Pre-Game YouTube Show.

The Bears (1986 Vintage) doing the Superbowl Shuffle.



SNL "Da Bears"

February 2, 2007

Stumble and Fall

So now the latest is that the Administration is turning up the heat on Iran, blaming them for our failure in Iraq, and making all kinds of moves that will blunder us into a War with Iran.

Now just think about how well the "planned" war in Iraq just think about what stumbling unprepared into a war with Iran would look like.

February 1, 2007

The Age of Freak Out

So the Cartoon Network put these outdoor blinking electronic things that throw an image up on a wall in ten cities. They are up to promote Aqua Teen Hunger Force which I can only assume is some kind of Emmy-winning show.

The City of Boston has proceeded to freak out in a most undignified manner, egged on by the media.

Now the Mayor is talking about throwing the book at the artist behind the ads.

Xoverboard has the appropriate answer.

Look, we live not in the Age of Terror but the Age of the Freak Out. Terror comes from something real. You Freak Out over nothing. We are hurting ourselves with our overblown, misplaced fear. Its a fear that brings cities to a crashing halt, makes us adopt ridiculous rules for carry-on luggage and leads us into useless wars.

Stay calm and we win. Freak out and they win.