The Pope is Resigning

So long, and thanks for all the lawsuits.

Pope Benedict XVI has announced that he is stepping down as Pope, a really amazing turn of events considering that a Pope hasn't stepped down in 600 years. It kind of makes me dizzy contemplating an institution that has that much of a history you can reference.

First off, good for Benedict to make this choice and hopefully set a president. Elderly, sick leaders, obvious puppets of their young aids, do no one any good, in the Church, Boardroom, Presidential Palace or Senate. The rest of Benedict's record is pretty bad. He has renewed the Church's commitments on social justice issues, but has doubled down on the social issues - no to birth control, female priests, and so on. Benedict was neck-deep in the child abuse scandal, a issue which in a better world than this would have completely destroyed the Church's moral authority for at least a generation.

The Conclave to elect a new Pope with kick off next month. A better world is possible. There are cardinals, including leading candidates that are reformers and will change the Church for the better. (Current candidates and odds are here) Of course, its not in the hands of the people, just the select few. Oh and God, I guess. For the political science of Pope selection, see here.

Lieberman is Done

Having finally pissed every last American Citizen off, be they left or right, Joe Lieberman saunters off into the sunset, a hero in his own mind.

Fast Return

Keith is back. I didn't even have time to print up my "Free Keith Olbermann" t-shirts. When I get in trouble on the job, a Facebook group doesn't form on my behalf. I need to become famous.

Rahm Leaves

You know, I find this kind of refreshing. Rahm has always been very straightforward about wanting to be Mayor of Chicago, and the opportunity presented itself, and he's going for it. He never made a false front about not wanting the job, or acting reluctant, or pretending to not be ambitious. That's got to count for something.

The End of the Maradona Show

One of the most entertaining parts of the just concluded World Cup was the Diego Maradona show. The legendary Argentine player made one hell of an dramatically bad coach. The man had a hundred quirks and sub-plots, from wearing two watches to fighting with opposing fans. He also had no idea what he was doing, and managed to take some of the best players in the world and crash out.

Sadly, we will not be seeing a repeat performance in four years. Maradona was tossed as coach of Argentina’s national team. He was offered a new, four-year contract, but apparently his demands were so outrageous, Argentine Football Association vote his ass out.

Well maybe some pro club will hire him. Sure they won't win, but people will watch.

Out Crazy

It is hard arguing with a crazy person. Everyone who has dealt with Glenn Beck has learned this. And now Beck has learned this too. He had on just-former Congressman Eric Massa. Massa is having a bad week/month/year. He's resigned his seat. He's had a recurrence of cancer. He's under a ethics cloud of sexual harassment-type stuff. He's popped off with some pretty wild accusations against the White House and Democratic leadership.

I think the best way to put it is this line from Jerry Maguire:

You are hanging on by a very thin thread and I dig that about you!

Those wild accusations got Massa on Glenn's show, and the result were not pretty.

Crazy all around. Unwatchable. Yet fun to talk about.

No Country for Wets

Evan Bayh is taking his ball and going home. Bayh is the style of moderate who's time has past. Painfully, desperately moderate, the sort to always try and find the exact 51% position between the 0 of conservatism and the 100 of liberalism. In a Senate where members still crossed party lines and deals could be stuck across the spectrum, Evan Bayh was the smartest, most important, best looking guy in the room. His was the key vote, the key meeting, the tipping point. If he supported something, that made it the moderate choice, and all kinds of people can support the moderate choice. But in today's Senate, where no member of the GOP will vote yes for anything, Evan Bayh is useless. He can't get any Republican votes, no matter how hard he "moderates," so his watering down good legislation never pays off. Every time he wanders off the reservation, good bills die by filibuster. In today's partisan world, the only way for Evan Bayh to get anything done would be to shut up, be a good soldier, and become just a liberal as the rest of his democratic colleges. But Bayh has spent his whole career looking at the liberals and moving to their right. He's just not wired for the way the system works now.

Retirements

So word is out that two Democratic Senators will not be seeking re-election this year. That's Dodd of Connecticut and Dorgan of North Dakota. Given how hard it is to knock off incumbent politicos in this Country, retirements have huge impacts on election outcomes. Dorgan leaving is a major hit. North Dakota doesn't exactly lean to the left, it is going to be damn hard to replace Dorgan with a Democrat. Dodd leaving, ironically enough, helps the donkeys. Dodd has been caught up in a rather thin scandal over his mortgage, and was going to have trouble getting re-elected. But Connecticut, Holy Joe not withstanding, does lean to the left, and whatever Dem runs in Dodd's place will have a better chance than Dodd himself.

Given the state of the Congress, this is how the entire progressive legislative agenda will be determined: by the career choices of aging US Senators. The right guys retire, its better health care, financial regulation, and the world doesn't die in fire. The wrong guys call it quites, and not so much.

Who Killed Craig?

It was Rahm Emanuel, with the anonymous leak, in the Oval Office.

The story of the intrigue behind the resignation of Greg Craig.

He didn't jump. He was pushed!

Good lord! Who knew that Washington D.C. was a place of such intrigue and backstabbing? That city isn't just dangerous for Craigs, it's dangerous for everybody.

Bye Lou

Dobbs leaves CNN. A powerful voice for beating up on illegals is gone. Good thing we have many damn others.

Quiters!

Two very notable exits, with San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newson dropping out of the California Governor's race, and the moderate GOP candidate in the NY-23 also giving up the ghost.

Newson I'm pretty disappointed in. The other leading Democratic governor candidate is Jerry Brown, and I was looking forward to a good old verses new, great hair verses no hair primary match-up. I've got real doubts about Brown, and now it looks like we are stuck with him.

Republican Dede Scozzafava's exit is the latest chapter in the GOP morality play I've been keeping an eye on lately.

The lesson of this play is pretty simple: Do not be even the slightest bit moderate in today's GOP. Scozzafava was mostly conservative with just a few heresies, like gay rights and card check, but that was enough for a full blown right-wing mobilization. And in a conservative district, the right can win. But the Country is not a conservative district in up-state New York. The tea party wackos will not beat Obama and will not stop health care reform, but they may just succeed in driving the few remaining moderates from the GOP. Which makes for a very united party. The GOP doesn't have to worry about moderates going rogue and fouling up legislation. But it also makes for a very small party.

UPDATE: Wow. Scozzafava just endorsed the Democrat in the race. To be clear, the official GOP nominee just endorsed the official Democratic nominee in a House special election three day before election day. That's insane.

The End of Comedy

Tom Delay drops out of Dancing with the Stars.

Sauced

I hope we can count on Hillary doing better than this. The Japanese Foreign Minister has resigned in shame after appearing drunk at a press conference. Its has to be "in shame" because, well, Japan.

Dear God

Will ever find a Commerce Secretary? Will our long national nightmare never end? Apparently a dispute broke out over the Census, which is one of the few things the Commerce Secretary actually does.

Daschle Out

Daschle is out for HHS. I'm having to switch mental gears about resignations. Back in the day, deal was, some Administration official got caught not paying taxes on his car and driver, that meant some incompetent fool who lied us into war or let NOLA drown or approved the clear cutting of virgin forest was losing their job. But today it means that effort to get us all better health has been hurt.

The game has gotten more fierce.

Job Opening

Ok, who do you think got left out of the Obama Cabinet? Bill Richardson withdraws from Commerce Secretary, so we got an opening. Who's up next? Keep in mind that the Commerce Secretary doesn't do a whole lot, so this is ether one of the best or worse jobs in government, depending on your career goals.

We Lost. Yeah!

The only Democrat I am happy to see beaten this cycle has been beaten. The good voters of Louisiana has tossed William "I have no idea how $90,000 in cash ended up in my freezer" Jefferson out on his ass.

Corrupt little bastards are going down, irregardless of party.

Yeah elections.

Senator Toast

Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, notable open sore on the legislative process, has been convicted of all counts in his corruption trial. Which is pretty damn embarrassing, considering he's up for re-election in eight days.

Musharraf is Done

That's President/Dictator Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan. He's resigning. This is one of those hugely important events in world affairs that I am uncertain of the implications of, so I will simply note the event without additional comment. Till I know better.

Campaign in Trouble

Mark Penn - the Clinton Campaigns rather controversial chief strategist and pollster, have been shown the door. Which means she now has a Campaign in Disarray. This is an official press designation. Look for lots of stories about process rather than stories about issues. Which only hurts her further.

Chait lays out the case for her to leave the race. Anyone have a reason she should stay in?