"Fox Nothing Channel"

Because it sure isn't news.

Its an Honor Just to be...

Academy Awards nominations are out today. The Departed is the only best picture nominee I've seen and its the best film I've saw all year, so good pick folks.

Dreamgirls has 3 of the 5 best song nominees. But can they top Its Hard Out Here for a Pimp? I don't think so.

Oh and An Inconvenient Truth got a nomination for best documentary, so there will be a nice political angle to the ceremony this year. And you know how I love that.

Mr. 28

Bush's approval rating has fallen to 28% That's just terrible.

Asking the Important Questions

Just how lame will Bush's State of Union Be?

Bad Weekend

27 US troopers died over the weekend. 13 died in a helicopter crash and five died when they were attacked by Iraqis wearing US uniforms. How the hell does that happen?

Hilary is In

At least now we can all stop pretending like she was still making up her mind about running.

Not Bringing the Funny

You know that thing are really bad if you can no longer make jokes about it.

Its now official: Bush is in such a bad place you can no longer make jokes about it. This year's White House Correspondents Association dinner will feature Rich Little (famous in the 70's for his Nixon impersonation) not cracking any jokes at Bush's expense. Last year's WHCD was famous for Stephen Colber's incredible speech, taken completely at Bush's expense. ("This is a man who believes the same thing on Thursday that he believed on Tuesday, no matter what has happened on Wednesday!")

A dark place indeed.

Oh and speaking of Colber, he traded guest appearances with Bill O'Reilly, in a move which could very well rupture the fabric of space and time.

Senator Franken?

It sounds more and more like he is going to run for US Senate from Minnesota. I'm giddy with anticipation.

Lets be clear - A manly-type giddy. Not schoolgirl-type giddy.

He-He.

GOP Panic

Ahhhhhhh!

Clearing Snow

Tony Snow is hard to stump. He's slick, he's smart and he has no soul. He's everthing you need in a Press Secretary for an Administration thats rapidly running down the drain.

But I think David Gregory got him with this question:

What's An Appropriate Way To Dissent?

Trials

"Scooter" Libby, Dick Cheney's former chief of staff has gone on trial. Pergery related to the outing of a CIA agent. (Its the crime not the cover-up, don't you know) The jury questions area all about how trustworthy the Bush administration is. The reason for that is that Cheney is likely to take the stand in Libby's defense. A host of big-time Washington jouralists, lead by Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press, will be testifing for the prosicution. This is the best show in town.

Here Comes Obama

Get Ready

True Outrage

Somebody stole my neighborhood mailbox! The blue metal one down on the corner. Who the hell does that? Is it worth anything? Now I have to go ten blocks and not three to drop off mail! Not to mention the poor shlubs who mailed their bills in that box right box right before the cretins made off with it. This is an outrage!

UPDATE: Interesting Plot twist in comments, you do check the comments, right?

Thud

Bush didn't change any minds with his Escalation speech. Here anouther bad poll. American people: smart enough. Bush: not so much.

MLK Day

Go Watch

Grrraaawww!

I think I'm starting to develop some sort of allergic rage reaction to Bush Administration talking points. It's like the rage virus in 28 Days later. So when Cheney goes on FoxNews and claims, still, that we are making "enormous progress" in Iraq or Bush does his weekly radio address and says critics of the war aren't offering a plan of their own, instead of a measured, thoughtful response with a dose of sarcasm all that comes out of me is an incoherent "Raaaaa"

Weekend YouTube Blogging

Michael Penn - No Myth Ah from back in day. Nifty bit of songwriting, this:

Doomed

We are doomed. Our new Defense Secretary just got in front of Congress and said

"I'm no expert on military matters."

Becks is Coming

Big news in the world of Soccer as David Beckham has signed a deal (250 Milliaon!) to play for the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer. Beckham may have lost a step as a player (he has been dropped from the English National team) but he a global superstar without equal in world sports. He will bring the one thing that Soccer in the United States needs more than anything: attention.

David "The Closer" Hirshey has more on the deal. I started reading Hirshey during the
World Cup. If you're going to only read one guy writing about soccer...

Quotable

Reactions to Bush's Speech.

"George W. Bush spoke with all the confidence of a perp in a police lineup. I first interviewed the guy in 1987 and began covering his political rise in 1993, and I have never seen him, in public or private, look less convincing, less sure of himself, less cocky. With his knitted brow and stricken features, he looked, well, scared. Not surprising since what he was doing in the White House library was announcing the escalation of an unpopular war."

Howard Fineman

"The basic problem that you have is that you've got a stubborn jerk in the White House who will ignore anything and do what he wants to do."

Rep. Jerrold Nadler

If George W. Bush had delivered Wednesday night's speech two years ago, he would have deserved praise for candor, equanimity, and breadth of vision. But given its actual timing, one can only wonder about his grip on reality.

Fred Kaplan

President Bush was at his best tonight: serious, detailed, and above all, resolute.

Hugh Hewitt, Tool

"I applaud the president for rejecting the fatalism of failure and pursuing a new course to achieve success in Iraq."

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, Tool Too

"This is a dangerously wrongheaded strategy that will drive America deeper into an unwinnable swamp at a great cost."
Sen. Chuck Hagel R-Neb. (Non-Tool)

Couch Potato Legend

Couch Potatoes will often speak of this but only in hushed tones.

Behold! The 108 inch Television. Tremble before it!

Bush: Like a Rock

Only Dumber.

So despite opposition from Congress, from the Generals, from the Public and even from the frickin people who thought up this dumb idea in the first place, Bush is going to go ahead and put 20,000 more troops into Iraq.

Shear stupid force of will drives this man forward.

Into the abyss.

Enemy of the Wha?

Sean Hannity is now awarding an "Enemy of the State" prize. Not "Liberal moron of the week" not "Worse Person in the World" (Yeah!) but "Enemy of the State" The first winner is Shawn Penn.

So the conservative movement is "The State" now? Or has Hannity just taken the fascist leap and really means "the State" as the Bush administration and "enemies" to mean its critics? Words matter and "Enemy of the State" is what you label your domestic opposition after its been driven into exile or convicted in a show trial. Do you think Hannity really wants to go there or his rhetoric misfired?

Country For Sale

Psss, hey buddy, do you want a Country?

The Big Reveal!

So Bush is announcing the "Surge" of troops on Wednesday. Congress is already lining up, for and against. (More against)I'm guessing this is going to land with a thud, in both polls and Congress. But it will happen anyway, given the system. Bush is Commander in Chief, which means the military reports to him. So if he says send more troops, more troops are going to go.

Now Congress and the people who elect them don't want this "surge" but their options are limited. There is Congress's "power of the purse" but cutting off funds for the "surge" or the war in general is politically tricky and may not work. As Barney Franks points out, Bush can simply move money about the Pentagon to work around any budget blocks Congress puts in his way. Which makes stopping him hard, short of defunding the entier Pentagon.

So we are stuck.

Bush V English

The Top Ten Bushism of 2006.

God, Inc

Yesterday in History

The first female Speaker of the House took office.

For those of you in denial about this historic event, check out all the things that Foxnews covered instead of history.

Keeping Califorian Regular

Doing the important things:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has officially proclaimed January 2007 as "California Dried Plum Digestive Health Month," and wants all Californians to incorporate the fruits into their daily diet. Dried plums, as you might recall, used to be called "prunes" until growers decided they needed a name that doesn't evoke jokes like those we're making here.

Smart Moves

There have been some great political moves going down lately:

John Edwards has termed the "Surge" of troops in Iraq the "McCain doctrine." That is a phrase that will stick and will completely hang the failed and failing Iraq policy on the Republican's leading light.

A Joe Lieberman critic has taken over the Connecticut for Lieberman Party, which was the legal fiction that Joe used to run again after he lost the Democratic primary. The new bylaws now say that anyone named Lieberman can join the party. Oh and Lieberman critics are welcome too.

Muslim Rep.-elect Keith Ellison been taking a lot of right wing nut fire for wanting to do his (ceremonial/photo-op) swearing in ceremony on a Koran. So he's bringing a big gun to the party: He will be using a Koran owned by Thomas Jefferson for the ceremony. Ah Hah!

Winning breeds more winning. We win some elections and suddenly we are looking very clever. Better looking too.

Sacrifice

Go Keith Go

Just Stop

More signals that Bush is going to charge ahead with more troops. But:

The next question, of course, is whether anyone in the U.S. will approve of such a move.

The troops don't seem to care for the idea. Neither does the public. The Joint Chiefs aren't enthralled with the proposal, and new Defense Secretary Robert Gates apparently has some concerns of his own.

On the Hill, while congressional Democrats are nearly universal in their opposition to escalation, the list of high-profile Republican opponents, or at least skeptics, has grown considerably in just the last three days. Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), Chuck Lugar (R-Ind.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) are all expressing doubts, if not outright opposition.

Back to Work

And so ends the one day of the year when I care about college football.

I must say that this game was absolutely incredible. There is no reason on this earth for me to care about the outcome of Boise State and Oklahoma, but damn if they didn't make me care. Boise last touchdown was a WR option in overtime, then they went for two and got it. 22 scored in the last two minutes.

What a game. Amazing.

I now go back to not caring about college football.

New Year, New Deal.

Resolutions: To quit smoking...Done. Also to increase traffic to the blog and be a better person.

Predictions: Big fight coming on Iraq between Bush and the new Democratic(!) Congress. Also lots of investigations and subpoenas and fights over investigations and subpoenas. Oddly, there will not be big fights over the budget and immigration, where Bush will roll over for the Dems.

2007 will be the year of Republican panic. This is the year they realise that Iraq has already cost them both Houses in Congress and will cost them a lot more in 2008. They will also realise that Bush will not change course. Thus panic.

Also, I'm getting a new car.

And celebrities will continue to reproduce, marry and divorce at alarming rates.

I myself will do none of these.

Happy New Year.

Good Luck.

New Years Day

3,000

3000 Americans have died in Iraq.

Resolution: To cut this crap out.

Proper

The official morning period for Gerald Ford began yesterday. I can think of no better tribute than this classic Saturday Night Live bit:

Ding Dong, the Dictator is Dead

Hell, have just completed the intake for Augusto Pinochet, has to to start the paperwork all over again.

This just in to Craigorian Chant: We are still screwed in Iraq. Our condition remains unchanged at this time. Stay tuned for any further breaking news.

Saddam Deathwatch

Tick, Tick, Tick.

John Edwards

Is running.

Ezra Klien, reporting live.

OK Go!

Gerald Ford

There is something to be said for the guy who just cleans up the mess. Gerald Ford was very much an accidental President. But when he came in the Country faced Watergate and Vietnam and he put the first to rest and got us out of the second, and took a lot of political hits doing it.

Compare that to the man he replaced, Nixon, who created all that mess. Just like someone will have to come in and clear up after our current accidental President --who is showing us just how bad an exciting Presidency can be.

So lets hear it for the boring Presidents, the fixers, the ones who leave the Country better than they found it.

Rest In Peace Mr President.

Santa's Dead

True Story.

Also, rest in peace, Godfather of Soul.

Also the Govenator breaks a leg.

I guess I've had it pretty easy this holiday season.

Chrismas Fun

NORAD Tracks Santa

Craig's Childhood Returns

Watch the Trailer.

Merry Christmas

Do They Know Its Chrismas?

5 U.S. Troops Die West of Baghdad

Bill Kristol Vrs Jon Stewart

Go watch

Remember our Battle Cry:

I will beat you. Not because I am right and you are wrong and I Am and You Are, but because I am better at this than you.

We Could Take Em

Go read David Weigel and Matthew Yglesias on the new wave of right-wing dystopian novels coming out. Osaman rules the world and Michael Moore rule the United States. Red States and Blue States go to war. Most are just too silly for words, but they do offer an interesting look at the conservative id.

This line by Yglesias struck me:

At the end of the day, everybody knows that if it came down to an armed conflict, the conservatives would win. Which leads to Dave's point -- these books aren't dystopian at all, they're wish fulfillment about a world in which the right gets a legitimate rationale for battling liberalism through brute force.

Would it automatically follow that if a Red State/Blue State Civil war broke out the Reds would win? If we want to play this game (and its fun if played lightly) I think we would have a fighting chance. The conservatives assume that they would win because they have all the guns and we have the gays, which of course cripple your military perpariness. But the blue states are far better off economically than red states, we have Hollywood so our propaganda will be better, not to mention the fact that the Iraq war proves that conservatives are military incompetents. And of course Europe would intervene on the side of blue American. Nobody coming to help the Neocons.

So I like our chances. What do you think?

Too Early, Too Late

This poll comes way too early, but it turns out that Hillary Clinton beats both John McCain and Rudy Giuliani in Presidential polls. Not so "unelectable" is she?

This poll comes way too late, but only 11% of the American people want to increase the number of troops in Iraq.

Fix-It

Just anouther day on the job:

Two spacewalking astronauts finished folding up a stubborn, accordion-like solar array Monday, resolving the only complication in space shuttle Discovery's otherwise smooth mission to the international space station.

Shuttle astronauts Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang managed to get the last section of the 115-foot array folded into a box about five hours into the 6 1/2-hour spacewalk. It was the fourth venture outside for Discovery's astronauts during their visit to the orbiting outpost.

Did they bang on it with a wrench? It would make my day if they banged on it with a wrench to get it to work.

The pair used a scraper to try to get the array unstuck, shook the panel and used pliers to tighten the wire that folds it up. It was a stop-and-go process with astronauts inside the space station repeatedly sending remote-controlled commands to fold up the array. Curbeam worked from the end of the space station's robotic arm.

Close.

Rock the Halls

Lets get into the spirit of things.

TIME Again

Three points about TIME. First, let us mock the choice. On some level its a silly cop-out. The profiles are lots of fun, so pick one of them and anoint them at the "Person". Pick the YouTube founders, personify it some way. Really, TIME is just trying to kiss your butt (and mine).

Second, "power of the people" ignores the central lesson of our time: That it is defined by the personality and policy choices of George W Bush. Michael Kinsley first wrote about this, but Bush proves the "Great Man" theory of history. Not that he is "great" but in the sense that Bush really wanted to invade Iraq, that's what happened, and the Iraq catastrophe will define US foreign policy for generations. There is no other explanation for the course we are on.

Finally, despite their dumb choice, everyone is going to talk about it. So well done, TIME, well done.

I accept this award...

On behalf of the rest of "You"

That's right, TIME has named "You" the people who blog, write wikipedia articles, and make up the "you" in Youtube as thier Person of the Year.

I figure I make up at least a part of this group, so I should be getting a trophy of some kind. Ok, how about a commemorative dish? A certificate?

Happy Hanukkah

System Failure

Most of the time our Democracy works. Unpopular, successful ideas are enacted as policy and unpopular ideas and their advocates are sent packing. So the War in Iraq is very unpopular. There has just been a massive rebuke delivered to the responsible party in a recent election. Despite this, the administration is not only continuing it commitment to this war, but is now contemplating escalating the conflict.

Now sending more troops to Iraq is hideously unpopular. It receives somewhere like 8% to 16% support, depending on the polls. Greenwald asks:

Even the craziest, most despicable ideas can attract more than 8%-16% in polls. More and more Republicans realize the grave political danger posed to them by this war. Are they going to just sit by and let the President sink their party for a generation by "doubling down" and continuing to worship at the altar of its most extremist warmonger elements?

Lowry notes that the "only" group opposed to more troops is the military, specifically Generals Abazaid and Pace, which leads to a glaring question that never seems to be answered by the increase-troop proponents: namely, what are these additional 20,000 troops supposed to accomplish exactly? If Generals Abazid and Pace have no answer to that question, isn't it a pretty good bet that there is no good answer?

There are time when you want the system to fail, There are things that "the people" want that can't and shouldn't be delivered by Government. The classic example is that people would love lots of government spending and pay zero taxes. That would just be dumb. But here we have a case where the American people want the right thing. More troops to Iraq will Break the Army. It won't lead to "victory" Its a bad and unpopular policy. How does it get enacted?

Can't Be Good

The Democratic Majority in the Senate hangs by a narrow 51-49 thread. Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson is in critical condition following emergency brain surgery. If he is unable to continue in his job as Senator, the Republican Governor of South Dakota will pick his replacement, which could swing control of the Senate. Not Good.

I am Magic

Behold the power of the Craigorian Chant election Prediction Ceremony! It brought forth a prediction of a 30 seat gain for the Democrats in the House. And last night the last outstanding House race was settled with another Republican defeated, putting the Dem's total pick-up at ...wait for it...30. I was off by one seat in the Senate, predicting a five seat pick-up when the Dems's actually got 6. Craigorian Chant's staff of political scientists and mystics are working to revise the process to help ensure better accuracy in the future.

21

Just 21% of the Country now approve of the Job Bush is doing in Iraq.

And to add some historic propective:

Opposition to the war is now taking on historic proportions, with 62 percent saying it was "a mistake" to send U.S. troops to Iraq — slightly more than told a Gallup Poll in 1973 that it was a mistake to send U.S. forces to Vietnam.

Annoucing

Craig has friends! And they blog too!

Please check out Laura McC's Laura, Queen of Universe and get all your tender, jucy Patriotic Needs fulfilled at Sweet Sweet Freedom.

In technical matters, I now own CraigBaracco.com and CraigorianChant.com and they both point you right here, so you can now skip the typing in the .blogspot part if you don't want to.

Cool, Not Cool

There are lots of bitter former Republican members of the House running around: Cool

Rep. William Jefferson wins reelection, despite a corruption prob that has discovered, amoung other things, $90,000 in cash in the man's freezer: Not Cool

The White House has produced anouther holiday video featuring Barney the First Dog, the cutest (and least dangerous) member of the Administration: Cool

It is necessary to treat President Bush as if he were a child: Not Cool

Augusto Pinochet is still dead: Cool

Our people are still being killed in Iraq: Not Cool

Barack Obama blocks play, appologies, wins a vote, may really be as good as they say: Cool

And finally, Lego U2:



Cool.

Mood Music

Brought to by Damien Rice and the letter M for moody:

Snap

Ah Juan Williams.

He's got a standing invitation to any FoxNews panel he wants, cause he never puts up much of a fight. Its a combination of Juan being a reporter by trade and thus being conditioned from birth not to argue, only report. Also, he's got the classic liberal desease of being so fair-minded that he won't even take his own side in an argument.

But they have pushed him too far today. Six years of lies, abuse, and senseless war have taken their toll. Watch him go!

A Tip of the Hat

Truthiness is named "Word of the Year"

Compromised

Well, the fact that the Right hates the ISG report means it can't be all bad, right?

What makes the Right so mad is that there is no way to "win" and the report acknowledges this:

Others, including influential conservative editorialist William Kristol, accused the study group of focusing its nine months of study on how to extricate the United States from Iraq, rather than how to win.

"They do not engage that debate, and I think that's deeply irresponsible," Kristol said. "If they think the war cannot now be won, they need to explain that."

Actually, they don't. There is no debate. There is only overwhelming evidence that Iraq is a disaster and can't be won, and Bill Kristol saying that it can be won. We don't debate the color of the sky and we don't debate the fact that Iraq is an epic mess.

While the report doesn't go far enough to get us out, it does at least achknowledge that Iraq is, in fact, a disaster and cannot be "won." Once you come to terms with that fact, the need to get out will follow. The American public is already there. Official Washington needs to do this ridiculous bipartisan compromise dance in order to get there.

Attack Donkey!

Run Away, Run Away:

"Important Bush Administration officials are ready to leave the government rather than undergo two years of hell from Democratic committee chairmen in Congress. Leading the exodus are officials of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fearing investigation by two chairmen, Representatives Henry Waxman (D-CA) and John Dingell (D-MI)."

From Political Wire.

Domestic Front

And in domestic news Mary Cheney is pregnant. Yes, the gay daughter. Cheney's grandaughter has two mommies.

Its Here, Its Here

No time to read it this morning but the much talked about Iraq Study Group report is out today.

It makes 79 recomendations. My guess is the Bush administration is only going to follow 3. Which three? Stay tuned.

Of all the reads on the ISG report I read today instead of working, I recomend Ackerman and Yg.

Why Back to the Moon?

Haven't we already done this before?

Mars is next.

Mars.

Update: Looks like there's water on Mars. Not evidence of water a million years ago, but water right now.

We have to go.

Clip of the Day

From Crooks and Liars.

Do One Thing

Why does the nation of Fiji even have a military? It’s a small island nation in the
South Pacific. The CIA factbook doesn't list a single international dispute. It doesn't even have any neighbors that could attack it. Its a collection of Islands in the middle of the Pacific. And In the unlikely event that Japan goes back to its old ways or Australia goes completely insane for no apparent reason, its not like the mighty Fijian military could actually do anything about it. The total force is on 3,500 men, making it one of the smallest in the world. (Wikipedia)

The only possible purpose that the military of Fiji could have is to throw a coup and over through the democratically elected government.

Mission Accomplished.

Good Morning!

John Bolton to step down. Better than coffee.

An Army of Marketing

Matt Yglesias makes a great point about military recruiting these day:

If you watch a lot of male-oriented television programming you'll see lots of military recruitment ads of various sorts and they never mention that the modal outcome for a member of the US military these days is to be sent to fight in Iraq.

It is however, unusual in historical terms. If you look at recruiting posters from World War I or World War II the situation was quite different.

It's not merely that these posters didn't obscure the fact that a war was going on. Rather, the fact of the war was the key selling point of the recruitment drives. Which makes sense. Leaving your home and family to go do an arduous job isn't an obviously appealing thing to do. You get money, to be sure, but patriotic appeals are a key part of getting people to volunteer. The war, in these terms, is a reason to sign up -- your country needs you to fight its enemies.

Military ads these days are all about the great skills and personal development you will receive. A lot of ads these days are about trying to get parents to go along with their children signing up. (Father: you looked me in the eye and shook my hand, where did that come from? The Army) These days you join up despite the war in Iraq, not because of it. Keep that in mind when someone says our troops have to keep getting killed in Iraq to honor the troops who have been killed in Iraq.

Ack

This is what drives liberals batty about Joe Lieberman. So a memo gets leaked, and it turns out that even the (soon to be) late great Donald Rumsfeld is saying that we need a change of course in Iraq.

And what does Joe say?

The Rumsfeld memo itself is in many ways surprising. He raises possibilities of doing things such as redeploying our troops which he has always said that he was against. I must say, Bob, that the one thing he doesn't raise as a possibility is to increase the number of our troops there.

That's right, Joe Lieberman is to the right of Donald Rumsfeld on Iraq. He wants more troops. I'm not sure what for, or where they are going come from, but Joe Lieberman wants to go charging in.

Arrggg!

Tonights Musical Guest

Johnny Cash and Friends

When Good Sci-Fi Writers Go Bad

Who amoung us doesn't like Ender's Game?

Crooks and Liars has a good round-up on the sad mess that Orson Scott Card has become.

Charts! Ideology! Shifts! Left!

Really facinating chart at Political Arithmetik showing the ideological shift of all the Chairs of all the committees in the House. Short version: Congress is moving to the left. Big.

Get Out, Get Out, Get Out.

So the early leaking from the Baker/Hamilton group is that they will be calling for phased withdrawal. Ah good old phased withdrawal. Not seting a timetable or deadline, mind you, just kind of slowly moving to the exit. Shuffle your feet, slowly back away, however its done, these guys want out of Iraq. Leave fast, leave slow, call it anything you want, just get out.

Next step: The Bush administration doing its best to ignore the report, while making a big deal out of how much they are "considering" it.

UPDATE: More leaks. Now the word is the panel will recomend "withdrawing nearly all U.S. combat units from Iraq by early 2008 while leaving behind troops to train, advise and support the Iraqis, setting the first goal for a major drawdown of U.S. forces. Get Out.

Thin Bench

So Bill Frist, the man who lead the GOP from the Majority to the Minority in the Senate, will not be taking those amazing political skill on the Presidential circuit. I'll still wondering who is going to be the Conservative standard bearer in the Republican primary. Someone is going to have to challange the moderates - McCain or Mr. Mayor. Allen and Santorum lost their Senate races, Mitt Romney is from MASSACHUSETTS(No Conservative standard bearers hail from that great state)and there's that whole Mormon thing, that has yet to play out.

As Mara Whatshername was saying on NPR today, this leave the GOP field without a major player from the South or the conservative movement. Its does look like the conservatives have a pretty thin bench.

Ah but she forgot NEWT! NEWT! who just went to a First Amendment award dinner and talked about how we should limit free speech or else the terrorist might win.

that's our guy.

Exposed

Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, is just bringing out the base id of conservative talking heads.

First there was Glenn Beck's "Are you a traitor?"

Now here's Dennis Prager, radio guy, getting his hate on because-

[Ellison] should not be allowed to [swear on the Koran] – not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization.

What?

Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don’t serve in Congress. . . . Mr. Ellison, America, not you, decides on what book its public servants take their oath.

Wow! This is just pure "I hate Muslims." Thanks, Congressman Ellison, for showing us.

Thanks to Lean Left.

What's in a Name

Would horrible violence, called a civil war, have as much negative political impact?

NBC news et al has decided to call the Iraq violence a civil war. Words have meanings and there's a reason the Administration has fought so hard to keep people from calling it a civil war. An "insurgency" fighting the "democratically elected government" or a "battle against terrorists" has the suitable us verse evil vibe that Americans need to justify going to war. But a civil war between Sunni rebels allied with Al Qaeda fighting Shia miltia allied with Iran doesn't have any good guys. Suicide bombers against death squads. Can you pick the good guy? Certainly there is no one worth getting Americans killed for. If Iraq is a civil war the natural question is "What the hell are we doing there?"

Trouble with Twins

The Bush Twins are vacationing in Argentina.

Seems they are kicking up a real fuss, cause the US Embassy is asking them to leave.

You know if the twins have all this time on their hands, I hear the Army is hiring.

Good Morning!

Rise and shine, it's Monday.

Really fascinating story on the death of New England Republicans here. The last remaining Republican representative is Chris Shays. The entire State of Rhode Island had the same feeling for Lincoln Chafee that I did. Nice guy; got to go. They gave him a 62% approval rating on the same day they voted him out 53%-47%.

Our new SecDef may be a trigger happy nut.

Baker/Hamilton commission: Useless.

Absolutely fascinating international mystery here.

Power to the people: Bahrainis use Google Earth to spy on royals' palaces.

Jackpot!

Here it is, the motherlode of cheesy music videos. Over seven minutes long. Grand Epic Song. The kind that makes you throw your head back and make big hand gestures when you sing along. Babes. Motorcycles. Breaking Mirrors. A plot stolen from either Beauty and the Beast or Phantom of the Opera or maybe both. Oh, man, I love it so:

Meat Loaf's I'd Do Anything for Love.

What It All Means

One of the manditory activities post-election is determining "what it all means." This game is a lot more fun after your side wins. After Dems lose by 1% votes we are treated to a round of "Dems are too liberal, Dems are wimps, Dems look funny" and that's why they lose and will keep losing. Of course, some people are so attached to this story that they keep telling it ever after we WIN. Here's MyDD catching Washington wise-man Tom Edsal sticking to the "Dems are losers" script ever after the real world has smacked him along side the head. Pretty embarrassing to release a book called Building Red America which argues that the GOP will be in charge forever right before the 2006 election.

Turn around is fair play, so the only safe conclusion to the 2006 elections is that the GOP is stupid, ugly and has moved too far to the right. They must embrace universal health care if they are to have any chance of regaining political power in the United States.

Alas the Republicans will never hear nor heed my advice, because they already have their answer. Jonathan Chait explains the system:

Republicans, on the other hand, pretty much never change. They're like a Terminator machine (and unlike the governor who played the Terminator and who has dramatically recast his ideology). Crush them in a machine press, or freeze them and blow them into tiny pieces, and they'll just regroup and keep lurching forward, cutting taxes for the rich and jacking up defense spending.

Ever wonder why that is? It's because conservatives have an apparatus in place to interpret every election. If Republicans win, it's because they were conservative. If they lose, it's because they weren't. No matter what the facts may be, they will always conclude that the answer is to run further to the right.

Republicans are never going to change, so the only safe path is to just keep them out of power. Forever.

Better keep winning.

Happy Day of Shopping!

Last nights local weather report called the Friday forecast the "shopping-cast." The whole world is in a vast conspiracy to try and sell you stuff today. I for one will be spending today on the couch, with a plate of leftover turkey.

Can't Get it Done

So it turns out that the outgoing (Yeah Outgoing!) GOP congress can't even pass the required spending bills.

Keep in mind that passing the budget is the one thing that Congress has to do each year. The Republicans couldn't do it.

Time for the adults to take over.

Aaron Sorkin Call Your Office!

The Town of Pahrump, Nevada. (Yes, same town) has just made it makes it illegal to fly a foreign flag.

Oh Please

Check out this line from Newt Gingrich:

"I'm going to tell you something, and whether or not it's plausible given the world you come out of is your problem. I am not 'running' for president. I am seeking to create a movement to win the future by offering a series of solutions so compelling that if the American people say I have to be president, it will happen."

I wish to join this movement! Run Newt Run!

I Want to See Him Prove It

Barack Obama says America Is Ready For A Black President.

I'm pretty sure he can do it.

His Fear, Our Hope

Bill Kristol, leading intellectual light in the "invade Iraq, Invade Iran, invade everyone" movement, fears that Republican support for the Iraq war will crumble in the next two to three months.

Support for the Iraq war is already gone among democrats. Its gone among Independents. Two thirds of the Country is already debating how big a failure Iraq is and what is the best way to get ourselves out of this mess. There was just an election that supports me on this point. The only thing that's keeping Bill Kristol's war going is support among Republicans. That's what let Bush and his supporters keep pretending that if we just stay longer, everything will be fine. Let's see if they can keep it up if that last third of the Country loses faith with the War.

Bond, James

Still cool after all these years. Casino Royal is the new picture and the tastefully named Daniel Craig is the new Bond. Not what you expect, but takes the franchise to interesting places. This movie owes a lot to Batman Begins and the Bourne Movies.

Batman Begins because this is a reboot, that goes back to Bond's first mission, his first kills, his first Martini. (Shaken or Stirred? Does it look like I give a damn!)

This movie also moves in a much more Bourne direction with its action. The fights are much more brutal and real and the high-tech gizmos are almost completely gone. No invisible cars and no laser watches. No "Q" at all.

But the locations remain exotic and the babes remain top-rate. A fun time for all.

Fun Fact of the Day

Only 1% of the internet is porn.

Learning?

President Bush is in Vietnam:

The president said there was much to be learned from the divisive Vietnam War -- the longest conflict in U.S. history -- as his administration contemplates new strategies for the increasingly difficult war in Iraq, now in its fourth year. But his critics see parallels with Vietnam -- a determined insurgency and a death toll that has drained public support -- that spell danger for dragging out U.S. involvement in Iraq.

"It's just going to take a long period of time for the ideology that is hopeful -- and that is an ideology of freedom -- to overcome an ideology of hate," Bush said after having lunch at his lakeside hotel with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, one of America's strongest allies in Iraq, Vietnam and other conflicts.

"We'll succeed," Bush added, "unless we quit."

So according to Bush, the lesson of Vietnam is "Don't ever stop a war. Ever. No matter how futile or wasteful or stupid."

Team Office

It's primarily because of my relatively new cubical-based day job (yesterday I faxed someone 11 blank pages because I put the paper in the machine backwards), but I've really gotten into The Office this season.

Thanks to EW's Popwatch I have found the Best. Office. T-Shirt. Ever:



You can buy them here.

Who the Hell is This Guy?

And why does CNN headline news put him on the air? Here's Glenn Beck saying "[W]hat I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies" to the first Muslim ever elected to Congress.

Here he is calling a letter criticizing Al Qaeda as "surprising," because "the man who wrote it is a Muslim"

Headline news is supposed to do one thing: give us the news every half hour. What the hell are they putting this guy on the air for?

I Can't Dance

Unlike Emmitt Smith, I can't dance. The main reason I can't dance is that I just don't think that its important that I dance. I could spend some time learning and at least become acceptable, but I've got other things I would rather do. So in the rare moments where you drag me out on a dance floor the results are pretty pathetic.

Which brings me to the Bush Administration and Diplomacy. They don't like diplomacy, they like blowing things up. They would much rather threaten than talk, bluster rather than negotiate. The don't want to do it, so they don't work at it. Which means they continue to suck at it, even six years later.

So when they are dragged out on that dance floor the results are embarrassing.

Keep that in mind when the Baker Commission says we should be doing more diplomacy.

Stuff to Talk About

Jack Abramoff goes to prison today.

Congresswoman for a Month

Democrat Joe Courtney just won by 91 votes. Congradulations Congressman Courtney! There is now only one Republican Congressman in all of New England.

A look inside Fox News. Deep inside.

What else you got to talk about?

Danger! Danger!

The one real hope I have for the Iraq war to end is the fact that a lot of the Republicans who survived this year didn't survive by much. Such near death experiences is likely to change one's thinking. And its clear that the Iraq war is the leading cause of political death and near-death.

There are a whole bunch of Republicans who don't want to run with the Iraq War weighing them down for a second election cycle. So start seeing some heat from Republicans to end the war. Quiet heat, but heat.

Naturally the one Republican who controls our fate in Iraq is the only one who will never face the voters again.

W.

Commission Mission

The talk of Washington right now is the so called "Baker Commission" a classic panel of Washington wise men who a going to get us out of Iraq with victory in hand. (uh sure) Its headed up by James Baker - leading fixer for the Bush family.

James Baker has a long resume with lots of high titles like Chief of Staff and secretary of State. But he also headed up the Bush recount team in Florida 2000, so he's pretty much responsible for all the crap that followed.

It remains to be seen if the commissions will offer a way out of Iraq (Call it what you will) or is there to provide two more years of cover so the Bushies can muck this mess off on the next administration. (See Below)

Go see Michael Kinsley for a good background briefing and the proper dismissal this commission deserves.