Rachel Maddow on Palin's Bailin'

"Rachel re:" is one of my favorite segments of The Rachel Maddow Show. It's a little bit like Keith Olbermann's "Special Comment", except with a little less froth and pomp. Rachel just addresses the viewer with an extended focus on a particular topic. I think it's where she really shines, and hey, when it's about Sarah Palin? Hell, count me in.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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Liz Cheney: Democrats "Can't Be Trusted" With National Security

Image from source, Think Progress

Is there such a disease as Palinitis? Because, Dick Cheney's daughter (no, not the gay one), Liz, is sure talking like Sarah Palin. Where Palin actually quitting her job allegedly doesn't make her a "quitter," if Democrats investigate Cheney for various allegations, it proves they're "weak on terror." To quote Scooby-Doo, "hunh???" Of course, it is interesting that now that we have a little meat on the Cheney bone, the former Vice President who wouldn't shut up a few weeks ago, has sent his daughter out to make excuses for him. To bad she didn't make a lick of sense.

[Excerpt]

Liz Cheney: Investigating My Dad Would Prove Americans ‘Can’t Trust’ Democrats With National Security

On Saturday, the New York Times reported that former Vice President Dick Cheney gave “direct orders” to the CIA, compelling the agency to withhold “information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress for eight years.” Despite news organizations’ efforts to contact him, Cheney has yet to comment on the revelation. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

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Movies I Can't Wait to See: Green Lantern with Ryan Reynolds!

Image from source, Just Jared

I mean, c'mon, who doesn't like Ryan Reynolds? And while Green Lantern was always my brother's favorite superhero, and mine was a tie between The Flash and Shazam! (the original Captain Marvel), I'm still excited to see any of the big DC Comics heroes get a big feature. We've been waiting forever for Wonder Woman and Justice League of America. Batman has been done to death, and despite its success has never been a favorite of mine. I loved Superman Returns, but no one agrees with me.

Green Lantern is probably one of the toughest DC heroes to do justice to (the others being Plastic Man, Metel Men, Metamorpho, Elongated Man and Firestorm). His power is basically to generate anything from his green power ring. These days, that certainly seems doable, especially in light of Transformers. I guess they could do Firestorm if Green Lantern works, since the transformative powers are similar. Anyway, I'm excited. Let's hope this one actually happens.

[Excerpt]

Ryan Reynolds is Green Lantern

The Proposal star Ryan Reynolds will headline the live-action superhero flick, Green Lantern. He most recently played Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. . .

Read more at: JustJared.com

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Al Franken Makes National Debut at Sotomayer Hearing

Well, I feel vindicated. Al Franken's big national debut at the Sotomayer Supreme Court nomination hearing should prove that Franken is learned, and respectful, not to mention well spoken. While I still hope that as he matures as a Senator, some of his humor is allowed to leak out here and there, I'm glad to see him prove himself.

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News to Nobody: Mark Levin is Disgusting

Image from Associated Content

Since Michael Jackson died, I've filled my short drive home with his music (no, I'm not obsessed, it's a 15-minute trip). Today, I'd had my fill of the Jackson 5, the Jacksons, Michael and even the Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger duets. So, instead, I flipped on the right-wing jabber on KXNT (sponsor of the stellar Sean Hannity Freedom™ Concert). Since my hours have been reduced, that puts me into the middle hour of The Mark Levin Show.

If I'm not mistaken, Levin is the 4th or 5th-rated talk show on radio. This would be impressive were it not for the top three, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael the Savage Weiner. Let's see, drug-addled gasbag, dumb as a box of rocks and certifiably insane, respectively. I see what each of the top three have to offer, though none of them do a damned thing for me. What Levin has though eludes me.

Like Savage, Levin has a barely tolerable voice, especially when riled. Which is often. This is usually seen as a liability in radio. Also like Savage, Levin is prone to paranoid rants, and idiotic nicknames for various people and entities. Unlike Savage, I believe that Levin believes what he is saying. I don't think he's an act. I think he believes he the smartest pundit going, and that he buys his own shtick. Supposedly, Levin is the guy who supplies the talking points that fill Hannity's empty head. And so, the theory goes, Levin was awarded with his own show.

So on my short trip home today, I heard Levin tearing apart journalists, and The New York Times ("Slimes" in Levinese) in particular. He first brought up economist Paul Krugman, and wasn't sure how to pronounce his name. No big deal, but then he called Krugman "freakish" looking, which is rather shocking coming from a face for radio like Levin. Next he went after Maureen Dowd by trashing her "dye job," but saying that it is black, when as far as I know, Dowd is a redhead. So as you can see, Levin has a tendency for personal rather than substantive attacks, right? But he wasn't done yet.

The core of his complaint was opinion columnist Frank Rich, who had written a piece on (saint) Sarah Palin. All through the bit, Levin portrayed Rich as a swishy, mincing gay man. This based on--again, as far as I know--the fact that Rich used to be a theater critic. Whaa? I only listened as I said, for a few minutes. And in that time Levin by his manner and voice kept up the anti-gay theme, with a sing-song voice, calling Frank "Richie," and more.

Now it's one thing to make fun of a public figure, be it with good-hearted humor, or even with a thick layer of snark. There are even ways to mock homophobia or homophobes using similar jocular jibes. I can even roll with lower humor than that, from shows like South Park or Family Guy. But there has to be actual humor, and a perceived absence of malice for that to work. There was no humor here, and Levin's voice drips with malice. I can't imagine listening to more than a few minutes of this show without boiling over into a rage. Levin gets stuff wrong, lies, distorts, and confounds logic. Inside of 90 seconds, I can find three things that aren't true in his rants. All with a voice that can make your ears bleed. Why is this clown so popular?

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Top 10 Conservative Idiots, July 13, 2009

Another Monday is upon us. Even with Fridays off these days (a recession trade-off I'm growing attached to), the weekend zooms by, whether I'm laying around like a schlub, or busy with projects. This weekend was a little of column A and a little from column B.

I write these Monday morning posts on Sunday night, so coming up with something interesting can be a challenge sometimes. And it keeps me up past my bedtime. But it is always a little easier when there is a new "Top 10 Conservative Idiots" up over at Democratic Underground. It's a fun way to start the week. Enjoy.

[Excerpt]

The Top 10 Conservative Idiots, No. 368
July 13, 2009
Palin Out Edition

First of all I want to apologize for leaving Free Republic off the list this week. I'd almost finished the Top 10 when the story came along and I was so done with right-wing douchebaggery by that point, I couldn't bring myself to write about it. If you missed it, you can check out the scoop here. And now, on with the show. Sarah Palin (1,2,3) takes her ball and goes home, John Ensign (4) asks mom and dad for some extra pocket money, and Brian Kilmeade (6) is a couple sandwiches short of a picnic. . .

Read more at: Democratic Underground

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What I Did With My Sunday: Windows 7

OK, so dangle a new toy in front of me, and tell me I can have it for free, or at least sort of on a lay-away program, and you've got me by the nose. The computer I'm using was purchased on a whim, after lusting over new computers for several months. When I found a "last one" at Sam's Club for $711 (down from the high $850s), I just had to have it. The thing about this story that made it almost free was that my mom had bought new computers for my brother and sister for Christmas, and agreed to pay for $500 of the total bill. No brainer right? So, I bought it.

Of course I forgot about the hassle of getting all of my old programs onto my new computer, and making it. . .well. . .kind of exactly like what I had. Sort of. It's faster, newer, has more storage, more RAM, a 22" monitor, and it has Windows Vista Home Premium instead of the old Windows XP Home. I got my feet wet with Vista Home Basic on our notebook computer, but that's just my noodling in front of the big TV computer. I do all of my real work in my office.

So, I had to familiarize myself with Vista, and how it works. Having grown up with Windows from version 3.0, each new version brings its joys and its headaches. I'm still not quite fluent in Vista, but I don't know what so many people are complaining about either. Works just fine. But all of that is moot now, because I've taken the Windows 7 plunge.

If you haven't heard, you can download the "release candidate" version of Windows 7 for free at Microsoft's site. It won't stay free of course, but it will be for a while. And I've already pre-ordered two copies of Windows 7 Home Premium at their site as well ($49 ea., which ain't bad) for when the free versions expire. But I may have forgotten a lesson I learned when I beta tested Windows XP several years ago.

See, the download on the notebook was to upgrade the 32-Bit Home version of Vista. What I didn't find out until it was installed and running, was that the install version is Windows 7 Ultimate, the big daddy--quite expensive--version. And since I had to do the "clean" install (more on that in a minute), it can't be undone to my knowledge. When this happened with XP, I was forced to upgrade to the higher version (then XP Professional), because the lower version couldn't be done. So my newly ordered product may not work, and I may have to pony up bigger dollars. Yikes.

The thing is, I thought I'd made a mistake of some kind on the laptop, or that the clean install was the culprit. And with the tantalizing "new toy" aspect of the deal, I went ahead and installed the 64 bit version on my desktop computer as well. It turned out to be the Ultimate version too. But it doesn't tell you that until it is done. This time, though, I was able to do an ordinary install on top of my old Windows. And one of the options at startup now, is a rollback, so I'm hopeful (really, really hopeful) that it will do just that, and allow me to install Home Premium later.

That all said, I really dig the new Windows. Things I learned along the way still apply, and everything has been easy to find. I've been able to tweak things to my preferences, and all of my old programs and hardware still seem to be working. Of course it's all new, so that may turn out to only be partly true. The laptop particularly has sped up considerably, and the screen which was only passable before is beautiful now. Startups and shutdowns are faster, and the computer doesn't require constant "reminders" about just what a wireless mouse is.

Practically speaking, I can't tell you if you "need" Windows 7. It's very pretty. It's fast--that was the selling point for me--even on my old Celeron laptop. But what's with that name, anyway? Windows 3.0, 3.1 and 3.11 were named like every other program of the day. Then came Windows 95, 98, 2000 and Millennium Edition, which were bad ideas for names, because they looked silly even a year after they came out. Windows XP sounded like it was trying too hard, and Vista sounded kind of pretty. Going back to numbers seems kind of retro, but not in a cool way. I think I'd have gone for "Windows Now" or "Windows Next" or something, and just kept it there, consistently upgrading the same-named product. I don't know.

I'm sure I'll be posting on the subject again, should problems or discoveries arise. Meanwhile, if you're like me, and can't stand ignoring a new toy, I have a few pointers that might save you some time and trouble.

- If you're worried about not being able to roll back changes, and later having to pay a $300 upgrade price, skip it and wait until October when Windows 7 is released. Or, remember that the free version will work until May of next year, which is plenty of time to save.

- You will need a DVD burner (or possibly a 4Gb+ removable flash drive) to start your install. But first, you have to download the "ISO" file from Microsoft.com. Once it is done downloading, you double-click it, and your DVD burner program opens up. So if the computer you are upgrading doesn't burn DVDs, you can still download it on one that does, and burn your disc there.

- You need a clean, unburned DVD, or if you have old rewritables, have several at hand. You can erase a DVD/RW, but one of the first one I tried continually produced errors. This lead to three or four annoying aborted installs. I blanked another one, tried again, and it worked just fine. So remember, if you get "Error Code: 0x8007045D" or some such, try again with a different DVD.

- If you don't have a lot of programs installed that you care about, or if you don't mind reinstalling them, you can choose the "clean" install option, which is like buying the computer with Windows 7 already installed. Your entire old Windows folder is renamed "Windows.old", so everything remains on your computer, but the programs there mostly won't run anymore. But hey, brand-spanking-new Windows with no clutter.

- The process (even when successful) can take an hour or more, so if you need your computer, plan some time for it to do its thing. And be prepared for errors, like a program it finds that is incompatible, or the aforementioned data error on the DVD.

It isn't painless (paneless?), but this kind of thing has always been fun for me, in a tear your hair out, grumbling four-letter words sort of way. Hopefully, if you're reading this, it can ease some of that for you.

Oh, and by the way, I saw a new display of computers at Sam's Club this weekend. Better than my 6-month-old Core2Duo computer in every measurable way, including screen size. The price? $699. Unbelievable. And a great deal. But I'm not tempted. Are you?

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Frivolity Break: Insane Robot Dance

My sister sent me this video, and at first, I asked myself, "Why did she send this to me?" Then about halfway in, a kid starts half-heartedly dancing. . .and then he turns into a bendy straw. It's a little disturbing, but no doubt entertaining.

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Sunday Morning Blogging

Image from PunditKitchen

Holy moly. This weekend has been rough on ye editor. Three days in a row, I've woken up with a headache. To top that off, the past two mornings, I've also awakened with intense dental pain. I still don't know what that's about. After all, I just had a dental visit on Friday, with no obvious problems. It's a deep ache though, and it's on uppers and lowers on the left side. What's more, it comes and it goes. I guess I'll just keep an eye (tongue?) on it for a few days, and keep the (yuck) OraJel handy.

So, my morning got a very late start, as I spent much of it with a pillow over my eyes. I just fired up the DVR to watch--hold your excitement--Meet the Press with David Gregory. They've hauled John McCains bones before the camera again, even though I'm sure he made the Sunday chat rounds last week. For an extended segment, Gregory drilled McCain about Sarah Palin's resignation as Alaska Governor. Grampy lied, lied, lied though his teeth through most of it, but could not bring himself to endorse this women (who he loves and would nominate again) for President. It was a sad, sorry spectacle. And it made me forget about my headache and toothaches. Thanks, Johnny!

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Dental Scare: I am Terrified

Image from Enexus.com

It is amazing that I'm able to fulfill a dental appointment. I absolutely abhor, hate, despise and deplore any dental engagement. I hate everything about it. As a kid, I dutifully--though against my will--endured every semi-annual appointment with my dentist. And when I segued into adulthood, I even had to endure two tooth extractions--later lamented by my dentist as "unnecessary."

I dutifully fulfilled my obligations to the biannual examinations. And lucky for me, after the age of nineteen, I never had to have another filling. But when I moved to Las Vegas at the age of 28, I sadly lapsed into a period of "no dental care." It was a combination of procrastination and the abject hatred of dentists.

After I met up with The Other Half, and once again obtained dental insurance, I reluctantly went back to the dentist. And I was greeted with this statement: "You've got great teeth. Too bad they're all going to fall out." Turns out, I've got periodontal disease. Gums. Not teeth, gums. I had bone loss, and gum disease. Great. So, I went through a deep gum-probing root-planing procedure. And after several appointments, it was decided that my SonicCare toothbrush wasn't enough, and that I'd require oral surgery.

So, I did it. Though I wanted to bolt from the chair every time, I submitted to a gum surgery that lasted three different procedures. They cut off tissue, and stitched threads through the roof of my mouth. It was awful. And then I went to several follow-up procedures. But when it was time to go back to my regular dentist, I got rescheduled twice, and then just. . .stopped.

For two years, I procrastinated, and ignored the inner voice that says "you've got to go back." But eventually, I got back on the wagon. And since then, I've had to go back every three months to get my mouth back into shape. Yesterday, I had to return for my fourth visit since my two-year hiatus. And I was scared. Mostly because I'd been feeling some profound discomfort in one of my two remaining wisdom teeth.

Turns out, it was nothing. I had a routine (though hour-long) cleaning. My hygienist found no major issues, and didn't even go through the interminable 1-2-7-4-3-5 gum measurement thingy. But I'm not out of the woods. I still have to go back in three months. And my insurance might not cover it. And I still wonder if I got a fast one over on Betsy, who didn't ask if I'd had any trouble or pain (which I did not volunteer). Meanwhile, I'll be flossing, brushing and rinsing like there is no tomorrow.

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C Street: Congressional Cult?

I've heard rumblings about "C Street" before. It's an large townhouse in DC, populated by religious right-minded Republicans, and actually designated as a church. It's creepy, and one of my Senators lives there. The entanglement of religion and politics has always disturbed me, so when I found out that John Ensign was involved with C Street, my already low opinion of him dropped even further.

Now, it seems that C Street is connected to not only Ensign's affair, but with South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's affair as well. And thanks to Rachel Maddow, all of the ooginess of C Street is hitting the mainstream. It's about time.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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New GOP Urban Dictionary Definitions

Double-dipping into the Countdown with Keith Olbermann clips, because this one is just too entertaining. I do wish he'd included terms like Santorum and Vitter, though.

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Olbermann & Turley on New Bush Era Revelations

OK, so some of the crap that went down around warrantless wiretaps (and more) go all the way to to the top. No, not to Dick Cheney, though he's involved too, but to George W. Bush himself. So what will be done about it? Probably nothing. As Dr. Jonathan Turley says in the following clip, the lawbreaking is clear, and the top guy is implicated. So Congress is going to get very squeamish, because the logical outcome is "guilty." And they don't feel they can put a former President in jail without a political hit.

Of course, they're forgetting about the political boost they'd get from a huge segment of a--let's face it--increasingly dispirited Democratic electorate. If any President is ever caught doing anything wrong again, Bush is now the magic "get out of jail free" card.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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Blast from the Past: The Death of Disco

Image from Daily Mail

Here's an interesting story about an event that happened during my 'tween and teen years. When I was going from single to double digits, disco music was born. The date is blurry, somewhere between 1974 and 1975. The genre is also fuzzy, with Donna Summer being definitely disco, but bands like ABBA being forced into the category. Also, as disco took over most American music, established stars like Barbra Streisand and Rod Stewart jumped in with both feet.

At first it was great. I was too young to know about Studio 54, the tackiness of polyester, and the concept of disco as a "lifestyle." I just dug the music. But even I could sift through it all to see the good stuff from the bad. I mean, when they set the theme from I Love Lucy to disco--Disco Lucy, naturally--you didn't need to be a critic to see it as crap. Saturday Night Fever was a phenomenon. Nearly everybody owned the double-album, and it was impossible to escape the music of the Bee Gees and KC & the Sunshine Band.

I remember when "disco sucks" became a war cry, mostly from older kids who were into "album rock" on Q-FM-96 in Columbus, where I grew up. Funnily enough, many of the groups they liked instead--Kiss comes to mind--were every bit as calculated and commercial as disco was. The anti-disco mood took root, though. So, from 1980 to 1981, disco as a genre truly died. Or rather, it morphed into something else. MTV was a music blender, mixing elements of disco, new wave, punk, rock, R&B, ska, reggae and more. There was truly an 80s "sound," but I don't know if there is a single genre name for it, beyond "top 40." Even the "alternative" bands of the time now fit right in with the #1 hits.

Other than (possibly) the mini British invasion (Culture Club, Duran Duran) in the 80s and grunge in the 90s, I don't think we've ever as a nation had a dominant musical genre with the power disco had.

[Excerpt]

When ‘Disco Sucks!’ echoed around the world



“Disco sucks!”

It was a catchphrase you couldn’t avoid hearing three decades ago when a backlash started to develop against the ’70s dance music genre that dominated Top 40 radio stations. The resentment culminated in an unexpected riot July 12, 1979 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. It was there fans charged onto the field during a promotional event called “Disco Demolition Night,” after Chicago DJ Steve Dahl blew up a box of disco records. . .

Read more at: MSNBC

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Something's Familiar: Disney Deja Vu

Do you like classic Disney films? Have you ever noticed that there are, um, similarities from one to another? I mean besides the princess who is looking for a prince, and the eevil female villains. Check this out.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

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New Superman Movie to be Forced by Legal Decision?

This afternoon, I was listening to The Thom Hartmann Show on the radio, as usual. One of his topics was copyright law, which he argued--as a writer who holds many copyrights--that the laws as they stand are fairly ridiculous. Walt Disney is long dead, but the Disney companies still own the copyright to everything he did, and apparently will in perpetuity. Likewise, the creators of Superman, Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster are both dead.

Long, long ago, National Periodical Publications kinda screwed the creators, giving them piddly chump change for the character. Along the way, there have been many lawsuits, and both men ended up with a little--but not a lot--better deal. NPP became DC Comics, which got bought by Warner Brothers, which is now Time-Warner. Siegel's heirs have since won more, and that's where I start to wonder if the copyright law makes much sense. Will the heirs' heirs also get royalties from Superman?

How tangential a character still pays? Superboy? Supergirl? SuperFly? Anyway, all of this seems to be forcing DC/Warner's hand as it pertains to a new Superman movie. Which could be great for fans. Or terrible, if they rush a picture out just to satisfy the lawsuit. Great Caesar's ghost!

[Excerpt]

Another Court Decision Regarding Superman And The Siegel Family

You’d be surprised what this means for you.

CBR is reporting that there’s been another ruling in the ongoing court battle between DC Comics and the heirs of Jerry Siegel. Fortunately, they were also kind enough to have their writer Brian Cronin, also a lawyer, explain exactly what it all means. . .

Read more at: Bam! Kapow!

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Sen. John Ensign's Parents Paid Off Mistress?

Picture from Politico

Well, one of my Senators is the nice--if somewhat ineffectual--Majority Leader of the Senate. The other is. . .well. . .getting in deeper and deeper water. Details of Senator Hairdo John Ensign's affair, and its apparent attempted cover up just keep piling up. And he said as recently today that he doesn't plan on resigning. But don't worry, Republicans. If he does resign, we have a Republican Governor (who also had an affair, if you can imagine), so the Senate isn't likely to go up to 61 Democrats just yet.

[Excerpt]

Ensign’s Parents Gave Nearly $100,000 to Ex-Mistress, Family

Sen. John Ensign ’s parents gave $96,000 to a former campaign staffer with whom he had an extramarital relationship and her family, his attorney said Thursday, denying that the payments violated campaign finance laws or Senate ethics rules. . .

Read more at: CQ Politics

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Party of Franken, Party of Palin

As a fan of newly minted Senator Al Franken (DFL-Minn.) and. . .um. . .not a fan of soon-to-be ex-Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), it's interesting to see the two compared and contrasted. A comedian who became a politician, and a politician who became a punchline. Oh, and it's by Joe Conason, whose writings can always be counted upon to inform and entertain.

[Excerpt]

Party of Franken, Party of Palin

The new senator from Minnesota is a comedian, writer and actor who lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and raised a lot of money from friends in Hollywood. The departing governor of Alaska is a hockey mom from a small backwoods town who likes to hunt and fish. Yet today, Al Franken looks wholesomely mainstream, while Sarah Palin seems headed for the tabloid fringe. . .

Read more at: TruthDig

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Frivolity Break: Maru & the Hole!

Feel the tension mount as Maru spys and then investigates the hole! Yeah, I couldn't find anything I wanted to post, and I'm a big Maru the Cat fan, so enjoy. Who doesn't like cute cat videos?

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Laverne & Shirley Star Gets DUI

1st image from source, FOX "News"; 2nd image from Comedy.com

First, Three's Company star Joyce DeWitt (Janet) gets busted for driving while tipsy (surely a hilarious misunderstanding), and now Laverne & Shirley's "Big Ragu" Eddie Mekka (Carmine) finds himself in the same situation. Probably because Shirley still won't let him vo-dee-oh-doh-doh. I hope Anson Williams, Jimmy Baio and Pam Dawber all have designated drivers, because this looks to be an ABC 70s sitcom star epidemic.

[Excerpt]

'Laverne and Shirley' Star Eddie Mekka Arrested for DUI

The guy who played Carmine "The Big Ragoo" Ragusa on "Laverne and Shirley" was arrested last Friday in Las Vegas after he allegedly got into a drunken car crash. . .

Read more at (yes, I know): FOX "News"

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More Details in Sen. Ensign's Affair

Photo from source at: TPM Muckraker

You know that Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) was thrilled when Governor Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) took his little trip to Argentina. It mercifully took Ensign off of the front pages. Then, Michael Jackson died, taking Sanford off too. Along the way, soon-to-be ex-Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) kept rearin' her crazy head, bringing us back to Ensign, since the three Republicans were all considered contenders for a Presidential run in 2012.

If it ended there, Ensign's story probably would have petered out (heh). After all, our Senator Hairdo has flown under the radar for most of his political career, not making very big splashes in the news. But alas, more details have come to light. And this story ain't over.

[Excerpt]

Doug Hampton Breaks Silence On Wife's Affair With Ensign

Doug Hampton has spoken publicly for the first time about his wife Cindy's affair with Sen. John Ensign. And it's good. . .

The highlights from Hampton's interview with Las Vegas Sun political columnist Jon Ralston. . .

Read this (and much more, in several stories) at: TPM Muckraker

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Ann Coulter on Sarah Palin: Magnificent!

No, it's not some hot Sapphic Republican sex tape. That's just disturbing, why would you think that? Shame on you. What it is is a stupid person (Sean Hannity) and a crazy person (Ann Coulter) talking about a crazy, stupid person (Sarah Palin). Watch only with an empty stomach, and with no beverage at hand. I wouldn't want to be responsible for cleaning off your monitor and keyboard after the inevitable spew.

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Bill O'Reilly Says "Senator Al Franken"; Head Doesn't Explode

Damn, I was hoping for a Scanners moment. Bill O'Reilly actually said Al Franken's name, which may not be a first, but it is rare. And he unleashes a stream of invective at the new Senator, but in an oddly matter-of-fact tone of voice. It is--probably by necessity--a very short segment. I'd imagine it was a mighty effort for Bill not to get all splotchy, and to keep from spraying spittle like Sylvester the Cat. But we know he's just dying inside.



And, especially for Mr. O'Reilly. . .

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Sarah Palin: Every Breath You Take. Also.

I've had a lot of fun at Sarah Palin's expense on this blog, it's true. And it isn't likely to stop soon, as long as she keeps rearin' her head, and acting all bizarre. We've all noticed her tendency to talk at length without saying much of anything. Her sentences to nowhere and her copious word salad are simply to be marveled at. They are "pageant answers" taken to the next level. Also.

But I never noticed how often she audibly gasps for air. Maybe there is more to her fish analogies than we thought. In Texas, they used to have a saying for something really bad: "That sucks for air!" I think this applies. Anyway, the video clip is funny, and gets more so as it goes. Enjoy.

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Eugene Robinson, Sarah Palin Slayer

Image from DayLife.com

Pulitzer Prize winner and frequent MSNBC guest Eugene Robinson recently wrote a terrific op-ed on Sarah Palin's puzzling resignation. It's good stuff.

[Excerpt]

A Starter, Not a Finisher

What can you say about a public official who ridicules those who would take the "quitter's way out" -- as she faces reporters to announce that she's quitting? A governor who claims that "the worthless, easy path" would be to serve out the remaining 18 months of her term? An ambitious politician who says that "life is too short" to worry about, you know, boring things such as responsibility or duty? . . .

Read more at: Washington Post

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