Not To Ruin Your Holidays or Anything, But....

... just so you know....

Pakistan is moving troops quite deliberately away from its Afghanistan border toward its border with India. Aside from the fact that we'd been relying on those troops to do our fighting for us against the Taliban and Al Qaida, it is heating up the precarious military situation between two countries---Pakistan and India---where we don't need intricate intelligence reports regarding weapons capabilities.

Both of these countries are absolutely known to have nuclear weapons. Both of them have fairly flimsy centralized governments. And both of them are growing to hate us nearly as much as they hate each other.

Just thought I'd mention it, since things like the holidays, the economy and Reverend Rick Warren seem to be getting more coverage in the news lately.

~C~

Turning Back the Clock to the Future

Note: I meant to post this a while ago, but got sidetracked. I'm posting it now, not necessarily because it's timely, but because it's new, and the only other thing I have to post about is the "shoe-throwing" incident, which my inner voice is telling me should be edited with tomorrow, after some sleep and a tall, steaming cup of discretion.
So, meanwhile, here's a little tidbit to tide you over. Still relevant, when you consider how much whining Dems are still doing over Obama cabinet picks.
Turning Back the Clock on the Future:

As the days dwindle between now and the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice-president-elect Joseph Biden, it is beginning to become evident that that "change" stuff that Obama kept talking about is already starting to happen.

As Obama has rolled out department after department, cabinet appointee after cabinet appointee, to a jittery and desperate media and electorate, fears about old familiar faces arise. Members of Clinton's cabinet or White House, members of Bush the First's White House, members of Bush the Second's White House, even....

Obviously, the mainstream media, in its usual stroke of genius and ingenuity (could anyone be duller and less imbued with creativity than a journalist for the Washington Post, the NY Times or the Wall Street Journal? Please), apparently heard the word "change" and thought that meant a Hollywood casting coup. They were expecting positions to be filled by people they could never have thought of. Like, maybe, Brendan Fraser playing the young up-and-comer White House Chief of Staff. Instead, they got... stuffy, old, yesterday's newspaper, Rahm Emanuel. Hey, perhaps Brian Dennehy would have been spiffy as the gruff, yet sensitive ex-Vietnam Vet Secretary of Defense. Instead, the press got stuck with the very unexciting choice of Robert Gates, a Bush cabinet holdover chosen for the sake of diplomatic continuity, rather than TVQ (although, I have to say, the camera loves him). Hey, how about casting Kathy Bates as Attorney General appointee. Oh, wait... Janet Napolitano... close enough.

Barack Obama had to confront this during his press conference to roll out his economic appointments. CNN's Ed Henry had a little emotional breakdown and began spewing questions from every direction. Mostly, though, they boiled down to this: "How can you effect change if you've hired people who've worked in Washington before?" To which Obama replied, in essence, "No matter who works for me, the vision of change comes from... me."

You can't really blame Ed Henry. It's been eight years since we've had a president who has willingly stepped in front of a microphone, short of when the Constitution demanded he do so. And then, he wouldn't take responsibility for anything. This guy, Ed... this new guy, Barack Obama... he's going to make some mistakes. Some little... some big... Maybe even a couple of whoppers (though I'm pretty sure marital infidelity in the Oval Office and starting an unprovoked war in the Middle East won't be among them). But there's every chance in the world that, when he screws up, he's going to take responsibility for it. I think we can stop worrying about Obama's appointments, and turn out attention back to today's economy and today's Constitutional issues, because while Ed Henry is having a mental meltdown, the grown-ups are in the corner, putting their very big brains together and making grown-up decisions.

Everybody really needs to just go take a Valium and wash it down with a martini, then go lie down for a very long nap until this whole transition thing is over. Because frankly, you people are gonna burst a blood vessel before the New Year at this rate.

~C~

So Good, I Had to Post It Again.

As we move through this frustratingly slow transition to a real President, with a real White House, abiding by the real Constitution, and as the outgoing President attempts to spin his little web of lies into some kind of legacy that takes him out of contention with James Buchanan as the most loathed President of all time, I'd like to post this Bill Maher video, which hits on some of the reasons the last eight years have been so disastrous.

It's especially important to revisit this in light of the rise of Caribou Barbie (aka Bible Spice) to iconic Republican rock-star status.



Let us celebrate, hopefully once and for all, the Death of Stupidity-Worship.

~C~

Prop 8 - The Musical

Well, admit it.... gay people... Mormons... it was inevitable, wasn't it?

Keep an eye out for Maya Rudolph, John C. Reilly, Allison Janney, Margaret Cho, Sarah Chalk, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jack Black (as Jesus Christ, natch.)

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

I must confess that I have a little "gay-crush" on Neil Patrick Harris now.

This production is a little ironic, considering that one of Sacramento's most noted musical theatre directors, Scott Eckern, was forced to resign when his financial and political support of Proposition 8 was made public.

~C~

Awwww, Maaannnn... Am I Gonna Have to Start LIKING Her?

She's actually quite good.

If only she could have made that her chosen career, instead of politics. Oh, well....

~C~

This Is Why The South Won't Rise Again.... Ever.

Really, no seriously... thank you, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and the rest of the Deep South. Thank you for showing yourselves to be who you really, really are, and not who you've pretended to be. How proud you all must be that your racist roots as slavery lovers and ex-slave owners still burn so brightly. I can understand why your Confederate flag is so important to you. The symbolism of creating a country founded on the backs of owned humans must make your heart swell with melancholy nostalgia.

Maybe we just should have let the South go back in the 19th century. It's not like we couldn't have adjusted to life without them by now. Imagine where we could have been as a country by now without the festering pustule that is the Southern white supremacist movement. And, we'd have had the extra, added benefit of eliminating the part of the country that would end up being the Bible Belt, too.

It just makes me proud to be an American to know that people who come from people who couldn't get through the day without being fed and dressed by other people that they owned still long for those days of yore. Yes, indeedy.

Powerful proud.

But don't take my word for it. Watch this documentary by American News Project about the fear of threats and attempts that Barack Obama's victory has aroused in the South.



Thanks, Southern states. You've really shown the best you have to offer. (And if you haven't---if there are, by chance, Southerners who feel very differently---perhaps now might be the time to speak up, or forever hold your peace and be lumped with racist assassins and hate mongers.)

Do you think we should tell white Southerners about this US Census prediction that, by 2050, non-Hispanic white folks will be a minority? Nahhhh... It'll just make them cry like little girls.


~C~

From the "Unbe-Freakin'-Lievable" Department

In his first big "exit interview" with ABC's Charles Gibson, when Gibson asked Bush what he was "must unprepared for," the answer came as a bit of a shocker.

"Well, I think I was unprepared for war. In other words, I didn't campaign and say, 'Please vote for me, I'll be able to handle an attack.' In other words, I didn't anticipate war. Presidents -- one of the things about the modern presidency is that the unexpected will happen."

In even other, other words, Mr. President, you're a fucking idiot and good riddance to you. Sorry for using those particularly vulgar words, but right now, as I look at this photo of you with your sorry white ass lounging comfortably on the bodies of 4200 American soldiers (which have been, for the purposes of this interview, cleverly disguised as a lovely butter-colored settee), in front of a roaring Camp David fire, these are the only words that your inhumanity and your utter lack of human decency and compassion conjure up.

You're a monster, and I can't wait for the villagers to chase you out of Washington with pitchforks and torches. As my daughter once said, "There's a special little place in hell...."

The Economy's Loss is the Army's Gain

This article in the Washington Post details the recent upswing in enlistment numbers since the bottom dropped out of the economy, and unemployment hit sixteen-year record highs. My own daughter, who has been unemployed or underemployed for the last year, is considering enlisting in the Navy if she can't get any other full-time employment soon.

The expectation (perhaps premature, given the current events in Mumbai) that we will be out of a wartime military, complicated by the lack of jobs here in the United States, particularly for young people, is directing young job seekers to the only place that's hiring---the Armed Forces.

This is concerning, for me as a parent and for me as an American. Must we always solve the economic troubles caused by fat, aging, rich guys with the flesh and blood of our young people? Is that the only way that America can ever hope to drag itself out of the depths---by sacrificing the safety and innocence of the current generation of its youth?

I've tried to convince my daughter to hold off on the military. Don't get me wrong. I come from a military family with a long-standing honorable history of military service. But the war right now is not particularly honorable nor upstanding, and I'd rather she not make that part of her karma. Besides, if Obama can keep his promises about rebuilding infrastructure, there will be many direct and ancillary jobs created as a result. Things will get better. Right now, though, it's a race against the financial clock for a lot of kids who have bills to pay now. What are they to do in the meantime? Mine has the option of getting parental help, but a lot of kids out there don't have parents who can help. And they may be forced---whether they believe in this unholy endeavor in the Middle East---to participate, whether they want to or not.

~C~

S.O.F.A.

The newly proposed version of the Status of Forces Agreement (S.O.F.A.) goes to the Iraqi Parliament for a vote next week, and if it goes through, it totally ends the Iraqi War.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking I've lost my mind. And you might be right, but then I'd say, "quit trying to change the subject."

The fact is that the S.O.F.A., as currently drafted, completely changes the complexion of the war Bush has been waging since 2003. It wasn't clear at first, because the State Department refused to have the document translated and distributed in English, lest people read it and be all up in arms about it.

If it's carried by the Iraqi Parliament, as of June, 2009, American forces will no longer have free run of the country.  They will be confined to bases, unless fighting breaks out and they are summoned by the Iraqi government or police to intervene.  They will be subject to prosecution for crimes committed while in Iraq and (here's where it gets a little dicey) might be liable for crimes committed before the new agreement was signed.  American forces will no longer be able to search Iraqi homes without a warrant, question or detain Iraqis outside of the direct request of Iraqi authorities, or walk the streets armed and in uniform.  All of this applies to private security forces being paid to be in Iraq as well.  

We'll have to see how this plays itself out, but if this version S.O.F.A. passes and is installed, Barack Obama won't have to worry about ending the war.  The Iraqis will do it for us.  Pretty amazing, huh.

~C~

Mumbai

I was watching MORNING JOE this morning, and guest NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof was scaring schooling Mika Brzezinski, Lawrence O'Donnell and CNBC's Dylan Ratigan about the possibility of Pakistan boiling over and launching terrorist attacks against the US and allies.

Today, in Mumbai, India (the city formerly known as Bombay), terrorists launched an extremely well-coordinated, multi-target attack in Mumbai, attacking a train station, two five-star hotels, and a hospital, shooting, tossing hand grenades and demanding those with US and UK passports to step forward. Hostages were taken, a stand-off ensued and, as yet, no one knows what will happen. Troops have been called in, and they have been engaging the terrorists regularly. Identification of the terrorists hasn't been confirmed, but I'm wondering if this isn't the sad proof of what Kristof was saying. There is no evidence as to the identity of the terrorists at the moment, but it does give one pause.

Thoughts and wishes that this end reasonably casualty-free this Thanksgiving day.

~C~

Update (November 28th, 2008, 10:34 pm):   This article from HuffPost mentions that the terrorists may have been coming in Pakistan, but whether they were, in fact, Pakistani remains to be seen.  They have apparently captured one terrorist alive.  

Update (November 29th, 2008, 11:36 am):  Watching Washington Week on my TiVO today (broadcast was last night), and both Doyle McMannus (LA Times) and Todd Purdum (Vanity Fair) mentioned this as a Pakistani attack.  And this broadcast was taped before the siege ended last night.

Michelle Bachmann Forgets That The Video Camera Has Been Invented

Newly re-elected Minnesota Representative Michelle Bachmann went on Fox News tonight, and said that the idea that she told MSNBC's Chris Matthews was an "urban legend."

Urban legend? Like, what? Crocodiles in the New York sewer system? Like Big Foot? Like Yetis? Like the rat in the Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket? "That's not what I said," she told Alan Coombs. Hmmm... I guess if it's an urban legend, it's going to be really hard to prove whether she said it or not.

Well, except for that newfangled invention we in the 21st Century like to call.... DIGITAL VIDEO!!! (Let's watch, shall we?)



Way to go, Minnesota. Re-elect the lying, crazy bitch.

~C~

Dance... Dance, Little Dancing Girl... Dance Like the Wind.

With the agreement on Sunday by Iraqi leaders to the current version of the Status of Forces Agreement (S.O.F.A.), the US has effectively agreed to have all US troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011. Though George W. Bush has made it clear that this Administration would never agree to any military agreement with Iraq that involved what he has called "artificial timetables" for withdrawal, this agreement amounts to... well... an timetable for withdrawal. (Since we aren't Iraqi, and never have been, any timetable, either for occupation or withdrawal, is, by definition "artificial.")

So, today, we were treated to Dana Perino, spinning and twirling like the little dervish she's becoming, attempting to bend this turn of events into something that kind of looked like it's what the White House wanted all along.

"Err.. uh... yeah... no, no... yeah... it's exactly what we wanted.... yeah, there's a withdrawal date... but... uh... it's not... hard... or... uh... it's... yeah.... It's contingent on stuff.... like.... uh... yeah."

Oh. Honey. As a going-away gift, your boss needs to buy you a loooong, loooong vacation.

You've earned it.




Frankly, I'm tired just watching you.

~C~

BailOut: They Swear It's Working; They Swear Things Are Getting Better

In testifying before irate members of the House Financial Services Committee today, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Harry Paulson (who have to be going steady at this point, they've spent so much time escorting each other in public) agreed that, though things haven't quite worked out the way they thought it would, the injection of money directly into the banking system is working. Paulson went so far as to say we've "turned a corner" in financial stabilization.

I'm not sure we can assess exactly what Paulson means by "turning a corner," since Paulson admits that he has now entirely abandoned the idea of using any of the bailout money to help shore up foreclosure debt (a key promise in getting Congress to vote "yes" on the bailout in the first place), and opposes the use of the money to assist the struggling Big Three automakers. Watching Paulson's statement as he gave it, I'm not sure Paulson was even buying it himself. Members of the committee referred to Paulson's shift away from helping Main Street as "classic bait and switch." Still, for all Paulson's optimism, things don't seem to be getting better for the average American. Loans and new mortgages are still tough to come by, and the job loss situation is still a bloody, gorey mess.

I do know that both Bernanke and Paulson seem genuinely loathe to do things with the bailout money that might directly assist the regular folk. Regardless of arguments made at the time this money was voted into existence in October, the new emphasis by Paulson seems to be to pump as much money into banks which still refuse to loosen their death grip on credit. Instead, banks have been passing these little early Christmas presents on to executives, in the form of bonuses, and to stockholders, in the form of dividends.

What happens now is anyone's guess. Bush has promised to leave half of the orignial $700 billion to Obama's incoming Administration, at which time the new President and new Congress can decide what to do regarding the Big Three. Can the American auto industry survive until then? If not, what will happen to all the retirees and employees who will lose their health and retirement benefits, should the companies go under? And how will the potential loss of 3,000,000 jobs impact the economy?

In spite of the firm stance of the Fed Chairman and the Treasury Secretary against any assistance, they seem no better able to answer those questions than anyone else. Sadly, it seems to matter less to them than making sure bank stockholders get their dividends and AIG executives get spa retreats with bailout money to shore up their sagging budgets. (More and more, I'm beginning to see the wisdom in Keith Olbermann's suggestion that we're calling it "the Bailout" now, but someday we'll be referring to it as "the reason Daddy went to jail.")

Not sure exactly what is going to happen here. It is becoming increasingly clear that this money wa not meant to help real people. It is a bailout for Wall Street, which is exactly what Paulson promised it wouldn't be. I can't wait to find out who Obama's Treasury Secretary will be. And I'm hoping Bernanke won't be far behind. It's clear where their hearts lie, and it isn't with us.

~C~

In Case You Might Have Missed It (As I Almost Did)

I forgot to set my TiVO for "60 Minutes" tonight. Steve Kroft landed the first sit-down interview with Barack and Michelle Obama, in which the President-elect and future First Lady discuss post-inauguration priorities, the election, the transition and how their family is adjusting to their new situation. Oh, yeah... and the the most pressing issue facing President-elect Obama -- putting a viable college football play-off system in place.

Okay, it wasn't the most pressing issue, but it was clearly an issue close the future President's heart.

Here's the entire episode. I warn you -- there are two Viagra commercials smack in the middle. But still, it's worth the watch. I like these people. I really do.


Watch CBS Videos Online

~C~

Who's the Smartest Liberal Blogger in the World?

Okay, that would be Arianna Huffington at The Huffington Post.

But who's the second smartest?

Errr... uh... Okay, so that's probably Digby at Hullabaloo.

But somewhere in the top ten (fifty? one-hundred?) is.... your trusty Catharine.

I have been saying for the past two years that this notion of America as a "center-right nation," according to ruling Republicans, is just plain crap. And now, thanks to this editorial in the Washington Post by conservative Tod Lindberg, my assertions have been confirmed, not only by Lindberg, but by conservative think tank, the Hoover Institution, which has finally concluded through 12,000 interviews, that America is currently skewing center-left.

Not that we should get cocky or anything. As Lindberg points out, the biggest mistake a party can make is getting full of itself and moving far too far from center, whether it be right or left. But Republicans who fail to see that America is no longer a bastion of political and social conservatism will continually fail to secure a voter base strong enough to win at the national level. And, so far, most conservatives have resisted the notion that the Reagan era (and to a lesser degree, the Clinton "New Democrat" era) is over.

The nationwide protests over California's Proposition 8 are a perfect example of the left-leaning trend in modern American politics. Can you imagine such a reaction four years ago? Or even two? This proposition to strip gay Californians of the right to legally marry was an enormous misstep by conservatives that will, I believe, have repercussions stretching well into several election cycles. Republicans badly underestimated the reaction of opponents to Prop 8, and their willingness to embrace the ideas of hope and change in their refusal to go quietly back into the closet. Also, many, many gay people, including many celebrities, had already married and were planning on marrying. Having a future right denied is one thing. It is entirely another thing to have an already-granted right revoked. Another misperception on the part of conservatives and evangelicals was the willingness of the straight community to come together in solidarity with gays to overturn this heinous piece of legislative crap.

It remains to be seen exactly how Prop 8 will play itself out. It is flatly unconstitutional, and similar legislation has been shot down by the California Supreme Court. This time, though, the American political landscape might be right for a permanent change in the way we think of homosexuality as a nation. Just as you don't have to be black to understand that Jim Crow was wrong, you don't have to be gay to know that denying homosexuals their civil rights is equally wrong.

Hope and change. This is what 53 percent of the population voted for on November 4th. We have hope and, according to the Hoover Institution, we have changed. Let's see what good can come of that.

~C~

P.S. Thanks to David Sirota, who led me to this editorial via Twitter.

At Least Sarah Palin Dodges the Reading Material Question Entirely

This is President George W. Bush's favorite book.

I'm not making this up.

He was asked what his favorite literary work was, and, after some thought, he answered The Very Hungry Catepillar, by Eric Carle, because he enjoyed reading it when he was a boy.

The only problem is that the book was published when he was twenty three years old.

Are we at a point yet when it's just funny, and not scary or infuriating? Wait, let me think. No... no... he still has access to the nuclear football, sooooo... it's still really scary.

But in sixty seven days, it will be funny. Right?

Right?

(Oh, God.)

~C~

Now It Can Be Told.

FactCheck.org has issued their 2008 FactCheck Ad Awards, and it reminded me of some of my favorite ads of the 2008 elections.

This one damn near turned me into a Republican:



This one reminded me that, for the past eight years, Jed Bartlett has been my fake President. He helped me survive the Bush/Cheney/Rove era:

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

This one made me wonder just whose side Norm Coleman from Minnesota (running against Democrat Al Franken) was on, anyway:


Norm Coleman Ad







So, here we all are, at the end of a long campaign, tired and burned out. Even if your candidate didn't win, you can take comfort in the fact that we got some kick-ass commercials out of it.

~C~

Have You?

Wait time: 54 minutes.

Proud to be an American.

~C~

Are You Gonna Say 'No' to Truett?

If you know what's good for you, you'll do exactly what Truett says, and not ask questions.



~C~

First (and Last, on this Site) Election Results of the 2008 Presidential Election

The Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, is traditionally the first precinct to vote in all elections. The resort itself was named a precinct in 1960, when prominent Dixville Notch resident Neil Tillotson decided that an hour was too far to drive to vote, and so petitioned the state elections board to have the nearby resort made into a valid polling place. His request was granted and the tradition of the "Midnight Vote" was begun, with Tillotson being the traditional first voter every year thereafter, until his death in 2001. In that first election, Nixon beat Kennedy by unanimous vote, 9 to zip. Kennedy, of course, went on to win in a landslide election.

Well, Dixville Notch voted a little bit ago, and it took them approximately forty-five minutes to vote and then count the votes and then announce the votes. There are only 21 registered voters in the precinct.

The presidential results? In alphabetical order (the way the candidates appeared on the ballot) as follows:

John McCain 6
Ralph Nader 0 (bite it, Nader!!!)
Barack Obama 15

So, there you have it. It should be noted that, while Dixville Notch tends to break Republican, they are known for being something of a mavericky bunch their own selves.

~C~

This Week In Washington, We Faced the Nation and Met the Press

It's been a painful election eve morning for me. Yesterday was my birthday, and I'd planned an all-day outing (more on that amazing experience in the future), so I had my Tivo boyfriend record all the weekend political shows for me. I watched them this morning, so I could delete them and get on with the business of trying to keep my head from exploding.

God, what an agonizing couple of hours.

I almost feel sorry for McCain campaign cronies and other Republican surrogates at this point. According to a "leaked" internal memo, the McCain pollster has somehow managed to gerrymander his polling results to indicate that this election was a (and I quote) "dead heat." Okay, look. John McCain is not out of this. He could conceivably win. Statistically, it's unlikely, but it is no where near impossible. According to Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight.com, Barack Obama has a 96.4% chance of being our President-elect on November 5th. That said, McCain and Palin are on the verge of being charged Pennsylvania state income tax, they've been camped there so long, attempting the granddaddy of all Hail Marys. The numbers have inched slowly upward for McCain in the past couple of weeks in Pennsylvania, a state he must win if he's to have any chance at the White House.

But, a "dead heat?" Not by a long shot.

Barack Obama hangs on top in every respectable poll in the country, albeit within the margin for error in many of them. He's mobilized a small army of volunteers and an impressive number of paid staffers to get out the vote, promote the message and activate the electorate (also in a future post, we will be talking about the benefits of the much-sneered at job of "community organizer," and how experience in that gig might come in handy when running for high office).

Barack Obama is the leader at the moment. There are numerical possibilities that could allow John McCain to snatch defeat from the jaws for victory for the Democrats, and the party (above all others) knows the dangers of over-confidence (2004, anyone?).

But watching Lyndsay Graham and Rick Davis on the political shows this weekend, speaking through clenched teeth and forced "easy-peasy over-easy" grins, bluff their way through the party line that McCain was tied with Obama "where it mattered" (where? your mama's living room?) was a little like watching a waterboarding demonstration. Fred Thompson, God love him, didn't bother to really discuss the polls on Meet the Press. He resorted to simply covering the old GOP standard, "Vote for Republicans or you'll die." Barack Obama can't keep the country safe, he's too inexperienced, John McCain knows how to command an army in the eventuality that al Qaeda shows up with its vast army to attack us, 3 am phone calls, blah-dee-blah-dee....

"Ouch. Ouch. Stop it. Ouch. MOMMM!"

In all the round tables, though, the predictions were pretty unanimous across the board among the pundits. Obama over McCain. The only difference was the amount by which McCain would lose.

Still.... it's all about the ballot box, and tomorrow is the day that counts, because it's the last day to vote. So, vote. Or, don't. But, really, vote.


~C~

Links to sites with voter and poll information:
Declare Yourself
Can I Vote
Rock The Vote

Uh-Oh. This Could Close McCain's Gap In the Polls Completely.

After weeks of high-profile Republicans jumping ship and endorsing Barack Obama, it might come as some comfort to John McCain to learn that a very high-profile Republican has publicly endorsed him for President.

Then again, it might not.



Favorite sound bite for me?

"[John] has looked into the face of evil."

Yeah, across the table when he was having dinner with you, you big, scary Undead American, you! Now, back to the catacombs with you, and make haste, before the sun comes out!

~C~

All the King's Horses and All the King's Men

"People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand."

-- from "An American President," screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

Pretty smart guy, that Aaron Sorkin. Knows his way around American politics. That paragraph, written thirteen years ago, in the midst of a Clinton term, was written about an incumbent Presidential candidate who loses himself in his efforts to stay in office. He'll make any compromise, break any promise, throw anyone under the bus to make sure that he isn't a one-term president. And in the end, doing so means that he nearly sacrifices who he is as a human being, down to his absolute core beliefs, to do it. (I'm not telling you how it comes out. Rent the movie and find out.)

With the chances of a McCain presidency growing dimmer by the day, the Republican party is starting to fall back. Or maybe, fall apart. Humpty's in pieces, and the Republican leadership is starting to get the word out that the party is in some trouble and, win or lose come the 4th, a new plan of action (and possibly attack, knowing the GOP) might be in order. Mitt Romney was quoted today as referring to a "very real chance of an Obama presidency." Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, who was said to be on the short list for potential VP picks, said today that Obama "has a pretty good advantage in Minnesota right now."

According to Politico's Jonathan Martin, the annual GOP governors' conference, set to start the day after the election, will most likely be the place that the future leadership and direction of the party will get hammered out. Martin asserts that Sarah Palin will be on one of the primary focuses of party leadership during these talks.

Ya think, Jonathan? I don't think so, for three reasons.

Number one, most mainstream Republicans hate her guts. No. Seriously, they do. I have it on fairly good inside authority that the Republican party in Alaska came to loathe her because she got elected and immediately set about turning on the oil companies that helped get her elected and taxing them, in direct opposition to the GOP's allegiances. You won't hear much about that from Alaskans, mostly because it's a pretty closed shop up there. They don't believe in airing their dirty linen to the lower 48. But in Alaska, as in Washington, you don't develop a reputation as a turncoat without paying the price.

Number two, while Palin inarguably lit a fire under the conservative and evangelical base of the party, she was an unmitigated disaster among independents and women voters, whom the GOP hoped to attracted after Senator Hilary Clinton lost the nomination. What makes Republicans thinks that Sarah Palin will be any more capable of given concise, educated intelligent answers in 2012 than she did in 2008? She was a joke by mid-October, even before her pitiful performance in her debate against Biden. (Yes, you heard me. I said, "pitiful." She was a walking, breathing talking points memo. If an original idea had entered her head, it would surely have died of loneliness.) No present or future presidential election will be won on party base alone. The way to the White House is paved by independent voters. No matter how a candidate can woo the voters who probably would have voted for her anyway (it's why they call them the "base"), if she can't light a fire under the indies, she's useless to the party.

Number three, she is, quite simply, an utter and complete plankhead. Though not stupid, she has an innate distrust of education and learning, including the "self" kind, and an appalling lack of intellectual curiosity that is a little too close to George W. Bush for my comfort. She has said she believes that man and dinosaur walked the Earth at the same time. Her reading material, as we know, is sparse at best (there was a reason Katie Couric asked her that question, by the way, and it wasn't just to be bitchy).

Her speech last week on what she has taken on as her policy issue, funding for children with disabilities proved that, even on topics she purports to care about, she has little desire for "book larnin'," and will smoothly disseminate false information with alacrity and ease, if it suits her purpose. Falling heavily on her old speech stand-by of "earmarks," Palin had this to say about autism research funding:

"You’ve heard about some of these pet projects they really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not."

She kids us not. And why would she? Humor actually requires a quick wit and a developed intellect, and Sarah Palin has neither. If she had, she might have learned that that fruit fly research she's threatening to defund yielded a landfall result in 2007, when researchers at the University of North Carolina (which is surprisingly not in Paris, France, but rather, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina -- hence the name) used Drosophila to isolate a protein called neurexin, which seems to inhibit synaptic brain function in ways similar to that of autism. Furthermore, the fruit fly study isolated a genetic marker that produced this protein, that also seems to be fairly common in autistic children. Now, I'm no doctor, but I'm guessing this discovery could be fairly important to parents of children with autism. And Sarah Palin stood in front of a bank of microphones and a field of cameras and and all but threatened to defund the research because she didn't think it was important.

I kid you not.

So I'm supposed to believe now that the Republicans who have called her a "cancer" and an "embarrassment" are now going to embrace her and lift her to the highest pedestal in the Republican party? I don't believe the GOP will stand for it. She'll be so shut out when McCain loses and the Democrats have huge majorities in both houses of Congress, she'll be more able to run for President of Russia than the United States.

Sarah Palin the future of the Republican party? Please. There's not enough Ferragamo in the world.

~C~

Dear Undecideds -- Another Reason to Vote for Barack Obama

It's been tough an you. I know you are tearing your hair out with the gravity of your decision come November 4th. I get that. And, believe me, I want to help.

So, here's another reason to vote for Barack Obama. A vote for Barack Obama is a vote against Joe the Plummer. Turns out that, in spite of Mr. Wurzelbacher's protestations that he is "no Matt Damon," he actually really does think he's Matt Damon. Or at the very least, Dan Quayle. In any case, he's making the rounds, talking at McCain rallies, spreading some more hate speech by agreeing with a McCain supporter that an Obama presidency would mean the death of Israel. In the same way that Joe didn't let a little thing like not buying a business keep him from saying he was buying a business, and not being a plumber keep him from saying he was a plumber, Joe (real name, Samuel) didn't let a little thing like not having any foreign policy expertise stop him from expressing an opinion on one of the touchiest foreign policy issues facing the next president. Later, during an interview, Wurzelbacher told Fox News' Shepard Smith that his opinion that Obama was anti-Israel was based on "Obama's actions" -- namely, agreeing to meet with Iranian President Ahmadinejad without any pre-conditions.

"[. . .] the fact that he has said it he would meet with Ahmadinejad is something that you have taken to believe would be the death of Israel?" Smith asked incredulously.

"It definitely doesn't help the situation," said TardBoy. Then, possibly startled by an errant thought that might have accidentally popped into his head, he kind of backtracked. "I'm not trying to be dancing around this. I honestly want people to go out and find their own reasons. I tell people not to listen to everyone else's opinion. I'm not going to have them start listening to mine. Go out and get informed."

Indeed.

At that point, even Shepard had had enough and ended the interview with his own disclaimer that "I just want to make this 100 percent perfectly clear -- Barack Obama has said and demonstrated repeatedly that Israel will always be a friend of the United States, no matter what happens once he becomes President of the United States. His words. The rest of it -- man...some things--it just gets frightening sometimes." And that's Shepard Smith talking. He works for Fox, so you know he's seen some scary shit.

So, come November 4th, my dear indecisive darlings, vote for Barack Obama, and send SammyJoe back where he belongs -- to Ohio in the dead of winter. My friend, Kim, lives there. She'll tell you, in February, it's as close to hell as anywhere you'll find.

~C~

Ooops! We Forgot to Renew Our War, and It Expired.

Because we have one more week of election insanity, and nothing I say or do now in that regard will help either my mental health or yours, dear Readers, I figure it's time to turn the attention outward to what's going on in the rest of the world.

Flying completely under the radar this week, the story that would be the top story of the week if we weren't picking a new president, is this one: The security agreement between the US and Iraq (called the Status of Forces Agreement or, SOFA) which allows the United States to maintain troop presence in Iraq, is set to expire on December 31, 2008. Presented as a "fete accompli" last month by the DoD, it turns out that SOFA isn't particularly popular with the Iraqi cabinet.

The primary bone of contention in the agreement is the language that gives US troops and security contractors immunity against prosecution by local Iraqi law enforcement for crimes they've committed. Striking such language from the agreement would mean that US troops who break Iraqi law could go to court and be tried by Iraqi judges and juries. This would make questionable the continued presence of security contractors like Blackwater, Triple Canopy and DynCorp, who have been the source of the most complaints from local Iraqis about bad-boy behavior.

Private security forces have been a constant presence in Iraq, filling the gap between the military forces that should have been sent, and the troops that actually were. The one component that has made the surge that everyone who loves the war extols so completely is that private forces have been used in the so-called "Green Zones" to maintain the peace, freeing up US troops to quell disturbances in less stable areas surrounding them.

The trouble is that the contractors are frequently poorly trained and poorly behaved, leading to some serious, occasionally fatal consequences. Several crimes against Iraqi civilians have been reported against members of the private security force, including charges of rape, intimidation, destruction of property, and even murder. Because the current agreement gives troops and the private security forces immunity from prosecution, and the US is unwilling or unable to try the perpetrators themselves, these crimes have gone largely unpunished.

Now that the agreement is up for renewal, it is looking increasingly as if the Iraqi parliament will not accept an agreement that includes a huge, apparently poorly disciplined coalition of privately armed foreign invaders who have what amounts to complete diplomatic immunity. And it has already been made clear that the US will veto any change that they feel puts their troops or private contractors at the mercy of local law enforcement. It is also certain that private security forces would cancel their contracts and pull out of Iraq, rather than put their employees at risk of local prosecution. This list indicates the number of corporations that currently provide some type of security service in Iraq. Estimates of the number of security guards now working in Iraq are somewhere around 146,000, which is more than actual US troops currently serving.

What could this mean, if we ring in the new year with no agreement in place? Well, troops would still be in Iraq, but they would be pulled from the streets and confined to base, while Iraqi police and security forces dealt with the country their own selves. Military brass is convinced that such a move would convince the Iraqis in short order that they are neither ready nor able to control warring Shias and Sunnis alone, and this would force the adoption of the agreement. Currently, violence in what had been controlled territory is on the upswing, including an uprising of Kurdish forces in the the northern city of Mosul who are resisting efforts of Prime Minister al-Maliki to shoulder them out and form the same alliance between his forces and the hard-line Sunnis that has worked so well in the south. The Kurdish have threatened to turn Mosul into a battleground, rather than be shut out of the region. This could lead to a complete destabilization in the entire northern territory.

But what if it does not work that way? What if they get their country back, and it turns out that they are no better or worse off now than they were before? It could prove pretty interesting to see what the US will do if they're sent to their military rooms and not allowed to come back to the party.

Oh, and, uh.. and further complicating the SOFA negotiations? It turns out that your country invaded Syria yesterday. Did you know? Yeah. I'll be dealing with that in a post a little later today. Apparently, George W. Bush has decided he doesn't have anything left to lose -- he might as well just get it all out of this system. Next on the agenda? He's declaring war on MSNBC.

~C~

Yeah! What Jeff Said!

Effigy of Sarah Palin hanging by a noose creates uproar in West Hollywood

When I read about this earlier, I spent a good hour or so trying to come up with an appropriately indignant blog post, but everything I wrote kind of dissolved into a sputtering, inarticulate, "WTF!!!"

Fortunately, happily, one lefty blogger kept his head while those around him were losing theirs. Jeff at Blog of the Moderate Left has written a post that says everything I wanted to stay (including an implicit "WTF!!!"), while maintaining some faculty with the English language. I'm curious as to exactly the combination of meds he's on to allow this sort of calm reflection in the face of such supreme idiocy and brainlessness, but just as soon as I scrape myself off the ceiling, you can bet I'm going write and ask him.

Don't Be That Guy by Jeff Fecke (Blog of the Moderate Left)

~C~

P.S. My secret boyfriend, Keith Olbermann named Chad Michael Morisette (doer of the effigy deed) today's Worst Person in the World.

They Know She's Coming Back, Right?

The Anchorage Daily News, Alaska's largest newspaper, today endorsed Barack Obama for President with this editorial.

Uhh... guys? You know she's coming back, right?

In Tina Fey's hilarious portrayal of Sarah Palin last Thursday, the faux Palin describes herself as, "one part practice folksie, one part sassy, and a little dash of high school bitchy," gets a huge laugh because the sense of it is so very true. The fact that Palin is currently being investigated for abuse of power because she tried to torpedo her ex-brother-in-law's career only serves to reinforce the impression.

Suffice it to say, a pissed-off Sarah Palin is probably about as much fun to live near as a pissed-off John McCain. It's what made them the perfect couple.

So, cheers to the Anchorage Daily News for going out on a limb and endorsing Barack Obama. If you need a place to stay, I have a sofa bed and a Aerobed you can use.

~C~

The Next Four Years by Barack Obama

Please Don't Let Ron Howard's Sacrifice Be In Vain

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

If you have a shred of human compassion left in you, you will not let this fine man have sacrificed his dignity for nothing.

Please, on November 4th, vote for Barack Obama.

~C~

California's Proposition 8: The Sign of Something Fishy

California Proposition 8, the ban on gay marriage, which looked certain for defeat up to three weeks ago, now very well might pass. FiveThirtyEight.com has the measure running as a toss-up (with a VERY ironic chart graphic -- I swear to God, I didn't Photoshop that graphic on the right -- that's really the p0lling chart).

The reason for the shift? Wealthy out-of-state contributors like Jesus Christ Church of the Latter Day Saints in Utah and Focus on the Family's resident wingnut James Dobson are contributing HUGE amounts of money to air television commercial full of what Christians are good at manipulating for their own benefit -- fear, bigotry, and hatred for "the other."

Because we all know that homosexuals have set an ultra-secret, widespread agenda for converting your children into full-blown, Cher-loving nancy-boys, the ads imply that, if Prop 8 fails, homosexuality will be taught in schools and advocated by first and second grade teachers as the way to go. In one ad, a little boy actually returns from school with what appears to be a textbook about a king who marries a king.

Elementary school teachers everywhere must be howling. They can't even get spelling textbooks for their first and second graders, let alone instruction manuals in homosexuality. But, because there are whole blocks of Christian homophobes in the inner parts of California who might rather their children contract a fatal disease than turn out to be gay*, the ads are working.

It's not like we haven't been down this road before. This happens every elections cycle. Uber-Christian wackos get this type of legislation on the ballot, run a bunch of inflammatory ads, implying that gays are all child molesters and recruiters after your children, and the legislation passes. Then the California Supreme Court overturns it as unconstitutional (cecause that's what you call it when you strip a group of people of their rights because you don't like their lifestyle, race or religion), and gay marriage is on again. And then it starts all over.

Please, please join me in breaking this cycle. Stripping people of their rights is wrong, regardless of your personal views on their lifestyle. Other people getting married doesn't affect your marriage or family in the least, and the gay folk don't care whether your son or daughter is gay or not. Gay people, it turns out (and you could have knocked me over with the feather when I found out), really only care about their families and their children, just like the rest of us. And public elementary school teachers have their hands full trying to teach your children how to read in an underfunded, underequipped classroom that is probably desperately in need of renovation to be bothered teaching your kids how to be gay. Please make a donation to Equality California, the group charged with running the counter-ads to the Mormons and Dobson's scare-ads.

I know things are hard these days, but even five or ten dollars from enough people can make a huge difference. Let's rest this state away from the Christian Crazies in Orange County and the Inland Empire once and for all. Jerking the gay community around like this is just cruel and mean-spirited. This is California, not Kansas. Let's show 'em how to do the "live and let live" thing.

~C~

*This is not merely hyperbolic. I actually heard a group of Inland Empire Baptists say they'd rather find out their children had cancer than were gay. The things people will say when asked....

Why Obama Is Winning - by Joe Klein (TIME)

In this article from TIME magazine, Joe Klein gives his interpretation of Why Obama Is Winning

~C~

I Told You There Were Smart Republicans

~C~

Maybe He Thought They Said "Robocop"

Former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani has jumped on the GOP robocall bandwagon and recorded his own message in favor of John McCain. In the calls, being used in Colorado and Wisconsin, Guiliani says that Obama is soft on crime because he doesn't support mandatory prison sentences for crimes ranging from robbery to sexual molestation to murder.

Here's the transcript of the call:

Hi, this is Rudy Giuliani, and I'm calling for John McCain and the Republican National Committee because you need to know that Barack Obama opposes mandatory prison sentences for sex offenders, drug dealers, and murderers.

It's true, I read Obama's words myself. And recently, Congressional liberals introduced a bill to eliminate mandatory prison sentences for violent criminals -- trying to give liberal judges the power to decide whether criminals are sent to jail or set free. With priorities like these, we just can't trust the inexperience and judgment of Barack Obama and his liberal allies. This call was paid for by the Republican National Committee and McCain-Palin 2008 at 866 558 5591.

There are two notable things about this call. The first, of course (and I'm sure you noticed, too), is that it's the first time in seven years Rudy Giuliani has uttered two consecutive paragraphs without saying the words "nine-eleven."

The second feature of these calls is who is making them and where they're going. Do Republicans really, truly believe that people in Colorado and Wisconsin are swayed by Rudy Giuliani? Do they not know that he's pretty much a joke west of the Poconos (maybe east, too, but I'll leave that to them)? So, yeah... Rudy... by all means... tell us all about the crime-spree loving Obama and his quest to free all the child molesters and murderers to run wild in the streets again.

Oh, yeah. And don't forget the terrorists.

~C~

It Kind of Makes You Nostalgic for a $400 Haircut, Doesn't It?

Oh, those pesky expenditure records! After spending countless hours ragging on John Edwards' $400 haircut when Edwards running in the Democratic primaries, the Republican National Committee was forced to confess that they have shelled out over $150,000 for Sarah Palin's clothing, cosmetics and accessories. As the stock market was crashing and Americans from coast to coast were fretting about buying groceries and paying their mortgages, Governor Palin was being sent on shopping sprees to Neiman-Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

The breakdown on all this is that, while talking (or should I say, "talkin'") about being a regular, small-town hockey mom, and invoking her folksy "Joe-Six-Pack" imagery, Palin was spending nearly $2,500 a day on swanky clothing and costume jewelry from high-end department stores. As a former hockey mom, I can assure you that this is not the norm.

RNC spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt thinks it's all much ado about nothing. The the GOP originally refused comment on the disclosure, the controversy generated on the Internet and on news programs like Countdown with Keith Olbermann and Hardball with Chris Matthews, they were forced to speak on the topic a little more clearly. Schmitt said this morning:

"With all of the important issues facing the country right now, it’s remarkable that we’re spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses. It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign."

Schmitt makes a good point. Is this story any more newsworthy than John Edwards' haircuts? Well, I would argue that it is, and for the same reason Republicans said Edwards' coiffure was news. It speaks to judgement. It speaks to what people say, versus what they actually do. While taking up the gauntlet in his war on poverty, Edwards was getting highlights and trims that cost $400. It doesn't look good.

By the same token, while criss-crossing the country, dropping her g's and hurling her "you betchas", Palin has been costing the campaign more per week on clothes than most families of four see in a month. The McCain campaign and the RNC are both having a difficult time these days with fundraising and financing, and Republicans who've contributed large amounts of money to the campaign, thinking that they were buying air-time or funding rallies, now discover that they're buying Prada and Chanel. As the final days of the campaign come to a close, television and radio ads are critical, especially when reaching out to undecided voters who live in key battleground states.

Regardless of any plan to donate the clothing to charity after the campaign (and we're holding them to that, as pointless and idiotic as the offer is), the money wasn't spent on what I'm sure Republican donors were being told it would be spent on. That money is gone now, and it isn't coming back. So, now the RNC has to go out and stump for dollars, while trying to reassure big-money donors that the cash won't go to Palin's make-up, hair color or handbags. Furthermore, on-the-fence voters trying to decide which candidate to vote for might not be thrilled that the RNC is willing to spend six figures on Palin's clothes while promising to tax their health care benefits. So it is important in that respect.

Oh, and, one more little thing. John Edwards may have gotten $400 haircuts at campaign expense, but he eventually reimbursed the money for all those expenses. How much of the $150,000 will Sarah Palin reimburse to the RNC?

~C~

Note: This post was corrected to reflect that the criticism of Edwards' haircut expenditures took place during the primaries last year. It only SEEMS like this has all been going on for four years. (Jesus, I'm tired.)

Jon Stewart Explains What He Meant By "F**k You."

At a personal appearance at Northeastern University, shortly after Sarah Palin made her "pro-America" parts of America. In his stand-up at the university, Stewart's response to Palin's remarks was a resounding "f**k you."

Last night on The Daily Show, he clarified his remarks:



~C~

A Glimpse Into What Will Follow An Obama Win

Be prepared for another possible Supreme Court ruling on who the next President will be. According to this six-minute documentary, John McCain's hyperbolic attack against the ACORN non-scandal (read here for the real story on ACORN by Factcheck.org) to challenge the election results on November 5th.



Ahhh... the Atwater/Rove school of election victory. If you can't win legitimately, just freakin' steal the White House.

I have a feeling, judging from the climate in this country today, that the GOP got their one bite at that apple, in 2000, and they're not going to get another one.

Stay tuned.

~C~

Liberal Media Elite Backs Obama in '08 (After Backing Bush in '04)

According to this article by Editor & Publisher magazine, twenty-six newspapers that endorsed George W. Bush in the last presidential election have suddenly gone all blue, and backed Barack Obama over John McCain. (Numbers after colon indicates daily circulation.)


BARACK OBAMA (26)

CALIFORNIA
Long Beach Press Telegram (B): 85,595
Pasadena Star-News (B): 27,894
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (B): 40,051
The (Stockton) Record (B): 57,486
San Bernardino Sun (B): 54,315
Tri-Valley Herald (B): 29,759

COLORADO
The Denver Post (B): 225,193

CONNECTICUT
New Haven Register (B): 72,613

FLORIDA
Naples Daily-News (B): 66,272

ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune (B): 541,663

INDIANA
Palladium-Item (Richmond) (B): 15,453

IOWA
Mason City Globe Gazette (B): 17,666

NEW JERSEY
Asbury Park Press (Neptune) (B): 140,882

NEW MEXICO
Las Cruces Sun-News (B): 21,341

NEW YORK
Daily News (B): 703,137

OHIO
Hamilton Journal-News (B): 19,432
The Repository (Canton) (B): 65,789
The Times-Reporter (New Philadelphia) (B): 22,428

OREGON
Yamhill Valley News-Register (McMinnville) (B): 10,921

PENNSYLVANIA
The Express-Times (Easton) (B): 44,561

TEXAS
Austin American-Statesman (B): 170,309
Houston Chronicle (B): 494,131

UTAH
The Salt Lake Tribune (B): 121,699

WASHINGTON
The Columbian (B): 44,623
Yakima Herald-Republic (B): 38,077

WISCONSIN
Wisconsin State Journal (Madison) (B): 87,930

Meanwhile, only four papers that supported 2004 Democratic nominee, Senator John Kerry, have declared their endorsement for John McCain in '08.

JOHN McCAIN (4)

FLORIDA
Bradenton Herald (K): 48,618

TENNESSEE
The Jackson Sun (K): 32,121

TEXAS
Corpus Christi Caller-Times (K): 53,368

VIRGINIA
Daily Press (Newport News) (K): 91,508

~C~

Is He TRYING to Help Obama?

I'm just wondering what side George W. Bush is on these days? I mean, if the Denver Post and the Chicago Tribune, two of the more conservative papers in the country, can turn tide and endorse Obama, maybe W.'s had a change of heart, too. Not that I'm complaining mind you, but the one thing Bush has always seemed fairly good at is winning, no matter what it took. Maybe now that he's not going to be flying on the special plane, he just doesn't give a crap.

I base my speculation on the fact that he gave another press conference today about meeting with European leaders to discuss the shaky world money crisis. Everytime George Bush stands at a podium to discuss the economy, stock values plummet, and John McCain's numbers go right down the drain with them. You'd think he'd get the idea that, if he were any kind of a party-lovin' guy, he'd just stay in the White House and let Hank Paulson handle it.

~C~

The Ideological Landscape of "Pro-America" America

This video for Al-Jazeera English shows two things. One, a whole lot of white people really are kind of bitter and clinging to their guns and religion, and, two, not one of them mentioned John McCain, but seem to think they're voting for Sarah Palin for President. Hmmm....

Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.com posted an interesting piece about the demographics at Palin rallies versus those at Obama rallies, particularly in light of her comment about being glad to spend time in parts of the nation that were, and I quote, "pro-America." Silver ascertains that "pro-America" to Palin apparently means 88% non-Hispanic white.

Now, granted, Al-Jazeera English might not be the most editorially neutral source in the world, but the good folks of "pro-America" America did speak on camera about their racial prejudices, and did so proudly without hesitation.

All is not lost. This Al-Jazeera interview with two upper-middle class black families in Atlanta acknowledge that racism is still alive and well and living in America, but don't seem to think it will affect the outcome of the election in and of itself.





~C~

I'm Really Trying To Give Republicans The Benefit of the Doubt Regarding Their Native Intelligence

Uber-conservative blogger Michelle Malkin posted this past week that she has been getting highly agitated e-mails from her readership over the frenzy being whipped up by some conservative radio talk show hosts about the "Obama" flag -- a flag appearing onstage behind the Democratic presidential candidate during his recent stump blitz of Ohio. According to the talk show geeks, Obama has taken the American flag and gerrymandered it so that, when he rechristens the country the United Federation of Obama, he'll have an appropriate flag to fly. Click here for a picture of the offending banner. I couldn't believe the story wasn't a hoax, so I went on web safari for someone who actually thought that the flag was some kind of special Obama flag he'd had made up.

Sho' nuff. This off Townhall.com (ironically whilst discussing a hoax post on Michelle Obama), poster Clendon actually wrote that he was concerned that Obama was prepping for total world domination with his flag. Here is my open letter to the presumably (I have faith) intelligent Republicans within the sound of my cybervoice.

Dear Intelligent Republicans (wherever you may be):

This is the kind of stuff that makes us think you're all stupid. It's because the smart ones refuse to rise up against the truly stupid and conquer and subdue them like the wingnuts they are. Please do so at once, and, before you institutionalize them for good and all, perhaps you could inform them that that flag is the STATE FLAG OF OHIO!!!

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Catharine.

Where I Was (and Why Nothing Can Phase Me Now)

~C~

Gone Two Bunchin'!

Yep, I'm going to be gone for a few days, starting Sunday. I'm going to the spa to indulge in treatments and long, loooooongggg soaks in the lithium-laden water of natural desert hot springs. I'm planning on reading, sleeping, eating amazing food and maybe taking an early morning walk in the desert.

I am taking my computer, but the odds are good I won't be blogging. I've decided to relax and put my election neurosis on hold for a few days, while I indulge in a cranial-sacral massage and a lovely mud bath. I'll be back and available to blog probably by Saturday.

Be good. Behave. Drink responsibly. Stay in school. Don't do drugs.

And, since I'm away relaxing, why don't you guys take a little break, too, by flipping through the Christian Science Monitor's Autumn Foliage photo page. If this doesn't lighten your heart, you don't have one, by golly.

~C~

Oh, and PS to the Palin Ethics thing.

I don't care that she breached her ethical obligations as the Governor of Alaska.

I only care that she lied about it. No. Really. It's a question of her honesty and truthfulness. Why was she hiding it? She should be totally honest with the American people. The fact that she hasn't only begs one question.

Just who is Sarah Palin, anyway?

~C~

(Oh, yeah. I'm milkin' this. I'm temporarily changing the blog name from The Catharine Chronicles to Schadenfreude 'R' Us. I just wish I could make the 'R' go backwards. I have to go drink a double espresso latte, stay up all night and think of more ways to gloat now. Buh-bye.)

Palin Cleared. NOT!!!

I admit I'm getting older. Sometimes, I get confused. I forget where I put my car keys. I am constantly misplacing my glasses. And the little round pack of dental floss? Fuhgetaboutit.

Still, this morning, when I began my incredibly tedious routine of catching up on the doings of the world, I was a little thrown off kilter when I read that Sarah Palin had been found to have used her authority as governor improperly by attempting to have Mike Wooten, her ex-in-law fired. (Palin's actual of firing of Monegan, it should be noted, was found to be within Palin's responsibilities.)

See, I could have sworn I read something last night that said that she'd been "cleared" of any wrongdoing. I had assumed, given that the legislative report was due out at any minutes, that this was the official word on the topic. Until this morning, when the official legislative report was released that found Palin to be at fault of improperly using her influence among government employees (Monegan among them) to get her ex-brother-in-law fired.

So, WTF? Was I dreaming? Have I descended into the insanity of this election so completely that I am now dreaming about obscure legislative reports on abuse-of-power allegations. God help me, if I am.

I didn't imagine it or dream it. I just was tired and not paying close enough attention. The report that was released last night came from the McCain/Palin campaign. Let me echo the stylings of our future Vice President Joseph Biden and repeat that -- Sarah Palin cleared herself in the Troopergate investigation.

I know. I keep going back and reading that sentence over and over, trying to wrap my brain around it. "She cleared herself." Then I change the inflection and try it again. "She CLEARED herself." "SHE cleared HERSELF." It hardly helps, does it.

The GOP got together, looked at Todd Palin's testimony and determined that there was no case of abuse of power. All by themselves. And, if that weren't whack enough, they actually released those findings in something that kind of sounded like the Branchflower report. I tell ya, these guys have chutzpah up the ying-yang.

You betcha.

The real report, all 263 pages of it, was released by investigator Stephen Branchflower today, and finds that Palin "abused her power by violating Alaska statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch ethics act. Alaska statute 39.52.110(a) provides 'the legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust."

So far, everyone has been saying that this is the "dirtiest" campaign and this is the most "hate-driven" campaign and this is the most "hotly contested" campaign (though I seem to remember them all being "hotly contested"). I'll leave that to a little more time and perspective to judge.

But right now, this minute, I think we can safely say this campaign is the WEIRDEST we've had, in, like EVER!!!!

I leave for the spa on Sunday. Please help me get through this with some of my sanity intact.

~C~