My big shelf ass is looking pretty good to me right now

I'm pretty sure I've seen this same woman walking around Toluca Lake, and I gotta say I do not understand this mind set:

I must look like a skeleton, except for the balloons on my chest.

I have a body image that propels me to the brink of starvation, and yet I like to appear in public in some turquoise short-shorts and a pretty floral visor.

This picture came attached to a forwarded email (thanks Alex) which made reference to "old age" being a bitch or something, but ya know, I bet this woman is in her forties, at most.

Anorexia does that to you.

Christ, how does anyone's self-image get this fucked up?

But don't worry, because Schwarzenegger still has a couple of years left

The national trend is toward MORE ANIMAL OFFICEHOLDERS, according to he LA Times.

But Opie the goat was just defeated as mayor of Anza, California.

Alito brief just released

There's no question where this guy stands, is there? He wants to overturn Roe.

In a memo from Alito circulated in the department, he suggested filing a friend of the court brief stating that "we disagree with Roe v. Wade and would welcome the opportunity to brief the issue of whether, and if so to what extent, that decision should be overruled."

Shameless

You really need to look no further than the first sentence of Bush's speech today on Iraqi war strategy to see what dead horse he's beating:

"It's the first year that every class of midshipmen at this academy arrived after the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. Each of you have volunteered to wear our nation's uniform in a time of war, knowing all the risks and dangers that accompany military service."

Get it? 9/11 = war in Iraq

Tomorrow he will say that no one in his administration has ever implied that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the attacks on 9/11.

And the day after that, Dick Cheney will say that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the attacks on 9/11, and they got some evidence but it's classified so just trust them.

And so it goes.

And as Yahoo news goes...

It's always been a puzzle to me, how the administration could sell Hussein as an imminent threat. I mean, if he didn't use those WMDs against us when WE INVADED HIS COUNTRY THE FIRST TIME why would he use them against us afterward?

But, oh well. Live and learn. Hindsight and all that.

Meanwhile, steadfastly middle-of-the-road news agencies are starting to get on the distorted-intelligence bandwagon and point out that BushCo 1) exaggerated or misled about what the intelligence indicated, and 2) kept documentation that would have exposed this from the Congress.

(thanks to Daddy-O for the link)

When it's a choice between a lie and "no comment"

Oh, where has our little press secretary gone?

It's been 20 days now and no Scotty.

Will he soon be "spending more time with his family"?

#1 - Duh. #2 - Oh please oh please oh please

A leading Republican House member from CA just went down in flames.

1. Why is CNN mentioning it WAY more than Fox?

2. Is Katherine Harris next?

I prove I can't keep my trap shut

http://imwithsocrates.blogs.com/weblog/2005/11/the_bullshit_an.html

Jesus, I just cannot stand a dare

Okay, Hill, who has posted some embarrassing pictures of her past fashion regrets, has specifically called me out to do same.

And I am such a child when it comes to that shit.

Unfortunately, I don't have any good bad fashion pics, although lord knows I wore some really bad fashion.

Hey, it was the 80s. We all looked fucking stupid.

However, I do have a good bad hair pic. And what a bad hair pic it is!

Could it BE any bigger?

I mean, I think it had its own gravitational pull.

Also, if you could see enough of my outfit, it would make you cringe as well: green sharkskin bolero jacket and matching bustier.

Worn with a leather mini, of course.

And this is what I wore to have my picture taken. I specifically meant to look like this!

Happy now, bitch?

File under: no fucking shit

Is Woodward beholden to BushCo to keep his hits coming? WaPo asks, and they should know:

Three decades older and millions of dollars richer, Woodward still has plenty of secret sources, but they work in the highest reaches of the Bush administration. They are molding history rather than revealing Watergate-style corruption. Some have even used the press to strike back against a critic of their war by revealing the identity of a CIA operative. And the public is no longer as enamored of reporters and their unnamed informants.

In the days since the Washington Post assistant managing editor apologized to his paper for failing to reveal his role in the CIA leak controversy, Woodward, 62, has found himself under fire not just over this incident but for his very approach to journalism. His unusual relationship with The Post, and whether he hoards newsworthy material for his books, have also come under fresh scrutiny.

Although he has spoken to CNN's Larry King and the Village Voice in the past week, Woodward declined several requests for an on-the-record interview with The Post, saying only that "I think the work speaks for itself."

All Access Cattiness

5th row center at the AMA awards. That’s where I was last night, bitch. Where the fuck were you?

Yes, I had a better seat than Paris fucking Hilton at the American Music Awards last night, and what’s more, because I didn’t spend the whole night yawning and texting into a pink bedazzled Sidekick, I am able to run it down for you.

Spooney and I were the guests of one of the presenters, the very gracious and talented James Denton, and his very gracious and talented wife, Erin. BTW, neither one of them endorses any of my dumbass opinions about anything, okay?

If you’ve never sat in the audience for one of these things, you might not know that there is an animal unique to the award show medium, and that animal is the seat filler. These are people that are paid to sit in your seat while you go to the bathroom or step into the lobby to throw back another pain-numbing cocktail or two. Some seat fillers take their jobs very seriously. They dress formally and conduct themselves with absolute professionalism. You wouldn’t believe how fast a woman in a formal and heels can sprint down an aisle and hop into a mid-row seat, really. Considering what they must be paid, it’s quite impressive.

The other kind of seat filler is the sullen fan filler. These people…okay, teenage girls, dress like Forever 21 just threw up on them, and they are doused so liberally in body glitter that the very air is thick with it, and when one of them vacates your seat, they leave a body glitter outline behind them. A little reminder of their sullen, limp-clapping presence, if you will.

Seconds before the show went live, Mariah Carey and her dresser could be seen running across the stage to get her into place to emerge from the big silver disco ball. (Theme for the night – women emerging from big spinning/flying ball-shaped things) Her dresser cleared the stage at the last possible microsecond. Then Mariah spent the first third of the song making it clear that something was wrong with her ear piece. I spent the first third of the song adjusting to the squeaky-dog-toy pitch of her voice. Also, I couldn’t stop wincing at the sight of such a, ah, “meaty” girl in such a flimsy dress, and I was afraid of being hit with bugle bead shrapnel if she exploded out of it. Mimi, honey, I know you’re crazy, and clearly you’re getting bad advice on a range of topics, but curvy women need to wear curvy women dresses. Not stick-figure no-boob-having dresses. It’s cringey. Stop it.

After winning the award for Best Comeback by a Crazy Person, Mariah admitted how flustered she was during her song, because her ear piece wasn’t working, and she “wasn’t sewn into her dress.” Well, coming from the women who single-handed delayed the taping of the last World Music Awards show for over an hour, I wonder whose fucking fault that was.

Crazy-ass bitch.

Oh, I forgot. Cedric the Entertainer hosted the show, but honestly I don’t remember a thing he said. Maybe he should change his name to Cedric the Middling Award Show Host.

Lindsay Lohan performed her number wearing what I can only describe as a white paper sack as envisioned by Bob Mackie, and then right in the midst of her soul-crushingly bad teen-pop song, she suddenly switched to singing Fleetwood Mac’s “White Winged Dove.” It was as if, at least to the extent that the bad teen-pop song ended, she had heard the silent prayers of the audience, although, frankly, it’s a sad state of affairs when the sight of her thrashing about in that baggy sequin sack can make one long for the sartorial elegance of Stevie Nicks.

Kenny Chesney’s song went well. He seems to be getting along fine without that creepy Renee. Good for him.

Have you ever noticed that every country artist shows the same video of waving wheat fields and daisies growing in front of red barns behind them whenever they play? I wonder if that’s some kind of rule, or something.

When I had seen Cyndi Lauper on the red carpet outside, I was saddened, thinking that poor has-been Cyndi had become an AMA carpet whore, but no, she was there to perform a cut from her new album of old hits, so technically speaking she’s really only a recycled hit whore. She played the dulcimer (I’m pretty sure it was a dulcimer) and sang a sort of even-more-unplugged “Time After Time” with Sarah McLachlan, and it was sad and beautiful and one of the best performances of the night, if you ask me.

The other best performance of the night was fucking Eurythmics, man. Annie Lennox still fucking rules, and Dave Stewart still fucking does whatever he does. You know what I love about Annie Lennox? SHE SINGS BETTER THAN HER BACKUP SINGERS. Name me one other female pop artist, one, that you can say that about.

Speaking of talent-free pop stars, Gwen Stefani picked up the “Favorite Female Artist” award in Pop/Rock right on the heels of her exceeding stupid duet with Pharell, and the first words out of her mouth were “What did I win? Well, whatever this is, thank you,” or some shit like that.

Look bitch, if this lame-ass awards show decides to get you a pointy piece of glass with your name on it, the least you can do it act grateful. Because you suck, and you should be happy to get any lame-ass award.

I used to like Gwen Stefani, because she dressed cool, and she seemed to know that she was just a fucking pop star. But now she seems to think she has some kinda artistic relevance or something, and she’s intolerable. And every other time I see her these days, she’s doing some ridiculous “duet” with a hip hop artist, although she never seems to do anything in these “duets” but gesture in a hip-hoppy way and say “Yeah, you like it like that.”

At least she wasn’t toting around those damn Harajuku girls. That whole thing is starting to get creepy and kinda vaguely racist, although I’m not quite sure how.

Just kidding, Gwen. Me love you long time.

By the way, Keith Urban wears a LOT of makeup. But he’s still awful cute. And he’s nice to the guy who holds his guitars for him, so that’s cool. And if you saw the show on tv, you might have noticed me during his song, sitting about 5 feet away, staring up at him with my mouth open, thinking about…oh…uh, my boyfriend, of course.

(My big ole' moon face, just right of his boot. Thnx Krispy.)

So, Will Smith beat out 50 Cent and rumored Cruise pony boy Rob Thomas for Pop/Rock favorite male artist.

Huh?

Yeah, you know, maybe next year they’ll throw a pop/rock artist into that category. Just fuck all and throw like, maybe a Ben Folds in there. Or a Beck, or a fucking Neil Finn or something.

And Kelly Clarkson beat out Maroon 5 and John Mayer for Favorite Artist in the Adult Contemporary category, which is fine, because I think “Adult Contemporary” means “really fucking boring.”

But really, what kind of bizzarro world are we living in, when they throw an award show and Kelly Clarkson can’t be bothered to show up? Seriously. And the Black Eyed Peas, who won Best Media Saturation by a Group, didn’t show up either! The Black Eyed Peas! Didn’t show up! Not even Fergie!

I’m just shocked. I really had no idea that there was anything beneath them, that’s all.

I mean, they played at my neighbor’s quinceanera just last week.

But of the hottest competitions of the night was between Jesus and God, aka The Lord, aka Our Heavenly Father. Jesus was thanked a total of 12 times, which is just huge for him, really, I mean, it’s almost a sweep, but then God came in and racked up a big 15 thanks near the end when Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland made her second podium appearance. That chick can thank some fucking God, man. She is seriously second to none in God-thanking. Just stellar. Really.

The AMAs were, I guess, saving what they thought were their big guns for last: The Rolling Stones. We were all jazzed about seeing the Stones, because, well, I never have, and it’s just kinda one of those things you wanna be able to say, right? Mostly so you can refute people who go on about how they’re still good live, I guess. Anyway, we were all excited, and then we were all really bummed when the producer told the audience over the PA during the commercial break that the Stones were going to be a live feed from Salt Lake City but we were to act like they were live in front of us. I was a little peeved, and there was some unrest in the audience, but I thought, what the hell, I’ll play along.

And then the next announcement: “Let’s get to your seats, folks. We’ll be back in five. And don’t forget, big reaction to the Rolling Stones. Just like they were live.”

And then, “Two minutes, folks. Don’t forget. Big, live reaction for the Stones.”

And then, “We’re at 30 seconds and we’re about to start our countdown, but I just want to remind you one more time that we want a big, live response for the Rolling Stones.”

So by that point, we were not only pissed they weren’t live, we were pissed that the producer wouldn’t shut up about it.

At then the big screens came on, and Mick was there, live from Mormonland, and he says, “Thank you!” and walks off the stage.
And the stage is empty. And empty, and empty, and empty. Finally, after about 30 seconds of dead air, the Stones come on and start playing some fucking new song from their “No one gives a shit anymore, do they?” album. And the camera is WAY, WAY TOO FUCKING CLOSE to Mick's face. And there is an audible gasp from the audience. And then they cut to a close-up of Keith, and we all lower our eyes. Out of respect for the dead.

In other words, it’s about the perfect ending for the AMAs.

So thanks to James and Erin, for an awesomely heinous time. I loved every minute of it.

Seriously. You know it’s true. And now I gotta go wash the glitter off of my ass.

Congresswomen don't cut and run, bitch. Cowards do.

Jean Schmidt, when she is able to manage a fleeting public statement, swears she is really sorry for calling decorated war veteran John Murtha (D-PA) a coward.

And she didn't mean to completely misrepresent the Marine she claimed to be quoting when she called him a coward, either.

So she's really sorry for that, too.

Or she will be. When she's strong enough to show her face in public again.

Fourth Estate go boom

Did Tony Blair talk Bush out of bombing al-Jazeera?

The WH doesn't deny, but rather says "We are not interested in dignifying something so outlandish and inconceivable with a response."

Inconceivable!

I do not think he knows what that word means.

What a great name for a band. I wonder where they got that name?

Rick, Paula and Randy (who mysterious eluded the camera), AKA Banquet Hall, rocked The Scene Saturday night. Uh-huh, I'm talkin' 'bout Glendale. You got a fuckin' problem with that?

As soon as these motherfuckers get a motherfuckin' My Space page or some shit I will put up a link so YOU can catch their next show.

(thanks to Grooveva for the pic)

Mmmm...figgy pudding.

Christmas has always been my very very favorite time of year. As a little kid, I would sneak off from the family, or get up out of bed in the middle of the night and sit in the dark in the living room, watching the tree blink. To me, that tree was like a fairy or an angel sitting right there in my house. It was magical, I was pretty sure.

And I believed Linus when he told me what the true meaning of Christmas was every year. Oh, yes. Not that part about the little baby Jesus so much as the message that all of us, everywhere, should take advantage of the annual chance to live our lives anew, start over, and try to love humanity once more.

So even though I am a raving atheist, I got zero problem with Christmas. I love it. Every carol, every decoration, every tv special. Okay, not Frosty. But all the others.

So I am perhaps especially sensitive to the charge that us non-God types are trying to ruin Christmas for all the Christians. And this is a charge that I have heard since I was a little girl. Alot. Maybe because I grew up in John Birch Societyland, Indiana.

Anyway, I don't think it's anymore true now than it was then, no matter what Bill O'Fuckface says.

Salon has the story.

Would you mess with this guy?

The House was thrown into chaos friday by protesting Democrats. What were they so bothered about?

One of their number had been insulted, of course. What else gets a reaction out of those guys?

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt drew boos and angry shouting from Democrats as she brought the U.S. House to a standstill Friday by implying that a
Democratic congressman who wants to pull troops out of Iraq is a coward.

Lawmakers were in the midst of a blistering debate on a resolution that called for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a decorated former Marine colonel, had pushed the measure to a vote.

Dressed in a red, white and blue suit, Schmidt, a Clermont County Republican and the most junior member of the House, took to the floor to protest the resolution.

She told her new colleagues of a phone call she had just received from freshman Ohio state Rep. Danny R. Bubp of West Union, a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve. "He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message - that cowards cut and run, Marines never do," said Schmidt, of Miami Township. "Danny and the rest of America and the world want the assurance from this body that we will see this through."

Really, bitch? You really want to call a former Marine Colonel and Vietnam vet with a bronze star and two purple hearts a coward?

Really?

In case you missed the whole Murtha setup:

WASHINGTON (AP) - An influential House Democrat who voted for the Iraq war called Thursday for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, another sign of growing unease in Congress about the conflict.

"It is time for a change in direction," said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., one of Congress' most hawkish Democrats. "Our military is suffering, the future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region."

House Republicans assailed Murtha's position as one of abandonment and surrender, and accused Democrats of playing politics with the war. "They want us to retreat. They want us to wave the white flag of surrender to the terrorists of the world," Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said in a statement.

Murtha estimated that all U.S. troops could be pulled out within six months. A decorated Vietnam veteran, he choked back tears during his remarks to reporters.Murtha's comments came just two days after the Senate voted to approve a statement that 2006 "should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty" to create the conditions for the phased withdrawal of U.S. forces.

In recent days, President Bush and other top administration officials have lashed out at critics of the war and have accused Democrats of advocating a "cut and run" strategy that will only embolden the insurgency.

Vice President Dick Cheney jumped into the fray Wednesday by assailing Democrats who contend the Bush administration manipulated intelligence on Iraq, calling their criticism "one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges ever aired in this city."

Murtha, a Marine intelligence officer in Vietnam, angrily shot back at Cheney: "I like guys who've never been there that criticize us who've been there. I like that. I like guys who got five deferments and never been there and send people to war, and then don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done."

Referring to Bush, Murtha added: "I resent the fact, on Veterans Day, he criticized Democrats for criticizing them."

Alright, that is the last straw!

Don't fucking mess with my man, assholes.

I canna do it, Cap'n! I need more time!

MSNBC:

LOS ANGELES - Plans to launch the remains of “Star Trek” actor James Doohan into space next month have been delayed pending more rocket engine tests, organizers said Wednesday.

Doohan, who played the “Star Trek” engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott on the TV series, died in July at age 85. In accord with his last wishes, his cremated remains were set to be launched into space by commercial flight operators Space Services.

Charles Chafer of Space Services said the flight, due to blast off from California, was likely to be delayed from Dec. 6 until at least February because engineers working on the Falcon One rocket wanted to do some more engine tests.

Today's hot fresh cup of hell

You know, if you're like me, you get out of bed in the morning largely spurred on by the belief that it really can't get much worse.

And then, without fail, every fucking day, it does:

The House narrowly approved a broad five-year budget plan early this morning that squeezes programs for the poor, for college students and for farmers, handing Republican leaders a hard-fought victory after weeks of resistance in GOP ranks.

The plan, which would save the government just under $50 billion, passed 217 to 215, with 14 Republicans joining all House Democrats in opposition...

But wait, there's more:

In the Senate, Republicans claimed a victory early Friday morning as senators voted 64 to 33 to approve a $60 billion tax-cutting package. Republicans defeated Democratic efforts to impose a temporary tax on the sale of oil priced over $40 a barrel. Under the bill, energy companies would have been taxed 50 percent on profits not reinvested in increasing domestic oil and gas supplies.

Well, shit, we can't have that. We can't have oil companies paying increased taxes to pay for that war they're going to profit from. That's un-American!

What's American, is taking the money away from student loans and food stamps.

BUSH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY DESTROYED BY FLOOD

Crawford, Texas -- A tragic flood this morning destroyed the personal library of President George W. Bush. The flood began in the presidential bathroom where both of the books were kept. Both of his books have been lost.

A presidential spokesman said the president was devastated, as he had almost finished coloring the second one. The White House tried to call FEMA but there was no answer.


(thanks to Alex)

Belated Movie Reviews: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, AKA The Michael Jackson E! True Hollywood Story

Okay, so I don't get out a lot to the movies. But I did get Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the same day it came out on DVD, thanks to some prudent Netflix queuing strategy.

Ah, Netflix! Best invention since the low-carb diet.

So, anyway, the movie. I thought C&CF was a Bill Cosby sweater-of-a-movie. It was colorful, and fantastic to look at, but basically soulless.

And quite frankly, I'm astounded that the Jackson estate hasn't sued.

Think about it. It's the story of a boy so abused by a parent that, although he is talented and successful in business, he remains a child mentally. He invites children over to his place and does horrible damage to them with the aid of his slavish employees and right under the noses of their parents.

Eerie, isn't it?

The only scene that was any fun was--yes, the scene with the squirrels. I liked those squirrels, man. Wow, when the squirrels are swarming all over Veruca Salt, I finally felt like something unexpected might happen, something that might evoke a response from me. But then they had to ruin the sequence by cutting back to one of the lamest oops-I-can't-get-the-door-open-in-an-emergency-even-though-you-really-want-me-to exchanges ever committed to film.

Tim Burton should stick to animation.

Johnny Depp should base his next character on...let's see, it's gotta be a musician. He's done Keith Richards already...

How about Dylan? Yeah, how about a remake of The Shining, with Depp playing the Nicolson character as Dylan?

Once upon a time Jack dressed so fine.
Once upon a time Jack dressed so fine.
Once upon a time Jack dressed so fine.
Once upon a time Jack dressed so fine.
Once upon a time Jack dressed so fine.

Just say NO to choking yourself, ya idiots

Can we PLEASE just legalize pot already?

LATimes this morning has a story on "The Choking Game," and one area teenager that died from it.

It's kinda like auto-erotic asphysiation without the wanking.

I know! What's the point of AEA unless you're jerking off?

Folks, that is one motherfucking desperate high, is what that is:

There's no way to know how widespread it is. The phenomenon has been discussed on talk shows and online forums. A chat group begun last summer by bereaved parents has more than 50 members and maintains a list of more than 70 deaths.

Yet experts have been slow to document the practice and its widespread appeal.Children play the game by compressing the carotid arteries in their necks, reducing blood flow and oxygen to the brain. That produces a momentary loss of consciousness, preceded by lightheadedness. When they release the pressure, a surge of pent-up blood flows to the brain, creating a euphoric rush.

They do it in groups, at parties, at sleepovers, in school locker rooms and in lavatories. But they've added a dangerous element to a game some of their parents played as children. Now instead of just squeezing one another, they wrap belts, ropes, ties, dog leashes, even bicycle chains around their necks to produce the fainting sensation.This allows the game to be played alone, when one mistake — a belt too short, a rope too tight — can doom a child.

"These are typically not kids who are using drugs, but they're doing it for the same reason that kids use substances," explains Julie Rosenbluth of the American Council for Drug Education. "It's an opportunity to get high that doesn't have the stigma [of drugs] attached to it."

Stigma of drugs? Shit.

Let's talk about a motherfuckin' stigma. How about the stigma of dying for a high you could get from a whipped cream canister?

Jesus.

Uh...I think you're supposed to HEAR the ocean

The ancestors of the first residents of what is now Malibu, the Chumash Indians, participated in an ancient ritual to celebrate the token speck of land they are being awarded by the state of CA to build a "demonstration village."

And they're probably grateful and everything, too. Which, I'm sorry, is just fucking pathetic. I say give Malibu back to the Chumash and let Jack Nicolson live in Beverly Hills with the rest of the assholes. Johnny Carson's dead, and he was the only celebrity with any right to the place anyway.

Oh, I could have imagined it, Jimmy

Our 37th President:

"Another disturbing realization is that, unlike during other times of national crisis, the burden of conflict is now concentrated exclusively on the few heroic men and women sent back repeatedly to fight in the quagmire of Iraq. The rest of our nation has not been asked to make any sacrifice, and every effort has been made to conceal or minimize public awareness of casualties.

Instead of cherishing our role as the great champion of human rights, we now find civil liberties and personal privacy grossly violated under some extreme provisions of the Patriot Act.

Of even greater concern is that the U.S. has repudiated the Geneva accords and espoused the use of torture in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, and secretly through proxy regimes elsewhere with the so-called extraordinary rendition program. It is embarrassing to see the president and vice president insisting that the CIA should be free to perpetrate "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment" on people in U.S. custody.

Instead of reducing America's reliance on nuclear weapons and their further proliferation, we have insisted on our right (and that of others) to retain our arsenals, expand them, and therefore abrogate or derogate almost all nuclear arms control agreements negotiated during the last 50 years. We have now become a prime culprit in global nuclear proliferation. America also has abandoned the prohibition of "first use" of nuclear weapons against nonnuclear nations, and is contemplating the previously condemned deployment of weapons in space.

Protection of the environment has fallen by the wayside because of government subservience to political pressure from the oil industry and other powerful lobbying groups. The last five years have brought continued lowering of pollution standards at home and almost universal condemnation of our nation's global environmental policies.

Our government has abandoned fiscal responsibility by unprecedented favors to the rich, while neglecting America's working families. Members of Congress have increased their own pay by $30,000 per year since freezing the minimum wage at $5.15 per hour (the lowest among industrialized nations).

I am extremely concerned by a fundamentalist shift in many houses of worship and in government, as church and state have become increasingly intertwined in ways previously thought unimaginable.'

Well that's too bad, because goddamn I love a parade

Who leaked Valerie Plame's name to Bob "still relevant, dammit" Woodward?

NYT:

A senior administration official said that neither President Bush himself, nor his chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., nor his counselor, Dan Bartlett, was Mr. Woodward's source. So did spokesmen for former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell; the former director of central intelligence, George J. Tenet; and his deputy, John E. McLaughlin.

A lawyer for Karl Rove, the deputy White House chief of staff who has acknowledged
conversations with reporters about the case and remains under investigation, said Mr. Rove was not Mr. Woodward's source. Mr. Cheney did not join the parade of denials. A spokeswoman said he would have no comment on a continuing investigation.

oh perfect

Sidney Blumenthal:

"In Rome last week, a leading Italian political figure of the center-left told me he was opposed to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq -- contrary to the public stance of the left coalition. According to his reasoning, Iraq has become a magnet and training center for terrorists, and if the U.S. withdraws the terrorists might come to Europe. I later learned that this was a common analysis of European intelligence agencies as well."

Shut the fuck up, you self-involved little twit.

Salon:

Gwyneth Paltrow on juggling motherhood and fame: "I sort of look at some peers of mine and I think, 'No, you've got it all wrong.' I just want to tell them all to have babies and be happy, and not get sucked into that Hollywood thing."

God, I hate her.

The other day, I was watching that Meet the Fockers movie, and suddenly it occurred to me that her mother, Blythe Danner, sucked ass in just about every scene.

But it might not be Blythe's fault. I've always liked Blythe Danner, and she really rocked in The Great Santini, so I'm thinking that her daughter's lack of discernable talent and general simpishness might be tainting her by association, psychologically, in my mind.

Fuck Massachusetts. Hard. In the ass. By a dog.

Oh, those freepers! They are gleefully declaring Repub nut job Rick Santorum was right about gay marraige in Massachusetts leading to man-on-dog unions.

The MA legislature is now considering a bill that would abolish several archaic "morality" laws, including those that make fornication, adultery, and sodomy illegal. In the process, the bill also lessens the minimum penalty for bestiality, although it does not alter the maximum penalty - 20 years.

Now, just to set the record straight with anyone who may be misled by the right-wing blogs, I am a Democrat, and I am NOT in favor of bestiality.

Yes, we do exist!

Really, if you can't get someone to have sex with you, your hand should be good enough, okay? Or get yourself one of those plastic blow-up dolls like the one pictured below.

Do not have sex with animals. It spreads disease, I think. And it's just fucking pathetic, besides.

In fact, instead of having sex with an animal, I recommend you just fucking kill yourself, really.

I'm not kidding.

Because your life is not going to get any better.

But come on, 20 years? People who rape PEOPLE don't get 20 years!

(thanks to GirlGenius for the pic)

Cripes, PBS is boring enough

Former CPB chairman Kenneth Tomlinson resigned earlier this month in advance of what we now know to be a very damning report on his performance.

Turns out, in attempting to makeover PBS into a tool of the Bush administration, he may have broken a few...well...laws.

Federal laws.

No, I don't mean giving Tucker Carlson his own show, although jeez that should be illegal, huh?

Restoring honor and integrity to the White House

CNN:

When asked if they trust Bush more than they had Clinton, 48 percent of respondents said they trusted Bush less, while 36 percent said they trusted him more and 15 percent said they trusted Bush the same as Clinton.

Agenda: 1. own all media 2. denigrate Kazakhstan

If you've seen Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat on the fucking hilarious Da Ali G Show, you'll love this story. If not, don't bother.

Cohen recently hosted the European version of the MTV awards as Borat. Borat is from Kazakhstan. Borat has some interesting ideas about the proper treatment of women, goats, and Jews.

Kazakh foreign ministry spokesman Yerzhan Ashykbayev has hinted that they may take some kind of legal action against Cohen in order to prevent him from portraying their countrymen as anti-Semitic wife-beating retards.

But here's the best part. Ashykbayev speculates on Cohen's motivation:

"We do not rule out that Mr Cohen is serving someone's political order designed to present Kazakhstan and its people in a derogatory way."

Hm. Someone's political order? Someone with a name kinda like Cohen's name, you mean?

We already established what you are, now we're just haggling over price.

Okay, so you've heard this portion of a memo Alito wrote when applying for a position as Deputy Assistant Attorney General during the Reagan administration: "I am particularly proud of my contributions in recent cases in which the government has argued in the Supreme Court that racial and ethnic quotas should not be allowed and that the Constitution does not protect a right to abortion."

In a meeting with CA Dem whore-senator Diane Feinstein today, Feinstein said Alito described his reason for the above statement thusly: 'It was different then. I was an advocate seeking a job. It was a political job."

What the fuck is he doing now? So NOW he's telling the truth that he accepts Roe as precedent? Or rather, not telling, but hinting at the truth? Fuck that noise.

And Feinstein of course described Alito's semi-sorta-recantation of his earlier lie/opinion as "sincere."

Do I smell a whoring in the works?

Big Dick - and I don't mean Cheney

A GAO report confirms what we all knew anyway: BushCo appointees interfered with the FDA drug-approval process to make sure Plan B would not get approved.

I've taken some heat from readers who think my stance on the whole Christian/fucking thing is a little harsh. But consider this: our president will not say in public that any kind of birth control is ever appropriate, ever. He refuses to acknowledge any kind of family planning method beyond bloodlust, alcohol abuse and a tight jockstrap.

I mean, come on, would you fuck this man?

I know, I know, sister. The package. He's got a big one, right?

How do I know? Because it's possible he could be padding.

I know because only an a guy with a really big dick would continue to believe himself suave, and amusing, and in control when all other evidence suggests otherwise.

J.Cruel

J. Crew uses real fur in their garments.

Their get their fur from China.

It is documented that Chinese fur suppliers frequently use cat and dog fur, and mis-label the fur as being from another animal species.

If you don't care about wearing fox or rabbit, maybe you care about wearing doggie or kitty?

If so, sign the petition.

Once again, Bush's pants on fire

I knew this was bullshit as soon as I heard it come out of his mouth:

"more than 100 Democrats in the House and the Senate, who had access to the same intelligence, voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power."

Not to defend those lily-livered Dems who voted for the war, but they most certainly did not have access to the same intelligence as the president.

Threatening potential disaster victims: It's the lord's work

Yay. The school board in Dover PA has been wiped clean of those trying to push "creationism in a cheap tuxedo," aka "intelligent design" into the science classes of their public schools. The new board, all of whom are Christians by the way, decided instead that alternatives to evolution can be discussed in elective courses, possibly Philosophy or World Religions.

Sounds like a reasonable response, yeah? Personally, I got no problem with it.

But Pat Robertson does:

"I’d like to say to the good citizens of Dover. If there is a disaster in your area, don’t turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city. And don’t wonder why He hasn’t helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I’m not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that’s the case, don’t ask for His help because he might not be there."

What a jack ass.

Unlike Dover, PA, the citizens of Kansas have decided to wear their cheap tuxedo with pride, recently enshrining "intelligent design" in their state public school curriculum. Not to be outdone, other states, including such bastions of rational thought as Alabama and (my home state!) Indiana, and also Michigan are currently considering leaping on the short bus to stupidville as well.

The weaker vessel

WaPo:

The Rishawi confession dominated news in Amman on Sunday, and Jordanians were riveted by the sight of the plain-looking woman who had apparently set out to kill with abandon.

"No one can expect this strange attitude from such a woman," said Mejdi Nuaimat, 23, a computer engineering student. "It is very weird because we know that women do not have the same strength and belief in the issue of jihad like men. We do not consider this jihad; we consider it against Islam and against humanity."

Rafat Nasir, 30, manager of the De Cano cafe in Amman, said he was shocked by the disclosure that a woman might have been involved.

"In such a stable and secure country, no one can expect this terrified experience, especially in Amman," he said. "It is a new method of bringing a woman to explode herself in cold blood."

Maybe I've been in LA too long

Last weekend, I walked out of my Georgetown, Colorado hotel room to discover that the whole town had been blanketed in Anthrax!

Not to worry, I alerted Homeland Security.

End of Faith, part 5: Perfect Faith

Read part 4

"A man’s faith is just a subset of his beliefs about the world: beliefs about matters of ultimate concern that we, as a culture, have told him he need not justify in the present. It is time we recognized just how maladaptive this Balkanization of our discourse has become. All pretensions to theological knowledge should now be seen from the perspective of a man who was just beginning his day on the one hundredth floor of the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001, only to find his meandering thoughts—of family and friends, of errands run and unrun, of coffee in need of sweetener—inexplicably usurped by a choice of terrible starkness and simplicity: between being burned alive by jet fuel or leaping one thousand feet to the concrete below. In fact, we should take the perspective of thousands of such men, women, and children who were robbed of life far sooner than they imagined possible, in absolute terror and confusion. The men who committed the atrocities of September 11 were certainly not “cowards,” as they were repeatedly described in the Western media, nor were they lunatics in any ordinary sense. They were men of faith—perfect faith, as it turns out—and this, it must finally be acknowledged, is a terrible thing to be."

- Sam Harris

Judith Miller is just so full of shit

Renee Montagne takes a small chunk out of the bitch.

Ladies and gentlemen, the governor of the California

"If I were to do another Terminator movie, I would have the Terminator travel back in time to tell Arnold not to have a special election."

LATimes

Not always accountable

From Salon's interview with Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, scapegoat of Abu Ghraib:

Do you feel like Rumsfeld is at the heart of all of this and should be held completely accountable for what happened?
Yes, absolutely. And so should his sidekick, [Undersecretary of Defense Stephen]Cambone. Really, I don't have anything against Alberto Gonzales, but he was involved in the discussions about the departure from Geneva Conventions and dealing with terrorists. So why isn't he somewhat accountable? Pappas is still on active duty. Sanchez, still on active duty. Fast, promoted and still on active duty, sergeant major of the Army. How are they silencing these guys or maintaining their silence? They're under the control of Rumsfeld, under the control of the active component.

Do you think that your case is hurt by the fact that you don't really, in your book or otherwise, take on much responsibility for any role you might have had?
Well, I can tell you that I think -- I know -- that it's unfair to suggest, which they did from the beginning, that I allowed this to happen, that somehow I had knowledge and I allowed this to happen. That is untrue.

But this happened under your watch, and you haven't really come forward saying, 'I made a lot of mistakes.' I felt that the book suggests that being a scapegoat, which you unquestionably are, somehow exempts you from any responsibility at all.

From failures. No. That's a good point. Maybe I didn't do it with enough effort, but I've said in interviews and otherwise, Hold me responsible for the things I could control. And there were a lot of mistakes made in Iraq. But when you then say well, yes, we didn't do this as well as we could have, or this was a failure, I can tell you that we were so close to being in violation of the Geneva Conventions, just on the conditions for the prisoners. But then it goes to we couldn't get funding. Why? Because the funds were being looted by American contractors. People can't believe all of this. They can't get their arms around all of it. So what they were comfortable with, from the beginning, was to associate my name with those photographs forever. Because without understanding all of the details or asking about the details, people would say, "Oh, Karpinski? Yes, those photographs, Lynndie England, Karpinski, Graner, Karpinski."

Now, I'm finding that, particularly with the book tour, people are saying, "What did the soldiers say?" And when I say, "I don't know because I've never had an opportunity to speak to any one of them," it's like a light bulb goes off over their head. Oh, so they really did deny you access? Absolutely, and continued to.

And yes, we made mistakes. We didn't do everything perfectly. It was never pretty. But I'll be damned if 3,400 soldiers are going to be charged as being guilty by association with the 800th M.P. Brigade. That is unfair. And Bremer comes back, $8 billion is missing, and he just simply says it was a war, we're not always accountable.

I said no, dang it!

The voters, confused and angry, channeled Nancy Reagan.

The guvernator blamed the loss on "negative ads."

It cost us 50 million dollars.

I got an idea: No more proposition-only elections. Why the fuck should I drag my tired ass to that tired polling place time after time voting down somebody else's stupid-ass idea?

That's what we elect representatives for, right?

Judy & Scooter, sittin' in a tree...

Well, I guess Judy Miller and the NYTimes have come to an agreement on how much they're going to pay her to walk away.

Chapter 8: In which our hero calls the kettle black.

This last weekend, I was shut in a room for 2 days with a number of stay-at-home moms, working on a craft project.

Yeah, I know. Let’s just say that y’all don’t know everything about me, okay? You don’t know the secret Martha Stewart-type shit I go home and craft when no one else is looking.

So anyway, these women. As much as I tried to tune out the incessant chatter about food, husbands, food, kids, food, I couldn’t help but notice a couple of things:

1. No swearing allowed. No politics, no religion, no world events except to say how sad something is, as in “So sad to see all those people homeless after that hurricane.” Now, why is that, exactly? We’re all adult women. What is this self-imposed censorship, and why can’t I say fuck if I want to?

2. Kids. No one listens to what anyone else says about their kids. They pretend to listen, but really they are just waiting until it is their turn to talk about their own kids. Consequently, no one learns anything about being a parent from their peers. What’s more, they don’t learn anything about their peers, and don’t learn anything about themselves, either. They’re all flying solo, even though they have this incredible resource of experience sitting all around them babbling about soccer games and membership dues and meals you can make in 10 minutes.

3. Okay, I love food. Good food. I actually think about food a lot: what will I eat for my next meal, where will I get it, what beverage will go with it, etc. But these women were absolutely fucking obsessed with food. Especially desserts. Especially chocolate. And it’s fucking pathetic how excited they get talking about cheesecake, man. I think there is definitely some sublimation going on there, if ya catch my drift, which brings me to…

4. Husbands. Wow, there is some fucked-up shit in the marital unit, and I say that as a 2-time loser myself. What it comes down to, I think, is that all the energy goes toward the partnership, and the relationship that began it all is forgotten. It becomes about who’s done what, and who is slacking, who executes the household tasks correctly, and who fails to do so. What happens to the affection, the consideration? What happens to the fucking good manners? I mean, does leaving the milk out on the counter really warrant such condemnation? Really? Is getting in the way while someone’s shaving really all that irritating, or do we just descend into the marriage game of counting coup and find ourselves unable to extricate ourselves from it? And if it becomes about that, then how the hell do you stop guarding your turf and once again become the people who can shut the door and do sweaty, nasty, intimate animal things to each other? Is it any wonder that that part of our lives practically vanishes the longer the marriage, the longer the tally sheet becomes? Because we need to be able to be those people. We need it. And if we don’t get it, we start to dress like shit and dream about cheesecake and vote Republican.

And do crafts.

Ooops. Turns out we DO torture.

Our bad.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 - A classified report issued last year by the Central Intelligence Agency's inspector general warned that interrogation procedures approved by the C.I.A. after the Sept. 11 attacks might violate some provisions of the international Convention Against Torture, current and former intelligence officials say.

The previously undisclosed findings from the report, which was completed in the spring of 2004, reflected deep unease within the C.I.A. about the interrogation procedures, the officials said. A list of 10 techniques authorized early in 2002 for use against terror suspects included one known as waterboarding, and went well beyond those authorized by the military for use on prisoners of war.

Waterboarding? Are you fucking kidding me?

Personally, I don't know whether to laugh or cry

From an AP story on a report that says women enjoy humor more than men:

"Women appeared to have less expectation of a reward, which in this case was the punch line of the cartoon," said [research team leader Dr. Allan] Reiss. "So when they got to the joke's punch line, they were more pleased about it."

I don't know about the rest of you gals, but I've known for years that the secret to happiness is lowered expectations.

Your Bells On Voting Guide

For my CA readers, a guide to voting in today's ridiculously expensive and unecessary election:

Prop. 73 - NO
Prop. 74 - NO
Prop. 75 - NO
Prop. 76 - NO
Prop. 77 - NO
Prop. 78 - NO

Prop. 79 - YES
Prop. 80 - YES

If you don't know where your voting place is, click here: http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_ppl.htm

morning after in America

For 2 YEARS the FDA has held up approval of Plan B as an over-the-counter medication.

Plan B is emergency contraception, basically a large dose of birth control pills. Like birth control pills, Plan B prevents implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterine lining, thus preventing pregnancy.

You can see where this is going, right? The nutjobs on the religious right (btw, do we even have to say "religious" right anymore? Can't we just say "the right"? I mean, they have taken over the right, right?) are opposing FDA approval, because they're equating the prevention of implantation with abortion.

Think about this.

I'll give you a second.

Birth control pills = abortion. It also means IUD = abortion.

Think about that, the next time you think that maybe some limits on abortion aren't all that bad. Think about that, the next time you hear about a parental or spousal notification law, or 24 hour waiting period law, or a ban on "partial birth" abortions, and think that women's rights are not being seriously impugned. Think about that, the next time YOU PRESUME TO MAKE ANOTHER WOMEN'S DECISION FOR HER, especially you, you non-cunt-having piece of shit control freak bastards in the U.S. House of Representatives.

And in the meantime, until the FDA gets out from under the BushCo thumb, pass along this URL:

http://www.getthepill.com/

It's a website for women who need a prescription for Plan B, and it's run by Dr. Matt Wise of New Mexico.

One of the good guys.

And please, something needs to be done about these Christians and their fear of fucking.

Now, I know Christians aren't the only religious people that are scared of fucking, okay? But they're the ones in control here, aren't they? So, please, if you can, fuck a Christian.

But nicely. Leave 'em wanting more, as they say. Show them it's good. Fucking is good. In fact, fucking is great. Fucking is better than sex, even.

So for the sake our all of our rights, fuck a Christian today.

But remember...use a rubber.

Pants on fire

I don't get it.

If you're opposed to banning torture, then you're pro-torture, right?

So why so shy, W?:

"We are finding terrorists and bringing them to justice. We are gathering information about where the terrorists may be hiding. We are trying to disrupt their plots and plans. Anything we do … to that end in this effort, any activity we conduct, is within the law. We do not torture."

Liar.

Liar liar liar.

Hope for the Israel/Palestine conflict

Thanks to JackJo for the pic.

I know it's only Geritol, but I like it

The LA Times "pop music critic," while arguing the relevance of arguably the oldest/greatest rock-n-roll band ever, opened his review with the following unintentionally hilarious sentence:

"The Rolling Stones surrendered their "world's greatest rock 'n' roll band" title long ago to U2, but on their current tour the ageless musicians are in position for the first time in years to prove they are still a relevant unit."

Huh?

The Stones surrendered their world's greatest rock 'n' roll band title to U2?

When was that? 1985?

And what did U2 do with it, surrender it to Oasis?

Seriously, he's making that claim with a straight face? And in a sentence in which he questions whether the Stones are still "relevant?"

Don't they have editors at the LA Times? Editors who know what irony means?

Look, I got nothing against U2. I got nothing against geezer rock, either. But I do know 2 things:

1. The Stones are not "relevant."
2. Neither is U2.

Unless you work in advertising, that is, in which case you got to admire the U2 PR machine.

Apparently they got the LA Times in their pocket.

What happens when you don't have children

Picture of me and Lonesome Comet.

She abandoned her normally obsequious personality to play "Devil Dog" for the trick-or-treaters this year.

Cute? You betcha.

No such animal

Interview with an honest boss.

Thanks to KayKu for the link.

Jesus, I am fuckin' old

Do you know how depressing it is to be at a Halloween party, and no one can figure out your costume is because they weren't BORN YET when that show was on tv?

Who could turn the world on with her smile?

Who could take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?

Well, it's you girl, and you should know it.

With each glance and every little movement you show it.

Love is all around no need to waste it.

You can never tell why don't you take it?

You might just make it after all.

That's right, Mar!

Yeah. Buttheads.

Is it just me, or has the discourse in Washington taken a deep deep plunge?

WH Press Sec Scott McClellan, who admittedly must be under a lot of pressure these days and is feelin', like, 0 love from the WH press corp, is becoming snarkier than a Beverly Hills stylist on Oscar night:

"If Democrats want to talk about the threat that Saddam Hussein posed and the intelligence, they might want to start with looking at the previous administration and their own statements that they've made."

Upgrade = if the cheaper one doesn't work, don't come crying to us.

The geniuses at 5th Circle of Cubicle Hell have finally broken the advertising executive's code.

Boxer: not convinced

California's non-whore senator, Barbara Boxer, missed yesterday's Senate bitch party because she was on her way to NYC to promote her new book on the Daily Show.

When host Jon Stewart praised her for her vote against the war in Iraq, Boxer stated that she voted against the war because she was never convinced that the evidence indicated a liklihood of WMD.

And as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Subcommitte on International Operations and Terrorism, she would know, wouldn't she? Because she, like many other senators, saw the "evidence" offered by the administration.

Interesting. This flies in the face of all the assertions of the Senate's "moderate" Dems--and yes, I am looking at you Mr. Kerry, and wipe that smile off your face Hillary because I am looking at you, too-- who swore up and down that the evidence they were presented for WMD's was really convincing. Seriously. Convincing.

But when we get behind closed doors, and you let your hair hang down, then you make me glad that I'm a man...

For the first time in 25 years, one party in the Senate has initiated Rule 21 without notifying the other party.

Predictably, the other party's pissed.

Rule 21 allows one lone senator to move that the Senate session be closed to everyone but the Senators. All reporters, visitors, aides, etc. must leave, and the doors are locked. No record is kept of the proceedings.

This procedure apparrently allows Senators to speak their minds without it coming back to haunt them in print later.

The result of all this is that the Senate finally finally finally appointed a bi-partisan panel to "report on the progress of a Senate intelligence committee report on prewar intelligence."

Huh?

Yeah, well hang on. This is the second part of the Senate's report on prewar intelligence. The first part already concluded that there were no WMD's in Iraq.

Yes, it's true.

The long-delayed second part, which the Repubs have been promising they would get to really soon, they swear, right after the holidays and really really soon after they take care of this other stuff on they've been working on that's important, and oh yeah, they really have been promising their staffs for years now that they would re-organize their filing systems...

But really soon, really, pinkie-swear, they would get to the second part, which examines why everyone thought they DID have WMD's in Iraq.

Oh, so yeah. Yeah, they might not be too eager to air that old blanket out, eh? Who knows what they may find hiding underneath THAT.

Rule 21 (BTW, didn't they play my sister's birthday party, like, three years ago?) was invoked by Senate Minority "Leader" Harry Reid, who had this to say for himself:

"Finally, after months and months and months of begging, cajoling, writing letters, we're finally going to be able to have phase two of the investigation regarding how the intelligence was used to lead us into the intractable war in Iraq."

Well, if that isn't a telling insight into the Democratic strategy in the Senate, I don't know what is.

Doesn't the whole thing smack of high-school student council antics to you?

No?

Well wait, listen to Majority Leader Frist's response to the Dem's tactics:

"They have no convictions, they have no principles, they have no ideas." Never before had he been "slapped in the face with such an affront," he said, adding: "For the next year and a half, I can't trust Senator Reid."

Reid responded that it was Frist who slapped first:

"It's a slap in the face to the American people that this investigation has been stymied."

Frist then asserted that Reid thought he was "King Shit of Turd Island."

Reid's response to Frist: I know you are but what am I?

Frist: You think you're hot but you're not.

Reid: I know you are but what am I?

Frist: Stop saying that! Retard.

Reid: I know you are but what am I?

Frist: Shut up!

Reid: Shut up.

Frist: I mean it!

Reid: I mean it.

Frist: Quit copying me!

Reid: Quit copying me.


I hear they're going to have a dance contest to settle the conflict.

Looking forward to seeing a few Repubs get served!

Boo-yeah!

BushCo: remaking America by court order since 2000

Somebody, please, explain to me why new SCOTUS nominee Alito, who declared the Family Medical and Leave Act unconstitutional, was not legislating from the bench, but the judges who declared that the Mass. anti-gay marraige bill was unconstitutional were legislating from the bench.

'Cause I really wanna know.

After all, Bush did say "We will not stand for judges who undermine democracy by legislating from the bench and try to remake America by court order."

Not that anyone ever holds Bush to one thing that he says.

(the following paragraphs are for bitter liberals only)

Clinton was vilified, and I do mean vilified, in the press for not remaking the US military overnight because he said in his '92 campaign that gays should not be discriminated against in the military. And I believe the resulting fuss, mostly whipped up by a hypocritical Washington press corp who were out to see Clinton fail rather than deal seriously with the issue at hand, was part of the reason his administration did fail to enact a decent policy in that area. Within 1 month of his inauguration, the US press was repeatedly referring (with a straight face) to the "failed Clinton presidency."

Does anyone remember that? The failed Clinton presidency? Can you imagine if BushCo were subjected to anything remotely approaching that kind of scrutiny?

So Libby will cop a plea then, right?

WaPo speculates about what a Libby trial would mean for BushCo:

If Libby's case goes to trial, Addington and Hannah are only two of the many White House officials -- including Cheney himself -- who could be forced to testify about how they handled intelligence, dealt with the media and built the argument for the Iraq war, according to people close to the case. Republicans worry that Libby's court fight will force President Bush to deal with the prospect of top officials testifying and embarrassing disclosures of how the White House operates and treats critics.