Saturday Night Smackdown

A Place to Bury Strangers - I Know I'll See You
vs.
Clan of Xymox - Muscoviet Musquito

the Hypocrite in Chief

this report, live from Bizarro World.
206 days & counting
(TGIF, indeed)

most embarassing item of the day

Preznit Chimpy explaining his love for Filipino-Americans to
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo.
sheesh, nearly 8 years on the world stage & this guy is still an idiot.

most surreal item of the day

irony challenged Karl Rove actually said the following on FNC, in response to a NYT article that he claims leaked the identity of a CIA agent:

"Well, I read their explanation. And basically, it sounded to me like they were saying we put his name out there because we decided we could. And I mean, they didn’t have a good explanation for it."
“[T]hey’ve got a very callous view about our nation’s security and interests,”

this from the guy who did his own part in outing Valerie Plame. nice.
(h/t C&L, et al)

god or demagogue

seems there's a bit of a dust up brewing between James Dobson & Barack Obama. there's a great analysis by Frank Schaeffer over at HuffPo of why Dobson's attack may actually help Obama garner some of the evangelical vote this year.

"If you're one of many Americans who thinks that the war in Iraq was a mistake or believe that the Republicans have run the economy into the ground or think that perhaps the chaos George Bush unleashed in our foreign affairs has something to do with the price of gas at the pump... then you have Dr. Dobson to thank -- personally. No one worked harder to get Bush elected then reelected. Dobson delivered his millions of dupes. But now many of them see through him and like most Americans, are appalled by Bush."
"As a result of his power grabs and bullying of other evangelicals, not to mention his telling people how to vote and pointing them to the failed W, Dobson & Co. have zero credibility with a growing number of otherwise conservative evangelicals who happen--this year--to be looking favorably at Senator Obama's holistic Christian-based world view. Unlike Dobson they like Obama's theology just fine."

dinosaurs like Dobson, & for that matter McCain, need to realize that their extinction is nigh.
their kind of divisive politics has run it's course & even people in their own party are waking up to the utter failure of BushCo. over the past 7.5 years.
there is an interesting comparison of what Obama actually said & what Dobson claims that he said at this site.
it won't come as a big surprise that Dobson is distorting & outright lying in his attacks.
the best quote from Dobson though is this:

“I think [Obama is] deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own world view, his own confused theology”

this very distortion is what people like Dobson, Falwell, Pat Robertson have built their lives & careers on. the complete lack of self awareness in this statement runs to the core of the hypocrisy of the religious right.

Saturday Night Special

Robert Fripp - Soundscape

House capitulates on FISA

"It is reverse engineering. The type of thing the Bush administration is famous for and now the Democrats are doing. That is to change the law to conform to past conduct. It’s what any criminal would love to do."

House Dems led by Steny Hoyer hand BushCo. & the Telecomms a golden "Get Out of Jail Free" card here.
completely shameful.
oh yeah, Scott McClellan is testifying before congress on more BuchCo. crimes. I'm sure nothing will come of this either.
whatta country.

1st ad of the season

here's Barack Obama's 1st ad of the general election season.
it's focus is to educate people on just who he is. it's not airing
in Illinois, because frankly we already know how great he is.

McCain & the Enron Loophole

this is a must see to understand just how we have arrived at the skyrocketing prices at the pump, & who helped us get here.

humpday interlude

the Jam - Town Called Malice

birds on a chimney

Al Gore endorses Obama

it'a about time.

more glorious than ever

My Bloody Valentine hit the stage last Friday (13th, fitting?) at ICA in London. unbelievable, considering the legendary fits & starts to rumor after rumor over the last 16(!?)years, that this moment would ever come to pass. NME has a review of the show here. & Bilinda is more gorgeous than ever in this photostreamfrom the show. can hardly wait for their stopover in Chicago this fall.

Saturday Night Special

Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - Johnny Appleseed

voting Republican?

so, just WHY are YOU voting Republican this year?

humpday interlude

Aimee Mann - Borrowing Time

terrorists among us

clear evidence via MediaMatters.

more on Sebelius

HuffPo has a great, concise profile of Gov. Sebelius & how, in their words, she completes the 'Obama Puzzle'. She's also no slouch when it comes to standing up to BushCo.

"In May 2007, after a devastating tornado had wiped out the town of Greensburg, Sebelius was quick to highlight one of the unspoken truths of the recovery episode: Kansas lacked the resources and manpower it needed because much of the state's National Guard resources had been sent to Iraq. Going public, she "repeatedly took jabs at Bush, scolding his Iraq policies for creating a readiness gap at home. Her rebukes earned her accolades in Kansas and with the press. It also prompted the scorn of several Bush lackeys -- a not-too-unfortunate wrist slapping for an emerging Democratic official."

"The Bush confrontation was emblematic of how Sebelius has curried broad support. After tornadoes hit six southwest Kansas counties, killing thirteen, Sebelius publicly declared that National Guard shortages "will just make it [recovery] that much slower." The White House responded by first putting the blame at her feet, saying it was "not aware of any prior complaints" about a lack of personnel or equipment, and then suggesting that the governor had been in New Orleans, listening to jazz, when the storm hit. Neither were true. Sebelius had made at least five separate requests for equipment, beginning in Dec. 2005, and, on the day of the storm, she had been visiting family before immediately returning to the state."

According to a source close to Sebelius, the governor didn't take lightly to the smears. During a visit to the tornado site with the president, she reportedly continued to hammer away with her guard complaints. Kansans of all political stripes loved it."

"In 2005, she was named by Time magazine one of the five best governors in America, lauded for eliminating a $1.1 billion debt without raising taxes. Her approval ratings, meanwhile, hover over 60 percent. Officials at the Democratic Governors Association -- which Sebelius chaired in 2007 -- repeatedly raved about her work ethic."

54 years ago today

so, how was your weekend?

(more video here)
holy crap, indeed.

dream ticket

Obama/Sebelius

here's a couple of reminders of just why.

Saturday Night Setlist

latest, lamest GOP meme

okay, this is MY 'Most Ridiculous Item of the Day"...
the GOP is pushing the meme that Barack Obama is a...
wait for it... a...
Marxist!
a Marxist!?
I'm sorry, I thought we were living in 2008,
but it seems we're back in 1955.
ridiculous.

can o' whupass

the new sheriff in town

finally, a Dem w/the hutzpah to let Joe have IT.
this has been a long time coming. (oh, & there's video)

bringing the funny

the sad just gets sadder

the little, snotty nosed kid from next door, just won't GO AWAY.

cottage cheese in a lime jello salad*

oh yeah, the Crypt Keeper gave a speech last night
to a couple dozen supporters.

even the pundits were at a loss.

(*via Atrios)

Obama clinches it!

...finally.
or so it would seem. Clinton refuses to go quietly into that good night. there was no hint of concession from her last night. some speculate that she is maneuvering for her political life. . regardless, Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States. there is no way, barring a Roveian type steal, that McCain can beat Obama in a head to head match up. it will be interesting to watch him try, though.

all over but the crying

our long, national nightmare is almost over.
at least until the general election kicks into high gear.

springtime, ...

... when a young dog's fancy turns to love.