TiVo Alert

The best show ever on television is now back on television. Homicide: Life on the Street re-runs are on the new(ish) Sleuth channel. Total fluke that I even found this—Sleuth is right below the Noggin and Nick Jr zone on the DirecTV menu—and while looking for something for Ruby to watch at 8:00 a.m., there it was... She's lucky I didn't make her start the day with Pembleton in "The Box."

Links or Patties? Links, please.

Just because I'm hardly blogging these days doesn't mean I haven't been reading. I meant to expand on some of these, and may yet, but in the meantime, here are some of the better things I've read over the last week or two...

No Decency, No Shame
Hilzoy at Obsdian Wings writes the definitive piece (with the help of two links) on the veteran's health care / Walter Reed fucking fiasco.

How Dick Cheney Helped Al Qaeda
Hunter over at Daily Kos penned a fantastic piece a couple weeks ago about Cheney—ripping him for his false bravado and abject failure in the War on Terror. One of the best thing I've read at Kos in a long-ass time.

This Week’s KSK Mock Draft:
TV Characters We’d Like to Murder
Yes, that's exactly what it sounds like. Mike and Otto Man do yeoman's work in the comments. Since I was the 85th commenter, I was pleased to find that Chaka had slipped that far.

Privitization Kills
Tim F. at Balloon Juice has a great post on Walter Reed and how fucked-up, Bush "conservative" ideology trumped caring for wounded soldiers. Money quote:

Let this sink in for a moment. Iraq, the singular focus of this administration’s obsessive attention, was run in such a way as to practically guarantee failure. Successfully doing the job unambiguously ranked lower on the priority list than preserving the maximum possible ideological purity.

Read it.

While you're at Balloon Juice, check out this thread on the U.S. Attorney flap, The Credibility Gap, where I just pummell frequent troll/nemesis Darrell in the comments. (If I do say so myself...)

In Front Of Our Nose
An older (pre-verdict) column by Andrew Sullivan on Cheney and Libby. Still worth checking out.

And Salon's honorary Oscar goes to... Alec Baldwin! I got no problem with that. Baldwin has long been one of those pleasant surprises in films (and SNL) for me. no longer a leading man (if he really was one) he has sort of become this era's premiere character actor. What I've seen of him on "30 Rock", which admittedly is just YouTube, is pure genius. An of course, there's always "PUT. THAT. COFFEE. DOWN..."

Don't Stop with Libby

Good enough to lift in its entirety, photo and all. Andrew Sullivan...

After Libby
Something is rotten in the heart of Washington; and it lies in the vice-president's office. The salience of this case is obvious. What it is really about - what it has always been about - is whether this administration deliberately misled the American people about WMD intelligence before the war. The risks Cheney took to attack Wilson, the insane over-reaction that otherwise very smart men in this administration engaged in to rebut a relatively trivial issue: all this strongly implies the fact they were terrified that the full details of their pre-war WMD knowledge would come out. Fitzgerald could smell this. He was right to pursue it, and to prove that a brilliant, intelligent, sane man like Libby would risk jail to protect his bosses. What was he really trying to hide? We now need a Congressional investigation to find out more, to subpoena Cheney and, if he won't cooperate, consider impeaching him.

First read that a few days ago, and I just came across it again. Sullivan is one of those guys who is very frustrating. He is such a good writer, and he seems to get it much of the time, but, unlike say, John Cole, he is unwilling to completely abandon the party that has long since abandoned him.

Scooter Had it Coming

[via Kevin Drum] Dismantling the argument that the Libby trial was a witchhunt, and that Patrick Fitzgerald only went after Libby for perjury because he had nothing else...it seems Libby was busy perjuring himself long before Fitz took up the case:

The indictment dates the first instance of lying to the [FBI] investigators on October 14, 2003. Patrick Fitzgerald was not appointed as Special Prosecutor until December 30, 2003. Investigators had already spent three months speaking with witnesses who contradicted Libby's account.

....Fitzgerald didn't go on a hunt for administration blood. He did not lay perjury traps. He walked into an office and was immediately presented with some damning facts about a possible crime. He would have been derelict in his duty if he did not pursue this matter.

It's also worth reminding people that Fitzgerald didn't create this case out of whole cloth for his resumé. It was underway and the Bush DOJ appointed him to the case. Now that he has finished his work and there is an Administration scalp on the wall, expect Fitzgerald to join the ranks of the recently "retired" U.S. Attorneys. The fact that Fitzgerald performed upheld his oath to the Constitution and the Law and pursued the case vigorously goes along way to explaining why Bush wants U.S. Attys in office who swear an oath to him.

As to the argument that "there was no crime..." only perjury. First, perjury is a crime. And so is Obstruction. Second, because of the perjury and the cover-up any crime cannot be determined. If Libby and Cheney committed no crimes, why cover it up and lie under oath? We'll never know, because they decided having one of them go to prison for lying about it was preferable to telling the truth.

UPDATE: More at TAPPED and from Mark Kleiman

“Tally Ho!”

During his confirmation hearing for Ambassadorship to Belgium, nominee Sam Fox got set up, and then just lambasted by Sen. John Kerry. Seems once upon a time, this Fox clown gave fifty large to the Swift Boat Veterans, and Kerry's got something to say on the matter.

You can see the "Oh, shit" moment on Fox's face once he realizes where this is going. He squirms like a fish, denounces 527s, calls Kerry a hero and then claims "But the other side compared Bush to Hitler!" (complete crap, by the way). His ultimate defense? He's so rich and successful that he gives away money to so many causes he can't remember each one—even one that's $50,000.

Watch Kerry get his pound of flesh [video at Crooks and Liars]

Check These Out...

Good reasons to sit through a brief web ad (in no particular order):

SALON'S GARY KAMIYA TAKES A STAB
AT HILLARY'S "APOLOGY" SPEECH
Hillary should apologize or at least better explain or justify her position on the War and her vote for it. Admitting a mistake can be the hardest thing a politician ever does, and Clinton has been so resistant, it will be nearly impossible for her now.

Anyway, Kamiya's column is a scathing hypothetical self-critique by Clinton. something most people, never mind pols would be incapable of doing to themselves publicly. But it is well worth reading, and articulates perfectly why I don't want her to be the Democratic nominee.

LINDSAY "MAJIKTHISE" BEYERSTEIN
IS SMARTER THAN AMANDA AND JOHN EDWARDS.
A fascinating look at how Edwards offered the job to Lindsay first, and why she turned it down. Oh, and it also offers a glimpse of why I don't like Edwards much either. You, like me, may have avoided all of these "blogger controversy" stories—you should read this one. Also included, Jim Webb is smarter than John Edwards too.

Al's In

"Fucking Bad-ass."

Those are the words that crossed my lips after watching Al's announcement. He will win that race by a huge margin. The political climate has never been more ripe for a candidate like him, and Minnesota is the place for it to happen.

I can't wait.

Oh, and yes, that is the best-looking political website ever.

UPDATE: Okay. Talk about flying off the handle. Reading that post the next day is almost embarrassing. That post should make it obvious that I hoped Franken would run. I think he'd be a hoot in a campaign, but I really believe his presence will be beneficial and cathartic to the process. Plus, I really do believe he'd be a great Senator. And God knows the Democrats really need somebody with some personality. But in all seriousness, watch the video and tell me how he won't be a compelling candidate. He is sharp, insightful, personable, and obviously funny—but perhaps most importantly self-deprecating and genuine. He really is a breath of fresh air from politics (and politicians) as usual. Certainly there are Republicans who won't take him seriously because he's a comedian, but this isn't Howard Stern running for Governor, this is real. Certainly progressives will love him, Democrats will get behind him, and I see independents/undecided voters flocking to him as a change of pace.

Minnesota, after all, did elect "The Body."

I don't know who might oppose him in the primary, and what that means for Franken's realistic chances of advancing, but in the eventual matchup against Norm "the Rick Santorum of 2008" Coleman, I think Al will win going away.

The Best Kind of Busy

In case anybody's been wondering where I've been, I'm right here enjoying the latest addition to the family...

Charlotte Bell, er, Furious.
Born January 31, 2007



Mom, Dad and big sis Ruby are all doing great. I'll be around as time allows and the mood strikes me.

Joe Blow(s)

A civil war in the GOP over the civil war in Baghdad. Scarborough is livid. Watch.

Who's Idea was Michigan?

Just got finished walking the dog. I don't have one of those old-timey thermometer things—I gotta go online to find out how freaking cold it is...


Apparently "holy shit" and "it's cold as a motherfucker" equals a windchill of minus 18.

NASSA

"The shocking-but-false story of America's Blackstronauts."

Brilliant parody in the style of Ken Burns.

NOT Happy to Be There

Watch this video of Chuck Hagel hammering Bush's "Pony Plan" and abusing Condi Rice in the process.

I love it.

Big Mac’s Big Night

Will Leitch of deadspin.com goes big-time with a McGwire Op-Ed in The New York Times. Well worth a look

UPDATE: Another great McGwire piece, and the comments are great too.

Sweet Fucking Jesus

What the fuck is George W. Bush doing? U.S. forces just stormed an Iranian embassy.

Oh, and those airstrikes in Somalia?

MOGADISHU, Somalia - [link] A top U.S. official in the region said Thursday that none of the al-Qaida suspects believed to be hiding in Somalia died in a U.S. airstrike this week, but Somalis with close ties to the terrorist group were killed.

What happens after "going down in flames"? Because the U.S. foreign policy situation is about to beggar description.

PSA: Anybody Looking for a Car?

Because I have just the cement-spattered, cracked windshield, sometimes-functioning instument panel eyesore you've been looking for...

I'm kidding. But if anybody is looking for a car, I have a few weeks left on my unlimited CARFAX reports. I'd be happy to run a report on a car if you send me a link or a VIN. It's pretty useful.

Oh, I ended up getting a great deal on a 2001 Volvo S60 Turbo. It's such a nice car, I'm self-conscious driving it...

Seven Easy Steps to Complete Pretentiousness—And How To Avoid Them

Even though I just took about three weeks off from the blogosphere, Otto Man still wandered over and saw fit to tag me with the latest blog "meme."

Here goes nothing:

1. Name a book that you want to share so much that you keep giving away copies: Easy. David Sedaris' Naked. Nothing in my life has ever made me laugh so hard, so often. I actually had to stop reading it on the subway, because I was embarrassing myself. Always handy in the living room bookcase for guests or for lending out.

2. Name a piece of music that changed the way you listen to music: This is a tough one. I would actually credit a particular stereo for the biggest impact. In college one of my roommates, Neal, introduced me to the world (and expense) of hi-fi. Years of listening to nothing but album-oriented rock on car stereos and boomboxes were cast aside. I heard everything differently and it opened me up to a vast array of music I had previously disregarded or been unexposed to: Steely Dan, Little Feat (came a bit later), Joe Jackson, old Peter Gabriel and countless others. If I had to pick one watershed moment it would be listening to fIREHOSE's Ragin', Full-On.

3. Name a film you can watch again and again without fatigue: There are a handful (really, any of the ones in my profile), and one that got left off my profile list is Jaws. Forget the shark, the interactions between Quint, Brody and Hooper on the Orca is priceless. But for pure entertainment value, I might just go Midnight Run. I know it's not highbrow enough for this survey, but I love it.

4. Name a performer for whom you suspend of all disbelief: Probably DeNiro. His range, from smirking wiseass (Midnight Run) to cold-blooded wiseguy (Good Fellas, Godfather, etc.), is almost unmatched.

5. Name a work of art you'd like to live with:


Seriously? No. But I cannot point to a particular piece of "fine art." It wouldn't have to be famous, it just needs to be something that strikes me. It might be a cop-out for a guy with a BFA to punt on this question, but I haven't found a favorite work of art yet. I will say, what is most inspiring to me as an art director is the work of guys like Saul Bass.

6. Name a work of fiction which has penetrated your real life: Once again, Midnight Run. The quotes and characters from that film still resonate and infiltrate my life. I sprinkle them in whenever I can. Usually, to only my own amusement...
"Jack, you're a grown man. You're in control of your own words. "
"You're goddamn right I am. Now here come two words for you: Shut the fuck up."

7. Name a punch line that always makes you laugh:
In the (underappreciated) movie Go, there's a scene where Timothy Olyphant is telling Katie Holmes how much he hates The Family Circus, "And it's always there, in the lower right hand corner, just waiting to suck." Why does he read it, Katie Holmes asks him? He admits, "I hate it, but I'm strangely drawn to it."

Funny and true!

--

My Profile is pretty much a list of my contenders for the mainstream choices, you can peek over there for the also-rans if you're so inclined.

Meme rules dictate that I pass it on...Since Mike tagged Otto, he's out. So I challenge orf, Greg at The Talent Show, and John and Tim F. at Balloon Juice.

More Baseball...

Non-McGwire-related things I read yesterday...

• A fascinating look at radar guns and Joel Zumaya at Hardball Times. The peice does a great job breaking down the differences in radar gun readings, why some parks/guns are "fast" etc.

Even if we assume Comerica has a "fast" gun, there is no disputing Zumaya's flame-throwing capabilities—in 2005 there were 135 recorded 100+ mph pitches thrown in the majors. In 2006 (Zumaya's breakout season) there were 335 triple digit pitches thrown. How many were "Zoom"aya's? Two hundred and thirty three!!! In 2006, Joel Zumaya threw more 100 mph pitches than all the pitchers in both Leagues combined, over two seasons. Ridiculous. Somebody check that guy for the mutant X-gene.

• Also at Hardball Times, Dan McLaughlin (aka Baseball Crank) has a good article about the Hall of Fame and middle infielders. He looks at the guys in the Hall, and then many current and recent players and their chances.

• Here's a link to something I heard on the radio and almost made me crash my car: NPR's All Things Considered talks to the Gomezian jackass who turned in a blank HOF ballot this year. By this asshole's logic, he won't be able to vote in good consicence for years to come (even for Ripken and Gwynn) because their careers overlapped with the "Steroid Era." Fine. Take away his ballot. Douchebag.

UPDATE: Barry Bonds makes a run at 2007's first D.O.W.:

Barry Bonds, already under investigation for lying under oath about his steroid use, failed a test under Major League Baseball's amphetamine policy last season and then initially blamed it on a teammate, the Daily News has learned.
Under the policy, which went into effect only last season, players are not publicly identified for a first positive test.

But according to several sources, when first informed by the MLB Players Association of the positive test, Bonds attributed it to a substance he had taken from the locker of teammate Mark Sweeney. Sources did not identify the drug in question but characterized it as a serious stimulant.

What a class act. Tests positive. Blames his teammate. For something he stole from him.

Why anybody would want him around is beyond me. At this stage his negatives WAY outweigh any positives.

What About McGwire?

The Baseball Crank has a good post up on Mark McGwire and the Hall of Fame. Crank says put him in. While I don't think it's a slam dunk that he goes in, I do say "give him an up or down vote" based on his numbers—not the politics of steroids.

I've definitely shifted wildly on this topic, but Crank makes a good case for McGwire on his merits, and after the preposterous antics of some HOF voters this year, it's east to swing back over to McGwire's side...

1. He was putting up pretty prodigious numbers before there is any indication he was juicing.

2. He never got caught, and there is really no evidence that proves he did steroids.

3. And if he did, MLB had NO policy and a ridiculous blind-eye stance. And that goes double for the writers. The same writers who are railroading McGwire now were fawning all over "Big Red" when he was breaking records and they ALL knew what was going on. McGwire was basically doing what was tacitly allowed at the time. Retroactively punishing him now is crap.

4. Frankly, without his Senate (non)testimony we likely wouldn't be having this debate, and that is a bullshit reason to keep somebody out of the HOF.

Now, there are legitimate statistical arguments against McGwire as a HOFer. I'll hear those arguments, but hypocritcal sanctimony by the writers should NOT be the leading reason he doesn't get in. If you don't think he's a HOFer, make the case, but don't tell me you're protecting the game and the Hall—you writers had a chance to do that years ago, and you failed miserably.

McGwire's numbers are here. There is plenty there to bolster both arguments. In fact, taking another look at the numbers is enough to give me pause about putting him right in (his failure to earn an MVP or even finish high most years is particularly damning).

But, prior to '93 and '94 (the lost injury years) McGwire hit 220 HRs over six seasons. That's an average of 36 HRs a season, and remember, 36 bombs was pretty good back then—good enough for a Top 3 finish in five of those seasons—and he led the league with 49 when he won Rookie of the Year.

So, McGwire was a pretty fearsome homerun hitter even back when most folks acknowledge he was clean. He was on a pretty good pace before injuries cost him a couple seasons. Was that when things changed? Did he compensate for that by "cheating" after he came back? Seems like it (if he wasn't already). He stayed healthier and his numbers bulged along with his physique.

Without the drugs McGwire would likely fall short statistically, and for that reason, I can see an objection by fans. But with writers, it rings a bit more hollow.

Major League Baseball turned more than a blind eye to steroids, they rode on the acne-ridden backs of those players to recover from the strike. "The Ladies owners love the long ball."

And the writers did not do their due diligence, instead they became a literal cheerleading squad for McGwire as he chased Maris. They didn't care then, so they shouldn't pretend they do now.

One of Crank's commenters sums up with this:

"The bottom line is regardless of whether he juiced or not, he did not violate the rules that were in place at the time he played. Therefore, every record set is valid and should stand."

Exactly. Aside from the fact that it wasn't against the rules (but, oddly, was illegal) there is no way to even PROVE that he did the steroids at this point. Unless they're going to bust out some ten year old urine (a la Lance Armstrong) this is all speculative.

My honest opinion? McGwire will wait a few years but eventually get in. Same with Bonds—they'll punish him by keeping him from being a first-balloter. As for the other borderline cases from the steroid era, the bar will probably be raised, and numbers besides HRs will gain importance.

UPDATE: Jason Stark at ESPN agrees...

We saw hitters on steroids face pitchers on steroids, as hundreds of players all around them used the same stuff, looking for the same edge. But we've never heard most of their names. So I feel more comfortable voting for players like McGwire than I do trying to pick and choose who did what, and when, and why.

If more evidence emerges, I always reserve the right to change my mind. But for now, I've cast an uncomfortable vote for McGwire -- and I might very well find myself doing the same for every great player of an obviously tainted generation.

If I could prove the innocence of the players I believe were clean as easily as I can assume the guilt of the men I think were cheaters, I might vote differently. But sadly, none of us can really prove much of anything.

So do we really want to be consistent about this issue? Well, if we do, we should either vote for all the best players of that era or none of them.

Stark had another good column on all the candidates (including McGwire) yesterday.

Oh, and Peter Gammons cast a vote for him. That's good enough for me.

ESPN's Pedro Gomez on the other hand is exactly the kind of sanctimonius asshole I am talking about. He takes his "sacred responsibilty" so seriously he won't ever vote for McGwire...

Again, the basic beauty of baseball is that you can trust your eyes. For many of us, our eyes told us something was wrong with what McGwire was accomplishing late in his career.

Yeah, dick? Too bad in all of the years when the Oakland A's were your fucking beat you didn't trust those eyes and investigate what they were supposedly telling you. yet, you'll bitch about it after the fact. You can shut the fuck up now.

"Dick of the Week" Returns

And Michael Crichton has it locked up. More to come.

"%@#$%$@!"

If I ever take up mountainclimbing or museum burglary, I know what I'll use as a grappling hook. A giant set of iPod earbuds. These little bastards get tangled on everything. Forget trying to get them out of your bag or pocket, I just tried to pick them up off my desk and they snagged a big pair of scissors and wouldn't let go! Grrrr...

Bush: "I Won't Be Rushed"

Yeah, take your fucking time, asshole. Not like this is a matter of life and death or anything.

You spent the whole fall telling us to wait for the Iraq Study Group Report. Now that it doesn't say what you wanted, and you are running out of places to look for an opinion that sounds like yours, you tell us (and the troops and Iraqis) that you "won't be rushed"

No fucking shit. We've been in Iraq longer than we were in World War II already. We know you won't be rushed, we also know you don't know what the fuck you're doing. The only question left is when you'll admit it.

Looking at that smiling group of sociopaths up there makes we want to go fucking ballistic. Where's Al Capone when you need him?

McCain: Check Your Shorts

Not two minutes ago, a coworker was in here, just giddy about Barack Obama, and ready to vote for him for President and annoint him the next JFK. I think Obama shows tremendous potential. I think he'd make a great President, but I do sort of wish he'd be Gore's Veep first.

Anyway, 2008 is a long way off. Not necessarily in terms of campaign time, after all, candidates have already started gearing things up, but in terms of what the country and the world will look like in two years. Iraq could be a full-on inferno with 10,000+ US troops dead or Bush may have declared victory and bugged out. There's no way to know.

One thing that does worry me is that the Dem nominee will have to face John McCain. Lots of folks have said McCain will never get the nomination, he doesn't have the religious right's approval. Well, he's been addressing that. And I suspect unless somebody I'm not thinking about comes on the landscape, no Republican is going to stop him from becoming the nominee. I think McCain is a formidable, if not insurmountable, candidate. He is immensely popular among voters from both parties and independents, and most importantly, the media just absolutely gushes over the guy. Maybe not Rush Limbaugh, but just about everybody else up to and including Jon Stewart. Meanwhile our guys get compared to the President of Iran and I'm sure people are warming up the next round of Gore-Robot jokes. McCain gets to parade around with his bullshit "maverick / straight talk" image as some kind of bulletprooof suit.

So, I summed up my conversation with my coworker by saying something bad (meaning coverage) has to happen to McCain. The press needs to finally wake up and stop being his PR department, or we're going to have a tough time no matter who we nominate.

Well, I turn back to my computer and the first thing I read is that "something bad" might be coming courtesy of Bush and his reverse-Midas "Everything Turns to Shit" Touch. There have already been hints that the White House might be angling for McCain to be Bush's successor—but I'm not so sure McCain wants to be endorsed by these fuck-ups. His appeal is his "outsider" status. His phony "truth to power" disagreements with the D.C. establishment. Sure, I suppose McCain would appreciate any backrooom string-pulling, but nothing out in the open. Nothing like adopting McCain's red herring Iraq strategy and actually using it...

As President Bush weighs new policy options for Iraq, strong support has coalesced in the Pentagon behind a military plan to “double down” in the country with a substantial buildup in American troops, an increase in industrial aid and a major combat offensive against Muqtada Sadr, the radical Shiite leader impeding development of the Iraqi government.

“I think it is worth trying,” a defense official said. “But you can’t have the rhetoric without the resources. This is a double down” — the gambling term for upping a bet.

As Steve Benen says:

This strikes me as a spectacularly bad idea. But for the sake of discussion, let’s put aside the fact that this hasn’t worked before, the fact that this will put an unconscionable strain on the U.S. military, the fact that military leaders on the ground don’t believe this will work, the fact that Iraqi violence is likely to worsen due to the unpopularity of U.S. troop presence, and the fact that the Bush gang hasn’t any idea what they’d do if “double down” doesn’t work, and instead look at the politics for a moment.

In this scenario, if Bush actually commits to 20,000 additional U.S. troops, John McCain will almost certainly be terrified. Bush is gambling by embracing the policy, but he’s also gambling with McCain’s presidential plans.

Just a few weeks ago, McCain insisted that “we will not win this war” without additional combat forces in Iraq. It appeared to be part of a calculated strategy whereby McCain could separate himself from Bush’s failed policy by calling for additional troops he didn’t expect the president to send. As Robert Reich explained last month, this is a way for McCain to “effectively cover his ass. It will allow him to say, ‘If the President did what I urged him to do, none of this would have happened.’”

Except now Bush appears poised to do what McCain has urged him to do. If it doesn’t work, McCain will be left in an untenable position going into the 2008 race — he’ll have a strong degree of “ownership” of an incredibly disastrous and unpopular war as voters are making up their minds about who to elect as their next president.

And Digby adds:

“McCain is positioning himself to be Lyndon Johnson in this thing without even becoming president.”

Sending in more troops is a crazy idea, but it’s the kind of crazy idea that Bush is looking for. And it is the kind of crazy idea that will make the country turn on John McCain. I seriously doubt he ever thought it anyone would do this — and I doubt he thought through the political ramifications of calling for 20,000.

He’ll be in big trouble if Bush decides to do what he wants. By ‘08, this war will be a dead albatross around his neck. But then, McCain has always been too cutesy by half on this — he deserves to be strangled by his own arrogant posturing. Who did he think he was, claiming that he could have “won” this thing if only the country had listened to him. It was always unwinnable and he’s a lying, opportunistic piece of garbage. If Bush sticks the shiv in St. John’s back one last time before he leaves office, it will be poetic justice.

I'm not sure if the White House cares one way or the other about McCain—positioning him for 2008 or as Digby says "sticking in the shiv," I think they are swingling blindly on Iraq right now, but McCain may be poised to be the one who pays the biggest (political) price.

UPDATE: Not to be taken tooo seriously, but I found this comment at Kevin Drum's interesting...

At the risk of getting lumped in with Bill Frist making diagnoses via video, McCain looks to be using tricks old men use to make it look like they still have it (ex. short bursts of energy when the cameras are rolling). This is obvious to healthcare providers now. We see it a lot when the patient senses we are about to recommend to his (it's almost always a man) family that they take his car keys). It will be obvious to everyone in two years.

We'll see...

What Not to Not Wear

A tie apparently. Or you're a terrorist. Or something.

CNN jackass Jeff Greenfield thinks that the way Barack Obama dresses on the road reminds him of somebody...

“The senator was in New Hampshire over the weekend, sporting what’s getting to be the classic Obama look. Call it business casual, a jacket, a collared shirt, but no tie.

“It is a look the senator seems to favor. And why not? It is dressy enough to suggest seriousness of purpose, but without the stuffiness of a tie, much less a suit. There is a comfort level here that reflects one of Obama’s strongest political assets, a sense that he is comfortable in his own skin, that he knows who he is.

“But, in the case of Obama, he may be walking around with a sartorial time bomb. Ask yourself, is there any other major public figure who dresses the way he does? Why, yes. It is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who, unlike most of his predecessors, seems to have skipped through enough copies of “GQ” to find the jacket-and-no-tie look agreeable.

“And maybe that’s not the comparison a possible presidential contender really wants to evoke…. [I]t’s one thing to have a last name that sounds like Osama and a middle name, Hussein, that is probably less than helpful. But an outfit that reminds people of a charter member of the axis of evil, why, this could leave his presidential hopes hanging by a thread. Or is that threads?

Stupidest. Political. Analysis. Ever.

Yeah, that Jimmy Kimmel is up to no good, too.

[h/t Carpetbagger]

UPDATE: [via TPM] Apparently Greenfield was "joking" and cannot believe anybody would take him seriously... Well, Jeff, your boneheaded network cohorts did, and if it really was a joke, it wasn't funny, and I am pretty damn sure you would never have made it about any politician who didn't have a Muslim-sounding name. Dick.

Link Dump

Jack "The Bush-Ripper" Cafferty brings it on. Jack's packing an Olbermannesque editorial into caplet size on a nearly daily basis now. This one is worth a viewing.

Dollar Bill Jefferson. The corrupt Louisiana Democrat with ninety large in his freezer? Well, he won his House runoff election this past weekend and is ready to assume office once again, much to the dismay of the Democrats who DID run a candidate against him. There have been debates about how he should be handled—refuse to let him take office? Let him take office, then expel him? Do nothing? I think Mark Kleiman has it right.

And until then, Nancy Pelosi is taking the proper first step.

What's Behind Door Number Four? Pelosi blew this one however... She correctly bypassed Bush-hawk Jane Harmon and one-time corrupt judge Alcee Hastings for the top spot on the House Intelligence Committee, but her choice of Silvestri Reyes looks like a bad pick.

Pierced Earmarks Maybe the do-nothing Republicans should have finished a spending bill or two before bailing. Because now they get nothing:

The announcement was made last night by the incoming chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, who also said they would impose a moratorium on new congressional earmarks, targeted appropriations for special projects in members' home districts. None would be part of the proposed funding resolution, killing hundreds that are pending in the unfinished spending bills.

Good for the Dems.

Drop By "The Neighborhood" Mike asks when is enough enough? A good discussion ensues...

12 Days... Clever T's fit in stockings...

Just dropping by...

Yeah, I'm still kicking. Just been busy over the last couple weeks. Actually earning my paycheck during the day and spending time with the family (and my pillow) at home.

What's new with me? Well, my daughter and I walked in on a holdup, and my poor 8 months pregnant wife was already in the store. Nobody needs that shit. My daughter and I walked into the store just as this asshole pulled his gun out on the cashier—chaos ensues. Fortunately, we were able to back out the door moments later and escape to the parking lot, where my daughter was treated to the sight of the police also brandishing their weapons. Meanwhile (and unbeknownst to me at the time) Mrs. Furious was able to escape out the back of the store with a few other customers through the stock rooom, and she then had a panic-fueled run around the back of the plaza to try and catch us at the video store before we went to the supermarket to meet her. Of course had already left and were now huddling between cars in the parking lot (my wife had the keys). For a brief moment we each imagined the other trapped in the store with the gunman, when in fact we had all escaped. A passerby alerted my wife that we might be in the parking lot and we were reunited moments later. Since our car was directly in front of the store in the "expectant mom" spot, we were relegated to the coffee shop around the corner until the episode was over—all the while imagining "The Nine"-style standoffs, and hostage situations. In reality, the robber fled on foot (probably seconds behind me as I left the store), and was not apprehended.

Nightmare. My wife (and the baby) have had about as stressful a pregnancy as can be endured. A car accident, our daughter having two ambulance trips to the hospital, and now fucking shopping at the OK Corral. Sweet fucking Jesus.

On a much more positive note, we are currently mulling two major purchases. A serious digital SLR camera to replace our old POS* Olympus before the new baby arrives, it's down to the Nikon D200 or D80, and Canon D30 or Rebel XTi. I foolishly bought a Nikon 35mm SLR when Ruby was born, and now I have a drawer full of film yet to be developed... Time to take the plunge.

And it is finally time—I am retiring the Furymobile. I am looking used, a few years old, and maxing out the safety (about to double down on the Babies on Board). Unfortunately, I'm a Euro-snob, and/or have no interest in any of the current entry level new cars. And contrary to the advice I gave John Cole, I am at this point leaning European.

Current front-runners are 2001-'02-era Volvo S60 and V70, and VW Passats and slightly older Subaru Outbacks. I'm also a fan of the Pontiac Vibe and Mazda3 and Mazda6, but almost none of them have the optional side airbags...Why that shit isn't standard equipment is beyond me. If you're going to engineer that into a car, just make it standard. Inexcuseable. The American manufacturers are finally learning that lesson, but the only American sedans I like enough to buy (Ford Fusion, Saturn Aura and Pontiac G6) and have the full array of airbags but new (and used) are still out of my price range.

At this point anything will be an improvement over my current car—leaking moonroof, cracked windshield, crank windows, broken washer, a terminal condition regarding the radiator, a clutch about five feet deep... I refuse to put a dime into this thing—I won't even fill the tank for fear of it dying and me losing out on the gas.

So until I make those purchases, much of my time online will be spent on endless classified searches and trips to ConsumerReports.org.

NOTE: Anyone with pertinent opinion, info or expertise on these topics, I welcome the input. Also, anybody sprung for a CARFAX report before? Worth it?

*That's the technical term for obsolete.