Man Bear Pig

What a great question on MTP today:
"[In response to three quotes, the first two recommending Al Gore for a cabinet role in an Obama White House and the third, from Al Gore himself, rebuffing those sentiments], how can you (Al Gore) given the passion that you feel about this issue and the enormity of the dimensions that we're dealing with here turn down the idea that you could be in the administration as a VP or as an energy czar or as both?"
Al Gore ably sidestepped a direct answer but it was the first time I'd really seen Brokaw get all 'Russert' on us.

Cramer

Although I don't necessarily agree that we should drill everywhere, Jim Cramer makes a great point about out NIMBY attitude to drilling.

Gen. Clark's remarks

Just a note about Gen. Clark's remarks yesterday about McCain's military record. Were they a ill-timed? Sure. Naive? Yep. But patently false? I don't think so. One CNN reader (yes there is intelligent life out there reading CNN), referenced a Simpsons episode when "Tommy" (an imaginary boy) falls in a well. Everyone claims him to be a hero.

Lisa: How does that make him a hero, Dad?
Homer: Well... he fell in a well, and he couldn't get out.
Lisa: That doesn't make him a hero, Dad.
Homer: Well, what have YOU done lately?

Jay-Z Glastonbury

Some fucking performer. AC/DC (c/o dangermouse) in the mix.

I Like Big Butts

Just when you think you've seen the least flattering picture of HRC...

New Beck Track

with Chan Marshall of Cat Power

France and Spain!

Fuck You!

From Snuff Box

Meet the Brokaw

Pretty smart move by Brokaw and NBC that will maintain the integrity of the show through this election cycle. I do find it ironic that NBC and MSNBC, who through Olbermann, Matthews and to a degree even Russert (who now-famously declared the nomination for Obama), have become the most Obama friendly major network, will now turn away from "on-the-job training" and change for experience and inevitability. Personally, I think it's great. Brokaw's got the stones for it. I really like Brian Williams and thought he did a decent job on this morning's broadcast but I don't think he was forceful enough as a moderator and was almost softspoken. Tim Russert may have been understated but he was never softspoken.

Scott McClellan is a Tool

Scott McClellan may be a complete slimeball but it seems that his book may open the doors for a serious, unfettered investigation into the Valerie Plame affair and several other Bush White House scandals.
Excerpt:
""The administration has always called for different kinds of privileges to avoid their officials testifying, but because Mr. McClellan has put all this information in a book, these privileges, I do not believe, would be available to the administration, so we would have a free flow of information," Rep. Robert Wexler, a senior Democratic on the committee, said when he called for McClellan's testimony."

But It's Not Even Leather: White Picket Fences

A post from a fellow Gersh blogger. He may or may not be gay.

New Girl Talk Album

Pay what you want. Here.

Seriously?

So this is what CNN.com decided to lead with this morning. Thanks guys.

Barack Obama Hates Muslims

So we have a little peek into the nefarious world of the Presidential campaign. Campaign volunteers at two separate Obama events asked two headscarf-wearing Muslim women to either remove their headgear, or Hijab, or not stand behind Obama for the obligatory "diverse-support" photo op. Obama's spokesperson stated "[t]his is of course not the policy of the campaign. It is offensive and counter to Obama's commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run." I have no reason not believe that Obama handed down a no-Hijab mandate (Obama posed the following morning in a group shot with someone wearing a Hijab) but it does speak to an unspoken issue: "the candidate has vigorously denies a false, viral rumor that he himself is Muslim. But the denials seem to some at times to imply that there is something wrong with the faith, though Obama occasionally adds that he means no disrespect to Islam."
UPDATE

Some Links

Just some interesting links I've been collecting over the past week or so:

• Roger Cohen's article in the Times last week discusses President Bush's lack of intellectual curiosity. An excerpt:

The American president, of course, is George W. Bush. He’s doing a farewell lap, or limp, around European capitals, or retreats. His German stop has been in downtown Meseberg. A rapturous Berlin welcome was not assured.

Rome, Paris, London — an itinerary to stir the imagination, but never his. That’s been the thing about Bush: no curiosity. “Russia’s big, and so is China,” he opined in 2006. The insights tended to stop there. He’s probably happier at Schloss Meseberg, a kind of German Crawford.

“Ich bin ein Crawforder.” Has a ring to it, even if it’s as meaningless as this exit tour.

• Time examines Obama's attempts to quash slander from independent groups.
• President Bush opposes a Supreme Court ruling that expands the legal rights of captured suspected enemy combatants, but begrudgingly agrees to enforce the decision.
• ESPN's ombudsman criticizes Sportscenter "specials", specifically the network's handling of spygate.
• Michelle Obama's image comes under further scrutiny. Maureen Dowd also discusses.
  
• Today's Profiles in Courage award goes to Charlie Crist who reversed his previous stance against offshore drilling to fall in step with McCain's latest campaign talking point. UPDATE: Bush too.
  
• From George, this article from the Times explores an unexpected, but common sense, implication of increasing gas prices.
• More spurious, lowest common denominator "journalism" from the folks at CNN.
• Huckabee <3's Obama.
  

Breakfast of Champions

Yo Peanut!

Celtics Champs!

California Love

How great is this picture?

Florida! Florida! Florida!

Just a final bit about Russert.
The Meet The Press tribute was touching. The tributes filling NBC and their affiliates' regular programming had begun to get a little stale and repetitive but this hour with some of Russert's closest friends and colleagues was packed with raw emotion. The guests let their collective guard down more than in previous days, where each statement and tribute seemed prepared and calculated (which is understandable. Nobody wants to break down on national television).
The set (Tom Brokaw and a half-dozen others were seated in front of the Meet the Press set, its angular table left vacant), which many had shared as recently as a few weeks ago, and time (Father's day) seemed to really affect the group. I have never seen James Carville as quiet or Brokaw as vulnerable. Throughout the broadcast, it was plainly visible on the panelists' faces that they were trying so hard to get through each "answer", to not cry. On a set where an invisible wall once seemed to sit between moderator and subject, constructed to remove emotion and leave only the subjects' answers, consoling hands reached across. Carville throughout the hour, but for one anecdote about a college football game, sat pensive, head sunk, holding hands with wife Mary Matalin. Brokaw, usually the embodiment of stolid gravitas, choked up when describing Russert's wide-eyed, idyllic world view.
"What a country!"
But what struck me most in retrospect was that these 7 men and women cared about politics and honesty in its coverage as much as Tim did and that my sense of dread immediately following his death regarding the future coverage of this election and politics in general without Tim may have been misplaced. Although I do believe Russert is in many ways irreplaceable, Meet The Press is a strong enough institution to survive his death and continue to be relevant and important if the right stewardship is found.
I didn't think I would say this so soon but I can't wait for Meet The Press next Sunday.

If It's Sunday...

I don't think any in our generation have witnessed this kind of reaction to the death of a journalist (Daniel Pearl excluded). It speaks to how different he was in the field of TV news. There is nothing else like Meet The Press. Nowhere else can you find an hour of deadly serious political journalism. On other shows, it is about the host, it is about the set, it is about the network, it is about right vs. left. Tim Russert was only interested in the truth, only interested in breaking something new, something important, something we needed to know to fulfill our civic duty. It was about accountability, about a rigorous examination of political credentials. As Barack Obama stated, he was the "standard bearer for serious journalism."
I was very much looking forward to hearing this historic election through Tim Russert but I suppose I can hope that his death has focused people's attention on integrity, on honesty, on good politics.

MTP

On Sunday, Tom Brokaw will anchor a special edition of Meet the Press, dedicated to a look back at the life of Tim Russert.

Tim Russert Dead at 58

I'm in shock. Here's the story.

Kobe

After the game:
"We just wet the bed," Kobe said. "A nice big one, too. One of the ones you can't put a towel over. It was terrible."

Moment 2: The Tantrum

Vujacic throws his purse onto the seat next to him.

Moment 1: The Layup

The play just illustrated perfectly the confidence the Celtics played with and ineptitude of the Lakers' defense.

Game 4

I've only been over here for 8 years (all post-Jordan) so I'm not going to make any grand pronouncements that Game 4 was the greatest comeback in NBA history or Celtics history or finals history, but that was the best game I've ever seen. The second half was a clinic. Two moments sum up the game for me however.

Dear Dr. Laura

This is obviously old news but I'm a big fan of anyone that uses the Bible to dispute fundamentalist reading of said Bible. Snopes.com (I'm not exactly sure what snopes is or who writes it) issued the following open letter to conservative talk radio host Dr. (of physiology) Laura Schlessinger in the wake of her characterization of the sexual behavior of gays and lesbians as 'abnormal,' 'aberrant,' 'deviant,' 'disordered,' 'dysfunctional,' and 'a biological error.' This letter was also sent to President Bush after his 2004 reelection.

Dear Dr. Laura, Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them. a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them? b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense. d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians? e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself? f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here? h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die? i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves? j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14) I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging. Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.

Sub-Prime Opinion

CNN is usually the last place I'd go for a well-thought-out, well researched, insightful editorial but I happened upon a speck of quality in the mounds of reactionary, patronizing bullshit they 'report' each day. Glenn Beck reacts primarily to a New York Times piece (although the piece is actually from a blog hosted by the Times) claiming that Ed McMahon's declaration on Larry King Live that his Mulholland Drive mansion has been foreclosed upon has humanized an issue facing roughly 3 million Americans. Beck points out the obvious: that although McMahon's story is newsworthy and relevant, he hardly represents the average American suffering through the sub-prime mortgage mess. He goes on to argue that this sort of coverage clouds over the major issue: that McMahon's 'sin' - spending more than you earn - is endemic to American life.

He closes with the following:

The same night the McMahon interview aired, I got a spam e-mail from Matthew Lesko, the guy who wears a question-mark suit on infomercials. He was informing me that, no matter my income, there are plenty of free government programs that I can take advantage of to help me pay my mortgage. Perfect. Just what we need: free money for those who got into trouble by spending money freely.

Do we need to help the people who would legitimately be out on the street if they lost their home? Absolutely. But those programs are already in place. We have strict bankruptcy laws, unemployment benefits, welfare programs and health care plans -- all financed by taxpayers. Why should there be a taxpayer-funded mortgage bailout program on top of it all?

Whether one person loses a home, or a million do, it isn't a tragedy, it's a lesson. And like all lessons, we can learn from it. Since I started with a Stalin quote, I'll end with one from Henry Ford: "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."

Love This Picture

"The biggest album of the year — possibly the decade."

This review of Coldplay's new snoozer, Viva La Vida, is astronomically high on the unintentional comedy scale. A few gems:

"It’s as heavy-going as the Bible but... ultimately as rewarding."

"The atmospheric, haunting Cemeteries Of London follows next and is one of the songs clearly blessed by holy water."

"It’s a beautiful rolling number and I can picture Chris running through a field in the video."

"They set out to make a musical equivalent of a work of art — and succeeded."

Last I checked, music was art.
The Sun's music critic everybody!

Dowd on the Other Obama

Maureen Dowd has an interesting article in today's Times about the beginning of the demonizing of Michelle Obama. Certainly interesting (Michelle will undoubtedly have to, maybe more than her husband, prove her patriotism, whatever that means) but maybe a little melodramatic considering Cindy McCain is a former drug addict with a history of questionable business practices. I don't really see how McCain's campaign or another conservative group could question Michelle's character without inviting scrutiny of Cindy.

Backlash

Since the release of the Mitchell Report last December, a large number of the players accused of using performance enhancing drugs have either been cut or not offered new contracts. While the reasons for this are obvious in the cases of a Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens or Rafael Palmeiro (those so identified with the steroid era or so egregious in their false denials that their employment could potentially alienate a fanbase), accusations of collusion have been levied at Major League Baseball's executives for exiling those minor offenders who fully served any punishment meted out by MLB and the public. This has led to one player (of which we know), the 31-year-old Jay Gibbons, personally writing baseball executives seeking employment of any kind. Of course, the man is an admitted cheater and profited greatly from his involvement in baseball during the steroids era, but his honesty and humility is nonetheless disarming and unusual.


The following is the full text of a letter written by former Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons to all 30 major league teams, seeking a minor league contract. Gibbons, who was named in the Mitchell report, has been without a job since Baltimore released him in March.

Writing this letter is both painful and humiliating. It has been almost six weeks since my release from the Orioles and I am still unable to land any opportunity at a second chance to play the game that I love. I am young, healthy and determined. I have acknowledged and apologized for the mistake that I made and writing this letter should be proof enough that I have indeed suffered for my mistake. I have faith and hope that some team will give me the chance to prove that I can not only be a productive player but also be a stellar member of their organization. My faith in a second chance has inspired me to work harder than I have at any time in my life. My faith has gotten me through this most difficult period in my life. All I need is a chance -- any chance -- anywhere. I am more than willing to begin the process of proving that I can and will be a productive major league player by playing in the minor leagues. As you know, I have played seven seasons in the big leagues and have hit 20-plus homeruns in three seasons and have hit .277 in three seasons (2003, 2005 and 2006). At 31 years old, I have NO DOUBT that my best baseball is ahead of me.
I know that my agents at ACES have tried to land me an opportunity in the minor leagues but have been met with negative responses by each and every Organization. I am not blind to the fact that I have made a mistake and that mistake has raised doubt about my character and ability. It is important that you know that my indiscretions, while regretful, were made in an effort to heal a nagging wrist injury. I would encourage you to speak with anyone in this game, including players, coaches, front office etc. who know me. I am confident that everyone you speak with will vouch for my character. I respectfully and humbly request that you grant me the chance to play for your organization. I am so willing to prove myself as a player, and a person, that I will donate ALL of my minor league earnings to your Club's charity. In the event that I earn the right to play at the major league level, I will gladly donate a significant sum to that same charity. Once again, all I need is a chance and I will prove that I can be an extremely productive player and a great addition to your organization. Please feel free to contact me directly [phone numbers redacted]. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely, Jay Gibbons

Sometimes a Building is Just a Building

Construction on the Burj Dubai has been delayed but what has been built so far is fucking impressive (it's difficult to appreciate the scale from this photo but it will be almost twice as tall as the Empire State Building). The whole city seems to be one massive construction site.

Cost of a Campaign

Eighteen million votes: $212 million. Some 1,926 delegates: $109,823 a pop.
Blowing the biggest head start in presidential history: priceless.

Yikes

Clap

The Fall of Conservatism

The prolonged but now complete Democratic primary process has obscured a topic that was in much debate only a few months ago: the fall of conservatism (with a lower-case 'c'). Conservatism (with an upper-case 'C') is still alive in its purest form, as evidenced by Ron Paul's improbably massive fundraising in the early stages of the Republican primary process (which has allowed him to continue to campaign for the Presidency even as John McCain declared victory some months ago), but George W. Bush's 'compassionate conservatism', championed by the vast majority of current elected Republicans, is now dead. We now know (well, I suppose about 50% of us knew this 8 years ago) that if you increase spending without increasing taxes, you end up with A FUCKING ENORMOUS DEFICIT. Throw in war, recession and domestic policy predicated on winning 51% support and you end up with A FUCKING ENORMOUS DEFICIT and miserable, divided people. So can John McCain be the standard bearer for a new (old) conservatism?
A piece in the New Yorker a couple of weeks ago is the first (to my knowledge) since Obama's victory became inevitable to reexamine the factionalism of America's conservative party and people.

An excerpt:

Yuval Levin, a former Bush White House official, who is now a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, agrees with Gingrich’s diagnosis [that the Republican party has an identity crisis and can't simply run an anti-Obama campaign to win the presidency]. “There’s an intellectual fatigue, even if it hasn’t yet been made clear by defeat at the polls,” he said. “The conservative idea factory is not producing as it did. You hear it from everybody, but nobody agrees what to do about it.”

Pat Buchanan was less polite, paraphrasing the social critic Eric Hoffer: “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket."

Robert Francis Kennedy November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968

I don't think I'm asking for an easy road.

The Next Leader of the Free World

The Chimes of Freedom

Flashing

Critique of McCain's Oratorical 'Skill'

Shockingly bad. Bring on the debates.

Another Animal Post

Too good to pass up.

Bird Goes Nuts!

Bringing down the credibility of my blog, one post at a time.

Bedroom Community

Westport shoutout!
How stupid are people? Stop videoing/photographing yourself naked!!!

Free NYC Shows

Brooklyn Vegan put this google calendar together with all this summer’s free nyc shows/events. Sign into your gmail (if you have an account), go to the link, open the calendar and click the ‘add to google calendar’ button at the bottom.

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/events.html

Debates

This is what I've been waiting for. These debates are going to be epic.

"Calling for "no process questions from reporters" and "no spin rooms," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee proposed one debate a week from now until the Democratic party convention in August.

McCain cited a 1963 agreement (4th question) between President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Barry Goldwater to hold such debates as part of the 1964 election campaign. Kennedy was assassinated before the campaign began.

"What a welcome change it would be were presidential candidates in our time to treat each other and the people they seek to lead with respect and courtesy as they discussed the great issues of the day, without the empty sound bites and media-filtered exchanges that dominate our elections," McCain said in a letter to Obama released by McCain's campaign."

Reaction from across the pond

The Beeb

:)

It's official. Roll it up, put a little hot sauce on it. Salt. Pepper. Maybe a little mustard or mayonnaise if you're inclined. Put it between two pieces of bread. Buttered. Toasted. Or a hero. You can even bake it in a pie. 350 degrees for 45 mins or until golden. Serve on a warm plate.
Then eat it.

Ross --

I'm about to take the stage in St. Paul and announce that we have won the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

It's been a long journey, and we should all pause to thank Hillary Clinton, who made history in this campaign. Our party and our country are better off because of her.

I want to make sure you understand what's ahead of us. Earlier tonight, John McCain outlined a vision of America that's very different from ours -- a vision that continues the disastrous policies of George W. Bush.

But this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past and bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.

It's going to take hard work, but thanks to you and millions of other donors and volunteers, no one has ever been more prepared for such a challenge.

Thank you for everything you've done to get us here. Let's keep making history.

Barack

Clinched

We have a winner!

Pigs Fly

Ready to concede?
This appears to be the first statement indicating that she has agreed to play by the rules.

Megan Fox is ridiculously hot

Proof

Mars Bars and Snails

Courtesy of my reader:
Graffiti Snails
Nothing but Mars bars

The Others

Just amazing.

Bladdered

Sorrows drowned.

Burn It Down

Did 50 Cent burn his own house down?

"Intelligence" Community

Humorous and slightly disturbing.

7 More Months

Another amazing Lost finale last night.
This NYT article discusses how 'Lost' watchers find it almost impossible to explain the show to non watchers.
Harold Perrineau isn't exactly happy with his role this season (although the racial undertones seem a stretch).

Last Hours of RFK

Great piece by Pete Hamill, a former Kennedy aide and confidante, on RFK's June '68 assassination, made all the more relevant by another Hillary gaffe this past week.

Morons Unite!

So Dunkin Donuts pulled an ad featuring Rachel Ray because she was wearing a scarf that some nutball, right wing moron claimed somehow promoted and encouraged Islamic fundamentalism. What is this country? Who seriously believes that the management at Dunkin Donuts, a Massachusetts based coffee company whose slogan is "America runs on Dunkin'", is actively sponsoring jihadists? And tell me exactly what the net benefit for terrorism is by letting the ad run? How many new recruits will they pull in?
Why couldn't a DD spokesperson say "that is stupid"?
Isn't this an example of ridiculous political correct-ness on the right?
This story makes my brain hurt.

Cell Phones Are Evil

Rondo dominates Rip

Ignorance is Bliss

Time to take the earmuffs off Hillary because it's all over.

Nancy Pelosi says so...
The Democrats' lawyers say so...
Keith Olbermann reaaaaallly says so (skip to 7:17 (timing courtesy of butitsnotevenleather)...

Quimby

Admittedly, this may be in poor taste but Sen. Kennedy's recent illness had me thinking about Chappaquiddick and I found this fairly comprehensive study of The Incident. It gets rather speculative towards the end and takes a few liberties with objectivity along the way but the fact that this is little more than a side note in his political career is extraordinary.

Tricky - Council Estate

Ratatat - Mirando

Ahhhhnold

Music Links

Mount Eerie - In Moonlight

Siriusmo - Allthegirls

CHAMPIONS!!!

V

In an email to his supporters preceding a lopsided win in Oregon and loss in Kentucky, Obama claimed a majority of the elected delegates and the Democratic nomination for President in 2008

"The polls are closed in Kentucky and votes are being counted in Oregon, and it's clear that tonight we have reached a major milestone on this journey. We have won an absolute majority of all the delegates chosen by the people in this Democratic primary process... Tonight, I want to thank you for everything you have done to take us this far -- farther than anyone predicted, expected, or even believed possible. And I want to remind you that you will make all the difference in the epic challenge ahead."

MIFL

There seems to be a recent spate of articles about what Hillary did wrong or Obama did right in their campaigns. Michigan and Florida obviously appear in almost every article but, more often than not, the discussion focuses on how the issue will/could be resolved and that, ultimately, Obama has the votes and delegates to win, regardless of how the DNC rules.
But what if Florida and Michigan had adhered to party rules? All research indicates that Hillary would win each state handily. When you see what winning Iowa - a state almost devoid of delegates, holding import based purely on it's position as the first contest - did for Obama's campaign and voters' perception of him as a viable candidate, one can only imagine what winning Michigan and Florida - two of the most important electoral states based on delegates and demographics - before Super Tuesday would have done for HRC's campaign. I'm admittedly more than glad that Florida and Michigan fucked her but an interesting "what if...?" nonetheless.

Excerpt below:

Michigan and Florida

The importance of these two states being relegated to the sidelines — because they defied the Democratic Party and held their primaries earlier than party rules allowed — can not be overstated.

For Mrs. Clinton, the best of all worlds would have been for the Democratic National Committee to do what the Republican National Committee did to Florida and Michigan for breaking the rules: cut the delegations in half, but still permit the primaries to go on. That outcome — assuming she won in Michigan and Florida, which seems a pretty good bet — might have given Mrs. Clinton a burst of momentum going into the “Super Tuesday” primaries of Feb. 5, and possibly allowed her to emerge that day with a significant lead in delegates, not to mention the popular vote; with a line-up of big state victories; and perhaps with enough momentum to withstand the 11-state winning streak that Mr. Obama reeled off after Feb. 5.

The Clinton campaign was acutely aware of the problem from the start. They were out-maneuvered, particularly when the four states that started the process — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada — got the other candidates to sign an agreement pledging not to campaign in Michigan and Florida, thereby throwing into question the legitimacy of any voting there.

Hippies!

Pretty great...

Alert: Cow-Men on the Loose!!!

A pretty evenhanded piece from The Times (UK) discussing Parliament's decision to strike down an amendment that would have outlawed so-called "cybrids", created by the injection of human DNA into empty non-human eggs.


The move is intended to expand existing stem cell research (not to create living, breathing man-beasts), by affording scientists a whole new source of embryonic stem cells. Although this is a relatively minor change from the status quo (strict limits have been placed on how long the embryo can develop), I'm sure that socially conservatives on both sides of the pond will try to turn this into some sort of Frankenstein-esque experiment foreshadowing man's Fall.

You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, or all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled.
You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.
You shall not wear a material mixed of wool and linen together.
- Deuteronomy 22:9-11

This is of course the same rationale for segregation but who needs science or reason or expertise when you have the Bible?!

Lester No-Hits Royals, Cancer

Reason 547 why it's great to be a Red Sox fan in New York.

If A Tree Falls In A Forest, Does Hillary Deny It?

“Once we include Florida and Michigan, neither Sen. Obama nor I will have enough delegates to get the nomination so there is no way that this is going to end any time soon because we’re going to keep fighting for the nomination.”
uggghhhh

Obama Lovefest

A little excerpt from The Audacity of Hope that i found particularly poignant and indicative of Obama's thinking.
"Unfortunately, too often in our national debates we don't even get to the point where we weigh... difficult choices. Instead, we either exaggerate the degree to which policies we don't like impinge on our most sacred values, or play dumb when our own preferred policies conflict with important countervailing values. Conservatives, for instance, tend to bristle when it comes to government interference in the marketplace or their right to bear arms. Yet many of these same conservatives show little to no concern when it comes to government wiretapping without a warrant or government attempts to control people's sexual practices. Conversely, it's easy to get most liberals riled up about government encroachments on freedom of the press or a woman's reproductive freedoms. But if you have a conversation with these same liberals about the potential costs of regulation to a small business owner, you will often draw a blank stare." (57)
Common sense, for sure, but common sense, well articulated is what the country needs.

White Black Supremacist

Obama wins the KKK vote

He Is Risen

Could there be a greater disconnect between this image (from here) and this statement?

Suicidal Tourists

This isn't the most uplifting example but it is a great example of why New York Magazine has the most interesting feature articles around. Built to fill the morning commute.

Memory is Better

Usually I'm pretty disappointed by what CNN.com deems to be the day's most important/interesting/shiniest news story of the day/hour/minute, but this one kind of blew my mind.

The 11th Reason

From NYT:
"On the day Senator [Clinton] was endorsed by the governor of North Carolina, a supporter gave her a three-foot-long balloon replica of herself, complete with blond hair, black pantsuit and wide pink smile, which Mrs. Clinton promptly took on her plane and laughingly showed off to reporters.
On Thursday, little more than two weeks later, the doll lay on the sofa by her seat on the plane, shriveled and deflated."

Sometimes I wonder how true these little anecdotes from the campaign trail really are. A lot has been said about how Obama has run a better campaign but surely somebody on Clinton's team must have realized that having a deflated doppelganger of Clinton in plain view of by-now extremely bored journalists was a metaphor too easy to ignore.

Ambition Vs Delusion

I like McCain. I really do. But stuff like this campaign ad and the gas tax holiday is making me question whether this election has changed him. Starting with that appearance at Liberty University, the concessions he has made to be a candidate have become steadily more alarming. I just hope that this more recent stuff has more to do with him running against a-generic-Democratic-candidate and that once Obama can engage him directly, pre-candidate McCain will return.

I think McCain could be suffering from a mild form of Clinton. His ambition, much like with HRC, when running as an underdog (and whatever the head to head polls say, this is the Democrats race to lose) leaves him vulnerable to desperation. I know Obama has been painted with an idyllic brush in many circles but he has set a standard for his campaigning that the other candidates haven't matched.

Although he certainly engages in the same childish and repetitive talking points that all candidates engage in (while we're here, can we stop with this "Bush third-term" nonsense? If you can't tell the difference between McCain - a veteran, a former POW, a 4-term senator, a graduate of the Naval Academy - and George W Bush - a C student at daddy's college, a one and a half term governor in daddy's state and an unqualified moron - I feel for you), he has drawn a line in the sand across which he will not pass regardless of whether it will help his campaign, and to a large degree, he has surrounded himself with people with the same scruples.

I question whether McCain can elevate his rhetoric once we get into the real meat-and-potatoes of the election. As we've seen with HRC, once you start with the lies and misrepresentations, it's hard to put on the brakes.

There Will Be Bud

regardless of your opinions on herb, i think we can all appreciate a good parody.

an auspicious beginning

so this is a blog...