Tell Me Something I Don't Know

I took the Electoral Compass, USA, survey because that kind of thing makes for a fun post at Political Machine.

Here's my results as they pertain to the candidates left in the race.

Tucker Carlson '08--Change That Can Beat You Up in the Bathroom

Word around the campfire is that Tucker Carlson will run for President and that he's trying to wrest the much sought after Libertarian nomination from the likes of Bob Barr and Mike Gravel.

So, here's the IST push poll question: Would you vote for a guy running for President who pretends to have beaten up gay guys in public bathrooms?

This could just be someone's idea of a way to keep Bob Barr out of the race, I guess by throwing the nomination to Gravel. Sounds silly now, but Florida 2000 shows that every slice of the pie counts.

I think the Libertarians have to know that Carlson is a clown and that Gravel is a very odd fit for them. Very odd moves going on here.

Speaking of the bathroom, the visceral disgust I feel when I think of President Tucker Carlson may just send me to the T-room.

It Might Be Over Soon

CNN is reporting that talks are going on to resolve Hillary Clinton's campaign. Not a shocker, really. According to Suzanne Malveaux the VP slot is in play and the Clinton camp wants an offer. Oh, please, dear Lord, let it end.

Arianna Huffington, who has been born again hard of late, argues that we need to "stop yelling at Hillary to stand down and start yelling at the super delegates to stand up." Yeah. What's up, super delegates? Make a decision already. Let's go. Let's do it. Move!

Words of Advice from and for Lionel

A year or so ago, I despised Air America Radio's Lionel, mostly for taking over for Sam Seder on Air America, and I wanted to join Keith Olbermann's cult. I still adore Keith and I think he's doing fine, but Lionel, who has grown on me like a parasite, consistently criticizes Olbermann for amping up his special comments and I can't disagree. Lionel argues that the ranting and the fuming undermines Olbermann's words, which are exquisite. I want to stress here, Lionel and I believe that there's nothing wrong with the words he's saying. It's about his tone. For very good reasons we've learned to distrust people who talk like that. Take it down, KO. I get that you're supposed to be equal parts E. R. Murrow and Howard Beal. Just forget that homage stuff and blow people away with your voice and talent. I know you're pissed. So are we all.

Lionel has a special comment of his own, offering three bits of advice to MSNBC.



I have a few points of my own, for Lionel.

1) Take it easy with some of the callers. You have them on a hair trigger. You seem to think they're disposable. Knowing when to end a call is a good characteristic in a talk host, but you're like a machine gun.

2) You're not the only person who can see things objectively. This is a very difficult concept to grasp in current, polarized political climate. But just because a caller expresses a preference between Clinton and Obama does not necessarily mean that they can't rationally evaluate the situation. Every time a caller expresses preference and disagrees with you, you dismiss them. And of the dozens of times I've heard this happen, once or twice, these callers were not the blind partisans you thought they were. All the rest, well...

3) You repeat yourself too much. Sometimes I think I'm listening to a best of show, because you're explaining the same point the same way you have three or four times before. When the Reverend Wright controversy was raging, it seemed like you did the same show every day for three weeks.

4) The drumroll that punctuates the jokes... we get it. Enough with that thing.

Having said all that, I would add, I love the show. I listen all the time and I will continue to listen even if none of these things ever change. It's just a lot of fun. Even Doobie.

For the hard core Lionel people, check out Rich Girls' MySpace page.

Depends on What Your Definition of Vice President Is

Partly because I'm tired of it, I've decided not to respond to a lot of the nonsense coming from the Clinton campaign (ahem). I'd like for there to be a bit of healing here, up to and including a spot on the ticket if she wants it and it can be arranged. A lot of people disagree with that. No need to restate your disapproval here. I got it. I just want this to be over.

Everyone is asking, does Clinton want to be VP? Hey, it's a pretty good job. I get the feeling that Hillary Clinton would love to be VP IF that means that she gets to have a comparable amount of power to Dick Cheney. More likely, Obama's campaign would like her to just go away. But being pragmatic about it, they should probably accept a more reasonable role for her, along the lines of Mondale or Gore, which is an active, public role. Bill Clinton made Al Gore the butt of many jokes over the years, but the two of them worked well together.

Okay, that's enough about that. We have probably six to eight more weeks of this discussion. I'm much more interested in beating McCain and so is Obama.

But I would like to offer some numbers, just because these numbers do not lie.

According to the Associated Press:

Pledged Delegates
Obama 1649 / Clinton 1497

Super Delegates
Obama 307 / Clinton 279

TOTALS
Obama 1956 / Clinton 1776

Needed to Win
Obama 70 / Clinton 250

Pledged Delegates Remaining: 86

Super Delegates Still Uncommitted: 211

Hagel Warns Bush Against Iran Attack

Of a possible attack against Iran by the Bush administration, Chuck Hagel said this:

You've got the power of impeachment, now that is a very defined measure if you are willing to bring charges against the president at all. You can't just say I disagree with him, let's impeach him. [An attack on Iran without Congress' consent] would bring with it... outstanding political consequences, including for the Republican Party.

Severe political consequences indeed.

For a variety of reasons, in 2006, Democrats decided to let Bush walk. Republicans decided much earlier than that to never stand up to Bush no matter what it cost them as a party. If Bush attacks Iran, both parties to revise those decisions. The Democrats will impeach because it will be safe--100% approval rating. What's left of the Republicans will help, or at least not hinder, impeachment because Bush will have ruined their party forever.

Kasparov Interrupted By "UFO"

This is fun: Chess player turned Putin-bait Garry Kasparov was in the middle of one of this speeches that will probably end his chess career--when he's murdered by Putin--when a helicopter dildo flew into the room. It hovered there, mocking Kasparov for about ten seconds or so before a big Russian guy batted it down.

No word on whether the flying phallus was bugged.

Waxman Snaps

Had to see this coming. Democratic Representative Henry Waxman, tasked with the thankless duty of investigating government corruption and incompetence, comes up against the utterly non-responsive EPA Administrator, Stephen Johnson. Waxman was further aggravated when Republican Representative Darrell Issa goads him with specious objections. As a result, Waxman gives his gavel a workout and threatens to have Issa removed "physically". Issa shuts up and the proceedings move on.



By the way something, feckless republican leader John Boehner called on Waxman to apologize for his "abuse of power". After the thing about the Decemberists, this is the funniest thing I've heard all day.

Pay Them no Mind

I would like to join the long list of people everywhere offering their thoughts and prayers to Edward Kennedy.

One of my Political Machine cohorts, Justin Paulette wrote a moving post about the news regarding Senator Kennedy's condition. Justin is what we in the blogosphere refer to as a conservative, or, in more sharp terms, a right winger. Yet he recognized, as I'm sure most Americans of just about all political persuasions recognized, that Kennedy's affliction transcends politics. Plenty of conservatives are weighing in with well wishes for Edward Kennedy.

Today a lot of people are talking about the childish antics of a cartoonish, heel radio host and the vicious piling on of readers in a right wing forum. Forget about all that. Just remember, the blogosphere is really a small place and the ghoulish few who are not worth mentioning are not representative of the mainstream of Republicans.

Did Obama Benefit from Decemberist Uprising?

Ever hear of the Decemberists? No, not the soldiers who rose up against the Czar in Russia back in 1825. I'm talking about the folksy, indie rock band from Portland, darlings of the music press, recipients of the prestigious Colbert-bump and Barack Obama's opening act at a very well attended rally in that city this past Sunday. 75,000 attended the event, which news organizations universally reported as "big" or "huge".

(more at Political Machine)

Source -- "Bush Intends To Attack Iran"

Today the White House denied a report that President Bush intends to attack Iran before leaving office.

(More at Les Enragés.Org)

Quite a Turnout

75,000 people showed up for an Obama rally in Oregon over the weekend. Not for a football game. Not for an Elton John concert. For a politician.