Insulting American Heroes

Remember the John Kerry "purple heart band-aids" of the 2004 campaign? Look at those tools. I hate smug Republican hypocrites.

Fighter Pilot Politics

If getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down had any bearing whatsoever on whether one should be elected president, Bob Dole would have been....and George W. Bush wouldn't have.

Obama's Credentials

He did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Padding the Resume

If getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down qualifies one to be president, then meet my choice for commander-in-chief #44

today NOW!

Wes Clark Finally Sez It

General Wesley Clark on Face the Nation:

CLARK: He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded — that wasn't a wartime squadron. He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn't seen what it's like when diplomats come in and say, "I don't know whether we're going to be able to get this point through or not, do you want to take the risk, what about your reputation, how do we handle this publicly? He hasn't made those calls, Bob.

SCHIEFFER: Can I just interrupt you? I have to say, Barack Obama hasn't had any of these experiences either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down.

CLARK: I don’t think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president.

Watch it here, above sequence starts and 1:49 and the money quote comes at 2:26. Is spending five years in the Hanoi Hilton analogous to four years in the Oval Office?

Baseball Rarity

In case you missed it, the LA Dodgers got no hit last night, and yet they won the game 1-0.

In case you missed it, the LA Angels tossed a no hitter last night, and yet they lost the game 1-0.

Such a strange result hadn't occured since April of 1992, and it's only ever happened 5 times since 1900.

Strange days indeed. More from the LA Times.

Telelvision History

Please enjoy the opening monologue in the first ever episode of SNL.
Rumor has it the man in this clip is high on cocaine. I don't know about that, but he's surely a comedic genius.

Nugget.

Living in America

"Our standing in the world is at an all-time low".

No shit? Damn! Better vote for Obama.

Somebody Had to Say It

Leave it to Harper's to call bullshit on the canonization of Tim Russert:

Respect for the man aside, there’s a matter of respecting journalism when assessing Russert’s place in the trade. That respect has been lacking in the almost universally fawning tributes to Russert and the craft he represented. Journalists and politicians from the president on down have formed yet another procession of praise and prostrations worthy of, say, Diana or Elvis. But Tim Russert?…

The truth is that on any night of the week Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show” does more in a two-minute segment to show in politicians’ own words how venal, dishonest, contradictory and just plain dense they can be than Russert did in his Sunday services. Russert’s master was always the political structure he grilled, but never fundamentally questioned. You always knew whose side he was on: power, not truth — and, by power, I don’t mean his own, of which he had plenty, but the powerful men and occasional women he invited to his Versailles.

In Case You Didn't Know It

When used properly, Guinness can be a decent substitute for food.

Strike a Pose

I'd rather see Sarah Palin in this spot, but here you go....

DKs

Unity '08

This whole thing made me breathe a little easier about November.

OBAMA:"It is fitting that we meet in a place called Unity, because the truth is, that’s the only way we can solve the challenges facing this country. Today, we look back at the votes cast here in the snows of January not as 107 votes for Hillary Clinton and 107 votes for me, but as 214 votes for change in America – votes cast by young and old, men and women, rich and poor, Democrats and Independents and even a few Republicans. And that’s why at this moment, we must come together not just as Democrats, but as Americans – united by our understanding that there is no problem we cannot solve; no challenge we cannot meet if we meet it as one nation, as one people."

I'd forgotten about the tie in New Hampshire, but it ended up making for a priceless rhetorical point. Obama is pure genius on the stump.

Correction: It wasn't actually a tie in NH, it was a tie in Unity.

Bush Gets Wish...

...Nukes North Korea

The First Four Years.

What does a successful first-term presidency look like to Barack Obama?

He tells Rolling Stone (via DKos):

OBAMA: "If I haven’t gotten combat troops out of Iraq, passed universal health care and created a new energy policy that speaks to our dependence on foreign oil and deals seriously with global warming, then we’ve missed the boat. Those are three big jobs, so it’s going to require a lot of attention and imagination, and it’s going to require the American people feeling inspired enough that they’re prepared to take on these big challenges."

JVM 02/14/33-06/09/08

If you'll indulge me for a minute, I'd like to give y'all a chance to check out the the obit on my dad...

I'll spare you all but this, my mom's wonderfully succinct description of dear old dad:

"He never judged anyone, and he found something good in everyone he ever met."

'Nuff said.

No Mojo.

As in, dude got none.

So It Goes

In case you forgot, the war is still over [there]:

BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide bomber attacked a meeting of pro-government Sunni sheiks west of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 23 people, including three U.S. Marines. At least 18 more people died in a car bombing in the northern city of Mosul.

From Across the Pond

And you thought they only drove on the wrong side of the road...
--from the BBC via Wonkette:

Family of faggot fans fly the flag
A West Midlands family is playing a central role in the quest to raise the profile of a forgotten British dish - faggots.
The Doody family from Wolverhampton has been crowned The Faggot Family in a national competition, and to kick off their reign they will launch National Faggot Week.

Clarity Through Better Comma Usage

Say what you will about today's Supreme Court ruling striking down the District of Columbia's handgun ban, but I've always thought people on both sides of the argument could agree that the Second Amendment has to be the most poorly constructed 27-word phrase in the history of the Republic.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Good Lord, what the hell does that mean, anyway? My 7th-grade English teacher surely woulda sent that word salad right back for revision. I can hear good ol' Mrs. Foreman now: "CLARITY, people, I want clarity."

Quick Take: ...Professor Stephen Wermiel from American University...wonders why none of the dissenters cautioned the majority that today's decision "will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed."

Wouldn't a Simple "No" Suffice?

Bush administration "torture memo" attorney John Yoo is testifying before the House Judiciary Committe this morning. This is the guy who theorized [in writing] that it would be legally permissible to "crush the testicles" of a suspected terrorist's child in order to make him talk.

[When] it was Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) turn to ask questions... he went toe to toe with Yoo, the former DOJ attorney and torture-memo author extraordinaire:

Conyers: Could the President order a suspect buried alive?
Yoo: Uh, Mr. Chairman, I don't think I've ever given advice that the President could order someone buried alive. . .
Conyers: I didn't ask you if you ever gave him advice. I asked you thought the President could order a suspect buried alive.
Yoo: Well Chairman, my view right now is that I don't think a President . . . no American President would ever have to order that or feel it necessary to order that.
Conyers: I think we understand the games that are being played.

Wouldn't a simple "no" be the correct answer to such a question? Not for the shameless barbarians in the Bush administration, apparently.

Full stonewall below:

California: Land of [Married] Fruits and Nuts

Going to a gay wedding today at 11AM. [Save the smartass comments people. It's not mine.] A friend at work asked me to be a witness, though. Pretty cool.

Motivational Moment

Some words to cheer you up this morning (or late afternoon -- tomorrow -- if you're in Thailand), from Jay Akroyd via Eschaton:

I've been seeing some people expressing concern that maverickyness may permit McCain to pull this out.
Please note:
1) He's a terrible candidate. He's undisciplined, incoherent, ill-tempered and can't read a teleprompter.
2) They're running a terrible campaign. They haven't picked a logo or a slogan yet, and lime green jello is still in the running as their color scheme.
3) He's way behind, already, and right track/wrong track is at 14/80.

The media is going to desperately try to make this a horse race. Don't be fooled. Think Bob Dole. Or Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford.

Travel Tip

Here's a nugget from Crooks and Liars:

Travelling from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles? Pack extra supplies for Google Map’s Step Number Six.

Daily Show Delivers

Lara Logan offers some truth during her appearance on Jon Stewart's "fake" news show:

LOGAN: "More soldiers died in Afghanistan last month than Iraq. Who's paying attention to that? 33,000, highest troop level since the war began, seven years after we 'defeated' the Taliban."

Groove Holmes

Prediction

Sam Nunn is not going to be the next vice president.

Blogic

I've been plugging away at this blog for many months now, slowly building it up to a steady couple dozen regs a day. And then I go away for a few days and what the hell happens? Somebody musta linked to me somewhere out on the Internets, because my hit counter started going off like a Roman candle while I was gone. Tuesday 6/17 looks to be the first day of the Flowers for Algernon experience, with 787 page views; Wednesday 1470 hits, Thursday 625, Friday 443 and then Saturday, Sunday and Monday each around 200. Funny thing is, I was incommunicado every single one of those days.

Nice metting yoo all,

--Charley

Political Mumbo Jumbo

I you're like me, you're muy cansado of our always poking fun at John W. McCain through Youtube clips. But it's just too easy:

$300-million for a car battery?!?
This is what passes for an economic policy proposal?

UPDATE:Manifest Density breaks it down:

Not that I don't like batteries, mind you! But if someone were to invent a better one they'd already be poised to make a huge amount of money through its commercialization. Offering prizes for innovation isn't always a terrible idea — for pharmaceuticals with a limited market of potential users it can make sense due to the huge costs associated with developing and testing a new drug. But *everyone* in the developed world needs better energy storage technology, and they need it right now. And while it's important to make sure your new batteries are safe and robust (e.g. they don't explode *too* much), that's still much easier and cheaper to do than it is to conduct a set of double-blind human trials. So sweetening the pot is unnecessary. Anyone who has a good idea about how to build a better battery is already working on the problem.

Everybody (Still) Hates Bush

Ha ha.

Obama leads John W. McCain by 12 points nationally, but the real nugget in this story is buried in paragraph 16:

The survey found public approval of President Bush's job performance at a new low for the Times/Bloomberg Poll: only 23% approved of the job Bush is doing, and 73% disapproved.

Country Folk Got a Problem

I walk to work and live right downtown, so I've got it pretty good right now in the land of $5-a-gallon gasoline. But up around here where I reside in Centra-California we got a lotta country folk. They like to drive big trucks and live out in the boonies. My Live-Walk ratio is something like 99.9%, but these cowpokes living out on the farm are getting righteously squeezed by high gas prices.

There's a woman at work who drives about 35 miles each way to work (70 miles a day). She lives out on a ranch, has cows and horses and goats and drives a big gigantic truck and all the rest. Her husband ain't any better when it comes to fuel efficiency. [And to think I don't even have a garage or a yard.] Between the two of them, they're spending $1200-$1500 a month on gas (for now).

That's a serious chunk of change, and that economic reality is already beginning to have a significant impact on suburban home values, not to mention all the other economic mainstays of the "rural" American lifestyle.

Next!

Rudy We Hardly Knew Ye

NEW YORK— According to witnesses, former New York City mayor and one-time favorite for the Republican presidential nomination Rudolph Giuliani was seen slumped over and asleep on the Coney Island-bound F train late Tuesday night, as well as on the return Queens-bound F train early Wednesday morning.

Giuliani, once a beloved New York figure who earned the nickname "America's Mayor," was wearing a faded New York Yankees jacket and a dirty FDNY cap pulled down over his eyes.

"Everyone was sitting on the opposite side of the train because there was a real bad smell coming from his side," said passenger Melissa Humber, who witnessed Giuliani lying across three seats and using a rolled-up New York Post as a pillow. "He seemed to jolt awake when a homeless guy started ranting about 9/11, but then he just sighed and went back to sleep." Giuliani was last spotted shaving in a New York Public Library bathroom.

Still More Travel

On the way back to Philly last week, there was this screaming kid (on a red-eye, mind you) who just wouldn't quit. A real screecher, and clearly a little boy. Well, I'm a pretty understanding fella. I don't envy parents who have to travel with little ones, and I know there are times when it just has to be. But I remember looking back a few times, scanning for the disrupter and thinking, "It would reelly suck to be sitting right in front of that family."

It was only when I got up to pee I noticed the kid was in the seat right behind me.

More on Air Travel

Middle seats suck. My neck hurts from nodding off!!!

But We're Still Winning

Jesus, I take a trip for a few days and look what happens:

BAGHDAD -- Two American soldiers and two U.S. government employees were killed when a bomb exploded this morning inside a local council building in the Baghdad district of Sadr City, the U.S. military said.

The blast also killed two Iraqi civilians and injured seven others, according to Iraqi security officials. A U.S. military statement confirmed only four wounded, including one U.S. soldier and three Iraqi council members.

A check of the scoreboard: 4104 men down.

What's McCain's plan for Iraq again? "We've got to get Americans off the front line...and then I don't think Americans are concerned if we're there for 100 years or a thousand years or ten thousand years..."

My Beach, My Chicks, My Waves. Go Home!

MALIBU -- The summer surf is up in Malibu, and that means competing cultures are colliding with more zest than usual: surfers who jealously guard their favorite beaches, locals who want Malibu to remain a West Coast Mayberry and younger celebrities who love to hate their attendant paparazzi.

Case in point: Over the weekend, obscenities, fists and video equipment went flying in two incidents involving paparazzi, celebrities and surfers, capturing the attention of Internet junkies around the world.

Somehow this whole incident reminded me of this old tune by the Surf Punks, who in hindsight were never as intimidating as the real surf punks I knew down at Silver Strand in the 'Nard.

McCain Hits the Third Rail of Santa Barbara Politics

John McCain spent the day campaigning in Santa Barbara, California, yesterday. When the topic of offshore oil drilling came up Dubya McCain got jolted:

[Santa Barbara activist] Dan Secord made a statement to McCain and then asked his question:

"Santa Barbara has among other things a great natural beauty -- one of our great natural beauties lies before you out there to the South. We're really kind of goosey here about oil spills. And we're goosey here about federal drilling and oil lands, which are abundant offshore.

"So we ask you to look out there to the south and the southeast and remember the greatest environmental catastrophe that's hit this state and then balance that with the notion of winning California. This is a vibrating blue city and a vibrating state, and it’s gonna be a tough haul.”

“This gathering is adjourned,” McCain promptly quipped.

That's a funny line McCain often uses to dodge tough questions, but if he thinks Santa Barbarans are going to roll over on drilling in the Channel, he's got another thing coming.
Those folks have a long memory:

In the winter of 1969, 3 million gallons of oil began leaking from an offshore drilling site off the Santa Barbara coast. It would eventually be contained, but the incident helped spark landmark environmental legislation to protect the nation's waters and air.

Airport Realities

I don't really long for the days of coats and ties as de rigeur for air travel, but some of the things people wear these days are decidedly WRONG.

Nice "I've got a Big Johnson" t-shirt, fool! I'm sure that cute flight attendant is going to be putty in your hands.

And that polyester shirt may breathe well from the inside, but when you wear it in the steamy Philadelphia airport none of the rest of us can.

Airport Realities

You can spend hours online at Expedia and Orbitz and Priceline chasing down the cheapest air fare, but if you have to spend any extra time at all in the airport, particularly an airport bar or restaurant, the price of your ticket can will increase exponentially.

And why do they always bring me "the big beer," regardless of what I ask for?

Is It Memorial Day?

Sure feels like Memorial Day.

Happy Gay Marriage Day

I work in the County Government Center here in San Luis Obispo, CA, and lemme tell ya, there's a whole lotta gay-marryin' going on downstairs today. And not a wingnut protester in sight. I'm so proud of my county.

Republican Party 2008: Pathetic, Desperate Losers

Actual button for sale at the Texas Republican Convention.

Busted

The chickenhawks are coming home to roost:

A Senate investigation has concluded that top Pentagon officials began assembling lists of harsh interrogation techniques in the summer of 2002 for use on detainees at Guantanamo Bay and that those officials later cited memos from field commanders to suggest that the proposals originated far down the chain of command, according to congressional sources briefed on the findings.

I see. Blame the grunts. Heckuva job, Rummy.

Riddle

I can't imagine the savvy Barack Obama would screw up his Veep decision in this way, but when I hear the name Sam Nunn bandied about, I ask myself: what century are we living in?

This is Just Wrong

He's either lying or stupid, but this is the sort of tripe that gets published in the Los Angeles Times:

Bush never lied to us about Iraq

And Robert Scheer is still fired from that miserable fishwrap.

Western Airlines

When we first moved to the west coast from the East, one of the first things my Dad and I did was take a liking to the LA Lakers. They had Wilt, who was from Philly, and they were good. They had Jerry West ["The Logo" as Jim Rome calls him] and they had Gail Goodrich, #25, a lefty (like me), so it was all good. For a 9-year-old, I was in heaven. Dad took me to a few games, and we watched every game on TV. It's funny how thing get burned into your brain, but this ad campaign is one I'll never forget: Western Airlines, the oooooooooooooooooonly way to fly!

Apologies

It's been a really hard week to be snarky. Except on TXT messages about the Laker Eurotrash, but that's a different story. Much thanks for good wishes, I'll be seeing family and eating a cheesesteak in about 48 hours. That should make me feel a bit better.

Just Sayin'

People who oppose gay marriage are pretty gay. Get over it, fools.

Join Me

If anyone's interested, I'll be dishing out "terrorist fist jabs" this afternoon from 2-till-4 down at the mosque. Bring yer knuckles.

What the Lakers Need to Get Back in the Series

M-A-G-I-C.

Deep Thoughts from McCarthy's

Life generally has its ups-and-downs, but when you start getting bunches of phone calls, text messages, emails and [even!] snail mail greeting cards because your dad recently passed...
...that's definitely an up to a down.

Thanks to all. You people rock! Especially the ones who have (or plan to) buy me a shot and a beer in the not-to-distant/extremely-far-off future. JVM would be proud of you all for your kindness, your tenderness and your generosity. Peace.

How Not to Get Elected

For Dad: Come On Up To The House

I don't particularly like the look of this this video, but it was the only version I could find and I wanted y'all to hear this very powerful Tom Waits song. So let it roll and follow along with the lyrics below. It's all about the letting go....

Well the moon is broken
And the sky is cracked
Come on up to the house
The only things that you can see
Is all that you lack
Come on up to the house
All your cryin don't do no good
Come on up to the house
Come down off the cross
We can use the wood
Come on up to the house

Come on up to the house
Come on up to the house
The world is not my home
I'm just a passin thru
Come on up to the house

There's no light in the tunnel
No irons in the fire
Come on up to the house
And you're singin' lead soprano
In a junkman's choir
You gotta come on up to the house

Does life seem nasty, brutish and short
Come on up to the house
The seas are stormy
And you can't find no port
Come on up to the house
There's nothin in the world

(Chorus)
There's nothin in the world
That you can do
You gotta come on up to the house
And you been whipped by the forces
That are inside you
Come on up to the house
Well you're high on top
Of your mountain of woe
Come on up to the house
Well you know you should surrender
But you can't let go
You gotta come on up to the house

I'll have much more to say about my pops real soon. For the moment, suffice it to say that he was the finest man I have ever known.

Radio Birdman

Senate Report Confirms It: Bush Lied

We should all be reading McClatchey Newspapers:

WASHINGTON — President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other top officials promoted the invasion of Iraq with public statements that weren't supported by intelligence or that concealed differences among intelligence agencies, the Senate Intelligence Committee said on Thursday in a report that was delayed by bitter partisan infighting.

A second report found that a special office set up under then-secretary of defense Donald H. Rumsfeld [Douglas Feith's "Office of Special Plans" ] conducted "sensitive intelligence activities" that were inappropriate "without the knowledge of the Intelligence Community or the State Department." That report revealed that Pentagon counterintelligence officials suspected that Iran might have tried to use the group to influence administration policymakers.

Committee chairman John D. Rockefeller, D-W. Va., said the administration's actions went far beyond simply being misled by bad intelligence.

"There is no question we all relied on flawed intelligence," Rockefeller said in a statement. "But, there is a fundamental difference between relying on incorrect intelligence and deliberately painting a picture to the American people that you know is not fully accurate."

What we already knew:

Meanwhile....4092 American soldiers have given their lives for Bush's folly.

Things are Tough All Over

You may be surprised to learn that the pleasant person from FedEx Ground delivering your package owns the truck which he or she has parked in front of your house. FedEx Ground drivers, you will find out in Steven Greenhouse’s “The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker,” are not FedEx employees.

They are what are called independent contractors, although it demands no little effort to discern what about their position is independent. If they do not do what they are told, their contracts are abrogated forthwith. They are required to buy their own truck with 60 monthly installments of $781.12, which comes to $46,867.20. Plus there is a final kicker payment of $8,000, all of which adds up to a grand total of almost $55,000. On top of this, as an independent business person, the driver must bear the costs of insurance, maintenance, fuel, repairs and the fee for the FedEx uniform rental. --more at Robert Scheer's Truthdig.com

Meanwhile, the nation's unemployment rate climbed to 5.5% in May, a 1/2-percent higher than April and the highest one month jump in 22 years.

Play Ultimate!!

Here's a pretty cool little video a guy shot a couple of weeks ago at the finals of Santa Barbara Classic.
My team is in black. We won the game, in OT, 16-14.

He's also got a website with a bunch of other Ulti clips.

I Wonder if Steve Pappas Won?

Anybody?

Rock On!

Random Incriminating McCain Photo of the Day

While New Orleans drowned in the wake of Katrina, John W. McCain was in Arizona eating birthday cake with Dubya. All that's missing are the funny hats.

The End is Near

New York City Congressman and erstwhile Hillary Clinton supporter Charlie Rangel on Rasputin:

"We pledged to support her to the end," said Rangel, a New York Democrat who has been a patron of Mrs. Clinton since she first ran for the Senate. "Our problem is not being able to determine when the hell the end is."

The End will come on Friday. Or Saturday. Allegedly.

Everybody (Still) Hates Dubya

Does anyone really even care if The Nincompoop plays golf?

President Bush's approval rating is at its lowest level to date. Just 25 percent of Americans approve of the overall job Mr. Bush is doing as President, an all-time low for him and among the lowest approval ratings ever recorded for a President.

Sixty-seven percent disapprove of the job Bush is doing - the highest such figure in CBS News polls since he assumed office.

Only Presidents Nixon (24 percent) and Truman (22 percent) have seen polls showing job approval ratings lower than 25 percent during their presidencies, according to Gallup Polls. President Carter’s all-time low was 26 percent.

[Not] Possible?

Rasputin for Veep!?!

Barack Obama's Speech from Last Night

Opens with a 1:15 standing ovation.

Obama Passes the "Beer" Test

For the record, I wouldn't mind sitting down and having a beer with Barack Obama. From what I hear, dude likes to party.

Apparently, others take a different measure of the man.

DAVID BROOKS, “NEW YORK TIMES”: Obama‘s problem is he doesn‘t seem like a guy who can go into an Applebee‘s salad bar and people think he fits in naturally there. He has to change to be more like that Applebee‘s guy and as he‘s done that he‘s become much more transactional. Much more, I‘m going to deliver this and this and this to you on policy.

Ahem, Applebee's restaurants don't have salad bars, ya pinhead.

Sweep!

Strange as it may seem, the local candidates and ballot measures all seem to be breaking my way. I'm not used to this kind of thing.

I Want Barack!

Obama Secures Democratic Presidential Nomination

ST. PAUL, MINN -- Barack Obama, a political unknown just four years ago, clinched the Democratic nomination Tuesday, writing himself into history books as the first black candidate to lead a major-party bid for president.

"There are those who say that this primary has somehow left us weaker and more divided. Well I say that because of this primary, there are millions of Americans who have cast their ballot for the very first time. There are Independents and Republicans who understand that this election isn’t just about the party in charge of Washington, it’s about the need to change Washington. There are young people, and African-Americans, and Latinos, and women of all ages who have voted in numbers that have broken records and inspired a nation.

"All of you chose to support a candidate you believe in deeply. But at the end of the day, we aren’t the reason you came out and waited in lines that stretched block after block to make your voice heard. You didn’t do that because of me or Senator Clinton or anyone else. You did it because you know in your hearts that at this moment – a moment that will define a generation – we cannot afford to keep doing what we’ve been doing. We owe our children a better future. We owe our country a better future. And for all those who dream of that future tonight, I say – let us begin the work together. Let us unite in common effort to chart a new course for America." --Barack Obama, June 3, 2008.

Rasputin

Poisoned, beaten, shot, hanged, drowned.
Yet still she lives....

Sen. Hillary Clinton's is "absolutely not" prepared to concede the race for the Democratic presidential nomination to Sen. Barack Obama, her campaign chairman said.

Terry McAuliffe rejected as "100 percent" incorrect an Associated Press report that Clinton is preparing to acknowledge that Obama has the delegates to win the nomination Tuesday night as the five-month Democratic primary process comes to a close.

Obama "doesn't have the numbers today, and until someone has the numbers the race goes on," McAuliffe told CNN.

Early Exit Polls

I was the first person to vote at my polling station this morning. Early exit polls indicate my candidates are leading their races by a landslide margin of 100%-to-0%.

More Bitter Truth from Iraq

Do you suppose Michael Ware ever spent any time in a boxing ring?

Careful What You Wish For

For years and years California had always held its presidential primary on the first Tuesday in June. It's where Bill Clinton finally clinched his nomination in 1992 and it's what put Bobby Kennedy in the Ambassador Hotel on that fateful summer day in 1968.

But California started to feel left out of all the early excitement generated by Iowa and New Hampsire and decided to flex its considerable electoral muscle (370 delegates in the Democratic primary alone) by moving its primary up to the first Tuesday in February. "Ha-ha!," Californians said, "It's time for the rest of the nation to stop taking us for granted. This time we'll have a real voice in the nominating process!"

Now here we are in June. Montana and South Dakota vote tomorrow, a paltry 31 Democratic delegates between them (16 and 15, respectively), not even enough to give Obama the 40.5 he needs to seal the deal. Hillary Clinton only needs 200 herself to secure the nomination; she won 235 back in February's California primary.

Imagine for a moment what the campaigning would be like if California were still in play.

Harsh Political Reality II

DailyKos breaks down the actual harsh political realities facing Hillary Clinton on the penultimate day of the Democratic presidential primary season and, interestingly enough, despite Marcos' prediction that the superdelegates will hand this thing to Obama this week, Hillary Clinton could still be holding some cards when the clock strikes midnight tomorrow night:

It's no secret that Barack Obama will declare victory tomorrow after the polls close in South Dakota and Montana.
[...]
However, he needs 40.5 delegates to officially close the deal, and there are only 31 delegates at stake in tomorrow's election.

Rasputin, I tell you, she's like Rasputin.

Harsh Political Reality

If Puerto Rico couldn't put Hillary over the top, she's done. (Isn't she?)

Bomp, Bomp, Bomp, Bomp-Bomp....

I got to see Bo Diddley long about the late '80s or so, down at the Real Texas Chili Factory in Santa Barbara, CA. It was one of the few times where I really felt like I was in the presense of rock and roll history. I mean, how many rockers invented their own beat and then saw it copped by pretty much everyone who ever aspired to play blues-based rock-n-roll? The Dead, the Stones, the Faces, the Blasters, X, George Thorogood, the Allman Brothers, Tom Petty, Springsteen, U2....the list goes on and on. They've all leaned on the Bo Diddley Beat one way or another. He was like the Beethoven of rock and roll. Everything follows from The Beat.

Here Dave Alvin has a nice reminiscence:

"Whatever you do, DO NOT play 'the Beat!'"

That was the first thing Bo Diddley said to us before we walked onto the stage of the Music Machine club in West L.A. for two sets back in 1983. We were a mix of members of the Blasters and X who had agreed, with great enthusiasm, to back up one of our greatest heroes for free at a benefit show for the Southern California Blues Society.

What the hell, here's another seriously rockin' tune:

Hell Hath No Fury...

...like Harriet Christian.

Deborah Foster's no shrinking violet either:

Both women are from Noo Yawk, clearly.

Heathen, Know Thyself

It wasn't until I took this brief but handy little test that I learned I'm a "lying, thieving, blasphemous, murderous, adulterer at heart."

Looks like I'm going straight to hell, but at least I'm enjoying the ride.

Pure Comedy Gold

Scott McLellan appeared on Meet the Press this morning and Pumpkinhead ran a video clip of the coward/rat delivering this priceless quote from the podium in the White House briefing room in January 2004:

MR. McCLELLAN: Intelligence is something that we take very seriously in this administration.

That's what you call mutli-layered comedy.

Picking Nits: Much is made of Tim Russert's stylistic habit of reading direct quotes to his guests as a way of putting them on the spot with their own words. One thing that I've always noticed is that Punkinhead can't seem to make it though a reading without butchering the quote one way or another.
For example, here's a quote from McClellan's book blurb that Russert tried to read this morning:

"And, I will directly address myths that have been associated with[Bush], some deliberately perpetuated by activist liberals and some created by the media, and look at the reality behind those myths."

Russert read the word as "perpetrated," and it's a habit he has, of bulldozing through quotes that appear on the screen without regard for the accuracy of his reading. It's hard to read along.