The Truffle

Except actually, it's not. It's a GOP candidate trying to disance herself from the Preznit. Woo-hah! Marilyn Brewer, a leading Republican candidate for the nation's only open House seat, stared into the TV camera and proclaimed her support for the president. She was not talking about George W. Bush. "I stand side by side with Ronald Reagan on less taxes and less government," Brewer told voters at a candidate forum. **** Later, the self-described loyal Republican who voted for the president in 2004 explained her calculus: "If the election was this year ... he would not be re-elected." I imagine after this, Karl Rove will figure out a way to remove Ms. Brewer from the running. (Via Americablog.)

You know, with respectful younger artists showing their appreciation for musical giants by recording duets with them. Ray Charles and Norah Jones, Sinatra and whoever, Louis Armstrong and Kenny G. LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND KENNY G. I still don't know how that was ever accomplished. Well, I do. Armstrong being already dead and in no position to protest probably had something to do with it. Now? Now, you've got senior citizen songcrafters teaming up with gangsta rappers for protest music. It's Burt Bacharach and Dr. Dre, d00d! Doing protest songs! Oh frack, here are all the details.

Dear Abby: Look, I know you've got Alzheimer's and your clueless daughter is doing your column now, but this is really important. I really have to tell someone. I mean, really, really, really, really. Really. See, just 11 months ago, I was so bummed out. Well, if you were reading the news, you'd know why. This country seemed to be turning into the Theofascist Republic of North America. Drastic measure such as a move to Canada or another civil war seemed awfully attractive. My friend Steve predicted that Bruce Springsteen and the Dixie Chicks were going to disappear after November 3. I don't want to see Bruce and the Dixie Chicks disappear! Well, 2005 plodded along and lots of news came out, none of it good. Specifically, Iraq was a debacle, and the GOP thought that putting a feeding tube in a brain-dead woman was a matter of national importance. The Bush administration was still slimy. The GOP was still shitfaced with power. The Faux News blabbermouths kept

The Hammer's been indicted. Oh, happy, happy day! Meanwhile, over in the Senate, Block o'Wood Frist is being investigated for some questionable stock sales. Can anyone say "insider trading"? It sounds weird, but there's clearly an upside to a GOP majority--and it's spelled s-c-h-a-d-e-n-f-r-e-u-d-e. Woohoo!

From Jane Hamsher comes the story of Jackie Speier, California State Senator and candidate for Lt. Governor. Speier is the kind of fighting Democrat that the party really needs more of. The most fascinating part of her career concerns her early political career. Speier was a congressional assistant to Rep. Leo Ryan, and she accompanied him on his fact-finding trip to Jonestown in the late 1970s. Ryan was killed during the mission; Speir was shot five times and left for dead. Here's an SFGate piece with more details on this chapter of her life. And she's suffered other tragedies as well: two miscarriages and the death of her first husband in a car accident (when she was pregnant with her second child, no less). No wonder this woman's got fighting spirit. She's the one who first noticed Schwarznegger's little conflict of interest regarding nutritional supplements. Something tells me that all she's lived through, Ahnuld is a walk in the park. And she wan

Mike Brown, past FEMA head and current FEMA consultant (no, that's not a joke) blames everything on Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin. And I quote: "My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional." Brownie still can't explain why FEMA took three days to get to Mississippi.

The mainstream media is still pretending that the antiwar movement too small, too fringe-y, and too radical to be taken seriously. How much longer will they keep pretending? Who knows? But according to Americablog , yesterday's antiwar rally was a major success. Reuters gives a general number of over 100,000 protesters; organizers say it's 300,000. "The protesters were graying baby boomers who had railed against the Vietnam War, parents pushing strollers with toddlers, college students and a few adults in wheelchairs," the Reuters piece says. Sounds like this antiwar movement isn't limited to the ANSWER/aging hippie/leftover Marxist crowd. Perhaps the media pundits should get it into their heads that this is not just a bunch of Saddam lovers, would-be fifth columnists, and lunatic-fringe radicals, hmmmmmmmm? In fact, the antiwar movement counts some right-wing voices among its ranks, most notably the conservative libertarians of Antiwar.com. Rep. Walte

I gotta admit, these online political belief tests are soooooooooo predictable. You are a Social Liberal (66% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (21% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Yes, I'm a Democrat! Boo, you poor Freepers! BOOOOOOOO! I scare ya! My favorite quote from this test: "You exhibit a very well-developed sense of Right and Wrong and believe in economic fairness." And people find fault in this?

Joe asks "Can't we do better?"

It had to happen. After Aaron Broussard's tearful appearance on Meet the Press , some bloggers began to dissect his account of a woman's drowning death in a nursing home. I guess they wanted something to take their minds off all the Bush bashin' in the media. The flap over Broussard's testimony is really a tempest in a teacup. All they could prove is that he might have mixed up the date the lady died. Apparently, Broussard is supposed to take time out from overseeing a herculean hurricane relief effort to verify the exact date a person died. What can I say? I guess some bloggers are hoping against hope that people will stop, erm, playing blame games with the federal government, but still... Anyhow, Broussard was on "Meet the Press" again this morning. Russert replayed his original, heartrending testimony and then the attack of the right-wing talking points began: Mr. Russert: Mr. Broussard, obviously that was a very painful, emotional moment, but let

Coney Island was rather sparsely populated yesterday. It made me miss sweaty, sticky summer, the season of the Siren Festival and the Mermaid Parade. Ah well. Le Sweetie and I went on some of the rides while there was still time. We took a spin on the go-karts and went on the flume. We also ate ice cream and generally pretended that it was still July. Le Sweetie really, really doesn't like scary rides, so there was no Coney Island Cyclone this time. There were people fishing on the Coney Island pier as the sun went down. The temperature dropped into the 60s or so--and it felt a little chilly. I saw people walking on the beach, but nobody swimming. Everyone wore long sleeves and sweats. We went to see the Shins and the White Stripes. Brendan Branson was the first act up and sounded good--very 1970s power pop. The Shins were rather dull. The White Stripes, OTOH, seriously rocked. Seriously. These guys make sloppy and garagey seem like a virtue, God bless 'em. Next

Rita's on its way. It's "only" a Category 3 hurricane now. But the Gulf coast is seriously fucked. And Houston's evacuation plan has run into snags, like cars backed up the wazoo and running out of gas. Oh, and Texas's governor is a Republican, so the wingnuts can't play blame games here.

Well, the National Enquirer says that Bush has started drinking again. The lefty blogosphere loves to hear bad things about Bush (I know I do), but nevertheless, this IS the Enquirer. Elayne Riggs is pretty annoyed to find the leftyblogs chortling over this (probably and possibly fake) story: You know, the guy in the White House has an actual record of what he has and hasn't done this past 4+ years. Most liberals would find that record abysmal. In criticizing this administration, can't we stick to all these known facts, and more are being revealed every day it seems, rather than go to the friggin' National Enquirer to dig up and delight in rumors that Bush is back on the sauce? Amen, Elayne. This story only serves to distract from the really juicy and easily documented wackiness of Bushland...like Jeb Bush's imaginary friend, Chang.

From the "truth is stranger than...oh, never mind department," here's the governor on his imaginary friend, Chang. “Chang is a mystical warrior. Chang is somebody who believes in conservative principles, believes in entrepreneurial capitalism, believes in moral values that underpin a free society. “I rely on Chang with great regularity in my public life. He has been by my side and sometimes I let him down. But Chang, this mystical warrior, has never let me down.” It's nice to see someone didn't abandon his imaginary friend when he turned 13. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is full of lovable critters who've been abandoned by the kids to dreamt them up. I can just imagine little Jebby Bush, ensconced in boarding school, miles from Poppy and the family, dreaming up his friend Chang to keep him company. Jebby was probably a lonely boy, with great expectations placed on him by Poppy and Mummy. "We're expectin' great things from you, Jebb

Pitts has a response to all the kool-aid drinkers who send him nasty e-mails. It's just perfect!

Over at the Decembrist is an essay on why Jack Kemp-style "anti-government government" doesn't work and why the answer is effective government, not small or large government. I myself subscribe to the Goldilocks theory of government: not too big, not too small, just right. But Republicans don't want to hear about it. It's all "government is the problem, let's shrink it." It's never "we can do this better without red tape." It's never "we should use our resources wisely." Republicans are stuck in the knee-jerk "small government, small government" mindset. Commenter Kilroy Was Here sums it up best: Placing conservatives in charge of the government is like putting Lenin in charge of General Electric. When I interview for a job, no one is going to hire me if I say, "I hate this job. I hate this company. In fact, I hate what the company stands for." But we seem to be proud to vote for people who f

Their spamming doesn't work, doesn't result in any significant business, annoys people, and is simply a pain in the butt. They always sell the same stuff: computer software, college degrees, Viagra, Rolexes. I've got computer software (otherwise, I wouldn't be typing this). I've got a college degree. I've got a wristwatch. I'm female, so I don't have erectile dysfunction. I don't need Viagra and I don't need to have my penis enlarged. I can always tell spam is spam because they have stupid message headers that make no sense at all. A sample from my mailbox: "On go is quaver rent" "Which smoke in whiz" "In learn go sellotape reality" "An start be lithe" I'm not sure where these messages are coming from, but loosely translated, they all mean the same thing: "This is another piece of spam wasting space in your mailbox. You'll buy a Rolex from me, wontcha?" No. Find another way to m

As noted here and here , conservatives are claiming "March of the Penguins" as their kind of movie--a film that preaches proper values and won't be condemned by CAPalert . How did “March of the Penguins” become a surprise hit? Perhaps because nothing beats the summer heat like a movie set in Antarctica. Perhaps it’s the majestic yet adorable emperor penguins and their fuzzy gray chicks to make moviegoers say “Awwwwwwww.” And yes, it has a powerful family-values message...but one based on reality, not partisan politics. As it turns out, looking for a partner in Antarctica is similar to the U.S. dating scene. Male penguins are not unlike American metrosexuals. “They pout, they strut, and occasionally they will engage in some contact sports,” says narrator Morgan Freeman. Although she isn't around when her baby hatches, the mother penguin is the kind of mom that human mothers can cheer on. As soon as the female lays an egg, she turns it over to the male, who

He gave brownies a bad name, anyway.

Kate Bush was one of my musical heroes during my teenage years. I adored "The Kick Inside" and "The Dreaming." During a summer in England, I spent lots of nights at the local pub. The pub had a jukebox. The jukebox had "Wuthering Heights," Kate's 1978 hit. I loved "Wuthering Heights" and kept playing it again and again. Sure, it annoyed the heck out of everyone else there, but so what? Kate Bush has been laying low for about 12 years. Now, I find out, via The Velvet Rope, that her next album is almost done. Hooray! Yippee! Yay! God exists after all! Here's a longer piece about Kate Bush and what she's been up to. Basically, she's now a mom, and that's one reason she's been laying low. What's that about good things coming to those who wait? I'm really hoping that the next album will be stunning. If only we could swap Kate for George W...but that would probably violate some sort of international tr

Via Moxiegrrl, I find that the nation's "compassionate conservatives" can't seem to disengage their mouths at the same time that they disengage their brains. More rock-stupid quotes here. These go beyond the usual stupdity and let-'em-eat-cake blatherings from Babs Bush, Jackasstert, Dubya, and the incompetents at DHS/FEMA. Way, way beyond. 9) "I mean, you have people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving.” –Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sept. 6, 2005 12) "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" –House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-TX), to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston 13) "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did." –Rep. Richard Bak

I guess I saw this one coming... I am Progressive Girl Click on the picture below to read more: Take the 'What Kind of Girl Are You?' quiz at CookingToHookup.com

Who would've ever seen this coming?

Via Crooks and Liars, we learn that FEMA in-over-his-head Mike Brown has been relieved of his responsibilities in Louisiana . But Bush thought Brownie was doing a great job! What happened? And has he been pink-slipped or just sent back to Washington so someone else can handle things down south?

Representative Richard Baker, of Baton Rouge, finds the up side of a hurricane: ""We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did." Laura Bush (remember her?) thinks Kanye West's comments are "disgusting." Wonder what Laura thinks of her mother-in-law's remarks about the evacuees at the Houston Astrodome? On second thought I don't want to know. Oh, this is hilarious. Bush's image czar says looters in NOLA have hurt America's image abroad. No, you imbecile, the government's slow response, seemingly dismissive behavior, and general ass-backwardness are hurting America abroad. The woman's job is obviously to make excuses for the Bush administration.

Jackasstert is now trying to, uh, clarify his statement regarding New Orleans. It turns out he doesn't really want the city torn down after all. Too late, at least as far as one former elected official is concerned... In Syracuse, N.Y., President Clinton was discussing New Orleans' dilemma when someone described the comments. Had they been in the same place when the remarks were made, Clinton said, "I'm afraid I would have assaulted him." Oh yeah, and Jackasstert was at a fundraiser while Congress approved 10.5 billion dollars for hurricane aid. He also attended a car auction, but he claims that the money was given to charity. Someone run against Jackasstert in 2006, please.

I'm waiting for the wingnuts to accuse La Hill of using the NOLA tragedy to boost her presidential ambitions. But anyway, she is now calling for a Katrina commission to figure out where the government fucked up. She even has a smart idea: legislation to separate FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security and make FEMA a cabinet-level agency. It is one of the few smart ideas I've heard from Congress so far. Now, if only La Hill can disassociate herself from the DLC and admit that the Iraq war was a mistake (uh-huh, right), then she'd make a swell presidential nominee.

Dennis Hastert is a jackass. In fact, I might start calling him Dennis Jackasstert.

It's a Yahoo report, which means it's got the bare details of what's going on in New Orleans. But even the bare details are too awful for words. As a New Yorker, who has some idea of the kind of what kinds of horrors a city can endure, my thoughts are with the people of New Orleans. I can't even condemn the looters. How are you or I to know why they're looting? As NO's mayor says, "This is a desperate SOS." Desperate people can do things they wouldn't normally dream of doing. Things they might feel embarassed about later on. I doubt anyone down in that city woke up and thought "No one here? Shops closed? Fucking A! I always wanted a new pair of sneakers!" Let's focus on answering their SOS before we start handing out arrest warrants.

...And the president acts like a deer caught in headlights. Okay, that isn't totally true. He spent August 30, when Katrina socked New Orleans and the deep south, giving a speech and jammin' with country singers. He even had his own gee-tar with a presidential seal! Yeeeeeeeeee-hah! He headed back on 8/31 and gave the lamest of lame presidential speeches. Via Echidne, we find the NYT saying what needed to be said.