The Truffle

I'm off to Mississippi on Thursday for a five-day weekend. Wheeeeeee!

The more I read about Senator George Allen, the scummier he seems. His "macaca" crack, now immortalized for all on YouTube, wasn't just an isolated foot-in-mouth episode. And, to be sure, we've all had our foot-in-mouth episodes. No, Senator Allen is a graduate of the Trent Lott School of Racial Tolerance, from his love of all things Confederate, to the noose he used to keep in his law office, to his chumminess with the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens. The Nation has more. Note that Mississippi governor Hayley Barbour has also done some photo ops with the CCC. And both Barbour and Allen are considered potential presidential candidates by the GOP. I guess the party ditched that cumbersome "big tent" concept...

Over at Yahoo, Senator Mary Landrieu is taking questions regarding the recovery efforts, and the right-wing trolls have wasted no time with partisan whining. ("But whaddabout the Democrap mayor and governor?" Nobody let them off the hook either, dudes.) Where's Senator Landrieu's colleague, David Vitter? You know, the guy who thinks that there's no issue more important than gay marriage? Compared to Landrieu, Vitter's been way quiet.

"Animal House in the West Wing" is the subject header. Does Dubya yelp "ThankyousirmayIhaveanother" as Rove and Cheney whack his behind with a paddle? I wish! No, it seems the "Animal House" analogy is due to more routine stuff: He loves to cuss, gets a jolly when a mountain biker wipes out trying to keep up with him, and now we're learning that the first frat boy loves flatulence jokes. A top insider let that slip when explaining why President Bush is paranoid around women, always worried about his behavior. But he's still a funny, earthy guy who, for example, can't get enough of fart jokes. He's also known to cut a few for laughs, especially when greeting new young aides, but forget about getting people to gas about that. Let me guess--he has tried to light some of those farts too, right? This whole administration has become a stale joke.

Parenthetical Remarks gets it exactly right.

Last December, X came to Roseland Ballroom and it sounded like an awesome show. Billy Zoom was back in the band and everything! Trouble was, I'd already made plans with Mom to go see HER favorite musical group in the whole world...the group she was dying to see...the group she'd loved for decades. Peter, Paul, and Mary. AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!! The things I do to be a good daughter... Anyway, last Wednesday was a prime opportunity to make up for it. Henry Rollins and company opened, and Mr. Rollins seems to be following Iggy Pop into the Land of Ageless Punkdom. And X? They. Just. Ruled. I'm not just saying this as someone who's been an X fan half her life. They were amazing. And Billy was back with the band, taking pictures of the audience. They slipped up a little with the lyrics to "Beyond and Back," and Exene wasn't too happy, but John Doe shrugged it off: "Aw, who cares?" They roared through decades-old songs lik

Not only is the idea dubious, but the stuff probably won't make it past airline security.

"Extreme wacko left blah blah blah moonbats taking over party blah blah blah hate crazy liberals cliche cliche hate Lieberman because he's not liberal enough cliche cliche cliche where's the rest of the talking points memo? We're missing a page. We forgot what we were supposed to say about Lieberman and the Demoncraps. Moonbat extreme left wacko al Qaeda lovers--that good enough?" That schtick is old. Old old old. It was old during Woodstock and it's positively moldy with age now. And it's the GOP projecting yet again. Today, there's a big tent party that's open to moderates, including but not limited to Reagan Democrats, socially-liberal-fiscally-conservative types, and even the odd pro-lifer. That party is the Democratic party. Its moderates are not mere window dressing (a la Rudy/Ahnuld). In fact, they're integral to the party. Senate minority leader Harry Reid? A pro-life, gun-owning Mormon. (To be fair, Reid is on record as say

It's election year and what are GOP candidates doing to try to scare people into voting for them? Are they talking about Iraq? National security? The terrorist bombing that (thankfully) didn't happen? The Pledge of Allegiance? Gay marriage? Abortion? No. So what's their latest meme? Speaker Pelosi. That's what we'll have if the Democrats take back the House. Yes, you read that correctly. With nothing else to fall back on, having proven to be domestic policy foul-ups who can't run a pre-emptive war and wouldn't recognize national security if it kicked them, they're trying to hold onto their seats by screeching, "Speaker Nancy Pelosi! Ooga booga ooga booga!" After years of House Majority Leader Tom Delay (who still can't get off the ballot), I suspect that the idea of Speaker Nancy Pelosi won't exactly send chills up people's spines. This is turning into the most fun campaign year in recent memory.

We need to hear more of this from the Democrats. The Iraq war is not part of the war on terror. It's just not. It's a distraction and we should be focusing on catching bin Laden. It's that simple. The Bush administration is failing in the war on terror because it isn't fighting the war on terror. Period.

Awwwwww. The GOP still wuvs Wieberman. In a speech Wednesday Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman hailed Lieberman as a "different kind of politician, and a different kind of Democrat." Yes, a Fox News Democrat, a dude who seemed ashamed of his own party. Now that Joementum's no longer their nominee, the Beltway Dems have dropped him like a pair of cheap tights. More here. Best quote: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton stopped short of calling on Lieberman to quit the race but urged the senator to "search his conscience and decide what is best for Connecticut and for the Democratic Party." Read between the lines there. Meanwhile, these poll results must have the Fox News crew blowing chunks. If the election were held today, 48 percent of Americans say they would vote for the Democratic candidate in their congressional district and 30 percent for the Republican candidate. This 18-percentage point edge is up from an 8-point advantage in mid-July and a 13-

This link says it all.

Yes, Joementum lost the primary--narrowly, but still a loss for a dude who seemed to be firmly entrenched as Fox News's favorite Democrat. Maybe now, Connecticut will have a senator who doesn't try to undercut his own party. And no, this primary isn't a rejection of moderate candidates. Moderates like Harry Reid, John Murtha, Mark Warner, and Kathleen Sebelius still have a home in the Democratic party. This primary is a rejection of Democrats who are ashamed of their party and what it represents. Take note, wingnuts--The Democratic party welcomes moderates. It's a big tent. YOUR party is the one that scorned and marginalized the centrists. You're the ones who try to pretend the Olympia Snowes of the GOP don't exist. So stop projecting onto the Democrats. It's getting boring and predictable. This primary victory represents a rejection of the GOP's disastrous policies and the Fox News Democrats who act as enablers for Bushco. Deal with it.

Get your hair cut. The shorter the better. Which is what I did. I got my hair scissored off two months ago and hated the way it turned out. It was the perfect excuse to go back and have it done the right way. Anyway, I think it looks cute now. Speaking of hair, we come upon this question: "Why does hair curl after swimminng in a pool?" It's part of Yahoo's Weird Q&A section. Maybe I'll ask where pink lemonade comes from. After all, you don't see any pink lemons--so what's really in that pink lemonade?

More here. Ha ha ha ha haaaaaaa!!!!! (Via Daily Kos)

It's 100 degrees again today, which means another trip to the YMCA pool in Long Island City after work.

My place of employment just gave us all free ice cream! Yaaaaaaaaaay! Meanwhile, Bloomie held a press conference, encouraging everyone to stay cool and conserve energy. The city has set up cooling centers , and, of course, there are dozens of public pools to splash around in. The pools are free to everyone. All you need are a bathing suit and a reliable lock for the locker room. I'm headed for the Long Island City YMCA after work. It will probably be packed, and it will probably be next to impossible to find a locker, but it will be worth it. After all, there is no experience more blissful than being in a swimming pool in 97-degree weather.

The Associated Press obtained a letter that the Florida GOP sent to Katherine Harris. Not only did they refuse to support her, but they assured her she didn't have a snowball's chance in the Everglades of winning the Senate race. The letter said: "Katherine, though it causes us much anguish, we have determined that your campaign faces irreparable damage. We feel that we have no other choice but to revoke our support. "The polls tell us that no matter how you run this race, you will not be successful in beating Bill Nelson, who would otherwise be a vulnerable incumbent if forced to face a stronger candidate," it said. Meanwhile, Jeb Bush and others are scrambling to find another candidate. Poor Ms. Harris. It must be hard for her to be used and discarded by the party machine. Now, excuse me while I decide how much salt I want with my popcorn.

It's 97 degrees outside, and it feels like 107. So sayeth Yahoo Weather. And so sayeth me. I was just outside. PHEW! The bosses of my boss say that until this heat wave is over, it's okay to wear shorts to work. Still, I'd feel a little weird doing so. Tomorrow, I'll probably wear a skirt instead.