We’re Havin’ A Heatwave

A tropical heatwave.  Care to argue about global warming? On the other hand, I’m all for a warm winter!

2007 Is Warmest Year Yet for Hemisphere

Americans are likely to get another mild winter this year, and 2007 is on track to be the warmest year the Northern Hemisphere has seen since record-keeping began 127 years ago [...]

Your Cable Bill

There have been several posts around the blogosphere today about a move by the FCC to force cable companies to let you pick and choose the channels you want to receive (and pay for).  It looks like the cable folks got to a couple of big-time newspaper writers and filled their heads with a bunch of “talking points” right from the industry PR machine.  Bill Gorman does an excellent job of cutting through the corporate BS that showed up over the weekend.

A La Carte Cable vs. Bundling Nonsense

In an article in Saturday’s New York Times, Joe Nocera proves he wasn’t listening in Econ 101 when he talks about the potential for A La Carte cable and its [...]

Changing His Story

It’s called, in simple terms, a flip-flop.

What is Lindsey Graham talking about?

Having just returned from a Thanksgiving trip to Iraq with John McCain and Joe Lieberman, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) appeared on Fox News yesterday to — you guessed it — hail Bush’s Iraq policy with unrestrained hyperbole. “[The existing policy is] working amazingly well, beyond my expectations. I think history will judge the surge as probably [...]

Bam!!

Well, happy holidays! This just ain’t right!

Emeril Out At The Food Network

Emeril Lagasse is out at the Food Network. Contract negotiations between Emeril and parent corporation Scripps have broken down. Lagasse is leaving the Food Network as a result and the last day of production for Emeril Live will [...]

UPDATE:  Apparently, that info is half-correct.  “Emeril Live” is toast.  But “The Essence of Emeril” continues. 

Another One Bites The Dust

Republican Trent Lott says he’s finished. Gone by the end of the year. Why? Oh, this is where it gets good. Really good!

Lott’s Unethical, Barely Legal Resignation

If the quagmire in Iraq was the main reason that the nation tossed Congress to the Democrats in 2006, ethical lapses certainly had a strong secondary role. Senate law number one this year was the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007. The bill was unenthusiastically signed into law by President Bush. Lobbying reform was one of the main areas of focus. Look at this: [...]

However, Mr. Lott doesn’t paint the same picture…

Lott: Lobby ban ‘didn’t play in big role’ in decision.

In a press conference this afternoon in Mississippi, Sen. Trent Lott said that the looming ethics restrictions “didn’t have a big role” in his decision to retire. He added that he has spoken with former Senate colleagues who tell him “a lot of what you do anyways is involved with consulting rather than direct lobbying.” [...]

And that wasn’t all..

Hastert resigns his seat tonight

Playing With The Numbers

You’ll need to be quite the political numbers junkie to revel in this bunch of information, but it’s fascinating. Lots of comparisons and surprising findings.

The Largest Leads in Primary History(updated)

It’s Been Awhile

We haven’t visited the “electronic voting machine” topic for a while. Well, my friends, it’s time.  Because, as they say, the hits just keep on comin’…

Testers for CA Secretary of State Finds LA County’s ES&S E-Voting System Vulnerable to Hacking, Fraud and Manipulation

Now that ES&S has finally submitted their previously withheld source code and documentation to California Sec. of State Debra Bowen, new members of her “Top-to-Bottom Review” team have been able to look at the ES&S Inkavote Plus system used across the entirety of Los [...]

Suicide or Murder?

It’s another Iraq War story with a tragic, and controversial, end. See if you buy into the conspiracy theory of today…

Did Security Contractors Kill Colonel Westhusing?

Here’s the story in a nutshell. A U.S. Army Colonel Ted Westhusing supervising U.S. security contractors may have been murdered to keep him silent about the fraud he witnessed. Westhusing allegedly killed himself in Iraq in 2005. Before deploying to Iraq he taught English at the U.S. Military Academy [...]

Poll Numbers = Criticism

We knew it would happen.  We just didn’t know exactly when it would happen.  Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has become the darling of the national media, thanks to some suprisingly strong poll numbers in Iowa.  So, the gloves begin to come off and Huck is facing a quite viscious round of negative press this week.  Interesting in sampling the stew?

Novak Takes Aim at Huckabee

vative columnist Bob Novak has taken aim at former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee today in a [...]

PEEK: Huckabee Is No Better Than the Rest of the Pathetic GOP Pygmies

Howie Klein: In Arkansas people know him as an untrustworthy, vicious and distinctly unfriendly purveyor of hard partisan politics [...]

Mike Huckabee To Musharraf: We Own You

Mike Huckabee appeared on CNN’s Late Edition yesterday to show us his swagger in dealing with those ungrateful Pakistanis. Two weeks earlier, Huckabee said on Face the Nation that General Musharraf’s suspension of Pakistan’s constitution was “not acceptable,” but that doesn’t mean what you think it does. Huckabee’s real concern had nothing to do with [...]

The New Republic Looks at Huckabee

The New Republic takes a long look at the other man from Hope: “Now, after 10½ years as the Republican governor of Democrat-heavy Arkansas, Huckabee, 52, is attempting [...]

Heck, even the righty bloggers are finding stuff to complain about…

Wearing a Gimmick to Tatters: Huckabee to Bring Norris to Debate

I think that if I see much more of Republican Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee using actor Chuck Norris as a prop, I think I’ll upchu- er, vomit: Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee appears to be milking cult hero Chuck Norris’ [...]

Eating Habits

I try to eat healthily.  I really do.  I don’t always succeed, but I try.  Most of the time.  The post below is a real eye-opener and makes it super-obvious that we Americans, in general, have our eating priorities really screwed up!

Calorie-laden malnourishment

Sara Robinson linked to this fascinating photoessay of families around the world (chosen clearly for their “averageness”) standing by a table with a week’s worth of their food purchases on it. Sara displayed these two pictures that show the disparity in need between middle class Americans and refugees living in Chad. I recommend Sara’s thoughts [...]

Both Sides of His Mouth

Here’s your political “oops” of the day.  Target?  Rudy Giuliani.  Saying one thing.  Doing another.

Despite Promises To ‘End Earmarks,’ Giuliani’s Law Firm Sought Millions In Pork For Clients

Former New York City mayor and GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani has repeatedly touted fiscal discipline as one of his “12 Commitments to the American People.” At the top of that commitment is slashing federal earmarks, which he has stated “waste taxpayer dollars within the Federal budget.” In June, Giuliani appeared on Fox News [...]

Ouch!!

Ooof. This has to have the Clinton camp scrambling hard. I’m quite amazed at the total turnaround. It’ll be interesting to see if there are other polls that show the same. For now, this seems to be isolated. And it does use that somewhat goofy “interactive” polling. Still…

New Poll Shows Clinton May Have “Electability” Issues

A new Zogby Interactive survey shows Sen. Hillary Clinton “would lose to every one of the top five Republican presidential contenders, representing a reversal of fortune for the national Democratic front–runner who had led against all prospective GOP opponents earlier this year.” Meanwhile, Sen. Barack Obama and John Edwards [...]

No More Mister Nice Blog

The obvious — and wrong — conclusion to draw is that Hillary is the least electable of the three leading Democrats. The correct conclusion to draw is that it’s absurdly easy to drive the supposedly inevitable Democratic nominee, whoever that may turn out to be, into a position where he or she is trailing the Republican — yes, even this year. All it takes is a sustained [...]

Back To Work Edition

Whew.  I didn’t realize how tired I was from the long holiday weekend until I had to get up this morning.  Walking the dog around the backyard at 6 am had me thinking of only one thing – whether I had time to crawl back into bed and warm up.  Waited all day for the promised break in the clouds after a very chilly and rainy Saturday and Sunday. Sunshine makes a tremendous attitude booster for me.  And that’s a good thing.

We’re talking about Iraq right out of the gate tonight.  And the discouraging picture of permanent U.S. military bases there.

U.S. To Stay In Iraq Forever

What? Permanent U.S. bases in Iraq? I’ve never heard of anything so absurd! Why, you — you — you conspiracy theorist! How can you be so shrill, so irresponsible, so, so, so… Oh, wait. “Iraq’s government is prepared to offer the U.S. a long-term troop presence in [...]

Signed, sealed, delivered…

White House Releases “Principles” for Permanent Iraqi Presence

So it begins. After years of obfuscation and denial on the length of the U.S.’s stay in Iraq, the White House and the Maliki government have released a joint declaration of “principles” for “friendship and cooperation.” Apparently President Bush and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signed the declaration during a morning teleconference. Naturally, the declaration is euphemistic, and doesn’t [...]

And, just for good measure…

War Czar: Permanent Iraq Bases Won’t Require Senate Ratification

Could Congress stop a Bush administration-brokered deal to garrison U.S. troops in Iraq indefinitely? Not according to General Douglas Lute, the so-called “war czar.” Here’s Lute at today’s gaggle: [...]

But. Wait. There’s more.

97 women burnt to death, 27 others killed in Kurdistan region in 4 months

Ninety-seven women were burnt to death and 27 others killed in the three Kurdish provinces during the past four months, the human rights minister in the Iraqi Kurdistan region revealed. “I cannot say that violence against women has lowered,” Yu [...]