Proof the only thing deader than "Will & Grace"...

...is Britney, who'll be guest starring on the long-creatively bankrupt sitcom. "Will & Grace" is infamous for using stunt casting like this as a way of avoiding giving their core characters any sense of depth or reality as people whatsoever.

Is it wrong that I think Lisa Loeb looks really good in a thong?

I mean really, really, really, really....

General Jesus claims my Senator's uterus

Well, nobody else was using it...

I'd just like to take this moment to apologize...

...to all pre-menopausal, straight women in America. Which is kind of a switch for me-normally I just feel the need to apologize to the ones who have actually slept with me. Ha ha, ha ha, ha.

Another list with which I find fault

According to a new poll, men want Jessica Alba as their girlfriend more than any other woman. My first reaction was: Why?

Oh.

James Bassil, editor-in-chief of AskMen.com, told The Associated Press the list was determined by the rankings of 2.5 million readers and by the site's staff.

"We encouraged readers not to go on looks alone," Bassil said. "I don't believe it's an entirely accurate reflection of what a reader strives for in their long-term relationships, but at the same time, it's not a sheerly surface appreciation."

Right. But seriously, maybe I'm officially an old man now, because Alba wouldn't even make, much less top, my list. Nor for that matter would runners-up Sienna Miller, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Jessica Biel, Natalie Portman and Eva Longoria.

(Not that I'm saying I don't want any of them...I'm just saying...I don't think we'd have that much to say to each other...you know, afterwards)

Fortunately, I can rely upon my love for Anne Hathaway, which is pure and true and good and unlikely to be deterred by surface concerns.
Oh. Well, let me rephrase that. Fortunately, I can rely upon my love for Virginia Madsen, which...

I'm terribly sorry to hear about this

The playwright and screenwriter Wendy Wasserstein has died. I won't claim she was one of my favorite writers, but I liked The Heidi Chronicles a lot. Looking back, I think it may have been a little influential on me starting to write my own dramas with strong women characters.

On the other hand, she also wrote the screenplay for The Object of my Affection, which for me was a big part of the reason why that film didn't work. But a good writer is a good writer, and I'm always sorry to hear when the good writers go.

Oscar speaks

Newsweek has a good (but lengthy) roundtable discussion with five directors considered prime contenders for the Best Director Oscar this year: Bennett Miller ("Capote"), Steven Spielberg ("Munich"), George Clooney ("Good Night, and Good Luck"), Ang Lee ("Brokeback Mountain") and Paul Haggis ("Crash").

And do you feel scared - I do...

Some good news via TGW. I have a feeling we're gonna need it this week.

The new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds: "Americans — by a 16-point margin, 51 to 35 percent — now say the country should go in the direction in which the Democrats want to lead, rather than follow Bush. That's a 10-point drop for the president from a year ago, and the Democrats' first head-to-head majority of his presidency."

Furthermore, "[T]he Democrats hold a 16-point lead in 2006 congressional election preferences, 54 to 38 percent among registered voters, their best since 1984." [via Political Wire]

And Bushie's numbers are just as miserable. Only "42 percent of Americans approve of his work, 56 percent disapprove." Not since Nixon has a pResident done so poorly at the outset of his sixth year in office.

At least, it would be good news, if we actually had an opposition party instead of a bunch of cowering, whipped dogs.

ETA: From Bob Geiger, more potentially good news, if only Democrats knew (had known) what to do with it:

A Fox News poll taken last week shows that 53 percent of Americans believe either that Alito should not be confirmed (32 percent) or have no opinion (21 percent).

In a CBS News/New York Times poll, taken January 20-25, 16 percent of respondents had an unfavorable view of Alito. But most people didn’t have much of an opinion at all, with 23 percent undecided and one-third of all Americans saying they hadn’t heard enough to have an opinion. (But I’d wager a month’s pay that this same 33 percent has very firm opinions on the Natalee Holloway disappearance or the breakup of Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt.)

And the rubber really meets the road with questions like this one asked in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll taken 10 days ago: "Suppose all or most of the Democrats in the Senate oppose Alito's nomination. Do you think they would be justified or not justified in using Senate procedures, such as the filibuster, to prevent an up-or-down vote on his nomination?"

That question showed us that 53 percent of Americans either flat-out support a filibuster or are unsure.

In early January, the same poll asked respondents what they thought of the political philosophy of the current Supreme Court. Only six percent said they thought the Court was “too liberal” while 29 percent said it’s too conservative.

Finally, a CBS News poll in early 2006 showed that 61 percent of Americans believe Senators voting on a Supreme Court Justice should “...also consider that nominee's personal views on major issues the Supreme Court decides."

They could have gotten it done. If the Democrats had shown up to play (you see how upset I am? I'm stooping to sports metaphors), they could have won a major victory, one that matters more than almost anything else Bush is going to do in his entire misadministration.

But they didn't. And they're about to be humiliated. And they're going to lose the support of the "netroots" (and crab grass like me). Because goddamnit, they could have gotten it done. Fuck every single last one of 'em.

Things I've Found In Books, part III (in 3-D!)

Just now, between pages 86 and 87 of the Seattle Public Library's copy of Revision, by Kit Reed, a torn-in-half index card with the word "Solar Sattelites" (sic)written in penciled cursive on one side and a one-armed monster drawn in pen on the other.



This means something.

Jes' killing time

The Picto-Personality Test You are a person who is very ambitious, and constantly thinking of ways to further your own goals. When alone, you appreciate being able to do nothing if you want to, and setting your own pace for things. You are intelligent. You use your time to its fullest potential and will go very far in life. In the future you will have a good family life and lots of friends.

Take this Test at QuizGalaxy.com

Y'gotta have fun

Fun is most important in your life. Having a high focus on fun indicates that you value your own enjoyment over anything else. And there is nothing wrong with that. Your motto is we're here for a good time - not a long time. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Which do you suppose I should be more concerned about-that apparently money is just as important to me as love, or the fact that (what I laughably call my) career is just as important to me as family or (what I even more laughably call my) health?

Where the fuck is Kirsty MacColl?

What we have here is an (alleged) list of the

"160 Greatest Female Vocalist in Rock "N" Rock
Criteria: - Vocalists were chosen for Power, Range, Ability to Convey Emotion, Versatility, Uniqueness and Lasting Popularity. (All styles of Rock 'n' Roll are included.)

Now, I wouldn't piss and moan because Kirsty didn't make the top 15 or anything. I love her, of course, and I'm right, but I accept the reality that (due to most people being morons-fact), she never quite made it big, especially in this country.

But you're telling me that in a grouping of 160 female vocalists who are supposed to have great range, ability to convey emotion, versatility and "uniqueness"-which doesn't seem like it should be a word but is-Kirsty doesn't even make the list?

Oh. I see. All right, who does then?

5. Mariah Carey (My All)

Yes, because Mariah Carey made it on the basis of her talent.

16. Grace Slick (Somebody To Love)

Didn't she forefit her right to appear on any such list ever again with the whole "We Built This City" unpleasantness?

23. Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) (Rhiannon)

Hey, if the bleats of the love-child of Bob Dylan and a nanny goat get you hard, be my guest.

127. Gwen Stefani (No Doubt/Solo) (Don't Speak)

Words once written about Kirsty MacColl (by Billy Bragg) that will never, ever be written about Gwen Stefani:

"All those expensive gadgets that make us mere mortals sound good in the studio, she can do it all naturally. And usually in the first take."

I say yes, but I may mean no

There seems to be a growing chance of an anti-Alito filibuster. A couple of days ago, John at AmericaBlog posted about why he doesn't necessarily support the idea. Not because he think Alito is good, certainly, but because:

I support a filibuster of Alito IF - IF, IF, IF, IF, IF - the multi-million dollar liberal non-profits and the Democratic and moderate Republican Senators organize a true CAMPAIGN to convince the American public that a filibuster is necessary and good.

...it's possible to remain a Democrat and win, but you can't just vote the right way, you have to create an environment in which the public agrees with and supports your vote.

Unfortunately, that didn't, and isn't, happening with this Alito confirmation. The big non-profits got millions, and what do we have to show for it? The Democratic Senators held a week of hearings, and other than Joe Biden's chance to bloviate as usual in front of the cameras, what did they accomplish?

John's a smart guy and his point is well taken. I wish the "liberal" "Democratic" "Senators" had been handling things differently for a few years now. It's just, I'm afraid, this is our last and chance to stop a man so far out of the mainstream you can't even see him on the shore being appointed.

Egalia at TGW has a good roundup of entries on the chances for an anti-Alito filibuster.

Bob Fertik over at Democrats.com says, the senators are 'freaking out' cause they're getting so many calls for a filibuster. They've "turned off their DC phones and their voicemails are full."

The intensity of the internet response on this has been beyond belief," georgia10 told RAW STORY in an email. "Constituents have raised so much support for the filibuster--Senators' mailboxes are full, inboxes are overflowing, fax machines are running out of paper, and phone lines are ringing off the hook. Considering each internet activist represents not only their own concerns, but the concerns of millions of Americans, the support for a filibuster is astounding."

[D]espite what a few polls have shown, Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas insists that it's not just liberal Democrats backing the effort.

"This is probably the most united I've ever seen the Democratic establishment, that is, Democrats without offices in the U.S. Senate. Even the DLC is calling for a filibuster. Center, left, right -- all corners of the party agree," Kos blogged on Saturday.

Can you believe it? We might actually see some fighting Dems. Yeah, I'm not holding my breath, but I am making the calls.

We have no mouth and we must scream

There's an article in the Washington Post that, once again, confirms what we kind of already knew. Despite--

• Abramoff
• Osama being free
• Alito
• Wiretapping
• Iraq
• The majority of the US thinking Bush is a failure

-all issues on which the most popular lefty blogs have been right early and right often--the dumbass Democratic establishment basically wants them to put out or get out.

"The bloggers and online donors represent an important resource for the party, but they are not representative of the majority you need to win elections," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. "The trick will be to harness their energy and their money without looking like you are a captive of the activist left."

Jane says:

I'm going to let James field this one (from the comments):

If your name is accompanied by the words "Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign," then you deserve a warm glass of shut-the-hell-up.

It's like quoting Axl Rose for tips on keeping the band together.

And this is one of those "I agree with virtually every word of this entry" posts. What Pam said:

I've been talking about this bullsh*t for a good long time now re: gay rights -- they want our queer bucks and our silence and endless "patience" as they tilt the party rightward. This dishonesty was barely hidden beneath the surface during the 2004 race and as you can see from the above quote, it's out there stark naked before us across the board.

As a progressive, the feeling of being continually used in this manner makes my blood boil because it expands to so many issues we've thought about as core values of the party (e.g reproductive freedom, the environment, the economy, social justice, etc.). The Dems are publicly abandoning (or hiding from) anything resembling novel thinking in their quest to become Republican-lite. They've decided that learning how to frame core issues is just too much work for them. Just water down the GOP playbook a tad and (hopefully) slide into office.

Read the whole thing. And don't vote for a Democrat unless one shows up.

Putting the gallows back in gallows humor

It's really an honor just to be nominated 2

I've just learned that this blog has been nominated in the Most Deserving of Wider Recognition category of the the 2005 Koufax Awards, as well as the Best New Blog category. You can well imagine my delight.

Matthew Perry, Aaron Sorkin, and the Mary Sue connection

Matthew Perry has signed to star in the new series from Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme. This is news worth cheering over; Perry was splendid in a guest star part on "West Wing's" fourth season. It was one of the few things I've seen him do where he wasn't doing his Chandler schtick ("Could this report BE any later?"). Which is great--I'm a fan--but based on things like "The Whole Nine Yards" I'd begun to suspect it's all he could do.

Interestingly, his two-episode "West Wing" debut has recently come to seem to me like a bizarre kind of fanfic that just happens to have been written by the real guy (Sorkin). They're full of continuity references and feature the appearance of a new character (Perry) in whom an established character (Donna) expresses romantic interest. And who then shows himself to possess unusual qualities by finding something out in one day that results in the resignation of the Vice President. Maybe I should just be glad the character's name wasn't Mary Sue.

I'm being a little snarky, but actually I like the episodes (he said, being loyal to his onetime TV fave). Even more interestingly, Perry's part on the new show would seem not to be much of a stretch of the imagination for Sorkin to write...

After lengthy negotiations, the former "Friends" star will join D.L. Hughley and Steven Weber in an untitled drama set behind the scenes at a fictional long-running sketch-comedy series in the mold of "Saturday Night Live."

Perry will play a genius comic writer who was forced out of his position as co-executive producer on the sketch show after a dispute with the network, UBS.

Hmm.

Oh, and...

(Bloomberg) --

A majority of Americans said the presidency of George W. Bush has been a failure and that they would be more likely to vote for congressional candidates who oppose him, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.

Fifty-two percent of adults said Bush's administration since 2001 has been a failure, down from 55 percent in October. Fifty- eight percent described his second term as a failure. At the same point in former President Bill Clinton's presidency, 70 percent of those surveyed by Gallup said they considered it a success and 20 percent a failure.

Can we please retire the "George Bush is a winner" falsehood noooooooooooooooooooooooooow?

For one brief shining moment

...I am proud to live in Washington State.

Senate passes gay rights bill
One-vote margin sends measure to state House

By CHRIS McGANN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

OLYMPIA -- The Senate today voted 25-23 to approve a gay rights bill and ended the debate over legislation that emerged in Washington the same year singer Anita Bryant began her "Save Our Children" crusade against such protections.

The bill would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in housing, lending and employment.

Twenty four of 26 Democrats were joined by one Republican and approved the bill with a one-vote majority.

Seriously, you won't often see me say this about a Republican, but let's hear it for Bill Finkbeiner:

Sen. Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland, reversed his previous position to turn the tide this year.

"This has been a terribly difficult issue for me," said Finkbeiner as he explained his change of heart.

"What we are really talking about here is...whether or not it's OK to be gay or homosexual in this state. On whether or not it's appropriate to be discriminating against or to discriminate against someone because of that."

He said being gay or lesbian isn't a choice.

"People don't choose this. We don't choose who we love, the heart chooses who we love," Finkbeiner said.

"I don't believe that it is right ... to say that it's acceptable to discriminate against people because of that , because of who their heart chooses to love. I can not stand with that argument."

As opposed to:

Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester said..."The passage of this legislation puts us on a slippery slope towards gay marriage..."

Keitha: DAMN STRAIGHT!

Colley: You should pardon the expression.

I wouldn't worry about a pres. nomination for Bill Frist

As my fellow Koufax Award nominee Egalia says,

Survey USA has released its new 50 state poll of job approval ratings for all U.S. Senators.

Billy Frist has a net approval rate (approval minus disapproval) of 5 percent. That compares to a net approval of 54 percent earned by each of the two most popular senators, Daniel Inouye and Olympia Snowe.

There are six senators more unpopular than Frist.

And the man thinks he has a shot at the presidency? Senator Frist will be fortunate if he can find a hospital that will allow him to practice medicine.

For the record, neither of my Senators did particuarly well either, with Maria Cantwell at 19% and Patty Murray 14%. But they still did better than Bill Frist.

a bunch of twaddle

I need a break from all this political talk, but great things are happening. So in the spirit of bipartisanship, I have decided to compromise. This post contains at the end a serious gem or two of information that may well have ramifications into the future.

But before we get there, there's going to be a bunch of twaddle and a link to a picture of a naked lady. Everybody cool with that?

You know, the '70s were a very strange time. I mean, look at this photo from The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries.
Is it just me, or was Shaun Cassidy prettier than either Parker Stevenson or Pamela Sue Martin? And that's just not right, especially considering Martin was Jennifer Love Hewitt's spiritual mother in the "I'm going to change my image by taking off my clothes" business.

Oh, and Bush operatives are destroying photographs that tie the President to Jack Abramoff. As Redd says:

Bush's response to all of this thus far has been to say "he doesn't know Jack."

Maybe Bush operatives should have thought a little harder about what sort of incendiary story would arise from photographs being destroyed. In Washington, it's not the crime, it's the cover-up. This Administration ought to have learned that by now, considering the blunder on WMD information and the resulting attempt to cover it up by sliming Valerie Wilson (THAT isn't working out so well in the PR department for Bushie, now is it?). So many examples, so little time.

Members of the press need to stand up and call this ridiculous dodge for what it is: patently absurd on its face, considering the President appointed Abramoff to be on his transition team for the Department of the Interior in 2000. The President is being dishonest -- again -- and the WH should not be allowed to continually lie its way around the truth...

Balance, Daniel-San.

Shocked, shocked I am

FoxNews.com science columnist who wrote a column "debunking" secondhand smoke turns out to have been on the payroll of Philip Morris.

You could knock me over with a sledgehammer.

Something to read, a way to react, someone to rally, and a reminder

You can read this Raw Story column that begins:

As Benjamin Franklin left the final day of deliberation by the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a citizen supposedly asked him, "Well, Doctor, what have we got--a Republic or a Monarchy?" Franklin replied, "A Republic, if you can keep it."

If all goes as planned, in a week or so that Republic will finally escape our grip. When the Senate votes to affirm Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, the central tenet of our government - the separation of powers - will take a blow from which it will likely never recover. In its place a de facto monarchy will solidify and expand, and our Constitution will join the Geneva Convention as a quaint anachronism. And the Republic we have kept for two hundred years will join its Athenian and Roman predecessors as good ideas whose time has passed.

Melodramatic? I think not.

Then you may want to read or listen to this Tears For Fears song. I did.

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
~Tears For Fears, Mad World

But hey, John Kerry is calling for a filibuster. Oh, good. Someone who really knows how to rally the troops. In AmericaBlog, Joe points out the best reason for doing it, no matter how futile it may seem:

Make the GOP say what they want: a justice who will overturn Roe v. Wade. Make them defend it. They never say it. Make them.

And remember: They could have just asked him.

I'm kind of ugly as a sports car

I'm a Lamborghini Murcielago!

You're not subtle, but you don't want to be. Fast, loud, and dramatic, you want people to notice you, and then get out of the way. In a world full of sheep, you're a raging bull.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Well, that's just great.

Nukes in Iran.
A corrupt scumbag government with apparently no possibility of recall.
The bible being wedged down the throats of schoolchildren.
Iraq.

And Anne Hathaway has been photographed looking like this. Would somebody like to remind me why I get up in the morning?

They look like such big, strong hands, don't they?

Quoted verbatim from TGW:

NY Times to Dems: Filibuster Damit


An editorial in today's Times expresses the prevalent feelings of disgust over a political party that behaves more like a doormat than an opposition party.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you always lose if you fail to even muster the courage to stand and fight.

If the Dems won't stand up and fight against the appointment of an overt Bush yes man to the Supreme Court, what in hell are they good for?

Not that it matters...

Well, sure-life on Earth was started by Count Scarlioni-every Briton knows that

On Slashdot:

"The BBC is reporting that more than half of Britons do not believe in evolution, with a further 40% advocating that creationism or intelligent design should be taught in school science classes. I'm a Brit myself, and I thought most people over here thought these views were outdated and lacked substance. None of my close friends give any credit to creationism or ID, but we're all well educated athiests so I guess that's to be expected. Maybe I've been blind to the views of the majority in this proudly secular country?"

(Oh, here, if you don't get the reference)

I feel the need to repeat myself sometimes

I wrote the following in my old blog back in November of 2004, after having seen the proof of the old addage, "You can fool most of the people some of the time."

I'm somewhere in the process of teetering between resigned skeptcism and bitter cyncicism today. You wanna see the worst of it? The worst of it is this is my feeling today, right now:

If this is who the country wants...fuck 'em. Let their children burn and bleed and die for the man they chose. I'm done feeling heartsick for the poor, understaffed, under funded, undersupplied troops. The people who re-elected Bush clearly have no empathy for "my people", so I'll be damned if I'm gonna waste any more of what Barbara Bush so rightly called "my beautiful mind" on their Nascar-spawn.

As I said, that was written at a time when I was feeling very skeptical (even more so than is my default position), bitter and cynical. I know perfectly well that it is not just "their children" who are burning and bleeding for this insignifigant scrap of a man.

But, when I read things like this, it is all too easy to return momentarily to that state of toxic rage.

First it was the linguists, now we learn that sorely-needed medics have been discharged simply for being gay. With all the severe injuries and rehab needed for all the men and women fighting in Iraq, and an admitted shortage of qualified personnel to treat them, this Don't Ask Don't Tell policy makes absolutely no sense.

The Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military reports that 244 medical specialists were kicked out between 1994 to 2003. The Pentagon information was obtained by Rep. Marty Meehan (D-MA), a member of the House Armed Services Committee. (The Advocate):

According to a Senate report issued in 2003 by senators Christopher Bond and Patrick Leahy, hundreds of injured Guard and Army Reserve soldiers "have been receiving inadequate medical attention" while housed at Fort Stewart because of a lack of preparedness that includes "an insufficient number of medical clinicians and specialists, which has caused excessive delays in the delivery of care." The situation created the perception among soldiers that they were receiving care that was inferior to that received by active duty personnel, which had a "devastating and negative impact on morale." (Advocate.com)

Strong like an Amazon, baby

If you look over to the right there and click the View my complete profile link you'll find, among other things, a link to my Amazon.com Wish List. If you're amazed at the quality of posts on this site (I know I am), please consider making a small donation to the Buy Ben Those Books & CDs He Can't Score Through The Ink 19 Gig Fund. I thank you.

They were against wiretapping before they were for it

Potentially interesting little story bopping around the blogsphere today.

Americablog...

This is huge. In 2002, Bush administration OPPOSED legislation to make it easier to wiretap under FISA
by John in DC - 1/25/2006 11:54:00 PM


The Bush Administration opposed legislation that would have given them the very power they now claim they needed, power they now claim they didn't have under FISA. It's because they didn't have this power, they now claim, that they had to break the law and spy without a warrant. But this law would have given them much of the legal power they wanted. Yet they said they didn't need it, and worse yet, that the proposed legislation was likely unconstitutional. But now we know they did it anyway.

A question for those few of you watching it

Is it just me, or could "Veronica Mars" use one less plotline this season? I mean here I am, a devoted fan, a booster--and even I'm not sure what the hell happened at the end of tonight's episode. I'm a smart guy, but sheesh! And a hypothetical new viewer must have been lost-you should pardon the expression.

Of course, it probably would have helped if there hadn't been seven weeks between original episodes. If you're gonna resolve plots in ways that depend upon my remembering guest stars from that far back (and further) you've gotta give me some ramp-up...

VM's plots are so knotted, they'd benefit almost as much as "24" from being aired straight through without being interupted by repeats.I may be more pissed about that than I am about the bright idea to schedule it opposite "Lost."

I still love the show, but...damn!

If I'm arrested for slapping the President repeatedly while screaming at him with my knees in his chest, just so you should know why

Almost four years ago-and less than a year after 9/11:

"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."
- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02

"I am truly not that concerned about him."
- G.W. Bush, repsonding to a question about bin Laden's whereabouts,
3/13/02 (The New American, 4/8/02)

Also that same year:

"If this was a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator"

Today:

AP - Wed Jan 25, 6:37 PM ET
FORT MEADE, Md. - President Bush, defending the government's secret surveillance program, said Wednesday that Americans should take Osama bin Laden seriously when he says he's going to attack again. "When he says he's going to hurt the American people again, or try to, he means it," Bush told reporters after visiting the top-secret National Security Agency where the surveillance program is based. "I take it seriously, and the people of NSA take it seriously."

Random observation about the woman I'm going to marry

In ads for the hit animated film Hoodwinked, in which she performs a starring voice, Anne Hathaway can be seen and heard recording the line "You again? What do I have to do, get a restraining order?"



I always knew one day I'd hear Anne Hathaway say that.

Bob Geiger sees the future

He thinks he's just defining the terms of the battle.

So what’s the big risk here?

Here it is: That Democrats do nothing. That Alito is confirmed by a vote of 56-44 – Super Weasel Ben Nelson (DINO-NE) has already said he’s voting to confirm – and we all then write about our dismay, complete with quotes from Barbara Boxer and Ted Kennedy saying how awful the Supreme Court now looks. We then lose big in November because our party base is utterly demoralized and our total lack of conviction will have emboldened and strengthened the people on the other side of the aisle.

You know what I think? I think that's exactly what's going to happen.

Ink 19 Update

Little Plastic Pilots.

Let's hear it for the boy

Chris Penn, 1962-2006.

Best televisual "Did I hear him right?" moment in recent memory

At the end of last night's "Boston Legal," James Spader's Alan Shore greeted William Shatner's Denny Crane by saying "I've hardly seen you at all this episode."

In case I haven't mentioned it

I love Molly Ivins.

I genuinely appreciate the response by real conservatives on this issue — the libertarians, the true heirs of Barry Goldwater, the all-government-is-bad grumps. It’s called principle. But I am confounded by the authoritarian streak in the Republican Party backing Bush on this. To me it seems so simple: Would you think this was a good idea if Hillary Clinton were president? Would you be defending the clear and unnecessary violation of the law? Do you have complete confidence that she would never misuse this “inherent power” for any partisan reason?

Because we are stuck with this administration for another three years, I think it important to begin to get past the defensiveness and drawing attention away and blame games that big messes provoke. And part of that calls on American journalism to get over reporting the Bush administration as though it were a credible source. We need to face facts.

Graphic from TGW.

Not that it matters

...but I always liked the movie The Neverending Story. It came out when I was about 13, and, "lonely boy escapes into fantasy", I mean, hello. To say nothing of the song by Limahl and Giorgio Moroder.

But, oddly, perhaps, what stays with me (at this moment, anyway) are its metaphors for despair. The giant "rockbiter" left behind when all his friend have been swept into nothingness, sitting there looking at his hands and saying "They look like such big, strong hands, don't they?"

And the strange turtle-like creature who preceeds almost every utterance with the words "Not that it matters..." and when asked if it doesn't care says "We don't even care that we don't care."

Not that it matters, but I want to add a voice of agreement to this entry in firedoglake giving the reasons why Alito should be (and should have been) opposed. And why Democrats who don't (and didn't) do everything they can to stop him being placed in a position such power will be on the well-deserved end of a lot of ire when he's confirmed.

Not if. When. Because he's already been cleared through to the Senate, and "a filibuster is unlikely."

The entry also contains as close to perfect an articulation as I've seen of my feelings on a woman's right to choose.

I don't want people to have more abortions. If I could, I'd wave a wand and make all babies be born under ideal circumstances to parents who would love and care for them.

But I happen to live in the all-too-real world, where sexual abuse and violent rape and all those other nasty things happen, where children wake up and wonder if there will be any food for them to eat -- right here in the US of A -- and where other things that most people can never even imagine happen within families and neighborhoods and all over the place.

And I know enough to know this: I don't speak for God, and neither should anyone else. That's why it is an individual choice -- you make peace with your own soul, your own faith and your own family and friends based on your own, individual and hideous circumstances in each case -- and beyond that, it's no one's business. And I say this as someone who struggled with fertility issues for close to seven years and fully understands how very precious that life is. But I've seen enough horrible things in my life in the law to know that there are just some circumstances where you cannot know unless you happen to be walking in those particular shoes...those very dismal, very difficult shoes.

Not that it matters.

They look like such big, strong hands, don't they?

Bear in mind that I still hate anime

But this graphic from "Spirited Away" is, I grant you, very pretty.

Well, that clears that up

Via AmericaBlog, where it's pointed out that this sounds an awful lot like "I am not a crook.":

"It's amazing that people say to me, `Well, he's just breaking the law.' If I wanted to break the law, why was I briefing Congress?" said Bush.

The weasel Tucker Carlson strikes back

Via Crooks and Liars:

MADDOW: I'm actively angry that this is being turned into a political attack on Democrats, when Osama just threatened us.

CARLSON: It's not a political attack on Democrats. It's merely an acknowledgement that Osama is stealing all your best lines. Time to take a new one.

MADDOW: That is absolutely ridiculous.

CARLSON: Sure. It's totally true.

MADDOW: What about when he said, "This is going to be a generations long war and we need patience. That's George W. Bush.

CARLSON: Yea, that's one of the lines Bush uses, but it wasn't...

Weasel. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Fucking own your attacks, Carlson.

Yo, dumbass Democrats

You see this here poll?

A poll last week showed Senator McCain could trounce Senator Clinton, the Democrat favourite, by 52 to 36. The 16-point lead revealed that he has a decisive advantage among independents and swing voters.

"The more scandal and corruption in Washington, the better it is for McCain. He is at a high point right now," said Chuck Todd, editor-in-chief of National Journal's Hotline news service, which commissioned the poll.

Senator McCain went on to stake out an independent position on the war in Iraq, which he considers to have been botched, and he led a successful campaign in Congress to ban the use of torture and the cruel and degrading treatment of detainees.

In Congress, he is leading his party's efforts to get out of a mire over lobbying and corruption after Jack Abramoff, a Republican lobbyist, was indicted for attempting to bribe politicians.

Republican senators are queueing up to support McCain's reform bill, which would ban privately funded travel by members of Congress and impose stricter limits on gifts from lobbyists.

Do you get it? In other words, he's getting support because he's actually being seen to be doing something. I could argue the truth of some of the assertions of that story, but the truth isn't the point.

If growing up under Reagan in the '80s taught me nothing else, it was that perception is everything. McCain is filling a void that the dumbass Democrats should be filling, but aren't. And they won't, until they learn that they have to throw Hillary (and the Hillaryesque) to the fucking timber wolves.

They were great in the '90s, but they fucked it up. And it's not the '90s anymore. Stop bringing cake to a knifefight!

Follow the money

Bloomberg.com has a report on Abramoff that Gets It Right.

U.S. President George W. Bush calls indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff "an equal money dispenser" who helped politicians of both parties. Campaign donation records show Republicans were a lot more equal than Democrats.

Between 2001 and 2004, Abramoff gave more than $127,000 to Republican candidates and committees and nothing to Democrats, federal records show. At the same time, his Indian clients were the only ones among the top 10 tribal donors in the U.S. to donate more money to Republicans than Democrats.

"Abramoff's big connections were with the Republicans," said Larry Noble, the former top lawyer for the Federal Election Commission, who directs the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics.

"It is somewhat unusual in that most lobbyists try to work with both Republicans and Democrats, but we're already seeing that Jack Abramoff doesn't seem to be a usual lobbyist," Noble said.

This is not a bi-partisan scandal. I'm sorry if it seems I'm harping on this, but--call it a hunch--I have a feeling that the President Bush version is out there. And the more that version gets repeated and reheated, the more democrats are going to be convinced not to look at a gift horse at all.

As the saying goes, a lie gets halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes. And that saying came before the internet.

Thank God

(AP) [via USA Today] — The new president on The West Wing will be a real short-timer: NBC announced Sunday it was pulling the plug on the Emmy-winning political drama after seven seasons in May.

The West Wing announcement wasn't much of a surprise. Although this season's story line with a presidential campaign involving a Democrat played by Jimmy Smits and Republican portrayed by Alan Alda has been strong critically, ratings have sunk with its move to Sunday nights.

The decision to cancel it was made before actor John Spencer, who played former presidential chief of staff Leo McGarry, died of a heart attack Dec. 16, said Kevin Reilly, NBC entertainment president.

You get the feeling from recent interviews with Alison Janney and Richard Schiff that they knew it was coming, and that without John, they don't mind much.

"There's a point when you look at the ratings and say, it feels like it's time," Reilly said.

The series finale will be May 14, preceded by a one-hour retrospective. The campaign to replace the fictional Josiah Bartlet as president will be settled, NBC said.

Producers Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme, who created the show and guided it through its early years, will not be involved in the finale, Reilly said.

That's disappointing, but I note with eternally springing hope that he did not say they would not be involved in a "farewell to Leo" episode, as some of us want them to.

ETA: So much for springing hope. According to a spoiler obtained by TWOP (via the Aaron Sorkin mailing list)

When [Leo's] death is noted on the show, it will be just five days to election -- too late by law to change ballots and likely to affect the (fictional) vote that will culminate the season of the show,which has been failing in ratings in recent years and suffered further in a move to Sunday nights this season.

I may still be wrong, but that doesn't sound like Sorkin or Schlamme will be involved with that either. Sigh......come on, Studio 7!

The West Wing won four Emmy Awards for best television drama in a row for its tales of political intrigue. At its prime, it also offered NBC two valuable benefits: critical acclaim and the most upscale audience on television, an important drawing point for advertisers.

And then Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme left.

He who lives by the photo op, dies by the photo op

It's not exactly news that George W. Bush cares more about the way things look than the way things are. The war in Iraq is proof of that if any were needed; he tries everything he can to make it look like something other than the massive screwup it is. And he keeps the flag-draped coffins hidden.

So you can understand that what absolutely scares the living shit out of him is the idea that there might be photos out there that would make him look bad. George Bush understands that most of the country either doesn't or can't read, and he uses it to his advantage. If more people either could or did read, there's no way Bush gets elected even once, let alone twice. But everybody knows how to look at pictures.

When the Abramoff scandal began to blow up, White House aides were quick to deny that the president knew, or even remembered having met him. This was the story they were afraid of:

As details poured out about the illegal and unseemly activities of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, White House officials sought to portray the scandal as a Capitol Hill affair with little relevance to them. Peppered for days with questions about Abramoff's visits to the White House, press secretary Scott McClellan said the now disgraced lobbyist had attended two huge holiday receptions and a few "staff-level meetings" that were not worth describing further. "The President does not know him, nor does the President recall ever meeting him," McClellan said.

The President's memory may soon be unhappily refreshed. TIME has seen five photographs of Abramoff and the President that suggest a level of contact between them that Bush's aides have downplayed. While TIME's source refused to provide the pictures for publication, they are likely to see the light of day eventually because celebrity tabloids are on the prowl for them. And that has been a fear of the Bush team's for the past several months...

Now, if we had any democrats who were actually interested in...oh, what is that word...oh yeah, fighting, instead of triangulating, calculating and equivocating and so frightened to offend? They might know what to do with a golden opportunity like this.

But since we don't, we should probably just start thinking about which denomination of currency we want to see the President's face on. Since he is, after all, a great and good man.

It's really an honor just to be nominated

The nominations for Wampum's "Koufax Awards" are now up. Improbably, this blog has been nominated in the category of "Best New Blog."

Don't get too excited...I think every blog that anyone wrote in and mentioned gets listed for this round. I don't expect to make the cut when they narrow it down to a top 10 or so.

But that does not mean that I'm not emotionally needy enough to ask you to head on over there and vote for your old pal Dictionopolis In Digitopolis. To prove to me, in the words of Dan Connor's bowling team:

"There's someone worse than us! There's someone worse than us!"

Good luck/bad luck, who knows?

Looks like Disney is buying Pixar. As Amid says on Cartoon Brew:

At this point, it's easy to see it going either way: either Lasseter and company will shine their creative light upon Disney helping to revitalize the Mouse's slumbering animation division or Disney's corporate bureaucracy will drag down Pixar with it and we'll enter a new era of films like THE INCREDIBLES MEET WOODY AND BUZZ.

They should be so lucky

This won't happen, her career is going too well

An article in something called the National Ledger relays rumors that Jennifer Love Hewitt is going to pose for Playboy.

Hot Stuff reports that the squeaky clean hottie feels she is losing film roles because of her image and may be willing to bare all for a centerfold spread.

The Star reports a 'source' told the magazine:

"She told me that maybe a sexy magazine layout with her showing her assets might give her a little edgier image and she might be considered for a femme fatale role."

It won't happen anytime soon, though, because if those of us who have kept one guilty-pleasure eye on Love's career know one thing, it's this: The worse that career is going, the more skin she's showing. When she starred in The Tuxedo (which-full disclosure-I kind of liked, but-fuller disclosure-I also saw on a plane after a night of no sleep):


But right now she's got a TV show that's a hit, so I won't hold my breath. However, a boy can dream...

So I ask her: What percentage of articles about you do you think mention your breasts in great detail?

"Oh, about ninety-eight percent," she breezily replies.

It is in fact, I suggest, perhaps seventy percent, but this is nonetheless remarkable. I wonder what she makes of this.

"I think mine have a career of their own," she says, and laughs. "Separate from me. Frankly, theirs is going better."

~Rolling Stone, "A Day In the Life of Jennifer Love Hewitt"

Ladies & gentlemen, Ms. Molly Ivins

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love Molly Ivins, and would even if she weren't a liberal, if only because she writes like a dream. Fortunately, she is a liberal, and one who has come to declare:

I will not support Hillary Clinton for president.

Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.

You ["pragmatic" Democrats] sit there in Washington so frightened of the big, bad Republican machine you have no idea what people are thinking. I'm telling you right now, Tom DeLay is going to lose in his district. If Democrats in Washington haven't got enough sense to OWN the issue of political reform, I give up on them entirely.

Do it all, go long, go for public campaign financing for Congress.

Read the whole thing.

Tom Cruise is a pissy little queen

Case in point.

That sound you hear is me bumping my head on the desk

Firedoglake has a good entry about how no, we're not imagining it: Democrats are actually making a concious decision to do nothing about a little thing like the President Of The United States Of America authorizing illegal wiretaps on US citizens. Nothing.

Redd quotes an article by Walter Shapiro, in which he wrote

To underscore his concerns about shrill attacks on Bush, the Democratic operative forwarded to me later that afternoon an e-mail petition from MoveOn.org, which had been inspired by Al Gore's fire-breathing Martin Luther King Day speech excoriating the president's contempt for legal procedures.

For the record, I signed that petition. If you want to too, here it is. The more political operatives (for either party) show their contempt for MoveOn.org, the more convinced I am of the need to give them my support.

Back to Shapiro:

A series of conversations with Democratic pollsters and image makers found them obsessed with similar fears that left-wing overreaction to the wiretapping issue would allow George W. Bush and the congressional Republicans to wiggle off the hook on other vulnerabilities.

Redd Hedd replies:

Discussion like this makes me want to tear my hair out, because what consultants are really saying is "the hell with doing what is right or protecting the Constitution, it doesn't play well in Peoria."

Here's my response: maybe what hasn't played well up to now is the way you have been describing it. Maybe what we need is a better message.

You know, something like, "The President has already authorized illegal wiretapping. What's to stop him from authorizing house searches without a warrant, compiling a list of all firearms owners without any legal justification and other infringements on what you ought to be able to do as an American citizen?"

Sometimes, governing is about doing what is right, even if it requires you to do a lot of hard work that you wouldn't otherwise have to do -- and which might cut into your fundraising time.

It makes Redd want to tear her hair out. It makes me want to start a drive to get people to pledge that they will not vote for a Democrat unless one shows up.

There should be a category for Californian, Pauly Shore-like speak, buuud-y!

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

25% Yankee

20% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

The people casting the Spider-Man movies are perverse

They cast Kirsten Dunst, a blonde, as the redhead Mary Jane, and now they're casting as the blonde Gwen Stacy...

Speaking of the long-term consequences...

The Brad Blog has an email by Specialist Douglas Barber, an Iraq War vet. As Brad describes it,

In his email, Barber describes what many families go through when they witness their sons and daughters coming home in flag-draped coffins, hidden from view by the Bush Administration. And, even more telling in this case, some of the horrors veterans suffering from [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] face once back on the homefront.

Here's just a couple of paragraphs of Barber's letter:

All is not okay or right for those of us who return home alive and supposedly well. What looks like normalcy and readjustment is only an illusion to be revealed by time and torment. Some soldiers come home missing limbs and other parts of their bodies. Still others will live with permanent scars from horrific events that no one other than those who served will ever understand.

PTSD comes in many forms not understood by many: but yet if a soldier has it, America thinks the soldiers are crazy. PTSD comes in the form of depression, anger, regret, being confrontational, anxiety, chronic pain, compulsion, delusions, grief, guilt, dependence, loneliness, sleep disorders, suspiciousness/paranoia, low self-esteem and so many other things.

Oh, and here's the punch line: Barber committed suicide a few days ago.

Sweet motherfucking tapdancing christ, will you look at what we've done.

Too true, tattoo

There are three things men can do with women: love them, suffer for them, or turn them into literature. -- Stephen Stills

I've done all three in my time. I'd be doing one now, but Amy Yasbeck is still in mourning. Sigh...

This night the dream was leaving

In the past I've been known to use an "abusive boyfriend" metaphor for the Republican party; the kind who says "you know I only hit you because I love you." The Raw Story's Nancy Goldstein has a column in which she pegs just what kind of boyfriend the Democratic party is turning out to be. Excerpts follow, read the whole thing.

Effective immediately, the Democrats will be known as the lyin'-ass boyfriend party - the perfect date for progressive voters looking to be stood up, bullshitted blind, or left holding the tab.

The Democrats are setting themselves up for a lot of us to be visiting someone else on the side. They're inviting a spoiler like Ralph Nader or Ross Perot to start romancing us in '08. We thought getting their asses kicked three elections (two presidential, one midterm) in a row would teach them something, but it seems they've learned nothing. I could just spit at them.

...the Democrats really can't differentiate themselves from the Republicans. As the Alito hearings have shown, they all get along like a bunch of dorm mates, with occasional spats that can easily be resolved over a pitcher at the pub or a few reps at the gym.

Their kids will never be drafted; their daughters and wives will always enjoy access to contraception and abortions; their queer kids will live well within the long shadow of their protection (and payroll, as Mary Cheney and John Schlafly will attest).

Damn them all.

ETA: Pam has a good entry speaking to a similar subject: Just how genuine is the lefts' commitment to people with whom they cannot personally identify?

If they [the left] could step outside of themselves just for a moment, they'd see how absurd this all is. I'm not holding my breath, though.

She goes on to compare this phenomenon with one she has observed working in magazine publishing:

The reality is that many progressive non-profits and magazines have this problem. I think it's for many reasons -- jobs in publishing tend to pay poorly at the bottom of the food chain; these jobs are considered somewhat prestigious jobs -- even the low-level ed assistant positions are often filled by friends of friends, the daughter of your sorority sister, etc. They hire people they know -- and these folks don't know many people of color. It's the classism-on-the-Left issue rising up again, something that comes up in brief flurries, gets hands wringing for a bit, and then dies down to business as usual.

Earlier in the entry she quotes Shakespeare's Sister:

Not a shred of recognition that perhaps the ideological stagnation from which the Left suffers may be a result of its major power players still being predominantly white, straight, and male—which, by the way, wouldn’t be a problem if those particular straight, white males could and did speak eloquently to progressive issues of concern to women, gays, and minorities, but they don’t. And it’s not because they can’t—Paul the Spud can speak just as passionately about women’s issues as I can, and I can speak just as passionately about gay issues as he can. Extricating oneself from the responsibility of speaking to issues beyond one’s own demographic is a choice, and marginalizing the concerns of women (for example) as "identity politics" is indicative of nothing more than the unwillingness to identify with women.

I'm not a wolf, but I feel like crying

Good post on Hullabaloo about the long-term consequences of the neo-cons' Iraq screwup. Sometimes I think I can't even look at all the ramifications, it's too scary. Digby quotes an article from First Post--

The Iraq fiasco has demonstrated the limitations of American power in the Middle East, for all the world to see. If the neo-cons had only bothered to make serious plans for the reconstruction of the country, Tehran might now take Western sabre-rattling rather more seriously.

--and adds his own comments:

I have written before about how powerful countries must maintain their mystique or risk having crazy people make mistakes. Once it shows that its military is not omnipotent and that its intelligence is crude, it emboldens madmen to play their cards.

There's more if you can take it.

Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned it lately

Americans really, REALLY want Bush impeached.

By a margin of 52% to 43%, Americans want Congress to consider impeaching President Bush if he wiretapped American citizens without a judge's approval, according to a new poll commissioned by AfterDowningStreet.org, a grassroots coalition that supports a Congressional investigation of President Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

The poll was conducted by Zogby International, the highly-regarded non-partisan polling company. The poll interviewed 1,216 U.S. adults from January 9-12.

The poll found that 52% agreed with the statement:

"If President Bush wiretapped American citizens without the approval of a judge, do you agree or disagree that Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment."

43% disagreed, and 6% said they didn't know or declined to answer. The poll has a +/- 2.9% margin of error.

"The American people are not buying Bush's outrageous claim that he has the power to wiretap American citizens without a warrant. Americans believe terrorism can be fought without turning our own government into Big Brother," said AfterDowningStreet.org co-founder Bob Fertik.

You can read more about it here.

As you do, remember that some 52% or so of Americans already wanted Bush impeached "if" he lied about why we went to war in Iraq.

Who knows whether it'll lead anywhere...at the moment I'm feeling very sick and depressed about the Bush administrations seeming ability to squirm out of anydamnthing. To say nothing of the traditional media's willingness to hold them accountable.

But we should also remember, contrary to the spin, that it is not only Democrats who think illegally spying upon Americans is beyond the pale. From AmericaBlog:

Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances (PRCB) is being led by some of the biggest right-wingers in the right wing: Grover Norquist, Paul Weyrich, David Keene, Alan Gottleib (who is a leading gun rights guy) and Bob Barr. They are NOT happy with their fearless leader on this one

So Al Gore made a speech yesterday...(UPDATED w/Additions)

Many of the liberal bloggers have been praising it to high heaven. I dunno, I skimmed it, and I'm not hearing the music. But then, I probably still haven't fully forgiven Gore for the 2000 campaign.

Yes, he's usually right, but that doesn't make him "the conscience of the Democratic party," as some now want to dub him. But enough smart people don't see it my way for me to want to listen.

People like Digby, who has a link to the speech, so you can see for yourself, and his own comments. I agree with him (when he agrees with Gore) saying one of the things we must do is

...demand comprehensive hearings and go where the facts lead. I and others in the blogosphere have been calling for a select committee to invetigate the wiretap leaks so that we can have legal counsel rather than elected bloviators lead the questioning. This is absolutely necessary.

Here's Josh Marshall; another place I think he [and Gore] is right here is when the former says:

The point Gore makes in his speech that I think is most key is the connection between authoritarianism, official secrecy and incompetence.

The president's critics are always accusing him of law-breaking or unconstitutional acts and then also berating the incompetence of his governance. And it's often treated as, well ... he's power-hungry and incompetent to boot! Imagine that! The point though is that they are directly connected. Authoritarianism and secrecy breed incompetence; the two feed on each other. It's a vicious cycle. Governments with authoritarian tendencies point to what is in fact their own incompetence as the rationale for giving them yet more power. Katrina was a good example of this.

ETA: Daily Kos has Gore's reply to the response from the Attorney General.

The issue, simply put, is that for more than four years, the executive branch has been wiretapping many thousands of American citizens without warrants in direct contradiction of American law. It is clearly wrong and disrespectful to the American people to allow a close political associate of the president to be in charge of reviewing serious charges against him.

My favorite plantation is dalmation

Little joke in the headline for you Disney fans.

Anyway, so apparently earlier today Hillary compared the Republican-controlled house of Representatives to a plantation. And our fair n' balanced friends in the traditional media and on the Republican sites are pulling up their skirts in horror like stereotypical cartoon housewives to a mouse.

Many of the Democratic-leaning sites can tell you what's so hypocritical about Republicans shrieking over this. I liked Hullabaloo's take on it best:

I wonder if anybody thought this article by Joseph Farrah of World Net Daily called "Racism on Dem plantation" (available today only on Google cache for some reason)was out of line. Or how about this one on on Townhall by Cal Thomas who refers to "the Democratic Party and its plantation mentality." And then there's Rush Limbaugh who's been know to refer to anybody who's in the leadership position in the Democratic Party" as "pimps" who attempt to deceive black people into remaining on the "Democratic plantation."

Here's the thing. When the Republicans talk about the "plantation" they are specifically talking about race, claiming that the Democrats are using (presumably stupid) Black Americans against their own interests.

Hillary was talking about the fact that the Republican leadership treats their own caucus like they are slaves.

Now which of those views is racist?

Yet, the Republicans are all over this and they will probably end up getting her to apologise because Democratic politicians have never learned how to respond to being called racist. Until they do, the Republicans are going to use this ridiculous epistemic relativism against them.


Update: As a couple of comenter remind me, perhaps the most famous of these plantation comments cane from none other than Newtie:

"...on the eve of his great electoral victory ten years ago, the speaker-to-be told a reporter he was leading a "slave rebellion" against the Democrats who "run the plantation."

I was younger, with my Murtha...

Crooks and Liars has quotes and clips from John Murtha's Sunday appearance on 60 Minutes. I watched the show and thought he came off quite well, very thoughtful, articulate and statesmanlike.

Certainly it would seem hard for any but the most vicious to assault his character. Unfortunately, we're dealing with the right wing. Anyway, here's part of what Murtha said:

[Bush is] trying to fight this war with rhetoric," Murtha responds. "Iraq is not where the center of terrorism is. So when he says we’re fighting terrorism over there, we’re inciting terrorism over there.--- He said before there’s weapons of mass destruction. He said there’s an al Qaeda connection. There’s many things he said turned out not to be true. So why would I believe him...

This is my big hobby horse for the moment: Why do the traditional media insist on playing this game where President Bush has any credibility on any subject whatsoever? He is a liar. It's what he does, it's who he is. If he says the weather outside is nice, you know you'd better take your warm coat.

How many times does he get to lie to us before they start treating him with one-half the contempt with which they treated Al Gore or Bill Clinton?

I'm going to use a word I don't often use

Ahem. I gather through the grapevine recently, that on my once-loved show The West Wing they have decided to write out Toby Ziegler, arguably my favorite character, by having him fired for leaking classified information.

Richard Schiff,the actor who played Toby, speaking to Upstage Magazine:

Did you like the way they resolved Toby’s character?
Between you and me - and you can print this - Toby wouldn’t have done that in ten million years! But, you know, it’s not my show.

Ahem.

BOOYEAH!

Thank you.

(I knew there was a reason I loved Toby...)

Writers are nuts (for those of you who haven't heard)

I was just re-reading an interview with author Greg Rucka. He's a novelist and comic book writer; I've only ever read his Kodiak series of novels. Actually some I read, some I listened to as books on tape. I liked them a lot. (And, I have just learned going to his website to set up that link, there's a new one due this fall. Hallelujah.)

But anyway, he says (among other things) in this interview, when asked for "Words of wisdom for those about to write their first novel;"

You have to develop the ego that says "My work has merit," the ego that says "Not only does it have merit, but I believe in it."

What's weird is that I have trouble saying my work has merit...but I can easily say that about Keitha and Annabel. I believe these are a truly terrific couple of characters who I just happen to have created.

And I know, logically: To say I think they have merit and that I believe in them (Colley's not too shabby, either) is as close to saying I believe that about my work as makes no odds; they are, after all, my work.

It just doesn't feel right to say it like that.

Writers are nuts. Repeat.

Get hep, come on, and follow through

Taking a tip from Bob, here's what I am:

Currently writing

Technically nothing, but I'm ramping up for the next draft of the prose version of My Girlfriend's Boyfriend. I'll bet you'll be able to tell when I've started it, because I'll stop talking about Keitha, Colley, and the rest here for a while.

Currently reading

The Drama of the Gifted Child, Alice Miller
Elia Kazan, Richard Schickel


Currently watching (actively, that is - not just because it's on)

TV - 24, Gilmore Girls, Supernatural, Boston Legal, Veronica Mars. I think I've decided to give Everybody Hates Chris a rest for a while.

Well, of course

you are JENNY! you are sweet, shy, and innocent,
but you've got a darker, sexier side...and you
cant hold it in forever! you're the closet
freak of the group!


Which Character from The L Word are You???
brought to you by Quizilla

Mia Kirshner, everybody's favorite bisexual...

You celebrate what you like, and I'll celebrate what I like

Today is the day we set aside to honor and remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, about whom so much has been said that it's hard to know what to add. So I won't except to say that on the off chance anyone reading this has never been exposed to his writings or speaking, get yourself a copy of the Letters From a Birmingham Jail or a audio or film copy of a couple of his speeches and marvel.

There just isn't a public figure around today with that kind of a natural, god-given if you like, gift for speeches that ring almost 40 years after they were first delivered. Bill Clinton came close, but kinda fucked up the legacy.

That said, I refuse to believe that the good Reverend King would not have wanted me to receive my mail, especially when I'm expecting the new Graham Chapman biography.

On a personal tip, today is the anniversary of the day I lost my virginity, back around 1988. For those of you who even now are becoming uncomfortable, don't worry, I'm not going to describe the act or the day in any detail whatsoever.

But it's an important day in anybody's life, and thanks to MLK day, I always have an easy way to remember it. If you can I find it's always best to plan the important dates in your life around those that have other signifigance.

I had a girlfriend for a couple of years where the anniversary of our becoming "officially" boyfriend and girlfriend fell on New Years. Which was a good way to avoid those sitcom cliches of the guy forgetting and the girl getting mad.

Though actually, given my tendency towards romanticism and truly frightening memory, the odds of my forgetting it before she did were probably not that good in the first place.

A new day dawns...

Tick...tick...tick...tick...

Deep breaths, everybody. The fifth season of 24 has begun.

I say take deep breaths, because this is what I imagine it's like on a roller coaster (I've never been) when you've reached the peak and have started the ride. The 24 producers pride themselves on upping the stakes and they sure did that, especially for those of us who have watched all the previous "days."

If you have not seen the premiere and plan to, stop reading this post now. I am not kidding.



David Palmer and Michelle Dessler-Almeida are dead, Tony is severely injured, and Jack Bauer has been framed for the attacks.

I appreciated that within the context of 24, they allowed Jack a moment to acknowledge what Palmer meant to him, and I take it on faith that a moment is coming like that for Michelle. I avoid spoilers as religiously as I can, but dramatically, before the end of the day Tony needs to be at the right end of a gun with the person who killed Michelle at the wrong end.

For a show with at least one creator who is an avowed Republican, 24 is really good at presenting a character who can be seen as a mirror for George W. Bush, and not a flattering one. President Logan is obsessed with appearances to the extent of ignoring good advice from his intelligence people...that sound familiar to anybody?

Two more hours tomorrow.

Tick...tick...tick...tick...

(Freaky coincidence department: It occurs to me that three of my favorite TV shows feature a character named Logan. It's the name of Rory's romantic interest on Gilmore Girls, Veronica's once and maybe future romantic interest on Veronica Mars, and the President on 24, who is nobody's romantic interest except maybe his own.)

ETA (Freaky coincidence department 2: The new season begins with the assination by sniper of a great, black leader. Happy Martin Luther King day, everybody.)

If I were in the market to buy some fridge magnets...

...I think I'd buy these.

This has been an unpaid commercial endorsement.

Ever wonder where Paris Hilton gets her ladylike ways?

Mrs. Hilton partying the night away with her daughter.

Shelley Winters, R.I.P.

Mark has a nice memory and a classic story about Shelley Winters here.

One film she was particuarly good in late in her career was Heavy, written and directed by James Mangold, currently a man of the hour for the Johnny Cash bio-pic. And The Poseidon Adventure is arguably the greatest of the "disaster" movies-speaking of remakes that don't need to be made. I probably first saw her in Pete's Dragon, which is certainly a flawed movie, but I don't care because I was six when it came out. I remember seeing Whoever Slew Auntie Roo on TV long ago and liking it. And I usually liked her as the grandmother on Roseanne.

Cool!

Cordelia Chase
45% amorality, 63% passion, 18% spirituality, 45% selflessness

Cordy is one of those characters who's sometimes misunderstood. True, you have a healthy self-interest, and an interest in the finer things in life, but that doesn't mean that you don't have a heart of gold and a bit of passion in your soul.

In later years, Cordelia proved just how loving and good a woman she was, and (whether man or woman), I suspect you're kind of like her.

THE 4-VARIABLE BUFFY PERSONALITY TEST

The L Word, Jerry, Dean & Me (A re-statement of purpose)

I promised posts on both The L Word and Martin & Lewis in recent days. This one is meant to fufill both those promises. It's not as much of a stretch as it seems. Lewis' new book about his partner helped me organize a few thoughts about what I think are the weaknesses of Showtime's lesbian soap opera. He writes:

Pathos was, to Dean Martin, the worst kind of flag-waving. Just keep em laughing, was his philosophy. Keep it cool...

Flag-waving, in this instance, means the kind of performance that is excessive, or even fanatical, in begging for an audience's love. In other words, the kind Lewis gave 95% of the time and from which Martin distanced himself.

I said I was going to try to post about what style of show business I think each man represents; well, Lewis is the side that makes me feel ashamed of even wanting to be in show business. There's undeniable talent, but there's no charm, there's no coaxing, there's no, for lack of a better word...seduction. Martin, on the other hand, was all about seduction. There's little charm or seduction (not speaking only sexually) on The L Word, either

As a writer, if I have to lay something out (no play on words intended) for an audience, I'd rather not do it. And yes, this is another thing I hate about The L Word: They flag-wave their pathos, and the characters speak in billboards.

One woman tells her mother her shrink "doesn't have a problem with my sexuality." Another stands and makes a big speech to her father insisting that he recognize her love for her then-estranged partner as just as gosh-darned real as his for her late mother. A third...well, this is my favorite. A character on the show is, in the first season, gay but not comfortable being physically affectionate with women in public. She has a speech that begins...it actually begins..."I'm gay, and when I deny that, I deny the best part of myself..."

Cut to Ben shouting "Oh, shut up!" at the screen.

I suppose I can see how some people might see scenes like these as breaths of fresh air or even that these women are insisting upon their dignity, but to me they're doing just the opposite...and they're about as subtle as Jerry Lewis.

And that's saying nothing about last season's "male gaze" subplot with the male housemate hiding cameras to spy on a few of the women having sex. Get it, get it, huh, cause straight guys only think of the lesbians as sex objects...get it, get it, huh? Clever.

Dignity of characters is of increasing importance to me, and one thing I think you'll never (or rarely) see mine do is beg for someone's esteem or respect. I'm not just talking about my gay characters, but yeah, Keitha would die first.

I like characters who know they're deserving of estreem and respect, and if you don't, they have no time for you. I like brave characters, which I think Keitha is (for that matter so is Nancy-for those one or two of you who know my first play). And one of the rules of bravery, at least for me, is that you don't talk about it.

It's not exactly a new observation, but one of the reasons Martin & Lewis hit so big is because they balanced each other. Martin had in spades the dignity that Lewis simply never wore comfortably, even on those rare occasions when he tried.

If Lewis represents the shameful side of show business then Martin, oddly, represents the side to which I aspire. He pleased, but was not eager to please.

The L Word is not exactly a guilty pleasure for me (it's not like, say, the Blue Collar Comedy Tour movies...). It's more like...you know when you have a sore tooth and you can't stop touching it with your tongue? That's the feeling I have when I look in on an episode; how long can I watch this before having to zap away or mute?

Why do I keep trying? I dunno. Maybe because it seems like I should like it (which, of course, is a dumb reason to do absolutely anything). Maybe I'm just trying to figure out why it's successful enough in the ratings and with the critics not to be cancelled. Certainly I think I know something about the eagerness of lesbians to see themselves represented on television, even if it's not on a great, or even good show.

Maybe I'm just looking for a window into a world that I can use when returning to "my girls." Maybe because on a show that prides itself on offering six-or-so different lesbian or bisexual women characters, I can't believe I can't find one to identify with...given my writing proclivities.

Of course not, stupid, you don't identify with "lesbians" you identify with us. Face it, it's a commitment.

Shut up, Keitha.

Smile, though your heart is aching

Last night's Masters of Horror (spoilers)

Sigh..."the cliche" rears its ugly head...

Lesbian woman is posessed by bug and becomes a killer, then is revealed to have harbored a crazy, obsessive love for her lover even before they met (prior to the "infestation"). She metamorphises into a bug-creature and kills her lovers straight male friend. Her lover is then also bitten and possessed by bug. In last scene we see that both are pregnant and expecting a brood, or swarm, call it what you will.

I don't know whether to start bashing it for what seems to me obvious and overwhelming homophobia, or just throw up my hands, roll my eyes and say "whatever."

Books I read about writing

Here's 10 books (approximately) that I've read and re-read:

Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg. These are pretty well known in creative writing circles. I have to admit I used them a lot more before I heard Goldberg reading an excerpt from her own novel and thought it was terrible. Those who can do...

Harlan Ellison's Watching. For me just about any book by Ellison is a lesson in writing; I chose this collection of film reviews to represent them all.

The Art & Craft of Playwriting, by Jeffrey Hatcher. I doubt I could have written my first play without this book, and that play did get produced. Sure it was in Tennessee, and I ain't too happy with some of the things they did to it, but it got produced, goddamn it.

The Screenwriter's Bible, by David Trottier. Early last year when I started trying to turn a play of mine into a screenplay, I got every book I could on it from the library. This is the only one I felt compelled to get my own copy of.

Laughing Matters, by Larry Gelbart. I get a lot of inspiration from other writer's memoirs. Like the Ellison, this one by a hero of mine is meant to represent a host of others.

Which Lie Did I Tell? By William Goldman. My favorite of Goldman's nonfiction, for me it is superior to the classic Adventures In The Screen Trade to which it is a sequel.

On Writing, by Stephen King. And late last year when I started trying to turn that play turned screenplay plus a prequel screenplay into a novel, this is the book I wanted to have on hand.

The DC Comics Guide To Writing Comics, by Dennis O'Neil. I don't write comics, I have no expectations of writing comics, but this has been useful for things like structure and subplots.

Oscar-Winning Screenwriters On Screenwriting, by Joel Engel. Maybe the best thing about this book is screenwriters talking about knowing what their gifts are.

And the two West Wing Shooting Scripts books by Aaron Sorkin. Hey, if you don't know I think Sorkin pretty much walks on the water as a writer by now...

A rare and vulnerable spark

Back in November I blogged about Judith Belushi Pisano's new book about her first husband, John Belushi. If you're interested, I have now read the book, and my review is up at Amazon.com.

Feel free to vote for me if you find the review helpful...

They could have just asked him

Yesterday on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart's guest was a man who's written a book on The Supreme Court and thought, as most people seem to do, that Alito was going to be confirmed. That the Democrats had been hoping to "trick" him into making some gaffe in his testimony.

A gaffe that would have revealed his Bush-worshipping, anti-women's rights, anti-civil rights, way-the-fuck-out-of-the-mainstream, homophobic, Reagan-loving ass for what it is. But, said Jon's guest (whose name I don't remember) that was never going to happen; Alito had been too well prepared to be tricked into showing those cards.

But here's the thing. Put aside everything we've learned about his record in the past few months. Everything that, if this was a country with any sense of reality, would have resulted in his being laughed out of the senate. But put that aside.

The democrats didn't have to finesse and finagle and try to artfully steer him into giving himself away. They could have just asked him.

On Anderson's Cooper's show (via Pandagon), Alan Dershowitz said this:

...if I were a senator, I’d ask [Supreme Court nominees] the following question. I would say, “You have said that your personal views are utterly irrelevant to how you will decide cases. We don’t agree with you on that. But since you’ve said that, let’s ask you some really hard questions about your personal views.”

“Is your mother right when she says that you personally strongly oppose a woman’s right to choose abortion? What do you personally think of gay rights? What do you personally think of affirmative action?”

He couldn’t say, “Well, I can’t give you those answers because it will come before me.” No, no, no, no. You’ve told us that your personal views are irrelevant. We think they’re relevant, so give us the answers. I think it’s a very, very hard question for him to duck.

[Or ask him] Bush vs. Gore. Where were you on the night that Bush vs. Gore was announced? What did you say to your friends when the decision came down? What did you actually say? Did you write e-mails to anybody? Did you agree with the decision, not what would you do in the future?

They could have just asked him.

Sometimes I think democrats and republicans aren't donkeys and elephants anymore. They're frogs and scorpions. Yeah, the scorpion will sting you. It's in their nature; you don't expect anything more from them. But the frog was stupid enough to give the scorpion a ride across the water on their back.

The problem with this anaology is that, in the tale, at least the frog and the scorpion both die. And in this version, the frog may drown, but the scorpion is going to be appointed to one of the most powerful benches in the land.

And he can't be removed except by retirement or death.

They could have just asked him.

Days like this I wish I drank more.

And that's not all

John has a good post about "why Republicans don't get bigotry."

They think bigots hang out in white hoods with burning crosses in their front yards. Some do, but most don't. And to suggest that it's only guilt by association when you choose to join a group whose main purpose is to embrace and promote bigotry, then you render the definition of bigotry meaningless.

He's probably right, but the thing is, that's not all: Bigots don't get bigotry. That's one of the reasons statements by people who feel compelled to start out with "I'm not a bigot, but-" are so meaningless. Maybe two times out of a thousand you'll find an exception, but for the most part, nobody cares to cop to their true face.

So of course Republicans don't get bigotry...they're bigots.