PoliticsTV countdown

If they keep the adorable presenter Heather Downen, I think they have another regular subscriber to this site.

Dennis Kucinich

Dennis Kucinich
Originally uploaded by Jeff Coleman.

Sketched from the Democratic primary debate on MSNBC.

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton
Originally uploaded by Jeff Coleman.

Sketched from the Democratic primary debate on MSNBC.

Chris Dodd

Chris Dodd
Originally uploaded by Jeff Coleman.

Sketched from the Democratic primary debate tonight on MSNBC.

Subliminal message?

On Fox News just now, they featured the press conference with the Democratic leadership on the passage of the Iraq funding bill. Harry Reid and then Nancy Pelosi spoke about how proud they were of it and how they hoped the President will listen to the American people and sign this bill.

Underneath, on the crawl at the bottom of the screen, ran a quote about someone (I missed who) saying "These are people who will not hesitate to kill you, your family, your friends..."

Nice juxtaposition.

Jeff

The most horrible thing ever

Jeff

Onion TV: Bush calling up Civil War reenacters to Iraq

In The Know: Our Troops In Iraq


The Onion has just started up a video channel and it looks good so far. In this clip they've got three of the funniest alumni from NY's Upright Citizens Brigade Theater: Michael Delaney, Ali Faranahkian and Andy Secunda.

Jeff

Never thought I'd say this...

...but Bush made a funny:

In keeping with the lighthearted traditions of the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner, Bush poked fun at himself and a few others in remarks that drew laughter and applause at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Bush thanked the organization for providing dinner, "and I'd like to thank Senator Webb for providing security."

The rest of his "jokes" were pretty appalling. It's just so endearing when the President jokes about the endless scandals that are burying his administration, including politicizing the justice system. But the Webb crack was basically a decent joke.

Jeff

McCain on HIV Prevention

From ThinkProgress:

Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”

It goes on...

According to http://www.nndb.com/people/914/000023845/, John McCain's adopted daughter Bridget is 15, she'll be 16 in July.

He's got a teenage daughter and it's ... never occurred to him to think about whether contraception helps prevent HIV? Does he plan on discussing this with his daughter at some point or just letting her take her chances and find out?

Jeff

Ann Coulter responds to her critics

"And I don’t think there’s anything offensive about any variation of faggy, faggotry, faggot, fag."



Jeff

The Reagans on drugs

Jeff

P.S. Thanks a million to whoever paid for Progressions' Webcomicsnation account. I don't know what to say. :)

Obama in Austin!

I went to the Barack Obama rally here in Austin today, along with 20,000 or so other folks. It was a terrific event--the opening bands kept us entertained while waiting in the drizzle for Obama to appear. Especially good was Cyril Nevil, a roots-funk band from New Orleans with a lot of powerful songs.

Obama's speech itself was excellent, made us all forget about the weather and focus on how great it would be if somebody could actually get to the White House who'd be willing to set a new, positive tone for this country.

Here's one of the best lines from the speech, on the subject of Dick Cheney:

"Now, keep in mind, this is the same guy that said we'd be greeted as liberators, the same guy that said that we're in the last throes. I'm sure he forecast sun today," Obama said to laughter from supporters holding campaign signs over their heads to keep dry. "When Dick Cheney says it's a good thing, you know that you've probably got some big problems."

What I love about this is that it comes at a time when other politicians and pundits are *reacting* to Cheney's attacks, rather than attacking him directly (or, more accurately, dismissing him as incompetent and moving on). Josh Marshall writes about the GOP bitch-slap theory of politics:

The point of the whole exercise is not the underlying issue of Pelosi but what the exchange is supposed to demonstrate about both players -- that Cheney is strong (he hits) and Pelosi is weak (she complains when attacked.)

Obama didn't react to Cheney's insults, attacks and smears, he simply pointed out that Cheney has been consistently wrong about pretty much everything he ever said, and moved on.

Obama got a big crowd excited about making a difference, and everything there seemed to have a great time. My camera phone is shitty quality, but I took pictures.

Haven't found anything on Youtube or Google Video, but a local news station has video of the speech.

That's about it. I will end with a headline that writes its own punchline.

Jeff

BoingBoing links to rabid right-wing warmonger

Here's something bizarre that I don't quite understand. BoingBoing is one of the best free-thinking blogs there is, a terrific resource for news and links about subjects ranging from DRM and internet issues to cryptozoology and current events.

So why do they keep linking to Instapundit?

It doesn't make any sense. None of the BoingBoing posters have shown any signs of being rabid Bush followers and warmongers, so why do they keep promoting one?

Jeff

The Republic Party

(from Crooks & Liars.

Jeff

"Do you guys have any haircut questions for us?"

These guys put up Lite Brites with cartoon characters on them to promote Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the devices have been up for two weeks in cities around the country, and in Boston people freak out and shut down the city. That's post-9/11 thinking for you.

Best quote:

Assistant Attorney General John Grossman called the light boards “bomb-like” devices and said that if they had been explosive they could have damaged transportation infrastructure in the city.

That is up there with this:

Saddam Hussein endured more than a decade of sanctions rather than give up a weapons of mass destruction program that turned out to be nonexistent. If sanctions weren't enough to make him surrender his imaginary weapons, I think we can safely say they wouldn't have been enough to make him surrender a prized, oil-rich conquest.

How on earth can it make any sense to discuss these things in HYPOTHETICAL TERMS? "IF" the devices were explosive, they would have caused problems. Saddam refused to give up his "imaginary" weapons. Sigh.

UPDATE: Greg Saunders references Scott McCloud in suggesting that it doesn't exactly take brains to recognize these figures are cartoon faces. Link

And Jesus' General gives a survey of the Free Republic's responses:

To: Howlin
Dry run.

To: Howlin
testing reaction times

To: Howlin
It looks like there is all kinds of testing, testing, testing going on.

To: Howlin
How could they find so many hoax bombs so quickly? That says a lot about the alert level of the passers by. Or were there also threats phoned in?

To: Howlin
Welcome to John Kerry's America

To: Howlin
Hate to see this happen, but could it be the libs are reaping what they sowed?

Jeff

Lara Logan vs right-wing noise

Lara Logan is my new favorite journalist. Not only is she brave enough to actually report from Iraq, but she's bold enough to speak the truth about the bullshit from the likes of Michelle Malkin and the President. And to top it all off, she's cute as a button!



Jeff

Humor!

This little gem was on The Onion's comics page this week. It's pretty standard fare for Conservative "humor", but mostly it just makes me giggle that someone who draws a comic about politics doesn't even know which branch of the government Nancy Pelosi is a part of.

For more examples of right-wing "humor", see Newsbusters' Gaggle.

Jeff

Tons of flax!

From The Onion:

Arab Protection Of U.S. Ports

Many are voicing concern over Bush’s recent approval of a deal allowing a company based in the United Arab Emirates, who had ties to the Sept. 11 hijackers, to monitor security of select U.S. ports. What do you think?


Blake Greenberg,
Teaching Assistant

"Great. We'll be the laughingstock of the Muslim world once they get word of how many tons of flax we import each year."

Jeff

NYT on Colbert

The New York Times on The Colbert Report:

Self-deprecation is often in short supply in Washington. But Mr. Colbert, playing the deadpan reporter in his "Better Know a District" segments, is injecting a new levity into politics. Tongue firmly in cheek, he is on a quest to interview — or lampoon — all 434 members of the House. (The man who held the 435th seat, the disgraced California Republican Randy Cunningham, "is dead to me," Mr. Colbert declared.)

So Mr. Colbert is creating a litany of fools on the Hill. He drew Jack Kingston, a Georgia Republican and seemingly boring white guy who once lived in Ethiopia, into a discussion of his "African-American experience." He tweaked Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York, for proposing $300 million to stop school bullying: "Was that bill your idea, or did somebody bigger put you up to it?" He asked the Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, who is gay, about his wife. Mr. Frank was not amused. "Two Stooges short of a good routine," he complained.

Jeff

"Nov 3 song"

2004 11 03 Nov 3 song (571 KB, 0:47)

How could you do this to us?
It can only get worse from here
How could you do this to us?
Feeding lies upon our fear
How could you do this?


Jeff

254 to 252 and counting...

Bush: 254 electoral votes. Kerry: 252. With Ohio likely to take days to determine but looking pretty likely to go to Bush and give him the election.

Sigh.