Normally I Am a Strong Proponent of Interrupting Sheila Jackson Lee

...but in this case, I guess the 911 Truth crowd caused quite a ruckus.

I know that there are folks who find Bill Maher and his show very annoying. I'm not one of them. While the debate isn't quite as high-minded as some people pretend, I like the relaxed mood and the wider boundaries around expression and topics that you get with being on HBO.

So I hope these a-holes don't end up leading to a change in format for the show.

Bill Maher's New Rules for 9-28

Maher had a pretty good show this week...here's the always-amusing and interesting New Rules segment.

Bill Maher's Real Time Returns on HBO This Weekend

I guess Real Time is broadcast live on Friday evenings, but the replay on Sunday evening turns into my 60-Minutes-ish weekend wrap up routine.

Here's a short Bill video, talking about what he did on his summer vacations...I kind of swiped it from HuffPo. ;-)

Hats off to Belzer

I was watching Real Time with Bill Maher yesterday and have to hand it to him and Richard Belzer, who was on the roundtable this week.

When the topic of Rudy's comments last week threatening imminent danger of terrorist attack were we to elect a Democrat in '08, Belzer chimed in asking, rhetorically, "wasn't he the mayor last time we were attacked?"

And, as has been noted, a mayor can't be realistically be expected to stop planes from flying buildings. But, Belzer did point out another interesting tidbit for those who think Rudy walks on water.

Paraphrasing, "Do you know why we saw Rudy walking up and down the streets after the planes hit? Because he didn't have a *$%# command center! After the first time the Trade Towers were hit, he decided against advice to put them in Brooklyn and put them there instead!"

I'll also point out that, contrary to what one might think of the hard time I give Rudy, I don't have much problem with his running. While he certainly benefitted from the good economic times we had in the 90s, I think he'd be wise to run on how he cleaned up New York rather than this terrorism platform which, when subjected to scrutiny, does not seem to stand up.

I hope that Chris Matthews shows what he's packing on Thursday and presses America's Mayor on this point when the GOP holds their first debate.

A Perfect Gift for Your Loved Ones

from Real Time w/ Bill Maher