Newsflash

One Good Thing out of Nagin's Trap

I'm not sure what I'd do if I was the mayor of New Orleans, with this storm coming. Part of me thinks they're overreacting and skittish about what happened last time...and the other part of me has trouble blaming the skittish part for being so.

I have CNN on in the background here and Ray Nagin is giving a press conference about the mandatory evacuation of the city...which means that you can choose to stay, but if you do, you're allegedly on your own and are not to expect any city services or protection (neither of which appear to be high value commodities even under the best of circumstances, as I understand!)

But they're also instituting a curfew and he warns that the Five-O will be approaching roaming individuals with prejudice and that anyone caught looting will be sent "straight to Angola."

Right on, Mr. Mayor.

NOLA

The wonderful sounds of Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong.

"Go forth in love and peace — Be kind to dogs — And vote Democratic."

I came across a mention, the other day, of Tom Eagleton's goodbye note to friends and family when he knew his time was short.

I thought it was kind of funny.

Cindy McCain Logic

Jeez, I hope she doesn't become my whipping girl for the campaign, but I can't reisist...

Just enjoying a nice Sunday AM, reformatting some bootlegs, getting ready for breakfast, and listening to The Princess on This Week.

When pushed on Governor Palin's qualifications, particularly when it comes to foreign relations, Cindy (paraphrasing) said, 'Well, you know that Alaska is the closest state we have to Russia, so you know that she understands what's going on there better than just about anyone else.'

Hmmm...let's just let the fruits of her USC education sink in...

Addendum Sunday Evening....Heh, HuffPo has this as their top story now.

Crybaby of Note

I'm so tired of the campaigns crying foul everytime there's an opportunity to pull out a perceived slight. I think I'll start calling folks on it more regularly here.

Today's winner is Princess Cindy McCain, whining to ABC's This Week about how Barry offended her for poking fun at hubby's inability to remember how many houses they (she) have (has).

It's a silly issue to begin with, but Cindy should STFU and count her Bud bucks.

Barack Obama...Community Organizer

Random observation about the Obama campaign...

Barry's decision to forsake a big job on Wall Street and work as a "community organizer" on the rough streets of Chicago's south side has played a central role in his campaign's narrative.

(As David Brooks put it the other day, "he chose to put his ego aside to become...redeemer of the human race.")

They hold it out there for us, every chance they get, to prove his humanity and feeling for the common man.

That's all fine and good. I'm happy for him.

But isn't it just a little bit strange that I've never seen testimonials from any of these folks he's helped? If I'm Obama, and I've shown no shame about describing my paid employment as if it were a lifelong, clerical vow of poverty, surely I'd be happy to trot out some people I helped during those days...perhaps even wash their feet in some kind of pre-dinner ceremony?

What gives?

Hail Mary, Full of Grace...

While I do find Charles Schumer's choice of metaphor (a Hail Mary) a little bit ironic, my initial reaction to McCain's veep choice is in agreement with the senior Senator from New York.

Governor Palin seems photogenic enough, but I'm struggling to come up with what she has that the other short-listers don't...short of an evidently-functional uterus.

I don't need to go down her list of qualifications in a mocking tone to prove my point. She's a small-town mayor-turned-governor from a sparsely populated state whose problems don't seem, at first glance, to be representative of what one would have to deal with in Washington should she move up one heartbeat on the food chain.

I'm not really arguing that her background disqualifies her from service. It's possible that she would end up being quite competent in her job, but in choosing her, McCain neutered the experience argument he was going to use against Barry.

(So speaking of the experience argument, as of last night, the RNC was still running this ad here in Ohio...why?)

Again, I'm no fan of Chuck Schumer's politics or policies, but the guy's not stupid. John McCain is a hard worker, but this decision just smells of desperation to me. I've yet to hear or read what Palin brings to the table. If the argument is, "She's a woman, so she'll bring disaffected Hillary voters," then why not just add Michael Steele to the ticket and poach the black vote from the other side?

Because it's not that simple.

"Willow's Mom" Just Doesn't Have the Same Ring To It

But Fountains of Wayne's Stacy's Mom was the song somehow going through heads at the office today when we heard about John McCain's tapping of Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential nominee today. They're one of my favorite bands, so I don't mind posting this one again.

I hoped for this choice here in July...

Food Ideas for Your Holiday Party

It might be very hard to decide which one of these recipes to make to impress your friends and family. Decisions, decisions...

Thanks, LY.

Jerry Garcia...Sit Down Comedian

In Honor of the Florida Delegation at the Democratic National Convention

Here's the great Muddy Waters doing a cool song...Deep Down in Florida.

I culled these pictures from an album of their convention delegates.

Yeehaw...I have to stay up later than normal tonight to catch Hill's speech...

Here's to Ann Curry

Usually, fluffers like Ann annoy me when I see them on Today, but I have to admit enjoying her insistence on asking all the Dems she could find whether or not we were going to have an insurrection at the Democratic National Convention.

Three cheers!

Preview of the Convention Tonight

Campaign 2012 semi-officially begins tonight.

Ambinder has sources saying that Bill will be accompanying his gal to the gala...

More fun from Perez Hilton

Very busy with work and monitoring events in Denver...more later.

clipped from perezhilton.com Separated At Birth Filed under: Separated At Birth > Pamela Anderson Left: Pamela Anderson. Right: Tammy Faye Baker.

These Poor People Could Use a Community Organizer

Oddly, the original article in the Chicago Sun Times appears to be deleted...even internal links to it come up blank.

What's up with that?

Anyway, here's a nice little bit of reporting on what Mrs. Obama is up to at the U of C Hospitals.

I'm not saying that I have a problem with it, only that finding ways to push the poor away from her world class facilities into less-expensive ones seems to contradict the image I'd be aiming for if I was their press guy.

And While I'm on the Topic of Democrats

I will beg, one more time, for everyone to please just ignore Bill Richardson.

The guy is such a tool and when I see him in print or on television, it makes my toes curl, wondering why the press doesn't just leave him alone.

Last night, he was on with Matthews jabbering away about how he's not sure if he is interested in the Secretary of State position, since he just got through the rigors of the veep vetting process.

What's that, you didn't know that he was being vetted and a strong contender?

Well, neither did anyone else.

But he went out of his way to assure the New York Times that he was. See, when he didn't see his name in the press, he asked Barry about it and was assured that he was being considered. This call, Bill again makes a point of telling us, took place when Obama dialed Richardson directly...as he always does.

We get it, Bill, you wear big boy pants, now. We'll just forget the possibility that they told you you were being vetted to make you feel better and more inclined to be a good little soldier come fall when they'll need your help campaigning en el oeste.

Barack Cuts Through Partisanship

...or at least that's the refrain of the chorus, recently joined by Joey Come Lately.

Look, I'm just as happy as the next guy that Biden is on the ticket. He brings great potential both for entertainment and possibly raising the bar a little bit in the debates. He's smarter than the other folks publicly mentioned as having been on Barry's short list.

But I don't understand who they think they're fooling with these persistent, so-far-unsubstantiated claims of post-partisanship. Barack's a shrewd guy, and god bless him if he continues to get away with it, but shame on anyone who doesn't sit back and wonder just what he's done that's so "post partisan."

To continue the ramble, I do love how they make these campaign speeches and videos more about the listener than the speaker. It's quite clever how Joe tells me that he's happy to be joining my little club, here...and he wants to pitch in just like I do.

One suspects that the telegram I get from Team McCain will try and mimic this to the best of their ability.

If You Thought the Most Humiliating Thing Pete Rose Did Was Gambling On Baseball and Being Banned from the Sport

You were wrong.

CNN's Obama Drama

Odd Photo Editing

I think Barry's folks could have done a little better job at editing the photo of Joe they put on the homepage this morning...doesn't his head look a little bit too large (har har har...)?

A Tale of Two Joes

I saw a funny post somewhere, although their pic was deleted, so I had to recreate it, noting the slight resemblance of Joe Biden to another famous person of the same first name...Joe Walsh!

Oh, how I'd love to see him stroll up on the stage in Springfield this afternoon and just belt out a quality, "How ya dooooinnnn?!"

Theme Song on O-Force Two?

So the pick came out last night. I wonder how bitter the Obammies are going to feel about getting jipped and not being the first to know by their text message.

Surely in this pre-convention weekend of press coverage, part of the narrative about Joe Biden is going to be what a class-act family guy he is (which I have no reason to doubt, mind you) and that, rather than living the Washington high life, where he's been since 29 years old, he takes the 2-hour train ride to and from Delaware each day.

Let's just enjoy a little bit of Sheena Eason, shall we?

He's So Clean and Articulate

DNC Podium

Courtesy of Ambinder's blog at The Atlantic

clipped from marcambinder.theatlantic.com

Some Friday Grateful Dead

I was never one to go gaga when the Grateful Dead performed Gloria, but I was listening to 11-3-84 at the Berkeley Community Theatre last night on the way home and found it to be quite pleasant. I immediately set out on a plan to share it with you here.

Shows at the Community Theatre always seem, to me, to be the closest the Dead ever got to playing a house party in the 80s. It's an indoor venue in their backyard and on this particular evening, they were in a bit of a spunky mood, pulling out this nice Gloria, Why Don't We Do it in The Road, the first Meet Me in the Bottom and a pre-drumz jam that had Jerry noodling around with Dear Prudence without quite crossing the Rubicon.

Enjoy!

The Problem With Calling Your Opponent an Idiot

While I don't live and breathe the MN Senate race, what I have read suggests that Norm Coleman is running against Al Franken by basically calling him an idiot comedian, unfit for office.

From where I sit, you can go into these races choosing one of two broad strategies. Either you can say you respect, but disagree with your opponent, or you can take the Coleman strategy and call the person fundamentally incompetent.

Taking the Coleman strategy must make it a hell of a lot less comfortable, then, to find out you're tied with someone who you have determined is a total idiot.

What does that say about you (or the electorate, Normy)?

Now I Feel Bad For the Things I Posted About Stephanie

My US Congresswoman died today. Very sad.

Sorry, it's a very busy week....should pick up with some posts tomorrow and might have some Veep commentary...

I'm Far From The World's Biggest Bobby Fan

But I have to hand it to him...Ratdog has come a long way from the crappy-sounding garage band I considered them to be after Jerry checked out.

Here they are, in what must be some kind of commercial release, doing a late-era Garcia song, Lazy River Road. I was listening to the last Dead shows at Soldier Field this afternoon and this song was on my mind...

He's breathed new life into this music, which is a testament to his gang as well as the songs, themselves. Kudos.

New Obama Logo

Well, predictably, after John McCain's performance on Saturday fit the audience he was performing for, Barry's people are bitching that he might not have really been in the 'cone of silence' that Pastor Rick said he was in.

Some are alleging that Johnboy cheated and heard the questions beforehand.

This is silly on a handful of levels. First of all, it seems unlikely to me that this kind of cheating was going on. Second, even if he did, were the questions that were going to be asked by this preacher all that difficult to predict? And third, even if McCain had heard Barry's performance beforehand, it would not change the poor performance of the Democrat.

Each of them, frankly, seemed to be acting and answering in character.

McCain had a lot of short, humorous and to-the-point answers. He probably oversimplified too much and would have been well-advised to stifle a few of his jokes (notably the one where he defined what 'rich' is), but it was vintage McCain...love it or leave it.

Likewise, Barack answered with his trademark professorial stutter, giving far more complete and nuanced explanations than the Republican.

Conjunction Junction

It's only Monday and I've already learned my new word of the week.

I'd never seen the word vainglorious in print until this article in yesterday's Times about Barry and how the party is pushing him to put some meat around his promise for 'hope.'

Speaking of Stupid Pet Tricks...

Below, I had the video of the little dog who knew how to behave for the nice man with the treat in his hand. Little poochie did things that were even a tad demeaning, but with enough practice, he learned what kinds of acts got rewards he craved and what kinds didn't.

The next day, I watched Rick Warren's forum with the Presidential candidates. While I don't know what John McCain believes in his heart, and am open to the possibility that he really believed what he said, his answer, followed by the immediate reward from the crowd, reminded me of the little dog in Tampa's performance.

All Hail, King of the Democrats!

OK, Madame Speaker, let's not go overboard, here...I mean, we all know you wrote a book, but it did not exactly sell like the one from another famous author.

This is how Nancy Pelosi introduced The One this weekend at a fundraiser in the other city of brotherly love, which is juicing up the right-wingers on this beautiful Monday morning.

"...a leader that God has blessed us with at this time."

Jim Has a Blog You Should Check Out

My old friend, Jim, who I worked with in California, now has a neato blog up that I should direct you to.

Enjoy.

Stay in touch, Jim!

Ugh, I Popped The Facebook Cherry

Well, frequent reader Buck, from the Raleigh/Durham Posse sent me a Facebook invite the other day and I had to actually create (technically, at least, I didn't put anything meaningful there) a profile over there.

My space here has always been a nice refuge to semi-anonymously post and not have to worry about things catching up with me or being associated with me by name, so I don't think I'm going to link over to Facebook, but just contact me if you're one of these people who diggs it.

I'm not sure how far I'll take it over there, but it was funny that an old student of mine from my days in the frozen tundra somehow found me already. Interesting...