Bono Supporting Santorum? Say it ain't so...

NOTE FROM JOHN: So help me God, this better not be true.

Is Bono really supporting Santorum? So says NewsMax:

Teaming up with the legendary rock group U2 for a one-night only appearance will be Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn.).

The thousand-dollar-a-seat concert has been put together by Sean and Ana Wolfington and will take place at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia in support of Santorum’s re-election, reports NewsMax's James Hirsen.

Hat tip to Drew at Global News Matrix for picking this up. If it's true, I would truly be shocked at Bono for appearing on the same stage as Santorum. Do we have to remind him of some of Santorum's more choice comments? Read the rest of this post...

Evening Open Thread

Mr. President, for tonight's shot, here's one to someone you may have forgotten about. I haven't. And I'm pretty sure he's not in Iraq.

Bin Laden

Scale ingredients to servings
1/3 oz Johnnie Walker® Scotch whisky
1/3 oz Bundaberg® dark rum
1/3 oz Smirnoff® vodka

Pour the Johnnie Walker into a shot glass. Add Bundaberg rum, followed by the Smirnoff vodka, and serve

Open thread away. Read the rest of this post...

Does Bush even know about the impending heating crisis this winter?

High costs of oil had an impact this summer...but what's going to happen this winter?

Democrats were tried unsuccessfully last week to get an increase in funding for a program that helps poor people pay for heating in the winter. But, the Administration doesn't seem to have a plan according to AP:

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said last week that additional money was "not on the agenda." However, department spokesman Craig Stevens said Monday, "I think it's an option on the table."

Then, I saw this quote in that article from a social service program director in Northeast PA and think he is dead on:

"This is a life-and-death situation," [Stephen] Nocilla said. "People are going to have to make some very difficult choices."

Once winter starts rolling in, people in northern states are going to be faced with outrageous home heating bills, from oil and natural gas. Some will have to decide between food and heating their homes.

People could literally die because of this. But, expect no help from the Oilman President.

This is another crisis developing right in front of them, and the Bush administration is letting it happen. Read the rest of this post...

Lies, lies, lies

Like client, like attorney. Think Progress calls Luskin out on this quote he gave to CNN:

"He's told everyone who's asked him, including the federal prosecutor, that he's not part of any scheme," Luskin said.

Okay, you say no scheme. Everyone else calls it something like obstruction of justice or conspiracy. Problem for Luskin is that Karl said he wasn't involved at all...

So, here's an idea for the MSM. When people who have played "word games" with you (or lied), fact check. It would really take CNN all of 2 or 3 minutes, maybe 5, to do some research on what has already been said on the record. Read the rest of this post...

The Republican party hates blogs and the Internet

So not only are Republicans looking to basically license American journalists, but they're going to decide who is and isn't a journalist. Nice. And guess what? So far they don't think what we do is journalism. Then what is it exactly? Especially when I am a journalist writing a blog that contains the same kind of articles I write for the mainstream media.

Orwell, party of two.

The Republican party hates blogs and they hate the Internet. Remember that.

From E&P;

Bloggers would "probably not" be considered journalists under the proposed federal shield law, the bill's co-sponsor, U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar (R.-Ind.), told the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) Monday afternoon

Read the rest of this post...

DSCC says it did NOT ask Hackett to pull out of Senate race

The plot thickens. Read the rest of this post...

Ok, this is good. Conservatives are now saying Miers shouldn't be confirmed because THEY don't know enough about her positions on issues

Funny, they had no problem confirming John Roberts when Dems raised the same complaints. Suddenly have a clear image of the nominee's views is paramount. And suddenly all the old non-litmus-test issues like abortion are now VERY MUCH litmus test issues for the Republicans.

Oh how the might fall.

This from John Fund, big hooha at the Wall Street Journal, in an article entitle "Miers Remorse"!

I have changed my mind about Harriet Miers. Last Thursday, I wrote in OpinionJournal's Political Diary that "while skepticism of Ms. Miers is justified, the time is fast approaching when such expressions should be muted until the Senate hearings begin. At that point, Ms. Miers will finally be able to speak for herself."

But that was before I interviewed more than a dozen of her friends and colleagues along with political players in Texas. I came away convinced that questions about Ms. Miers should be raised now--and loudly--because she has spent her entire life avoiding giving a clear picture of herself. "She is unrevealing to the point that it's an obsession," says one of her close colleagues at her law firm.

Uh oh, even worse, she's apparently not some wackjob far-right extremist - well, that pretty much nixes her right now, considering who runs the Republican party:

After giving her effusive praise, her friends are a little nonplussed when asked if she is a conservative. "She is a person of great integrity," says Ms. Spaeth. "I have never had a political conversation with her." While many of the Bush judicial nominees she has helped shepherd to confirmation are affiliated with the Federalist Society, Ms. Miers herself has been ambivalent about the influential conservative legal group. In 1990, she almost anticipated how much of a lightning rod the group would become to the left. She testified in a court case that she would not join the society because "it's better not to be involved in organizations that seem to color your view one way or the other for people who are examining you."

Read the rest of this post...

Harriet and Hillary sitting in a tree...

Harriet Miers' law firm donated $1000 to Hillary's Senate run in 2000.

So long, farewell... Read the rest of this post...

It's, uh, hard being a cop

I know it's not politics, but it's funny as hell. Cops raid massage parlor for providing customers with sex. How do cops know this? They went repeatedly and, uh, paid for sex. Again, and again, and again.

Guess there's something for being thorough. Read the rest of this post...

Give Crooks and Liars some love

In this case, love means money. Just like JeffyJim, but worth it.

Seriously, Crooks and Liars provides a valuable service to all of the blogs, tirelessly posting videos WHENEVER we ask them too. And videos take a LOT of bandwidth - meaning, expensive Internet connections. So please help them out with a donation if you can here. Read the rest of this post...

Is the Democratic party crapping on Paul Hackett?

I hope not. He's the first Democrat in a long time to show a backbone. We need more candidates like him, not fewer. It would be funny if the Netroots ended up raising him all the money he needs without the party's backing :-)

An advisor to Democratic candidate Paul Hackett says the Iraq war veteran is being pressured to drop out of Ohio’s US Senate Race. Mike Brautigam says after Congressman Sherrod Brown announced last week he would run for Mike Dewine’s seat, Hackett started getting phone calls pressuring him to get out. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Charles Schumer of New York to drop out of the race. Brautigam says Brown had told Hackett earlier he would not be a candidate and Hackett now feels betrayed by the Democratic party. Brautigam says the Democratic leaders say it’s Brown’s turn to run. He says Hackett is still making up his mind about what to do and expects to make a decision by October 24th, the day he had planned to officially enter the race. Hackett narrowly lost to Jean Schmidt in a special election to fill the seat left vacant when Rob Portman took a position in the Bush Administration.

Read the rest of this post...

Christian Coalition leader molested his 3 daughters

There ought to be a constitutional amendment to stop Christian conservative activists from getting married, adopting kids, or at the very least can we please ban heterosexual men from the priesthood?

From Editor & Publisher:

After news broke that local law enforcement officials were investigating complaints that Louis Beres, longtime chairman of the Christian Coalition of Oregon, had molested three female family members when they were pre-teens, The Oregonian in Portland went out and interviewed Beres' family members.

Two told reporters that Beres, indeed, had molested them. All three said they have been interviewed for several hours by detectives.

"I was molested," said one of the women, now in her early 50s. "I was victimized, and I've suffered all my life for it. I'm still afraid to be in the same room with [Beres]."

The coalition led by Beres, 70, champions socially conservative candidates and causes. Its Web site describes the group as "Oregon's leading grassroots organization defending our Godly heritage." The group opposes abortion, gay rights, and stem cell research. It is affiliated with the national Christian Coalition, which was founded in 1989 by television evangelist Pat Robertson.

Read the rest of this post...

Lesbians, FOX News, and Condi Rice

How's THAT for a title? Read the rest of this post...

Slow day open thread

It's a nice slow day, at least if feels like one. Cloudy out, temps in the 60s. About to head out to lunch with my sis and family before they hit the airport. Nice slow day. I like those. Read the rest of this post...

Angela Merkel to be new German chancellor

It's tricky to say how well this power-sharing arrangement is going to work in practice, but the two main parties have finally worked out a new arrangement where she gets the nod for the top position but Schroeder's party gets more positions in the new cabinet. Read the rest of this post...

GOP facing recruiting shortages

Just like the military is having trouble recruiting, the GOP can't find candidates. What a coincidence that both are led by George Bush:

With an unpopular war in Iraq, ethical controversies shadowing top Republicans in the House and Senate, and President Bush suffering the lowest approval ratings of his presidency, the waters look less inviting to politicians deciding whether to plunge into an election bid. Additionally, some Capitol Hill operatives complain that preoccupied senior White House officials have been less engaged in candidate recruitment than they were for the 2002 and 2004 elections.

What could possibly be preoccupying the chief White House political operative? Besides, jail. Read the rest of this post...

Open Thread

So, I was thinking...Over the weekend, we found out via AP, that Karl allegedly lied to Bush about Plame-gate. Probably a distraction to protect Bush, but if you blatantly lied to your boss, could you keep your job? And why would a boss keep someone on the payroll...and let them have a national security clearance...if they lied?

Anyway, that's what I was thinking... Read the rest of this post...

Delphi CEO to announce substantial job cuts - again

That little ray of sunshine who lavished the top 21 executives with massive exit packages is giving a little more guidance into his upcoming hack job at Delphi. When he says "substantial" I believe it's going to be pretty damned big since they have already shed quite a few jobs a few months ago. Apparently not happy enough with driving the company into the ground and already dumping tens of thousands of employees even before this bankruptcy, he's now helping to create the new lower class that right wingers have been dreaming of for years ever since uppity workers started to receive benefits.

Have no fear, those people working $10/hour jobs will really contribute a lot of tax dollars and consumer dollars into the system. What's not to love about a two-tiered society? It works so well in the developing world and now decent fellows like Delphi Chief Executive Robert "Steve" Miller is doing his part to contribute. What would we do without corporate leadership such as this? Read the rest of this post...

Europe on special alert for bird flu

With the recent discovery of bird flu both in the Romanian wetlands and in Turkey, EU officials are pressing member states to be more vigilant. Besides the 2000 turkeys that were slaughtered, Turkey is now slaughtering 16,000 animals that may also have been in contact with the birds.

Meanwhile, Team Bush is workin' hard to have vaccinations for 2% of the population. Too bad it could impact closer to 25% when it strikes. Sounds like enough to cover the executives of Halliburton, but who else will ever see it? Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Nighty night Read the rest of this post...