About your president...

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. A nice synopsis of the walking embarrassment that is our president. Read the rest of this post...

Greenspan continues his paid speaking tour clarity

Where was this clarity when he actually was in power and not touring? The man who missed the stock market crash and the housing bubble bursting and who thought tax cuts during a war would be just fine for the economy continues to offer understandable criticisms on the state of the economy. Who knows if he's correct, since he has so often been wrong, but at least we can understand him these days.

What stands out the most now is how some used to credit Greenspan for the Clinton economic success instead of recognizing that the Clinton team did a great job of creating jobs and wealth for all Americans and not just the select few as we see today. For those interested in where the economy might be going, TPMCafe offers a good read. Read the rest of this post...

5 troops dead, 2 missing in Iraq

The military won't say if it's 4 or 5 Americans dead, and 2 or 3 Americans missing. Either way, it's more American casualties to add to the Republicans' guilty conscience. There is no reason these troops had to die. More from AP. Read the rest of this post...

John Edwards launches new campaign to the end the war

Edwards launched a new Web site today, SupportTheTroopsEndTheWar.com. Edwards is proposing that this Memorial Day, we take back patriotism. I like it. And his video appeal is well done too. I'm on a conference call with a number of Edwards supporters at the moment, and we'll be doing a smaller conference call with a few bloggers and Edwards in a few minutes.

As an aside, Edwards is the only major presidential candidate - meaning, versus Hillary and Obama - who has consistently reached out to our blog. I've defended all three candidates, from time to time, on TV and online. For example, on CNN's Paula Zahn show earlier this week, I defended Hillary against the attacks of a Republican operative who loathed her and a Democrat who felt Hillary wasn't doing enough. Didn't hear a peep from her campaign afterwards. Nor did I hear a peep the previous time I defended Mrs. Clinton on CNN against some rather vicious and demeaning attacks by two GOP operatives. The Edwards campaign, however, routinely thanks us when we help them. (I'd also note that Edwards is the only major candidate to do a blogger conference call, that I know of. We've been trying to talk to candidate Hillary for a year now. Nothing. Oh yeah, Edwards also didn't demand to know our questions for him in advance, unlike one candidate who won't be named.)

It's not about ego and the need to be thanked. It's about not being treated like somehow they're doing us a favor by letting us defend them.

Read the rest of this post...

Romney discusses Mormon religion in TV interview

If it's OK for him to discuss it, it sounds like it's open and fair game for everyone. Read the rest of this post...

Saturday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Bob Geiger has his weekly compilation of editorial cartoons. George Bush was the main subject -- deservedly so. There are some laugh-out-loud cartoons today. Check them out.

The poem of the week is by Carolyn Forche. It's called "The Colonel" and we're told it's a prose poem. We're also told "This is one of a series of poems about Forche's experience working for Amnesty International in El Salvador in the late 70's." It's quite intense, actually.

Enjoy...and thread away. Read the rest of this post...

Comrade Karl

The Republican Manifesto. Just like Khrushchev. Read the rest of this post...

The "I didn't do it" crowd starts young

Yes, it's all the fault of the liberals that the college conservative Republicans at Tufts were race-baiting. What an impressive intellectual debate of ideas they are offering and who wouldn't want to join that crowd? Read the rest of this post...