I Don't Like You Either.

Jon Swift: Eliot Spitzer & Other Like-Minded Americans

Satirist Jon Swift thinks Eliot Spitzer should stop apologizing and say what he needs to say to save his career.  And what is that, you ask? 

[He] should become the first sitting governor in American history to say the words, "At a point in every person's life, one has to look deeply into the mirror of one's soul and decide one's unique truth in the world, not as we may want to see it or hope to see it, but as it is. And so, my truth is that I am a whoremonger-American."....

Many of our founding fathers, men like Benjamin Franklin, for example, were whoremonger-Americans. In more recent times a number of great political men have patronized prostitutes, men like Jerry Springer, Rep. Joe Waggonner, Rep. Allan Howe, Rep. Fred Richmond, Dick Morris and most recently Louisiana Senator David Vitter, and these are just the ones who got caught. Many of these men have been forced to live in shame for who they are and their political careers have been ruined. But is that fair?

Quote O' the Day #1: Paul Krugman on the Progressive Crazies

He writes, and it is a true word:

One measure of how crazy people on at least one side of the Democratic nomination struggle have become: I’ve gotten a number of complaints that the end of my last — entirely non-political — column, “hope is not a plan,” was a swipe at Obama.

Um, guys, it’s a phrase military types use; I started using it a lot when Iraq went pear-shaped. In fact, if you Google it, the first entry that comes up is a book about the Iraq war.

I’m sorry to say that a large part of the progressive movement seems to have lost its sanity. (Krugman)

Were we Dems always like this? 

Oh, shut up. 

The Democrats and the Cult of Personality

After Bush, you'd think people would be more cynical.  Sadly, no.  I am shocked that it's happening within my own party. 

Speaking of Sadly, No!, HTML Mencken writes:

It’s not the support or supporters I object to, it’s the enthusiasm and the fanatics. For any politician. But especially for such mediocre ones. After all, it’s not as if either Clinton or Obama are exactly FDR incarnate; they are both fairly average “liberal” politicians who are thoroughly schooled in the arts of serial triangulation. They ain’t radical; nor are they idealist; they are simply better than any Republican alternative. They’re good enough for a vote (with or without one’s nose tightly held) but that’s it. It just won’t do to mask this homely reality with fawning, drooling praise of either politician....

Benazir Bhutto: "one of the most slandered politicians of modern time"

Today's not my day to post at BN-Politics, but I wanted to comment both there and here on an exchange I've been having with Charles at Mercury Rising, so will cross-post there tomorrow.   This is just an unsystematic first reaction to what I've learned from Charles, who has called her

I've really been surprised and  distressed by the negativity flowing around Benazir Bhutto.  Normally it takes a few months for the media to "discover" a generally (or so I'd have thought) admired political figure's feet of clay.  What's going on here?

In commenting on the blogger round-up I published at BN-Politics on the Bhutto assassination, Charles pointed to this article, and remarked:

Dr Helen on Special Ed, Just in Time for Christmas!

Sadly, No! kicks around this Tennessee forensic  psychologist "who enjoys commenting on popular culture, politics and psychological issues", known to herself as "Dr. Helen,' known to fans of Sadly, No! as Dr. Mrs. Ole Perfessor:

Check this out:

I happened across a snippy little column over at Pajamas Media by Robert Rummel-Hudson today on why his special-ed kid needs special treatment....

Quote of the Day for 16 Dec. 2007---Reid on FISA

Harry Reid would like for you to know that he has his reasons for proceeding as he's proceeding on FISA:

I will shortly move to proceed to S. 2248, the FISA Improvement Act of 2007.  I spoke briefly on this subject earlier, but I want to provide a more complete explanation of the process by which the Senate will consider this important bill.....

We worked in good faith with the Administration through July and August to provide those tools in a way that protects the privacy and liberties of law-abiding Americans.  Unfortunately, the final bill signed by President Bush fell well short of that goal.

Quote of the Day for 15 Dec. 2007

This one is good.  This one will make you roll your eyes.   Michael Mukasey---of whom we have said a great deal at Buck Naked Politics---is living up, as Bushies always do, to everyone's worst expectations. 

In response to Congress's efforts to exercise its constitutional oversight responsibilities, Mukasey is throwing up the usual stone-walls we've all come to expect from the DoJ.  In fact, WaPo refers to it---hopefully, one feels---as "the growing feud" between Congress  ("which is seeking to force current and former CIA leaders to testify as early as next week") and Mukasey, who wrote in response to Arlen Specter (Republican) and Patrick Leahy (Democrat): 

Quote of the Day for 16 May 2007. The Death of Jerry Falwell.

Today, consulting the magic 8-ball (see links on left) for some appropriate valediction to Jerry Falwell,  I found this unimprovable note by compassionate conservative Andrew Sullivan.  Which I---speaking as a small-C Christian and moderate liberal---would like to endorse:

[quote begins from The Daily Dish, Andrew Sullivan, "Falwell is Dead"]

Since I can think of nothing good to say about him, I'll say nothing. And pray for the repose of his soul.

[quote ends]

Amen.   

QUOTE[S] OF THE DAY. TIME'S INGRATIATINGLY HANDSOME COVER GUY. (Who writes these things, you ask?)

COVER OF TIME:  "SURE HE LOOKS LIKE A PRESIDENT...."

NICK:   "No, he looks like a game show host."

The "he" in question being, of course, Mitt Romney.  And hey, it's one man's opinion and I for one don't share it.  Romney looks the way we all secretly think a president should look (except for  Republicans who think he should look exactly like Ronald Reagan).  "Who writes these things?" Nick wondered.

Quote for Today: Candidate Mike Gravel. "You Can't Legislate Morality."

[quoted from The Raw Story:  Mike Gravel, "Love between a man and a man is beautiful"].
“If a couple of lesbians or gay men want to get married, and they love each other, they should have the right to do that and enjoy all the legalities in our society that go along with that. I have no problem with that at all. I think that people who create these problems of homophobia and the likes of that do us a disservice. We are all human beings and one of the things that should motivate us, most of all, is love.