A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

I saw this at Brilliant at Breakfast, via DownWithTyranny!

Charlie Pierce on Manny

Charles Pierce is hilarious. He's the guy who coined "C+ Augustus" for Bush, and for that he has a special place in my heart.

slate.com: Burning Manny
Who's crazier, Manny Ramirez or the Bostonians who grew to despise him?

We Tried Offshore Drilling, and Oil Prices Doubled

wikipedia: Oil Platform
A typical offshore Oil/Gas platform.

HuffPo: We Tried Offshore Drilling and Oil Prices Doubled

At the end of 2006, the Republican Congress and the president enacted "The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act," which opened for drilling 8 million acres of the Outer Continental shelf estimated to contain more than 40 billion barrels of oil. Oil prices were only $60 a barrel then. In the two years since, prices have more than have doubled.

Doesn't that prove that legislation to permit offshore drilling increases oil prices? That seems to be the "logic" of John McCain and the Republicans. Late last month, "Republican John McCain on Wednesday credited the recent $10-a-barrel drop in the price of oil to President Bush's lifting of a presidential ban on offshore drilling."

That's right, the man who wants to be the next President of the United States believes that doing absolutely nothing -- which is what Bush did when he reversed his father's ban, since the congressional ban is still in place -- dropped oil prices $10.

On The Road Again

moveon.org's new ad:



I think moveon.org has been kneecapped so many times by timid Democrats after the Rethugs complained that they're too nice when they make these ads, with too much attention to minute details that aren't powerful. Like why say John McCain missed two key energy votes last year? Why count them? Two is a low number. Wouldn't it be more powerful to say he missed the most important energy votes last year? Then use the two as examples?

Greatest Ever Manny Tribute

Read this whole post when you've got a few hours. I still haven't finished it.

Cursed to First: Manny Scrapbook

Obama Framed

Go watch this presentation on the media's framing of Barack Obama by Michael Shaw at BAGNewsNotes.




BAGNewsNotes: ObamaPhobia: BAGnewsNotes NetrootsNation Presentation '08

Paris Hilton Responds

John McCain's recent television ad compared Barack Obama to Paris Hilton, as an empty-headed celebrity. This must have made Ms. Hilton mad, so even though her parents are McCain contributors and McCain supports eliminating the estate tax so she can keep all her family's money, she made this ad mocking the Senator:

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

I saw this on HuffPo: Hilt-Owned -- Paris Responds to McCain's Ad

In less than two minutes, she accomplished not one -- but FIVE things McCain himself has been unable to do in two years of campaigning:

1) Come off as intelligent and self-effacing.

2) Present a well-reasoned energy policy.

3) Generate excitement on the internet.

4) Win over a new block of supporters.

5) Say the word "Hilton" without the preface "Hanoi."

President Celebrates 7th Anniversary

commondreams: AUGUST 2001: OFF FOR A MONTH OF JOGGING, FISHING & CUTTING BRUSH
President Bush, right, talks with staff at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, in this Aug. 6, 2001 file photo. That day Bush jogged, fished, and received a memo from the CIA with the title 'Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US'.
(Photo/The White House, Eric Draper/ File)

ThinkProgress: Flashback: Seven years ago today, Bush received ‘Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.’ memo.»

President Stupid told the CIA briefer who had flown to Crawford to deliver this warning: "All right, you've covered your ass now."

And then he went fishing.

On 9/11, "[e]xcluding the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died in the attacks. Another 24 were missing and presumed dead."

Unbelievably, those were not even the worst days of Bush's presidency, as on March 20, 2003 he launched the war of lies on Iraq that has resulted in the deaths of millions of innocents.

Murderer.

Boondoggle

wikipedia: Cost of War

The U.S. taxpayer is paying to rebuild Iraq, while the Iraq government has $79 billion dollars sitting around in bank accounts unused. That nonfunctioning government is sitting on a huge pile of cash while the Iraq people do not have clean water, reliable electricity, or any of the things that constitute modern life.
Remember when Paul Wolfowitz said the war would pay for itself? Only if you are Exxon, or Halliburton, or the Iraq government.

NYTimes: As Iraq Surplus Rises, Little Goes Into Rebuilding

Obama Getting His Message Out

Takes this conservative radio host to school:


His new ad attacking McCain the "Maverick":


Republicans take pride in being ignorant:


Unfortunately for the tire-gauge-waving Karl Rove operatives, yesterday McCain agreed with Obama on the tire gauge issue:

"And could I mention that Senator Obama a couple of days ago said that we ought to all inflate our tires, and I don’t disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it."

Bonus video: John McCain, May 8, 2008:


John McCain: Four More Years of Bushit.

We Love Lists

wikipedia: Psychedelic Art
Land of Psychedelic Illuminations (©Brian Exton): example of fractal influence

Cracked.com: The 5 Greatest Things Ever Accomplished While High

I saw this list on Boing Boing:

#5 Francis Crick Discovers DNA Thanks to LSD

#4 Freud and Cocaine Invent Psychoanalysis

#3 A Coke Addict Makes a Coke-Flavored Cola and Calls it Coke

#2 Dock Ellis Trips His Way to a No-Hitter

#1 Moses Takes 'Shrooms, Shits Out Ten Commandments

Eric Massa's First Ad

It's your basic biographical spot. Good thing he lost the moustache years ago! I didn't know he was a special assistant to Wes Clark.

Eric Massa For Congress

Beautiful Photographs

"Moth" (Third Prize) A thin, elastic metal film made of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) and gold, used to make stretchable electronics
Photograph: Ingrid Graz/University of Cambridge

Guardian (uk): Microsoft Photograph Competition 2008

John McCain (R-Hess Oil)

John McCain's Bushit Express continues, lubricated by Big Oil money.

After he reversed his position on offshore oil drilling, "executives" at Hess Oil gave him $285,000 in contributions.

I say "executives" in quotes, because one of the contributors was a Hess Oil office manager and her husband, am Amtrak worker. Both gave $28,500 to the RNC's committee to elect McCain President. Two people who have never given to a political campaign before this year give McCain $57,000! The couple rent their home in Flushing Queens, and the median annual income in their neighborhood is basically what they gave John McCain, so I doubt they're flush with cash.

The LA Times is now reporting that the massive fundraiser took place just before McCain flipped in Big Oil's favor, but it doesn't really matter. He's in the tank of Big Oil.

Obama, on the other hand, released his energy plan yesterday, and among many proposals, it contains this laudable goal: 1,000,000 plug-in hybrid cars -- 150 miles per gallon -- on the road by 2015.

The choice is clear. Vote for McCain, vote for Big Oil and Global Warming. Vote for Obama, vote to decrease energy use and save the planet.

168 More Days of Bushit

Smithsonian: Easter Island

Blogging is for people who have time, and I'm busy this week getting ready to go on vacation! So here are some links to news of the world:

That government scientist involved in the anthrax probe who committed suicide last week left lots of questions behind. The omnibus post on the subject is from the redoubtable Glenn Greenwald. A more abbreviated discussion here from Jay Rosen at HuffPo. The most interesting questions are these: Who were ABC's four off-the-record sources in 2001 who lied to ABC, telling the network's reporters that the anthrax came from Iraq? And why did John McCain go on the Letterman show on October 11, 2001 and say the anthrax may have come from Iraq? All of which will lead us to someone high up in the Bush Administration who was pushing for war with Iraq, no doubt. I put my money on Cheney. John McCain, Cheney's lapdog.

David Gergen went on ABC's This Morning with George StephaFlagPinHypocritanopoulos and informed the panel that yes, McCain's ads are dog whistles to racists, that McCain is calling Obama "uppity". You can watch the video at TPM, or here's the quote:

When McCain's camp calls Obama "The Messiah" and "The One", he's really calling him "uppity." I'm from the South, and we understand what that means. That's code.

When John McCain was asked why he has accused Barack Obama of playing the race card, and what he has ever done to advance the cause of civil rights, he couldn't think of anything to say for a quite a while (watch video here). Then he lied about his dismal record.

Today is Barack Obama's 47th birthday. He'll always be younger than John McCain. And smarter. And more honest.

New Obama Ad: McCain & Big Oil

Best so far.

Bomb Iran. Thank You.

A (very short) message about John McCain:

I'm With Papi

David Ortiz paid tribute to Manny Ramírez by wearing No. 24 on his wristbands last night. The Red Sox DH went 0 for 5. (Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

Boston Globe: Ortiz tries to make best of it

Asked if he's heard how happy the Yankees were that Ramírez was no longer in the American League East, Ortiz smiled wearily in acknowledgement of the fear and loathing Ramírez's presence had caused the Bronx Bombers in his 7 1/2 seasons with Boston. "Well, we would be, too," he said. "I guess."

While general manager Theo Epstein said the trade seemed to improve the atmosphere in the clubhouse, it didn't seem to have the desired effect on Ortiz, who clearly was feeling Ramírez's absence. Ortiz, sitting in front of his locker, took a long draw from his energy drink.

"I need to calm myself down now," he said. With that, he waved off any more queries.

Take That!

Telegraph (uk): A Chinese boy poses in front of a billboard featuring Fuwa Huanhuan, one of the Beijing Olympic Mascots, in Beijing, China (AP)

The Olympics starts next week!

I just love this photograph.

Images of Manny

From the website Sons of Sam Horn.