Kill Me Now

David Broder is a fucking idiot. There is not much else to say beyond that.

One Matter Settled

Jack Bauer has said that we shouldn't torture.

Can we all go back to acting sanely now?

Patience is no longer a virtue

This is just a great post at Kos. We had to sit through years of Bush's crap regarding Iraq and we were constantly told to have patience. But now that Obama is in office, the right can't go two weeks without throwing a tantrum about the pace of things.

The endless asshattery of the modern GOP

The GOP, in an effort to offer a useful counterbalance to the crazy left-wing stimulus plan, has brought forth one of the most keen minds in economics.

Joe the Plumber

I would like to believe that this will represent the high-water mark for Republican stupidity. Yet, I am certain that this is merely the beginning.

Obama's cabinet

So far I'm as annoyed as anyone at the media hand-wringing surrounding Obama's picks for his cabinet - "But he promised chaaaaange." Yes, he did. Call me a hopeless pragmatist, but I think change comes from intelligent, capable people and doesn't come from a bunch of know-nothing boobs running around like Keystone Cops throwing gasoline on every fire. Couldn't the bobbleheads just as easily focus on the contrast between Bush's appointment of clueless cronies and cynical partisan idealogues to Obama's appointment of apparently capable people? I know, stupid question.

Now, I don't love many of Obama's picks, but I won't profess to be an expert on any of them either. As for the Clinton appointment...I'm not sure about that one. My stance on that is officially wait-and-see. I suggest the pundits just simmer down and do the same. I know, stupid suggestion.

Sinking in

Being abroad during this election has been an eye opening experience. From the election party last night to the spontaneous hugs of congratulations I received from my Norwegian friends and colleagues today, I am faced with the plain truth that what America did yesterday was momentous. Obama, like no other candidate could, showed the world that the dark years of Bush's America are finally coming to a close. That Americans decided to choose hope over fear and change over the status quo did more to improve our standing in the world than anything we've done since perhaps WWII. The joy of Norwegians today was palpable. The headline on the cover of one of Norway's major papers read "The New America."

I think that Americans, not just Democrats, have a lot to be proud of with this decision. It's something that really can't be overstated. I think we really are looking at a new America today.

No real Americans in Alaska either

Palin's hometown paper, The Anchorage Daily News, endorses Obama. Mostly the reasoning behind the decision is that McCain sucks and Obama is awesome, not in so many words of course.

Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.

But they don't let Palin completely off the hook for the decision either.

Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.

They also left out that she is a sociopath who has shown know demonstrable signs of intelligence. Maybe they'll get that in a follow-up.

Republican preoccupation with SNL

Newt Gingrich getting his stupid on. I guess Republicans don't really get satire. They don't get irony either. How else could he make that statement while on Fox News of all places. With a straight face!

To be fair, I would be pretty defensive too if I was always on the wrong side of every single issue. I'd like to think I'd be smart enough to change my mind however.

And speaking of changing minds, I enjoyed this analogy from David Sedaris' piece in The New Yorker about undecided voters:

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.

Someone call a wahmbulance

On Republican overspending to outfit Palin, Rich Galen comes to the "rescue":

If they hadn’t done this, ‘Saturday Night Live’ would be doing jokes where Governor Palin would be dressed in elk skin...

WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

Let's not belabor the issue. $150,000 is simply crazy.

A note to the RNC: If you’re gonna run your campaign on an anti-elite, average everyday hockey mom, maverick, cut the wasteful spending platform you should have been a little more skillful at hiding the wasteful spending. If Republicans don’t like that this is an issue, well, that’s just too bad. Live by the balderdash, die by the balderdash, or something like that. We all know the hockey mom thing is just BS rhetoric, but now we have a nice tangible figure to confirm it: Republican=Hypocrite. Sucks to be them.