Hopefully, A Trend Starts

In the special election held to fill former Speaker Dennis "Super Size Me" Hastert's seat (and that's a big "seat" to fill, bwahahaha), Democrat Bill Foster won by a good margin. This congressional district has been reliably conservative Rethuglican for decades, and the Rethugs poured $1.2 million into the race to hold on to the seat. Ominous for the Rethugs, and hopeful for the Dems.

Wisconsin: Big Ten Champs

Congrats to the University of Wisconsin's Men's Basketball team, which defeated Northwestern yesterday 65-52 to win the Big Ten regular season title. Depending on which poll you read, Wisconsin is ranked either #10 or #8 in the nation.

Now on to the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

Quote of the Day

Lord David Trimble, the Northern Irish leader and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, who said that Hillary Clinton's exaggerated claim that she played a significant role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, was "a wee bit silly."

"I don't want to rain on the thing for her, but being a cheerleader for something is slightly different from being a principal player."

Seeing McSame As Commander In Chief

Salon has a good article that raises questions about Sen. Walnuts! McSame's temperament to be commander in chief. Some military officials who have dealt with the hot-headed McSame in the past are worried about his tendency to go off half-cocked and to block out dissenting viewpoints. Sound like the current White House occupant?

So, Senator Clinton, before you continue to boost McSame's credentials, you might want to read the article.

UPDATE: No sooner had the above post been written, but we noticed that McSame lost his cool today talking to a NY Times reporter about his discussions with John Kerry in 2004 about joining the Dem. ticket. Watch from a safe distance.

Wasn't Dumbya's Endorsement of McSame Enough?

Yesterday's cable news shows were periodically running the Clinton news conference in which she complimented Senator Walnuts! McSame's commander in chief credentials, along with her own. She then said Senator Obama would have to explain his own qualifications. Lest you think this was a one-time deal, earlier in the week she favorably highlighted McSame's "lifetime of experience" along, again, with hers, remarking that Senator Obama's experience consisted of a speech he gave some years ago. Some ask why is she campaigning for McSame? Is she channeling Senator Joe Loserman?

How this possibly helps the Democratic Party escapes us. Sure, there needs to be a good clean debate between Obama and Clinton. But this win-at-all-costs, say-whatever-it-takes politics is associated with the Murray Chotiner/Lee Atwater/Karl Rove school of politics through the Nixon/Reagan/Bush presidencies. It's more than strange to see a Democrat use it against a fellow Democrat; it's destructive of the party's chances in November.

Some Early Spring Rays

It's still early March and eight (!) months to the election, but we needed something like this little ray of sunshine after what has so far been a somewhat gloomy week.

And The Beating Goes On. . .

The Democrats are nothing if not gluttons for punishment. After the votes in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island, Senators Clinton and Obama are heading for additional primaries, with delegate counts close but not decisive. Pennsylvania is the next major contest in several weeks, and it's hard to see how this war of attrition really helps having a unified Democratic party for the fall election. Reptiles like Rush "Pills" Limpballs and Gauleiter Sean Hannity are delighted at the Democrats' continuing battle, while Walnuts! rests, accumulates contributions, fires salvos at Clinton and Obama, and prepares for the battles ahead.

Feel The Love

Sen. Walnuts! McCain, the presumptive Rethuglican Presidential nominee, received Dumbya's endorsement at the White House this morning. Doctors have not yet developed a vaccine for the endorsement, and Walnuts! is not showing symptoms of the communicable disease yet.

As we've noted before, McCain's election would represent a virtual third term for Preznit Twenty Percent. Try running on that platform.

(photo: Walnuts! and Dumbya at an earlier love-in)

Hate Radio Hack Bites the Dust

KSFO radio's hate-spewer Melanie Eva Imelda Evita Morgan is off the air. Citadel Braodcasting, KSFO's parent company, made the move as part of an across-the-board cost cutting effort. One fervently wishes Citidel's cost-cutting will also lead to axing some of its other "talent" like "Rev." James Dobson, pill poppin' Rush Limpballs, and (through its ownership and operation of ABC Radio) Obergruppenfuhrer Sean Hannity, Paul (Is He Still Alive? How Can You Tell?) Harvey, and Don "Nappy Ho" Imus. There's a lot of fat there, Citadel!

Profiles in Citizenship

According to CNN, right-wing bloviator Rush "Pills" Limpballs is urging his listeners in Texas to cast ballots in the Democratic primary for Senator Clinton. Why would the fat jackass want his listeners to do that? Oxycontin overdose? No, he thinks a lengthened Democratic race will weaken the Democrats in the fall elections, by bloodying up Senator Obama.

Wishful thinking, Pills. Record turnouts in Democratic primaries and caucuses point to a potential landslide in November for either Democratic candidate against Walnuts! McCain (the guy that you said a few weeks ago would destroy the Rethuglican Party).

(photo: Limpballs and his Freudian cigar)

WaPo: Like Pavlov's Dog, Too

In addition to publishing dreck on a regular basis (see below), today's WaPo has two articles on the front page of its "Style" section that demonstrate how cravenly the media responds to the bells rung by the right wing (and, unfortunately, the Clintonistas).

One is a piece of "reportage" by Libby Copeland, "At McCain's Ariz. Retreat, Ribs With a Side of Chi?", (sorry, no link) a fawning, steaming pile of poo about a cookout for the press hosted by Walnuts (aka St. John) McCain at his "homey ranch" in Arizona. As if McCain needs to schmooze the press!! From Tweety to Timmeh, to Libby, to Broderella and all points in between, the MSM is in love with the crusty ol' maverick. Responding to a firestorm from the wingnut world over McCain's "dealings" with lobbyists during his career, the MSM is now in full mea culpa mode. The Clinton campaign (see Wolfson, Hugh Jass), MSM, and wingnut world have combined in their efforts to "bring down" Obama, for all their craven reasons. Which brings us to the second pile of "reportage" on the "Style" page by resident WaPo/ CNN media wanker Howie Kurtz.

Kurtz wants to be in the forefront of the "bring down Obama" press. He tries in "'Soft' Press Sharpens Its Focus on Obama" to cite as many examples as he can, in the interests of "reportage" mind you, of the media responding to the tinkling bell of wingnut world. While he cites critical "reporting" on ABC, NBC and CBS on Obama, he spends much of his time rehashing ad hominem attacks on Obama from the likes of neocon wanker Wee Willie Kristol, Bill "Not So" Cunningham, and RedState's crackpot editor Erick Erickson. Gee, who'd-a-thunk it!? Repeating their innuendo and racist attacks in the guise of "here's what the media's saying about Obama" is transparently dishonest of Kurtz (also in the tank for McCain). But who expects otherwise?

UPDATE: As usual, Glenn Greenwald wraps Kurtz up neatly.

To Texas and Ohio: This Needs to End

We fervently hope that tomorrow's primaries in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont will deal a knockout punch to the increasingly desperate, scorched-earth campaign of Hillary Clinton. The damage already done to the Democratic Party's prospects in November by Clinton and her reptilian aides (Howard Wolfson is particularly egregious) will only be amplified if she continues to run following Tuesday's voting. The latest polls, by the way, show Obama slightly ahead in both Texas and Ohio for the first time. She would have to win both states by over 60% to catch up with Obama's lead in pledged delegates. It's time for the magical thinking that has characterized the Clinton campaign to end. It's time to come to grips with reality.

If reality doesn't immediately dawn on the Clintonistas, we can picture a group of senior Democratic Party leaders doing an "intervention" (h/t to Tokyo Bureau Chief Brian) with Clinton if Tuesday's results turn out roughly as expected. Don't be surprised if Gov. Bill Richardson, John Edwards and others take part in the "intervention," or at least endorse Obama.

Meanwhile, the latest newspaper to endorse Sen. Obama, the Dallas Morning News, said yesterday, "In sharp contrast to Mrs. Clinton's antics mocking his optimism, Mr. Obama has shown that it is possible to have both hope and intellectual heft." That sums it up for us, too.

WaPo: Not Very Bright Either

We've had problems with the Washington Post in the past, mainly over their neocon editorial positions favoring more and more war in Iraq, cheerleading for Scooter Libby, and a notable drift to the right in the past decade. But in yesterday's Outlook section, the WaPo published one of the most cringe-worthy articles ever, a goofy piece by Charlotte Allen entitled in part "How Dumb Can We Get." Allen, who is with the right-wing and misleadingly named outfit "Independent Women's Forum", drags out every tired cliche about "dumb women" in her piece, especially those who faint at Obama rallies. It represents a perfect example of why right-wing conservatives shouldn't get the vote of any woman who respects herself. I'm sure she sang a different tune when the object of wingnut affection was Ronnie Raygun.

Please check out some of the reactions to Allen's article, and to the WaPo's decision to publish it: Matt Yglesias, Obsidian Wings, and the excellent demolition job by Feministing.

BONUS: Jezebel has the last word.

"It's 3 a.m.! What Fool's Calling at This Hour?!"

Sadly No! has this take on the recent Clinton "Obama-has-no-experience" gambit. File this under "Why Mark Penn is a sorry loser (and a Hugh Jass)."

Well, that's a funny slip up. Hold on a minute. . .where's Cheney? Anybody seen Cheney?

(credit due to Wonkette)