The Most Dishonest Columnist

In his WaPo op/ed today, "The Most Polarizing President," former Bush speechwriter Michael "Mushroom Cloud" Gerson retires the trophy as "The Most Dishonest Columnist." Gerson, who is as odd as he looks, tries to make a case for why Obama, and not the Rethugs and right-wing asswhistles in the media, is responsible for the polarization he sees in the latest Pew polling.

If Mushroom Cloud were an honest person instead of a typically hypocritical, lying Rethug, he would also maybe report that the Pew poll shows a rather large gap between Independents' views of Obama and Rethugs. How to explain that and the huge gap between Democrats and Rethugs? Well, maybe one could look at the GOP media and how the Rethugs have positioned themselves since they LOST the election: oppose, oppose, oppose; slander, slander, slander; lie, lie, lie. They seem to exist only to appease the pistol-packin' base, an irrational mob they've been stoking up for years that they now fear more than Obama.

Have you heard them shouting "Socialist!," "Fascist!," "Dictatorship!"? Sure you have.

Have they made any serious attempt to find middle ground with Obama? And offend their riled-up base?! We think not (along with a great majority of Americans).

What they offer is the same old tired stuff that didn't work before and wouldn't work again - except that it appeals to their neolithic base (more tax cuts for the wealthy, for example). Their positions, to the extent they have taken them, have been non-negotiable and seemingly without any mooring in the reality that they've been soundly rejected in two straight elections!

Once again, one must question the "leadership" of Fred Hiatt, the WaPo editorial page editor, in hiring political operatives where journalists like Walter Lippmann once held sway. Now we have, in addition to Gerson, climate change denier/ falsifier "Quill" Will, NYTimes cast-off and correction-generator Wee Willie Kristol, and the surpassingly smug Charles "Kraphammer." Quite an array of far-right driftwood you have there, Fred!

"Baracknophobia"

In case you missed it, here's Jon Stewart's hilarious take-down of the various wingnuts that are foaming at the mouth now that Obama's the President. Featured are Manatee Hannity, Michelle "I See Commies Everywhere" Bachmann, and Andrew "Half" Breitbart, who are all confusing "tyranny" with "losing." Nobody punctures these idiots better than Jon Stewart.

"You'll Be Staying In Turkey. . . Buh Bye!"

We see that about 100 of the mainstream press corps traveling on President Obama's trip were grounded in Turkey, and were unable to travel with him on his unannounced trip to Baghdad. What a shame. . . . Bwahahaha! (Note the picture of Obama at the link -- perfect for the story!)

Dark conspiracy theories swept through the idle press corps, fueled by some of the wingers on the trip (e.g., the Examiner newspaper clowns), until it was disclosed that the charter plane had a problem with the pilot's seat. Of course, the press had trouble believing the simple explanation at first, and some were a bit pissy about the whole episode:

"The reaction from the White House press corps was mixed. The corps is made up of wide-eyed newbies, as well as whiners who have already traveled the world. . .after a grueling eight days of Obama coverage, most headed to the bar."

Which is probably where they file most of their stories from anyway.

Obama Visits Troops in Iraq

President Obama made a surprise trip to Iraq after leaving Turkey earlier today. According to AP, he was greeted by "cheering troops."

Obama told the troops it was time for Iraq to take responsibility for its own defense.

Music to our ears...

(BTW - congratulations to President Obama on picking North Carolina as the ultimate winner in his NCAA "Baracketology.")

Glenn Beck, "Magical Safety Pony"

Daily Kos has this on Fox Nutwork's self-described "rodeo clown" Glenn "The Second N Stands for Nut" Beck's defense of his use of violent language and imagery, which the mental defectives who hang on his every word could easily act out. "Pud-nits" like Beck, Mannity, O'Really?, pols like Bachmann, and the legions of neo-fascist hate radio creeps have been pumping out incendiary mouth farts ever since Obama's election. It only takes one Tim McVeigh to put their words into action.

Once again, what will it take before the "mainstream" media takes notice, and these dangerous sociopaths are told to back off?

(Photo: Rodeo clown Beck, trying to hang on to reality for dear life.)

Run, Frederick, Run!

Former Virginia Rethug Party chairman Del. Jeffrey Frederick, who lost his job last week because he was just too dumb even for Virginia Rethugs, is vowing to run for chairman again when the State Central Committee meets again on May 2. Frederick, who made comments during the Presidential campaign comparing Obama to Osama bin Laden and who said Lincoln gave the "Gettyburg" (sic) Address in 1960, represents the true face of activist reactionaries in Virginia and elsewhere. Unfortunately, the Rethugs are trying to win the governorship in Virginia by downplaying their candidate's (Attorney General Robert McDonnell) out- of- the- mainstream views, which he shares with Frederick, and dumb Frederick isn't cooperating.

So, we say earnestly and hopefully, run, Frederick, run!

(Photo: Del. Jeffrey Frederick, once --and future? -- chairman of the Virginia Rethug Party. Don't you think Jeffrey bears a striking resemblance to this?)

Don't Shoot, Poot!!

According to Newt "Poot" Gingrich, the Obama Administration is naive about not confronting the North Koreans militarily. Appearing on the Fux-ed up channel, Poot said that the President had a "fantasy foreign policy" and should have shot the North Korean missile down with a non-existent "laser beam" weapon. Right, Poot. And then used the "laser beam" on the million North Korean troops that would have crossed the DMZ in retaliation. Put your tin foil hat back on, and fire up the video games, Poot!

Great moments in Rethuglican national security thought.

GM Unveils New 2-Wheeled Vehicle. . .

. . .it's called a bicycle. Just kidding. Actually, it's powered by an electric battery, seats 2, travels up to 35 miles an hour, and is designed for urban transportation. It's a joint venture with Segway. Very "The Jetsons."

However, it's hard to see this vehicle surviving in, for example, Manhattan traffic, dodging cabs and other speeding vehicles. What next, a battery-powered unicycle?

(photo: General Motors)

The Dog Did It!

Daily Kos has summarized the "mainstream" media's utter fear and denial in establishing the reason behind the killing of 3 Pittsburgh cops the other day. Their culprit? Why a dog with bladder control issues!

Perhaps only when a similarly unhinged right-wing "conspiracy theorist" blasts some "journalists" into smithereens will this pack of fools we refer to as the "mainstream" media sit up and take notice.

(Photo: He not only ate the homework, he caused 3 policemen to die.)

We Won! We Won!

The Bushie wingnuts declared "victory" in Iraq not long after President Obama was elected, presumably to deny him that claim later if things went well, or to criticize him if the imaginary "victory" should unravel later. Well, the situation is unraveling. The Anbar Awakening -- the decision by Sunni tribal chiefs to accept U.S. money in exchange for dropping their insurgency -- is starting to fail.

Today, 36 people were killed and 113 injured in a series of bombings in predominantly Shiite areas of Baghdad, the latest in a rash of bombings in and around the Iraqi capital.

Iraq was a conflict that diverted our attention from the 9-11 al Qaeda attackers who still are based in the Afghan/Pakistan frontier. We will pay dearly for that diversion, and have "won" nothing in the bargain.

Wingnut Chickens Coming Home To Roost

The ambush in Pittsburgh that resulted in the killing of 3 Pittsburgh police officers has an ominous twist. The 23 year old killer, Richard Poplawski, believed that President Obama was going to confiscate guns, according to a longtime friend of his.

Wingnuts everywhere -- from the unstable Glenn "Hanky" Beck to right wing bloggers, from Rep. Michelle "I See Commies Everywhere" Bachmann to the NRA -- have been hinting or claiming outright that the Government was going to strip gun owners of their guns (to which they are apparently clinging bitterly). Nutjobs like Hanky and washed up actor/exercise equipment guru Chuckles Norris are talking about "taking America back" (from who, the majority?). Al Qaeda isn't the only terrorist group gunning for the Government and people of America -- remember Timothy McVeigh and the militias? They're still out there, being egged on by hate radio and the unhinged Rethug politicians who are close to being accessories to the murder of 3 Pittsburgh police officers.

Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution

Charles Blow sums up our apprehensions about the wingnut media and pols hyping a right-wing "revolution", in his NY Times op/ed, "Pitchforks and Pistols." We've already noted here and here, that there's an increasingly disturbing tendency of the many psychotics and whooping loons in Rethug ranks to cry "revolution" in response to the Obama administration's plans to get America back on track.

As we've said before, could you imagine the wingnut frenzy that would have accompanied, say, a call from Keith Olbermann for an uprising against former preznit Chimpy? Their Underoos would be in a knot, and they'd be foaming at the mouth calling for peremptory hangings! Why? Because only a reactionary Rethug administration is truly legitimate!

And the "mainstream media?" When do you think they'll wake up and take notice of the violent rhetoric?

UPDATE: There's more insanity of this sort being acted out tragically.

Rethug Police Blotter, Palin Edition

HuffPo has the story and pix of Diana Palin, Gov. Winky's sister-in-law, being booked for burglarizing a home in Wasilla. Palin (Todd's half-sister) was charged with two counts of felony burglary and misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass and theft. With this, the Palins and their one- time- future- in- laws officially constitute a Wasilla crime wave.

Quote of the Week

"Debt payment during an economic crisis is like water conservation during a house fire -- it worsens the condition. When the economy begins to rebound, we can return to paying down the debt." -- Kristie Greco, spokeswoman for Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) commenting on South Carolina Gov. Mark "Junkman" Sanford's comment that the stimulus money provided for education in his state should be used first to pay down the state's debt. On Friday, wannabe Rethug presidential 2012 fodder Sanford was the last governor to back off his previous stand against accepting Federal economic recovery aid.

(Photo: via The Palmetto Scoop)

The Rethug "Road to Recovery" Turns Out to be a Bit Bumpy

Remember that April Fools Day joke House Minority Leader "Man Tan" Boehner sprung on America? You know, the Rethugs' Fudge-it? Looks like not everyone in the House Rethug caucus saw it as the same joke everyone else did. Seems 38 Rethugs saw it as a mortal danger to their reelection and voted against it when it came to the House floor! Mmmm, well played, Boner! (Note to accountant: send royalty check to Germantown correspondent Brian)