Typewriters, Baby!

I adore a good op-ed -perhaps because I don't think I'll ever pen one myself. With that in mind, I really enjoyed what Thomas Friedman had to say in the New York Times the other day about drilling for oil. Aside from agreeing with what he said, I think it's just a well crafted piece, complete with the immortal line "Typewriters, baby, Typewriters" in mockery of Rudy Giuliani. It's worth the two minutes it will take you to read it.

Amazing Bear Butt Itching

Wonkette, even in my busiest week of late you come through with incredible content to make me get back to blogging! YAY!!!

Somebody Check the Thermostat in Hell

This is a truly amazing editorial by Wick Allison, of National Review fame. What makes it worth reading, besides its thoughtful argument, is that it endorses Barack Obama for President. Of the United States.

No, really.

And it isn't one of those " vote for Obama so in four years we can get a real conservative" pieces either. It's the real deal. The central thesis is that Obama should be president because he is the real conservative in this race. Anyway, you've got to read it in its entirety, but in the meantime, consider this little tidbit:

It gives me comfort just to think that after eight years of George W. Bush we will have a president who has actually read the Federalist Papers.


Enjoy.

Why Republicans get to call Obama an "elitist"

We've all often wondered how Republicans manage to slap the Elitist label on Obama and other Democrats, given that said Republicans wear $300,000 outfits and live in 7 glass houses. I think the answer is that the kind of elitism that Republicans have in mind is, for lack of a better term, intellectual elitism. The idea is that Democrats are pointy-headed, smarty-pants professors, who look down their nose at the beliefs and tastes of regular folks. It's not universally true of course. you'd have a hard time convincing me that the union voters, who tend to vote Democratic, are the sort to laugh off NASCAR and country music. But the idea is not entirely untrue either. If you meet someone with a graduate degree at an art gallery or wine and cheese party, the chances are pretty good that he or she is voting blue.
Obama doesn't help the case with comments like these:

The one thing that I want to insist on is that, as I travel around the country, the American people are a decent people. Now they get confused sometimes. You know, they listen to the wrong talk radio shows or watch the wrong TV networks, um, but they’re, they’re basically decent, they’re basically sound.

How this will sound to voters in Indiana: Now, the American people may disargeee with we enlightened liberals, but that's not because they're bad. No, it's just because they're confused, see. They listen to talk radio instead of reading The Nation. But eventually they'll come around to the One True Way.

I expect these comments to get a lot more attention, because that sentiment, folks, is exactly why some conservatives see Obama as an elitist, regardless of the size of his bank account.

I Find Your Lack of Taste in Fashion Disturbing

Gawker had a post last night that made me giggle at first, but then got me thinking... What would have happened if Obama had chosen Hillary as his running mate? Would we be treated to her in a Padme-accidentally-ripped-her-shirt-in-a-sexy-way outfit? How long would it be before we saw a metal bikini on the campaign trail. You made the right choice Barry! Now, somebody go get Joe Biden a Porkins costume!

"I can hold it!"
(Apologies for not photoshopping this with Biden's face... maybe later?)

Finally, as an astute commenter said after reading the Gawker article, this is all funny, but if you follow the parallels of Palin = Tarkin too far you realize that McCain = Vader and the United States is now Alderaan.

Negativity, Lies, Shadiness: McCain Palin '08

Interesting article at Politico documenting the shift from the "a new kind of politics" version of McCain to what we've been seeing lately... the perhaps aptly called the "rape and pillage" McCain Palin campaign, especially considering this story.

The article covers decisions made around the decision to simply go hard core negative and try to keep Obama from talking about issues. Nice.

“Every day not talking about the economy, the war and how to fix a broken system is a victory for McCain,” said John Weaver, a former top strategist to the nominee who left the campaign last year. “They’re going to ride it as long as they can and as long as the mainstream media puts up every ridiculous charge.”

The negative and often exaggerated or misleading claims being made about Obama and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, especially those playing on Palin’s gender, are just too irresistible for the process-consumed online and cable news media that now drives the campaign conversation, Weaver said.

More on Sarah Palin's Foreign Policy Experience!

Um... yeah, about that trip she took awhile back to Iraq to visit the troops... yeah, turns out, not so much the Iraq, really just Kuwait. Also, her other trip outside this continent, Ireland, turns out to have just been a refueling stop.

Hmm. But you can see Russia from part of Alaska.

In Memory of 9/11... Free Soup!?!?

Wow oh wow. From the consumerist, someone documented a Shoneys that paid tribute to all the brave Americans who lost their lives seven years ago... with soup. Um. Not sure whether there is any proper way to react except to say... RANDOM!

Yes Yes Yes

More please. Get Ari Melber on TV more, Democrats! He's good. Calling lies lies, and calling those who tell them liars. Well done, clear, forceful, and appropriate. Check it out:

The Governor of Giant Frightening Beasts

Sorry... I've wanted some excuse to post this picture for days, and I finally decided to just post it cause I want to. Sarah Palin appears here, framed by her giant killer snow crab, star of the Discovery Channel show Ice Road Truckers, and leaning against the bear she accidentally killed earlier that day while hunting moose. Since she knows how to dress moose, she simply applied the same skills, creating this festive bear throw in 12 minutes flat.


Seriously, what is going on in this picture. I am, perhaps, somewhere on the extreme end of people who care about animals given that for the last 7 years I've chosen to only eat fish as a way of not condoning via participation the practices of the meat packing industry in America. Still, while I acknowledge my views may be a little far left... isn't this picture just kinda strange and ominous?

Ok... maybe you're thinking it isn't the only strange and ominous thing about the whole possibility that Sarah Palin could soon be either our VP or our President. Anyway, there it is, the picture I just couldn't help posting.

"I Need To Know if She Really Thinks Dinosaurs Were Here 4,000 Years Ago...

... because she's going to have the nuclear codes." That's only one of the cuttingly direct things Matt Damon says about his alarm at the idea of President Palin (watch below). One of the McCain camp's main lines of attack this summer against Barack Obama has been to paint him as a celebrity. Well, it's funny when actual celebrities have interesting stuff to say about the elections. Thanks to Purple State, for yet again tracking down interesting video the digs a little behind the lines of what is hitting the echo chambers. That is to say that Damon has nothing to say about lipstick.

Further Update! Pigs, Lipstick, "Dogs and Cats Living Together... Mass Hysteria"

Wow oh wow, this stupid lipstick thing has taken on a life of its own. McCain camp dunderheads are all over the cable news stations claiming Obama called Johnny Mac an old fish, and meanwhile somewhere somehow, sanity does occasionally shine through. Media Matters has a nice clip (below) showing one intervention on behalf of sanity.



Meanwhile, McCain is hoping to recruit the cast of Ghostbusters to give the following speech live on Faux News. Unfortunately for them, it turns out Bill Murray has standards.