Fred Thompson Gets The Clap

What Fred Thompson wants, Fred Thompson gets - even if he has to ask for it.

Twenty-four minutes after he began speaking in a small restaurant the other day, Fred Thompson brought his remarks to a close with a nod of his head and an expression of thanks to Iowans for allowing him to “give my thoughts about some things.”

Then he stood face to a face with a silent audience.

“Can I have a round of applause?” Mr. Thompson said, drawing a rustle of clapping and some laughter.

“Well, I had to drag that out of you,” he said.

At least he didn't use the Gonzales method.

Compassionate Conservativism Strikes Again

Eric Alterman has a good post on Bush's plan to abandon the sick children of America.

So this is the point. Bush's argument is explicitly ideological. He wants children to get sick and die in order to prevent what he believes will be a slide toward what he calls "socialized medicine." Conservatives may not wish to claim him anymore, but this speaks to a fundamental difference between liberals and conservatives, and it's not just about letting kids get sick and die.

snip

As the apostate conservative, Kevin Phillips observes, "The Bush Administration is not against big government." What it opposes is merely that "portion of it that regulates business and requires tax increases, against a welfare system. When it's the latter, they're against big government, but when it's big government that takes care of the oil industry or bails out financial institutions or pumps money into the Pentagon, then they tend to be in favor of that."

Hate Is A Disturbing Thing, Isn't It?

Remember, where credibility is concerned, the message alone may not be enough.


Presentation can add so much.

Praying For A Sock-Puppet

Patron Saint Of The BombbombbombbombbombIran Crowd

Sadly, No has had so much good stuff lately. I enjoyed one recent post in particular which relates to one Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi. Our favorite neo-conned Bush-bot, Mr Wabu, says he is praying for this woman.

His prayers have been answered and it turns out God has a sense of humour.

Bruuuuuuuuuce.

"Things that shouldn't happen here...happening here."

"What About Man-On-Dog? Ya Got Any Problems With Man-On-Dog Types?"

Last seen packing his bags and thumbing through a copy of "Farsi For Complete Idiots".

During his speech at Columbia, Ahmadinejad endears himself to the right. Not that there's anything Iran with that.

Tbogg Steals My Snark

I said it first but Tbogg says it better.

Hypocrite In Chief

Keith Olberman, the man some on the right claim has only five viewers, pulls the petulant one's diapers down and delivers a spanking that can't be vetoed.

"Oblivious To These Facts"

Audio Visual Club member, Jason Mattera.
So young. So pro-war. Soooo not enlisted.

What else is new.
Jason I-don't-need-to-fight-insurgents-in-Iraq-because-I'm-fighting-liberals-at-home" Mattera advances into enemy territory, bravely swatting facts out of the way as if they were the great brown enemy's bullets zinging past his young enlistment-aged head.
Sadly No, take it away.

Tuning Him Out

Fewer and fewer Americans are buying his crap, even when it's polished and bathed in fancy t.v. lighting.

Whacked

This story just keeps on getting more and more interesting.

Shorter Ambassador Crocker:

"D'ya like my beer googles?"

Hate Minds Thug Alike UPDATED

Torturer In Chief meets his kind of guy.
This does not surprise me in the least, knowing what I know about the Decider. Though, according to one Bush-is-great-La-La-La_I-can't-hear-you misogynist, I am such a "woman" because I don't like his dear beloved leader or his BFF "teh awesome Cheney". Since I know he's not in the habit of complimenting me, I'm pretty sure he's using "Woman" as an insult - or is it a "construct" of an insult. I can't remember. I should add, for proper context, that he's not twelve. He's in his fifties.
Anyway, just pile this meeting with Sattar Abu Risha as just another example of why I think things are going horribly wrong under this administrations "leadership". Anbar is an example of how buying off local gangs - not success by surge - is changing things. The questions are: How long does the U.S. keeping buying support? What sort of intimidation and crimes are being committed against the local communities by these thugs? What happens when the U.S. inevitably pull that financial support after arming them to the teeth? - As in: "More than 90 percent of the weapons and supplies come from the American forces, beginning with personal pistols and ending with medium machine guns and rocket launchers."

Someone please tell me how this could possibly end well.

Update:
Oops - It didn't end well.

By The Numbers

Doonesbury finds fact among the fiction of the GOP.

Jeopardy

I'll take Atrios for 20 F.U.'s, Alex.