Michael Steele’s Scarlet Letter

2:07 pm EST July 25th, 2006 | Politics | 7 Comments

Republican candidate running in a “close” senate race in one of the most Democratic states in America. The person was afraid to put his name out there (way to stand by your convictions) but odds are it is Maryland’s own Michael Steele.

He spoke of his party affiliation as though it were a congenital defect rather than a choice. “It’s an impediment. It’s a hurdle I have to overcome,” he said. “I’ve got an ‘R’ here, a scarlet letter.”

That left the candidate in a difficult spot. “For me to pretend I’m not a Republican would be a lie,” he reasoned. But to run as a proud Republican? “That’s going to be tough, it’s going to be tough to do,” he said. “If this race is about Republicans and Democrats, I lose.”

Again, this is (likely) Michael Steele, Republican running behind Democrats Ben Cardin and Kweisi Mfume.

Chief Zee

11:07 pm EST July 24th, 2006 | Uncategorized | 13 Comments

Chief Zee, known to Redskins fans and NFL fans around is in need of some help.

Topic: Redskins

Some Would Argue That This Is More Of A Crime Than Having Sex With An Intern

6:07 pm EST July 24th, 2006 | Politics | 134 Comments

You know?

President Bush’s penchant for writing exceptions to laws he has just signed violates the Constitution, an American Bar Association task force says in a report highly critical of the practice.

The ABA group, which includes a one-time FBI director and former federal appeals court judge, said the president has overstepped his authority in attaching challenges to hundreds of new laws.

Go West, Young Man.

3:07 pm EST July 24th, 2006 | Politics | 3 Comments

Colorado Media Matters

Christmas Is Just 5 Months Away

10:07 pm EST July 21st, 2006 | News | 3 Comments

Time enough to save up and buy me a 14 Disk Superman DVD Box Set. You know, for kids.

Topic: Superman

The Crazy Cons

9:07 pm EST July 21st, 2006 | Politics | 28 Comments

A more appropriate word for these vile people, I cannot think of.

Giuliani?

6:07 pm EST July 21st, 2006 | Politics | 3 Comments

National Review seems to make a conservative statement about the possible nomination of the adulterous and shady Giuliani…

Rumblings From Team Obama

5:07 pm EST July 20th, 2006 | Politics | 22 Comments

Sen. Obama will be at Sen. Harkin’s annual steak fry… in Iowa.

If memory serves me well, there’s an important political event that happens every 4 years in Iowa.

Iraq: The Awesomeness Continues

4:07 pm EST July 20th, 2006 | Politics | 47 Comments

From the Center for Strategic and International Studies

The number of civilian deaths is way up. No one knows the real total, either for recent killings or the overall death rate. It seems likely, however, that past estimates of total deaths of 30,000 to 40,000 are now at least 10,000-20,000 too low because they rely far too heavily on Iraqi morgue and Ministry of Health data, and media reports. These figures do not cover outlying areas where reporting is far less accurate or comprehensive, disappearances and kidnappings where the body is never recovered, and hidden body dumps in the desert.

The recent estimates of killing have the same limitations, but the UN is certainly far too conservative in estimating that they were 3,149 in June and 14,338 in the first six months of 2006. The counts are too Baghdad-centric, and seem to cover only deaths actually formally reported. They do not cover all deaths even in outlying areas in Baghdad Province, and reporting on other areas is far less comprehensive. Like far too many attack counts, they exaggerate the degree to which civil violence and the insurrection focus on Baghdad, while other areas are peaceful.

Body counts are also only one measure of violence, and anecdotal evidence indicates that sharp rises are taking place in other forms of sectarian and ethnic conflict. These include the kidnappings and disappearances mentioned earlier. They also include massive numbers of wounded, and what data are available indicate that the number of seriously wounded sharply exceeds the number killed. Extortion, crime, intimidation, and blackmail are sometimes simply crime, but are often tied to ethnic and sectarian tension. Protection schemes and payoffs for security are often the rule and not the exception.

Soft ethnic cleansing is reshaping not only Baghdad, a city of at least five million, but many other cities and towns. Forcing families to move their homes, give up their businesses, and to do so without any payment at a time when most are bankrupt is just as divisive as violence. So are the constant series of attacks on professionals, businessmen, doctors, teachers, and other parts of the educated and secular core of Iraqi society. Many leave the country, others relocate to places where they cannot work or participate in civil society.

There’s more at the link.

Unintentionally Hilarious Headline Of The Week

2:07 pm EST July 20th, 2006 | Politics | 6 Comments

ABC News: Bush Acknowledges Racism Still Exists

“I understand that racism still lingers in America,” Bush told the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “It’s a lot easier to change a law than to change a human heart. And I understand that many African-Americans distrust my political party.”

That line generated boisterous applause and cheers from the thousands in the audience, which generally gave the president a polite, reserved reception.

You don’t say?