Of Republicans, Divine Smiting, and Disoriented Queens of Mean

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Fri Dec-21-07 12:13 AM
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Of Republicans, Divine Smiting, and Disoriented Queens of Mean

This week on the blogs: Is spying on its citizens the new economy?; Huckabee scares the Jacob Marley out of Republican party leaders; FOX must support the writers' strike (not really); Rudolph 9iu11ani commands God to help him; and there are four disoriented queens of mean out there, and they're trying to brainwash your kids (and guarantee that they'll be laughed at by college entrance boards). All this and much, much more, including some real goodies from DUers Amerigo Vespucci and alphafemale. Enjoy!

Our New Economy: The White Unmarked Van Biz Is Booming

Via Kos, we learn how BushCo eavesdropped on us prior to 9/11, and how it's now much, much worse.

Huck You Very Much!

According to The Carpetbagger Report, Republicans are in a tizzy over the prospect of a real, honest-to-God Bible-thumpin', "Let God sort them out" religious-rightwinger getting the nomination.

In the new issue of the Weekly Standard, conservative Stephen Hayes warns of the "perils of Huckaplomacy," highlighting all of the many ways in which Huckabee seems to have a child-like understanding of international affairs. In the new issue of National Review, conservative Rich Lowry writes that Huckabee's nomination "would represent an act of suicide by his party," in large part because the Arkansan is "manifestly unprepared to be president of the United States." Both Charles Krauthammer and Peggy Noonan devoted parts of their columns yesterday expressing discomfort with Huckabee's faith-based presidential campaign.

This is hardly limited to the GOP establishment. John Cole, in a post headlined, "The Huckabee Panic," noted that several major far-right bloggers are "beginning to squirm in the face of Huckabee's surge."

But he's so Huckalicious, cry the few who would anoint him. Have you seen his Christmas PSA/campaign ad yet? The Washington Post's blog, The Trail, has the video (with its white cross disguised as a bookcase) and the details. Here's the 30-second ad text:

"This time of year sometimes it's nice to put aside all of that and just remember that what really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ and being with our family, and our friends," says Huckabee of the political ads clogging the early state airwaves. "On behalf of all of us, God bless and Merry Christmas. I'm Mike Huckabee, and I approved this message."

Guess how many times Huckabee blinked during those 30 seconds. If you guessed 38, you're correct. That's a lot of blinky-ness. Even during this Wintertime gift-giving season.

Fox Network Supports The Writers' Strike!

Probably not, but this year's Fox & Friends "Holiday greeting," resurrected from the 1990's (thereby not employing scab labor), indicates that FOX is firmly behind the WGA's strike. Jossip explains. All you have to do is click the play button.

In other FOX-like (non) media news...

The Huffington Post reports that CNN news anchorbimbo, Heidi Collins, seemed upset when an explosion in the New York News Corp building wasn't devastating enough to warrant wall-to-wall coverage. Note the look:

Of course, there's video. Maybe God wasn't in smiting mode. Or maybe it was a miracle. Speaking of miracles...

Rudolph 9iu11ani doesn't just hope for a (presidential campaign) miracle. He "expects" one. The details are at my blog, Delilah Boyd, along with this festive photo of the man who would lead the free world:

Rounding out God's busy week...

Holy Science Class, Batman!

These four queens disoriented are! From Tampabay.com's The Gradebook blog:

A majority of Pinellas County School Board members - including the immediate past president of the National School Boards Association - think that if Florida children are taught about evolution, they should learn other theories on the origin of life as well.

Board members Jane Gallucci, Carol Cook, Peggy O'Shea and Nancy Bostock (shown above, left to right) stopped short of saying that faith-based theories should be included in the state's proposed new science standards, which the state Board of Education likely will vote on in February. The new standards would include Darwin's theory of evolution and do not mention faith-based theories such as intelligent design or creationism.

But all four said such theories should be taught in public school classrooms.

My favorite batshit queen's quote:

"I'd probably ideally like to keep it all out of the classroom," she said. "If it's going to create this much controversy, how important is it?"

Read the rest, and don't miss the great comments about how many different religious theories of creation would need to be taught. Chilling. In other chilling news...

The Great Tape Destruction Committee

According to Josh Marshall (via NYT), at least four White House lawyers weighed in on whether or not those torture tapes should be destroyed:

At least four top White House lawyers took part in discussions with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives from Al Qaeda, according to current and former administration and intelligence officials.

The accounts indicate that the involvement of White House officials in the discussions before the destruction of the tapes in November 2005 was more extensive than Bush administration officials have acknowledged.

Those who took part, the officials said, included Alberto R. Gonzales, who served as White House counsel until early 2005; David S. Addington, who was the counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney and is now his chief of staff; John B. Bellinger III, who until January 2005 was the senior lawyer at the National Security Council; and Harriet E. Miers, who succeeded Mr. Gonzales as White House counsel.

Another Bush, another Bush brazillion lies. Hmm. That's sort of like the word "Brazillian," Bush might say. which brings us to thoughts of waxing Imus's... um, I-man parts. Keep reading...

Last Minute Shopping Ideas

From Media Matters: If you don't like Huckabee, you must be gay. Imus And That Gay Apparel Deal wasn't the important story it should've been. Here's Imus and friends bashing gays in a ham-fisted way:

IMUS: Why don't you like Huckabee? Because you're gay, or what?

McCORD: Oh, come on, what the hell was that?

RUFINO: What is that?

McCORD: Where did that come from? Jeez.

IMUS: I don't know.

RUFINO: Stand by for the drive-by.

IMUS: Charles made -- Charles made --

McCORD: Oh God.

Same old Imus. Need some cheer? One of the best gifts of all: David Kurz at TPM links to a juicy morsel from USA Today:

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour as VP on a Giuliani ticket?

That's one of those gifts that would just keep on giving. For an actual tactile gift idea, click on over to TPM for info on the new tell-all book, How to Rig an Election: Confessions of a Republican Operative, and Marshall's commentary:

Now, as you probably know, most tell-all books are more like tell-little or tell-nothing books. We've still got one reader still sulking because he was hounding us for days about why we weren't giving more attention to the Scott McClellan memoir non-bombshell. But I got word yesterday that Raymond's offering is the real deal. Our copy arrived at the office today. And upon a limited initial perusal the normally low-key and laconic Paul Kiel concludes that it is "awesome." So that's saying a lot.

As it happens, this is not surprising from what we've seen thus far of Raymond. Of all the phone-jam scammers, he was the only one who not only took his criminal justice lumps but seemed genuinely to want to wash his hands of the whole rotten business. The rest, as you'd expect, are back on the GOP payroll in most cases after a short pitstop in the can.

Raymond on his sojourn in the slammer: "After 10 full years inside the GOP, 90 days among honest criminals wasn't really any great ordeal."

Here's the book's cover (from Marshall's link):

Looks good, doesn't it? Meanwhile, over at Jossip, the cable TV quotables post this week is especially weird:

Cable Quotables

People on cable have too much time to think, talk aloud

This week, we learn that talk shows hosts don't know how to Christmas shop, are misguided about Ann Coulter's psyche and think cats need wigs. The holiday's spirit has gotten to everyone's head.

� "But you really hurt my feelings. Do you care?" Alan Colmes, clueless that Ann Coulter doesn't have a heart (or a brain), Hannity and Colmes, December 13

� "Yes, I'm still trying to figure out the cats with wigs, why � why cats need wigs. They're crying out for it." Anderson Cooper, crusading to save balding cat everywhere, Anderson Cooper 360, December 13

� "You look pathetic. You're walking aimlessly around the stores like zombies with credit cards. Listless, clueless, hapless." Neil Cavuto, describing shopping for his wife, Your World, December 14

� "I think Darth Vader is behind it all." Anderson Cooper, explaining his theory on global warming, Anderson Cooper 360, December 17

� "Would you feel a little like Farrah Fawcett in a Lifetime movie rocking back and forth in the shower, just not being able to get clean?" Glenn Beck, feeling dirty, Glenn Beck, December 17

� "Does that include Hillary? Does she shave? . . . I mean, she�she shaves her legs. I'm just saying." Glenn Beck, wondering if Hillary Clinton is into Brazilian waxes, Glenn Beck, December 17

I'm sure Will Ferrell would say, "Glenn Beck is an angry elf." Continuing on with the angry elf theme...

How Does O'Reilly Celebrate The 9th Day Of Hanukkah?

While we're still waiting for an answer, Think Progress has the original quote. Thank goodness for Think Progress, and don't forget to...

Thank A DUer!

Thanks to Amerigo Vespucci for posting this insightful (and a bit FOX Newsy) poll:

Poll question: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The ultimate team player or an unapologetic suck-up?

My favorite poll choices:

He had his red nose so far up Santa's butt the old guy's stomach looked like a lava lamp

He was like Scott McClellan with antlers

There's no I in TEAM but there definitely is in KISS ASS

I hear that right after he led the sleigh, Santa fed him to the Iditarod dogs

Thanks to alphafemale and all of the reply posters for pointing out that some of the foods we eat smell like dogs' feet. Try not to snicker when that telltale smell wafts its way from your holiday buffet table to your nasal passages.

Thanks, DUers! And thanks to all of you who've sent those great blog links this year. Some of you have requested more coverage of blogs outside the political realm, and I promise to check out those sites next week. Meanwhile, stay happy and well. Best wishes for the coming year.

-- Delilah Boyd

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geardaddy

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Fri Dec-21-07 11:59 AM
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1. The Huckster

Has anyone else noticed that his eyes aren't aligned?

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NoFederales

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Fri Dec-21-07 12:21 PM
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2. Smells like dog feet? Mmmmmm, doggone good at the 'ol

Christmas Smorgasboard. Coming soon to an office party near you. Cheers and Merry Christmas.

NoFederales

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