Grab Grab Grab (What I Just Gave You)

You can always count on Tea Party types to make arguments in defense of the U.S. Constitution that fundamentally misunderstand the U.S. Constitution.

Here's the latest from Fox News spokes idiot Sarah P, as quoted in Salon. Her beef is with "power grabs" by the federal government.

What we're seeing today is the inevitable result of national leaders who have forgotten the fundamental wisdom of the Tenth Amendment [which provides for America's federalist system]. Just as Mr. Jefferson warned us, as soon as we as a country disregarded the fact that the federal government's powers are limited, and that we as states and individuals hold the balance of the power, the floodgates were opened to the torrent of federal power grabs we're seeing today. Take the federal income tax, for example. We tend to think there are two constants in life: death and taxes. But America hasn't always had an income tax. The first federal income tax on individuals was imposed in 1861 to help pay for the Civil War. But the tax was never meant to be permanent, and Congress repealed it ten years after it was enacted. It wasn't until 1913 that the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified and the individual federal income tax that we know today was created.

What is most dangerous about these power grabs is that they're usually done in the name of a good cause--insuring the uninsured, for example--and have a big wad of cash attached to them.

Hilarious, as usual. She's right on some things. Of course we haven't always had an income tax. And the original tax she cites was not permanent. But once you make an amendment to the constitution, that's pretty much meant to be permanent. (18th Amendment, we didn't mean you.) And that's what we did.

What's dumb about this, on first glance, is a typical case of 10th Amendment confusion, which is sadly prevalent in the TP. Here's what the 10th says.

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Okay. And the 16th Amendment was...in the constitution. The constitution can't be unconstitutional, lady. Oy.

But the dumbest thing about Mrs. P's complaint is that any time the constitution is amended -- and I'd love to know, as I would with most of her pronouncements, whether she doesn't know this or she's just conveniently ignoring it -- it has to be ratified by 75% of the states. In other words, a constitutional amendment cannot, by definition, be a federal power grab. At least 38 of our 50 states have to say yes for it to take effect. And 42 of the then-48 states said cool to the 16th Amendment. (Three rejected it and three more never took it up.) Assuming that Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia's silence on the matter equalled consent, that's 93% approval from the states from whom power was being "grabbed". Nice.

This nitwit continues to say dumb shit on a regular basis. And our media continue to quote her dumb shit. Please stop. Or at least have the common decency to say, "Hey, that is some dumb shit right there. And here's why." It isn't all that difficult. What are you people going to do when you come up against an actual skilled sophist (like, say, Karl Rove)?

Sarah Palin, Babykiller

Every day we get more evidence that not allowing Sarah Palin into the White House was a serious dodged bullet.

Today, we get this chilling photo from Jim Wilson of the New York Times showing just how demonic Governor Palin and her minions are.

As onlookers beam in approval, Palin mercilessly stabs this screaming baby to death with a fine point indelible marker.


Culture of Life indeed.

Sarah, Plain and Simple-Minded

Sarah Palin can't even accept an apology properly. Is it possible for this idiot to comment on anything (anything?) without saying something that's either a) self-serving, b) factually wrong, c) immaterial, d) conservative red meat or e) some combination of the above?

So Letterman makes a stupid joke. Not in the best of taste but no worse than some things that were said on late-night TV during last year's campaign. But she got plenty of publicity last year. Now she needs to work harder to get her face out there more on her own. So she takes a joke about her and her stupid family (yes, I said stupid and I mean it) and tries to make it about "all young women" and "rape". It couldn't possibly be just about her and the poor choices she and her family have made.

The guy apologizes. But this is too easy a way to end the news cycle. She needs to keep it going. So she hammers some more. He apologizes again, which I think was totally unnecessary and played right into her media-grubbing little hands. The apology is so humble, obsequious even, that it would be virtually impossible for her to do anything but accept it graciously. (Which may have been Letterman's secret plan all along, come to think of it.) And does she?

Almost.

Here's the first part:

"Of course it's accepted on behalf of young women, like my daughters, who hope men who 'joke' about public displays of sexual exploitation of girls will soon evolve."

Okay, that's not really what it was about, but that's fine. As good as we could have expected from her. Then she goes on:

"Letterman certainly has the right to 'joke' about whatever he wants to, and thankfully we have the right to express our reaction. And this is all thanks to our U.S. military women and men putting their lives on the line for us to secure America's right to free speech -- in this case, may that right be used to promote equality and respect."

What the...? Can you not just accept an apology without bringing the troops into this? What the hell do they have to do with anything? Are they in Iraq and Afghanistan right now because our U.S.-installed puppet governments there are somehow threatening to come over here and shut down our media and our legal system, silencing all who may exercise their 1st Amendment rights? How exactly are they doing that? Was somebody there posing a threat to our constitution? Argh!

And that last bit about promoting "equality and respect". Is that like when she promoted equality by calling people in small towns "the real America", essentially saying that we city and East Coast types were somehow inferior? Or when she promoted respect by saying that Barack Obama was "palling around with terrorists"?

Go away, you stupid, ignorant Barbie doll.

Context Is Everything

The unrelenting assault on the English language perpetrated by The Idiot over the last eight years (and counting) has been difficult to take. But Governor Moosekiller is really giving the dope a run for his money. It's a very different flavor of stupid but it's still got the Stupid-Aid brand plastered all over the front of the package.

The crap that comes out of her mouth makes one fearful for the safety of those in her charge, including, but not limited to, her family and constituents. (And for the sanity of those same people for putting her in that position.)

And she shares with The Idiot the idea that absolutely nothing is her fault. It's usually the media. Or those pesky "elites", whoever they are. Take this latest gem from a recent interview with Esquire magazine.

"You have to let it go. Even hard news sources, credible news sources — the comment about, you can see Russia from Alaska. You can! You can see Russia from Alaska. Something like that — a factual statement that was taken out of context and mocked — what you have to do is let that go."

Okay, let's talk about this, darlin'. Your problem here was not that something was taken out of context. It's that it was taken in context. Out of context it was much smarter. Yes, you can see Russia from Alaska. It's a fact! (Only from a couple of remote islands, but still, we'll give you that.) See, it was the context in which you said it that was stupid. I read your quote above and I'm with you. But then, when I read the context, oh boy. Problematic.

Honey, you were responding to a question about why being geographically close to Russia makes you an expert on foreign policy. And I think we can all agree that...

Geez, what the hell am I doing? You're a fucking moron! Just shut the hell up and go away, already!

And you, American media, please just stop giving this nitwit even more airtime with which to bury herself.

She's STILL Pro-Life

So, I know that not everyone regards other life forms as worthy of compassion. But even societies that eat other animals used to treat them with respect. Some even had big rituals where they thanked the animal for their flesh and venerated their souls. (Look it up yourself. I'm too lazy today.)

Not in Aw Shucks, Alaska though. And frankly, not in your local Ralph's-supplying abbatoir either. You've probably seen this already, or at least read about it. It's not overly graphic but it certainly conveys the casualness of slaughter.



Really, is this the only vantage point from which they could have conducted this interview? Grim.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Free to Be, You and Me (No, Just Me; Not You)

Seriously, people. Someone get Governor Moosekiller a copy of the Constitution. Ours, that is. I'm not sure which one she keeps referring to, but it's not the United States Constitution. Hell, you don't even need to buy her one. I just linked to it. And then read the fucking thing to her. And then explain it. Seriously. It doesn't take long.

First, she insists, repeatedly, that the Constitution gives the Vice President lawmaking powers. And now she craps all over the sacred 1st Amendment.

Apparently, "freedom of speech" really means "freedom of speech for governors from cold states but not you". And "freedom of the press" really means "freedom of the press to keep their yaps shut when I say stupid shit and never ever call me on it". Here's what she said to conservative radio host Chris Plante of WMAL-AM.

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."

Excuse my French, but how fucking dumb is this asswipe? Oh no, I made slimy allegations about somebody and then the press said they were slimy. My rights are being violated!

Set aside for a second the logical problem with her argument (and I use that term loosely). Negative campaigning, by definition, is making statements about the other party meant to cast them in an unflattering light, as opposed to making positive statements about yourself. The media don't need to convince anyone of anything. It's negative campaigning. Period. What's at issue is its veracity. Anyway...

Palin has the 1st Amendment exactly backwards. She can say anything she damn well pleases. But then the press has the equally important right, nay, the responsibility, to call bullshit on her. This is basic stuff. Really basic stuff. I'm sure nobody reading this needs me to explain it to them. Which makes you all more qualified to be Vice President than this moron.

Mrs. Palin, here's the deal. Your rights are no more or less important than anyone else's. I know you don't want to believe that. If you want to have a nice little dictatorship where you can do whatever the crap you want but nobody can say or do anything to you, then please go back to your pals in the Alaskan Independence Party and make your own little stupid country. Please leave ours alone. The Bush/Cheney junta has done enough damage to it already.

Please, America, get this goddamn election over with so that this utter dipshit can go back to the cave she crawled out of and John McCain can begin apologizing for letting James Dobson and Bill Kristol foist her on us.

Huntin' and Fashion

Remember when... ("remember when": a recurring theme here) Remember when Al Gore was being ridiculed by Republicans for paying a consultant to suggest he wear earth tones? It was about $10K, as I recall. And remember John Edwards' haircuts? Important issues, they.

Guess how much the Republican National Committee has paid (so far) to clothe Sarah Palin?

$150,000. Plus almost $5,000 for hair and makeup through September alone.

"I like her. She's just like me!"

Because you just spent $75K at Neiman Marcus. We all do.

Colin Powell's Sycophancy Pills Wear Off

Colin Powell took a big step towards redeeming himself for spewing an economy-sized bucket of bullshit (his word, and mine) at the U.N. in 2003 by endorsing Barack Obama on "Meet the Press".

His words were a reminder of why we admired this man in the first place. He always seemed like he didn't quite belong in the group he was in. And we always hoped he'd dull their edges a bit. Until that speech at the U.N., when we all lost any respect we had for him.

By now decent and honest Republicans everywhere (yes, they exist) are scrambling for their place in the lifeboats of the S.S. Straight Talk. And Powell is undoubtedly an A-lister.

If you haven't watched this yet, you should. And if you know anyone who's planning to vote for McPain, make them watch it. In under 7 minutes Powell gives the most dispassionate, reasoned case for Obama (and against McCain) that we're likely to see.



Me, I would have said that McCain and Palin are lying, hate-mongering troglodytes. But that's not going to change anyone's mind. This is the nice way to say it. I particularly admire the way he pointed out that (surprise, America!) we are not a nation of bigots. Religious tests for office are not only forbidden by law, they're against our supposed national ethos.

Thank you, General Powell. And welcome back.

How Do You Spell "Bullshit"? P-A-L-I-N

Alternate spellings: M-C-C-A-I-N and D-A-V-I-S.

Remember this quote from John McCain from not too long ago?

"[I]f a lie is big enough and repeated often enough it will be believed."

Here's what McCain campaign manager Rick Davis told Faux News' Chris Wallace regarding the Troopergate report released on Friday. (Quotes and stuff cribbed from Glenn Greenwald. Thanks, Glenn!)

"The reality is there was absolutely no wrongdoing found in the report — 1,000 pages — an enormous waste of time — and the best they could come up with was: no violations of any kinds of laws or ethics rules."

And here's what Sarah Palin herself told the Alaskan press corps.

"Well, I’m very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing … any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that."

Wow, they really dodged that bullet. So much for the partisan witch hunt. Oh wait. Here's what the report said in its very first finding.

"For the reasons explained in Section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act."

Um, yeah. Cleared of all wrongdoing. Because abusing power and violating laws are not really wrongdoing. At least not for Republicans. We are at war with Eastasia. We have always been at war with Eastasia.

What's that sound? It's McPain poll numbers dropping even further.

Round 2: Tag Team

I didn't really catch much of the latter half of the VP debate last night. I was totally cocked off my ass from drinking every time Sarah Palin used the word "maverick". By 45 minutes in I was reduced to taking my pants off and French kissing my TV screen while screaming "Kiss me, you hot sexy veeper, you! SLLUUUUUUURRPP!" And then Joe Biden finished his response.

D'oh!

Well, this was about what I expected. Palin, of course, didn't display the awkward pauses and idiotic non-answers that we saw in her interviews with Katie Couric and, to a lesser extent, Charles Gibson. Instead she displayed awkward attacks and well-scripted non-answers delivered with a wink and a smile and a "you betcha". Oh, and a whole pile of lies.

Of course, she couldn't come up with any fresh lies. She just had the ones from her note cards, which she consulted furiously during Biden's turns and even during her own. Whenever a buzzword was mentioned by Biden or moderator Gwen Ifill, the light in her head went on and she grabbed the note card with that canned response on it, regardless of whether it was really appropriate to the question or whether she had already used it.

She certainly showed that she was capable of talking, as long as she had something rehearsed. And she is undeniably charming. And forceful, when she has the aforementioned rehearsed statements. If I had watched this debate and I didn't speak English, I would have given it to her hands-down. Unfortunately for Mrs. P, I (and the rest of America) do speak English. And, call me crazy, I care about content. Her "responses" were utterly free of substance. It was, as The Idiot and his fellow Texans would say, all hat and no cattle.

Seriously, I expected overuse of "maverick" but even I was stupefied by just how many times she said it. And here's something you may not have known: she's from the middle class and she's a Washington "outsider". And, get this, a MOM! Wow! I can so relate to her! Okay, so what else ya got? Nothing? Okay. I can so relate to her!

She spoke, at least at first, entirely to the camera, which I found almost as disconcerting as McCain talking exclusively to Jim Lehrer. Mix it up, girl. (Obama did and it was effective.) And the winking? WTF? Who does she think she's talking to? Is she promising us a little roll in the hay or something? I do not care to be flirted with by my (vice-)presidential candidates, or any other candidates. There are plenty of people on the internet that are hotter than her that will be happy to wink at me. And some of them are smarter than her too. Possibly most.

If I were looking for someone for a local newscast, she's my gal. She looks good on camera and can read a cue card like nobody's business. But as a politician and potential leader? She's still a complete joke. And not a funny one. This debate, although better than her interviews, only confirmed this. There was still no actual substance there, no matter how well she sold it.

Oh, guess what? There was someone else at the debate. It's true! Joe Biden was there. Yeah, and they even let him speak. And damn, he was pretty good. A bit lumpy in the first half but he was strong, coherent, knowledgeable, and he actually responded to the questions with stuff he knew about, not just stuff from his note cards. (He did have note cards; they all do. But he can go off of them, which is unsurprisingly useful in a debate.)

He didn't say anything stupid. He's a very smart guy but sometimes he lets his mouth run off. Not tonight. I liked him more after watching this. And trusted him more to run the country, if need be. Which is good.

I was encouraged by the post-debate polls. It appears that most people considered Biden the winner. I didn't expect this. Eight years ago, I couldn't wait for America to see The Idiot in the debates against Al Gore. "Great," thought I, "they'll see what a dipshit this guy is and his numbers will crater." Gore mopped up the floor with him in the debate (on substance, anyway, and truthfulness). Then afterward everyone said the debate was a tie or even that W. had won. I knew that we, as a nation, were in deep deep shit at that moment. (Little did I know just how deep, and how wide, it would get. But that's another story.)

I fully expected the same this time around. "I like her" would trump "She has nothing to say." If we had really learned our lesson, McPain would be getting slaughtered in the polls already. And they're not. But it seems that, although we are slow learners, we are getting it bit by bit.

Keep going, America. You can make it.

Palin Bingo

Why just watch the debates and scream at the television? Have some fun by printing out these custom Palin Bingo cards.

If that's not enough for you, you can always fall back on the standard drinking games. I plan to get completely sloshed by drinking every time she says "maverick".

And the Misses Just Keep on Comin'

So, Ms. P is well-informed. It's very impressive. Here's what she had to say to Katie Couric about how she stays so informed.

Couric: And when it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?

Palin: I’ve read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.

Couric: What, specifically?

Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.

Couric: Can you name a few?

Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn’t a foreign country, where it’s kind of suggested, “Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?” Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.

Geez. She couldn't have just tossed out the name of one major American newspaper? (I know, I know. She doesn't know any.) And does anyone really ask her how she can stay informed way up there in Alaska? We do have the internet now. Or maybe she doesn't.

So, she can't name a single newspaper (although she reads all of them), she can't name a single actual policy that John McCain promoted ("I'll get 'em for ya!") and, rumor has it, more Couric interview nuggets are going to be available today showing that she can't name a single Supreme Court case other than Roe v. Wade.

How can this get worse? As noted in comments, I'm not expecting a major disaster in Thursday's debate with Joe Biden. But I'm having a hard time figuring how she's going to have anything remotely intelligent to say after watching these interviews. She was supposed to be prepared for them too.

It's Better to Keep One's Mouth Closed and Be Thought an Idiot...

Okay, so I just browsed through the brand new Newsweek.

Howard Fineman has a brief piece on the upcoming VP debate. In it, he asked the folks who prepped the last two veep candidates for their debates for some friendly advice.

Republican Stewart Stevens, who advised The Dark Lord in 2004, had this to say to Ms. Palin.

Her goal should be to not make news. And that means when Biden attacks, or the moderator's questions are detailed, she should not respond at length. Instead, she should focus on her personality.

Time to complete that maxim: "...than to open it and remove all doubt."

Wow. This man is specifically advising her not to talk about anything of substance. Because, of course, she can't. These people have officially given up on this albatross.

Holy Shit, She Just Gets Dumber Every Day

No wonder they've been keeping her from the media. She's a fucking moron. Watch this.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Now tell me, TELL ME with a straight face that you will vote for the McCain/Palin ticket. I will laugh at you. I will laugh and laugh and laugh.

Then I will cry. I mourn for my country.

Subpoenas! Huh! What Are They Good For?

You know the answer.

Okay, I'll say it. Absolutely NOTHIN'! (Say it again.)

So here we have Alaska First Dude Todd Palin deciding that, oh, he doesn't feel like answering a legislative subpoena. Why? He doesn't feel like the investigation is "legitimate". Oh. Well, I'll remember that the next time I'm subpoenaed.

This is a power that I didn't realize private citizens had. Don't like what authorities are doing? Just tell 'em it's not legitimate. The next time I get arrested I'll just tell the cops that. Then I'll go off and enjoy all of that nice liquor that I got from knocking over Sully's Package Store in my jacked Ford Explorer. After I wipe the blood off of my baseball bat. Hey, it's my choice as to which statutes can be enforced on me. I know what's legitimate and what isn't.

Of course, the gov herself has ordered the other dozen folks from her administration not to comply with subpoenas too. Just last month these people had nothing to hide and said they'd comply fully. Now? Well, the McCain campaign's lawyers dropped in. Including one whose job is to prosecute terrorists. At least it was until he picked up the far more important task of stonewalling an investigation into abuse of power in order to make sure that the truth doesn't come out until at least some time after November 4th.

If you or I just decided to ignore a subpoena, guess where we'd be now. Here's a hint. Is Karl Rove there? Is Harriet Miers there? Is Joshua Bolten there? Will Todd Palin go there? Guess.

Every day more stuff comes out about Palin and her retinue that show her to be even more Bush-like than McCain. Abuse of power. Cronyism. Secrecy, including using private e-mail addresses for official business. Incuriousness and gut calls rather than sound analysis. Religious fundamentalism. Suppression of dissent. Ignoring science. Loyalty (way) before competence. Now ignoring subpoenas. Sound familiar, anyone?

Read this (I'm not asking; I'm telling. Read it!) and tell me if she sounds like an "outsider" who's going to change Washington or if we're watching history repeat itself. The similarities are stunning.

Remember when the Republicans were the Rule of Law party? Nah. That's for suckers. Got a problem with us? Whaddaya gonna do about it? Nothing? Thought so. Now watch this drive.

This Woman (Still) Knows Nothing

Well, Charlie Gibson wasn't quite the pushover that we were afraid of. And I'm not sure if this is going to change anyone's mind. But here is the interview between ABC's Charlie Gibson and Sarah Palin.

As previously noted, the Kaplan test prep people definitely drilled her head full of talking points. But I heard nothing from her that I haven't heard a hundred times from GWB. She didn't answer some questions. She answered others with the same response she gave to the previous question.

And the best part? She had no idea what the Bush Doctrine was. The goddam Bush Doctrine! That's like a prospective Yankees manager not knowing who Derek Jeter is. It's about two-thirds of the way in to the video clip. She filibusters a bit. And Charlie tries real hard not to give her a hint. Finally, he breaks down and explains it to her. It's embarrasing.

Snippets from the pieces that will be broadcast later are up there too. She's not a complete blithering idiot like GWB. (Although she seems to have the exact same opinions as he does. Change? Sure, yeah.) She's just somebody who has no real education in world, or even national, affairs. If she spent 20 years in government she may possibly be a reasonable choice. Assuming she actually learned anything. But so far, she hasn't.

This is a woefully unprepared human being. John McCain and the Republican Party should be ashamed of themselves for playing this sick joke on us.

What the Meaning of "Is" Is

Here's a prediction.

So Ms. Pit Bull With Lipstick is still lying about her supposed opposition to the "Bridge to Nowhere", long after it's been publicly proven to be a big fat pile of moose crap. So what will happen if she's ever called on it? I'll tell ya.

In her speeches, note that she does not say "I was always against this wasteful project." Or anything like that. What she says is, "I told congress 'Thanks but no thanks for that bridge to nowhere.'". Note the construction.

She can make the legal case that this is not a lie. Here's how. First she said "thanks." (When? When the money was offered for the project.) Then she said "no, thanks". (When? When it turned out that the money wasn't enough.) So, while the "thanks but no thanks" line is meant to mislead and declare objection from the beginning, it can be defended (if it's ever pressed) by saying it's legally accurate.

There's more cover. Because of course, even after saying "no thanks" to the bridge, she kept the money, which is why she is careful to include "for that bridge to nowhere" in her stump line. So thanks for the money but no thanks for the bridge. Sophistry at its finest.

Bullshit? Of course. But what do you expect?

Mark my words. It will be defended this way.

This Is Why They Don't Let Her Speak to the Media

Sunday morning. A time to sleep late, read the newspaper and enjoy some politicians making the rounds of the Sunday "news" programs. Here's what we had this week:

• ABC's "This Week" - Barack Obama
• NBC's "Meet the Press" - Joe Biden
• CBS's "Face the Nation" - John McCain

Notice anything missing? Me too. They didn't even let her speak to Fox, for crying out loud. Undoubtedly the Kaplan SAT test prep people are currently cramming her head with bits of information that she can spew out to make it sound like she's reasonably knowledgeable. Until then, no dice.

So for now she only gets to speak in controlled environments, with no threat of some pesky invasive journalist asking her an actual question. Apparently, this isn't enough. In front of a campaign crowd in Colorado Springs, she said this about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: "[They have] gotten too big and too expensive for the taxpayers."

Yeah! You tell 'em, Sarah. But wait. Aren't Fannie and Freddie private enterprises? Here's how much they cost American taxpayers: $0.00. Nothing. That's in the past, of course. The bailout that we're about to embark on is going to cost us quite a bit. A little bit of the evil regulation that the Repubs despise so much may have spared us the cost and effort.

This woman does not know what she's talking about. And I'm certain that her cluelessness is not restricted to matters economic. Of course, neither was GWB's 8 years ago. And that didn't stop us from giving him enough votes to allow the Supreme Court to hand him the presidency. I'd like to have faith that we won't get fooled again. But I don't.

Think About the Baby

Ya know, everyone is all jumpy about Bristol Palin's bump and how Sarah should be concerning herself with her family issues instead of running for VP.

Well, Bristol is 17, almost an adult and certainly old enough to be left alone (and boy, was she!). As someone once said, "I'm already pregnant. What other shenanigans can I get into?"

Why is no one talking about the fact that she has a special-needs infant at home? If you had a 4-month-old baby with Down syndrome, would you be doing this? This is for men as well as women, but mostly women. Family values, anyone?

Pop Quiz

Q: What do the following items have in common?

1.


2.


3.


4.


A: They're all impulse buys!

John McCain spent months working his way through the big ol' Washington Wal-Mart of VP Picks and he had his pal Joe Lieberman sitting in his shopping cart playfully dangling his toes out the side. Then he got to the checkout and tossed in Sarah Palin.

And a Snickers.

McCain had met Palin exactly once before last week. He doesn't even know her, people. The man had already decided on a VP and then was railroaded by the Christian right into picking this woman. This is judgment? This is leadership? She wasn't even vetted and he didn't even pick her. Someone else did.

What should we do this week, President McCain? Oh, I don't know. What's that thing? Let's bomb the crap out of it. Consequences? We'll worry about that later.

Those Mentos sure looked good before we ate the whole pack.