Lost in the Wilderness

When Palin does the crash and burn, someone ought to let her use one of her lifelines; it's the humane thing to do. Another respected journalist jumps off the Scary Talk Express. Culled from TruthDig:

Calling Sarah Palin’s recent interview with CBS anchor Katie Couric “the last straw,” Newsweek editor and columnist Fareed Zakaria tells Wolf Blitzer on Monday’s episode of “The Situation Room” that it’s not a matter of Palin not giving the right answer when faced with a complex question about the economy or foreign policy, “it’s that she clearly does not understand the question.”

The highlight reel begins at 1:54.

No Barracuda

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart have said it best, so I'll leave it to their eloquence. Click on image to make bigger.Pop by their place and give 'em a thumbs up.

Choose Bee!

Samantha Bee of The Daily Show rocks! Watch her corner several delegates at the RNC.

"Drill, Baby, Drill!"

I'm thinking this may not be the best RNC chant line during the speech of a former 2nd place beauty queen from the hinterland (isn't that a Community Chest card in Monopoly?). I'm just saying. And is it an accident that Sarah Palin was Miss Wasilla 1984? Enquiring Minds want to know...

Does anyone else think she has 'crazy eyes'?


In linky-love redux, I have to include WaterTiger's Best.Contrast.Compare.Ever.

Is it me? Or does Sarah Palin look like Dick Cheney in Drag?

Consumer Safety Approved

One reason I'm grateful I don't have children:

Consumer Product Safety Commission chief Nancy Nord and her predecessor "have taken dozens of trips at the expense of the toy, appliance and children's furniture industries and others they regulate," according to internal records. Earlier this week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called on Nord to resign.

Former Reichmarshall of "New Mexico Lawyers for Bush," Nancy Nord was made head of the government agency that is currently making sure all those lovely lead toys make it into your kid's mouth. WaPo has the scoop and Jon Carroll at SF Gate piles on. If I had children, they would be screaming, "Mommy make the scary lady go away!!"

Get Me My Gun

Clearly the American people don't give two shits about what goes on in their own country and with its leadership. The story of the waste and fraud occurring during the is illegal, immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq has been tantamount to the biggest boondoggle in American history, yet is barely glanced upon in the mainstream media, and virtually ignored by congress.

Did you know of the nearly 1/2 a trillion war dollars spent, 88 BILLION dollars of "contractor money" is under investigation for fraud? Did you realize the 630 private companies are under contract to the US government to deliver "services" to Iraq? Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater:The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, sat in on a DOD authorization hearing and listened to representative after representative ask scores of military and government officials,"How many contractors do we have? What are they doing? How much are they being paid? What nations are they drawn from? The answers were, 'I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know' ". Would you let ANYONE spend your money like this?

Bill Moyers does a great intense round-up of the national treasure wasted on this futile exercise called the Global War on Terror. Best of the Left compiles a podcast "best of" moments from around the blogosphere about the discussion. All the while the republicans can't fund health care for children which amounts to 40 days in Iraq spending.

Preaching to the choir I guess, but I wonder when people will be angry enough to act.

A Duty to the Wounded

Why won't anyone call Bush on this shit? Bob Dole and Donna Shalala were part of a presidential commission on reforming the VA several months ago in the aftermath of the Walter Reed malfeasance scandal. Today they co-wrote a WaPo OpEd calling on Chimpy to put these recommendations into action. Meanwhile, the VA operations budget has just enough for current recipients and no money for our newest war-injured veterans. Yet another show of support for the troops from this criminal enterprise called BushCo

We have also testified before Congress and met individually with lawmakers. Overall, we are buoyed by the strong bipartisan support being given to the proposals.

Despite this support, however, it is clear that our recommendations are being swept up in a decades-long battle to reform the entire disability system for all service members. It is important to remember that our commission was tasked with improving care and benefits for those returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While we hope that our recommendations will help many others, our mission was to make the system work better for this new generation of veterans.

DKOS has more on this story.

Anorexic Army

Think Progress writes up Gen. Casey's report to the Senate Armed Services committee:Army ‘Out Of Balance,’ ‘Current Demand’ On Troops ‘Exceeds The Sustainable Supply’

According to “Pentagon insiders” who spoke to the Boston Globe, “Casey’s apparent alarm about the Army heightened when he returned from nearly three years of duty in Iraq.” Casey also said that “Army support systems…are straining under the pressures from six years of war.”

See the video.