The Truffle

Does Focus count as prog? Well, as you can see from the clip below, the guys had a sense of humor--which is why some people would say no, they were not prog. On the other hand, they were European (Dutch to be exact). And they did draw on the European musical tradition, what with their yodeling. And they're on Rhino's "Supernatural Fairy Tales" boxed set, along with...uh...Electric Light Orchestra. (Sorry, I like ELO, but they weren't prog.) Oh heck, let's just call Focus prog. Here they are doing "Hocus Pocus." From the looks of things, that's Gladys Knight introducing them.

Yes, it looks as if the "war on Christmas" hype is going to become an annual event, right along with "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Only the "war on Christmas" is nowhere near as amusing. Now, I am one of the few people I know who actually likes all those things that people are supposed to hate about Christmas--the carols piped over the loudspeakers, the holiday window displays, the search for the perfect Christmas gifts for a family that, believe me, is next to IMPOSSIBLE to shop for. They never can figure out what the heck they want. Le Sweetie is somewhat better in this regard, but even he is known to say, "I don't care as long as it comes from Boo." (Boo being me.) Anyway, I like Christmas, and the war-on-Christmas chickenhawks are getting on my nerves. John Gibson's silly book is out in paperback, and I wouldn't be surprised if it makes repeated appearances on the bookshelves each holiday season. Bill O'Reilly, ...

Joseph Barbera, R.I.P. I especially miss all those Saturday morning cartoon rock bands. Josie and the Pussycats truly kicked ass.

Yes, Time has voted YOU to be the Person of the Year. A wise choice, given that the alternative would've been the following: a. Make Bush Person of the Year in light of his emerging legacy as Worst! Preznit! Ever! b. Make Rummy Person of the Year and dwell on Situation FUBAR in all its messy detail. c. Make Al Gore Person of the Year for "An Inconvenient Truth." d. Make Nancy Pelosi, first female House Speaker, Person of the Year. e. Make the GOP Party of the Year in light of the beating the party took in the elections this year. f. Make the Democrats Party of the Year in light of the party's electoral gains, with a nice side look at the netroots and its role in electing Democrats to Congress. Nice rightie newsweekly that it is, Time was unlikely to make any of the above choices. Acknowledge that the magazine's 2004 Person of the Year isn't really much of a revolutionary thinker? No way. Rather than deviate from the same political talking points of the p...

From Impolitic comes a missive from proud 30 percenter Fred Barnes , who got to schmooze with Bushco at the White House Christmas party. Something tells me the brown on Barnes' nose isn't from the chocolate fondue.

In this (fairly) old post, Drifting the Grift defines three kinds of libertarians : faux, hardcore, and sensible. Amber Rhea concludes that UPS sucks rocks. If she thinks UPS is bad, she should try Airborne Express/DHL or whatever that tenth-rate delivery service calls itself. I work with a typesetter that uses Airborne Express regularly, probably because it's cheap. Well, there's a reason it's cheap. Situation FUBAR update: As Rummy departs, Bush says they've "been through war together." Twisty has the scrapbook. Wingnuts, meet facts. Facts, meet wingnuts. Larry Johnson tries to keep food down while reading about Bush/Cheney's tribute to Rummy. Keith Olbermann, for pete's sake: Forget about Bill O'Reilly. He's a head case with bad dandruff, and anyone stupid enough to listen to him is beyond help anyway. Once -- just once -- would you please name the REAL "Worst Persons in the World"? On a happier note, Johnson has some ideas...

Since I received my brand new stereo system, a Christmas gift from Le Sweetie, I've been listening to The Spinners' self-titled album. It's the one featuring "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" and "I'll Be Around." Classic soul of the Philadelphia variety, made even more special by Phillip Wynne's aw-shucks vocal stylings and Thom Bell's production. And I'm left to wonder why Philly Soul is underrepresented in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Aside from the equally great O'Jays, none of them have even been nominated. You'd think that Bell or Gamble & Huff would be shoo-ins in the nonperformer category, but that doesn't seem to be the case. There are no Spinners, no Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, nobody. This is weird and kind of sucky. Who does the nominating and who votes these guys in? C'mon, we've got a serious imbalance here.

Yes, Freedom Democrats reports that Bob Barr has left the GOP for the Libertarian Party and is considering a presidential run on the LP ticket. Aside from the fact that he's a homophobic right-wing hypocrite who wasted money and energy on the Clinton impeachment, Barr would be an intriguing candidate. This switcheroo isn't really a surprise. Back in 2004, Barr was seriously unhappy with the GOP, to the point where he wasn't even voting for Bush. But let's not think of this guy as a principled maverick. If he were still in the House, I suspect Barr would be just another rubber-stamp Republican. As far as GOP politicians go, he's like a cross between George Allen, Newt Gingrich, and Rush Limbaugh: Barr has been embroiled in controversy several times during his career. In 1998 he delivered the keynote speech at the national convention of the Council of Conservative Citizens, which is viewed by many as white supremacist; he later stated he had not known the grou...

Let's start with John McCain. Since positioning himself as a maverick didn't pan out, he has become one of those more-of-the-same Republicans who simply does. not. get. it. So Laura Bush wore the same red suit that three or four other women were wearing? This nonentity of a First Lady had to get publicity for something , right? Is she popular with anyone? If so, why? Barack Obama's a cool dude, but I hope he holds off on a run for president until he has some more experience under his belt. He's the kind of uniter--as opposed to divider--that this country needs, but he just. won. office. two years ago. Let him build a reputation as the kind of independent straight-talker that McCain was supposed to be before we start talking about a presidential run. And La Hill? I'm ambivalent about her. Smart lady, but she' hasn't given the public any good reason to support her in 2008. At least not yet. I'd love to see some fresh blood in 2008. No more Bu...

I'm confused. Why would any libertarian ally himself with today's Republican party? Perhaps once upon a time, when the GOP promoted fiscal restraint, lower taxes, and smaller government, it would've been pretty understandable. But now? Please. Those libertarians who throw their lot in with the Republican party seem to be suffering the political equivalent of battered spouse syndrome. Really, what's so "libertarian" about the current crop of Republicans? The party that doles out welfare money to corporations, inserts itself into end-of-life decisions, has expanded the government in the last six years, and spends money like there's no tomorrow? The party that gave us the Patriot Act and promotes warrantless wiretapping? And why wouldn't any libertarian be aghast at the flap over gay marriage? Aside from the fact that it's a useless sop thrown to the theocon base, it's an example of the government telling mature adults what they can or ca...

Situation FUBAR is dragging down Bush's approval ratings. (CBS) Americans believe the war in Iraq is going badly and getting worse, and think it's time for the U.S. either to change its strategy or start getting out, according to a CBS News poll. Forty-three percent say the U.S. should keep fighting, but with new tactics, while 50 percent say the U.S. should begin to end its involvement altogether. Only 4 percent say the U.S. should keep fighting as it is doing now. Just 21 percent approve of President Bush's handling of the war, the lowest number he's ever received, and an 8-point drop from just a month ago. Most of that drop has been among Republicans and conservatives. Three-quarters of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling Iraq. (Emphasis mine) Who's this 21 percent who still approve, anyway?

...the bad become Fox News commentators. Everyone's favorite disgraced congressman-turned-blogger has found a new gig bloviating on Fox. Anyway, Susan over at Kiss My Big Blue Butt has been having fun at her former congressman's expense. On "Hannity & Colmes," DeLay has been repeating the classic "waaaaaaah, it's the liberal Democratic media's fault and it's not fair!" talking point to explain his legal troubles, Situation FUBAR, and just about any other misfortune he could come up with. Man, how could a congressional Big Bad be such a dullard? I'm desperately hoping, meanwhile, that Fox News gives Rick Santorum a regular gig. They could have the "Ricky and Zell Hour." That would be fun...as long as Zell doesn't get mad and challenge Li'l Ricky to a duel on the set.

No, this is NOT a joke. Annoy a wingnut: drink a soy latte

Via Rising Hegemon comes the news that a certain humor-challenged right-wing cartoonist has been arrested for DUI. This is his second offense. Makes you wonder if he's been writing and drawing under the influence as well. UPDATE! We have an update! One nice blogger with a strong stomach has compiled a whole bunch of Mallard Fillmore strips that mention Ted Kennedy, Ted Kennedy at Chappaquiddick, Ted Kennedy being drunk, drunk Democrats, and drunk driving. Ah yes, it's another one of those do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do types. Admit it, this is really shocking.

Joe Biden should SHUT UP!!!

Yes, Tom Delay, the oily Texas congressman who won't go away, has decided to blog. Only I don't think he realized all the work that went into blogging before he set up his new home away from home on the net. For one thing, people who read blogs often leave comments. And with a high-profile blogger like the Hammer is sure to be inundated with comments. Unfortunately, the comments were mostly negative, as Mr. DeLay is a very unpopular public figure. He even screwed over his party when he resigned from Congress after winning the primary, thus ensuring that he would have to stay on the ballot...and increasing the chance for a Democratic win. Long story short--Mr. DeLay's replacement in Congress is a Democrat. The GOP can't be happy about this. At any rate, visitors to Mr. DeLay's blog had a lot of fun at his expense before he turned off the comments option. However, shutting the comments down won't make them go away. Note all the unregistered commenters ...

Here be some poll results to prove it. Of course, the Republican respondents are, by and large, still drinking the Kool-Aid when it comes to Situation FUBAR.

Bob Geiger interviews the new Senate Majority leader. It seems that the right wing echo chamber is going to be in for a letdown. The politics of revenge and vindictiveness are now a thing of the past. The 110th Congress will be involved in other pursuits--like, I dunno, making laws and all that boring stuff. It's great reading, but the most telling moment is when Geiger brings up the "I" word with Reid: Geiger: House Speaker-elect Pelosi took some heat when she made the statement that the subject of impeachment is "off the table." Now, those of us who understand that politics is probably 99 percent gray and very little black and white, looked at it and said that it's probably not something that an incoming Speaker should say or that an incoming Majority Leader should say -- that they're specifically going after the president. But that said, isn’t there a big difference between that and any investigations that might happen and, without benefit of a cr...

A solo turn from Chris Squire of Yes. Looks like he forgot to change out of his bathrobe before heading to the studio. Note Patrick Moraz on keyboards and Bill Bruford on drums. Speaking of Bruford, here he is with King Crimson. Dig the insane percussionist. What is it about Bruford that inspires his bandmates to wear silly clothes? Meanwhile, over in Canterbury, we have the less goofily dressed Soft Machine:

I repeat--Joe Biden should just SHUT UP!

Oh dear. It looks like Atrios has discovered that Nickelback exists. YIKES! I have exactly one Nickelback song on my iPod. It's called "How You Remind Me of Someday" and it's a mashup of two of their biggest hits, to demonstrated that the songs sound almost exactly alike . Cookie cutter music making at its total, absolute, corporate worst. Apparently, a lot of Portuguese people at a rock festival felt the same way. Sucky as the band is, a chorus of boos would've been more effective (and less harmful) than throwing rocks. That said, it did cut the band's set mercifully short.

Yeah, it's old mop water sold in new, sparkly perfume bottles, but the Preznit is pretending to share your pain over Situation FUBAR. Short President Bush: Yes, I know two thirds of this country thinks it's a mistake, but I'm continuing with Situation FUBAR and nothing's going to change. And no, I don't care if this rhetoric makes you yawn. I'm the decider, remember?

Yes, before he quit, Rumsfeld sent Bush a memo regarding possible solutions to Situation FUBAR. It is supposed to be a very interesting document, and one that has war critics grinning from ear to ear. In the memo, first reported Saturday by The New York Times on its Web site and titled "Illustrative New Courses of Action," Rumsfeld describes a "range of options" for the White House to consider. Many of them involve sharply drawing down U.S. troop presence in Iraq by mid-2007. "Recast the U.S. military mission and the U.S. goals (how we talk about them) -- go minimalist," Rumsfeld suggested. For instance, he proposed an accelerated shuttering or consolidation of most U.S. military bases in Iraq. "We have already reduced from 110 to 55 bases," he wrote. "Plan to get down to 10 to 15 bases by April 2007, and to 5 bases by July 2007." Another option: withdrawing U.S. forces from vulnerable positions, such as cities and patrols, and movin...

What does the wingnutocracy think of those old cartoons where Bugs Bunny routinely outsmarts Elmer Fudd? It's a slap in the face of American gun owners! An insult to hunters! Not to mention a storyline that would warm the hearts of the eco-wackos and the PETA crowd. Quick, someone give Glenn Beck a call!

Once upon a time, I was an X-men fan. And this was in the 1980s, before mutant comics flooded the market, back when there were only The Uncanny X-Men and The New Mutants. Back when you could actually keep track of the continuity among the mutant comics. Via Elayne Riggs, I found out that X-Men artist David Cockrum has passed away. This is so sad. He was a great, great artist, and an underappreciated one to boot.

Bill Frist, the quintessential rubber-stamp Republican, the most inept Congressional leader in recent memory, the man with the uncanny ability to offer diagnoses via video recordings, has announced that he is not running for president in 2008. Bummer. While he's not quite as comedic as Dan Quayle (whatever happened to Quayle anyway?), he's provided plenty of unintentionally hilarious moments during his ill-storied career as Senate majority leader. And now Trent Lott has his old leadership position back. Everything old is new again. Just as I was preparing the bags of popcorn in anticipation of the forthcoming presidential election. Go ahead, enjoy your life as a private citizen, you party pooper.

You know, these Kool-Aid servers are starting to sound alike. Glenn Beck has joined Neil Cavuto in calling "Happy Feet" "an animated version of An Inconvenient Truth ." I suspect the obsession with Al Gore's movie is a holdover from the Clinton years. Blaming Clinton is passe, so now they're obsessing over all things Gore. Including a movie about cute little penguins. Anyway, there was a CNN segment on this latest fuss and they pointed out that there's no mention of global warming anywhere in the movie. Oh, but it gets better. Soooooooo much better. Michael Medved claims "there’s a subtext that appears to plead for endorsement of gay identity." Yes, that again. A subtle endorsement of the homo-sek-shul lifestyle--which is mainly apparent to professional bloviators--seems to be lurking under the surface of even the most innocuous kiddie movies. Okay, now it's settled. I have to see this movie. I'm sure it'll be an ador...

Via Glenn Greenwald, we find that the wingnutocracy is still unnerved over the election of a Muslim (!) to Congress. The Muslim in question is a Minnesotan with the very un-Arabic name of Keith Ellison, who converted to Islam in college. First we had Glenn Beck, saying, "Prove to me that you are not working with our enemies." Now Dennis Prager, is angry because Congressman-elect Ellison will be taking his oath of office on the Koran. It is, after all, the holy book he believes in. Being a busybody with no understanding of how the Constitution works, Prager doesn't like this: He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization. Gee, really? Will American civilization suddenly, inexplicably collapse because Ellison places his hand on a Koran? Is this some weird part of God's plan we don't know about? Could Prager explain how this is possible? First, it is an act of hu...

What's the latest film that the far right hates? No, it's not "An Inconvenient Truth," but rather a movie dubbed "an animated 'Inconvenient Truth.'" I am talking about "Happy Feet," a too-cute-for-words animated feature featuring too-cute-for-words penguins. Here's Neil Cavuto, explaining why he's ticked off about it. Okay, now I've got to see this movie! New slogan idea: "Annoy a wingnut--go to the movies!" (Via Moxiegrrrl .)

Here's the inimitable Hawkwind performing "Silver Machine," their big, big British hit single, sung by future Motorhead dude Lemmy. And here's Amon Duul II. On the one hand, it's a pretty weird video. On the other hand, it features Renate Knaup on vocals.

...And I'm probably one of three people who doesn't care about Michael Richards. I'd already heard rumors that the guy was an asshat, so I wasn't too surprised by this meltdown. Maybe he and Mel Gibson could collaborate on a comedy about two politically incorrect grumps. Sounds like box office gold, doesn't it? Remember Richard Adelman? The loyal Bush foot soldier who kept his mouth shut for so long out of, erm, "loyalty" (read: the desire not to look stupid)? USA Today quotes Mr. Adelman in a piece on embarassed neocons trying to distance themselves from the Iraq debacle. Okay, so the good guys don't always win. Jean Schmidt still has a job to go back to. You have to wonder what color the sky is in Ohio's district 2... The Happy Feminist weighs in on the best analysis of Girls Gone Wild and similar raunch culture I've read in a long time. No, disliking Girls Gone Wild does not make you a prude. No, feminists do not have a probl...

Here's the Rummy-Saddam handshake! I'm sure that Rummy, in his retirement, would prefer not to dwell on certain embarassing aspects of his political career. Which means he'll try not to think about his career at all. Meanwhile, Karen Kwiatkowski weighs in on his legacy. At this point, analyzing his handling of the Iraq war is like using a machete on a pinata, but this article is a must read.

I just turned in a proofreading assignment--a fantasy/horror anthology about vampires. Now all I have to do is wait for the check to come in. I love extra money. Doesn't everyone? Spent Turkey Day at the home of Le Sweetie's family. It's a little weird to do that, because I was new to the way they do things. But everyone had a good time, except for Le Sweetie's grandma, who had vertigo and had to stay in bed. For Christmas, we're going to my mom's. Le Sweetie's family is Jewish and thus won't be doing much for Christmas. Le Sweetie and I are going to Miami at the end of December. The week between Christmas and New Year's is generally dead, so my office is closed that week and so is his. To avoid the end-of-the-holidays funk, we're going to be where it's sunny and sandy. Should be fun.

If the GOP establishment can't read this WaPo article and figure out what's seriously wrong with their party, then they're more fucked up than anyone imagined. The weekend after the statue of Saddam Hussein fell, Kenneth Adelman and a couple of other promoters of the Iraq war gathered at Vice President Cheney's residence to celebrate. The invasion had been the "cakewalk" Adelman predicted. Cheney and his guests raised their glasses, toasting President Bush and victory. "It was a euphoric moment," Adelman recalled. Forty-three months later, the cakewalk looks more like a death march, and Adelman has broken with the Bush team. He had an angry falling-out with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld this fall. He and Cheney are no longer on speaking terms. And he believes that "the president is ultimately responsible" for what Adelman now calls "the debacle that was Iraq." Cakewalk. Right. Because we all know invasions are just easy ...

The awesome clip below is X in their early 1980s prime, performing "White Girl," from their masterpiece Wild Gift . The quality ain't so hot, but the performance is amazing. For proof, click the mouse.

Christmas season hasn't even started, yet I still predict that the annual "War on Christmas" will be waged yet again, for a third straight year. How do I know this? Well, first, there's the news that Toys for Tots has rejected 4,000 Talking Jesus dolls. Bill O'Reilly and John Gibson are going to be pissed. Why did Toys for Tots reject their Savior-in-toy-form? Well, since the Marines are government employees, they can't be seen to favor one religion over the other. Yes, it's that pesky little First Amendment thing again. Toys are donated to kids based on financial need and "we don't know anything about their background, their religious affiliations," said Bill Grein, vice president of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, in Quantico, Va. As a government entity, Marines "don't profess one religion over another," Grein said Tuesday. "We can't take a chance on sending a talking Jesus doll to a Jewish family or a Muslim f...

Does he own incriminating photos of CNN executives? Does the network have some affirmative action policy where they have to fill a certain wingnut quota? After reading this transcript , I'm curious.

Today's crybaby is Poppy Bush , who blames the bloggers for today's hostile political climate. I mean, you go back in history and you’ll find that there was always adversarial politics. There was always gut fighting. And it’s probably a little worse now given the electronic media and the bloggers and all these kinds of things. Poppy reminds me of an overly indulgent parent who spoils his kid silly and then acts all surprised when the kid turns into an overindulged loser who keeps getting into trouble and whom nobody likes. Maybe because...well, that's the kind of parent that Poppy really is ?

Yes, the schadenfreude continues, as Jon Friedman explains why we have Rush to thank for helping the Democrats win. At last, Rush Limbaugh got his comeuppance. And he did it all by himself. As a matter of fact, my favorite Election Day moment occurred at the very end of the process, when newly elected Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill slyly thanked Limbaugh for his role in her victory. Yes, revenge was sweet for the Democrats. And why not? Limbaugh had delighted in kicking sand in their faces for years, luxuriating in the GOP's dominance in national politics. In contrast to Limbaugh's trademark, piercing proclamations, McCaskill made her remark while flashing a big, triumphant smile. But she clearly relished in twisting the knife. Fair enough. Limbaugh went too far when he blasted actor Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, on the eve of the midterm elections. One view is that all's fair in politics, and Fox had put himself in the public arena by becomin...

I am what you could call an on-again, off-again feminist. There have been times in my life when I've strongly identified myself as one as well as times when I just didn't think about it that much. Nevertheless, I've always objected strongly to right-wing attempts to demonize the movement. After all, what's feminism? The belief that women are equal to men. That they are entitled to the same rights and opportunities that men are. Of course, that's the way I've always seen it, but the truth seems to be more complex. There is not simply one version of feminism, but many. There are the radical feminists, the moderate feminists, the libertarian feminists, the eco-feminists, the egalitarian feminists, the womanists...heck, there's probably some newly emerging branch of feminism I don't know about. Just check out Wikipedia's entry and you'll see 'em all listed. That said, there are plenty of feminists who've mangaged to completely distort what f...

According to the latest issue of Newsweek , Bush 41 has come to pull Bush 43's ass out of the fire. Again. So what do you call this? Bush 41.5? If I'd wanted Poppy in the White House, I would've voted for him in 1992. At this point, the best thing the Bush family could do for their country would be to get out of politics and stay out. Once Junior leaves office, maybe they'll all just go away. We can hope, right?

There are gonna be changes on the Senate committees. For one thing, Democrats are going to be chairing them. Instead of James Inhofe, who doesn't believe in global warming, we're gonna have Barbara Boxer. And instead of Arlen Specter's (lack of) leadership on the Judiciary Committe, we're likely to have Pat Leahy. Says Dick Durbin, “It means send us more moderate people or don’t waste your time." In other words, no more Scalitos or Janice Rogers Browns. The Federalist Society must be fuming.

From Iddybud Journal. Feels so good after so long.

Rove stooge Ken Mehlman is stepping down as RNC chairman. More here.

Already, the alpha conservabot of right wing talk radio is distancing himself from the GOP. Yes, it's the new, independent-minded, principled Rush Limbaugh! I feel libertated. I'm just going to tell you as plainly as I can why. I no longer am going to have to carry water for people who I don't think deserve to have their water carried. Now, you might say, well, why have you been doing it? Because the stakes are high. Even thought the Republican party let us down, to me they represent a far better future for my beliefs and therefore the country's than the Democrat party and liberalism does. Orcinus deciphers Rushbo's blather into plain English. Gotta laugh at Wart-on-Ass's comment about "beliefs." What beliefs? And he's implying that his beliefs are the same as the rest of the country? Now I know he needs to check into rehab--fast. Plus using "Democrat" party instead of "Democratic" party is, like, so 1998. Still, it ...

Tester wins in Montana. Just one more vote and the Democrats have the Senate.

Yes, Rummy has quit. And just days after Li'l George said he was doing such a fabulous job and how Unca Don would be staying until the end of the term. Gee, what brought about this turn of events?

Yaaaaaay! We won! We won! We won control of the House! We won! Oh, happy happy day!

See here for more. On the minus side there are a bunch of stupid laws banning civil unions that somehow passed. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Hillary's giving her victory speech, looking happy as a pig in slop. They're playing Tina Turner's "Simply the Best" on the NY1 broadcast. Third cool quote of the night comes from La Hill: "I think democracy is great."

From former House majority leader Dick Armey: "It's very hard to watch."

I'm watching footage of Jeanine Pirro at campaign headquarters. She got a measley 26 percent of the vote for attorney general. I predict she's going to vanish after this year.

"Not a single Democratic incumbent has been defeated." Of course, it's only 10 PM, but right now, the outlook in the House is good. The Democrats have all kept their jobs. No Daschles this year.

The results of all this electoral hand-wringing thus far: La Hill is still a senator. Gee, who didn't see that one coming? Bob Menendez is also still a senator. Socialist Bernie Sanders has gone from congressman to senator. Yes, you heard that correctly. A socialist in the Senate. Somewhere in Wingnutville, someone's brain is exploding. Li'l Ricky Santorum is, alas, no longer a senator. Oh well, maybe he can get a job as a commentator on Fox News. Mike DeWine is also no longer a senator. New York, Massachusetts, and Ohio now have Democratic governors. Polls in New York closed about half and hour ago. More results will be coming in as the night goes on. I've been wringing my hands all day, but right now I'm pretty happy. Exit Li'l Ricky. Enter a socialist senator. 2004 seems like a century ago. Update: NBC projects that Ben Cardin will become Maryland's next senator, replacing Paul Sarbanes. In other words, this seat stays blue. Second update:...

Via Neomugwump, I came across this post from a military veteran. For this guy, the attack on Jim Webb was the straw that broke the camel's back. George Allen has cost the Republican Party two members in Texas. And one in Staten Island. It breaks my heart, but I won't soil my name by supporting this party anymore. Winning isn't so important that we should stoop this low, and if this team has forgotten that, then it's not a team I want to be on. I was wondering how long it would be before people became disgusted with smear campaigns against military veterans. Now I know.

Note to Republicans in office: Your fellow Americans in the reality-based community are being nice and trying to help you. So nice, in fact, that they're offering you some guidelines the next time GOP crybabies the party of personal responsibility needs to exonerate itself. Try this fun quiz and see how well you do! (Via Parenthetical Remarks )

For today's prog blog, we revisit the wild, anything-goes spirit of late-sixties/early-seventies Germany. Here's the incomparable, ever-morphing, ever-restless German commune dwellers who became known to the world as Amon Duul II: This is ADII performing "Eye-Shaking King" from the Yeti album. Missing in action here is the band's vocalist, Renate Knaup. She took a brief hiatus from the group and doesn't appear on their Tanz der Lemmings album. I've tried to find a clip featuring Miz Knaup, but for now, this will do. Looks like Chris Karrer handles the vocals for this one. Below is the legendary Can performing "Paperhouse" from Tago Mago . From the looks of things, they're on the German program "Beat Club."

One yahoo suggests Ted Haggard strayed because, well, Wifey let herself go. No, this is not a joke. Here's a photo of Ted Haggard with his beard wife, Gayle. Does this look to you like someone who's "let herself go"?

"Time for Rumsfeld to Go." That's the title of the soon-to-be-published editorial that will be appearing in all four papers published by Military Times Media Group. The papers in question are Army Times , Navy Times , Air Force Times , and Marine Corps Times. As you can guess, these newspapers are published for and sold to men and women in the U.S. military. When is this editorial going to appear? Monday. The day before the election. Great timing, isn't it?

Comin' up on the Psycho-Christian Chronicles: "How Ted Haggard Conquered Temptation!" An inspiring true story! Think CBN would be interested in the TV movie rights? The Rev. Ted Haggard said Friday he bought methamphetamine and received a massage from a male prostitute. But the influential Christian evangelist insisted he threw the drugs away and never had sex with the man. *snicker* All the people who thought "I didn't inhale" was silly have to admit that this excuse is way dumber. I've always suspected that this guy is a serious closet case as well... Of course, in a few days, he won't be a senator anymore, so nobody cares.

...in the newspaper! Yes, she's been hired by King Features Syndicate as an op-ed columnist. Great news!

Apparently not. Thankfully, his former constituents weren't subjected to his latest jackassery. No, he came to Nassau community college. I just love the headline for the article: "DeLay promotes his vision." Talk about jokes writing themselves... This part wasn't so funny, however: "I don't think water boarding is torture," DeLay said. "My definition of torture is you physically harm someone by cutting them, by cutting their fingers, sticking things in their eyes, sticking their fingers in electric sockets. Water boarding is a frightening experience. But the person does not have physical damage." And to think, he couldn't get off the GOP ballot in his district, and now it looks like Democrat could take his place soon. Stinky, isn't it? (Via Juanita's .

The man does not have much of a future in comedy. That is all.

You can find out from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. IAVA grades senators and congresscritters according to their votes on veterans' issues. Thus far, AM New York picked up on the story. I'm happy to find out that New York State's senators both get high grades--a B+ for Schumer and an A- for La Hill. Arch-conservative Rep. Peter King earns a measly C+, proving that his actions don't match his bluster. To be fair, there are some Democratic congresscritters who earned a C from the IAVA. But in the US Senate, it's much more cut and dry. Democratic senators receive high grades, never slipping below a B-. Republican senators, on the other hand...well, check out Bob Geiger to find how much they really support veterans.

When I was a little girl, watching cartoon reruns in the early morning hours before school, Bugs Bunny was my hero. Saturday morning was the time for "Yogi Bear's Laffalympics" and "Scooby-Doo" spinoffs, but Yogi and Scooby could never match Bugs for cleverness and cool. In 2002, TV Guide ranked Bugs Bunny #1 on the list of the greatest cartoon characters of all time. How does one explain his appeal? You could say it's a combination of brilliant animation, clever catchphrases, smart writing, and cheerfully irreverent nods to high and popular culture. But it's also because Bugsy is a quintessentially American icon. He could've only been conceived, written, and drawn right here in the USA. He epitomizes street smarts and resourcefulness. He's unflappable and fearless. He makes mistakes, like that wrong turn en route to Pismo Beach, but he always bounces back. He's the cartoon icon for those who grew up believing in the American drea...

Below is an early-1970s TV appearance from Caravan, a flagship band of the so-called "Canterbury scene" that also spawned Soft Machine. (Various Softs and Caravans played together in a band called the Wilde Flowers.) Caravan were poppier and more accessible than the Softs--that is, when they weren't doing side-long album suites. As you can see, Caravan sported the long hair, loose-fitting hippie shirts, and bell-bottoms that were ubiquitous among 1970s proggers. They also had the same frequent lineup changes as their fellow proggers. One other thing they had that their fellow proggers most definitely lacked was a sense of humor. Below is "Golf Girl," a droll tune sung by bassist Richard Sinclair.

Tonight on CNN: "Where the Right Went Wrong." Prominent right-wingers, from Bruce Bartlett to Andrew Sullivan, fretting about the state of American conservatism. It's just awesome watching!

The Gothamist weighs in on Noo Joisey's ruling for gay couples, with the following, erm, eye-opening passage: The three dissenting voices that wanted to push for gay marriage were all appointed by Republicans, while three of the four justices on the majority were appointed by Democrats. Chief Justice Deborah T. Poritz, who was Christine Todd Whitman's Attorney General, emphasized in the dissenting opinion that it was important for gays to to have the word marriage in their vernacular as well: “We must not underestimate the power of language...Labels set people apart as surely as physical separation on a bus or in school facilities." She also wrote a "1999 decision, later reversed by the United States Supreme Court, requiring the Boy Scouts of America to retain a gay assistant scoutmaster. And she wrote for the majority in a 2000 opinion striking down a parental notice requirement for minors seeking abortions."

Today's wounded soul is Tucker Carlson, who's really upset about that Michael J. Fox ad: It's a form of moral blackmail. No matter where you stand on stem cell research, I look at this ad and say I can't disagree with Michael J. Fox. Because his illness is so sad it pulls on me emotionally so much that it feels immoral to me to disagree with him.... Oh boo-sy, woo-sy hoo. Try imagining life with Parkinson's or cancer or paralysis before you open your mouth, Bowtie boy. Li'l Tucker told Senate candidate Claire McCaskill that it was "unfair" to run the ad. Wait'll he finds out about all the Republicans who support stem cell research. Including Missouri's former senator, John Danforth, whose brother died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (aka Lou Gerhig's disease). "When you see somebody you love suffer and die from one of these diseases, and medical researchers say this could be the key to finding the cure, then you want the research...

I admit that Van der Graaf Generator is an odd choice for casual iPod listening. But hey, if band's ghostly organs, scattershot saxophones, and primal, proto-punk howls can't keep you awake during the morning commute, what can? 'Sides, I find myself listening to those 1970 arty prog whatever tracks and nodding in agreement. For a 1970s arty prog whatever band, these guys managed to write some songs that are surprisingly...well...relevant. Forget about dusting off those Vietnam protest songs . Who needs 'em when you've got... We have looked upon the heroes and they are found wanting; we have looked hard across the land but we can see no dawn; we have now dared to sear the sky but we are still bleeding... --"Lemmings," Pawn Hearts Live by sword and you shall die so, all your power shall come to nought, every life you take is part of your own: death, not power, is what you've bought. --"The Emperor in His War Room," from H to He, Who Am the...

It's almost the end of the month and it has yet to materialize. Instead, Bushco promises more of the same regarding Iraq. It must be tiresome to try and sound so upbeat about Situation FUBAR.

Kevin Federline is playing Webster Hall on November 4. The only way to explain it is that he must own incriminating pictures of the club owners.

Just in case anyone's keeping track... AZ-Sen: Jon Kyl AZ-01: Rick Renzi AZ-05: J.D. Hayworth CA-04: John Doolittle CA-11: Richard Pombo CA-50: Brian Bilbray CO-04: Marilyn Musgrave CO-05: Doug Lamborn CO-07: Rick O'Donnell CT-04: Christopher Shays FL-13: Vernon Buchanan FL-16: Joe Negron FL-22: Clay Shaw --ID-01: Bill Sali IL-06: Peter Roskam IL-10: Mark Kirk IL-14: Dennis Hastert IN-02: Chris Chocola IN-08: John Hostettler IA-01: Mike Whalen KS-02: Jim Ryun KY-03: Anne Northup KY-04: Geoff Davis MD-Sen: Michael Steele MN-01: Gil Gutknecht MN-06: Michele Bachmann MO-Sen: Jim Talent MT-Sen: Conrad Burns NV-03: Jon Porter NH-02: Charlie Bass NJ-07: Mike Ferguson NM-01: Heather Wilson NY-03: Peter King NY-20: John Sweeney NY-26: Tom Reynolds NY-29: Randy Kuhl NC-08: Robin Hayes NC-11: Charles Taylor OH-01: Steve Chabot OH-02: Jean Schmidt OH-15: Deborah Pryce OH-18: Joy Padgett PA-04: Melissa Hart PA-07: Curt Weldon PA-08: Mike Fitzpatrick PA-10: Don Sherwood RI-Sen: Lincoln Chaf...

Via the Defeatists, we discover what everyone else already knows and Bush has yet to figure out: Iraq is an utter disaster. The US media is too busy covering the World Series, so it's up to the BBC to fill us in on Bush's video conference with the generals over in Iraq. No plans for withdrawal. Just a change in tactics for handling the insurgents. It has been a lousy Ramadan for the Iraqis and it's going to be a lousy Eid. Won't someone have the guts to laugh in Cheney's face next time he tries to paint a rosy picture of what's going on over there? To wit: not only are insurgents killing kids who only want to celebrate the holidays, but the Iraqi police can't handle them: [T]he Iraqi president's security adviser said Iraqi forces trying to improve security in Baghdad were under-funded, badly trained and poorly equipped. Wafiq al-Samarra'i said that sometimes the insurgents and death squads had better weapons than the security forces trying to ...

Yup, it's the only prog band that the punks ever liked: Van Der Graaf Generator, fronted by the inimitable Peter Hammill, performing "Darkness 11/11" from The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other. Judging from the program, I'd say they're on the German show "Beat Club." VDGG reunited last year, but copies of their reunion album are hard to come by--at least copies that don't cost under $30.00. Sigh. Any US distributor wanna distribute the thing? Anyone? More on the band's history at THE greatest VDGG fan site on the web. Also, see Sofa Sound, Hammill's official homepage.

Yes, you got it. WaPo has noticed those Kansas Republicans jumping ship and running as Democrats. Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as colossal overreach. Proof of this can be found in Kansas, where moderates find themselves out of place in the American Taliban Party. A typical race between an American Taliban and an ex-Republican is as follows... Paul Morrison, a career prosecutor who specializes in putting killers behind bars, has the bulletproof résumé and the rugged looks of a law-and-order Republican, which is what he was until last year. That was when he announced he would run for attorney general -- as a Democrat. He is now running neck-and-neck with Republican Phill Kline, an iconic social conservative who made headlines by seeking the names of abortion-clinic patients and vowing to defend science-teaching standards that challenge Darwinian evolution. What's more, Morrison is raising money faster than Kline and pulling more cash from Republicans than Democrats. The ...

The aforementioned Gun Toting Liberal points to this Nation piece featuring the whacked-out ravings of the whacked-out religious right. Now that it's painfully apparent that gay Republicans do indeed exist, the Rev. Wildmon is babbling about secret gay cabal in the party. It's not of the same comedic caliber as AIM's "Gay Republicans Are Really Dems" argument, but it's pure comedy gold nonetheless. Wildmon got his hands on a list of gay GOP staffers and he's maaaaaaaad. Wildmon is convinced that a secretive gay "clique" boring within the Republican-controlled Congress is responsible for covering up Foley's sexual predation toward teenage male House pages. Moreover, Wildmon calls on the Republican Party leadership to promptly purge the "subversive" gay staffers. "They oughtta fire every one of 'em," Wildmon told me in his trademark Mississippi drawl. "I don't care if they're heterosexual or homosexual o...

The link says it all. This is truly ugly, IF it's true.

The crash was a tragic accident and the investigation is still ongoing. The two men killed, Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, are described as decent people. Doesn't sound like a case of reckless flyboys here, folks. Toxicology reports are still to come, but people remember Lidle as a good ballplayer and a good guy, while Stanger was supposed to be an excellent flight instructor whose students said good things about him. Gothamist has the basic info. Basically, there are still questions, not only about what happened, but about the rules for aircraft flying over NYC. And here's more: And, in a strange, strange twist of fate, the plane landed in the bedroom of Kathleen Caronna. She is the woman who was in a month long coma after the Thanksgiving Day parade Cat in the Hat balloon hit a streetlamp and fell on top of her, fracturing her skull. Caronna was on her way home.

The Gun Toting Liberal points to wingnut watchdog group Accuracy in Media (AIM), who've offered this, erm, odd take on the Foley scandal. To wit: the gay Republicans involved are closeted Democrats and Foleygate is a "Democratic dirty trick." As far as I can see, the AIM article is not satire, and it was written with a straight face.

A plane crashed into a high-rise. Of course, the report gets the geography all wrong. Police say an aircraft has crashed into a building on Manhattan's Upper East Side at 72nd Street and York Avenue. It is near Rockefeller Center. There was no word on casualties. Video from the scene shows at least three apartments in the high rise fully engulfed in flames. It's unclear if it was a small plane or a helicopter. Uh, folks? York Avenue and 72nd Street is NOT near Rockefeller Center. Still, reports like this give me the willies. More news to follow, I'm sure. Update: NY1 has more on the crash. It's not terror-related, but the details are still awful.

Surfing on into Kos, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble on this editorial from the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, New York. From the aforementioned editorial, by business editor Douglas Cunningham: I've had it. The Republican leadership in the House, beginning with Speaker Dennis Hastert, has got to go. As in now. I'm thinking we need to plow through four or five people right below Hastert, too. If the Republican members of the House had any guts, they'd have ousted these people last week. If the Republican leadership had any shame, they would have quit last week. Apparently, not very many people these days have either, at least in Washington. Anyone who knew anything about the scandal, I want them gone. If the Republicans come to be known as the party that protects gay sexual predators, we're finished. I am not ready to abandon the party of Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater to the likes of Mark Foley. The Hastert storyline is one in which there's no percen...