The Truffle

Off to Rhode Island for Labor Day Weekend. It's gonna be great! Wheeeeeee!

I've actually found it easier to listen to Joe Biden in recent months. I want McCain to pick Rudy Giuliani as his running mate so Biden can do the ol' "noun-verb-9/11" thang. That would be a fun debate.

...but Bill Clinton's speech is going to be anticlimatic, no? Update: I take it back. His speech was actually quite good.

...give James Carville the hook. Please.

Quote of the night: It makes a lot of sense that next week John McCain and George Bush will be together in the Twin Cities, because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart.

From Bob Casey: "Four more years? How about four more months?" The convention crowd like it. DNC, you have your new campaign slogan.

Chris Matthews really needs to comb his hair.

See what you're missing by skipping the convention? From the Twin Cities: Via Crooks and Liars .

After listening to Buchanan's bellowing, I'm convinced that he's the Bill Kristol of MSNBC. And Bill Kristol is the Alan Colmes of The New York Times . So, with that logic, Buchanan is the Alan Colmes of MSNBC. Meanwhile, Eugene Robinson and Rachel Maddow are laughing their asses off.

After Hillary's convention speech, will the PUMAs go the fuck away? Please?

While I'm waiting for La Hill's convention speech, here's a break from it all for something of true importance: proof , as if you ever needed it, that Britney Spears can't sing.

He's endorsing Obama. Good for him, but he kinda sounds like Marvin the Martian.

Enter Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, to the song "Sweet Caroline." Please let her be more inspiring than Nancy Pelosi. She's here to pay tribute to Obama and her Uncle Ted. It's weird that she isn't running for political office. She's calm. Reassuring, when she says, "We are all in this together." Really, the world could use more talk like this. And she draws parallels between her dad and Obama. And she speaks of Ted Kennedy's achievements. Caroline is the Kennedy I like best. Going off-topic, I really like this ad . Caroline goes back to the subject of Obama and says he'll have "no stronger partner" than her Uncle Ted. Okay, the tribute to Uncle Ted with the seaside footage it getting a bit maudlin for me.

You've got at least one Latino voter. ABC News' Bret Hovell Reports: While making an appearance on Monday at the high school alma mater of his wife Cindy, John McCain received the endorsement of Reggaeton star Daddy Yankee. Daddy Yankee, whose real name is Ramon Ayala, is a Latin Grammy winner. He is known mostly for his song "Gasolina," which, according to several translations of the Spanish lyrics and interpretations of the Spanish slang, is not particularly family-friendly, and has absolutely nothing to do with energy independence.... "I'm here endorsing Senator McCain because I believe in his ideals and his proposals to lead this nation, you know?" Daddy Yankee said at Phoenix's Central High School. Via Atrios , the words to Daddy Yankee's big, big hit.

Still liveblogging convention coverage. Hillary Clinton this. Hillary Clinton that. Enough already. Every single Democrat is reminding the nice network anchors that Obama would be a much, MUCH better president for women than McCain. Kathleen Sebelius is reminding Brokaw that Obama's family comes from Kansas. Boy, is that an upbeat convention crowd. They look happy and upbeat.

What is Pat Buchanan doing there, anyway? Why don't they send him to a P-Funk concert while they're at it? He'd be just as out of place. Eugene Robinson, meanwhile, also talks sense. Michelle Obama's convention speech can't come soon enough. I always liked her.

People make too much of some immature Hillary supporters and PUMAs. Rachel Maddow tells it like it is, as always. Speaking of Rachel, she has her own show! Yaaaaaaaaaayyy! Can't wait!

It's the Move, performing "When Alice Comes Back to the Farm."

It's a happy day for music! The Banana Splits are returning to TV on Cartoon Network! Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snorky are to star in new comedy shorts and music videos on the Cartoon Network in the US, and its website, from September. A series of DVDs, live concerts, music CDs, and online games from the anarchic crew are expected to follow. Wow, I may actually watch Cartoon Network religiously again. Wonder if they still air Ed, Edd, and Eddy . Meanwhile, I do hope the Banana Splits keep the opening theme:

Amidst the pontificating on McCain and Obama's running mates comes this goodie from the AP: [McCain's] top contenders are said to include Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Less traditional choices mentioned include former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, an abortion-rights supporter, and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential prick in 2000 who now is an independent. Emphasis mine.

Professional swiftboater Jeromi Corsi can dish it but he can't take it. "I think some juvenile leftists have taken over the Obama campaign and gotten a hold of Photoshop," Corsi replied. "Now I'm getting death threats and hate mail from Obama supporters." Wow. You mean people are sick of these little smear campaigns you and your mouth-breathing buddies trot out every election year? Color me shocked.

I mean, using "Running on Empty" in a TV commercial? Could he have picked a duller song? Actually, yes, he could: He could've used something by the Eagles or James Taylor or Sting. Of course, he would've still been told to quit using their songs, because these guys all appear to be (limousine) liberals. Maybe McCain should stick with Toby Keith.

There's one I can totally get behind: the L7 symbol formed when you take the index finger and thumb and each hand and hold them up to spell the band's name. Man, I loved L7 lots. Here's one of their best-known songs, "Pretend We're Dead."

From the Department of Manufactured Outrage and Nonsensical Controversies comes the latest right-wing fit over...an "O" salute. It's the brainchild of an LA ad agency unconnected with the Obama campaign. The agency is hoping it'll catch on. Think what you will of this idea. Dave Neiwert thinks it looks dorky. I have no opinion of it either way. But the rightie blogosphere is making a big deal about it. I guess John McCain really is boring to write about. Or perhaps they just squirm a lot when they think of the guy. Anyway, at least one poster makes me seriously believe that perhaps Godwin's law should be reinstated. As US News and World Report notes, it's not unlike George W. Bush's supporters holding up three fingers to form a "W." Which happened a lot in 2000. I know, I know...IOKIYAR...

Why does anyone care if Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama? Do we really want a Bush enabler back in the public eye? (Yes, I used to like Powell, but he threw his credibility out the window with that ridiculous UN presentation.)

How does Michele Bachmann keep getting elected when she's got the intellectual capacity of a beer bottle? She thinks the US should drill in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge because there isn't any wildlife there . The TPM link takes you to Bachmann's National Review article, which shows aerial photographs of ANWR. As in pictures taken from the air . As in, you can't tell if there's any wildlife because you're in a plane and you're too high above the ground to see anything. Here is a list of ANWR's wildlife, in case anyone's interested. If you click it, you'll find some photographs of wolves and caribou and tundra swans and dall sheep and all sorts of animals that Bachmann pretends don't exist. It gets better. She also thinks that we don't need to worry about the environment because Jesus saved the world 2,000 years ago . How do her constituents justify voting for her, anyway?

William K. Wolfrum weighs in at World of Golf : Yes, Obama can’t help but look like a high-flying elitist by spending his vacation in Hawaii, regardless of the fact that he was born there and that his grandmother lives there. And the fact that, you know, Hawaii is one of the 50 states. When real Americans take vacations, they go to Myrtle Beach. That’s why we’d like to let the Obama Campaign know about MyrtleBeachGolf.com. There they can find amazing deals throughout the Grand Strand that combine luxurious (but not elite) lodging, as well as opportunities to play golf on some of the most impressive golf courses in the non-elite Continental U.S. And while they are making arrangements to send Sen. Obama to Myrtle Beach, they need to get him to switch sports. Basketball is for elites, after all. Real Americans, and real American Presidents play golf. In Myrtle Beach. Via some foreign newspaper (okay, it's the Honolulu Advertiser .)

Cokie Roberts says stupid crap about Obama's Hawaii vacation: I know his grandmother lives in Hawaii and I know Hawaii is a state, but it has the look of him going off to some sort of foreign, exotic place. He should be in Myrtle Beach, and, you know, if he's going to take a vacation at this time. Cokie, his grandmother doesn't live in Myrtle Beach. She lives in Hawaii. Don't you want Obama to spend time with his grandmother? Rest assured, Cokie: you don't need a passport to go to Hawaii and it really isn't so "foreign" given that it's a state.

Here's the late, great Mr. Hayes himself, performing "Theme from Shaft" in the film Wattstax . Yes, that's Jesse Jackson with an Afro and a dashiki. We're going to miss you, Mr. Hayes. Say hi to Dave Prater, Otis Redding, and the Bar-Kays when you get to heaven.

Can anyone make sense of this? I can't. Sen. Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic presidential nominee if John Edwards had been caught in his lie about an extramarital affair and forced out of the race last year, insists a top Clinton campaign aide, making a charge that could exacerbate previously existing tensions between the camps of Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama. "I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would therefore have been the nominee," former Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson told ABCNews.com. Given that Obama kept beating back La Hill even after Edwards withdrew from the race, Wolfson's comment makes about as much sense as David Gregory's speculation that Edwards' philandering would affect the Obama campaign. Dear Senator Clinton: Next time you run for any elected office, hire better people for your campaign staff. Please.

It's Presidential Comics! Wonder what ComicMix columnist Elayne Riggs will make of this?

No, not that nasty "c" word that McCain called his wife. Jed Report is helpful enough to provide a screen capture of a page on McCain's Web site, where McCain is referred to as "a political celebrity." Strangely, the page has been removed. I don't think the IOKIYAR defense applies here, folks.

David Gregory on the Edwards kerfuffle: Tonight: the Edwards affair. He admits an extramarital affair dating back to 2006, telling ABC News, wife Elizabeth learned of it that year. He lied repeatedly to cover it up as a presidential candidate. And now, questions about his future abound in the party and whether this creates another shadow over Barack Obama as he gets ready for the conventions. Allow me to introduce you to a new word, Mr. Gregory. The word is "nonissue." Mediamatters , via Atrios .

That's the only way to explain Dick Cheney's presence at the GOP convention. I guess it partly explains why so many Republicans are antsy about even showing their faces there . What Mensa candidate thought it would be a good idea for Cheney to show up? Are they going to have Jack Abramoff give a speech by satellite from prison, too? Is McCain going to give Cheney a big hug the way he did with Bush in 2004?

It really sucks that an extramarital fling can sink a politician's career in America. In other countries, it's sort of expected that elected officials can be horndogs, just like everyone else. Thus, when someone is running for office or actually holding office, there's are simple solutions for whenever he feels "the urge": a. Manual stimulation below the belt. In private , dummy. b. Buying Playboy (as I've mentioned, you can always say you read it for the articles). c. Inviting your significant other for a night of hot nookie. Predictably enough, people like David Vitter, Eliot Spitzer, and John Edwards avoid any of these options. In fact, Edwards' little peccadillo may not have been his first (and I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't). This isn't a matter of scoring partisan points (insert references to Newt Gingrich and John McCain here). In the red and blue camps, you'll hear politicians who blather about morality and are later ex...

Sue me. I like this ad:

I'm just so shocked to find GOP ratfuckers in their ranks. Note to the handful of Hillary supporters who are still mad that the Uppity Negro Who Cannot Be Named won the nomination: Cut it out. Because the sooner you face the basic facts--i.e., La Hill ain't running for office--the sooner these bogus Hillary supporters will lose traction. The PUMAs are not--I repeat, NOT--your friends.

And that goes for all the whining PUMAs who are still sore that La Hill didn't get the nomination. Ever since she pulled out of the campaign, they've been doing their best imitation of petulant second-graders. As in: "WAAAAAAAAAH! No fair! I wanted Hillary to win! I'm voting for McCain! Waaaaaaaaaah!" Act your age, will you please? The really childish and offensive part is that these women are attempting to speak for American women (and, more specifically, American feminists) as a whole. From Politico : Pamela Sumners, who directs the Missouri chapter of the abortion-rights group NARAL, added that Clinton “is now seen as the reigning dean of the women’s movement. It’s sort of Moses gets all the way to the mountain and doesn’t get to the promised land — and I think there would be people really angry about that.” Excuse me. La Hill didn't reinvent herself as the avatar of American womanhood until rather late in her campaign, when she realized that The U...

Donna Summer singing one of her best songs, "Dim All the Lights." Saw her at Jones Beach in the 1990s; she looked and sounded amazing. Her voice is a little hoarse here, but make no mistake: she's still got the voice.

Novakula is retiring because of his brain tumor. The world is safer for covert CIA agents, at least until a new right-wing attack dog-cum-stooge can be found.

Okay, why is it such a bad idea for people to keep their tires inflated ? I'm confused. Are they arguing against keeping tires filled? Is John McCain's cast of idiots going to turn around and say that there's nothing wrong with flat tires? I ask because I'm imagining the potential Team McCain slogans: "If you're a dirty appeasing hippie tree-hugging tire-filler, vote for Obama." Or maybe: "Never mind the price gouging. Aren't tire gouges funny?" Or maybe: "We'll never TIRE of new attempts to come up with talking points that don't work." Maybe McCain should spend the rest of the campaign season hanging out at Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant. P.S. Properly inflated tires save oil. So there.

The Democratic party is not Marxist or socialist. In fact, it was founded long before The Communist Manifesto was even published. The party runs the gamut from Russ Feingold/Paul Wellstone progressives to DLC types to the kind of Blue Dog Democrats that would warm Roger Ailes' heart if he had one. One other thing: Senator Bernie Sanders is a socialist, but he is not a Democrat. He is an independent who caucuses with the Democrats. So if you're a conservative and you want to be taken seriously, you might want to avoid referring to Democrats as Marxists, Communists, or socialists. You also might want to avoid suggesting that the dirty Commies have any influence on the party platform. For that matter, you might want to buy a calendar. The Cold War has been over for some time.