The word in state politics these days is all about the possibility of ending property taxes in favor of a huge spike in sales tax — a horrific idea that would make the poor poorer and the rich richer. Naturally, the idea was proposed by the Republicans at the state house. But while the two sides of the tax reform debate were lobbing salvos at each other, a couple stories passed under the radar.

First, the proposed bill that would have required slow-moving drivers in the left lane to get out of the way if a faster-moving car approaches them has been killed in committee. The bill has the backing of the Florida Highway Patrol, as well as a bipartisan group in Congress. It was even approved by the state congress before, but our previous governor, being the pissant bastard he is, vetoed it. Republican state senators Paula Dockery, Alex Villalobos and Daniel Webster all voted against sending the bill to the floor, as did Democrat Arthenia Joyner. Joyner is from Tampa, the same location as Democratic State Rep. Michael Scionti, who sponsored the House version of the bill. Serious backstabbery there. Anyway, those four made the committee vote 4 to 4, which killed the bill. Republican state senator Mike Bennett sponsored the senate version. Upon seeing the vote, he reportedly uttered the word "Wow" and then slouched to his seat with his tail between his legs.

Dammit, congresscritters, give the people what they want. And what the people want is for those slow-moving shitheads in the fast lane to get the fuck out of our way. Christ.

But enough of that. On to the reason behind the title of this blog entry. Gov. Charlie Crist has said he may sign an executive order restoring voting rights to ex-cons. Now, that tears it. When Charlie Crist spurned George W. Bush, I applauded. When he similarly took brother Jeb out to the woodshed, I stood up and cheered. When he then went on to propose funding stem cell research and scrapping paperless voting machines, I damn near fainted. And when he suggested that the GOP shouldn't be backing anti-gay marriage bans, I proposed marriage.

But now, it seems obvious that Crist isn't the greatest Republican in Florida. He's just a clever Democratic mole. Restoring voting rights to ex-cons means more votes for Dems. It's not that Democrats are more likely to commit crimes — I actually haven't seen a study that correlates crime with party registration, but I doubt there is any. But, there is a similarly painful fact involved — minorities are more likely to be in jail, and minorities are more likely to vote Democratic. Not that I think minorities are more likely to commit crimes, but the numbers speak for themselves. Jailed minorities, of course, are more the result of institutional racism and class stratification than any propensity for violence, but the fact remains that giving ex-cons the vote will help Democrats far more than it will Republicans. So, g'head, Big Slick. Restore those voting rights. Because if you do, the Dems pick up Florida in 2008.

Governor Charlie "Big Slick" Crist, alleged Democratic mole

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Libby trial went to the jury today, and deliberations will likely take awhile. However, I expect a definite verdict — the judge will keep sending them back till they get one; no hung jury will fly. And in the end, the guilty will outweigh the not guilty, and Libby will go down. But the big question is, "what then?"

Perhaps the most noteworthy points were made in prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's closing arguments. This summary makes it clear that Fitzgerald considers the larger question of who leaked Plame's name and whether they did so knowing she was an undercover CIA operative to be far from closed. When the guilty verdict comes back, Fitzgerald can — and probably will — use sentencing as leverage to get Libby's cooperation in this regard.

According to testimony in the Libby trial, Libby himself leaked the name to at least one journalist, Matt Cooper of Time, while Karl Rove and former deputy Sec. of State Richard Armitage dropped the dime to at least two journalists apiece. That all of these leaks came in such close proximity to each other obviously means a commandment from above to get this done. Dick Cheney's head is still on the chopping block, if not Bush's.

For a larger account of the possible impeachment of Dick, check out The People vs. Richard Cheney in this month's GQ. Telling stuff.

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Doesn't seem like it's been two years. Pity about the whole thing. Back when he offed himself, the Bush administration was still riding pretty high. He probably would have liked to see the state of things today, though it certainly wouldn't have gone far enough for his tastes. Ah well. Pick up the fallen banner and run into the breach.

Kill a bottle of Wild Turkey or Chivas Regal tonight. It's good for you.

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A float depicting U.S. President George W. Bush being spanked by the Statue Of Liberty passes by during the Rose Monday carnival parade in Mainz, western Germany, on Monday, Feb. 19, 2007. Thousands of spectators attended the traditional street carnival parade in the state of Rhineland-Palatinates's capital. (AP Photo/Bernd Kammerer)

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

informing me that New Times is auctioning off Mohammed Atta's fork. Here it is:

New Times Auctions Trade Center-Terrorist’s Fork on E-Bay!
“World Trade Center Memorial Foundation” benefits from Mohammad Atta’s terrorist belongings

February 2007- Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA- Editors from New Times-Broward Palm Beach, a Village Voice Media weekly newspaper, are in possession of paraphernalia confiscated from the home of World Trade Center-Terrorist Mohammad Atta. New Times-Broward Palm Beach disclosed the story of this al Qaeda terrorist living locally in Hollywood, FL prior to the attack on the World Trade Center, and plan to auction off the former terrorist’s personal belongings on www.e-bay.com in support of the “World Trade Center Memorial Foundation”, a charity focused on the rehabilitation of Ground Zero.
Mohammad Atta’s fork was retrieved by his former landlord and will be the main item of auction. Any items retrieved from the personal homes of these earth-shattering terrorists is now worth money, and if a terrorist’s fork can be an instrument in supporting the community that Al Qaeda sought to destroy, then Atta’s fork is literally worth more than its weight in gold.
Here are some quotes from the New Times Story that was printed on February 8, 2007:
“Judging by Internet sources, al Qaeda memorabilia is a growing international market: everything from tacky Osama bin Laden cigarette lighters (with a diode lighting up a bomb explosion on one of the embossed Twin Towers, as the al Qaeda mastermind's bearded, glowering face looks on) to bits of building rubble from Ground Zero to scorched Korans from Iraq to Osama sock puppets.”
“Anything once handled by the 9/11 master terrorist…would eventually be worth beaucoup bucks.”
For more information on the E-Bay auction, or to read the entire story written by Ed Newton from New Times Broward Palm Beach, please visit: http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2007-02-08/news/atta-s-fork/
To enter the E-Bay auction in support of Ground Zero rehabilitation, please visit: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330089365704&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:31
For More information about the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, please visit: http://www.buildthememorial.org

***************************
Currently, bidding is up to a whopping $25. The eBay entry makes no mention of proceeds going to the WTC Memorial, so that could be a reason behind the low-balling. But enough of this fork business. This has inspired me to put my own bit of dictator memorabilia up for auction.

Right now, for the low, low cost of $2.65 million, you can own:

That's right, ace. Hitler's moustache. It's only gathering dust around here, because this style has fallen out of fashion since World War II, what with the Holocaust and all that. Perfectly understandable. But why not own a piece of history? Indeed, Hitler's moustache has a long, storied history that many people may not be familiar with.

As serious history buffs know, Hitler's moustache was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1785:

It went through many owners after that, including Charlie Chaplin:

Before finally coming to rest with Hitler, who decided that his upper lip was lacking a certain something:

The moustache has passed through the hands of numerous global tyrants since then:

And finally came into my possession. Sorry, ace. Don't ask me how. Better that you don't know. Just send the cash in nonsequential, unmarked $20 and $100 bills, and it's all yours. Get it done.

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This story is definitely worth a read. Apparently, former governor Jerky McLargeHead has been quietly advising political operators to step into the Romney camp.

Mitt Romney -- moving the "Is Our Country Ready for a (fill in minority here) President?" question onto the Republican side

Perhaps more noteworthy, the story mentions that the George Bushes — both Jeb's father and brother — have been encouraging Jeb to run. He won't, of course. Jeb may be a lot of things, most of them horrific, but one thing he's not is stupid — unlike some other Bushes we could name, eh? Anyway, Jeb's smart enough to know the country suffers from Bush fatigue. Look out for little brother in 2016, though, when he steps from the shadows to "return family values" to the White House after 8 years of Democratic rule, or some such idiocy.

Jeb Bush -- vote smart and mean in 2016!

Oh, small side note -- remember incompetent, negligent Broward County Elections offical Miriam Oliphant? Well, a court finally ruled today that Miriam wasn't intentionally negligent, so she doesn't owe any fines for her breathtakingly stupid time in office.

Court rules Miriam Oliphant not intentionally stupid

I'm not sure if Brenda Snipes has been a good replacement for Miriam or not — by comparison, Snipes looks like the most competent elected official this side of ... hmmmm ... tried to come up with an elected official known especially for his/her competence, but couldn't think of one. Anyway, point is, with Miriam as her predecessor, of course Snipes looks good.

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 04:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Word came down the pipe today that Mike Kirsch, CBS-4's investigative reporter, was arrested after getting confrontational during a routine traffic stop. Seems pretty straight forward. Kirsch wouldn't be the first South Florida broadcast journalist to get in trouble with the law. Remember that time Bill Kamal got pinched for propositioning a 14-year-old boy that turned out to be an undercover officer?

Bill Kamal: Sexy Beast

Or how 'bout the time former Fox-7 anchor Rick Sanchez hit a man while drunk driving, paralyzing him? (Bonus: The guy eventually died of his injuries! Ho ho!). Sanchez, of course, now occasionally fills in for The Stupidest Man in the World, Miles O'Brien, on CNN's morning show, having been booted from both Fox News and MSNBC. Amazing that CNN's willing to take sloppy thirds on that idiot.

Nice Job, Rick. Good effort.

But there's a twist on the Kirsch case — the investigative reporter's indictment of local police departments. This story by the New Times Jeff Stratton documents both Kirsch's story and the cops' initial reaction — revenge. So ... is Kirsch really a violent, crazed individual who cusses out the cops in front of his own three-year-old daughter? Did he finally reach the boiling point after months of police harassment? Or did the cops finally succeed in taking down an enemy?

Who the hell knows anymore. The traditional police motto of "Protect and Serve" is often as meaningless a platitude as the presidential oath of office in this day and age.

Mike Kirsch, alleged victim of police vengeance

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I started work on this a while ago, and kept all my work on the blog builder, instead of cutting and pasting from a Word document. As a result, it got posted under the date I started work on it, way down at the bottom of the page. So, just in case y'all missed it, here it is.

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 05:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Seriously. He actually said that.

Charlie, will you marry me?

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A few entries back, I posted about the two-pronged assault on our vice president, and its dire necessity. With war against Iran looming — and the vice president's office salivating over the prospect, the need to put down this rabid dog becomes all the more obvious.

Is he ... is he foaming at the mouth?

First, about that need. Cheney's national security advisor, John Hannah, was quoted in the Washington Post yesterday (all the way back on page A18 -- thanks Post!) as saying "the administration considers 2007 'the year of Iran' and indicated that a U.S. attack was a real possibility." So let's stop dismissing the possibility of an attack on Iran as just a nightmarish scenario that will never come to pass. Thinkprogress.org documents this and some other notable Hannah fun facts, such as the one about him being largely responsible for the bullshit reasons that got us into Iraq, along with other Bush administration luminaries such as Douglas Feith, whose own flaming pants have recently been exposed to the world.

Douglas Feith, who carefully gathered intellgence on Iraq from his own ass

In fact, despite the litany of public denials, the build up to a war with Iran has been pretty hard to miss, as this article demonstrates. The inimitable Think Progress has also documented the burgeoning bullshit being built up to justify an Iran invasion. It's deja vu all over again, and this kind of deja vu kills. I'm not ready for World War III, ace, and I'm assuming you aren't either. This is one of those colossal-stupid mistakes, like Napoleon marching into Russia or Custer charging headlong into that little Indian Village at Little Big Horn, rubbing his hands in eager anticipation of another "victory" over Indian women and children.

The Bush Administration, ca. 1876

Now, the two-pronged assault, which means action on the parts of both the legislative and judicial branches.

These days, when one says "judicial" and "Cheney" in the same breath, the two words are usually paired with "Libby." While some trial watchers have argued that Cheney won't take the stand for the defense because his testimony would be "too damaging," others have written stories claiming that, despite having been bumped from the "certain witness" list to the "potential witness" list, Cheney will almost certainly testify. The New York Times featured a lengthy story yesterday that went along with this school of thought. And, ace, you better believe that's the school I want to believe in.

Testimony by Cheney allows the prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, to trap the vice president into serious charges. In fact, Cheney could very well be faced with a catch 22 on the stand — either perjury or admitting to outing a CIA agent. Either way, Cheney's testimony in the Libby trial sets the scene for the second phase of the war on Cheney. After Cheney's testimony, whichever way the outcome goes, it will be the legislative branch's job to impeach this sucker and kick him the hell out of Washington.

We've got to face impeachment, and Cheney's is even more important than Bush's — without his eminence grise, Bush would be less of a danger, after all. And, more and more, mainstream sources have been seeing the light. The Detroit Free Press's Rochelle Riley recently called for the dual impeachment of both of these warmongering dupes, for example. Of course, while articles of impeachment can be written up by a simple majority of the House, it takes two thirds of the Senate to actually remove someone from office. And we're far from that — just look at the Republicans in the Senate who recently managed to stymy all debate of the Iraq War troop surge. The obvious answer is that we need more Demcorats in the Senate. In my next entry, I'll outline whether the Democrats can get a filibuster-proof majority in 2008 — too late for impeachment, of course, but it'll help with undoing the damage done by these idiots since the 2000 election.

But, really, this needs to be done before then. This is no longer about removing incompetent, arrogant and evil men. This is about preventing World War III. And I've always subscribed to Albert Einstein's view regarding our next couple world wars.

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A couple days ago, the Republicans in the Senate blocked any and all debate regarding the Iraq surge in a mewling, sycophantic move that ignored the will of the people while kissing Oval Office ass. If the GOP in the Senate won't even allow a nonbinding resolution to come up for debate, one has to wonder what that august body can actually accomplish in these deeply partisan times.

Which leaves me wondering — can the Dems pick up nine seats in 2008?

The short answer: No.

The long answer: Despite the fact that the Republicans must defend 21 seats in 2008 and the Democrats only 12, I put the odds of picking up nine seats at about 52,300 to 1. Of course, by 2008, it'll probably be a moot point anyway. We'll probably have a more deliberative fellow in the White House, not some weird blue-blood who calls the Iraq Study Group's report "a flaming turd."

But if that new president wants to get stuff done in a hurry, it would still help. Let's have a looksee.

RETIRING
COLORADO
Wayne Allard, R.
Now that former Gov. Bill Owens is out, this open seat will almost definitely be a race between Democratic Rep. Mark Udall and former Republican Rep. Scott McInnis. A couple other Republicans have said they may run, but McInnis has the backing of Owens and a lot of other heavy hitters in the state party, plus name recognition matched only by potential rival Bob Beauprez. Unfortunately for Beauprez, he's mainly memorable for losing the 2006 gubernatorial election to Democrat Bill Ritter. With the exception of Wyoming, states in the Mountain Time Zone have almost all been trending Democrat, including Colorado.
(SWITCHES TO DEM)

MIGHT BE RETIRING
ALASKA
Ted Stevens, R. (age on election day: 85)
Stevens has said he will run for reelection but, to be as gentle as possible, the phrase "every day is the first day of the rest of your life" takes on special meaning at his age. But regardless of Stevens' decision, Alaska is safely GOP. It's governor and lone representative are both Republicans, as is most of its state congress.
(Retirement: STAYS GOP)
(Reelection: STAYS GOP)

DELAWARE
Joe Biden, D. (age on election day: 58)
It's not Biden's age that's a factor here, it's the fact that he's the only senator running for the presidency who also faces reelection. Given that his run for the White House has started off lamely with the Obama gaffe, he'll probably hedge his bets and run for the Senate as well. If he pulls out of the senate race to concentrate on the presidential run, though, the Delaware senatorial race gets interesting. The state's lone representative, Mike Castle, is a Republican, while the state's governor, Ruth Minner, is a Democrat. Castle may want the Senate job, but Minner's intentions are unknown, since Biden hasn't announced retirement. If she doesn't go for it, the job may fall to some ancient fossil in the state legislature, like state senate president pro tem Thurman Adams. In any case, it's all just the purest speculation, and none of it will likely come to pass, since Biden would probably only announce a senate retirement if the presidential campaign looked hopeful, and it doesn't. Still, if Biden does retire, this Senate seat has a good chance of going GOP — but not better than 50/50.
(Retirement: TOSSUP)
(Reelection: STAYS DEM)

KANSAS
Pat Roberts, R. (age on election day: 72)
In 2002, Pat was reelected by the largest margin of any candidate for statewide office in the history of Kansas. Besides, Kansas hasn't elected a Democrat as a senator in something like 70 years. If he runs for reelection, he's in. However, if he retires, inexplicably popular Democratic governor Kathleen Sebelius, who will be term-limited out in 2010 anyway, could easily pick up this seat. Unfortunately, she's more likely to wait and challenge Sam Brownback in 2010, but just for shits and giggles, let's say she's in if Pat retires. There's a whole host of Republican opposition she could face — this is Kansas, after all — but she won reelection handily in '06.
(Retirement: SWITCHES TO DEM)
(Reelection: STAYS GOP)

MISSISSIPPI
Thad Cochran, R. (age on election day: 71)
Cochran has said he wouldn't make a decision on whether to run for reelection until later this year. However, his decision must be weighed against two factors. First, the fact that the Democrats now control the Senate spells retirement. But, if he does step down, Mississippi has a fairly good chance of going Democratic (that's right ... Mississippi ... Democratic). A Cochran-less Mississippi Senate campaign would probably pit well-known former state Attorney General Mike Moore, a Democrat, against Republican Rep. Chip Pickering, hardly a known commodity in most of the state. Still, this is Mississippi — any Democrat has a long row to hoe.
(Retirement: TOSSUP)
(Reelection: STAYS GOP)

NEW JERSEY
Frank Lautenberg, D. (age on election day: 84)
Like Ted Stevens, Lautenberg has announced his intentions to run for reelection, but, also like Stevens, he's not exactly a spring chicken. Despite low approval numbers, Lautenberg should do OK in a reelection campaign — New Jersey hasn't elected a Republican senator in decades. Just who Lautenberg would face remains unknown, though Doug Forrester — who lost the gubernatorial race to Jon Corzine in 2005 and the senate race to Lautenberg in 2002 — is a possibility. If Lautenberg retires, it's pure speculation as to what Democrat would run. Maybe a heavy hitter from the state senate, like pres. pro tem. Shirley Turner, but who's to say?
(Retirement: TOSSUP)
(Reelection: STAYS DEM)

NEW MEXICO
Pete Domenici, R. (age on election day: 76)
A lot of retirement buzz has been swirling around Domenici. If he does hang up the spurs, this race could very well turn into a repeat of the 2006 U.S. House race in New Mexico's 1st congressional district, which pitted incumbent Heather Wilson against former state attorney general Patricia Madrid. Despite going for Gore in 2000 and Bush in 2004 (by very narrow margins each time, it should be noted), the state has generally trended Democratic, with Dem. majorities in both state houses. Although Wilson barely beat Madrid in 2006, Madrid would probably win out in a statewide campaign.
(Retirement: SWITCHES TO DEM)
(Reelection: STAYS GOP)

OKLAHOMA
Jim Inhofe, R. (age on election day: 74)
Since the Democrats took over in 2006, there have been a lot of unsubstantiated reports that Inhofe is considering retirement — no doubt he now sees Congress as some sort of latter-day Sodom and Gamorrah. But even if he does retire, it wouldn't change anything in heavily conservative Oklahoma — especially when Republican heavy hitters like Gen. Tommy Franks and former Gov. Frank Keating are waiting in the wings.
(Retirement: STAYS GOP)
(Reelection: STAYS GOP)

SOUTH DAKOTA
Tim Johnson, D. (age on election day: 62)
With his severe health issues, a lot of people expect Johnson to step down before the 2008 elections. South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds is the obvious GOP candidate should Johnson step down — though the govenor has hinted that he would not run if Johnson stayed in. The obvious replacement for Johnson for the Democrats would be South Dakota's sole representative in the House, Stephanie Herseth. Herseth won reelection in 2006 by a margin of something like 45 points, but Rounds enjoys high approval as well. This one would be a battle.
(Retirement: TOSSUP)
(Reelection: STAYS DEM)

VIRGINIA
John Warner, R. (age on election day: 81)
There's almost no doubt that Warner would be reelected should he choose to run again. But if the old man decides to step down, this state could make for an easy Dem. pickup if former Gov. Mark Warner enters the race. He would face nominal GOP opposition from George "Macaca" Allen, Rep. Tom Davis (marred from both the Schiavo mess and his questionable divorce and hasty marriage to a Virginia GOP colleague), or former gov. Jim Gilmore, who seems to be more interested in the White House than the Senate.
(Retirement: SWITCHES TO DEM)
(Reelection: STAYS GOP)

INCUMBENT ELECTIONS
ALABAMA
Jeff Sessions, R.
Sessions is in by a mile. There's not even a major statewide Democrat who has a chance to stand against him — especially since Rep. Artur Davis announced he wouldn't run.
STAYS GOP

ARKANSAS
Mark Pryor, D.
Up for reelection for the first time, Pryor enjoys good approval ratings and few Republican rivals. Besides, he's one of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate, which matches up well with this reddish state.
STAYS DEM

GEORGIA
Saxby Chambliss, R.
Chambliss, who memorably beat out incumbent Democrat Max Cleland in 2002 by painting the triple-amputee Vietnam vet as some sort of terrorist-coddling traitor, may face opposition from Dekalb County CEO Vernon Jones. Expect Chambliss to get reelected handily.
STAYS GOP

IDAHO
Larry Craig, R.
Craig should coast to reelection in this bright red state. Democrat Larry LaRocco, who lost in his bid for Lt. Gov. in 2006, has been mentioned in the blogosphere as a potential candidate, but it'd end in tears.
STAYS GOP

IllINOIS
Dick Durbin, D.
Easy reelection for Durbin. This seat's safe.
STAYS DEM

IOWA
Tom Harkin, D.
Another seat that's safely with the incumbent
STAYS DEM

KENTUCKY
Mitch McConnell, R.
This seat should be safe, but McConnell faces some stiff competition, especially from former Miss America and CBS sportscaster Phyllis George. George was rumored to be a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2007, but she hasn't made any in-roads there, which means she's likely to run for the 2008 senate seat. She should make this a good show, but McConnell should pull it off in the end.
STAYS GOP

LOUISIANA
Mary Landrieu, D.
The Democrats' most vulnerable incumbent, Landrieu faces an uphill battle for reelection. Democrats running for statewide office in Louisiana depend on the heavily Democratic New Orleans vote to get elected, and that voting base is no longer existent, at least in the numbers it was when Landrieu last faced reelection. Look for her to get ousted in 2008.
SWITCHES TO GOP

MAINE
Susan Collins, R.
Collins is wide open for a whupping, despite her high approval numbers, with Maine going heavily blue in 2006 and a serious threat in likely Democratic candidate Rep. Tom Allen. This one's a nail-biter.
TOSSUP

MASSACHUSETTS
John Kerry, D.
Puh-lease. With "the joke" and every other gaffe Kerry makes, he's still untouchable in his home state.
STAYS DEM

MICHIGAN
Carl Levin, D.
Another easy victory for the Dems.
STAYS DEM

MINNESOTA
Norm Coleman, R.
Now that Al Franken has announced his candidacy, all bets are off. Unfortunately for Franken, he'll have a lot of competition in the primary before facing off against Coleman — trial lawyer Mike Ciresi is in, and half a dozen other Democrats have been mentioned as potential rivals for Coleman. There's a reason so many sharks are in the water, though — whichever candidate wins the Dem. primary will likely toast Coleman.
SWITCHES TO DEM

MONTANA
Max Baucus, D.
Montana has been trending Democratic over the last several election cycles, with a new Democratic governor in 2004 and a new Democratic senator in 2006. This is great news for Baucus, who should win reelection easily.
STAYS DEM

NEBRASKA
Chuck Hagel, R.
Although still flirting with a presidential run, Hagel should win reelection no matter what he decides — the man enjoys massive popularity in his home state.
STAYS GOP

NEW HAMPSHIRE
John Sununu, R.
Sununu's on borrowed time — literally. His current term in office is likely illegitimate, the result of the phone bank scandal. New Hampshire voters haven't forgotten that, and several Democrats have already announced their candidacies, including likely rival Steve Marchand. Sununu and Minnesota's Norm Coleman are the most likely GOP incumbents to get ousted.
SWTICHES TO DEM

NORTH CAROLINA
Elizabeth Dole, R.
The Dems have been trying to get N.C. governor Mike Easley, who will be term-limited out of office in 2008, to run against Dole, but he has repeatedly said he doesn't want the job. If he does run, this race is a close one. If not, Dole coasts.
STAYS GOP

OREGON
Gordon Smith, R.
In highly blue Oregon, Smith's antiwar stance Might not be enough to save him against the coming Democratic tide. Smith will likely face Microhelix, Inc., CEO Ty Pettit, who already has set up his campaign Web site, Pettit4senate2008.com. This one's a bit of a longer shot than Minnesota or New Hampshire, bit it's still going to be close. Still, in close races, advantage goes to the incumbent.
STAYS GOP

RHODE ISLAND
Jack Reed, D.
In most polls, Rhode Island is the most antiwar, anti-Bush state in the union. A Republican just ain't gonna fly here.
STAYS DEM

SOUTH CAROLINA
Lindsey Graham, R.
Graham should coast to reelection in this deeply Republican state.
STAYS GOP

TEXAS
John Cornyn, R.
Please. It's Texas.
STAYS GOP

WEST VIRGINIA
Jay Rockefeller, D.
Reelection shouldn't be a problem for the abnormal Democratic member of the Rockefeller clan.
STAYS DEM

WYOMING
Mike Enzi, R.
Please. It's Wyoming.
STAYS GOP.

So assuming no one retires except Allard, I count 3 pickups for the Dems, 1 for the GOP, for a total new Senate count of 53-47. If everyone retires that might/could, though, it could be more like 56-44 with a bunch more tossups. Of course, it's still way early, but with this much speculation over the presidential race, why not throw out some meaningless speculation about the Senate? See ya in November, ace.

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

...can news of a diaper-wearing, pepper-spray-wielding astronaut attempting to kidnap and possibly murder a rival in a love triangle get bumped by the Hendrix-style death of a D-list celebrity. God I love this state.

By the way, now that it's been reported that the drug collection in Anna Nicole's hotel room apparently looked like something out of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, how soon until we can stop mincing words and just come out and say she offed herself with drugs? The only question is whether or not it was intentional. And that question of motive will never be answered, barring the appearance of a suicide note. After matching looks, appearance and even, at times, career with Marilyn Monroe, Anna Nicole's death even leaves us with the same questions.

Anna in her more-Marilynesque days

And, sure, it's sad and all, but have you heard that 33 U.S. soldiers have been killed so far in Iraq in February? No? Huh. Funny that.

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You know the speech, ace. The bullshit speech that led us into a bullshit war.

Yeah, that's the one.

Leftie bloggerAtrios has a great entry summing up all the pigheaded, rush-to-war idiocy that greeted Powell's speech. Definitely worth a read. Particularly memorable is this bit by alleged liberal Richard Cohen at the Washington Post:

"The evidence he presented to the United Nations -- some of it circumstantial, some of it absolutely bone-chilling in its detail -- had to prove to anyone that Iraq not only hasn't accounted for its weapons of mass destruction but without a doubt still retains them. Only a fool -- or possibly a Frenchman -- could conclude otherwise."

Of course, in reality, only a fool would have bought Powell's wafer-thin claims.

Richard Cohen, alleged fool

Satellite photographs showing buildings, some with — GASP! — trucks parked outside of them?! Oh no!

And what's this?! Cartoon drawings of WMD-producing mobile labs that Saddam may or may not have?!! DEAR GOD, NO!!

And here! A vial of anthrax??!?!?! Just like the anthrax that Saddam could possibly have, maybe hidden perchance somewhere conceivably within his alleged country?!?!?! SWEET FUCKING CHRIST!! Bomb him! Bomb him now!

Every single person listed in Atrios' blog entry should have been fired. Period. Yet they're all gainfully employed today, most by the very same publications that put out their drek four years ago. How anyone can be so wrong about something so obvious — especially a journalist, who should be more incredulous than the general populace — is beyond me.

People often cite Colin Powell as one of the few decent men to come out of the Bush administration, but I can't agree. This speech sold a scared nation on an unnecessary war based on lies. Many other factors led us into Iraq, to be sure, but in some small part, this speech killed thousands.

That's all I got for now, ace. Super Sunday has given way to Stuper Monday, and I'm still shaking the cobwebs from my brain. Rest easy.

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 04:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So, the Miami New Times did a reasonably funny take on the Super Bowl. Not as funny as my own paper's Super Bowl story, but why get into comparisons, eh?

Anyway, the point is, I blogged a while ago about a breathtakingly stupid error in a music story at Miami's other weekly paper, and now, this Super Bowl story — which compares the musical history of Chicago and Indianapolis — contains this:

"Alt-country darling Wilco breaks up, allowing Chicago frontman Jeff Tweedy to pursue his dream of releasing a solo album dedicated to the lesser-known yodeling ballads of Hank Williams Sr."

Seriously? Wilco broke up? Hmm. That's news to me ... and, also, probably news to the band, which will do an Australian tour in April and release its next album, Sky Blue Sky, in May.

The last part of that sentence is obviously meant to be untrue, a lighthearted joke about the country influences that informed much of Wilco's songwriting, like, 10 years ago. But the first part of the sentence is obviously an error — no other statement of fact in the entire story is patently false, as this one is. Tellingly, the Miami New Times is currently looking for a music editor. One can only hope that someone snaps up the job before crap like this becomes de rigueur.

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 01:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ivins was one of the greats. A fantastic writer with a wit that could flay the skin from a politician's back and a woman who proved that Texas liberal is not an oxymoron. Her obituary doesn't do her justice, though Bill Clinton's quote is particularly good, describing Ivins as "good when she praised me and ... painfully good when she criticized me."

The writer of Shrub: The Short But Happy Political Life of George W. Bush and Bushwhacked:Life in George W. Bush's America finally went down to breast cancer after being diagnosed with it for the third time.

G'bye

I figured the best thing I could do would be to just offer some choice cuts of classic Ivins. So here you go.

"Good thing we've still got politics in Texas — finest form of free entertainment ever invented."

"In Texas, we do not hold high expectations for the governor's office; it's mostly been occupied by crooks, dorks and the comatose."

"Being slightly paranoid is like being slightly pregnant - it tends to get worse."

"I dearly love the state of Texas, but I consider that a harmless perversion on my part, and discuss it only with consenting adults."

"During a recent panel on the numerous failures of American journalism, I proposed that almost all stories about government should begin: 'Look out! They're about to smack you around again!' "

"I believe in practicing prudence at least once every two or three years."

"Any nation that can survive what we have lately in the way of government, is on the high road to permanent glory."

"It's hard to argue against cynics - they always sound smarter than optimists because they have so much evidence on their side."

"The thing about democracy, beloveds, is that it is not neat, orderly, or quiet. It requires a certain relish for confusion."

"I am not anti-gun. I'm pro-knife. Consider the merits of the knife. In the first place, you have to catch up with someone in order to stab him. A general substitution of knives for guns would promote physical fitness. We'd turn into a whole nation of great runners. Plus, knives don't ricochet. And people are seldom killed while cleaning their knives."

"The United States of America is still run by its citizens. The government works for us. Rank imperialism and warmongering are not American traditions or values. We do not need to dominate the world. We want and need to work with other nations. We want to find solutions other than killing people. Not in our name, not with our money, not with our children's blood."

"There's far too much unthinking respect given to authority."

"Politics is not a picture on a wall or a television sitcom that you can decide you don't much care for."

Those last two should be shoved into the brains of everyone in America. You can't ignore politics. If you don't play, you lose. And when you do play, don't think that your playing pieces are better than you. Because no matter how badly you want to be the car in Monopoly, it's still your car.

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ominous shit in the news about this. The Pentagon claiming that the sneak attack in Karbala — in which insurgents spoke English, wore American uniforms and drove American SUVs through checkpoints, kidnapped five American soldiers, and killed them — is the work of Iranian agents. To quote the story:

"Two officials from separate U.S. government agencies said Tuesday the Pentagon is investigating whether the attack on a military compound in Karbala was carried out by Iranians or Iranian-trained operatives.
"People are looking at it seriously," one of the officials said, adding that the Iranian connection was a leading theory in the investigation.
The second official said: "We believe it's possible the executors of the attack were Iranian or Iranian-trained."
The five soldiers were abducted and killed in the sophisticated attack by men wearing American-style uniforms, according to U.S. military reports.
Both officials stressed the Iranian-involvement theory is only a preliminary view, and there is no conclusion. They agreed this possibility is under consideration because of the sophistication of the attack and the level of coordination."

Listening to the news on CNN it seemed that the only reasons the Pentagon had for claiming it was an Iranian attack were that the people spoke English, the attack was well-coordinated, and the people wore American uniforms and drove American vehicles. To which I respond with heavy sarcasm:
1) Yes, clearly, the insurgency would be unable to find a half dozen Iraqis that spoke good English in a nation of millions.
2) Yes, clearly, an insurgency that has had live-fire training for going on five years would never learn to adjust tactics.
3) Yes, clearly, there is nowhere to get American uniforms and SUVs in Iraq, a nation teeming with American soldiers.

This crap is as flimsy as Colin Powell's bullshit WMD speech before the UN on the eve of the Iraq War. And speaking of the Iraq War, why did we invade again? I believe the reasons were alleged ties to terrorists, alleged WMDs and regional meddling, no? And here we are saying the exact same things about Iran.

Optimists will counter that, surely, Bush would not be so stupid and/or insane as to invade Iran. To which I counter that this is a man who, just days ago, laughed maniacally while trying to run down the White House Press Corps with a gigantic tractor. He's clearly "gone 'round the bend" as they say in Great Britain. And speaking of that country, according to its newspapers, quite contrary to wanting to avoid a fight, Bush is actually trying to come up with reasons to invade Iran.

I mean, come on! Just look into the man's eyes! He's freakin' deranged, for God's sake!

How long? How long before the country comes to accept that it is being led by a man who is stupid, crazy or — most likely — stupid-crazy? The realization may come too late.

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Never let it be said that I'm an utter Democratic partisan, unwilling to give a Republican a thumbs up, because Charlie Crist is freaking awesome. Of course, there's all the tax and insurance reform stuff, which pleases the people in a populist manner (but may, it should be noted, come back to haunt us if the state can't raise enough cash). But there's also the snubs of both George and Jeb Bush, which I blogged about here and here, respectively.

Now, Crist has gone ahead with two issues that are far more dear to the hearts of the left than the right.

First, Crist has presented a plan to scrap paperless touch-screen voting machines in Florida, or at least give people the option. This is long overdue. Whether or not elections have been stolen with these paperless voting machines is not the issue. The issue is that they could be, and very, very easily, as demonstrated many times. This study out of Princeton University, in which a voting machine was hacked and comtaminated with a virus that would change the vote count — all in less than one minute — is particularly noteworthy.

Second, Crist has moved ahead with a plan to fund stem-cell research. The governor has moved away from his support of embryonic stem cell research, with his new plan calling for funding of research on adult, umbilical and amniotic stem cells. Even Crist admits this is because of "likely opposition to embryonic stem-cell research in the GOP-controlled Legislature." Unfortuntely, none of these types of stem cells has the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells, but it's a start. It's just a pity that the GOP in general cares more about clusters of 50-150 cells that will never develop into humans far more than it does actual, grown humans with real medical problems.

Don't worry, little stem cell. All unborn life is sacred. After birth, though, you're on your own.

Actually, scratch that -- the GOP doesn't give a rat's ass about blastocysts. What it does care about is the voting power of religio-crazy nutcases who, in turn, think that somehow this all equates to murder. And hell, we should all care about the voting power of these people. I know I do. Hell, sometimes, it keeps me awake at night.

But whatever. The point is that Big Slick has, thus far, been a righteous dude.

Two thumbs up for Big Slick

Posted by Dan Sweeney at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)