That's the only word I can use to describe this series of pictures at Atrios' place: equal parts hilarious and terrifying. No exit strategy.
Q: What’s crazier than a shithouse rat?
A: The woman featured in this 6-minute excerpt from Trading Spouses, which is one of the zaniest things I have ever seen! Make sure you watch the entire thing (because there’s a classic dénouement at the end you don’t want to miss).
(Hat tip Feministe, which links to an MP3 file, if the one at the above link doesn’t work for you. Image via The Malcontent.)
Two Rants for the Price of One
Toast takes on the dire need for a script change.
Elise takes on revelatory fat suits.
I’m a Cult Classic
| The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic |
 Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few. But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky. Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski |
Via Mannion, whose life is also a Cult Classic—and who doesn’t understand why Showgirls made the list. This is something I believe Paul the Spud is uniquely qualified to explain to him.
Although I love love love both Office Space and The Big Lebowski, and do have an ironic appreciation of the unmitigated awfulness of Showgirls (which is best viewed, like Mommie Dearest, in the company of devastatingly witty women and gay men), if I had to design my own list of cult classics that seemed better suited to represent the kind of film my life would be, I’d probably go with Harold and Maude, Henry Fool, and Welcome to the Dollhouse. Any misanthrope can appreciate Office Space, but it takes a special kind of schismatic to appreciate a line like, “Just because you're a faggot doesn't mean you're an asshole.”
Al Gore’s Crystal Ball
Of course, it’s not a crystal ball; it’s just that wisdom and careful deliberation look like magic compared to the Yosemite Sam routine to which we’ve become sadly accustomed. (Passed on by Shaker Deborah.)
Perspective
Republican Congresswoman Jean Schmidt called Jack Murtha a coward [Friday] afternoon, unworthy of the Marines, on the House floor. Money quote:The outraged party? Conservative Andrew Sullivan.
The fiery, emotional debate climaxed when Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, the most junior member of the House, told of a phone call she received from a Marine colonel. "He asked me to send Congress a message - stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message - that cowards cut and run, Marines never do," Schmidt said.
She later withdrew her remarks from the record. But those words linger as a reminder of what these Republicans have become. For the record: Murtha served 37 years in the Marines, and has Purple Hearts to his name. He visits wounded soldiers at Walter Reed every week. Three years ago, he won the Semper Fidelis Award of the Marine Corps Foundation, the highest honor the Marines can confer. Every time you think these Republicans can sink no lower, even after their vile smears against Kerry's service last year, they keep going. They make me sick to my stomach.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but Sully’s willing to abide a lot of bullshit. I’ve seen him contort himself into outrageous positions trying to defend the indefensible—he’s a gay Republican and a Bell Curve apologist, for crying out loud. When the GOP has gone so far that even he’s sick to his stomach, they’ve gone so far beyond the pale as to be little more than an evil joke.
Think Progress has the video of Schmidt’s embarrassing performance. What a nut. I was watching it live, and almost shit my breeks when she called Murtha a coward. Apparently, donning a putrid stars-n-stripes jumper passes for bravery in her circle.
And finally, since their spectacle on the floor of the House backfired, the GOP is seeking an ethics probe of Murtha. Shameless gits.
House Still Going At It
So, I’ve been watching C-SPAN on and off, and honestly, I can’t take any more of these GOP bastards who don’t give the tiniest wee pebble of shit for our soldiers. They say they support the troops, and accuse anyone, who doesn’t march in lockstep in their bullheadedly determined stay-the-course parade, of not supporting the troops, but everything that spews forth from any of their forked-tongued mouths comes down to one thing—being right about this war is more important than anything else, including soldiers’ arms and legs and eyes and ears and guts and very lives. And they don’t just need to be right about the war itself having been the right thing to do; they also need to be right about how the war is being fought. Even if all evidence points to the contrary, they retain their steadfast belief that the number of troops there now is right, and that they are armored (or not armored) exactly right, and that hanging on indefinitely until some yet-to-be-revealed benchmark is reached is right right right. And anyone who tries to dissuade them is a coward and a traitor.
Murtha’s resolution, as originally proposed, is really solid. Our presence, and being seen as occupiers, fuels the insurgency; withdrawal dampens its flames. Retaining an emergency force in the region to respond if the fledging democracy needs military assistance is probably not only the best and most productive help we can give to the Iraqis at this time, but also has the added political benefit of deflecting charges that we cut and run—because we won’t have. But the GOP won’t even allow a good-faith debate about the parts and pieces of Murtha’s resolution; they just keep babbling about supporting the troops.
This is how much respect the GOP has for the troops: they’ll not only use them to fight a war of choice halfway around the world, sending them to risk their lives over a pack of bloody lives; they’ll also use them as a shield at home, hiding behind the soldiers they refuse to properly armor, using the troops as a shield to deflect criticism. These chickenhawk pieces of shit won’t even walk onto the battlefield of ideas. They cower instead behind ribbons and bumper magnets and lapel pins and small flags on sticks, stubbornly insisting that they are right, and caring none for the consequences if they aren’t.
Question of the Day
In the comments thread about the GOP plonkers, Shaker Amy noted, if the House debate degenerated into fisticuffs, as suggested by Shaker Devo:
My money would be on Ted Kennedy over Hastert. How great would that be?Now there’s a match-up I’d pay good money to see. Hamhock v. Muttonchops.
Which is your fantasy match-up? Nancy Pelosi v. Jean Schmidt? Harry Reid (who used to be a boxer, btw) v. Bill Frist? Be creative—and please, let’s leave the phrase “cat fight” out of it, shall we? This is beyond cat fights; we’re talking Ultimate Cage Match, bitches.
The Hub of the Hubbub
This is what the House was going berserko about today…
Murtha’s resolution is a page long, including an explanatory preamble, and ends with the following recommendation:
Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of American in Congress assembled, That:Leaving a quick-reaction force behind to help as needed, instead of staying as an occupying force, is one of the cleverest ideas I’ve heard. No wonder the GOP wanted to draw attention away from it.
Section 1. The deployment of United States Forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is hereby terminated and forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable date.
Section 2. A quick-reaction U.S. force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S. Marines shall be deployed in the region.
Section 3. The United States of America shall pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy.
The GOP resolution, which, in fairness, tries to be a page long through the clever use of large-sized fonts, reduced Murtha’s idea to a mere three lines:
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately.They called it the “Murtha Resolution” and demanded it go up for a vote, without discussion. And that’s when all hell broke loose.
1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately.
(Thanks to BradBlog for the PDFs.)
House Still Going Nutzoid
I love watching the House on C-SPAN, so I can see all the losers Republicans elect to represent them. What a collection of reprobates.
Gingrey (R-Ga) seems like a real jag. My Friend Joe asks, "Isn't Gingrey a gum disease?" I say, "Freddie Mercury wants his moustache back."
GOP Plonkers
Said knobs are currently trying to force a House vote on whether our deployment in Iraq should terminated, effectively immediately. I’m watching it live on C-SPAN right now; it’s totally ridiculous. Rep. Tierney (D-Mass) is going haywire about how the proposal doesn’t provide for the troops’ safety and it’s basically an idiotic resolution and putting it to a vote without the benefit of a full discussion is ludicrous. And of course he’s right—the whole thing is just grandstanding by the GOP to try to make Murtha and the Dems look like idiots if they vote against withdrawing the troops, even though the resolution totally makes a mockery of Murtha’s position. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Cal) is a useless, politicking dickhead and keeps saying troops feel that the “rug is being pulled out from under them,” and that Congress is sending that message. Everyone’s yelling and carrying on—it’s totally wacky. Now Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore) is going completely apeshit and screaming his head off about how Hunter’s resolution deliberately mischaracterized Murtha’s position and is telling him to withdraw it. Good lord. It’s almost like British Parliament in there.
More on Emanuel’s Antics
As another little bit of irritation, Emanuel (D-05) has said he "is not convinced" that Christine Cegelis can beat "probable GOP nominee" Illinois state senator Peter Roskum in Illinois’ Sixth District, so he’s been talking to Army Maj. Tammy Duckworth about entering the race. Now, Cegelis was a Dean Dozen candidate in 2004, and has lots of grassroots support in a heavily Republican district In her 2004 run, she received 44.2% of the vote against the incumbent, the vile Henry Hyde, more than any challenger since his first run for Congress in 1974. What is the point of trying to undermine a good, progressive candidate who has existing support and had a good showing against a long-term incumbent? Stop poaching; give her the support she needs.
Damn Liberals is also covering this, and has contact info for Emanuel if you’re interested, ahem.
Dems Announce Nothing Tastes Quite as Delicious as Each Other
Anyone who broke out a bottle of bubbly to celebrate Congressman Murtha’s call for an immediate withdrawal yesterday likely hasn’t yet shaken off the dreaded champagne hangover and already there are Democrats running away from Murtha’s much-needed toughness like he’s radioactive. And not just any Democrats—House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi damned Murtha with faint praise, saying he deserved to have “his day.” Possible presidential candidate Wesley Clark indirectly dismissed Murtha’s stance as part of a “tendency to want to say 'Cut your losses,’” and reiterated the need to remain in Iraq “until we reach the point where engagement there cannot advance us,” whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean.
Perhaps most infuriating was the reaction of Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who’s head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and thereby tasked with leading the charge on behalf of House Democrats during mid-term campaigning:
"Jack Murtha went out and spoke for Jack Murtha. … At the right time, we will have a position."Well isn’t that just wanktastic. When, exactly, might that “right time” be? Can we expect to arrive at that point in the space-time continuum sometime before the mid-term elections, or do you suggest we all hunker down and wait patiently for another three years or so?
This kind of bullshit is absolutely infuriating.
David Sirota’s got more well-earned ranting and raving at HuffPo.
Banana Hammock
Devastatingly obvious, I know, but this seems rather impractical.And to that, may I add disturbing.
New Grand Jury for Fitzy
Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said in court filings that the ongoing CIA leak investigation will involve proceedings before a new grand jury, a possible sign he could seek new charges in the case.Thanks to oddjob for the pointer.
In filings obtained by Reuters on Friday, Fitzgerald said "the investigation is continuing" and that "the investigation will involve proceedings before a different grand jury than the grand jury which returned the indictment" against Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
And as an aside to all the rightwing dumbfucks who insist on warbling on about how Woodward’s admission undermines Fitzy’s case against Scooter: No, it doesn’t. If anything, it further contextualizes the obstruction charges; that is, Fitzy couldn’t get the whole story, because Scooter was being a pain in the ass. So seriously, for once, just shut the hell up.
Losers
Fantastic. The White House promised this afternoon to conduct a sustained attack against the Democrats for suggesting that the administration lied to the American people to sell the war in Iraq. Bring it on, losers.Wah wah wah.
There’s more; the other SS has some additional thoughts on the possibility that the genesis of the Plame affair was retribution for uncovering White House attempts to plant WMDs, which we discussed the other day.
(Thanks to The Heretik for the link.)
Laughable
In trying to discern just who, exactly, was Bob Woodward’s source, the press took the occasion of a press briefing on APEC Summit Meetings to ask Stephen Hadley if he’s the culprit. His answer was (unintentionally) hilarious:
Q Were you the administration official who talked with Bob Woodward about the identity of a CIA operative?(Emphasis mine; hat tip Think Progress.)
MR. HADLEY: I have seen press reports that -- and only press reports -- that Bob Woodward has talked about, I guess, three sources from the administration that he had. I've also seen press reports from White House officials saying that I am not one of his sources. As you know, there is an ongoing investigation of this matter. We have all, at the White House, been instructed to cooperate with that investigation, as we are requested to do so, and to not talk about it. And that's all I can say.
So, according to White House press reports that Hadley has seen, he isn’t one of Woodward’s Sources. WTF? At some point, are they all going to drop the pretense and just say that the White House’s official position is Nobuddy did nuttin’! unless and until somebody gets caught?
Btw, I assume the White House issuing those reports is, in fact, the same White House instructing people to cooperate with the investigation but not talk about it. Unless, apparently, it’s to issue reports about who wasn’t Woodward’s source. Wev.
