On The Blogs: The Good-est, The Bad-est, And The Ugliest-est

[BlogBox]

This week, bloggers address some sizzling hot topics: The death resignation of Fidel Castro; President 19%'s excellent dance adventures in Africa; John McCain's "special interests"; The unbearable bleached-to-the-gills whiteness of Cindy McCain; The mysterious disappearance of our economic indicators; and BillO's worstest (Hey, there has to be a new category beyond the superlative to describe O'Reilly's behavior) week ever. All this and much more...

Does Our Preening President In Africa Know How Bad Things Are Back Home?

Probably not. "Beautiful mind" Bushes and all that jazz. Anyway, Seeing the Forest writes:

Just how bad are the economic indicators?

This bad:

Due to budgetary constraints, the Economic Indicators service (http://www.economicindicators.gov) will be discontinued effective March 1, 2008.

Ouch. Meanwhile, all President 19% (thank MyDD for the analysis of the president's plunging polling numbers) wants to do (via LeDaro) is dance. And Make Them Accountable shows the other side of Bush love in Africa:

So happy to see you, Mr. Bush

Back here at home, Housing Panic laments:

FLASH: Bush approval rating drops to 19%. No, that's not a typo. 81% of Americans now realize that George Bush is a total failure and disgrace

Again, HP asks... "What took so long?"

We've been saying it for years. George Bush is the worst president ever. Nice to see 81% of Americans finally come to their senses.

HP adds:

Here's the George Bush report card, HP-style, and the latest approval rating data.

* Ran the nation's debt up to $52 trillion and counting
* Lost our manufacturing base
* Allowed and encouraged the illegal invasion of America
* Encouraged sheeple to buy homes at the peak, when the fundamentals made no sense
* Bogged us down in a stupid war on false pretenses, spending over $2 trillion and costing countless lives
* Broke the military
* Did nothing about the growing entitlement bomb
* Passed no significant constructive legislation
* Killed the morale of Americans
* Illegally spied on Americans, tortured people and got rid of habeas corpus
* Did nothing about global warming (and even denied the science)
* Damaged the "USA" brand around the world
* Spread hatred, discrimination and fear across the land
* Made a bunch of money for oil companies and military contractors
* Embarrassed America and all Americans
* Did all this without getting arrested, or brought up on impeachment charges

I guess HP didn't get the memo: Every day is Presidents' Day for Gee Dubya Bush. Or at least it seems that way. In other Weird World Leader news...

Did You Miss Be Kind To Castro Day?

Babalu Blog has posted an internal CNN memo on how to treat the news of Fidel Castro's official resignation:

From: Flexner, Allison
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 7:46 AM
To: *CNN Superdesk (TBS)
Cc: Neill, Morgan; Darlington, Shasta
Subject: Castro guidance

Some points on Castro - for adding to our anchor reads/reporting:

* Please say in our reporting that Castro stepped down in a letter he wrote to Granma (the communist party daily), as opposed to in a letter attributed to Fidel Castro. We have no reason to doubt he wrote his resignation letter, he has penned numerous articles over the past year and a half.

* Please note Fidel did bring social reforms to Cuba - namely free education and universal health care, and racial integration. in addition to being criticized for oppressing human rights and freedom of speech.

* Also the Cuban government blames a lot of Cuba's economic problems on the US embargo, and while that has caused some difficulties, (far less so than the collapse of the Soviet Union) the bulk of Cuba's economic problems are due to Cuba's failed economic polices. Some analysts would say the US embargo was a benefit to Castro politically - something to blame problems on, by what the Cubans call "the imperialist," meddling in their affairs.

* While despised by some, he is seen as a revolutionary hero, especially with leftist in Latin America, for standing up to the United States.

Any questions, please call the international desk.

Allison

Hm. I thought I sensed some actual (and decidedly weird) kindness in the networks' coverage of this news item. I must confess, though, that I thought Castro's resignation letter was a coverup of his actual death... to be announced at a later date. Obi's Sister, Ice Station Tango, and even The UK Telegraph's Three Line Whip blog agree with me on the dead part. Oh, well. On to the living and breathing...

Election 2008

What better way to illustrate the old saying, that the key to comedy is timing, is this headline?: "Bush Family Endorses John McCain: America Repulsed," found at The Daily Gotham:

The Big Bush, Little Georgie Bush, and Jeb Bush have all given John McCain their approval. Could there be a worse endorsement? Does America REALLY want yet ANOTHER four years of failed Bush policies? I think that is a resounding NO!!!

The Bush family have brought us two of the least popular Presidents in American history.

Read the rest for a concise review of the Bush Family evil empire disaster. Keep in mind, though, McCain's newest/old dalliance...

John McCain's "Special Interest"

By now, everyone knows about John McCain's "special interest friend," lobbyist Vicki "With an I" Isemen. Funny, though, is the fact that Ms. I's bio mysteriously disappeared from her corporation's website. Never fear! American Politics Journal has the mirrored site's bio page:

VICKI ISEMAN

Vicki Iseman, Partner, represents corporate and public clients on issues as diverse as government contracting and regulatory reform. Her experience includes representation of clients before Congress, Federal government agencies and local opinion leaders.

She has extensive experience in telecommunications, representing corporations before the House and Senate Commerce Committees. Her work on the landmark 1992 and 1996 communications bills helped secure cable access for broadcast television stations. Her experience in the communications field includes digital television conversion, satellite regulations and telecommunications ownership provisions.

She has been active in grassroots communications campaigns for clients, building community based support for legislative initiatives. Among others, she participated in the "Keep America Moving" campaign that educated community leaders on the allocation of Federal highway trust funds.

In addition, she has consulted for clients who are interested in government contracting opportunities. She has assisted corporations through the authorization and appropriation process. An active fundraiser, she has organized and participated in many political fundraising events.

A native of Pennsylvania, she holds a B.A. degree in Education from Indiana University in Pennsylvania.

Hm. From receptionist to partner in eight years? And you thought an elementary education degree was just for teaching. What were you thinking? No "special interest" there... Eh, John? Add this "not about sex" scandal to the one about McCain being placed on the Indiana ballot illegally (http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/02/20/breaking-mccains-placement-on-indiana-ballot-challenged//">Crooks and Liars), and you've got the makings of a semi-fair election year media war. Wait. There's more McCainiaçity...

John McCain Thinks Waterboarding Is Funny

From Think Progress:

The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza recounts a moment on the Straight Talk Express with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ):

At one moment, bursting into laughter, he exuberantly explains why, after "a short period of waterboarding to find out what they did in their absence," he would take back some of the staffers who fled his campaign at its low point.

Recently, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee joked that "running for office is sort of like being waterboarded" and last year, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said he was "getting tortured running for president of the United States."

On the reality-based Dem side of the aisle (where there's nothing at all funny about torture), Texas blogger Bluebloggin has some sage advice for all voters this year:

Time to start looking closer at all the issues, not just your own personal issues. This is when candidates' promises are easier to match up with reality. Oh yes, you might want to compare track records. How successful each candidate has been meeting their campaign promises. Don't forget the President must have the support of Congress to keep their campaign promises. Which candidate will bring congress into a common goal? Bush had his congressional clones to pave his way for almost eight years. Few prior Presidents have had the luxury of a compliant Congress. Be assured, the next combination of President and Congress will not be as compliant. It will take a great statesman to unite both branches of government. The promises you hear today may not have the outcome you expect. The President will have to be very convincing to Congress and the country to acheive a common vision. Popularity has nothing to do with effectiveness ...

Good advice, but with the sweet comes the sour: Sadly, Larry Flynt is taking odds on whether one of the presidential candidates will be assassinated before Jan. 9, 2009, and what will happen as a result (Sorry, no permalink; Scroll down to his Feb. 19, 2008 post). Ever distrustful of Republicans and knowing how they hate relinquishing power, Flynt fears Bush will try to use that 2007 Presidential Directive to invoke Martial Law. Scary. Meanwhile, this week did provide us with...

A Great Day For Bloggers

Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo has won a Polk Award. American Street is just one of the thousands of blogs to congratulate Josh this week:

Fearguth's Great Snark Hunt


Master Blaster Wins Prestigious George Polk Award

Attywood explains the Polk Award:

The George Polk Awards are kind of like the Golden Globes of American journalism . Not as well known as those Oscars of the news business, the Pulitzer Prize, the Polk Awards are nevertheless probably a close second in terms of prestige, and this year I am especially blown away by the quality of the work they honor.

Josh Marshall is the kind of blogger Dock (at Burst Blog) describes in this "Tips and tweaks" post:

Be the main attraction

Think about your favorite blogs for just a second. Hold them in your mind. I'm willing to bet that these blogs that you're holding in your mind right now are strong, and memorable, because of the strong voice of the blogger - the color and life that they breathe into the facts that they gathered for your perusal. I'm also willing to bet that they do not simply give you a link to someone else's story, with a throwaway paragraph attached that simply describes what the story links to.

I realize that it requires much more effort to create your own voice, but I would encourage you to try. I truly believe that the "authority blogging" path is the most rewarding way to go, and your readers will certainly appreciate it. Is it hard? Well, it does take more effort, and you might not be good at it right away. However, most things worth doing take effort - and as my voice teacher used to say, "You don't get better at singing by not singing!" This goes for "authority blogging" too.

Hey! Remember when Bill O'Reilly took credit for a Polk Award he didn't win? Suck it, BillO! You'll never win a Polk. In other BillO news...

Bill O'Reilly: As Bad As (Or "Worser" Than) Imus

At least, he is in my book. I'll let Crooks and Liars explain while I try to calm down:

Bill O'Reilly: "I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence…

I got a tip on this yesterday and passed it along to Media Matters. Michelle Obama has been attacked over a recent comment she made by the right wing the last few days about being proud of America. She was targeted as being unpatriotic even by McCain's wife. Well, you knew it was only a matter of time before "lynching references" would pop up when discussing Obama's campaign.

O'Reilly: "I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels"

The audio is at the link. Of course, Not a single O'Reilly word on Cindy McCain's... uh, interesting history as the girlfriend of McCain while he was still married to the previous wife, and no mention of Cindy's prescription drug problems a while back. But, what did we expect? While we're talking about Cindy McCain, James Wolcott (blogging at Vanity Fair) notes:

In my wild imaginings, I can't help but hypothesize that Cindy McCain's Hitchcock blondness--a taut cross between Tippi Hedren in The Birds and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest--is being high-buffed as a visual counterpoint to her presumptive rival for role of first lady, Michelle Obama. The more vanilla ice that Cindy McCain gets, the blacker Michelle Obama looks, making McCain the more traditional, formal, supportive, standing-behind-her-husband speaking-only-when-it's-appropriate classic model--the eternal prom queen presiding over the receiving line.

She has already been deployed by the McCain campaign as an editorial counterpoint, taken out of her cellophane wrapping long enough to soundbite that, unlike Michelle Obama, she's always been proud of her country, always will be.

Cindy McCain really does look whiter than the driven snow this year, doesn't she? Hm. More like those old Snow Drift Shortening commercials than actual snow, though. Neatly packaged for the public in a way that convinces buyers to overlook the contents: happy, smiling children sliding down pristine hills of processed lard. Which leads us to this week's...

Something To Chew On

Poliblog's Dr. Steven Taylor is confused:

I Have No Idea

What this is talking about.

Here's a hint, Steven: When I saved the photo to my Blog Box file, its original name was "Duty calls." The power of that 'toon rests in our Information Age ability to challenge what people claim to be the only truth worth printing. Get it? Got it? Good.

Whew! What a week, and it's far from over. With the Dem debate, the right-wing machine's echo chamber denial of McCain's wrongdoing, and the inevitable Friday-Sunday news dump ahead, who knows what bombshells (and not just blondes) are still to come? Fasten your Bette Davis seatbelts, and keep sending those great blog links. See you next week.

-- Delilah Boyd

[NMDemDist2]

1. allow me to be the first to K&R Delilah

so glad you started doing these again

:hi:

[displacedtexan]

3. Thanks, AZDemDist6!

This was a particularly difficult blog week.

So much to cover, and a 2000 word limit.

[annabanana]

2. "Someone is WRONG on the internet". . perfect!

I feel like that sometimes... (the blogger, not the neglected spouse)

[displacedtexan]

4. Me too, annabanana! Here's a little gif for a neglected spouse...

Tee hee.