It's Monday Morning

I should probably think about changing my summer outfit over there to the right but it is supposed to go up to 80 today. Instead, as I bustle off to work I will let you share my nightmare.

Obama's Gonna Win

Maryland, My Maryland

I am so proud of my adopted state.

Today our son, Hall of Famer Cal Ripkin Jr.cancelled his scheduled appearance on Don Imus'show today. On the other hand Comic Bill Maher, CBS News political analyst Jeff Greenfield and former Carter administration official Hamilton Jordan all showed up.

In other good news Maryland became the first state in the nation to have a state-wide "living wage" law, or will when the Governor signs it. "The bill, as revised, sets up two pay grades for the workers - at least $11.30 an hour in the Baltimore-Washington corridor and $8.50 an hour in rural areas."

Dick Cheney is Hiding in the Bushes

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

What does he know that we don't?

The Administration's Creepiest

amongst a sea of creepy. Stephen Hadley, National Security Advisor to the President, is one of the few of Bush's Very Special Advisors who doesn't have a purdy mouth. He was bloviating on George Stephanopoulis' show this morning and, as usual, I can't focus on his words. It is too disturbing thinking about what he likes to do under the covers late at night. That innocent boyish face just makes it worse. I'm going to wash out my eyes with bleach now.

My Favorite Sport, Schadenfreude

Yes, two joyous posts today. No photos this time for which, I'm sure, you'll be grateful. From Shenanigan's Blog on Politico a little local gossip:

today on the Hill, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) was seen making a spectacle of herself when the unlucky lawmaker slipped and fell in what we’re told was vomit, in a bathroom in Cannon. (Some nice female dealing with the repercussions of Jason Roe’s going away party by chance?) “She made THE biggest scene in the hallway,” says a staffer who escaped the, um, regurgitation. “It’s literally all down her back.”

Wanker of the, Well Month at Least

(h/t to Atrios for the title reference)

I'll just quote the piece in The Hill. It's too stupid for words. The photo over there is just to remind you how really really short he is.

Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the Democratic Caucus chairman, has told new Democratic members of Congress to steer clear of Stephen Colbert, or at least his satirical Comedy Central program, “The Colbert Report.”

“He said don’t do it … it’s a risk and it’s probably safer not to do it,” said Rep. Steve Cohen. But the freshman lawmaker from Tennessee taped a segment that last week was featured in the 32nd installment of the “Better Know a District” series. Colbert asked Cohen whether he was a black woman. He isn’t.

Eyes (but thankfully, not heads) roll in Emanuel’s office when other freshmen stumble, such as the time Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) got into a debate about the merits of throwing kittens into a wood-chipper, or when Rep. Zack Space (D-Ohio) explained that he is not his predecessor, convicted felon Bob Ney (R).

Part of me wants to blame this idiocy on his DLC inclination, but really it's just because he's a short douchebag with no sense of humor.

Know The "Candidates," Part I - Newt

We all know how important it is to Know The Candidates, so in the interest of my public and the small service I may provide, I'll focus on charactr.

Newt Gingrich, courtesy of Scoobie Davis via Skippy

Here's a summary of Gingrich's family life: 1) Gingrich marries his high school teacher, Jackie, who was seven years his senior; 2) Jackie puts Gingrich through college and she works hard to get him elected to the House in 1978 (Gingrich won partly because his campaign claimed that his Democratic opponent would neglect her family if elected--at that time it was common knowledge that Gingrich was straying); 3) Shortly after being elected, Gingrich separated from his wife--announcing the separation in the hospital room where Jackie was recovering from cancer surgery (the divorce was final in 1981); Jackie Gingrich and her children had to depend on alms from her church because Gingrich didn't pay any child support; 3) Six months after the divorce, Gingrich, then 38, married Marianne Ginther, 30; 4) "In May 1999, however, Gingrich [55] called Marianne [48] at her mother's home. After wishing the 84-year-old matriarch happy birthday, he told Marianne that he wanted a divorce." Happy Fucking Mother's Day. This was eight months after Marianne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; 5) In 2000, Gingrich, 57, married ex-congressional aide Callista Bisek, 34, with whom he was having a relationship while married to Marianne.

It's A Busy Day For Drag

Yes, what you can see now is the top of The Donald's head. You must click. And be patient.

Doh!

And in more News Of The Obvious we have this lede:

Among Religious Groups, Jewish Americans Most Strongly Oppose War

Thank you Mr. Gallup.

Maryland, My Maryland

Proposed legislation, taken from a newsletter I get keeping me informed of these vital things.

Bill would ban explicit decorations on vehicles
Regional Digest
Maryland
Baltimore Sun
Feb 23, 2007

Fake bull testicles and other anatomically explicit vehicle decorations would be banned from Maryland roads under a bill pending in the state legislature.

The measure was filed Monday by Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr., a Washington County Republican who says children shouldn't be exposed to such decorations dangling from pickup truck trailer hitches. The bill also would ban depictions of naked human breasts, buttocks or genitals, with offenses punishable by fines of up to $500.

The American Civil Liberties Union objected to Myers' bill. [Associated Press]

My first reaction was to ridicule such silly legislation. But on reflection I think it might keep a lot of rednecks, Texans, and those with tiny penises out of the state. I think I'll call Delegate Myers and tell he that I support him.

The Rumors Of

the death of Leni Riefenstahl were greatly exagerated. Apparently she is alive and well and working for John McCain's campaign. Check out the video on the front page. It is astonishing.

I still wonder, given the last election, what made him dive so far to the right. John at AmericaBlog reports that he is missing today's Senate votes because he is giving a lecture on "don't do it until you are married" to some youths. He is either desperately whacky or figures that with enough fear we will all bow toward him, trembling. Or he is betting on another serious attack that will cause us all to lose our brains again.

Hattip to Ezra.

Don't Fall In Love During the Primary

That is advice I am struggling to follow. I know that if I fall in love during the primary season I am very likely to have to support someone in the general election that makes me want to hold my nose. And I certainly have done that enough times so that I ought to learn.

That said, my favorite candidate is finally sniffing the air of "exploratory committee" land. In case you are curious

William Blaine Richardson was born in Pasadena, Calif. His father was an international banker from Boston; his mother was Mexican. He spent his early childhood in Mexico City, where his father worked for CitiBank. As a teenager, he attended a tony boarding school in Concord, Mass., where he was pitcher on the baseball team — a sport he follows closely to this day.

After graduating from Tufts University in 1971 with a master's degree in international affairs, Richardson worked first as a congressional aide and then for the State Department. He was a staffer for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when he decided to leave Washington in 1978 to launch a political career.

Richardson settled in New Mexico, partly because of the state's large Hispanic population. In 1980, after only two years in the state, he surprised political experts by coming within 1,000 votes of unseating veteran Republican Rep. Manuel Lujan, who would later serve as Interior Secretary. In 1982, Richardson was elected to the House and then was re-elected seven times.

In 1996, Clinton tapped Richardson to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, where he served until 1998, when he joined the Clinton cabinet as secretary of Energy. He was criticized by Congress during his two years at the helm of the Energy Department for his handling of alleged breaches of nuclear secrets and the botched case against Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee.

He was easily elected governor of New Mexico in 2002 and re-elected in November with 68 percent of the vote. While governor, Richardson has continued to keep a high profile nationally and served as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association as it expanded its ranks with wins across the country.

Politics

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