A little over a year ago, seven Democrats and seven Republicans banded together to hammer out the infamous "Gang of 14" deal on President Bush's Judicial nominations. I was on vacation at the time and I remember seething over my complimentary copy of "USAToday". I even clipped out the list of names so I could try and memorize the particular Senators that were involved. Of course, the ringleader was AZ Sen. John McCain.

All in all, while solid judicial candidates like Miguel Estrada were hosed in the deal, the long-term effects probably helped two Conservative Justices make it onto the Supreme Court - John Roberts and Samuel Alito.

Not content to simply wallow in their failure, many Democrat Senators are now throwing around the Filibuster idea yet again. Aside from re-energizing the Republican base, these ass-clowns are determined to show swing voters that they never learn how negatively such blatant partisanship hurts their party in the long-run.

After three years of limbo, Brett Cavanaugh's nomination to the D.C. Court of Appeals is coming to a vote before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. The editors at the WSJ's OpinionJournal.com look at how this may play out over the next few weeks.

"As for a filibuster, it's possible Democrats will hold fire on Mr. Kavanaugh in favor of filibustering Fourth Circuit nominee Terrence Boyle, whom Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist also wants to vote on by Memorial Day. Mr. Boyle, a federal judge in North Carolina, has been waiting even longer than Mr. Kavanaugh. He was in Mr. Bush's first group of nominees announced on May 9, 2001.

In either case, Republicans would then have the chance to resort to the "nuclear option" of changing Senate rules to do away with the filibuster against judicial nominees. A majority of 51 votes would be enough to confirm, which is what the Constitution's advice and consent power anticipates. A filibuster fight would be exactly the sort of political battle Republicans need to energize conservative voters after their recent months of despond. Senator Schumer, make Bill Frist's day."

"Last year we argued that the Republicans got the better of the filibuster compromise, and we think events have borne us out. But for strategic reasons, the GOP may want to go nuclear now, with an election just six months away. The filibuster compromise expires at the end of this Congress, so all Democrats will be free to join partisan filibusters again. And every Senate seat the Republicans lose is one fewer defection they can afford if the nuclear option comes to a vote.

As of this moment, Republicans appear more likely to lose Senate seats in November than to gain them. The University of Virginia's Larry Sabato rates only one race, Pennsylvania, as "leaning" against the incumbent party; Democratic challenger Bob Casey is favored to beat Republican incumbent Rick Santorum. An additional four seats are "toss-ups": Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Rhode Island. Three of these are held by Republicans, one by a Democrat.

If we assume that Pennsylvania switches, that the four toss-ups split evenly between the parties, and that all Sabato's other predictions pan out, the GOP will be left with a 53-47 Senate majority. If all four toss-ups go Democratic, the Republican majority would shrink to 51-49, almost certainly not enough to go nuclear, given that Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine have said they oppose the option."

Posted by: Gary at 11:40 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I came across this interesting piece in Time Magazine online by Liberal (and non-Bush fan) essayist Caitlin Flanagan who complains that the Democrat Party is pushing aside SAHMs (stay-at-hom moms) - including those that would normally vote for them.

"Most of the 60 million people who voted against George W. Bush have lifestyles more like mine than the Democratic Party would like to admit. Most of us aren't the Hollywood Elite or the nontraditional family. Many of us do what I do, which is go to church on Sunday, work hard and value my marriage. Again, it's not so much my party's platform that rejects the family; God help us all if Bush's brutality to the poor continues much longer. It's a small but very vocal minority, the Democratic pundits, who abhor what I represent because it doesn't fit the stereotypical image of the modern woman who has escaped from domestic prison. Fifty years ago, a stay-at-home mom who loved her husband would not automatically be assumed to be a Republican. The image of the Democratic Party that used to come to mind was of a workingman and his wife sitting at the kitchen table worrying about how they were going to pay the bills and voting for Adlai Stevenson because he was going to help them squeak by every month and maybe even afford to send their kids to college.

The Democrats made a huge tactical error a few decades ago. In the middle of doing the great work of the '60s--civil rights, women's liberation, gay inclusion--we decided to stigmatize the white male. The union dues--paying, churchgoing, beer-drinking family man got nothing but ridicule and venom from us. So he dumped us. And he took the wife and kids with him.

And now here we are, living in a country with a political and economic agenda we deplore, losing election after election and wondering why.

It's the contempt, stupid."

Posted by: Gary at 12:05 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Regular visitors know that a little less than two months ago I signed up with NetFlix. And for the most part, I'd say my expectations have been met. But silly clueless me wasn't aware at the time that the online DVD rental service was being sued by its customers for a practice known as "throttling" - delaying shipping of DVDs for frequent users.

On Monday, a settlement was announced in the class-action suit that bought off a huge number of plaintiffs by giving them one free month of service. This of course means that NetFlix is free to continue "throttling" customers just as long as they are "upfront" about it by burying it in their terms and conditions list.

This guy does a good overview of the situation. And here is a site that chronicles the trials and tribulations of Netflix. In a nutshell, here's the issue. The most popular NetFlix plan is $17.99 per month for "unlimited" DVDs - three at a time. The company figures that if a member gets nine DVDs during a given month then that works out to about $2.00 per title - an acceptable cost/benefit ratio for their bottom line. Any more than nine DVDs, however, and the number goes under $2.00 per title. If a member gets as many as fifteen that means NetFlix only earns $1.20 for each DVD that goes out the door (less than the total $1.56 shipping cost - .78 cents each way - to and from the member's mailing address).

So what's a poor little company to do? Well, first they can not acknowledge that they're received the DVD for an extra day or two. Then they can "process" it so late in the day that it takes two (or more) days to deliver your next DVD in queue. And on top of that, they can send the DVD from a distribution center farther away than they normally would. All of these activities can add up to stretch out the turnaround time. And it's all kept track by a computer system rather than live people. So it's nothing personal, right? And if the DVD in question is damaged or they send the wrong one it gets even worse.

Now the average person is not likely to go through so many DVDs in a given month, but it so happens that I'm watching all the past seasons of "24". Theoretically, I can get a four episode disc, watch all of the episodes in one night (though usually it's over two or three nights), and return it the next day.

NetFlix doesn't like that. I've already been living the consequences of fast viewing. A little less than two weeks ago, the last disc from the season that I was watching took a week to deliver. Screw that, I went to Blockbuster and picked up a copy.

***Update***
First thing this morning, I got a notification that they received a DVD that I had sent back and that they expected to ship the next title in queue today. Guess what? A few hours later, I was notified that it would ship Thursday (tomorrow) instead. Why the sudden change? I have a theory. Later this morning, they probably also received the one I mailed out Saturday morning, which set off bells and whistles and bumped the release of my next DVD. Not that they've acknowledged receiving the other one. I'll probably get a notice about that one tomorrow and it'll probably ship Friday at the earliest. See how this works?

The reason I suspect that they received the other one (but aren't telling me) is that it took three business days for me to get it in the first place (shipped Tuesday the 25th and received Friday the 28th). When you return a DVD, it goes back to the same distribution center it came from so it should take three days for NetFlix to get it back, no? Well, after watching it on Friday night, I mailed it early on Saturday the 29th at the post office and here we are three business days later - May 3rd. Coincidence? Hmmm.
***End Update***

***Update II (5/4/06)***
Ha! I knew it. First thing this morning, NetFlix notifies me they received the one I sent Saturday morning. If it really came in this morning, they wouldn't normally notify me until after 10:30am at the earliest - which means they probably had it in their hands yesterday, just as I figured. They say they'll ship the next title today. How much you want to bet they don't?

Oh and they keep dangling this extortion offer in front of me that tries to prod me into upgrading to the four-a-month plan: "Get another movie for only $3.39 and we'll send it Thursday". Why don't they just come out and say, "hey, we know you're desperate for us to get you that next title, so c'mon pay us a little more and you can have your precious "24" disc tomorrow. You know you want to"? The four-a-month plan is $23.99, six dollars more a month. If I'm that desperate to get that one extra disc sooner, I'd rather pay $4.75 to Blockbuster and have it today. Nice try, guys.
***End Update II***

NetFlix CEO Reed Hastings has got you right where he wants you - bent over.

So why am I bitching? Why don't I just cancel NetFlix and go with another service. Well, two reasons. First, it won't be long before I'm finished with "24" and I'll be going back to a "normal" pace for getting DVDs. Second, the competition isn't much better. All of them, except for GreenCine.com, resort to the "throttling" process and most have plenty of service complaints against them from dissatisfied members. While GreenCine promises not to "throttle" their customers, their selection is a lot smaller, the monthly fee higher and they admit that their turnaround for East Coast customers is slower than for West Coast customers.

Now I understand if you have a start-up operation (NetFlix began in 1999) and you're struggling to stay afloat until you get the necessary volume. But NetFlix pulled in $42 million in net profit last year. Far be it from me to criticize an enterprise for making money, that's the point isn't it? But it's bad business to increase profits at the expense of satisfied customers. NetFlix better be careful because they're in danger of losing a lot of good will that they've built up over the years. One of the reasons they are getting closer to reaching their goal of five million members is because of all the free advertising they get from people who sign up and get the royal treatment during the two-week free trial period.

But if they keep this crap up, a lot of people - myself included - are going to jump to other services and bad-mouth NetFlix to anyone who'll listen (or read). They may have pioneered the process, but it's not rocket science as to how they're able to do what they do. And the competition is only going to get tougher. Can you say digital downloads?

Posted by: Gary at 10:45 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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ABC cans "Commander-In-Chief".

The ratings were so bad they're not even going to show the final three episodes during May sweeps. Even in an April full of "ER" repeats, it went off the radar. In it's Thursday 10pm spot, ABC will air its newsmagazine "Primetime". The remaining new episodes will be played sometime during the summer, when no one is watching TV anyway.

Contrary to the Hollywood hand-wringing, I firmly believe America is ready for a female President. What they won't accept, however, is a Liberal bleeding-heart touchy-feely female President. The Left Coast will be mourning this one. No more President Allen. No more President Bartlet. Just two more years of Chimpy McBushitler. Even in the world of make-believe, they can't win. Heh.

More cowbell!!!

h/t: the Llama Butchers

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A couple of minutes ago, this blog rolled over into the six digit column in hits. And talk about irony, hit number 100,000 originated from France. I don't point this out as some kind of victory dance. I understand all too well what the driver is behind this number. A huge portion of those hits have come from weirdos in Europe and the Middle East doing Google image searches for Diane Lane, Melissa Theuriau and Elisabeth Shue. And, hey, I'm not above engaging in the occasional google chumming.

The fact is that I don't really have any particular traffic or exposure expectations, although I'm continually surprised at how fast those numbers have risen since February 2005. But what's always been the most important measurement to me is whether or not I enjoy doing this. I don't expect to be the driving force behind exposing some major screw up by the MSM. I don't expect to offer some "must read" post that everyone forwards to their friends and family around the country. And, frankly, I don't really care all that much whether or not I change any minds of those who disagree with me.

This site is, has always been, and will always be just a repository for my random thoughts and musings about things political, cultural and (at times) personal. Some of you may have noticed that the posting frequency has dropped off a bit lately. There are many reasons for this but the overriding one is that lately I've come down with a mild case of "idontgiveacrap-itis".

Now usually at this point, a long-time blogger will say "so I'm going to take a break" or "this blog is on hiatus". It happens all too frequently. Some bloggers even hit the proverbial wall and drop out altogether. That's not where I'm going with this, however. I just wanted to point out that, as with any form of writing, the juice ebbs and flows. Right now I'm kind of ebbing but at any time I could start flowing again.

I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of those folks who for some strange reason keep coming back to see what new nonsense I've posted. More importantly, I want to offer huge cyber hugs 'n kisses to those other bloggers who've steered traffic my way via links and trackbacks. It reminds me to try and be on my best behavior. :wink:

Posted by: Gary at 09:30 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Expect a run on your local Taco Bell soon.

For the love of God, people. Think about it!!!! Oh, the humanity!!

note: this was not photoshopped

Posted by: Gary at 09:17 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Uhhh, aren't Burritos a young burro? Hummmmm. I didn't want one anyhow

Posted by: TICKETPLEASE at May 02, 2006 08:37 AM (MF225)

2 Phew! If he would have held up a sign about no enchiladas, I would have broken out in a panic, and would have to do some serious soul-searching on where my loyalties stand.

Posted by: Wordsmith at May 02, 2006 03:52 PM (nrGCx)

3 Just stumbled here by link. This is the funniest blog name I've ever seen. I thought burritos were invented in San Fransisco.(CA.)

Posted by: Mike C. at May 06, 2006 10:46 PM (y6n8O)

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I came away from this movie with three main observations:

1) The film answers a lot of questions about what happened that day. There isn't anything revealing in terms of new information but rather it presents these events in a way that shares the perspectives of everyone involved just as it happened. Even though what took place on the plane was pieced together mostly from transcripts of phone conversations between passengers and their loved ones as well as recordings from the cockpit, everything else that took place with the air traffic controllers, the FAA and NORAD are all painstakingly laid out so that we get a feel for what was going on behind the scenes while the rest of us could only watch and listen to news reports.

You canÂ’t underscore enough how different a situation it was back then. Today, the idea of this kind of attack is so ingrained in our psyche as a reality of the world we live in. But before that day, the concept of a commercial aircraft being used as a weapon was inconceivable. It was a true sucker punch. While I canÂ’t imagine something like that ever happening again knowing what we know now, no one could have dreamed of it happening in the first place up until after that moment.

2) The film was very well done. Presented in real time, it represents the last 90 minutes in the lives of everyone aboard that plane. Even though we all know the ending, since the editing is so tight and the information presented in the same way as it unfolded during those moments we, the audience, almost feel like there is a slight chance that the result will be different. It's completely free of politics or finger-pointing. It's practically a documentary.

3) This is an extremely important film. Because the result wasn’t different. It was as horrible as we remember. And for those who see this movie, every emotion and memory you had from that day – no matter how much they have receded into your brain’s long-term storage - will come back to you. You will relive that morning. As painful as it may be, it’s important that we all do that.

The greatest value "United 93" offers is not so much a reminder to those who lived through it of what happened or the kind of enemy we face. Rather, it will better serve those too young to remember or who were not yet born. Because we will still be fighting this enemy in the decades to come. And they need to understand what happened that day; not as a couple of paragraphs in a social studies text but as it actually happened and what it meant for this country.

If you have kids who are now teenagers and better prepared to handle the intensity of these events, I recommend that they see it as well. Be aware that there is some violence aboard the plane and some harsh language used by those on the ground who are trying to come to grips with what's going on (a few f-bombs were dropped out of frustration by folks at NORAD). You know you're own kids best. If they can handle "Saving Private Ryan" they can handle this.

"United 93" came in #2 at the box office this weekend. But as was the case with "The Passion", I think that word of mouth will keep this film in the top five for the next month or two. Anyway, thems my two cents.

Posted by: Gary at 11:10 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Saw the film on Saturday but I've been away from the 'net. Soon as I get my bearings, I'll post the review.

Note - now that the "80's Crush Tournament" is over I will be featuring a weekly poll on whatever strikes my fancy in the sidebar. I'm leaving it where it is for now but I'll be moving it lower so keep an eye out for it.

UPDATE:
Welcome "Blue Crab Boulevard" readers! The review is HERE.

Posted by: Gary at 09:04 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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You're a wonder, Wonder Woman.

Congratulations to Lynda Carter, the Queen of the 80's Crush Tournament. Blondes may have more fun, but this brunette garnered the most admirers by nearly a two to one margin.

The Championship title couldn't have gone to a classier lady. Once when asked about the popularity of her Wonder Woman character she said "I'd like to think I had something to do with it, but it's a phenomenon unto itself. And it's not too bad to be a sort of pop icon, you know? It's not too tough to handle."

A pop icon indeed. And one who ushered in the era of puberty for many a young lad in the late seventies. As I mentioned in her first post, a crush on Lynda Carter transcended the seventies and carried over well in the eighties.

But what exactly is it about her that puts her at the head of the line? Lynda combines the perfect combination of sexy and sweet - the goddess and the girl next door.

It's a shame she didn't have more media exposure over the last twenty years. Lynda has the enduring kind of classic beauty that many associate with such screen legends as Rita Hayworth, who Lynda portrayed in a TV biopic.

I'll let you guys in on a bit of little-known trivia. In 1976, Lynda appeared in a relatively unknown film called "Bobby Jo And The Outlaw". In the film she did some topless scenes where she was skinny-dipping. There are screen captures out there if you want to do a Google image search.

Thanks to all who participated. To view the final Tournament bracket, click HERE.

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The editors at National Review Online cheer the Tony Snow appointment as WH Press Secretary. And they give Conservatives another reason to be up about this move by the White House:

"As former editorial editor of the Detroit News and the Washington Times, he is well versed in policy and understands his fellow conservatives. He wouldn't have been blindsided by the outcry against Harriet Miers or the Hill revolt over the Dubai ports deal. He shares conservatives' frustration with expansions in the government's size and scope. And he will bring important perspective to Bush aides, who at times appear out of touch with their supporters' sentiments, and have been unable to tell which criticisms of the president would have resonance and which wouldn't."

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A news release at scifi.com is announcing that there is a new series in the works to leech off the success of the current "Battlestar Galactica":

"Caprica would take place more than half a century before the events that play out in Battlestar Galactica. The people of the Twelve Colonies are at peace and living in a society not unlike our own, but where high-technology has changed the lives of virtually everyone for the better.

But a startling breakthrough in robotics is about to occur, one that will bring to life the age-old dream of marrying artificial intelligence with a mechanical body to create the first living robot: a Cylon. Following the lives of two families, the Graystones and the Adamas (the family of William Adama, who will one day become the commander of the Battlestar Galactica), Caprica will weave together corporate intrigue, techno-action and sexual politics into television's first science fiction family saga, the channel announced."

Look, I love "Battlestar Galactica" but this idea doesn't impress me at all. A prequel about "corporate intrigue, techno-action and sexual politics"? Sounds like a bad John Grisham novel with robots. There is only one event of the show's past that I could see creating a new series around and that's the first Cylon war. Short of that, why would anyone be interested? The popularity of the current show is based on the struggle for human survival. That's what keeps the viewers interested.

It's possible that this "idea" is only a trial balloon designed to gauge whether or not there would be any interest from the fans.

I'm hoping it goes away.

Posted by: Gary at 10:21 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Go away, idea. Quickly. We don't need no stinkin' prequel.

Posted by: Starbuck at April 28, 2006 09:27 AM (ZMwFa)

2 This "prequel" is as bad an idea as breaking up the Lee & Kara dynamic on the current series. Let's hope TPTB reconsider this "prequel" into the nearest trash bin or airlock.

Posted by: Skye at April 28, 2006 09:34 PM (CyqMo)

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And this one is a doozy. A family in Quebec is distraught over their deceased mother, but moreso than normal. It seems her head is missing.

"The family was preparing to bury the 68-year-old woman when they got a call from the funeral home in Boucherville.

Someone had broken in and mutilated the body, leaving it behind with no head."

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The largest number of scumbags ever rounded-up in a single effort was announced today by AG Alberto Gonzalez.

"The 'priority targets' arrested were fugitives wanted for committing sexual offenses and crimes of violence against women, children and the elderly, as well as unregistered convicted sex offenders, according to Justice Department officials."

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David Beamer, father of United Airlines passenger Todd Beamer who lost his life on that fateful flight, says the filmmakers "got it right". He wrote an Op-Ed in the WSJ Online today. He calls the film a wake-up call to a nation coming perilously close to forgetting the events of that day and enemy that we now face.

"There are those who would hope to escape the pain of war. Can't we just live and let live and pretend every thing is OK? Let's discuss, negotiate, reason together. The film accurately shows an enemy who will stop at nothing in a quest for control. This enemy does not seek our resources, our land or our materials, but rather to alter our very way of life.

I encourage my fellow Americans and free people everywhere to see 'United 93.'

Be reminded of our very real enemy. Be inspired by a true story of heroic actions taken by ordinary people with victorious consequences. Be thankful for each precious day of life with a loved one and make the most of it. Resolve to take the right action in the situations of life, whatever they may be. Resolve to give thanks and support to those men, women, leaders and commanders who to this day (1,687 days since Sept. 11, 2001) continue the counterattacks on our enemy and in so doing keep us safe and our freedoms intact.

May the taste of freedom for people of the Middle East hasten victory. The enemy we face does not have the word 'surrender' in their dictionary. We must not have the word 'retreat' in ours. We surely want our troops home as soon as possible. That said, they cannot come home in retreat. They must come home victoriously. Pray for them."

Hat tip: Libertas

Posted by: Gary at 02:31 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Drudge is reporting two pieces of information that have to make Liberals glum. First, the recent book release "Crashing The Gates" by Markos Moulitsas Zuniga (the force behind DailyKos) has sold...ahem...3,630 copies. Now you can argue that a book about blogging doesn't really have a market, but if you look at the success of Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds and his bestselling "An Army Of Davids" (both books were released in March), that won't fly. And with 3 million hits a day, you'd think at least some of his audience would pony up to pick up a copy, no?

Next we have radio. Air America continues to tank in the ratings, losing more than a third of its audience in the last year. Where's the market for gob-smacking Bush hatred? Even in NYC where Air America is broadcast from its flagship station WLIB, the best that afternoon drive time host Randi Rhodes can pull in is 27,000 listeners, down from 60,000 last fall.

I have some thoughts about these items. But first, a little Shadenfreude... more...

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I've read a lot of reax to Tony Snow's new gig. Hugh Hewitt gives a good assessment of what he brings to the job (calling it a great "free agency" signing):

"Including especially good humor and sharp intelligence. Perhaps the best thing about this appointment is the very hostile WH press corps is suddenly confronted by an individual who has already out achieved them in the world of media, which means he knows their tricks and he knows their vanities. There are some smart folks in the WH press room, but there are plenty of pretty faces as well, and they know that Snow is a whole lot smarter than they are."

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Human Events has ranked the Top 10 Most Liberal in the United States. Very few surprises other than some of the ranking. For example, Seattle was number ten but I would have figured it to be higher.

Go check out the list and rationale for the ranking. See if you can guess which was number one. Here's a hint: peace, love, dope.

Posted by: Gary at 08:52 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Notice how CA owned 1/5th of that list. No surprise. Interesting to see how the "Left Coast" had 4 cities which tied the East Coast's 4.

Posted by: .....Dan at April 26, 2006 06:22 PM (4hwtR)

2 "peace, love, dope." Isn't it a bit early to be posting your Christmas list?

Posted by: GroovyVic at April 28, 2006 05:32 AM (e7T9f)

3 I am in shock and awe that Philadelphia did NOT make this list!

Posted by: Skye at April 28, 2006 06:49 AM (CyqMo)

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UPDATE: 4/26/06 9:00am
It's all over but the official announcement, which comes this morning. Tony Snow is in as WH Press Secretary. This going to be fun.

Captain Ed makes an interesting observation:

"As other bloggers on the left have made clear, Tony has had his differences with this administration over the past five years. (Who hasn't?) Tony may have wanted to make sure that the next three years would bring policy efforts for which he could have great enthusiasm. I doubt Tony would have given up his lucrative positions at Fox and in syndication in order to represent policies in which he did not believe. His hiring may not have explicit policy implications, but it hints at some possible shifts."

It's looking more and more like this is going to happen. But then the story is from CNN, so you never know.

Here's my two cents (that nobody asked for). Generally, the White House Press Secretary is responsible for releasing information authorized by the Oval Office and to field questions from reporters. Now, having Tony Snow be that person may reinforce the idea to those on the Left that FoxNews belongs to the Bushies. Mark at Decision '08 has this exact reservation. Of course, that's unfair. Snow is a political analyst for FoxNews who makes no secret of his personal philosophy nor should he in his current capacity. He's supposed to offer opinion and take sides. If only the Liberal political commentators on cable news would be so honest.

But the bottom line is: who cares? Would the Left view ANY choice for this post as a "good choice"? I think not. They don't play nice. They don't think that they have to.

More and more, Liberal reporters are using press conferences to grandstand and couch their questions in such ridiculous ways. How many times has Scott McClellan had to deal with a "have you stopped beating your wife" type of question? And reporters like NBC's David Gregory won't accept answers that they don't like. Don't even get me started on Helen Thomas. White House press conferences have been a joke lately; simply opportunities for reporters to try to score points against the Administration and make unsubstantiate insinuations. Rush Limbaugh hasn't dubbed them the "drive-by media" for nothing.

Well, Tony Snow is not going to stand for that crap. He'll be composed. He'll be polite. He'll be professional.

But he also know how to make these assclowns look stupid when they ask stupid questions. If this pans out, I look forward to seeing clips from these press conferences instead of wincing while the White House Press Corps plays "beat up on the fat kid".

I think the Administration is finally learning that they can't win with these people. It's important to be civil but it's time they went on the offense.

Posted by: Gary at 10:30 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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In what was the closest margin of any of these match-ups, Lynda Carter has triumphed over Elisabeth Shue by 2 votes. Now on to the Championship Round.

In this corner, wearing the blue shorts with white stars, we have:

And in this corner, sporting the leopard-skin one-piece bathing suit, we have:

Both of these lovely ladies are roughly of the same vintage, have baby blue eyes, hail from the Southwestern U.S and each found fame on television as opposed to the movies. This is as tough a match-up as you get. It's the blonde v. the brunette.

Let's get ready to...RUMBLE! Voting continues through noon on Friday.

View updated Tournament bracket HERE.

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Natan Sharansky, author of the excellent book "The Case For Democracy", penned an Op-Ed in the WSJ's OpinionJournal.com today. Sharansky, who spent nine years in a Soviet Gulag, calls President Bush a dissident.

"He is a man fired by a deep belief in the universal appeal of freedom, its transformative power, and its critical connection to international peace and stability. Even the fiercest critics of these ideas would surely admit that Mr. Bush has championed them both before and after his re-election, both when he was riding high in the polls and now that his popularity has plummeted, when criticism has come from longstanding opponents and from erstwhile supporters.

With a dogged determination that any dissident can appreciate, Mr. Bush, faced with overwhelming opposition, stands his ideological ground, motivated in large measure by what appears to be a refusal to countenance moral failure."

"Today, we are in the midst of a great struggle between the forces of terror and the forces of freedom. The greatest weapon that the free world possesses in this struggle is the awesome power of its ideas.

The Bush Doctrine, based on a recognition of the dangers posed by non-democratic regimes and on committing the United States to support the advance of democracy, offers hope to many dissident voices struggling to bring democracy to their own countries. The democratic earthquake it has helped unleash, even with all the dangers its tremors entail, offers the promise of a more peaceful world."

Posted by: Gary at 09:50 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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