Straight Talk Express Blows Another Tire

I think it's pretty safe to say that being a "front-runner" in the 2008 presidential race has become more of a liability than an asset for candidates in both parties. Sure, they have leading poll numbers now, but were still so very far from the actual primaries, which gives the public plenty of time to soak in baskets upon baskets of dirty laundry, so to speak.

Check out the latest hiccup for the McCain campaign (below)...this could be a big deal if it spreads to more mainstream news sources and gains legitimacy in the eyes of the republican base. Oh, McCain, McCain, McCain. You just can't win can you, both figuratively and literally?

'Democrats Say McCain Nearly Abandoned GOP'
(TheHill.com, 03/29/07)

Internet Lesson #439 - Don't Cross A Web Designer

It appears that for a short period of time on Tuesday this special message appeared on John McCain's MySpace page...

I really wish I would have seen this before knowing the explanation behind it, because I think the shock would have ultimately resulted in my pants being ruined. The explanation, as Keith Olbermann's blog states, is that "the site was hacked over a breach of netiquette by McCain's web people, who were using a free page template without giving credit, and 'hotlinking' images from the designer's site, using his bandwidth."

The best part...the guy responsible openly discusses the entire incident on his website. Somebody needs to give this guy an award for 'Most Hilarious Copyright Infringement-Related Revenge'.

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment: DeLay's Delusions

[From the March 27th broadcast of Countdown with Keith Olbermann, airing weeknights at 8pm on MSNBC]

_____________________________________________________

The quote, with the context sucked out from around it, is astonishing.

In a new book, former Republican leader of the House Tom DeLay writes, “Liberals have finally joined the ranks of scoundrels like Hitler.”

But, restore the context, as with anything else, and you change the meaning of any quote.

In this case, you make it worse.

Mr. DeLay is comparing how he’s been treated to how the world was treated by Hitler and the Nazis.

The book is called “No Retreat, No Surrender: One American’s Fight.” It has been officially out for nearly two weeks, and it has not cracked The New York Times top 30. So the fact of this one quotation, first noted only last week by The Jewish Daily Forward, could have easily slipped through the cracks.

But even though nobody seems to be reading his book, Mr. DeLay is nonetheless referring to what he calls a lie — the accusation that he violated campaign-finance laws in Texas, for which he was indicted.

And on page 156 he writes:

I believe it was Adolf Hitler who first acknowledged that the big lie ...

Look, stop right there, Mr. DeLay.

If you’re going to throw around Hitler’s name, research the reference, huh? As suggested on The Huffington Post, we have many useful Internet search engines now.

If you type in “Big Lie, Hitler” into the one called “Google,” you get 1,320,000 results.

I believe it was Adolf Hitler who first acknowledged that the big lie is more effective than the little lie, because the big lie is so audacious, such an astonishing immorality, that people have a hard time believing anyone would say it if it wasn’t true.

You know, the big lie — like the Holocaust never happened or dark-skinned people are less intelligent than light-skinned people. Well, by charging this big lie about money laundering, liberals have finally joined the ranks of scoundrels like Hitler.

OK, where do we start here? Let’s try the gentlest interpretation.

Mr. DeLay believes that the accusation that he violated Texas campaign finance laws is on some kind of par with claims that light-skinned people are more intelligent than dark-skinned people.

Now that’s the gentlest one.

The somewhat less kind interpretation? He’s equating anybody, charging him — just him — with anything, even if it were a lie, with the Nazis.

Just by going after Tom DeLay, you are like that old “scoundrel” Hitler.

So Tom DeLay is as important as — what? — democracy in 1930s Germany?

Poland in 1939?

The Jewish people?

So Mr. DeLay, go back to your Google and type in the name “Tom DeLay” and the phrase “Delusions of Grandeur.”

And you get 11,500 results.
_____________________________________________________

A Step Forward...

'House 218 to 212, Votes to Set Date for Iraq Pullout'

(New York Times, 03/24/07)

Is Someone Gearing Up For A 'Head of State' Sequel?

Wait for the last line, it's totally worth it.

Four Years And Counting...

It's moments like these that really make me hope the
Biden presidential campaign will grow legs.

'Funny Because It's True' 200th Post !!!

Wow...200 posts in just under a year, not too shabby. To celebrate this occasion, I've gone through all 200 posts from 'Funny Because It's True' and selected my ten favorite posts. Enjoy!

#10. It's Sideburns (01/24/07)

#9. Dela-where? (04/06/06)

#8. It's Like Music...With Video (01/18/07)

#7. Progress in New Jersey...Shame in Virginia (02/18/07)

#6. 2006 Summer Movie Season Wrap-Up (09/08/06)

#5. I Love NY (12/13/06)

#4. A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Clicks (04/16/06)

#3. The People Have Spoken (11/08/06)

#2. A Knight To Remember (11/11/06)

#1. Welcome to the Fun (03/23/06)

Give This Woman An Oscar!!!

Hey Judge...last time I checked, a person's eyes
aren't located on the back of their head.

The 'FOX' Strikes Again

I'm no longer surprised by how incredibly biased Fox "News" Channel is, but I still can't get passed moments like these where Fox News consciously decides that lies are their best option for "reporting" a news story their way...

Hmmm...the last time I checked, being found GUILTY of four out of five counts of perjury and/or obstruction of justice is, by it's very essence, the opposite of being found "NOT GUILTY". Then again, there are always two sides to every story, so even though most news channels reported that Scooter Libby was found guilty, it's perfectly normal for Fox News to report the opposite...oh wait, did I say 'normal'? I meant to say completely irresponsible, unprofessional, and simply despicable.

By the way...is there irony to be found in the fact that Fox News lied about whether someone was found guilty or not guilty of lying? So many lies...my head hurts.

Best. DVD. Ever.

Buy this moviefilm!

Vice President McCain?

No, I'm not talking about John McCain being the Vice Presidential running mate to the 2008 Republican nominee...I'm talking about Senator McCain becoming the Vice President within the next few months. I wish I could claim that I have some sort of insider info here, but this is all just a collection of various puzzle pieces, if you will, that I've observed over the past weeks and months that just might fit together. Take a look at the pieces, and decide for yourself...

• President Bush's approval ratings are somewhere around the low 30's and have been there for quite some time; additionally, more than 64% of the country does not support the current Iraq policy and instead approve of a withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.
  
• Several media outlets have reported of a growing suspicion that a professional and personal rift has developed between Vice President Cheney and President Bush, originating with the results of the 2006 election and the firing of Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense.
• Vice President Cheney has been conveniently traveling oversees the past few weeks, away from the White House during an important period of policy development regarding the situation in Iraq; for example, last week's decision to finally begin talking with Syria and Iran was reportedly influenced by pressure from Condoleeza Rice and the absence of Dick Cheney.
• Vice President Cheney has had a history of health problems, including his most recent hospital trip today for a potential blood clot problem.
• Over the past few weeks, McCain has been extremely vocal regarding his belief that the blame for the mistakes of the Iraq War rest in the lap of Vice President Cheney, and less so in the lap of President Bush.
• McCain has arguably been the strongest supporter of President Bush's troop surge plan for Iraq.
  

When you string all of these observations together, you potentially get the following picture:

[An unpopular President Bush that desperately needs to shed negative attention and change the public perception of his administration and his Iraq policy]
+
[An extremely unpopular Vice President Cheney that has taken a large helping of criticism for the problems in Iraq, that may have become isolated within the administration, that has a history of health problems that would make for a convenient exist from the White House]
+
[A presidential candidate John McCain that has become the loudest cheerleader for all things President Bush, that has become the loudest critic of all things Dick Cheney, that desires to find a way to get a leg up in a presidential primary that has no incumbent candidate]
=

[A Vice Presidential replacement of Dick Cheney with John McCain]

Now, if I'm right about this, I expect MSNBC to give me my own political talk show (they can put me in Tucker's current time slot, since he basically spends 60 minutes talking out of his ass). And if I'm wrong...we'll just assume the White House read this blog post and decided to change course just to make me look foolish.

[UPDATE: The jury is out, and Scooter Libby has been convicted of four of five counts and will face up to 30 years in prison plus fines...yet another straw on the vice presidential camel's back?]

Oh Simple Thing, Where Have You Gone?

Thanks to an MTV without much time devoted to the 'M', I feel like we really don't get a chance to see music videos as often as we used to. Moreover, I can't seem to get Keane's Somewhere Only We Know out of my head...so my goal is twofold: contribute to the music video watching culture and get Keane's song stuck in everyone else's head. Enjoy!