How Long Has This Election Been Going On?

This SNL skit is from one year ago:



Geez, this campaign's been going on for too long.

Happy Halloween, everyone. Enjoy your weekend.

The Barack Obama Show

Just in case you missed it... or if you want to see it again, like I do, here's Barack Obama's 30-minute spot from last night.



On "Morning Joe" today, Mika Brzezinski called it "a visual scented candle," which is pretty funny. But at the risk of sounding sappy (and I'm obviously biased), isn't some optimism refreshing? Is it so wrong to feel inspired by a candidate?

At this point, if you're still saying you don't know what Obama stands for, you're just not paying attention. And maybe willfully so.

W: A Four-Sentence Movie Review

It's probably a bit too cute to wonder whether or not Oliver Stone has, well, lost his stones, but his last two films - World Trade Center and, now, W - haven't had much of what I like to call "whacked out Oliver Stone shit" in them, with no acid-tripped cuts or close-ups, long monologues, or seemingly warped, demented insights into his characters. But with these two most recent films, depicting events so fresh in our history and memory, perhaps there just isn't enough distance from them, leaving Stone without the time or inclination to create whatever theories or attacks might normally brew in his mind (though he was apparently leaning that way at one point), and I think that's reflected in the film's rather open ending.

Having said that, I still enjoyed this movie quite a bit, largely because of the acting (Josh Brolin is great as George W. Bush, portraying him as something of a buffoon, but also as someone who eventually believes he may have found a calling, even if it's taken him to a place where he's in way over his head; Richard Dreyfuss is sufficiently menacing and manipulative as Dick Cheney, especially when it comes to making the case for war; but I still haven't figured out if Thandie Newton's version of Condoleezza Rice, in which she almost comes off as a stroke victim and supreme ass-kisser, is brilliant caricature or a SNL-like parody that doesn't fit with the rest of the cast) but also because it gives political junkies a "greatest hits" re-telling of the last six to eight years, confirming much of the bellicosity, megalomania and arrogance that we've perceived from the Bush administration.

Stone attempts to be accurate in this film (something he presumes to care about, judging from these footnotes at the movie's official website) - and perhaps more fair than haters would've liked him to be, though plenty of cheap shots are taken - but his attempt at an overarching view of Bush, to figure out the man through the events and people that may have shaped him, also causes him to overlook two key events that will surely dictate this president's legacy - 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina - yet haven't been studied and investigated as thoroughly as the administration's march to war, which further cements the sentiment that a story that is still being told, whose ending has yet to be finalized, probably shouldn't have been told quite yet.

Regrets? I've Had a Few

For instance, I could come to regret not seeing John Hodgman read from his new book at Borders here in Ann Arbor last night.



For those who would like to say "I told you so," the line starts off to the right. Keep your reprimands brief; I'm a sensitive man.

I know, I know. Look, it was for my own good. I didn't have the strength to walk into Borders and not buy a copy of his book. I have too much to read already. Way too much. Went a little bit crazy with the purchases after baseball season ended.

The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread That You Could Eat With Sliced Bread!

Ah, now this is the clip from this weekend's SNL that I wanted to post here. Thanks, Hulu.

This week, SNL didn't stink after the opening sketch. And I think we have Mad Men's Jon Hamm to thank for that. This guy might have a future in comedy.



Man, it's a good thing I didn't have my credit card nearby when that sketch ran!

Now, if I could put a Jon Hamm's John Ham roll on one of those iPod toilet paper dispensers, I might not have a reason to leave the commode some nights. (Full disclosure: I would need to redesign my bathroom to have two walls around my toilet. Maybe I could just set the paper on the floor.)

Or maybe I could install a roller inside my refrigerator. But then I wouldn't have ham I can eat in the bathroom.

And Boar's Head really does make good deli meat. That would be good ham.

Here's a Political Ad I Wish Would Run in Michigan

Everyone's coming out to support Barack Obama.



Poor Dookie. I know the feeling.

Has it really been eight years since these ads were on TV? (And eight years since I annoyed my co-workers at Borders by often saying "Wassaaaaaaaaap?" when I picked up the phone? How did no one punch me in the face?)

By the way, this would be way better than the nasty anti-Obama PAC ads that are running in Michigan right now.

Help Me With the Ladies, Don Draper!

Apparently, the whole "Ian Casselberry" thing isn't working for me. According to Don Draper, anyway...



I'm going over Mr. Draper's checklist now. Dressing like a 20-year-old college kid probably doesn't help me much either. Maybe I could drink and smoke more... ?

SNL had a pretty good Mad Men parody, as well, if you missed it.

Today's Fortune Cookie Wisdom

"A financial investment will yield returns beyond your hopes."

What, is Jim Cramer doing fortune cookies now?

This is a good time to get into the stock market, they say.

What do you call those things firefighters use to catch jumpers? Trampolines? Life nets? Is there a publicly traded company that makes those things? With the way the economy is going, that could be a good investment. Hmm...

Why My Face is Frequently in My Palm

Earlier this week, I mentioned on both my Google Talk status message and Twitter feed that I was "working on a zen-like calm." Two friends have asked me what that was all about. While this video isn't directly the cause of it, the sentiment expressed by the woman from Virginia is at the root of my need to simma down now.



Here's the full clip from PBS' NOW, which provides a better context. The woman's husband is still trying to decide who he'll vote for.

This is almost a follow-up to my post about Bill Maher's Religulous. I understand the value religion can hold in people's lives. But when it's used to justify a horribly narrow and deliberately divisive worldview, and to mask ignorance and bigotry, I just can't abide by that. And it gives others people of faith a terrible name.

My father, a Lutheran, was a deeply religious man. Toward the end of his life, he was conflicted about his church's lack of inclusiveness in certain matters. He would be disgusted by this.

And during this 2008 presidential election, that kind of mentality has somehow become the view of the Republican party. At least for those still on board the sinking ship of the McCain campaign.

After November 4, I hope I don't have to hear much more of this thinly veiled prejudice. Or I hope I just won't pay attention and let it get to me.

(via Andrew Sullivan)

In Other News... They Were Still Making Zima?

Remember Zima? Maybe not, if you're under 30.

Otherwise, it's okay to admit you at least tried it that one time. The bottles looked kind of cool, after all. And it was kind of the ancestor of all the hard lemonade, "alcopop" drinks out there nowadays.

But when's the last time you saw it in the beer cooler of your favorite grocery store, let alone someone drinking it? Apparently, however, it was still available. That is, until two weeks ago.

MillerCoors LLC says goodbye to Zima.

The joint venture between SABMiller's U.S. unit and Molson Coors Brewing Co. told distributors in a letter Monday that production of the malt liquor beverage was discontinued as of Oct. 10.

Chief Marketing Officer Andy England says the decision was due to weakness in the "malternative" segment and declining consumer interest.

HA! "Malternative." Well, we still have wine coolers.

(via The Stew)

Religulous: A Four-Sentence Movie Review

My favorite types of people tend to be those who are intellectually curious, who realize that they might not know much about a particular subject and thus try to learn more about it (as Sarah Vowell said in a recent interview, "Why wouldn't you want to be as smart as you can?"), so I was pretty envious of Bill Maher getting himself a director and film crew and touring the world in an attempt to understand various religions and the people who put such credence in them.

As funny as this movie was when Maher either got an unexpectedly candid response from one of his interview subjects or brought light to some of the more, shall we say, extreme belief systems that have been created in the name of worship, it also seems disingenuous of him to say "I don't know" and use it as the fundamental premise of his opposition to what he sees as the blind allegiance of organized religion, but then acting like the smartest guy in the room when he's talking to someone about their faith.

Have you ever had an argument or discussion with someone whose views you knew just weren't going to change, who can barely even bother to acknowledge the other side, no matter what was said?

Ultimately, that's what prevented me from absolutely loving Religulous, despite my sharing many of Maher's views on the divisiveness that organized religion has caused in our culture and society at-large, a yearning to understand those differences, and an envy of those who can lean upon their faith to make some sense of the world they live in.

What's To Be 'Undecided' About?

I was just saying to someone the other day, "How can anyone be undecided at this point? The election is two weeks away!" Fortunately, David Sedaris put it much more eloquently (and humorously) in the New Yorker:

I don’t know that it was always this way, but, for as long as I can remember, just as we move into the final weeks of the Presidential campaign the focus shifts to the undecided voters. “Who are they?” the news anchors ask. “And how might they determine the outcome of this election?”

Then you’ll see this man or woman— someone, I always think, who looks very happy to be on TV. “Well, Charlie,” they say, “I’ve gone back and forth on the issues and whatnot, but I just can’t seem to make up my mind!” Some insist that there’s very little difference between candidate A and candidate B. Others claim that they’re with A on defense and health care but are leaning toward B when it comes to the economy.

[...]

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

Look, I can understand being conflicted (even if I think the choice is high-definition clear). I don't know who to root for in the World Series between the Phillies and Rays. So you have two more weeks to figure it out.

But do the undecideds just want attention, like "Joe the Plumber"? (Okay, that's probably a bad example.) Or does that "undecided" really mean something else when it comes to Barack Obama? (I hate being that cynical.)

A Four-Star Endorsement That Deserves a Salute

I've gotten much better over the past six months with articulating exactly why I support Barack Obama. (One of the first times I really explained my feelings on the subject was to my family in Malaysia.) I haven't truly put it into words here, and I plan on doing so at some point over the next two weeks.

But today, if I was struggling to detail exactly why I think Obama should be the next President of the United States, I might just play this clip from Colin Powell's appearance on Meet the Press. Gen. Powell voices Obama's appeal perfectly - even better than Andrew Sullivan did at the end of last year, which I wasn't sure was possible.

If you're still trying to decide who to vote for, please watch this. And if this is preaching to the choir, well... what's wrong with a little affirmation? (Especially when it was given on Sunday morning! Can I get an "Amen"?)



It's reassuring to hear a public figure - Democrat or Republican - acknowledge just how divisive the McCain campaign has been with its xenophobic rhetoric, trying to provoke fears of "the other," instead of keeping the discussion civil and issue-driven. (Here is the photo Gen. Powell was referring to, the one that invoked such strong feelings against the polarization that seems to be the current GOP platform.)

I'm also troubled by, not what Sen. McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said, such things as, "Well, you that know Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian.

But the really right answer is: What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

I don't know about you, but I stood up in my living room this morning and clapped when I heard that. It shouldn't be like this in America. We can have disagreements, but there's still far too much fear and hatred in pockets throughout this country, much of it fueled (and provoked) by ignorance. We should be better than that. And we can be. But as Rage Against the Machine once put it (and man, does that name ring true these days), it has to start somewhere, it has to start sometime... what better time than now?

Believe it or not, Powell came out even stronger later on in the day, when he talked to reporters afterwards. He sounds like a man who wonders what the hell happened to his party. And maybe, just maybe, Powell is seeking a bit of redemption after being duped by the Bush administration into selling the Iraq war to the United Nations back in 2003.

Combine Powell's endorsement with news of the Obama campaign raising $150 million (!!) in September and drawing a crowd of 100,000 in St. Louis, and it just hasn't been a very good weekend for the McCain campaign. (Unless you think Gov. Mooseburger did well on SNL.)

Here's the full transcript of Powell's interview with Tom Brokaw.

The Samberg-Wahlberg Feud Continues

After sounding like a man who doesn't have much of a sense of humor about Andy Samberg's imitation of him (maybe having to promote a movie like Max Payne has something to do with that), Mark Wahlberg stopped by SNL and showed that maybe he can laugh at himself, after all.



Yeah, I know everyone's talking about Gov. Mooseburger's appearance on the show. Okay, maybe she showed she's a good sport. But c'mon, was she really that funny or was it everyone else around her? Any publicity is good publicity, I suppose. (Unless you're with the McCain campaign and watched Meet the Press this morning, that is.)

That sounded cranky of me, didn't it? Hopefully, the cure for that fever comes in 16 days.

Watch Out for Those Terriers, Muslins, and Jers

I don't know if anyone else expected the "Crazy McCain Rally Lady" (the one who said she couldn't trust Barack Obama because she believes he's "an Arab") to pop up on SNL's "Weekend Update Thursday," but I sure didn't see that coming. But thanks to Hulu.com, we all get to see it again.

The clip runs a bit long (and includes other stuff), so if you're pressed for time, the Republican nominee's enlightened supporter interrupts Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers's newscast between the 1:14 and 4:04 marks.



Brilliant! And much funnier than anything in the presidential debate parody that began the program. Kristen Wiig is a national treasure. She nailed that clueless, somewhat disheartened "No... ?" perfectly. If SNL gave her the chance, I get she could do a better Obama than Fred Armisen, too.

Late Night with Barack Obama

If Barack Obama becomes President of the United States, I can only hope that his State of the Union addresses go something like this:



Making a Superman reference will always go a long way with me, Senator.

John McCain also had his chance to roast at last night's Al Smith Dinner. I'm obviously biased, so I thought he was more mean-spirited and less funny, but you can see that clip here.

Finally, a note to MSNBC: I'm a fan, but "Breaking News" for that? Really? C'mon.

20 Years Ago, Gibby Gave Us Greatness

I'm a day late on this, but... has it really been 20 years since Kirk Gibson's home run off Dennis Eckersley?



Vin Scully's call - "High fly ball into right field... she is GONE!" - still gives me chills to this day. (Jack Buck's "I don't believe what I just saw!" is great too, capturing the sheer exuberance of the moment, but I love Scully's understated awe just a bit more.)

Even if it was a bittersweet note for Detroit Tigers fans, watching "our guy" in another uniform, helping his new team toward an eventual World Series victory, and perhaps making us feel something like seeing an ex-girlfriend with a new man (or ex-boyfriend with a new woman; we're equal opportunity melancholy here), did you feel great for Kirk Gibson? Did you feel envious of the Dodger fans? Did you just love baseball?

If you watched the game at the time, the anticipation building up to that moment was incredible, too. Would the guy that helped carry the Dodgers to this point, the man who eventually was awarded the National League MVP that season, be able to bite down and tell pain to go sit down while he walked to the plate to bat against the best closer in baseball?

Gibby's homer was also a testament to the vital importance of scouting, with Mel Didier's infamous advice, "Partner, as sure as I'm standing here breathing, Eckersley throws a backdoor slider on 3-2." With that in his pocket, Gibson just had to flip his bat at that pitch. How did the ball go that far with that kind of swing?

I still remember my phone ringing as soon as the Dodgers celebrated victory. It was Aaron Thompson, with whom I had a bet on the World Series, picking the Oakland Athletics to win. (Yet I'd won our previous bet, picking the Dodgers to beat the Mets in the National League Championship Series. Go figure.) "Did you just see that!" he screamed into the phone. I couldn't even be upset. I was too amazed. Ah, gambling among youth...

Former baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti once wrote of the game, "It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart." For the Dodgers fan, is there no more vivid example of this than remembering this great moment on the same day your team was unceremoniously eliminated from the 2008 NLCS?

Here's a look back at one of the great moments in World Series history, courtesy of MLB.com.

Paul Krugman Should've Gotten a Prize for This, Too

In honor of Paul Krugman winning the Nobel Prize for Economics yesterday, let's post this clip of him arguing with Bill O'Reilly on Tim Russert's MSNBC interview show. I remember watching this on a Saturday afternoon in my Iowa apartment four years ago and howling at O'Reilly's bullying histrionics. (The captions are supplied by Jim Gilliam.)



I love that O'Reilly attempts to explain what a recession is to a man who happens to be a professor of Economics at Princeton University. His supremely clueless arrogance is astounding. From there, O'Reilly tries to intimidate his point across by just yelling louder. But if you're already familiar with Bill-O, you know that's what he does.

Unfortunately, the part where Krugman really gets under O'Reilly's skin by saying "this isn't your show; you can't cut my mic" is mostly cut out. You hear Krugman say that, but don't see O'Reilly's "Hey, that's a cheap shot, pal!" reaction.

If you're curious about the work that got Krugman the Nobel Prize, Justin Fox of TIME magazine blogged about an article he wrote nine years ago that detailed those theories.

McCain Salvages His Soul?

I'm a couple of days late with this, but surely, you've already heard that John McCain had to talk down a couple of his supporters at a campaign rally Friday night in Minnesota, telling them that their fear-mongering (which has been unquestionably provoked by him and Gov. Mooseburger) was misplaced, and finding himself in the awkward position of having to defend the opponent he'd been savaging at every opportunity.

I read Ana Marie Cox's account of this incident at TIME.com, which described an escalation of the anger and fear that was increasingly being expressed at McCain events throughout the week, but wanted to see some video before posting something about this particular outburst. Fortunately, Talking Points Memo had clips later in the evening:



I don't know how else to say it: This is some horrifying shit. The ignorance and deep-seated prejudice expressed by the two people in that video is almost beyond comprehension. (I say "almost," because I think we all knew these feelings existed in some circles; it's still just jolting to hear it voiced.)

What does that woman (and I won't mention her name, but it's been reported) mean when she says she doesn't trust Obama because she believes he's "an Arab"? (Reportedly, she actually said "Arab terrorist," which I suppose makes her statement a bit less blatantly racist, and also might help to explain McCain's response, which might not otherwise have seemed particularly enlightened in itself.)

What exactly are those people afraid of? What do they imagine is going to happen if/when Barack Obama is elected to the presidency? What might they be capable of doing if their irrational worst fears are suddenly realized?

Four years ago, after the 2004 election, I expressed my dismay at how culturally and morally divided the country seemed to be. I think we've all come to realize that the schism wasn't as pronounced as it appeared back then, but there are still clearly some fissures between certain factions in our society, and it's getting ugly on the other side, man.

It's one thing to disagree with a politician based on policy or ideological differences. If you don't support Obama because you think he'll raise your taxes or take away your guns, that's a disagreement. But to believe he's a terrorist, as if he was some Manchurian Candidate-like sleeper agent just waiting for orders to carry out jihad, which was the accusation being leveled at McCain events throughout last week, is based on nothing but xenophobia.

Misguided indignation plus anger times ignorance is a dangerous equation.

And what we saw from McCain on Friday night, trying to bring some civilization to a festering mob (and getting booed for it by several of his supporters), appeared to be a realization that this has gone too far and a campaign that had become based on inciting fear had lost its way. At least that's what I hope. I'd love to believe that McCain went back to his bus after that rally, sat in a corner alone, and just put his head in his hands, wondering where it all went wrong.

Or maybe I've just seen too many movies. But if this article from The Times (London) is to be believed, perhaps rediscovering his civility is also causing friction within his campaign. And maybe, just maybe, he realizes that teaming up with Sarah Palin, who packages sarcasm and hatred in that perky folksiness/feigned normalcy of hers, while barely concealing her ruthless ambition for power, was a huge mistake.

McCain has long seemed like someone who had sold his soul to achieve his ultimate goal. Maybe now he's seen what that has truly cost him.

Interview with the Blogger

Please indulge me for a little bit of cross-blogging today. Patrick Hayes from MLive.com's It's Just Sports blog asked if I'd like to participate in their "Better Know a Blogger" series of interviews, perhaps knowing that I kind of enjoy talking about myself.

But even if he didn't have that intuition, he's already talked to Natalie of Need4Sheed and Kevin from SideLion Report, and I'm happy to be included with them.

If you're not into the Detroit Tigers, our chat might not interest you. Consider yourself warned. Topics of discussion include the position changes for Brandon Inge and Carlos Guillen, what moves Dave Dombrowski might make this off-season, and some quick thoughts on several Tigers. And if you're interested, we talk a bit about my background, my approach to blogging, and favorite Tigers memories. Patrick asked some great questions that were really fun to answer.

Please click on over to the interview, if you're so inclined, and tell us what you think. And thanks to It's Just Sports for including me in their interview series. Have a great weekend!

Marky Mark Gets Marked

Tina Fey's channeling of Sarah Palin (it's so much more than an impersonation now) gets all the attention on Saturday Night Live - and rightly so - but this past weekend's show was the first with a couple of other skits that were worth watching. Since The Happening is being released on DVD (which won't be "happening" on my Netflix queue, if you know what I'm sayin' - HA!), it seems like a good time to post "Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals."



Who could blame the goat for keeping its mouth shut about The Perfect Storm? That movie stunk. (I would've said "baaaaad," but, you know, wrong animal.)

Andy Samberg's comedic gifts are often lost on me, but I'd totally watch him in a re-remake of Planet of the Apes as Wahlberg. (He was funny in this digital short, too.)

Say hi to your mother for me, okay?

'Everything is Amazing Right Now... and No One is Happy'

Let's take a bit of a mental break from Mooseburger target practice, courtesy of Louis C.K. He appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien last week, with some particularly astute observations at how unhappy we seem to be as a culture, despite the amazing innovations we're surrounded by each day.



Yeah... I loathe air travel, so I know I've been that guy complaining about delays.

So I'm envious of Rob, who's going to see Louis C.K. in East Lansing on Thursday. That should be a fun show. And what's with his newest comedy special being on Showtime, instead of HBO? Do I have to change my premium cable subscriptions? Showtime's looking much better than HBO lately. Even Louis C.K. would have to give me that.

Tina Fey Sends Little Starbursts

I think we're actually getting to the point where anything SNL can do to make fun of Gov. Mooseburger isn't quite as funny as the real thing. But thankfully, they'll keep trying because Tina Fey is totally locked in now. What a maverick.

Once again, for those who didn't see last night's opening sketch, here you are:



Did that skit make you sit up a little straighter on your couch? You betcha.

Whomever had the idea to cast Queen Latifah as Gwen Ifill should at least get a pat on the back. If only Ifill really made the same bewildered expressions that the Queen kept flashing at Fey. And a pretty nice job by Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden, though the writing made his impression much better than the actual impersonating.

Is SNL really off next week? Oh, wait - they'll be doing Thursday shows up until the election. Maverick-y!

Mooseburger Meets Marge

Gunderson, that is. Not Simpson. And how many of you thought of Brainerd, Minnesota's Police Chief the first time you heard Gov. Mooseburger speak?



If aliens came to my front door and asked me what the big deal was about YouTube, this might be the first example I'd give them.

(via Andrew Sullivan)

The Horror! The Horror!

My immediate reaction after last night's vice-presidential debate - much to the surprise of those I spoke with, post-mortem - was that Gov. Mooseburger (Hey, can I call you Mooseburger?) held up under the spotlight. Of course, I was half-expecting her to spark, sputter, and shut down with smoke coming out of her ears in a meltdown of incompetence at some point.

What we all should've expected was what we got: a talking points sputtering robot (Energy! Maverick!) who was going to say what she wanted, and convey the image she wanted to portray, regardless of what the debate called for. I don't know whether it showed candor or naivete for Gov. Mooseburger to just outright admit that she wasn't going to answer Gwen Ifill's questions, in favor of rambling out the points she had written down on her notepad. You betcha.

(By the way, Governor, the mainstream media attempts to tell viewers "what they've just heard" because after listening to you answer a question from a reporter or debate moderator, we have no idea what the fuck you're talking about.)

And I don't trust anyone that winks to try and buddy up to you. It's disingenuous and skeevy.

But while Gov. Mooseburger was constantly diverting the debate so she could stay on the McCain campaign message, she said one thing that should truly terrify everyone, something I hope is reverberating through all of our heads when we're in that voting booth on November 4:

I'm thankful the Constitution would allow a bit more authority given to the vice president if that vice president so chose to exert it in working with the Senate and making sure that we are supportive of the president's policies and making sure too that our president understands what our strengths are.

"A bit more authority given to the vice president" if he or she "chose to exert it in working with the Senate"? First of all, we just had eight years of a vice president exerting far more power than one has ever held, especially in terms of foreign policy, and where the hell has that gotten us?

And Mooseburger wants more? She wants to control the Senate? It's been a long time since I sat in a civics class, but I know that the vice president's role is to cast a tying vote, if necessary. The VP isn't supposed to exert influence or take sides.

Caribou Barbie wants to go to the floor and tell the Senate what to do? Assuming she knew what the hell she was talking about, that is horrifying.

So is the idea of the hockey mom being in the situation room if the President isn't in Washington. And let's not even contemplate the idea of "Joe Six Pack" fulfilling her only Constitutional duty, that of becoming President if should the actual President become unable to serve. Little children should run to their parents' bed when hearing that. Hell, parents should run to their children's rooms and hide under the covers.

Say it ain't so, Joe. This can't even be allowed to have a chance of happening.

Gov. Mooseburger, Legal Scholar

There had been rumblings, courtesy of Politico.com, of a clip from the Katie Couric-Sarah Palin interview that hadn't aired because of its embarrassing nature.

Of concern to McCain's campaign, however, is a remaining and still-undisclosed clip from Palin's interview with Couric last week that has the political world buzzing.

The Palin aide, after first noting how "infuriating" it was for CBS to purportedly leak word about the gaffe, revealed that it came in response to a question about Supreme Court decisions.

After noting Roe vs. Wade, Palin was apparently unable to discuss any major court cases.

There was no verbal fumbling with this particular question as there was with some others, the aide said, but rather silence.

Last night, CBS News broadcast the clip. And if there was "silence," it had been edited out. However, the substance (or lack thereof) of the answer was no less absurd.



Wow, I'm pretty sure I've had job interviews like that. (I can't see myself anywhere in five years.) And you know what? I didn't get the job.

In fairness, if you were to ask anyone on the street about a Supreme Court case other than Roe vs. Wade, I don't know what kinds of answers you'd get. (Living in Ann Arbor, I could come up with at least one off the top of my head.) But those people aren't being interviewed by Katie Couric. And they're not campaigning for vice presidency of the United States of America.

Maybe if Gov. Mooseburger read a newspaper or magazine, she'd have picked something up about one or two historic cases.



Great googaly moogaly. She couldn't just say "USA Today" or "People"? C'mon, man. (Could she have wanted to say the New York Times, but her campaign programming prevented her from doing so?) Couric couldn't have teed up a softer question.

Maybe Gwen Ifill can give her a second chance at that one tonight.

Four-Color Truthiness

What would be more realistic for those who might feel angry and disenfranchised if John McCain were to win the 2008 presidential election? Moving out of the country (Bill Maher is offering suggestions with his "Exit Strategy" series) or moving... to the Marvel Universe? In Spider-Man's world, Stephen Colbert is running for president.


At the very least, the presidential debates would be highly entertaining. No word on Colbert's running mate, but presumably the candidate would be able to name a newspaper or magazine he or she reads.