Etheridge and Michaels Expecting Twins

From Reuters: Months after doctors declared her cancer free, rock singer Melissa Etheridge is looking ahead to spending more time as a mom this fall, when her partner, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, expects to give birth to twins.

Bush Press Secretary to Resign

Breaking news over at CNN and MSNBC.

Doesn't He Mean "Deciderer?"

Quote of the Day:

I'm the decider, and I decide what's best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the Secretary of Defense

-President Bush, defending his incompetent minion yesterday at the White House.

Well, we feel OH so much better about things now. Don't we?

Don't we??

What Could Have Been

Quote of the Day:

If you are inclined to think that the unjustly awarded election of 2000 led to one of the worst presidencies of this or any other era it is not easy to look at Al Gore. He is the living reminder of all that might not have happened in the past six years (and of what might still happen in the coming two)...It is close to inconceivable that the country and the world would not be in far better shape had [Al] Gore been allowed to assume the office that a plurality of voters wished him to have. One can imagine him as an intelligent and decent President, capable of making serious decisions and explaining them in the language of a confident adult. Imagining that alternative history is hard to bear, which is why Gore always has the courtesy, in his many speeches, to deflect that discomfort with a joke: "Hello, I’m Al Gore and I used to be the next President of the United States."

-David Remnick, in the April 24 edition of the New Yorker.

Fool's Paradise

One of Andrew Sullivan's readers wrote him recently:

While I'm tempted to regret my 2004 Bush vote for many reasons, ranging from economic to civil libertarian to the way Iraq has been handled, the deteriorating Iranian situation has been a good reminder why, upon reconsideration, I am happy I voted for Bush. ...Iran's pursuit of the Bomb is THE most critical moment in this struggle. For this reason - and perhaps, for only this reason - I'm glad Bush is the decision maker instead of the spineless and pathetic John Kerry.

It seems to me the reader contradicts himself. On the one hand he says he regrets his vote for Bush because of "the way Iraq has been handled," but on the other he'd rather have him at the helm should things lead to war with Iran.

The administration thought Iraq was supposed to be easy. But from the start it was poorly planned, badly executed, and the follow through has been a complete and utter failure. As a result, several prominent retired military members are calling for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Yet, with things falling apart, the President stands by his man.

With Iraq and America's credibility in tatters, what on Earth would make anyone think that George W. Bush is the right man for the job when it comes to Iran?

'Poseidon' Preview

It seems the summer movie season starts earlier with every passing year. "Mission: Impossible 3" and "The DaVinci Code" are among the big-name titles arriving in theatres before Memorial Day weekend this year.

The title I'm looking forward to though is "Poseidon." With Wolfgang Petersen at the helm, this re-telling of the 1972 classic "The Poseidon Adventure" promises to be a rollercoaster ride of tension, claustrophobia, and high seas terror.

It opens in theatres and on IMAX on May 12. And if the latest preview is any indication, Mr. Petersen will have done author Paul Gallico proud. Take a look at it here.

Back this weekend

Traveling for work through the end of the week. I'll be back this weekend.

Yer doin' a heck of a job, Rummy

An internal report from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad provides a dire picture of how things are going in Iraq:

The local government is increasingly under the control of an Iranian-backed theocratic party with a vengeful private militia; assassinations are frequent and criminal activity is common; unemployment is high and infrastructure is weak; the overall situation is "serious."

And Donald Rumsfeld still has his job?

The Monday News

A round up of important news stories this Monday:

Peru's presidential election is too close to call.

France dumps their new youth job law after weeks of protest.

The second day of parlimentary elections begins in Italy.

Hair-splitting and after-the-fact rationalization by the White House over the President's declassification of Iraqi intelligence reports.

Broomsticks and Sodomy in the Republican Party

Via Crooks and Liars: After admitting that he and a co-worker punished eighteen pre-teen boys by making them lay face down on their beds and shoving a broomstick into their backsides, 19-year old camp counselor Clifton Bennett will avoid doing any prison time.

It seems his father, Arizona State Senator Ken Bennett (Republican of Prescott), wrote a letter to the Yavapai County District Attorney handling the case informing her that his son could not rightfully serve time in jail, as he is preparing to leave the country to teach the word of Christ to youth around the world.

And the D.A. for went for it. "This is hardly the work of sexual predators. Rather, it is the work of two young men repeatedly making poor decisions," she said in a written statement.

Wow. The party of family values, indeed.

Outraged? Call the Senator's district office (602-542-5584) and/or the Yavapai County Attorney's office (928-771-3344).

War with Iran? (Part 2)

The New Yorker's Seymour Hersh reports that, in an effort to save his legacy, President Bush is not only preparing to start a war with Iran, but is putting the use of tactical nukes on the table.

The Congress and the American people better pay attention to this; they better get concerned about the consequences of such an insane policy. Forget about Mr. Bush's legacy for a moment and think about the legacy for the rest of humanity. The use of tactical nuclear weapons could easily lead to a full out world war - and the end of life as we know it.

Quote of the MONTH

"What I wanted to say to you is that I — in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself."

-American citizen Harry Taylor to the President during a Bush P.R. event yesterday in Charlotte.

This White House plans these events down to the most minute detail. Bush-backing Republicans are the only people who are supposed to get in the door. You can bet there is an advance man somewhere in Washington this morning with an ice pack on his ass. The chewing it received from the Prez'dint had to leave marks.

Mr. Taylor, I would like to shake your hand sir. George needed to hear what you had to say. But you do know that, from this day forward, until at least January 20 2009, your phone will be tapped, don't you? And forget about arriving at the airport an hour early for any travel. You'll probably need four hours just to get through the cavity search the TSA will give you each and every time you fly.

See the video here (courtesy of Think Progress).

War with Iran?

Quote of the Day:

People have to stop thinking in terms of "surgical" strikes instead of a far messier scenario that could evolve into something more akin to war...Hostilities could potentially involve elements of Iran's air force, Iranian attempts to take pot shots at American fleet units in the Gulf, and much stepped-up — and perhaps more direct — Iranian trouble-making directed against us and our allies in Iraq.

-Wayne White, former Deputy Director at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, on alleged administration plans to attack Iran.

In a post-9/11 world I'm not necessarily against military action when it comes to Iran. But not under this President. And not with his current Defense Secretary leading the charge.

In Rotation

Tunes currently receiving heavy play on my iPod:

What I Do - Donald Fagen

Good Hearted Man - Tift Merritt

Endless Dream - Conjure One

Kind Words (And a Real Good Heart) - Joan Armatrading

Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever - Susan Tedeschi

Yer doin' a heck of a job, Doyle

Department of Homeland Security spokesman Brian Doyle was arrested yesterday at his Maryland home and charged with with seven counts of use of a computer to seduce a 14-year old child and 16 counts of transmission of harmful material to a minor.

There are countless examples of how the current administration is top heavy with incompetent hacks, but this is the saddest and most disgusting of them all.

Gratuitous Photo of the Daughter

In the Middle of the Night

Fun fact: Early tomorrow morning, just after one o'clock, the time and date will be:

01:02:03 04/05/06.

(Via Andrew Sullivan)

John Hearts Jerry

Sen. John McCain (Republican-AZ) appeared this past Sunday on Meet the Press and further solidified his title as panderer of the year. The once independent spirit of the Republican Party - and a man who I (now, regretfully) pushed to run on a bipartisan unity ticket with John Kerry in 2004 - is falling in love with Jerry Falwell and the party's fascist contingent. Money quote:

Russert: Do you believe that Jerry Falwell is still an agent of intolerance?

McCain: No, I don't.

Somewhere Mark Bingham is rolling over in his grave.

You can see interview highlights at Crooks and Liars.

'Brokeback' out today on DVD

"Brokeback Mountain" - in my opinion the best movie of the last several years - is released today on DVD. The movie is also breaking ground on the dot-com side. It will be available to download off the web (legally).

DeLay Goes Down

Reuters is reporting that Representative Tom DeLay (Fascist-TX), the former majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives who is caught up in a widening lobbying corruption scandal, will drop out of his re-election race and will likely resign his congressional seat before summer.

More from Time's Mike Allen.

2005: Hottest Year on Record

So says the Earth Policy Institute. Yet the Republican dominated government continues to argue that global warming isn't happening.

Quote of the Day

"...as we face a President who thinks he is above the law, most Republicans are willing to cede enormous power to the executive branch. Their actions are not just short-sighted, they are a departure from one of the Republican Party’s defining goals: limiting government power."

-U.S. Senator Russell Feingold (Democrat-WI), in an op-ed piece about how the GOP-controlled Congress should join his call to censure the President.