Of Course

Of course Jack Abramoff had 450 contacts with the White House, including Mehlman and Rove.

Of course.

This Guy REALLY Likes the Croc Hunter

A little too much.

Check that. A lot too much.

What the Right Will Point Out

I'm sure the right will point to this passage, but ignore the part in italics:

* The Iraq conflict has become the "cause celebre" for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement. Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight.

So we're fucked if we do, fucked if we don't. I can understand this idea, and it's tough to say that we should immediately withdraw with this in mind.

Here is the Declassified NIE Summary

Right here.

The idea, that Dan Bartlett and John Fox, press handlers for the white house, have been putting forth is that 'nowhere does it say that Americans are less safe at home.'

Actually it does:

* Although we cannot measure the extent of the spread with precision, a large body of all-source reporting indicates that activists indentifying themsleves as jihadists, although a small percentage of Muslims, are increasing in number and geographic dispersion.

* If this trend continues, threats to US interests at home and abroad will become more diverse, leading to increasing attacks worldwide.

and

We assess that the operational threat from self-radicalized cells will grow in importance to US counterterrorism efforts, particularly abroad but also in the Homeland.

I think that's pretty definitive.

The other claim, from Bush himself, is that "We have to fight them there so that we don't fight them here."

Well, the NIE finds:

* We assess that the global jihadist movement is decentralized, lacks a coherent global strategy, and is becoming more diffuse.

Sounds like we'll fight them there and here. Brilliant strategy.

Also, I can't stand calling it the "Homeland." Sounds WAY too much like the "Fatherland" to me.

Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules

Is a great collection of short stories by David Sedaris. I recommend it, though not the funny stuff you'd expect from him. They are all stories by people he likes to read, not his stories.

Jessica Simpson's Dad

Is now taking pictures of his kids for money.

Today I Saw a Man

Blow drying his balls.

First of All

You're the punter.

Second of all, you're not even the starting punter.

Third of all? You're going to jail.

With the LEFT Hand.

Of course.

Communism or Capitalism?

Either way, I love it. These guys just got together and said they'd had enough.

Get Your Hand Out of There

This article is vague about if the head injuries occured before or after the accident.

I Love My Fiance

Now I have to remember to stop calling her my girlfriend!

Can't Tell What to do With This Movie

Apparently there's a very interesting character in the movie Art School Confidential.

So either I'm arrogant for thinking that the character is modeled after me, in which case it's very upsetting to this same arrogant ego to be called a 'Boring Blohard;"

Or the world is a very strange place where conincidence can be very unsettling.

Holy Shit

What the hell possessed the Bush Administration to trust Pakistan?