Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

I’m sure you banged some questionable people yourself.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

You are here: Home / z-Retired Categories / Site Maintenance / Open Thread

Reader Interactions

64Comments

  3. 3.

    liberal

    From the “The more things change, the more they remain the same” department:

    In 1986, his insights led him to predict that the Soviet Union would collapse internally in the near future. This analysis, which contradicted the Reagan administration’s foreign policy positions, was not welcomed. Mr. Graves was removed as head of Soviet internal affairs, although he continued to work in the intelligence field. He later returned to the bureau under the first Bush administration.

    (From Friday’s Washington Post obit section.)

  4. 4.

    Krista

    Outdoor dance at the ballfield next to my apartment tonight. So, instead of trying to sleep and resenting the noise, I intend to barbecue ribs with my friends and get roaringly drunk, as we sit on my deck and watch the intricate mating rituals of the inebriated 20-year-olds. Pointing and laughing may be in the cards. Drunken commenting on this blog may also be in the cards.

  5. 5.

    Martin

    Someone come over and mow my lawn, please.

    Sorry, just mowed mine. It’s beer time. Push mower too. None of that internal combustion shit for me – I can use every bit of exercise that I get. Anyone considering one, I have the previous version of this and it’s wonderful.

    There’s almost no resistance to it since the cutting blade doesn’t actually rub against metal like push mower that you might be used to and it’s very light. Overall, it’s less exertion than pushing a heavier gas mower (though obviously more than a riding mower). But 6 years and it cuts as well as the day I got it and no trips to the gas station and is quiet enough I can mow with my iPod on or have a conversation with my wife and kids. Small too – not much space in the shed.

  6. 6.

    montysano

    Sorry, just mowed mine. It’s beer time. Push mower too. None of that internal combustion shit for me – I can use every bit of exercise that I get. Anyone considering one, I have the previous version of this and it’s wonderful.

    I had a push mower, but found that it’s a grass cutting device. My lawn is a bit…umm….. variegated. I bought a corded electric, and absolutely love the thing.

    I’ve been on a Calexico binge lately. If you’ve never heard “The Black Light” or “Feast of Wire”, check ’em out. Latin-tinged, with folky/spacey/jazzy influences. “Quattro” is one of the best songs evah.

  9. 9.

    rob!

    yeah, this is huge!

    from Marc Ambinder re: Maliki agreeing with Obama:

    Via e-mail, a prominent Republican strategist who occasionally provides advice to the McCain campaign said, simply, “We’re fucked.”

  11. 11.

    Jake

    yeah, this is huge!

    You don’t say? Check the first post in the last Open Thread Cole put up.

    You can all bow to me now, because you’re not worthy.

  12. 12.

    The Briscoe Kid

    Obama got a standing ovation from the troops in Kuwait.

    This is good for John McCain…

  13. 13.

    Brachiator

    croatoan Says:

    White House Accidentally E-Mails to Reporters Story That Maliki Supports Obama Iraq Withdrawal Plan

    The story about this begins by noting:

    The White House this afternoon accidentally sent to its extensive distribution list a Reuters story headlined “Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan – magazine.”

    This is one of the things that drives me nuts. I think that there should be some “truth in commentary law” which requires pundits to disclose whether they receive White House talking points or other similar material.

    Mr. Tactful Says:

    Someone come over and mow my lawn, please.

    One word:

    AstroTurf.

  14. 14.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    Obama got a standing ovation from the troops in Kuwait.

    Why do the troops hate the troops?

  15. 15.

    Laura Ingraham

    I am perfectly aware of all Internet traditions, but what I’d like to….. Hey, who came in my ear?

  17. 17.

    TR

    Obama got a standing ovation from the troops in Kuwait.

    John McCain says those troops aren’t familiar with conditions on the ground.

  19. 19.

    Jake

    Just watch it.

    Watch the whole thing.

    I have. Good stuff. The troops sure don’t seem to like that Obama guy, do they?

    It’s pretty shallow but count me as one of those people who like the fact that Obama’s a natural athlete.

  20. 20.

    carsick

    You always knew the perpetually undefined “victory” parameters in Iraq were going to be suddenly reached arbitrarily but who would have guessed that Sen. Obama would have been the one to get them to finally define and declare “victory”.
    The Senator is leading American foreign policy even before he’s president. Remarkable.

  21. 21.

    Montysano

    It’s pretty shallow but count me as one of those people who like the fact that Obama’s a natural athlete.

    Shallow? I think not. If all we get out of this is President Not-A-Douchebag, sign me the fuck up.

  22. 22.

    gbear

    But Obama didn’t go shopping…

    He must not think that it’s safe to walk the streets for a photo op without putting our soldiers at unnecessary risk. How unpatriotic of him.

  23. 23.

    gbear

    BTW, McCain now claims that we have succeeded in Iraq.

    McCain insisted that “we have succeeded” in Iraq. In fact, he said it multiple times: “I am happy to stand in front of you to tell you that this strategy has succeeded. It has succeeded. It has succeeded.”

    Can we get out of Iraq, then? Apparently not: “The success that we have achieved is still fragile and could be reversed.”

    Welcome to the new talking point. Mission Accomplished.

  24. 24.

    The Grand Panjandrum

    1. Xeriscape (Its a desert thang)

    2. Amos Lee

    Interesting that Bush has sent someone to listen to the Iranians and agreed with timelines finally … as Obama’s overseas adventure was about to kick off. Coincidence? Heh. Yes, of course! And I will soon be crowned Miss America.

  26. 26.

    gbear

    Not so fast. We need to see what you look like in a bathing suit.

    And how gracefully you land on your butt.

  27. 27.

    jake

    The White House employee had intended to send the article to an internal distribution list, ABC News’ Martha Raddatz reports, but hit the wrong button.

    This needs to happen more often with a wider variety of documents.

    Message control beotches!

  29. 29.

    Phoebe

    I couldn’t hear a word in that echoey gym, but it’s clear that Ladies Love him. The giggling, wow. Also, Miss America has said she’ll vote for him, I read someplace.

  30. 30.

    Andrew

    I don’t think African-American soldiers count, right? And white soldiers who are with black people are canceled out. So it’s really like he just met 3 Asian dudes in Kuwait.

  31. 31.

    Krista

    Can I just say that the premixed mojitos in a bottle from Smirnoff are fucking awesome?

    Krista + fuck-knows-how-many.

  32. 32.

    jake

    “I am happy to stand in front of you to tell you that this strategy has succeeded. It has succeeded. It has succeeded.”

    Is it just me or is McCaniac’s habit of repeating himself reminiscent of That Which Currently Picks Its Nose in the Oval Office?

    If that wreck gets elected the entire fucking world will come to the U.S. so it can point and laugh.

  34. 34.

    JL

    The whole world is already laughing at us unfortunately..

    If that wreck gets elected the entire fucking world will come to the U.S. so it can point and laugh.

  35. 35.

    Montysano

    There’s been much tut-tutting on the Right about BO’s rise in Chicago politics. After today’s apparent success with al-Maliki, you might think that a big city politician may fare well in the Middle East.

    Let’s face it: they’ve been playing hardball politics in the Middle East for a long, long time. The Iranians have pwned Bush like the rube he is.

  38. 38.

    Brachiator

    Montysano Says:

    There’s been much tut-tutting on the Right about BO’s rise in Chicago politics. After today’s apparent success with al-Maliki, you might think that a big city politician may fare well in the Middle East.

    Oooh. A very good point. Conservatives are going nuts over the fact that Obama is going over very well so far in his world tour. That Afghan and Iraqi leaders find him easy to talk to is their worst nightmare.

  41. 41.

    Liberal Masochist

    For you old farts out there, Greg Norman may turn back the clock tomorrow at Royal Birkdale.

  43. 43.

    Ned Raggett

    I wish I could say I had a deep thought in my head right now.

    So can I just say The Dark Knight was, a couple of minor flaws aside, one hell of a brilliant, fucked-up movie?

  46. 46.

    KRK

    “I am happy to stand in front of you to tell you that this strategy has succeeded. It has succeeded. It has succeeded.”

    Didn’t someone (or many someones) in the blogosphere already identify the repeated-three-times bit as a McCain tic when even he knows he’s lying?

  47. 47.

    Krista

    smirnoff makes a premixed mojito. in a 750 ml bottle. May have drank the whole thing. Plus two beers. Am rather inebriated at the moment. it’s all good.

  48. 48.

    Liberal Masochist

    Shorter Krista: And anutha thing! (people say that about me!)

    Incertus – I always felt bad for Norman. Not as a person; he has had a great life, but as a sports figure. All those times coming up just short, everyone analyzing your psyche in public and so on. Must have been a bummer for him at times.

    I remember him going out and “winning” that tournament for a kid with cancer back in his prime. This kid sitting in his hospital bed just idolized him and he tells him he will win and then does it. It was pretty cool. I think I was in high school at the time.

  50. 50.

    gbear

    Didn’t someone (or many someones) in the blogosphere already identify the repeated-three-times bit as a McCain tic when even he knows he’s lying?

    If you say something three times, it’s true.

  51. 51.

    gbear

    Didn’t someone (or many someones) in the blogosphere already identify the repeated-three-times bit as a McCain tic when even he knows he’s lying?

    If you say something three times, it’s true.

    gbear: +0 since 1984. sigh.

  52. 52.

    gbear

    Whoops, now I can’t claim I was impared for the double post. & now I know hitting ‘stop’ doesn’t do shit.

  53. 53.

    Martin

    Whoops, now I can’t claim I was impared for the double post. & now I know hitting ‘stop’ doesn’t do shit.

    Yeah, but now we know it’s not true. You should have gone for the hat trick and a clear demonstration that the statement was true.

  57. 57.

    gbear

    You should have gone for the hat trick and a clear demonstration that the statement was true.

    D’oh!

  58. 58.

    gbear

    Chuck, just think about all the money we’ve saved.

    HHAHAHHHHAHAAHAHAhahahahahhaaahhahhaouch, that hurt.

  59. 59.

    Calouste

    Frank Rich in the New York Times aims the two barrels at McCain:

    “In a time of war,” Mr. McCain said last week, “the commander in chief doesn’t get a learning curve.” Fair enough, but he imparted this wisdom in a speech that was almost a year behind Mr. Obama in recognizing Afghanistan as the central front in the war against Al Qaeda. Given that it took the deadliest Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul since 9/11 to get Mr. McCain’s attention, you have to wonder if even General Custer’s learning curve was faster than his.

    When the candidate said back in January that there’s nobody he knows who is stronger on economic issues than his old Senate pal, he was telling the truth. Left to his own devices — or those of his new No. 1 economic surrogate, Carly Fiorina — Mr. McCain is clueless.

    The term flip-flopping doesn’t do justice to Mr. McCain’s self-contradictory economic pronouncements because that implies there’s some rational, if hypocritical, logic at work. What he serves up instead is plain old incoherence, as if he were compulsively consulting one of those old Magic 8 Balls.

    Heck, it’s not just two barrels, it’s a Gatling gun.

  60. 60.

    flavortext

    When the candidate said back in January that there’s nobody he knows who is stronger on economic issues than his old Senate pal, he was telling the truth. Left to his own devices — or those of his new No. 1 economic surrogate, Carly Fiorina — Mr. McCain is clueless.

    Wow, Carly Fiorina was probably one of the worst things to happen to HP – what in the world is the McCain campaign thinking? Clueless, the lot of them.

  61. 61.

    Calouste

    Wow, Carly Fiorina was probably one of the worst things to happen to HP – what in the world is the McCain campaign thinking? Clueless, the lot of them.

    Drop the shareprice by 50%, lay off some workers, get fired and still walk away with $20 million. At a personal level, Carly is pretty good at economics.

  62. 62.

    Conservatively Liberal

    Drop the shareprice by 50%, lay off some workers, get fired and still walk away with $20 million. At a personal level, Carly is pretty good at economics.

    Yup, and she fits in with the rest of the CEO Republic Party crooks.

  63. 63.

    maxbaer (not the original)

    Calouste, thanks for that Frank Rich link. Can’t wait for the debates. I’m sure that McJMKeynes will have read Greenspan’s book by then and make it an enthralling discussion of economic policy.

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks