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Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

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The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

This really is a full service blog.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Everybody saw this coming.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

T R E 4 5 O N

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

They spent the last eight months firing professionals and replacing them with ideologues.

We still have time to mess this up!

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

In my day, never was longer.

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Reader Interactions

98Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    News says that Obama intervened to end a transit strike in Philly. Anyone from the area have the low down on that?

  4. 4.

    RaflW

    Here’s what’s wrong with our corporate overlords:

    Lloyd C. Blankfein, Goldman’s chief executive, called the loss of Mr. Cantor “stunning” and praised him as a sensible legislator in an interview on CNBC.

    Per this NTY article, Cantor was in the pocket of Wall Street. That’s no surprise.

    But the idea that a winger like Cantor was “sensible” is utter flaming bullshit. He was willing to run interference for the the 1%, but he was also a right wing jackass. He was not sensible. Maybe corruptible, but that’s it.

  5. 5.

    WaterGirl

    BooMan’s from Philly, I believe, and he’s writing about Stanley Kubrick this morning, if that tells you anything.

    On the other hand, I found this from The Google, so maybe Obama intervening isn’t the bad thing I initially took it to be:

    Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen vice president Stephen Bruno said his union’s members were complying with the order to be back on duty at 12:01 a.m.

    International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers president Terry Gallagher said Obama’s intervention was “what we were waiting for.”

    “We have been five years without an agreement, trying to get to this point, and we’re happy we’re here now,” Gallagher said.

    The unions and SEPTA don’t have to resume talks with each other, but they do have to participate with the board’s process, which typically involves written submissions and hearings. Obama is giving the board 30 days to deliver a report recommending how the dispute should be resolved.
    …
    The unions said the strike, which began early Saturday, was designed to force SEPTA to agree to their demands or accept binding arbitration. Workers are seeking raises of at least 14.5 percent over five years, about 3 percentage points more than SEPTA has offered.

    emphasis mine

  6. 6.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Daniel Larison on what the US “owes” Iraq:

    “The U.S. has supposedly been “helping” Iraqis for the last eleven years in one way or another, and the results have been atrocious. We owe it to Iraqis to stop offering them this kind of “help.”

    Word.

  7. 7.

    Chyron HR

    @Baud:

    News says that Obama intervened to end a transit strike in Philly. Anyone from the area have the low down on that?

    Obviously it’s another example of American Imperialism. He’s just trying to capture Pennsylvania’s natural gas.

  8. 8.

    Matt McIrvin

    “Some kind of help is the kind of help that helping’s all about, and some kind of help is the kind of help we all could do without.” –Shel Silverstein

  9. 9.

    BruinKid

    Oh look, Adam Kokesh praised the Las Vegas shooters for killing those two cops because they SAVED the lives that those cops were surely going to kill one of these days in the potential future.

    I’m quite familiar with Kokesh, as I know his girlfriend from her UCLA days. My neighbor was the one who slowly turned her from a liberal Obama voter into a diehard Ron Paul fan. He also wrote last week after the shooting:

    My cause is that of peace and freedom. Not shooting innocent people for no reason (cops are not innocent).

    No cop is innocent…when you put on that costume and assert the job description of someone who uses violence against people who don’t comply with your and the governments orders, you are far from innocent.

    And I mean the officers. That’s like saying “oh no that nazi was innocent because he was a good guy and treated his family and friends well!” He still wore the costume and took that job.

    Welcome to the new strain of libertarianism. At least Kokesh is going away for a while. Though I fear some of his devotees may take up his cause and murder more cops, despite his claims of non-violence.

  10. 10.

    Professor

    Benjamin Disraeli,UK PM, definition of Conservatism: Conservatism discards Prescription, Shrink from Principle, disavows Progress; having rejected all respect for antiquity, it offers no redress for the present, and makes no preparation for the future. How very true.

  11. 11.

    Amir Khalid

    I don’t know, man. It sounds like they just stuck a chorus about spelling Billie Holiday’s name to a minimalist, rather funereal cover of Mary Wells’ My Guy. I couldn’t really give it points for originality.

    In other arts news, Daniel Day-Lewis has been received a knighthood in Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honours. Arise, Sir Daniel! Angelina Jolie has received an equivalent honour for her activism against sexual violence (but doesn’t get to use the title Dame because she isn’t British). Maggie Smith, a Dame since 1990, is now also a Companion of Honour — one of only 66 — for her services to drama. Per the BBC story, actress Phyllida Law was apparently made an OBE for being the mother of actresses Emma and Sophie Thompson. The others on the honours list — sorry, never heard of them.

  12. 12.

    ruemara

    @BruinKid: wow. Fuck him, fuck her and fuck your neighbor. Their numbers should have “do not help” come up if they ever call 911.

  16. 16.

    debbie

    @Chyron HR:

    Well, it’ll be fun listening to the wingers’ contortions while aligning themselves with the strikers. Anything to oppose Obama.

  18. 18.

    debbie

    Overnight on the BBC, a couple of Bush security advisors were insisting that it would now be far, far worse in the Middle East if the U.S. hadn’t gotten Saddam Hussein. They were also saying that invading Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with the current chaos. When will lightning be striking these people for their out and out lies?

  20. 20.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @BruinKid:

    Damn! Kokesh was already on probation from prior charges. How stupid can he be to then make a public statement approving of killing cops while he’s sitting on a stash of guns and drugs?

    And he’s a fine libertarian all right; he lives on service-connected disability money that he liberates from the government.

  21. 21.

    piratedan

    @beltane: well we shouldn’t throw stones since we never bothered to do our own and yes, I’m implying that Bush the younger and his cast of nepotism angels and neocon retreads deserved to be brought to trial for war crimes.

  22. 22.

    Linnaeus

    I read an article by Kori Schake in Foreign Affairs (not linking because you have to create an account with FA to read it) in which she says it’s Obama’s fault that the situation in Iraq is now as bad as it is due to the withdrawal of US forces. Interestingly, she only goes back as far as the Status of Forces Agreement that Bush negotiated with Iraq in 2008 and conveniently leaves out the entire reason why an SOFA was being negotiated at all.

  23. 23.

    Suffern ACE

    @beltane: let me guess. Those western leaders should ignore their voters and plow straight ahead in leaderly fashion like leaders of democracies do.

  25. 25.

    leinie (iPad mini)

    Raul Labrador has thrown his hat into the ring to replace Cantor as majority leader. This weekend, he presided over the ID GOP State Convention, where squabbling over seating delegates halted all business, and the convention ended with delegates walking out and NONE of the business got done. TeaNuts doing battle with establishment republicans over the direction of the party.

    It included this lovely quote to a group of women raising questions about complaints: “just hold on, take a breath and go refresh your lipstick” from Chuck REIT! The credential committee co chair. Yeah, that outreach is going well.

    Labrador was booed and @kkruesi tweeted at one point he was asking for respect from the jeering audience.

    Best comment I saw was uncle bob at the link, “Labrador threw a party and his guests ate each other.”

    Gotta pop more popcorn.

  26. 26.

    Amir Khalid

    @beltane:
    Iraq was botched together by Western powers from odd contiguous bits of the Ottoman empire, without any real consideration of whether those bits belonged within the same national boundary. So now their botchwork is finally coming apart. The West has done quite enough to that region, I think.

  27. 27.

    scav

    @Amir Khalid: Well, for Whovians and ilk we’ll add John Barrrowman and Julie Gardner to the birthday list but there is a tidily odd-bag quality to it all. Charming, in a mad way. The combo of Kokesh plus Blair and ‘merkan allies of indiscriminate invasion, the remix, is equally tidy, if utterly lacking in charm

  29. 29.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @beltane:

    But he said the jihadis “are not simply fighting Iraqis and they are also willing to fight us and they will if we don’t stop them”.

    Even now the jihadi invasion fleet is forming up in the Persian gulf.

  30. 30.

    leinie (iPad mini)

    Ok, that whole thing wasn’t supposed to be a link, FYWP. I’d edit if I could.

  36. 36.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @BruinKid:

    You want to go to back to war? No problem, this time, you go first.

    Sounds good to me. How the hell can Iraq be lost if it was never won in the first place?

  40. 40.

    rikyrah

    Happy Father’s Day to all the Daddys. From a Daddy’s Girl, I say thank you to all the men out there handling their business.

  41. 41.

    Tommy

    @Yatsuno: Yeah I don’t read much about entertainment news but caught a few things on the inter-family battle and to say it wasn’t pretty would be an understatement. I caught the story of I think his daughter throwing raw meat at his wife. I mean who does something like that.

  42. 42.

    D58826

    The GOOPERS must be giving themselves concussions with their head spinning. Graham wants Obama to work with the Iranians to help solve the Iraqi problem. Isn’t this the same Graham who wanted Obama impeached for talking to the Iranians about nuclear weapons.

    Cong. critter Rogers says it’s no time for meetings we need action. That’s right just go charging off into the night without any idea of what your doing. Just send in the Air Force to drop bombs somewhere on somebody and hope that you hit something worth while. We saw that movie before, it was called the Bush/Chaney foreign policy.

    It’s just possible that Obama, in his deliberate way, is giving the situation some time to play out. If the Iraqi army can establish a defensive line around Bagdad and the Shia develop spines as they defend Shia territory, then US action might not be needed. For heavens sake ISIS has what maybe 10k fighters? This isn’t the Wehrmacht dashing across France in 1940. At some point hey will outrun their supplies and move from the friendly Sunni region into the much more hostile Shia regions.

  43. 43.

    leinie

    @JPL: @JPL:

    Agreed, except that Raul is the teabagger hope to replace Cantor as Majority Leader. His presiding over a convention that ends up looking like this – does that help or hurt him in his quest to be the ML?

  44. 44.

    Tripod

    @Yatsuno:

    It’s been on going for awhile.

    He now joins Snuggles.

    Is Don on the phone? I want a goddamn concerted effort to come out of a record that isn’t a fucking up-tempo record every time I do a goddamn death dedication!

  45. 45.

    JPL

    @leinie: It certainly doesn’t help and when he loses, the media will say it’s a victory for the real republicans. The tea party is meaningless or something.

  46. 46.

    D58826

    @BruinKid:

    Tragically, all we’ve fought for in Iraq, all that 4,500 American lives were shed to gain, is on the cusp, potentially, of vanishing.
    – Mitt Romney, “Ideas Summit,” 6/13/2014

    Not that his sons were in any danger. In 2008 they were doing their patriotic duty helping run his political campaign.

    It would be nice to see the networks tell any one who wants to go back into Iraq that they will only give them air time if the interview is from a foxhole north of Bagdad. If this group of war criminals wants back into Iraq so badly let them lead by example. Go and good riddance.

  47. 47.

    amk

    @D58826: the chickenhawks (from both left & right), the neocons & mic and their media shills can yell and jump all they want. It ain’t gonna move the kenyan a bit. He has seen the same shit shows since 2009 whether it be egypt, libya, syria, ukraine etc or now iraq.

  49. 49.

    beltane

    @amk: The only thing that changes with the hawks’ song and dance routine is the lyric to their song. It’s almost cut and paste at this point.

  51. 51.

    Suffern ACE

    @amk: yeah. Ummm. But in all those conflicts you listed, those neocons and whatnot have managed to move the president to get involved at least somewhat. So you should be clear on what somewhat involvement you’ll be happy with.

  53. 53.

    D58826

    @BruinKid: Ouch, he should tell us how he REALLY feels. Or better yet have Maddow add him to her show as one of her regular guests.

  55. 55.

    Ash Can

    @gogol’s wife: That’s a humorous description, but not quite accurate. Refrigerator magnets can hold photos, shopping lists, etc. in place and are thus useful, whereas Mika Brzezinski is not.

  56. 56.

    Tommy

    @Elizabelle: Whoops. Kind of knew I had a 50% chance of getting that wrong? As much as I think our political world is messed up, maybe once a week I’ll click over to the entertainment section of Huffington Post or even worse skim a page or two on TMZ. It is those days I fear for the future of our civilization.

  58. 58.

    WaterGirl

    @Yatsuno: ‘You never truly know someone until you share an inheritance with them”

    I never knew how true that was until my father died.

  59. 59.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah: Daddy’s Girls, Unite!

    Hats off to good dads everywhere. As for my dad, it’s been nearly 20 years and I still miss him.

  60. 60.

    amk

    @Suffern ACE: Except for libya, where he built a coalition for military strike, he has said FU to these corrupt war mongers when it came to military intervention. And he has said the same now for iraq too. Going by today’s bbc reports, the shites seem to be putting up a fight for their own lifes. Literally.

  62. 62.

    D58826

    If, and it is a very big IF, there is a key bridge/cross roads that can act as a chokepoint or a command and control point with top level ISIS commanders, then maybe US airstrikes might make sense in order to buy some time for the Iraqi army. If however all we are doing is blowing up jihadist grunts then it is a waste of time and aviation gas

  63. 63.

    YellowJournalism

    Happy Father’s Day all you BJ dads, including John with his furry babies and frat boys.

  64. 64.

    Eric U.

    well, when I saw the pictures of the convoy of American vehicles that ISIS captured, that was probably a moment when airstrikes would have been helpful. Otherwise, no

  65. 65.

    Yatsuno

    @WaterGirl: We were talking about that at dinner the other night. I’m not too crazy about my oldest brother being the executor since he and I butt heads, but at the end of the day it’s just money and stuff. It’s the loss of my parents that would tear me up more than anything. If I get nothing from them beyond what I already have I’m happy with that.

  66. 66.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @D58826:

    Not that his sons were in any danger. In 2008 they were doing their patriotic duty helping run his political campaign.

    I get that this is a criticism of Rmoney’s comment, but the idea of the question has always bothered me.

    Parents shouldn’t be able to “sign their kids up” for military service, and a politician’s kids shouldn’t be expected to sign up for military service as a show of support of policies they advocate. Adult offspring can and should make their own decisions about whether or not to join the military.

    A better question to Rmoney is why the children, friends and loved ones of others should put their lives on the line when he wasn’t willing to pay more in taxes to pay for it.

    “Keep politicians’ family and offspring out of political arguments” seems to me to be a good policy.

    My $0.02.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  67. 67.

    WaterGirl

    @Yatsuno: Yeah, I hear you, but it’s not quite just money and stuff. It’s watching all that you have left of your family turn into something unrecognizable in front of your eyes.

    In my case (three sisters) my two sisters brought their children into it, too. Ugly ugly ugly.

    I’m sure my parents were rolling over in their respective graves.

  68. 68.

    D58826

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: True but, just as in Vietnam,, many of those sons also supported a war that they were not will to fight in. Bush, just to give one example, hid in a National Guard unit for the sons of the well connected. He didn’t join in any anti-war efforts, just kept his head down and his mouth shut. And as their political careers took off they had no problem criticism the anti-war left. Cheney, Gingrich, Quail, the chicken coop. In previous wars the son’s of prominent political and military leaders felt some responsibility to put their lives on the line along with the son’s of their non-famous fellow citizens.

  69. 69.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:
    The point is that Romney is perfectly willing to send other people’s kids into harm’s way.This isn’t the first time that he’s advocated for a war without having any skin in the game. His actions in the past and his remarks cause me to question just how much value he places on anyone not named Romney.

  70. 70.

    D58826

    @Higgs Boson’s Mate: Maybe we should revert to that quaint old custom where the King and his nobles lead the troops into battle from the front and not the cushy rear. I’m sure the troops in Kuwait would have gotten a hoot seeing Bush, Rummy, Chaney, et al limping across the border into Iraq.

  72. 72.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @Higgs Boson’s Mate: W was running for office, so his personal history and personal actions were fail fair game.

    I understand the point of the question. I just think that the point can be better made without bringing his kids into it.

    Was it fair to Jimmy when Billy Carter was held up to ridicule?

    Was it fair to Obama when his mother was held attacked?

    If you want to question Rmoney’s policies and their effects, question him about those things – but keep his family out of it. His kids (or brother or mother) aren’t going to be making policy. Would Rmoney’s policy proposals have been more or less onerous if his kids were in the military? If not, his kids aren’t relevant.

    My $0.02.

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (Who would really appreciate a Preview function…)

  75. 75.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @D58826:
    It would be interesting to see how much fervor they had for any war if they were forced to be in the vanguard. Hell, the fuckers don’t even want to pay for their wars anymore. The chest thumping and the Mission Accomplished banners are for them, the dying and the paying are left to the rest of us.

  76. 76.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    Help. I’m trapped in moderation (too many edits apparently).

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  77. 77.

    amk

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Oh please. The various mittletts were running his campaign, both in 2008 and 2012, and were known for shooting off their ugly, rich mouths. They are not “kids”. Hence, fair game.

    And your carter/obama comparisons are false equivalency for the same reason above.

  78. 78.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @amk: Yes, adult children who act as spokesbots/surrogates for the candidate a fair game. Kids and adult children who opt for a private life should be left alone.

  79. 79.

    D58826

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Romney’s kids were in it. They were part of the campaign. In fact when one of the son’s was asked about his support for the Iraq war he said he could better serve the country by getting his father elected than carrying a rifle in Bagdad.

    As to the general point of involving a politician’s family in the campaign. 1. Minor children are taboo. period full stop (i.e. the Obama girls and the Bush twins). 2. Adult children are off limits if they stay out of the public limelight. If they start campaigning for their family member then they are public figures and fair game (.i.e./ Chelsea Clinton when she joined her mother’s campaign).

    The only exception to the minor children rule is if the politician brings them into the campaign as a prop and not simply if they travel with mom or dad. (i.e. Palin’s use of Bristol and the boyfriend and the baby Trig)

  82. 82.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @Higgs Boson’s Mate: I’m apparently unable to make my thoughts clear to readers here. :-)

    If Tagg says something stupid in his capacity in the Rmoney campaign, it’s fine to ask him or Rmoney about it. Being Rmoney’s son shouldn’t put him off limits.

    But whether he or Biff or any of Rmoney’s other sons signed up for military service or not is not relevant to any question to Rmoney. We have had a volunteer military since the 1970s and we don’t allow parents to enlist their kids.

    Just as statement like “you haven’t served in the military so you have no right to criticize it” is stupid, attacking Rmoney’s policy proposals because his kids aren’t in the military are stupid.

    Rmoney’s kids weren’t running for office.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  83. 83.

    D58826

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Two points.
    1. In 2008 one of the son’s was asked about serving in Iraq so the criticism is relevant.
    2.

    Just as statement like “you haven’t served in the military so you have no right to criticize it” is stupid, attacking Rmoney’s policy proposals because his kids aren’t in the military are stupid

    while maybe as a general rule this is valid but when Romney talks about all ‘WE’ sacrificed and his family sacrificed nothing then I think the criticism is valid.

  84. 84.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @D58826: I think you’re thinking of the question put to Rmoney, not his son. (I posted that link above.)

    HTH.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  85. 85.

    debbie

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:

    But what is annoying is when he was asked about his sons’ service, Romney said their work on his campaign was their service to their country.

    Actually, not annoying. Repugnant would be a better description

  87. 87.

    Elizabelle

    Can I throw out some red meat, as it were:

    I was disgusted to hear that Chelsea Clinton was paid $600,000 by NBC in an industry where longtime journalists and producers are treated shabbily and good people — actual journalists — are frequently poorly paid.

    The optics on that one are terrible. At least for me.

  88. 88.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @Elizabelle:
    I’m certain that the 190 journalists killed in Iraq and Afghanistan were paid far more than $600,000 a year.

  89. 89.

    D58826

    @Elizabelle: Not red meat but a very valid criticism.

    Whicj makes me want to add one more rule to kids of politicians. Even if they are not involved in a campaign but simply cashing in on Mom or Dad’s name then depending on the details they are fair game. Billy Carter tried to cash in, as did a couple of Reagans kids.

  91. 91.

    JoyfulA

    @Baud: Apparently there’s a procedure for stopping transit strikes. Governor Corbett requested President Obama to “intervene,” and President Obama appointed a three-member panel of arbitrators, who will talk to all sides and come up with a decision after some months.

    And it isn’t really a Philadelphia transit strike. It’s the regional rails, which is most of the train lines that bring suburbanites to the city. It would have meant massive traffic jams around the city, as commuters try to reach an El line or bus at the borders to get downtown.

  92. 92.

    Randy P

    @Baud: Regional Rail (the commuter system that runs between downtown and the suburbs) went on strike Saturday. I think it was an engineer’s strike. By Saturday night Obama had ordered them back to work for 240 days and to go into mediation with an emergency board he appointed. Here’s the local coverage.

    From what I read, they need 12 hours lead time to actually run the trains, but this timing means that they’ll be running for the Monday commute.

    Both sides say that’s just putting off the inevitable for 240 days and there could well be a new strike in February.

    The organization that runs the trains and buses is called SEPTA. As I recall last time we had a SEPTA strike or threatened strike a few years ago, the sticking point in the contract negotations was whether management should pay more than $0 for their health coverage. The workers lost the public relations battle on that one. Unions don’t have a good name in this town, even if the grievances are justified.

  93. 93.

    WereBear

    @Elizabelle: It is disgusting, but they don’t want journalism. That’s the last thing they want!

    They value heat, not light, and they’ll pay for lotsa clicks/eyeballs.

    #21stcenturyrealities

  94. 94.

    D58826

    @JoyfulA: Having suffered thru many a Septa and before that PTC strike, I wish somebody had asked the President to intervene. Maybe its an later addition to labor law. In the summer of 1944 the union went on strike (I believe over integrating the motorman’s jobs, but not sure) and FDR put troops on the EL and bus/trolley lines. Quite a few soldiers spent the summer flirting with the local ladies. Six months later the division was fighting for its life in the Ardennes Battle of the Bulge.

  95. 95.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Elizabelle: I was disgusted to hear that Chelsea Clinton was paid $600,000 by NBC in an industry where longtime journalists and producers are treated shabbily and good people — actual journalists — are frequently poorly paid.

    She’s no more (or less) qualified for the job than Jenna (wasn’t it?) Bush or Luke Russert (but only one of those people will ever be criticized for taking the work). it was a dumb move to accept the job and the money. It was inevitable that it would get out, she doesn’t need the money and IIRC never did much work for NBC. If she has something to say, some issue she wants to be identified with, she has more than enough money and resources available to her to make a documentary

  96. 96.

    Elizabelle

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Nah, I actually don’t think much of Jenna Bush Hager or Russert Sprout gabbing for NBC $$$ either.

    Not singling Chelsea out, except that I thought she (and her folks) might have more sense on this deal. $600,000 is a lot of moolah for not much work.

    And it’s not like Chelsea’s not educated to do something else.

    It’s grift. Or access.

  97. 97.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Elizabelle: Nah, I actually don’t think much of Jenna Bush Hager or Russert Sprout gabbing for NBC $$$ either.
    Not singling Chelsea out, except that I thought she (and her folks) might have more sense on this deal.

    That’s what I meant too, it’s not fair, but there’s no rage machine to direct against a Bush, and the Cult of Russert (arguably the most egregious example of the three, since he’s treated like something more than a lucky spawn) is stronger than the cult of McCain in the Beltway, even the Cult of Bowes-Simpson! It was a tone deaf thing for Chelsea, who from what I’ve read has some public ambitions of her own, to do. She was IIRC close to thirty when she took the deal, should’ve known better

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