A Political Rant, Perhaps

I have enough on my mind tonight without launching into a full blown political rant.

Yes, I look at the news, at least superficially, the headlines. I see the whole thing about the Republicans and their constant obstructionism and rooting for the country's failure. It's dismal, they're dismal, scumbags.

Then on the other hand we have the Democrats, who for some reason get together and mutually tie their hands behind their backs, then insist they can't get anything done. The public might be crying out for progress, for action, but they're oblivious to it.

The word of the year is "bipartisanship," which of course is a terrible joke. If the Republicans weren't engaged in helping to run the country in a non-election year, please don't tell me you seriously think they're going to suddenly switch now. If anything it would've been the other way around.

Bipartisanship is a stupid concept at this point. And anyone who thinks we're going to get more by wishing for more bipartisanship is going to have a big fat goose egg to look back on as to their achievements. The way to get something done is this: When you have the power, get something done.

Republicans make me sick. But tying your hands behind your back and saying you can't get anything done without them also makes me sick. Just get something done. And give us a good reason to respect you.

Catholics Good, Catholics Bad

Wow, every time I start thinking the Catholic Church has a lot on the ball -- the rituals, the saints, the spirituality -- they turn around and blow it with one of these political mistakes.

This time: Catholic Church-Affiliated Publisher Apologizes For Prayer Honoring Ted Kennedy (Headline from the Huffington Post.)

So the Catholic Church now hates the Kennedys? As in John F. Kennedy, the first and only Catholic President of the United States?

Good grief. What planet are we living on? Have I entered some alternate, moronic dimension?

They do the same stupid thing whenever there's an election now. They deny communion to the Democrats, but they're willing to follow the Republicans to the gates of hell (and beyond) with their murderous agenda. As in "Thou Shalt Not Kill," then lying us into an unnecessary war. How many Republicans did they deny communion to over that?

I love their saints. I really do. But these Catholic right-wingers, not so much. There's no saints there!

Apologize Already

I'm on record in several places on the internet as saying that politicians shouldn't apologize. And I basically mean it. Like in an election, you say something, people pounce on you to apologize, I always think it shows more weakness to apologize than to just say, "I said what I said. I stand by it. So there."

But I'm also on record saying that if it's some real slight, like you're a politician at the grocery store and you run over someone's foot with a grocery cart, you should apologize. It's not in the realm of weakness and exploitation at that point. It's a human mistake. (The big thing about not apologizing in the first instance above is that the opponents are never actually offended. They are just ginning up false outrage to make you look bad. That's when you don't apologize.)

Here, though, I think we have a sad case of the grocery cart on the foot. And the idiot should apologize. The idiot is Rep. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, who predicted in public that Ruth Bader Ginsberg would be dead in nine months or less. Maybe she will be. Maybe he will be too. Maybe I will be. But it doesn't sound very nice to be saying, especially since she has this terrible cancer. What harm would it be for him to hold his fool tongue on a deal like this? Now, as far as I know, he's not up for election next week. So it's not a matter of partisanship to say, "Apologize, moron."

Well, he did, sort of. One of those stupid apologies that isn't really one:

"I apologize if my comments offended Justice Ginsberg," Bunning said. "That certainly was not my intent. It is great to see her back at the Supreme Court today and I hope she recovers quickly. My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family."

I apologize IF my comments offended HER in particular. Why is it so hard just to suck it up once in a while and say, "I apologize for my comments. I regret them. I hope Justice Ginsberg recovers quickly. My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family." ?

That would be an apology that's short, sweet, to the point, has some grace, and shows actual regret. More class.

My Policy on Obama

It's amazing. I became a political drop out as soon as Obama was elected. I have had ZERO interest in following any of it beyond the cabinet picks of the first week or two. I have had no interest in what the blogosphere has been saying, any griping about these individuals. Or Caroline Kennedy. And pretty much no interest in the Blago scandal, except I felt chagrined that the media tried to implicate Obama in it. But I totally -- TOTALLY -- tuned out on watching the news shows on this stuff, so I really missed it.

I can see Bush is definitely leaving Obama a mess to deal with. So completely radical things have to be coming down the pike to get it cleaned up. At this point, what Obama does is OK with me. It just seems so frustrating that there has to be this enormous gap between election day and inauguration day. One, Bush is still in there like a drunken sailor. Two, Obama has to take heat from the media when he really has no power to do anything.

Any other controversies -- Obama with no shirt on, whatever -- I haven't been following. It's all been a zone-out time. We made it to the election, we won, that's it.

Chris Matthews and Kevin James

It was a thing to beauty to see this clueless conservative spinmeister get a smackdown from Chris Matthews.

Chris has this thing about history, historical analogies and all that. He does it a lot with politics, anecdotes about presidents and other pols. So he knows something about it.

But the poor clueless guy he had on wasn't prepared. Chris was like a vicious dog ("Good boy! Down boy!") on Kevin James' leg, chewing for all it was worth. And funnnnnnny .... wow. These conservatives don't care about facts or getting anything right. They're simply all about spouting slogans, fear-mongering, fear and loathing.

So let's repeat: Neville Chamberlain was an appeaser, an appeaser, an appeaser, an appeaser, an appeaser, an appeaser, an appeaser, an appeaser, an appeaser, an appeaser, an appeaser, an appeaser, ad infinitum.... What else do we need to know? Ha ha!

Kevin James Walks Into Smackdown

Good Advice

Bush was on TV, very defiant of Congress. He made what he called "a reasonable proposal" to have his aides go to Congress for an interview, but nothing more. Because he wants to keep it so aides will be able to keep giving him "good advice" without being hauled before Congress to tell what they said. My question would be, when has he ever gotten "good advice"? Or does he just reject it?

He definitely sounded like someone with something to hide. Otherwise, just put it out there. He said he didn't want to establish a precedent, but one of the reporters said there were already precedents of this very thing happening. He acknowledged that was so.

We Reserve the Right to Lie to Your Face

In the attorney general, political firings scandal, the White House is in their usual crazed mode. Congress wants Rove and Miers to testify, but the response from the White House is that they agree to be interviewed, not under oath, and no transcript.

Not under oath? Is there any poor deluded soul out there still today that believes a peep that comes out of this corrupt White House? They lie, they lie, they lie, and of course they lie about lying. To say you'd submit to an interview but not under oath is nothing but more of the same. 'I'll say what I want to say and I will not be held accountable for it.'

C'mon, Congress. Nail these guys.