Fresh Loaf

Hey baby…

>> Bill Clinton calls Sarah Palin to chat. Maybe to discuss what a fan he is of her work in the infamous Nalin’ Palin?

>> WTF: Bill Gates freaks out a group of rich people by releasing a swarm of mosquitoes at a presentation on malaria.

>> The AP goes up against Shepard Fairey, the street artist responsible for the iconic Warhol-esque Obama campaign posters, alleging copyright infringement.

>> Somehow everyone continues to be SHOCKED! AMAZED! STUNNED! by each new round of layoffs. It may be time to start getting realistic, guys.

>> GOOD NEWS!: Not sure what this has to do with anything, but traffic fatalities are down in 42 states. And while most other retailers are fighting for their lives, Wal-Mart has a reason for their big yellow smiley face. Plus, a potential homebuyers’ tax credit is added to the stimulus plan. Sounds like change we can believe in.

>> OMFG: Scientists discover a boa the size of a city bus that ate crocodiles for snacks. Don’t worry, it’s dead.

>> All is not well at the Vatican.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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AAHH!: Real monsters

• >> Be afraid, be very afraid — cyber thieves are on the prowl.
• >> So, the stimulus plan passed, no thanks to House Republicans. What does this mean for you?
• >> AOL picked a bad time to become an ad business…
• >> FAIL: Ford wins the award for most prideful of the Big Three but that’s pretty much all they’re winning right now….
• >> WTF: SarahPac? Seriously? Someone put a muzzle on this lady.
• >> This is what you do when everyone else is losing their jobs and killing themselves over it — you spend $155,000 on a cloned dog.
• >>GEORGIA’S LEGACY: Largest food recall in history. Awesome.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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— The state’s in financial distress, the city’s in financial distress and just about everyone I know has either been laid off or else walks around in fear of being laid off. So what’s to be done? How’s about we wipe out all the black colleges and merge them with integrated colleges? Erick at Peach Pundit thinks it’s an idea whose time has come.

— DriftGrift weighs in on that prospect and discovers what he thinks is a rare branch on the political motivational tree: Insanity. Or else a really clever Trojan horse ploy to put the Democrats back in charge.

— The election season’s finally over and the Big Sax Machine was peacocking on Fox News about how he’s single-handedly put the Republican Party back on course and how Obama’s reign of terror is really over before it hardly begun. Whew, talk about insanity. Decaturguy at Atlanta Public Affairs points out that Big Saxy is giving a self high-five. After all, he was the incumbent, he was up in the polls and he had more money; why is anyone surprised that he won? Doesn’t the fact that he was pushed into a run-off despite those advantages say more?

— Did Caribou Barbie carry the day for our shameless one? Hardly, but she did look hot in those campaign outfits that she was supposed to have returned weeks ago to the RNC. Over at Live Apartment Fire, Doug takes a deeper look into the infamous dead turkey video. It turns out the cameraman alerted her to the, er, work going on behind her. “That’s OK,” she replied. “Let people see where their food comes from.” Uh, no.

— Thankfully, as Andre notes at Georgia Politics Unfiltered, Mr. CEO is ready to rescue the Georgia version of the Democratic Party. Wow, I feel better already.

— And, finally, Gray at Left On Lanier has another lurid edition of the “world’s most inappropriate candy” Disney-style. Have a great weekend, bloggerheads.

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Today’s the last chance for Georgia’s U.S. Senate candidates to campaign, and they’re both playing to the base.

Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss hosted Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin last night at a private fundraiser at the W Hotel in Midtown; today she’ll stump for the candidate in Augusta, Savannah and Perry before finishing the day at the Gwinnett Arena at 4 p.m.

Democratic candidate Jim Martin is scheduled to receive well wishes from rapper Ludacris and U.S. Congressman John Lewis today at a rally in front of the Capitol at 5:30 p.m.

Martin, whom many political pundits said needed a visit from Pres.-elect Barack Obama to rouse voters back to the polls against Chambliss, is trying to energize turnout among African-American voters. That demographic turned out in record numbers for the Nov. 4 General Election, but statistics for early voting in the runoff election show fewer numbers are returning to the polls. Obama did lend his voice to robocalls and a radio ad for Martin, it looks like he won’t be stopping in the Peach State to rally for the former state lawmaker.

And before I forget. Matt Zencey, the editorial page editor for the Anchorage Daily News, has some kind words for Palin as she makes her way across our gee-golly-this-place-is-neat-ya-know state.

Gov. Palin’s eldest joined the Army and has been deployed to Iraq. As a justifiably proud military mom, she might ask herself why she is using her conservative star power to support such a reprehensible Republican chicken hawk.

OK then! We’ll have info later in the day about voting tomorrow as well as the usual list of who’s partying where. If you attend any of these rallies — I’ll most likely try to get some face time with America’s sweetheart — feel free to send in photos.

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Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will rally for U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss on Monday, Dec. 1 at 4 p.m. From the Chambliss campaign:

4:00 PM
METRO ATLANTA
Gwinnett Arena
6400 Sugarloaf Parkway
Duluth, GA 30097

Doors will open one hour before each program begins. The events are FREE for the general public but in order to attend, you must RSVP at www.procatalog.com/saxby or by visiting the ‘Action Center’ at www.saxby.org

For her full Georgia itinerary, click after the jump.

John McCain and Sarah Palin at the 2008 Republican National Convention. (Photo by Joeff Davis)

(more…)

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Online newshound — and self-styled gumshoe — Matt Drudge continues to scare the hell out of office lackeys and far-right keyboard commandos with today’s giant headline reporting a Russian analyst’s comments that the United States is in the throes of collapse and will eventually dissolve into six parts.

[Russian political analyst Igor Panarin] predicted that the U.S. will break up into six parts – the Pacific coast, with its growing Chinese population; the South, with its Hispanics; Texas, where independence movements are on the rise; the Atlantic coast, with its distinct and separate mentality; five of the poorer central states with their large Native American populations; and the northern states, where the influence from Canada is strong.

He even suggested that “we could claim Alaska – it was only granted on lease, after all.”

We’ll see what the governor says about that on Monday, Mr. Panarin.

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Oh, man, this is gonna be rich.

Sarah Palin — governor of Alaska, John McCain’s former running mate, aerial wolf hunter — is coming to Georgia on Monday to stump for U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss in his Dec. 2 runoff race against Democratic candidate Jim Martin.

Jim Tharpe with the details:

Palin, who drew large crowds while running for vice president with Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John McCain, will appear at Chambliss rallies in Augusta, Savannah, Perry and Atlanta on Monday, the day before the Dec. 2 senate runoff between Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin.

Sarah Palin speaking at the 2008 Republican National Convention.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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— Sweet comic relief: Paul Bourn is now the Cynthia McKinney of the radical right. So writes Travis at Lucid Idiocy, where he also provides a link to a wickedly funny Daily Show bit on our U.S. Rep. who thinks the President-elect is the new Hitler.

— When I woke up this morning, I saw a little icon that read something like: “The election’s over, Palin’s gone and there are no polls to read; what will I do?” Very good question. Although Caribou Barbie is still running around making stump speeches, she no longer has sizzle. What to do? At Reporter Cub, there’s time to indulge. Everything you always wanted to know about the Hanged Man tarot card but were afraid to ask.

— Over at Politits, DCup is not only a blogger but she also depends on other bloggers for her “wearable art.” She shows off the way-cool jewelry that she purchased from Linda at Saoirse Daily, who has a meter that shows it’s only 66 days and 11 hours until Obama takes the oath of office.

— Once they finished getting pedicures with the young Mr. Wheatley, the fine ladies at Pecanne Log played journalists and conducted an interview with local artist Sarah Emerson, where they learn how pregnancy can stimulate creativity.

— Let’s send the lovely Sara at Going Through The Motions some love. Yes, Tina Turner rocked her world Monday night at Phillips Arena, but now she’s not feeling so well. A rough week at work and a sick co-worker can give you a knock-down, drag-out flu.

— And, finally, we may be in a post-election mode, but there’s always DriftGrift’s “Morning Wooten” to remind us of the world as it is. You know things are getting serious when he starts quoting Scripture. Have a good weekend all you bloggerheads.

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Even worse than losing an election, the national Republican Party has lost its way. The party that worked so hard at dividing America with one cultural wedge issue after another now finds itself divided, split into two camps: those who realize they need to reform the party and those who don’t.

At this point, I’m hoping only the most blinkered partisan would deny in his or her heart that the GOP somehow ended up being the party of ignorance, fear and intolerance. At least, those have tended to be the tools that party strategists have used to rally the troops.

By ignorance, I mean the systematic attacks on book-learnin’, evolution and competence reflected in the personality cults surrounding Pres. Bush and Gov. Palin, and in the ridiculous war on “elites,” whatever that means. Fear-mongering – over terrorist attacks, Iran, etc. – was, of course, the Bush administration’s default position. And the intolerance shown against gays and immigrants is hardly in keeping with real American values.

In the waning days of the presidential race, David Frum and other Republican leaders and strategists acknowledged that their party was floundering and that the Rovian tactics of smear and knee-jerk social conservatism won’t work anymore.

(more…)

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ERICK ERICKSON: Hitching his sled to Palin's snowmobile

Peach Pundit and Red State poobah Erick Erickson has caused an e-hubbub with a post on Red State titled Operation Leper.

In it, Erickson declares war on McCain campaign staffers who criticize McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin:

We intend to constantly remind the base about these people, monitor who they are working for, and, when 2012 rolls around, see which candidates hire them. Naturally then, you’ll see us go to war against those candidates.

It is our expressed intention to make these few people political lepers.

Since Tuesday’s loss to Obama, several McCain staffers have been doing their darnedest to toss Palin under the wheels of the Straight Talk Express.

The most damning revelation (assuming its true) came yesterday, when Fox reported that Palin thought Africa was a country.

The New Republic’s Christopher Orr suggests Erickson’s militant defense of Palin will drive conservatives away from the G.O.P.:

The tent grows smaller by the day.

Andrew Sullivan, a conservative critic of Palin and her wing of the Republican Party, mocks Erickson:

Let’s have a beer soon, Erick, shall we?

I know Erick and am, frankly, surprised by the carelessness of his attack.

If you turn wayward McCain staffers into lepers, Erick, you’re only gonna make them more popular with the party’s evangelical, WWJD-types.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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I wonder how Levi Johnston is feeling today.

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— The election is less than a week away and, somewhere, the real housewives of Atlanta are plotting “strategery” to protect their Benjamins from being spread around. But after last night’s fund-raiser fiasco, let’s hope their plans don’t include an A-List party to raise last-minute cash for Johnny Mac. At Politits, Dcup tells them where they, and those like them, can go.

— Spread the wealth … Joe the plumber wasn’t happy with that idea either and neither is Jason Pye. However well intended, he writes, it is a socialistic concept. Pye would rather see spending cut across the board.

— My favorite J-Mac quote from 2000, back when a maverick was really a maverick: “Sooner or later, people are going to figure out if all you run is negative attack ads, you don’t have much of a vision for the future or you’re not ready to articulate it.” Hmmm. Jill Chambers, a Republican in good standing, should take note. DriftGrift discusses her desperation tactics to keep her House seat.

— Halloween is near. People create ghoulish scenes. And … please keep the politics out of it. Amy at Georgia Women Vote is no fan of Caribou Barbie. But a noose around the neck of the clothes queen? Definitely not cool.

— Want a summation of the difference between J-Mac and “that one”? The lovely Sara at Going Through The Motions puts things into perspective with the tale of two Ashleys. I remember the Ashley moment. It’s when I began to swing towards “that one.”

— Another national tragedy that the pols seem to relish is the slow death of traditional journalism. And it’s not just newspapers. As Live Apartment News notes, WSB radio just laid off two of its most experienced news reporters. Has anyone noticed that Atlanta is a town teeming with unemployed, award-winning journalists?

—

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— Newt Gingrich was in Macon Wednesday, and Lucid Idiocy checks in on his various pronouncements. I remember when Newt was something of a liberal, back when he was a West Georgia College professor who played weekly poker games with a group that included Col. Bruce Hampton. Newt is proof that, like cats, politicians can have nine lives.

– DriftGrift adds a new feature, his “afternoon Jay.” And it kicks off with a $150,000 shopping budget for new work clothes. I did that with my last job. Didn’t you?

— But the lovely Sara at Going Through The Motions reminds us that Alaska is not exactly a high-fashion Mecca. I remember that from Northern Exposure, which was really filmed in Washington state, but what the heck? It was still one of the greatest television series ever. And Sara also points out that looking good is much more important for female candidates than their male counterparts. Touche.

— Poor D-Cup at Politits. She has the worst feeling ever: a co-worker who professes that they could never vote for a black man decides to cancel out D-Cup’s vote for “that one.” Don’t you just hate it when that happens?

— At the Wren’s Nest, there was a similar WTF? moment when a staffer of color began to lead a tour and a white person on that tour had a question and then a comment that has to be read to be believed. Let’s at least hope the tourist was from lower Alabama.

— And, finally, lost in all the election hub-bub … it’s almost Halloween. Which for me, means my annual birthday has arrived. For everyone else, it means trying to find that ever-elusive Halloween costume. But worry not. The fine ladies at Pecanne Log have got you covered with costume ideas galore.

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Jim Wooten: "Let the Democrat infidels bask in their illusion"

The front page of Sen. John McCain’s Georgia campaign web site features a September 14 column from AJC conservative columnist Jim Wooten predicting defeat for Sen. Barack Obama.

The column’s complete and utter wrongness is almost impossible to overstate.

Some high/lowlights:

“Barack Obama knows it. The election he had in the bag is slipping away. The selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate has so thrown him off stride, as it has most other Democrats”

“For a “change” candidate, Obama appears to be a man locked in time, unable to move past criticism, unable to move from the grip of the Democratic left, unable to adapt to the changed reality that the campaign is not the referendum on the war in Iraq or on the administration of George W. Bush that he’d envisioned.”

“Obama has the habit, too, of reminding voters of their doubts about him,”

“Obama will lose because with less than two months remaining voters won’t be able to get comfortable with him. He can’t stay on message and he can’t avoid sending signals that interfere with the message when he does.”

“McCain, on the other hand, has been superb going back at least to Obama’s European tour. Mainstream America is comfortable with him and, with Palin’s selection, conservatives who had their doubts are onboard.”

“It’s not over. But it’s getting there —- and Obama knows it.”

In a state as chock-full-o-Republicans as Georgia, is Jim “Comical Ali” Wooten really the best conservative columnist the AJC can come up with?

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HALLOWEEN IN L5P: When it comes to making a Halloween costume that’s truly frightening, sometimes less is more.

I get why Sarah Palin costumes are funny.

She’s a real-life caricature of the Republican Party’s worst know-nothing, jingo-istic, gun-fetishing, Bible-abusing impulses.

Nevertheless, I have an increasingly difficult time laughing at Sarah Palin-themed humor, whether its Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live, or the great Palin mimic who marched in Saturday’s Little Five Points Halloween Parade.

Despite L5Palin’s perfect coif, her assault rifle, and prop-baby, it’s hard for me to look at Palins (real or simulated) and not be frightened at how worrying close Sarah Palin is to real power. Remember, George W. Bush’s idiocy was manifest in 1999, but he still got elected twice. Well, sort of twice.

Luckily, the Palin-look-alike was just a small part of a parade dominating by zombies, burn-victims, chain-saw wielding murderers, ghosts, grims reapers, and white guys in afro wigs.

To see more photos of the Little Five Points Halloween parade, including the Sarah Palin look-alike, click here.

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— Caribou Barbie’s appearance on SNL proves that she would have won the talent portion of the Miss Alaska beauty pageant if only she hadn’t brought out that danged flute. She even charmed Alec Baldwin. But as I wanted to tell the woman I saw wearing the over-sized “Palin Power” button yesterday, charm does not make a President. Or a VP. And in that train of thought, ATLmalcontent receives the “line of the day” award.

— DCup has a brief moment of pity for Johnny Mac at Politits in light of Colin Powell’s endorsement of “that one.” She says Bush not only screwed him over in 2000, he’s doing it again in 2008. But the polls are tightening and it’s too early to take things for granted. And considering what happened in 2000 and 2004, it’s not wise to make a foregone conclusion out of the presidential race. J-Mac’s not the only one who’s been screwed by the Bush regime.

— With the race tightening up and the gap between Democrats and Republicans growing smaller, even in Georgia, B King at Terminal Station writes that Georgia’s Democratic Party should be kicking itself for not fielding more candidates in the General Assembly races. Only 23 Republicans in the House even face opposition this year. What the Democrats need in Georgia is a strong leader to rally around, he argues. Problem is, there’s an acute shortage in that area.

— At Inside The Sprawl, Raleigh questions the logic of building a MARTA spur to the old Ford plant in Hapeville. Or at least building it before people actually turn up at what’s supposed to be Atlantic Station-South. Shouldn’t we be trying to put rail where people actually are? No, that makes too much sense.

— Atlanta television did an admirable job covering the suicide bomber who turned up at a lawyer’s office in Dalton, says Doug at Live Apartment Fire. Well, with one exception: WXIA apparently couldn’t afford the gas it took to send a crew to Dalton. It was the only local station that didn’t provide first-hand coverage of the tragedy.

— And, finally, either DriftGrift is transforming into a neocon in front of our eyes, or else the AJC’s Jim Wooten is transforming into a reasonable human being. It’s difficult to decide but, for the second week in a row, “My Morning Wooten” has turned into a love fest. With no vinegar.

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— Sometimes, the world turns upside down. DriftGrift offers up another “Morning Wooten” and — shock, shock, shock — this time, he actually agrees with the AJC’s token conservative.

— Fortunately, Eddie picks up the sarcastic baton and runs with it at Chicken Fat. What’s good for General Motors is good for the country? Forget that, he writes, what’s good for me is good for the rest of country. He’s going on a supremely greedy buying spree and can’t wait for the government to bail him out.

— But who will be leading that government? Left On Lanier isn’t sure, but he does recognize a smear campaign when he sees one. He offers up a very funny home-kit for coming up with Republican talking points. Someone please forward to Caribou Barbie.

— Reporter-Cub supports a homeowner’s right to fight against “the man.” But his support ends when said homeowner paints his house in Florida Gator colors. ‘Nuff said.

— Ah, the good old days. Travis at Lucid Idiocy watched Mr. Smith Goes To Washington for the first time and came away flushed with both idealism and cynicism. The flick may have been made in 1940, but should be required viewing for anyone holding elected office.

— And, finally, it’s a bit of a shock that the fine ladies at Pecanne Log are only now discovering Richards Variety Store. There’s a new location in Midtown, and they were properly charmed by the little slice of Mayberry in the big city.

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— The polls show we may actually have a race on our hands for Georgia’s Senate seat. There was a debate last night down in Perry and DriftGrift was on the scene. His account is more poetic than reportage, but the headline — Clouds and Clods — gives you a hint.

— Some conservatives get it, argues ATLmalcontent. But others do little more than mouth the agenda offered by the Sean Hannitys of the world. And why is Johnny Mac following the lead of pundits who, just a few months ago, were leading the charge against his nomination? Has J-Mac sold his soul?

— And the conservatives who do get it? Jason Pye contends they are turning away from the dynamic duo. Federal bail-outs equate to socialism and, Pye says, that puts Johnny Mac to the left of his opponent.

— At Politits, Dcup talks back to the mainstream media after she heard a CNBC anchor say that people aren’t shopping these days because they’re scared of the economy. Well, not quite, Dcup answers. They’re not shopping as much because they don’t have money. She’s also worried about the anger that Johnny Mac and Caribou Barbie are whipping up on the campaign trail.

— And Amy at Georgia Women Vote smells a Republican conspiracy. Why else would Karen Handel send 2 million names to the social security administration to check their identity? Funny how the states who also sent in huge lists of names happen to be … wow, what a coincidence … swing states. Ah for the good ol’ days when the voter rolls allowed you to vote from the grave.

— And, finally, on the personal political front — men and women, that is — Amber Rhea has some tips for the male species on showing a little respect.

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— The wit and wisdom of Caribou Barbie is still a hot topic around the blogosphere and if you haven’t seen the latest SNL take, it’s a must-view. Amy Morton at Georgia Women Vote gathers some pointed post-debate feedback.

— Meanwhile at Going Through The Motions, the lovely Sara wonders why Americans seem to vote for the person they most identify with rather than the person they agree with politically. When she broached the topic with her Republican father, he dismissed her for using a “liberal talking point.” Ouch.

— Why does it matter? Dcup brings it home at Politits as she details her family’s fight to stave off foreclosure. And their lender gave them a cynical Catch-22. The bank first said they wouldn’t discuss helping them “work through it” until they brought their mortgage up to date. After that happened, the bank said they didn’t qualify for any programs to adjust their rate because they weren’t late anymore.

— TV stations love “gotcha” journalism, but Doug at Live Apartment Fire takes WGCL-TV to task for its report on Atlanta sanitation workers who allegedly lounge around during working hours and then go out when the overtime kicks in. Trouble is, Doug points out, the station never actually got them on camera doing anything wrong. It’s an example of a story rushed out before its time.

— Is anyone in a good mood these days? Edwin, at Chicken Fat, had to pick up friends returning from a trip at the airport and found himself lost and circling Hartsfield/Jackson in heavy traffic. Instead of helping him out, a grumpy cop slammed his fist on the windshield of Edwin’s car and told him to get moving.

— And, finally, the fine ladies at Pecanne Log had an even worse weekend after discovering they had missed the event they’d anticipated for months: the annual bowling showdown between the Furries and the Klingons. What they don’t know is the bowling match never happened. It was a trap. The Klingons ate the Furries, then trashed the bowing alley and took off in search of Spock.

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— Last night was this year’s version of the “If you can’t baffle ‘em with brilliance, befuddle ‘em with bullshit” vice-presidential debates and the blogosphere is alive with reaction.

— The debate, and Palin’s stance on gay rights, left Life On The Q with a four-Advil headache from trying to decipher exactly what she was trying to say and her basic ignorance about the laws that prohibit gays from visiting their partners in the hospital or buying homes together.

— Anyone notice how Palin had to keep glancing down to read from her notes? Lucid Idiocy did and points out that she couldn’t answer any question that wasn’t on her cheat sheets. She reverted back to some talking point that had nothing to do whatsoever with the topic at handle. You know … the befuddle ‘em tactic.

– But Joe Biden took the “baffle ‘em” approach and came across as a tired old hack, writes ATLmalcontent. His plea to whomever is elected president: Please don’t die in office.

— At Georgia Women Vote, Amy explains why the neocons have embraced Palin and why she’s ticked off that an “average, Joe Six-Pack” kind of woman is on this year’s ticket.

— But enough about the debate. We’re finally seeing gas stations with gas, but Dave at Rather Than Working has an interesting point: In July, crude oil was selling for about $145 a barrel and gas costs about $4.09 a gallon. Today, crude is selling for less than $100 a barrel, and gas at the pump is $3.95 a gallon or more. Where’s the corresponding price drop?

— It’s October and what else is wrong with the world? Well, the Braves aren’t playing baseball. On his always enlightening Braves Blog, David O’Brien says the team has to regain its swagger next year or risk losing its reputation as an elite team.

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A friend wrote: “Palin aside, I thought Biden really nailed it. Very likeable and quite the
dignitary.”

I agree. Biden’s objective was to attack McCain and tie him to Bush. Palin’s was to start getting taken more seriously — essentially a defensive objective at a time when her ticket needs to go on the offensive (but she had no choice).

They both pretty much did that. But people still aren’t going to forget Palin’s Couric interview. And Biden did a bit better at achieving his goals than she did, which means that the momentum should stay with Obama-Biden.

Your take?

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Tonight at 9 p.m., the two vice presidential nominees from both major parties — where’s the Libertarian? — will face off in what’s sure to be a battle of the wits.

In one corner, we have Sen. Joe Biden, a veteran lawmaker with a history of gaffes but who has more or less held it together — even while riding the Amtrak from D.C. to Delaware every single day of his life. In the other, there’s Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has proven to be the most astute interview subject since Crispin Glover.

To help you enjoy the debate, the fine folks at GEDBlog have put together a Sarah Palin BINGO card. The targeted moose is a free space. Each time Palin mentions “lipstick,” “glass ceiling,” “Tony Rezko,” or the healthy polar bear population, cover a space. First person to mail in their winning BINGO card receives a free pair of 3-D glasses that have been sitting on my desk for a couple of months.

We may or may not be liveblogging this spectacle. I’m in talks with a special guest to join me, a person who has changed the very fabric of modern politics with her wit, wisdom and style. I’m speaking with her agents, who as luck would have it, are demanding I provide her with tomatoes. Even if we don’t, at least you have this fancy game to play.

To print out a BINGO card, click here to access the PDF version.

(Hat tip to various folks on Tumblr, GEDBlog)

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— As the big debate approaches, is Sarah Palin a sign the apocalypse is upon us? Over at Politits, Dcup wonders how Johnny Mac feels when his running mate is more popular than he is.

— Seeing the latest Katie Couric interview is disturbing. And the lovely Sara at Going Through The Motions makes the case that she’s the more qualified “Sara” to be vice-president because she can actually name some rather well-known Supreme Court cases. Maybe the other Sarah should click through to the list, just to bone up on our country’s history.

— And who wants to bet that the magazines she wouldn’t admit to reading include the National Enquirer and US Weekly? Based on Palin’s lack of reading material, ATLmalcontent hopes that it all turns out to be a bad dream come January.

— Ms. Palin professes to have a gay friend, although his/her identity remains a mystery. But J-Mac did agree to give an interview to a gay magazine, although he dictated that the questions and answers be written out. Can’t ever be too careful, right Mr. “Straight Talk” Express? At Reporter-Cub, there’s links and some analysis.

— As Driftgrift notes, Cynthia McKinney is running for president. No, I’m not kidding. Really and truly. For the Green Party. And based on the video Driftgrift dug up, either it’s the end of the world as we know it or else Cynthia has turned completely psychotic. Dig those bugged-out eyes.

– Going local, Righteous Jackass ponders Karen Handel, who used op-ed space in the AJC to make a vow to protect the integrity of the November elections and yet fights to limit the number of people who actually can vote. It’s the idea of the elite democracy, he says, where only a few are smart enough to lead the rest of us.

— And, finally, going even more local, the fine ladies at Pecanne Log discuss CL’s bankruptcy and stake out their vision for what the paper should be in the future.

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Did Republican V.P. hopeful Gov. Sarah Palin just tell CBS’s Katie Couric that being underneath the flight path of foreign airplanes counts as foreign policy experience?

I think she did.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Congratulations to residents of south Fulton and Clayton counties. By virtue of Hartsfield-Jackson’s busy international flight schedule, you’re all on McCain’s short-list to become Secretary of State.

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BAILOUT: President Bush, looking concerned, nervous but still slightly amused, tells the nation that the “entire economy is in danger.”

PALIN: CNN’s Campbell Brown issued a rant to the McCain campaign Tuesday, calling for it to stop sheltering its VP candidate and treating her “like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment,” in response to the campaign barring reporters from asking her questions at a U.N. appearance. Palin was then turned loose to Katie Couric Wednesday, and it did not go well.

MCCAIN: Suspends his campaign to focus on the economy, and asks Obama to postpone Friday’s debate if a bailout deal isn’t reached by then. Obama declines, saying “It is going to be part of the president’s job to deal with more than one thing at once.”

GAS PANIC: Still going on, and people are still fighting at gas stations.

MERGE PROTECTOR: Northwest Airlines’ shareholders this morning approved merging with Delta, whose shareholders will also vote today. Antitrust approval still awaits.

EURO TRIP: Gov. Perdue’s upcoming trip to Spain is expected to cost taxpayers $100,000 at a time when Georgia faces a nearly $1.6 billion budget shortfall and has asked state agencies, including the governor’s office, to cut back.

SHOOTING THE BREEZE: The Gainesville Times reports that relocated city slickers often are shocked this time of year by their neighbors outside, guns a-blazin’, because much of unincorporated Georgia allows residents to shoot guns on their own property.

UGA VS. ‘BAMA: Officials warn that Athens may be flooded with counterfeit tickets Saturday, as average real-ticket prices are more than $300.

TERROR LEVEL RED HOT: The New Englandish region (touché, Jimbo) isn’t establishing a good track record with bomb recognition. First there was the 2007 Aqua Teen Hunger Force scare in Boston; now the Philadelphia Phillies blew up some hot dogs before losing to the Braves Wednesday night.

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