The Political Whore

Obama clarifies and defends his energy policy proposals in this contentious interview in Nevada with Jon Ralston.

• Bruce Ivins e-mail indicates he was maybe kind of a loon, so it’s certain he perpetrated a solo biological weapons attack on liberal members of our government and the media (though the e-mails never mention anything close to that). Case closed.
• Bush slams China’s human rights record — in the most gentle way possible, of course.
• “Sure I’ll plead guilty to murder, But I gotta have the Colonel and Papa John as witnesses.”
• Hillsborough to spend $50 million on park maintainence and a scaled down version of Jim Norman’s field of dreams.
• How to: stockpile cheap(er) gas.
• Headline of the week: “I’m a breastfeeding fiend.”
• Favre goes to the Jets. Get your Jeff Garcia jerseys here.
• Case closed in the death of Heath Ledger.

Some deft footwork by Obama in Ohio yesterday. Someone in the crowd heckles, and Obama has the person lead the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

• Ron Suskind’s new book sends the White House into a tizzy.
• Paris strikes back!
  
• Favre about to become a Buccaneer?
• Did the FBI stalk Anthrax scientist Bruce Ivins to death?
• South Tampa’s Whaley’s Market to close shop on Sunday.
• A good day on Wall Street.
• MIT claims game-changing breakthrough on solar power.
• Kevin Smith’s latest squeaks out an R.

McCain insists he was right when he said The Surge led to the Anbar Awakening, despite the fact that the Awakening happened in 2006 and The Surge happened in 2007.

• Poor John McCain, he just can’t catch a break. (This is possibly the most ridiculous story ever published by the Washington Post.)
• Obama gets double the airtime of McCain, and double the tough questions.
• “If somebody told me that I would save the people on the airplane by taking my pants off out in public out there, I wouldn’t mind doing it, but this was not necessary.”
• The director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center warns his employees to limit their cell phone use to avoid tumors. Ah, what does he know?
• Jewelry stores and investment banking firms prepare for the rush of new customers as the U.S. minimum wage jumps to just $6.55 an hour.
• Headline of the week: “Motor racing chief wins ‘Nazi’ orgy lawsuit.”
• The Bucs on the verge of landing Brett Favre? Just what they need, another really old QB.
• The Bruce B. Downs “flyover” opens, traffic remains somewhat snarled.

The JibJab folks return with their latest hit, “Time For Some Campaignin’.”  It’s got a little something to piss off everyone, which means it’s damn funny. Enjoy.

• You know things are bad when oil prices plunge on fears that Americans won’t be able to afford gas anymore.
• State Farm Insurance plans massive 50%-90% rate hike on the homeowners insurance of Pinellas County residents.
• The three biggest myths about offshore oil drilling.
• There seems to be more to that Jesse Jackson “I’m gonna cut Barack’s nuts off” video. Maybe.
• Hollywood stunner: Andy Dick arrested on drug and sexual battery charges!
• Speaking of actors in cuffs, there may be cell phone video of Josh Brolin and Jeffery Wright getting arrested at the W wrap party. Early reports don’t sound too flattering for the cops.
• The Dark Knight is poised to cash in big time. CL critic Lance Goldenberg loved it, by the way.
• “I’m Brett Favre. You may remember me from Super Bowl XXXI.”