The Political Whore

It’s not so much that Bush says Wall Street got drunk and now has a hangover that stings. It’s that he brought the alcohol to the party in the first place.

• Obama gets a little face-time with both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• McCain makes stuff up about The Surge, CBS just edits it out without comment.
• At least he’s honest about it: Robert Novak gets duped by the McCain campaign.
• Wall Street expected WaMu to report a serious loss, but no one had that number a $3.3 billion.
• Oh, come on, the Taser’s a harmless, humane way to subdue a criminal. Unless you shock the poor bastard until his heart explodes. Then, not so gentle.
• A flight carrying Ron Paul makes an emergency landing after losing cabin pressure, thereby negating the wealth of conspiracy theories that would have followed a crash.
• The new owners of the Lightning bought more than just a hockey team.
• Kevin Smith reviews The Dark Knight.

Breaking news: John McCain is “aware” of both the Internet and computers. He doesn’t use them, silly. He just knows they exist — and that should be good enough for you.

• In other McCain news: Someone really loves their weekends.
• “Reporter M.E. Sprengelmeyer writes that Nader accused Barack Obama of ‘downplaying poverty issues, trying to ‘talk white’ and appealing to ‘white guilt’ during his run for the White House.’”
• The Supreme Court cuts the damages Exxon has to pay for the Valdez disaster to 1/5th 1/10th their original value. The best part: Alito had to recuse himself, as he owns Exxon stock and stands to gain from this decision.
• The Axis of Evil loses another member as North Korea is removed from the list. That just leaves Iran, right?
• Old school: Tuppeware parties. New school: Taser party.
• Coming soon: The Playstation phone.
• The Rays shelve the waterfront stadium plan … for now. (Does this mean they’ll stop winning?)
• Vinny to stick with the Lightning for life.

How stupid are we as a nation? CNN interviews author Rick Shenkman, in this clip posted to YouTube on June 15.

• Nick of time: Congress acts to remedy the mortgage crisis.
• Alan Greenspan: “We are on the brink.”
• A new documentary on Lee Atwater has conservatives crying foul.
• The IRS opens an investigation of local firebrand Bill Keller. The preacherman cries “Romney!”
• Oh good, Imus is shooting his mouth off again. I had gone months without hearing moronic, racist drivel.
• Bet you don’t know how much oil there is in the world. Turns out, no one does.
• George Carlin’s final interview, a wide-ranging, bittersweet affair, pops up on the Psychology Today’s website. Plus: HBO plans a Carlin marathon and WBAI looks back at history.
• The Mullet drops his cushy ESPN job to become coach the Lightning.

And so we reach the end of what will surely be the wildest primary contest of my lifetime.

Thank God Wolf Blitzer is there to make sense of it all.

• Obama “claims” the nomination.
• Hillary makes no decisions.
• McCain rips off Obama’s slogan but can’t match Barack’s stage presence.
• And what was up with that ugly green backdrop anyway?
• Who wants to live forever? (How about just past 90?)
• The Lightning show coach John Tortorella the door.
• Game one in Boston seems like old times for the Rays.
• Advantage: Lakers.

Now that’s an Olympic torch relay.

• Time magazine names its Top 25 blogs. Guess who’s not on it? (Bastards!)
• Stupid Headline #1: “Crackdown on Militias May Add to Instability in Iraq” (Gee, ya think?)
• And the Pulitzer goes to: Bob Dylan.
• Noisy fish terrorize Cape Coral, Fl. Yes, that’s fish. The underwater kind.
• Men’s Health airs the restaurant industry’s dirty laundry.
• Stupid Headline #2: “Depression linked to Alzheimer’s” (Gee, that’s just about everyone, isn’t it?)
• Kansas beats Memphis in OT to bring March Madness to a close.
• The Lightning nab the #1 pick in the NHL draft.