The heavily-promoted survey noted that among those who read at least one book per year, liberals read nine and conservatives read nine.

Turns out that such a slight difference is not statistically meaningful.

Bumper sticker thinking: Catch the fever!

And, of course, since you can only think in bumper sticker slogans, you can help James Carville craft the DSCC's new bumper sticker slogan (see the post below).

Posted by: Ace at 11:34 AM | Comments (35)
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The video explains the song and the headline.

From Dean's World, which links to an article about the "lolcat" phenomenon and the main site for lolcats. I wasn't hip to this myself a few months ago, but now I think it's pretty darn funny.

Not As Funny: A Shriners go-cart display goes badly awry.

Even Dumber: James Carville and DNC staffers come up with a "funny" video begging you to come up with a bumper sticker slogan for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

How about "Vote Democratic: We're Not Literal Cocksuckers"? It's got a nice cadence.

Posted by: Ace at 11:13 AM | Comments (25)
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L to R: An undercover cop with a sexy Dougie Howser thing going;
The Joker before falling into a chemical vat in a gaybar "buddy booth"

Seriously, who could blame him?

Sen. Larry Craig, who in May told the Idaho Statesman he had never engaged in homosexual acts, was arrested less than a month later by an undercover police officer who said Craig made a sexual advance toward him in an airport men's room.

The arrest at a Minnesota airport prompted Craig to plead guilty to disorderly conduct earlier this month. His June 11 encounter with the officer was similar to an incident in a men's room in a Washington, D.C., rail station described by a Washington-area man to the Idaho Statesman. In that case, the man said he and Craig had sexual contact.

...

In an interview on May 14, Craig told the Idaho Statesman he'd never engaged in sex with a man or solicited sex with a man. The Craig interview was the culmination of a Statesman investigation that began after a blogger accused Craig of homosexual sex in October. Over five months, the Statesman examined rumors about Craig dating to his college days and his 1982 pre-emptive denial that he had sex with underage congressional pages.

The most serious finding by the Statesman was the report by a professional man with close ties to Republican officials. The 40-year-old man reported having oral sex with Craig at Washington's Union Station, probably in 2004. The Statesman also spoke with a man who said Craig made a sexual advance toward him at the University of Idaho in 1967 and a man who said Craig "cruised" him for sex in 1994 at the REI store in Boise. The Statesman also explored dozens of allegations that proved untrue, unclear or unverifiable.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party the media gloats over dreams of capturing a fillibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

The last Democratic president to enjoy a filibuster-proof Senate majority was Jimmy Carter 30 years ago.

But it now looks possible that in next yearÂ’s elections the Democrats just might attain the 60 seats they need to foil Republican filibusters.

Democrats now have 51 seats, if one includes independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who calls himself an independent Democrat.

Craig should resign but apparently he refuses to do so. So he must be forced out by a GOP challenger. He cannot hope to hold the seat. Whether that's fair or not, I don't know. But that's just the way it is. The GOP cannot afford to keep losing Senate seats in the deepest red states.

High profile elected office is the wrong job for a closeted homosexual who apparently can't even manage a bit of discretion about his cruising.

Over at Hugh Hewitt, there are some comparisons to the David Vitter situation. Here's one difference: Vitter isn't up for re-election and I'm not even sure whoring around is a misdemeanor in Louisiana.

And Larry Craig has repeatedly stuck his thumb in the eye of his conservative base. He was pro-amnesty all the way home.

I have a sneaking suspicion that perhaps he thought tacking to the left would protect him from the liberal media when this all came out. He certainly was behaving as if he were compromised. Well, if he had thoughts along those lines, I hope he realizes he was wrong to fear the liberal media more than his own conservative constituents. Perhaps if he'd been a good soldier we could manage to swallow our misgivings and fight (reluctantly) on his behalf.

Instead, we're left wondering which part of the Craig Agenda we're the most psyched about: The pro-amnesty agenda or trying to suck stranger's dicks in public bathrooms, which will of course benefit his very tolerant Democratic opponent.

I'm not sure I'm especially keen on either of them.

Posted by: Ace at 10:23 AM | Comments (61)
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Meanwhile, of course, Iran announces it's ready, willing, and able to fill the "power vacuum" in Iraq, in case anyone was unclear about that.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Tuesday that a power vacuum is imminent in Iraq and said that Iran was ready to help fill the gap.

"The political power of the occupiers is collapsing rapidly," Ahmadinejad said at a press conference in Tehran, referring to U.S. troops in Iraq. "Soon, we will see a huge power vacuum in the region. Of course, we are prepared to fill the gap, with the help of neighbors and regional friends like Saudi Arabia, and with the help of the Iraqi nation."

Although Ahmadinejad did not elaborate how Iran could fill a power gap, his bold remarks reflected what may be perceived as Iran's eagerness for an increasing role on its neighbor's political scene.

...

"They rudely say (the Iraqi) prime minister and the constitution must change," Ahmadinejad said. "Who are you? Who has given you the right" to ask for such a change, he added, addressing the U.S. critics of al- Maliki, who is also a Shiite.

I like how AP puts it: "Iran was ready to help fill the gap." Ahmadinejad is all about helping.

I don't know if Bush's statement is more bluster or intended to actually begin the path towards an ultimatum.

Posted by: Ace at 09:23 AM | Comments (9)
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Any nuns around?

A poor family is making big donations to Hillary Clinton... and their donations just happen to track with the donations of a wealthy Chinese businessman.

One of the biggest sources of political donations to Hillary Rodham Clinton is a tiny, lime-green bungalow that lies under the flight path from San Francisco International Airport.

Six members of the Paw family, each listing the house at 41 Shelbourne Ave. as their residence, have donated a combined $45,000 to the Democratic senator from New York since 2005, for her presidential campaign, her Senate re-election last year and her political action committee. In all, the six Paws have donated a total of $200,000 to Democratic candidates since 2005, election records show.

That total ranks the house with residences in Greenwich, Conn., and Manhattan's Upper East Side among the top addresses to donate to the Democratic presidential front-runner over the past two years, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal of donations listed with the Federal Election Commission.

It isn't obvious how the Paw family is able to afford such political largess. Records show they own a gift shop and live in a 1,280-square-foot house that they recently refinanced for $270,000. William Paw, the 64-year-old head of the household, is a mail carrier with the U.S. Postal Service who earns about $49,000 a year, according to a union representative. Alice Paw, also 64, is a homemaker. The couple's grown children have jobs ranging from account manager at a software company to "attendance liaison" at a local public high school. One is listed on campaign records as an executive at a mutual fund.

The Paws' political donations closely track donations made by Norman Hsu, a wealthy New York businessman in the apparel industry who once listed the Paw home as his address, according to public records. Mr. Hsu is one of the top fund-raisers for Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign. He has hosted or co-hosted some of her most prominent money-raising events.

People who answered the phone and the door at the Paws' residence declined requests for comment last week. In an email last night, one of the Paws' sons, Winkle, said he had sometimes been asked by Mr. Hsu to make contributions, and sometimes he himself had asked family members to donate. But he added: "I have been fortunate in my investments and all of my contributions have been my money."

He's got $45,000 laying around and decides to continue living at home with mom and dad instead of getting his own apartment?

I guess he's really committed to the cause.

...

Kent Cooper, a former disclosure official with the Federal Election Commission, said the two-year pattern of donations justifies a probe of possible violations of campaign-finance law, which forbid one person from reimbursing another to make contributions.

"There are red lights all over this one," Mr. Cooper said.

There is no public record or indication Mr. Hsu reimbursed the Paw family for their political contributions.

Well of course there wouldn't be public records. One doesn't make public records of a crime.

Allah says he's not sure there's anything illegal about this apparent scheme. Seems to me there's an awful lot that's illegal about it. One isn't supposed to evade donation-limits or disclosure laws by donating through straw men. In addition, it's pretty unclear where Mr. Hsu's donations are actually coming from -- and why those donors aren't able to donate legally in their own names.

Posted by: Ace at 09:17 AM | Comments (79)
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Sexiful:

Kucinich said he was “singularly positioned” to lead on health care issues as president because he has forsaken animal-based food products in his diet.

“This is why I happen to be a vegan. People want a president who’s healthy, because if you’re healthy, you can think right,” Kucinich said. “I’m 60 years old, my wife’s 29. Draw your own conclusions."

I've got some conclusions but they have very little to do with veganism.

Posted by: Ace at 09:06 AM | Comments (33)
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Alas, eight hundred billion civilians were killed in the assault, most apparently by unfired ammunition "thrown at them with great force and violence."

Hundreds of U.S. and Iraqi forces backed by helicopters and jet fighters attacked and killed 33 Sunni insurgents who were holding back the water supply to the Shiite town of Khalis, the American command said in a statement Tuesday.

The assault began before dawn on Monday when a joint force was landed by helicopter in the village of Gubbiya, 10 miles east of Khalis. The assault force killed 13 fighters and attack aircraft killed 20 others, the military said. The area is known to be controlled by Al Qaeda in Iraq. Khalis, 50 miles north of Baghdad, has been the scene of repeated Sunni insurgent bombings and mortar attacks.

"The objective of the mission was to open the spillway, which regulates water flow to the town of Khalis, restoring the essential service of water," the statement said.

Thanks to Paul Anka's former lighting man for that.

Posted by: Ace at 08:36 AM | Comments (10)
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And he's already getting sued.

You might know him from his "Hell's Kitchen" series. I never liked that series. He seemed overdoing it a lot, playing to the cameras. The "Kitchen Nightmares" seems a lot more real. He's not always a prick. A lot of times he's actually helpful and once in while praises a cook and encourages them.

I got this off Drudge which is promoting the article for Ramsay saying "America is a pathetic nation." That's really out of context. He's being sued by a guy portrayed as hopelessly incompetent by his show, who says Ramsay set him up by planting moldy food in the kitchen and rigging one chair to collapse. In response Ramsay says,

“Trying to say I set up a wobbly chair,” Mr. Ramsay said, his voice full of disgust at the lawsuit. “This is supposed to be the most powerful nation in the world, not the most pathetic.”

So a bit overblown.

Really good show. At least the English version was. Debuts Sept. 19th.

Posted by: Ace at 08:30 AM | Comments (9)
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The group's CEO asks them:

Given your recent history of airing such ads (see below), we must wonder if your denial to FW is a subjective decision because the network officials disagree with the FW adsÂ’ message?

...

As noted above, it’s troubling that the Networks appear to be airing messages on issues on a selective basis. Our research indicates that your network has accepted and aired advertisements dealing with controversial issues of national importance in the recent past. For example, the Networks aired an advertisement entitled “Shameless Politicians” sponsored by Move America Forward regarding the war on terror in October 2004.

Absolutely shameful. But then, they're "The Deciders." The decide which political beliefs are worthy of public debate.

Some of the banned commercials are here. They're pretty good. If you've been watching FoxNews, you've probably seen a few.

Here's the homepage for the group. They've set up a toll free number to call your Congressmen. It's 1-877-222-8001.

Correction: I wrote CNN had refused the ads. They haven't. It's CNBC and MSNBC, obviously both part of NBC, the network that decided to begin airing the lunatic ravings of Keith Olbermann on its broadcast network.

Thanks to the Rocketeer for noting that.

Another Correction: Ari Fleisher is a spokesman for the group but did not write that letter. It was written by the group's CEO. Thanks to Anwyn for that.

Posted by: Ace at 08:05 AM | Comments (13)
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IÂ’ve been hearing a little discussion about moving from the current winner-take-all system to a more proportional award of electoral votes. California Republicans are tired of handing all of CaliforniaÂ’s electoral votes to Democrats every election.

An early poll revealed that 49% of those asked support the idea (42% opposed). Many observed that this may change as Democrats become aware of the actual results of the change. I donÂ’t think thatÂ’ll be a problem for much longer.

The story was carried in the Washington Post yesterday. Writer Karl Vick noted:

Had such a system been in place in 2004, President Bush would have come out of California with 22 electoral votes instead of zero. Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) would have gotten only 33.

I don't think much for the initiative's chances. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about mucking around with the electoral college.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 08:01 AM | Comments (60)
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