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Remember when Patton won at Stalingrad?

By: Attaturk Monday April 26, 2010 1:30 am

BERJAYANew York’s 19th district has a Republican challenger that pretty much epitomizes many of the young loud-mouths we’ve all had to deal with from time to time — loud and educated as if by morons — ever more frequently by chalkboard performance art.

Meet 30 year old, right-wing writer, Ann Coulter-aspirant Kristia Cavere, and yeah, she’s a fan out illogical over-heated analogies:


“The Republicans are the ones who liberated Europe in World War II.”

This, of course, will come to real news to, uh, y’know history — some well-heeled Democrat in a wheelchair for example. And, since Ms. Cavere equates “liberate” with defeating Hitler, the only other implication her knowledge of history could have is that Stalin and the Red Army were Republicans because they did a lot more on that score than anyone else.

So, using my own blackboard, I guess what I’m saying is the Comrade Cavere is a Stalinist.

(photo from here)

Sunday Late Night: Mitt Romney, Californian?

By: Teddy Partridge Sunday April 25, 2010 8:01 pm

In an apparent attempt to re-brand himself yet again — after playing corporate buccaneer at Bain Capital, downsizing thousands of Americans out of their jobs, reformatting the hopelessly corrupt Utah Olympics™, implementing the ObamaCare prototype in Massachusetts, and launching his presidential campaign amidst artifacts of his dad’s Michigan auto success — Willard “Call Me Mitt” Romney may now want Americans to think of him as a Californian.

That’s right; MItt has not only pitched in to help his Bain Capital protege Queen eMeg attempt a hostile takeover of the governorship with her checkbook campaign. The Mittster has joined other denizens of La Jolla, among them Cindy McCain, Anne Rice, and Raquel Welch. He and wife Ann have a beachside cottage ($12 million) they purchased after selling their suburban Boston manse.

Clinging to their Massachusetts residency (for reasons unclear) the Romneys have prevailed upon one of The Sons:

Romney and his wife, Ann, sold the 6,500-square-foot Massachusetts colonial where they raised their five sons, fetching $3.5 million. They also unloaded a 9,500-square-foot family retreat at the Deer Valley ski resort in Utah for close to its $5.25 million asking price.

The couple held onto their waterfront home at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, while adding a 3,000-square-foot oceanfront house carved from the California estate once owned by actor Cliff Robertson.

They still do not own a property in Massachusetts, forcing them to claim temporary residence at a basement apartment in the Belmont home owned by their eldest son, Tagg. It’s the address Romney used to vote in Republican Scott Brown’s recent victorious Senate special election race, all legal with town officials.

Mitt and Ann’s new house in Belmont has been pushed back until June due to “contractor delays,” thus the need for the basement subterfuge.

But might Ann, who loves the Pacific seaside for its sunny, healing equestrian opportunities, be excited about making La Jolla her permanent home? After all, Massachusetts has that Kennedy blue tinge, that collapsing health care program, that fluke centerfold Senator up for re-election in 2012, that snowy weather.

Of course, California has pesky nurses, who appear decidedly unwelcoming to Queen Meg and the Romney fundraising coterie. In their latest demonstration of noblesse no-thanks, the nurses mobbed a Romney fundraiser for Whitman:

Inside, Whitman told the tech executives and guests who crowded into the sold out event that in her administration, she will look to many of them for her top appointments. “Fasten your seatbelts, because I will be calling on many of you in Silicon Valley to come serve in Sacramento,” she said. The former eBay CEO added to laughs, “many of you will not be excited about that.”

And the noisy crowd of about 100 blond-wig-wearing protesters staged a protest which aimed to suggested billionaire Whitman was aiming to install her own hand-picked crowd of wealthy insiders in Sacramento. In a theatrical show of support for “Queen Meg” — the tiara-wearing look-alike candidate whom the California Nurses Association drafted to dog the GOP hopeful — the nurses mobbed the lobby and chanted “we can’t afford a democracy, so why not have a monarchy?” as guests looked on.

But these ungrateful nurses don’t represent the oligarchy of California, who jammed events all over the state this week to meet and greet with the top end of the national GOP:

Arizona Senator John McCain, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney all headlined with Whitman at the event at the Sofitel Hotel in Redwood City, which raised at least $500,000 for the billionaire candidate’s campaign.

The Whitman bash had it all, from the custom-made M&Ms (message: “create jobs”) and the individual chocolate tiramisu cakes emblazoned with “Meg 2010″ inside, to the nurses’ protest plane droning overhead outside dragging its “Meg for Queen 2010″ banner.

I hope Mitt wasn’t put off by the reception he got from the nurses. After all, Americans have gotten used to a Western White House before. And it’s never too cold in San Diego for the dog to ride atop the old station wagon.


Now This Is Strategic Reset

By: Spencer Ackerman Sunday April 25, 2010 7:00 pm

Now this is something you don’t often see from American and Russian leaders. Presidents Obama and Medvedev have released a joint statement of international partnership in commemoration of the “Spirit of the Elbe,” when the western and eastern allied offensives in Europe converged.

The Next Big Battle: Kandahar Here We Come

By: Siun Sunday April 25, 2010 6:00 pm

If you have a much better memory than most of our media, you may remember the really big – in fact “decisive” – battle the US announced for the important Afghan city … oops, village … oh pardon me, collection of farms called Marja. Complete with a planned “government in a box,” Gen. McChrystal’s always [...]

Lloyd Blankfein Auditions for Open Mic Night

By: dakine01 Sunday April 25, 2010 5:00 pm

Well, well, well.
It seems that Lloyd Blankfein and the folks at the Vampire Squid think Sen Levin and the staff of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations “cherry-picked” the emails that were released yesterday. From today’s New York Times:
In the messages, Lloyd C. Blankfein, the bank’s chief executive, acknowledged in November 2007 that the [...]

Drama Queen Graham Kills Climate Bill

By: David Dayen Sunday April 25, 2010 4:00 pm

Lindsey Graham has decided to withdraw his support for the climate bill he has worked on for months because of the timing of when that bill would come to the Senate. Graham has also been working on an immigration reform proposal with Chuck Schumer, but thinks that issue, which appears to be moving to the top of the priority list after Wall Street reform, has been politicized. The row threatens both priorities.

FDL Book Salon Welcomes Campbell Craig and Fred Logevall, America’s Cold War: The Politics of Insecurity

By: Jeremi Suri Sunday April 25, 2010 2:00 pm

[Welcome authors, Campbell Craig and Fred Logevall, Hosted by Jeremi Suri]

[As a courtesy to our guests, please keep comments to the book.  Please take other conversations to a previous thread.   - bev]
Craig and Logevall, America’s Cold War
America’s Cold War is a powerful and provocative book written by two very talented historians. Campbell Craig and Fredrik [...]

Colbert: “If Lindsey Graham Found Men Sexually Attractive, Why Would He Hang Out With Joe Lieberman?”

By: Jane Hamsher Sunday April 25, 2010 1:30 pm

COLBERT: I don’t believe this allegation. If Lindsey Graham found men sexually attractive, why would he hang out with Joe Lieberman?

Bush Signing Statements Withholding Information to Congress on Torture

By: Jeff Kaye Sunday April 25, 2010 12:30 pm

What isn’t often mentioned was how the CIA was given the green light to lie and obfuscate by their superiors in the Executive Branch.

VOTE YOUR CHOICE

Name That Pot Campaign - Round 1

BERJAYAWe're building a campaign for marijuana reform, and we want you to help name it.

Over 400 people submitted their ideas for campaign names, and now we're letting the community pick their favorite.

Round 1 will be open until Monday, so cast your vote now!

Click here to vote your favorite campaign name for Round 1

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Monday, April 26, 2010 8:00pm Eastern

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