First Door on the Left

“…the leading terrorist group in this country right now is the Republican Party.” — Keith Olbermann

Transcript here.

The shameful commercial to which he refers may be viewed here.

It all depends, I guess, on what your definition of ‘stay the course’ is…

Bush’s New Tack Steers Clear of ‘Stay the Course’

President Bush and his aides are annoyed that people keep misinterpreting his Iraq policy as “stay the course.” A complete distortion, they say. “That is not a stay-the-course policy,” White House press secretary Tony Snow declared yesterday.

Where would anyone have gotten that idea? Well, maybe from Bush.

“We will stay the course. We will help this young Iraqi democracy succeed,” he said in Salt Lake City in August.

“We will win in Iraq so long as we stay the course,” he said in Milwaukee in July.

“I saw people wondering whether the United States would have the nerve to stay the course and help them succeed,” he said after returning from Baghdad in June.

But the White House is cutting and running from “stay the course.” A phrase meant to connote steely resolve instead has become a symbol for being out of touch and rigid in the face of a war that seems to grow worse by the week, Republican strategists say. Democrats have now turned “stay the course” into an attack line in campaign commercials, and the Bush team is busy explaining that “stay the course” does not actually mean stay the course.

Flip-flop, anyone?

Have you seen the “I’m a Democrat” videos on YouTube yet? They’re spoofs of the Mac v. PC ads currently running on TV. The “I’m a Democrat” videos aren’t running on any TV networks that I’m aware of, but they’re pretty good. So far, there appear to be four of them. Check them out:

One, two, three and four.

Everybody’s talking about them!

Update via Britethorn in comments: Five.

George W. Bush told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News this morning that he believes the Republicans will still be in control of both houses of Congress after the upcoming midterm elections.

Well, yeah, I suppose it could happen…

(Click cartoon to see it full sized.)

An addendum to the previous post, today’s Doonesbury (click to enlarge)…

and, courtesy of CBS News, today’s funniest headline…

The RNC will begin running a new ad on cable television this weekend. It’s called “The Stakes.”

This may have worked a couple of years ago. I don’t think it’ll work now. People have seen how poorly the Republicans have managed the war against terrorism. They now place more trust in the Democrats when it comes to their safety. Terror is no longer the strong card for the GOP. I think this ad will backfire on the Republicans.

It strikes me as more than a little strange that the Republicans are proud of all this stuff that has happened during their watch.

They have no choice, however. They have to go with the fear card. They have nothing else.

Not really, though the show would probably be a lot more interesting if he were. The guy who plays him is…

‘Anatomy’ Star T.R. Knight Says He’s Gay

NEW YORK (AP) — “Grey’s Anatomy” star T.R. Knight says he’s gay, but hopes people don’t consider that “the most interesting part of me.” The 33-year-old actor addressed rumors of his sexuality in a statement to People magazine Thursday.

“I guess there have been a few questions about my sexuality, and I’d like to quiet any unnecessary rumors that may be out there,” Knight’s statement read. “While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I’m gay isn’t the most interesting part of me.”

Knight plays Dr. George O’Malley on the popular ABC drama.

You can go to your football game this weekend after all. The whole dirty bomb threat thing was just a scam…

Blogger Admits NFL Threat a Scam

Federal agents tell ABC News a man in Milwaukee has admitted sending phony NFL terror threats as part of a “writer’s duel.”

The agents say the Milwaukee man and a second suspect in Texas attempted to “outdo” the other in producing the scariest terror threat.

According to the agents, the Milwaukee man said he used the Internet to find future football games and combined them with Ramadan dates to concoct a believable terror story.

The suspect interviewed in Texas has corroborated the Milwaukee man’s story, according to the agents.

Why the government chose to publicize it in the first place without doing a little investigating and corroborating is anybody’s guess.

McCain: “I’d just commit suicide” if Democrats take control of Senate

Arizona Senator and probable 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain jokingly says he would “commit suicide” if Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate in this November’s election.

McCain is in Iowa today (Wednesday), campaigning with GOP Congressmen Steve King and Tom Latham as well as Republican congressional candidate Jeff Lamberti. McCain spoke at a mid-day news conference in Des Moines, where McCain was asked what his reaction would be to a Democratic take-over of the Senate.

“I think I’d just commit suicide,” McCain said, as the Republicans standing beside him burst into laughter. “I don’t want to face that eventuality because I don’t think it’s going to happen…I think it’s going to be tough, but I think we’ll do o.k.” A few moments later McCain turned to Congressman Latham and joked that Latham would probably commit suicide first, as polls suggest control of the House is likely to swing to Democrats in this year’s election.

Don’t get your hopes up. Republicans aren’t very good at keeping campaign promises. Besides, isn’t suicide a sin?

Just how fricking stupid is this?

Feds: Threat against NFL stadiums not credible

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Department of Homeland Security has sent an advisory to the National Football League and local officials advising of a possible, uncorroborated bomb threat against some NFL stadiums.

The threat, posted on a Web site, alleges that dirty bombs could be used this weekend against seven stadiums — in Miami, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Oakland and Cleveland. The bombs were to be delivered by truck, the posting said.

On its Web site, the U.S. Nuclear Regulator Commission describes a dirty bomb as a device that combines a conventional explosive, such as dynamite, with radioactive material. According to the NRC, a dirty bomb is in no way similar to a nuclear weapon. The presumed purpose of its use would be as a weapon of mass disruption rather than a weapon of mass destruction.

DHS said the posting is not considered credible and the information was being shared only in an abundance of caution so that league officials and others could determine what steps they want to take.

Homeland Security officials said people should still go about their plans and not avoid stadiums.

If the threat is not considered credible, why even bother publicizing it? DHS does not think you will be blown to bits if you go to a football game this weekend, but they want their asses covered in the event that you are.

“Gosh, we are so sorry you got blown up. We really didn’t think you would, but we did try to warn you. Okay, there’s that pesky little thing where we told you to go about your plans and not avoid stadiums… but, still. I mean, cut us some slack, will you? There are only three weeks left until election time, and we’ve got to scare the crap out of you somehow.”

Is this administration not the most inept bunch of clowns you’ve ever seen?