Yes that's right friends, another day like yesterday and I think that many of you should go to the Magic kingdom. In the Magic Kingdom it's always sunny and never rains. In Disney World, America is a wonderful place where political leaders are wise and just and never tell a lie. There, our country and it's leaders can do no wrong. In Disney World the good guys always win and the pirates always lose. All the stores on Main Street USA are busy and prosperous and filled with happy workers. There are no disappointments in Disney World. The men are all handsome and the women are extremely pretty. And best of all, the cartoon characters have no genitalia so, circumcision is not an issue.

This is very embarrassing. Earlier today I learned that during a recent photo shoot for a flagship Conde Nast publication, my young and talented pootie Pumpkin, nearly posed in the nude. I want to assure everyone here that both Pumpkin and I had absolutely no intention of participating in such a sordid venture and are merely two more victims of the wicked corporatist media.

Sorry for the short nature of this but, I thought you'd all want to know right away:

Phil Endorses Obama

Punxsutawney, PA, (AP) 1/31/2008 - In a stunning development here late this afternoon, the influential and legendary ground hog Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow two days early in order to endorse Illinois Senator Barak Obama for President of the United States.

Standing at a tiny podium outside of his home atop Gobbler's Knob and before a large and enthusiastic crowd of stunned local residents, he declared "our nation can not endure 4 more years of winter under Republican rule". "Our constitution has been in hibernation too long", said the diminutive marmot. "We are in desperate need of real change and I believe the best candidate to achieve that change is Barak Obama".  Phil then saw his shadow and proceeded to answer questions from the local press.

Talk about changing the subject. CBS news has just Reported that first daughter Jenna Bush has just announced her engagement. Sorry for the short nature of this. I will update with more information as it arrives. Good God! Will there be a White House wedding ala Richard Nixon.

Here is the AP blurb just in:

The Associated Press
1:17 PM CDT, August 16, 2007

CRAWFORD, Texas - One of the president's daughters is getting married.

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush announced Thursday that their daughter, Jenna, is engaged to Henry Hager of Virginia.

No wedding date has been set, said Mrs. Bush's press secretary, Sally McDonough.

UPDATE:

In a remarkable development late Thursday afternoon, image analysts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX announced that they have determined, through digital image enhancement, the paternity of Mary Cheney's newborn child. It is none other than Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert.  Spokespeople for both the Vice President and Mr. Colbert are refusing to comment on the startling revelation.

It's time to face the hard and sad facts. I have been disappointed by the birthday party ever since I can remember.

I cannot attend a party that is for losers.

I cannot attend a party whose guests are absolute idiots.

The birthday Party is for a bunch of losers. It wants to feed losers and is filled with a bunch of absolute fucking idiots.  

I am done with birthday party...Forever.  

It had it's chance to give me the gifts I wanted. The gifts I rightly deserved.  It could have given me that Schwinn Apple Crate. Did I get it??? NOOOOO?

It could have given me that cute little Schnauzer puppy which I absolutely could not live without. Did I get it???? NOOOOOO!!!!!!

It could have given me that deluxe chemistry set which surely would have changed my life forever and brought about a cure for cancer. Did I get it??? NOOOOO!

The sad fact is birthday party has never delivered for me ever!!!

Betrayal!! Outrage!! Enough! No more birthday party for me. They can't have my cake and eat it too or something like that.

Fuck birthday parties from now until forever.  Till hell freezes over.  Or until I can't think of any more Clichés.

This is just a quick diary to report somebreaking news at Brad Blog. Wisconsin Democratic Senator Rus Feingold will introduce legislation to cut off war funding and Majority Leader Reid will support him.

JUST IN: FEINGOLD TO PROPOSE LEGISLATION TO END WAR, CUT OFF FUNDING
Majority Leader Reid Set to Support Along with 8 Other Senate Co-Sponsors So Far
Exceptions for Funds Cutoff to Be Made for Fighting Terrorists, Security for U.S. Troops and Infrastructure, Training of Iraqi Security Services...

In a statement just sent to The BRAD BLOG, Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) says he is prepared to up the ante in the fight with the White House in light of Bush's spending bill veto, and will be proposing that war funding be cut off by a date certain.

Feingold adds that his proposed legislation has a number of co-sponsors already on board in the Senate.

A bit more after fold...

Wow! Look who just came out against an escalation of the Iraq war? Col. Oliver North. In a just published column in Human Events online, North comes out squarely against sending more combat troops...

For months, advisers to President George W. Bush have been trying to convince the commander in chief that more U.S. troops in Iraq will improve prospects for victory. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), both recently returned from Iraq (and a courageous surprise stopover in Ramadi, capital of bloody Al Anbar Province) also support adding more American troops. Unfortunately, they are wrong.

The full piece can be found here. More excerpts after the break.

Ah, the dog days of summer are upon us and what a summer it has been. Deadly, terrible heat; violent, torrential rain storms and costly, destructive, fires have marked this sixth year of the new millennium but has any of this deterred the stalwart Kossack from their mission of working to elect real democrats to public office in the United States? Not one bit. Yes, with just ninety two days remaining to remind, motivate, educate, inspire and register voters; the disciples of Kos are hard at work to bring about real change in America. Let's take a peak at what they've been blogging about after the break...

The Guardian of London has a really good piece up today entitled "Democrats dare to dream of recapturing the Bush heartland", focusing on the growing number of Republican moderates who are defecting from their party to run for office as centrist Democrats. Gee Toto, just maybe we're not in Kansas any more. Let's hope.

The squat, bunker-like building in a south Topeka suburb does not look like a place to turn American politics on its head. Nor does Mark Parkinson, a tall, affable man, look too much like a revolutionary. But here, deep in the American heartland, are the warning signs of a political earthquake.

The two-storey office block is Parkinson's campaign headquarters as he runs as Democrat candidate for deputy governor. So far, so normal. Except that only a few weeks ago Parkinson was a Republican. In fact, he was Kansas Republican party chairman.

More excerpts after the break.

Today's New York Times has a terrific piece on the OpEd page by Adam Cohen about the Yearly Kos convention. Here are some excerpts and a link...

Editorial Observer
Could a 15-Year-Old With a Laptop Be the New Campaign Media Guru?
By ADAM COHEN

aily Kos's convention -- the in-person gathering of the nation's most-read online political blog -- was practically carpeted with presidential candidates. But perhaps the most notable presentation came from Ava Lowery, a 15-year-old from rural Alabama, whose homemade video was shown at the convention on jumbo television screens.

Ms. Lowery's video, set to the Queen song "We Will Rock You," contrasted the "liars" and "leakers" in the Bush administration with "those of us who choose to stand up for truth and justice." Her handiwork, which can be seen at Youtube.com (Ava Lowery's video), is a bit over the top. But it shows that a 15-year-old with video software and Internet access can now create and disseminate a professional-quality political ad.

more after break

That's according to disturbing reports in today's Telegraph and yesterday's New York Times...

US planning to keep 50,000 troops in Iraq for many years
By Francis Harris in Washington
The Telegraph
12/06/2006

America plans to retain a garrison of 50,000 troops, one tenth of its entire army, in Iraq for years to come, according to US media reports.

The revelation came as George W Bush summoned his top political, military and intelligence aides to a summit on Iraq's future today at the presidential retreat at Camp David. Tomorrow the Americans will talk by video link to Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, and members of his cabinet, as well as American military commanders in Iraq.

More after the break.

As we come to the end of this Mothers Day, I thought it would be nice to reflect upon the words of the holiday's creator; social reformer, abolitionist, suffragette and peace activist Julia Ward Howe. Although best remembered for her "Battle Hymn of the Republic" it was actually peace and social justice that were her true concerns. In 1870, horrified at the carnage underway in the Franco Prussian War, she conceived the idea of having an annual "Mothers Day of Peace" holiday. In her later years she organized women's peace conferences and actively campaigned for an end to all war. She wrote the following proclamation for that first event.

Journalist Justin Rood at TPM Muckraker.com is reporting that CIA Director nominee Michael Hayden may be connected to the ever widening Randy "Duke" Cunningham corruption scandal investigation.

While director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Michael V. Hayden contracted the services of a top executive at the company at the center of the Cunningham bribery scandal, according to two former employees of the company.

Excerpts after the break...

How Safe is Your Job? Not very according to conservative economist Paul Craig Roberts in an opinion piece published today. With the US hemorrhaging manufacturing jobs and with nearly half of the US job force vulnerable at serious rick of outsourcing, it looks like the situation is becoming downright medieval. Worth the read.

Excerpts after the break.

Garrett Epps, in the current issue of the Nation Magazine, has provided us with a very informative, sneak peak, preview from a soon to be publish guide to the hand gestures of the High Court. This is legal journalism at it's finest.

Excerpt after the break...

Hold off on those vacation plans.Washington Post writer Dana Milbank reports in a Slate Magazine artcle (He's writing for Slate now. hmmm.) that tomorrow the nation's newest tourist attraction opens...The George W Bush Boyhood Home.

Check out the Willie Mays memorabilia: The nation's newest tourist attraction, George W. Bush's boyhood home, opens in Midland, Texas. The first lady and the president's parents will be on hand to cut a ribbon and reminisce at 1412 West Ohio Ave.

Here is the the link.

Gee, I sure hope they were able to preserve the little plastic straw and mirrored table which so inspired him in the 60's  Gosh.

Well look who just suddenly found a good use for a big government, wasteful agency like the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Why the Republican Bush White House! They are needed in...IRAQ. Josh Marshall reports...