Vapid, self-serving, and full of shit. Who needs it?

I've ever wanted to go see one of these (sorry, but "dumbass" is the adjective I normally use here) superhero films. Downey has always been a marvelous actor, and his face now carries the imprint of years of suffering. I want to see more of him.

Thanks for the review. More and more it is sounding like a must see. Are you from my home town, Boston? Maybe Billrickah or Mehfuh?

A DOT.

So, yes, when I heard her bring up the assassination, I immediately thought of Henry II's, "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" After all of the race-baiting, fear-mongering, pandering, and general ugliness of her campaign, she has no one to blame but herself if people have a bad first reaction to her use of the word "assassination." Obviously she is not stupid enough to say, "Maybe Obama will be assassinated," but it seems like her words brought that connection into most people's minds when they heard her. Aside from her charming comment about Nader, she has been saying all along that "anything can happen."

And she has been blaming Obama for the flap? Also typical of her. Shameless, shameless, shameless. How do you think Michelle Obama felt when she heard the comment? I hate to think of it.

but this pastor mocking Hillary for her white privilege is "cruel." Come on. I don't have a problem with what the pastor said. I cannot believe that Hillary was making such a stink about it. Didn't she say, "If you can't take the heat..." She wants to use the sexism card to rile up her supporters and try to delegitimize Obama's candidacy at the same time that she wants to pretend that racism doesn't exist. Such mendacity.

And I suppose it's OK for Hillary to mock Obama's speeches.

On MSNBC last night, Howard Fineman said he has very good sources within the campaigns, and they told him that Obama does not want to offer Hillary the VP.

So Hillary, you can threaten the Democratic ticket all you want by trying to use your voters as a bargaining chip. Ain't gonna work.

I have been searching my usual haunts like Diogenes, looking for someone who will rightfully criticize Obama for this shitty and cowardly move, and, indeed, all I see is people making excuses and defending Obama as "shrewd" and "smarter than us" or saying he will fix it later. Right. Keep dreaming.

We cannot let this go. We cannot stop pressuring politicians. Ever. That is our job as citizens.

Glen Greenwald. My hero.

You know when Bush was first elected? The Nation came out with that famous cover that had a picture of Bush's face, a la Mad Magazine, and a button that said "Worry."

I was intensely worried, as were many of us, but I can now say that this administration has surpassed my wildest fears.

And who do we have to thank? The great "leader" Obama and the Democrats.

No Dems will get a cent from me. My money, my zeal, and my time will go to organizations like the ACLU and Strangebedfellows.

Thanks for the action item, Glenn, and for being the persistent voice of justice.

I will greet them as liberators with sweets and flowers.

Yes, I will.

Pfffft.

But I, social atom, pledged for the money bomb.

I have been getting in a wee bit o' trouble with the Anti-"Purity Troll" Brigade at another site for complaining about Obama's FISA turnaround and the faith-based initiatives thing and a few other, you know, minor issues.

Hmmm, I like the idea of being a caped crusader. Social Atom to the rescue! Up, up, and away!

I feel I've been pummeled all day by the the blogging bloviators, who have been working themselves into a self-righteous apoplectic fury over this cartoon.

Holy crap, if they think this particular piece of satire is hard to take, they haven't delved very deeply into the genre.

I agree that Obama and his people have made a mistake in denouncing the New Yorker cartoon. Obama is not the great charismatic leader who has come to save us, and he is certainly not above the political fray. Does he really need protection against something that isn't even aimed at him? And does it do him any good when Dems are pummeling one another over a cartoon and being distracted from their goals?

in John from Cincinnati.

Stunning work, heartbreaking, unforgettable.

I loathe this comment by Balboni:

"It must be exhausting to be perpetually outraged at the people who are, ostensibly, on your side.

I for one would like to see a Greenwald v. Sirota Steel Cage Match. Can we find someone to bank roll that? Perhaps Atrios can call George Soros and make the arrangements."

The unfortunate subtext here is that, now that we have voted our guy in, we can sit back and relax--we have done our duty by voting. Isn't citizenship in a democracy defined by "perpetual outrage"? That is, there should be an agonistic dynamic between citizens and politicians, who are, in fact, not at all on "our side."

It's funny to see people at DailyKos and other places do absurd mental gymnastics to try to explain Obama's actions and appointments. How's this? He's not "progressive," he doesn't give a shit what the democratic wing of the Democratic Party wants (although he found them, their cash, and their organizing abilities all very useful during the primaries), he is not going to undo the presidential prerogatives that Bush has seized, and he is going to find some excuse to keep us at perpetual war.

Was it Jose Chung who said, "Plus ça change, plus c'est the same. old. shit."