This isn't news to New Englanders. Romney's a HUGE whore, always has been. "Yearning" for the Presidency is a good way to describe it; another way would be to say that he'd sell anything, anywhere, anytime, to anyone for a shot at the Presidency. And that includes his own mother.

The funniest thing is that he's too stupid to realize that there's no way he could get the nomination. Far too many rednecks down south were raised thinking that Mormons had horns, forked tails, and carried pitchforks. It's a truism among them that Mormons aren't Christians.

There's not a chance in Hell that the GOP movers and shakers would let Romney get on the ticket, because that's just about the ONLY way that they'd lose the South.

I remember when he was a comedy god. He really should have died after he stopped being funny. Which was about 1984.

So sad. Does everyone turn unfunny and become a sellout?

Speaking of things that should have died, what would it take to the the terminally unfunny SNL off the air? Talk about the walking dead!

And their sensibilities are right on target. Stop buying things, you irresponsible poor people! If you don't have the money, your children really don't need that food or medicine!

I'm sick of all these lies about our honorable Vice President. Now the liberal media, including Salon, is claiming that Whittington had a heart attack because birdshot got into his heart?

That CAN'T be right. He was just lightly peppered, that's all. Salted, as it were. Cheney sprinkled the buckshot on him, the way a bee sprinkles pollen or Tinkerbelle sprinkles fairy dust. So there's no way it could have reached his heart. It could hardly have broken his skin! So this picture is an obvious fake.

This sort of liberal media lie should be considered treason in a time of war.

I wonder what happened to that staffer?

You know what I'd like to see? One journalist with the balls to have themselves waterboarded on national television. Our tax dollars are paying to have this done, so let's give the American people a look at the procedure!

And it would be a guaranteed ratings smash.

64 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Bush is handling Iraq?

55 percent believe the war was a mistake?

52 percent says that the United States either can't or won't win the war in Iraq?

59 percent say that Bush can't manage the government effectively?

52 percent say he isn't "honest and trustworthy"?

58 percent say he isn't paying enough attention to what his administration is doing?

Really?

In that case, it's time for me to say:

I TOLD YOU SO.

I told you so, you stupid, stupid Bush voters. And now you've hopelessly screwed not only yourselves and your children, but MY son too.

Not to mention my country, and quite possibly the human race.

The only solace I have left is the miserable pleasure of saying "I told you so". I predicted the whole goddamned disaster with astonishing accuracy. Here I'll prove it:

Letter to My Future Self, 10/19/2001 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/10/19_letter.html

You know what? The satisfaction of saying "I told you so" isn't worth it.

You still owe me, Bush voters. Big time.

My son has been singing TMBG for years, both the grown-up and kids songs. Now I'm kicking myself for not filming him doing it.

And now, I guess, it's too late; he's four, but he looks like he's six. Already over the hill! :(

I find it sadly amusing that "Armstrong and Moulitsas rail at Democrats for their infighting, their policy wonkishness..." when that's EXACTLY the sort of behavior I witnessed first-hand on the Daily Kos.

It's nothing but an orgy of mutual masturbation and in-group politicking, utterly unconnected to any sort of real-world political action. If it didn't already exist, the Republicans would have had to create it.

Just sad.

It's also worth noting that another early Hackman role was in a 1968 TV movie that was remarkably prescient: Shadow On The Land. In it, a near-future America has become a brutal dictatorship, and a very American-flavored type of Nazism is the order of the day (there was no reference to actual, historical Nazism in the movie). State control is nearly absolute, with the excuse that it is necessary to defend against "terrorists".

The "terrorists", of course, are the heroes, who are actually underground freedom-fighters. And a major plot point is an attempt by the government to stage an atrocity and blame it on the heroes, as an excuse for still more repression.

The movie starts with a close-up shot of the Bill of Rights. A giant stamp comes down and marks it "VOID" in huge red letters.

The use of twisted versions of classic American symbols was particularly effective. The new American flag, as I recall, was a two-headed American eagle, with each claw clutching a brace not of arrows, but of nuclear missiles. It was a highly effective movie, and the relevance to current events is remarkable.

Unfortunately Sony Pictures Television, who currently own the rights to the movie, do not intend to release it on DVD. It is almost never rebroadcast. A remake could be something really special, but apparently that's not likely to happen.

John Forsyth and Jackie Cooper also starred, by the way.

Here's the IMDB entry for the movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063589/

The message, of course, was that it can happen here.

It's funny, but it hurts. Because I know that it won't make a difference.

Tom's preaching to the choir, of course. What choice does he have? The people who really need to see this sort of cartoon are irrevocably wedded to FOX News.

The triumph of the Endarkenment.

Can anyone explain to me why he dug a grave (or appeared next to one, anyway), and then didn't DO anything with it?

An unusually depressing story from Carol this week.