Obama/Biden

A better ticket than McCain/Anyone.

VeePeePalooza

As the internet has backed up and is overflowing with half-assed theories about the Vice Presidential selections of the two presumptive nominees, we might as well have a go here.

The commenter here who correctly guesses the Obama and McCain V.P. selections will win a valuable prize. The prize hasn't been determined yet, but it definitely will be worth the effort of typing two names into the comments box. The contest will close when the first candidate officially announces his veep. In the case of a tie, the first commenter correctly identifying both buckets of warm spit will win. If no one names both veeps, the first to name the Democratic veep selection wins. If McCain wins, we all lose. Anyone who names Ralph Nader and/or Bob Barr's veeps will be disqualified and ridiculed. Only one entry per fake screenname. Open only to residents of countries where it won't cost me a lot to mail the prize. The candidates and their staffs are welcome to enter. No purchase necessary. For a free game piece, contact the Contest Administrator at eatme@ idontgiveashit.com.

USA! USA! USA!

Here's a Olympic story that will cause midget Mickey Kaus to soil his synthetic sweatsuit:

BEIJING --The American flag landed on the scorer’s table, launched by a family member with exceptional aim. Henry Cejudo grabbed it from his coach and draped it around his body. He stood there for the longest time, fighting back tears, the son of illegal immigrants wrapped in the Stars and Stripes.

After Cejudo had defeated Tomohiro Matsunaga of Japan to win the 121-pound freestyle wrestling final on Tuesday, and after his family members had celebrated so loudly for so long that security threatened to kick them out, officials hung a gold medal around his neck. He said he might never remove it.

"I might just sleep with this," Cejudo said. "It changed my life already."

Fitting, because his is a story about change -- for himself, for his family and maybe now for the USA Wrestling program, which trained the 21-year-old Cejudo to become the youngest gold medalist in United States wrestling history.

The gold medal, and his path to it, changed so many lives along the way.

Like his mother's life. Nelly Rico, who came to the United States from Mexico as an illegal immigrant, raised seven children by herself and left Los Angeles with them in the middle of the night to escape the career criminal who was the father Cejudo never really knew.
...

His right eye bruised and darkened, Cejudo talked of all the hours his mother had worked over the years, as a janitor and a construction worker, anything to put food on the table or to heat the house. He talked about all the times they moved, from Los Angeles to New Mexico to Phoenix to Colorado Springs, each time in search of a better life.

"I wish I could just give her the medal right now," Cejudo said.

Motherhood, hard honest work and the American flag -- everything that Kaus and VDare crowd hate. If only there was some way we could deport shiftless and non-contributing citizens -- like Kaus -- to Mexico in exchange for productive members of society. But I doubt Mexico would go for it.

Congratulations Henry!

In Memoriam: Stephanie Tubbs Jones

A courageous American has died:

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) -- Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress and a strong critic of the Iraq war, died Wednesday after a brain hemorrhage, a hospital spokeswoman said.

...

Tubbs Jones represented the heavily Democratic 11th District and chaired the ethics committee in the House. She was the first black woman to serve on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, where she opposed President Bush's tax cuts and his efforts to create personal accounts within Social Security.

Tubbs Jones was a firm supporter of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton during the primaries until throwing her support behind Sen. Barack Obama in June. She was to have been a superdelegate at next week's Democratic National Convention in Denver.

The Clinton family released a statement saying they shared a friendship with Tubbs Jones that "deepened through every trial and challenge."

"Over the course of many years, with many ups and many downs, Stephanie was right by our side -- unwavering, indefatigable," the statement said. "It was that fighting spirit ... that allowed Stephanie to rise from modest beginnings, to succeed in public service, to become a one-woman force for progress in our country."

Obama called Tubbs Jones "an extraordinary American and an outstanding public servant."

"It wasn't enough for her just to break barriers in her own life. She was also determined to bring opportunity to all those who had been overlooked and left behind -- and in Stephanie, they had a fearless friend and unyielding advocate," Obama said in a statement.

...

Tubbs Jones was a passionate opponent of the Iraq war, voting in 2002 against authorizing the use of military force.

Just as the war was starting in March 2003, she was one of only 11 House members to oppose a resolution supporting U.S. troops in Iraq. She said she did so because the resolution connected Iraq to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and said Iraq poses a continued threat to the United States.

Breaking News

Beginning September 1, 2008, Roger Ailes, the blog, is moving to MySpace. I think you'll like what you see.

Details here and here.

Seems like the entire left blogosphere is celebrating the news of Rachel Maddow's show on MSNBC. With one exception.

Meanwhile, Howie the Putz really wants you to know that Rachel is gay, and that she "may also be" the first open lesbian in prime time television news. I'm sure Don Imus is rolling over in his grave right now.

Apology: This post fails to make the distinction between Talk Left and its commenters. By linking to the comment section at Talk Left, and bypassing the post, I meant to highlight the non-celebratory comments of (many of) the commenters without implicating the blog's proprietor, Jeralyn Merritt, in those sentiments. Instead, with the inappropriate phrase "one exception," it reads as if I am slamming Talk Left and Ms. Merritt herself. My intention was as pure as the macadam on the Highway to Hell, but my words did not convey my intention. My sincere apologies to Ms. Merritt.

All Veepstakes, All The Time

The children in The Corner are soiling themselves over the impending choice of the man who will be President when a President McCain strokes out.

Sister Mary Kathyrn Unibrow writes:

Pro-Choice, Wrong Choice

David Limbaugh issues a warning.

Don't stand downwind of me would be a more helpful warning from Fredo.*

Responding to Rich Lowry's post on Tom Ridge as VeePee, the Runaway Bride of Christ also writes:

I've heard the same late today and I can't help but think

a) They couldn't possibly think that's a good idea. After all it's not "just" abortion. He's a liberal Democrat!

b) They are freaking us out so we give thanks when the time comes and it's a solid choice.

Besides writing, I'm praying.

No, you're hallucinating, just like you are here:

Obama's Veep

I'm increasingly nervous it will be Senator Casey. Some would interpret that as a new Democratic party. Pro-lifers shouldn't be such cheap dates.

For Ms. Lopez, life is a Hidden Picture puzzle, and all the hidden objects are fetuses.

Basic-cable filler queen Cokie Kudlow also rubs his gums in anticipation of a long-shot:

It is being widely reported that John McCain will announce his Veep pick on August 29, the day after the Dem Convention in Dayton, Ohio. My immediate thought is Rob Portman.

I was thinking Bob Ney, but I tend to be more reality-based than Cokie.

Finally, Jonah Goldberg is thinking about sex and not the number two slot (or maybe it's both), when he writes:

Newt "The Spatula" Gingrich

*"Fredo" appears courtesy of TBogg.

McCain Family Values

That Cindy McCain is one class act:

The Portalski family is accustomed to hearing Cindy McCain described as [Jim] Hensley's only child.

She's been described that way by news organizations from The New Yorker and The New York Times to Newsweek and ABC.

McCain herself routinely uses the phrase "only child," as she did on CNN last month. "I grew up with my dad," she said then. "I'm an only child. My father was a cowboy, and he really loved me very much, but I think he wanted a son occasionally.

...

Documents show Kathleen Anne Hensley was born to Jim and Mary Jeanne Hensley on Feb. 23, 1943. They had been married for six years when Kathleen was born.

...

"The fact that we don't exist," [Kathleen's son, Nicholas] says. "The fact that we've never been recognized, and then Cindy has to put such a fine point on it by saying something that's not true. Recently, again and again. It's just very, very hurtful."

Kathleen Portalski says she'd like an acknowledgment and an apology.

There's nothing like Republican family values. Your sister can't do anything for you; she's dead to you. The most charitable spin is that Cindy Lou Hoover just forgot about her sister due to all the blow she ingested in the 80s and 90s.

Like Rictus Johnny, Jim Hensley had a child, went to war and then dumped the mother of his child for a woman he hooked up with during his marriage. Unlike Rictus Johnny, Hensley's second wife apparently didn't finance her husband's political career and luxury-loafer lifestyle. Perhaps Meghan McCain will emulate her forbears and poach some creepy old married dude who returns to the States after tours of duty in Iraq, Iran and Georgia.

Do I Offend?

Slacker that I am, not only have I not been credentialed to cover the DonkeyCon in Denver, I haven't offended that fat fuck Bill Donohue enough:

Over 120 blogs have been credentialed as members of the media for the Democratic National Convention; those who have received credentials are allowed to cover the Convention at the Pepsi Center. While most of them offer legitimate commentary, some do not.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue is protesting two of the blogs:

“The list of credentialed blogs include radical sites like The Daily Kos. Worse are blogs that feature anti-Catholic and obscene material. The two most offensive are Bitch Ph.D. and Towleroad.

Let's see when offends Friar Fuck:

"On the home page of Bitch Ph.D. there is a picture of two children: one of them is shown flashing his middle finger. Today's lead post, which was written August 17, is called "Jesus Christ." It begins with, "I'm a really crappy Catholic who hasn't been to mass in ages because most parishes around here 'will' insist on being aggressively anti-abortion….' The writer then objects to some children's toys on the grounds that they are more offensive than desecrating the Eucharist. The toys are actually balloons that have been made to depict Jesus in various poses, including a crucified Christ; one of these images shows Jesus with a penis. Several who commented on this image made patently obscene comments.

That's pretty bad. Everyone knows Jesus didn't have a penis.

I guess Bill really is Christ-like.

"Towleroad describes itself as 'A Site with Homosexual Tendencies.' Accordingly, it shows men in jock straps and underwear. It also has a post on Pope Benedict XVI that takes him to task for wearing a cape with ermine. Some of those who commented on this described the pope in a vile and profane way.

If the DNC bars Towleroad, they must also ban every publication and televison network which shows men in their underwear. Including the Sears catalog.

I demand that Bill Donahue immediately renounce and denounce me, that he spew me out of his mouth, and that he cancel that subscription to Manhole I bought him four years ago.

p.s. to Bill: You're seeing a penises and jockstraps where none exist. The "penis" is a balloon loincloth, and swim trunks are not underwear or a jockstrap. You clearly need more time in Pastor Ted's Reparative Group Therapy Encounter Workshops.