Today’s edition of quick hits.
* I’ve known Brian for a while, and this is just stunning: “Brian Beutler, a well-known progressive blogger, was shot and seriously injured during a mugging last night in Washington, D.C. One bullet damaged Beutler’s spleen, and he had it removed during surgery this morning at the Washington Hospital Center. He’s expected to make a ‘pre-trauma’ recovery, which is to say, a completely full recovery.”
* A bear market: “Stocks fell in volatile trade on Wednesday as investors worried about the outlook for corporate profits and the toll of record oil prices on automakers’ prospects.”
* Good news in Colombia: “Colombia said its military rescued former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, three U.S. military contractors and 11 other hostages from leftist rebels on Wednesday. Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said no one was hurt in the operation in eastern Colombia.”
* I really should be used to it by now, but I was truly amazed to see Fox News stoop this low. Just amazing.
* Interesting: “House oversight committee Chairman Henry Waxman says the Bush Administration knew about the September 2007 deal that Texas-based Hunt Oil struck with Kurdish officials in Iraq. That contradicts what President Bush said at the time.”
* Five years ago today: ”’There are some who feel like — that the conditions are such that they can attack us there,” Bush said. ”My answer is, bring them on. We’ve got the force necessary to deal with the security situation.”’
* Christopher Hitchens discovers that waterboarding is torture. Imagine that. “You may have read by now the official lie about this treatment, which is that it ‘simulates’ the feeling of drowning. This is not the case. You feel that you are drowning because you are drowning — or, rather, being drowned, albeit slowly and under controlled conditions and at the mercy (or otherwise) of those who are applying the pressure.”
* Why are there miles-long gas lines in Iraq? (thanks to R.K.)
* David Brooks gets sloppy when it comes to attacking Barack Obama’s tax plan.
* If Bill O’Reilly is going to reference Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette on the air, he should learn who they are.
* I’m a little surprised this didn’t happen sooner: “It was bound to happen when you had a big mess of lawyers disqualified from hiring for illegal reasons. One of the de-selected masses filed a lawsuit claiming $100,000 in damages on Monday.”
* With Jackie Calmes leaving the WSJ for the NYT, I have one less reason to read the Journal.
* Sign of the apocalypse: Rush Limbaugh will be one of the highest paid figures in American media. The mind reels.
* The right really does seem worked up by that “Wall-E” movie. Odd.
* I didn’t think Michael Gerson’s columns could get any more tiresome. I was mistaken — today, after complaining about Obama for the 11 millionth time, he praised Bush’s “intellectual contributions.” Seriously, WaPo, what were you thinking?
* The 10 Most Awesomely Bad Moments of the Bush Presidency.
* I wish I knew what’s wrong with these people: “Here’s yet another variation of the GOP-pushed tall tale that China and Cuba are drilling for oil off American shores. This latest one comes courtesy of GOP Senator John Sununu of New Hampshire, who has trailed Democratic opponent Jeanne Shaheen by wide margins in all the polls, and who by our count is the eighth GOPer to push this silly myth. Sununu’s version: He’s dropped the China part from the tale — now it’s the Cubans who are supposedly doing the oil drilling.”
* And finally, Amanda wins the double entendre award of the day with this very amusing post: “Bush Stimulates The Porn Industry With His Economic Package.”
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.