Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest statement from Sen. Tim Johnson’s (D-S.D.) office: Admiral John Eisold, Attending Physician of the United States Capitol said, “Senator Tim Johnson has continued to have an uncomplicated post-operative course. Specifically, he has been appropriately responsive to both word and touch. No further surgical intervention has been required.”
* Forget those nice things I said about Tony Snow earlier.
* 2006 is poised to become the “sixth warmest worldwide since records began.” Wow.
* A civil unions bill appears to be making progress in New Jersey. The state Assembly approved a bill today, 56-19, and the state Senate is expected to take up a companion measure today or tomorrow.
* Former CNN news chief Eason Jordan is taking one of his biggest critics, Michelle Malkin, to Iraq with him. Greg Sargent suggested Jordan, a proprietor of a new Iraq war blog, is getting himself “mixed up in a very dishonest and very nasty campaign.”
* I’m not quite sure how the experts come to these conclusions, but apparently the number of blogs is supposed to “peak” next year.
* The Jib Jab guys’ “Year in Review” is not to be missed. (Thanks to SKNM for the heads-up.)
* A friend of mine created a very funny, Onion-like news parody site called The Anti-Fascist Gazette. Today’s lead story: “Bush to Hold Global Warming Denial Conference.” (Please remember, it’s a parody.)
* They just couldn’t help themselves: “A huge tax bill that Congress passed last week contained a little-noticed gift for select corporations — tens of millions of dollars in breaks on import tariffs.”
* Chris Matthews still loves McCain. What a shock.
* Remember Eric Keroack, the far-right opponent of birth control appointed by the president to be deputy assistant secretary for population affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services? He’s this year’s deserving winner of the Golden Boob award.
* Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) first submitted William Gerry Myers III to Bush as a judicial nominee, but his office acknowledged yesterday that Myers won’t be confirmed.
* Harper’s Ken Silverstein had an interesting piece on Rep. John Murtha, soon to be chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and how he might resist earmark reform.
* The media is missing the whole story on McCain’s new campaign manager.
* And Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) will not be speaking in Miami this week after all. Tancredo was scheduled to speak on “The Need for Assimilation,” in a city he recently described as “third world,” but he cancelled after receiving death threats. Picking at the already-open wound, Tancredo said, “I knew speaking your mind could be dangerous in Havana. I guess it’s equally dangerous to do so in Miami. Apparently, there isn’t much of a difference between the two anymore.”
If none of these particular items are of interest, consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.
