Today’s edition of quick hits.
* It amuses me to no end that Tom DeLay has been reduced to selling off campaign furniture and office supplies to raise funds for his legal defense.
* You probably didn’t know this, but gay people not only threaten the future of civilization, they also “threaten your very survival.” As long as right-wingers don’t resort to fear mongering, we’ll be fine.
* Learning not to mix congressional staff and campaign staff is one of the first lessons of Congressional Ethics 101. Too bad Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) wasn’t paying attention. (My favorite part of the story: Murphy fired the staffer who worked for both, not to rectify the situation, but because she spoke to a reporter.)
* After the preemptive conservative whining about how mean congressional Democrats might be to the Bush White House, it’s probably worth taking a moment to remember what the political world was like in 1994.
* A couple of weeks ago, the White House said the United States is taking the “lead” in combating climate change. And if by “lead,” the Bush gang meant coming in 53rd in climate change performance of the 56 top carbon dioxide-emitting nations, the White House was absolutely right.
* Chuck Todd believes Bush’s personal campaign stops “may have been the deciding factor that killed the GOP’s momentum in some key Senate races over the last week.” (I can almost hear Nelson Muntz saying, “Ha, ha.”)
* Behold, the miraculous circular logic surrounding the national media, DC culture, and people considered credible by the powers that be.
* If Dems steered clear of the insurance industry altogether, it’d be just fine with me.
* Senate Dems officially picked their leadership team today.
* They also came up with preliminary committee assignments.
* I think redeployment is far more popular among congressional Dems than the WaPo realizes.
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/11/14/post-murtha-iraq/
* If you missed it over the weekend, Howard Dean was pretty darn good on Fox News Sunday. (thanks to SKNM for the heads-up)
* I’m not sure why, but right-wing domestic terrorists seem to have settled on white powder as the weapon of choice.
* Olbermann doesn’t do it nearly as much as he used to, but when he’s calling out Bill O’Reilly, it’s not only entertaining, it must be infuriating to the Fox News gang.
* And, finally, rumor has it that the White House is considering another recess appointment for John Bolton to the U.N. Because two consecutive recess appointments aren’t exactly legal, Bolton couldn’t get paid for his work. Several right-wing blogs are, however, currently organizing a drive to pay Bolton’s salary. Seriously.
If none of these particular items are of interest, consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.