Today’s edition of quick hits.<\/p>\n
* I don’t watch much in the way of television news, but watching my friend Cliff Schecter<\/a> beat up on an over-matched conservative on MSNBC is highly entertaining.<\/p>\n * In 1999, the military conducted war games<\/a> to anticipated what would happen in the event of an Iraqi invasion. Officials estimated that 400,000 troops would be necessary, and even then “chaos might ensue.” For some reason, the Bush administration assumed all of this was wrong and went with their own plan instead. Go figure.<\/p>\n * How serious as corruption become in Congress? The FBI is considering undercover sting operations<\/a>. FBI Criminal Division chief James Burrus says an emphasis on rooting out public corruption “for many, many, many years to come.”<\/p>\n * On a related note, Mark Follman and Tracy Clark-Flory have a good piece<\/a> in Salon today called, “The Scandal Sheet,” which includes “a dozen reasons to throw the bums out of Washington.” Reading over the list is a reminder how just how odd the last couple of years have been in DC.<\/p>\n * When a Fox News correspondent is willing to concede that waterboarding is torture<\/a>, it’s a pleasant surprise. (thanks to reader P.H. for the tip)<\/p>\n * Dick Cheney wouldn’t respond<\/a> to a congressional subpoena. I love the smell of constitutional crises in the morning.<\/p>\n * Rupert Murdoch argued that U.S. death toll in the war in Iraq was “minute<\/a>” from a historical perspective. Minute, comma<\/a>, same thing.<\/p>\n * Pat Buchanan proves that a broken clock really is right<\/a> twice a day. (Update<\/em>: Buchanan’s magazine seems to be having some server trouble. Raw Story has a lengthy excerpt<\/a> of the article I was trying to link to.) * Great YouTube Clip #1<\/a> — The Simpsons can still do social-commentary parodies with the best of them. (thanks to SKNM)<\/p>\n * Great YouTube Clip #2<\/a> — Republicans. Don’t vote for them for the future of America. Do it for the laughs. (thanks to reader T.R.)<\/p>\n * Great YouTube Clip #3<\/a> — It’s almost as if George Michael wrote the song with Bush in mind.<\/p>\n * I obviously don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but if Bush’s base is a no-show and it costs the GOP Congress, this picture<\/a> will be a real keeper.<\/p>\n * Cheney is going to spend tomorrow hunting<\/a>. You’ve been warned.<\/p>\n * Forget “Where’s Nancy?”; has anyone in the country seen House Speaker Dennis Hastert<\/a> in the last two weeks?<\/p>\n * Rick Santorum’s pollster has been indicted on voter fraud charges<\/a>. Some jokes don’t even need punch-lines.<\/p>\n * Our tax dollars are paying for a campaign to get a far-right Bush lackey to be the new head of the U.N. World Food Program for the next five years. According to the WaPo<\/a>, the candidate, Josette Sheeran, was a managing editor of the right-wing Washington Times, has no experience running a food aid program, was married by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Just FYI.<\/p>\n
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\n* Florida gubernatorial hopeful Charlie Crist blew off<\/a> the president today. Karl Rove is not amused<\/a>. Why do I get the feeling that if Crist wins, he better not count on a lot of hurricane emergency aid over the next two years?<\/p>\n