SNL's Palin/Couric Parody by Fey/Poehler

SNL does it once again. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler give us a spot-on re-creation of Sarah Palin's disastrous interview with Katie Couric. My one suggestion would have been to give Poehler more eye make-up as Couric seems to have really glammed it up lately. I love the "belabor the point" moment at the end. Watch:

Bush Repeats pre-Iraq War Speech from 2003 (or 1984...?)

Read George Orwell's 1984 (or even Gregory Maguire's Wicked) and the structure of George W. Bush's speech about "The Bailout" should sound chillingly familiar... even if it were not for the fact that we heard the same speech 5 years ago.

The books illustrate it in much greater depth, but Jon Stewart demonstrates it a bit more humorously:


It's as if our administration has used Orwell's classic about using war and the economy to control the populace as it's grand strategy:

"The problem was how to keep the wheels of industry turning without increasing the real wealth of the world... In principle the war effort is always so planned as to eat up any surplus that might exist after meeting the bare needs of the population...

"The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives but of the products of human labor. War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses to comfortable, and hence, in the long run too intelligent...

"War, it will be seen, not only accomplishes the necessary destruction, but accomplishes it in a psychologically acceptable way... All that is needed is that a state of war should exist. Meanwhile no Inner Party member wavers for an instant in his mystical belief that the war is real, and that it is bound to end victoriously... All members of the Inner Party believe in this coming conquest as an article of faith.

"The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake... Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently... We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power."

The Debate: Obama says to McCain "You were wrong" on Iraq

The first Presidential debate in the 2008 campaign got underway as scheduled on Friday night despite McCain's attempts to stall and postpone it. You can catch all the details on CNN. Here's a clip of Obama telling McCain, "You were wrong," about Iraq:

Funny: "Obama Mama" by Katreese Barnes and Greg Scarnici

SNL musical director Katreese Barnes and comedian Greg Scarnici give us "Obama Mama."

Barack Obama!
Now I don't mean to cause no drama.
But you're the only man for me.
It's just so plain to see, that

She's an Obama Mama!
O-Obama mama!

Everything, including the dancing is so deliciously 1990s. I can't believe the Lycra shorts, but he makes them work!

Head of Skate: The Palin Hockey Mom Disney Movie!

When Matt Damon said the Sarah Palin candidacy sounded like a really bad Disney movie, College Humor listened and put together this hilarious short!

Palin Tanks on Couric: "I'll try to find ya some, and I'll bring 'em to ya!"

Governor Sarah Palin was unable to back up her statement that "John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business," with concrete examples, resorting to her usual snarkiness.

COURIC: I’m just going to ask you one more time - not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.

PALIN: I’ll try to find you some and I’ll bring them to you.

Perhaps this is one reason why McCain is not only suspending the Presidential debate but by proposing that it be moved to October 2, also effectively postponing the Vice-Presidential debate. Until when? No one knows.

Just get present to the impact of this mentality, evasiveness and lack of awareness. Ask yourself if you want that running the country for the next four to eight years. We can't just sit back and watch this happen. Are you willing to take a stand in the face of it?

Letterman Disappointed with McCain for Cancelation

David Letterman expresses his disappointment in John McCain who canceled his appearance on The Late Show. McCain said he had to fly right back to Washington, DC. However, later in the Letterman cuts to a live feed of McCain sitting with Katie Couric getting made up for an interview. Says Letterman:

"Here's what you do if you're running for campaign in the middle of an economic crisis, and it's about to 'crater.' You let your campaign go on shouldered by your Vice Presidential nominee. That's what you do. You don't quit..."

Watch the entire clip:

Stephen Colbert Suspends Show in Response to Financial Crisis

Stephen Colbert suspends his show until the financial crisis is averted. He calls for Jon Stewart to do the same! What will you be suspending?

Obama Says Debate Should Go On

"We should have the debate" Sen. Barack Obama says he thinks the first presidential debate should go on, reports CNN.

Clay Aiken: "Yes, I"m Gay" on Cover of People Magazine

Clay Aiken of American Idol Fame and more recently Broadway's "Spamalot" comes out. Pictured with his newborn son on the cover of People Magazine, Aiken gives an exclusive interview:

"It was the first decision I made as a father. I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."

Aiken says he expects the news may overwhelm some of his fans, "Whether it be having a child out of wedlock, or whether it be simply being a homosexual, it's going to be a lot."

That's really the news here, his legions of Clay-Mates, many of whom are social conservatives. As reported by The Huffington Post about a year ago:

There's a civil war among the Claymates in Claynation. Clay Aiken's rabid fans - who call themselves "Claymates" and say they live in "Claynation" - are at odds with each other over their former Idol. An insider said, "The war is between the batty members that are still clinging to their heterosexual fantasies of him and others that don't harbor such illusions."

Contrasting Responses to Economic Crisis form Obama & McCain

Obama fires back against McCain's "sad" attacks. McCain is now clutching at straws and blaming Obama for the economic crisis.

The Jed Report puts together a side-by-side contrast of Obama and McCain's responses to the situation. Says Jed Lewinson:

"One the one hand, in Barack Obama we've got a statesman who wants to work together to get things done for all Americans. On the other hand, in John McCain we've got a yipping little dog (apologies to canine lovers everywhere) who will tear anything down to get ahead."

Political strategist Ari Melber refuses to let the Repbulicans make light of the situation. He once again shows us "How You Stick it to Lying Republican Hacks" and is a strong new voice in the Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, Stephen Colber gets sound advice from his financial advisor "Gorlock."

McCain/Palin Spread Lies, Ignorance and Confusion

CNN fact checks McCain. The verdict? He's not telling the truth. Also the widely reported "Spanish Gaffe" is escalating into a diplomatic incident as McCain refuses to admit he was confused, preferring to explain away the bizarre interview. Watch a great play-by-play analysis of it on Talking Points Memo TV.

Not to be left out, Palin's story about accepting the nomination does not add up to previous statements from both Todd Palin and Senator McCain. Read the full explanation on Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish.

If you haven't heard, it's now the "Palin/McCain" ticket according to the governor herself. Just an odd series of lies, ignorance and confusion.

On the lighter side, Stephen Colbert comments on the McCain/Palin ticket's "How Dare You?" attitude to the media:

FUN: Franny & Manny Boggie Down!

Why don't we lighten the mood with a video clip of me and my pal Francesca gettin' down! Actually these are our alter egos, "Franny & Manny." This was inspired Rebecca from Hebrew School Dropout home of The Jew Fro Bro:

Obama Has a Plan While McCain Flip-Flops, Republicans Continue Avoiding Responsibility

As the DOW drops another 449 points today, McCain back-pedals and flip-flops on the economy. ABC News sums up how the deregulation rules McCain supported allowed companies like AIG to get themselves into their current financial situations thus leading to the nation's economic crisis.

So you might ask, as Chris Matthews does as he eviscerates Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), where is President Dubya in all of this? Well, if he shows his face, the nation will remember that he is a Republican, but the Republican party is doing all it can to avoid responsibility for its policies.

As AmericaBlog puts it:

"You are losing your house...ON THEIR WATCH. You are bailing out corporations...ON THEIR WATCH. You can't afford gas...ON THEIR WATCH."

Finally, Obama calls McCain out on it saying the "Good Old Boys' Network" is basically a McCain staff meeting. True.

Meanwhile Obama actually has a plan, and you can read it at BarackObama.com/plan:

VIDEO: Obama's "Transforming This Country" Speech at Streisand Fundraiser in LA

Obama's moving speech at Barbra Streisand's fundraiser in Los Angeles as captured by photographer Lewis Peyton and posted to his YouTube Channel. Obama gets serious while still touching people and being an inspiring leader.

In an exclusive report on Towleroad, Peyton states:

"Obama spoke, without notes or teleprompter, for 20 minutes. While media were banned from the event, his speech left no doubt as to why he was in town. "It's nice to have Barbra and Ben singing, but that's not what this is about. It's about a struggle for the future, a struggle for the next generation, it's about who we are as a country and who we are as a people, and this is a serious fight, and I intend to win it, but I'm going to need your help.'"

McCain Back-Pedals Fast as Obama and Reid Smack Back

Senator McCain backpedals fast, delivering a contrived and scripted response to all the news channels. Is it me or does he blink a lot when he's nervous and talking out of his ass? Remember Palin's emphasis on the importance of "not blinking" in her snarky interview with Charles Gibson.

Meanwhile Obama takes McCain to task while actually demonstrating a grasp of the how we got here. And Senate Majority Leader gives us an important lesson on the impact of Bush-McCain economic policies, likening it to what happened in the era of Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Hoover made a similarly out-of-touch claim that the "fundamentals" were sound on the morning after the crash of 1929 which led to The Great Depression. Roosevelt put the regulations in place to make sure that did not happen again.

The regulations that (even now McCain reluctantly admits) are needed to get us out of this financial crisis were actually in place from FDR's New Deal all the way up to President Bush. It could be argued that the dismantling of the FDR New Deal regulations by a Republican President and Congress gave us the clearing for our current crisis.

And remember voters, Palin doesn't blink:

Fundamentals Of Our Economy: Tucker Bounds is an Idiot

Looks like the media might be growing a pair. Megyn Kelly at Fox News and Norah O'Donnell at MSNBC do not let up when it comes to questioning McCain Campaign Spokesperson, Tucker Bounds, about McCain's repeated statements that the "fundamentals of our economy are strong." Recently CNN's Campbell Brown called out Bounds' inability to name even one decision Palin has made with regards to national security.

And here's our Word of the Day: "KLEPTOCRACY"

• A kleptocracy (sometimes cleptocracy, occasionally kleptarchy) (root: klepto+kratein = rule by thieves) is a term applied to a government that extends the personal wealth and political power of government officials and the ruling class (collectively, kleptocrats) at the expense of the population."

Funny: Les Mizbarack & Give Great Hug!

I had to follow up my Eponine post with this awesome video from the folks at Ultimate Improv, "Les Misbarack." Watch for who shows up at the 2:00 mark! (And Marius is cute.) So funny!

Videojug has an awesome batch of videos explaining the simple things in life. Like this one: "Don't get left behind! Learn how to show your affection for your fellow man. Give a great man-to-man hug to your closest friends and family without getting that awkward feeling!"

Tina Fey/Amy Poehler: "I can see Russia from my house!"

Tina Fey is made of awesome. I know I was waiting for this moment from the first time I saw Sarah Palin. And Amy Poehler deserves kudos too. Absolutely amazing! (Someone please tell me what FLURJ is?!)

MILK Trailer: "His courage changed lives."

The trailer for Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk bio-pic. It looks awesome! I'm looking forward to seeing this.