TPMtv gives us the layout of John McCain’s devolving concept of American troop levels in Iraq, from liberating and leaving to maybe staying as a small force to staying ala Germany for a hundred years. It should be noted, by the way, that we have not been in Germany for a hundred years just yet - to say nothing of a thousand, or ten thousand - so whether or not that is an attainable goal remains to be seen:

Talking Points Memo

In today’s episode of TPMtv, we go back to the TPM video archives to put the whole back and forth on the Korea m
odel together. Let’s go to the tape …

But in every case, John McCain consistently makes the point that, “it’s not troop levels, it’s casualties.” Because if American soldiers aren’t dying, the American people won’t mind their presence anywhere. This shortsightedly political rhetoric ignores a very basic premise of occupation: it will not be the opinions of the American public that will determine that all-important casualty rate, but the opinions of the Iraqis, whose voice is noticeably absent from McCain’s argument.

And if Iraqis do not want long-term American presence in their country - as indeed, they have voiced many times over - then no amount of political gamesmanship here at home nor tactical maneuvering in Iraq will produce anything less than consistent casualties.

But, hey! I’m not a presidential candidate with “experience,” so what the hell do I know?

Well, well. Looks like there’s a possibility that 3:00am phone call may just be an arguably illegal robocall from Hillary’s attack minions:

Facing South: FACING SOUTH EXCLUSIVE: D.C. nonprofit aimed at women voters behind deceptive N.C. robo-calls

Who’s behind the mysterious “robo-calls” that have spread misleading voter information and sown confusion and frustration among North Carolina residents over the last week?

Facing South has confirmed the source of the calls, and the mastermind is Women’s Voices Women Vote, a D.C.-based nonprofit which aims to boost voting among “unmarried women voters.”

What’s more, Facing South has learned that the firestorm Women’s Voices has ignited in North Carolina isn’t the group’s first brush with controversy. Women’s Voices’ questionable tactics have spawned thousands of voter complaints in at least 11 states and brought harsh condemnation from some election officials for their secrecy, misleading nature and likely violations of election law.

Robert Harding turns in a great report on the disparities of drug law enforcement in New York City. Big surprise: blacks get hit more than whites by a big margin. Some of the same thing can be found here in Rochester with very little effort:

the albany project:: NYCLU Report Details Marijuana Arrests, NYPD Racial Bias

The New York Civil Liberties Union released a report on marijuana possession arrests in New York City and how these arrests show racial and gender disparities.

SFGate turns in a barn-burner opinion piece on the sexless drone of a Republican wife we have for a first lady. Brilliant:

Laura Bush, docile doormat / Behold, the ideal Republican wife: Prim, sexless, nearly useless, lets the men do the real thinkin’. Hot!

For in choosing to be and do almost nothing at all for all these years, Laura has also come to epitomize the compliant, unobtrusive woman, the worst kind of example for modern young women today. This is, of course, why conservative Republicans and fundie Christians love her. They call her “classy.” What they mean is: She knows her place, keeps her mouth shut, possesses exactly zero sexuality, speaks only when spoken to, lets the men do the “real” work, stays so far off in the background she might as well be wallpaper.

Here’s a question for all you Christian Righties who are getting behind John McCain: what’s his wife - who has loaned him beer money and let him fly in the corporate jet - going to be like as a first lady? Who is going to be wearing the pant-suit in that first family?

Barack showed up on Fox News’ morning show, and I thought that was probably kinda bad.  But that’s nothing.  Drudge is reporting that Hillary Clinton will be appearing on Fox News’ own Bill O’Reilly show.  To top that, Barack Obama would have to literally bag Ann Coulter on video tape.

Well, if he does, we’d at least know for sure about those Adam’s Apple rumors. . . .

Carla Palumbo checks in with a new post on the quiet controversy of St. John Fisher’s proposed law school:

» Law School in Rochester » Carla Palumbo

Do we need another law school in NYS? Maybe not (I don’t need 50 pairs of shoes either but that doesn’t stop me). Do we need a Law School in Rochester — why not? I know many people who would make great lawyers who can’t go to law school now because they can’t commute — think single mothers, people who work already and are ready to chose law as another career. A law school here would resolve that issue, along with attracting other students to the area, many of whom will stay.

OK, let me just get the predictions out of the way, two weeks in advance of the next round of primaries:

1. The numbers as you see them now will remain largely unchanged.
2. There will be a minimal shift in the same pattern that has remained the pattern this entire primary season: Barack Obama’s numbers will go up, Hillary Clinton’s numbers will go down.   This shift will be inconsequential, however, as the winner at this moment will be the winner after it’s done.

I guess the reason I’m not a journalist is because I can only discuss the exact same thing so many times and then I really don’t give a shit.  And at this point in the primary season, the numbers are completely solid on both sides of the Democratic contest: Hillary’s supporters have made their choice and so have Barack supporters.  No one’s moving, except for those who’ve been disgusted by the Clinton brand of politics.

Perhaps I’ll be surprised and there will be some tidal wave of rejections.  I’m not betting the farm on it, though.

I’ve had a particularly successful morning’s-worth of photography, this morning and decided to adapt one of my better photos to the header of the site.  Those of you reading this via RSS, have a look directly at the website!

I’m going to be posting more photos later on to Flickr, where they will appear on the photos page.  I don’t think I’m done just yet.

I know those of you who are either teachers or administrators in schools will probably not see the humor in this that I do.  Never the less, it’s freakin’ funny.

Apparently, someone got a hold of both the letterhead and the mailing list of Portland, OR’s Lincoln High School and sent out a nominally official letter to all the parents actively encouraging them to open their liquor cabinets to the attendees of the prom as a way to promote “a safe, secure place for students to have fun.”  Condoms were included in the letters.

OMG, whomever pulled this off is my freakin’ hero.

Jane’s Addiction reunited for a gig.  Rolling Stone has the scoop.  Damn, Stephen Perkins got a little paunchy, but then who am I to criticize?  They played one gig in Rochester when I was a junior in high school and tragically unhip.  I totally missed what was probably the best show to come to Rochester since then.

Ah, well.  But hey, I did get to see the Monkeys reunion tour a few years before that. . . .