Quick Shots: Warning: Political Speech Ahead Edition

Carpe Bonum returns with a capital idea...

The Bernoulli Effect has an interesting post involving atomic bombs, Richard Rhodes, and the old Soviet regime; how can you go wrong?...

The Red Republic with some thoughts on what it means to be a conservative - just so...

Miscellanea: A Lose-Lose Proposition Edition

Bad enough that Bill Maher has a show...but Ward Churchill as a guest? Crooks and Liars has the video (hat tip to the Museum of Left Wing Lunacy)...

More on this landmark interview by Jeff Jarvis (hat tip to Michelle Malkin - and I love the new picture, Michelle!)...

My contempt for the Daily Kos and his Kossacks has, incredibly, just grown larger...

The invaluable Patrick Ruffini puts the FEC/blogosphere kerfuffle in perspective...

Q&O has a very amusing take on the waning of the Michael Moore / Hollywood love affair (plus some astounding revelations about Moore's personal hygiene)...

Consider: Is the Current Democratic Party Viable?

The ascension of Howard Dean to chairman of the DNC has thrown a spotlight on what I see as a fundamental split in the Democratic Party. I cannot see how a party of young, idealistic, yes, but headstrong and somewhat foolhardy activists can coexist with the party of Harry Truman. In other words, can MoveOn.org and the Democratic Leadership Council get along? Or is a breakup what the doctor ordered?

No one can doubt the Democratic Party's recent success in increasing donations and activism through the Internet, but where are the results? I have heard many argue that the Democrats haven't been 'tough enough', but I can tell you that from my side of the aisle, the 'progressive' crowd seems like, for the most part, a group of shrill anarchists. I would argue (and yes, I realize the left may not welcome advice from the right, no matter how sincere) that the Democrats need to move toward the center if they are to regain the White House. Bill Clinton is now seen by many on the right, no matter how we feel about his personal conduct, as the model of a successful Democratic politician, and he was pretty centrist, for the most part.

The problem is the Dean thing, for want of a better term. The progressives have given Dean a base and the chairmanship through their financial clout; they will scream bloody murder over any move to the center. The Democrats will never win the presidency, however, with a progressive candidate - just look at the reaction of the ordinary Iowans when the Deaniacs rolled into town.

How to solve the impasse? I can only see one way out. Sooner or later (and I'm betting on later), the progressives and the traditional Dems are going to have to part ways. There simply is not enough common ground to unite them anymore. The progressives are really nothing more or less than a European-style Green Party (by that, I mean the prominence of socialist themes alongside the environmental, give-peace-a-chance, flower-child faction). I cannot for the life of me imagine Harry Truman at a Howard Dean rally...can you?

The question remains - can the American political system make room for a serious third (or fourth) major party, or is the two-party system destined to dominate for the duration? We'll find out soon enough...

(cross-posted at Wingnuts and Moonbats)

CNN Buries the Lede

CNN has the story of a new poll that shows, in their words, 'only 7 percent' of those surveyed said they read blogs several times a week. In addition, a mere 26% were very or somewhat familiar with blogs. The findings are presented with the unmistakable implication that blogs are a fringe phenomenon.

I find those statistics to be absolutely amazing. Turn CNN's half-empty approach around, and the interpretation is that 1 out of 4 (!!!) Americans is now familiar with the concept of blogging, and 7% regularly read them. This, for a medium composed largely of amateurs who are receiving very little or no pay for their services, with audiences built largely through word of mouth, rather than a formal distribution channel.

Does that sound like a fringe movement to you?

Rather Excellent Tales: The Glory Years

1975 - 1988: For Dan Rather watchers, this time span is akin to the 1965-1967 Beatles, or the Stones from 1967 - 1973. Rather's unique brand of political artistry begins to blossom, and the kooky guy we all love to hate begins to show his inner maniac. There would be other great Rather moments, to be sure, and we'll get to them; but these were the times that tried men's souls (sources for much that follows can be found here and here)...

• 1980 - Rather admits to hard drug experimentation in an interview with Ladies Home Journal; refuses to pay cab fare and ends up in a fracas involving police and a hysterical accusation of kidnapping
• 1981 - named anchor of CBS News, replacing Walter Cronkite
• 1984 - accuses Walter Mondale(!!!) of moving to the right
• 1985 - makes the hilariously pointless decision to end his broadcasts by saying "Courage"; 28 people die from hysterical laughing fits
• 1986 - Rather is mugged by a man shouting, "Kenneth, What is the Frequency?", later immortalized by R.E.M.
• 1987 - in a stunning display of arrogance and unprofessionalism, walks off the set and leaves six minutes of dead air when a tennis match runs long; inexplicably, he retains his position
  
• 1988 - Rather reveals his hatred of the Bushes for the first time when he interviews GB 41 and repeatedly interrupts him to ask what he knew about Iran-Contra; an angry Bush ends the interview and the entire liberal press corp condemns Rather as having gone too far; amazingly, he still keeps his job
  

FUN FACTS: In 1975, Bruce Springsteen released Born to Run; in 1987, Tunnel of Love. Thus, most observers would put his "Glory Days" (a big Bruce hit, of course) during almost the exact same time period. In 2004, both Dan Rather and Bruce Springsteen would campaign for John Kerry (in their own ways, of course)...coincidence or not?...

Rather Excellent Tales: Birth of a Legend
Rather Excellent Tales: The College Years
Rather Excellent Tales: Heading on Down to Houston Town
Rather Excellent Tales: A Star is Born
Rather Excellent Tales: On to CBS
Rather Excellent Tales: The White House Years

Miscellanea: No FEC Threat? Edition

Lots of talk that the CNET interview that kicked off such a blogstorm was a bit of political theater...but just in case the worst comes to pass, Lone Star Times has you covered...

JustOneMinute has a new look, but the same great content...the spotlight today: when it comes to forecasting, Paul Krugman has the bottom all to himself (hat tip to the Instapundit)...

Pretend 2008 hopeful Harry Reid calls Alan Greenspan a political hack...that's today's Democratic party in a nutshell: agree with me, or I'll call you names (hat tip to Prof Bainbridge)...

I've long admired Coach K of the Duke Blue Devils, but now more than ever...

Pejmanesque has your update on the Robert Byrd brouhaha...

Reason #137 to Be Glad We Didn't Elect John Kerry

He's supplying the North Vietnamese with talking points...

UPDATE 9:39 PM: And I accuse the Democrats of constantly reliving Vietnam!...of course, there was a time long, long ago when Kerry was accused of supply the North Vietnamese with talking points...however, the point of this link was that North KOREA was using Kerry's words. D'oh! (and a tip of the hat to Fred)...

Miscellanea - Et Tu, Dave? Edition

Michelle Malkin has been on a roll...check out her Top Ten list in response to Dandy Dan Rather's appearance on the Letterman show...

Myopic Zeal has another linkfest on the possibility of the FEC regulating blogs. Many think it's just a scare tactic; even so, it appears the possibility is there, so I'm glad to see the blogswarm...

Nothing better exemplifies the moral bankruptcy of the Left than their agonizing over whether to celebrate the good news coming out of the Middle East (see this piece by E. J. Dionne, Jr. and this one by NPR's Daniel Schorr)...

Don't miss this piece by Gerald Baker, with its Monty Python homage employed in praise of America (hat tips to RealClearPolitics and the Instapundit)...

Good piece on Georgia's nervous GOP at Confessions of a Political Junkie...

Quick Shots: Head On Down to the Junction Edition

Jackson's Junction is quickly moving up the charts with its excellent video footage. Don't miss this stunning shot at the subject of my first open letter...

Another essential read is the excellent Right Wing News, where John Hawkins recently made this argument in favor of the nuclear option...

Ahh, the weekend at last...enjoy yours!...

Like A Rolling Stone, I Gather No Moss

Think I was too hard on the 'progressive' crowd when I called them the children interrupting the conversation of the grownups? Rolling Stone, that bastion of conservatism, agrees with me. In a profile of MoveOn.org, Simon Rosenberg, described as the president of the 'centrist' New Democrat Network, is quoted as follows:

"My view of MoveOn is that they're like muscular adolescents," says Rosenberg. "Their body has grown too quickly -- they're going to make mistakes."

We also learn that 'Tom Matzzie, MoveOn's twenty-nine-year-old Washington director, says the [anti-Social Security reform] ads are aimed at the president, whom he bluntly calls a "son of a bitch."' Now, Tommie, behave, or you won't get your dessert.

Still not convinced? Try this one for size:

[MoveOn.org cofounder Wes] Boyd is a whip-smart man with a deep passion for populist democracy. But speaking to him about MoveOn's constituency is like speaking to someone who spends all day in an Internet chat room and assumes the rest of the world is as psyched as he and his online compatriots are about, say, the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He seems to conflate MoveOn with the rest of America. "We see ourselves as a broad American public," he says. "We assume that things that resonate with our base resonate with America."

(Disclaimer: I loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy, although I never spent all day in an Internet chat room groovin' on it).

I'm quoting the end of Tim Dickinson's excellent article verbatim: it's that good (hat tip to James Taranto's Best of the Web for the pointer to the article)...

So who is MoveOn? Consider this: Howard Dean finished first in the MoveOn primary. Number Two wasn't John Kerry or John Edwards -- it was Dennis Kucinich. Listing the issues that resonate most with their membership, Boyd and Blades cite the environment, the Iraq War, campaign-finance reform, media reform, voting reform and corporate reform. Somewhere after freedom, opportunity and responsibility comes "the overlay of security concerns that everybody shares." Terrorism as a specific concern is notably absent. As are jobs. As is health care. As is education.

There's nothing inherently good or bad in any of this. It's just that MoveOn's values aren't middle-American values. They're the values of an educated, steadily employed middle and upper-middle class with time to dedicate to politics -- and disposable income to leverage when they're agitated. That's fine, as long as the group sticks to mobilizing fellow travelers on the left. But the risks are greater when it presumes to speak for the entire party. "The decibel level that MoveOn can bring is very high," says Bill Carrick, a longtime Democratic strategist.

Like so many other Internet start-ups, MoveOn has raised -- and burned through -- tens of millions of dollars, innovating without producing many concrete results. Any reasonable analysis shows its stock may be dangerously overvalued. Those banking on MoveOn had better hope it is more Google than Pets.com. Because should the group flame out, the Democrats could be in for a fall of Nasdaq proportions.

Miscellanea - Nursing Your Inner Conspiracy Theorist Edition

The controversial David Horowitz has a new site up called Discover the Network; it's good...

Speaking of controversial and David Horowitz, over at FrontPage Magazine Ann Coulter has caught the Homophobia Among the 'Progressives' meme (hat tip to Power Line)...

And speaking of memes (it's all one big interconnected world, folks), Fred Kaplan at Slate has joined, however reluctantly, the 'Hey, Maybe Bush Was Right' crowd...

I've got to get busy on those candidate profiles - meanwhile, here's a blog dedicated to Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's potential 2008 bid; very thorough and a lot of good information, so check it out...

While I'm spotlighting sites, here's one dedicated to keeping an eye on CBS...er, wait, PBS...

VodkaPundit and Hugh Hewitt catch the L.A. Times pulling a Duranty (hat tip to Instapundit)...

Longtime Decision '08 fans (yep, you two know who I'm talking about) may wonder, "What happened to Rather Excellent Tales? Or JFK the Sequel?" I haven't forgotten them, just been a little on the busy side...they'll make another appearance soon, as will my beagle...

My Second Open Letter in Two Days

This time, to John McCain (and again, I'll let you know if I get a response).

Senator McCain:

I am a huge fan and I admire greatly your service to our country. Surely you did not go through all that you have overcome to sit by and let political opinions on the Internet become regulated. I run a blog at http://decision08.blogspot.com. It is highly laudatory of the Bush administration. I have earned exactly $4.58 from my blog, but I have put much blood, sweat, and tears into it. There are thousands like me, and hundreds of thousands who spend a part of their day with us. You must do something about this threat before it goes too far.

Sincerely,

Mark Coffey

Should Blogs Be Regulated? Not a Rhetorical Question...

Michelle Malkin links to this disturbing piece. I'm not going to comment, other than to say McCain-Feingold was always a bad idea, and it's just gotten worse. Malkin's post has all the links you'll ever need, to which I can only add 'ditto'. Obviously, this is a story I'll be tracking, as it hits rather close to the bone...

Misinterpreting Dean: Matt Bai Gets It Wrong

In the New York Times magazine this weekend, Matt Bai had a short essay on 'What Dean Means'. It's a good topic, but his answers are way off the mark. I quote:

...Lashing out at Washington Democrats as timid and feckless during the primaries, he vowed to ''take back our party,'' and he did exactly that. The party's Congressional leaders could talk all they wanted about how Dean would be a mere functionary -- ''I think Dean knows his job is not to set the message,'' Harry Reid lectured -- but, like Kerry's welcoming e-mail message, such statements had the ring of self-delusion. The moment the votes for chairman were counted, Howard Dean became the de facto voice of the Democratic Party.

Dean would seem to be better suited to the chairman's office than he was to the White House...Inevitably, Dean's ascension has been seen in the familiar Democratic context of center versus left, New Democrat versus old. Dean, it has been said, is too far left to lead a party that suffers from an image of extremism. But what Dean's selection actually makes clear is that these distinctions have less meaning in today's party than ever before.

...Dean perfectly embodies the modern Democratic Party, whose ideology feels so muddled and incohesive that labels of ''left'' and ''center,'' at least in terms of governing philosophy, are almost irrelevant.

Bai then goes on to say that divisions, sparked by Dean's confrontational style, are just what the Democrats need to hone their message and define their vision.

Here's my alternative version of what Dean means, and why he's bad for the Democratic Party. Far from the united (even superficially) party that Bai conveys, today's Democratic Party is torn asunder, for lack of a better analogy, in a struggle between the children and the grownups. Dean is the children's candidate. His appeal is to the radical elements who want a revolution, now, and don't even know what they're revolting against. The Deaniacs are anarchic in spirit, not by philosophical choice, but rather in the absence of any coherent platform.

These are the people who are liberal because it just seems right. They throw around concepts like tolerance and diversity to mask the fact that their's is a world of moral relativism. There are no absolutes (save the right to drive-through abortions), because absolutes require blood, sweat, and tears. Go-along-to-get-along is easier, and might make one feel less 'judgmental'; it most decidedly will not bring about the incredible changes we are seeing in the Middle East, as just one example.

The Democrats that make the attempt to govern responsibly are reviled by this crowd - look at the abuse they heap on Lieberman. Dean's ascension to the head of the party reflects a divide that, I predict, will soon result in the splitting of the Democratic Party. It's blindingly apparent that the 'progressive' crowd is nothing more than a European-style Green Party hiding under the sheltering arms of their Democratic big brother. The time is rapidly approaching when one side or the other will have to reject the current arrangement, and take the plunge into three-party politics. The alternative, as exemplified by the Dean chairmanship, is to let the fringe direct the mainstream.

Quick Shots: How to Improve CBS Edition

Peggy Noonan offers advice to CBS; her suggestions are much tamer than mine...

George Will says to PBS: Time to move out...

Color me impressed...this week's Weekly Jackass managed to put out a column without a single cheap shot at the Bush administration (and it's no coincidence it's her best column in ages)...

Senator Robert Byrd: An Open Letter

The Anti-Defamation League has this one right (hat tip to the Instapundit)...you expect to hear comparisons between Bush and Hitler on the Radical Left, from the Kossacks and the Deaniacs, but on the floor on the U.S. Senate?...Here is a link to send Senator Byrd an e-mail (be tasteful, now!), if you're so inclined. I'm sending mine now, and it will read as follows (if I receive a reply, I'll post it).

Senator Byrd,

I am not a constituent of yours, nor am I part of one of those ridiculous mass e-mail campaigns. I am very concerned, however, that you would cheapen the memory of those who died at the hands of the vile Nazi regime by throwing out a glib comparison with the tactics of today's Republican Party. I think an apology to the Republican leadership is the least you can do at this point. I'm sure you understand that more is expected from our esteemed Senators than from radical elements who throw around the words 'Nazi' and 'fascist' with such reckless abandon; you know better. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Mark Coffey

Weekly Jackass Number Thirteen: Maureen Dowd

Thirteen is an unlucky number, and there's no one unluckier than the unwitting fool that gets suckered into reading his first Maureen Dowd column. Here's an entirely possible look inside his brain:

Hmmm...Maureen Dowd - she looks fairly attractive, and she's in the New York Times...let's take a look....(stunned silence for a couple of minutes)....oh...my....God...that STUNK!....

Thirteen was the lucky number for me, though, because as I was researching this thirteenth installment of Weekly Jackass, I stumbled across this delightful site dedicated to ripping each and every column of hers into shreds as small as her talent.

Look, I've blogged a lot lately on the need for a minimum level of civility in our discourse, and I sincerely wish Ms. Dowd a long life and the greatest of health and happiness, but there is NO good reason that the New York Times, for cryin' out loud, should print her garbage heap of a column.

Let's get clear about something else, too; it's got nothing to do with her views. I can't imagine a person more to my left politically than Hunter S. Thompson, but, at his height, the man was a truly gifted writer and a delight to read. There is nothing delightful to be found in any Dowd column that I have ever seen, unless, perhaps, the person reading it is twelve years old and unaccustomed to listening to the grownups talk. Let's jump on in with some samples, shall we?

We'll begin with Dowd's most recent column to get a tast of her methods:

The only balance W. likes is the slavering, Pravda-like "Fair and Balanced" coverage Fox News provides. This White House...prefers tossing journalists who protect their sources into the gulag to giving up the officials who broke the law by leaking the name of their own C.I.A. agent.

W., who once looked into Mr. Putin's soul and liked what he saw, did not demand the end of tyranny, as he did in his second Inaugural Address. His upper lip sweating a bit, he did not rise to the level of his hero Ronald Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." Instead, he said that "the common ground is a lot more than those areas where we disagree." The Russians were happy to stress the common ground as well.

An irritated Mr. Putin compared the Russian system to the American Electoral College, perhaps reminding the man preaching to him about democracy that he had come in second in 2000 according to the popular vote, the standard most democracies use.

It's all there, if you look hard enough; the smarmy elitism ('W' is the President of the United States, Maureen, and if you haven't noticed, he's done more to change the Middle East for the better than any other figure of the last 50 years), the inconsistencies thrown out so lightly you might miss them (criticizing Bush for not confronting Putin, knowing damn well you would have skewered him if he had criticized him more strongly), the refusal to understand that the 2000 election was decided by the Electoral College, just like every election that has seated a Democrat, the tossing out of Reagan as a hero when it suits you, and a villian the rest of the time. Classy stuff, Maureen.

Here's Dowd's take on the transformation going on in the Middle East from Meet the Press this weekend:

Russert: " Would you now accept the fact that because of the invasion of Iraq, there is a possibility of democracy in Iraq and that may spread in the Middle East?

Dowd: "We are torturing people, we're outsourcing torture, the administration is trying to throw journalist in jail and basically trying to replace the whole press corps with ringers, including male escorts."

If that doesn't make you seriously question any word at all on any subject coming out of this woman's mouth, you're reading the wrong blog. Notice how Dowd doesn't even address the substance of Russert's question, but reflexively falls into her pat litany of Bush evils. This is not good journalism; the word that comes to mind is infantile.

It's not just me, folks; here's a liberal's assessment:

Speaking as a liberal, Maureen Dowd sucks. Her commentary is as saccharine as it is insipid, spawning half-assed arguments that begin with outrage and meander along, proving nothing before ending off with a parting salvo that usually resembles moral indignation.

General structure:
A) I can't believe the Bush administration did _____ [I usually agree with her here]
B) Rather than develop an argument against _____, I'll restate my anger with synonyms, off-point metaphors and some patent fire and brimstone.
C) Running out of space, I'll just state, again--for the record--that George W. Bush is ruining the country.

It's crap, really, and her latest piece is maybe the worst written thing I've read since last I drafted a blog.

Amazing how often the subject of Dowd's writing and the word 'crap' come up together (of course, Dowd has her fans, but they're the already converted radicals who spend hours insulting Bush at the Daily Kos and the Democratic Underground - a typical comment is 'Wow, Dowd nailed it on the head in her latest column'. Please - Dowd doesn't even know what 'it' is - how can she nail it?).

T. Bevan of the invaluable RealClearPolitics has a recent commentary up called 'Hardball with Maureen Dowd', in which he roasts Dowd for criticizing Bush's 'softball' press conferences when she herself, in her playtime job ('Look, everybody! I'm a journalist...') doesn't come close to hardball with any Democratic figures (specifically mentioning Kerry and Form 180).

I could list example after example of Dowd's anemic, unfunny, and meaningless prose, but I think I'll conclude with a look at the best anti-Dowd piece I have read to date, from Catherine Seipp at National Review Online (and read the whole thing, really; it's wonderful, and better in a few paragraphs than Dowd's entire oeuvre).

No one reads Maureen Dowd anymore for analysis, or insight, or even simple sense. They just read her because she's there, in the New York Times, like the weather report...An effective criticism of Bush and his policies has to involve more than just chirping "Rummy" and "Boy Emperor" or dreaming up whimsical dialogues. Dowd is now more pixyish than kittenish, which is part of what makes her so annoying. Who wants to deal with Tinkerbell flitting around when you're trying to read the op-ed pages?...
Dowd's relentless shallowness and silliness are her most obvious crimes against readers. And because she's the only woman with a plum twice-a-week spot on the New York Times op-page, the tacit and insulting message she gives off is that female political thinkers can't be expected to actually think. Sometimes when she's skittering around, like a water-beetle on a pond's surface, Dowd happens upon a notion she likes a lot. But rather than develop it into an actual argument, she just repeats it endlessly, like an eight-year-old with a knock-knock joke...beneath all the cutesiness lurks thinking that is ignorant, hysterical, and unoriginal. There's never anything in a Dowd column that you haven't heard a hundred times before at any upscale cocktail party.

Well said, Catherine, well said indeed. If I could only once say that about a Maureen Dowd piece...

UPDATE 06/17/05 12:01 p.m. central: Thanks to the lovely and talented Michelle Malkin for the link...hope you'll kick off your shoes and stay awhile...

Miscellanea: Who Are You Calling Heteronormative? Edition

Good God, what's next? (hat tip to UNCoRRELATED)...

Is Google working on an operating system? Some signs point to yes (tip of the hat to Myopic Zeal)...

Punditish wonders if some people might be having second thoughts about their criticism of Bush's Second Inaugural Address...

Hoping for failure: this is what the Democrats have come to (hat tip to Fred in the comments)...

Power Line links to the latest carriers of the 'transforming Middle East' meme...

Think the U.S. Border is too porous? Try telling that to the cows...

Still to come...the bestowing of the Weekly Jackass honorific...

Today's Must Read: Deconstructing the Daily Kos

I highly recommend this truly excellent article by Dean Barnett in the Weekly Standard on the Daily Kos and the �progressive� infestation of the Democratic Party. I have argued on many occasions that the Democrats must break ranks with the Kossacks (I�ve been calling them Kosians, but hey, apparently, they prefer this moniker) and other radical influences if they want to return to national power. The selection of Howard Dean as their party chairman was not a good sign in this regard.

Barnett likens the Kos community (for it really is that, more than a blog) to a meeting of a Ward committee. He admits the Kossacks wield real power, but:

�the Daily Kos also has many of the negative characteristics of a Ward committee: The excessive passion, the intemperate remarks, and the strange world views of people who obsess about politics.

Barnett details the conspiracy theories and rumormongering, the pathological tendency to label Karl Rove the evil genius behind every imaginable event, and the complete lack of civility and decorum. He concludes:

Moulitsas has long been associated with Howard Dean and was instrumental in Dean's ascension to the DNC chairmanship. This ascension came only days after Dean proudly proclaimed that he "hated" Republicans.

If Moulitsas has his way, the Democratic party will allow its "inner ward committee" to be viewed by the world at large. Moulitsas is probably comfortable with this possibility--the Kos community shows the highest regard for the most passionately strident commentary and has little regard for common decorum. The Kossacks seem to believe that if they could just be heard by the entire country, the Democratic party's losing streak would come to an end.

And Custer probably thought that if he could just get the Indians to come out and fight him at Little Big Horn . . .

Read the whole thing�

Happy Independence Day!

Texas Independence Day, that is. I moved to Austin in 1986 from a small town south of Lubbock called Lamesa to attend the University of Texas. One of the big draws was the live music scene, as I've blogged about before. About the time I moved here, the Austin Chronicle began a little experiment called the South by Southwest Music Conference (SXSW). SXSW is now a huge deal, and it's about to begin.

SXSW has exploded to include three conferences: interactive, film, and music. Over 1300 acts will play the music festival, the film festival has over 170 films, and the interactive trade show has over 100 exhibitors. Some of the bigwigs speaking at this year's events include ultra-liberal Al Franken, Robert Plant, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Sterling, and the lovely Wonkette. The best example I can give of how big a deal this is: Elvis Costello is playing a club gig on a Wednesday night!!! In other words, it's a great event in a great city.

There - as a true capitalist, I've done my bit to promote the local economy. Be sure to check back later today for the Weekly Jackass...

UPDATE 8:45 am central: Today is also Wictory Wednesday. Read PoliPundit's post here, and if you can at all, donate here to help the Republicans pick up a seat in Fritz Mondale's stomping grounds in 2006. As always, I ask that you click a random link or two from the blogroll at bottom right; we bloggers live for traffic, folks! Have a good one...

A Question - No, Really, I Mean It

Does Duncan 'Atrios' Black go out of his way to make his blog extra dull-looking? Is it some kind of sociological experiment? First correct answer gets a nickel (minus five cents administrative overhead)...

Miscellanea - Somebody Send Dean the Link to Talking Points Memo Edition

Umm, Howard, you're getting a little off-message here (hat tip to My Pet Jawa)...

Here's a greatest hits package from Dan Rather you won't want to miss (hat tip to Power Line)...

Curse you, Arthur Chrenkoff, for being so much better than the rest of us! Again, the great one shows how it's done...

A leftist friend of mine (what's that? Surprised, are you? At what, me having friends, or the leftist part?) is having a field day with this one...

Wish Commonwealth Conservative a happy anniversary by paying him a visit...

A Word on That Banner Right Under My Blog Name

John Kerry, in his disastrous Meet the Press appearance following the Iraqi elections, pledged to sign a form that releases his military records to journalists and historians. Since Kerry has never really ended his campaign, it continues to be an issue. You can search far and wide without finding a word of disparagement of Kerry's military service coming from me. I don't like what he did after the war, but clearly, he saw combat in Vietnam, and God bless him for it.

Something's starting to smell, though, and Kerry can clean out the stench by signing the form. Not doing so inevitably leads to speculation along the lines of 'What's in that file that he doesn't want us to see?'. Kerry only adds fuel to the fire with wild stories of crazy activities around the Cambodian border, stories that have been seriously questioned by those with far more knowledge of the situation than I.

One of the few things I admire about Kerry is his willingness to go to war for his nation. This is a simple request, and it can easily be done - so, John, what's the delay? And for that matter, why wasn't this done a long time ago, during the campaign? It's time to come clean; if there is something in those records, better to say so now than later.

Thanks to PoliPundit for the code.

Amending the Odds: Arnold Says No Run

A frequent comment by visitors to Decision '08 is that I have Schwarzenegger's odds well on the generous side, given that an amendment to the Constitution would be required for him to win (technically, I suppose he could run even without an amendment, but he couldn't receive any electors or assume the Presidency).

I have always intended the odds to be fluid, and a work in progress. (I haven't even profiled such heavy hitters as Rudy G., McCain, and Hillary yet, after all...). Certainly, given the length of time an amendment procedure would require, the passage of the months decreases Arnold's chances exponentially.

Arnold says no run; that means something, but not much. I think what it does mean is that he recognizes the inherent difficulties and doesn't think much of his chances. Arnold' s other point is the more important one, anyway; I think it would be quite healthy for a national debate on whether this provision is outdated. Do we really mean to say that Noam Chomsky of Philadelphia is better suited to be president than Albert Einstein of Germany? The geographical location of one's birth is an accident of fate; I prefer to judge by what a person has done with his life since then.

We'll revisit this issue again, I'm sure; but for now, I'm dropping Arnold back considerably.

CURRENT ODDS: 90-1

The Latest Meme - And It's a Good One

In an earlier post, I mentioned the concept, credited to Richard Dawkins, of the meme - the self-replicating idea that spreads through a significant chunk of the world like a virus. (I must repeat again that the viral analogy does not imply falseness or harmfulness of the idea itself). I've certainly been infected with the latest meme, and it's spreading awfully fast; the meme is that real, meaningful change is at last reaching the Middle East.

This can only be good news; even if the meme were false, and I don't believe that is the case, some memes can become self-fulfilling. To see the broad reach of this latest outbreak, I suggest the following:

• the great Christopher Hitchens on a vanquished cliche, the 'Arab street';
• Mark Steyn on the collapse of the Arab's Berlin Wall;
  
• the New York Times on the Mideast's climate change;
  
• Jackson Diehl on a Mideast makeover; and
  
• Thomas Friedman on the tipping point (surely just another way of saying that this meme is raging through the world).
  

Only the most partisan among us could possibly deny that Bush's muscular foreign policy is having wonderful repercussions. If this keeps up, history will think very kindly on 43, indeed.

Of course, we'll have much, much more on this in the days ahead (hat tip to RealClearPolitics for many of the above links, and the Instapundit has more)...

Quick Shots - The UN's OTHER Scandal Edition

UN peacekeepers in the Congo and elsewhere have been involved in a quite ugly scandal that I've yet to blog much, if at all, on. Fortunately for us, Michelle Malkin is all over it...

Meanwhile, Ward Churchill, predictably, is getting support from the academic leftists; the provocative Ann Coulter is having none of that, however...

The interim Prime Minister of Iraq is asking for help...from the media...

Miscellanea: Minds Are Changing Edition

Michael Barone, one of the more astute political commentators around, has an excellent piece you need to read on the transformation going on in the Middle East. He also nails why Hillary, despite everything, is still to be feared as a serious contender in 2008:

...the party's most likely 2008 nominee, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton...voted for the Iraq war and has not wavered in her support -- she avoided voting for the $87 billion before voting against it. She has kept clear of the Michael Moore left and its shrill denunciations of Bush and has kept her criticisms well within the bounds of normal partisan discourse.

Agreed - Hillary is much too smart to kowtow to the Radical left...

Jane Galt is a little more cautious than Barone and I, but still hopeful...

Hey, it's a start, says Stephen Green...

The Volokh Conspiracy on the cash cow that is Bush-loathing, and the extreme measures taken to preserve it (hat tip to Instapundit)...

What's the difference between anarcho-libertarians and the far left? Not much, says Prof Bainbridge...

If this is the price of winning an Oscar, I'd rather not have one...

Defying Laws of Physics, Dowd Sinks Lower Than the Bottom

I can't believe my own eyes. Maureen Dowd, by far the least talented hack employed by a major news organization, has released a new column that is so stunningly awful that I am left speechless, and can only quote it, in part:

It was remarkable to see President Bush lecture Vladimir Putin on the importance of checks and balances in a democratic society.

Remarkably brazen, given that the only checks Mr. Bush seems to believe in are those written to the "journalists" Armstrong Williams, Maggie Gallagher and Karen Ryan, the fake TV anchor, to help promote his policies. The administration has given a whole new meaning to checkbook journalism, paying a stupendous $97 million to an outside P.R. firm to buy columnists and produce propaganda, including faux video news releases.

The only balance W. likes is the slavering, Pravda-like "Fair and Balanced" coverage Fox News provides. Mr. Bush pledges to spread democracy while his officials strive to create a Potemkin press village at home. This White House seems to prefer softball questions from a self-advertised male escort with a fake name to hardball questions from journalists with real names; it prefers tossing journalists who protect their sources into the gulag to giving up the officials who broke the law by leaking the name of their own C.I.A. agent.

Please, Ms. Dowd - what garbage. 'Tossing journalists who protect their sources into the gulag' - pure, unadulterated crap. For an expose of the castle made of sand upon which the entire woeful premise fabricated by Dowd rests, I refer you to this excellent post. Funny, isn't it, how the left decries the stridency of Ann Coulter, while her Democratic counterpart is given two columns a week in the 'Paper of Record'. And I just ate lunch, too...

A Quick Middle East Update

The transformative air about the Middle East is becoming impossible to ignore...we now learn that the pro-Syrian Lebanese Prime Minister and his government have resigned. We may see (relatively) peaceful days in that troubled region sooner than any had anticipated. I remain firmly in the cautious optimist camp...

The Ted Rall Challenge Ends: A Postscript

Ted Rall has a final post up on his challenge, and once again, I give the man credit for his honesty. Rall admits to disgust at the amount of hate speech we uncovered from the left, and I'd like to say again how stupid it is to engage in that kind of garbage from this side, as well. I engage in a bit of name-calling here and there, such as the Weekly Jackass series, but I try to make fun of actions and words, and not people per se...but never, ever, under any circumstances, should we wish for the death and/or pain of our political enemies...so, like Rall, I consider the challenge a done deal, and I thank him for giving us an opportunity to be heard. I still don't agree with quite a bit of what Rall says, but his handling of this challenge has, indeed, given me a bit more respect for the man. So, kudos, let's all get out of the gutter, and onward...

Iraq - the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Another group of police recruits has been targeted, and unfortunately, over 100 have lost their lives...on the flip side, though, awesome Arthur Chrenkoff is back with his latest installment of the Good News from Iraq, and as usual, it's astonishingly well done, so check it out, there are many, many good things going on that most of us don't even know about. Hope your Monday is at least bearable!...

Liveblogging the Oscars

10:35 pm: Oh, God, Barbra Streisand...yuuucckkkk!....and the Best Picture is: Million Dollar Baby!!! At least I got the big one right....well, overall, it was...okay, not great, but okay...had a great time! Drive home safe, folks, and there's souvenirs and soda in the lobby!....Thanks again, I've had a ball...and I wish you all, sincerely, a good week ahead...now I'm gonna go have that dinner I skipped! Come back again soon...

10:33 pm: Clint Eastwood, best director: not a bad pick, I liked him or Scorsese...Clint's getting on up there, isn't he? He's a good one, though...

10:30 pm: Well, we're winding down, so while I have a chance, here's my version of an Oscar speech...thanks to all you guys for coming, and I hope you'll look around a bit while you're here, leave some comments, and come back again...I picked Million Dollar Baby earlier, and despite the Aviator's surprising showing so far, I'm sticking with it...let's see...

10:27 pm: I see Mike Lotterhos of the Red Republic is here...check out his blog after the show...nice to see Jamie give it up for his grandma...

10:25 pm: Well, blow me down, who'd have thunk it? A lock if there ever was one...

10:24 pm: Appropriate clip there from the Aviator, eh?...well it be Jamie Foxx? Bet on it....

10:23 pm: Best Actor presented by the lovely South African...as I mentioned earlier, I really like Don Cheadle...

10:21 pm: Hey, I'm getting some good traffic here - come back tomorrow, and I'll liveblog C-Span - no? Well, I tried...

10:19 pm: Okay, for those keeping score, the Spanish film was the Sea Inside...

10:17 pm: Original Screenplay - no surprise here, Charlie Kaufman finally gets his statue - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...

10:13 pm: Foreign Language Film (my favorite Foreign Language Film - Aus Revoir Les Enfants) - the winner: Spain's entry, but I didn't catch the name...

10:11 pm: Alright, time filler here: my all-time favorite movies made before 1950: The Philadelphia Story, Citizen Kane, and His Girl Friday...

10:09 pm: So let's look back again on our magical mystery tour - no surprises, a couple of decent acceptance speeches, some typically gorgeous women, and a self-important Sean Penn...

10:06 pm: I said it before, but it's worth repeating: Hillary Swank is looking like a million dollars, baby!...

10:02 pm: Best Actress: Hillary Swank (at least I got one of the big awards right!) - of course, it was the easiest one to pick...

10:01 pm: Loved the singing acceptance speech - Sean Penn, please! - Chris Rock knows damn well who Jude Law is...it's comedy!....

9:58 pm: His Purpleness announces the song winner - too bad he didn't perform; I saw Prince on the lovesexy tour at Reunion Arena years ago - GREAT show....and the winner for Best Song: something or other from the Motorcycle Diaries...

9:56 pm: I don't know about you guys, but I'm not knocked out by the song nominees this year...typical sappy movie stuff, no standouts...

9:53 pm: Alright, should be getting close to the big dogs now...here's P Diddy/Puff Daddy/Sean Combs/whatever he is, today...

9:50 pm: ...it always amazes me when I see these tributes to the deaths that there's always some fairly famous people that I didn't realize had died...

9:47 pm: The great Yo-Yo Ma with the requiem...the Gipper, gone bot not forgotten...Ustinov...Russ Meyer (he's obsessed with breasts!)...didn't know he died...of course, Chris Reeve, Ossie Davis, and Jerry Orbach...didn't realize Paul Winfield had died, either...hopefully Rodney's getting some respect now...the great Brando...

9:45 pm: Nice speech...this has been a rather tame affair, but not lacking in class...

9:42 pm: Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Roger Mayer...

9:41 pm: My man, Marty, seriously one of the greats...

9:39 pm: Finding Neverland, Original Score - so it avoids the shutout, too...

9:37 pm: Ooops, spoke too soon, kind of rushed that guy off..."Oprah's so rich, I just saw John Kerry propose to her..."

9:34 pm: Best Documentary, Short Subject: Mighty Times, the Children's March...I like this thing of having the nominees on stage...kudos to the producers, too, who have kept the show moving along...

9:32 pm: Thanks to everybody who's here, btw; I thought no one would show up, but the counters say there's hundreds of you...this is kind of fun, and it's already 9:30!...

9:30 pm: Santana was great, but Antonio Banderas - let's just say, as a singer, he makes a great actor; I'm sure the ladies didn't mind looking at him, though...

9:28 pm: Thanks to Robin Goodfellow for the IMDB tip on flop lookups; and Lee, I'm in complete agreement...

9:26 pm: Okay, Ray was Sound Mixing...Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana - now there's an interesting pair...

9:23 pm: ...wait, this is sound editing...I missed one...well, Sound Editing: the Incredibles...I'll get the other one right in a minute...

9:21 pm: Sound Editing: Ray, so it won't go o-fer...

9:17 pm: I saw some were predicting a sweep for Million Dollar Baby, but it's not working out that way, is it?...The Passion was up for Cinematography, too (and I think, should have won it), so 0 for 2 there...ahh, the Latin ladies, they make mi corazon ache...

9:15 pm: ...zoned out there, what was that? Cinematography? In any event, another win for the Aviator (is that five?)...another liveblog here, if I'm boring you or you want to check out two websites and a TV at once, you multi-tasker, you...

9:11 pm: ...without a doubt, the first uttering of 'dog's bollocks' on the Oscars..Best Short, Animated - Ryan...

9:08 pm: I wish I had one of those great Brit accents...Best Short, Live Action: Wasp...didn't see it coming, did you?...

9:06 pm: Phanton of the Opera was a huge flop - I'd like to see a list of the biggest flops of all time; it would include, for sure, the Adventures of Pluto Nash, and Heaven's Gate, Ishtar, probably, and Gigli...

9:01 pm: How great is Robert De Niro? His American Express commercial should get a nomination...

8:57 pm: I liked the Sidney Lumet speech very much...ahem, did you see that set of...oh, never mind!...

8:54 pm: I had just about forgotten about Network being a Sidney Lumet film; another great flick...

8:50 pm: Sidney Lumet honorary Oscar - has anyone else seen the Martin Short parody of Al Pacino doing a lozenge commercial? Priceless...Twelve Angry Men is a great flick; check it out if you haven't already...

8:48 pm: Classy touch on the dedication to the armed services; would have got a standing 'O' anywhere else, though...

8:46 pm: Visual Effects - you know, these technical guys amaze me, but I'm the type of person that congratulates myself on changing a flat tire successfully...
Winner: John Dykstra, Spiderman 2 (personally, I'm glad to see this one win)...good line about Lord of the Rings...

8:41 pm: Best Screenplay Adapted From Another Source: btw, Richard Linklater is a fellow Austinite; the Winner: Sideways, so it doesn't come up empty...

8:37 pm: Let's review - the Aviator is running much stronger than I predicted; perhaps the voters are feeling guilty for overlooking so many of Marty's other fine films...so I say the odds at the moment are shifting dramatically away from Million Dollar Baby...is it the rumored backlash over the controversial ending - do you know? Do you care? But really, doesn't this make it go faster...it sure does on my end...

8:35 pm: So is it just me, or have the Counting Crows turned into complete cheeseballs?...I saw on another blog earlier that Hootie of the Blowfish fame is doing Burger King commercials now...I see a similar move in the future of these guys...

8:32 pm: For those of you who got here late, I repeat that I don't post my picture on my blog because I look just like Orlando Bloom, and I don't want to show up the other bloggers. Best Editing: The Aviator, which makes me think Scorsese will win Best Director after all...

8:30 pm: Once again, we can thank our lucky stars that Michael Moore is such a pompous jackass that he didn't enter Best Documentary:
Winner: Born Into Brothels...

8:28 pm: Well, what can you say about Carson - as Whoopi said, one of a kind...

8:24 pm: So, no controversy so far, really, except Chris Rock saying 'ass' twice; if you've only seen the regular edition of The Fellowship of the Ring, you've missed a wonderful scene in the extended edition where Gimli says of Blanchett's beautiful elf queen: "I asked her for a single hair...she gave me three"...

8:19 pm: ...loved the dig at the pompous Tim Robbins; Best Supporting Actress:
Winner: Cate Blanchett, so I've blown every major category so far; good thing I only wagered five grand; Natalie Portman's loss is a real blow, of course, to those of us who admire her reasoned political stands...

8:16 pm: Costume Design: I've never been a fan of mixing the animation with the live actors; and the winner is: The Aviator (so that's my two - if it wins anymore, I've missed another prediction)...

8:14 pm: Technical awards - good chance to blog about something else; I mentioned I love Unforgiven; other favorites include Godfather I and II, the Usual Suspects, Memento, and the Deer Hunter...

8:12 pm: Chris Rock is a fine comedian, as is Albert Brooks: I enjoyed that bit...

8:10 pm: This should be pretty good...

8:06 pm: Blondie's music has aged well, don't you think?...btw, welcome to any and all newcomers, take a look around while you're here...you know, this liveblogging is a good way to get your pageview count up!...So far, just okay, but not awful...that's my early verdict...

8:03 pm: Beyonce in French...I took four semesters of French in college, and I can't understand a word; thank God for that investment of time and money....for a blogger with a much better command of the French tongue, see the wonderful bebere...

7:59 pm: Culture War watch, part one: The Passion of the Christ: 0 for 1 so far...
Best Makeup: Lemony Spicket...

7:58 pm: Earlier, I typed Robbie Williams is undeniably funny, which is, of course, quite open to debate, though he's a great musician (fixed now)...

7:56 pm: Best Animated Flick:
Winner: The Incredibles (I typed that before they announced it; that's how big a slamdunk that was)...

7:53 pm: Robin Williams is undeniably funny...wow, was he ever manic in the cocaine days..."What about Donald Duck? Little sailor suit - no pants - hello..."

7:50 pm: Now that's an acceptance speech...pretty good Pepsi commercial...so I mentioned Morgan Freeman in Unforgiven - what a great movie that was...probably one of my top five all-time. Morgan Freeman is the kind of actor that you could put in any movie, about anything, and make it better...

7:47 pm: Best Supporter Actor:
Winner: Morgan Freeman - ouch - I've already ruined my perfect streak. Love Morgan Freeman, though, especially in Unforgiven...

7:42 pm: Achievement in Art Direction:
Winner: The Aviator (which I earlier predicted would win two Oscars)...

7:41 pm: "They made six Police Academies, but they didn't want to make Passion of the Christ..."

7:39 pm: The Fahrenheit bit is okay; give points to Rock for not shying away from it...

7:37 pm: He's hitting his groove now; the Russell Crowe bit was great..."After I made Pootie Tang, Cuba Gooding sent me a check for 80 dollars"...

7:35 pm: "I saw the movie Boat Trip the other day; I immediately sent Cuba Gooding, Jr. 80 dollars"...I like that one...

7:33 pm: A very lukewarm reaction to Chris Rock, who's off to a shaky start...

7:31 pm: Oh, boy, did you see him? There was Michael Moore...good to see the South Park boys...

7:28 pm: So thanks for coming, btw; hope you're well. I'm Mark, and this is my beagle, and we'll be your hosts for the evening...so let's begin...

7:26 pm: Thank God that's over; so I guess the question of the moment is will Chris Rock flop? The suspense is unbearable...

7:24 pm: Penelope Cruz - whooaaa, Nellie! What is about Latin women that makes me wanna samba? Love that accent...

7:19 pm: Spike Lee...well, God knows, I hate his politics, but a sometimes quite great filmmaker; Do The Right Thing was brilliant, and of course, Ossie Davis, who played Da Mayor, recently passed away...

7:17 pm: Don Cheadle, though I haven't seen Hotel Rwanda, was really great in Boogie Nights and Traffic...

7:13 pm: Longtime Decision '08 fans may wonder why I don't ever post a picture of myself; well, if you want to know, I look just like Orlando Bloom (and, curiously, though I'm a lifelong Texan, I talk just like him, too)...

7:08 pm: So, what kind of geek gets in that grandstand and screams like a maniac at all the stars? The same kind that screeches with glee at the sight of Michael Jackson, I bet...

7:04 pm: Halle Berry is definitely beautiful - I had an ex-girlfriend who insisted, though, that she was the most beautiful woman in the world - come on, now. First of all, how stupid is that, when beauty is in the eye of the beholder...but personally, I think Halle was one of the worst Best Actress picks...

7:00 pm: Hillary Swank is lookin' like a million dollars, baby...

6:57 pm: thank God I didn't commit to liveblogging Barbara Walters - yeesh; five minutes was all I saw, and I'm physically ill...

6:51 pm: testing, testing; one-two, one-two; can you hear me in the back?...9 minutes, 9 minutes to the pre-show, so take your places, please...

Oscar Blogging - The Worst Best Picture Winners

I bet a lot of voters would like to take these back:

• 1990 - Dances with Wolves beats out Goodfellas; it is the last Kevin Costner movie to be seen by anyone outside of his immediate family.
  
• 1980 - the quite ordinary Ordinary People is chosen over Raging Bull, considered by some to be the best movie of the '70s.
• 1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer beats out the haunting Apocalypse Now and immediately slips into obscurity.
• 1976 - Scorsese begins his long history of getting the shaft as Rocky (!!!) wins over Taxi Driver.
• 1941 - Up for the honor: Citizen Kane, Suspicion, and the Maltese Falcon; and the winner is - How Green is My Valley. Just sad, that one...
  

Miscellanea - Special Oscars Edition

Daniel Drezner has a great post up with his predictions...

So does Outside the Beltway...

Unlike the rest of us smartypants, Roger Simon actually got to vote (and he tells all)...

At Politics and War, we have - you guessed it - Oscar predictions...

Michelle Malkin has the scoop on other Oscar links...

Ed Driscoll notes that 3 out of 4 Americans are smarter than I am...

Oscar Blogging - The Best of Scorsese

At the 2003 ceremonies, Martin Scorsese's much-anticipated but not-so-much celebrated Gangs of New York went 0 for 10 in a near-record display of futility. Scorsese's The Aviator is up for several biggies tonight, including Best Picture and Best Director (thought it will lose both to Clint Eastwood's Million Dollary Baby). Scorsese is that rare bird who truly is worthy of the praise heeped upon him; stylistically, he has no peer. Here for your amusement are my favorite Scorsese pictures:

1. Goodfellas - Scorsese's masterpiece is flawless; gripping, original, technically outstanding, wonderfully acted, and a treat even after multiple viewings. The moment when the kids find the newly executed gangster and his wife in their new pink Cadillac as the coda to Layla plays is sublime, as is the justly famous scene with Joe Pesci and his cronies in the restaurant: 'What am I, some kind of clown, Henry? Am I here to amuse you?' 8 stars out of 5.
2. Casino - Unjustly overlooked by many (perhaps because of its similarities to Goodfellas (it's about gangsters, stars De Niro and Pesci, who once again plays a lunatic)), this movie contains Sharon Stone's best performance and a gem of a small role for Don Rickles. Again, Scorsese's technical skill is evident in almost every frame.
3. Raging Bull - stars (who else) De Niro and Pesci, but this one couldn't be more different than the others. The tale of sad sack boxer Jake LaMotta is bruising and brutal, much like the sport of boxing itself. The harshness of the stark black-and-white film matches the subject. "So give me a stage, where this bull can rage..."
4. Taxi Driver - It's no mistake that Robert De Niro is the star of all five of my picks; at his peak, he is our finest living actor. Travis Bickle has become a cultural touchstone; the disaffected, lonely city dweller who slowly becomes unmoored from reality and discovers the sociopath within is such a potent image that one John Hinckley, Jr., aped it all the way to the attempted assassination of a major political figure. A young Jodi Foster and the amazing Harvey Keitel are equally impressive.
5. Mean Streets - Mean Streets is an art film in the best sense of the word; an early Scorsese picture with virtually no budget, it starred the then-unknown Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel in the story of a two-bit hood trying to make something of himself, and his wayward loser of a cousin, who ultimately drags hims down in the muck where he dwells. Funny, innovative, charming, and memorable, it laid the groundwork for the films that followed.
   

Oscar Blogging - My Picks

Okay, I know you guys are gonna accuse me of cheating (you've always been jealous of my success - admit it!) when I pick every single major category right, so I want to get my picks out of the way early.

Best Picture - Million Dollar Baby
Best Director - Clint Eastwood
Best Actress - Hillary Swank
Best Actor - Jamie Foxx
Best Supporting Actor - Clive Owen
Best Supporting Actress - Virginia Madsen

Plus, for the tiebreaker: Number of Oscars won by Million Dollar Baby: 6; by The Aviator, 2

Oscar Blogging - The Worst Year to be Nominated for Best Picture

Hands down, 1939. Look at the competition -

Dark Victory -- Warner Bros.-First National

*	Gone with the Wind -- Selznick International Pictures

Goodbye, Mr. Chips -- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Love Affair -- RKO Radio

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington -- Columbia

Ninotchka -- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Of Mice and Men -- Hal Roach (production company)

Stagecoach -- Walter Wanger (production company)

The Wizard of Oz -- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Wuthering Heights -- Samuel Goldwyn Productions

*Winner

A Special All-Star Oscar Extravaganza Announcement

Tonight is that special moment for all conservatives when we get to be lectured on political views by good-looking morons that make $10 million for a few months work - no, I'm not talking about the UN Oil-For-Food Oversight Committee, but rather, the Oscars. The glamour, the glitz, the absence of Fahrenheit 9/11 - it should be a night to remember, at least until two seconds after it's over.

To make this year's ceremony more bearable, I'm going to be putting up Oscar-related posts throughout the day, then live-blogging the proceedings from the countdown show through the awarding of best picture to Million Dollar Baby, er, to whatever picture happens to win.

So stay tuned...if we stick together, maybe, just maybe, we'll all be around to see the dawn...