via Talk Left

Via television, Reuters has reported explosions around polling places. A suicide car bomber blew up a car at a security checkpoint. One policeman was killed and two soldiers were wounded. One reporter says the frequency of explosions has increased in the past five to ten minutes. The reporter counted seven to eight explosions in the past 45 minutes. He can't tell if they are mortar shells or car bombs. The media is reporting "loud explosions" but downplaying the significance at this point, saying it was expected.

SNL and the Bush Twins function vid_placeholder(placeholder_target, vid_link) { placeholder_target.innerHTML = ''; }

Click here to download or view WMP

Jenna: I was so drunk, I made out with Dick Cheney's daughter.

Barbara: Jenna!

Jenna:What, not the gay one.

Satire is such a healing force, especially in politics. SNL parodies Democrats as well as Republicans (update). They certainly have a lot to choose from these days on either side of the aisle. The secret "twins language" is pretty funny too.

via OW

read The Bushies new Groove

"The Bush administration has started its second act, and it is striking how different this one feels."

He started off the second term by saying that Social Security is bust. Nothing like good old fear tactics to get the juices flowing and scaring the crap out of seniors. Reminiscent of something from the first act. Weapons of mass destruction and mushroom clouds. Feels the same to me.

"The administration has certainly not forgotten the Middle East. Mahmoud Abbas is doing a great job, everybody says. "

A political rally by the militant Palestinian group Hamas turned violent Saturday, as supporters of the rival Fatah faction opened fire, sparking a melee that left more than 25 people wounded, a Palestinian official said.

"The foreign policy of the Bush officials is beginning to sound more like compassionate conservatism all the time.To win the war of ideology against radical Islam, they want to put much more emphasis on global trade."

Did Brooks listen to the Inaugural speech? I thought he talked about destroying tyranny, and spreading democracy not global trade in an effort to make America safe against said ideology.

Anyway, I'm too sick to continue.

by BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents hit the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad with a rocket Saturday, killing two Americans. Militants also set off explosions that killed eight Iraqis and a U.S. soldier and blasted polling places across the country Saturday as Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's government urged Iraqis to overcome their fear of violence and vote in landmark elections.

We aquired the video of Coulter getting clobbered by CBC Fifth Estate's Bob McKeown on Canada's (non)presence in Vietnam.(hat tip Joe)

Video

or here for windowsMedia Player(sync might be off a little)

Quicktime

see here for transcript of exchange

In a move probably destined to lead to a hiring of a new analyst, Hannity and Colmes had a laughable "exclusive interview" with Armstrong Williams Friday night.

Video

Williams as you know shamefully took 240,000 dollars from the DOE to promote NCLB. Armstrong is probably begging people to interview him so he can get his face back on T.V. and of course FNC is all to happy to try and rehabilitate another fallen conservative voice.

Armstrong didn't appear all too cheerful, as Colmes did his part in saying:

Colmes: I congratulate you Armstrong, all I get paid by is Fox News. I wish I had your business model, I'd be wealthier.

Williams stammers his response: What you should do, you should try ownership.

Let me interpret: If you own your own business Alan, it will be easier to get paid by the government to promote their policy and hide it.

Then Alan kicked him in the nuts:(explanation: as far as Allan can go on the offensive.)

Colmes: Media Matters points out that you criticized this plan before you got paid to promote it. You criticized the No Child Left Behind plan in a column in May 16th, 2001...

Williams being outed as the fraud that he is said: What?...

Two things here. First, Allan Colmes finally took a Hannity like approach to a republican flunky and second; he used Media Matters as his source of information.

via Media Matters: In 2001, Armstrong Williams criticized aspect of plan he was later paid to promote.

As many of us know Bill O'Reilly is FNC's top rated show and he often attacks Media Matters with his usual panache:

O'Reilly to Media Matters: "[Y]ou character assassins. ... You guys really are despicable weasels"

So for Allan Colmes to use Media Matters as a source of information to debunk a lying liar on Fox News is a rallying point for MM to be even mentioned on FNC; and a slap in the face to O'Reilly.

Hannity tried to ease Williams pain by trying to guide him through his interview and "mistake" by using this idiotic excuse:

Hannity: You always supported it, you just didn't disclose....

Thanks for making our point for us Sean.

How to Talk to a Fool (If You Really Must)

Last night, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's excellent investigative news program, "the Fifth Estate," broadcast a one-hour special on the hijacking of the American media by conservative bullies -- whose knowledge of foreign policy seems to run the gamut from A to B and tends toward scream-o-ramas in which dissenters are accused of being unpatriotic. Of course, it included Coulter who gloated to correspondent Bob McKeown about how her side is "winning and they're loosing." But in the next segment during a rant about how Canada is disloyal for not sending troops to Iraq -- Coulter was finally exposed -- it just isn't clear from the exchange if she is genuinely confused or purposefully misrepresenting the truth. We'll report so you can decide.

Coulter: "Canada used to be one of our most loyal friends and vice-versa. I mean Canada sent troops to Vietnam - was Vietnam less containable and more of a threat than Saddam Hussein?"

McKeown interrupts: "Canada didn't send troops to Vietnam."

Coulter: "I don't think that's right."

McKeown: "Canada did not send troops to Vietnam."

Coulter (looking desperate): "Indochina?"

McKeown: "Uh no. Canada ...second World War of course. Korea. Yes. Vietnam No."

Coulter: "I think you're wrong."

McKeown: "No, took a pass on Vietnam."

Coulter: "I think you're wrong."

McKeown: "No, Australia was there, not Canada."

Coulter: "I think Canada sent troops."

McKeown: "No."

Coulter: "Well. I'll get back to you on that."

McKeown tags out in script:

"Coulter never got back to us -- but for the record, like Iraq, Canada sent no troops to Vietnam."

(hat tip Calvin via email via DU)

function vid_placeholder(placeholder_target, vid_link) { placeholder_target.innerHTML = ''; }

Click here also to download or WMP

Here is a question from one of our 'liberal' press reporters covering the January 26th Press Conference

Q -- you said you're going to reach out to these people -- how are you going to work with people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?

Is this one of the guys from the many Town Hall meetings? Did he fill out a Presidential support card before he entered this briefing? I'm trying to find out what reporter asked this question, but haven't been able to so far. If anyone has any info please pass it on.

Media Matters has the answer here: Talon News White House correspondent Jeff Gannon asked the question.

Thanks Mike from Seattle

What is just as bad is the long winded answer the President gave to Gannon's question. Five paragraphs long.

THE PRESIDENT: Continue to speak to the American people.

Helicopter downed, no cause yet. click here