Bernie with his BFF.

Remember Bernie Kerik, that swaggering sack of testosterone? Looks like he's in real trouble now:

NEW YORK - Former New York City police Commissioner Bernard Kerik has been indicted on charges of making false statements to White House officials vetting him for the position of Department of Homeland Security secretary.

The indictment was handed up Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. It means Kerik will face trials in New York and Washington.

Similar false-statement charges were brought as part of a larger case in New York but were dismissed and transferred to Washington, where prosecutors say the crimes occurred.

The indictment alleges Kerik falsely denied that as a public official he had any financial dealings with contractors seeking to do business with the city. Prosecutors say the contractors spent more than $255,000 renovating Kerik's apartment.

Hello, all. It's Michael Stickings from The Reaction here, and I'll be subbing for Mike through next Saturday. It's a great pleasure to have this opportunity.

Come on over and visit us at my place -- me and a fantastic group of co-bloggers: diverse, eclectic, stridently and unapologetically liberal, in an unabashedly progressive way -- but, without further ado, here are some links well worth exploring. Click away.

-- Reaction co-blogger J. Kingston Pierce at Limbo offers one of the very best commentaries on Al Gore's Nobel victory I've seen.

-- Sir Oolius of She Flies With Her Own Wings rounds up the frothing-mouth, Gore-hating lunacy of the right. Prairie Weather says "we don't deserve Gore," so immature is America, and he may be right. Tom Watson says "these are the early days of The Liberal Century," and I hope that's true.

-- Shaun Mullen of Kiko's House examines Giuliani's "really big skeleton," Bernie Kerik. Lance Mannion points out that Giuliani seems to be going after "the racist jerk vote," not just Philly cheese steaks. (See Attytood, too.)

-- Mark Gisleson of Norwegianity addresses Sanchez, Gore, and much else besides. For more on General Sanchez, wingnuttery, and the horrors of Abu Ghraib, see Taylor Marsh.

For tips, recommendations, and comments, or to discuss the political philosophy of Leo Strauss and/or the meaning of human existence, if there is one, contact me at mjwstickings [at] yahoo [dot] ca.

Open Thread

Bernie Kerik under investigation...

Talk Left

Guliani Cashes in Chit on Kerik