FAUX NEWS ALERT(not a real one)

John O’Neal, leader of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was just hired as a political analyst for Fox News.

Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO, Fox News Network, in a brief statement said today:

"We are ecstatic at hiring one of the bright new voices in the political world today. His reputation is outstanding and he brings a unique sense of honesty into the FNC stable of fair and balanced reporting."

An insider said they they may build a 30 minute show around Mr. O'Neal, where he will have an open forum to continually bash Senator John Kerry for the remainder of his life.

For now you can see John O'Neal weekly on the "Hannity and Colmes Show."

Fun with O'Reilly: From The National Enquirer

Two more women may come forward

"I believe two other women will soon be coming forward," an insider revealed. "I've heard this from sources at FOX."

We know it's the Enquirer so we're taking it with a grain of salt at this time, but it's Friday, so what the hell!

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I'm sure most of you will find it heartbreaking that "nobody in the media even cares" that Glenn Beck has been jumping up and down with a conspiracy theory about radicals plotting to destroy America in a "coming insurrection" being aided and abetted by Obama and the eeeeevil "progressives." Glenn seemed mighty distraught about it last night.

Let's all join hands and say: "Awwwwwwww. Poor Glenn."

Anyway, the main thing I've noticed is that Beck's show is just getting BORING. The chalkboard schtick is getting old and it's now just dry and confusing (not to mention confused). He needs to come up with something new, like blowing stuff up or something. That would be more interesting.

Because, you know, his ratings are completely in the tank these days. According to Business Insider, "Glenn Beck's total number of viewers are down by almost 30%, from 2.9 million in January to 2.1 million in April."

Beck, meanwhile, blames the weather. What, it's not caused by the progressive cancer destroying America?

You know what? If I hear one more Beltway insider tell me there is "no political will" for another tier of unemployment benefits, I think I'll scream:

My inbox is filled with desperate people who have exhausted their unemployment benefits and are hoping that somehow Congress will include additional weeks of coverage in future legislation.

But after speaking with a number of House and Senate staffers in recent hours, it appears less and less likely that a so-called "Tier 5" of unemployment coverage will become law anytime soon.

According to one House staffer, the problem is while many on the Hill believe that adding a Tier 5 of additional weeks of benefits makes good economic sense, any such legislation faces several formidable hurdles.

One of the reasons they cite is "lack of political will." You want to know what they mean by "political will"? They mean they're not being deluged with calls, letters and faxes. (Although there is an online petition. Hint, hint.)

You know why they're not being deluged with calls, letters and faxes?

Because people are confused. They think that last extension of the filing deadline added additional benefits - and it didn't.

For the past month, I had to dig deep to find details on that bill, and got confusing and misleading responses from everywhere. (Believe me, I was motivated.) I even talked to Hill staffers who thought the bill added additional benefits. All it did was move the deadline for filing for the extension that already existed. It didn't do a thing for people who'd used up their benefits in this jobless recovery.

So is it any wonder the American public is confused? It doesn't help that there's no major TV coverage - and the big-name progressive groups like MoveOn are strangely silent on this crucial economic issue. (Not to mention the Democratic leadership. Hel-lo? Mid-term election issue, anyone?)

People know there aren't any jobs. And while the Tea Party folks seem to think everyone else is unworthy of a helping hand, most people don't want their neighbors and relatives to suffer during a major recession. Since they were barraged with news stories about passing an unemployment extension, they think the problem was already taken care of.

I know. My benefits just ran out with no job in sight, and everyone I've told - intelligent, informed people who are political junkies - told me I wouldn't have to worry because the new legislation added more benefits. It didn't.

It's not that people don't care. It's that they don't know.

Call your Congress critters. Tell them if we have money to bail out Wall St., we have money to help people who can't find these mythical jobs.

This morning my crazy thing locator pointed to this pro-Palin oped by Mary Matalin, who pooh-poohs complaints in Palin's book about the rough, nasty and foul-mouthed staffers inside the McCain campaign:

Time is the most valuable commodity on a campaign and you just can't waste it thinking about how to choose your words carefully or get your job done more diplomatically. If someone isn't in tears every day, that day wasn't all it could be advancing the campaign. I once witnessed an experienced (big) man slap a professional female colleague across the face over an ad buy... and no one thought anything of it, starting with the woman. In fact, she would have been insulted if anyone told her she should have been insulted.

Yes, politics is a hard job full of lots of pressure, long days, and high-stakes high-stress decision making. And many of the personalities attracted to that kind of work are narcissistic, most to the point of tantrums, and more than a few to the point of violence, and think it's no big deal. Matalin isn't just dishing about a specific instance here; she's pimping her insider importance--you bet she can remember just exactly the specific "ad buy" mistake that "deserved" the workplace assault and battery--and contrasting that insider importance to Palin's relative political naivete.

Matalin should be ashamed of herself, her politics, and her "professionalism" on a daily basis. That she actually points to an instance of physical assault of a female employee by a male superior as "the way it is in a campaign--get over it" just puts everything that's wrong with her argument in high relief. Does anyone wonder what would happen if that kind of thing happened in the private sector, or the outrage if a former corporate employee reported such physical assault as "acceptable in the business we're in" hearsay on the pages of CNN's website?

Keith had on Andrea Mitchell and Ex-CIA officer Melissa Boyle Mahle, to dig a little deeper on the Mary McCarthy story.
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Andrea says that Mary did meet reporters, but says she didn't leak classified information. The story unfolds.

Ex-CIA officer Melissa Boyle Mahle who maintains close contacts with CIA insiders reports that the leak investigation is considered to be a "witch hunt" by many inside the agency.

The reaction from some right wing bloggers over this story really goes beyond the pale. They think that-I kid you not-the secret prisons were all a cover to draw out leakers from the agency. Mark Kleiman digs up the facts. You have to read the post. It's some of the biggest conservative sites promoting this crazy idea.

( h/t David Edwards for the vid)

RJ:

"California's appointed (as opposed to elected) Republican Secretary of State has recertified Diebold's voting machines, despite a damning report. Schwarzenegger is hiring a "steely" Karl Rove insider turned Dick Cheney capo, along with other national GOP campaign pols, to run his re-election campaign...read on

Bruin Design: Can you think of a reason why the Bushistas are interested in YOUR phone calls and web surfing habits? How about 8 reasons?

If this story pans out about insider trading taking place out of GOP offices, I think you finally have the poison pill that will drive them out of office. This is very, very big....More

TalkLeft: 22 Retired Military Officers ask Bush to enforce the torture amendment.

Attytood: They say that the payback's a bitch, and it must be true. Just ask America's coal miners.

Crooked Timber: A new winger website promoting the dubious idea that "liberal" professors exert a vise-like grip on the pliable minds of their students.

Thou Shall Not Suck: Sending the aging and aged to a societal landfill. They say that the payback's a bitch, and it must be true. Just ask America's coal miners.

Crooked Timber: A new winger website promoting the dubious idea that "liberal" professors exert a vise-like grip on the pliable minds of their students.

Thou Shall Not Suck: Sending the aging and aged to a societal landfill.

Cafferty: Isn't Frist indicted too?

Monday Funnies

That's not what he said, but Jack blitzed Wolfie today as they were laughing at some of the predictions Cafferty got right on previous shows. Wolf asked Jack for some stock picks and Jack gave him something a little more.

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Jack: Couldn't the republicans find somebody to show the new supreme court nominee around besides the guy who is under investigation by the SEC and the justice department. I mean Bill Frist has a rather large cloud hanging over his head based on--alleged insider trading deals..

Blitzer: He's still the majority leader, but let's....

Wolf quickly changed the subject due to "time constraints."

A DIEBOLD INSIDER SPEAKS!

Brad Blog has the latest on this story....