The Blue State: Doesn't "surge" mean "escalate"?  I think it does and it's just more blatant propagandizing. When does "accountability" begin?

DownWithTyranny! Our pathological press helped George W. Bush lie us into Iraq

Intrepid Liberal Journal: Looking at 2008 I like how Gore fits

The Arabist: “My Name is Rachel Corrie” has been cancelled in Canada. No surprises as to why...

Conservative Truths: The number of households with hunger is higher during conservative presidencies

Boing Boing: Gettin' on the good foot...James Brown vintage videos and more

HAVE A COOL YULE! Santa Claus done came and went...Christmas comes but one cartoon at a time...I'm going to shove coal so far up your stocking, you'll be coughing up diamonds!...Celebrate Christmas the old-fashioned way: Defy Authority!...A special Christmas Box ...When a child is born in Bethlehem...A Christmas Blessing...

AGITPROP: Holiday Weekend Wingnut Roundup

The Democratic Daily: In yesterday's WaPo, John Kerry Kerry eloquently makes the case that he would “rather explain a change of position any day than look a parent in the eye and tell them that their son or daughter had to die so that a broken policy could live.”

Prairie Weather: The Italian "security expert," Mario Scaramella, who met with Litvinenko, the former KBG agent who was murdered in London, has been arrested. 

TPMCafe: Take a look at the 2000 GOP foreign policy platform, and reread the litany of indictments BushCo had issued with respect to Clinton’s foreign policy. Sure makes for interesting reading.

Orcinus: E.J. Dionne talks about the role of journalists, accountability, and the tension between old and new media

Macon Telegraph:

James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died Monday, his agent said. He was 73.

[..]Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, he was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years. At least one generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as David Bowie's "Fame," Prince's "Kiss," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" were clearly based on Brown's rhythms and vocal style.

If Brown's claim to the invention of soul can be challenged by fans of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, then his rights to the genres of rap, disco and funk are beyond question. He was to rhythm and dance music what Dylan was to lyrics: the unchallenged popular innovator.

"James presented obviously the best grooves," rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once told The Associated Press. "To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one's coming even close." Read on...

I know the blogosphere has been all a buzz with the Condi-black-boot photo's, and I gotta tell you, those were pretty cool boots.

Before the boots came, there was the news about the new Condi Doll from our good friends over at Condi for Prez. I was wondering how the doll looked, but noticed they haven't put the picture of the doll up yet, so we found it on Free Republic. I refrain form making any comments because we'll probably be called racist, so I'll let the people at Free Republic make some of their own.

The comments on F.R. said:

Great lady; too bad about the sculpting job -- looks more like James Brown.

What does the Hitlery doll look like? Does it come with horns, pitchfork and tail and says "Hell to pay" when you press the button?(Now someone calling Hillary a Nazi, and the devil in the same post. People don't act like that in the conservative world do they? Is that racist?)

She looks like Billy Preston.

dunno...ya think someone just put a dress on the "Mike Tyson Boxing Doll?"

Tho she looks a little too much like The Godfather of Soul...

Most of the dolls look terrible at that site.