Katie leaves, the elephant in the room, Paris Hilton as Mother Teresa, and more

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Conservatives say the darnedest things....

"Mr. Bush is in the hands of a fortune that will be unremitting on the point of Iraq. If he'd invented the Bill of Rights it wouldn't get him out of his jam.''

William F. Buckley Jr.

"The most classic case of the Peter Principle I've ever seen in American politics. In a business where eloquence and rhetoric is important, he is a man of no talent whatsoever."

Political analyst Charlie Cook on Bill Frist

"If you look at the rest of the world and the struggles they are having, particularly in Western Europe, who just completely abandoned faith, completely have gone to a secular society...Its cultures are dying. People are dying, they're being overrun from overseas, and they have no response. They have nothing to fight for. They have nothing to live for."

Sen. Rick Santorum, April 2, 2006

"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.' "

Jerry Falwell on September 14, 2001

Q: Do you believe that Jerry Falwell is still an agent of intolerance?

A: No, I don't. I think that Jerry Falwell can explain to you his views on this program when you have him on.

Sen. John McCain on Meet the Press, April 2, 2006

The elephant in the room

Barak Obama isn't afraid to tackle tough issues. For example, he was willing to talk about his differences with Sen. Joe Lieberman with an audience at Connecticut's Jefferson-Jackson dinner. His choice of words couldn't have been better:

"I know that some in the party have differences with Joe. I'm gonna go ahead and say it. It's the elephant in the room."Source: lamontblog.blogspot.com

Is Katie's departure a lifeline for Scott McLellan?

Where in the world is Katie Couric? She's on her way to CBS.

It just won't be the same with her probable replacement, The View co-host Meredith Vieira, flirtirg with Matt Lauer. Vieira is reportedly signing a $10 million deal with NBC. Here's something lost in all the reporting: This shuffle leaves Vieira's other day job, host of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? vacant.

The Blogressive nominates Press Secretary Scott McClellan for the gig. Rumors of his imminent departure abound and he's perfect for a job where he gets to ask the questions. But then it may be tricky getting used to the concept that contestants in the hotseat don't get to make up the answers or simply avoid answering them.

Hannity's dating site

Some bloggers have been mocking some of the personal ads on Sean Hannity's rightwing dating site lately. Making fun of people who aren't simultaneously corrupt, dishonest, and powerful just doesn't appeal to us. Isn't the idea that he has a dating site to begin with creepy enough? Ick! Double ick! Source: hannidate.com

"The liberal media..."

Media Matters examined Sunday morning talk shows and found a definite conservative bias. Don't worry, basic facts won't get in the way of this rightwing noise machine chestnut.

Source: mediamatters.org

What can you buy with $250 billion?

So we've spent $250 billion on Iraq. Zack Parsons has compiled some other ways we could have blown $250 billion, including $16,000 and a plane ticket to the United States for every adult man and woman in Iraq, full college scholarships for 7,260,000 students, 454 incredibly tall buildings, 29 Statues of Liberty that shoot laser beams out of their torch, an HDTV for every single person in the United States, two manned missions to Mars, 80,000 awesome trucks, and, my favorite, 156,250 episodes of Arrested Development:

"Instead of going to war, with people dying and crap exploding, we could have subsidized 12,000 years worth of Arrested Development. Almost no one dies because of Arrested Development. That's great news for Arrested Development fans, but what would be in it for those of you who don't like Arrested Development? Look at it this way: as it stands now you're looking at well over 12,000 years of Arrested Development fans bitching about their favorite show being cancelled. The Universe will expire from heat death to the whimper of a few Arrested Development fans still clinging to the false hope that they can raise enough money on their blog to clone the cast and make a new episode."Source: somethingawful.com

Dancing banned in private clubs in New York?!?!?

Kevin Bacon is not amused.

"A state judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that sought to force the city to allow private, social dancing in restaurants, clubs and bars.

State Supreme Court Justice Michael Stallman found that the city's license requirements for cabarets - places that have food and drink and allow personal recreational dancing - are constitutional. A group calling itself the Gotham West Coast Swing Club and several people said that because the city's cabaret law barred them from dancing with other people it unconstitutionally infringed on their right of free expression."Source: ap.com

Paris Hilton as Mother Teresa?

It was printed in Star Magazine but it is just insane enough to be true.

"An Indian movie director wants Paris Hilton to play the role of Mother Teresa in an upcoming film. 'Her features resemble Mother Teresa,' director T. Rajeevnath told AFP, citing computer-generated image which showed a close facial match between the hotel heiress and the Catholic nun. 'A meeting with Paris Hilton is scheduled for the end of April,' Rajeevnath said."Source: starmagazine.com

The second annual "Tom DeLay Poetry Haiku Slam"

Sugar Land resounds

with DeLay's new battle cry:

Keep me out of jail.More at rox populi

Waving the Mexican flag

All of the wingnuts have lined up against the Mexican flag waving that's been going on in the streets lately. Here's an example from Bob Novak:

"I am no hardliner on immigration who wants to expel 11 million illegal immigrants, but flags are a symbol of national identity. The student brandishing the Mexican flag signals divided loyalty or perhaps loyalty to a foreign power."Source: thinkprogress.com

You can see Bush waving the flag here in an ad that his 2004 campaign distributed to Hispanic supporters. Can we kick him out or is signaling "loyalty to a foreign power" OK when you are running for President?

Sean Combs misses the opening bell on Wall Street

"Typically tardy Sean Combs stood up his own brand yesterday when he missed the opening bell for the New York Stock Exchange. Combs was supposed to stand alongside Federated Department Stores Chairman Terry Lundgren and Estee Lauder CEO William Lauder as well as Estee Lauder brand President John Demsey when the group rang the bell in honor of Combs' new fragrance, Unforgivable - but he was a no-show. 'He overslept,' said a source. 'You know Puff - he'd be late to his own funeral.' "Source: nypost.com

Does Jesus loves porn stars?

The American Bible Society doesn't think so.

"The American Bible Society is refusing to print New Testaments with covers that say 'Jesus Loves Porn Stars.' California pastors Mike Foster and Craig Gross, whose anti-porn ministry is called www.xxxchurch.com, had ordered 10,000 of the customized Bibles to hand out at adult film conventions. But the edgy cover led the publisher to cancel the paid order. The American Bible Society said that while it appreciates the pastors' mission, the words 'Jesus Loves Porn Stars' are 'misleading and inappropriate for a New Testament.' " Source: kcci.com

Rice bans porn

Sec. Condoleezza Rice didn't appreciate the sale of Playboy and Penthouse at the State Department newsstand and got them taken off the shelves. It helped that they weren't bestsellers.

"'The secretary wanted them gone immediately,' says senior adviser Jim Wilkinson. 'She didn't understand how a department that claimed to fight for the rights of women worldwide could sell pornography that degrades women.' And, he adds, the magazines 'could be seen as contributing to a hostile work environment.' He teamed with State's internal manager and several State women who had been campaigning against the publications but had gotten nowhere. Now that they have succeeded, some of those women are eyeing other lad mags like Maxim and FHM. But State News's Richard Williams isn't listening. It was no problem banning the XXX fare: It didn't move very fast. 'But Maxim,' he says, 'is a bestseller.'Source: usnews.com

Test your senses.

Test your senses with this online quiz. It will make you feel like a complete idiot. It's fun! Senses challenge

Video: Shhhhhh

Joe Leiberman shushed the crowd several times prompting this fun comparison to Dr. Evil. (Funnier still is the reaction to the joke he makes about winning the 2000 election. Can Leiberman still play the 2000 election card after he embraced and kissed the President before the State of the Union speech?) Shhhhh

Blog pick: PostSecret

"PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard." postsecret.blogspot.com

Video: The Daily Show calls Lou Dobbs

Lou Dobbs was verbally outmaneuvered by a guest on his TV show forcing him into the ridiculous assertion that St. Patrick's Day should be banned. Jon Stewart called him up just for fun. Video at crooksandliars.com