Like most everything else that Bush & co. have put their hands on (What's the opposite of the Midas touch?), the administration has wasted an enormous opportunity to rebuild New Orleans in a just way--to focus on economic equality and promoting good jobs--that could help bring the city out of the poverty and inequality that the hurricane so devastatingly exposed.

Unfortunately, our failure in the Gulf continues.

Read more after the fold.

The Alexandria Young Republicans must have a sense of humor--they've announced the first annual Dick Cheney Paintball Tourney. Its almost worth signing up just for the t-shirt.

No word on whether the "second amendment enthusiast" (their words) Veep will be coming out of his bunker to get in on the action...or if face-shields are required.

What better place to celebrate gun violence than Virginia anyway? The group will be meeting at the local elementary school. And I'm not kidding.

First Annual Dick Cheney Paintball Tourney

Mission accomplished. Or so says EPA Chief Dave Johnson (not to be confused with former Mets and Orioles manager Davey Johnson or an actual climate change expert)who recently proclaimed that the growth of greenhouse gases by less than 1 percent in 2005 shows the administration's program to address global warming "is delivering real results.'' This of course coming from an administration which hasn't actually quite gotten up to the point of acknowledging the existence of global warming. But then again, its the same administration whose proofreaders missed that line in the Constitution about habeas corpus.

If you haven't thrown up in your mouth yet, there's more after the fold.

March Madness is here finally and for those who came to this blog to waste company time and read the latest on the tournament...well, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Try ESPN.com instead.

However, I do have something special--The 2007 Republican Scandal Bracket. Back before this guy stole our idea, my friends and I used to make our own tournaments in the mold of the NCAA Tourney (yea, we were the cool kids), so I thought I'd apply the idea to something topical and in abundance. There's plenty to fill a bracket so I'm just waiting for Dick Vitale to scream, "That's Impeachment with a Capital 'I', Baby!"

Like perennial powerhouse Duke falling to VCU yesterday, this Administration--and its cohorts in  the Republican Party--have been an all-around embarrassment providing more front-page lowlights than a Bobby Knight Career Retrospective. At least Knight won a National Championship before he started throwing chairs and choking players. Not as much can be said  for Dubya and his cronies.

The full bracket is after the fold.

Syndicated columnist and fearless first amendment advocate Molly Ivins passed away last night, due to breast cancer, at the age of 62. She will be missed.

Always the muckraker, as the Texas Observer says, her enduring message is "raise more hell."

Her last column, Bubba, we -- yes, we --have to stop the war now is here.

Since I believe everything my president tells me (like any good citizen)- as far as I know, the Iraq war has been going pretty well. Sure, Judge Doom, aka Rummy, may have gotten the ol' vaudevillian hook a few weeks ago, but my fair and balanced sources at Fox News have for the most part assured me of coming success in Iraq - despite what CNN or Colin Powell has to say.

Which is why I was surprised to see a dramatic change in course in foreign policy when it comes to North Korea. This is supposed to be the era of the Bush Doctrine - pre-emptive war - bomb now, ask questions later.

more after the jump.

When I was about 12 years old, I had the opportunity to attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Although I had my apprehensions, we should all be lucky enough to see a 40' inflatable Woody Wedpecker floating down the street at least once in our lives. Of course, like most parades it was fun for about five minutes and then the reality of standing outside in below-freezing temperatures in late-November New York City set in. It was Vince Lombardi and the frozen tundra of Lambeau field cold and I had enough. The hot chocolate couldn't come fast enough.

More after the jump.

Or so he would lead you to believe. On his prime-time gab fest Friday evening, the self-proclaimed cultural warrior and Caribbean vacation fantasizer declared, "if any company sponsors the [O.J. Simpson 'hypothetical' confessional TV appearance], I will not buy anything that company sells -- ever."

It just so happens that the book the interview is promoting is being published by ReganBooks, an imprint owned by none other than NewsCorp, which also owns Fox News.

Thanks Bill! I'll boycott your show if you really want me too. I'll even go out of my way and stop watching Brit Hume too.

O'Rielly also took the time to equate the double murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman with what else - abortion - while blaming the the New York Times for supporting the butchering of babies.

Why mention your hyporcritical corporate overlords by name when you can transpose a completely unrelated issue into the conversation to rail on the "elite media" at the New York Times?

In a story that was buried in the election day news cycle last week, it was reported that 82 percent of Americans support comprehensive sex-ed programs in schools. Last time I checked, 82% is usually considered an overwhelming majority. It's hard to get 8 out of 10 Americans today to agree on just about anything, other than say Borat  is much funnier than Santa Clause 3.

So what does a president with an approval rating hovering in the 30s and who readily admits getting "thumped" after losing control of both houses of congress do when faced with such  data?

Read more after the break.

Conservatives have been getting a lot of flack lately-and rightly so-for their hypocricy on "family values" during the Mark Foley fiasco. When we talk about hypocricy in family values (just the phrase itself conjures up images of Pat Robertson wagging his wrinkly old finger) we tend to focus on the religious right but unfortunately we tend to overlook the impact that big businesses and their conservative allies have on the American family.

Read more after the break.