I seldom post and video clips of Olbermann's special comments because, frankly, they're all exceptional and I don't want to be in the position of being MSNBC's wire service.  But for this, I have to make an exception.  This is a stunning summary of Bush's disastrous legacy with the added bonus of proving that he lied about giving up golf.

Apologies for the two-part video - I couldn't find it in a single clip:

Oh Joy!  I know a week is a long time in political news, but some of you may still recall my mention of the GI Bill for the 21st century.  Of course the bill has wide, multi-partisan support.  I still, however, hoped for the random kook (Republican, I assumed) to go on record as rejecting veteran's support.  I never dreamed that McCain would be the first and has offered counter-legislation of his own. 

And why, you may ask?  Because the bill is "too generous" and would make soldiers go to college instead of the army.

Yep, he actually said that!

According to congressional advocates Webb, Hagel, Lautenberg, and Warner:

The proponents of this newly-introduced legislation maintain that [our bill] is too generous to today's veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, is too difficult to administer, and would unduly harm the retention of our active duty military people. Each of these assertions is wrong.

And of course a nice little statement from our Democratic nominee:

There is no reason we shouldn’t pass the 21st Century GI Bill that is being debated in Congress right now. It was introduced by my friend Senator Jim Webb, a Marine who served as Navy Secretary under President Ronald Reagan.. His plan has widespread support from Republicans and Democrats. It would provide every returning veteran with a real chance to afford a college education, and it would not harm retention.

I have great respect for John McCain’s service to this country and I know he loves it dearly and honors those who serve. But he is one of the few Senators of either party who oppose this bill because he thinks it’s too generous. I couldn’t disagree more. At a time when the skyrocketing cost of tuition is pricing thousands of Americans out of a college education, we should be doing everything we can to give the men and women who have risked their lives for this country the chance to pursue the American Dream.

Oh lordy, November is going to be fun!

Matilda's got a new crush!  This is Carel from Belgium.

First Kiss??

Irony: /'aI.r .ni/, noun - particularly striking examples of incongruities observed in everyday life between what was intended or said and what actually happened:

A powerful federal arts commission is urging that the sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. proposed for a memorial on the Tidal Basin be reworked because it is too "confrontational" and reminiscent of political art in totalitarian states.

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts thinks "the colossal scale and Social Realist style of the proposed statue recalls a genre of political sculpture that has recently been pulled down in other countries," commission secretary Thomas Luebke said in a letter in April.

Hillary and David Duke would be so proud.  I especially love the not-so-subtle comparison between MLK and Sadaam Hussein. 

The commission at least seems to tacitly admit the "Social Realism" behind the design itself.  Fact is, the establishment was never (nor are they today) comfortable with the man that Dr. Martin Luther King actually was.  Instead, they like to repackage him in kinder, gentler terms.  But let's be clear about this - Dr.  King was a fighter - his weapon was non-violence - the sword that heals - but it was a weapon nonetheless - and infinitely more effective in its coercive force than Thor's Hammer itself.

This is a man who shed blood - actual blood - fighting for a just and equal society.  He lost literally everything in the process.  And while he made great strides, a half-century later, a prominent and respected women running for president of the United States still feels comfortable enough to publicly extol her supreme whiteness over her opponent. 

Despite the Clinton's blatant race-baiting, I've no doubt that Dr. King would have continued to love us, love this country, and continue his campaign for universal justice.  But you better believe he'd be stoic, firm, and yes - mad as hell. 

A few years back, I had the pleasure of working closely with a few of Dr. King's chief strategists who have continued down the path he set even today.  I seem to recall one of the mentioning the importance of keeping the history real.  Without such efforts, they quip, fifty years from now Martin Luther King will be a white man.

Or if the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts has their say, something a little more like this:

While you're all doting on your mothers, take a moment to recognize the anniversary of the glorious event of my birth.  And I, like any good computer nerd, would like this:

Click for a more readable size

In all the hooplah and jubilation of my love affair with our soon-to-be President Obama, it's hard to remember that there actually is a world going on outside Clintonian drama.  Enter the 21st Century GI Bill:

This legislation would substantially increase the educational benefits available to service members who have served since September 11, 2001. It would cover the cost of tuition of up to the most expensive in-state public school and provide a living and book stipend, so new veterans can focus on their educations and readjusting to civilian life. The new GI Bill would also provide more equitable benefits to National Guardsman and Reservists, who have made up about a quarter of our fighting force in Iraq. And educational benefits would be linked to the cost of college, so they would keep their value over time. It is, in short, the right thing to do for the men and women who have made such a tremendous commitment to our country.

Please oh please let's make anyone opposing this go on record as fighting against the only significant support our troops have received from their lying administration.  The only thing that would make me happier is to see Mr. AWOL-in-chief try to veto!

In all the hooplah and jubilation of my love affair with our soon-to-be President Obama, it's hard to remember that there actually is a world going on outside Clintonian drama.  Enter the 21st Century GI Bill:

This legislation would substantially increase the educational benefits available to service members who have served since September 11, 2001. It would cover the cost of tuition of up to the most expensive in-state public school and provide a living and book stipend, so new veterans can focus on their educations and readjusting to civilian life. The new GI Bill would also provide more equitable benefits to National Guardsman and Reservists, who have made up about a quarter of our fighting force in Iraq. And educational benefits would be linked to the cost of college, so they would keep their value over time. It is, in short, the right thing to do for the men and women who have made such a tremendous commitment to our country.

Please oh please let's make anyone opposing this go on record as fighting against the only significant support our troops have received from their lying administration.  The only thing that would make me happier is to see Mr. AWOL-in-chief try to veto!

In all the hooplah and jubilation of my love affair with our soon-to-be President Obama, it's hard to remember that there actually is a world going on outside Clintonian drama.  Enter the 21st Century GI Bill:

This legislation would substantially increase the educational benefits available to service members who have served since September 11, 2001. It would cover the cost of tuition of up to the most expensive in-state public school and provide a living and book stipend, so new veterans can focus on their educations and readjusting to civilian life. The new GI Bill would also provide more equitable benefits to National Guardsman and Reservists, who have made up about a quarter of our fighting force in Iraq. And educational benefits would be linked to the cost of college, so they would keep their value over time. It is, in short, the right thing to do for the men and women who have made such a tremendous commitment to our country.

Please oh please let's make anyone opposing this go on record as fighting against the only significant support our troops have received from their lying administration.  The only thing that would make me happier is to see Mr. AWOL-in-chief try to veto!