I swear to god, I never heard this one.

John Bolton, current nominee for US Ambassador to the UN, was one of the Bush/Cheney hitmen sent to Florida in 2000 to stop the recount.

"I'm with the Bush/Cheney team, and I'm here to stop the count."

(it's number 6 on the list)

Can you guess who said that?

Are you one of those right wingers who doesn't think that W should be held to a timetable of withdrawal from Iraq? Do you think exit strategies are just invitations for bad guys to rush in and fill the void?

Are you sure?

Read this article from the superb Daily Kos blog. It's from June 18th, so you can be sure it's fresh and topical.

And to throw you a bone, the person who spoke the words listed above was George W. Bush.

I'm poking around online, looking for things I want to buy, and I'm reminded of a cheese that I got at Whole Foods a few months ago. It's a chipotle cheddar, by Bravo Farms in Visalia, California. The cheese is a subtle cheddar (I think most white cheddars are), which is good for me since I don't really care for sharp cheddar. The chipotle isn't super hot, but the size of the pieces varies, and if you get a big hunk, you'll definitely know it's there. This is just a flat out good piece of cheese, high praise for a California cheese when coming from a Wisconsinite. Anyway, the store carried it as a sort of try-out, and has yet to reorder it. I was sad. But as usual, when things look darkest, there's the Internet to make you feel all better.

I found a retailer that sells it (in half pound portions and up, no less!), and for a reasonable price. I highly recommend that you folks take this information to your local grocer and say "listen, jocko, you're gonna get this cheese or it's upside your head!" Or just cut out the middle man and order yourself some tasty Internet cheese.

And what kind of a person would I be if I didn't include the link?

Not a very good one, to be sure.

You may have heard about the new book published recently by Sentinel Books, entitled The Truth About Hillary. You may have heard that there's some controversy surrounding this book, and the claims made by the author, Ed Klein. You may have heard, through the mainstream media, that this book could damage Senator Clinton's possible presidential aspirations.

Of course, the mainstream media likes to run with whatever bleeds, so they're going to hope that there's a big battle over this book. The last thing they want is a one-sided demolition and a quick resolution to the issues in question.

They're going to be a little disappointed, if people pay attention to what's been said about the book by its own author.

Ed Klein appeared on "The Al Franken Show" on Air America Radio today, and was (as you might expect from a liberal show) questioned pretty brusquely. Both Franken, his cohost Katherine Lanpher, and his regular Friday guest Joe Conason, were tough on the alleged journalist. You might expect that Klein's responses would amount to hollow tap-dancing, so as to maintain deniability if he's ever caught in a lie. The problem for Klein is that he's already been caught, and confronted directly about these lies.

Thanks to Media Matters for America, those who missed the interview live can read the transcript of the exchange. Allow me to boil it down for you.


Claim #1: The late Senator Patrick Moynihan so disliked Hillary Clinton that when he introduced her as a candidate for the Senate seat he was abdicating, he couldn't bring himself to say her name.

Fact #1: He said her name three times in the speech. There are sections of the speech that Klein leaves out in his quotation of Sen. Moynihan, and he fails to indicate that words were left out. No ellipses.


Claim #2: After having publicly hugged Yassir Arafat's wife, Hillary "coincidentally" revealed a Jewish step-grandfather, in order to maintain close ties to the Jewish community in New York.

Fact #2: Clinton had made this discovery months prior to meeting Mrs. Arafat.


Claim #3: Clinton's chief of staff Melanie Verveer was mannish-looking.

Fact #3: While she might not be a runway model, Melanne Verveer (a misspelling for which Klein never apologizes) could be a seven foot tall Kenyan for all Klein knows. He fully admits he's never seen her.


There are, of course, others. I leave it to you to be discriminating in your acceptance of these claims as fact. Be vigilant, and learn to question anything that purports to be The Truth.