Happy Hour Discurso

Today's opining on the public discourse.

Well, this one should put paid to the myth that to win a Republicon nomination, you have to be salivating for war:

Obviously, the central focus on yesterday’s primaries in North Carolina and Indiana was the Democratic presidential race, but there was a down-ballot contest that I’ve been keeping an eye on — Rep. Walter Jones Jr. (R-N.C.) was facing a primary challenge.

Now, I disagree with Jones on almost every issue I can think of, but when it comes to the war in Iraq, he’s gone through quite a fascinating transition.

Jones, you may recall, came up with the idea of changing the name of “french fries” to "freedom fries” in the House dining hall in 2003. Asked why the move was necessary, Jones said, “This isn’t a political or publicity stunt…. It’s a gesture just to say to the French, ‘Up yours!’” Classy.

That was then. By May 2003, Jones was publicly criticizing the war, saying we invaded Iraq “with no justification.” He lined the hallway outside his office with “the faces of the fallen” and ultimately suggested that lawmakers may have been “given misinformation intentionally by
people in this administration.” Now, Jones is nearly as active an opponent of the president’s policy in Iraq as any Democrat on the Hill.

This has not necessarily endeared him to Republicans in DC or NC, and yesterday, Jones faced a primary challenger, testing whether there’s room in the Republican Party for a lawmaker who’s sensible when it comes to the war in Iraq.

I’m pleased to report Jones won.

Note to warmongers: all but your most frothing, insane, and bloodthirsty constituents are fucking tired of Iraq. Comprende?

I'm glad we've got that sorted. Not that you'll listen.

Speaking of campaigns and such, Hillary Clinton seems to have become the Energizer Bunny of candidates: she keeps going and going and...

Asked at her news conference whether she intended to remain in the race through the convention roll call, Clinton said, "I'm staying in this race until there's a nominee and obviously I am going to work as hard as I can to become that nominee."

While Clinton showed no sign of surrender, former Sen. George McGovern, the party's 1972 presidential candidate, urged her to reconsider.

Yes, please do. This farce passed the ridiculous mark long ago and is now just verging on the pathologically pathetic. My advice to Clinton: quit before that one shred of credibility you have left dies a horrible death.

And finally, what's a day without another shining example of Bush's complete inability to understand words like "sanity," "realistic compromise," and "rational solution." His latest interpretation: instead of withdrawing noxious assclown Hans von Spakovsky's nomination to the Federal Election Commission, the White House proposes this incredible compromise instead:

Spakovsky remains a nominee. Instead, the administration has submitted a new nominee to replace the current chairman, David Mason. Mason is one of the only two seated commissioners, and it just so happens that he's been creating a whole lot of trouble for John
McCain lately.

In February, the McCain campaign notified the FEC that it was withdrawing from the public financing system for the primary. Although McCain had once opted in, his campaign said that it had never received public funds and so could opt out. The move meant that McCain would not be bound by the $54 million spending limit for the system.

But Mason balked. McCain couldn't just opt out -- the FEC had to approve his request before he could. And Mason also indicated that a tricky bank loan might mean that McCain had locked himself in to the system. That would be disastrous for the campaign, since the Dem nominee would have a tremendous spending advantage through August. So McCain's campaign has continued to spend away, far surpassing the limit already. The Democratic Party has filed a complaint with the FEC and has also taken the matter to court.

And now Mason is getting the boot.

So where's the compromise, exactly?

Good question, Rocko! And I have your answer: the compromise is a chimera that exists only within Bush's diseased little brain.

I won't ask if he can do anything dumber. We all know the answer is a resounding "Oh, fuck, yes!"