Can I just say that I am VERY glad that Webb is in the lead right now, considering my inability to vote yesterday. If it were the other way around, I would be quite steamed (to put it nicely).

This was pretty amazing to watch, I was just becoming politically aware in '94 and I'm seeing it come full circle. If we can end the partisan hack method of governance maybe this country can move forward. The next 100 days will be a huge indicator of more of the same or an actual desire to address our current problems.

Republicans of the hardcore nature have some soul searching to do and Bush will play nice to avoid further tarnishing his legacy....

Nice? Right. Both sides will entrench into the usual partisan positions, there will be gridlock, and no real change. Pelosi and Hillary will probably ensure a Republican President in 08. Washington, by definition, is a land of sociopaths: they don't get along with family and neighbors, and don't learn from mistakes.

I am happy the Dems did well. I usually vote Republican. They needed to be taken to the wood shed. But, William Jefferson did well.. etc etc.

Washington remains the black hole of common sense and can-do. And an "ethical" no-man's-land.

Hello everyone, long time lurker, 3rd post. Hooray for today! I just received three movies I have never seen but I have anticipated seeing for some time. The movies are: Videodrome, Brazil, and the Man Who Fell to Earth. I don't have school after work today and I woke up to the great news that the Crats' are "runnin tings", or at least on their way. In regards of voting, a coworker recently purposed the idea of including your vote with your taxes, so that the majority of sham voting is eliminated. While I believe that using this system may be complicated to put in place, I feel that more people would vote and we would have more accurate elections. Thoughts? Feelings?

Repost from last boodle concerning the use of cemetaries for public recreation:

There is a cemetary at the top of a long steep hill along one of my less frequent bicycle routes . One early Sunday morning I nearly ran over a bra that had been left in the road right in front of the cemetary. Someone had had a wild night.

And that is only the second strangest place I have ever found a stranger's bra.

"he (Arbusto) made a congratulatory phone call to Osama bin Laden"
This should be fully documented by the NSA. Unless the NSA stopped tapping the trerrists phone lines the minute the House turned defeatocrat, of course.
Mr. Cheney made it clear before the election that the results were irrelevant to the conduct of the executive branch government and I believe he meant it. It will be a rough couple of years in Congress.

I should be having some regional pride, but the lingering "hon" accent in Nancy Pelosi's voice is like fingernails on a black board to me. I expect her to be a polarizing figure and a strong symbol for Republicans to rally around. The Democrats need to be careful about getting what they wish for. If Iraq is still a mess in two years, it will be tougher to pin blame.

The one pro-Republican argument that sends shivers down my spine is that my former congressman, Alcee Hastings, might be named Intelligence Committee Chair. He is proven crook and a disgrace to the Florida public, which says a lot since Foley got 48% of the vote.

Since we're firing up the Hyperbole Machine this morning, I'll make my contribution by referring to el Presidente Arbusto y Amigos as "The Chernobyl Administration".

bc

Dems should definitely be cautious at having gotten what they wished for - with the Executive and Legislative branches locking horns for the next couple of years (as they gird their pork loins on the runup to '08 elections), I expect gridlock.

bc

bc,

**I expect gridlock.**

You say it like it's a bad thing.

I love water-based polyurethane. Makes refinishing kitchen cabinets much easier. On the other hand, shellac-based primer at least dries quickly, but cleanup's not much fun. Nor the alcohol fumes. But it covers up smoke stains pretty well. Might the House facilities actually become smoke-free under the new regime?

yellojkt writes:
I should be having some regional pride, but the lingering "hon" accent in Nancy Pelosi's voice is like fingernails on a black board to me.

I have no idea what you're saying here, yello or trying to convey? If anything, we should acknowledge the Hon. Nancy Pelosi as the House's new and first woman speaker. Without doubt, she will certainly have her job cut out for her, and she has some strong men to corral into an effective, cohesive working unit who will be coming into new chairman posts. Let's give her a little benefit of the doubt without demonizing her first thing this morning, O.K.?

Joel, you've done a really quick editorial turn-around on Russert's "Today" show commentary this morning. "Shellacking" is the word that jumped out at me from the screen during Little Russ's commentary this morning, too. Strong, strong verb.

What nailbiters last night--and the results are still not known in the Senate races in Montana and Virginia. Also, I heard conflicting information about whether Missouri's stem cell bill passed on this morning's news programs. ABC said it went down to defeat, IIRC, and NBC said it passed. I had to check the Washington Post AP source to see the numbers. Thanks to the newsroom and washingtonpost.com for all their hard work overnight.

A little nailbiter here locally. Do you recall my Boodle about the only Republican Mexican American in the House from our newly remapped District 23 along the West Texas border area, and how he failed to show up for any debate or forum. Well, he had to win with 50 percent of the voe--against five Dems and on independent. Henry Bonilla is hovering at 49 percent, with a few West Texas precincts yet to report. If he doesn't cross the threshold of garnering 50 percent of the votes, then he will be in a run-off with former House member Ciro Rodriguez, a Democrat.

Otherwise, incumbentitis prevailed here in the majority of races. Perhaps we would have had a new Democratic governor if it weren't for the two independents--the Kinkster and Strayhorn--and Libertarian candidate?

I'm also fascinated by the results of the Connecticut and Rhode Island Seante races. One commenter last night said that Rhode Island politics are a strange animal. Wish he would have expanded on that comment a bit, as I'm a newbie on the recent political history of the area.

At the very least, we got rid of Little Ricky. While I'm glad that the MD Dems seem to have pulled through, I do think the Steele race was a reminder that even though you have a big tent, you better make all your guests welcome. And did you see that Heath Shuler is coming back to Washington? Maybe he can get on the roster to back up Mark when he isn't legislating.

Mudge, I am so glad that you're back. We missed you something awful. Please stay, don't go away again.

I do not see this group "playing nice". Now they may do that, but I just don't see it. Of course, I wear glasses so that may limit my seeing.

From her official bio:

"Pelosi hails from a strong family tradition of public service. Her father, Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr., served as Mayor of Baltimore for 12 years, after representing the city for five terms in Congress. Her brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III, also served as Mayor of Baltimore."

From Wikipedia:

"Pelosi graduated from Baltimore's Institute of Notre Dame high school and Trinity College (now Trinity Washington University) in Washington D.C., where she met her future husband, Paul Pelosi. When the couple married, they moved to his hometown of San Francisco, where his brother was a member of the city's Board of Supervisors (San Francisco city & county--council)."

She is a political heir that married into a political family. Forty years of living in California have not completely erased the Bawlmer accent.

Also, Republicans find it very easy to demonize powerful liberal women. Just sayin'.

YEEEEE-HAHHHHHH!

OBVIOUSLY, Mudge's travels and travails during his desert wandering included some time in Texas. Oh, the tails (ales? tales?) he'll tell!

Hey, let the record show that I employed the verb "shellacked", past tense of the transitive verb "to shellack", in one of my morning posts yesterday, with reference to the all-important decision in Prince George's county regarding Judge of the Orphans' Court. You can look it up.

Them orphans are nothing but trouble. I hope the winners throw the book at them.

Loomis, what yellojkt's trying to say is that Pelosi's a Baltimore native at heart, as indicated by the use of honorific, "hon". It's a regional thang.

Other indicators: pronounciation of "Orioles" and "Oreos" is exactly the same. And maybe the hair, which strives to reassemble itself into a beehive if not treated.

bc

Almost everone I voted for won. I'm stunned.

One of the big losers was Rove (schadenfreude kicking in, big time). I think the GOP candidates were beginning to ignore him, anyway.

yellojkt. I forgot to mention that I had originally added the last line "As if that were a bad thing" to my 9:24 AM comment.

I deleted it because I think it *will* be a bad thing in some cases. Perhaps not as bad as the American people giving the Chernobyl Administracion y Amigos a mandate to keep doin' what they're doin', but...

bc

I celebrated a clean election in Maryland with foreign pastry this morning. If I was in VA and had been denied my vote I'd be on the phone all day spitting tacks. I heard the FBI was in to investigate claims of voter suppression.

As far as I am concerned, this "you are not a registered voter" problem was around in 2000 and it's around today, and it won't get fixed until some real H3LL is raised.

Geist wrote:
In regards of voting, a coworker recently purposed the idea of including your vote with your taxes, so that the majority of sham voting is eliminated. While I believe that using this system may be complicated to put in place, I feel that more people would vote and we would have more accurate elections.

What about those citizens who are not working or don't make enough money to pay taxes? Students, stay at home parents, the very poor, etc.?

That one was me. Haven't had coffee yet. Going to get some now...

Bush invited Pelosi to lunch, hope she's bringing a food taster and a bs detector.

Did anyone read/hear about this (from WP's Raw Fisher)"Steele-Ehrlich Democrats," reads the headline on the cover of the four-page handout. Then, under photos of Democrats Kweisi Mfume, Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson, and his predecessor, Wayne Curry, the flyer reads, "These are OUR Choices." The flyer then, under the headline "Democratic Sample Ballot," lists the full Democratic ticket--except that Democrats Martin O'Malley and Ben Cardin are replaced by Republicans Ehrlich and Steele. In this dirty trick, the GOP candidates are perfectly happy to sell the rest of the Republican ticket down the river.

Makes me even more happy that Cardin won.

Shellacked is good; I like shellacked. And polyurethaned. I could go with drubbing, and there's much to be said for a--whuppin'. (Gives it that kinda Texan twang, y'know?) Thumped is OK, but lacks passion. Buttkicked might do it, and I can understand those who might prefer "taken to the woodshed."

By the way, now that the Dems have won, when do we all start surrendering to the terrists? Do we form a line? Or is it alphabetical? Or by height, like in hgih school gymn class (my high school, anyway)? Do they do a number lottery with our Selective Service numbers? Do just the guys surrender (this being fundamentalist Islam we're talking about) or do the women and kiddies have to surrender too? Do we hand them our swords, or what? This surrendering to the terrists thing is all so confusing.

And taxes--do our taxes automatically go up? Or does Congress have to, ya know, vote on that first? Because I don't remember a whole lot of discussion about the methodology of the increases--just that it would surely happen immediately, kind of like a lightning bolt.

Will abortions be mandatory for all our teenagers? Or can some continue to have unwanted children out of wedlock? And I don't quite get what we're supposed to do about all those homosexuals. Am I supposed to divorce my wife and marry a homosexual? I've heard about this agenda they have; are there many items on it? How long will that meeting be? Can we get the recording secretary to waive the reading of the minutes? I assume some of the items fall under "Old Business" and some come under "New Business." Will we have a chance to review the documents under the "New Business" heading, 'cause I don't want to have to vote on anything regarding homosexuals without having a chance to study up on the paperwork first: budget allocation, rules and procedures regarding closet space, etc.

This national nightmare the Republicans promised us is sure going to be unsettling.

Can we please take a moment to recognize the real reason to celebrate this morning? No more campaign ads!

-"What about those citizens who are not working or don't make enough money to pay taxes? Students, stay at home parents, the very poor, etc.?"

They could fill out something similar to an absentee ballot. Which would make things much easier because they wouldnt even need to leave the house.

Geist,

We already have a system similar to voting by taxes. It's called campaign contributions. The irony is that most campaign contributions are spent to reduce taxes on the donor.

Also, anyone that falls for the phony endorsement dirty trick, which is pretty dirty but funny nonetheless, deserves to vote for the wrong person. It's up there with the "Democrats vote on Wednesday this year" trick.

I'd like to see something that would improve the voting process such as spreading it over a two day weekend or making it a national holiday. Many hourly workers can't afford the time off to vote, or may work overtime and miss the voting hours all together. Absentee ballots don't work for those who don't know their schedule ahead of time.

Shellac vs. polyurethane: I'd guess it was whatever they used to refinish my floors a few weeks ago, very effective but with lingering fumes.

mudge,

Good to have you back. Your post about where we surrender reminded me of this VERY obscure song:

I'll be glad when the flag goes up
We'll sing new songs and invent new slogans
There'll be a party and we'll burn the old pictures
I'll finally have some fun

I'll be glad when the flag goes up
New uniforms if they know my sizes
I'll make new friends when I go to the meetings
It won't be better but I'll settle for different

Redland, red
And my house is burning
Redland, red
Well it really won't matter (when it's)
Redland, redland everywhere

I'll be glad when the flag goes up
It will be clear what is right and wrong
I don't care about the leaders and the theories
But I know I'd just like a change

I'll be glad when the flag goes up
There'll be new names for the streets and the cities
Study the lives of the great new heros
I won't be happy but I'll be relieved

Super Bonus Points for anyone that can name the artist without resorting to Google.

yellowjkt-LOL and agreed. In Weingarten's chat yesterday he (or better yet his son) mentions that the best way for Republicans to win is to have Bush campaign for the Democrats. Ha! The sad thing is that might be stupid enough to work.

yellowjkt-LOL and agreed. In Weingarten's chat yesterday he (or better yet his son) mentions that the best way for Republicans to win is to have Bush campaign for the Democrats. Ha! The sad thing is that that might be stupid enough to work.

WhoopsyDoodle!

Let me get this straight as I am wholly unfamiliar with Baltimore accents and talk. When Pelosi says "hon" is that a truncation of "honey" or "honorific"? Such, as "Your Hon."? (The latter, right?) I'm cornfused. Unfortunately, yello's and bc's explanations have not made it entirely clear. I, too need a another cuppa joe and need to get on down the road to my day.

And you, bc, think Pelosi has a beehive hairdo? I'm laughing so hard I'm about to split. You obviously haven't spent enough time in the company of the women of the great state of Texas. We got big crops of locks. Some of our ladydo's are big enough to shade an elephant! (Course, some of our men look like they combed their hair with a skillet, but jus' sayin'.)

polyurethaned has a nice diffinitive technical sound to it. I'm a fan. Thank the lord for a balance of power. I welcome grid lock. It prevents any more damage by the GOP. I'm not saying everythings going to get fixed but at least everything will stop breaking.

bc;

Yer killin' me with the Chernobyl Administration, yanno??

:-)

Oh, and an addendum to last night's election update: I checked the appropriate box to "learn more about being an election judge." You've been warned.

"Hon" is short for "honey" and is the slightly condenscending nickname bestowed upon all customers at diners and truckstops in most of Merlin (Maryland).

Bawlmerese is an accent that can't quite decide whether it's Joisey Gum-Smackin' or a strain of Southern Redneck.

Here is a good Bawlmerese-Merikin dictionary:

http://www.baltimorehon.com/

As someone from Texas (I was born in Big Spring) I have no right to make fun of anybody's accent.

LindaLoo,

You've got to get out more. Baltimore, known as Balmer to its natives, is famous for its beehive-wearing women who throw the injection "hon" into sentences just like Canadians use "eh."

Here's a little help with the Balmer lexicon...
http://www.baltimorehon.com/

And this restaurant in Baltimore celebrates Charm City's "Hon-ness"... http://www.cafehon.com/

Loomis, I can see you need a crash course on the local patois hereabouts. Yes, "hon" is short for "honey," and is the universal form of address in the Balmer, Merlin, region, as in "Can I getcha 'nother cuppa coffee, hon?" Speaking in purely linguisto-grammatical terms, "hon" is required as the last word in any given sentence ending with a question. It's how the listener knows the speaker is finished speaking, and it's now your turn to reply. In rare instances of accidental omission it has led to some awkward silences, such as:

Waitress: "Can I getcha 'nother cuppa coffee."

[Long silence]

Patron:

Waitress: "...hon."

Patron: "Yes, please. And a piece of apple pie. Thank you."

Waitress: "Sure, hon."

See, it's like saying "Over" on a radio transmission.

Not to lean too heavily upon Wikipedia, but this may be instructive:

"Baltimorese resembles Philadelphia-area English pronunciation in several ways. These two cities are the only ports on the Eastern Seaboard to retain rhotic speech, which was greatly influenced by Hiberno-English, Scottish English, and West Country English. Also, the "l" sound is "dark", indistinctive or vocalized. Vowels in Baltimorese are flattened and shifted, however, which is more characteristic of Southern American English. Some vowels, as well as certain vernaculars can be traced to Appalachian influences."

Some common terms:

Amblance -- ambulance [I might dispute this a tad, preferring "amblince" to "amblance"]
Anna Runnel - Anne Arundel County [where the state capital of Nappalis is located]
arnjuice - orange juice (an example of the widespread use of elision)
Atna Canny - in the suburbs, i.e. "out in the County." May or may not refer to Baltimore County
Bawlmer - Baltimore (pronounced BAWL-mur)[also Balmer]
Beegeenee - BG&E (Baltimore Gas & Electric)
Blair - Bel Air, or Belair Road.
Cafflick - Catholic
cole race beef samwish - cold roast beef sandwich
crown - crayon
downey ayshin (down the ocean) - at the beach (spent sum'r weekends downey ayshin). 'At' or 'to' is implied, but not a part of the elision; specifically, it means Ocean City, Maryland [Compare to the Philadelphian and Western Jerseyan phrase, "donnashore," as in, "Last weekend we went donnashore."
How bout dem O's? - a pleasant inquiry on the state of Orioles baseball
iggle - eagle [same in the town of Fuldullfiya, from wence it came]
miyan - mine
Merlin - Maryland
Nappalis or Naplis - the state capital of Merlin, where the Navul Cademy is located
sharr - shower
tawlit - toilet
warsh - to wash
Warshngton - As in Washington D.C., or Washington County
warder or wooder - ('wood' rhyming with 'could', and not with 'brood') water

You are quite right about hairdos in Texas, Loomis, viz. that golden helmet Ann Richards used to wear.

Loomis: "hon" is short for "honey".
As in, "Pass me another Natty Bo, hon."

I'm not saying Pelosi has a beehive, I'm just saying that I think her hair would likely return to it if left in its natural state over time (i.e. she did not continue the debeehivication treatments).

I posit that Baltimore is a densely populated though not geographically large apiary.

And sure, many Texas women have big hair, I'm pretty sure that the term "B-52" for a large 'do originated there. Everything's bigger in Texas, ain't it?

Loomis, please see the movie "Hairspray" for further details and evidence.

BUT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU EVER SEE THE MOVIE "PINK FLAMINGOS", EVEN IF SOMEONE TELLS YOU IT'S A DIVINE FILM. NOT NOHOW, NEVER, EVER.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

bc

A question and an observation:

Q. Is this correct?: SCOTUS nominees are nominated by the President but must be approved by simple majorities in Congress and the Senate. If so, there's one significant change.

Observation. In the last three US elections some pretty well-informed people have predicted an October surprise bombshell but it just didn't happen.

Mudge, you forgot "pasketti" for "spaghetti".

bc

"persketti" is also acceptable.

bc

"...and will note only that, early this morning, he made a congratulatory phone call to Osama bin Laden."

LOL.... Can we all agree that Joel has such a wondrous, literate wit that few can match? I've truly been enjoying his writing for the past several years.

There have been many occasions when I would read his column at work...very carefully. I literally read it with fear, especially after a couple of mishaps. I would be peacefully reading it while I sipped my afternoon cup of coffee and barely manage to swallow a mouthful before bursting into stifled, uncontrolled laughter. I struggled to breath, tears poured down my face. Co-workers could see me through my office window but couldn't hear me (I think). It took me about 5 minutes to regain my composure...another half hour for the redness in my face to go away and the veins in my temples to go away.

Cemetary Decorum

Bras left in graveyards? Sheesh. And I, so worried about walking on bodies and waking the dead.

Rule Number 345
Do not make woopie in cemetaries.
Rule Number 346
If woopie is made in said cemetaries, remove all evidences.

Where is the other odd spot that the poster found a certain "unmentionable."?

Scotty, the phrase "by simple majorities in Congress and the Senate" is problematic. First, "Congress and the Senate" is wrong, because the Senate is part of the Congress (the other part being the House of Reps.). But the House has nothing to do with SCOTUSes, only the Senate. Yes, it takes a simply majority, but they don't call it "approved," they call it "advise and consent." Same difference, though. So "majorities" needs to be singular, majority.

America made a political statement yesterday.

What's this statement saying?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061108/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

And this one?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061108/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear

Just askin'

SoC;

I do believe it's only the Senate that votes on Presidential nominees, including SCOTUS.

And where are we on a BPH, anyway?

:-)

SCC: sorry, Scotty, meant to reply to SofC. Morning coffee hasn't kicked in properly. If it's any consolation, I get my kids' names confused all the time, too. Now, go clean up your room or no allowance this week.

bc, yer quite correct: pasketti. A welcome addition to the lexicon. I beleive they are often served with meebawls.

Wikipedia (via 'mudge) sez:

"Baltimorese resembles Philadelphia-area English pronunciation in several ways... Vowels in Baltimorese are flattened and shifted, however, which is more characteristic of Southern American English. Some vowels, as well as certain vernaculars can be traced to Appalachian influences."

I sed:

"Bawlmerese is an accent that can't quite decide whether it's Joisey Gum-Smackin' or a strain of Southern Redneck."

Same dif.

In my first draft, I was going to call Bawlmerese a variation of Philly Goombah, but that evoked too many Balboa-esque "Yo, Adrians" which is completely wrong.

Ticklishturtletoe: I suspect you are right, that we can all agree that Joel has a wit and literary talent that few can match.

The question is: Does this bring us all unalloyed sheer joy and reading delight? Or is it possible that jealousy and despair might occasionally creep in, on account of, you know, the fact that such a gift is not given to everyone? Or in any case, to oneself?

First rednecks, and now Baltimoreans. I can see this blog is a hotbed of sensitivity to our near neighbors to the north and south.

As for BPH-- I'm ready to show up tonight if SciTim etc. are.

Thx, both. So if an American is concerned about Roe v. Wade the reports of a shellacking are currently premature.

Since College Parkian took the bait, er, raised the question, I will answer.

Once while doing some light housecleaning (hey, it's been known to happen), I found on top of one of the bookshelves a brassiere that was not my wife's size, brand, or color. In fear of this somehow reflecting poorly on my fidelity, I immediately took it to my wife for identification.

She said, "Oh yeah, the housesitter we had this summer mentioned that she had forgotten some clothes here and wondered if we had found them." The undergarments were returned to their rightful owner. However, when we called her next year to see if she could housesit again, she never replied. Personally, I didn't care how the lacy thing got on top of the bookshelf since she was over eighteen and we had made no prohibition against her having company over. I am just glad there was a plausible explanation for my discovery.

This year we had a different college girl housesit and paid her 50% in advance. When we returned the house hadn't burned down and the dog was alive, so her job had been successfully completed. We called her to let her know she could come by and pick up the rest of the money and the food she had left behind. She's never showed. We threw away the food, but I drank the two Woodchuck Ciders (waste not, want not) and the check is still hanging by a magnet on the refrigerator.

Annie, Joel is a good writer, but there is a wide gamut of what makes for good humor and writing.

Mark Twain, for instance, or P.G. Wodehouse. Terry Pratchett.

Dickens I don't find outrageously funny myself, but he does have his moments, generally in the worlds he sketches and in the funny names he picks. His wit is very subtle and allows the reader to visualize the humor for oneself. There are people who are actually addicted to Dickens, which I don't understand.

And then, sadly, there's Weingarten....

Not sure where you're going, SofC. The shellacking has nothing to do with RvW one way or the other, because the SCOTUS is already in place, and unless somebody dies won't change for the foreseeable future. Since Arbusto appointed Alito and Roberts, the die was/is cast. RvW could still be in jeopardy. But be that as it may, the election now (or even in 2008) won't have any effect on how SCOTUS votes.

Wilbrod, we are nothing if not sensitive, dammit. And perky.

I really should have finished my coffee before came to the boodle this morning.

I am laughing about this phase appearing earlier:

"I'm not saying Pelosi has a beehive, I'm just saying that I think her hair would likely return to it if left in its natural state over time (i.e. she did not continue the debeehivication treatments)."

---
Ok. Serious Citizan College Parkian here:

This may be "up" on line or on radio/tv commentary but between work and boodle I may have missed this:

How did PG comment on Michael Steele? Did race or local-man trump party affiliation? I also wonder about this within districts. Did Mitchellville support Man of Steele?

Well, Annie, I guess joy is in the heart of the beholder. Those who have it know that joy only comes to those who appreciate what they have rather than lament what they lack. And it's even greater for those who appreciate the gain of something they previously lacked. And greater still for those who gain something through great hardship.

And I believe the greatest joy is reserved only for those who give away things that they've gained through great hardship.

To say it clearly then, it appears that unless the last two Senate races go Dem, if a new nomination is required within the next two years RvW may be in trouble down the line despite the change in the House.

At last! I can spend a wee bit o' time on the boodle! and what a glorious day to engage in boodling!

Mudge, thanks so much for the primer on what we need to do now that the Dems are in the majority. As I'm single, I guess it shouldn't be messy for me to find a lesbian spouse. One with children of course. I have wanted to get married again, after all. :-)

Regarding surrender to the terrorists: I think Bush is working this out in his concession phone call with Osama. I've heard there was talk of all males standing in line for beheading. The women stand in a second line for burqa-fittings. Although they seem to be a one-size-fits-all type of outfit. They'll hav to supersize the burqas for us American women. :-)

Regarding SoC's question: only the Senate votes on all judgeships. The House is not part of the "advise and consent" action.

I'm betting Justice John Paul Stephens is breathing a bit easier this morning.

Although it looks like Webb is ahesd, and will probably stay there in case of a recount -- the most horrible marriage amendment passed in Virginia. This gem is pretty scary -- it goes after heterosexual unmarried couples as well as that old bogeyman -- the gay marriage. I don't think it will stand up on appeal.

I also don't believe Arbusto and Darth Vader are going to change -- or are even capable of it. Rumsfeld will stay. I predict Arbusto won't take too much advice from Uncle Jimmy Baker. His administration will fight to the death any subpeona that comes their way.

Even though I was raised in Colorado, I grew up speaking with a slight Bawlmer, DC accent. My mother was raised in Chevy Chase, DC -- my dad in College Park.

So I say "warsh" instead of "wash." My family still refers to the home of the Orioles as "Bawlmer." I recognized some of the other pronunciations that Mudge posted as belonging to my family patios.

Hon is used heavily throughout RoVa and other points south. I've been called "hon" in countless gas stations and small mini-marts by women 2 decades my junior even since I moved down here.

Oddly, my eldest niece, who was raised in Fairfax County and went to William and Mary, down here in Williamsburg, picked up "hon" while in college. She and her female buddies called each other hon. I think it's a post-feminist thing: I wouldn't understand. :-)

Chortle. Chuckle. Grin. Gloat. Wadda night, folks, wadda night. State races good, national lookin' good, all things considered.

And thanks (and welcome back) Mudge for so nicely articulating the questions on all our minds. I think we are all automatically married to gay people now, without any paperwork, but I'm not sure. Viewing the election resulst according to Arbusto's late comments, I'm truly delighted to see how treasonous the U.S. electorate is. This is a real victory for defeat, and I'm sure I'll find time to give in to the terrorists soon. Right now, like so much of the country, I'm ready for us to get down to governing and oversight. Maybe throw in a little fiscal responsibility (and when did the Democrats become THAT party? There's a Clinton accomplishment for you!). Add a touch of real compassion. Whoo-hoo!

The NY Times Select is FREE until Nov.12. What a treat.

dr, did you spray your coffee on your computer screen? Am I the only one who has trouble with that? :)

SoC -- Webb is ahead here in the medieval Commonwealth of Virginia by 7000 votes, out of roughly 2.3 million.

I'm guessing (hoping, praying?) that he'll keep a winning margin through a recount.

Tester, in Montana, is ahead by 1500. I hope he can hold on to this in a recount.

I must admit I'm surprised at the lack of problems (at least known or reported) with the electronic voting machines.

Wilbrod writes: "First rednecks, and now Baltimoreans."

I've been called both, Wilbrod.

If we can't make fun of ourselves, who *can* we make fun of?

bc

Sorry, guys. The ScienceKids call. I will not be able to come to a BPH tonight, due to Science Fair project supervision duties. I'm busy each of the subsequent three nights as well (let me remind you: Laurel Mill Playhouse Variety Show, 508 Main Street, Laurel, MD, 8:00 PM on Friday and on Saturday). Proceed without me. Eat a french fry in my honor.

Now, if there were a BPH lunch on Friday, during the Fedrul Halldee, I could maybe make that... But I would have to abstain from beer or any spiritous liquors. Sigh.

Words that belong to your family patios Nelson ?

Speaking of patois I think you should read this young Kazakh's piece if you have seen or will see the Borat movie. This is an excellent movie btw.
She is taking it with humour, something that some denizens of a certain hexagon shaped country sometimes find difficult to do.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/07/AR2006110701543.html

From what I heard on the news tonight, Webb is ahead 7,000 votes but there are more than ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND absentee ballots yet to be counted. So depending how those shake out, a recount may or may not be necessary.

No matter what the outcome of the Montana and Virginia senate contests, the senate is going to be so evenly divided that no radical schemes are likely to be even introduced, let alone pass.

Which is just the way I like it.

I also need to say that making fun of accents doesn't win points with me. When I was growing up, I'd routinely see comedians on TV making fun for foreigners and people from other areas for how they talked.

That was a MAJOR factor in my choosing not to pursue my speech training, since I didn't have enough hearing to provide useful feedback. It's like a blind archer firing off in the air and hoping the target is hit, and having to rely on others to tell them if they got it right.

Now, research indicates that the sounds of speech get set in the first couple of years. After that it takes extensive speech coaching and tutoring to get a reasonable accent right.

I can't believe you're so obsessed with the fact that a california congresswoman still sounds like the Baltimore of her girlhood. Big deal.

I'm sure Mudge still sounds like the Akkadian of his childhood which just happens to sound kind of Philly-ish.

nelson! Good to see ya, hon!

I realized too late that I should have bought stickers that said "BIGOTRY" on them and slapped them over the word "Marriage" on those awful "Vote YES for Marriage!" signs that were all over Virginia.

Shrieking -- certain pronunciations of words -- a mix of Bawler and pre-WWII DC and the non-accent of the Front Range of Colorado. Pasketti is one of our "family' pronunciations. I didn't know where it came from until today! Warsh and other words that shouldn't have an "r" in them do.

We got teased as kids for talking a bit strangely. Nearing a half-century later, my sibs and I still have a mixed bag of pronunciations. I believe pasketti got passed down to my nieces and nephews.

I have always considered the true Balmeran accent as sounding like a speaker whose jaw is jammed at about 1/3 open, and the lips are paralyzed by novocaine. Keeping this in mind, test your translational skills with the following conversational phrase:

"Ah wrenched muh hayands in the rostrum with some wooder in the zinc."

Nice to hear from your again Nelson.

Question to the Muricans, for VA and Montana, what is the timing process to settle the results for the senate? From what I have seen doesn't appear to be a quick resolution, I saw somewhere I think for VA that the State elections board won't decide on the initial vote until Nov. 27?

Boss' wife just called: Rumsfeld is resigning?

TRUE?

TBG, CNN sez so

TBG -- good to be seen, hon! I do miss the boodle when I can't make the scene. I feel a tug in my chest, like not being in touch with good buddies for prolonged periods. But it can't be helped sometimes.

Is there a BPH scheduled for, say, 12/22? I know that's six weeks away, but it's the only time I could actually make it to one.

Perhaps any boodlers who are in town for the holidays and not otherwise occupied could pencil in this day for a BPH. I'd love to meet some of youse guys. :-)

I do realize that I am in the EXTREME minority in this attitude.

I just wanted to share my perspective that making fun of accents has been done, done, redone, done over, and done to death and way past.

Certainly BC has carte blanche to make fun of himself as much as he wants.

I can see that fixing cars for drag racing would be considered a stereotypically redneck hobby-- yet it's a great hobby, actually, and I think it's redneck only as far as it means the guys concerned use their hands instead of their hoity-toity college accents ;).

I have been mildly disgruntled (unusual for me, I know, I know!) with some of the reporting, to wit, how many House went which way. Specifically, I am less concerned with those already called than with those still remaining: NO ONE has done a good job of summarizing them, so I've had to go do it myself (grumble, grumble). Here's how it appears: there are still 8 uncalled seats (according to Cilizza). Here's a chart of them, who appears to be ahead, and the vote differential (approx.).

CT02: D 150 votes
GA08: D 1,700
GA12: D 400
NM01 R 1,300 (Patricia Madrid loosing, alas)
PA06 R 3,000
PA08 D 1,500 (my ol' home district; go, Ds!!)
WY (only one dist): R 1,000
WA08: R 2,700

In short, 4 leaning Dem, four leaning GOP. Assuming all the recounts stand (or if they don't the Dem and GOP recounts offset), that will be a net gain of 31 seats for the Dems.

Somebody here just got an e-mail claiming something about Tester winning in Montana; don't know what that's about. If I had to choose between Montana and Virginia, I think I'd rather get rid of Allen, just on grounds of general smarminess, though Burns is certainly no treat.

All in all, a damn good night's work, I'd say. *patting self on back for his prediction of 30 House and 5 Sen seats*

Stop the presses: 2 e-mails just came in saying Rumsfeld is stepping down, according to "GOP officials."

"Ah wrenched muh hayands in the rostrum with some wooder in the zinc."

"I washed my hands in the restroom with some water in the sink."

Hey everybody! Yes, it's a good day in America. And I'm glad to be a Murikan, to channel Mudge.

Report on this morning's activities: Our haz mat guy and I went to talk to jack's class and we had a most pleasant time. Our big mistake was letting me go first. Garry, our haz mat guy, had a great presentation with pictures that grabbed attention, and he had to hurry through them at the end. I talked about what you gotta do to get on the fire department, an interesting topic but not nearly as thrilling as looking at pictures of overturned gasoline tankers, fires, and polymerized valves. The kids behaved well and some seemed interested. The concept that youthful hijinks could keep them from getting a job was new to them. I hope it was as good for the kids as it was for us to be there.

I'm from Baghdad by the Bay, San Francisco to all you low-lifers, and trust me Pelosi does not have a San Francisco accent so she must have a Baltimore accent, and no San Franciscan would vote for her if she had a beehive, not to mention that no San Francisco restaurant would let her in the door if she had a beehive. (No shoes, no tie, no coat may keep you out of other restaurants, but in the City it's beehives.)

mudge -- where'd your email source get that info? Just took a walk around the major news sites on the Web -- don't see this gem anywhere.

I think all the absentee votes in Virginia are pretty much counted. You can go to the Elections website ( http://sbe.virginiainteractive.org/ ) to keep track of the counting.

With 99.88% of the vote in, there are a couple of precints in small counties (e.g., Isle of Wight County and James City County) that haven't reported yet.

I think 7,303 (Webb's current lead) might be hard to beat, but stranger things have happened. I'll just keep my fingers crossed.

here you go Nelson,

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

Bush just fired Rummy

It's true -- Rumsfeld is gone -- to be replace by Gates, of CIA under George I.

Wow -- what a great day this is for Murika.

OK, here's the WaPo link on Rummy: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110801180.html

Also, WTOP announced that Testor has won Montana. Larry Sabato says that an 8,000 vote lead by Webb is likely not to change by more than a few hundred votes in a recount, given past experience. Erlich and Steele have both now conceded in Maryland. At worst, the Senate will be 50-50, with Cheyney being the "decider".

I think it's smart media management for Bush to acknowledge the whuppin' AND sacking Rummy AND the new DOD secty, all at once. Gains control of the news and keeps it from becoming a drip-drip deathwatch on Rummy and speculation etc. on replacement.

Was it my imagination or did Bush's body language and tone suggest anger. Even his lame-o joke about the drapes and Pelosi's office was delivered in an angry voice.

Heading out to Fairfax to canvass votes...y'all behave!

It's now the lead story on Drudge, over the banner (for what that's worth), nelson. Probably didn't want to face the prospect of being dragged before 197 Congressional committees. Wasn't it Arbusto just two or three days ago who swore he was keeping Rummy and Darth? He wouldn't have lied, would he?

Welcome to the boodle, felicity, Since you're from San Francisco, one assumes you must be a homosexual, not that there's anything wrong with that, since we have been assured by various rightwingers that you're "all" gay and lesbians out there. I'm guessing this must include other famous gay San Franciscans such as Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Tony Bennett, Gracie Allen, Barry Bonds, SCOTUS Stephen Breyer, Tucker Carlson, Joe DiMaggio (I always did think his marriage to Marilyn Monroe was just "cover"), Clint Eastwood (always seemed a little...welll...), Bruce Lee, Robert McNamara, Jay Ward (creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle; always wondered about those two), and the late Adm. Elmo Zumwalt.

Just watch a little of Bush and I think anger is what his body was suggesting.

Do you think that Darth Vader will make a similar announcement from his hunting camp in South-Dakota?
In addition to the surrender to ObL and the forced same-gender marriage you guys have to get a start on confiscating all the guns in the hands of honest god-fearing Murkins and giving them away to tugs and terrists. The level of hate toward Hillary (a.k.a. Hitlary) in the gun-nut community is troubling, so say the least.
Parents have a definite influence on the kid's speech nelson. A former colleague of mine had a delightful south-of-France accent when speaking French, which was unexpected as she was born and raised in the decidedly English-speaking town of Calgary, Alberta. Lo and behold her parents were from the south of France. She was quite the Marseillaise cowgirl.

Tucker Carlson's straight?

I try not to... OH NO HE'S ON TV.

Body language alert: I'd rate him as pissed off, disgusted. The NY Times reporter got him laughing slightly. Then zingered him with a leadership question. Head bob, shrug, the typical bushisms that distract from his actual body language. He is shrugging a lot.

I think he has to go pee.

Cup two on the screen, to Wilbrod's 1:26.

I say this about peeing, because they're giving us shots of him kicking back a leg and twisting just a bit from the hips down.

I and most of my deaf friends find Bush hard to watch because of his body language is just so full of tics and so awkward it gives me, for one, the willies.

Clinton had his parodyable moments, but he was a lot smoother as an orator and in Q&A moments. Of course, Reagan wasn't bad either. I always thought if Clinton had been able to and did run in 2000, Bush would never have gotten the republican nomination; it'd likely have gone to McCain because the difference in oratory would have been too great.
Gore, while funny, didnt appear so on the campaign trail at all, and frankly, Bush didn't have much of a bar to compete against. (Likewise for Kerry).

I ran across the interesting observation that while Webb is leading by a few thousand, there were over 20,000 votes for the Green Party candidate. Shades of Nader in FL.

Wibrod wrote:

I can't believe you're so obsessed with the fact that a california congresswoman still sounds like the Baltimore of her girlhood. Big deal.

Yeah, we Callyfawnians think it's silly, too! BTW, the SF Chronicle on-line said that Governor Ahnold is now a Two-Terminator. Not quite accurate (he took over from Gray Davis midway through a term) but still clever...

I moved from Philadelphia (Fluffya, according to a book I have on how to speak Philadelphian) to Florida when I was 14, so I know what it's like to have my accent noticed, shall we say. But I couldn't tell the difference between pin and pen in Florida-ese. There was some good-natured teasing on both sides. My accent is more California than Pennsylvania now, but it still pops out occasionally. (chawklit, etc.)

Hi felicity! I love your City and go up there as often as I can.

Yes, yello.. that's very upsetting to see those 26,000 votes in Virginia. These are probably some of the same people who worry about being "disenfranchised."

I'll never understand why someone would vote like that in a predictably close race.

Ahhh... Ross Perot, where are you? You were right on NAFTA, we need a sensible right-wing minority party that will keep the Republicans honest.

Fluffya is a good name for a pet.

Appears my google ads are as pessimistic about the after affects of the democrat victories as Bush was before the election.

Iraq War - The Truth
What The Bush Administration Won't Tell You About The War in Iraq.
www.GeorgeSoros.com

The Coming World War
Find out what Nostradamus says about the years 2007 - 2012.
NostradamusOnline.com

A New World Order: Coming
USA & Rome Behind it. Are you Ready for it? Learn Bible prophecy
www.worldslastchance.com

Darth Vader is the Vice-Emperor and, outside of a freak light-sabre accident, will have to be impeached.
Supeona.....Supeona....

Wilbrod, I understand where you're coming from.

The pokes I took at Ms. Pelosi were intended to be satirical jokes. No one says anything about Hastert's hair, or his midwestern accent.

Was intended to draw attention to the fact that the next Speaker of the House is going to be a woman with ties to the coasts, not the middle.

Regarding Rumsfeld - ya gotta LOVE the GOP's spot-on-sense of comic timing.

If they'd tossed Rummy overboard as a scapegoat months, weeks, or even days ago, that might have gone some way towards salvaging the Republicans' election results. Instead they've waited until *after* the wreck to put their safety belt on.

I suppose they'll declare the Chernobyl Administration a total loss, now. Don't get me wrong, I do think Rummy needed to go, but this strikes me as a crowning achievement in their mishandling of...well, darn near everything. Any more questions about their competence?

bc

Hmm, does anybody smell blackmail?

Like Rumsfeld was unfireable because he had the goods on certain congressmen and wasn't afraid to use it even if it meant sinking the republicans... but now those congressmen are out of power anyway, so bye bye Donald?

Next on the Arbusto Administration to-do list: A round of barn-door locking.

That's so good I have to go use it on Wonkette.

just finished watching Arbusto's press conference. I'd day anger is a mild word to describe his body language and testiness.

The exchanges over his comments last week giving Rumsfeld a 100% confidence -- and now trying to explain that he was really kinda, sorta, maybe not telling the truth when he said Rummy was staying . . . whoa.

I don't think he gets it yet. Going on about how they really lost because of the problems with Foley's and DeLay's names still on the ballot. As if this was some neutral technicality -- and not due to corruption and scandal. He was using these two House seats as an example of why the vote wasn't all about Iraq.

That's pretty sad, you gotta admit.

The guy is in a state of shock.

bc -- touche on the handling of Rummy.

I should have added that tossing Rummy would have helped the GOP capture the creamy center and the disillusioned Repubs who voted Democratic out of frustration and spite. The appearance that they might be willing to Proactively confront their problems in Iraq (and elsewhere) and change on their own. It mught have been enough to turn the close elections.

Instead, it looks like their hubris has backed them into Reactive mode - angry press confrences and drinking Dr. Pepper like it's free or something.

bc

Prediction: within 6 to 8 months, Cheney will step down due to "health reasons" and Bush will appoint a new Veep. Motivation: It doesn't do the GOP any good to NOT having a sitting Pres. or Vice Pres in the 2008 election. So in order to put up a credible 2008 candidate who can take advantage of incumbency, the GOP/Bushies will scramble to figure out who they want in 2008 (never mind and by-passing all those silly primaries where actual people get to decide things).

Anyway, Darth doesn't want to get dragged in front of dozens of committees any more than Rummy does. And did anybody catch that little item the other day about the shredder truck seen at the VP mansion?

Dismissing Rummy is almost the same thing as dismissing Darth as well; so if one goes, so must the other. Otherwise, Bush now has a veep who isno longer any use to him, and what's the point of that? If Darth can't help, he can only help.

His days are numbered.

bv, I didn't think you had to be competent if you are Always Right. Guess us ordinary Murikans showed them, didn't we?

SCC: If Darth can't help, he can only hurt.

Leiberman at Defense?

Good point Mudge--- the other aspect: getting rid of the people who would be tops to be impeached or be subjects of hearings by a Democratic congress (other than himself).

Wilbrod -- I don't think rummy has the goods on anyone. I think Bush refused to believe the GOP was gonna lose.

His arrogance keeps him from dealing with reality in a very, well, realistic way.

Had the GOP maintained the majority, I think Rummy would still be in.

I don't think Bush really understands just how the country sees Iraq.

Wilbrod -- I don't think rummy has the goods on anyone. I think Bush refused to believe the GOP was gonna lose.

His arrogance keeps him from dealing with reality in a very, well, realistic way.

Had the GOP maintained the majority, I think Rummy would still be in.

I don't think Bush really understands just how the country sees Iraq.

Bc, what do you mean by drinking Dr. Pepper? Is this an idiom I haven't come across yet?

Also, as I said Bush's body language is very skewed, so I don't watch him much.

I think his tics increase when he's upset, though. The leaning on the podium is certainly aggressive/in shock.
The feet tics are very interesting, I hadn't seen those before.

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!! *dancing around the boodle* (see here's the thing, i went to Skyline Caverns on sunday and the tour guide said if you touch this fallen stalagtit, you get good luck, if you hug it you get better and if you kiss it you get EVEN better - heck i gave it a big hug and smooch! my luck is soo good now that i don't even mind that it's rainy and gloomy outside - the marriage vote does really really irk me tho!)

Nelson, I think you are absolutely right. I also suspect he sees himself as having been doing God's Will, so he really expected the republicans to win this regardless of scandal, etc.

scc - stalagtite - (hehehe stalagtit)

so, does this mean that arbusto is a lame duck president?

and are we having our celebratory (for everyone but annie) bph on friday?

Tossing dead weight overboard or rats abandoning a sinking ship? I'm impressed that they kept the Rummy-for-Gates trade under wraps through election day. Since Gates was implicated in Iran-Contra, at least he has contacts with the powers we are going to need to bargain with to get out of Iraq as gracefully as possible (which isn't very). And we won't be negotiating from a position of strength.

Hmm. Interesting, Mudge. Do you think McCain would accept the VP job if the GOP twisted Arbusto's arm (and fired Cheney and Rove)?

Boy, I'd LOVE to hear his terms in those negotiations. Dollars to donuts McCain could end up as POTUS in all but name if he played his cards right.

And as VP, if McCain untangled the Iraq situation before Congress could do much of anything legislatively, it could set the stage for a GOP comeback in '08, starting with him taking the presidency.

Wow, I'm glad I'm sitting down when I wrote that.

bc

Re. Dr. Pepper: Wilbrod, have you ever seen the movie "Forrest Gump"?

bc

tony norman, a columnist for the pittsburgh post gazette, has an interesting piece in this morning's edition in which he fantasizes that cheney is going to step down so that rick santorum can be appointed VP and then run against mrs. clinton in '08. talk about your horror movies....

I did and liked it-- 10 years ago. Refreshing my memory...

Ahh, yes you got that pigeonholed, BC. That's exactly it.

I really can't bring myself to say h-----g a------t. But the cynical side of my brain can sure think it.

Can't figure out what you're thinking, S'nuke. I'm not cynical enough.

I will say that the odds of McCain ever taking the vice presidency are next to nil, or Bush'd have offered it to him back in 2000.

I have a feeling that Bush would sooner dig up Nixon and offer him the vice-presidency.

annie - not that you can't celebrate OTHER things... like... life... life is a good thing to celebrate! *grin*

SD wrote:

"She was quite the Marseillaise cowgirl."

Very funny. Thank you. I am hearing a revised Patsy Montana song in my mind now, starring your Frenchie-fied Western, horse-riding gal.

Wilbrod, re accents and regional voices, inflections, endearments, gestures, and other communication patterns:

I LOVE hearing these variations and regret mightily that we increasingly sound like some bland combo of Ohio and California.

I sometimes watched Peter Jennings and Robin MacNeil to hear those darling Canadian vowels and the occasional SHED-shu--awl.

One of the charms of having students from NY and NJ at College Park these days, is the way some of them lapse into their hometown--eese. Suddenly I am in a Brothers MacMillan--Eddie Burns movie.

My nuns were Canuck and Francophone. They would correct us with Frenchi-intensity. Even now, my sibs and try out that voice when one or the other needs shamin'

Jokes walk a fine line between humor and insult. Part of the line is a circle inscribing those IN and the OTHER as OUT.

If there is ever a veep candidate up for grabs, Bush will probably nominate somebody like Connie Rice, etc.

I'm having difficulty imagining an elected, sitting, unconvicted VP resigning.
Ah Spiro,those were the days.

re: cemetaries - *shock coming* i love 'em... i know, i know... you woulda never guessed... here are two cemetary pics i took in new 'awlins pre-katrina:

http://www.mortiifera.com/?page_id=29
http://www.mortiifera.com/?page_id=30

my mum worked in a cemetary for several years selling cemetary plots - one winter during an unexpected snow storm, she and a co-worker got into a snowball fight in the cemetary - she slipped and fell on a brass flower holder (that screws into the headstone) - she ended up breaking two ribs... moral of the story - no snowball fights in a cemetary...

I have to agree with Joel about the news management aspect of all this; in fact, I'm reluctantly admiring how well it's being done. Bush has gone in just a few hours from having his butt kicked to completely dominating the news cycle and utterly submerging the Dem victory. Really an amazing piece of footwork.

What I find REALLY fascinating is reverse-engineering this. Bush/Rove didn't just come up with this since this morning, when they woke up to the news they'd gotten their a--es handed to them. No--this was in the works for a while; I'd guess a week, at least. It may only have been a back-up plan IF they lost (Plan B, in other words), but I doubt even that. We are so used to thinking of these people as being in denial to the very end that it warps our appraisal.

Here's what I now think happened: At some point (a week, 10 days, 2 weeks, whatever) ago, Rove et al. saw the poll numbers, and said, "Look. We're going to lose this thing. What are we going to do if that happens?" (It was right and proper for them to come up with some sort of contingency plan; this is it.) So instead of working on some last-minute October[Novemeber] surprise, Rove et al. were working on Plan B. You don't fire Rummy and hire Gates between breakfast and lunch; it takes time-- a few days at least -- to talk it out and get everyone on board. And Bush didn't go into that press conference (even as uncomfortable as he was) without some preparation, talking points, etc.

And somewhere along the line, Bush/Rove made the decision to withhold this major change, rather than make it just before the election. I'm guessing their thinking was that to fire Rummy BEFORE the election and change course would be an acknowledgment of failure--and would SURELY cost them a major election defeat. So in their eyes [not at all sure I agree] they had to wait until the Morning After.

But one thing is very clear: they had this thing planned and choreographed. The only question would have been, just how bad a defeat did it have to be for Plan B to go into effect?

I don't think he'd name McCain as sucessor Veep; I think he'd name Frist (or, god forbid, Santorum). It depends on who the decisionmaking group is going to be, the NeoCons or the Bush41 group. The REALLY smart decision would be Colin Powell, who dearly wants to be president but doesn't want to campaign for it. As sitting Veep, he'd have a major leg up and minimally campaigning through the primaries.

But they've done so little that was smart I don't see them doing it. But it would work like a charm.

Hello!!!

My heart is rejoycing...or maybe it is dancing because I've been taken off the Toprol. The side-effects were too much. Whatever. I need a mouth transplant so I can grin twice as much.

I agree with the Cheney predictions. Just make sure the health issues aren't too serious. I do want him to stand trial for SOMETHING at some point in the future.

Hello!!!

My heart is rejoycing...or maybe it is dancing because I've been taken off the Toprol. The side-effects were too much. Whatever. I need a mouth transplant so I can grin twice as much.

I agree with the Cheney predictions. Just make sure the health issues aren't too serious. I do want him to stand trial for SOMETHING at some point in the future.

It appears Friday has won the recount for hosting the BPH. Given the holiday status for most, would 5 p.m. be a good rendezvous time?

:-)

Yep, the Evil Genius figured this out in advance just to avoid the "drip-drip deathwatch" (what a turn of phrase!). I can't stand to watch or listen to Arbusto any more, but even his picture on the WaPo homepage looks angry.

Darth will never willingly leave. Nobody can make him. He just won't honor any Congressional subpoenas, and if there were any attempt to force the issue he'd tie it up in the courts for the next two years. In theory Arbustor could jettison him by main force and persuasion, accepting his resignation, but then Arbusto would have to actually run the country. Yeah, right.

I will dance my dance
Express my joy here and now
Mudville has struck out

Now, I need someone "in the know" to tell me what the Secret Service name for Bush is. Such as "Elvis" for Clinton.

sorry about the double post. My computer has crashed three times since lunch.

The pace of the news is dizzying. I'll catch up with things later...off to a staff meeting.

By bringing in Powell, or anyone outside the Senate, you wouldn't risk a Senate seat and still hold the Senate tie breaker.

Bush's Secret Service codename? I think it's "Son of Turd Blossom."

I think Mudge is about right on Darth--a year, 18 months, and he resigns for health reasons. Then Arbusto gets to annoit his Rove-picked successor. I doubt that it would be Santorum. I think even the closed circle had to smirk every time Little Ricky stuck his foot in his mouth. McCain--Not a chance, on either side. Condi? I doubt it. I don't think she has ever been a true believer neocon. Same with Powell. Believe it or not, I could imagine that if Allen winds up losing, he might be a candidate. A way to ressurect him in the public eye. Maybe even Frist, though I think he damaged himself in the Schiavo fiasco.

Mudge, I would shorten that to TURD only. But that's just me. My dad and I have been referring to Arbusto as Buche (BOO-cheh) which is a Spanish word for gut, with rather negative connotations.

It's possible that at this point the GOP does not care much about what lame duck Bush thinks, and that they might be in more of a position to dictate what's happening now.

I suspect that Rummy is a scapegoat, a firing ordered by the GOP (possibly including Cheney and Rove). And the fact that he's lost power and control over his own Admin to the GOP is why GW Bush is so angry right now.

That's purely speculation on my part.

bc

Philadelphia Inquirer Editor Steps Down

By JOANN LOVIGLIO, Associated Press Writer

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

(11-08) 12:01 PST PHILADELPHIA (AP) --

The editor of Philadelphia's largest newspaper will step down at the end of the year as the company's new owners seek contract concessions, including deep newsroom cuts, in response to falling circulation and advertising revenue.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/11/08/financial/f110026S83.DTL

Here's a future headline of interest:

"Secretary of Defense Gates and President Ortega meet to discuss North American defense issues"

I think Mudge is right on VP, Powell, for the simple reason is that even Bush has to consider the party, and its chances for re-election in 08. I wonder how much pressure party money people were putting on him to dump Rumsfeld, and if the deal was that if they lost... Which explains his anger showing in the announcement today. Your own people stabbing you in the back.

Powell is the smart choice in a lot of ways. As someone else noted, it doesn't disturb the Senate, and a lot of people like him. Truthfully, McCain/Powell, or Powell/McCain for 08 is one heck of a powerful ticket and it sends the message that not all Republicans are the close minded type.

There were rumors of Sec. Rumsfeld running with sissors through Pentagon halls last week. Maybe he was practising.

Very scary, SonofCarl. At least with the new House maybe we'll have some actual oversight on Secretary Gates, since he apparently needs it.

How humbling for Arbusto to ask one of 41s advisors -- particularly since one of Rumsfeld's attractions was that 41 didn't like him.

I've been so swamped, I haven't been able to properly welcome 'Mudge back...

*removing tinfoil from shop steward hat in elaborate ceremony*

You have the conn, Mr. 'Mudge.

*tossing hat, Frisbee-style*

:-)

dr
if your prediction is right, a Powell/McCain ticket might be running agains an Obama/(insert least objectionable Dem here) ticket. That would be an interesting contest.

" I feel liberated, I'm just going to tell you plainly as I can why. I no longer am going to have to carry the water for people who I don't think deserve having their water carried. Now, you might say, well, why have you been doing it? Because the stakes are high. Even though the Republican Party let us down, to me they represent a far better future for my beliefs and therefore the country's than the Democratic Party and liberalism does. "

- Rush Limbaugh, 11/08/06

Sky report: overcast, but a hopeful band of light on the horizon.

In related news, scientists reverse blindness in adult mice:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061108.wblindmice1108/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

Mudge,

That is the most insightful analysis I have seen, and I have been doing way too much web surfing today.

I think the tea leaf reading on Arbusto and friends depends on which theory of true power you believe in. Either Rove or Cheney actually pulls the strings. Seeing as Cheney went to an undisclosed location for the duration and the first non-elected official to lose a job this week was part of Cheney's powerbase, Dick must be on the outs. Bush made some crack at the press conference that he (Bush) must have been working harder on the election than Rove. That's the sort of smart-a$$ viciousness that Dubya is famous for.

I think the Gates appointment is a smoke signal that Baker and the other grown-ups are back in charge to bail-out Bush from his own screw-ups. Yet again.

OMG!!!!

In introducing Casey, Bush mentioned Casey drew up plans to drive the Soviet Union from Afghanistan. Does anyone remember who cut his teeth as a mujhadeen??? (sp) THIS is a qualification for SecDef????

SonofCarl - that's a heckuva headline.
Ha! Oh, wait a minute...

Mudge, to your point, I agree, this was a choreographed Plan B of some sort (probably more of GOP origin than Team Bush41), but I find it hard to believe that all they wanted to do was dominate the headlines on The Day After.

I don't see how making the headlines now changes much of anything - it won't change who will be sworn in come January. Or who's going to have some 'splainin' to do under oath not long after that.

Seems to me the GOP plan would be to tee things up for the '08 Elections, and that will have to include appealing to the moderates who won this election for the Dems yesterday. And Frist and Santorum are not moderate figures at this point, are they?

Yah, Powell makes sense from that perspective, but if he's not interested in running, they need to find someone who appeals to the center *and* is interested in running in '08. Which is why McCain came to mind. Heck, if the GOP executed my plan, all they'd have to do is force Bush 41 to resign before the '08 elections, and McCain could run for President AS THE INCUMBENT (and all the media/perks/advantages that includes).

bc

Powell is done - his debacle in front of the UN concering I-Wrack WMDs will forever haunt him, esp. in a political arena.

Hillary Pres-elect in '08 - count on it, but for some reason Democrats don't want to admit it.

Thank you, scotty. I have received glowing reports of your stewardship. I knew I could count on you in these turbulent times.

bc, my problem is I'm not sure who "the GOP" might be at this point. Normally, it is the Pres. and his people. I don't see Mehlman as any kind of party theoretician of equal stature. There's the Bush41/Baker group. It's pretty clear the NeoCons/Bill Kristol/Richard Perle crowd are dead/disgraced/out of office, all except Darth himself. There's the religious right group. There's the non-religious conserv group. And there's the house/senate core leadership group. At any given time which ones are "in charge" or able to be "the decider" is unclear, but when it comes to nominating somebody, that would clearly be Arbusto and his core group. What their thinking will be six months from now is unknown and probably unknowable.

But oh yeah, a Powell/McCain ticket would be VERY formidable. Between the two men, though, I'm not sure either would consent to be No. 2; I'm virtually certain Powell wouldn't want to be the factotum who presides over the Senate and waits in the wings. Nor McCain, for that matter. But given that Bush probably hates McCain much more than he hates Powell (if he even hates Powell at all). Of course, Bush will have nothing to say about who the 2008 VP candidate would be. He only controls who he'd appoint as Veep now to replace Cheney.

The other thing to remember is, if/when Arbusto appoints a new Veep, it has to go before the Senate for confirmation. Powell wins it, pretty much without a glove laid on him. Santorum gets mauled and ultimately defeated. Frist gets mauled, but probably gets confirmed. (Remember, if it's a Dem-controlled Senate, they're getting to confirm who it is they're going to run against. Maybe it would be in their interest to confirm Santorum--a guy they can shred in 08!) But they'd HAVE to confirm Powell--and they'd fear him.

The question is, how much influence the hard-core non-religious conservs have.

A giant chess game.

Wilbrod wrote: I and most of my deaf friends find Bush hard to watch because of his body language is just so full of tics and so awkward it gives me, for one, the willies.

I don't think that has anything to do with being deaf; I can't watch the man for more than a few seconds without precisely those tics giving me the creeps. I don't know whether the moronic blinking and inappropriate smirking are tics as well, or whether they are code to his base, but they give me a migraine.

Mudge, Its a game I am going to enjoy watching.

Does this mean that Bush is now effectively a lame duck?

A freshly appointed Veep will become associated with the current administration (kind of a no-brainer thought) - political suicide at this point.

Vader resign? Wishful thinking, ain't gonna happen.

The new SecDef Dr. Gates has a PhD in Russian studies L.A. Lurker. Study hard and you may become the first boodler in the Cabinet.

The CIA has probably reduced its hiring of Russian scolars though, at least I hope. Any boodler fluent in Arabic ?

***REPEAT***

The BPH is now FRIDAY, arrival time tentatively 5 p.m.

That is all.

***REPEAT***

RE: Boko999's comment:

There were rumors of Sec. Rumsfeld running with sissors through Pentagon halls last week. Maybe he was practising.

He forgot to heed this fellow's films:

Warning-Film Producer Davis Dies at 90

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

(11-08) 11:48 PST Los Angeles (AP) --

Sid Davis, who produced more than 180 educational films warning youngsters of the dangers of drugs, drinking and running with scissors, has died. He was 90.

www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/11/08/national/a114848S50.DTL

I don't especially believe in the "lame duck" thing, at least not up until the last few months. This clown is still very dangerous, and will be for AT LEAST a year, maybe more.

While all our attention has been focused on the election and Iraq, the WH has been seriously dismantling the EPA piece by piece. I have a friend who works in EPA, and you wouldn't believe what's been going on--closing libraries, offices and test lab facilities. It's all been covered in the press, but at such a low level it hasn't hit anybody's radar. It's my belief that the WH is playing against the clock, thinking that even if they retain the WH in 08 it won't necessarily be a NeoCon or a Conserve of the Bush camp who wins. So they are diligently dismantling EPA and "spiking the guns" of what they're going to leave behind. And we're all looking the other way (because Iraq is more important). They are sneaky b---ards, and they are still whittling away, which has been their plan from Day One.

Disagree with both your 3:38 and your 4:04, Far From. But that's what makes it a fascinating chess game and spectator sport.

mostlylurking has not checked in has she?

Mostly, I am hoping you are dry, and warm.

Yoki,

some friendly advice: don't watch Bush or Riverdance on TV, in person, on YouTube, etc. May save you from a headache or two...

I don't see Powell back in the game at all. Alma, his wife, told him back in '00 that she would leave him if he ran for president.

I don't believe he will have anything to do with this administration at all -- he got used and abused pretty badly. I still fault him for going along with the war -- he had strong doubts -- the ex-general in him should have sat down and had a grown-up talk with W.

I also don't think Rummy is a scapegoat. He has so badly messed up the Iraq war and made so many enemies in the Pentagon -- it was astonishing he hadn't been poisoned over there.

I mean, the Military Times papers called for his resignation on Monday. I do agree that W. is gonna ask the adults (at least one anyway) come in and rescue him now. He's so friggin arrogant though, I don't know how he'll be able to take any direction or advice that is short of "victory."

I also don't see this as a brilliant PR move. I'm with bc in thinking that if he'd done this a week ago or so, he may saved his majority.

He wouldn't even have had to admit a mistake. Just say that it was time for a change -- this could have gone along with the decision not to use the phrase "stay the course" anymore. But it would have actually meant it.

I believe a lot of moderates and even the GOP folks who voted Dem this time around would have seen this as evidence he was dealing in a reality-based world -- they may have stuck with him.

To fire the SecDef 5 days after you've been on record as saying he stays no matter what -- I don't see it as a master stroke -- yeah they certainly had this in the pipe -- I bet they would have made the change anyway.

Bush values loyalty, however misplaced, above reality. This comes from a point of great weakness.

BTW, Webb has declared victory. Has started to pull together a transition team.

What a wild, exhilarating, ride . . .

Did yoiu guys catch this? It's been buried in all the other stuff, but Hastert announced he is NOT going to run for Minority Leader in the next term.

Big shake-up going on. Don't know yet if that was his idea, or if the WH asked him to step down.

But this is also clearly something that was contemplated before the election, maybe once again as a Plan B. But somebody has to take the fall for pi--poor GOP leadership of the House; why not the guy in charge? Hastert (properly) falls on his own sword.

We live in interesting times.

That is true, but it was a different world in so many ways in 2000.

It may not be such a crazy thing to have someone who knows the Russians well as SecDef. The Russians have played a major part in Iran's "nucular" program. Right now we are all focused on Iraq, but Iran and North Korea can't be dismissed.

mudge -- just now read your 4:23. Very interesting. I went to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS -- the oceanographic arm of William and Mary) to watch a screening of "An Incovenient Truth" followed by a short discussion.

One of the professors there said that Bush will turn his attention to global warming in the next two years and will even propose some legislation. But the point of the legislation will be to leave so many loopholes in the law that it will be useless. Make it look like he's doing something with the real intent of making it safe for big oil and other malfeasants.

I don't think W is defanged. He still has complete control over foreign affairs -- -he can still do whatever the he** he wants to in Iraq. As Cheney made clear on Sunday -- neither he nor W is running for office again. He can tie up Congressional subpeonas in court for months and years -- i already read somewhere in print (maybe in Froomkin) that this is the intended strategy if the "Democrat Party" won -- as opposed to the "Republic Party."

Another tidbit that came out of the VIMS session last nite -- there's been more censorship of scientists that the public is really aware of. More than just James Hansen and the brouhaha at NASA. It was scary.

And of course, a lot depends on what the Dems actually *do* in the next 2 years.

Do they get their act together? I'm not looking for lots of legislation to be passed -- W ain't gonna give up anything.

But the manner in which they handle themselves -- as leaders or clowns -- will be telling.

I don't think Darth Vader is doing anywhere either.

It's all gonna be pretty intense to watch.

I would like to see Harry Reid be replaced should the Webb thing work out. He's ineffectual in my book.

mudge hit the nail on the head. Bush's original pre-9/11 goal was a complete dismantling of all regulatory authority (except over teachers) and that goal has continued apace. I call it the 'fox in the henhouse' strategy. EPA, mine safety, forestry service, drilling rights, right down the line.

dr, true, 2000 was pre-9/11, a drastically different world.

Bush dissing Rummy last week would have been the quintessential October surprise, an act perceived to be in desperation. Plus, with Kerry's "stay in school" joke-gone-bad, the GOP base was becoming 'somewhat' solidified and dissing Rummy would have given some credence to Kerry's comments. Wow, maybe Kerry's comments worked for the Democrats after all...

GOP nominee in '08 is going to have to be an outsider, even McCain, despite being a darling of the media, is carrying some baggage since he's part of a shellacked minority in Congress. Guliani possibly, but he may be too far to the center to be palatable within the Con/NeoCon ranks. Tough call for '08, as Republicans have been checkmated into oblivion, for now...

@ Geist
"...the idea of including your vote with your taxes"

...This is way too close to an old fashioned, unconstitutional Poll-Tax... not to mention that it is bad public policy.

Hey Mr. Allen....WELCOME TO VIRGINIA !

Hey Mr. Allen....WELCOME TO VIRGINIA !

Perhaps after Webb is certified as the winner, Bush can appoint George Allen as the new ambassador to Malacca (yes, I spelled that the way I wanted to) and VA can name the sister city of Richmond as Malaga (Spain).

Running for the bus...

Or F*ing, Germany, although I think that's the sister city of Political Washington.

Hey all...

Thanks for all the support and advice the other day. I can't even begin to describe how much it meant to read your comments. I would have responded sooner, but Saturday turned into "Seizure Saturday" and Sunday I was still shaking too badly to be trusted with a keyboard. Still kinda woozy today, but I suppose that's to be expected. Five days without a drink now. I didn't lose my job, either. Yet. The company I work for isn't doing all that great, so if the axe falls I'm sure I'm on the short list of necks.

I did make it to the polls yesterday, though -- nothing was going to stop this freaky liberal from casting his ballot -- and last night could not have been more exciting. Some people go crazy over football (or curling), I go nuts over politics.

And the news this morning! Best. Election. Evar!

Talk about running the table. I figured the Dems would score well, but the House and (it looks like) the Senate to boot? This just in... "Voters to Republican politicians: Die in a fire."

The best thing? I can now hold my Ohioan head up in pride. Strickland got the Governorship. Brown beat the guano out of DeWine for the Senate. A local guy I know, Marc Dann, won Attorney General. Our Statehouse is now mostly Blue (screw you, Cinci-tucky). I'm just lovi