Politics and other nightmares

Kevin Leininger stole my thunder and wrote about something that's been bothering me lately, too:

This is, of course, George Bush's fault. If he had not insisted on making 9/11 an excuse to spy on ordinary Americans going about their usual business, thus creating a culture in which the violation of our privacy is accepted as routine, such an outrage would never even have been attempted:

There is no way for this to play out except for liberals to gloat, conservatives to be defensive and libertarians to go, "tsk, tsk, tsk."

The differences between liberals and conservatives may run deeper than how they feel about welfare reform or the progress of the Iraq war: Researchers reported Sunday that their brains may actually work differently.

We've now had our first presidential debate in Spanish, with English subtitles, and the candidates fell all over themselves to prove their Latino credentials:

And the candidates were eager to connect their experiences with those of the Latino community.

The ups and downs of Larry Craig: I'm going to quit the Senate. No I'm not. Yes I am. I'm going to try to change my guilty plea. No I'm not. Yes I am. 

Craig's attorneys wrote that "faced with the pressure of an aggressive interrogation and the consequences of public embarrassment, Senator Craig panicked and chose to plead to a crime he did not commit."

I will try not to be heartbroken at the news that Chuck Hagel will not seek re-election or, in fact, furn for any elective office:

His exit means one more seat the minority Republicans will be forced to defend, and both parties are expected to bring in heavy hitters to vie for the spot. The contenders could include Democrat Bob Kerrey, a former U.S. senator and governor, and Republican Mike Johanns, the U.S. agriculture secretary and another former governor.

All those people who referred to City Councilman John Crawford as Hitler for the smoking ban he pushed into existence? Maybe they should have been thinking "Osama":

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Freshly minted GOP White House hopeful Fred Thompson puzzled Iowans yesterday by insisting an Al Qaeda smoking ban was one reason freedom-loving Iraqis bolted to the U.S. side.

Perhaps I don't understand the meaning of "impotent":

WASHINGTON -- Seemingly taunting Osama bin Laden, President Bush's homeland security adviser said Sunday the fugitive al-Qaida leader is "virtually impotent" beyond his ability to hide away and spread anti-American propaganda.

Oh, for God's sake:

From former Indianapolis Star columnist Ruth Holliday's blog I gleaned this tidbit about Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning:

Ha. The Indiana and Ohio bottle and can Mafia are running their contraband into Michigan and costing the state a bundle:

LANSING