As you all must know by now (and if you don't, what rock have you been living under?!?), Apple is releasing the iPhone, its newest life-changing gadget, on June 29th. The iPhone will feature, among other things, a built-in camera, Web access via WiFi, a phone (duh), digital music player, e-mail, the Safari browser running on OS X, calendar, etc.--all accessed via a sleek touch-screen. The whole world is literally on pins and needles waiting to get its hands on this thing.

Some holier-than-thou journos are already growsing about the amount of hype the iPhone is generating. What self-appointed buzz censors like Shafer don't realize is that the halo of hype surrounding the iPhone is entirely justified--and more! Don't believe me? Check out this exclusive list of additional features I was able to get my hands on directly from Apple. Talk about burying the lead! See you on the flip.

Some like doing with it the lights off. Maybe they're ashamed of the filthy, naughty things they're doing behind closed doors, online or over the phone. Maybe they're so unattractive (inside and out) that the only way they can bring themselves to do it is under cover of darkness. Who knows: The point is, they like doing it in the dark. It turns them on.

Me, I like it with the lights on. Maybe it's because I'm a voyeur (I don't do it, but like to watch others do it) and so I need lots of light. I like to see exactly what's being done and who's doing it. Unlike them, I get off on sunlight and accountability.

I'm talking, of course, about government. See you on the flip side.

The College Republicans have other ideas, some not quite as mainstream as parading popular politicians.

Morgan Wilkins, the intern hired by the Republican National Committee to win the hearts and minds of Michigan 20-somethings, is planning events that some may find odd. To others, they may be offensive.

One such idea is "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day," in which a volunteer would play the part of an illegal immigrant and hide somewhere on campus while others try to find him. The winner would receive a prize.

These are the future leaders of this country. Doesn't that make you feel better? More after the jump.

I'm curious about the reading habits and literary tastes of my fellow Kossacks. What do you usually read: fiction or non-fiction? Who is/are your favorite author(s)? What are you reading now? What magazines/journals/online pubs do you read frequently? Is there a book that has had a defining impact on your life, something you always try to push on people because it has such an impact on you?

I'd like this to be as wide-ranging as possible. I'll get us started on the flip.

"We could also electrify this wire with the kind of current that would not kill somebody, but it would be a discouragement for them to be fooling around with it. We do that with livestock all the time."

More after the jump.

Washington DC--After failiing to pass a constitutional amendment that would have prohibited desecration of the American flag, Republican Senators today proposed a new amendment aimed at banning the burning of apple pies.

"The apple pie is yet another national symbol that is desecrated everyday by burning," said Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), who faces an uphill battle for reelection this year. "Unlike flag amendment, where we had to make up a flag-burning epidemic because there wasn't one, there really IS an apple pie burning epidemic."

"Um, that last remark is off the record, OK?," added the Senator.

More on the anti-apple pie burning amendment on the flip.

Speaking at a press conference hastily convened at the National Press Building this afternoon, bears from a variety of backgrounds and political leanings put their differences aside to strongly condemn the ad. ""Only Joe Lieberman could've brought together ultra-conservative bears like the Suger Bear and gay activists like the Care Bears. This campaign ad is an affront to all of us Hybernating-Americans," said Tedddy Bear, spokesbear for the group.

More on the press conference after the jump.

The phrase popped into my mind when I visited Salon's War Room this morning and read that President Bush had declared American's didn't dislike him, they were just "unsettled." America is rushing to dump Bush, telling him it's all his fault. Bush, in typical fashion, is reversing the logic of the breakup, essentially telling the American people: It's NOT me, it's YOU.

More on the flip.

...therein lie Hillary Clinton's biggest problems. She epitomizes the "insider" label of the early crowd of 2008 Democratic contenders. She's part of the Clinton machine that decimated the national Democratic Party. And she remains surrounded by many of the old consultants who counsel meekness and caution.

In his op-ed, Markos uses Hillary's candidacy to reiterate the arguments he's been making here and in Crashing the Gate: That the Democratic party has become overly cautious, unimaginative and has turned its back on the grassroots. More on the flip.

Two percent judged Bush's performance as "great," 5 percent as "near great" and 11 percent as "average."

That adds up to 18%, which, perhaps not coincidentally, is Dick Cheney's approval rating.

If this story seems familiar, it's because this is only the latest step in the Bush presidency's slow, inevitable road towards the ash heap of history. More after the flip.

That's why I'd like to have all our 2008 presidential hopefuls sign a pledge to reject Bush's imperial presidency and return the country to a constitutional presidency instead. Read the pledge below the fold.

For every $50 Democracy for America raises today, we'll send Tom DeLay an authentic rubber chicken for his mantle.  It'll be our goodbye present.

Full text of the e-mail and donation link after the jump.

1. Vice President Cheney resigns-- and President Bush replaces him not with Condoleeza Rice, as the rumors in Washington speculate, but with his father, George H.W. Bush.
   
2. President Bush resigns, allowing his father to move up to the presidency.
   
3. Bush 41/44 chooses his best buddy and surrogate son Bill Clinton (42, that is) to be Vice President. Talk about a fusion White House. Talk about bringing us together. Talk about compassionate triangulation.
   

Do we really have to go over all the reasons why this will never happen? Fine...

"Unfortunately, the White House is working against me behind the scenes, and I resent that, considering how I've delivered so much for the White House over the last five years," Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Charles Grassley said at a hearing on recovery efforts from the U.S. Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Seems like Grassley is finally learnig the lesson we've all known for a long time: you can't trust George W. Bush--ever.

What exactly is Bush trying to block? See on the flip.

During a meeting of Code Pink activists in DC tonight, it came up that someone who was present at Barack Obama's weekly constituent breakfast asked the Senator whether he planned to attend the anti-war march this Saturday. Obama's response (and apparently this is a direct quote): "What march? Is it in DC?"

We know Obama's pretty busy, but we can't believe that he was completely unaware until today that the biggest anti-war march in awhile is happening this Saturday in DC. Let's make sure he knows! Please call Obama at his DC and Chicago offices to make sure he's aware of Saturday's march. DC: 202-224-2854; Chicago: 312-816-3506. We're especially looking for calls from Illinois, so if you're an IL Kossack, please call!

Last week, after "more than an hour of solemn ceremony" swearing in Rep. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as House speaker, Gov. Jeb Bush stepped to the podium to tell "a short story about `unleashing Chang,' his `mystical warrior' friend."

<snip>

"Chang is a mystical warrior. Chang is somebody who believes in conservative principles, believes in entrepreneurial capitalism, believes in moral values that underpin a free society."

It gets better...read below.

Here's more evidence of the existence of what Hunter calls the Rich Man's Religion: conservatives are calling Congress demanding Medicaid cuts in the budget, even after Katrina! Congress need to hear from us. Please call 1-800-828-0498 (toll-free) and tell your senators and representatives to protect Medicaid.

Here's the email I got from Families USA (after the jump):