So, it might seem that writing a diary about something stupid published by  the NRO might be a bit like shooting fish in a barrel. But this is just too good to pass by with out comment.

Apparently Obama's speech last week. The one that was widely called a historical moment and one of the best political speeches of the last 30 years in fact has Obama crashing and burning. So says NRO contributor Victor Davis Hanson. The logic for this claim, as well as his criticism of Obama's speech are just so absurdly laughable that they really deserve a wider airing.

Hanson lambastes intellectual obtuseness. He makes intellectually obtuse proclamations. He makes bizzare claims of fact. He makes facts up
And just for fun, he ends by playing concern troll giving out advance laughably bad, but made more comical by the fact he so clearly believes it's good stuff.  So, here we go...

Per the request of this dairy on the tragedy at NIU, I'm posting this as an open thread for news and updates on the situation.

As of 6:30 Still no word on victims' condition.

Go to this diary by Ilona for an on-the-ground report

I don't know how well this diary will be recived, it being 1:30 AM and half the site over at Yearly Kos (which I now sorely regret cheaping out and not registering for), but here it goes anyway.

Just when you think your well of outrage is dry, and you're too jaded to have any reaction more than a cynical laugh of scorn to a story of corruption, something comes along that, simply for its sheer brazenness, wipes the cynicism away in a Chicago second. This is one of those stories.

In a stunning act of journalism that forgoes the usual obsession for balance over substance that afflicts most reporting on anything that matters, Newsweek, by way of MSNBC brings us this tale of corporate greed and corruption

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer or even a conlaw expert. The following is my lay person's analysis of the facts cited within.

Those just waking up may only now be reading this poorly titled but important recommend diary, which discuses this executive order issued by Bush on July 17th, which to summarize allows the president to unilaterally seize property of "Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq."

This is a bizarre and alarming order, which patently violates the 4th and 5th amendments to the US Constitution, as well as potentially the 1st, depending on how it is applied.

The conclusions of it's author, if I understand him correctly, is this is effectively a declarations of martial law. Besides having a problem with the semantics of that statement, I don't believe the aim of the Bush administration with this order is to harass anti-war activists or other political opponents. I believe Bush is in fact using this order to initiate a much larger and potentially dangerous and far reaching power grab.

Washington

Fresh from his performance at CNN’s Democratic presidential primary debate, and criticism from liberal activists over his support of a consumption tax to replace the national income tax, Mike Gravel unveiled his new tax policy today. The plan abandons the idea of a national sales tax, while still accomplishing Gravel’s stated goal of eliminating the IRS and current tax code. Instead of his earlier plan of a consumption tax, the new plan proposing collecting taxes from individuals by implementing a system of tax farming. "Tax farming was good enough for the Romans, and by God it’s good enough for us!" said an apparently agitated Gravel in a voice several decibels too loud.

The first half of this diary is snark. Read all the way through before commenting.

That’s it, I’m done, feed up finished. He’s been my favorite member of the Democratic leadership ever since I found out he once strangled someone for offering him a bribe. He’s run rings around the Senate Republican leaders as minority leader. Back when we were still in the minority, he put the Senate in closed scission and won a news cycle against the Republican majority at a time when America was finally waking up to what everyone here already knew.

But I found out today none of that matters

For those who spent yesterday under a rock and don't know what I'm referring to, see here

And here

Below is an up to date list of likely and in some cases not so likely GOP hopefuls, with analysis about how each would effect the race, both in the primary and the general.

Please note that I've borrowed heavily from the Wikipedia article Potential Republican candidates in the 2008 U.S. presidential election for basic informational text on the candidates. However, most of the analysis is my own.

Last night I took a break from reading about media coverage of the presidency to watch the Daily Show with my friends, a common nightly occurrence. I'm normally a fan of the Daily Show, because not only being funny as Hell, it usually goes after people who need to be taken down a peg.

But what I saw last night wasn't funny, no matter how much my friends laughed at it. Maybe it would have seemed funny if I hadn't known the situation. Or hadn't be privy to such an underhanded attack on the party I proudly claim membership in, or on my own personal political savvy.

Yes, I'm talking about Paul Hackett.

Go below the cut to find my list, and if you have any to add, post them to the comments.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the holiday, or who don't know that it has a history outside the TV show Seinfeld, Wikipedia will fill you in.

While I got go on at length about the irony and borderline hypocrisy of the pro-regulation stance, I think a more compelling argument against government regulation can be found in the practical concerns such would entail.

Go below the fold for details...

So now we're going to Texas with a two game lead. And I can't wait to crush the Astros down there just to see, on live TV, the scowls from 41 and "the Beautiful Mind." Maybe Dubya will even be there!

This is an World Series open thread

Many options have been discussed, ranging from indictments up to and including President Bush, to an end to the investigation with no charges.

Below the fold, I'll detail some of the most likely outcomes, and also make my predictions for the final results.

So instead, I'm posting this Goldfish's WYFP: Morning/Insomnia Edition.

Hey gang. I know Pastordan usually posts these, but I got tired waiting, and I really need to let lose. I figuer I have enough FPs to fill their own diary, I might as well make one.

Head below the flip for my FPs.