More on the Ta­l­abap­tist front. In yes­ter­day's Washinton Post, Kevin Phillips on How the GOP Became God's Own Party.

Rolling Stone magazine profiles Senator Sam Brownback in God's Senator. It's a scary look at the Christian far Right.

A very in­ter­est­ing piece in last Sunday's New York Times magazine: A Talib at Yale. Sayed Rah­mat­ul­lah Hashemi is the former "roving ambassador" for the Taliban, now studying at Yale. An in­ter­est­ing and improbable life story.

The right-wing bl­o­gos­phere is furious about it. I say it's better to co-opt moderate former Talibs than to freeze them out.

Besides, his B-grades at Yale are better than George Bush's "Gen­tle­man's-C".

The Onion interviews Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report, politics, and improv.

This morning, I sent the following letter to the Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

Senator,

Your job last week was to show up Samuel Alito as the extremist that he is.

You failed. You were out­ma­neu­vred by the Re­pub­li­cans and you did not make a compelling case when you had the spotlight on you. Instead many of you were, rightfully, pilloried as bloviating blowhards.

Do you really want your legacy to be that you swung the Supreme Court to the right for three decades? Do you want to remembered as one who lost Roe v. Wade? That you placed someone with a track record of priv­i­leg­ing the executive …continue.

Via DailyKos, the 25 Dumbest Quotes of 2005. Includes such gems as:

• 13) "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god… Anything specific I need to do or tweak? Do you know of anyone who dog-sits? … Can I quit now? Can I come home? … I'm trapped now, please rescue me." --Ex-FEMA Director Michael Brown, in various emails to colleagues and friends in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
• 2) "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" --House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-TX), to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston, Sept. 9, 2005

Harold Pinter's speech on accepting the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature.

I put to you that the United States is without doubt the greatest show on the road. Brutal, in­dif­fer­ent, scornful and ruthless it may be but it is also very clever. As a salesman it is out on its own and its most saleable commodity is self love. It's a winner. Listen to all American presidents on television say the words, 'the American people', as in the sentence, 'I say to the American people it is time to pray and to defend the rights of the American people and I ask the American people to trust their president in the action he …continue.

Via DailyKos, Will Ferrell as Dubya making a Special An­nounce­ment on Global Warming.

Bill Moyers speaking at the 50th an­niver­sary of The Texas Observer:

Mc­Carthy­ism was a raging plague in the 1950s and the virus rampaged across Texas like tum­ble­weeds in a wind storm. ... The low point, said Maverick, came when the state Senate passed a bill to remove all books from public libraries which “ad­verse­ly” reflected on American and Texas history, the family and religion. Even the state teachers as­so­ci­a­tion endorsed the bill, in exchange for a pay raise. ...

That was the lay of the land in the 1950s. And Democrats were in charge, remember? That’s right: Texas was a one-party state; Re­pub­li­cans were as scarce in high office as Democrats are …continue.

In August 2001, George W. Bush ignored a warning that Osama Bin Laden would attack the US. Thousands died.

In March 2003, Bush started an un­nec­es­sary war against Iraq. Tens of thousands died.

In August 2005, Bush ignored warnings that a major hurricane would strike New Orleans, and stayed on vacation. He played guitar in Arizona while New Orleans drowned. Uncounted thousands died.

Not until Wednesday did he return to Washington. Even now, he has yet to show leadership. Photo ops are not leadership. Platitudes are not leadership.

For four years, the Bush ad­min­is­tra­tion has played the terror card, warning us again and again that terrorists would strike our cities. Billions have been …continue.