• Things continued to spiral ever more out-of-control in Israel and Lebanon, with Hezbollah firing 200 rockets into Israel Wednesday and Israel’s ground troops engaging in “fierce fighting” throughout Lebanon. Agreements for an international peacekeeping force are being hashed out. [NYT]

• American Orthodox Jews are being courted by Republicans, who see themselves as being more staunchly pro-Israel than their opponents. [WP
• A number of members of congress have children or close relatives serving in the Armed Forces in Iraq. "A White House aide, who requested anonymity because his information was preliminary, said Wednesday that he knew of no top Bush administration official who had a relative who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan." [NYT]
• The out-going British Ambassador to Iraq warned Prime Minister Tony Blair that civil war is more likely in Iraq than Democracy. He said it would be “messy” for 5-10 years. [BBC]
• Connecticut Senate primary race: “[Ned] Lamont, a political novice, has support from 54 percent of likely Democratic voters in the Quinnipiac University poll, while [Sen. Joe] Lieberman has support from 41 percent of voters.” [AP]
• The Administration will present legislation to Congress giving “clarity” to the Supreme Court’s detainee treatment rulings. [NYT]
• If the Democrats fail to take Congress this year, veteran Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY) will quit. [NYT]
• It’s hot. [NOAA]

• Katherine Harris pens blog post, incites flurry of pandering to Florida’s Cuban voters. [The Hill Blog]

• Ousted from Connecticut, Juan Liebermantienez to lead coup in Cuba. [The Satirical Political Report]
• Vanity Fair releases military tapes from 9/11, titles article as if it were a classic rock box set. [Vanity Fair]
• The Republican party of Oregon, apparently more racist than in other states. [Oregon Live]
• Expect one less mysterious “tax” on your phone bill as Congress closes books on Spanish American War. [News.com]
• Christians pray for stability in Iraq, so they can hurry up and start proselytizing. [The Carpetbagger Report]
• Relive all the hot Texan backrub action at the G-8 with this new video game — fastest finger wins! [Addicting Games]

Daniel Kish, a senior adviser to Representative Richard Pombo (R-CA), in an email to a spokesperson for the House Resources Committee: MORE »

“I think you can try too hard to be cool and the coolness can come back to hit you in the face.”
-Senator Joe Lieberman MORE »

Remember the good old days for embattled Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn), when the fifty-term politician with the big heart from the little state bragged that he had his own special flavor of Walter Mondale’s mesmerizing “Norwegian Charisma,” something called “Joementum” that would help win the 2004 Democratic presidential nod and eventually become God-Emperor of Dune? MORE »

• In the mixed-up world of Connecticut politics there’s one thing Joe Lieberman can count on. [Corrente]

• How many naked Libertarians can you fit in the back of a squad car? [AP]
• The drunker the President gets, the safer we are. [Bring It On!]
• Durty Jerz is about heritage, not hate. [Four Four]
• The American military is like the Green Lantern, dependent on willpower and unable to fight yellow things. [Matthew Yglesias]
• Johnny Deep is really just a better looking Jerry Falwell, puffy shirt notwithstanding. [Collective Sigh]

Last night, Joe Lieberman assured Ned Lamont that he is not, despite his greatest longings, George Bush. But what if he were? Well, for one thing, he’d spend a lot more time with Laura Bush, and… whoah, pardon me while I lie down for a moment, because the whole idea of a Joe ‘n’ Laura tryst just sent me into a dizzy spell. After all, it’s the only thing which could possibly top the divine salaciousness of those totally credible Bush ‘n’ Condi rumors.

More images of a strange, alternative present where Senator Lieberman is George Bush and married to Laura after the jump!

MORE »

Joe Lieberman, facing a primary challenge from an actual Democrat (well, someone who isn’t Joe Lieberman — we’re just assuming the guy’s a Democrat. Also, we still don’t trust his CRAZY EYES) announced a little while ago that he’s collecting signatures for a possible run as an independent. Actually, he announced that he’s collecting signatures to run as a completely made-up thing (“Petitioning Democrat?” Why not “Mugwump,” Mr. Senator?). But the important news here is that some bloggers made a giant, creepy float of him kissing the President. MORE »

Except for the fact that Joe Lieberman’s voice gives us a migraine, we don’t have a dog in the Lamont/Lieberman primary fight (because, after all, Ned Lamont’s voice is fine but he clearly has CRAZY EYES). But this ad deserves to be showcased, because it, like Joe Lieberman’s voice and Ned Lamont’s crazy eyes, is creepy as hell. Mostly for that Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” morph at the end. (Crazy Eyes Lamont should totally head to a soundstage alley and start destroying cars and turning into a puma at the end!) MORE »

And maybe they read this blog. Yesterday we commended them for running this great photo and caption: MORE »

The guy publicly confesses to being a coke fiend. So this is the photograph they choose to run: MORE »

President George W. Bush, April 5, 2006: MORE »