Can everyone please check out the excruciating and clunky allusion that is the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s latest video? Why does the weird DSCC want to sell everyone iPod nanos? MORE »

Hello, Democratic Congressman from Florida Alan Grayson! We hear you have a few rather saucy remarks about the Republicans’ health care plan…… or lack thereof! Ha! Right though? Okay hit it, Mr. Man: “That’s right! The Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick!”

Caustic, that trademark Ocala, FL wit.
[via Daily Intel]

• Hey Britain and France, whatcha up to today? OH NOTHING just accusing Iran of having the most secret and evil nuclear facility ever before the G20. There is also this Thai place in downtown Pittsburgh that we have been meaning to try. [New York Times]
• Najibullah Zazi is probably the most self-realized terrorist the U.S. has ever arrested: he was further along in acting on a more complicated plan than everyone since Osama’s guys in 2001. [New York Times]
• Tim Russert’s dad—the “Big Russ” of Tim Russert’s book, Big Russ and Me—has died. MSNBC is expected to play a four to six week-long Powerpoint in remembrance. [CNN]
• Didja hear?: An important young people activism protest went down in Pittsburgh’s East End last night! A few dozen people were arrested for smashing windows and frankly being rather unpleasant, especially considering what lovely weather we were having yesterday. [Post-Gazette]
• Gaddafi has been saying contradictory mood-swing-y things this whole week: First he called the U.N. a “terror council,” and then he called Obama his “son,” but then he was like, I get it, I get why everyone who had a family member die in the Lockerbie bombing is so upset with me about Lockerbie. [Wall Street Journal]
• Compared to 2007, fewer people are giving less money to the Democrats. This is because the Democrats have either annoyed or attempted to dwindle the fortunes of a lot of their big donors. [Washington Post]

The term “war room,” which was once used to describe actual rooms from which powerful people went about warring, has now been watered down to the point where it just refers to some 9-year-old intern in an undisclosed Washington dungeon linking to articles about Bob Corker, on Twitter. This is the macho macho new Senate Democrats’ War Room! Look at how buff ‘n’ tuff they are, the Senate Democrats. Ha ha, nice try. An accurate “Senate Democrats’ Twitter Page” would feature a picture of an exasperated Ben Nelson and only one message, “Whoa whoa whoa, let’s slow things down and think this through,” reposted every hour on the hour. [Twitter via Washington Independent]

Democrats have gone from 0-60 in their mastery of the important political skill of “subtly exploiting a Kennedy death.” Yesterday, you’ll recall, America’s most unsuccessful technically successful senator Harry Reid announced that, uhh yeah, we’re all acutely aware that Ted Kennedy’s death is going to help our chances of doing what we want with health care. Like many things in politics, this was not okay for him to say despite it being completely true! Anyway, now this new plan, naming the health care bill after Kennedy… to honor him… NOW THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE. MORE »

Remember when all the Kennedys were handsome and noble and square of jaw? They still have the jaw thing but everything else about them is crappy and disappointing. Join us as we walk through the Rogue’s Gallery of Remaining Kennedys and reflect on the Death of Camelot, etc. MORE »

Now that the question of what to do about Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat is no longer an academic one, folks in Boston seem to be giving the issue a little re-think. Remember Kennedy wrote to the governor recently asking him if he couldn’t perhaps do something about that terrible law Democrats passed in 2004, the one that called for a special election in the event of a Senate vacancy FIVE MONTHS after the seat first opened? That got everybody so steamed … MORE »

Riddle us this, finance experts: why would you go to all the trouble of (allegedly) forging a bunch of documents in order to get a $74 million loan and then repay the loan all quick-like once it became clear that Johnny Law was onto you? So much effort for a bunch of money you apparently didn’t need so badly anyway! MORE »

So long, old fella. [NYT]

Here we have a pretty normal news analysis of Joe Biden: he’s described as frank but endearing, a clown but a statesman, maybe less visible than other Obama staffers but nonetheless a valued member of the team, etc etc… SNOOZE. But! “Aides said he might go for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. He would be 74 upon taking office, but his staff insists that’s not too old.” Well, shucks! As long as his paid employees give him the (anonymous) go-ahead, then everything should be fine. Remember how America just elected the 72-year-old John McCain its oldest president ever? Exactly. [Los Angeles Times]

Here is your daily White House Healthcare Messaging Update! Having failed at the whole “talk to insured voters about what’s in it for them” approach, various strategists and advisors are now telling the Obama administration to talk about “morals” instead. Good luck with that! MORE »