Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling

Dear Santa,

This game is the most underated PS1 game in all of history (IMHO). Very weak graphics, lame animation, but great porno-style soundtrack and ultra-realistic pin action.

I wanted to upload a track I recorded recently, but blogger doesn't allow that sort of thing. I'm going to take a look at mySpace.

Nothing to Say

I've never actually blogged from a coffee shop, so that's my excuse now. I'm pretty newsed out right about now, preferring to listen to Dane Cook CDs and playing music. I did notice that the New York Times story from last Sunday about Camp Nama meant nothing more than a ripple in American news coverage. Bush's speech and press conference was a joke. He told Helen Thomas that he invaded Iraq because the Taliban provided safe haven to al-Qaeda. Wrap yourself around that one. But, again, this is nothing new. Outrage fatigue.

My drink is empty.

Holy Jesus

Civil War has already started.

BAGHDAD, Feb. 27 -- Grisly attacks and other sectarian violence unleashed by last week's bombing of a Shiite Muslim shrine have killed more than 1,300 Iraqis, making the past few days the deadliest of the war outside of major U.S. offensives, according to Baghdad's main morgue. The toll was more than three times higher than the figure previously reported by the U.S. military and the news media.

WOW--34% Approval for Bush

WOW. (via Josh Marshall)

Mr. Bush's overall job rating has fallen to 34 percent, down from 42 percent last month. Fifty-nine percent disapprove of the job the president is doing.

For the first time in this poll, most Americans say the president does not care much about people like themselves. Fifty-one percent now think he doesn't care, compared to 47 percent last fall.

Just 30 percent approve of how Mr. Bush is handling the Iraq war, another all-time low.

By two to one, the poll finds Americans think U.S. efforts to bring stability to Iraq are going badly – the worst assessment yet of progress in Iraq.

Even on fighting terrorism, which has long been a strong suit for Mr. Bush, his ratings dropped lower than ever. Half of Americans say they disapprove of how he's handling the war on terror, while 43 percent approve.

In a bright spot for the administration, most Americans appeared to have heard enough about Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident.

More then three in four said it was understandable that the accident had occurred and two-thirds said the media had spent too much time covering the story.

Still, the incident appears to have made the public's already negative view of Cheney a more so. Just 18 percent said they had a favorable view of the vice president, down from 23 percent in January.

Bush on ports: 'People don't need to worry'

Pres. Bush's response sounds like it's directly from Dave Chappelle's Black Bush sketch, or from 1984, I can't decide. LINK

WASHINGTON — President Bush today sought to calm an uproar over an Arab company taking over operations at six major American ports, saying "people don't need to worry about security."

You don't need to worry about that. I got that shit under control.

Reporters/talking heads dutifuly neglect to mention that the Arab company in question is actually owned by the United Arab Emirates government. So, we're basically ceding these ports to a foreign government with ties to the A.Q. Khan nuclear materials trafficking network, and that allowed al-Qaeda money to travel through their country.

"Gold is a huge factor in the moving of terrorist money because you can melt it, smelt it or deposit it on account with no questions asked," said a senior U.S. law enforcement official investigating gold transactions. "Why move it through Dubai [capital of UAE]? Because there is a willful blindness there."

That's national security, eh?

Prairie Progressives

I went to the Prairie Progressives meeting last night at the Radisson. Linda Coates encouraged us all to help pay for the room (free admission) by visiting the cash bar early and often, which I did. Eddie Schultz was in the audience with his lovely wife. Rep. Earl Pomeroy introduced two candidates: Tim Mahoney (along with his hot wife), seeking reelection to the City Council, and Arlette Preston (didn't see if her husband is hot), seeking the Mayor's office. Both are up for election in June. I definitely support both candidates and would vote for them if I lived in Fargo. Both were very clear, concise and thoughtful.

The keynote was delivered by Sen. Kent Conrad. He gave a great red meat, hate'n on Bush speech. But, as usual, he had all of the statistics to back his claims up. I'll track down the slides and post a link soon.

Conrad described a meeting he had with President Bush where neither he, nor Bush, had their staffers in the room. He said he was struck by the realization that not only does Pres. Bush not understand the issues before him (economics, specifically), but he did not possess the "capacity" to understand them. A thoughtful way of saying that Bush is not smart enough to be president. Of course, this is not news, but to hear it directly from Sen. Conrad, suitcoat off, staring directly at me (I was in the front row on the aisle, no more than 15 feet away)...it had a little more impact than hearing your everyday rants from comedians or friends.

Conrad also heaped praise on Rep. Earl Pomeroy for getting his Ways and Means committee assignment.

All Hail David Gregory

Read this about David Gregory's contentious exchange with Scott McClellan.

I didn't see this yesterday, but the White House is blaming the victim. What a bunch of cocksuckers.

The White House blamed the 78-year-old man whom Vice President Dick Cheney shot during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas for the incident, as officials struggled Monday to explain why they waited nearly 24 hours before making the news public.

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan tried to absolve Cheney of blame for shooting wealthy Austin lawyer Harry Whittington, saying that hunting "protocol was not followed by Mr. Whittington when it came to notifying others that he was there. And so, you know, unfortunately, these types of hunting accidents happen from time to time."

Several hunting experts were skeptical of McClellan's explanation. They said Cheney might have violated a cardinal rule of hunting: Know your surroundings before you pull the trigger.

Oh, and ABC News doesn't know what the fuck they're talking about. They reported that Whittington was shot with a "pellet gun."

And here's the Daily Show's take on the shooting.

When Vice Presidents Attack!

I hope you've heard about VP Darth..er..Dick Cheney shooting one of his hunting buddies. There appears to be a lot of secretive shadiness surrounding this incident. That's just par for the course for these guys, I guess. David Gregory and other White House reporters had fairly intense questioning for Scott McClellan.

Michael Brown's Move

Is disgraced ex-FEMA chief, Mike Brown trying to blackmail the White House and President Bush?

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former disaster agency chief Michael Brown is indicating he is ready to reveal his correspondence with President Bush and other officials during Hurricane Katrina unless the White House forbids it and offers legal support.

[...]

"Unless there is specific direction otherwise from the president, including an assurance the president will provide a legal defense to Mr. Brown if he refuses to testify as to these matters, Mr. Brown will testify if asked about particular communications," the lawyer wrote.

You're doing a heckuva job, Brownie!