Ted Stevens convicted

Cosmic justice is served. Al-Caponian though it may be.

Random bag checks begin on Metro

...as reported by the Post. All I can say is, about time. The Metro's vulnerability to attack has secretly freaked me out ever since the terrorist attacks on London's public transit a few years back. You can walk right in to any station and onto any train carrying practically anything.

There may be high tech security measures in place on Metro currently (explosion-proof trash cans, surveillance cameras) but they are not nearly visible enough for my taste. I guess there are no civil libertarians in foxholes.

And it doesn't help that all those Fallout 3 posters are up in Metro stations right now. How would you like to see this every morning on your way to work?

Kid shoots self at "legal and fun" gun fair

Christ. Who would put an Uzi in the hands of an 8-year-old under any circumstances?

Boy, 8, shot to death in Mass. gun show accident (AP)

WESTFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- An 8-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself in the head while firing an Uzi submachine gun under adult supervision at a gun fair.

The boy lost control of the weapon while firing it Sunday at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club, Police Lt. Lawrence Valliere said...

What would William F. Buckley think?

The National Review's "The Corner" blog just gets nuttier and nuttier this election season.

There is a cult-like atmosphere around Barack Obama, which his campaign has carefully and successfully fabricated, which concerns me. The messiah complex.--Mark Levin on "The Corner"

What the hell is a writer for a magazine that has twice endorsed George W. Bush for president doing complaining about anyone's "messiah complex"??? This blog post--like Lisa Schiffren's "Obama is a Communist" post previously noted here--is just bizarre. As David Kurtz quips at Talking Points Memo,

Barack Obama is noted for his powerful intellect, but I don't think he gets nearly enough credit for the mental dexterity it takes to be simultaneously an Islamic theocrat, atheistic communist and national socialist while posing as a center left candidate.

NRCC pulls funding for Bachmann campaign

Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann is all kinds of crazy.

But crazy doesn't pay the bills.

GOP fundraising committee pulls plug on Bachmann (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

The national fundraising committee for GOP congressional candidates has canceled its Twin Cities TV advertising for Rep. Michele Bachmann, who is using the flap over her comments about Barack Obama to raise money on her own

Keith Olbermann wants to be Edward R. Murrow when he grows up

You've been warned, America: Keith Olberman's "special comment" editorial segments may be broadcast each night until further notice. Things have just gotten that bad! he announced on tonight's Countdown.

Tonight's "comment" is pure gold. He actually concludes it with "good night, and good luck." I heart you, Keith! Rant on!

Injunction not granted, City Paper

This "journalism bankruptcy complaint" feature is possibly the worst, most bizarrely self-absorbed, lazy cover story our alternative weekly has ever published.

Know what, City Paper? It's not about you. Or maybe, We're just not into you.

Actually, I kinda am into the WCP, when they're not publishing lazy-ass cover stories and lazy-ass copycat stories that I have complained about in the past. Pick yourself up, kids, you're better than this.

The Obama ballet

This is not a small thing that Michael Crowley highlights. I thought it was one of the more striking things about the debate.

A Physical Contrast

I think it's very much to Obama's advantage that he and McCain are freed from their podiums, roaming the stage. For one thing, this calls attention to Obama's height advantage. Obama is also just more fluid and graceful. McCain is stiff, awkward, and generally looks much less comfortable on the move.

(Pardon a bit of theater criticism, but I do think these things have an effect.)

--Michael Crowley [TNR]

OK, what next?

The Dow is tanking, the world's mammals are going extinct, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua topped the box office last weekend. Enjoy your Monday.

Your corsage won't save you now

Some new Couric-Palin interview material has been released. Here's what Palin has to say about staying up to date on current events. This is unbelievable.

Couric: And when it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?

Palin: I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.

Couric: What, specifically?

Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.

Couric: Can you name a few?

Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, "Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?" Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.