JABbering Stooge

Michelle Malkin, 04/25/09:

I’ve blogged for years about the spread of contagious diseases from around the world into the U.S. as a result of uncontrolled immigration. [Never mind that nearly all of the cases of swine flu in the U.S. at this point are the result of kids traveling to Mexico on vacation. — Ed.] We’ve heard for years from reckless open-borders ideologues who continue to insist there’s nothing to worry about. And we’ve heard for years that calling any attention to the dangers of allowing untold numbers of people to pass across our borders and through our other ports of entry without proper medical screening — as required of every legal visitor/immigrant to this country — is RAAAACIST.

9/11 didn’t convince the open-borders zealots to put down their race cards and confront reality.

Maybe the threat of their sons or daughters contracting a deadly virus spread from south of the border to their Manhattan prep schools will.

Michelle Malkin, 04/27/09:

Well, it didn’t take long for partisan Democrats to blame the swine flu outbreak on the Republican Party.

Here’s the line: Since House Republicans all opposed the trillion-dollar-porkulus, which included funding for pandemic preparations, it’s all. Our. Fault.

[…]

So any natural disaster or bio-catastrophe that comes along, for which fiscal conservatives refused to support funding for in an economic recovery package, will now be all. Our. Fault.

And President Obama can once invoke [sic] his time-tested alibi: He inherited the problem.

Someone call the WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHmbulence!

THERE SEEMS TO BE A … *AHEM* … PANDEMIC OF IRONY DEFICIENCY: Get Don Surber into containment, STAT!

Apparently the Obama administration is not yet ready for prime time. From Politico: “As flu hits, holes in W.H. health team.”

Which explains why the White House is desperately blaming the swine flu on the Republican Congress vote against the $787,000,000,000 “stimulus” package.

[…]

In all, 19 positions and the secretary are empty desks.

Gee, Don, I wonder why that might be?

All those conservative think tanks are going to be spending a lot more money bulk buying Ann Coulter’s latest pile of effluvium to artificially inflate her sales figures. One can only hope that this means that her 15 minutes of fame are just about up. (Finally!)

How’s that obstructionism working out for ya?

Source: Matt Yglesias (via Greg Sargent)

Yeah, I thought so. (Though I will admit that I was a little late to the party. I guess the President’s political kung fu is much stronger than mine.)

Stephanie Miller’s hour-long interview with C-SPAN’s Brian Lamb:

Trust me, you’ll need it. There’s some bad craziness to wade through today.

Police:

Source

Firefighters:

Source

The Department of Veterans Affairs:

Source

Infrastructure (Roads, power grid, computer networks, etc.):

Source

Source

Source

Education (When they aren’t out trying to actively subvert it or sell it off piecemeal to corrupt cronies):

Source

Just something to think about the next time some wingnut wants to harangue you about the evils of President Obama’s efforts to revive the economy that former-President Bush wrecked. (Ooh, “former-President Bush” sounds just as good as “President Obama!”)

Once long ago in the vast lands of the Red State Desert there was a great and vast river that had to be crossed for animals to seek food and water elsewhere in the desert. As it was on this day Donkey had come to the point where it had to cross the Bipartisan River in its travels. As it stood contemplating the best way to cross the river safely Donkey’s life long enemy Scorpion came upon it and began to talk to Donkey.

“Donkey as I was walking along the river bank looking for food I noticed a particularily easy place to cross the river where the water is not so deep and not so swift. As it is I would like to cross over myself also but as I am so small it would be impossible. Would you be willing to take me across if I show you this place to cross the river?” asked Scorpion.

“Why should I take you across? How could I possibly trust you will not sting me on the way across as we have been life long enemies?” asked Donkey.

“Why would I sting you? For if I stung you it would mean you would drown then both of us would die.” replied Scorpion.

Donkey thought this over for a bit while carefully watching Scorpion with a distrustful eye. Eventually Donkey said, “Show me where the place is and I will take you across.”

“First place me on your back and then I will show you. For otherwise you may jump in and leave me behind once I show you.” replied Scorpion.

Donkey thought this over for a bit while carefully watching Scorpion with a distrustful eye. Then walked over to Scorpion and allowed him to climb onto its back. Scorpion directed Donkey to where the river was not so deep nor so swift such that it was a safer place to cross over. As Donkey was swimming across the river and had reached the middle of the river Donkey felt a sharp stinging sensation on its back and realized it had been stung by Scorpion. Donkey cried out, “How could you sting me we shall both drown now?”

Scorpion replied, “It is better we should both perish than that my enemy should live.”

* Cf. The version of the story that forms the base of this post comes from here.

Gee, what a surprise. Sen. Judd Gregg (R — Naturally) waited until President Obama was en route to the Abraham Lincoln dinner to withdraw his nomination for Commerce Secretary (a position he begged Obama for, BTW, and one which he tried to have eliminated). (Gee, isn’t that conveeeeenient?) Apparently, a major disagreement over the conduct of the upcoming census was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I guess Sen. Gregg wanted to politicize the Census Bureau much the way Bradley Schlozman and Monica Goodling did with the Bush Just Us Department, and when he found out that Obama wouldn’t let him, he said “Fuck you!” and took off.

*Sigh*

So typical of Rethuglicans these days.

Oh, crap:

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery Thursday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the court said.

This is seriously bad news with serious political implications. Ginsburg’s had colon cancer before, but pancreatic cancer is another animal entirely. Most people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die within five years — 95% percent within three months. It recently claimed the life of Dr. Randy Pausch. Given these factors, it’s unlikely that Ginsburg will survive to the end of Obama’s (first) term, which means that the Rethugs will be gearing up to block any replacement for her until a Republican is elected — just like they did to Clinton. However, if Ginsburg does by some miracle go the full five years and a Rethuglican wins in 2012, then we are up shit creek without a paddle, especially given the record of the co-dependent Dems when they’ve been the Loyal Opposition.

Cue the undisguised glee of the wingnuts in 3…2…1…

* Cf.

Good riddance Blago. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

As opposed to 20 of the last 28 years, where it was Mourning in America…

Full text of Obama’s inaugural speech here.