So He Agrees with Bachmann?

Remember the stupid comment made about Sarah Palin having foreign policy experience because she could see Russia from her house? It was a ridiculous statement that took on a life of its own and was actually repeated over and over again....as serious!

Now we have another one. After Michele Bachmann, in another one of her genius moments, declared that carbon dioxide could not be harmful because it is natural, many of us had a good laugh over it. Many of us also wrote about it - including me (see April 25, 2009 post) - and it was chalked up as another dumb moment for the forever embarrassing representative from Minnesota.

But, apparently, Representative Joe Barton of Texas agrees with Bachmann and has furthered her comments to a whole other level. Barton, a long-time skeptic of global warming, has now added more of his bizarre wisdom. According to the Huffington Post:

Barton, who has resisted proposals to reduce the country's oil dependence, explained that there shouldn't be any concern about carbon-dioxide emissions because CO2 is relatively harmless:

"I'm creating it as I talk to you. It's in your Coca-Cola, your Dr. Pepper, and your Perrier water. It's necessary for human life. It's odorless, colorless, tasteless, doesn't cause cancer, doesn't cause asthma. There's nobody that's ever been admitted to a hospital because of CO2 poisoning."

This is beyond moronic, of course. If he can't understand something this basic, how about at least doing a search on his computer? At the very least, wouldn't you check your information before you get in front of congress and announce this in a formal presentation? Most people know something this elementary - and even do some research to prepare for a presentation.

It is one thing to think something stupid, it is another to get up and do a little speech on it. Besides the fact that it is dangerously wrong, would you really want to be known for agreeing with something that Michele Bachmann presented?

So Texas Really Wants to Secede?

Keith Olbermann has a new segment on Countdown that is called the "WTF Moment." I would imagine he will have endless material to fill this nightly slot. This particular one was about Governor Rick Perry of Texas. He thinks that Texas should secede....and there are many in the state that agree with him.

They just don't seem to like the new president and can't seem to get over the fact that: a) They lost, b) The new guy is not a Republican, c) He isn't from their state, and d) He isn't an old white guy. So, their answer is to be truly patriotic by seceding? Perhaps they have not thoroughly thought out the real consequences of this idea. Olbermann says it better than I ever could:

Another Famous Person Gets a Book Deal

It must be nice to be famous. Sometimes you get an honorary degree without working for it. Other times you get a book deal when you can't really write. Or perhaps your memoir at the ripe old age of forty-five.

Hence, the latest: Sarah Palin. The gift that just won't fade away and govern her great state of Alaska. The ever so entertaining Republican feels she has been misrepresented too much in the media, so she has signed a book deal for an undisclosed amount.

Although Palin says she would like to put her journalism degree to work in writing the book, of course a writer will be hired to help her. According to AP Politics:

"Palin will collaborate on the book with a professional writer, who is expected to be chosen soon."

Perhaps the cover will have some turkeys on it, or perhaps her view of Russia through binoculars. Most likely it will have her family paraded across the front as they were during the campaign.

Either way, HarperCollins jumped on the idea of a book by Palin:

HarperCollins President and CEO Brian Murray said in a written statement that "Governor Palin is one of the most charismatic, inspiring and controversial figures to appear on the national political stage for many years. She has a fascinating story to tell and we look forward to publishing what surely will be a captivating book," he said.

Captivating? Really? Well, perhaps humorous without the intention of being so. But, I think I'll take a pass. I haven't always seen her as the brightest bulb and although I was certain she wasn't qualified to be vice president, I'm even more certain she isn't qualified to be a writer. Besides, who wants to read a story so redneck-sounding that it cuts off all the "g's" at the end of "ing" words.

A Reflective May 11th

In a brief break from a political post, today was a bit of a reflective day for me.

Today would have been my twenty-fourth wedding anniversary. Fortunately, considering the state of the marriage, I only made it to thirteen.

It is funny how you remember that day even if it is long ago, and even if you are ever so thankful you got out. As it turned out, I married a man when I was way too young - and he stayed young, or never grew up. We had some good years, but I never should have married him in the first place. As with anything else, however, learning from an experience is always good. And I learned a lot.

I also learned that after many years completely on my own, I really appreciate the man I am with now. He is the complete opposite of my former husband in almost every way. And I never would have found him or appreciated him if I had not been through the crushing I got from a terrible year of one blow after another - topped off with the even bigger blow of losing any spousal support I ever had to deal with it. Live and learn. The memories are there to reflect on.

In another note on learning, I also saw a client today that I have worked with for several years. She is quite precious to me and I have learned a great deal from her. At ninety-eight years old, her spunk, intelligence, experience, and wonderful sense of humor have actually made her a friend. She has always acted young, always kept her mind sharp. Suddenly today, she was different. It was like everything had caught up to her. She was paranoid, fearful, confused, forgetful, suddenly old. She said she was giving up.

Something today made me reschedule my scheduled client and go see her instead. It felt necessary. When I left I was filled with a sadness and realization that this might be one of the last times I see her. And, as far as memories go, she mentioned how she is having one dream after another and her memories are plaguing her.

People grow old, people change, and life goes on. In both experiences, we realize our limitations, our humility, our vulnerability. In both cases, we have the memories.

What we can take away from any experience is the appreciation of the time we had with that person, even if it isn't all good. My former husband is a distant memory that I don't see nor care to. But I wish him well. My ninety-eight year old client - well, she is not so distant. And, I suspect, that when the time does come, I will carry her with me more than I ever will him.

Franken & Biden Meet

In a positive, forward move by Vice President Joe Biden, he met with Al Franken today in Washington. According to the Associated Press:

Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken met privately with Vice President Joe Biden late Wednesday afternoon to update him on the still-contested Minnesota Senate race.

Franken, who said he is eager to join the Senate, said the two men also discussed President Barack Obama's policy goals.

Biden said he and President Obama are looking forward to working with Franken after the Minnesota Supreme Court issues a final ruling.

So, even though our Minnesota governor, Tim Pawlenty, will not end this ridiculous stalling ploy by Norm Coleman that will allow Franken to sit in his rightfully earned seat, at least President Obama and Vice President Biden are not only behind him, but looking forward to working with him.

Even the Wall Street Journal commented on the meeting in a positive tone:

After the White House meeting, Biden praised Minnesota’s election process as “meticulous.” He noted that for five months, Minnesota, alone among the states, has been represented by a single senator, Democrat Amy Klobuchar.

“Once the Minnesota Supreme Court has issued its final ruling in this case, the President and I look forward to working with Mr. Franken on building an economy for the 21st century,” Biden said.

I praise our Vice President for moving forward and seeing things as they not only are but as they should be - and I praise Franken for not only his patience but his tenacity. If only our Minnesota governor had the same level of integrity that either of these men have. If he did, this game would have ended already and Minnesota would not be overworking Amy Klobuchar - and finally have two filled Senate seats and full representation.

Vice President Joe Biden meets with Senator-Elect Al Franken

That Coulter Woman

I have never understood the popularity of Ann Coulter. She is so purposefully mean and hateful - what is the entertainment in that? I know she has her own following, but I just don't get it. Even as a writer she is, at best, mediocre and cites her own quotes. Seems a little off.

It appears her book sales are down a bit. According to Portfolio Magazine, just over 100,000 copies of her book have sold in two months on the market. Although this is still a large number, her past books have sold far more. Portfolio reports: "2006's "Godless: The Church of Liberalism," sold 279,100 copies in hardcover, 2003's "Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terror," sold 396,600 hardcover copies, and 2002's "Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right," sold 333,100 copies and an additional 108,300 in paperback."

So it seems that her following is also dwindling a bit, and she seems to be quiet lately - quite a blessing, I might add (at least before she starts her new tour). Now Meghan McCain has jumped into the mix. On CNNPolitics.com, her comments on both Republicans and Coulter are quite insightful and amusing:

In a new blog post for the Daily Beast as Ann Coulter and HBO host Bill Maher are kicking off a week-long debate tour today in New York, McCain calls President Obama “the hippest politician around” and says being a Republican is “about as edgy as Donny Osmond.”

And she blasts Coulter for helping to “perpetuate negative stereotypes” about Republican women. “I straight up don’t understand this woman or her popularity,” says McCain. “I find her offensive, radical, insulting, and confusing all at the same time.”

She concedes that Coulter seems to be followed by a “cult that cannot be denied,” and was a popular headliner at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, but adds that “when your competition is a teenager who has a dream about the Republican Party and Stephen Baldwin, it’s not really saying that much.”

It’s not Coulter’s politics, says McCain — it’s her personality. “Maybe her popularity stems from the fact that watching her is sometimes like watching a train wreck,” she says.

Maybe people are just plain sick and tired of her nasty, malevolent comments all the time. Or maybe they too wonder why she is clearly rich, but always wears the same black cocktail dress - not only on every book cover, but everywhere else she goes.

Does She Ever Check Facts?

With the scare of swine flu, Michele Bachmann has taken it upon herself to blame it on immigrants. Then she goes further and blames it on the Democrats. Does Michele Bachmann EVER check facts? It is just one thing after another with her. Why oh why does she have to be from Minnesota?

Her latest is mentioning that the last case of swine flu broke out under another Democratic president: Jimmy Carter. Unfortunately, once again, she didn't check her information. In fact, one has to wonder where she gets half of her information from in the first place.

It was actually Gerald Ford who was in office at the time, a Republican. She apparently doesn't know how to look anything up (google is pretty easy, by the way) and doesn't realize she has been taped in any circumstance. According to Huffington Post, Bachmann stated:

"I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out then under another Democrat president Jimmy Carter. And I'm not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it's an interesting coincidence."

Unfortunately, Bachmann's facts are a little off. As Glenn Thrush notes, Republican President Gerald Ford, not Carter, led the country during the last outbreak of the virus.

The weirdest thing: why mention this at all? Ah, Michele Bachmann. The gift of entertainment that keeps on giving. Except nobody wants the present.