Welcome to The Now

According to Media Matters, the Washington Post may what to revisit their assessment of Justices Roberts and Alito.

Stop me if you've heard this one : The Federal Way grandmother who registered her dog to vote pleaded not guilty Thursday to making false statements on a voter-registration form. Jane Balogh, who says it's too easy for a voter to register illegally, sought to prove her point by registering one of her dogs, Duncan MacDonald, as a King County absentee voter. She put her phone in Duncan's name, and that apparently sufficed. Although the Australian shepherd-terrier mix signed each ballot envelope with a picture of a paw print, he didn't vote. Balogh wrote "void" on each ballot. The King County prosecutor's office charged Balogh, 66, with making false or misleading statements to a public servant, a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Too silly, yet too funny to ignore.

Charley Rosen thinks that the Boston Celtics got a steal by getting Ray Allen in a Draft-night trade, but Sports Guy Bill Simmons isn't too sure . Later own I'll talk about how I think the Wizards did, and maybe about some other teams as well.

As far as domestic issues are concerned, President Bush is a defeated man .

Michael Moore inspired Borat ...who in turn inspired Michael Moore .

Hearing that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a 39% approval rating may make one say, "Man, she's not doing that well!" But then you see the breakdown: Forty-three percent (43%) of women have a favorable opinion of Pelosi. Thirty-five percent (35%) of men share that assessment. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of self-identified liberal voters have a favorable opinion of the Speaker along with 47% of moderates and 17% of conservatives. On a partisan basis, Pelosi is viewed favorably by 62% of Democrats, 16% of Republicans, and 35% of those not affiliated with either major party. And then, there's the most important fact of all: During her tenure as Speaker, Pelosi’s favorable ratings have ranged from a low of 38% to a high of 47%. Which means that she hasn't reached rock bottom (yet), nor has she experienced President Bush's free fall. But considering that liberals, Democrats and women all support her, I'd be hard-pressed to say that she'll reach those low n...

Even though he reminds me of Julian Bashir sometimes, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) showed his congressional muscle by dropping the bomb on the so-called "FourthBranch" known as CheneyLand .

Some light has been shed on the "Wrestler murder/suicide" story: In the days before pro wrestler Chris Benoit killed his wife and child and hanged himself, the couple argued over whether he should stay home more to take care of their mentally retarded 7-year-old son, an attorney for the wrestling league said Wednesday. ESPN's Sports Guy (Bill Simmons) has said : It just doesn't seem like any non-wrestling fan realizes how huge this story is to everyone who actually follows wrestling - in my opinion, it's the biggest sports story of the year even though wrestling technically isn't a sport. Benoit was one of the 12-15 greatest wrestlers of the past 30 years. For the wrestling world, it's like the OJ thing all over again - only its worse because his little son was involved . It might be the single worst sports story since the Rae Carruth thing. He may be right.

This sure is interesting: Young Americans are more likely than the general public to favor a government-run universal health care insurance system, an open-door policy on immigration and the legalization of gay marriage, according to a New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll. The poll also found that they are more likely to say the war in Iraq is heading to a successful conclusion. If you count the Iraq position, I wouldn't call this an example of liberalism as much as an example of optimism. That, and an indication that younger people want to know what the hell is going on with their country: The poll offers a snapshot of a group whose energy and idealism have always been as alluring to politicians as its scattered focus and shifting interests have been frustrating. It found that substantially more Americans ages 17 to 29 than four years ago are paying attention to the presidential race. Now, if you roll with the Elephants, here's where things get spooky: But they appeared to be rea...

I have a question. What's the difference of this pic: And this pic, which is on O'Donnell's site (and apparently has people in a mini-uproar)? From what I understand, the first one is real: it is a picture of the next generation of soldiers, a soldier who will either spend his life hating America or defending a democracy that resembles America. Our foreign policy will determine which soldier he becomes. But the sad fact is that his training to fight, to kill, to be comfortable holding a weapon has already begun. The second one is O'Donnell's reflection of the first; odds are she saw a picture much like it somewhere and probably wondered, "How would Americans feel if their kids were in military garb holding a gun?" Quite frankly, her pic is more toned down. Why? Maybe because she doesn't want her kid to have a gun in her hand. But at the same time, she wanted the message to come across. And anyone who's offended should be equally offe...

This kind of speaks for itself: The Pew Research Center completes its Top Story Index on a weekly basis to "compare and contrast - on an ongoing basis -- the news agenda of the media with the news agenda of the public." In its most recent comparison (for the week of June 11), the Pew Research Center found that while 33% of Americans followed the Iraq War closely, only 7% of the overall news coverage was devoted to this issue . Apparently, the media determined that immigration and the fighting over in Palestine warranted more attention, because both subject received more coverage than things involving Iraq. What does this have to do with the GOP? If any one issue would sink this party's chances of controlling the executive and legislative branches, it's Iraq. The place is an undisputed mess, and every time anyone from either party says something along the lines of "change" the response is always the same: "give us more time" and "please, supp...

At first glance, this might seem like an interesting and quirky story: The CIA worked with three American mobsters in a botched "gangster-type" attempt to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the early 1960s, according to documents released by the CIA on Tuesday. The CIA hauled the skeletons out of its closet by declassifying hundreds of pages of long-secret records that detail some of the agency's worst illegal abuses during about 25 years of overseas assassination attempts, domestic spying and kidnapping. Then, in true Bush Administration fashion, THE TRUTH SLIPS OUT: CIA Director Michael Hayden released the documents to lift the veil of secrecy on the agency's past, even as the Bush administration faces criticism of being too secretive now . So the real reason has nothing to do with say, how the CIA was willing to work with organized crime in order to kill a guy who lived in another country. It wasn't even a lame attempt to relate the issues of the 60'...

If this is true , it's really sad...sad because the real thing preventing a change in our foreign policy is not convictions but a twisted since of party loyalty.

Eugene Robinson on the impact of arguably the most powerful, secretive and stubborn Vice President in US history : I've never bought the theory of the Bush-Cheney relationship as Pinocchio-Geppetto -- it lets Bush off too easily to imagine that Cheney pulls all the strings. But it's clear that Cheney is the toughest, smartest infighter in the administration and that his toughness and smarts have been employed partly in service of an independent agenda. Cheney came into office believing that the presidency -- and, by extension, the vice presidency -- had been deflated, and he set out to puff them back up again. Students of public administration should have to take a course called "Cheney." How he has amassed and employed his power offers a case study in how government really works -- and how a skillful operator can make a bureaucracy dance. Take Cheney's penchant for secrecy, which seems to border on the maniacal. His office stamps "SECRET" on routine doc...

Another Short NMT today: Sadly, a Three-Count: WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and his 7-year-old son were found dead yesterday . He Can't Run the Office on Love: John Dean says that Congress has the right to pull the plug on VP Dick Cheney ...if they want to get him to comply. Typical Pundit Amnesia: Despite the fact that the guy has changed parties twice, some people insist on calling current NYC Mayor (and potential presidential candidate) Mike Bloomberg a "liberal Democrat."

Even when reporting on celebrity fluff like Paris Hilton's release from jail, FoxNews reporters can't help but acting like complete assholes .

African-Americans aren't joining the military like they used to; in fact, recruitment numbers are falling . I can think of many reasons for this (racial stereotypes about the military that they have yet to debunk, the current Administration's record on race issues, the fact that many black people don't see the point in killing another minority group for oil) but it seems that one military intellectual has the answer: that damn educational system! Sgt. Terry Wright, an Army recruiter in Tampa, Fla. said young people in the black community have more education and job opportunities now than when he joined the service 14 years ago. " I go to high schools every day, and for the most part it strikes me how many of them are serious about going to college ," said Wright, 32. Yeah; how dare black people go to school! How's a text book going to protect them from the terrorists? See, that quote tells me too things: (1) Sgt. Wright seems to like recruiting people either s...

"If It's Sunday, It's Crazy Neo-Con Logic:" Bill Kristol tries to defend VP Dick Cheney . "Don't Believe the Hype:" Oliver Willis doesn't think that a significant amount of Republicans will go against the President on his Iraq policy/strategy, and that the Democrats better wake up . "A Second Opinion:" Michael Moore's "SiCKO" plans to set the stage on the health care debate. "Another Moldy Oldie From the Pat-Man:" On Meet the Press, Pat Buchanan seems to believe that the real "Bogeyman" in America is immigrants . Good thing his counterpoint on this issue (Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat from IL) pointed out that two congressmen who talked like Buchanan lost their seat during the 2006 election (and they were exactly in blue states either).

One reason why most Americans (and by extension, our government) have money issues: As many as 28 million people in the United States are forgoing traditional financial institutions because of mistrust, cultural and language barriers or a belief that by the time all the bills are paid there will be nothing left for an account.That can be expensive and risky. People can run up big fees to cash checks, pay bills and meet their other financial needs. Walking around with large amounts of cash can make them a target for thieves... ...A Consumer Federation of America survey of check-cashing outlets, found that on average it cost $24.45 to cash a $1,002 Social Security check last year. A blue-collar worker pays an average $19.66 every week to cash a $478.41 handwritten paper check. Of course, it is not entirely their fault: Nationwide, there are fewer banks in poor neighborhoods versus wealthy ones but the difference is small, according to the Federal Reserve. In some neighborhoods, however,...

Media Matters on how stupid it is to for people to think that the story about only 144 journalists contribute to specific parties proves an ideological or political bias. Or, as they say: It's the content of the news that matters, not the personal beliefs and preferences of journalists.

I guess I'm being too wholesome. JP was rated way higher , even though he thinks he may be a little too harsh. I think a safe medium is PG-13 or R. Damn it . If you have a blog, you can find out how yours rank .

If you go on FoxNews and you don't share their views, prepared to have your mic cut off .

I know there are those who buy into the whole "Rudy Giuliani is America's Mayor" thing, just like there are people who still think that John McCain is some political maverick (personally, I think they get him confused with this guy ). But, according to Slate.com's Fred Kaplan, Giuliani is little more than a Ferengi : It was widely assumed at the time that Baker-Hamilton [aka, the Iraq Study Group] would serve as Bush's vehicle for getting out of—or somehow otherwise resolving—Iraq. And Giuliani, like all other mainstream party members, was still very much in Bush's camp. To be a part of this 10-member panel—to claim the prestige of such august company, to play the role of politico-strategic statesman, and to gain instant credibility on a topic to which he'd previously had no exposure—should have been regarded as an enviable opportunity, both on its own terms and as a boost to his political fortune. But—given a chance to elevate his standing, serve the coun...

1. Bill O'Reilly thinks what he covers is more serious than MSNBC. Yeah, right . 2. The best time to buy computer? Airline tickets? A car? Find out here . 3. Are video games addictive ? Personally, they're no more addictive than smoking, alcohol, food, gambling or sex. And considering those vices, I'd rather be addicted to Pokemon. 4. Kobe Bryant is a selfish jerk , according to Sally Jenkins. Gee, what tipped her off? 5. In the wee hours of the night, the Senate passed an energy bill . 6. Between his fantasies and his guests , Glenn Beck would make a better snuff film director than the host of a CNN show.

Michelle Rhee, The new Chancellor for DC Public Schools, was online today at the Washington Post . Considering all the complaints I've heard about her lack of experience, she seemed to handle herself pretty well. Then again, it's easier to respond online then during a real live press conference.

1. Jonathan Alter thinks that giving Democrats a new bumper sticker will help them . 2. It turns out that journalists actually (gasp!) give money to politicians ! Who knew? 3. Apparently, John Edwards dusting off an old speech about helping to bridge the country's social-economic gap is played out. 4. Because we've been in Iraq long enough to foster a civil war there, the commander over there thinks we're in a prime position to be seen as...(wait for it)..." liberators !"

This is the state of today's Republican Party: A guy who hasn't even entered the GOP primary is leading in the polls . A guy who was mayor of NY left the party because he thinks he'll have a better shot at being president by running as an independent. The President's job approval is at 35% , and other than taxes and the economy , people can't think of anything he's good at. The President's foreign policy skills are so shaky, someone felt compelled to ask him not to start anther Cold War . And I haven't even talked about stem cell research, immigration or Iraq/Iran/Afganistan. Granted, the Democrats haven't had their act together much either, but they've never been know as the Lockstep Party and despite their slim majority in Congress, they don't run everything (i.e., the White House, the courts or the media).

Maybe they should change the Department's name to "Homeland Liability" after this story : WASHINGTON (AP) - The Homeland Security Department, the lead U.S. agency for fighting cyber threats, suffered more than 800 hacker break-ins, virus outbreaks and other computer security problems over two years , senior officials acknowledged to Congress. In one instance, hacker tools for stealing passwords and other files were found on two internal Homeland Security computer systems. The agency's headquarters sought forensic help from the department's own Security Operations Center and the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team it operates with Carnegie Mellon University. In other cases, computer workstations in the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration were infected with malicious software detected trying to communicate with outsiders; laptops were discovered missing; and agency Web sites suffered break-ins. Stories like this make me think we've have...

Highlights (or is it lowlights?) of the broken record know as the Iraqi Occupation/War/Debacle: American troops are taking Baghdad's streets back from insurgents. The prime minister has a plan for national reconciliation. To the south, in the "triangle of death," two U.S. soldiers are missing, captives in enemy hands. Those were the headlines a year ago. Now they're being heard again in the newscasts of today, like some grim rewinding of a movie tragedy, of a story that never ends... ...Old Baghdad's constants remain: The sun, boiling orange, still slips below the western desert each evening; the river Tigris snakes, shallow and sluggish, through the city's heart; the muezzins' call to prayer still blares from countless mosques. The constants of war also remain: the thud of sunrise explosions, somewhere; the zigzagging of convoys down the dangerous roads; the roar of Black Hawk helicopters skimming the tops of Baghdad's minarets... ...The U.S. forces ...

No joke; that's what they said . The latest Bush Administration member to jump ship: White House budget director Rob Portman is stepping down and will be replaced by former Iowa Republican congressman Jim Nussle, senior administration officials said today. The president is scheduled to make the formal announcement at the Roosevelt Room later this afternoon. Administration officials described the decision as motivated by Portman's desire to spend more time with his wife and three teen-aged children . Since returning to Washington as a congressman 14 years ago, Portman has been commuting weekly to his Cincinnati home, and his press secretary said he had tired of that. Now, this guys was seen as one of more popular Cabinet members. So the question remains: why leave now? And I'm not the only curious person here: Still, the news of Portman's departure seemed to surprise lawmakers on the Hill, where there is not nearly the same affection for his successor, Nussle, who ran a...

Seriously. Look it up .

From the " Like Father, Like Son " Files: WASHINGTON -- Federal officials have disobeyed at least six new laws that President Bush challenged in his signing statements, a government study disclosed yesterday. The report provides the first evidence that the government may have acted on claims by Bush that he can set aside laws under his executive powers. In a report to Congress, the non partisan Government Accountability Office studied a small sample of the bill provisions that Bush has signed into law but also challenged with signing statements. The GAO found that agencies disobeyed six such laws, while enforcing 10 others as written even though Bush had challenged them. So if Bush poo-poos a bill he doesn't like and still signs it into law, chances are the government with follow it at their (read his) discretion.

1. "This wasn't on the menu...": Ten things a restaurant doesn't tell you . 2. See, it's like this...: WashPost reports on Gilbert Arenas' decision to opt out of his contract. 3. Who were those masked men?: Whoever they were, they shot up a graduation party in Miami. 4. Party like it's 2057: Another 50 years in Iraq may be a reality.

Presidential wannabe and former mayor of NY Rudy Giuliani slaps G-Dub a little: What we're lacking is strong, aggressive, bold leadership like we had with Ronald Reagan. Remember, this was the guy who suggested Bernard Kerik to be head of Homeland Security . How time flies.

One reason why President Bush's visit to Congressional Republicans for support on his immigration bill didn't go so well: WASHINGTON - As President Bush attempts to revive the controversial immigration reform bill he supports, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that Republicans are abandoning the president, which has dropped his job-approval rating below 30 percent -- his lowest mark ever in the survey. But he isn’t the only one whose support is on the decline in the poll. Congress’ approval rating has plummeted eight points, bringing it below even Bush’s. And just one in five believe the country is on the right track, which is the lowest number on this question in nearly 15 years. That's 29% (the pic is about a year & a half old, and that's another story in itself). That means that more than 2/3rds of the country either don't like this guy, or wouldn't complain if he was replaced with a lamppost until the next election. I think it's saf...

Apparently, there's a crisis a'brewin': Southern Baptist Convention president Frank Page said Tuesday the denomination needs to set aside internal differences and be both “right and relevant” to revive languishing membership trends. Page’s words came as moderates took their first steps to slow down conservative attempts to more narrowly define what it means to be a Baptist. A South Carolina pastor, Page spoke Tuesday morning to thousands of “messengers,” or delegates, at the opening of the annual meeting of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. The SBC has about 16.3 million members. I think it's common sense that the bigger your tent is, the more likely you are to get members for your organization. Of course, where religion is involved, you will always have a certain faction of people who believe that their interpretation is not only the right one, but is constantly under attack from open-minded veterans and newcomers alike. The solution for making this group ...

King James and the Cavaliers fell to the defense of Bruce Almighty and the Spurs in Game 3 of the Finals. LeBron had a chance to make a game-tying shot, but the ending wasn't exactly Jordanesque. Still...I'll admit that there are some similarities:

Only because I couldn't make this up myself: a sample of " Things Bill O'Reilly Has Learned " Never been with a hooker, never been on a blind date. My ego's too big. Risk means taking chances that may come back to cause you pain. There are some issues that have gray areas — abortion is one of them. But I do believe that 90 percent of the world's problems are black-and-white. A best moment? You get into the sappy birth-of-the-daughter moment … and I'm not gonna quantify my life that way. If you don't care what other people think of you, you can feel comfortable anywhere. Except for the "abortion" quote, I tried to pick "lessons" that didn't seem overtly political so I could get a better picture of what this guy's like (considering that, even though he's on FoxNews, he claims that he's not right-wing). He admits he has an ego. He understands that taking a risk my cause more harm than good. And his last "lesson: s...

Over at Current.TV, Super News has the perfect gift for those who want to desperately try to understand President Bush (or just put words in his mouth):

Well, the Spurs looked rusty, but the Cavs were just shell-shocked (and badly coached) enough to not take advantage. And once San Antonio went into their "you score no more" defense, it was going to take three LeBrons to win that game for Cleveland. Afterwards, Lebron James was asked about his performance last night and for the next 3 or so games. He said : A lot of shots I took, I usually make. Things like that happen. You have one off night, but it's not like the NCAA tournament where you have one game and you're out. We've got to regroup. Interesting statement from a guy who never, ever, ever, ever, ever played a single college game. So I can't wait for Game 2.

When a guy known for being a critical component of the Religious Right says that more voters means less conservatives (read: Republicans) in office, what does that say about the GOP's recent obsession with voter fraud ? ...And I mean obsession .

Lots of news today, so I'll let the intro paragraph do the talking: "The largest ever study of genes in disease has found 24 genetic risk factors — half of them completely new — linked to seven common conditions, British scientists said on Wednesday." "Vice President Cheney told Justice Department officials that he disagreed with their objections to a secret surveillance program during a high-level White House meeting in March 2004, a former senior Justice official told senators yesterday." And the biggest item so far: according to the Boston Globe and the New York Times , there are new advances for stem cell research that doesn't cross morale lines. The solution: they say it may be possible to make skin cells behave like stem cells. Wow.

As I hinted earlier , and as the WashPost confirms : the biggest loser of last night's GOP debates was President Bush: The Republican candidates offered repeated criticism of their Democratic opponents, but on issue after issue, they also shredded the president's performance over the past four years. Iraq? Badly mismanaged. Katrina? Bungled. Immigration? The wrong solution. Federal spending? Out of control. The candidates struggled even to say they would welcome the president playing a role in their administrations should they win the White House in 2008. Former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson, who served as secretary of health and human services during Bush's first term, offered the unkindest cut. "I certainly would not send him to the United Nations," he said to laughter from the heavily Republican audience at Saint Anselm College. The debate seemed to signal open season on the president's record, highlighting the reality that the candidates see the Bush l...

With plenty of time (basketball-wise) to speculate, let me propose my first trade to get the Wizards something I think they sorely need: a bench . I mentioned who should stay, maybe take another gamble on, and might be better off without awhile back, so I kept that in mind when I made this deal. First, let me put my personal starting five out there ( italicized players are players whose contract is up and could conceivably be gone): Center: Darius Songaila Forwards: Antwan Jamison, Caron Butler Guards: Gilbert Arenas, DeShawn Stevenson With this lineup in mind, what would we need? Depth at the guard positions. A scoring punch to keep the opposition's second unit on their heels. An extra big body so Songaila can slide over to PF on occasion. A decent swing man who plays defense (especially if Jarvis Hayes bolts). OK, next: who are the players we can trade...but also worth losing? Two players come to mind: Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas. Because of their scuffles, it's unders...

WashPost breaks down who won the GOP debate last night. I agree on two assessments: Every time Republicans pick one Democratic candidate to attack (in this case, Sen. Hillary Clinton) it puts that candidate at the top of the list. It essentially tells the audience, "don't worry about those other guys. This is the person to look for after the primaries." The GOP wants Clinton to be the Democratic Party nominee so bad they can taste it; but will this strategy work? If the Republicans were piling on Clinton, then they were all but abandoning President Bush. At least in the debate, that is. They've pretty much said Bush-like things during the debate (particularly on "the War," gay people, and religion) but the new tactic is to paint Bush as...a liberal. Not sure how they can sell that, considering his entire administration is/was made of of neo-conservatives (unless the goal is to paint neo-conservatism as being an abstract form of liberalism). Of course this ...

When Lindsay Lohan looks back at her career, moments like this probably won't be remembered fondly. TMZ also " cuts into " the story.

Bill O'Reilly lies again...this time about John Edwards view of terrorism .

Studies now show that the T-Rex was slow . Wonder how that will impact any future "Jurassic Park" movies?

USA Today says that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are in a virtual tie .

Former Governor Howard Dean sent me a letter! It was entitled: "4 Years Down, 46 to Go," which I thought was just brilliant: According to the White House, Iraq isn't George W. Bush's Vietnam -- it's his Korea. Last week, Reuters reported that "President George W. Bush would like to see a lengthy U.S. troop presence in Iraq like the one in South Korea to provide stability but not in a frontline combat role. The United States has had thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea to guard against a North Korean invasion for 50 years." The American people voted last November to end the war in Iraq -- not occupy a country engulfed in civil war for decades. A 50-year plan for Iraq is not a strategy and it's certainly not acceptable. But tonight, as the Republicans square off in their third big presidential debate, you can be sure you'll hear the Republican candidates fall in line with their Commander-in-Chief. The 2008 presidential hopefuls are already offer...

Paul Wolfowitz begs for Scooter Libby's political life and personal freedom : I know of many examples of Mr. Libby's service to individuals, but let me mention two that are relevant in the context of the present case [ this is Page 3 of his letter, BTW ]. One involves his effort to persuade a newspaper not to publish information that would have endangered the life of a covert CIA agent working overseas. Late into the evening, long after most others had left the matter to be dealt with the next day, Mr. Libby worked to collect the information that was needed to persuade the editor not to run the story. His assistant Jenny Mayfield told me that was when she realized she was working for a very special person - as indeed she was. I also remember how Mr. Libby offered his services pro bono or at reduced cost - after he had returned to private law practice - to help former colleagues and friends with legal issue. In one case helped a public official defend himself successfully aga...

Read it and weep : Rising gasoline prices have been getting all the attention, but the cost of another, more-important staple is actually rising even more: food. In the past year, food prices have increased 3.7 percent and are on track to jump by as much as 7 percent by year's end. The current increase is more than double the 1.8 percent jump seen the year before, according to the consumer price index. Meanwhile, gas prices rose 2.9 percent. Only the cost of health care rose more, and then just slightly. Just another (indirect, of course) sacrifice in order to keep this Iraq thing going.

You can't make something like this up : A recent study suggests that marriage provides a greater psychological boost to depressed people than to happy people, even if the marriage is so-so. Previous studies have suggested that the psychological perks of marriage depend upon marriage quality--a happy marriage gives rise to a happy couple, and vice versa. I wonder what the people who oppose gay marriage on the grounds that "marriage is sacred" have to say about this study, and what it suggests.

From the WashPost : A former Arlington County youth sports coach who once headed the Virginia ACLU pleaded guilty this afternoon to charges that he purchased child pornography so graphic that prosecutors called it "sadistic.'' Charles Rust-Tierney, 51, admitted that he accessed more than 850 pornographic images of children as young as four, including a six-minute video depicting the sexual torture of children set to a song by the band Nine Inch Nails. Authorities said Rust-Tierney used a computer in his 10-year-old son's bedroom to view the files, some of which were contained on CD's bearing an American flag logo. Just goes to show that no group or faction is immune to attracting deviants (although some places have more than others). This guy will not be missed.