Welcome to The Now

If what's reported here is true , then the 6'9" newly 260lb LeBron James is officially a combo-forward. I know, I know: "what about Magic?" Well, James is good, but he's no Magic yet.

Maybe God does spend alot of time around prison . Public Figures/Celebrities always seem to find Him when they really get in trouble.

Who knew that these guys would be so clairvoyant ? The key mistake, though, was it was Rove who got all emotional : Karl Rove was nearly overcome with emotion Friday as colleagues privately paid tribute to the political adviser as he leaves the White House, senior officials say. Thinking about it again, I guess Bush really wouldn't be chasing Rove's car...he's too busy trying to cement his legacy and avoid impeachment.

Question: Can you name the woman who isn't that famous, but ranks (according to Forbes Magazine) as more powerful than the Queen of England, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Oprah Winfrey? Answer: Angela Braly , CEO of WellPoint .

Pat Buchanon and Joe Scarborough not only think attacking Iran would be cool, but the political advantages would be amazing . Can't say President Bush isn't hearing this tripe while he's working, but hopefully someone with both a brain and a conscience is around to remind him how dumb this would be . On a slightly related note: The propaganda being spewed in the Iraq conflict seems to be getting more and more vile. The WashPost has a story on how the bios of visiting Democrats are being harshly altered .

I know this story isn't real (it is from the Onion, after all) but that doesn't make it any less humorous: WASHINGTON, DC—A confused President Bush broke free from the restraint of Secret Service agents and ran in pursuit of departing deputy chief of staff Karl Rove's car for several blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue before being outdistanced by the vehicle. "Why can't I go with him?" Bush tearfully asked advisers as the longtime Republican strategist's sedan disappeared over the horizon. "When is he coming back?" White House staff were deeply moved by the scene, saying that despite their best efforts, no one was able to explain to the president that he would no longer be able to remain at his chief adviser's side. Onlookers were clearly choked up as a tearful Rove, trying to close the car door behind him, told Bush in a stern, commanding tone to back away. "Go on…you hear me? Get out of here, I say!" Rove said. "I don't lov...

President Bush to Congress: " I need more cash ."

Unless his memory's faulty, the whole "did he or didn't he" bathroom scandal wouldn't be the first time Senator Craig was exposed to the ups and downs of the Ethics Committee.

Yeah he retired; and not too soon. But everything you need to know about the man responsible for making sure laws are followed and that the legal interests of the American People are always considered can be summed up here : "President Washington, President Lincoln, President Wilson, President Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance of the enemy on a far broader scale." Sigh. (H/T to Perrspectives )

In his attempt to muster support for his crumbling mission to stay in Iraq forever, he's gone from saying things like this : Q Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, April is turning into the deadliest month in Iraq since the fall of Baghdad, and some people are comparing Iraq to Vietnam and talking about a quagmire. Polls show that support for your policy is declining and that fewer than half Americans now support it. What does that say to you and how do you answer the Vietnam comparison? THE PRESIDENT: I think the analogy is false. I also happen to think that analogy sends the wrong message to our troops, and sends the wrong message to the enemy. Look, this is hard work. It's hard to advance freedom in a country that has been strangled by tyranny. And, yet, we must stay the course, because the end result is in our nation's interest. A secure and free Iraq is an historic opportunity to change the world and make America more secure. A free Iraq in the midst of the Middle...

This is becoming depressingly monotonous: A U.S. Army helicopter crashed north of Baghdad early Wednesday morning, killing all 14 soldiers on board, the military said. The sad irony here is that helicopter travel is supposed to be safer : Military travel in Iraq is often conducted on helicopters to avoid threats from roadside bombs. Um...yeah. Well, just to set the record straight: I'm not saying "deja vu" just to have a snappy title: Since the conflict began, 63 helicopters have gone down, including 36 struck by enemy fire. Over January and February of this year, seven military helicopters and one carrying private security contractors were taken down by insurgent fire, killing a total of 28 people. The incidents prompted the military to reevaluate flight plans and tactics used to prevent anti-aircraft fire.

The "Queen of Mean" who famously said that taxes are for "little people" passes away at age 87 .

What really ticks George W. Bush off? Apparently, when someone criticizes his fashion sense .

From the " Yeah; That's What We Were Trying To Warn You About " File: Broad new surveillance powers approved by Congress this month could allow the Bush administration to conduct spy operations that go well beyond wiretapping to include — without court approval — certain types of physical searches on American soil and the collection of Americans’ business records, Democratic Congressional officials and other experts said. Of course, the Bush Administration's crack legal squad will be able to properly decipher the logic and limits of these new "powers:" Administration officials acknowledged that they had heard such concerns from Democrats in Congress recently, and that there was a continuing debate over the meaning of the legislative language. But they said the Democrats were simply raising theoretical questions based on a harsh interpretation of the legislation. Oops; guess I spoke too soon. I really shouldn't expect much from a group who believe that th...

Anyone who still thinks that Karl Rove was "just another political operative" needs to read the WashPost story on his mission to politicize every aspect of American government : Many administrations have sought to maximize their control of the machinery of government for political gain, dispatching Cabinet secretaries bearing government largess to battleground states in the days before elections. The Clinton White House routinely rewarded big donors with stays in the Lincoln Bedroom and private coffees with senior federal officials, and held some political briefings for top Cabinet officials during the 1996 election. But Rove, who announced last week that he is resigning from the White House at the end of August, pursued the goal far more systematically than his predecessors, according to interviews and documents reviewed by The Washington Post, enlisting political appointees at every level of government in a permanent campaign that was an integral part of his strategy to est...

Remember where you were the day Britney Spears attempted her comeback . And remember: she's a mommy!

After Fox News gets caught trying to change Wikipedia (don't they know they have Conservapedia to muck around with?) they decide to attack Wikipedia . Typical.

In a medical sense, the odds are one in 13 million of this happening : HELENA, Mont. - A 35-year-old Canadian woman has given birth to rare identical quadruplets, hospital officials said Thursday. Karen Jepp of Calgary, Alberta, delivered Autumn, Brooke, Calissa and Dahlia by Caesarian section Sunday afternoon at Benefis Healthcare hospital in Great Falls, Mont., said Amy Astin, the hospital's director of community and government relations. All of the girls seem to be healthy, but Ms. Jepp still has a way to go, assuming that she wants to match the Duggars family .

Eugene Robinson on Tuesday's bombing in Iraq : The bombings Tuesday looked more like an act of genocide, an attempt to erase as many Yazidis as possible from the face of the earth. The motive for this atrocity might not have been political but religious; it might have been the work of Muslim fundamentalists trying to settle a centuries-old local grievance, rather than the work of Muslim fundamentalists trying to drive the Americans out of Iraq or establish a new caliphate in the Middle East . The point is that here in Washington, we talk about Iraq as if we were intimately familiar with all its fractures, fissures and fault lines. The Bush administration touts as a breakthrough the recent decision of provincial Sunni Muslim sheiks to cooperate with U.S. forces -- but it's also possible that the sheiks are just maneuvering to be in a better position when the Americans eventually leave. The administration says there might be genocide if America pulls out -- but it looks as if gen...

Mandy Moore does a cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella." Say what you will about the actual rendition, but keep in mind that Moore's one of the few young celebrities who isn't driving their career off a cliff.

Just another reason to end the occupation in Iraq as soon as possible : Army soldiers committed suicide last year at the highest rate in 26 years, and more than a quarter did so while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new military report. The report, obtained by The Associated Press ahead of its scheduled release Thursday, found there were 99 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers during 2006, up from 88 the previous year and the highest number since the 102 suicides in 1991 at the time of the Persian Gulf W ar. Granted, it is not the fighting itself, but the fighting does add to an already heavy load: Failed personal relationships, legal and financial problems and the stress of their jobs were factors motivating the soldiers to commit suicide, according to the report. "In addition, there was a significant relationship between suicide attempts and number of days deployed" in Iraq, Afghanistan or nearby countries where troops are participating in the war e...

If you add the things Chris Matthews has said in the past , then combine them with things like this : He looks like a million bucks. Everything is perfect. Everything about him is perfect -- his look, his manner, everything, the shirt, never rolled-up sleeves, the tie always tied . That perfection -- is that the Republican Party of the 21st century? Is that what we're looking for, the perfect efficiency expert? and this : Yeah, I think you're right. I guess I'm thinking of an Eddie Rendell were in the race -- the governor of Pennsylvania -- or if Al Gore were in the race or someone else who's a good heavyweight to be running. But, you know, I do see a lot of really good second-tier candidates here, but I don't see a big, beefy alternative to Hillary Clinton -- a big guy. You know what I mean? An all -- an every-way big guy . I don't see one out there. I see a lot of slight, skinny, second- and third-rate candidates. and even this: MATTHEWS: Could you get a littl...

I wanted to address this last week, but some much other stuff came up so here goes (and please remember, these are fictional comic book characters we're talking about people): I agree that Dr. Doom should not be crying about 9-11 considering everything he's done to Marvel Comics New York, but to call him wussier than Lex Luthor is just so wrong . Let me just put this out here as well before I continue: Superman is not my favorite comic book hero. No character has been jerked around as much as him, and by that I mean the treatment of his powers. One day he's practically a god, the next day missiles, lasers, and well placed punches from questionable adversaries are knocking him aside. I always thought he was best portrayed as the ultimate switchblade superhero, because he has so many powers; in reality he's only limited by his imagination (or rather, that of the writers). And don't get me started on the "stories that deal with him being an outsider" thing; g...

I couldn't read Eugene Robinson's piece on Karl Rove's departure without thinking about this guy . Like Rove, Quizboy was an initial success who couldn't come to terms with the changing times and that lead to his downfall (one politically, the other as an authority in the scientist-hero world). Also, they are relentlessly loyal to their hero (George W. Bush/Dr. Venture). The Democrats in Congress would do well to continue to pursue Rove for answers regarding his involvement in the Valerie Plame/Wilson leak as well as the US attorney firing. Why? In order to conclude, as the President has said, that "there was no crime here." The sooner Rove complies, the sooner both sides can put this mess behind them. Personally, I would hope that Congress pursues this issue even after Bush's term in office ends, but I know how political focus changes with each new administration. Either way, I doubt Rove will do anything more than take a breather before he begins his qu...

In the WashPost, Pakistani reporter Ahmed Rashid says that panic moves in Pakistan is a bad omen : Declaring a state of emergency would have suspended fundamental rights, placed restrictions on the Supreme Court and delayed this year's elections. It is unlikely that an already angry and mobilized public would have accepted new restrictions, even those imposed by the army, which Musharraf heads. Massive street protests and further mayhem might have ensued. After eight years as president, Musharraf is battling for survival, refusing to yield power to civilians yet unable to exert the authority he needs to keep the peace at home and still be a useful ally to the West in rooting out Islamic extremists along the border with Afghanistan. But, Rashid adds, America's involvement (or lack thereof) partially attributed to the situation: Since 2001 the Bush administration has refused to understand that political stability in Pakistan requires a modicum of democracy, a political consensus ...

Jamison Foser of Media Matters on the problems with relying on anecdotal information when talking about politicians : These "illustrative anecdotes," and countless others like them -- John Kerry windsurfing or ordering cheesesteak, John Edwards' big house and expensive haircuts, etc., etc. -- aren't inherently illustrative. Journalists use them to illustrate not only things they know about the candidates, but things they think about the candidates as well; to dress up their guesses and hunches as factual observations. President Bush has been widely mocked for saying upon his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, "I looked the man in the eye. ... I was able to get a sense of his soul." But that's essentially what journalists do when they claim these "telling anecdotes" illustrate something completely subjective about the candidates. They don't really know Al Gore is a phony; they're guessing at what is in his soul, then f...

Bush won't help out anyone who loses a home, whether it's from a hurricane or via the tubulent markets : Q Mr. President, I want to get your thoughts about the volatility in the financial markets, but specifically, a series of questions. Do you think that housing prices will continue to fall? Do you think that the inability of people to borrow money the way they used to is going to spillover into economy generally? And what are you prepared to do about it? And, specifically, are you considering some kind of government bailout for people who might lose their homes? THE PRESIDENT: David, I'm wise enough to remind you that I'm not an economist, and that I would ask you direct predictions and forecasts about economic matters to those who make a living making forecasts and predictions. I suspect you'll find on the one hand, on the other hand, in how they predict. (Laughter.) Now, what I focus on are the fundamentals of our economy. My belief is that people will make rat...

Newsweek has an interesting story on yet another task that will most likely be added to one of America's "missions" in Iraq: un-brainwashing the young . Some of the teens may have tried to kill American or Iraqi soldiers, others may have been picked up for smaller offenses like breaking curfew. But the group, all Sunnis, have one thing in common: they've all been brainwashed for jihad. "They get their education from Wahhabis," says Sheik Abdul Jabbar, 37, an Iraqi cleric working with the teens, as he looks on from the side of the class. "They say their enemy is the Shia first and then the Americans." Abdullah has had his dose of radical education. He is convinced that his stepmother, who is Shiite, is a kafir, or nonbeliever. He has told the instructors in the class that, given the chance, he would kill her. "If they let them out, they would all become suicide bombers," says Jabbar. "Soon we will have two generations of terrorists....

OK, so some of the stars from the Hollywood Walk of Fame have been removed for a building project . But look some of the names who've been removed: Charlton Heston Cary Grant Clark Gable Frank Sinatra Ever since Bowling for Columbine, I've been a little put off by Heston and everyone knows who Sinatra is...but that aside, they (and the others who will have their stars removed) were good actors. Seriously, there has to be a star who had less of an impact who could give up their space so tourists can see Grant or Gable, right?

" They’ve been at the table for the last 35 years and they’ve been eating our lunch ." -- Steve Skvara, on Hardball , referring to the Republicans (and at least one Democratic presidential candidate) who suggest that the insurance companies need to be invited to the table to help solve the problem with our health care.

Well, I'll be: seems like it's high school for the GOP presidential wannabes, who are engaging in mass whispering campaigns against each other.

OK, getting Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett is sure to boost the morale in Boston, but do they really need to beg Reggie Miller to come out of retirement ? If the story is true, there's two things I think the Celtics' management is overlooking. First: they still have the same coach; a coach known for weird rotations and clock mismanagement. Has Doc Rivers ever even coached in a Conference Championship yet? Second: Do they think a bunch of talented veterans equals "Instant Championship?" Does anyone even remember the 2004 Lakers (Shaq, Kobe, Payton and Malone)?

On the heals of Jim Cramer's..." complaints " about the Fed Chair: China threatens to cash in their American chips ...here's Market Watch's take on the affair . The WashPost dismisses the Daily Telegraph as a " tabloid newspaper " but that's not really true ( in format or connotation ). Of course, this may have something to do with China's human rights record .

Ever since President Bush selected Ben Bernanke to succeed Alan Greenspan, the Fed has played it safe. Mad Money's Jim Cramer says it's time to wake the hell up .

I find it interesting that the new Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, isn't in the news as much as his predecessor (even Rumsfeld appearance in the Pat Tillman hearing got some ink). So the question pops in my head: just what kind of guy is Gates? Well, after seeing this post from C&L , I finally get it. Gates is that mid-season coach you get when your regular coach quits or gets fired. In sports, the MSC's job is to just get by the season unscathed. They're usually saddled with a team that's either too old, too young or too undisciplined (hence the departure of the former coach) and any victory is considered a blessing from on high. With Gates, there are similarities. First, he has to work with Rumsfeld's playbook (he can make minor adjustments, but in reality he can't remake the Department in his short tenure). Second, he has to deal with the people already in place like Rice (who's fiercely loyal to Bush) and Cheney (who never wanted Rumsfeld to leav...

Slate's Bonnie Goldstein wonders if the Bush Administration's latest executive order should be cause for concern : Emboldened, perhaps, by the mild response [to his last executive order ], on August 2 President Bush issued a similar executive order (below) regarding Lebanon. This action authorizes the Treasury to "block the property and interests in property" of "any U.S. persons" (including "a spouse or dependent child") who challenge "the sovereignty of Lebanon" (i.e., support Syria's occupation of Lebanon and its interference in Lebanese politics ). In this instance the target can be anyone whose actions are deemed to "pose a significant risk" of undermining Lebanon's democratic processes, violent or not. I guess we'll find out when someone loses their house because they challenged "the sovereignty of Lebanon."

Charley Rosen wrote a very good piece on being a sports fan and being a sports critic: There's nothing intrinsically wrong with being a spirited sports fan. Loyalty, passion, the appreciation of details and trends, of grace under pressure, and just plain fun are some of the wonderful rewards resulting from a total immersion in a ball game. Even the "agony of defeat" can be instructive. However, when a fan (which is shorthand for "fanatic") invests too much emotion in what is after all a vicarious pastime, it becomes easy to cross the line that separates enthusiasm from madness. One symptom of the overly rabid sports fan (or zealots of any persuasion) is a tendency to demonize anyone who has a different view. Go read the whole thing . Personally, I think it can be applied to more things than just sports.

I was checking out this story about Bob Allen, (a guy who works for John McCain's presidential campaign) who apparently was soliciting sex in a park bathroom . Well, Democratic Underground did some snooping , and found out Allen's side of the story: State Rep. Bob Allen told police he was just playing along when a undercover officer suggested in a public restroom that the legislator give him oral sex and $20 because he was intimidated, according to a taped statement and other documents released Thursday. "I certainly wasn't there to have sex with anybody and certainly wasn't there to exchange money for it," said Allen, R-Merritt Island, who was arrested on charges of soliciting prostitution." This was a pretty stocky black guy, and there was nothing but other black guys around in the park ," Allen, who is white , told police in a taped statement after his arrest. Allen said he feared he "was about to be a statistic" and would have said any...

This is just one of a bunch of games designed to teach the average person about current laws and what's it's like to be part of a particular demographic. In this case, the subject is immigrants : "ICED!" — a play on the acronym for the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement office — is scheduled to be available for free download next month. It differs greatly from games like "Border Patrol," which popped up on the Internet last year and exhorted players to kill illegal immigrants as they entered the country. "ICED!" seeks to show how immigration laws passed in 1996 expanded the number of crimes that can trigger deportation and limited immigrants' rights to appeal. Players try to avoid deportation by keeping a low profile and performing community service. Shoplifting or jumping a subway turnstile loses points. Lose too many, and your character ends up in a federal detention facility. Maybe this will start new t...

More threats from al-Qaeda, but check out the twist : American al Qaeda militant Adam Gadahn warned the United States and its allies on Sunday that the militant network would target diplomats and embassies in retaliation for U.S.-led actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Al Qaeda released a one-hour, 17-minute video showing a computer-animated depiction of the 2006 suicide attack on a U.S. diplomatic vehicle in Karachi, Pakistan, in which American diplomat David Foy died, according to the Web site of terrorism expert Laura Mansfield. It's not the first time this guy has been seen giving such a message, but he's being used more frequently. And let me just say: Adam Gadahn is the modern-day definition of a "traitor" when it comes to fighting terrorism. I wish the politicians would refrain from their "you're helping the terrorists" accusations because in too many cases, what they're accusing their target of doing is nowhere close to what Gadahn is doing.

I wanted to hear what others were going to say about the Democrat's basic capitulation to President Bush for his FISA revisions. Long story short: Alberto Gonzales -the Attorney General who doesn't seem to want to follow the law or tell the truth- can now spy on pretty much whomever he wants. Anyway, the best take was JP , who says: Democrats, especially the so-called Blue Dog Democrats, were terrified that George W. Bush would call them names and say they were weak on terrorism, even though it had been proven a year and a half ago that not only has bypassing FISA not resulted in us catching a single legitimate terrorist of note, it’s also been used by the White House to spy on countless millions of American citizens who are capriciously labeled enemies of the state. I was always concerned that the game plan for the Democrats in Congress was to do nothing and hope that the Bush Administration and the Republican would doom themselves. The problem with this strategy is that it me...

Via Crooks and Liars: Barry Bonds breaking the homerun record won't make him any less of a jerk .

In regards to the horrific bridge collapse in Minneapolis, President Bush gave a 651-word speech . Sadly, only 212 words where really dedicated to the victims and their families. The other 67% of his speech? A blatant attack at the Congress (which has been under the control of the the Democratic Party for about 6 months). Here's Bush's speech sans the attack: THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I just finished a Cabinet meeting. One of the things we discussed was the terrible situation there in Minneapolis. We talked about the fact that the bridge collapsed, and that we in the federal government must respond and respond robustly to help the people there not only recover, but to make sure that lifeline of activity, that bridge, gets rebuilt as quickly as possible. To that end, Secretary Peters is in Minneapolis, as well as Federal Highway Administrator Capka. I spoke to Governor Pawlenty and Mayor Rybak this morning. I told them that the Secretary would be there. I told them we would h...

I have to say that this is a true committment to family: The Duggars have had child #17 , and don't plan on stopping.

Some people seem to believe that the military victories we're collecting in Iraq is enough to make it free, but as Slate's Phillip Carter notes , you still need the component of political progress. In other words: our troops' presence in Iraq has as much to do with the successes (or failures) of the Iraqi government than it has to do with killing insurgents. But this point -that the Iraqi government needs to start pulling it's own weight- is getting lost in the new fad for talking Iraqi policy: go there for about a week and then come back claiming that you're an expert. Everyone is becoming so concerned about who the "expert" is that fewer and fewer people are actually discussing what needs to be done (which is why the options have boiled down to "cut and run" versus "stay the course"). As Carter puts it: Truth is elusive in Iraq; it always remains just out of focus. In Iraq you can find evidence on the ground to support just about any ...