On my way out to Des Moines

...I am thankful for restaurants, especially good ones. The sweet potato flan at Charlie Parker's was fantastic. I had venison, which wasn't as good as the venison that came from deer killed by members of my family, but it was still lovely. I'm going to have to make friends with people who go out and kill deer.

...I'm thankful that, after a long search, I found my gloves.

...I'm thankful for Krispy Kreme, because it's good to be able to get a hot glazed when you really want one.

...I am very thankful for my toasty warm merino wool socks. So soft and warm. I know I paid too much for them, but in terms of the happiness gained by wearing them, I think they're worth it.

...And I'm thankful that I am feeling well enough to go to Iowa to work for the Dean campaign. I'm leaving early in the morning.

It does not go without saying that I am especially thankful to my first donor, a young man who died in a car accident in 2000, and to his family; and to Scott, who said "I could do that" when he heard I needed a kidney.

The knowledge that there really are people in this world who don't think of their own self-interest first is reassuring. So I am thankful for anybody who does a good thing just because.

Now, please think good thoughts for me on the road to Des Moines. I will check in when I have a chance.

Great. Now I have to read the food.

Anyway, I got eggs at Harris Teeter, and when I opened the carton I noticed that each egg was individually stamped with an expiration date.

I guess that's OK, but it bugs me enough to mention it. It was particularly strange to pick up an egg to read its message, even if the message is "Hi! Use me by December 6!"

I'm going to have to buy eggs someplace else to check out the messages.

Work work work work work... and then work some more.

I gave my first TV interview about the Dean campaign tonight at an event I had organized. I am thankful to report that it will only be shown in Singapore.

So if I have any readers in Singapore, well, look for me on cable news.

And the event I worked on last night, and have been working on for several days was covered fairly widely.

By the time it was over, everybody was fairly pleased and very exhausted. I got home and was too wired to sleep immediately. It was the kind of wired that comes from being "on" for 10 hours straight.

Felt pretty good.

The Ugliest Slumber Party

Several of the senators spoke eloquently. I was particularly impressed with John Warner (R-VA) the first time he delivered his speech about what a filibuster is and what it isn't. That happened as part of a colloquy, which was called to determine what a filibuster is and what it isn't for the purpose of the debate.

On the Dem. side I was impressed with Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) because she was one of the first Dems I heard talking sense.

I admit that I didn't stay up to listen to the other gentleman from Arkansas read from a 1,000 page biography of LBJ.

Now, I understand the indignation of Senate Republicans over the nominees that they haven't been able to push through. But I also understand that Democrats see actively working to hold up the nominations of these jurists as their only form of recourse.

Rick Santorum (R-Homophobia) seemed to have a particular objection to the idea that the "obstructionist" actions of the other side effectively requires controversial nominees to be confirmed by a supermajority, or 60 votes.

A lot of the senators talked--complete with headshaking, finger wagging and heavy sighs--about how the Dems have circumvented the Constitution with this requirement. They also pointed out that in the brief period when Democrats controlled the White House and both houses, a larger number of liberal judges made it through.

So I have an idea: why not codify the 60-vote requirement for federal judges? These are lifetime appointments and they require actual advice and concent, not merely a rubber stamp from either party that happens to control the majority. This puts pressure on any administration to work with the senate to make sure any nominee will pass the confirmation process.

Litmus testing on abortion is silly and obvious, but so is trying to pack the courts so it will be overturned.

And the next time I hear about a slumber party, it had better be about 11 year old girls, not Norm Coleman and Lindsey Graham.

Shudder.

Remember the lesson about the live mic? That's a different lesson.

Why not let Cowboy Joe Lieberman do it for you.

Hell of a way to start your day.

Soup is good food

This is one of the reasons. The other is that I've been having a ton of fun doing things like finding ways to doctor soup in a box so that it's both nutritous and tasty.

So far, this is my favorite:

Onion Dip Soup, serves one.

!/2 an onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon butter
6 white button mushrooms sliced
1/2 beef boullion cube in 1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup Creamy Portobello Mushroom
1/4 cup sour cream

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and saute onions over high heat for two minutes. Reduce heat and let onions cook for about 10 minutes until brown, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, cook 2-3 minutes. Dissolve boullion in water and add to vegetables. You want most of the water to cook away. Add soup, stir and heat until entire mixture is warm. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste.

The other good one is Creamy Tomato with a spoonfull of pesto stirred in. That's darned tasty.

I come not to praise Caesar...

Today I'm annoyed because Kerry and three of his fellow Dems have formally asked that their names be removed from the ballot for the DC Democratic Presidential Primary, which is scheduled for January 13, 2004. I don't think the DC primary is all that important, but I don't think it's OK for almost half the field to pull out because the Democratic National Committee says they should.

I support Howard Dean, who will be on the ballot. (He is not officially campaigning here, but he has appeared at a lot of fundraisers, and the campaign has had two rallies in the Washington metro area--one in Falls Church, the other at the University of Maryland in College Park.) Clark, Kucinich, Sharpton and Braun will also be on the ballot. I guess Lyndon LaRouche will, too.

Say what you will about the rest of the Dems, I don't think I find any of them as loathsome and hypocritical as Kerry, The main reason is that he seems to have nothing to say for himself, he just talks about Howard Dean.

Word on the street says that Kerry is "nuanced." I am completely serious; that's the word they use. I guess it's supposed to mean that his lofty thoughts are too intricate and subtle for the rest of us to understand. Or something. It's Democrats like John Kerry that sent voters running to "regular guy" multimillionare George W. Bush.

I say it's time to get rid of them both.

Loop-de-loophole

I mean, it's hard to know who to blame: Congress, financial planners, or car salesfolk.

...like the IRS is going to go out to check and see whether the vehicle in question is really necessary for business purposes.

I'm going to repeat my policy on SUVs. There are certain subsets of people who should drive them. People like ranchers, construction people on the job, and folks who actually go off road or live on top of a mountain. I'm sure there are others.

Ultimately, what people drive is none of my business; but, it becomes my business if I'm paying for it.

So I guess my new policy is drive whatever you want, as long as you're paying for it with your own money.So consider yourself authorized to tell me about your new Suburban, but if you tell me about the tax write-off it got you, I'm liable to slap you.

Forewarned is forearmed

Besides, in retrospect, his alarm starts to look like soothsaying.

Even if you like the current administration (in which case I have to wonder why in the world you would be reading this) you can't help but think that the United States might benefit by considering the impact of often rash actions taken by our government on behalf of a disinterested electorate.

Have I mentioned Howard Dean lately?

Shut up, RNC, CBS, et al

I'm just guessing, but I'm guessing not.

My other pet theory is that CBS had this planned all along as a ploy to get people to Call Your Cable or Satellite Provider! and subscribe to Showtime.

Still, I wish the RNC and all its associated minions would just put a sock in it. Also, I think the idea of a "love story about the Reagans set against the backdrop of the White House is one of the lamest ideas I've ever heard for a TV movie--and that includes Fear Factor.

Oh. The principle spokesman for the Republican National Committee is named Jim Dyke.

Tee hee.

Ranting at the opposition party for behaving like an opposition party

I contend that the reason so many people think there's no leadership among the Democrats is that the damned party won't choose a leader, and it won't let the people choose a leader.

Now, I don't happen to like the leaders the Republicans have been choosing lately, but you always know what the message is. (In case you need reminding, the message is that if you're not a corporation, we don't really care about you, but we're going to pretend that we do so you continue to vote for us.)

At this point, the Democratic message seems to be "guns are bad, abortion is good." And I'm here to tell the Democratic party, that message isn't going to cut it.

What I hear from voters--not me directly, you understand; I am no longer a working journalist--is that they're not at all satisfied with the economy, they're not convinced by the spin on the war in Iraq, and they don't really see things getting any better. And yet a lot of these voters are still planning on voting for Bush next year.

So the Dems have about a year to turn this around, and I think it has to stop now. Get most of the guys in the race out of it. Ultimately I think Dean. Edwards and Clark are your candidates. Gephardt has put all his eggs in Iowa, and I think that's a stipid strategy. He can't win in the general election, so he should really just drop out. With three candidates, the coverage gets better. The "lower tier" candidates can stay in, but they shouldn't expect to get any attention.

The rest of the damned party has to get on message--the same message--and start trying to make the party seem viable. It's time to stop the petty bickering and the big-tent nonsense. Sure, there's room for everybody, but you have to know who's pulling the ropes.

You're both wrong!

So, while I'm not advocating that we give Georgia-Pacific free reign, I think maybe it's time for the Sierra Club to admit that it's a good thing to clear out brush.

Speaking of Georgia-Pacific, there's a new man on the Brawny paper towels. The new one looks a lot less like a 70s porn star.

I guess the new one looks like a porn star for the '00s.

before - after