White House, Right-Wing Apoplectic McClellan Exposed Their Lies

The White House and conservatives are furious at the revelations unleashed in former Press Secretary Scott McClellan's memoir, which has zoomed to #1 on Amazon.

Via Think Progress: "Current Press Secretary Dana Perino said McClellan was obviously 'disgruntled,' while Fleischer said he was 'heartbroken,' and Bartlett called the book 'total crap.' MSNBC’s Kevin Corke reported this afternoon that White House officials, on background, went even further, calling McClellan a 'traitor' and likening him to Benedict Arnold. He said the White House was 'upset,' substituting that word for a word he said he could not repeat on television."

The truth is sometimes hard to hear, eh?

One thing that came out in McClellan's Today show appearance today was that Bush authorized the selective leak of the NIE. McClellan said he confronted Bush about it: "I talked about the conversation we had. I walked onto Air Force One, it was right after an event we had, it was down in the south, I believe it was North Carolina. And I walk onto Air Force One and a reporter had yelled a question to the President trying to ask him a question about this revelation that had come out during the legal proceedings. The revelation was that it was the President who had authorized, or, enable Scooter Libby to go out there and talk about this information. And I told the President that that's what the reporter was asking. He was saying that you, yourself, was the one that authorized the leaking of this information. And he said "yeah, I did."

Congressman Wexler has called on McClellan to testify before the House Judiciary Committee...

And guess who's weighing in now, saying he knew McClellan "better than any other White House correspondent or Washington reporter"? Fake news reporter/escort Jeff Gannon.

Watch TWO CLIPS, a news report on the White House reactions and selections from McClellan's Today show appearance, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Is Scott McClellan First of Bush White House to Tell the Truth?

Late yesterday, Politico published a motherlode of quotes from Scott McClellan's memoir What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and What's Wrong with Washington which was previewed back in November, and is set to be released this week.

Instead of the "largely affectionate portrait" and "a few swipes" which most expected, the book takes a more critical tone than anticipated, discussing how the Bush administration “veered terribly off course." Here's a bit:

“One of the worst disasters in our nation’s history became one of the biggest disasters in Bush’s presidency. Katrina and the botched federal response to it would largely come to define Bush’s second term. And the perception of this catastrophe was made worse by previous decisions President Bush had made, including, first and foremost, the failure to be open and forthright on Iraq and rushing to war with inadequate planning and preparation for its aftermath.”

On the Plame case: "I had allowed myself to be deceived into unknowingly passing along a falsehood. “It would ultimately prove fatal to my ability to serve the president effectively. I didn’t learn that what I’d said was untrue until the media began to figure it out almost two years later. Neither, I believe, did President Bush. He, too, had been deceived and therefore became unwittingly involved in deceiving me. But the top White House officials who knew the truth — including Rove, Libby and possibly Vice President Cheney — allowed me, even encouraged me, to repeat a lie."

Much more at Politico...

Karl Rove commented on the quotes, saying McClellan sounds "like a left-wing blogger." Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously
Scott McClellan Points Finger at Bush, Cheney Over False Iraq Info [tr]

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News: Thailand, Dick Cheney, Brazil Wedding, Diva Clinton

Jay Leno and Ryan Phillippe are still on good terms after the "gayest look" incident. Said Leno: "No, we talked about it before. We're friends. I mean, it's a talk show. That's what you do."

Same-sex weddings, civil unions, commitment ceremonies big business in New England: "Throughout the Northeast, competition has spiked among wedding sites, hotels, resorts and inns as the travel industry has realized that same-sex ceremonies can draw scores of guests, who turn these destinations weddings into weekend stays."

Ashlee Simpson is another straight woman who loves that gay guys love her man.

Red Cross in Thailand changes screening process for gay blood donors: "Gay-rights activists had complained that one question, which was meant to target people more likely to have diseases transmitted by sex and drugs, had effectively blocked all gay men from donating by only asking about same-sex relations. 'We didn't mean to hurt anyone,' said Soisaang Pikulsod, director of the Thai Red Cross National Blood Centre. 'It was just to ensure the highest possible safety of our patients.' The Red Cross will rework the form to include more questions about all types of sexual behaviour, gay or heterosexual, that could increase the risk of diseases such as AIDS, she said."

Kathy Griffin and Adnan Ghalib in most obvious paparazzi punk'd ever.

Dick Cheney has either a naked woman or an alien entity in his lenses. Or Lynne Cheney, in which case it would be both.

American Idol loses one of the guys [SPOILER].

Gay-friendly college fairs a budding trend: "Students are coming out at a much younger age. That process isn't beginning in college or after college like we may have seen 10 or 20 years ago. So these high school students who are out come looking for a range of things that show a college will generally have students like them, and a university with an inclusive mission."

Judge tosses Florida lawsuit filed by high school student denied the right to form a gay-straight alliance: "The former student, Yasmin Gonzalez, has graduated, so she's no longer affected by the school's decision to ban the club, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore said in a ruling Wednesday. Gonzalez's attorneys with the ACLU tried to maintain her stake in the case by seeking nominal monetary damages, but Moore ruled she isn't entitled to any money because she wasn't claiming violations of due process. 'We were surprised and disappointed by his interpretation,' said Rob Rosenwald, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. Rosenwald plans to ask the judge to reconsider. Attorneys for the school board declined to comment."

Brazil televises "tacky" gay wedding.

George Michael = God?

East Village Boys offer T-shirt that big shooters wear with pride.

TPM suggests "diva theory" behind Hillary's appeal: "Hillary is the diva, the fabulous woman who is fabulous just because she says so. She's the woman who is abused (by her husband), ridiculed (by the press), hated (by Republican mouth-breathers), yet she's still standing. She's like from some exploitation film where the heroine is beaten and barely raped before pulling a knife out of her sock and slicing the mean guy's balls off. Her supporters have stood by her and fought her battles with her - and sometimes for her - since the 1990s. The emotional connection runs too deep. R-e-s-p-e-c-t, she shakes her finger. Find out what it means to me. And the crowd eats it up." Can any shallower arguments be made?

Michigan's Aquinas College cancels speech by gay rights activist. President: "I'm not trying to keep people from seeing him. I'm trying to prevent the college from sponsoring an event that displays an attack on Catholic teaching values."

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Website Exposes Nearly 1000 Bush Administration Lies on Iraq

A new website from the Center for Public Integrity focusing on ethics in government and public policy as assembled thousands of pre-war statements on Iraq from Bush administration officials in a searchable database:

"Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the research center say their work has documented 'at least 935 false statements' on hundreds of occasions, particularly that Iraq had unconventional weapons, links to Al Qaeda, or both. The database shows how even after the invasion, when a consensus emerged that the prewar intelligence assessments were flawed, administration officials occasionally suggested that the weapons might still be found."

The NYT notes: "Muckrakers may find browsing the site reminiscent of what Richard M. Nixon used to dismissively call 'wallowing in Watergate.'"

Except that these days there appears to be no accountability.

Late last week, Tammy Baldwin, in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial, called for impeachment proceedings to begin: "The abuses of this administration demand a formal response. Congressional oversight is a fundamental part of our constitutionally-proscribed system of checks and balances...I had hoped that Congress could begin to repair the damage that has been done to our democracy, our Constitution and our standing in the world, so that censure or impeachment could be averted. Unfortunately, this administration not only fails to accept responsibility for its misdeeds, but it also blocks attempts to right the wrongs and address the tragic consequences of those misdeeds. We have seen the American people's will thwarted by the exercise of veto power. We have seen subpoenas ignored. We have seen signing statements used to circumvent the law of the land...If we fail to take action to either impeach or repair the damage, then the next president will 'inherit' unchecked powers. Unchecked powers are unacceptable no matter who is president."

According to Counterpunch, nine of 23 members of the House Judiciary Committee now favor starting impeachment hearings.

(via think progress)

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News: Beijing Stadium, Idaho, Amy Winehouse, Martian, Brad Pitt

CROOKS: Emails went missing from Bush and Cheney offices the very day Alberto Gonzalez "ordered the president and the vice president's staff to 'preserve all materials that might be relevant' to an inchoate Justice Department probe."

Mysterious 'alien' figure spotted in Martian landscape!

Pentagon releases statement on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, saying it is continuing to discharge gay and lesbian soldiers even though reports have shown a recent major drop in such cases. Statement: "Our policy implements the law Congress passed after prolonged research and debate. The department will continue to follow congressional mandate on homosexual conduct. We can't speculate as to why the number of discharges has declined."

Amy Winehouse in downward spiral — caught smoking crack ON VIDEO.

European Court of Human Rights rules: France discriminated against lesbian mother by refusing to allow her to adopt a child. "The judges decided that the woman was a victim of discrimination because of her sexual orientation. They said her right to family life under the European Convention on Human Rights had also been infringed. France has been told to pay her damages...The court's ruling in Strasbourg on Tuesday noted that: 'French law allowed single persons to adopt a child, thereby opening up the possibility of adoption by a single homosexual.' The court criticised the French judiciary's emphasis on "the lack of a paternal referent in the household" in the case of the lesbian woman, who was identified only as E.B. The reference to the applicant's homosexuality had been "if not explicit, at least implicit," the ruling said."

Beijing builds giant nest as Olympic Stadium.

Nothing gets between Brad Pitt and his Edwins.

The coldest place in the universe was recently observed...right here on Earth: "The record-breaking lows were among the latest feats of ultracold physics, the laboratory study of matter at temperatures so mind-bogglingly frigid that atoms and even light itself behave in highly unusual ways. Electrical resistance in some elements disappears below about minus 440°F, a phenomenon called superconductivity. At even lower temperatures, some liquefied gases become "superfluids" capable of oozing through walls solid enough to hold any other sort of liquid; they even seem to defy gravity as they creep up, over and out of their containers."

The Mr. Gay International swimsuit competition - on video.

Dow plunges 465 points, then recovers most of it after Federal Reserve interest rate emergency cut: "The U.S. markets joined a global selloff amid growing fears that a recession in the United States could send economies around the world into a downturn. Though stocks regained ground as investors digested the Fed's move to cut its benchmark federal funds rate by 0.75 percentage point and as bargain-hunters entered the market, trading remained volatile and the major indexes fluctuated sharply, at times approaching the break-even point before heading down again." Bernanke setting the stage for an even bigger recession?

Did Katie Holmes fake running the New York Marathon? Plenty of evidence seems to suggest that maybe she did.

Idaho legislature floats first-ever anti-discrimination bill that includes gays and lesbians: "Leslie Goddard, director of the Human Rights Commission beautifully presented the bill after an introduction by Senator Tim Corder, a major sponsor or the legislation. Some may remember the Mountain Home Republican Senator from a City Club debate in 2006 or from his past vote to ban gay marriage in Idaho's Constitution. His support of this year's legislation speaks loudly to the fundamental fairness implicit in the issue of employment discrimination and to the progress made on understanding of these issues over the years."

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George McGovern Urges Impeachment of Bush and Cheney

On Sunday, the Washington Post ran an op-ed column by George McGovern, the former South Dakota U.S. Rep. and Senator, and Democratic presidential nominee who lost the 1972 election in a landslide to Richard Nixon. McGovern calls for the impeachment of George W Bush and Dick Cheney:

"After the 1972 presidential election, I stood clear of calls to impeach President Richard M. Nixon for his misconduct during the campaign. I thought that my joining the impeachment effort would be seen as an expression of personal vengeance toward the president who had defeated me. Today I have made a different choice. Of course, there seems to be little bipartisan support for impeachment. The political scene is marked by narrow and sometimes superficial partisanship, especially among Republicans, and a lack of courage and statesmanship on the part of too many Democratic politicians. So the chances of a bipartisan impeachment and conviction are not promising. But what are the facts? Bush and Cheney are clearly guilty of numerous impeachable offenses. They have repeatedly violated the Constitution. They have transgressed national and international law. They have lied to the American people time after time. Their conduct and their barbaric policies have reduced our beloved country to a historic low in the eyes of people around the world. These are truly 'high crimes and misdemeanors,' to use the constitutional standard. From the beginning, the Bush-Cheney team's assumption of power was the product of questionable elections that probably should have been officially challenged -- perhaps even by a congressional investigation. In a more fundamental sense, American democracy has been derailed throughout the Bush-Cheney regime..."

More...

Why I Believe Bush Must Go: Nixon Was Bad. These Guys Are Worse [washington post]

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News: Whale Sharks, A&F, Nate Berkus, CIA Tapes, Spain

CIA declassifies letter from Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) urging the agency not to destroy interrogation tapes: "You discussed [in a briefing the previous week] the fact that there is videotape of Abu Zubaydah following his capture that will be destroyed after the Inspector General finishes his inquiry. I would urge the Agency to reconsider that plan. Even if the videotape does not constitute an official record that must be preserved under the law, the videotape would be the best proof that the written record is accurate, if such record is called into question in the future. The fact of destruction would reflect badly on the Agency."

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka offer the paps a tanned "aloha" at LAX.

2007: The year in evidence for a Bush/Cheney impeachment.

Jake Gyllenhaal would like to eat his lunch uninterrupted.

Abercrombie & Fitch catalog resurrected: "For its second go-around, however, the magazine-catalog hybrid will debut and be available exclusively in London, where the American fashion brand opened its first international flagship at 7 Burlington Gardens in London last March in what formerly housed Jil Sander, steps from Savile Row. Sam Shahid, who designed the magazine in its six-year run, is back at the helm as creative director."

Canadian students continue to fight gay blood ban.

Inside the listening party for Madonna's forthcoming album.

Spanish PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero hits out at the Catholic church and its recent "pro-family" rallies in Madrid: "Zapatero said that his government was carrying out policies which were supported by the ‘immense majority’ of the Spanish people, and Spain would continue to act in that way. Making no effort to mask his anger at the Cardinals and Bishops who led the Catholic Church event in the Plaza de Colón, Zapatero reminded them that the Spanish Constitution ensured that there was room for everybody in Spain, that everybody has the right to have rights, whatever they think, and whether they belong to a religion or not."

The minute-by-minute on Britney's meltdown...

The Big Give: Nate Berkus tapped to host Oprah's new reality show: "The series follows 10 people who 'criss-cross the country, giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars to unsuspecting people who are in for the surprise of their lives.' The contestants will be given a challenge in each city, and then the judges (chef Jamie Oliver, NFL player Tony Gonzalez, and Chris Rock’s wife Malaak Compton-Rock.) will eliminate one contestant - ultimately awarding 'the biggest giver' the show’s prize."

Massive whale sharks "thriving" off Australia's west coast.

Little Britain's Matt Lucas hijacks housemates on the new UK season of Big Brother.

British mother awarded compensation from gay nightclub after claiming manager called her derogatory names like "breeder": "The tribunal in Southampton awarded Mrs Legg £3,000 in compensation for being harassed for being 'straight' and a further £3,222 for being unfairly dismissed. However, the tribunal did not find that she was sacked because she was heterosexual."

They're big shoes to fill, but do David Beckham's also leave the largest carbon footprint in human history? In related news, Victoria Beckham has an 'enemies' list and Graham Norton is on it.

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"Rogues Gallery" of White House Mugshots on Display

An exhibit by artists Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese is both angering and amusing visitors to the New York Public Library. Members of the Bush administration are featured in satirical mugshots, holding placards with the date each of them stated something "incriminating" about the Iraq war, according to the New York Daily News:

"The installation includes audio clips of the administration members - complete with the sound of a flashbulb popping and a prison door slamming."

Matthew Walter, director of communications for the state GOP, told the paper, "It is simply inappropriate to have political attack art, in the form of egregious doctored photographs of the President and other high-ranking officials who have dedicated their lives to public service, in a taxpayer-funded building frequented by schoolchildren and the general public."

Raw Story reports: "Ligorano and Reese are well known for their political art: 'Line Up (2004-5), their series of portraits of Bush administration officials, acknowledges that the mug shot has become the preeminent form of portraiture in America now that more people are incarcerated there, than any other country in the world. The artists debuted Line Up, selling it as a postcard book on the streets of New York during the Republican convention in 2004. Now in its third edition, they have printed and sold more than 5,000 copies.'"

Six more works from "Line-Up" after the jump...

Library exhibit features 'mug shots' of President Bush, White House officials [ny daily news]
Fox: Library's White House mug shots might confuse little kids [raw story]

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Scott McClellan Points Finger at Bush, Cheney Over False Iraq Info

The publisher of Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's forthcoming book What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and What's Wrong with Washington, unleashed a passage from the book on its website yesterday in which McClellan accuses five high-ranking White House officials, including George W. Bush, of being "involved" in the passing along of false information to the American people.

Writes McClellan:

"The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. There was one problem. It was not true. I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the President himself. ."

McClellan has declined to comment further.

The 400-page book is scheduled for publication on April 21. Should be an interesting read.

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News: Cheney Impeachment, Gavin Rossdale, Jenkem, Iraq Gays

As safe houses close, Iraqi gay activist Ali Hili says world has left them behind: "Over 30 gay residents who we cared for in these three safe houses now have to take their chances in a country where religious militia regularly seek out gays and execute them. Several months ago, two lesbians working with Iraqi LGBT were assassinated in the safe house they were running in Najaf, along with a young boy the women had rescued from the sex industry. We feel deserted by the international gay community. Few people seem to care about our fate."

Dennis Kucinich to force vote on impeachment resolution against Vice President Dick Cheney. And he's not stopping there....

Jenkem is the shit: Florida police investigating new fecal drug craze. Disgusting.

Scottish parliament considering sexual orientation hate crime law: "There are no guarantees that enough MSPs will support the bill, but it appears to have received a warm welcome from the government. Today it comes before a committee of the Scottish Parliament."

Bush to nominate anti-gay Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican: "Glendon, 69, is an anti-abortion scholar and an opponent of gay marriage who also has written on the effects of divorce and increased litigation on society. Her 1987 book 'Abortion and Divorce in Western Law' was critical of the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a legal right to abortion."

Eric Dane is a silver fox.

CBS News on LOGO expanding to half-hour weekly broadcast: "Brian Graden, Logo president and president of MTV Networks Music Group Entertainment, said Monday afternoon that the network had gotten to the point where it had the distribution and roster of advertisers to take things to another level. 'It seemed like there was enough news to sustain that (half-hour) format and then some, and that the audience had a concentrated interest' a year out from the 2008 general elections, Graden said. He didn't rule out further news programming based on how things go."

Gavin Rossdale flexes his tennis chops.

Discharged lesbian nurse battling "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": "Margaret Witt's ACLU lawyer told a federal appeals court panel in Seattle that child molesters in the armed forces are treated more leniently than homosexuals because molesters don't face mandatory discharge. Witt contends the policy-driven discharge violated her right to be free from governmental intrusion in her private life, and that her lawsuit against the Air Force should be reinstated...Witt, 42, spent more than 18 years building a stellar reputation as a McChord Air Force Base nurse who saved the lives of soldiers on medical-evacuation missions. Twice decorated by President Bush, her career was on the rise until an anonymous tipster told the Air Force in 2004 that Witt, a major, was in a long-term relationship with a civilian woman."

British boyband McFly are pube-burning sensations at G-A-Y nightclub in London.

Slow-going as jury selection enters day two for Florida Rep. Bob Allen: "It's "very unusual" for jury selection on a second-degree misdemeanor charge of soliciting a prostitute to enter a second day, attorneys agreed. 'The typical misdemeanor trial would generally have jury selection concluded in a half-day or less, and some are done as quickly as an hour or two,' said Michelle Perlman, misdemeanor division chief for Brevard's State Attorney's Office. Many potential jurors were dismissed immediately after they said they believed Allen, accused in July of agreeing to pay an undercover police officer he encountered in a Titusville park bathroom $20 to perform a sex act, was guilty based on media accounts."

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News: Iran, Rosie O'Donnell, Halloween, Zagreb, Gay Ghetto

Amnesty: Death penalty imminent for gay youth in Iran. "Child offender Makwan Moloudzadeh, an Iranian Kurd, is believed to be at risk of imminent execution. He has reportedly been convicted of lavat-e iqabi (anal sex) for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old boy. Makwan Moloudzadeh was aged 13 at the time of the alleged offence. His death sentence has been passed to the Office for the Implementation of Sentences and he is due to be executed in public, near his home."

Confederate flag that hangs at site of Cheney's weekend hunting trip stirs up anger from Al Sharpton: "It’s appalling for the VP to be at a private club displaying the flag of lynching, hate and murder. It’s the epitome of an insult." The good news is, nobody got shot in the face.

Rosie O'Donnell ambushed at book signing by Bill O'Reilly team. (Rosie's Video, O'Reilly's Video)

NYT: Cancellation of Halloween fest in San Francisco a sign that gay ghettos risk becoming passé. "For many in the Castro District, the cancellation is a blow that strikes at the heart of neighborhood identity, and it has brought soul-searching that goes beyond concerns about crime. These are wrenching times for San Francisco’s historic gay village, with population shifts, booming development, and a waning sense of belonging that is also being felt in gay enclaves across the nation, from Key West, Fla., to West Hollywood, as they struggle to maintain cultural relevance in the face of gentrification."

Did Avril Lavigne dress as Chris Crocker for Halloween?

Miller Brewing apologizes for allowing its brand logo to appear on posters for San Francisco's Folsom Street Fair that parodied The Last Supper.

Opposing accounts offered at trial of Navy doctor accused of secretly taping midshipmen having sex: "A Navy doctor who served as a sponsor for U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen 'violated the trust' of the students by using surveillance equipment installed in an air purifier at his Annapolis home to make 'secret sex tapes' of them, a Navy prosecutor said yesterday at the start of the doctor's court-martial. But Cmdr. Kevin Ronan's attorney, William T. Ferris, said the tapes were made by a former midshipman who used them in an attempt to extort money from his client. Ferris said the tapes became public after his client refused to give money to the former midshipman, who had been dismissed from the Naval Academy for academic reasons and needed money for expenses. 'This was a plan to extort money from Commander Ronan that went awry,' Ferris said during his opening statement at the Washington Navy Yard."

Meet the first Mr. Gay Brazil, Luciano Lupo.

Frank DeCaro looks at Paul Lynde's Halloween Special from 1976, along with a clip of Margaret Hamilton dressed as the wicked witch introducing Paul to members of KISS.

Queer community at NYU holds drag ball.

Croatian man charged with hate crime in Zagreb for attack on gay parade: "The man, identified only as Josip S., is charged with endangering lives and property by an act of hatred toward the participants of the Gay Pride parade in July, the Zagreb district prosecutors' office said. The man is the first person in Croatia to face hate crime charges since it was introduced into the Penal Code last year. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison. No date for a trial was immediately set. Police spotted the man as he prepared to throw homemade Molotov cocktails — bottles containing gasoline — at the parade participants gathering at Zagreb's main square. He fled the scene, but was tracked down later at his home."

Best Week Ever's Top 10 most humiliating pet costumes, judged by the expression on the pets' faces.

Leak reveals Cheney's plan for Iran attack? "In the scenario concocted by Cheney's strategists, Washington's first step would be to convince Israel to fire missiles at Iran's uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. Tehran would retaliate with its own strike, providing the US with an excuse to attack military targets and nuclear facilities in Iran."

1884: The oldest known photograph of a tornado.

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News: Venezuela, Andy Roddick, Melting Glaciers, Lynne Cheney

STUDY: America's youth rejecting Christianity because of hypocrisy and homophobia. "A new book based on research by the California-based research firm The Barna Group found that church attitudes about people in general and gays in particular are driving a negative image of the Christian faith among people ages 16-29. 'The Christian community's ability to take the high road and help to deal with some of the challenges that this (anti-gay) perception represents may be the ... defining response of the Christian church in the next decade,' said David Kinnaman, Barna Group president and author of the book, UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity. 'The anti-homosexual perception has now become sort of the Geiger counter of Christians' ability to love and work with people.'"

Assessing the disaster that is Britney's album cover art.

Venezuela looks ready to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Three people in Cheney's office reportedly tried to silence MSNBC's Chris Matthews: "I thought on the 10th anniversary it would be good to celebrate the First Amendment, which gives us all our living. We reviewed in brief the remarkable experience of covering the Clinton [scandal] and the defense of the war with Iraq. And the difference in these two cases was that although I was extremely tough on Clinton, there was never any attempt to silence me — whereas there was a concerted effort by [Vice President Cheney’s office] to silence me. It came in the form of three different people calling trying to quiet me."

British university student expelled for leaving homophobic comments in a group on Facebook.

STUDY: 16,000 couples wed in first year of UK civil partnerships. "London was the area with the highest number of ceremonies, about 4,000, followed by the South-East, which accounted for about 2,700. Today's report also reveals that 10 per cent of the men and almost a quarter of the women involved in a gay wedding were previously married-The average age for males registering a same-sex partnership was 47 and for females nearly 44. The average age gap between partners was eight years for men and six years for women."

Elton John bangs balls with Andy Roddick at benefit tournament.

Ricky Martin receives key to the city of Miami.

Fragrance industry sniffing out Madonna.

The big melt: Glaciers disappearing from Montana's Glacier National Park "eight years ahead of schedule."

Tennessee attorney general Bob Cooper releases opinon to judge saying that the state's constitution presents no barrier to same-sex couples who want to adopt: "In it, Cooper wrote that, under the state constitution, same-sex couples should be eligible to adopt children as long as the court finds the placement to be in the child's best interest. Cooper found the constitution doesn't mention adoption, meaning the process is governed solely by statutes. Tennessee law doesn't require people petitioning for adoption to be married."

Lynne Cheney booed on The Daily Show, says terrorist attacks worldwide don't affect American interests.

This is a particularly hypnotizing optical illusion.

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The Bush Administration's Greatest Hits

From Broken Record productions...

One of our readers, Aaron Eiseman, took a closer look at the long-playing official assessments of the Iraq war by our leaders. These are some albums that you may never want to hear again, but most likely will!

Click for larger versions. And check out the 8-track and cassette from Cheney and Condi below...

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Dick Cheney Warns of Iraq "Quagmire" in '94 Remarks

In a video from 1994 that recently surfaced on YouTube. In it, Cheney offers up all the reasons why it would be insane for the U.S. to invade Iraq.

Here's the transcript...

Q: Do you think the U.S., or U.N. forces, should have moved into Baghdad?

A: No.

Q: Why not?

A: Because if we'd gone to Baghdad we would have been all alone. There wouldn't have been anybody else with us. There would have been a U.S. occupation of Iraq. None of the Arab forces that were willing to fight with us in Kuwait were willing to invade Iraq.

Once you got to Iraq and took it over, took down Saddam Hussein's government, then what are you going to put in its place? That's a very volatile part of the world, and if you take down the central government of Iraq, you could very easily end up seeing pieces of Iraq fly off: part of it, the Syrians would like to have to the west, part of it -- eastern Iraq -- the Iranians would like to claim, they fought over it for eight years. In the north you've got the Kurds, and if the Kurds spin loose and join with the Kurds in Turkey, then you threaten the territorial integrity of Turkey.

It's a quagmire if you go that far and try to take over Iraq.

The other thing was casualties. Everyone was impressed with the fact we were able to do our job with as few casualties as we had. But for the 146 Americans killed in action, and for their families -- it wasn't a cheap war. And the question for the president, in terms of whether or not we went on to Baghdad, took additional casualties in an effort to get Saddam Hussein, was how many additional dead Americans is Saddam worth?

Our judgment was, not very many, and I think we got it right.

Of course, the answer to that question would now be 3,689 and counting...

(transcript source)

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Is Dick Cheney a Better Shot Than You Are?

Last night I happened to catch the premiere of Power of 10, the new game show hosted by Drew Carey in which contestants win money by accurately predicting the way a percentage of Americans would answer a given question.

I was impressed by Drew Carey (who will soon be hosting The Price is Right) and was somewhat surprised that the producers would actually go there with this question which, of course, sprang from the vice president's infamous hunting accident.

The 19-year-old kid playing the game locked in a guess at between 35-55%. Find out the answer after the jump...

[[WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD]]

43% of Americans think that Cheney would shoot them first.

The kid won $100,000 for accurately guessing that question, and then went on to win $1 million. I guess they wanted to start the show off with a bang (so to speak) but if they're giving away money that quickly, Carey noted, "they won't last until September."

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News: Whoopi Goldberg, NYC Cabs, Rupert Murdoch, Sean Hayes

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. wins bid for Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal: "Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. sealed a $5 billion agreement to purchase the publisher of The Wall Street Journal after three months of drama in the controlling family and public debate about journalistic values. One of the oldest and best-known franchises in the newspaper industry, beset in recent years by business pressures, now enters a new era as part of a world-wide media conglomerate. The 76-year-old Mr. Murdoch, whose properties range from the Fox television network to the Times of London, negotiated hard to win the paper he long coveted. He has promised to invest more in Dow Jones journalism."

Sean Hayes to play Bill Gates in "Nerds" musical? "From the writers of the Off-Broadway smash hit The Bomb-itty of Errors and the hot animated TV series 'Robot Chicken' comes a funny and irreverent musical take on the parallel stories of computer pioneers Bill Gates and Steve Jobs as they blaze a path from garage inventors to warring titans of the computer revolution. With its rollicking tunes and brilliantly off-beat humor, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire celebrates the inner nerd within us all!"

Whoopi Goldberg confirmed as new co-host on The View.

Cheney still unwilling to answer which branch of the government he works for.

Some of New York City's cabs of the future are here today...

Gay Pride festival launched by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in Derry, Northern Ireland: "No-one should be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation in the same way that it should not happen because of their age, race or indeed any other characteristic of their being."

Hamptons toga bash brings out Reichen, Ryan, and baby.

Hillary Clinton position on federal funding for needle exchange programs is illustrative of how she, as a candidate, is "informed and bound by her husband's administration."

Man who murdered wife with sledgehammer in 1986 after she threatened to tell his mother he was gay and received 16 years to life in prison for second-degree murder, may be released from prison next month.

Gawker: Why do straight men think they're gay men?

Rocks thrown through window of Colorado Springs Gay and Lesbian Fund building: It was a targeted crime. It was a hateful crime."

Montreal gay couple receives $10,000 after harassment by youths in their neighborhood: "Theo Wouters and Roger Thibault said four youths targeted them because of their sexual orientation. The Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission says the parents of one of the youths must pay the two men $10,000. Three other adolescents who were mentioned in the case now live in Calgary and are not targeted by the ruling of the human rights group. Wouters and Thibault have lived together for more than 30 years and got married a few years ago."

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Bush Reassured Mary Cheney He Tolerates Her Orientation

Actually, he didn't tell her directly. He told Dick to do it.

Via Andrew Sullivan comes this tidbit from the forthcoming book, Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President. George W. Bush told author Stephen F. Hayes that he asked Dick Cheney to clarify the administration's stance on gay marriage to Cheney's lesbian daughter Mary:

"My only ask was that if his daughter doubted my tolerance to her orientation that I would hope that he would help make it clear to Mary that this is a--I was just worried about--the reason I'd federalized the issue is because I was worried about the courts' defining the issue and that we'd end up with de facto marriage that was not traditionally defined, I guess is the best way to put it."

Sullivan notes that this may be the first time we've ever heard Bush use the word "orientation" with regard to gays and lesbians.

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News: Scooter Libby, Loch Ness, William Jefferson, Kathy Griffin

Scooter Libby gets 30 months in prison in C.I.A. leak case. Will Bush pardon him?

Tropical Cyclone Gonu is expected to be the strongest storm ever recorded in the Arabian Peninsula: "The storm is currently packing winds of 160MPH with gusts to 195 mph. That is stronger than Katrina which devastated the US gulf coast 2 years ago. U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf are taking precautions to avoid Gonu. The government in neighboring Saudi Arabia said the country and oil markets would not be seriously affected by the storm. But some oil analysts said the storm could have a damaging effect on the oil market."

Grandson of Italian artist Mario Sironi (1885-1961) withdraws gift to city of Milan because Mayor Letizia Moratti has objected to a gay and lesbian film festival being held there. Sironi: "Italy is taking steps backward while other parts of Europe are advancing. Italy is antiquated with its moralism. I'm not stubborn. If she goes back on her decision, I don't see why I can't change my mind."

Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson was indicted yesterday for solicitation, racketeering, money laundering, wire fraud, conspiracy, and violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Lane Hudson on why he needs to go.

It's on: Million-pound bounty offered for evidence of existence of Loch Ness Monster.

Democratic candidates target the "Religious Left": "Sen. Clinton said her faith had pulled her through the fallout surrounding her husband's infidelity while he was president; Sen. Obama evoked Biblical passages to care for the needy; former Sen. Edwards talked about his passion to help the poor. All targeted the so-called "Religious Left" -- faith-based organizations that believe society and the state have moral obligations to assist the poor and protect the environment. 'This is the cause of my life,' Edwards said on the issue of fighting poverty. He also said that he prayed every day, he sinned every day, and was personally opposed to gay marriage -- but would not allow his individual convictions on the topic to guide public policy."

Congrats to our friend Kevin Sessums, who has just been nominated for a Quill Award for the audiobook reading of his novel Mississippi Sissy. If you were lucky enough to hear him read on his recent tour, you know why. Read my interview with him here.

Bush lectures Putin about "derailing" Democracy. He should know a thing or two about that.

Paris heads to prison, a wrap-up.

Flushed Away: 850,000 cell phones are lost to toilets in the UK each year. "Second to the death by watery grave, 810,000 handsets end up amongst the peanuts and broken hearts at a local pub, 315,000 stay behind for an extra long cab ride, 225,000 keep riding public transportation after their owners leave and 116,000 ended up in some dirty laundry." Can you hear me now?

The 50 top-earning American athletes.

Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D List returns tonight: "The previews for this season show both her parents drinking and laughing, but while they usually offer nothing but fun, their presence will carry some weight. That’s because Kathy’s dad John died earlier this year, and Kathy tells McClatchy-Tribune News Service that '[h]e passed away during production. The day after his memorial I had two shows in Las Vegas, and the reality crew came with me. It’s a grueler. That’s the thing with a reality show, whatever happens in your life, there’s the camera.' Even more tragically, she says her 'mom’s heart isn’t in it. Together they were like a comedy team.'"

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News: Turkey, Shear Genius, Dali, Google Maps, Isaac Mizrahi

Gay and lesbian hotel to open on Turkish Mediterranean coast in July. Owner Faruk Ok: "There are several gay-friendly hotels in Turkey, but ours is the first to be 100 percent gay and lesbian. It will not accept guests outside this concept. Part of the personnel is also gay or lesbian."

AfterElton asks Shear Genius finalist Anthony about why he was hesitant to talk about his sexuality on the reunion special even though Bravo had publicized the fact that he is openly gay: "I am gay and very proud of being gay. I have lived my life openly as a gay man for most of my life. But, whether I am gay or not should have no bearing on my talent or skills. My personal life is just that - PERSONAL." The Shear Genius finale airs tonight.

Riga, Latvia, with a Pride parade scheduled for early June, is being watched following the anti-gay Moscow attacks.

Polish media watchdog Ewa Sowinska backs off comments she made recently that the government was investigating Teletubbie Tinky Winky because of homosexual undertones: "On Tuesday, Sowinska's spokeswoman Wieslawa Lipinska told The Associated Press that Sowinska 'hasn't asked and won't ask' psychologists to investigate whether ''Teletubbies'' promote homosexuality. 'They are fictional characters, they have nothing to do with reality, and the bag and scissors and other props the fictional characters use are there to create a fictional world that speaks to children,' Lipinska said. 'We are not going to deal with this issue any more.'"

Britney Spears, novelist.

Google Maps now have 360° street-level views in Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, New York and San Francisco. Demo.

Salvador Dali exhibit on art and film to open at the Tate Modern in London: "...the exhibition displays collaborations between Dalí and legendary film makers, such as Luis Buñuel, Walt Disney, Alfred Hitchcock and the Marx brothers, presenting