Just got back from my first massive, four-hour staff meeting. They're not as bad as Dilbert would have you believe. But they're not nearly as funny, either.

Today I'm going to indulge in "blogger news round-up," which is when a blogger simply quotes a few news stories and adds a couple of observations of dubious value. I normally eschew this as tacky, but it's my birthday—seriously—so what the hell?

It's been observed that Cindy Sheehan has impressive political showmanship. Staging her protest in the slow news month of August, for example. Or making sure to get arrested on a Monday, when the story couldn't get buried in the weekend news cycle. (And couldn't put quotes from one of 100,000 anti-war protesters next to quotes from one of 1,000 pro-war protesters.) Sheehan had her account of the arrest up on Huffington Post the same day as the arrest.

So for those of you keeping score, Sheehan has to deal with a fine of less than a hundred bucks and Karl Rove has to deal with video of Sheehan being dragged away in handcuffs. Sheehan's promised not to pay the fine, though I'm not sure if the Novemeber 16th court date fits into the news cycle as well as she'd like.

An aside about the protests: They were quite large, and the best reporting on them so far can be found all over OxBlog the last couple days. I missed the large part of them because my boyfriend was absolutely terrified of what would happen if his father would do if he saw the protests. (Mr. C. got a kick out of it, of course, and took some photos of his girlfriend carrying a "Fire the Liar" sign that he could threaten to show all their friends.) Also, I got a bit distracted when we ran across something much better than the protests on the mall. I missed getting Neil Gaiman to sign his new book for me by five minutes. Damn! Oh, well, he was probably at the protests with David Brooks and R.L. Stine. And Lynn Cheney in disguise.

This motorcycle was parked on Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street. If the wind had been a bit better, I'd have gotten the Capitol in the background.



I'm a bit surprised Bill Frist's stock shenanigans made the front page of today's Washington Post. (Oh, the front page of the New York Times as well.) As recently as yesterday, it was getting practically no play at all. Well, hey, it's almost the exact same thing Martha did, and the majority leader isn't a woman, so I didn't expect anyone would care. It still might fizzle out, but I'm hoping for fireworks.

Finally, here's the quote of the week, from Michael Brown's testimony to congress:

It is inherently impractical, totally impractical, for the federal government to respond to every disaster of whatever size in every community across the country.

Ugh.

It would be a mistake for anti-war people to put Sheehan front and center. She has said some ludicrously radical things and the "right" will find a way to discredit her I think. But now the anti-war sentiment is big enough to not have to worry about her. Bush is focusing on Hurrican relief so much partly to make up for screwing up on Katrina, but also to avoid his Iraq policy disasters. - GUY

Posted by  Anonymous @ 2:09 PM

 

Happy B-day cuz!
Me thinks Cindy S. is being used by some groups for a sympathetic face and even though I agree with her i feel sorry for her when she finds out she and her grief have been used.
-didnt vote for frist in tn

Posted by  Anonymous @ 4:09 PM

 

The staff meeting was only four hours long? Guess they are breaking you in slowly. - IHC Bureaucrat in UT

Posted by  Anonymous @ 7:33 PM

 

I will send you an interesting article abt. Frist and HCA when I get home. I am personning the phones at the County Democratic Party HQ this morning. - GUY

Posted by  Anonymous @ 12:07 PM

 

For a political appointee, Brown sure made some stupid politcal statements. - Wondering if he is related to the "Vamp of Allentown"

Posted by  Anonymous @ 2:10 PM

 

happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear jmyle happy birthday to you.
singing in seattle.

Posted by  Anonymous @ 3:18 PM

 

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