And while everybody on Daily Kos is gnashing their teeth and lamenting about John Edwards' affair, Chimpy's own Health and Human Services Dept. is proceeding at toboggan-in-Michigan-winter speed down that slippery slope toward exercising total control over your reproductive freedom.

Sorry, I've had three, maybe four (I've lost count) rum, diet cola, and lime concoctions (and I long since lost the ability to measure on a Friday), so if my grammar is off, I'll correct it when I'm hung over/sober again. In fact, I'm a TU with a UID under 3000, and I have yet to wield the hidehammer, so if I hid your post in this state, you totally have cause to appeal that hiding, and you should appeal directly to Markos so that he can send somebody to flog me.

Anyway, at the same time I got the rejection notice from the company I reapplied to work for (after I quit because it's a sweatshop that doesn't pay enough, but there's nothing around here, and which, as a person who is getting contractor parttime hours in Dubya's bristling economy, which is probably why I'm three sheets to the wind right this minute), I notice Gene Robinson on that show before Hardball saying that 'Obama needs an elevator pitch on the economy.'

With apologies to the immortal legends of rap, Public Enemy...

As it stands, I can't even believe this is being seriously considered, unless another shoe has yet to drop.

But the veepstakes has entertained notions of Chuck Hagel, the Republican Senator from Nebraska, as Barack Obama's running mate.

No way.

If it is, as others are saying, that Hagel's a good guy, and that the true measure of his convictions can be found in his book, then Senator Hagel should already know he's a Democrat, and switch.

Riffing off of Granny Doc's excellent diary, That Poor SOB, she asked the question in general about whether Alberto Gonzales and W's DOJ could do permanent damage.

I suppose it soothes us, however tempting it is, to think that when W terms out, and America comes to its senses and puts a Democrat back in the Oval Office, that all of those people who knew their time was up would just throw up the AMESLAN "I love you" handsignal, exclaim "My Bad! Praise Jesus! Sorry about your keyboards!", and woot! their way onto the train back to Lynchburg.

I wish it was just that bad.

Democracy for America is using an online instant runoff system to determine who will receive their first national endorsement. Many of you on the DFA mailing list probably have already got the email.

When you vote, you get a first, second, and third choice. Voting closes 5 PM Eastern, this coming Saturday (9/24).

One of my retirement accounts is having an election for the board of directors. I just got the proxy notice today.

Now, I'm usually the kind of guy who doesn't fix what ain't broken; thus, I've been concentrating more on where I'm going to send my political contributions, and how I'm going to effect progressive change in my new location (I'm moving house in about 10 days).

And so, since I'm doing okay for the most part with my three-pronged approach to staying off the public dime in geezerhood, I usually rubber-stamped the slate of directors for my retirement account proxies, or in most cases, ignored the proxy notice and went on my merry way.