Kottke refers us to the Awkward Stock Photos blog, which makes us regret that we haven’t saved for retirement so we can slip one in on our next project.

As a tonic, Kottke also refers us to new Mad Men posters, which merely make us insanely jealous.

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Karl Rove: “The damage extended beyond Mr. Bush’s presidency. The attacks on Mr. Bush poisoned America’s political discourse. Saying the commander-in-chief intentionally lied America into war is about the most serious accusation that can be leveled at a president. The charge was false — and it opened the way for politicians in both parties to move the debate from differences over issues into ad hominem attacks.” [WSJ]

Kansas News 9 blows open the Shocking Story! of America’s Youth “i-dosing” on binaural mp3 files. Your Stinque Synthedelic Squad investigated a sample of iDrugs available for any child to download in cyberspace, and discovered that Steve Reich doesn’t have anything to worry about, although Terry Riley might need to step up his game.

Report: Teens Using Digital Drugs to Get High [Wired]

Jim Bunning, R-Not Rand: “Because [Steinbrenner] was smart enough to die in 2010, there is zero tax liability on the estate tax… If he had died in 2009, or 2011, there would have been a $500 million tax liability to his estate in 2009, and in 2011 — under the proposal that we have — there would have been a $600 million liability.” [The Hill]

It’s not unusual for a candidate to run toward the middle after a primary, or to obfuscate his positions. But Libertarians are principled politicos, unafraid to stand up for their philosophy, no matter where the chips fall.

Or so we thought:

Paul, 47, an ophthalmologist by profession, says the kerfuffle has changed the way he campaigns. “After the primary, I really wanted to jump right into the national debate,” he says. His civil-rights remarks, he admits, “have made doing that a little more difficult.” However, “No one [in the GOP] is forcing me to do anything. I do exactly what I want, but I am also realistic about what it takes to run a campaign and get elected.” For instance, instead of calling for the elimination of many federal departments — as his father, Ron Paul, the libertarian Republican congressman and former presidential candidate, regularly does — Paul says he is trying to “nibble around the edges,” to “not be the person who says he will eliminate every department in the federal government. My dad freely will say that, that he would eliminate at least half of the departments, but he is just more forthright.”

Meet the new generation of Pragmatic Libertarians: Boldly lying through their teeth if that’s what it takes to win.

The Reeducation of Rand Paul [NRO]

Left: The latest in a series of educational billboards instructing the citizenry on the quality of their leadership.

Right: Oops!

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This week’s Us Weekly has the exclusive news that Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston are getting married.

The anti-Palin blogs of Alaska predicted this engagement two weeks ago, and have also predicted that there will be a subsequent announcement of a reality show featuring the young couple.

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