If you had asked us on January 1 whether in this first year of our post-Troubles era we would still have a need to celebrate the cretins, mountebanks, and nincompoops of American culture and politics, we would have told you to shut the fuck up, our hangover is killing us.

But the depths of human nature remain unplumbed, and so it is with great pride and no little trepidation that we announce the Second Annual Stinque Awards for Achievement in Infamy.

What makes ours different from other year-end blog fillers? You do all the work!

Read more »

Title: “How the Left Swiftboated America: The Liberal Media Conspiracy to Make You Think George Bush Was the Worst President in History”

Author: John Gibson

Rank: 533

Blurb: “The swiftboating of George W. Bush began in 2000 and continued throughout his presidency, involving his response to 9/11, the Iraq War, warrantless wiretapping, enhanced interrogation techniques, the Surge, uranium from Niger, the number of deaths in Iraq, the federal response to Katrina, and much, much more.”

Review: “I don’t recall ANY liberal media in America in my lifetime.”

Read more »

Like the book itself, our Going Rogue musical is full of holes. Unlike the book, we intend to fill them.

Our story thus far: After three days of intensive brainfarting last week, we have a broad structure and a handful of key scenes and song titles. (We also have some suggested lyrics, which are noted but not covered here.) Our goal this weekend is to fit the remaining pieces together — allowing for plenty of digression and threadjacks, since nobody’s on the clock and we don’t have punch and pie to keep you focused.

Herewith, an annotated extract of our efforts. Please note that the zombie is non-negotiable.

Read more »

Following last week’s stunning discovery the men cannot reach adulthood without consuming a server-farm’s worth of pornography, comes this equally paradigm-shattering report:

Young people fuck like bunnies without feeling guilty about it.

In this study to determine if sexual activity outside a committed relationship causes emotional damage to young people, the researchers found no differences in the mental well-being of participants who had a casual partner or a committed partner.

We know, we know — it undermines everything you knew about human nature. In fact, the research is so counter-intuitive, we suspect nefarious tricks were used to massage the underlying data, and expect to report to you next week when ClimaxGate blows wide open.

Casual Sex Doesn’t Cause Emotional Damage [US News]

Those Nekkid Cellphone Pix must be just around the corner:

I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to do my best to try…

After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.

We congratulate Tiger for providing the world an entertaining distraction from the depressing news of the day. Golf will never be the same.

Text of statement by Tiger Woods [AP, via SFL]

Now that Sarah Palin’s ghostwriter has demonstrated her climatological qualifications on the Washington Post’s op-ed page, Michael Steele wants some of that sweet denialist action:

Q: Global warming, you say the earth is cooling. Michael how do you know for sure?

STEELE: I don’t! I don’t! But apparently neither does anybody else! Ok? I don’t. All i know is every morning I come on, I turn on channel 13 and I’ll see what the weather man tells me okay?

Steele knows from snow jobs, of course. Although he might want to get his story straight with James Inhofe, who says global warming is a Weather Channel conspiracy.

Asked How He Knows The Earth Is Cooling, Michael Steele Says ‘I Don’t!’ [Think Progress]

Okay, this is getting fun…

Sen. Max Baucus’ girlfriend met with his divorce attorney in 2007, months before the senator and his wife separated, and later received a nearly $14,000 pay raise from Baucus as they were becoming romantically involved, a spokesman for the senator said Friday…

Baucus, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, recommended Hanes for Montana’s U.S. attorney post in February, by which time the two were in a romantic relationship. He has called the former state prosecutor “highly qualified.”

We’ll grant it’s no Cocktober — neither a live boy nor a dead girl — but Baucus has been just short of Joe Lieberman in his efforts to tank a decent healthcare bill. If we can’t get bread from him, we’ll take circuses.

Baucus Girlfriend Met With Divorce Lawyer In 2007 [AP/TPM]