Former eBay CEO, devoted mother, and civic late-bloomer Meg Whitman has a message for Californians:

“The next governor must have a spine of steel. Know what she believes and sticks with it.”

Considering Meg didn’t believe in registering to vote until age 46 — and didn’t even declare herself a Republican until two years ago — that’s quite a statement. But our current Governator literally had a spine of steel, and that hasn’t seemed to help him much. For that matter, our MBA President didn’t do the nation much of a favor, either.

But this is California, and we lurve ourselves a good slow-speed chase. Especially when it ends in a wreck.

Only 84 whining days left!

The U.S. Forest Service has banned the name of Jesus from decorations being assembled by children in Arizona for a blue spruce from the state that will become the Capitol Christmas Tree this year, and a legal firm is challenging the censorship.

“Banning Christmas from the Capitol Christmas tree is just absurd. Christian students shouldn’t be discriminated against for expressing their religious beliefs,” said Jonathan Scruggs, litigation staff counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund.

“The First Amendment does not allow government officials to exclude schoolchildren’s ornaments for the capitol’s Christmas tree merely because they communicate a religious viewpoint,” he said yesterday.

We’re looking forward to the merry Wiccan and Atheist ornaments “able to be seen 75 feet away”. But if we’re so concerned about the First Amendment rights of kids, why are we so upset about them singing for the President?

Guess who’s now banned from Capitol Christmas tree! [WND]

Update: False alarm — the Nation’s Christmas Tree is safe for Jesus:

Eva Malecki of the office of the Architect of the Capitol told WND the ban on “religious speech” on the ornaments was an old rule that had been discontinued some years ago.

Whew. That was close. We were afraid the only place left in DC to properly celebrate Christmas was C Street.

While Alan Grayson become America’s Hero overnight for his slam against the Republican health care plan, which we’ll paraphrase as “Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse,” he’s no stranger to punching back:

Shortly after his election, the 51-year-old responded to radio host Rush Limbaugh’s remark that he hoped President Obama would fail by calling Limbaugh a “has-been hypocrite loser,” adding for good measure that “Limbaugh actually was more lucid when he was a drug addict.” Mocking Republicans who apologized after criticizing Limbaugh, Grayson issued an “apology” of his own: “I’m sorry that Limbaugh is one sorry excuse for a human being.”

And he’s using his newfound popularity to raise some quick cash:

Read more »

“The last time Olbermann took a sudden, unexplained absence from the show, it turned out to have been a hissy-fit work stoppage after Rachel Maddow booked Ben Affleck… After CityFile reported on the flap, Olbermann blamed the absence on his mother’s death, which had occurred two weeks prior.”

• Mother: 10 days
• Mother, slow, painful death, crying for sweet release between moments of morphine-induced coma: 11 days
• Mother, bus: Weekend
• Dog, bus: 30 days

Read more »

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Disney World) on the House floor Tuesday:

If you get sick America, the Republican health care plan is this: die quickly.

Republicans, of course, are shocked! and outraged!

“Alan Grayson not only refuses to apologize, he is doubling down on his despicable remarks and he is dragging his party with him,” said Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is targeting Grayson in next year’s midterm election. “This is an individual who has established a pathological pattern of unstable behavior. He is derailing the national debate on healthcare reform and embarrassing his constituents as a result.”

We’d be pissed too, if our opponent stole our best lines.

Grayson remains defiant on ‘die quickly’ remarks [CNN]

John Derbyshire, one of the boohbahs poohbahs at National Review, has a modest proposal:

COLMES: We’d be a better country if women didn’t vote?

DERBYSHIRE: Probably. Don’t you think so?

Read more »

Newsmax, which we think is a kinder, gentler version of WorldNetDaily — in other words, less fun — nudged the teabagging storyline a tad further today, and then quickly nudged it back. Columnist John L. Perry:

There is a remote, although gaining, possibility America’s military will intervene as a last resort to resolve the “Obama problem.” Don’t dismiss it as unrealistic…

Imagine a bloodless coup to restore and defend the Constitution through an interim administration that would do the serious business of governing and defending the nation. Skilled, military-trained, nation-builders would replace accountability-challenged, radical-left commissars. Having bonded with his twin teleprompters, the president would be detailed for ceremonial speech-making.

Military intervention is what Obama’s exponentially accelerating agenda for “fundamental change” toward a Marxist state is inviting upon America. A coup is not an ideal option, but Obama’s radical ideal is not acceptable or reversible.

Chickenhawks that they are, Newsmax yanked the column faster than you can say “precious bodily fluids.” We’re undecided whether Mr. Perry should enjoy some of that wonderful health care at Gitmo, or just be stuffed into a FEMA camp with the rest of us.

Full Text Of Newsmax Column Suggesting Military Coup Against Obama [TPM]