Four years ago, after spending a few days thoroughly enjoying the zany mishaps of the budding Sarah Palin candidacy, she grabbed somebody else’s speech by the horns and schooled us in the dangers of believing our own caricatures. And in an alternate universe where Mitt isn’t shitting his magic underwear over the Wingnut base, Chris Christie might have given us similar pause.

But Christie’s not up tonight. Instead, Mitt chose a physically overcompensating brown-nosing weenie whose claim to fame is seriously advocating those Death Panels you’ve been hearing about. So while you join us for our GOP Convention Open Thread/Dog Whistle-Off tonight, just remember: Paul Ryan makes Sarah Palin look competent.

“A firsthand account of the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden contradicts previous accounts by administration officials, raising questions as to whether the terror mastermind presented a clear threat when SEALs first fired upon him. Bin Laden apparently was shot in the head when he looked out of his bedroom door into the top-floor hallway of his compound as SEALs rushed up a narrow stairwell in his direction.” [AP/WaPo]

“Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign toasted its top donors Wednesday aboard a 150-foot yacht flying the flag of the Cayman Islands.” The yacht is called — wait for it — the Cracker Bay. [ABC]

Update: It’s Bermuda. We should know better than to trust Brian Ross.

Update II:

Upon further review, there are in fact multiple Cayman Island flags, and it appears that the original report by ABC News’ Brian Ross correctly identified the flag flying on the boat in question. The Washington Free Beacon regrets the error.

We should know better than to trust the Washington Free Beacon.

Right-Wing Site Falsely Accuses ABC News Of Misreporting Romney Party Yacht’s Cayman Flag [Mediaite]

CNN:

Two people were removed from the Republican National Convention Tuesday after they threw nuts at an African-American CNN camera operator and said, “This is how we feed animals.”

Harper’s:

A Puerto Rican party functionary—Zoraida Fonalledas, the chairwoman of the Committee on Permanent Organization—took her turn at the main-stage lectern. As she began speaking in her accented English, some in the crowd started shouting “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” The chanting carried on for nearly a minute while most of the other delegates and the media stood by in stunned silence.

The Republican Party? They built that. Over decades.

Update from Harper’s:

Read more »

You know, the GOP Platform has been kept under official wraps until it was voted on.  But now it is up and available for view, at the link below:

YOU CAN CONTROL WOMEN AND BEND THEM TO YOUR WILL BY USING ONE OLD, WEIRD TRICK

So we will need your help to crowdsource this mother (AND FATHER IN A STABLE FAMILY AS HAS BEEN DONE FOR CENTURIES) while we watch, along with you, the first (or second) day of the GOP clambake, for which an OPEN THREAD is in order (notwithstanding objections from Ron Paul groupies).

“A man dressed in a military-style ‘Ghillie suit’ who was attempting to provoke a Bigfoot sighting was struck by two vehicles and killed on U.S. 93 south of Kalispell Sunday night… Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Jim Schneider said ‘Obviously, his suit made it difficult for people to see him.'” [Daily Inter Lake]