“George Zimmerman, the Florida man accused of killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin will face charges brought by a special prosecutor investigating the matter, according to multiple reports.” A press conference is scheduled for 6pm ET. [TPM]

“West said Obama was ‘scared’ to have a discussion with him. He later said ‘he’s heard’ up to 80 U.S. House Democrats are Communist Party members, but wouldn’t name names.” [Palm Beach Post]

Farewell, Frothy Mix! When I saw the picture of Santorum pulling out yesterday, I was struck with deja vu by the positioning and owl-like expression of his son:

He’s all grown up! Why, here he was back in 2006, the last time Frothy Mix pulled out:

At least this time, they’re not forcing the kid into a sweater vest. It’s Daddy’s turn.

Our guest columnist just admitted that “Springfield” is Springfield, Oregon, which we knew all along, since we grew up next door in Eugene and he grew up in Portland. Here he’s responding to a request for comments about a notorious daily panel cartoon featuring a family of single-nostriled aliens. Do you know how fucking cool it was to have a font of your own comic lettering in 1992?

June 22, 1992

Dear [Nojo],

Your letter just floated to the top of the pile of mail sitting on my desk, and since I have a couple of minutes to spare at the end of a long day before I take off for one of them Hollywood parties you’ve read so much about, here’s a rare reply from me.

Read more »

So, Frothy goes down.  (Which, truth be told, is not usually how he rolls.)

And thus we have the last joke about Rick Santorum and certain sexual practices which some people might find offensive.  Until, of course, he does something else that drives us all bonkers.  Or signs a book deal.  Or becomes a paid consultant for Fox News.  (Good God — the man is going to make BANK after this winter of GOP activist discontent.)

Seriously, nobody should shed a tear for Rick here.  The dude kept the torch alive for the hard-right wingnuts for three months longer than, by the merits, he should have.  I mean, the man was absolutely nowhere at Thanksgiving.  Disappointing Iowa performance, non-factor in New Hampshire, blow-out at hands of Gingrich in South Carolina, and… scene.  That was the prevailing theory.  But Tea Party types latched onto him like a raft after the previous torchbearers — Bachmann, Cain, Perry — flamed out spectacularly.

Trouble was, however, that he was never meant to be a Tea Party fave — as fully explained post-jump, which also includes a proper sendoff to our dear, departed nutcase, Rick Santorum.

Read more »

The Secretary of State of These United States casts the Interwebs into a Cosmic Vortex by contributing to her own meme, only part of which we’re revealing here, at least until WikiLeaks gets ahold of it. Adam Smith and Stacy Lambe are the merry pranksters responsible for rehabilitating her reputation.

A submission from Secretary Hillary Clinton [Texts from Hillary, via TPM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7GzApUGJ3o

We were sitting on this for an opportune moment when we could deploy it as a Clever Metaphor for Something. Now seems as good a moment as any.

[via Wired]