“Despite his avowed non-interest and the fact he may not even be constitutionally eligible to hold the office, Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is the top choice of Republicans and independents for the vice-presidential slot on the Republican ticket this year, according to a brand-new poll.” [WND]

Our guest columnist sought power, accepted it eagerly, and chose to return to life as a citizen rather than complete a first term.

Celebrating George Washington’s birthday is an American tradition to honor our first president. Though Presidents’ Day is now the more commonly-used term, and has expanded to include all presidents, the legal term for this federal holiday remains Washington’s Birthday.

We honor President Washington, not because he was flawless; he was not. He was, however, the epitome of self-sacrifice — both as a soldier and a statesman. It was that sacrifice that helped make America what it was destined to become. We honor him because of what he accomplished and the manner in which he approached service to this nation: with a servant’s heart.

Read more »

For years, Rick Santorum has been known primarily for two things: his titular definition, and his crying daughter. And in the years following his 2006 Senate smackdown, there’s been little reason to know any more.

But now that he’s leading the pack, however transiently, we’re learning that Santorum spreads much wider than we’ve suspected. He’s not just a bigot. He’s not just a bigoted wingnut. He’s not even just a bigoted wingnut fundamentalist.

Rick Santorum is a Holy Warrior.

Read more »

“Former councilman and conservative radio host is at a drag show, smashes a car with his SUV on the way out, and then the DA decides not to prosecute despite all sorts of evidence as to what happens. As always, it’s the cover-up that makes things worse. On the two wetsuit and a dildo scale, this is nothing, but if I were Michael Berry I would stay the fuck out of airport bathrooms.” [Balloon Juice]

Title: “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking”

Author: Susan Cain

Rank: 6

Blurb: “Q: Why did you write the book? A: For the same reason that Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique in 1963. Introverts are to extroverts what women were to men at that time — second-class citizens with gigantic amounts of untapped talent.”

Review: “My final nail in the book’s coffin was the chapter on ‘Asian Culture’. The author went to wealthy Cupertino, CA and interviewed a half dozen Asian introverted students. She lists a few pithy, fortune cookie length ‘Wisdom Sayings’ from Asian and Western philosophers to prove that Asia values introverts and America does not.”

Customers Also Bought: “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson

Footnote: Introverts are also the property of their spouses, and were unable to vote until 1920.

Quiet [Amazon]

Buy or Die [Stinque@Amazon Kickback Link]

Looking for a way to bring an increasingly fractious party together, Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell commission a new anthem for the GOP. Something stirring. Something butch. Something that brings to mind trustafarians standing over the ruins of the Trade Center towers. Or homeschooler lobbyists accusing our (devastatingly handsome and charming and sexy and did I say handsome, and no that is not Kevlar, that is muscle, and show me that grin?) president of liberaldick: aka an erection deflated by too much reality. As if. Our prez only becomes fully erect when reality rubs its crotch up against his fine basket. Which requires all kinds of denim yardage to contain it.

Arizona’s Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu hates the brown people almost as much as his bro Joe Arpaio does. He’s the darling of the Tea Party, he appeared in a 2010 ad for McCain and appears frequently on Faux News to denounce the socialist president for not building a bigger fence. And of course, he’s not a friend of the gheyz.  Oh, and he’s running for the GOP nomination for Arizona’s new Congressional seat.

So you know where this is going, boys and girls…

Babeu threatened his Mexican ex-lover with deportation when the man refused to promise never to disclose their years-long relationship, the former boyfriend and his lawyer tell New Times.

Babeu met his ex-lover Jose online at gay.com (naturally), and affectionately referred to Jose as “Papi.” Speaking of his online profile… Read more »