Good Lord.  There was enough drama with the Canadian Election as it was.  (This drama, naturally, was wholly unexpected.  It’s Canada, for Christ’s sake.)

Jack Layton, for the NDP (Team Orange in your programs, what the Democrats would look like if they were actually uniformly progressive) is actually set for a big breakthrough.  Given the fact that he comes across as actually not being a total douchebag, and that Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff (Team Red) actually has managed to be more boring than Al Gore, and that Quebec is sick of voting for federal politicians that want to end Canada (that’d be the Bloc Quebecois, Team Light Blue), Layton might actually form the second largest party and — if Fatboy and the Conservatives (Team Labatt’s Blue)  are held to a minority win (still the most likely outcome) — might actually become Prime Minister himself.

And then Osama got a cap or twenty in his ass.  This might give the Conservatives a bunch of juice, and not a moment too soon.  Canada’s involvement in last night’s thing was nil, but they have been putting a lot of time, treasure, and blood into Afghanistan.  Harper — in the course of reading Dubya’s playbook — has doubled-down on the war.  And Layton was campaigning, hard, on pulling out.

And so, a rarity: an election night where absolutely nobody knows what the fuck is going to happen.  Coverage on a C-SPAN network (C-SPAN2, I think, starting soonish), along with this open thread for your Canucking pleasure.

So would a president John McCain have captured Osama Bin Ladin? It’s a question that’s being raised on numerous Left-leaning blogs and discussion forums. And what’s causing people to pose the question is the following exchange that transpired in a July 2008, Larry King interview with then GOP presidential nominee, John McCain:

KING: If you were president and knew that bin Laden was in Pakistan, you know where, would you have U.S. forces go in after him?

MCCAIN: Larry, I’m not going to go there and here’s why, because Pakistan is a sovereign nation. I think the Pakistanis would want bin Laden out of their hair and out of their country and it’s causing great difficulties in Pakistan itself.

But I want to assure you I will get Osama bin Laden as president of the United States and I will bring him to justice no matter what it takes.

Read more »

We continue to be ruled by sociopaths:

… how utterly clueless the GOP was when it came to terrorism:

“This is a classic ‘If you see something, say something’ moment. If you see suspicious behavior, call the police immediately — and that includes if you see suspicious behavior by someone who is a friend or family member.” [TPM]

Objectively pro-terrorist!

[ Daily Kos Flash video not available. ]

“I am sorry, but if you believe the newest death of OBL, you’re stupid. Just think to yourself — they paraded Saddam’s dead sons around to prove they were dead — why do you suppose they hastily buried this version of OBL at sea? This lying, murderous Empire can only exist with your brainwashed consent — just put your flags away and THINK!” [Facebook, via Weigel]