We did our best to ignore yesterday’s amusement over the new GOP website, even though it included such blog-baiting features as Michael Steele doing a Happy Dance on the homepage, and a very special Steele column briefly entitled “What Up?”

Well, dawg, you have our attention now:

“I’m not trying to be an obstructionist here. To the contrary, I’m saying, Can we all get in the room and have a Rodney King moment?”

Near as we can tell, Steele views himself as the Los Angeles cops beating a defenseless man to a pulp. Which, given how Republicans treated Town Halls, seems apt.

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We apologize for bringing up Sport and Rush Limbaugh before breakfast, but neither shows any sign of going away — especially with the latter threatening an ownership stake in the former.

Rush’s fantasy of introducing the Split Teabag Offense to the St. Louis Rams is spilling beyond the confines of ESPN and AM sportstalk — Al and Jesse have rushed in to grab attention defend the interests of (predominantly black) NFL players, who seem quite capable of defending themselves. And Rush himself is claiming he’s not the racist he’s made out to be — he’s just drawn that way by jealous lefties.

At issue isn’t his ESPN career-ending remark that a black quarterback was getting undue attention because of affirmative action, but something a tad more on the nose:

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It’s been awhile since we noticed a curious similarity between one of our posts and something appearing later at Wonkette. Occam’s Fusion requires allowing for coincidence, especially since everybody’s chasing the same stories with the same frame of mind. Add a go-to Jerry Ford line on a political subject, and you need to be really careful that you’re not mistaking a winning Match Game round for outright theft.

But c’mon — the entire gist of our 2:53 post regurgitated at 3:39? It’s enough to give us, well, nightmares.

Us [Stinque]

Them [Wonkette]

Sarah Palin’s Facebook ghostwriter wishes Magaret Thatcher a happy 84th birthday today. Which is 79 fingers more than The Great O’Reilly Loofah Lawsuit, celebrating its fifth anniversary.

Today’s pop quiz: Palin, Thatcher, or O’Reilly?

vibrators, phone sex, threesomes, masturbation, Caribbean shower fantasies, a Thai sex show, falafel, stewardess trysts, vehicular coupling, and Al Franken

Trick question: All three!

O’Reilly Falafel Suit Turns Five [Smoking Gun]

It ain’t the Public Option — hell, it ain’t even Rapture Insurance — but Michigan Republican Thaddeus McCotter would like to make sure American pets get the quality healthcare denied their owners.

The “Humanity And Pets Partnered through the Years” bill — HAPPY! — spreads the joy with a $3,500 tax break for pet-related expenses.

It’s “as much a health care bill as any,” says Nancy Perry of the Humane Society. “It’s a human health issue to ensure that pets are provided with better care because of the role they play in our families.”

We’re not strangers to blowing the rent on Iams, so we appreciate the sentiment. We’d appreciate it even more if McCotter wasn’t opposed to healthcare reform.

HAPPY Bill Proposes Tax Breaks For Pet Owners [TPM]

Hooray! The healthcare bill passed the Finance Committee!

Well, the one without the Public Option.

It passed 14-9, all Demrats plus Star Turncoat Olympia Snowe. But while everyone’s cheering Bipartisan!, bear in mind she expressly voted to kick it upstairs, and is withholding judgment on whatever form it ultimately takes.

Now it just has to be merged with the other Senate bill, survive a filibuster, pass the Senate, squeeze through the conference committee, pass the House again, survive another filibuster, pass the Senate again, be signed by the President, and then we’ll be filling those FEMA camps with recalcitrant rebels who refuse to buy mandatory coverage from predatory insurance companies.

LIVEBLOG: Senate Finance Committee Votes On Health Care Reform Bill [TPM]

I’m not sayin’…you know… I’m just sayin’.

Serolf Divad notices these things for a living.