Bill O'Reilly to end syndicated radio show

Huh wha? There has to be more to this than just this little blurb.

NEW YORK -- Fox News Channel said late Thursday that popular cable TV host Bill O'Reilly will step down as the host of his syndicated talk radio show early next year.

The "The Radio Factor" -- which began in 2002 and runs on more than 400 radio stations, as well as satellite operator Sirius XM Radio Inc. -- will end in the first quarter of 2009, Fox said.

In a statement, O'Reilly said the workload has become too much, adding, "I can no longer give both TV and radio the time they deserve."

O'Reilly will continue hosting "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel and writing his weekly newspaper column.

Iowa man seeks appointment to 'White House farmer'

I think it's a brilliant idea.

Ed Fallon submitted his letter of application Thursday to President-elect Barack Obama to become the "White House farmer."

Such a position currently does not exist.

"I'm dead serious," said Fallon, a former state representative from Des Moines. "I hope he does something along these lines. Maybe I'm not the person he would like to lead that effort, but I think somebody should."

Fallon got the idea from New York Times writer Michael Pollan, who wrote that the job could be used to "tear out five prime south-facing acres of the White House lawn and plant in their place an organic fruit and vegetable garden."

Pollan noted that Eleanor Roosevelt planted a garden on the White House lawn in 1943, helping to ignite the Victory Garden movement.

An inaugural gift for some strangers

WASHINGTON: At the JW Marriott Hotel, $1 million will buy you 300 hotel rooms, $200,000 worth of food and private access to a tented, heated balcony overlooking the parade route of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration.

Earl Stafford is buying it all - and giving it away to strangers.

Stafford, a Virginia businessman, plans to invite disadvantaged people, wounded soldiers and others to the prime location on Pennsylvania Avenue. He is calling it the "People's Inaugural Project," inviting those who would never otherwise have a chance to wear tuxedos or satin dresses to the president's swearing in.

"We believe it is important to include those who are less fortunate, because like Barack Obama, we, too, believe in the American dream," Stafford said Thursday.

Employers ax 533,000 jobs in Nov., most in 34 years; unemployment rate rises to 6.7 percent

Duncan calls it a "Neutron bomb". This is f'ng scary.

WASHINGTON - Skittish employers slashed 533,000 jobs in November, the most in 34 years, catapulting the unemployment rate to 6.7 percent, dramatic proof the country is careening deeper into recession.

The new figures, released by the Labor Department Friday, showed the crucial employment market deteriorating at an alarmingly rapid clip, and handed Americans some more grim news right before the holidays.

Friday Linkage

It is 9 degrees here right now and I'm cold.

States Financial Outlook: Getting Worse Fast

Armed robbers in drag steal £70m of jewellery from Paris store in ONE minute in one of Europe's biggest ever heists

10 perfect holiday gifts for the people you don't really like

CNN: Congressmen demand explanation on torture, pardons
Two key House Democrats demanded in a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey on Thursday that he explain his recent comments about U.S. counterterrorism officials' controversial policies on detainee interrogations and terrorist surveillance.

Ancient pot stash found in China tomb

Happiness is contagious and spreads quickly between friends and family, say scientists

Newlyweds now older than at any time since 19th Century

Washington Post: Bar Hours Worry D.C. Police Union
The leader of the D.C. police union said yesterday he worries that police resources could be insufficient during inauguration weekend because of extended hours for clubs, bars and restaurants.

Obama Had a $400 Million Edge

Slaughtered.

The final presidential fundraising reports are in and Barack Obama's campaign raised roughly $745 million for his 2008 presidential campaign, ABC News reports.

By comparison, Sen. John McCain raised roughly $320 million, including the $84 million from entering into the public financing system.

However, when money raised by the national parties is taken into account, the Democrats likely raised closer to one billion dollars, compared to roughly $630 million for the Republicans. Which means Obama had, approximately, a $400 million advantage over McCain.

VIDEO-- Wazoo kazoo: Not your mother's "America the Beautiful"

By GottaLaff

Who'd ever believe "America the Beautiful" could be R rated?

I've heard of internalizing, but this is ridiculous:

I swear I won't do a flagpole joke. Or any Bush jokes. Not one.

H/t: F.I.L.

VIDEO-- Dana Perino v. Helen Thomas on the "debunked" Downing St. Memo

By GottaLaff

Check out this exchange between the wonderful, sharp-as-a-tack, no b.s. Helen Thomas, and the-- well, Dana Peroxide:

Q: What about the chief of British intelligence saying you were going to fix the facts around the politics?

PERINO: I think that that’s been debunked.

Thomas quickly countered, “It’s never been been debunked.” Caught off guard, Perino admitted that she was the one who “debunked” it:

Q: It’s never been debunked.

PERINO: Well, it’s been debunked by me.

Q: Good for you.

PERINO: Good for me.

Good for Helen.

Recall, the Downing Street Memo — which was authored by former British foreign policy aide Matthew Rycroft before the Iraq war — reported: “Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.”

Dana, know when you're outmatched, 'k? 'K.

Bonior Building Behind-The-Scenes Momentum For Openly Gay Activist as Labor Secretary

By GottaLaff

(bio)

Change and more change:

Former Rep. David Bonior, who has deep roots in the labor movement, has mounted an aggressive behind-the-scenes campaign, with letters and personal lobbying, to press the Obama transition team and top labor leaders to get behind his pick for labor secretary: Union activist Mary Beth Maxwell, who would make history as the first openly gay cabinet member.

Some labor leaders are reported to be worried that an older, more experienced hand with more stature would make a better pick for the post than Maxwell, who heads the pro-labor group American Rights at Work. But Bonior argued in his letter that Maxwell would be more in sync with Obama's change message.

"I believe that it is time to pass the torch to a new generation of leadership that puts a fresh new face on the labor movement and our vision for working families," Bonior wrote, adding that an old-guard figure would amount to "looking in the rear-view mirror and represent past Washington battles."

Separately, The Politico reports that a key coalition of gay and lesbian groups has thrown its support to Maxwell.

One more benefit: An openly gay cabinet member might very well drive a whole lot of bigoty types crazy. Well, crazier.

Homes sweet homes: The Bushes' Big New Two Million Dollar Purchase

By GottaLaff

Yesterday I posted about the Big New Sprawling home the Bushes just bought, which is two hours away from their other big sprawling home. Now you can see what they splurged on:

(via)

See George and Laura's home! Big, big, big!

The home, on a Dallas cul-de-sac, sits on 1.13 acres and offers 8501 square feet of living space, according to city appraisal records. The property was purchased for $2.07 million in early-October by Robert McCleskey, the president's accountant, who is listed as trustee on deed records. Built in 1959, the home has been improved with a detached garage (1150 square feet), servants quarters (896 square feet), and a storage building (240 square feet). While the Bush property certainly appears comfortable, it is dwarfed by the 20-acre estate it abuts. That sprawling property is owned by billionaire investor Tom Hicks, who, in 1998, purchased the Texas Rangers from a partnership in which Bush held a stake (the deal netted the future president about $15 million). Hicks, 62, was a leading supporter of Rudolph Giuliani's presidential bid and hosted a fundraiser last year at his home--reportedly the largest in Dallas--for the former New York City mayor.

Their garage is bigger than many houses, if one is lucky enough to be able to afford a Bush-garage-sized house, that is.

See the rest of America default on rent/mortgage payments. Starve, America, starve. Starve, starve, starve!

We all knew the ranch in Crawford was a set. Like Reagan's movie ranch, where he posed for the cameras to make everyone think he was a working man while he was leading the charge on union busting, Bush's Crawford photo op background was all about getting him elected. Now that he's off the public housing teat, he's moving into a $2 million house complete with servant's quarters.

Good ol' beer buddy Cowboy George, your facade is showing. And so are your crass hypocrisy and middle finger.

Obama doesn't just hope for change, he insists we help him with it

By GottaLaff

Earlier I posted about Obama's website asking for our feedback. This is a president-elect who isn't just hoping for change... he's pushing for it, and very much wants us involved. Check out this e-mail I got from David Plouffe:

Exactly one month ago, you made history by giving all Americans a real opportunity for ch ange.

Now it's time to start preparing and working for change in our communities.

On December 13th and 14th, supporters are coming together in every part of the country to reflect on what we've accomplished and plan the future of this movement. Your ideas and feedback will be collected and used to guide this movement in the months and years ahead.

Join your friends and neighbors -- sign up to host or attend a Change is Coming house meeting near you.

Since the election, the challenges we face -- and our responsibility to take action -- have only gotten more urgent.

You can connect with fellow supporters, make progress on the issues you care about, and help shape the future of your community and our country.

Learn what you can do now to support President-elect Obama's agenda for change and continue to make a difference in your community.

Take the first important step by hosting or attending a Change is Coming house meeting. Sign up right now:

http://my.barackobama.com/changeiscoming

To get our country back on track, it will take all of us working together.

Barack and Joe have a clear agenda and an unprecedented opportunity for change. But they can' t do it alone.

Will you join us at a house meeting and help plan the next steps for this movement?

Thanks,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Yeah, I guess community organizers aren't as experienced or effective as small town mayors.

Obama: "I Can't Grow Facial Hair"

By GottaLaff

Apparently, today is Obsession with Obama's Facial Hair Day. Earlier I posted Choose a Beard for Barack, and now we find out that the only beard he'll ever have is a Photoshopped one:

In a September 20, 2006 article in The Hill about how voters prefer politicians to be clean-shaven, Obama told reporter Betsy Rothstein "I can't grow facial hair... I get whiskers."

Who needs facial hair obscuring a cute mouth like that?

Sorry. That was a private moment. Snerk.

Anyway, he can always live vicariously through Bill Richardson.

Has Palin snubbed Oprah?

By GottaLaff

The ultimate sin:

Did Sarah Palin snub Oprah Winfrey? [...]

"I said I would be happy to talk to Sarah Palin when the election was over… I went and tried to talk to Sarah Palin and instead she talked to Greta [Van Susteren]. She talked to Matt [Lauer]. She talked to Larry [King]. But she didn't talk to me.”

Winfrey’s comments came in response to rumors she refused to invite the former vice presidential candidate on her popular daytime show.

Remember the Winfrey-Letterman feud? This would be potentially, exponentially more non-vice-presidentially entertaining. Palin doesn't stand a chance.

Change we can comment about

By GottaLaff

Froomkin:

Sometimes, the change is enough to make your head spin. This is one of those moments.

Here's the status quo: A president who has overt contempt for public opinion, who shields himself from opposing views and whose idea of White House Web site interactivity is a video of his dog.

And here's the change: The Obama transition team is actually soliciting public comments on its Web site, reading them and responding to them.

Whenever someone expresses doubts that Obama will bring change to this country, tell them it's not limited to cabinet members, Clintonesque or otherwise. We, the people, are as responsible as anyone for making a difference, as is evidenced by our choice for president.

If we are consistently loud and clear, we can make things happen. We already have. Now Obama has opened a door, providing us with a wonderful opportunity to vocalize.

While that, in itself, is a very welcome contrast/change, we have the responsibility to follow through, make our opinions known, and keep the communication lines open.

KBR gave troops ice tainted with ‘traces of body fluids and putrefied remains'

By GottaLaff

Support the troops:

A former technician who worked for contracting company KBR in Iraq has filed a class-action lawsuit saying the company “exposed everyone at Joint Base Balad in Iraq to unsafe water, food and hazardous fumes from the burn pit there.” Joshua Eller’s suit includes particularly disturbing charges about KBR’s indifference to proper sanitization and the disposal of human remains:

The lawsuit also accuses KBR of shipping ice in mortuary trucks that “still had traces of body fluids and putrefied remains in them when they were loaded with ice. This ice was served to U.S. forces.”

Eller also accuses KBR of failing to maintain a medical incinerator at Joint Base Balad, which has been confirmed by two surgeons in interviews with Military Times about the Balad burn pit. Instead, according to the lawsuit and the physicians, medical waste, such as needles, amputated body parts and bloody bandages were burned in the open-air pit.

“Wild dogs in the area raided the burn pit and carried off human remains,” the lawsuit states. “The wild dogs could be seen roaming the base with body parts in their mouths, to the great distress of the U.S. forces.”

What does it take to throw these putrid little sadistic slugs at KBR into prison, serve them the same quality of food and water as they've given our military, and then finally, throw away the key?

VIDEO-- Fox's Cavuto: Voters reconsidering Democratic victory

By GottaLaff

Via Think Progress:

In a Politico op-ed published today, RNC Chairman Mike Duncan tried to squeeze the maximum propaganda benefit from Tuesday’s reelection of Saxby Chambliss (R-GA). He claimed that the (very predictable) Republican victory “proved” that the 2008 election had not given progressives a mandate, and that the country remained fundamentally conservative:

[...] Georgian’s [sic] clearly sent a message that any rhetoric about a liberal mandate is nothing but hot air.

[...] Fox Business host Neil Cavuto suggested yesterday that Chambliss’s win was “a sign that voters are already reconsidering the Democratic victory they gave the country last month.” [...]

As staunch conservative Charles Krauthammer noted yesterday on Fox News, “If the Republicans can’t win a straight up Senate race in Georgia, they ought to disband and join a country club.”

Yeah, I guess one win in a state that Obama didn't carry, one state in a general election that Obama won by a landslide, is a real reversal of public opinion.

Getting Obama's goatee: Choose a beard for Barack

By GottaLaff

The Daily Beast has a hilarious, and sometimes a little creepy, gallery of bearded Obamas. Go here to see the other seven.

Chuck Todd Obama

Don't even get me started on Barack Mandel and ZZ Obama.

Franken wants “forensic search” for missing ballots

By GottaLaff

Like Chinese water torture:

Democrat Al Franken is seeking a "forensic search" by Minnesota election officials for 133 ballots missing in a Minneapolis precinct presumed to favor the Democrat in the undecided Senate race.

The Franken campaign demanded the special investigation while maintaining it has a 10-vote lead in the recount over incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman (R). [...]

Elias said every person who touched or transported the ballots should be interviewed, and any polling place, vehicles, or warehouses that have held the ballots should be searched.

The ballots are said to favor Franken by 46 votes. [...]

Elias said that their internal tally assumes all challenged ballots will be overturned by the state's Board of Canvassers and shows Franken leading Coleman by 10 votes.

"We expect that we will not see any significant movement in the margin between now and the end of the hand recount," he said.

Can America Survive Without Detroit?

By GottaLaff

Via Business Week's Ed Wallace:

America thinks it's debating the logic of bailing out Detroit, but what we are actually talking about is the future of American manufacturing. [...]

Let me ask you two questions:

1. Do you believe we should lend Detroit $50 billion to save itself from this economic turmoil?

2. Do you believe that we should lend the American economy $50 billion to save it for you and your children?

Not incidentally, those two questions might actually be the same. [...]

Detroit has it right: If its automakers declare bankruptcy, the likelihood of their emerging as viable businesses is near zero. Their sales will fall faster than they can reorganize. [...]

[A] new contract was drawn up with the United Auto Workers last year that allows new hires in many positions to be paid as little as $14 an hour.

The significance of that was lost on most, but for the first time since World War I we will have people building automobiles in America who won't be able to afford the vehicles they build. Somehow we are led to believe that's real progress. [...]

One of the key reasons the Big Three have so many dealerships is that they have outlets in cities where Nissan (NSANY), Honda (HMC), or Toyota can't claim any type of business. Detroit's trucks may be taking a pounding right now in the press, but let Detroit go away and see what happens to American agribusiness.

That's right: Detroit has a strong presence across the Great American Midwest. In states like Kansas you will find GM dealers in no fewer than 54 counties, while Toyota dealerships can be found in only eight. The reality is that after a few planting seasons, given reasonable crop prices on the commodities market, one day sales of new pickup trucks will again make more money for Detroit than all of the Chevy Volts they may or may not make.

And are you really suggesting that American farmers be given the choice of Tundras or Titans in the future? What a wonderful parting gift for Japan.

One would think the media might be a bit more sympathetic to this crisis, given how many of that industry's jobs hinge on the outcome. After all, there are years when total automotive advertising can reach upwards of $15 billion annually. But not this year; and already we are seeing jobs melting away in the media—from radio stations to TV and with print publications—because of this automotive downturn. Let Detroit go away, and you're talking about a decade-long drought for the Fourth Estate.

Not to mention the impact it would have on professional sports. GM has already pulled sponsorships at some Nascar tracks and dropped the Super Bowl. [...]

Additionally, if Detroit fails, [...] we will lose the income tax revenue from their workers, not to mention the tax revenue from their suppliers' workers, and so on down the line as they all become unemployed. And they won't have much if anything besides food stamps to spend, so there goes all that sales tax and interest income, too. [...]

We were led here by 28 years of new government rules moving us toward "anything goes" capitalism—and that brand should never have been confused with American capitalism, in which laws protect buyer and seller and whose dealings are characterized by integrity, honesty, and sanity. [...]

Americans love underdogs but hate losers. Bankruptcy would move Detroit into the latter column, and America wouldn't be far behind.

Ed Wallace is a recipient of the Gerald R. Loeb Award for business journalism, given by the Anderson School of Business at University of California at Los Angeles, and is a member of the American Historical Society.

H/t: Eve

Welcome to the beginning of the end

By GottaLaff

Ackerman:

Iraq’s presidency council has now signed the U.S-Iraq basing accord known as the Status of Forces Agreement, meaning it’s official now. The terminus phase of the Iraq war has begun.

President Obama. 16 months. Let's get them home safely.

Sweet revenge: Governor Walt Monegan

By GottaLaff

Walt Monegan - Photo by Linda Kellen Biegel.

This would truly be the suh-weet-est ever:

Former Anchorage Police Chief and Alaska Public Safety Commissioner, Walt Monegan, speaking to a group of journalism students, UAA faculty, and community members, refused, when asked whether he might consider running for governor of Alaska, to rule it out.

When asked a third time about this, he stated that he had agreed with his faculty host, not to discuss his political future at the event.

Mr. Monegan spoke on what he’s learned over the years about the relationship between the people and their government. “Basically, what I want to talk about, and what I’ve been invited to speak on, is the importance of the integrity of our government and its leaders.”

He discussed his appreciation of our Founding Fathers and how “the law of the land” includes an understandting that “If the government starts to become more oppressive, the citizens not only have a right but an obligation to alter or abolish the government.”

The third question on the subject was from APRN, who first asked if Walt was going to take any action against the State on being called a “rogue” and he said “I love the State of Alaska so the answer is no.” Then she asked for a firmer answer to the question about running for governor and he said he didn’t want to violate the non-political requirement of speaking at UAA. [snip]

As long as it’s not violating any rules I could honestly say that my wife and I are talking about it.

Pitiful Palin finally did something right. Her despicable actions against Monegan have backfired in the most dee-lish-ee-ous way. TrooperGate is becoming Palin's BlooperGate.

Chris Matthews and NBC are talking....

By GottaLaff

... which is fodder for even more speculation*:

Hardball host Chris Matthews is in contract talks with NBC News, according to Michael Calderone.

"What's still unclear is whether the current talks are to renew his contract ahead of schedule -- as the network recently did with Keith Olbermann last month -- or to break it, in order to start early on a Senate campaign in Pennsylvania."

*Speculation seems to be all the rage in what passes for the news these days, what with the election being over, and the inauguration being a month and a half away.

Obama Is Eligible For His Job. He is a natural born U.S. citizen. Okay? Okay.

By GottaLaff

Ambinder puts this ridiculous birth certificate controversy to rest... again:

Well, his birth certificate is valid, for one thing; it's survived scrutiny and has been sanctioned as valid by the legal authority empowered to sanction such things. A conspiracy to cover this up is -- would be -- preposterous.

A thinner version of the claim holds that Obama is a citizen, but not a natural born or naturalized citizen and this constitutionally ineligible. This claim rests on a fairly tendentious argument about Obama's father and mother. Obama Sr., wasn't a citizen; therefore, his son could not have been born to two U.S. citizens; to be a naturalized citizen, both parents have to be U.S. citizens. Also: the law requires citizen-parents to have spent a certain length of time in the state; Obama's mother was a woman of the world.

But the two-citizen parent rule, which is no longer in effect, applied to people born outside the U.S. Obama was born in 1961 in Hawaii, a U.S. state since 1959; (had he been born earlier, it wouldn't matter -- U.S. law granted natural born citizenship to every Hawaiian born after 1900.)

Now -- the 14th amendment is fairly clear on the subject:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

A further objection: to be "natural born," as the constitution requires, is to be born on U.S. soil (check) to two citizen parents (x mark.) Again -- that claim has no basis in federal law, Supreme Court precedent, or English common law.

To all those desperate souls who can't stand the notion of a President Barack Hussein Obama, you're plum out of luck. He won by a landslide, he has a mandate, and he is an honest-to-goodness U.S. citizen who easily qualifies for the position.

We're done now.

Chuck the Leaker?

By GottaLaff

NBC is mad, and (former?) network darling Chuck Todd is the source of their anger. Hypocrisy much?

It's always amusing when a news organization that makes a living from leaks is upset about leaks of their own.

Case in point: The New York Post reports NBC News "is holding back from anointing David Gregory as the new host of Meet the Press because 'they're furious about leaks' that tipped off the media."

Yeah, don't anoint for another whole, entire day. That'll show 'em.

Better yet, scratch that whole Gregory idea. In fact, I may start a leak of my own: Gregory's out. Maddow is in.

"The infamous in-house squabbling over Tim Russert's replacement 'is at a new peak' said one tipster, with some NBC suits and talent sore over the network's widely reported choice of Gregory -- who had yet to be confirmed as of last night. An other source said the brass blame MSNBC host Chuck Todd for tipping off media blogs on Gregory's new gig -- for which Todd was a top contender -- and ruining the announcement that was planned to be made this Sunday by interim Meet the Press host Tom Brokaw."

Don't get ruffle Chuck's feathers, guys. You may lose him to CNN. Dun-dun-dunnnn.

Meanwhile, Gawker says it was NBC executives who were the "leakers" when they began notifying people on the short list that the job would go to Gregory.

Ooooo... Maybe Chuck leaked it to the NBC execs. And then maybe the execs leaked it back to Chuck. And then he leaked it to short listers who leaked it back to NBC who leaked their fury to the Post who leaked it to us.

Leak freaks.

President Barack Hussein Obama May Make Major Speech From Islamic Capital

By Gotta Hussein Laff

Here's your change:

President-elect Obama's aides say "he is considering making a major foreign policy speech from an Islamic capital during his first 100 days in office," according to the New York Times.

The consensus is that he may give the speech in Cairo, Egypt.

Any and all speculation on what the Righties will scream say is more than welcome in Comments.

UPDATE via Matthew DeLong:

From Reuters, in January:

“Once I’m elected, I want to organize a summit in the Muslim world, with all the heads of state, to have an honest discussion about ways to bridge the gap that grows every day between Muslims and the West,” Thursday’s edition of Paris Match quoted Obama as saying,

“