Rick Perry - Savoring the Dumbering

His campaign is probably almost over, so we must cherish these golden nuggets of inanity (new team name?) while they're still coming.

"When you have a country [Turkey] that is being ruled by what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists, when you start seeing that type of activity against their own citizens, then yes, not only is it time for us to have a conversation about whether or not they belong to be in NATO, but it's time for the United States, when we look at their foreign aid, to go to zero with it."

— Rick Perry

This was the most jaw-dropping statement of the night.

The ruling party of Turkey is moderately Islamic, but it generally has not interfered with the country’s secular traditions. While Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has prodded the leadership about its commitment to media freedoms, few analysts — if any — would say the Turkish leadership is made up of "Islamic terrorists." We really have no idea what Perry is talking about.

As for foreign aid, Turkey is a wealthy country that already gets virtually no foreign aid from the United States. The State Department this year made a request for about $5 million, which was earmarked for peace-keeping and security operations — not what one could consider traditional "foreign aid."
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BREAKING: Hendry: 'We didn't win enough'

Stop me if you've heard this one before

News item: Da Mare says we are "a country of whiners"
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We won't have the Toddster to kick around anymore

And unlike Nixon, it's hard to foresee some dramatic career turnaround, though there's probably an elementary school somewhere in town looking for a new hall monitor.

At least he's going out classy!

Preckwinkle says when her staffers requested information, they got mounds of unorganized or incomplete paper, among other issues.

Cook County government has never had a reputation for squeaky clean dealings, but things appeared to get worse under Stroger. A court-ordered monitor says he violated political hiring more than 150 times since 2008.



"Chicago is not the most corrupt American city. It's the most theatrically corrupt."
-- Studs Terkel

He Guone

Will he be missed?

A random treat from the LoC archives...

2007... it was a simpler time...

Apart from spending the rest of our lives cleaning up after him, what will we ever do without him?

Catching up with da RezzziDUNCE

You Tell 'Em, McComrade

Daily Show Flashback: McCain is a "socialist", too!

McCain in 2000:

Audience member: "Why is it that someone like my father who goes to school for 13 years gets penalized in a huge tax bracket because he's a doctor."
McCain: "I think it's to some degree because we feel obviously that wealthy people can afford more."
Audience member: "Are we getting closer and closer to, like, socialism?"
McCain: "Here's what I really believe: That when you reach a certain level of comfort, there's nothing wrong with paying somewhat more."

Stewart: "That, of course, is the late socialist leader John McCain. I believe he passed away during the Republican primaries. He will be missed."
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Corms was wrong - he is missed

"We wish Jay well and will miss him — not personally, of course — but in the sense of noticing he is no longer here, at least for a few days."
-- Chicago Scum-Slimes editor Michael Cooke
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I am shocked that there is corruption going on here

Ted Stevens indicted

or, the hot Manhattan sun may bleach his bones

Brian Casman on Derek Jeter:

"Derek has a light quad strain, but it's a quad strain nonetheless. We are in no man's land. We aren't sure it's a (disabled list situation) or a three-, four- or five-day thing. Will it be better in five to seven days? Could it be three or four? Or is it seven or eight? We are taking it one day at a time. We could option somebody and bring Alberto Gonzalez. Or go with what we've got. We haven't decided one way or another yet."