TMQ Watch: TMQ had some nice things to say about Tiki Barber, which I agree with -- though surely sometimes really being into the game (TMQ notes TB has useful perspective, understanding football is just a game, not the most important thing in the world) is not a bad thing. After all, one is not prepared/paid to play one game a week, but to live and practice for much of the year to play such games. This leads to a somewhat over the top mentality in some cases, but it's rather understandable. Up to a point.
Anyway, as to his usual serious/political comments, TMQ is also right on respecting the responsibility for the Iraqi deaths. OTOH, he does have to go and partially ruin it by slipshodly ridiculing the recent study that estimates a high number of deaths while apparently accepting Bush's low ball estimate without any comment. The real number surely is much closer to the former than the 30K number he cites. Well, if the guy does not say something that is aggravatingly stupid and uninformed in that department at least once in awhile, it would not seem like a TMQ column.
NY Greens Dissed: Checking out Democracy Now!, it seems that the League of Women's Voters was forced to not sponsor a couple NY debates for senate and attorney general races because the Democratic frontrunners (with token or much troubled Republican candidates -- the AG involving an actual experienced prosecutor whose husband's problems are just part of why her campaign in a mess) refused to be involved if the Green Party candidate was as well. This is not really a party deal per se -- Republicans in a similar position would not want a possibly troublesome person sympathetic to their base to you know ruin it.
Still, it is rather depressing, especially since I simply do not really care for the two Democrats involved -- they are not really horrid candidates; seriously, one can do worse than Hillary Clinton (and her Republican opponent really cannot be taken seriously), though I do wish they found someone who a bit more qualified and less a jerk than Andrew Cuomo (Jeanine Pirro is simply not someone I'd cross party lines for, even without her death penalty sympathetic). Still, Clinton's refusal to have even one debate with her primary candidate Jonathan Tasini, a protest candidate who is no Ned Lamont, underlines my annoyance. She just tries to be so "safe," making it hard to want to vote for her.*
The Green candidate sounds like a nice enough sort, well smoken, and supportive of universal health care and brining the troops home. Meanwhile, HC supports some safe sounding middle of the road health plan and one of those "reasonable" stances on the war while safely being angry (looking so cute doing it, right Hil?) at Rumsfeld. My preference, especially in a safe race (come on!), is to allow him to speak his piece. Such heavyhandness leads me to want to vote Green, since the best time to vote third party -- especially without instant runoff voting (sigh) -- is when you want to send a message that would not be counterproductive in the end. Right, Nader fans?
Fox (Not FOX): Finally, one more reason to hate the Cardinals: "The GOP has recruited "The Passion of the Christ" star Jim Caviezel and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jeff Suppan to counter [Michael J.] Fox in ads." Oh, and when I caught a few seconds -- about all I can take -- of the remarks, I thought the same thing. When ED said he was going to do all he could do to help, I was like, "hey, you are stepping down? thanks a lot guy."
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* As to the presidency, again, yeah, if everyone just ASSUMES she will be the one, there is a self-fulfilling prophecy. After all, she "could win," she might be the "best option" out there. Kill me now. As to someone already suggested to be her veep, and who sorta turns me off, this discussion by hilzoy perhaps supplies a bit positive balance.
But, the negative comments in reply ring true to me as well, especially (ala Atrios) his sudden "pragmatic" opposition to torture. See also, here. Sounds like someone we liked on our team when we are leading, but we haven't won yet. The "yeah but" flavor of hilzoy's partial rebuttal also is telling.