The Next Hurrah

Sunday Funnies

by DemFromCT

We don't often do the Sunday shows (a tradition at Daily Kos, if you wish to visit on Sundays), but this week is likely to be all CIA leak investigation with Judy for dessert.

On ABC with George S (the first of the shows where I live), Bob Bennett reiterates Judy doesn't remember. George asks if she sat in jail for 85 days for a source she doesn't remember. Nice.

Feel free to weigh in after you've digested the NY Times.

[UPDATE]: speaking of Sunday Funnies, from Swopa:

Here's definitive proof that Valerie Plame was a covert agent -- just mentioning her name has the mystifying property of making both parties forget everything about the conversation."

The Office: Believe the Hype

By DHinMI

Maybe you've seen the advertisements for NBC's new sitcom The Office and thought "yeah, yeah, they get critics to rave about every new show."  Well, in this case, the critics' raves seem justified.  They just did a scene where the white middle manager, in the middle of corporate-imposed diversity training, does the Chris Rock routine about the war in America between black people and niggaz in front of his staff, and I laughed so hard I almost wet myself. 

I'm afraid that such a deadpan show with (the other kind of) black humor is unlikely to last on network TV, so you might want to catch this show while it's still on.

What's Next, Christopher Hitchens Playing Christopher Hitchens?

By DHinMI

I'm shaking off a nasty cold, laying around watching West Wing, and trying not to be as outraged as I am just about every time I look at a newspaper.  But now I'm getting pissed at The West Wing.  Ron Silver, the one-time Democrat who drank the same scotch-spiked koolaid as Christopher Hitchens, and then went on to speak at the Republican convention, is reprising his role as Bruno (somethingorother), the slick and somewhat slimmy political operative who managed Jed Bartlett's successful reelection campaign.  In the fantasy part of tonight's show, he's meeting with the liberal, pro-choice Republican Senator from California who, on the same day that pigs began flying, wrapped up the Republican presidential nomination.  In the meta-true-to-life part of tonight's show, Democratic-turncoat Ron Silver plays a character not-so-loosely based on Democratic-turncoat Dick Morris. 

At first I was really irritated that Ron Silver would get the attention and get to shill for a Democratic-turncoat position.  But then I started thinking.  What are the chances that the West Wing will end next season with a Republican in the White House, even a liberal Republican played by Alan Alda?  I'd say pretty slim.  So, is this the writers and producers of West Wing taking a little revenge on the Democratic turncoats?  And if that's the case, is Ron Silver too self-absorbed to realize that he's playing a character that will soon be distrusted by both parties, a la Dick Morris (and probably Ron Silver)? 

So, maybe I shouldn't be pissed.  Maybe the West Wing will remain the liberal fantasy world, where not only do Democrats win the White House, they even mete out vengence against those who were once in our own ranks but now try to stab us in the back.