Jesus, Hosni Mubarak has really stepped in it now. He and his veep have basically told Egypt to shuddup, siddown and get back to work. Good luck with that. Let’s see how the army votes.
Say it ain’t so — looks like we actually squeaked into positive territory here this afternoon. Two degrees above zero. Why, that’s practically balmy. Or maybe that’s just me. Two consecutive days of trainer rides in the office do little for one’s mental health, no matter what’s on the iPod.
Speaking of mental health, what in bloody hell is going on in the Middle East? Did everybody wake up on the wrong side of the bed all at once? Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan — all of a sudden the streets are full of pissed-off people and the boss-fellas are peeing themselves, spazzing out like a herd of cats trying to cover turds on a tile floor.
Not even the CIA can push ’em over wholesale like this. They have enough trouble working retail. And the NYT doesn’t seem to think it’s jihadis, either.
Is it truly an “Arab spring?” Not so fast, says Roger Hardy, Middle East analyst at the Woodrow Wilson Center:
“Analysts would do well to exercise a little humility. My own guess, for what it is worth, is that this is not the beginning of an Arab spring, but of something more messy and drawn-out. The old order still has plenty of fight in it.”
I can’t wait to see how the wingnuts manage to credit Ronnie Raygun for all the upheaval in the Middle East while heaping scorn upon the Kenyan Muslim socialist currently occupying the Oval Office.
Happily, right now they seem more concerned about why the comic-book movie “Captain America: The First Avenger” is only titled “The First Avenger” when it’s being pimped to the rest of the world. You’d think they’d be more worked up about the gay subtext — you know, the old “Cap’n America and his teen sidekick Bucky” deal, wink wink, nudge nudge, the nonsense that got old Frederic Wertham (“Seduction of the Innocent”) all het up over Batman and Robin. Thanks and a twirl of Thor’s hammer to Steve Benen at Political Animal for the tip.
Meanwhile, the Tea Party twits are already finding themselves either shunned by the “mainstream” Repug dingbats or absorbed by the conservative Borg: “Thanks for the lift last November, bitches — now go stand in a corner with the fundamentalist Christers and shut the fuck up until we need you again.”
Speaking of neotard asshats, there’s a fresh rant up at VeloNews.com and it seems a fairly gentle reference to self-described rodeo clown Glenn Beck has generated some backlash, mostly from feebs who can’t even spell their hero’s name. Good times. I took a quick peek at some of the funnier ones and then slipped out for a longish bike ride, because this weekend will involve some heavy lifting from the bottom of the old VeloBarrel, what with cyclo-cross worlds going on in Germany and Alberto Clenbutador weeping into his tapas.
I had doubts that the temps would hit the mid-60s as forecast, but was wrong as usual. I didn’t have enough pockets to stuff cool-weather bits into and wound up keeping the knee warmers on. Fat city.
I’m pretty much in agreement with The New York Times editorial page this morning — the prez did an OK job last night.
My favorite bits involved eliminating taxpayer subsidies for Big Oil (“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” the president said, “but they’re doing just fine on their own.”); ending the Daffy-Fudd tax breaks for the Richie Riches; and putting Average Joe back to work.
I also enjoyed watching Punkinhead Boehner looking like he’d set his granny on fire for a water glass brimming with gin. Jesus, talk about a living caricature of a corporate stooge.
I didn’t watch either of the Repuglicant responses because I didn’t feel like plucking out my eyes and throwing them at the TV. But I sure would like to see that lot do something, anything, other than stomp its feet and scream, “No! No! No!” like a spoiled snotnose with the terrible twos.
