Hixter

It's also a cold, hard fact that's directly related to the conversation at hand.

Just to be clear, I wasn't exchanging anecdotes. My best friend's friend has been held in Iran for more than 2 years. He was sentenced to death and the Iranian regime seems unconcerned about creating an embarrassing international incident.

The government has been organizing these rallies for decades. Again, I point out that rallies by individuals -- kooks or not -- are completely different than government-sponsored/instigated rallies. If some nutjob Tea Partiers wave signs that say "Obama is a closet Muslim bent on destroying America" I'll just roll my eyes and walk away. I wouldn't have done that if President Bush had organized rallies with thousands of people burning Iraqi flags and shouting "Death to Iraq!" As for Americans visiting Iran, a friend of a friend has been held captive there (and sentenced to death) for a couple

Westboro has fewer than 50 members and I don't recall Tea Party rallies being filled with burning flags. This is a government-sponsored rally attended by thousands of people chanting "Death to America." The regime has been at it for decades and they aren't afraid to put their money where their mouths are.

Iran is nowhere near "mighty" status, but the reasoning is clear: Iraq and Afghanistan were not in a position to cut off 30% of the world's oil production.

People still use AOL? I agree -- it's unbelievable.

Hopefully the warden keeps the inmates separated.

The president thinks that Americans should discuss Obamacare over Thanksgiving dinner. Has he never attended a family Thanksgiving gathering? I thought everyone knew that politics are off the table during holiday gatherings.

Fixed it for ya.

Just ask her out already!

"Stop talking about the Obamacare mess and start talking about this!" was probably a good portion of the rationale.

It's not an attitude, it's a prediction. And it's not because I dislike everything the president does, because I don't. You know it's a bad deal when the Saudis and Israelis are cooperating on a military strike on Iran ...

Doubt anything good will come of this provocation by China, either.

Not very pleased with the deal we just made with Iran. Nothing good will come from it.

After a 1997 performance by a band that shall remain nameless, my 12-year-old daughter told one of the members that she'd recently seen a Pavement show. His response was, "Twelve years old is just about the right age for liking Pavement."

Since we're playing "screw you, we'll do as we like" these days in Washington, I'd expect the GOP to up the ante by including things like Supreme Court nominees -- accompanied by howls of protests from the other side of the aisle, of course.

It shows that both parties are unafraid of wielding the filibuster stick. It also shows that the number of attempts has actually been trending downward since the end of the Bush administration.

Another interesting chart:

There haven't been 72, there have been 27. The Dems are projecting a total of 45 over 2 terms (you can barely read it on the chart) but I don't know how they arrived at the figure. Here's the chart and one generated by the Republicans: From here.

Your photo appears to indicate otherwise.

It'll be tough to top it.

I've read dozens of such items in the news. Surely some people will better off if they qualify for federal subsidies, but there are also millions who will find their new plans more expensive and less comprehensive. Here's one I read the other day: First of all, it wasn't a mistake -- it was a lie. He knew it every time he said it. Secondly, the president's apology was nothing more than ass-covering for a bunch of Democrats who were furious about the Obamacare debacle and what it was doing to their reelection efforts. No it doesn't. Take a look at campaign donations made by media wor

I don't think you understand what is happening here. People aren't being dropped yet, they are being warned that their current policy will cease to exist as of the date that the law goes into effect. And the letters do offer alternate coverage -- it's a business and they'd be stupid to not offer coverage to current customers. You can read the letters yourself here. Says the administration: The president's public apology the other day says otherwise.

They were dropped because the law required the insurance companies to do so -- the plans were no longer legal. Many were, or will be, offered alternate plans that comply with the law, but they may be more expensive. People aren't angry at the insurance companies because the president promised them very clearly that they wouldn't have to change a thing if they didn't want to, even though he knew he was lying every time he said so.

It's not as if the average citizen has a choice, since most of that money comes from advertising. I haven't seen a commercial in years, but money is still taken from my pocket when I buy a carton of orange juice or make a phone call.