Remember this complete moron? Congressman Lynn Westmoreland (R - Clueless) on The Colbert Report some months ago, failed to list the Ten Commandments after having co-sponsored legislation hyping their importance. It was completely priceless, and I couldn't help but wonder how on earth a spectacularly dim bulb such as Westmoreland could possibly outdo himself.

Well, since he's not really all that busy representing his voters back in Georgia, he's got plenty of time to try. According to an AP wire story "[...] the Grantville Republican told a Douglas County Chamber of Commerce luncheon that he 'voted for torture [...]'" then realized how that might sound to some, and came back the following day and declared that he should have "put that another way." Westmoreland was one of only eight Congressmen to vote against an amendment reaffirming the United States' commitment to the U.N. Convention Against Torture last year.

More from the AP:

Pressed on whether that means he supports torture, he said, "What's torture? Torture is many things to many people ... people have different breaking points."

Asked whether he would support using electric shocks, he said, "Electric shocks are given to people during initiations to different clubs ... Is that torture? I don't know."

That's all sad n' stuff, but what I want to know is this: what the fuck kind of clubs does Lynn Westmoreland belong to where they use electric shock as the initiation ritual?!? Inquiring minds *really* want to know more about that. Don't they?

UPDATE: Tbogg runs with this as only he can.

Yep, that's Vermont's governor Jim Douglas with Dick "Darth" Cheney at a GOP-Youth Confab at UVM in 2003. Fundraising for the re-election of the President who took us to war and got a steadily growing number of Vermonters killed for no good reason at all. That very same arch-Republican Jim Douglas is now running for a third term as governor of Vermont.

My home state is an otherwise solidly blue state, home to Bernie Sanders, arguably the most radical member of the House; and Jim Jeffords, the brave Senator who left the GOP when the stench got to rich. Yet even quite progressive friends of mine merely shrug and seem to think that Republican Douglas is doing just fine, and after having already handed him the reigns twice (after Howard Dean's five terms, Douglas beat Doug Racine for the job in 2002, and Peter Clavelle in 2004), they appear more than ready to give him another two years.

But they shouldn't.

Paying for college, one sip at a time. The stand was a roaring success, but even at this rate there'll still only barely be enough for a few minutes worth of tuition at a state school ten years from now.

Earlier this year, across the river, Dartmouth College set its tuition for the 2006-07 academic year at $33,501. "With room, board and mandatory fees, next year's overall charges will be $43,341." That's an awful lot of lemonade.

The Associated Press out yet again with a ridiculous piece of whitewash coverage from Iraq. "Young children fight U.S. troops in Iraq" reads the headline (the link here is to a local AP outlet).

Brazen vs. Delicate

We learn how rocks rain down on vehicles and troops are pelted by "unruly gangs." Meanwhile, the gallant American troops are merely "seeking to curb Iraqi militias." -- sort of like you do with a young puppy, right? How very benign.

Indeed, this AP piece goes so out of its way to emphasize the restraint shown by the US forces. "We have to be so delicate with the rock throwers," claims one US soldier. We're benig delicate. Those rapscallious kids on the other hand "[...] are becoming even more brazen: Children recently have begun hurling bottles of oil and even a homemade firebomb at U.S. vehicles, soldiers say." It's just not fair. "The harassment started with small groups of youngsters throwing stones, then escalated into bigger groups of children hurling larger rocks and even pieces of cement blocks." Let's set the stage now. On the one hand: little kids with rocks. On the other: armored vehicles and guys in body armor.