If Al Gore had won in 2000

A) I wouldn't have lost that bet to Ken McDonald. Like I have fifty bucks anyway.

B) This might have been the State of the Union Address for this year:

 

and the transcript, from Crooks & Liars

Announcer:
And now, a message from the President of the United States.

President Al Gore:
Good evening, my fellow Americans.

In 2000 when you overwhelmingly made the decision to elect me as your 43rd president, I knew the road ahead would be difficult. We have accomplished so much yet challenges lie ahead.

In the last 6 years we have been able to stop global warming. No one could have predicted the negative results of this. Glaciers that once were melting are now on the attack.

As you know, these renegade glaciers have already captured parts of upper Michigan and northern Maine, but I assure you: we will not let the glaciers win.

Right now, in the 2nd week of May 2006, we are facing perhaps the worst gas crisis in history.

We have way too much gasoline. Gas is down to $0.19 a gallon and the oil companies are hurting.

I know that I am partly to blame by insisting that cars run on trash.

I am therefore proposing a federal bailout to our oil companies because – hey if it were the other way around, you know the oil companies would help us.

On a positive note, we worked hard to save Welfare, fix Social Security and of course provide the free universal health care we all enjoy today.

But all this came at a high cost. As I speak, the gigantic national budget surplus is down to a perilously low $11 trillion dollars.

And don't get any ideas. That money is staying in the very successful lockbox. We're not touching it.

Of course, we could give economic aid to China, or lend money to the Saudis… again.

But right now we're already so loved by everyone in the world that American tourists can't even go over to Europe anymore… without getting hugged.

There are some of you that want to spend our money on some made-up war. To you I say: what part of "lockbox" don't you understand?

What if there's a hurricane or a tornado? Unlikely I know because of the Anti-Hurricane and Tornado Machine I was instrumental in helping to develop.

But… what if? What if the scientists are right and one of those giant glaciers hits Boston? That's why we have the lockbox!

As for immigration, solving that came at a heavy cost, and I personally regret the loss of California. However, the new Mexifornian economy is strong and el Presidente Schwarznegger is doing a great job.

There have been some setbacks. Unfortunately, the confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Michael Moore was bitter and devisive. However, I could not be more proud of how the House and Senate pulled together to confirm the nomination of Chief Justice George Clooney.

Baseball, our national passtime, still lies under the shadow of steroid accusations. But I have faith in baseball commissioner George W. Bush when he says, "We will find the steroid users if we have to tap every phone in America!"

In 2001 when I came into office, our national security was the most important issue. The threat of terrorism was real.

Who knew that six years later, Afghanistan would be the most popular Spring Break destination? Or that Six Flags Tehran is the fastest growing amusement park in the Middle East?

And the scariest thing we Americans have to fear is … Live From New York, its Saturday Night!

At least they match the commanders

From the Hartford Courant via CNN comes word that the US army is now systematically deploying the mentally ill to combat positions in Iraq. Please tell me you're surprised by it; there must be someone out there who's still an optimist.

Ritchie acknowledged that some deployment practices, such as sending service members diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome back into combat, have been driven in part by a troop shortage.

"The challenge for us … is that the Army has a mission to fight. And, as you know, recruiting has been a challenge," she said. "And so we have to weigh the needs of the Army, the needs of the mission, with the soldiers' personal needs."

And there you have it: "We've run out of sane people, and it's more important to us to have soldiers with guns pointed at the Iraqis than it is for us to take guns away from the acutely suicidal, so deal."

Twenty-two U.S. troops committed suicide in Iraq last year. That number accounts for nearly one in five of all noncombat deaths and was the highest suicide rate since the war started, the newspaper said.

The paper reported that some service members who committed suicide in 2004 or 2005 were kept on duty despite clear signs of mental distress, sometimes after being prescribed antidepressants with little or no mental health counseling or monitoring. Those findings conflict with regulations adopted last year by the Army that caution against the use of antidepressants for "extended deployments."

Homer’s Odyssey as rap video

"He's the big Mac Daddy of ancient Greece, always gittin' down at the sacrificial feast"

etc etc

Presidential fight 2008

WALKENSo there are any number of Americans fighting the aggressive fight in Iraq or in Washington, the fight for their lives.

Meanwhile Christopher Walken has chosen to fight it this way, and he's Christopher Walken, so who's going to tell him not to, eh?

Although he has some tough competition.

Vote for your ruler

When I first came to your planet and demanded your homes, property and very lives, I didn't know you were already doing so, willingly, with your own government. I can win no tribute from a bankrupted nation populated by feeble flag-waving plebians. In 2008 I shall restore your dignity and make you servants worthy of my rule. This new government shall become a tool of my oppression. Instead of hidden agendas and waffling policies, I offer you direct candor and brutal certainty. I only ask for your tribute, your lives, and your vote.

— General Zod
Your Future President and Eternal Ruler

WolfenGitmo

WolfenGitmo 

From BoingBoing comes word of a new computer game. Based on the classic Wolfenstein, wherein you run around shooting Germans (who scream "Ach, mein leiben" as they collapse) in this one you are a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay.

Naturally you have no weapons. Naturally your hands are bound. Naturally at the unveiling…

most people were just mad that they weren't able to do much but get beat up.

That'd be what we 'round these parts call a "well duh."