And Creative, Too!

By Zamboni

The Huffington Post has a very entertaining gallery of "The Funniest Protest Signs of 2009." It includes many examples of teabaggers who can't spell and who don't understand that Medicare is a government program — just to name two.

But the ones we most appreciate are from gay-rights supporters who find rich comic material in demented homosexual hater Fred Phelps and his ragtag band from the so-called Westboro Baptist Church.

This is our favorite. We have no idea who made it or where it was carried — but we cats PURR.

Happy Hanukkah, Hadassah

By Sniffles

On this, the first night of Hanukkah, our attention is taken by the liberal blog Firedoglake, which is scolding the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Center for employing as a "Global Ambassador" the wife of arch-healthcare-reform-foe and ever-irritating whiner Joe Lieberman.

We cats are amused and sympathetic, and have signed the petition asking the Komen Center to fire Mrs. Lieberman. But since she undoubtedly raises tons of money for Komen from Jewish philanthropists and from pharmaceutical and managed-care foundations, we're not holding our breaths.

Still and all, we dare to hope — that perhaps the lesson of this exercise is that actions have consequences. Too often, people in high-level political positions don't have to pay them. One example: Alex Castellanos, who not only is a cable-news talking head but also is apparently allowed to walk around unmolested — despite the fact that he's responsible for much of the hate-filled paid political speech of the last two decades.

Are we equating the Liebermans with hate-spreading Republicans? As the famous quitter from Alaska would say, you betcha.

Tidbits and Cat Treats, Winter Edition

By Baxter

If we cats were with our owners right now, we'd leave little paw prints in about two inches of snow outside. (Twelve inches, later.) But instead, we're warm and snug in our cat-hotel paradise down south. Here are our thoughts as we watch the lizards and butterflies at play in our tropical garden.

So the Republicans are all upset with Harry Reid. To which we cats reply, oh, please spare us. After months and months of way-over-the-top GOP rhetoric, we have little patience with their umbrage. In fact, we wish Harry would simply tell them to kiss his Mormon ass.

We're confused. We thought that The Washington Post didn't accept ghostwritten op-eds. Hm.

Speaking of the famous quitter from Alaska, we cats are intrigued that President Obama has appointed one of her sternest critics to a federal position. To us, this is the best evidence of the President's political smarts since Jon Huntsman became U.S. ambassador to China.

Topics in the news that we don't care about: Tiger Woods' marital problems, anything that's on Michael Steele's tiny little mind, and whoever the next host of "Good Morning, America" will be.

Why has John Boehner never taken John McCain to a tanning salon? (Ankle rub to our friend Allan for this canny observation.)

20 Questions

By Zamboni

Well, okay, not 20. But former Governor and famous quitter Sarah Palin has had to amend a remark she made about President Obama's birth certificate, and we cats are inspired.

Palin said that she really meant that "Voters have every right to ask candidates for information if they so choose."

Thanks for your permission, Governor. Since the sky's the limit, we'd like to ask you the following:

• Is Todd really Trig's father, or is it — as we suspect — actually Levi Johnston? (You see, unlike the rest of the blogosphere, it's the paternity of that child that we cats doubt.)
• What does Todd really do when he's up on the North Slope for three months with a bunch of guys? By that, we mean for sexual release, if you'll excuse the expression?
• Did you know Bristol was having sex?
• When did you have a conversation with her about birth control — if ever?
• Is Bristol using birth control now?
• Are you willing to make public your grades from the seven colleges you attended?
• While we're on the subject, when will your college sex tapes be released?

Finally, it's occurred to us that your statement doesn't just apply to you. You've also made it possible for us to ask your fellow Republicans anything we want. We're sure that Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich with their multiple marriages, and John Ensign and Mark Sanford and their extramarital affairs, are forever grateful to you.

Un Noel Tres, Tres Joyeux

The celebrations of last night's stunning Grey Cup victory by the Montreal Alouettes might still be going on. Our owners will find out at around noon tomorrow, because they're flying up north for a little taste of winter before the holidays. We cats, meanwhile, are snug like bugs in the five-paw cat hotel. But we'll try to post from time to time. Stay warm, everybody!

The Meaning of Mike

By Sniffles

Mike "I'm Fat Again" Huckabee is probably real busy today, answering questions about his early release of an alleged cop killer. (Goodness, we can just imagine what Karl Rove and all the Republican talking heads would be saying on cable news if a Democrat were involved!)

But police assassinations aside, we cats found Fat Mike's recent interview on FOX "News" Sunday — in which he said he may not run for President in 2012 — very interesting. We think it says several things:

First, Fat Mike evidently thinks President Obama is a shoo-in for re-election and is willing to bide his time, building his media profile, until 2016.

Second, he apparently is convinced that Sarah Palin is sucking all the air out of the right-wing Republican room, and he might have to get out before he suffocates. This elevates the threat to rumored 2012 candidates Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. With the specter of Huckabee supporters turning to Palin instead, Newtie and the Mittster will have to take her down quicker and harder.

Third, a Huckabee withdrawal, if it happens, could be partly blamed on the media. One of their favored "nice" guys on the Republican side may end up being pushed out by the rabid Palinistas that populate the GOP base. Where have the talking heads been when it comes to confronting the harsh tactics and language of the teabaggers and right wing? Nowhere, that's where.

These are just our initial impressions. As for any further observations, we cats will wait to see how the Maurice Clemmons situation unfolds. Willie Horton, anyone?

Prescription for Disaster

By Baxter

The conservatives in the GOP are gleefully steering the Republican Party into icebergs, and we cats couldn't be more pleased.

Latest case in point: The New York Times has paused to consider the woes of South Carolina Republicans, who not only appear ready to impeach their hapless and silly Governor, but whose Senators — right-wing maniac Jim DeMint and only slightly less-right-wing Lindsey Graham — are trying to take their party in diametrically opposed directions.

We love it, because it's always good for Democrats when Republicans fight with each other. But over and above that, this quote really got our attention:

"Mr. DeMint... has said he would prefer having fewer, but ideologically pure, Republicans in the Senate rather than more Republicans who were ideologically suspect."

We cats fail to understand how, with that attitude, the demented Mr. DeMint thinks his side will ever get back in power again. But hey, Jim, have at it.

And to our liberal friends out there, we cats simply say this: We agree with you on many of your frustrations with our own party. But may we never, ever find ourselves rearranging those famous deck chairs again.

Party Crashers

By Zamboni

Can we lock them up, and throw away the key?

You know of whom we cats speak. But we will not state their names, because to do so would give them what they so desperately want.

We continue to be mystified at people's desire to give up their privacy. We've never succumbed to watching reality TV shows — first, because the "reality" is never real, and second, because we're certain we'd be bored.

Now, we're just mad. It's one thing to defraud law enforcement about an errant balloon in Colorado. It's quite another to embarrass the hardworking members of the U.S. Secret Service and put the safety of the President in question. So we HISS and GROWL at that deservedly nameless husband and wife, and we dump our dirty litter boxes on their stupid heads.

Once, the subject of party crashing made a classically funny Hollywood movie. But of course, the people depicted in "The Philadelphia Story" were true society bluebloods. The couple who wormed their way into the White House the other night are — shall we say — not.

Bobby, They Hardly Knew You

By Sniffles

Gee, if only Republicans would take Ari Fleischer's 2001 admonishment to heart. If they'd just watch what they say and do, they'd have a much smoother ride with their crazy-eyed base.

How do we know? Here's one example — Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.

Bobby, the nutcases over at Free Republic have turned against you. First, you had the temerity to support the $300 million Senator Landrieu secured in the health care bill for your state's Medicaid program. Governor, the Freepers believe you should have turned that money down. Since you didn't, you've generated comments from them like this:

"Jindal has been incredibly disappointing in terms of potential for national office... [H]is comments on working with Obama on health care show him to be tone deaf. I had very high hopes, but 2009 has been a bad year for Bobby."

"[W]e need strength of character and someone who is willing to say NO to all our enemies foreign and domestic."

"Jindal looked like he might be good, but he's proven, especially with this, that he's a dud."

"Well, looks like ol’ Bobby was a very rapid flash in the pan."

Adding insult to injury, Jindal, all smiles, turned up at the White House for last night's state dinner. The Freepers are sure it's political payback for the health care bill. Of course, the dinner honored the Prime Minister of India — and Jindal is Indian-American — but, never mind.

So Governor Jindal is now wanting in the eyes of the far right. Which means he probably also would fail the GOP's new "purity test." Our only question is, who would pass?

Okay, This Is Really Cool

As felines, we are obviously known for being catty. So perhaps you all will forgive us if we observe that for the first time in eight years, the First Lady isn't wearing something borrowed from her mother-in-law's closet. (Meow!)