If trivia's not sufficiently scratching your geek itch

there's always ... spelling bees for adults?

Spellings bees, for generations the province of the under-12 set with braces, have acquired a cultural prominence in recent years that is winning them adult attention and the kind of participants who might otherwise be found at downtown art gallery openings or indie rock concerts.

Really?

Hell Froze Over

last night, as Geena Davis became the first woman to attempt to be President of the United States for an entire TV season. (clever 'blog' style website, btw).

(Spoiler Alert)
Although (androgynously-named) Mackenzie Allen was asked to resign as VP by the President on his death-bed, is fully aware that the American people elected someone whose agenda she completely disagrees with, is confident in the disapproval/dislike/disdain of most of the former President's staff, the hatred of the Speaker of the House and the disgust of her Republican teenage daughter*, she's not sure what to do.

When said Speaker (have I mentioned that I heart Donald Sutherland?) makes a series of caustic and misogynistic remarks moments before she's prepared to resign, in a fit of pique she takes the oath instead. The new Pres makes a moving speech to a joint session of Congress, sporting an aide's scarf hastily borrowed to replace a shirt stained with juice by her youngest daughter (b/c that would never happen to a man), and against a backstory of US Army helicopters extracting an adulterous Nigerian woman from jail and saving her from certain death by stoning.

Looking forward to next week already, aren't you?

I had a discussion with ECG last night involving whether Ms. Davis is potentially fictional presidential material. My take is that she's almost old enough (and now that I know how old she actually is, she seems much older in person), but that her lips are far too plump and her hair is unlike any other Washingtonienne I have ever experienced. That said, she is certainly tall and big-boned enough to deal with the old boys club, and, combined with her low voice, is somewhat regal.

Which is more than I can say for the current Commander-in-Chief.

Fav Quote: (teenage son to teenage daughter who is resisting attending Mom's speech).

Get a sense of history.

OK, really. What intelligent, East Coast teenage girl raised by a university chancellor, whose father is her VP mother's chief-of-staff is willingly Republican? I mean, teenage daughters and their mothers clearly have issues, do we really need to add federal politics to the mix? Captain Obvious anyone?

Yiddish: Not for the faint of stomach

In Yiddish the point is to be as clever/graphic/detailed as possible when dishing an insult:

A simple, American-style "drop dead" might be rendered as "a dismal animal death on you" ("a viste pgire af dir"), which, Mr. Wex, notes, carries the suggestion that "you should spend the rest of your tiny life in a Colorado feedlot, then be herded off to some nonunion slaughterhouse to be turned, painfully, into fast-food burgers for one of the less prominent chains."

No wonder Apple Martin's already a vegan.

I hardly know where to begin

Justices to Hear Anna Nicole Smith Case

The United States Supreme Court said on Tuesday that it would hear an appeal from Anna Nicole Smith, a former Playboy model who is seeking $88.6 million from the estate of her late husband, J. Howard Marshall.

The justices agreed to review a federal appeals court ruling that overturned a decision in a Texas probate court in favor of Ms. Smith, the 1993 Playboy Playmate of the Year who has recently been the star of her own reality television show. Arguments are likely to be held in January, with a decision coming before the court term ends in June.

Ms. Smith was 26 at the time of her 1994 marriage to Mr. Marshall, an 89-year-old oilman. He died a year later, leaving an estate exceeding $1.6 billion that has been the subject of a legal battle between Ms. Smith and her husband's son, E. Pierce Marshall.

Shuesday: Don't hate me because I'm perfect

The people at Chanel made it v. difficult for me to get this for you, but the FG can be quite the determined wench when it comes to her shoes.

This is the kind of luxury item we adore. It's simple, it's detailed, it will never go out of style.

Which almost makes it worth $655 before tax.

Sigh.

You want a piece of my heart?

Yes, Loverboy. Who knows why I have Working for the Weekend in my head, ... except that it's Monday.

Saw Proof this weekend, which was excellent, although if I have to suffer the embarassment of explaining to one more person why I never saw the play, I may be able to model blush professionally. The bottom line is that when one is raised in a theatrical town, one develops an involuntary disdain for traveling productions that is, I'm sure, completely unwarranted. Nevertheless, it explains why this FG has experienced all the best theatre of the past 9 years through the pages of The New Yorker. Which is not exactly what Shakespeare, Miller, Wilson or Kushner had in mind. There are plans afoot to ameliorate this situation post haste.

The film version was great - GP is a good actress, I don't care what anyone says, and was wholly believable as a woman in the verge of a nervous breakdown. Tony Hopkins roars like the king of the forest that he is, Jake Gyllenhal held his own, although I was troubled by his resemblance to a Monchichi doll - it's the hairline - and Hope Davis was perfectly annoying as the sleek older sister.

All this reminds me that I never blogged about Crash (the 2004 movie, not David Cronenberg's, although I'm sure it's good in a different way.) SEE IT. It was amazing - moving and raw and knock you off your feet.

Speak Truth to Power

Why poet Sharon Olds is declining Laura Bush's invitation to attend the National Book Festival, in her own words:

I am writing to let you know why I am not able to accept your kind invitation to give a presentation at the National Book Festival on September 24, or to attend your dinner at the Library of Congress or the breakfast at the White House. (...)

I tried to see my way clear to attend the festival in order to bear witness--as an American who loves her country and its principles and its writing--against this undeclared and devastating war.

But I could not face the idea of breaking bread with you. I knew that if I sat down to eat with you, it would feel to me as if I were condoning what I see to be the wild, highhanded actions of the Bush Administration.

What kept coming to the fore of my mind was that I would be taking food from the hand of the First Lady who represents the Administration that unleashed this war and that wills its continuation, even to the extent of permitting "extraordinary rendition": flying people to other countries where they will be tortured for us.

So many Americans who had felt pride in our country now feel anguish and shame, for the current regime of blood, wounds and fire. I thought of the clean linens at your table, the shining knives and the flames of the candles, and I could not stomach it.

Sincerely,
SHARON OLDS

Look familiar?

Obviously this is a bad sign, but it's just so weirdly beautiful from this perspective.

Calling all Garlic Lovers

The transformation garlic experiences when braised in olive oil is amazing, and The Minimalist, Mark Bittman tells you how to make it happen as well as what to do with it. He offers a pasta dish (recipe below) and one for Chicken, Garlic & Soy Stew (which doesn't sound that great to me, but follow the link if you're intrigued.)

Garlic Braised in Olive Oil - 30 to 45 minutes

½ cup good extra virgin olive oil
40 or more cloves peeled garlic
Salt.

1. Put oil in small skillet over medium-low heat; a minute later add garlic. Sprinkle with salt. Adjust heat so garlic just sizzles.
2. Cook, occasionally turning garlic so it browns evenly, until it gradually becomes golden, then begins to brown. The garlic is done when perfectly tender. Store, refrigerated, in the oil, and use within a few days.

Yield: 40 or more cloves garlic.

Pasta With Fresh Tomatoes, Braised Garlic and Basil - 30 minutes

Salt
4 medium tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped, with their juice
1 cup washed, dried and shredded basil
30 to 40 cloves braised garlic, more or less, with about 4 tablespoons of their oil (see recipe)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound long pasta, like spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine.

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Run large serving bowl under steaming hot water to warm it. Dry bowl and combine in it the tomatoes, ¾ of the basil, ¾ of the garlic and all its oil, a liberal grinding of pepper and a large pinch of salt. Mash a little bit with a potato masher or wooden spoon, just to let tomatoes release their liquid.
2. When ready to serve, cook pasta until it is tender but not mushy. Drain it, but leave it moist. Toss it in bowl with the tomato mixture, then garnish with remaining basil and garlic. Serve immediately.

Yield: 3 to 6 servings.

Shuesday: I almost forgot

but these stopped me cold. Why why why? Gazelle? What were they thinking? These, if you haven't noticed are UGLY.

If you have $1250, do some good with it. Help hurricane victims, or victims of genocide. Defend the Bill of Rights. Protect freedom of choice, your right to purchase birth control pills and medically accurate sex education.

If you must spend it on shoes, at least buy pretty ones, like these - the FG would be happy to consult. Or, hell, just send it to me and I'll do good with it.

Fantasies fulfilled

And the Northern girls with the way they kiss,
They keep their boyfriends warm at night

Vintage Vantage via Daily Candy.

Who has to know?

So if you don't have this song in your head somewhere you're not listening to the radio or watching music television, which is probably a good thing. But this is the art source, and this one spoke to me.

There's another one there that choked me up more, but you only get one secret today.

"I didn't have the guts to tell ... [Trivial Kate]

This is how we measure success

By the enemy body count. What a treat it is to live in the most civilized & developed nation in the world. And by that I mean, it is indeed a treat - there are only 3-4 other places I would consider spending the rest of my life - but the hypocrisy is about to exceed sustainable levels of tolerance.

The Emmys

Strapless strapless strapless was the fashion rule of thumb at this year's Emmy Awards, and loads of color - not the many shades of green we saw last year, but red, orange, blue and champagne. Highlights:

The Desperate Housewives managed not to dress the same. although their smiles channeled Stepford. As usual, Felicity Huffman proves that she is one of the most intellegent women on TV, as well as the best dressed .. and she won. The Macy/ Huffman house now has its bookends.

What exactly is Barbara Hershey doing to deserve Naveen Andrews? What did we do to deserve Kyra and no Bacon? I'm not missing Affleck at all (he missed the red carpet but was seen later next to his lovely wife in the audience.) William Shatner wore a printed, I'm going to say jacquard, tuxedo - couldn't he just penguin up like everyone else? But v. good of him to introduce Fredericka Von Stade singing the Star Trek theme song. Who'd have thought you could get Donald Trump into overalls?




I love Jon Cryer - what happened to him between Pretty in Pink and Two and a half men? Ooh, never mind, I just looked it up & it ain't pretty.

I think Jon Stewart lost to Hugh Jackman b/c the TV people are height-sensitive. Although, if they had voted solely on sex appeal ... But I now have respect for the wife of the Stew (even thought she looks a little tense) - smart women wear red to awards shows ... although apparently all the women who work on the Amazing Race didn't consult with each other in advance, as we drown in a sea of red dresses - another lost opportunity for my fashion coordinator skills. The cast of Everybody Loves Raymond also dressed uniformly in black ... maybe it's a theme thing? Jane Alexander shows us how to age gracefully and wear white ... and Patricia Arquette shows us how to look like a bride with bad taste. And her hair! Blythe Danner is so beautiful in platinum gown & wrap, and deserving AND great speech.

As if we don't love Gary Dourdan enough already (that face, those eyes, smoulder smoulder), now we learn he can sing?!. Even Macy Gray knew enough to dress up & do her hair to sing The Jefferson's theme song with him. Ellen DeGeneres has to be the most self-effacing host ever.

And finally, Jennifer Garner rivaled Catherine Zeta-Jones' pregnant Oscar appearance with a lovely black strapless number.

Fun evening, but I was a little disappointed in the dresses - nothing really fabulous this year. For critical analysis, including why real actors won this year, see the LA Times article.

It depends on who lives in the Village

Jonathan Turley, an NBC news analyst, hit it squarely on The McLaughlin Group this week, regarding the government's response to Katrina:

We look like a village of idiots and no elders. Why, four years after 9/11, are we not able to deal with a national emergency about which we had days of warning?

Anyone?

With so many sequels under his belt ...

it was only natural that Ahnold couldn't bring himself to be a one-term governor. Sigh. Poor Maria, now she'll never get back to NBC.

More Reasons to Shop

Eeez so cute

Gwyneth Paltrow was on The Daily Show last night - promoting Proof - and Jon was darling. He just looked at her and said,

I feel like I'm in high school and I want to sit at your table.

Of course, her ponytail and schoolgirlish black dress with white ruffles at neck & sleeves might have helped - sort of Wednesday Adams re-configured as a WASPy ice princess. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Never before, and never again

The Note breaks it down:

As Howard Fineman, Adam Nagourney, Rick Berke, Jeff Greenfield, Elizabeth Wilner, Ron Brownstein, Matt Cooper, Mike Abramowitz, and Ken Mehlman would say, "How is the situation President Bush faces tonight different than on all other nights since 9/11?":

He has never seen his poll numbers take this kind of hit among Republicans before.

He has never seen his poll numbers on "strong leader" and "can handle a crisis" take such a hit before.

He has never seen his efforts to build the Republican Party among African-Americans be so thoroughly undermined before.

He has never been rolled by Nancy Pelosi before.

He has never been without Dr. Rice or Ambassador Hughes down the hall during a crisis before.

He has never had two open-ended spending commitments of tens of billions of dollars before.

He has never had to take "responsibility" for such death-infused tragedy before.

He has never had to rethink whether he has put fully qualified people in critical jobs before.

He has never had so many well-meaning Republican strategists and Administration aides whole-heartedly agreeing that the White House was too slow off the mark in dealing with a crisis before. He has never had to dial back on his view that "it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life" — at least in public — before.

He has never had to be dependent on an inexperienced Democratic governor of a poor state for his own political health before.

He has never faced the possibility of long-term blame for something (the rebuilding of New Orleans and other devastated areas) that is to a large extent beyond his control — and which he will say tonight should be left largely to the choices of local people — before.

He has never had to be so deeply self-conscious about tossing off sarcastic remarks, half-baked cracks, and casual comments before.

He has never been so denied the cushion of his nonchalant confidence and relaxed superiority before.

He has never been perceived as such a potential liability by others in his party looking to hold their seats before.

He has never lacked The Other — an enemy to demonize and to contrast with himself and his policies in the eyes of the media and the public before.

(Note to Rush Limbaugh: out of professional courtesy, before you attack us (wrongly) for being liberally biased or anti-Bush, we would ask you to do three things: [1] consider each item one-by-one and ask yourself if you really think what we wrote is wrong; [2] ask the White House if they disagree with any of this — except that Pelosi item; [3] call us to discuss it. Then: trash us.)

Busybottoms

The FG's not a fan of the cropped pant - although some of you look great in your gauchos -but there's WAY too much going on with these pants.

Surely they don't need to be cropped, cuffed belted AND pleated. Especiallly when we're always trying to get the men in our lives out of pleats. The FG won't even touch the fact that they're - gasp - 23% polyester. I demand a boycott.

You may get your Chief Justice

But today liberals got two more victories on the state level - a Sacramento County judge declared the phrase 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional (in keeping with the 2002 US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling) AND the Massachusetts legislature voted down an anti-equal marriage constitutional amendment 157 to 39:

Indeed, Brian P. Lees, a Republican who is the State Senate minority leader and co-sponsored the original amendment, which received preliminary approval from the Legislature in March 2004, said he had decided to vote against it today.

"The state of affairs in March 2004 was much different from September 2005," Mr. Lees said today, noting that gay marriage became legal in May 2004, two months after the first vote. "Today, gay marriage is the law of the land" and voting for the amendment would mean "taking action against our friends and neighbors who today are currently enjoying the benefits of marriage."

Saying he had heard from over 7,000 constituents, most against the amendment, Mr. Lees added, "gay marriage has begun and life has not changed for the citizens of the commonwealth, with the exception of those who can now marry who could not before."

Experiments in footwear

I'm wearing flats today, so if my postings seem a bit off kilter, please bear with me. Hurricane Ophelia's acting a lot more like Hamlet than her namesake, to-ing and fro-ing off the coast of North Carolina like the Prince of Denmark through the halls of Elsinore. Perhaps her winds will be laden with rosemary and pansies, fennel and columbines ... but that seems unlikely. Roberts is clearly a smarty pants, although a friend of the ECGuy described him as 'Scalia with a smile,' which is troubling to say the least.

There's an article in the NYT Dining & Wine section today on the culinary delights of Iceland that I know will interest the Blue Fairy (mmm, fermented shark), and possible Trivial Kate as well.

I'm not just Anna Wintour's daughter

I'm also literate ... or I just carry the Iliad around to prevent myself from floating away ... or maybe it's really a clutch purse. Is Fashion Week really this boring?
Bee Schaffer Poisons Fashion Week With Literature [Gawker]

Shuesday: Flower girl

Neiman Marcus has exclusive Manolos a ce moment, and the FG likes these. Simple, elegant and with a touch of sparkle to match your eyes.

Reading Cookbooks

Jane Kramer writes a charming piece in last week's New Yorker on her ongoing search for the perfect recipe for whichever dish that has seized her imagination at the moment. In addition to reminding me that I need to cook more, it's hilarious to learn that in a few weeks, from her cottage in Umbria no less, she has amassed 22 recipes for pot-au-feu, including one prepared by a vegetarian Englishwoman who never cooks, and that requires beef cheeks, which, Jane says,

are not easy to come by if you live in New York, where the only people who sell them are wholesale butchers and you have to buy them in frozen blocks of thirty pounds.

This reminds me of my annual preparation of Citrus Glazed Turkey with Chipotle Gravy for my non-vegetarian friends & family, of my three year quest to find pumpernickel bread on a regular basis after first setting foot on these western shores. AND it gives me permission to stack several of my loveliest food tomes on my coffee table for casual perusal.

Consider this

60 Minutes had a piece tonight on Kenneth Feinburg, the man with the thankless task of determining the value of each life lost on September 11, 2001.

Morley Safer: "Has it changed the way you look at the rest of your life?"

Feinberg: "Yes. It has. I'm much more fatalistic. I don't think I'll ever plan more than two weeks out. These people left that morning. It was a sunny day. They said perfunctory goodbyes after breakfast. And they never came back.

I don't plan to live my life this way, exactly, but it's worth halving the difference between/ this could be the last day of your life/ and /it could never happen to me/. I've definitely made sure this year that the people I love know that I love them, so that's a start.

Iron Chef

Warning: The FG is concerned that her select readership may be under the impression she lives alone on Stiletto Island. Never fear, there are others in the real and virtual world she has stooped to conquer. If you see yourself ... or someone you think is you ... here and you don't like your moniker or you have an oh-so-cleverer one, the FG may consider your input. You know where to find her.

I spent early Saturday night chatting with East Coast Guy about the peculiarities of time zones, and watching Todd English and Mario Batali face off on Iron Chef America. Secret Ingredient - Pizza Dough. I love to cook, and was reminded of the Blue Fairy and the Vintner, a charming and generous couple from a nearby island. They play iron chef games with a group of friends, and I was fortunate to be invited to a year-end celebration once. Their face-offs have featured, among other secret ingredients, beets, tomatoes, tofu, potatoes, corn, eggplant and mushroooms, and the accompanying tales of triumphs and defeats are book-worthy. My fav tale was of the potato martinis - fingerling potatoes were marinated in potato vodka ... or perhaps it was vermouth? ... frozen, sliced to stand on end and hollowed out like sake boxes. Then potato vodka martinis were served in the potato 'glasses'. V. creative. And then there were the candied eggplant bits, folded into a creamy mousse and served in dyed eggshells with tiny spoons ... clearly I could go on and on.

And then, off to a first birthday party ever ... for a lovely woman in her late 20's who, for reasons of family of origin religious persuasions, has never had a birthday party. It is a fascinating thing to contemplate, as one who grew up attending birthday parties ad nauseum. The Birthday Diva has promised to sport a tiara, so what are we waiting for?

Charge the man or let him go

GREAT WA post editorial today on the Jose Padilla case:

In a larger sense, however, the decision changes nothing. The U.S. District Court ruling was a stretch under the Supreme Court's recent decision in the case of Yaser Esam Hamdi -- the other American citizen held as an enemy combatant after Sept. 11 -- so the appeals court's action is no surprise. What's more, it will not be the final word on this subject. The legality of the administration's position will be decided by the Supreme Court. The administration's prospects there remain cloudy at best; a majority of justices have expressed anxiety about the government's position. Even flush from its appeals court victory, the administration cannot be confident of prevailing. There may be times when circumstances require the detention of an American citizen fighting for the other side who, for some reason, cannot be tried in civilian courts. But by continuing to hold Mr. Padilla in this weird legal limbo, the government invites a high court precedent that would deny the president this power.

The government's handling of Mr. Padilla's case has been both bruising to liberty and self-defeating from the outset. The military initially contended that not only could it hold him indefinitely, but also that he could not consult with counsel or get any chance to contest the basis for his detention. When a respected federal judge in New York affirmed the core of the government's position -- that Mr. Padilla could be held as an enemy fighter -- but required that he get to see his lawyer and respond to the allegations against him, the government appealed the ruling all the way to the Supreme Court to force the case to be refiled in South Carolina. At every stage of this case and the other enemy-combatant cases, the government has overplayed its hand. And the courts have rightly grown suspicious.

At this stage, there is no good reason to keep holding Mr. Padilla in a status that raises so many troubling questions and that risks so much. His intelligence value is exhausted, and he would be as disabled from rejoining the fight in a federal prison as in a military brig. Instead of trying its luck before the Supreme Court, the administration ought to seek congressional legislation to regulate such cases. In the immediate term, it should file criminal charges against Mr. Padilla, if it continues to insist he is a dangerous terrorist. Allowing Mr. Padilla a full opportunity to defend himself in a regular criminal proceeding would not only protect liberties, it would avoid another damaging setback for presidential war powers by the high court.

As Ani would say, If you're not angry, you're just stupid or you don't care.

T-easer

Threadless has, in addition to Hurricane relief t-shirts, this very fun Scrabble angst design. Sadly, they're out of stock, but I thought you'd like to see it anyway. If we all band together, maybe they'll re-print it. And some are more provocative than others ...

(Courtesy Trivial Kate.)

Oh so very much going on

Between work and trying to keep up with the /when it rains it pours/ news cycle we're currently experiencing, it's hard to know what's worth commenting on at the moment. But if you're into one-stop shopping for the most outrageous plat du jour, feel free to start here:

• Once a First Lady, not always a First Lady
• FEMA head 'Brownie' replaced (and Time says he exaggerated his resume)
• The 4th and 5th amendments do not apply to US citizens
• Mr. Empathy thinks people who refuse to obey evacuation orders should be punished
• Schwarzenegger doesn't think the state legislature can decide who can be married
• Police officers are pointing guns at journalists in New Orleans
• If you're avoiding prison by claiming to be wheelchair bound, better stay in your chair.
• Jobless and stranded at the Astrodome? Be all that you can be.
  

You think?

What more is there to say?

(Update: this was sent to the FG from overseas without reference to its prior posting on Kos. Mea culpa.)

What other blogs?

Thursday Styles acknowledges those of us who toil in virtual space to share our opinions on fashion, celebrity and otherwise, with our handfuls of devoted and fabulous readers (no, the FG wasn't mentioned, but those who were are far, far ... heftier than we. And possibly not otherwise employed. I'm KIDDING!) Congrats to Shoewawa, I am Fashion, etc., etc. Here's hoping you don't crash under all the attention. Really.

By the Numbers

Kos links to the Democratic Policy Committee site, which you may find useful when you need a statistic to throw into your next anti-administration argument at cocktail hour. 'Highlights' include:

Approximate amount appropriated by Congress for Iraq operations so far: $218 billion
Approximate amount spent by the U.S. in World War I: $205 billion
Number of U.S. service members killed in Iraq: 1,886
Number reported wounded by the Defense Department: 14,265
Number of National Guard soldiers killed in Iraq through August 27, 2005: 269
Number of National Guard soldiers killed in the entire Vietnam War: 97
Number of terrorist suspects the Bush Administration claims have been convicted since September 11, 2001: 200
Number that have actually been convicted: 39

California here we come

Right back where we started from ...

CA's state legislature redefined marriage as between 'two persons' instead of between a man and a woman yesterday, the first state to do so without the threat of legal action.

One more reason to move to the Best Coast, as if you needed it. Did I mention Season Three of The O.C. premieres tomorrow night?

Shuesday: Pant-emonuim

This is more of a shoe-related item than an actual shoe, but bear with me. It seems that tucking our pants into our boots will be considered stylish for the next 30 seconds, but women everywhere are asking themselves, what will I do with all that extra fabric at the bottom of my pants? Never fear, the fashionable meets the practical in this ridiculous idea- pocks ... or sants?

These ingenious jeans from Thirteen Denim feature a built-in sock that eliminates baggy knees, bunched fabric, and—worst of all—broken zippers.

Thanks Trivial Kate!

This is the End, beautiful friend, the End

It's hard to believe that Armageddon's not just around the corner. The Big Easy is underwater, grown men are breaking down into sobs on national television (watch the clip here), rescuers have yet to begin to count the bodies, soliders just home from Iraq are being immediately redeployed to what is left of New Orleans, the SCOTUS Chief Justice died in his sleep, leaving us with a 8 member court heading into one of the most significant sessions in years in terms of civil liberties, and giving one of the worst presidents ever the opportunity to nominate another justice, AND Jon Stewart is still on vacation.

Fortunately for the moment, Justice John Paul Stevens, the senior member of the court, is in charge. He is, by all appearances, in vigorous good health at 85.
UPDATE: Bush has now nominated Roberts to be CJ and asked Sandra Day O'Connor to stick around until her successor can be appointed. While an inarguably savvy move on Bush's part, it is now also likely that Roberts will still be CJ when I retire. Which is farther away than I like to think about. Now I'm just crankier, and I didn't think that was possible.

Michael Moore's giving it his all. And why was DHS Chief Michael Chertoff getting his information on the hurricane from the newspaper as late as last Tuesday, as he stated on Meet the Press this morning? Fortunately Tim Russert is kicking the #@*% out of him at the moment. Eleanor Clift used the word apartheid this morning when describing the scenes of New Orleans, and I'd have to agree with her. Perhaps NOW we'll have that long overdue discussion on race and class in America. Let's start with Bob Herbert's column, "A Failure of Leadership".

Jim Crow lives

This week's lesson is, in case of emergency, don't be a poor person of color in the world's only superpower.

In New Orleans, the disaster's impact underscores the intersection of race and class in a city where fully two-thirds of its residents are black and more than a quarter of the city lives in poverty. In the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood, which was inundated by the floodwaters, more than 98 percent of the residents are black and more than a third live in poverty.

For everything there is a season

and when a natural disaster is consuming three states and the attention of the nation and the world, is that really the best time to go shopping for $300 shoes, if you're the Secretary of State? According to Gawker:

Just moments ago at the Ferragamo on 5th Avenue, Condoleeza Rice was seen spending several thousands of dollars on some nice, new shoes.

Perhaps she's reverting to Bush's post 9/11 advice to go on as usual. But it's an incredibly insensitive thing for a' national leader' to do at such a time. Condi, if you REALLY need new shoes this week, send a flunky, so that at least the appearance of compassion is preserved.