Much of today will be occupied (and has been already) with preparation/transportation/participation in my daughters' events, including tee ball, skating and a two-fer birthday party at the house this afternoon. So blogging may resume late tonight, but with a couple - literally - of spare minutes on my hands I thought I'd throw a few of quick links your way.
- This is so cool. Anti-matter drives and cloaking devices? Gene Roddenberry was way ahead of his time. I'll lay 10-1 odds that if this technology develops anywhere it'll be developed in the good ol' USA.
- Porter Goss is out at CIA. Some say he was forced out in a turf conflict with DNI John Negroponte. Some say he was an interim boss, chiefly charged with sweeping out the rats in the organization. Mary McCarthy might agree. Or not. Some say he might be entering the Florida Senate fray. Some say he was about to become ensnarled in the Duke Cunningham scandal, including escessive familiarity with DC hookers. Many on the left are speculating there, but some on the right are also on board. We'll see where the chips fall. Rumor has it that General Michael Hayden is to be named the new head, but his ties to the NSA with the NSA terrorist surveillance program already an issue may make that problematic.
- Rep. Patrick Kennedy is heading for the Mayo Clinic for another stretch of substance rehab. I've had some chuckles at his expense, but I've been careful to avoid jumping to conclusions regarding alcohol (which he denies), hard drugs or a combination of the two. He needs help, and he needs support; hopefully his family is not so self-absorbed that they can't provide it.
Of greater interest to me are four questions:
- Will we ever find out why the police let him go without an adequate investigation that night?
- Will anyone surface to testify publicly that Mr. Kennedy was home, as he said, or that he was out at, say, the Hawk and Dove?
- How will Cynthia McKinney react to the knowledge that she's being pursued aggressively for her transgression while Mr. Kennedy gets a pass?
- Will the voters of Rhode Island ever wake up to the fact that having the last name "Kennedy" does not, in and of itself, confer the wisdom and judgement necessary to represent thousands of Americans in Congress? Or will Mr. Kennedy wake up and realize he's not really up to this job, and his efforts would be best directed at helping himself?
I'm not holding my breath on any of these.
- Jay Tea has a look at the inescapable Rush Limbaugh - Patrick Kennedy comparisons.
In brief, both men have shown their weakness and have been pilloried for their deeds in catering to those weaknesses. But in the long run, Limbaugh will succeed or fail on his own efforts, while Kennedy will, in all likelihood, continue to coast through life riding his family's coattails ...
Absolutely. Of note, don't expect any medical information to "leak" from rehab. That would be a major HIPAA violation, for which the institution and the treating physicians would be liable.
News of hope for the Kennedy family in DC, as only National Nitwit can present.
Posted by: Subcomandante Bob | May 06, 2006 at 06:21 PM