They're selling postcards of the hanging,painting the passports brown

It's three p.m, do you know where Karl Rove is? There is an Amber Alert out--he's still on the lam. He is said to be armed and dangerous.

Yesterday, the World Bank released their findings that the world is in a Depression. The only good news is that England is collapsing at twice the rate we are. The news released this morning continues the grim record--we have hit 1982 and now next stop will be shortly after WWII, wait for a few months before we officially dip into the 1930s. However, we now have the highest number of people on unemployment of all time. Let's not forget that over 40 states are in essence bankrupt.

While "mellowing out" to Lightening Bolt last night--check out their Youtube of their Two Towers, I thought of the Republican crackup. It makes perfect sense for the Republicans to vote against the economic stimulus package. This isn't positioning themselves in case Obama fails, it's a way for them to distance themselves from the Bush years.

Bush expanded executive authority to the largest extent of any American President--even beyond FDR; adopted the largest and most costly entitlement program in history--the Medicaid Drug program; fought a war off budget--to the tune of $1 trillion; committed the US to buy almost $7 trillion in toxic derivatives; left a budget deficit of at least $1.5 trillion; and bailed out banks at another $750 billion. Before Republicans can move forward, they have to flee this monster, which Democrats will make sure they can't.

Mitch McConnell said Bush was the Republicans' burden. The minority leader said that the Republicans have become a regional party. But the Gallup yesterday shows that region is really a handful of Rocky Mountain states, and not the Southern Senators and Congressmen who compose the bulk of their elected leadership. How do you square the two and move forward? One temporary solution is for the Republicans to rally round their base of 20% of the population by re-embracing conservative policies before they can move out into new terrain. It's a recipe for further defeats in 2010 and beyond. But Republicans can not deal with the massive hang-over from the Bush years and also face their larger grief that the Reagan Era has ended.

This has led to an eruption of madness among conservatives. The General Smedley types are circulating a conservative news wire story that Bob Gates is annoyed at Obama for changing the oath of allegiance taken by the armed forces from upholding the constitution to being loyal to the President. The chances of this being real are minus 50 and counting. Video tapes are being circulated of teachers leading students in the pledge of allegiance but substituting "to Obama" for "To the Flag.." A slight eruption has occurred calling for direct elections of the Attorney General, probably to prevent a black man from holding the job, particularly someone who might prosecute torturers. The birthers are really pleased by their new gambit of having military types filing petitions to declare Obama ineligible. We will be treated to endless stories about what miscreants and deviate sexual practices the economic stimulus package supports so that the new "Anti-American" wing of conservatives can flourish.

President Obama looks like he may tap Judd Gregg, the conservative Senator from New Hampshire, as the Commerce Secretary. Progressives are annoyed but Gregg at least was one of the few serious Republicans, who actually tried to learn the details of the first Bush bailout. While John McCain flew his kamikaze mission to Washington, it was Judd Gregg and Utah's Bob Bennett, who were the only Republican adults on deck, working round the clock to adjust the package to reflect some practicality. Gregg leaving the Senate would allow New Hampshire to appoint a Democrat and with slo-motion Al Franken the Democrats would have a super-majority.

John McCain is still trying to be Obama's Wendell Willkie but it's not working. He suggests Obama not criticize Rush Limbaugh because he has a large audience. Touchy, touchy folks. Obama said all of one line about Republicans listening to Rush Limbaugh and we are supposed to spend a week in Washington mulling this over. Why a Democrat has to worry about Rush Limbaugh is beyond me.

Meanwhile the $500 million man Rush Limbaugh rallied the troops claiming everything Obama was doing was "pure FDR". For the past two months, conservative commentators have been criticizing FDR and claiming he only extended the Depression. I recall an old conservative cornering President Reagan in the White House and ranting about FDR and socialism. President Reagan silenced the man by saying," I had the honor of voting for the gentleman---four times." Even Newt Gingrich several books ago hailed FDR as one of the true American heroes. I guess all bets are off now.

The Hot Rod is gone. He made a valiant defense of himself at the impeachment hearing but lost the vote unanimously. But I like the guy. With the Republicans in eclipse, he could lead the new Pay To Play Party with former Congressman Jefferson handling the walking around money from his freezer. To give this new party a bipartisan air, I suggest bringing back elder statesman--The Lion of the Senate--Senator Tad Stevens from Alaska, who really did produce for his constituents. Hot Rod will be joined soon by Norm Coleman so the PTP Party will start of with experience.

I think I have the perfect new job for Fredo--being Karl Rove's defense attorney.