Via my good buddy Jon at Jonworld, I discovered this news item that shows for the first time an actual freakin' GIANT SQUID in its natural habitat. An honest to god sea monster, no freakin' lie.

UPDATE: Wikipedia has updated its giant squid article with a better pic and loads of info.

I can't begin to tell you how cool I find this news.

...to Crooks and Liars--they have so much good stuff every day, it really makes me feel like I'm sitting on my thumbs here.

For instance, today:

Bill Maher's New Rules and the Nature of Evil

And, but, also:
Listen to this and tell me if you wish he was still president.

Plus, as always, lots more wonderful, infuriating stuff.

Don't worry, though, my loyal reader (readers?)--I'm getting ready to ditch all the political blogging and go back to slice-of-life gems from the world of Scott. Just not right yet.

Teehee.

Oh, wait, that's not funny. It hurts. Because it's true.

Give this man the Nobel Prize.

Crooks and Liars has a funny and infuriating video of the second press conference held by Scotty "Happy Feet" McClellan (which I blogged recently here, showing just how shameless a dodge they're trying to pull. David Gregory of NBC News ain't hearin' it.

Video Here (WMV and QT)

What's even greater is the commentary by Imus et al. afterwards. Click it.

...did the government really fail us?

"It's impossible for me to imagine how you report a story whose subject is death without allowing the public to see images of the subject of the story," Larry Siems of the PEN American Center told Reuters.

[via Mrs. Tool]

I know I'm late to the liberal blog party on this one, but if you haven't bookmarked Crooks and Liars, you need to do so right now. Lots of video of political hypocrisy, and not only on Katrina. Today there's a clip of the Scarborough Country dude going off on fellow Republicans who want him to "shut up" about what a bad job they did, and a timeline that the relentless Keith Obermann put together on what was said and what was actually done. Required reading.

I put a link to the site on my sidebar, but wanted to draw everyone's attention to this valuable resource.

You've got to read this. A pissed-off White House Press Corps rips the hapless Scotty McClellan a new one as he tries unsuccessfully to spout talking points and give the president a free pass. Keep going guys--don't ever stop.

An excerpt:

Q I just want to follow up on David's questions on accountability. First, just to get you on the record, where does the buck stop in this administration?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President.

Q All right. So he will be held accountable as the head of the government for the federal response that he's already acknowledged was inadequate and unacceptable?

UPDATE: Scotty continues to do his best Fred Astaire impression.

Hate to do another reprint--okay, I don't, really--but here's Keith Olbermann(video link) saying a lot of what I've been thinking a lot more eloquently and effectively. Remember, the Bush Administration ran on the platform that they were the chappies who could keep you safe. I don't know if Kerry et al. would have done better, but right about now I'd be willing to give anyone else a crack at it.

Excerpt:
...This is the Law and Order and Terror government. It promised protection — or at least amelioration — against all threats: conventional, radiological, or biological.

It has just proved that it cannot save its citizens from a biological weapon called standing water.

UPDATE: Crooks and Liars has video of Olbermann's speech here.

Just because everyone should read it, here's the text of the editorial from Sunday's (online only) issue of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, in the form of an open letter to President Bush.

Pay attention.