The head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, is accused in the the sexual assault (read "rape") of a New York hotel maid. While this throws a huge monkeywrench into French politics, it has global implications as well.
Mike Huckabee won't run in 2012. Frankly, I'm a lot less surprised about that then I'm supposed to be, it seems. The big tip-off for me was that he made the announcement on his Fox show, which might've made things troublesome election/media laws-wise if his announcement had been anything other than "no." Still, I'll bet his ratings killed. After all, that's what all the "Huckabee emails suggest a run!" stories were all about.
We hit the debt limit tomorrow. Expect a lot of stupid statements from Republicans, but remember that we've got enough to keep the lights on until about August -- then catastrophe as the US defaults on loans and bonds. Until the week or two before we run out of money, it'll all be bluster. It's a game of chicken and, frankly, Republicans suck at it.
Rep. Paul Ryan, well-known author of fantasy-economics porn, will decide whether he wants to run for retiring Sen. Herb Kohl's seat this week. I don't like to make predictions, but I'm guessing no. Ryan is a "rising star" in the House GOP and, if he switches to the Senate, he'll practically have to start over as a freshmen nobody. Still you never know -- in terms of temperament, the calm, non-bomb-tossing Ryan seems more Senate. I'm not pinned down either way, but I think it's more likely he'll rule it out.
Newt Gingrich really is a jackass. Now he's suggesting an illegal "poll test" -- i.e., requiring someone to pass some sort of knowledge test before being allowed to vote. These were typically used in the racist south to keep poor blacks from voting. I'm sure the 'baggers love the idea, but the irony is that this would disenfranchise a lot of teabagging morans -- literacy was often a requirement.
Finally, conservative pundit George Will shocks America by actually being right for once.
