(Permanent Musical Accompaniment To The Last Post Of The Week From The Blog’s Favourite Living Canadian)

Did you notice? This was the week they gave up.

The House Republicans defending the president* against the inquiry into his possible impeachment gave up defending him on the merits, and they gave up on it entirely. All of their complaints centered around the process, even though the process is being conducted according to rules Republicans established when they were hunting snipes over Benghazi. Rep. Elise Stefanik managed, by her constant complaining, to hitch her entire political future to the future of Camp Runamuck. By Friday, confronted by the quiet steel of Marie Yovanovitch, the Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee said more nice things about her than they did about the president*. Even Jim Jordan was polite within his own narrow limits. The lone exception was Rep. Mike Turner, Republican of Texas, who wagged his finger at Yovanovitch and peremptorily told her, "You’re done."

But let’s talk about how the day ended. Committee chairman Adam Schiff read the riot act to the administration* and gaveled the meeting to a close. Rep. Mike Conaway, Republican of Texas, began to bellow about how he wanted to speak and then, suddenly, as Yovanovitch got up to leave, the entire room burst into loud applause, drowning out Conaway’s objections. The ovation followed Yovanovitch out of the room. The Democrats on the committee, not having arrived on turnip trucks, joined in the applause.

If, somehow, the president* is turned out of office, which seems just a bit less unlikely now than it seemed at the beginning of the week, remember that applause. It was a signifying moment for all concerned. It was a spontaneous outburst of appreciation for honest government and a spontaneous declaration that the country is tired of being used to feed the limitless ego and boundless psychoses of the vulgar talking yam who lucked into the most powerful job in the world. Remember when people cheered Marie Yovanovitch, thanking her for her simple desire to do the job she was hired to do.

Weekly WWOZ Pick To Click: “Men Of The Sewage And Water Board” (Philip Melancon): Yeah, I pretty much still love New Orleans.

Weekly Visit To The Pathe Archives: Here’s a winter hot spell in Crimea in 1961. Flowers and sunbathers and people lolling in the surf. Also a Tippi Hedren amount of seagulls. Summer in January! History is so cool.

Is it a good day for dinosaur news, Daily Mail? It’s always a good day for dinosaur news!



The predator named 'Gnathovorax cabreirai' lived 230 million years ago when South America was still part of the supercontinent called Pangaea. The skeleton is virtually intact — and includes razor-sharp teeth and claws that would have made it a ferocious killer. Its genus name means 'ravenous jaws’. Experts were even able to reconstruct the dinosaur's brain — showing that it would have had good eyesight and co-ordination. This would have made it an 'apex predator' which sat at the top of the food chain, said biologist Rodrigo Muller of Brazil's Federal University of Santa Maria.

Apex predator, maybe, but its name makes it sound like a critter out of Dr. Seuss. And that’s how it lived then to make me happy now.

The Committee checked out the entries very carefully this week, but Top Commenter Crystal Clemo won its heart with some seasonal poetic musings.

Sometimes, on a chill autumn day, when the leaves of red and gold are swirling round and down the streets and the stars and moons align perfectly with the arc of justice and there is an air of rightness and goodness in the world - Christmas comes early.

Yes, Crystal, there is a Beckham. In fact, there are 90.11 of them, and they’re all yours.

Back on the campaign trail next week with the Democratic debate in Atlanta sandwiched by more hearings in Washington. Be well and play nice, ya bastids. Stay above the snake-line, or I’m sending Elise Stefanik to your house to demand points of parliamentary procedure from your front stoop.

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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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