And They Say Republicans Have No Ideas

Showing the GOP propensity for brilliant innovative political strategy, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert has proposed halting the "Federal power grab" that is health reform by going back to 1913 and repealing the 17th amendment, which calls for electing senators by that pesky entity known as "the people." Media Matters has more.

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Whoah, How Do They Do That So Fast?

Capitalism Lives Dept: Mere hours after Joe Biden reportedly let slip near a mike that passage of health reform was "A big f---ing deal," some enterprising graphics whiz had already made a commemorative t-shirt and posted it online. Best value $17.95!

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Fiddling While Rome Burns

No wonder the Securities and Exchange people never figured out what Bernie Madoff and other sordid Wall Streeters were up to: They were otherwise engaged. Investigations over the past two years show that SEC employees tried to surf on-line pornography at least 8,273 times. Gawker has gotten reports of 16 investigations - one guy argued he only checked out porn "no longer than an hour and a half a day" - with a list of the sites they were looking at. We kinda like the names kindgirls and pokeoftheday.

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What You Get

With so much disappointment over the flaws and failures of the health care bill, it's been easy to overlook what it does achieve. With the drama of the signing, ten pens and all, behind us , Crooks and Liars lists ten benefits that go into effect within months. Key among them: the ludicrously reasonable stipulation that you can't lose your insurance because you get sick – supposedly the whole point of insurance, yes? It's a start.

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A Monster, Angry and Blind, Wearing Death as A Dress

Appearing swathed in black on a popular Arabic version of "American Idol," Saudi Hissa Hilal delivered a blistering poem blasting extremist Muslim clerics who "speak from a powerful platform" only to "terrorize people" and "prey on those seeking peace" - thus earning her cheers, a place in the finals, and death threats on militant Islamic web sites.

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