Roger Ailes, Fox Execs Still Furious At Hannity

By GottaLaff

It's with a heavy heart that I must report on the disappointment ClusterFox has expressed in one of their biggest stars, Sean Hannity. He and his ego have gotten themselves into a pickle, and there could be major repercussions. I'm saddened. I'm speechless. I'm...

... kidding! I am so loving this!

Sean and his ego forgot to tell the Big ClusterBoss that they were using their little Tea Bagger Sean Show to sell tickets for and to benefit... the Tea Baggers. Oops.

Now Roger Ailes, the Mother Foxer himself, is not amused. Check that. He's pissed. It's not nice to blindside your boss:

This afternoon, conservative commentator Debbie Schlussel wrote a lengthy blog post about the behind-the-scenes trouble Hannity and staff had gotten themselves into over the incident (via Johnny Dollar). [...]

You have to read between the lines on the LA Times Hannity story and know the background. The order to cancel Hannity’s Tea Party broadcast came from FOX News Chairman Roger Ailes, not Senior Vice President Bill Shine–a shameless Hannity toady.

[...]

Schlussel closes with, “Yes, the once-hot FOX News property, Sean Hannity, is not only self-destructing, he’s proving to be a liability and a headache not worth the male diva prima donna act,” and continues to speculate about Hannity losing his timeslot. That’s overstating matters a bit.

The article goes on to say that Sean and his ego weren't just in this for his Tee Vee show. Nope,
it was also to self-serve giant helpings of "Looka-me, I got a radio show, a book, and I'm on Twitter!"

This incident shows what can happen when major FNC personalities put their personal interests and side projects ahead of Fox News. As FNC grows into the unmatched powerhouse it has become, so too have their big stars become that much bigger.

Maybe I should refer to him as Sean and his crushed ego.

On Countdown just now, Media Matters Guy Eric Burns thinks they'll all kiss and make up. $ounds about right.

More at Mediaite.

AUDIO: Charlie Crist Recording Sends Callers to Sex Line

By GottaLaff

Don'tcha just hate when that happens?

In a message callers hear when they get put on hold after calling Gov. Charlie Crist, Crist transposes a couple of numbers and turns the phone number for Florida KidCare into the number you’d call for “hot, horny girls.”

The Family Values party strikes again!

Public option likely to be managed by private insurance company

By GottaLaff

Big Insurance reminds me of the recent bedbug epidemic. You can't get rid of 'em, they sneak in, they're everywhere, they suck your blood, they're unhealthy, they take over, and they're disgusting:

A little-noticed tidbit in Saturday's Washington Post is sure to raise eyebrows among liberal supporters of a gorvernment-run healthcare plan: the plan is likely to be administered by a private insurance company, the very companies that progressive activists are trying to unseat.

[...]

The public option would effectively be just another insurance plan offered on the open market. It would likely be administered by a private insurance provider, charging premiums and copayments like any other policy. In an early estimate of the House bill, the Congressional Budget Office forecast that fewer than 12 million people would buy insurance through the government plan.

[...] A physicians' group notes that the bills authorize the government to contract with "corporations" that will create a "public option."

Excuse me? How did we all miss this? Anyone out there know this was going on? Am I reading too much into this, worrying for nothing again? Please tell me it's one of those times.

The article goes on to compare the "public option" to Medicare... step by step... bit by bit... unfavorably.

It's kind of like identical twins v. fraternal twins. In the first case, they share identical genes, they look alike, and are the proverbial two peas in a pod.

In the other, they share a birth date, but that's about all. One can be male, the other female, and if they are the same gender, they don't necessarily even resemble each other.

But it’s an important feature for “option” supporters to understand because it undermines the claim “option” advocates make over and over that the “option” will look like Medicare.

Fraternal.

Obama Official Says Secret CIA Program Was Legal, Breaks With Dems

By GottaLaff

UPDATE-- Rebuke time, and you can count on more coming:

Rep Jan Schakowsky, a key House intel committee member and a leading critic of the program, sent me a statement rapping Blair, Obama’s director of national intelligence.

“The issue of lying, misleading, or withholding information from the Congress is a very serious issue and deserves the full attention of the House Intelligence Committee,” she said. “While I share Mr. Blair’s desire for Congress and the intelligence community to be partners in the important mission of protecting the United States from enemies, it is premature to pass judgment on whether or not laws were broken until an investigation is complete.”

Thank you, Rep. Schakowsky.

Original post:

First, some background. From Wikipedia:

He has also promised to end special interrogation regimes and believes the Intelligence Community must conduct analysis on opportunities as well as threats.^{[17][18][19][20]}

From WaPo:

When it comes to today's greatest threat, Blair said the United States must "hunt down those terrorists who are seeking to do us harm." But he also said that the intelligence community must help identify and work with "Arab and Muslim leaders who are striving for a progressive and peaceful future for their religion and their countries." As during the Cold War, such activities must be clandestine so that they do not show the U.S. sponsorship that would undercut the very people and groups America is trying to help.

Now here's the Uh-Oh-O'-The Day:

There’s an important and interesting nugget of news in this morning’s Washington Post article about that secret CIA program that had been concealed from Congress since 2001.

Specifically: The Obama administration is now defending the Bush-era program as legal, putting Obama at odds with Congressional Dems who question its legality and want a probe. [...]

[C]heck out what Obama’s director of national intelligence, Dennis Blair, told the Post…

Blair broke with some Democrats in Congress by asserting that the CIA did not violate the law when it failed to inform lawmakers about the secret program until last month. Blair said agency officials may not have been required to notify Congress about the program, though he believes they should have done so.

“It was a judgment call,” Blair said in an interview. “We believe in erring on the side of working with the Hill as a partner.”

For Blair to defend the CIA’s legal right to keep Congress in the dark is important because Dems such as Rep Jan Schakowsky and Senator Russ Feingold charge that the CIA program did break the law, with House Dems mulling a probe.

But the Obama administration now seems to be sending a message to Dems, defending the Bush-era program: Cool it; the program was not illegal; we’re voluntarily resetting the agency’s relations with Congress. This won’t sit well with some Dems on the Hill.

Uh-oh.

MSNBC Graphics Get New Look

By GottaLaff

Old look

Oh boy! New stuff! Just like Christmas and Hanukkah all rolled into one!

TVNewser has learned MSNBC is set to get a graphics makeover beginning tomorrow.

One insider describes it as a "refresh" and says the changes are subtle. Another insider notes the colors — "like every look we've ever had meshed into one."

Ew.

Unfortunately, the little ticker crawl thingy at the bottom stays. That's okay. I'm betting we'll want a distraction from the meshed-into-one color scheme anyway.

Pitiful Palin's Big Publicity Blitz... and another ethics complaint

By GottaLaff

Sarah Pallin creates dust-ups faster than Peanuts' grimy little Pigpen. For what it's worth, Pigpen's a better communicator. He's also a lot cleaner than she is... also:

Complaint says she crossed line between job, self-promotion

As Sarah Palin settles back into her job as the state's chief executive, a new ethics complaint filed Tuesday says she's already improperly mixing her official duties and broader political ambitions.

The charge: That Palin broke state ethics rules by holding national television interviews about her run for vice president from the governor's office.

Oh dear. ::stifling giggle:: This just gets better and better. Looky who's involved! Hint: See last sentence in the following:

The complaint comes as Palin's personal life, her prospects as a future presidential candidate and everything she says and does continues to draw headlines.

Zane Henning, a North Slope worker from Wasilla, said he filed the complaint with the attorney general. He says Palin is promoting her future political career on state property, pointing in particular to the governor's Nov. 10 interview with Fox News Channel host Greta Van Susteren.

Nooooo! Not Faux News' very own Greta Van Susterenenenenenen! Heh... Heehee...chuckle... snort... guffaw! Hahahaaaa!!

The Palin camp, besieged by interview requests, said the governor was no longer a candidate at the time of interviews, but otherwise had little to say about the complaint.

Pallin', however, is so gosh-darned ethical that, well, doggone it, she won't be gettin' back to ya on this one:

"The governor will respect that legal requirement for confidentiality, even if others do not."

Signs of things to come: Hogging the spotlight? Really? Sarah?? No way. Say it ain't so, Pallin'!

Barbara Walters wanted to make Palin one of her "10 most fascinating people." Requests from news media, production companies and agents ring non-stop. They want Palin to sit down for interviews. Or to write a book about her life. Or host a talk show.

Ethics schmethics:

On Nov. 10, Palin appeared with Van Susteren on Fox News, sitting in her government office talking about anonymous accusations from within the McCain campaign on Palin's performance on the trail.

In the clip, now online, Van Susteren welcomes viewers, saying they're about to see Sarah Palin at home and at work.

"Governor, it must be fun to be back in your office here in Anchorage," Van Susteren begins.

It's great, Palin says.

"A lot of work to do, so it's good to be back."

Welcome home.